Sermon

Harvest Now Part 3

Hopewell Church Of God

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  1. Come on, give him praise in his house.

  2. Hallelujah. As you're being seated, Brother Mills is coming to introduce a special guest to us today.

  3. I would just mess it all up if I tried to introduce him.

  4. So I've got him coming to share with you just for a moment.

  5. Thank you, Pastor. Good morning. Good to see all of you here today. Have a special friend with me today.

  6. I could say a whole lot about this guy, but we don't have enough time.

  7. This is Timothy Gabow, spelled G-B-O, but you just kind of roll past the G and get to the B real quick.

  8. He has two other names, but I'm not going to try to say those.

  9. I met Timothy several years ago when I went to West, well really before I went to West Africa.

  10. We were on the African Council together for quite a while.

  11. He was the overseer in the country of Togo. If you remember, you helped us go, my family to go

  12. have a campaign in Togo a few months ago in January of this year, February.

  13. And by the way, it was very successful. He still says, he told me they're still reaping the rewards.

  14. In fact, on the grounds where we had, I got to share this, on the grounds where we have that,

  15. they have 275 children meet there every week on those same grounds.

  16. The parents won't let him walk to where his church is, so we're kind of praying for a way

  17. that we can transport them over to the church and they can be a part of that congregation.

  18. But Timothy, when he was appointed as the overseer of Togo, he had six churches.

  19. They're solid churches, good churches, but that's all they had.

  20. Since then, God has helped them and through his influence and through his leadership,

  21. they have not just in the church of God, but even some outside all together,

  22. about 125 churches now.

  23. Just at this assembly, I just found out he's been the overseer of Togo and the regional

  24. superintendent for the French speaking West Africa nations.

  25. And he's been doing both of those, but now things have grown to the point where he's no longer the

  26. overseer of Togo, they've appointed another man for that job and now he is the full-time

  27. superintendent for the French speaking in West Africa.

  28. I'm proud of this guy. I'm proud of this man. I saw him come from some young, we call it green days,

  29. but now he's a seasoned veteran leading several nations. How many nations are you over now?

  30. He's over eight nations now and leading those nations and most of those nations

  31. are predominantly Muslim nations. Timothy, greet the people, tell them what's on your heart short.

  32. You might even have to be shorter than me, but anyway.

  33. Well, in Africa, when you say short, that means three hours.

  34. Three hours.

  35. Thank you very much, David, and thank you, Pastor.

  36. God has given us grace and a part of what I can call the grace of God is

  37. to have David Mears like a leader. When he's talking about those 120 plus churches that have

  38. been planted in Lome, it's actually from a vision that he, God, and together the Africa Council call

  39. that vision the firewall is a way in which we plant churches very rapidly.

  40. Across the region, when David Mears was leading West Africa,

  41. we planted over 400 churches within a very short time.

  42. God used him to encourage us to raise leaders. I'm not the only one, but others are there,

  43. and God did those things through David Mears. David Mears, thank you very much.

  44. Greetings to you all from West Africa, Francophone countries, French-speaking countries,

  45. and especially from Togo. And as he said, as we are standing here right now,

  46. a great number of children are meeting on the ground on which we had the crusade.

  47. And thank you for supporting that crusade. It has given us visibility, and I've just spoken with my

  48. wife before we came here. Our church was packed again today, because many people heard about that

  49. crusade, and they are asking about the church, and they kept coming. Thank you very much. God

  50. bless you. I have a lot I can share with you, but I want to respect your time. May God bless you.

  51. Well, hallelujah. You just saw a miracle before your very eyes. Two Church of God preachers,

  52. full of the Holy Ghost, had a hold of a microphone, and in less than six minutes, they both let it go.

  53. That's pretty good. Especially the missionaries, they got a lot to tell us. I am grateful,

  54. Brother Mills, for your and Sister Sandra's presence here at the church, and I thank you for

  55. that. I'm grateful for the people who are here today. I'm grateful for the people who are here

  56. today. I'm grateful, Brother Mills, for your and Sister Sandra's presence here at the church, and I think for

  57. such a time as this to reignite and to help fuel our vision for missions around the world.

