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Is that it? Is that the best you got? Come on. Come on my soul, don't you get shy on

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me. Lift up those hands. Come on, amen. He's a good good Savior, isn't he? Amen, amen, amen.

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Well, glory. You can be seated if you can, I guess. There's a stirring in the atmosphere.

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Hallelujah. I came in yesterday morning, dropped Sister Kathy off about, I don't know, 945 for

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their brunch and ladies prayer time and run back to the house before it got too hot and cut the

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grass. Well, right before I could get back into the garage with the mower, of course, you know, it

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run out of gas. And so I texted her, I said, Hey, I'll just come by and pick you up. I got to go get

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some lawnmower gas. So that's about 1130. I figured about an hour they all be about finished, you

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know. Well, I've come in my door down there at the end and I can hear the roar coming down the

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hall. I thought, huh, so I eased up that way a little bit. They were just really starting to

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wax pretty warm in prayer. And so I went on back down to the office and about 12 o'clock, I thought,

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well, they were about to finish up. It just getting louder. About 15 after 12, I text Pastor Brian,

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they were driving back from Indianapolis. I said, Hey, they getting in it down there.

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And then I thought, well, I heard them come out and I thought, well, they done. Well, I come out

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the door about the time to see them come around that corner, headed this away. And I went back,

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got my office. I text Pastor Brian, I said, I started to say something to him, but I was afraid

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he'd grabbed me, pull me in. You had to be prayed up already to get into that. And there's in here

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for a while. I don't know about 1230. They finally wound down, but I told him, I said, look, next

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month I'm going to bring paint pans and rollers. If you're going to pray the paint off the wall,

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you'll put it back on before you leave. Hallelujah. There's a stirring in the atmosphere.

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There's a stirring in the atmosphere. God's at work. God's moving.

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He's stirring our hearts to get on our face and on our knees, to intercede,

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to pray with supplication, to put the war paint on. Amen. Enter into some spiritual warfare.

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How many know the enemies out there raging? Well, greater is he that's in you than he that's in

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this world is all I got to say for you. The Lord been good to you? Has he blessed you this past week?

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Has he blessed you this past week? Well, just pay your tithe and give an offering.

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Coming up in August, it's the 18th, the Sunday, the 18th. Is that cutting it close?

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Sister Stella, close. That's not the 21st. You said 21st. Are you leaving before then?

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You leaving when? 11th. We're going to back up a Sunday. The 11th, we're going to have,

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it's going to be our mission day. We're going to have spaghetti and meatballs and salad and all that

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good stuff. We're going to do a fundraiser for Brother Mills, Pastor Brian, Brother Randy.

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Brother Randy, they're heading to Zambia and we're sending them on that way. Amen. We're sending them.

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We're sending them. I'm trying to get to where they don't have to pay anything out of their pocket.

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I want them to go. Amen. And teach and preach. And I can't wait until they get back. We get to see

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pictures. Amen. Now, which of the three of those will be on the camera? I have no idea.

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So it might be sketchy what we get to see. Because I know Brian will be struggling because

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Erica's not taking the pictures. And so let's stand together.

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Fly away. Lord, I love you today. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your grace, for your goodness,

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the divine power and presence of your love that's with us.

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And I ask God that you continue to have your way. I pray, Lord, for continued blessings on the

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household of faith. Jobs and better jobs increases. Checks in the mail, refunds, rebates, inheritance,

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best sales in town. Bless your people as your word causes our soul to prosper. We ask God

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you prosper your people. In Christ's name and the church said, amen. Come worship in

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you're given a little sing his soul song right here. Well, I fly away.

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Oh,

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oh, hallelujah. Fly away. A few more.

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Oh,

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fly away. Oh, glory. In the morning, now when, oh, when I die. Oh, bye bye.

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Oh,

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well, I fly away.

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Well, now I'll fly away. Oh, glory. In the morning, now when, oh, when I die.

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Oh, well, I'll fly away.

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I woke up this morning with another one of them on my mind.

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Second verse in old page 92. How many know what's on page 92? Right off the bat, you know it.

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The second verse says something like this right here.

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Well, sometimes my passing's drear without a ray of cheer and then a little cloud of doubt may hide

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the day. The mist of sin may rise and hide. Y'all go ahead. Come on now. Just a little talk with

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Jesus makes it right. Come on now. Now let us have a little talk. Oh, let us tell him all about our,

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oh, he will hear and he will answer by and by. Now when you feel a little prayer will turn in,

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know a little fire is burnt. Oh, you will find. Sing it again.

