As Some Men Count Slackness
Evangelist Ethan Elms 7/27/2025
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58:10
Summary
Evangelist Ethan Elms explores how God's perceived delay is actually His patient mercy, encouraging believers to seek the Holy Ghost as both an empowering fire and a sustaining comforter.
Key points
- •The Bible is an integrated, infallible whole where prophecies and promises connect across centuries, specifically pointing to the arrival and power of Jesus Christ.
- •What scoffers mistake for the 'slackness' or delay of God is actually His 'long-suffering' patience, as He desires for all people to reach repentance.
- •Scripture consistently pairs God's promises with the presence of fire, from the flaming sword in Eden to the tongues of fire at Pentecost.
- •The Holy Ghost functions both as 'fire' for bold witnessing and as the 'Comforter' for moments of deep pain, tragedy, and weakness.
- •Receiving the Holy Ghost is a supernatural gift that requires a step of faith, specifically through repentance and leaning into the leading of the Spirit.
Scripture
God's Timing
The Holy Ghost
Prophetic Fulfillment
Comfort in Suffering
Life application
This week, choose to see delays in your prayers not as God's absence but as His long-suffering mercy. When you feel weak, invite the Holy Ghost to be your 'Comforter' rather than trying to carry your burdens alone.
Reflection questions
- In what areas of your life have you been tempted to view God's timing as 'slackness' or delay?
- How does understanding the Holy Ghost as a 'Comforter' change the way you approach seasons of suffering?
- What 'strings' of promise in the Bible have you seen 'shrivel up' or come to pass in your own life?
- Are there distractions you need to separate yourself from this week in order to hear the voice of God more clearly?
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Full transcript
0:00>> For love covers a multitude of sins.
0:00That's what the Bible says.
0:00I don't intend to preach long. I've got
0:02a timer to prove it. But if you'll join
0:05with me in your Bibles to the second
0:08epistle that Peter writes, second Peter,
0:12beginning in chapter 3
0:16and um it should be on the screen in a
0:18moment. It is. Praise God. I'm not going
0:22to read it in Spanish. I'm going to read
0:23it in English.
0:25Beginning in verse one, going to verse
0:27nine, it says this. This second epistle,
0:30beloved, I now write unto you, in both
0:32which I stir up your pure minds by way
0:35of remembrance,
0:37that ye may be mindful of the words
0:39which were spoken before by the holy
0:41prophets,
0:42that's the Old Testament,
0:44and of the commandment of us apostles of
0:47the Lord and Savior. That's the New
0:49Testament. Knowing this first, that
0:52there shall come in the last days
0:54scoffers
0:56walking after their own lusts, and
0:58saying, "Where is the promise of his
1:00coming? For since the fathers fell
1:03asleep, all things continue as they were
1:05from the beginning of the creation. For
1:08this they willingly, they choose it, are
1:11ignorant of, that by the word of God,
1:14the heavens were of old, and the earth
1:16standing out of the water and in the
1:18water. whereby the world that then was
1:21being overflowed with water perished.
1:23He's talking about the flood.
1:25But the heavens and the earth which are
1:27now by the same word same word are kept
1:31in store reserved unto fire against the
1:33day of judgment and predition of ungodly
1:37men. Then he's talking about when the
1:39Lord will come back.
1:41But beloved,
1:43be not ignorant of this one thing that
1:47one day is with the Lord as a thousand
1:50years
1:52in a thousand years as one day. And this
1:56is our final and focused verse. It says,
1:59"The Lord is not slack
2:02concerning his promise,
2:05>> as some men count slackness,
2:09but is longsuffering to usward,
2:12not willing
2:15that any should perish,
2:18but that all should come to repentance."
2:24See, that's the remedy for the fire that
2:26is saved for that last day. Not willing
2:29that any should perish, but that all
2:32should come to repentance.
2:34For a little while, I want to talk on
2:36this subject as some men count
2:38slackness.
2:40At the end of this service, we're going
2:42to have an altar call. If you've not
2:44been in this service before and you
2:46don't know what that is, it just simply
2:48means we're going to welcome you to walk
2:50up to the front. But before that
2:52happens, I'm going to welcome our prayer
2:55teams to come up. And simply put, if you
2:58want somebody to pray for you, but
3:00you're too scared to ask, and you're too
3:03afraid that if you don't ask, nobody
3:05will, you can walk up to one of the
3:08people. You can tell them what you need
3:10from God, or you can say, "Just pray for
3:13me." If it's something private, you
3:15don't have to tell them. But I want you
3:17to start getting yourself ready for that
3:19moment because when it comes, I don't
3:22want you to wait. The Lord is not slack
3:25concerning his promise. It is not his
3:28will that any should perish, but that
3:31all should come to repentance.
3:34And at the end of this service when it
3:36concludes, if you feel so, I'd love for
3:39you to come forward and be prayed for by
3:41one of our team members or by yourself,
3:43whatever you feel. But I pray you'd
3:45respond to what the Lord is going to do
3:48over the next three hours of my
3:50preaching.
3:53>> That's a lie. I'm not going three hours.
3:56Won't you pray with me? Lord, I thank
3:58you and I love you. I thank you for your
4:01sweet peace,
4:04wonderful peace coming down from the
4:06father above. Lord, I pray that you'd
4:09bless me, Lord, as the speaker of this
4:11word. I am not worthy, but you've called
4:13me for this moment, and I'll step in
4:15that. I trust your word, but I don't
4:17trust myself for my ability. So, Lord,
4:20help me to speak the truth, the whole
4:22truth, and nothing but the truth. Help
4:24me to get out of the way when you say to
4:26be done, Jesus. So that souls can be
4:29saved. So that everyone can come to
4:32repentance.
4:33In the precious name of Jesus Christ, I
4:36pray. Why don't you help me get a little
4:39more comfortable and put your hands
4:40together and worship the Lord.
4:44Hallelujah.
4:47Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
4:50[Music]
4:52Why don't you smile to your neighbor and
4:53say you look beautiful as you're seated?
4:59>> Must be your new hairdo.
5:04There are some men in here that didn't
5:05know they looked beautiful till this
5:06morning.
5:11>> Praise the Lord.
5:16I enjoy reading.
5:19I enjoy the feeling you get when you've
5:21got a good book. I just my my wife and
5:24I, we like to buy furniture at auction
5:28because that's how you get a good deal.
5:30And I'm all about that business. And we
5:34got a a couple of patio chairs for I
5:37don't know, was it like $8? I don't
5:39know. Beautiful chairs. I did have to
5:42duct tape one of them,
5:45but that's neither here nor there.
