Living by Christ's Principles — Zac Poonen

Living by Christ’s Principles — Zac Poonen

I never expected to see so many people here on a working day. There are some distinctive emphases that we have in CFC churches, which are not found in other churches. We are not here to criticize other churches.

We are not here to compare ourselves with other churches. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 10 that those who compare themselves with others are foolish. So we will not be foolish. God is the only judge.

A Pure Testimony Before the Lord

But one of the things that God wants on earth is a pure testimony, a light that is not dim. And the sad thing is, the testimony of many Christian churches is a light that is very dim. And that's always happened in the centuries.

You know, even in Revelation chapter 2 and chapter 3, you read about churches, seven churches, five of them, the light was very dim. They still call themselves churches, but the light was very dim, so dim that Jesus said to one of them, you only got a name that you're alive, but you're actually dead.

But then there were some other two churches that were really strong and powerful. So the Lord looks, you know, he examines each church. You see that in Revelation 2 and 3, that the Lord examined every church and he told them, this is wrong with you.

So I believe even today, today is not seven, there are thousands of churches in the world, but the Lord examines every one of them. And our desire is not to impress people, but to please the Lord. That's our only desire as a church.

We're not in competition with anyone. We're not trying to say we are bigger or better or any such thing, but we want to please the Lord. So when we think of pleasing the Lord, we want to know how can we please the Lord?

There are different ways in which people think they can please the Lord. Many people think that the important thing is evangelism, reach out and bring more and more people to Christ. But they're just saving them from hell.

And most evangelism is just to save people from hell, just take them to heaven. Is that all? Is that all that the Lord wants from us? No, it's a lot more than that. Jesus said, go into all the world and make disciples.

A disciple is a follower, not just one who comes to Christ to go to heaven. It's a completely wrong gospel that is only interested in saving people from hell. If you turn with me to John's gospel in chapter 10, you see what Jesus spoke of as his sheep.

And this is the definition that Jesus gave about his sheep. And all of us should examine ourselves by the definition Jesus gave. Because all of us sitting here, we can imagine we are his sheep. Okay, let's see, he's the good shepherd.

John 10, Jesus said to certain people, verse 26, you know, these are the Jews, verse 24, who were gathered around him. And verse 24, certain Jews gathered around him, John 10, 24. And he told them, you do not believe because you're not my sheep.

He told certain people, you are not my sheep. Well, how do we know that? Jesus explained it, because my sheep hear my voice, number one. And the Lord says, number two, I know them. And three, they follow me.

The sheep of Jesus are those who follow him. And those who follow him, he says, I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish. Now, today's gospel, the false gospel is, you don't have to follow Jesus.

You just believe in him. My sheep are those who believe in me, and I give eternal life to them. That's not what he said. Read carefully. He could have said that. My sheep are those who believe in me, I give them eternal life.

No, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life. What about if they don't follow me? Then he will say, verse 26, you're not my sheep. Because he did say to certain people, you are not my sheep.

And then he said, if you were my sheep, you would follow me. Then I would give you eternal life. So, among all of us who are sitting here, who are the sheep of Jesus sitting here? Now, all of us can think, yes, I am.

I hope so. But Jesus' definition is, my sheep follow me. I believe this is where Christendom has failed. Many people wonder why we have certain emphases in our church, and why we don't have certain emphases.

For example, we sing songs in our church, just like other churches. But we don't place a great importance on music. For some churches, music is a very important thing. Drums and, you know, very high quality instruments and all that.

I say, well, I never see in the New Testament any of that. I don't see Jesus going around with instruments, or his disciples going around with instruments, or the apostles going around with instruments.

They are useful in the sense, chairs are useful. You can sit on the floor. You can follow Jesus by sitting on the floor. Chairs are useful, have it. But you can't say you must have chairs in a church.

No, it's not essential. If there is, use it. So, music is like that. If you have instruments, and you have good music, use it. But it's not the main thing. Music is as essential to the church as chairs are.

You know, in the village, most of our churches in India are in the villages. They all sit on the floor. Chairs are not essential. In the first century, music was not essential. We're not against it. They would sing.

