Participants: Mark Duarte
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000278
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00:30 Hello, welcome to Faith Chapel.
00:32 I'm Pastor Mark Duarte and our message today 00:35 is titled "Look, Here is Water." 00:38 Would you join me for a word of prayer? 00:40 Our heavenly Father, we thank You 00:42 for giving us Your word the Bible. 00:45 And we thank You for giving us Jesus, 00:47 who is the word, who became flesh 00:49 and dwelt among us and brought to us 00:52 salvation, a future and a hope. 00:56 Guide us as we look at Your word today. 00:58 And we thank You in Jesus name, amen. 01:03 As a result of some very serious persecution 01:07 which began in Jerusalem after the stoning of Stephen, 01:11 the believers were scattered, scattered. 01:14 And the-- one of the disciples, 01:17 one of the workers there Philip, 01:18 he went about preaching the Bible says, in Samaria. 01:22 That's not an easy thing for a Jew to do, not in those days. 01:25 And it says, he preached the word and nothing else. 01:29 The word, what word? 01:30 Well, he preached the Bible and he preached Christ 01:33 who is the word made flesh. 01:36 He had a message you see, just as you and I, 01:39 just as every Christian does, 01:41 we have a message that must be proclaimed to the world. 01:44 No fancy human philosophy did he use, 01:47 no quaint stories, just the word. 01:49 The story of Jesus as the old hymn says, 01:52 "Tell Me The Old Old Story." 01:55 The reception of Philips preaching was wonderful, 01:57 the account tells us and many were baptized. 02:01 The natural result of receiving God's word is baptism, 02:06 from the beginning to that point 02:08 and baptism is not the end of things 02:11 it's really the beginning, the new birth, the new life, 02:13 the new man being made after the image of Christ. 02:17 Just as the inevitable result of two people 02:20 falling deeply in love will usually cumulate in marriage 02:25 and spending the rest of their lives together. 02:27 Now on the way back to Jerusalem, 02:29 Philip and some of the others 02:31 they continued to preach in the villages along the way 02:35 and while engaged in that active evangelism, 02:38 active witnessing, Philip was given a very special message 02:42 by an angel of the Lord, a true angel. 02:46 And its active labor that we most often come up 02:50 with little blockades here and there, 02:52 we know, what do we do next? 02:54 What do we do next? 02:55 And the Lord leads and the Lord lets us know. 02:57 In this case it was an angel. 02:59 Don't know, if you remember a few years back 03:02 angels seemed to be a very, very popular thing, 03:04 television shows, angel this and angel that, 03:07 little trinkets you can buy at the store with angels 03:10 and cards with it, everything was angels. 03:12 But let's not forget that in the scriptures 03:14 there are two kinds of angels. 03:15 The angels of the Lord and those fallen angels. 03:19 The angels of the evil one but Philip knew the difference 03:23 which was which and who was who. 03:25 And so that brings us up to the story today 03:27 which is found in the Book of Acts 03:29 and that's Chapter 8 in the Book of Acts. 03:32 And we want to begin by picking up the story here in verse 26, 03:36 and we'll look at this verse by verse. 03:39 Acts 8:26, 03:42 "Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, 03:46 'Arise and go toward the south along the road 03:49 which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.' 03:52 This is desert." 03:56 Well, we are familiar with the word Gaza, the Gaza strip. 04:00 Lot of things still happening 04:01 in that area of the world today. 04:03 But notice in that verse, the angel of the Lord came 04:06 and the first thing the angel said to Philip was, "arise." 04:10 So someone imagines, well, was he sitting down 04:12 when the message came? 04:13 No, no, no, no. 04:14 Arise, what did he mean arise? 04:16 God's call is always an upward call. 04:21 To follow Him we have to get up and go where He leads. 04:26 Christians who only warm pews at church 04:30 year after year and month after month, 04:32 they really shot changed themselves 04:34 and never experienced the joy 04:36 and adventure that active service brings. 04:39 And I know if anyone who has experienced that 04:41 has now said, amen. 04:43 Active service. 04:45 They will soon begin to find fault 04:47 with their fellow Christian brothers and sisters 04:50 and find fault and gossip and, you know, 04:53 the cure from many of our ills in church 04:56 and among one another and even in families is to arise 05:00 and obey the gospel commission to go. 05:03 Go where? Wherever it is that the Lord leads. 