5:47That's the one nobody sees. It's not the
5:50one I sit in. I don't trust it with my
5:51frame. But
5:54I I like to go out there and read. I
5:56enjoy that we've got this little I can't
5:59really call it a balcony because it's
6:00like four feet by seven feet. But I like
6:03to go out there and read when it's
6:04beautiful outside. It's nice to read. I
6:06find that it's even better when it's
6:07raining because it's kind of cool that
6:10the rain can't get to me. And um I like
6:13to read. I I I like the feeling you get
6:16when you're reading. A good book can can
6:18just take your mind off of things. I
6:21think the only thing I like more than
6:22reading is that feeling you get inside
6:24of you when you tell people you like to
6:26read.
6:28I feel like that's something the Lord's
6:30working on me. But I I really do enjoy
6:32it. I like when I I find authors I
6:35didn't know about that I get to learn
6:37more about how they write. My favorite
6:39author, I stole it from my dad as I do
6:41most things. These are his shoes. But
6:44his name is FW Borum, and he's
6:47incredible. He's got hundreds and
6:50hundreds and hundreds of sermons that
6:52you can read online. They have PDFs for
6:54free. Um, but they take like 17 minutes
6:58to finish reading them, start to finish,
7:0015 if you don't really care about
7:02knowing what words he's saying. But
7:05they're incredible. And I love that he
7:08can go the entire if the whole thing's
7:10seven pages, he'll go six pages and you
7:12have no clue where he's going. He'll
7:15throw in these beautiful words. He'll
7:16make the most mundane things sound
7:19beautiful. He's got an entire sermon
7:21simply on the idea of peaches. No,
7:23strawberries and cream. Just the two
7:25things. And at the end, he brings it to
7:27the Holy Ghost somehow. And you have no
7:29idea how he did it. He has a whole
7:30sermon called a flutter of pink. one of
7:32my favorites where the entire sermon he
7:35talks about a girl's right to feel
7:37pretty in a pink dress.
7:40And he defends her against her brothers
7:41who said, "You only wanted to sit on the
7:43front row at church this morning so
7:44people can see your flutter of pink."
7:47And he defends her. He says, "No, a
7:48woman has a right to feel beautiful."
7:51And you have no clue where he's going
7:52until the very end when he says, "The
7:54bride of Christ is dressed in his
7:56righteousness." And it is the beauty
7:58that we have the right to feel dressed
8:00in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
8:04And I had no clue where he was going.
8:06But I love that about authors. You can
8:09start to when you read an author enough
8:11kind of guess where they're going to go
8:13next. You can you can kind of hear when
8:15when you read authors, you read them
8:18kind of in a voice you made up in your
8:21head. and then you'll go on YouTube and
8:23see an interview and hear they sound
8:24nothing like the voice you just made for
8:27them this whole time and that's a
8:28disappointing feeling. But although the
8:31structure may end up becoming
8:33predictable, it doesn't mean it's lost
8:36its effect.
8:37Now, the Bible itself is no different
8:40than this. The Bible is made up of over
8:4440 authors over the process of 1,500
8:48years. And the incredible thing about
8:51the Bible is that all of the stories
8:54line up. All of the authors say what the
8:57Lord told them to say. And there is no
9:00verse that is out of place or without
9:02meaning or without purpose. In fact,
9:06it's so incredible that this is this
9:08kind of proves that it's real because if
9:11you can say something different than the
9:13other, we see this in the gospels. Each
9:15gospel is somebody either an eyewitness
9:18of what happened or really close to an
9:20eyewitness of what happened. And they
9:21tell different details. And this is
9:24actually how we know it's real. If they
9:27were all the exact same, we'd be more
9:29suspicious.
9:30Like for example,
9:32I remember in middle school it was my
9:36fault.
9:38My friend told me in the locker room,
9:40"Say it one more time. See what happens.
9:45And I said it again.
9:47And so, um, before I knew it, the belt
9:50was flying in my direction. And I got a
9:53pretty good cut on my face. Should have
9:55got stitches, but we believe in
9:57superglueing the Elms household.
10:00I remember Jamie Costus super gluing my
10:02thumb together when I cut my thumb up.
10:05That was awesome. But
10:09uh I I remember this was the only time
10:12I've ever been called into the
10:13principal's office. Not that I didn't do
10:15bad things, but I was, you know, I I was
10:17smart about it. You know, I was the
10:19instigator.
10:20I kind of said a few words, poked a few
10:23bears, and then let the bears fight, you
10:24know. So, I kind of evaded the
10:27principal's office, but this is the
10:28first time I got called in and the only
10:30time. And uh they said, "Okay, what
10:32happened?" Well, on the way there, we
10:34planned, okay, this is what we're going
10:35to say.
10:37And um I said
10:40he was pretending to do a helicopter
10:43and I think he said something about
10:44Avatar the Last Airbender.
10:47But if our stories were exactly the same
10:50word for word, then it'd be a little bit
10:52more suspicious. Same thing within the
10:55the the word of God. There are details
10:56that are differing here and there, but
10:58it's simply because it's it's written
11:00from the perspective of the person
11:01watching it.
11:03But you can open up this word of God,
11:05this living word of God, and not a
11:08single sentence contradicts itself.
11:12Not a single detail is there on
11:14accident.
11:15>> It's like, I've heard this analogy. It's
11:17like a tie with a string loose in it.
11:19You pull on that string and the tie
11:21shrivels up up here. Or you pull on a a
11:24string in a shirt or a dress and it
11:25shrivels up somewhere else. It's the
11:27same way within the scriptures. You can
11:30pull on a verse in Exodus and you see
11:32that it shrivels up in Matthew. You can
11:35pull on a verse in Psalms and see it
11:37shrivels up in Revelation. And I know it
11:40isn't Pentecost Sunday, but we c we
11:42celebrate Pentecost every Sunday. And I
11:45want to tell you today, you pull on that
11:47verse in Joel chapter 2 and it starts to
11:49shrivel up in Acts chapter 2 when it
11:52says, "In the last days, saith God, I
11:54will pour out of my spirit upon all
11:56flesh."
11:58That's what we've experienced this
12:00morning in that worship service.
12:03Every author in every time stands in
12:07agreement
12:08>> with this truth.
12:10>> There is only one God
12:13>> and his name is Jesus.
12:16>> No other god shall ye serve because
12:19there's no God that stands beside him.
12:22>> God said, "I looked beside me and I
12:24could not find anyone.
