Many Lands, One Family

[Rick Shabi] You know, as we've reflected on where we have been, and it's been a lot of countries, we've been able to meet the ministry in almost every nation around the world in the last several months, Steve Myers and Darris McNeely has been along with us on all these trips and everything, we have learned an awfully lot about the world, and you should never go any place that you don't learn something. And I'll tell you it has been a life-changing experience to be able to meet people of different cultures, different backgrounds, different societies, and to see what God is doing. He is doing such a wonderful work around the world and one that we can't even imagine.

You know, one day, one of all of us in this room will meet people from all over the world that God is working with, they are our family too. You will be amazed when you talk to them and see the type of lives they've lived. You will be amazed and inspired when you hear what they did in their lives and how they did the work of God, the trials that they go through, the different lives that you and I live and take for granted every day. And I think as Americans, maybe it's just me, we kind of assume the rest of the world is living almost the way as we are, maybe not with all the advantages and all the wealth, but you learn that's not the case. That's not the case.

There are hardships everywhere, and you see the dedication of people in a way that is just inspiring. And what is inspiring too is that wherever you go the people of God believe the same thing, are living the same way, and dedicated the same truth and the same calling that you and I have. You see the same Spirit. And wherever you go, the halls may not be as nice there, they may take hours to get to church, they're dedicated and they're there, but you feel the same Spirit, and you feel right at home with them immediately, and you can just feel that everywhere.

And so as we've come back, and as I've reflected over the last few weeks because we took some time off after we completed the travels that we were in, you see what God is doing in a way that gives you more of a vision of what His plan for all of us are. And it's a beautiful thing, and I wish everyone had the opportunity to do that. One thing you learn is it's a beautiful world everywhere. It's a beautiful world everywhere. God created a universe that isn't just carbon copies everywhere. Every continent has its own flavor. Every people has its own flavor. They all have their own energy, their own personalities, the cultures, and whatever. While they're not perfect, and certainly you go to countries that are steeped in pagan religions, but you see the people of God have emerged from that, and they are dealing with things that you and I have no idea what they're dealing with, the backgrounds in their minds.

And it makes apostles, the Epistles of Paul when he talks about the Corinthians, and the Ephesians, the Galatians, everyone coming out of that society, what they had to deal with that's different than what you and I have to deal with. And yet it's the same God, the same truth, the same Bible they're dealing with but such a different society and the things that they face with. One of the things is that, you know, God from the very beginning when He created the physical earth and physical man, and He created all the varieties of man, He didn't create us all to look exactly the same or have the same talents or skills, didn't create us all to live on the same continent that has exactly the same climate to the same advantages and resources, and everything else. His plan is always about family. Always about family, that's what He is doing.

In Genesis 1:28, after He creates man, He says...you know, the first thing, He tells him is be fruitful and multiply. I created this earth because I want people. I want family. I'm doing something here on this earth. The vast, vast, vast majority of mankind has no idea what God is doing, but you and I know what He's doing. And in this time, where He's called firstfruits to prepare a people to hard work and serve the rest of mankind when they're resurrected, or when they live over into the millennium of what they do, and we need everyone who can identify with all these cultures, who can identify with all these things that people have done. It's not just about America, it's not just about what we do, God is working everywhere. And everything He does all over the world is supremely important to Him as He prepares us.

Let me begin in Ephesians 2, today, Ephesians 2:19. Paul talks here about, you know, who we are. He's called us out, and we're no longer citizens of America or citizens of Australia or citizens of America. Yes, we are citizens of that, but we have a higher calling and life that we live. 

Ephesians 2:19 It says, "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." 

The household of God. That's not just America. That's just not Cincinnati. It's not just Johannesburg and Melbourne and Brisbane and all these other cities that we've had the privilege to be in over the last several months. The household of God. A worldwide family, one family, with one Father, one Jesus Christ, one Bible, one truth, one Spirit that leads us and guides us, one vision for the future, and one way of life that we all live, all part of the household of God.

