Tri-State District Campmeeting
by Jerry Dean
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Mark 5:36, 2 Corinthians 12:12, Matthew 5:15-16, Luke 15

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/jerry-dean--tri-state-district-campmeeting-2
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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Give that hand clap to Jesus. Lift up a voice. As you clap your hands, you're supposed to shout. Yep. Amen. [Music] You can be seated, man. I want you to go everywhere I preach and introduce me. All right. Just love these people to death. When he said we're friends, that is not a joke. That is the absolute truth. And uh what a delight to be here. Just a quick word about this little prayer journal. This is not a book to read. This is a prayer to pray. It's all Bible. You don't know how to if you don't know what the will of God is to pray. Pray the word. Pray the word. It's always the will of God. And they're $15. If you buy two, uh, you can get two for 25. Uh, you can go on our church website and order them if you want to. Uh, we have a pastor in South Texas that has ordered 80 of these, I think, trying to get his church to pray in. Yeah. No, here's what he did. He took it Wednesday night and just started praying it to the church and the Holy Ghost fell. That's the truth. >> So, I did this to help men pray. Anyway, enough about that. But, uh, if you want them, if you want to order bulk of them and and you're a pastor, we will sell them to you for $10 a piece and pay the shipping and you can order them online. And, uh, thank you for that kind word, Brother Mcool, and your family. We love you dearly. I told my wife when I picked her up for lunch today that I had a feeling God sent me up here to hear the two messages I heard this morning and uh just enjoyed them so much. Brother Nate, you spoke to my heart today. I'm sorry. Uh I needed that. I needed that personally. Don't ever give up. Oh, God. Judge before judgment. Praise God. Alrighty. Well, I'm a little crybaby, so it's okay. I don't have a clue where this thing's going tonight. You can go ahead and go because I don't even know where to start. So, thank you. And if I sing a song, you it's going to be a lot older than you. Well, I think it is. I don't know. I I'm a little crazy when I preach. All right. It's uh just part of who I am. I say a lot of crazy things. And uh I tell a lot of stories when I preach, especially when I'm out. I can't at home because they've all heard them 10 times. And I tell stories. You know why I like to tell stories? Because nobody remembers what you preach. They only remember the stories you tell. And I figured that out a long time ago. One Sunday morning, I was getting ready to preach and I asked the congregation, "How many remembered what I preached the last Sunday?" Very humbling experience. Nobody raised their hand. Brother, I knocked it out of the park, didn't I? I'm telling you, I knocked it out. Well, I was fixing to get after him, but I was trying to remember what I preached and I couldn't remember. True story. I told you last night I I'm I'm a hopeer and I I have good long-term memory and I remember a lot of things. A lot of things we all forget. But there are some things I I uh have a good memory about and I I remember things that impacted my life. A lot of things that happened as a pastor and seeing God work so many wonderful things in people's life. I do not have good shortterm memory. Uh in fact, my short-term memory is borderline dementia. We're getting close. My wife's getting worried. Amen. But I am a hope peddler and I'm trying to inspire people in my latter years. The psalmist said, "Now that I'm old and gay-headed, give me strength, Lord, until I've shown thy strength to this generation." And I want I want to I want to try to do that tonight. And I've got more here. It is 8:19 and I've got more here than I'll be able to share. But we'll try to be cognizant of the time. One sat alone beside the highway begging. Bishop Mcool. You know this one, don't you? His eyes were blind. The light he could not see. He clutched his rags and shivered in the darkness. Then Jesus came. and bade his darkness flee. You ever been to a Billy Cru Billy Graham crusade? They sang it at every one of them. Jo Beverly Shay sang it at every one of them. When Jesus comes, the power of Satan is broken. Help me out, Bishop. When Jesus comes, I changed the words right here. He wipes all tears away. He takes the gloom and fills my heart with gladness. For all is changed when Jesus comes to stay. >> We We might not should have thrown all these songs away. When Jesus comes, the power of Satan is broken. When Jesus comes, he wipes all tears away. He takes the gloom, fills my heart with gladness. For all is changed since Jesus came to stay. Barry Williams was in prison. He was already older. He He had over 200 felony accounts against his name. I didn't believe him. He brought me his wrap sheet. He wasn't lying. I don't know how he stayed out of prison. Our prison ministry team, Brother Steve Naten, Brother Alan Mott, met him and baptized him in prison. And God gave Barry the Holy Ghost over 10 years ago. He never misses church. would be sitting right over there on the front row Sunday morning. He seen a lot of miracles in his life. He didn't have a driver's license. He went, we made a little video of him and spotlighted him one year at Easter. It was just his portion was just like 45 seconds. His teeth he he was a drug abuser, alcoholic, chain smoker. His teeth were all rotted out. But he he called me on Sunday morning. He said, "Uh, I got a job and they're going to give me a a van to drive, but I don't have driver's license." He lost his driver's license with a DUI and he he had to go to New Orleans. The judge that took his license, had to give him back. And he got a bus ticket. We were afraid because that's where he got into all the messages. And he went and he said, "Pastor, there was a line of people waiting to see that judge from here to there. He was so bad that when he called his brother, an attorney, to come and pick him up, he said, "I'll take you to the courthouse and I'll take you back to the bus station, but you're not coming home with me." This was Barry. He found the judge's