Acts Chapter 16 (2009)

Attend school tomorrow, so we definitely want to redeem the time and hold a tight line and endeavor not to let it get away.

And I think it's uh it behoove us, first of all, like to say how that uh uh I don't want to try to give a report, but it's a very profitable, I felt, weekend.

Uh it's good to be with the dear people of God on the East Coast, and uh some of the things uh just amazing.

I was thinking, uh, it's even today.

Things sometimes you're not sure, things that is it you or is it the Lord talking?

Uh, because they both use the same avenue.

You know, the devil and the Lord use the same avenue to talk to you?

They speak, both speak to you to your heart, through your mind.

It wasn't certain.

And some things was pretty uh perplexing.

And I said, Lord, if you if it was you, I know you confirm it.

If this is you talking, I know you're able to confirm it out of the mouth of two or three witnesses.

And as we was on the East Coast at this meeting, uh only had two speakers had an opportunity to speak before I left, and they both confirmed things the Lord uh didn't impress on my heart, but I was you'll go so far as to say he actually spoke to me along those lines, and it was just so refreshing, it was so encouraging to know the Lord is still able to talk to men.

He's still able to talk to women, boys and girls, if our ears is open.

I think Jesus Christ makes a statement in the 10th chapter of John.

Uh he said, I am the good shepherd, and a good shepherd he gives his life for the sheep.

And he said, The sheep, his sheep hear his voice, and a stranger they will not follow.

And so if he's the shepherd and we're the sheep, we should know his voice.

And he's able to confirm his voice, he's able to reiterate it.

Out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word, thank God, can truly be established.

So it's really good to uh have an order that we don't have to say the Lord said and run off on uh on a tantrum, but we can allow the Lord to confirm the things that he's saying.

And uh my heart, my heart is just leaping for joy.

It really is indicted and a good matter.

I'm encouraged in the things of God.

I'm glad.

I'm glad that he'd had begun a good work in us.

He's able to complete it.

He's able to bring it to fruition.

And of course, uh Sunday was a memorial service, it wasn't a funeral service for Brother Teeny, uh, who actually passed, I think it was last Tuesday night, when I got home, I had a message on my cell phone to call right away.

I was in services and I left my cell phone at home.

I did again tonight.

And uh Brother Teen had actually uh he had expired earlier that day, uh where his body was concerned.

And so uh this is an unusual uh method.

He actually was cremated.

And I think a sister called me this week and asked me, do we have any Bible for uh against cremation?

I if it's there, I can't find it.

And I'm not saying it's not there, it it eludes me.

I can't find it.

Uh but personally I don't uh I don't favor cremation, but what I do favor uh is a memorial service versus funerals.

Uh I've been to two, and they both was very encouraging, uh, whether Bereed family was concerned, you know, to actually have uh the remains, and that's all it is, is the remains of a loved one uh in a coffin right in front of you for an hour, two hours.

Uh that can be kind of heart-wrenching for a family.

It really can be quite a bit.

It can be quite a bit.

And then to actually go through the procession of going to the funeral and and committing that body to the ground can be pretty can be pretty grievous.

Uh I I would my time is no longer, I would like for my wife, and I know she's I know she's gonna be devastated when I'm gone.

And I don't blame her, I understand that.

But I'd like for her to be a comfort and not tormented.

Uh I would like for my loved ones to be uh encouraged by the life I live and not grieve by thinking that corpse is me.

That corpse is not me.

If the Lord has his way, and I know he will, and I have mine, I do not plan on being in that corpse.

I do not.

Uh that's the uh that's the purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to actually bring life and immortality to light through the gospel.

And the gospel is not to hear, the gospel, hearing the gospel is what gives you a chance to do it.

But the gospel is for living.

It has to have dresses and shoes and socks on it, it has to have uh pants and shirts, it's for living.

The good news of Jesus Christ, brother, is that a man doesn't have to remain the same, that's mankind, man or woman, doesn't have to remain the same way.

And that is, which way is that?

We were born to die, was born under the sentence of death.

But Jesus Christ, uh, he actually died, and I was saying that we don't have to die.

We do not.

That's your that's just that's your soul, not the corcus, not the body.

It's going back to the grave.

Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

Uh but the soul does not have to die.

Jesus Christ makes some profound statement and that wonderful gospel of John, and he put it this way: he said, uh, though though a man was dead, he said, if he believed in me, yet shall he live.

Well, that dead is talking about dead and trespasses in sin.

Uh that is, if you were born just naturally, didn't have the baptism of the Holy Ghost, was not alive.

That is where our soul is concerned, to the things of God.

And so we was dead and trespassed in sin.

He said, Though a man was dead, if he believed in me, yet shall he live.

Then he said, He that liveth, now you'll receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and if you believe in me, that is, as the scripture has said, he shall never die.

And so we depart, thank God, we fulfilled the second part of that verse, so that's what we're fulfilling as we have already fulfilled the first.

We were dead and trespassed in sin.

I think he said in Ephesians 2 and 1, and you who was dead and trespasses in sin, that's not graveyard dead, uh that's dead or unaware or unconscious of the things of God, has he quickened?

How did he quicken you?

By the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

And so now we believe in him, we were dead, and we believe in him, now we're living.

Then he said, He that lived, you have the baptism of the Holy Ghost, you're alive to God, and if you believe, that is, to the saving of your soul, you don't have to die.

That is the saving grace, that is the saving uh uh gospel that you and I, uh that is, if we receive it with meekness, it's able to save our souls.

And so uh I appreciate the life that Brother Teen had lived.

I appreciate the people who didn't try to put them anywhere, didn't try to put them in heaven, didn't try to put them at the end of the thousand years, brother.

But his life testified to who he was.

And uh there was a largest crowd of people uh that was in Houston since the uh humble, it's outside of Houston, uh that is since the general meeting.

But uh it was a very good memorial service.

It was a reflection of this man's consecration, his dedication.

I didn't realize he passed about six churches from one city to the other city to the other city.

And uh each city he went to, he stayed there for a duration of time, but he would always say, This is not where the Lord wants me.

And he would always call back and tell uh Brother Patton, whoever was over him, uh, I'll stay here until the Lord give you brothers direction to send somebody, but this is not where the Lord wants me to be.

About six cities until he went to Pearl, Mississippi.

And he finally found this home.

He knew that's the place the Lord, he made he made that statement redundantly.

This is where the Lord wants me.

And even today, Sister Joy, his wife, was actually uh expressing those things as she stood on her feet, how that they had to persuade Brother Teeny, you know, Brother Teeny, you you cannot stay here.

You need constant care, your health is too bad.

They would bring him to uh to services.

It got it so bad, Brother Michael, all he could do was sit in a recliner.

Uh and then he couldn't even stay awoke.

Uh you know, he was sleep every service, but he insisted on being there.

Um they said, you can't stay here, you need constant care.

Persuade him to go back to Houston, but it took quite a bit.

This went on for weeks, and finally his daughters came uh and brought him against his will.

But she said, you can see the skid marks, speaking figuratively, from uh Jackson, Mississippi, all the way to humble, man.

He all the way, he was fussing and say, I want to go home.

I need to be at home.

Don't take me away from that.

They need me, they need me.

And uh all those days of pain, and he couldn't even keep his uh head up, and he was in and out.

Uh that is what conscious was concerned.

When he woke up, he was asking about the saints, and my God, that's a memorial.

That's that's the type of man that God has actually joined to the people.

That's what marriage is, it's a joining together.

And uh that shows or testifies of the love that he had for the people of God.

What a way to go.

What a way to go.

Uh your mind is not on yourself.

It wasn't even on his family.

His daughters would often state, you know, you love those people more than you love us.

