Becoming an Example - Pastor Dami Oguntunde

Hi there. This is the PowerPoint tribe where our life is safe and our food is the word prepared to be strengthened and encouraged through the teachings of God's Word and the ministry of the Spirit. Praise the name of the Lord. Now, to start with, I'd like to enumerate the three major objectives of this particular teaching series. The three major objectives of this teaching series, the very first one, is to equip tribesmen with the right consciousness. Praise the Lord. Please eliminate destruction for whoever you are so that you can pay a lot of attention, okay? To equip tribesmen with the right consciousness of leadership and godly influence on earth. So one of the things that this particular teaching series seeks to achieve is to make you effective and impactful on earth on earth. All right, this is no one of those teachings that just makes you so heavenly conscious. This one will force you to be earthly relevant. Okay, that's one of the objectives of this teaching. To equip tribesmen with the right consciousness of leadership and godly influence on the earth. Number two, to learn how to socially engineer behavior that is acceptable before God through conviction based living. I'll say that again, to leave or to learn rather to learn how to socially engineer behavior, okay? Because the objective of this teaching series is to seek to influence others. All right, to seek to influence others. That's the big idea. So to learn how to socially engineer behavior that is acceptable before God through conviction based living. There is only a significant, there is a type of living that compels following and it is conviction based living, not convenience based living, conviction based living. That's the only way you can get any group of people to follow the Lord. Okay, you can get people to do what they like, what gives them pleasure without conviction based living. You can get a lot of people to do what you're doing. If what you're doing is already within the line of what they would like to do, that is it's pleasure based. But in order to influence people to do what God wants them to do, you can't you can't base your life on convenience. You've got to base your life on conviction. Number three, to preserve, which is very important, to preserve the legacy of faith upon the face of the earth. All right, until Jesus comes and to live a life that impacts generations yet unborn, this is important because the Bible says in Luke 18, one of the last few verses of Luke 18, Jesus made a statement, he said, when the Son of man returns to the earth, it says, will he find faith, will he find faith? All right, this is one of the teachings that will by God's grace ensure that when the Lord returns, he will find faith on the earth. All right, very, very important. This is one of the teachings that will ensure that if the Lord comes, if the Lord returns in the name of Jesus, he will find faith on the face of the earth. All right, so these are the three objectives of this teaching series and we'll just start it off right away. Now, who or what is an example? Who or what is an example? You know, I'm sure many of us in math classes growing up, secondary school, primary school, are very familiar with mathematical examples. Now, even though many of them to not particularly live up to their expectation because the examples are usually a little too simplistic, you know, you go to class, you hear the lecturer talk about the examples and everything just fits all nicely. All the principles are applied, you know, it's very simple, it's very easy. Until you get to the exam all and you see the exam papers and you sort of feel scammed, feel like, no, this is not what they taught me, whereas it's the exact same thing they taught you, only an advanced version. Now, the thing about examples is that they expect that to carry the fullness of the pattern, the fullness of the principle so that when you observe that example, even if your context is different, that example can give you insight and perspective and intelligence as to how to navigate your own life, okay? So what is an example? All right, as defined by the dictionary, it's a person or a thing that is considered as fit to be imitated. I'll say it again. An example is a person or a thing that is considered as fit to be imitated. A person or thing that is considered as fit to be imitated. That means on something cannot and is not fit. Now, things can be imitated without being fit to be imitated. But if you can copy a bad thing, whereas that thing was never an example, but you copied it nonetheless. So you can imitate something that you shouldn't be imitated. But for you to imitate something that is fit to be imitated, you have just imitated an example. So an example is an ideal that should be imitated. So a person or a thing that is considered fit to be imitated. I've also observed that there are three or two conditions for exemplification. That is, without these two things, without these two features, nothing can be an example. Two conditions for exemplification. Again, this is a teaching. So you need to write and you need to be able to attention. So you can follow the thought pattern. Now, the first thing is site. The second thing is pattern. The first thing is site. You cannot copy. You cannot imitate what you cannot see. It's impossible. You cannot copy or imitate what you cannot see. Now, beyond seeing, you also cannot copy or imitate what has no pattern. What is patternless? What is formless? Even if you can see it, you really can't copy it because there's no form. There's no dimension to it. There's no, there's no specificity to it. So you can't copy it. All right. We can draw a rectangle because we know the form of a rectangle. We can draw a triangle because we know the form of a triangle. No matter how visible something is with has no pattern, if it has no specific shape form or dimension to it, it is impossible for that thing to be copied. So a person or thing that is considered feeds to be imitated and two conditions for imitation is or are site and pattern. That means that thing must be visible and that thing must have a form. No matter how much of an example you write, we cannot see you. They can't copy. It's impossible. All right. You cannot copy or imitate what has no pattern. All right. This is the password for influence. Anything that cannot be seen, anything that has no pattern can never propagate, can never become influential. It's impossible. Something has to be seen and there has to have a specific pattern sound definition to it before it can become influential. All right. Among people. Now that means that for someone to be an example, you must be visible and this goes to a lot of our very shy and reserved, conservative Christians who don't like to be visible because they're just a very humble bunch. They like to just do their things very secretly, very accordingly. And there's nothing wrong with that essentially. There's nothing wrong with being conservative with having a very quiet personality. It will surprise a lot of people when I tell them that I'm actually very introverted. Many people will hardly believe that because they see me on Sunday morning, jumping, all right, screaming. And they assume that this game will be super, super extroverted. I have learned to become that way. All right. But personally, I'll rather just be by myself just thinking, learning, researching and just, you know, just being by myself and enjoying my presence. All right. But you see, for the sake of influence, for the sake of ministry, you cannot afford it. It's too much of an expensive personality to have. If you want to be somebody that will touch lives for Jesus, it is impossible to be someone that touched lives in his time on the face of the earth without being someone who is willing to get out of his comfort zone, without being someone who is willing to be uncomfortable for the gospel. You've got to learn to be uncomfortable, especially getting out of your personality comfort zone to get to a place where you can touch lives and make impact in the lives of the lot of people. And so you've got to be visible to be impactful. This is why an absent father is as ineffective as a non-existent father. If a person's father is no longer alive and the person's father is alive and is not present, both of them have the exact same effect, ineffective. They all, they both have the exact same amount of effect in the child's life, both the one who is not present and the one who is absent, but the one who is not present on the face of the earth and the one who is present on the earth, but absent in the life of that child, both of them have the exact same non-effect. And that is why it is extremely important that you recognize this because, hey, there's where you can hear this kind of teachings and you're like, see, all the mantras are relationship with God and that's important, very powerful and important. But much more important, especially to this particular teaching, is a consciousness that will make you more deliberate about the impact you're having in the lives of other people, the kind of impact, the kind of feedback that experiences tell you that people are having whenever they interact with you. That thing is extremely important because without examples, we cannot propagate the godly virtues in the world. We can't and I would explain to you eventually. So, a thought, listen to this, a thought, because remember, anything that is not visible cannot be an example, anything that lacks pattern cannot be an example. So, there are two conditions for imitation, sight, alright, and pattern. It must be visible and it must be, it must, as a form, it must have a pattern. Now, listen, a thought cannot be an example. A thought is not visible, even if it has a form, even if it has a pattern, it is not visible. I can see a thought, so I can't copy a thought. Alright, this is very important. Now, a thought is visible to god, but it's not visible to man. Remember when Samuel was about anoint Elyab, alright, wrongfully because he was moved by the things he could see, and then the Lord rebuked, or should I say, corrected, or prevented that mistake from happening, by telling Samuel that he does not see the way man sees. He was not cast on a spurs on man when he said that. He was just been descriptive about the reality of humanity. He was not saying man is wrong for only looking at the outer appearance. He is just expressing a limitation on every single human being, directness, which is the fact that we can't just see people from their spirit. It was we meet them. We meet them from body into their soul, into their spirit. The god sees you from your spirit, alright, through your body, eventually, but man sees first the body. And so, because of this limitation, we tend to jump into conclusions that don't align with the conclusions of god. Regarding people, regarding places, regarding lands. Remember how much throws a land because of what he saw. Even though that land was soon to be destroyed, because it was not seen from God's perspective. And so a thought listen to this. A thought cannot be an example. A belief cannot be an example. Amen. This is so important. This