Open Doors

Welcome to Sharper Sword, the publication ministry of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Lemon Grove, California.

Whitehouse believes that individuals can reach their potential for the Lord as they grow in Christ.

We want to hear our Lord say, Well done, thou good and faithful servant.

Let's join Pastor Doug Fisher as he preaches another important biblical message from the Word of God.

Good to have you here tonight.

Look at 1 Corinthians chapter number 3.

1 Corinthians chapter number 3.

And I want to ask you to look at a phrase tonight.

And I hope these words resonate with us tonight and that they kind of stick with us over the next few days.

1 Corinthians chapter number 3, and it's just a little phrase that, you know, you ever come across the phrase and it just kind of, you've read it before, but the Holy Ghost just kind of magnifies it.

And the great thing about the Word of God, it is alive.

And when we say it's alive, the way we know that is once in a while, uh something, the words on the page will come into our heart and won't leave us.

And they'll magnify in our hearts, and there's edification.

I want you to see 1 Corinthians 3 and look at verse number 9, and I want you to look at the first sentence and stop.

It says, For we are laborers together with God.

You say, sure.

No, wait a minute.

We get the opportunity to labor with the creator of this whole universe.

Now, wait, let wait, that's I mean, I don't know if I can do this justice tonight, but we get to work alongside God.

You say, sure, no, no, no.

We get to work alongside the one who spoke this into existence, that formed us of the dust, that breathed into us the breath of life, and we get the privilege of laboring beside him.

Because he's the one that's doing the work.

We just get to be the hands and the voice, if you would, that causes it to be manifest to people.

Brethren, we get to work together with God.

I'm going to say it again.

We get to work together with God.

There's people that wish they would have worked together more with God.

And we get that opportunity, and we ought to not take that privilege as just, well, sure, I get to come to church.

No, no, no, no.

We are honored and privileged to get to even understand what we understand that cause us to go out and want to do something for him.

Because our carnal mind would not understand this.

And he's revealed it to us.

Don't take for granted what you see up here, like, oh yeah, we're putting on a presentation.

Brethren, we get to labor with God.

We get to participate on Easter morning, Easter morning, and Easter evening, and we get to labor with God.

But leading up to that, the next couple days, we get to labor with God in a special way.

We're coming back here in a moment, but look at 2 Corinthians chapter number two.

2 Corinthians chapter number 2.

I almost want to take the whole message and just keep saying, we get to labor with God.

We get to work with God.

So when you go to bed tonight, I get to work with God.

When you get up in the morning, I got the opportunity to work with God.

Give me some tracks.

Let me put them in my hands.

Let me do something with him, because there's only so much time we have to do it.

Amen?

And it's only a little bit of time.

Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 2.

2 Corinthians 2 · chapter mention

Did I say that we get to labor with God?

I just want to make sure I get that one across.

2 Corinthians chapter 2.

2 Corinthians 2 · chapter mention

And notice verse number 12.

Verse number 12.

He says this furthermore, when I came to Troaz to preach Christ's gospel.

It's not our gospel, it's his gospel.

We get to labor with God and we get to use his gospel.

It's Christ's gospel, and we get to understand it.

Brethren, don't take it for granted.

Many, many, many, many in the world don't understand Christ's gospel.

We not only understand it, we get to give it out.

We get to work with it.

We get to work with people with it.

Remember, it's a broad way that leads to destruction.

It's a narrow path that leads to eternal life.

Come on, would you agree with that?

Many are not going to have that, but many have to have and need the opportunity to hear the Christ's gospel.

So he says, uh, to preach Christ's gospel and listen, and a door.

And a door was opened unto me of the Lord.

I know you know this, but a door was opened.

The door was open, an opportunity.

Let me let me equate a door open.

I must be cast on upon a certain island.

That's a door opening.

That's an island waiting for the gospel, but think of what it took to get there, the shipwreck.

Come on, stay with me.

The idea was a certain island was opened, and the door opened.

Come over into Macedonia and help us.

That was a door opening.

The door is an opportunity.

And brethren, we don't want to miss opportunities, business opportunities to do something for God for missions, spiritual opportunities, a calling of God to do something for Him.

What you're looking at up here, getting ready, is a door, an opportunity.

And we want God to empower and open that door in a special, special way.

And may I say to you, there's certain things that we're supposed to be doing.

It's a door, it's an opportunity.

Easter is another open opportunity in our culture.

Would you agree with that?

Easter, how many more Easters do you have on this earth?

Let me say that again.

How many more Easters do you get?

I'm in my 60s.

