Participants: John Lomacang
Series Code: 10HC
Program Code: 10HC000004
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00:24 Welcome to 3ABN's Fall Camp Meeting
00:27 Homecoming 2010 00:30 featuring inspired messages from your 3ABN family 00:34 along with uplifting Christian music... 00:37 all to prepare your heart for the coming of the Lord. 00:45 Allow me please to wish you good morning once again. 00:49 We are beginning seminar #2 in our morning of seminars. 00:55 And we... we like to have these seminars because 00:58 they allow the speaker to delve into a particular subject, 01:02 give it a little bit difference stance than we do 01:05 in the evening preaching meetings. 01:07 And so this morning Pastor Dinzey talked about 01:10 the red heifer and during this particular hour we will hear 01:14 from our pastor here at the Thompsonville church... 01:16 which we call the biggest little church in the world... 01:20 as Pastor John talks about the Latter Rain. 01:24 It is a particular pleasure of mine to introduce him 01:27 because I have watched him as it were grow up. 01:31 I knew Angie before she was Angela Lomacang. 01:34 She was Angela Marr back in those days... 01:36 one of the fair beauties in the Bethel Church in Brooklyn, NY. 01:40 And Pastor John, of the... he had what we used to call 01:45 a lollipop Afro back in those days - 01:47 one of those big Afros. 01:49 And running around Brooklyn, New York back in those days. 01:52 And we had fun together playing on the same basketball team. 01:56 And we sort of followed each other's careers 01:58 for many, many years. 02:00 I was his pastor then; he is my pastor now. 02:03 We at 3ABN have a love affair each with the other. 02:07 We appreciate each other's ministry. 02:09 We like to hear each other speak. 02:12 There is no jealously here 02:13 at Three Angels Broadcasting Network. 02:15 We really root for each other, 02:17 and I think that's a wonderful way to serve the Lord. 02:20 When one is blessed all are blessed. 02:22 And when one lifts up the name of Jesus, 02:25 all of us are lifted up. And I know that Pastor John 02:27 has much to say to us this very day. 02:30 And so we ask that you give ear to him as he sings 02:34 and as he ministers the word. 02:36 Before he does both, let us bow our heads in prayer. 02:39 Gracious Father, we do praise You and thank You 02:42 for being such a good God. 02:45 We thank You for the call that brought each of us 02:48 out of darkness into the marvelous light of Your truth 02:52 and your love. 02:54 We thank Thee, Father, that You are preparing to come 02:57 but before that coming You are preparing a people. 03:01 We want to be prepared people 03:05 and so give us listening ears this day 03:09 and opened eyes this day 03:12 and receptive hearts this day 03:14 as the man of God brings us a word from You 03:19 as we seek to take another step along the road that leads 03:25 to glory. And we thank You in Jesus' name, Amen and Amen. 03:31 Our pastor - John Lomacang. 03:37 Good morning everyone. 03:39 Glad to see you all here. 03:41 Particularly excited that my wife is able to be here with us 03:44 today and the Lord is continuing to bless her 03:47 with health and strength. And I want you to continue 03:49 to keep her in prayer. 03:50 And... but this morning we're going to be dealing with a topic 03:53 everyone of us has an opportunity to do our part 03:57 to contribute to understanding what the Bible says 04:00 and how important these messages are for the last days. 04:03 And the message I have chosen to share with you this morning 04:06 is entitled The Latter Rain. 04:08 Very straight-forward title. 04:10 Nothing conspicuous or inconspicuous about it 04:13 because I think that it needs to be very clear. 04:15 Because we are living in the days of the Latter Rain. 04:19 And what's exciting about that is Jesus is soon to come. 04:22 And we are a people that must get ready and do our part 04:26 to get others ready for the coming of the Lord. 04:29 If you have your Bibles, those of you who are joining us 04:32 via television or satellite or Internet or radio 04:35 and you can scoop your Bible on your lap and open with me 04:38 to the book of Matthew 24- 04:40 Matthew chapter 24- we're going to begin with a single verse 04:45 that you may have heard before 04:46 used in a completely different context with the topic today. 04:51 Matthew chapter 24 and verse 37. 04:56 Matthew chapter 24 and verse 37. 05:01 And if you don't have a Bible, share with your neighbor. 05:04 But I have quite a bit of scriptures I'm going to 05:07 cover today and a lot of quotations from the writings 05:11 of Ellen White because she does an excellent job 05:13 on putting together the wonderful picture 05:16 that is presented about the blessings of the Latter Rain 05:19 as it pertains to the last days. 05:22 The Bible reads: "But as the days of Noah were 05:26 so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. " 05:30 I'll read that one more time. 05:33 "But as the days of Noah were 05:36 so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. " 05:40 Elder Murray prayed. I want to pray one more time 05:43 to ask for the Lord to send His Holy Spirit 05:46 on a topic about the Holy Spirit. 05:49 Heavenly Father, please send the rain. 05:53 In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. 05:59 Let me begin by giving you a totally different perspective 06:02 of the text we just read. 06:05 "But as the days of Noah were 06:08 so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. " 06:13 Had they understood the power of the rain that was coming 06:20 the preparation would have been quite different. 06:24 It had never rained before that day came. 06:29 There were no clouds to even suggest 06:32 that rain was on its way. As a matter of fact, 06:35 rain was not even a word used during the days of Noah. 06:39 There were no umbrellas... no need of them. 06:44 The Lord flourished the earth in ways that were 06:47 quite different than today. 06:49 So if some said that the rain was coming, 06:52 it sounded completely odd and out of sorts. 06:56 And so when Noah took up the task to preach that rain 06:58 was coming, they did not understand the power 07:01 of the rain that was to come. 07:04 In the very same way in our day 07:07 if we would only understand the power of the rain that IS coming 07:13 I believe the preparation will be quite different. 07:15 I believe one of the reasons why the church is not preparing 07:19 the way it is; is because "As it was in the days of Noah 07:22 so also will it be in the days 07:24 of the coming of the Son of Man. " 07:26 Jesus is getting ready to come, 07:28 and we know the world is not going to be destroyed by a flood 07:31 but God has promised to pour out the rain again. 07:34 Amen! 07:36 And if we understand as they did not understand 07:39 in the days of Noah, had they understood that the world 07:43 was going to be swept away by a flood 07:45 they would have responded differently to the messages. 07:48 Had they understood that every- thing they put their faith in 07:51 was going to be destroyed by the rain 07:53 they would have made different choices. 