Follow someone. It’s good to have people over us. We need to be led. Let the Cross make you a servant. The disciples continued with Jesus in His troubles. (Luke 22:28; Hebrews 13:7; Philippians 3:18)

Speaker(s): Thomas Schaller
Sermon 12983
Date: 2025-08-27
Time: Wed 7:00 pm

 

P. Schaller –

Okay. Wow. Beautiful. We have a few visitors here. We have P. Glen Sawtelle down here. Great to see him.
P. Sterling is over here from New York. Yeah. P. Doug Pearson from Nepal and India with his
wife Beth down here. Yes. And then we have, let’s see, we have – I think I’m missing. We have
P. Rajan from Nepal. And P. Doug also. But I wanted to ask if P. Rajan could come up and just
come up. Yeah. Come on.

I don’t know if we have a map of Nepal to put up on the screen. I’m not sure if we have. Oh,
there it is. Okay. All right. This is the highest part in the world, the Himalayan mountains. And P.
Rajan lives there in Katmandu there in the red dot. And his vision is to reach every district in the
country with the Gospel. And he started it years ago.

P. Carl in India and his wife, they were praying and they were saying we want to do some
mission and God put Nepal on their heart and the met P. Rajan and his wife in a park and they
spent time and invested. And then he got P. Steven’s cassette tapes. Started to listen and learn
some English and then P. Carl was visiting and he really has done an amazing job.

He has a Bible college and a beautiful building in Katmandu. People come down from the
mountains and I think we have a picture of a bus in a mountain. It’s the most dangerous roads.
They are the most dangerous roads in the world. Google it and just think about traveling like
that in the mountains, in the Himalayan mountains and walking and motorcycles, motor
scooters and going to the villages.

When we fly out of Nepal, the mountains are very high. So, it takes, you know, when you look
down from the plane, you can see actually people on the mountains and with their cows and
little farms without electricity in many cases without the modern devices that we have.
And he was sharing this afternoon at the rap and he shared with me before that the young men
in Nepal, they can’t get good jobs. So, they go to the Middle East or they go to Indonesia or
Malaysia and they work to get some money and send it back home. And so, where are the
young men that go to Bible college and become like him and be a pastor and care for the
people? So, they have to forfeit something in order to do that. I won’t have a career or I won’t
have, I won’t travel out of the country. I’ll stay in my country because God has called me in my
country to preach the Gospel in these places.

I think we have another one (photo) of the children. It’s a Hindu country and a Buddhist country
and people are spiritually hungry. And he’s on national radio 15 minutes every week and he
gives the Gospel. Yeah, he is amazing and he’s not afraid and he’s very courageous and he
believes and he sees the power of the Gospel. Wow.

Okay. So, I don’t know. Do we have another one? Okay. That’s it. So, P. Rajan, want to say
something? Greetings.

P. Rajan –

yes, greetings from Nepal and thank you. This is P. Schaller talking about these
things. My main vision is to reach Nepal. You saw that map. In some places there is a bus. In
some places there is a road. In some places, there is no road. We have to walk. We call the bus
number, license number plate is eleven. Two legs. You know, just we need to walk. We have a
bus for the number 11. And then we have to go there.

Just I’m talking a little bit and sharing about Nepal and still 50% of the people don’t know about
Jesus. This is the thing and Pastor already talked about I’m preaching through radio, television,
and also our people go to the show, the Jesus movie, and so many people are saved watching
the Jesus movie.

This is our main role in Nepal and then we are selecting people from different parts of Nepal.
Everyone wants to go to the Middle East for work but we invite them to Bible college. Wow.
Today, we just heard about Bible college. That’s the main tool for our missionary training. Four
years of Bible college and we send them – they are ready to, after they finish the Bible college,
they are saying I’m not going to the Middle East for work. I’m going to remove areas serving the
Lord and thus we are doing these things in Nepal and just right now we have just 60
missionaries. They work on the mission field. Sixty missionaries.

And they need money for them and we are trying to raise some money for them. We started a
small business in their own village and they can do that. They can work there and earn money
for themselves and survive and then they serve the Lord. Two things only to think about it. How
to take care of your children and family with a small business like goat raising, like pig raising.
They are doing that and then serving the Lord and we are sending people to remote parts of
Nepal, you know, house to house preaching the Gospel. House to house. Here is a house.