I might, I might get 20 more.

Maybe.

Only 20 more.

You say, what do you mean?

Then it's appointed to meet the one who gave us the opportunity.

What do you mean?

I might get 15 more Easters.

And then I'm going to meet him who gave me that opportunity to do something with that open door.

Come on, is that right?

That's right.

And the idea is this door, this opportunity, this concept of laboring with him and entering into this open opportunity that God supernaturally prepares ahead of us.

Now, stay with me.

Notice what he says in Colossians 4.

Stay right with me.

So we labor together with God.

Did I get that across?

We get to work with God.

And we work with him as he opens doors, supernatural opportunities.

But watch one of the things we're supposed to be doing.

It's depicted in the book of Colossians.

And remember, this is a letter to the Colossians, but it's the word of God inspired.

Look at Colossians chapter 4.

Colossians 4 · chapter mention

And notice what he says in verse number 2 continue in prayer.

And watch in the same with thanksgiving.

Withal, praying also for us that God would open unto us a door of utterance.

A door of utterance.

Lord, we're supposed to be continually in prayer with thanksgiving.

I want to pray with thanksgiving.

But Lord, would you open up a door of utterance?

Give us the opportunity, if you would, to utter something to someone who's supernaturally able to receive it.

Let me say it again.

Let me utter your gospel.

It's not my gospel, it's your gospel.

And when I utter it, would you reveal it unto them?

Because otherwise it's hid.

What do you mean?

The gospel is hid to those that are lost, but when God opens a door and opens their heart and we utter, brethren, I don't care what you say, we cannot convince someone to get saved.

We can persuade.

We can promote it.

We can tell them our presentation.

We can tell them our testimony, but we cannot, if you would, cause somebody to get saved without God doing something supernatural.

And we get to do that in a way of utterance.

And he says, here's what I want you to do.

I want you to pray.

I want you to pray that with all that God would open up a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ.

Brethren, I hope that we understand that we get that opportunity a few more days inviting people in.

And then Sunday morning at 9 and Sunday morning at 11 and Sunday morning at 6, we're praying for a door of utterance.

We're not doing all this just to entertain.

We're doing it to prophesy, to teach, to preach, to give edification.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if somebody gets saved during one of the songs that's being sung?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone gets saved because one of the drama people who's got a line that's something supernaturally empowered, and they say that line and it dawns on something and a door opens in their heart.

You say, can that happen?

Absolutely.

I'd rather that happen before we ever get to the preaching.

What do you mean?

I'd rather someone get saved during the presentation where we don't even get to the preaching, and all we have to do is just reel them in.

What do you mean, reel them in?

We don't have to do anything, he's already done.

All we have to do is say, now what can we help you with?

Because God opens that door.

And when you say reel them in, I'm talking about the net.

Drawing that net.

But please listen, the net is not drawn by a human, it's drawn by the Holy Ghost of God.

And if God doesn't draw, remember, it's Christ that's lifted up, but the revelation has to come because the gospel is hid to those that are lost.

And when we give them Christ's gospel, either in song or in the drum or in preaching, then God opens the heart and reveals, and that's that open door to that individual.

Come on, he's still with me.

And we get to labor with God.

Did I tell you about that already?

We get to work with Him, and we get to rejoice when He's glorified.

Now, this door of utterance is something we're supposed to pray for.

Look at the concept in the way of practicality.

Look at Acts chapter 11.

Acts 11 · chapter mention

Acts chapter number.

You're doing great tonight.

Acts chapter number 11.

I'm gonna bring this to a head in just a moment.

Acts chapter 11.

Acts 11 · chapter mention

So here's the concept of a door, here's the concept of utterance, here's the concept of prayer, here's the concept of God revealing something, here's the concept of opportunity.

Acts chapter 11.

Acts 11 · chapter mention

And notice if you would, look at verse number 19.

Verse number 19.

I love this little portion of scriptures.

Now they which were scattered abroad upon persecution, who was that?

Well, that was when Saul was wreaking havoc.

Isn't that interesting that God can use negative things that he says, oh no, I'll work all that together for good.

And when they were wreaking, when Saul was wreaking it, they were scattered abroad upon the persecution that rose about Stephen, and traveled as far as Phinease, Cyprus, Antioch, preaching the word to none but only unto the Jews only.

And some of them were men of Cyprus, Cyrene, which when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians.

Now they're going to talk to the not only the Jews, but the Gentiles, preaching the Lord Jesus Christ.

And the hand of the Lord was with them.

Stop right there.

We labored together with God.

We're supposed to pray with all.

