 Oh yeah, we'll continue, you know, just a request. Sometimes I've become absent minded and I forget to switch on the recording after the break. So, you know, if anyone sees me doing that mistake, please, you know, if you could just kind of point out and make sure that I switch on the recording because they have been issues which have happened because I've forgotten to do that. So yeah, but of course now I have switched it on. Yes, moving into the question, you know, which Brother Shai had, you know, asked, why is it that some people have these, you know, spectacular encounters with the Lord which totally turn their lives around? Well, you know, why doesn't God give that to every single person? Because then everyone would find it easy to follow the Lord. But why does he only give that to some people? Now the methodology that the Lord uses, of course would differ from case to case. It's, I mean, in his wisdom, he would know how to, you know, reveal himself to different people. So he may use something spectacular for some, but for the other, someone else, it may be something very, very, you know, sober and very downplayed, but it has a great power in that person's life. So, you know, because for some people, you know, they're just sitting there on the chair and they're just listening to the gospel being preached. And very quietly in their heart, they make their commitment very quietly in their heart without shedding a tear, you know, that firm, you know, relationship with the Lord is established and they move on from there. So nothing spectacular happens. But then for some people, they have a vision or, you know, some great deliverance takes place and things like that. So when it comes to methodology, I know it's the Lord, he chooses, in what way he would like to reveal himself to each person and, you know, initiate that relationship with them. But when it comes to this whole point of why some people have this revelation from the Lord and some don't, it is always in the hunger of the person the genuineness of their seeking, which draws the Lord. Again and again, you know, in scripture, especially in the Old Testament, we have all these passages where, you know, God says, if you choose to seek me, I will be found by you. You know, so we see that in 1st Chronicles chapter 28 verse nine, where of course the actual context is, you know, Solomon and God is talking to him. But then the principle that is, you know, given there really applies to everyone. He says, if you seek him, he will be found by you. But if you forsake him, he will abandon you forever. And then when he's talking to these people who are, you know, have gone into captivity, this is what the Lord says in Jeremiah 29, where it says, then, yeah, when you, in verse 13, Jeremiah 29 verse 13, he says, when you search for me, you will find me. If you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes. When we come to Hebrews chapter 11 verse six, it says over there that he's a rewarder of those who seek him. So the thing about Paul was that he was hungry and eager to follow the truth. And in his thinking and his Jewish thinking, he thought that that is the truth. And so he was so passionate for the truth. You know, when these Christians began to talk about Jesus Christ, who having risen from the dead, he was so angry. He was saying, this is preaching something wrong and they are going against the Jewish faith which Moses has given us. And so he was so passionate for the truth. He, instead of going about his tent making, he gives up all of that, literally goes from town to town, chasing down these Christians because he does not want the truth to be corrupted in any way. He had such a passion to know the truth. And when he's talking about his past, he says, when it came to following the law externally, when it came to following the law externally, I was the ultimate. And to make a claim like that, you see, because very few people could really follow all those intricate Jewish rituals with which the Pharisees had put up and all of that. But he had actually been trying to follow all of that in all sincerity. That was the kind of man he was. He was not an indifferent person. He was passionate. It's just that his passion was directed in the wrong direction, simply because he did not know the truth. And the minute he got to know the truth, that same passion which was there inside him, now was used for the actual truth, for the Lord. So we see that happening in a lot of testimonies that we hear, I mean, even here in India, where now, you know, persecution is on the rise, especially in rural areas, there's a lot happening. It of course never comes out in the media, but there's a lot of persecution going on, on a monthly basis, you know, even last month, there were people who were beaten up. And if you look at the basic average person who does the persecuting, they are bullies. They're basically gangsters. They enjoy the violence. They're not really going and persecuting the Christians because they have some deep passion for their belief system. It's just that they enjoy, you know, venting out. They enjoy the act of beating up someone or tearing down their church and things like that. It's more hatred that drives them rather than any desire for the truth. But you hear testimonies here in India and in other places where someone was actually seeking the truth and they were attacking the Christians because they felt that their belief system was the right one. And so for such people, the Lord revealed himself and they got to know the truth. And once they got to know the truth, now