Guardians of The Gap
Pastor David T. Elms Preached on 8/16/2026
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48:12
Summary
Pastor David T. Elms calls the congregation to move beyond religious routine to become 'Guardians of the Gap,' imitating the sacrificial heart of David the shepherd and responding to God's search for those who will stand in the breach for the lost.
Key points
- •God actively searches for individuals willing to stand in the spiritual 'gap' to protect others and facilitate restoration.
- •A 'sheep coat' or sheepfold represents a place of protection where the shepherd lays down his own body to guard the entrance against predators.
- •Guarding the gap is not just about keeping the enemy out; it is about welcoming new souls, the hurting, and the marginalized into the family of God.
- •True fruitfulness is measured by our love for people and our commitment to reaching the lost, rather than just religious activity or attendance.
Scripture
Purpose
Love
Evangelism
Discipleship
Spiritual Growth
Life application
Identify a 'gap' in your community or church where someone is vulnerable or overlooked, and commit to standing in prayer and support for them this week, putting their needs above your own comfort.
Reflection questions
- In what areas of your life are you currently functioning as a 'tear' (seeking the spotlight) versus 'wheat' (bearing fruit for others)?
- Who are the predators or 'wolves' currently threatening the spiritual health of those around you, and how can you stand in the gap?
- How does the example of David as a shepherd change your understanding of what it means to be a spiritual leader or guardian?
- Are there people you have been hesitant to welcome into the 'fold' because they don't look or act like you?
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Full transcript
0:00our spirit and our mind right in
0:00preparation for reaching the lost. Some
0:00of you remember the very very heavy
0:02sermon I preached on the first Sunday of
0:04this month entitled first the tears. We
0:08close with a different kind of clothes.
0:11We turned the lights out and I told
0:12everybody in the house, "Find a place to
0:14pray right where you are." And this
0:17house was filled with an understanding
0:20that there are going to be people that
0:22go to the same church, grow in the same
0:24soil, sing the same songs, hear the same
0:27sermon, sing in the same choir, work in
0:30the same Sunday school department,
0:32preach in the same pullpit. And the
0:34angels are going to come first for the
0:37tears. tears that grew in the same field
0:40in the same sunshine with the same
0:43shepherd. Yes. And the tears will be
0:46taken to the fire. Why? Because the
0:49tears were never concerned with bearing
0:52fruit. They just like to show in the
0:55sunlight. And then the second week, last
0:58Sunday, I preached on preparation power.
1:01What is the fuel that makes us want to
1:04love the lost? What is the fuel that
1:06compels us to do more than just show up
1:09at church and love people that we didn't
1:12even like? Well, the fuel that we've got
1:15was the Lord saying, "You do it for the
1:18hope that is ahead of us." It spoke of
1:21Jesus not wanting the cross. He didn't
1:24want to go to the cross, but he did it
1:27despising the shame for the joy that was
1:32set before him. So, I learn to love
1:34people I don't know how to like because
1:37there's going to be joy in the reward of
1:40the Lord that I have pursued the things
1:42that are loving people. That's what
1:45fruit bearing is all about. Don't
1:47confuse your work at church with bearing
1:50fruit. Don't be confused with your
1:52attendance or your giving as the
1:55evidence of bearing fruit. The fruit
1:57that matters to the Lord is people. And
2:01it's all about your love for people.
2:03Here in our text, we're going to talk
2:05just for a couple of moments about
2:08guardians of the gap. We read in this uh
2:12book of Ezekiel, in the text that we
2:14read to you today, Ezekiel is serving an
2:18exiled people. He is not preaching from
2:21Jerusalem. He is trapped in Babylon.
2:24They have no access to an altar. They
2:26have no access to a to a temple. They
2:29have no access to courts of praise. But
2:32Ezekiel is continually seeing visions
2:36about what God has to come. He's the one
2:39who tells us about a valley of dry
2:41bones. For people who thought God was
2:44dead and his people are finished.
2:47Ezekiel was the one who saw that people
2:49who seem to be nothing but carcasses
2:52dispersed in the desert. that God can
2:56make bones live. It was Ezekiel who came
3:01and described a revival at the last day
3:04that's going to start at the altar. And
3:07at the altar, it would flow out through
3:09the sanctuary and under the threshold
3:12until it healed the entire land. The
3:15water started ankle deep, then knee
3:18deep, then hip deep, and then the
3:20scripture says it became waters to swim
3:24in. These are metaphors. They're not
3:26metaphors of madness. They are stories
3:29that describe the last day revival. It's
3:33going to be plenteous. It's going to be
3:35powerful. It's going to be unstoppable.
