This sermon emphasizes the importance of faith and trust in God, highlighting the challenges of teaching and learning faith in a materialistic world. It encourages believers to rely on God's provision and not be swayed by the love of money or comfort. The speaker shares personal stories and reflections on faith, sacrifice, and the true meaning of perfect love as demonstrated through selflessness and dedication to God's work.

Amen. Only those that are leaving us today remain standing, others sit down. My many of you are leaving, but some people are on the trains today and they are travelling. I do not know how many of you will take faith with you. Because I find teaching faith is very difficult. And one of my children said, Daddy, I did not know how you run the home. Partly because that child was not learning faith. Others were seeing that the cars may be there, but no money to put diesel inside. They saw how I would never ask anybody for any help. So they too have been learning faith, but very hard to teach people faith today. As I told you, our trust is so much in money. We must remember Jesus said, No man can serve two masters. So do not let money rule your mind. The Lord knows how to provide. The Lord knows how to promote His children. Let us never go down to Egypt for help. Sometimes our hearts get hardened when we see the mighty works of God, like the disciples of Jesus, after the breaking of the five loaves to the multitudes. And the following similar miracle. Let us give all the glory to Jesus. Let us talk of His works. There is only one scripture verse that we were able to put up. But you could not get the others, is it? This evening others will be up, I am told. And the next one to be up will say, In His temple shall everyone speak of His glory. After the retreat, you will have a lot of things waiting for you at home, I know. Yes. Spend some special time in prayer. And absorb what you received. Let us pray. Father, bless these dear people in a special way and keep them from all the attacks that Satan will want to send across. Make them overcomers. In Jesus' holy name. Amen. Now dear friends, I don't know how much you have understood the very idea of perfect love. But Wesley called sanctification perfect love. When I see anybody very angry about someone, I say to them, How long are you going to just get stuck on this kind of thing? You know, perfect love causes out fear, causes out slander also. Causes out self importance. Perfect love focuses on the glory of Jesus. Now if you turn to 1 Corinthians 4, let us read a few verses. 9th verse. I think that God has set forth us the apostles last. Appointed to death. For we are made a spectacle unto the world and to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake. Many of our ways appear to be very foolish to the world. But you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honorable, but we are despised. Very strange that the apostle Paul should say so. I have seen many ordinary people elevated by the gospel. My father was a very simple person. He never sought anything for himself. He only saw the vision of far off. So when my daddy died in 63 of the last century, the fellowship had literally nothing. But it was a registered body. My father said, whatever I have given to God, whatever I have done, belongs to the Lord. But there wasn't very much that could be seen with the eye. But the promises of God. To the end of his life, he claimed the promises of God. And he left that rich heritage of faith for us to possess. So I saw people without education, without anything. You might almost call them the poorest. Elevated by the gospel. The Lord began to use them mightily. Oh God, honor was given to them in many places. But I saw some of them, the honor that became theirs was not helping them. See, the gospel has a way of lifting us, elevating us. Here the bible says, we are despised but you are honored. See, you are honorable but we are despised. So I saw many people made very honorable people. Family history was transformed. Now, suppose we run after the honor. Then it's finished. And it did not do them spiritual good. And it did not do them spiritual good. So when God gives you honors of various kinds. Be more humble, more humble. Say, this honor is not mine, give it to God. Give it to the Lord Jesus. Now the next verse says, 11th verse, Even unto this present hour, We both hunger and thirst, And are naked and are buffeted, And have no certain dwelling place. Even to this present hour, So to the very end of his life, St. Paul experienced deprivations of a serious sort. So to the very end of his life, St. Paul experienced deprivations of a serious sort. No, we don't like that. We don't like hunger. You know how people are eating and eating and eating today. Nowadays when I meet evangelists, I first look at their stomachs. Nowadays when I meet evangelists, I first look at their stomachs. Why? I know they are going to die early. Big