12:27You can pull on that string in Isaiah
12:29chapter 9 and verse 6 when he said, "For
12:32unto us a child is born,
12:35>> and unto us a son is given, and the
12:38government shall be upon his shoulder,
12:40and his name shall be called, the
12:43wonderful, the counselor, the mighty
12:46God, the everlasting father, the prince
12:49of peace." And when you pull on that
12:51string, you watch in holy amazement as
12:54it begins to shrivel up in Matthew 1 and
12:56verse 21. And she shall bring forth a
12:59son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus,
13:03for he will save his people from their
13:05sins.
13:08There is no book like your Bible.
13:11>> It is infallible without flaw or
13:14blemish.
13:16Can I say it like this? The word is a
13:19lamp unto my feet
13:22>> and a light unto my pathway.
13:24>> It stood from before the world was made.
13:27And though heaven and earth shall pass
13:29away, that word is forever settled.
13:33>> But within the Bible, just like any
13:35other book, you can hear the differences
13:38between the authors. And because of
13:40this, I have a few favorites. I enjoy
13:43reading this almost self-deprecating
13:46humor of Paul. He he gives this whole
13:49list of accomplishments in one of his
13:51letters of the great things he's done.
13:52He was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He
13:55studied have what the equivalent is. I
13:57believe it's like three doctrates,
13:59something like that. The amount of
14:00schooling he went through. He was
14:02brilliant. He was a Roman. And goes
14:04through this whole list. And then he
14:05says, "And I count it all but dung."
14:09Now the Greek word for dung is dung.
14:16It's it's this like self-deprecating
14:18humor you hear when he's writing. He
14:20talks about how he can barely see. I'm
14:22sorry I'm writing to you in such a large
14:23letter. But there's a few different
14:26things. I I I love reading the the
14:28bluntness of James, the halfb
14:30brotherther of Jesus. I like the
14:32excitement of Mark. It seems every other
14:35sentence he says straightway,
14:37immediately straightway. He's so
14:39excited. There's like more exclamation
14:41points in the book of Mark than any
14:42other place in the Bible pretty much. I
14:45love that excitement. He's the first one
14:46that writes a book for the New Test a
14:48gospel, pardon me. And that you can kind
14:51of feel because he's like, I got to get
14:53it out. I got to get it out. I got to
14:54get it out. It's the shortest one
14:56because he's like, somebody else will
14:58write that. You know, you can you can
15:01feel this. But I think one of my
15:04favorites, not my favorite, but one of
15:06my favorites is Peter. I love that you
15:10can kind of tell he's a fisherman. You
15:13can kind of understand a little bit more
15:16about him when you've read about his
15:18stories.
15:19You tell the stories of a man named
15:22Peter who was within reach of a Roman
15:26soldier, went to cut off his neck and
15:29only got the ear. This is a fisherman,
15:32not a swordsman. Here
15:34you can also see this story of when he
15:37walks on water to get to Jesus. The only
15:41person that's ever done that. I've
15:43tried.
15:46I still try, you know,
15:49>> but I do it nonchalant now. I don't go I
15:52used to go Jesus name.
15:57>> But now it's more subtle. Now it's more
15:59like just see if the water's warm.
16:02and see if my foot's going to sink or
16:04not.
16:06He's the only one that ever did it.
16:08You'd think he'd have the faith to keep
16:10walking on the water. Once you take the
16:12first couple steps, it's kind of like, I
16:14got this. But this is the man that has
16:16the faith to take steps on water and
16:18then immediately lose faith and start
16:20sinking.
16:22These stories kind of shape the way you
16:25read what he's saying. He is trusted to
16:28be one of this elite three that sees
16:31Jesus transfigured on the mountain where
16:33his raignment is glistening like
16:35lightning. And God says, "This is my
16:37beloved son in whom I'm well pleased."
16:40And with him is Elijah and Moses. And
16:42Peter says something pretty dumb.
16:47>> He says, "Let's build three tabernacles.
16:51>> One for you." First of all, there's
16:53three of them there. How is he going to
16:54build three tabernacles? a person each
16:56is going to build a tabernacle. What are
16:58you thinking, Peter?
17:00But then he's like, let's just worship
17:02you here and never leave. It's like, how
17:05long have you been with me, Peter?
17:07>> You kind of feel Jesus saying, don't you
17:10know this is for everybody? You can see
17:12this when he's he's writing the man that
17:15denies Jesus three times, but also is
17:18trusted with the first sermon of the
17:20church.
17:22It's a very interesting thing. It it
17:24shapes the voice in your head when
17:26you're reading Peter. It's a bit of an
17:28edge to him. He's got that
17:30straightforwardness of a of a fisherman,
17:32but he's also kind of sneakily
17:34wellstudied in the scriptures.
17:37But Peter opens our text today. I'll
17:40summarize. He says, "Listen, I'm writing
17:42to you in this section of time to remind
17:44you, get in your word. Read the prophets
17:48of the Old Testament, the apostles of
17:49the New." Picking up in verse three, he
17:52says, "Knowing this first, that there
17:54shall come in the last days scoffers
17:56walking after their own lusts. And this
17:58is what the scoffers are scoffing about.
18:02They say, "Where is the promise of his
18:04coming?
18:06For since the fathers fell asleep,
18:08everything's still the same as it was
18:10then."
18:12And this is the time we're living in
18:14today, folks. People are saying, "Where
18:17is this promise you guys talk about?"
18:20You know, you've been talking about wars
18:21and rumors of wars forever, and it's
18:24true. We've had a whole bunch of things
18:26happen. Y 2K, I think they had 88
18:29reasons in 88. But
18:31>> I don't know when the Lord comes. The
18:33Bible's pretty clear. No man knows the
18:35day nor the hour. So, I'm going to stick
18:36by that. But I do know he's coming.
18:40>> And I know he's not waiting on anybody.
18:44I know that everything is in place for
18:46him. I think what he's waiting on is a
18:48great revival
18:50>> where he shall pour it out upon the
18:51believers and the unbelievers. And I
18:54believe it is his call on us today to be
18:56a part of that last day harvest.
19:00[Applause]
19:02But Peter's too much of a man, a
19:04fisherman to beat around the bush. He
19:07gets right to it. He answers the
19:09accusers in verse 9. The Lord is not
19:12slack concerning his promise as some men
19:15count slackness. What an interesting way
19:17of putting it. It's referencing those
19:19scoffers. But is long-suffering toward
19:22us, not willing that any should perish,
19:24but that all should come to repentance.