3:37It will be a revival like you have never
3:40seen before. Wastelands that you thought
3:43were dead, dried, and broken up are
3:47going to be pulled back together.
3:49footbone to ankle bone. Ankle bone to
3:52leg bone, leg bone to hipbone, hipbone
3:55to shoulder bone, or backbone, backbone
3:58to shoulder bone, shoulder bone to
4:01neckbone, neckbone to headbone.
4:07I can tell the writer of that song
4:08wasn't very academically, medically
4:11treated.
4:13But here we have the saddest verse in
4:16the Bible. The verse that we have read
4:20this second verse of Ezekiel 22 verse
4:2330. The Lord himself doesn't send others
4:27for this search. He doesn't have his
4:30hosts go do his work. He himself went
4:33searching for somebody to stand in the
4:36gap. And the Bible said he found none.
4:42A gap is a place where there's a hole in
4:46the wall. Guardians of the gap, the Lord
4:50was looking for through Ezekiel. And he
4:52said, "I myself went and tried to find
4:56it. Somebody to stand in the gap." He
5:00wasn't asking for a savior. He wasn't
5:03asking for somebody smart. He wasn't
5:05even asking for somebody that thought
5:07they were qualified. He was just looking
5:10for someone to stand
5:13in the gap.
5:16>> The first picture is the one from
5:19Ezekiel. We'll return to that.
5:22The picture from the book of Chronicles
5:25is a picture that in that scripture is
5:29the story of King David. You all know
5:32King David. You know that King David
5:34wanted to build God a house. He was
5:38desperate to build God a house. And when
5:40he went to say to the prophet Nathan,
5:44"I'm gonna build God a house," Nathan
5:46got very excited. Nathan told David,
5:50"Oh, you are anointed and touched by
5:53God. Whatsoever
5:55is in your heart, go do it."
6:00Nathan bids David farewell for the
6:03evening, walks to his quarters, and
6:06about time he starts getting comfortable
6:08in his house. The presence of the Lord
6:11appears in the living room and says to
6:14Nathan the prophet, "What did you tell
6:17David?"
6:19Nathan said, "Uh, I told him that since
6:23he's wanting to build you a house,
6:26whatever's in his heart to go ahead and
6:29do that." And God said, "Uh, that's not
6:33what I said."
6:36Ladies and gentlemen, there are many
6:37preachers in this hour right now.
6:38They're going to have to face God who
6:41they have said, "God hath said,
6:44and God did not say."
6:47There are going to be many false
6:48prophets, many people that have a word
6:51all of a sudden for you that it's made
6:53up on the moment since it's positive
6:55thinking. They think they can impute
6:57words in God's mouth.
6:59>> This is why you'll never find this
7:01preacher quick to say God said it.
7:05>> No. If God put it in this book, I'll say
7:07God said it.
7:09>> Very, very few times will I walk up to
7:11somebody and say, "God told me to tell
7:14you." There are times I feel an
7:16inspiration from the Holy Ghost. And
7:18even when I do that and I know it's a
7:20presence from the King, I'll say it
7:22could be that I have a prophetic word
7:24for you. Why? I've met I know them. I
7:28went to Bible school with those who are
7:29so confident with the words of God.
7:33They obviously don't know what God's
7:35saying in that word because he said
7:36every word that comes out of your mouth,
7:39every vain word that comes out of your
7:41mouth, you're going to be judged by it.
7:43And when you have said God said a word
7:45over somebody and God didn't say it, you
7:47think because you can dance and shout
7:49and smile and sing and walk in holiness
7:52that you're free from imputing words in
7:55God's mouth. I have also known preachers
7:57when they had a temper tantrum tell
7:59their church that God was mad.
8:03Okay? Don't play that game around here.
8:05I'll call you out
8:08because you don't get to play God.
8:11>> We got a God. And we are not God. And I
8:15don't care what kind of Bible college
8:17training you've got. I don't care how
8:18many dreams and visions you've had. I
8:21don't care how much how you can
8:22articulate phraseology that sounds like
8:25theology.
