In this sermon, the speaker shares a personal experience of encountering the Lord Jesus. The Lord reveals himself to the speaker and commissions him to testify and share what he has seen. The speaker emphasizes the importance of seeing the Church as the body of Christ, not just an external organization. He encourages believers to consecrate themselves and present their bodies as living sacrifices to truly understand and experience the unity of the body of Christ. The sermon also references the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus, highlighting how God revealed both Jesus as Lord and the concept of the body of Christ to him.

Will you please turn to 2nd Timothy. 2nd Timothy chapter 1. We'll begin with verse 8, through verse 12. Be not therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but suffer evil along with the glad tidings, according to the power of God, who hath saved us, and hath called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages of time, but has been made manifest now by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath annulled death, and brought to light life and incorruptibility by the glad tidings, to which I have been appointed a herald, an apostle, a teacher of the nations, for which cause also I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep for that day the deposit I have entrusted to him. 2nd Timothy chapter 1, verse 8. Be not therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but suffer evil along with the glad tidings, according to the power of God, who hath saved us, and hath called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages of time, but has been made manifest now by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath annulled death, and brought to light life and incorruptibility by the glad tidings, to which I have been appointed a herald, an apostle, a teacher of the nations, for which cause also I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep for that day the deposit I have entrusted to him. The book of Acts, chapter 26, will begin with verse 9. Verse 9 through verse 19. Verse 9 through verse 19. And often, for punishing them in all the synagogues, I compelled them to blaspheme, and being exceedingly furious against them, I persecuted them even to cities out of our own land. And when engaging this, I was journeying to Damascus with authority and power from the chief priests. At midday, on the way, I saw, O King, a light above the brightness of the sun, shining from heaven round about me and those who were journeying with me. And when we were all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against goats. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou have persecuted. But rise up and stand on your feet, for for this purpose have I appeared to thee, to appoint thee to be a servant and a witness both of what thou hast seen and of what I shall appear to thee in, taking thee out from among the people and the nations, to whom I send thee, to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me. Whereupon, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou hast persecuted. But rise up and stand on your feet, for for this purpose have I appeared to thee, to appoint thee to be a servant and a witness both of what thou hast seen and of what I shall appear to thee in, we pray that thou would raise a people up today that will be faithful to thyself and will be prepared and ready for thy return to bring back the King and we want to give thee all the glory we ask in thy precious name Amen Thank God for gathering us together again this morning We are considering together on this very important matter what God has entrusted to his church I think it is the most amazing thing that God should trust man God who is able to do everything He is able to do everything all by himself and then whatever he has done will be the perfect thing but our God who is so perfect so able so trustworthy so faithful and yet it is the desire of God to trust even man it is not because he does not know what man is he knows us so well and yet he dares to trust himself to us it is not because of what we are it is because of what he is he knows very well each and every one of us and yet he has the faith he believes that he is able to transform us in such a way that we may be trustworthy so it is the most amazing thing that God should trust us with himself and this trust is not a small thing it is not a partial thing when God trusts himself to us he trusts himself totally to us in other words he gave himself completely to us it is such a privilege as well as a serious responsibility we have already shared on this matter of what that trust is we find that the trust number one is the testimony of Jesus there is nothing more important than the testimony of Jesus because that testimony is none other than what he is and who he is it is what he is in the sight of God the Father it is all that the Father has entrusted to him and yet we find that he gave that testimony and trust it to the church that we may be his witness we also share a little bit on what the testimony of Jesus is he said himself he himself said I am the first and the last this is what he is in the sight of the Father he is the first he has the preeminence of all things everything must begin with him and only that which is begun with him is acceptable to God brothers and sisters this is what he is and this is what he expects to be to us is he the first in our lives can we bear this witness that Jesus Christ is the first of our life he is the one who begins our life he is the one who begins everything in our life and we honor him as the first he is incomparable we cannot compare him with anybody else he occupies all and all in us and he is the last he is our objective he is our end everything add up to him sum up in him and all glory, glory and honor go back to