19:26And this is the crux of my message. This
19:29is the main point of what I'm saying
19:30today. What some men call slackness,
19:34God calls promise.
19:38>> The scoffers will tell you that he's
19:40late.
19:41But the scriptures will declare he's
19:44longsuffering.
19:46The unbeliever will tell you he's missed
19:48his chance. But the Bible will tell you
19:51he's the God of second chances.
19:54>> And you may be flipping through the past
19:56pages of your calendar wondering up to
19:58God, what are you doing up there? But
20:00I've come to tell somebody, he's not
20:02late. He's long-suffering. He's waiting
20:06on you. He's waiting on the sinner. He's
20:09waiting on the unrepentant so that they
20:11might receive his glory.
20:15I wonder if there's a witness in the
20:17house today that can testify to somebody
20:20else that when you said I felt forsaken,
20:24that's where I found him. When I thought
20:26I lost my way, the enemy was surrounding
20:29me, that's when my God showed up right
20:32on time.
20:37You might as well make up in your mind
20:39agreement with the word of God this
20:40morning and just know that if he
20:43promised it, it will come to pass.
20:45Isaiah said his word will not return
20:48unto him void, but it will accomplish
20:50what he sent it for.
20:54You can't listen to that lie that people
20:56tell you that your waiting season is
21:00wasted. No, no, no. You've you you've
21:02got to know men always count God as
21:06slow.
21:07They misjudge his silence for his
21:09absence.
21:11But Peter tells us that our timing and
21:14God's timing are not the same.
21:17>> Says don't be ignorant of this thing.
21:20Thousand years is here just a day for
21:23him. Like sister Crystal talked about
21:26today. He's outside of time.
21:29>> It's within him.
21:31time itself obeys him. You can have a
21:34sit-down conversation with Joshua who
21:37prayed a prayer that no man has ever
21:39prayed before when he spoke to the son,
21:42"Stand still." Because he knew if night
21:45fell they'd lose the battle they were
21:46fighting.
21:48You can kind of see that grin come
21:49across God's face as he reaches down and
21:52with his fingernails pinches the sun,
21:54holds it still for a moment until Joshua
21:58can get the victory.
22:00Because God comes not on our timing, but
22:03on perfect timing.
22:06>> That's the God you serve this morning.
22:09There is no power above him. There is no
22:13one beside him. There is no grave that
22:16can keep him. There's no place he can't
22:19reach. There's no sin or stench that can
22:22stop him. There's no problem he can't
22:25solve.
22:27Men count it as slackness. But God calls
22:30it promise.
22:33And from the very beginning, paired with
22:36the power of God's promise has been
22:39fire.
22:41The very beginning it was so. Adam and
22:44Eve, they are walking in the cool of the
22:46garden.
22:48And you know, Eve falls for the fruit.
22:50Adam does too. It's not more blame on
22:52one than the other. But they eat of the
22:55tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
22:57the one tree that God said, "Don't eat
23:01that one." What's funny is that within
23:03that same garden was the tree of life.
23:06We find out from Revelation, the leaves
23:08of which are for the healing of the
23:10nations. They could have ate from that
23:12and been completely fine, but it's just
23:14kind of human nature to want the one
23:16thing you can't have.
23:19And so they they fall into sin. They see
23:21that they're naked, and God says, "Who
23:24told you that you were naked?" There's a
23:26there's a heartbreak in there. You can
23:29imagine like a parent who's waiting to
23:32have that birds and bees conversation
23:33with their children, but it gets spoiled
23:36by the kids at school.
23:38>> And now their frame of reference for
23:41that is completely skewed
23:43>> from something holy to something evil.
23:46>> And you can feel that parental guidance,
23:49brokenheartedness in God's voice when he
23:51said, "Who told you?
23:54>> Who told you?
23:56I was supposed to have that conversation
23:58with you. Who told you that you were
24:00naked?
24:02And he says, "Okay."
24:04They didn't understand it, but they had
24:07to be kicked out of the Garden of Eden.
24:08And this is why this is the promise that
24:11we're talking about. And this is the
24:13fire that comes with the promise. He
24:15sets an angel to guard the garden with a
24:19flaming sword that goes in every
24:21direction.
24:22seems like a little bit much, but no,
24:24he's saving them. Because this is the
24:26thing, when they found out about their
24:28sin, the dying process began.
24:31And if they ate from the tree of life at
24:34that point, they would never be able to
24:37be forgiven of their sin. They would be
24:39forever eternally in their sin. So, he
24:42had to protect them from hurting
24:44themselves.
24:46I'm so glad Jesus did that for me.
24:49He's protected me from hurting myself
24:51time and time again. And at times it
24:54felt like a sword. But the word of God
24:57is quick. It's sharper than any
24:58two-edged sword.
25:00And it protected me from myself. That
25:04was the promise. He said, "You don't you
25:05don't know it yet. But if you eat it
25:08now, you'll be forever in this state.
25:10And I can't let that happen." So there's
25:12the promise and there's the fire. It's a
25:14pattern that goes over and over. God
25:17told Abraham, "Your seed will be like
25:19the stars of the sky, balls of fire in
25:22the sky." He told Moses after he's
25:25fleeing from Pharaoh. Moses is a
25:27murderer. He's a Hebrew saved from the
25:30Nile,
25:32but the thing is, he's killed a man and
25:34he's on the run. He did it what he
25:37thought was for the right reasons,
25:39but he's a shepherd now. It's been many
25:43years.
25:44But he's walking and he sees this thing.
25:48It's a bush.
25:50It's on fire, but it's not consumed.
25:54It's not burning to ash. It's it's a
25:57strange uh strange fire in that it's not
26:01consuming the bush.
26:04Goes towards it. And the Lord speaks to
26:06him and says, "Take off thy shoes,
26:08Moses, for the place you are standing is
26:10holy ground.
26:12And that's when God says, "I have seen
26:14the affliction of my people, and I know
26:16their sorrows. I have come to deliver
26:19them from the hand of the Egyptians, and
26:21I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my
26:24children out." Moses said, "Who will I
26:27say sent me?" And God said, "I am
26:31>> that I am."
26:33>> I don't need to make that complicated
26:35today. It's just a fill-in-theblank
26:37statement. Whatever you need, he is.
26:41Amen.
26:41>> I am the God that health thee.
26:44>> I am your deliverer. I am your
26:47sufficiency. I am your peace in the
26:50hospital room. I am your joy in the
26:52middle of depression. I am your answer
26:55to every problem. I am that I am. He
26:59said, I am the first and I am the last.
