Harvest Now

Is that it? Is that the best you got? Come on. Come on my soul, don't you get shy on

me. Lift up those hands. Come on, amen. He's a good good Savior, isn't he? Amen, amen, amen.

Well, glory. You can be seated if you can, I guess. There's a stirring in the atmosphere.

Hallelujah. I came in yesterday morning, dropped Sister Kathy off about, I don't know, 945 for

their brunch and ladies prayer time and run back to the house before it got too hot and cut the

grass. Well, right before I could get back into the garage with the mower, of course, you know, it

run out of gas. And so I texted her, I said, Hey, I'll just come by and pick you up. I got to go get

some lawnmower gas. So that's about 1130. I figured about an hour they all be about finished, you

know. Well, I've come in my door down there at the end and I can hear the roar coming down the

hall. I thought, huh, so I eased up that way a little bit. They were just really starting to

wax pretty warm in prayer. And so I went on back down to the office and about 12 o'clock, I thought,

well, they were about to finish up. It just getting louder. About 15 after 12, I text Pastor Brian,

they were driving back from Indianapolis. I said, Hey, they getting in it down there.

And then I thought, well, I heard them come out and I thought, well, they done. Well, I come out

the door about the time to see them come around that corner, headed this away. And I went back,

got my office. I text Pastor Brian, I said, I started to say something to him, but I was afraid

he'd grabbed me, pull me in. You had to be prayed up already to get into that. And there's in here

for a while. I don't know about 1230. They finally wound down, but I told him, I said, look, next

month I'm going to bring paint pans and rollers. If you're going to pray the paint off the wall,

you'll put it back on before you leave. Hallelujah. There's a stirring in the atmosphere.

There's a stirring in the atmosphere. God's at work. God's moving.

He's stirring our hearts to get on our face and on our knees, to intercede,

to pray with supplication, to put the war paint on. Amen. Enter into some spiritual warfare.

How many know the enemies out there raging? Well, greater is he that's in you than he that's in

this world is all I got to say for you. The Lord been good to you? Has he blessed you this past week?

Has he blessed you this past week? Well, just pay your tithe and give an offering.

Coming up in August, it's the 18th, the Sunday, the 18th. Is that cutting it close?

Sister Stella, close. That's not the 21st. You said 21st. Are you leaving before then?

You leaving when? 11th. We're going to back up a Sunday. The 11th, we're going to have,

it's going to be our mission day. We're going to have spaghetti and meatballs and salad and all that

good stuff. We're going to do a fundraiser for Brother Mills, Pastor Brian, Brother Randy.

Brother Randy, they're heading to Zambia and we're sending them on that way. Amen. We're sending them.

We're sending them. I'm trying to get to where they don't have to pay anything out of their pocket.

I want them to go. Amen. And teach and preach. And I can't wait until they get back. We get to see

pictures. Amen. Now, which of the three of those will be on the camera? I have no idea.

So it might be sketchy what we get to see. Because I know Brian will be struggling because

Erica's not taking the pictures. And so let's stand together.

Fly away. Lord, I love you today. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for your grace, for your goodness,

the divine power and presence of your love that's with us.

And I ask God that you continue to have your way. I pray, Lord, for continued blessings on the

household of faith. Jobs and better jobs increases. Checks in the mail, refunds, rebates, inheritance,

best sales in town. Bless your people as your word causes our soul to prosper. We ask God

you prosper your people. In Christ's name and the church said, amen. Come worship in

you're given a little sing his soul song right here. Well, I fly away.

Oh,

oh, hallelujah. Fly away. A few more.

Oh,

fly away. Oh, glory. In the morning, now when, oh, when I die. Oh, bye bye.

Oh,

well, I fly away.

Well, now I'll fly away. Oh, glory. In the morning, now when, oh, when I die.

Oh, well, I'll fly away.

I woke up this morning with another one of them on my mind.

Second verse in old page 92. How many know what's on page 92? Right off the bat, you know it.

The second verse says something like this right here.

Well, sometimes my passing's drear without a ray of cheer and then a little cloud of doubt may hide

the day. The mist of sin may rise and hide. Y'all go ahead. Come on now. Just a little talk with

Jesus makes it right. Come on now. Now let us have a little talk. Oh, let us tell him all about our,

oh, he will hear and he will answer by and by. Now when you feel a little prayer will turn in,

know a little fire is burnt. Oh, you will find. Sing it again.

