John Pople – Class 3: John The Baptist – Give To The Poor

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This is the 50th New Zealand
christadelphians Bible School.

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Third period speaker is Brother
John poeple.

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On growing closer to God.
The subtitle for today is give

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to the poor, this is the third
talk in the series and the

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introductory reading for this
talk is Luke chapter 3 verses 1

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to 14.
Brother John.

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So that’s all right.
Oh hello.

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Yo, let’s go again.
Oh well, Well, the light’s gone,

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but the sound is still there.
That’s all we need tentatively.

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Good evening.
Now this evening, open up that

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forward.
I’m aware that some of you being

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on a nice pleasant stroll.
Others of you have been on a

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strenuous hike to the pillars of
Hercules or biet songs pillars

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and songs Hercules.
But either way that being the

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case bodies are a little more
tired and as Serendipity or

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French has had it.
This talk is probably a little

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bit shorter than the others so I
think that’s appropriate for our

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slightly more exhausted State
give to the poor.

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The first talk, we looked at
Ruth, the second talk, we looked

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at Jacob, this one is actually
harder to fit into that simple.

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Let’s look at a Bible character
and track his or her progress.

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We’re going to be bouncing off a
command very much given from

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John the Baptist and later ones
from Jesus.

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But if we’re really watching In
the progress of anyone, perhaps,

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in this talk, we’re watching the
progress of ourselves, having

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looked at the lives of others,
we bring this a little closer to

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home.
This talk was originally asked

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for requested at the Cambodian
Bible School, a few years ago

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and under this idea of how can
we grow closer to God?

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And these are the very early
thoughts that I had.

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It was 2011, I think and
thereabouts.

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And I had the opportunity to go
to Hawaii, which is very nice,

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vaguely, on sort of church
business, you might say, but at

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one point I had about, Hours to
myself before I was going to

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meet up with the rest of the
brothers and sisters.

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And I took myself off to the
beach since it was a tiny Island

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and the beaches are lovely and I
lay on the beach and I thought

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well, this is great.
This is lovely, but I wonder if

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I can be using this time
profitably as well. and so I

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prayed and I said to God, you
know, I’m trying to develop

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thoughts that would be useful
for myself and there by

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extension to others on how to
grow closer to the father closer

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to you since I was praying and
I’m receptive, I’m receptive,

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I’m listening, speak to me.
I don’t hear words or see

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Visions, but these types of
prayers have been successful

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before.
And within seconds, I wasn’t

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even surprised.
I began to hear a dialogue.

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And a few minutes later, I took
a photograph of those who were

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speaking and they’re shown just
there and though I never met

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these people.
It seemed clear from their

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dialogue.
That one was a father And the

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other was a son, which was, of
course, ideal, and they’re out

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there in the water that water
temperatures probably about 25

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degrees.
It’s just delightful, and

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they’re just splashing around.
But in actual fact, it became

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fairly clear.
That the father was trying to

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teach the Sun, how to swim, and
from what I could observe, the

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sun’s ability to swim was
already pretty good.

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So it was a pretty relaxed time
in the sun was swimming, quite

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proficiently in any event, but
the father was still giving tips

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and Vice and strategies and this
is how the game worked.

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The sun would be sent away from
the father, probably only as far

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as here or maybe a little bit
further and then the father

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would call out a swimming style
breaststroke front, crawl,

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whatever.
And then the sun would have to

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perform that swimming stroke to
get all the way back to the

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father without his feet touching
the ground.

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And as I say he was doing very
well, he didn’t really have any

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difficulties.
But there was one point at which

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the sun did have some
difficulties.

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There was one stroke that he
just wasn’t particularly

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comfortable with and it was very
educational.

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I wonder if you can guess what
that stroke was and why I’m

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sorry, it was butterfly, would
would be the most mechanically

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complex, but being that he is
Young and limber.

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Unlike myself in every respect,
he did that quite well.

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It was the backstroke.
I heard that called out.

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And can you imagine why he had
difficulty with the backstroke?

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He couldn’t see his father and
he didn’t seem to have physical

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deficiency in performing The
Stroke, but it was evident

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astonishingly that he became
nervous because he couldn’t see

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his dad, as he was trying to
navigate from just from here, to

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there up to his father.
And I thought how astonishing is

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that it was fairly obvious.
His dad hadn’t gone and my dad

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probably would have done but it
was different story but his dad

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hadn’t left.
And in fact, his dad was quite

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commonly cording calling audio
encouragement to the Sun to keep

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going, and he needed to do it
more whenever it was backstroke.

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But none of the other times
you’ve already deduced.

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Why?
Because he couldn’t see his

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father.
So the sun felt reassured by the

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presence of the father as long
as he could see him.

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The sun felt close to the father
when the father was visible.

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Yet the father was close,
whether or not the sun was doing

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backstroke and therefore sort of
looking at the sky and I

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thought, what an interesting
lesson I’ve never seen a direct

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manifestation of the person of
God and I imagine you haven’t

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either.
And so perhaps it’s

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understandable that we like this
little boy every now and again

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will become downhearted or
disconcerted, or simply anxious.

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My dad really there, and yet
we’ve had so many occasions in

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our lives.
When we knew he was there.

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Do we think he just left in the
interim?

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That cannot be.
So this little boy is struggles

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seemed to mirror our own in that
respect that the moment.

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The vision was taken away, he
became worried not panicked,

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particularly but a little bit
worried.

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And so there was the assurance
that I thought that that whilst

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I was almost not critical of the
boy, but I was thinking how can

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you worry that your father’s
gone when you saw him 15 seconds

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ago?
Then I thought that’s what God’s

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telling me.
Why are you ever anxious that

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I’ve suddenly left?
Given that you’ve had so many

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experiences when you knew I was
close by.

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Why would I have wandered off?
That’s not what I do.

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I’m a better father even than
this father and he didn’t wander

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off either.
And the more I watch them and

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Mario appreciated that.
And then the more I began to

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think about the father’s
feelings to having focused first

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upon the son.
The father quite frankly was

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simply having a great time.
He was loving it.

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He was loving having this some
time away, perhaps in the rest

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of the family, just some some
daddy, daddy son time.

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But part of the reason that he
was enjoying, it was clearly

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because the sun was doing what
he was told.

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It was the father’s style of
game, but imagine if the father

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had said, okay, son this time
swim back out to where you go

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and let’s do some breaststroke
and the sun’s swam out there and

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then just walked out of the sea
and started building sand

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castles and saying Dad, I’m
swimming out is rubbish.

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I want to build sandcastles
Would the father stopped loving

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the sun?
No, of course not.

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But would the father have the
same degree of enjoyment in that

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swimming time that he’d clearly
planned?

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If the sun decided to build
sandcastles instead?

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He would probably be a little
bit wounded, a little bit hurt,

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no, big deal, but a little less
fun, the father, felt close to

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the sun because they were
working together on the father’s

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plan.
So the closeness between the

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father and son was maintained by
the sun’s obedience to the

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father’s plan.
I’m sure there was no great plan

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of Roth or retribution.
If the sun ever decided to do

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something different.
That’s not how this father

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seemed to operate.
How much less than is that how

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our fathers plans to operate?
Nevertheless, as long as they

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played the father’s game, the
father was as joyful as the sun

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was Was.
In the years that have elapsed

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since not too many I guess just
for I’ve seldom seen a better

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example than the one I prayed
for and saw 18 seconds later

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watching the father and the son
enjoying their time being close

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together.
The lessons from this obvious,

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they’re spelled out on the
screen as they stand.

