7 Virtues for Persistent Productivity

All around the world, men and women, people of all ages, have witnessed the awesome manifestation of God's presence, power and His love rendered in words, words beyond the written pages.
Why are we preaching like this?
Why do we travel all around the world, preaching the gospel?
Because Jesus is coming again.
and he left us with a message to tell the untobes.
A message for the whole world.
This message of faith in God and his unfailing word has brought about change in the lives of millions around the world, an improvement that brings many more to such meetings with the Man of God, knowing that their lives will never be the same again.
Today, we bring you excerpts from a special meeting with our Man of God, Pastor Chris.
Pastor Chris, we're hearing.

Seven virtues for persistent productivity.

I'm discussing with you seven virtues for persistent productivity.
You know, these things are in the Bible.
Remember, because it's I.E.
of flourishing, we said, there are three things we expect.
All right, what are they?
Tell me.
Number one.
Luxury and growth.
Number two.
Significant attainance.
And number three.
Persistent productivity.
persistent productivity.
I want to talk to you about that.
Seven virtues for persistent productivity.
I can be persistently productive.
God doesn't want us to live on productive lives.
He doesn't want us to live on productive lives.
He wants us to be successful in everything.
Listen, never live your life according to someone's experience of life.
Live your life according to what God's word says.
Personalize it.
All right, you ready to go?
Hmm, I'd love to give you the background.
The background, let's look at it.
John chapter 15, St.
John's Gospel, chapter 15, I wanna read two, no, no, three verses, verses two, five, and eight.
So let's go with verse two.
St.
John chapter 15, verse two.
Jesus is talking here.
And he says, every branch in me that bear it not fruit, he take it away.
And every branch that bear it fruit, he hudged it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
And by the way, in the first verse, he said, I am the vine, all right?
He says, you,
My father is the husband, and that's the vine dresser.
And then he tells you, you are the branches.
So if you go to verse five, you'll see that.
Go to verse five.
In the vine, he are the branches.
All right?
Okay.
In verse two, he says, every branch in me that bear it not fruits, he take it away.
The father takes it away.
But every branch that buried fruit, he hedged it.
The right word is true.
He prunes it that it may bring forth more fruit.
Now, go to verse 8.
Read it for me.
Want to go.

Herein is my father, glorified that he bear much fruit.
So shall you be my disciples.
God wants us to bear much fruit.
He wants us to be productive.
Collosian's chapter one and verse number 10.