05:06 That's the exciting part. 05:07 Philip had to arise and go 05:10 and the Word of the God is living and active. 05:14 The scripture say, 05:15 like a two edge sword cuts both ways. 05:17 It cuts, but it cuts to heal. 05:20 It must move our hearts to get up and to arise and go. 05:25 God does not simply ask people, 05:28 go over there, I'm not gonna tell you where. 05:29 It's true with Abraham, He said, 05:30 go to a place I will show you, 05:32 didn't seem to really have named it 05:33 but God has a specific place and a specific purpose, 05:38 a specific type of ministry 05:40 He wants us to be involved with. 05:42 Often times we have these lofty dreams, 05:44 well, I'll be doing this and I want to do that, 05:46 when the ministry may be right under our noses, right here. 05:50 One preacher I remember many years ago saying, 05:52 we need as Christians to learn to pray the prayer. 05:55 God, today use me in Your service. 05:59 Help me to make a difference in somebody's life, 06:01 to reach out and touch someone's life for You 06:04 and help me to see the opportunity. 06:07 How often have opportunities past us by 06:10 even though we have prayed, use me today. 06:13 It reminds me one time many years ago in Japan 06:17 that I was a volunteer missionary there 06:19 working with language schools 06:21 and I was on a train in the evening coming back 06:24 from teaching an outside class at a company, group of people. 06:29 And I was dog tired sitting there on the train, 06:32 some of the seats faced each other this way 06:33 and some are lined up parallel. 06:35 And as I sat there it was in the night and of course, 06:38 so there was a reflection of the lights from inside 06:40 and I could see several rows in this direction, 06:43 there was a young girl looking at me 06:45 and really looking at me. 06:47 It made me uncomfortable and I said, 06:49 oh, I don't know what she's looking at 06:51 but took out my book, started to read, 06:53 after a couple of minutes or so I felt a presence come 06:56 and just sit down next to me and it was her. 06:58 And I wondered, what does she want? 07:00 She turned over to me and she said, 07:01 excuse me, where are you from? 07:02 You know, and we exchanged small talk 07:04 and her with her limited English 07:06 and my-- with my regular English 07:08 'cause I couldn't speak very much Japanese at the time. 07:11 And one thing led to the next and first thing, 07:14 you know, I gave her a card, invited her to the school, 07:17 she came began taking English classes, 07:19 joined the Bible study classes 07:21 and all the results of being on a train just tired, 07:25 just thinking I'm doing my regular my whole hmm thing here 07:28 but God uses some of the things 07:30 we least expect to touch peoples lives 07:33 if we are willing to arise. 07:34 And what if what I'd said, err... 07:36 and moved and got off the train? 07:38 But being open and willing to just talk 07:41 even though I was so tired having used English 07:44 all day along there, it doesn't matter. 07:46 And in the text we read, 07:48 it says, that Philip was sent on this road 07:51 which was a desert road. 07:56 Sometimes the most unpromising looking places 08:00 or opportunities or situations can reap some of the benefit, 08:05 some of the most wonderful results for the gospel, 08:08 for the benefit of the kingdom of God 08:10 but for those who like Philip, 08:14 who are willing to go for God. 08:17 The desert road was a descending road 08:21 the scripture says, kind of like a downhill road. 08:24 It was downhill literally from Jerusalem. 08:26 The road to service may take us into places that 08:29 for us may seem beneath us or in a place, 08:31 whoa, I got a downgrade my life here, 08:33 cut things and drop things. 08:35 And I remember in working with voluntary missionaries 08:38 for years that often times they would call 08:40 or write a letter, what should I bring? 08:42 What do I need to spend a year as a volunteer? 08:44 And sometimes even having received the letter 08:46 and the explanation they would show up 08:48 at the airport with all these suitcases and stuff. 08:51 One young lady one time, it's still kind of funny to me, 08:54 showed up with one suitcase full of shoes, only shoes. 08:58 And we told her, you better mail those home, 08:59 you're not gonna need all those shoes over there in Asia 09:01 and she didn't, and she did, 09:04 that is she didn't need the shoes 09:05 but she mailed them home. 09:06 Let's continue looking now as we learned from Philip 09:11 and putting your self-interest aside verse 27 here 09:14 in the same chapter of Acts Chapter 8. 