? (Theme Song) ? ? Jesus is worthy ? 00:00:01.73\00:00:07.00 ? oh yes, he's worthy ? ? worthy of all... ? 00:00:07.00\00:00:13.46 ? all the praise! ? ? (Theme) ? 00:00:13.46\00:00:17.56 Pastor Byrd: Let me tell you all something. 00:00:17.56\00:00:22.46 When I come to church on Sabbath morning, I don't care 00:00:22.46\00:00:25.46 where I am. 00:00:25.46\00:00:26.46 Alabama, Paris, France, where I don't understand what 00:00:26.46\00:00:29.00 they're saying and they don't know what I'm saying, 00:00:29.00\00:00:32.00 I just say, "God is love." 00:00:32.00\00:00:33.00 Come on, say amen, somebody. 00:00:33.00\00:00:35.00 I just say, "Happy Sabbath," and they say "Bon Sabba" 00:00:35.00\00:00:38.00 back to me. 00:00:38.00\00:00:39.00 Come on, say amen. 00:00:39.00\00:00:40.00 When I go to a Spanish country, "feliz Sabbado", happy Sabbath. 00:00:40.00\00:00:42.40 When I come to worship God on God's Sabbath, 00:00:42.40\00:00:45.93 I come to worship God. 00:00:45.93\00:00:48.86 I come to praise God. 00:00:48.86\00:00:51.40 I'm not looking at whether your heart is right or wrong. 00:00:51.40\00:00:57.33 Because the reality is, I don't even know what's 00:00:57.33\00:00:59.76 on your hearts. 00:00:59.76\00:01:01.56 I leave the judging of the heart to God 00:01:01.56\00:01:04.23 and God alone. 00:01:04.23\00:01:05.26 I've got my eyes fixed on Jesus. 00:01:05.26\00:01:08.93 Let me tell you something. 00:01:08.93\00:01:09.93 To live in this world today is rough. 00:01:09.93\00:01:13.23 To live in 2013 is rough. 00:01:13.23\00:01:21.20 It's rough. It's tough, it's more than a notion. 00:01:21.20\00:01:26.20 People will come up here and preach, people come up here 00:01:26.20\00:01:28.20 and sing, and you have no idea what they're going through. 00:01:28.20\00:01:31.43 I'll tell my own testimony. 00:01:33.60\00:01:34.73 My wife and I, for the past few months, we're holding down 00:01:34.73\00:01:38.33 two households. 00:01:38.33\00:01:39.46 The house here in Huntsville, the house in Atlanta. 00:01:39.46\00:01:43.16 And guess what? 00:01:43.16\00:01:44.16 It can get rough. 00:01:44.16\00:01:45.53 But that's why I thank you today, Dr. Morris, 00:01:45.53\00:01:48.80 because I once was young, but now I'm old, but I've never 00:01:48.80\00:01:52.66 seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread. 00:01:52.66\00:01:58.36 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 00:01:58.36\00:02:00.63 There are times, because life is rough, in our lives that we 00:02:00.63\00:02:03.40 may have many different things hitting us from different 00:02:03.40\00:02:05.46 directions. 00:02:05.46\00:02:06.46 And oftentimes it's difficult to make sense out of life 00:02:06.46\00:02:09.86 when you're confronted with attack on every angle. 00:02:09.86\00:02:12.13 But if you've ever experienced the Lord, if you've ever let God 00:02:12.13\00:02:18.73 move you, if you've ever had God touch you on a personal level 00:02:18.73\00:02:23.76 and seen God do things in your lives that you thought 00:02:23.76\00:02:26.76 were impossible, then it's clear that it's impossible for you not 00:02:26.76\00:02:30.80 to give God some praise. 00:02:30.80\00:02:32.36 When I worship God, I'm trying to find strength where I can 00:02:32.36\00:02:36.83 get strength. 00:02:36.83\00:02:38.70 Try to find some power where I can get power. 00:02:38.70\00:02:42.30 Let me tell you something. 00:02:42.30\00:02:43.80 God does not need what we're offering him in worship. 00:02:43.80\00:02:47.06 We need it. 00:02:47.06\00:02:48.06 It's not like God is sitting back talking about, 00:02:48.06\00:02:50.06 if you all don't worship, you're all not going to get it. 00:02:50.06\00:02:53.06 Naw, he doesn't say that. 00:02:53.06\00:02:54.06 We need to worship God so that we can tap into God's strength. 00:02:54.06\00:02:57.06 We need to worship God so we can tap into His power. 