Sermon
Vision Keepers - AFC Vision
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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Thanks for checking out the Anchor Faith Message podcast
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from St. Augustine, FL.
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Now enjoy this message. Read second Peter chapter one,
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verse 12 says. Therefore I will.
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Always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you
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already know them and have been established in the truth which
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is present with you. Verse 13 I consider it right as
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long as I am in this earthly dwelling to stir you up by way
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of reminder. One of the most difficult tasks
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that I have at the end of the year is determining what to say
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at the end of the year, especially when the Lord's
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telling me about next year. Because the Lord's talking.
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To me about next year. I want to be able to jump over
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into next year, but it's not time.
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And so at that point, I'm like, OK, Lord, what am I doing until
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we get there? What do we say, you know,
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because when he begins to already reveal things, you get
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so excited. You ready to talk about it?
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OK. So, you know, as we've kind of
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looked in these last few months and we're really in these last
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few weeks, you know, there's some things that have been
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pretty consistent that's been spoken either on a Sunday and on
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a Wednesday. Now this past Sunday was, you
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know, a little bit different move.
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But that is intentional for things that are coming in 2024.
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And if you weren't here on Sunday, you need to go online
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and listen, it will drop tomorrow.
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We're talking about, you know, being caught up, OK.
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When the Lord comes back and the trumpet blows and we're caught
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up together with the hem in the air, there are some things that
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will happen there. And the Bible is very clear
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about that. That's technically not been
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taken into that context, even though the Scripture says it
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emphatically. And I will say for those who
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have studied, the point on Sunday was not to let you know
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of Jesus coming in the cloud, whether it was him coming to
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receive the church or him coming to put his foot down and reign
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for 1000 years. The point was every time there
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was a reference of cloud, you could see him.
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That was the point. OK, But we'll talk more about
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that on Sunday. But Pastor Marcy, you know, I
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was out, you know, ministered on unity and we've talked about the
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church and we've been kind of dealing with the church and
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talking about things that are happening.
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Pastor Angie really launched this.
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And when I, we were out of the country and I said I I need you
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to minister on this thought process because we know there's
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a lot coming down range next year.
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And so then I felt like I needed to jump in with that and
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continue that thought. And then Pastor Marcy kind of
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stayed in that vein as well. And then obviously Sunday I
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started some preparation for next year, but tonight and I
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know I'm doing it with the lesser group.
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And when I say lesser, not lesser in people, but lesser in
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number, we have less here tonight than we typically do on
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Sunday. And this really is a Sunday
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message. OK.
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But the reality is, if you get it, then everyone who shows up
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on Sunday will get it. If you get it, then everyone
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else on Sunday. Gets it?
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Because the reality is, when you start talking about vision,
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vision always starts with a smaller group of people.
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And it is, it is, it is given and then caught by that group to
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where they sell out to it. And then that group then because
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of all of them selling out to that vision, are able to
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convince others to become a part of that.
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Vision. So vision doesn't start with the
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crowd. Vision starts with those that
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are showing signs of dedication. Are you?
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Hearing me, I'm going to take you back in time, back in 2003
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when I knew that I was going to be moving and coming to Saint
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Augustine to launch Anchor Faith Church, of which we launched the
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church April 11th, 22,004 and it'll be 20 years this.
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April OK, coming up when I knew that this is going to happen.
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Then I began to go to a group of people, individually or the
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couple. If it was husband and wife.
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Pastor Mike and Angie were one of those.
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In fact, Pastor Marcus was there, and Pastor Mark was there
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as well. Was he not that night that we
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went to? What was that breakfast place?
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Denny's, Denny's or Village Inn? One of those?
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I think it was Denny's, anyway. So I showed up with my little
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piece of paper, because I had a piece of paper only because I
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have a pastor who needs to see the vision written.
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I couldn't just speak to him. But the reality is it's
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scriptural and let's read that scripture real quick.
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You understand it. Habakkuk, Chapter 2, verses two
Habakkuk 2 chapter mention
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and three says this. And the Lord answered me and
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said record the vision and inscribe it on tablets that the
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one who reads it may what may run notice, the one who reads.
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It's not just to rejoice. The one who reads does not just
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say, well, that's awesome. Well, that was a good read.
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Well, I read it. Hope, hope, hope you do.
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Well, wow, that's a great vision.
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God's giving you, OK? That the one who reads it may
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what run for the vision is yet for the appointed time it
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hastens towards the goal. It will not fail, though it
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Terry's wait for it, for it will certainly come.
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It will not delay. And so I wrote my vision down
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because I was when the Lord told me I was going to go and I was
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going to, you know, talk to pastor about it.
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And I knew I was going to let him know that I was time for me
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to do what he knew I was going to do when he hired me.
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And that is Pioneer Church. I said, now Lord, you know,
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Pastor David, he needs to see this.
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I'm not going to be able to go in there and just tell him, I
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think he, I know he's going to want to see this.
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So I need to know some things that are going to happen.
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Because I'm Abraham. Get up and go to the place.
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I'll show you. You can tell me why we're loaded
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up in EU Haul on the way. OK, that's me.
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I can get direction en route. Whereas Pastor David was Moses.