You read about Jesus also singing, but there were no instruments. So, if there are instruments, use them. Just like if you have chairs, use them. Don't sit on the floor. But when you make that a major thing, and the importance of music, then we are not following Jesus, because it was not at all important for him.

So, when you say, I want to follow Jesus exactly, do it exactly as he did it. Then, when we read the Gospels, you see what were the things that Jesus emphasized. Not in what he did, but what he preached.

Following Jesus Rather Than Religious Trends

For example, people have asked me, Brother Zak, why don't you preach a sermon on physical healing? I say, sure. I want to follow Jesus. Show me one sermon in all the Gospels, which Jesus preached on healing.

One. Show me five sentences he preached on healing. You won't find it. I say, that's why I don't do it. I follow Jesus. So, all these people are preaching about it. You have to say they are not following Jesus, because Jesus never preached it.

They get their sermons from the Old Testament. But Jesus actually healed thousands. Thousands and thousands of people were miraculously healed. Blind people, lepers, and deaf people, and even dead were raised.

So, listen to this. Jesus never preached one sermon on healing, but he healed thousands. Today, we have the opposite. Thousands of sermons on healing, and hardly anybody really healed. A lot of fake healings, like the magicians.

So, that's what I mean by, if we are not careful, we can be deceived by what is called Christianity today. I always say, compare it with Jesus. Why is the church called the body of Christ? For example, here you are meeting here.

You should be meeting as the body of Christ. Why is it called the body of Christ? There are many titles given to the church, like God's people. Israel is also called God's people. A kingdom and priests.

You know that Israel was also called a kingdom and priests? The bride of Christ. Do you know that Israel was called the bride of Jehovah? All these people, all these titles given to the church, were given to Israel, except one title, which was never given to Israel, body.

Nowhere in the Old Testament, you find Israel called a body. They were not a body. They were a congregation. A congregation is a multitude of people who are not connected with each other. 600 ,000 men in the wilderness, many women and children, 2 million people not connected with each other.

It was a congregation. And where a church has got people who are not connected with each other, it's a congregation. It's not a church. It's not a body. In a body, like my body, there's no part that's not connected to the other.

They don't all have the same function. For example, my hand is doing something else. My tongue is doing something else. Eyes and ears are doing something else. All of us may have different functions, but working together, that's a body.

In a congregation, you don't have to work together. Each is a separate individual. So why is the church called the body of Jesus Christ? Because God sent his son to earth in a body. That was the first body of Christ, the physical body of Christ.

And the church is called the body of Christ because it was supposed to continue doing what the first body of Christ did. You see that particularly in Acts of the Apostles in chapter 1. In Acts of the Apostles, now the reason I'm mentioning is because this is, you've got to apply this to yourself.

If there's a church meeting in Sharjah, this is the function of the church meeting in Sharjah. It is to be a representative of the body of Jesus Christ here. Whether you're three people or 150 people, it makes no difference.

So, you know, Luke was the one who wrote the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. And he wrote it to some Greek man called Theophilus. Luke himself was a Greek man. He's the only writer of the Bible who's not a Jew.

Job was probably the other one. But apart from Job, the only person who, all the others who wrote the Bible were Jewish people, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, except Luke. So, Luke wrote two books, the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.

So, he gives a title to his first book. He says in Acts 1 .1, the first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach. So, what is Luke's title for his Gospel? Here it is.

All that Jesus began to do and teach. Read it carefully. All that Jesus began to do and teach. He did and then he taught. He never taught what he had not done. And we should never teach what we have not done.

That is hypocrisy. If you teach what you have not done, it is hypocrisy. Jesus did and taught. So, Luke's Gospel is all that Jesus began. Think of that word, began, to do and teach. I don't want to…. All that Jesus began to do and teach.

So, think of that word, began. All that Jesus began to do and teach. So, what is the title Luke would give to the Acts of the Apostles? All that Jesus continued to do and teach. That's the title for the Acts of the Apostles.

So, Luke's Gospel is all that Jesus began to do and teach through his physical body. Acts of the Apostles is all that Jesus continued to do and teach through his spiritual body. In both cases, the body of Christ.

