 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Thank you. Today we're going to look on before I could start the session. I'm very sorry due to some technical issues. I could not start the class on time. But then praise God that everything is fixed. We can start the class. Yeah. So we are we're on the fourth chapter in code of honor, fourth chapter. It talks about the conduct. Conduct is very important. Conduct is very important. And can you all share about why conduct is important for us? Why do you think conduct is important for every believer? Yes, brother Lubega, please go ahead. I think everything starts from within, not in without. And somewhere I read, they say that the only discipline that exists in the entire world is self-discipline. So when you don't have conduct, I think everything is lost. Thank you. Thank you, brother. Thank you. So as the word of God, as ministers, as Christian leaders, we all need to have this conduct within us so that when we follow a conduct, we will be blameless in our life and we would also be an example to other believers. So this is what qualifies us, you know, to have a good conduct. So as a ministry leader, we may be serving as a pastor or as a teacher, preacher, whichever area we are serving in code of conduct is very important. We need to follow that in our life so that we can be an example. So here we see how we can be an example, how we can understand it. In the book of First Corinthians, can I request one of us to please turn to First Corinthians chapter 11 verse 1 and the other person to take up First Timothy chapter 4 verse 11. Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. First Timothy 4-12. Let no one despise your youth but be an example to the believers in work, in conduct, in love, in spirit, and in faith, in purity. So we see that Apostle Paul was very clear that as a man of God, our life should be extremely important and thus it can challenge people to follow the life example. I would wonder like how many of us can do this in our life because we need to set our life as example and we need our life to imitate others like, you know, like how Paul is set an example, like he said, imitate me as I imitate others. So it is something very challenging. We actually, you know, how it is something a very daring statement, a bit bold statement that Paul made like so close that he followed Christ, that he could boldly say imitate me as I imitate Christ. So you and I, we need to follow Christ in such a way that even we could be like Apostle Paul to make such a statement. And we also see Apostle Paul challenged young Timothy in the ministry to say, lead the church with an example. So first we need to apply the teaching to ourselves. We as a leader need to apply all the standard to ourselves. So in the way we lead our life, we try to set an example to others. For example, in our speech, how we talk, what kind of things we talk about matters. So in that way, we actually set an example and also a conduct, how we lead our life, how we live and how we manage ourselves with the time, with the money, with our own relationship matters. So even in that way, we would be setting an example in the area of love, how we love and care about people because ministry is all about people and then spirit in matters of, you know, the heart, the motives, our attitudes matters, especially in the ministry. And moreover, we need to have a strong faith. We need to be trustworthy. We need to be art and our defense could be on the Lord so that we can walk and obey the word of God. We also see we need to be in purity. Our life of holiness and godliness matters in our day to day life. So in our everyday life, even the little things matters. It gets noticed, it gets reflected back. So people, when we are leading people in our church congregation or in our ministry, people watch at us. People watch at us how we are behind the pulpit, how we lead our self, how we lead our family, how we conduct our life matters. So people keep watching at us. For example, there's a very beautiful example in our book given where a Christian, where they have noticed in a Christian meeting, a very respected Christian leader was sitting on the platform, but he was using his mobile phone for texting and messaging and answering calls when the meeting was already in progress. So what example would this Christian leader be setting to the congregation? It is very important that we need to lead by example. So we need to be very careful in how we conduct ourselves when the service is going on or even behind the pulpit, how we lead our self because in 2 Corinthians chapter 6, 4 says, our work as God's servants gets validated or not in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post alertly and unsparingly. And we also see our life example speaks the loudest. We see that in the final words of exhortation to the efficient leader, the Apostle Paul finds them to his life example. He says, you know, we need to, we need to conduct ourselves in a good manner. We need to see to that people, how we conduct ourselves matters. Our life speaks much louder than what we preach or teach because we may preach one of the best sermon, but it, you know, people may forget the sermon that we preached, but then people look at our life, how we treated them, how we set ourselves in a long time. So our life matters. And one more thing is we need to work hard. And can I request one of us to turn one Corinthians chapter 15 verse 10, please? 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 10, but by the grace of God, I am what I am and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them yet not, but the grace of God that was with me. Amen. So God has given us the grace and the gift. We need to handle this grace and give in a very well manner. So when we have received this grace and gift, we need to work hard at the same time. We need to stretch ourselves beyond what is expected. We should not be satisfied or very comfortable in the place where we are, but then we should always be mindful of people who can go do that extra mile when we work. For example, as a Christian leader in a Christian ministry, we need to labor unto God. Paul also says that Apostle Paul made it very clear that we labored more abundantly than the other apostles. This could very well be one of the reasons why God used him so powerfully to expand the borders of the early church. So when we say labored means what more than what is