Welcome to Strong Tower Youth Camp 2024! by Corey Porterfield First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN) Kind: sermon Scripture: Luke 15:15-16, 2 Peter 1:20-21 Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/corey-porterfield--welcome-to-strong-tower-youth-camp-2024-4 Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page. Free to copy and share with attribution. ------------------------------------------------------------ you may be seated for just a moment what an honor it is to be here uh tonight Mars Mars Hill North Carolina Strong Tower Youth Camp um so thankful brother Zack Hammond said it so thankful for friends and and you know I I don't know where I would be without the body of Christ I don't know what I don't know where I would be without God's church and uh I I'm so thankful uh for what the Lord is doing in this generation I'm thankful for that I give honor to the leadership of this uh this Youth Camp I Love Our Youth president our student Ministries president brother Zach Hammond and his family are they not doing an incredible job they are doing an incredible job and I'm so thankful uh for them I love the carpenter family the Ericson family I'm looking forward uh to hearing brother Nolan Carpenter uh preach along with with uh some great friends uh brother Nate Roberts and I'm so thankful uh for what the Lord is is going to do this week I'm super excited uh about sharing the pull pit this week uh with brother Landon Gore what an explosive Ministry he is and uh I'm I'm thankful for that and uh regardless of what he says Strong Tower is the greatest Youth Camp and so besides Camp yat if you have your Bibles turn with me to the Book of Luke chapter 15 while you're turning there there's several young people uh here with me from Jesus Jesus name Community Church and I love them they wrote up here with if I'm a little off tonight it's not because I haven't prayed it's not because I haven't fasted for this Youth Camp it's not because I didn't read my word I didn't study it's because I spent about eight hours with a wild group they are a wild group but I love them and they better be shouting tonight or I'm going to jump off this stage and I'm going to get them give honor to my family here tonight my wife who I love dearly what a Class Act she is what a holy ghost filled Lady Of God she is and I'm so thankful what a strength she is to me and my girls and Brantley I'm so thankful for her we got Remy here Lexi is here and if you're trying to find Brantley uh just ask where Parker is and he'll be within 10 to 15 feet in that vicinity and uh he'll kill me later that'll be all right Luke 15 15 and 16 the Bible says and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him into his fields to feed swine somebody say feed swine and he would Fain have filled his belly with the husk that the swine did eat everybody say swine and no man gave unto him the Bible says and he sent him into his fields to feed swine I want to preach to you for just a moment on this subject feeding pigs feeding pigs I believe God's going to do something on this first night I believe God's going to do something on this first night would you put your Bibles down would you lift your hands in this place would you lift your voice all across this house and would you pray with this preacher tonight somebody lift you is there an Apostolic young man a Apostolic young lady in this house Lord we love you tonight God we give you all the glory we give you all the honor God we give you all the praise God I'm asking you God to meet us tonight God help us Lord God help me God don't allow me to try to be anybody that I I'm not God help me God help me tonight Lord if there's anybody in this house that's never experienced you in the power of the Holy Ghost God before this service is over feel them from the top of their head to the soul of their feet in the name of Jesus we pray somebody shout amen clap your hands as loud as you can as you're being seated tonight don't stay seated the prodal son is no doubt one of the most popular sermon topics of any preacher I doubt that there is a preacher in this movement that has preached over 10 times and never mentioned the prodal in some degree in one of his messages and why would you not mention it if you're a preacher of Hope and you turned that book open I don't know that there is a better story than the prodal it's it's a story that represents restoration it's a message of hope it's a message of second chances I don't know about you tonight but I'm thankful for stories like this of the prodal I thank God I thank God for preaching I love preaching I I enjoy preaching I remember when when me and my wife wife first got married I I I didn't even listen to music I just wanted to listen to preaching I there was many times she loves preaching as well she's a student of the word she she loves the word of God but there was times that that that I if you if you know me at all I can I can get out of balance sometimes and she said Corey would you just let us listen to something else for for once but I love preaching I love inspiring lifechanging sermons that came straight off the altar of the anointing and most of us can pinpoint a message at some point in our life that was a turning point in that particular time and season that we were in I still remember it was the early 2000s and myself and brother Hammond went down to Alexandria Louisiana we were uh a part of a a a a training program that they had there called POA training center and we we took a group down to week of anointing at brother Foster's church at Monroe Louisiana now you got to understand I was fresh in the church I had not been preaching long I don't know that point I don't even remember if I had preached one place and we walked in to that building that night and I'll never forget it you don't