When God Laughs at Pride
Rev. Kevin Arthur Preached on 8/23/2026
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59:06
Summary
Rev. Kevin Arthur explores the story of Peter's miraculous release from prison to illustrate that God frequently answers fervent prayer in unexpected ways that challenge our pride and preconceived ideas. He encourages believers to move beyond complex religious rituals into a simple, desperate faith that expects immediate transformation.
Key points
- •God often answers prayers in ways we do not expect, and we must be perceptive enough to recognize His hand even when it does not fit our preconceived notions.
- •Pride and complex 'theological deflections' can blind us to modern-day miracles, much like the early church members who believed they were seeing Peter's angel rather than the answered prayer standing at their door.
- •Effective prayer is not about geographical location or physical posture but about a heart unencumbered by the world, engaging in simple, conversational faith with God.
- •Transformation is an instantaneous shift where God buries past mistakes so completely that others may not even recognize the person you once were.
Scripture
Prayer
Faith
Miracles
Restoration
Purpose
Life application
Identify one specific need you have been 'whining' about rather than proclaiming in faith; this week, shift your language to bold declarations of God's power and remain open to Him answering in a way you didn't plan.
Reflection questions
- Have you ever missed an answered prayer because it didn't look the way you expected it to look?
- In what areas of your life are you still wearing a 'blind man's coat' (an old identity) even though Jesus has called you to come to Him?
- Is your prayer life a simple conversation with a Friend, or a complex performance you feel you have to get 'right'?
- Who in your life needs you to set aside your schedule to pray for them 'at the Circle K' right now rather than waiting for a church service?
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Full transcript
0:00So glad.
0:01>> It's such a pleasure to be here today
0:03with our friends. And anytime I get a
0:05chance to testify, I love to share a
0:07testimony of my personal family. I have
0:11I'm the second child of four children
0:13and my oldest brother. Let me backtrack.
0:15I was raised in church and on my
0:17children's side of the family, I believe
0:19they are fifth generation, sixth
0:21generation Pentecost. So I have a
0:24beautiful heritage. But my oldest
0:26brother went through a point in time
0:28where he became backsliden and he became
0:31an alcoholic.
0:33And for years, my parents would pray and
0:37fast for him. And he got to a place
0:39where he was absolutely desperate. He
0:41realized that he was going to lose his
0:44family. He was losing his health, but he
0:46couldn't get deliverance. He took
0:49himself to multiple rehab centers. And
0:52he came away still drunk, still an
0:55alcoholic. Well, he came home the last
0:58time, and he said to my mother, "I can't
1:00live like this, Mom, anymore. I can't.
1:03And she said, she she had been praying
1:05and fasting for years for God to deliver
1:09her oldest son. And she looked at him
1:11and she said, "Jimmy, I believe if you
1:14will pray and fast and [music] read the
1:16word of God for 10 days, God is going to
1:19deliver you." But you have to
1:21understand, I was raised in the
1:23mountains in British Columbia, Canada,
1:25and it's nothing for us to get a foot of
1:27snow overnight. and he owned his own
1:29company and he did snow removal during
1:31the winter. And he said, "Mama, I can't
1:35fast for 10 days and do the level of
1:38work that I do." And she said, "Jimmy,
1:41if God will hold the snow,
1:44>> will you stay home and pray and fast and
1:48read the word of God?" Now, my brother
1:51is an alcoholic and he certainly
1:53backsliden and he wasn't walking for
1:55God. And I believe that he said yes to
1:57my mama just to get mama off his back.
2:01But he said yes. And the next day he
2:03woke up and there was no new snow. Now
2:06that might seem like circumstance, but
2:09it snowed every day in [music] the
2:11mountains where I was raised. You
2:13understand that being in Denver. And he
2:16woke up the next morning and my mom
2:18called him and said, "Jimmy, are you
2:19staying at home and praying and fasting
2:21and getting a hold of God?" And he said,
2:23"Yes, mama. I'm going to stay at home
2:25and pray and fast and read the word. Day
2:28number two, no new snow. She called him
2:31again. Day number three. Day number
2:34four. Day number five. Now, my mother
2:36was an office manager for an accounting
2:39firm and vehicles were driving in all
2:42around the area with new snow on their
2:44roof. And they came into my mom and they
2:46said, "I can't get over it. It's not
2:48snowing. It's snowing all around this
2:51city, but it's not snowing in Nelson
2:54because they didn't realize they were
2:56walking through a modern day, driving
2:58through a modern-day miracle. Day six,
3:01day seven, day eight, day nine, day 10,
3:05God held the snow because of the
3:07effectual FERVENT PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS
3:10woman and man. Our God is a miracle
3:13working God. There is nothing impossible
3:16for him. IF YOU WILL LAY IT AT the altar
3:19and hold fast TO HIM, MY GOD WILL ANSWER
3:22YOUR PRAYERS AND he'll bring you
3:23through. My brother suffered not one
3:26headache, not with one withdrawal
3:28symptom. He is delivered today.
3:32WE SERVE A GOD WHO is able to do great
3:35things.
3:39I had the privilege of being with my
3:41brother this past summer and he said to
3:43me, he was talking to his nextdoor
3:45neighbor. Now you all know, but maybe
3:48you don't know, when you live in a small
3:50mountain town, everybody knows your
3:51business.
3:53Everybody. And you have to understand my
3:55brother, my family, we were well known
3:57in town and everyone knew what my
4:00brother had gone through. But he said
4:02this past year he was talking to his
4:04nextdoor neighbor and he got to sharing
4:06his testimony and his next door neighbor
4:08looked at him and said, "Jim, I don't
4:11believe a word you're saying." He said,
4:13"No, no, I I can't believe that that's
4:15your personal testimony." And my brother
4:18walked away and he said, "I was first of
4:19all kind of mad." He basically told me I
4:22was a liar, that that's not my personal
4:24testimony. And then he said, God spoke
4:28to me and said, "You've lived long
4:30enough now that I have buried
4:34every mistake."
4:36That this community no longer remembers
4:39that you were the alcoholic that was
4:41kicked out of every bar and dried out in
4:44every cell.
4:46Because we serve a merciful God, a great
4:49God, and there is no need that you
4:51cannot bring to him and hold fast to the
4:54horns of the altar and know that my God
4:57will bring you through.
4:59>> Hallelujah.
5:07>> You know, the Lord sent that for
5:08somebody in this place today. You got
5:11somebody in your family right now
5:14that's fighting and hope has been
5:15stolen.
5:17I'm telling you in the Holy Ghost, hope
5:20is present.
5:22God is able to do beyond your wildest
5:24imagination.
5:26He's We're not spooky up here. I'm not
5:28crazy. Well, maybe a little bit.
5:32I'm telling you, God is a miracle
5:33working God.
