Question and Answer — Stephen Kaung

Brothers and sisters, this is a question and answer time. But as usual, I would like to say something before we have this time. Why? Because the answer to all our spiritual problems is the Lord. But we can only help by the sight and try to remove some hindrances by the one who really solves our problem.

I believe, brothers and sisters, we all know only the Lord himself can do that. So I hope that you do not expect answers. You just probably expect some help that will remove some of the hindrances. But we need to seek the Lord ourselves and get the right answer from him.

So this is the explanation we have to give before we have the question and answer time. I have received three questions. The first question is, will the rewards that the overcomers receive from our Lord's judgment seat carry on into eternity?

Rewards for Faithfulness in the Kingdom Age

Or are these rewards only for the kingdom age of a thousand years? I think probably the one who asked this question hoped that the rewards to be had in the kingdom age will continue on to eternity. But unfortunately, unfortunately, this is not the case.

In other words, God's eternal purpose, as we find in Romans chapter 8, whom he has called, he has given grace. So God's purpose is everyone who has been called, whether you are faithful. Therefore, if you are faithful, you will be rewarded with a thousand years' rule during the kingdom age.

But if you are not faithful, you will miss the reward during the kingdom age. Now some people may think, if eventually everyone will be in eternity as kings ruling with Christ, so what bother? Maybe you are thinking of enjoying the two worlds, not only the spiritual world, but also the physical world.

Now if you think you are wise in such decisions, then you are cheated. Why? Because how long can you live in this world? Maybe a hundred years old, but even with a hundred years old, how much can you enjoy the things of the world?

But millennium is a thousand years. So brothers and sisters, not that we are looking for reward. I hope that the idea of reward is not primary, but secondary. What we really desire is to please the Lord, is to complete the eternal will of God.

So brothers and sisters, if we are faithful today, we will be rewarded during the millennium age. The Bible tells us, we will rule and reign with Him. Some will rule five cities, some will rule ten cities.

But we will all rule for God, not for ourselves. Because if we are faithful today, the Lord is able to entrust us with the rule that He will have over the thousand years. So dear brothers and sisters, we need to think of the eternal purpose of God.

The eternal purpose of God is that we all will be conformed to the image of God's Son. Once He has called you, He will never leave you. He will continue to work in you until you are conformed to the image of Christ.

If that process is delayed because of our carelessness, we think we are going to enjoy the two worlds. But the Lord knows better. So dear brothers and sisters, think. All we can enjoy in this life is very limited.

We are limited in time, limited in environment. How much can you really enjoy the world? Because the world is passing, and the things of the world will all pass away. They are not eternal. So it is wise for us to be faithful to the Lord in this age.

In the time when we are still on this earth. But thank God, if we are faithful in this short period, the Lord will reward us with a thousand years of rule for Him. Because He knows who is fit to rule with Him.

And this is to be proved by the life that we are in this age. So even though the reward would only be a thousand years, but it is a tremendous reward. Thank God, His eternal purpose is everyone whom He has called will eventually be conformed to His own image.

Now what a promise. Every one of us who has been called, the end result will be in eternity. We will all be like Him. And because of that, we will all rule with Him as kings. So brothers and sisters, even though the thousand years reward is not for all.

And yet, according to God's grace and purpose, in eternity, all who have been called will rule with Him. Because if you turn to Revelation, in Revelation chapter 22, if you read from verse 3. And no curse shall be anymore.

And the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it. And His servants shall serve Him. And they shall see His face. And His name is on their foreheads. And night shall not be anymore. And no need of a lamp.

The light of the sun shall shine upon them. For the Lord God shall shine upon them. And they shall reign to the ages of ages. So that is the wonderful promise of God. And then I have another question.

The Church’s Calling to Overcome

Revelation chapter 12 verse 4. The dragon ignores the woman. Only wait for the child who is the overcomer. If the woman represents the church, does that mean the church will fail at the end time? Now we know that according to the will of God, His church is to be an overcomer church.

Why? Because He is the overcomer. So, so far as God is concerned, He does not expect the church to be overcome. His expectation is that the church may be overcoming just as He has overcome. So what is that by which we overcome?