00:02:57.06\00:02:59.06 We worship God for our benefit, not His. 00:02:59.06\00:03:01.13 When I come into his presence, I humble myself, 00:03:01.13\00:03:03.66 I lift my holy hands, and I begin to worship God. 00:03:03.66\00:03:07.13 Just the privilege of worshiping God is a powerful benefit. 00:03:07.13\00:03:10.13 Worshiping Him. 00:03:10.13\00:03:12.33 When you get to the point where God delivers you 00:03:12.33\00:03:14.33 from people, worshiping Him with no need 00:03:14.33\00:03:19.60 to pretend anymore. 00:03:19.60\00:03:21.53 Worshiping him, not worried about whether you're going 00:03:21.53\00:03:24.30 to be accepted or not. 00:03:24.30\00:03:26.03 Worshiping Him, not worried about who's looking at you 00:03:26.03\00:03:29.16 and who's not. 00:03:29.16\00:03:30.53 Worshiping Him, not worried about who's talking 00:03:30.53\00:03:33.00 about you or not. 00:03:33.00\00:03:34.03 I worship Him just because I know He accepts me 00:03:34.03\00:03:38.56 just as I am. 00:03:38.56\00:03:41.10 There's power when you worship God. 00:03:41.10\00:03:47.46 There's power when you come to the house of God and worship 00:03:47.46\00:03:50.93 God with other like-minded believers. 00:03:50.93\00:03:53.36 And yes, you don't have to be in the house of God 00:03:53.36\00:03:55.93 to worship God, but if you know God, 00:03:55.93\00:03:58.00 you're going to come to God's house because you 00:03:58.00\00:04:00.06 understand something happens when you worship God 00:04:00.06\00:04:02.50 in God's house. 00:04:02.50\00:04:03.50 Something happens when you worship God in God's house 00:04:03.50\00:04:06.13 with God's people, because God's going to give you a word 00:04:06.13\00:04:09.13 through somebody else, when you worship him. 00:04:09.13\00:04:12.46 That's why the Psalmist said, "I was glad when they said 00:04:12.46\00:04:15.50 unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord." 00:04:15.50\00:04:22.23 The congregation of worship brings the worshipper 00:04:22.23\00:04:24.96 refreshment, encouragement and joy. 00:04:24.96\00:04:26.96 But the question still remains, why are we here? 00:04:26.96\00:04:33.10 I'm not here only because of obedience 00:04:33.10\00:04:36.60 in corporate worship. 00:04:36.60\00:04:39.10 The text gives me more insight on why I must be here 00:04:39.10\00:04:43.60 in obedience. 00:04:43.60\00:04:45.90 The New International Version says, "Let us not give up 00:04:45.90\00:04:48.96 meeting together, as some are in the habit 00:04:48.96\00:04:52.23 of doing, but let us encourage one another, and all the more 00:04:52.23\00:04:55.93 as you see the day approaching." 00:04:55.93\00:04:59.30 Now, preachers, we usually use this text to remind people 00:04:59.30\00:05:07.50 to be faithful in their church attendance. 00:05:07.50\00:05:11.60 And we remind people to be faithful in their church 00:05:11.60\00:05:13.60 attendance and then we stop there. 00:05:13.60\00:05:17.63 But notice, if you read the text, the conjunction 00:05:17.63\00:05:21.90 "but" in the verse. 00:05:21.90\00:05:26.03 "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in 00:05:26.03\00:05:30.20 the habit of doing, but..." 00:05:30.20\00:05:36.63 This conjunction gives a strong contrast between the clauses 00:05:36.63\00:05:41.86 "Let us not give up meeting together" and "let us encourage 00:05:41.86\00:05:49.10 one another." Which means that even if we attend church 00:05:49.10\00:05:55.53 worship services, if we fail to encourage others, 00:05:55.53\00:06:02.63 we have not obeyed this verse to the full extent. 00:06:02.63\00:06:07.93 Encouragement is the purpose of our meeting together. 00:06:07.93\00:06:13.80 We belong, and need to belong, to a community of faith 00:06:13.80\00:06:17.50 that includes our brothers and sisters in Christ 00:06:17.50\00:06:19.66 who are trying to live out the gospel just like we are. 00:06:19.66\00:06:22.66 Yes, sometimes you have to encourage yourself 00:06:22.66\00:06:27.66 in the Lord. 00:06:27.66\00:06:29.60 But I'm encouraged when I hear, when I come to church, 00:06:29.60\00:06:34.46 of the moving of God in other people's lives. 