is very important. So, attention. Belief cannot be an example. A thought cannot be an example because they lack one of the conditions for imitation, which is the fact that a belief cannot be seen. Alright? A thought cannot be seen. These two things are like software's. They need a hardware to animate them. And so the animation of a thought is an action. The animation of a belief is an action. And so only an action can actually be copied. A thought cannot be copied. Belief cannot be copied. But those things are powerful. So they need something to animate them. So the moment they are animated, then they become actions. Then the moment they become actions, then they can be seen, when they can be seen in the context of their pattern. And then they can be copied. Are we still together? Very important. Now, why do actions matter? Because some can say, well, I don't think actions matter so much. It's a face that matters before God. You know, just no God love God. Get born again, believe in Him. And alright, you'll be saved. And that's important. It's important to believe. It's important to have faith. It's important to have very important in belief systems about God. But why are we talking about actions today? Because the only way we can be copied is if we have actions that can be copied. I'm not talking about your thoughts. I'm not talking about your belief system. I'm talking about your principles. I'm talking about your actions. Because only your actions can be copied. So that you can understand the emphasis of the new testament on the lifestyle. And it's void of covetousness. So that you can be an example to those that are looking at you from the external. It is important that we understand this because it shows a lot to God. Because there's a way you can teach the word of God and examine it. Alright, the believer from is a need to talk out what he believes because you emphasize and express a prioritize belief systems above actions. Actions matter to God. Now, this is the pillar of this series. You must understand this. I've told you the three objectives of this teaching right now I'm exposing to you the three pillars of this series. It's actually one pillar, but I'll be just define that one pillar with three reasons or three justifications. But pillar of this series is actions. Understand this. The reason we're saying become an example is we are telling you there is a kind of life you must begin to leave. You can't just say I know God. I love God. Alright, what matters is my relationship with God in a private. That is not what this teaching is about. This is about purity and sincerity in your heart. That is good. And that will be taught. And that has been taught exhaustively in the past. We are talking about something that will make you into such a powerful and compelling example to your world. And in that regard, in that regard, actions are everything. Chants mean everything. So the very pillar upon which this series stands is the pillar of actions. Now, why does action matter so much? Number one, sounds matter before God, because if actions did not matter, a simple confession should have reversed the scene of Adam and Eve. It's not a confession would have easily reversed the scene of Adam and Eve. And they would have still been kept in the Garden of Eden. But because actions actually matter, just matter so much that it was sufficient to exer was the word now to evict them away from the Garden of Eden. God knows why he said you should not purchase or not eat. He could have said you should not think you should not imagine. He said you should not touch. You should not eat. So from the kind of scripture, the very, very first estates that man had, the thing that mattered more than anything else was action. Is until both of them are fully eating that thing before I could not be fully executed. So even if the devil attempted them, but they did not do it, it would not have amounted to a violation of the instructions of God. And so you must recognize why actions matter. They matter before God. They matter in the original beginning in the Garden of Eden. They matter the law. The matter during the disposition of the law. They matter at inclination. They matter when we go bowling in the matter of redemption. There has never been a time in the history of humanity. We're actions in no matter. So God to man in every sphere of dominion. Extensions have always mattered. Because there is a gospel out there that discounts the weight of actions. And exalts the weight of thoughts over and above actions. But we must understand the delicate and dynamic relationship between thoughts and actions. All right. So I have to go. Because if we did not matter to God, a simple confession would have reversed the scene of Adam and Eve in the Garden. Their decision to eat the forbidden fruit would not have mattered. If access did not matter, access by themselves are only byproducts of a belief system. And remember I said thoughts and belief systems are looking for a human being to animate them. We don't know your thoughts until we see actions. So their actions proved that they did not trust in God or believe in Him. That was why they were punished. So their actions were a reflection of a deeper issue which was their thoughts. But without those actions, we don't see the full gestation of those thoughts. That means even if a thought comes into your mind, if that thought did not gestate in true full-grown action, you are literally overcome the temptation. Because you have violated the full, you are aborted that thought. Because a person is a method of a graphic care. But in the context of the thought is that that thing started, but in the finish. So it started out as a thought. But it did not fully gestate. Because it started as a loss. Then it becomes same. Then it produces death. But if at the point of the thought, you are able to violate it and assure it does not fully gestate, into the point of action, you have not had the power of that scene. All right, and so the actions proved a deeper issue of a distrust and unbelief and a lack of obedience to God, which was why it was punished. So acts as matter in the dispensation before seeing, acts as matter after seeing, acts as matter in the dispensation of the Lord, acts as matter in the incarnation, acts as matters even now that we are saved. Actions always matter. You don't arrest children based on your thoughts. You don't arrest children based on your belief system. You arrest children based on songs, examples that they can see, and examples that they can crystallize as an imagination. Because it will never become an imagination without no pattern. Even if they can see it, if that's no form, that is why a child cannot draw air. Because he cannot see it, it exists, it's right there, but he can't see it. Because he cannot see it, it has no form in his head. And so he cannot replicate it. I mean, children are such a beautiful gift from God. The way they have so information is just remarkable. And it is a witness of our life is designed to work and to run. Children cannot be taught by thoughts. They must be taught by examples. And there are two conditions, for example, sight and pattern. Again, I'm Laney Foundation. So, are you raised children is by being examples? You raise a proper culture in an organization, in your nation, in your church, is with your actions. Now, you can think excellence, but if you don't act excellence, you are not excellent. You can think purity. If you do not act purity, you are not pure. You can think righteousness. If you do not act or have justice, you are not righteous. So, it is important to recognize that. Access is what does an end-to-end seal of what you really are. And so, it is important to recognize that. So, without actions, you can't really build a culture that can be exemplified by the people on their constituency. And so, a family, an organization, a nation, all right, they can only be built by actions. So, that is how you build a culture. You build them primarily in belief systems, but those belief systems can already be made in your head. You must find a way to crystallize them into actions that people can then copy and imitate. You build cultural actions. If you stop acting right, it means, at some point, you stop believing right. Okay? Because the right belief in produces right behaving. So, it is important that we understand that. Number two, justification. Access shape the present and determine the future. Remember, the pillar of this teaching series are actions or the pillar is actions. Now, the accurate justification for why actions are at the very core of this teaching series. Number one, because actions matter to God. If actions do not matter to God, Adam and Eve would have just easily just said something and they would have been forgiven and brought back to the garden. But because actions matter to God, the things that they did hounded for something, they were evicted from the original state. And that has become the major being. But why humanity has been plunged into the quote and unquote decadence that it has been plunged into for the past 6000 years pretty much. Because of the actions of two people who were our progenitors. Number two, actions shape the present and determine the future. The actions of today determine what's necessary or possible tomorrow. Joseph's actions during that famine determine what Egypt was going to become during that period of famine. All right, Joseph's actions during this period of abundance, determined what Egypt was going to become during the period of famine. So the difference between Egypt as a world power and Egypt as a victim of the famine was the actions that Joseph took during the period of abundance. So actions shape the present and determine the future. It is actions that determine what is necessary or possible tomorrow. All right, so Joseph's actions determine whether Egypt will become a world power or become a victim of famine, Moses's actions delayed the promise by 30 years. Because of his actions, something happened, something was changed. For so many people who probably grew through dysfunction in their homes, in their families, in their backgrounds, you cannot tell them the actions don't mean anything. Because those actions have then determined how they think. It has shaped their mindset. It has woven the fabric of the experiences. And so you cannot just say where actions don't matter. Actions have shaped them. So we are products of actions that become thoughts. Even though those actions are produced by thoughts initially, those actions were the ones that shaped our experiences. Because I express our things that we can remember because they had a firm and they had visuals in our minds. It was because they were first actions. That is why they were able to form an image in our minds that then became strong rules. These things that I'm sharing with you are powerful, so pay attention. Number three, actions define personality and identity. Remember number one, actions matter to God. Number two, actions ship the present and determine the future. And number three, actions define personality and identity. What people can believe about you is irrevocably tied to what you have done in the past. We