8:26If you are speaking for God and God hath
8:29not said, he's going to call those cats
8:31in. That's why I want to tell you when
8:34the prophet spoke, Nathan, all of us are
8:37guilty of saying, "Well, I think God
8:39thinks this is good. this looks like a
8:42good thing for certainly I can say well
8:44what's in your heart to do it and God
8:46told Nathan you pivot yourself right
8:49back and sache right back up to that
8:51palace and you tell king David thus
8:54sayeth the Lord
8:57when thou was at the sheep coat I called
9:01thee
9:03when you were following the sheep I
9:05called thee and I saw what's the picture
9:09here's the picture our subject today as
9:12guardians of the gap and here's the
9:14point in Judeian hill country during the
9:17days of biblical times the greatest
9:20commodity for protein was sheep the
9:23greatest commodity for animals were
9:25sheep no animal was eaten as much as
9:29lamb was eaten in the land that day
9:31there was sheep herders and shepherds
9:33all over the land it was the commodity
9:36that provided skins for clothing wool
9:39for warmth
9:40mutton for dinner or milk for drinking.
9:44And that was why everywhere you could
9:46look for sheep. But in that land there
9:48were many lions and bears and wolves in
9:52the land. So if you've ever been there,
9:54you know it's very rough. It's a rocky
9:56place. There's not a lot of bushes, not
9:58a lot of greenery, not a lot of green
10:00meadows. That's the reason when David
10:02said, "He leadeth me beside the still
10:04waters. He leadth me in uh the Lord is
10:07my shepherd. I shall not want." He
10:09layeth me down in the in the meadow
10:14in the green
10:16pasture. Thank you. He leadth me beside
10:20the
10:22>> He restoreth my
10:24There's not a lot of that in that land.
10:27Still waters are not common in that
10:29land. Jordan would either be swollen and
10:32rushing or almost down to nothing.
10:35There's not a lot of rainfall there. And
10:38so when you find still waters and green
10:41pastures, it was a special thing. Now go
10:44with me. You're a shepherd in Israel.
10:47And when you're in Israel as a shepherd,
10:49there's a lot of rough land and wolves
10:51and bears and lions. It's what David
10:53encountered when he had to protect the
10:55sheep. And the building place because it
10:58was an open stock law. There was not a
11:01lot of fences where you had your
11:02territory and you grazed there. They had
11:05this open grazing. The shepherds would
11:07join together and league in some of the
11:09most dangerous parts of the land. They
11:12would build what was known as sheep
11:15coats. Others know them as sheep folds.
11:17But a sheep coat is a word only spoken
11:20twice in your Bible, once in the plural,
11:22but twice it's referred to. And both
11:24times is this moment when Nathan is
11:27telling David, "You cannot build me a
11:29house." Are you with me? He's telling
11:31David, "You can't build me a house. But
11:33the one thing I want to tell you, David,
11:35I don't want to hurt you. I don't want
11:37to bruise you. I want you to know you're
11:39a man after my own heart. In fact, I'm
11:41going to tell you, you can't build me a
11:44house,
11:46but I'm going to build
11:48you a house. And your house will never
11:51be forgotten. And when you and I get to
11:54heaven, he's not going to restore the
11:56temple of Solomon. He's not going to
11:58restore the temple of Herod." The Bible
12:00tells us he's going to restore the
12:01tabernacle of David
12:04because that place wasn't some fancyful
12:06building. It was just a tent at Shiloh
12:09where they would come and sing the
12:11praises of God. It was more about people
12:13than it was about a place.
12:17It was about praise in a presence more
12:20than it was about a power play among the
12:22people.
12:23>> It was a place that God saw David. And
12:26when he was telling David, I'm going to
12:28build you a house. The first thing he
12:30said was, "When thou was at the sheep
12:32coat, I saw." What is it about a sheep
12:35coat that the Lord saw? In that day when
12:38the rugged land was built, the shepherds
12:41would stack the stones in a circle and
12:43they would stack it the stones quite
12:45high and on the top they would put razor
12:48sharp thorns and they would ro lay them
12:51over the top. So at the night when the
12:54storms came and when the the the the
12:57night came, the shepherd could get them
12:59and pull them in. And the thing about
13:02the sheep coat, which is notable, is
13:04many shepherds after they got the sheep
13:07in the sheep coat would lay themselves
13:10on the ground at the doorway. And that
13:13was the way they let the everybody
13:15understand that the only way the wolves
13:18or the bears or the lion are going to
13:20get to the sheep is if they go over my
13:24dead body. I'm going to lay between the
13:30enemy,
13:31>> the predator, the vile one, the
13:35destroyer, the lion, the wolf, the
13:40devouring bear, I'm going to lay between
13:43them and the sheep. And when the Lord
13:47was telling David, you can't build me a
13:49house, but I'm going to build you a
13:51house. both places. He said, "I saw you
13:58when you were at the sheep coat."
