In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the need for Christians to focus on the true essence of the gospel rather than being swayed by worldly influences. He urges believers to present themselves as living sacrifices to God and to renew their minds in order to discern His perfect will. The preacher also warns against being manipulated or exploited by false teachers and emphasizes the importance of discernment in these critical times. Overall, the sermon calls for a return to the heart of the gospel and a deeper understanding of God's Word.

Okay, we want to welcome you to this program and I think that we are going to enjoy ourselves. The title of this message today is Shepherds and Hirelings. Why this title? Because I believe that I need to give a warning to Christians in the sense that many of them, I believe, don't realize that they are being manipulated or exploited by preachers and teachers of the Word of God. We are living in very, very critical time of the church and there are many things that are being said and done by preachers and teachers and they don't realize, Christians don't realize, that they are not even able today to discern what they are hearing. That's why they are being taken in that wave, may I say, of deception. And I believe that the main reason for these teachers and preachers to be in that state is the lack of revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A lack of revelation of the foundation of the Christian life. And the foundation of the Christian life, we need to understand, is the message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And very seldom today Christians hear about this type of message, and yet it is the foundation of their Christian life. That is to partake to the sufferings of Christ, to partake to His death, so that we may become like Him. Taking up our cross and follow Jesus is a message that Christians don't hear today. And we need to understand that if we remove the message of the cross, the revelation of the message of the cross, so that Christians can know what God is expecting of them, we are removing the very foundation of the Christian life. So this lack of revelation brings preachers and teachers to embark themselves into all sorts of manipulation, all sorts of deception, and the people of God are there and they don't even know what to take and what to reject. So it's a mixture of good and bad. That's why in my heart I really desire to warn Christians that there is a place in their Christian life that God is asking them to lose their lives. God is asking them to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. But they very seldom hear that message where their lives need to be given. Given in such a way that they know that they need to lose it. And today we see many Christians that come to church and they only want one thing, to gain something out of it. And if pastors don't understand for themselves, just for themselves, that they need themselves to take up their cross and follow Jesus, it's normal that the Christians won't receive that same message. If they themselves don't have that revelation, if things, the revelation of Christ and Christ crucified is not in their hearts, how would they themselves preach it to the body of Christ? So that's why this type, the lack of this revelation opens the door for all sorts of manipulation, all sorts of deception in the body of Christ. We need to understand that the whole aspect of our life and preaching and teaching rest on the revelation of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We cannot bypass that foundation. We cannot run away from it. If we do so, we are going to preach anything but the true message of the gospel, the true revelation of Jesus Christ. And that's why I believe that Christians need to be aware that there is the true message of Jesus Christ that needs to come to their hearts, so that tomorrow, whatever they will hear, they will be able to dissect. They will be able to say, this is right and this is wrong. They will grow. But today, there are many preachers and teachers that deceive Christians, that use them, manipulate them for their own interest. But let's open our Bibles in John chapter 10. We'll read from verse 11. You know, if my life and your life is not laid on the true foundation, I'll never become a true servant and a true shepherd. Never! Because it needs a work of the Spirit of God in my life to respond to the call of God. The call of God is one thing, but to become a servant, to fulfill that call, is another thing. To become a true shepherd. I'm called to be a shepherd, but I need a work of God in my heart to become a true servant and a true shepherd. So we must make the difference between the call and what needs to happen in my life to fulfill the call. Otherwise, I'll become a herring. I'll use Christians. I'll exploit them. They'll become a prey to me. Verse 11, chapter 10. Jesus said, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. That's the true servant. That's a true preacher. That's a true man of God. That's a true pastor. He becomes a shepherd. He gives his life. He becomes a servant. But a hireling, a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. You