secretary and said, "I need to see the judge." She said, "He's getting ready to go to the bench." He said, "Please, ma'am, I got to catch a bus at 3. She said, "Okay." She took him in his chambers. He was putting on his robe and he looked up and said, "And who are you?" He said, "My name's Barry Williams. I want you to watch a video." He said, "Barry, I'm fixing to go to the bench." He said, "It's short." The judge watched his video. It was a cool little video. And started crying. He said, "What do you need?" He said, "I need my driver's license." He shuffled around and p pulled out a big old folder. All of his charges, he said, "Bar, I can't help you with all these. They're in other parishes. If you go through them, don't get stopped. You're going to jail." He said, "If you got any money," he said, "I got about $800 saved." He said, "I'm g I'm gonna find you $750. We'll give you your license back. When Jesus comes, the power of Satan is broken. When Jesus comes, >> he went to a dentist. His teeth were all rotted out. They were horrible. They were horrible. He went to a dentist and he he he said, "Look," he said, "if y'all will make me teeth. He said, "I don't have any money, but I have a job. I'll pay you $25 a week or whatever I can pay." And the dentist came in and and and the dentist said, "I have no clue. You'll have to talk to the dentist." And he came in and he was telling the dentist, he said, he said, "Would you watch my video?" Dentist watched his video. I'm not I'm this story is not embellished unless he embellished it. And the dentist walked out and he thought, "Well, that ain't going to work." But after he left, they called him and said, "Barry, can you be here next whatever day and said, "We're going to pull your teeth. We're going to make impressions. We're going to give you some neat new teeth." He said, "Thank you so much." And he went in the the dentist came in. They made impressions. When his teeth came, he came the dentist came in. He said, "Barry, I apologize for walking out on you the other day, but he said, "I don't ever cry." And he said, "I was crying. I didn't want you to see me crying. He said, "You know, Barry, I hadn't done anything for anybody in a long time." He said, "There's no charge for these teeth. When Jesus comes, the power of Satan is broken. When Jesus comes, feel the Holy Ghost moving in here. He wipes all tears away. He takes the gloom. We got a lot of We got a lot of these heathens that's praying through. And boy, it ain't like it used to be. You know, used to people had a little bit of a moral compass when they came in. And I remember brother Pew saying one time, Brother JT Pew, he said, "You know, it may take us eight months to get that man to the altar, but we knew when we got him there. He was he'd never leave." And and and boy, they come in now and you don't know, man. They don't have any life skills. They they don't know how to live. They don't they don't know how to pay their bills. They don't know how to do nothing. And you know what? We've been burned more than not burned. But God blesses us anyway for what we do. Yeah. Well, all these people were coming in through our recovery program and I'm noticing they're all paying their tithes because Barry's heavily involved in the recovery program. I I went to him the other about two months ago. I said, "Barry, all these people are paying tithes. I don't know who's teaching them. We didn't teach him." He said, "I did." Said, "You're telling them to pay tithe?" He said, "I tell them what the Lord did for me when I started paying my tithe. [Applause] Hey. Hey. I was going to do this at the end of the ser. I told you I don't have a clue where this is going. My God in heaven. I'm about to have a fit up here just talking about the goodness of the Lord when Jesus comes. >> Do you still believe that? Apostolic. >> Hey, put that put put the picture of Cody and Courtney up. >> Okay, there's two of them. >> If if they can get it. I I tried to get this. There's There's Cody. >> That's the That's the first day that he was at church. >> He getting baptized. He's a meth addict. He's been in prison. I asked him the other day. He was flying on his job somewhere. And I said, "Have you ever flown?" He said, "Yeah, I was in handcuffs." That's Cody. He and Courtney came in. There's a picture of Courtney getting baptized. That's that's Courtney. They were living together. Had a half a dozen kids between them, living in a meth house. They got kicked out. I wish I had time to tell you the story about about uh Cody and Courtney and their kids. Man, I'm their girls sit on the front row. I don't know if they have tiny bladders or they drink a diet coke before they come to church. Man, I mean, we're trying to police them. Tell them like, "Come on, girls." You know, they don't know. >> They hadn't been hanging out in an apostolic church all their life. >> What do you want me to do with them? >> We're trying. >> My son got up, made an announcement. Come on. You know you. But anyway, anyway, he got a job. I want to show you. I want to and and and and he couldn't. He wanted to marry her, but he was married to a lady he hadn't seen in 12 years. He went to the courthouse to get a marriage license and they said, "Cody, you're already married. Your wife has to sign some papers before you can get a divorce." This is a true story. He hired a private investigator. They found his wife in prison. She signed the papers. In the meantime, these second row Holy Ghost spilled people, she's expecting another baby. He got his divorce. They're getting married. He I shouldn't be telling this. They're probably watching. I They know I love them to death. They They I hope they do. They're getting married. I wish you could have seen it. I wish you could have seen it. Tri-State. All the groomsmen and all all the bridesmaids, the best man and the best woman. They were all people who have been in the recovery program with them. [Applause] >> I want to show you what they look like a couple of weeks ago on July 4th weekend. That's that's them now. And they got a new baby and they have some other kids. When Jesus comes, the power of Satan is broken. [Applause] They got enough ink on them to camouflage a battleship. >> Wonder what Jesus would do. >> I preached a little