14:01What was it about David when he was
14:05gathering the sheep in for the storm? He
14:09finally got them all in that the Lord
14:12watched him as he laid himself down in
14:16the place of the gap.
14:19What was it about the way David would
14:21lean up in the middle of the night and
14:23look out as he sat in the gap, daring
14:27any predator to come and take the sheep?
14:32The Lord loved the man that would lay
14:36down in the gap. He was a guardian of
14:39that spot where the enemy could come
14:42through. And so David had a disposition.
14:46Where's the weak one? Where's the weak
14:48spot? I'm getting in it and I'm going to
14:50stand there. Some days I'll feel
14:52stronger than others, but I'm going to
14:53get in the gap. And then we come to
14:56Ezekiel. And when we get there, I'm
14:59coming to a place where day where the
15:02the prophet says that God comes and uh
15:06he's looking for someone who would come
15:10to the wall and stand in the gap. Is
15:16there anybody in the land that will come
15:20and stand in the gap? And
15:24he said, I need somebody to do it so I
15:28will not destroy it. There's sin going
15:30on. Is there anybody that's going to get
15:32in the gap to protect the weak? I found
15:37no one.
15:41There is no nation in the world like
15:43America when it comes to supporting
15:45missionaries around the globe. There is
15:47no nation in America in the world like
15:50America that will send her dollars out
15:53by the bucket loads and the car loads
15:55and the plane loads to help people in
15:58times of earthquake and storm. When was
16:01the last time when we had an earthquake
16:02did we see them coming from the nations
16:04out there to come work at our
16:05earthquake? But I promise you there will
16:07be earthquakes around the world and the
16:09first thing we'll do is start getting on
16:11planes to go to them.
16:14I'm not telling you that to make us pat
16:17ourselves on the back. This is just a
16:18fact.
16:20And I know all the words around the
16:22world about well you guys got all the
16:24money. It's sometimes it's just effort.
16:27You know,
16:29it's not always about the money.
16:31Sometimes it's the effort. Am I trying
16:34to change the narrative? No. But I'm
16:35tired of people trying to create racial
16:38strife in this nation and class warfare
16:42in this nation. It's all from hell.
16:46America's soul was being ripped apart by
16:49slavery. And there was this war called
16:52the Civil War where there was a fight to
16:54get that worm of nastiness out of the
16:57soul of this country. It was never
16:59intended by God to be in this nation.
17:02And when the war took place, it was
17:03known as the civil war. Colonel Joshua
17:06Chamberlain was standing at Gate
17:08Gettysburg and was told by the sold by
17:11the leadership, the captains to go and
17:14stay at the end of the line. They have
17:17the picture of this arse group these
17:19group this group of soldiers. Please put
17:21that up. and at Gettysburg the 20th of
17:25Maine gathered at a battle that has been
17:28studied by all kinds of na uh warrior
17:31strategists. It's called the battle of
17:34little roundtop. This was the difference
17:37they say between the winning of the war
17:40by the north or the south, this battle
17:43for the soul of America. And at
17:46Gettysburg, many men died. But it was
17:48this one man, Colonel Joshua
17:51Chamberlain, who was ordered to stand in
17:54that gap at all costs. He was out of
17:57ammunition. He told his soldiers, at the
18:00time, it looked like they were going to
18:01be overwhelmed. He said, "Put on your
18:04bayonets." And charged toward that
18:07enemy. And when he went down the hill,
18:09the entire narrative of the war changed.
18:13And those soldiers fought to hold the
18:17line. They were not just shutting down
18:20evil, though. They were also fighting to
18:23welcome a new story in America. Because
18:26when they welcomed people, when you
18:29guard the gap, you're not just keeping
18:31enemies out. You're also welcoming new
18:34souls in. And it was Colonel Joshua
18:38Chamberlain that welcomed in a woman
18:41named Harriet Tubman who ran an
18:44underground railroad who for 13 trips
18:48went from the safe north to the
18:50dangerous south to bring people up. She
18:54always took the trips in the wintertime.
