03.Lay People And Methodism

Welcome to track #3 of lay power. Hallelujah. Right? Just me. What those outside, can you hear us? Can you hear outsiders? Can you hear cement? At the very back you can hear cement. Stupendous. Well, it's a blessing to be here. Amen. I hope that all of us have taken Reverend Johnny's instructions. And where's my badge? You must wear your badge all the time either. So if you're wearing, if you're not wearing your badge, the offering basket is coming around. You pay 5 Ghana CDs each session that you discover there is nowhere in a badge. It's a problem. I'm giving the I'm giving the orders. How can I pay the 55 Ghana CDs? OK, you're lucky the common people. I rise now to insist that's the right me then. So well, we are blessed so far. I think the first session is super powerful, having to have a feeling of how this company is going to be like, Amen. I believe that we're going to have real wonderful time as we have taken off already this evening. Amen. 18 definitions of layperson. Let's go through quickly before we show cars. Number one's number one, was it we? Look at laypower. 18 Definition of the layperson #1 is what? Someone distinct from the clergy? Is there any distinct from me, half of the clergy? I hear you. Well, we are different. I have the microphone. You are sitting down. But power has come to the lead. People from now #2 you are not qualified to do certain jobs in certain fields. Amen. Not everybody is a doctor. This man sitting here is a surgeon, but so he's qualified to do certain jobs in a particular field. But then when it comes to carpentry, he's a layperson. Always a sagging. Do you understand? Yeah. So that's number three is what? An ordinary. I love it. An ordinary pet. Are there any? Is there? No, never sitting by you. I mean, they were sitting by you. I think some of you are sitting by very special people. That is why you are not enjoying. Ask him. Are you special or you're ordinary? I mean, ask him. Listen, I'm honest. I want to be among ordinary people as your sister. Are you special? You're ordinary. Shake him and find out whether he's special or ordinary. Ordinary people don't mind shouting Hallelujah in the church. Special people are so diplomatic. Amen. What the next definition? A normal person that is a late person normal. Are you OK? Number #5 is what a common place person? Someone who is in town? Yeah, not a residential area person. A common place person. Forgive the next one is what? A usual person #7 a regular person #8 pardon a common person, isn't it? Yeah. Bible say Jesus always minister to common people, ordinary people, common people. Are you common? Are you a common person? No. Some of you look too diplomatic to be Qatar has come on. But thank God, God likes common people like you and me. Hallelujah #9 everyday person is powerful, isn't it And everyday person, the man on the streets. OK, what's the next one? An average. You know, I've been a class where I know that people are getting a plus and so on, but you are just making it. And the teacher write the report Average more room for but I believe that God is speaking average people. Hallelujah, people are not so outstanding Amen who don't so outshine. But these are the people that God is looking out for. I'm glad I think that God has located you an average person like you, God has located you. What is the next one not a professional? Amen. We are professional teachers. We are professional. What? What do you have professional bankers? But you're not a professional. You're not a professional pastor, but God wants to use you as you are. It's too powerful. I tell you what, the next one, not an expect, you may not be an expect. He's so winning, but God is going to use somebody who stand an expect like you for His Kingdom and the next one. Not a specialist. Wow, it's too great #14 what does it mean? Ordinary people don't understand it, but it's OK. But prolific. OK, Why are you going? We are ordinary also don't. I know we didn't go to school at your school, but it's OK. We are not proficient, but God still loves us. Somebody say man next one not skilled #16 not trained. Hallelujah #17 You don't have a certificate as a SO winner, but you're going to be the best winner in the whole of the Kodesh. Amen. Do you believe it? Yeah. You're not certified by anybody, but God is so you, God will see use you #18 Hey, you're not certified, not licensed. It's not easy, but it's powerful. Amen #19 Bereft of special. What does bereft mean? Not ballet. No ballet. It says bereft, not ballet. You have always wanted to say that. Use the word ballet. Empty of of any special gift. Now you see, sometimes when you see someone who's gifted, it makes you look useless. Have you realized that? Yeah, when you are playing, example, somebody playing football with Michael Asian, the guy is gifted, do you see? Yeah, but you are bereft. It's not easy, but it's a wonderful thing. Yeah, someone who is not as gifted as I'll be sure what his wife is saying. Yeah, not as gifted as Bishop buddy. This is what his wife said. He's very, very gifted. You know, he's very gifted. One of the most gifted people you can ever find on the face of the egg is