I think that's everybody jumping online, here we can come on. Wherever you are tonight by the hand of God be upon you know the premise the Holy Spirit, the evident in your innermost being. And trust in Scripture that we're in tonight, as we record this podcast, and everybody knows well about to say thank you, to everybody in the world of podcasting, wherever you are across the world, we thank you so much for joining us. May God bless you and strengthen you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. He is worthy of all praise, he is worthy of all prizes, we just come together as we record this podcast. And as we just press out on those we push in. Everybody's there. Yeah, there might be a bit of internet trouble tonight as a few things happening. But the sound is here, hope everybody can hear. So yes to all those that join us through Buzzsprout, Spotify, I Heart Radio and all the other platforms that we use. And thank you so much. So, so much for sharing this stuff out, you can find our podcasts very simply on Amazon music. And you can find on the I Heart Radio, you can find on the Alexa, you can find it on so many other platforms. So if you would like to just click it to find that please do so. Amazon Music is a good way to find out everything that we do. But we're going to be looking straight in the book of Ephesians. We're in the book of Ephesians chapter three interesting letter, how he writes and how he pushes himself and our explains himself. I love the fact that he first starts off and he says, The prisoner for Christ Jesus. Praise be to God, we're here, we're ready to go. Many people are jumping on I can see everybody, someone's got trouble with sound, I believe or okay for sound. It may be your device, wherever you might be listening on. But we got it. We got it. We're there. So I hope you can hear me. Just give it a couple of minutes. So it takes a while for everybody to hop on. Always a little bit of about a 15 second delay. There we go. We're ready to roll Ephesians chapter three Ephesians chapter three, I'm going to read the first 2021 verses, we'll see where we go this evening, you'd have to forgive me to put a cap on. I didn't have chance to put a collar on but who needs a collar? We don't need to call it tonight doing. We're relaxed. We're in the Lord's house. Wherever we are across the world tonight. May God bless you and strengthen your year were there I know I know. I know. I know. I can see you're there. For this reason. He says in Ephesians chapter three, verse one through to the end of verse 21. It says, For this reason, I Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles, it says, Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you. That is the mystery made known by to me by revelation, as it was written very, very briefly, in reading this, then you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of the gospel of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has been known by revealed through the Holy Spirit, the power of God, the holy apostles and the prophets, verse six of Ephesians chapter three, this mystery is that through the Gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel members together of one buddy, and share together the promise in Christ Jesus, hallelujah, I became a servant. He says, I became a servant of the gospel, by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power, though I am the least of all the Lord's people. This grace was given me to preach to the Gentiles, the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone, the administration of the mystery, which for ages, paths was kept hidden in the God who created all things. His intent was. Now through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be known to the rulers and authorities in heavenly realms. According verse 11, in Ephesians, Chapter Three in according to the eternal purpose, that he accomplished in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in Him through faith in Him and through faith, I should say, in Him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I asked you that, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are for your glory. For this reason, I know before the father, whom you and every family in heaven on earth sorry derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through the whole Spirit in your innermost being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you've been rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the Lord's holy people to grasp our wind, and how long, and how high and deep is the love of Christ. And to know that this love surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled to the full measure of God's grace to him Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church, and Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. What enormous text? What do we get from that? First we hear Him speaking about himself as a prisoner. He talks about himself as a servant. He talks about creation, he talks about church, he says, I am the least he talked about knowledge. And he talks about Revelation. I don't know about you, brothers and sisters, whoever you are, across the world, however you feel about this text. But it's quite interesting the way that he presents it and the way that he talks. And the way that he delivers this, he talks any, he mentions himself as, as one of the least, he's not putting any emphasis on himself. He's not lifting himself up. He's not elevating himself. He's not raising himself up a bit above anybody else. It's quite interesting that this greatest writer that walked the earth, Paul, when you when you when you look at this, and when you study what the Scriptures are saying, he is telling us that he is a prisoner for Christ. So when you look at this man, when you understand his life, and you see where he's been on what's been going on in his heart, the way that God arrested him the way God took hold of his life, the way the Holy Spirit came down, the way the glory of God shone in Him and through Him and how God used him to write so much in the New Testament. It's really interesting, that what we see what he says about himself, he doesn't Elevate, he doesn't lift himself. He doesn't put himself out there whatsoever. He says, I am a servant. But what he does also say he says that he recognizes himself as a prisoner. So when we, when we look at the first part of this text, if we just take a moment just to look at verse one, he says, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ, for the sake of you Gentiles, Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace, which was given to me, for you. God is so gracious God is so powerful. When you look at this man's life, when you understand where he's come from, what is about what he was up to what his intentions was, that the intentions that he had, he was breathing out murderers frets, he was not for believers, he was looking to get letters after them, and to destroy them. But what is really interesting is, I find this quite mind blowing that he talks about very, very clear incidents in life where he talks about knowledge. And he mentions knowledge that that knowledge is really, really important and knowledge is critical. But what you find with knowledge, that knowledge can puff up, knowledge can elevate knowledge can lift up human beings, when actually, the Bible says the just shall live by faith. And he mentions a few times in this scripture, he talks about Revelation, it talks about it being revealed, he talks about God reveals this. So this is quite nice. This is quite competent, this is quite free. And this is this is a nice feeling that I get from this scripture, that it's not about