WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.360 Now, why am I saying all this today? It's not for no reason. It's because I feel the cry in the spirit from the Lord 2 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:18.000 to encourage God's people to count the cost and declare, Lord, you have my all, and I will not be moved. 3 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:26.000 I will not be moved, no matter what is happening out there by your grace, I won't be moved. 4 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:32.080 Welcome to the CityLight Church Podcast. Thanks for joining us today, as we look into God's word and 5 00:00:32.080 --> 00:00:37.840 discover the hope and truth that He has for us. If you want to connect with CityLight Church, 6 00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:44.000 feel free to visit us at citylightnyc.com, that's citylightnyc.com. 7 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:50.800 Pastor Boyan Jansik and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already working in our 8 00:00:50.800 --> 00:00:56.800 hearts and minds. As you listen to today's teaching, remember that you are deeply loved by God, 9 00:00:57.360 --> 00:01:02.480 that you are surrounded by His grace, and that He has a real hope and a future for you. 10 00:01:05.600 --> 00:01:12.000 Are you ready for the word this morning? Let's begin in Psalm 103 verses 1 through 3. 11 00:01:20.960 --> 00:01:26.000 The theme of this passage, these three scriptures I'm going to read is something that's been a theme 12 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:33.760 throughout CityLight since the beginning. I feel it's incredibly important. The Psalmist says, 13 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:40.880 bless the Lord on my soul and all that is within me. That's a good prayer to pray if you 14 00:01:40.880 --> 00:01:46.160 forgotten to say grace and you're halfway through the meal. And bless the Lord. 15 00:01:49.600 --> 00:01:54.000 Sometimes we have to pray that if the kids dive in at that point, bless all that is already within me. 16 00:01:54.800 --> 00:02:06.240 All that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord on my soul and forget not all of His 17 00:02:06.960 --> 00:02:14.800 benefits. There are benefits. This scripture meant the world to me a few years after I became a 18 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:21.440 Christian. I dove into the benefits that you have in God and make no mistake about it. There are 19 00:02:21.440 --> 00:02:27.760 benefits. When I became a Christian, I was immediately introduced to other streams of Christianity. 20 00:02:27.760 --> 00:02:34.800 And they seem to have faith for defeat. They had faith for suffering. They had faith for misery and 21 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:40.560 pain and agony. And then I dove into the scriptures and I began to discover that Jesus, 22 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:49.360 He experienced hell so that we wouldn't have to, amen. And He experienced not just hell on earth so 23 00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:54.320 we wouldn't experience eternal hell but so that we could have heaven on earth and that He's a God 24 00:02:54.320 --> 00:03:00.400 of victory and that His suffering on the cross affords us victory, amen. And then it goes on to 25 00:03:00.480 --> 00:03:10.320 list the benefits who forgives all your iniquities and who heals all your diseases. And that's just 26 00:03:10.320 --> 00:03:16.720 two. If you dive in, you'll see that Jesus' victory at the cross afforded your victory in every 27 00:03:16.720 --> 00:03:22.160 category of your lives. Can we say a big amen to that? I'm not preaching on that today though. 28 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:30.880 I just wanted to start off with that. In case halfway through my message, you're wondering if I 29 00:03:30.880 --> 00:03:39.040 change my doctrine. But it just does seem to me that it's difficult or challenging for believers 30 00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:47.760 to think abstractly or to have nuance when it comes to establishing their own God view and 31 00:03:47.760 --> 00:03:53.200 their own doctrine. And that's why you seem to have two camps. You have a camp of Christianity 32 00:03:53.200 --> 00:03:58.800 where they just believe life should be hard and life should be miserable until eventually you make 33 00:03:58.800 --> 00:04:05.120 it to heaven and receive your reward. The scripture says that the way of a transgressor is hard and 34 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:10.000 full of sorrow. I'm not a transgressor. My sins have been forgiven by the blood of Jesus, amen. 35 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:17.200 But then also on the other side of the spectrum and it takes a little bit of thought and nuance to 36 00:04:18.080 --> 00:04:24.720 live in the tension between these two. And the other side of the spectrum is just a belief that God 37 00:04:24.720 --> 00:04:33.120 is only the good time God and that you are never going to experience any kind of suffering. 