There, a physical body. Here, a spiritual body. That's why the Acts of the Apostles begins with the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Acts chapter 2 on the day of Pentecost. That was the beginning of the body of Jesus Christ.

You know, just like on Mary, the beginning of the physical body of Christ was when the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and a baby was born. That was the body of Jesus Christ. The physical body. The same Holy Spirit now came upon 120 people who came upon Mary there and produced the physical body.

Now comes upon 120 people on the day of Pentecost and makes them together into the spiritual body of Christ. So that Jesus can continue to do and teach what he began to do and teach through his physical body.

Now, 2000 years have gone by and we claim to be the followers of that original 120. I hope so. That's what all Christians claim. If so, we need to experience the Holy Spirit coming upon us, not to make us speak in tongues primarily, but to make us one body.

See, the first, tongues is a good gift, I'm not against it, but the first body of Christ, which is the physical body of Christ, never spoke in tongues. You know, Jesus never spoke in tongues, so it can't be that important.

But he did and taught what God wanted him to do. So this body now has got the Holy Spirit coming upon them, making them one. I pictured it like 120 pieces of iron that were put into a furnace and came out as one piece.

120 small pieces of iron put into a burning furnace and came out as one piece, one body. That's what happened on the day of Pentecost. People were completely different from each other, began to accept one another and work together.

The Church as the Continuing Body of Christ

And what was their aim? To, you know, like Jesus said, when Philip once came to Jesus in John 14 and said, show us the Father, that's enough for us. And Jesus said, you don't need to see the Father. The Father is in heaven, he's invisible.

If you have seen me, you've seen the Father. Do you know that verse? You should know it. John 14. John 14, verse 8. Philip said, Lord, show us the Father and it's enough for us. And Jesus said, what do you mean?

If you have seen me, the last part of verse 9, you've seen the Father. The Father is invisible in heaven. But Jesus said, you can see me, right? If you have seen me, you've seen the Father. What he meant was not his face.

He wasn't saying the Father looks like him because the Father doesn't have a body. What he meant was, you've seen what I do. You saw me just now washing your feet. That's the Father. You saw me having compassion on the poor and the weak.

That's the Father. You saw me chasing out the people who make money in the name of religion. That's the Father. If you've seen me, the way I conduct myself, that is the Father. Not physical appearance.

What Jesus did, what he preached, that was showing the world the Father. So what did the physical body of Jesus do? Manifest the Father. Then Jesus told his disciples in John 20 and verse 21, after the resurrection.

He said, as the Father sent me, I send you. Why did the Father send Jesus? Now there are many reasons, but we can think of what we just saw. He who has seen me has seen the Father. So we read here, this is what Jesus came.

Why did the Father send him? So that people could see what the Father was like. The Father is invisible. Jesus came on earth so that people could see what God was like. Now he says, exactly like the Father sent me, I'm sending you.

I hope everybody here who claims to be a born-again Christian. I hope you hear that word of Jesus to you. As the Father sent me, so I send you. So what are we supposed to do as a church? We're supposed to say to the world, if you've seen us, you've seen Jesus.

You see the challenge? Jesus said, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. As the Father sent me, I send you. So we have to say, if you've seen us, you've seen Jesus. That is the standard to which he calls us.

We're not called just to preach messages and tell people how to go to heaven. No, the reason for the shallow, pathetic state of Christianity today is because they haven't seen our calling. They think it's just to save people to go to heaven.

No, it is to be able to say to people, if you've seen us, you've seen Jesus. The way we live and the way we relate to one another. Jesus said, all men will know you're my disciples when you love one another.

So that is why it's so important for each of us individually to follow Jesus. By the way, we prove we are his sheep. And then when we relate properly to one another, we can say, if you've seen us, you've seen Jesus.

But can you tell me, I'm not asking if you've seen a church which is perfect like that. We are also not perfect. What I'm asking is, have you heard of a church which is even teaching that? Emphasizing that.

Have you heard of a church emphasizing that? I mean, I've been a Christian 56 years. I've never heard a church emphasizing that. No church is perfect, not even ours. But if we emphasize this truth, which God has called us to, at least we'll come close to it.

