The Sun Is Setting - Part 1 — K.P. Yohannan

Welcome to Road to Reality. Today we're delighted to share a message Brother K .P. O 'Hannon delivered at a recent pastors conference, but as you'll hear it has great relevance whether you're in church leadership or not.

K .P. believes the Lord spoke to his heart that the sun is setting. There are just a few days left, so it's important to get to know the Lord. Consider what you'll do with the few days that you have left as K .P. delivers this stirring.

The Lord’s Specific Plan for the Gathering

Message called, The Sun is Setting. If you will listen close, I want to basically just share with you and talk to you as a brother in this pilgrimage serving Christ. You may not be a pastor or a senior pastor, doesn't matter, but based on Acts 17, I am convinced you're being here tonight the Lord knew before the Lord began and my getting here and the Lord has definitely a specific plan for our being together this evening.

Seeking a New Word from the Lord

When I turned 50, I know I look 30 but I'm a little older than you think, that was 12 years ago. I decided that day I will try to be with the Lord and talk to him and my ambition honestly my hope was now I'm 50 and there has to be something new the Lord will want to share with me.

Usually about once in 10 years something you know interesting and new I learned from the Lord for the future and so being totally involved and deeply committed, traveling non-stop, teaching, speaking, missions, writing books, I'm desperately passionate about reaching the lost world for Christ.

Some two billion people need to hear the gospel and you know that's all my life about so naturally I was looking for some new understanding, some new plan the Lord will have for our work. Plus you know what he wanted to tell me.

A Personal Encounter on the Evening Walk

Now let me say this to help you understand the background, I am NOT a spooky person looking for science and wonders and neon lights, dreams, any of those things. I'm just normal in-and-out hamburger, just a normal guy.

So I read my Bible every day and the Lord speak to my heart and dine to self and I obey the best I know. But something strange happened that day. It was quite late into the evening, afternoon and did I dream?

Did I doze off? What was it? I don't know but it was a strange feeling that he asked me to walk with him. I could see him but I couldn't see him. I could hear him but I didn't hear him with my ears. And I said Lord where are we going?

He said just come and follow me. And we walked and there was an incredibly beautiful grass field. It's kind of a slopping such like hilly area. Everything was so absolutely amazingly beautiful and we got to the plateau, the top of it and he said look and what do you see?

It's strange. It was like a flashback and I was a young boy 14 kilometers from my home where I was born and raised. We have the ocean so we watched the sunset and here I was looking almost exactly the same thing.

The Sunset’s Message: Get to Know the Lord

The sun was setting and I said Lord the sun is setting. The next thing I heard son a few more days left get to know me and he left me kind of in a daze and shock. I must say I didn't have very many regrets in my life.

You know I came to know Jesus when I was eight years old. My mother led me to the Lord and I was called to serve him and I finished my high school and so I didn't go around doing dumb things you know to say oh my goodness this and no but that again reminded me God was not terribly worried about my performance or great works I do and if you know me enough you know you know in my entire life I think because of you know Gail Irwin and the board members insisted I think we took one vacation I think he said he's gonna kill me if I didn't do that so not that I'm against vacation because this is our life is consumed with following the Lord but then I didn't do these things as a worker for God.

Now if I have the freedom from the Lord I will tell you more about my personal life and I don't have the freedom but so for the Lord to tell me the sun is setting a few more days son get to know me I was looking for him to tell me I have such a huge plan for your life and for the ministry and nations I'm gonna give you the harvest is gonna take place and and I'm with you and all these things I wanted to hear but none of those things and to my brothers and sisters our fellowship with God detriments the quality of our life and our work.

The Quality of Works Tested by Fire

You read in Corinthians which we preach about a day is coming everything about our life the works is going to be tested by fire not for the quantity but for the quality of it and God wants to be the most important person in our life and Jesus very clearly said that unless he loved me more than father, mother, son, daughter and I wish he just ended there he said no even more than your own very life you cannot be my disciple.