Well, that's not the truth.

He just loved them differently.

Uh his daughters was married, they're grown, they had kids.

But that was a people uh that needed a shepherd.

And of course, we want to continue to pray for that assembly.

Uh there it is a flock that doesn't have a shepherd.

I know the Lord is able to raise somebody up, but it's not enough.

And I I never believed that I I still don't believe that a pastor should be sent to an area.

I don't believe that.

There's no Bible for that.

Uh I don't believe that you should actually uh assume authority over an assembly, uh, and then you begin to send someone from your local assembly to go pastor another assembly.

I I just can't find that.

I can't find that pattern in the Bible.

I do not.

Uh when Paul went out and we go through these uh we in the book of Acts, and I began to go through some of these wonderful things.

That's your pattern.

That is the pattern of how a church uh is to be governed, how a church is to be shepherd.

Uh someone from among that assembly should be raised up, someone who has the heartbeat, have the pulse of that assembly, know the people, know the shortcoming, know the weaknesses, uh, know the strength, uh, know the custom in that area.

Uh someone who looked these people in the eyes and have served these people.

Among those people should be someone uh who should be their shepherd.

Uh when Paul went into a city and began to establish those New Testament churches, he not one time that he actually sent back to Jerusalem for a pastor.

Not one time, not one time that he takes someone who was with him, uh whether it was Titus, or whether it was Timothy, or whether it's a Venus and say, okay, I'm gonna leave you here as the pastor.

Absolutely not.

When he sent those men on uh uh what's the right term?

When he sent those men on uh on missions, I'm gonna use that term for lack of a better one, it was just to encourage those brethrons.

It was just to exalt those brethrons in the Lord.

Uh but he began the Bible began to let us see what he did.

Uh he began to take those men, he taught them the word of God.

And then as he ordained elders, elders is just that, they're older, uh, they're older saints, they're older, more mature brethrons in the gospel.

Uh he ordained elders, and then he commit those men, he committed those men to the Lord and to his grace.

And uh, this is the New Testament order.

Are we there yet?

No.

But let's not deny it.

Let's not deny the order that God has and just say, Lord, we're not there yet.

Have mercy on us.

Uh but I don't think we should pervert the word of God to serve our uh present distresses.

We should see what it is and say, Lord, help us to come up to it.

Help us to walk in New Testament order.

And uh till the day that my last breath is uh is given out of this corpse, until I expire, I still believe in.

I'm gonna preach and hold to New Testament order.

New testament order.

And there's a lot of ways we can do things.

There's many patterns.

There's many patterns that set out before us in society.

And do they work?

Well, sure they work.

They do good things, but they do it in the flesh.

That's not according to the spirit of God or the pattern that the Lord has actually shown us.

Uh, does it make it sin?

Uh well, it may not be sin, but it's fault.

And uh what the Lord is coming back for, he's not coming back for people who don't have sin, but he's coming back for a people that's without spot.

That's sin, wrinkle, that's division, or blemish.

And that's a fault.

We have to be faultless before the Lord.

And uh is it possible?

Absolutely it's possible.

It was possible even in the Old Testament that men actually live such a uh biblical or scriptural life that they couldn't find a fault.

I think it said that about uh Daniel.

They couldn't find a fault of Brother Michael pertaining to him except concerning the law of his God.

If there was gonna be anything they was going to charge him with, they had to find a law uh concerning his God that Daniel was adhering to that was contrary to the laws of the uh the Canaanites.

I'm sorry, to the uh the Shaldeans, thank you, the Shaldeans.

And so uh I believe we as a people can obtain to that, that we can actually live blameless.

And anything that's gonna be uh too late to our charge, it should be pertaining to the laws of the word of God.

That should offend people where we're concerned.

Uh but I don't think we should be able to use any scriptures in the Bible and find offense.

The Bible said, great peace, listen to scripture.

Great peace have they which what?

Love thy law.

And nothing that is in the word of God should offend you.

There's not one scripture that should offend us.

And so there is an order.

There is an order.

We're not there yet, but I believe if we keep our eyes on the prize, brother, on that, if we keep striving, if we keep pressing, and don't deny the truth.

Don't deny the truth.

Lord, let me fall on the rock.

Don't let the rock fall on me.

Lord, you're right.

I'm wrong.

My ways is wrong.

It's not your ways.

And I think we have to keep that as a people and as individuals, the Lord is right.

At the end of the day, the Lord is still right.

And uh His ways, his ways are not our ways.

His thoughts is not our thoughts.

Well, there has to be a transformation.

It's not on his part, it's on our part.

Lord, help us to conform, help us to transform to your ways, to your thoughts.

If we do it the Bible way, we'll get the Bible results.

You'll get the Bible results.

And so uh uh that's enough on that, but uh uh but it's good.

I don't ever think, and I don't I don't want us to be a people that's deceiving ourselves.

I don't believe, not for one second, Brother Arnell, there is an assembly.

Uh there is an assembly that is walking in perfect New Testament order.

I don't.

I don't, and the body of Christ is not, it's not an affiliation of churches.

I I wish it was that simple.

I wish it was a group of people who can get together and say, we're the body of Christ.

I wish it was that simple.

That is not the body of Christ.

Uh the body of Christ is in formation.

Uh the body of Christ are those two witnesses that actually lay dead in the street for 1260 years, that actually ascended upon their feet, but we have not yet, we have not yet ascended into the cloud.

And so we're the body of Christ in formation.

There's other brothers that are no doubt, uh have the same vision, the same revelation, the same truth.

Uh are they the body?

Absolutely.

But we haven't met them, neither have they met us.

God is bigger than what you can see.

Never limit the Holy One of Israel.

This is not it.

And anyone who thinks that way is a very small thinking person.

God is much bigger than that.

He's much bigger than that.

Uh, but what make you the body of Christ is the implementation.

It's the implementation of the uh order that the head gives us.

Uh which is uh it's following the head, following the Lamb wheresoever he goeth, that makes you the body.

If I say right arm move and uh brother arm left arm go, a right arm go up, and I say left leg move and brother Michael left leg move, well brother, we have problems.

But my God, brother, if if I if my give instruction to my feet, to my leg, and it responds, this is my body.

It's in subjection to my head.

Even so with Christ, uh, thank God, I'm glad that he laid his head on a body of people if we'll submit, if we follow the Lord of the land wheresoever he goeth.

And so we can see that New Testament church uh that is in that wonderful book of Acts.

Uh, this was the body of Christ at that time.

This was the body of Christ.

Why do you say was?

Because something did happen.

The body of Christ never went out of existence, but I'm gonna tell you what it did.

Uh it was fragmatized, it was put in dens and caves, and it wasn't as visible.

Those two witnesses, that is the old and the new testament, which absolutely which uh actually consummate uh the body of Jesus Christ, the word of God information, the word of God and implementation, uh the word of God, a brother that couldn't be the night in the people, it actually laid wait, like laid dead in the streets.

That was street of Babylon for 1,260 years.

But I'm so glad the Bible said after the 1260 days, brother, the spirit of life entered into them.

Uh that happened on the day of uh not Pentecost, but it happened on the day that the baptism of the Holy Ghost was not in a few people, but it actually was throughout the earth.

Started in 1906, or actually started in 1904, but 1906 was an outpouring.

It was an outpour in Wales, England.

It was an outpour in uh Azusa uh Street in Los Angeles, California.

And that was the people of God receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost one more time in the earth.

The Bible said the sounds of the turtle, and of course the turtle doesn't make a sound, that's the turtle dove.

It was heard once more in the land.

Oh, what do you mean, a turtle dove?

That's the shirping.

That's men beginning to speak in other tongues, but the Spirit of God give them utterance.