they are so strong in the Lord. You know, they go around saying, you know, I was somebody who used to persecute Christians, but now Jesus Christ has shown this to me and now I'm following the truth. So wherever there is hunger, God will reveal himself to such people. He is a rewarder of those who seek him. They may not even know whom they are seeking for. They may not know the name of this, you know, creator God. But if that hunger is there, God reveals himself, you know, to such people. And there are so many testimonies of that. So the, now whether he uses a spectacular method to reveal himself or whether he just uses some very, you know, simple downplayed method, which nobody ever gets to know about, that is up to him the method that he uses, but he will reveal himself to those who are seriously seeking the truth, you know. So I think that would be the best way to look at this. Yeah. I hope that is satisfactory. Thank you, Pastor. Yeah. All right. So, yeah. So we looked at the passion that Paul had for the gospel. And there he urges the Philippian believers also to have the same kind of attitude. So in verses 27 to 30, he says, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. And in, you know, at the end of verse 27, he says, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel. So it's urging them to, you know, fight for the gospel, to participate, you know, in spreading it and in keeping it. And then he says in verse 29, something interesting that he says over there, he says, for it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him. You see, a lot of Christians are under the impression that if they have placed their faith in Jesus, that if they have believed in him, their duty is done. But no, we are called not just to believe in him, but also to share with him in his sufferings, you know, where we are trying our best to bring people into the truth, to, you know, sharing the word with them. That also is part of our responsibility. So it has not been granted to us just to believe in him, but also to suffer for him. And, you know, Paul affirms and says in verse 30, yes, this is something that you guys are already doing. So he says, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now here that I still have. So in the same way that he was struggling for the gospel, they also were making their sacrifices, you know, in reaching out with the gospel. So we see that about them. Then we move into chapter two, you know, where he talks about how we need to have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. That would be chapter two, verse five, where it says, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. And what is the same mindset? You know, in the earlier verses, he talks about that. He says, do nothing out of selfish ambition. He says in verse three, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. And then he says, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of the others. So that is the mindset which Jesus Christ had. And so then, you know, he refers to this, to this hymn which they used to sing in their churches at that time. So basically all these verses that we have, you know, verse six onwards, up to verse 10, this is all a hymn that they used to sing because that's the kind of format that is used. You know, it sounds like verse, it sounds like poetry. So it was probably a song, you know, that they were very familiar with in those days. So he actually quotes that song and he says, see, this was the mindset which Jesus Christ had. So what was the mindset that Jesus Christ had? It says in our verse six, it says that Jesus Christ did not consider equality with God, something to be used to his own advantage. That would be our, you know, NIV translation. On the other hand, you know, if you're looking at NKJV, it says Jesus Christ did not consider it robbery, you know, to be equal with God. So what exactly is being talked about over here? You know, that word that is actually used over there is Harpugmon, okay, that's supposed to be the Greek word. That's basically a word which talks about use, you know, seizing something. Why does NKJV use that word robbery? They're kind of thinking about somebody, you know, grabbing at something like, you know, a pickpocket. He grabs hold of the wallet and he runs. So you seize it, you grasp it, you know, it can also be used in the sense of clinging on to it. So Jesus Christ, he clearly recognizes that he is divine, that he's equal with the rest of the Godhead, you know, he's as divine as them. So he understands this very clearly, but he doesn't go on clinging on to that and desperately holding on to it, rather very sacrificially, you know, he lays it aside. So even though he clearly understands who he is, he chooses to, you know, to not touch that divinity, but to allow himself to be 100% human. So it's a choice that he chooses to make. So he's not placing his own interests first, rather he's placing the interests of the other people before him. And so what does he do? It says he made himself nothing, verse seven says. He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a bond servant. You know, that's the actual term that is used over there. And I will just say servant, but actually it's talking about a slave, because a slave basically does one thing. He has no rights, no privileges. He's only meant for one thing to serve and serve and serve. That's all a slave does. So Jesus, knowing the rights that he has, the privileges that he has as a divine being, he chooses to lay that aside and become a bond servant, become a slave, whose one single