him to put it another way that he is all and in all this is what he is and he is the living one he is life he is resurrection and life he is the everlasting life and he ever lives making intercession for us and he is able to save us to the uttermost and because of us he became dead he went to the cross he bore our sins he shed his blood for the remission of our sins and his body was broken his life is given to us that we may receive life and life abundant but thank God he did not kept in the tomb on the third day he was raised from the dead it is life out of death and this is the life that he gave to us he is all victorious and he holds in his hand the keys of death and aid and brothers and sisters this is the testimony that he has entrusted to the church therefore we find in the scripture those who have the testimony of Jesus in other words they not only have the knowledge of it but they live for it and number two we say that the testimony that the trust that has been entrusted to us is the glad tidings the gospel the gospel is far more than we ever imagined so in the book of Hebrews he said so great salvation the gospel is none other but our Lord Jesus himself he is the glad tidings and we also find that the trust is the faith it is not just his doctrine or that teaching it is the whole truth because Christ himself is the truth so dear brothers and sisters the church is entrusted with such a tremendous treasure our Lord Jesus dared to trust himself to us and then this morning we would like to speak on this matter of trustee now what is a trustee what is his responsibility what kind of person he has to be you know brothers and sisters when you make a trust you will find a man a woman of worth a man that you can trust with and you appoint him or her as your trustee and the responsibility of the trustee is such he is familiar with the trust he knows what is being trusted and he will be careful to see that everything in the trust will be faithfully carried out he has no liberty to change the trust nor can he withhold that trust he has to execute it according to the will of the person who made the trust so a trustee is very important what has God entrusted who to whom has God entrusted and we are told that God has entrusted to his church in the bible brothers and sisters when our Lord Jesus came into this world we often say that he came to this world to seek and to find the lost that is very true because we are the lost and he came to find us and to save us but we know that the purpose of his coming into this world is more than that he came to this world not only to declare the father to come to show us who and what the father is he came into this world also to find a people he came to find a people to whom he can trust himself when he came into this world what did he find you know it is very amazing when you read the gospels you find that our Lord Jesus was faced with many people who are blind who are deaf who are crippled and even the dead in other words when he came into this world to find a people that are suitable to him that he can trust with what he found was just the opposite we find all these infirm and weak and sick so our Lord Jesus when he came into this world he has to create a new people he has to create a trustee here you find he came to call people not only to call people to come and believe in him but he called people to be his disciples you know what disciple really means disciple means a person who is put under the master and learn of him it is more than just to be a student it is completely different from the student of modern times a modern student will pay a tuition and he will go to school and he will try to absorb and learn all the learnings of the professors that's all he is but this is so different from an apprentice the bible thought of disciples is apprenticeship in the old days when you want to learn a trade you have to find a master one who is skillful in that thing and what will you do you will leave your own home and you will stay with your master you will be as one of the master's family and if you want to learn to be a carpenter the first year when you are with your master he will not even teach you anything he will ask you to help with the home affairs you have to sweep the floor you have to serve the master you have to help the family help with the children and do all these mundane work and sometimes you think what is that for I come to learn the trade but this is very important because an apprentice is not only to learn the trade he is to learn how to be a man he is to learn from his master how to behave how to live is more important than how to work and gradually the master will reveal some of the skills to you so after several years when you graduated you not only have the skill of the master you also have the manner of the master sometimes you find the apprentice will speak like his master and even the way he walks is like his master because he has learned his master's manner brothers and sisters when our lord Jesus was on earth his most important thing is to call disciples aside from calvary you find that he is here calling for disciples and this is why you find in the gospels when they answer the call of the disciples they left all and followed him they lived with him they were with him day and night they not only heard his words they not only noticed how he worked but they watched the way he lived brothers and sisters he was here creating a new people a people that are like him to whom he can trust himself you know it is very interesting when you read the gospel of the john chapter 2 you find our lord was in jerusalem and towards the end of the chapter it says many believe in him because they have seen the signs that he made but strangely the bible said our lord did not give himself to them because he knew what was in man you know these people believe in him