knowledge. It's not about what I know. It's about who I know, it's not about the amount of people I know on the surface about the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. So when I look at this scripture, I clearly see a man that God used very, very powerfully in his life, God used him to write the greatest books in heaven, earth, and he was used time and time and time again, he doesn't talk to and he doesn't, he doesn't present himself as a great preacher. He doesn't present himself as this great evangelist. He doesn't present himself as this, this great leader, he says very clearly, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, you will always find that he puts himself down not like, let me go, you know, I'm going to go to the moment because then you get bit for a bit of an understanding a bit of a context of this. We find that in ministry we find in church life we find in religion, there are a lot of ministers that really want to lift up the human being, rather than lifting up the creator of heaven and earth. But when you look at this writer, when you look at Paul, the way that he presents this, this crate, right in the epistles, when you look at the letters that he wrote, when you when you see how he deals with things, he doesn't elevate himself. He says, oh wretched man and my, he says, Why do I do the things that I hate and I can't do the things that I should do? So you will find in his lapses in the epistles, you will find in the New Testament writings that he doesn't lift himself out and for a better for an easier word, you find that he doesn't beat himself up. He doesn't give himself a platform. He doesn't put himself out there. He just speaks clear and he speaks very plain, but I love the way that he presents himself. To us, in verse one, he says, The Prisoner of Christ Jesus. Now that can be quite comforting because we understand what a prisoner is we understand what it like what it's like to be a prisoner to be captive, we can, we can get some form of a measure of what what he's referring to here. So when, when we look at this text, it is quite, it's quite interesting that I'm going to I'm not going to labor on this, I shouldn't use the word labor. I'm just going to just hold it for a few months. When you when you look at this great writer, he he doesn't present himself as the church presents itself. He doesn't lift himself up. He doesn't, you know, when there's an evangelistic crusade when there's someone coming in to speak to a church. And when all the razzmatazz that goes along with that he doesn't present himself and he doesn't elevate himself. He does the complete opposite. He says, he says I am He says I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, for the sake of you Gentiles, Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you. Grace came upon him, salvation fell upon him, the glory was resting upon Him, God gave him the gift, the gift and the ability to be a great New Testament writer, God, God revealed His Word. So I would just like to speak to anyone tonight that is worried about education, that he's worried about, trying to educate yourself or educate yourself through the the fundamental points of Christianity, Christianity is not about education, the church may try and present it to us like that. There are certain class layers within religion and church that really tries to to promote itself higher than other denominations. But you will find this man you will find this God gifted man that was a great writer of the New Testament very, very clearly here, you will find that he doesn't elevate himself even though he was very scored, even though he's very learned, even though he had a good strong education. He came from a good position of education, he was well looked looked at he was he was he was a well respected person in the circles of life that he operated in. But when you look at this, he takes all them labels off himself. And it's very interesting when you look at what pastors and leaders and bishops and deacons and churches and ministries do. Can I can I be brutal in the fact that that we seem to lift that men and women we lift up humanity in the pulpit, we put more, we seem to want to put lights around them, we seem to want to put glitter over and we seem to want to lift them up when actually, I should be lifting up Christ. This man says, I'm a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you, Gentiles. And as you go further down the text, I hope that this gives you encouragement tonight, that following Christ is not about having a great educational background is not being about articular. It is not about what side of the tracks you was born on, because God will reveal His word to you. Wherever you are. God reveals God, God gathers and God reveals God moves for the power of the Holy Spirit. So when we look in verse three, this man is a very educated man, this man is a very skilled man, this man is a very skilled man, this man is highly lifted up in the circles that he used to operate in, you know, he's very high in academics in academia, he he had good learning, he was a great thinker, we can see his thinking through the writings as well. But this this this, this is very powerful, because he is not writing the text on his own skill set and his own understanding and his own push. The scriptures were revealed to him. So we find this in verse three, it says, that is the mystery mean, made known to me by revelation. I have already briefly written about this, he says the mystery. So we understand that the gospel is a mystery, but the church tries to, to make it and presents it to us and certain ministries, try and put it to us that we should be actually on a level with Christ that we should be out there at such a higher position, when actually the scriptures don't don't give that whatsoever. So when you when you look at this text, you'll find that this was a man that was shipwrecked, you find this man was beaten. This man was downtrodden. This man was chased in and out of villages. This man was stoned. This man was beaten. He was shipwrecked. He was beaten he was on a Sunday. He went without food he slept out in the elements. You when you look at how his lifestyle change, when God called him it was quite a radical change. It was quite a twist in his lifestyle. It came from a good stock. He came from a good sound a home in that in that sense in that scenario, but when you look at the Scripture, now suddenly you find what is he is shipwrecked. He's homeless. He's hungry. He says I know what it's like to be in hunger. I know What it's like to be well fed. I know what it's like he talks about so many different scenarios. He was shipwrecked, he was beaten, he was lost, he was found. He lived out under the stars. So when you look at this, this, this is a great leader. This is a great evangelist, this is a great pastor. This is a great speaker. This is a great man that God used, but God had to break him down. And when God got him and broke him down, we see very clearly that there is a very significant change in the way that you walk life that he journeyed with life, the way he dealt with things. This is a really interesting text, he presents himself to the audience of the Gentiles and to us right now, as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. So when you look at this, he's speaking in a fashion in a way in a in a language that is completely the opposite to what we see in big ministries in big in big auditoriums. There is no big enough himself up there is no elevating there is no building himself up, he says a prisoner for Christ and he doesn't speak about learning. He doesn't speak about education, he talks very clearly, about knowledge