Participants: Pr. Walter Pearson
Series Code: BOL
Program Code: BOL000402
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00:02 Announcer: BREATH OF LIFE PRESENTS EXPERIENCE THE POWER
00:07 WITH WALTER L. PEARSON JR. 00:15 JOIN US NOW AS PASTOR PEARSON CONTINUES HIS MESSAGE 00:18 FROM JOHN CHAPTER 3, ENTITLED "NIGHT SCHOOL." 00:24 WP: THERE ARE STILL SOME PEOPLE DYING WITH THEIR PROBLEMS 00:28 BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FAITH TO JUST LOOK AT JESUS. 00:32 THERE WERE OTHER PEOPLE WHO SAID, WELL, I'VE 00:34 GOT MY OWN REMEDY. 00:36 I'VE GOT SOME SALVE. 00:38 AND I CAN PUT IT ON THERE. 00:39 AND IF I PUT THAT ON WHERE THE SNAKE BIT, I CAN BE OKAY. 00:43 THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE LIKE THAT WHO WILL NOT COME TO CHRIST. 00:46 THEY INSIST ON MAKING UP THEIR OWN WAY FOR HEALING. 00:49 WHEN THE SIMPLE SOLUTION IS TO TURN AWAY FROM THE 00:53 PROBLEM AND LOOK AT JESUS. 00:58 SO JESUS SAID TO NICODEMUS, WHEN YOU SEE ME LIFTED UP, AS 01:04 MOSES LIFTED THE SERPENT IN THE WILDERNESS, I WANT YOU 01:08 TO KNOW THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT ME AND THERE IS HEALING 01:14 IN MY BEING LIFTED UP. 01:19 SO I TELL YOU TONIGHT THAT THE VERY HIGHEST MOMENT OF MY 01:22 PREACHING IS WHEN I CAN TELL PEOPLE THAT NO MATTER WHAT 01:27 SIN PROBLEM YOU'VE GOT IN YOUR LIFE, NO MATTER WHAT HABIT 01:30 YOU'VE GOT IN YOUR LIFE, NO MATTER WHAT ADDICTION YOU'VE 01:32 GOT IN YOUR LIFE, YOU MAY NEED SOMEONE TO GUIDE YOU TO A POINT 01:36 WHERE JESUS CAN GRAB YOU. 01:37 BUT WHEN YOU GET TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU LOOK AT JESUS WITH 01:41 EYES OF FAITH, YOU WILL LIVE. 01:45 THERE IS POWER IN JESUS TO GIVE LIFE. 01:51 (APPLAUSE) I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE WITH 01:59 ALL KINDS OF PROBLEMS WHO SIMPLY LOOKED. 02:02 WELL, LET'S MOVE NOW, BECAUSE THAT'S THE END OF WHAT HE SAID. 02:08 AND I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THE LOOK OF FAITH WILL 02:12 CHANGE YOUR LIFE. 02:15 IN FACT, UNTIL YOU LOOK AT CHRIST, SO LONG AS YOU'RE 02:18 FOCUSING ON YOUR PROBLEM, YOUR PROBLEM WILL CONTROL YOU. 02:23 SO WHY DON'T YOU TAKE A RISK. 02:25 DO LIKE GOD TOLD THEM THROUGH MOSES, STOP WORRYING 02:29 ABOUT YOUR SNAKE BITE. 02:31 LET SOMEBODY BRING YOU IF YOU CAN'T WALK. 02:35 AND THEN JUST GO TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU CAN LOOK AT THE 02:37 BRONZE SERPENT THAT REPRESENTS JESUS AND YOU WILL LIVE. 02:41 THE NEXT PART OF THAT EQUATION SAYS THAT THE CHANGE WHICH THE 02:46 HOLY GHOST MAKES IN PEOPLE, THE HOLY SPIRIT TRANSFORMS 02:50 YOU, BUT YOU CAN'T SEE IT WITH THE NATURAL EYE. 02:55 IT'S LIKE THE WIND BLOWING. 02:59 I LIKE WIND. 03:01 I LIKE SAILBOATS. 03:05 IF THERE'S ANYBODY HERE WHO HAS A SAILBOAT... 03:12 ...AND HAS GOTTEN WEARY OF IT, YOU CAN REACH ME, 03:16 YOU CAN CONTACT ME. 03:18 WELL, TO BE VERY HONEST WITH YOU, I WOULD PREFER 03:20 NOT TO HAVE A SAILBOAT. 