If you know the direction we're supposed to run, as we run, we'll get closer to it, even if we don't reach there. But if you don't know the direction you're supposed to run, you'll never get near the goal.

So it's very important to see what we're called for. All that Jesus continued to do and teach through you and me. My sheep hear my voice and they follow me. That means they look at my example and follow me.

Following Jesus in Daily Life

See Hebrews in chapter 12. The whole New Testament emphasizes this, not just one or two verses. Hebrews 12. It says, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every sin. And last part of verse 1, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, we can say who ran the race in front of us, the forerunner who endured the cross and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. So we are to look at Jesus and follow that example.

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the way he ran this race, that's the way we are to do it. Now, Jesus very often used to say when he was on earth, follow me. Once he told people, follow me, I'll make you fishers of men.

Follow me, follow me, follow me. He very rarely said, believe in me. You read the gospel sometimes, try and find a place where Jesus said to people, believe in me, maybe once or twice, but follow me so frequently.

Whereas today the emphasis has been shifted to believe in me. And that belief also we think is just an intellectual belief that Jesus died for me. That's why our Christian life is so shallow. Because that's not what Jesus said.

He said, follow me. He was always placing the emphasis on following. Not intellectually believing in him like most Christians do. So I want to ask if all of you, my brothers and sisters, are serious about following Jesus in your life.

In every situation to seek to follow him. Please turn with me to 1 Peter and chapter... Yeah, it's okay. 1 Peter and chapter... 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter and chapter 2, verse 21. For you have been called for this purpose.

Now read this carefully. You have been called for this purpose. Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in his steps. Who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth.

I don't know many Christians even take these verses seriously. My brothers, sisters, you ask yourself, have you taken these words seriously? You have been called for this purpose. Most people say to go to heaven.

No, you have not been called for this purpose to go to heaven. You have been called for this purpose to follow Jesus Christ's example, to follow in his steps. Who committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth.

If you take that seriously, you will really long to be free from sin and to have no lie in your mouth ever. Because it's a result of following in his steps. You see his steps and you walk in them. Very few Christians take this seriously.

That's why I don't believe there is sheep. Jesus turns around to a lot of people and says, you're not my sheep, you're not following in my steps. The way to life is very narrow and very few find it. And that's what we preach.

The way to life is narrow. Even among the hundreds of people Jesus preached to, very few found that way. And I find even in our churches, so many people come and join the church and listen to it. Very few have found the way of following in his steps.

Following Christ’s Life Rather Than His Miraculous Ministry

So when Jesus said, follow me, what did he mean? There are two things in Jesus, his life and his ministry. His life he had for 33 and a half years. The same godly, humble, pure, loving life. His ministry he had only for three and a half years.

After he was anointed with the Holy Spirit. So was he telling us to follow him in his ministry or in his life? Everybody has to follow. My sheep hear my voice and they follow me. We have to be honest.

If Jesus was saying that every one of his sheep must follow him in his ministry, then all of us, not some of us, all of us must walk on the water. All of us must be able to feed 5 ,000 people with five loaves of bread.

All of us must be able to open blind eyes and heal the sick and raise the dead. That's his ministry. Is anybody here doing it? Zero. So does it mean we are not following in his steps? He never told us to follow in the steps of his ministry.

He told us to follow in the steps in his life. This is where the entire Christian world has gone astray. They say, how shall we follow Jesus? We got to heal the sick. Not one or two people. Every one of his sheep must follow in his steps.

So if you preach that in a church, we don't preach it. But a lot of churches preach it. Then they must preach that every single person here must follow in Jesus' steps and open blind eyes and walk on the water and feed 5 ,000 with five loaves.

They are dishonest. They pick out certain things and follow that. Let me tell you, my brothers and sisters. We can take an example from Paul. Paul said in 1 Corinthians in chapter 11, follow me as I follow Christ or be imitators of me just as I am of Christ.

In what way did Paul say? This is the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul. 1 Corinthians 11 verse 1. Be imitators or followers of me as I am of Christ. How are you and I supposed to follow Paul? Forget about Christ now.