And then the Bible says how the flowers began to blossom again.

Uh, that's souls, brother, begin to come into maturity one more time.

And so we have a pattern.

I'm glad the Lord did not leave the New Testament church without a pattern.

And a pattern is not uh something that can be concocted in the ideals of men, but brother, the pattern is this New Testament order.

We can see how, and I'm gonna get into the book of Acts and continue there, but we can see how all of God's people that he had been dealing with through Jesus Christ, that's his order, God the Father through Christ, through the New Testament minister, the 12 apostles, and it wasn't just them, but it was a hundred and twenty.

Here's the people.

Uh, though Jesus Christ had healed many, he opened many blind eyes and unstopped many deaf ears, yet at the end of his ministry, uh thousands of people he fed, five thousand, four thousand, uh, that is in one setting.

At the end of his ministry, he only had, he only had about five hundred brethren.

The Bible said it was seen at one time.

Only about five hundred.

Out of that five hundred, there was only a hundred and twenty.

Only a hundred and twenty were so committed that they would actually leave their boats and their jobs and their farms and actually began to uh obey the commandment he gave them to terror in Jerusalem to actually go wait in that city, brother, until they receive an anointing or power from on high to actually become the sons of God.

And those people, brother, they have differences.

Yes, they did, but they put those differences aside.

They got it right.

And so finally they was able to be on one accord.

There was no strife, no division, no contention.

And as they was in one place, and as they began to continue in prayer, the Bible said when that day of Pentecost, uh, that word Pentecost means 50th.

It's 50 days after the Passover, 50 days after Jesus literally became the Passover sacrifice for humanity.

Uh, that is the death angel could actually pass over.

As those people tarried there, that word tarried mean wait.

They wasn't sure exactly what they was waiting for, but they was being obedient to the instructions that Jesus Christ had given them.

And without any notice, brother, without any fanfare, without anyone pumping them up or psyching them up.

There was no music instruments, there was no band, uh, there wasn't a choir, no singers.

The Bible said, suddenly.

That is, brother, without any uh any announcement.

Suddenly there came a sound from heaven.

I'm glad it came from heaven, and it came as of a rushing mighty wind.

It sagrated.

That the word filled mean, brother, it overflowed.

It sagurated all the house.

Not everybody there, but where they were sitting, where they were sitting.

And then there was people, brother, who actually began to see something with spiritual eyes.

There was clothing tongue as a fire.

Clothing means two.

They had two dialects.

Maybe they could only speak in one English, one dialect, but all of a sudden the Bible said, clothing tongue.

Clothing is two, set upon each of them, because now they can speak not only with an earthly language, but they could also speak with the heavenly language.

He said, Set upon each of them, and they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit of God gave utterance.

That was the birth of a New Testament church.

You ever seen a person naturally when that soul come alive to earth to this earth?

Brother, the first thing that child does, it gives out a cry of life.

And of course, it's not speaking English or Spanish, it's not speaking Portuguese, but it's giving a cry of life.

And when your soul comes alive through the things of God, brother, it begins to cry our father.

Uh, it may not be Eric May, but it's another dialect.

And so you begin to see that New Testament church as it was birthed.

But it was just in his infancy.

And so Peter, first thing he did, the most wonderful message that Peter ever preached was the one he preached on the day of Pentecost, because with that message, he actually opened the doors and allowed 3,000 Jews to actually enter into the kingdom of God.

That was 120.

But when Peter began to preach that wonderful gospel, 3,000 souls was actually added to the church.

Well, I'm sure there had to be a great trial.

How does 120 people affect 3,000 who were steep in religion?

That was 3,000 Jews.

They all had a pedigree, they all had a heritage.

Uh, that is by being descendants of Abraham.

They all had a righteousness, but it was not of God.

It was not of faith.

It was their own righteousness.

And so what do you do with those people?

Thank God, brother, you can't sing them into righteousness.

You can't uh love them into righteousness.

You want to love them, but you can't love anybody into righteousness.

What Peter did, he preached the gospel.

The Bible says they continue daily and fellowship and breaking bread and the apostles' doctrine.

Let me get that in there.

He said the apostles' doctrine and breaking bread and fellowship from house to house.

And so it wasn't coming together on Tuesdays, uh on Fridays and Sundays, but it's what they did every day.

When they got off of work, you know what they did?

They went to somebody's house.

And brother, when they did uh day work at end, they went to somebody's house.

It went all in one place.

The churches were in the homes.

But brother, every day, seven days a week.

Can you imagine it, brother and nail?

Seven days a week.

Brother, they go home, brother, they clean themselves up and they're heading over to this brother's house, that brother's house, getting into the things that those apostles have taught them.

What was it doing?

That was a nail in a sure place.

That was beginning to nail those men and women and boys and girls down in the things of God.

And as you begin, whatever man, listen, Jesus said, Listen, wherever your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Everybody value their time, everybody value their time.

That time when I go on a job, I'm giving that time to that job for some money.

But I value my time.

Now, what do I do when I'm all?

That's what's really important to me.

What do I do with my time when it's mine?

When I'm not being paid for it.

And so uh the Bible said, let every man examine himself and see whether he'd be in the faith.

And so you can begin to see as that New Testament church was established in the gospel and apostles' doctrine, things began to happen.

And I'm trying to pick up the pace.

Things began to happen.

The Lord, Brother Michael, he began to require of those apostles in that ministry the things that he had instructed them to be witnesses, not just in Jerusalem, but Judea, Samaritas, and the uttermost parts of the earth.

As those men fail to hearken to that uh of those instructions, the Lord helps us.

I'm so glad the Bible said, My son, despise not the chasten of the Lord.

Despise not the chasten of the Lord.

He said, Neither think when you are rebuked of him.

And so uh that's the goodness of the Lord when things begin to go a little wayward, when things begin to go a little uh contrary.

The Lord is trying to talk, he's trying to get our attention.

And so uh you can begin to see persecution, the Bible said, arose against that church.

But that was the Lord.

Why would you say, well, the Lord was pushing them?

No, he was not punishing them, but he was helping them, he was nudging them, he was encouraging them, uh, that is to fulfill the commandment he had given them.

Even in our lives, when things are going adversarial, you have to stop and begin to wonder now, is this by chance or is this the Lord's talking?

Some things, brother, you know, this got to be the Lord.

I think I was talking to Brother Ron and Brother LJ.

You know, uh, man, I couldn't, some things I couldn't put my hands on, Sister Judy.

I came back feeling really good, and uh just quick, uh just to show you how the Lord thunders, Brother Michael.

Uh talking to LJ, and she said, Oh, by the way, Sister Desiree said that uh we got a bill from Eagle Electric for$17,000 at the church.

I said, What?

Yeah,$17,000.

I said, that's impossible.

Must be too many zeros on it.

Call Sister Desiree?

Yeah,$17,000 is on the desk.

No, that can't be right.

Run over to the church, and sure enough, it's a bill for$17,600.

That's that's ludicrous.

He did about$3,000 of work that he never built me for two years ago.

Two years ago.

That electric disconnect count inside the uh the uh room in there, but the electrician with the contractor was moving too slow, so I fired him.

And I got this guy to come finish it.

And I kept begging him for a bill, he never gave me the bill.

So I called him today and I said, Man, this is candid, you can't be serious about this.

He said, Yeah.

I said, Well, unless you brother, unless you persuade it, I'm not gonna pay you.

Why would I pay you something that's two years old?

Uh why didn't you give me the bill then?

Uh, you know, well, anyway, to make a long story short, I'm saying that's ludicrous to me.

Then I get to the office, Brother Michael.

Now, this is this is this is you saying this is somebody being absurd.