  58. And we're at a place where we can finally, really do something for the Kingdom. Amen? And we're doing

  59. that, you're doing that, I say, you're doing that through your giving already, as we are embracing

  60. the mission of the gospel to preach it around the world, to teach it. And don't forget, again,

  61. the 11th, when we do things big, we do it around food.

  62. I'm looking at you, you like to eat like I do, and it's better when we eat together. And on the 11th,

  63. we'll be having a spaghetti dinner fundraiser and just fellowship.

  64. Brother Mills will be speaking on that day, sharing some of the vision he's had,

  65. and what they're going to be doing in Zambia, which is in September, which is just around the

  66. corner. He, Pastor Brian, and Brother Randy are going to Zambia and going to be down there for

  67. several days. So they're going to break that down, and we're going to have an opportunity to bless

  68. and to send. Isn't that wonderful? To bless and to send, and then we'll all have part of the fruit

  69. of that results. I told Pastor Brian, just sitting on the steps there, I said, I was kindly glad

  70. for the time, because I'm trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do this morning.

  71. I would have cared, Brother Mills, this time if you'd have took two or three more minutes,

  72. because I'm just trying to discern the Spirit of the Lord for this morning.

  73. I know I'm not the only one. How many of you have your discerning shoes on this morning?

  74. Am I by myself? I know I'm not. I know Pastor Brian's already

  75. discerned it as well. Has anybody discerned the atmosphere this morning as you've come in?

  76. If you've got it figured out, I'd be glad to know.

  77. I do know there is a stirring. Amen? There is a stirring in the atmosphere

  78. as to what degree we'll discover together. So we're going to attempt to get back to the Harvest Now

  79. series. I had in my mind to try to complete that this morning, but I don't know that that's going to

  80. happen. So if you'll just, where you are, if you pray for me, I'll pray for you, and then we'll ask

  81. the Lord together to help us the rest of this morning. I don't want to miss. I'm not so tied to

  82. an agenda that I just don't want to miss God, what God may be saying, what God may be wanting to do

  83. in our midst this morning. For those of you who may not have gotten an update on Sister Shea,

  84. for those of you who may not have gotten an update on Sister Shelley before they left, she was very

  85. responsive, knew her name, knew the date and time and everything. So praise the Lord for that. Amen,

  86. and hopefully get some answers. They will just a little bit later on. So just keep praying for

  87. Sister Gail, Brother Jeff, and Sister Shelley. And a lot of you don't know what's happening,

  88. that's because you weren't here for Sunday school. Did you see how I did that? Did you see how that

  89. worked out? I mean, thank you Lord. But for those of you that were here for Sunday school, you know,

  90. that was, you got to admit, that was pretty good.

  91. John's Gospel, the fourth chapter, we've been reading

  92. for the past three weeks from this text, beginning at verse 34.

  93. Where Jesus said unto them, My need is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work.

  94. Say not ye there yet four months and then cometh harvest. Behold I say unto you, lift up your eyes

  95. and look on the fields for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages and

  96. gather fruit unto life eternal, that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

  97. And herein is that saying true, one sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap that

  98. I sent you to reap that whereon you bestowed no labor. Other men labored and you are entered in

  99. to their labors. And again, you'll remember and take note of Matthew 9 35 through 38, where Jesus

  100. again is addressing the harvest. He's going about all their synagogues and he's preaching and he's

  101. teaching the gospel, making men aware of the kingdom's nearness and he being the kingdom of God

  102. and personification walking among them that they may know him, accept him and receive him. Father,

  103. I love you today. I need your help this morning in a special way. Lord, as we are here, unbeknownst

  104. still your will but here to operate in it. So speak to our hearts and minds. I pray for each of us.