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Sometimes my passing's drear without a ray of cheer and the

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day. The mist of sin may rise and hide the starry sky, but just a little talk.

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And now let us, oh, let us tell him all about our trouble. Hear our faintest cry. He will answer.

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And now when you feel a little prayer will then you'll know a little fire is burning.

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You will find a little talk. Well, I may have doubts and fears. My eyes be filled with tears,

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but Jesus is a friend who watches day and night. I go to him in prayer and he knows my every care

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and just a little talk with Jesus makes it right. Now let us have a little talk. Oh, let us tell him

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all about our trouble. He will hear and he will answer by and by. Now when you feel a little prayer

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will turn in, know a little fire is burning. You will find a little talk makes it right.

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Come on, give him praise in his house. Well, all right, all right, all right.

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Just a little talk with Jesus makes it all right. Well, all right, all right, all right, all right.

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Just a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

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All right. How many of us from time to time we have doubts and fears,

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right? Clouds try to come in and hide the light of day, right?

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But it's Jesus who clears the way. I'm grateful and thankful for all that he has done

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and is about to do. Amen. It's going to take a little bit to set this up so

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you can go ahead and be seated and you can be turning to John's gospel,

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the fourth chapter and then put a finger in Matthew 9. I'm not going to be in a hurry today.

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I feel like that's something we need to share from the Lord. We're going to go there and I'm

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just going to take the time and it may take us a couple weeks to get it said, but that's all right

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too. Amen. Had a wonderful assembly

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this year. It was good, really good. I'm encouraged. I'm refreshed, renewed

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for the church of God. I don't care to tell you I'm as transparent today as long as having my doubts

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over the last few years. I'll just tell you, I just felt like we kind of been straying and getting away

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from what I was born in. Your pastor's just been in a struggle and was dreading. I dreaded,

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just can't even tell you. I fretted and dreaded and I was just in a struggle. I was just in a struggle.

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I was dreading. I dreaded, just can't even tell you. I fretted and dreaded all seven hours of that drive

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Monday going up there. I just really didn't want to face it. But I have some renewed strength and

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renewed focus. Amen. And renewed confidence in the church and I needed that. I needed that. I've been

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in an inner struggle for several years and but man it was good for me. It helped me.

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You can go to churchofgod.org which is our general church page and you can see all of the

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leadership changes. Bishop Gary Lewis is now our general overseer.

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Bishop Tony Stewart, first assistant. Bishop Wayne Doherty, second assistant. Third assistant is

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Bishop Mark Williams and our general secretary treasurer is Tom Madden. So I think the Lord's

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worked good work and we've got a great committee. One of the most, if not the most, diverse council

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of 18s that I've ever seen elected. Man, it just looks like a humanity rainbow up there and I was

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happy, happy, happy. Amen. Black, white, brown, islanders, we got some of that Caribbean,

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what is it, that jerk chicken flavor up there. We got a little flavor. We have a diverse

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reflection of the church of God and I am happy, happy, happy. Amen. Some of y'all need to get

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busy helping us get a little more diverse in here. If you've got friends tell them we won't

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hurt them, bring them on in here. I like flavor. So I'm encouraged over the assembly. It's all right,

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they're recording but they're not FaceTiming or whatever it is, Facebook live. So it's been a good

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week. Good to be a part of the great church of God. Amen. And I feel that way. I'm going to try to

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give you a generalized scope of what I feel like the Spirit of the Lord has spoke over the church

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at large through our leaders as they ministered to us this week. How many of you got to watch some of

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it online? So you got to watch some of the services online, some of the business and that stuff. So

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it's a high opener. The church of God is a whole lot bigger than Cleveland, Tennessee. Amen. And

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that's a good thing. So if you have your Bibles, I want us to go ahead and start with John's Gospel,

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the fourth chapter. We'll start it about verse 34.

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Jesus said unto them, my meat or my food or my sustenance is to do the will of him that sent me

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and to finish his work. Say not ye there are yet four months and then cometh harvest. Behold, I say

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unto you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields for they are white already to harvest.