why do they believe in him because they saw the signs that he worked not really that they really trusted in him and our lord who knew the very heart of man so he would not give himself to them and gradually you find he called some disciples to himself for three years and a half during his public ministry you find that one of the things that he emphasized most and that is training his disciples during the period of training you find that these disciples did not understand him how often our lord said one thing and they thought it was another thing and our lord was patient with them even during the last supper you find they were still arguing among themselves who was the greatest and even when our lord said I'm going to die and then Peter said I will die with you not knowing that he would deny the lord three times now do you think these people are trustworthy but thank god during the last discourse when our lord Jesus was talking with his disciples after the last supper you find in John chapter 15 towards the end the lord said when the comforter the spirit of truth shall come he shall bear witness of me and you will be my witness because you have been with me all the time so you find that our lord even at that time he's gradually trying to commit himself to his disciples when our lord was arrested all his disciples fled and then we find Peter denied the lord three times and even when our lord was resurrected you find the two disciples two emails they they were said and talking about the death of our lord they didn't know about his resurrection and when the news came the disciples were so slow in believing in it and yet brothers and sisters when our lord was risen to heaven he gave them the commandment wait in Jerusalem until you receive the power from on high then you will be my witness from Jerusalem to all Judea Samaria and to the end of the earth and then Pentecost you know the bible tells us when our lord was ascended at one time five hundred brothers and sisters saw him and only one hundred and twenty listened to him returned to Jerusalem and in the upper room they prayed with one accord for ten days and on the day of Pentecost the holy spirit came to them brothers and sisters our brother has already mentioned what is the meaning of Pentecost how we are attracted by the sound and the sight the sound and the sight are secondary because they vary but the real meaning of Pentecost is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 there it is said in one spirit you are baptized into one body a body has many members but the members of many the body is one so also is the Christ so brothers and sisters what it is it begins on the day of Pentecost when a hundred and twenty individual believers I think you cannot find a better congregation than that congregation because the hundred and twenty people include the apostles and include Mary and include his brethren and these hundred and twenty are so devoted and they were able to gather together pray with one accord for ten days and yet they are only one hundred and twenty individual Christians they are a congregation but not a body when they gather together they are together when they are not in gathering they are each by itself a body is different a body is one there may be many members but each member cannot go its own way no member can do its own work they are one body and the testimony of Jesus is entrusted to that body brothers and sisters today we are so individualistic everything is just I, me, myself you know this really happens when sin enters in this world because when sin enters in this world everybody is for himself Adam is for himself this woman that you have given me he has done it and the woman said no it is the serpent everybody is for him and herself sin not only separates us from God sin separates us from one another so we become so self-centered brothers and sisters but our Lord Jesus entrusts himself not to one individual but to a body why is it so? it is because he is so rich he is so abundant all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in him bodily there is no one individual who has the capacity to be filled with his fullness he requires a body to be his fullness so that is what Ephesians chapter 1 verse 22 and verse 23 says God has made Christ head over all things so that is what to the church which is his body the fullness of him who fills all and in all so you find that it takes a body to be his fullness and it takes a body to take up the responsibility to manage his riches dear brothers and sisters I feel that probably we lack a real understanding of what the church is probably to many of us the most important thing is my salvation the most important thing is what about me I want to be a spiritual person it is between the Lord and I sometimes we hear people say I do not care about anybody else it is just the Lord and I when you heard it it sounds very very spiritual but it is hyper spiritual we need the body the Lord needs the body we often think of the church as something extra of us I can very well be a good Christian without the church on the contrary sometimes I find the church make me a better Christian it is much better if I shut myself in my room and be a perfect Christian dear brothers and sisters this is not the thought of God who withdrew themselves from fellowship and they shut themselves in their own home they thought this is a way to spirituality dear brothers and sisters this is not the will of God the church is not something extra the church is fundamental so we need to have a clear understanding of what the church is it is almost as important as to have a clear understanding of what the trust is if we do not know what the trust is then we will not be able to be the trustee but the trustee itself is also equally important may I ask a question do you really understand what the church is are you really