Sunday Message (1st service) - Pastor Brad Neuschwander (January 18, 2026) | Life Bible Church

Every week I take time to wait on the Lord and

for this for these moments, for what he wants

to do in the house corporately. And this week

was incredibly intense of the pressures and the

atmosphere. And I was in some ways almost beside

myself. But Lord, what am I feeling? What are

we resisting? What is resisting us? And of course,

I do my best to get in alignment with the spirit

of God and in my Bible and finding scriptures.

And of course, I have things that I write and

inspiration. I believe the Holy Spirit comes

on me. I know it's not, it's illumination from

what's in his word. But I woke up this morning

early. I just had a sense. I said, Lord, you're

going to do something different today, huh? You

know, you can always tell me in advance so I'm

not spending two days laboring. Anyway, I'm very,

very grateful that the Spirit of God visits us.

And I'm grateful that we have a leadership team

and people who desire to have them moving. When

I say moving, it doesn't mean like God's got

a U -Haul. It means that he's living and active

and bringing his kingdom and his love and all

that he is, not only to us as a body, but to

us individually. There's some of you that God

spoke to this morning that you didn't even, Respond,

but God met you where you were at. There's a

lot that we have to share today, a lot that I

believe that the Lord is wanting to do that he's

already started. I want to, if you'll allow me,

to pick up where we left off last week, and that

is I want to touch again for a bit. Today is

going to have, again, two messages. think of

these fast weeks instead of a rifle, just think

of two barrels of a shotgun. There's cartridges

in each one. I want to first kind of get to what

I believe the Lord prompted me to speak on on

prayer and fasting. And then I want to get to

our river bank update. And we have some video

and we have some updates and we want to begin.

the process of what we started last week. So

would you turn your attention to the screen as

we talk about prayer and fasting? Thank you,

Jackie, for coming up. Thank you. Would you tell

Sonny and Stephanie and the team that they did

a great job of worship this morning? I know when

the Spirit of the Lord moves, it's very difficult

for all of their lists that they planned. It's

the same way with my message. I know their pain,

hallelujah. You have a list that you see how

it's gonna end and then Lord just kinda takes

it and moves it and that's the whole goal. Psalms

Psalms 119:10

119, verse 10. This is the theme of where we're

at right now as a church. With my whole heart,

I seek you. Could you just say that verse with

me? Come on, you're actually gonna memorize a

verse in church this morning. Psalm 119, 10.

With my whole heart, I seek you. One more time.

With my whole heart, I seek you. And then Luke

11, 10. For everyone who asks, receives. And

the one who seeks, finds. And the one who knocks,

it will be opened. Church, do you believe that?

The Lord is wanting us not only to pursue him,

But the goal of that pursuit is that those who

do, those who give themselves in spiritual pursuit.

Now, as Tiffany was up here and she was navigating

the announcements and then giving the offering

scriptures, she talked about this fighting. Let

me just give a little caveat. She wasn't wrong,

but let me just make sure you understand. This

is not in the physical. You don't get to punch

somebody in the nose and say, in Jesus name.

Okay, that is not what she's suggesting. She's

talking about the reality of your faith. Your

faith, right? The weapons of our war are mighty

in God, Ephesians 6, for pulling down strongholds

and every, that's actually 2 Corinthians 10,

three and four, and every argument that exalts

itself against. The written word and the knowledge

of God. That's what you're fighting. Faith is

a violent tool in the spirit for God. That's

why he says the kingdom of God is advancing and

those who are of faith are pressing into it.

It's violence. It's the violence of faith. Not

violence as in carnage. and bloodshed in the

natural, but the fact of apprehending and breaking

through the crust of worldly arguments, worldly

resistance, restraints that are both felt, seen,

because our eyes are not on the natural, but

that which is heavenly and bringing that realm,

partnering with it to bring it to pass, releasing

the kingdom of God. So in that process, God is

saying, listen, those who pursue me, those who

will seek me. The goal of pursuit is you will

find me. Not that I've been anywhere, but it's

in the places where you've been stuck. For most

of us in this room, some are brand new to Jesus

and we're always wanting to. Bring those that

are new to Christ into that process. He said,

make disciples of all men. The door is the cross

and the yielding to the Spirit of God. Then it's

what? Learning to know Jesus. Understanding Jesus.