  105. We that have ears to hear, may we hear what the spirit would say to the church.

  106. Lord, speak to my heart and mind that I may know what to speak to the church this morning.

  107. For truly, Lord, this is your house and we have come to worship you in spirit and in truth.

  108. And your word is life and your word is light, light and illuminate our lives and pathways as we walk

  109. and according to your will, you'd be praised forever in Christ's lovely name. And the church said,

  110. amen and amen. We began this series as a

  111. follow-up from the assembly concerning the message that the Lord laid upon the heart of our

  112. newly elected general overseer. And the more I listen to and the more that I dig into the

  113. simplicity of what looked like it only took 30 or 40 minutes on the Friday night of general assembly,

  114. the more I get into that, it's just loaded. I mean, it's absolutely loaded.

  115. Jesus, as he began the harvest now thought, we can't say we're going to wait and then go out and

  116. try to win the laws. We cannot procrastinate the harvest. Jesus shares with us the urgency of the

  117. harvest. I think whether he returns today or tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, next

  118. week, next week, next year, next year, next year, next year, next year, next year, next year, next

  119. week, next year, next year, next year, next year, next year. He is, I think is irrelevant to the

  120. point that men are dying every day. Humanities leaving this world every day.

  121. And look take a look at what's going on around you

  122. You've got to see that men are dying every day. The harvest is being taken in every day

  123. you can't just wait for my return you got to be busy and

  124. Here's the thing folks at the return. That's for those who are already believing

  125. The lost are condemned at his return

  126. So

  127. We've got to be about as Jesus would say our father's business and

  128. He tells us directly that the business is the harvest

  129. Look take a good look around you people. We know we dearly love we dearly care for are going to die lost and

  130. They may die before Christ come and we cannot wait three four months to begin to try to win them

  131. To Christ. Oh, I know how it works families the hardest people in the world to win

  132. Hello, they don't they want to hear what you got to say they matter of fact we

  133. We're just rub them raw when we're in their presence and that's okay as long as it's the love of Christ

  134. That they see in us you have to understand that's always going to be contrary

  135. To the will and the love of God the way the world sees you and I

  136. I

  137. Wasn't going to mention a whole lot about the

  138. Opening ceremonies of the Olympics and I know many of you are as disgusted as I am about all of that mess

  139. I wasn't watching it when it happened not gonna watch it now

  140. Wasn't gonna watch it anyway, so it really doesn't disturb my world too much

  141. Because you see I've learned some things and and

  142. People are really blown out of shape about that and rightly so it was blasphemous

  143. I don't care what they say they intended for it to mean it looked like what it looked like and it meant what it

  144. meant

  145. Right, so it was blasphemous

  146. wasn't it and

  147. repulsive and

  148. Then you you've got folks who don't say well, that's just the French. Well, no, no, it's just the attitude of the world

  149. All right

  150. so what I'm here to remind us just a little bit before we get going further is don't be so surprised and get so bent out

  151. of shape that the world's acting like the world and

  152. Sinners are acting like sinners matter of fact Paul's told the church at Galatia

  153. He told him this in six and seven be not deceived. God is not mocked for whatsoever a man

  154. So with that shall he also reap that and and you and I are not the ones that do the reaping

  155. It's God right and another passage scripture

  156. I want you to look at is a second Corinthians three or second Timothy three about verse 13

  157. Look what Paul writes to Timothy what he tells him. He said but evil men as a dozer shall acts worse and worse seducing

  158. And being seduced but here listen to the instruction that follow and I think this is where we come in

  159. I gave you those other two to let you know God will take care of God's business

  160. God will take care of his business

  161. It is very offensive. It is very blasphemous

  162. But it's God who will get the last say and all of that what you and I have to do is be mindful

  163. That evil is going to grow worse and worse the so the the more near we get to the return of Jesus Christ

  164. You'd remember what Jesus said all these things are going to happen all these things are going to come to pass

  165. So don't be alarmed. Don't be so easily moved. Don't be so easily shake when I see that mess

  166. I just say yep. It ain't gonna be long. I say yep

  167. It's not gonna be long. It repulses me and and I'll do all I can to stand against all that mess

  168. But inside of me, there's joy bouncing up and down. There's something on the inside of me starting to get really excited