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I need to see the plan and I owed him that because he had, he
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had done so much for me in developing me as a young
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minister. OK?
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And so I God knew what he needed.
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So God gave me some phases of the ministry, 3 phases only
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actually, and I was able to articulate them.
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And Joshua Clay and I cause Joshua's in our youth ministry.
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He taught me Coreldraw. I used to work in graphic design
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with him when it came to our youth ministry.
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And from that I created a logo. No one has ever seen that.
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Logo. It did not make the cut for me.
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It. Was just an initial and then
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later on I didn't like it. So it never made it and you'll
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never see it because I don't have a copy of it and I'm not
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going to explain it. It isn't worth it, all right.
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With that being said, I had my logo on it.
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I did have the name Anchor Faith.
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That didn't change. And and then had phases, some
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demographics. And I went and met with him, and
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I handed that to him. Since that took place.
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I went to those that had made a statement to me when I was in
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Bible college. They said, you know, if you ever
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start a church or, you know, let us know, we could see ourselves
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doing ministry with you. Now what's crazy about that?
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It was already a Holy Ghost connection because I'm not
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talking anything like, hey, you know, I'm going to do this.
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And this is our. I mean, I don't even have a
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vision for a church. I just know I'm going to start
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one one day. I knew that.
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OK, so there was something on the other side.
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And we went to Denny's and Marcus and Pastor Marcus and
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Pastor Mark were there. And, you know, we all kind of
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got together, although they technically were just hanging
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out. I was, you know, mainly talking
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to them. I think they were eavesdropping,
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ultimately. But they were teen at, yeah.
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I mean, no. I mean.
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Pastor Mark was at Raima. He was first and yeah.
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'Cause we left in 2003, so he'd have been in.
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He'd have been first year. It's your first year.
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And Pastor Mark was in his second year.
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So we're talking about this thing, you know, this is where
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we're at. So this is what I thought,
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figured at least these people to pray for me.
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At the end of the day, they'll pray for me.
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And so I ended up casting Vision to them.
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Pastor Marcus, we didn't really cast Vision to Pastor Mark.
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We just got him out of a dead end life in Texas and Pastor
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Marcus basically called him up and says what are you doing with
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your life? And he said nothing, going to
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church. I mean, he really wouldn't do
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anything. And he says, well, why don't you
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come to Florida? You know, Pastor Earl's starting
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to church and we need a drummer. You graduated from Raymond.
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Do something with your life. Well, I'm glad Pastor Mark
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answered because now he's that Anchor Fate Church pastor for
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over 11 years in one location. Now.
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Amen. Ain't that amazing?
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So there were some other people that I went to.
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Some came to me once. They heard and said we see
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ourselves there. And then when I got here, I knew
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some people that had said something before went by.
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And so in essence, I. Communicated the vision.
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And when we started Anchor Feed Church, it was in my house.
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The Lord let me know you're not going to just start this thing
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in the house. Like we're adding people like we
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have them Bible study. We did not have Bible studies at
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our house. I had no open meeting at my
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house. I had only those who had agreed
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to be a part of it. So they were like my leadership
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team. And all I did was cast Vision
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and I would talk to them about what we were going to do and
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what we're going to do. And I sold this to about a group
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of maybe 11-12 at the time. That was it.
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So in essence, we had something before it became popular, and
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that is go plant a church with a team.
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God assembled my team. OK, I didn't pull this out of a
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book. I didn't get this from some
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seminar. I was just being led by the
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Spirit on how to do something, OK?
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And I was very challenging to them.
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I would let them know if you're coming, don't come because of
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me. You better come because you see
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yourself in the vision and that made the difference.
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I remember Pastor Mike and I after they had moved and they
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were working at the boys home and we were doing Saturday
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morning prayer on the beach. Back in the day, we used to walk
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the beach because we have a building.
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You know, we were up, we were at a school, set up, teardown, and
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on Saturday we were praying, walking the beach.
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And I looked over at him and I said, so if you had
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opportunities to leave, he said, Oh yeah, I said, aren't you glad
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you knew you were called to this vision?
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He said, absolutely, 'cause it's the difference.
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Are you hearing me? It's the difference.
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And when I talked to pastors today and let them know that my
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associates been with me for 20 years and that my worship
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minister has been with me longer than 20 years because we've been
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in two locations, but in this location been with me the whole
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time, it blows their mind. But what they miss is that I
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didn't hire them. Although they're hired now, you
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know, their own staff. I did not hire them.
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I cast a vision of which they saw themselves in it.
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And so that becomes my demand, because it's God's demand.
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I said it's God's demand. Are you hearing me?
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So we're going somewhere. I think we've just gotten
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started. In fact, I know we have because,
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well, you know, there's a prophecy concerning some things
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that we'll share next year. And you know, technically you'll
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see that prophecy. Just let us know that we finally
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got the foundation done. Hallelujah, We'll say well and
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took you 20 years to build a foundation.
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Well, don't you know the longer the foundation it is, the higher
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the building can. Be.
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Hallelujah. And the higher the building
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means the more people they can support.
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Amen. Because there is an in time
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harvest over into a catching away harvest and man we need to
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be a part of it. Are you hearing me now?
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Just to remind you this word here, record the vision, right?
