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PRINCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST SERIES
GOING
THE SECOND MILE
We are going to do a series on
principles in Jesus’ life that He applied that made Him who He is and caused
Him to succeed. We are going to touch on
some of them, which we believe we will need in the days that we face.
Turn to Matthew 5;
some of the principles that Jesus walked in are found in the Sermon on the
Mount. We will only touch on one key
principle at a time. Matthew 5: 38
onwards “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for
a tooth’. ‘But I tell you not to resist
an evil person. But whoever slaps you on
your right cheek; turn the other to him also.
If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your
cloak also. And whoever compels you to
go one mile, go with him two. Give to
him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.’”
Now He is not asking us to be
foolish. He is not asking us to be taken
advantage of because Philippians 1, which says to let your love grow in
judgment and in discernment, supplements these principles. It’s not the kind of foolishness that allows
people to take advantage of you, make use of you for their own evil ends. Or to steal from your life,
your time, your possession by deception.
Or by making demands on your life. The key
principle that Jesus is bringing about here is going the second mile. This principle that Jesus shared are special
New Testament principles. It’s nice to
teach from Old Testament and New Testament and share these lovely truths. But lets focus on
these facts here. There are some
principles that are impossible to keep in the old but may be possible in the
new. And among those principles that
Jesus gave forth is the principle of going the second mile. So if somebody asks you, “Would you do this
for me?” You are not only doing it, you
do it with all your heart and you do beyond what is asked. It does not necessarily means
that you allow people to make use of you until you have no more life with
God. Jesus is not talking about
that. But it does mean that when you
choose to do something, you will go the second mile. It doesn’t mean that you have to say yes all
the time and whatever demands are thrown at you, you keep saying yes, yes, yes. We have to learn
to say no and we have to learn to say yes.
Do you know that to
say yes is easier to say than no? I
don’t say yes to everybody. Neither do I
expect people to say yes to me all the time.
I mean a relationship is built on understanding and I treasure those
kinds of relationships. Like for
example, when we were doing our praise and worship album, we gathered several
friends and we asked, “Would you like to help where you can help?” There was a man who owns a Christian
bookstore. So I said, “Would you like to
go with me in a partnership in this project?”
Because it’s going to take a lot of finances and I said, “Just pray
about it.” I said, “We are just
discerning and if you don’t feel that can be done, let me know. Just say no.”
I don’t expect everyone I ask to say yes. Then they become yes men. He came back to me and said, “I don’t think I
am able to do it.” I said, “Fine.” And he was so afraid of saying ‘no’ to
me. Why is it that ‘no’ is so difficult
to say? Some people when you ‘no,’ they
would not be your friends anymore. So be
it, such friends are not friends.
Do you know there
are friends who can tell you what is right and what is wrong? Friends who love you enough to say I think
that is something wrong. They will say I
think this is wrong. When you need
encouragement, they are there to give you encouragement. When you ask them for a favor, they will
always say yes. But if they really
cannot, they will also tell you no, I can’t but I still love you. Sometimes people want relationship with
people who always say yes. That’s
wrong. He said no, I said fine. After the whole thing was over, I sat down
and had lunch with him. He was asking
questions about his life. Over the table
the Lord gave me prophecy. The Lord can
give prophecy all the time. You don’t
have to have song. We were just eating;
as we were eating I saw a vision. Isn’t
it nice that you can see vision without fasting? Some people see vision only when they
fast. So you can see a vision while you
are eating. And I saw this vision of
this eagle over his life. As we closed
in closing prayer, I told this brother, “That is strange,
the Lord showed me a vision of an eagle.”
Then he took out his card and said this is my new card. When I saw it, I saw he has chosen a new logo
for his new international company an eagle.
So you can see vision while you are eating. You can see vision while you are fasting. So fasting or eating, whatever you do, we are
in the Spirit all the time. Jesus is not
talking about an inability to say no in all these areas. What He says is going the second mile.
