Joseph Prince - Refresh and Encourage Others With Your Words
This is an excerpt from: Unveiling Jesus' Heart To Serve You
And Jesus dropped down, he says that, "When He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, 'Do you know what I've done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so", again, "Do you know what I've done to you"? You see? If it's physical, they will know. "You call Me Teacher and Lord, you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet". Now, does that mean we take a bowl and wash one another's feet? I'm not against people doing that, okay, in camps or whatever when they have retreats and all that. It's fine, okay? But don't forget what Jesus says, spiritual.
So the whole thing is spiritual. In other words, I must come to you and I find that you are discouraged. You have been anxious. You are burdened with care. And I speak to you, amen. I don't have to bring the Bible in front of your face all the time. But what I'm preaching is the Word, like what I'm doing right now. Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you, because you know, I'm always asking the Lord to speak through me, amen. Sometimes when I say something, you know, I say, "Wow, that was so good". I feel like taking down notes, you know, but I got no time, 'cause I know I'm not that smart. It's the Holy Spirit took over because He loves you. Just like having children now because of you all, right?
So likewise, you know, He will say things in and through me, and I love that kind of ministry. I love like I'm stepping out and I say, "You're not that smart to say that. You're not that smart to know that. You are not that smart". And many times as I preach, the supply flows, I see more, because of you, the ministry. So thank you, ah? You know, I have never taken a sabbatical for years, ever since I went into ministry as a young man, never. But this year, when you don't see me here and there, you're in good hands because Jesus will still supply, all right?
You don't see me here and there, don't worry. It's not that I'm sick, or I'm this, I'm that. I just will take more sabbatical because actually seven, seven, seven, my ministry, this is exactly the year of sabbatical for me, my ministry. So if you don't see me around, I'm probably somewhere, usually by myself because my son still has to go study and all that and be in school, but I'll probably go away here and there, all right, to refresh myself in the Lord. I think I'll be doing this finally this year, all right, for the next leg of my life, amen? But you will not be robbed. You will not be shortchanged, all right? I can talk big, lah, huh, about all that. After one week only, you know, cold turkey from preaching, all right? So if I have to preach through my phone wherever I am, can you receive? That's receiving, amen? So you never know, okay?
So but just to let you know that finally, you know, a lot of advice has come to me and said, "Pastor, you need to take. This is another cycle of seven has come, all right? Take it," amen? And finally this year also I turn 30 years old, so... amen? So I think I better take it. Praise the Lord, amen. So let me wind this down. As we talk to each other, let's wash one another's feet. And then let the person go away feeling like, "I feel refreshed being in that lady's presence," you know? "I feel refreshed being in that sister's presence. I feel refreshed in that brother's presence. I feel refreshed in that man's presence. I feel refreshed after I leave him". Why? You know, it's not just pastors. He says that, "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, wash one another's feet". It's like His love, you know? Wash one... you see what I did? Do the same.
And you know the Bible says, "Husband, love your wife even as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word". He's talking about husband and wife, but then he illustrates that this is what Jesus did with all of us. First of all, "Husband, love your wife, as Christ loved the church". What'd He do? "He gave Himself". He didn't give presents. He didn't give Prada. He didn't give Aramis. Some wives are saying, "Forget the love, give the Aramis," ha ha, all right? Playing with toys. Playing with rocks. Children play with rocks because they think it's valuable until they grow up older. Okay, praise God, anyway.
Now, "Love your wife, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word". The same way Jesus, after He gave Himself at the cross, what does He do? He always makes us feel washed. He always refreshes us. He cleansed us from all the defilements of the world. The world has a lot of... and one of the defilements is fear, all right, or sinful thoughts that attach to you. You hear conversations that are profane, vulgar, unbelief, men rebelling against God. And Christians, can you stop saying, "OMG," you know? It is taking the name of God in vain, you know? Don't be like the world. This is that defilement.
