 So I just covered the section where I talked about the family of God and how we must have a son mentality versus the servant mentality because a servant works for a reward but a son works because he belongs, a son has a greater commitment as compared to a servant and a son receives the inheritance while a servant is only looking for a reward. So now we will look a little deeper at the characteristics of people who carry the son mentality in the family of God or the local church. How, what does it look like? So it will come through as them being faithful, so they will demonstrate faithfulness. They will be aligned to the vision of the family, they will be aligned to the direction in which, when I say family we are talking about the local church, the direction in which the local church is moving. But if it's somebody who is thinking like a servant when the going gets rough they might just throw in the towel and say I think I prefer to be a part of another community and just move on. So they may not remain aligned to the vision or committed to the vision and the direction in which the local church is moving. So faithfulness is what sons and daughters demonstrate in the family of God. And sons and daughters are people who will demonstrate like-mindedness. Now Paul, when he talked about Timothy, he said that here is one individual who is just like me. He thinks like me. I think it's good to read the passage given in our notes here. I'm on page 62, Philippians 2 verses 19 to 22. Can somebody please read this passage? Can I read? Yes, yes please Charles go ahead. Philippians chapter 2 verse 19 through 22, but I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly that I also may be encouraged when I know your state for I have no one like-minded who will sincerely care for your state. All seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know this proven character that as a son with his father, he served with me in the gospel. Amen. Amen. Thank you Charles. Thank you for reading that. So Paul while talking about Timothy, he gives a very good report about the attitude with which Timothy served. So he says that he was like-minded and the meaning of that from the Strong's dictionary given here in our notes is of a similar spirit. So with a similar spirit, Timothy served together with Paul and he did not seek his own. He had genuine concern for the purposes of the Lord Jesus Christ and that's why Timothy served and then Paul also talks about his proven character and he says that Timothy served like a son together with him in the gospel. So that is the manner in which somebody who has a son mentality will serve in the church. Now they serve with the same vision that the leadership of the house has. They will steer in the same direction as the leadership of the house. They will serve because of love for God and the family of God. So it will not be an obligation. You gave me the task, I am doing it, where is my appreciation, where is my reward. The son doesn't think in that manner but he is doing it out of love. He is doing it for the benefit of the family. A son or a daughter will reflect, first of all they will understand the heart of their leaders. They will also reflect the heart of their leaders because we know that we are not here for ourselves. We are here for the common vision that God has put on this household, on this local body. So a son and a daughter will think like that and not think about what is in the bargain for me in this. And also a son and a daughter while serving in the house of God, they will be mindful not to draw the attention of the people like whoever comes into the family and a son and a daughter will not say, okay come, now you follow me, okay, it's all about me, no. But a son and a daughter, they are faithful to the vision, they are faithful to the community, they are faithful to the leadership and they will point even the newcomers in that same direction so that they too can be a part of the family and they too can belong in the house of God and they can serve as a son and a daughter. So you see how valuable it is for the church to understand that it is a family. And if the leadership treats the people in this way and the people also develop a son mentality, that's what God wants because that is how God's family should be. It's not just about doing stuff, we are talking about the kingdom of God in the other course but kingdom of God is not just everybody do your part and everybody just do the great commission and that's what God wants and that's it, period, amen. It doesn't work like that, we are also a family at the same time, that's why we said there are 10 facets that we will discuss about the house of God, all these facets sort of kind of superimpose one on the other and the church is it is such a beautiful place and the church is supposed to be, if we walk in all these things then it is supposed to be a wonderful place where people will experience God powerfully and people will also enjoy the fellowship that God has provided in other believers for them. So it's important for us to understand and teach the people and also go by the same teaching ourselves as leaders. So we talked about the son