38 00:04:35.760 --> 00:04:42.160 And when you have that doctrine, the moment you experience biblical suffering, your whole faith is 39 00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:50.240 shaken. And some people fall away. In fact, that's actually one of the four grounds that Jesus 40 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:56.000 mentioned that when persecution comes, they don't have a good foundation, they're not in good soil, 41 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:02.720 and they fall away. And I want to read this scripture to you from Jesus. And by the way, 42 00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:08.560 I mentioned biblical suffering, Luke chapter 14 verses 26 through 33. I mentioned biblical 43 00:05:08.640 --> 00:05:14.080 suffering because the Bible says we're called to suffer as Jesus has suffered. The sufferings of 44 00:05:14.080 --> 00:05:19.600 Christ. Do you know what the sufferings of Christ are? I'll tell you what they aren't. 45 00:05:20.880 --> 00:05:31.120 Freak accidents, sickness, disease, poverty, those aren't the sufferings of Christ. Over and 46 00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:35.760 over in the New Testament when the scripture speaks of the sufferings of Christ, scripture defines 47 00:05:35.760 --> 00:05:40.160 the sufferings of Christ. What we're actually supposed to partner with him in. What's our portion? 48 00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:45.040 What we should expect. It's really not a lot of things. It's being really misunderstood, 49 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:52.880 being hated just because, just because you're Jesus's. Not even anything that you really did or 50 00:05:52.880 --> 00:05:57.440 said. I just don't like you. I don't even know why I don't like you. Your whole energy just 51 00:05:57.440 --> 00:06:08.160 disturbs me. And being envied. And he experienced that so much that they murdered him. 52 00:06:09.920 --> 00:06:14.560 You look at first Peter, the entire book of first Peter, the great suffering book. 53 00:06:15.760 --> 00:06:20.720 That's what it defines over and over again. Those are the sufferings of Jesus. Are you all with me? 54 00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:24.720 I know some of you maybe you were really married to your suffering thinking that it's from God. 55 00:06:24.720 --> 00:06:28.960 I hate to break the news to you, but it's not from God. If it doesn't fall under those categories. 56 00:06:29.920 --> 00:06:39.120 Amen. But the Lord this week just was stirring up in me to remind the people of God about the cost 57 00:06:39.840 --> 00:06:46.800 because there is a cost. And Jesus talked about a cost. If anyone comes to me and does not hate 58 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:53.120 his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, in his own life also, 59 00:06:53.920 --> 00:07:02.320 he cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 60 00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:09.280 For which one of you intending to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost. Everyone 61 00:07:09.280 --> 00:07:17.120 just say count the cost. Count the cost whether he has enough to finish it, less after he has 62 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:27.760 laid the foundation and is not able to finish. All who see it begin to mock him saying this man began 63 00:07:27.760 --> 00:07:34.960 to build and was not able to finish or what king going to make war against another king does not 64 00:07:34.960 --> 00:07:41.920 sit down first and consider whether he is able with 10,000 to meet him who comes against him with 65 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:50.160 20,000 or else while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions 66 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:59.200 of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple. 67 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:09.200 So there is a cry I hear in the spirit right now of God saying strengthen yourselves in me, 68 00:08:09.200 --> 00:08:15.120 gird up your loins, that's actually a scripture in Jeremiah, gird up your loins like a man. 69 00:08:16.320 --> 00:08:21.840 Doesn't mean to run away, that means gather your robes together so you can run swiftly, not run away 70 00:08:21.840 --> 00:08:29.760 but run towards a battle and that you have a resolve and a strength and that you've counted the 71 00:08:29.760 --> 00:08:37.520 cost and my heart is for everybody who's a member of city light church who calls city light their 72 00:08:37.520 --> 00:08:47.760 home to have that resolve and to have counted the cost, counted the cost and that their heart is 73 00:08:47.840 --> 00:08:56.400 Lord you gave me or everything therefore hence hitherto I'm giving you my everything you gave me 74 00:08:56.400 --> 00:09:04.960 your life now my life belongs to you I'm no longer my own God but you are my God and what you say 75 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:12.400 goes and where you go I'll follow