Don't let it come into the church. I don't know why, I got this thing when I hear Christians saying, "OMG, OMG," you know? You don't realize what you're doing. You can be a man in control of your mouth. Don't be a man who just like... go free, amen? Amen. You feel like saying it, say pray in tongues. Pray in the Spirit, amen. Sorry, yeah. Amen, Pastor Prince. So the whole purpose is why? Why did Jesus die for us on the cross? "That He might present a bride to Himself, and that he might sanctify", sanctify means cleanse her with the washing of... and make it holy, set her apart. "Cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot," amen, "or wrinkle," wrinkle is the idea of age, "or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish".
So Jesus does it, gave Himself for us on the cross. Now the church is in place. That's you and I, a born again creature. What do we need? He needs to sanctify us from the world, the defilements, the contamination. And I believe you study carefully the Levitical ceremonial laws and all that, you find that in the Bible, people that have uncleanness in the Book of Leviticus is washed away with water. The whole idea is that, so I think there's a physical benefit. Just like physical water washes your physical body from uncleanness and refreshes you, I believe the spiritual water has an effect on your body as well. And there's a verse there that says, "Having our bodies washed with pure water," in Hebrews chapter 10. So the more you allow the washing of the water, I'm telling you, the healthier you'll become. Are you listening?
Like if you are sick, play the healing Scriptures. I've got one right now available on YouTube. Keep on playing it the whole night. Play it, amen? We have soothing rain and thunder sounds, and refreshing sound, in my voice I try my best to be as refreshing as possible by the grace of God. I prayed over that entire recording, okay, that God's anointing will rest on it. So just bathe yourself, just like I used the word "bathe," actually "nipto". You're actually washing your feet, but it's like a bath even, right? Then all the sudden you are healed. We have many testimonies. Read the comments and all, you'll find a lot of people are already healed, amen. So are there are ways of doing it, but receive the love. You must be in the place of... that's the one thing needful, okay?
So when you talk to your wife, you must leave her with a sense of having washed her feet. Every time you are with her, watch your words. We get critical without realizing it. I also, okay? I'll tell you that, all right? We have little, you know, prickly words, and words that stab, and all that, and why don't we just stop all that and, you know, your words, just like Jesus speaks to us is to cleanse us, to make us feel clean, not to make us feel dirty, not to burden us down with depression and heaviness, or speak in such a way produce more care. What about your children? How 'bout this for an exercise? It's so easy for us to point out their mistakes. It's so easy for us. You can find it. You look for it, you will find it.
Right now, the whole Midianites of the world, the Midianites of the world is looking out for churches they can just report. They find even a slightest whatever, they report it and they'll make it big. They'll never report on all the churches that are living for the glory of God. They will find someone. They'll find somebody, all right? That's the way the world works, amen? Bad news sells, and they want the whole world to have the impression that every church is the same, amen.
So listen, find something good and say, "Hey, I like what you did just now. When you said that to that person just now, it was very kind of you. Hey Justin, that was cool. Hey Justin, you know when you come to me and just hug me like that, I love it. I love it. And now I know why God wants us to be with Him, all right? It's for us. You know, it brings us joy just to hold you there. You don't have to say nothing, just be there". But when he does right, we don't say. When he does wrong, "You know what, just now, I must tell you this. As your father, I must tell you this, you know? Don't do this. Don't do that". Yes, we will still see that. And we love them, we want them to learn, yes.
There'll be moments like that. We call that withdrawal from your bank. Moments where you scold them is withdrawal. You keep on withdraw, withdraw, you know what's happen or not? You are Singaporeans, no one need to teach you. They're completely empty, right? Bankrupt. We put deposit. Every time you praise them, it's a deposit. So when the time comes for you, amen, to make a correction, it's always lesser than the deposit and you'll do well. So make it this week if you can, find a good point. Instead of finding fault, find something good and say it. Tell them. Do it on your wife also. Say it. "I love the way you love me. I love how your eyes close."