You don't need to turn to John 14. I'll turn there and read to you what Christ said when He was talking to His disciples on that last night before He was arrested and then crucified. 

John 14:2 He says, "In my Father's house are many mansions or many rooms. If it weren't so, I would have told you. But I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

"I go to prepare a place for you." Many rooms in that household of God. I've begun to look at the nations of the world as those many rooms that God is working with. Many rooms of one household that is His big house, one people that He is preparing, one people that He is working with, and that we learn to work together with because we all have our place in that calling, in that household, in that thing, and mission that He has given us, and that He is preparing us to do.

It's different than what we do here in America. What we do is important. What we learn from the life we live here is very important. There will be people that live over into the millennium that we'll work with but we don't know. We don't know what life in South Africa is like. We don't know what life in Malawi is like. We don't know what life in the Philippines is like. We don't know the struggles that they're faced with. We don't know the backgrounds and the cultures of the society, the influences that they've had to deal with, but they do. And all of it is necessary as God prepares us. He is preparing, and He says, "I'm preparing a place for you, every single one of you." Every single one in this room, every single one listening, every single one that God calls around the world that He's working with, "I'm preparing a place for you. You have a place in my household all over the world."

And we're here to learn that. And let's keep that vision ahead of us, that it is about what we're doing today. And whatever we do in our daily lives, and whatever we do for our work, all are very important, as we'll get to in a moment. But the overall vision we have to keep in mind is what is God doing? What is our purpose here? And how do we keep our eyes on that and learn what we need to learn day by day, experience by experience, encounter by encounter as He prepares us? Because He is at work with every single one of us in His own way and His own preparation for us individually. The household of God. You're still in Ephesians 2 but one chapter back in Ephesians 5...I'm sorry Ephesians 1:5... Let me just begin with verse 3 here in Ephesians 1.

Ephesians 1:3-5 Paul says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." Christ who is preparing us and is preparing that place for us in His household, whatever room it is that He has us in now, all toward the same message, "Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him, in agape, in love, having predestined us to..." I'm going use the word sonship instead of adoption because that's what He sees us, as His children. He's put His Spirit in us when we respond to the call when we're baptized, have hands laid on us, and God's Spirit is put in us. "Having predestined us to sonship as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will."

We're here, and our life is for His good pleasure, to do what His will is. That we've committed ourselves to Him. And in that yieldedness to His good pleasure, whatever it is that He has us do, encounter, trials we go through His good pleasure as He prepares us. And as we prepare to work with Him, under Him, and with each other, because it takes everyone to accomplish the commission that He has given us.

Ephesians 1:5-9 "According to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace by which He made us accepted in the beloved. In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will."

What is He working? What is He doing? We know sometimes we have to be reminded of what we've been called to, what we committed to, who we are, and what God is doing.

Ephesians 1:9 "Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself."

Here for His good pleasure, to please Him, trusting in Him, understanding that He gives us everything that we need, and that sometimes, though, what we need isn't the most pleasant thing on earth. Sometimes like a loving physical father knows we need correction, knows that we need to go through some trials so that we become strengthened and we develop the character that we need. Sometimes those things aren't pleasant, but it is for His good pleasure. Because He has our interest at heart. Because He's called us for a special purpose, each one of us.

He has in mind what it is He wants us to do. And sometimes we might get in the way of that and thinking, I don't know why that happened. I don't know why that happened. Nothing happens without God knowing. He has all of our purposes, all of the good intents for us in mind. We just have to learn to trust and to grow in that trust, and remember what He's working. His family that He is preparing for His good pleasure. You know, as we went around to...literally, I was thinking about it right before I came up here, we've been on every continent in the last year and met people and different backgrounds and understood some of those things. And it's interesting as you meet with the people. We've had the opportunity to go to several churches around there to see their backgrounds, to see the different talents that they have.