09:17 "So he arose and he went. 09:20 And behold, a man of Ethiopia, 09:22 a eunuch of great authority 09:25 under Candace the queen of Ethiopians, 09:27 who had charge of all her treasury, 09:29 and had come to Jerusalem to worship." 09:32 Philip met a eunuch 09:35 from the chord of the queen of Ethiopia. 09:39 Who would ever expect to find such, 09:41 such a person of great position 09:44 on a desert road in a lonely place going downhill 09:48 but he went when the Lord told him to go. 09:49 Now eunuchs were usually chamberlains 09:52 used in the Royal women's quarters 09:54 and they could hold a high office as a man 09:57 which he did without any problems of the things 10:00 that could potentially happen in that area of the palace. 10:03 But the eyes of the Jews, in the eyes of the Jews 10:06 this man was cut off not being a Jew, 10:09 not being a part of the congregation 10:11 or of the covenant, 10:12 he was someone who was considered a gentile. 10:16 And he may have been cut off in the eyes of the Jews, 10:18 but he was not cut off in the eyes of God 10:21 and that's the most important part. 10:24 So here he was having comeback from Jerusalem 10:27 having gone up there for the purpose of worshiping, 10:29 a seeker after truth with enough money 10:32 to have purchase for himself a scroll from the scriptures 10:35 we will see which were all handwritten in those days 10:38 on under simple cover as we have the Bible in our time. 10:41 And I want to read from the Book of Galatians 3:28. 10:46 Galatians 3:28. We read these beautiful words 10:50 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, 10:53 there is neither slave nor free, 10:56 there is neither male nor female, 10:58 for you are all one in Christ Jesus." 11:02 One in Christ Jesus. 11:05 There is the source, there is the motivating factor, 11:08 there is the power for true unity among men and women 11:13 and the only place to find Christian unity 11:17 which is only found of course in Christ. 11:20 So Philip met this man. 11:22 This man was a trusted servant, 11:24 in charge of the queens treasury, we just read. 11:28 He was an honest seeker of truth 11:30 just as he was honest in his worldly dealings. 11:33 And though he was custom to living in luxury, 11:36 he was not satisfied. 11:38 With all that he had something was still lacking, 11:41 something was missing from his life 11:43 and he probably went to Jerusalem 11:45 to find that missing something 11:48 and to find peace of mind and peace between him and God. 11:53 Did he find it? 11:54 Perhaps he did, partially anyway. 11:57 He had been there to worship. 11:59 His trip was a personal pilgrimage if you will. 12:02 And no doubt he had prayed much for God 12:07 to touch him at a level that only God could 12:10 and putting together all the faith that he could muster. 12:13 And so here he was away from the noise 12:15 and the crowds of Jerusalem 12:17 and in his chariot reading the scroll 12:19 and there were no distractions on the desert road 12:22 and God sent him a personal teacher as an answer to prayer. 12:27 What is my reason for going to church? 12:30 Do you go to church? 12:32 What's your reason for going-- 12:33 what your reason for not going to church? 12:35 That could be another topic. 12:37 What's your reason for going to church? 12:38 What do you hope to find when you go there? 12:40 What does it mean to worship God? 12:43 Often times I fear we forget 12:46 that aspect of the church body in assembly in worship. 12:52 Worship is something that we give to God. 12:55 Years ago I remember an old preacher saying 12:57 when I was in my early 20's 12:59 that the word worship has something to do 13:01 with blowing kisses of adoration to God. 13:04 Well, that's what this man had gone to do. 13:07 And certainly I hope we can experience that also 13:10 as we go to church to worship 13:12 and as we turn our hearts towards God, 13:14 they blow kisses to Him 13:15 because it is God who draws us and pulls us into His worship. 13:20 We'll back in Acts and verse 28 of chapter 8. 13:24 Act 8:28 "He was returning, and sitting in his chariot, 13:30 he was read Isaiah the prophet." 13:33 Reading from the prophet Isaiah 13:35 and I was found that interesting. 13:37 No chapters and verses in those days 13:39 so somewhere in that scroll 13:40 somehow he opened to that portion exactly where he was 13:44 and he was reading and not understanding everything 13:46 that was going on, 13:47 but he was diligent and diligence is necessary. 13:51 We have to face it. We have to believe it. 13:53 Often times we open the Bible and wonder, 13:55 what is this mean? 13:56 What is God trying to say to me here? 13:58 Give Him time, compare scripture with scripture. 