We're supposed to pray that a door of utterance and what we want on Sunday and in our witnessing is the hand of the Lord was with them.

Please, God, your hand, your work, your opening their understanding.

Are you still with me tonight?

You say, is this important?

If it's important to God, it ought to be important to his laborers.

If it's important to God, the laborers ought to consider what the master wants as important.

The idea, he says, and the hand of the Lord was with them.

And a great number believed and turned unto the Lord.

Why?

Because God was opening their hearts and their minds.

Then tidings, word of this came, these things came into the ears of the church was at Jerusalem.

And they sent forth Barnabas that he should go as far as Antioch's.

Verse 23, who?

When he came and had seen the grace of God.

Brother, evidently you can see the grace.

What do you mean?

When he saw who got saved, he literally saw God's grace.

What do you mean?

When you see somebody that got saved, you're literally seeing the grace of God.

Because it's unmerited favor that people get saved.

Come on, would you agree with that?

And if we see people saved, we'll get to see the grace of God in action.

Why?

We get to labor with Him.

And it builds our faith that there is a God.

And by the way, there is a God.

He's ruling and reigning tonight.

The idea is they saw the grace of God and was glad.

Exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.

There should be a bit of gladness about what we get to do for Him.

There ought to be a certain amount of joy, but it's not our joy, it's His joy in us.

Would you agree with that?

And when we're involved, and when we're praying, and when we're seeking a door of utterance, and God, we need your hand to come with us.

And Lord, we're literally saying, we're reminding ourselves tonight, we labor with you.

We're yoked with you.

We're combined with you, but without you, we know we can do nothing.

We might be able to give a gospel tract, but nothing happens without a door.

Nothing happens without that door of utterance.

Nothing happens without that heart open.

Come on, would you agree with that?

And the idea is all this presentation, all the work going on, all the drama, all the playing, all the singing, all the preaching and everything that we're doing to accomplish this, if one soul gets saved, then we get to see the grace of God.

But it's not just for entertainment, it's for edification of the saints.

We hope that somebody comes in and gets their faith gets built.

I hope, hey, look, I don't know what you're planning on, but I hope if you really just want to have a good Easter, just come to every service.

I'm not saying that like obligation.

You say, why would I come?

I see it once that it.

You're missing it, laborer.

No, I saw it once, that's it.

You're missing it, laborer.

Well, you mean no?

I saw it once, I don't want to see it again.

You're missing it, laborer.

What's wrong with coming and praying that the door of utterance opens while the presentation is going on, even though you saw it before?

Well, I saw it already.

I don't want to see it again and know what they're gonna do.

It's not for you, man.

Now you may see it one time and get something, you may see it another time and get something else.

You may see it a third time and go away and go, I really got something.

But even if you get nothing, we ought to be laboring with God and withal, be praying that a door of utterance be open while it's going on.

I mean, sitting in here three times is not that big a sacrifice, martyr.

I'm being a little, I'm being a little sarcastic, but come on, we're not martyrs.

We're sitting in lumbar-supported pews.

We put the lumbar support in there.

You paid for it.

We got air conditioning and lighting.

Even if you come in and say, I'm so tired I might fall asleep.

So pray for 10 minutes, fall asleep.

We'll wake you up when we're done.

But even if you come in and pray, hey, be here at the 9 o'clock service.

Why I wasn't planning on coming to that.

Well, what are you doing?

You get up and go to work, get up and come to work.

We're laborers.

You get up at work, I gotta be at work at 7.

So be at church at nine and labor.

And then stay at 11 and labor and come back at 6.

No, I've already saw it.

I I got stuff to do on Sunday night.

Really?

What about laboring?

What about taking another opportunity on Easter and sitting here and pray a little while while the singing's going on, while the drama presentation is going on, while the preaching is going on, and laboring with him that a door of utterance would be opened to that one who slips in that's visiting that night.

You never know who's gonna walk in.

You never know.

Well, I'm not, they get the little things, they get the little tracks.

Brother, we're doing, there's 19 military housing areas.

19 military housing areas.

We've covered eight of them so far.

We got 11 more to go, and a lot of them's right around our area here.

And we're asking for help on Saturday to finish those 11.

They say, What are we doing?

We're going by a door and we're giving putting one of those little tracks on there that says the times.

And then we're trusting God that someone will pick that up, or somebody that's walking by and will give it to them and invite them.

Come on, you still with me?

And they'll look and go, Well, I could slip in over there, that's not too far from here.

Because the other 11 housing areas are right in this area, down 94, and right up this way, and not too far away.