Living Water and the Source of Spiritual Life

Those who believe in me those who allow me to embrace them and be embraced by them the divine embrace he said out of their belly the innermost being reverse of living water will flow. The question is not about living water the source of it where this is coming from.

The Danger of Humanly Planted Religion

Every plant which my father has not planned will be plucked out. It is not the plant is good or bad that is not the question who planted it and this I say to you because as I told you in the introduction all these some 40 years of serving Christ how much have I witnessed especially the work of God.

When Brilliant Ministry Leaders Abandon Faith

Just the other day I got an email that really made me sad when I was in Punjab northwest of India coordinating the work of God I had the responsibility and leadership and talking about the year 1970 to 73 years several teams people from different countries under my leadership and my associate my assistant was this person from England and he actually has a PhD from Oxford University and I remember his brilliance while teaching Bible the guy was absolutely smart and as a matter of fact you know we will have 60 -70 people in our teams and he would teach the Bible he actually takes the Greek New Testament not English and he simply would read from the Greek New Testament translating in literal English and his ability to communicate I mean he could teach for two hours and you think it's two minutes.

Just I heard he's a professor in England and he became an agnostic. I heard about it five years ago but I was surprised to get the communication but you see these kind of things should not frighten us and we are often worried about the amount of work we do.

Fulfilling the Call of God Personally

I mean I know this conference the the theme is let's go and possess the land you know let us go up at once and take possession you know the statement Caleb made. My angle tonight is talk about the life of someone who actually will fulfill the call of God.

It's very personal quite subjective and this is because in my own journey I'm learning it that's reason I'm not trying to talk down on you or make you feel less spiritual anything like that but you see God would destroy the whole earth to save one family especially America a country with our basic mindset is you know we are pragmatic we don't tell me you can't do it we can do it.

It's a wonderful quality. By the way I'm not against that in England you want to change something. You wait 20 years but here we change in 20 seconds and I it's a wonderful quality but in God's economy it don't work like that.

Recovering Reverence in Christian Gatherings

This is a very sobering if you listen to me close and tell you much of our church services and our gathering it is not about him unto him. Shall the gathering of the people be someone came to Dallas a few years ago and start a church the next Sunday at 5 ,000 people in this congregation now I know for sure if he's not there teaching Sunday 40 of the people will not be there.

So who are we gathering to worship brilliant music that entertains us or is it God who is a consuming fire that dwells in like that no man can approach. Where is the reverence. Where is the fear. Grace of God was preached to people who knew the fear of God.

But today we preach the grace of God to people who actually think God is a little friend in our pocket. We dictate to him. Why. Because we have not come to know him the way God is. We are given a gospel that makes our life good and better.

God as the Audience of Worship

Help worship is not following him. It's not about us. God is the audience not us. And this I say to you because somehow we need to come to the place myself and you and all of us individuals your housewife or pastor or preacher teacher whatever.

Becoming Part of the Mighty Minority

We somehow need to come to the place recognize that God is looking for a mighty minority. You know that you and I preach about Gideon story to Noah and you know Paul and all that. And that's reason why we need to learn the greatest need as Jesus said one thing you lack to Martha he said that is translating simple language to.

Know me you're listening to the road to reality with brother KP Ohannon. Before we leave you we'd like to tell you about an excellent resource by KP called that they all may be one. In this easy to read booklet KP shares past struggles and offers real-time examples of how to maintain unity.

Jesus prayed that his church would be one and this will serve to help us in that direction. You can order that online at road to reality .org that's road to reality .org. And please remember us in your prayers and as the Lord leads.

We would appreciate your support as we continue to help people seek a deeper walk with Christ and reach out to the lost world. Let me also give you our toll-free number 1 -866-WIN-ASIA. That's 1 -866-WIN-ASIA.

KP Ohannon has been crisscrossing the globe for the last 40 years challenging the body of Christ discipleship and encouraging listeners to reach the unreached with the love of Christ. This has been the road to reality.