Keepers of the Fire

if you if you have your bibles if you can turn

to the book of acts with me acts chapter 28 verse

Acts 28:1–6

1 through 6 if you don't have it read it there

up on the on the projector screen amen when you

got it say amen amen amen so acts 28 1 through

6 and it reads like this now when they had escaped

they then found out that the island was called

malta Now that's the modern name, Malta. Some

versions, it'll read Melita, but it's the same

island. Amen. And the natives showed us unusual

kindness. And they candled a fire. And they made

us all welcome. And because of the rain that

was falling and because of the cold. Amen. But

when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and

laid them on the fire. And there's just one thing

I want to. Point two is that Paul did not create

this fire. Paul didn't create the fire. The fire

welcomed Paul and Paul embraced it, but he did

not make the fire. Amen. And so when Paul had

laid him on the fire, a viper came out because

of the heat and fasted on his hand. And so when

the natives saw the creature hanging from his

hand, they said to one another, No doubt this

man is a murderer from whom though he has escaped

the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.

But he shook off the creature into the fire and

suffered no harm. However, they are expecting

that he would swell up or suddenly fall down

dead. But after they had looked for a long time

and saw no harm come to him, they changed their

minds and said, he was a god amen as i mentioned

paul did not start this fire but paul received

the responsibility to keep the fire going and

for a moment i would like to speak on the topic

keepers of the fire amen before you're seated

let us go before the before the lord amen today

heavenly father we come before you today father

Lord, we ask you, Lord, to anoint my lips of

clay, Father, Lord. Lord, that you would speak

to your church today, Father, Lord, that you

would open up our hearts and our ears, God. Lord,

that we would receive your word, Lord. Jesus,

hallelujah, that we would, Lord, keep and hide

your word in our hearts, Father. Hallelujah.

For this word, God, I believe is for us today,

Lord. Jesus, hallelujah, that we would not only

be hearers of your word, Father, Lord, but doers.

Hallelujah, Lord. Have your way, God. Manifest

your spirit in this place, Lord. Lord, we give

you honor. We give you glory. In Jesus' name

we say, amen. You may be seated. Amen. Praise

the name of the Lord. So the book of Acts, amen,

is a culminating chapter of the book, amen, in

the book of Acts, amen, the chapter, amen, in

verse, in chapter 28. It is a very ending of

a very powerful book that was written for us

to model, amen, and to follow in the age of the

church that we are living in today. Here we find

our roots and our identity traced back to the

book of Acts in chapter 2, where the Holy Ghost

first fell upon all those who congregated, and

the Spirit began to move amongst the congregants,

and they began to operate and minister. Amen.

And the Bible states in Acts 1 through 8, amen,

in chapter 1, verse 8, it says, but you shall

receive power. When the Holy Spirit has come

upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in

Jerusalem and in all Judea, Samaria, and to the

end of the earth. This is the day of Pentecost.

This is the commencing, hallelujah, of the revival

that we have experienced, amen, since the beginning

of this year. This is the revival that started

way back when and the wind that started to blow.

Hallelujah. In the upper room is that same wind

that is blowing on us today. Hallelujah. This

is the book. This is what the book of Acts is

talking about. And it covers the ministry of

Paul. Amen. Paul, who was once a persecutor of

the church, but now converted to spread the gospel

everywhere he went. And in chapter 28, it talks

about Paul's journey. And it refers to when he

was on his way to Rome and his trip was cut short.

This is where he encountered the storm and God

redirected, hallelujah, his path to the island

of Malta. Amen. And Paul was no stranger to being

redirected. Paul is no stranger to his plans

being cut short. Shipwrecked. He was greeted

by the natives of the island of Malta. And they

showed unusual kindness, the Bible says. And

they were kind enough to kindle a fire for Paul.

It was cold. It was raining. It was a huge storm

that had hit that region. And as they emerged

from the sea, they were greeted with a fire.