And even if one or two people see that and say, you know what, it's Easter.

Let's let's slip, it's not too far away.

Let's slip.

Hey, they got one at nine, let's go early.

They got another one at 11, we'll go to that one.

Or they got one at six.

What do we do on Easter night at six?

Let's just let's just run over there and see what they got.

Come on, is that right?

So we want to hit those another those other 11 areas and get this done.

We've been working at it.

We got eight areas on the outline done, and now we're coming in close on Saturday morning.

Uh, we would like for y'all to come out and labor.

Did I mention we labor together with God?

I'd love for us to come out and labor together with God and hit those other 11 areas and get these things and see what God does.

We are a church that we believe we're called to reach military.

We're called to reach all kinds of people.

And and by the way, you can talk about languages, you know, different languages.

We're called to reach different languages, we're called to reach different nationalities.

May I say we're called to reach the military because it's its own nationality with its own language.

Would you agree with that?

And God brings them here, and we're called to reach them, and this church is called to reach that particular ministry.

Um, when the service is over, uh, we need to get a little indication of who might be coming.

And uh, Brother Jason McCord, where you at, Jason?

Right here, is gonna be out in the lobby.

Just go up to him and say, Hey, I'm gonna be there Saturday at 9:30, and I'll go out and hit an area.

All you have to do is be given an area, and you can go out in your own car and hit that area.

And if you'll help us, we can get this done.

You say, Why?

We're labors together with God.

We have a certain area in our own Jerusalem that we're supposed to hit.

We're supposed to, we're supposed to go, when I say hit it, we're supposed to go into that area and give out the gospel.

It's not our gospel, it's Christ's gospel.

But brethren, we're supposed to pray with or with all the doors open, and somebody gets one of those, and I can tell you this.

Now, I've been here a while, and I've seen on the cards, how did you learn about the church?

Two tracks were left on my door.

Listen to me, one at Christmas and one at Easter.

I've seen that card.

What do you mean?

They got a card at Christmas and they didn't come.

They got another card at Easter and they came.

That's a true story.

I talked to one family a couple years back and I said, How'd you learn about church?

Well, we pulled into military housing, and when we got there, there were three of your uh uh pamphlets on the door.

Uh one for God and country, one for Christmas, and one for Easter, and they were just hanging there, and nobody had moved into that one for a while, so we opened the door and they were all in the door.

And so we came.

Yeah, nobody came because we put that out, nobody came.

You never know.

I mean, they they literally said there was.

One for Christmas, and there was one for Easter, and there was one for God and country.

It says it on there.

And so we decided, okay, we're coming.

I'm telling you, this stuff still works.

I know billboards work, I know radio commercials work, but just going to somebody's door works too.

It still works.

And so the idea is we labor together with God.

9:30 Saturday, we want to finish those 11 areas.

But we want to pray leading up to it.

Now, look back where we were at 1 Corinthians chapter 3.

1 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

1 Corinthians chapter 3, where it says we're laborers.

1 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

We're laborers.

Stay with me.

You're doing great tonight.

I hope you'll take the moment when we get out of service this tonight, walk out to the lobby, see Brother McCord, and say, hey, I'll be there at 9:30.

So he can get an idea of what we need in the way of areas.

And we want you to go, and even if you gave 45 minutes out there, you know how many doors you can go through and put something on in 45 minutes?

And there's nothing wrong if somebody's walking by and saying, Hey, you got a minute I'd like to invite you.

I want to tell you, for Easter, they typically do not get offended.

It's Easter, man.

They typically don't get offended when you say, hey, it's Easter.

When you say it's Easter, or you say Resurrection Sunday, or whatever you say, the idea is they go, oh yeah, is it?

Yeah, oh yeah.

And you know what some of them think?

I used to go to church on Easter.

You say, you mean Baptist?

Oh no, they could have gone to all kinds of different churches on Easter.

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter where they went as long as they come here and they hear the gospel.

They hear it either in the singing, they hear it in the drama, or they hear it in the preaching, and God reveals something to them.

That's the importance.

So look at 1 Corinthians 3.

Stay right with me.

Let's remind ourselves of something.

He says this in verse number 5: Who then is Paul and who's Apollos?

But ministers by whom ye believed.

Now remember, you don't believe because of the ministers, but the ministers are necessary.

They're the hands, they're the mouths, those are the distributors, if you would, but ministers whom you believe, even as the Lord gave to every man.

I've planted.

Every man.

I've planted.

A Paul is water.

But then we realize this plant all you want, water all you want, but we need to pray for God to give the increase.