In 1 John chapter 5 says, it is our faith. So brothers and sisters, this matter of the overcomers, actually in the heart of God, He wants every one of us to overcome. And He has made every provision for us to overcome.

So if we do not overcome, or being overcome, we cannot blame God. We ourselves are to be blamed. Why? Because we do not appropriate the grace that He has already provided for us. So as we think of what God has provided, I think we touch a little bit on it.

He has not only given us a new spirit. Christ is the life of our spirit. He gave us the indwell Holy Spirit to see to it that the life of Christ will grow into maturity. So you find that God has made every provision for us to overcome.

And if we do not, it is because we do not appropriate what the Lord has provided for us. So that doesn't mean that God predestinates the church to fail. It only means that the church has failed to appropriate the grace, the mercy, the provision that God has provided for her.

So we cannot say that it is God's eternal destination that the church is to be failed in the last days. That is not so. Even though God foreknown everything. But that doesn't mean that because He foreknown it, therefore He predestinated it.

From the scripture you find He predestinated that the church will be and overcome a church. But if the church fails, you cannot blame God. You have to blame yourself. So the answer is, it is not God's predestination that the church will fail at the last time.

It is only known by His foreknowledge. And we have to bear the responsibility. Now the third question. You exalted us in your message to overcome in whatever circumstances we feel involved in. Could you please elaborate on what overcomer may look like in an assembly?

Well it seems we are just going through the motion. Routine and still. The desire is to be submissive. But there is a longing for the Lord to have so much more. Prayer is probably the key. But is there someone, someone can do?

The Marks of an Overcomer in the Assembly

What is the look of an overcomer? Now in Revelation chapter 12 verse 11. We are told, who are the overcomers? And what did they do? So if you will turn to Revelation chapter 12 verse 11. You will find an overcomer as described in the Bible includes three things.

Number one, they overcome by the blood of the Lamb. So brothers and sisters, that takes away any pride. We need the blood of the Lamb. Not only when we were unsaved. We need His blood to cleanse us from our sins.

But brothers and sisters, as Christians, we can never live beyond the need of the blood of the Lamb. The closer you are to the Lord, the more you need the blood of the Lamb. So we are told that even the tears of repentance needs the blood of the Lamb.

In our whole life, we depend upon the blood of the Lamb. In other words, that takes away any pride in us. Do not think you will ever outgrow the need of the blood of the Lamb. If you think that way, you are deceived.

We are weak. We need His blood forever. Even the tears of our repentance needs the blood of the Lamb. So you can see, the closer you live to the Lord, the more you need the blood of the Lamb. So if you are placed in a certain situation.

For instance, the Bible tells us, if you are placed in Laodicea, now what will you do? Is it because the church has failed? So you fail with it. No. You can open the door of your heart and invite the Lord in.

And He said He will sit with you and eat with you. Now what does it mean? It means that He will supply abundantly all your spiritual needs. So in spite of the environment in the church, if you open your heart to the Lord, He will come in and supply you abundantly with Himself.

So you can be an overcomer in an overcome church. You are not supposed to just go along with a church that has failed the Lord. You are to be an overcomer in the midst of a failed church. So it is by opening your heart to the Lord and letting Him come in.

You have a closer walk with the Lord. And of course, you pray for the church that you are in. That the Lord will guide and lead you. And if it is the Lord's will, that He will revive that fallen church.

So I would say, if somehow you are put in such a situation, you be faithful to the Lord. You do not just follow the crowd. You open your heart to the Lord and have an intimate walk with Him. And you pray for the situation.

I do not know what the Lord will do. Whether He will change your situation, environment in the church. Or whether He will lead you in another way. I don't know. The Lord has to make the decision. So we just commit where we are into the hands of the Lord.

And wait upon Him. So that's all I can say. Brothers and sisters, the Lord Himself is the only one who can guide and lead you. I know if you are in that situation, it's difficult. But the Lord knows the answer.

So dear brothers and sisters, the Lord is the answer. And nobody else. And that's all.

Good morning, brothers and sisters. I have two questions. One of them I think the Holy Spirit planted because He wanted me to think about it for myself. The first question reads, Today, Satan has changed the working conditions to keep us all very busy.

