Audio： Called To Authentic Christianity — K.P. Yohannan

Hang on to your seats because we have a guest speaker who's gonna blow your mind. He's a missionary. He's been doing this for 30 years. And this I know for a fact this gentleman is real he is absolutely genuine and He's he's an author radio teacher founder and president of gospel for Asia.

And now when I said that you probably know who he is. I know this this church is mission minded as a matter of fact as you walk out these doors if you look up on top. It says as you walk out these doors, you're in the mission field.

Yeah. Yeah, there you go. Amen to that and. So he's here speaking. He's that's a gospel for Asia. Those of you don't know who don't know. It's an organization involved in evangelism and church planting in the unreached regions of Asia.

This organization supports over 16 ,000 church planners in the heart of the 1040 window. So, please.

Join me in welcoming KP. You Hannah. Good afternoon, whatever I am I am NOT going to preach very long because I want to go to in-and-out hamburger shop. I Accept all invitations I get from, California.

Especially wherever they are in and out. We've been telling them forever come to Dallas, Texas, that's where we are and they have not obeyed the Lord yet. But It's a blessing to come back here a couple of times.

I've been here anyone remember me you raise your hand. All right, a lot of good friends. Tony. One of our brothers from the office and myself we came yesterday and this afternoon to go back to Dallas.

We have some highland 60 some people that serve the Lord with us on the staff with Gospel for Asia and We always look for people who are willing to leave their home, California wherever and IT people computer people TV people all kind of people who want to serve the Lord with us and So if you are someone who is thinking about giving your life to serve the Lord on the behalf of Two billion people that do not know the Lord, please think about us go to our website GFA org gospel for Asia org because the Orissa crisis is very huge or 4 ,000 Christians homes were completely destroyed during this past two months and You know a couple of hundred churches were destroyed.

I mean can you imagine you go home today and somebody burned your house down and the reason is you are a Christian and Sunday you come back to worship here. The entire building is gone because this is a church and sometime Those of us who live here don't realize that some 14 ,000 people get killed every year around the world for their faith in Christ and the price they pay is very high and it's a good thing to ask if Situation like that comes upon us here.

How will you respond to it and Jesus said, you know, you don't wait for the flood and the rain. To start building a foundation or a house on the foundation so we better understand the reality of the world we are living in and Be sober and serious about our commitment to Christ.

Information about spirituality is not going to sustain you. You know some authenticity and reality we need on the inside that's what's going to keep us going in these last days. We have a Couple of things I want to mention to you before I read some scripture verses, you know some years ago the Lord impressed upon my heart our hearts to open our Base in Dallas for young people to come and spend a year with us.

It's a Discipleship school we call it road to reality internship you know young people who finish their high school they can take a year and come and be with us and Part of the time we send them overseas and of course, you know after the year they go back to their churches their college and whatever.

What is happening? There is such a tremendous hunger on the hearts of young people to understand godliness and become authentic and You become spiritual not by reading about it. But being with people who model that you learn about prayer and fasting not by learning about it.

But being with people who pray you know every Friday first Friday of the month. We have all night prayers start in the evening 8 o 'clock goes till 5 6 in the morning. And so you say what do you pray about?

Well, come and join us. But if you are a young person or if your parents you are thinking about kicking your kids out of your home, they're a nuisance. Pick up one of these or go to our website and I assure you other day I was talking to our young people right now in internship in Dallas.

They were telling me, you know, their lives are totally revolutionized Within a few months time. I said, how did that happen? They said well, we are taught but more so we live with people who actually are serious about following the Lord.

So I want to encourage you to think about that. Okay, I want to read to you something. You got one of the best pastors in the whole world and Bible teacher. Yeah, you do you do and Therefore I I don't think I should be taking time to teach you Greek and Hebrew.

He does very well. But listen to these words, please. Yes shift seems to be taking place in the reflections of men and women on godliness and knowing God. There is a growing awareness that external things materialism superficial experience worldly success are not what our spirits long for nor Will be ever be truly satisfied with them rather Our spirits long after spiritual realities that you'll not be quenched with mere words or Correct doctrines and the truth without life.

The current Christianity which for most part is based on self has lost its ability to influence society and Be what God truly intended instead of living symbol. Devout quiet and godly lives like salt and light permeate in the society.