5:35And it's all about getting people on
5:37their feet, lifting them back up. the
5:40disenfranchised, the forgotten, the
5:41abused, the alone, the broken, the
5:44wealthy,
5:47the blessed. Some people think the only
5:49ones who need the Lord is that baby
5:51crying right there. He does need the
5:53[music] Lord,
5:55but he's got his mama. Look, he's he's
5:57not even crying now at all. That That's
5:59my kind of man. That is absolutely my
6:02kind of man. He got what he wanted from
6:04mama. He was fine. I wish that worked on
6:07my wife. I'm telling you.
6:09Thank you, Jesus.
6:11>> Anyway,
6:13it is such a delight to have with us.
6:15Isn't it something how I could jump from
6:17a miracle to that? I don't know how add
6:20right here. Um, brother Kevin Arthur is
6:24a great friend. He has preached here
6:26before, but it has been [music] a while.
6:28It's been actually a long time. Uh, but
6:31he is a dear friend of ours. He and I, I
6:34told him in the office earlier back
6:36before we even had any girlfriends
6:37looking at us. Both of us were desperate
6:39to find a girlfriend.
6:41We were friends [music] back there. I
6:43was a very good drummer and he was the
6:46best trumpet player around and there
6:49were times they just had us take the
6:51[music] whole campground. But I won't
6:54brag. I'm not going to say that out
6:55loud. Um, but this guy could blow a
6:58trumpet. But he's a much more than just
7:01a trumpeteer. He's an awesome father, a
7:04wonderful pastor, a great Would you
7:08stand and welcome to this pull pit,
7:10Brother Kevin Arthur for the house of
7:13the Lord.
7:26Praise the Lord. You may be seated.
7:31It's a hard act to follow your pastor
7:34who was so gregarious. I remember
7:37He had all black hair.
7:42>> He was and still is great.
7:48>> It's good to be here today with you. I
7:50want to say thank you to that praise and
7:52worship team that led us in worship
7:56don't get complimented enough. They came
8:00early
8:01so that we could just arrive here and
8:03worship and lift up the name of Jesus.
8:06and they spent time, got up early,
8:10arrived here to practice. I've been to a
8:13lot of churches.
8:14My father's a missionary, retired
8:16missionary. I've been to a lot of
8:18churches where there were no musicians,
8:22maybe had a drum. Somebody had a bongo
8:26and they beat a little rhythm and we
8:29sang
8:31and and the spirit of the Lord moved and
8:34we worshiped God and the presence of God
8:36fell. People received the Holy Ghost,
8:39were baptized, miracles happened. But it
8:42is all so wonderful to come to a church
8:44where people prepare,
8:48you know, you prepare your heart. Have
8:50you ever heard that? You prepare your
8:52heart. David said it like this. I was
8:55glad when they said unto me,
8:58>> let us go to the house of the Lord. So
9:01David is in a sense essence saying I'm
9:03preparing my heart. Have you ever been
9:07at home and on a Wednesday or
9:11day that you knew service was going to
9:13be that evening and you started thinking
9:15about the service, maybe thinking about
9:18preaching, maybe thinking about how you
9:20were going to worship God. You started
9:22preparing your heart to receive
9:25something from God. I hope today that
9:28you have prepared your heart to receive
9:31something from God.
9:33>> Preparing yourself, there's so something
9:35so valuable in that when you prepare
9:38yourself.
9:40pastor started talking a little bit
9:42about dancing. I was in Walmart the
9:46other day with my wife and we were in
9:48the checkout line. Actually was with my
9:51mother. My wife was someplace else in
9:53the store shopping and a young lady
9:56walked up to me and said, "Do you know
9:59how to dance?"
10:03Well, I've never had that question asked
10:05to me at Walmart.
10:09So I looked at her and I said maybe
10:14all depends on what you want uh you know
10:17and she said I'm doing this for my
10:20university and this is a social
10:21experiment and she said you know just
10:25any little rhythm and I said well this
10:27is where I live you know just right here
10:31[applause]
10:33>> I see people doing all these moves I
10:35said no that's this is where I live
10:36right here. So I'm dancing right now
10:43I just uh never asked that question in
10:46Walmart of all places. I could see if I
10:48was at a restaurant or someplace where
10:50music was going, but I'm getting ready
10:52to pay and I'm looking at the Globe or
10:54the National Enquirer there and all the
10:57groceries and can you dance? I don't
10:59know.
11:01Maybe
11:03[laughter]
11:04I want to say thank you to your pastor
11:07and his lovely wife. Isn't she so
11:09talented?
11:10>> Singer, songwriter, [applause]
11:13and you are truly blessed. And your
11:16pastor is always the same, has been the
11:18same ever since I can remember. And he's
11:21just turning 60 now. He's the same age
11:23as my brother. In 1966,
11:26you discovered America. And
11:31So
11:34I, you know, I I had to grab a tissue
11:37when I was walking up and my wife tells
11:40that story about my brother-in-law who
11:43had been kicked out of every bar
11:49in that community.
11:51And
11:53he was uh he was pretty desperate. He
11:56was strung out. his life was basically
11:59over. His his wife was going to leave
12:02him. He was going to lose his children.
12:05And
12:07when I hear it, I just think how
12:09marvelous God is. [snorts]
12:12>> And then when you hear the other end of
12:14the story after 25 years of that have
12:17has happened, a man saying that lives
12:21next to you, I don't believe that.
12:23That's not you.
12:25>> You You don't even drink. What do you
12:27mean you were a drunk?
12:30>> And uh he did get mad. At first he was
12:33going to stomp away and say a few words
12:36to him. Then he thought
12:38as God spoke to him enough time has
12:42passed.
12:43>> I've transformed you.
12:47>> The Bible says be not conformed to this
12:50world but be ye transformed.
12:53>> Not changed but transformed.
12:57You're, you know, we have these
12:59transformers today and it look like a
13:02car and then it turns into some kind of
13:04monster looking thing. And but you know,
13:06when God gets a hold of you, what you
13:09were before, people cannot even see or
13:12imagine what you could have or were in
13:15the past.
13:18>> He will take that curse and make it a
13:21blessing.
13:22>> We serve a magnificent God
13:25>> and
13:27my uh my wife and I, we were kind of
13:31stumbling through life trying to figure
13:34out how we were going to get some money
13:35pastor and uh we started to daycare or
13:39my wife started to daycare and you know
13:42it's my wife graduated Suma Kumlad from
13:45the University of Indianapolis and she
13:47was the highest in her class
13:52>> and uh you know it takes a pretty
13:54confident man to be married had a very
13:56smart woman like that.
13:59And uh you know you uh Yeah, that's
14:03right. The woman does the they do the
14:06choosing.
14:07>> Truly. Yeah. The man thought I chose
14:10her, but yeah, you got chosen.
14:13[laughter]
14:16And uh we started this she started this
14:19day. You see how I throw we in there?