duty will be to serve, serve, serve, serve the father, serve the people whom the father has sent him to. So he's just going to be a servant, a server, a slave. That is what he chooses to become. Yeah, your brother Shea, you go ahead. Yes. Thank you, Pastor. So I have two questions. The first question is, does this mean that there's a difference between a slave and a servant? Now, if that is the case, in the case of Jesus, you rightly explained that this verse that Paul communicates to us, is that Jesus came in the place of a servant, laying aside his glory, which we all know, sorry, slave rather. So my question is, how do you balance? Because I do understand where you're directing us from the scripture. Well, at the same time, do we neglect the fact that Jesus still shared a father-son relationship in the flesh? Because I think this is very vital for us to understand that there's a place of servanthood. I don't know if it's to be slave, now that Jesus Christ has resurrected and brought us into the kingdom. But there's a place where we have to serve and at the same time, we don't lose our identity as sons and daughters of God. So my question then would be is, how do we balance Jesus playing this role or rather doing this role on earth for a reason and also still maintaining his father-son, which we saw all through to even the cross? You know, his father-son relationship, how do we balance this so that we do not just emphasize more on him being a slave and then neglects in the other side of his relationship with the father? Yeah. So he says, you know, in so many places, he talks about how he has come to the earth to fulfill the father's will. So he says, whatever the father tells me to do, that I do. You know, in fact, he says in one place, you know, all the words that I speak, you know, it is what the father has asked me to speak. So he always talks about how he is doing things which his father has told him to do. And he does it with the attitude of a slave as in completely, in no way, you know, claiming that I am, you know, what I'm equal with you, right? Throughout eternity, I've been equal with you. So, you know, I should actually not need to do these things, that is not the attitude. He fully knowing who he is, fully knowing the relationship that he has with the rest of the Godhead, understanding those things, he still chooses to have the attitude of a slave. So status-wise, yeah, you could maybe say status-wise, he was a slave. But then when it comes to the relationship, yes, it is a father-son relationship. But the attitude is one of a humble slave who is willing to do anything and everything that he is told to do without question. You see, because even in the Garden of Gethsemane, even though this was not something that he wanted to do and did not want to go to the cross, he says, you know, if it is possible, if this cup can be, you know, you know, turned away, you know, please, could you do that? But even there at that point, the attitude is one of a slave where there is complete submission. So whenever we are thinking in terms of us believers also being slaves, we are in no way discounting the fact that we are children of God because the spirit of God has been given to us to witness to us and tell us that you guys are now children. Yeah, you're supposed to call your, call God as Abba Father. So the spirit of God himself, the Holy Spirit himself is teaching us to recognize that God is our Father. But when it comes to the attitude with which we serve, it should literally be the attitude of a slave and not that of a servant. You know, if you really want to differentiate those two things because in that culture of biblical times, there are rich people who could afford servants because you see a servant is someone that you would have to kind of pay on a very regular basis. He has his own freedom. He's not your property. He can come and go as he wishes. So people generally did not hire servants because that would be a costly thing. It is easier to have a slave because once you purchase the slave, you're gonna have him for all your work. You know, you can't, a servant will sign up for only one particular job. If he says he's gonna do the gardening, he's only gonna do the gardening. He's not gonna touch anything else. On the other hand, if you have a slave, you know, he and his household are entirely your property. You can ask them to do anything. You know, forget about gardening. You can get them to do the cooking and the cleaning and the field work, all of that. So in that time, it was more financially viable to have a slave rather than an expensive servant. So Jesus doesn't just choose to serve, you know, in return for payments, which he's going to get from the father. No, he's like a slave, expecting nothing in return. So in attitude, we are all supposed to be like Christ in being completely submissive, to have the attitude of a completely obedient and submissive slave. But in our relationship, we do recognize that we are now our children of God and the spirit of God has taught us to call him Abba Father, you know, to call the father as Abba Father. So yeah, it's something like that, I suppose. Yeah. Does that help? It does help knowing the context because if we bring it into the 21st century, to many people, it might be hard for them to accept the mentality of a slave, whereas we are talking about it in terms of doing the will of God. Basically, you following sheepishly without even questioning, but basically doing the will of God completely. But by the 21st century, many might frown to the word slave, even knowing, you