That you might walk worthy of the Lord onto all pleas in being fruitful in every good work.
Being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
Fruitful in every good work.
All right.
Now, we're going to open our theme scripture from 2 Peter, chapter 1, beginning with verse 5.
Second Peter chapter one, and from verse five.
And beside this, given all diligence, add to your faith, virtue.
Wonderful.
Maybe we should read from verse one to verse four.
You know, this is verse five.
So we can get the context of his presentation.
So can we go to verse one?
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained light precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ.
Look at that, obtained light precious faith, obtained.
They got it.
How did they get it?
I'll come back to that.
Obtain.
They eat it up.
Obtains.
Good.
Verse two.
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you.
Grace and peace be what?
Multiplied unto you by prayer and fasting?
No.
By crying loud to God?
No.
By begging and pleading?
No.
How?
How can grace and peace be multiplied in your life?
Through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Next verse, according to this divine power, hath given unto us, we didn't get it by ourselves.
His power made that available to us.
According to this divine power had given unto us all things, all things, not some things, all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him that had called us to glory and virtue.
This is amazing.
Think about it.
Think about it.
Think about it.
Look at that verse.
Look at how powerful that verse is.
I want you to see it.
according to this divine power has given unto us.
He's not trying to do it.
He's already done it, has given unto us.
He didn't say he shall give unto us.
It's not a promise.
It's not a promise.
He's already done it in Christ Jesus.
He's already done it.
Remember last week we dealt with a verse where he said, you remember it?
that we have received not the Spirit of the Word, but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God, which things also in the next verse, we speak.
Look at that.
A cutness is divine power, hearts given unto us.
All things that pertain unto life and godliness.
All things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Him that had called us the glory of God.
How?
How?
He did it through the epignosis.
Knowledge there is translated from the word epignosis.
It means absolute knowledge.
It comes by revelation.
Absolute knowledge.
It's referring to specialized knowledge that's based on relationship.
That's epistemosis.
It's a knowledge that relates with that which is known.
Very important.
through the knowledge of Him that had called us to glory and virtue.
God has not called us to shame.
God has not called us to pain.
God has not called us to sickness.
God has not called us to reproach.
God has not called us to judgment.
God has called us to glory and virtue.
Hallelujah.
Excellence.
What a life.
Okay, so this is so powerful.
Verse four, oh boy.
whoever are given under us, exceeding great and precious promises that by these, he might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through loss.
Now, this is just to show you how we got to verse five, okay?
We obtained like precious faith.
And so now in verse five, he says, and beside this, given all diligence, given all diligence,
He says, do this diligently.
Add to your face.
He gave you faith.
Now he tells you to add something to your face.
He gave you faith.
You obtained light precious faith with the apostles.
Glory to God.
Okay.
How did you get faith?
How did he come to you?
Romans chapter 10 verse 17.
So then faith cometh by what?
Hearing and hearing, by the word of God.
I like this one.
Did you notice he didn't say faith cometh by hearing and hearing the word of God?
There's this faith coming by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
Because what if you don't hear?
What if you're deaf?
Hearing will come by the Word.
That's what he started.
How did Jesus open the deaf ears?
He put his fingers into the deaf ears.
He says, be open and they were open.
That was the word.
How do we open deaf ears today?
Same thing.
I put my fingers into the deaf ears and I said, be open.
Or I said, be on stopped.
And that's it.
And they get open.
Hearing comes by the word.
And so when you can hear, faith comes by hearing.
Faith comes by hearing.
Like you're listening now, faith is coming to you.
That faith is coming to you.
You know some people say, I don't know.
I just don't have faith.
My faith is so little.
Faith comes by hearing.
Fear also comes by hearing.
Fear is faith in reverse.
Fear is faith in your adversaries.
Fear is faith in the power and the ability of advanced circumstances or enemies.
You have faith in the ability to hurt you.
That's fear.
You hear a sound in the night.
And you shake it.
Why do you think that thing can destroy you?
You have faith in their ability.
You lost faith in your ability and in God's ability.
You have faith in their ability.
That's fear.
Fear is fate in reverse.
Faith against yourself.
That's fear.
So next time fear tries to attack you, reverse it.
have faith in your ability, have faith in God's ability, not in the ability of adversity or enemies.
Say, I can do all things.
Hallelujah.
All right, where are we?
Come on, end beside us, given all diligence, add to your faith, add to your faith, virtue.
What does it mean virtue?
Virtue, it means moral goodness.
That means principle.
It means living by principles.
Set standards for yourself.
That's what it's saying.
You know, some people have no principles.
They just live.
They just live every day without praying supports.
God says, ah!
Oh, okay.
Maybe we should read the whole thing so you know why we're reading this and how it relates with the topic.
Okay?
You ready?
Let's go.
Embesigners, given all diligence, are to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you and abound, they, not God, they,
They make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Isn't that amazing?
If this thing's being you and abound, they make you, but it shall neither be barren nor unfruitful.
That's what persistent productivity.
Glory to God.
He says, add these seven virtues.
Add them to your faith and your life will not be unproductive.
Add them to your faith and your life will not be barren.
There will be no unfruitfulness in your life.
Add these seven to your faith and watch your life grow persistently.
That means irrespective of the conditions.