14:21you know, she started this daycare and
14:23uh she was learning how to go about it
14:27and she was helping fill out some
14:29paperwork about a grant and the lady
14:33planted a seed, a nonappostolic,
14:36she just said, "You can do this." And my
14:39wife said, "Really?"
14:41And so she applied for a grant. We won a
14:45$50,000 grant the first time.
14:48And I quizzed her very closely. I said,
14:51"You mean we're not going to have to pay
14:53any of this back?
14:56I I don't understand this financial
14:59services, you know, you borrow money,
15:01you pay it back?" I said, "Aren't grants
15:03for libraries and hospitals and, you
15:06know, these big government agencies?"
15:08And she said, "No, this is a grant. They
15:11give you this money and you follow the
15:13the stipulations of how you wrote the
15:16grant, so forth and so on." I just had a
15:18hard time dealing with that. And so the
15:22people from the state came and they had
15:24this large check. It was probably four
15:27feet long and about three feet high and
15:29it's a printed check and said $50,000 on
15:32it and they had we had a state senator
15:34there and they were all excited and I
15:36was living in trepidation right then
15:39thinking how am I going to pay $50,000
15:41back? I can't even pay attention right
15:44now.
15:47And uh so I'm standing there and I had
15:50this thought from the Lord. Some people
15:52called it an epiphany.
15:54I had this thought from the Lord that
15:56God is going to do great things. I want
16:01to take you back maybe a little bit few
16:03years before that because and I'm going
16:05to get into my sermon today. How much
16:07time do I have pastor?
16:09>> Yeah. Yeah. Uhhuh.
16:15That's what they always say.
16:19Anyhow, so we I was trying to figure out
16:22we had this took this church that had
16:25some difficulties and they were had some
16:29they needed some money and I needed some
16:30money and and uh you have you ever got
16:33to feeling that you were sorry for
16:35yourself?
16:37How many's ever felt sorry for
16:38themselves? I just everybody just go
16:40ahead and raise your hand because we've
16:42all felt sorry for him. And I told God,
16:45I said, "God, I didn't cause this
16:47problem.
16:49I'm good with my finances. I'm very
16:52careful. I'm I'm I uh No, I I didn't
16:55exploit
16:57faith."
17:00Saying this is a faith and then we
17:02couldn't pay it back. So, I was whining
17:05and crying and I was really crying. I
17:07was just saying, "God, I I really need
17:09you. We have these bills due and I don't
17:11have the money to pay them. The church
17:13doesn't have the money to pay them. And
17:15we've already it got so desperate that
17:17the bank came and said, "We think you're
17:19going to go bankrupt. We're calling our
17:22loan the for the mortgage in." And I
17:25said, "Well, that would be the wrong
17:28thing to do."
17:31And so, you know, I'm I'm down praying
17:33and I'm saying, "God," and then I
17:35started talking. I thought, "This is not
17:37going to help me any." And, you know,
17:39this whining around this crying and and
17:41you know, "Oh, God, you got to help me."
17:44You know, and uh so I started
17:48proclaiming boldly what God was going to
17:51do. Now, this is a word for you. I
17:53started proclaiming, you know, there's a
17:55right way and a wrong way to pray.
17:58I won't discourage you from praying, but
18:00sometimes we've wasted a lot of time in
18:02our prayers and we've just taken up
18:05God's time. It's like if I called you on
18:08the phone and said, "Hi." And you said,
18:10"Hi." You're waiting for the
18:12conversation to ensue and I just said,
18:15"Hi." And God said, "Hi back." You know,
18:19we exchange this and and haven't you
18:21told God the same thing over and over
18:23and over and over again as if you know
18:26some how many knows that there are some
18:28people that you can call and or they
18:30call you and you can lay the phone down
18:32on the counter and go about your
18:34business and pick it up every now and
18:36again and say, "Hey, how you doing?"
18:40You know, I'm a pastor now, don't you?
18:45And so I I was going and then I started
18:48speaking in faith. God, you're going to
18:51do this. And I mean, I was just out
18:53pastor. I was outrageous. I just started
18:55saying outrageous things out to my mind.
18:58Outrageous what God what God's going to
19:00do. And he's going to do this and he's
19:01going to do this and and it's going to
19:03be millions and it and people or
19:05millions of people around the world are
19:07going to experience it. And so I kept on
19:09praying and asking God, you know, then
19:12things got a little bit better. The
19:13pressure let off. We got some money
19:15somehow. I don't know how we got it
19:17together and God answered a little bit
19:19of our prayers and the pressure let off.
19:21And so I kind of forgot. Have you ever
19:25prayed something and then you forgot
19:26what you prayed?
19:28>> So I'm busy with life and I kind of
19:30forgot what I had prayed about. And then
19:35the Lord reminded me on that day when I
19:38was holding that $50,000
19:42copy of a check that he said, "I'm going
19:44to start answering your prayers like
19:47this." And I never thought,
19:51you know, here's another thing for you.
19:53And I'm preaching today to you that you
19:55pray one way and you think this is how
19:57God is going to do it, but most likely
19:59he will never do it that way.
20:03you you've got your eye fixed. My
20:05grandson, they were coming from Canada
20:07recently and and uh the border crossing
20:09is in a very wooded area. It's a long
20:11way from any city. And they saw a black
20:14bear come down the mountain and you
20:16know, everybody, oh, there's a black
20:18bear. There's a black bear. My young
20:19grandson, he's six years old, he did not
20:22see it. So my son in his compassion
20:25turned the vehicle around hoping that
20:26the bear was still there because it was
20:28going to cross the road. And so yes, as
20:31they got closer, they could see the bear
20:33lumbering across the road going to the
20:35other side and there was a drop off
20:37down. And so my grandson was focused on
20:40where the bear had been
20:44on the hill
20:46and everybody he he didn't even he was
20:48so focused he didn't even hear what they
20:50were saying. Look, there's the bear.
20:51There's the bear. It's in the road. It's
20:53it's gone. and then it dropped down over
20:55the edge and he said, "I didn't see it."
21:00And he was all upset. Now, that's a
21:03lesson that I I think that we could
21:05learn when God answers your prayer. You
21:09need to have an open mind and saying,
21:12"God, you don't have to do it this way.
21:15Let my heart be open to receive it
21:18however you want to send it.
21:23Amen.
21:25>> And I think we've missed a lot of
21:27prayers that have been answered because
21:29God sent them and we could not see how
21:33God sent it.
21:35>> And then you get a few years or days or
21:37weeks or months, however long time it is
21:40in the future, and you said, "Hey, God
21:42did answer that prayer, but I was not
21:45cognizant enough. I didn't understand or
21:48see. I wasn't perceptive enough to see
21:51what you had wanted to do in my life.