00:06:34.46\00:06:39.03 I'm motivated, Dr. Morris, when I hear of God's moving 00:06:39.03\00:06:43.73 in your life through the returning of tithes 00:06:43.73\00:06:45.73 and offerings. 00:06:45.73\00:06:46.73 I'm encouraged when I hear people pray to God, call upon 00:06:46.73\00:06:50.60 the name of the Lord, and they tell me their cancer goes 00:06:50.60\00:06:53.26 into remission. 00:06:53.26\00:06:54.66 I'm encouraged when I hear people testify of God's 00:06:54.66\00:06:57.76 goodness on their marriage when their marriage was headed 00:06:57.76\00:07:00.76 to divorce court, and now they're having second 00:07:00.76\00:07:03.43 ships and island getaways. 00:07:03.43\00:07:08.40 I'm encouraged when I hear miraculous stories of healing 00:07:08.40\00:07:14.03 from addictions and bad habits. 00:07:14.03\00:07:17.30 I'm encouraged when I hear that when somebody's money 00:07:17.30\00:07:20.63 was low and the bills were due, but somebody knows 00:07:20.63\00:07:25.53 God made a way out of no way. 00:07:25.53\00:07:28.66 God made a way out of no way, and they came to church 00:07:28.66\00:07:31.86 and somebody just happened to walk by and slip them 00:07:31.86\00:07:35.23 something in their hands, and say, "I was thinking 00:07:35.23\00:07:38.53 of you." And let me tell you something. 00:07:38.53\00:07:41.70 When I hear these testimonies, I don't hate on people, 00:07:41.70\00:07:46.86 but I encourage people. 00:07:46.86\00:07:49.03 Because you understand, God says he'll make your enemies, 00:07:49.03\00:07:52.70 he'll make your haters your footstool. 00:07:52.70\00:07:55.20 Which means your haters, you're walking on them 00:07:55.20\00:07:58.73 right now, and they're pouring the concrete you're 00:07:58.73\00:08:01.80 going to walk on. 00:08:01.80\00:08:02.80 Are you hearing what I'm saying? 00:08:02.80\00:08:05.23 Because if God did it for them, God will do it for me. 00:08:05.23\00:08:10.63 Because it is no secret what God can do. 00:08:10.63\00:08:13.66 What he's done for others he'll do for you. 00:08:13.66\00:08:15.70 I'm encouraged when I come to this church and I come 00:08:15.70\00:08:20.36 to the house of God, and I've had a rough, 00:08:20.36\00:08:23.56 tough week, and somebody shakes my hand and says, 00:08:23.56\00:08:28.46 "It's good to see you, Pastor Byrd." 00:08:28.46\00:08:31.90 I'm encouraged when I come to church, and I'm walking 00:08:31.90\00:08:35.96 through the halls, Sister Blake, and you see me 00:08:35.96\00:08:38.50 this morning and you say, "It's good to see you," 00:08:38.50\00:08:40.86 and you lean out and hug me. 00:08:40.86\00:08:42.86 I'm encouraged. 00:08:42.86\00:08:44.16 And you know what? 00:08:44.16\00:08:46.20 It's genuine. 00:08:46.20\00:08:48.96 And I know you mean it. 00:08:48.96\00:08:50.00 I'm encouraged. 00:08:50.00\00:08:52.93 And I can't get that on the Internet. 00:08:52.93\00:08:57.00 I can't get that from a DVD, you all hear what I'm saying? 00:08:57.00\00:08:59.80 I can't get that from the streaming ministry. 00:08:59.80\00:09:03.30 The streaming ministry is for those who can't get 00:09:03.30\00:09:05.30 to church because they're sick. 00:09:05.30\00:09:07.30 I wish I had a witness in this place. 00:09:07.30\00:09:09.30 But I can only get that in a safe environment, 00:09:09.30\00:09:11.86 in an affirming environment, in a loving environment, 00:09:11.86\00:09:17.16 in a happy environment, in a supportive environment, 00:09:17.16\00:09:21.53 in a non-threatening environment, 00:09:21.53\00:09:23.66 in a non-critical environment, in a non-complaining 00:09:23.66\00:09:26.43 environment. 00:09:26.43\00:09:27.43 I can get that only in a nonjudgmental environment. 00:09:27.43\00:09:31.03 I can only get that in a hospital environment, 00:09:31.03\00:09:33.66 because that's what this is. 00:09:33.66\00:09:35.13 A hospital. 