know, with all that has happened even in the recent time. So it might be servant that might fly well with people. So I was just trying to get a balance. So Abba, I'm happy like you brought up that context. I didn't know about that context very well. So at least the context now helps one understand why slave was giving, bond slave, basically bond servant rather, or slave was giving to describe Jesus, Jesus's work on earth as a man. Thank you, Pastor. Thank you. Yeah. So which is basically why, you know, NIV tries to avoid the word slave, even though do-loss is the word which is actually used. They go around translating it as servant, simply because they don't want the readers to be horrified by the word slave. But yeah, the actual word that was used over there was slave, do-loss, that was the actual word that was used. So we see that Jesus, even though he has rights and privileges, he chooses to give them up and become a slave. And it says to what kind of a slave to the extent of even dying on the cross. Because a person who has been sentenced to the death sentence of a cross has zero rights and privileges. I mean, people can mock him, they can spit on him, they can kick him, you know, they can do whatever they want and that man has got no rights left. He doesn't even have the basic right of dignity where he's stripped of his clothes. I mean, he's left with no rights. So people can do whatever they want to him and that man just has to silently bear that he's stripped of even the most basic human rights. So Jesus was willing to give up all his rights and privileges to that extent. And it says over here, have that mindset. I mean, it's something that we could never do on our own without the equipping of the Holy Spirit. You know, if you were to really understand the mindset of Christ to have that kind of a mindset, it is something that will be possible only through the help of the Holy Spirit. It's not something that we could ever do on our own because it's talking about that level of humility, you know, that level of submission to the Lord where you choose to place other people's interests before your own. And so it's a rather difficult thing that Paul is asking of his readers but he's asking it of them because he knows that the Holy Spirit will help in fact, we come to those things later on. He does touch upon how the Holy Spirit helps and all of that. So yeah, you know, I just something that I wanted to touch upon because we are talking about this. It's actually from your Philippines chapter four which will come much later in the next session but it's just that, you know, it talks about how we need to have the mindset of Christ and here you have a practical example. So because even as he was talking about the, you know, having the mindset of Christ, he probably had this issue in his mind, you know, while he was writing because in Philippians four versus two and three, there's this clash that is going on between two women leaders. And so if someone could read out that Philippians chapter four versus two and three, please. Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure this is in church, do you agree on the Lord? Yes. I ask you also to companion it. Help those women who have labored side by side with the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of Lion. Yeah. Here it's his advice to these two ladies, to these two women leaders is, be of the same mind in the Lord. Okay. So earlier in chapter two, we were told that we should have the mindset of Jesus Christ. And here he's telling them to have the same mind as in, you know, agree. Both of you agree on this issue that you are fighting about. Now, does that mean that we're not supposed to have any differences of opinion because, you know, different people think differently. Their perspectives are different. So there will be differences of opinion. So what does he mean when he says, you know, have the same mind? How can we all have the same opinion? We tend to have different opinions depending on our background and depending on our perspective, you know, depending on our worldview. So it probably doesn't literally mean that he's not expecting everyone to have all the same opinion about everything because, you know, earlier in Romans chapter 14, verse one, he's talking about, when he's talking about people who consider themselves strong in the faith. And then there are other people who consider themselves weak. They consider other people weak in the faith. So in that context, he says, you know, don't quarrel about differences of opinion. He says, you know, don't get into debates over differences of opinion. So he is okay with the idea of having, you know, people having different opinions. But over here, I think this was a case of leadership where both of these ladies probably wanted to do something specific for the church, you know, in leading the church in a particular way. And the difference was regarding that matter. So maybe one leader was saying, you know, we need to do it in this way. That's best. And the other person was saying, no, no, no, I think this is the correct way to go about it. So over here, when you have two leaders differing on how to run the church, you know, regarding something that's very, you know, something very important, at that point of time, they would obviously have to come to the same mind, you know. So because, you know, you can't possibly have them doing two different things, right? It's one church. So it has to have one set of guidelines in being conducted, how you conduct it. So they would obviously have to come to some kind of agreement on how to go about this particular leading issue, you know, in leading the church. So how are we supposed to have a mindset of Christ in such a context? You know, so going back to Philippians chapter two versus one to four, that will help us understand how these two ladies can come to an agreement and have the same mind in Christ when it comes to dealing with this issue. So in Philippians chapter two, this is what we were told earlier where it says, yeah, maybe if someone could read out, Philippians two versus one to four, please. Philippians two to four. Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any affection and mercy fulfill my joy by being like-minded and having the same love, being of one accord and of one mind, that nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself, let each of you look out not only for your own interests, but also for the interest of others. Yeah. Yeah, here we have, you know, Rupa saying, you know, agreeing to disagree. And yeah, okay, she also says giving preference to maintain unity in the spirit rather than getting our way. So yeah, agreeing to disagree would work when it's, you know, just opinions. I had this opinion and you have that opinion. And so we choose to, you know, disagree and still remain amicable. But if it's a decision-making matter where you're going to decide how to run the church, then you would, you can't have two leaders saying, you know, let's do this. And the other leaders saying, I'll do that. The congregation will not know whom to follow. So over there when it comes to actually leading the church one decision will have to be taken and the congregation will have to be told that and then they would actually run the church service according to that one single decision. So in certain cases, there's no choice. You have to come to one mind. So like, you know, Rupa said, you know, you choose to give up your opinion in preference of the other person to maintain unity. So yes, it may actually come to that. But of course, it helps if, you know, if they can sit down and work out some details on what would be best for the church. So looking over here at Philippians chapter two verses one to four, it says, you know, if you have any comfort from his love, if you people have experienced the love of Jesus Christ, then, you know, it says in verse Philippines two, verse two, yeah. So, you know, if you have experienced any encouragement from being united with Christ, if you have experienced any comfort from his love, then be like-minded having the same love. So even as these two leaders are having a clash between them, they must ensure that they still are showing the same kind of love towards each other that Christ is showing them. So in their attitude, they must have a loving attitude towards one another. And then it says being one in spirit. So what would this mean? You know, the spirit is one in spirit in the sense, you know, that is basically where you feel your emotions. So rather than holding anger against each other, rather than having the sense of competitiveness, as you know, my idea is better than your idea. So rather than having those wrong spirits, they would choose to be one in spirit. The oneness in spirit and mind being that, you know, let's together decide what will actually be best for the congregation. If we do it in this particular way, how will that benefit the congregation and what are the drawbacks? On the other hand, if we use this other method to lead the church in this particular way, what would be the benefits and what would be the drawbacks? So they would actually have to sit over there in an attitude of love, loving each other, not having a sense of competition, you know, in proving that their idea is better, but actually just thinking on behalf of the church, because it says in verse four, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of the others. So they would sit over there and they would actually discuss and think, you know, if we take this decision, this would be the positive points, this would be the drawbacks. And in the same way, they would do that for the other alternative which is available. And then based on that discussion, they would say, okay, fine, you know, we will set aside what we would like done, but for the sake of the congregation, we will go ahead and do what is best for them. Now, of course, if the argument still goes on and each person feels that their method would be best for the church, then like Rupa said, one of them would actually have to say, all right. You know, I just stepped back. So that the congregation doesn't get split up and divided over this matter because you see some of them will feel very strongly, aha, you know, person A is correct. And the other person will feel, no, no, person B, what they are saying is really correct. And that would lead to very serious consequences where there is division and strife, not just between two persons, but two sections of the church, that would be really not be worth it. You know, no opinion is worth that. So if it comes to that where there's no discussion, where discussion also is not helping, one person would actually have to say, all right, and it really doesn't matter. You know, and just step back for the sake of preserving the unity of that entire congregation. So yes, it could actually come to that, but it doesn't need to come to that level where someone has to just step back. You know, if you were choosing to have the same love that Christ has, and if you choose to be one in spirit and in mind, then the Holy Spirit will be actually be able to