14:02 Think and pray and read and go back and pray 14:05 and read again until the Lord reveals 14:08 what He has in His mind and in His word for you. 14:10 The seeds of truth 14:11 you see had been planted in this man's heart, 14:14 but he needed the personal labor of Philip 14:18 the missionary to bring him further understanding 14:22 and to a final decision for Jesus Christ. 14:26 In a book called Acts of the Apostles 14:29 page 109, are these words "The angel sent Philip, 14:34 the angel sent to Philip could himself have done 14:37 the work for the Ethiopian." 14:39 Angel could have done it and done it much quicker. 14:42 "But this is not God's way of working. 14:45 It is His plan that men are to work for their fellow men." 14:49 Men meaning people are to work for their fellow people. 14:53 And then a very good book Evangelism page 438 says this 14:58 "Personal influence is a power." 15:02 Did you know that? 15:03 "Personal influence is a power." 15:05 God wants to utilize your uniqueness 15:08 in ministering to someone. 15:11 "The more direct our labor for our fellow-men, 15:15 the greater good will be accomplished." 15:19 It's a beautiful quote. Beautiful quote. 15:22 And then verse 29 in Acts Chapter 8 15:26 "Then the Spirit said to Philip, 15:28 'Go near, and overtake this chariot.'" 15:31 Go near and overtake this chariot. 15:34 That's amazing. 15:36 The Holy Spirit told Philip 15:38 to overtake the Ethiopians chariot. 15:41 First of all it's amazing that Philip was so in tune 15:44 with the Lord that he could understand 15:46 that it was the spirit and not just some inward urge 15:49 that was telling him to do this clearly, 15:50 overtake the chariot. 15:52 Now I don't know about you, 15:53 but I haven't overtaken there many chariots lately. 15:56 Now presumably the man must have been 15:58 at a slow gate for the horse or at least the slow trot 16:02 but that's quite the thing to overtake 16:04 and they are moving and I can see Philip 16:06 here running along side and the man's reading 16:09 and he's looking and he sees the guy 16:10 walking next to him there. 16:12 Aren't you glad that the Lord sends it just the right time? 16:16 Some person, some message, 16:19 some blessing to overtake us 16:21 and that's exactly what he did, he overtook this man. 16:25 How sad it is. 16:28 When individual spend their lives 16:30 trying to run away from God instead of turning around-- 16:33 that's what repentance means, 16:35 to turnaround to choose a new direction 16:37 and running towards him 16:40 overtake the chariot and then verse 30. 16:43 Acts 8:30. 16:45 "So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading 16:49 the prophet Isaiah and said, 16:51 'Do you understand what you are reading?"' 16:55 The Ethiopian admitted, he didn't understand. 16:59 And he needed someone to explain 17:01 that difficult portion of the scripture for him. 17:05 And that same beautiful book Acts of Apostles 17:07 it summarizes it nicely so I'll read it, page 109." 17:11 This Ethiopian represented a large class 17:14 who need to be taught by such missionaries as Philip. 17:18 Men," men and women, "who will hear the voice of God 17:22 and go where He sends them." 17:24 Have you heard His voice? 17:26 Are you willing to go where He sends you? 17:29 Continuing the quote. 17:30 "There are many who are reading the Scriptures 17:33 who cannot understand their true import. 17:36 All over the world our men and women 17:38 looking wistfully to heaven 17:41 and praying to the Lord send help. 17:43 Prayers and tears and inquiries go up from souls 17:46 longing for light, for grace and for the Holy Spirit. 17:51 Many are on the verge of the kingdom, 17:53 waiting only to be gathered in." 17:57 On the verge of the kingdom, waiting only to be gathered in. 18:02 And so Philip did little jogging there 18:04 and he caught up and then we go to verse 31 18:06 and we'll read straight through to verse 34. 18:10 Acts 8:31 and he said 18:12 "How can I, unless someone guides me? 18:16 And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 18:19 The place in the Scriptures which he read was this. 18:22 'He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. 18:25 And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, 18:29 so he opened not His mouth. 18:31 In His immolation, His justice was taken away. 18:35 And who will declare His generation 18:38 for His life is taken from the earth.' 18:43 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, 18:47 'I ask you of whom does the prophet say this, 18:50 of himself or of some other man?'" 18:54 Who is he talking about? 