and the servant mentality. Now a son is also someone who will be willing to take correction with the right spirit. Obviously, wherever there is progress, there is need for growth, there will be correction. How is it possible that absolutely no correction comes away? There will be a lot of correction that would be needed for growing children. So similarly in the family of God, whenever correction is, you know, metered out to a person and the Bible teaches us how to do that in a loving manner, someone who has a son mentality will be able to receive it with the good spirit. But if someone carries a servant mentality, that person can be easily offended and they'll be like, you know, who are you to ask me or you know, why should I be accountable to you? That kind of an attitude can show up. But when we are walking with a son mentality, we know, okay, correction is coming away, fine, you know, what are the changes that I need to make? How can I grow further? How can I be better? A son things like that. So that is how a son would behave. And also a son and a daughter in the family is somebody who honors father and mother. Okay, now it is possible that in the local church, now we're talking more specifically in the context of the local church, so fathers and mothers are terms referred to more mature people, you could say pastors, ministry leaders, or even if they don't have a title or a role, somebody who is mature in the Lord who is able to you know, impart into the lives of others. Okay, so when there are fathers and mothers in the house of God, it is possible that they make mistakes. Okay, obviously, nobody is perfect. Now, if someone in the church has a son or a daughter mentality, they will understand that, okay, my leader has made a mistake. And you could also deal with the issue, you can address the issue in an honorable way with your leader and that's about it. But a son will not go around telling the whole world, look at my father, he's like this, he's like this, he's like this, sort of putting them down and talking about them in a condescending way to others and not forgiving your father or mother and not forgetting what they did. But you would be one who would deal with the matter quickly and then forget about it and not shame your father or your mother. So only a son will do that. But a servant will be quick to make a big deal out of the mistakes or the errors made by leaders. And there is an example given here from the life of Noah. Noah in Genesis chapter nine, we read that he got drunk and it's possible that it was a genuine mistake because he discovered wine for the first time because we don't read about him getting drunk again. So when this happened, no, he was naked. Okay. And his son saw that. But you notice how Ham saw the father's nakedness and he went and he told his brothers about it. However, Shem and Japheth took a garment, walked backwards and covered the nakedness of their father. So it's like an example of we're not saying that we must push the mistakes of leaders under the carpet and behave like they never made a mistake. No, there are right ways of dealing with it. And I think we will address that in Kingdom Builders course. But what we are pointing out here is not like publicizing it and putting them down without without dealing with the matter in a proper way. Okay, so the person who has a son mentality will will cover up. But a person who has a servant mentality will make it worse. Okay, so that is something here. And again, when we're talking about mistake, we are referring to things which may happen like as a one off thing of somebody isn't continual sin, they are unwilling to change. That's a different matter. Okay, and that needs to be addressed separately. So this will be the manifestation of a son or a daughter in the family of God. Okay, now Shri Kumar has a question here says in case leadership does not have a vision of mentorship. In that case, how can we move ahead? Okay, so Shri Kumar, the leadership needs to have a vision of mentorship. If you recall, when we talked about a strong local church, we talked about the continuity of the church. Okay, and if the leaders, the current leaders are not, they don't have a plan to invest in younger people, then the church will not like with this generation, all the good things that God is doing. Basically, it's like, you know, it's like that, what do you call that thing? You pour the wine into, what is that garment called? I'm not getting the word. Wine skin. Yes, yes. Thank you. Yes. So wine skin. So it's like a wine skin, you have to keep it prepared for the next generation. If we don't prepare that, then even if God is pouring out the anointing in a new way, in a fresh way, the younger people will not be ready. The wine skin will not be ready. And God's work will come to an end, unfortunately. So pastor, in that case, what a person can do? Like, if the leadership is not having that kind of provision or a mentorship, or like, they're only looking for the, they're only for focusing on the church group. But if they are not focusing on the mentorship and to raise the next level, or as you said, for a next generation, they are not investing. So in