I saw in the U.S. houses every house has two cars. In our place, there is no way. No road. They
have to walk one house to another house and we can call them. We can hear how far that it.
But if you want to walk, it takes one hour. Maybe more than one hour. People need Jesus and
that is the main thing.

Thank you for the church and P. Schaller and team are praying for us in Nepal. I’m very happy.
Secondly, why I came here. I came to one of the churches in Utah. They are supporting us. That
church invites me. You have to come in August. That’s why I came. I’m unable to come to
Convention because, you know, that time I have to go there. That’s why. Thank you, P. Schaller,
for the church. You are praying. You pray. Thank you. I’m very blessed. Thank you.

P. Schaller –

Wow. So, our theme tonight for our message is that we have to follow somebody.
So, we’re going to look at that theme. First of all, Luke 22:28 and P. Rajan said and I want to
also thank all the brothers and sisters that go to Nepal to visit and preach and teach in the Bible
college. He told me I think half of the classes are from here and then the other half they are
teaching. P. Norm has been there. P. Doug has been there a lot. P. Scibelli has been there a lot.

P. Ramere has been there and all these people that really are caring about the work in that
country and it’s in my heart. I actually believe because it happened in Korea. It was 99%
Buddhist in the year 1900. Korea was Buddhist. Now, it is 60% Christian and I would love to see
that happen in many countries in the world where people have not heard and that the Spirit of
God would do something in those places.

So, Luke 22:28. I remember in Bible school, P. Stevens read this and I – and he didn’t say much
about it – but it stuck with me. And it’s Christ before he’s there at the Last Supper time. And he
said here in vs. 28, “You are they which have continued with me in my temptations.”
So, could you memorize that with me? Just say it a few times. You are they – okay. Okay. Go
ahead. Say it. You are they – a little louder. You are they which have continued with me in my
temptations. One more time. You are they which have continued with me in my temptations.
One more time.

You are they – who are they? They are the disciples at the Last Supper. And he said, “You are
they which have continued with me in my temptations.” Okay. Then, turn with me to Hebrews 13.
Maybe could we have the iPad? Is it working? The iPad with the pen? And then turn to Hebrews
13:7. Wow. Praise the Lord. Wow. Thank you, Lord. Thank you so much. Thank you.
Vs. 7. The end result of their life, you could say. What does it say? Remember them which have
the rule over you. Now, turn to your neighbor and just say, Does anybody have the rule over
you? Turn to your neighbor and ask them that question. Does anybody have the rule over you?
Okay.

And you’re saying, No, no, nobody, not me. Nobody’s got the rule over me. And that’s maybe
your problem. That’s maybe your problem. You don’t have anybody that’s over you. Now, what
P. Rajan has seen in Nepal and if you know him and you see his faith and his story is amazing.
We had it in one of our magazines – his wife and him – and what the price they paid from
coming from Hindu families and following Christ by faith and what they went through in their
life. And I mean it’s in the article like there was a period of being rejected by the family and
being homeless.

There was a period of, you know, like a measure of not knowing about our future, not knowing
what will happen there. If you follow a man who has the character, the love, the faith, the fruit,
then I would like him to rule. I’d like him to be over me in the Lord ’cause he will help me.
It’s just like playing tennis, you know. If you have a good tennis player and he’s going to be your
coach and you want him in your life, cuz he’s going to help you in your tennis playing.

It’s a good thing. We all have people over us whether it’s your father or grandfather or your boss at
work or the president of the country or the governor of the state or the local police station, the
leader in the hospital or a doctor taking care of you. Like having somebody in your life that’s
better than you or more than you or is an example for us. That’s a good thing.

And here it is, vs. 7. Now, maybe we wouldn’t like those words, “rule over you” but get a grip
on it. Because of Moses is in town and we’re in Egypt and he’s going to get us out of here, then
I’m with him. I’m going to be part of that. By the grace of God, I’m going to move with God. And
if God has called Moses, then I want to go with him. It says in 1 Cor. 10, they were baptized
unto Moses. It’s very good and interesting.

Now, why do I bring – I’ll get to it in a minute. I want you to see something here. Who are these
leaders? Vs. 7. They are them that have spoken unto you the Word of God and that’s rare in
some cases. We can find a lot of talking. We can find a lot of news. We can find a lot of
controversy.