know, when you start exploiting Christians, you do not care about them, but you want to use them. Can you see what I'm saying here? When you do not carry the heart of a servant and the heart of a true shepherd, because your life has never been on the altar, and you've never been broken by God, you've never drunken your cup, you will become a hireling, and you will not carry the heart of the shepherd. You will not give your life for them, but you will exploit them. You will try to suck everything from them. The hireling doesn't care about the sheep. And verse 14 he says, I am the good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and I'm known by my own. As the father knows me, even so I know the father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. He becomes an example. He becomes a model. That's why the sheep follow him. They follow him in green pastures. Now open your Bibles with me in 2 Peter chapter 2, verse 1. But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them and bring on themselves swift destruction. Many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words, deceptive teachings. They will use Bible verses to deceive the people of God. By covetousness they will exploit you. Or in other words, they will use you. They will suck everything from you. They will take everything they can from you, as long as their ministry goes forward, and know as long as they are sufficient. That's what it means. And when you become a highling, you start to become someone who steal. You use the sheep to earn your living. You use the sheep or the Christians, so that your ministry can prosper. So that you can have a name. So that you can become famous. That's what it's all about. They start to sell. They start an import-export business in the church. Import-export. They buy things, they make things, and then they sell it to you. Do you see what I'm saying? They take scripture verses or scripture words somewhere, words from the Bible. They manufacture aprons. They pray over them and they sell it to you. They manufacture all sorts of things. And as a gift to you, they want you to buy the gift. You understand? It's amazing. They sell, you buy, and they receive. That they tell you, if you buy, you'll receive 100 fold. Can you understand? Yeah. So they buy and they sell. And they become import-export businesses in the ministry. It makes me remember when Jesus entered the temple. And he saw the people buying and selling and exchanging. They're bringing all sorts of things. And the Lord took his whip and he threw everything away. All the tables were upside down. My house is a house of prayer. Robbers were there. Yeah, it's something hard to say about when you talk about the church and you try to mention that there are robbers in the church. But there are plenty. It's time for the people of God to understand that they don't need to be under the captivity of people that are seeking their own for their own. Seeking things for their own and trying to exploit the Christians. Because they need to run their ministry. Because they need finances. It's amazing how their ministry is always accompanied by some principles, some techniques, some teachings about sowing and ripping. About blessings. About prosperity. About how much you can get 30 fold, 60 fold and 100 fold. There's always something linked to money. It's becoming more and more dangerous. And Christians have become so emotional that they are caught up. The preachers are pushing and pushing and pushing to give and they are caught up in the whole flow. And thousands of them are being condemned if they don't give or they don't buy. You know it's so it's so deceitful by covetousness. They exploit you with deceptive words. They make you believe that if you don't invest or sow, there's no hope for you. So there's always always somehow a link with money, with finances. You see you don't always receive what they promise that you will receive but they always receive. You understand? They promise you, they tell you that you are going to be blessed. That you know that today is a day for spiritual material blessings. They promise to you. You don't receive but they promise it to you if you give. So somehow they always receive. But when you give, you're not sure to receive. They make you believe by deceitful words. That right where you are saying now, sitting, hearing, in the box there. If you make your check right now, in 24 hours you'll be blessed. And you get so caught up emotionally. You get so much caught up by deceitful words. You are in a financial problem and someone comes up and tells you that if you give to the ministry or you buy that little thing and you know there's so we've prayed upon it we'd give it to you and it shall bless you. You are in a problem. You are struggling in life financially and you get caught up in it and you give maybe your last 50 bucks and you keep waiting. The guy's received it but you're still waiting. You're still waiting and you're still waiting. Who is the winner? That's exploitation. Is that English word? Look at verse 18. For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lust of the flesh. In other words, they make your flesh believe that