07:55 In the same way, brothers and sisters, 07:58 let's not take for granted that the end is going to come 08:00 in a whimper. It is going to come in a 08:02 grand and glorious way. Can you say Amen? 08:04 It's going to come in a way more predominantly powerful 08:08 than it was in the days of Noah. 08:10 The rain that came then destroyed, but God is going to 08:12 pour out a rain today... God is going to pour out a rain 08:14 just before He comes that is not for the purpose of destruction 08:18 but for the purpose of salvation. 08:21 But had they understood the power of the rain that was 08:23 coming, their preparation would have been quite different. 08:26 We need to understand the power of the rain that is coming. 08:32 I took the time to peruse the Internet, and I like to do that 08:35 when it comes to very important statistics. 08:38 I'm a statistic man. 08:40 And I came to discover that rain is more powerful 08:43 than we sometimes even lead on for it to be. 08:45 You know, when we have a lot of rain, the last thing you want 08:48 to see is more rain. 08:50 I discovered just in the country of China alone - 08:54 and this is not talking about all of their rainfall - 08:57 but just in the country of China 08:59 in seven significant events they have lost by rain, 09:04 more people have been killed in the country of China 09:08 by rain than any other country on the earth. 09:11 Can you fathom losing 7 and a half million people 09:14 in your country to rain? 09:16 Just China! 09:18 And I would say, had they understood the power of the rain 09:22 they would have prepared quite differently for the rain 09:24 that was coming. 09:25 In one incident alone, one to three and a half million people 09:29 were destroyed - killed, wiped out of existence - 09:32 just by rain. 09:34 And the Lord is saying to us in the last days: 09:35 He is going to send a rain. 09:37 He is going to send a rain not to destroy but to save. 09:41 The flood - the most powerful of all the rains that we've 09:45 heard of. But it's also the most famous flood 09:47 that we've ever heard of. Genesis chapter 7 09:50 has a few lines about this great flood 09:53 that we look back on. 09:55 The Lord gave Noah a job. 09:57 He said: "Preach that the rain is coming. " 10:00 And sometimes I feel like Noah 10:02 because I'm preaching today that the rain is coming. 10:05 And people sometimes misunderstand that, because 10:07 we know the world is going to be destroyed by fire 10:09 the second time. 10:12 But the rain that's coming this time is going to be glorious. 10:16 It's going to ripen the harvest 10:17 in a way that it's never been ripened before. 10:19 And I've... I've received some encouragement. 10:22 See, last time these great rains fell only 8 people were saved. 10:25 But God has given me courage that a number which no man 10:29 can number is going to be saved. What do you say? 10:32 Amen! He's built a larger vessel this time! 10:36 Bigger than the last ship built by Royal Caribbean. 10:40 They just released a new one coming out here. 10:43 Matter of fact, it's coming out now 10:45 in just a few months called the Oasis of the Seas. 10:50 More than 6,000 passengers on that ship! 10:56 God can build ships bigger than Royal Caribbean... 10:59 what do you say? Amen. 11:00 On this next ship there's going to be a number which no man 11:04 can number of every nation, every kindred, 11:08 every tongue, and every people. 11:10 When God poured out the rain last time the Bible says 11:13 the Lord told Noah to preach: "I will cause rain to fall 11:17 on the earth 40 days and 40 nights. 11:19 It will destroy from the face of the earth 11:22 every living thing that I have made. " 11:24 And the record is clear. 11:26 Rain was on the earth 40 days and 40 nights. 11:29 But there's something about the rain that fell in Noah's day 11:32 that exposes something far greater than the magnitude 11:36 of man's wickedness. And the rain then revealed 11:40 the tremendous power of God. 11:43 Think about that for a moment. 11:46 Go with me to Matthew chapter 24 again 11:49 and notice verses 38 and 39: 11:51 the tremendous power of God. 11:54 "For as in the days before the flood 11:58 they were" doing what, church? 12:00 "eating" and what else? "drinking. " 12:03 "Marrying and giving in marriage. " Stop! 12:07 God is about to pour out His Latter Rain, 12:10 but so many of us are busy eating and drinking. 12:14 "Marrying and giving in marriage. " Celebration. 12:18 And God is looking for someone waiting and expecting 12:21 and praying for the infilling of His Holy Spirit. 12:24 "As it was in the days of Noah. " 12:26 Before the flood came then, 12:28 people were caught up in day by day life. 12:30 I would suggest to you today: the church needs to wake up 12:33 because so many of the churches today are becoming 12:36 an entertainment center... 12:38 a center where the people come to have things done for them. 12:40 But God wants to do more than giving you money 12:43 for your next bill. 12:44 He wants to give you power to turn your life on 12:47 for the glory of God. 12:49 And so we've come to this place where people come: 12:51 what can you do for me? But I remember the words of 12:54 the now deceased John F. Kennedy. 12:55 He said: "Ask not what your country can do for you 12:59 but what you can do for your country. " 13:01 Ask not what the church can do for you 13:04 but what you can do for the church! Amen. 13:06 God has called us not to membership 13:09 but to be laborers together with God. 13:12 And so a few want to be members rather than laborers 13:15 together with God. 13:16 We want to be on the rolls rather than on the battlefield. 13:20 We want to be in the church 13:22 rather than in the harvest field. 13:25 "As it was in the days of Noah... " 13:27 They were "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage 13:30 until the day that Noah entered the ark. " 13:33 There's going to be an ark, 13:34 and before we enter that ark there's going to be 13:36 a declaration: "He that is unjust, let him be... " What? 13:39 "Unjust still. " 13:41 "He that is righteous, let him be righteous still. " 13:44 When the ark's doors are closed, 13:48 then the rain is over. 13:51 Unlike in Noah's day, when the ark's doors were closed 13:54 the rain began. 13:56 This time when the ark's doors close, the rain is over. 14:01 And so it says: "They did not know until the flood came 14:05 and took them all away. " God wants a flood 14:09 today to come and take us away from the humdrum 14:13 so-called spiritual activity of our lives 14:16 and take us away into the glorious field 14:18 where the harvest is ripe but the laborers are few. 14:23 He wants the rains to come. 14:26 There's another flood coming, and this time as it was in the 14:29 days of Noah, it's going to cover the earth again. 14:32 Listen to the words of the apostle Paul as he writes. 14:35 In the book of Acts chapter 2 verse 17 we read these words: 14:40 "And it shall come to pass in the last days" 14:43 What days did I say? 14:44 "that the Lord said: 'I will pour out' " 14:49 There are those flood words. I will do what, friend? 