Sometimes my passing's drear without a ray of cheer and the

day. The mist of sin may rise and hide the starry sky, but just a little talk.

And now let us, oh, let us tell him all about our trouble. Hear our faintest cry. He will answer.

And now when you feel a little prayer will then you'll know a little fire is burning.

You will find a little talk. Well, I may have doubts and fears. My eyes be filled with tears,

but Jesus is a friend who watches day and night. I go to him in prayer and he knows my every care

and just a little talk with Jesus makes it right. Now let us have a little talk. Oh, let us tell him

all about our trouble. He will hear and he will answer by and by. Now when you feel a little prayer

will turn in, know a little fire is burning. You will find a little talk makes it right.

Come on, give him praise in his house. Well, all right, all right, all right.

Just a little talk with Jesus makes it all right. Well, all right, all right, all right, all right.

Just a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

All right. How many of us from time to time we have doubts and fears,

right? Clouds try to come in and hide the light of day, right?

But it's Jesus who clears the way. I'm grateful and thankful for all that he has done

and is about to do. Amen. It's going to take a little bit to set this up so

you can go ahead and be seated and you can be turning to John's gospel,

the fourth chapter and then put a finger in Matthew 9. I'm not going to be in a hurry today.

I feel like that's something we need to share from the Lord. We're going to go there and I'm

just going to take the time and it may take us a couple weeks to get it said, but that's all right

too. Amen. Had a wonderful assembly

this year. It was good, really good. I'm encouraged. I'm refreshed, renewed

for the church of God. I don't care to tell you I'm as transparent today as long as having my doubts

over the last few years. I'll just tell you, I just felt like we kind of been straying and getting away

from what I was born in. Your pastor's just been in a struggle and was dreading. I dreaded,

just can't even tell you. I fretted and dreaded and I was just in a struggle. I was just in a struggle.

I was dreading. I dreaded, just can't even tell you. I fretted and dreaded all seven hours of that drive

Monday going up there. I just really didn't want to face it. But I have some renewed strength and

renewed focus. Amen. And renewed confidence in the church and I needed that. I needed that. I've been

in an inner struggle for several years and but man it was good for me. It helped me.

You can go to churchofgod.org which is our general church page and you can see all of the

leadership changes. Bishop Gary Lewis is now our general overseer.

Bishop Tony Stewart, first assistant. Bishop Wayne Doherty, second assistant. Third assistant is

Bishop Mark Williams and our general secretary treasurer is Tom Madden. So I think the Lord's

worked good work and we've got a great committee. One of the most, if not the most, diverse council

of 18s that I've ever seen elected. Man, it just looks like a humanity rainbow up there and I was

happy, happy, happy. Amen. Black, white, brown, islanders, we got some of that Caribbean,

what is it, that jerk chicken flavor up there. We got a little flavor. We have a diverse

reflection of the church of God and I am happy, happy, happy. Amen. Some of y'all need to get

busy helping us get a little more diverse in here. If you've got friends tell them we won't

hurt them, bring them on in here. I like flavor. So I'm encouraged over the assembly. It's all right,

they're recording but they're not FaceTiming or whatever it is, Facebook live. So it's been a good

week. Good to be a part of the great church of God. Amen. And I feel that way. I'm going to try to

give you a generalized scope of what I feel like the Spirit of the Lord has spoke over the church

at large through our leaders as they ministered to us this week. How many of you got to watch some of

it online? So you got to watch some of the services online, some of the business and that stuff. So

it's a high opener. The church of God is a whole lot bigger than Cleveland, Tennessee. Amen. And

that's a good thing. So if you have your Bibles, I want us to go ahead and start with John's Gospel,

the fourth chapter. We'll start it about verse 34.

Jesus said unto them, my meat or my food or my sustenance is to do the will of him that sent me

and to finish his work. Say not ye there are yet four months and then cometh harvest. Behold, I say

unto you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields for they are white already to harvest.

And he that reapeth receiveth wages and gather fruit unto life eternal, that both he that soweth

and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, one soweth another reapeth.

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

their labors. Matthew nine verse 37, then saith he unto his children, and he said unto them,

ye have labored and you are entered into their labors. Matthew nine verse 37, then saith he unto

his disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labors are few. Pray ye therefore the

Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labors into his harvest. The theme for the assembly this

now, go ahead brother Hunter put that up. That was the theme for the 79th general assembly,

harvest now. Let's pray. Father we love you, we thank you for your goodness and your mercy.