service in Covington. I got a picture of myself and this man who who whose arms he had his arms were tattooed up and it one of his arms he ran out of money and so it wasn't finished. Before he could finish it, he walked into Brother Trinost Church in Coington, Louisiana, and God gave him the Holy Ghost. I just hugged his neck at camp meeting. He wears a short sleeve shirt. One sweet little well-intentioned sister in the church came up to him one Sunday and she said, "You know, they can they can take those tattoos off now." He said, "No, ma'am. That's my testimony. >> When I when I tell him what Jesus did for me," he said, "I pull my sleeve up and I say, "Right here, this is where God gave me the baptism of the Holy Ghost." Do you know what I think? I think there's a revival among these people. It's not just happening in Boer. It's happening everywhere. We're going to have so many of them, we're not going to know what to do with them. They're going to be preaching. They're going to be missionaries. They're going to be going overseas and building these churches. You can count on it. If you believe what I'm preaching, clap your hands. [Applause] My son's now the pastor with the largest number of baptisms we've ever had. One reason we were pushing baptisms because we were commanded to go preach and baptize. >> We don't delay baptisms at our church. There's no record of anybody delaying a baptism in the New Testament church. >> For God's sake, Paul and Silas baptized the jailer in his household in the middle of the night. That ain't in my notes and I ain't going to get off on that. As long as you're baptizing people, I'm happy about it. In the book of Mark chapter 5 and verse number 36, the Bible said, "As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, be not afraid." >> He had a servant dying, remember? Only believe. Well, that's another old song. Only believe. Help me, Bishop. Only believe. Come on, sing it. Only believe. Sing it. Only. Yeah. He's punching his wife saying, "Sing with me. >> All things are possible. You believe that? >> First Corinthians 2 Corinthians 12 and 12. Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience in signs and wonders and mighty deeds. We had a well-intentioned young evangelist that told our church I was an apostle. I took him back in my office and read him this verse after church and he embarrassed him and I had to apologize. I want to read one more verse. Matthew 5:15. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. I I was driving up to the church after the first of the year. Our main guy Kenny always has the lights on. We have windows and you can see those lights. It was still dark. Time hadn't changed. and all the lights were on. It looked so beautiful. And this scripture came to my mind. So here here's what I want. I guess I'm already preaching. I don't know. But I hadn't announced my text yet. I I want to I want to speak to you on this subject. Power church, keep the lights on. >> You remember Motel 6? >> We'll leave the lights on for you. or we going to have to leave our lights on. >> We can't hide what God's doing. [Applause] >> You know, there are some wild animals that they have never domesticated. And that's the kind of church we need to be. >> We need to be a church that refuses to be domesticated. This thing was born in the fire >> and it's going out in the fire. Amen. They called them. They told them they were drunk on the first day. They ain't saying that about us much anymore. If they'd have been home with us last Sunday in Boer, they probably been some people thinking some of these people were drunk. Churches are often so guilty of being user friendly. We attempt to make people feel good who are not good. It's impossible to do wrong and be right. >> Amen. >> We got to have power, church. >> You know what? You and I, we have a m uh what do you call it? A mantra? Is it a mantra? We have a mantra. I started saying this years ago at home. We don't have any throwaway services. >> I don't know who's sitting on the pew. >> I don't know who needs a touch that day. I don't know who needs deliverance that day. We We can't waste a service. Do you know what that means? Pentecostals, you give it everything you've got. Hey, I'm old enough to say this. Quit sitting back in the pews when you people are trying to break through in the altar. >> Quit sitting back there and staring up at the screens. The altar service is the most important part of every service. [Applause] Got a wild streak coming on. This is not some kind of spa. >> Get you a pastor to give you a little massage. >> Make you feel good. Tickle your ears. That was a good sermon. Did he challenge you? >> Were you convicted? >> Did it help you be conformed into his image? >> We had a guy at our church. He moved from another city and he'd been there about six months and he came up one night. He said, "Man, I love you and Pastor Ryan." He said, "You know where we were before?" He said, "The pastors always try to make us feel like we're the greatest." He said, "Man, y'all beat up on us a little bit." He said, "It's good. I love it." He said, "When I need help, I want y'all to push me. I want you to push me. I, you know, I don't want to be domesticated Pentecostals. I I told you last night our sometimes I worry that our praise and worship is getting a little too cute. >> It didn't go over last night. It didn't go over again tonight. I heard I heard brother Marvin Mcm today we were having lunch that that I've resurrected lately. We used to call it the huckabuck. Now, the huckabuck got a little bit huckabuck wild >> sometimes. >> I mean, when Sister Judy huckabucked over and sat down on my brother's saxophone and pieces and parts of the saxophone went flying all over the place. Yeah, that was a little hunker wild. Yeah. >> You know, GA Mangan said this years ago. I wrote it down and I never forgot it. He said, "Apostolic passion is an intentional deliverant choice." [Applause] Apostolic passion. Hey, you guys in the media booth, write that down and put it up on the screen. Apostolic passion is an intentional deliverant choice. We decide if we're going to have the signs of an apostle in our churches. It is a choice we have to make. >> We used to baptize people and twothirds of the congregation would already