Reverend Nuku and then Bishop Adi. But don't worry if you see when I when I sit by Bishop Adi, I feel incapable when I play golf with him club on a gift and. We beg you, we beg you. We everybody beg you. Beg me when I didn't come back. We beg you, We beg you. We beg you. We love you, We love you. Cry for him, Cry for them. Hey, it's not easy until it's easy. I tell you no, because sometimes no, no, you somebody I know, somebody I know. When we are playing golf with him, every boy he hates is go straight. And some of us, our boss, we are bereft of that thing, but we are still trying. By the grace of God, not somebody I know his name begins with. OK, let's go. Next point was the 21st. 9th what? Yeah, 20th definition. What is it? The rest of Special Visions? Have you been intimidated before? When you hear people talking about their encounters with the supernatural, it's amazing, isn't it? And then you wonder, are you called, are you, are you even a Christian? You wonder, are you born again at all? Because some people have supernatural experiences and they're all real and powerful. And if you don't have some of these things, you feel that you may be certain by the wrong person. Are you there? But thank God that we are lay and God is looking for lay people to use. And then 21 is what has not had audible voice, isn't it right now? Greek way? What the Greek way for Lyacus? And what does it mean? Somebody without skills? Wow, Do you believe it? Are you not happy that the the way you like God has included you without any skill like us, Like you, it's a surprise. The fact that you even came for the camp, it's a surprise. Now you carried yourself and said I'm going for a shepherd, somebody without skill like you. You said you want to be worth a shepherd, but thank God there's another meaning, isn't it? And what's the other way, Laos? And what does it mean? Oh, that's amazing. God chooses people that skills and these are the people of God. It's it's comforting and it's it's encouraging. Like Bishop is saying, there are two sides to to it's one of it is looks negative and the other gives us hope. Amen. Ordinary people who can, who come from God. Amen. OK, now let's look at them. Few things that we look at. The first thing that we saw here is the historical impacts. No, come on man and the three estates of society. What is #1? Nobility. And they are the word. Are we all revising the thing? We want to try to retain some things? Yeah. Born to rule. You have got blue blood. Royal blood. Born to rule. Hello. I born to rule. You're noble. You don't look like 1 nobility is powerful, but I believe that you are Forgive me, but I can't I got. I don't take any of what is that you? I don't know. Are you there? You know of your time Forgive or bonsu. I think that we have to do you have to carry every journey, then console of goodness, forgive. All right. What is the second? The church, Amen. OK. And the church represents. They are looking after the spiritual welfare of the people, isn't it? And then the third is what? Come on, people. Amen. Who are doing the day-to-day jobs, taking care of everybody's physical that the common people will let to alassa people. They are mopping the floor, clean the things and so on and without the common people the nobles cannot do the work. Amen. Right, OK, now let's what the next points. Historical impacts of the common man, isn't it? What is it, Mr. Co Tell us what what what what? What point did we get here? Explain to the church. In 2006, Time In 2006, Time magazine voted you as the you as the man of the Year, You Bishop Saki that we are all the we are all very important people and in the and they voted Bishopsaki Bishop. It was explained that over the years, culminating in the 2008 election of Barack Obama, culminating. You're intimidating me. The American Revolution, where farmers took guns and liberated one of the world's greatest superpowers. And Bishop explained that when the common people in the church I involved in the work, that particular church becomes a superpower throughout history and all over the world. And and like as I was saying before, it's all culminated in 2000. Hallelujah, it's powerful. Barack Obama raised more money from the common people than that's why I shouldn't joke with boosters. You those who don't believe in boosters, you laugh at us. We are building churches with boosters. Amen. We are roofing charged with boosters. Don't never say that your type is too small. Come on people, this come gave Barack Obama so much money than the millionaires who were backing Hillary Clinton. It's amazing isn't it? If all of us will decide that with our literal number we pay our tight every month, we will not need any fundraising again in the church. Do you know that? Because every somebody's tight is 20 Ghana C DS, somebody's five Ghana C DS. Somebody's tight is 200 Ghana somebody's 500 Ghana C DS. But everybody's neutral or much. It all comes together and with our little, we can raise so much for the Kingdom of God and the church will not lack any good thing or anything, any financial, having financial proof because common people are supporting the work masters. When we investigate, you remember