But if you talk to P. Rajan, he says our goal is the Gospel and that God came and he’s there in
the mountains in Nepal. And there’s 11 or 12 men around him to harass him. And he’s wise and
he ends up talking. He shared with us the story today and I love listening to him because I could
see God using him. And by the time he’s done with his talking and his story and loving them,
they hear that Jesus Christ came from heaven to die for our sins, was buried, and then rose on
the third day and overcame death so that you could have eternal life.

And when those men listened to that and they intended to harass him, but they said, You can
go. And it says in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God unto
salvation.” But some people can’t. They don’t have it. They don’t have it.

So, I wrote down a few paragraphs this afternoon. One effective pastor said to me, Sometimes I
wonder if I was not pastoring, preaching, and teaching, would I still be a servant? You know,
sometimes I could ask myself the same question. If I wasn’t preaching or pastoring, would I still
be in the third row, seventh seat, listening, taking notes, worshipping, and available to serve
the Body and encourage them in Christ? Would I do that?

I enjoy what I do very (much), but I want to believe if I was not doing these things, I would still
be a servant in the church. Szombor told me he was in Albania with P. Tony Pallotta and the team of 28 people. When he was with Tony Pallotta walking down the street, P. Tony knew so
many people. They would greet him one by one. He knew them by name. And he said in one
morning walk there must have been 12 people that greeted him and he knew their names and
he ministered to them and they would talk. I think his wife Ann Marie is our oldest and most
honored Greater Grace missionary on the field at the age of 73.

Retired men and women in our church here in Baltimore who serve. Fred Ellis, P. Arruda, P.
Sturge, Norm Pazda, Tim Flint. Many others, not to mention all the ladies that love and serve
and pray and give and go and the Body and building people up in this great vision and mission.
And we have new Bible college students that are coming here. And tomorrow night, we’ll have
a class for the whole school at 6:00, and everybody’s welcome.

But I want to talk about our schedule, our hearts, learning. I want to speak about grace and I
want to speak about being a follower and recognize the people that have the rule over me and
consider their faith.

Now, I wrote another piece about Dr. Stevens in Lenox, and many of you may not know this,
but we were in Lenox and in the years – I remember I was there from 1981, but then in 1987,
we had to leave Lenox and we came down here to Baltimore. And it’s a great study on what
happened in Lenox, what happened in our court trial, and what happened with losing our
property. What happened, what was going on in Pastor’s heart. What was going on in his mind
about the trial.

You are those that have continued with me in my temptations, Jesus said. What does it mean?
When I got in trouble. When the Pharisees were against me. You saw how I handled difficult
situations. You saw when I was resisted. You saw me in trouble. You saw me under stress. You
saw me with the woman at the well. You saw me when I was preaching and very popular.
Now, you are with me at the dark end of things. You are with me in the dark end, in the bad
time. So, we got the news. The trustee took over the property (in Lenox). I stayed a little while
longer to be helpful. But I remember walking with pastor to his car with a briefcase and a
suitcase to go to the airport.

And I remember and he said – I don’t know if I said it or he said it. I don’t remember. There
were a couple of us with him going to the airport in Albany, New York. And I remember he said,
Well, we can have a Bible school in a garage somewhere. Yeah, pastor. Because this is our
mission. This is what we’re doing with or without the property. It’s in our hearts. We walk by
faith. We’re not perfect. It says you follow their faith.

Is P. Rajan a perfect man? I’m sure he isn’t, though. I don’t know. I think he might be. But, no. I
don’t know. I’m sure he isn’t. But he has a mission. He has a vision. And he wants to reach every part of Nepal with the Gospel and he wants to see it preached with the grace of God and the
salvation of a soul. And that’s how we left Lenox. And we didn’t know what would happen. We
didn’t know that 800 families would move down here to Baltimore to form this church.

Essentially the same church that was up there in Lenox. We didn’t know that. I didn’t know
that. I think he was very surprised that the Spirit of God was working so deeply in the hearts of
people that they would say I will continue with you in your temptation. And this is not about
following a man. I think it is in a way but in another way. And I’m so thankful I got a man that I
can follow.