27:02I am above all. And the scriptures tell
27:05us he is above all through all and in us
27:08all. We are complete in him for in him
27:11dwelleth all the fullness of the godhead
27:14bodily.
27:15I am that I am. He tells Moses. So we
27:18see the cycle again. There is promise
27:21and there is fire.
27:24>> I could keep following this pathway of
27:26promise. The children of Israel make it
27:29out of Egypt and God guides them. Cloud
27:32by day, pillar of fire by night.
27:36Solomon finishes building the temple and
27:39in order to get it started right he
27:41starts with a prayer gets on his knees
27:44and he begins to pray I'll summarize the
27:46prayer he says Lord there's no god like
27:47you said you show mercy unto your
27:50servants
27:52let this house be a place where you put
27:56your name
27:58>> a place where relationships are restored
28:02and this is the beautiful thing he
28:03prayed over that cathedral that I pray
28:05over this cathedral,
28:07a place where men forgive each other and
28:11sacrifices are accepted.
28:14And we get to see God's response in 2
28:17Chronicles 7 says, "Now when Solomon
28:20made an end of praying,
28:22the fire came down from heaven and
28:26consumed the burnt offering and the
28:28sacrifices and the glory of the Lord
28:31filled the house and the priests could
28:34not enter into the house of the Lord
28:36because the glory of the Lord had filled
28:37the Lord's house." And when all the
28:39children of Israel saw how the fire came
28:42down, and the glory of the Lord filled
28:44the house,
28:45they bowed themselves unto their fa with
28:48their faces to the ground upon the
28:49pavement. And they worshiped and praised
28:53the Lord, saying,
28:56"For the Lord
28:58is good,
29:00and his mercy
29:03it endureth forever."
29:06The Lord is good
29:08and his mercy endureth forever.
29:11>> And really there is no other response to
29:14his glory than that. The Lord is good
29:18>> and his mercy endureth forever.
29:22The Lord is good and his mercy endureth
29:25forever. When I'm in the fight of my
29:28life, the Lord is good and his mercy
29:31endureth forever. When I'm able to pay
29:34the bills and get some left over, the
29:36Lord is good and his mercy endureth
29:38forever. When I'm in the family or I'm
29:41on the front lines, the Lord is good and
29:44his mercy endureth forever. When my
29:47family is broken or when my family is
29:49whole, the Lord is good and his mercy
29:52endureth forever.
29:59Pattern repeats itself.
30:02Elijah is facing the false prophets of
30:05Baal
30:07and they're in the middle of a drought
30:08that he caused.
30:11There comes this point where it has to
30:14be proven who is God.
30:17Elijah says, "I've got an idea.
30:21Let the God who answers by fire be God."
30:27So the prophets of Baal do all they can,
30:29but their god can't respond to a problem
30:31he doesn't have the power to solve. And
30:34so they begin to cut themselves, which
30:36is of the devil.
30:38>> And they begin to dance before their
30:40false god. And they do all they can. And
30:44Elijah, one of those moments where you
30:46kind of read the voice of the author, he
30:47he's toying with him. He says, "Is your
30:50God asleep?
30:53Perhaps he's on vacation. Perhaps he's
30:56using the restroom and is unavailable at
30:58the moment.
31:00>> He's toying with them and he says, "Step
31:02aside. Let me show you who God is."
31:04>> So, he puts the bowl on the altar. And
31:06then he has the boldness to say, "In a
31:08drought, get me some barrels of water.
31:12>> Pour it on the sacrifice because God's
31:14about to show himself." And so, there's
31:16this pattern again. There's the promise.
31:19And when Elijah gives the prayer, the
31:22fire comes down, laps up the water and
31:24the sacrifice. It is promise and it is
31:28fire. King Nebuchadnezzar is telling
31:32these Hebrews, "Bow to my idol when I
31:35play the music." You got to be careful
31:37what music you're listening to because
31:39you're bowing to something when you
31:40listen to it.
31:42>> And and he says, "When I play it, bow."
31:44And there's three Hebrew boys, Shadrach,
31:46Meach, and Abednego, who refused to bow
31:49to this idol because they serve the true
31:52and living God. And so Nebuchadnezzar
31:54says, "You you must not know what's
31:56going on. Let me fill you in. Didn't you
31:58hear that if you don't bow, I will kill
32:01you in a furnace."
32:04They said,
32:06"We are not careful to answer you
32:08concerning this because we believe our
32:11God is able to save us from the fire.
32:13But if not, we will not bow.
32:16>> And that's the kind of stubbornness you
32:18get when you get a hold of God. You say,
32:20"If I never get out of it, I'm not
32:22bowing to the situation. If I never make
32:24it out of the fire, I'm still serving
32:27the Lord with gladness because the Lord
32:30is good and his mercy endureth forever."
32:34[Applause]
32:37And they get thrown in the fire, three
32:39of them. And Nebuchadnezzar says, "Did
32:41we not throw three in the fire?" They
32:43said, "Yes, we did, king." And he said,
32:45"Then why do I see a fourth man in the
32:48fire?" And he's likened unto the son of
32:51God. And you know what the Bible says?
32:53Those three Hebrew boys made it out of
32:55the fire and they didn't even smell like
32:58smoke because when the Lord brings you
33:00out, you don't look like or smell like
33:02what you've been through.
33:06And if you're in the fire of your life
33:07this morning, you're fighting every day
33:09trying to scrape and claw to get a
33:12little bit of peace. I've come to tell
33:14you, the Lord reveals himself in the
33:16fire.
33:20>> Hallelujah.
33:21[Music]
33:23John the Baptist said in in Matthew
33:26chapter 3, "I indeed baptize you with
33:29water unto repentance,
33:31but there is one that comes after me
33:35that shall baptize you
33:38with the Holy Ghost and with fire."
33:44>> My God.
33:46>> So, we read of the birthday of the
33:48church in Acts chapter 2.
33:50It says, "When the day of Pentecost was
33:52fully come," oh my goodness,
33:57you might think we're crazy. We're just
33:59doing what the Bible says.
34:01They were all with one accord in one
34:04place.
34:06And suddenly there came a sound from
34:09heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and
34:11it filled all the house where they were
34:14sitting. And there appeared unto them
34:17cloven tongues like as of
34:20>> fire.
34:22>> And it sat upon each of them. And they
34:25were all filled with the Holy Ghost. And
34:26this is the evidence. This is the sign
34:29that you've got it. And began to speak
34:32with other tongues as the spirit gave
34:36them utterance.