Then I get to the office and they're trying to tax me for a job I did two years ago in North up in North Louisiana.

Worth how much was that,$4,000, Grace?

Yeah,$4,000.

Now this is crazy.

And then before that that could end, before that was over with, then I get a phone call for some more taxes.

Then I go look and Grace's desk, and I look on there and I'm saying IRS, I plumbed through it, and they're trying to charge me$3,000,$800 for some people who gave us the wrong Social Security numbers.

They're gonna find me for somebody to give me the wrong.

I said, What in the world?

I would actually I said, Do I look stupid?

Do I have food across my forehead?

I was actually, I said, look at me.

And I was talking to LG, I said, you know what?

Let me change my appearance.

How can I talk sideways with my head?

Sometimes I can't get over something I'm I'm doing this instinctively.

So I straighten my head.

I said, No.

That's not the way I look.

That's the Lord I talk to you.

It's obvious the Lord is trying to say something.

And so those apostles, when he began to turn those uh uh those Judah dieses loose on them, and persecution began to uh that is to uh come up against that church, those men knew what to do.

Brother, the Bible said, then the disciples scattered one everywhere preaching the gospel except the apostles.

Brother, they knew exactly.

They knew exactly, of course the Lord helped them, they knew exactly what they wasn't doing.

You ever had the Lord get on your case?

You never had the Lord get on your case?

Do you, if you're not sure what to do, the first thing you do is grab the hose of the altar and you say, Oh Lord, help me.

And he'll begin to touch your mind and show you, brother, what it is, what it is he's after you for.

What does he want from you?

That's the goodness of the Lord, isn't it?

He could just leave us alone.

And so as those men began to scatter, great men like and I'm trying to get to the uh to where we stopped at, but great men, uh that is who was already uh not so much in the ministry, but they worked with the ministry.

Men like Stephen, men like Philip, and different men like that, who was known among the brethren.

And they became a mummer.

And the Lord permitted that mummering, he permitted uh that that discontention as they brought it to those apostles and began to say, listen, our widows are dead, are neglected in the daily administration of food.

But the apostles say, look, it's not fit that we should leave the word of God and serve table.

Look out among you.

Choose you seven men who's full of wisdom, who's full of honest report, and full of the Holy Ghost, whom we can appoint over this matter.

But we're going to give ourselves continually to the word, to the ministry of the word and prayer.

And so they brought those men, and here's the first ordination in the Bible.

I'm glad they did it that way.

Um, because, brother Michael, that's the Bible order.

They began to lay hands on those men and uh authorize or sanction or ordain those men, brother, for a certain work.

And the work was to care for God's people.

They had the authority to say yes and say no.

They had the authority to govern and knows affairs.

That was the order of God.

As those men subject themselves to that minister and the minister was subject to Christ, and Christ was subject to God, that was a divine order.

Thank God in the Bible said the church began to multiply.

It stopped adding and began to multiply because there was people there to care for the people according to New Testament order.

They didn't get a committee together, uh, they didn't get uh an organization together, but they did it the Bible way.

And then as you can begin to see from there, uh, as that church began to increase and multiply, a certain man who was actually uh very instrumental in the persecution of the church whose name uh was Saul S-A-U-L, that's a Jewish name, that great man, he was great even in a Jewish religion.

He was full of zeal, full of dedication to the Lord.

He hated, and I'm gonna use that word, because that's what it was, he hated this way of Christianity.

He persecuted that unto the death.

That is binding up men and women and bringing them to be uh uh tried by the Sahedron council and put to death in many cases.

And brother, as he was actually on his way with authority from the uh from the chief priest to go to Damascus.

Damascus was a town that was in Syria to bind up, to bind up any who call upon the name of Jesus Christ for a savior among those Jews and bring them back to Jerusalem to be dealt with.

As he was actually traveling, the Bible says there shine around him a brightness, a light, a brightness brighter than the are you all cold?

Turn it, turn cooler, uh turn it up a little bit, warm them all.

Uh bright in the noonday sun actually knocked that man to the ground.

Not only him, but the Bible said all those that was with him.

And they all heard a sound, but they saw no man.

But everybody else heard thunder, but Saul actually heard the Lord talk to him.

Saul saw, why persecutest thou me?

It's hard for thee to kick against the prick.

Well, a prick is what you use on an ox and to keep that ox uh uh traveling down a certain path.

It's uh it's a it's nothing but a stick, a rod with a pointed obstacle in the end of it.

And you poke that ox.

Well, an ox is going the wrong way.

It's a heavy animal, it's hard to work with them.

So you put these pricks in them.

You put these pricks in them.

And so uh, but Jesus Christ, thank God, he was showing Paul, when you kick against what I'm doing, brother, when you work against this, you're working against me.

And so uh Saul had no intention to work against the Lord.

He thought he was doing the Lord a service, he thought he was doing the Lord a great favor.

And so he said, Well, who are thou, Lord?

And he said, I'm Jesus whom you persecuted.

And so he began to say, Well, what would you have me to do?

He said, Go into the master.

Go ahead, go there.

He said, And there's a man by the name of Ananias.

He'll tell you what you ought to do, showing you that Jesus Christ himself, he's not gonna preach the gospel to any soul.

You'll never get saved by saying me and Jesus got our own thing going.

God has an order, he uses human instrumentality.

He was not going to save Paul or Saul at that time was his name any differently than he saved anyone else.

It was going to be through New Testament order.

And so here's the great apostle Saul, a Paul, who was not Paul at that time.

He was Saul Paul as the Gentile rendering of the same name.

Here he is, a man who was stroked with blindness because of the brightness of that light.

And so here he's blind.

He wouldn't eat.

He fasted for three days and three nights.

And he saw in a vision a man coming, laying his hands on him.

And here come this great man, brother.

He was great because he was just a pastor in the assembly.

His name was uh Ananias.

And so the Lord dealt with Ananias.

He said, Go down to a street called uh that is straight.

And he said, There is a man by the name of Saul.

You need to lay your hands on this man that he may receive his sight, he may receive baptism, that is the Holy Ghost.

And he said, Well, listen, I'd have heard much about this man, Lord, how he bound up the saints and brought mercy persecution against your people.

He said, Do as I say, he's a chosen vessel unto me.

I've showed him what things he must suffer for my name's sake.

So as Ananias go down and actually began to lay hands on Saul, this is why we use the term brother.

It's a Bible order.

He said, Brother Saul, what a term to call a man who can persecute the church.

Had he received the Holy Ghost yet?

Wasn't he baptized in water?

He said, Brother Saul, receive thy sight.

And thank God, brother, he received his sight.

I don't mean just natural, but his eyes was open to the things of God.

Brother, he was baptized, that is, by the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

How do you know that?

Because it's by one spirit, we're all baptized into one body.

You need water baptism.

A water baptism is a remission of sins that are past.

It does not put you into the body of Christ.

Thank God, but you should to do it to fulfill all righteousness.

And so as uh those things began to transpire Saul, brother, first thing he did, he went into the synagogue.

He was brought up at the feet of Gamilia.

He was well learned in the Old Testament, and he began to preach Jesus Christ.

He began to show out of the law of Moses, out of the prophets in the Psalms, that this is the Messiah.

No doubt I could actually see him in the synagogue going all the way back, brother, all the way back in the garden, showing, brother, when an animal skin uh covered Adam and Eve, that was a picture of Christ.

No doubt he began to walk him right on down through all the Genesis.

Ex Leviticus began to show all the pictures and types, and then he began to show prophecies, brother.

He showed those scriptures, how he would say, I would call my son out of Egypt.

No doubt, rec uh hearse how that Herod had uh put all the kids to death, and Joseph was one of an angel to flee into Egypt until Herod would die, and he brought them back.