A lot of people don’t have any or they got bad people to follow. Or they’ve got disappointments
to follow or something twisted or wrong or messed up or unkind or anger or hatred or jealousy
or something like that. But these people and they should be in your life and they may not be up
here on the pulpit. I hope so in some measure.

But they are also people that are in our books. There are men and women of God in our history
books. There are men and women of God. And though they have gone on, still we can follow
Samson and Abraham and Moses. Still we can follow Japheth and David and Noah. Still we can
follow Sarah and Deborah. And still we can follow Amy Carmichael and other people of God.

Who are you following? And what’s the end game? It’s to build up the Body. It’s to be a servant
and that is to see the Gospel to go into parts of the world. By the way, north of his country is
China and in China there’s a place called Tibet and there’s a city there. The capital of Buddhism
is Lassa, Tibet. And that’s for us, we could say, one of the ends of the world. And why not target
the end of the world and of course and in our prayers.

Though we are not that great. That’s the amazing thing about this. We are not that – So, then
we moved down here to Baltimore and then we had some rough years – 2003, 2005 – rough
times. We had pastor’s health was failing. He had difficulties in that we had problems here in
the church in different ways. There was a vacuum in the leadership in a measure and I don’t
blame anybody for it. I accept it is from God and have to be wise and to be prayerful and
undoubtedly, we will have more difficulties.

What year are we at now? Isn’t it 2025? Right. We had any trouble lately? Yeah, we had a little
bit. I wonder what year I should put down. Maybe the covid year and now to this year. And we
will have others. But you know what happened after this time we came down here in 1989?
And we’ve got Carl Silva comes from India. We have Donnie Fischer comes from Ohio to go to
Bible college. Some of our hardest times have produced the best times. And that’s how we
should look at our church life, how we should look at what we are doing and also look into the
future.

So, when I was 20 years old and in Bible college, so I’ll write this down, too. So, let’s see. I was
20 years old. We could put any number of people in there. And in Bible college, I looked around
and I saw a lot of things that kind of rubbed me the wrong way. What’s that all about? This is up
in Maine in our first Bible school, the Northeast School of the Bible.

I graduated three years later and I went to Finland and I might have had an attitude. I can do it
better. I see the weaknesses. Maybe I can do it better. But then God humbled me very quickly
just by living there in Finland and learned how hard it is to lead somebody to Christ or how hard
it is to be consistent and faithful.

But P. Stevens was consistent and faithful and he taught me about having a schedule and he
taught me about discipline and stop your complaining and stop your whining. Grow up and
become a mature person. And I’ll throw this in there. He didn’t say this. Because we need
people to go to the mountains in Nepal. And by the way, you heard me tell a story about him.
How he wouldn’t let a hot water heater be in the Bible school. Remember that? Is that right,
pastor? How about it? Did you hear the story? Okay. Okay.

What am I saying? This is just a few thoughts for tonight. Just I hope it helps you. I love who we
are. And we didn’t get here and become who we are by just being naturally minded. For it says
in Philippians 3, “I say this even weeping that some of you are enemies of the cross of Christ. Look at
Php. 3 and we’ll read that together.

Philippians 3:18, you know what makes you a servant? The cross. That will make you a servant. You
have to learn to live with the cross and deny your flesh, your arrogance, your personal
preferences. I remember up in Maine when I was in Bible college, the music wasn’t my
preference. Kind of hokey country maybe a little bit and a little bit of another kind.

Then it was like, you know, and the pastor said, you don’t have any right to be a critic of the
music. These people are singing to the glory of God and they’re doing the best they can by the
glory, by faith. And you honor their faith and you are a discerner of their spirit and you
understand their heart and you’re not their critic. But you become a servant. Either you’re a
critic or you’re a servant. Either you tear down or you build up. Either you are part of the team
or you’re not part of. Either you gather or you scatter. That’s the cross. Okay.

So, Philippians 3 says, “many walk.” And I could say this in the United States of America. I could
say it in Nepal. Many walk. You say in any country of the world, anywhere in the world. India.
Anywhere in the world. Many walk of whom I have told you often and I tell you even weeping.
They are the enemies of the cross and all they can talk about is money. All they can talk about is
their work, their career, their house, their patio furniture, their car, their vacation, the
temperature, the climate. They’ll talk about food until the day goes. They will talk about all
kinds of things. And they are enemies of knowing God cuz you can’t know God without a cross.