work in the mind and spirit of both the persons and show them, hey, don't you think that this would be a good way? So that oneness, if they maintain between them, the same Holy Spirit can speak to both of them and maybe give them a new clarity on how to see the whole thing. So it doesn't have to come down to the point of where one person just steps back and says, okay, fine, you know, you go ahead and we'll do it your way. It can be worked out better because both of them are choosing to have the mindset of Christ. It gives Christ the opportunity to work in that situation and do something which will be a blessing to them, the leaders, and will be a great blessing to the congregation as well. So these are all alternatives that are available if a person chooses to have the mindset of Christ. So that is very, very important. Moving on very quickly to other things because we are always out of time. Oh, yeah, yeah, we should touch upon this. You know, even if we can't do anything else, we must at least touch upon this very misunderstood verse. That would be Philippians chapter two verse 12, if someone could please read out. Philippians two verse 12. Therefore, Mike. You can go ahead. Go ahead, Asha. Okay, therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Yeah, you know, and people don't know what to do with this phrase, continue to work out your salvation. So they say, my goodness, are we being expected to do good works and work out our salvation? Does it mean that having placed our faith in Jesus and having made a commitment to know to be under him? Was that not enough? Now, are we supposed to start doing good works to maintain the salvation which we were given? So, you know, it's the question that is raised. The word over there, work out is literally the word which means to create something or to produce something. It's, I think I've actually written down that word somewhere. Can't remember, okay. Yeah, it's the word, cut. Cutteragazumai, however on earth you pronounce it, it literally means to produce something, to create something. So over here, it's basically saying, you know, work out your salvation in the sense, produce the fruits which should be coming out of your salvation experience. So don't let your salvation experience be just something, that you once did where you got down on your knees and said a prayer. Let your salvation actually be something which is bearing fruit on a daily basis. So work out, produce the fruits of salvation which should be, you know, every day when you get up, you start doing things which are showing that you are a saved person. The fruit coming out of your life shows that you are saved. So in that sense, in that sense produce the fruits of salvation. But why are you supposed to produce the fruits of salvation with fear and trembling? Are you constantly supposed to tell yourself, oh my goodness, I may lose my salvation, I may lose my salvation. If I don't produce the fruits of salvation, oh my salvation will be lost. Is that what he's talking about over here? That would be such a negative and terrible thing. I mean, that's not the kind of gospel that is talked about in the Bible. So what does he mean when he says with fear and trembling? The really nice thing is that he uses this term four times in his epistels. So we know exactly what he means when he uses this phrase with fear and trembling. The first time that he uses this phrase, that would be in, yeah, that would be first Corinthians chapter two versus two to four. You know, where he's talking about how he goes to the Corinthian people to preach to them about the gospel. And if someone could read out that, first Corinthians chapter two versus two to four. First Corinthians chapter two, two to four, for I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness, with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the spirit's power. Okay, so we need to understand what does he mean when he says that he went to them with great fear and trembling. Now, obviously he's not saying that he was scared, that he was terrified, because you see he's a man who has been walking in the spirit of God. And what do we know about the spirit of God? Second Timothy one, seven, where it says, the spirit of God, he has not given us a spirit of timidity. No, he's not given us a spirit of fear and being scared. Rather, what kind of a spirit has the Lord given us? One of power and love and self-discipline. That's the kind of spirit that has been given to us. So obviously Paul did not go to them terrified and scared. It's talking about the humility with which he went because he says, when I came to you people to preach, I did not come to you with wise and persuasive arguments. I could have made all those long speeches, you know, those wonderful elaborate Greek speeches which they make where the entire audience is like, wow, what wisdom is coming out of this man's mouth. He says, I chose not to do any of that. He says, you know, I resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified. So he decided he's going to stand over there in humility, not use clever arguments, but just talk about the cross of Christ and that would have sounded like such a weak topic to the human years because the cross like we know we had seen in Galatians that word Staros was not even a word that which was used in respectable society. The cross was something so low and so looked down upon and he's standing over there and talking about how his savior and master and the Lord of the universe has been crucified on a cross. That is the message that he's going to be talking. So