be out trying to beat the Baptist to bonanza, you know, getting out of church. And then one Sunday morning, I preached a sermon called the the dance of the deliverer. I think that's what I called it. I don't remember, but I went to Luke 15. It said, "And he spake a parable unto them." We think it's parables, plural. It wasn't. He spoke a parable unto them. The sinners were there. The publicans were there. The bright religious people were there. And he spoke a parable. It's one song. It had three verses. It was one man who lost who lost one out of a hundred sheep. It was a lady who lost one out of 10 coins. It was a man who lost one out of one son. And in God's eyes, it didn't matter if it was one out of a hundred or one out of two or or one out of 10. That the the theme runs all the way through. When they when they brought him home, when they found the coin, when he found the lamb, they had a party. [Applause] We've we've taught our people at home, don't leave. We'll announce somebody's going to get baptized. And those people gather around when they go down. Hey, if the angels are rejoicing, shouldn't we be rejoicing? [Applause] got half a little mean streak in me tonight. You can ask my sweet wife. I'm so glad Jean is with me. Uh my preference for food is often too plain and Do y'all have Blue Bell up here? You do? What are you talking about that other ice cream last night? Me and Blue Bell ice cream, we have our own thing going. Homemade vanilla. Always walking up. Have you tried uh wedding cake? No. I mean, I've talked about blue bell so much at home. I got a guy now bringing it to me in five gallon buckets. My wife had to go to the second freezer and clear out take out some trays just to I can't even eat it before he's bringing me another one. Blue vanilla's fine. I I I like plain food. I I'm a weirdo. I know that you can. I've never been to Ruth Crisp. I hear it's good and it probably is. You you know I like chicken fried steak and white gravy >> and mashed potatoes with some more white gravy. And I like corn on the cob and pinto beans and I mix them together. >> And if you give me corn on the cob, I get a sharp knife and I cut the corn off the cob and I mix it with my pinto beans and I'm at Ruth Crisp. All right. My wife's table is my favorite table where we live. And that ain't a lie. I'm I I just kind of I just kind of I'm I'm I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with me. I got a sister-in-law that can fix venison. They take that backstrap. She My brother cuts that venison up. I don't even like venison. I don't like the way it smells when they're cooking it, brother. She makes that venison. She puts it in steak fingers, makes that white gravy. I'd pay her to come to Boer and just make some for us, you know. But let me tell you something. Yeah, Blue Bell, me and Blue Bell, we got a deal going. I eat a little bit every night. I don't eat a lot, just a little bit. It's a little juice cup, I guess. It's Yeah, for those of you couldn't hear my wife, she said it's getting bigger and bigger, you know. And I get it. I get it. And I'm not even hungry, but Bluebell talks to me. I mean, I'm laying in the bed getting ready to go to sleep and be bluebell says, "Hey, Jerry, what you doing? I'm getting ready to go to bed." You want a little fellowship? It's cold in here. Hey, I I I went on a I didn't have to go to seven to do it, but I went on a little recovery program for Blue Bell. I went two months. One night I laid in that bed and said, "Good night. I'm 72 years old. What am I worried about?" I fell right off the wagon, brother. Don't give me no badge for being sober for three months. I didn't make it. I fell off the wagon after two months. Amen. Amen. This is actually a true story I just told you. Let me tell you, when it comes to church, I don't want plain vanilla. >> I'm not satisfied with with the great divide and half chocolate and half vanilla. When it comes to the house of God, don't water down my wine. All right? That's in the Bible. They they watered down the wine with water. I don't want you to water down my wine. I don't want to be a domesticated Pentecostal. No. Hallelujah. Don't give me anything watered down. I don't want to be cute. I want to be alive. I want the lights to be on. Hey, let me tell you about Corey's, or rather Courtney's brother, Chris. Chris came in last year. He was a meth addict. He ran drugs for the cartels. He'd been in and out of jail. He's messed up. He's got his two little kids. Chris came to church. I got a picture of him, too. But I we don't have time for all that. And I He got baptized, got the Holy Ghost, and he's still coming. He's an usher now in our church. Just two weeks ago, after many years in court, he finally got custody of his little boy and his little girl. And the state is going to pay for them to come to Boer Christian Academy next year. He's got a job. He He's got a job. He's going to become a master plumber. He's got his mind made up. Amen. Amen. And about two hours ago, my secretary text me and said, "You're not going to believe who was in church last night. Chris's wife and her two teenage boys were in the house of God." Oh, when Jesus comes, the power of Satan is broken. I love the way I love the way that God just kind of gets a little spiritual chain reaction going and you just bring them in. I wish I could remember years ago years ago Stacy McGee who who now pastors in uh Pennsylvania uh in in uh that Monopoly Railroad. What is it? Reading Reading, Pennsylvania. He pastors a church there. But he came in, he had a uh he had a ponytail braided down to his belt. I told you I tell a lot of stories. I actually have a sermon to preach tonight. I don't know what I'm going to do now. He had a white shirt on and a a belt with a uh big old belt buckle and black cowboy boots like Brother Atkins is wearing. I like you, man. and and I I didn't know he was coming off of years of alcohol and drug abuse, but I asked him if I could teach him a Bible study. What happened? He got in AA to try to get free and and so in AA apparently they asked you to go to church every week somewhere. And so he was going to the big church in town. Well, Stacy is he's a bass player in a rock band and he's very very add. I mean, like I'm uh I can't even do like him. I'd