 Welcome back to our class. We are on page 20. Fire up your passion for purity. Can one of us please turn to 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 19 to 22. 2 Timothy chapter 2 19 to 22. Yes. Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands. Having this seed, the Lord knows who are His. Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness. Now in a large house, there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel of honor sanctified, useful to the master, prepared for every good work. So as we see that there are vessels of honor and to dishonor. Personal purity. When we purify ourselves, we become that vessel of honor unto God. So cleansing ourselves of whatever is impure is very important and that's necessary. We need to cleanse ourselves to be that vessel of honor in God's hand, in God's house, so that we will be ready for the master's use. The world considers itself normal to be impure, to sin. It's normal. That's the trend. We call it as a lifestyle. But then we, children of God, knowing what pleases God, we need to look at that. We should always remember that we are the temple of the most high God. We need to keep the temple clean. We need to stay away from the impure sinful things, so that we can keep ourselves pure, pure, and we can be a pleasing vessel of honor unto God, so that God can use us. We can be ready for the master's use. We not only have to guard ourselves against the impure sin around us, but then what is more important is we need to carry that passion toward purity, toward guarding ourselves from the other impure things around us and not letting ourselves to be part of it. That is very important. Only when we guard ourselves from all these impure things around us, we can remain pure in the sight of God and we can be the vessel of honor unto master's use. So we need to set personal and moral boundaries around us for us to maintain this pure lifestyle. Can I request one of us to please turn to Psalms 101, verse 2 and 3? Can I request one of us to read from our class, like Sid, Anita, Georgia, Rosalind, Jeffina? Can others also please take turn and read the scriptures? I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will you come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set nothing wicked before my eyes. I hate the work of those who fall away. It shall not cling to me. Amen. Thank you. So we need to exercise this in wisdom, the prudence to walk in a perfect way before God. Very important to have the perfect heart, how we can walk the perfect way before God. Only when we set some simple boundaries around us, very important. The boundaries that we set helps us not to get into any kind of unnecessary trouble or not to have any kind of fall in our life. Personal boundaries help us maintain good character, develop good character. Personal boundaries help us to stay pure. Personal boundaries help us not to have any kind of unavoidable fall. We need to set personal boundaries in our life. So there are certain personal boundaries as a man and a woman of God that we have listed in this book. One that we at ABC, at All People's Church, we follow is, we don't meet the opposite sex men or women alone in a closed area. If in case we need to speak with the opposite sex, we see to it that we speak in an open space where others are there around us. On purpose, we see to it that we have people around us when we speak. For example, our church office is been designed in such a way completely glass. It's all transparent. And we have kept it the open space for all the stuff. And yes, we have few cabins. But even those cabins are used as, you know, the pastor's cabin or for the counseling for any kind of ministry work we use. But still even those cabins are transparent. It's made out of glass. So we know who's inside and out. So one of the way that we could avoid any sin could happen within the closed walls. Or in our Bible college, yes, we have walls. But then we see to it that we keep it open. On purpose, if I had to meet with somebody else, with a student of the opposite sex, on purpose, I would ask some of the leaders to stay around, you know, stay around, keep the doors open. In that way, we try to set some boundaries aside. Another boundary we can see is never try to travel with the opposite sex alone in the same vehicle, the same car, or in the bike, unless and until it is an emergency, it's life threatening. But as much as possible, we need to try to avoid doing that unless and until the opposite sex person is your own family. Like your wife, mother, sister, or brother, husband. These are, like we're not telling it's compulsory, you have to do it. But these are certain boundaries that we could set to avoid any kind of fall in our life. And one of the way it's a culture in India is, I don't know now is it there, but yes, there was a time in India we don't hug the opposite sex. Okay, yes, now the trends are changing, it's becoming more open, and we just try to hug anyone and everyone. But then one of the way in the ministry, again, as we are open here, we have many international students as well. I'll leave it to you. Okay, yeah. What we do is we just shake hands with the opposite sex person. And yes, sometimes we give that comfort and hug for an elderly person or a family related. It can be a wife, daughter, auntie, mother, sister. Same goes with the opposite sex. But as much as possible, we don't do this. And these are some simple, and yes, they may be simple, but then they are effective boundaries from getting ourselves into trouble. There was a pastor, he was saying that I don't have a problem with the women and I overcome all that. And he said, yes, he was married, he had about two or three children. And he said, I don't have any problem and he had his own personal secretary as women and wherever he traveled, he traveled with her down the line after five years. She comes with the police to his house, claiming that he misbehaved with me. She started blackmailing him, give me five black. If not, I will let out all the secrets that you did with me. The minute the man of God didn't have that much of money to give, she took him behind the bars and it brought shame