I just keep growing.
Nothing stops me.
I can't imagine not growing.
It's inconsistent with my nature.
I'm always making progress.
I'm always moving forward.
Makes no difference to me who the adversaries are.
Makes no difference to me who the critics are.
In fact, if you're not doing something serious, if you don't have critics, your life is small.
You know, there are people who are afraid of criticism.
They're so afraid.
Listen, the more powerful your critics are, the more glorious your life really is.
You never get angry with your critics.
No, they're ignorant.
That's the problem.
If they knew the truth, they'll be with you.
Hallelujah.
Yeah?
So make your life what's criticizing.

Very important, very important, very important.

Every meeting with the man of God is an appointment with divinity.
The atmosphere is always saturated with God's presence, and every word is ministered to bless.
We hear words for life, words that point us in the right direction.
You are watching Pastor Chris teaching.
Seven virtues for persistent productivity.
God doesn't want us to live on productive lives.
He wants us to be successful in everything.
God has not called us to shame.
God has not called us to pain.
God has not called us to sickness.
God has not called us to reproach.
God has not called us to judgment.
God has called us to glory and virtue.
seven virtues for persistent productivity.

Come on here.
All right, we read it so we know where we're going now, okay?
So let's go back to verse five.
He says, besides this, given all diligence, do this seriously, painstaking efforts.
All right, diligence, diligence.
Not something you do two hours and then you forget it.
No, put some effort into it.
Add to your faith.
God's already given you faith through the word.
You got faith from here in the word.
This is add to your faith virtue.
Principles, moral goodness, moral excellence.
bring some excellence into your life.
Have some standards from the Word of God.
We're not talking about man-made standards, man-made principles.
Now we're talking about God's Word, from God's Word.
Lift the standard of your life from the Word of God.
For example, the Bible tells us that Jesus went to the house of God.
He says he went to the synagogue as his custom was.
It was his custom to go there.
Is that your custom?
Some people go to church if they feel like it.
And then if they don't feel like it, they don't go.
No standards.
Barris is as his custom was.
It was customary for Jesus to go.
He went to the house of God.
He was His custom to do so.
You've got to have that kind of life, that kind of principle.
It's church time.
I'm going.
Not if I'll go if I'm not too tired.
That means your life is just wrong according to your feelings.
No, ah, he says moral goodness to your life.
Standouts, principles for living.
Add that to your life.

Principles.
Don't just fall asleep anywhere they find you.
Principles.
Standouts.
Standards.
That's what he's saying.
Add that to your life.
Add that to your life.
Not accidentally studying of the Word of God.
No, decide you're going to be studying the Word.
You know, set your targets.
Study the Word.
So he says, add to your faith virtue.
All right, and to virtue, knowledge.
Now, the word translated knowledge here is from the word the Greek word nasis, which means it's dealing with scientific knowledge, knowledge that you gather from study.
That's what he's talking about, just from information, gain more information, learn more.
See, learn more.
Don't be ignorant, acknowledge.
I acknowledge, like I'm sharing with you right now, you're gaining information, you're gaining knowledge.
You can go back and study more.
Then open your mind, be more versatile, because the word here is nothing.
It's not dealing here with revelation knowledge.
Be more versatile.
There's some people that just don't know nothing.
All they know is what they studied in school for exam.
So, having done, learn a little about everything.
You get it?
Yeah, learn a little about everything.
Just open your mind to knowledge.
Be informed.
I'm not talking about news.
I want to know what's going on around me.
You're saturating your life with fear because all they got to give you there is fear.
Do you understand that if it doesn't, they call it something, what's the news?
If it's not what's the news, they wouldn't take it.
What is what's the news?
You come and tell them, there was an accident on the highway.
Is that news?
Then you say, 10 people died.
That's news.
It was an accident, nobody died, everything took care, say you have no news, get out.
See, so what if you saturate your life with all those kind of things fear will be building up in your life?
That you don't want that, do you?
No.
All right, where's the verse?
Keep the verse there, keep it there.
So he says, beside us, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue, and virtue, knowledge, get some more knowledge, learn something, learn some more, read, study, don't be ignorant, God doesn't want you ignorant.
All right, and to knowledge, temperance, what's temperance?
The Greek is Angracia.
Angracia means holding yourself in, it means self-control.
Self-control, holding yourself in.
You know restraint?
Some people, I mean their hands are moving like, you just say something.
They're very fast.
Have you seen that guy that's driving and then maybe somebody drives rough and they can come out of the car?
And if the windows are wound up, then they do like this.
Say, your father.