when doing one of the looters, somebody came, one of the leaders came around and then he wanted, I think they have arrested some of the student leaders and they're raising money to go and do campaign or go and do a looter in town and all that. So this guy, this student got up and began to speak to those other students, hey, we need money, we need money. And somebody took some small money other those days, 20% or something, said Paul J. And then put the money on the stage, everybody in the Paul J. Paul, before you realize there is so much money. Paul J Paul, J Paul J Paul. Everybody brought you to Poland raised so much money for the demonstration. Before I realized all borders was in the streets able to lead everybody and everybody went to for one year. Come on, people, Hallelujah. May we enjoy the common life and support the work of the ministry. What's the next point? Common man and the creation of the person who explained that one to us, that one other to us. Please use common. English well, Bishop explained that the word democracy actually is comes from the Greek word democratia. And I think the House Bishop himself has arrived. We, the common people, will be blessed by his preaching. Hallelujah, right. What? Where were we lay people in the Bible? The next one, that was number one. Number six lay people and Methodism. Methodism, the Methodist Church. A very early tradition of preaching in the Methodist churches was for a lay preacher to be appointed to lead services of worship and preach in a group called a Circuits of meeting places or churches. Amen. Have you seen everywhere that the common man has been utilized? Everything has changed now It's not only the Methodist Church that was started at the time that it was started, at the time of the start of every church. There are always other churches that start at the same time. You understand. But then you find out that some churches become very prominent, and one of the churches that became very prominent was the Methodist Church, and it's still very prominent. One day I went to a village in the central region, and what is the name of that town? OK, It's in the central region. And right there there's nothing there, only a Methodist Church. And I went to another town. If you go to Bourgeois Beach somewhere, there's a Methodist Church just at the beach somewhere there. I mean, as far as you can imagine from John Wesley's hometown. This church has been able to advance. And it is because the layman was released very early into something that professionals, trained people are supposed to be doing. The ordinary person was allowed to do it. Juicy as if you compare that with the situation where there were three groups of people, the nobility who came into the world to rule, and the Church who came into the world to take care of the spiritual wealth and the commonness, who came into the world to just work for the nobility. You see. And that thing where it was changed, that no, the common man can be involved in directing the affairs of the whole state, then everything changed. You get it. So brothers and sisters, wherever the layman listens to the little instructions that he's given and does it, he can. I remember 1 gentleman who, and it's something I've told people, I can sit you down for 30 minutes and teach you how to run a hospital, I mean a clinic. Nobody will know that you are not a doctor if you just listen to what I'm saying. Nobody will know that you are not a doctor. I'll teach you for 30 minutes. Of course, it depends on your background and how much you, you, you. You can listen to what I'm saying and I'll show you a few things. 30 minutes to one hour, you can run a clinic. Nobody. And I know somebody who was a medical student in Nigeria, and he told me I'd run a hospital before. Do you remember that guy? Yeah, he's run a hospital before as a doctor. Nobody knew that he was not a doctor. Now, if you would accept it, the layman can do many things. But you see people always like to protect their work in such a way that makes it look so special, mystical, and no one can do it. Then they remain in a certain category of special whatever, and they are always different. So, but I believe that more power is released when God's people are released to work. And John Wesley, he just came in, he said he started because he also came into the ministry like that. So obviously he didn't see anything so special, you know, about what he was doing. So he felt other people could as well. Amen. Are you there now? In the Methodist Church, the lay preacher walked or rode on horseback in a prescribed Circuit of the preaching places according to an agreed pattern and timing. OK, now after the appointment of ministers and pastors who are the specialists, this lay preaching tradition continued with Methodist local preachers being appointed by individual churches and in turn approved and invited by nearby churches as an adjunct to the minister or during their planned absences. Do you understand it? Are common people understanding what I'm saying? Chester When there were official pastors, they still continued with lay preachers. My my mother-in-law was a lay preacher. Which towns did she