break my back. So, what happened? He's in that dead church and he told his girlfriend that he was living with, he said, "I can't go there anymore." Said, "That's so dead and boring. It's driving me crazy." She said, "Well, next Sunday we'll go to grandmother's church." Well, that was in the middle of our old building. We were shouldertosh shoulder. I'm talking about putting chairs all the way to the pool pit trying to get room have to take him out to have an altar service and and he walked into that. Stacy walked into that. So, I don't know first, second, third week he came. We were praying with him in the altar. He's down at the altar and I I asked him if I could teach him a Bible study and he said, "Yeah, I need a Bible study. I don't know anything about the Bible." So he comes to my office one Tuesday and and I start teaching into his marvelous light and he starts crying. Well, that's like saying sick him to a dog. I'm like, brother, I'm getting through to this rascal. In a minute, he looked up at me and he said, "She kicked me out." I'm blank. I'm like, "What do you mean?" He said, "My girlfriend, she kicked me out." I said, "Stacey, is that why you're crying? Man, I love that woman. >> Y'all think I'm embellishing this story. It is not embellished. He said, "You're doing good. You're doing good." I baptized him that day. He got the Holy Ghost soon after. [Applause] He had a ponytail ponytail down to his down to his waist and he outshouted everybody in the church. He talked in tongues more than anybody in the church. And he was driving some of you old time apostolic crazy like he was me. He said, "Why didn't you teach him?" Well, I showed him the scripture. He hadn't cut his hair in I think he said 18 years. That was a big deal. I didn't know he had any other clothes. We'd start church and he'd go to booaloo and across the front of the platform. Am I lying, Gina? He's do I I just going crazy and I'm like, well, one of these days maybe we'll break through. I don't know. I don't know. One night he asked to speak to me before church. Went in the office. I don't know why he had to make an announcement about it. He said, "Hey pastor, I got an appointment tomorrow. Go get my haircut. Thank God. You know what he told me right out of his mouth? He said, "I know you showed me the scriptures in the Bible." And I said, "Why are you going to get your haircut?" He said, "Cuz I quit growing." I did mention to you he's a church planner in Pennsylvania. Did I? He kept he kept saying, "You got to pray for my friend Doug." He did drugs with Doug for years. Doug was a hardcore meth addict. You got to keep praying. Unbeknowned to me, Doug's great Doug's grandfather was an oldtime apostolic preacher in southern Arkansas. I wouldn't doubt if Brother Bishop Mcool wouldn't know him. I I I don't know. His name was Pierce, pastored in Elora, Arkansas. And and and and and one one New Year's Eve service we were having, Doug walked in and I met him and and Doug received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He couldn't he couldn't break his cigarette habit. And so he he went and bought him some patches and he said, "Pastor, I put the patch on and I say, "In the name of Jesus, we're having prayer meeting on Tuesday night and he's following me all over the place, repeating everything I said. God bless the Mools in Knoxville." And Doug would say, "God bless the Mools in Knoxville." I mean, so I'd get up, move, I couldn't pray, and he'd follow me and keep praying with me after the prayer meeting. I said, "Doug, I noticed you're saying everything I said." He said, he started crying. He said, "Pastor, I don't know how to pray. How am I going to learn if I don't listen to somebody?" Doug became an ordained minister of the UPC and he became an evangelist and he was a man of great faith. One of the first things Doug asked me for was a bottle of anointing oil. He is a brand new convert and he wants a bottle of anointing oil. Are you listening? Am I boring you? I hope I'm not boring you. I had I had got to right where I want to be yet, but I I'm going to get there quick. And I said, "What are you going to do to the oil?" He said, "I've got have faith. I'm gonna pray for the sick." And so help me. There was a guy named Ben whose relatives were pioneer people in the Boer church. And we got a call that he was dying of menitis in the hospital. I called Doug. I said, "Doug, you want to pray for somebody? We got a man out here named Ben Frogggins uh Scoggins." I said, "He's in and told him where he was. Here goes Glenn. He He's brand new convert. He walks into the ICU unit and announces to the family that God is fixing to heal Ben. He walks back into the ICU unit and was trying to get in the room with him and they got signs. The nurse came over. What are you doing? He said, I I want to pray for Ben. She said, you cannot go in there. He's got that menitis that's contagious. you cannot go in that room. So he said, I just took that oil and wiped it on the window of that door and said, "In the name of Jesus, Ben was in a coma. Ben was in a coma." And he went out and he said, "Hey, God just touched Ben. He's going to be healed." And let me tell you what happened. He said, "Pastor, I was I had my handle on the door of my car and I heard somebody holler my name and I turned around and it was Ben's granddaughter. Are you the man that just prayed for my grandfather?" Yeah. He just woke up from his coma. He just died about a year ago. [Applause] Doug went and brought his cocaine sister Gwyn in and Gwyn got the Holy Ghost and got baptized in Jesus' name. She's still in our church. Doug went home and prayed his 12year-old nephew through. Chris is one of our primary main guitar players in the church today. Doug's mother got the Holy Ghost. Doug's daddy, who had been backslid for 50 years, came to church and prayed through to the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I'm preaching to you tonight. When Jesus comes, [Applause] I don't want to get domesticated. I still believe we got to have power, church. This is not a place for you to feel good. This is for you. This is a place for you to be motivated to do more and more and more. >> It's not going to happen because I'm preaching it. >> Now, I can build your faith and motivate you. I