amen this is the way Christianity was presented to me and I'm 76 00:09:12.400 --> 00:09:18.320 so glad for that sometimes Christianity is not presented in a biblical way we focus so much on the 77 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:24.240 benefit and then it's like this old bait and switch and the person doesn't doesn't understand what 78 00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:30.880 happens the first time they encounter a trial and their faith starts to shake but the gospel was 79 00:09:30.880 --> 00:09:40.160 presented to me actually in a hard way like they told me right away this is how your life should 80 00:09:40.160 --> 00:09:47.120 look after you become a real Christian and I said what I mean the first thing 16 year old me I 81 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:56.000 I just repeated you know sex until I'm married what that's expensive you're telling me to count the 82 00:09:56.000 --> 00:10:04.480 cost I didn't plan on that one and actually the first thing I buy say you come on that's like the 83 00:10:04.480 --> 00:10:12.080 old-fashioned stuff right the old like that's not today right and they just calmly look back at me 84 00:10:12.080 --> 00:10:18.560 and they said you know Jesus said whoever loses his life will find it and whoever finds his life 85 00:10:19.680 --> 00:10:24.240 excuse me whoever whoever finds his life will lose it whoever loses his life will find it the 86 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:29.440 word carries so much anointing these were all teenagers mintment this I would didn't what didn't 87 00:10:29.440 --> 00:10:34.560 sit down with the pastor and and the elders of the church these were teenagers and they share 88 00:10:34.560 --> 00:10:40.880 that with me and when that word hit I I immediately knew okay what the Lord is asking me to put away 89 00:10:40.880 --> 00:10:45.040 he's there is a reward connected with that that's infinitely greater than what he's asking me to put 90 00:10:45.040 --> 00:10:49.920 away and I didn't even yet know that it wouldn't be me putting it away with my own strength but that 91 00:10:49.920 --> 00:10:55.440 he would empower me with his grace and that you can't take any credit for any outworking of holiness 92 00:10:55.440 --> 00:11:01.920 in your life that he's behind all of it this is this night the night I got saved Friday night 93 00:11:01.920 --> 00:11:08.720 August 14th 1992 and I was already at that church outside of my parents will because my parents 94 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:14.480 forbid me to go to that church any church that wasn't a Greek Orthodox church they forbid me to 95 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:22.320 go to because I say Greek Orthodox now I'm not Greek I'm from former Yugoslavia but it's the 96 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:27.040 Eastern Orthodox church it's the same thing it's more than just the faith it's more than just 97 00:11:27.040 --> 00:11:33.920 the religion it's your ethnicity it's your culture it's your identity and they saw me going outside 98 00:11:33.920 --> 00:11:41.840 of that as a complete betrayal like family back in the motherland would be saying what happened 99 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:48.880 to the Janskiks that poor kid got Americanized went off the deep end and joined some sect some cult 100 00:11:48.880 --> 00:12:00.080 they said that about you right some version of that that's what they thought the only reason 101 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:05.360 eventually they thought it was a phase when I started Bible school they got a little more nervous 102 00:12:06.800 --> 00:12:10.720 they said this this phase is compounding this fire is growing 103 00:12:11.040 --> 00:12:21.120 it bothered me because the way I was raised the way we're raised in our culture it's actually very 104 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:26.800 similar to Asian culture we're taught to really honor our parents really respect our parents 105 00:12:26.800 --> 00:12:31.360 don't do things that will dishonor your parents don't do things that will grieve your parents 106 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:34.480 and here I was dishonoring them disrespecting them grieving them 107 00:12:35.280 --> 00:12:42.880 but account of the cost and I've read that Jesus said and he's using these examples of mother 108 00:12:42.880 --> 00:12:47.520 and father those things that are most precious to us if you're willing to forsake that 109 00:12:48.320 --> 00:12:53.840 and by the way when Jesus asks you to forsake something 9.9 at a 10 times he's not actually asking 110 00:12:53.840 --> 00:13:00.160 you to turn your back on and forsake forsake it he's saying lose the grip that that thing has on 111 00:13:00.160 --> 00:13:06.160 your heart and once you lose the grip that that thing has on your heart then I have your whole 112 00:13:06.160 --> 00:13:13.040 heart then heaven can come and invade your life it was a few months after I got saved there was 113 00:13:13.040 --> 00:13:18.560 a constant tension in my in my home