18:56They called her Moses. But she would go
18:59in the the terrible cold to get people
19:02out of slavery. And because of a
19:05welcoming Colonel Sandra, I mean Joshua
19:08Chamberlain and all of his soldiers, she
19:11was able to be welcomed to the story of
19:14the United States of America. She
19:16welcomed Frederick Douglas into America,
19:19the part of the conscience of this
19:21nation, one of the most wonderful black
19:24minds you'll ever know. And I hate to
19:26even say black mind in the same
19:28sentence, but I hope you understand my
19:30heart. Frederick Douglas once you said
19:33once you learn to read you will be
19:35forever free and we welcomed him to our
19:39story because of these soldiers we
19:42welcomed souljourner truth who stood in
19:44a room full of men who thought women
19:47didn't have a lot and she spoke that
19:50speech that everybody knew that said
19:52ain't I a woman and she showed her arms
19:55and showed how her arms plowed fields
19:58and she showed how her h feet were able
20:01to march out in the cold of winter and
20:03she showed her arms to that crowd of men
20:06who thought that women supposed to be
20:08kept down and Mrs. Souljourner Truth I
20:12mean stood up and said ain't I a woman
20:14and we welcomed her because of some
20:17soldiers who were willing to not run
20:20backwards but were willing to run
20:22forwards. They were willing to fight for
20:25people they didn't even know how to
20:27necessarily understand. They were able
20:29to fight for people that didn't always
20:32look like them or pray like them or sing
20:35like them, but they understood somebody
20:38has got to have the passion to stand in
20:41the gap. Because when you guard the gap,
20:44you don't just win people, you
20:46understand. You win people that Jesus
20:49loves.
20:52[applause and cheering]
20:53These men welcome George Washington
20:56Carver who transformed American farming.
21:00This man with his brilliance taught
21:02America how to rotate their crops and
21:06American farmland became very very
21:09powerful. These men welcomed Rosa Parks
21:13who sat in a seat and said, "I'm not
21:15moving because it's unjust to make me
21:18move." These men welcomed Rosa Parks.
21:21These men welcomed Jesse Owens who ran
21:24in the face of evil Hitler with his
21:27stinking white supremacy idea. And Jesse
21:30Owens went and got on that track and
21:32showed them all you're full of all kinds
21:35of evil because we welcome those who may
21:39not be like us. This is America. This is
21:43the land of the free and the home of the
21:45brave. Don't you ever forget it. It's
21:47the land that's here to set men and
21:49women free. But isn't it not just about
21:52America? No, it's not because it's more
21:55about the God of the earth. The earth is
21:59the Lord's and the fullness thereof. The
22:02world and they oh I'm preaching right
22:04now that dwell therein. The whole earth
22:08is full of his glory. I will [screaming]
22:13praise him for who set me free. I once
22:17was lost in sin. But Jesus brought me
22:20in. And then a little light from heaven,
22:23filled my soul. It bathed my heart in
22:26[screaming] love and wrote my name
22:29above. And just a little talk with Jesus
22:33makes it whole. When I get off on this
22:36racial talk, I always get in dangerous
22:39place because I get afraid somebody's
22:42going to leave offended. But I want to
22:44tell you, I refuse to be silent because
22:46this church is always going to be a
22:48multicultural
22:50church. People of every creed, of every
22:54kindred, of every kind are going to be
22:57in the mic and be on the board and be in
22:59the classrooms and be singing and be
23:01praising God. Why? Because we've got to
23:04look a like heaven.
23:08If I preached a pastored a church that
23:10only looked like me, what kind of man
23:12would I be?
23:14>> You tell me.
23:16>> If I pastored a church that only looked
23:18like me, would I be pleasing to God? Oh,
23:21no. I wouldn't. And that's the way you
23:24celebrate one another so freely. And
23:26when we walk out of this place, we don't
23:28let that we do not allow the narrative
23:30of this world to try to dictate the
23:33atmosphere of this house. It may be hot
23:36of racial violence out there, but when
23:38you come in this place, I'm going to
23:40love my neighbor. I'm going to love my
23:42friend. I'm going to love everybody. I'm
23:45not ICE. I'm not anti-ICE. But this
23:48church is not ICE. This church is not
23:51immigration. This church is not doing
23:54the duty of the American soldier. No,
23:56this church is the house of the living
23:58God where we come and know there's
24:01danger out there. We're guardians of the
24:03gap. We don't just keep the evil out. We
24:07bring the hungry in. We
24:13bring
24:15musicians come. I'm closing. So when
24:19God said
24:21I went looking
24:24for someone to stand in the cap.