The church has too often turned to worldly fleshly and carnal means to affect change yet in the midst of this confusion and darkness These brave souls are seeking for deeper healing through humility and godliness.

They are discovering that an independent spirit and avoidance of pain and suffering are not the means to find That life abundant their spirits thirst for the living God as a deer pants for the stream and They will not be satisfied until they drink from the fountain of living water.

Those are few paragraphs from the book Touching godliness through submission and that's introduction four years ago, I have authored over 200 books and It was four years ago during a week of prayer and waiting upon God the Lord spoke to me About something very significant.

He said, you know, my people are large don't understand me. Nor do they touch godliness because they are independent. They're proud. They're arrogant. They will not break or bend and That set me on a search for the scripture and seek the Lord Deeply about it because I am part of a movement where we have nearly 2 million baptized believers.

The fruit of our ministry over the 30 years in 11 nations and they look to me as their spiritual Leader and shepherd, so I am consumed not with American Christianity and past this year but we have some 10 ,000 pastors that I am responsible for their father and faith, so The the search for understanding of God's, you know speaking of my heart Let me to teach these principles for 500 leaders from different countries of the world and The fruit was so huge and our leaders in the United States said, you know, we need to put this in writing so this book came out after four years of Journey, and it is called touching godliness through submission.

Let me say this to you you will really never understand God and And the Lord's ways Unless you come to the place of being totally broken and submissive Submissive to God and to people God placed over you.

The seriousness is more than our culture want us to understand from the day We are born we are told this my toy. This is my room. This is my blanket. Don't touch it and we teach our kids. You're 16. You're on your own.

And We we after all the years of learning the Bible we remain shallow far away from understanding godliness and For some of you I know what I tell you you understand it because you walked on this road.

So I'm not trying to sell this book. Of course, you know any money that comes from any of my books I don't get one penny out of it's all goes the Lord's work. So I plead with you to get a copy of it. They printed 5 ,000 copies within a couple of months they all ran out because people are buying 100 copies.

50 copies to give away to people and. Some pastor wrote and said he want every family in the congregation to read this book. I think it's cost $8 something like that, but you can get a copy in the table back there.

But another book which I think you must read if you are planning to go to heaven. That is Revolution World Missions, how many of you got a copy of this we raise your hand. Wow, thank you. I get a copy.

I think it's free also for you to get from here. Whatever and two million copies in print, but you can buy this also if you want to pay money for that. All right. So there we are. You understand my English, you know sometime I get confused, you know I'm not one, you know telling jokes before I teach.

That's not my way, but once in a while I get some funny stuff people send it to me it's really amazing now listen this a minister of us. Completing a temperance sermon that means he was preaching against drinking.

Okay, he must have been a Baptist preacher. I'm sure. With great emphasis. He said if I had all the beer in the world I would take it and pour it into the river. With even great emphasis he said if I had all the wine in the world I would take him to pour it into the river and then finally shaking his fits in the air.

He said and if I had all the whiskey in the world, I would take him to pour it into the river. Sermon complete he sat down. The song leader stood up very cautiously and announced with a smile nearly laughing.

For our closing song. Let us sing him 365 shall we gather at the river? I think it really happened in the Baptist Church. Okay, please turn your Bibles to the gospel of Luke gospel according to Luke chapter 14 verse 25 large crowds were traveling with Jesus and turning to them he said.

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother his wife and children. His brothers and sisters. Yes even his own life he cannot be my disciple and Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Obviously Christ had thousands of people following him for miracles for healing for learning great mystical truths. He was he was known as a teacher. But the Lord looked at them and he realized. Not all of them.

Were serious about following him see Jesus didn't need somebody go and tell him Jesus. This guy's a creep don't trust him. He knew the hearts of all people and He didn't pick an individual by name, but he simply spoke these words knowing that the multitude that followed him only minority.

Really Took him serious and wanted to be his disciples. So he said if you want to be mine if you want to follow me and be my disciple. This is what you should do you know. You should love me your affection for me and the priority you place On me Must be more than father mother son daughter and I wish he stopped there.

He didn't even your own very life and You know sometime maybe it's good we drop the word Christians. Are you Christian? Just don't ask that. It's good to ask. Are you a disciple of Christ? Are you a follower of the Lord?