is really important. Knowledge is is limited knowledge will never ever get us to the full understanding of God. But what will get us further in the kingdom is when God reveals so what I want to just press over for these moments, it doesn't matter if we are dyslexic. If we have dyscalculia. It doesn't matter if we if we struggle, reading, it doesn't matter if we struggle, spelling and writing. It doesn't matter if we feel that we haven't been very well schooled in education. It doesn't matter about our educational background, what's really, really important here, what's really important is that God reveals His Word. God opens his word, and God deposits His Word, into your heart, my heart, into our mind in our innermost being. But he presents himself not as a great writer, but he presents himself as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. Then he says this, that this is a mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly about this. He says, in reading this, he says, You will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, we are finding that we are living in times where we are seeing a lot of information, we are seeing a lot of pressing, we are seeing a lot of pushing about profits, we are, we are living in a time where almost there are so many want to be prophets, so many people saying that I have a word from God that I have this I have that. Let me present it very carefully as I speak. I believe that the prophets are very, very small. And I'm not talking about in stature I'm not talking about in physical size, I am talking about the ones that are really are called of God, the ones that really are called because when you look and study a prophet, a prophet does not he did not they did not live a lifestyle. As you look at the prophets today, they did not have big cars, they did not have big houses, they did not have all this razzmatazz that goes along with here comes the Prophet, the red carpet wasn't laid out for them. They wasn't welcome in certain towns, they had to deliver a word and get out of that place. They didn't. They didn't lay at night and find hotels. They wasn't treated. They wasn't treated like kings they was they was in fear in delivering what they had to deliver. And if you look at the clothes and you study, the way they dress, the way they walk, the way they live their lives, there was nothing about them that was attractive to their physicality to their absolute Being. They did not want to go and deliver word. So what I am getting to at this point is it's that God reveals His Word. And I do believe God is revealing more and more to each and every one of us God is opening up the envelope of His Word because he says I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. So God is always revealing. God is always moving. God is always God is fluid. God does not stand still, even though he says I'm the same yesterday, today and forever more. He is referring about His Word, His word stands yesterday, today and forevermore, what he said over 2000 years ago, what he said in the garden, what he what he what he spoke to the prophets, how his word comes over his word, does not change. I am the same yesterday, today and forevermore. His teachings doesn't change. There. There is there is this awful word that has been used and manipulated and it is presented to us like this. It is always evolving. There is no evolution there is no evolving in God's word. What you will find in God's word you will not find the word evolve, or evolution what you will find is that God reveals and here we have a great Great man, a great man, I've learned a great man of education, a great man of stature, suddenly being put into the melting pot of God's presence and being broken down and everything being pushed out of him. And the way I would probably say that and the better way to say this is that you can see that God is it is moving is God is stripping back in scriptures tells us that God is the vine dresser, the gardener, he will strip back and it will take away the deadwood, he will take away the stuff that is not good, that is not profitable in the kingdom of God. So we are finding ourselves in very precarious places in ministry, where we've got a lot of prophets and what you will find that, that the Ministry of prophesying is increasing, the Ministry of prophesying is is is quickening. Now I'm not saying it is of God. But what I am saying is it's from a different realm. And we need to be very careful when someone says, I have a word from God for you. You might have a word from God, but is it the God of Israel? Or is it the gods of this world? What God are you referring to? That is what we got to check. So when someone says to you, I have a word from God, I thank you that you have a word from God. But is it the God that created the heavens and the earth? Is it the God that said yes, and amen? Is it the God that said to Moses, Moses, I Am that I Am? Is it the God that put the stars in the heavens? Is it the God that sent His one and only Son What God Is it the Bible recognizes that there are false gods false prophets, but the Bible recognizes that there is only one God, he says, I will not share my glory with anyone, we will find in the spiritual application of the Scriptures where the Bible talks very clearly about the battles in the spiritual realms that we cannot see, with our natural eyes and with and with the humdrum and with just the natural press of life, we will find very clearly that the gospel is a mystery. So if anyone says to us, or anyone says to you, or if I ever come out with the line is that I've worked all this out, no one can work God out. He says, His ways are higher than our ways his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. God is God, and we are human beings. And we need to get to ourselves into a position of purely an interposition of understanding that God is a holy God. He says, Be holy, because I am only, you know, I fell asleep. I make mistakes, I say things, I do things. I react in the flesh, but God is shaping me, God is chiseling me. God is dealing with me, God is changing me. God is speaking clearly through his word. How many times how many times could we could we literally say that I've had a word from God, I would, I would say that I've had two times twice in my life, twice in my life that I've had a clear voice that that clear voice come from God. But we are living in times where we are hearing a lot about prophecy. We're hearing a lot about I've got a word, I've got a word. I've got a word, I've got a word. And we need to be careful. The reason I'm pushing this drum skin tonight, the reason that I pray that it affects your earth suit, your innermost being your complete body, your physicality, your mind, your innermost being, I pray that God will reveal His word to you. And yes, prayer is absolutely key. prayer and supplication. Because when someone says, I have a word from you, for you, sorry, you might have a word from me. But where does it come from? Does it come from the tarot card reader? Does it come from the Ouija board the night before? Does it come from black magic? Does it come from white magic? Does it come from from witchcraft as it as it can't? What? Where is this word come from? Who are you presenting that word to me? Because as as Joshua said, in the face of Melchizedek in the desert, he said, Are you for me or against me? It doesn't matter what the reply was that came from Melchizedek. But what I want to just push over the mics tonight, very clearly is Joshua was bold enough to say, Are you for me? Or are you against me? Are you from my God? Or are you from a different realm? The we look at the spiritual realms that are out