Jesus growing inside of you. Jesus maturing you.

And that's the journey through the rest of our

lives. And Jesus getting out of you, Lord, to

help and release his kingdom. Isn't that the

whole goal? Make disciples of all nations, teaching

them all things to observe in my namesake. Yeah,

I got one amen. Yeah, that's the Bible. Okay,

just so you know, that's the scripture. So the

process is you pursue him to find him. Well,

when you're brand new, yes, that's the first

door. But do you understand that door? doesn't

mean you have to get resaved, but that door stays

open over every area of your life if you choose

to pursue him. So whatever situation and season

you're dealing with, whatever circumstance is,

it's the pursuit of God in that circumstance

that he wants to let you find him in that arena.

So I don't know about you, but I've been walking

with Jesus now almost. It's almost going to be

48 years walking with the Lord. And I got saved

at eight. My dad wasn't sure, but it really did

happen. But the reality is for 48 different years,

there have been doors that weren't salvation

issues for me. They were hearing the king issues

for me where I was stuck. And how many know in

the journey, we're facing a stuck moment. And

yet there's only one door to go through. It's

to pursue him, his voice, his counsel, his will,

and to grab a hold and get from him direction,

wisdom, provision. Why? That is the journey for

every one of us. So the pursuit of the Lord does

what? I'll just put these on the screen. The

pursuit of the Lord is what? He gives answers.

God answers. He gives insight. He brings perspective

that you didn't think of. He gives you strength

in the midst of where you feel like you are just

flatlined. He brings hope. Hope for. something

to change brings courage to do what the moment

requires. Courage to do what the moment requires,

then he brings restoration and divine provision

to accomplish it. Sometimes he brings people.

Sometimes he brings tangible things. When we

started these 21 days of fasting, many of you

have... jumped on board. But if you say, well,

I missed the 21 days. Oh no, you haven't. The

word of the Lord for you today is there's 14

more. Hallelujah. Come on. Come on. Yes. And

I've, I've got people driving up and down the

streets of junction, looking at the McDonald's,

making sure you're not in there. No, I'm just

kidding. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. The reality

is, this is a time for us to rally together in

unity around the purpose because we want breakthrough

for us as a church, but we want breakthrough

for one another and our brothers and our sisters.

Because listen, there are real hurts, there are

real needs, there are real impasses that we're

asking God to help with. I mean, I probably,

Because of what God's allowed me to do here as

a senior leader, I get to hear all of the stuff

that every team, from pastors to restoration

leaders to men's groups, women's groups to life

groups, the issues that are serious come to my

table and I get to hear it. And my job is to

pray and ask God for wisdom on how to respond.

And I only know a bit of all that the Lord sees

in our lives. But I do know if there was ever

a time that we needed him to dissolve some rocks,

to remove some boulders, to bring things where

our minds have come to a final judgment, the

word of the Lord today was, do not bite down

on that judgment. I'm the God. Who resurrects.

So what are we in? We're in a now season. All

we need is who God is. All we need is what he

has promised. And I believe that the Lord has

spoken to me and I want to release the word.

I didn't release it last week. I gave you in

both the first service I shared something of

my time away from the Lord. In second service

I shared something that was from the time away

but totally different. But I held back this word

because I believed it was for this Sunday. And

the Lord began to speak to me about his nature

as a prevailing God. He prevails. He wins. It's

the theme of our upcoming life conference at

the end of this fast, the prevailing church.

But if you just put it on the church, you forget

that he's talking about you. So we could have

said the prevailing ones. The prevailing ones

make up the prevailing church. And I heard the,

let me just define prevail. Prevail includes

words like, English words like continuance, tenacity,

patience, stamina, perseverance and persistence.

