WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.139 Amen. If you have your Bibles, you can turn to 00:00:06.139 --> 00:00:11.800 the book of Acts chapter 9, verse 10 -12. If 00:00:11.800 --> 00:00:14.400 you don't have your Bibles, you can see the scripture 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:17.579 up there on the projector there. And I'm going 00:00:17.579 --> 00:00:20.539 to be reading out of the New Living Translation. 00:00:21.460 --> 00:00:26.940 Amen. If you got it, say amen. Amen. Now there 00:00:26.940 --> 00:00:32.359 was a believer in Damascus. Named Ananias. The 00:00:32.359 --> 00:00:37.799 Lord spoke to him in a vision. Calling. Ananias. 00:00:39.880 --> 00:00:45.219 Yes Lord. He replied. Someone say yes Lord. The 00:00:45.219 --> 00:00:48.500 Lord said go over to straight street. To the 00:00:48.500 --> 00:00:52.060 house of Judas. When you get there ask for a 00:00:52.060 --> 00:00:55.759 man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to 00:00:55.759 --> 00:01:00.450 me right now. I have shown him a vision of a 00:01:00.450 --> 00:01:04.109 man named Ananias coming in and laying hands 00:01:04.109 --> 00:01:11.329 on him so he can see again. Amen. Very quickly, 00:01:11.390 --> 00:01:13.349 let's bow our heads and go before the Lord. Heavenly 00:01:13.349 --> 00:01:15.150 Father, we come before you today. We give you 00:01:15.150 --> 00:01:17.670 honor. We give you glory. Lord, we ask you, Lord, 00:01:17.689 --> 00:01:19.730 to prepare our hearts, prepare our minds, Father 00:01:19.730 --> 00:01:22.609 Lord, to receive your word today, Father Lord, 00:01:22.709 --> 00:01:25.569 that it would edify. Our lives, Father, Lord, 00:01:25.629 --> 00:01:27.909 that it would increase our faith, Lord, that 00:01:27.909 --> 00:01:30.010 it would give us the instruction and the direction 00:01:30.010 --> 00:01:33.230 that we need today, God. Lord, we need to hear 00:01:33.230 --> 00:01:35.810 from you today, God. I ask you, Lord, to anoint 00:01:35.810 --> 00:01:38.810 my lips of clay, God. Anoint our ears, God. Lord, 00:01:38.909 --> 00:01:42.250 to receive your word today. Hallelujah. In the 00:01:42.250 --> 00:01:45.629 mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Someone say amen. 00:01:46.530 --> 00:01:55.209 Amen. You may be seated. Amen. Blessed be the 00:01:55.209 --> 00:01:58.549 name of the Lord. You know, sometimes the greatest 00:01:58.549 --> 00:02:03.890 moves of God don't begin with the famous, the 00:02:03.890 --> 00:02:09.490 well -known, or the recognized. They begin with 00:02:09.490 --> 00:02:14.550 an unknown believer. And for a few moments, I'd 00:02:14.550 --> 00:02:18.590 want to speak on the subject, the unknown believer. 00:02:19.349 --> 00:02:23.819 In Acts 9. Scripture introduces us to a man named 00:02:23.819 --> 00:02:27.960 Ananias. He's not an apostle, wasn't a missionary, 00:02:28.300 --> 00:02:32.479 not a New Testament superstar. Just a believer 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:36.659 in Damascus. On the surface, he is ordinary. 00:02:37.099 --> 00:02:40.819 His name doesn't ring through history. Amen. 00:02:41.139 --> 00:02:48.360 Like Peter, James, John. Amen. He isn't known 00:02:48.360 --> 00:02:52.639 for preaching. to the crowds, walking on water, 00:02:52.840 --> 00:02:57.819 or writing letters that shaped the church. Yet 00:02:57.819 --> 00:03:05.060 God knew his name. God knew his address. God 00:03:05.060 --> 00:03:10.240 knew his assignment. In a vision, the Lord speaks, 00:03:10.580 --> 00:03:15.020 Ananias. There's an explanation point after that, 00:03:15.060 --> 00:03:19.590 so I have to raise my tone a bit. And with no 00:03:19.590 --> 00:03:25.490 hesitation, he responds, yes, Lord. That response 00:03:25.490 --> 00:03:29.889 alone reveals the posture of his heart. And before 00:03:29.889 --> 00:03:33.289 he knows the details of why God was calling him 00:03:33.289 --> 00:03:37.949 that day, before he understood the mission, before 00:03:37.949 --> 00:03:41.069 he hears of the difficulty that would come with 00:03:41.069 --> 00:03:47.449 his answer, he immediately answers, yes. And 00:03:47.449 --> 00:03:52.050 God sends him on a task that would change the 00:03:52.050 --> 00:03:57.189 world forever. To go to a man named Saul, a man 00:03:57.189 --> 00:04:02.569 known for violence and direct persecution of 00:04:02.569 --> 00:04:08.330 the church, a man everyone feared. But at Saul's 00:04:08.330 --> 00:04:13.129 most vulnerable moment, God orchestrates a divine 00:04:13.129 --> 00:04:18.709 collision between a fierce unbeliever, the enemy 00:04:18.709 --> 00:04:23.529 of the church, and an unknown believer who is 00:04:23.529 --> 00:04:29.430 the church. Someone says, I am the church. Ananias 00:04:29.430 --> 00:04:33.509 will not write a book in the Bible. Ananias will 00:04:33.509 --> 00:04:37.649 not pastor a mega church. He will not be remembered 00:04:37.649 --> 00:04:42.589 by the masses, but because he believed, he listened, 00:04:42.850 --> 00:04:48.110 he responded, and he showed up. Saul would receive 00:04:48.110 --> 00:04:52.569 his sight, be filled with the spirit, and step 00:04:52.569 --> 00:04:57.329 into his purpose as Paul, the greatest missionary 00:04:57.329 --> 00:05:02.589 the world has ever known. You see, because you 00:05:02.589 --> 00:05:06.290 don't have to be recognized to be used. Someone 00:05:06.290 --> 00:05:10.329 say amen. You don't have to be celebrated to 00:05:10.329 --> 00:05:13.910 be called. You don't have to be known by people 00:05:13.910 --> 00:05:18.660 to be known. By God. Thank God for that. Amen. 00:05:19.480 --> 00:05:24.139 Today God is still looking for an Ananias. Someone 00:05:24.139 --> 00:05:29.959 who hears his voice and answers, yes, Lord. But 00:05:29.959 --> 00:05:33.420 before we get to Ananias, the unknown believer, 00:05:33.720 --> 00:05:40.000 I want to briefly speak on Saul, the unbeliever. 00:05:40.839 --> 00:05:43.959 Now here we have the story of Saul and his conversion 00:05:43.959 --> 00:05:48.000 experience. You all know the story on his way 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:52.180 to persecute the church, on the road to Damascus. 