And I know here, I will say, you know, Ephesians 4:16 many times and say God provides everything that we need for the work in the various churches to get done. And, you know, that happens all around the world. The people might have not nearly as much money as we have at our disposal, many of them don't have any internet like you and I have, but you know what? In every congregation, there's people that know sound systems, that know how to get things set up, and everything gets done in order. God has provided everything in all those congregations, and people of different backgrounds and skills and talents that make everything work together in those local congregations. It's kind of amazing when you see it. And some of them...you know, we haven't been in any real small congregations, but in talking to the pastors, things get done. God sees that everything we need, and the people work together and encourage each other.

And you heard a sermonette about zeal. Let me tell you the people overseas have a lot of zeal. They have a lot of zeal and a lot of dedication. When we were in Johannesburg, there are a couple ladies there who weren't young. One of them, four hours, one way, every week to church, and it's morning services. Another one was even more than that, and she comes most times by bus and whatever, how long it takes her. Because it's that important for them to be there every single week, and you see the dedication of how they even preach the gospel and how people just have done things like... Well, you know what we provide from the home office isn't what they need. Because we're very much internet and used to the communication vehicles in the United States and some of the more, you know, Israelite countries but where there's no internet and most people don't even have smartphones, there's got to be something else that, you know, spread the gospel with and preach the gospel with.

And so we heard about people who put together their own little pamphlets with the truth. And they go out, and they hand it out. And they talk to people, and they put them in mailboxes. And there's things that go on that you think, "Look at the dedication." They just know they have to do it. It's part of what they do, and it's inspiring to see that, is to see God working with them. But, you know, every one of us has a purpose. Let's turn back to 1 Corinthians 12. And God has us exactly where He wants us to be. 1 Corinthians 12:18 is a very familiar verse, but it had new meaning, you know, for me, and I'm sure Mr. Myers and Mr. McNeely would say the same thing. 

1 Corinthians 12:18 says, "Now, God has set the members, each one of them," not just some, not overall, "but, now, God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased," for His good pleasure. 

The household of God. He knows exactly what needs to be done, and around the world, He has set the members, each one of them, exactly where He wants them to be. You're exactly where God wants you to be. They are exactly where God wants them to be. They're doing God's will. We are here to do what God's will is. Now, whatever situation He has us in, to just find that, to yield to Him, and let Him do what He wants us to do. It's not about us. It's not about me saying, "I don't want to do that. I don't want to do that. I want to do something else." No. God knows exactly what it is, and if we're here for His good pleasure, if here we're here in His household, we yield to Him and do what He wants us to do. We don't complain, but we learn. We don't look someplace else, but we go where God wants us. We follow Him. Jesus Christ knows all what needs to happen. God the Father knows everything that needs to happen. And they have it in perfect order, exactly what needs to be done when Jesus Christ returns. That we, who He is working with today, can work with the people then to train and help in every way, in any way, that He wants.

And all of us have a purpose. All of us have something that will contribute to that time when Jesus Christ returns, if we yield to Him today, if we just let Him lead us and guide us. Because He knows how all the pieces fit together. He knows what every joint supplies and where every joint is needed to make His work, work, and to function exactly the way that He wants. So when go about our daily lives...you know, most of us in this room have jobs or have had jobs in the outside world. We all have maybe different backgrounds, different education, different skill sets, different things that we've done in our lives, and sometimes we may think, "Oh, you know, that's just something how we fill our time or whatever." But I don't think so. I think that God has us do exactly what He wants us to do, to prepare us. He does give us different skills and different talents. We could go to the Matthew 25 and talk about that.

He does give us the skills and talents we need, and He expects us to develop them and to use them. And He's pretty clear that if He gives us five, He would expect us to multiply those five. If He gives us two, to multiply those two. He doesn't say, "I'm giving everyone exactly the same, but I know exactly what I'm giving them, and I want them to work with it, and I want them to develop in the way that they need to develop." And some just sit on their talent and do nothing with it and think, "You know, as long as I come to Sabbath services and whatever and don't do anything else or not, God do it." And He's pretty clear if we don't develop, if we don't grow, and what He wants us to do, it's going be a tough time ahead. If we go to Colossians...as you turn to Colossians, I'll remind us that…

Ecclesiastes 9:10 It says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might." 