24:31There were people praying.
24:36There was a lot of people praying.
24:40But their prayers were always for their
24:41little selfish needs
24:46when their kids were kind of
24:47backsliding. Oh, they really went to
24:48prayer.
24:50But when it was those kids that they
24:52always thought would be bad anyway,
25:00They were not willing to guard that
25:01camp.
25:04They were making sacrifices. Don't tell
25:06me none of them were not making
25:08sacrifices. I know they were in Babylon.
25:10I know they didn't have access. But they
25:12did go down and meet by the river Kebar.
25:15And there they would hang their harps
25:18because their heart long [screaming]
25:20for the God of Israel.
25:24It wasn't for the lack of longing for
25:25the God of Israel. They all wanted
25:28[screaming] that.
25:29But God was looking for one of them that
25:33would want to reach souls
25:36other than their just close group.
25:39See, we got a soul-winning seminar this
25:41Saturday
25:43that maybe all the people in your realm
25:44are doing okay.
25:49This church will only ever be worth
25:52keeping
25:55as long as we've got people who will
25:57work in the altar. And for pray for
26:00people they don't even know, they don't
26:03understand. We've got a family revival
26:06coming up in just a few weeks. Harvest
26:09month of September is always great
26:11around this church. It's always
26:13wonderful. our children's our children
26:16will get a decoration and we always
26:19morph this building and I don't know
26:20every year it's different so I not
26:22trying to precondition what it's going
26:24to be but it's always an exciting one
26:28this year our revival is not going to be
26:31a children revival
26:33we are bringing in brother Ryan Trimble
26:35who makes dramatic presentations
26:39of the gospel
26:41so every night of this revival It's
26:43going to be family, but it's not going
26:44to be like me preaching up here. He's
26:46going to do a dramatic rendering,
26:50props and dress, speech and music.
26:55It won't be you saying, "Well, that's
26:58for kitty church."
27:02>> No.
27:03If you've got it all figured out and
27:06you're not worried about the gap,
27:09>> stay home.
27:13But if you are hearing your pastor who
27:16all month I have preached pretty heavy,
27:18this is heavy again.
27:20Lord,
27:22I don't love preaching heavy.
27:28But if you only get wound up about what
27:30is yours,
27:34then you don't understand when God's
27:37walking the earth, he's not looking for
27:39somebody who are praising and singing,
27:42worshiping, and giving.
27:45He's looking for somebody who will
27:47stand.
27:49You say, "But pastor, I'm not really
27:51where I ought to be." Did he ever say
27:53anything about somebody perfect?
27:56Did he ever say anything about somebody
27:58feeling adequate? Did he ever say
28:01anything about somebody thinking, "Well,
28:03they were ready for that." You could
28:05have a thousand Bible study seminars and
28:07the next time there'll be people saying,
28:08"Well, I'm not ready for it.
28:12You'll never feel adequate. I'm
28:16preaching to people right now who
28:18haven't received the Holy Ghost yet. You
28:20have not received the Holy Ghost yet.
28:21But let me tell you something about this
28:23church. We're we we want you to get the
28:25Holy Ghost, but we don't want you to get
28:27it so you can check that box and buy
28:29your t-shirt and hit the road.
28:31>> If you get a Bible study talk to you,
28:34everybody in this house that I taught,
28:35you know, I told you this. The only
28:37reason I'm teaching you is because you
28:39better understand you got to go teach
28:41others
28:43>> because somebody's got to stand in the
28:46gap. He didn't ask, did you go to church
28:48on Sunday? He asked, are you willing to
28:51be there for things bigger than you? You
28:56think so? Junior Truth stood up that day
28:58and she said, "I
29:03I am a woman or ain't I a woman?"
29:07Do you think Harriet Tubman always went
29:09down knowing who she was going to pick
29:11up
29:13on her 13 winter trips from the north to
29:17the south and she had to take all kinds
29:19of disguises. She had to go down and
29:21most of it was the middle of the night
29:23when she would travel and the storm was
29:26her happy time because at least in the
29:29storm she could move people.
29:33Standing
29:36standing.
29:40And so as I close,
29:44you have got to learn to pray for people
29:46you do not know.
29:49If there's a child up here praying that
29:52doesn't know how to do anything but look
29:53around. You know what you do when you're
29:56in the gap? You walk up to him and say,
29:59"I know you want to pray here. Let's
30:01pray together. Jesus,
30:04I love you.