00:05:52.860 --> 00:05:56.160 He meets up with the Lord, amen. The Lord shines 00:05:56.160 --> 00:06:00.319 his light on him, blinds him, amen. And he continues 00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:04.500 on with his conversion to Paul. But before I 00:06:04.500 --> 00:06:09.040 get ahead of myself, amen, we also, amen, come 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:12.769 to a point where we... experience this conversion 00:06:12.769 --> 00:06:16.310 with Saul, amen, as the Bible describes in detail 00:06:16.310 --> 00:06:20.269 and what it took, amen, for him to then be changed 00:06:20.269 --> 00:06:24.689 to from Saul to Paul. We have known him as the 00:06:24.689 --> 00:06:27.829 Apostle Paul, the one who writes two -thirds 00:06:27.829 --> 00:06:31.250 of the New Testament. He gives us theology and 00:06:31.250 --> 00:06:36.170 tells us about justification, propitiation, redemption, 00:06:36.370 --> 00:06:39.629 and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:06:40.329 --> 00:06:45.050 He is an incredible theologian. But before he 00:06:45.050 --> 00:06:49.649 was any of those things, he was the early church's 00:06:49.649 --> 00:06:55.029 most hideous villains. An enemy of the believer. 00:06:56.370 --> 00:07:01.389 Saul persecuted the believer, then became the 00:07:01.389 --> 00:07:06.509 believer. Before Ananias ever mentioned in Acts, 00:07:06.670 --> 00:07:09.889 before he was mentioned in Acts 9. The spotlight, 00:07:10.029 --> 00:07:13.569 amen, was on Saul. The man who wanted nothing 00:07:13.569 --> 00:07:18.629 to do with Jesus. Saul didn't believe. He didn't 00:07:18.629 --> 00:07:20.810 believe in the gospel. He didn't believe in the 00:07:20.810 --> 00:07:23.009 resurrection. He didn't believe in the church. 00:07:23.790 --> 00:07:28.730 He believed in his mission of destruction. And 00:07:28.730 --> 00:07:32.170 just to highlight just how cold hearted and stone 00:07:32.170 --> 00:07:37.069 wall Saul was. Amen. Right after Stephen was 00:07:37.069 --> 00:07:41.360 stoned. To death for prophesying that he saw 00:07:41.360 --> 00:07:44.040 heaven open up and the son of man standing at 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:47.240 the right hand of God. While they buried Stephen 00:07:47.240 --> 00:07:50.680 and they mourned him, amen, for preaching the 00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:53.680 word of God. And they laid him and they buried 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:57.839 him, amen. The Bible says that Saul began to 00:07:57.839 --> 00:08:01.459 destroy the church. Going from house to house, 00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:05.000 he dragged off both men and women and put them 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:09.500 in prison. While everybody was mourning Stephen's 00:08:09.500 --> 00:08:12.759 death and everyone was at the burial site crying 00:08:12.759 --> 00:08:15.899 amen and feeling remorseful and compassion for 00:08:15.899 --> 00:08:18.980 a man that just died for doing the will of God. 00:08:19.160 --> 00:08:23.920 Saul continued on with his mission. His mission 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:27.959 of destruction. And Saul had no remorse. He had 00:08:27.959 --> 00:08:31.480 no compassion. This is how cold his heart was. 00:08:32.179 --> 00:08:37.529 Stonewalled towards any believer. Saul was convinced 00:08:37.529 --> 00:08:42.789 that he was right. Even while he was violently 00:08:42.789 --> 00:08:49.269 wrong. And yet God was already working in his 00:08:49.269 --> 00:08:54.009 life. I just want to stop here for a moment. 00:08:54.330 --> 00:08:58.049 And I want to thank God for saving a wretch like 00:08:58.049 --> 00:09:01.929 me. I want to thank God that while I was on my 00:09:01.929 --> 00:09:05.570 way, amen, with my own plans and my own ideas 00:09:05.570 --> 00:09:08.370 of how my life should be and where I think or 00:09:08.370 --> 00:09:11.370 I thought I would become or where I would become 00:09:11.370 --> 00:09:14.470 or who I would become, amen, that one day God 00:09:14.470 --> 00:09:18.990 met me head to head. And the Lord stopped me 00:09:18.990 --> 00:09:22.129 in his tracks and said, I have a different plan 00:09:22.129 --> 00:09:25.820 for you, David. Because some of you might know, 00:09:25.899 --> 00:09:28.259 many of you might not know, but a little over 00:09:28.259 --> 00:09:30.840 20 -something years ago, there was nine of us 00:09:30.840 --> 00:09:33.940 that were held up in our Sunday school room overnight. 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:38.500 There was a deranged, possessed man, a man that 00:09:38.500 --> 00:09:42.399 stood at the window while we were praying. Myself, 00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:44.440 a few young people, my brother, the pastor's 00:09:44.440 --> 00:09:48.039 son. And as we opened up our eyes because we 00:09:48.039 --> 00:09:50.080 were going to continue through the night and 00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:52.440 we looked up, we saw this man peeking through 00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:55.730 the window. With a grim, ugly look on his face, 00:09:55.850 --> 00:10:01.009 red eyes, long, looked like dirty hair. The guy 00:10:01.009 --> 00:10:03.110 is just standing there with a smirk on his face. 00:10:04.309 --> 00:10:06.690 We asked him if he wanted prayer. We asked him 00:10:06.690 --> 00:10:09.490 his name. We asked him what he needed. And all 00:10:09.490 --> 00:10:11.750 he did was reach down in his waist and pull out 00:10:11.750 --> 00:10:16.409 a gun. He waved the gun back and forth. And obviously 00:10:16.409 --> 00:10:18.970 we were shook and we were stuck out of fear because 00:10:18.970 --> 00:10:22.419 we had no idea what was going on. But I want 00:10:22.419 --> 00:10:25.620 to tell you today, amen, that I stand here by 00:10:25.620 --> 00:10:28.440 the grace of God. Because no matter how many 00:10:28.440 --> 00:10:31.740 times he pulled the trigger, that gun never went 00:10:31.740 --> 00:10:34.080 off. Amen. You see, because the devil sought 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:37.720 out, amen, to destroy and to kill nine lives 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:41.879 that belong to God. And God stepped in and said, 00:10:41.960 --> 00:10:46.200 no, I have a plan for them. I thank God that 00:10:46.200 --> 