14:52 "Pour out My Spirit on all flesh. " 14:56 The day is coming when the windows of heaven 14:59 will be opened again. Can you say Amen to that? 15:01 "The days are coming when the clouds of heaven will gather 15:04 in abundance. The moment is nearing 15:06 when the final harvest will be gathered. " 15:10 God is pouring out His Spirit, 15:13 and like it was in the days of Ezekiel, 15:15 He says: "There shall be showers of blessing. " 15:19 But the songwriter said: "Send them upon us, oh Lord. " 15:24 He wanted those blessings today. 15:26 I don't want to wait till some future date. 15:27 I want the power of God to reside in my life today. 15:30 What about you? Amen. 15:31 Don't want to wait for some date way down the road 15:33 where all of a sudden like a Christmas tree on the front lawn 15:35 of the White House that the lights just come on arbitrarily. 15:38 God wants us to shine for His glory every day. 15:41 God wants us to be passionate about winning souls to Christ 15:46 every day... not just one day of the year. 15:50 Ezekiel said: "The Lord said 'I will cause showers to come 15:52 down in their season 15:54 and there shall be showers of blessing. ' " 15:56 And just like the days of Elijah, 15:57 before the rains even fell Elijah told Ahab: 16:01 "There is a sound of abundance of rain. " 16:06 If you've been looking at the climate of our world, 16:09 there's a sound of abundance of rain. 16:11 The world is falling apart, 16:14 but there is a sound of abundance of rain. 16:17 The economy is unstable, but God is still saying 16:20 the blessing is there. 16:21 There is a sound of abundance of rain. 16:24 Spiritual wickedness is now in high places 16:27 but God is saying there's a sound of abundance of rain. 16:31 There's very little that we can still trust, 16:34 but we look to God and He is saying to us: 16:36 "There is a sound of abundance of rain. " 16:38 What do you say? Amen! 16:40 So let's not look at what's happening around us 16:42 but what's happening inside of us. 16:43 As the world is falling apart, 16:45 God is looking to pull us back together. 16:47 There is a sound of abundance of rain. 16:49 Get that picture, because Elijah said that to Ahab. 16:53 Ahab was concerned about his journey, 16:55 and time after time he sent his servant to the mountaintop 16:58 to look out over the plain to see if rain was coming. 17:01 And every time he said: "There's no rain in the distance. " 17:04 But all of a sudden, a hand... as small as a man's hand... 17:07 a cloud appeared. And the servant came back to Elijah 17:10 and said: "I see in the distance coming up out of the waters 17:13 something as small as a man's hand. " 17:15 And he said: "Go back and tell Ahab 17:17 that there is the sound of abundance of rain. " 17:23 And whether you know it or not, we are living in the days 17:26 of Elijah. But God wants to pour out His Spirit. 17:30 But the problem is: so little is understood about 17:33 the Latter Rain because so little is taught about 17:36 the Early Rain. 17:38 Let's talk about the Early Rain first. 17:40 Go with me to Zechariah chapter 10 and verse 1. 17:42 Are you ready? Go there with me: 17:43 Zechariah 10 and verse 1. 17:49 Zechariah 10 and verse 1. My wife and I lived in the 17:53 Napa Valley area - not too far outside of there - 17:57 in the city of Fairfield, California. 17:59 And she'd go to work every day through the Napa Valley area. 18:03 And sometimes we would ride our bikes. 18:06 And we would know that there were two significant times 18:08 of the year where we would look for the rain. 18:11 The early rain prepared the way for planting 18:14 and the latter rain prepared the way for harvest. 18:17 One thing you have to keep in mind is that the volume 18:20 of your planting determines the volume of your harvest. 18:25 Did you hear what I said? 18:26 The volume of your planting will determine 18:29 the volume of your harvest. 18:31 I'm not going to read the entire verse, 18:33 but Zechariah 10 and verse 1: The Lord says... 18:35 What's the very first word? Say that together with me. 18:37 Say it again. What is it? 18:40 One more time. Ask. "Ask the Lord 18:43 for rain in the time of the Latter Rain. " 18:47 Are we living in the time of the Latter Rain? 18:49 So what should we be doing? 18:50 Asking. Not... not just before you come to church 18:54 but every morning, every day: ask 18:56 for rain in the time of the Latter Rain. 18:59 And notice what the Lord said. 19:00 Just like Elijah told Ahab 19:03 notice what the Lord said He would do. 19:04 "The Lord will make flashing clouds and will give them 19:09 showers of rain. " 19:11 When you ask God for His indwelling Holy Spirit, 19:15 that is one request that God will not ignore. 19:23 Right there you guys missed a huge Amen. 19:29 I wanted to see... I was waiting for the delay. 19:32 When you ask God for the infilling of His Holy Spirit, 19:36 that is one request that God will not ignore. 19:39 Amen. 19:42 So we've got to get away from just church attendance 19:46 and Christian activity. There a lot of Christian activity. 19:50 You can go to the Internet and type in the word Christian 19:52 and sit there for the rest of your life just sorting through 19:54 all the entries that come up by the millions. 19:57 Everything is titled Christian nowadays, but not everything 19:59 titled Christian is Christian. 20:03 So to make a difference between the harvest 20:05 and just those things that are in the same field as the harvest 20:08 because there are weeds in the harvest field. 20:11 There are insects in the harvest field. 20:15 Not everything in the field is good for the harvest. 20:18 But you've got to pray for the Lord to send the rain. 20:21 And remember that. I say that again, the volume of 20:23 your planting determines the volume of your harvest. 20:26 Paul, the apostle says: "He who sows sparingly 20:29 will also reap sparingly, 20:30 but he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. " 20:34 Do you know that there's not going to be a single crown 20:36 in heaven without at least one star? 20:39 That means if you plan on going 20:41 and you have not led somebody to Christ, 20:43 then you're not going. 20:50 'Cause there's not going to be a single crown in heaven 20:52 that does not have at least one star: 20:54 that person you led to Christ. 20:56 And here's the simple mathematics of soul winning: 20:59 if you sow bountifully you're going to do what? 21:02 Reap bountifully. 21:03 But if you never sow seed... 21:04 So many of us have wondered well what's going to happen. 21:06 Is that person going to come to Christ? That's not your job. 21:09 You just simply have to put the seed where it ought to be. 21:11 One sows, one waters, but what? 21:15 God gives the increase. 21:17 You've got to sow. Notice the Lord didn't say: 21:18 "You have to harvest bountifully. " 21:20 But whatever you sow is going to be harvested 21:23 because what you put in when it's the Word of God 21:25 the Word of God will never return void. 21:28 Amen. God's Word will always accomplish 21:31 what God intends. So we've got to get busy 21:34 in the sowing. Whatever we sow we're going to reap. 21:36 And remember this: "Do not be deceived, 21:38 God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows he will reap. " 21:43 If the seed has not been sown, 21:45 if the seed has not been planted, 21:47 the fruit will not be seen. There will be no harvest. 