to him, his family, his ministry, his marriage was in stake. But then by God's grace, they both worked together, that is his wife and him. He repented, he asked for forgiveness, he asked for forgiveness with the church, with the people, with his family, with his wife, with his children. By God's grace, the family has been restored. But then if the simple boundary would have set right at the initial stage, I'm sure we can avoid such pitfalls in our life. We may consider ourselves wise, but then we need to also know there's an enemy who's around us waiting for a time to devour us. So these boundaries will only help us to stay pure, stay on God when we set ourselves as a minister of God to serve God and His people. We need to set ourselves on God, stay clean at all private sexual sin. Can one of us please turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 12, 13, 19 to 20. Jafina, Nixon, Nicholson, sorry, Nikki. Anyone can please read. Ma'am, can I? Okay, Rosalind. Maybe the next verse is somebody else. Please be ready so we all can take turn and be quick in reading. Yes. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price, therefore, glorify God in your body. Next verse, 13 and then 19 to 20. 19 to 20. Ma'am, I read from 19 to 20. 19 to 20 also glorify God in your body. Yeah. And in your spirit, which are of God's. So God has designed a sexual, God has designed a sexuality. It is part of who God has made us to be. He has also clearly given us the perimeters within which we are to express and operate and experience a sexuality. However, as men and women, managing that sexual passion is may not be easy. Just because we are the ministers of God, it's not that we have this. We don't become an angel to manage all these areas, but then it is the grace when we see God and keep certain boundaries around us that we don't give into such passion. When we ask God to empower, give us the grace by his word, by his Holy Spirit, we can overcome such such passion, unhealthy passion from us. We normally don't discuss all this in the church. We don't put a sermon based around this, but then because it is a private life. But then if we as a minister of God, when we don't set boundaries towards these areas, it may lead us into many pitfalls or bondages and we may, it may also lead to sin and compromise in this area. But if we are careful and guard ourselves, set guard around us, we can overcome from this area. We can be clean in this area as well. Because the word of God says, Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 6, he says, a little leaven leavens the whole lump. A little sin can corrupt our whole nature, whole ministry. It can affect the whole ministry. It can break family. And we have seen many families been broken because of unhealthy sexual sin. Married men getting indulged in the sexual sin outside the marriage. Or some of them before getting into marriage, they commit adultery with others. So all these things can be avoided the minute we know God is watching over us. God knows our intention, our thoughts, our attitudes. And minute we have the sphere of God and we set guard around us in all the areas. I think we can avoid such pitfalls in our life, such sin in our life. With the help of God, with the grace of God. The minute we have such passion coming into us or the thought that comes into us and we are struggling in this area with this thought. One thing that we need to do is don't keep it to yourself. Bring it to God. You know it is not right. When we know it is not right. At the same time, we need to know we cannot hide from God. God is all knowing. He knows everything. The minute we bring it to God and pray about it. Read the word and claim and ask God to bring you out of this desire, out of this passion that is burning within you which is not right. God will make a way. God will cleanse you. God will help you to be an overcomer. And see to do the right things in the right way. If you are single, get married. And if you are married, stay clean, stay pure. Honor your wife, honor your husband. Guard your relationship. And even especially for the ministers of God, when we are traveling to many places, see to it that you don't travel alone but you take a companion with you. Now this companion should be either your family member, your wife or the fellow worker. It can be the same sex. It should not be the opposite sex. Be very careful. And also when you travel, when you stay in a hotel, see to it that if you are alone, one of the caution is we don't have to watch the TV there because the wrong things can come on the television and corrupt our mind. But yeah, these days it's everything in our cell phones. So even on our cell phones when we tend to use YouTube for many good things like watching sermon, messages, preparing many other areas we use our internet for. So we could streamline those videos where we can block certain websites and certain unhealthy videos from popping up so that we don't have to be given into any kind of temptation when we are alone, when we are private, when you are alone at home. How do you keep yourself? Because God is watching us when we are alone. How do we conduct our life? When no one are watching, what are we doing? There are some of the ways that we can avoid when we read through any kind of books, newspapers, magazines. Try to skip and avoid such a nude or unhealthy pictures, images that come away so that we can refuse and do not allow any kind of unhealthy thoughts or passion to stir within us. As we said that we can take captive of any kind of negative thoughts and cast it out. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 3 to 5, can I request one of us to read? 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 3 and 5, 3 to 5, Brother Abu Bakr, Brother Isaac, Brother Lubeiga, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 3 to 5, it is God's will that you should be sanctified, that you should avoid sexual immorality, that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is wholly and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen who do not know God. Amen. So it is very important that we learn to appreciate and give dignity to our body and not abuse it. As it's common for others to do it, but then be the child of God, we need to keep ourselves pure because God wants us to live a pure life and keep ourselves from any kind of sexual immoralities. So with this we will move on to the next point and be accountable to God every moment. Be accountable to God every moment. Can I request one of us to please turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 9 to 10? Shall I read now? Yes, Jafina. It's 1st Corinthians or 2nd? 