Can you imagine that?
Because they can't get at you.
They are so angry, so mad.
And you know what?
You do this to that guy.
He's angry because you did this to him.
He's his fingers.
Why are you bothered?
Why are you bothered?

God to knowledge what?
Temperance.
God wants you to have self-control, self-control, self-control, temperance.
Hold yourself in.
Hold yourself in.
Self-control.
Don't say you don't know it.
Listen, God is not expecting you to get these things from outside.
No, they're in your spirit.
What is saying is, hey, pick them up.
Pick them up within you.
They're in your spirit.
Activate them.
When you're born again, you're born with these things inside you.
Activate them.
The abilities are in you.
That's what I told you about knowledge.
Knowledge is not just, I'm reading this and I'm reading that, I'm reading that.
No.
In reality, did you know that the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the embodiment of all wisdom and knowledge?
Did you know that?
Do you know how much information can come to you from meditation?

Oh, what meditation has done for me?
I could tell you lots and lots of things.
Lots and lots of things.
But not today.
Not today.
How much we have in the recesses of our spirits.
How much we have inside us.
You will be amazed.
A world of knowledge and wisdom resides inside you.
Glory to God.
All right, so add to knowledge, 10 brands, self-control, self-control.
Oh, yeah, I'd like to give you a scripture in that one.
Proverbs chapter 25.
I want to read verse 28.
Proverbs chapter 25 and verse 28.
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a setting that is broken down and without wars.
Aye!

She's got five children and all five children belong to five different men.
Think about it.
She's got five boyfriends.
She's left with every one of them.
What's our problem?
Self-control.
Self-control.
Everywhere he goes, he steals something.
Self-control, he doesn't have it.
He has no rule over his spirit.
This is related to the first one.
He's got no principles.

Look at it, he that had no rule over his own spirits.
He's like a city that is broken down and without wars.
And back in those days, they always built wars to defend their city.
To have a city without wars meant anybody could just come in.
What life?
What life are you living?
No self-control?
You have principles in your life, kind of self-control.
You're told, do you just use your mouth?
Say, if I talk to you, my mouth, my mouth.
They're even proud of it.
They're proud that their mouth can pour out dirty words, terrible words.
Say, if I use my mouth for you, your mouth was not given to you for cussing.
Your mouth was given to you to build your life, to build a future, and to build others.
But when you don't know, you train yourself.
Some people just sat studying bad words, terrible words, so they can use them against other people.
I found one.
What life do you want to live?
Do you have rule over your spirit?
They have control over your spirit.
All right, next one.
What's the next one?
Add to knowledge, temperance, and the temperance, patience.
Patience, what's patience?
What's patience?
Patience is simple.
Everybody knows patience, right?
So what is patience?
What is patience?
What is it?
What is it?
You're adding patience to temperance.
You're adding patience to temperance to self-control.
So what is patience?
Endurance, enduring, trying circumstances with calmness, right?
With an even temper, without getting angry.
without annoyance, right?
Yes, you can endure trying circumstances, whatever they may be, without getting frustrated.
Patience, so he tells us, I'm not a patient person at all, don't try my patience.
No, you are.
It's in your spirit.
That's what God is asking you to add it to your faith.
Now that you've got faith, add patience to it.
Learn the steadfast calmness of the spirits.
Put it to work.
Add it to your faith.
You'd be amazed at the results.
Glory to God.
See, the things that God tells us to do, they're so simple, so simple.
He never tells us to do difficult things.
They're so simple.
All right.
The next one is what?
Godliness.
Look at it.
He says, patience to what?
Temperance.
And to patience, godliness.
What is godliness?
Godliness is so simple.
Greek is a beer.
It just means piety.
piety.
Glory to God.
Reverence.
You know what that is?
Reverence.
Some people are irreverent.
No, God wants you to be reverent.
Add some piety to your life.