And then he says this, so neither is he that planteth anything.

We're unprofitable servants.

That's what that means.

We've done that which is work commanded.

Neither is he that planteth anything.

And you say, wait a minute, I'm somebody.

We're unprofitable servants.

We get to labor beside the Lord.

Amen?

Neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase.

Twice, verse 6.

God gave the increase, God giveth the increase.

Lord, when we put these in the door, give the increase.

When we give them out on the streets, when we give them out in the bus ministry, give the increase.

Because the first service on Sunday morning, we're bringing in buses.

And there will be bus, bus people brought in, bus, bus riders.

And bus riders are church people.

Young and old, they're church people.

They just come on our buses.

But we'll have at the 9 o'clock service, we'll have regular people stopping in, the early birds.

Come on, is that right?

Say, don't you all have a sunrise service?

No.

I'm all for sunrise services, but we got three services and we're gonna go with that.

Amen.

If you want to get up at sunrise and have a service, please do that.

God bless you.

But some of us will be up praying.

Because praying with all.

But nine o'clock, we'll do the buses, 11 o'clock normal, then uh then six o'clock at night, and don't think people don't come at night, too.

And notice what this verse eight, now he that planteth and he that watereth are one.

I want you to see that both he that planteth you're nothing, you're not anything, or that watereth you're not anything.

Because if God doesn't increase, it doesn't grow.

He that planteth and he that watereth are one.

Remember, the one there is, they work together in harmony.

One planteth, one watereth, but neither one of them are anything, but it's important that they labor as ministers, every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.

For we are laborers together with God.

Now somebody says, I'm not worried about the rewards.

I'm not worried about it either, but may I say something to you?

We ought to want to be rewarded by God because it's his good pleasure to give us the kingdom.

And if it's his good pleasure in rewarding us, then we ought to labor for his pleasure.

And we labor together with him, a door open.

And we're going out a little bit more, uh, if you would, on Saturday, 9.30 again.

We get to labor together with him.

If you got a little time, or you say, you know, I can't come all the way to the church, see Brother McCord tonight if you want to go military, and he'll set you up tonight.

He'll show you a place tonight on a map, and he'll give you, you get gospel tracts tonight, and you can just go right in there and do your, do your do your own on your own thing.

That's no problem.

Or if you want to go bus visiting, we got bus routes going out.

We've got our Filipino ministry that meets and they go out.

My point is, brethren, this is a good Saturday to go out.

Do something in the way of laboring for him.

It's not a you don't have to be a good talker just to put something on track on a door.

You say, can we knock on the door?

Of course you can knock on the door.

Well, can we talk to somebody?

Of course, if you want to talk to somebody, you can.

Absolutely.

But if you if you don't, you can just go through and knock and and and hit a hit a hundred doors or so.

Brethren, wouldn't that be something if you walk by, throw something in there, and those people go, Yeah, we'll come, we'll be there.

We've just been thinking about going to church.

Don't tell me God doesn't do that stuff supernaturally.

That door can get opened, like there's a eunuch reading the word of God, and Philip comes by led of the Spirit.

Come on, is that right?

Hey, he's this eunuch eunuch, high, high level, important person, well to do, no doubt, is sitting there reading, and Philip comes by, led by the Spirit of God, and said, Knowest what thou readest?

And he said, How can I know unless a man teach me?

And Philip starts teaching him, and God opens the guy's heart.

Come on, is that right?

Because, hey, Philip can plant or Philip can water, but Philip's a nobody.

What do you mean he's a nobody?

He's in this scripture as a not anything.

You say, why do you say that?

He that planteth, he is water is nothing.

It's God that gives the increase.

But Philip's a minister.

And Philip gets to minister.

And God wants us to be down here as ambassadors.

Come on, is that right?

Representing his gospel.

And so Philip teaches him something, and the eunuch says, Well, then what does hinders me to be baptized?

He got it.

He got it.

He understood it because God opened his understanding.

What a great thing to be a part of.

Don't tell me Philip wasn't glad, because when people get saved, people get glad.

Then he says, This, if you would, in verse number nine, we are laborers together with God.

Ye are God's husbandry.

Husbandry.

A husbandry is a couple different things.

It's either agricultural or agricultural or it's like sheep herding.

Come on, is that right?

When you think of husbandry, you can think of either agricultural farming or you can think of the animals that eat the feed, and it's the combination, if you would, of the concept of a husbandry.

We're farming something, we're growing something.

Sheep are getting born.

I should say getting born again.

Amen.

So the idea is the husbandry in year God's building.

