Nothingness - the Place of Humility — K.P. Yohannan

Hey, good to see you Wow, have a good evening. Nice to have you tonight and As Dave Carroll said I also want to say welcome to all the friends of the sermon index one incredible Ministry the Lord raised up Greg.

Where are you? Would you stand for me? I know he's too shy But I when I saw him I said camera focus on him. I told him he'd look he looked very holy insanely Great blessings on you. Thanks. You know, of course, you know the Lord used him to launch Think along with the who or else he embraced us his friends the sermon index I Call it an incredible journey That he undertook To touch the world, especially the people of God With things that really matters and I think he was in India For a few days and there met with him and I told my staff here Seldom do I run into someone that is so authentic and genuine in their faith and their lifestyle the two things are not easily mixed and So we had lunch here today and I talking to him.

You know, I I said, you know, the good thing about you is that you Live Quite humble, but please know that the whole world know you Do pray for the ministry of sermon index, you know the early days of my life when I joined operation mobilization 1966 toward the end of that year George were were Had huge impact on my life, but then what he did he introduced?

Alan Rattpath and AW tosser and Significant numbers of God's people I will never ever meet in my life personally but he said you better listen to them read their books and My formative years of my life growing in the Lord all these great men of God had huge impact and Share in my growing up spiritually, so I know what they are doing is very very significant and This afternoon we were talking about Roy Hurston.

I mean When I went out to serve the Lord when I was barely 17 two books that was given to me one was true discipleship by William Macdonald and Calvary Road by Roy Hurston and I carried those two books with me.

All these years of my life and of course, you know, we were talking about what an impact Roy Hurston had on the lives of people and on that Calvary Road book is in 80 languages and Continued to make huge impact and again in that book.

It talks about true revival. Now those of you who are new to us tonight As David Carroll mentioned I will tell this to you 30 to 30 40 years ago Gospel for Asia the movement that we are part of actually started with a Tuesday night prayer meeting.

My wife Gisela shared some stories tonight. And when the Lord called us, I was passing a church in Dallas and When he said I Want you to walk away from all these things to give you a life on the behalf of a world That never heard my name.

We didn't know what to do except start praying. So we have what he called a holy tradition. Good tradition. So Tuesday nights we around the world wherever our people are. Thousands of people are gathering for prayer from 7 to 9 then first Friday of the month.

We meet all night here for prayer and around the world and if you have nothing else to do Which you may walk away from a bunch of things join us by streaming also and Those of you that join us while streaming.

Thank you for being part of us and I encourage you to think about November 5th, that is this next month coming up. You will be able to tune in and be part of the all-night prayer meeting again. You don't know how to stay all night long, but you can be here for two hours with us and that'll be a huge encouragement.

Moses’ Call and the Place of Nothingness

All right. Next 10 minutes or 15 minutes or so. Would you turn your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 3 in some ways? This a preparation for our evening of prayer. The Exodus chapter 3 verse 11. And I'm sure you are quite familiar with the story of Moses and all the other you know details that goes with it, but in this particular verse We read like this.

Moses’ Inadequacy Before Pharaoh

But Moses said to God who am I? That I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Just simple question who? I and of course, you know the the beginning of book of Exodus is that Moses saw his call and Wanted to help his people and he killed One of those Egyptians and then he gets in trouble he runs for his life and 40 years In the wilderness taking care of dumb sheep and Finally God shows up in the burning bush and the Lord says take off your shoes your sandals Your brook and stock whatever you're wearing.

And then God speaks to him and then of course he tells him this significant statement if you are looking at chapter 3. Verse 7 then the Lord said I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers and I am Concerned about their suffering.

So I have come down the creator of the universe the Almighty God says I Have come down but then he turns around and says in verse 10 so now Go, I'm sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people of Israelites out of Egypt.

God’s Work Through Human Instruments

If God Is coming down why he need Moses? Interesting thing, isn't it? Reading in some of the writings of A .W. Chaucer. He said the statement every Christian should be looking to the Lord for something to do in the kingdom of God and Everyone ought to be asking God to honor him or her with a job too Big for him.

This afternoon was quite an interesting time for me. I'm good in telling my problems. I think my people know about it. If you don't know me. Welcome to this class. I Sent two significant letters out to two of my friends that love us and know us in the ministry and So after I signed the letters and it supposed to go by federal experts and I talked to my secretary and said Did that go?

She said yeah. The question then she asked the question you don't know the whole background. I'm gonna tell you either What happened between the time of my signing the letters to go and My asking the question.

I was flooded with doubts and confusion. I Was sitting in my chair saying is this the right thing to do? I don't know but I prayed for several weeks and I Sensed that the Lord was in it and I said, oh man, I don't know.

I don't know then I Had to remind me again. It is not by might not by power not by the letter. Not by the telephone calls I make it is not what I can make things happen. I just don't know what to do. I'm lost and helpless and it has to be God.

And I'm so glad she said it's already gone. Because I was so tempted to say maybe you should hold it. You know, I was trembling on the inside now someday you may find out the magnitude of this Decision that we are dealing with but I just want to tell you that 43 years of serving the Lord I've seen so much of miracles and believe I can write a book with thousand pages of things.

I have seen God he has done but Of all these years I this afternoon stood trembling in my room scared to death. Saying that I just don't know and I think in serving God my brothers and sisters When we can interpret the ways of God and what he asked us to do for our personal life victory over sin struggles depression anxiety worry and care about the future of finances or our children or Ministry, whatever the Lord calls us to if we can interpret all those things with the limit of our framework.

