Sunday 25 May 2025

Nollamara Church Of Christ Sermons.Raw transcript of meeting:

Date Of Sermon: 25 May 2025

Speaker: Morris Velasquez

Sermon Title: Growing Into maturity

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:11-16

 The Bible reading today comes from Ephesians four, starting at verse 11. So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and the teachers to equip his people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful, scheming instead speaking the truth in love. We will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him. Who is the head that is Christ.

From him, the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work.

Amen. Uh, thank you Church. Good morning church. Thank you for the opportunity to allow me to be in this place. Thank you Pastor Jamie also for the opportunity. And today we are going to have a topic that will. Help us in many ways to our life, Christian Grove. But first, uh, I want to, to see this photo. We have a photo here of, uh, jam Boy.

If, uh, we put the photo, please. Uh, yes, that one. My question for you, uh, can you tell me how all is the jam Boy, any guess?

18 12, 10 40. Okay. You know the truth, he's 26 years old. It's called J. It's called the Peter Pan of South Korea. He got a, a sickness or disease called Highlander Syndromes. He's, uh, just a normal boy if you see like that, but something that never, he will got a big mustache, a beer, Harry. All the body will be like that forever.

I know that in our life, uh, we want to grow one day. You remember when you were small, you put the, the clothes for your parents, the shoes to dream in, how one day you are going to drive a car. Uh, maybe you, you play with, uh, your sisters about, uh, mom and dad, that you were mom and you were dad. You know, it was wonderful.

You know, for me, the being a kid was a wonderful time for me. I. But now that I'm an adult, I say, will be no good to have a, to be a kid for my whole life because, uh, each, each stage has the, their own good things and the bad things. But something that we really want in our life that we want to experience, the grow, the increase.

In our knowledge, in our skills, we want to do better each day. Even. You know, when we talk about Christian growth, it's not like us saying, okay, because I am 80 years old now I am feeling mature in Christ. It's about the age, also knows about for how long have you been as a Christian? If I, I, oh, I am 50 years as a Christian, doesn't mean that you are fully grown or mature Christian.

It is not. It not about that. You know about the Bible. Oh, pastor, I've been studied there, the Bible my whole life. I have read a lot of books. I have a lot of knowledge about the Bible. Ask me every, everything I can ask. Every question that you have for me is not about that. The Christian maturity, Christian maturity is transforming yourself into the image of Christ, of Christ, of Jesus.

It's when you start to forgive the persons, when you start to take out all your resentment. You're feeling when you're feeling peace with your brother and sister and your family. When you're able to forgive everyone, when you really, are you growing and when you start you hate seeing 'cause you know some people for, for them it's normal to live in s sin and to live in holiness.

They feel not the different, they say it's the same. I'm a holy on Sunday at the church during the week, I can do whatever I want to do it. When you are growing in your Christian faith, you have some kind of, you are hungry. You assess for God, you want more of God. You want to know Jesus more deeply in different ways.

You know, many times I read my Bible and sometimes I say, look, that verse I didn't know that was in the Bible. Even if I read before, sometimes take a new meaning for me saying, wow, that's good. The word God is alive in myself. Sometimes I still crying when I read some verses in my life. Say, wow, the word of God is so powerful.

Christian maturity is about that. It's not something that you can reach in five years. No, I am mature. You know, I am in the church seeing as I, I was five years old. Now I am near 60. I've been, it is a long journey, but I'm still learning. Even if I, you know, I pastor in my church for 33 years, but I still learning.

I still growing. I still in, in the path of learning, but today, don't feel offended. Said that you need to grow more. Because the growing is a process. It's a process that will finish the day. When we leave this earth, we every day we need to, to be growing. The, the big problem that I find that at more churches is that there is a lot, the Christian that are stagnated.

I have find so many babies in Christ in the churches. I was talking with a man that man was serving at the church, and then talking and talking. I realized that he never been baptized. I say, my brother have, why you never you have been baptized? Because I don't need it. But it's in the Bible, but I don't agree with that and will be like that.

Okay, fine. You find many things in the people, but today I going to talk about three things that you need in your life to grow more in maturity. I can tell about many things, but for today, only three things. I had to be very careful because in my church I pray for one hour. It's easy for me preaching for one hour and going, but I say 15 minutes.

No. Uh, we going to talk about three things that we need in our life. Number one, the word of God. Number two, the prayer. Number three, the community, the church. Three things will be easy. Number one, we going to about the spiritual feeding. What happen when the, we don't eat very well, something going to happen to our body, even with the kids.

If sometime the kids, they don't want to eat anything. We have all experience with our, our kid now with our grandkids. My wife tried to do many things for my youngest grandkid because sometimes I don't want to eat. I don't want nothing, and my wife's trying to play with him, singing to him, dance to him, try everything because she say all the time he need to eat.