in the fellowship of the church are you really a living functioning member of the body of Christ where are you now remember brothers and sisters even in 2nd Timothy chapter 1 if you read verse 9 who has saved us and has called us with a holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages of time here we find that God has saved us thank God he has saved us but that is not the end and it continues with and has called us he not only has saved us but he has called us with a holy calling and that calling is according to his own purpose and that purpose is purpose in Christ Jesus and before the ages of time so you see we are not only being saved but we are called with a holy calling and this calling is according to God's own purpose and this purpose is purpose before the foundation of the world so you can see how important is that purpose sometimes we are saved but we do not know God's purpose then we miss it so much we who have been saved for what for what purpose we are called according to God's own purpose God saved us in order to call us to his purpose and that purpose has been decided even before the foundation of the world it connects you with eternity so how important is that calling that's why you find our Lord Jesus when he was on earth he called for disciples and what is the calling if you read Ephesians you find that the calling is call us to be one body because there is nothing more important of a body to our Lord Jesus to us to be saved is important but to our Lord Jesus is to answer the call is important only that will fulfill God's purpose according to Ephesians we find that we are called to be the body of Christ we already mentioned Ephesians chapter 1 verse 23 the church which is his body the fullness of him who fills all and in all the body it is the body of Christ and we each is a member particular member of that body and then in Ephesians chapter 4 we find we have to walk according to our calling that is Christian life that is to live our church life I cannot do without my Lord and I cannot do without you you cannot do without the Lord and you cannot do without me because we are one body it is in that one body that we are able to experience the riches of the head but dear brothers and sisters we often think of our privilege what a privilege that we can receive all the heavenly blessings in Christ Jesus now this is true if we are in the body we receive all the fullness of the Godhead and we become the fullness of Him who fills all and in all but brothers and sisters we have not only privilege we also have responsibility if we receive the privilege and not only if we do not fulfill the responsibility then we have been unfaithful to the Lord so we need to see the body there must be a time that the Lord opens our eyes to see that we are not just individual Christians we are members of one body and we are members one to another we need such revelation think of the Apostle Paul you find that before he knew the Lord his name was Saul he was an extraordinary young man because most young men will seek for the things of this world but he was different even when he was young he sought for spiritual things but unfortunately he was misled he put his whole heart in it but he was on the wrong way according to the tradition of the fathers and he thought Jesus was an imposter so he tried his best to destroy all who follow the Lord Jesus he was sincere but he was wrong he thought he was doing God a service but he did a great disservice to God great disservice God knew his heart God will allow him to go as far as he could while he was nearing the city of Damascus he went there to seize the believers brought them to Jerusalem and condemned them at midday suddenly a light brighter than the midday sun shone upon him and he was bitten by that light and in that light he heard a voice Saul why do you persecute me? it is hard to kick against the good and Saul said my Lord, who are you? I do not know you but one thing I realize you are Lord whoever you are you are Lord I am no longer my master you are the master in that heavenly vision he saw Jesus is Lord not only Jesus is Savior Jesus is Lord not only Jesus was Savior but Jesus is his master how do we know? because his next question is Lord, what do you want me to do? now I am finished you are the Lord you have to give the word then I know what to do I have given up myself completely to you to do your will I am now at the feet of an obedient ox and I am under your yoke I am to do your work brothers and sisters do you ever see Jesus as Lord? is he your Savior and that is it he saves you and then you can do anything you want because heaven is guaranteed brothers and sisters if this is the case you will never see the church you will never see the body of Christ you will not be a functioning member of the body of Christ God has not entrusted you with himself we need a vision to see Jesus as Lord it finishes your life it brings you to his feet putting yourself at his feet and allowing him to direct your life no longer live for yourself you live for him because this is the purpose of God brothers and sisters we need that and after you have seen this then it follows you will see the church as the body of Christ because Saul on the road to Damascus God not only showed him who Jesus is he is Lord Lord of all but God also showed him what the body is you know Saul was trained as a Pharisee and he has all the logical arguments and when Jesus said why do you persecute me it will be natural to him and say now who are you I never knew you how can I persecute you you are in heaven I am on earth how can I do it he can well argue in this way that's logic but his naked eyes was shut his inner eye was open he did not reason immediately he saw one thing touching any believer is touching Christ because when you touch a member of the body you touch the head the head and