  169. Why because it's no longer in secret. They're doing all this stuff. It's getting publicized now

  170. It's flooding the media and I saw one one post one brother said just think how many people have

  171. Googled the true Lord Supper and looked at that

  172. I'm telling you what the enemy meant for evil you meant it for good

  173. Yeah, come on now you and I have got to see beyond the the principles of what's going on

  174. Yes, the devil thought he may give Christianity a black eye

  175. but countless millions of people searched out the truth of the Lord Supper and they

  176. They come to understand the sacrifice. They saw it they read it and now the seed is planted up

  177. The seed is there and what we're good

  178. What we're gonna do is begin to water the seed of prayer Lord forever

  179. Heathen that looked it up let the truth of the glorious gospel of your sacrifice

  180. You see we get we get we get we get just all distorted like a pretzel

  181. When we've got to have better sense than to see the immediate and look beyond it what God can do with what evil

  182. tries to do

  183. so

  184. But evil men and seducers shall wex worse and worse deceiving and being deceived

  185. But this what Paul told Timothy

  186. continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and

  187. Has been assured of

  188. Knowing of whom thou hast learned them

  189. And that from a child that has known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise

  190. under salvation

  191. Through faith which is in Christ Jesus

  192. All scripture listen is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof

  193. for correction and for instruction in righteousness

  194. that a man of God

  195. May be perfect thoroughly furnished under all good works

  196. Chapter 4 I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ

  197. Who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom?

  198. Preach the word isn't that what we talked about last week

  199. Amen this harvest now theme the declaration we are the church of God and we have a declaration of

  200. declaration of faith that we're going to stand by that we're going to live by that we're going to live out and

  201. Then we talked about we go we take that word the word of God and we take the commission

  202. To go into all the world because we've been mandated to lift our eyes and look beyond ourselves

  203. To lift our eyes and look beyond ourselves and look upon the fields

  204. They're white and already to harvest and to engage ourselves in Matthew 9

  205. Jesus said pray you therefore the Lord that it's in forth the labors into the harvest

  206. Why because the Harvard is great and he needs more people out there bringing in the shoes

  207. I love the psalmist when he said we shall come

  208. Rejoicing bringing our sheaves with us

  209. What will be a sad day is if you just barely make it to heaven and you don't have one shock of sheaves to rejoice over