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We can be closest to this to the
father when we are cooperating

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with his plan, that brings him,
pleasure and enjoyment.

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Yeah.
So okay, let’s get closer to God

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then it’s not a swimming lesson.
So what are we supposed to do in

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Practical tangible terms?
Luckily this question exists in

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the Bible and we’ve taken thanks
brother Aunt the very reading

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that gives us the answer John
the Baptist explains produce

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fruit in keeping with repentance
that’s still an abstract answer.

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What do you mean says the crowd.
Well, John answered anyone who

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has two shirts, should share
with the one who has none and

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anyone who has food should do
the same, don’t collect any more

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than you are required.
To he says to the tax collectors

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and to the soldiers he says
don’t extort money and don’t

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accuse people falsely and be
content with your wages.

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Does that make sense?
If you got that, got it.

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Good.
You sure because now I’m going

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to test you.
So you said you have it John.

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The Baptist said, six things.
Go.

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You can send with your wages
maze maze.

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That always comes to mind first
that’s number.

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Six.
Number six, good, we got number

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six.
Keep going.

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No violence.
I heard that.

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That was, I think number five is
what to sure.

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That was number one.
Excellent, t-shirts.

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Give away one someone just
shouted, food.

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Are you hungry?
Let’s just go.

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But share your food.
Absolutely.

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So same thing with food.
That was number two.

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So we’ve got one to five and six
what was three and four.

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Be good to someone.
Well that’s included that that’s

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not specifically three or four
but I’m sorry.

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There were voices back there,
didn’t pick up.

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Don’t give him more than you
should.

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Don’t take more money than you
should.

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That was number three.
We’re just missing.

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Number four.
Perfect is very similar to

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number three but yes, it was
different, don’t extort money.

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Excellent.
We have all six, John.

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The Baptist said, six things,
firstly about shirts, but let me

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summarize that as saying, take
care of the poor, as soon as

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you’ve got two shirts, give to
the man who has none.

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The second one was about sharing
your food.

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Let me summarize that as take
care of the poor, someone who

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doesn’t have enough food and you
have spare, Give It Away.

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Number three was don’t extort
money.

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Any excuse me?
No, it was no, no, it wasn’t.

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It was number four.
Number three was.

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Don’t you Tax Collectors?
Take more money than you have

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to.
Don’t create more poor.

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Take what you’re supposed to
take, but if you take more as

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well, you’re going to make more
people poor than already our

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number 42, the soldiers do not
extort money.

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Don’t create more poverty.
Number five, don’t abuse your

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Authority threats of violence.
And number six, don’t be greedy.

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So John the Baptist actually
said, take care of the poor and

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in case you weren’t listening to
number one, take care of the

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poor.
You said, don’t create number,

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put more poor, and in case you
weren’t listening, I’ll say it

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again.
Don’t create more poor.

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Don’t abuse your Authority and
don’t be greedy.

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What?
Summary shall be fine?

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For all of these six, I’ll just
say take care of the poor.

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All.
That’s an interesting answer,

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isn’t it produce fruit in
keeping with repentance?

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00:13:11,000 –> 00:13:14,600
What do you mean?
Take care of the poor, how

219
00:13:14,600 –> 00:13:19,000
direct and explicit?
Is that now the idea that God

220
00:13:19,000 –> 00:13:22,500
wants us to take care of the
poor is new, I believe to none

221
00:13:22,500 –> 00:13:25,100
of us.
We all knew that I knew that

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00:13:25,200 –> 00:13:27,600
we’re all familiar with that.
Wonderful verse in James that

223
00:13:27,600 –> 00:13:30,800
says, pure religion, and
undefiled before the father, is

224
00:13:30,800 –> 00:13:35,000
this to look after the
fatherless and and widows in

225
00:13:35,000 –> 00:13:36,900
their Affliction and to keep
oneself.

226
00:13:37,100 –> 00:13:41,000
Unsullied from the world.
These are well-known words, but

227
00:13:41,000 –> 00:13:46,000
I wonder if you are like me of a
few years ago, you won’t be

228
00:13:46,000 –> 00:13:50,200
aware.
Or I wasn’t aware of example of

229
00:13:50,200 –> 00:13:57,000
how extreme and how forceful and
how dramatic the commands in the

230
00:13:57,008 –> 00:14:01,300
Bible to give to the poor are
there not hysterical in any

231
00:14:01,300 –> 00:14:05,000
means.
But the the actual degree of

232
00:14:05,000 –> 00:14:08,500
severity that that command
comes, Upon us, may be more

233
00:14:08,500 –> 00:14:11,100
surprising than you’ve
anticipated.

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00:14:11,100 –> 00:14:13,800
And I don’t mean that in a
threatening sense, I mean that

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00:14:13,800 –> 00:14:18,100
also an encouraging sense as to
how much it changes us.

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00:14:18,900 –> 00:14:21,700
So says Jesus and him we can
trust.

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00:14:22,200 –> 00:14:25,000
Let’s look at some of these
scriptures and you might find

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00:14:25,000 –> 00:14:28,100
this command the simple command
take care of the poor actually

239
00:14:28,100 –> 00:14:31,800
presented in a much more
powerful light than you’d

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00:14:31,800 –> 00:14:34,700
anticipated, even though it’s
right there on the page and

241
00:14:34,700 –> 00:14:36,900
always has been that was my
experience.

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00:14:37,000 –> 00:14:42,100
Anyway, it may be yours.
How do you get treasure in

243
00:14:42,100 –> 00:14:43,300
heaven?
If you just stopped me on the

244
00:14:43,300 –> 00:14:46,300
streets a few years ago, and
just said, okay, you’re a, you

245
00:14:46,300 –> 00:14:48,100
read the Bible.
How do you get treasure in

246
00:14:48,100 –> 00:14:49,900
heaven?
Here’s what I would have said.

247
00:14:50,400 –> 00:14:54,000
I would have said, well,
treasure is where your heart is.

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00:14:54,800 –> 00:14:57,100
If you care about the things
that are in heaven, the

249
00:14:57,100 –> 00:15:00,400
principles of God and the plan
of God, that is where your

250
00:15:00,400 –> 00:15:02,400
treasure is.
That is your treasure in heaven.

251
00:15:02,700 –> 00:15:05,300
And if you care less about
material things that are on

252
00:15:05,300 –> 00:15:08,700
earth, you’ve transferred your
treasure from Earth to Heaven

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00:15:09,000 –> 00:15:12,100
that Is how you get treasure in
heaven, and that is how you

254
00:15:12,100 –> 00:15:14,400
please guard.
And what you think?

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00:15:14,400 –> 00:15:15,700
I think that’s a pretty good
answer.

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00:15:15,900 –> 00:15:19,500
Well done me.
But that’s not what Jesus said.

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00:15:20,000 –> 00:15:25,100
It’s simply not what he said.
Teacher, what good thing must I

258
00:15:25,108 –> 00:15:28,800
do to get eternal life.
Why do you ask me about what is

259
00:15:28,800 –> 00:15:30,600
good?
Jesus replied there is only one

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00:15:30,600 –> 00:15:33,900
who is good, if you want to
enter life obey the

261
00:15:33,900 –> 00:15:39,100
Commandments, all these, I have
kept the young man said, what do

262
00:15:39,100 –> 00:15:43,300
I still lack?
Jesus answered, if you want to

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00:15:43,300 –> 00:15:48,000
be perfect, go sell your
possessions and give to the poor

264
00:15:48,900 –> 00:15:51,100
and you will then have treasure
in heaven.