I want to talk about the spirit of an overcomer. The spirit of a champion that must come in our life. I see it lacking in the body of Christ. I realize what you and I will be in ten years time depends on whether we have this kind of spirit. The spirit of going the second mind. Many do not have the spirit of a champion because most people prefer to be mediocre. But in the last days we need the spirit of a champion, the spirit of triumphing over everything. The spirit of an overcomer to do what it takes in these days that we live in. These are not days that you could be lukewarm.
Lets look at the book of Revelation 3. The whole book of Rev.2 and 3 speak about the spirit of an overcomer. In every age in any generation, it is the spirit of overcomer who partakes of God’s best. I know that there is something that God wants to do in our days but it takes the spirit of an overcomer, the spirit of a champion. In chapter 3, he says to the last church, the church of the Laodiceans. He says in verse 15 and 16 “I know your works, that you are neither cold not hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” This is to the Laodicean church and in our Laodicean age. It’s tome to rise up like an eagle. Get rid of the spirit of slumber and move into that which God wants us to move into. The spirit of great zeal, the spirit of going the second mile, must replace the spirit of slumber. Not just waiting till something happen. Not just waiting for the tide to push you through. But people who would challenge the tide and turn the tide of events, the spirit of an overcomer, the spirit of a champion is what God makes us to be. Jesus is a mighty warrior and everyone of us are made in His image so that when we sing Mighty Warrior, dressed for battle, in a sense we are singing about Jesus, but on the other hand we are also reflecting what we are. We are a warrior tribe in Jesus. The spirit of a champion must be on our lives to press into what God wants us.
Having a
look at Revelation 2 & 3 all His blessings may be slightly different from
each church. All the situations each
church is facing may be different. All
the manifestations that Jesus gives to each church are different but there is
one thing similar that runs right through in the church in
Lets look at Rev. chapter 2, it say in verse 7 the last sentence “To him who overcomes.” The overcoming spirit is the spirit of going the second mile. Whether I am washing the toilet or whether I am preaching to a million people, it is the same spirit. Whether you are well known or you are unknown now, whether your ministry is in the first phase or in the last phase, whether you are in the preparation of a ministry or you are in the zenith of the ministry it makes no difference. It is the same spirit of the overcomer where the Lion of Judah looks out through the pupil of your eyes, that you will overcome every task thrown to you. What we need is the spirit of an overcomer. Get rid of the spirit of a sluggard and spirit of lazy bones.
Chapter 2:
11 last sentence again “He who overcomes”. Chapter 2: 17 “To him who overcomes.” Chapter 2: 20 “and
he who overcomes.” Chapter 3:
5 “He who overcomes.” Chapter 3:
12 “He who overcomes.” Chapter 3:
21 “To him who overcome.” The
spirit of an overcomer must be on your life. If the spirit is on us, the world can be an
ocean of a sea glass, broken glass, and if there is one soul waiting right on the
other shore about to die without Jesus, you will crawl on your bare knees to
reach that soul for Jesus. It is that
spirit of an overcomer that we must have, the spirit
that Caleb and Joshua have. The bible
tells us that there is one thing different between Caleb and the other. There is only one thing different. It’s not the knowledge. Every one of us has the bible from Genesis to
Revelation. We carry it to church and we
carry it home. Some of us may have more
than one bible. You may have two or three
with different translations. We all have
the same bible. We all have the same
knowledge. We attend the same seminars,
the same conventions but something is different about them. They all have heard Moses; they all saw the
glory of God in
Deut. 1: 34 “And the Lord heard the sound of your words.” God heard the murmuring of the other ten spies who influenced the whole nation not to go into the land of promise. “The Lord heard the sound of your words and was angry and took an oath, saying, surely none of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked because he wholly followed the Lord.” That is the spirit of an overcomer. He wholly followed the Lord. So the Lord speaks expressly that Caleb was totally different. They had a different spirit about them.
Numbers 14:
24 “But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him.” We read about the twelve spies going out and
only the two spies gave a good report.