A Christian has
Ah, an expression of reverence.
Remember, you're always in the presence of God.
Never forget that.
You're always in the presence of God and in the presence of angels.
See, I'm always in the presence of God and in the presence of angels.
So, I'm careful about my life.
Now, careful, they just means doing the right thing, consciously.
OK?
Consciously.
Have some piety, not only when you come to church.

Have some people who are just rough.
In Christianity, you start building a character.
You start building a life.
They're just some things you don't do anymore, not because they're bad, but because they're not excellent.
Do you get it?
You stop doing them because they're not excellent.
You bring excellence into your life.
Hallelujah.
All right, then the sixth one is what?
Is this unto godliness?
Brotherly kindness.
Brotherly kindness.
Oh.
Brotherly kindness.
What is brotherly kindness?
Fraternal affection.
You're dealing with learning to be helpful in a brotherly way, like you're helping your brothers and sisters in the world.
Kind-heartedness.
How many of you are kind?
Let me see your name.
Are you kind?
Say it again.
Are you kind?
Do those around you think you are kind?
Do you know anybody who thinks you are not really kind?
Did you say yes?
Yes, sometimes there are some people who may think you're not kind, but were you really kind to them or you were not?
Practice kindness, practice it.
It will not come by itself.
You've got to practice it.
These things are telling you to add is actually saying, practice them.
Put them to work.
Put them to work.
If you will put them to work, there are other things.
that these will cost to happen.
For example, he says, oh, we'll conclude it when you see it.
To brotherly kindness, what do you add?
The word is the Greek agape.
It actually means love.
So in most of the other translations outside of King James, they'll translate it love, charity, love.
That's number seven.
Did you notice?
So what are they?
Number one.
Number two.
Number three.
Number four.
Number five.
Number six.
And number seven.
And the Bible tells us in verse 8, if these things be in you and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
All right.
Now, did you notice in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ?
That's the word it ignores us again.
By the way, I want you to read it from the new national version.
Can we have it in the NIV?
So, really again, want to go.

Hallelujah.
I want you to read it one more time.

Let me tell you something.
It was somewhere between 1980 and 1981.
I was studying the Bible, and I came across this verse.
I was so inspired.
I knew I had it made.
I said, this means I'll always be productive.
I just knew I would be a success.
I was reading the Bible.
I came across this.
So I went and I studied all those things that he said to add.
What's yours ago?
And for several months, I will be studying this.
Reading it again and again.
That's what I told from 1981.
This portion of the Bible meant so much to me.
By the way, that's how many years ago.
Calculate it.
How many years?
Again, 36 years ago.
That's amazing.
So I studied this and I knew I was going to be very successful.
Look at it.
It's simple.
It's God's Word.
Look at it.
He says, if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you.
And I made up my mind.
I was going to have them in increasing measure.
In other words, I was going to continue and grow in them.
He says, they, not God, they, these seven things will keep you from being ineffective.
They will keep you from being ineffective.
and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So in my study about Jesus, in my relating with Jesus, because I'm putting these things to work, it's impossible for me to be unproductive, or to be unfruitful.
Make your life a practical life.
I hear of me.
Put this to work, you'll be amazed.
The next five years, the level at which you'll be doing things, we far, far beyond what you're doing now.
You just keep growing.
Just keep adding five years down.
I'm gonna be much bigger than I am today.
I always grew bigger and bigger and bigger.
I'm not talking about my physical body.
No.
I'm talking about in my influence.
I'm talking about in everything that concerns me.
You've got to have dominion for the gospel.
Are you hearing me?
Be successful for the gospel.
Hallelujah.

We trust you are blessed by this message.
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Thank you.
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