preach in as a lay preacher? Was she a lay preacher? A local preacher? What do you call pardon? Local preacher? So they call it local preacher. What are some of the towns that she preaches? Fungo. Where Busia beaches. Busia Busia Area. Agunam Quanta. Agunam Quanta Sharma in. Zima. In Zima area, I said she was a what? A teacher? She said she was a teacher in. What school was she teaching in? Howard Boys School. She was a teacher at Howard Boys School, but a member of the Methodist Church. And then as we made a local preacher, so she sent to Sharma. She's saying the reason why I know is because sometimes my wife would tell me. When we pass by Sharma, she'll tell me that she's come here with her mother before to preach. Yeah, the Methodist, you see. That's why it's such a great church. You see, we cannot compare ourselves with the Methodist Church because the Methodist Church is more than 100 or 200 years old, you know. And how old are we? You know, when you see a young person, he always feels he knows everything. But the older person knows that he doesn't know everything, that he's about to discover something that he doesn't know. So somebody who was a teacher in a school and was is not paid by the Methodist Church goes to Sharma. Do you know Sharma goes to Fungo? Do you know Fungo goes to Agonan Quanta? Do you know Agonan Quanta? Busia where? Busia beaches, There's a place there, you know all these places preaching and it's called local preacher. Local preacher, OK, And in a second you get it. So brothers and sisters, it's not like, look, the Bible say, is there anything whereof it may be said, see, this is new. No, it has already been of old. Somebody has done it before. So what we are doing is not something new. An idea that let's a Bishop here, he has been inspired by democracy. So he's coming to bring something. No, this is something that is already there. A lot of churches have used it, but some churches took it seriously, very seriously. And that is what has resulted in wonderful churches all over the place. Amen, Amen #7 lay people and the Catholic Church. I'm sure many of you are surprised to find out that the Catholic people also used lay people. They used them and they stopped. 11th October 2002 marks the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, a council which was to revolutionize the outlook of the Catholic Church. The 1st and possibly the only time that the lay movements comprising the Group of eight G8 collaborated effectively on a precise project over a significant period of time. Why you laughing? Come on, people. OK. Where are we here? OK, the fast and the collaborated effect and precise whatever was possibly more recently, the contract cutter negotiations with CIDSE was during Vatican 2, as they strove to influence the various drafts of the conciliar documents words. It has often been said that the movements had significant or even great influence at the Council and even that V2 canonized the lay apostolate approach of the various movements. In summary, in summary, the Vatican, there was, it's been 40 years in 2002 since they they had a council which approved the lay Apostolic movements that lay people were to be involved. Do you understand? But after that they didn't continue to use them. When I read on UC now 40 years after that time since Vatican 2, virtually all the G8 movements, the G8 was the lay movements. The 1st and possibly only time that the lay movements comprising G8, they call the lay movement G8. So it says virtually all the G8 the lay movement have also declined in membership and in influence. Although a number of new movements have emerged to date, none seem to have shown the capacity of the traditional G8 lay movements to mobilize and to form lay people conscious and responsible for their mission in transforming the modern world. Yeah, In the Catholic Church, since the Vatican 2 Council, they have not had a movement which has been so powerful to mobilize and make lay people conscious and responsible for their mission. So even in the history of the Catholic Church, they once had a council which was so powerful in mobilizing laypeople. So it's going to be the important duty of the, what do you call it, specialist in frontier to make all of us mobilize into working for the Lord. In this sense, and paradoxically, Vatican 2 marked the end of an era rather than a new beginning. Mercy. And indeed a historical study confirms that the era of the G8 lay movements emerged from a lay apostolate tradition with roots in the 19th century and which developed in response. That is, in the Catholic Church, it's developed in response to that democratic and industrial revolutions which gave birth to the modern world. So the Catholic Church, although it's an old institution, was under pressure to respond to the trend that the common person was also capable of doing something. And the Catholic Church responded. And since the Vatican 2 Council, they have not had such powerful lay movements. That is all that I am saying. Do you understand it now? Yeah. OK. So even the Catholic Church has had this powerful lay movement before. So I want all of you to have the mind that there is something you can