Do it well. Put your heart into it. You're learning something from that. You're learning something that God wants you to learn. Maybe it's not just that skill when you think it's a menial skill or whatever, but you're learning the character, to do things the way He wants it done. Do things the way your boss said to do it. Put your heart into it, as long as it's not illegal, unethical, unbiblical. He says, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do with your might." In Colossians 3:22, He says the same thing to employees and all of us have been an employee at some time in our lives. In Colossians 3:22, you got the word bondservants there. Let's just say, employees. That's what the word is today. 

Colossians 3:22 "Employees, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice." 

Not just nodding your head and thinking, "Yeah, but I'll just go ahead and do it my way," or, "I'll just do it just because I have to and I really have no heart in it." "Not according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, not as men-pleasers," just doing it because I have to, but your heart needs to be in it. There's a reason you're doing those things. There's a reason you're in that role. There's things you learn about God's character. There's things you learn about how to live, how to serve, how to do the things that God wants us to do as He builds that godly character in us. "Not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers but in sincerity of heart, fearing God." Oh, I'm doing it because God's put me here. He has put me in this place. He has put me in this job. I might think it's menial. I might think it's beneath me, but He's put me here, learn it. I might think I can't do it, but we realize and learn there's nothing we can do of ourselves, it's all comes from God. He can provide whatever strength, insight, Spirit, skill that He wants, that the job can get done. Rely on Him. Do it with your heart because that's what God is looking at, and our heart in the Kingdom, always with the vision.

What He's doing? He's building a family. He's building a culture. He's building the foundation for the millennium when Jesus Christ returns and the firstfruits. You and me are ready to serve with Jesus Christ, ready to be doing whatever it is He has in mind for us, and not just us but people all over the world because everyone is necessary. Everyone that God is calling is there. We pray for them, and we look to them, and when we hear things like the persecution going on in Bangladesh, we pray for them and realize, boy, they're having some problems there that someday we're going to be facing. We look at other situations in the world where there's things that we don't just think, "Wow, that's too bad." We think, "That's our brethren. What are they learning?" And we pray for them. Because there are our fellow family members.

God is preparing us. You know, when you look at what God has created, you see even in heaven, He didn't create all the heavenly beings exactly the same. There's just not one set of angels that are up there. There's just not everyone who's a cherubim. If you look at Ezekiel 1, you see four living creatures. You see wheels with eyes on them. You look in Revelation, you read about 24 elders. You have the archangels, you have all these heavenly beings, and they all have a purpose. All created beings. All at some point in time, God created them for a very specific purpose. And, you know, they all do what God wants them to do. They just do what God wants them to do. They're content. And everyone gets along well in heaven. There's joy. There's peace. Everyone is okay. They all trust in God.

And as He leads them, everything works perfectly. And when we pray, thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, well, there's things we can learn about that. As He works with us, people have different backgrounds, people have different purposes, all of us are equal. We're all heirs of the Kingdom. What God does, prepares with you, isn't the same as with me, with me, isn't the same as others. What we hear, what we learn in America, isn't the same as what's learned in Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa. All necessary, because everything is necessary, just like every being in heaven is necessary, and it all works together for God's good pleasure. There was one being in heaven who wasn't satisfied with what his position was. And he thought I should do this or I could do that, and he created a stir, and he left, and he's still there among us today, Satan, and his influence. But sometimes make us think, "I don't want to do that. God doesn't know what He's doing. I can do that better than Him," or, "I don't want to do this job. I should be doing another job."

We need to trust God. We need to know we're here for His good pleasure and remember that just like the people that He's working with all over the world. When you look at the people that God called, the apostles, you know, they all had different backgrounds. Paul was a fisherman. Not Paul, Peter. Peter was a fisherman. John and James were fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector. Judas was an accountant. Simon the Zealot was kind of like an activist. They had different backgrounds. Jesus Christ Himself, before He began His ministry, worked in the world. He was a carpenter. He understood what it was like to work among the world, to have a profession, to do the things. And learned what God thought He needed to learn. The character that He needed to learn. Because He developed and He grew during that time. And He had the skills that God wanted Him to have as He prepared Him to do the ministry that He was born to do.