because of my Christianity and because I wouldn't be quiet 114 00:13:18.560 --> 00:13:32.240 about it I refused to be a closet Christian and so my dad is a wonderful man and he was not 115 00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:37.120 he was not such a physical disciplinary and I just have to say that my mom was quicker on the 116 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:45.840 drawer than my dad my mom was like Clint Eastwood it was like I say my dad wasn't 117 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:53.360 but I was and this was a bizarre and you know when you know some things just supernatural demonic 118 00:13:53.360 --> 00:14:00.320 we're in my kitchen we're in a 12 floor 12 F and four stills queens little compartment where I was 119 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:08.800 raised and I was trying to witness to my dad and he starts beating me hitting me hitting me so I'm 120 00:14:08.800 --> 00:14:15.200 17 years old at this time I mean I dropped to my knees I can't you know I can fight back to hit 121 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:20.720 your dad that lightning bolt might as well come and hit you before you commit patricide you know 122 00:14:20.720 --> 00:14:27.200 so I fall I fall on the ground and now he's won't stop he keeps going so I don't know what to do 123 00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:32.560 so I start praying and tongues real loud as soon as I start praying and tongues he doubles down 124 00:14:32.560 --> 00:14:36.640 he's whacking me now it's not relenting I never experienced anything like this in my life 125 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:43.200 I pull away my mom is on him pulling him away later I asked my mom what got into him he like 126 00:14:43.200 --> 00:14:48.640 double that was bad the first time she said she knew what it was but she said well when you started 127 00:14:48.640 --> 00:14:53.760 speaking in tongues he said he was trying to put a hex on me so I have to hit him to protect myself 128 00:14:54.400 --> 00:14:57.600 he's a can't you see he's doing some witchcraft he's trying to curse us 129 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:10.880 now the promise that I received when I was becoming a Christian was that God was going to come 130 00:15:10.880 --> 00:15:16.000 and touch my family and bring healing to my family and bring all this love and that's actually 131 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:20.080 what the person leading with the Lord prophesied to me that that I would receive 132 00:15:21.040 --> 00:15:28.320 fast forward six months later I got the exact opposite in reverse like in an accelerated way 133 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:32.800 that's a good time when if you're listening to the devil you say you know 134 00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:39.760 this isn't working this is actually working in reverse not only is it not working I'm going backwards 135 00:15:40.880 --> 00:15:48.320 what a bowl of lies I swallowed up but I counted the cost and said yes to it's only Jesus 136 00:15:48.880 --> 00:15:55.360 and Jesus no matter what and it wasn't shortly after that that they both gave their lives 137 00:15:55.360 --> 00:16:05.120 to Jesus and the home yeah it's actually not a cost it's a it's not a cost period it's a cost 138 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:13.200 that pays that when you in your heart say Jesus I give you my all and I will not be moved amen 139 00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:19.760 and why am I saying all this today it's not for no reason it's because I feel the cry in the spirit 140 00:16:19.760 --> 00:16:28.160 from the Lord to encourage God's people to count the cost and declare Lord you have my all 141 00:16:28.160 --> 00:16:37.840 and I will not be moved I will not be moved no matter what is happening out there by your grace I 142 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:45.440 won't be moved God forbid that people here be moved because they have encountered the cost 143 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:53.200 if you're following a Jesus and experiencing a Christianity that doesn't cost you anything 144 00:16:54.480 --> 00:17:02.320 you're following a false Jesus another Christ a bastardized western version of Christianity 145 00:17:02.400 --> 00:17:10.160 it's nowhere in the Bible for years I've preached on grace and how it's all for free and it is this 146 00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:18.160 message is in nullifying that but what's required of you is simply you all of you and that you give 147 00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:24.560 your life to him your hopes your dreams your ambitions Lord I won't go that way unless you go 148 00:17:24.560 --> 00:17:30.720 before me Lord what do you want for my life that is the sure foundation that we just sang about 149 00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:36.880 by the way you can't sing that song with your chest out and your whole heart unless you're willing 