do as a layperson without a specialized vision. Amen. Amen #8 what is #1 Number one is 1. The common man and the three estates of society #2 is what? The historical impact of the common man #3 is what The common man and the creation of democracy #4 is 1. The common man and national development. The next one is what Laypeople and The Bible, the vernacular Bible, the common language Bible transformed became a what Dynamo for social transformation. Amen. The next one is what laypeople and Methodism, and the next one is what laypeople and the Catholic Church, and the next one is what laypeople #8 and the Yoido Full Gospel Church. Yoido Yoido Yoido is a Korean word is spelt YOIDO Yoido is an area like Dansoman Yoido Full Gospel Church. Now the Yoda Full Gospel Church that is became the largest church in the world and entered the Guinness Book of Records as the largest church in the world at a point. I don't know if it still is, but that is a very important. By the way, do you get any money when you enter the Guinness Book of Records? The way people try to do different things to enter that book, Are you sure you don't get any money? I'm sure you get something. They swim across the world, do this, cross mountains, all kinds of things. Really. It looks like some profitable business. The Yohito Full Gospel Church was founded by David Yongicho and his mother-in-law, both of them Assemblies of God pastors. In 1958, a worship service was held in the home of Choi Jashil, Yongicho's mother-in-law. Apart from the two pastors, only Choi Jashil's three daughters, one of whom later married Yongicho, and an elderly woman who had come in to escape from the rain, attended the service. The two pastors began a vigorous campaign of knocking on doors, providing spiritual and humanitarian help to the poor, and praying for the sick. Within months, the church had grown to 50 members, too many to accommodate in Choi Jashil's living room, where ship services were accordingly moved to a tent pitched in her backyard. As the church continued to grow, the church outgrew one tent after another. Pastor Yongicho began preaching on the threefold blessing, the blessing of the Spirit's soul and body, proclaiming that physical health and financial prosperity are as much a part of God's will for Christians as the salvation of the soul. Inspired by his message of hope and monetary wealth, many previously uncommitted people joined the church, and by the beginning of 1961, the membership had grown to 1000, having grown too large for his tent. The First Churches The First Church patches his first plot of land outside the Moon, an area in Korea. Sai the Moon Church The church's plans Are you interested in what I'm reading? The church's plans for expansion suffered a set back when Pastor David Chu was called up for mandatory military service. Fortunately for the church, he was assigned to an American Army base near Seoul, Korea, allowing him to continue with his Sunday preaching with the help of John Heston, an American missionary. Cho's spell in the Army turned out to be short lived as ill health required a major operation and a subsequent discharge from the Army. Although I'll Cho continued to pass the check and on 15 October 1961 an inaugural service was held in a new auditorium which was named. Full Gospel Revival Center The church membership continued to grow and reached 3000 members by 1964, a year after I was born, and 8000 by the year 1968 when my sister was born. And Cho continued to be plagued by ill health and he suffered a physical collapse while leading a baptismal service one Sunday. At this time, Doctor Cho decided to restructure the church. Cho divided the city of Seoul into zones, with church members in each zone comprising a cell that would meet each weekday that would meet on a weekday for worship and Bible study in the home of a cell leader. Cell members were encouraged to invite their friends to attend cell meetings and learn about Christianity. Each cell leader was instructed to train an assistant. When cell membership reaches certain number, it will be divided, with about half of its members joining the new cell, led by the person who had been the assistant of the cell or the Basel. Cho later wrote a book in English about this concept of cell multiplication, which has since been emulated by churches throughout the world. Some of Cho's methods were controversial. He believed that women would make ideal cell leaders, having both the time and the desire to make home visits to other members, something that many men, for reasons pertaining to Korean culture as it was at the time, were unwilling to do. His decision to appoint women as cell leaders went against the grain of Korean culture, which at that time was not open to the idea of women leading groups that had male members. He persisted and the cell concept turned out to be an outstanding success. From 125 cells in 1967, the church has grown to several thousand cells today. Aside from restructuring a cell based church, a women's fellowship was started in 1960, followed by a men's fellowship in 1963 to do what to enable lay members to serve the church in a wide range of volunteer capacities. A