21:56>> Amen. Well,
21:58my gifting is being a Bible teacher, but
22:01I'm going to preach to you today. And I
22:02pray that you receive something from God
22:05at the end of my message. This altar
22:07will be open and I'm going to ask you to
22:09come forward. Whatever you need, if you
22:11need healing, if you need deliverance,
22:14you don't have the Holy Ghost, you've
22:16never spoken in tongues as the spirit of
22:17God has given utterance in your life, if
22:19you've never been baptized in Jesus'
22:22name, the only saving name, neither is
22:24there salvation in any other, for
22:27there's none other name under heaven
22:28given among men whereby we must be
22:31saved. And today, I believe that you can
22:33get baptized in Jesus name. Amen.
22:37That's at the end of my message and my
22:39sermon today and I pray that you you
22:42will receive something. If you have your
22:43Bible and would turn with me to the book
22:45of Acts, chapter
22:49number 12. Acts chapter 12.
22:53And
22:56I'll read fast. I have a few verses that
22:59I want to read today. And I I won't take
23:01too much of your time. How many has a
23:03Bible with them? How many brought your
23:05Holy Bible with you?
23:07your Bible. How many How many has a good
23:09Bible? Now, if you're going to be a an
23:11apostolic, you got to have to have a
23:13good Bible.
23:14>> Amen.
23:15>> And something you take care of. I was
23:17made fun of a little bit uh before I got
23:20here. I have uh my box that I carry my
23:24Bible around. And uh pastor and uh
23:28brother Jason. So good to have brother
23:30Jason. Somebody plays baseball, man. Oh
23:32man.
23:34my favorite game. Uh, go Cubs. Amen.
23:39[laughter]
23:41And, uh, but have a good Bible and take
23:43it to church. I know they'll probably
23:46put it up on the overhead, but I'm
23:48reading from Acts 12 and I'll read from
23:51verse one. Now about that time, Herod
23:53the king stretched forth his hands to
23:55vex certain of the church, and he killed
23:56James, the brother of John, with the
23:58sword. And because he saw it pleased the
24:01Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter
24:03also. Then there were the days of the
24:05unleavened bread. And when he had
24:07apprehended him, he put him in prison
24:09and delivered him to four corternons of
24:11soldiers to keep him intending after
24:14Easter to bring him forth to the people.
24:16Peter therefore was kept in prison, but
24:18prayer was made without ceasing of the
24:20church unto God for him. And when Herod
24:22would have brought him forth, the same
24:24night Peter was sleeping between two
24:26soldiers bound with two chains and the
24:28keepers before the door kept the prison.
24:31And behold, the angel of the Lord came
24:32upon him, and a light shined in the
24:34prison. And he smoked Peter on the side,
24:36and raised him up, saying, "Arise qu up
24:39quickly, and his chains fell off from
24:41his hands." And the angel said unto him,
24:42"Guard thyself, and bind on thy
24:44sandals." And so he did. And he saith
24:47unto him, "Cast thy garment about thee,
24:48and follow me." And he went out and
24:50followed him, and whis not that it was
24:53true which was done by the angel, but
24:55thought he saw a vision. When they were
24:58past the first and second ward, they
25:00came unto the iron gate that leadth in
25:03unto the city, which opened to them of
25:06his own accord, and they went out and
25:08passed on through one street, and forth
25:09with the angel departed from him. Peter
25:12was come to himself. He said, "Now I
25:15know of assurityity, that the Lord hath
25:17sent his angel, and hath delivered me
25:19out of the hand of Herod, and from all
25:22the expectation of the people of the
25:23Jews." And when he had considered the
25:26thing, he came to the house of Mary, the
25:27mother of John, whose surname was Mark,
25:30where many were gathered together
25:31praying. And as Peter knocked at the
25:34door of the gate, a damel came to
25:36hearken named Roda. When she knew
25:39Peter's voice, she opened not the gate
25:43for gladness, but ran in and told how
25:47Peter stood before the gate. When they
25:49said unto her, "Thou art mad." But she
25:52constantly affirmed that it was even so,
25:55they said. Then said they, "It is his
25:58angel." But Peter continually knocking,
26:01and when they had opened the door and
26:03saw him, they were astonished.
26:06Amen.
26:07One more verse of scripture. 1
26:09Corinthians chapter 1 verse 27.
26:17Verse 27 of 1 Corinthians.
26:26[snorts]
26:31But God hath chosen the foolish things
26:34of the world
26:36to confound the wise.
26:39God hath chosen the weak things of the
26:42world to confound the things which are
26:46mighty. Everyone said, "Amen."
26:48>> Amen.
26:49>> Amen. You may be seated. The reading of
26:51the word of the Lord.
26:56When God laughs at pride,
26:59pride is something that we are, as the
27:02human family, we're all susceptible to.
27:06Probably most of us have experienced
27:09pride. We, I would say, probably have
27:12pride in something or something about us
27:15right now and currently as a human
27:17being.
27:19And
27:21God has a sense of humor.
27:24I like this book here. This this story
27:27in the book of Acts as you see and read
27:30that Herod saw that it pleased the Jews
27:32and he that he'd killed James and he was
27:35going to do the same to Peter and he put
27:37Peter in prison. He's there with chains
27:39and he's in stocks is in the inner
27:41prison. The Bible says he the Lord sends
27:44an angel and wakes him up, hits him on
27:48the side, says get up and the chains
27:50fall off and they go walking out. Now,
27:54that's the miraculous part. Not that he
27:56saw an angel or not that an angel did
27:58it, but the miraculous part was that he
28:01was in chains and God sent someone to
28:04remove him. He still had a destiny for
28:07Peter's life. Peter goes to John Mark's
28:11house, his mother's home, which had a
28:13large upper room, which was most likely
28:15where the uh upper room experience
28:18happened. In the day of Pentecost, the
28:20spirit was poured out in this large
28:22house. And he goes and he knocks on the
28:24door. And I started talking to you about
28:27prayer and how prayer is so very
28:30expansive and very important in our
28:33lives. I've come to realize that prayer
28:36is not only as you're kneeling and as
28:38you have a focused mind on what you're
28:41doing. And those are very important
28:43times, but prayer should be something
28:44that you do always without considering
28:48it. And I I I didn't really understand
28:51my my grandmother and my parents would
28:54always be talking to God and and we
28:57would be driving down the road. I
28:59remember as a young boy, my dad was
29:00driving and and he was just saying, "Oh,
29:03God." God and he was talking to them.
29:04And I I remember as a young child, I
29:07said, "Who are you talking to, Dad?" And
29:10my father said, "I'm talking to the
29:12Lord." And I said, "Can God hear you?" I
29:15I didn't really understand in that
29:18application of how God could hear. And
29:22it was at that moment that God gave me a
29:25lesson through my father and how prayer
29:28is answered when you do it in a simple
29:32conversational mode.
29:35>> You think that you have to be in a
29:36certain geographical place or you have
29:39to have a certain position of your body.