It is a lifelong Consistent perpetual journey of an individual following in the footsteps of the living Christ it is not following bunch of doctrines or denomination or Traditions rather it is the living Christ and when you follow him what happens you become like him.

You know the old covenant. It is the rules and regulations do this do this don't do this. If you do this, I'm gonna get you and all this stuff, you know the rules and regulations. But when you come to the new covenant It is not like that.

It is we are called to be partakers of his nature. We become like him as we follow him and Christ life and his nature Becomes our nature. It is not that oh I had to be humble. So I look humble. It's not like that.

Oh, I had to be honest people expect me. So I'll give you honest. It's not like that. It is the Holy Spirit Transforms us from inside. 2nd Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18. We look in the mirror the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

Help us to change into the likeness of the face we see in the mirror, which is the face of Jesus is nature and. This is extremely significant because a lot of people think if they hear all the teaching if they memorize all the Bible verses if they sing the right choruses and go to church and Everything is you know, they do what is expected of them, which is a real Christian people talk about okay, that'll be okay but you know, the problem is that often people who been studying the Bible for 20 for 30 years and Even preachers who've been preaching and teaching for years all the sudden hear about Crashing their life and and and and falling away as a matter of fact, I must tell you not a week go by I don't get an email or a call from someone about some pastor some minister some Sunday school teacher.

Somebody who is falling apart. Is it because they didn't know the information it is because they didn't understand it. It is one thing to know it is another thing to become as a matter of fact some years ago a friend of mine who was going to a fellowship had huge emphasis on teaching the Bible and he was with them, you know for months and and Three times a week Bible study and this and that and finally he realized the people that he was fellowshipping with.

Their lives were not different than anybody else in the world the greed. Love of money. Looking for power and position status symbol approval of men bitterness and forgiveness and all the other stuff and.

Then he went to the Lord and said Lord. Why is it people who know so much of your word their lives are like this and the Lord? Supposed had spoken to his heart. He told me the Lord said son they spend time with the Bible.

They don't spend time with me. I Don't say we should study the Bible. I do every day and we must go to church and learn the word of God. But like the Pharisees who came to Jesus who knew everything so much.

They were teaching people and Jesus, you know what? You study the Bible you dissect it. You memorize it you write commentaries on it and all the stuff you do thinking that in it you will have life but they Testify of me and you will not come to me.

Following a bunch of doctrines and systems may be easier. But following Christ means we have to die to self and our flesh don't want that. That is a problem. So here Jesus is saying you want to be mine.

You want to be my disciple. This is what you should do and Christ Is calling us. Not for easy road, it's a narrow road. The Lord is looking for men and women who will not just give a few hours of the weekends or You know after the retire.

No I think the Lord is looking for people those who see Christ the Lord the first and most important person in their life. You know, I remember talking to this young man who Wanted to marry my daughter.

You know my two children they grew up in the States and when they finish their studies. They felt the Lord was calling them to serve the Lord on the mission field. So 18 years ago they left. And still on the mission field, but when my daughter You know the time, you know for her married because you know when we don't arrange marriage, although sometime I think it's a good idea.

We Assisted our children help our children to pray through these things. Although, you know, I mean there they made a commitment. They wouldn't go against their parents. So anyway, you know this young man felt that he wanted to marry my daughter.

And so I was talking to him, you know a couple of years ago now. So I said, you know, his name is Daniel. I said, please tell me about your life. What is all about? Where are you going? What's your life about and You know because he's a medical doctor so he said, you know when I was studying in school I Came to know the Lord and and when I was in college the Lord clearly spoke to my heart to commit my life to make him the Lord and everything in my life and My you know my life I committed to serve him and that's the whole thing is then he made this classic statement.

He said, you know, my vocation is I'm a medical doctor, but my call is to Serve the Lord because he is my Lord. I Said all right. He got it. You passed the test and You know such a joy to see, you know, they're both Serve the Lord on the mission field.

We have some 153 Thousand kids we rescued, you know from the untouchables Dalits families giving them education hope and a future and Jesus too. And they go and live among these people and serve them and then conduct these, you know clinics in different parts of country Nepal everywhere but thousands of people come to in the whole day where they are able to minister and the missionaries work and what a beautiful thing to see that someone who sees his profession.