03:21 I'VE SEEN HOW MUCH WORK IT TAKES TO MAKE THOSE GO. 03:24 I WOULD PREFER A YACHT. 03:26 SOMETHING ABOUT 40 FEET OUGHT TO BE ABOUT PERFECT. 03:29 (LAUGHTER) BUT THE BEAUTY, THE POETRY 03:35 IS IN THE SAILBOAT. 03:37 BECAUSE THE SAILBOAT HAS AN ENGINE, BUT THE ENGINE 03:40 IS NOT FOR THE TRIP. 03:42 THE ENGINE IS JUST TO GET THE CRAFT OUT TO A PLACE 03:46 WHERE THE WIND BLOWS. 03:49 WELL, THERE'S A SERMON IN THAT. 03:50 CAN I GIVE YOU A LITTLE PIECE OF IT ? 03:52 THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO TRY TO MAKE IT THROUGH LIFE ON 03:54 THEIR OWN LITTLE PUNY ENGINES. 03:57 PUTT, PUTT, PUTT, PUTT, PUTT, PUTT, PUTT, 03:59 PUTT, PUTT, PUTT, PUTT. 04:00 BUT GOD HAS NOT GIVEN YOU THAT POWER TO RUN YOUR LIFE. 04:03 HE'S GIVEN YOU THAT POWER JUST TO GET YOU WHERE THE WIND BLOWS. 04:06 (APPLAUSE) AND WHEN YOU GET TO THE PLACE 04:09 WHERE THE HOLY SPIRIT'S WIND IS BLOWING, YOU WILL DISCOVER THAT 04:13 THE SAILS WILL FILL UP AND THERE'S NOTHING MORE BEAUTIFUL 04:18 THAN A SAILBOAT MOVING SILENTLY. 04:22 YOU TURN THE ENGINE OFF BECAUSE YOU DON'T NEED YOUR LITTLE 04:25 PUTT, PUTT ANYMORE. 04:27 THE POWER OF THE WIND DRIVES YOU. 04:30 AND I WISH I COULD BE ONE OF THOSE, BUT I'LL 04:33 SETTLE FOR THE YACHT. 04:36 SO, I'M SAYING TO YOU THAT WHEN LORD NICODEMUS HAD HIS 04:41 DISCUSSION WITH JESUS, JESUS SAID TO HIM, YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE 04:46 TO TELL WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES, BUT EVEN YOU MUST BE 04:49 CHANGED BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND YOU CAN'T 04:53 PROVE IT BY WHAT YOU SEE. 04:55 YOU PROVE IT BY WHAT HAPPENS WITH A POWER 04:59 THAT IS INVISIBLE. 05:00 WE'VE HAD ENOUGH HURRICANES IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD 05:04 FOR US TO BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF THE WIND. 05:08 MY WIFE AND I HAVE A LITTLE TREE ON THE EDGE OF OUR HOUSE. 05:11 A LITTLE TALLER THAN I AM BUT, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE TREE. 05:14 AND TWO, THREE HURRICANES AGO, THE WIND BENT OUR TREE OVER. 05:21 IT WAS SUCH A WONDERFUL TREE UNTIL THEN. 05:24 AND RIGHT ON THE CORNER OF THE HOUSE, WHERE THE WIND 05:26 GOT IT WITH NOTHING TO PROTECT IT, IT BENT OVER. 05:30 I THOUGHT I WOULD GO OUT AND STRAIGHTEN IT. 05:36 I COULDN'T BUDGE IT. 05:38 I COULDN'T MOVE IT. 05:39 SO I CALLED THOSE GUYS WHO CHARGE A LOT OF MONEY. 05:41 YOU KNOW THEM, DON'T YOU ? 05:43 THEY CAME OUT, THEY WERE SO HAPPY. 05:45 I SAW THEM SMILING AS THEY WERE PUTTING IT BACK IN PLACE, 05:47 THINKING, NO DOUBT, HOW MUCH THEY WOULD CHARGE ME 05:50 WHEN THEY WERE FINISHED. 05:51 THEY PUT IT BACK. 05:52 THEY PUT BOARDS AND HELD IT. 05:55 THEY WIRED IT IN PLACE. 05:57 AND THEN WE TOOK THEM DOWN AND THEN CAME ANOTHER HURRICANE AND 06:00 BENT IT BACK IN THE SAME WAY. 06:03 THEY CAME AGAIN. 