Moses’ Brokenness and the End of Self-Sufficiency

Again I remind myself it will remain my work not his work when God Had impressed upon Moses heart that he was the one to deliver the people if he had the mindset that he had after 40 years of this being alone and Broken and emptied to the place, you know in book of Acts we read Moses about him.

He was brilliant orator well trained. But he came to the place and said Lord. I cannot even talk. Please find someone else to do the job 40 years prior to that. He was all able and Skilled and all the talents and all the money and all the circumstances he can make it happen but then Lord said, you know, I Have to let the people suffer for nearly under 40 years because you are not ready.

You have to go. It is one thing to take care of dumb sheep. They go astray all the time, but then take care of your father-in-law's sheep that is Not very good situation. But finally he came to the place said Lord.

I cannot talk. I don't have the ability. And then the scripture says if you read that God got mad at him and said, okay Aaron will go with you so Here we understand. After 40 years of this brokenness and being emptied of his self-sufficiency.

If Moses said God I just couldn't wait for you to talk to me about it. I'm ready. I Think it'll take another 40 years. But the response is I Just can't do it. I can't talk. I'm scared to death and brothers and sisters.

Nothingness as the Ground of Revival

You know these few days here. Our people are here for talking about Revival and and all these different, you know. Very wholesome aspirations that we have for our life and the church and whatever is going on.

But I think on an individual basis as individuals and families. I think the Lord's work continues in the same way in that is he seeks to bring us to the place of Nothingness so he can be everything. Why he didn't choose Saul the man he handpicked he was a giant himself.

You know, I usually call Nathan our giant here among our staff. Today when I saw Greg I said Nathan you are the midget. But then Why didn't God pick the brothers of David who were tall and strong and able well-trained?

The clue I guess is this when the giant said David you little rascal. That's my interpretation. You come to me to fight with me. I'm gonna just tear you apart and cut you into pieces and give it to birds.

He said yeah, I know. You come to me with all your might but I come to you with nothing in myself. I Come to you in the name of the Lord. Why God picked Gideon? Of all the people. Among the people of God, I mean they they were desperate crying out God save us and then he goes and pick Gideon the guy who's hiding himself and when the angel appears it me.

Maybe you're talking about somebody else. I'm not strong. I'm not able I'm scared to the country. See what I'm doing hiding away. And then of course, you know, he got 320 ,000 people coming out to fight with him.

Big army and the Lord said it's not going to work. When it's all done they will say it is by our might our prayer our fasting our strength our learning the scriptures our theology our Radical views and being extreme on the right in the political views.

We made it happen. That's not work. Then he find 300 people less than 1 Facing a Himalaya size crisis and I think Tonight as often we as a people of God a community I call Gospel of Asia our people we are the community of Christ and we gather for prayer and the reason we do that is One to declare to the Lord that we can't Make it our own.

Depending on God for Our Children and Families

We can't. You know their parents because you know, my wife and I raised two children Danny and Sarah and of course, you know, they grew up they ran off from us Got married and they have children three little critters call them the cute little kids.

You should see them. Somebody asked me so now your grandfather what do you think about them? I said, I don't feel nothing but that's not true. I Look at their pictures. And look at this Creatures, but you know Those of you who are here parents and grandparents and those of you are watching One of the crisis we all deal with he said what on earth are you going to raise our children in godly ways?

You can have homeschooling you can have the best of books about how to raise your children. How to be a good wife how to be a good husband, you know, please understand me I've been in Western culture for more than 30 years.

So I'm not naive But I'm telling with all the teachers going on all the how-to-do things. You will fail Miserably until you as a dad and mom you come to the place in the middle of the night. You fall on your face and say God I am totally helpless.

Please. Oh God You are the one Who can raise these children? And you don't engage in the flesh and the indoctrination of the Western theology and the psychology and you walk away into the deep nights of waiting weeping and Praying and seeking God and the children when they grow up They will say Somewhere somewhere in the world.

It was not the theology and the homeschooling and the discipline That made us what we are. But the gentle humble broken walk that we witnessed in my dad in my mom and I say this to you. We are living in a culture where we are constantly Bombarded to take sides of this political party that party this theology this new teaching this that listen.

Paul’s Earthen Vessels and Prayerful Dependence

Anyone who come to know God they'll come to the place with nothingness and emptiness and That is where God begins to work. So Paul said We have this pressure in Earthen vessels so that when all is said and done Nobody will say Wow He did it.

She did it. So for me As we go to the Lord and pray tonight with the prayer request and different things that we share tonight as we usually do under reminder One that I cannot make it happen. Whatever I'm dealing with There's nothing in me That can make it happen and God will make sure in eternity.

Closing Prayer for God’s Grace and Guidance

Nothing on the flesh or what I do will remain second Reminds me that my dependence is on the Lord and he's the one to do it and he's able and he waits. Let's pray Lord. Thank you for this evening the joy of gathering like this us your sons and daughters.

What an incredible joy Oh Lord To know that we belong to you and tonight. I pray that you Lead us and guide us in this time of prayer and may our hearts be drawn close to your Lord and That the things we say in prayer Lord will be because of your burden your concern and our recognition.

That you you alone Oh Lord Will do all the work and we are only channels. Thank you for your grace. Bless your people those who are here and those are watching us so far away from us May your grace abound.

Thank you Father we say this to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ Amen.