WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.439 if you if you have your bibles if you can turn 00:00:02.439 --> 00:00:06.679 to the book of acts with me acts chapter 28 verse 00:00:06.679 --> 00:00:09.720 1 through 6 if you don't have it read it there 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:14.640 up on the on the projector screen amen when you 00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:19.820 got it say amen amen amen so acts 28 1 through 00:00:19.820 --> 00:00:23.320 6 and it reads like this now when they had escaped 00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:26.420 they then found out that the island was called 00:00:26.420 --> 00:00:30.559 malta Now that's the modern name, Malta. Some 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:35.140 versions, it'll read Melita, but it's the same 00:00:35.140 --> 00:00:39.039 island. Amen. And the natives showed us unusual 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:43.259 kindness. And they candled a fire. And they made 00:00:43.259 --> 00:00:46.539 us all welcome. And because of the rain that 00:00:46.539 --> 00:00:49.840 was falling and because of the cold. Amen. But 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:53.060 when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and 00:00:53.060 --> 00:00:56.179 laid them on the fire. And there's just one thing 00:00:56.179 --> 00:01:03.100 I want to. Point two is that Paul did not create 00:01:03.100 --> 00:01:09.680 this fire. Paul didn't create the fire. The fire 00:01:09.680 --> 00:01:13.620 welcomed Paul and Paul embraced it, but he did 00:01:13.620 --> 00:01:19.439 not make the fire. Amen. And so when Paul had 00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:22.400 laid him on the fire, a viper came out because 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:25.579 of the heat and fasted on his hand. And so when 00:01:25.579 --> 00:01:27.519 the natives saw the creature hanging from his 00:01:27.519 --> 00:01:30.079 hand, they said to one another, No doubt this 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:32.620 man is a murderer from whom though he has escaped 00:01:32.620 --> 00:01:35.659 the sea, yet justice does not allow to live. 00:01:36.599 --> 00:01:39.599 But he shook off the creature into the fire and 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:43.359 suffered no harm. However, they are expecting 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:45.739 that he would swell up or suddenly fall down 00:01:45.739 --> 00:01:49.480 dead. But after they had looked for a long time 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:52.819 and saw no harm come to him, they changed their 00:01:52.819 --> 00:01:58.219 minds and said, he was a god amen as i mentioned 00:01:58.219 --> 00:02:03.819 paul did not start this fire but paul received 00:02:03.819 --> 00:02:09.199 the responsibility to keep the fire going and 00:02:09.199 --> 00:02:11.460 for a moment i would like to speak on the topic 00:02:11.460 --> 00:02:16.120 keepers of the fire amen before you're seated 00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:19.080 let us go before the before the lord amen today 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:21.120 heavenly father we come before you today father 00:02:21.949 --> 00:02:24.409 Lord, we ask you, Lord, to anoint my lips of 00:02:24.409 --> 00:02:27.009 clay, Father, Lord. Lord, that you would speak 00:02:27.009 --> 00:02:29.270 to your church today, Father, Lord, that you 00:02:29.270 --> 00:02:32.590 would open up our hearts and our ears, God. Lord, 00:02:32.710 --> 00:02:35.889 that we would receive your word, Lord. Jesus, 00:02:35.889 --> 00:02:38.610 hallelujah, that we would, Lord, keep and hide 00:02:38.610 --> 00:02:40.629 your word in our hearts, Father. Hallelujah. 00:02:40.629 --> 00:02:43.330 For this word, God, I believe is for us today, 00:02:43.509 --> 00:02:46.389 Lord. Jesus, hallelujah, that we would not only 00:02:46.389 --> 00:02:49.710 be hearers of your word, Father, Lord, but doers. 00:02:49.770 --> 00:02:52.930 Hallelujah, Lord. Have your way, God. Manifest 00:02:52.930 --> 00:02:55.830 your spirit in this place, Lord. Lord, we give 00:02:55.830 --> 00:02:58.550 you honor. We give you glory. In Jesus' name 00:02:58.550 --> 00:03:05.520 we say, amen. You may be seated. Amen. Praise 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:08.400 the name of the Lord. So the book of Acts, amen, 00:03:08.500 --> 00:03:12.860 is a culminating chapter of the book, amen, in 00:03:12.860 --> 00:03:16.000 the book of Acts, amen, the chapter, amen, in 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:19.719 verse, in chapter 28. It is a very ending of 00:03:19.719 --> 00:03:23.599 a very powerful book that was written for us 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:26.300 to model, amen, and to follow in the age of the 00:03:26.300 --> 00:03:29.810 church that we are living in today. Here we find 00:03:29.810 --> 00:03:33.509 our roots and our identity traced back to the 00:03:33.509 --> 00:03:36.289 book of Acts in chapter 2, where the Holy Ghost 00:03:36.289 --> 00:03:40.090 first fell upon all those who congregated, and 00:03:40.090 --> 00:03:43.030 the Spirit began to move amongst the congregants, 00:03:43.050 --> 00:03:46.889 and they began to operate and minister. Amen. 00:03:46.889 --> 00:03:50.129 And the Bible states in Acts 1 through 8, amen, 00:03:50.270 --> 00:03:55.009 in chapter 1, verse 8, it says, but you shall 00:03:55.009 --> 00:03:58.099 receive power. When the Holy Spirit has come 00:03:58.099 --> 00:04:01.139 upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in 00:04:01.139 --> 00:04:05.340 Jerusalem and in all Judea, Samaria, and to the 00:04:05.340 --> 00:04:10.680 end of the earth. This is the day of Pentecost. 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:15.020 This is the commencing, hallelujah, of the revival 00:04:15.020 --> 00:04:18.060 that we have experienced, amen, since the beginning 00:04:18.060 --> 00:04:21.439 of this year. This is the revival that started 00:04:21.439 --> 00:04:24.500 way back when and the wind that started to blow. 00:04:24.660 --> 00:04:27.980 Hallelujah. In the upper room is that same wind 00:04:27.980 --> 00:04:31.399 that is blowing on us today. Hallelujah. This 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:33.800 is the book. This is what the book of Acts is 00:04:33.800 --> 00:04:36.819 talking about. And it covers the ministry of 00:04:36.819 --> 00:04:41.160 Paul. Amen. Paul, who was once a persecutor of 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:44.740 the church, but now converted to spread the gospel 00:04:44.740 --> 00:04:49.360 everywhere he went. And in chapter 28, it talks 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:52.519 about Paul's journey. And it refers to when he 00:04:52.519 --> 00:04:56.019 was on his way to Rome and his trip was cut short. 