WEBVTT 00:00:02.250 --> 00:00:05.269 Welcome to the Life Bible Church podcast. We 00:00:05.269 --> 00:00:07.669 want to thank you for joining us today, and we 00:00:07.669 --> 00:00:10.169 hope you find today's sermon impacting as you 00:00:10.169 --> 00:00:12.689 listen to it wherever you are in your daily walk. 00:00:12.949 --> 00:00:15.929 To find service times and watch messages online, 00:00:16.210 --> 00:00:20.109 see our website at lifebiblechurch .org. Now, 00:00:20.149 --> 00:00:25.070 enjoy this week's message. So on behalf of my 00:00:25.070 --> 00:00:28.670 wife, I'm so happy to have Hanley on my side, 00:00:28.789 --> 00:00:32.399 you know, so glad to have her here. with me and 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:36.500 my associate, Kevin. God really did something 00:00:36.500 --> 00:00:42.039 really big for Kevin this weekend. Just incidentally, 00:00:42.039 --> 00:00:46.460 I just want to mention that Kevin has an amazing 00:00:46.460 --> 00:00:50.219 testimony where God picked him up. He used to 00:00:50.219 --> 00:00:55.259 be a chief enforcer for the mafia in one of the 00:00:55.259 --> 00:01:00.320 big cities of our nation with very, very... Bad 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:12.760 reputation. And then God picked him up. So on 00:01:12.760 --> 00:01:16.299 their behalf, just Pastor Jenny and Brad, thank 00:01:16.299 --> 00:01:19.700 you so much for having us. And it's been such 00:01:19.700 --> 00:01:24.459 an honor to share, you know, the platform with 00:01:24.459 --> 00:01:29.079 Brother Jim and his wife, his lovely wife, Erin. 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:33.159 You know, years ago, I was thinking this morning, 00:01:33.239 --> 00:01:36.260 you know, how many years ago I couldn't remember. 00:01:36.420 --> 00:01:39.019 I think it was like 17, maybe 18 years ago when 00:01:39.019 --> 00:01:43.700 I first came here. And I recall sitting there 00:01:43.700 --> 00:01:48.780 in the back in the hotel room when God spoke 00:01:48.780 --> 00:01:54.340 to me then that this was going to become your 00:01:54.340 --> 00:01:57.780 facility here. And when I shared with Pastor 00:01:57.780 --> 00:02:03.260 Brad. he proved that he was doubting Thomas. 00:02:06.140 --> 00:02:09.960 But God quickly changed that in his mind. And 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:15.680 I'm so incredibly impressed and pleased to see 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:22.139 what God has been doing here in Harrisburg. And 00:02:22.139 --> 00:02:26.759 in many ways, I feel part of it. I feel like 00:02:26.759 --> 00:02:34.159 I'm... Like a spiritual family member of Life 00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:39.400 Bible Church. Once again, you know, yesterday 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:41.960 or the day before yesterday, I was sitting there 00:02:41.960 --> 00:02:44.300 in the hotel room and God gave me this word that 00:02:44.300 --> 00:02:47.900 I wrote it down. So I'm going to read it because 00:02:47.900 --> 00:02:51.620 it's pretty lengthy, but it's for you. And I 00:02:51.620 --> 00:02:54.219 want to share something with you that God has 00:02:54.219 --> 00:02:57.689 been stirring in my heart. You know, after several 00:02:57.689 --> 00:03:00.669 years of walking with your pastors and become 00:03:00.669 --> 00:03:04.210 more acquainted with this ministry and your eldership 00:03:04.210 --> 00:03:08.430 too, I've been deeply impressed by what God has 00:03:08.430 --> 00:03:13.050 accomplished here. You're situated in a small 00:03:13.050 --> 00:03:15.990 town and yet your congregation has grown beyond 00:03:15.990 --> 00:03:20.530 the population of the town itself, which is unusual. 00:03:22.090 --> 00:03:25.629 You've established an additional congregation. 00:03:26.539 --> 00:03:29.180 in another state, and now I hear about all the 00:03:29.180 --> 00:03:32.340 mission works that you're doing in other countries. 00:03:33.879 --> 00:03:37.680 And the work continues to advance. But what has 00:03:37.680 --> 00:03:41.719 particularly captured my attention is the battle 00:03:41.719 --> 00:03:44.000 you have been fighting right here on this property. 00:03:45.240 --> 00:03:48.020 For years, you've watched that river outside 00:03:48.020 --> 00:03:53.020 gradually take portions of your land. You've 00:03:53.020 --> 00:03:57.090 lost valuable acreage, I know. You've lost an 00:03:57.090 --> 00:03:59.810 entire swimming pool, which I'm really regretful 00:03:59.810 --> 00:04:05.349 about. You've almost lost part of a building, 00:04:05.370 --> 00:04:08.069 actually. And at one point, I was even concerned 00:04:08.069 --> 00:04:12.030 that you may lose your hotel. But through it 00:04:12.030 --> 00:04:14.729 all, you've continued to minister, continued 00:04:14.729 --> 00:04:17.290 to preach the gospel, reach people, establish 00:04:17.290 --> 00:04:22.029 churches. And I want you to recognize something 00:04:22.029 --> 00:04:25.879 today. While the river was taking away portions 00:04:25.879 --> 00:04:29.860 of your property, God was using this congregation 00:04:29.860 --> 00:04:34.259 to establish ministries in other places and thus 00:04:34.259 --> 00:04:39.240 winning more property for the kingdom. Come on, 00:04:39.240 --> 00:04:47.100 give the Lord a hand clap of praise. Now, because 00:04:47.100 --> 00:04:50.279 the river had been able to change the boundaries 00:04:50.279 --> 00:04:54.019 of your property, It has not been able to and 00:04:54.019 --> 00:04:58.319 it will not stop the advancement of this ministry. 00:04:58.600 --> 00:05:01.000 Hallelujah. Come on, give Him another praise 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:05.540 offering. Now, I want you to hear something. 00:05:05.699 --> 00:05:08.480 I believe that you're standing at a very important 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:13.300 moment in the history of this ministry. I believe 00:05:13.300 --> 00:05:16.480 there's a possibility of a new season of enlargement 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:20.850 even before you. But I also believe that This 00:05:20.850 --> 00:05:25.709 next season will require much preparation. And 00:05:25.709 --> 00:05:28.129 some of the preparation may involve changes that 00:05:28.129 --> 00:05:32.509 will affect several areas of this ministry. Not 00:05:32.509 --> 00:05:35.350 because you've done something wrong. Not because 00:05:35.350 --> 00:05:39.029 your passes have failed. But because what was 00:05:39.029 --> 00:05:43.050 sufficient for yesterday is not going to be sufficient 00:05:43.050 --> 00:05:48.420 for tomorrow. Changes will have to happen. And 00:05:48.420 --> 00:05:51.519 I want to show you something from the word of 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:54.959 the Lord. You know, God gave me this verse in 00:05:54.959 --> 00:05:59.519 Isaiah chapter 54, which says, enlarge the place 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:03.660 of your tent. God gave me this for you. God said, 00:06:03.779 --> 00:06:07.459 write this down for them. Enlarge the place of 00:06:07.459 --> 00:06:10.660 your tent and let them stretch forth the curtains 00:06:10.660 --> 00:06:15.500 of your habitations. Spare not, lengthen thy 00:06:15.500 --> 00:06:20.939 cords. and strengthen your stakes, for you will 00:06:20.939 --> 00:06:24.519 break forth on the right and on the left. Come 00:06:24.519 --> 00:06:26.240 on, give him a praise offering. You know, it 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:32.800 will happen. While we were having coffee yesterday 00:06:32.800 --> 00:06:35.819 morning, Hanley was sitting next to me, and she 00:06:35.819 --> 00:06:39.560 pointed at one of the hangers that you have there 00:06:39.560 --> 00:06:45.329 in the coffee shop, and it was this verse. You 00:06:45.329 --> 00:06:48.110 guys have exactly already adopted this verse. 