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Inscribing on tablets it goes. On and it says.
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That the one who reads it may run another translation says the
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one that may read it fluently and is to proclaim.
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It. So it's not about reading and
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forgetting because now we're James, you know, one where he
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says you know you got to be a doer the word and not hearers
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destiny. Girl, come on.
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Come on, Destiny. Come on, let's give it up for
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Destiny right here. Destiny have was dropping to
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three pointers yesterday at the game.
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Man, she was like throwing down. We won like 88 to 56 or
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something like that. They dominated yesterday.
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You played an awesome game. I just want to let you know that
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it's awesome. If you weren't there, we missed
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out. We have another one coming up on
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January the 6th on a Saturday. Home game.
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So let's pack it out with Anchor Faith.
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Let let's go over into the guest stands because we have so many
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people there. That'd be kind of pandemonium,
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wouldn't it? All right.
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So again, it's it's not just to read and walk away and forget.
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It is the fluently know it and then proclaim it.
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You should be at articulate what we're doing and the reality is
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for us to be doing what God's called us to do.
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There's a lot going on now we understand this vision takes
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time to accomplish and and modern day church planting is
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they don't want to wait. Now getting people is not is not
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the goal, Discipling people is the goal.
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And I'm going to give you my analogy again because they're
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using Hastings. If you go to Hastings, there's a
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lot of farms out there. And if you plant 10 acres with
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potatoes, OK And you see the little greenery come up and
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you're like, oh, there's potatoes or cabbage.
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Oh, that's that's cabbage out there.
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But then there's a guy's got 1000 acres and you see the
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green? Oh, that's cabbage.
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But if at the at harvest time, the 10 acre guy, every one of
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his plants produce everyone. But you get over to the thousand
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acre guy and all he produces amounts to about 5 acres.
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Who was the more successful farmer?
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Because farming is not about how many plants you have in the
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field, is how much you harvest, and harvest is not being born
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again. Harvest is when a seed dies and
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what's in it comes out. Conversion is when a person gets
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born again. Discipleship is when you produce
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the fruits of the spirit consistently in your life and
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grow up in the things of God and able to crucify the flesh.
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You can have a field full of babies that will not change the
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world, although they're born again.
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But you get a handful of mature disciples, you'll turn the world
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upside down. So the goal was never for the
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church to pack it out with people.
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Coliseums, concerts, football stadiums, baseball stadiums,
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they all do that. Unfortunately, we're working on
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the Flagler deal. We're working on that.
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OK, we're packing these places out, but it's not changing
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people's lives. And we can do things in
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organized church again, and people are so hurt by those
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things that they blame every place when the reality is God
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never called us to convert people, He called us to
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discipleship. So the vision of the house must
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have discipleship a part of its equation.
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But here's the thing, Everybody wants it quick and it doesn't
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happen. Vision takes time.
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So again, God gave Noah a vision to build an ark.
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Took him 120 years. I'm glad he didn't quit, even
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though he had a lot of people telling him he was stupid.
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You're an idiot. What are you doing?
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You are. This is the dumbest thing I've
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ever seen a person do in my life.
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Until the water. Came.
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Are you hearing me? Abraham took 20 years to
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conceive his covenant son, once God got involved, took 20 years
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for him to conceive his covenant son, Joseph.
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It took him 20-3 years to get in position, and then another eight
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to maybe nine years for the dream he had as a child, as a
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teenage boy to come to pass. But he never abandoned it.
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Are you hearing what I'm saying? And let me just tell you how,
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how fast God is and how you know God's not worried one bit.
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When man fell from dominion, the Lord said I'm sending my seed.
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Took him a few. 1000 years for that to happen, but he said he's
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coming and did he come and did he die and did he raise and is
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he any heaven? Is he coming back?
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It's taking some time. But is he coming back?
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He's coming back and you're not going to stop it.
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The vision will come to pass. So what God has for this house
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and this church, it will come to pass.
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The only problem is, again, God had gave Abraham a different
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vision, he said. Your people are going to go into
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a nation that ultimately will make them slaves.
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They're going to be there for about 400 years, but I'm going
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to deliver them and bring them back to what you are on right
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now, a land flowing with milk and honey.
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Now, Abraham didn't even live to see the vision come to pass, but
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did it come to pass? Amen.
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So at the end of the day, there are things that have been spoken
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out that will come to pass. Now, when Moses is actually
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fulfilling that vision given to Abram, did everyone get into the
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promised land flowing with milk and honey?
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Nope. And they were at one time
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attached to the vision. Now you got to understand, when
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you get attached to a vision, there's two ways you can be
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attached to it on the outside. Meaning, you're around it,
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you're walking with it, but you're not actually a part of
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it. And you're in awe at what's
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going on. You get to on the outside, you
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can see every miracle. You can see everything come to
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pass. I mean, these people saw God
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part the Red Sea. Give them manna, you know, give
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them water. Before miracles saw this.
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So when they got you to promised land, this should be easy peasy,
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right? Instead, they didn't.
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And the Lord says, you'll watch this vision from the outside.
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So they still their clothes still didn't wear out, their
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feet still didn't swell because it can't have you dragging
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around when we got to walk around for 40 years till you die
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out. Are you hearing me now?