forget certain moments in your life and and I walked in that night and it may not have hit everybody else the same way but I'll never forget the message when he gave his tile you can win the fight without winning every round brother Rex Johnson you you probably don't know who that is maybe some of you young people here but he never preached better that night and I still remember laying in that altar weeping under the power of the Holy Ghost I remember I I when I when I when I got connected with preaching and I fell in love with preaching I remember sitting in my my room upstairs at home and and and I had my laptop open and and that night brother Doug white never preached better he preached a message and some of some of the the preachers here tonight may remember he he preached on that on that laptop that night when God delivers his darling from the dog I've never shook his hand I've never met brother white but that night brother Gore he preached me under conviction and I remember laying on my bed tears flowing down my face I remember when I was just just early they took me to a let's talk an AJC let's talk it was the first time that I'd ever heard Bishop JH o Osborne preach and he preached a message that changed my life when it's time to to pay the dancer it was 2012 hear me tonight 2012 that brother Carpenter I remember my family walked in that that Mississippi camp meeting and and uh uh my my aunt had went through something terrible and the tragedy had hit our our home and and uh brother Carpenter had no idea and we walked in that camp meeting and I remember I remember as our family sat toward the back there and that that man of God stood to that pull pit and knew oby Mississippi I remember when he when he read his title I knew that that that service that God had my my family just picked out he read how to fix a brok broken wing it was a message of restoration I could go on and on and on and on and on another lifechanging message thank God for messages that reach to the lost and hurting people and if it weren't for words like those young people I can promise you this I may have never made it to this Pulpit you listen to me tonight that you better make sure you pay attention this week because there's going to be things said over this sacred desk that going to change your life forever you hear me right now young person you walked in this building you walked on this campus and God he beat you to this place he ordered your steps it was not by chance that you showed up to this University to Strong Tower Youth Camp because I believe that God has a word for every young lady and every young man it is not some random words coming across this stage but it is a word from God that's going to speak to you uh that you'll carry for the rest of your life I hope tonight all those moments that I had in church all those moments that God used men of God I hope tonight God will will move in a similar way but the difference from tonight's message and many that I have preached about the prodical is that I want to focus not on the way back to the sanctuary or The Inheritance but if you'll allow me for just a few moments I want to preach to you tonight on the way that keeps you from ever leaving the sanctuary and The Inheritance it troubles my soul as we watch anointed young people seemingly by the thousands leave the church and spending everything they've got not just young people Apostolic men Apostolic ladies the church people that was raised in church people that cut their teeth on the church pew young people spending their reputation old people spending their influence Ministry spending their credibility for what for what this world a moment a moment of pleasure I've come to tell some person tonight I've come to preach to you young man young lady I've come to tell you right now now that you do not have to leave the presence of the almighty God can I preach to somebody right now can I tell you right now that there is a way to stay within the confines of the church this is the safe place and the devil's going to try everything he can to rip you from your youth group uh and pull you from The Altar and pull you from the family of God but I feel something in my spirit uh that God has sent me uh to Strong Tower Youth Camp uh to reach for some young lady and tell you that you don't have to leave uh this Godly Truth uh young man you don't have to leave the teachings of your parents the greatest testimony that you can have is that God kept me from the Ws of Satan I don't care what anybody say it's the greatest testimony myself and thousands have preached about the prodal leaving and coming back we get excited and I get it the father greeting him with open arms and let me tell you that's what all that's what the church ought to be but the father greeting him with open arms and the fatted calf and the father calling for the robe and the ring and it's true let me stop right there and tell you that if in if you're in this place hear me right now if you're in this house under the sound of my voice and you have left but you want to come back God's waiting on you and I believe there's a youth group waiting on you and I believe there a church waiting on you and I believe there's some Apostolic friends that's not going to condemn you so if you're in this place I want you to know that God's reaching for you and God is calling for you uh and there's Ministry that loves you uh and there's a youth group that is for you look this is for you I can preach it I am the prodal and I'll get to that later but I want you to understand that that I am the testimony I am that testimony now thank God for that story but you listen to me I want to tell you a there's another side to that testimony there another side to that testimony that we don't hear about often we preach about the robe and we we preach about the ring but rarely