00:09:35.13\00:09:39.46 Guess what? 00:09:39.46\00:09:41.46 All of us are sick. 00:09:41.46\00:09:44.53 I said, all of us are sick. 00:09:44.53\00:09:49.73 All of us need some type of healing. 00:09:49.73\00:09:54.70 All of us need some help. 00:09:54.70\00:09:58.33 Do I have a witness in this place? 00:09:58.33\00:10:00.60 We're all sick. 00:10:00.60\00:10:03.66 Somebody's on the headache floor. 00:10:03.66\00:10:06.13 Somebody's on the backache floor, 00:10:06.13\00:10:08.53 somebody's on the toothache floor, somebody's on 00:10:08.53\00:10:11.80 the cancer floor, on the addiction floor, 00:10:11.80\00:10:15.50 on the psychiatric floor, but we've all got a floor. 00:10:15.50\00:10:21.00 Stop looking for a perfect church. 00:10:21.00\00:10:23.63 There's no perfect church. 00:10:23.63\00:10:24.63 You can run here, you can run there, but there's no 00:10:24.63\00:10:26.33 perfect church. 00:10:26.33\00:10:26.93 All you're doing is running from sickness to sickness. 00:10:26.93\00:10:29.46 We all sick. 00:10:29.46\00:10:30.83 I said, we all sick. 00:10:30.83\00:10:32.56 We all on a floor. 00:10:32.56\00:10:33.60 And let me tell you something I learned about the hospital. 00:10:33.60\00:10:35.96 When you're in the hospital, most rooms have two beds. 00:10:35.96\00:10:40.70 Bed number one and bed number two. 00:10:40.70\00:10:44.56 And when you're sick in your bed, more often 00:10:44.56\00:10:49.13 than not, you and your roommate are in bad condition. 00:10:49.13\00:10:52.60 And your roommate in the other bed encourages 00:10:52.60\00:10:56.73 you, listens to you, prays for you. 00:10:56.73\00:11:00.96 And guess what you do, after you tell them about your 00:11:00.96\00:11:03.33 grandchildren. 00:11:03.33\00:11:04.33 Come on, say amen. 00:11:04.33\00:11:05.33 You encourage them. 00:11:05.33\00:11:06.33 Listen to them. 00:11:06.33\00:11:07.33 Pray for them. 00:11:07.33\00:11:11.16 And you tell each other, we're going to make it. 00:11:11.16\00:11:14.60 We've got to just keep holding on. 00:11:14.60\00:11:19.13 And I'm so glad that Dr. Jesus, the Great Physician, he stops 00:11:19.13\00:11:25.43 by and he makes rounds on every floor, that we 00:11:25.43\00:11:29.20 might be made whole. 00:11:29.20\00:11:30.53 And that's the blessing of being a part of God's church, 00:11:30.53\00:11:34.33 being a part of God's body. 00:11:34.33\00:11:36.33 It encourages us to keep on keepin' on. 00:11:36.33\00:11:39.30 It encourages us to hang on in there in spite of sickness. 00:11:39.30\00:11:45.73 You see, I praise God not because of, 00:11:48.26\00:11:53.70 but I praise God in spite of. 00:11:53.70\00:11:55.70 I don't think you all heard me. 00:11:59.06\00:12:01.30 I said, I praise God not because of, but I praise God 00:12:01.30\00:12:07.13 in spite of. 00:12:07.13\00:12:08.83 Is there anybody in this place praising God today 00:12:08.83\00:12:12.73 not because of, but in spite of. 00:12:12.73\00:12:17.73 You're not praising God because of sickness, you're praising God 00:12:17.73\00:12:22.16 in spite of sickness. 00:12:22.16\00:12:24.46 You're not praising God because of bereavement, you're praising 00:12:24.46\00:12:28.46 God in spite of bereavement. 00:12:28.46\00:12:31.00 You're not praising God because of bad days, you're praising 00:12:31.00\00:12:34.80 God in spite of bad days. 00:12:34.80\00:12:37.36 You're not praising God because of bad finances, you're praising 00:12:37.36\00:12:41.36 God in spite of bad finances. 00:12:41.36\00:12:44.36 You've got to learn how to praise God not because of, 00:12:44.36\00:12:48.50 but in spite of. 00:12:48.50\00:12:50.13 Do I have a witness in this place? 00:12:50.13\00:12:53.93 I encourage you. 00:12:53.93\00:12:56.40 You encourage me. 00:12:56.40\00:12:58.66 In case you didn't know, that's why we shake hands. 00:12:58.66\00:13:01.73 That's why during the welcome time we welcome one another. 00:13:03.50\00:13:06.03 That's why we smile. 