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How do you know if a person is in the vision or out of the
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vision when they're around it? It's what are they saying?
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If they're complaining, even though all these miracles are
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happening, they're not in it. They're on the outside looking
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in, and they they can testify with all of us.
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That person got healed, That took place.
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That miracle we got them. All this happened here.
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But yet complaining, which means in the ultimate grand scheme of
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the vision, there might be to the wayside, but it doesn't stop
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the vision. I've had people tell me
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personally through the years, I'm here to help you bring it to
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pass, but they're not here now. That's the issue between them
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and God now. Because if God had them here and
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they left here, then no matter what they're doing, that fruit
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is wood, hay and stubble. Say Amen anyway.
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So you can't feel the vision. You have to catch the vision.
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So how do you catch the vision? You have to believe what the
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vision says. See yourself in it and change
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your thinking to focus on it. In essence, you have to eat,
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breathe and drink it. It is the forefront of your mind
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and everything you do revolves around it.
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I said revolves around it. The greatest vision to have is
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the one that originates from God.
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Just because you can't believe it doesn't make it any less
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truth. Because I'm going to tell you
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right now. When God.
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Starts talking about doing stuff.
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It will make your mind go on tilt.
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You're like, what? OK, You you want us to do what?
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Right. OK, you go a little like, all
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right, well, I'll just believe you don't know how you're going
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to do it, but I'll just stand and believe.
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We'll just believe anyway. And again, I've imagined a lot
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of ways this can happen. So you're either going to do it
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one of these ways, I just figured it out, or you're going
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to blow my mind somewhere. Either way I'm OK because I know
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the vision will come to pass, Dr. Miles Monroe said this.
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The greatest gift God ever gave humanity is not sight, but
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vision. Sight is a function of the eyes,
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but vision is a function of the heart.
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And the problem is, most of the church at large has been sold.
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The gospel is about leaving and going to heaven when that was
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not what Jesus was selling. Jesus was communicating.
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I want your destiny to change. I want your nature to change,
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and I want you to have access to my Kingdom right here, right
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now, and I want the world to see it.
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And I'll do great exploits through all of you, because
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again, Jesus did not die for the individual.
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He died for this thing called the church, which includes
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individuals. Are you hearing me?
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He died for the body of Christ, Romans chapter 8 verse 28 says.
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And we know that God causes all things to work together for good
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to those who love God. And we can't stop there, right?
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OK, To those who are called according to his purpose.
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So again, God's working things out for the good.
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If you meet the two conditions, you love God and you're called
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according to his purpose, not your purpose or not the purpose
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you want God to bless, right? Because if you'll do his purpose
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and doing his purpose is demonstrating you love him.
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Because Jesus said how do you? How?
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How do I know you love me? If you love me, you're going to
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keep my word. And I said you're going to do
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what I ask because I've laid down my life for you.
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I've done it in obedience to my father.
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I did what he asked me to do. Are you hearing me?
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And as a result of that, it's giving you access to our Kingdom
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for you to get in and to do the work that I've assigned for you
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to do with a whole bunch of other people.
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Amen, Doctor. Miles Monroe went on to say
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this. It's more important to know why
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you were born than to know the fact that you were born.
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If you don't know your reason for existence, then you will
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experiment with your life, and that is dangerous.
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Now, when I've read this all these other times, it was easy
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for me to jump over into natural abuses.
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I mean, when you don't know why you're created, Next thing you
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know, you'll experiment with sex, you'll experiment with
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drugs, you'll experiment with all you know, work, career, all
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kind of stuff. Then it hit me today.
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It's just not that when you don't know.
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Why you're born again, 'cause, he said.
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If you don't know why you're born, we are born twice, and the
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first birth is predicated on the second birth.
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Because if you don't make the second birth, then abuses are
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inevitable. Even if you're successful
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according to the world's way of saying success is but once
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you're you receive the second birth, the new birth, then it
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will affect the first birth. But if you don't know why your
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second birth is there, abuses are inevitable.
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And there are many believers that are abusing the church,
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abusing believers, abusing the fivefold ministry because they
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don't know why they were born again.
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And let me just give you an answer.
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It's not to go to heaven. That's not why you were born,
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why you were born again. Let me tell you another it was
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not so you could escape hell. Going to heaven and escape and
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and not going to hell are byproducts of the purpose you
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were born. The reason you're born again is
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so you can become a child of God and the Holy Ghost can come live
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on the inside of you and assign you the reason you are in the
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planet now and the purpose he has you here.
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That's why, and most never discover it.
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And the reason they never discover it, because another
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issue happens. If they know the why of their
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second birth, that it has something to do with purpose.
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But if they don't know it's connected to the church, 'cause
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there are many believers who read the word, watch it on TV,
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but they function like the rest of the world.
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They don't seek first the Kingdom, they don't put his
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church in any priority. And after Jesus died and
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ascended, Paul's writing concerning Jesus has a couple It
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keeps this title, the Christ, but then he has these references
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concerning him. He's the head of the church,
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he's the head of the body. There's always these
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connections. And again, if you say you know
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who you are in Christ, then you should be actively involved in a
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local body church. Helen Keller said it this way.