Lord I'm gonna need your help over the next few moments, over the next space of time. I need you

to help and stir my heart, Lord, as we just share, as I feel that you've laid upon me for us here at

the Hopewell church of God. This directive from our leadership which has received it from you.

May we Lord bring it into where we are able to apply what the spirit's saying to the church.

Christ's lovely name and the church said amen and amen.

Our former general overseer bishop Tim Hill started out Tuesday night with a wonderful reminder.

He reminded us from Hebrews two and one says therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed

to the things which we have heard, least at any time we should let them slip. He reminded us that

there are principles and a foundation that the church is based upon and that we should not let

that go. We should earnestly, we've been preaching for the past previous three weeks on contending

for the faith. Basically the same thought, the same idea. We cannot let the faith slip through

our fingers. We cannot become so overwhelmed, so disillusioned by the negativity that's in our

society and everything that's going on around us that we lose sight of the hope that is in the

message and the gospel of Jesus Christ. The hope that we have in the faith that we are living out

day in and day out. He brought a wonderful message to us to let us know that we have to

recommit ourselves to the faith. Not only the faith but as the church of God, we are the church

of God. As the church of God we've got to recommit ourselves to the declaration of faith. If you got

that brother Hunter put that up. If we're going to continue on we must recommit and reaffirm our

lives to the core values and the teachings that we live by. We actually believe them. Amen. Starting

with a statement from the Bible. Is the Bible the word of God? Breathe the bone men of old,

breathe the bone by the Holy Ghost wrote down as they were dictated to by the Holy Ghost and the

word was written and that's what we're going to live by. That's what we're going to govern by.

That's what we're going to try to live out. That's what we're going to proclaim to those who are

around us all the way down to Jesus is coming. There is an eternal place of heaven for those who

love him and an eternal punishment, a place called hell for those that don't. Amen. And everything in

between. Doctrine or fidelity is important in the day in which we live because people around you

don't know what you believe unless you live it out in front of them. They need to know the reason

of the hope that you have. Amen. And we've got to maintain. We can't allow the good gospel message

to slip. The things that we have heard, the things that have been demonstrated before us

in and through and around our lives, we cannot let those things idly slip through our fingers.

Hallelujah. I was raised up in the church of God. Amen. From a tiny toddler all the way to where I

am now. All I know is the church of God. All I know is our declaration of faith. What I love

about our declaration of faith, it takes in the whole compass of the whole Bible. Amen. We're a

Bible believing people. If it's in there, amen, God says do it, we do it. If it's in there and God

said don't do it, we believe that you're not supposed to do it. Amen. And I don't know how

you can go wrong with that. With the whole Bible rightly divided, the New Testament being our only

rule and form of our government, but we don't throw out the principles of the Old Testament

because they're the types and the shadows of Christ himself who is the fulfillment of

hallelujah, who is the fulfillment of it all. And so we were reminded very sternly not to let the

things that we have learned slip through our fingers and we go following after another gospel.

Amen. We cannot allow ourselves to do that. And then on Wednesday night, I think one of the most

profound statements that was made through the whole week was made by Dr. David Ramirez as he

was preaching and he made the statement. He said, we have changed our windows for mirrors. We have

changed our windows for mirrors in referencing the church, the church of God, the church at large.

We used to have windows that we would look through and we would see a lost and dying world,

but he said, we've traded our windows for mirrors and all we're doing is staring at our own reflection.

We like what we see. We want it the way we want it. We want to do it the way we want to do it.

And we have failed to assume the responsibility that we have for a lost and dying world that is

on the outside. They can't even look in because we've got a mirror hanging over the window. My God.

And when I heard him say that it struck to the core of my soul. I'm thinking, oh God, I'm going

on a search through Hopewell. And if we've got mirrors, there is no such thing as luck. So I'm

going to break every mirror that I can find that's hindering those who are on the outside from seeing

what's taking place on the inside. I remember the day when they used to flock and look through the

window when you couldn't get on the inside because of the power and the glory of God that was showing

up on people's lives. The manifestation of the spirit as a Holy Ghost moved and miracles were

performed. Oh my God, let's take our mirrors down and shine and polish and clean our windows again

so that the lost and dying can see in and see what's happening and long for an experience.