00:10:49.139 he is not interested in just the nice and the 00:10:49.139 --> 00:10:53.029 honest. I thank God. interested for the rich 00:10:53.029 --> 00:10:56.529 and the mighty. But God is interested in saving 00:10:56.529 --> 00:11:02.429 every single soul. The liar, the cheater, amen, 00:11:02.490 --> 00:11:07.090 the abuser, the manipulator. God is seeking after 00:11:07.090 --> 00:11:16.529 everyone. While Saul was in pursuit of the believer, 00:11:16.690 --> 00:11:23.090 God was in pursuit of Saul. God pursuits, he 00:11:23.090 --> 00:11:27.350 pursued Saul on the road to Damascus. And as 00:11:27.350 --> 00:11:31.590 we read in Acts chapter 9. It says that Saul 00:11:31.590 --> 00:11:35.690 journeyed, amen, near Damascus. And suddenly 00:11:35.690 --> 00:11:38.690 a light shone around him from heaven. Then he 00:11:38.690 --> 00:11:40.870 fell to the ground and he heard a voice saying 00:11:40.870 --> 00:11:45.129 to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? 00:11:45.789 --> 00:11:49.389 And Acts 9, amen, 10 -12 teaches us something 00:11:49.389 --> 00:11:53.190 very profound. God began to work in a person 00:11:53.190 --> 00:11:57.750 long before the church believed in him. God began 00:11:57.750 --> 00:12:01.029 to work in the heart of someone's life, amen, 00:12:01.070 --> 00:12:05.909 long before anyone believed in him. But God, 00:12:05.929 --> 00:12:11.669 God believed in him. He was shaping Saul's heart 00:12:11.669 --> 00:12:16.110 before Saul ever surrendered. Grace was moving 00:12:16.110 --> 00:12:21.250 while Saul was resisting. Someone say, thank 00:12:21.250 --> 00:12:24.379 God for his grace. Come on, thank God for his 00:12:24.379 --> 00:12:28.659 grace. How many times have you resisted? How 00:12:28.659 --> 00:12:31.460 many times have you told God no? How many times 00:12:31.460 --> 00:12:34.440 have you told God, I'm not ready yet, God. I'm 00:12:34.440 --> 00:12:37.059 not ready to go. I'm not ready to listen. I'm 00:12:37.059 --> 00:12:40.000 not ready to answer yet, God. Amen. And God is 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:43.080 still there patiently waiting for you. Patiently 00:12:43.080 --> 00:12:46.340 waiting for you. Mistake after mistake. Day after 00:12:46.340 --> 00:12:50.360 day. Time after time. God is saying, I am waiting 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:56.080 for you. That's grace, my friend. Destiny was 00:12:56.080 --> 00:13:00.600 forming while Saul was still doubting. So don't 00:13:00.600 --> 00:13:03.480 count someone out because of where they are at 00:13:03.480 --> 00:13:07.399 now. The person who seems the farthest from faith 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:11.700 might be the next Paul. The one that the church 00:13:11.700 --> 00:13:15.659 fears God may be forming and shaping to save 00:13:15.659 --> 00:13:23.299 everyone. The unbeliever today is the unstoppable 00:13:23.299 --> 00:13:26.240 believer tomorrow. Come on, someone say amen. 00:13:26.620 --> 00:13:28.500 Amen. Come on, let's give the Lord a round of 00:13:28.500 --> 00:13:31.019 applause for that. Hallelujah. I just want to 00:13:31.019 --> 00:13:34.879 point something out before we move on to Ananias. 00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:39.320 I want to point out that God went to great lengths 00:13:39.320 --> 00:13:44.120 to reach Saul. Because if you just read, Saul's 00:13:44.120 --> 00:13:46.639 heart was cold. This was not an easy conversion. 00:13:48.269 --> 00:13:51.529 Amen. His heart was stonewalled. He hated the 00:13:51.529 --> 00:13:54.830 church. He persecuted the church. He would go 00:13:54.830 --> 00:13:58.830 and take every man and woman and hold them captive 00:13:58.830 --> 00:14:01.649 and take them up and even if he was able to participate 00:14:01.649 --> 00:14:04.149 in the judging of the church, he would be standing 00:14:04.149 --> 00:14:08.370 there saying, crucify them. It wasn't good enough 00:14:08.370 --> 00:14:13.149 for Saul just to capture and captivate and hold 00:14:13.149 --> 00:14:15.629 the men and women and the believers captive. 00:14:16.090 --> 00:14:20.529 He also wanted to Kill them. Who does that remind 00:14:20.529 --> 00:14:26.970 you of? Who seeks out to kill, to steal, and 00:14:26.970 --> 00:14:30.529 to destroy? None other than our enemy. That's 00:14:30.529 --> 00:14:34.389 why the Bible refers to Saul as the enemy of 00:14:34.389 --> 00:14:41.789 the church. Saul had to be stopped. But how do 00:14:41.789 --> 00:14:44.529 you stop someone who would not stop at nothing 00:14:44.529 --> 00:14:48.100 to fulfill his own mission? To fulfill his own 00:14:48.100 --> 00:14:51.360 destiny. So determined to finish what he started 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:55.379 and what he was set out to do. You see, for the 00:14:55.379 --> 00:14:59.639 first time in Saul's life, Saul became physically 00:14:59.639 --> 00:15:05.340 what he had always been spiritually. Blind. The 00:15:05.340 --> 00:15:08.080 Lord took his sight for three days and he did 00:15:08.080 --> 00:15:11.480 not eat or drink. The Lord could have killed 00:15:11.480 --> 00:15:16.250 Saul. The Lord could have taken Saul's life at 00:15:16.250 --> 00:15:18.590 the blink of an eye, at the snap of a finger. 00:15:20.450 --> 00:15:26.009 But what did God do? God made Saul vulnerable. 00:15:27.309 --> 00:15:31.529 So vulnerable that Saul had nowhere else to go 00:15:31.529 --> 00:15:37.049 and no one else to run to. God stopped Saul dead 00:15:37.049 --> 00:15:43.000 in his tracks. God didn't kill Saul. God didn't 00:15:43.000 --> 00:15:47.580 take Saul out. You know what God did? God humbled 00:15:47.580 --> 00:15:54.120 Saul. Before Saul became the Apostle Paul, he 00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:59.820 first had to become Saul the humbled. God brought 00:15:59.820 --> 00:16:05.759 him down so low that the Bible said that Saul 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:11.440 fell to the ground. When that light shone. Amen. 00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:14.860 When God flashed his light upon Saul, now I know 00:16:14.860 --> 00:16:17.340 where they get that phrase or that saying, get 00:16:17.340 --> 00:16:20.899 off your high horse. Because that's exactly what 00:16:20.899 --> 00:16:26.600 happened to Saul. God humbled Saul so bad that 00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:30.470 Saul went from riding on his high horse. On his 00:16:30.470 --> 00:16:33.549 way, amen, with his mission and his destiny in 00:16:33.549 --> 00:16:36.809 mind. His heart set on persecuting to church. 