06:03 THEY CHARGED ME EVEN MORE. 06:06 BUT THIS TIME I LEFT ALL OF THAT PROTECTION SO THAT MY TREE 06:10 STANDS NOW, NOT ONLY IN ITS OWN POWER, ITS ROOT SYSTEM, IT 06:14 STANDS WITH THAT SAME POWER THAT HELD IT UP STRAIGHT. 06:17 THE FACT IS THAT THAT TREE WAS MOVED BY AN INVISIBLE FORCE. 06:22 AND I TELL YOU THAT JUST AS SURELY AS A HURRICANE CAN 06:26 MOVE A TREE, THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE. 06:31 (APPLAUSE) AND WHILE PEOPLE THINK THAT 06:40 THEY WERE CHANGED SUDDENLY, JESUS CHANGES US THROUGH HIS 06:46 SPIRIT LITTLE BY LITTLE. 06:50 IN FACT, I'M GOING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN 06:52 EITHER BELIEVE OR NOT. 06:56 THE LORD HAS BEEN PUTTING WIND IN YOUR LIFE FOR 07:00 ALL OF YOUR DAYS. 07:04 JUST A LITTLE WIND. 07:06 JUST A LITTLE WIND. 07:08 IT MOVED YOU JUST A LITTLE BIT. 07:10 IT PUSHED YOU JUST A LITTLE DISTANCE. 07:13 IN FACT, SOMEBODY IS IN HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE THE WIND FINALLY 07:17 PUSHED YOU A LITTLE AND PUSHED YOU A LITTLE AND PUSHED YOU A 07:20 LITTLE UNTIL YOU ARE HERE TONIGHT TO EXPERIENCE THE POWER. 07:26 (APPLAUSE) SO WHEN A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY, 07:35 IT WAS ON A TUESDAY NIGHT, WHEN SUDDENLY I WAS LISTENING 07:39 TO A PREACHER OR I WAS READING THE BIBLE OR I WAS MEDITATING 07:42 ON CHRIST, AND IT HAPPENED RIGHT THERE. 07:46 WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW IS THAT JESUS WAS ALWAYS BLOWING 07:49 YOU JUST A LITTLE BIT. 07:51 SO WHEN YOU THOUGHT HE DIDN'T CARE ABOUT YOU, HE WAS BLOWING 07:54 YOU JUST A LITTLE BIT. 07:55 AND SOMETIMES WHEN YOU COMPLAIN THAT YOU GOT MOVED 07:58 JUST A LITTLE BIT, IT WAS HIS LOVE THAT WAS PUSHING YOU. 08:01 ARE YOU STILL WITH ME ? 08:04 SO THE WIND IS A SYMBOL OF HOW THE HOLY SPIRIT 08:09 WORKS IN YOUR LIFE. 08:10 YOU MAY THINK THAT ONE DAY, IN FACT, I WOULD LIKE 08:13 FOR YOUR TO THINK, YOU KNOW, I'M A PREACHER. 08:15 I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO COME TO A MEETING WITH ME 08:17 AND HEAR ME PREACH A SERMON AND THE LORD MAKES ME SAY 08:19 SOMETHING YOU SAY, AH ! DID YOU HEAR WHAT THAT MAN SAID ? 08:24 THAT WAS IT ! 08:26 I WAS CONVERTED. 08:28 YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO GO ALONG WITH THAT. 08:31 BUT THE FACT IS THAT IN ALL OF MY 35 YEARS OF PREACHING, I 08:34 HAVE NEVER CONVERTED ONE SOUL. 08:38 I'VE SEEN A LOT OF THEM CONVERTED, BUT 08:41 I KNEW IT WASN'T ME. 08:43 IT WAS A LITTLE WIND, AND A LITTLE WIND. 08:47 AND THEN WHEN JESUS FINALLY GOT YOU IN THE RIGHT PLACE, 08:51 HE GAVE YOU A BIG WIND THAT BLEW YOU EXACTLY WHERE YOU 08:55 ALWAYS WANTED TO BE. 08:57 AND THAT'S WHAT JESUS SAID TO LORD NICODEMUS. 09:01 WELL, BEFORE I GET TO MY FAVORITE PART, LET ME GET 09:03 YOU TO A MOMENT OF EXPERIENCING THE POWER. 09:07 YOU NEED TO TURN TO THIS ONE, BECAUSE YOU NEED TO 09:09 READ IT FOR YOURSELF. 09:10 IF YOU DON'T READ IT, YOU'LL DOUBT IT. 09:12 JOHN, CHAPTER 3, AND VERSE NINE. 09:15 JOHN, CHAPTER 3, AND VERSE NINE. 09:18 LET ME SEE, IS IT UP THERE ? 