was a neighbor to Tom Barnes, one of the greatest men of God I ever knew. One of the boys that grew up in his church said the back of his church was filled with wheelchairs and canes. People he prayed for. Brother Barnes told me personally that one time in his ministry, he had such a faith to pray for people who were deaf that he literally rejoiced when somebody called him. Said, "I'm bringing a death person. God heal every one of them." At his funeral, a local pastor from Menon was one of the main speakers. I never forget him getting up and saying, "My grandson was diagnosed with a brain tumor." And my wife and I sat down and said, "Who we going to get to pray for?" This was a This was a denominal pastor in that city with pastor a large church. He said, "It was we didn't even discuss it. We're going to we're going to find Brother Barnes." He said, "My grandson is 16 years old today." Because when brother Barnes prayed for him, God healed him and lifted it up. Where brother Barnes wore, he always had a cross pin. You know what a cross pin is? You kids don't know what a cross pin is. And he always wore it in his front pocket on his suit. He always had it right there. So me and all the young preachers around Boer, we went and got us a cross pin. You know, look around the church and brother Donovan, Brother Dwayne, and we're all wearing cross pins like maybe this is the answer, you know. John was a voice. The Bible said you can either be a voice or you can be an echo. Tenny told us one time, if you're going to have a separated lifestyle, you better have a love of God. And it's true. Do you still believe on any given Sunday generational curses can be broken? >> If the team will come on up, maybe you'll help me quit. David accumulated all the riches to build that temple. He said it. He did it through war, strife. In my trouble, he said, "In my trouble." It's in your Bible. He accumulated that mass of wealth, gold, and brass and silver. Took it from kings. He brother Osborne told me one day, he said, "David could have been the best tour guide to that temple." He said, "Man, he could have shown those those precious stones right there. They came out of that king's crown that I whipped over there. I got this gold over here in this place. We took that from the Philistines. Remember Solomon became king. The Bible said he built shields of gold. Real boy became king and Egypt came took all those ghost shields. We don't even find in the Bible where he put up a fight. He just emptied out the house of the Lord and gave it to Egypt. You can have it. And then the Bible says Solomon built brass shields. You know the problem with brass, you have to polish it. It turn green, right? Every time you got company coming, you know, you got to get get your rag out and polish that brass. I love the spirit of excellence that I see up here in this part of the world right here in this church. We strive for that at home. We strive for a spirit of excellence. Please don't take this wrong. Sometimes I feel like we're polishing brass. We got to have a move of God. When I say a move of God, I'm talking about what? We got to have the lights on. Somebody's got to know they can be delivered here, right? >> Is this all right tonight? What I've done? >> We better keep the lights on you. You know I'm not talking about these lights. You know I'm not talking about making sure your electric bills paid. We got to have something to offer when these people come in here. And I just know we're going to have to have some power, church. We're going to have to have some power, church. I got convicted listening to a Bible study by uh by uh John Bevere who who has sold what a million books and the popular one is a bait of Satan. And I listened to him I I listened to him do a do a teaching to a group of people on speaking in tongues and I got convicted. I want to be Paul. I thank God that I speak with tongues more than you are. Max Leo 150 million products he sold comes out and lets the whole world know in my prayer closet. I started speaking in tongues. How amazing is that? I think it's because the world's hungry for something real. Somebody say, "Every day." Every day. We picked my little 5-year-old beautiful, handsome, gorgeous, sweet granddaughter, Georgia, the other day, me and my wife. On the way home from school, my wife said, "Georgia, were you a good girl at school? He said, "What day? I want my pastor to preach me to heaven and I want him to keep me out of hell. And I want him to challenge me and convict me and I don't want to just spend my life polishing brass when we can go to the enemy's camp and get some gold. All right. >> Huh? >> David said, "In my trouble, I went and got that gold." I don't want to spend the rest of our days triate. Are you listening to me? We got to be careful that we're just not polishing brass every time we come to the house of God trying to impress somebody. We want to keep the spirit of excellence. But more than we want the spirit of excellence, are you with me? We want a genuine demonstration of the power of the Holy Ghost. We want to know when Jesus comes, the power of Satan is broken. [Applause] Jean and I were in headquarters in St. Louis with our organization for almost three years. I miss pastoring. We missed I was traveling. My kids were young. We wanted to go. We we we went to Boer in 1988 and I was so anxious to get my hands on the harvest. So the church had three vans and one of them was old. It sat under pecan tree and the sap had rusted out the top of it. I took that old van and I went looking for me some kids to bring to church and I found some I found a little uh some little Spanish kids, some Mexican kids. Their parents couldn't speak English. And uh I think Roman, the oldest, was maybe 10. I don't know. The little the youngest was probably two years old. I don't know. And I'd load him up on that van and I'd bring him every Sunday. One one day Roman called me and he said, "Pastor," he said, "My daddy's in jail for a DWI and he wants he wants you to get $500 for him and bail him out of jail." And I said, "Roman, I can't do that. I can't do that, Roman. Your dad needs to pay the price." I did not know these kids were living in a horribly abusive home. I never knew it. Their mother was sweet. Their daddy was