do we mention the elephant in the room sure the prodal got the party he was accepted he did he got his ring and he got his he got his robe but the elephant in the room is young man is that he never got back his inheritance because it was already spent it's already spit Bible says and he went out he joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him into his fields to feed swine somebody say feed swine and he would have have Fain would Fain have filled his belly with the hus that swine somebody say swine that the swine did eat and no man gave unto him let me give you a very interesting point in this portion of scripture that sums up what this boy has done with his life he's messed his life up he's he's ruined his life but to really understand the scripture you first must know that the son was a Jew and for a Jew to tend to pigs was the height of humiliation since they were deemed unclean according to the Old Testament laws and so understand this that when you read the scripture and it says that he fed swine he was feeding something that could not feed him back he was nourishing something that could not give him the same nourishment back it's like a story about the story that it's in the prodal he left the safe place he took everything that he had and invested it in something that could not give back and as I read this scripture every time I read this scripture I cannot help but think how many of us tonight are feeding things that cannot feed us back go ahead go ahead you you got your suit on you can lift those hands all you want to but you're not fooling me baby I was a teenager at one point as well I was backslid as well and I could Shout with the best of them and I could pray with the best of them and I could look my parents in the eye and tell them exactly what they wanted to hear but when the door was closed and God was I felt like he was nowhere around I thought Church would be there when it was there and I began to feed things that could not feed me back is there a young person that's willing to be honest on this first tonight is there a young lady that'll say hey he's already read my mail I think that I'll quit playing games I think that tonight I'll make up my mind you hear me you're feeding things cannot feed you back you're nourishing things that'll never be able to have nourishment to give you back I know this may sound oldfashioned tonight but I'm going to say it anyways you better get your priorities in the right place I don't say that mean I don't say that ugly I'm not trying to be somebody that I am not I'll tell you what I am I'm a pastor that loves people I'm a dad that loves his kids I'm an adult that's been through hell that's looking at a good group of young people that the devil's got his hands around your soul and you're entertaining things that's going to kill you if you do not get a hold of this thing first things first we have time you hear me right now I look th this world has gotten more out of hand I mean it's it's busier than it's ever been we've got time for everything though like it it doesn't make sense to me when people come to me at church and say I'm just too busy for Friday night I'm just too busy like I would have been there but man it's been a busy week as if it wasn't busy for me brother cor if it wasn't busy for the other two or three 100 that showed up you do what you want to do is this all right you do what you want to do and I'm not I'm not trying to be ugly to you I'm just telling you I'm trying to make make make a place that that that this generation I just wonder is there somebody that would make room for God cuz you weren't complaining about the tournament and you weren't complaining about how long the game lasted and you weren't upset we have time for recreation we have time for rest we have time for jobs we have time for social media we have time for our friend's birthday we have time for vacations we have time for fishing we've got time for golf we've got time for our friends we spend hours hours with our friends I could go on and on and on but isn't it crazy how we have time for all of that but somehow God's word never makes its way into our schedule we spend hours chatting online you got lost in time playing the Xbox 4 hours that might be generous for some of you had enough energy to stay up all night binge watch a Netflix show but when Sunday night rolls around I'm so tired man is he going to preach that long how many songs are they going to sing man I feel like we got church all the time let me tell you the world's open 24 hours a day we don't have enough church I wish we had four camps a year I wish we had what are you feeding what do you got an appetite for what are you hungry for I just God just sent me here on a Monday night to try to challenge somebody so that you might get hungry for the things of God again when's the last time you prayed for hours in the altar when's the last time you worshiped uh and and and then sweat it out your suit uh when's the last time feeding things that cannot feed us back we'll send ourselves to basketball camps save Senor trips spend thousands I'm not against those things don't misinterpret what I'm preaching until the only time I'm against it is when we'll spend hundreds and thousands for a game and a vacation and never complain about the price but somebody else had to pay for you this week or you wasn't coming come on you got a part-time job to get to that volleyball camp you got a part-time job make sure you didn't miss that football camp but when it come to to you Youth Camp mama had to beg you Daddy had to have a family meeting why cuz you don't have a hunger for the things of God and you're feeding things that cannot feed you back but I wonder is there an Apostolic young man that says I'm ready for a move of God I'm ready for a change in my life I wonder if there's a