09:20 ALL RIGHT, I'M TRYING TO EXPERIENCE THE PRINT. 09:26 AND I DON'T SEE IT. 09:28 JOHN, CHAPTER 3, AND VERSE NINE. 09:32 AND IF YOU START THERE, LET'S READ SOMETHING. 09:35 NOW, YOU'VE GOT TO READ THIS WITH INTENTION-ALITY. 09:39 BUT LISTEN TO WHAT IT SAYS. 09:41 NICODEMUS ANSWERED AND SAID ONTO HIM, HOW CAN THESE THINGS BE ? 09:45 YOU KNOW ? 09:47 JESUS HAD EXPLAINED THIS NEW BIRTH TO NICODEMUS. 09:51 AND NICODEMUS SAYS, NOW WAIT A MINUTE. 09:54 DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO ? 09:57 I'M NOT SOME KID ON THE STREET. 10:00 I'M NOT ONE OF YOUR NORMAL HANGERS-ON. 10:04 I'VE BEEN TRAINED IN THEOLOGY. 10:07 I KNOW MY STUFF. 10:11 YOU'RE GOING TO COME AND TELL ME THAT I CAN BE BORN AGAIN 10:13 AND IT'S LIKE THE WIND ? 10:14 HOW CAN THESE THINGS BE ? 10:15 WATCH--VERSE 10. 10:17 JESUS ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HIM, OF OUR MASTER 10:21 OF ISRAEL, AND KNOWETH IT'S NOT THESE THINGS ? 10:25 LET ME READ. 10:26 I'LL GET BACK TO YOU. 10:30 VERILY, VERILY I SAY UNTO THEE, WE SPEAK THAT WE DO KNOW AND 10:33 TESTIFY THAT WE HAVE SEEN. 10:35 AND YE RECEIVED NOT OUR WITNESS. 10:39 IF I HAD TOLD YOU EARTHLY THINGS AND YE BELIEVED NOT, 10:43 HOW SHALL YE BELIEVE IF I TELL YOU HEAVENLY THINGS ? 10:48 DO YOU FEEL THE POWER IN THERE ? 10:50 NOW, I MUST CONFESS TO YOU THAT I DID NOT COME FROM THE SUBURBS. 10:55 I WAS NOT BORN THERE. 10:56 MANY OF YOU WERE NOT BORN THERE, EITHER. 11:00 AND THIS IS NOT AN ETHNIC THING. 11:02 I HAVE DISCOVERED IN MY LIFE THAT PEOPLE FROM EVERY DIVERSE 11:07 BACKGROUND EXPERIENCE THE SAME KINDS OF THINGS. 11:11 WHEN I WAS LIVING IN THE MOST IMPOVERISHED SITUATION IN MY 11:15 LIFE, I WAS LIVING IN A DUPLEX AND RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO MY 11:21 FAMILY, THROUGH A VERY THIN WALL, A WALL THROUGH WHICH YOU 11:26 COULD HEAR EVERY CONVERSATION, THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO 11:31 LOOKED NOTHING LIKE US. 11:33 SO I LEARNED THAT IT'S NOT YOUR SKIN COLOR OR YOUR 11:37 ETHNICITY THAT DETERMINES YOUR EXPERIENCES. 11:41 PEOPLE FROM EVERY BACKGROUND EXPERIENCE SOME OF THE 11:44 SAME KINDS OF THINGS. 11:45 THEY WERE JUST AS POOR AS WE WERE. 11:49 AND WE WERE JUST AS POOR AS THEY WERE. 11:51 WE COOK BEANS AND WE COULD SMELL THEM THROUGH THE WALLS. 11:56 (LAUGHTER) WE KNEW WHAT THEY HAD TO EAT. 12:01 WE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO NEXT DOOR. 12:03 (SNIFFS) (LAUGHTER) 12:10 SO I WAS BORN IN AN URBAN CONTEXT. 12:16 THAT'S THE CUTE WAY TO SAY IT. 12:18 FACT IS, I WAS BORN IN SOMETHING THAT THEY CALLED DA HOOD. 12:25 THAT IS NOT A PART OF YOUR CAR. 12:27 (LAUGHTER) LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, 12:32 IN THE HOOD, WHEN PEOPLE TALK LIKE THIS, YOU GET 12:35 KIND OF QUIET, YOU KNOW. 12:38 OOOH. 12:41 YOU KNOW, HEY, DID THE RABBI SAY, HEY, HOW 12:43 CAN THESE THINGS BE ? 12:45 JESUS SAID, YOU MEAN YOU'RE A BIG-TIME RABBI, RULER OF THE 12:52 JEWS AND YOU DON'T KNOW THIS ? 