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 9 to 10. 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verse 9 to 10. We make it our goal to please Him whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive what is due to Him for the things done while in the body whether good or bad. While we respect and encourage accountability to man, whether it be through accountability group or leaders or mentors or overseers, ultimately all of us come to a place where we are accountable to God Himself. The fact that one day we will stand before God in His awesome presence before the judgment seat. So we are ultimately accountable to God. When we have the sense that we are accountable to God, our life changes. It is not the same as used to see our life before because everything has been noticed by God. Every thought, every feelings, everything has been noticed by God. So it helps us to keep ourselves much pure and guard ourselves much careful than what we do friend of man. Every act of us will be clean, will be pure because we have this conscious that God is watching over us. The minute we as a minister of God lead our life and accountable to God, knowing that God is watching over me and I need to be accountable to Him, just this understanding can help us and keep us away from many sin, many sin around us. This conscious knowing God is watching over me can help us lead our life pleasing to God. It can make our life much more fruitful than what we can make it with our own effort. That's why the word of God says, fear of God brings wisdom. So as a minister of God in all our ways, in all our life if we lead with this sense in our mind, with this understanding in our mind that God is watching over us. God is a God who sees us, who understands us and knows every motive of us and when we discipline ourselves with this understanding God honours us and He blesses us and He makes our life much more fruitful than what you and I can be. So it is very important for us to stay accountable to God at every moment. As a minister of God, we can't say we are full-time minister or part-time minister. As a believer, as a minister of God, we are in full-time. Can I request one of us to turn to the book of Acts chapter 20 verse 33 to 35? Acts chapter 20. Yes. Verse 20 to 25. Am I correct? Yes. And how I can... 1 minute, Acts chapter 20 verse 33 to 35, I'm sorry. 33, okay. Yes, 33 to 35. Converted no man, silver, or good, or apary. Yes. He yourself know that this hand have ministered unto my necessity and to them that were with Him. I have sure the all things how that soul libering ye hearts to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said it's more blessed to give them to receive. Amen. It's more blessed to give them to receive. Amen. So one of the thing, as a minister of God, we must understand that we are to serve God all the time. Just because we may be part of a secular job and then we serve God in the evenings. You're in a secular job from morning 9 to 6 and in the evening, you get into the ministry, you go do some house visits, share the word. So that does not mean that you're doing a part-time job. Whatever you do, Allah got to be part of your life. Even if you're working, you offer that to God and you work. And when you're ministering, you offer that to God and you serve. Yes, we have seen many leaders in the ministry where initially when they started in the ministry, you know, they were working because financially they need to support themselves. So they work through the day and they started serving in the evening. So as the ministry grew, as the ministry grew and the ministry needs much of their time, they quit work and they got into full-time much later. See, one thing as a minister of God, we need to know that all of us have a call of God in our life. God called David when he was a shepherd boy. Did David become a king immediately? Or did he wait for a certain period where he can learn and he can train himself, get the full knowledge of king and there was a time when God appointed him as a king of Judah first and then of Israel later. Did it happen in one day or did it take time for the process to take place? Yes. Did it happen one day for David? No. It took time. Just like that, when you and I, as a child of God, as a minister of God when we receive a call, it is not that I have to quit my job immediately and get back into the ministry. So what happens if you're married? You have a family to take care of. What do we do? So we need to be mindful, okay? Yes, God has called us. We need to serve God. But at the same time, there is a time appointed time where we will get full time into serving God. So what we need to do that. And we should also see to it that we serve God in all the area even if we are working, okay? There's nothing called part-time, full-time when the minister or the child of God, we are all the time. We are full-time believers in God. We are full-time ministers of God. Whatever area that we are working, we need to serve. We need to, if you're working in a secular company, see to it that we'll be a good employee. We show ourselves that we are the child of God and whatever we do will be a blessing. We will keep up that excellent in our work, excellence in our work. We will focus on our work saying, God, I surrender my work to you. Okay, make me fruitful in this area. Make me fruitful in this business. Make me the head and not the tail. And God will bless you. God bless Daniel and the pagan kingdom to serve. God bless Joseph again in Egypt and he raised him as a minister. The same way, wherever we are, let's not separate God from our secular world or God from our secular work when we unite ourselves together with God and we work wherever we are, we will be excellent. We will be a blessing. Others around us will see Jesus and us. They will see that he reflects as God and we see the hand of God on him so that whatever he does, prosperous, whatever he does, flourishes, whatever he does, we see being fruitful. So this is one of the testimony that we can carry in our life when we invite Jesus in our work and when we allow him to be part of our life in whichever area we work and we serve. And one more point we can look at is watch our diet exercise regularly. Can I request one of us to turn to 1 Corinthians 6 verse 20? 