Working 50 plus or 60 plus hours a week has become normal. Overloading our assignments and increasing our deliverables. He let us have no time for Christ. Missing meetings. In this situation, how do we redeem the time?

Redeeming Time Amid Work and Material Pressure

So this is a question, this is I think the planted question for me. I think there is a particular generation or age group of us who completely understands where our brother or sister is coming from when they wrote this question.

And just for review for brothers and sisters who may not be familiar, in the world now as college students and graduates are transitioning into real life, what has happened is that the supply of workers often exceeds the available jobs.

And employers can ask their employees to work more for the same. And if a brother or sister feels that they can't do that, then an employer can very easily go out and find any number of people who is willing to do that.

And in addition to this, the cost of living has increased. And the cost of housing has increased. And I've had the great privilege of fellowshipping with some of my brothers and sisters in Manhattan. And the cost of rent and the pressure of life has increased.

And because of all this, it's become very normal for the normal working week to be 50 or 60 plus hours. And so this is a very relatable question for me and I think for many of us. And I just give that review because I'm hoping that some of the brothers and sisters who may have worked in a different environment or a different time period and may not understand, or some of the younger ones who haven't started working yet, you can get a sense of that.

So the other thing that is happening in today's world is that the enemy has distorted and influenced what we think we need in order to be happy. A particular type of home or a particular neighborhood or what gadgets or cars or things like that that we might need.

I remember hearing someone say one time, that's that thing I never knew existed that I cannot be without. And what's happened is there's this huge bombardment on all of us as to what the world thinks that we need in order to be happy.

And so I think, and brother or sister if I have it wrong I apologize, but I think that's the context where this question is coming from. And it's extremely relatable for many of us. And it's personally relatable and I'll mention that a little bit later.

But the Lord, and I put three things, as last night when I was asking the Lord about how to answer this, there are three things. And I did not mean for these to be harsh because they were spoken very much to me as well as to my brother who wrote this question.

Number one is there is some suggestion that the enemy has control over our schedule. And that is simply not true. We are always in control of our own schedules. The decisions that we make every day, they still remain ours.

I know it's hard because there are all of these external forces telling us how we should be living and what we as good dads or husbands should be providing to our families. That if we don't provide these things that we're somehow failing.

But in the end we still are in control of our schedule and our enemy is not so powerful that he gives us no choice. And so every brother or sister has to decide how we spend our time. We still have that liberty.

And sometimes, and this again is a very real reminder to me, we have to set what our priorities are. If we have not done that, then what ends up happening is that the enemy has a foothold in order to influence our daily life.

It's not easy. But it's to say that in my family, the Lord Jesus comes first. And if we don't have that sort of non-negotiable footing, then the enemy has much more chance to say you can't do this or you can't do that because you have to work this many hours.

The other issue is that we have to decide that no matter how tired I am, I am going to go to the prayer meeting. Now this is really hard because I work many hours also and some days really stressful. And on a Tuesday night when I come, when I finish work, honestly sometimes in my bones it is the last thing I want to do to not go home and rest.

But I think that we have to set it in our hearts as a priority that the things of the Lord take a precedent over my life. And I can say that I have never been to a prayer meeting where I came home regretting it.

But before that, I really don't want to go. Sometimes. And sometimes I really need to go. But the point of it is in my heart, in our hearts, we have to set it as a priority. The other thing about that is it will translate to our family.

If we want our children to grow up having the Lord Jesus as their priority and to bear a testimony in our families, if we don't have the Lord as the highest place, they will know right away. Children are very, very perceptive and very smart.

They know when you are talking down to them. They know when you love them. And if we don't set in our hearts the Lord Jesus as our priority, it will translate over to them. So this is a very important question.

Living Every Hour in the Presence of the Lord

The second thing is that sometimes we divide our days into hours that are for work, hours that are for leisure, and hours that are for the Lord. And I think that the Lord would like to cause us to have a different point of view.

And that is that every hour of every day is unto the Lord. And that is to say that if I have to work 50 or 60 hours a week, that is 50 or 60 hours a week I will be in the presence of the Lord. And when I was in school, I had to come to this decision also that if I have to study so much, how could the Lord have asked me to do something that would separate me from him?