We read about how your confession is your possession, they confessed
wrongly and they didn’t possess. They
saw the wrong thing. Instead of seeing
the
Long ago the story of the second mile started in this way. In those days in all the occupied lands, the Roman soldiers could tell anyone to carry their things and walk with them. They had the authority because the world was under Roman occupation and so the Roman soldiers could tell anyone in the street to take this for me, take that for me. And they had to obey. They may have to carry a mile or so. What Jesus was saying is when such is required you don’t go just a mile, you say let me take you a second mile. Going beyond what was required. That different spirit has something to do with the word attitude. The attitudes of people will determine their success.
Remember the cross-reference in Deut. chapter one with Numbers chapter 14. The difference in the spirit has to do with the heart. One does something with the heart, no matter how difficult it is, let us push through. The others are used to ease. It is convenient if our needs are met. The spirit of the Lion of Judah doesn’t say if my needs are met. It says come what may. God has put me here; I am staying on my ground. If I die I die. If I live I live. That is the spirit of champion. That is the spirit that made the thirty men mighty in David’s time.
But do you
know what the other spies said? You know
what caused them to have the different spirit?
They were thinking of things that the others never thought of. See some of the things that they said when
they come back. In chapter 13: 13 “We
are not able to go up against the people for they are stronger.” Then look at chapter 14: 2 “And all the
children of
There are people who flow with the tide. When the wind blows this way, they go this way. When the wind blows that way, they go that way. One day there is going to be a tornado and you will be going round and round. The spirit of a champion is lacking in their lives. Only two people had a different heart. The word different spirit is described in Deut. 1 as people following with all their hearts. Are you someone when you do something, you want to do it well, good, excellent and beyond the second mile. You see right now we can determine whether we are people who go second mile or not. You don’t have to wait until you get a multi-million dollars business. You don’t have to wait until your ministry reach to ten thousands people or a million people, right now how you approach life or how you do something determines whether the spirit of an overcomer is there. Right now while you are doing little things.
Look at Joshua, what was he doing before he was leader over the nation? I guarantee you he did his job well. While others stayed behind, he could have stayed behind, he did not have to go up to the mountain with Moses. He went up as far as he can. The bible says he went up about half way, because God won’t permit anyone to go further. It is because God said only Moses could come. While the rest stayed back, he did not have to follow all the way. After all Moses is going to meet God alone. Think about that. Why should he have to follow Moses? Because he said maybe Moses may need my help. Maybe Moses may need my help to carry something. Moses didn’t ask. Moses just said, God spoke to me to go up there. You all stay here. Joshua said, let me carry your bag. Let me do this. Let me do that. As far as I can go right now until where I cannot cross the line where only you can go. But I will be there waiting till you come down. Do you know how long it took Moses? Forty days and forty nights. You see the faithfulness. He could have said it’s inconvenient for me to wait here for you. When you come back from God just wave your scarf and I will climb all the way up and help you. We may think that is good enough. But that kind of spirit will not conquer this world. We are talking about winning millions of souls to Jesus. That kind of spirit is not good enough to evangelize the world. We need more, more than that. We know what forty days and forty nights is. Do you know Joshua did not know neither did Moses. God did not say exactly forty days and forty nights. If that is so some bright Alec will say, I will come back in forty days for you. I will pick you up on the 40th day. He didn’t know. Moses didn’t know. Nobody knows. And everyday he waited. You know what his attitude was? He said, I would wait here till he comes. What happen if his food runs out? Eat leaves. What if leaves also run out? Eat roots. What happen if he had no more food? I will wait here till he comes. That is the spirit of an overcomer. Going the second mile. That is why by the time he became a general over God’s army he was a great general. He was fully dedicated to the Lord.
When you do something for the Lord, do it with all your heart. Whatever you do, do it with all your heart to the Lord. That is the spirit of an overcomer, the spirit of a champion. Why should God be asking this of us? Let me give you a little secret. All through the whole bible all those who go the second mile has been out of their own initiative. Somebody initiates the first mile. It could be God, by a soldier, by somebody else. Only you in your own heart can initiate the second mile. God will not help you in the second mile. He will help in a sense that after you make a decision and decide to do it then He will help you. But He will not make you go the second mile. You have to do it by choice because you have a spirit of lion, spirit of a champion on you. I show you from the bible that all those things that God’s people received are only because they go beyond the ordinary. Something extra pushes them on. Something in their hearts say, this is not good enough, lets press on for the best. We are not satisfied with just being good, we want to be the best. That is the spirit of a lion, to do the best for God. Not the best in the wrong sense of comparing with one another but the best that we individually can give to God and bring to God and do for God.