00:06:49.129 --> 00:06:51.389 That that is going to happen. Look at somebody 00:06:51.389 --> 00:06:54.730 and say it is going to happen. Now I want you 00:06:54.730 --> 00:06:58.569 to notice something. God speaks here about enlargement. 00:06:58.629 --> 00:07:02.430 But he also speaks about strengthening the stakes. 00:07:03.910 --> 00:07:08.790 Why? Because a larger tent requires stronger 00:07:08.790 --> 00:07:12.689 support. Now you cannot simply change the tent 00:07:12.689 --> 00:07:15.720 without considering. Whether the existing structure 00:07:15.720 --> 00:07:20.720 can sustain the enlargement. You've already demonstrated 00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:26.980 that you know how to build. At least pastor did. 00:07:28.100 --> 00:07:30.300 And you've demonstrated that you know how to 00:07:30.300 --> 00:07:34.300 preserve. You've demonstrated that you know how 00:07:34.300 --> 00:07:36.319 to remain faithful in the face of adversity. 00:07:37.980 --> 00:07:40.660 But perhaps the question before you now is this. 00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:46.509 Are we prepared to carry out. What God may be 00:07:46.509 --> 00:07:50.829 getting ready to entrust to you. See, church, 00:07:51.069 --> 00:07:54.290 sometimes we pray for enlargement without recognizing 00:07:54.290 --> 00:08:00.470 the responsibility that will accompany it. We 00:08:00.470 --> 00:08:04.069 pray for more souls, but more souls require more 00:08:04.069 --> 00:08:08.769 people who are prepared to disciple them. We 00:08:08.769 --> 00:08:10.990 pray for more churches, but more churches require 00:08:10.990 --> 00:08:17.750 more leaders. And really, Much more funds. We 00:08:17.750 --> 00:08:20.829 pray for God to enlarge our ministry. But enlargement 00:08:20.829 --> 00:08:24.269 will require us to enlarge our willingness to 00:08:24.269 --> 00:08:30.949 serve. To get involved. Stop sitting on the sidelines. 00:08:32.929 --> 00:08:36.549 Ask God, what should I do? What must I do? And 00:08:36.549 --> 00:08:38.629 that brings me back to something very interesting 00:08:38.629 --> 00:08:41.230 about what is happening right here on this property. 00:08:42.860 --> 00:08:46.120 You're building a half inch thick steel wall 00:08:46.120 --> 00:08:52.659 to protect this land. And I understand this wall 00:08:52.659 --> 00:08:56.460 will reach approximately 43 feet into the ground. 00:08:57.480 --> 00:09:03.379 43 feet. Now church, just think about that. Much 00:09:03.379 --> 00:09:07.879 of that foundation will never be seen by the 00:09:07.879 --> 00:09:12.429 people who visit this property. They'll only 00:09:12.429 --> 00:09:16.110 see what is above the ground. They'll see the 00:09:16.110 --> 00:09:18.110 buildings, the hotel, the beautiful property. 00:09:19.129 --> 00:09:21.090 But they will not see everything that has been 00:09:21.090 --> 00:09:25.389 placed beneath the surface that protects what 00:09:25.389 --> 00:09:28.990 stands above it. Therefore, I've always been, 00:09:29.049 --> 00:09:32.529 and I still am, so impressed about the way that 00:09:32.529 --> 00:09:37.289 y 'all engage in much prayer. Let that remain. 00:09:38.350 --> 00:09:41.230 As one of those stakes that you drive even deeper 00:09:41.230 --> 00:09:44.629 into the ground. And they told me yesterday that 00:09:44.629 --> 00:09:46.929 when you drove those stakes into the ground here. 00:09:47.210 --> 00:09:50.789 Meaning to achieve 43 feet. Some places that 00:09:50.789 --> 00:09:53.669 just couldn't happen because there was big rocks 00:09:53.669 --> 00:09:59.230 underneath. That's a good thing. And may the 00:09:59.230 --> 00:10:04.080 rock of ages. The rock that stands. And forever, 00:10:04.259 --> 00:10:06.919 unshakable, remain the foundation upon which 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:09.600 you build. Come on, give God a hand clap of praise. 00:10:14.320 --> 00:10:18.460 You see, we can become so excited about the visible 00:10:18.460 --> 00:10:22.059 manifestations of God's blessings that we sometimes 00:10:22.059 --> 00:10:25.759 overlook the importance of the foundations that 00:10:25.759 --> 00:10:31.049 sustain them. We celebrate new crowds, congregations, 00:10:31.049 --> 00:10:35.570 testimonies, and we should. But behind every 00:10:35.570 --> 00:10:39.649 healthy, growing ministry, there must be strong 00:10:39.649 --> 00:10:43.929 spiritual foundations, and they must remain. 00:10:44.889 --> 00:10:51.330 There must be prayer, especially men and women 00:10:51.330 --> 00:10:55.679 of prayer, and I'll get to that later on. There 00:10:55.679 --> 00:11:00.440 must be mature spiritual leaders. They have to 00:11:00.440 --> 00:11:06.100 remain spiritual unity. There must be accountability 00:11:06.100 --> 00:11:10.539 to one another and to your leadership. There 00:11:10.539 --> 00:11:13.360 must be people who are willing to serve when 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:18.419 nobody is watching. People who are not interested 00:11:18.419 --> 00:11:23.279 in the limelight. There must be people who understand 00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:26.860 that this ministry is not built around one individual, 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:32.779 Brad Newswander, but it's built around Jesus 00:11:32.779 --> 00:11:35.860 Christ, the chief apostle of our faith. Come 00:11:35.860 --> 00:11:43.320 on, give him a praise offering. Now, as you strengthen 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:46.120 the foundations of this property, prayerfully 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:49.840 consider the foundations of this ministry. Strong 00:11:49.840 --> 00:11:54.649 leadership. Strong families, strong relationships, 00:11:55.049 --> 00:12:00.250 strong discipleship, and more than anything else, 00:12:00.409 --> 00:12:08.970 strong, undivided unity. We stand together, never 00:12:08.970 --> 00:12:13.210 holding your desires or your choices in front, 00:12:13.309 --> 00:12:18.169 but absolutely submitting to what God gives the 00:12:18.169 --> 00:12:22.480 Moses of your ministry here. In this case, Brad 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:26.639 Newswander. Now, let me take you just to another 00:12:26.639 --> 00:12:30.080 passage of Scripture in Exodus 18, where you'll 00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:33.659 remember, you know, Moses was leading the people 00:12:33.659 --> 00:12:36.919 of Israel. Boy, there were so many disputes, 00:12:37.100 --> 00:12:40.720 almost drove him crazy. That's why I'm an evangelist, 00:12:40.720 --> 00:12:47.059 not a pastor. He had to make judgment calls. 