expected, going an extra mile, doing more than 100% work, labour means something who really works hard and does that extra mile. So in the Christian ministry, we should not be lethargic. We should not have any kind of laziness set into us. It is not that we should be a leader setting an example who is laboring, who works without a time limit, who is ready to walk an extra mile when it's needed, who is ready to do that extra step when it's needed beyond our position, beyond the credibility. We need to be ready to do any kind of work. So once as a Christian ministry, take things easy, we should be ready to walk that extra mile. And the second and the next point here we see, walk humbly. Matthew chapter five verse five says, blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Therefore humble and in 1 Peter chapter five verse six says, therefore hum yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. We see walking humbly is more important. Humility is the heart attitude. Where we walk in submission to God and it is that heart attitude that does not allow us to think more highly of ourselves or we ought to. We see that in Romans chapter 12 verse where we should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that in due time he will lift us up. So that we don't move ahead with our own pride, but then we wait on God with the heart of humility. This is very important especially in the ministry, we need to learn to be humble. Wait, give all the glory to God and wait in God's timing for God to move in and through us, you know, to give us any kind of position or whatever it is, but then we need to wait on God and not in our own strength. So humility is a true strength for a man of God. It is a place where God releases more grace only when we humble ourselves, God also increases the grace within us. And the next point we see here is pursue peace. Can I request one of us to please turn to 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 23 and 23. And next person Romans chapter 12 verse 18. 2 Timothy 2, 23, 24, but refuse foolish and ignorant speculations knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord's born servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all able to teach patient when wronged. With gentleness correcting those who are in opposition if perhaps God may grant them dependence leading to the knowledge of the truth. Yes, so avoid, as a minister of God, as a ministry leader, as a Christian ministry, we need to avoid getting into arguments, contentious strife with people. We need to keep ourselves strife free. Some Christian ministers get so consumed with strife that they are ready to give an argument for an argument. So here, as a leader, we need to be, we need to stay away from strife. We, you know, as much as possible, we should not be quarrelsome. We need to be peaceable. We need to bring peace with each other. Thank you very much community. Yeah, so as much as possible, we need to set ourselves focused on God and see, you know, try to keep ourselves in peace and peace with others and do not stir up any strife with anyone. Even if someone, you know, comes with quarrels and mood with us, but we need to, you know, be in peace and see to it that there is no strife or quarrel among anyone among us. So we need to conduct ourselves for, you know, peacefully and see to it that there is no strife in our ministry or among any individual. Always we need to be teachable. In 1 Corinthians chapter 8 verse 2 says, if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing. Yet, as he ought to know, always be ready to learn. We always should be ready to learn and we need to keep learning. There is no end for our learning. We need to keep our spiritual eyes and ears open all the time to see what God is teaching us in different seasons of our life. Some of our Christian ministers, sometimes we pretend as though we know everything, but then that behavior itself shows that we do not know. So we need to come to a point to say that no matter how big we have grown, the ministry of how many experience we have, no matter how educated we could be, but then we need to come to a point where to be ready to learn from anyone, even if they are young or old, we need to be ready to learn from anyone that teachable attitude is something that has been appreciated as a leader and we need to have that. No matter how anointed we could be, we need to have the patience to sit and listen to another leader's teaching. So that is very important. Next point is, as far as possible, keep your word, do not, do not promise it. As far as possible, keep your word and do not promise it. Sounds between words both. Keep your word even when it costs you. Like our Heavenly Father, we must take our own words seriously. Our word must be something like a bond, a promise that we keep. We realize that at times we just give our word and we see it when sometimes it fails, but then as much as possible, if we have promised someone something or even it can be a simple word that we have given out of trust, we as much as possible, we need to keep that word. Let our word be like yes to and yes, no to and no. Do our best. If you have given our word, let's do our best to keep up that word. If at times, due to some reason, we are not able to keep that word, make sure that we apologize to that person who unable to keep that word. And also, if you know before and now that you're not able to take up certain assignments, certain things and you don't have to be forced by yourself to say yes and get yourself committed and then fail to do it. It is better to say no. As a ministry leader, we should learn sometimes to even say no. Then getting our plate filled and overloaded and we're unable to balance anyone, anything, it will only get us and others into trouble. So even as a ministry leader, we need to say yes in certain season and when we say yes, we need to keep it and certain season when we are unable to take up any assignment on our plate, we should also learn to say no. The next point here is respect other people's time. Be punctual always. I'm very sorry today, we got a little delayed due to technical issues, but then as much as possible, we start on time. But I request everyone, anywhere we go, any church service, we start, any meeting we start, we need to be punctual. We need to people who respect time, we need to respect other people's time as well. So whenever we give a time that we're going to start at this time, we need