00:16:36.990 --> 00:16:40.730 Amen. Isn't it funny that one day we can be so 00:16:40.730 --> 00:16:48.210 high and the next day so low. God did not do 00:16:48.210 --> 00:16:52.330 this to hurt Saul. God does not humble you to 00:16:52.330 --> 00:16:57.350 hurt you. God humbles you to save you. You see, 00:16:57.389 --> 00:17:04.990 because pride. Humility heals. Saul's heart was 00:17:04.990 --> 00:17:09.130 so hardened that before God can continue him 00:17:09.130 --> 00:17:13.049 on his mission, amen, and on the road to Damascus, 00:17:13.049 --> 00:17:20.029 that God first had to heal Saul's heart. How 00:17:20.029 --> 00:17:25.190 then can Saul believe if his heart was hardened? 00:17:28.299 --> 00:17:32.579 The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 7 .14, it says 00:17:32.579 --> 00:17:36.480 if my people who are called by my name will humble 00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:40.500 themselves and pray and seek my face and turn 00:17:40.500 --> 00:17:44.279 from their wicked ways, then I will hear them 00:17:44.279 --> 00:17:50.400 from heaven. I will forgive their sin and I will 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:57.230 heal their land. God. doesn't have to blind us 00:17:57.230 --> 00:18:03.109 physically sometimes. Because we are already 00:18:03.109 --> 00:18:08.690 blind by our own understanding. We are blinded 00:18:08.690 --> 00:18:14.630 by our own ways. Our own thoughts. Our own beliefs. 00:18:16.089 --> 00:18:19.470 This is why the Bible says that if we pray and 00:18:19.470 --> 00:18:24.089 we seek his face and we turn from our own thoughts. 00:18:24.569 --> 00:18:27.789 From our own ideas, from our own concepts. You 00:18:27.789 --> 00:18:32.289 know, what happens here is that instead of walking 00:18:32.289 --> 00:18:36.170 by faith, this is now where we step back into 00:18:36.170 --> 00:18:42.849 walking by sight. We then take a reverse, amen, 00:18:42.930 --> 00:18:46.200 approach. To what the scripture says, that we 00:18:46.200 --> 00:18:48.599 walk by faith and not by sight. Because then 00:18:48.599 --> 00:18:51.400 what happens is, when we begin to walk by our 00:18:51.400 --> 00:18:54.640 sight, then we start to act on our feelings. 00:18:55.259 --> 00:18:59.680 On our emotions. I know that that's what pastor 00:18:59.680 --> 00:19:02.940 said, but I don't believe that way. I don't believe 00:19:02.940 --> 00:19:06.900 that way. I know I have to go to the altar, but 00:19:06.900 --> 00:19:10.150 I don't have to go all the time. I'm perfectly 00:19:10.150 --> 00:19:12.930 fine here. I'm okay here. I know I need to pray 00:19:12.930 --> 00:19:14.769 every day, but you know what? Everything's fine. 00:19:14.950 --> 00:19:18.950 Everything's okay. The birds are chirping. Right? 00:19:20.210 --> 00:19:24.269 We start walking, amen, by sight. Our emotions 00:19:24.269 --> 00:19:28.269 start to get a hold of us. We then start to perceive 00:19:28.269 --> 00:19:32.990 that our thoughts are right. Our ideas are correct 00:19:32.990 --> 00:19:38.190 because nothing is happening. Everything is okay. 00:19:39.019 --> 00:19:46.000 Until it's not okay. In Proverbs 16 .2, the amplified 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:50.200 version. It says, all the ways of man are clean 00:19:50.200 --> 00:19:55.700 and innocent in his own eyes. And he may see 00:19:55.700 --> 00:20:00.000 nothing wrong with his actions. But the Lord 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:03.259 weighs and examines the motives and the intent 00:20:03.259 --> 00:20:09.960 of the heart and knows the truth. You see, this 00:20:09.960 --> 00:20:13.680 is why it's important to meet God at the altar. 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:19.359 You know why? Because it takes faith to take 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:25.140 a step forward. And faith without works is dead. 00:20:29.789 --> 00:20:32.690 being commanded to do something that you don't 00:20:32.690 --> 00:20:35.890 feel to do. You are not being asked to do something 00:20:35.890 --> 00:20:39.609 that is going to hurt you. You are being instructed 00:20:39.609 --> 00:20:42.910 and given the direction. Amen. That the word 00:20:42.910 --> 00:20:46.309 of God, amen, proclaims and professes that when 00:20:46.309 --> 00:20:50.210 we abide in him, he abides in us. Amen. That 00:20:50.210 --> 00:20:53.890 if we have enough faith just to take a step forward 00:20:53.890 --> 00:20:59.549 that God will meet us in the middle. But we to 00:20:59.549 --> 00:21:03.470 take the first step, walking by sight and not 00:21:03.470 --> 00:21:08.650 by faith. God pursues us even when we are blind 00:21:08.650 --> 00:21:12.730 to him. And at this moment in Saul's life, this 00:21:12.730 --> 00:21:16.509 was evident. As we will read shortly, because 00:21:16.509 --> 00:21:20.170 while Ananias was praying in Damascus, Saul was 00:21:20.170 --> 00:21:24.170 now praying in blindness. While Ananias was hearing 00:21:24.170 --> 00:21:28.150 a vision, amen, from the Lord, Saul was seeing 00:21:28.150 --> 00:21:33.430 a vision from the Lord. The church didn't trust 00:21:33.430 --> 00:21:36.809 Saul. The disciples didn't believe Saul. But 00:21:36.809 --> 00:21:41.970 God saw what no one else could see. He saw Saul, 00:21:42.390 --> 00:21:48.220 the unbeliever. God Saul, the apostle Saul, the 00:21:48.220 --> 00:21:51.339 missionary, the church planter, the writer of 00:21:51.339 --> 00:21:57.880 scripture, the world changer in the making. Saul 00:21:57.880 --> 00:22:03.859 converted to Paul, the apostle, to believer. 