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00:15:52,100 –> 00:15:57,400
Then come follow me.
You get treasure in Heaven by

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00:15:57,400 –> 00:16:00,600
giving to the poor, that’s not
an intuitive answer.

267
00:16:01,200 –> 00:16:04,000
It’s not even particularly a
logical answer, but it’s what

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00:16:04,000 –> 00:16:06,700
Jesus said, so we can trust that
it’s true.

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00:16:07,800 –> 00:16:10,900
We gained treasure in Heaven by
giving to the poor.

270
00:16:11,300 –> 00:16:14,000
I didn’t realize that the
promise of giving to the poor

271
00:16:14,200 –> 00:16:17,800
had such a rich reward in quite
that language.

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00:16:18,200 –> 00:16:19,600
As a wonderful comment
occasionally.

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00:16:19,600 –> 00:16:21,800
We can knock this Rich.
Young Ruler as if he was some

274
00:16:21,800 –> 00:16:24,800
sort of materialistic guy who
just wasn’t good enough for

275
00:16:24,800 –> 00:16:27,100
discipleship.
He was obviously shocked by

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00:16:27,100 –> 00:16:30,900
Jesus response and and not able
to comply with it in the

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00:16:30,900 –> 00:16:33,900
immediate moment but there’s
something very beautiful in what

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00:16:33,900 –> 00:16:40,600
the young man says, right there.
Remember the context Jesus says,

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00:16:41,100 –> 00:16:44,800
keep the Commandments.
This young man isn’t a legalist.

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00:16:45,500 –> 00:16:47,800
If he is, he’d have said, check,
check check.

281
00:16:47,800 –> 00:16:52,100
Check done it finished.
I’ve won, he could go check,

282
00:16:52,100 –> 00:16:54,300
check, check check of kept the
Commandments.

283
00:16:55,600 –> 00:16:59,600
But I’m aware.
Something’s missing something

284
00:16:59,600 –> 00:17:02,700
still isn’t right?
He’s not claiming to be sinless.

285
00:17:02,700 –> 00:17:05,400
None of us are but he said I’ve
kept the Commandments and yet he

286
00:17:05,400 –> 00:17:07,900
was spiritually perceptive
enough to know.

287
00:17:08,400 –> 00:17:13,400
I’m still not inherently Godly.
And so that’s I think.

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00:17:13,400 –> 00:17:15,400
Why is one of the translations
are one of the Gospel?

289
00:17:15,400 –> 00:17:18,599
Records has it.
Jesus looked upon him and loved

290
00:17:18,599 –> 00:17:21,500
him.
A man who knew, even after he’d

291
00:17:21,500 –> 00:17:25,500
kept, the rules, had been told
he still hadn’t grown close

292
00:17:25,500 –> 00:17:28,099
enough to God as he would like
to have done.

293
00:17:28,800 –> 00:17:31,900
That’s one example, is another
interesting one.

294
00:17:33,000 –> 00:17:38,000
Be coming clean on the inside.
How do you become clean on the

295
00:17:38,000 –> 00:17:39,900
inside?
You asked me that a few years

296
00:17:39,900 –> 00:17:43,600
ago and I will say, well, look,
try and contain your thoughts on

297
00:17:43,600 –> 00:17:46,700
those things which are
themselves clean that wonderful

298
00:17:46,700 –> 00:17:47,500
verse from.
Where is it?

299
00:17:47,500 –> 00:17:50,000
Philippians?
Think on these things

300
00:17:50,000 –> 00:17:51,200
whatsoever?
Be right whatsoever.

301
00:17:51,200 –> 00:17:52,800
Be Noble whatsoever.
Be true.

302
00:17:53,100 –> 00:17:56,900
That’s the way we can become
clean on the inside.

303
00:17:57,300 –> 00:17:59,300
Another great answer.
I’m doing well.

304
00:18:00,500 –> 00:18:05,100
But it’s not what Jesus said.
When Jesus had finished

305
00:18:05,100 –> 00:18:08,700
speaking, a Pharisee invited him
to eat with him, so he went in

306
00:18:08,700 –> 00:18:12,800
and reclined at the table, but
the Pharisee noticing that Jesus

307
00:18:12,800 –> 00:18:15,700
did not first wash before, the
meal was surprised.

308
00:18:16,200 –> 00:18:20,400
Then the Lord said to him, now
then you Pharisees clean.

309
00:18:20,400 –> 00:18:25,500
The outside of the cup and dish
but inside you are full of greed

310
00:18:25,800 –> 00:18:28,300
and wickedness.
You foolish people.

311
00:18:28,800 –> 00:18:32,200
Did not the one who made the
outside, make the inside.

312
00:18:32,200 –> 00:18:38,300
Also Give what is inside the
dish to the poor and everything.

313
00:18:39,100 –> 00:18:42,400
Both outside and inside will be
clean for you.

314
00:18:43,100 –> 00:18:47,900
We become clean on the inside by
feeding the poor.

315
00:18:48,900 –> 00:18:52,500
It’s not intuitive, it’s not
logical, but it’s what Jesus

316
00:18:52,500 –> 00:18:55,900
said and we can trust it.
So there’s some wonderfully

317
00:18:55,900 –> 00:18:59,300
powerful language, much more
powerful than I had anticipated

318
00:18:59,400 –> 00:19:03,500
on the rewards and therefore the
encouragement for us to give to

319
00:19:03,500 –> 00:19:06,900
the poor do not think at any
time I’m preaching salvation by

320
00:19:06,900 –> 00:19:08,700
works.
Of course I’m not we are never

321
00:19:08,700 –> 00:19:12,700
worthy of the kingdom and we can
only enter it by God’s grace.

322
00:19:13,000 –> 00:19:16,200
But nevertheless the
encouragement to be active and

323
00:19:16,200 –> 00:19:19,400
give to the poor comes very
strongly from um these words of

324
00:19:19,400 –> 00:19:23,600
Jesus more strongly than I had
previously realized, that’s the

325
00:19:24,100 –> 00:19:27,800
positive side of things.
Let me turn it around and let’s

326
00:19:27,800 –> 00:19:31,200
look at the more negative side
of things that is to say.

327
00:19:31,300 –> 00:19:34,500
Let’s look at what happens to
those who didn’t give to the

328
00:19:34,500 –> 00:19:36,600
poor, the sin of Sodom
wonderful.

329
00:19:36,600 –> 00:19:41,900
Photograph this photograph of
the remains now relatively

330
00:19:41,900 –> 00:19:46,600
confident the identified as well
as Shikamaru, but same same sort

331
00:19:46,600 –> 00:19:50,200
of area.
And we find what then was the

332
00:19:50,200 –> 00:19:54,500
sin of Sodom that precipitated
the destruction, the prophet

333
00:19:54,500 –> 00:19:57,800
Ezekiel explains.
This was the sin of your sister

334
00:19:57,800 –> 00:19:59,800
Sodom.
She and her daughters.

335
00:19:59,800 –> 00:20:01,400
Actually, there are five things.
Do we know what?

336
00:20:01,400 –> 00:20:04,500
The I think we probably do.
Can we do them?

337
00:20:06,900 –> 00:20:10,400
Right, that was number two.
They were, they were as the

338
00:20:10,400 –> 00:20:13,200
modern colloquialism.
They were fat and happy or

339
00:20:13,600 –> 00:20:16,700
overfed and unconcerned that was
number two.