Notice
here in the bible you have people like David.
I Chronicles after David had reigned in all his life, chapter 15:1-2 “David
built houses for himself in the City of
He says in verse two “Then David said, no one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever.” Chapter 13 verses 1- 3 “Then David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader. And David said to all the assembly of Israel, if it seems good to you, and if it is of the Lord our God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priest and Levites who are in their cities and their common lands, that they may gather together to us; and let us bring the ark of our God.”
Notice no.1, he never had a word of prophecy. If he had he would not say in verse two ‘if the Lord wills’. He did not have a task here. A prophet did not come and tell him to do it. He did not have a prophecy on that. He did not have a vision on that area. No.2 he was the leader behind it. That tells you and me something. Maybe other people had the idea. Maybe the thought have struck some people. I think we should have the ark here. But no one dares to say and no one dare to try to do it. That’s the difference between people who are in the first mile and people in the second mile. The people who walk the first mile are those who go with the tide. You want to do it; I will do along with you. They know it’s good but they will never initiate. They wait till somebody else does it, and then they will do it. These are not the spirit of overcomer. David knew this was good. God did not ask him. He saw good about it. Do you know how long it will take to consult with all these people? They don’t have TV, radio, phone or any of these things. When you read the scripture, you just say that’s it. He consulted. That means he had to meet with them. There will be many meetings. In everything that you do, there will be some opposition. The question is not whether there is opposition. The question is how much opposition. The thing is that, when you trust in the Lord, you walk in the Lord; you know how to walk through all those times. I am sure some of them may say I am not sure. Did God give you a vision? Have a prophet told you this? And David had to speak out and say we should do this. We should be doing all those things. It’s the blessing of God for us to do all those things. He had to persuade people.
We have to go from speaking to persuading if you want to lead. Because if you want to lead people you have to convince people that what is right is right. Not just tell them because telling is not leadership. Some people want to be leader, they say everybody lets do this. Everybody lets do that. That’s not the leader. That’s an announcer. A leader is when he says, everybody do all this. But some will say no. Lets deal with the no. Find out what’s the difficulty over there? And he would encourage them. He will say, well, we have these bad times, we have financial problems and all these things, lets pray through that. All right? Let that not hinder and just do your best. Another group will say, we have got all these troubles. We are fighting and we can’t do these things here. He will say, well lets pray through this. That’s the leader. A leader is not someone who will just say, yes, yes. A leader is when people say no, he examines it, and find out why are they saying no. Is it because they are having difficult time? Is it because they are not fully convinced by the Word of God? And a leader patiently grooms them. If they are discouraged, a leader encourages them. If they got the wrong teaching, a leader shows them the correct teaching. And finally from 10% with him a leader turns 100% for him. That’s the leader. Not an announcer. So the next time God appoints you to do something, don’t expect to go there and say well ladies and gentlemen lets go. And nobody follow. God doesn’t want you to be an announcer. He wants you to be a leader. When they say no, you tell them, you consult, you persuade, you show forth the Word and only the stamina of a lion can last through that.
Have you
tried persuading thousands of people on certain things that only you see? You tell them and tell them. It takes stamina to do that and you must be
pretty determined to do it. To go
through all those process,
David consulted with the leaders.
It says with the captain of thousands and hundreds and I like the last
phrase, with every leader. If it were
the same throughout the generation of men, I don’t think he got 100% consent
from everybody. Maybe about 90% of the
people give some form of support. Out of
the 90% maybe about 20% give wholehearted support. Maybe another 20% give partial support. Maybe the other 50% just went along. That’s leadership. The spirit of a lion. He wants to do something for the Lord but he
didn’t stop there. The bible tells us
that even after that time they placed the ark in
I am surprised at people who would like to park their cars in the place where God has met them. People who want to build the tent and say O Jesus. Like Peter, James and John, Jesus was up in the mount of transfiguration and the glory of God was on Jesus and the glory was all around and Peter says, Jesus, why don’t we build a tent one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah. People like to build tent and stop. But Jesus wants to go on further. I am surprised that sometimes people say, pastor we have done this much. Why don’t they do some more? God never stops. We must keep going on. Keep pushing on until we meet Jesus. There is no end to doing more things for God. As long as God puts it in our heart to do something else, something else that we discover that we can do for Him and is in the line of God and in the time of God then lets do it.