18:55 What's going on? I don't understand. 18:57 The Ethiopian really needed to understand this prophecy, why? 19:01 Because it was a prophecy of the coming Messiah. 19:04 Who had already come. 19:06 Who had already died as a sacrifice. 19:08 The suffering servant sent for my sins 19:11 and for your sins and for the sins of the world, 19:14 all these questions running around in this mans mind, 19:18 it began to be answered from this point in the story 19:22 that which was the desire of his heart. 19:24 Philip came to unfold. 19:26 And verse 35 we read "Then Philip opened his mouth, 19:31 and beginning at this scripture preached Jesus to him." 19:36 Beginning right where the man was 19:38 he preached Jesus to him. 19:40 You know, that's the type of Christian that I want to be. 19:43 That's the type of Christian I hope that you want to be 19:46 that wherever a person is in their experience 19:48 that we will be so familiar with God's word 19:51 that spirit will bring it back to our memory 19:54 and we'll be able to go right their 19:55 and up open the word and unfold it to them 19:58 right where they are at. 19:59 And beginning with that scripture, 20:01 Philip began sharing God's word from that text 20:05 which the Ethiopian had been reading and trying so hard 20:08 and praying so fervently to understand. 20:11 We need to begin where the people are at. 20:14 No matter what point we may begin at, 20:16 it's interesting for the Christian 20:17 for the one who loves the Lord. 20:19 Wherever you begin it always comes back to the same place, 20:22 Jesus the center focus of God's word. 20:26 He is the center of the Bible and the center of all truth. 20:30 No wondered He said of Himself I am the way, 20:33 the truth and the life. 20:35 And so here's Philip explaining to this man 20:38 what the scripture means and what's going on in here 20:41 and the man-- I can only imagine 20:44 was thrilled in his heart as the meaning 20:47 and the understanding of the word came forth 20:49 and you mean this Jesus of Nazareth. 20:52 He is the one and he already came 20:53 and you are one of His followers, 20:55 you are, you are wow. 20:57 And how did you say you came here? 20:59 An angel of the Lord told me in answered to your prayer. 21:01 Can you imagine what he must have felt like to know? 21:06 We can experience similar things in our life 21:08 and many times we have but sometimes 21:12 we don't have these earth shattering experiences 21:15 that say, wow, what a miracle God has worked for me 21:18 or may be we're just too blinded 21:19 for one reason or another 21:21 to realize what God has done for us. 21:23 But you know, we'll understand it better 21:25 by and by as the song says, we'll indeed. 21:29 And in verse 36 of the same chapter, 21:32 "Now as they went down the road, 21:34 they came to some water. 21:36 And the eunuch said, 'See, or look here is water. 21:41 What hinders me from being baptized?'" 21:44 Look, here is water what hinders me 21:48 from being baptized? 21:50 Now those words for an evangelist. 21:52 Those words for a pastor, for a minister, 21:55 certainly are exciting. 21:57 But those words for any Christian 21:59 can be some of the most exciting words 22:02 you ever experience in your life. 22:03 If you've never had that experience 22:06 of working with someone and being a part of the process 22:09 that leads to their making a decision for Christ, 22:12 you have missed out on a large portion. 22:15 I'm not even gonna put a percentage on it. 22:16 A large portion of what it means to be a Christian 22:20 and the joy of Jesus. 22:22 Just to see someone say, and to see the lights dawn 22:25 as it were to come on in their heart and to say, 22:27 yes, this is what I want. 22:29 Most recently at the church that I am pastoring 22:34 we had a family who came from Japan 22:37 and they came from Japan to seek 22:40 a little bit more extra help if there is anything else 22:42 it can be done or could be done 22:44 for they are very young daughter 29-years-old 22:47 and with terminal cancer, bone cancer. 22:50 They've been giving up. 22:52 In Japan they were told matter of days 22:55 and they actually through a serious of miracles 22:57 were able to actually fly her to the States 23:00 almost like escaping from the hospital 23:03 and fly her to the States, 23:04 she was able to get treatment at major hospital 23:07 and was there in the States getting this treatment 23:11 for three months. 23:12 She did eventually pass away but not before 23:15 she was brought into contact with people from the church 23:19 including my wife and I and many other church members 23:22 from her own lip she said, I want to go to church, 23:25 not a Christian but I want to go to church. 