What Jesus Said Do in Secret

In the gospel of Saint Matthew, our Lord is saying to pray in secret. So then why we should go to church? Especially, you know better than me, the atmosphere of most of churches and the priests. That is one of my questions.

And the second one is more of a request. I would love to ask you if you can talk more about the Holy Spirit and God willing. We do have a couple of, a few sessions about the Holy Spirit.

It is on YouTube. Maybe you need to type on the church YouTube, the Holy Spirit or a sermon about the Holy Spirit. I believe we have done a few about the Holy Spirit.

But with the Lord's grace, we'll be talking more about the Holy Spirit in the near future. So the question is, the Lord in the gospel of Saint, according to Saint Matthew, saying to pray in secret, then why should we go to church? Especially churches nowadays, we don't know which is right, which is wrong, what's going on. Churches have gone off the road.

It's chaotic. So if the Lord says pray in secret, then I'll stay at home. My beloved, the Lord Jesus did not just talk about prayer to do it in secret.

He spoke about three things and three things only. Everything else he said, go on the rooftop and declare it before the whole world. But when it comes to three things, he said, you better do it in secret.

Otherwise, your reward will not be given to you from God. It will be given to you from people. What are the three things you must do in secret? Number one, pray.

Number two, fasting. Number three, charitable deeds, alms giving. Example, I sent some money to someone in Africa and then I told the whole neighborhood.

I blew the trumpet, as the Holy Bible says. So I went and I told everyone, I sent money to some people in Africa. What are the people going to do in return? Oh, aren't you, aren't you a wonderful person? Look at your heart.

What a beautiful heart you have. And then you start saying, no, no, sorry. No, I'm not.

I'm not. I'm very bad. No, you ruined it.

Too late. You ruined it. You want to send money to Africa? Don't tell no one.

You want to help someone in need? Don't tell no one. The Lord Jesus said, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Because the moment you tell people, people will give you all these credits.

You've stolen that credit from the Lord Jesus and you've given it to yourself. You've been rewarded by people, not God. So all that hard work gone for waste.

So when you're doing any charitable deeds, keep it a secret between you and God. When you're fasting, the Lord Jesus said, every time you come and fast, wash your face. And if you've got a nice thick hair, put some nice lotion in there, mate, and you go to a brilliant hairdresser here, he will make you look like a zebra and put all these, you know, all these things on it.

And then do not reveal to no one that you're fasting. In fact, even if you're sitting and your tummy is running on empty and there is some brilliant food before you on the table and they say to you, please eat. Say, no, thanks.

I am full. And you're empty. Say, no, thank you.

I am full. I just ate. You're not lying.

You know why? Because when Christ is your food, then I am full in him. I don't need nothing else. I'm not lying.

Yes. I'm not hungry because in my heart, Christ filled me with his love. Christ filled me with his presence.

Christ filled me with his graces. Christ filled me with his mercy. I'm not lying.

But if you're fasting and you are waiting for someone to ask you, are you fasting? You're dying for that to come. You know, you're sitting, yalla, where are you people? Come on, ask. Ask a question like today, Q&A.

Are you fasting? Yes, I'm fasting. Yes. And you know what? Look, I'm nothing, but I haven't eaten from morning till now.

Really? Wow. You're saying, oh, please, far from it. I'm a sinner.

You ruined it, my darling. All that tummy going all day long, gone with the wind. You blew it away.

Some people, when they fast and they want to show it, they put a face on like... Because nobody's asking them, so they want to provoke it. You know, what's wrong with you? Are you in pain? No, no, I'm just fasting. You're fasting, you're running on empty.

Hey, Bishop, how are you going? Good. Oh, man, I just had the best meal. That's so delicious.

I ate the tabbouleh, Habibi, all the way from Lebanon. And I ate the Baalbek bread, beautiful. And now I speak Arabic.

So, the Lord, three ways, He said, they must be secret. Otherwise, God will not reward you. People have.

You've got nothing with me, by the Lord. When you fast, when you pray, and when you do Why these three? Because when you read in the Jewish Talmud, they will tell you worshiping God is done in a three-dimensional way. It's a triangle.

The base of the triangle is prayer. This arm is fasting, and this one is charitable deeds. But the foundation to all is praying.

Why? Because if someone is sick, if someone is sick, and they're in hospital, far from everyone, and I pray everyone in hospital is healed for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if someone is sick in hospital, I cannot go to that someone sick and say, you need to fast. They can't.

They need to eat in order to take the medications. But I cannot say to someone sick in hospital, you cannot pray. You see, prayer is for all times, for all occasions.

Fasting and charities are not for all times, for all occasions. But prayer is. Therefore, the most powerful of all is the prayer, and then supported by fasting and charities.

In fact, the Lord Jesus even said it when He came and cast out a demon where His disciples were unable to do so. He said, this kind of a demon cannot be cast out unless through prayer and fasting. Through prayer and fasting.

So my beloved, when you're praying, keep it a secret. That doesn't mean my beautiful daughter, now you know she's a female, that doesn't mean my beautiful daughter that you don't go to church since the Lord said pray in secret. My beloved, the Lord said pray all the time.

Now someone would ask this question, how can I as a human pray all the time? It's impossible because I need to go to sleep at some stage during the day. So when I go to sleep, I can't pray. No, the Lord says you need to pray all the time.

Because what is a prayer? The word prayer in Arabic is the word Salat. Now the word Salat in Arabic derives from the word Silat. Silat literally is translated into English as to connect.

Silat is to connect. So what is the meaning of the word prayer literally? To connect. So when it's to do with connection, who am I to connect with? Of course, Jesus.

I need to connect with him. So every time I connect with the Lord, I am praying. Therefore, prayer is not only words.

Prayer is also action. It's not only words. So a form of a verbal sort of prayer is when I come and say, our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

I am praying. But also when I go and visit someone sick in hospital in the name of the Lord Jesus, I am going and I said, Lord, let's go together. We're going to go and visit so and so.

I want you to come with me, Lord Jesus. I am taking you with me. When I take the Lord with me and I say it, whether aloud or in my heart to him, he knows both.

When I say it to him, Lord, let's go. That way from home to hospital was all prayer. Was all prayer.

Now when you come to sleep, how can you turn your sleep into a prayer? Obviously, when I'm asleep, I can't pray, but I can. How? Before you go to sleep, say, Lord, I want you to be with me in my sleep to protect me from every evil visions, from every evil nightmares, from every evil, evil attacks while I am asleep. Lord, be with me in my sleep.

Before I go to sleep, I pray. I ask the Lord, be with me in my prayer. And I'm asking you to be with me.

Why? Because if I open my eyes and I see the S-U-N of this world, I'll thank you for a new day, for a new life. But if I open my eyes and I see the S-O-N of the next world, then I thank you. Since you were with me in my sleep, I am now at peace.

Whichever world I open my eyes to, I don't care. Christ is my protector during my sleep. That sleep became a prayer because Christ is with you.

Every time you connect with Christ, you're praying. Connect with Him in your sleep, you are praying as well. So, but now we need to go to church, but we don't show to others that I am praying, I am fasting, and I'm doing charitable deeds.

Keep it a secret so that Christ, the King of all Kings and the Lord of all Lords, reward you, my beloved daughter.