1 Corinthians 6 verse 20. So you were bought at the price therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are gods. Yes, we have been bought at the price and we need to glorify God in our body and our spirit which are of gods. Our body is a temple of God. We all have experienced the fact that when both our body and mind are doing well it helps us in our spiritual growth as well. We can pray, we can read the word, we can go about doing minister all around but if our body has been affected are we able to serve God in the same way the way we served before? So we need to take care of our body. It's very important. God desires to glorify himself in our body. So we need to take care of our body in an honorable manner. We need to be very careful because many times as a minister of God when we step out on the ministry you know the host want to treat us with the best of the delicacies of their town of the cities they can offer us but then as a child of God as a minister of God we need to take care of our health. Our health. So we need to be watchful on what we eat. So we need to you know handle it very carefully. We should not say no I don't want I don't enjoy food so it's okay and hurt them but then in a very well manner we can just we can take some of the food and taste it so that they are pleased they are happy but not completely feast over it which can overload our body that would be too much for us to take it. So we need to be watchful on what we eat because that can affect our body at the same time we need to stay healthy having a proper eating habits and proper sleeping habits we need to cultivate it so that we can stay fit and strong. We should also implement exercise. Exercising is very important. Sometimes it may be difficult for some of us to keep that in a daily routine in one of the effective way it helps us when we exercise regularly to keep our body fit and strong. So when we keep our body fit and strong and healthy we can serve God in much effective and better way because we will have a healthy body we can stay strong and we can live long to serve God at the same time. So one more important point is personal management plan can I request one of us to please turn to book of Titus chapter 1 verse 7 and 8 and the other person can take up 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 7 can I request one of us to please read Titus chapter 1 verse 7 to 8 for a bishop must be blameless as a steward of God not self-willed not quick tempered not given to wine not violent not greedy for money but hospitable a lover of what is good sober minded just holy self-controlled next person can you please read on 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 7 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 7 for God did not give us a spirit of humanity but a spirit of power of love and of self-discipline thank you, thank you so as a bishop, as a spiritual leader we must be blameless we must be a steward of God not self-willed or quick tempered and we must not be given to wine and not be violent not be greedy for money but hospitable very important and we need to be a lover of what is good and stay away from what is evil and we need to be sober minded just holy self-controlled the word in 2 Timothy chapter 7 chapter 1 verse 7 it says sound mind which literally means self-control the word of God self-control the Holy Spirit fills us with the boldness, the power, the love and discipline to have the self-control and Holy Spirit also gives us the power to keep ourselves under discipline all body, spirit and soul so with the help of the Holy Spirit we can handle any given situation or circumstance that comes up on our way so that all that has been said in Titus chapter 1 verse 7 and 8 we can follow them because we have the spirit of the Lord who is with us he will empower us so that we can be blameless we can be a good steward of God we can have the self-control within us and we will not be given into any kind of emotions that can stir us at times we need to be God-conscious when we are God-conscious we can handle our life in a much better way that pleases God so one of the way we can we can handle a personal management that is a personal life in a daily life is having a daily schedule so in a daily schedule a priority should be like spending time with God no matter how busy your schedule could be from morning to evening either you may be working you are doing your business you are studying in a college it can be whatever but in that schedule keep your priority to the personal time because from that secret place from that time is where you can draw your strength you can draw your wisdom because God is the source of all wisdom all understanding all knowledge so we need to have a priority in setting our time with God spend that time do not compromise that for anything else accepting ministry invitation yes in ministry we may get busy we may get occupied so at the same time we need to choose which one to take which one to leave check our attitude and also see the person who is inviting you is he trying to fill up space and he is calling you or is he genuinely wanting you to come and share come and impart the revelation the understanding of God what God is doing in your life or in your ministry meeting up church people we need to be there to meet their needs because people want to meet and talk and share their trouble and problem with the minister of God to get the right direction to be prayed for and we need to give time for everyone so when we try to meet people there are some safe boundaries that we need to set