Another Level - Next Level Growth

Here are the main takeaways from this sermon!

1 Corinthians 13:11

“As an individual, I need to grow.”

Not just in age, not just in routine, but in maturity.

Paul speaks clearly: “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”

Growth is not automatic—it is a choice.

Understanding Real Love

1 Corinthians 13:4–7

This kind of love requires maturity.

Patience. Kindness. Selflessness. Endurance.

You cannot live out this love with a childish mindset. Children respond from emotion and impulse. They see only what’s in front of them, not the bigger picture.

Paul wasn’t just describing love, he was calling the church higher. He was calling them to maturity.

Childish Thinking vs. Mature Thinking

• A child says: “What can I get?”

• A mature person asks: “What can I give?”

• A child reacts emotionally.

• A mature person responds with wisdom.

• A child lives from experience alone.

• A mature person understands purpose and perspective.

When we come into church only wanting to receive, we remain in a childlike state.

Growth begins when we shift from consuming to contributing.

Religion vs. Relationship

Religion is routine without transformation. It’s showing up without growing. But God is not calling us to routine. He’s calling us into relationship, and relationship requires development.

The Stages of Growth (Individually & as a Church)

Infant Stage – Completely dependent

Toddler Stage – Learning,

Child Stage – Growing, but still self-centered

Teenager / Young Adult – Developing identity, learning responsibility

Adult Stage – Mature, stable, and able to reproduce growth in others

The true sign of maturity?

You can help grow others.

The Turning Point: A Decision

“When I became a man…”

That wasn’t just time passing, that was a decision made. If you don’t choose to grow, you won’t. Standing still is not neutral, it’s falling behind.

And the danger is this:

If you don’t transition when it’s time, you may look back with regret.

Every situation God places you in is not meant to break you—it’s meant to grow you.

When God allows something in your life, He’s saying:

“You can do this. You’re ready for the next level.”

So the question is not: “Am I able?”

The question is: “Will I choose to grow?”

Mothers Day Special - The Mother Who Refuses to Do It Without God

Here are the main takeaways from this sermon!

1. She Made Room for God Before the Miracle

2 Kings 4:8–10

The woman repeatedly welcomed the prophet into her home and even built a room for him. If you create space for God, He will fill it.

This woman honoured God before she ever saw a blessing. Just like the declaration in Joshua 24:15

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Every act of faith plants a seed:

• Every prayer

• Every Bible study

• Every conversation about God

You may not see it yet, but seeds are being planted.

2. Waiting Is the Soil Where Faith Grows

Waiting often feels like nothing is happening. But waiting is like planting a seed. Under the soil, roots are forming.

Sometimes God allows waiting because:

• Your blessing is bigger than you expected.

• He is preparing you to carry it.

The woman eventually receives the promised child (2 Kings 4:17 ).

3. Even After the Blessing, Faith Is Still Required

The child suddenly becomes sick and dies (2 Kings 4:19–20).

Motherhood and life in general has two sides:

For example: Joy vs Fear

Even Mary experienced this as she watched Jesus Christ go to the cross, fulfilling the prophecy in Luke 2:35 that a sword would pierce her soul. Blessings do not eliminate struggles.

4. She Put the Problem Back in God’s Hands

Instead of accepting the loss, the woman carried the problem back to God.

When asked if everything was alright, she said it was well

(2 Kings 4:26). When you have faith even if I don’t understand the situation, God is still working.

Because Romans 8:28 reminds us that all things work together for good for those who love God. When God is involved, the story is never over.

5. God Specialises in Complete Restoration

The prophet stretches himself over the boy and life returns

(2 Kings 4:34–36).

The boy sneezes seven times. In the Bible, 7 represents completion. This was not a partial healing. This was complete restoration.

Just like when Jesus Christ called Lazarus out of the grave in the Gospel of John.

When Jesus speaks:

• Dead dreams come back to life

• Dead faith comes back to life

• Hopeless situations come back to life

Death never has the final word.

God gave the woman back the one thing she thought she had lost.

And sometimes God doesn’t just bless you once, He restores you again. Your story is not over if you involve Jesus.

When you refuse to live your life without God, He can take what looks dead, broken, or impossible and bring it back to life.

Identity Crisis- Built to Last

Here are the main takeaways from this sermon!

1. The Danger of Pretending to Be Someone You Are Not

If you are going to be built to last, you cannot continue pretending to be someone you are not.

In Book of Genesis 27:11–12 and Genesis 27:16–17, Jacob disguises himself as Esau. His mother Rebekah even participates in the deception, covering him with goat skins so he feels like his brother.

This moment reveals something deeper than deception.

It reveals an identity crisis.

Many people don’t even realise when their identity crisis began. Often it starts in childhood, through expectations, comparison, or the desire to gain approval.

And the most dangerous part is this:

When you are in an identity crisis, you may not even know it.

2. The Question We Must All Face: Who Are You?

When you strip away all the pretences, who are you?

The person you hide is often the person you really are.

Ask yourself:

• Is that person saved?

• Is that person confident?

• Or is that person suppressed?

Another important question is:

Who don’t you want to be?

Sometimes we try to become someone else because we are uncomfortable with who we are.

3. Living According to a Name

Jacob’s name literally means “supplanter” or “one who takes the place of another.” And eventually, he begins to live according to that name. When someone plays the role of another person, it often reveals something deeper: They do not like who they are.

4. Comparison Creates Confusion

In Book of Genesis 25:27–28, we see a contrast between Jacob and Esau.

* Esau was physically strong, a hunter, a man of the field.

* Jacob was quiet and thoughtful, dwelling in tents.

Jacob had strengths.

But the problem was not his qualities.

The problem was comparison.

His father Isaac, favoured Esau. That favouritism created something inside Jacob, An emptiness. Meanwhile, Rebekah spent more time with Jacob and loved him deeply. This created a divided home.

And where there is comparison, there is often confusion of identity.

5. The Need for Acceptance

Many identity crises are really about acceptance. When a child feels that who they are is not enough, they begin to perform. Jacob put fur on his skin and clothes to imitate Esau because he wanted to impress his father. But if children must pretend to impress their parents, their confidence is slowly destroyed.

6. Pretending Changes Who You Become

When you pretend to be something you are not, something dangerous happens. You become worse than the thing you are pretending to be.

While trying to become Esau, Jacob became:

• a manipulator

• someone who took advantage of others

• someone who deceived his own

The man who spent his life pretending finally discovers who he truly is.

7. The Cost of Identity Crisis

After deceiving Isaac, what did Jacob gain?

He lost:

• His relationship with his brother Esa

• His closeness with his mother Rebekah

• His home

He became a man on the run because he was running from his identity, he ended up spending 14 difficult years working for Laban. When you try to become someone else, you can end up robbing yourself of years of your life just to gain acceptance.

8. Wrestling With God for Identity

Eventually Jacob reaches a breaking point. In Book of Genesis 32, he wrestles with God. And in that moment, God changes his name. Jacob becomes Israel. The man who spent his life pretending finally discovers who he truly is.

9. The Invitation of Christ

Many people are tired because they are exhausted from pretending.

And as Jesus Christ says in Gospel of Matthew 11:28:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

A tired person is often an angry person. A tired person is often a frustrated person. But Christ offers rest because Christ accepts you.

Christ has already died for you.

You do not need to live in an identity crisis because God renews your identity.

You don’t need to pretend.

You don’t need to perform.

In Christ, you can finally become who God created you to be.