there we look at the different layers of life we, we live our lives in this platform, this simple dimension that we that we live our lives by everything is done by ISI, everything is done by what we perceive with our eyes that's in front of us. We live our lives by the by essential protection, five or seven elements of just natural living, that our bodies you know, smell, eyesight, touch, senses, senses, all that sort of stuff for your fingertips, for your ears, for your eyes, through the way that you live life. You know, the Bible talks about now that is no good at what the Bible talks about being a watchman, being a watchman is in the dead of night, but knowing and picking up the presence of the enemy coming to you, so are you for me or against me. So when you look at this scripture, and this is where I'm in, this has all been brought around by verse three of Ephesians chapter three, it says that this the mystery made known to me by revelation, so God deposits His Word, God deposits a word into a believer to deliver that word. But we are living in a culture and we see a lot on social media, of where so many ministries are springing up and talking about prophecy all the time, prophecy, prophecy, prophecy, but what I'm finding that's quite interesting, that we are seeing less and less and less of sound biblical teachers. We are seeing a lot of evangelism. We are seeing a lot of the fivefold ministries, but we are seeing less and less of the the great preachers of old. I really believe that we have lost a big generation of the solid preachers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. So we are very spiritually thing because, anyway, don't get me wrong, I might be a little bit blase. Here, I might be a little bit out saying things. Anyone can say I've got a word from God for you. Because we do not know where that person sits in their faith. Are they actually a believer, anyone can say I've got a word for you. Because the word can come from Lucifer, the word can come out of paganism. The word can come out of witchcraft. You know, you've only got to look at witchcraft, studying witchcraft and the cauldron and the numbers and numerology. You've only got to study all the satanic stuff that's out there, you've only got to look at drudgery, drudgery. You've only got to look at so many things, you know, philosophy, you got to be careful a philosophy, you got to be careful of Great thinking. Because I can think things but if I think things is that, and has that come from God, because if I think that I can think on the level that God thinks that and God operates at, I put myself into the position of God, yes, the Scripture says, I can enter in boldness, I can enter into His presence. But being in his presence is very different from elevating oneself and sitting in the front room with him. And God asking had been Have you got an opinion? What do you think on this scenario, that is very dangerous, we are skating on thin ice. So if anybody says I want to pray for you, make sure that you know where that person has come from. Anyone can pray, because we understand very, very clearly, you've only got a look at Simon the sorcerer in the book of Acts Simon the sorcerer, he was working for the other side of the cross. And it's really interesting, what Simon the sorcerer stood for. He said, I want to buy the gift of healing. I want to buy that gift from you. What would it cost now we have ministries, selling healing, now healing. Now the devil moves in in very powerful ways. Now I'm being very careful about presenting this. I am not lifting up Lucifer, I'm not lifting up all the satanic agents, I'm not lifting them out Highland God, because actually, they're under our feet. But what I'm being very careful of is that the satanic realm is very strong. And I've got to make sure that if someone says to me, I've got a word for you. Does that word come from someone that is a believer of the God of Israel? Or is that person a religious person? Have they got a different slant for my life? What Why have you got a word from me? Very interesting, that there are many people that have got words for us, rather than actually hearing God Himself. Now I know that God used profits I know God use preaches I get that. But we've got to be very careful that we don't over emphasize that we are more we are listening more to the so called prophet, the so called Man of God than woman of God or whatever way you want to slot that out and whatever you want to put the put the label on the tin on that 1am I putting more weight on that person. Now, God does not speak God does not speak over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. You've only to one certain person that is absolutely machine gunning words out. You've got to be very careful. God does drop words into people. God does use people. Of course he does. Reverend Ben Cooper Don't be an absolute donor. We know that because the Scripture tells us but what I'm saying is, Do not be very very careful when when we are presenting into culture and lifestyles, where all we hear is I've got a word from you, I've got a word from you. Where do I get a clear word from God? Where do I hear God speak? Where is this place of safety? How do I know that this word, because the scripture says the gospel is a mystery. Now, if it is a mystery to Paul, it will be even more it will even be a greater mystery to me. So I need to be very careful when someone says to me, and with the greatest respect to everybody, and everyone that wants to pray for everybody, are you for me or against me? Because I've had more words this week than I can ever count in my life, you must have been in them scenarios and situations where, where it's almost it's, it's overkill, it's too much. I will tell you very clearly, and you know very clearly where God speaks and where God speaks to, and where God speaks from, and what God uses as the source to speak to his children. It is the clear word of God. God's word is always prophesying. God's word is always speaking God's word is always revealing. So why would I put more help? What are my emphasis onto someone that is keep keeps driving this at me? God speaks very clearly through the Scripture. God speaks daily God speaks momently God speaks our lay God's word is fluid. Excuse me, God's word is sharper than a double edged sword. God's word is powerful. Yes, I respect the fivefold ministry. I respect the apostle I respect the preachers are respect the the healers are respect the evangelists are respect the fivefold ministry, without any shadow of a doubt. But we are living in a time where the Bible has said For generations, and forever in a day, make sure you test every spirit, why would God's word tell me to test every spirit very simply, because has it come from the Spirit of the Living God as it come from the King of kings and the Lord of lords. So when you look at this scripture, this is all come out of verse three of Ephesians chapter three, where it is speaking and referring, as he makes a clear distinction, in the text that we are in, excuse me, says, it has been made known to me by revelation. So when you understand who this man is, he is a well learned he is a well educated man. He comes from good stock, he can present he can write very, very well. But even Paul could not get the mystery of this supernatural God that we serve. And then he goes on a little bit further, he goes on a little bit further, in verse four. He says, in reading this, then you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, Christ and salvation is revealed, salvation is given, it is given as a gift. It is it cannot be bought. But we understand that we was bought at a price. And the price