We're calling on the God who does not just exist.

but he's a God who prevails in all things. All

things. There's not an area that God does not

prevail in. And it's the Lord who's inviting

us, and this is key, he's inviting us to prevail

with him, together with him. Because you can't

prevail outside of him. That's what this time

of prayer and fasting is about, is prepping us

to do. And here's what I heard the word of the

Lord speak to me on January 7th as I was waiting

on the Lord. He said to me this, look to me and

lift up your eyes and heart to see what is before

you. The world that is around you is dark, fearful,

and hopeless. Surrounded and filled by chaos

and destruction. But I am light and I am the

life. And the light of life is in me. I am hope

and peace and love. And I reward faith and those

who stay in faith. And then he changed the tenor

of the tune and he said, I break the plays. and

I scramble the plans of the thought out ways

of man. And all I could see, because that's how

the Lord speaks to me as he gives me a vision

while he's talking to me, all I could see was

the broken play on the football field where all

of a sudden you couldn't read what was coming

and what you had planned all of a sudden had

to take an option because the Lord was doing

an option. with the church and with his people

that couldn't just be drawn out. He scrambles

things. How many know that? He can scramble the

plans of the enemy. He can scramble the plans

of man. It's the Lord. We have scriptures filled

with that where the Bible says man has a way

that he wants to walk, but it's the Lord that

gives the direct path, right? So he said, I break

plays, I scramble plans and the thought out ways

of man. I determine correct paths. For I have

preordained plans and purposes. Hear the spirit

of the Lord speaking in your ear. I am the prevailing

God. I am the prevailing one. I have prevailed.

I am the prevailing one and I will prevail. There

is no other like me. There is no other God like

me. I am the Lord most high. I am the Lord almighty.

Now take your stand with me. Stand with me. Stand

in me. Stand with me and stand in faith. Watch

and see my prevailing power, grace, and provision.

Walk with me. Stay in faith. Believe and respond

to me in faith. For as I prevail, so shall you

prevail. And so shall this house prevail as you

stand with me, says the Lord. Now that's simple,

but it was so, I want to say the voice of the

Lord was almost deafening. I could not hear anything

else. It was clean and crisp. and loud in my

spirit. And so why? Why are we praying and fasting?

Well, because I know myself, and I think I have

a nature kind of like yours. I know I'm weird

and probably worse than all of y 'all. But the

reality is, I need to be reminded that this life

Has to be lived in faith. And once I take a step

in faith. I have to stand in it. And do all that

I can to stay in it. Having done all. What does

the scripture say? Stand. Now I thought it was

interesting. That the person that had the encounter.

Saw that the armor of the Lord was presented.

Because that's exactly what the scripture says.

Having done all, stand. Put on the full armor

of God that you may be able to stand. It's not

talking about just standing in regular knowledge.

It's not talking about standing in just the logos

of knowledge. It's standing in the place of faith

that actually cost you to step in to the fray

as you are now encountering the place of where

you're stuck. I think that's the revelation that

people need to understand. We're so easily quote

that scripture thinking, well, we just have to

stand against just the regular onslaught. Yeah,

we do. But that's not what the apostle Paul was

addressing in Ephesians. He was addressing the

direct warfare that was coming against the church

of Ephesus. And that's why out of all the scriptures

in every church he wrote to, he specifically

wrote it to Ephesus who was standing against

an enemy onslaught of one of the greatest, if

you will, and I don't mean to lift it up, but

in that time, he was standing against the God

of Artemis who had built its temple and its worshipers

around the world. They were fighting that atmosphere.

That's the context. And if you want to get the

further context, read Acts chapter 16, specifically

Acts 16 · chapter mention

17 through 19. where Paul is writing in the book

of Acts, Luke is writing the account of what

Paul was dealing with as he wrote this letter

to the Ephesians. Now, standing in faith in the

midst now of things that are contrary, that seem

immovable, that seem impossible. That's why we

need prayer and fasting. Because at this point,

I've got, I got 12 pages. We're not gonna get

to this. We might have part three next week.