12:56 (LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE) FORGIVE ME, I JUST CHANGED 13:02 THAT, DIDN'T I ? 13:04 I TRANSLATED THAT INTO ANOTHER LANGUAGE, BUT YOU UNDERSTOOD. 13:08 SO IN THAT MOMENT, JESUS SHOWS YOU THAT HE'S VERY SPIRITUAL, 13:14 BUT HE'S GOT ENOUGH POWER TO SPEAK WITH AUTHORITY. 13:18 ENOUGH TO SAY, IN THAT EXPERIENCE-THE-POWER-MOMENT, 13:22 YOU CALL YOURSELF A RULER OF THE JEWS AND YOU DON'T 13:24 UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING ? 13:25 I'M TALKING ABOUT EARTHLY THINGS. 13:27 SUPPOSE I SWITCH GEARS. 13:31 I COULD TALK ABOUT A PLACE WHERE I CAME FROM THAT 13:33 YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN. 13:35 THEN YOU WOULD BE BEFUDDLED. 13:38 SO HE JUST KIND OF SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. 13:40 DO YOU FEEL THE POWER ? 13:44 NOW WE COME TO THIS MOMENT WHEN I MUST TALK AND WHEN I, 13:47 I TELL YOU, I LOVE THIS PART. 13:49 BECAUSE WHAT JESUS IS SAYING IS THAT YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN. 13:55 YOU MUST BE BORN OF THE WATER AND OF THE SPIRIT. 13:59 YOU UNDERSTAND THE WATER. 14:01 YOU UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S BEING BAPTIZED. 14:04 WATER BAPTISM IS SOMETHING THAT NICODEMUS UNDERSTOOD. 14:08 BUT IT IS NOT THAT ALONE, BECAUSE IF YOU ARE BAPTIZED 14:12 HAVING NOT BEEN BORN FROM ABOVE, THAT'S WHAT IT 14:17 MEANS TO BE BORN AGAIN. 14:19 IT'S BEING BORN FROM ABOVE. 14:22 IF YOU ARE BAPTIZED HAVING NEVER BEEN TRANSFORMED, 14:28 THEN YOU BECOME PART OF THE PROBLEM FOR CHRISTIANS. 14:32 WE GOT A LOT OF CHRISTIANS WHO APPEAR BY THE WAY THEY TALK. 14:40 "GOD BLESS YOU." 14:41 (LAUGHTER) "OH, IT'S SO WONDERFUL 14:45 TO SEE YOU." 14:46 A LITTLE BRITISH ACCENT DOESN'T HURT, YOU KNOW. 14:48 (LAUGHTER) "HOW I LOVE THE WORD OF GOD." 14:54 YOU KNOW ? 14:56 AND THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE ACTING AS THROUGH THEY ARE 15:00 CHRISTIANS, BUT THEY HAVE ONLY BEEN BORN OF THE WATER 15:04 NOT OF THE SPIRIT. 15:08 THE WATER IS AN EXTERNAL SIGN OF AN INWARD CHANGE THAT 15:16 ONLY THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN MAKE. 15:21 AND WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT MOVES IN YOUR LIFE, IMPERCEPTIBLY, 15:25 HERE IS WHAT HAPPENS. 15:27 TO BE BORN OF WATER AND OF SPIRIT IS EQUIVALENT 15:31 TO BEING BORN AGAIN. 15:32 THAT IS FROM ABOVE. 15:34 THOSE WHO ARE BORN FROM ABOVE HAVE GOD AS THEIR FATHER AND 15:39 RESEMBLE HIM IN CHARACTER. 15:43 DO YOU SEE IT ? 15:44 THEY ASPIRE BY THE GRACE OF CHRIST TO LIVE ABOVE SIN 15:50 AND NOT TO YIELD TO THEIR WILLS TO COMMIT SIN. 15:55 SO IF YOU TELL ME THAT YOU HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN, THAT IS BORN 15:58 FROM ABOVE, BUT YOU STILL LET YOUR OWN WILL CONTROL YOUR LIFE, 16:05 THEN YOU ARE COMMITTING FRAUDULENT ADVERTISEMENTS. 