It's not the Lord it is a vocation but the call is to serve God. So my brothers and sisters wherever you may be Jesus Demands that you see him in and all things as you his disciple to live his life and Demonstrate his life in this generation but the problem often Is that we don't understand it so there's a dichotomy in our life.

Sunday we are Christians and Monday through Saturday, we got other agendas and What are the Stipulations the Lord placed before us. I will run through this fast one the supreme love for Christ love me more than anyone anything and your own very life.

It is easy to say but it is not very easy to do and You know I Think we will be happy to give our parents and brothers and sisters and all these other things, you know. But the last thing we can't think about giving up our own little life.

Especially in this culture. It's none of your business to tell me what I must do. This preacher is hard. I'm going to go to another church. They're trying to get me do things and get my money. They're mean The legalistic.

I hate him because the pastor Jack is a wonderful loving man. You are in good place. But you know what happens is that anything rubbed against our flesh and our feelings and our own ways. We immediately take an exodus and then go to some other place.

Just hoping from place to place rather than saying Lord. You're talking to me about my Ways are not right. I'm willing to say no to these things because I love you and My brothers and sisters, you know, we blame the devil for a whole bunch of things and the poor devil get frustrated often.

No, no, I'm not the friend of the devil. I think the devil is mean and bad. But you know the Christians are going around blaming devil for everything under the Sun the devil is saying what have I done to you.

I didn't do anything. It's your flesh. It's you who makes this kind of choices. You don't like the cross. You don't want to follow Christ. Why do you believe me? I mean, I remember in one meeting some years ago Somewhere in the United States a lady came to me and said pastor.

Would you please pray for me? I said, yes. Please tell me what is it you want me to pray for? She said lay your hand on me and cast out the demon or smoke within me. I said what I Said dear lady, I can in Jesus name cast out demons, but I cannot cast out of the flesh.

You see we are so Drunk with our own self our own ways that we cannot follow the Lord. Because we have not understood him As the most important thing in the whole wide world and you say well KP I heard these kind of things before but what are you trying to get it?

You see there's a study that is released about American Christians. It said Average believers in our country here pray less than eight minutes a day. Average pastors pray less than 12 minutes a day. You understand the problem?

Think about a boy falling in love with a girl or a girl falling in love with the boy. And the parent says you have to come home 10 o 'clock. Don't stay any longer and the guy gets home 1 o 'clock in the morning and dad says we waited for you.

What happened to you? He says dad. It's only 10 o 'clock and the truth is he killed the watch time went by he just didn't even realize it and The guy who is paying $20 a month for telephone bill after having fallen in love with this creature.

Now it is $3 ,000 telephone bill and He will give up the job in New York City to fly to Los Angeles wherever this place that she no heels whatever. So he can be here with her or with him and you see, you know what I'm saying Let me ask you this without trying to make you feel dumb and stupid.

When was the last time you spent a full day with the Lord fasting and waiting. Not to get anything out of him not for healing and money and a job or for someone else just for his sake. When was the last time you spent an hour with the Lord?

When was the last time Quietly secretly you spend a week. That you took off from the work like you take a vacation for two weeks. The only reason is to be with him not for anything you can get from him.

To be intimate to understand you say what this all sounds so spooky and mystical you know, I've been following the Lord now 40 years and Serving the Lord in the early days of my life some older brothers told me The most important thing in your life is to get to know the Lord and not be a great worker for him.

And it was not easy for me to spend 15 minutes with the Lord but the more I came to know him the more I understood that's the most precious thing in the whole wide world and When my son went to Nepal as a missionary I Found out he was going to go on a seven days walk with others to a dangerous place where they could walk and People can fall over the cliff and kill themselves.

And when I first heard that I remember so well I got mad at my leaders in Kathmandu for Making the decision to send my only son on that treacherous difficult journey. I mean I had no problem with 300 of our Nepali missionaries Going and serving God.

I Didn't have any problem. Rather I was proud of one of our missionary who one time said goodbye to his wife and his children and prayed Go into the mission field thinking that he may never come back alive because of the danger I was so proud of that.

But when I found out my only son They're sending him on this trip In on the inside. I was furious. How can they do something like that to my son? Don't they know he's the only thing I have. And I was I mean you're talking about a mission leader who wrote so many books and preaches all over the world and after all my And my my self-pity and anger and everything the Lord just simply said quite interesting to see how you respond to the situation and The thing was I said Lord, I didn't know my heart is so ugly so self-centered I'm so possessed with what I want and I love my son and And I I didn't realize it is down there.