stomachs. Listen, But St. Paul, to the end, knew hunger. But St. Paul, to the end, knew hunger. I don't know, as a prisoner in Rome, And the believers in Caesar's household, You see, he won souls in the king's household. You see, he won souls in the king's household. And how well they took care of him, I don't know. And how well they took care of him, I don't know. See, we don't like cold, you know. See, we don't like cold, you know. We love comfort. See, many of you parents, What would you choose? What are you choosing for your children? I think the children of the next generation, or this generation, Are going to be softies, very soft people. If you get a little raindrops on you, cold, I got a cold. You know, nowadays people try to bring an umbrella and hold it, but I don't like that kind of attention. You see, my friends? Because I was used to normally never to carry an umbrella, even in London, where you carry an umbrella. I used to get wet and just put my hanky, wipe it off and go on. I was brought up tough. But today? Oh, what delicate darlings. Small, delicate darlings. And fathers and mothers want comfort for that. My dear people, St. Paul did not seek comfort. St. Paul did not seek comfort. As a matter of fact, if you read the lives of some of the saints today from China, how they were tortured, how they were beaten, how all the rights of citizenship were taken away, and how they became fugitives from the law, running from place to place. I say to myself, we have not been through such sufferings. Today, in some of our centres, the police come after our preachers. I think there may be tougher times ahead of us. But we are not afraid of that. It will strengthen our faith. All those who have been beaten for Jesus' sake, stand up. Quickly, quickly. Quickly, please. All right, blessed are you. Because I have never been beaten for Jesus' sake. Only I received tongue lashings and threats, we'll burn you, we'll kill you, we'll do this. Only, you know, I didn't care for that. Yes, thank you. I see more and more of our people being subjected to dangers, threats and persecution. But, you see, when you go through that, the natural inclination is to say, my, how long, how long. Now, all right, some of these people who are being tortured or persecuted, are finding shelter in England or Germany or America. If I meet them, I will tell them, you are now facing greater dangers than you ever faced in China, in the prison. And your spiritual life is in greater danger than ever before. You know, friends, the subtle and the insidious attack of comfort, security, possession, I don't think running away to some of these countries is going to help them spiritually. I like to go to places of danger. And we are entering more and more difficult places. We are entering more and more dangerous places. Dangers, even to people like me. Spiritual darkness attacking forces that have never been challenged. You know, friends, I believe that in Jesus' name, every power of the devil is under Jesus' feet. That is the cross, that is the resurrection. On that basis, I work without fear. But I don't want to be afraid. I don't want to be foolhardy and presumptuous. Now when I am committing some of our people to those dangerous places, not all of them are figuring out. I can see. One family said, we gave our child for five years. So the cross has purchased you for five years. I said, what nonsense. I never heard such words. When I commit myself to Jesus, come life, come death, I belong to him. When I commit myself to Jesus, come life, come death, I belong to him. My dear friends, look at the blindness that the love of comfort, the love of safety, the love of security that is coming in. Many years ago, when I met a very godly woman in Germany, really a very beautiful person of sacrifice. I said, why don't you come and visit us in India? The reply disappointed me. The reply disappointed me. It is too hot there. What? Is the command of Jesus to be conditioned by heat and cold? What is this? When I gave myself to Jesus, entirely I gave myself. Do you know I am not allowed to work in such high temperatures because of my heart? Do you know I am not allowed to work in such high temperatures because of my heart? But she knew. She said, I know you are not allowed to go to such hot places. Including that small village. And I am not allowed to be operating in very cold places. But I think nothing of it. The cross of Jesus has made me a willing captive. It has released me. It has made me a willing captive. Listen. Don't try to bring in some of these ideas. Oh, I will be a missionary for 5 years. 