And so it became very important for me to learn how to study in the presence of the Lord. And so I would have different ways of reminding myself of that. And every brother or sister will have a different way to do that.

But in our work, we should think about the Lord as much as we can. Find a brother or sister at our workplace. Engage in fellowship. Bring our Bible with us when there's a moment of downtime where we could read again.

Or have a hymn in our heart. We can sing as loud as we want in the shower in the morning and have it translate into the rest of the day with us. But I think one of the important things is we not separate the day into time at work, time with family, time with the Lord.

We should think about the whole day with the Lord and then we have our daily physical responsibilities to deal with, but always in the presence of the Lord. And again, brother or sister, I don't mean for this to be just a harsh thing.

It's something that I am learning also. Thirdly, we need to have our priorities established together with our spouse. The reason that this is important is because my wife will oftentimes help me to stay near to the Lord.

As an example, she will remind me to read the Bible with her at night. Again, when I'm really, really tired. Sometimes on Tuesdays when I come back, she's got my dinner all ready. She sits there and she can eat.

Then you've got to go to the Bible study. And so when we have talked with our wife about the priorities of our family, and we have together decided that we are going to live for the Lord and have Him have the headship in our family, then all of these decisions become much, much easier and we can support each other along this way.

It really is very much a rat race. And again, fellowshipping with my brothers and sisters from Manhattan, I feel very much like I could live in that city because of all the pressures and what the next steps should be.

But we have to draw a line around the Lord and say, my life is the Lord's. We cannot even give the enemy an inch because he'll crowd right into our life. So maybe we can all pray for each other on this if we're going through this together.

Because it really is a big challenge and the enemy's infiltration into our lives from the world. So let's just keep praying for one another on this particular matter. The second question reads, I was very encouraged by the sharing on family responsibility driven by family purpose.

Martha’s Service and Mary’s Devotion

As a self-described Martha, in quotations, versus Mary, in quotations, how do I reconcile a Christian walk of responsibility and purpose with the struggle of not being consumed by what Martha had her focus on?

Now, brothers and sisters, I have to say this is a little less relatable for me. My wife is, when we go on a trip, my wife will have all these little bags set up two days ahead of time and you put your clothes in and zip them.

And she always, I drive her crazy because the day I leave, I just stuff a bunch of things into a bag and I go. But this is a good, this is a very good question. And it's, I think, relating to, if I can broaden a little bit, it is that what the brother or sister is sharing about is having a gift.

A gift of being prepared or serving in some way. And how does this gift transfer from sort of a fleshly gift to something that can be used for the glory of the Lord? And I think that I would just refer back to Dana's messages these last couple of days regarding Peter because Peter very much was a male version of Martha in some ways.

And when, in Luke chapter 10, when Martha invited the Lord Jesus to their home and her sister Mary was there. And so Martha, you know, very reasonably thought, I have a VIP in my home and I'm going to make him feel like a VIP.

And with a heart for that, she went to work. And Mary thought, I have a VIP in my home. And I'm going to sit and listen to him and get to know him. And so she sat at his feet. And one of the things that's interesting about when our gifts are under the flesh, what happens is we begin to count.

We begin to count how much I've given compared to what everyone else has given. And so Martha did a little calculation and thought, I've given so much but my sister's not helping. And here's the Peter in her.

She had the guts to give the Lord an order. And so she gave the Lord an order. And the Lord reminded her, you are worried and bothered about many things. But your sister, there's really only one thing important.

Your sister has chosen that part. And so what the Lord was reminding her is that gifts separate from me. They are being worried and bothered by things. And the Lord was reminding her to draw near to him.

I think it might have stung her a little bit. But one lesson to learn is that these responsibilities in the house of God are assigned by the Lord. And he assigns them to us. And he may not assign them to exactly the person who has that particular gift, which is his way.

But the second thing that's even more important is what happens to Martha and what happened to Peter. So in John chapter 11, we remember the story of their little brother who fell ill. And they immediately sent word to the Lord.