00:22:06.279 --> 00:22:10.000 You know that it took great lengths whether you 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:15.670 believe it or not. To get you here today. Oh, 00:22:15.670 --> 00:22:20.450 come on, somebody. We weren't perfect. Uh -uh. 00:22:20.869 --> 00:22:25.210 We were liars. We were cheaters. Amen. We tried 00:22:25.210 --> 00:22:27.569 to get away with what we could get away with. 00:22:28.029 --> 00:22:31.509 Amen. We weren't good church attenders. Amen. 00:22:31.750 --> 00:22:41.059 Easter, Christmas, now Halloween, right. We attended 00:22:41.059 --> 00:22:43.579 church. We showed up to baptisms. We did all 00:22:43.579 --> 00:22:46.359 those things. Amen. We thought that what we were 00:22:46.359 --> 00:22:50.640 doing was good enough. We thought that what we 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:53.799 thought was what we were supposed to think. How 00:22:53.799 --> 00:22:56.920 we were supposed to think. Amen. But lo and behold, 00:22:57.140 --> 00:23:01.049 amen, one day. Amen. One day God reached down 00:23:01.049 --> 00:23:04.490 and God began to tug at your heart. Amen. And 00:23:04.490 --> 00:23:07.410 God began to speak into your life. Amen. And 00:23:07.410 --> 00:23:10.109 one day for some of us God had to shine that 00:23:10.109 --> 00:23:12.490 bright light upon us. Amen. Where it humbled 00:23:12.490 --> 00:23:15.829 us and brought us down to our knees and God began 00:23:15.829 --> 00:23:19.269 to minister and God began to speak and God began 00:23:19.269 --> 00:23:25.190 to give you and expose you to his grace and his 00:23:25.190 --> 00:23:30.299 mercy. And that is why we sit here today no longer 00:23:30.299 --> 00:23:34.720 an unbeliever, but a believer of the one and 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:37.740 true God, Jesus Christ. Amen. Come on, somebody 00:23:37.740 --> 00:23:40.119 give the Lord a round of applause for that. Amen. 00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:50.039 And Ananias, the unknown believer. Amen. And 00:23:50.039 --> 00:23:52.619 as we read in our opening scripture, the Bible 00:23:52.619 --> 00:23:55.200 says that now there was a believer in Damascus. 00:23:55.660 --> 00:23:59.380 Named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision. 00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:04.500 Calling him by his name. Ananias. And right from 00:24:04.500 --> 00:24:06.819 the get -go. The Bible states two things about 00:24:06.819 --> 00:24:09.980 Ananias. Number one. That he was a believer. 00:24:10.299 --> 00:24:14.400 And number two. Gives us his name. We don't hear 00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:17.240 about Ananias before this. And we don't hear 00:24:17.240 --> 00:24:21.680 about him after this. Ananias' God -given purpose. 00:24:21.980 --> 00:24:26.230 Was to confirm Saul's calling. Restore Saul's 00:24:26.230 --> 00:24:29.430 sight. Connect him to the body of believers so 00:24:29.430 --> 00:24:34.410 that Saul can step into God's ordained destiny. 00:24:35.109 --> 00:24:39.490 And as believers, God knows exactly who we are 00:24:39.490 --> 00:24:44.109 and where we are at. You see, because it's not 00:24:44.109 --> 00:24:47.730 on our time, and it's not in our moment, and 00:24:47.730 --> 00:24:51.009 it's not in our season, amen. We can be sitting 00:24:51.009 --> 00:24:54.130 down somewhere just like Ananias was, minding 00:24:54.130 --> 00:24:57.470 our own business, and then one day the angel 00:24:57.470 --> 00:25:04.369 of the Lord or God himself would come. David, 00:25:04.849 --> 00:25:07.250 it's time for you to get up. I have a calling 00:25:07.250 --> 00:25:10.569 for you. It's time for you to step out. I have 00:25:10.569 --> 00:25:13.430 a ministry for you. Brother, it's time for you 00:25:13.430 --> 00:25:16.410 to awaken. Because I have something great in 00:25:16.410 --> 00:25:21.809 store for you. This is exactly what happened. 00:25:22.720 --> 00:25:26.519 With Ananias. And I am so glad, amen, that God 00:25:26.519 --> 00:25:29.960 not only, amen, referred to Ananias as a believer, 00:25:30.099 --> 00:25:32.180 but he called him by his name, amen. Because 00:25:32.180 --> 00:25:34.660 wouldn't it be a shame for you to live your whole 00:25:34.660 --> 00:25:37.160 life through and then we get to heaven and we 00:25:37.160 --> 00:25:39.680 say, hey, Lord, I'm here. And the Lord says, 00:25:40.019 --> 00:25:43.960 depart from me, you worker of iniquity. I know 00:25:43.960 --> 00:25:50.549 you not. To live my entire life proclaiming the 00:25:50.549 --> 00:25:56.190 name of Jesus and God never knew my name. Professing, 00:25:56.190 --> 00:25:58.609 amen, that he is one God, one Lord and there 00:25:58.609 --> 00:26:01.990 is only one faith, amen. But I never hear God 00:26:01.990 --> 00:26:10.230 calling my name. Oh, it shakes me to my core, 00:26:10.390 --> 00:26:14.140 brother. Shakes me to my core. That every time 00:26:14.140 --> 00:26:16.400 I get down on my knees, brother Ben, and I pray, 00:26:16.519 --> 00:26:19.660 amen. I pray that God hears every single cry. 00:26:19.799 --> 00:26:22.579 I pray that God hears every single word that 00:26:22.579 --> 00:26:25.079 comes out of my mouth. Amen. That wherever God 00:26:25.079 --> 00:26:27.900 at in heaven, that God will stop and say, hold 00:26:27.900 --> 00:26:30.400 on. David's praying. I need to pay attention 00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:39.160 to him. My child is calling me. We should think 00:26:39.160 --> 00:26:44.670 about these things. Does God know my name? That's 00:26:44.670 --> 00:26:48.769 probably a preaching for another time. But does 00:26:48.769 --> 00:26:55.890 he? Ananias, amen, wasn't an apostle or a priest 00:26:55.890 --> 00:27:00.890 or a public figure. He was an ordinary man in 00:27:00.890 --> 00:27:05.670 an ordinary place. Yet fully known of an extraordinary 00:27:05.670 --> 00:27:10.470 God. Extraordinary God. Even when we feel unseen, 00:27:10.750 --> 00:27:14.349 God sees you. Do you know that? I'm talking to 00:27:14.349 --> 00:27:16.589 someone today, even though you feel unseen, God 00:27:16.589 --> 00:27:19.670 sees you. Even though you feel like he don't 00:27:19.670 --> 00:27:22.309 hear you, he hears you. Even though you don't 00:27:22.309 --> 00:27:24.369 feel like he's there, he's there. Hallelujah. 00:27:24.609 --> 00:27:27.269 He will never leave you, no forsake you. Hallelujah. 