00:04:56.879 --> 00:05:00.779 This is where he encountered the storm and God 00:05:00.779 --> 00:05:04.180 redirected, hallelujah, his path to the island 00:05:04.180 --> 00:05:08.500 of Malta. Amen. And Paul was no stranger to being 00:05:08.500 --> 00:05:12.339 redirected. Paul is no stranger to his plans 00:05:12.339 --> 00:05:16.209 being cut short. Shipwrecked. He was greeted 00:05:16.209 --> 00:05:19.769 by the natives of the island of Malta. And they 00:05:19.769 --> 00:05:22.850 showed unusual kindness, the Bible says. And 00:05:22.850 --> 00:05:25.370 they were kind enough to kindle a fire for Paul. 00:05:26.310 --> 00:05:31.069 It was cold. It was raining. It was a huge storm 00:05:31.069 --> 00:05:34.230 that had hit that region. And as they emerged 00:05:34.230 --> 00:05:38.269 from the sea, they were greeted with a fire. 00:05:39.350 --> 00:05:44.699 And Paul, having an obvious choice to make, Paul 00:05:44.699 --> 00:05:49.800 decides to embrace the fire. Amen. And this is 00:05:49.800 --> 00:05:53.519 what God is saying to us today. Amen. In verse 00:05:53.519 --> 00:05:56.199 2 it says, And the natives showed unusual kindness. 00:05:56.620 --> 00:06:01.180 They kindled the fire and made us all welcome. 00:06:02.339 --> 00:06:06.480 There was rain. It was cold. Conditions were 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:11.720 not convenient. The storm was not expected. The 00:06:11.720 --> 00:06:15.860 island of Malta was not part of the plan. But 00:06:15.860 --> 00:06:21.000 Paul decided to embrace the fire. He decided 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:25.360 to embrace the plan of God and exit his own plan. 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:29.699 How many of you know that God's plans are greater 00:06:29.699 --> 00:06:33.399 than ours? How many of you know that God's plans 00:06:33.399 --> 00:06:36.939 are to give us a future? To give us hope? Hallelujah. 00:06:38.439 --> 00:06:40.839 Plans, hallelujah, are far more than what we 00:06:40.839 --> 00:06:43.639 can ever imagine, hallelujah. Because although 00:06:43.639 --> 00:06:46.120 Paul had his mind made up that he was on his 00:06:46.120 --> 00:06:49.980 way to Rome, the storm hit and he was redirected, 00:06:49.980 --> 00:06:53.800 landed shipwrecked, hallelujah. And in Jeremiah 00:06:53.800 --> 00:06:57.819 29, 11, God reminds us that the plans that he 00:06:57.819 --> 00:07:00.519 has for you and I, hallelujah, declares the Lord, 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:05.879 are plans to prosper us, not to harm us. Plans 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:09.879 to give us hope and a future. Amen. There came 00:07:09.879 --> 00:07:13.259 a moment, though, as Paul approached the fire 00:07:13.259 --> 00:07:16.160 and he sat down in front of the fire, that the 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:21.259 fire began to dissipate. The fire began to dwindle. 00:07:21.439 --> 00:07:26.000 And Paul felt the responsibility to keep this 00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:30.279 fire going. You see, Paul was no stranger, hallelujah, 00:07:30.279 --> 00:07:34.060 to this fire, nor was he a stranger to God changing 00:07:34.060 --> 00:07:37.980 his plans abruptly. There was a pivotal event 00:07:37.980 --> 00:07:40.439 and moment that occurred in his life on the road 00:07:40.439 --> 00:07:45.300 to Damascus. In Acts 9, 1 through 19. Amen. Saul 00:07:45.300 --> 00:07:48.040 then. Hallelujah. The Bible says that he was 00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:51.360 on his way to Damascus. On his way. Hallelujah. 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:55.540 Amen. To persecute the church. Amen. And the 00:07:55.540 --> 00:07:58.420 Lord, the Bible says that he was met. Rather, 00:07:58.500 --> 00:08:02.730 he was struck by a light. By a blinding light 00:08:02.730 --> 00:08:05.990 that he heard the Lord saying, Saul, Saul, why 00:08:05.990 --> 00:08:10.949 are you persecuting me? Paul, hallelujah, then 00:08:10.949 --> 00:08:15.490 being Saul, amen, understood because it was revealed 00:08:15.490 --> 00:08:18.350 to him that the voice of the Lord, the voice 00:08:18.350 --> 00:08:21.990 was the Lord's. And when Saul was then persecuting, 00:08:21.990 --> 00:08:24.790 amen, the Bible says that he was instructed, 00:08:25.370 --> 00:08:29.189 Saul, to enter into the city and to wait to be 00:08:29.189 --> 00:08:34.679 told what to do. Saul blinded a man. He embraced 00:08:34.679 --> 00:08:38.100 a man, the word. He embraced the encounter with 00:08:38.100 --> 00:08:41.799 God himself. And Saul did exactly what he was 00:08:41.799 --> 00:08:45.440 told. He embraced the new responsibility. He 00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:50.000 decided to keep the fire going. He was blinded 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:52.700 for three days. His sight was restored. And he 00:08:52.700 --> 00:08:56.399 was baptized. And he began to preach to the synagogues. 00:08:57.309 --> 00:08:59.970 The same sin of God that he went to persecute 00:08:59.970 --> 00:09:02.710 the church was the same sin of God that he was 00:09:02.710 --> 00:09:07.029 now preaching in. Hallelujah. Because when we 00:09:07.029 --> 00:09:11.610 embrace the fire, everything changes. In Acts 00:09:11.610 --> 00:09:15.570 13 and 9, Saul, amen, the Bible says, now called 00:09:15.570 --> 00:09:19.360 Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit. Let me tell 00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:21.759 you church, when you decide to embrace the fire, 00:09:21.940 --> 00:09:24.460 when you decide to embrace the responsibility 00:09:24.460 --> 00:09:27.340 that God has placed in front of you, everything 00:09:27.340 --> 00:09:31.320 begins to change. If you recall, the environmental 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:35.200 elements were not the most convenient. It was 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:38.600 cold. It was raining. He was on a deserted island. 