 And I'm just gonna give you a little pretext of what I'm gonna talk about at the title of my message today It's gonna be employee employees Benefits package and I'm just gonna kind of piggyback right on everything that that our pastor started sharing and then the whole You know, it's gonna just go straight along that valley of our vision and this is what we've been about and Before before we go in reading reading this Scripture I'll tell you how I came about this message. I was hoping one person this person had a great job and and They were I was helping fill out that every year you fill out like your employees benefit package You check things that you want and your insurance and and all of these things all the benefits that are included And so, you know, when we were going through that package Realized that the person had so many things as a great job great opportunity so many things and their employees benefit package so many options And so many things were not claimed for so many years that were be were available and and so sometimes When we know when you when you don't know what belongs to you can't claim it, right? And so you have to first of all you have to know what belongs to you But anyways that thought provoked to me The this this following topic is that you know when we're looking for a job when we heart in when we're hunting for a job One of the biggest things that we look for besides how much do I get paid is that what do I get with it, right? You know and all of us we're looking especially in America, you know medical insurance is is very important And it's it's very expensive any sort of medical expenses and many other things So after after the pay the next thing we're looking is what does employer offer when it comes to? Benefits many times. We're even take a lower paid job as long as there is good benefits I know a person a friend of mine. There is a business owner But he worked at UPS part-time job So just so he can get the benefits for him and his family and so there's good employees and They offer good benefits and there's employees that don't offer any benefits So this is kind of what my my what my sermon is gonna be today about and what I want us to encourage with and So we let's read Matthew chapter 19 verse 27 then Peter said to him we were giving up Everything to follow you what will we get and Jesus replied? I assure to you that when the world is when the world is made new and a son of man sits upon his glorious throne You who have been my followers will also sit on the twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel and everyone who had Has given up houses or brothers or sisters or fathers or mothers old children or property for my sake Will receive hundreds times as much in return and will inherit Eternal life And I'll read a second scripture to you Matthew chapter 21 verse 28 The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few So it is possible to be a Christian It is possible to be saved. It is possible to know God and to know about God but not to be employed not to labor for God in In in Matthew chapter 21 There's a story of a father who had two sons. They were his sons They were in his house, but when he asked them to go to work on a field one refused One said that he will go, but he eventually didn't go the one that refused eventually end up going So from that story we can see that you can be in a father's house. You can be saved. You can be Christians, but you Will not you may not be a Laborer a servant in the house. You may not be a person that works for God and so You know, we live a life We live a life and we seek employment in our physical jobs You know and our physical life and we are looking, you know, which the best employer I can have Which the person that I can work for that I can supply my needs that I can get a good pay and not only I can get good pay I can have a good benefits. I can have a health coverage. I can have a dental coverage I can have maybe some kind of 401k contribution matching contribution Because benefits they bring ease of mind the ease of financial state I want to tell you that also in a spiritual walk in our spiritual Life, we either can be idle or we can allow ourselves so we can be hired in God's field There's a parable that Jesus speaks and he says that the man went out in the morning Looking for laborers for his vineyard and there were people that were staying idle He came out early in the morning He came in noon He came later than a day and he hired people and God today is out Looking for laborers. He's out to hire people for his vineyard for his work and their work There's plenty of work. He said the harvest is plentiful. There is much work to be done He said the problem is with laborers and So today my message is to encourage you to employ yourself to employ your life to employ your gifts and talents for the kingdom's sake to spend your life to spend your energy and Everything about you to work for God's kingdom You may say well You know, that's a lot of sacrifice. I have a job. I have a family. I have a career I have a business, you know, why should I spend my life? Why should I dedicate myself and Put my efforts into the kingdom of God. I am saved I'm a good Christian. I'm not doing anything bad. What should I do anything extra? Let the pastor do the work. Let those missionaries do the work. I am just a person You know, I'm just a Christian. What benefit do I get of serving God? I mean, what do I get? I have to put up so much and sacrifice so much but just like our Earthly employers that have benefits God's kingdom has benefits as well being Employed in God's work in God's vineyard being employed in the kingdom of God Serving in his kingdom has benefits, you know, there's a lot of promises in the Bible and a lot of a lot of people They like to claim many promises in the Bible the lot of people they like to You