00:27:27.329 --> 00:27:32.670 He will never leave you alone. The psalmist David 00:27:32.670 --> 00:27:36.750 wrote, he writes in Psalms 139, amen, one through 00:27:36.750 --> 00:27:40.029 three. He says, you have searched me, Lord. And 00:27:40.029 --> 00:27:43.410 you have known and you know me, God. You know 00:27:43.410 --> 00:27:46.269 when I sit and when I rise and you perceive my 00:27:46.269 --> 00:27:50.670 thoughts from afar. You discern my going out 00:27:50.670 --> 00:27:53.730 and my lying down. You are familiar with all 00:27:53.730 --> 00:27:59.829 my ways. God sees and knows you. Hallelujah. 00:28:00.190 --> 00:28:05.390 God speaks to those who believe him. The Lord 00:28:05.390 --> 00:28:08.369 spoke to him in a vision. Ananias was not chosen 00:28:08.369 --> 00:28:11.809 because of his status. Amen. Nor did God speak 00:28:11.809 --> 00:28:14.809 to him because of his position, his intellect 00:28:14.809 --> 00:28:18.329 or his influence. Ananias, amen, was available. 00:28:19.349 --> 00:28:22.269 Ananias was sensitive to hear the voice of God. 00:28:22.490 --> 00:28:25.789 Amen. And God speaks to the believer who is willing, 00:28:25.990 --> 00:28:30.930 who is listening and positioned in prayer. Because 00:28:30.930 --> 00:28:33.329 revelation doesn't come, brother, hallelujah, 00:28:33.509 --> 00:28:39.480 until you are ready to respond. 1 Peter 1 -13, 00:28:39.720 --> 00:28:41.839 it reads, therefore gird up the loins of your 00:28:41.839 --> 00:28:45.359 mind. Be sober and rest your hopeful upon the 00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:49.000 grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation 00:28:49.000 --> 00:28:54.619 of Jesus Christ. Ananias immediately replied, 00:28:55.059 --> 00:28:59.220 yes, Lord. This was a call and response. Just 00:28:59.220 --> 00:29:02.440 as the psalmist David wrote, and he knows me. 00:29:02.519 --> 00:29:05.839 He knows you and I today. Affirming that God 00:29:05.839 --> 00:29:09.240 knows who we are. And Ananias immediately responds 00:29:09.240 --> 00:29:12.880 with affirmation because he knows who God is. 00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:18.599 John 10, 27, it reads that the sheep that are 00:29:18.599 --> 00:29:22.480 my own hear my voice and listen to me. I know 00:29:22.480 --> 00:29:26.859 them and they follow me. God refers to those 00:29:26.859 --> 00:29:31.039 who believe as his own. We are not simply brought 00:29:31.039 --> 00:29:33.460 into the family of faith because God died for 00:29:33.460 --> 00:29:36.440 our sins and paid the ultimate price. You see, 00:29:36.599 --> 00:29:40.339 amen, so we can receive salvation, be saved and 00:29:40.339 --> 00:29:42.519 just sit there and do nothing for the rest of 00:29:42.519 --> 00:29:45.299 our lives. God, amen, reached down and paid the 00:29:45.299 --> 00:29:48.299 price so that one day he would speak to us and 00:29:48.299 --> 00:29:52.640 we would go out and reach, amen, a dying world. 00:29:57.069 --> 00:29:59.329 We must believe. Someone say, we must believe. 00:30:01.589 --> 00:30:07.670 Ananias responded. And he responded, amen. Without 00:30:07.670 --> 00:30:12.049 recalling who Saul was. Not without recalling 00:30:12.049 --> 00:30:14.750 who Saul was. Because the Bible says that when 00:30:14.750 --> 00:30:17.630 God called Ananias and he responded, yes. And 00:30:17.630 --> 00:30:19.490 he told him, I need you to go down to Judas' 00:30:19.690 --> 00:30:22.119 house because there's a man there. By the name 00:30:22.119 --> 00:30:24.859 of Saul of Tarsus. And he's praying to me right 00:30:24.859 --> 00:30:29.039 now when I need you to go pray for him. And Ananias 00:30:29.039 --> 00:30:32.259 sits there and I can just kind of picture him 00:30:32.259 --> 00:30:36.599 sitting there. He's like, huh? Wait, wait, what? 00:30:37.980 --> 00:30:41.740 Saul? Lord, you do know that he's a murderer, 00:30:41.839 --> 00:30:47.039 right? You do know that if he finds out who I 00:30:47.039 --> 00:30:50.579 am, he's probably going to try to kill me. You 00:30:50.579 --> 00:30:54.000 do know he don't like you, God. You know that, 00:30:54.039 --> 00:30:57.160 right. You do know that about Saul, right. And 00:30:57.160 --> 00:31:01.940 so you want me, little old me. I'm just a believer 00:31:01.940 --> 00:31:05.759 from Damascus, Lord. I'm just here, you know, 00:31:05.839 --> 00:31:08.740 the beans are on the stove. Amen. The tortillas 00:31:08.740 --> 00:31:12.460 are warming up. Amen. I got the cafecito. Come 00:31:12.460 --> 00:31:16.039 on, God. Are you sure? Are you sure? There's 00:31:16.039 --> 00:31:19.130 nothing special about me, Lord. Lord, Lord, can 00:31:19.130 --> 00:31:23.410 I remind you that I don't come from a big family. 00:31:23.849 --> 00:31:27.170 Lord, Lord, can I remind you that my last name 00:31:27.170 --> 00:31:29.529 doesn't ring through history. I really don't 00:31:29.529 --> 00:31:32.190 have a legacy. I really don't have a father or 00:31:32.190 --> 00:31:34.930 mother who anybody knows here. God, I don't have 00:31:34.930 --> 00:31:44.970 any influence. The Lord said, Ananias, go. And 00:31:44.970 --> 00:31:51.890 what does Ananias do? He goes. Without his phone. 00:31:53.109 --> 00:31:57.250 Without his GPS. Because the Lord told him to 00:31:57.250 --> 00:32:00.069 go to Judas' house. I don't know where Judas 00:32:00.069 --> 00:32:04.930 lives. God didn't give an address. He didn't 00:32:04.930 --> 00:32:08.170 drop a pin on my phone. He didn't do none of 00:32:08.170 --> 00:32:13.269 that. And Ananias gets up. And because he's a 00:32:13.269 --> 00:32:17.420 believer of the Christ. Of the one and true God. 00:32:17.599 --> 00:32:20.460 Filled with the spirit of God. Guess what? He 00:32:20.460 --> 00:32:26.279 allows the spirit to lead him. You see, we can 00:32:26.279 --> 00:32:30.500 come up with so many reasons why God can't use 00:32:30.500 --> 00:32:34.339 us and why God won't use us. We want to stay 00:32:34.339 --> 00:32:39.779 in the shadows. We want to remain unknown. But 00:32:39.779 --> 00:32:44.279 blessed be. The name of the Lord. That the Lord 00:32:44.279 --> 00:32:48.019 sees past my faults. That the Lord sees past 00:32:48.019 --> 00:32:51.900 my shortcomings. That I don't need a great name, 00:32:52.039 --> 00:32:56.200 amen, to call on the name of Jesus, amen. That 00:32:56.200 --> 00:33:00.460 all I have to do is make myself available and 00:33:00.460 --> 00:33:04.240 listen and respond to the voice of the Lord. 00:33:04.279 --> 00:33:09.740 So the Bible says that Ananias goes, knocks on 00:33:09.740 --> 00:33:14.480 Judas' door. Judas answered the door, yes, can 00:33:14.480 --> 00:33:22.279 I help you? And Ananias, you know, bro, you don't 00:33:22.279 --> 00:33:30.859 know me, but someone sent me here. Is there a 00:33:30.859 --> 00:33:36.099 man here? Man come here today? If he's not here, 00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:39.079 it's all right, it's good. If he left already, 00:33:39.240 --> 00:33:42.410 don't worry about it. Judas, no, no, no, no, 00:33:42.410 --> 00:33:45.970 he's here. He's actually praying in the back. 00:33:47.509 --> 00:33:50.589 He hasn't said a word to me. He's not eating. 