church magazine, Faith, was also started in 1967 containing Bible studies, testimonies, evangelistic messages, and this monthly periodical soon spread far beyond soul. So notice he also set up a Women's Fellowship and a Men's Fellowship to enable laypeople to serve the church in a wide range of volunteer capacities. This camp is going to release the layman into the system. Now up till now we have only allowed lay people to serve in limited volunteer capacities, but now we are going to release the lay people to work in a wide range of volunteer capacities. Can I have an Amen? What are these wide range of volunteer capacities? The media is going to be one of the new areas. Some of you are going to be radio presenters, some of you are going to be some of you are going to work as television presenters. Some of you are going to be people who are answering the phone call. The 1000 people that are calling after programs, some of you are going to be talk show host like Oprah Winfrey in a Christian way, talking to people, interviewing, making films, documentaries, presenting the church in different ways. Some of you are going to learn technical skills and help the church in different ways. Some of you are going to become lay evangelists, standing on street corners with your little crusade. All kinds of activities are going to be conducted by the layman, the common man who is not a specialist but is going to work in the House of the Lord. Can I have an Amen? Can I have an Amen through our new tithing system which is about to be released into the church. Many of you are going to help to collect the tides from the church because we are going down to the common man to collect tight of two city. We like it tight of four cities. We like it tight of one city, 50 pesos. We are interested in it. Systems are going to be set up to collect tides. We are going to be a tight conscious church and the layman once again shall be deployed in a wide, ever right wide range of volunteer capacities. Lycos. Tell your neighbor I am a Lycos. Soon you'll be even wondering. Tell me what is the need of going into full time when I am a Lycos and I can do the work? I am not a specialist, but I am a Lycos. So you'll be looking at that's what Bishop said. I'll be in full time ministry. I said chalet, why you can also be a Lycos lay power. I said lay power, lay power. Lycos power. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That is the day that we will explain to you why we are in full time ministry. Now membership continued to grow exponentially, reaching 10,000 in the early 70s. Having outgrown inside the Moon premises, the church began looking for a new place to build. Yoyidou Island, in the middle of the Han River, which winds its way through the Heart of Soul, was at that time little more than sand dunes, without even a bridge to connect it to the city of Seoul. Believing that he had heard from God, Chou and the other leaders of the church decided to purchase a plot of land on the Oyoyo Island. Economic problems, including the 1973 oil shock, which led to spiraling inflation and the loss of jobs for many church members, delayed construction of the new auditorium. However, it was finally finished in 1973, and its inaugural worship service was held on the 19th of August that year. I'm practicing how to read the news. A month later, the Full Gospel Central Church, as it was now known, hosted the 10th World Pentecostal Conference at the Hu Chang Stadium. 55,000 attended, including 5000 foreigners. Membership of the Full Gospel Central Church reached 50,000 by 1977, a figure which doubled in only two years. On the 30th of November 1981, membership topped 200,000. By this time it was the largest single congregation in the world and was recognized as such by the Los Angeles Times. A special worship service was held to celebrate this milestone with Demos Shakarian, the founder and President of the Full Gospel Businessman Fellowship International, as the guest speaker. Beginning in the 1980's, the Full Gospel Central Church decided to establish satellite churches throughout the city of Seoul and further afield as it would not be able to continue expanding indefinitely. Is my news reading. Despite the expansion of the auditorium to seat 12,000 in 1983, seven Sunday service were insufficient to accommodate the entire membership. As exponential growth continued reaching 700,000 by 1992, the need for satellite churches became more pressing. Despite the drain of the members of the satellite churches. However, new recruits by the mother church brought in through the vast cell network have made-up for the losses and membership stood at 780,000 in 2003. The church was renamed Yoido Full Gospel Church in the 1990s and its founder, Mr. David Yongicho has retired as head pastor several times. But the church has run into immediate infighting among the remaining ministers, causing him to come out of retirement, most recently in late in 2006. As of 2007, membership stands at 830,000 with seven Sunday services translated into 16 languages. That's why we go to Korea. You, you may not know why we go to Korea, but there are certain things. When you see, you realize that