that case, how to continue like the things what we are discussing now. So how can, you know, as a person like me, how can I go ahead with it? And then can I continue with that? Or do I have to, sorry to ask that, you know, find another option where I can be mentored in the right way or because of look like when I decided to serve God. So that was my question. Thank you. Yeah, thank you, Shri Kumar. It's a difficult thing, actually, what you're asking. And the answer is not straightforward. But what I would do, I could tell you that I would consider the season of my life. And I would see what God wants me to do in that season. Okay, and be faithful where I am planted at the in the given moment. I know that my leadership is not making any investment in the lives of the younger people. But I would pray for them. Because, you know, that's the most I can do. Okay, but if if at all, you know, you are in a position of greater influence, where you can talk to your leadership, you can discuss about these matters in a in a sort of a, you know, peaceful way, then I think you can do that. But if I am a person in a church and I don't have influence, maximum, I can only pray and say, Lord, you know, let let this be possible. And hope that it happens. But if it just does not happen over a period of time, and I feel that, okay, you know, my my season here is over and things are not really moving in the right direction. Then I may need to move. And I'm telling you from what I've done, actually. Yeah, thank you. Sure. Yeah, yeah. So please make your decision. I'm not. Yes, thank you. Thank you for being a true pastor. Yeah, okay. Thank you, Charles. But see, it's not like pointing a blame at someone. Even like, one church that I attended before APC. And the reason I started attending that church is because we moved our house. I was very deeply a part of another church, which was quite far away from my new home. So we couldn't travel all the way. So I had to join a local church, which was close to my house. There was no other option. So in that season of my life, because that was the only option left for me, I continued there. I did my best to be as faithful as possible. Whatever programs they had, I engaged in all of that. I did my best even to reach out like, okay, how can I serve this and that? Everything. But it came to a point where after doing my part, the best that is possible. Something was just not clicking. Something was not clicking. And I felt like, you know, XYZ, it would be nice if those things were also considered. But as I told you, I was not in this church for a very long time. So I did not have a say. Okay, so then I just prayed about it and prayed about it and prayed about it. And in a very, very strange sort of a way, I got introduced to APC, a very strange way. My father was in the hospital, you know, again, far away from where I live right now. And when he was in the hospital, I wanted to visit a church and the closest church then was APC. And I got connected to the church. I got connected to the people and I felt like I belong there. And once that happened, I just became a part of APC, you know, and the season just changed for me. It was that. That's exactly what happened. So, okay, just to clarify. So, Shikumar, yeah, please pray, think and you see how you pass. Thank you. Thank you. Yes. Okay. All right. Thank you. So we're talking about son, sons, fathers, and having the right mentality. Okay, now coming to fathers and mothers, interesting, because yesterday only Abhishek had this question in the mentoring are fathers and mothers in the house of God. So who are these fathers and mothers? Basically, people who can, who can nurture younger believers into growth. So if they're able to do that, then we refer to them as fathers and mothers. So what kind of growth should a believer go through? So they must be discipled for their own personal lives, for their spiritual walk, and also for equipped for ministry. Okay, so a father and a mother will lead them on that growth journey and also be willing to release them at the right time. So an individual who can do that for another individual is called as a father or a mother. So that is spiritual fathering, basically nurturing a believer in the Lord. Now, is this part of the Bible? Did it happen? Yes, it happened a lot. It happened in the early church. You have a great example of Paul the Apostle who mentored so many people like Timothy, Titus, and several other believers at Corinth, Galatia, Thessalonica, and he also refers, you know, to people as his sons or children. So he looked at them like that. He invested in them like that. And obviously it's only when you do things like that that the next generation will have will carry your legacy and they can continue the work. Otherwise, what happens once Apostle Paul is gone, everything is gone with Apostle Paul. But thankfully, you know, he had mentored people. And you know, it's important for there to be fathers and mothers in the body of Christ. Now, we can also look at it in in a in the larger sense. Okay, not just the local church. You we also have fathers and mothers in the body of Christ. So many people that we look up