No doubt he showed them all those scriptures.

And brother, you know what they did?

They didn't receive that.

The Bible said they began to lie in wait for Saul to put him to death.

They wanted to kill him.

You know why?

Because light shines in darkness and the darkness comprehended not.

Brother, you're not gonna ever have a problem with people who are unsaved.

I'd rather speak to, and I'll say this to the day I expire.

I'd rather reach out and try to save somebody, brother, who's unsaved than try to work with somebody full of religion.

What you gonna do with that?

You got to empty out first, and it's too hard to do that unless the Lord show you mercy.

And so who called Paul all of his problem?

Who did?

I'm gonna tell you who did it.

It wasn't the heathens, it wasn't the Gentiles, it was the Jews.

And it started right there in the master, they tried to put him to death.

But the Bible says, listen, as they began to lie in wait, they was gonna kill him when he came outside.

It was known of the uh disciples.

I'm glad, brother, nothing can happen to the righteous except God permit it.

And so the Lord actually began to touch those men's minds and to let them know, let those men see and discern they're gonna kill Saul.

They're gonna kill him.

And so they put him in a basket at night and they let him down the wall.

You think Saul would have learned from that and said, Let me keep my mouth crying.

Thank God, brother, when God has opened your eyes and filled your heart with joy.

You can't keep this to yourself.

Um I still hear the message, brother Jeffrey preached weeks ago, and brother, I'm not gonna ever let that fall into the ground.

That's gonna stay in my heart, but I'm I'm here to bear fruit, and I'm gonna tell you revelation in case you don't have it, so are you.

And he said, Every tree that bear fruit, he's gonna purge and that is gonna bear more fruit.

We should testify about the saving grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God that's been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost.

And as you can begin to see that great man Paul, uh still the name of Saul, brother, he went back to Jerusalem.

Do you think he would have been quiet?

He was not quiet, went right back to the synagogue again and began to preach the same gospel, the same message.

And as he began to preach to Jesus Christ and him crucified, once again persecution started.

Once again, the church is in an uproar.

And they took Saul aside and said, Look, Saul, we know you're full of zeal, but we're gonna send you back to TARDIS.

We're gonna send you back home for a little while.

But brother, you think he stayed at home and he was quiet?

He did not.

You read and you read the book of Galatians, you know what he did?

He went out into Arabia, brother Jamie, for three and a half years, and brother, he got into the good word of God, and then Jesus Christ himself, thank God, caused him to sit down on green grass, and he would begin to be taught the great mysteries of God.

Paul said, listen, he said that uh he said, I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostle.

When it came the knowledge, he was not at all a very wit behind none of them.

He was taught, he said, the doctrine, the gospel I have, I didn't receive it of man, neither was I taught it, but by revelation.

The Lord Jesus Christ revealed the good word of God to Saul.

Why'd he do it?

Because he had the zeal, he had the dedication, he had the consecration.

And the Lord raised that man up.

And brother, listen, that man said, listen, listen, he did not love his life unto death.

Why am I talking about him so much?

Because you'll find the book of Acts, what is 28 chapters, and you know the central theme is the church.

But the man who spread the gospel throughout Asia and Age of Maya was a man by the name of Paul, who's name who's the same as Saul of Tartus.

This man's life, when you begin to read, I guess, uh, from the 13th chapter, right on down to the 28th chapter, is all about P A U L, Paul.

He's the one who's apostle to the Gentiles.

And the gospel is still showing you, uh, I'm sorry, the book of Acts is showing you the New Testament church, but that man was the spokesperson to the Gentile world where God was concerned.

That's what he was.

And you can begin to see the things he did.

It represented, it reflected the order of God.

He never ever set himself up as a king, he never had people serving him, he didn't put his names in light.

Uh, he didn't say, I produce you.

Brother, he didn't do any of those things.

He said, I work with my own hands night and day that I might not be chargeable.

Brother, I'm so glad for the example that man gave us.

I'm so glad for the uh the dedication, the consecration.

That man loved the gospel to the point, brother.

He said, I did not count my life dear unto myself.

Thank God, brother.

Here's a man, brother, who's an example of being sold out.

Amen.

Now, I think as we uh, where do we stop?

Uh we what chapter did we stop in?

What chapter?

It was in the 16th chapter.

I can't hear you.

Did we do the 15th chapter?

Did we?

Oh, good.

Okay, the 16th chapter.

Brother Michael, uh I don't remember the 15th chapter, maybe we did, but to get into it, uh let's, and of course it's not very many verses, so we should easily finish only 40 verses, 44 verses.

Let me see, is it how many?

40 verses, yes.

Uh, Brother Michael, hear these men.

Uh, after they had finished their first evangelistical outreach, they went back to Jerusalem to concerning uh the doctrine of circumcision.

And now look at uh, I won't read this, but just to keep just to keep it in context, look at 15 and 36.

35, Brother Michael.

35 and 36.

Acts 15, 35.

He said Paul also in Bornabas continued in Arabic.

Now his name was changed from Saul, S-A-U-L to what?

Paul.

Because that's a Gentile name, and that's exactly who he was reaching out to was Gentile people.

Go ahead.

He said, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord with many others also.

And see, I love the way he put that.

Uh, everybody loves preaching.

I love preaching, but preaching will not nail you down.

It takes teaching.

Preaching is to exalt, is to encourage, is to promote.

But teaching is what caused you to have understanding.

You know that Jesus Christ never did much preaching.

The Bible says, and what is it, Matthew 5, he said, when he went up into a high mouth and when he was set, they brought his disciples unto him, and he opened his mouth and taught them saying.

He taught them.

And so being taught is much more necessary.

Of course, when you're an infant, you can't take too much teaching.

You just need to be encouraged.

But if you're going to grow up in the things of God, you have to be taught.

And so there's preaching and there's teaching.

But teaching, teaching is what calls you to be nailed down.

It's what calls your eyes to be open.

It's what calls you to not flip uh like a loose shingle on the roof.

It's what caused you not to get upset and get your duffy back and go home.

You realize, brother, only Jesus Christ had the words to eternal life.

Where am I gonna go?

Am I gonna go draw Babylonian milk?

Where am I gonna drink?

Where am I gonna drink?

And so uh, go on, I'm sorry, Brother Michael.

He said, and some days after Paul said, Here we go, said unto Barnabas.

He said, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they do.

Now don't skip over these terms.

Let us go and visit our what?

Our brothers.

He didn't say my churches, did he?

Our brethren.

He said our brother.

He didn't say the churches that I own, or I'm over.

He said our brethren.

He commended those men to the Lord.

All your places here.

These this these and this is you don't see a denomination.

Anytime churches are called by the same name, you can say you're known denomination, but you are of that denomination.

You can make your own.

If every church is called by the same name, then that is an organized group of people who bearing the same name.

Are you following me?

Uh the 14th, it's the 13th chapter.

Go to the 13th chapter real quick.

I want you to see this New Testament order and see what he went back to uh to actually visit there.

Uh is it 13 or 14, Brother Michael, when he actually committed those men to the Lord?

Yes, we're I'm sorry.

I'm trying to find that verse.

Brother LJ, are you with me?

You can't help me, can you?

I am my Bible student.

14 and what?

1940.

No, no, that's not it.

Thank you.

No, that's not it.

It's in the 13th and 14th chapter.

Yes, sir.

The one I'm looking for.

Well, that's okay, keep reading.

You'll come to me.

Let's go back to uh 16th chapter.

I apologize.

Now go to the 16th chapter, 16 and 1, Brother Michael.

He said, Then came he to Derby and Lystra, and behold, a certain disciple was there named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jew and believed, but his father was a Greek.