was the blood of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. There has been a ransom for your life, there has been a ransom for my life. We are redeemed and we have been redeemed by the Redeemer. We have grace, we have mercy. We have love we have revelation or knowledge, God will reveal His word to you when he will, in his his timing, I should say. Now, he mentions again, he mentioned this really clearly, in verse five, let's go a little bit quicker. Let's just pick the pace up, he says, which was made known to the people in other generations as it has been now revealed. How has this been revealed? And what reveals it, how does it come? How is it delivered? How is it presented? who presents it who delivers it? It is very clear to see it is by the Holy Spirit. You will find in verse five, it says, which was made known to the people in other generations, as it has been known or been now been revealed by the Spirit of God, God's holy apostles and the prophets. It talks about apostles, and it talks about prophets, it talks about being revealed for the prophets being revealed for the apostles, it talks about it will be revealed. See, God's word is always revealed. But we are always trying we are always trying to unpack and unpick, we are always as human beings trying to get control of God ministers are trying to control God, you will find very clearly that science is trying to control God you will find very clearly that governments are trying to Control God you will find the world is trying to control God, you will find pastors and teachers in many layers of church are trying to control God, but God cannot be controlled. Religion is controlled, structure is controlled, opening the doors is controlled, but no one can control the kingdom of God. No one can control the Holy Spirit. No one can control the revelation or power of God's word God reveals God is in full charge. And God is in full control. But God uses the power of the Holy Spirit. God uses the word, His Word. And it says In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, He was with God in the beginning. Now, the Scripture also says that He who began a good work in you will bring it unto the day of completion, God will complete the work that he has started, you did not start the work, I have not started the work. The church did not start the work, the church did not give you your gift. The church did not give you your skill set. The church did not give you anything whatsoever. What has been given, everything has been given has been given from the eternal God. So God will reveal His word to you, and God will reveal His word to me. But prayer is very, very important. And have you ever been in a church or been in a ministry where if you don't pray six hours today, you will never ever hear what God has to say for you. Now we have, I got to be very careful because of the time. Prayer is powerful. Prayer is needed. Prayer is the key and prayer is the communication line. But what Christ teaches us very clearly, in the model prayer, he says, Our Father, that aren't in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. See, when you look at that prayer, Christ presented that prayer to us. That prayer is for us that prayer can be used for us that prayer speaks about the father, it speaks about revealing, it speaks about temptation, it speaks about forgiveness. So that prayer that Christ has given us is all that we need. So if I if I really took the Lord's Prayer, and use that and use that prayer, because what I'm saying here is something very clear that ministries and religion and certain churches will try to make you feel bad, because you're not praying 15 hours a day, you're not fasting four days a week, you're you're you're not able and what about the situation, when you can't get to church, because you've got to take the children to football, you've got to take him swimming, you've got to take them to education, you've got to, you've got to do things as a family. Now, the Scripture says, Do not forsake the coming together. We understand what that means. But there will be times there will be seasons in our lives, where we actually can't get into the building of the church. But the ministers, the preachers and the teachers and certain ministers will make us feel really bad for not crushed, crossing the fresh hold of that church, every service that is happening. But God speaks outside of his church as well of speaking inside of his church. So if you find that you can't make church, do not let church beat you up. If you find that you cannot make church, do not let ministers beat you up, you know. We are living in very spiritual times and God is revealing through revelational knowledge God is revealing His Word, God will reveal His word to you while you're driving. God will reveal His word to you why, while we're hoovering God will reveal reveal His word while we're washing, God will reveal His word we're in the shower, while whatever we are doing cutting the grass eating, or whatever we are doing. God does not wait to get me or you into the church before he speaks. God is always speaking, he speaks so clear, clear, and I'm looking and pointing out they're clear. That's the way the window is. God speaks through creation. He speaks through the wind, he speaks through the birds he he speaks through the color of creation. He speaks through the sea. He speaks for the sound waves of the air that we hear. He is speaking continually through what he has created. So God is always revealing God speaks through the stars. Now I've got to be very careful our presenters because someone might go that that Reverend is a bit wacky, saying God speaking through the stars. I am not talking about astrology. I'm not talking about worshiping nature. The government's are telling us to worship nature. It is telling us to save the planet. But I cannot you cannot save the planet. Do your recycling do what we got to do we get that we understand that. But there is a one world order there is a one world government there is a one theme that is coming and there will be the one and see Christ. But we are seeing the platform being revealed. We are seeing the platform being established for this one world order. So when we hear about save the planet, worship the planet that is very pagan. So we got to be very careful as believers that we don't get tangled. We don't get entwined with what is happening in certain areas. Yes, I respect authority. Yes, I understand what the Scripture says about government. Yes, I get that I clearly understand that. But firstly, I have to listen to God's word because God's word is revealed a few times, we've just only got down to verse five. And we can clearly see that he talks about in verse six. Now he speaks again. He says, this mystery is that through the Gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel members together, have one buddy, and share us together in the promise of Christ Jesus. Now, that is a few times that this, this great writer, this great writer has presented the gospel as a mystery. So the Holy Spirit comes and reveals God's word is revealed. God opens up the envelope of Revelation. So God's word is always presented to us in a way of Revelation. Knowledge is important. Apollo apologetics has a certain place. But what we are lacking in the UK is clear teachings of the doctrines of grace. We are lacking clear, solid, biblical teachers, we have more profits than we do take aways. From fast food restaurants, we have more profits than we can count. We have more people telling us I've got a word, I've got a word or going to word I got a word. God is telling me this about you. Well, actually, I haven't heard from God, God will