21:50 But then again you have to remember something else 21:52 about harvesting... about the Latter Rain. 21:54 Ecclesiastes 11 verse 4. 21:56 Listen to this text: 21:57 "He who observes the wind will not sow, 22:01 and he who regards the clouds will not reap. " 22:04 You know, there's a... there's a saying that, um... 22:07 Agrippa said it to Paul. 22:11 He was looking for a more convenient season. 22:14 You cannot wait till all the conditions are perfect 22:18 for going out and sharing your faith. 22:21 You can't wait till all the opposition is done. 22:24 I was doing some research a little bit ago, and I was 22:27 asking the question: when is the right time to plant 22:30 grass seed? 22:33 And somebody responded: "Well, it depends on 22:34 what kind of grass seed... 22:36 because some grow well in the warm weather. 22:39 Others grow well when you plant it just before the fall season. 22:42 Others do well when you plant it just before the rain 22:45 has come, just before the snow comes 22:47 because it requires that incubation period 22:49 during the cold weather so that it can germinate 22:52 in time for the spring. " So it depends on what you're planting. 22:55 And so there are those who say 22:57 "Well, when is going to be the right time to share my faith 22:59 with those at my job? " 23:00 Whenever I travel and people give me an opportunity 23:03 to talk about Jesus, I take that opportunity. 23:06 Because you know, you can plant a seed. 23:07 You never know what the outcome is going to be, 23:09 but there'll never be an outcome if you don't plant the seed. 23:13 I was at the... just a few days ago I went 23:17 to one of the salons in the mall there in Marion 23:20 to get my hair spray. You know, I have to keep my helmet of 23:22 salvation, right? 23:24 And so I was kind of looking for hairspray that really would 23:27 hold up. And I went to the store there 23:30 and I was listening. And a lady that was walking me through 23:34 the different sprays - 'cause you know I've learned 23:36 that not everything that says it holds tight holds tight. 23:39 Not everything that says strong hold is strong hold. 23:42 It depends on the manufacturer's definition of strong hold. 23:45 So I'm not deceived by what's on the can. 23:47 I want to know whether or not the contents is going to 23:50 do its job. So I said: "Now is this really strong hold? 23:53 Does this really mean volumized? " 23:55 And she said: "Why does your voice sound familiar? " 24:00 I said: "I don't know. " 24:02 She said: "House Calls, right? 24:04 I listen to it on the radio. You and that other guy named John 24:08 Sanders. " She didn't say tall guy because she listens 24:10 on the radio. She said: "I knew I heard that voice. " 24:13 She said: "Every day I listen to 3ABN. " 24:16 She's a Christian of another denomination. 24:19 She said: "I tune in every day long. " 24:22 You see, 3ABN is planting those seeds. 24:24 We call it here... at the 3ABN Headquarters we 24:27 call it closet Adventists. 24:31 Well I like that program; I'm listening to that program. 24:35 Closet Adventists. 24:36 We have no idea what the harvest is going to be. 24:39 But our job is not to worry about the harvest... 24:41 Our job is to plant the seeds. Can you say Amen? 24:43 Amen! That young lady... And so she said: 24:45 "Well, I know I'm not an Adventist... " 24:46 She knew what denomination... "I know I'm not 24:48 an Adventist but I have a Bible question. " 24:50 And she asked me her Bible question. 24:51 And just then one of the other stylists... 24:54 one of the other stylists - came to the counter 24:56 and began to input on that particular question. 24:59 And I'll be very honest with you, 25:00 you can't even determine whether or not a person is a Christian 25:03 by what you see on the outside. 25:06 Because that young lady came to the counter... 25:08 didn't look like a Christian - in your own measurement 25:10 she looked very much like a person of the world - 25:12 but God works on everybody in His own time 25:16 and in His own way. Amen! 25:18 And she began to quote Bible texts, and I thought 25:20 "Hey, praise the Lord. We have a Bible study here 25:22 at Regis Hair Stylists. " 25:25 Right there at the counter. 25:26 She came in and she heard the Bible study. 25:28 Never be ashamed to let people know 25:30 that the Lord you serve is the One who reigns in your life. 25:33 Amen! My wife was in the hospital there in Herrin 25:35 and one of the mornings they started the day 25:39 in a... in a secular hospital they began the day 25:42 with prayer over the loudspeaker system. 25:45 Amen! Would to God that we did that in all of our 25:48 Adventist hospitals. Unashamed of the gospel. 25:52 Don't be ashamed of Jesus. 25:54 He says: "If you are ashamed of Me in this wicked and perverse 25:58 generation, I'll be ashamed of you. " 26:01 Let's not be ashamed of Jesus. Can you say Amen? 26:04 Amen. Because whatever you sow you're going to reap. 26:06 So you cannot wait for the more favorable time. 26:08 You can't wait till all the opposition... 26:10 because the Bible makes it very clear: 26:12 "Behold, now is the acceptable time. 26:14 Behold, today is the day of salvation. " 26:16 II Corinthians 6:2. 26:18 There's no better time to sow than now, what do you say? 26:21 Amen! This is the time to sow... 26:22 before all the opposition. 26:23 Because one day we're not going to have 26:25 such a favorable climate. 26:26 And if you're listening carefully, you can see in the 26:28 news that... that Satan is so working, he's trying to push 26:32 as best he can to restrict our freedoms here in America. 26:36 Until that day comes, preach the message. 26:39 Preach it with all the power you have because 26:41 the day is going to come when we're not going to have the 26:44 liberty to say what's on our minds. 26:46 Say it while you have the opportunity. 26:48 Once again, when you have that opportunity, 26:51 do it for the glory of God. 26:53 Remember the Day of Pentecost? 26:54 The thing that we all need to remember 26:57 is that what happened on the Day of Pentecost 26:59 God has just given us a glimpse of what He intends 27:03 to do for the last days. 27:04 I'll say that again. 27:06 There in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost 27:08 is only a glimpse of what's going to happen north, 27:11 east, south, and west and every point in between. 27:16 God is going to pour out His Spirit. 27:18 As He did on Jerusalem, He's going to pour it out 27:21 in the last days. The Holy Spirit available to the 27:24 disciples then is available to the church now. 27:28 Listen to this quotation. 27:30 Testimonies volume 8 page 21. 27:33 "The outpouring of the Spirit in the days of the apostles 27:36 was the Former Rain. " Was what, friends? 27:39 The Former Rain. 27:41 "And glorious was the results. 27:44 But the Latter Rain will be more abundant. " 27:48 Amen! Not just in Jerusalem 27:52 but in Thompsonville. In California. 