Now, with that in mind, let's remind ourselves of one thing.

One thing real important.

Look at Luke 9.

Luke chapter 9.

Luke 9 · chapter mention

Watching your time tonight.

We're good.

Luke chapter number 9.

We get this opportunity, and we ought to take advantage that it's revealed to us and that we get the opportunity.

Now, let's remind ourselves something.

This is not meant to be a negative, but it's a reminder.

Luke chapter 9.

Luke 9 · chapter mention

And why would we go and what would stop us?

Well, look at Luke 9.

And notice verse 26.

For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and his fathers, and of the holy angels.

I want to want you to see that again.

One of the things we don't want to do is be ashamed.

We don't want to be ashamed of him.

We don't want to be ashamed of his words.

No doubt somebody's gonna say something to you or challenge you or what are you doing, or Bible thumper, or call you something.

Brethren, brethren, they call Jesus worse than that.

They've done worse to Jesus, and we should not be ashamed of either Jesus or his words.

It's a privilege.

It's an honor.

If we're ashamed, it's because we're thinking too much about ourselves.

Come on, is that right?

I mean, I've been embarrassed before, so have you.

I've been a little afraid before, so have you.

But not let's not be ashamed.

Well, what are they gonna do?

Call us a name?

Say you shouldn't be doing that?

I want to tell you, in my experience, a lot of people are very positive.

Like, thank you.

Like, thanks for inviting me.

Like, I'll consider it.

Even if they're not, they're kind.

You know, like I'll consider it.

Brother, I want to tell you something.

You're looking at a guy that that received some gospel tracts, stuck them in his pocket and said, I'll consider it, and I wasn't telling them the truth.

I thought.

What do you mean?

I said, I'll consider it.

Stuck in my pocket and thought, oh, there's Bible thumpers.

Brother, I'm gonna tell you the same ones I stuck in my pocket, I threw up on a shelf and threw it two or three months later, I pulled them down in the middle of the night and read them.

Because when I told him, I'll consider it, I wasn't planning on it, but God was planning on having me consider it.

So when I said to the human, I'll consider it, it was like, you know, go on, leave me alone.

You know, I'll consider it.

I was trying to be kind, I'll consider it.

Stuck them in my pocket, went home, forgot, you know, threw them up on a shelf.

Until God woke me up in the middle of the night and I had three of those up there.

And when I opened them up and read them, I considered it.

Why?

Because the heart was now open.

And I wonder if somebody had been praying.

That that door of veterans, and when I read it, God began to give the increase.

It took a little bit to get saved, but God began to give the increase.

So when somebody says, I'll consider it, and you think, no, you're not, they may just be saying it, but later on, God may say, Oh, you're considerate.

Wait till I wake you up in the middle of the night and scare you with hell.

Brethren, uh, I got I got scared one night about dying.

I still remember it.

I woke up in like cold sweats, and I was afraid of dying.

Some having compassion.

Come on, is that right?

Others with fear.

And that night I woke up deathly afraid, and I thought, there's gotta be more than this.

In a lost condition, I woke up at three in the morning in Beauford, South Carolina in cold sweat, got up, went out and picked up those dust-covered gospel tracts and started reading them that night, and it began to illuminate me.

So, you know, I'll consider it.

I'm glad someone gave me every one of those tracks.

One was at a hospital, one was on a street corner, and one was two guys knocking on my door.

True story.

So when I said, I'll consider it, I wasn't gonna consider it, but God was gonna wake me up and have me consider it.

And brethren, I got saved, amen.

But they didn't know they were giving a gospel tract to a future preacher.

You never know who we're gonna give it to.

Come on, is that right?

Hey, Paul witnessed to a few people that became significant in the spreading of the gospel, but we cannot be ashamed.

Lord, please get me over my apprehensions for what I need is even if I'm not normally outgoing, help me to be outgoing for the gospel's sake.

Help me to be a minister, even though I know I can't save anybody, I'm still supposed to be a minister.

I'm putting the hands out, I'm putting my heart out, I'm using my voice if I have it.

The idea is I want to be a minister and co-labor and labor with you.

Now, last thing tonight, let's remind ourselves in this thing in prayer.

Look at 1 Corinthians 16.

Please, 1 Corinthians 16.

Everybody all right tonight?

We labor together.

9 30 Saturday morning, if you can come out or see Jason tonight or bus calling.

All of us can pray.

Every one of us can pray.

Excuse me.

1 Corinthians 16.

So let's see this, and then we'll be finished in this exhortation tonight of the scriptures.