29:41You have to be kneeling or sitting or it
29:44that that's not so. what you have to
29:46have a heart that is unencumbered by the
29:49things of this world and that you turn
29:51your mind on Jesus
29:55>> and you talk to him just as I'm talking
29:58to you right now. I've had so many
30:00conversations with the Lord. The Lord
30:02and I have argued. Well, I've argued
30:04with the Lord. The Lord hasn't argued
30:06with me. And I've said, "God, I don't
30:08want to do that." Or, "God, I I want it
30:10this way." and I've pouted and said,
30:12"I'm not talking to you right now
30:14because until you do what I want you to
30:16do, I'm not going to talk to you
30:18anymore."
30:19>> And you say, "Well, did you talk to God
30:21like that?" Yeah. And and you probably
30:23have, too, if you will admit it.
30:26>> I have been mad because God didn't
30:28answer a prayer in the way that I wanted
30:31him to answer a prayer. Come on. I'm
30:32just confessing you. The Bible says
30:34confession is good for the soul. I'm
30:36just confessing that we are human beings
30:38and we should not raise each other up
30:40too high. Because when you get raised
30:42and elevated too high, pride enters the
30:45equation. And God can't work through
30:48pride. He can only work through simple
30:50faith in your life.
30:52>> SOMEBODY SHOUT HALLELUJAH.
30:56[applause]
30:57>> And so Peter here, he's knocking on the
31:00door. They are inside praying. The Bible
31:03says they are praying without ceasing.
31:06Meaning they were taking rotations of
31:08prayer. Someone said, "I will pray three
31:10hours and you pray three hours or you
31:12pray an hour and I'll pray an hour."
31:13They they meant business with God. And
31:16when this little girl and uh the Lord
31:19how he he uses individuals who are
31:23inconsequential
31:25to things in life. She was a servant
31:27girl and no one really listened to
31:29anything that she had to say when it was
31:32above whatever she was doing in service.
31:35But she came and said, "Peter is at the
31:38door." And they basically said, "No, you
31:41don't know what you're talking about.
31:43Peter is in prison."
31:45>> Now, I'm talking to you about the
31:46apostles, the the people that were at
31:49the church on the day of Pentecost, the
31:51people that first received the baptism
31:53of the spirit. these are the individuals
31:55that I'm talking to you about said no
31:57you don't know what you're talking about
32:00we are praying and God is going to do it
32:03in a certain way
32:08>> and finally one of them said well let's
32:10be logical here
32:13>> you know have you ever had someone in
32:15the group said let's think this through
32:18>> and they said okay he's not outside but
32:23But it is probably his angel.
32:30>> It it it can't be him because he is uh
32:33he's in prison and he's got chains on
32:35him. And so we're going to give you a uh
32:40as in golf. We're going to give you a
32:42mulligan. We're going to give you a
32:44little Yeah. You might have you might
32:46have saw something. You've been in
32:47prayer and you you spaced out for a
32:50moment and you thought you saw or heard
32:52Peter's voice. She didn't actually see
32:54Peter. She only heard his voice.
32:57>> She had enough faith that she did not
32:59have to see Peter in the flesh. She just
33:01had to hear his voice and say, "I know
33:03his voice. I'm going to go back and tell
33:06them that God has released Peter as we
33:09have been praying."
33:11>> [crying]
33:12>> But you know, sometimes we come up with
33:13these complex methodologies.
33:17That's not how God answers.
33:20>> It's got to be his angel.
33:26>> You know, we spiritualize and we we we
33:29we tell God that that's not what it is.
33:32You know, I've been teaching a long time
33:35and and uh you know, the first thought
33:37is usually the is from God.
33:40>> That's the first instance. And then we
33:42secondguess oursel and we start saying,
33:44"Is that me or is that the devil?" You
33:47know, the devil's not going to tell you
33:49to do anything good.
33:51>> Number one, that's rule number one. He
33:53is never going to tell you to do
33:54anything good.
33:56>> He's not going to tell you to pray for
33:58someone. He's not going to tell you to
33:59heal ask pray for healing for them. He's
34:02not going to tell you to give them an
34:03offering. He's not going to tell you to
34:05go and check and see if they're okay. HE
34:07NEVER TELLS YOU to do anything good.
34:10>> So, it's not the devil.
34:13>> And if it's and you say, "Well, I'm a
34:15believer. I'm apostolic." I had a man
34:17come up to me here recently. He said,
34:18"Pastor, I never never hear the voice of
34:20the Lord. How do you hear the voice of
34:21the Lord?" I said, "You know what,
34:23brother? It's like this. It's
34:24contemplative. You sit and you you
34:27meditate on God and you hear the voice
34:29of the Lord." I said, "Has has anything
34:33ever came to you to do something good?"
34:37I'm going to start right there.
34:39>> And he said, "Yes." And I said, "Well,
34:41that's the voice of the Lord. What were
34:43you expecting?" "This is the voice of
34:45the Lord. [laughter]
34:49Is that what you were thinking you were
34:51going to hear?" I said, "God, you know,
34:54and God speaks to me in different ways.
34:57and and I hear his voice. And I' I'm
34:59accustomed to hearing it just as Roa
35:02heard the voice of Peter. She had heard
35:04Peter preach. She knew the voice. She
35:06knew the inflections. She knew the words
35:08and how he used them. And she said, "I
35:11recognize that voice." WHEN YOU HEAR THE
35:13VOICE OF GOD, YOU RECOGNIZE his voice.
35:16And you say, "Yes, Lord." uh as sa
35:18Samuel told uh was told by the the
35:20prophet Eli the high priest in the next
35:24time you HEAR THE VOICE OF GOD SAY MY
35:26SERVANT HEARS YOU LORD HERE I AM WHAT DO
35:28YOU WANT ME TO do
35:34>> so many times we make it too complicated
35:39>> the American church especially can make
35:41things very very complicated
35:44[snorts]
35:44we have to have all the bullet points
35:46and we have to have an outline and and
35:49uh and those are all good. I'm not here
35:51to denigrate anything in administration.
35:55That's all good and we need that. But,
35:57you know, that's not normally how God
35:59talks to us.
36:02And my wife and I have been married for
36:0336 years. And this past Wednesday was
36:06the 36th anniversary.
36:09[applause]
36:13And I'm glad that she chose me.
36:16[laughter]
36:18But, you know, we've been together long
36:20enough that I don't have to say any
36:22words to her. I can just kind of give
36:24her a look and she can give me a look.
36:26And, you know, sometimes you get caught
36:27by people.
36:32You don't do that to your pastor, do
36:33you? You don't corner him in a get him
36:36in a corner and then unload on every on
36:38him all the problems. you know, schedule
36:40a time with him to talk with him and
36:42don't see him before you come to he he
36:45walks on the platform to preach. Don't
36:47don't don't approach a pastor. Let me
36:49say that. Let me be very clear about
36:51that. I've been pastoring for a long
36:52time. Don't meet the pastor back at the
36:55door and say, "Pastor, I've got a
36:57problem." And the pastor is getting
36:59ready to walk onto the platform to
37:01preach the word, to deliver the word for
37:03the people of God.