know, there is over 7,000 promises in the Bible and all they all belong to you Well, technically not not all of the promises belong to you because a lot of promises Many promises in the Bible belong only to those who Commit themselves to the house of God those that serve in the house of God Let's explore some of the benefits that come with working for God. I want you to open with me some 103 and We're gonna read couple verses and we're gonna explore some of the benefits It says this praise the Lord of my soul and forget not all of his benefits and you can Underline forget not all of his benefits who her who forgives all of our sins Heals all of your diseases who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion Who satisfies your desire with good things so that your youth will be renewed like eagles we see from this scripture God begins to list the benefits that come When we begin to work in his kingdom He says one of the benefits is he forgives our sins if you can put up the the slide He heals all of our diseases he redeems our life from pit he crowns us with love and compassion God satisfies us with us our desires And our youth is restored These are the things that no employer Can offer to you in this life When you are weighed down with sin when you are rained down with guilt and shame No employer can offer you peace of mind. No employer can take off the weight of your sin But when we when we work for God when we employ our life for God when we work for God's kingdom God in return forgives our sins and removes our shame. He is a he's a good employer. He heals our diseases there was a lady Amy McPherson and She was She's a lady that started a four-square movement and she was She was she was sick and she was sick severely and God told her that if you if you will Go and preach the gospel and start a church I will heal you of the disease and she fought that idea because in that time in ages is what it was a while back You know women were not regarded in church and boom and She you know there was a prominent teaching that women shouldn't speak in church And so she knew that it's gonna be very difficult and the people will not take her seriously And so she knew the cost of the gospel and she said you know God I don't think I can do it There is plenty of other people to do it But God said I was looking for other people and they and and they didn't want to do it So I'm calling you to do it and she kept fighting and fighting as her sickness progressed when she ended up in the hospital And doctors said that you only have literally couple hours to live and God keep night in her heart said if you give me your life I will completely heal you and so when it was she knew that in few moments. She will die She said God I will do what you call me to do and right at that moment God's presence came into the room. She got healed and that very day She walked out of the hospital and everything was well with her There are certain things that God will heal you from there are certain things that God will rescue you from when you get saved There are certain things that God will set you free and we hear many testimonies But there are but there are certain things in your life that you will not be able to overcome You will not be able to move to the next level You will not be able to achieve Unless your life you be connected with God unless your life will be connected with God's purpose Unless your life will be connected with God's will in your life There was one man in the doctor young gitcho's Church he was a businessman. He was a successful businessman very successful business multi-millionaire. He was in his late late 40s and he was a Very successful prominent man. He went to dr. Young gitcho's church He was a good Christian and good citizen and that was all to his Christian life He had a good family. He had many connections very resourceful man and one at one point in his life He began to cough in your blood and so, you know, he was very busy man He didn't want to pay much attention to it. He thought it was just some simple sickness or something he tried to cure it with some with some Home remedies and but the sickness persevered it continued on he continued to cough up blood And he was growing weaker and weaker by the day finally his wife convinced him to go to the doctor He went to the doctor and doctors discovered cancer in his stomach and they told him you got literally maybe a month at most to live and Now all of these things that he'd been working for in his life that that great business that he built all All that things all the resources connections and family and everything everything that he was trying to do Work on so hard was meaningless Literally and and mid and the prime of his life because he only had couple weeks to do so he goes to dr. Young gitcho he goes to his pastor and says pastor. What should I do? I'm completely in despair. They gave me only a few weeks to live What should I do? And dr. English I told him he said you need to repent before God You've been Christian for so long, but you've done nothing for the kingdom of God He said I want you to go into the prayer mountain and I want you to repent before God I want you sincerely to ask God to forgive you of the sin of complacency and Mediocrity in your life the fact that you've done nothing and you brought nobody to Jesus in your life in your lifetime so far and As this man went to the prayer mountain he began to pray he began to see God's face He truly began to repent with his family He went on fasting at the end of at the end of the third day of his prayer and fast He began to vomit some black gooey substance. He immediately felt better He finishes prayer and fast with his family. They went back They went back home the next morning literally he went to the doctor to check up because he's been he started feeling better and better every day Doctors examined