to exactly start at that time. It can be a church service, it can be a conference, it can be a meeting anywhere you can start it. For example, sometimes we tend, sometimes we say, our service begins at 10.30, but we will give an advertisement that we start at 10.00. So that people will come on time, even if they are late, they won't be late for the service. So in that way, we are actually encouraging people to come in late. No, we should not be doing that. We should give the right time if a service or conference or meeting is starting at 10.30. It is better that we give the right time at 10.30 and we make sure that we start the session at 10.30. And even if people come on time or they may be delayed, even if they are two or three who have come on time, we need to respect them, because they have come on time, we need to start a session on time. Our conference, our meeting on time. We don't have to delay that, because we need to respect other people's time and be punctual always. The next we see here is be blameless before God and man. Second Corinthians chapter 6 verse 3 and 4 says, we give no offense in anything that our ministry may not be blamed, but in all things, we commend ourselves as ministers of God. Second Corinthians chapter 8 verse 21 says, providing honorable films not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. But the best we can, we must conduct ourselves blamelessly before God and man. We need to see ourselves that there is no barrier in between God and us. If you think there's something hindering us, make sure that we correct ourselves. If we have heard or we have any kind of barrier between a man or between God, we should be the first person who are sorry to us forgiveness and see to it that we are blameless before God and before man. And we are, you know, there's no offense between anyone. So we in our daily living, we need to see ourselves that, you know, we are blameless. We don't have any offenses with any man or even with God himself. So that in that way, we can enjoy your life and avoid any kind of, you know, negative things coming up our way. And the next point we see here is enjoy life, but avoid loose talk and foolish jesting. Very important here is to avoid any kind of loose talk. Loose talks can, you know, get us into a lot of trouble. Ephesians chapter four verse 29. Can I request one of us to please read Ephesians chapter four verse 29 and then chapter five verse three and four, please. Let's know unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment so that it will give grace to those who hear chapter five verse three and four. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you as is proper among saints. And there must be no filthiness and silly talk or cause jesting which are not fitting but rather giving of thanks. Yes, thank you. Thank you, John. So here it says, no correct word should proceed out of come out, but what is good, what is necessary, what can edify us so that will impart grace to the hearer. And also in the next chapter, we see that, you know, fornication and all kind of uncleanness or consciousness, let it not even be named among you as it's not fitting for the saints. It cannot be good with us nor any kind of filthiness nor foolish talking or cause jesting which are not fitting but rather giving thanks. We need to give thanks to God in all area and not to entertain any of these kind of gestures with us. Do not demand comfort or luxury, very important in our Christian ministry life. What happens here is, can we turn to second Corinthians chapter four verse 8 to 10? Can I request one of us to read, please? Second Corinthians chapter four was 8 to 10, we are heart pressed on every side yet not crushed. We are perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed, always caring about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life of Jesus also maybe manifested in our body. Thank you. So what we see here is, we as a ministry leader, we need to get ourselves adjusted to many areas. It's not a place of luxury or a comfort that we need to seek when we go out on ministry. We should not be demanding because Apostle Paul never demanded for any such luxury or comfort when he went out to, when he went on to sharing the gospel. So here when we go, it is a common trend these days like mighty man of God or anointed servant of God, they go out demanding a huge offering or they wanted a very spacious air-conditioned car to be picked up and brought and they need a five-star hotel accommodation to stay and they need this superhero kind of treatment but then we need to be very careful. That is not what God is asking us to do. As a minister of God, we need to be simple. We need to choose things. If we have to pay for our own stay, pay for our own transport, what option would we choose? We should not place a demand on somebody who's inviting us. If they are giving us this comfort, praise God, enjoy it but then we should not place a demand for our visit to their place or to share the gospel. We should not have any kind of demand. As a man of God, let us be simple. Let's enjoy whatever has been provided for us but see to it that we share the word of God without any compromise. We should minister the word to the people and that should be our focus on, not on the other. Because Apostle Paul actually set an example for himself when he shared the word of God. Yes, he went through a lot of hardships but what he was focused on, despite those hardships, he was focused on preaching and sharing the gospel to others and strengthening the believers in the church without any expecting for or without any even demanding for any luxury or special treatment from the churches or from the believers wherever he went. In fact, he actually stayed in the other believers house and he ministered to them and to the others in the place wherever he went. There was no demand as he had said for others. Maybe that was one of the reasons also that Paul encourages us to imitate me as I imitate Christ. So these are some of the basic context that is required in our Christian minister's life that we need to hold on so that we can set an example for ourselves, for our family, for our church, for our congregation and for others without any demand but then just setting a focus on Christ himself. So with this we are completing this chapter and we can move on to the next chapter preaching. I'm just thinking or to just give me a minute please. I'll stop the recording.