00:09:38.799 --> 00:09:43.860 He was confronted by foreign people. But Paul 00:09:43.860 --> 00:09:48.799 decided to embrace this fire. And when we see, 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:51.519 amen, the book of Acts, when it talks about the 00:09:51.519 --> 00:09:54.200 upper room, amen, we need to understand that 00:09:54.200 --> 00:09:56.879 Paul was not found in the book of Acts chapter 00:09:56.879 --> 00:10:00.440 2, amen, of the apostolic church. Paul wasn't 00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:03.700 found in the book of Acts chapter 2 in the upper 00:10:03.700 --> 00:10:06.860 room. But in the middle of everything, Paul was 00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:10.340 converted and given the responsibility to keep 00:10:10.340 --> 00:10:13.799 this gospel going, to keep this fire burning, 00:10:14.039 --> 00:10:17.799 to keep this revival going. And it's the very 00:10:17.799 --> 00:10:21.480 same tenacity that we find here in chapter 28 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:25.639 where Paul, hallelujah, decides to keep the fire 00:10:25.639 --> 00:10:31.080 burning. When the fire begins to dissipate, it 00:10:31.080 --> 00:10:34.539 begins to burn out. Paul finds himself troubled. 00:10:34.679 --> 00:10:37.840 Amen. Because sitting in front of this fire and 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:39.820 watching it burn out, Paul finds himself troubled. 00:10:39.769 --> 00:10:42.889 decides to embrace it and he grabs some sticks 00:10:42.889 --> 00:10:46.409 and some wood and he begins to add it to the 00:10:46.409 --> 00:10:50.009 fire Amen. You might not have been a part of 00:10:50.009 --> 00:10:52.870 this church when it started. You might not have 00:10:52.870 --> 00:10:55.710 been a part of this church six months ago, two 00:10:55.710 --> 00:10:58.389 months ago. You might not have even been here 00:10:58.389 --> 00:11:01.509 last Sunday. But you are here today. And you 00:11:01.509 --> 00:11:04.710 are here by no mistake, my friend. God has called 00:11:04.710 --> 00:11:07.750 you here, hallelujah, to share in the responsibility 00:11:07.750 --> 00:11:14.490 that he has for you and I. Paul was faced with 00:11:14.490 --> 00:11:17.970 this responsibility to keep it going. Amen. To 00:11:17.970 --> 00:11:22.090 keep the fire burning. Amen. But in order for 00:11:22.090 --> 00:11:25.450 this to keep going, we've got to embrace this 00:11:25.450 --> 00:11:32.980 fire. And everyone has to add to the fire. Everyone 00:11:32.980 --> 00:11:36.559 must add to this fire once we embrace the fire, 00:11:36.740 --> 00:11:39.820 once we acknowledge, hallelujah, the fire that's 00:11:39.820 --> 00:11:42.299 been presented and placed in front of us. Now 00:11:42.299 --> 00:11:45.600 it's time to get to work. Amen. Now it's time, 00:11:45.639 --> 00:11:48.659 hallelujah, to start adding to the fire because 00:11:48.659 --> 00:11:51.379 Paul could have easily sat back, hallelujah, 00:11:51.580 --> 00:11:54.759 and got comfortable in the warpness of the fire, 00:11:54.840 --> 00:11:57.259 hallelujah. He could have got comfortable with 00:11:57.259 --> 00:11:59.879 the protection of the fire, hallelujah. He was 00:11:59.879 --> 00:12:03.960 no longer cold. longer wet hallelujah the fire 00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:07.639 was beginning to dry him out but Paul then decided 00:12:07.639 --> 00:12:11.340 hallelujah when the fire began to burn out Paul 00:12:11.340 --> 00:12:17.129 then started to add to the fire This is going 00:12:17.129 --> 00:12:20.250 to take every single one of us. This is going 00:12:20.250 --> 00:12:23.269 to take every single young person. Every man 00:12:23.269 --> 00:12:26.990 and woman must participate in this. Amen. Because 00:12:26.990 --> 00:12:30.230 the fire of revival isn't going to be sustained 00:12:30.230 --> 00:12:34.529 by one person. It requires for everyone to add 00:12:34.529 --> 00:12:39.490 to the fire. Hallelujah. Ministry is not a spectator 00:12:39.490 --> 00:12:43.120 sport. Ministry is not a sport where you can 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:45.740 just sit back and cross your arms and just watch 00:12:45.740 --> 00:12:48.500 it all happen. That's not how this works. Hallelujah. 00:12:49.019 --> 00:12:54.879 Everyone must add to the fire. Let me tell you 00:12:54.879 --> 00:12:57.320 something, that our ministries and our talents 00:12:57.320 --> 00:13:00.620 and our abilities, hallelujah, are all needed, 00:13:00.779 --> 00:13:05.240 hallelujah, to be added to this fire. Because 00:13:05.240 --> 00:13:08.620 in the fire, we will see different flames, but 00:13:08.620 --> 00:13:12.139 there will be only one purpose. Each and every 00:13:12.139 --> 00:13:14.940 flame, hallelujah, carries the same purpose. 00:13:15.299 --> 00:13:18.559 And what I mean by that is that in Ephesians 00:13:18.559 --> 00:13:23.980 4, 11 through 13, it says, And he gave some apostles 00:13:23.980 --> 00:13:28.440 and some prophets and some evangelists and some 00:13:28.440 --> 00:13:31.340 pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the 00:13:31.340 --> 00:13:34.360 saints, for the work of the ministry, for the 00:13:34.360 --> 00:13:37.960 edifying of the church. Now we all come in the 00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:41.340 unity of faith. Someone say unity. Someone say 00:13:41.340 --> 00:13:44.679 unity. And the knowledge of the Son of God unto 00:13:44.679 --> 00:13:47.460 perfect man, unto the measure of stature of the 00:13:47.460 --> 00:13:51.700 fullness of Christ. You see, sometimes we might 00:13:51.700 --> 00:13:54.200 think to ourselves that we don't have what it 00:13:54.200 --> 00:13:56.879 takes to add to what we see that is happening 00:13:56.879 --> 00:14:00.220 in the church. Sometimes we feel that the little 00:14:00.220 --> 00:14:03.440 bit that we have to offer just might not be enough. 00:14:04.269 --> 00:14:07.210 Just because we are not teaching and just because 00:14:07.210 --> 00:14:09.850 we are not preaching and just because we are 00:14:09.850 --> 00:14:12.330 not singing and just because you are not on the 00:14:12.330 --> 00:14:14.710 platform, maybe you're not even helping with 00:14:14.710 --> 00:14:17.309 the setup or breakup, hallelujah, doesn't mean 00:14:17.309 --> 00:14:20.090 that what God has given you is not enough to 00:14:20.090 --> 00:14:25.399 add to the fire. Sometimes we will talk ourselves 00:14:25.399 --> 00:14:28.759 out of helping because we don't know and we don't 00:14:28.759 --> 00:14:31.519 understand, yet we forget that God is the one 00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:34.559 that enables us. God is the one that provides 00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:37.299 unto us. God is the one that will give us what 00:14:37.299 --> 00:14:42.679 we need, amen, to add to the fire. Every person 00:14:42.679 --> 00:14:46.480 has something to add. And if you're sitting there 00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:48.659 thinking to yourself, Brother David, I don't 00:14:48.659 --> 00:14:51.360 do any of those things. I don't have experience 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:54.840 of any of those things. Amen. I don't help in 00:14:54.840 --> 00:14:56.580 that capacity. I don't think there's anything 00:14:56.580 --> 00:14:59.580 that I can do to add. I want to remind you that 00:14:59.580 --> 00:15:02.259 there are four key elements that every single 00:15:02.259 --> 00:15:05.080 one of us have in this church. Amen. There is 00:15:05.080 --> 00:15:08.240 no doubt about it that God has not given us what 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:11.440 we need. Amen. God has not equipped us what we 00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:14.460 need to help to continue to build this church. 