Which was well reported by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.

Okay, here is the introduction to Great Timothy.

I'm using the term Great Timothy.

What made Great Timothy great is he submitted himself to Paul.

As Paul submitted to Christ, and of course Christ submitted to God.

That was the New Testament order.

And uh Jesus put it this way: He said, A servant is not greater than his teacher or his master.

That's the word master in the Bible means teacher.

And there he says, he said, but it's enough for a servant to be as his master.

As long as Paul was living, Timothy would never uh have more grace than Timothy than Paul.

He would never have the same gift as Paul.

He was under Paul.

God is not a God of confusion.

And you know, as long as a man, if he's in the divine order, his wife would never be.

She might be uh smarter, she may be more intellectual, and that's wonderful, it has its place.

But if Christ is that man's head, his wife will never be as wise as him.

That's totally impossible.

That's not possible.

Do you know why God is not the author of confusion?

He absolutely is not.

Uh God is not like that.

Uh he hates confusion.

And equal authority is no authority.

If a man and his wife have equal authority, I know Teddy Piltigraph said fifty-fifth of love.

That's that's good for a song.

Leave it on that song.

That's not reality.

That's just not reality.

And there's not equal authority.

And if the woman is not, she is not a dome.

She's not to be uh belittered and wiped her feet on and and made a slave or a servant.

Uh, neither is that man a uh a punching bag.

That is when you frustrated, you mouth off on your husband, you let off your frustrations.

Or he's not to be manipulated, absolutely not.

But there is an order, and see, this is something people don't.

Like to hear.

No one likes order.

Every man and woman wants to do what's right in their own eyes.

Order is to constrain it.

Don't tell me what to do.

Don't tell me where to go.

Don't tell me how to act.

Well, you can be left to yourself, but you're going to bring your mother shame.

And of course, the mother we're talking about is a New Testament church.

And uh, if God gave the same authority to a child that he gave to the parents, that would be confusion, wouldn't it?

And if he gave the same authority to the wife that he gave to the husband, that would be confusion, wouldn't it?

And if he gave the man the same authority he gave Christ, that would be confusion, wouldn't it?

Well, he's not the author of confusion.

So where did that come from?

That came out of the intellective man.

That's where that comes from.

There is no 50-50.

You have two people, any two people together, somebody has to be the leader.

Somebody has to be in charge.

If you have five people together, somebody got to be the mayor of the town.

He said, well, it's just five people, somebody still got to be the mayor.

Somebody has to be responsible.

If you have five counties, somebody has to be uh the governor of the state.

It's just order.

We can see it naturally.

Why can't we see that uh spiritually?

We just we have a problem with that.

And so here he is, brother Michael.

Here's Timothy.

He he was Paul's own son.

Paul was a unit, he didn't have a biological son, but he was a son in the gospel.

He watched Paul, he studied Paul, he watched his, he watched this man's message, he watched this man's order, he watched his care for the people, his love for the people, his faithfulness, his diligence.

Everywhere that Paul went, Timothy was there.

And so when Paul sent Timothy somewhere, brother, he was able to write back to the Corinthians and say, Did we not come in the same spirit?

Did he not have the same doctrine?

He could say that because he followed Paul as Paul followed Christ.

Paul said, Be ye followers of me, even as also I am of who?

Of Christ.

And so God is not a God of confusion.

He's not going to hop over Paul and give Timothy something Paul don't have.

You have insurrection.

You have rebellion.

If Timothy could see as far as Paul, then Paul would be obsolete.

If your child can see further than you in life, then what's the parent?

What's the need of a parent?

Man's destroyer.

And if that man is in order, if the wife can see everything the husband can see, he can see just as far, then God is the author of confusion.

But I dare to tell you, he absolutely is not.

Well, what happens if the husband is not in order?

Well, then that's different.

He may be your head naturally, but he sure doesn't qualify to be your head spiritually.

But you still owe him reverence.

You still owe him honor.

The Bible tells a wife, see that she honors her husband.

How do you honor me?

You honor me by obeying me.

As long as the things I'm saying is not contrary to your conscience.

Is that okay, that old-fashioned?

That's Bible, brother.

We heard the same things in the meeting, Brother Michael.

The same exact things.

Let's go on here.

He said, Him would Paul have to go forth with him and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in the world.

Here's a wonderful verse.

Don't skip over there.

Paul knew that circumcision availed nothing.

It availed nothing.

And circumcision, far as righteousness was concerned, was obsolete.

Well, because Paul was intending to minister to the Jews.

He took this man, though he taught him you don't need to be circumcised, yet he circumcised him.

Can you see the amount of submission Timothy had to have to Paul?

He said, Man, you're going to circumcise me anyway?

You're going to circumcise me when I don't have to be circumcised?

When it doesn't add anything to me and it's not necessary.

Why would you do that to me?

Why put that kind of law on me?

Thank God Timothy didn't have that type of spirit.

He submitted himself.

He submitted himself when it didn't profit anything spiritually.

It was not necessary.

It added, Paul preached against circumcision.

All your places there.

All your places here.

But here's submission.

See, he could have argued with Paul.

He could have said, well, Paul, you taught us that we don't have to be circumcised.

But Paul did that that he may gain those that was under the law.

Let me let you see this.

Go to Galatians real quick.

Galatia is the city.

Galatian is the people.

Brother Michael, go to the uh just for the real quick, I don't want to belabor this too far.

Go straight to the fourth chapter.

Go to the fifth chapter.

Go down to the second verse, Brother Michael.

Verse 1.

Just verse 1, 2, and 3.

Galatians 5 and 1.

It says, Stand fast therefore in the liberty.

Here's the things that Paul preached.

He said, Wherewith Christ has made us free, be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

That's talking about the law of Moses.

He said, Behold, I, Paul, say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

He said, For I testify again to every man that is circumcised.

He is a debtor to do the whole law.

My God, but yet he turned around and he circumcised this man.

Brother, he did that he could gain those people who was under the law.

They wouldn't be able to hear Paul or Timothy if he wasn't circumcised.

Am I making sense to you?

And here's submission, brother uh brother uh Rom.

I know you have a revelation of order, but look at the extent to which Paul went.

He didn't glory in this man's flesh.

He didn't say, Well, I circumcise you and I can glory in that.

No, he did that, that Timothy would be effective to the people.

Do you have that much love?

Can you actually do things, brother, that you don't have to do that you may gain others?

Why do we put a necktie on?

Why do we put a jacket on?

Is that that has nothing to do with salvation?

You know better if you do, and you know worse if you don't.

Why do we do it?

That you may gain those, brother, who can only hear people who look as if uh they're sober, they're serious, they're grave, uh, they're committed.

And so that's why we do it.

This is a custom, it's nothing but a custom.

But the Bible says, give custom to whom custom is due.

And so I'm just trying to show you to the extent, brother Michael, of this New Testament church.

Look at this order, look at this submission.

Let's go back to the 16th chapter.

That verse was actually in 1421-22.

The one you made reference to at first.

Oh, thank you, Brother Michael.

Well, he actually read it for me, please.

Uh Acts 14, uh, verse 21.

Here is what Paul did when he established a New Testament church.

And see, here's how a church is to be governed.

It's to be governed from people who came up under that ministry in that city.

And I sure don't mean uh Paul sent Titus, he sent Timothy.

But what do you send them to?

He sent those men to ordain elders in every city, and brother, that is for the thing that was wanting, uh, that was lacking.

Uh, they're not there, you may have to stay there for a while and grow up some people to bring some people up in the gospel, but no one should ever go to an assembly and assume and assume authority.

I can't find that in the Bible.

I can't find that in the Bible.

Uh go ahead, brother Michael, read that from me, please.