lady that'll stand up in this world that is filthy and perverted and say hey I'll live holy I'll live Godly I'll live modest hear me look I'm nothing wrong with having fun nothing wrong with those things I'm not preaching that all three of my kids are here tonight brother Garnett all three of them are here and I want them to experience everything good life has to offer I do but you can bet your bottom dollar that if I can afford to get them to Everything Under the Sun that this world has to offer you can bet if there's if there's anything left in my bank account it's not going into the savings they're going to make sure matter of fact let me read arrange that they ain't going to the other stuff if we can't afford to get them here and if we got enough after this is over with then yeah we'll look at it we'll consider it but the greatest thing you'll ever experience is a move uh of the Holy Ghost and you better grow up loving it and having an appetite for it cuz it's the only thing my son Brantley enjoyed ball he enjoyed Sports he loves all those things I still remember some of my Fondest Memories enjoying those things with my kids I remember he was playing in a little league little baseball league like a local Municipal Park type deal just everybody in the community playing and uh I remember leaning on a fence watch him he's probably 10 11 12 years old I was watching him someone came up behind me tapped me on the shoulder looked around it was a man I'd never met before he said are you brantley's dad that's what a lot of people call me nowadays they forgot my name I said yes sir I am he said my name's Rod me he said I Own Zone Fitness he said I coach a travel ball team he Saidi got a call about your son and he said 'I was wondering if maybe he could play on that travel ball team I said sure I he said I said what what does it require of you and he said uh well first off each parents pays $1,000 I said hope you can go ahead and leave right now I ain't paying you $ th000 doll for him to play baseball this C this this league was free he said well well we'll just have him come to try out and we'll do all we'll figure that out I said okay he said and and and there are are some tournaments on Sundays and I said okay hold up I said he'll never play on a Sunday I said and sometimes we have weekend Revival he'll he'll miss every one of those and and and I also want you to know that I don't mind him playing but if there's any events he won't he won't be able to make he won't be able to make those games he can only play on the off nights you say why would you do that I'll tell you why cuz in 20 years nobody's going to remember him making a play it shortstop but eternity somebody oh somebody hear me right now listen to me his soul is is setting in the balance and ah you hear me right now can I I this may be too early and I haven't got to spend any time with you but I'm going to say it anyways you ready for this you're not playing in the NBA bro I I'm going to go further let me tell and even if you were who cares if you do not make it to Heaven if you think I'm saying we need to quit everything that we're doing doing You' missed the whole message I'm not saying that I'm saying we need to as a generation invest in things that are Godly more than things that are carnal that are worldly that are fleshly I believe God put things on this Earth for us to enjoy but not at our Soul's expense I wish somebody before this night was over would get them a place and rearrange some things when you contrast the feeding of the swine to the investing of The Inheritance in the world you see an undeniable connection between the physical and the spiritual pay attention to it physically he was feeding things that had no ability to nourish him back and spiritually he was feeding things that could not feed him back listen to me stay with me he was physically feeding unclean animals and feeding the swine like literally literal mud and and and and goulash and and and nastiness and saliva from that nasty animal he literally was feeding that in the in the in the physical and then the spinning of The Inheritance and the leaving of his father's house represents the spiritual feeding this is what I want you to know notice that the spiritual feeding always comes before the physical feeding what are you trying to say listen he spent what was given by his father before he found himself in the pig pin because you don't just end up in a pig pig pin it may not happen in your teenage years if you're lucky it will because even Paul knew what what spending time in the world and Satan's grips would do he said turn them over to Satan for a season it'll change them even Samson when he when he went and not saying that God caused him to do anything but but but when he crossed over Tim there was a scripture that that that that I I I noticed early in my my 20s when I'd went through a lot of the things that I'd went through it says that talking referring to his parents Samson's parents for they knew not it was of the Lord sometimes God has to pull his hand back and so here is this this young man and and he never in a million years thought I'm headed to the pig pin never let me tell you isn't it crazy how you never see someone just up and leave their convictions overnight almost always you notice certain failures spiritually first little things just little things you might not even call call it a heaven or hell issue you may not even call it you sin it may just be a weit but but but you'll notice things because they'll stop showing up to Revival Services now they come on Sundays they come on Wednesdays but not Saturday night not Monday no we're not going to do that little things little things that before they were the first in the Altar and now you're look in the altar you can't find them and you think you'll you'll just man man he was