That's what taking place here.

His question was, where are the baptized, whether the water or the spirit, where are they at? Where

are we? What are we doing? We're hiding on the inside, polishing, adjusting, and looking to

ourselves and failing the responsibility of those who are dying all around us. All you have to do

is take a quick look at the evening news. The evening news is the news that we're going to be

is take a quick look at the evening news and know that people are on the outside are hurting,

they are lost, they are untunned, they are indifferent, they are in pain, they are struggling

and deep down they don't even know what it is that they're crying out for. That's what you and I are

to be. We are to be windows to the soul and the heart of God so that they can see in us the hope

that they're missing, the healing for the hurt that they are experiencing and a comfort and a

care and a friend when they have no friend around them. The lost are looking and yearning

but we're stuck on the inside in front of our mirrors

and they can't see in and we definitely have stopped looking out.

John recorded it well, say not ye, Jesus declared that four months and then the harvest is coming

but he said look, lift up your eyes, look, look at the fields, they are white already. Can I tell

you there's enough people in earshot of you and your daily routine and your daily life that aren't

attending church anywhere but are hurting. Next time you go through a grocery line somewhere

you ask someone really how they're doing and take a moment to let them respond. Are you okay?

Have a discerned pray before you go, get a discerning spirit about you and ask God to show you

the one that's hurting. Let the Lord open up a window before, Lord let me see the hurting one

that I'm coming in. Don't let me be so busy about my day that I cannot see the one in pain,

that the facade of a smile, help me see past it, help me see into their soul and help me engage them

with the hope that I have in you. Next time you're talking and you're sitting at a table

and a waiter or waitress is coming, take a little interest in them.

Tuesday and Wednesday night we ate dinner at the same restaurant.

Italian place, old spaghetti factory. I like spaghetti.

I was offended they didn't have ketchup but I made it work.

I told that waiter, young man, nice clean cut looking young man, we heard him, I heard him

mention a couple times different things that were going on in the restaurant. He said,

I heard him mention a couple times different things that were churchy related and scripture related

in our just casual conversation. I've got an alarm bell that goes off as soon as I hear stuff

like that I'm listening for it. Hey man, I'm listening for it and young man done a fine job.

We blessed him before we left and the spaghetti and meatball were good but Pastor Terry had the

lasagna and he went on and on and on and on about how good the lasagna was and he don't even eat

lasagna. So here it comes Wednesday night, what we're gonna go eat? I'm gonna go try the lasagna.

So we go back, the lasagna was good. As we're talking this young man's coming around, he's

waiting, he's serving and we're trying to be Christians. You're probably amazed at some

server testimonies that everybody they came in contact with weren't Christian at a Christian

event. But before we leave this young man stopped me. He stopped me down at the end of the table.

He said, how you know about identity right and try to be the identity of Christ? I said, yeah,

I understand that. He said, could you help me understand how I'm supposed to do that? How am I

supposed to be identified as Christ? So right there, right quick, man, I gave him about a 30,

45 second tutorial on how to be Christ in the atmosphere, which he's in and around the people

that he's in. You see they're out there and they are paying attention and when you act Christ like,

they may actually have a question that they can ask you. And so we cannot let the mirrors be hanging

over the window. My God, when you go out to eat this afternoon, would you please by all means be a

Christian and show the love of Christ? Don't be hateful if you don't get the butter. Don't be hateful

if they ain't quick enough with a refill. My God, put a smile on your face and show the love of

Jesus and tell them, man, I'm praying for you. I see it's chaotic in here and you know, just take

your time. I'll get it when you get it here and if you don't get it here, that's okay too.

Let's take the mirrors down because we are living in the middle of a hurting society that needs a

church and I ain't even got to the point yet. I'm just still working on statements that were made

that stirred my heart. Thursday night, the World Mission at the Parade of Nations,

one of the most moving experiences that you can have if you're there personally,

have been there several times. It's really moving and it's grown every year that

Sister Kathy and I have been. There's more, there's more, there's more. Let you know that the work of

the mission of the cross, amen, in Christ is still going on, still reaching out.