him and said there is no trace of cancer no trace of any sort of disease in your body You're completely healed from that moment on that man became a home group leader And he continued on serving God with his finances with his talents with his abilities his children Eventually this man passed on to glory in that church adversity his children they became ministers as well and His legacy continued to live on there are certain benefits. There is certain. There are certain things that God will do in your life when you begin to Live your life According to the will of God when you make God's heart when you make God's will a center of your life God will fight certain battles for you that you won't have to fight There are certain things you will face in your life that are impossible Other people are dying from it other people other families are breaking apart because of it But you your family will be kept together Because there is benefits Like every employer that we work for here has certain certain side certain benefits for life There is benefits of working in the kingdom of God There is benefits Working in the kingdom of God when you work in the kingdom of God when you employ yourself in the kingdom of God You secure your future You hand your life into the hands of God and God says nobody can take anything out of my hand without my discretion employ Every area of your life, you know, I share a personal story. There was a time When I was very young we were missionaries in Russia and my my our pastor my dad He went to America to collect some funds to finish building the building and to help the missions the projects that were that were started and We were left with the family that we were all very very young me I was probably maybe under age of six or seven and There was a lot of us in the family. We were just left out us and mom and there came a point where That strip was delayed For some reason and we ran out of money and we had literally we ran out of money. We had no money To eat that day We had no money To make a phone call international phone call to our dad to tell him that look Your kids ran out of money you have we have nothing to eat, you know And it seemed like, you know, it was a terrible situation Here is a person that's working for God committed moved, you know, 18 hours 20 hours away from his home From his family. We're in the middle, you know in the middle of Russia in the middle of winter, you know No family around no friends around no one even to borrow money from and Look at you look at your family You brought your family to starve in the middle of nowhere that somebody from outside could have told my dad and Here you left your family bandage your family to go collect money in America To finish building a church and finish building the missions And you know, you'd seem like that's a What a waste of life you could have lived a good life Back home with all your relatives and family and had a good life You had a home and here you're living in some on some eight-story building In in apartments, you know, and I was I was very young But I remembered this moment very vividly when we were crawling around the house collecting pennies So I can go to the store to buy one lost loaf of bread and even when I went to the store to pay for it I was still short and person behind me paid and I brought that one lost loaf of bread home the amazing thing the amazing thing that That that night a lady from upstairs came Came to us. He wasn't Christian. We didn't even know her Random lady brought bunch of bags of food And she said I just want to give it to you so that you and your family will eat No Sorry for sorry for being emotional, but that story really marked my life and marked Marked my my small mind with the fact that God said in his word He said in his that righteous will not be begging for bread. And so that day I realized one thing When you commit your life to God You will never never Be abandoned by God God himself will fight a battle for you God himself Will stand on your behalf and protect you and provide for you I have many stories like this to share from from the time when we were little what God provided literally supernaturally Yes, we went through our tough times. We went through our difficult times But we've seen we've seen many people saved we've seen many people delivered We've seen churches established and God's kingdom built and now there is a big beautiful church Standing in a place that's completely finished and God has done great work in our lives and many lives of people, you know And today look at us, you know, we're doing well. We went through the time. Yeah, it was difficult Everybody's serving God all the children are serving God the family serving God and today we're keeping on what? God has commissioned us to do and so I I challenge you to commit your ways to God What couple couple areas in life that you can commit to God First thing you can commit your area area of finances to God You can commit your finances for the kingdom of God Your ties and your offerings belong in the house of God your ties and your offerings They extend and they promote the kingdom of God one of the ways you can commit your life is to bring To is to use your finances is to use your business is to use your career to advance the kingdom of God You know, we live in America and you know Our society Maybe it's not just an American society. It's all over the world. It's a human nature. We're very egoistic We we always pursue bigger better things bigger house better car You know bigger rims on the car And and and you know starting from the smallest things to the biggest things the newest iPhone and we're always chasing Something bigger something and all of those things they require finances and many times the house of God stays is abandoned Projects are not moving forward because fine. There's not enough finances, you know