27:55 In Florida; in New York. 27:57 When God pours out His power, 27:59 there's going to be rain everywhere. What do you say? 28:01 Amen! I remember one day I woke up early 28:04 and, um, when I say early I'm talking about early in the 28:07 morning before the sun had even arisen. 28:10 I don't normally get up during the night to use the restroom 28:12 but this particular night I had to get up. 28:14 And... drank a whole lot of water before I went to bed. 28:17 And, but... I was raised in a family where you never 28:20 get caught off guard. You never get in the dark 28:23 without a flashlight. 28:25 My dad was a flashlight man. You've heard my story before? 28:29 My wife travels with a flashlight. 28:31 I have at least one or two when I travel. 28:33 And I woke up during that night to reach for my flashlight 28:36 and I pressed the button so as not to wake up my wife. 28:39 You know you don't want to turn the whole light on on your wives 28:42 right husbands? Right. 28:45 So I have a small little penlight 28:49 and I turned... I pressed the button 28:51 and no light. 28:54 And I just realized hours before my wife was looking for shoes 28:59 under the bed and she left the flashlight on... 29:04 and I forgot to change the batteries. 29:07 I found out when it was darkest 29:11 that there was no power on the inside. 29:14 And I fear that there are many who are taking for granted 29:17 that there will always be power on the inside. 29:20 But you cannot wait... you've got to check your batteries. 29:23 Right behind the stage as a matter of fact here at 3ABN 29:26 we've got this big old box of batteries. 29:28 One thing I have to say: they all look the same. 29:30 All the batteries on the outside they all look the same. 29:32 But if you go back there, I don't know if they'll let you 29:34 see it, but if you go back there 29:36 on the right side of the box 29:38 there's a little label called BAD. 29:41 On the left side there's a label entitled GOOD. 29:44 And you know what? The bad batteries and the good batteries 29:47 look the same. And there are more bad batteries 29:51 than there are good batteries. 29:53 But you'll never know which one is which 29:55 until it is tested. 29:58 Did you get the spiritual parallel there? 30:00 You'll never know who's who. 30:02 They may look just like everybody else. 30:04 But when the test comes, there are many who are 30:06 taking for granted that the power will always be there 30:09 and they fail to check their batteries. 30:11 Have you check your study batteries lately? 30:15 Have you checked your prayer batteries lately? 30:19 Have you checked your devotion batteries lately? 30:22 Have you checked your prayer meeting batteries lately? 30:25 Have you checked your church attendance batteries lately? 30:28 Have you checked your desire for souls to be saved? 30:31 Have you checked that battery lately? 30:33 Because I fear that if any of those batteries come up dead 30:36 that we are going to wait for the darkest hour 30:38 to be confronted with the fact 30:39 that we may look good on the outside but there's no power 30:42 resident on the inside. 30:45 Now I'm going to run through 9 points very rapidly. 30:48 Are you ready? 30:49 Are you ready? 30:51 First one is this: 30:52 it is not enough to pray for the outpouring of 30:55 the Holy Spirit. 30:56 It is not enough to pray. 30:58 Listen to this quotation: 31:00 Review and Herald, February 25, 1890. 31:04 Ellen White said: "When the churches become living... " 31:09 What word did I say? 31:11 Living. "Living, working churches 31:14 the Holy Spirit will be given 31:17 in answer to their sincere request. " 31:21 When the churches become living and working churches. 31:25 Not churches just filled with people... 31:27 but living and working. And she also goes on to say 31:30 that while... until there is a majority in the church that is 31:34 working for the work of God 31:35 the church will not receive the infilling as a corporate body 31:39 of God's Latter Rain. 31:42 There's individual infilling; there's also corporate. 31:45 While the predominant of... the church is idle 31:47 God will not pour out His Spirit on that congregation. 31:50 So therefore, you can't just pray. 31:51 The church has to be a working and a living church. 31:54 Can you say Amen? Amen. 31:55 And then she says: "Then the windows of heaven will be opened 31:58 for the showers of the Latter Rain. 32:00 God decides when to open the windows and pour out 32:03 the Latter Rain because God is the One that searches the heart. 32:05 He examines the lives to see whether or not 32:08 that congregation is qualified. " 32:10 That's why we have to pray not only for fired-up members 32:13 but we have to pray for pastors to be fired-up. 32:17 Amen. 32:18 We get phone calls here at 3ABN... sometimes I get letters 32:20 and when I travel sometimes people say after the sermon 32:23 "My church is dead. " 32:26 "My pastor just doesn't have it from week to week. 32:29 He comes to the church unprepared, 32:31 and we can see it in his sermons 32:33 and the church is dying because of him. " 32:35 We've got to stay in touch with the Lord, 32:37 because a dead preacher 32:38 will translate into a dead congregation. 32:44 We are told that the church could never rise higher 32:47 than its minister. 32:49 And so if I'm not plugged in you surely won't be. 32:52 If I'm coming up here every day and every week 32:54 wasting your time not bringing forth the Word of God, 32:56 the church cannot be more powerful than the vision 32:59 that God has given to the leader of that church. 33:02 We've got a great responsibility. 33:04 We've got to pray... we've got to pray that as God 33:06 searches the hearts of our leaders and examines their lives 33:08 that He finds more qualified than unqualified. 33:11 Can you say Amen? Amen. 33:13 Because we need leaders to be prepared for that Latter Rain. 33:16 Second point is we've got to recognize our need of the 33:21 Holy Spirit and then pray earnestly for Him. 33:24 We've got to recognize our what? 33:26 Our need. Anybody need water right now? 33:33 Let me help you. 33:39 I used to... I don't have one with me but I used to 33:41 sometimes preach and have water here. 33:42 And when I'd pick up the water I'd look for the expressions 33:45 of the people. And all of a sudden they recognized 33:46 when I drank that they were thirsty. 33:49 Now there's a spiritual application there 33:51 because Paul the apostle when he was on the way to Rome 33:54 and all the sailors has lost their courage 33:56 and they thought they were going to lose their lives 33:58 Paul had to eat for them to get the courage to eat. 34:03 You see, if as the leader of this church I'm not spending 34:05 time eating the Word of God I cannot encourage my members 34:08 to eat the Word of God. 34:10 If I'm not spending my time drinking of the water of life, 34:13 I cannot encourage my members to drink of the water of life. 34:17 So as they see me drinking of the water of life 34:20 they will be encouraged in the troublous times 34:23 to drink from the water of life. 34:25 Because there's a promise the Lord makes in Luke 11:13: 34:28 hear it as I read it. 34:31 You can turn there if you'd like, 34:32 but you've got to be fast. 34:34 Luke 11:13... I'll read it: 34:36 "If you then being evil... " Being what? Evil. 34:41 "know how to give good gifts to your children, 34:43 how much more will your Heavenly Father 34:47 give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. " 34:51 Isn't that a wonderful promise? 