And Paul, having an obvious choice to make, Paul

decides to embrace the fire. Amen. And this is

what God is saying to us today. Amen. In verse

2 it says, And the natives showed unusual kindness.

They kindled the fire and made us all welcome.

There was rain. It was cold. Conditions were

not convenient. The storm was not expected. The

island of Malta was not part of the plan. But

Paul decided to embrace the fire. He decided

to embrace the plan of God and exit his own plan.

How many of you know that God's plans are greater

than ours? How many of you know that God's plans

are to give us a future? To give us hope? Hallelujah.

Plans, hallelujah, are far more than what we

can ever imagine, hallelujah. Because although

Paul had his mind made up that he was on his

way to Rome, the storm hit and he was redirected,

landed shipwrecked, hallelujah. And in Jeremiah

29, 11, God reminds us that the plans that he

has for you and I, hallelujah, declares the Lord,

are plans to prosper us, not to harm us. Plans

to give us hope and a future. Amen. There came

a moment, though, as Paul approached the fire

and he sat down in front of the fire, that the

fire began to dissipate. The fire began to dwindle.

And Paul felt the responsibility to keep this

fire going. You see, Paul was no stranger, hallelujah,

to this fire, nor was he a stranger to God changing

his plans abruptly. There was a pivotal event

and moment that occurred in his life on the road

to Damascus. In Acts 9, 1 through 19. Amen. Saul

then. Hallelujah. The Bible says that he was

on his way to Damascus. On his way. Hallelujah.

Amen. To persecute the church. Amen. And the

Lord, the Bible says that he was met. Rather,

he was struck by a light. By a blinding light

that he heard the Lord saying, Saul, Saul, why

are you persecuting me? Paul, hallelujah, then

being Saul, amen, understood because it was revealed

to him that the voice of the Lord, the voice

was the Lord's. And when Saul was then persecuting,

amen, the Bible says that he was instructed,

Saul, to enter into the city and to wait to be

told what to do. Saul blinded a man. He embraced

a man, the word. He embraced the encounter with

God himself. And Saul did exactly what he was

told. He embraced the new responsibility. He

decided to keep the fire going. He was blinded

for three days. His sight was restored. And he

was baptized. And he began to preach to the synagogues.

The same sin of God that he went to persecute

the church was the same sin of God that he was

now preaching in. Hallelujah. Because when we

embrace the fire, everything changes. In Acts

13 and 9, Saul, amen, the Bible says, now called

Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit. Let me tell

you church, when you decide to embrace the fire,

when you decide to embrace the responsibility

that God has placed in front of you, everything

begins to change. If you recall, the environmental

elements were not the most convenient. It was

cold. It was raining. He was on a deserted island.

He was confronted by foreign people. But Paul

decided to embrace this fire. And when we see,

amen, the book of Acts, when it talks about the

upper room, amen, we need to understand that

Paul was not found in the book of Acts chapter

Acts 2 · chapter mention

2, amen, of the apostolic church. Paul wasn't

found in the book of Acts chapter 2 in the upper

Acts 2 · chapter mention

room. But in the middle of everything, Paul was

converted and given the responsibility to keep

this gospel going, to keep this fire burning,

to keep this revival going. And it's the very

same tenacity that we find here in chapter 28

where Paul, hallelujah, decides to keep the fire

burning. When the fire begins to dissipate, it

begins to burn out. Paul finds himself troubled.