didn't know that Pharaoh had a hardened heart until he acted out his stubbornness in spite of better judgment to still go a right headlong into pretty much a very risky venture. Of pursuing a couple that they are going to perform 10 very powerful plagues on your land, including the debt of all the first one children, as well as your own son. Yet you pursue that as such a people. So is happening that was was evident through his actions of stubbornness. And so access define personality. If you are stubborn, it will show in the fact that you don't say sorry. It will show in the fact that you don't act non-led weakness. It will show in the fact that even against the better judgment, you will still do what is on your own mind. You have seen everybody giving you counsel about why this is wrong. Yet you're like no, I will do what I want to do. So that action of insisting on what you want in spite of judgment and counsel is what is proving that you have a hardened heart or you are stubborn. So your personality is ultimately tied to your actions, not your thoughts. Your actions, your actions, your actions, your actions. So what people are able to believe about you is irrevocably tied to what you have done in the past. We didn't know Pharaoh had a hardened heart until he acted out his stubbornness. How people are treating you to the pay attention to this is a direct function of how you have acted in the past. So those things that I just shared at the foundations upon which this teaching series is founded. I've talked about the three objectives. And now I've established the three justifications for the pillar of this teaching series. The pillar of this teaching series is action, action, action. That is how you disciple people is action and you will see it in scripture. Now, the core Bible verse where this particular series was birthed from his first Timothy chapter 4 and verse 12. The Bible says in first Timothy 412, it says, "Let no man despise your youth. But be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. Let no man despise your youth. But be thou an example." You are not too young to be an example. That's the first thing you need to learn from this passage. First Timothy 412, "Let no man despise your youth. But be thou an example." So Paul is telling Timothy here, even though you are young, don't excuse yourself from leadership. You be an example. Be an example to the believers. Young or old, it doesn't matter. Be an example to believers, even though you are young. What kind of person do you have to be? For your youthfulness to not be an excuse for lacking the ability to be an example. Because a lot of people, because of their youthfulness, they think they have time to waste. They say that they still have time. There's no need to be all uptight, all actinal, prima and proper, because come on now. You only leave one. So just leave your life and enjoy yourself. You have time. You have time to reverse any mistake. You may not. You actually may not have that time. And so you must understand exactly how powerful this window you have, as a young person is. You don't have all the time in the world. All right, to waste, to daily, all right, to just immerse yourself in egonism and pleasure seeking all the days of your life. There is a level of urgency that must characterize your life. If you understand that there are people who utilize will not make sense, accept your eyes. There are people who will not get it right in life until they see you, until they hear you, until they come around you. And because of them, you need to take a whole life seriously at the very least. Because you have your only hope from people who would have that some things are possible. Some people will not even understand what purity means until they meet you in person. Some people will not understand what leadership and excellence means until they meet you in person. Some people will not understand what being calm on their pressure means, until you become their roommate, until you become their citizens in class. Some people will never really understand the Mr. working love until they meet you as a colleague. Because you carry something that is not just a thought, not just a belief, but you have lived it out as a lifestyle. Stanley Timothy here, he said, "This is your youth." That means, the time you refuse to be an example, you are despising yourself. You are despising your youth. You are saying what is a youth for people to listen to. All their might, for everybody to repent, attach yourself to me. What I really don't want about you, you are despising your youth. Because you see, what makes you an example begins with you recognizing the value and the dignity of your life. And there is something huge about my life. I will not waste it. I will not waste it on alcohol. I will not waste it on dehydration. I will not waste it on things that will not carry value into the next generation. There is something that is a level of urgency that my spirit carries within me. And I'm also a river of the rich, that level of urgency in my life. It must be where I animate the person in my spirit. And that animation of my passion is my action. The animation of my passion is my action. So the Lord, through Paul, was Stanley Timothy. Even though you are a young man in your 20s, you are going to the pastor. He tried to hold us 15,000 people. You must not despise your youth. You must not begin to think of yourself. Less than you ought. Because, oh well, you're just a 23-year-old boy. You are exposed to your old boy that I can do exploits. You are exposed to your old boy that can order relations and destinies. You are exposed to your old boy that can create the particular inflection points in account or to be. You are not just exposed to your old boy. You are exposed to your old boy that must not despise your youth. You risk not being an example. Because anyone who is young, but became an example, one thing you can tell about them is that they never despise themselves. So even at 12, they are already speaking and engaged you with doctors of the law and finally sees at the temple and they are engaged in asking questions. 12, they are already at a sense of responsibility that there must be about their father's business. Because there is a sense of urgency you must have as a young person. You must have that sense of urgency. So the Bible says in 1st Timothy of the 4th verse 12, "Let no man despise your youth." Listen, every individual despise you. You have already despised your own self. You have no extra demeanor and honor from those who serve yourself. If you have already disobeyed yourself and I know you have disobeyed yourself by the way you are living your life. I know you have disobeyed yourself by putting substances into your body. I know you have disobeyed yourself by spreading all your things. I don't have the value to your life and your destiny. I know you have disobeyed yourself. I don't think about your life and think about them in days, nothing years, in days. I think about yourself today as a what we like to do today. Not next year, not this year, not the next decade, today. You think about your life in days. The Bible did not say, think about the number of years. It said, "Teach us the number of our days because until you get as granular as days, your years will not be productive." Until you get as granular as days, your years will never be productive. So think about the number of days. "Let no man despise your youth, that your young does not mean you cannot be an example." I like that. It does not mean you cannot be an example. You have 21. You can be an example. You have 22. You have such a goodness. The person that saved the entire world was not even up to 35. He was only a 30-year-old half-year man, but he saved the whole world. You cannot give an excuse, but not being an example for your generation. The thing about example again is, what is an example if it is not followed? What is an example if it is not heard? What is an example if it is not seen? What is an example if it is not influenced? It is the whole point of an example. An example for all the 50,000 people that you are going to be leading in your church. An example. Big an example to those on your street. Big an example to those in your compound. Big an example to those in your class. Big an example to those in your office. An example to other Nigerians around you. Big an example when you are on the queue. Big an example. Anywhere you go. Big an example. Never be the kind of person that will give people the reasons and the excuses for not living off the standards. After all, he is also doing it. After all, it was not be the kind of example that you lay. Because that's a big example. That's a bad precedent. That your young does not mean you are too young to be an example. You can already be an example at the very age that you are right now. And it's not the matter of not despising yourself. Stop thinking of yourself too lowly. Lower than you ought. As much as you must not think of yourself more highly than you ought. You also must not think of yourself more lowly than you ought. Neither of those things are defined. Neither of them glorify God. Because one produces arrogance. The other one produces low self esteem. Neither of those two things please God. Humility is having a proper, appropriate ideal perspective of yourself through the lens of God's word. Knowing who God has called you. That's humility. Humility is not bringing yourself lower than that standard. And humility, of course, is also not raising yourself higher than the standard that God has put you. But if the Lord has said you an example, be an example. Live up to that standard of being an example. Understand, that will look in at you. I'm telling you recognize it and then live out that sense of awareness with some sense of urgency. You're not too young to be an example. You don't have to wait to become great to have wisdom of experience to share. You can live a life that is what I'm leading. Not just stories to tell. Because you see, when people who didn't live a life, and this is not to say every old person, this is not to say every old person, all right. It was not an example when they were young. But it does appear that our culture tends to magnify the wisdom of the great more than the life of the young. You see, the wisdom of the great things to come from the experiences that they have not learned from a retrospect. It don't have to learn from my bad experiences. From, you know, I can't do the experiences for life. Don't you understand? You don't have to only hear my stories to learn wisdom. You can watch my life and learn wisdom. You understand that. And so, you must not despise yourself and wait till you are great. Make all the mistakes in this world. Then I have some sorry old stories to warn the young people with and say, well, this is not to leave your life. You know, watch out for this. Watch out for that because when I was young and make this mistake, you don't have to make that mistake. The Bible says that if you walk in the day, you should not stumble because you have the light of life in you. If you are walking in the day, you don't understand, but you don't have mistakes. Look at across your your path. You don't have to, you don't have to give a life that is filled with regrets, mistakes, and unwarranted journeys that along get at your path in life. You can live with a certain level of precision and accuracy. And it begins with not despising yourself. Make your life yet to yourself. Let your life mean something. Don't despise it. And once you don't despise your use, one of the things is to produce is an exemplary life. A life that is worth emulator. People don't only have to learn from your past stories. They can learn from your current reality. You often assume that they have a lot of time to experiment with their lives, go after phone, you know, and exciting things and later figure it out. But that mindset is in mirage. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 12 verse 1, it says, "Remember now that creator in the days of their youth. What are the evil days? Come not. No, the years drone eye. When thou shall see, I have no pleasure in them. Remember now that creator. Sooner you understand why Jesus said in John 9, 4, "I must work the works of him that are sent me while it is day. Then night will come when no man shall be able to work." And so it is imperative that you understand that this period of your life, it is the most productive period of your life. And it is the period of your life which will serve God the most. Don't tell yourself the lie that when you're most settled, when you're manager, when you're at the CEO, then you'll be seven and a lot more in search. You'll come earlier, you'll serve, you got it by evangelism. You do all these incredible things for God to delight to yourself. Remember now that creator in the days of their youth. What are the evil days are still far? Because the evil days are the days you can no longer so seeds that will count in your lifetime. Even if you sow seeds in the evil days, it cannot count again in your lifetime. But as a young man, I can sow seeds that I will still reap in my lifetime. An old person can sow seeds but he can reap it again in his lifetime, all right? The reward he will get in heaven, but one of the things that a young man has is he can sow seeds today. And in the lifetime, you will reap it in this same lifetime. And they still reap another reward in heaven. It's not gonna be in the youth. Can you waste all of that years saying, "Yo, you only live one, so you waste your years, your best years, your most productive years." Listen, we live out our lives in window periods. There is a window period of 1 and 10. There is a window between 11 and 20. There is another window period between 21 and 14. You see that? That sort of window period is extremely important and powerful. And you must not waste those years on things that will not satisfy ultimately. It is important that we understand this. Jesus acknowledged the brevity of time that we all have within which we must do what the Father is axed of us to do. We don't have the time, honestly. You will be surprised how quickly you will be with the Lord. I'm telling you, I mean, it doesn't matter how long you live on the face of the earth, but you will be surprised. Remember how I said, Gabriel did not experience 600 years the way humanity expressed 600 years because eternity is like that. Just like that. All right. Gabriel mentioned the breadth of Jesus and the crucifixion of Jesus to Daniel. And just like that, he was already telling Mary about it. He did not age the way all the years of silence after malachy 400 years and then there was Elizabeth and then there was Mary and Joseph and then in the fullness of time, that chronology, that's chronos. But there is a period called tyros. In that realm, there is no aging. It is a person of eternity injected into time. And you say, we must be aware of how quickly this chronos moves along. We must be very aware of it because over 20 years it will just go like a flash. Once you see in glory, you be surprised. I was born how many seconds ago and here I am with the Lord. We are actually at spent 120 years on the face of the earth. And so you must understand the power of the time that you have here on earth. Now, why do we need to learn about becoming examples? I would explain why. Why do we, why is this an important conversation to have? Open your Bibles to Psalms 12 verse 1. I want you to open your Bibles to that part of the Bible or open your Bibles to Psalms 12 verse 1. The Bible said, David was lamenting here in Psalms 12 verse 1, that help, O Lord, for the godly man Caesar, for the faithful man failed among the children of men. Oh God, for the godly man is disappearing. I can't find godly men anywhere anymore. Men are not good men anymore. Women are not good women anymore. You know, there are no good clothes out there anymore. You know, marriages are just full of shows of people's privileges here and there. You know, people are no longer dissent anymore. Well, where are the dissent songs? I mean, songs that were secular used to be sensible. Now, secular songs is almost dissenting as insensible, vulgar, all right, and very obscene, all right. That was secular music has now become equivalents too. And so, I imagine the level of dickiness we see in our world today, David had a similar express in his time. And it does yield in one of those moments. He was seen all kinds of dickiness around. He was looking for people who could partner with in business who couldn't find them. Everybody's looking for money. Nobody really wants to serve. Nobody really wants to give. Nobody really wants to give their best except that nobody's in it for them. People are just doing anyhow. What's going on? Oh, God, what the godly man sees it is just for the faithful man, failures from among the children of men. Wow. Then not too long after sounds 15, he begins to describe what that faithful man is, what that godly man is in sounds 15 from this world. The Bible says, Lord, who shall abide in that tabernacle, who shall dwell in that holy hill, he that walk it up brightly and walk it, righteousness is not for confession. Righteousness is for walk. You walk righteousness. He that walketh righteousness and spiketh the truth in his heart. He the black bighteth not. He's this, I mean the godly man. He that does not gossip. All right, with his strong. He that does not do evil to his neighbor. He that sees his neighbor and protects the interest of his neighbor. He that loves his neighbor as himself. He that is not overly competitive, that he does not mind destroying relationships as long as he is fine. He that do what no evil to his neighbor. He that does not take a reproach against his neighbor. He that loves. He in those eyes, a wild person is content. That is a person when the person is wrong. He knows the person is wrong. He will not be cause of the money in the person's pockets. Now begin to suck up to the person and begin to say things that will flutter the person because he is not a slave of money. And he can almost stand by the truth of the word of God. Like my car stood before the king. I have told him the truth of God's word. Even though it was a very unpopular opinion in this in this time and dispensation. What else was brought over except my car. Even though he has maybe even died in the dungeon. But none of his words fell to the ground because he will not compromise his character. We can't be like, yeah, because he poured them the truth. He will not begin to suck up to you and tell you things that are not too simply because, oh well, you know, he wants favor from you. The Bible says a wild person is content in his eyes and he unites them that fears the Lord. He, and this is very powerful, he that swears to his own hurt. And changes not. This one is important. He that swears to his own hurt. Do you know how many failed promises lit out the lives of a lot of people in our world today? How many failed failed? I will do this yet. They don't do it. I will come yet. They don't come. I will give yet. They don't give. I will be there for you yet. They are not there. I will marry you yet. They will not. I will never leave your side yet. They will leave your side. Like, what things get off? Conviction is one out of the window. They never had it in the first place because they live based on convenience, not conviction. People that would decide, I said this year, we will come a little church, but by the second Sunday, they are not early again because for their convenience, what dictates what they do, not conviction. The Bible says this people will swear to their own hurts and it will wow, wow, wow, and that even longer convenient for me to be able to fulfill yet I will do it nonetheless because I have said so. So good. So good. So good. The Bible says that the Lord has exalted his word above his name. If I wonder why? Because it is God's word that makes his name powerful. Because it was in his word, he said he has given him a name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus, every knee bows, every tongue confesses, look at the glory of the Father. What an heaven on the earth underneath the earth. So the moon that's a word is established as the high, yes, I like it. The thing it says starts including the height of the name of the Lord. And so the moment you begin to rank your words as highly as the Lord ranks his word, there is a level of faith you begin to walk in that is a parallel like any kind of faith you have walked in in the past. There is a level of authority you begin to gain in the realm of the Spirit. The moment you no longer have the appetite to joke with your words. The moment you say things, I really mean them enough to perform them with actions. Because the fact that we joke a lot and we don't mean the things we say, whenever we make confessions, we get to play games or not. Because of that, is it the same way you said that one that you said that one that didn't come to pass and you never even meant it in the first place. Because you say a lot of things that you don't mean. You make promises, you climb with those hearts and it doesn't mean anything to you. Because any moment you see inconvenience, you change your mind though. I'm not saying you don't have the right to evolve and change your mind as you have more information, of course you do. However, what I make promises that you never had the intention of fulfilling. Babu says a godly man will swear to his own heart and he will not turn back. Be that one example. This is how to be an example. It's not by your thoughts. Nobody can copy your thoughts. Nobody can copy your belief system. But if you see your actions and we see your consistency in life, that is something we can copy. That is something we can emulate. The Babu says, he that put it not his money to use, not take a reward against innocent. He that doeth these things. Babu says, shall never be moved. Remember, I said influencing our world through conviction-based living have no price tag on your neck. It should never be money that's able to buy your allegiance or your loyalty. Nothing should be able to buy your allegiance or your loyalty. Your conviction should be what leads you to do what you believe is right. Not what you can gain from the experience. Luke 18 verse 8. The Babu says, I tell you that it will avenge them, spirit. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, shall he find faith on the earth? Will he find people that are still acting consistently with their belief system? Or do they have chickened out because of the inconvenience of what it means to stand for Jesus in an era that is no longer friendly to the gospel? Because if you are living in an era that is no longer friendly to the gospel, will you still carry Jesus on your head? The way our fathers carry Jesus on their head. Will you carry Jesus on your head? Or will you assimilate with the confusion and the mixed multitude nature of our generation? Because it's no longer a friendly thing to carry Jesus on your head. Therefore, I lost my commitment to the things of God. May that not be a portion, may that not be our testimony in the name of Jesus. The Babu says, Jesus himself questioned it. The rate at which this world is getting worse. When I come back to the earth, shall I find faith? It almost feels like Jesus genuinely acts to this question, because it was the last verse of that chapter. It was as though Jesus genuinely, not like it didn't know, but almost like I'm not the one to determine if I'll find faith. It is the people that are left behind. Will they continue to be examples, such that they will live an example after they are gone? You know, Paul told Timothy, he said, "These things that I've heard me say among many witnesses, I believe second Timothy chapter 2 verse 2. He says, "Commitage to faithful men who will also be able to teach others." That means there were four generations of examples in that verse alone. It says, "The things that I have seen me don't that means I am an example." So follow me as I follow Christ. Then you become an example. So Timothy, he said, it has said, Timothy, you have the responsibility of transferring the same things you saw in me, transfer them to the third generation of examples. You know, some of you give all that examples of passage on to because examples exist. That is why we have Christianity today. If the comments that committed their lives to Christianity and to Jesus, if there were never examples, it will not have traveled long enough as fast 2000 years that Jesus was ascended into glory. Examples are the reasons why anything lasts. Examples are the reasons why anything can be propagated. Examples are the reasons why God can be transgenerational. Examples are the reasons why Abraham did not stop at Abraham. He did not stop at Abraham. He became God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob because Abraham could command. He could command his household after him. And so Isaac saw the example of his father and he replicated it in his life. So the example of his father, Isaac, and replicated it in his life. Joseph saw the example of his father, Jacob, and replicated it. And it is because examples have always existed in at least every generation. That is why there is a line that grew from all the way to Noah to Abraham. See, we found Jesus because at least there was one example in the generation. The moment you lose an example, you lose the whole generation because a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The moment you lose an example in the generation, you lose that entire generation. That entire generation. So Joseph is asking a very critical question here. When the son of man returns, we leave fine faith. Remember, one of the objectives of this secret is to ensure that there is going to be a legacy of faith that is reserved on the face of Jesus. It doesn't matter how quickly we leave. It doesn't matter how when eventually we leave. We can't just leave without having examples here after us doing exactly what our fathers did that they handed over to us and that we are going to hand over to others as well. The things we have heard me say among many witnesses commits to faithful men who will also be able to teach others as well for generation of examples. And you must be the Paul in this context where you have at least two generation of examples that you're looking at life. And there is a false generation that those poor generation would also want it over to you because you must be sent to you must be sent to multi-children so that you can be sure that the future indeed is secure, praised, and in our Lord. It is increasingly becoming less profitable to be godly. Maybe that's why David said, "Help, O God, for the godly man's season and the faithful man fails upon the face of the earth." Maybe because it's becoming increasingly less profitable to be godly. It is no longer fashionable. It's not something that will make your money start spinning. It's not something that will make everybody love you like your pictures and just make you start a global superstar overnight. It's not the most exciting thing in the world. So maybe that's one of the reasons why people are no longer finding it easy and finding it as a pursuit to be an example, especially a godly example. It's almost like it requires a little too much effort that I can strumming against the tide and it's so difficult to be an example in our generation. Insist on being an example in this generation. Insist. Insist. Insist. Insist. Insist. Insist. Wow. Some may ask, why do I have to be an example of actions? Why can't I just simply be without doing, I mean, after all, I'm the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I can just be the righteousness without doing righteousness. I can as well just be without doing. Okay, so let's start with that being. What does it mean for something to be? What is the proof of being? The proof of being is doing as a proof of being. You know, because the moment a human being no longer is like a better word, okay? For me, it's my usual words. The moment a human being no longer bees, right? What happens? You notice that it loses its ability to do because you can't poke a dead man enough to react. You can't poke a dead man enough to give you a response. There are different between a human being and someone who is no longer a being on the face of the earth is that the one that is no longer a being lacks the ability to do. I remember our elementary biology, Mr. Niger D, all right? The first M is movement, the respiration, the nutrition, then irritability, then growth, then excretion, then reproduction, then death. Now, the fact that you have the ability to die showed that you won't leave because something that never existed cannot die. It never existed to start with. And so what that death means is cessation of the ability to do. You are no longer able to do that is why death has applied to Mr. Niger and that's why there's the D there. And so what does it even add the D, all right? But Mr. Niger being the primary animated effect of a human being, that means your being must be evidenced by your doings. Becoming an example is so important because actions actually matter. No one has ever been put right without an example. An example must be acted. You couldn't speak without an example. You couldn't really do anything meaningful without an example. You couldn't let any trade any skill. If you were not shown an example of how it is done. Listen to what the Bible says in Genesis 6 5. The Bible says and God saw the wickedness of the man that it was great upon the face of the earth and that every imagination of the thought of his heart was only evil, continually. So it was the imagination that produced the wicked actions but it was their wicked actions that reflected their imagination because Bible says the Lord saw their wickedness. The actions were so wicked the Lord extrapolated that their actions must be worse. And so it was because of their actions that the Lord and extrapolated that their imaginations were just evil and evil continually. The reason why I came up with that conclusion was because their actions were only evil and evil continue on. Now let's go to the bane of my teaching tonight. I did a lot of that to just establish the foundation for this teaching. And as a bit of recap, we talked about the three objectives. We talked about the two conditions for exemplification or for imitation, site and pattern. We talked about the pillar of this series which is actions. We talked about the justification for actions and white matters. It matters to God. It shifts present and determines the future. It defines personality and identity. Defines. Defines. All right. All of that and we talked about how that you as a young person must not despise yourself because the central thing is in first Timothy chapters four and verse 12 and how that we must not despise our youth because if you despise your youth, you will not think of yourself as an example. For the moment, you stop despising yourself. You suddenly become an example. It's powerful. The much you just begin to take care of how you come across. You suddenly become an example because you don't know that despising yourself. You're not seeing yourself as don't worry. We are nothing. There's no point to acting all right because who is looking at me? Everybody is looking at you. So the degree I believe they're looking at you is that degree they will begin to look at you because you now don't despise yourself and you are beginning to become an example. All right. And we talked about how that you should follow the Lord. I remember the Lord in the days of your youth not when the evil day shows up and you no longer have pleasures in representing God the way you now can. We also talked about how that David lamented the dirt. The dirt there's the all right dirt. The a r t h is it. I'm not sure now about dirt is the cessation in that sense of godly men, the dirt of godly men upon the face of the earth. And we talked about what he described the godly man as. The one who will not gossip, the one who spit the truth in his heart, the one who would not do evil to his neighbor or take a report against his neighbor. The one who will tell the person who is not doing the right thing, he will tell them exactly what they are doing that is not right. He's not going to try and stock up to you or flatter you simply because you have money to give you or you have some position to offer him. He's going to tell you the truth because it's the truth. His allegiance is only with the truth and not with personalities. All right. He honors people who fear the Lord. He honors them. And he is so as wise to his own heart sometimes and he does not turn back. If he has given you his word, he would do everything to make it happen. I remember Jack Baal 24. That was one movie that really transformed a lot of things about my thinking as well actually because it was a very powerful movie because of how how inevitable Jack Baal become. The guy was inevitable. If he said he was going to do something, even if he died, he would know he was like it was such he was too sure that Jack Baal. He would come back from the date. He would come and do this now. He said he would. The president or not and revert his word more than the entire CIA FBI combined. This guy's word was everything to him. If he said it was going to protect the person with his life, he will face that vote that anything will happen to that person. Now if people can conjure up these kinds of personalities and profiles and you