So everything we're doing in our lives now, important for us to do it well, important for us to just let God guide us and lead us in whatever it is that He wants us to do. David was a shepherd before he was a king. Moses grew up in the house of Pharaoh, but then had to be a shepherd, far below what he grew up to be before God could ever use him to lead Israel out of Egypt. All those things that God knows we need in order to do whatever it is He wants us to do. Look at Luke 2:52. The one little insight that we have into Christ as He was growing up and became the man, our Savior, who He became. 

Luke 2:52 It says, "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature." He had the Spirit of God from the time He was born, but He increased in wisdom. How did that wisdom increase? As He experienced life, as He did the things that God had Him do, as He grew up as a child, as He worked with His father, as He learned carpentry, as He worked with people in the world, as He dealt with them as, I don't know, clients, employees, whatever He did, He did it very well. You would want Him to be your carpenter because you would know the job got done really, really well.

Grew, increased in wisdom, and stature. Oh, as He did His job, look what the people thought about Him, "Look at the guy. Look at the character that He has." They could say nothing wrong about Him. They could say nothing bad about Him as He was in the world. Even when they hated Him because of what He did, and even though they hated Him, because they were just envious and jealous of Him, they couldn't find anything wrong with Him. He was there for the good of everyone. He didn't ever sin. He always had everyone's best interest at heart. They had to create some kind of charge against Him to put Him to death because of envy. That's the character God is looking for in us. Even when we work in the outside world, look at the character, look at how they do, look at the way they do their job. I can rely on this guy. I can rely on this lady. They do their job very well. They do they do it better than I expected them to do. I don't have to worry about them cheating on time cards. I don't have to worry about them pilfering this and everything else like that. If I ask them to do something, they do it very well. They are a blessing. They are a blessing to the corporation. A blessing to the company. They do things very well.

People of character. People who are showing, by the example and what they learn in this life, this is the way of life in the Kingdom. This is the way of life that you and I have been called to. The way of life we are learning now. Because how can we teach it later if we're not living it now? Why would God ever trust us to teach someone His way if we're not living it now and holding ourselves accountable to Him that we are doing things for His good pleasure? He's not just filling our time here as He prepares us and as we wait for the return of Jesus Christ, He is giving us the time to show Him our heart really is in the service He calls us to, our heart really is in doing His will, our heart really is in just trusting Him, and doing whatever our hand finds to do, do it with our might. That's what He's looking for. That's what we have time to do. That's what we should be doing if we are here doing things for His good pleasure, that's what Jesus Christ did in the first 30 years of His life. He developed that character.

Psalm 78. And David a man after God's own heart. He was just a lowly shepherd boy. And when Samuel came looking who was going to be the next king, his father didn't even think enough of him to say, "Well, David's out there in the field," until he was asked, "Don't you have any other sons? These seven aren't who God has called." He said, "Oh, yeah. David's out there, but he's just a shepherd, and he's just a young guy." But he was the one that God chose. In Psalm 78:72, it talks about David, "So he..." Look at all the times and what he went through being a shepherd, taking care of those sheep, sleeping out with them in the night looking at the sky, understanding or developing an understanding of God, meditating on His way, looking at the commandments, and saying, "This is the way of life that leads to peace. This is the way of life that leads to joy. This is the way of life that has to be lived." And if everyone was living that way, how good would the world be?

Psalm 78:72 "So he," verse 72, shepherded the people after all those years he was anointed king, and then waited for God to give him the role that He had called him to. "He shepherd them according to the integrity of his heart."