you're gonna get something out of it. That's what it means. Verse 18 chapter 2. For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lust of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption. For by whom a person is overcome, by him also is brought into bondage. It's amazing and Christians get caught up in it. That's why I want just to warn you. Don't just be caught up in anything at any time. Christians become the prey of preachers and many pastors. It's time for Christians to rise up and seek for the gospel that will firstly change their lives. That's the most important thing. You know there's one thing also that I would like to just share with you. When there is a lack of revelation, there is entertainment. When there is a lack of revelation, there is entertainment. Now everything is you, in you, except your spirit is being entertained. Everything. You know in this category of preachers, you've got good orators that can speak. You've got philosophers. You've got humanists. You've got technicians. You've got pharisees. You've got, you know, some good perfect musicians. You've got artists. You've got people, intellectual people. You've got philosophers. I mean you've got the lot. Everything. And I believe that Christians need to understand today that they need to allow their heart to hear something from God. And not just swallow everything in their mind and their intellect and in their emotions. Can you see what I'm saying? It's important because anyone can come and talk. And talk. Talk to the mind of people. They talk to the intellect of people. Yeah, there are many intelligent people today that that need their intellect to be fed. They need to hear things that are correct. You know, logic. It sounds, I mean, perfect. And when they sit there and they hear these philosophers, I tell you, they come out of there, they are happy because what, you know, their intelligence, their mind, have caught up something and it makes them happy. Where is the gospel? Where is the gospel that speaks to the heart of men? Speaks to the heart of men where he can feel that he's being fed in his heart. And today there's a whole group of entertainers for a rock of revelation, entertain the emotions of men, the intellect of men. It's up in our Bibles in 1 Corinthians chapter 1. We've been talking about a little bit about the true gospel. Now, I'll just read to you what the apostle Paul is saying here. You see, the apostle Paul is interested to reach to the heart of men. He's interested to see people walk a holy life, a straight life, a pure heart. The church needs to stop trying to feed people with intellectual stuff. How many of you know that it's the heart of men that is seeking after the revelation of Christ? It's not our heads. When you become a Christian born again, there's one thing that your heart desires. It is to be fed spiritually. That's why when you feed Christians with the right gospel, they are happy. You can like it or not, but you have a testimony that this is the gospel that your heart desires. You have a testimony that this is right. Even if it challenges you to the point where you say, no, I'm not going for it because it's too tough. But at the same time, when you are born again Christian, this is what you desire to hear. This is what you want to hear. And then you'll take the decision you want. But at least you heard it. At least you've been challenged. At least you have been shown the way to walk. And the Holy Spirit witnesses to you, to your heart, not to your mind, to your heart, that this is the way, this is the road. This is the Christian life. Now, if I don't like it, or in the mean that if I don't want it, it's too tough. I don't want to die to myself and deny myself and take my cross and swallow my cup. Then I say, okay, I don't like it. I go my way. Can you see what I mean? But every Christian born again in the Spirit, the true gospel that demands of his life to be lost, is the gospel that fits with his heart. Can you see what I'm saying? That's the gospel that will satisfy him. He knows it's the truth. You know how many Christians will preach the gospel, you know, the gospel of the cross. Let's read it. Verse 17, Paul says, chapter 1, Corinthians chapter 1, for Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. I mean, that's very clear, clear, clear, clear. He doesn't want to speak, you know, wisely. He doesn't want to speak with persuasive words of wisdom. He doesn't want to speak to the intellect of men. Otherwise, the cross is in vain. It has no effect. The cross is not for the head. The cross is for the heart. Can you understand that? That's what Paul is saying here. And verse 18, he says, for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. That's the message. That's the true gospel. Can you see? That's what our heart wants. That's the food Christians need. No, you know, these, when I got goosebumps, what's that? I mean, it can happen. It can happen in the presence of God. Yes, it can. But we can't, we can't seek for these things. Seek for our mind to be happy, you know, seek for our intellect to say, okay, that's right. That's good. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's a bright man. He's right. He's a bright man. He's an intelligent guy. He understands the gospel. Lord, help us. What the apostle Paul is saying here, right? Preaching the gospel of the cross. That's the power of God. That is the power of God. To change lives. Philosophers don't change lives. You know what philosophers do? They confuse Christians. Yeah, they confuse Christians because Christians have got one thing, which is the heart that needs to be fed. But philosophers feed up here, up here. Yeah, it's the truth. And it brings people to serve God in their own capacity, in their own strength, in their own power. Yeah. So the more Christians hear the gospel from philosophers and humanists and all these intellectual guys, they think that by their own strength, they can make it. They don't understand the power of the grace of God. Where no one can do nothing apart from the grace of God. Nothing. Nothing. Paul says, I am who I am by the grace of God. I do what I do by the grace of God. That's what he says. He understands. It's a spiritual building. It's a spiritual temple that Jesus Christ is building. Yeah. Talk about, you know, being perfect, being, you know, you got to call that excellency of ministry. You know, you've got to come and praise the Lord with, you know, all of us have got to have the same color of shoes and same color of top and same color of trousers, you know, all these sort of things. You've got your music has got to be perfect because God has got a musical ear. You know, your sound system needs to be the top. Yeah, everything's excellency of ministry. Man, man, man, resting upon himself, his talents, his capacity, his power, his ability. I mean, I want to tell you something. God doesn't need your talent. If your talent is not accompanied by a broken heart and a humble spirit, just keep it for yourself. You have to keep it for yourself. God is not interested in that. You know, your white shoes and your silk tie and whatever you want to come and, you know, and praise the Lord with come with a broken spirit, come with humble heart, come with a heart that is after God. Now, if your guitar is not in tune, so what? What it means? You know, I don't know if one guitar is out of tune or in tune. I don't know. I don't know. You might know, but me, I don't know. When I sing, I think it's perfect. Yeah, you sing with me, you'll see. If I sing alone, no. But you see, God, she's my heart. My heart, that's what it is. Yeah. And then Christians serve the Lord in their own strength. And you know what? It's dull. It's worldly. Have you ever, have you ever realized that today the gospel music is becoming more worldly? Have you realized that? Because these Christians, I'm sorry, but I'm going to tell it. These Christians are being fed in their intellect, in their mind, and they believe that God is after wonderful, beautiful music and their talents. And they come with a worldly stuff. And you don't even know if it's God, if it's Bible, if it's world, if it's, you don't even know. You know, you're just like, what it is. I don't know. Let me hear the words. Ah, it says God. It must be wonderful. You don't even know. Where's the perfume? Where's the perfume of the knowledge of Christ? Hey, where is it? Who needs to decide? Christians need to decide. Do we want good music or we want a good heart? A broken heart. Open our Bibles in Romans chapter 12. We're reaching somewhere. I trust I'm helping you to see something. I trust that I'm helping you to discern some things. Romans chapter 12 verse 1. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. I see two things in there. Two major things. I see the first thing is that God, through the Apostle Paul, is showing us Christians a way that our service can be acceptable to God. And secondly, it says, he's talking about the renewing of the mind. Or in other words, what he's saying is that don't become and be and think like the philosophers of this world. Because the same scripture is talking about, don't be, what did he say? Conformed to the world, world, world, world. Another way to see that the world system cannot bring us to build with Jesus Christ is church. That's what he's saying. Now, there are people that tell you here that you must renew your mind by learning scripture. No, the preaching of the cross of Jesus Christ will allow us, our mind, our soul, our spirit, and everything in us to understand that there is one way to build the church of Jesus Christ. It's in the spirit. So renew your mind. Yeah, that's what he's talking here. We can't just twist scripture. You can't twist scripture. If you want to renew your mind, now you've got to learn scripture. Learn it. Learn it. Learn the Bible. Learn Bible. Learn Bible. Look what it says here. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. God wants to build his church one way. Don't let your mind flow with the world system. That makes me think that when I hear some preachers, I hear philosophy. I hear world way of building things. That's what I hear many times. I hear people talking about humanism. I hear about intellectual people. You know, if you hear about the teachings of the world, the world way of making people great, can you understand where I'm going from? The world system, the world way, the world technique of bringing someone from here to there. Don't use that method in church. Renew your mind. Understand once and for all that you can't build the church of Jesus Christ by philosophers, humanists and deceivers. You've got to build the church of Jesus Christ with the spirit of God, with the scripture and the truth and the gospel of the cross of Jesus Christ. Renew your mind. And when your mind is renewed and you understand you will be able to be acceptable to God and you will walk in the will of God. And you will understand that you don't need philosophers who will deceive you, who speak to your mind. It's amazing how people sit in church and, you know, they swallow in their minds. That's why sometimes I don't understand when people come to church with, you know, their pads and their books and their pens and they write notes and notes and notes on what every word that the preacher is saying, they write it. It's amazing. I mean, when I was in school, when I was at university, that's the world system, okay? When I was there, I had my pads, I had my book, I had my pen, I had my pencil, I had my rubber, I had everything. And I listened to this guy talking to me. I had to swallow. I didn't swallow anything there. I swallowed everything there. Do you understand? Yeah, that's where I swallowed things. Everything was noted. I had pads and pads and files and files and files. And then one day before the exam, I tried to learn everything, you know, it was all mixed up in there. I was confused. Yeah. And Christians believe that that's the way to become a good Christian. No time. Slow, slow, slow, slow down, sir. You know, when the revelation of the true gospel comes to your heart, you know, you don't need paper and ink and pencils and pens. You know, Jesus Christ writes it on the heart, on the tables of your heart. That way it all belongs to you. That way, that way it stays, that way it takes root in my heart. Yeah. I tell you, you know, learn and learn and learn and learn and learn, you know, renew it, renew that mind of yours. But that mind is not supposed to be renewed by things that I learn. No, sir. One thing they say on there is, you know, if you want to serve the Lord and be and you know, what do you need to do? You need to present your bodies like a living sacrifice. That's what it says on there. We cannot continue to believe that we are growing in the spirit by doing things in our own strength and trying to learn the spiritual way of doing things and becoming intellectual. I mean, I've got no problem with people like myself who know the Bible a little bit. I know a little bit my Bible. How many of you know your Bible? I know my Bible a little bit. I know what it says a little bit. It's good. It's good. But it's not because I need the Bible that I need to learn everything that is written in the Bible and try to make it happen in my own strength. Let me tell you something. Paul is very clear here. Very, very clear. For you to be acceptable to God in your walk with him, you've got to present yourself as a living sacrifice. That's what it says. There isn't why when you hear about people preaching the gospel and pastors, you know, you realize that they don't know what it is to come from the altar of God. They don't know. They don't know what it is to be a broken man. They have not experienced the hand of God, open their lives to mold them and break them. They don't understand that they don't see the revelation of the gospel. And Christians are becoming the prey of these preachers and pastors. That's why I need to be very careful. Remember I was talking to you about your talents earlier on. It's good to be a talented person when you have come from the altar. Yeah. Then God uses what he himself has given you. And then you don't rest on your own ability. But you understand the grace of God as you need him. Because through that music, it's amazing how people, Christians, pastors don't see that the music that comes from your instrument. It's amazing. But you know, follow me. You need to understand that because the things of the spirit works that way. When you are playing an instrument out of your own talents only, it doesn't have the same effect in the spirit as when you are playing that same instrument and that same music from a broken heart and a man that knows where he's coming from. It's amazing how in the spirit things flow. But when you don't have the revelation of the true Christian life, because we're talking about Christian living. We're talking about serving God. Am I right? But when you don't understand that the dealings of God brings you and I to a place where we can serve him in the spirit. Because then, it's you who is doing what you need to do. But in the spirit, there's a transmission. Because it comes from a broken spirit, a humble heart, a lost life. That's where resurrection life comes from. It's a product. It's a product of a lost life. But the good shepherd who loves the sheep, who is a true servant, who is ready to give his life and does not want to manipulate and exploit God's people, is the one that comes from the altar of God. And I want to tell you, he knows where he comes