Amen. Because sitting in front of this fire and

watching it burn out, Paul finds himself troubled.

decides to embrace it and he grabs some sticks

and some wood and he begins to add it to the

fire Amen. You might not have been a part of

this church when it started. You might not have

been a part of this church six months ago, two

months ago. You might not have even been here

last Sunday. But you are here today. And you

are here by no mistake, my friend. God has called

you here, hallelujah, to share in the responsibility

that he has for you and I. Paul was faced with

this responsibility to keep it going. Amen. To

keep the fire burning. Amen. But in order for

this to keep going, we've got to embrace this

fire. And everyone has to add to the fire. Everyone

must add to this fire once we embrace the fire,

once we acknowledge, hallelujah, the fire that's

been presented and placed in front of us. Now

it's time to get to work. Amen. Now it's time,

hallelujah, to start adding to the fire because

Paul could have easily sat back, hallelujah,

and got comfortable in the warpness of the fire,

hallelujah. He could have got comfortable with

the protection of the fire, hallelujah. He was

no longer cold. longer wet hallelujah the fire

was beginning to dry him out but Paul then decided

hallelujah when the fire began to burn out Paul

then started to add to the fire This is going

to take every single one of us. This is going

to take every single young person. Every man

and woman must participate in this. Amen. Because

the fire of revival isn't going to be sustained

by one person. It requires for everyone to add

to the fire. Hallelujah. Ministry is not a spectator

sport. Ministry is not a sport where you can

just sit back and cross your arms and just watch

it all happen. That's not how this works. Hallelujah.

Everyone must add to the fire. Let me tell you

something, that our ministries and our talents

and our abilities, hallelujah, are all needed,

hallelujah, to be added to this fire. Because

in the fire, we will see different flames, but

there will be only one purpose. Each and every

flame, hallelujah, carries the same purpose.

And what I mean by that is that in Ephesians

4, 11 through 13, it says, And he gave some apostles

and some prophets and some evangelists and some

pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the

saints, for the work of the ministry, for the

edifying of the church. Now we all come in the

unity of faith. Someone say unity. Someone say

unity. And the knowledge of the Son of God unto

perfect man, unto the measure of stature of the

fullness of Christ. You see, sometimes we might

think to ourselves that we don't have what it

takes to add to what we see that is happening

in the church. Sometimes we feel that the little

bit that we have to offer just might not be enough.

Just because we are not teaching and just because

we are not preaching and just because we are

not singing and just because you are not on the

platform, maybe you're not even helping with

the setup or breakup, hallelujah, doesn't mean

that what God has given you is not enough to

add to the fire. Sometimes we will talk ourselves

out of helping because we don't know and we don't

understand, yet we forget that God is the one

that enables us. God is the one that provides

unto us. God is the one that will give us what

we need, amen, to add to the fire. Every person

has something to add. And if you're sitting there

thinking to yourself, Brother David, I don't

do any of those things. I don't have experience

of any of those things. Amen. I don't help in

that capacity. I don't think there's anything

that I can do to add. I want to remind you that

there are four key elements that every single

one of us have in this church. Amen. There is

no doubt about it that God has not given us what

we need. Amen. God has not equipped us what we

need to help to continue to build this church.

And for this fire to keep going. Hallelujah.

Number one, you have your worship. And worship

is like the kingling. The kingling are like small

sticks or twigs, amen, that are used, amen, to

catch the fire. This is what you use when you

first start to put a fire together. You get those

little brushes or little twigs, amen, and you

throw them on the fire. It is your worship, hallelujah,

that at times it might seem small and it might

not seem that it's enough, hallelujah. But when

you lift up your hands and you open up your mouths,

hallelujah, and you begin to worship the name

of the Lord, something begins to happen, hallelujah.

Worship sets the atmosphere and it breaks the

hard ground and gives the spirit of God a place

to burn. This is why he seeks those, amen, that

are women worshiping in spirit and in truth.

Your worship, hallelujah, is what breaks ground

and sets the atmosphere. In Psalm 104 it reads,

enter his gates, amen, with thanksgiving and

his courts with praise. Amen. Worship is what

invites the fire to fall. Whether it's loud.

Whether it's quiet. Whether it's fast. Whether

it's slow. True worship attracts the presence

of God. And it's your worship that may spark.