34:39You see that pattern? God gives promise.
34:43Men count it as slackness and God brings
34:46fire.
34:48They counted it as slackness the day
34:50that they gave that great sermon, Acts
34:522:38.
34:53They said, "These men are drunk."
34:57Peter's like, "It's like 9:00 a.m., bro.
35:01There's no 5:00 somewhere song written
35:04yet.
35:06We are not drunk.
35:08But this is that which was spoken of by
35:12the prophet Joel. This is that. Don't
35:15you pull on that string on Joel. See it
35:17shrivel up in Acts chapter 2. This is
35:20the spirit of the Lord. He says
35:24we sing that song. Let it fall on me.
35:26Let it fall on me. Let the Holy Ghost
35:28and fire fall on me. But before we sang
35:31it like that, we sang I wish somebody's
35:34soul
35:35>> would catch on fire.
35:38Catch on fire. Catch on fire. I wish
35:42somebody's soul would catch on fire.
35:45>> Burn it with the Holy Ghost.
35:48>> Let's talk about that today. Let's talk
35:50about the Holy Ghost.
35:52Can you believe that I can't shake your
35:54forehead for you to get the Holy Ghost?
35:57>> I can't shake you enough until you get
35:59it. Sometimes it takes that kind of
36:01intensity, but it's not a requirement in
36:03scripture. What is a requirement is the
36:05laying on of hands.
36:07>> So that's why we do it. And if if you're
36:08uncomfortable with it, we can do it from
36:10a distance, too. We also do that. I
36:13think it's scarier when everybody points
36:14their hand at you than when people just
36:16put their hand on you. But I understand.
36:19And so it it's a very simple thing. They
36:22had the same question on the day of
36:24Pentecost. They they said, "What meanth
36:27this?" And they asked all of the people
36:29standing up there on that balcony in the
36:31upper room. They said,
36:34"Men and brethren,
36:36what must we do? What shall we do?"
36:39Peter gave the answer. Repent and be
36:41baptized, every one of you, in the name
36:43of the Lord Jesus Christ for the
36:45remission of your sins, and ye shall
36:48receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
36:52After you've repented the first step,
36:54you feel that weight lift off of you
36:56because God has forgiven you of every
37:00wrong you have ever committed.
37:04Bible says that we if if we are faithful
37:06to confess our sins, he is faithful to
37:09forgive us our sins.
37:11After repentance, you'll feel the Lord
37:13all over you. And this is a critical
37:14thing. It's a critical step to speaking
37:17in tongues, feeling the presence of the
37:20Lord and leaning into that feeling. Now,
37:24I know that we play music really loud so
37:28that you can start feeling emotions.
37:31And I don't think it's bad that we feel
37:33emotions in church. In fact, I think
37:35it's very imperative that we do so
37:38because it has to be more than logic or
37:41else it just be natural. But the Bible
37:45says that it is supernatural.
37:49>> Now God will not possess you. Not like a
37:52demon. He doesn't just take control of
37:54your body and you are left powerless.
37:56It's not like that. He wants to live in
37:58your heart. He doesn't want to take it.
38:01>> And so when you start feeling that
38:03presence of the Lord that happens when
38:04you repent of your sins, you'll start
38:07feeling this thing happen. And scripture
38:09says it's with stammering lips and
38:11another tongue that my people. That's
38:13how we receive it. It's it's it kind of
38:15starts.
38:17You feel that your chin kind of start
38:19wrinkling up a bit. And it's all right.
38:21Most of us don't look pretty when we
38:22speak in tongues unless your name's
38:24Sophia Lorraine Elms.
38:29But you got to lean into that feeling.
38:32You can't fight it or else you won't
38:33receive it. It's a gift. You don't have
38:35to argue for a gift. You receive a gift.
38:39And when you feel that boldness come
38:42over you to speak in a language you've
38:44never spoken before, it's imperative.
38:46You know, today, is it all right if I
38:47give a little a little instruction?
38:50>> You have to speak.
38:53>> He won't just take control of your
38:55tongue.
38:56>> It's a step of faith. You've got to
38:58start saying words. And then as you take
39:01that step of faith to speak, the Lord
39:03will fill your tongue. fill your lips
39:06with words you've never heard before.
39:08And can I tell you, I try to do it every
39:11day because there's no feeling like it.
39:13It's an addictive feeling. And I get
39:15high on Jesus every day.
39:18[Applause]
39:22I'm known. I get it from my father.
39:24Sometimes I can hold it back, but most
39:26times I can't. If I feel to say
39:28something, even if it's weird, I kind of
39:30just say it. I was in the sauna in St.
39:33Louis Missouri.
39:37And I've since I learned maybe I should
39:40start being more clothed in the sauna
39:42because if I'm going to witness of
39:43Jesus,
39:46I don't want to be in my undergarments,
39:48you know.
39:50But this was like the first time.
39:52But anyway, neither here nor there.
39:56I talked to these these young guys and
39:58I'm like, "Hey man, what's your names?"
39:59They told me their names.
40:02Said, "Uh, where do you go to school?"
40:03school. They said, "We go here." I like,
40:05"Awesome. How old are you guys?" Told me
40:07their ages. They just graduated. I said,
40:08"What do you guys want to do?" And he
40:09said, "Oh, I want to I want to I want to
40:11sell weed for a living. I want to open
40:13my own shop."
40:15And I I felt that David Timothy spirit
40:18come over me.
40:20And I said, "I get high better than you
40:22do."
40:26I said, "I get high on Jesus every day.
40:29And I never wake up hung over. In fact,
40:31the next morning I wake up better. My
40:34mind is clearer. I speak different. I
40:37live different. People are attracted to
40:40me because I've got Jesus living in me.
40:42And I just became the I don't know, bold
40:45in the Holy Ghost. And I said, "Do you
40:47want it?"
40:50And he said, "No."
40:57But I've come to tell you, there's
40:59nothing like it.
41:00There's nothing like the Holy Ghost.
41:05>> There's nothing like it. It is
41:08supernatural.
41:09This is something Sophia taught me. It's
41:12supernatural.
41:14Let's break that down. It's super
41:17natural.
41:19So natural. It's It's more natural than
41:24something that's natural. It's It's
41:25greater. When I go to sleep at night, I
41:28don't want it cold. I want it super cold
41:31>> so I can bundle up in a blanket.
41:33>> It's that same thing because when you
41:35receive the Holy Ghost, it's a love you
41:38feel like you've already known.