16:11 BECAUSE WHEN JESUS HAS CONQUERED YOUR WILL, WELL, LET 16:15 ME SAY IT THE CORRECT WAY. 16:18 WHEN I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH JESUS, AND I SAY TO HIM, JESUS, 16:23 I CAN'T RUN MY LIFE. 16:25 I'VE BLOW IT A THOUSAND TIMES. 16:29 YOU TAKE OVER MY WILL. 16:32 YOU RUN MY LIFE. 16:35 THEN I AM CHANGED BECAUSE I HAVE TURNED MY WILL OVER TO HIM. 16:40 AND WHEN I DO THAT, I WANT TO RESEMBLE MY NEW FATHER. 16:45 IF YOU'VE BEEN BORN AGAIN, YOU GOT ANOTHER FAMILY. 16:48 GOD BECOMES YOUR FATHER. 16:50 JESUS BECOMES YOUR ELDER BROTHER. 16:52 YOU ARE IN ANOTHER FAMILY. 16:54 (APPLAUSE) AND YOU WANT TO BE 16:57 LIKE THE FAMILY. 16:59 I HAVE SAID THIS OFTEN. 17:00 I HOPE I DON'T GET MYSELF IN TROUBLE WITH THIS. 17:02 BUT I HAVE OFTEN SAID THAT UNTIL A CHOIR HAS ROBES, I DON'T 17:10 TAKE THEM REALLY SERIOUSLY. 17:13 (LAUGHTER) NOW SOMEBODY'S GOING TO COME 17:18 A FEW NIGHTS FROM NOW, A CHOIR'S GOING TO COME, 17:20 THEY'RE GOING TO BE SO HURT. 17:21 THEY'RE GOING TO SAY PASTOR PIERSON SAID SOME AWFUL 17:23 THINGS ABOUT US. 17:24 LISTEN TO ME. 17:26 WHEN YOU COME WITH YOUR WHITE SHIRT AND YOUR WHITE BLOUSE 17:29 AND YOUR BLACK SKIRT AND YOUR BLACK PANTS, I KNOW THAT 17:31 YOU'RE WORKING ON IT. 17:33 (LAUGHTER) YOU'VE BEEN TOGETHER LONG 17:39 ENOUGH TO MATCH THE COLORS. 17:42 AND SO I WILL LISTEN TO YOU. 17:44 I WANT TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE LIKE. 17:46 BUT IT IS NOT UNTIL YOU HAVE ON MATCHING ROBES. 17:50 AND YOU KNOW HOW THEY COME OUT. 17:51 THEY DON'T WANT TO ACT LIKE THEY'RE LOOKING GOOD, BUT 17:53 THEY KNOW THEY DO. 17:55 (LAUGHTER) WHEN YOU ARE PART OF THE FAMILY 18:01 OF GOD, THE WAY THAT WE KNOW THAT YOU ARE DIFFERENT IS 18:05 BECAUSE EVERY ONE OF THE CHILDREN TRIES TO RESEMBLE DAD. 18:14 AND I WANT TO SAY TO YOU, THAT THE GREATEST MOMENT 18:18 OF POWER IN THIS SERMON IS WHEN YOU SURRENDER YOURSELF 18:24 TO THE HOLY SPIRIT. 18:28 YOU SAY, LORD, I DON'T LIKE THE WAY I AM. 18:32 LET ME SAY IT THIS WAY. 18:34 ONE OF MY FAVORITE WRITERS SAYS THAT THE WAY YOU KNOW THAT YOU 18:37 HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN, GOD ACCEPTED THEM WHEN THEY BECAME 18:42 WEARY OF SIN AND HAVING LOST THEIR DESIRE FOR WORLDLY 18:47 PLEASURES, THEY RESOLVE TO SEEK GOD EARNESTLY. 18:52 BUT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO WAIT FOR SOME SPIELBERG 18:56 MOMENT TO KNOW THAT YOU'VE BEEN BORN AGAIN. 19:00 YOU KNOW, YOU'VE SEEN TOO MANY B-MOVIES AND YOU THINK THE HOUSE 19:03 IS GOING TO RUMBLE OR THE WINDOWS ARE GOING TO FLY OPEN 19:06 AND WIND GO THROUGH THE HOUSE. 19:09 AND YOU WAIT FOR SOME STRANGE, FOLKS, THAT'S NOT THE WAY 19:11 THE LORD OPERATES. 19:12 HE OPERATES ON FACT NOT FEELING. 19:16 THERE MAY BE A FEELING AFTER THE FACT, BUT YOU CAN'T TRUST 19:20 THE FEELING, YOU'VE GOT TO TRUST THE FACTS. 19:23 HE SAYS, WHEN YOU'VE GOTTEN WEARY OF LIVING LIKE THE 19:25 WORLD, AND WHEN YOU'VE DECIDED I WANT TO BE A PART OF THE FAMILY 19:28 OF GOD, WHEN THE WIND HAS BLOWN YOU INTO THE APPROPRIATE PLACE, 19:33 AND WHEN JESUS PUSHES LOVINGLY, NOT A SHOVE, INTO THE MOMENT 19:38 WHERE HE WILL CHANGE BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, IT IS 19:41 THEN WHEN YOU ARE BORN AGAIN OF THE WATER AND OF THE SPIRIT. 