ourselves as I said before as we discussed already when we try to meet it's not that we should not minister to the opposite sex we can minister to the opposite sex but in a safe boundary way if you are married have your bike along with you when you minister to the opposite sex if you are single and if the other person is coming to meet you is married meet that person with his partner or a partner or if you have a safe setup two or three people around you or with that person when you are ministry it is very important and also one other way is to meet the person in ministries if you have a office setup it is always good to meet the person at your office at your office or at the safe place or in an area where it is safe but not some way personally one on one and listen until it is the same sex person solving problem meeting needs we must remind ourselves that we are not God we are not the saviour of this world that we can solve all the problem we can take up every person's need it will only drain us and we will not be able to meet every person's need it is only God so we need to lead the person to God but we can take the responsibility of certain things certain problems where God wanted you to help certain people certain situations, certain family and go ahead and do that but you cannot do that every time we need to seek God but one thing we can do is ask the person to seek God and God is our ultimate provider he provides for every one's need he is a God who is not partial he meets everyone's need and one of the other is the life plan we need to have a life plan the past has given us an example of 10 decades how you can plan your life 5 years ahead 10 years ahead so that you are focused you have a goal you have a vision to lead your life which is more important so because in problems we say a man who do not have a vision he falls so when you have a vision yes the vision can always change it can expand it can improve but then you write it on in the book of Habakkuk chapter 2 read that when you write down your vision though it may tarry but it will be fulfilled in the right season we need to write it down there will be a time it will happen but planning and setting goals setting visions in our life is very important so plan ahead for your life 5 years down the line 10 years down the line you can plan your life so live life with the divine purpose we need to have the call and the purpose of God in our mind of us and so that we can set our life in track to fulfill that call that purpose in our life so all of us each of us who are here in this class and later will join also if we have this divine purpose in our mind we can live our life that's that's adding meaning it's meaningful life we can live a meaningful life in this world we can live a legacy we can make a mark and that should be our desire when we have these things in our mind in our head ahead of us we can see our life that we are living is with purpose we plan our life set things what is it needed and set aside those things that are not needed to our life and so that we can maintain a simple clean life that would be pleasing to God and we can be that vessel the vessel of honor unto God so with this we are finishing the first chapter in this book called personal life so I would open up to the class if you have any questions you would like to share class, Sid you would like to share something that you learned can I please it was such a wonderful session I appreciate all these being taught because as you said usually we don't get to you know be taught on these topics right even from a church platform so yeah I really appreciate this being taught may God bless faculty and you thank you okay we will end the session with a word of prayer can I request one of us to please lead us in prayer Deveer can you lead us in prayer yeah sure thank you thank you father thank you lord for this wonderful time father that you have given us thank you lord for speaking through as to Diana lord about father these topics father that are really important father lord sometimes father we take for granted father lord but we know father that we are a commanded lord to guard our hearts to guard our minds father lord yes father to watch out father lord for those pit pit loops father the loop holes in our life father lord where we can give a foothold to the devil father lord we pray that you guard us father you guide us by the holy spirit lord you help us keep ourselves lord in purity father just as you are holy help us be holy lord and we ask for lord your guidance father the renewal of our minds lord with your word yes father lord and the guidance of the holy spirit in our lights lord yes father help us lord there are areas where we are struggling father may you intervene father yes lord if we are struggling lord with discipline lord if you are struggling father with consistency lord having those spiritual disciplines lord if you are struggling with any father sin lord in our lives father that are difficult father in our own fleshly father efforts to overcome father lord that you empower and equip that we will father lord get over father because you have called us as overcome us lord you have called us more than conquerors father lord yes lord father we know lord that you have given us a victory help us lord to live out of that victory that you have given us father lord and help us lord that we may bring glory and honor to your name father and being lord the people lord who inspire faith into others lord who inspire purity and holiness in other's lives father lord thank you and praise you lord bless pastor Diana father lord thank you father for all that you are speaking through her father lord thank you lord for the empowerment lord the courage the boldness father lord that you are filling her with father lord i pray your blessing over her and each and every person here thank you lord for redefining us lord i pray lord let your word be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths lord in Jesus precious name pray amen amen amen thank you so much thank you for the prayer that we are thank you each one for joining in today's session god bless see you all in the next class thank you god bless