00:12:48.620 --> 00:12:50.899 He was ministering to their needs. Now, you have 00:12:50.899 --> 00:12:53.639 to understand, we're talking about several million 00:12:53.639 --> 00:12:57.600 people. And he was doing all this faithfully, 00:12:57.600 --> 00:13:00.320 but when his father -in -law, Jethro, observed 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:03.179 what was happening, he recognized something that 00:13:03.179 --> 00:13:06.600 Moses himself had perhaps not even considered. 00:13:08.259 --> 00:13:12.090 The existing leadership structure. that he had 00:13:12.090 --> 00:13:15.169 was not sufficient to sustain the demands being 00:13:15.169 --> 00:13:17.450 placed upon him. Just think, I want to just pause 00:13:17.450 --> 00:13:19.789 here for a moment and bring this to your attention. 00:13:20.470 --> 00:13:24.129 You know what is happening here? I know, and 00:13:24.129 --> 00:13:27.210 Brother Jim will agree with me, what is happening 00:13:27.210 --> 00:13:32.210 here is very unique. You know, to have this size 00:13:32.210 --> 00:13:38.710 of a ministry, the quality of your leaders here, 00:13:40.139 --> 00:13:44.299 In the midst of a very small town, who I don't 00:13:44.299 --> 00:13:46.259 know what it's like right now, but in the beginning 00:13:46.259 --> 00:13:48.919 when I talked to him about buying this property, 00:13:49.059 --> 00:13:53.100 totally opposed to what is happening in this 00:13:53.100 --> 00:13:59.659 ministry. Perhaps still is. But you have to understand 00:13:59.659 --> 00:14:05.120 that when God is about to do something even bigger 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:08.509 for you, I mean, don't settle on the fact that 00:14:08.509 --> 00:14:12.490 you think, wow, we've arrived. There's a great 00:14:12.490 --> 00:14:15.909 work waiting for you. And as you expand and as 00:14:15.909 --> 00:14:21.330 you grow, leave room for the Holy Spirit to speak 00:14:21.330 --> 00:14:24.929 to you. Reach the world. Come on, give Him a 00:14:24.929 --> 00:14:31.809 praise offering. And so, you know, the admonishment 00:14:31.809 --> 00:14:35.070 of Jethro was good for Moses because he told 00:14:35.070 --> 00:14:38.049 his son -in -law, What you're doing is not good. 00:14:40.710 --> 00:14:44.029 And I want to tell Pastor Brad that if you don't 00:14:44.029 --> 00:14:49.470 have men playing golf, that's not good. I'm kidding. 00:14:55.509 --> 00:14:59.850 You know, church, I want you to understand something. 00:15:00.769 --> 00:15:03.409 Sometimes remaining faithful to the vision requires 00:15:03.409 --> 00:15:07.100 us to change. the methods through which that 00:15:07.100 --> 00:15:12.320 vision can and will be accomplished. Because 00:15:12.320 --> 00:15:14.639 we become accustomed to things a certain way, 00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:18.559 we become comfortable with familiar structures. 00:15:20.139 --> 00:15:23.340 And then, before you know it, you develop routines. 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:27.960 And sometimes, without realizing it, we begin 00:15:27.960 --> 00:15:30.200 to believe that the methods God used yesterday 00:15:30.200 --> 00:15:33.259 must remain intact for tomorrow, and that's a 00:15:33.259 --> 00:15:38.899 fallacy. The purpose of this ministry is to fulfill 00:15:38.899 --> 00:15:42.320 the calling of God. And as this congregation 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:45.779 now continue to grow, there may be areas in which 00:15:45.779 --> 00:15:50.440 your pastors will need to develop other methods, 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:56.139 additional leaders. There may be responsibilities 00:15:56.139 --> 00:16:01.240 that needs to be delegated differently. And there's 00:16:01.240 --> 00:16:10.690 no room for suspicion, neither jealousy. Now, 00:16:10.769 --> 00:16:13.070 I want to encourage you to embrace that possibility 00:16:13.070 --> 00:16:16.269 because when God raises up additional leaders, 00:16:16.409 --> 00:16:19.389 it doesn't diminish the calling of those who 00:16:19.389 --> 00:16:22.570 have already gone before them. In fact, it will 00:16:22.570 --> 00:16:27.490 increase your responsibilities. Now, there's 00:16:27.490 --> 00:16:29.090 something else I want to share with you before 00:16:29.090 --> 00:16:31.929 I close. And I want you to listen carefully. 00:16:32.149 --> 00:16:35.129 For here's the congregation that had to invest 00:16:35.129 --> 00:16:39.990 considerable time, money, energy. to protect 00:16:39.990 --> 00:16:44.029 this property. Your pastors have had to deal 00:16:44.029 --> 00:16:47.950 with government authorities. They've had to make 00:16:47.950 --> 00:16:51.529 difficult decisions. They had to consider financial 00:16:51.529 --> 00:16:56.450 implications of what needed to happen. And all 00:16:56.450 --> 00:16:58.929 the while, they've committed to carrying the 00:16:58.929 --> 00:17:02.889 responsibility of this ministry. But I want to 00:17:02.889 --> 00:17:06.009 encourage you here today with something important. 00:17:08.140 --> 00:17:13.180 And I want to emphasize it. Do not allow yesterday's 00:17:13.180 --> 00:17:17.380 battles to consume tomorrow's opportunities. 00:17:25.539 --> 00:17:27.960 Don't become so accustomed to fighting for what 00:17:27.960 --> 00:17:30.599 you already possess that you lose sight of what 00:17:30.599 --> 00:17:34.460 God may yet place before you. There's a difference 00:17:34.460 --> 00:17:37.099 between maintaining a ministry and preparing 00:17:37.099 --> 00:17:42.380 a ministry for multiplication. Both are important. 00:17:43.319 --> 00:17:48.099 Both require wisdom. But they're not the same 00:17:48.099 --> 00:17:51.640 thing. And I believe this congregation has an 00:17:51.640 --> 00:17:55.900 opportunity to prayerfully consider what the 00:17:55.900 --> 00:18:01.160 next stage of this ministry may look like. And 00:18:01.160 --> 00:18:06.390 for that, Do not forget to remember your leadership 00:18:06.390 --> 00:18:12.470 in much prayer and dedication of your life to 00:18:12.470 --> 00:18:16.809 back them up. Perhaps there are young men and 00:18:16.809 --> 00:18:18.569 women sitting right now in this congregation 00:18:18.569 --> 00:18:21.609 today who've never considered that God might 00:18:21.609 --> 00:18:24.710 use them to establish a work somewhere else, 00:18:24.750 --> 00:18:28.549 but that may happen. Perhaps there's people here 00:18:28.549 --> 00:18:30.950 who have gifts and abilities that have not yet 00:18:30.950 --> 00:18:33.789 been fully developed. Perhaps there's families 00:18:33.789 --> 00:18:36.089 here who will play an important role in the future 00:18:36.089 --> 00:18:39.670 of this ministry. And perhaps there are opportunities 00:18:39.670 --> 00:18:43.150 before you that have not yet been recognized. 