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And he that reapeth receiveth wages and gather fruit unto life eternal, that both he that soweth

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and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, one soweth another reapeth.

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I sent you to reap that whereon you bestowed no labor. Other men labored and you are entered into

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their labors. Matthew nine verse 37, then saith he unto his children, and he said unto them,

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ye have labored and you are entered into their labors. Matthew nine verse 37, then saith he unto

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his disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labors are few. Pray ye therefore the

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Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labors into his harvest. The theme for the assembly this

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now, go ahead brother Hunter put that up. That was the theme for the 79th general assembly,

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harvest now. Let's pray. Father we love you, we thank you for your goodness and your mercy.

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Lord I'm gonna need your help over the next few moments, over the next space of time. I need you

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to help and stir my heart, Lord, as we just share, as I feel that you've laid upon me for us here at

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the Hopewell church of God. This directive from our leadership which has received it from you.

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May we Lord bring it into where we are able to apply what the spirit's saying to the church.

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Christ's lovely name and the church said amen and amen.

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Our former general overseer bishop Tim Hill started out Tuesday night with a wonderful reminder.

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He reminded us from Hebrews two and one says therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed

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to the things which we have heard, least at any time we should let them slip. He reminded us that

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there are principles and a foundation that the church is based upon and that we should not let

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that go. We should earnestly, we've been preaching for the past previous three weeks on contending

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for the faith. Basically the same thought, the same idea. We cannot let the faith slip through

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our fingers. We cannot become so overwhelmed, so disillusioned by the negativity that's in our

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society and everything that's going on around us that we lose sight of the hope that is in the

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message and the gospel of Jesus Christ. The hope that we have in the faith that we are living out

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day in and day out. He brought a wonderful message to us to let us know that we have to

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recommit ourselves to the faith. Not only the faith but as the church of God, we are the church

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of God. As the church of God we've got to recommit ourselves to the declaration of faith. If you got

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that brother Hunter put that up. If we're going to continue on we must recommit and reaffirm our

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lives to the core values and the teachings that we live by. We actually believe them. Amen. Starting

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with a statement from the Bible. Is the Bible the word of God? Breathe the bone men of old,

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breathe the bone by the Holy Ghost wrote down as they were dictated to by the Holy Ghost and the

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word was written and that's what we're going to live by. That's what we're going to govern by.

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That's what we're going to try to live out. That's what we're going to proclaim to those who are

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around us all the way down to Jesus is coming. There is an eternal place of heaven for those who

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love him and an eternal punishment, a place called hell for those that don't. Amen. And everything in

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between. Doctrine or fidelity is important in the day in which we live because people around you

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don't know what you believe unless you live it out in front of them. They need to know the reason

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of the hope that you have. Amen. And we've got to maintain. We can't allow the good gospel message

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to slip. The things that we have heard, the things that have been demonstrated before us

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in and through and around our lives, we cannot let those things idly slip through our fingers.

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Hallelujah. I was raised up in the church of God. Amen. From a tiny toddler all the way to where I

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am now. All I know is the church of God. All I know is our declaration of faith. What I love

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about our declaration of faith, it takes in the whole compass of the whole Bible. Amen. We're a

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Bible believing people. If it's in there, amen, God says do it, we do it. If it's in there and God

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said don't do it, we believe that you're not supposed to do it. Amen. And I don't know how

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you can go wrong with that. With the whole Bible rightly divided, the New Testament being our only

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rule and form of our government, but we don't throw out the principles of the Old Testament

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because they're the types and the shadows of Christ himself who is the fulfillment of

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hallelujah, who is the fulfillment of it all. And so we were reminded very sternly not to let the

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things that we have learned slip through our fingers and we go following after another gospel.

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Amen. We cannot allow ourselves to do that. And then on Wednesday night, I think one of the most

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profound statements that was made through the whole week was made by Dr. David Ramirez as he

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was preaching and he made the statement. He said, we have changed our windows for mirrors. We have

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changed our windows for mirrors in referencing the church, the church of God, the church at large.

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We used to have windows that we would look through and we would see a lost and dying world,

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but he said, we've traded our windows for mirrors and all we're doing is staring at our own reflection.

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We like what we see. We want it the way we want it. We want to do it the way we want to do it.

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And we have failed to assume the responsibility that we have for a lost and dying world that is

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on the outside. They can't even look in because we've got a mirror hanging over the window. My God.