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The the only thing worse than being blind is having sight but
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no vision. When you when you know and
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understand what you were born to accomplish, that is purpose.
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When you can see it in your mind by faith and begin to imagine
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it, that is vision. First Corinthians chapter 12
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verses 14 to 21. Says this, this is the message
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Bible, and then we'll jump down to verse 27, he said.
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I want you to think about how all this makes more
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significance. Than less, not less.
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A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge,
-
it's all the different but similar parts arranged and
-
functioning. What together?
-
Remember, Jesus is the head of the body.
-
It's the body of now the minute we say body that includes you as
-
an individual, God. Christ laid down his life so
-
that the church could exist. And when the church exists, that
-
means people are in His Kingdom. Remember, Jesus Christ is coming
-
back for not you individually. And when we get this concept, we
-
realize this doesn't diminish your individuality.
-
Because again, I'm preaching you all right now and my fingers, it
-
is not reduced, My ears are not reduced, my eyes are not
-
reduced. But it's part of this, and I
-
need it all. And thank God my lungs are are
-
working right now. My heart's beating right now.
-
You know, my vascular system's functioning right now and my
-
muscular system's functioning. My nervous system and my
-
skeletal system, all those things you can't see.
-
I'm glad they're all working together, not compete with one
-
another. And saying when Jesus comes,
-
only my pinky gets to go, You know, cut me off and put me on a
-
shelf. So when Jesus comes, I'll go
-
with him, 'cause you'd be like, where's your pinky?
-
Well, I lost it. I'm gonna say that again.
-
Ah, so why does a believer think they're OK if they're
-
disconnected? We call when something's off us.
-
Lost, he says the body isn't a seeing isn't just a single part
-
blown up into something huge. It's all different but similar
-
parts arranged and functioning together.
-
If a foot says I'm not elegant like hand like hand embellished
-
with rings, I guess I don't belong to the body.
-
Would that make it so? If ear said I'm not beautiful
-
like I lipid and expressive, I don't deserve a place on the
-
head. Would you want to remove it from
-
the body? If the body was all I, how could
-
you hear? If all ear, how could you smell
-
as it is, as it is verse 16 very powerful verse as it is, we see
-
that God has carefully placed each part of the body right
-
where he wanted it, where he wanted it.
-
And if God wanted you at Anchor Faith Church, then you've got to
-
see yourself. There.
-
And when you see yourself there, you don't see yourself there as
-
this optional, like, body part that we can take off, 'cause if
-
you can take off a body part, then you don't have the
-
original. It's called a prosthetic.
-
So if the church isn't something you're so connected to, then in
-
essence you're really a prosthetic in his church.
-
Oh, I'm preaching better than you're shouting.
-
But that's fine, 'cause if you get it, then we'll all get it.
-
Amen. See, people think that I'm only
-
passionate about the church because I'm pastor.
-
Do you understand how easy it would be in this society to
-
leave all you folks and go get my little TV camera and preach
-
to hundreds of billions of people and and and develop a
-
following without having to counsel them, deal with their
-
flesh? I mean, if it was just about
-
that now I would have to mess up my doctrine because you don't
-
get a huge following doing truth, 'cause you're doing truth
-
and you're like, well, I have to be in the church.
-
OK. So we act like that, but that's
-
not the truth. The truth is I'm passionate
-
about it because Christ died for me and put me in it.
-
And then he said, you're this and who am I to argue but God
-
say, but I'm not that, he said, But that's what you are, That's
-
what I made you. That's what I ordained before
-
the foundation of the world. I mean, the ear can't say, man,
-
I want to be the big toe. You're not, you're not the big
-
toe, you're not. And God knows what he wants you
-
to be, right. All right.
-
Let's go on and read or I'll never get done.
-
Maybe I still. Won't we'll see.
-
Verse 8.19 But I also want you to think about how this keeps
-
you significant, keeps your significance from getting blown
-
up into self importance. For no matter how significant
-
you are, it is only because of what you are a part.
-
Of. An enormous eye or a gigantic
-
hand wouldn't be a body, but a monster.
-
And let's just say if my hand swole out of proportion, you'd
-
be like, what's wrong with your? Hand Oh, I got.
-
I just got a big hand. You'd be like that's abnormal.
-
Pastor Earl Yeah, but I can palm the basketball now.
-
It's like a golf ball in my hand.
-
That'd be kind of weird, wouldn't it?
-
If my hand was so big, a basketball was like a golf ball
-
in my hand, and you'd be like, what's wrong with you?
-
And this is what we say about believers.
-
Who are in church trying to be a big hand?
-
You're like, what's wrong with you?
-
That's not normal, right? Listen you We want to be normal.
-
We want to flow, right? We don't want something to bring
-
more attention than the other. All right.
-
I'm OK. Hallelujah.
-
He says. For no matter how significant
-
you are. It is only because of what you
-
are a part of verse 20. What we have is 1 body with many
-
parts. Each is each its proper size and
-
its proper place. No part is important on its own.
-
Can you imagine I telling hand get lost.
-
I don't need you or head telling foot you're fired.
-
Your job has been phased out. Verse 27 You are Christ body.
-
That's who you are. You must never forget this.