00:18:44.450 --> 00:18:46.329 But I'm standing here and I'm going to close 00:18:46.329 --> 00:18:49.730 with this. There's more on this, but I've given 00:18:49.730 --> 00:18:52.490 Pastor a copy of this so that you guys could 00:18:52.490 --> 00:19:01.410 frame it and then I'll sign it. But I'm encouraging 00:19:01.410 --> 00:19:08.150 you to remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit. And 00:19:08.150 --> 00:19:13.490 that you remain sensitive to what God has already 00:19:13.490 --> 00:19:18.890 planned for your future. And I'm going to encourage 00:19:18.890 --> 00:19:23.849 you here today that you remain sensitive to the 00:19:23.849 --> 00:19:30.210 Holy Spirit and willing and able. To respond 00:19:30.210 --> 00:19:35.450 when he directs you. Because sometimes the greatest 00:19:35.450 --> 00:19:40.410 obstacle in our future is not adversity. Yes? 00:19:42.309 --> 00:19:46.470 Adversity that you haven't experienced yet. But 00:19:46.470 --> 00:19:49.150 together with any problem the enemy may throw 00:19:49.150 --> 00:19:52.930 your way, there's a treasure trove of solutions 00:19:52.930 --> 00:19:56.089 that the Holy Spirit has in all his wisdom. Come 00:19:56.089 --> 00:20:06.359 on, give God a praise offering. I'm so honored 00:20:06.359 --> 00:20:11.599 to have shared the platform here with Brother 00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:15.839 Jim. And he himself referred to his blonde hair. 00:20:18.640 --> 00:20:20.960 And the reason I'm mentioning that is because, 00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:23.859 you know, the last time I spoke to Kenneth Hagen, 00:20:23.980 --> 00:20:29.740 he talked to me about a blonde -haired young 00:20:29.740 --> 00:20:32.819 man that he tried to get to come to church, but 00:20:32.819 --> 00:20:36.160 he just never could get him to come. I mean, 00:20:36.180 --> 00:20:39.339 he just absolutely tried everything possible. 00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:41.980 And then all of a sudden, this young man started 00:20:41.980 --> 00:20:46.799 coming to church. He wouldn't miss any meeting. 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:51.920 There's a prayer meeting. He was there. He was 00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:54.920 even surprised when there were board meetings 00:20:54.920 --> 00:20:59.359 and he showed up for that. So Kenneth Hagin asked 00:20:59.359 --> 00:21:04.640 him, what changed your mind? I mean, this blonde 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:08.140 -haired, beautiful, good -looking, attractive, 00:21:08.440 --> 00:21:13.759 young quarterback, once again with the blonde 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:19.480 hair, told him, he said, well, it really happened 00:21:19.480 --> 00:21:24.960 after I bought my car. Your car? He said, yeah. 00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:28.960 Salesman told me that if I miss any service, 00:21:29.180 --> 00:21:38.400 my warranty will be canceled. I'm just kidding. 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:47.960 What a great honor to be with this man. I did 00:21:47.960 --> 00:22:01.380 not speak to Kenneth Hagin. Last night, I really 00:22:01.380 --> 00:22:05.920 feel that something happened here. How many of 00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:12.119 you agree with that? Yeah, go ahead. I told Brother 00:22:12.119 --> 00:22:16.299 Jim that I believe that a spirit of intimidation 00:22:16.299 --> 00:22:20.200 was broken off of the ladies. And I want to challenge 00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:23.519 you ladies more than ever before. Rise up to 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:26.619 the occasion. Dig your heels in. Square your 00:22:26.619 --> 00:22:29.400 shoulders. And come up to the front and say, 00:22:29.460 --> 00:22:32.619 Lord, I am here to pour out my alabaster box 00:22:32.619 --> 00:22:35.140 upon you. Come on. Give him a great praise offering. 00:22:42.250 --> 00:22:45.890 You know, in the book of James, and I'll read 00:22:45.890 --> 00:22:49.829 this, in James 1, James admonishes the people 00:22:49.829 --> 00:22:56.809 of his time. Be ye doers of the word, and not 00:22:56.809 --> 00:23:06.049 only hearers, deceiving your own self. Now, you 00:23:06.049 --> 00:23:09.430 know, I want you to just go with me on just a 00:23:09.430 --> 00:23:12.230 short journey because When you read the words 00:23:12.230 --> 00:23:16.690 like in this case here, James, you know, who 00:23:16.690 --> 00:23:20.309 was one of the disciples of the Lord. And, you 00:23:20.309 --> 00:23:23.829 know, oftentimes we would look at the people 00:23:23.829 --> 00:23:27.309 in the Bible as these great heroes forgetting 00:23:27.309 --> 00:23:32.269 where they actually come from. What actually 00:23:32.269 --> 00:23:36.799 happened in their lives before they. And as you 00:23:36.799 --> 00:23:39.660 sit here today, I know, as I minister around 00:23:39.660 --> 00:23:43.740 the world, I know how oftentimes people feel 00:23:43.740 --> 00:23:48.299 inferior. People feel intimidated because of 00:23:48.299 --> 00:23:51.500 what is wrong in their lives. And therefore, 00:23:51.599 --> 00:23:58.519 they remain distant, aloof, missing out on the 00:23:58.519 --> 00:24:03.240 opportunity to work side by side, hand in hand. 00:24:03.930 --> 00:24:07.309 With the power of the Holy Spirit. Because there's 00:24:07.309 --> 00:24:10.910 no greater honor. Than to walk in the anointing. 00:24:11.390 --> 00:24:14.349 And no matter what happened in your past. And 00:24:14.349 --> 00:24:17.009 no matter how many times you failed. But as I 00:24:17.009 --> 00:24:19.769 said to absolutely. Dig up the old foundations 00:24:19.769 --> 00:24:23.549 and say. If God can do it for Jan. If God can 00:24:23.549 --> 00:24:27.509 do it for Brad. If God can do it for Jim. God 00:24:27.509 --> 00:24:35.779 can do it also for me. Come on praise him. I 00:24:35.779 --> 00:24:39.779 was here on Wednesday night and listened to Pastor 00:24:39.779 --> 00:24:43.980 Brad speak, and he was teaching on one of my 00:24:43.980 --> 00:24:52.640 favorite subjects in 1 Samuel 3. When God spoke 00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:56.539 to a little boy, 12 -year -old boy, I think, 00:24:56.559 --> 00:25:02.039 who responded, and after that, Israel was never 00:25:02.039 --> 00:25:07.940 the same again. But it happened at a precarious 00:25:07.940 --> 00:25:12.619 time when Israel had not heard the voice of God 00:25:12.619 --> 00:25:16.740 for almost 400 years. There was nothing happening 00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:20.900 until a 12 -year -old boy heard the voice of 00:25:20.900 --> 00:25:26.660 God. And as you sit here today, my prayer has 00:25:26.660 --> 00:25:30.319 been during this conference, I told my wife and 00:25:30.319 --> 00:25:33.900 I prayed this week. God, please don't let it 00:25:33.900 --> 00:25:37.180 end by just people wanting something for themselves. 