And the Lord tarried, he waited and allowed for Lazarus to die. And so when they arrived at Bethany, Martha heard, actually they both heard that he was coming. And Martha ran to him and of course said, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

And then she said, even now I know that you can command it. And the Lord looked at her and actually let's read it because it's a very important lesson for us. The Lord said, even now, I'm sorry, Martha said, even now I know whatever you ask of God, God will give you.

And the Lord said to her, very matter-of-factly, your brother will rise again. And he was just telling her what was going to happen. And then Martha gave him her Sunday school answer. I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.

And so it was sort of like Martha had heard about him and understood how he was. And then the Lord said something really wonderful. He said, because she said, oh, I know he will be raised in the resurrection on the last day.

And the Lord said, Martha, I am the resurrection and the life. And so it was like he was again pointing her to come near to me. And yet Martha still didn't get it. Because when they came to the tomb, he orders them to move the stone.

And Martha says, it's been four days. It's not going to smell good. And the Lord said to her, did I not tell you that if you believed that you would see the glory of God? And so, of course, they removed the stone and out hops her brother.

I can tell you that it was a time when the Lord put the cross on Martha, who always thought she knew the answer and had a full fund of Sunday school answers and a heart to serve out of her flesh. And so the Lord was doing a breaking work on her.

And then in John chapter 12, the next chapter, what we see is in verse 2, so they made him, the Lord, this is the end. The Lord is going to be crucified. And nobody else knew what was going on. But Mary, Martha, and Lazarus had a sense that something big was going to happen.

So they all decided that they had their family savings in this jar of perfume and they were going to anoint the Lord's feet with this jar of perfume. And so at that point, Mary was going to do that. But in verse 2, it shows that Martha was serving.

But this time, her gift of serving had been crucified, gone to the cross, and the Lord raised it up so that it could be used for his glory. So I think that the question is really good that, brothers and sisters, the Lord has given his house different skills.

But in every case, those need to, the Lord's cross will fall on those things. And then by the Lord's grace, they are resurrected, and then they can be used for the Lord's glory. So I hope those are my two questions.

Thank you.

The Meaning of Kronos and Kairos

I've been given three questions. And the first one is just a simple technical question, but they want some more information about kairos. You know, we mentioned a few times about these two Greek words for time, kronos and kairos.

And they said, can you please explain kairos more in detail? Does it mean eternity and current time being at the same time? Thank you. Let's look at 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 1, because here is a verse where both words are used at the same time.

And it gives us a little understanding as we look at it. Now, you'll see verse 1 here. Now, Paul is talking to the Thessalonians. You know, they're very concerned about the coming of the Lord. And he says in chapter 5 verse 1.

Now, you'll notice in verse 1, in my translation, it says times and epochs. I don't know what we have up here. Times and seasons. That's a fine word. So, the first word, times, is kronos. Okay? Now, as to the kronos of the coming of the Lord, and then the second one is, and the seasons, and that's kairos.

Now, the first one, times, has to do with the duration of time of the parousia, until the parousia, until the coming. Parousia is a Greek word for the comings of the Lord. What is the time frame? Next year, when's that time?

But the seasons means, what's the characteristics of this time? And what Paul is really trying to describe is not when, that is, Paul is not going to say next Thursday, or exactly a thousand years, or something like that.

But he says, now you should know what these times are like when the Lord is coming. There will be darkness, which you need to stand up and overcome. Well, we should maybe read a few verses. For you yourselves know, verse 2, that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, while they're saying, peace and safety.

Then destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they'll not escape. But you, brethren, are not in the darkness, but in the day, that the day would overtake you like a thief.

For you're all sons of light and sons of day. You are not sons, not of the night nor of darkness. So let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. Et cetera, et cetera. So the first word is a measurement of time, but the second word is, what's the times like?

What's going to happen during this? Now Paul's very interested in the saints' understanding the dynamics, the signs, the events that will happen around the coming of the Lord. So Kairos, it's a time that is full of some meaning.

Let me show just two other verses here. I don't know if you caught that, but let's go to the Gospel of Mark, at the very beginning, and I hope you can see this. When Jesus comes on the scene after John is taken into custody, it says in verse 14 of Mark 1,.

Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God and saying, The Kairos is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. Now what does he mean when he says the time is fulfilled?