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And when I heard him say that it struck to the core of my soul. I'm thinking, oh God, I'm going

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on a search through Hopewell. And if we've got mirrors, there is no such thing as luck. So I'm

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going to break every mirror that I can find that's hindering those who are on the outside from seeing

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what's taking place on the inside. I remember the day when they used to flock and look through the

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window when you couldn't get on the inside because of the power and the glory of God that was showing

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up on people's lives. The manifestation of the spirit as a Holy Ghost moved and miracles were

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performed. Oh my God, let's take our mirrors down and shine and polish and clean our windows again

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so that the lost and dying can see in and see what's happening and long for an experience.

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That's what taking place here.

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His question was, where are the baptized, whether the water or the spirit, where are they at? Where

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are we? What are we doing? We're hiding on the inside, polishing, adjusting, and looking to

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ourselves and failing the responsibility of those who are dying all around us. All you have to do

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is take a quick look at the evening news. The evening news is the news that we're going to be

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is take a quick look at the evening news and know that people are on the outside are hurting,

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they are lost, they are untunned, they are indifferent, they are in pain, they are struggling

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and deep down they don't even know what it is that they're crying out for. That's what you and I are

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to be. We are to be windows to the soul and the heart of God so that they can see in us the hope

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that they're missing, the healing for the hurt that they are experiencing and a comfort and a

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care and a friend when they have no friend around them. The lost are looking and yearning

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but we're stuck on the inside in front of our mirrors

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and they can't see in and we definitely have stopped looking out.

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John recorded it well, say not ye, Jesus declared that four months and then the harvest is coming

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but he said look, lift up your eyes, look, look at the fields, they are white already. Can I tell

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you there's enough people in earshot of you and your daily routine and your daily life that aren't

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attending church anywhere but are hurting. Next time you go through a grocery line somewhere

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you ask someone really how they're doing and take a moment to let them respond. Are you okay?

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Have a discerned pray before you go, get a discerning spirit about you and ask God to show you

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the one that's hurting. Let the Lord open up a window before, Lord let me see the hurting one

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that I'm coming in. Don't let me be so busy about my day that I cannot see the one in pain,

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that the facade of a smile, help me see past it, help me see into their soul and help me engage them

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with the hope that I have in you. Next time you're talking and you're sitting at a table

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and a waiter or waitress is coming, take a little interest in them.

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Tuesday and Wednesday night we ate dinner at the same restaurant.

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Italian place, old spaghetti factory. I like spaghetti.

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I was offended they didn't have ketchup but I made it work.

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I told that waiter, young man, nice clean cut looking young man, we heard him, I heard him

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mention a couple times different things that were going on in the restaurant. He said,

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I heard him mention a couple times different things that were churchy related and scripture related

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in our just casual conversation. I've got an alarm bell that goes off as soon as I hear stuff

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like that I'm listening for it. Hey man, I'm listening for it and young man done a fine job.

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We blessed him before we left and the spaghetti and meatball were good but Pastor Terry had the

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lasagna and he went on and on and on and on about how good the lasagna was and he don't even eat

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lasagna. So here it comes Wednesday night, what we're gonna go eat? I'm gonna go try the lasagna.

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So we go back, the lasagna was good. As we're talking this young man's coming around, he's

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waiting, he's serving and we're trying to be Christians. You're probably amazed at some

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server testimonies that everybody they came in contact with weren't Christian at a Christian

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event. But before we leave this young man stopped me. He stopped me down at the end of the table.

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He said, how you know about identity right and try to be the identity of Christ? I said, yeah,

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I understand that. He said, could you help me understand how I'm supposed to do that? How am I

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supposed to be identified as Christ? So right there, right quick, man, I gave him about a 30,

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45 second tutorial on how to be Christ in the atmosphere, which he's in and around the people

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that he's in. You see they're out there and they are paying attention and when you act Christ like,

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they may actually have a question that they can ask you. And so we cannot let the mirrors be hanging

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over the window. My God, when you go out to eat this afternoon, would you please by all means be a

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Christian and show the love of Christ? Don't be hateful if you don't get the butter. Don't be hateful

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if they ain't quick enough with a refill. My God, put a smile on your face and show the love of

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Jesus and tell them, man, I'm praying for you. I see it's chaotic in here and you know, just take

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your time. I'll get it when you get it here and if you don't get it here, that's okay too.