34:53 Said: "If you're terrible and you give good gifts. 34:55 I'm not terrible and I always give good gifts 34:57 and I'll give to those who ask. " 34:59 And Ellen White says in the book My Life Today page 57 35:02 she says: "It is not because of any restriction on God's part 35:06 that the riches of His grace did not flow to man. 35:09 If all were willing to receive, all would be filled 35:14 with the Spirit. " 35:16 Did you get that? Well get the rest of this: 35:18 "We are too easily satisfied with a ripple on the surface 35:26 when it is our privilege to expect the deep, moving 35:30 of the Spirit of God. " 35:33 Do you like a ripple or do you want the whole thing? 35:35 When you're thirsty and somebody comes up to you and just 35:38 drops one drop on your tongue, is that enough? 35:41 We've got some thirsty folk in the world today, 35:43 and we need to be the water of life. Can you say Amen? 35:45 The third point: 35:47 the Holy Spirit is never given for selfish purposes. 35:51 Not to be given... I Corinthian 12 and verse 7: 35:55 "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one 35:58 for the profit of all. " The Holy Spirit 36:01 gives as He sees that the motive is not selfish. 36:06 There are some people that want the Holy Spirit 36:07 but you know, brethren, you've got to get this 36:09 and this is a powerful point - 36:11 I'll even pause before I say it - 36:13 it is not important that we have the Holy Spirit. 36:17 It is important that the Holy Spirit has us. 36:22 You know what will happen if you went down the street 36:24 and climbed up onto those power poles 36:26 and just grabbed onto those power cables? 36:29 That's just a glimpse of the Holy Spirit! 36:32 We can't handle the power of the Holy Spirit, 36:35 but the power of the Holy Spirit can be stepped down. 36:40 Anybody in electronics here? 36:42 You've heard of a step-down transformer? 36:44 If you follow... when I plug in my shaver in the morning 36:48 I have a little one... I have a little shaver called a peanut. 36:50 And I've traveled around the world, and sometimes 36:53 I would take that with a converter. 36:55 Well when I went to Australia I blew up two peanuts already. 37:00 The converter didn't work. 37:02 It said good for 240 volts. 37:05 It will allow anything to be used by that, 37:07 so with all confidence I plugged that little peanut 37:09 into that converter, 37:10 plugged it into the wall, 37:11 and I got three seconds of shaving. 37:13 You didn't get that? 37:15 It shaved faster than it ever had before... 37:18 and it started smoking. 37:23 So I'm now up to my third peanut 37:25 and I'm not going to plug it into any foreign current 37:28 any more. So when I travel now I have a battery-operated 37:31 face shaver. 37:33 My point is this: if we think that we can handle the 37:37 Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will consume us on our feet. 37:42 But the Holy Spirit knows how to step down the power 37:46 that He can reside in us 37:47 and allow the will of God to be worked out in us. 37:49 Can you say Amen? Amen. 37:51 So you've got to pray this prayer: "Holy Spirit, 37:53 I pray that You have me... not just that I have You" 37:57 because there's a false manifestation nowadays 38:00 called the moving of the Holy Spirit 38:02 but it just translates to noise. 38:05 And people think the louder the music the more the Holy Spirit. 38:08 No. You get more excited but that does not translate 38:11 into the Holy Spirit. 38:12 So they think if you jig more and jump up and down more 38:15 like what Pastor C. D. Brooks said: 38:17 "It's not how high you jump it's how straight you walk 38:20 when your feet hit the ground. " 38:22 I wish I came up with that but I'm... 38:24 I'm far behind him in wisdom. 38:27 So there are people that want to jump and say they 38:29 have the Holy Spirit. When we ascend to heaven 38:31 we will all be filled by the ascending power of Christ. 38:34 But the Lord wants us simply to walk a straight line today. 38:37 If you have enough Holy Spirit in your life 38:39 to walk a straight line, that's good enough for me. 38:41 God wants to fill us so that we can walk that line. 38:44 So let's not pray for this thing to be a selfish thing. 38:47 Let's not pray for self-glory. 38:48 It is for the benefit of everyone around us. 38:51 If the Spirit of God fills your life, it's not to fill you 38:53 but it's to make a difference in the life of somebody else. 38:56 Point number four: God is not looking for church service; 38:59 God is looking for consecrated service. 39:03 Quite a difference all together. 39:05 You know when you go to church on Sabbath morning 39:06 you see there in the bulletin when does church service begin? 39:09 When does church service end? 39:11 Church service end? By the way, consecrated service never ends. 39:16 Doesn't end at 1 o'clock like here in Thompsonville 39:21 or at 12 o'clock where you come from. 39:24 I always said years ago: "I've heard of the Midnight Cry 39:27 but I've never heard of the mid-day cry. " 39:29 Church service has beginning and ending points 39:33 but consecrated service never has an ending. 39:37 When we are consecrated to the Lord 39:39 then the Lord sees fit to fill us with His Holy Spirit. 39:41 Listen to this. Review and Herald, July 21, 1896: 39:45 "When we have entire... " What word did I say? 39:49 "entire, whole-hearted consecration 39:53 to the service of Christ, God will recognize 39:55 the fact by the outpouring of His Spirit without measure. 40:00 But this will not be while the largest portion 40:04 of the church are not laborers together with God. " 40:08 So we all have a job to do. I've got a job to do. 40:11 I've got to find a way to get the majority of my members 40:13 working for the salvation of other people. 40:16 Because if that's not the case, 40:17 God is not going to pour into something 40:19 that is not being emptied into somebody else. 40:21 Have you seen that? Did you catch that? 40:23 Why put more fluid in the cup 40:25 if it's not emptying out of the other direction? 40:27 God will not fill up something that's already filled up 40:29 with something else. 40:31 He wants us to be empty... pouring out His grace, 40:33 pouring out His love, pouring out His compassion, 40:36 pouring out His service. 40:37 But He'll never see the need to fill us up 40:39 unless we're pouring it out 40:40 on the community, in the lives and the membership around us. 40:45 He's not looking for church service; 40:47 He's looking for consecrated service. 40:49 Matthew says: "They draw near to Me with their mouth, 40:52 they honor Me with their lips, but their heart is... " What? 40:54 "Far from Me. " So it's not what you say 40:57 or even what you sing, but what's the condition 40:59 of the human heart? 41:01 What is the condition of the spiritual heart? 