The people whom God blessed are people who go the second mile. Those who go the first mile only got the leftovers. I mean the accidental overflow. But those who really get the blessings of God are those who go the second mile. God blessed David in Chapter 17 and He made a covenant with David. He said, David, I will make a special covenant between you and I. He said, I would go the second mile. As I said every man in the bible had done that. Maybe the bible has finished its record from Genesis to Revelation. The record of our lives may never enter in as Holy Scriptures anymore but there is a record that is still going on up there of your life. Are you going to be those men and women who change the generation they live in? If you want to, then go the second mile.
What about
people like Moses? He went the second
mile. When he came into his heart to
visit the Israelites, he went the second mile.
He is a man who means business with God.
He was frustrated because the people did not receive him but he never
gave up. In Hebrew 11 we are told in
verse 27, “By faith he forsook
Look at Exodus 33: 18 “And he said, please show me Your glory.” Something on the inside of Moses was the spirit of an overcomer, the champion. Something that says, I am not satisfied with where I am, I am not going to remain here. I am going to press on. And there is something in him that yearns after God. He had kept it to himself. But when the opportunity comes, he said, God! I want to see your glory. I want more of You. Here is a man who saw the burning bush, saw the glory of God on the Mount of Sinai. Here is a man who had talked with God in a way that no other man had done. And he says, God, I want some more of You. I want to go the second mile with you. I am not satisfied where I am. I want to go the second mile. That was the only recorded incident in the bible of a man having his face so touched by the glory of God. It was like a light bulb. In Acts 7, I know that Stephen’s face shine but this was Old Testament and he reached such glory. The glory that continued to shine so bright that they had to put a veil on his face. Think about what Moses would have missed if he didn’t press on it to God.
God loves zeal and God looks for people who are zealous for Him. Not half hearted. Not lukewarm. Not those who want to go only first mile but those who really want to go the second mile with God. There are other people who are specially mentioned because of their zeal for God in the book of Numbers 25: 6-9 “And indeed, one of the children of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Now when Phinehas the son of Eleasar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body, so the plague was stopped among the children of Israel. And those who died in the plague were twenty four thousand.”
One man’s zeal stopped the plague. We don’t know how many thousand lives were saved in that one act. If the plague was not stopped, maybe another forty eight thousand die. When will it end? When the man of zeal stands up above the others and who will not tolerate the first mile. Everybody was weeping at the first mile but it took a man to go the second mile to stop the plague.
The bible
tells us that God spoke to Moses in verse 10-12, “The Lord spoke to Moses
saying, Phinehas the son of Eleazar,
the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of
Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not
consume the children of Israel in My zeal.
Therefore say, Behold, I give him My covenant
of peace.”
Do you know God reserved his special covenant? His special initiative covenant and blessing were with those who go the second mile. He did that with David. He is doing it now with Phinehas. Nobody asked Phinehas to do it. No visions, no dreams but that zeal for God, that zeal for God’s name and the willingness to go beyond the ordinary. God was pleased. See God always look for those who go the second mile.
I could name you countless of stories. Noah when he came out from the ark, God never ask him to bring a sacrifice. He brought a sacrifice. God smelled it and God made a covenant. Although the covenant looks like is for all of us, it you look carefully, it’s Noah’s family. And because we are all descendants of Noah it was for the whole earth. God reserved His special covenant for those who want to go the second mile.