The character that he developed as he walked with God, and he learned lessons, made mistakes along the way but learned from those mistakes, and turned his heart to God. The integrity of his heart. His heart was with God. What a tremendous thing for God to be able to say about any of us, "A man or a woman after my own heart." "And he guided them by the skillfulness of his hands." He knew what he was doing physically. He was able to lead. He was able to guide. He had learned in his life the physical things he needed to learn, importantly the spiritual things that he needed to learn as well.

Whatever position or whatever role or whatever employment you're in, do it well, be content. God will move you when He wants to move you. He will move you here and there because He is looking to develop the integrity of our heart, and that we have the trust in Him, and that we have our eyes always on the vision of the Kingdom. That's what He is preparing us for. That's what He is preparing us for. Now, let's turn to Philippians 4. I think is verse 11. You know, Paul said whatever state he's in, he learned to be content. That's an important thing. Whatever state we're in, learn to be content. It's God's will. He hasn't forgotten us. He's not like one of us, humanly, who might know something might happen or we... He doesn't overlook anything. He knows exactly what He's doing and exactly what we need. He is working out a purpose here, below. It's all about family. It's all about preparing us for the role, individually and collectively, that He has in mind. Never forget that. Never forget He has it in mind.

Proverbs 31. I think I've mentioned this before here, but good to remind ourselves. Proverbs 31, of course, talks about the virtuous wife. And I know husbands look at Proverbs 31 and might talk to their wife about being the virtuous wife. And as I would say all the time, and when I was a pastor, it takes a Proverbs 31 husband to be a Proverbs 31 wife. So that doesn't mean the husband is exempt from this. She has to look at Proverbs 31 and see what does her husband do to help her become the lady she's become. Because when you read through Proverbs 31, she's just not sitting at home doing the same thing on day 1 and 50 years later. She has grown during the year. She has become a very capable woman who is able to handle everything in the home and associated with it, that her husband expects her to do that, allows him to go outside and do the job that he is used to doing.

Proverbs 31:23 It says, "Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land." It's what he does, but in verse 11, it says something about the wife, "The heart of her husband safely trusts her." 

Over time, and as they've grown together in marriage, working with one another, understanding that the role of husband and wife is to help each other develop into this perfect union that God wants, that's a picture of the relationship between Christ and the Church, understanding their heirs together of the promises of God, and working with each other and exhorting each other to help each other toward that, "The heart of her husband safely trusts her. So he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life."

And then you go through this litany of things she does. She takes care of her household. She actually goes and buys a field, and knows how to deal with those things. She's learned those things over the years. She's worked with her husband during the year so that they can see... And they've gone to trust each other in that, as they develop and they work together as one so that all the needs of the household, all the spiritual needs, are there together as one. Husbands never think that Proverbs 31 is only your wife's job description. It is every single one of our job descriptions. When it's talking here in Proverbs 31, this is our job description. In Revelation 19:7, what is God preparing us to be? The bride of Jesus Christ, His wife. So when we read through these things, and we see safely trust in her, would God say about me today, "I safely trust in him. I know exactly what he will do as I've worked with him, and as he has yielded to me and as he has worked with me and walked with me"?

Can I trust him? Will he teach things the way that I taught him? Will he do things in the manner that I taught him? Will he learn as it says in 2 Corinthians, I think it's chapter 1 there, does he learn to comfort others the way I comforted him? All these things I taught him, well, has he learned them? Are they in his heart, so they become him so that he does my will? Well, does his heart safely trust us? Would God say today...? A question we can ask ourselves, does He safely trust me? He's doing exactly what I want to do, maybe not what he wanted to do, maybe doesn't live where he wants to live, but is he doing what I want him to do or is he not? Because if we're not following all the principles of the Bible, if we're not living the way of life of the Kingdom that's going to bring the unity and the oneness that God says we must have, He's not going to have a wife who's bickering, you know, one of the sides over here bickering about something and the other one wants to do something different.