00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:18.179 And for this fire to keep going. Hallelujah. 00:15:21.539 --> 00:15:26.220 Number one, you have your worship. And worship 00:15:26.220 --> 00:15:29.620 is like the kingling. The kingling are like small 00:15:29.620 --> 00:15:33.299 sticks or twigs, amen, that are used, amen, to 00:15:33.299 --> 00:15:37.179 catch the fire. This is what you use when you 00:15:37.179 --> 00:15:39.720 first start to put a fire together. You get those 00:15:39.720 --> 00:15:42.159 little brushes or little twigs, amen, and you 00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:45.759 throw them on the fire. It is your worship, hallelujah, 00:15:45.919 --> 00:15:48.840 that at times it might seem small and it might 00:15:48.840 --> 00:15:51.500 not seem that it's enough, hallelujah. But when 00:15:51.500 --> 00:15:54.220 you lift up your hands and you open up your mouths, 00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:57.200 hallelujah, and you begin to worship the name 00:15:57.200 --> 00:16:00.539 of the Lord, something begins to happen, hallelujah. 00:16:02.100 --> 00:16:05.500 Worship sets the atmosphere and it breaks the 00:16:05.500 --> 00:16:08.879 hard ground and gives the spirit of God a place 00:16:08.879 --> 00:16:14.399 to burn. This is why he seeks those, amen, that 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:17.059 are women worshiping in spirit and in truth. 00:16:17.580 --> 00:16:20.679 Your worship, hallelujah, is what breaks ground 00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:24.720 and sets the atmosphere. In Psalm 104 it reads, 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:27.539 enter his gates, amen, with thanksgiving and 00:16:27.539 --> 00:16:31.909 his courts with praise. Amen. Worship is what 00:16:31.909 --> 00:16:34.690 invites the fire to fall. Whether it's loud. 00:16:34.950 --> 00:16:37.570 Whether it's quiet. Whether it's fast. Whether 00:16:37.570 --> 00:16:40.370 it's slow. True worship attracts the presence 00:16:40.370 --> 00:16:43.350 of God. And it's your worship that may spark. 00:16:43.470 --> 00:16:48.730 Amen. Amen. And set the whole room ablaze. Number 00:16:48.730 --> 00:16:51.769 two is your prayer. And prayer are like your 00:16:51.769 --> 00:16:55.279 sticks. Amen. If you go outside, I guarantee 00:16:55.279 --> 00:16:57.519 you, if you look down on the ground, you'll be 00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:00.360 able to find at least one, two, three, or four 00:17:00.360 --> 00:17:03.370 sticks basically anywhere that you step. Because 00:17:03.370 --> 00:17:05.630 wherever there's growth, wherever there's a tree, 00:17:05.789 --> 00:17:07.910 wherever something was alive or something was 00:17:07.910 --> 00:17:10.210 dead, there was a reverence of something that 00:17:10.210 --> 00:17:12.990 was alive. And you will find these sticks anywhere 00:17:12.990 --> 00:17:16.470 that you look. Amen. And prayer, amen, is equivalent 00:17:16.470 --> 00:17:19.269 to sticks because prayer is what keeps the fire 00:17:19.269 --> 00:17:22.369 alive. Prayer is what keeps the fire burning. 00:17:22.470 --> 00:17:25.750 Every time that we pray, even though it might 00:17:25.750 --> 00:17:29.230 feel small and a routine prayer, we are asking. 00:17:29.240 --> 00:17:31.460 adding to the sticks of the fire of revival. 00:17:31.700 --> 00:17:35.000 A church without prayer is a church without fire. 00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:38.880 I said a church without prayer is a church without 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:42.920 fire. Prayer builds the atmosphere, pushes back 00:17:42.920 --> 00:17:45.759 the darkness, and invites the presence of God. 00:17:46.220 --> 00:17:49.279 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:53.410 availeth much. James 5 through 16, and when we 00:17:53.410 --> 00:17:56.349 pray, whether it be privately or corporately, 00:17:56.529 --> 00:17:59.710 you're fueling the supernatural. You're keeping 00:17:59.710 --> 00:18:02.750 the fire burning. The flame will never go out. 00:18:02.849 --> 00:18:05.930 Your sticks may not seem like much, but when 00:18:05.930 --> 00:18:08.710 you stack those sticks on those twigs of worship, 00:18:08.849 --> 00:18:13.509 and then now here comes faith, the fire will 00:18:13.509 --> 00:18:19.250 burn strong and boldly. Third thing is your faith. 00:18:19.950 --> 00:18:23.910 Amen. Your faith is comparable to wood. Faith 00:18:23.910 --> 00:18:28.230 is solid. It steadily fuels the burning fire 00:18:28.230 --> 00:18:32.809 even when we can't see the flame. Wood burns 00:18:32.809 --> 00:18:38.549 longer than kindling. Amen. The wood that keeps 00:18:38.549 --> 00:18:41.789 the fire alive through the night seasons of your 00:18:41.789 --> 00:18:45.259 life. it is faith that keeps the fire burning 00:18:45.259 --> 00:18:48.359 amen even when we don't know what's going to 00:18:48.359 --> 00:18:51.279 happen or what is taking place in our lives in 00:18:51.279 --> 00:18:53.960 Hebrews 1 11 it reads now faith is a substance 00:18:53.960 --> 00:18:56.539 of things hoped for the evidence of things not 00:18:56.539 --> 00:19:00.589 seen When we stand on God's promises and we believe 00:19:00.589 --> 00:19:03.230 in the middle of the storm just like Paul did. 00:19:03.390 --> 00:19:06.210 That there's faith. Amen. That fire is going 00:19:06.210 --> 00:19:09.390 to continue to burn. And even when we don't see 00:19:09.390 --> 00:19:13.470 it and we believe it, the fire is still burning. 