37:05Don't do that.
37:08Say it with me now. I won't do that.
37:13[laughter]
37:15>> Are we having fun yet?
37:17>> You know, I'm talking to you about
37:18hearing the voice of the Lord and not
37:21allowing pride to get enlarged in your
37:25life.
37:28>> So nobody believed.
37:30>> This is an irony of this prayer meeting.
37:32They were praying for God to move and
37:34then when God moved and he worked, they
37:37that they didn't believe that it was
37:38God.
37:40>> How many times I'm asking you this
37:42question right now. You've been praying
37:44and praying and praying and praying and
37:45perhaps God has already tried to answer
37:47your prayer, but it didn't come the way
37:49you wanted it to come. It you it was
37:52going to be sent a different way and
37:54that's not how you wanted to accept it.
37:56So, you've just kept on praying.
37:59>> I'm here to tell you today, this
38:01morning, that God is speaking to your
38:03heart. You need to open your eyes, open
38:05your heart, and allow a little faith to
38:07enter in and say, "God, it doesn't have
38:10to be my way or the highway. God,
38:13however you want to answer my prayer,
38:16I'm here to receive it. Let your heart,
38:18my heart be open to receive and speak
38:21into MY HEART, I WILL receive what you
38:25have for me, Lord.
38:26>> Raise your hands to the Lord right now.
38:28Let's just give him some praise. Thank
38:30you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.
38:33Thank you Jesus.
38:34>> Thank you Jesus.
38:36>> Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
38:39>> Thank you Jesus.
38:41So they did some theological deflection.
38:45It's his angel.
38:48I've had people say when you need to be
38:50baptized in Jesus name. Well what's that
38:53mean pastor? What's that mean? I say
38:57well it means just what it says.
39:00It doesn't me mean anything else. My
39:03name is my name. You ask me my name, I'm
39:05going to tell you my name. You could ask
39:07me in the middle of the night. You can
39:09ask me if I've been asleep or and and uh
39:13in the doesn't matter the hour. I will
39:15tell you what my name is. I know my
39:18name.
39:20>> Amen. It's it's that simple. And we know
39:22the name of Jesus. This name that is
39:25above every name. That powerful name. If
39:28you've not been b I you know I'm not
39:29here to preach on a a baptismal sermon
39:32this morning, but if you've not been
39:33baptized, you must have your sins
39:36remitted in the name of Jesus.
39:40It's the only saving name.
39:43[cheering and applause]
39:45There's no other name.
39:47>> You can apply my name or somebody else's
39:49name, but it won't forgive you of sins.
39:51Your sins will not be remitted. But it's
39:53when you go down in the water, when you
39:55are immersed, when you are submerged in
39:58the water, when you are plunged or
40:00dipped, as that word, the Greek word
40:02baptiso means you're plunged, you're
40:04dipped. When you go down and someone
40:07calls over you, invokes the name of
40:09Jesus. In the name of Jesus, I now
40:13baptize you into his name.
40:17>> That's what I teach young ministers. I
40:19always say, tell them this. I now
40:21baptize you into the name.
40:24>> I like that.
40:25>> You're in the name. You know, the
40:27Apostle Paul many times referred and he
40:30said, he didn't say it's the gospel. He
40:32said it's my gospel.
40:34>> And and he said this many times,
40:36sometimes you get to a place, not
40:39everybody, but sometimes you get to a
40:41place where the name of Jesus is
40:43indelible in your life. Uh and it
40:45becomes a part of you. Uh this is my
40:47gospel. This Acts 2:38 message is my
40:50message. It's not my dad's message. It's
40:53not my mother's message or my
40:54grandmother's message or some the Bible
40:57school teacher or my pastor. This is my
41:00gospel. The name OF JESUS IS MY NAME. I
41:04IT'S THE FAMILY NAME. THAT'S WHAT Paul
41:06said in the BOOK OF EPHESIANS. THE
41:08FAMILY NAME. IF YOU'VE BEEN BAPTIZED in
41:10Jesus' name, you have the family name.
41:13Uh you've joined the family. UH YOU ARE
41:15PART OF the chosen people. the people
41:17that are be going going to be called up
41:20in the air and be with THE LORD JESUS
41:23CHRIST FOREVER.
41:25>> Something about the name,
41:32you know, the the early church Luke
41:36writing here in Acts, he shows the human
41:39frailty
41:42in the early church. Luke doesn't hide
41:45the church's panic and unbelief.
41:49>> The record is honest and it's not
41:51romanticized.
41:54>> You know, we romanticize
41:56my uncle who died here just recently. He
41:59was in his 90s and he fought in Germany
42:02at the well actually was Belgium in the
42:06Battle of the Balls. was with Patton's
42:08third army decorated veteran
42:12and uh he said everybody talks about war
42:16and how you know we're going to go serve
42:18our country and all that.
42:20He said yeah when someone's shooting at
42:24you in anger he said that romantic
42:26thought
42:28>> disappears.
42:31He said, "Uh,
42:33I've went through five countries, saw a
42:35lot of action." And he said, "I I don't
42:38want to ever do that ever again."
42:41But, you know, when when you realize
42:44there's nothing romanticized about this
42:47is this is real uh people serving a real
42:51God.
42:55You know the angels, if you read on in
42:57this chapter, the Bible says the angel
43:00reached over and struck Peter on the
43:03side.
43:04>> You read a little bit down a little this
43:07kiasm. Uh later it said the angel
43:11strikes Herod and it's a strike of
43:14judgment. that keyasm that's a literary
43:17device that you've heard often if I told
43:19you of a very famous speech by President
43:23John F.
43:24Ask not what your country can do for
43:28you, but ask what you can do for your
43:33country. That's called a kiasm in the
43:35literary. And here Luke writes this. He
43:39shows how the angel can touch and bring
43:42life and bring awake uh you awake and
43:45bring an opening in your life. And he
43:48also shows how God can use the angel to
43:51bring down judgment. And I'm here to
43:53tell you today, if you will humble
43:56yourself, uh you will be on the side
43:58where God will touch you. Uh we used to
44:01sing a song when I was growing up,
44:03touching Jesus is all that really
44:06matters. Uh then your life will never be
44:08the same. Uh I want Jesus to touch me in
44:11that way. Uh I don't want him to touch
44:13me in judgment. Uh, I want him to touch
44:16me in kindness and compassion. Uh, I
44:18want him to touch me uh as I have a need
44:21in my life. [applause]
44:25There's something powerful about that
44:26touch. I often think of the story of
44:29blind Barameus and and at least that's
44:31how he's referred to in scripture. And
44:33he's standing sitting by the road and he
44:35is begging and he obviously you have to
44:37read that there's blank spots in the
44:39scripture. He must have asked, "And
44:41who's coming? And what have they done?