We will all be working together as one. When He says do it, we'll know exactly who it is, we'll know that bride will be doing things exactly the way it says in Proverbs 31, all united, all one. Everything getting done because God is preparing His household that everything is covered, everyone will be able to do what it is He has to do because He's preparing us for that. He hasn't left any stone unturned. He hasn't forgotten anything. He knows exactly what is needed. So what would He say now about us? I trust him, I trust he will do things the way I say. I see it's in his heart, not just lip service, not that he can just repeat chapter and verse, but that I trust him. It's become him. It's in his heart. He could say that about Abraham. He could say that about Abraham in Genesis 18. No, you don't have to turn to Genesis 18, probably be right back there in Proverbs 31 in a second. 

Genesis 18:19 He says, "I have known him," speaking of Abraham, "in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him." 

I know him. I know he'll do it. I know he'll command his house after the way that I've taught him. Does God say about that about us? Would He say about that, us today? Yes. Whatever I give him to do, the way he handles this situation or that situation, it's exactly the way Christ would have handled it, exactly the way God would have us handle it. Because that's what we're here to learn the life of the Kingdom.

All of us have our own skills and talents that God has placed in all of us. They all work together. No reason to be jealous of one over the other because He is the one who puts it all together. He knows what we need, and it's all important. No one has to worry about that God overlooked something. He has that trust in David. David, who through his life, made some big mistakes, but he repented, turned his heart to God, didn't just hold on to whatever problem he had, or tried to justify himself or whatever it is. But he turned his heart to God, and God says, "I'm going make him king over all of Israel." Why? Because I know him. I know that he will do what I ask him to do. I know that he will teach and guide Israel in exactly the way that I want it done. Because he learned that in his life, and that's how we need to be. We need to be, and realize we're being trained to be, a support to Jesus Christ just as wives are a support to us. He sets the way, He sets the standard, and we support what He is doing. And when you read through Ephesians 5, you see that's the pattern of Christ and the church.

We set the example, the spiritual standard that is the standard of the Kingdom of God, the way of life that God teaches us in the Bible, that we adhere to, that we follow, and that we learn more and more through each day, this is how we need to be, and we become more like Him as we yield it to Him. You know, He says in Matthew 6, "Seek first the Kingdom of God." There's a lot in that verse. We might give it lip service, yes, we seek first the Kingdom of God. Yes, every day we pray thy Kingdom come, but do we really? Do our lives really reflect seeking first the Kingdom of God? Are we living the way of life of the Kingdom? When God says in Revelation 18, "Come out of her my people," or 2 Corinthians 6, really, have we really come out of this world or do we still have a lot of the world and its attitudes infecting us, directing us, affecting us?

We live in a world that is ridiculous, I use that, and if we're not careful, we can see the way of the world and let some of that sink into us or come into our being. We can't do that. Even more important to live the way of the life of the Kingdom just like God called us to be, and to realize around the world, He's working the same thing in every single person He's called. And we are here to support each other because He is making us truly one if we yield to Him. Let me turn to Galatians here for a moment. 

Galatians 3:27 Says, "Therefore, as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." That's what we did. We said we're here to become like you. That's what my life is about from here on out, to become like you. Prior person dead, buried. Keep him buried. Become a new creation, become like Him. "There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." 

All one no matter what nation we live in, no matter what area we live in, no matter what our backgrounds are, no matter how many skills we think God has given us or talents. Because He's given all of us something that contributes to the family, to the oneness, that He intends for us to become. What is holding us back from becoming that? What holds us back from the agape that He wants us to have? Never about Him. His Spirit leads. It's always about us if anything is being held back, and as it says in 2 Corinthians 6:12, it's all about our affections. What do we not want to let go of? What is it that holds us back? Something for all of us to think of. Something that we have to think of.