00:19:15.269 --> 00:19:18.789 I know right now we can't see it because it's 00:19:18.789 --> 00:19:22.609 not here yet. But I told you when God brought 00:19:22.609 --> 00:19:24.670 us back to City Light Church that God brought 00:19:24.670 --> 00:19:27.539 me back with a vision. And that vision was a 00:19:27.539 --> 00:19:30.079 room full of children. And there was at least 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:34.039 50 or 60 children in that room. And it was like 00:19:34.039 --> 00:19:38.119 a Bible study, like what we do on Sundays. It 00:19:38.119 --> 00:19:40.720 was a small study for the kids. And the kids 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:43.160 were filled, amen, in that room. And they were 00:19:43.160 --> 00:19:45.519 smiling and they were cheerful, amen. And there 00:19:45.519 --> 00:19:47.779 was a whole lot of kids. And I didn't even get 00:19:47.779 --> 00:19:50.279 to see the inside of the church. But then that's 00:19:50.279 --> 00:19:52.960 when God spoke to me and said, that growth is 00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:57.460 going to come. I have preordained, amen, amen, 00:19:57.519 --> 00:20:00.180 a destiny for City Light Church. And just because 00:20:00.180 --> 00:20:02.839 we don't see it right now, it doesn't mean that 00:20:02.839 --> 00:20:07.059 God isn't doing it. God is faithful to his word. 00:20:07.500 --> 00:20:10.859 God is a keeper of his promises, amen. And this 00:20:10.859 --> 00:20:13.799 is why it requires for us to continue to put 00:20:13.799 --> 00:20:16.920 in and continue, amen, to put in, to continue 00:20:16.920 --> 00:20:22.720 to add to this fire. Can it get tiring at times? 00:20:22.759 --> 00:20:26.539 Yes, it can. Can we sometimes feel like we're 00:20:26.539 --> 00:20:29.180 not going nowhere quickly? Sometimes it can. 00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:32.279 Sometimes we're overwhelmed with the things of 00:20:32.279 --> 00:20:35.140 life. Sometimes we're overwhelmed with work, 00:20:35.259 --> 00:20:38.099 our families, our children, amen, the goals that 00:20:38.099 --> 00:20:40.880 we have for us. But God is saying, hallelujah, 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:45.039 today, that if you just focus on the fire. If 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:47.920 you just focus on the responsibilities, I will 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:50.359 take care of all those things for you. Because 00:20:50.359 --> 00:20:53.099 I'm the one that provides for you anyway. I'm 00:20:53.099 --> 00:20:55.599 the one that gives you, hallelujah, the more 00:20:55.599 --> 00:21:01.339 anyway. I'm the one that multiplies anyway. So 00:21:01.339 --> 00:21:06.259 if you stay focused and build your fire, amen, 00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:10.319 everything else will be consumed in the fire. 00:21:10.579 --> 00:21:15.410 And God will continue to add. the fourth thing 00:21:15.410 --> 00:21:20.549 amen that we have is our testimony testimony 00:21:20.549 --> 00:21:25.750 is a fuel that ignites others when you share 00:21:25.750 --> 00:21:28.809 what God has done for you when you share your 00:21:28.809 --> 00:21:31.990 testimony with others it's like pouring fuel 00:21:31.990 --> 00:21:36.130 on someone else's fire people need to hear what 00:21:36.130 --> 00:21:39.660 God has done for you and I People need to hear 00:21:39.660 --> 00:21:43.059 how God brought us from nothing. And now we are 00:21:43.059 --> 00:21:47.559 something. Hallelujah. People need to hear how 00:21:47.559 --> 00:21:51.119 God healed you. How God raised you. How God saved 00:21:51.119 --> 00:21:57.119 you. How God delivered you. Because your story 00:21:57.119 --> 00:22:00.400 is only going to remind them, hallelujah, that 00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:02.859 if God did it for me, he could do it for you. 00:22:03.500 --> 00:22:07.339 in revelations 12 and 11 it says that they overcame 00:22:07.339 --> 00:22:09.880 him by the blood of the lamb and by the word 00:22:09.880 --> 00:22:15.460 of their testimony fuel feel amen the fuel that 00:22:15.460 --> 00:22:19.960 spreads the fire is your testimony We should 00:22:19.960 --> 00:22:23.299 not be afraid to share this. We should not be 00:22:23.299 --> 00:22:26.519 afraid, hallelujah, to tell someone, hey man, 00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:29.680 this is what God did for me. I know you're struggling, 00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:32.900 but if you have a few moments, let me just share 00:22:32.900 --> 00:22:35.660 with you where God brought me from. I was where 00:22:35.660 --> 00:22:39.059 you were at one day. I was lost, hallelujah. 00:22:39.299 --> 00:22:44.009 I didn't have any hope. it was over I didn't 00:22:44.009 --> 00:22:47.470 think that God had a plan for me either hallelujah 00:22:47.470 --> 00:22:50.750 but then one day the word of the Lord came to 00:22:50.750 --> 00:22:54.910 me God's hallelujah spirit came upon me and God 00:22:54.910 --> 00:23:00.250 changed me forever hallelujah your testimony 00:23:00.250 --> 00:23:07.460 is powerful So many times I have shared my testimony 00:23:07.460 --> 00:23:10.619 and the testimony of my father and how God delivered 00:23:10.619 --> 00:23:14.410 him for 22 years of heroin addiction. And it 00:23:14.410 --> 00:23:17.009 wasn't even in a church service. It wasn't in 00:23:17.009 --> 00:23:20.049 no program. My dad was up late in the middle 00:23:20.049 --> 00:23:22.829 of the night. Hallelujah. It was cold. It was 00:23:22.829 --> 00:23:25.690 raining outside, just like on the day that Paul 00:23:25.690 --> 00:23:28.410 was shipwrecked. And my father put his feet up 00:23:28.410 --> 00:23:31.109 on the stove. Amen. And he opened up his word. 00:23:31.309 --> 00:23:33.690 And he said that he cried out to God. And he 00:23:33.690 --> 00:23:37.109 told God, if you don't heal me this time, if 00:23:37.109 --> 00:23:40.089 you don't save me this time, I don't think I'm 00:23:40.089 --> 00:23:42.849 going to live to see tomorrow. I don't see an 00:23:42.849 --> 00:23:46.029 end. to this God you need to heal me and you 00:23:46.029 --> 00:23:49.630 need to heal me right now hallelujah and he said 00:23:49.630 --> 00:23:52.809 that as he began to say that the spirit of God 00:23:52.809 --> 00:23:55.589 came up over the top of his head and down to 00:23:55.589 --> 00:23:58.549 the bottom of his feet and ever since then he 00:23:58.549 --> 00:24:03.349 never craved an ounce of heroin but it's because 00:24:03.349 --> 00:24:07.670 of that night that I'm here today because had 00:24:07.670 --> 00:24:11.859 not my father cried out to God Our family would 00:24:11.859 --> 00:24:15.440 not be here because it set off a domino effect, 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:18.700 a chain reaction in his life, just like it set 00:24:18.700 --> 00:24:25.319 off the chain reaction in Paul's life. Amen. 00:24:25.380 --> 00:24:29.200 In Leviticus 6, 12 to 13, it talks about the 00:24:29.200 --> 00:24:32.960 fire in the altar. Amen. And that the fire must 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:36.700 never burn out. That the fire on the altar must 00:24:36.700 --> 00:24:40.660 be kept burning. It must not go out. that every 00:24:40.660 --> 00:24:43.559 morning the priesthood to add firewood and arrange 00:24:43.559 --> 00:24:46.519 a burnt offering on the fire and burnt the fat 00:24:46.519 --> 00:24:50.140 hallelujah fellowship offerings on it. The fire 00:24:50.140 --> 00:24:52.980 must be kept burning and the altar continuously 00:24:52.980 --> 00:24:58.119 must never go out. This was not just a suggestion. 