-
Only as you accept your part of that body does your part mean
-
anything. See, all vision from God is for
-
the bettering of humanity, thus requires multiple people to
-
accomplish. It if the vision you have only
-
includes you, it is and is independent from the Church.
-
It is not from God. It is not.
-
When I pastor, I got, I got this ministry really Well, who are
-
you submitted to? Where are you bringing your
-
supply to the local body? Because he said we are joining
-
him where we bring our supply and there's plenty of them out
-
there, right? But that's independent.
-
And it's not from God. Because, again, the world has
-
plenty of programs that help humanity, but they don't
-
originate from God. All vision requires people.
-
The vision from God will be accomplished.
-
Vision doesn't fail, but people may fail the.
-
Vision. Not everyone will.
-
Stay with the vision, but the vision will come to pass.
-
And I think for me, young coming into ministry and God dealing
-
with me when I say dealing with me, it just seemed like he
-
showed me enough in scripture that it was not problematic.
-
I realized if I'm the keeper of the vision, meaning I'm the one
-
who's spearheading what anchor Faith Church is, then at the end
-
of the day, if not everyone stays, I'm not going to be upset
-
about it because not everyone stayed with the Lord.
-
And if God can't keep everybody, what makes me think I can?
-
In fact, God had no problem with some going, and some pastors
-
would do better by their churches to let some go, maybe
-
even ask. Hallelujah.
-
Amen. Because if you're not building
-
the vision, you're killing the vision, right?
-
Least you're trying to. But the Lord's vision will come
-
to pass. What's anchor Fay Church's
-
vision? We ignite the city, impact the
-
nation, influence the world, write these verses down.
-
When we say we ignite the city, we come out of Luke chapter 24,
-
verse 32, and they said to one another, we're not our hearts
-
burning within us while we were, while he was speaking to us on
-
the road, while he was explaining the scripture to us.
-
And Jeremiah 2329 says, is not my word like fire, declares the
-
Lord. That tells me that every person
-
that's connected to Anchor Bay Church when they talk to people,
-
that it should ignite their hearts.
-
It should burn in them. When the you walk away, that
-
conversation should stay kindled in them, should stay kindled in
-
them. And Jesus was explaining script,
-
which means my assignment is to decipher you so articulate in
-
the Kingdom of God that you could go around talking like
-
Jesus did about his own Kingdom, that it would ignite the hearts
-
of people. That's right.
-
And it would stay ablaze in them for as long as the Holy Ghost is
-
allowing it. Or they themselves try to
-
quench. It.
-
Are you hearing me? Then our next is to impact the
-
nation that comes from John 1412.
-
Truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the
-
works that I do, and greater works than these he will do
-
because I go to the Father and Matthew 10/8, heal the sick,
-
cleanse the leopard, raise the dead, cast out demons freely you
-
have received and freely give. What we do on a local level here
-
should become so impactful that no matter where we go it, we
-
carry that. Culture with us.
-
I said we carry that culture with.
-
Us. Everywhere we go, we carry the
-
culture of the king. The last one is to influence the
-
world, it said in Acts 17 Six, the latter part are within it.
-
These men who have turned the world upside down, and Matthew
-
514, you are the light of the world.
-
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden and that's who we are.
-
This is our assignment. This is what we are here to do
-
and our greatest influence is right here locally, of which we
-
are doing a significant job of. But but they are pull calling on
-
us to do more. And the assignment is so large
-
that it requires you to say I've got to find my fit and be
-
passionate about fulfilling it. Which means your job is not your
-
number one thought process. Although you're going to hold a
-
job because it's where God pays you to be an ambassador at the
-
workplace. Are you hearing me?
-
But there are other assignments that are going to come that
-
you've got to jump right in or say that's why he sent me here.
-
What's our purpose statement? It is to anchor people in the
-
word that they may live a life of dominion on earth through the
-
Kingdom by faith. That's our purpose.
-
So my job is to get you so anchored in the word that no
-
matter what storms of life come, they can't get you off.
-
Can't get you off. No matter what someone says to
-
you can't get you off. And then you'll have such
-
dominion you will be able to pull heaven's realm into your
-
realm, into this earth we're going to.
-
That's our purpose. Which means everything we do is
-
to demonstrate that our mission is to minister to people's
-
spirit, soul and body. So you just can't eat like you
-
want to and expect to remain healthy.
-
We're going to talk to you about it, 'cause that is the temple of
-
the Holy Ghost, and some of your healings are direct result of
-
your diet. Are you hearing me?
-
I remember one particular minister that I knew that was
-
overweight would say that, you know, one of the most disgusting
-
things is a person who reads the word but it's overweight.
-
The Who preaches the word, but it's overweight because they're
-
outside demonstrates that lack of self.
-
Control. And they themselves were.
-
So in essence they said they hated themselves.
-
And that was a true statement. But the reality is, I'm not
-
telling you what your perfect size is.
-
Everybody can carry somebody fat, you understand that.
-
I'm just saying you got to find out what health is for you with
-
your body type and be doing some exercise.
-
I heard one guy say if a person smoked cigarettes but worked out
-
every day, would last longer than someone who did not smoke
-
cigarettes and did not exercise. Now why do I say that?