This is Acts 14, 21.

He said, when they had preached the gospel to that city and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, to Iconium, to Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples.

Confirming the souls.

Here's people they brought up, confirming the souls of the disciples, and did what?

And exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation into the kingdom of God.

And when they had ordained them elders in every church.

Listen to this scripture.

When they had done what?

Ordained them elders.

We mean elders in their place.

They ordained elders, they didn't send elders, they ordained elders in every city.

That is, every city where the name of Christ was named, they put a ministry in place, a local ministry.

A local ministry in place.

Go ahead, Brother Michael, read the rest up.

He said, and had prayed with fasting, and they commended them to the Lord on whom they prayed.

But to the Lord.

Brother, you read your Bible, get on your face, hear from heaven.

And brother, you can look back to the counsel that's in Jerusalem.

You can look back to these elders, or that is to Timothy, to Titus, to Belemon, look back to these men for counsel, for direction.

But brother, you have to have the daily administration of this church.

That's that's those elders' responsibility.

Read that them out for me again, Brother Michael.

He said, and they had prayed with fast, and they commended them to the Lord on whom they believed.

My God, that's New Testament order.

That's how a local church should be governed.

Uh, brother, if I meet with an untimely deaf, God forbid that someone will send a pastor here.

That's why we have brethrons that are ordained.

That's why we have men that are coming up.

Someone, brother, has the heartbeat of this people, have the pulse of this people, and have shown themselves, have shown themselves faithful to the people of God in this area.

You may have served greatly somewhere else, but have you served this people?

You have to see that.

And so, brother Michael, here is Paul.

Look how he brings this man up where Timothy is concerned.

First, brother, he shows this man not to go the mile, but go the twain.

It's not, don't worry about your rights and your privileges and your liberty.

How is what I'm doing going to affect others?

How is what I'm doing going to reflect on Christ?

And if a Jew can't hear you because you're uncircumcised and he was half Jew and half Gentile, then be circumcised.

If someone can't hear you unless you put a suit on, put a suit on.

Put a shirt on.

You do it.

We're trying to gain people, not for us, but for the Lord.

And let's keep reading, Brother Michael, back in the 16th chapter.

Verse 4.

He said, and they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for the keep that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.

Do you remember that in 15th chapters, very simple?

Brother, they had to abstain from things from blood, things strangles from idols and from fornication.

That's all was given to the Gentiles.

Nothing about the law of Moses keeping the Sabbath day.

All he had to do was abstain from fornication, from blood, from things, strangles, and from idols.

If we do that, he said you'll do well.

Gentile love idols.

They'll worship anything.

It's in our nature.

We'll love our car, our job, our degree.

Brother, we'll love our body and our new physique.

We'll love our hair due.

We'll love it.

I was told, Brother Mike, I had a phobia about my hair.

Of course I keep my hair cut now.

But uh, you know, I used to wear long hair almost to my shoulder.

Uh shag.

And uh it was pretty.

It was it was wavy, though, it was pretty.

But I was told I had a phobia.

And I was told that repetitively, I had a phobia.

I absolutely did not have a phobia about my hair, but they was persuaded I had a phobia.

You know what I did?

I cut my hair.

I only cut it once, it would never grow back.

But uh I did that not because I felt I need to cut my hair.

I loved, I said love, I like my hair.

But people were stumbling over my hair.

They thought I had a phobia.

I was in uh the church with you to come try to steal Sister Missy from Brother Arnell.

And uh they thought I had a phobia.

And I was told as repetitively, I just cut the hair off.

I just cut it off.

And it actually never would grow back long again, but I cut it.

Not because it was a sin, not because it offended me, but it hurt people.

They literally thought I worshiped my hair.

That's the truth.

And Brother Michael, God put that in my heart to do that.

Uh the ministry never taught that.

No one mentioned that, but God put that in my heart.

You become all things to all people, that by all means you might save some.

It doesn't hurt if you're doing it because you love the Lord.

It does not hurt.

Take love.

Whatever you can do to encourage or save someone, why wouldn't you want to do it?

If you can be a blessing to someone, they can hear your words and see your life and not stumble, your spirit or your mannerism.

Brother, why wouldn't you want to do that?

The Lord loves that.

He loves that.

You're making, Brother LJ used this term brownie points, but you're making uh the Lord pleased with your life.

Here's your example.

Here's Paul.

Look at this man's dedication, look at him, look at the life he lived.

Why wouldn't we want to be all things to all people?

Why wouldn't we want to see everybody say?

Let's keep going, Brother Michael.

Verse 5 now.

He said, and so were the churches established in the faith and increased in number daily.

He said, now when they had gone through firegra and the region of Galatia and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach.

Listen, I love this, Brother Michael.

The Lord won't allow us to cast our pearls before swine and give that which is holy to dog.

Here is a man that was so in tune with the Lord, so dedicated, the Lord would not allow that man to go into a certain region.

You know why?

Do you know why?

Because there, Paul was surely put to death.

His life was in peril at many times.

But the Holy Ghost stopped.

Don't even go.

You know that sometimes that you wait.

You know there's some place that you'll never get an open door, but literally you ever seen people up here going there together, but there are some people, this gospel will offend them to the point you'll never get an open door.

And all you'll do is cast your pearls before swine.

They're just not interested.

Can you see bringing this gospel to Rome into it?

Can you see that?

Can you see that happening?

Can you bring this gospel to Rome?

Not with the Vatican there, you're not.

There's and there are some cities naturally, you'll never get this gospel in.

The Lord has given that over, he has given it over to the sons of Esau.

He's giving that over to Malesia.

He wouldn't allow Israel to get so much.

Is it unison to call?

What do they said on?

This one's on 75.

Oh, we're good then.

Okay.

And so anyway, brother Mike, I love this.

Listen to this verse.

Verse verse 6 again, real quickly.

He said, now when they had gone through Phil and the region of Galatia.

They were what?

Forbidden of the Holy.

Now it would get there later, brother, but God had to beat those people down a little bit first.

You'll find that when Rome finished with them.

They were softened up.

Uh pagan Rome, I'm talking about.

Verse 7 now.

He said, after they were come to Messiah, they essayed to go into Bithynia, but the spirit suffered.

Here he goes again.

The Holy Ghost stops him.

No doubt, Paul wondering, Lord, you won't let me go into Asia.

But listen, so no doubt he's wondering.

Verse 8 now.

He said, and they passing by mycia came to Troas, and a vision appeared to Paul in the night, and there stood a man of Macedonia.

Here's the vision.

Look at the Lord.

Look at how the Lord's speaking to Saul.

It wasn't an order of voice, but brother, he dealt with them in the night.

He dealt with them in a vision.

He dealt with them in trances.

Look what he said.

He said and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us.

Now in verse 10.

He said, and after he had seen the vision, immediately.

When he saw that vision, when he saw that vision, a vision is just going into a little trance.

When he saw that vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, as surely gathering that the Lord had called us to do what?

For to preach the gospel.

So here we go.

That was an open door.

Here's an open door, knowing where to go, knowing where not to go.

Because this man didn't know anything but full dedication.

He knew, brother, I'm gonna be honest with you, I can see this gospel.

Can you see this gospel in New Orleans?

This gospel that we preach?

Brother, that's a city that's giving over woolly to uh reveling, uh, to ungodly.

It's a religious city.

It's a religious city, but brother, they're not seeking out the righteousness.

Absolutely.

This gospel will not work there.

You can gather some people, you can do a lot of things, but you're not gonna preach this gospel in New Orleans.

It's just not going to happen.

Can you see this gospel in San Francisco?

It's not gonna work.

It's just not gonna work.