from. He knows. He knows the altar of God. Now, call it the altar of God. Call it the cross that you've got to take. Call it the way you want. But things need to happen deep down in your heart so that you may allow Jesus Christ to live his life through you. So that you understand that it's him and himself and him and him and him and not you and not you and not you in any way. Because the moment it's you, it does not carry the anointing. It does not carry the life. Now, we are talking about the revelation. The lack of revelation that brings preachers to exploit the church. And Christians become their prey. You know, in the Bible, when you look, you know, we think that it's only the devil. You know, 1 Peter. Look at 1 Peter. I'll show you something. I think that there are more, many more roaring lions that we, you and I think there are. 1 Peter chapter 5, we read from verse 8. What does it read? Be sober, be vigilant. Because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour. It's the truth. The devil is like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour. He wants to destroy our lives. It's the truth. And the devil is the one who is supposed to destroy us. But it's amazing that in the church of Jesus Christ, there are many highlings that devour and destroy the people of God. Willingly or innocently, whatever is the case, without the revelation of the true gospel, the church of Jesus Christ is being torn apart. Torn apart. No maturity, no spiritual growth. Not being able to discern. I believe we need to understand today, Christians, listen, that we need to make the difference. What is being fed in us? When we hear a preacher, is my heart being fed? Is my emotions being fed? Is my head, mind, and intellect being fed? What is being fed? When I hear some music, when I hear a preacher, when I hear one pastor, what is being fed in me? What is moving in me? What am I receiving in the spirit? You know, I can make you jump and down, jump up and down now. But when you go out from there, are you more spiritually edified, strengthened? Or have you just been in a good place where you've been happy? And you've been able to express yourself, you know? And things have been happy. I mean, we've got a good time. But I tell you, when my spirit is being fed, there's something that moves me. There's confrontation, there's challenge, there's everything that is happening in me. There's repentance, there's shaking, there's breaking, there's all sorts of things happening. And I know my heart is being fed. I know. I know when things are shaking in me, when I'm discovered, exposed, challenged, confronted. I know my spirit is being challenged. Yeah. That's why I'm speaking to you, Christians. You must know when you are sitting in a place, is your heart being fed? Is there testimony of the Spirit of the Lord in you saying, yes, I need to hear that, because it's challenging my life. That's what the gospel does. Yeah, the true gospel of Jesus Christ, the preaching of the cross of Jesus Christ, never leaves you alone. Never. Never leaves you, you know, quiet. Have you noticed that? That's why I'm saying to you that your heart must know what is enriching your life. Some Christians, you know, they like to go to gospel music and concerts, because they know that if they go to the casino or to the dancing places, it's not good, but they come here and they're just happy about what's happening, because their emotions are being fed. Yeah. That's why I say to you, you must know. You must come to the place where you know. What am I hearing there? What is it doing to me? Is it just make me happy? Is it just make me come out of my chair and say yes? Or is it challenging me? Or am I seeing the truth? Or am I, I'm hearing the words of life, because anybody can make anybody happy. Yeah, I can entertain you. I don't know if I can, maybe, but many people can entertain. Yeah, you know, they can entertain, they can talk, I mean, they can say many things. But at the end of the day, I walk out, I say, yes, what has happened? What has happened? The challenge didn't bring me to put my knees there and repent. Didn't ask me to go and see my wife and say, I'm sorry. Didn't ask me to put, go and put some things right. Didn't show me that I'm hiding some things in me. I just come to church. Hallelujah. Praise God. And then you speak to me and you say, you must do this. You must do that. You must, you know, you must have good habits. You must have bad habits. You must have this. You must have that. Where are we going? Where is it? Where is the gospel? Where is the gospel? Where is the gospel? And then at the end of the day, you know, I just stick myself night, fine. And I said, now, listen, guys, God wants to bless you. Our Lord, the Lord wants to bless you. There's one thing that you need to understand that there is no blessing with that you've sowing. God bless you guys. May the Lord bless you. You know, we will be able to continue. We'll be able to just move ahead. We'll be able to have some good time. Did you have a good time? I enjoyed myself. I've enjoyed myself. I've enjoyed myself. I had some good time. It's amazing. May God bless you. So we'll see us again. Okay. God bless you.