Brother Mo Huggins preached a message that we've got to come together and we've got to be together

in the power of the Holy Ghost. We've got to come off of our pedestals and get down together

and get ready to enter into that harvest field because we have been empowered just to do exactly

that. And at the end of that altar call hundreds, hundreds, literally hundreds of younger people

and an earlier generation become flooded down and hundreds were filled with the baptism of the Holy

Ghost at General Assembly. Why? Because preaching of the gospel, preaching the truth and bringing

us to the awareness, we must remove those mirrors and enter into a harvest field that is already

white. And then on Friday night, how many of you watched this Friday night? Anybody watch the service

Friday night in the General Overseer? I was ready for him to go to the podium and take his place and

do what they've all done for all the time and give his address to the church. But he began to talk

about us as the church as we are the church of God. And I've talked to one of the five since then

and he said he did exactly what he told y'all that he did when he called us together for our first

meeting. He leaned back in his chair and he said, brothers, our message is going to change. I need

your help to help me preach on Friday night. To every one of them said, Bishop, that's your night,

that's your declaration. He said, no, it's time we get past the me and get back to the we. Hallelujah.

He said, it's time. He said, we've always been about a me on a Friday and my message and my

vision and my this. He said, it's time we get past the me and get back to the we. So we are going to

preach to the people on Friday night. Now, I don't, I don't know what that done for you, but when I

watched that, I'm telling you, I am renewed. I am refreshed. Hallelujah. Because it's not a me,

it's a we. Hallelujah. I've got the general's permission to let you know it's not a me message.

It's a we message. And the message that we have, first of all, we are the church of God and we are

distinctly classical Pentecostal and my God, I'm with brother Paul. I thank God that I speak in

tongues more than you all. Hallelujah. That we are a spirit field church inviting the power

and the anointing of the Holy ghost to have his way in our lives.

We, as he began to talk about who we are,

begin to preach about the church of God. We got renewed hope again, a little over eight million

members around the world. Now I know that small in comparison to a lot of other denominations,

but when you back up to 1886 and a good old Baptist brother by the name of R.G. Spurling,

who got to reading his word and the word got stirring in him and he got to praying for that

other thing that was said could be his. And that other thing is the that of Acts chapter two.

And he got to reading and he got to reading and he got to praying and he got to reading and he got

to praying and he got to reading and all of a sudden he got the Holy ghost. Because as it was on

the day of Pentecost it was in the hills of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina,

right up above Coker Creek, right up there in the mountains. He was filled with the Holy ghost

and spake with tongues as the spirit gave the utterance. And from the one man's desire,

my God you talking about a polished crown in heaven one of these days, eight million strong

from one man's desire, one man's pursuit, eight million. I've been to Coker Creek there's nothing

special there they don't even wheat eat the creek bank. I'm thinking my God this is our history

and we can't get anybody to go up here and wheat eat the creek bank.

Right there in the old grist of meal they begin to have church.

Moves over to a little school building called Shear Schoolhouse. Revival breaks out.

People baptize in the Holy ghost. We come out of that with a with a church name of the holiness

church at Camp Creek and we move from the holiness church at Camp. Holiness wasn't real popular then

either. So we turned into the Christian union and from the Christian union we make our way.

Finally we come out of the mountains made it into town.

Hey law if you've never been to the first general assembly if you will the first assembly building

I think it's J.C. Murphy's house and it's just sitting right up there right off side of the road.

19 people. 19 people from the first one to there I know there were over 19,000

that assembled this week. I know there were over 19,000 20 plus probably from 19 to 20 plus thousand.

I'm telling you God's had his hand on the church of God. It's not that it's an elevated denomination

no but it was a burden on a man's heart that it prayed out and the distinct faith that was lived

out as we come through 1948 to come up with that declaration of faith that we're going to be

in 1948 to come up with that declaration of faith that stood firm and stood until this very day and

my lord I think it'll stand to the lord come. It's a good declaration of belief. It's a good system.

We are the church of God. Amen in 192 nations around this world preaching a good Pentecostal

message in the power of the cross in the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Power in the

that will forever wash away your sin. Power in an anointing to sanctify you and set you apart.

Power of an anointing to empower you to be the witness unto the east unto the west north and south

to the end of the earth. Preaching that gospel message.

We are the church of God and I was proud to be one

Friday night

when our committee began to step up and preach the outline that the general had given him.

He says we are the church of God and we go. Bishop Stewart stepped up again to preach the we go.