We'll just see. But this is the part that I felt

like the Lord highlighted as fresh illumination

for us today as we get ready to transition to

our topic on the river. Prayer in fasting is

key at this moment because the thing that he

wants, our needs are met and our first need that

needs to be met if you're anything like me, is

that you need to be assured that what you've

stepped in faith in, he's actually spoken to

you to do. And he assures you in that fellowship

that you are in his will and you are contending

according to his purpose. Because if you don't

have that, you'll start questioning it. You'll

start doubting. And then, It'll be like a bad

battery. Sometimes you'll have a charge and sometimes

you won't. Sometimes it'll, have you ever jiggled

the connectors on the battery and you got it

to start? You just drove it, you let it sit and

all of a sudden, click, click, click, click,

click. How did that happen? There was a loose

connection. Times of prayer and fasting does

what? It connects you to the source. That reminds

you to do and to stay in with what he encouraged

you to step out with. Why? He's the author of

that idea or that place of what you're contending

for. And that, what do we call that? We call

that fellowship. We have a different idea of

fellowship in the natural. But there is a spiritual

fellowship that takes place. that oftentimes

we don't go until we get into a place of faith,

and that's when we need the conversation with

the Lord in our heart. It's not just saying words

or repeating some phrases of repetition in prayer.

That has nothing to do with anything. This is

what we're talking about here in times of prayer

and fasting is real communication of being honest

with our heart's condition, our emotion, and

the situations we're facing. should be made in

states of vulnerability and in those places of

vulnerability it's made when we're really praying

to the Lord it's made in a place where our heart

is exposed to him and we're not covering our

heart to try to seem religious we're being very

real with the situation that we're facing and

the turbulence in our own heart about it. Prayer

is our spiritual connection to the Lord, who

is God and who is father, who is love, who is

compassion, who is mercy, grace, light, and truth.

And the key to prayer in this season is the drawing

near part. This is the special part when we say

we are setting time to pray and fast. We're not

setting time to Jenny Craig it. We're not setting

time to have a diet plan. Although it's working

for me, but I don't like it, that part. The whole

point is I'm setting time to draw near in a greater

place of vulnerability in seeking him. Not just

in seeking him that there's passion and pursuit

of it, but in me, it reveals areas that have

not, maybe I have just haven't been vulnerable

in. If I don't understand the drawing near part

and I miss this most important ingredient to

that type of prayer, I will miss this important

ingredient that actually then. gives me power

and strength for other types of prayer. You see,

let me just say it. Fasting and prayer moments

of drawing near have fellowship with God and

his spirit, which I'm supposed to hear and I'm

supposed to have, I pray for veils of my eyes

to be open, pray for my ears to have everything

dead cut away so I would hear that my heart would

receive. any area that he wanted to deal with

where I would be real and raw. It's not professionalism.

It's getting vulnerable and talking to the one

who knows me in and out. And yet it's that process

that he wants to step into with you and me. And

if I don't get that process, then what I'm losing

is I'm losing an element. of how then I'm supposed

to be operating in other prayers. What other

prayers? Other prayers like intercession for

others. When it doesn't affect me, but it affects

them. If I don't have that place tuned, dialed,

and filled with his power and presence, I actually

do a disservice, even though they may not know

it, because I've actually not been in the presence

to actually pray for them. Praying for healing,

praying for deliverance, praying for breakthrough.

It comes from these moments when I get together

with the Lord and we do business in here. It

helps me do business out there. The single most

important aspect of prayer is drawing near to

fellowship with the one who already knows us.

And let me just give you this scripture. First

John. First John 1. verses one through four,

I want you to listen how the apostle John writes

this. That which was from the beginning, which

we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,

which we looked upon and have touched with our

hands concerning the word of life. Stop. Now,

if you understand the gospel that John wrote

first, first John is letters to the church. The

gospel of John is the account. of Jesus's ministry.

And as John was writing that about his time with

Jesus in the three and a half years, what was

John's opening line in the gospel of John? In

the beginning was the word of God. The word came

forth from God. The word came and was made flesh

and we beheld him and we handled him, right?