Thank God the Lord saw an open door for us in Homer, though.

Keep reading, Brother Michael.

I'm sorry.

He said, Therefore, loosened from Troas, we came with straight cords to Sumatra, sir.

Boy, I'm glad you're reading that me.

It wasn't intentional, but my God, that's the grace of God, Brother Michael.

Go on, butchin' them up somehow.

It's okay.

He said the next day to Neapolis and from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony, and we were in that city abiding certain days.

This is an interesting town, Philip.

It's an interesting town in Macedonia.

What makes it so interesting?

You know that church was birthed in the most uh unlikely place.

That church was birthed in a prison, in a jail house, in Philip.

Let's keep reading.

He said, and on the Sabbath, we went out of the city by a riverside where prayer was wont to be made.

You know, every time he goes to a city, the first place he goes to the religious, to Jewish people.

And he knew the Jews would have been rejected and cut off, but he still was trying to save some.

And so he knows brother, he's a Sabbath day.

We're gonna go down by the it wasn't a synagogue, but he went down by a river.

Go ahead.

You know what prayers was gonna be made.

Go ahead, brother Michael.

He said, and we sat down and spake unto the women which resorted thither.

And a certain woman What do you think he spoke to them about?

The Lord Jesus Christ.

Keep reading.

He said, and a certain woman named Lydia, Sella of Purple, of the city of Thy Tower, which worshiped God, heard us, whose heart the Lord opened, and she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.

Now watch this.

Here's a new listen watch this.

Let's get this wonderful order.

And when she was baptized and her household listen, I love the way the Bible put emphasis on women.

It shows you the influence they had.

Remember how the Bible talks about the devout women and chief women?

Women are people of influence if a man doesn't kill the influence.

And here's this woman, uh, brother.

Look, here she is, her whole household was saved.

Now watch this.

He said, and when she was baptized in her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there.

And she constrained us.

Now here's the here, look, that was a gathering of small people.

Watch these next verses.

This is gonna get interesting.

And it came to pass as we went to prayer, that is by the river, a certain damsel.

Here is a religious woman, but she was possessed with a what?

A spirit of divination, met us and brought brought her masters much gain by what?

Do you ever see these palm readers?

These psychics?

Well, certain.

And look what happened.

And the same follow Paul in us.

And Christ, the us is talking about Luke, the one wrote this and uh in us, and Christ saying, These men are the servant.

Look what she said, nothing wrong.

These men are the servant of the what?

Most high God will show unto us the way of what?

Now somebody would think she's spiritual, but what she was doing was drawing attention to Paul and Bonabas and uh Paul and Silas, I'm sorry, in that company, brother, in an unrighteous way.

That was a religious spirit, pumping them up, trying to uh put them on high.

Brother Paul turned around, he saw this woman.

That's that's not God talking, that's a bunch of flush, that's the devil talking.

Keep walking, brother Michael.

Walk through these scriptures.

He said, and this she did many days, but Paul being grieved.

Grieved?

Why would he be grieved?

Because it wasn't a right spirit.

He said, He turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her, and he came out the same hour.

Brother, she shed up too.

But here's the problem: no more sousan, no more psychic, no more palm reading.

And when her master saw that the hope of their gains, they're talking about making money, was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and they threw them into the what?

Drew them into the marketplace into the rulers and brought them to the Magister, saying, These men being Jews do exceedingly trouble our city and teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe being Romans.

And the multitude rose up together against them, and the Magister ripped off their clothes and commanded to beat them.

And when they had laid many stripes upon them, that is, they beat them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely.

My Lord, whoever received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison and made their feet fast and stock, put chains on their feet.

Brother, most men would say, I'm tired of this life, and began to complain, but not Paul.

But at midnight, Paul and Silas did what?

Prayed and did what?

Saying praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them.

And selling them was an earthquake, so that the fountains of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors was open, and everyone's bands were loose.

What a miracle! What a miracle! And the people of the prisoner waking out of his sleep, no doubt he.

All that noise and singing the prison doors open, brother.

No since me being crucified, he drew the song, didn't he?

And whenever what?

Supposedly the prisoner had explained.

He knew those men escaped, he was gonna be hanging on the cross.

He said, Oh no, brother, I seen that.

I'm gonna take my own life.

But Papa verse 8.

But Paul cried with a lumber for the saying, do not sin of what?

For we're all here.

Women not gonna run no rabbit in my blood.

And when he came before the light and sprang in and came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas and brought them out.

My God, brother, you men are different.

You were beaten, you was put in prison, you didn't complain, you sung, and you worship your God, and your God freed you, and you didn't even leave when you was free.

Brother, that was a message preached, wasn't it?

Why didn't you run?

Why didn't you escape?

Why did you care?

I was about to take my own life.

Something is different about you.

He said, Listen to this.

My God, I love this.

He said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

Brother, can you see that?

Can you see that?

Now listen, there were some people down at the at the uh the river, brother Mike, who was praying, but here's the birth of a church.

Look what he says.

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved in thy household.

In the house.

And they spake unto him the word of the Lord and to all that was in his house.

And they took him the same hour of the night, washed their stripe, and was baptized he and all his straightway.

And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, that is, uh, this prisoner, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

And when it was day, the Majesty sent the sergeant, saying, Let these men go.

And the keepers of the prison told him, uh told this, saying to Paul, the Majesty have sent to let you go.

Now therefore departing go in peace.

But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly, uncondemned.

He was a Roman, so he was a Roman citizen.

He said, Being Romans, and has cast us in the prison, do they now thrust us out privately in secret?

He said, Nay.

You think Paul was a rabbit?

You think he was a wimp?

Absolutely not.

This man was meek, brother.

He was not a coward.

He chose to be meek.

And now you see him listening and saying, Look, they've done this, they've done us wrong, and they did it openly.

Let them come and humble themselves.

Let those men acknowledge they've done us wrong.

Look what he says.

He said, Nay, but let them come themselves and fetch us out.

And the sergeant told these words into the magistrates, and they feared when they heard that they were Roman, and they came and besought them.

The word besought mean beg, and brought them out and desired them to depart out of the city.

In other words, Paul said, Look, you've done us wrong.

You done us wrong openly.

Don't try to sweep us out the back door.

Acknowledge that you were wrong.

Here's the man of principle.

I like that about Paul.

He wasn't a rabbit, he wasn't a coward, he chose to be meek.

He chose to take off.

People saying Christians are witnessed.

You got us wrong.

We chose to turn together.

That's right.

Absolutely.

And they went out of the prison and entered into the house of Lydia.

And when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them and did what?

And departed.

But brother, what a man.

What a life.

Can you see the order of this New Testament church?

But it's a beautiful thing.

And I'm going to stop here.

But of all the churches that Paul had, there was not one that equaled this church.

He said, No church has communicated me concerning giving and receiving, but you only.

And so when you hear that scripture quoted Philippians 4.19, he wasn't writing to Corinthians.

He would have never said that the Corinth.

But he told that church in Philippi, he said, But my God shall supply all of your needs according to his riches and glory through Christ Jesus.

Why?

Because they supported Paul.

That was the only church, regardless of where he went.

They sent him all of his necessities.

And that church was birthed inside of a prison.

But the zeal those people had for God, my Lord.

I'm going to stop here.

Does that make sense to you?

Amen.

We're going to stop.

It's good to see.

I hadn't seen him in a while.

I think he was out last Tuesday.

But it's good to see Brother Jamie.

Amen.

We've got to stop time as far as spending getting young people to get in.

Of course, you don't have to worry about those two.

They've already gone in.

Let them get it.

The Bible says give us beloved sleep.

He doesn't love them.

Let's take prior requests, first of all.

Let's pray as I said.