00:24:58.279 --> 00:25:01.339 This was a command. Hallelujah. That the fire 00:25:01.339 --> 00:25:04.500 on the altar was never meant to die. Hallelujah. 00:25:04.539 --> 00:25:07.759 That the priest had to add to the fire every 00:25:07.759 --> 00:25:11.119 single morning. This wasn't a once a week type 00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:14.980 of flame. This wasn't a Sunday only spark. It 00:25:14.980 --> 00:25:18.960 was a daily fire. A continual fire that had to 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:24.289 burn and never cease. That same principle applies 00:25:24.289 --> 00:25:28.569 to us today. Amen. The fire, hallelujah, of God 00:25:28.569 --> 00:25:32.089 in our life must never be seasonal. It must never 00:25:32.089 --> 00:25:35.369 be a Sunday to Sunday type of burnout. Amen. 00:25:35.410 --> 00:25:38.130 It's meant to burn bright during the morning. 00:25:38.349 --> 00:25:40.769 It's meant to burn bright during the midday. 00:25:40.890 --> 00:25:43.769 It's meant to burn bright late at night. Hallelujah. 00:25:46.109 --> 00:25:48.970 It's not just a fire that just flickers out on 00:25:48.970 --> 00:25:53.599 Monday and then it's gone. We were called to 00:25:53.599 --> 00:25:57.660 be keepers of the fire. We were given the responsibility 00:25:57.660 --> 00:26:02.339 to fuel it, to feed it, to protect it every single 00:26:02.339 --> 00:26:06.490 day. Paul, hallelujah, was washed up on the shores 00:26:06.490 --> 00:26:10.170 of Malta, shipwrecked, soaked, and weary. And 00:26:10.170 --> 00:26:13.670 not one time, hallelujah, did Paul question who 00:26:13.670 --> 00:26:16.990 started the fire. Not one time did Paul question 00:26:16.990 --> 00:26:20.769 what kind of wood are we using. Not one time 00:26:20.769 --> 00:26:23.569 did Paul debate the method or the style of the 00:26:23.569 --> 00:26:27.029 fire burning. All Paul did was sit in front of 00:26:27.029 --> 00:26:30.650 the fire, take on the responsibility, and feed 00:26:30.650 --> 00:26:35.720 the flame. Because what mattered most to Paul 00:26:35.720 --> 00:26:41.099 was the fire. What mattered most to Paul, amen, 00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:44.500 wasn't how he was feeling. The fact that he was 00:26:44.500 --> 00:26:47.539 cold. The fact that he was deserted. The fact 00:26:47.539 --> 00:26:50.000 that God, hallelujah, left him shipwrecked on 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:53.200 an island. That did not matter to Paul. Paul 00:26:53.200 --> 00:26:56.200 was not concerned about Rome. Paul was not concerned 00:26:56.200 --> 00:26:59.059 about tomorrow. Paul was concerned about the 00:26:59.059 --> 00:27:04.690 fire. The responsibility. you and i hallelujah 00:27:04.690 --> 00:27:07.950 today we gotta rise up in our spirit and we've 00:27:07.950 --> 00:27:11.130 got to make a commitment to god and tell god 00:27:11.130 --> 00:27:14.369 that we will take on the responsibility of keeping 00:27:14.369 --> 00:27:18.470 the fire burning we've got to recommit ourselves 00:27:18.470 --> 00:27:22.589 to god and say god i am going to do my part and 00:27:22.589 --> 00:27:25.529 then some lord i'm not going to let this fire 00:27:25.529 --> 00:27:28.789 burn out on my watch i'm not waiting for someone 00:27:28.789 --> 00:27:31.569 else to do it i'm not waiting for someone else 00:27:31.569 --> 00:27:36.000 to tell me to do it God has called us to be keepers 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:40.700 of this fire. And hallelujah, I will tell you 00:27:40.700 --> 00:27:42.720 something, hallelujah, when we open up the book 00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:45.640 of Acts and we read about how the Holy Spirit 00:27:45.640 --> 00:27:50.059 fell and how the Holy Ghost fell. The Bible says 00:27:50.059 --> 00:27:54.099 that everyone was filled with the Holy Ghost. 00:27:54.819 --> 00:27:59.440 It doesn't say hallelujah. It doesn't say some. 00:27:59.720 --> 00:28:02.819 It doesn't say a little. It says all. Hallelujah. 00:28:03.059 --> 00:28:05.619 And I want to tell you that this moment was not 00:28:05.619 --> 00:28:08.759 selective, but that this moment was inclusive. 00:28:09.240 --> 00:28:12.019 Everyone, hallelujah, that was sitting in the 00:28:12.019 --> 00:28:15.200 upper room was filled with the Holy Ghost. Hallelujah. 00:28:15.339 --> 00:28:18.660 And they received the promise of God. Hallelujah. 00:28:18.700 --> 00:28:21.559 It doesn't say that only some received it and 00:28:21.559 --> 00:28:24.480 the others didn't. It doesn't say that some just 00:28:24.480 --> 00:28:27.460 stood back and watched. It doesn't say that. 00:28:27.660 --> 00:28:30.839 Some, hallelujah, folded their arms and just 00:28:30.839 --> 00:28:35.380 sat there. This was inclusive. This was for everybody. 00:28:35.559 --> 00:28:38.400 It doesn't say that some were speaking in tongues 00:28:38.400 --> 00:28:42.660 and other words and others weren't. Everyone 00:28:42.660 --> 00:28:45.799 in that room was baptized in the spirit because 00:28:45.799 --> 00:28:49.160 it is not the will of God for his church to be 00:28:49.160 --> 00:28:51.759 in disparity, brother. It's not the will of God 00:28:51.759 --> 00:28:54.140 for half the church to be in revival and the 00:28:54.140 --> 00:28:56.759 other half the church not to be. It is the will 00:28:56.759 --> 00:28:59.680 of God that when his spirit falls, that it falls 00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:06.000 on all flesh. When we read in the book of Acts, 00:29:06.099 --> 00:29:10.180 we see that everybody is in. Everyone's all in. 00:29:11.049 --> 00:29:14.930 Everyone was filled. Everyone was on fire. And 00:29:14.930 --> 00:29:19.150 everyone was in revival. And this is what happens 00:29:19.150 --> 00:29:23.309 when we are all gathered together under the same 00:29:23.309 --> 00:29:27.190 vision. And we are all filled with the same spirit. 00:29:27.569 --> 00:29:30.789 And that spirit is burning deep inside of us. 00:29:31.089 --> 00:29:35.049 Because in Acts 2 and 42, it reads that the Lord 00:29:35.049 --> 00:29:38.789 added to the church daily those who were being 00:29:38.789 --> 00:29:46.559 saved. We read books. We put programs together. 