Amen. Amen. And set the whole room ablaze. Number

two is your prayer. And prayer are like your

sticks. Amen. If you go outside, I guarantee

you, if you look down on the ground, you'll be

able to find at least one, two, three, or four

sticks basically anywhere that you step. Because

wherever there's growth, wherever there's a tree,

wherever something was alive or something was

dead, there was a reverence of something that

was alive. And you will find these sticks anywhere

that you look. Amen. And prayer, amen, is equivalent

to sticks because prayer is what keeps the fire

alive. Prayer is what keeps the fire burning.

Every time that we pray, even though it might

feel small and a routine prayer, we are asking.

adding to the sticks of the fire of revival.

A church without prayer is a church without fire.

I said a church without prayer is a church without

fire. Prayer builds the atmosphere, pushes back

the darkness, and invites the presence of God.

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man

availeth much. James 5 through 16, and when we

pray, whether it be privately or corporately,

you're fueling the supernatural. You're keeping

the fire burning. The flame will never go out.

Your sticks may not seem like much, but when

you stack those sticks on those twigs of worship,

and then now here comes faith, the fire will

burn strong and boldly. Third thing is your faith.

Amen. Your faith is comparable to wood. Faith

is solid. It steadily fuels the burning fire

even when we can't see the flame. Wood burns

longer than kindling. Amen. The wood that keeps

the fire alive through the night seasons of your

life. it is faith that keeps the fire burning

amen even when we don't know what's going to

happen or what is taking place in our lives in

Hebrews 1 11 it reads now faith is a substance

of things hoped for the evidence of things not

seen When we stand on God's promises and we believe

in the middle of the storm just like Paul did.

That there's faith. Amen. That fire is going

to continue to burn. And even when we don't see

it and we believe it, the fire is still burning.

I know right now we can't see it because it's

not here yet. But I told you when God brought

us back to City Light Church that God brought

me back with a vision. And that vision was a

room full of children. And there was at least

50 or 60 children in that room. And it was like

a Bible study, like what we do on Sundays. It

was a small study for the kids. And the kids

were filled, amen, in that room. And they were

smiling and they were cheerful, amen. And there

was a whole lot of kids. And I didn't even get

to see the inside of the church. But then that's

when God spoke to me and said, that growth is

going to come. I have preordained, amen, amen,

a destiny for City Light Church. And just because

we don't see it right now, it doesn't mean that

God isn't doing it. God is faithful to his word.

God is a keeper of his promises, amen. And this

is why it requires for us to continue to put

in and continue, amen, to put in, to continue

to add to this fire. Can it get tiring at times?

Yes, it can. Can we sometimes feel like we're

not going nowhere quickly? Sometimes it can.

Sometimes we're overwhelmed with the things of

life. Sometimes we're overwhelmed with work,

our families, our children, amen, the goals that

we have for us. But God is saying, hallelujah,

today, that if you just focus on the fire. If

you just focus on the responsibilities, I will

take care of all those things for you. Because

I'm the one that provides for you anyway. I'm

the one that gives you, hallelujah, the more

anyway. I'm the one that multiplies anyway. So

if you stay focused and build your fire, amen,

everything else will be consumed in the fire.

And God will continue to add. the fourth thing

amen that we have is our testimony testimony

is a fuel that ignites others when you share

what God has done for you when you share your

testimony with others it's like pouring fuel

on someone else's fire people need to hear what

God has done for you and I People need to hear

how God brought us from nothing. And now we are

something. Hallelujah. People need to hear how

God healed you. How God raised you. How God saved

you. How God delivered you. Because your story

is only going to remind them, hallelujah, that

if God did it for me, he could do it for you.

in revelations 12 and 11 it says that they overcame

him by the blood of the lamb and by the word

of their testimony fuel feel amen the fuel that

spreads the fire is your testimony We should

not be afraid to share this. We should not be

afraid, hallelujah, to tell someone, hey man,

this is what God did for me. I know you're struggling,

but if you have a few moments, let me just share

with you where God brought me from. I was where

you were at one day. I was lost, hallelujah.