00:13:06.03\00:13:08.23 That's why we laugh. 00:13:10.36\00:13:12.56 That's why we hug. 00:13:12.56\00:13:14.33 If it were just about coming up in here, looking at each other, 00:13:14.33\00:13:16.66 that wouldn't be enough. 00:13:16.66\00:13:18.56 I can look at you on Skype, do I have a witness 00:13:18.56\00:13:21.00 in this place? 00:13:21.00\00:13:22.00 A cold church is like cold butter; it never spreads well. 00:13:22.00\00:13:30.63 Acts 2:42 says, "And they steadfastly continued 00:13:30.63\00:13:36.93 in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, 00:13:36.93\00:13:40.06 breaking of bread and prayer." 00:13:40.06\00:13:43.00 Let me tell you all something. 00:13:43.00\00:13:45.63 People are always talking about the church is full 00:13:45.63\00:13:48.83 of hypocrites. 00:13:48.83\00:13:50.83 Our chances of finding people we can count on in the church 00:13:54.20\00:14:00.60 are far better than finding somebody we can count on 00:14:00.60\00:14:04.80 anywhere else in the world. 00:14:04.80\00:14:08.06 Now, there may be some few exceptions, but it's 00:14:08.06\00:14:12.20 a cutthroat world out there. 00:14:12.20\00:14:15.90 Believe me. 00:14:15.90\00:14:17.43 That's why we come into the house of God. 00:14:17.43\00:14:19.43 You don't have time to put on airs. 00:14:19.43\00:14:22.90 You don't have time to pretend. 00:14:22.90\00:14:25.86 You don't have time to be cute. 00:14:25.86\00:14:28.73 I mean, if you're a worshiper, can you just worship the Lord 00:14:28.73\00:14:35.70 for a few minutes? 00:14:35.70\00:14:37.06 If you worship him, you will experience a powerful benefit. 00:14:37.06\00:14:41.76 If you worship him, you experience his power. 00:14:41.76\00:14:44.50 Somebody needs to forget about what somebody else 00:14:44.50\00:14:47.03 is saying. 00:14:47.03\00:14:48.03 Just worship him. 00:14:48.03\00:14:49.03 Forget about what somebody else is thinking. 00:14:49.03\00:14:51.63 Just worship him. 00:14:51.63\00:14:53.00 I am here today in response to what God has done for me. 00:14:53.00\00:14:57.86 Taste and see that the Lord is good. 00:15:01.50\00:15:08.10 Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me. 00:15:08.10\00:15:16.83 Bless his holy name. 00:15:16.83\00:15:18.93 My soul doth magnify the Lord. 00:15:18.93\00:15:23.10 My soul shall make a boast of the Lord. 00:15:23.10\00:15:27.06 The Lord is my strong power. 00:15:27.06\00:15:29.40 The Lord is my shepherd. 00:15:29.40\00:15:31.50 The Lord is my refuge and my strength. 00:15:31.50\00:15:35.53 The Lord is my life, and he's my salvation, 00:15:35.53\00:15:39.20 my soul doth magnify the Lord. 00:15:39.20\00:15:43.43 Hallelujah, somebody. 00:15:43.43\00:15:44.50 And then finally, out of our obedience, 00:15:44.50\00:15:50.16 why are we here? 00:15:50.16\00:15:52.10 We must pursue the mandate of why we're here. 00:15:52.10\00:15:57.73 The major function of what we're called to do, 00:15:57.73\00:16:00.86 the mission of the church. 00:16:00.86\00:16:04.46 Matthew 28, the gospel commission. 00:16:04.46\00:16:06.53 When I was a student, Elder Ward made us say 00:16:06.53\00:16:07.86 it every Sabbath. 00:16:07.86\00:16:10.40 "Go ye therefore, teach all nations, baptizing them 00:16:10.40\00:16:15.80 in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; 00:16:15.80\00:16:18.10 teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever 00:16:18.10\00:16:21.30 I have commanded you. 00:16:21.30\00:16:22.30 And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." 00:16:22.30\00:16:25.56 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached 00:16:25.56\00:16:28.80 in all the world as a witness unto all nations, and then 00:16:28.80\00:16:32.73 shall the end come." 00:16:32.73\00:16:33.83 We're here to afflict the comfortable 00:16:33.83\00:16:38.16 and comfort the afflicted. 00:16:38.16\00:16:40.06 When Christians feel too safe and comfortable, the church is 00:16:40.06\00:16:43.23 in its greatest danger. 