a new bill It can you know New projects, you know the that some things that can be done to extend the kingdom of God to take somebody in a payroll at Church so they can begin to work for the kingdom of God so they can begin to Organize things they can meet with people and and strata strategize you can employ your finances for the kingdom of God Don't let your finances only be for you because if they're only for you You will have to be responsible for them And you will have to provide for yourself and you're the ones gonna have to take care of it when you get in trouble But when your finances are dedicated to God when your tithes and offerings come to the house of God when you sponsor our Orphanages when you sponsor missionaries when you put your money to work for the kingdom of God God himself will stand on the back for your finances God himself would take care of your finances Another area that you can employ in your life is your marriage But four or five years ago. We went to this big marriage Marriage conference where speakers from around the world through via live stream and some that were present They were speaking on on marriage on on relationship on kids on family and all these good things and and and every Person person by person. It was just like that moment marked my life and it helped me to set my marriage on the right course Every person continue to say one thing he said the best thing you can do for your marriage is you can serve Together in the kingdom of God with your with your wife The best way the best way you can secure your marriage and secure your future from every divorce fighting every disagreement You can employ your marriage for the kingdom of God you because you can become a home group leaders You can begin to mentor somebody you can begin to raise other couples you can begin to console other people You can begin to raise and mentor people in your in your life. You can be a home group leaders, you know me and my wife both of us have Two different home groups and it does take time It does take separate days and sometimes it feels like you know It's it's it's an overall is too much But when then when you hear the stories when you hear the testimonies like what you heard a story of Marvin Tailors and tonight's testimony that you're gonna hear of Victoria is amazing It's only possible those testimonies are possible because somebody took the time of the day Somebody took some time to sit down with those people to console them to pray for them to mentor them and to raise them up so that today they can share testimonies like they share today and So employ your marriage your relationship for the kingdom of God begin begin Be a mentor to somebody be a person that raises somebody in Jesus name Another area you can employ is you can employ your family You can begin to You know many people many people idolize their family, you know, they'll miss they'll they'll miss a church or prayer meeting for the sake of family time Football time or or they will miss they'll miss a church. They'll they will miss a home group Because they got I need to have a family time and then you see their life You see how their family progresses you see how their life progresses you see that they didn't win anything by that Do you see that then they later they beg their kids to go to church? But they have no authority in the area because they themselves missed church at every opportunity they got You know when I grew up and we were little unless you were dead You were going to church and if even if you were dead, they'll bring you to church and resurrect you there You know, there's no excuse you could come up with my parents And so when I saw that example with my parents when I grew up and I started making decisions on my own and when I got I started getting my first job when I went to apply and they ask you which days you're available to work Which days you are not the first days I marked was Wednesday and Sunday because these were the day of church and these days Were not negotiable. I could have got many jobs if I had those days available And I had to wait a little longer But when I got a job and I knew that these days are dedicated to God and regardless of what I have to be at church I have to worship God. I can't abandon the community of saints like apostle says In and that I have to be committed to the vision in the cause of Christ You set an example for your children you set an example you encourage your children to go and witness We have many school when we have many little children in our in our Sunday schools that witness to their teachers witness to their to their co-workers and invite them Why he's because that's an example that's set in our church and by our families in our church Employ your family. This is the best thing you can do for your family We had you know when our church was starting as pastor was sharing there was There's more families joined with us in the beginning But then when they heard the vision and the radicalism that that our pastor had they decided you know Us and our families we don't want to be part of it There is no reason you know this what you're trying to do is impossible only a few families three families stay together with their children They said yes pastor take our kids train and put them through bootcamp raise them up to be a minister's other parents said You know, we don't want to be part of it. It's too radical and today if you look at our families Those that stuck around those that participated in a vision those families that That that that took part of the vision and the heart of God today these families You'll see that their children are our youth pastors their children on our worship team The children are home completers their children are mentoring other people's and rescuing the children all those families That were supposed to be with us today and now those kids are