19:47 AND I TELL YOU THAT THERE'S NOTHING MORE POWERFUL 19:50 THAN SEEING SOMEBODY WHO HAS BEEN CHANGED. 19:55 I WAS PREACHING, I WAS PREACHING ONE NIGHT IN AN UNREMARKABLE 20:00 TOWN WHERE I WAS A PASTOR. 20:03 AND THERE CAME A COUPLE AT THE END OF THE MEETING WHERE I WAS 20:05 PREACHING, AND I WAS ABOUT TO CLOSE, AND THESE TWO STOOD UP. 20:10 AND I WAS WONDERING, THEY ARE DISRUPTING OUR SERVICES. 20:13 MY FIRST IMPULSE WAS TO CALL THE DEACONS AND, NO. 20:18 BUT BEFORE I COULD CALL MY ASSISTANTS, THEY SAID, 20:21 PASTOR, ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE AN ALTER CALL ? 20:24 I SAID, WELL, NOT NORMALLY. 20:26 I DON'T, THIS IS NOT. 20:28 THEY SAID, PASTOR, YOU MUST MAKE AN ALTER CALL. 20:32 I SAID, WELL THEN, THINKING BACK TO KNOW THAT THERE IS AN OPEN 20:36 DOOR THAT NO MAN CAN SHUT. 20:40 I SAID, ALL RIGHT THEN. 20:42 THE DOORS OF THE CHURCH ARE OPEN. 20:44 AND THEY STOOD UP AND WALKED DOWN TO THE FRONT. 20:47 I SAID, WHAT HAVE YOU COME FOR ? 20:48 THEY SAID, WE'VE GOT TO BE A PART OF GOD'S FAMILY. 20:53 IF YOU HAD SEEN THEM, THEY WERE DRESSED IN A FASHION 20:59 THAT WAS FAR TOO SHOWY. 21:04 I'M TRYING TO BE NICE. 21:07 HIS DRESS WAS FLAMBOYANT, AS THOUGH PERHAPS HE WAS 21:13 A PURVEYOR OF WORLDLY PLEASURES ON THE STREETS. 21:20 AM I CLEAR YET ? 21:26 HER DRESS WAS RATHER SCANTY. 21:31 IN FACT, AS SHE APPROACHED THE FRONT, I TURNED MY HEAD 21:34 BECAUSE I KNEW THE MEMBERS WOULD BE LOOKING TO SEE 21:36 IF I LOOKED AT HER. 21:37 (LAUGHTER) AH, YOU DIDN'T KNOW WE KNEW. 21:47 WHEN I GOT THOSE PEOPLE INTO MY STUDY, THEY CONFIRMED 21:51 EVERY SUSPICION THAT I HAD AND THAT MY ELDERS HAD. 21:56 MY ELDERS HAD PULLED ME ASIDE JUST BEFORE I WENT IN. 21:59 THEY SAID, PASTOR, THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT THE KIND OF PEOPLE 22:01 WE WANT IN THIS CHURCH. 22:05 AH, COME ON, YOU'RE SAYING THAT, BUT YOU'VE SAID IT, TOO. 22:08 (LAUGHTER) YOU KNOW THE KIND OF PEOPLE YOU 22:12 WANT TO BE PART OF YOUR GROUP. 22:13 THESE WERE NOT THOSE. 22:14 AND THE ELDER SAID, ELDER, I TELL YOU, YOU NEED TO 22:17 TAKE US IN THERE WITH YOU. 22:19 I SAID, NO, NO, NO. 22:20 YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT ATTITUDE TO TALK 22:22 TO THEM TONIGHT. 22:23 YOU'VE GOT TO TAKE US IN THERE BECAUSE YOU 22:25 WILL BE SWAYED BY THEM. 22:28 AND BEFORE WE KNOW IT, YOU'LL HAVE THEM IN OUR CHURCH. 22:32 I SAID, EXACTLY. 22:34 (LAUGHTER) THEY HAD EVERY PROBLEM 22:44 THAT YOU COULD IMAGINE. 22:46 THEY WERE DRESSED BECAUSE THEY WERE THAT VERY GROUP. 22:50 AND THEY HAD STOLEN AND THEY HAD SOLD. 22:52 EVERYTHING YOU COULD THINK OF THEY HAD DONE. 22:55 IN FACT, THEY WERE IN A RELATIONSHIP THAT WAS 22:57 NOT A MARRIAGE. 22:59 EVERYTHING WAS WRONG. 