Just Paul. Paul is at a lower level. He says, I am following Christ. You follow me. You know, there are two people in the New Testament who said, follow me. Jesus and Paul. Paul said here, follow me. So, how am I supposed to follow Paul?

How are you supposed to follow Paul? Paul raised the dead. Paul healed the sick. Paul planted churches. Paul wrote scripture. Are all of you supposed to do all that? No. Paul was talking about his life.

You must distinguish between life and ministry. He says in the next chapter, 1 Corinthians 12, he says, all don't have the same gift. There are many members, verse 12, 20, but one body, one is the eye, one is the head.

So, he says, you can't be like me in my ministry. No. But the eye and the ear and the hand may have different ministries, but they have the same life. So, when you read 1 Corinthians 11 and 1 Corinthians 12 together, you see that he's not talking about ministry.

He's talking about life. So, we are supposed to follow Jesus and Paul in the way they lived. Not in their ministry. Not that all of us have to become apostles or all of us have to raise the dead. That's never happened in any church.

But we are all supposed to follow Jesus and Paul in the way they live by the principles by which they live. That's what it means to follow Jesus. For example, when people harmed Jesus physically, spat on him, slapped him, he forgave them.

Forgiveness, Courage, and Trust in God

What does it mean to follow Jesus? If anybody in the world hurts you, you have to forgive him. First, learn to forgive your wife and your husband before we reach out to other people. You remember Jesus said you must first be a witness in Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, then the outermost parts of the earth.

Very easy to be a witness in the outermost parts of the earth and not be a witness in your own home. When you are hurt by the words or actions of your wife or your husband, you must do what Jesus did, forgive.

That is what it means to follow Jesus. If you are not doing that, just coming to church and boasting that I believe belong to a good church is absolute nonsense. You're fooling yourself. One day when Christ comes back and you stand before him, you'll get the surprise of your life when you discover that he says, I don't know you.

Lord, but I sat in CFC. He says, so what? I don't know you. You didn't follow me. You're not going to get any marks for belonging to a CFC church. You have the opportunity here to hear perhaps the strongest truth being preached, but that doesn't make you a part of his body.

That you have to individually follow him in your daily life. That's your choice. It means that when people call you, they call Jesus prince of devils, bilgeable. You know what he said? You spoke a word against me, it's forgiven.

And that's what I have to say too. If somebody speaks something evil about me, forgiven. You heard that so-and-so somewhere spoke evil against you. Oh, forgiven. That is what it means to follow Jesus.

It means to have the same attitude Jesus had towards those who hurt him. It's to have the same fearless attitude towards people who try to harm you. You know, Pilate once turned to Jesus and said to him in John chapter 19, when Jesus was standing before Pilate, Pilate tried to threaten him, you know, like the way, maybe you have experienced some human being trying to threaten you.

Maybe your boss or your landlord or brother-in-law or anybody trying to threaten you, frighten you. Pilate tried to frighten Jesus saying, John 19 verse 10, Pilate said to Jesus, you don't speak to me.

Don't you know that I have power, authority to release you or crucify you. How would you react if somebody threatened you like that in a court? A judge looks down on you and says, don't you know that I have a power to hang you tomorrow or release you?

Jesus was not bothered. You know what he said? You have no authority over me unless my father gave it to you from above. Do you know that that's what you're supposed to say when somebody threatens you?

Sorry, you can try that with other people, but not with me. I'm a servant of Almighty God. You have no power over me except what my father gives you. If he doesn't give you power, you can't. Maybe he allowed you to harm me.

They allowed him. Father allowed people to kill Jesus and the father may allow people to kill me. That's okay. But they don't have any power over me except what the father gives them. And if the father does not permit them to kill me, I will not be killed.

Even if a hundred people gang up against me. You read that in the beginning of Jesus' ministry, how people did try to kill him in Luke chapter 4. So many people. They took him out of the synagogue and they wanted to throw him down the cliff.

But they didn't succeed because father didn't give them that power. So this is what it means to follow Jesus, to be fearless. The Bible says, cursed are those who lean upon the arm of flesh. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.