150 00:17:36.880 --> 00:17:43.520 to forsake it all for the sake of the call and it's not by accident I'm preaching this now because 151 00:17:43.520 --> 00:17:51.360 it has been a bizarre two weeks has it not if if you don't know that it's been a particularly bizarre 152 00:17:51.360 --> 00:18:00.400 two weeks especially to you we should have ushers with bells maybe we can talk about that at the 153 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:07.520 next staff meeting maybe pots and pans and then to people who don't amen when I do that well 154 00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:18.400 the ushers can just run around clincly can you appreciate how strange it is that in an eight day period 155 00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:27.520 this is what happened within just eight days a former president running for your re-re-re-election 156 00:18:28.320 --> 00:18:34.880 was shot there was an assassination attempt and in the same eight days the current president 157 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:43.120 stepped down from re-election not via video because he wanted to protect the videographers from 158 00:18:43.120 --> 00:18:56.640 catching COVID but through a tweet the same president that for days was saying I'm in this election 159 00:18:56.640 --> 00:19:01.840 I'm gonna run this election I'm not stepping out then all of a sudden stepped out and here's 160 00:19:01.840 --> 00:19:08.800 what makes it even more bizarre that we know nothing more about this attempted assassination attempt 161 00:19:08.800 --> 00:19:14.880 than the Saturday afternoon evening that it occurred on we know nothing more have you guys if 162 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:21.200 you haven't you should see in the the grilling of the secret service director I'm you know 163 00:19:21.280 --> 00:19:28.240 she reminded me of my kids when I catch in the act and you know how Vivi she'll go into that corner 164 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:35.760 and grab some chocolate and you go Vivi do you got the chocolate I like okay you know you're not 165 00:19:35.760 --> 00:19:43.760 supposed to lie do you have the chocolate I mean the word salad you if you haven't listen forget 166 00:19:43.760 --> 00:19:50.720 about the 10 second tiktok shorts for comedy watch the interrogation the congressional hearing 167 00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:57.600 with the secret service director I mean I've never seen someone just so dodgy lying lying lying 168 00:19:57.600 --> 00:20:03.680 withhold like the most basic questions that we should have answered what country is this 169 00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:13.920 so we need Jesus like never before we need to count the cost like never before and make sure that 170 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:19.120 our feet are in a sure foundation because if there's one thing the last four years have taught me 171 00:20:19.760 --> 00:20:28.240 it's that the bizarre will get bizarreier and it's nowhere near November yet so what's up next 172 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:37.680 by the way in case you haven't noticed this is not a political message this is a keep your feet on 173 00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:44.480 Jesus message look to him only message and know that they're lying to you left and right 174 00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:53.840 cling to Jesus to be above the lies hallelujah let's read Jesus in Luke 14 uh no 175 00:20:53.840 --> 00:20:59.360 mark 10 because Jesus never talks about the cost without also talking about the reward 176 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:10.400 I guess I just want us we're very strong by the way from the stories I hear we're I want 177 00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:15.920 us to be stronger even because I think I still have you can pray for me for healing inner deep 178 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:24.320 inner healing lay hands on me so zoom me away because I still think I have PTSD from 2020 179 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:35.120 because here's what happened in 2020 going into 2021 you know we were one of the first churches to reopen 180 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:42.720 and I think we were the first there was a bunch of us that same the first Sunday we could we re-opened 181 00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:53.120 and so many of our people came back especially those that were alone alone watching the death 182 00:21:53.120 --> 00:21:59.200 ometer tick-tock away on CNN do you remember the deathometer how could you forget that right if 183 00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:03.360 a thermometer except for deaths and it just kept I mean just that is enough to do such a mind 184 00:22:03.360 --> 00:22:09.040 number on you they were just different the elevator didn't go to the top floor anymore 185 00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:16.400 I'd come in for the