praying and begging those Kids to go to church, but they want nothing to do with church because Their family was not employed for the vision and cause of Christ Another thing you can employ is your health. You know a lot of people now, especially in America They're obsessed with their health working out three hours in the gym but don't have But they don't have an hour and then you know, they can't spend an hour a day or In our every couple days or so to go meet with somebody go encourage somebody go pray for somebody that I have 30 minutes to spend in prayer for their home group or for their or to have a home group They'll work out, you know, they will be obsessed with all these shakes and greens and all these wraps and Whatever other stuff that is out there who knows nowadays people are going crazy over their health But God says you even if you wanted to change Even if you if even if you want wanted to change the color of your hair, you cannot do it on your own It's up to God. Well nowadays they they do different stuff, but we're talking about naturally stuff, okay? Your health is in God's hands. Yes, we have to take care of it. Well, yes We have to eat properly exercise, but if Bible says if God doesn't guards the city, it's in vain that the That's the watchman standing on the wall Unless you employ your life your health your energy your passion your love for God You don't know tomorrow cancer will hit like this businessman that I was telling you about who will rescue then you work So hard you pump that iron you drink those all those vitamins and pills But at the end of the day if God doesn't rescue you at the moment and heal you from your disease It's always been in waste wasted in vain Employ your life for God Employ your your finances your marriage your family your health give it to God God Remember that Amy and McPherson story that I was telling you. No, she ended up starting a church She ended up starting a movement called four square. That's all over the world now. She found it in 1923 There's 60,000 churches right now in that movement because of one movement Decided to give her life to give her body to give her health to God in a hundred forty four countries Can you believe that because one woman decided you know what? My health is running away, and who knows how long I have anyways. I'm gonna give it to God see what God can do with it living for God is Not only for missionaries and pastors. It's not only for evangelists. It's not only for home group leaders It's for every person you will not regret Your life for God People always regret the fact that they haven't done enough. Nobody has ever said I Sacrifice too much. I prayed too long. I fasted too much I've given too much Nobody has ever said that but too many people said I should have done more, you know like already Before I go there, you know a lot of people want to see miracles a lot of people want to see Supernatural a lot of times you go to churches and people will say I Remember those days when there was healings. There was prophecies. I remember those days when there was you know There was casting out of demons. I remember we so hungry for supernatural. We want supernatural But you know what God said is that those that don't labor don't eat Let me put it to you in these terms if you don't labor for God, you will not eat of supernatural Because supernatural belongs to people that answer the call of God God said go and Preach the gospel and then the signs will follow and then you lay hands on your sick and ill recover and you no harm will come to you a Lot of people trying to claim these promises declare these promises, but they forget the part go They forget the part that God needs a laborer that God needs a person that will step out of his comfort zone her comfort zone And will open a home group They begin to console other couples a person that will come and will will open a business All will use his business and his finances to sponsor the kingdom of God You have to employ your life for the kingdom of God Otherwise If you don't employ your life for God Satan will take advantage look there is a saying that idol hands our devil's workshop If you stand idle Satan sooner or later will take advantage You look at you look at places where there is high unemployment rate. There's always crime There's always bad things any time you sit idle on the side in God's kingdom You have to understand we are at work regardless you want it or not darkness versus light kingdom of God against kingdom of Satan either You work for God or automatically You slide and devil will employ you and Bible says that the wages of sin is death Wages means payroll if there's payroll that means there is work When you work when you don't employ yourself for God you will eventually slide Working for Satan because through sin he will employ you and then Death will come into those areas in your life You know when I'll share another story before I close You know as we were in Russia as missionaries with our family we were opening, you know, we opened a a Rehab center my dad wanted to open a rehab center constantly and he was trying to find funds and before we had any funds We took people in drug addicts and heavy heavy heavy drugs hallucinations and violence They were addicted and we took those people into our homes into our into our apartments into our house And they slept in the other room and you know many times when they were going through withdrawals They would they would get violent they would yell in the middle of the night They would wake us up. It was very much in convenience and and you know many times many times They stole everything from a house because they needed money to get a fix and it seems like why Pastor, why do you go all the way from Ukraine 20 20 hours 25 hours of drive into this in the middle of nowhere You don't know anybody got no family there. You don't