340
00:20:16,700 –> 00:20:20,000
Yes, any other Pride?
Absolutely.

341
00:20:20,000 –> 00:20:22,100
In fact, I think it really shows
up twice.

342
00:20:22,100 –> 00:20:24,700
I’ll give you two for that one.
I’m sorry.

343
00:20:26,600 –> 00:20:31,000
They were.
Abundance of idleness.

344
00:20:31,000 –> 00:20:33,700
I think, right?
I think you’re saying the same

345
00:20:33,700 –> 00:20:36,200
thing as his brother Warrick
said that’s in a different

346
00:20:36,200 –> 00:20:38,400
translation that same part of
number to one.

347
00:20:38,400 –> 00:20:41,600
That was overfed and unconcerned
Idol and wouldn’t get up and

348
00:20:41,800 –> 00:20:46,500
help anyone any other ideas.
We’re missing two.

349
00:20:48,600 –> 00:20:50,900
There we moral.
They did detestable things it

350
00:20:50,900 –> 00:20:52,400
says, yes, that was the last
one.

351
00:20:52,400 –> 00:20:55,300
We missing one.
Ironically the title of the

352
00:20:55,300 –> 00:20:57,200
talk.
There we go.

353
00:20:57,800 –> 00:20:59,100
I thought that was easiest one.
There we go.

354
00:20:59,400 –> 00:21:02,700
They were arrogant.
They were overfed and

355
00:21:02,700 –> 00:21:05,300
unconcerned that comes out in a
variety of different ways I

356
00:21:05,300 –> 00:21:08,200
think that’s what bro brother
Warrick and sister were

357
00:21:08,200 –> 00:21:11,400
remembering.
They did not help the poor and

358
00:21:11,400 –> 00:21:14,100
needy.
They were haughty which sounds

359
00:21:14,100 –> 00:21:17,300
to me very similar to the first
one and they did detestable

360
00:21:17,300 –> 00:21:19,700
things before.
Me not doesn’t specify what

361
00:21:19,700 –> 00:21:23,800
those detestable things were the
variety of detestable things,

362
00:21:23,800 –> 00:21:28,300
but whatever is specified there,
therefore, says God, I did away

363
00:21:28,300 –> 00:21:31,900
with them.
As you have seen those five

364
00:21:31,900 –> 00:21:36,000
reasons and may I suggest you
that actually number 1 and 4 are

365
00:21:36,000 –> 00:21:38,600
pretty much the same.
And in fact, number two, and

366
00:21:38,600 –> 00:21:41,600
three are pretty much the same.
So probably only really three

367
00:21:41,600 –> 00:21:44,400
reasons.
The this one here, this double

368
00:21:44,400 –> 00:21:48,500
reason, here they themselves.
Fed themselves to the point of

369
00:21:48,500 –> 00:21:51,000
being satiated.
I will suck in my stomach, the

370
00:21:51,008 –> 00:21:55,600
next three minutes of this talk
and were therefore unconcerned

371
00:21:55,600 –> 00:21:58,000
with helping those who didn’t
have enough, which sort of

372
00:21:58,000 –> 00:22:01,700
segues neatly into the not
helping the poor and needy.

373
00:22:02,100 –> 00:22:05,900
So in actual fact, a substantial
proportion of the reason that

374
00:22:05,900 –> 00:22:10,800
Sodom and Gomorrah were
destroyed was because they

375
00:22:10,800 –> 00:22:14,700
didn’t help the poor.
That’s not immediately apparent

376
00:22:14,700 –> 00:22:17,900
from Genesis chapter 19.
And when you read about the

377
00:22:17,908 –> 00:22:22,300
destruction in Genesis nap
chapter 19, you’re more inclined

378
00:22:22,300 –> 00:22:26,400
to surmise that it’s to do with
the violence and the rape.

379
00:22:26,400 –> 00:22:29,500
And possibly even the
homosexuality that was that was

380
00:22:29,500 –> 00:22:33,200
going on there that that big
immoral backdrop.

381
00:22:33,300 –> 00:22:37,400
But when Ezekiel actually lays
out the read Reasons from God

382
00:22:37,400 –> 00:22:39,600
through Revelation later, we
find out.

383
00:22:39,600 –> 00:22:43,200
It’s not exactly what you picked
up from Genesis 19 and Us to a

384
00:22:43,208 –> 00:22:46,000
good part actually.
Concerned about the fact they

385
00:22:46,000 –> 00:22:48,900
wouldn’t help the poor God
destroyed.

386
00:22:48,900 –> 00:22:53,200
Sodom and Gomorrah partly
because they didn’t help the

387
00:22:53,200 –> 00:22:55,000
poor.
That’s interesting.

388
00:22:56,600 –> 00:22:58,500
This one is even more
astonishing.

389
00:22:58,800 –> 00:23:02,800
We’re off the topic of giving to
the poor briefly, briefly, we’re

390
00:23:02,800 –> 00:23:05,000
going on to the topic of
something.

391
00:23:05,000 –> 00:23:09,400
Even more unsettling, the idea
that the Israelites in their

392
00:23:09,400 –> 00:23:14,300
foolishness would occasionally
follow the practices of the

393
00:23:14,300 –> 00:23:18,400
ammonites who actually
sacrificed their children in the

394
00:23:18,400 –> 00:23:21,300
fire and burned them as
sacrifices to God.

395
00:23:21,800 –> 00:23:25,500
This is what the Sovereign.
Lord says will, you defile

396
00:23:25,500 –> 00:23:28,800
yourselves the Your father’s
dead and lust after their vile

397
00:23:28,800 –> 00:23:32,900
images, when you offer your
gifts, the sacrifice of your

398
00:23:32,900 –> 00:23:37,200
son’s in the fire, you continue
to defile yourselves with all

399
00:23:37,200 –> 00:23:41,800
your Idols to this day.
Am I to let you inquire of Me O

400
00:23:41,800 –> 00:23:46,200
House of Israel?
As surely as I live declares The

401
00:23:46,200 –> 00:23:50,800
Sovereign Lord, I will not let
you inquire of me.

402
00:23:51,300 –> 00:23:55,500
Think about what that means.
I will not let you inquire of

403
00:23:55,500 –> 00:23:57,300
me.
What does that mean?

404
00:23:57,800 –> 00:24:04,200
In modern terms in my language?
That means I will not hear your

405
00:24:04,200 –> 00:24:07,000
prayer, right?
That’s what it means.

406
00:24:07,500 –> 00:24:12,000
And fair enough for an offense.
So utterly detestable in fact,

407
00:24:12,000 –> 00:24:15,800
it’s so detestable not only to
God but also, luckily to our

408
00:24:15,800 –> 00:24:17,700
culture.
It doesn’t even come into our

409
00:24:17,700 –> 00:24:19,800
minds.
It’s almost like this is now

410
00:24:19,800 –> 00:24:23,600
becoming an abstract and
unnecessary warning, no one in

411
00:24:23,600 –> 00:24:26,500
their right.
Mind in this culture thinks of

412
00:24:26,500 –> 00:24:31,100
well perhaps for a few teenagers
but thinks of sacrificing their

413
00:24:31,100 –> 00:24:34,500
children, Children in the fire
and the punishment for that is

414
00:24:34,500 –> 00:24:36,100
that God won’t hear their
prayer.

415
00:24:36,700 –> 00:24:42,700
But guess what, The same
punishment is given to the one

416
00:24:42,700 –> 00:24:47,100
who won’t help the poor.
If a man shuts his ears to The

417
00:24:47,100 –> 00:24:53,000
Cry of the poor, he too will cry
out and I will not answer him.