appropriate distant pastoral side hug and they're 186 00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:29.920 oh you know then I then I just I just out loud said hey this experimental job that they really 187 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:38.400 really want us to take I don't want to my body my choice I don't want to I don't want to put 188 00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:44.560 in this this this chemical experiment that's just a few months old that they're already telling 189 00:22:44.560 --> 00:22:48.640 us if I take it and when I say that I mean if you dig a little bit into the medical not what 190 00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:52.560 politicians were telling you they're telling you won't prevent you from getting COVID and it won't 191 00:22:52.560 --> 00:22:57.600 prevent you from spreading COVID therefore hands hitherto air go it's not a vaccine it's a jab 192 00:22:58.480 --> 00:23:01.840 what kind of jobs some kind of jab the kind of job that every six months you've got to take 193 00:23:01.840 --> 00:23:07.120 another job for it to work so I'm not offending anybody here because none of you are vaccinated unless 194 00:23:07.120 --> 00:23:19.360 you got your 19th booster within the last six months so that's right 195 00:23:27.600 --> 00:23:33.920 so this is what happened why I'm preaching this now I got so many phone calls and I appreciate 196 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:40.000 phone calls text emails any I appreciate anything other than just disappearing and leaving for 197 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:43.760 those who we have a relationship I understand there's different people here I'm talking about 198 00:23:43.760 --> 00:23:48.560 those who call city light their home not just if you're still checking us out welcome if you're 199 00:23:48.560 --> 00:23:54.800 still checking us out check us out you want should I turn around 360 check me out 200 00:23:54.880 --> 00:24:03.120 you know too many of these kind of phone calls pasture I agree with everything you're saying 201 00:24:04.320 --> 00:24:10.000 they knew it was right they knew it was reasonable they knew it was logical but if people found out 202 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:16.320 especially if my place of employment do you remember how it was four years ago oh I left out 203 00:24:16.320 --> 00:24:22.640 the cherry on top was when spontaneously on Sunday the best stuff is the spontaneous stuff 204 00:24:22.720 --> 00:24:28.800 spontaneously on Sunday I said and spontaneously it doesn't mean erratically by the way it means I 205 00:24:28.800 --> 00:24:33.520 moved when I sense the Holy Spirit move and it just occurred to me by the Lord and I said anybody 206 00:24:33.520 --> 00:24:38.640 who wants a religious who does not want to get the job will provide you a religious exemption on 207 00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:49.520 city light letterhead because I'm now not loving my neighbor right I'm the grandma killer 208 00:24:53.600 --> 00:24:57.600 and I got so many of these kind of phone calls pasture I agree with everything you're saying 209 00:24:57.600 --> 00:25:05.040 but if people knew what kind of church now when someone leaves I don't ever say any like if you 210 00:25:05.040 --> 00:25:10.320 ever if you ever call me up to say look I'm I'm moving to another church or I'm leaving the only 211 00:25:10.320 --> 00:25:15.840 thing you're going to hear from me is I bless you that's been like that since day one the Lord 212 00:25:15.840 --> 00:25:21.440 put that in my heart there is no sense in arguing with you and trying to convince you if you're 213 00:25:21.440 --> 00:25:26.000 out you're out and I'm going to see that in the best possible light that God is calling you out 214 00:25:26.560 --> 00:25:30.960 so don't ever tell me you're leaving hoping that I'm going to get you to stand and don't think 215 00:25:30.960 --> 00:25:35.360 don't think I'm cold if I say listen bless you because that's all I'm supposed to say but a few 216 00:25:35.360 --> 00:25:39.600 of those times when they called I felt tempted to say something and what I would have said was 217 00:25:39.760 --> 00:25:51.120 because in each kind by the way each case was a man I wouldn't fuck fuck fuck a woman 218 00:25:52.560 --> 00:26:00.320 but when a man the head of his house calls up and says I got to leave because I'm scared 219 00:26:01.680 --> 00:26:07.520 I'm scared what they might say if they find out because they're so important they're going to 220 00:26:07.520 --> 00:26:12.480 be going through their social media doing the detective work to find out they go here I'm scared 221 00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:19.680 that I go to a church where the senior pastor tried to bring some semblance of of sense concerning 222 00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:26.160 COVID and told people hey you shouldn't have to take an experimental cocktail if you don't want to 223 00:26:26.720 --> 00:26:30.800 well they would really talk bad about me by the way don't forget those were the