00:33:51.130 --> 00:33:56.089 He hasn't had anything to drink. And I can just 00:33:56.089 --> 00:34:00.609 picture Ananias like if I was Ananias, I would 00:34:00.609 --> 00:34:02.150 probably follow up with this question. Well, 00:34:02.269 --> 00:34:08.519 okay, but is he still blind? You can't see, right? 00:34:08.840 --> 00:34:12.960 He's still blind? Okay, yeah, he is? Okay, okay. 00:34:13.840 --> 00:34:17.679 Okay, then, I'm okay. I'm good. The Bible says 00:34:17.679 --> 00:34:22.500 that Ananias walks into the house. He immediately 00:34:22.500 --> 00:34:26.860 puts his hand on Saul. And you know what Ananias 00:34:26.860 --> 00:34:30.679 does? Ananias does three things here. The first 00:34:30.679 --> 00:34:35.059 thing Ananias does is he fellowships. Because 00:34:35.059 --> 00:34:38.840 the Bible says that immediately he says, brother 00:34:38.840 --> 00:34:47.780 Saul. Didn't refer to Saul as the murderer. Didn't 00:34:47.780 --> 00:34:50.980 refer to Saul as the enemy of the church. Didn't 00:34:50.980 --> 00:34:54.659 refer to Saul as the enemy of God. He says, brother 00:34:54.659 --> 00:35:04.460 Saul. The Lord has sent me. You know that as 00:35:04.460 --> 00:35:09.460 believers, we need to embody that spirit. Amen. 00:35:09.480 --> 00:35:12.679 That no matter who we come across and no matter 00:35:12.679 --> 00:35:15.860 what that person has done and no matter what 00:35:15.860 --> 00:35:19.000 they are doing and no matter their history or 00:35:19.000 --> 00:35:21.760 their background or what they look like, when 00:35:21.760 --> 00:35:25.260 God sends you to somebody, the Lord is saying, 00:35:25.400 --> 00:35:28.980 have compassion for them like I have had compassion 00:35:28.980 --> 00:35:33.380 for you. Your job is not to judge. Your job is 00:35:33.380 --> 00:35:36.460 not to dictate. Your job is to love them and 00:35:36.460 --> 00:35:42.329 bring them into The family. That's exactly what 00:35:42.329 --> 00:35:46.750 Saul did. Excuse me, Ananias did. Laid his hand 00:35:46.750 --> 00:35:55.989 on Saul. Amen. And then what Ananias does is 00:35:55.989 --> 00:36:03.070 Ananias facilitates. Because he allows God to 00:36:03.070 --> 00:36:06.150 use him. Because the Bible says that once he 00:36:06.150 --> 00:36:12.880 prayed. On Saul, that he received, his eyes were 00:36:12.880 --> 00:36:14.780 opened. The Bible says there were like scales 00:36:14.780 --> 00:36:19.659 that fell from his eyes. And he received his 00:36:19.659 --> 00:36:23.559 sight. You see, church, we have to understand, 00:36:23.880 --> 00:36:29.139 amen, that God using us has nothing to do with 00:36:29.139 --> 00:36:32.960 you and I. Has nothing to do with our status. 00:36:33.059 --> 00:36:37.519 Has nothing to do with who we are within ourselves. 00:36:37.780 --> 00:36:42.719 But who we are in God. Amen. If you are a believer 00:36:42.719 --> 00:36:45.659 of Christ, amen, and you are a follower of Christ, 00:36:45.739 --> 00:36:48.500 and you know, amen, you trust and believe the 00:36:48.500 --> 00:36:50.699 word of God. You know that when the word of God 00:36:50.699 --> 00:36:53.380 goes out that it is not returned void. You know 00:36:53.380 --> 00:36:55.260 that when you speak the name of Jesus, amen, 00:36:55.480 --> 00:36:59.099 and the demons have to flee. Demons tremble at 00:36:59.099 --> 00:37:01.119 the sound of that name. You know, amen, that 00:37:01.119 --> 00:37:03.340 when you pray over the sick that they are healed. 00:37:03.420 --> 00:37:06.739 You know that there is no name above that name, 00:37:06.860 --> 00:37:12.329 Jesus. That God can use any single one of us 00:37:12.329 --> 00:37:16.750 at any single time. You know, I taught a couple 00:37:16.750 --> 00:37:18.550 weeks and I'm going to conclude with this on 00:37:18.550 --> 00:37:21.969 seeing God. And it stuck with me. It stuck with 00:37:21.969 --> 00:37:24.650 me. It made me think. And even this morning, 00:37:24.769 --> 00:37:29.110 it's still with me. Amen. That why don't we see 00:37:29.110 --> 00:37:32.269 the signs, miracles and wonders that I used to 00:37:32.269 --> 00:37:36.610 see when I was growing up in the church. When 00:37:36.610 --> 00:37:39.409 I give these testimonies to people, they look 00:37:39.409 --> 00:37:42.570 at me like I'm crazy. Or they look at me like 00:37:42.570 --> 00:37:44.989 it's something that happened a long time ago 00:37:44.989 --> 00:37:49.809 and it's never going to happen again. Amen. That 00:37:49.809 --> 00:37:53.190 should be happening each and every day of our 00:37:53.190 --> 00:37:55.909 lives. The Bible said that when Peter walked, 00:37:55.989 --> 00:37:58.349 amen, that his shadow, when it cast over the 00:37:58.349 --> 00:38:03.510 lame man, that he was healed. Where are the signs? 00:38:03.769 --> 00:38:06.050 Where are the miracles? Where are the wonders? 00:38:07.730 --> 00:38:13.050 You know who they follow? Those who believe. 00:38:14.949 --> 00:38:19.269 So you know what we have to do is question our 00:38:19.269 --> 00:38:25.190 belief system. Why isn't God working and moving 00:38:25.190 --> 00:38:28.730 in my life? Like the word of God says, he could 00:38:28.730 --> 00:38:34.789 be, he should be. And he can be. What has infiltrated 00:38:34.789 --> 00:38:38.110 my heart? What has infiltrated my mind? What 00:38:38.110 --> 00:38:42.809 kind of bad, amen, nonsense and corrupt, amen, 00:38:42.849 --> 00:38:46.269 conversation have I allowed to come into my heart? 00:38:47.789 --> 00:38:50.130 What about everything that I'm watching on the 00:38:50.130 --> 00:38:52.309 news and everything that I'm hearing on the radio 00:38:52.309 --> 00:38:54.889 and all of these things, amen, that I'm allowing 00:38:54.889 --> 00:38:58.489 to come in and to cause fear and doubt and uncertainty? 