What he means is, do you hear this gospel? The kingdom is coming. Now is the time to come into the kingdom. Repent and believe. The time is full, as I don't know what you would say, with the presence of God, it's full of light.

God has shown upon you and now is the time to make a decision. The time is here. The time of the kingdom is here. Now let's make a more specific theological point. What is the time, the Kairos, of the kingdom of the heavens?

That's a term used specifically in the gospel of Matthew. What is the times of the kingdoms of the heavens? Well, it began when John the Baptist announced that the kingdom of the heavens was at hand. And it is going on now.

Did you realize you're in that time zone? And it ends when Jesus comes back. Now the kingdom of God is something different. But the kingdom of the heavens is a mystery. Because even while we're living upon this earth, and so it is Monday, October, I have no clue, what day is it?

10th? 12th? Today is Monday, October 12th. And you may be living like everybody else is living on October 12th. It is, after all, Columbus' famous day. But if you've been awakened, you realize that you're a servant in a kingdom that can't be seen right now.

But it can be seen among those who believe. So today we can live our lives idly as if it's just another day on a calendar of life. Or we can recognize, Jesus brought me into his kingdom. Now he's my master.

And it means he's commanding me to do things today, if I'm his servant. And it makes this today very opportune. It changes our whole idea of the importance of this day. So, you know, the writer in Hebrews, when he says, Today, if you hear my voice.

Now, how long had God been speaking? Well, he spoke last Thursday, but I didn't hear. But if today I hear, it's as if I didn't realize. God is saying, don't harden your heart, but take the promises, enter the promised land.

Today you can do it. And as another little illustration, you remember in Hebrews chapter 4, it said that the children of Israel were told, go into the promised land. I have given it to you. But they delayed and they didn't mix that promise with faith.

And then it was too late and they couldn't go in. A door of opportunity opens up many times when we hear a living word of God. And that's the season to respond and say amen and step in. But the writer of Hebrews says, we have been given a promise that we can enter this rest.

But by faith, we have to enter this rest or the time goes by. I have a singing dentist. He sings while he buzzes my teeth. He's going... And after he's gouged out some huge hole in a molar and he's going to put in this, whatever they call it now, what do they call it?

It used to be silver. It's an amalgam. It's an amalgam. I'm sure it's poisonous, but whatever. He goes over there. Meanwhile, he's singing another song. He's got this machine. It goes... It makes this amalgam stuff.

It's like... What's that glue that hardens fast? Epoxy. It's like epoxy. You know, you take this little stuff, you take this little stuff, you mix it, and you've got a minute to get that thing glued. And this doctor's humming, and now the machine stopped, and he's got about one minute before that amalgam gets as hard as metal.

He's got to put it in there. And he's... I'm thinking to myself, is he going to do it? Is he going to get it in in time? There's a time limit. And that time limit is when we realize we're in the kairos of opportunity.

Let me show you another place where this word is used in Galatians chapter 6. And here it says in verse 10,. So then, while we have kairos, and how is it translated? What does it say here? Opportunity.

That's the same word. And therefore, while we have opportunity, what does it mean? While the time is ripe, let us do good to all people and especially those of the household of faith. Does that make sense?

So this time that's kairos is a pregnant time because it has some spiritual value to it. Because you realize the Lord is there in that time. So it's like Jesus when he said, Now, have you learned the lesson of the fig tree?

He says, When you see its leaves and branches getting all ripe and green, you realize the time is near. So then, when you see these things, realize that it is in the doors. That is his coming. In the doors, coming back.

He's already gone through the first outside door. Maybe he's in the courtyard getting ready to come back to his house. He's somewhere near. When a person awakens to that, we find some Christians who understand that time zone.

Now, I had never met Margaret Barber, but one thing I can tell from her songs and from the stories I've heard, she expected Jesus to come any moment. She had laid hold of this kairos and she made the most of the opportunities of her life knowing, well, Jesus might come back tomorrow.

And I think that sometimes she would walk up to Brother Nee or some of the other workers and say, Oh, I expected Jesus to come back today, but he didn't come back. Don't you wish he'd come back? I walked down this street.