23:28 And so they brought her in the wheelchair 23:30 with the oxygen tank to church and I though 23:33 there are some people who have no physical ailment, 23:35 they are just too lazy to get out of bed 23:37 to come to church. 23:38 But here was this girl, I mean, 23:40 a choir exhausting for her who came to church 23:43 and sat there within ear short of the Word of God. 23:47 And to make the long story short, short. 23:50 She did pass away but the family said 23:54 they wanted to have her funeral at the church, 23:57 a Christian memorial service before taking her remains, 24:00 cremated remains back to Japan. 24:03 And again I had the privilege of taking part in that. 24:05 And right after the memorial service 24:08 and a very small reception 24:10 for the 50 years old people who had come. 24:13 Her older brother turned to me and said, 24:15 turned to one of the members and said 24:17 I want to be baptized. 24:20 Oh, what a thrill to know that here was a man 24:23 who has never studied the Bible 24:25 yet except for the few messages he has heard at church 24:28 in the sermon and he wants to be baptized. 24:31 Can you imagine the thrill that Philip felt 24:33 when he said, hey, wait, wait, stop, stop here is water. 24:37 Who wants to prevent me from being baptized? 24:39 And then Philip told him, 24:41 if you believe with all your heart, you may. 24:45 So the chariot stops right there in the row. 24:49 They step down of the chariot, 24:51 they head down toward whatever body of water that was. 24:55 And in the scripture it's very interesting 24:57 as you read that they went down into the water, 24:59 Philip baptized him and he says, 25:01 and he came up out of the water 25:02 which we could go into but we have no time. 25:05 True Biblical baptism. 25:09 They went down to the water together 25:11 and here is this man going down into the water 25:15 as a gentile one who was unknown 25:17 and uncared for by the people who were considered 25:20 the children of God and as he comes up he's a new man. 25:24 And not only is he a new man, 25:26 but he's a new creation in Jesus Christ 25:30 with a new life, with new purpose. 25:35 What an exciting thing? 25:36 He didn't may be realize it at the time 25:38 but he also came up out of that water 25:40 as a new missionary. 25:42 And he went back home to the court of that queen 25:45 as the first Christian there, 25:47 the first that I can find reference to. 25:49 Back to that court to tell what great things 25:52 God had done for him. 25:54 And we know today there are a lot of Christians 25:56 in Ethiopia and I wonder 25:58 if you trace the roots far back enough, 26:00 how much of that began with this eunuch, 26:03 this in the eyes of some insignificant person. 26:07 But a person who was significant to God 26:09 and whom God reached out and touched, 26:12 whom God had a special purpose for 26:14 just as He has for you, just as He has for me 26:17 and that purpose unfolds 26:19 as we are about the father's business. 26:22 And Philip, what if he had made excuses? 26:24 Go down to the road from Gaza, 26:26 I mean, that's a desert road, its hot down there, 26:28 there are thieves that I could get mugged. 26:30 What's not down there? 26:31 All the people are here in Jerusalem, 26:33 why should I go down to such a deserted place? 26:37 There's nobody down there. 26:39 There's no people down there, I could get mug down there. 26:41 There are thieves on that road, its famous for that. 26:44 But none of these excuses did he make? 26:46 He listened to what the angel told him. 26:49 He listened to the prompting that the Holy Spirit 26:51 and he moved on that prompting. 26:54 And I am very, very happy that he did that Ethiopian 26:58 was very, very happy that he did 27:00 and no doubt became a very powerful witness 27:04 for the Lord back in Ethiopia. 27:06 Now someone today, perhaps yourself, 27:10 is on a desert road and heading downhill 27:13 in the opposite direction of the Lord. 27:15 Your life is dry and you're thirsting for God 27:19 whether you realize it or not. 27:21 Today could be your opportunity to make that decision to come 27:25 all the way over on the Lord side 27:27 to make that decision for baptism, yes. 27:31 Is He calling you? Has He been calling you? 27:34 Look, here is water. 27:36 Look, now is the time to make this decision 27:38 for your good, for the good of others 27:42 because the Lord is the one who does the calling. 27:44 The Lord is the one who sends and who does the whole thing. 27:48 Don't put it off. 27:49 Turn your life over to Him and may God bless you 27:53 and keep you in His name. |
Revised 2014-12-17