speak to me through his word. I appreciate what you're saying. But what you've told me, I'm going to take that I'm going to meditate on that. Be careful when when we talk about meditation, we're not talking about transcend or meditation, we're not talking about having an out of body experience. We're not talking about floating, we're not talking about astral plane in we're not talking about none of that stuff. What we are talking about when Joshua was told to meditate on the word day and night, meditation is critical for a believer, and that is not sitting in a corner with your hands crossed, where your feet crossed, making strange noises that is of a different press whatsoever, then you will find you're entering into yoga, when you're entering into yoga into meditation, and transcend or meditation, out of body experiences, all that sort of stuff. When you study yoga, and you understand what yoga is about. It is about worshiping some gods, but we have been hoodwinked into an understanding that yoga is about exercise, yoga is about getting out one with yourself what it does, it opens up the gateways of the body, we got to be careful of the gateways of the body, because what am I opening my body up to the gateway of terrific satanic attack? The Bible talks, you've got to be very careful about Reiki, you gotta be very careful about healing, you got to be very careful about yoga, you got to be very careful about all this press that's out there at this moment. You know, we are living in a society in a culture that is talking about well being it's talking about well being my well being is important. Yeah, but my well being lies in the hand of the Father. My well being is with Christ, what his well being. The Scripture tech tells us and speaks about well being. It tells me that I was so on wings as of eagles. It is very, very clear in what the Scripture says, meditate on the word day or night, you will be successful, you will be prosperous. So God's word is revealed. So when God's word is revealed, God places that revelation in your heart, he puts it within your heart. Now, I pray that we'll get a little bit further on I know time is really ticking. I know that it is really it is really accelerating time is, is quick. And in here, he says. So the first six verses in Ephesians chapter three, we find Paul presenting himself to us as a prisoner. But as a prisoner. He's also saying that God reveals His word to him, even though that he is a prisoner for Christ's sake, even though that he has been shipwrecked even though he has been beaten, even though that he has been sawn asunder. God is revealing by revelation or knowledge and given him the skill to write not the natural skill, but the skill for the power of the Holy Spirit. So God reveals and that it is the Spirit of God that revealed reveals revelation or knowledge. Then it says in verse six, this is a mystery is that the gospel of Jesus Christ, then we drop into verse seven, if you wish to look at verse seven of Ephesians chapter three, what we will find is something quite outstanding about what this man writes about himself. He says, I became, he says, I became a servant of the gospel, I became a servant of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I became a servant. How important is that I became a servant. It's critical is important. It's really, really important that that I understand that I have become a servant. I am not here to be served, but I am here to serve. So if anyone puts themselves into the posture, If anyone puts themselves into the position of being a pastor, or a leader, in the area of working in the gospels, working in church, what do I become, I become something very clear. And what I become, is I become a servant of the living God, I don't become an elevated pastor or a leader, I don't become an elevated person that is in position where I expect where I sit in ivory towers, the Scripture is really clear. And what it makes so clear is this it says, I became a servant of the Gospel by the gift of God's grace, given me through the working of his power. It says, although I am the less of the least the way that he talks about himself, is really outstanding, the way that he directs the way that he speaks the way that he presents himself to the audience, to the Jews, to the Gentiles, to everyone around him the Sanhedrin and an everyone around him, yes, Avon is calling. Lord, give me the doors help me Jesus in the name, the Father and the Son, Holy Spirit. I know we've got a laugh at this me, Lord, we got to get the doors on, Lord, I might get the batteries and I might take the batteries out of that doorbell Lord and throw them in the name of Jesus. It drives me barmy, balmy, nice way. It says I became a servant of the gospel that was given of God's grace to me through the working of his power. If he was to look at verse seven, verse seven, is really powerful about what he says about himself, I became a servant, I became a servant, a servant of why I became a servant of the gospel, by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power. So here we have very clear in verse seven, something that is so powerful, that is something that is so outstanding, that is so beyond human articulation, beyond the realms of knowledge, what is so clear here, it says, I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given to me through the working of his power. Very, very interesting. I become a servant. So what does that mean? I do not want a park a car park space in the church copper, I do not want a certain chip chair on a certain platform in life. I do not want to be ever elevated up and lifted up. Because if if, if I am lifted up, if I am elevated, that is a dangerous place to put any pastor, leader, brother or sister we cannot be elevated in a new way. But I hear what you're saying. There's a difference from being encouraged because and that's another interesting point, isn't it? Where are the buck Barnabas is where are the encourages? Where are those that encourage us? Where are those that there are many that are opinionated? So Barnabas didn't have an opinion? He had a word of encouragement. Isn't it interesting that we we have in our lives, many that our opinion opinionated in what they think it is right for you and for me, but what we need is more Barnabas is in the scripture that clearly not a don't, he didn't elevate but what he did, he helped and he nurtured and he encouraged and He equipped. What we need is people around us that will let us move in our gifting and will encourage us in our gifting. But this text in verse seven, just literally floors, pastors and leaders that are trying to climb the ivory towers, because what we hear is I built this church. This is my church. This is my pulpit. This is my ministry. It might be Your pulpit might be your church. But if it is your pulpit, and it is your church, if it is your car park space, if it is your throne up there, that is not the church of Jesus Christ. That is the church of you. That is the church of pride. That is the church of arrogance, that is the church of complete arrogance. And that is disgraceful to God, because no one will share the glory that is on us. He will not share the glory. He will not share it with any pastor with any preacher, he will not share. He did not share His glory with Paul, he broke Paul, and he melted Paul, and he stripped Paul. And he said through the scriptures when he spoke to Anna NYAS. He said, I will show him how much he will suffer. pastors and leaders, including myself need to read clear teachings of Paul, because you will find that this man he says For I am the least of the least let's let's have a look. It says this very clear. He