the check that we are doing, you're a joke. You're a joke. You understand why I say you're a joke? You're a joke. Wah. On the 9th of January 2009, a Sunday church service was featured in ABBC documentary Around the World in 80 Feet Amen Platform, Yoido Full Gospel Church Powerful. Now that is real exponential growth reaching 200,000 when 1970 something 81. Yeah, you know, and you see it was through the women and the lady. When I went to Korea, I went for a cell meeting. Everybody in the cell, the cell leader was a woman. And that is why I believe with the ladies, many of you can do very well as preachers, you can do well. You see, one of the problems that is well, sometimes, you know, we talk in a certain way, is to let you know that you are quite the same as somebody else. It's not that somebody else doesn't have problem. It is true some people have more problems, but averagely everybody has, I mean around the same problems. You get it. And that is what you have to accept that because you have the average problem that somebody has, you are not more disqualified, you get it. So you should allow your. What keeps us away from the ministry is a feeling of self, not despisement. Not. I'm not worthy. I'm not like this. Sister, If you see my wife preaching, My wife is not an Angel. My wife is not an Angel. She preaches. And she looks like an Angel when she preaches. Yes, my wife looks angelic when I see her out there. You know, sometimes my children tell her, the people they don't know that you can shout. Yeah, yeah. Where she grows wild in the house and she's a normal woman and she's preaching. You get it? So I'm just trying to explain to you that, look, people are just like you. Don't not be deceived by the other. Only some people are good at presenting themselves in packaging themselves. They are well packaged, very good pretenders also. So you never know the real person. But for me, I'm afraid of people who are always smiling. Yeah, somebody who always smiling, always laughing, always happy. Can it be? And sometimes it is amazing to find someone who is so angelically smiling to be one of the most Moody people you can ever find in this world. If you like, make the mistake of marrying the person, hey, the person will release that manifestation on you. You'll be surprised. That's why people are surprised when they get married. They said, Charlie, that is not how you were in the church. That is not how you were when you were singing in the choir. Always like this, moving and smiling. I didn't know that you were Moody. You don't speak. You don't talk. You only talk in the church. Smile with the people moving around, flowing. And a lot of people are disappointed and you see that is how people are because you know yourself. So allow yourself to believe that God can use somebody like you. And let me tell you something. Another thing, you know, let me just tell you, I don't know when I'll get a chance to tell you. So let me just say if it comes on and let me tell you know, problems, we have been pastors for some years. They don't go away. We pray about them, we cast them, we oil them, anoint them, we is to them, we cast them out. After all is said and done, when all is said and done and everyone is gone, the problem is still there. Problems keep people away from serving God. You look at you know, when I when I finish this, I'm so I'm trying to solve this when I finish with my child when my child then before I realized your child now you don't have to follow your child in the house, but now you don't have money to pay your child school fees and another problem has come and the child would always be a now OK, my children, my child is going away now. I've done engagement my child before. I realize your child is giving birth now you have to go and look after your child's child. It never ends. I have never seen anybody who works for God, who didn't work for God. Now anybody who has always, okay, let me sort this out. Let me have never, it has never happened. They never do. They never. That's our work that's and you can give us the credit that in 1988 there was lighthouse this same church and we are still here. 1989 Lighthouse existed. I got married in 1989. My wedding program said Lighthouse Chapel International presents wedding of that he was not said Adelaide. Whatever it was presented Lighthouse was in existence. Adelaide What? Baby? Baby. Sorry. Common people are calling for their names to be reinstated. Yes, we've been at it for some years. Yeah, we've been. Recently I was in Seattle and I was talking with a pastor and I was, I was telling him about, you know, how Our Lady Pastor Juanita died. And we were so, you know, and I said, oh, we have never experienced something. You know what, you just look at him and say, oh, you are young. I said, we have never said, oh, you are young. He said, we have very so many people in our church cancer of this cancer of this cancer of this. We are very our precious ones, people that are well with us. There are very so many. And the person himself was ill. I was discussing his actual life with him. He asked me, I want your opinion because these are the number of days I have been given to