to, right, like in our nation, in our city, we've learned from them. They've blessed our lives. They nurtured us in the in the in our walk with the Lord. So it's important for there to be fathers and mothers for the fathers and mothers and the sons and daughters to have a good relationship. Now Malachi chapter four, there is a verse there which says God says that if the hearts of the fathers are not turned to the children and the hearts of the children to the father, then what happens? You know, he says that I will I will put a curse on the land. So the relationship between fathers and mothers and sons and daughters, it has to be a good one. Okay, it has to be like, you know, one of love. Okay, and that's what God is looking for. So he's not looking for a strained relationship where where the children are against the parents. So even when it comes to the spiritual side of things, spiritual fathers and mothers and sons and daughters, it has to be a loving relationship. And we learn from our fathers and mothers. We understand they're not perfect. But you know, we take what they impart into our lives. We have our goals, you know, to grow in the Lord and make them proud. So it is a relationship of love, just like a natural family. And these fathers and mothers, they also pass on a spiritual inheritance. Sometimes we may think, Oh, I'm serving with this man of God, a woman of God, and what am I going to get in return? That's a servant mentality. But when you have a son and a daughter mentality, you know, the blessings are spiritual. Like you may be serving faithfully and thinking I'm not getting any reward. But you know, God is transferring anointing on your life. God is transferring, you know, grace on your life, which is on the life of those that you are serving honorably. And you know, you're committed, you're faithfully serving. So these are all spiritual things that we cannot see. And only a son mentality can give you those things. Those things can be imparted in us when we have a son mentality. But with, you know, when we think only about reward and all, then, you know, it doesn't work out. So that genuine and a beautiful relationship is important. And it must be developed both ways. Okay, both from the spiritual mentor side, as well as from those who are being mentored. So how is it possible to establish this kind of a healthy relationship? So there are some practical keys here. One is you establish a personal relationship, right, with the person that you want to nurture. Now, again, here at APC, we insist as far as possible to to men, mentor men, women, you know, just so you don't get into, like, you know, difficult situations. So we kind of limit ourselves to that. That's not to say that, you know, there are not okay, there are no occasions when we have to speak into the life of like, you know, let's say some brother in church, and I have to speak into that person's life. Yeah, there's a way of doing it in the right way. But yeah, those are kind of one of things. But as far as possible, you know, what I would do is if there's something, you know, a lot that I can't do, I just put them on like, I would say Pastor Jake's, here's this person, can you connect with them? And can you just, you know, talk to this person and then Pastor would connect or, you know, the other pastors would connect and, you know, then it goes from there. So you establish a personal relationship as far as possible with the person of the same gender. And then when they get comfortable with you, that's when they will be willing to open up, you can speak comfortably into their lives. Okay, then the next thing, we're talking about mentoring, we're not just talking about, you know, having a friendly relationship. But when it comes to mentoring, we say that for a mentor, it's important to go, it's important to discuss things beyond the superficial surface level. Okay, now this doesn't mean trying to get a control or knowing everything about their personal lives. No, no, no, it's not at all to dictate terms to them, because they are a grown, you know, individual who has their own mind. So they are free to do whatever they want to do. But what we're saying is, beyond that superficial connection, if we are at a place where we can address issues of, okay, how's your spiritual life? You know, these are the ways in which you could strengthen yourself spiritually, equip your inner man. Okay, there's some echo. Yeah, they should also be at a place where they are able to receive these things. Or, you know, what about we said receiving correction with the right spirit? So, if we only talk about superficial things, how are you doing? How is your ministry? And sometimes, when we talk only about ministry and gifting, the conversations will be nice. Ministry is going very well. Yeah, I'm teaching five classes. You know, it's amazing, anointing, grace, good things. But what if some other areas are addressed in my life, okay, about, let's say, something wrong with finances that I'm engaged in. Now, if a mentor just says, hey Nancy, what about that? You know, what happened? Why did you do this? I may not like it. But when there's that equation, the mentor can bring in