cruel. I didn't know it. They came up in our church. They went to our youth camps. We'd pay their way. Roman was he was a test. One by one, they graduate from high school and they disappear. They disappear. just wanted to do something. You got to get your hands in the harvest. The Bible said Jesus was a friend of sinners. I got all inspired. I'm like, what did that mean? They called him a wine ber. He wasn't a wine ber. They called him gluttonous. He wasn't a gluttonous. They said he's full of the devil. He didn't have the devil. But when they said he's a friend of sinners, they weren't lying. I looked up the word sinner in my little handy blue letter Bible concordance. Do you know what a sinner is in the original language? It's one who sins. Are you Are you better off now? I looked up the word friend. I'm like, "What does it mean to be a friend?" It means a friend. [Music] I went to my pullpit and I preached a sermon called, "Who wants to be like Jesus?" And I told him when I announced my text to raise their hand if they wanted to be like Jesus. And I said, "But this question's loaded. Do you have a friend who's a sinner? No, I don't mean your neighbor next door that goes to church every Sunday morning, don't drink, plays God on Saturday. I mean a sinner. Don't anybody talk right now because very quiet and you will be heard. Fast forward years, 15 maybe. I hadn't seen Roman or his sisters in years. The Colin Webb came to me with a desire to start a Spanish-sp speakaking church. You learn how to speak Spanish and we started a church. And I I was eating lunch at Seals Cafe one day and there was Roman and what I thought was his wife. Found out she wasn't his wife. She was expecting a baby. He jumped up and hugged my neck. He's giant man. He said, "Pastor, I'm so glad to see you." Said, "Roman, your old student pastor is starting a Spanish speaking church. you need to come. Brother Collins starting to f Yes. And Roman came and he brought what was then his wife and his stepson Nicholas who was the number two Bible quizer in the state of Louisiana last year. and he prayed through. And one of the girls came and she prayed through. Madia came and she prayed through. And the other girl came and she prayed through. And mama came and she prayed through. And today they are the financial strength of our Spanish speaking church. [Applause] You got a picture of him? The Old Chill family? I think I got a picture of him. If they can put it up there somewhere. Maybe. Maybe. There they are. There they are. That's the Old Chill family. One of the guys can't speak uh Spanish, so he comes to the English church on Sunday morning. And most of them go over there. And you know what? You know how that started? Somebody just said, "I'll put my hand in the harvest here." You wasted your time, didn't you, taking bubble gum and candy to those kids on Saturday. God, I used to go take candy these kids and the police followed me. I did not know the police were trailing me. I was giving candy to kids at their front door. I didn't know. I never thought about it. Thank God Gary Godwin's sister was the dispatcher down at the police station. They called my license in and she said, "No, that's Pastor Jerry Dean. He's running his bus route today. He's okay. He's okay. He's okay." When Jesus comes, stand with me. I preach longer tonight. Preach 50 minutes. [Music] Felt the Holy Ghost tonight. I got about 20 pages of notes and I hadn't touched them. I felt the Holy Ghost tonight. >> John the Baptist was a voice. And if we're not careful, we'll just be echoes. We'll be telling all these great things that happen in I want to be a voice. Am I the only one that feels what I feel right now or somebody else feeling this? It's like we don't have a throwaway service. There's probably somebody on your street that let you bring a kid to church. I know this church has built a congregation out of winning gifts to the Lord. Does anybody here like to get your hands in the harvest? You got an extra seat in your car. Maybe you could pick somebody up that's not privileged. Or maybe you have somebody you work with who's a sinner and you need to be a friend. to the center. And when this harvest comes in, pastors, listen to me. It gets messy. And you lose more than you keep. We baptized a guy one Sunday morning climbing out the baptis. I knew that wasn't going to do any good. I don't know what he was expecting. But the ones you keep can be church planters in Pennsylvania. They can be evangelist. They can be soul winners. Cuz here's the deal. These new people coming in, they got friends in low places. And that's who they're bringing to church with them. They're going to their friends and saying, "It works." >> When Jesus comes, >> let's flood the front right now. It was not my intention to give you a little feelgood sermon. We got to have power, church. [Music] Apostolic passion is an intentional deliberate choice. voice. [Music] >> Just seems like we do better when we pray one with another. So why can't we do that right now? [Music] Can we pray with one another right now? All of you sweet people need to pray for your pastor right now and say, "God, use my pastor. I don't want to come to just a feel-good church. I want him to dig around me and put some fertilizer around my tree until I bear some fruit. [Music] [Music] The mountains told the winds and waves be still cast out demons. Bid the empty soul be fil. And now there's breakthrough. And now there's freedom in your name. He gave us power and the keys to do the same. You hold redemption. Made accusers drop their stones. Showed us mercy with your mighty mirales. Now there's breakthrough. Now there's freedom in your name. You gave us power. and the keys to do the same. Now we proclaim in Jesus name the walls fall down in Jesus name. >> Storm falls rain in Jesus name. Amen. >> Oh we are healed >> in Jesus name. >> Spirit in Jesus name. >> God pour it out in Jesus name. Amen. >> Now we proclaim >> in Jesus name. >> Walls fall down >> in Jesus name. >> And your strongholds they break >> Jesus name. Amen. >> Father we are healed >> in Jesus name. >> Your miracle >> Jesus name. >> God pour it out >> in Jesus name. Amen. [Music] You crush the darkness, made a pool of death and rain. Oh king Jesus, >> you make royals. >> You