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Let's take the mirrors down because we are living in the middle of a hurting society that needs a

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church and I ain't even got to the point yet. I'm just still working on statements that were made

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that stirred my heart. Thursday night, the World Mission at the Parade of Nations,

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one of the most moving experiences that you can have if you're there personally,

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have been there several times. It's really moving and it's grown every year that

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Sister Kathy and I have been. There's more, there's more, there's more. Let you know that the work of

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the mission of the cross, amen, in Christ is still going on, still reaching out.

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Brother Mo Huggins preached a message that we've got to come together and we've got to be together

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in the power of the Holy Ghost. We've got to come off of our pedestals and get down together

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and get ready to enter into that harvest field because we have been empowered just to do exactly

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that. And at the end of that altar call hundreds, hundreds, literally hundreds of younger people

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and an earlier generation become flooded down and hundreds were filled with the baptism of the Holy

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Ghost at General Assembly. Why? Because preaching of the gospel, preaching the truth and bringing

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us to the awareness, we must remove those mirrors and enter into a harvest field that is already

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white. And then on Friday night, how many of you watched this Friday night? Anybody watch the service

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Friday night in the General Overseer? I was ready for him to go to the podium and take his place and

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do what they've all done for all the time and give his address to the church. But he began to talk

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about us as the church as we are the church of God. And I've talked to one of the five since then

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and he said he did exactly what he told y'all that he did when he called us together for our first

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meeting. He leaned back in his chair and he said, brothers, our message is going to change. I need

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your help to help me preach on Friday night. To every one of them said, Bishop, that's your night,

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that's your declaration. He said, no, it's time we get past the me and get back to the we. Hallelujah.

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He said, it's time. He said, we've always been about a me on a Friday and my message and my

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vision and my this. He said, it's time we get past the me and get back to the we. So we are going to

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preach to the people on Friday night. Now, I don't, I don't know what that done for you, but when I

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watched that, I'm telling you, I am renewed. I am refreshed. Hallelujah. Because it's not a me,

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it's a we. Hallelujah. I've got the general's permission to let you know it's not a me message.

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It's a we message. And the message that we have, first of all, we are the church of God and we are

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distinctly classical Pentecostal and my God, I'm with brother Paul. I thank God that I speak in

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tongues more than you all. Hallelujah. That we are a spirit field church inviting the power

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and the anointing of the Holy ghost to have his way in our lives.

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We, as he began to talk about who we are,

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begin to preach about the church of God. We got renewed hope again, a little over eight million

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members around the world. Now I know that small in comparison to a lot of other denominations,

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but when you back up to 1886 and a good old Baptist brother by the name of R.G. Spurling,

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who got to reading his word and the word got stirring in him and he got to praying for that

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other thing that was said could be his. And that other thing is the that of Acts chapter two.

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And he got to reading and he got to reading and he got to praying and he got to reading and he got

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to praying and he got to reading and all of a sudden he got the Holy ghost. Because as it was on

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the day of Pentecost it was in the hills of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina,

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right up above Coker Creek, right up there in the mountains. He was filled with the Holy ghost

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and spake with tongues as the spirit gave the utterance. And from the one man's desire,

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my God you talking about a polished crown in heaven one of these days, eight million strong

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from one man's desire, one man's pursuit, eight million. I've been to Coker Creek there's nothing

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special there they don't even wheat eat the creek bank. I'm thinking my God this is our history

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and we can't get anybody to go up here and wheat eat the creek bank.

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Right there in the old grist of meal they begin to have church.

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Moves over to a little school building called Shear Schoolhouse. Revival breaks out.

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People baptize in the Holy ghost. We come out of that with a with a church name of the holiness

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church at Camp Creek and we move from the holiness church at Camp. Holiness wasn't real popular then

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either. So we turned into the Christian union and from the Christian union we make our way.

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Finally we come out of the mountains made it into town.

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Hey law if you've never been to the first general assembly if you will the first assembly building

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I think it's J.C. Murphy's house and it's just sitting right up there right off side of the road.

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19 people. 19 people from the first one to there I know there were over 19,000

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that assembled this week. I know there were over 19,000 20 plus probably from 19 to 20 plus thousand.