I didn't have any hope. it was over I didn't

think that God had a plan for me either hallelujah

but then one day the word of the Lord came to

me God's hallelujah spirit came upon me and God

changed me forever hallelujah your testimony

is powerful So many times I have shared my testimony

and the testimony of my father and how God delivered

him for 22 years of heroin addiction. And it

wasn't even in a church service. It wasn't in

no program. My dad was up late in the middle

of the night. Hallelujah. It was cold. It was

raining outside, just like on the day that Paul

was shipwrecked. And my father put his feet up

on the stove. Amen. And he opened up his word.

And he said that he cried out to God. And he

told God, if you don't heal me this time, if

you don't save me this time, I don't think I'm

going to live to see tomorrow. I don't see an

end. to this God you need to heal me and you

need to heal me right now hallelujah and he said

that as he began to say that the spirit of God

came up over the top of his head and down to

the bottom of his feet and ever since then he

never craved an ounce of heroin but it's because

of that night that I'm here today because had

not my father cried out to God Our family would

not be here because it set off a domino effect,

a chain reaction in his life, just like it set

off the chain reaction in Paul's life. Amen.

In Leviticus 6, 12 to 13, it talks about the

fire in the altar. Amen. And that the fire must

never burn out. That the fire on the altar must

be kept burning. It must not go out. that every

morning the priesthood to add firewood and arrange

a burnt offering on the fire and burnt the fat

hallelujah fellowship offerings on it. The fire

must be kept burning and the altar continuously

must never go out. This was not just a suggestion.

This was a command. Hallelujah. That the fire

on the altar was never meant to die. Hallelujah.

That the priest had to add to the fire every

single morning. This wasn't a once a week type

of flame. This wasn't a Sunday only spark. It

was a daily fire. A continual fire that had to

burn and never cease. That same principle applies

to us today. Amen. The fire, hallelujah, of God

in our life must never be seasonal. It must never

be a Sunday to Sunday type of burnout. Amen.

It's meant to burn bright during the morning.

It's meant to burn bright during the midday.

It's meant to burn bright late at night. Hallelujah.

It's not just a fire that just flickers out on

Monday and then it's gone. We were called to

be keepers of the fire. We were given the responsibility

to fuel it, to feed it, to protect it every single

day. Paul, hallelujah, was washed up on the shores

of Malta, shipwrecked, soaked, and weary. And

not one time, hallelujah, did Paul question who

started the fire. Not one time did Paul question

what kind of wood are we using. Not one time

did Paul debate the method or the style of the

fire burning. All Paul did was sit in front of

the fire, take on the responsibility, and feed

the flame. Because what mattered most to Paul

was the fire. What mattered most to Paul, amen,

wasn't how he was feeling. The fact that he was

cold. The fact that he was deserted. The fact

that God, hallelujah, left him shipwrecked on

an island. That did not matter to Paul. Paul

was not concerned about Rome. Paul was not concerned

about tomorrow. Paul was concerned about the

fire. The responsibility. you and i hallelujah

today we gotta rise up in our spirit and we've

got to make a commitment to god and tell god

that we will take on the responsibility of keeping

the fire burning we've got to recommit ourselves

to god and say god i am going to do my part and

then some lord i'm not going to let this fire

burn out on my watch i'm not waiting for someone

else to do it i'm not waiting for someone else

to tell me to do it God has called us to be keepers

of this fire. And hallelujah, I will tell you

something, hallelujah, when we open up the book

of Acts and we read about how the Holy Spirit

fell and how the Holy Ghost fell. The Bible says

that everyone was filled with the Holy Ghost.

It doesn't say hallelujah. It doesn't say some.

It doesn't say a little. It says all. Hallelujah.

And I want to tell you that this moment was not

selective, but that this moment was inclusive.

Everyone, hallelujah, that was sitting in the

upper room was filled with the Holy Ghost. Hallelujah.