30:06You're so good.
30:09You're so kind. You do it for children
30:12and you do it for adults." Because you
30:15know what? There's a lot of adults who
30:16do not know how to pray. If I would have
30:18them repeat after me. They could do
30:20that.
30:21But to say now you talk to God, that's
30:24overwhelming.
30:26You know it because it is for you to you
30:29can talk all day about the dolphins.
30:34I'm talking about the fish in the sea,
30:39but when it comes time to talk to God,
30:41you act like you're a mute.
30:47Why? Because the same devil that has
30:49attacked us has attacked you. And since
30:53we know he's attacking us, we know he's
30:55attacking you. And people who get in the
30:58gap, push through the attack that's on
31:00them. Everyone who works this altar has
31:02already been attacked. Everyone who
31:04today are getting ready to work in this
31:05altar, they're already being attacked.
31:07The enemy is telling them why they
31:09shouldn't do it today. But you know what
31:10guardians of the gap do? They push
31:12through it. I want to win a soul. I want
31:15to be a fruitful person. I don't want to
31:17[music] be a tear. I want to be a wheat.
31:19I want to be not taken first by the
31:22angels. It's first the tears and they'll
31:26be gathered out of the same field and
31:28thrown in the fire and then the wheat
31:31that bear fruit will be remaining. Shall
31:35we stand all over this building? I'm
31:37asking you.
31:41I know you have the spirit of David. I
31:44know it's in you.
31:46I know the Lord sees you as he did
31:49David. And he said, "David,
31:53listen, sir, son. When thou was at the
31:58sheep coat,
32:01I saw the way
32:04you handled yourself. You got in the
32:07gap." Because when you do it, you
32:11welcome in people.
32:15You welcome in
32:17a Christian.
32:21This young man, no family in the church,
32:24which by the way, Sister Annette talked
32:27about there's only three churches in
32:29Norway. We're talking about apostolic
32:32Pentecostal churches, okay? There's a
32:34lot more other churches than that. We're
32:35talking about Jesus name, baptism,
32:37tongue talk, and Holy Ghost churches. So
32:40Christian had no reason to come to
32:42church. He was in high school. How old
32:45were you when you first came? 18 and 19
32:48years old. Do you know what? Somebody
32:52was a guardian of the gap. And he fought
32:54all the same things you're fighting
32:56right now. Well, this church is kind of
32:58weird. That pastor is kind of hard. He's
33:02kind of nuts, too.
33:07All those things. But somebody got
33:09around him. He stood back there for a
33:12little while. You didn't come to the
33:13altar for a little while. That's the
33:14reason I love some of y'all not coming
33:15to the altar. You're not ready. Stay
33:16there. You're not ready. I understand
33:19your fear. Just stay where you're at.
33:21It's okay with me. But when you're
33:23hungry,
33:26you start getting to that place or say,
33:28"I've seen the [music] lion. I've seen
33:30the lion. I've felt the teeth of the
33:33wolf. I know they're coming after me.
33:37I'm not going to stand back." And that's
33:39when you're willing to get to a place of
33:41[music] prayer where we we can walk back
33:44where you are. In fact, you're not safe
33:46anywhere in the building. You know that.
33:47I'm going to walk back around. If you're
33:49standing back there, be better to keep
33:51your eyes open because I I I meander.
33:55Be careful. I'm able to come your way. I
33:57see some people they that glance up
33:59immediately. The phone goes off. They've
34:02been on their phone the whole altar
34:04service trying to get distracted.
34:07Some of y'all will do it today. I'm not
34:09mad at you. I'm not mad at you.
34:13I know what you're going through. And
34:17I'm willing and Christian is willing.
34:20He's willing to come into the gap.
34:24Faith, I'm going to come get you. This
34:27is who we welcomed when we stood in the
34:29gap. Come here, Faith. This is the baby
34:32and her family. They came to this church
34:35and they were kind of afraid of us, too.
34:38And especially the baby. Did you see her
34:42leading worship today?
34:45>> She's got a fan club. Y'all calm down.
34:48This is not about her fan club. Is it
34:51about somebody who was willing to get in
34:54the gap and say, "I know you have fears.
34:57I know you're wondering about this
34:59place, but it's a safe place. It's a
35:02holy place. You're not going to be
35:04abused. You're not going to be
35:06spiritually abused. You're you you might
35:08get hurt a little bit because you're not
35:09going to live anywhere without some
35:10hurt. So if you if you're if you talk
35:12about church hurt, go ahead and join the
35:14church
35:16because have you ever seen world hurt?