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I'm telling you God's had his hand on the church of God. It's not that it's an elevated denomination

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no but it was a burden on a man's heart that it prayed out and the distinct faith that was lived

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out as we come through 1948 to come up with that declaration of faith that we're going to be

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in 1948 to come up with that declaration of faith that stood firm and stood until this very day and

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my lord I think it'll stand to the lord come. It's a good declaration of belief. It's a good system.

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We are the church of God. Amen in 192 nations around this world preaching a good Pentecostal

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message in the power of the cross in the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Power in the

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that will forever wash away your sin. Power in an anointing to sanctify you and set you apart.

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Power of an anointing to empower you to be the witness unto the east unto the west north and south

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to the end of the earth. Preaching that gospel message.

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We are the church of God and I was proud to be one

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Friday night

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when our committee began to step up and preach the outline that the general had given him.

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He says we are the church of God and we go. Bishop Stewart stepped up again to preach the we go.

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We are the Matthew 28 generation 18, 19, 20 that's who you and I still are.

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We are the generation that goes into all the world. The dictate from the Greek is there as you go.

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As you are going. When Jesus said go into all the world what he was telling them as you will go about

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your daily living in this world in which we're living you have to be a disciple and as you're

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going into this world I want you to preach and teach and you tell them everything that I've told

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you you just pass it on. I want you to baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son

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and the Holy Ghost and be disciples unto me. Amen. They begin to declare the go. Now in 192 nations

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around the world we got a little bit of go in us. We got some folks that are willing to go and

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they're heading to Zambia this fall and they're going because Hopewell church of God has been

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church of God has a vision brother David Mills has got a vision brother Randy Warren's got a vision

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brother Brian's got a vision that they can go and be a help in a lost and dying world. They're going

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to teach and to minister to and strengthen pastors and shepherds so that when they go back into their

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villages and their huts and under the shade of some spread out tree on a safari somewhere and

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people begin to gather you know what they're going to hear that Jesus is their savior he's their

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sake of higher he's our Holy Ghost baptizer he's their healer and he's the king that is coming with

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glory and power. It's the go from the goal we've adopted our mission statement

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and after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you you shall be witnesses unto me

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Jerusalem Judea Samaria even to the uttermost parts of the world.

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I think it's important to know that the Holy Ghost is upon us amen and as he's preaching that we go

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message he talked about an encounter that he had in the airport here just a few weeks ago or a month

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or so ago when all this traveling going on he said in one of the kiosks now in one of the airports

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they had a chiropractor in there to adjust he said he had a crick in his neck and his back was trying

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to figure out how to get it all worked out and he's walking through there and he saw the place

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where you could go in $59 for an adjustment.

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My Lord wouldn't it be nice to know that for $59 you can get an adjustment

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but the statement he made was this he said sometimes you don't see what you need until you need it.

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My Lord he said I don't know how many times I'd walked up down the corridors of the same airport

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going in coming and going and he had never saw that before but he said I never needed it before

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and he had never saw that before but he said I never needed it before sometimes you don't see what you need

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amen until you need it and that's the way it is with some folks in our church world today

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that's what's wrong with some of the lost people that are around us they can't see what they need

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until they really need him and many of them are going to get in a low place and a dark place and

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a bad place and what they need is for you and I to be there to show them what they need when they

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need it if they're hurting they need a helping hand amen they need somebody to lift them up

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we have to have our go about us I'm not asking you to go to Zambia I'm not asking you to go to

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Honduras or Ecuador or any other continent continent or any other country I'm not asking you to do that

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but what I am asking you to do is talk to the people that you come in contact as you go about

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your daily business as you go to eat as you go to Walmart as you go to any other store when you're

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just out in town when you're at a sporting event be a Christian let them see Christ in you and you

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engage those who are around you you kids not enough just to see the harvest you got to lift

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up your eyes and be a part you got to be a harvester in it that's the reason Jesus said the harvest

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is truly plenious but pray you therefore the Lord of the harvest that he sent laborers in there I'm

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telling you you are the labors we are the labors together it's harvest now not next year not

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next month not next decade Jesus is coming and I believe it could be very soon our time is waning by

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you really want me to talk to somebody well yes I do

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how about this I don't even expect some of you to talk to somebody new

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just talk to the sinners that you already know and if you don't know any would you please go find one

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you won't have to look far

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far a few years ago I got to I got to institutionalized by the church