  210. We've got to be about the Father's business winning people to the Lord

  211. I charge you therefore by God and

  212. The Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick in the dead at his appearing preach the word

  213. Instant in season out of season reprieve rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine

  214. For the time will come

  215. Are you hearing me for the time will come

  216. Are you hearing me for the time will come when they who are they?

  217. It's that bunch. It's always out there they

  218. You know, they're in every church. They're in every town. They're in every city they them

  219. For they will not endure sound doctrine

  220. But after their own lust shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears that they shall turn away

  221. Their ears from the truth and shall be turned

  222. Undefiable but watch thou in all things endure affliction

  223. Do the work of an evangelist and make full proof of my ministry

  224. That's what you and I are mandated after the events of a Friday night

  225. Debacle you and I are to remember the truth hold to the truth

  226. Proclaim the truth not be seduced not be easily easily moved away from the truth not to get so

  227. Distorted that we become more and outrage over the idiocy of some who do not know God

  228. But yet to fall on our knees to pray that they come to know him

  229. Wouldn't that be the wonderful thing that the band that they're lauding so and

  230. Praising so much for all of this stuff that came out wouldn't it be wonderful about two three months down the road

  231. We get a testimony we see him when he would stand before a television audience and say I should not have done that

  232. I come to know Christ is my Lord and Savior wouldn't it be wonderful if the Lord saved that man radically

  233. What a great testimony that would be that's mine your responsibility

  234. Not so to get been out of shape because the world's acting like the world sinners are acting like sinners

  235. But that saints are so distorted by the work of the enemy that we fail to remember that God is able to save

  236. to the uttermost and

  237. And I can say how many of them have searched out the Lord's Supper and read the story and

  238. The thing about it. They can't get away from it now

  239. If they didn't know they do now

  240. So we engage into the realm of harvest now

  241. We are the church

  242. We remain to be the church. We remain to be a Pentecostal church

  243. That's our distinctive

  244. We are Pentecostal in our core of who we are because we believe in

  245. the power of the Holy Ghost and

  246. We still believe that he's poured it out upon all who will seek him and it's a free gift. Amen

  247. We still believe that wonderful doctrine of being saved being sanctified and being baptized

  248. And the Holy Ghost and the fire amen and that we speak in other tongues as the spirit gives us the utterance

  249. That's what we believe and we take that message and we go with it

  250. Why because Jesus said I've given you power and authority over all devils that you can lay your hands on the sick and they shall

  251. Recover hallelujah that you can take up serpent and it'll not bite you you take the serpent. I'll take the street nine

  252. You can drink any deadly thing and it won't harm you I'm not fooling no serpents

  253. Lord don't ever make me

  254. I just happen to think oh

  255. Lord don't ever think I'm your favorite

  256. Don't ever make me do that my Lord

  257. Oh

  258. Lord

  259. Never say never and I'm not saying never Lord. I'm just saying I don't want to

  260. Please don't make me

  261. Jesus said that authority has been given unto you

  262. You and I we have that authority born-again blood-bought

  263. sanctified Holy Ghost field believers you have the authority of Christ that works in you

  264. Never failed to understand that we are in a harvest and you can't be lazy about it

  265. And I hate to tell you but some of us have got lazy about it

  266. I almost said let me see your sheaves

  267. I

  268. Don't embarrass nobody you may not even have a sheave but every believer ought to at least reproduce themselves in the kingdom of God

  269. What does that mean you need to find somebody and lead them to Jesus because he saved you if nothing else

  270. Don't be like that guy that was given the talent and he just buried it in the ground

  271. When the master come in and he looked at the guy with five and he turned it to ten and man

  272. He got a great blessing the other guy got the tune he he multiplied his and he looked at the guy with one and he said

  273. Where's my where's my talent? Well, let me go dig it up

  274. He goes things it up brings it back to the master and he said what'd you do it? Well, I hit it because I knew you

  275. were a just man

  276. And I didn't want to risk losing it. He said well at least you could have done was deposited at the bank got me about 3.5

  277. percent

  278. And he cast him out. I don't want to be that guy

  279. You don't want to be that person either. He's giving you a talent. He's giving you a gift. You have something

  280. It's called the salvation of your soul. It's the salvation of our soul

  281. It's the salvation of our soul. So we go we preach a man

  282. We tell them about Jesus and we care what I think the church has lost is the ability to care

  283. Beyond the four walls. We again have to rediscover a passion not just a desire

  284. But I mean a sincere God-given passion for the harvest field

  285. That's reason I was thinking brother David and the Lord drawing him to us. He's renewed my passion

  286. He's renewed my desire to see the the lost one. Amen. He's got a vision

  287. He's old man, but got not done with him yet. Hallelujah. He's retired, but he's not quit

  288. Hallelujah, and so the Lord sent him our way because he's still got a work. He wants to do there's still a fertile land

  289. He wants to do it in and by the grace of God

  290. We've been gifted a wonderful gift the ability to help him get it done

  291. I may never step foot on an African soil, but he's going Randy's going Brian's going

  292. We're gonna send them for the glory of the kingdom. We're gonna make sure that it happens and we're gonna have a harvest in the world