Because if he don't eat, he don't grow. You know, the same is happening at our church. We have the word of God, we have the Bible, but we don't read the Bibles subs thing. I was, look, I was looking for some kind of a stats. I find that that was done in in Australia sometimes ago. And this starts say that people in this country hardly or ever or never read the Bible.

It 37%, 37% of the people. If, uh, I remember one day I was in the library, Christian library in rum. And one lady came to me and say, hi. She know me. I say, pastor, what do you read this morning? And that day only just get up. And without I say the truth. I didn't read nothing Today. I felt so shame because I, I need to read the Bible because what happened, we have, uh, the Bible.

We have what the Bible said, but, uh, if I ask you to you this morning how you read this Bible in your home today, how, how often, daily, weekly. Two times a day because it's so basic, our life to read the Bible every day. It's like I say, okay, how you have breakfast today? Say yes. It's the same with the Bible.

How you have your spiritual feeding today. If you want to grow, you need to read the Bible. Why? Because you know, two Timothy three 16 to 70. Sad that our Bible was not writing for a man. It inspirational of God. Another person. Another person say it is go God breath it. The word of God knows the word somebody and the years fall to teach us, but it's true.

And to make us realize what is wrong in our life. Sometime we take the wrong decision because we didn't read our Bible. Because the Bible will say, oh, no. Yes, a book, listen, a book to read. Psalms 119 verse 105. Say, your world is a lamb to my feet, to my feet. If I, you going in there. In the countryside when everything is dark and you take a lamp, you know, you put, you point the lamp to your feet.

It's true that no to the trees because what happened, it's going to fall down. So the word of God is the light for your everyday life. You have to make many decisions in your life. Sometime we ask to our friend what going to do Sometime we, we receive the wrong advice. The Bible is what we need for our life in every situation.

Hebrews four 12 says, for the word of God is living. See, he's living. He's active on chapter 10. Any two H swords. My dear brothers, the the word of God is inspired by God. Teach us, oh, we need a good teacher. The Bible is our teacher. The Bible is our lamb, but you can walk safely. It's also living active, but it's a shame that sometime we don't like to read the Bible.

We read everything else. But not the Bible. What happen if, uh, in morning times we start the day reading our Bible? But for, for you growing, you need to grow. You need to become more mature in your life. But I su suggesting to you today. It is that we need a regular reading of the Bible. No, you read it Monday.

I read it again on Thursday. I read it again on Sunday. You need your Bible every day. Day by day. You read four chapters per day. You're going to read the whole Bible in one year. Why not? Oh no. I think reading the whole Bible is for the pastors, for the teacher, not for every Christians. We need to read the Bible.

There is a lot of treasures in our Bible that we need to discover. If you read the Bible every day, something in going to change in your life. We reflect, listen to that. We reflect in our daily relationship with all the people. If we were, are readers of the Bible, but also we need, we need to study and reflect on the Bible.

Sometimes we say, oh, you know, pastor, the Bible is so complicate, so complicate. Yes, some parts are complicate, but you know, if you can read and then pondering about or say what is saying that to me? What this verse is talking to me, how can I apply to my life and trying to sink into that, you know, something that we need in our life is renew or mind.

How it can do the renewal. Put the word of God in your mind. Sometime we are thinking in many negative things in our mind, negative thoughts. Instead of that, put what the Bible say and then you mind will change. Memorize the Bible, the whole Bible person. No. A verse of the Bible is help a lot. I remember the first time that I was invited to go to, uh, jail to visit someone.

I take my Bible with me, but I, when I went there, they took my Bible saying, you, you can carry that. I say, oh my God, how you going to take to that People? I, I need to read the Bible to, to, to hear. And then I realized that everything that I memorize was useful in that moment. You need to memorize the Bible.

Say, pastor, I am to all, it's difficult for me to memorize. Okay. I'm agree. But what happen if, uh, you take a part of the birds like the Lori Shepherd, it's easy to remember. Put in your heart, live that verse, believe that verse. And then the last one is everything that you read on the Bible. Put in practice because so many people read the Bible but read because they like the Bible, but they don't like to obey the Bible.

Our Bible is not about information.

Our Bible is about a life that you need to live. It's a new life. We are a new person now. The Bible say how I can live my life. I remember many years ago. We saw with my wife, a, a barbecue, a big barbecue. Say, wow, we like it. We need to buy it. We bought it. We bring it home and say, my wife, please invite, uh, your sister because, uh, we going to have barbecue tonight.

So, because I say I, I am too smart. Uh, I will put together in just one hour. And my wife say, but you want to read the manual? What I am, man, I don't. I don't read manuals. Okay. One hour, two hours.

And they say, come. Why did you use the manual? Excuse me. Go and prepare the meat. I'm busy. After three hours, I was in the same situation and then say, I need to read the manual.