44:43And who are they? Who are they? He was
44:46he's been here a long time. And this is
44:48Jesus of Nazareth. Oh, I've heard about
44:50this man. And he's blind. And and he's
44:53coming this way." And Jesus is on his
44:55way. He has a destination. He's going
44:57someplace. He's not going to Jericho.
45:00He's just passing through. Uh and the
45:02Bible says that he starts calling on
45:05Jesus. Uh Jesus, this is all he knows.
45:07Thou son of David. uh have mercy on me.
45:10Uh and Jesus passes by. Jesus does not
45:14stop. And so he turns up the volume and
45:17he says, "Jesus, thou son of David, have
45:21mercy on me." And those that are around
45:23said, "Hey, wait a minute. I'm here too.
45:25I've got a need. You be quiet." It
45:28didn't phase him. He just turned the
45:29volume all the way up to 10. And he
45:31started screaming out over the crowd and
45:34over the hustle and bustle and his
45:36disciples around him. And the Bible says
45:39Jesus stopped
45:45>> and said, "Tell him to come." He didn't
45:47go over to him. Said, "Tell him to
45:49come."
45:51He's he's blind. You know what the first
45:53thing he does? The Bible says he takes
45:56off a coat.
45:58Which today, if you saw a man or a woman
46:01with a long white stick with a red tip,
46:05what would you say that? that mean that
46:07designates them as being blind. Well, in
46:11those days, he wore a special cloak that
46:15had markings on it that said, "I'm
46:17blind. Make way for me, or if you see
46:19that I'm going to get ran over by a
46:21wagon or horses or something's going to
46:23happen, please come out and assist me
46:25and don't don't let me get hurt." And
46:27but the scripture says that when he gets
46:30up off the ground or whatever position
46:32he was, when Jesus said, "Tell him to
46:34come.
46:37Bible says he took off his coat.
46:41>> Something's getting ready to change.
46:44>> You know, IF GOD'S GOING TO CHANGE YOU,
46:46you can't live the same way that you
46:47used to live.
46:49>> You can't live in moral and try to live
46:51a moral life. YOU CAN'T LIVE SOBER AND
46:54TRY TO and continue TO BE A DRUNKARD.
46:56YOU CAN'T BE A LIAR AND BE HONEST.
46:59YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CHANGE. THERE'S
47:00SOME CHANGES THAT TAKE PLACE IN your
47:02life. Yes.
47:04>> Oh yes.
47:06>> No, we live in a world that says
47:09whatever is okay for you to do it.
47:12That's not the Bible.
47:14>> That's not the scripture.
47:16>> There's some changes that take place and
47:18it's not gradual. It happens in an
47:21instant.
47:22>> You stop doing WHAT YOU'RE DOING. THIS
47:25IS WHAT THE WORD REPENT. Repent is a
47:28Latin word which means stop going that
47:30direction. It's actually from the
47:31military. And if you've ever been in the
47:33military, they would say about face in
47:36English, but repent was a word that was
47:39used. It's a parade maneuver. It's not
47:41used on on the battlefield, but they
47:43would say repent. It means stop going
47:45this direction and about face and go
47:48that direction. AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS
47:50TO YOU UH WHEN YOU COME TO THE LORD
47:52JESUS CHRIST. UH YOU DON'T STAY IN YOUR
47:54SIN. UH YOU DON'T CONTINUE DOING WHAT
47:56YOU'RE DOING. UH THERE IS A CHANGE THAT
47:59HAPPENS IN YOUR LIFE.
48:00THERE'S A TRANSFORMATION THAT TAKES
48:02PLACE IN YOUR MIND. GOD GETS A HOLD OF
48:04YOU. THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKS IN YOUR LIFE
48:07AND YOU ARE CHANGED AND YOU STOP GOING
48:10THAT DIRECTION AND START FOLLOWING GOD'S
48:13DIRECTION. SOMEBODY SHOUT HALLELUJAH.
48:22>> Took off his coat.
48:25Barnameus,
48:27here he is. He's still blind. Nothing's
48:29happened to him. Yanks off his coat.
48:33People are jostling around. Hey, you
48:35know, when you have a need, you feel
48:36like it's more important than anybody
48:38else's need. I don't care if you're
48:39blind or not. You know, hey, you're
48:42you're going to throw elbows or hey, you
48:44know, because there's a lot of people
48:45that are following Jesus that are
48:46hangers on that wanted something from
48:49him, but they didn't really have a
48:51desperation. They were they were looking
48:53for an occasion.
48:55>> But here's a man who's desperate. He's
48:57not got the ability to follow Jesus. And
49:00so he needs Jesus to do something right
49:03now.
49:04>> I need you to do something right now.
49:09>> And so Jesus says, "What do you want?"
49:13Read the scripture. I mean, it's pretty
49:15obvious, isn't it? He's blind.
49:18He can't see.
49:21And and we would, you know, we we're
49:23very, you know, us Americans, we our
49:27feelings are really pretty close to the
49:29surface. And uh Jesus didn't pay
49:32attention to that at all. He said, "What
49:34do you want?
49:38You calling my name, you're yelling my
49:40name. What do you want?"
49:44You see, he had already pre thought
49:46about this. There's a premeditation. He
49:48said, "When I get to talk to that Jesus,
49:52I don't know. I've heard some things
49:53about him, but this is my chance. I'm
49:56going to ask him for my sight.
50:00He doesn't him around. He doesn't say,
50:02"Let me take three days. Let me uh let
50:05me go back and talk to somebody and
50:06confer with them." He said, "That I
50:09might receive my sight."
50:13I don't find that Jesus touched him. I
50:15don't find that Jesus did anything. He's
50:16just like, "Okay, you got it." And kept
50:19on walking. Oh, hallelujah. There's
50:21something about that power when you
50:24realize that faith is much more than
50:28someone laying hands on you and much
50:29more. I'm not against that and I might
50:31lay hands on somebody later on, but it's
50:33much more when you start believing and
50:36you start laying down your pride and you
50:38start laying down who you are. That's
50:41someone said to me, "Do you know who I
50:43am?" I said, "No, I really don't. But I
50:45know who God is and I know how powerful
50:48he is and I know what he can do. Uh, so
50:51I don't know who you are, BUT I'M GOING
50:53TO CALL UPON THE NAME THAT IS SO
50:55POWERFUL. HE SPOKE THE WORLD'S LET THERE
50:57BE LIGHT AND THERE WAS LIGHT.
51:06>> You know, we need God to do something
51:08right now.
51:09>> We need bold faith.
51:11>> Bold faith.
51:18I'll tell you a story. I think I should
51:20probably come to a close here. I can't
51:23really see that clock on the wall, which
51:25is probably good for you.
51:28It's up there and I think it's a clock,
51:30but [laughter]
51:34I've been doing this a long time. You
51:35can ask me what time it is, and I'll
51:37say, "Well, I think it's in that
51:38vicinity."