he says, in humility, I chose to lay aside all the wise, you know, beautiful kind of speeches which people use and I chose to just in humility only talk about the Christ and thereby demonstrate the spirit's power, the power that lies in this message of the cross. So this phrase fear and trembling is talking about an attitude of humility. And so when we look at the other two places where this phrase is used, 2 Corinthians 7, 15 and Ephesians 6, 5 in both of those places, it's talking about an attitude of humility. So coming back to ours, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, with an attitude of humility where every day you are making a conscious effort to live in such a way that the fruit which is coming out of your life is in line with the salvation that has been given to you. So, you know, it says in verse 13, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. So God is the one who puts that willpower, that desire in you to fulfill his purposes. And not only does he put a desire inside you to fulfill his purposes, he also enables you, gives you the power that you need to act it out to really do those purposes of his. So humble yourself, have this attitude of fear and trembling where you submit to him and you allow him to do that good work in you. See, he's doing a divine work inside you by giving you the will to do his purposes. He's doing a divine work inside you by giving you also the power enabling which you require to be able to do those good purposes. Now, if you resist and rebel and refuse to cooperate with him, that good work of his is not gonna get done. So please humble yourselves, submit to him and then you will be able to work out. You will be able to produce those, that fruit of salvation because the fruit of salvation is walking in his purposes, accomplishing what he has chosen you for, what he has called you for, to fulfill that purpose for which you have been called into salvation. So he says, have an attitude of humility, learn to submit to the Lord, learn to work and that is what he affirms again in verse 17, where he says, this is what he says in 17, he says, even but even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. Here he's talking about the sacrifice and service which the Philippian believers are doing. It's a sacrifice and service which is coming out of the faith which they have placed in Jesus Christ. These guys are actually working out their salvation. They are producing fruit which is in line with the salvation that God has given them. So they are actually doing what they are meant to. They are actually making sacrifices and offering service on a daily basis and the sacrifice and service is not coming out of just some sense of duty. It's literally coming out of the faith which they have placed in Jesus Christ. That is driving them to live in that way. And Paul says, what I'm gonna add to your sacrifices and I'll be the drink offering that is being poured out on these sacrifices. So it's so beautiful. He is sacrificing his life for the gospel and here are these beautiful Philippians who are also making their own sacrifices. So together they're making this lovely sacrifice to the Lord and what a sweet aroma that must have been in the sight of God. How much he must have enjoyed Paul and these Philippian believers who are offering this beautiful sacrifice before him because they are doing it with fear and trembling with that deep sense of humility where they're not putting their own interests in front but they are putting the gospel in the front and they are serving the people that they are trying to reach out to. And so he's, was it in one of the previous verses? You know, he says, do not be afraid of the people who are trying to harm you but rather, you know, go ahead and fight for the gospel. I don't know, I can't remember. I'm only able to find the worst. They're like out of time, so I'm a little anxious. Yeah, so I just wanted to touch upon that. You know, there's no time to talk about it but Paul gives the highest compliment that he has ever given to any person when he talks about Timothy in chapter two versus 19 to 21, he says, I have no, not those of Jesus Christ but here's one guy, Timothy who does not put his own interests first but he puts the interest of Jesus Christ first and he says, I have no one else like him. Highest compliment that Paul had ever given a person. So we see that, you know, over here. And then he also goes on to say really beautiful things about Epipharoditus, which you will have to read for yourself because we don't have any time. So let's just close with the word of prayer. Lord, we just thank you so much for the amazing lessons that we could learn today for Lord from the lives of these Philippians and also from the teachings that Paul was imparting to them. Lord, we pray that you would help us to really have the mindset of Jesus Christ. That Lord, even though we recognize that we have rights and privileges, we are willing to lay aside those so that we can offer a sacrifice and a service to you because Lord, you have reminded us today that we are not called just to believe in you but we are also called to suffer with you. So we pray that we will remember all of these very important truths and that we Lord, we would really apply them in our everyday lives so that we were with humility, with fear and trembling. We will bring out the fruits of salvation on a daily basis and may that be a sweet aroma, oh Lord, to you. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen, amen. Thank you so much and yeah, we'll meet again next class. Thank you.