times we were 224 00:26:30.800 --> 00:26:35.520 living now we all we all laugh about it do you know we should replay when how we talk just like 225 00:26:35.520 --> 00:26:43.760 this in 2020 what the atmosphere was like in here you can hear a pin drop just people he's going 226 00:26:43.760 --> 00:26:47.760 there which if you ever let out that energy it makes me want to go there all the more so don't 227 00:26:52.640 --> 00:26:58.640 and I don't know what's on the horizon but something is this is what we have to admit to ourselves 228 00:26:59.360 --> 00:27:07.520 we as humans even Christians we're easily programmable we really are there are people who know how to 229 00:27:07.520 --> 00:27:14.160 hijack our emotional state hijacked our program and for lack of a better term hypnotize us 230 00:27:16.240 --> 00:27:23.760 to where we all you know right now there's over 80 different nations represented here 231 00:27:24.480 --> 00:27:30.080 I'm not talking about like your great-grandfather immigrated here when we do the poll 80 different nations 232 00:27:30.080 --> 00:27:37.120 were like me that came from another country and are here at city light yeah we have more in common with 233 00:27:37.120 --> 00:27:43.280 each other as Christians as Jesus lovers Jesus believers filled with the Holy Spirit baptized 234 00:27:43.280 --> 00:27:49.760 in water than other people do not ever let them come in and mess us up and divide us and get 235 00:27:49.760 --> 00:27:59.040 as 2020 should never ever happen again hey man hallelujah so Jesus answered and said assuredly I 236 00:27:59.040 --> 00:28:08.000 say to you there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife 237 00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:17.760 or children or lands for my sake and the gospels who shall not receive Jesus never talked about a 238 00:28:17.760 --> 00:28:25.200 cost without also talking about the reward who shall not have received now people 239 00:28:26.160 --> 00:28:33.040 tend to think oh the reward yeah in the sweet by and by right in heaven one day he says now 240 00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:41.280 now the reward is now the reward is ultimate in heaven but it's now in fact right now I'm enjoying 241 00:28:41.280 --> 00:28:50.560 such blessedness and peace and familial prosperity because of what I endured back in 1992 that cost 242 00:28:50.560 --> 00:28:55.920 that little price that I paid where I just kept close to Jesus when Satan was trying to rattle my 243 00:28:55.920 --> 00:29:07.040 family then now it's rivers of peace now in this life in this time this is for everything I love 244 00:29:07.280 --> 00:29:11.120 how he how he adds it to he goes houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and 245 00:29:11.120 --> 00:29:16.800 lands that sounds like prosperity to me right but with persecution there's always that little seasoning 246 00:29:16.800 --> 00:29:26.400 there yeah with persecutions people will talk bad about you this was my big eye opener in 2020 247 00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:32.320 because I overcame this a long time ago wanting to be liked you can't be a pastor in New York City 248 00:29:32.320 --> 00:29:42.160 and want to be liked you so the Lord dealt with that real quick but 2020 showed me how desperately people 249 00:29:42.160 --> 00:29:49.360 still want to be liked still want to be popular still want to fit in you don't fit in as a Christian 250 00:29:50.720 --> 00:29:57.120 and Jesus said they persecuted me he actually started by saying this the servant is not above his 251 00:29:57.120 --> 00:30:01.920 master they hated and they persecuted me they'll hate and they'll persecute you 252 00:30:05.120 --> 00:30:07.280 so please I invite you to make your peace with that 253 00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:16.560 then you're not supposed to be the popular guy the popular girl and that popularity it means nothing 254 00:30:17.760 --> 00:30:24.000 in ministry popularity means nothing I don't even remember Mike Francine years ago he came by 255 00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:30.720 and he told me that years ago in the 90s an old minister said tell me the top 10 ministries right 256 00:30:30.720 --> 00:30:37.920 now and Mike Francine said write them down Mike Francine wrote them down and he said in 10 years 257 00:30:38.880 --> 00:30:42.960 you won't barely hear a word out of these ministries and he said it turned out to be absolutely 258 00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:49.360 true so he said this to me back in 2014 so I made a mental note of the top 10 like the most 259 00:30:49.360 --> 00:30:55.280 vote the most popular ministries and that one I think back at least eight out of 10 you really don't 260 00:30:55.280 --> 00:31:04.240 hear that much about why because popularity it comes it goes to throw yourself on the seas of 261 00:31:04.240 --> 00:31:13.040 human adoration what I'll give you this example in the book of Acts Paul the great preacher that he 262 00:31:13.040 --> 00:31:18.720 was he preached the fiery sermon and you know what they said they liked him so much