00:29:46.819 --> 00:29:51.799 We strategize. We create departments. Hallelujah. 00:29:51.980 --> 00:29:54.859 We put someone in front of outreach. We put someone 00:29:54.859 --> 00:29:58.900 in charge of discipleship. We do all these things 00:29:58.900 --> 00:30:02.539 to try to, amen, gather a fandom, an idea, amen, 00:30:02.599 --> 00:30:05.960 to go out and to win the loss, amen. But I want 00:30:05.960 --> 00:30:07.880 to tell you something, church, it is not that 00:30:07.880 --> 00:30:10.880 complicated. It is not that hard, hallelujah, 00:30:10.920 --> 00:30:13.819 because the Bible says that God was the one that 00:30:13.819 --> 00:30:17.579 added to the church daily such as should be saved. 00:30:18.119 --> 00:30:20.640 He held up to his end of the responsibility, 00:30:20.839 --> 00:30:24.539 but now God is asking us to hold up our end. 00:30:25.829 --> 00:30:29.170 Because the Bible says that they continued steadfastly 00:30:29.170 --> 00:30:32.190 in the apostles doctrine. Amen. In fellowship. 00:30:32.390 --> 00:30:37.210 In the breaking of bread. And in prayers. Then 00:30:37.210 --> 00:30:40.849 fear came upon every soul. And many wonders signs. 00:30:41.349 --> 00:30:44.009 Amen. Many wonders and signs were done through 00:30:44.009 --> 00:30:48.049 the apostles. Then it says now all who believed 00:30:48.049 --> 00:30:54.609 were together. And it says. And had all. things 00:30:54.609 --> 00:30:57.890 in common and sold their possessions and goods 00:30:57.890 --> 00:31:02.769 and divided them among all and as many had needed 00:31:02.769 --> 00:31:08.049 so continuing daily every day in one mind and 00:31:08.049 --> 00:31:10.410 one accord and in the temple breaking bread bread 00:31:10.410 --> 00:31:13.190 from house to house they ate food with gladness 00:31:13.190 --> 00:31:16.150 and simplicity of heart praising god and having 00:31:16.150 --> 00:31:21.849 favor with all people and the lord added to the 00:31:21.849 --> 00:31:27.170 church daily Those who were being saved. What 00:31:27.170 --> 00:31:30.589 does this mean? It means that every single day 00:31:30.589 --> 00:31:38.349 it is going to take all of us to do this. As 00:31:38.349 --> 00:31:40.190 I was reading this, I was thinking to myself, 00:31:40.569 --> 00:31:43.369 why haven't I been over to your house to break 00:31:43.369 --> 00:31:47.809 bread? And why haven't you been to my house to 00:31:47.809 --> 00:31:51.430 break bread? And why aren't we conversing every 00:31:51.430 --> 00:31:54.759 single week? And why aren't we praying for one 00:31:54.759 --> 00:31:58.180 another every single day? And why aren't we encouraging 00:31:58.180 --> 00:32:01.059 one another every single day? I'm not saying 00:32:01.059 --> 00:32:04.720 that division, amen, is alive and well in our 00:32:04.720 --> 00:32:07.460 church. That's not what I am saying. What I am 00:32:07.460 --> 00:32:10.039 saying is that sometimes we get caught up with 00:32:10.039 --> 00:32:13.480 our very own agendas. Sometimes we get caught 00:32:13.480 --> 00:32:15.960 up with our own ideas of what life should be. 00:32:16.140 --> 00:32:19.519 There is a reason why God calls me your brother 00:32:19.519 --> 00:32:23.430 and why God calls me your sister. He doesn't 00:32:23.430 --> 00:32:26.970 refer to us as friends. He calls us family. Hallelujah. 00:32:27.210 --> 00:32:30.490 And this is what the Bible is referring to. Because 00:32:30.490 --> 00:32:33.670 when family get together, they break bread amongst 00:32:33.670 --> 00:32:36.809 each other. They ask each other how you are doing. 00:32:36.990 --> 00:32:40.269 They ask each other if you need something. Can 00:32:40.269 --> 00:32:45.250 I help you with something? And whether we understand 00:32:45.250 --> 00:32:48.410 it or believe it or not, we are all blood related. 00:32:49.549 --> 00:32:53.029 We are all blood related. That blood that shed 00:32:53.029 --> 00:32:56.450 on Calvary. The blood, hallelujah, that ran over 00:32:56.450 --> 00:32:59.869 his back, off the top of his forehead. That blood 00:32:59.869 --> 00:33:02.970 that saved you and I today. It's the same blood 00:33:02.970 --> 00:33:05.869 that bonds you and I. Hallelujah. This is why 00:33:05.869 --> 00:33:09.089 the body of Christ is called the body of Christ. 00:33:09.150 --> 00:33:12.849 Hallelujah. No one is left out. Everyone is welcomed 00:33:12.849 --> 00:33:20.480 into this family. But this is part. Of what happens 00:33:20.480 --> 00:33:24.259 when we decide to take on the responsibility. 00:33:25.960 --> 00:33:29.779 This is what happens when we put aside, hallelujah, 00:33:29.920 --> 00:33:33.539 our own agendas. And we receive, hallelujah, 00:33:33.700 --> 00:33:37.079 the vision that God has placed and given us for 00:33:37.079 --> 00:33:43.210 this church. Pianist, if you could come up. It's 00:33:43.210 --> 00:33:45.849 no mistake, hallelujah, that God has brought 00:33:45.849 --> 00:33:48.990 me here. And there is no mistake that God has 00:33:48.990 --> 00:33:53.160 brought you here. I think sometimes we grow numb 00:33:53.160 --> 00:33:55.940 and we've grown a little callous to people saying 00:33:55.940 --> 00:33:59.339 that we have the best worship. Hallelujah. That 00:33:59.339 --> 00:34:02.279 we have the best singers. Hallelujah. That we 00:34:02.279 --> 00:34:04.640 have one of the best preachers as our pastor 00:34:04.640 --> 00:34:07.819 in the apostolic assembly. We have some of the 00:34:07.819 --> 00:34:10.940 most gifted and talented musicians. There is 00:34:10.940 --> 00:34:14.119 not, hallelujah, a mistake that God has called 00:34:14.119 --> 00:34:16.940 us and brought us together. Hallelujah. There 00:34:16.940 --> 00:34:20.699 is a responsibility that God has. called us to. 00:34:24.500 --> 00:34:29.300 This is what God is saying today to you and I. 00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:35.280 I have placed a fire in front of you. I've shipwrecked, 00:34:35.280 --> 00:34:39.980 hallelujah, and I've redirected your life. When 00:34:39.980 --> 00:34:42.639 you truly think about it, why would God bring 00:34:42.639 --> 00:34:46.760 people from Modesto? Why would God bring people 00:34:46.760 --> 00:34:50.400 from Palo Alto, from San Jose, from San Francisco, 00:34:50.420 --> 00:34:55.320 from all over the Bay Area? And why would he 00:34:55.320 --> 00:34:59.320 bring them all to one location? I'll tell you 00:34:59.320 --> 00:35:02.019 why. Because at some point in your life, Bakersfield, 00:35:02.159 --> 00:35:06.000 God has brought us from miles and miles away. 00:35:07.219 --> 00:35:12.210 But God did exactly what he did to Paul. At some 00:35:12.210 --> 00:35:14.449 