says in verse seven, I became a servant of this gospel, by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power, verse eight, he says, although I am the less Sorry, sorry, let me start that again. Verse eight of Ephesians chapter three, although I am less than the least of the Lord's people, this grace was given me. So what he is saying is I am the least of the less of the lesser person that you could ever think that if I put myself in that position of being the less of the less this person on planet Earth, if God graced me with His grace, for being the lesser person, how much will he give you? His grace upon You see, Paul, he says, I am a servant, pastors and leaders, deacons, church, oversights, ministries, it is all gonna be about them. It is all gonna be about my ivory tower. Look what I have built. Look what I've managed to put together. Look, it's all about me, this is my church. This is my pulpit. We could open the envelope with this, and we could discuss this for days and hours. Now I just want to drop into verse nine, I understand the time is going we're up to 50 free minutes, that we haven't even pushed our way off off the platform. When you think about it. It says verse nine of Ephesians chapter three, he says, and to make plain to everyone, the administration of the mystery. So again, we're hearing the word mystery. It's a mystery. It's a mystery. It's a mystery. For the ages past was kept hidden in God. God keeps things hidden. God keeps things back. God does not keep throwing things in our lap. He does not keep showering us with all this stuff. In this false world of prophecy. God holds things back, and he holds them back for our good. And God reveals the mystery of salvation. God rymill reveals that the mysteries of the doctrines of grace, God reveals the mystery from Genesis to Revelation. God reveals things slowly, it's like a being on a drip feed. It's like on a very slow, or very steady God. God just reveals it. God reveals it. And it can almost feel as if heaven has gone quiet. Have you ever felt that heaven has gone quiet? Have you ever felt that almost God has been raised? And did was I dreaming? Is there really a God? What is all this about? God has not been raised God is real. God's word is sharpened than a double edged sword. He is working in front of you. He is working to the left and a right of you. God is your your net, your North yourself, your east, your West, God is before you. God is not against you, God will not condemn you because he cannot condemn you. Because if God called you, God called you by grace, you have the doctrines of grace and you are in adoption. So you have been adopted, you have been grafted in, excuse me, and you have been brought in and you have been drawn in and when you have been drawn in you have been given salvation. So there is no reference in the Scripture, that salvation hangs on my speech on my education, or my notoriety on who I know on this earth. What the scriptures clearly tells me it is by grace, you have been saved. So as the scripture is fact as the scripture is without error, as The scripture is completely on point. So that means that you and I have been saved by grace. And as we have been saved by Christ, we have been given the gift. And God will also reveal His word to you. So what I'm saying in a closer this, please do not get yourself in a bit of a upside down inside out situation where you're saying, God does he love me? Where is God what is happening? God is speaking in the stillness, just because Heaven has gone quiet. And what I mean by Heaven has gone quiet. What I what I'm referring to very clearly is, is God is not revealing everything to you at this moment. Because there comes a point in one's life, where we go into a posture of enduring, we have to go into insurance. The Scripture says, The just shall live by faith. So I understand that God saved me by grace, I understand that the power of the Holy Spirit reveals his word to me, I understand that the glory of God has been deposited on me, I understand the doctrines of grace, I understand the fundamental points of salvation. I understand Genesis through to Revelation, but God's word is revealed. So God's word will come in like a dove. The reason it will come in like a dark very clearly, is because the Spirit of God is as gentle as a dove, and God will reveal His Word. And God will draw you, God will lead you, God will show you in his time when he is and has a word for you, we're coming to come into a place where I've got a, we've got to almost just draw a line and just pause for a few hours and a few days, we come into a place where we got a rest. So what do we get from this, we get that Paul writes, and he clearly makes a clear distinction, and a clear fact that, that he is a servant. So if Paul is a servant, I think pastors should realize that we're servants. If Paul puts down that I'm a prisoner, I've got to recognize that I'm a prisoner in whatever Paul writes and the way Paul labels himself, I've actually got a, and that label will be upon me when he says, A wretched man, am I, why do I do the things I hate? And why can't I do the things that I know are good, or wretched man, am I but he says, I am the least of the less, but God in His bounty God in his sovereignty, God in his in his in his way, God in His supernatural, beautiful presence that he moves God the way that he reveals the way God God heals the way God just moves. So I cannot worry about Genesis to Revelation, I cannot worry God, have I got this right God, what's going on? What I've got to do is say, God, I'm going by faith. I believe that the seed of faith has been watered by your word. And I, Lord, I want I want to do Lord is get a clear context. And I want to get a clear cut understanding of what this scripture is saying about me. So Lord, I need to know clearly Lord, the context of this scripture, I need to have revelation or knowledge, I need the Spirit and the Holy Spirit of God to reveal through the gentleness that he is to reveal everything to me, I need to make sure that is revealed. Because I cannot go in knowledge. Now. It says talks about knowledge. And let's let's just have a quick look at that. It says in verse 12, In Him through faith in Him, we may approach God with the freedom and confidence. But as you look down the Scripture, it makes such a clear distinction. It tells us about knowledge. It says that knowledge is really, really important, but also it addresses knowledge. It really makes a clear understanding, about about knowledge. And as you look at the scripture, and if you as to pick it up, it's probably the best if you read this tonight, grab yourself a cup of tea, grab yourself a coffee, a Pinot Gris show, whatever you want to do, whatever you want to do everything imbalanced. The Bible talks about a little wine. So we've got to be careful. Got to be careful there. So it says For this reason in verse 14, for this reason, I kneel before the father whom the family in heaven on earth derives its name, I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with the power through his Spirit in your innermost being. so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you've been being rooted and established in love may have power together with all God's holy people to grasp how wide and long and deep the love of Christ is. And to know that this love surpasses knowledge. So if you were to look in verse 19, of Ephesians, chapter three, it talks about knowledge, knowledge is overtaken by the love of God. God is love God is hope. Some knowledge has a knowledge has a ceiling level. Understanding has a scene in level but what what over what precedes what, what Archie is Over what what goes