What about people like Daniel? While all the other Israelites in Daniel chapter one were going the way of the world, while it was convenient for 99% of the people to serve the Babylonian and eat Babylonian food and forsake the Jewish laws, maybe 0.1%, four of them, Daniel and all his other friends, Shadrach, Mishael and Abednego chose to follow the Lord. But it was Daniel who was the leader. It was Daniel who purposed in his heart. Look at it very carefully, and I want you to look at the difference between the follower and the first miler and the second miler. In Daniel chapter one, it did not say that it was the other choice, but Daniel was the leader in verse 8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies.” It was Daniel’s decision. And the other three who were probably thinking about it said we would follow and go along with you. Remember what I said God always blesses those who go the furthest, the second mile.
In chapter one verse 17, “As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” It doesn’t mean that by going the second mile we always had to be in the front line or in the public. You can go the second mile wherever you are and receive the covenant of God and the blessing of God in your life. I could name you more and more countless people. The people whom God used are not first milers. The vast majority of Christians are first mile goers but in our day and age because God is raising a mighty army, He is asking for more people to go the second mile. Will you be the one? You know why God used Paul mightily? Because Paul was the type of person whether he was serving the Jewish custom or God, he will do it with all his heart. He was not someone who use to do something half-heartedly. If he does anything, whatever he does, he will do it with all his heart. And when he became a Christian, he became a Christian with all his heart. He doesn’t know how to serve God half-heartedly. He only knows how to serve God whole-heartedly.
Gal.1: 14 “And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries.” See he is a person when he does something, he will do it with all his heart. He doesn’t believe in half measures. He doesn’t say yes to every situation. He learns to say yes and to say no. But whenever he says yes, he does it with all his heart. Even when he was in Judaism, he wanted to do it so well that he excelled above the rest. Now that he is born again, he is a preacher, he wants to do it with all his heart. He is willing to pay any price to preach the gospel. He is willing to go anywhere to preach the gospel. He is willing to lay down his life for the gospel. He is a man who goes the second mile. And through his life, God touched the entire known Gentile nations of his time through one man who would go the second mile. Will you go the second mile? Say, I will go the second mile.
What about people like apostle Peter in the bible? He had many weaknesses. He had many failings. But do you know one thing about Peter? He is a guy who will take the initiative and who will go the second mile. In spite of his many weaknesses and failings he was different from the rest. When they were all in the boat, and all of them said it’s a ghost and Jesus from across the wave said, “It is I, be not afraid.” Everybody kept quiet. But Peter said, “If it is You,” - he is a second miler. He has many weaknesses and many faults. Why did God use Him? Because he is the second miler. “If it’s You, call me to come.” Jesus said, “Come.” All the rest said, “Peter, it’s a trick.” Before they could stop him, he went. And do you know why I know he is a second miler? Because before he could think he acted. And as he was acting, suddenly he started thinking. That story is in Matthew chapter 14.
Matthew 16, when all the disciples were being asked, “Who do men say that I am?” They gave different answers. Who do you think that I am? All of them were saying Elijah or one of the prophets but Peter was the one who dared to commit himself and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” He knew in his heart. He confessed it. He is one who puts his head on the chopping board all the time. He just commits himself. That is why of all the disciples, God chose him to lead the others, because he is willing to go further. You say I thought John. John is the one who is closest to Jesus. John had a vertical relationship. Peter had some form of a vertical relationship but a great horizontal relationship. He was someone when he does something, he get everybody else to do it. When he backslides, he also pulls everybody along.
John 21: 2 “Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Verse 3, “Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing. They said to him, we are going with you also”, including John the apostle. See if you have only vertical relationship but you are a nice, and a coward and timid and you are not bold, you can never slay your Goliath. Before David had a chance to slay Goliath, David had to prove himself by saying it out loud. What created the opportunity for him to fight the Goliath was his confession. When he said, “Who is this giant?” and his elder brother scolded him and said, “You are just a small fly.” But David kept on talking. He said who is this uncircumcised Philistine to shame the army of God, and he kept talking and kept talking. Don’t you think he is a leader? He is. He did not care about the tide. He knew what was right and he spoke what was right.