make royals out of slaves. Now there's breakthrough. Now there's freedom in your name. You gave us power and the keys >> and the keys to do the same. Now we proclaim >> in Jesus name. >> Walls fall down >> in Jesus name. >> Every stronghold they break in Jesus name. Amen. >> Jesus we are healed >> in Jesus name. >> There's a miracle in Jesus name. >> God pour it out in >> Jesus name. Amen. >> Now we proclaim in Jesus name. Every wall comes down in Jesus name. >> And every stronghold they break in Jesus name. Amen. >> Father we are healed in Jesus name. >> There's a miracle with your name on >> Jesus name. >> God pour out the Holy Ghost. >> In Jesus name. Amen. With your blood. Oh. Oh God, be and go your glory. Oh, [Music] oh God, we echo your victory. >> Now we proclaim in Jesus name. >> Every wall falls down in Jesus name. every stronghold in pray Jesus name. Amen. >> Oh, we are healed in Jesus name. >> There's a miracle. >> Jesus name. >> God pour out your spirit in Jesus name. Amen. >> Now we proclaim >> in Jesus name. >> Every wall comes down >> in Jesus name. >> And every stronghold is great in >> Jesus name. Amen. >> Father, we are healed >> in Jesus name. >> There's a miracle >> in Jesus name. >> God pour it out >> in Jesus name. Amen. >> Now we proclaim >> in Jesus name. >> Every wall comes down Jesus name. >> Every stronghold we pray >> in Jesus name. Amen. Father, we are healed >> in Jesus name. >> There's a miracle with your name on >> Jesus name. >> God pour it out in Jesus name. Amen. [Music] >> Hallelujah. Hallelujah. >> Tri-State District. I hope all realizes the depths of what the Holy Ghost has spoken to us tonight from the first message until now today. I was there when it happened. So I guess I ought to know that's that's another old song I still remember. You heard what's happened. Brother Dean was there when it happened. He gave us experiences tonight. And don't worry, I'm not going to preach after the preacher. I don't do that. And that's not my job. You couldn't say anything to make any better about what we've heard. But I want you to know the man of God made a statement tonight. He said, "I fear that sometimes we're getting a bit domesticated." The devil indeed wants to domesticate us. I I'm not sure we all really realize that. And all I can do is give you an earthy example. It hit me when you said it, Pastor Dean. Uh in uh the animal world, it's the mode that if you want to use certain animals, you domesticate them. And I I thought I knew what that meant, but I I I had to I confess during during the preaching, I had to look it up and make sure I knew what it meant. And one of the greatest examples of a species of animals that gets domesticated by we humans is the equin family, horses, if you will. The you think about how Mustangs and paints and Arabian horses and Appalooses, Clydesells, we uh thoroughbreds uh uh that have been broken. They they do everything from race to plow, pull beer wagons. Tennessee walkers strut around and we humans domesticate those equin animals. Well, the enemy wants to domesticate the church. >> But I got to thinking, think about this. There's one member of the equin family that I don't ever recall being domesticated, and that's a zebra. I don't know that I've ever seen a somebody with a saddle riding a zebra. I've never seen anybody hurt her hurting cattle with a zebra. So, right quick, I looked up the characteristics of a zebra, and sure enough, here's what it said. Now, understand the analogy. Satan wants to domesticate us. Zebras are often regarded as gentle and docile creatures. Maybe I should have said apostolic, Pentecostals are often regarded as gentle and docile creatures. characterized by their beautiful black and white striped coats. However, beneath their charming appearance, >> devil, are you listening? He's wanting to domesticate the Pentecostal apostolic. Are you listening? Beneath their charming appearance lies a surprising truth. Aposto Zebras can be dangerous. >> Devil, you better look out. You going to try to domesticate this bunch? >> While they may not pose a significant threat to humans on a daily basis, it's crucial to understand the potential dangers associated with these seemingly harmless animals. When zebras or when apostolic feel threatened, they're known to have their defensive nature and can display aggressive behavior when they feel threatened or provoked. When the enemy starts threatening us, >> you hear me? Apostolic when the enemy tri-state starts threatening us they have a unique way of defending themselves and their herd kicking biting pushing their attacker. These actions serve as a form of self-defense and show their determination to protect themselves and their companions. And these wellstudied men like brother Whitley and our our dear brother Dean tonight, they get inspiration. They tell you about all these books. I I've told you before, I'm an odd duck myself. I get inspiration in different places. I I got some of my inspiration from uh a t-shirt up in Gatlinburg. It said, "If you mess with one of us, you've messed with the whole trailer park. Devil, if you mess with one of us apostolics, we'll kick, we'll bite, we'll claw, if you knock our teeth out, we'll try to gum you to death. Devil, I want you to know, we will not be domesticated. We're going to be different. You're not going to saddle us and ride us as some kind of denominal plow horse. We are different. We're going to maintain who we are. We're bloodbought. We're Jesus name apostolic holiness. Bloodbought children of God. [Applause] I'll read no more, but suffice to say, God has mildly ministered to the tri-state district tonight. You don't want to miss tomorrow. Pastor and Sister Dean will be teaching us and teaching sessions. the men here in the sanctuary, the ladies in the event center will have praise and worship. We'll all meet together at 10:00 and then we'll part ways having a great time. And then tomorrow night, come expecting a great time in the Lord. Tri-State District Choir will be singing. The youth department is in charge of the service tomorrow night. Don't you miss it. Get the prayer journal. See brother Dean in the in the lobby. Get a copy of his prayer journal. Lord bless you. You're dismissed in Jesus name. Shake hands and be friendly.