00:25:40.400 --> 00:25:44.140 Is it possible that we could have somebody or 00:25:44.140 --> 00:25:49.960 a number of you who would rise up to the occasion 00:25:49.960 --> 00:25:54.660 and say, I'm not here what the ministry can do 00:25:54.660 --> 00:25:58.920 for me, but I'm here to find out, God, what can 00:25:58.920 --> 00:26:07.819 I do for you? Some time ago I expounded on the 00:26:07.819 --> 00:26:13.440 lives of these disciples. Boy, what great exploits 00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:19.099 they achieved. I mean, Peter with his very first 00:26:19.099 --> 00:26:25.900 sermon had 3 ,000 people saved. But then you 00:26:25.900 --> 00:26:29.240 cannot help but to remember who he was before. 00:26:30.920 --> 00:26:37.059 A struggling fisherman. But one who, right there 00:26:37.059 --> 00:26:40.140 in the beginning already, made his boat available 00:26:40.140 --> 00:26:48.059 for the master to use. But when you analyze their 00:26:48.059 --> 00:26:50.200 lives, every one of them, like I said earlier 00:26:50.200 --> 00:26:52.720 in the week or over the weekend, we talked about, 00:26:52.799 --> 00:26:55.619 you know, labeling people. And we're so prone 00:26:55.619 --> 00:26:57.880 to do that. You know, you look at somebody and 00:26:57.880 --> 00:27:00.920 you label them. That's the divorced people. And 00:27:00.920 --> 00:27:04.490 those are the smokers. And those that are on 00:27:04.490 --> 00:27:11.849 whiskey, we label them like we labeled Peter 00:27:11.849 --> 00:27:17.930 and we labeled Thomas. But when you analyze their 00:27:17.930 --> 00:27:20.210 lives, every one of them, you go through, and 00:27:20.210 --> 00:27:22.490 I don't have time to go there, but if you go 00:27:22.490 --> 00:27:25.809 home and just go and see, when you go through 00:27:25.809 --> 00:27:32.140 verse by verse in Mark 16, Mark 16 was the event 00:27:32.140 --> 00:27:36.559 that followed the crucifixion and the promise 00:27:36.559 --> 00:27:40.339 of the master to appear with them on the third 00:27:40.339 --> 00:27:43.299 day, but not a single one of them believed him. 00:27:44.680 --> 00:27:48.339 They gathered there to come and embalm his body. 00:27:48.440 --> 00:27:51.200 Why did they want to embalm his body? To keep 00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:55.660 it from rotting. They gathered there mourning. 00:27:55.779 --> 00:27:57.579 I mean, they were sitting together mourning and 00:27:57.579 --> 00:28:00.259 weeping. Why did they mourn and weep? They didn't 00:28:00.259 --> 00:28:03.619 believe he was going to be resurrected. And I 00:28:03.619 --> 00:28:05.440 mean, you can just go on and on through the entire 00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:08.599 chapter. And then at the end, you know, Jesus 00:28:08.599 --> 00:28:14.140 finally appeared to all of them and reprimanded 00:28:14.140 --> 00:28:22.059 them about their unbelief. And did a strange 00:28:22.059 --> 00:28:25.000 thing following that. A real strange thing, you 00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:28.839 know, these unbelieving men and women who did 00:28:28.839 --> 00:28:32.180 not believe the master, even though they walked 00:28:32.180 --> 00:28:36.059 with him for three and a half years, saw miracles, 00:28:36.259 --> 00:28:40.339 saw people rise from the dead, saw lepers cleansed, 00:28:40.339 --> 00:28:47.240 you know, blind people seeing. But the most important 00:28:47.240 --> 00:28:51.869 thing was that when the master needed them, They 00:28:51.869 --> 00:29:01.150 failed him. But then Jesus told them after he 00:29:01.150 --> 00:29:05.690 reprimanded them, your life, I'm paraphrasing, 00:29:05.829 --> 00:29:11.529 he said, your life will change after the Holy 00:29:11.529 --> 00:29:15.710 Ghost comes upon you. Go and wait. Wait on the 00:29:15.710 --> 00:29:21.509 Holy Spirit. Until you be endued with power from 00:29:21.509 --> 00:29:24.690 on high. And boy, oh boy, how their lives changed. 00:29:26.210 --> 00:29:28.509 You know, coming right out of the upper room. 00:29:28.609 --> 00:29:30.569 I mean, when they found that lame man on the 00:29:30.569 --> 00:29:33.509 way to the temple. I mean, it was so clearly 00:29:33.509 --> 00:29:37.289 visible that it was not even possible for them 00:29:37.289 --> 00:29:39.690 to even give it a thought that they may still 00:29:39.690 --> 00:29:42.569 be failures. That they may still be weaklings. 00:29:42.630 --> 00:29:46.710 No, sir. When they saw the lame man asking for 00:29:46.710 --> 00:29:53.789 alms. They answered without hesitation, silver 00:29:53.789 --> 00:29:59.190 and gold have we not. But what I have received 00:29:59.190 --> 00:30:04.710 and what we do have, in the name of Jesus, rise 00:30:04.710 --> 00:30:09.930 up and walk. And you understand, we are at a 00:30:09.930 --> 00:30:13.670 time right before the second coming of Christ. 00:30:14.690 --> 00:30:29.980 And with emphasis, the rapture. Which Pastor 00:30:29.980 --> 00:30:48.279 Brad may miss. You know. May God find you. May 00:30:48.279 --> 00:30:54.400 Jesus arrive here. Finding you busy. Involved. 00:30:54.400 --> 00:30:58.150 Say that word. Involved. In fact, my title for 00:30:58.150 --> 00:31:02.250 this message this morning is From Complacency 00:31:02.250 --> 00:31:07.990 to Action. Instead of just sitting here, instead 00:31:07.990 --> 00:31:11.170 of just, you know, being here, you know, come 00:31:11.170 --> 00:31:13.109 for the next meeting, and the next meeting is 00:31:13.109 --> 00:31:18.589 just, wow, I'm here for a blessing. How about 00:31:18.589 --> 00:31:24.309 becoming a blessing? You know, I looked at the 00:31:24.309 --> 00:31:28.740 lives of the... Of the apostles and the disciples. 00:31:28.920 --> 00:31:30.920 And oh there's so many of them. I'm going to 00:31:30.920 --> 00:31:33.740 just mention the 12 that was there. But there's 00:31:33.740 --> 00:31:35.980 so many of you. If you want to really read something 00:31:35.980 --> 00:31:39.519 great. Just go to Fox's book of martyrs. And 00:31:39.519 --> 00:31:42.359 just see how people totally dedicated themselves. 00:31:42.599 --> 00:31:48.279 No matter what the opposition is. And look where 00:31:48.279 --> 00:31:51.460 the gospel actually reached. And still is reaching 00:31:51.460 --> 00:31:55.319 today. And it concerns me. You know, when I was 00:31:55.319 --> 00:31:58.700 in China several years back, I found so many 00:31:58.700 --> 00:32:02.579 people. I mean, honestly, found, Jenny, I found 00:32:02.579 --> 00:32:06.460 so many people in the streets in China that have 00:32:06.460 --> 00:32:13.960 never heard the name of Jesus. And the Bible 00:32:13.960 --> 00:32:17.259 says that this gospel must be preached, you know, 00:32:17.259 --> 00:32:20.559 in all the world, and then the end will come. 00:32:22.640 --> 00:32:26.900 We have a job to do. We have a job to do here 00:32:26.900 --> 00:32:35.380 in Oregon in this very liberal state. Now, I 00:32:35.380 --> 00:32:38.980 look at the lives of the Apostle Peter. You know, 00:32:38.980 --> 00:32:43.539 history tells you he was crucified in Rome and 00:32:43.539 --> 00:32:46.140 he was crucified upside down by his own choice. 00:32:46.980 --> 00:32:51.750 Andrew, crucified at Petras in Greece. In that 00:32:51.750 --> 00:32:57.269 familiar X -shaped cross. James. The son of Zebedee. 00:32:57.970 --> 00:33:02.210 He was killed by Herod Agrippa. But none of these 00:33:02.210 --> 00:33:04.910 guys died in defeat. You know they died in absolute 00:33:04.910 --> 00:33:08.950 victory. With the seed of their ministry continuing. 