I'm paraphrasing, but that was the nature. That's

right in the first eight verses he describes

it. Now he's writing to the churches and he's

reminding them. Many, many, many years later,

some people say 40 plus years later, he's now

writing this letter to the church. And what does

he do? In the beginning, that which we heard,

that which we've seen with our eyes, that which

we looked upon, that which we touch with our

hands, concerning the word of life. So he's calling

Jesus what? The word of life. Why is that so

important? Because when you go to prayer, you

are not just listening. to something that is

wrote or practiced. You're listening to the word

of life himself. That's why it was so important

today as the word of the Lord came into this

place saying, I am the resurrection life. Why?

That word is still living, active, and alive.

My goodness, I get excited. All right, calm down.

And he says concerning the word of life, the

life was made manifest and we have seen it and

we testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal

life which was with the Father and was made manifest

to us which we have seen and heard. We proclaim

to you that you too may have fellowship with

us. And indeed, here it is. Our fellowship is

with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

So the goal is twofold. The goal of what God

is doing is that you would know the word of life,

the one who was the word came forth. out of the

Father as the word that was made flesh, that

took on human form, that paid for our sin and

rose again. That living word of life is meant

to know Jesus. He sent his Holy Spirit to remind

you of his word and to make his word personal

in your life. And with that, everyone that he

draws to himself, everyone that he saves, everyone

that he knows now, his goal is that they would

have common fellowship around who he is, his

nature, his character, his will, his purpose,

and that you would be filled with his love in

doing those things. As much as we do those things,

our goal in all of it is that you would have

fellowship with father and son and that you would

hear him personally. So there is a will of God

that is extended to his body that's very clear.

That we can know and discern the will of God.

to make disciples of all men. He's building his

church. He's building people. He's building bodies

of Christ. He's set in elders in every city,

every place where God is. He's still doing that.

He's still planting churches. He's still extending

the kingdom. But in the midst of it, he is also

developing and trying to deepen you that you

would have fellowship with the Father and the

Son. I know this is simple, but it is profound

because the only way you go deeper in that is

that you have to have times where you set aside

the things that have become routine to get vulnerable

with the Spirit of God. The areas that have become

common and blocked you get removed. The little

perspectives, that's why it was so important

this morning, little stones that begin, it can

divert the stream of your heart. The whole point

is to remove the rocks that you would stay in

the flow of the Spirit. And that's what that

word fellowship is, the word koinonia. And it

means partnership, participation, interacting

socially. Just as much as that is fellowship

this way, the same word is fellowship this way.

The American church has a problem with fellowship

this way. Most all church services in Western

America try to deal with three points, three

little how -tos, and try to get you to fellowship

on this way. Very few actually dig in and dive

to get you to have fellowship this way. And the

issue is it's supposed to be both. That's why

it says they continued in the apostles' doctrine

to know what the will of God is and they broke

bread house to house. It's both. There's fellowships

and groups and getting into people's lives and

ministering to one another. It's absolutely essential.

Ministering to the community. Ministering to

the hopeless. Absolutely there has to be a stream.

But if you don't have this stream, this turns

into a soul -led perspective. because then everyone

does what's right in their own eyes with the

ministry they think is important rather than

actually connecting of ministering to him personally.

Are you there? All right. I'm gonna close that

part. Can you just say amen? Okay, you can come

to church today, say I got preached a message.

And now to the church. Second course. Can we

do that? All right. I would like some more time.

Let me get here. Raise the wall. Arise and build.

That's the theme that we believe that the Lord

has directed us to. The scripture is Nehemiah

Nehemiah 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, 18b. Let us rise and build, and then

they set their hands to do this good work. We're

saying, let us rise and build, and then we will

set our hands to do this good work. I'd like

you to take a look as we have a video, the video

that is the one that I've made, James, that you

shot on the riverbank. Let's show that right

now, if we can. Church family, MFI family, Brad

Neuschwander from Life Bible Church here, coming

to you right on the bank of the Willamette River.

What you're seeing behind me is a massive pile

driving machine and crane. that is getting ready

to start operating tomorrow morning as we are

putting in a 500 -foot steel wall, Z -pile, to

save the buildings and the riverbank. All of

the geologists and people we've had out said

if we don't do something within this year, we

won't have any buildings. As you can say, this

is our youth. It has our commercial kitchen and

the motel that we purchased this property 12

years ago is all being threatened on this end.