10 years. We will not accept any such people. I know Indians are lovers of comfort. Lovers of good food. They don't like danger. They don't like danger. They don't like hardship. The ladder that chooses the ladder of prosperity. How sad. Even to this present hour. Even to this present hour. I suffer hunger. And nakedness. Thirst. And we are buffeted. And have no certain dwelling place. Some of you think we have always had big halls, I suppose. You have come just recently into the fellowship. I was preaching in the city of Coimbatore. I think 21 days or so. We had an old tent. We pitched it. In a public park. I had no money to live in any hotel. Some of the rest houses used to charge one and a half rupees. But one day, there was no room in any rest house. So I spent most of the time in the hotel. I spent most of that day under that tent. Helping souls and praying for the evening meeting. If we took any place for rent. We would find no furniture there. We would find no furniture there. Just a mat would do for us. To kneel and pray. My dear people. You are all seated on marble now. You are all seated on marble now. After polishing, it is going to gleam. But. We couldn't think of any marble of any sort. We couldn't think of any marble of any sort. The only reason I use marble is because I am Don Juan Maxia. We want you to sit happily on clean marble. And our brothers went to the place where they quarried this marble. And got it very cheap. Cheaper than Thais. Cheaper than Thais. But. When you look at all this. Don't make any mistake. We don't want disciples that will sit only on marble. What does the Bible say? We have no certain dwelling place. My dear friends. When God looks at our works. Our thoughts. Our choices. And our works. You know. Thoughts. Choices. Works. Now. In the third chapter of Revelation. What does God say in the second verse? I have not found your words. Perfect. Before God. Of course. God is examining our works. God is examining our works. Where did Jesus sit? In the temple. Tell me. He sat. Where they were throwing their offerings. He sat. And many rich men were throwing their offerings. And he noticed the widow and her two maids. Yes. Our giving is also part of our works. Our giving is also part of our works. Jesus sat and watched. Now. When I think of areas that are not reached. Delhi. Brothers from Singapore say, Oh, it's very expensive. So we have no place even to worship. The Salvation Army very kindly loans us or rents us a small hall. Paris. We have no place to worship. So many other regions. Detroit. We have no place to worship. And I say my faith is. Too small. Lord, what is this? This has got to be corrected. I need more faith. But I don't like these modern methods at all. But I don't like these modern methods at all. So sometimes I neglect. Even the necessary things. I thought about the plants. I thought about the crotons. Those colorful plants. I thought of the lawns. I thought of so many things. But I did not think about having an offering box. So you don't even know where to offer. And our brothers. And our brothers must be waiting for my instructions. We have always treated money as the last thing. God says. I want perfect works. I didn't find your works to be perfect. I didn't find your works to be perfect. I want perfect works. I want perfect works. Your works are not perfect. Stand up. Quick. Stand up. Stand up. If you don't produce, they will throw you out. If you don't produce, they will throw you out. Please sit down. Please sit down. You see my friends. So you do work which pulls your whole company forward. So you do work which pulls your whole company forward. That is a real engineer. I am not talking about the fellows who sit at tables. You know, signing papers. I don't talk about that type of fellows. John told me. John told me. My company has increased its sales 30% this year. My company has increased its sales 30% this year. That is, when you work for a firm, that's how you are expected to work. That is, when you work for a firm, that's how you are expected to work. I don't know what, how much our works are graded at. I don't know what, how much our works are graded at. A, B, C, D, E, F. A, B, C, D, E, F. That is to see the grade points. I don't know what, how much our works are graded at. I will tell you. I will give an F. F is failed marks. Look at all the talent here. So much talent. So much potential. You will put it down in the realm of seeking comfort? Will you put it in the realm of seeking comfort? Or in the compartment of money making? God says, I have not found your works perfect before me. Perfect works. Perfect works come from perfect love. The Lord will help you. Please don't make any mistake. Please don't make any mistake. I was not as brilliant as many of you. Never brilliant. But all my heart I gave to Jesus. But all my heart I gave to Jesus. Never looked back. Never felt that I missed this or missed that. Some of you fathers and mothers think, Oh, my child is going to miss this, miss that. If she goes to England or America. My friends, you will miss nothing. When you set your heart upon Jesus. Let us pray. Let us pray. Let us tell God, God, the cross does not purchase a part of me. The cross does not deserve just a part of me. The cross does not deserve just a part of me.