-
Because God has given us the ability to strengthen this suit
-
for the purpose of us of finishing our assignment.
-
OK, obviously we've got to do with your mind.
-
Because if your mind don't get renewed, it don't matter that
-
you're born of the Spirit, because there are a lot of born
-
of the Spirit people who cannot control their mind or their
-
natural man, flesh and man, they just don't dominate.
-
So we have to deal with it all. Say Amen anyway.
-
So that's why we preach how we preach.
-
Amen. Hallelujah.
-
Now I'll just be honest with you in the realm of the body.
-
I am 20 lbs. Too heavy right now and you can
-
look at me and say no way, but you're not in my suit, number
-
one. Number two, you don't know how I
-
feel. I know how I feel. 20 lbs Less.
-
I'm better at that weight. I could carry this the rest of
-
my life, but I have the knowledge that knows I'm more
-
efficient there and you can't make me get it off.
-
And you don't even try just to let you know because y'all bring
-
me stuff all the time. You don't even help me.
-
Half of you. Hey Pastor, it's a doughnut.
-
Do I have to exercise self constraint or I'll have to work
-
out more? No one offends you.
-
I'm just saying, what I'm saying is I know my personal This ain't
-
vanity, this is I know how I flow because I've never been big
-
as a person. I've always been a small person
-
and I don't need to be big. I need to be what's right for
-
me. Are you hearing me?
-
We play. I jumped on the flag.
-
Football. As a sub.
-
And that was problematic. It's deceptive.
-
You know, Pastor, you're in shape.
-
Yeah, until I played flag football.
-
Wow, What happened? It's in there somewhere.
-
We are to establish a Word Church that would equip and
-
empower people to impact their community in worlds and world.
-
Ours is the family oriented church that facilitates the need
-
of every age group through church services and outreach
-
ministries to the community. Now guys, we do a real good job
-
in this house. We're doing a lot better outside
-
and the outside's calling us. I said they're calling us,
-
they're calling us, they're calling us.
-
And we need to be able to do something.
-
Our Ministry motto, and I love this.
-
It actually, my son Chase actually got this in his spirit
-
When he said it, it hit, and we've kept it since then.
-
And our Ministry motto is we're always advancing.
-
I need to actually get this trademarked.
-
We're always advancing, always advancing.
-
We're always advancing. I'm never going to get to a
-
place like that's enough. It's never going to happen.
-
And if you're waiting for us to get to a place where you can
-
coast, you might as well get out now.
-
No coasters here. We're just people full of
-
purpose. Amen.
-
I said. People full of purpose.
-
We see ourselves in a vision. We going to do this thing and.
-
Let me tell you, You're not too old to do something.
-
You're not too old to do something.
-
You're not too young to do something.
-
You could be too immature to do some things, and I won't let
-
you. That may be true, but age is not
-
the issue. OK?
-
There's plenty of things to get involved with.
-
All right? You need to understand then,
-
that true vision, Doctor Miles said.
-
This is also unselfish. Its purpose is to bring about
-
God's Kingdom on earth and turn people to him, A vision their
-
voice should always focus on helping.
-
Humanity or building up others in some way.
-
And I you would have to agree that anchor Faith Church does
-
that that we are helping humanity and also helping others
-
be better, be better we're here to.
-
Grow, develop, make us more understanding who we are in
-
Christ to do these things, and we need to have this as a part
-
of our DNA. We need to all be keepers.
-
Of this vision. We need to be.
-
Passionate about this thing. And we need to be passionate
-
about anything that God wants us to do and and and desires for us
-
to carry out in our community, our nation and the world.
-
Because the days coming that again the world, there are many
-
in the world that are looking to Christ and the best reflection
-
is not the personal one-on-one but it is the church unifying.
-
You get things happening way faster when people unify.
-
And why does the church not learn this?
-
I mean, the world is so good at bringing unity around their
-
causes that is not really helping anyone but themselves.
-
Because all world causes, although it has the ability to
-
help others, is only serving the one pushing it.
-
There are only a few things and if things haven't originated out
-
of the church, it will not have lasting effect.
-
It will not and we could take and we are to affect every
-
sector of society. We are not disconnected from
-
business, from government, from education, from, from arts and
-
entertainment. We're not disconnected from
-
family. In fact, family is not a part of
-
or in a list. It's not God, family.
-
Church that is not God. How do you separate God from
-
church? How does that even happen?
-
How can there be God? And Jesus is the head of the
-
church, which is his body, but yet your natural family can get
-
in between God and his church. How does that even happen?
-
It can't. You're separating the church
-
from God. When you say God, you have to
-
say church. So if you want to keep God,
-
family, church, then you should see my family is in God and the
-
church because they're together. I'm right in the middle of it
-
all. Not I spend time with my family
-
and then we go to church. Amen.
-
Now I'm just going to be honest with you.
-
For those who have that vision, their life is exceedingly
-
prosperous, blessed, and they always overcome every one of
-
their trials. I've never met a believer who is
-
passionate about the local body Church.
-
I'm not talking about pastors, although they are included in
-
this. Five full minutes are included.
-
In this. But I've seen Saints that are
-
passionate about the local body, church and their fit, that their
-
life is not always thriving and any trial they have, they always
-
come out. They always come out and they
-
come out better. I've never seen one, never.