correction, rebuke, discipline, okay. Or let's say, marriage, you know, some person who's ministering, ministry is going awesome. But there are issues in the marriage. But as a mentor, if at all, there is that relationship of comfort, where the mentor can say, hey, what's happening, you know, is there something I can help with or what's going on, you know, you seem to be having some difficulty in this area. It's not easy to discuss about other matters. But it's very helpful because then that builds the whole person. Okay, and once again, I'm saying this is not to interfere. This is this is just to be there for that person and also help the person grow in all areas of their life. So going past the superficial surface level relationship helps a lot in mentoring, then exercising positive influence and holding people accountable. So there are times when, you know, like early on, there were, you know, multiple things that I was involved in. And some of those tasks needed me to travel. So I still remember one day, there was some five days of prayer going on in church, and I had an appointment with somebody outside. And I just excused myself from the prayer. Okay, and I got this message from pastor, Nancy, where are you? I'm like, Oh, my goodness, what's happening? You know, so basically, like, I understood that I have to be accountable. I didn't attend the prayer. So what am I going to do? Then I explained to him, I told him, I'm so sorry, pastor. But then he's like, remember, we had planned that everyone should be part of the prayer. And you could have planned this appointment for another time. So I was like, Yeah, actually, I could have done that. But I'm sorry, I didn't do it. So then I kind of corrected myself. I was like, Okay, fine. Next time, even if it's like a really important appointment, then I don't plan it when I mean, this prayer was special, like because, you know, it was meant for the for for all the congregation, especially the staff to be together. And I kind of didn't do that. So, you know, things like that, where people can actually hold you accountable. And it's not easy. But it's very helpful, because it you learn so many things. And you grow, right? When you learn from people who have, I mean, they're demonstrating those things in their own lives. So that's seriousness, like you kind of learn, you pick it up, you correct yourself. So that positive influence, you know, that that can be exercised over people's lives, so we can hold people accountable for their spiritual growth, conduct, daily lifestyle and even ministry. Okay, and then deal with the person's character more and not just the gifting. And I've already talked about it. Otherwise, what happens, people can hide hide behind the gifting. We don't want that. The whole person needs to be ministered to. Okay, so and when we are dealing with, you know, issues that people have, the people whom we are mentoring, the fathers and mothers should also do it with a true and a sincere heart to build the person up, not to pinpoint their, their, you know, errors and insufficiencies inadequacies and make them feel worse. That's not the reason why we want to be doing this, but we want to build the whole person that is the intention. Then encourage people to present for themselves. Okay, so this basically means that yeah, we nurture people and what if the person that we are mentoring becomes better than us? Okay, there can be an insecurity within us. Like, you know, the way Saul, when he, he heard about David and the songs that people were singing for David, he just wanted to get rid of David. But fathers and mothers, a true father and a mother will be proud to hear that, hey, you know, the person that I have been working with all these years is doing better than me. They have accomplished greater things than me. So a father and a mother should encourage people to present and not become insecure that, you know, this person might reach higher heights. Okay, and then train people for their God appointed destiny. Yeah, so this means that, you know, in a local church, it can be very tempting to position people the way you want it. Okay, because the church needs that now, the service needs that now. So you're getting them to do what you want. But that's not how mentoring should be. We have to seek God's heart for what God wants for that person, what is our anointing on that person's life. And based on that, we mentor them based on that, you know, we lead them in the things of God, then what happens, you know, maybe, you know, they grow in the anointing and who knows, they might be in one of the five fold ministry offices. So as the person grows, you see that, let's say, teaching anointing over that person's life. God may say, okay, right now I want you to release this person because I want them to minister in other places. So father and a mother is willing to do that. Okay, father and a mother is willing to do that. Yeah, thanks. Thanks, Tarun. Tarun put a comment here. Jesus said, you will do greater things than these. Yes, how wonderful that we have the Son of God expecting us to do better. Right. Then whatever he did, and he basically spoke about, you know, the supernatural. So