It was so comforting the Lord said Yeah, I allowed it to happen. So you will know what is on the inside and I had to make a decision He didn't force me. So Lord you are the one who will see his life and protect him and If something other than what I want to happen I Wanted to know I am NOT going to come back and complain and murmur.

No, I will not do it and There was pain there was tears, but in the end there was such joy and comfort Knowing that Jesus once again became more important to me than my son and I wanted and that don't happen by memorizing Bible verses that comes by making choices in the light of what you learn what you hear and Jesus Very clearly make it very very real.

You know the song we sing sometime my Jesus. I love thee I know thou art mine remember that for thee all the follies or sin. I resign, you know Taking drugs and doing dumb things and hurting people. It's a bad thing for health and for your family, but more than anything else Jesus I don't want to do wrong things and sin.

Because I love you. You know there's a verse in the book of Psalms that says Search my heart O God and see if there is any any wicked way in me and lead me in the paths of righteousness. In the Living Bible that verse reads like this Lord Please let me Understand if there is anything in me that make you sad Is interesting.

I remember when my little boy was seven years old something like that in Dallas, Texas and he did something naughty and That evening when I came home from the office and I my wife told me about then called him and I said Danny I'm so disappointed In you before I could finish my sentence.

He took off running To the back of the house got in the room and slammed the door and we heard this wailing Crying out loud. My wife came from the kitchen said what I said, I didn't do nothing. She said then how come he's screaming and crying.

Well, you know, I went back to the room and opened the door and sat beside him. I said Danny what happened? After a while, he said daddy you could have punished me beat me. Whatever you want to do, but I cannot hear you are disappointed in me.

I just shocked me. I Said oh, no, I said never again. I would ever say anything like that to my kids. But later the Lord will use that to teach me when you Walk away from me when you do things that you know is not my wish.

I'm sad and I don't want to disappoint the Lord. My son was Deeply in pain because he felt he disappointed me. Do I want to disappoint my Lord and my brothers and sisters. I asked you to Take a close look at your love relationship with the Lord and how do we measure that?

You measure that by several ways one the amount of time you spend with him and If you are not don't feel guilty and kill yourself over this but rather start today. And I recommend you get an alarm clock.

Why alarm clock because all day long you are so busy with so many things and the alarm you Set it for two in the morning or so. So it'll ring it will wake you up and you wash your face. You know and then don't lay on the bed but go to the living room whatever and Kneel by the chair if you can or sit and talk to the Lord read your word get a world map and pray over the things that is happening in the world today and Let these words Be real for you that Jesus said can't you at least one hour wait with me?

I'm in pain. I'm in pain for Bangladesh Afghanistan and China and Eastern Europe and the election America and what is happening, California? Can't you just wait one hour with me? I'm hurting and What happened your earth turn was on your body your emotions it once again becomes the means for Christ to incarnate impact and Change in your family in our society in our world.

And this is the kind of thing you should learn and I hope I have destroyed enough alarm clocks I'm telling you. They are not my friends, but they help and Another thing I want you to think about is Do you ask the Lord what he want to do.

With your time and with your resources you got two weeks vacation. Yeah, the company give it to his vacation and you're saving your money. But what about telling the Lord Lord? What do you think about it?

And the Lord may say well, I'm glad you asked I Want you to send that money? To take care of some children or some ministries the Bibles or whatever else and stay home and spend with me or He may tell you to go somewhere.

You know what I'm saying? I mean, when was the last time you asked Lord what do you want me to do about anything? You know, you don't happen overnight. You know, it can be in a second nature when I'm reading an email when I'm asking a telephone.

It's it's it's it's automatic reflects in my head during this conversation often without me thinking. There's an endless loop turning in my head Lord. What do you want me to say to this brother? How may I respond?

What is it you are saying to me and why because I'm learning to be close to him. So that my life is not removed from him. It is a journey together with him and Jesus said your affection for me such that I am number one and I pray that you will find that place in your life.

By the way, your life will become much easier once. Love is a reason why you do things. Jacob, you know got married. You want to marry Rachel? You know the story? Jacob was a crook, you know, he was a deceiver and so he deceived his father and his brother and he landed.