the body are one brothers and sisters do you see this do you have a vision of the body of Christ because that is what the church is the church is not an organization the church is an organism Christ is the head the church is the body the head and the body are one they cannot be separated all the fullness of the head rests in the body and all the beauty of the head manifests through the body the testimony of Jesus is entrusted to his own body that's why in the beginning of the book of Acts he said Luke said I wrote the first discourse and that discourse about Christ began to do and to teach and now I'm writing the second discourse the book of Acts to continue to show you how Christ continued to do and to teach in the gospel of Luke Christ does and teaches in his incarnate body in the book of Acts Christ continues to do and to teach in that mystic body the church so brothers and sisters this is why Romans chapter 12 verse 1 says I beseech you brethren to present your bodies as living sacrifice holy to present your bodies as acceptable to God and this is your reasonable spiritual worship and service you notice here the body is the pronoun why because it represents each and every one of us we all have our own body now why is the body because we live in this body we work with this body actually the body represents the whole being it is only when we present our bodies as living sacrifice then it follows in verse 4 and verse 5 do not look of yourself more than you should because you are a member of the body the body is one but they are different bodies and in that body you are to live you are to serve here you find in verses 4 and 5 the body is singular in other words unless you present your bodies as living sacrifice you will not be able to see the one body of Christ because when you really consecrate yourself then the Holy Spirit will transform your mind he will enlighten your mind and he makes you see the body of Christ I feel that many today do not see the church as the body of Christ it is not an external thing it is not an organization it is an inward living reality it is the vessel that Christ has committed himself to it is a tremendous thing many do not see this because your bodies have not been put on the altar dear brothers and sisters especially young brothers and sisters may I plead with you you are not only saved but you have been called you are called by God's eternal purpose you have to confess Jesus as Lord put what he has redeemed in you on the altar and then he will open your eyes and to see the ascension of the church the body of Christ and make you a living functioning member to take up that trust that Christ has entrusted to the church you know when you turn to Revelation chapter 1 the apostle John he was exiled to the island of Patmos for what reason for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus and on the Lord's day probably he was sitting on a rock and he was facing the sea and if it's a good day then he can see the outline of Asia Minor and there are the churches that he ministered before he was exiled he must be thinking about them praying for them and then he saw a vision and what is the vision the vision said he heard a voice when he turned to see the voice he saw seven golden lambs with one like the son of man in the midst of it that is the Patmos vision he saw the seven lambs' stands and these seven lambs' stands are explained to us because the lambs' stands are the churches these seven golden lambs' stands are the seven churches in the sight of God a church is a golden lambs' stand now brothers and sisters what is a lambs' stand a lambs' stand is a vessel that is used not only to contain the light but to heighten uplift the light a lambs' stand is not just a decoration it is very practical because a lambs' stand is to uplift the light that it may shine broader and there you find the seven churches in Asia and then before it at the forefront one like the son of man now of course this vision tells us of the heavenly ministry of our Lord Jesus and we think of the heavenly ministry of our Lord Jesus as our high priest but when we think of him as our high priest we often think in a personal way he ever living making intercession for us he is able to save us to the ultimate we cannot be a Christian if we do not know him as our high priest but here in Revelation you find the high priest is the high priest of the church there he is ministering to his church Christ is described in detail seven, ten tenfold description of Christ but there is no description of the lambs' stand in the first chapter you know sometimes we can go to the other extreme we will emphasize the church even about Christ and if you do that you lose Christ Christ is at the foreground the church is the background the church is not the light the church has no teaching no doctrine the teaching and the doctrine is Christ the church does speak of himself he speaks of Christ it is not the light it is the life lifter brothers and sisters Christ is the light he commits himself to the lambs' stand that the light may shine bright and wide this is the trustee and we are members of that one body so brothers and sisters what God has entrusted to the church he has entrusted himself to himself because the church is the Christ and only the Christ is able to manage the affairs of Christ may the Lord give us this vision let us pray dear Lord we are amazed that you should trust yourself to us the church we do pray that thou will open our eyes not only to see thee as the Christ and also see ourselves as the trustee dear Lord we want not only the privilege we are willing to bear the responsibility we pray that this morning that thou will give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation that we may know thee open our eyes that we may understand draw us into that we may glorify thee we ask thy precious name Amen