And they received the promise of God. Hallelujah.

It doesn't say that only some received it and

the others didn't. It doesn't say that some just

stood back and watched. It doesn't say that.

Some, hallelujah, folded their arms and just

sat there. This was inclusive. This was for everybody.

It doesn't say that some were speaking in tongues

and other words and others weren't. Everyone

in that room was baptized in the spirit because

it is not the will of God for his church to be

in disparity, brother. It's not the will of God

for half the church to be in revival and the

other half the church not to be. It is the will

of God that when his spirit falls, that it falls

on all flesh. When we read in the book of Acts,

we see that everybody is in. Everyone's all in.

Everyone was filled. Everyone was on fire. And

everyone was in revival. And this is what happens

when we are all gathered together under the same

vision. And we are all filled with the same spirit.

And that spirit is burning deep inside of us.

Because in Acts 2 and 42, it reads that the Lord

added to the church daily those who were being

saved. We read books. We put programs together.

We strategize. We create departments. Hallelujah.

We put someone in front of outreach. We put someone

in charge of discipleship. We do all these things

to try to, amen, gather a fandom, an idea, amen,

to go out and to win the loss, amen. But I want

to tell you something, church, it is not that

complicated. It is not that hard, hallelujah,

because the Bible says that God was the one that

added to the church daily such as should be saved.

He held up to his end of the responsibility,

but now God is asking us to hold up our end.

Because the Bible says that they continued steadfastly

in the apostles doctrine. Amen. In fellowship.

In the breaking of bread. And in prayers. Then

fear came upon every soul. And many wonders signs.

Amen. Many wonders and signs were done through

the apostles. Then it says now all who believed

were together. And it says. And had all. things

in common and sold their possessions and goods

and divided them among all and as many had needed

so continuing daily every day in one mind and

one accord and in the temple breaking bread bread

from house to house they ate food with gladness

and simplicity of heart praising god and having

favor with all people and the lord added to the

church daily Those who were being saved. What

does this mean? It means that every single day

it is going to take all of us to do this. As

I was reading this, I was thinking to myself,

why haven't I been over to your house to break

bread? And why haven't you been to my house to

break bread? And why aren't we conversing every

single week? And why aren't we praying for one

another every single day? And why aren't we encouraging

one another every single day? I'm not saying

that division, amen, is alive and well in our

church. That's not what I am saying. What I am

saying is that sometimes we get caught up with

our very own agendas. Sometimes we get caught

up with our own ideas of what life should be.

There is a reason why God calls me your brother

and why God calls me your sister. He doesn't

refer to us as friends. He calls us family. Hallelujah.

And this is what the Bible is referring to. Because

when family get together, they break bread amongst

each other. They ask each other how you are doing.

They ask each other if you need something. Can

I help you with something? And whether we understand

it or believe it or not, we are all blood related.

We are all blood related. That blood that shed

on Calvary. The blood, hallelujah, that ran over

his back, off the top of his forehead. That blood

that saved you and I today. It's the same blood

that bonds you and I. Hallelujah. This is why

the body of Christ is called the body of Christ.

Hallelujah. No one is left out. Everyone is welcomed

into this family. But this is part. Of what happens

when we decide to take on the responsibility.

This is what happens when we put aside, hallelujah,

our own agendas. And we receive, hallelujah,

the vision that God has placed and given us for

this church. Pianist, if you could come up. It's

no mistake, hallelujah, that God has brought

me here. And there is no mistake that God has

brought you here. I think sometimes we grow numb

and we've grown a little callous to people saying

that we have the best worship. Hallelujah. That

we have the best singers. Hallelujah. That we

have one of the best preachers as our pastor

in the apostolic assembly. We have some of the

most gifted and talented musicians. There is

not, hallelujah, a mistake that God has called

us and brought us together. Hallelujah. There

is a responsibility that God has. called us to.