35:22>> You ever seen world hurt? You'll jump at
35:24church hurt.
35:29She wasn't baptized in Jesus name. Did
35:33you receive the Holy Ghost yet? Talking
35:34in tongues before you came. How old were
35:36you when you got the Holy Ghost talking
35:38in tongues? 13. Look at her. She's only
35:4014 now.
35:45>> People say, "Well, that tongue stuff is
35:47for others." Listen, [music] it's for
35:48everyone. Either that or Peter is a
35:50liar.
35:52>> Is Simon Peter a liar? Well, he lied. He
35:55denied Christ. So, we know he's a liar.
35:59But he also preached the truth. It's for
36:03everyone.
36:05Everyone. The Holy Ghost is for
36:08everyone. Not in the 1900s
36:11back when I was born.
36:14It's for everyone. [screaming]
36:17Being baptized in the name of Jesus is
36:20for everyone
36:22>> because doctrine matters.
36:27I'm an emotional preacher, but if you
36:29don't have the right doctrine, you won't
36:31go any higher than your Air Jordans will
36:33jump you when the rapture happens.
36:38Every head bowed, Lord Jesus, we come to
36:40you right now.
36:43We know there's a gap. We, as people of
36:46God, want to guard the gap. We know
36:48there are people outside in the
36:51dangerous waters. They're in the
36:53dangerous realms. They're being stalked
36:56by predatory [music]
36:57spirits. They are being eat after and
37:02chased down. The venom of hell's vipers
37:06are coming to try to devour them and
37:08[music] make them numb to not feel in
37:11the spirit.
37:13A spiritual leprosy is trying to crawl
37:16on them to make them not even have a
37:18heart for the things of the spirit. This
37:21church is standing in the gap and we're
37:24going to guard it. And when you go
37:26looking for somebody to stand in the
37:28gap, look for us, Lord, because we're
37:32going to love and we're going to reach.
37:34We're going to go and we're going to
37:35pray. We're going to reach and we're
37:37going to carry in Jesus name. If you
37:41want to touch the Lord today, I'm
37:42opening the altar as is our custom. If
37:45you want to get away from the wolves,
37:46why don't you come on down to this
37:48altar? If you want to let it be known to
37:50the Lord that you want to get in his
37:52fold, why don't you come to the altar?
37:54If you haven't been baptized in Jesus
37:57name, you ought to be baptized today. If
38:00you haven't been filled with the Holy
38:02Ghost,
38:03>> with the initial sign of speaking with
38:05other tongues, you need to get it as the
38:07Bible says.
38:09>> As the Bible says, [singing]
38:12>> hallelujah.
38:22>> [music]
38:31[music]
38:37>> Heat. Heat. [music]
38:41Heat. Heat.
38:45[music]
38:53[music]
38:58[music]
39:02Heat.
39:05[music]
39:12[music]
39:25Heat. [music]
39:28Heat up
39:30>> [music]
39:36[music]
39:43[music]
39:51>> here.
39:54Heat. [music]
40:02[music]
40:08Heat. [music]
40:15[music]
40:16Heat. Heat.
40:22[music]
40:29[music]
40:39>> [music]
40:47[music]
40:51>> Heat. Heat.
40:54[music]
40:59Heat
41:02>> [music]
41:08[music]
41:09>> up
41:13here.
41:15[music]
41:27>> [music]
41:41[music]
41:49[music]
41:57[music]
42:20>> Heat. Heat.
42:31[music]
42:38[music]
42:43Heat. Heat.
43:13>> [music]
43:18>> Heat.
43:21Heat.
43:26[music]
43:28Heat. Heat.
43:32[music]
43:39[music]
43:45[music]
43:50Heat. Heat.
43:52[music]
44:04[music]
44:10[music]
44:13Heat.
44:18[music]
44:24[music]
44:25Heat.
44:36Hey,
44:45[music]
44:56[music]
44:59Yeah.
45:05Heat.
45:20[music]
45:30>> [music]
45:46>> Heat. Heat. [music]
46:02[music]
46:07Heat.
46:17Heat.
46:19[music]
46:27Heat
46:33[music]
46:46up here.
46:50[music]
46:51Heat. Heat.
46:55[music]
47:14Heat.
47:29Heat.
47:37>> [music]
47:45>> Heat. Heat.
48:06Heat. Heat.