I start to reading everything. Step one, step two, step three, and then was ready. The barbecue. Do you know the, the word of God? Life just is the battle for my life, for your life. If you don't read it, everything will be go wrong. If you read it, the things will go good in second place or in the number two.

We need the word of God. But also, if you want to grow in the maturity, you need to pray. Pray the communication with God. The the time when you pray like a, when you breathe, when you feel the oxygen of God through your life, if you don't pray, your life will be buried. The tic will be buried dry. Try when you pray.

When you pray, you feel, you feel the communication with God. You know how I know that God exists? Because I talk with him this morning because I felt the president was God. So many Christians are so discerning in his life or her life because they have a no communion with God. They only just come to God, help me, help me with this problem.

God, I have problems. I need your presence. I remember listen, uh, reading this book and this book was a, in illustration about Gu King that called the three kids to give the annal allowance to them so the kids come, they growing means and give all the money they need for the year. But the problem was that they young men come only as one year to see the parent.

Why they come? Because they need the allowance. So the kids say, I need to change that. I want to see my kid. For my kid, it is about the money For me, it is about to see my kids. So decide, okay, from now on, I going to give the allowance every fortnight. So they come to Father, what you doing? What You change the way say, because I want to see you every fortnight night.

So with no choice, they come to the father every fortnight. So he the same with God and the prayer life. Sometimes God only see us when, Lord, I need money. Lord I need help. But when everything is good, I not have time to pray. My brother. How you pray this morning? How you have time with gout this morning?

Oh, I was so late. I have no time. You know, pray is so important. Philippians four, six, and seven. The Apostle Paul say, be anxious for nothing. See, be anxious for nothing but in all prayer and supplication. With such giving, let your request be made. Know to God, talk to God. You have a hundred battery battery since this morning.

You have a hundred petitions to cut. You have a good rush reason to come to God. Say, God, help me because say I'm the peace of God. We super, all understanding will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus. When, when you pray your brother and sister praying, if you pray we are going to grow. How? How can we pray?

There are different ways. Pray not only in crisis, pray the whole time. Are you doing gardening? Pray. Are you washing your, your your dishes? Pray. Are you driving? Pray hello and you are working. Pray. Pray every time. Be connected with God the whole time. What? What types of praise are? Sometimes there's a pray for adoration praise only as come to the Lord.

Lord, I want to be with you. I don't want to ask anything. Yes, I want to be in your present. Sometimes just pray to confess, to say, Lord, that is happening in my life Sometimes that I pray. Only have to say, thank you, my Lord, today, my Lord. I don't want to ask anything. I was to say thank you because I have a new day.

Thank you. Because I can walk. Thank you. Because I can see. Thank you. Because I can eat. Thank you. Because I can raise my hands. Dear brother is so good. When we pray like that, it's time for petitions, time for intercession, but also it's time to listen what God want to say to us sometime only us to be in quietness waiting on the Lord.

Because sometime we, we need guidance in our life. We need that. Think for a moment, think for a moment. That you are swimming in, uh, in the sea. There is a lot of water everywhere, and this person that is swimming every time he hops like that, taking the breath and doing the whole time, what happens for a moment or for two minutes, five minutes.

The face is only just in the water. That person will die. Church, I going to say something that is very truthful. If you pray, you will survive. If you don't pray, you're going to die. Pastor. How is that? Because so many people in our church are so dry, they don't feel the presence of God. They don't want to come to church anymore.

They feel so lonely. You know why? Because we don't pray in Sunday. We have a lot of people coming. When you go church, it's time to pray. Maybe five people, maybe three people, two, because normally you have problem with the prayer, but it's so important. And the last of all of them. First we say, what was the first one?

But we need to grow. First one, the word of God. Second one. Prayer. Prayer. And the third one is the Christian community. Church. We need each other. We need each other. If you see around trying to see around here in your family. We look different, but we, we are a family. We are a family.

Christian. Life is not about being myself. I want to be alone. I want to be in my home. In my home. I, I watch, I will watch YouTube and then I will grow up. I can pray in my home. You know, I don't, I don't know if you don't realize. With now with the, the inter, the intelligence artificial is doing something wrong.

I don't know if you are aware of that, but uh, be careful with that. In YouTube now some people are producing some, preach some videos of preacher, like a Billy Graham. The, the old time I saw that Billy Graham saying, saying that you need to keep the Sabbath all the Saturday, you know this like the Seven Day Adventist preaching about that.

Oh, another one is saying, uh, don't tie because it's evil. They put the voice, listen, that they put the voice, they put the image even in Spanish, in any language, and so many people is feeding their toes because that they, they don't see the difference. And here you have a pastor that is, I hear him preaching.