00:16:43.23\00:16:44.60 Listen to me good. 00:16:44.60\00:16:46.33 Yes, the church is a hospital. 00:16:46.33\00:16:52.96 But that doesn't make this a hospice. 00:16:52.96\00:16:56.33 In a hospice you're made comfortable until you die. 00:17:00.50\00:17:05.73 But in a hospital you come looking for a cure. 00:17:05.73\00:17:11.96 You come in a wheelchair, but you're looking 00:17:11.96\00:17:16.83 to go out walking. 00:17:16.83\00:17:17.90 You come with heart problems, but you're looking to walk out 00:17:17.90\00:17:23.36 with a clean heart. 00:17:23.36\00:17:24.36 You come with headaches and backaches and toothaches, 00:17:24.36\00:17:28.53 and all kinda aches, but you're looking to go 00:17:28.53\00:17:30.73 out ache-free. 00:17:30.73\00:17:32.00 The writer of Hebrews stresses corporate worship in the text 00:17:32.00\00:17:38.06 because there were some New Testament church members 00:17:38.06\00:17:40.06 neglecting fellowship with their fellow believers in seasons 00:17:40.06\00:17:43.13 of worship and devotion. 00:17:43.13\00:17:45.70 The Bible says that as trouble, as difficulty, as perplexity 00:17:45.70\00:17:50.00 and persecution increase, so should our exhortation. 00:17:50.00\00:17:54.10 So should our encouragement in other corporate worship 00:17:54.10\00:17:56.46 and grief. 00:17:56.46\00:17:57.46 Which means as the world gets worse, our church participation, 00:17:57.46\00:18:09.60 our church attendance and our church witness 00:18:09.60\00:18:12.20 ought to get better. 00:18:12.20\00:18:14.43 I can't understand how the world gets better 00:18:14.43\00:18:17.13 when prayer meeting attendance is going down. 00:18:17.13\00:18:21.90 Oh, it's quiet in here now, yes? 00:18:21.90\00:18:23.90 Let me close this way. 00:18:23.90\00:18:27.40 We don't have time to sweat the small stuff. 00:18:27.40\00:18:32.16 We don't have time to major in minors. 00:18:32.16\00:18:37.40 We don't have time, I don't have time, 00:18:37.40\00:18:41.00 to dwell and debate on themes that have nothing to do 00:18:41.00\00:18:44.96 with our souls' salvation. 00:18:44.96\00:18:46.96 Let me tell you all something. 00:18:48.36\00:18:50.40 It may not be happening to you, but people are dying left 00:18:50.40\00:18:54.80 and right, and we're sitting up in church, not just Oakwood, 00:18:54.80\00:18:59.00 but everybody. 00:18:59.00\00:19:00.06 This is going to everybody. 00:19:00.06\00:19:01.06 We're sitting up in church arguing about who 00:19:01.06\00:19:03.73 the head elder's going to be. 00:19:03.73\00:19:05.46 Oh, it's quiet now. 00:19:05.46\00:19:06.46 Who the treasurer is going to be. 00:19:06.46\00:19:09.23 What the conference is doing. 00:19:09.23\00:19:10.46 What is the pastor doing? 00:19:10.46\00:19:11.46 How many folk should be on the church board, 00:19:11.46\00:19:13.66 what's the church's budget, what color should the carpet be? 00:19:13.66\00:19:16.86 Should we clap in church? 00:19:16.86\00:19:18.20 What kind of music should we have in church? 00:19:18.20\00:19:20.26 And we have totally forgotten the primary mission 00:19:20.26\00:19:23.66 of the church, which is to speak and to save the lost. 00:19:23.66\00:19:28.13 And let me tell you something. 00:19:28.13\00:19:32.06 Satan is smiling. 00:19:32.06\00:19:34.06 Because he has diverted us from our attention of why 00:19:38.73\00:19:44.43 and what our purpose is. 00:19:44.43\00:19:51.86 I'm a young man. 00:19:51.86\00:19:54.70 I'm an old Adventist. 00:19:54.70\00:19:57.76 Our Music may be a little bit more energetic, 00:19:57.76\00:19:59.56 but I'm an old Adventist. 00:19:59.56\00:20:02.60 I grew up in a home, you all, where my daddy was a preacher. 00:20:02.60\00:20:06.86 Elder Bradford hired my father. 00:20:06.86\00:20:08.86 And it would come that after camp meeting, every preacher 00:20:10.36\00:20:17.76 would line up with their U-haul truck, and we just knew you 00:20:17.76\00:20:25.16 had to load that tent, load them chairs, 00:20:25.16\00:20:30.36 and go to that city, and you didn't ask whether 00:20:30.36\00:20:33.90 or not the U-haul run or not. 00:20:33.90\00:20:37.40 The president said, when are you running? 