know identities in movies, they must exist in a realm that is more real than movies. They must exist because thoughts are things and it's because they exist in a realm that they can exist in a realm. So understand this. So it is possible for a person to switch his own word and not change. It's possible. It's very possible. I will talk about how that we must establish the possibility of Jesus coming back this earth and finding faith upon the face of the earth. And for those who are thinking, well, I mean, I can just be without doing. I mean, I can just call myself the righteous and have gotten Christ Jesus without necessarily giving righteousness. Well, so prove that you are really the righteousness of God. You can't really prove it except you do. You really can't prove being except by doing because we explained that using the Mr. Nigel D illustration. All right. So we've touched on the foundations of this series. So I'd just like to and then we talked about Genesis 6, how that the evidence of the imagination of the heart was the wicked actions that they did on the face of the earth. And this was why the Lord said he saw the wicked actions and then he extrapolated and saw that the imaginations of their thoughts were only evil continually. Now remember the definition of what it means to be an example, somebody that is considered fit to be mutated, fit to be copied, fit to be emulated. So what makes a person fit to be emulated? Two things, a framework, two things, substance and form, substance and form, substance and form, substance and form. Pay attention to this. I need about 15 minutes. Pay attention, please. Substance and form. If you lack any of these two things, you will not be fit to be imitated. If you follow someone with formula without substance, you will carry a wrong spirit. Even if you may be doing the right thing, you will be doing the right thing with the wrong spirit. All right. Substance speaks of the spirit of the person, form speaks of the actions and the animations of that person. So what makes a person fit to be imitated? The right substance with the right form, not just form without substance. Pay attention. This is the pain of the, because this is what matters to you. This is how I've justified everything I've been saying so far. But now, how can you become somebody of influence in your world right away? Substance form, substance form. If you follow someone with substance, but the person lacks the form, the influence will be limited and the signals will be confusing. You can never truly sustain any meaningful change on mixed signals. And I would explain what I mean. Now, substance talks about the content, the software. What is really doing the animation of the form? The point talks about the animation, but the substance is the software animating the form. Somebody can copy a form without having the substance that is sustainably able to animate their form. So in the context of the believer, the life of God is our substance. The right substance of God in Christ Jesus, that is our substance. Joy is our substance. The eternal life, that's our substance. You cannot act well enough to have it. Substance cannot be sustained by performance. Substance is substance. It is inherent. It is the birth of God in our spirit. That is what makes us animatable. That is what makes us have that substance. The life of God in us. Now, there are a lot of people that act like us without having our substance. Those who can never be authentic, those are the things that the Pharisees represented. So I'll give you a framework. When you ask substance without form, that is, you are born again, you are the life of God, but the form, the way you are doing, you are still behaving like someone that is not born again. Your profile is that you are immature. The effect of your profile is that you become confusing. Because when you look at you, you say you are Christian, but you are not behaving like one. So I don't know, are you really a Christian? You confuse them. Because in ancient, it was because they were acting like Christ. That was when they started calling them Christians. So if you call them Christians, it's almost like a graduation from being born again. Because you can hear the softest at the born again level. But if you're not acting, the softest that you have, you become very confusing in a very short time. This is what people say things like and you call yourself. Because there is a departure between what you call yourself and what you're acting like. And so your reality is that you are softest but you don't have form. Your status is that you are immature. Your effect is that you are confusing. An example is John Mark. You say, you are Christian. Your parents are Christians. Everybody goes around your house. It was in your house. That was discovered. It was, you know, delivered from the prison. So you have these things. You are so strong. You are born again. But come, you're not convincing. How come you go on a journey? You're chicken out. How come you don't have conviction? How come you're not strong? How come you look on early? How come you say something? You don't really mean it. How come you, you can't even fulfill your own premises. How come you are like this? How how confusing? So your reality is that you have substance but you lack form. That's the conclusion of the old matter. You are immature. You are growing in the things of God which is not wrong. It's not wrong. But don't stay there too long. Now the effect of that state, that condition that you are in is that you become very confusing to people. And an example is John Mark. A form without substance. That's another category. Your status is that you are hypocrite. You think the fire sees. You're hypocrite because you have all the form of godliness. Well, you lack the power thereof. You think John Mark has the power, well, he looks the form. The hypocrite, the fire sees, they lack the form but they lack the power. So the status is that you are a hypocrite. You see, the effect of your life is that you be very condescending because because you lack the substance, you have to make up for it by overdoing the form. So you have to show that you are very holy. You are very condescending when people who are not as holy as you pass around you. You look at them with such a judgmental look. Who are these people? Because you want to show that ah, you are the holy as a whole. So you then overplay your hand. So because you're trying to overplay your hand, you come across extremely condescending and condemning. And that makes you run away from you thereby. You're not able to have really impact on people's lives. And I'll explain all of this approach is eventually because again, like I said, this is the very third teaching and I hope you are getting everything that I'm sharing tonight. Starting with our substance, the status is that you're hypocrite, the effect is that you are condescending and exemplary the fire sees. Now, such a sweet form, glory to God, someone this is glory to God in the chart room, glory to God forever, such a sweet form, such a sweet form, the status is that you are mature, glory to God, you are mature, that was as you are thoroughly punished, preparing to every good work. You are afraid to be mutated. Nobody calls anybody to follow you. They will not have given a wrong counsel. They will not have given you a wrong advice. They will not have man. Wherever it goes, go. You end up in the right place. Give an example. You are passed to life. That's what it means. Glory to God forever. You are so sweet. You are for. You are mature. That is your status. And you are afraid to be mutated. The effect of your life is that you are compelling. Examples are Jesus under disciples. My glory. My goodness. Jesus and His disciples. These are the examples that we have. The effect of their life is that they are compelling. My goodness. What will say is when they hear Jesus speak. They are like, look at me. Look at them. Look at like this guy. This guy is too compelling. He has the substance. He has the form. He does not have the form of godliness and denies the power. He has both the substance and that substance is animating him perfectly. He is so into humanity. What God would do if we were on the face of the earth? This is God in the flesh. My goodness. Manifest that in the flesh. This is the mixture of godliness. I have got to walk into my room. I have got to walk into my church. I have got to walk on my street. I have got to walk into my office in the person of Eiffel Tower, in the person of Enola, in the person of Abyssola, in the person of Alain Cap, in the person of James, in the person of Gabriel, in the person of gifts, all right? God. God. God. God. In substance and in form. Walk into my experience and my love has changed. My goodness. That is the posture and that's the destination that every believer ought to be on. That's the destination we're headed. Substance with form, mature, fit to be emitted, complete life. The examples are Jesus and the disciples. The substance of what makes us fit to be emitted is the life of God, all right? Residence in us. Not our skill. Listen to this. What makes you immutable? Is not your skill? Is not your skin color? Is not your skincare routine? Is not your social media following? That's not what makes you immutable. It's not your talent. It's not your opinion. Hey, what makes you immutable is the life of God in you. You don't have enough goodness in you to be an example, you by yourself. You don't have enough goodness. Is not your family by ground or make you good enough to be an example? Is the fact that there is the life of God inside of your spirit? That's what makes you a good example. Not, do you know, many people come from very quote-unquote terrible background, but they are examples today. Do you know, many people came from very noble background, but they are not an example today. So your background matters very little, what matters is the life of God inside of your spirit, man. The only thing worthy of a relation about you is your God. Remember, he alone is good. Luke 18, 18 to 19. That guy came and asked, "Good Master." God said, "Only God is good." Jesus said, "Only God is good." Except for calling me God, all right? "Only God is good." So the only thing good about us is God. And so what makes so what makes us immutable is the life of God in us. The substance that makes us free to be imitated is first the life of God in us. If you lack it, the best you will ever be is the Pharisee that is leading people astray. Because even when a person with the form with our substance acts right, they are still wrong. I hear what I'm saying. If you lack substance or you have the form, even when your action right, you are still wrong. Because you are essentially wrong. Because sin is first a natural, before it becomes an action. Sin is first an identity before it becomes an activity. So you are essentially wrong by essence. You know, you're doing all the right things because you have a form, but you lack the substance. And so even when a person with the form with our substance acts right, they are still wrong. And a post-pessimental follow. When fall acts without substance, the attitude will still be wrong. The