This is what God is saying today to you and I.

I have placed a fire in front of you. I've shipwrecked,

hallelujah, and I've redirected your life. When

you truly think about it, why would God bring

people from Modesto? Why would God bring people

from Palo Alto, from San Jose, from San Francisco,

from all over the Bay Area? And why would he

bring them all to one location? I'll tell you

why. Because at some point in your life, Bakersfield,

God has brought us from miles and miles away.

But God did exactly what he did to Paul. At some

point in your journey as you were on your way

in your walk with God. God, hallelujah, caused

a storm to stir up in your life. God caused some

things to shake up in your life. God caused some

things, hallelujah, amen, to move and to shift

it. And possibly some things might have even

been broken along the way. But God did it for

no other reason. Hallelujah. To redirect you

to the island of Malta. To redirect you to the

city of Mountain View. And you landed on the

shores of City Light Church. Sometimes, church,

God will do this to us. Because God has a greater

responsibility and a greater purpose. I'm all

out of time, but I'm going to tell you something

about the hand of Paul. When Paul decided, amen,

to take on this responsibility. And Paul sat

in front of that fire and he grabbed those sticks

and he grabbed the wood. Amen. And he began to

feed the fire and the fire began to burn and

the temperature began to rise. Amen. The Bible

said that a viper jumped out. And this viper

clung on to the hand of Paul. And the foreigners

expecting for Paul's hand to swell up and for

Paul to fall out. The Bible said that Paul shook

that. Because when you take on and you, amen,

say yes to the responsibility of tending that

fire, that fire isn't only going to burn in your

life. That fire is also going to protect you.

The Bible says that after this was done, there

was a young man by the name of Publius that approached

him. And it just so happened that his father,

who was a chief, amen, the chief of command of

that island, he was sick. He had a fever. And

he had some sort of sickness that was caused

by bacteria, parasites, something that got into

his stomach and just messed them all up and he

was sick. That same hand that that viper clung

onto and bit on Paul was the same hand that Paul

extended and healed the man of his sickness.

Because there's power in the fire. There's authority

in the fire. there's power hallelujah when you

decide to take on this responsibility god just

doesn't protect you god just doesn't give you

what you need amen but you begin to exercise

the power and the authority that god has given

to you stand with me we could speak on the vipers

you know why there's a fight every sunday You

know why there's a struggle, amen, with our flesh?

Amen. You know why there's a struggle when we

come into this place and sometimes we can barely

lift our hands. Sometimes we can barely say yes

to God. Because there are vipers that are comfortable

even in the temperature of revival. There are

things in your life that are comfortable at the

temperature where you have your life set at.

There are things that you are trying to rid yourselves

of and you just can't get rid of these things.

There are things that are holding you back. There

are things that are keeping you in your seat.

There are things, hallelujah, that are not permitting

you, amen, to say yes to this responsibility.

but it's not until the church comes together

and it's not until we start to put into this

fire when that temperature begins to rise and

the heat begins hallelujah to burn hallelujah

that these vipers will then jump out of your

lives because they can't sit in a fire where

they're not comfortable There are things in our

lives today that are way too comfortable. And

even though we come to church and we get our

clap on and we get our praise on and we say that

was great and that was good and we break a little

sweat, hallelujah, we go home and those vipers

go home with you. Those things, hallelujah, are

still alive in your fire. But God is asking a

simple question. Will you say yes to the responsibility

that I have given to you? Because when you say

yes, the fire will intensify and those things

will start to leave. How do we rid these things

of our lives? How do we get rid of these things?

We say yes to the responsibility. Amen. My soul

says yes, oh Lord. Church, we have a responsibility

today. It's not good enough just to come to church

and raise our hand and just have church anymore.

Because this fire has to burn day in and day

out. We've got to take this fire with us. Lift

your hands, hallelujah. Lift your hands towards

heaven. Oh, Jesus, hallelujah, Lord, hallelujah.