We are the Matthew 28 generation 18, 19, 20 that's who you and I still are.

We are the generation that goes into all the world. The dictate from the Greek is there as you go.

As you are going. When Jesus said go into all the world what he was telling them as you will go about

your daily living in this world in which we're living you have to be a disciple and as you're

going into this world I want you to preach and teach and you tell them everything that I've told

you you just pass it on. I want you to baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son

and the Holy Ghost and be disciples unto me. Amen. They begin to declare the go. Now in 192 nations

around the world we got a little bit of go in us. We got some folks that are willing to go and

they're heading to Zambia this fall and they're going because Hopewell church of God has been

church of God has a vision brother David Mills has got a vision brother Randy Warren's got a vision

brother Brian's got a vision that they can go and be a help in a lost and dying world. They're going

to teach and to minister to and strengthen pastors and shepherds so that when they go back into their

villages and their huts and under the shade of some spread out tree on a safari somewhere and

people begin to gather you know what they're going to hear that Jesus is their savior he's their

sake of higher he's our Holy Ghost baptizer he's their healer and he's the king that is coming with

glory and power. It's the go from the goal we've adopted our mission statement

and after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you you shall be witnesses unto me

Jerusalem Judea Samaria even to the uttermost parts of the world.

I think it's important to know that the Holy Ghost is upon us amen and as he's preaching that we go

message he talked about an encounter that he had in the airport here just a few weeks ago or a month

or so ago when all this traveling going on he said in one of the kiosks now in one of the airports

they had a chiropractor in there to adjust he said he had a crick in his neck and his back was trying

to figure out how to get it all worked out and he's walking through there and he saw the place

where you could go in $59 for an adjustment.

My Lord wouldn't it be nice to know that for $59 you can get an adjustment

but the statement he made was this he said sometimes you don't see what you need until you need it.

My Lord he said I don't know how many times I'd walked up down the corridors of the same airport

going in coming and going and he had never saw that before but he said I never needed it before

and he had never saw that before but he said I never needed it before sometimes you don't see what you need

amen until you need it and that's the way it is with some folks in our church world today

that's what's wrong with some of the lost people that are around us they can't see what they need

until they really need him and many of them are going to get in a low place and a dark place and

a bad place and what they need is for you and I to be there to show them what they need when they

need it if they're hurting they need a helping hand amen they need somebody to lift them up

we have to have our go about us I'm not asking you to go to Zambia I'm not asking you to go to

Honduras or Ecuador or any other continent continent or any other country I'm not asking you to do that

but what I am asking you to do is talk to the people that you come in contact as you go about

your daily business as you go to eat as you go to Walmart as you go to any other store when you're

just out in town when you're at a sporting event be a Christian let them see Christ in you and you

engage those who are around you you kids not enough just to see the harvest you got to lift

up your eyes and be a part you got to be a harvester in it that's the reason Jesus said the harvest

is truly plenious but pray you therefore the Lord of the harvest that he sent laborers in there I'm

telling you you are the labors we are the labors together it's harvest now not next year not

next month not next decade Jesus is coming and I believe it could be very soon our time is waning by

you really want me to talk to somebody well yes I do

how about this I don't even expect some of you to talk to somebody new

just talk to the sinners that you already know and if you don't know any would you please go find one

you won't have to look far

far a few years ago I got to I got to institutionalized by the church

my time was fully consumed behind the pulpit inside inside the walls

the only contact I have with the sinners when we'd be out to eat or somewhere doing something like

that but the Lord positioned me put me in a place that I was surrounded by

good people good people just lost people friendly people

lost people

where I could be around them through four days a week

I was around them so much that I noticed their language change

never preached one sermon to them didn't have to when I walk up I begin to notice them slip

off with newcomers that would come into the crowd that's the preacher

matter of fact that's what they call me preacher and as soon as I'd walk up and there'd be new

people I knew they knew me but they'd say hey preacher so that everybody else in earshot would

know that the preacher showed up keep your mouth shut right and they were all respectful

and then I noticed there was a shift one day I got a phone call from one of these fellas

preacher my wife's leaving and he broke down my wife's leaving me

what am I going to do I grin from ear to ear not because the man's wife's leaving him I didn't know

her but I said thank you Lord you put me in this place so I could minister so for several weeks