418
00:24:54,300 –> 00:24:56,000
Now, why is that interesting is
fairly obvious.

419
00:24:56,000 –> 00:24:57,600
Why?
That’s interesting, if the

420
00:24:57,600 –> 00:25:00,800
penalty that God gives out is
the same.

421
00:25:01,400 –> 00:25:06,000
Then at some level to God’s
thinking, the crimes must be

422
00:25:06,000 –> 00:25:09,200
comparable.
It’s the same penalty, it must

423
00:25:09,200 –> 00:25:13,800
be the same magnitude of crime.
So God saying, well, setting

424
00:25:13,800 –> 00:25:18,300
fire to your sons and killing
them, burning them to death as

425
00:25:18,300 –> 00:25:22,200
some sort of sacrifice to God
and not giving to the poor.

426
00:25:22,700 –> 00:25:26,700
Yeah, that’s about the same.
Same crime in my eyes says God,

427
00:25:26,900 –> 00:25:30,400
that’s pretty astonishing.
God won’t hear the prayers of

428
00:25:30,400 –> 00:25:34,800
those who sacrifice children or
won’t give to the poor.

429
00:25:35,600 –> 00:25:38,800
So that’s what I mean really
when I was saying I was checking

430
00:25:38,800 –> 00:25:41,900
through scripture just following
this idea of our encouragement

431
00:25:41,900 –> 00:25:44,800
to give to the poor.
How incredibly dramatic and

432
00:25:44,800 –> 00:25:48,700
severe the cases were in the
both the positive and the

433
00:25:48,700 –> 00:25:52,600
negative instances, let’s just
summarize them, we’ll start with

434
00:25:52,600 –> 00:25:54,000
the negative so that we can
finish.

435
00:25:54,100 –> 00:25:57,400
Positive.
If we don’t give to the poor,

436
00:25:57,400 –> 00:26:01,300
says the Proverbs, our prayers
won’t be heard.

437
00:26:01,500 –> 00:26:05,600
That’s true in the Proverbs and
also, in Isaiah 58.

438
00:26:05,600 –> 00:26:09,400
I wonder if brilliantly, do you
have enough light there to read?

439
00:26:09,400 –> 00:26:11,600
I think you do maps.
You could read for us.

440
00:26:11,600 –> 00:26:16,000
Isaiah 58 and verses 6 to 9,
listen, particularly for the

441
00:26:16,000 –> 00:26:21,200
last verse or follow along.
If you can, as I have 58, this

442
00:26:21,200 –> 00:26:26,200
is six, seven, eight and nine.
Is not this, the fast that I

443
00:26:26,200 –> 00:26:30,800
have chosen to loose the bands
of wickedness to undo the heavy

444
00:26:30,800 –> 00:26:34,400
burdens, to let the oppressed Go
free that.

445
00:26:34,400 –> 00:26:39,600
You break every yoke, is it not
to deal thy bread to the hungry

446
00:26:39,900 –> 00:26:43,500
and that thou bring the poor
that are cast out to thy house.

447
00:26:44,100 –> 00:26:48,200
When thou seest the naked that
thou cover him and that thou

448
00:26:48,200 –> 00:26:51,100
hide not thyself from thine own
flesh.

449
00:26:51,800 –> 00:26:55,600
Then shall the light Break Forth
as the morning and thine Health

450
00:26:55,600 –> 00:26:59,600
shall spring forth, speedily and
thy righteousness shall go

451
00:26:59,600 –> 00:27:04,500
before Thee, the glory of the
Lord shall be thy rearward.

452
00:27:05,800 –> 00:27:08,800
Absolutely.
So those verses are expressing

453
00:27:08,800 –> 00:27:10,500
the same thing in the positive
sense.

454
00:27:10,800 –> 00:27:14,000
When you do bring break the
shields of shackles of

455
00:27:14,000 –> 00:27:17,300
Oppression for those who are
poor, then your righteousness

456
00:27:17,300 –> 00:27:21,900
Will Spring forth as the morning
Sodom was destroyed partly

457
00:27:21,900 –> 00:27:25,400
because they did not give to the
poor, those are the negative

458
00:27:25,400 –> 00:27:27,900
examples.
Now let’s transition happily

459
00:27:27,900 –> 00:27:32,000
into the positive examples.
Giving to the poor is the way we

460
00:27:32,000 –> 00:27:35,000
become clean on the inside says
Jesus.

461
00:27:35,600 –> 00:27:39,900
Giving to the poor is the way we
gain treasure in heaven says

462
00:27:39,900 –> 00:27:42,500
Jesus and there’s an even more
startling.

463
00:27:42,500 –> 00:27:46,300
One than that found in the
Psalms they have freely

464
00:27:46,300 –> 00:27:50,100
scattered, their gifts to the
poor, their righteousness

465
00:27:50,300 –> 00:27:55,400
endures forever.
To cause an ever lasting

466
00:27:55,400 –> 00:27:59,700
enduring righteousness.
We merely freely scatter, our

467
00:27:59,700 –> 00:28:06,700
gifts to the poor.
So then why also give to the

468
00:28:06,700 –> 00:28:08,600
poor.
This is a nice conceptual way to

469
00:28:08,600 –> 00:28:11,100
think about it.
I think about God and I think

470
00:28:11,100 –> 00:28:14,200
about me the distance between us
is so vast.

471
00:28:14,200 –> 00:28:17,800
It’s silly to put them on the
same screen, but I have nothing,

472
00:28:17,800 –> 00:28:21,600
I am abject leap, or in all
things compared to my God, I

473
00:28:21,600 –> 00:28:22,800
think it was Christian who put
it?

474
00:28:22,800 –> 00:28:27,300
Articulately from the scriptures
who said, I don’t even control

475
00:28:27,300 –> 00:28:30,100
the next breath that I’m going
to take into my nostrils.

476
00:28:31,100 –> 00:28:34,000
Job said something similar.
He says, God, you give me one

477
00:28:34,000 –> 00:28:36,400
breath at a time.
I’m paraphrasing.

478
00:28:37,200 –> 00:28:39,600
So that, you know, I just suck
in one breath.

479
00:28:39,600 –> 00:28:44,000
And I live for that moment and I
rely on you for the next moment,

480
00:28:44,300 –> 00:28:48,700
and God gives me everything that
I need not, perhaps everything

481
00:28:48,700 –> 00:28:53,000
that I want, but everything that
I need why, then do I give to

482
00:28:53,000 –> 00:28:56,500
the poor.
Well, in some very limited sense

483
00:28:56,700 –> 00:28:59,000
in a sort of a socio economic
sense.

484
00:28:59,300 –> 00:29:03,400
There are people who are a
Objectively poor compared to me

485
00:29:03,900 –> 00:29:07,200
and I, at least in
socio-economic terms and very

486
00:29:07,200 –> 00:29:11,400
rich compared to some that I
meet even in California who have

487
00:29:11,400 –> 00:29:16,400
absolutely nothing.
So if I give to the abject leap

488
00:29:16,400 –> 00:29:21,800
or Y, then I’m enacting the same
role that God does every second

489
00:29:21,800 –> 00:29:27,900
of every day for me.
So in giving to the poor, God is

490
00:29:27,900 –> 00:29:32,700
able to see his reflection.
In us, that’s how we grow closer

491
00:29:32,700 –> 00:29:36,100
to God, because God is
constantly giving to the poor.