And just south of us, we have lost over 40 feet.

There used to be a giant oak tree, a full patio,

fire pit. You can see sidewalks gone, landscaping,

of course. Those all can be replaced. But buildings

and property and land can't be replaced as over

the last... 18 years, we have lost almost 100

feet of property. We're standing on a $2 .25

million project that I'm just presenting now

to our congregation because we were told no for

two and a half years. Our city finally has intervened

and said, we'll give you a window and you have

to be within 20 feet of the river. I want to

thank you for partnering in prayer. Your prayers,

your contacts of people that you might know.

We've tried legislators, senators. We've gone

from the state houses even to our national houses.

We're just believing God to do a miracle through

his people and bring resources that we know not

of. Thank you. Thank you for partnering with

us. Thank you, church family and MFI family,

for being willing to partner with Jenny and I

and our whole church eldership team and church

body. In this moment of crisis for us. We love

you. Thank you very much. Of course James didn't

tell me that my mustache was crooked. But anyway.

The only thing I can watch is why is it crooked.

Anyway. Apparently I didn't have a makeup crew,

but hallelujah. All right. As I stand before

you this morning, I'm doing something that I

don't like to do. When I talk about finances,

when I talk about what the Lord does, I like

to do things on the basis of principle. And the

things that we've... instituted, if you will,

in the culture of Life Bible Church have all

come from the revelations of the scripture and

why we do what we do and how we steward finances.

And if you know anything about me, maybe you're

new to Life Bible Church, I am a good little

German boy in the fact of I like plans and I

like order. I don't know. I can shoot from the

hip prophetically and people say, how does that

possible that you, you've always lived like you're

on the seat of your pants? Yeah. But when it

comes to finances, I don't live that way. You

can ask my wife. I have things budgeted and planned

out five, five year increments, seven year increments,

10 year increments. And it kind of drives her

nuts because I recognize in my life I probably

have more time than I have money. Now, I want

God to bless me and I want to increase those

things, but I also have to have a plan. I'm a

budgeter. I'm a planner. I'm a guy that likes

to take things and just, all right, here's how

we eat this thing one bite at a time. So to be

forced into an area. that I'm faced here is not

something that I relish or even want to do, but

it is something that I believe that I am supposed

to do and that God doesn't really care how I

like things. Now, I don't like that either, but

that is just the way it is. And so I am coming

to us saying we have an urgency. You've heard

me say we have a $2 .25 million project. That

is the scope of the whole The beautiful thing,

as I said last week, the city of Harrisburg,

the city council, the city administrator, out

of all the times we've rejected by every other

organization, this plan that was come up with

TVP Engineering and given to the city, this is

our only shot at this because as you can see,

We barely have enough land to get that machine

in to hold its weight and to keep 20 feet back.

Once that 20 foot mark would erode and we don't

have a wall there, we will not be able to do

anything on our own land. So the time is now.

Fact is, they told me when we got back from our

time of just being away, the week as we got here,

he said, I want to show you this because I need

you to see the urgency. On the south end of the

corner, our general maintenance guy had cut the

tarp where our patio bricks back within an inch

of the edge so that it would not flap and all

that tarp that we put on those patio bricks that

we had to remove. He cut it back to about an

inch, inch and a half. It now has another seven

feet of whip in the wind. So just seven feet

of land in that corner has eroded in three weeks.

That gives you an idea of the rapidness that

I'm saying this with urgency. So what did we

have to do? By faith, we had to, as an eldership

team, we had to sign contracts. and we had to

make a decision. Lord, are you bringing? Is this

our answer? For two and a half years, is this

our answer? And we believed as a leadership team,

it was. And we still believe that. We believe

that this was a God moment, that God sent that

engineering firm, that God sent that man and

that team that are working with us, and that

it is a God moment. Do I ever like the price?

No. If you know anything about me, I don't usually

settle on the first price. Because that's how

my dad raised me. And if you want to find out

how deep not accepting the first price is, just

talk to him. He's on the second row. The reality

is we try to be great stewards of everything

that comes here. And this price that we have

received. is an incredible price. Compared to

what everybody else has quoted us between six

and eight million, all the other engineering

firms and all the other things, this price is

in essence a third. And I believe if I'm just

saying this, I say it in faith and with truth,

that is a miracle price for us. Does it seem

staggering? Yeah, to our natural minds, it does.