00:20:37.40\00:20:41.20 And my daddy used to tell my brother and me, sons, 00:20:41.20\00:20:44.86 after church--Malcolm, you know about this. 00:20:44.86\00:20:47.36 After church it's over on Saturday night, the last night 00:20:47.36\00:20:50.76 of camp meeting. 00:20:50.76\00:20:52.16 You go in that pavilion and you get the best-looking chairs 00:20:52.16\00:20:57.93 before everybody else gets them, so that when we go back 00:20:57.93\00:21:01.90 to our city we have the best-looking chairs. 00:21:01.90\00:21:04.26 Does somebody know what I'm talking about? 00:21:04.26\00:21:07.40 But Satan is smiling because he has diverted us 00:21:07.40\00:21:13.03 from all of that. 00:21:13.03\00:21:15.56 Understand, we are here to grow in corporate worship. 00:21:15.56\00:21:20.00 We are here to encourage and support one another, 00:21:20.00\00:21:23.26 and we are here to go tell somebody that Jesus 00:21:23.26\00:21:28.33 is soon to come. 00:21:28.33\00:21:30.46 That's why we're here. 00:21:30.46\00:21:37.23 Because a church that is not reaching out is a church 00:21:37.23\00:21:41.10 that's passing out. 00:21:41.10\00:21:43.70 The church needs workers, not a wrecking crew. 00:21:43.70\00:21:48.30 The gospel's not just something we come to church to hear, 00:21:48.30\00:21:51.30 but it's something we leave the church to tell. 00:21:51.30\00:21:54.10 So go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere. 00:21:54.10\00:22:02.16 Go tell somebody what a wonderful Savior 00:22:02.16\00:22:05.60 you serve. 00:22:05.60\00:22:06.60 Go tell somebody what a wonderful change 00:22:06.60\00:22:11.23 in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart. 00:22:11.23\00:22:15.70 Tell somebody, I'm a miracle of mercy. 00:22:15.70\00:22:20.26 I'm a miracle of God's grace. 00:22:20.26\00:22:25.96 I'm a miracle, you're looking at a miracle. 00:22:25.96\00:22:28.96 After my daughter died, I should have lost my mind. 00:22:28.96\00:22:32.50 I'm a miracle of God's favor. 00:22:32.50\00:22:34.50 I'm a sports fan. 00:22:37.76\00:22:38.76 And the NBA championship has just ended. 00:22:38.76\00:22:43.16 And when you're a preacher, you can get a sermon 00:22:43.16\00:22:48.10 out of anything. 00:22:48.10\00:22:50.10 My home team, the Miami Heat, and I'm not a bandwagon fan. 00:22:53.40\00:23:00.30 Those who know me, know that's where I grew up. 00:23:00.30\00:23:02.46 The Miami Heat won the championship, game 7. 00:23:02.46\00:23:08.30 Lebron James was named the MVP. 00:23:08.30\00:23:13.73 And after the game, the commentators said, 00:23:13.73\00:23:19.96 find Lebron, we're going to interview him. 00:23:19.96\00:23:24.36 He was asked, now that you've won the NBA championship, 00:23:24.36\00:23:29.16 what do you have to say to your critics. 00:23:29.16\00:23:33.83 Some of you watched it, you know what I'm talking about. 00:23:33.83\00:23:37.50 What do you have to say to your haters? 00:23:37.50\00:23:41.83 He said, you know what? 00:23:41.83\00:23:44.83 I really don't care. 00:23:44.83\00:23:48.03 People are going to talk, people are going to say stuff 00:23:48.03\00:23:52.63 about you. 00:23:52.63\00:23:54.40 He said, but I don't care. 00:23:54.40\00:23:58.56 He said, I'm not even supposed to be here. 00:23:58.56\00:24:02.36 He said, "I'm supposed to be in Akron, Ohio, 00:24:02.36\00:24:05.20 running the streets of Akron. 00:24:05.20\00:24:08.13 I'm not even supposed to be here with this trophy, 00:24:08.13\00:24:11.53 with this money." 