tired you start making excuses for him and then all of a sudden now the person that when he first got the Holy Ghost they never talked about people they had respect for Ministry what they used to think was wrong now they no longer see a problem with you don't see them in turmoil up front they aren't alcoholics they haven't spent everything yet they aren't completely gone just yet because before you ever end up feeding pigs young man young lady it always starts but not appreciating what your father's house has blessed you with I can almost guarantee you that when the prodal first left and began to spend a little of his inheritance I almost guarantee he never thought in a million years that he would have ended up in the filth that he found himself in verse 15 and I feel like it's my obligation as a preacher of this gospel tonight to tell somebody young lady you better check yourself when you start feeding small Temptations because before you know it you will have spent everything the father has blessed you with and you'll find yourself in filth that at one time you thought wasn't possible you would you'll find yourself in a place that you say I never and I'll never say that I'll never do that I'm hurrying I promise I I grew up Apostolic had a friend grew up Apostolic with me went to a neighboring church we went to the same public high school it was me my my my cousin who was a pastor son this other young man we were we were inseparable we we we we did everything together went to school kindergarten all the way through senior year somewhere about 8ighth grade I don't know exactly what happened but they fell away from the church quit going to church young man used to be in the altar used to never miss Sunday morning used to never miss Sunday night was it every Wednesday night bible study every Youth Event everything he was always there but they quit going to church I don't have the details and I'm not going to mention his name because he's still a great friend of mine I love him to death but I remember all of us we slipped away backslid I say backslid I don't know that if I would I don't know that I was ever really where I needed to be as a young man but I watched him he went to University of Mississippi oh miss I noticed little things as we were in high school I want to be very careful and how I say it because I want you to know that God does not hate the sin or sinner he hates the sin though got to know that we better be careful of our judgmental spirit and our judgmental attitude that does not mean you can't preach against sin though because it is essential and necessary especially in this hour that somebody Rises up and preaches against the things that are going against God's word so I to this University and I notice through conversation with other friends and things that he was not where he needed to be years later I walk into our office I'm I'm preaching at this point I'm married I got kids at this or three kids at this point and I walk in on Tuesday morning right before staff meeting and I sat down at my laptop this is when the Chick-fil-A drama was going on when Chick-fil-A was going against or or going against the the Christian family values and and and people were boycotting uh Chick-fil-A and and uh I remember that my friend sent me a message on Facebook and it was an article a link to an article he said hey Corey I just hadn't talked to you in a while and he said I love you and I miss you and he said I just want you to know he said uh I I I I I I I haven't seen you or or or or heard from you he said but you're still I still consider you a friend and he said I know you're preaching and I know you're doing great things for God he said but I wanted to send you this link and and I I looked at that link and I and I read that that article and basically I'll give you a synopsis of it basic basically the article said it said that that you can you should be and could be Christian and be Pro lgbtq that's what it said and I I spent back and basically the point was it said it said because all that really matters in the word of God is the red letter what Jesus says and while I hold high regard to what Jesus says I got down and I begin to type and I wrote back and I won't say his name but I said heyen I want you to know that I'm still I still love you and I'm still praying for you and you're still a great friend and I think I thank God for the moments we had growing up and I do all those things but I said I have an obligation to the word of God and I said I want you to know this I want you to understand that that the word of God says in second Peter knowing this first that no Prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation for the prophecy came not in Old Time by the will of men but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost I said man I I I need you to know that the red letters matter a lot and I believe everything Jesus said but that's not all that Jesus said because while the word of God was written by 41 Ro writers over a span of 1500 years over three different continents Africa Asia and Europe and I understand there was no text message and there was no email Emil there was no Transportation but how how in the world that when they got those those articles and those words and they put them together and and they were harmonious all the way through how did that happen I'll tell you why cuz while there was 41 writers there's only one author and his name is Jesus his name is j somebody listen to me right now you better not feed into what this world says you better feed into what the word of God says now my friend supports not only supports but that's his lifestyle he crossdresses as a transgender or he has transgender friends that's the life that he chose to live and I can't help but think that at one point he was a young man sitting in a congregation