Now, most Christians, when they are in difficulty, they lean upon the arm of flesh. They look around saying, which man can help me now? That's the mark of the children of Adam. The child of God looks up and says, God, you're going to help me here.

You may use men, but I won't trust in men. God uses men to help us. But we don't trust in them. We trust in God. And the other thing I find is in Jesus' attitude to money especially. What should be our attitude as a church towards money?

Serving God Rather Than Money

That's very, very important. Because in Luke 16, in Luke 16 and verse 13, Luke 16, 13. This is a very, very important verse for all who want to follow Jesus. No servant can serve two masters. So now you test this out sometime.

You go and ask any Christian, not those who have heard me in CFC, but outside. Ask any Christian in any denomination, who are the two masters in the world? I guarantee that every one of those Christians will tell you God and Satan.

But that's not what Jesus said. Jesus said the two masters are not God and Satan. Jesus said the two masters are God and money. Money means property, wealth, everything. You see there, no servant can serve two masters.

He will hate one and love the other, hold on to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Mammon is another word for money, property, real estate, shares or whatever it is. Your earthly wealth is called mammon.

He says you got a choice, serve God or serve for earthly wealth and money. And we know that Jesus never served for money. He never promised a salary to any of his apostles. Where did this salary system come in Christendom?

Where a pastor gets a salary. That's Babylon. In Babylon they pay salaries. It's old covenant. In the old covenant, Israel was like a government with God as the head of the government. And you know, in most governments, not in Dubai, but in other governments, they had to pay income tax.

Because it is only with income tax in India, for example, that you can pay the government servants. The income tax is collected from all the people and that is how the government runs itself in all countries in the world.

Most countries anyway. They pay the government servants. Israel was exactly like that. All the people in Israel had to bring 10 percent, not their money. They had no money those days. They were not working in offices and factories and all like us.

They were all farmers and shepherds. So they would bring 10 percent of their grain, 10 percent of their cattle, sheep, etc. and give it to the Levites who were the government servants in Israel. That was their income tax.

Taith, which they call Taith, is actually income tax. God gave a standard income tax in the Old Testament. Called 10 percent. You must pay income tax to pay the government servants who are the Levites, who are taking care of the temple work.

They were not allowed to have property. They were not allowed to do any other work. Every one of them had to do temple work. The income tax paid their salary. That's Old Testament. Today, who are the priests?

Everybody is a priest. Do you know that you are a priest if you are born again? He has made us kings and priests. There's no such thing as income tax today. Why? Because God is not our master today. He's a father.

Does a father collect income tax from his children? No. A master, a king can collect income tax. So all this Old Testament has been brought into the New Testament by covetous pastors. If you follow Jesus, you find certain things about him in relation to money.

Never once in his life did he ever ask people to give money. Never, never, never. Never once in his life did he pass an offering bag around saying, I have preached people now, please put money into the offering bag.

Where do you see that? Even once. But today's Christendom, 99 .9 of churches today do it. Where did they learn it from? Not from Jesus. Paul did not pass a bag around after he preached, not even after he healed.

Never. Where did they learn it from? Not from Jesus, not from Paul. Where have all these habits come from? From a corruption of true Christianity. Now some of the corruption in true Christianity, you've already got light on and given up.

For example, many of you were baptized as little children. Why did you take baptism again? I was baptized when I was a baby. It wasn't really baptism, a christening because I grew up in an orthodox church.

And my father took me to the priest and they gave me the name Zachariah and sprinkled some water and said, okay, he's a Christian. I rejected it when I was 21 years old. Many of you rejected it. Why? Why did you reject it?

It was some Christian priest who sprinkled water on your head. Because you saw that is not taught in the New Testament. Where is it taught that we must pass a bag around in the New Testament? Why is it we have rejected one practice but accept another?

We are willing to take water baptism, but we are not willing to reject the offering bag. That is the tragedy because they love money. Jesus did not. I remember now, you know, we have practiced what Jesus, the way Jesus did it for 40 years in cities among fairly rich people and in the poorest villages in India.