51:40So, uh, you'll have to forgive me. Oh,
51:42hey, some help me out. [laughter]
51:46It's 11:47.
51:49Let's give the the team back there in
51:51the sound booth.
51:54[applause]
51:57Pastor, that is two of the hardest
52:00working people back there. No one ever
52:03notices them unless the sound system
52:05squeals and it makes a loud noise or
52:08jars you and then you everybody turns
52:10around and gives them an ugly look
52:13[laughter]
52:14like what's going on back there.
52:17I'm glad to thank you for your help.
52:19You're making me sound beautiful.
52:22I hope [laughter]
52:26I I was in I was preaching
52:29and it was summertime and and uh you
52:32know when I'm with the pastor I was
52:34preaching in three days and uh pastor
52:37said why don't you go down here with me
52:39to the gas station and uh said we don't
52:42have any bottles of water. We drank them
52:43all and I need to get to you. So I said
52:45sure. So I was with him and it was
52:49summertime. It was Sunday afternoon. I
52:51was going to preach that night in just a
52:52few minutes. And uh there the line up
52:56was it was a Circle K or something like
52:58that. And there was a line snaked
53:01around. I thought, "Oh man, we aren't
53:03going to be here a while. All I have is
53:05a bottle of water." So got in line.
53:07People are paying for their gas and
53:09getting ice for their their beer or
53:11whatever.
53:13So, we're walking and finally make our
53:15way up there. Had one stressed out
53:18looking cashier. She was banging away,
53:20you know, and uh she looked a little
53:23harried. And so I I got up to the the
53:27counter and I said, "How you doing?" She
53:30said, "Not good."
53:35So, I mean, it's a conversation. I said,
53:37"Well, what's going on?"
53:41I thought she was going to say, "Well,
53:42can't you see the lineup, you nim poop?"
53:45Thought she was going to say something
53:46like that, but she didn't. She said,
53:49"I'm here working and my grandson son
53:52was just born and he's in ICU in the
53:55hospital."
53:57Oh, that was a different answer than I
53:59thought.
54:00So, you know, I'm a preacher. I'm a
54:03pastor, minister. I said,
54:07"Can we pray for him?" She thought that
54:10I was going to do the usual. I'll take
54:13his name and I'll take it to church and
54:15we'll pray next Thursday,
54:18a week from now or whatever when
54:20everybody's forgot. Now, how many has
54:23ever asked the Lord, "Lord,
54:26give me an opportunity to minister to
54:28someone today."
54:29>> Have you ever raise your hand if you've
54:31ever asked, "Lord, I want to I want to
54:32minister to someone today." Well, I have
54:34prayed that prayer a lot. And so the
54:36Lord springs it on me at Circle K on
54:39Sunday afternoon and that evening and
54:41there's a bunch of people that didn't
54:43look happy behind me.
54:46You know, I want to pay for my gas and
54:48get on down the road. And so I said, you
54:51thought I was going to say, well, I'll
54:53put it on the prayer request and we'll
54:54pray. I said, well, let's pray. And she
54:57stops and looks at me odd
55:00like right now. And I said, would you
55:02take my hand? She looks at me even odd
55:04her, you know. It's not that kind of a
55:07touch, you know. I just want to.
55:11So, she tentatively puts her hand out
55:13there and I grab hold of her hand and I
55:16just pray, God, you see this baby. I
55:19don't know what's wrong with it. I don't
55:21even know where it is. I I don't know
55:24any conditions, but Lord, you're a
55:26healer. And I'm I have faith right now.
55:30And this grandmother's faith, however
55:32small and minuscule it is,
55:35mustard seed faith, we are agreeing
55:37together. The Bible says, "Where any two
55:39of you agree as touching anything,
55:43it shall be done." So I prayed like that
55:47and I honestly I didn't feel any bolts
55:49of lightning. I didn't feel any chills,
55:51nothing. And I was just okay. I paid for
55:54my bottle of water, the pastor did, and
55:56we walked out the door. I think
55:58everybody else was happy that I got on
56:00and got out.
56:03So, here's the end of my story and I'm
56:05going to ask you to stand to your feet.
56:08Is that
56:10a few weeks later I had a chance to talk
56:12to the pastor and I said to the pastor,
56:16"Hey, you remember that convenience
56:18store that we went into and we got water
56:21the other night? You remember how the
56:23pastor was there praying for me? and I
56:25was holding Aaron, but we were praying
56:26together and uh I said, "Do you remember
56:29the lady that we prayed for? Have you
56:30gone back to just to verify and check to
56:32see what happened?" He said, "You know,
56:34I have." He said, "I was in there the
56:36other day." And he said, "I asked her.
56:38It was not as busy it was that night."
56:40He said, "I asked her what what about
56:43your grandson?" And she said, "My
56:45grandson is not in ICU anymore. He's
56:49he's actually out of the hospital. They
56:53sent him home.
56:54>> [applause]
56:57[cheering]
56:57>> I said, "Thank you, Jesus."
57:00[applause]
57:01>> Now, I didn't feel any goosebumps, but
57:03God, you don't have to feel anything
57:05when God answers prayer.
57:08>> When you believe something from God, God
57:11believes with you.
57:13>> You see, it's when you get your faith
57:15mixed together with that other
57:16individual who agrees with you and then
57:18God lays his hands in that prayer and a
57:22miracle happens. God performs miracles
57:25through every one of you every day when
57:27you join together and say, "I believe
57:30that God is going to do it in my life."
57:33>> I believe that God's going to do some
57:34miracles right now
57:36>> and changing hearts and lives.
57:38>> If you've never received anything from
57:40the Lord, you've never repented of your
57:42sins,
57:44today is your day to repent.
57:46>> This is how you do it. You just come to
57:48come to the altar and say, "God, I don't
57:51know. I can't remember everything that
57:53I've ever done wrong, but Lord, I'm
57:55asking you to cleanse me today. I'm
57:59surrendering my heart. I give you
58:01everything of me today. I'm not holding
58:03anything back. That's real repentance.
58:07And then when you have repented, it's an
58:09opportunity for God to fill you with his
58:12spirit. It's not difficult. There's it's
58:15not complex. It's just you believe that
58:18God is going to overshadow you with his
58:20spirit. And as you're praying and as
58:23you're worshiping and as you're lifting
58:24up the name of Jesus
58:26and you're saying his [music] name or
58:28hallelujah, whatever words you're saying
58:30to honored the Lord Jesus Christ,
58:31suddenly you start speaking in a
58:33heavenly language that you've never
58:35learned before. Hallelujah. It's just
58:38that simple. God wants to do it for you
58:40today. If you're a longtime believer or
58:43you're estranged from God, you've walked
58:46away. You haven't prayed in [music] a
58:47while. You haven't given your heart,
58:50he's up here today to meet with you.
58:52Would you surrender your life?
58:54He wants to meet with you today. He
58:56wants you more than you want him. That's
59:00how much you want. [music]