about like this one saying I'll never do those things I'll never I'll never drink that I'll Never Smoke that I'll never go there I'll never be in that I'll never do those things but you hear me it always starts first with the little spiritual things he would have never left had he had had boundaries that he wouldn't have crossed he needed limits that never been passed fences that were to never be kicked down this Society doesn't like boundaries does it it hates it this generation despises fences it's a roam free atmosphere follow your heart they say do what you feel live life to the fullest but when you have no boundaries young lady young man you have no protection we preach about David how God restored and thank God for res restoration and I'll say it again I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for God forgiven me and David is an unbelievable message to all of us that God can take the worst and turn it for the good but I asked the question what if he would have never walked up on that roof baby wouldn't be dead Uriah wouldn't be murdered d David wouldn't have had so much regret if only he would have had fences in his life but rather he fed pigs he fed his flesh and when you do that young man there's no way around people dying their souls your soul I'm coming to a close tonight almost they can come play softly if they would like I was 16 years old brother Landon Gore 16 years old I was raised in an Apostolic home my dad was an Apostolic pastor had the greatest parents you you could ever imagine I had a rebellious streak in me had a rebellious streak in me I was rebellious I was stubborn I was right everybody else was wrong I was in eth grade the first time I ever tasted alcohol I had heard every message preached my parents were and are still are the best that there is and they're probably listening tonight but it doesn't matter what you have around you you can have the greatest Church the greatest leaders the greatest family but you listen to me young man and young lady when you don't appreciate your father's house I got caught up in sports fell in love with this world had friends that weren't weren't what I needed at the time started dating outside inside the face do Faith doing things I I had been taught not to I Knew What scripture said I'd been drugged to church time and time again I heard every message I was in every altar call I can't tell you how many preachers men of God called me out said Corey this is what God has for you I hated hearing it I didn't want to hear it I never missed a service every Revival my parents did everything right but my Hunger grew for the world it grew for for the world and at a very young age I started feeding things that could not feed me back and at 16 years old I was on vacation with my parents when I received the text I was with the other pastor's son there we were in Florida I was sitting there we' on on vacation I had my phone out having the time of my life parties football B sneaking out windows at night doing all the things that are going to going to every every place that you can imagine we were leaving we'd turn the car off push it up the hill down the hill up the driveway we we do whatever could and then crank it up so we wouldn't get caught and we'd stay out all night long and then we'd sneak back into the window we thought we would never get caught you thought we would never get caught I'm sitting there on that vacation I receive a text message that changed my life and at 16 years old my life changed I asked for permission to talk about this tonight I didn't tell a a soul for six months but I found out at 16 years old Corey you're going to be a father you're going to be a father Cory now you're 16 I was living it up Florida my wonderful family you're going to be a father Cory I didn't tell a soul I didn't tell my parents that week I didn't even tell my friend it was like I froze with fear I can still remember the nights laying in my bedroom wondering brother Hammond what am I going what am I going to do what am I going to do I remember telling my mom she thought everything was she knew I wasn't right she probably had that idea wellever young man goes through those moments I can still hear screaming my dad didn't know what to say what I didn't realize at 16 cuz I was selfish at 16 all I could think about was myself my future's gone or what am I going to do how am I going to go to college I ain't going to get to Good Luck spring break that's that's the kind of dumb thoughts you have at that age I was so mad what I didn't realize is how it would affect everyone around me as well but it was already done and at 16 years old I became a father the best thing ever happened to me besides my wife and the Holy Ghost to Brantley Gunner Porterfield I quickly realized I got the Revelation as I got further down the road one of my greatest fears brother Landon Gore was I was so scared I wasn't going to love him that was like my greatest fear riding to Memphis to Baptist East I believe it was Hospital sitting in that back of that van with my parents I thought I can't do this there's no way I can be a father quickly I realized that I was going to love him more than life itself but I didn't realize that how much it would affect him and I remember watching him realizing that he grew up he never knew what it was like to have a Christmas with his biolog biological mother and his biological father in the same room never spent a vacation with both brothers and sisters on the same thing I remember driving back weekends I never I was 16 years old I never got married just did the best I could she did the best she could we were we were in a bad shape thank God for people to help me I remember I used to cry for myself back in those days but then I'd take him and he'd say Dad can I stay one more day I'd swallow the tears you can't son you