00:39:01.869 --> 00:39:06.510 Amen. When we should have our face in the word 00:39:06.510 --> 00:39:10.869 of God. Seeking the word of God. Seeking. Amen. 00:39:11.250 --> 00:39:18.170 His word. Seeking after his face. I mentioned 00:39:18.170 --> 00:39:20.650 in that teaching that I spoke with a young man 00:39:20.650 --> 00:39:23.670 and I asked him, he's from Africa. And he spoke 00:39:23.670 --> 00:39:25.690 on all the miracle signs and wonders that they 00:39:25.690 --> 00:39:28.710 do out there. And so I asked him, this happened 00:39:28.710 --> 00:39:31.590 when I was much younger. And I asked him, why 00:39:31.590 --> 00:39:33.670 don't we see that here? How come that doesn't 00:39:33.670 --> 00:39:36.130 happen here? And I'm waiting for this theological 00:39:36.130 --> 00:39:39.070 response from him. I'm waiting for him to read 00:39:39.070 --> 00:39:41.889 off 100 scriptures and give me this heavenly 00:39:41.889 --> 00:39:45.329 revelation. And he turns around and tells me, 00:39:45.369 --> 00:39:48.250 brother David, it doesn't happen. Because you 00:39:48.250 --> 00:39:58.269 don't believe. Period. That's it. You don't believe. 00:40:00.289 --> 00:40:04.090 Ananias, amen, was used, amen, to facilitate 00:40:04.090 --> 00:40:08.070 one of the greatest miracles the Bible has ever 00:40:08.070 --> 00:40:13.250 recorded outside of Jesus Christ himself. Because 00:40:13.250 --> 00:40:19.139 if Ananias did not follow. Listen, follow, amen, 00:40:19.219 --> 00:40:23.599 fellowship and facilitate. There would be no 00:40:23.599 --> 00:40:28.300 Paul. You may stand with me. Amen. Pianist, if 00:40:28.300 --> 00:40:34.920 you can make your way up. There would be no Paul. 00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:41.059 You know that the Lord is still looking for Ananias 00:40:41.059 --> 00:40:46.199 today. The Lord, amen, is looking for someone 00:40:46.199 --> 00:40:50.239 who is available. Amen. The Lord is looking for 00:40:50.239 --> 00:40:54.320 someone who will respond. Amen. You know, Ananias, 00:40:54.320 --> 00:40:57.239 before even knowing what the task was, before 00:40:57.239 --> 00:41:00.139 even knowing what God was going to say, before 00:41:00.139 --> 00:41:03.400 even knowing what it was that God wanted from 00:41:03.400 --> 00:41:09.260 him, Ananias responded, yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. 00:41:12.489 --> 00:41:17.809 Are we responding that way today? Are we adhering 00:41:17.809 --> 00:41:21.269 to the calling that God has on our lives? The 00:41:21.269 --> 00:41:24.769 ministry that God has for us? Are we saying, 00:41:24.969 --> 00:41:31.489 yes, Lord. God is doing something powerful in 00:41:31.489 --> 00:41:34.289 our church. And I'm going to say this, amen, 00:41:34.369 --> 00:41:38.510 with a lot, amen, of respect. But also with a 00:41:38.510 --> 00:41:41.050 lot of boldness. Whether you believe it or not, 00:41:41.130 --> 00:41:44.960 it's happening. God is doing something great 00:41:44.960 --> 00:41:49.059 in our church. But you know who God is waiting 00:41:49.059 --> 00:41:52.559 for? He's not waiting, amen, to move. God is 00:41:52.559 --> 00:41:56.239 already moving. We're already in revival. Come 00:41:56.239 --> 00:41:58.559 on, somebody say amen. Come on, somebody say 00:41:58.559 --> 00:42:02.260 amen. We're already in revival. You know what 00:42:02.260 --> 00:42:05.139 God is waiting for? God is waiting for your response. 00:42:07.639 --> 00:42:15.530 Yes, Lord. There is so much talent among us. 00:42:16.130 --> 00:42:20.210 There is so much ability. Brother Ben, Brother 00:42:20.210 --> 00:42:24.809 Isai, there is so much ministry that is deep 00:42:24.809 --> 00:42:29.329 down inside of you. Kong, inside of you. Sister 00:42:29.329 --> 00:42:32.250 Abby, inside of you. Sister Grace, inside of 00:42:32.250 --> 00:42:36.250 you. Brother Andrew, inside of you. Brother Rico, 00:42:36.429 --> 00:42:45.639 there is so much hidden. This is how we stay 00:42:45.639 --> 00:42:51.880 as the unknown believer. Because we stay quiet. 00:42:54.840 --> 00:42:58.460 And when God calls out for your name, David, 00:42:58.559 --> 00:43:19.139 Ben. Do you know, Kong, that there's someone 00:43:19.139 --> 00:43:23.480 out there right now that God is preparing their 00:43:23.480 --> 00:43:27.019 heart to receive the word that he gave to you 00:43:27.019 --> 00:43:40.039 to speak to them? There's someone that's hurting. 00:43:43.739 --> 00:43:48.789 Asking God for an answer, Kong. And the Lord 00:43:48.789 --> 00:43:57.210 is saying, hold on. He's on his way. I called 00:43:57.210 --> 00:44:01.570 and he answered. That's why you're here today. 00:44:02.010 --> 00:44:04.190 That's why you're baptized in the name of Jesus. 00:44:04.289 --> 00:44:06.070 That's why you've been brought into the family. 00:44:06.150 --> 00:44:13.210 Because God has a calling for you. That's why 00:44:13.210 --> 00:44:17.409 we are all here. But we have to ask ourselves. 00:44:18.800 --> 00:44:22.460 Are we going to stay hidden? Are we going to 00:44:22.460 --> 00:44:26.280 stay unknown? Are we going to continue to hide 00:44:26.280 --> 00:44:30.360 in the shadows of our home? Hide behind our excuses? 00:44:32.500 --> 00:44:36.760 Hide behind every reason why God can't use us, 00:44:36.920 --> 00:44:42.440 won't use us? Or are we going to answer the call? 00:44:44.800 --> 00:44:50.659 Or are we going to say, yes, Lord. You know, 00:44:50.699 --> 00:44:53.519 God called City Light not to be an established 00:44:53.519 --> 00:44:57.940 church in the city of Mountain View. God did 00:44:57.940 --> 00:45:01.659 not call Pastor Jacob, amen, to be a keeper of 00:45:01.659 --> 00:45:05.639 an aquarium. That's not what God called him for. 00:45:06.800 --> 00:45:10.460 God called a great man to do great things. And 00:45:10.460 --> 00:45:13.260 you know what God gave that great man of God? 00:45:14.079 --> 00:45:22.739 Great people. Talented people. To do what? To 00:45:22.739 --> 00:45:27.219 have church each Sunday? Just to fill a room? 00:45:27.539 --> 00:45:33.239 To fill a calendar? No. God called a great man, 00:45:33.480 --> 00:45:39.239 gave him great people to save a greater, amen, 00:45:39.260 --> 00:45:42.400 to a greater purpose. And that is to save, amen, 00:45:42.460 --> 00:45:46.019 people in this city. People in your city.