41:41>> It's it's a voice you feel like you've
41:43heard your whole life. It feels more
41:45than just natural. It feels
41:46supernatural.
41:48>> And if you want that, you can have it
41:51today.
41:53And if you want to be baptized in Jesus'
41:55name, it would be our honor to baptize
41:58you in Jesus' name. We can say what the
42:00Ethiopian unic said. We have water. What
42:04do hinder me from being baptized? We've
42:06got robes you can change in. Nobody's
42:09going to make fun of your wet hair.
42:10We've got towels that'll keep you warm.
42:13Why don't you, if you want, be baptized
42:15in Jesus' name today.
42:21I know I spoke earlier about author
42:23specific tones, not much longer, I
42:26promise you. And and I would have to say
42:27that I enjoy Peter, but my favorite is
42:30John.
42:32He's in a unique place when he writes.
42:35They they we we know just based off of
42:38different uh historians that lived
42:40during that time who kept record of
42:42things. We know that John was the last
42:45living apostle. We know that the Gospel
42:49of John and the Revelation of Jesus
42:52Christ, which John wrote, and the
42:53Epistles of John, were the last books
42:56written in the Bible. Any other place
42:59that they were written afterwards, they
43:00didn't make the canon because they
43:02weren't eyewitnesses or they want people
43:04that were next to people who were
43:05eyewitnesses. That's why we know which
43:08books are in the Bible.
43:10He has these these things that are
43:12unique to him because he has this unique
43:15perspective.
43:17He gets to read all that's going to be
43:19in the Bible and he gets to then say,
43:22"Okay, these are the things they missed
43:25that I've got to make sure I write."
43:27That's why John's gospel so different
43:29than the others. It's why he's so
43:31obsessed with love. He feels like we've
43:32got to make sure people understand the
43:34love of Christ. He doesn't start his
43:37gospel like they they do in Luke or it
43:40does in Matthew. He he doesn't go into
43:42the genealogy of Jesus at all. Instead,
43:45he says in the beginning was now right
43:48there that doesn't make sense how in the
43:50beginning there already was. Then it's
43:53not the beginning.
43:55>> But like we already talked about he's
43:58before time.
44:00>> So in the beginning he already was. In
44:03the beginning was the word, John said,
44:06and the word was with God, and the word
44:08was God. The same as was in the
44:10beginning with God. He he goes on to
44:11verse 14. He says, "And that word was
44:13made flesh and dwelt among us, and we
44:15beheld his glory, the glory as of the
44:17only begotten of the father, full of
44:19grace and truth."
44:21>> He puts in these details. He's assumed
44:24that you've already watched the movie
44:25and read the book. So, he throws in
44:27details that would be a spoiler if it
44:29was the first one you read. For example,
44:31he says Judas and immediately in
44:33parenthesis, we're early in the book, he
44:35says the one that betrays Jesus. Well,
44:37bro, don't ruin it,
44:40>> but it's already been written.
44:42He puts in those details like the one
44:45whom Jesus loved outrun Peter.
44:49He's bragging on himself. He's got that
44:514440.
44:53He would not name himself. He only knew
44:56was allowed himself to be known as the
44:57one who Jesus loved. And when he says
45:00that this when he when he calls himself
45:02the beloved, it's not a stuck up detail.
45:04It's just because John was the only
45:07gospel writer who was there when Jesus
45:10died on the cross. And so when he looked
45:13at that sacrifice, he was saying, "All I
45:16know is he loves me. He loves me. He
45:20loves me. He loves me."
45:24There's one detail that John records.
45:26One that I believe is going to change
45:28someone's life today.
45:30Detail he sees that every other gospel
45:33writer missed. John 14:25-27.
45:37He says, "These things have I spoken
45:38unto you, being yet present with you."
45:41Jesus is speaking. But John is writing.
45:44But the comforter,
45:46which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father
45:50will send in my name, he shall teach you
45:53all things and bring all things to your
45:56remembrance, help you to remember
45:59whatsoever things I've said unto you.
46:02Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you. My
46:07peace I give to you. Not as the world
46:11giveth give I unto you. Let not your
46:14heart be troubled, neither let it be
46:17afraid. It's that peace from God that
46:20the world didn't give and the world
46:22cannot take away.
46:24My peace, he said, I give to you.
46:28You've got to know something about when
46:30John's writing this, something that lets
46:32you hear the voice of the author.
46:35He's in Ephesus and he's still got a lot
46:37more to come.
46:40It's not much longer after he writes
46:42this that he will be tried and accused
46:44and they will try to kill him by boiling
46:48him in oil.
46:50But he will miraculously survive.
46:54And so because they say we can't kill
46:56him, we must separate him from
46:58everything else. Throw him to the aisle
47:00of Patmas where we only put prisoners.
47:03But it's in that place where he's
47:04separated from everything else that he
47:06gets the revelation of Jesus Christ. And
47:09if you don't have a revelation of Jesus
47:11Christ, some great advice I can give you
47:13is separate yourself from everything
47:16else.
47:17>> Separate yourself from distraction so
47:20that his voice can be clear. Separate
47:22yourself from the pleasures of this
47:24world so that you can see him high and
47:26lifted up.
47:29There's a lot more to come, but there's
47:32a pain in his voice because all of the
47:34men he spent time with when he was
47:37sitting at the feet of Jesus have all
47:40been martyed.
47:42Every last one of them has been killed.
47:45Paul has been beheaded. Peter was
47:47crucified upside down.
47:50>> James, his head was taken too. They say
47:52that Thomas was killed by spears in
47:55India and they have been dispersed
47:57throughout the land.
48:00And these men have been killed. And
48:02John's all that's left of the ones that
48:04saw who Jesus was. And he's looking back
48:08at a church that's been persecuted
48:11with a heart that's been broken.
48:14I'm sure he had the question, "Why am I
48:16still here
48:18if I preach the same gospel they preach?
48:22He has to write. I got to get this down.
48:26He looks back at the writing of his
48:28buddies and he says they missed
48:31something.
48:33They got that fire power right
48:37but they missed the comforter.
48:41The paricletos pericle in the Greek the
48:45advocate is what he says in his letter
48:49because the Holy Ghost is not just fire
48:52power.
48:54It's the comforter.
48:56The musicians will come. I'm coming to a
48:58close.
49:02My grandfather was
49:05coming close to passing. And so we all,
49:08my my siblings and myself, my mom and my
49:10dad were able to be there his last few
49:15days on earth.