I got to minister a sinner man through a divorce do you win him no nope but I ministered to him

those phone calls begin to be more frequent

till I got one one day a grown man squalling his eyes out preacher

my daddy's died and I got nobody to read over my daddy will you read over my daddy

I called him by his first name why you better believe I will when and where

never met the man in my life didn't have to I took Jesus to him what are you saying pastor I'm saying

you got people out there that are going to be like you and I'm going to be like you and I'm going to

be like what are you saying pastor I'm saying you got people around you just like I had to put myself

in and become surrounded they're hurting people all around us they're needy people all around us

and they don't know who to call they don't know what to do but if you live enough Jesus in front

of them you don't have a fork in tongue one day hallelujah preach on preacher and you're not a

hypocrite in front of them but you're actually living out your faith and you have the joy of the

Lord on you when you're in their countenance whether all hell's breaking loose or not when

you're in front of them the joy the Lord exudes from you and before you know it your phone will

start ringing somebody will start asking you how can I make it how can I make it we go as we go

we tell the good news of Jesus Christ we tell of the good news of the hope that we have the hope that

you have for the hurt that you're dealing with because we deal with hurt too and they know you do

people around you in your circle they know your business don't they

just like you know some of their business and they see you they see how you react they see how we respond

one of the darkest days and one of the saddest times of me being a man just a man nothing to do with

a Christian but just being a man when unforeseen and uncontrollable situations piled in

and they wasn't enough money to pay all the bills and they wasn't enough job to make it happen no

matter what you had to swallow that bitter pill and swallow your pride and your manhood

find you a lawyer either really get a real bad name or try to do something to save it

bankruptcy court paying my tithe every week

are you hearing me every week paid my tithe still found myself in bankruptcy court no astronomical

crazy stupid stuff just life life hospital bills life not enough to make the ends meet

bills life not enough to make the ends meet life

found myself standing with him i won't close with this we'll get back to the rest of this over the

next few weeks we'll close right here we are the church and we're going found myself in that position

embarrassed

embarrassed i think it was one of the last things the lord had to take from is my pride

oh it had to go because i was a proud person hello i was a proud person and it had to go

so the lord put me in a place i had to swallow it

i had to go and lean on him

prided myself in the money that i'd made all right

till it wasn't there

never forget that been in that courtroom watching that judge man he was ripping people apart

some of you heard this i've shared this morning he was literally ripping people apart

embarrassing and i'm sat back here praying oh god

i didn't rack up thirty thousand dollars on credit cards and not offer to pay them i didn't do that

i didn't buy all this stuff and never make a payment lord that's not what i done

lord it's a trailer it ain't even my house

lord it's a trailer it ain't even my house

i beg god not to let that happen to me

when sister kathy and i went down yes she went with me we sat down

and we sat down

this is how i know the lord loves me more than he loves you

i'm his favorite

that judge that i witnessed for two and a half hours just shame people

looked at us

he called me mr waters this is pre-call i didn't call to preach yet or hadn't accepted it

mr waters

is this agreement okay with you

i said yes your honor he said well i see how much you make and i see how much they're going to take

can you make it i said i will make it

yes sir it's fine and again he tried he said you know i have the authority to make this number

whatever i choose and all these hospitals lawyers and all this stuff sitting around the table there

looking like he's about to cut us i said no sir we'll make it

and he said thank you and he signed it and said you're dismissed just as kind as he could be

told you that to tell you this you co-workers we all made the same

they knew where i'd been and they knew how much

they were getting every week but they also saw

they said well how you gonna make it on that i said well i'm not well how do you say that i said well

it's 10 less than that number

well what do you mean i said well my tithe got to come out of that oh you're just paying tithes on

what you get right i said no i'm paying tithe on the whole thing that's how much i made this week

in it yeah but they took it out of the box and they said well you know i'm not going to make it

that's how much i made this week in it yeah but they took out i said yeah but that's my bill

and for the next few years they got to see how god

took a seven-year thing and turned it into a two and a half zero balance

you may have to fight some battles folks

but he's going to be there with you we are the church take the mirrors down

shine the window where you can see out there again and look for folk

look for folk and then just tell them what the lord's done for you once you've been embarrassed

to the nth degree it really don't matter much after that i learned two things how to humble myself

after that and then i learned that money is simply a tool given to us to make it through life

father i love you we got some folks that need prayer this morning as we're bowing our head for prayer