But To God, it's not. And so we have to write

checks about every 30 days in the amount of about

700 ,000, just doing rough figures. That just

makes you go weak in the knees a little bit.

It's staggering, but we've stepped into faith

now. We've stepped in as a, not just a leadership

team, but as a congregation. And here's our part.

Here's how the math works. And this is the simplest

way I can put it to us. There is 500 feet of

bank, 500 feet of river bank, plus a little more

than that, but for numbers sake, because I just

like things simple. Every one of those steel

pilings, and James, I don't know if we can, can

we do some more drone footage? And let's watch

this video as you see the 500, you see the beginning

of the wall. That is the line of where the wall

is going to be. That crimson cord that we laid

out is almost exactly where the wall is going.

And there you see, one, two, three, four, five,

six, seven, seven or eight piles that have been

driven in already in the ground. Getting some

live footage there. You see them lifting up on

the right -hand side there. That's a full 56

-foot piece of steel that's being moved into

place even right now on this video. You can see

where the bank has eroded. You see them moving

and setting I -beams to begin to just have a

place and a guide to put those in. All right,

so those steel pilings right there, those steel

pilings are basically bent to create like a W.

So you got half of a W and a half of a W and

then they join together at the end and then another

W. So it becomes kind of a corrugated, wall all

along. Each one of those sections or pieces of

steel represent a foot. And so by the time they're

bent, even though they're larger than a foot,

by the time they bend, they're a foot in, I guess,

linear feet. And so two pieces make one piece.

That means two feet. So one section, if we could

put my equation back on now, 500 pieces. at one

foot of 500 pieces of river bank with 2 .25 million,

and this is just good old German Mennonite math,

equals $4 ,500 per piece. That's what it costs.

We got 500 of those to raise at $4 ,500 a piece.

So that's what I'm placing before you. I'm reminding

you of Exodus 35, verses 21 and 22. It says,

Exodus 35:21

and those whose hearts were stirred and those

whose spirits were moved came and brought and

sacrificed their offerings to the Lord. Both

men and women came, all whose hearts are willing.

Just a moment now, I'm gonna have the ushers

come forward and they're gonna give us some raise

the wall, arise and build commitment cards. I'm

asking you. to take a card per family, or you

can take as many cards as you want. That'd be

awesome. And there are different levels of commitment

that you might be willing to do. I'm asking you

to pray. It's not a sense that I wish that we

could plan two years and just figure out how

we're going to do this in incremental steps.

We may have to adjust that in time, but the point

is, in the next 20 to 30 days, God's got to provide

another $700 ,000. And then he has to do it again.

And I think there's scriptures where God fed

the multitude several times, right? So we have

great biblical basis to do that. As you get that

card, if you know what you're supposed to do,

great. Fill it out and get your seed in the ground.

Here's what we're going to do. If we could put

the graph on the screen for me, please. Deanna

and James are working together. And as she gets

things, we don't see amounts that people do and

what they give individually, she does. And then

she's gonna say, okay, you can add another X

amount of money to our graph. So this is the

graph that we're gonna start showing every week

right now already, which is an absolute, I wanna

give praise to God. Between $75 ,000 and $80

,000 have already come in and I haven't even

talked about that. So let's just give the Lord

a thank offering for that. That is awesome. The

fact is, I want to just say I got a text this

morning. I sent that video to our MFI family.

I've had several texts this morning say, Brad,

we're standing with you in prayer. We've just

sent a check. We're standing with you at help.

I'm telling you the body of Christ. is incredible.

We've had another church that wrote us a five

figure check already just to help. I want you

to know that we're not alone in this. Obviously

we know that, but God is doing some miraculous

things. So every, every time we meet a percentage

of that 2 .25 million, you're going to see a

little. Now, James couldn't make 500 little bars.