00:33:09.210 --> 00:33:12.150 And still continuing today. Come on praise him 00:33:12.150 --> 00:33:18.789 again will you. Glory to God. And John. The beloved 00:33:18.789 --> 00:33:22.009 John, they say that he died a natural death after 00:33:22.009 --> 00:33:26.289 he escaped through a pot of boiling oil. To him, 00:33:26.329 --> 00:33:31.569 God gave the book of Revelation. And then in 00:33:31.569 --> 00:33:36.130 the life of Philip, he died as a martyr. We don't 00:33:36.130 --> 00:33:40.430 know where. Bartimaeus, he was flayed. I mean, 00:33:40.470 --> 00:33:44.109 his skin was taken, was skinned off of him, and 00:33:44.109 --> 00:33:49.799 then they beheaded him. Matthew, he died a martyr 00:33:49.799 --> 00:33:54.980 in Ethiopia or in Persia, somewhere there. Thomas, 00:33:55.119 --> 00:33:58.460 I was there where they pierced him with swords 00:33:58.460 --> 00:34:04.220 in India. The only one I couldn't find anything 00:34:04.220 --> 00:34:09.440 about was James, the son of Alphaeus. Thaddeus, 00:34:09.519 --> 00:34:15.260 Judas' son, son of James, I mean, he died a martyr. 00:34:15.760 --> 00:34:20.900 Simon the Zealot died, you know, as a martyr. 00:34:21.019 --> 00:34:23.880 And some says that history wasn't really sure 00:34:23.880 --> 00:34:26.739 about him. Matthias, we don't know. And then 00:34:26.739 --> 00:34:30.619 Paul, as you know, he was beheaded. But you look 00:34:30.619 --> 00:34:32.880 at, you know, I'm including Paul because although 00:34:32.880 --> 00:34:35.519 he wasn't one of the disciples, boy, how his 00:34:35.519 --> 00:34:39.539 life changed when he heard the gospel like you 00:34:39.539 --> 00:34:41.739 are here this morning. What will it actually 00:34:41.739 --> 00:34:44.570 take? To get you to change. What will it take 00:34:44.570 --> 00:34:49.130 for you. To absolutely embrace the promise of 00:34:49.130 --> 00:34:52.010 the father. And say to yourself. If God can use 00:34:52.010 --> 00:34:55.710 all those men. I can be used also. Come on give 00:34:55.710 --> 00:35:01.789 him a shout of praise. Glory to God. You know 00:35:01.789 --> 00:35:06.250 we look at. You know. From complacency to action. 00:35:07.070 --> 00:35:09.949 Ordinary people like you and me. Whose lives. 00:35:10.889 --> 00:35:14.309 Never were the same after that. I picked a few, 00:35:14.429 --> 00:35:16.969 you know, to just present to you here today. 00:35:17.090 --> 00:35:20.789 People we know in our time. Catherine Kuhlman. 00:35:21.530 --> 00:35:25.769 Boy, what a great general she became for the 00:35:25.769 --> 00:35:28.969 kingdom. Yes? How many of you have heard of Catherine 00:35:28.969 --> 00:35:31.489 Kuhlman? Let me see your hands. I mean, you know, 00:35:31.510 --> 00:35:35.730 she was one of those real chief warriors for 00:35:35.730 --> 00:35:38.929 the cross. But boy, when you look at her life. 00:35:40.199 --> 00:35:43.239 You know, she was pastoring a small little church 00:35:43.239 --> 00:35:47.539 when an evangelist came by there by the name 00:35:47.539 --> 00:35:52.079 of Burroughs Walgrip. He was a married man with 00:35:52.079 --> 00:35:54.900 two children, and then she developed a relationship 00:35:54.900 --> 00:35:58.579 with him. Almost devastated her life. She married 00:35:58.579 --> 00:36:02.559 him in 1938, but six years later she divorced 00:36:02.559 --> 00:36:05.219 him, and actually the marriage was declared, 00:36:05.460 --> 00:36:13.909 what do you call it? It was annulled. But instead 00:36:13.909 --> 00:36:22.429 of running away because of her failures, she 00:36:22.429 --> 00:36:30.110 ran to God. She repented. She went to Brother 00:36:30.110 --> 00:36:35.289 Waltrip's wife, apologized, repented, and then 00:36:35.289 --> 00:36:41.840 picked up the cross. And God recognized her genuine 00:36:41.840 --> 00:36:45.139 repentance and made her one of the stalwarts 00:36:45.139 --> 00:36:48.320 of the gospel and of healing here in the United 00:36:48.320 --> 00:36:50.980 States and the rest of this world. Give the Lord 00:36:50.980 --> 00:36:58.960 a praise offering. It's worth it. You know what 00:36:58.960 --> 00:37:04.079 I summarized about her life? She got up. Look 00:37:04.079 --> 00:37:07.400 at somebody and say, you've got to get up. There's 00:37:07.400 --> 00:37:10.659 not a single one here that cannot identify with 00:37:10.659 --> 00:37:17.199 what I just mentioned. Somebody who failed. And 00:37:17.199 --> 00:37:22.519 then got up. Next, she obeyed God. And then she 00:37:22.519 --> 00:37:27.760 moved forward. And then her obedience to follow 00:37:27.760 --> 00:37:31.440 the master opened a door that ultimately touched 00:37:31.440 --> 00:37:35.199 millions of people. She decided to move from 00:37:35.199 --> 00:37:39.079 complacency into action. I had the privilege 00:37:39.079 --> 00:37:43.079 of being at Smith Wigglesworth home in England, 00:37:43.300 --> 00:37:49.300 in Bradford, England. What a remarkable man that 00:37:49.300 --> 00:37:53.579 was. And when I looked at Brother Jim's ministry 00:37:53.579 --> 00:37:56.579 here this week, slapping people on the head and 00:37:56.579 --> 00:38:04.849 punching women in the stomach. What a brave man 00:38:04.849 --> 00:38:10.409 he is. But honestly, you know, that's the way 00:38:10.409 --> 00:38:15.369 Wigglesworth ministered. He used to be a plumber. 00:38:16.230 --> 00:38:18.389 I mean, he worked as a plumber. His wife was 00:38:18.389 --> 00:38:20.690 actually the pastor. She was a pastor of the 00:38:20.690 --> 00:38:24.710 Salvation Army. And a couple of times, he tried 00:38:24.710 --> 00:38:27.070 to speak a little bit, but then he became overwhelmed 00:38:27.070 --> 00:38:31.780 with the fear of man. He decided not to do it 00:38:31.780 --> 00:38:36.579 anymore. But in 1907, when he was 48 years old, 00:38:36.699 --> 00:38:39.980 he received the mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit. 00:38:40.219 --> 00:38:42.079 Come on, give God a praise offering. That'll 00:38:42.079 --> 00:38:49.800 change you. And he became one of the generals 00:38:49.800 --> 00:38:54.559 of our time. And even still today, his teachings 00:38:54.559 --> 00:38:57.699 and his ministry is reverberating around the 00:38:57.699 --> 00:39:01.340 world. Kenneth Copeland, I checked his life out 00:39:01.340 --> 00:39:05.300 also. You know, he was born in 36. And, you know, 00:39:05.340 --> 00:39:07.639 they say that Kenneth Copeland had already experienced 00:39:07.639 --> 00:39:12.460 success as a recording artist with the song Pledge 00:39:12.460 --> 00:39:16.280 of Love that reached the billboards in the top 00:39:16.280 --> 00:39:22.659 20 in 1957. But in 67, he decided to receive 00:39:22.659 --> 00:39:27.079 the call of God. He joined Arnold Roberts University. 