Pharisees, they couldn't hide their bad attitude. Because if all you are doing is just focusing on the form and you lack the substance, your attitude will be wrong. It will show your face. It will show you the way you don't smile. It will just fall that there's something wrong with substance inside. Everyone the pig is washed. It is still a pig. It is literally still being defined by his affinity for dirt. Even when you put a pig coated with white towel, you put it on the bed and you have it all, you know, they're corrated with nice glass and stuff. That pig is always going to be defined by dirt. No matter how clean it looks now. And so substance first, this is what is sometimes discerned as inauthentic. It gets the substance first. The form will emerge eventually. So the arrangement matters because this is what treatment such people get wrong all the time. People come to our church and their form is not right. For the right reasons, they are not Christians. All their Christians, there are still babes. So it's okay. So they are confusing or some we understand. So they come to church. With mini-skate, they come to church. They have cleavages all over the place. They come to church and they just come to church the way they are. At least they are coming. Their form is wrongly. But they did a good one again. Something entered into their spirit. Their substance was changed. Their spirit was transformed, but their first unit a bit of time to cancel. But in that moment, we get to say, "This guy is confusing. He cannot cut my touch." Then he said, "Scaf, take a look." Now of course, we'll do all we can to ensure that you still are actually not distracting to the economy of other people in the church. But the way we go about it must be reflective of our understanding of your face in your evolution. But then they come with a condescending attitude, a judgmental spirit, and we will lose you. We will lose the person. And so it is important that we understand the arrangement. The form is important ultimately, but it is not the first thing to be received. The substance first. Now they are three approaches. Substance only approach. Form only approach. Then substance first approach. And they produce three things. And I'll share those three things quickly. Again, we're still talking about being an example. We must start talking about the domains of being an example. Because remember, first Timothy 412 talks about the domains. In word, in conversation, and all of that, they are domains. But we're talking about the, let's understand the concept first. Because if you don't understand these things, being an example will be influential. We'll be tough. I'm telling you, and you need to pay attention to what I'm saying. Form only approach. Substance first approach. Now, substance only approach makes you discount the power right behavior. And they believe us like that. All they are talking about is under righteousness, under righteousness. They distrust the power right behavior. Number two, it encourages a loose commitment to consecration and holiness. Number three, it makes you a poor and inconsistent example. Because people would always find inconsistencies in your life. Because you only exert substance. I'm the righteousness. I'm still in love with God. I love God. Me, I'm God, I'm cool. We know, but we can't completely agree on God that I'm cool in your private room. We can't see. We can't see what we are seeing in your life. It's confusing. You say a child of God, we can't see it. We love God, but we can't see the love. You don't love the love of your God, you don't have your heart, your soul, your mind, your all your strength. Some of your money is still being held back. If you give your life and your time to him, you'll pursue the nothings that are more important than God in your life. It is obvious with your birth statement. Yes, you say, you're not good or cool. It is not showing. So, substance-only approach is faulty to the extent that it makes you discount the power right behavior. You can never disciple anybody based on substance-only, like life. You are a Christian who, for how you disciple people is with substance and form. You can disciple with substance-only. You can't disciple with substance-only. So, it makes you a poor and inconsistent example. But we would always find the reasons to question what are you account of God because of the inconsistencies you have access. Even though you're born again and rightly so. Because your approach is substance-only. As long as I have a relationship with God, that's what I'm attached. As long as I pray today, that's what I'm attached. How you show yourself in the world, Matters? Else, Paul, Pita will not be talking about the qualifications of a bishop and a pastor and a shepherd and the mention in how that they must have a good reputation outside the church. Actually, there's no matter why you didn't matter that you have a good reputation outside the church in order to be a pastor in the house of God. Why you didn't matter if you are a husband of one wife or 10,000 women? Why you didn't matter if you drink wine or not? Why you didn't matter? Why you didn't matter if you are raped? All right, members of your church. After all, it's not us. It's not us. So, substance and law, not work in order to be an example because you need sight, you need form. People must be able to see that you are somebody that is worth following. So, those who might tell us you're born again and you show it, you show you are born again. You don't tell you are born again. You show it. The Christians were not called Christians because they said, "I'm a Christian." No, they showed Christ's likeness. People, they showed them. These are Christians. So, it makes you discount the power, right? It makes you, it encourages loose commitments to consecration and wholeness. It makes you a post specimen. All right, I think a consistent example. Family approach also has its own downside. Family approach makes you live a vain life. Your life looks good on the outside, but you are depressed on the inside because you are so obsessed with form or you lack substance. You act ostentimonious. You act all good. You act all nice. You are always smiling. But inside of you, there's no relationship with Jesus. And so, your life is vain. There is a lot of vanity in your life. Whenever you think alone, you are depressed because you know that none of the things that you're doing is real. You struggle with imposter syndrome. Number two, you will burn out because you lack the substance that keeps people committed and consistent. It's the substance that makes you continue to serve you. That I've been serving God for over two decades. It's not because I, I don't, I'm just good. The substance power in me is like a motor. It's power in my engine. It's not just motivation I was speaking. I'm determined. I will show everything. No, there's a life of God. It's like a bubbling sense. It helps me. The power's us. If you don't have the substance, I know you are seeking after his form. You will be tired and after a while. Why? You just get tired of all this, I read. And you just end it. I'm telling you. When you focus on form only, you'll be like the Pharisees. And if I learn, it never comes to none of the truth. Really, that's all godliness, but denying the power thereof. You will be because because you lack the substance that keeps people consistent. Number three, this is very powerful. You can never truly transfer grease or you can't somebody else. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You can never transfer grease or impact somebody else. The reason is because every impartial was a transfer of substance, not form. In fact, those don't transfer form. Because when the larger transfers to John the Baptist, John the Baptist, we will not have the form of a lighter particularly. All right. Joshua does not have the exact form of Moses. All right. The disciples did not have the exact personality of Jesus, particularly. All right. They wanted another personality and a financial port for the substance that each of those people carried. That was as he came in the spirit of Allah, the legend or in the personality of Elijah. And so what? What substance does is that that is what is actually transferred. So when Paul looked at Timothy, he said the same faith, the same substance that I saw in your brother and in your mother. He's saying it to you because what is transferred in the lane of evidence is substance, not form. Because it's actually very wrong to copy somebody's form. In terms of their actual shenanigans and need to synchronize and their tendencies, you know how they talk, how they say things, how they dress, it's form. But see, there is this substance there's an oil. There is a fluid in the curry. That is what it was known as. So when all you have is form only, you can never truly transfer grease or impact someone else. Every impartial is a transfer of substance, not form. And so if all you have is form, and you lack substance, you can never regret after your kind. You see men of God that were mentored by some people. Pad, SGLs, and Michelle Bidad was, we still have their kind on the face of the earth right now because it was substance that they received. But if you all you have is form, you just notice that you cannot copy you. And beyond you can not copy, you can't transfer the grease because all you have is just form. You don't have the capital. You don't have the substance of what makes you great. Every lane of evidence transferred the blessing, Jacob transferred the blessing, Isaac transferred the blessing, Abraham transferred the blessing, they may not have replicated the exact form of their parents, but they carry the exact same substance of their parents. All right, so without substance, you cannot truly transfer grease, you can't. Now substance first approach, listen, it's not substance and form, approach, substance first approach, everything. It helps you and this is very, this well end. So important, well, we have to go is still a little far. God help me. Seven minutes, okay? It helps you stay patient with others and with yourself. If you focus on substance first, not substance only, not form only, but substance first. It helps you to stay patient with others and with yourself, knowing that the lack of form does not immediately invalidate the presence of substance. I'll say that again. Substance first approach helps you to stay patient with others and with yourself, knowing that the lack of form, the lack of problem, let me add that. The lack of apparent form does not immediately invalidate the presence of substance. That is what substance first approach does, because only a person with substance first approach can be patient in order to disciple people and not get irritated and send them away and say, they thought of you, you wouldn't even know anything, because they will not know anything at the start. But you have to be patient with them knowing fully well that they have the substance, but they need the form. And because you have substance first approach, you will be patient with them because you also know that I recognize that you also did not arrive at this, you are stuck overnight. So you will be patient