point in your journey as you were on your way 00:35:14.449 --> 00:35:17.510 in your walk with God. God, hallelujah, caused 00:35:17.510 --> 00:35:22.070 a storm to stir up in your life. God caused some 00:35:22.070 --> 00:35:25.929 things to shake up in your life. God caused some 00:35:25.929 --> 00:35:29.489 things, hallelujah, amen, to move and to shift 00:35:29.489 --> 00:35:32.090 it. And possibly some things might have even 00:35:32.090 --> 00:35:37.840 been broken along the way. But God did it for 00:35:37.840 --> 00:35:41.440 no other reason. Hallelujah. To redirect you 00:35:41.440 --> 00:35:45.119 to the island of Malta. To redirect you to the 00:35:45.119 --> 00:35:49.480 city of Mountain View. And you landed on the 00:35:49.480 --> 00:35:57.579 shores of City Light Church. Sometimes, church, 00:35:57.719 --> 00:36:05.030 God will do this to us. Because God has a greater 00:36:05.030 --> 00:36:09.510 responsibility and a greater purpose. I'm all 00:36:09.510 --> 00:36:11.269 out of time, but I'm going to tell you something 00:36:11.269 --> 00:36:16.630 about the hand of Paul. When Paul decided, amen, 00:36:16.710 --> 00:36:21.050 to take on this responsibility. And Paul sat 00:36:21.050 --> 00:36:24.010 in front of that fire and he grabbed those sticks 00:36:24.010 --> 00:36:26.929 and he grabbed the wood. Amen. And he began to 00:36:26.929 --> 00:36:30.369 feed the fire and the fire began to burn and 00:36:30.369 --> 00:36:32.869 the temperature began to rise. Amen. The Bible 00:36:32.869 --> 00:36:38.289 said that a viper jumped out. And this viper 00:36:38.289 --> 00:36:41.570 clung on to the hand of Paul. And the foreigners 00:36:41.570 --> 00:36:44.829 expecting for Paul's hand to swell up and for 00:36:44.829 --> 00:36:48.469 Paul to fall out. The Bible said that Paul shook 00:36:48.469 --> 00:36:54.000 that. Because when you take on and you, amen, 00:36:54.059 --> 00:36:56.539 say yes to the responsibility of tending that 00:36:56.539 --> 00:36:59.159 fire, that fire isn't only going to burn in your 00:36:59.159 --> 00:37:01.300 life. That fire is also going to protect you. 00:37:03.860 --> 00:37:06.820 The Bible says that after this was done, there 00:37:06.820 --> 00:37:10.300 was a young man by the name of Publius that approached 00:37:10.300 --> 00:37:13.260 him. And it just so happened that his father, 00:37:13.300 --> 00:37:15.940 who was a chief, amen, the chief of command of 00:37:15.940 --> 00:37:18.949 that island, he was sick. He had a fever. And 00:37:18.949 --> 00:37:20.929 he had some sort of sickness that was caused 00:37:20.929 --> 00:37:24.670 by bacteria, parasites, something that got into 00:37:24.670 --> 00:37:26.630 his stomach and just messed them all up and he 00:37:26.630 --> 00:37:31.670 was sick. That same hand that that viper clung 00:37:31.670 --> 00:37:36.449 onto and bit on Paul was the same hand that Paul 00:37:36.449 --> 00:37:39.809 extended and healed the man of his sickness. 00:37:41.449 --> 00:37:44.789 Because there's power in the fire. There's authority 00:37:44.789 --> 00:37:48.239 in the fire. there's power hallelujah when you 00:37:48.239 --> 00:37:51.300 decide to take on this responsibility god just 00:37:51.300 --> 00:37:53.679 doesn't protect you god just doesn't give you 00:37:53.679 --> 00:37:56.460 what you need amen but you begin to exercise 00:37:56.460 --> 00:37:59.920 the power and the authority that god has given 00:37:59.920 --> 00:38:06.760 to you stand with me we could speak on the vipers 00:38:06.760 --> 00:38:14.670 you know why there's a fight every sunday You 00:38:14.670 --> 00:38:17.610 know why there's a struggle, amen, with our flesh? 00:38:19.630 --> 00:38:22.750 Amen. You know why there's a struggle when we 00:38:22.750 --> 00:38:24.989 come into this place and sometimes we can barely 00:38:24.989 --> 00:38:28.349 lift our hands. Sometimes we can barely say yes 00:38:28.349 --> 00:38:32.690 to God. Because there are vipers that are comfortable 00:38:32.690 --> 00:38:37.909 even in the temperature of revival. There are 00:38:37.909 --> 00:38:40.610 things in your life that are comfortable at the 00:38:40.610 --> 00:38:43.150 temperature where you have your life set at. 00:38:44.059 --> 00:38:47.159 There are things that you are trying to rid yourselves 00:38:47.159 --> 00:38:50.179 of and you just can't get rid of these things. 00:38:51.800 --> 00:38:54.420 There are things that are holding you back. There 00:38:54.420 --> 00:38:56.400 are things that are keeping you in your seat. 00:38:56.519 --> 00:38:59.719 There are things, hallelujah, that are not permitting 00:38:59.719 --> 00:39:02.380 you, amen, to say yes to this responsibility. 00:39:05.039 --> 00:39:07.500 but it's not until the church comes together 00:39:07.500 --> 00:39:10.800 and it's not until we start to put into this 00:39:10.800 --> 00:39:14.260 fire when that temperature begins to rise and 00:39:14.260 --> 00:39:17.760 the heat begins hallelujah to burn hallelujah 00:39:17.760 --> 00:39:21.460 that these vipers will then jump out of your 00:39:21.460 --> 00:39:26.340 lives because they can't sit in a fire where 00:39:26.340 --> 00:39:30.650 they're not comfortable There are things in our 00:39:30.650 --> 00:39:34.309 lives today that are way too comfortable. And 00:39:34.309 --> 00:39:36.989 even though we come to church and we get our 00:39:36.989 --> 00:39:40.309 clap on and we get our praise on and we say that 00:39:40.309 --> 00:39:43.130 was great and that was good and we break a little 00:39:43.130 --> 00:39:46.789 sweat, hallelujah, we go home and those vipers 00:39:46.789 --> 00:39:50.610 go home with you. Those things, hallelujah, are 00:39:50.610 --> 00:39:54.690 still alive in your fire. But God is asking a 00:39:54.690 --> 00:39:58.800 simple question. Will you say yes to the responsibility 00:39:58.800 --> 00:40:03.159 that I have given to you? Because when you say 00:40:03.159 --> 00:40:06.880 yes, the fire will intensify and those things 00:40:06.880 --> 00:40:11.940 will start to leave. How do we rid these things 00:40:11.940 --> 00:40:14.460 of our lives? How do we get rid of these things? 00:40:14.599 --> 00:40:21.039 We say yes to the responsibility. Amen. My soul 00:40:21.039 --> 00:40:27.010 says yes, oh Lord. Church, we have a responsibility 00:40:27.010 --> 00:40:32.650 today. It's not good enough just to come to church 00:40:32.650 --> 00:40:36.670 and raise our hand and just have church anymore. 00:40:38.269 --> 00:40:42.050 Because this fire has to burn day in and day 00:40:42.050 --> 00:40:45.289 out. We've got to take this fire with us. Lift 00:40:45.289 --> 00:40:47.849 your hands, hallelujah. Lift your hands towards 00:40:47.849 --> 00:40:51.929 heaven. Oh, Jesus, hallelujah, Lord, hallelujah.