1 Corinthians 16.

Notice verse number nine.

Verse number nine.

For a great door, a great opportunity, a supernatural opening, an effectual is open unto me.

And then he says this there's many adversaries.

There's much that's opposing me.

There's much that would want to hinder me.

There's what much that would want to stop me.

And brethren, uh, we who've been involved, you've been involved in the in the spiritual battle of the Great Commission and the gospel going out.

You know, without a shadow of doubt, sometimes there's things that's going on that is spiritual warfare.

Come on.

You know things are not just coincidentally happening, but some of the negatives are orchestrated.

Come on, is that right?

Now we can look at it one of two ways.

One of the things we've tried to term around here is negative confirmation.

What do you mean negative confirmation?

This is happening that's negative, that's happening that's negative, this is happening that's negative.

We must be on track.

We must be close to something good in that door that's going to happen because there's too much supernatural negative going on.

And it's confirmation that this thing is real.

I want to tell you, if you go into a country and you're walking around with a gun and you never run into the enemy, you're kind of saying, What am I doing here?

Why am I even here?

But when you engage the enemy, you go, Oh, this is real.

This is a real thing.

And brother, I want to tell you something.

Sometimes what adversaries do and why God allows that, it makes it more real to us.

It makes it more understanding that this is really something that's happening that God's involved with, because look at all the negative coming at me.

And that's why it's good to pray for that hedge of protection, and that's why it's good to be two and two collectively in prayer, uh being a part of a group, being a part of a local church, being a part of a family, so we don't turn and run.

We don't cut and run.

Come on, you still with me or not?

The old days of the Civil War where the skirmish lines are, they try to keep rank, shoulder to shoulder.

And you you you you you you don't cut and run.

There's certain units that are famous from the Civil War that they stood in adversity and kept on going, shoulder to shoulder.

Uh, what would they say?

In the military, they'll say once in a while, uh, close up ranks.

You'll stand in military formation and they'll say, uh, dress right, dress, and say you dress right, dress, which means uh look to your right, make sure you're in line, make sure you're spacing right, a ready front, your arms go down, and then they'll say uh cover.

Sometimes they'll say close rank.

And when you do, you you do this, you scoot together, you close rank.

That's from the old days of the skirmish lines.

What does that mean?

When the guy beside you fall, close ranks.

Don't let a gap appear.

Because that gap is dangerous.

What's the gap dangerous about?

When you're with somebody right next to somebody, shoulder to shoulder, there's a confidence, there's a momentum.

There's a we're gonna do this thing, we're gonna keep going.

If the gap gets too large and you get separated, that's when you cut and run.

Come on, are you still with me?

That's the old idea.

And brethren, the church can't get separated.

It's got to keep rank, and then it's got to close rank and it's got to keep shoulder to shoulder.

And if you watch, they'll practice in those skirmish lines and move forward.

By the way, they did this in the old days with the old centurion formations in the Roman Guard.

Are you still with me?

They called it a phalanx.

And they would have it in a wedge formation, and there was power in that wedge formation when they closed up rank, and usually the centurion, the leader of a hundred men, would be at the tip of the spear at the point of the whole thing.

And he was a brave, brave warrior, and they all respected him.

And when he led in, they went with him and they weren't in line in those days, they would be in wedge.

Do you know even tanks today fight in wedge?

When you see tanks going on, they'll sometimes be across in skirmish line.

But I've been in the back of a tank before where we got into a wedge formation and moved through the objective in the wedge formation, and I was in the back in a troop carrier, or one time I was riding up in the front in the tank as one of the, as one of the communicators for the guys in the back, and that wedge formation is still tanks use it today.

What?

There's power in being, if you would, in that in that formation where the person next to you, come on, let's go.

Come on, let's keep, come on, close ranks.

Hang in there, stay in there, keep rank.

You'll see keeping rank in the Old Testament.

Come on, is that right?

And what we're trying to do on this this prayer thing and this this Easter is close ranks.

Keep going.

Hey, people get sick, pray for them, care for them, and keep going.

Come on, is that right?

I'm not talking about we don't we go back and get our wounded.

I'm not saying anything like that.

I'm not saying we don't care about people, but brother, we we we don't let adversity stop us.

And there's all kinds of things that want to pull us away.

There's all kinds of things that want to turn our head away from what we're supposed to be doing.

There's all kinds of problems that arise that want to turn our head away from the focus of what we're doing and the gospel going forth.

And it's okay to turn your head just for a moment and glance and then keep going forward.

Because I want to tell you, one person that breaks ranks and gaps that thing can cause the whole momentum and the spirit and the attitude.