-
But I have seen those that disconnect that don't put the
-
priority 'cause they lose their. Purpose.
-
And again, at the end of the day, you need to understand I'm
-
not here to condemn you, and I'm not condemning you.
-
So please don't feel like you're being condemned.
-
You have the power to be wherever you want to be.
-
Because I didn't make you come tonight, right?
-
You came on your own free will. Right.
-
You know, when I came and I didn't expect to be able to talk
-
to me like that, I'm not talking to you.
-
This is what we're talking about, the church, this talking
-
about, the vision, this talking about.
-
And again, you either find yourself really more involved
-
with Where God planted. You or you?
-
Can find yourself somewhere else.
-
I get it. But I'm just telling you anyone
-
that says that's where I am, that's where God's planted me,
-
and I'll give everything to that.
-
That person's always thriving and most of the time when
-
they're in conflict you'll never even know it.
-
You won't even know it. Are you hearing me?
-
What kind of church are we? We're a God honoring church.
-
We're a Christ centered church. We're a Bible teaching church.
-
We're a consecrated church. We're evangelistic church, We're
-
serving church, we're giving church, we're praising church.
-
We're a. Multi.
-
A national church. We're a spirit filled church,
-
Spirit LED church. We are an expected church.
-
We are a Kingdom church. That's who we are.
-
And let me tell you, the vision is bigger than any one of us,
-
yet it takes every one of us to accomplish it, because God has
-
not called us to do the possible, but the impossible in
-
2024 is a year of impossibles being possible, of impossibles
-
being possible, because God is shifting things He's doing.
-
Things. He's moving things and he's
-
strengthening his church. He's putting his church in the
-
power play. He is.
-
He's elevating it to such a level that when he calls it out,
-
listen, there's got to be a reason why.
-
Before, if you if you look at the different times God brought
-
wrath, there were always a remnant of people that he
-
highlighted with great power and delivered them so that all those
-
around that we're going to get his wrath knew those people had
-
been wrought in God. And he's going to do it with his
-
church. That the world's going to know
-
the most powerful thing that was on the planet was his church.
-
And we didn't go. We hated it.
-
We we persecuted it. We came after it.
-
And the more we try to do, it just got stronger and stronger
-
and stronger and stronger and now it's gone and we wish it
-
was. Back the question is are you
-
going to be planted in it in some local place.
-
But I can tell you for this House we going to serve this
-
vision and it's going to come to pass.
-
I said it's going to come to pass.
-
I I am firmly persuaded that God will give me vision beyond the
-
catching away. I'm becoming convinced of this.
-
Now you said well that's big. How are we going to accomplish
-
that? We have, Tom, we'll take a
-
seven-year break, get a battle plans and then we'll come back
-
because think about it, what is? The role of the Church.
-
Oh, thank you Jesus. Oh, please understand this.
-
If you have really spent time to rightly divide the truth, you'll
-
know that Jesus, who is the Christ, the head of the church.
-
What did he say? What was the message of the head
-
of the Church? Repent.
-
For the Kingdom of God is at hand.
-
The role of the Church is to expand this Kingdom.
-
That's all we're here for, and to allow people to get in.
-
And when the millennial reign comes, guess what it's just
-
about it's Kingdom expansion. With no devil on the planet,
-
we'll just pick right back up, expanding his Kingdom under a
-
whole another set of laws, another way of operation.
-
It's going to look a little different because Jesus will be
-
here with us. Amen.
-
So I believe I'm going to give vision beyond here and they'll
-
say, OK, let's go back and pick that up now and let's do this
-
and let's do this and let's do this.
-
I mean, Can you imagine? If all of a sudden all of
-
downtown Saint Augustine got born again, what if the next
-
time we went and engaged W Augustine the whole every street
-
from W King all the way over to Four Mile Rd. or whatever.
-
That one boom. All born again.
-
Wouldn't that be amazing? We went out to Palencia and all
-
those people got right with God. Are you hearing me?
-
Just expanding millennial reign. There's a lot going to be
-
happening, a lot of opportunities.
-
That's what we want because that's what the church does.
-
So when you look at yourself and say, but pastor, I'm this old,
-
doesn't matter. There's an assignment for you.
-
I hope my my ear don't fall off before I get in the grave.
-
Right. I hope it doesn't fall off.
-
What happened to your ear at 90? It fell off.
-
I hope that doesn't happen. Right.
-
It's not. Going to happen, but you.
-
Understand what I'm saying. You're not falling off.
-
You have to get into fit and do 'cause when you do that, then
-
that spiritual activity will help your mind.
-
It definitely will help your body.
-
Next thing you know, you'll be running.
-
Amen. Well, Father, we thank you for
-
your word tonight. We thank you.
-
With this group, we could stir them up with a vision because
-
2024 is in route. It's coming.
-
And Father, we're going to be ready as a church, a body
-
running together as one. Although we're all individuals,
-
we're not here to take a name for ourselves.
-
We're only to exalt one name and his name's Jesus and expand one
-
thing and that's his Kingdom. Use us God to do this.
-
We give you honor and glory and praise for.
-
Thank you so much for listening to this message.
-
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