with others because you've been patient with yourself over time. And then you will also know that the lack of apparent form does not immediately invalidate the presence of substance. So the fact that somebody is growing does not mean they're no longer born again. The fact that somebody is still struggling with addiction does not mean they're no longer born again. The fact that somebody is still struggling to walk in love and, you know, not keep my lease and not back by it and not gossip does not mean they suddenly lost their salvation. It just means that the form is yet to crystallize to the full animation strength of the substance. Number two, it makes you emphasize the right things when you attempt to influence others. Don't put the card before the horse. It turned out like before right behavior. It put priority on attitude, before activity, attitude, the right heart, the right attitude, the right posture of heart. You see, because substance first helps you to prioritize the right things. First, you will emphasize the right things, sincerity of heart, purity of thought, all those things will be the first things you will emphasize. Beyond or act right, we have do things, we have do things, do things about you have the right attitude first. That was what God prioritized in the choice of the King of Israel. David. So it's important. Number three, it keeps you secure in your identity and not in your performance. As a pastor, for example, right now, my identity is knowing my pastoral calling. My identity is in the fact that I'm a child of God. And so substance first, not performance, not performance, not activity, nothing you are doing. And so this approach helps you, it helps keep you secure. It just makes you realize that if I say sorry, I've not reduced as a child of God. I've not reduced as a son of God. Nothing has changed about my identity. It's just that I'm trying to maintain broadly kindness and try to stay at peace with someone. So it keeps you secure in your identity. So while somebody is truly secure, that's what actually when they can say sorry. Some would think sorry will remove their head. Some would think sorry will just end their lives. Some who actually think that was the say sorry to drop that. But they don't say it because the story is there is there is their end. You're not threatened by an apology because you are securing your identity. You are secure enough to follow. You are secure enough to submit. You are secure enough not to rebel. You are secure enough to just learn and grow because nothing that you do or don't do will eliminate that identity that you already have. You just already knowing that he's a child of God is a son of God is going back to God. That was as he bends down and started serving. So when you're not serving, you must not know something about your identity. John 13 explains that to us. And we've explained that several times in some of the teachings we've done in the past on service. I remember several years ago when I talked on that and John 13 was what I started this series with. Jesus knowing all of these things. He bent down and served. So if you are not serving, there's something you don't know about your identity. He knew that serving will never diminish him. That was why I served. So when you're not serving in the local church, something is wrong with what you perceive of yourself. You think when you sweep something that's reduced from your from your physique, when you dance, something that's reduced, when you serve, when you carry, you know stuff, when you claim something changes about your life. Somebody would most see you as a fine boy again. Nothing threatens the identity of a child of God. But once we recognize that, listen, substance first and that substance is there. I'm guaranteed of it. It keeps you secure in your identity and not in your performance. Fireses at the acts, but lacked the substance. Second Timothy three, one two, seven. I just read the rest of my notes. I'm not going to, I'm not going to exegit. I'm just going to read it. Sort of can end it here. This know also that in the last days perilio's time shall come for me shall be lovers of their own selves. Covetures, boosters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truth-breakers. Remember, truth-breakers, they will not be able to switch to their own hurts and not turn back. Truth-breakers, betfalls, accusers, innus, incontinents, fears, despises of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded lovers of pleasure, mother-lovers of God, have been a form of goodness, only form, but lack the substance. But neither part there of, from such tone away, for of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captive silly women, laden with sins, led away with diverse lust, ever-learning, ever-learning, and never coming to the knowledge of the truth. Listen to this, any doctrine that separates substance from form wants to rob your inheritance. Such doctrines have some common features like it doesn't matter what you do. Things like, even when you sin, even when you sin, almost like anticipating your sin, not if, when, even when you sin, remain conscious of your righteousness, not knowing fully well that, knowing fully well, they probably don't know, so I don't know, be honest, because sometimes, yeah, insincere, it cannot be disarmed. Even when you sin, remain conscious of your righteousness, whereas it's actually losing conscious of your righteousness that made you sin in the first place. So it's a very confusing theology that, when you sin, still remain conscious of your righteousness, but if you were conscious of your righteousness, you wouldn't have sin, because the righteous do with righteousness. So anyway, so they have these clappings, no one is perfect, you know, things like that. Yet you quote, because you can as well replace righteousness with perfection. The righteousness of God is the perfection of God, pretty much. So when you say, and the righteousness of God, what you're saying is that the perfection of God in righteousness, yet you come back and say, you're not perfect, just to justify your actions of sin. So there's a lot of inconsistence is because they separate substance from form. All right, such doctrines have such things list across the entire landscape of those doctrines. They separate substance from form. They don't make form important. They prioritize substance elune from such people turn away. The Bible says Paul speaking, be full of me, even as I am also full of Christ, such a dacity. Why would Paul say such a thing? I should just follow me. By this time, Paul, now I'm about to read Acts 2026 to 35 as we begin to round off. This was in the church at Ephesus. By this time, Paul had been already 25 years in ministry, and he had done a lot of exploits, and this is what Paul said. He said, "Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men." For 25 years of ministry, he said, "Not this single person. I don't owe any single person spiritually. I've never offended anybody. I've never kept my list with anybody. I've never done anything wrong to anybody. Anybody that I call my name, but I've never wronged to them. If I have a problem with your talk to your face, I won't bite. I won't gossip." He said, "I am pure from the blood of all men, because gossip is also a kind of murder. I remember what that situation we did about how those that are innocent to shed innocent blood. Talking about the gossip and sounds six or 16." Anyways, "South to shed innocent blood and all of that." He said, "I am pure from the blood of all men, but I have not shown to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take it therefore unto yourself, unto your flock." Look at that. How you take heat to the flock is by taking heat to yourself. Be an example, then the flock will be fine. So be an example, and then take heat to your flock. So you can't be a pastor. I'm telling everybody to do something and you are not doing it. What kind of an example are you? You are not taking heat to yourself, because if you are not doing something, if you are violating the code, you have opened the door for the spirit of backing to enter into your flock and they will devour your ship. Over which the oligos has made you overseas, to feed the flock of God. Sorry, to feed the flock of God, which he has purchased with his own blood. For I know this, after my departure, shall grieve your swolves, enter in amongst you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own self shall mannerize, speaking for us things to draw you with disciples after them. Therefore watch and remember that, by the stress of three years, I seized not. Look at what Paul said here. He said, "I want you every night and day, with tears, why on earth will Paul be crying every day and every night, warning people, if actions do matter. Does confess now and you are fine?" No, chose matter. chose matter. It says not to warn you every night and every day. In tears, I'm now brave that I commend you to go down to the world of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you any inheritance among the ones that are sanctified. Anything that tries to separate soft stands from form, is trying to rob you of your inheritance. Remember that. I have convicted myself. I've never been greedy of money or anybody's money or gold or apparel. Yeah, yeah, yourself know that this hands of mine have ministered or to my necessities and to them that are with me. I have showed you all things. How they're so libering you ought to support the weak. I remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. I always said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. First, going to answer for 14 to 18. I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved son, I warn you, although you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, you have not many fathers. For in Christ, Jesus, I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore, I visit you. Be a followers of me. For this cause, I've sent on to you to Muthios, who is my beloved son. I'm faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways with being Christ. He's going to bring, so Timothy is going to bring you in remembrance of both ways. That was a massive, the standard that Paul lived was. All right, they will bring you in remembrance of my ways with being Christ as I teach everywhere in church. Now, some are puffed up as though I would not come to you. So some people are puffed up because they don't willing to follow examples. Let no man despise you. I already talked about that. All right, be down example of believers in word, in conversation, in clarity, in spirit, in faith, and in purity. Let's end it there. Father, in the name of Jesus, I'm grateful for tonight's service. Thank you for our trans, thank you for simplicity. Thank you, Father, because our heart is open to receive the truth of your word. We ask that these things that we have taught will not just remain theories in our heads, but it will become the life bubbling in our spirit and animating our actions and causing us to influence the world for Jesus. Thank you, Father, for our prayers for in Jesus' precious name we have prayed. Amen. Thank you for having me. God bless your heart.