  293. Hallelujah, but what about the world around us? I think these past few weeks are just to stir us

  294. To the nearness of the harvest

  295. It's not global south. It's not

  296. West it's not on all of the other continents of the world. It's right here around us

  297. It's around you

  298. You don't have to go far to find a heathen

  299. Hello

  300. You don't

  301. You don't have to go very far to find someone who really don't know who Jesus is I

  302. Know that sounds absurd to us that surely everybody in Bradley County knows who Jesus is no

  303. or Polk County either

  304. You can find people who do not know who Jesus Christ is they don't know what Easter means

  305. They don't know what Christmas week. They don't know what all the fuss is. They really don't care

  306. You can find someone that needs Jesus and they're around us the world in which we live and we have to embrace

  307. The harvest not just embrace it but become passionate about it. We must care again about the lost and dying

  308. I

  309. Forget exactly how the

  310. story the illustration goes exactly which of angels it was but it's one of the early

  311. Early advantage just standing in a hotel window looking out over a very busy

  312. City street and he asked the person in the room with him. What do you see?

  313. When you look out the window a

  314. Couple different answers come on

  315. Never was the right answer

  316. The answer was I see the lost I

  317. See those who may need Christ not every person you see is lost. Hallelujah every now and then you get a hold of a good

  318. testimony, right

  319. This past week sister Kathy and I we went up to

  320. The mounts for a few days and we're walking around the D wall to store greatest place. She loves it

  321. All kind of great things in the D wall store

  322. We're walking around there. We come across a gentleman just struck up a conversation with him. He had on his Vietnam cap. So I

  323. Thanked him for his service for our country and our nation always starts a conversation

  324. Didn't take very long

  325. Well, I think it was his response to us. He said well, it's either jail or military. I

  326. Didn't really take him serious. He said no seriously judge said either go to jail or go to the army

  327. He said so I went to the army

  328. Well, okay and

  329. Time rolls on conversation goes on old gentleman loved to talk

  330. So I eventually got him around to Jesus. I don't go to church. I thought well I can tell

  331. He said but I tell you what I do that most Christians won't I said well, what's that sir? I'm curious now. He's got me

  332. He said I'll stop and help an old person change a flat tire and people church edgars drive right on by

  333. He said I won't pass nobody up

  334. I said well, let me tell you something best thing it is is as long as you know

  335. The Lord Jesus Christ is your personal Savior so that seed he just kind of looked at me had one eye about half

  336. Should I just kind of looked at me out of the other eye and talked about something else and we parted ways, but I sowed the seed

  337. Right, that's that's fine. Your responsibility

  338. in it

  339. some so some water

  340. Somebody else will get the increase

  341. You know what Jesus said there to John in our text

  342. Let them know that I'm sending them to reap

  343. Let them know that I'm sending them to reap wherein they bestowed no labor

  344. In other words someone else had plowed somebody had busted up the clods somebody else had already sold

  345. someone else had already hold the ground and pull the weeds and and now and

  346. Watered and watered and watered and he said I'm sending you to reap a harvest wherein you bestowed no labor

  347. Come on somebody they're hearing the gospel from somebody

  348. Somewhere down the road I pray that someone reached the harvest of that old man's soul

  349. Amen, because a seed been sown it had been watered

  350. Maybe somebody else had already sold not as adding a little water to it the other day

  351. But eventually if he don't leave this world off

  352. Eventually, he's gonna have a stirring and somebody's gonna come along and recap everything that he's heard and they're gonna reap that old man's soul

  353. Right into the kingdom of heaven. What are you saying pastor either water or harvest?

  354. but do something

  355. Our churches across the land should be multiplying weekly

  356. 87% of people who do not attend church who eventually came to church were asked. How did you come to church?

  357. The percentage is very very small single digits the pastor and other things

  358. 86 or 87 percent of people say they came to church because a friend invited them