41:02 Point number five: God will not pour out the Latter Rain 41:06 on those who are idle nor on those who claim 41:09 to have nothing to do. 41:13 It amazes me when the time comes - and I think sometime 41:16 next year we're going to start our process again 41:18 of electing officers - it amazes me when the time comes 41:21 and people say: "Oh, I don't want to do anything this year. 41:23 I just want to relax. " 41:27 You go to any company that hires people 41:31 and walk in and find an employee that says he is just relaxing 41:37 and see if he's going to get a paycheck. 41:40 Every one of us is going to get paid. Amen! 41:44 We're going to all get a penny. 41:46 But God is not going to give money to relaxing Christians. 41:48 God is going to give money to those who are working. 41:50 Even if you come in at the eleventh hour, 41:52 you're going to get a penny. Amen! 41:54 So you've got to be working for... God doesn't call us 41:57 to sit down; God calls us to work! 41:59 To be laborers in the field. To get together 42:01 and work for the salvation of souls. 42:03 God will not pour out His Spirit on those who are idle 42:06 and say they have nothing to do. 42:09 Point number six - 42:11 and this is a powerful one: 42:13 we must be willing to respect each other 42:17 to receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. 42:21 Now... now jar the person next to you. 42:23 If you look at them real quickly... 42:24 if they're... if they're reading the back on their eyelids, 42:27 jar them for a brief moment. 42:29 They've got to get this one. 42:31 Desire of Ages... 827: "Before the Day of Pentecost 42:35 the church - the disciples - met together 42:38 and they put away all differences. 42:40 They were of one accord. 42:42 Let Christians put away their dissention 42:46 and give themselves to God for the saving of the lost. 42:50 Let them in faith ask for the blessing and it will come. " 42:54 Now I want you to get this: 42:55 They did not ignore their differences... 42:59 they put away their differences. 43:02 They didn't say: "That's how he or she is... " 43:04 So often we see people that don't live the Christian life 43:06 and we say: "Well that's brother so and so; 43:08 that's sister so and so" and we dismiss it. 43:10 They did not ignore their differences, 43:13 they did not dismiss their differences, 43:16 they did not conceal their differences, 43:19 they confronted their differences 43:21 and they got rid of their differences. 43:24 They made sure that when God poured out His Spirit 43:27 there was no division. They were in one accord 43:29 in how many places, friends? 43:30 How many places were they? 43:32 They were in how many accord? 43:35 How many places? God wants us to be in one accord. 43:39 That means harmoniously together. 43:41 Let's put aside our differences. 43:42 There's too much pride and backbiting; 43:44 there's too much arguing; 43:46 there's too much well I don't like his attitude 43:48 or I don't like her attitude. 43:49 And you know, sometimes the pastor does not know what to do, 43:51 so I'm going to counsel you. The best thing to do is 43:54 if there's somebody you don't like in the church 43:55 you need to pray for God to change you! 43:58 Amen! 43:59 Because too often people think that it's always 44:01 the other person's fault. 44:03 But if God will change us, 44:06 even if we just react differently... 44:07 You know, the Bible says to have a friend somebody must 44:09 first show themselves to be friendly. 44:12 But there's some people that want everybody else to change 44:15 but themselves. Don't ignore, dismiss, conceal 44:18 but confront the differences by prayer 44:20 and put them away so that God can pour out His Spirit. 44:24 And if your church only had one aisle, 44:26 every one of you would be glad 44:27 to walk down that aisle together. 44:31 I think the reason for more than one aisle is because 44:33 we have so many differences. 44:36 Point number seven: 44:37 we must be willing to live up to the light that we have. 44:41 We must be willing to live up to the light that we have. 44:44 You know what? I believe that one of the reasons why people 44:46 are battling with so many issues of darkness 44:48 is because they spend so little time on the issues 44:52 of light. 44:54 They're battling with issues of darkness 44:56 because they spend so little time on the issues of light. 44:59 But Jesus promises: If we walk in the light 45:02 as He is in the light, 45:04 we'll have fellowship with one another 45:05 and the blood of Jesus Christ - His Son - will cleanse us 45:08 from all sin. Amen! 45:10 But notice, He didn't say... He didn't say relationship. 45:14 He said fellowship. 45:15 I preached a few months ago relationship is not the same 45:18 as fellowship. You've got a relationship with your banker 45:21 or the person that cuts your grass 45:23 or the person that you see at the store, 45:24 but are you willing to give your life 45:26 for the person you see at the store? 45:28 Fellowship and relationship are not the same thing. 45:31 Relationship means we are in koinonia: we are in one. 45:35 We are together; we love each other. 45:37 We are knit together in the same cause. 45:39 We are bound together by the same purpose. 45:41 So what do you want: relationship or fellowship? 45:43 I would suggest to you that fellowship is what God wants 45:46 every one of us to have. What do you say? 45:48 So only those who are living up to the light 45:51 that they already have will even receive greater light 45:55 and will receive the infilling of God's Holy Spirit. 45:58 That's point number seven. 46:00 I told you I had nine points. 46:02 I've got two more. Are you ready for number eight? 46:06 Don't set a specific time for the outpouring 46:10 of the Latter Rain. 46:12 I hear... I've been hearing this since I was raised. 46:15 People say: "Well you know in the last days 46:18 God's going to pour out His Spirit. " 46:20 Hey, I've got a bulletin for you: 46:21 we're living in the last days. Come on somebody. 46:23 Amen! 46:24 Don't set some future date. 46:27 Listen to what Ellen White says. 46:29 Selected Messages Book 1 page 192: 46:31 "I have no specific time of which to speak 46:34 when the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will take place. 46:36 When the mighty angel will come down from heaven 46:39 and unite with the third angel in the closing up of the work 46:43 for this world. " She also said in the Review and Herald 46:46 March 19, 1895, she said: 46:52 "The descent of the Holy Spirit 46:54 upon the church is looked forward to as in the future 46:58 but it is the privilege of the church to have it now. " 47:02 Amen! 47:05 So somebody may say: "When the Sunday Law gets passed 47:08 the Holy Spirit will be poured out. " Un-uh! 47:09 The Lord wants to pour out His Spirit today! 47:13 When we get together in Camp Meeting, 47:14 God wants to change your life today. Can you say Amen? 47:17 Amen! He wants to make a difference in your life today. 47:20 Not in some distant future when you don't have any energy 47:23 to give to the Lord. He wants to pour it out today. 47:26 And my final point: 47:29 and this one gets me excited because I look back at 47:32 all the records I read in Acts of the Apostles... 47:34 I read in the New Testament. 