492
00:29:36,200 –> 00:29:39,000
And when we learn and get
excited about doing the same

493
00:29:39,000 –> 00:29:42,600
thing, we take up the same image
of God.

494
00:29:43,200 –> 00:29:46,600
When we think about the image of
God, what particular verse might

495
00:29:46,600 –> 00:29:52,900
come to mind.
Absolutely Genesis 1 verse 26,

496
00:29:53,500 –> 00:29:59,100
and God made Man In His Image.
And we’re inclined to think

497
00:29:59,100 –> 00:30:03,200
about that as a historical.
Observation, God made Man In His

498
00:30:03,200 –> 00:30:06,800
Image, but I wonder if it’s
appropriate to view that

499
00:30:06,800 –> 00:30:11,400
sentence as more of a mandate
than an observation.

500
00:30:11,800 –> 00:30:18,500
In other words, You are man now
it’s your job to get into the

501
00:30:18,500 –> 00:30:23,600
image of God and by giving to
the poor we take on that image

502
00:30:23,700 –> 00:30:26,900
so I think that’s as much a
mandate as it is a historical

503
00:30:26,900 –> 00:30:30,800
fact.
The kings of the Gentiles Lord,

504
00:30:30,800 –> 00:30:33,400
it over them.
You are not to be like that

505
00:30:33,400 –> 00:30:36,100
says, Jesus.
Instead, the greatest among you

506
00:30:36,100 –> 00:30:39,500
should be like, the youngest,
and the one who rules, like, the

507
00:30:39,500 –> 00:30:43,100
one who serves.
This is how we prepare for the

508
00:30:43,100 –> 00:30:47,700
kingship that our Lord is happy
to give us in that Kingdom age

509
00:30:48,500 –> 00:30:51,000
as part of my work as a
physicist.

510
00:30:52,000 –> 00:30:54,700
I drive forklift, trucks
surprising.

511
00:30:54,700 –> 00:30:57,900
We have heavy equipment needs to
be unloaded at the lab

512
00:30:57,900 –> 00:31:01,500
sometimes, and I also
occasionally machine parts and

513
00:31:01,500 –> 00:31:03,000
not a particularly skilled
machinist.

514
00:31:03,000 –> 00:31:06,000
But I am a trained and qualified
machinist to make Parts on a

515
00:31:06,008 –> 00:31:10,200
male or a lathe.
So, I work on a Mill and I make

516
00:31:10,200 –> 00:31:13,300
Parts.
Rarely I drive a forklift truck

517
00:31:13,400 –> 00:31:16,300
rally.
Now, in order to drive the

518
00:31:16,300 –> 00:31:20,400
forklift truck, I needed to be
trained big surprise, in order

519
00:31:20,400 –> 00:31:23,400
to work on the mill.
I needed to be trained.

520
00:31:25,000 –> 00:31:29,900
My training on the mill, had
nothing to do with driving

521
00:31:29,900 –> 00:31:34,200
forklift trucks, and my training
to drive forklift trucks.

522
00:31:34,500 –> 00:31:36,900
Had nothing to do with operating
on the mail.

523
00:31:37,500 –> 00:31:39,000
I haven’t said anything
surprising yet.

524
00:31:39,000 –> 00:31:45,000
I hope. so then what is Jesus
saying, if you’re going to be

525
00:31:45,000 –> 00:31:51,500
Kings later serve now, Why, why
do job?

526
00:31:51,500 –> 00:31:56,700
A in practice to do job?
B, y drive, a forklift truck to

527
00:31:56,700 –> 00:31:59,400
learn how to use the mill.
Why should i serve?

528
00:31:59,400 –> 00:32:04,500
Now, if I’m going to be a king
later, And there’s only one

529
00:32:04,500 –> 00:32:08,800
possible answer because I’m not
going to be a king later in the

530
00:32:08,800 –> 00:32:14,100
way that I’m thinking of King.
I learned to serve now because

531
00:32:14,100 –> 00:32:18,600
I’m going to serve later and
that’s what Jesus means when he

532
00:32:18,600 –> 00:32:23,700
says King the one who serves not
because those who serve now will

533
00:32:23,700 –> 00:32:27,700
rule later.
But because serving is the true

534
00:32:27,700 –> 00:32:33,700
and proper way to rule, just as
a parent rules their child, by

535
00:32:33,700 –> 00:32:35,700
providing everything that they
need.

536
00:32:38,200 –> 00:32:40,900
Perhaps the best example is God,
I love the Book of Job.

537
00:32:41,500 –> 00:32:44,400
I had the privilege to share
thoughts on the Book of Job with

538
00:32:44,400 –> 00:32:48,800
youth here, five years ago,
standing on this very spot and

539
00:32:48,800 –> 00:32:52,900
therefore I’ve paraphrase wildly
from Job 38.

540
00:32:53,100 –> 00:32:57,200
Some of the things that God
says, God says, I am Shepherd to

541
00:32:57,200 –> 00:33:01,600
the Stars Chef to the Lions, and
Ravens, and midwife to the

542
00:33:01,600 –> 00:33:04,300
mountain goats you can
investigate the passage for

543
00:33:04,300 –> 00:33:07,300
yourself to see that as he
speaks in great metaphor, he

544
00:33:07,300 –> 00:33:09,700
says the star Was I keep them
in.

545
00:33:09,900 –> 00:33:11,600
I’m going to paraphrase quite
extensively.

546
00:33:11,800 –> 00:33:14,000
So, keep them in my garden shed
during the day.

547
00:33:14,300 –> 00:33:17,300
When the night time comes, I go
drag them out of the shed, and I

548
00:33:17,300 –> 00:33:19,200
put them all.
I lead them all into the right

549
00:33:19,200 –> 00:33:20,700
place.
It’s like guide them where they

550
00:33:20,700 –> 00:33:23,800
need to go.
Every night, beautiful metaphor,

551
00:33:24,100 –> 00:33:27,500
the Lions and the Ravens, they
get hungry, I feed them.

552
00:33:27,900 –> 00:33:30,300
I find their food.
I hear them making noise of

553
00:33:30,300 –> 00:33:33,600
hungry hunger and I attend them
and I feed them.

554
00:33:33,700 –> 00:33:35,800
I suppose technically you could
feed the Raven to the lion and

555
00:33:35,800 –> 00:33:37,500
solve the problem, but that’s
you know.

556
00:33:38,100 –> 00:33:41,700
God is more merciful than that.
And the mountain goats he said

557
00:33:41,700 –> 00:33:45,100
I’ve learned to recognize the
cry they make when they’re about

558
00:33:45,100 –> 00:33:47,700
to give birth.
And when that mountain goat is

559
00:33:47,700 –> 00:33:50,000
halfway up The Cliff face.
Who is it?

560
00:33:50,000 –> 00:33:52,500
Who hiked up?
There to go and deliver that

561
00:33:52,500 –> 00:33:54,200
baby goat?
That’s me says God.

562
00:33:54,200 –> 00:33:58,200
I get my staff and I hiked up
the mountain and I deliver that

563
00:33:58,200 –> 00:34:03,300
baby goat.
I rule this universe because I

564
00:34:03,300 –> 00:34:07,900
serve this universe because it
is my pleasure to give life.

565
00:34:08,000 –> 00:34:11,000
And breath to all things as I
will.