I say, wow, you are good. I load and learn from you. You know, sometimes when you come to a restaurant you say, I know. I know who the chef here. I know the chef. I know the food will be good. When you know the person, person to person, you know what kind of food you're going to get it. For the reason you need the community.

The community. Hebrew is 10 24, 25 say, and let us consider one another to set up love and good work. Love and good work. When we come together, we come for the reason to give love to each other. Sometime come, you know, as a pastor, sometime we come to the church. Sometimes it's sad because. Many things happen, but sometime it's good when you come to a church, somebody say, hello, pastor, how are you?

Somebody is smiling to you and say, oh wow. This is good to be at the church. We need that. We need to be part of the congregation. Because I hear saying that there are some abbo, but abbots don't come to the church anymore. So some people say, if I have time, I will come to the service. If it is not to cold, I will come.

It's not too hot. I will come. Oh, I don't have time for that. I have a barbecue. Uh, I had to go in a picnic today, or it's a long weekend,

you know. When you Ms. Church, you going to miss something important

because the Lord has something special for us. Every time you know, the church grow me, help me to grow in, in my spiritual journey. Journey what I can do, pastor, just say what I can do. Okay? Part, participate more at the church. Be part of the church in everything, all the services, small group ministries, every, every opportunity I want to be there will be a time for ladies.

Ah, okay. I want, I want to be there for my ministry. I want to be there. Everything is going to happen. The church, I want to be there. I remember this old lady in the church was 94 years old. She become so sick and, uh, he was, uh, in a nursing home. Nursing home and we went to see her and uh, when she saw us, she start to put the shoes change because say, pastor, you, you coming to become to, to church, I want to go to church.

Ah, we felt so sad because she was not able to leave the place, but she was say, I want to go to church. I want to go to church Sometime we have the opportunity and we change for anything else and don't have the opportunity. When you come to church, there's opportunity to serve other persons. It's a good opportunity.

When you come to a church, you have the opportunity to have accountability and support. Because if, uh, you don't come to a church, somebody say, Hey, hello brother, why you didn't come to the church? Are you okay? You feel good? Can I pray for you? It's nice to see you. You know, we need that in our life. You need our church.

No, Lamara is like, uh, a, a family in a family. You have a. Granddads, aunties, aunts, cousins. In our family, not any wines is a, we have a good family. We have a different kind of people in our family, but is our family. Listen, this is no lamara church. This is your family. Look around. This is your family. Really, this is my family.

Yes, that is your family. Also, we are like a sport team. When we win, all we win. When we lost, everyone lost. If I somebody win, all we can say we win together. At the same time, we're like a, a small north city where it is every kind of plants and the plants are growing beautiful. As a church, we are like that.

So today I need to finish because as I said before, I can go for more I talking. I was talking today about the Christian growing or maturity.

Maturity is not something that, yeah, we just reaching in 10 years, on 15 years, it's progress. The main problem is so many people, they stagnate, they is stopping that point and they not growing anymore. We need to be growing the whole time until we die, until Jesus Christ come back today, say, we need to read our Bible, the second sin.

We need to increase our pray alive. We need to increase our participation in our community.

Can ask for some kind of commitment today. Can you commit yourself to say, okay, I going to read unless one chapter out the Bible every day, four chapters, but every day read just one chapter out the Bible. The second thing I going to ask you, commit yourself saying, I will be in my church. I will be in the a small group.

I will try to be part of the small groups. I will be, try to be part of the main ministry of the Lady ministries. Remember

one day be going to be in the presence of God

and that to some people will say to God, Lord. We prophesizing in your name. We review demons in your name, and they always say, I don't know you are you knowing? By by God, God know you your name. How is possible that when you read the Bible, you're in commun with God, but you pray? You're inconvenient with God, but you come to the church, you're inconvenient with God.

And that is good. Philippians one, six say, being convinced of this, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. God is faithful and He's completed, but he has begun, but the Lord has done in your life. It just, the beginning, it didn't finish. You doing that work?

Maybe you say, no, I'm really, I finish in my life. No, the Lord is still working in your life. The Lord have a new chapter in your life. So I encourage this morning, look for God because God didn't finish in your life. Can we pray together? Dear Lord, thank you for this morning. Because I need to grow more. I need to increase my spiritually maturity.

Spiritually. Lord, I need you in my life, Lord. Today I'm praying that we can come closer to you more. Lord, help us to the disciplines to read more your Bible or your word. To spend more time in prayer, Lord, help us to be more in the community of the family of God. Lord, I pray that this morning that word will be something that they don't forget, that they apply to her the hearts and something's going to put the flames in the heart, and they say, I want to be different.

I want that work that the Lord started in my life so many years ago can be increased until the last day of my life. Here I am Lord. I want more of you. I want to know you more. I will be more close to you. In the name of the Father, the Son of the Holy Spirit. Ah and amen.

Bless.