Stay with me.

You can lose it, and there can be a cowardly factor.

God says perseverance.

God says, keep rank, God says close it up.

God says keep it going.

Please listen to me.

Because the whole idea is there's safety in winning the battle.

We all win together, we're we're we're safe that way.

We gain confidence.

You say it's almost like you're you're thinking this is a military unit.

Aren't we called soldiers?

Yes, sir.

Aren't we told to endure hardness as good soldiers?

Isn't David called a man of war?

Come on, isn't he called that?

Isn't doesn't God refer to himself as a warrior?

Come on.

I'm telling you that there's military terminology that go along with this.

And we need to keep the ranks closed up, keep it going, keep the spirit right.

Brethren, I want to tell you something.

Uh negativity like gossip, busybody stuff.

Uh uh, this is wrong, that's wrong.

We know it, but let's keep going.

We'll fix that, we'll fix that later.

What do you mean?

Take the objective, then we'll go sweep up the battlefield.

You say, you really think that way?

Yeah, let's get these 11 housing units done.

Let's get that bus route visited.

Let's get those.

Hey, I appreciate our bus ministry going out, getting up early Sunday morning, go out and get them ready to go and get them lined up and get them picked up and bring them in.

And who knows who's gonna bring friends?

Oh, yeah, I'm bringing my family and we asked the neighbors to come with us too.

They weren't going anywhere for Easter, so we asked them to come to church.

If the bus is coming, there's room on the bus.

Come on, is that right?

And we always get extra visitors on the bus.

We do, because people bring people on Easter.

Are you still with me?

Did I tell you what?

Labors together with God.

And we're good soldiers and we get this opportunity.

And I want to ask you again, how many more Easters do you have?

What do you mean?

Why do you say that?

Because we only get so many.

And by the way, we think, I'm saying I get 15.

We don't know.

This may be it.

You say, no, no, there'll be more.

I know we think there'll be more.

I'm planning on 15, 18 more.

20 more, maybe.

If the trumpet blows, that's it.

Or if something happens to us as individuals, that's it.

You never know what tomorrow brings.

We ought to take advantage of the opportunity of the open door.

The supernatural opportunity where God goes before us, prepares the way, like he did at Macedonia with a Philippian jailer.

What do you mean?

What'd they go in there for?

Evidently, for a Philippian jailer and his family was part of the ones they went for.

Who?

You know, the ones that got beat that day before they went to jail.

You know, the ones that sang praises, those two at midnight.

Beaten.

But they didn't break rank.

And the door opened when God shook the jail.

The doors flew open, and Paul cried out from the darkness, we are all here, do thyself no harm.

And the Philippian jailer comes in and falls down on his knees and says, Sirs.

This is the guy that he put in the stocks, the two guys that he was told to keep, he put them in stocks.

And now he's saying, sirs.

And you know the rather story.

Tell me what it is.

What must I do to be saved?

That's an open heart.

That's a heart prepared.

They knew what to tell him.

That night, if I remember correctly, he got saved and he didn't worry about his magistrates.

He took them to his house and started washing their wounds.

He didn't care about what the magistrates were going to say.

Hey, evidently the Philippine jailer got saved that night.

And he took them to his house, washed their wounds, and then doesn't it say that his whole household got saved?

Man, what a good reason to go to Macedonia.

Why, a door was opened.

Wouldn't that be something if a whole family gets saved on Easter?

You say that's impossible.

It's not impossible.

A husband and wife could get saved on Easter.

A whole family could get saved.

Let's believe that God's still able.

Adversaries, adversities, oppositions, things that want to cause us to lose focus, our own spirits being, you know, up and down a little bit.

Yeah.

Irritated a little bit.

Yeah, you might get that.

Things happening, yeah, that negative confirmation that we're engaging the enemy.

Please look at, and the enemy doesn't like it.

Why wouldn't the enemy like it?

If someone gets saved, they worship God and stop worshiping the devil.

Yeah, they're not worshiping the devil.

If they're not worshiping the true God, who are they worshiping?

You either worship the true God or you worship anything else which is not true and it's false.

And principalities and powers do not like us leading people to worship and magnify and glorify the true God.

But we get the opportunity to labor with the true God.

And we ought to take advantage of that.

I bring this to you again, praying with all at a door of utterance.

Thank you for listening to this message by Pastor Doug Fisher of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Lemon Grove, California.

To learn more about Lighthouse Baptist Church, visit our website at www.lighthousebaptist.com or call six one nine four six one fifty five sixty one.