But the Commission of God, that Jesus Christ gave us, is that His gospel would be preached in all nations, and then the end will come. Make disciples in all nations that's what He said. Baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. The same thing that you and I were baptized into. Today, I think we have a better understanding in all nations. We always knew what it was, but now we know the people, now we know what they're doing, now we understand a little bit more about the various areas of the world, and we can help them. And I hope that we can all pray for His commission to be done. I pray that we can all work together to do the things that He wants us to do. That we are ready to serve in whatever way He wants us to be. To become His people that will do His will, members of the household of God for His good pleasure, and His good pleasure is for the return of Jesus Christ. The establishment of His Kingdom on this earth, and then the rest of eternity, that you and I are here. In Ephesians 3:8, well, verse 9, Paul writing here. He says part of his purpose is to…

Ephesians 3:9-10 "Make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the ages," that means from day one. 

What was the purpose God made the physical earth and man? Yeah, He was creating a family. He's creating a family for eternity because He has something in mind for mankind that's different than what the archangels, angels, cherubim, 24 elders, the other hosts of heaven, different than what they have, a necessary part of whatever plan He has going forward. "To make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery which was from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ, to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the Church." 

By what He is doing with the firstborn, the firstfruits. What is He working with us? How can people of all different races, nations that don't know each other, how can they all become one? How can they all have the same purpose? How can they all be led by the same God?

It's a unique situation in infinity. That God has made all of us part of a unique situation in infinity. Not just a job, not just something to think about but a calling that has to reach into our hearts. God is working to blow, and there is a mystery of what's going on. How does this happen? How could this happen? 1 Peter 2:9 says, you know, "We're a people," all of us in this room, we wouldn't have even known each other if it wasn't for God. When we go out and you have the opportunity to meet people, whatever it is that God brings everyone together before the return of Jesus Christ, wouldn't even known them, except God did this. He worked, and you're going to see they believe the same thing you do. You're at one. Your brothers your sisters. You're part of a family, and you never even met each other because God is doing it. It's kind of like Angola. You know, when Angola, the brethren there, we had an opportunity to meet them in South Africa, and they were doing the things that God had said until 2000, whatever it is '16 when all the United Church of God teaches the same things we do.

And when Mr. de Campos went there, it's like, they're us. They have the same Spirit. They have the same beliefs. They're one. And when we had an opportunity to meet them over there, in South Africa, wonderful people, humble. And you know what? They're doing a work in a different way than we do, but it's very effective and dedicated people. Young people who are dedicated to the work of God over there and in the international areas, we find a number of young people who are dedicated to the work of God, which is as we have here, we just all need to be remembering what the vision is.

Ephesians 3:10-11 "To the intent that now the manifold," verse 10, "to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the Church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Jesus Christ our Lord." 

That's the mystery of the Church, and He's working it with you and me through the course of this life, preparing us. Romans 8, don't take those words for granted when it talks about the whole creation is waiting. What are they waiting for? The revealing of the sons of God. The revealing of the sons of God. The purpose that you and I exist. The purpose that we are here. The purpose that we should never let go through our minds even as we do our daily work, go through our daily chores, deal with all the things that we deal with in a daily life, always remembering what it is that God is doing in the beautiful purpose that He has called us. And if we let Him, if we get ourselves out of the way and let God work through us, He will bind us as one. But there's choices we make along. The way there's decisions that we have to do in order to be part of that oneness that He wants. I'm going to close with just a verse from a song that we often sing. It's in the hymnal. It's called "One Faith, One Love."

And I think in the first... Maybe, I don't know if it's the first verse, but in a verse in that song, it tells what God is working in us. That summarizes in a way, what we talked about today, of what He is doing all over the world. That verse is, "Our many lives are woven, fitly blended. As tapestry created by thy hand. Within each thread, thy glory is extended. With every color, quality, and strand." Calling people of all types. Calling people of all backgrounds, all skills, from all nations of the world, who have had to deal and come out of pagan things that we can't even understand, but we will because as we live in a woke culture, we will be seeing that in America. We'll be dealing with some of those things as it infiltrates the land we have here. "Within each thread, thy glory is extended. With every color, quality, and strand. Upon thy loom, our differences become one. A pleasing tribute to you God and Your Son." Let's be those people. Vision of the Kingdom, vision of what we're doing, become those pleasing people to God.