00:24:11.53\00:24:12.53 He said, "Every time I go in the locker room and see 00:24:12.53\00:24:15.63 my name, I just say to myself, I'm not even supposed 00:24:15.63\00:24:19.46 to be here. 00:24:19.46\00:24:20.46 I'm just blessed to be here." 00:24:20.46\00:24:24.26 And I've come to tell somebody that it's just a miracle 00:24:24.26\00:24:30.43 that I'm here. 00:24:30.43\00:24:31.43 It's just a miracle of somebody else that you're here. 00:24:31.43\00:24:35.33 You should be locked up somewhere, you should be dead 00:24:35.33\00:24:39.43 somewhere, you should be strung out somewhere, you should be 00:24:39.43\00:24:44.83 crazy somewhere, you should be suicidal somewhere. 00:24:44.83\00:24:49.93 But I am here. 00:24:49.93\00:24:52.83 So I've got a right to praise him. 00:24:52.83\00:24:58.80 You been through what I've been through, you've got a right 00:24:58.80\00:25:01.86 to praise him. 00:25:01.86\00:25:02.86 Who cares what you have on? 00:25:02.86\00:25:05.03 Who cares who's looking at you? 00:25:05.03\00:25:07.03 I know Jesus loves me, I know my wife loves me, 00:25:07.03\00:25:11.66 I know my two girls love me, and that's all I need to know. 00:25:11.66\00:25:17.23 Somebody, you ought to be glad you're just not 00:25:17.23\00:25:19.56 in a crazy house. 00:25:19.56\00:25:21.26 You ought to be glad you're not in a crack house, 00:25:21.26\00:25:24.06 You ought to be glad you're not in an outhouse. 00:25:24.06\00:25:26.93 You just ought to be glad that you can come into God's house. 00:25:26.93\00:25:32.20 So I've got to tell it. 00:25:32.20\00:25:34.86 I've got to tell it. 00:25:34.86\00:25:35.86 I've got to tell of his goodness, I've got to tell 00:25:35.86\00:25:41.56 of its mercy, I've got to tell somebody he's worthy. 00:25:41.56\00:25:47.53 >: The Breath of Life gift offer this week is the book 00:25:47.53\00:25:49.80 "What the Bible Says About the Sabbath." 00:25:49.80\00:25:52.10 God blessed the seventh day, Saturday, and made it holy. 00:25:52.10\00:25:55.26 In this book you'll discover the truth in the blessings 00:25:55.26\00:25:57.60 about God's gift to mankind. 00:25:57.60\00:25:59.66 It's a time for building our relationship with God, 00:25:59.66\00:26:02.23 to serve others, to restore our souls, grow spiritually, 00:26:02.23\00:26:05.16 and to get in touch with the peace and beauty 00:26:05.16\00:26:08.33 of God's natural world. 00:26:08.33\00:26:09.56 Learn how to make Sabbath special, the truth about 00:26:09.56\00:26:12.43 Sabbath and Sunday observance, what Jesus said about 00:26:12.43\00:26:14.93 the Sabbath, and how those 24 hours can change 00:26:14.93\00:26:17.66 your life. 00:26:17.66\00:26:18.66 "What the Bible Says About the Sabbath" is yours for a gift 00:26:18.66\00:26:22.20 of $5 or more. 00:26:22.20\00:26:24.86 Just call our toll-free number, 877-BOL-OFFER. 00:26:24.86\00:26:29.20 That's 877-265-6333. 00:26:29.20\00:26:30.30 Please have your credit card ready when you call. 00:26:30.30\00:26:32.40 Or you may write us to request your copy. 00:26:32.40\00:26:35.53 Just send your check to Breath of Life, P.O. Box 340, 00:26:35.53\00:26:38.80 Newbury Park, California 91319. 00:26:38.80\00:26:40.46 Get your copy of "What the Bible Says About the Sabbath" 00:26:40.46\00:26:45.16 and find out what a difference a day makes. 00:26:45.16\00:26:47.86 PB: Thank you very much for tuning in and watching 00:26:48.50\00:26:50.46 Breath of Life today. 00:26:50.46\00:26:51.73 We do hope that you were blessed by our ministry 00:26:51.73\00:26:54.66 and that we gave a healing word in a hurting world. 00:26:54.66\00:26:59.30 In order for Breath of Life to continue ministry, 00:26:59.30\00:27:01.80 we need you. 00:27:01.80\00:27:03.00 We need your prayers, we need your support. 00:27:03.00\00:27:05.86 We want you to know that any and all donations, 00:27:05.86\00:27:08.20 small or great, they are sincerely welcomed 00:27:08.20\00:27:11.00 and appreciated. 00:27:11.00\00:27:12.86 To contact us or to make your donation, please feel free 00:27:12.86\00:27:16.63 to give us a call at 877-BOL-OFFER. 00:27:16.63\00:27:27.66 Or you may write to us at Breath of Life, P.O. 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