There are some people with vertical relationship but in front of people they are cowards. You say that vertical relationship should produce horizontal relationship. Usually, but sometimes it does not because when you fellowship with God, there is certain ease about it and presence in your zeal. But when you fellowship with fellow man, you must be prepared to take hurts. You meet with all kinds of human relationship, which some people just run away from. Do you think I love being a leader to thousands of people? Do you think it’s easy? No, you have to sit with people you don’t like and love them. You have to face leaders in the body of Christ whom you think are compromisers of the Word and love them. You got to sit with people whom you know behind your back say things but in front grin like a cat. But do you know you learn to love such people? And it takes effort to develop horizontal relationship.
I know it’s possible to develop vertically without horizontally because I experienced it. When God first called me, my vertical relationship was like a rocket, I mean who else prays in tongues for eight hours. Very few people spend one whole year meditating on the Word. I was having a great vertical relationship. Then God says, “Son, you must develop your horizontal relationships too.” If you keep running away from people who are difficult to deal with, you will never develop it. I know people who every time when they a difficult situation, they run away. Maybe they have a problem with their father. Maybe their father died and they never had father’s love. So they never submit to authority. They come and work under one organization; and every time authority comes they run. And they never develop horizontal relationship because they never stay long enough to develop it. Every time problem comes they run. If they don’t watch it, they may die in the wilderness without developing the horizontal relationship.
It’s easy traveling all over the world and preach. But being a pastor is different. But there is something interesting about being called. When you are called, I would rather be a pastor than a prophet. It’s something about the call of God. You learn to love people and you just love being with people. You just love to hear. Sometimes I am with a prophet, who asks me, “How can you stand it, people just talk and talk, pour out their problems?” When you have the anointing and you are called, you just love to hear. Sometimes their story is very interesting. The exciting part is when they are about to punch one another, you just like to hear and you really feel for them. You just like to pray for them.
Horizontal relationship is produced only horizontally. If you keep running, every time God says, stay there and you develop. We should be glad when God puts us in certain place. Don’t get out of it. Stay until you are changed. God wants to open you up until the fragrance of your special flavor fills the room. Horizontal relationship is produced horizontally. If you remain long enough, God will change you. Everyone who has touched and contacted the realm of God has gone the second mile. Like Daniel, he not only moved into the depths of God, he moved horizontally and is willing to say and confess publicly.
Like
David, when it’s difficult, he says to the others, what shall be done to the
man who will slay this Goliath? And the
words of what he said got to the ears of the king. Maybe, businessmen, you are not sure you will
succeed because you didn’t dare to confess what God wants you to confess. You do your confession privately but in
public you dare not confess that God will work my business. Now you are frightened, you think if you
fail, God’s name is at stake. Maybe you
don’t dare to say that and then everyone will be looking to you and say that
guy God is with him. If he fails, God
fails. I tell you God will guard His
name. I mean as long as you live your
life right with God, your heart is right with God. You have done everything you know best. God will guard His name because you become
associated with the name of God. Maybe
you are not where you supposed to be because you do not speak out with the
spirit of an overcomer. Lets go for it. We can do it.
The spirit of an overcomer. Say, I will go the second mile. That’s the same spirit that is on Jesus
Christ, which only twelve years old boy knows the bible from the front to the
back. Which twelve years old boy will
say I am about My Father’s business. Which twelve years old is so dedicated to
God? Jesus of
First point that spirit of an overcomer is actually the lost authority that was given to Adam to rule the earth. In Genesis 1: 26 “Then God said to Adam, Let us make man in Our image.” And God gave Adam authority over the birds of the air, over the beast of the field and over every creeping thing that creep. That dominant note, that note of victory and that note of triumph was given to Adam. Like Paul says, God who causes us to triumph in Christ was in Adam. The note of an overcomer was in Adam until he sinned and lost it. But when we get into Adam, the second Adam, Jesus Christ, the same Spirit of an overcomer gets onto us. When it comes on us, it causes us to walk in authority. You know you have the authority. You walk in that dominion that God has for man. Man was made to have dominion. They were not made to be cowards. We were made to walk in that dominion and that lost dominion is restored in Christ Jesus so that you could see every dark force of Satan eye to eye and you will have no fear because you know your dominion. We are made to rule the earth with that same note of victory. That’s the same spirit of the overcomer.