  359. Now I know I'm a little bit to get used to you may have to warn them a little bit before you bring them

  360. But everything up to the time I get here is really good

  361. But then and it's okay for you to tell him now our pastor he's a little out there

  362. Don't tell him what you're gonna get

  363. But you'll hear the word or at least I hope that's what you can tell them if you're looking for the word

  364. You can bring them to whole well church of God. Well, they'll hear the truth of their need for a Savior

  365. To redeem them of their sin and they'll hear the truth preached to them that by his stripes you are healed

  366. Hallelujah that you'll hear the truth that you may and must live

  367. It's possible to live a sanctified life from the sin of this world. You can live separate

  368. And you can be empowered

  369. By the wonderful gift of God

  370. If that's something you're interested in come on we eat a lot

  371. We pray we laugh

  372. We cry

  373. But our concern is you our concern is you

  374. We must care again. We must care

  375. You we must care again. We must find our way back to Matthew 25

  376. Where Jesus said

  377. You cared for me and they said well Lord, when did we care for you?

  378. He said when I was hungry

  379. You fed me right

  380. Was a stranger you took me and when I was thirsty you gave me something to read when I was in prison you visited me there

  381. They said well Lord you ain't ever been in that shape

  382. Have we done that to you said when you do it under the least of these

  383. You're doing it to me

  384. We ever stop consider those people

  385. That are around you you minister to them. You're actually

  386. ministering to Christ

  387. How so he died for them?

  388. I love to cut up and tell you that I'm his favorite and I really believe that

  389. But I think we all are aren't we?

  390. He would have died for you as Christ

  391. He died for you as quickly as he died for me matter of fact he did

  392. From the foundations of the world

  393. Christ was slain

  394. By his grace that we are who we are

  395. I'm gonna close this morning. There's no sense to keep going. Just stand with this morning. It's a little different today.