got to go back maybe one day right now you can't and I'm sure there was times on the flip side of that where you'd say I don't feel like going Mom sorry you got to cuz let me tell you right now you think you know everything you think you've got this figure this thing figured out and I get it you think your pastor is oldfashioned and your mom and dad they're out of touch with how the world goes but let me tell you there's some things that'll never change a son needs his father and a daughter needs their parents it does matter how crazy this world gets let me tell you right now fornication will destroy you alcohol will kill you maybe you're in this place I I just want to tell you right now I'm preaching to somebody and I'm I'm almost done but I'm trying to tell you young man don't do it because the enemy is tempting you right now you're going to go back to that public high school you're going to walk back to this you're going to walk back even into that Christian High School that that Christian that private school whatever it is that that Apostolic Christian Academy let me tell you there's going to be people even in those places that are going to try to Allure you seduce you there's going to be spirits that try to seduce you it's going to be things that speak to you it's going to try to talk you out of the anointing that God's got on your life he's going to try to pull you and I come to preach to you right now you don't have to leave the sanctuary and you don't have to leave the apostolic church and you don't have to leave that Godly covering of an Apostolic Pastor you don't have to leave the teachings of your Apostolic mother your Apostolic father I wish somebody would stand at their feet right now and I wish you to lift your hands I'm not quite finished just yet but I'm almost there I wish a young man would begin to pray in the Holy Ghost I wish that that was a young lady right now oh God it starts out little I know you think that relationship's harmless but it's not the devil's got you right where he wants you I know you think that just a little bit of this will be just fine but I've come to preach to you it may not be it may not be Brantley make your way up here get up here boy listen you start you start building fences now you hear me you start building fences now you start making up in your mind right now that I'm going to build fences in my life where you at Brent run son I know you faster than that because before I before I go further for all of you that's messed up I going to take like five minutes can I take two minutes CU you listen to me right now for all of you I've been where you are where you get back and you come back and you're sitting there and a man of God preaches a message like this right here and you're like I'm done bro I am messed it up I it is over for me it is finished for me uh there's a ceiling for what God can do for my Ministry there's a ceiling I can't do it I've went too far I've went too far and I've come to tell you you have not cuz you know who this striking young man is right here this is Brantley Gunner Porterfield who's 20 years old I told the Lord when I started preaching preaching brother Landon gour I said God I don't care what stage you put me on I will not not tell my testimony there's only been one time that I did not tell my story only been one time and it was the first time I ever preached a a a at a camp I I went and I said I'm G to bring Brantley and I told him when I was coming I said look I'm not married and I got a son and he's about yay tall and I at that point I looked like I was 17 I was like 22 or three I said 'l I want you to know people going to have questions he's like bro come preach your story I said 'all right I'll do it I told God I said if you give me a chance to preach I said I'll tell it everywhere I go and only time I didn't tell it we got up there and we we I preached and I went to the to the concession stand after I preached that night and Brantley was he's taller than me now but he's about that tall and I ordered me like a hamburger or whatever and I'll still remember the lady was is like hey what's your little brother want and I was like I look down at Brandt and I was like I look back at her and I was he'll take a hot dog it's like I ain't got the energy to talk about what that's a long story but I'm standing up here to tell you tonight for all of you that think God it's finished for you in the apostolic church I don't have that story I had a church that r behind me and I had a youth group that loved me and I had men of God that laid hands on me that's what I had that's my story that's my testimony and I've come to tell you that this young man he's filled with the Holy Ghost he's on our praise team he works he pays his ties I make sure of it he's on our music team he's quickly becoming a leader in our church at home I've come to preach to somebody what the devil for evil God can turn it for the good oh I wish somebody lift their hands right now I wish the Holy Ghost would set upon this place I'm reaching for somebody don't go too far these altars are open I wonder if there's a young man I wonder if there's a young lady that's feeding some things that's not feeding them back you hear me right now if you knew what God was going to do with you you wouldn't shy away from this altar if you knew where God was going to take you come on come on get in here close as you can oh hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah come on come on get in get in get in get in get in get in get in closer the devil thought he had you but you're going to look back at strong strong tower 2024 you going to say God changed my life it was his presence it was his Spirit it was his his anointing the anointing breaks the Yoke go ahead lift your voice lift your voice praise team you can go ahead and sing go ahead go ahead