With the man was twice the crook as he was Laban and so he falls in love with the girl Rachel and you want to marry your laban says all right. No problem, but seven years you had to work. He worked seven years like a slave then he gets married and next morning I don't know how this thing work.

He wakes up and find he got the wrong girl. The girl he didn't like so he gets mad I would do. He says what a creep crook you are laban. I mean, that's not in the Bible. I just made it up. What have you done to me?

Calm down. No problem. I think laban was a Indian. Don't worry. You want Rachel seven more years you work? So he works seven more year. I know but the Bible says 14 years. He worked like a slave. But it looked like just one day because he loved Rachel and that is reason why I'm encouraging you to take this serious what Jesus talked about secondly.

If anyone want to come after me Jesus said let him deny himself and pick up his cross daily and come after me. Some people think self-denial is denying self. It's two different things. Self-denial is you give up, you know drinking too much or going to movies or Some pleasures of life or whatever else, you know this and that, you know, a lot of non-christians also do things like but.

Denying self means complete submission to the Lordship of Christ. Some years ago I Read this poem somebody wrote and I wrote it in the back of my Bible. I am seeking for one who will wait and watch for my beckoning hand my eye.

Who will work in my manner the work I give and the work I give not pass by and oh. The joy that's brought to me when one such as this I can find a man who will do all my will. Who is set to study his master's mind?

I? Am but a slave. I have no freedom of my own. I cannot choose the smallest thing nor even my way. I'm a slave kept to do the bidding of my master. He can call me night or day where I a servant I could claim wages freedom sometimes anyway.

But I was bought blood was the price my master paid for me and I am now his slave and evermore will be. He takes me here. He takes me there. He tells me what to do. I just obey that is all and I trust him to.

We are pragmatic. People conditioned to run around like a chicken with the head cut off. Do this do that do that? I think I mean this proposition a thing is coming up. I think you know our silence will send more people to hell and a nation to bondage.

I think we must act we must talk we must do everything we can with all we have but it all need to be supported and based on something more deeper and real that is seeking the Lord's face and doing what he tells us to do and Denying self how do you explain all that?

Well, there's a lot of ways I mean for Missionaries on the field I work with like in Orissa huge amount of crisis persecution, you know, I heard about. You know a brother who was told by this extremist radical fundamentalist.

You must deny your Christ and come back to the old faith. If not, we will destroy your house. They gave him the option. They all they knew he knew already. They are doing it to other people. He said no, I can't.

Even if he killed me, I will not deny my Christ and The next day They not only destroyed their house but in the midst of Open opposition. They brutally murdered his wife and I was talking to a leader from Orissa.

And I heard so many stories of people. To make a decision knowing their house their belonging their family members will be brutally abused and Killed and they must make a choice. Loving Christ more than life itself.

If all of us will make a choice to do that I'm telling you We can shake this world. You may go home today and throw out all the catalogs sitting in your bathroom. Looking through pages after pages dreaming and wishing what to buy for the Christmas and this person that person.

You will stop looking at the latest fashions and cars that is going by or adding more stuff. Listen, it is all bondage. Learn. Learn learn this, please. Listen to me. You can do whatever you want for another hundred years.

You will not know my lord until you come to the place of understanding. You must die to yourself and the measure in which you can say no to yourself in the same measure You will understand it. This is not legalism.

This is obedience and embrace in the cross and finally, Jesus said this As the father sent me so send I you three and a half years. He's trained his disciples of one thing read Matthew's gospel chapter 10 to go and live their life to be the means of redemption to call a world to be reconciled with the Father and Every believer whether you live in California or in Canada or in Germany or Russia wherever.

You need to know this Hundred years from now. You are not going to live in your house here. Drive the car wear those clothes and the jewelries. You are not going to be Living with all the talks from other people.

You are a great guy. You are wonderful opinions of other people honor for other people, please believe me it's all for nothing, but As you stand before the throne. You won't look back or a life on earth.

Not as someone who made so much money and got the best degrees and had the biggest house but rather someone who walked on a lonely road with sacrifice and suffering and less of material things. Why you exchange all for the sake of two billion people that do not know Christ that they may come to know the Lord Jesus Christ.