47:36 We read about how these twelve men 47:38 turned the world upside down 47:39 and all the world received the gospel in 34 years. 47:42 And then I read a quotation like this: 47:44 "The outpouring of the Spirit in the days of the apostles 47:48 was glorious but the Latter Rain will be much more abundant. " 47:52 Amen! 47:54 God is going to pour out His Spirit. 47:56 The Latter Rain will be more abundant 47:59 than the Day of Pentecost. 48:01 You see, in the days of Noah - the last parallel, 48:04 the last comparison - in the days of Noah 48:07 the Lord saved eight. 48:11 How many did He save? Eight... eight. 48:16 One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. 48:23 I am so glad that God has made more room 48:27 in the ark of safety. What do you say? Amen. 48:30 Our privilege today is this: 48:32 the hour is coming when the Spirit that called on the people 48:37 in Noah's day is no longer going to call on people in our day. 48:41 The great blessing of the Latter Rain is simply this, 48:45 brothers and sisters: God is looking for those who 48:48 want their lives to be filled by the Holy Spirit. 48:51 Who want their lives to be prepared by the Holy Spirit. 48:54 Who want to be the vessels through which God works. 48:56 And it doesn't have to be lights, camera, action. 48:59 You can work in secret. 49:01 And the Bible says those who are working in secret, 49:03 those who are with God in secret, 49:05 their work will eventually be seen in the open. 49:08 But let us not work for the glory of it... 49:10 let us work so that the glory goes to God. 49:12 Praying for the infilling of God's Holy Spirit. 49:15 Praying for the Latter Rain. It's going to come. 49:18 But the thing that frightens me is this: 49:21 in Noah's day we read this quotation in the book of Genesis 49:24 where the Spirit said: 49:25 "My Spirit will not always strive with man. " 49:28 And do you know, brothers and sisters, 49:30 the dangers of the last days is this: 49:32 the more you ignore the voice of God's Holy Spirit 49:35 the more faint it gets. 49:37 Because the Lord does not yell at you. 49:39 He speaks sometimes in a still, small voice. 49:42 Like even right now 49:44 there are some of those who are watching and listening 49:46 the Lord is speaking to them saying: 49:47 "You know, don't wait for a more favorable time 49:49 to give your life to the Lord. 49:50 This is the most favorable time. 49:51 This is the time to get into the ark: 49:53 before the clouds gather, before the rain starts coming. 49:56 Before all in society begins to bottom out. 50:00 Before everything that we trusted in 50:02 can no longer be reliable. " 50:04 And they tell us that there's another economic crash 50:07 on the way. 50:10 But I want to say, there'll be... 50:12 there'll never be an economic Holy Spirit crash. 50:14 What do you say? Amen! 50:16 Holy Spirit is always going to be available, 50:18 but today as I sing this closing song 50:20 I want you to hear it very carefully 50:21 because God is calling someone today. 50:23 And if God speaks to your heart, 50:25 you can pick up the phone and call 3ABN. 50:27 618-627-4651. 50:30 I don't always do that, but I know that God may be 50:32 speaking to somebody today that'll say: 50:34 "I want to give my life to the Lord. " 50:35 If the Spirit of God is impressing you 50:37 that you want to make a change in your life today, 50:39 don't hesitate because as I sing this song remember 50:41 one day that soft and that tender voice of the 50:45 Spirit of God will not be heard any more. 50:47 Make your decision today 50:49 softly and tenderly while the Spirit of God is calling. 51:05 Softly and tenderly 51:09 Jesus is calling, 51:14 Calling for you 51:18 and for me; 51:23 See on the portals 51:27 He's waiting and watching, 51:33 Watching for you 51:36 and for me. Now hear what He says: 51:41 So come home, 51:46 come home, 51:51 You who are weary, 51:55 come home; 52:01 Earnestly, tenderly, 52:05 Jesus is calling, 52:10 Calling, O sinner, 52:15 come home! 52:20 Is the Lord calling anybody else today? 52:25 Why should we linger 52:28 when Jesus is pleading, 52:33 When he's pleading for you 52:37 and for me? 52:41 And why should we tarry 52:47 and heed not His mercies, 52:52 Mercies for you 52:56 and for me? 53:01 O for the wonderful 53:06 love He has promised, 53:11 Promised 53:13 for you and for me! 53:18 Though we have sinned, 53:23 He has mercy and pardon, 53:29 He has pardon for you 53:33 and for me. 53:37 So come home, 53:42 come home, 53:48 You who are weary, 53:52 come home; 54:03 Earnestly, tenderly, 54:07 Jesus is calling, 54:11 Earnestly and tenderly 54:16 my Jesus is calling, 54:23 He's calling 54:33 so come home. 54:55 Amen. 54:57 Today the Lord is calling us. 55:01 Did you hear the words of that song? 55:03 He's calling us to come home. 55:07 In the passion of Jesus... He says: "In My Father's house 55:10 there are many mansions. " 55:13 And as the world is giving everything it can 55:18 I want to pray for those of you who have joined us today 55:21 and those of you who are here. 55:24 I want to pray that you'll take seriously this message 55:26 and really earnestly in your own life... 55:29 individual walk with God to consider 55:31 the impact of how different your life and your walk 55:36 with Jesus will be if you will 55:40 under the inspiration and the work and the power 55:42 of the Holy Spirit. If there's somebody here today 55:45 that wants to pray for there to be a difference, 55:49 an updraft if I could use that word loosely, 55:53 if God... if you want God to fill your life with the power 55:58 to change and transform you, 56:00 to take away all the things that hinder, 56:02 to burn up all the dross that keeps you from being 56:04 all that God intends for you to be, 56:06 then I want to invite you today to stand with me 56:09 as we pray 56:10 because I believe the Lord is ready to pour His Spirit out. 56:14 But He's looking for those who are willing and asking 56:15 for that power to be made available to them. 56:17 Those of you who are watching us today 56:19 I want you to bow your heads wherever you may be 56:21 and ask for the Spirit of God to come into your life. 56:24 Whether it is to lead you to the truth for the first time 56:27 or whether it is in fact to give you a new dedication 56:33 to the truth you already know and have accepted, 56:36 we're going to pray for that today. 56:37 Father in Heaven, 56:38 our hearts are moved and we are definitely clear 56:42 about the urgency of the hour in which we live. 56:45 The world is telling to us 56:48 in every turn, every newscast, every speech made by Congress, 56:52 every address by the President we see that we are 56:55 living in a crisis age. 56:57 That all that we can rely on is drying up. 57:00 But Heavenly Father, You've said in the same climate 57:02 that the Holy Spirit is not going to be dried up. 57:05 You're going to pour out that Spirit on those who pray and ask 57:08 earnestly for it. So today, Father, 57:10 lead that person who wants to to a knowledge of the truth. 57:13 And those of us who have been dedicated all our lives 57:16 to the message, may we now be activated by the power 57:20 that You would send... |
Revised 2014-12-17