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my time was fully consumed behind the pulpit inside inside the walls

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the only contact I have with the sinners when we'd be out to eat or somewhere doing something like

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that but the Lord positioned me put me in a place that I was surrounded by

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good people good people just lost people friendly people

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lost people

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where I could be around them through four days a week

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I was around them so much that I noticed their language change

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never preached one sermon to them didn't have to when I walk up I begin to notice them slip

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off with newcomers that would come into the crowd that's the preacher

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matter of fact that's what they call me preacher and as soon as I'd walk up and there'd be new

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people I knew they knew me but they'd say hey preacher so that everybody else in earshot would

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know that the preacher showed up keep your mouth shut right and they were all respectful

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and then I noticed there was a shift one day I got a phone call from one of these fellas

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preacher my wife's leaving and he broke down my wife's leaving me

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what am I going to do I grin from ear to ear not because the man's wife's leaving him I didn't know

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her but I said thank you Lord you put me in this place so I could minister so for several weeks

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I got to minister a sinner man through a divorce do you win him no nope but I ministered to him

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those phone calls begin to be more frequent

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till I got one one day a grown man squalling his eyes out preacher

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my daddy's died and I got nobody to read over my daddy will you read over my daddy

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I called him by his first name why you better believe I will when and where

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never met the man in my life didn't have to I took Jesus to him what are you saying pastor I'm saying

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you got people out there that are going to be like you and I'm going to be like you and I'm going to

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be like what are you saying pastor I'm saying you got people around you just like I had to put myself

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in and become surrounded they're hurting people all around us they're needy people all around us

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and they don't know who to call they don't know what to do but if you live enough Jesus in front

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of them you don't have a fork in tongue one day hallelujah preach on preacher and you're not a

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hypocrite in front of them but you're actually living out your faith and you have the joy of the

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Lord on you when you're in their countenance whether all hell's breaking loose or not when

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you're in front of them the joy the Lord exudes from you and before you know it your phone will

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start ringing somebody will start asking you how can I make it how can I make it we go as we go

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we tell the good news of Jesus Christ we tell of the good news of the hope that we have the hope that

380
00:45:00,160 --> 00:45:08,720
you have for the hurt that you're dealing with because we deal with hurt too and they know you do

381
00:45:11,040 --> 00:45:14,240
people around you in your circle they know your business don't they

382
00:45:14,240 --> 00:45:24,320
just like you know some of their business and they see you they see how you react they see how we respond

383
00:45:27,200 --> 00:45:34,240
one of the darkest days and one of the saddest times of me being a man just a man nothing to do with

384
00:45:34,240 --> 00:45:44,560
a Christian but just being a man when unforeseen and uncontrollable situations piled in

385
00:45:46,720 --> 00:45:50,960
and they wasn't enough money to pay all the bills and they wasn't enough job to make it happen no

386
00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:59,600
matter what you had to swallow that bitter pill and swallow your pride and your manhood

387
00:45:59,600 --> 00:46:07,920
find you a lawyer either really get a real bad name or try to do something to save it

388
00:46:11,120 --> 00:46:15,920
bankruptcy court paying my tithe every week

389
00:46:15,920 --> 00:46:27,120
are you hearing me every week paid my tithe still found myself in bankruptcy court no astronomical

390
00:46:27,120 --> 00:46:39,760
crazy stupid stuff just life life hospital bills life not enough to make the ends meet

391
00:46:39,760 --> 00:46:46,240
bills life not enough to make the ends meet life

392
00:46:49,760 --> 00:46:53,040
found myself standing with him i won't close with this we'll get back to the rest of this over the

393
00:46:53,040 --> 00:47:01,040
next few weeks we'll close right here we are the church and we're going found myself in that position

394
00:47:03,120 --> 00:47:03,760
embarrassed

395
00:47:03,760 --> 00:47:10,320
embarrassed i think it was one of the last things the lord had to take from is my pride

396
00:47:14,000 --> 00:47:24,080
oh it had to go because i was a proud person hello i was a proud person and it had to go

397
00:47:27,600 --> 00:47:30,080
so the lord put me in a place i had to swallow it

398
00:47:30,080 --> 00:47:35,120
i had to go and lean on him

399
00:47:37,680 --> 00:47:41,840
prided myself in the money that i'd made all right