live. Yes, he said, oh, you are young. Then his wife said, oh, you are young. It's like Charlie. Because you see, in the life of a church there are some things. You see, just as we have seen anybody who says I work for God later he never works. We've seen those who say how absorbed my child, my this, my problem, my work, my school, my this my dad. They never come, they never anybody who that does it. Now this is what we've seen. And as you become more experienced, you look, I say, oh, this one, I know this is how it will be. Yes I know. One day I was at a school and we were all learning for O level. Suddenly a friend of mine stood up. He got out of the bed and I said hey what is happening? Then he started to cut Macbeth at once in one. Then he said order at 2, scene 2 at two at 3, scene 1 scene 2, scene 3-4. He's quoted. I mean the whole book. I think he thought that when you memorize the whole book, it means you are you are good in literature. So when he go to that, he said, when I go to the exam room and this thing comes, I was turned up in the exam room and I will say this, I know, I this I know. And I think he got about 9:00. I don't remember what it got, but he didn't get any good. This I know. So anyway, there are some things. Are you listening to me? There are some things. What you see is you know this. I know. I know this thing. So those of you I saw my child, my mother, the house I'm staying in, my job, my grandmother, my father, my this, my dad, my Everything is a problem for you. You get it? You will never save God. That is what I've seen. Yeah. And you, dear talent, when you get a job at United Nations and you go and work in Dubai and we call you the things that you will tell us, we will even feel so silly for making contact with you in Dubai because you the what you tell us that look, you think that we just, whatever, we are very busy here. We can't just be coming. We say, you should say we should set our time. You know what I'm doing in Dubai, I should set 10% together. You know how much I earn. That is how you talk when the Lord lifts you up till he brings you down and you are on admission. When you are on admission, then we come and visit you. One day I visited somebody. He said to me he was, he was dying. He said to me, I don't want to promise if even at that time he didn't want to promise. He said I don't want to promise anything, but if the law lets me out of this bed, I don't want to promise. But I can be a reverend minister and I can actually be a preacher, but I don't want to promise. He was still not ready to promise me, and he died a few months later. Are you there? So, brothers and sisters, I believe that it's a powerful thing. Don't let the enemy keep you away from working for the Lord. Amen. The Yo-yo Full Gospel Church is a powerful example for us to flow into #9. Lay People and the Church of Pentecost The mission statement of the Church of Pentecost states that it is a worldwide non profit making Pentecostal church with its headquarters in Accra, Ghana. Simple and short, it exists to bring our people everywhere to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ through the proclamation of the Gospel. It demonstrates through the planting of churches and the equipping of believers for every God glorifying service. Hallelujah. It demonstrates the love of God through the provision of social services in partnerships with governments, community and other like mind organization. Amen. The Church of Pentacles, like most great institutions, started in a small way. The Church's beginnings are linked to the ministry of James McEwan, who died in 1989. An Irish missionary sent by the Apostolic Church, Bradford, UK, to the then Gold Coast, now Ghana, in 1937 to help a group of believers of the Apostolic faith led by one Peter Newman. A name in a town called Asamancasei. Interesting, isn't it? Yes. But what I want to just say about the Church of Pentecost is that it exists, as they have said in their statement, for the equipping of believers. One of the key cardinal characteristics of the Church of Pentecost is that it has a lot of elders who are laypeople. And these elders, they are not paid and they preach and they teach. Is that not so? I particularly remember once going to Chicago and meeting some Church of Pentecost elders there. They were running the church not-for-profit, not to be paid. Some of them were taxi drivers and different things, but they were elders of the Pentecost church. They were running the church. That is what builds a great and wonderful church, and I believe that it is a powerful example, Amen of ministry. Amen. So I believe that we can all see that being part of the ministry. The lay people are very significant part of anything. Actually. I myself, I'm impressed how many are impressed with the common man? How many realize the common man have can make a difference, a big difference, isn't it? Yes. And I believe that the common man can do well and can do the ministry work. Amen. Now for the release of the layman. Amen. For the layman to be released into this great work, the layman needs some knowledge. Maybe not as much as a specialist, you get it. But you need to know something.