all these people anybody Why do you go and not only you go there? Okay fine go there and get the best of the society into your church But why would you go and reach out to the lowest of society society doesn't even want You know and and we continue to work I pass to continue to work it pray for them and God saved many people God delivered many many many many people including a son of mayor of our city And you know it seems like you know, okay the work was done, you know, we left we make We migrated from from from from Russia to to America because God called us to do so and you know And then it seemed like you know almost that work was forgotten We don't even know about those people now where they're at That that that rehab center is not there anymore. And so it seems like you know good was done Congratulations yay move on with your life, but God never forgot it God never forgot it and They came a point in our life where my brother David and those of you that know the story He became heavily addicted to drugs I first started with in school with with company with with with weed and of course it progressed and it got so heavy He got so bad. He was straight and on on math and all other things that he was hallucinating in Went for like three months straight. He went from probably 220 pounds You see him is bill big tall guy built, you know went down to like 160 65 pounds He would eat for weeks of stretch you guys know those people that are on math they they just They just don't eat and then he lost he became skinny He in the middle of the winter he was running short less around tri cities And so you know the situation was terrible situation was bad He got to the point that the drugs fried his brain completely. He forgot his name. He forgot how to tie his shoes I would have to tie his shoes to take him out to go to court when I would go when I went to court to settle His affairs with with the law he wouldn't even know how to sign on a paper because I had to sign it for him That's how bad he got and he seems like God Where all of those nights that I spent praying for drug addicts and then now my own son here God What about all those all those finances I spent I put my family in danger so I can save others Where are you now? You know, but God will be faithful. God will be faithful. We got to know a minister of prophet to be Joshua and And you know somehow God just made the way connected things that he was able to go there We were able to keep contact and then prophet to be Joshua himself personally called us He says watch your son today will be delivered, you know first of all to for him to call you is a this is very very difficult almost nonexistent You know, you try to give him a call. It's you can't reach him. It's this man is very very busy And he he's just unreachable really And and so for him, you know to take time to take care of our brother and to call and say hey He's gonna be delivered He spent many nights praying for him and that night and that day he was completely delivered and his mind completely returned to him And he was rescued. Let's put our hands together for Jesus it seems like It seems like, you know, it's a coincidence, you know, it's just you guys are lucky. This is just you know It's just happened No, it didn't just happen all those years of sown into somebody people's lives all those years Rescue and drug addicts all those years praying for them to be set free all those years like you see us You know a pastor didn't just invent this, you know walking around, you know Praying and and screaming atop of your lives. God save your city He's been doing that for four decades already all those years never went in vain God saw it God Recorded it in his book and he remembered it and he recalled in a moment, but we couldn't do anything If he would have gotten caught here that he would that would have sent him to mental institution He was completely useless as a person at the moment where we couldn't do anything That moment God remembered opened the book that he was writing those things and he answered at that moment But we couldn't do anything and today, you know, but at the same time There were other families that were careless about the church there were other families in our church They had a very similar situation David was even parting with them and using drugs with them But you know instead of running to God instead of committing the life to God instead of praying for for the city for revival They chose to just take an easy way out miss the church anytime There's picnic miss a church anytime there is a game and they faced exactly same situation as we did They weren't exactly same despair as we were Crying out to God God saved them And unfortunately they passed away from an overdose, but David today is serving God Living for God inviting people to church many of you were invited here to church because of him When you work for God God never forgets it. He writes a book of records when you work for God that benefits as far outweighs The sacrifice the reward outweighs far much Then the sacrifice you pour in God says don't stir up treasures On here on earth because it can be always taken away Store up in heaven the way you store it up in heaven is you commit your life to live for Jesus Is you commit your life to live for the will of God is you commit your life to live for souls Is you commit your life to open a home group to become a home group leader to begin to mentor people to begin to race people up to begin to mentor couples to begin to Raise a generation for Jesus. I encourage you today. I implore you today for your sake for your generation's sake Employ your life For God for the kingdom of God for the will of God You will never be disappointed and the best thing about it is the blessings Last to a thousand generations in Jesus mighty name if you receive something put chance together for Jesus