00:39:28.039 --> 00:39:30.139 And they say that when he went there to register, 00:39:30.280 --> 00:39:33.019 he didn't even have enough money to pay for that. 00:39:36.019 --> 00:39:39.260 In fact, according to Copeland's ministry, he 00:39:39.260 --> 00:39:42.619 arrived deeply in debt and without money, as 00:39:42.619 --> 00:39:45.719 I said, to even register. But this is what he 00:39:45.719 --> 00:39:50.280 did. He acted like you're supposed to do here 00:39:50.280 --> 00:39:54.699 today. Make up your mind. You know, I could still 00:39:54.699 --> 00:39:59.039 be who I am. I could still work where I am, but 00:39:59.039 --> 00:40:02.900 I want to get involved in these last years to 00:40:02.900 --> 00:40:06.159 be part of a thrust for the Holy Spirit to bring 00:40:06.159 --> 00:40:10.099 people into the kingdom of God as I'm supposed 00:40:10.099 --> 00:40:15.340 to be. Amen? They said that his experience as 00:40:15.340 --> 00:40:18.360 a pilot suddenly opened up unexpected doors and 00:40:18.360 --> 00:40:22.400 he became Arnold Roberts' co -pilot. Within months, 00:40:22.480 --> 00:40:24.980 Kenneth Copeland and Gloria stepped out to become 00:40:25.449 --> 00:40:28.789 What became Kenneth Copeland Ministries. And 00:40:28.789 --> 00:40:30.570 let me tell you something. You may not agree 00:40:30.570 --> 00:40:34.789 with some of the things that people say that 00:40:34.789 --> 00:40:41.989 he did. Go to that ministry. Meet the man. And 00:40:41.989 --> 00:40:47.710 see how genuine him and his wife is. And then 00:40:47.710 --> 00:40:50.289 stand back and admire what God has done in that 00:40:50.289 --> 00:40:53.409 ministry. The point being, he didn't wait until 00:40:53.409 --> 00:40:56.519 he had enough money. He didn't wait until everything 00:40:56.519 --> 00:41:00.119 made sense. He didn't wait until he felt completely 00:41:00.119 --> 00:41:03.840 prepared. No, he moved, and the provision and 00:41:03.840 --> 00:41:06.400 the opportunity met him on the road of obedience, 00:41:06.519 --> 00:41:08.679 and that's where he is today. Come on, praise 00:41:08.679 --> 00:41:15.719 the Lord. Glory to God. This week, we heard much 00:41:15.719 --> 00:41:18.460 about Kenneth Hagin, and here we are, and we 00:41:18.460 --> 00:41:21.940 have a man who is really, in a great way, the 00:41:21.940 --> 00:41:26.360 product of that ministry. And they say that Kenneth 00:41:26.360 --> 00:41:31.179 Hagin was seriously ill and largely bedridden 00:41:31.179 --> 00:41:36.239 when at a very young age, you know, he decided, 00:41:36.340 --> 00:41:39.699 I'm not staying in bed any longer because he 00:41:39.699 --> 00:41:44.380 read and studied Mark 11 and found out that I 00:41:44.380 --> 00:41:48.099 don't have to be sick. I don't have to remain 00:41:48.099 --> 00:41:51.489 where the enemy says I should remain. And so 00:41:51.489 --> 00:41:55.829 finally he dragged himself out of that bed and 00:41:55.829 --> 00:41:59.389 started to do the ministry that became so world 00:41:59.389 --> 00:42:03.010 famous right around the world. And he acted. 00:42:03.969 --> 00:42:06.849 Listen, this is what it says about him. He acted 00:42:06.849 --> 00:42:11.059 on what he believed. Not just to hear it, not 00:42:11.059 --> 00:42:13.780 just to read it, but to say, Lord, I'm changing 00:42:13.780 --> 00:42:18.079 my ways starting this morning on September 27, 00:42:18.579 --> 00:42:22.099 right here in the year 26. My life is going to 00:42:22.099 --> 00:42:24.940 count for God like never before. Come on, give 00:42:24.940 --> 00:42:28.940 him a shout of praise. Glory to God. Come on, 00:42:28.940 --> 00:42:36.699 just shout for the Lord. And, you know, the point 00:42:36.699 --> 00:42:38.920 with him being, you know, he had received the 00:42:38.920 --> 00:42:43.699 promise. He believed the promise. And then came 00:42:43.699 --> 00:42:48.679 the moment when he acted on that promise. He 00:42:48.679 --> 00:42:52.480 could have stayed in that bed, you know. But 00:42:52.480 --> 00:42:56.059 he said to himself, you know, if I walk with 00:42:56.059 --> 00:42:58.800 Christ, that means sickness dies in my body. 00:42:59.980 --> 00:43:08.789 And he got up healed at the age of 16. You know, 00:43:08.829 --> 00:43:11.989 Reinhard Bonnke, I was one of the first pastors 00:43:11.989 --> 00:43:15.190 in South Africa that received him in my church. 00:43:16.969 --> 00:43:21.389 Came there as a very exciting young man to come 00:43:21.389 --> 00:43:26.250 and preach for me. And, I mean, in those days, 00:43:26.269 --> 00:43:30.170 I had no idea, you know, where God was going 00:43:30.170 --> 00:43:34.170 to take that young man. Very few people showed 00:43:34.170 --> 00:43:37.800 up for the meetings. He was unknown. largely 00:43:37.800 --> 00:43:41.639 unknown, came from the country of Lesotho where 00:43:41.639 --> 00:43:44.420 he ministered and pastored a very small mission 00:43:44.420 --> 00:43:47.920 church. And I'll tell you what actually happened 00:43:47.920 --> 00:43:53.380 with Reinhard. God spoke to him and said, Africa 00:43:53.380 --> 00:43:59.000 will be healed. And so he decided to have a meeting 00:43:59.000 --> 00:44:02.139 such as Pastor arranged here today, a healing 00:44:02.139 --> 00:44:06.719 conference. And he organized one of the great 00:44:06.719 --> 00:44:10.960 men of faith to come and minister there. Everybody 00:44:10.960 --> 00:44:14.019 was excited. I mean, the word went out and he 00:44:14.019 --> 00:44:17.739 advertised quite greatly. And on Sunday morning 00:44:17.739 --> 00:44:20.280 when the meeting was supposed to start, he went 00:44:20.280 --> 00:44:23.639 there to go and pick up the evangelist. And the 00:44:23.639 --> 00:44:26.579 evangelist was in a pair of shorts with a sun 00:44:26.579 --> 00:44:33.480 cap on, ready to go and play golf. And he asked 00:44:33.480 --> 00:44:36.679 him, where are you going? No, God said, I mustn't 00:44:36.679 --> 00:44:43.119 preach for you. He was so disappointed. I mean, 00:44:43.159 --> 00:44:50.019 I'm just giving you a very short, you know, bit 00:44:50.019 --> 00:44:53.739 of news about him. He was so disappointed. And 00:44:53.739 --> 00:44:56.000 then on the way back to his church, he asked 00:44:56.000 --> 00:45:01.519 God, what am I going to say to my people? God 00:45:01.519 --> 00:45:03.940 didn't give him an answer. When he got to his 00:45:03.940 --> 00:45:06.260 elders, he told them what had happened. The man 00:45:06.260 --> 00:45:08.539 had a sun cap on. He's going to go and play golf 00:45:08.539 --> 00:45:12.079 and then he goes back to South Africa. And one 00:45:12.079 --> 00:45:17.380 of the men said to him, what about you? Why don't 00:45:17.380 --> 00:45:23.179 you preach? And then God spoke to him and said, 00:45:23.340 --> 00:45:29.070 don't you know that my word in your mouth. He's 00:45:29.070 --> 00:45:31.650 as powerful as my word in anybody else's mouth. 00:45:33.769 --> 00:45:38.150 That morning he saw blind eyes opened and his 00:45:38.150 --> 00:45:44.650 ministry started. Where are you going? What is 00:45:44.650 --> 00:45:49.829 going on in your life? I'm out of time. I was 00:45:49.829 --> 00:45:52.889 going to talk to you about John G. Lake. I was 00:45:52.889 --> 00:45:54.710 going to talk to you about William Seymour, you 00:45:54.710 --> 00:46:02.900 know, the Isuzu revival. But I thought I'd rather 00:46:02.900 --> 00:46:08.059 bring it home where we are here right now. I 00:46:08.059 --> 00:46:11.739 want to talk to you about Brad Neuswander. I'm 00:46:11.739 --> 00:46:21.340 serious. More than a century ago, Peter Neuswander, 00:46:21.559 --> 00:46:27.239 one of the grandparents of this great pastor. 