So he's cutting it by one fifth. There's a hundred

bars up there. So we can just do the math divided

by five and you'll see the bar. But every time

we do that, we'll put that up on the screen.

We're going to keep track of what gifts have

come in outside of the body of Christ percentage.

You're not going to know who gave them. And we're

going to keep track of what the body of Christ

is doing among us. We'll keep track of that.

I want everybody to be in on this process. There

is nothing hidden. Everything is being open.

There is full transparency. We've got to see

God do a miracle. But I'm believing as we've

all stepped into this place, the Lord is going

to speak to you about what he wants you or your

family to do. Now, as I sat down late last night

and I was here after dark and I prayed up and

down the river and I was... just putting thoughts

down to what the Lord wanted me to say today

in this portion. I felt like the Lord said, I

want you to remind them of things. And here's

what he reminded me. He said, there's some that

have stored silver and some that have stored

gold and some that have stored precious metal

and crypto. Is this not the time, says the Lord?

Is this not a time of why I've allowed those

to increase in your hand? And I would just humbly

present that to you, to myself, to those that

happen to have those type of resources, that

that may be something that you would take out

of. And Deanna is at a conference right now,

but I told her, I said, you need to be ready.

I don't know who owns crypto. I care. I bless

you. But now's the time to decryptify yourself

in Jesus' name. You know, however it is, we'll

make sure that the gift is tax deductible because

this project is all tax deductible and we'll

make sure letters get written and you'll come

on your tax receipts. But we are standing at

a moment where we need the Lord to move through

us and beyond us. Amen. Would you allow me just

to pray over you and to pray over these cards

and just. See what the Lord would do as he stirs

our hearts and our faith. Father, in Jesus' name.

Lord, we're standing at a pivotal moment. We're

standing at a pivotal moment. Calvin, if you'd

come, you had a word. I want you to come and

give that word right after I pray. We're standing

at a pivotal moment. Lord, you spoke to me this

morning. Someone handed me a watch. And you said

immediately, I heard the Spirit of the Lord say,

this is a new time for this church. You're stepping

into a new time that I am increasing your understanding

of life in the Spirit. So Father, I pray for

faith. I pray for a release of courage. And I

pray for miracles. Lord, let the miracle, as

you said in Exodus, blessed will you be in your

bowl and blessed will be your bread. Lord, let

the bread multiply even as we give. Let it multiply.

Let it be supernatural. Let provision come that

is unheard of in Jesus' name. I now say in Jesus'

name, let your favor be upon your people. who

are calling now on your name. Calvin. The Lord's

just been really impressing upon my heart how

absolutely crazy, crazy is good in my world,

how absolutely crazy good it is that every pile

of that wall is being driven in the season of

the fast. And this morning, as we were in the

prayer room, the Lord gave me this picture. I

was in the airport this week and I saw a currency

exchange. And he gave me this picture of a currency

exchange and the gate rolling up. And he said,

Calvin, for our church, that we are not building

a wall. We are building a bridge, a bridge to

a new season. And that God is exchanging the

currency in this body and in the kingdom of God

right now into a new season. And every physical

thing that we spend is the currency in which

we build the kingdom with. And there is something

shifting. There is something moving. There is

something when that last pile goes in the ground,

God is declaring a new season over this place

and a new season over his people. And I just

declare to you today that many of you were at

the altar today, you were giving stuff. Your

stuff was, as you watch those piles go in, it

takes a lot of force to drive them down, but

everything on them gets peeled off as they go

in. It just gets peeled off. And today it's good

news for the church because everything you are

giving this morning, everything you're going

to be giving in this days ahead, it's all not

giving a one way thing with God. It is an exchange

and he is exchanging something that you're giving

for something that you can't believe. And it's

going to cost you something, but it's going to

give you so much more. So let's just get a hold

of that in the kingdom and let's begin to take

on this kingdom of exchange, this exchange for

the physical. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Get

in a place of faith. It's urgent. But we want

you to hear the Lord. And next week we'll receive

some of those cards. We're going to just let

them come in. And let's just do this together

as a family. Thank you for taking the time to

listen to this week's message. We are so grateful

for those who tune in each week. and have given

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