400
00:47:46,880 --> 00:47:48,000
till it wasn't there

401
00:47:48,000 --> 00:47:58,240
never forget that been in that courtroom watching that judge man he was ripping people apart

402
00:47:59,200 --> 00:48:04,240
some of you heard this i've shared this morning he was literally ripping people apart

403
00:48:05,120 --> 00:48:09,040
embarrassing and i'm sat back here praying oh god

404
00:48:09,040 --> 00:48:16,240
i didn't rack up thirty thousand dollars on credit cards and not offer to pay them i didn't do that

405
00:48:16,960 --> 00:48:20,560
i didn't buy all this stuff and never make a payment lord that's not what i done

406
00:48:22,640 --> 00:48:25,440
lord it's a trailer it ain't even my house

407
00:48:25,440 --> 00:48:29,600
lord it's a trailer it ain't even my house

408
00:48:38,400 --> 00:48:40,320
i beg god not to let that happen to me

409
00:48:45,280 --> 00:48:50,160
when sister kathy and i went down yes she went with me we sat down

410
00:48:50,160 --> 00:48:52,160
and we sat down

411
00:48:54,800 --> 00:48:56,880
this is how i know the lord loves me more than he loves you

412
00:48:59,600 --> 00:49:00,400
i'm his favorite

413
00:49:02,640 --> 00:49:09,280
that judge that i witnessed for two and a half hours just shame people

414
00:49:13,520 --> 00:49:14,160
looked at us

415
00:49:14,160 --> 00:49:23,280
he called me mr waters this is pre-call i didn't call to preach yet or hadn't accepted it

416
00:49:26,080 --> 00:49:26,880
mr waters

417
00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:32,320
is this agreement okay with you

418
00:49:34,960 --> 00:49:41,040
i said yes your honor he said well i see how much you make and i see how much they're going to take

419
00:49:41,040 --> 00:49:43,120
can you make it i said i will make it

420
00:49:45,680 --> 00:49:55,200
yes sir it's fine and again he tried he said you know i have the authority to make this number

421
00:49:56,880 --> 00:50:03,440
whatever i choose and all these hospitals lawyers and all this stuff sitting around the table there

422
00:50:03,440 --> 00:50:11,840
looking like he's about to cut us i said no sir we'll make it

423
00:50:15,040 --> 00:50:22,720
and he said thank you and he signed it and said you're dismissed just as kind as he could be

424
00:50:22,720 --> 00:50:30,640
told you that to tell you this you co-workers we all made the same

425
00:50:37,120 --> 00:50:39,120
they knew where i'd been and they knew how much

426
00:50:41,840 --> 00:50:47,120
they were getting every week but they also saw

427
00:50:47,120 --> 00:50:51,600
they said well how you gonna make it on that i said well i'm not well how do you say that i said well

428
00:50:52,240 --> 00:50:54,640
it's 10 less than that number

429
00:50:56,400 --> 00:51:02,480
well what do you mean i said well my tithe got to come out of that oh you're just paying tithes on

430
00:51:02,480 --> 00:51:09,280
what you get right i said no i'm paying tithe on the whole thing that's how much i made this week

431
00:51:09,280 --> 00:51:13,520
in it yeah but they took it out of the box and they said well you know i'm not going to make it

432
00:51:13,520 --> 00:51:18,640
that's how much i made this week in it yeah but they took out i said yeah but that's my bill

433
00:51:21,600 --> 00:51:24,160
and for the next few years they got to see how god

434
00:51:26,160 --> 00:51:30,080
took a seven-year thing and turned it into a two and a half zero balance

435
00:51:36,960 --> 00:51:38,960
you may have to fight some battles folks

436
00:51:38,960 --> 00:51:46,960
but he's going to be there with you we are the church take the mirrors down

437
00:51:48,560 --> 00:51:54,400
shine the window where you can see out there again and look for folk

438
00:51:55,920 --> 00:52:02,320
look for folk and then just tell them what the lord's done for you once you've been embarrassed

439
00:52:02,320 --> 00:52:11,440
to the nth degree it really don't matter much after that i learned two things how to humble myself

440
00:52:11,440 --> 00:52:19,360
after that and then i learned that money is simply a tool given to us to make it through life

441
00:52:19,360 --> 00:52:28,480
father i love you we got some folks that need prayer this morning as we're bowing our head for prayer