pray young man pray young man up your God's not finished with you it's not over and the the devil's not going to destroy you you make up in my make up in your mind never I'm never leaving this place I'm never leaving the truth I'm never leaving the Apostolic Church I'm never leaving Holiness I'm never leaving righteousness I'm never leaving this message don't ow me anything more than anything that you can do I just want you sing I'm sorry I'm sorry when I just go through the motions now just sing another song another song Take me back I I'm sorry I'm sorry when I told with my with my I'm Sor oh and I for God heart I'm going up be your pres oh I just want to sit I just want to sit here your Fe cry up this never want to leave never I didn't come here for a blessing oh I'm not here for bless oh you've done enough for me God Jesus you don't me more than anything more than you can do I just want you oh I'm sorry Lord I'm sorry when I'm just G through the mo I'm done play chur today we're not just sing another song another song Take Me open heart oh let it be real Lord let it be real Lord I'm when I come with my agend my agend for God the you're I open up my heart so I just want and nothing else nothing else nothing else will do I just want nothing else nothing else nothing else nothing else will do nothing else will do I just want you I just want to linger here in your bre cuz that's where I get my he that's where I get my perspective I just want you there nothing else there nothing else nothing nothing else nothing just nothing nothing nothing nothing oh nothing else nothing else will do I just you I just want take this one nothing and all it's written nothing and give me J nothing else do I am just one you I'm just nothing else nothing else I need you you alone nothing oh I need you you alone nothing else will just you I just want nothing else nothing else nothing else I'm CAU up in your presence I just want to sit I don't want to miss this holy m I never want to leave Hall I'm not here for blessing Jesus you don't me more than anything that you can do just I need the oh I need every every as we wait seek your face just come and make your throne Upon Our Praise here in this place God have your way the more moment that we see you we are changed show us show us your lift your hands and nothing else matters need your glory Lord show us your glory glory show us glor burning High Oh Holy Ground Holy Ground we're in your presence Jes oh we sing here not by not by but only by the the cross we come alive we see before show us your glory show us GL we you and you Lord show us you you Lord every burning as if you're praying go ahead and pray go ahead and pray God's moving in this house right now God's helping some young lady I want to leave you with this young people leave you with this there's an old poem 1800s English poem I thought I I think there's got a ton of wisdom in it but it goes like this there's a village that was built on a on top of a cliff and this particular Village was having an abnormal amount of deaths and injuries falling off that Cliff because people were just they were just getting too close to the edge so they had a town meeting in that meeting they came to the conclusion that hey I know what we'll do let's put us a a hor drawn carriage at the bottom of the cliff and that way that way when they fall and they're injured we can put them and we can rush them to the in the carriage we can rush them to the nearest nearest hospital he said all right so they they did that they put it at the bottom people kept falling falling off the cliff though people kept getting hurt so they had another meeting they said nothing changed same number same stats same data nothing's changing so he said okay let's do this let's build us a local hospital here that way we can get them to the hospital quicker so they built they constructed they erected this this hospital so they they did that nothing changes people were still hurting people were still dying and Fin finally they had a meeting and in that meeting there was a a little old man in that meeting that they had disregarded the entire time and finally he stuck that hand up in the other two meetings as well and they never called on him finally they said Elder what would you have say what would you do you know what that Elder said he said why don't we just put a fence up let me tell you I believe in hospitals I believe the church is a hospital but let me tell you we wouldn't have to help as many people if we would just preach fences and we submit to what God and our pastor has put before us you can stay young man young lady you can stay there ain't got to be heartache in your future there doesn't have to be pain in your future but there can be a harvest and there can be a Revival and there can be an anointing and there can't be a Ministry I wish one more time I wish you'd grab your neighbor's hand if it's appropriate and I wish you'd lift it to the heavens and I wish you would pray with all your might I wish you would pray with all your heart and you say God I'm putting the fence back up I'm deleting that app I'm deleting Snapchat I'm deleting that that that that relationship that I didn't I didn't need in the first place I'm putting up a fence and I'm gonna start feeding things that can feed me back go ahead make up in your mind make up in your heart that's it that's it that's the Holy Ghost there's a delivering spirit in this house there's an anointing in this place you're not going to be the same young man you're not going to be the same young lady there's going to be a difference about you oh devil you cannot have them this world cannot have this Apostolic generation oh no but we're going to see a mighty Revival and we're going to see Souls come from the ministry of these teenagers in Jesus name in Jesus name in Jesus name go ahead