Second point, that spirit of overcomer that God imparts into our lives today, that brings us so much blessing if we follow, that brings us to the second mile is the same spirit that Jesus had that He now gives. Hebrew 1, it’s the Holy Spirit. Verse 13 & 14 “But to which of the angels has He ever said: Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation.” Now Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. Chapter 2: 10 “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Paul says here in a different manner in Eph.2 he says we have been raised up to be with Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of God. It’s the same spirit that is on Jesus. It is a spirit of authority, the Spirit that exercises the authority of heaven. So no.1 is the same dominion given to Adam. No.2 is the same dominion as in Christ Jesus now. Jesus seated at the right hand of God. A lot of people keep getting off the heavenly places. But if you will to sit in the heavenly places, you can exercise the scepter of authority in your life. Get seated in the position in Christ. Partake of the heavenly place authority that has been given to us.
II Cor. 2: 14-15 “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”
Do you notice in verse 14 lead us triumphing in Christ causes the knowledge of God to go forward? The bible says that the glory of God shall cover the earth even as the seas. The knowledge of the glory of God shall cover the earth as the seas cover the earth. How is it going to happen? The church rises up to take its place in dominion with God. When we rise up and take authority in the area we live in, in the city we live in and in the nation we live in and go the second mile beyond His call for us, we will begin to defuse the knowledge of God. This is the third thing that we see that the glory of God and the dominion of God are related. The knowledge of God is related to the glory of God and that glory that is defused throughout the earth is related to the dominion of us going the second mile. You see nobody will notice anything if you go with the tide. But if you stand against the tide and you go beyond and into the second mile, that’s when the fragrance of Christ begins to affect this earth. Either we affect the earth or the earth will affect us. Either the world is getting into you, or you overcome the world. There is no half-half about it. Its either our lives overcome the different areas of our lives or we are being overcame. We live in a world that is like a tidal wave flowing down in one direction of sin and doom and death. And to go forward we need to exercise effort and overcome the tide and turn the tide that God has. The knowledge of the glory of God being defused is tied up to us going the second mile. There is where the testimony of Jesus comes in. That’s where the glory lies. The glory lies in the second mile. Provisions are in the first mile but the glory lies in the second mile.
Fourth point as we conclude in the book of Rev. 2: 7 only those who hear will go the second mile and overcome. That means if we are not overcoming is because we are not hearing. If you are hearing from God, you are overcoming. How could David overcome the Goliath? It is because he heard God. He knew that this is the uncircumcised Philistines. He knew his covenant. He knew his God. He has confidence in his God. He heard from God but the hearing is general. He has an ear. Hear what He is speaking to the churches in plural. In other words, what do you pick up in the wave of what God is speaking? Now God has a personal word for us but we must pick up the general word that is speaking to the church first. In other words, what is He saying to the church today? What does God want of the church today? You can hear it right now. He already had sounded it from heaven. He that hears and responds to it and overcome, then He will give that special covenant that we have been speaking about. In other words, there are two parts to hearing from God. Unless you hear what has already been spoken by the angels of God, by the Spirit of God to the churches today, you can never hear His personal word in your life. Unless you obey that which God is already signaling in His church, he that has an ear hears, you cannot move into that which God wants. In the fourth point we see that overcoming depends on us hearing from God and doing what God tells us. It doesn’t mean what you are hearing is what the majority are saying. It doesn’t depend on what you hear the world is saying. It depends on what you are hearing what the Holy Spirit is saying today. He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
Fifth point that we want to point out is the Spirit of overcoming begins with our attitude. There is scripture for that. Daniel 1, the purpose in our heart. Deut. 1 serving God with the whole heart.
It starts with our attitude on small little things like going the second mile. It means going further than what we are asked to do. Are you a second miler or a first miler? It starts with our attitude. Rev. 3 the message to the church in Laodicean says, their attitude was wrong. They say they were rich but Jesus says you are spiritually poor. They were comfortable but Jesus says actually they should not be in that stage. It begins with our attitude.
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