they said 263 00:31:18.720 --> 00:31:26.720 the gods have come down in the form of men what a compliment the next day that same crowd satan 264 00:31:26.720 --> 00:31:33.440 just stirred them the same people picked up stones to murder him that tells us everything we need to 265 00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:40.400 know deep down inside world if we're not looking at Jesus these hungry animals that just want to 266 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:46.080 pat on the back of that a boy under that a girl you got to make a decision to get your pets from 267 00:31:46.080 --> 00:31:52.160 Jesus and Jesus alone because people will flip on you they'll change but Christ endures amen 268 00:31:52.160 --> 00:32:01.440 and I live for the well done thou good and faithful servant enter now into the joy of the Lord 269 00:32:01.440 --> 00:32:12.000 hallelujah oh thank you Lord worship team come on up Romans 12 1 270 00:32:19.040 --> 00:32:24.000 thank you Jesus thank you Lord 271 00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:36.720 Paul says I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a 272 00:32:36.720 --> 00:32:46.240 living sacrifice holy acceptable to God this how he closes that verses my favorite part which is 273 00:32:46.240 --> 00:32:54.880 your reasonable service the Lord is not asking something unreasonable of us he's forgiven all of 274 00:32:54.880 --> 00:33:05.040 our sin given us authority back crowned us with glory given us adoption whereby we're now the 275 00:33:05.040 --> 00:33:10.400 very children of God we have eternity in our spirits we're heaven bound we have intimacy with him 276 00:33:11.360 --> 00:33:18.160 and he's saying I want you're all you're all you're all so this is a bit of a recommitment service 277 00:33:19.760 --> 00:33:22.080 I like every head bowed every I closed please 278 00:33:25.200 --> 00:33:32.560 and I want to invite you to recommit your life to Jesus and count the cost 279 00:33:32.960 --> 00:33:43.920 we're here today because of the cost Christians in the past have paid for us Christianity is alive 280 00:33:43.920 --> 00:33:51.520 because when the Roman emperor was throwing Christians into the lion's den and burning them at 281 00:33:51.520 --> 00:33:59.040 the stake and crucifying them upside down they would not renounce their faith those were Christians 282 00:33:59.040 --> 00:34:05.520 who counted the cost and the torch of Christianity has been carried not just through the century but 283 00:34:05.520 --> 00:34:12.320 the millennia right on down to today because Christians who counted the cost said I shall not be 284 00:34:12.320 --> 00:34:19.680 moved I won't go along with popular opinion I won't make a short-sighted choice just to be safe and 285 00:34:19.680 --> 00:34:30.000 keep my skin alive but I present the whole of myself even my body as a sacrifice 286 00:34:31.120 --> 00:34:36.800 that we may like the apostle Paul say I have been crucified with Christ yet not I 287 00:34:40.400 --> 00:34:46.640 but Christ he lived with me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the 288 00:34:46.640 --> 00:34:57.120 Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me how many of you right now with eyes closed heads 289 00:34:57.120 --> 00:35:04.960 about you would say Jesus I realized that this isn't just the cost the cost it pays great great 290 00:35:04.960 --> 00:35:11.360 rewards and I recommit myself to you and to the Lordship of Christ raise your hands all over 291 00:35:11.360 --> 00:35:21.360 this place Jesus you're my Lord you're not just Lord of part of me but you're Lord of all I 292 00:35:21.360 --> 00:35:28.160 understand that if you're not Lord of all you're not Lord at all lift your hand up Lord Jesus 293 00:35:28.160 --> 00:35:30.880 I believe in you and I trust you with my life 294 00:35:31.760 --> 00:35:43.920 everybody let's say this prayer together Jesus you gave me everything I received that 295 00:35:44.960 --> 00:35:54.880 and I give you myself I'm no longer my own God but you are my God and you are my Lord I'll go 296 00:35:54.960 --> 00:36:00.880 where you tell me to go I'll say what you tell me to say and I'll do what you tell me to do 297 00:36:01.920 --> 00:36:09.360 and I will not bow down to public opinion to popularity to what others say about me 298 00:36:11.360 --> 00:36:20.800 I'll follow you all my days in Jesus name amen this is the City Light Church podcast 299 00:36:20.800 --> 00:36:25.280 if you've missed any part of today's message or if you would like to find out more about pastor 300 00:36:25.280 --> 00:36:34.160 boy on jansik and city light church visit us at citylightnyc.com that's citylightnyc.com feel free to 301 00:36:34.160 --> 00:36:40.640 visit us online or in person anytime we would love to connect with you we pray that you have been 302 00:36:40.640 --> 00:36:46.800 encouraged today that you have been reminded how much God loves you and that you are surrounded by 303 00:36:46.800 --> 00:36:52.480 grace thank you for listening make sure that you subscribe to city light church podcast wherever 304 00:36:52.480 --> 00:36:57.200 you find your favorite podcasts worldwide