  396. I don't really know how to

  397. I don't know how to close us out I

  398. Think we need to find ourselves

  399. the character of Luke 10

  400. You'd know him as the Good Samaritan

  401. I

  402. Think we're losing some of our goodness because of the perverseness of the world

  403. Right how many of you I'm gonna raise my hand first

  404. How many of you don't reach out like you used to because?

  405. the uncertainty of those that you're reaching out to

  406. Right there with you

  407. You know there was a time when we seemed to be much kinder

  408. That we let our compassion flow more than we do now

  409. Because of the unknown of the culture

  410. I'm having to pray the Lord help forgive me

  411. I

  412. Drive by and see people with signs

  413. Lord you gotta help me

  414. Wanting handouts

  415. Asking for help

  416. I just drive right on by

  417. Say to myself and at times out loud my lord get a job people begging for people to work

  418. You remember when you do this these all this going this way Lord's eating my lunch right now

  419. You remember when you do this these all this going this way Lord's eating my lunch right now

  420. I've got to renew my sense of care

  421. His compassion the Good Samaritan I read that again this morning and

  422. Convicted

  423. The priests come by

  424. There's a man beaten and stripped and robbed and left naked in the street wounded

  425. Priests come by and cross the street and went the other way

  426. Oh you could say if he'd went and touched him he would have become unholy he would have

  427. It had only cost him seven days and an offering

  428. Huh

  429. Wouldn't it cost the priests much the Levite the same way

  430. You know the temple worker the custodian

  431. The Levites

  432. He crossed the street went the other way

  433. But the most disdained

  434. Nationality

  435. To the Hebrew nation the Samaritan

  436. Came saw the man

  437. Picked him up took him to the end

  438. Washed him cleaned him

  439. Said I can't stay

  440. But here's two days wages

  441. Take care of him if it's more than that when I come back through I'll settle up with you

  442. Which in a sense gives you some understanding that possibly the innkeeper and the Samaritan

  443. He did frequent business there

  444. I'll be back

  445. Because they had some type of relationship obviously or hopefully

  446. Because if it's just two strangers one trusting another that much

  447. I'm not going to be able to do that

  448. Because if it's just two strangers one trusting another that much

  449. I'm gonna feel even worse time I get finished

  450. And he took care of him

  451. I had sister Robin look up before service

  452. But where we are and just the benevolence we've done this year

  453. Not all of its

  454. Counted the way we give it and do it there's others out there some almost two thousand dollars in benevolence

  455. a little over 18 little over 18,000 in missions

  456. Already for about the half so we're about 20,000 into missions and benevolence

  457. This year already

  458. And we're 30 shy of our 50 gold

  459. But we're gonna get closer here by September

  460. So it's not that we're not doing we are

  461. And you know as well as how we can always do more

  462. Right we can always do better

  463. But as I look this morning my thought was this

  464. We care Lord, but we can't do it all

  465. Can't do it all

  466. Thankfully, we don't have to

  467. So I think that's where the importance of

  468. Nowering down vision

  469. pinpointing vision

  470. And having the spirit of the Lord speak into the areas of care

  471. That we really focus on

  472. And make a difference there

  473. right

  474. We're doing okay with our

  475. Homeless drive, but I'm telling you after about week three you've lost your passion for it

  476. But they're they're still getting out of jail

  477. They still don't have places to go some of them

  478. And I think we need to renew

  479. A little care

  480. I mean that's just one instance that we have before us that's people right here in Bradley County

  481. right here

  482. So pastor you kind of getting almost a little just a little

  483. I read it to you reprove rebuke

  484. With all long-suffering, right?

  485. I think we can do better

  486. That's corporately as a body, but then I think where it really gets

  487. Is individually folks. I know I do

  488. I know pastor Cliffs got some pray and he's had to do and got some more to do

  489. To renew my sense of care

  490. I care, but I need to care

  491. That makes sense. How many of you care?

  492. We care

  493. But I think we need to really care and by really caring we we involve ourselves

  494. At whatever level that you're comfortable with but a greater level than what we currently are

  495. I just don't think the Lord would have just blistered me with this this morning

  496. How that we get how that we get all twisted up about

  497. Images

  498. And God says I'm not gonna be mocked I'll take care of it Vincenzo's is mine, but all of a sudden we get

  499. We get our badge of honor

  500. I'll take care of it Vincenzo's is mine, but all of a sudden we get we get our badge of God police

  501. You pray for him this morning there I sang about this morning

  502. Yeah, you know we don't have to defend him we just have to serve him

  503. Not a one of us have been called to defend him Vincenzo's is mine

  504. Sayeth the Lord and what the enemy meant for evil

  505. He'll turn it to good

  506. Here's

  507. Before I came up there's two scripture coming my mind one that of Joseph

  508. When he told his brothers when he had their fate in his hands

  509. Remember they didn't recognize him

  510. and he turned with tears and

  511. He told him said what you you meant for evil against me when you sold me God had a plan

  512. And today is the fulfillment of that plan I'm gonna take care of you and dad and everybody go get them and bring them in right

  513. And then you think about Job

  514. I

  515. Promise I'm trying to quit you think about Job through all of his trial and everything that he lost

  516. When Job prayed for his friends you remember we talked about those friends last week

  517. When Job prayed for his friends

  518. Things turned for Job to the good I

  519. Think if we would get as upset

  520. About some of the things we're not doing in and for the kingdom as

  521. Some of God's business that he'll take care of I

  522. Think will grow the kingdom

  523. Now don't get me wrong did that upset me yes, and I'm still upset today

  524. Thought it was very

  525. Disrespectful

  526. But the Lord let me know I'm not I'm not his police officer

  527. I'm

  528. He said I'm big enough and I'll take care of it. I thought

  529. Okay, because I was going to approach it totally different

  530. You talking about a check

  531. We need to care

  532. We need to care about their soul more than we get angered about their ignorance

  533. We need to care we need to care about their soul more than we get angered about their ignorance

  534. And that what that Romans turns it after Jesus was crucified we didn't know what we done and they killed him

  535. What have we done truly truly?

  536. This was the Son of God

  537. Father I love you today

  538. Lord, I don't know how to end this other than for us just together to pray to help us care

  539. To help us care if you're here this morning. You don't know Christ the Savior. I invite you to come to know him

  540. Free pardon of sin you need help

  541. You need peace of mind you need a healing in your body. I invite you to come for he is all of that for us today and more

  542. He's all of that and more father. I pray that you help each of us as we go as we are going as we are moving about the world

  543. As we're going about

  544. Help us engage the harvest

  545. And to sow and to water and to help and to teach

  546. And to sow and to water and to help and to teach