yeah, we must have that big heart. Okay. All right. So I think I will, there is the last section here about Christian community, but I will not rush into it. So let me stop here. Maybe we can discuss a couple of things and then close for today. Anything along the lines of son mentality, servant mentality, fathers, mothers. Now let's take that up. Sorry. Yes, Samuel. Yeah. So something that I was thinking was, especially in terms of fathers, mothers, or slash mentors. I think the requirement for fathers and mothers to to learn to be good mentors, which a lot of times comes from feedback is what I'm thinking. You know, let's say I'm mentoring someone and I don't know, because I don't know from where I remember this quote, but the quote goes something like, we judge ourselves by our intentions, but others judge us by our actions. So while, you know, my intentions might be right, like I want this person to grow spiritually. So I'm rebuking him, disciplining him, giving him feedback for the spiritual cause. But, you know, my intention might be, you know, clouded with my action, which, which the person may not be receiving correctly. And I would not know that until this person, my mentee tells me, you know, the way you're like, it's not helping me. And for the father or mother to take that grace when he said, like, okay, I need to correct the way that my intention, like, I want to do it, but I need to modify accordingly. Because again, I'm thinking everybody's different and what what may work for one person may not work for another person. Some, some like direct on the face feedback and some like some prefer sandwiched feedback. So I think the overall is if you could comment a little bit on how do fathers and mothers grow in their own? Or from a normal person, how do you mature to mentor? Yeah. So some will see to become a father or a mother. Those individuals have also gone through the journey. They have also grown, they have made mistakes, learned from their mistakes. And that's how they right now are in a place where they are able to speak into the lives of others. Okay, so I think there's, yes, speak the truth in love in the example that you gave. If we do our best to speak the truth in love, and the feedback you get from the individual is no, you know, the way you did it, it wasn't, like, I'm not able to receive from it. Then you learn, you learn from that experience. And you see how you can improve in the way you are communicating as a father or a mother. But I guess that's as much as you can do. Because sometimes what happens, people are, it is possible that the person that we are mentoring is not willing to receive. No matter how you want to communicate it because the ball is in their court. And if they say that, no, you know, you didn't say it in the right way, or I can't do this. Then I think, from that point, you can only check your heart as a mentor, and see that I did my best. I did what I whatever I knew was right, and I did my best, I was willing to correct myself. But beyond that, it's not my responsibility anymore. It has to be the person who has received the feedback or whatever, who needs to actually do it. So the point I'm making is, see, there is a growth process. There's a learning process, even at the end of the mentor. And one should be willing to learn. But also, with what you said just now, I'm thinking, or in my head, I'm defining a mentor as a person who doesn't easily give up on the mentee. And like where the whole world may give up, say like, you know, hopeless case, but I think a mentor is someone who takes a very long time to do that, probably even a lifetime. Yeah. So, yes, Samuel, I do agree with you. But I'll just make a very quick point, because we've run out of time also. I see that a mentor should have that heart to cover the mentee like at all times. But the reality is, the mentee's response is everything. Now, if somebody does not want to receive, you can chase them your whole life, you will not see any growth. Okay, so that's the flip side of things. Yeah, so anyway, yeah. Yeah, I mean, I still would want to do it, but I don't know in the interest of time. Debate, huh? Okay, we'll see how that can be done. We can see how to discuss. Okay, so with that, yeah, thank you, Samuel. And thank you, everyone. I don't want to take your time. I know you have another class to go to. So let me just quickly pray and we will wrap up today's class. Heavenly Father, we thank you God for giving us this time together to learn from your word. And Father God, we just place ourselves at your feet, Lord, even as we, Lord, learn about these things, help us, Lord, in our lives, in our churches, Lord, in the Kingdom work that we do, Father God, Lord, be a blessing, Lord, and be examples, Father God. But thank you once again, Lord, for all that you're teaching us. We honor you. We come at the rest of the day into your hands. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Okay, take care, everyone. God bless you. Amen. Bye. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you. Bye. Bye. God bless. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you. Bye-bye. Bye. Love you. Bye, everyone. God bless.