23:00 IT TOOK US DAYS AND WEEKS TO WORK OUT ALL THE PROBLEMS 23:04 THAT THEY HAD. 23:05 BUT ONE DAY THEY WERE WILLING TO DO EVERYTHING THAT GOD SAID. 23:10 AND ONE DAY, I LOOKED AT THEM AND KNEW THAT THEY 23:14 HAD BEEN BORN AGAIN. 23:19 (APPLAUSE) HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT'S STRANGE ? 23:29 THEY DIDN'T PUT ON A SIGN. 23:31 YOU NOW, LIKE WE'VE GOT THESE SIGNS, YOU KNOW, LIKE A CROSS. 23:33 A BIG CROSS. 23:35 (LAUGHTER) I'M NOT MAD AT YOUR CROSS, BUT 23:38 I'M NOT CONVINCED BY IT EITHER. 23:41 BECAUSE THE SIGN OF BEING BORN AGAIN IS NOT ANYTHING 23:43 EXTERNAL, IT'S SOMETHING THAT COMES FROM WITHIN. 23:48 I'VE GOT TO GET TO THE END OF THIS. 23:50 I'M AT MY BARBERSHOP ONE DAY AND SOMEBODY SAYS TO ME, YOU KNOW, 23:56 WHEN YOU'RE GETTING YOUR HAIR CUT, YOU DON'T WANT ANYBODY 23:59 TO MESS THAT EXPERIENCE UP. 24:03 (LAUGHTER) ARE YOU A PREACHER ? 24:07 UH, YEAH. 24:10 IS SO AND SO, I CAN'T CALL THE NAME, A MEMBER OF YOUR CHURCH ? 24:15 YEAH. 24:16 WELL, I WANT TO TELL YOU SOMETHING, PREACHER, I DON'T 24:18 KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT AT THE CHURCH, BUT IF IT COULD CHANGE 24:21 HIM, IF IT COULD CHANGE THEM, I'M COMING TO YOUR CHURCH. 24:30 (APPLAUSE) THERE ARE TWO DANGERS 24:40 WITH PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BE BORN AGAIN. 24:42 THERE ARE SOME WHO DON'T KNOW WHEN IT'S HAPPENED. 24:45 THEY'RE WAITING FOR SOME STRANGE EXTRA-NORMAL SIGN. 24:53 AND YOU MUST KNOW THAT IT'S NOT BASED ON FEELING. 24:58 IT'S ON THE WORD OF GOD. 24:58 HE SAYS, IT HAPPENS IMPERCEPTIBLY. 25:01 AND THEN THERE ARE THOSE WHO GO BY SOME STRANGE THING AND THINK 25:05 THEY'VE BEEN BORN AGAIN, WHEN THEY'VE ONLY HAD A FEELING. 25:09 AND I TELL YOU TONIGHT, AT NIGHT SCHOOL YOU LEARN. 25:15 THAT IS NOT BY MIGHT OR BY POWER, BUT IT IS BY THE SPIRIT 25:19 THAT PEOPLE ARE CHANGED. 25:21 Announcer: THANKS FOR WATCHING. 25:23 JOIN US NEXT TIME FOR MORE BREATH OF LIFE WITH PASTOR 25:26 WALTER L. PEARSON JR. 27:00 Announcer: THANK YOU FOR WATCHING THE BREATH OF LIFE. 27:02 PASTOR WALTER PEARSON HOPES TODAY'S PROGRAM HAS BEEN 27:04 A REAL BLESSING TO YOU. 27:06 TO ORDER CD OR AUDIOCASSETTE COPY OF THIS BROADCAST, JUST 27:09 CALL OUR TOLL-FREENUMBER, 877-BOL-OFFER. 27:12 THAT'S 877-265-6333, OR YOU MAY WRITE TO: 27:18 BREATH OF LIFE, P.O. BOX 97192, 27:21 WASHINGTON, DC, 20077. 27:25 THE CD OR AUDIOCASSETTE IS YOURS FOR A GIFT OF $5.00 OR MORE. 27:28 IF YOU'D LIKE TO PURCHASE A DVD OR VHS, JUST LET US KNOW 27:32 AND WE'LL SEND YOU AN ORDER FORM WITH A LIST OF ALL THE 27:34 BREATH OF LIFE PROGRAMS. 27:36 AGAIN, OUR TOLL FREE NUMBER IS 877-BOL-OFFER, 27:41 877-265-6333. 27:45 OUR ADDRESS IS: BREATH OF LIFE 27:47 P.O. BOX 97192, WASHINGTON, DC, 20077. 27:52 BE SURE TO TELL YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS ABOUT THE BREATH 27:55 OF LIFE TELEVISION MINISTRY. 27:56 THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND GOD BLESS. 28:01 (theme music) |
Revised 2015-02-05