566
00:34:11,199 –> 00:34:17,500
So as we learn to serve it
changes us, we develop God’s

567
00:34:17,500 –> 00:34:21,800
trait of loving service because
the proper way to rule is the

568
00:34:21,800 –> 00:34:26,199
way to serve.
As an aside, I have the same lab

569
00:34:26,199 –> 00:34:28,600
where I work.
He retired very recently but I

570
00:34:28,600 –> 00:34:32,199
had a very eccentric friend, his
name was Tom and he understood

571
00:34:32,199 –> 00:34:36,199
this principle very clearly.
He would describe himself as a

572
00:34:36,199 –> 00:34:41,500
Christian Buddhist and other
such insane contradictions.

573
00:34:41,500 –> 00:34:46,600
But anyway, he was a lovely man,
still is, and he would, he

574
00:34:46,600 –> 00:34:48,900
understood the idea of rulership
through service.

575
00:34:49,199 –> 00:34:51,699
And so he be walking along and
we said, Tom, don’t do this

576
00:34:51,699 –> 00:34:55,500
again and he be walking along
and with a new director of the

577
00:34:55,500 –> 00:35:00,600
lab, And the lab is about 2,000
people, and Tom and probably

578
00:35:00,600 –> 00:35:03,100
myself or the lowliest of all
and he’s walking alongside with

579
00:35:03,100 –> 00:35:07,400
the director and he’d say, so
this is this is your place.

580
00:35:07,400 –> 00:35:09,500
This is your lab.
You think this is yours and the

581
00:35:09,700 –> 00:35:11,500
director was so we are and
someone.

582
00:35:11,500 –> 00:35:14,000
So why pick up the trash?
We just walk past the piece.

583
00:35:15,800 –> 00:35:17,900
And that’s what he would, send.
The director didn’t really know

584
00:35:17,900 –> 00:35:19,400
what to do and say hi.
Thank you.

585
00:35:19,400 –> 00:35:21,300
Yes.
Yes, I heard about you and sort

586
00:35:21,300 –> 00:35:26,500
of go on But Tom was absolutely
right, and that’s what Tom would

587
00:35:26,500 –> 00:35:28,400
do and Tom would always pick up
the trash.

588
00:35:28,400 –> 00:35:31,100
Even though he went, he worked
into his 70s and his back was no

589
00:35:31,100 –> 00:35:33,500
good.
He would still stoop down and

590
00:35:33,500 –> 00:35:35,300
pick up every piece of trash.
Why are you picking up the

591
00:35:35,300 –> 00:35:37,100
trash?
Tom is my lab.

592
00:35:37,300 –> 00:35:39,200
I own this lab.
It’s all mine.

593
00:35:39,300 –> 00:35:42,000
I pick up the trash and he’s
absolutely, right.

594
00:35:42,400 –> 00:35:46,000
And if we want to not out of a
sense of power and control, but

595
00:35:46,000 –> 00:35:50,000
to please our father and to play
along with the plan, our father

596
00:35:50,000 –> 00:35:52,600
has for us.
We’re going to own this rule,

597
00:35:52,700 –> 00:35:55,600
we’re going to own This world.
Let’s pick up the trash.

598
00:35:55,800 –> 00:35:59,000
Let’s feed the poor.
Let’s feed the hungry and take

599
00:35:59,000 –> 00:36:01,400
care of every service items
needed.

600
00:36:01,400 –> 00:36:03,900
Let’s deliver the mountain
goats, so to speak.

601
00:36:05,900 –> 00:36:08,000
What then can I learn from my
experience?

602
00:36:08,200 –> 00:36:11,400
So having concluded this study,
it was a personal study at the

603
00:36:11,400 –> 00:36:13,100
time, although obviously I’ve
shared it publicly.

604
00:36:13,100 –> 00:36:16,500
Now, I went back to my Ecclesia
and I dug out.

605
00:36:16,500 –> 00:36:18,000
It didn’t take very long, it’s
going to sound like this was a

606
00:36:18,008 –> 00:36:21,600
gargantuan task, but it wasn’t
and I dug out all the calendars

607
00:36:21,600 –> 00:36:25,200
and schedules that we had for a
decade for the years, 2001

608
00:36:25,200 –> 00:36:28,700
through 2010.
And I looked at every single

609
00:36:28,700 –> 00:36:30,700
meeting that we’d had every
Memorial meeting.

610
00:36:30,700 –> 00:36:33,100
Every Bible class, every
committee meeting every special

611
00:36:33,100 –> 00:36:36,600
effort, every fraternal, every
goodness knows, Up every Sunday

612
00:36:36,600 –> 00:36:41,400
school outing and I said well is
at least one every time we come

613
00:36:41,400 –> 00:36:45,600
together we do so to do at least
one and usually more than one of

614
00:36:45,600 –> 00:36:47,900
these six things are either
declaring.

615
00:36:47,900 –> 00:36:52,200
The gospel studying, the Bible
socializing taking Bread and

616
00:36:52,200 –> 00:36:55,900
Wine in memory of the Lord Jesus
Christ, helping the poor or

617
00:36:55,900 –> 00:36:59,400
praising God.
And so there was more than went

618
00:36:59,400 –> 00:37:01,700
into four figures.
Maybe about two thousand data

619
00:37:01,700 –> 00:37:05,500
points.
Went into how many times?

620
00:37:05,600 –> 00:37:09,500
As we done each of these things
and I made a pie chart because

621
00:37:09,500 –> 00:37:11,000
that’s what real science is all
about.

622
00:37:11,000 –> 00:37:17,400
So look at nice and there it is.
And that’s how our Ecclesia.

623
00:37:18,500 –> 00:37:22,400
At least those outside of prison
had been conducting themselves

624
00:37:23,000 –> 00:37:27,600
over a 10-year period.
So see, big fat chunk of yellow

625
00:37:28,700 –> 00:37:32,300
at studying the Bible and red
and green and blue are all

626
00:37:32,600 –> 00:37:35,500
socializing very important.
I like that and bread and wine.

627
00:37:35,700 –> 00:37:37,900
You and praising.
There was a fair chunk but

628
00:37:37,900 –> 00:37:40,800
orange was fairly slivered.
I was surprised by that myself

629
00:37:40,800 –> 00:37:43,400
but that is how it came out to
declare the gospel and the

630
00:37:43,400 –> 00:37:46,800
purple one helping the poor.
Can you see the purple that it’s

631
00:37:46,800 –> 00:37:50,700
right, there is a little sliver.
And out of something like

632
00:37:50,700 –> 00:37:53,800
eighteen hundred events.
How many times had we actually

633
00:37:53,800 –> 00:37:58,000
come together as an Ecclesia for
the express purpose of helping

634
00:37:58,000 –> 00:38:01,900
the poor and the answer in 10
years was guess.

635
00:38:04,200 –> 00:38:07,000
To thank you so much.
Yes, we didn’t quite hit that

636
00:38:07,000 –> 00:38:11,200
lofty height.
Zero was the answer for the.

637
00:38:11,200 –> 00:38:14,000
I’m sure many of our brothers
and sisters are wonderful and go

638
00:38:14,000 –> 00:38:16,100
off and do many charitable
works.