above and beyond very clearly is the love of God. So let me read that in context again in verse 19, of Ephesians chapter three, it says, and to know, this love that surpasses knowledge. So I don't need to be an educated person, I don't need to be astute, I don't need to make sure that I've got letters after my name to understand God, when actually education and notoriety and academics can be a barrier can be a barrier, to actually live in by faith. Because when you are scored in science, when you are scored, in all this knowledge, you what happens you find is that you are going on knowledge, and you are going on natural understanding on what you what you are being brought up into, rather than literally saying, I just believe there is something powerful in just saying, I believe, see, belief, breaks down knowledge, belief, tears down all that sort of stuff. And he says in verse 19, as we come to a close first 19, of Ephesians chapter three. And to know that this love surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the full measure of the fullness of God, what fills me with the fullness of God, what fills me up? What makes my cup runneth over, what is that? Is it the knowledge that I that I gather as a human being? Is it the skill set that I have? Is it my academic background? Is it my natural psychological processing? What, what, who? And how is this been? What is this? Simply It is God fills the human being. God comes in and God presses I would say press because that's what happened. God comes in. And he reveals, and he opens up our heart and he comes into your life, my life. So God is always revealing himself. It says in that scripture, and to know that this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of the fullness of God, do we fill ourselves up? No. Are we capable of filling ourselves up with God? No, we are capable of filling ourselves up with junk we are capable of filling ourselves up with false teaching. We are capable of filling ourself up with just the craziness of life, we are capable of filling ourselves up with religion. But there is a level after that, that we cannot go to, because what happens it is that it is the god of of always Raul that fills you up. So the scripture says my cup runneth over, it only runs over, because the glory of God is within each and every one of us. So that the scripture is just so powerful. The Scripture is is without error. The Scripture is without any arrow error, sorry, whatsoever. So I'm going to I'm just going to call this a finished point, because we've gone in an hour, we've got an hour and four minutes. Now I've got a we've got to we got to hold it now. We got to hold it. So I pray as the the great writer of the New Testament says it is through revelation or knowledge. So as we come to a pro, a club, a closing prayer, I pray that you do not get worried about that you can't get to church. I pray that you don't worry that on that Sunday morning, you got to take your family or you've got to do something, because wherever you go churches, because if the Scripture is true, and the Scripture is true, this is what happens. When I become a believer, when I become a born again believer, not of my strength but because of him, he gives me salvation. Suddenly I become grafted in and what do I become grafted in into I become grafted into the kingdom of God. So wherever I walk, Christ is wherever Christ is, I walk, so nothing can separate us from the love of God. So you might be on the touchline at football with your children. Don't let pastors bully you in getting into church for the sake of filling them places. Don't let ministries bully you and manipulate you in get in there. Yes, it's important to go to church. I know that I get that. It's important to gather together, but when I can't gather together, why do I feel so bad? Is it God that makes me feel bad? No. Because wherever I am, the kingdom is wherever God is. I am because nothing can separate us because when You look at the text, he says, I am the head of the body, and the body, the church, God is the head of the church. So wherever I am at work, whether I'm walking, whether I'm I'm not well, where if I can't get to church, whether I've got to do something on that Sunday morning when I don't want to do it, but I am not going to allow, sorry. church and ministry make me feel bad for not getting to church. But please hear me right. I'm not saying don't go to church. I'm not saying that. Well, actually, I am saying don't go to any churches that don't preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, find yourself a church where the fire of God is coming over the pulpit where you're finding that the preachers and the teachers are talking about the doctrines of grace, talking about anointing talking about sanctification, talking about the consequences of sin. When you find someone that is preaching the gospel, they are not elevating themselves. What you will find that preacher and teacher will actually speak like pour a wretched man Amaya. Not elevating themselves out and going, look how I built this church. God will build his church. And it is not down to the responsibility of pastors and leaders and congregations to build his church. He says, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail. He is building his kingdom. The church is his he is responsible. Now I can hear all the naysayers in the background. Yeah, but what what all but you know exactly what I'm saying. You are just being nitpicky, you are just being fussy. And you are being dictatorial. And you are being narcissistic. If I can't get to church, God knows I'm not going to get the church before that church even came into construction. And God is not going to save say, I'm not going to save Ben, because he's not world at Sunday. Me can't get the church or tell you what I do. I'll find someone that's at church all the time. That's religion. God is with you. I pray that the power of the Holy Spirit, God will reveal God will reveal His word. May God bless you and strengthen you made the anointing of the Holy Spirit, just overflow in your life. Do not worry about your life. Do not worry about your life. God is with you. May God bless you and may God strengthen you. We will catch you when am I going to see you again? Where am I? What day are we? Where am I Lord? Well, where am I we are this is Wednesday evening, I will see you Sunday morning in church, if you can make it, it'd be great to see you. It'd be great if you're not with us, wherever you are, because God is with you. I will catch you online at 1045. On Sunday morning, you can listen to the podcast, you can capture everything back the guests that have come in, and all the recordings and everything that we've done here in evening church. So there's a lot to get and I do ask you, that you will challenge me. I asked you that you would really test every word that I say, I want to be challenged, I need to make sure that I've got this right. And I pray that for revelation of knowledge, God is revealing everything that has been said here. May God bless you and strengthen you. Thank you for joining us tonight. Buzzsprout, Spotify, I Heart Radio, on all the platforms on the social networks that we are using. May God bless you. You can find us on Amazon music very easy. And that's a very easy site to navigate your way around, can even go into Buzzsprout you can even go to Spotify. Just type in Reverend Ben Cooper his podcast, and you will find us there Sunday morning. We'll catch you online. May God bless him God strengthen you. So God is revealing everything to you. It is being revealed. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ. God bless. We'll catch you soon.