49:17It was awesome to get to share moments
49:20with him. There were times when he was
49:22weaker than other times. Sometimes he
49:24would be able to talk with us and sing
49:26with us. There were moments when he was
49:28in so much pain he couldn't hardly
49:30speak. The problem was his lungs were
49:32hardening and so every breath was
49:35difficult.
49:37So times when he was strong, we'd gather
49:39around him and we would sing songs. We'd
49:42pray with him. We'd tell him, "Tell us
49:44the stories that you didn't want to tell
49:45before because we we want to hear them
49:47now."
49:50And even then, he refused to talk bad
49:52about anybody.
49:54And I remember he he always was dressed
49:58so nice. That was the one thing. Even if
50:00he was going to wear jeans for a
50:02workday, they were starched and creased.
50:06>> And he had his cowboy shirt tucked into
50:08his pants. His f my favorite one he had
50:11it's like a galaxy up here. It was a
50:13desert down here. And it was cowboys
50:15walking off into the wilderness,
50:17blackened by the shadow of the sun
50:18setting. And I wanted that shirt so bad.
50:23But I remember him telling us, "They got
50:26me all scruffy cuz I can't get out of
50:27this bed."
50:30And so I said, "Okay." And in a moment
50:33when nobody was there,
50:35it was one of those weaker moments where
50:37he couldn't really speak.
50:39And I got a comb and I got fingernail
50:41clippers.
50:43And I combed his hair and I was clipping
50:46his fingernails and it was just us.
50:49And as I clipped his fingernails, he
50:51loved when we sang to him. So I sang,
50:54"There's not a friend like the lowly
50:56Jesus.
50:59No, not one.
51:01No, not one. None else can heal all our
51:05souls diseases.
51:08No, not one.
51:11No, not one. Just clipping his nails.
51:14Jesus knows
51:17all about our troules.
51:21He will guide till the day is done.
51:26There's not a friend like the lowly
51:30Jesus.
51:33No, not one.
51:35No, not one.
51:38I went to the other hand. I said, "What
51:40a friend we have in Jesus.
51:45All our sins and griefs to bear.
51:49What a privilege
51:53to carry.
51:57everything
51:59to God in prayer.
52:03Oh, what peace we often forfeit.
52:06Oh, what needless pain we bear. And it's
52:10all because we do not carry everything
52:14to God in prayer. And as I sang that
52:18song,
52:20his lips started moving.
52:23He slowly raised his hands
52:26and he started speaking.
52:31It was not even 24 hours before he saw
52:33Jesus.
52:38What was he saying? I I couldn't quite
52:41tell.
52:42And this wave of strength hit him.
52:45I realized he's speaking in tongues.
52:51How do you waste such a precious
52:54commodity like breath
52:56to speak a language you can't even
52:58understand?
53:01It's because the Holy Ghost is not just
53:04fire.
53:07There are days when I need the fire of
53:11the Holy Ghost. When I feel the boldness
53:14to stand in a sauna and ask a guy if he
53:16wants to get high on Jesus.
53:19But there are also days
53:22when I don't need fire.
53:25I need a comforter
53:28>> because the pain is too much to bear.
53:32>> And the breath seem frail
53:35and the tragedy is before me. And I feel
53:39lonely because I've lost brothers and
53:41sisters in this fight. And sometimes I
53:45feel like the only one.
53:49That's why
53:51I need the Holy Ghost.
53:54Won't you stand with me in this house?
53:58The prayer teams that have been
53:59designated would walk forward at this
54:01time and get in your place.
54:06The Holy Ghost is more than hype.
54:11It's not a party trick.
54:14It's not a tongue for show.
54:17It is a promise.
54:20It is a presence and it is a person.
54:25It's a power and it's a comfort.
54:28There are days when it feels like fire
54:32and there are days when it is my
54:35comfort.
54:37And I feel like there's someone here
54:39today who's unimpressed with the
54:41shouting,
54:42who's not moved by the dancing,
54:46who's not quickened in their heart
54:47because of the rhythm or because of the
54:50miracles,
54:52but simply needs
54:55the peace that passes understanding.
54:59Needs that comforter
55:01in your life.
55:04Someone that has a madeup mind. I'm only
55:06going to move if I feel him, not because
55:09the preacher tells me.
55:11Well, I want to invite you today to
55:13respond to the Holy Ghost.
55:18Jesus said,
55:21"The enemy has come to steal,
55:24to kill,
55:26and to destroy.
55:29But I have come
55:31that you might have life."
55:34and not just life to get by, but that
55:39more abundantly.
55:41Before we take the step of faith, why
55:43don't you raise your hands with me
55:46and pray to the Lord to make your heart
55:48ready.
55:50Lord, I pray over every soul in this
55:52house today. Every man, every woman,
55:55every child under the sound of my voice,
55:59those who are here for the first time,
56:00and those that have been hiding the pain
56:02for 20 years,
56:05those that feel they're right with God,
56:07and those that are afraid of tomorrow.
56:11I pray that you'd break up the buried,
56:13buried and burned ground, theow ground,
56:18that the heart be ready to receive what
56:20you want to do in this house. We stand
56:23on the authority of the word of God and
56:25the power of the name of Jesus Christ.
56:28That when we take the step of faith, you
56:31will not leave us alone on the waters,
56:34but you will walk towards us and guide
56:36us, Jesus. Lord, let your fire fall, but
56:40let your comfort fall, too.
56:44Now, if you feel it's time, I'm opening
56:48up these altars. Take that step of faith
56:51this morning. Let the comforter, which
56:54is the Holy Ghost, move in your
56:57situation in a way that you can't fix
57:00it. That's it. Don't be afraid. Don't
57:03take your time. Hurry. Let the Lord
57:06touch you. Don't leave the same. Don't
57:09leave with your mind made up that it's
57:11not for me. No, this promise is for you
57:14and for your children and to all that
57:16are a far off. Even as many as the Lord
57:19our God shall call. Take that step of
57:22faith this morning. Step out of your
57:24chair. Tell your head, "No, I'm going to
57:28go." Tell your faith, "I'm going to make
57:31myself strong. I'm going to do what I've
57:34never done before so I can see what I've
57:37never seen before. I'm going to take the
57:40step I've never taken so I can
57:42experience what I've never experienced.
57:46Oh Jesus, do it, Lord. Confirm your word
57:49by signs following.
57:51We believe you will. Your word will not
57:54return unto you void, but it will
57:57accomplish.
57:59I pray the perfect love of Jesus Christ
58:01which silences and casts out all fear to
58:05be present in this house. Hallelujah.