And a cross is an attitude of surrender. And then our conversation becomes more. We can talk
about our cars and our football team and so on, but is that all that we talk about? How about
it? is that all that we talk? No. We went to Bible school to learn to talk about the Bible and to
have the Bible and to be interested in God and talk about the Bible and talk about God and talk
about prayer and talk about lost people and talk about the power of God and salvation and
being Spirit-fi8lled and talk about serving and loving and that’s what we are trained to do.

And if we are learning by walking with Jesus then in the dark hour, he will look at them and say,
you are those – and you know, he might have just wept for a moment. I don’t know. But you
are those, you are my friends. You stayed with me in my temptations. You stayed in the fight.
You stayed with me. Now, it’s not good. He goes on. He goes, it’s not good. You’re all going to
forsake me. You’re not good right now.

But I’m coming back. I’m coming back and I’m sending the Comforter and you’re going to walk
with me and you’re going to know me and you’re going to have a ministry. And James is there
and he’s going to be killed by Herod. And John is there and he lives the longest. And they all had
their story. But they at the end of the day, you could say, I met the man. I met the man that
changed my life and I followed him and so have you.

Blessed are those that have not seen him, but actually you believe in him and you do know him,
cuz you are those that also take up the cross. And when you take up the cross, you can sit in the
third row and look like I don’t belong here or I don’t have anything to do or I’m not important
or I don’t have a door with my name on it or nobody knows me or recognizes me. But that’s
okay. That’s okay. I’m a follower of Christ. That’s okay. I’m learning. I’m going to know God. I’m
going to know God by taking up the cross. I’m going to know God by being there and being
faithful to what he is saying and follow him with all my heart.

Hey, we got some growing up to do. Some are really awesome and mature believers and some
of us we’re on the right road. We definitely are on the right road and we’re making great
decisions. So when you are you, you might have a lot of good ideas and you might have a lot to
contribute and a lot to give and God will raise you up and he might take you through the cross
and through a very dark hour.

And he might take you through – he wants you to mature in a deeper way and go deep with
God. And come back. And be there. And walk with God deeply. And if you can’t do it here, then
you go find where God wants you to be and you be in a place as a servant. Not as a critic. As a
servant. And you are a servant and learning how to serve. Out of your belly will flow a river of
living water.

Elisha followed Elijah. Joshua followed Moses. Paul followed Timothy. People in Nepal are
following Rajan. Rajan is following Binu and the Indian leadership and us and it’s the Body. And
it happens like that. And I’m very thankful tonight that I can stand here and say these things
from my heart and I’m very thankful that the Lord allowed by his grace for us to be part of what
he’s doing.

We’re not the only one. We’re not perfect. That’s the point. We could say to Jesus, How, why
did we get here? What’s going on? You’re going. What? We are in a tense moment. It’s a dark
time. How did we get, how did we mess us, Jesus? How come we’re in this situation? How did
you do, why did you do this to us? Why did you do this to us? The Lord is saying, okay. You
know. Maybe one day you will understand. Maybe one day you will see and understand.

And to the new students here, I’m so glad you’re here. It’s a great school, guys. We have a great
mission. We have a great message. We have great people. And we have a great God, the
greatest of all, God. And with a Great Commission, with a great purpose to live your life for a
purpose that’s beyond us with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that was God that died on the
cross and was raised from the dead. And that is God who commissioned us to live this life this
way by faith. And it was God that sends people into the highways and byways and has sent us
here to the city of Baltimore. Okay. Amen. Amen.

I got to do one more shout out. Okay. Like don’t sit around and get in the habit of living a
natural, American life. Don’t get in the habit of sitting around and being high and lofty in your
tower of your arrogance and power and authority and opinion and judging. Get real low and
take up the cross and follow Jesus and the Holy Spirit will come out of your heart and you’ll be
saying good things with love and care about others. And stop talking all the time every day
about your troubles. Every day about the government or the social things or the news and
everything about the negative stuff and all that.

But let’s seek the things that are above and let your conversation not be on the earth but your
conversation in heaven where they’re talking about Jesus Christ and his authority and his liberty
and his love. And get in the Body serving and then and God will send you if he wants to. He
sends us anyways here, but he can send us abroad, too. But he does it with servants. Okay.
Amen.

 

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