00:46:30.760 --> 00:46:36.780 They started the Mennonite church, of whom there's 00:46:36.780 --> 00:46:39.139 still great influence financially in the life 00:46:39.139 --> 00:46:43.340 of this young man. He's a Mennonite through and 00:46:43.340 --> 00:46:54.539 through as far as finance is concerned. I almost 00:46:54.539 --> 00:47:01.199 said something else now, but I better not. But 00:47:01.199 --> 00:47:04.239 you know, Brad, that's why I love him so much. 00:47:04.320 --> 00:47:08.340 Brad grew up as the son of Roger and Sherry Newswander. 00:47:09.260 --> 00:47:13.639 At the time, a very successful grass seed farmer. 00:47:16.159 --> 00:47:20.920 Brad had a great future ahead of him. Studied 00:47:20.920 --> 00:47:25.480 finances. But at a particular time in his life, 00:47:25.719 --> 00:47:32.599 Brad heard the call. and decided to break away 00:47:32.599 --> 00:47:37.599 from success, financial success, family, business 00:47:37.599 --> 00:47:42.960 success, security, opportunity, a future he could 00:47:42.960 --> 00:47:47.219 really see in his eye because God showed it to 00:47:47.219 --> 00:47:51.489 him. As I'm speaking about this, it is not necessary 00:47:51.489 --> 00:47:54.449 for you as you sit there and you say, well, am 00:47:54.449 --> 00:47:56.550 I supposed to give up everything I'm doing right 00:47:56.550 --> 00:47:59.289 now? No, you can do everything you do right now 00:47:59.289 --> 00:48:02.429 and still walk hand in hand with a call of the 00:48:02.429 --> 00:48:04.989 master and see what God will do for you. And 00:48:04.989 --> 00:48:07.989 you can do great exploits also for the master. 00:48:08.030 --> 00:48:09.769 Come on, praise him, will you? Glory to God. 00:48:13.369 --> 00:48:17.300 At 18 years of old, Brad made a decision. He 00:48:17.300 --> 00:48:19.880 would leave the security of what he knew and 00:48:19.880 --> 00:48:25.860 give his life to serving God. He could have stayed 00:48:25.860 --> 00:48:29.179 with what was comfortable for him, but he acted. 00:48:32.440 --> 00:48:37.559 And years later, in 2001, Brad and Jenny pioneered 00:48:37.559 --> 00:48:40.539 what became Life Bible Church. And I was right 00:48:40.539 --> 00:48:42.320 there in the beginning, almost in the beginning 00:48:42.320 --> 00:48:45.440 with you, Brad, when you were in that small little 00:48:45.440 --> 00:48:50.440 schoolhouse. You know, having school there. And 00:48:50.440 --> 00:48:55.900 even then, he shared with me his vision. What 00:48:55.900 --> 00:48:59.519 God was going to do in this very small little 00:48:59.519 --> 00:49:06.519 town of Harrisburg. And because I know the history 00:49:06.519 --> 00:49:10.039 or some of the history of some of the leaders 00:49:10.039 --> 00:49:12.969 that was around him at that time. Some who have 00:49:12.969 --> 00:49:15.130 stayed and some who have left and some who have 00:49:15.130 --> 00:49:18.590 gone. He never, him and Jenny, never allowed 00:49:18.590 --> 00:49:22.610 the experiences and the influence of others to 00:49:22.610 --> 00:49:25.949 deter him from what God told him is going to 00:49:25.949 --> 00:49:28.849 happen. And here you are today, many of you, 00:49:28.869 --> 00:49:31.650 the product of somebody's decision that said, 00:49:31.750 --> 00:49:35.869 I am here to serve the Lord and whatever he wants 00:49:35.869 --> 00:49:38.510 me to do. Glory to God. Come on, just stand on 00:49:38.510 --> 00:49:52.960 your feet and praise him. Glory to God. I have 00:49:52.960 --> 00:49:56.380 about 10 minutes, about five or 10 minutes. You 00:49:56.380 --> 00:50:00.559 may be seated. Let me just wrap this up. You 00:50:00.559 --> 00:50:03.539 see, in Romans chapter 10 speaks of the word 00:50:03.539 --> 00:50:08.760 is nigh thee, even in your mouth, but it has 00:50:08.760 --> 00:50:14.480 to move to your heart. The word is nigh even 00:50:14.480 --> 00:50:18.719 in thy mouth and in your heart, for with a heart 00:50:18.719 --> 00:50:23.639 we believe. But then it has to move somewhere 00:50:23.639 --> 00:50:28.199 else. In this case, into your mouth where confession 00:50:28.199 --> 00:50:32.320 is made. And what you need to do here today is 00:50:32.320 --> 00:50:35.699 you need to bring that conviction here this morning. 00:50:35.780 --> 00:50:38.280 You know, when last night, I mean, I almost cried 00:50:38.280 --> 00:50:41.260 when I watched how the Holy Spirit moved through 00:50:41.260 --> 00:50:44.599 Jim. to challenge the ladies. And boy, what a 00:50:44.599 --> 00:50:47.340 great thing. What a great moment when I watched 00:50:47.340 --> 00:50:50.599 them jump and bounce up and down, ending up on 00:50:50.599 --> 00:50:53.840 the floor on their faces and absolutely dedicating 00:50:53.840 --> 00:50:57.000 their lives. And I was wondering, my God, what 00:50:57.000 --> 00:50:59.500 kind of fruit is going to come out of this? Because 00:50:59.500 --> 00:51:02.300 I believe that if you will submit, God is going 00:51:02.300 --> 00:51:05.420 to do great exploits in this area. Come on, give 00:51:05.420 --> 00:51:17.440 Him a great praise offering. Now, you know, conviction 00:51:17.440 --> 00:51:25.980 must move into commitment. You know, it's always 00:51:25.980 --> 00:51:28.800 been like that. You know, people will receive 00:51:28.800 --> 00:51:31.659 and then very few will turn around. You remember, 00:51:31.860 --> 00:51:37.920 you know, the 10 people that received their healing 00:51:37.920 --> 00:51:41.400 and only one came back. I'm sure you remember 00:51:41.400 --> 00:51:45.119 in numbers. when 10 spies went out there to go 00:51:45.119 --> 00:51:48.139 and check how nine of them came back with adverse 00:51:48.139 --> 00:51:55.019 propositions and suggestions. But one man, Caleb, 00:51:55.260 --> 00:52:00.179 became one of the towers of our history when 00:52:00.179 --> 00:52:05.300 he boldly declared, we can't take that enemy. 00:52:06.500 --> 00:52:09.239 And here today, with the river still trying to 00:52:09.239 --> 00:52:12.880 swallow up your property, Let that not be a consideration. 00:52:13.940 --> 00:52:18.059 Let the consideration be for you and I. I too 00:52:18.059 --> 00:52:21.590 will rise up to the occasion. And if others can 00:52:21.590 --> 00:52:24.570 do it, I too want to stand and make my voice 00:52:24.570 --> 00:52:27.510 available. That if God can do it for those of 00:52:27.510 --> 00:52:30.489 the past, if God can do it for a Shadrach, a 00:52:30.489 --> 00:52:33.369 Meshach, and a Abednego, for a Brad Newswander, 00:52:33.550 --> 00:52:37.150 for a Jan Venter, and for a Jim Hockaday, God 00:52:37.150 --> 00:52:40.030 can do it for me also. Stand on your feet and 00:52:40.030 --> 00:52:42.309 give the Lord a praise offering. Glory to God. 00:52:44.789 --> 00:52:47.530 Thank you for taking the time to listen to this 00:52:47.530 --> 00:52:50.110 week's message. We are so grateful for those 00:52:50.110 --> 00:52:52.869 who tune in each week and have given generously 00:52:52.869 --> 00:52:56.409 to this ministry. If you would like to give click 00:52:56.409 --> 00:52:59.190 the link in the episode description below. 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