639
00:38:16,300 –> 00:38:19,500
I’m talking about the times
we’ve come together as an

640
00:38:19,500 –> 00:38:23,800
Ecclesia deliberately designed
so for the year of 2011, in

641
00:38:23,800 –> 00:38:27,400
order to make a substantial
difference, that was our

642
00:38:27,400 –> 00:38:29,900
activity.
And that was actually it doesn’t

643
00:38:29,900 –> 00:38:32,700
look much different, does it,
but it really was quite a

644
00:38:32,707 –> 00:38:34,500
difference.
And we Put some effort into

645
00:38:34,500 –> 00:38:37,300
having several obviously.
What I could hardly ever say

646
00:38:37,300 –> 00:38:40,500
many several meetings
deliberately coming together as

647
00:38:40,500 –> 00:38:44,500
an Ecclesia for the express
purpose of amongst other things,

648
00:38:44,800 –> 00:38:47,100
helping the poor.
So we got we got the purple

649
00:38:47,100 –> 00:38:50,900
sliver off the ground and that
was a wonderful exercise.

650
00:38:50,900 –> 00:38:54,100
In a wonderful thing to be
involved with the members of my

651
00:38:54,300 –> 00:38:57,400
closure are very wonderful,
brothers and sisters and I look

652
00:38:57,400 –> 00:39:00,100
up to him in that.
Respect the yellow one was

653
00:39:00,100 –> 00:39:02,900
perhaps slightly larger than
most of the others that seems to

654
00:39:02,900 –> 00:39:04,900
got larger.
I don’t know how that happened.

655
00:39:04,900 –> 00:39:08,400
Really, but what’s the ideal
distribution?

656
00:39:08,500 –> 00:39:11,700
I don’t know, that’s just an
equal distribution.

657
00:39:11,800 –> 00:39:14,000
Is that the ideal all six of
these?

658
00:39:14,000 –> 00:39:16,500
Things seem very important when
I think about them.

659
00:39:16,700 –> 00:39:20,300
So I wonder if that’s sort of
the sort of cheese pie chart

660
00:39:20,300 –> 00:39:23,400
that we should be aiming for
there but we’re getting at least

661
00:39:23,700 –> 00:39:27,500
some things growing in order to
sort of get them off the ground.

662
00:39:27,500 –> 00:39:31,600
So that was a very practical way
to put this theoretical learning

663
00:39:32,200 –> 00:39:38,200
into action.
As a community as an Ecclesia as

664
00:39:38,200 –> 00:39:41,000
a community.
Also I think we’re theologically

665
00:39:41,000 –> 00:39:43,500
very active.
That’s right and proper and it

666
00:39:43,500 –> 00:39:46,700
should be that way.
We think about God, we don’t

667
00:39:46,700 –> 00:39:50,300
just talk about God, we think
about God, we communicate with

668
00:39:50,300 –> 00:39:55,500
god with theologically active,
we learn new things about God, I

669
00:39:55,500 –> 00:39:57,300
do all the time.
Every time I look in the Bible

670
00:39:57,300 –> 00:40:01,600
almost and in that sense, I kind
of liken us to a university and

671
00:40:01,600 –> 00:40:03,800
that’s a good thing.
That’s a praiseworthy thing.

672
00:40:04,900 –> 00:40:08,700
Our She is X well as a
university, but I wonder if, as

673
00:40:08,700 –> 00:40:12,400
well as a university, we should
also have the ability to be a

674
00:40:12,400 –> 00:40:16,400
hospital to be passed orally
active to take care of the

675
00:40:16,408 –> 00:40:20,200
broken to bind up, the
Brokenhearted principally of our

676
00:40:20,200 –> 00:40:25,700
own members but also outside.
So equally, I think we should be

677
00:40:25,800 –> 00:40:28,700
the ideal, it clears.
You would perhaps be half

678
00:40:28,700 –> 00:40:32,200
University and half hospital and
I think we do very well at the

679
00:40:32,200 –> 00:40:35,600
University aspects.
And I wonder how well we do at

680
00:40:35,700 –> 00:40:38,800
at the hospital aspects.
Perhaps we need to be a just a

681
00:40:38,800 –> 00:40:41,500
little bit more active in our
work there.

682
00:40:43,700 –> 00:40:48,000
How can I learn from my
experience in literal terms?

683
00:40:49,200 –> 00:40:52,300
To give to the poor.
That’s just one idea.

684
00:40:52,400 –> 00:40:54,900
And that’s the idea I’ve been
following since this time.

685
00:40:55,200 –> 00:40:58,200
It’s a bag.
It’s a gallon, ziplock bag and

686
00:40:58,200 –> 00:41:00,800
into it.
Goes water food.

687
00:41:00,800 –> 00:41:04,100
That will keep esperan.
That’s a toothbrush.

688
00:41:04,100 –> 00:41:06,700
And toothpaste is other
cleansing products.

689
00:41:06,700 –> 00:41:08,700
There’s a total of ten things in
there and I forget what there

690
00:41:08,700 –> 00:41:11,200
is.
No, also a card from our church,

691
00:41:11,200 –> 00:41:14,600
at least giving our address
where we meet and I keep that

692
00:41:14,600 –> 00:41:18,800
that will fit in the inside door
pocket of a car.

693
00:41:19,000 –> 00:41:21,100
Cows.
Just regular sedan car.

694
00:41:21,300 –> 00:41:23,000
You can shove that in the door
pocket.

695
00:41:23,200 –> 00:41:26,300
Why?
Because I’m tired of being so

696
00:41:26,300 –> 00:41:29,300
hypocritical that I give talks
like this and then when I’m

697
00:41:29,300 –> 00:41:32,500
driving along and I come to a
traffic light a stoplight and

698
00:41:32,500 –> 00:41:35,400
there’s someone begging on the
side of the road and I do this

699
00:41:35,400 –> 00:41:38,500
appalling thing.
If I can’t see you, which is

700
00:41:38,500 –> 00:41:44,500
just shocking and needs to stop.
So from now on from back in few

701
00:41:44,500 –> 00:41:48,000
years ago, there’s always been
these bags that I make up and

702
00:41:48,000 –> 00:41:50,100
make them up about.
G2 time, it costs next to

703
00:41:50,100 –> 00:41:53,400
nothing and then at least I can
give that bag.

704
00:41:53,600 –> 00:41:56,700
So you’d need to make one that
was relevant to your

705
00:41:56,700 –> 00:42:01,300
circumstances but in California
water, and Sun cream, which I

706
00:42:01,300 –> 00:42:03,800
know is in there are probably
the two most essential things

707
00:42:04,100 –> 00:42:07,400
because these guys who sit out
and beggar absolutely fried

708
00:42:07,400 –> 00:42:10,800
their skin is complete leather.
So you can tell, they’re not

709
00:42:10,800 –> 00:42:13,600
sort of, you know, just trying
to pick up free cash and I’ve

710
00:42:13,600 –> 00:42:15,700
got somewhere to live.
You can tell from their skin,

711
00:42:15,900 –> 00:42:18,900
they’ve been outside 24 hours a
day for a substantial period.

712
00:42:18,900 –> 00:42:20,600
Rid of time.
So there’s just one little

713
00:42:20,600 –> 00:42:23,800
suggestion in Practical terms
since we’re trying to make this

714
00:42:23,800 –> 00:42:27,800
a practical talk of what we can
do to actually give to the poor

715
00:42:28,000 –> 00:42:31,400
in a meaningful way.
How do I gloat grow closer to?

716
00:42:31,400 –> 00:42:36,600
God Ruth said, increase in
Mercy, spread your wings and

717
00:42:36,600 –> 00:42:41,000
learn how to fry.
Jacob said, stop wrestling.

718
00:42:41,700 –> 00:42:44,200
Stop wrestling.
And Trust the father, and

719
00:42:44,200 –> 00:42:47,700
perhaps John, the Baptist says
Give to the poor.

720
00:42:46,800 –> 00:42:47,700
Give to the poor.