The Wind & The Wonderful | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter
by Kenneth Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:51, John 6:14, Nehemiah 2:10, Nehemiah 2:19, Nehemiah 2:20, Psalm 25:15, Psalm 121:1-2, Psalm 123:1-2, Psalm 141:8, Jonah 2:4, Jonah 1:4-6, John 3:1-9, Acts 2:1-6, 1 Corinthians 14:18, Acts 6:7, Revelation 7:1

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kenneth-carpenter--the-wind-the-wonderful
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
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Just for a moment, I want to draw your attention to Matthew chapter 14 and verse number 22. Matthew 14. And thank you for standing. I appreciate that so much. I promise you, you won't stand around here longer than you stand in line at Disney. All right. And we're preaching a lion here and not a mouse. Amen. >> And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship and to go before him and to the other side while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray. And when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves, for the wind was contrary. The fourth watch of the night, that's between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them walking on the sea. And when his when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a spirit." And they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, "Be of good cheer. It is I. Be not afraid." And Peter answered him and said,"Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." And he said, "Come." And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. Immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him, and said unto him, "Oh, thou of little faith, wherefore did thou doubt?" And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. And when they came into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped him, saying of a truth, thou art the son of God. For just a few moments this morning, and I'd like to hasten back to the altar. I'd like to preach on the subject, the wind and the wonder. The wind and the wonder. Please, as we're praying today, remember brother Nash in prayer. Things are being things are being prepared for a kidney transplant. Please remember please remember them in prayer today. Please keep Mother Zander in your prayers as she is and recouping from breaking a bone. Let's pray. Father, we love you. We thank you Lord for your love and for your mercy today. God, I thank you for the sweet songs of Zion that have lifted our spirits up above all fear and all doubt. I thank you for your wonderful presence here today. God, I thank you for the people that have worshiped. I thank you Lord for what you have already done. And I thank you Lord for what you are going to do. In Jesus wonderful name we pray. Amen. Thank you for standing. You may be seated. The wind and the wonder. The wind and the wonderful. The wind and the wonderful. You know, the story that I just read you from the Bible is a really a story about distractions. It's really a story about distractions. The whole the whole event centers around a man who was walking in the miraculous. He was walking on the water just like Jesus was walking on the water. Peter was walking on the water, but when he got his eyes off or was distracted by the wind and the effects of the wind, the Bible says he was fearful. Now we know today that fear is the opposite of faith. Although they operate the same, faith sees the victory. Fear sees the failure. Faith has a positive outcome. Fear has a negative outcome. And so when he began to see the waves, the Bible says he was fearful and beginning to sink. But I believe as I can tie in to Pastor Yadman check this morning, it didn't say he was sunk. It said he was sinking. There's a difference between being sunk and sinking. And you know, you're not going to wait till you're sunk to cry out. >> You may be kneede in your trouble today, but it's not too late >> to cry out. >> We know that he cried out. He cried out. Jesus saved me. And Jesus reached and got him by the hand and said, "How is it you have such little faith?" Of course, the answer to that is, "I got distracted." How is it that you have no faith? And the answer is simply this. I got distracted. I got distracted. Do you know that we've often heard the term deadly distractions? Deadly distractions. Do you know that last year in America or excuse me 2000 let me get the the stat correct in 2023 in the US 3275 people lost their lives in an automobile due to distraction. Not due to somebody running a red light. not due to a drunk driver. These are not stats for that. These are stats that while they were driving that car, they got distracted. And it has been said that the average the average person texting while driving is the equivalent of being blindfolded and driving the length of a football field. Blindfolded. And so we we we we wouldn't need to preach much today about the distractions of texting and driving and and uh the several things I dug up here that the the navigation system and on and on. Do do you realize that more people died more people die of distraction in a car? It was only 2,976 or 77 that died at 911. Do you know there's more people that die yearly from distractions in an automobile than died at 911. There are workplace distractions. If I never forget several years ago, a a man from Kentucky came to visit the church and he was soon to retire. He was an electrician in the mines there in the coal mines in Kentucky. And uh he had met and toured the school and had every plan had every plan of retiring and moving his family here and putting his children in school. And um I'll never forget the man because I'll never forget what happened. As he left the office and he stood at the back door at the old church, he looked at me and he said, 'You know, something's just telling me I got to get out of those minds. Something's just telling me. He turned and the last time I'd see his face. Few weeks later, the man's pastor called me and asked me, "Did I remember the man?" And I said, "I did." He said, "Last night in a mine." He said evidently somebody had left a live line on and said he reached and grabbed that line and he was electrocuted last night and um he passed away. He said I just want you to know that when the investigation came back it all came back that it was just due to being distracted. It's just due to being distracted. Now some of us may not work with machinery. We may not we may not work in with tractors and high lifts and cranes and what electric and whatever but you know we can be distracted in life to where it's a slow you know some distractions are a sudden death you know if you're if you're texting and you're driving which is against the law. It's it's a sudden it's a it's it is a sudden death that happens. If if you're a pilot and you overlook some procedures and and and the plane crashes, it's it's sudden death. But what about the distractions of life that are a slow bleed on us? It's slowly draining draining our energy. What about the distraction of worry? What about the distraction of regret? Can I can I can I identify with anybody today? Anybody in this room? And I I'll lead the way. Anybody in this room got some regrets? But you do realize today that if I spend all of my time distracted by what I should have done, I'll be drained of the m mind power, the mentality to be able to correct that. I wrote something down. I tried to explain it to my wife and I think I did. When I grow old, you heard that. When I grow old, I don't want to have any regrets that I can't correct. If I grow old and I find out I'd like to have prayed more, there's no time like the present to start praying. If I grow old and I decide, I wish I'd went to the house of God more. As long as you're able to, church, please go to the house of God. You don't want to get in a physical condition that you can't go and then laid there and wish you had went to the house of God. But you know, getting back to my story and I'd like to minister to you on this today. I witness too many people who choose the direction of their life based on distractions. Distraction should never become a compass of your life. You should identify a distraction as either good or bad. A distraction can give you some guidance, but this world is full of distractions. There has never been a generation There has never been a generation that all of the world's marketing is after your attention. They're after your attention. They they want and how they can get that attention is to distract you for just a few just a few moments. I told you this story was about it was about distraction. Because when you read the four gospels and the four gospels line this story up, it's rather a good it's rather a good read. In Matthew chapter 14, the wind came. Jesus sent them to the other side after the miracle of the feeding of 5,000. He sends them to the other side and they encounter a storm. They encounter a storm. All four gospels record this. One of the gospels, Mark, says, "The wind ceased." Maybe Mark 6:51, "The wind ceased. They were so amazed in themselves beyond measure and wonder." So the wind ceased. Peter and Jesus get on board and the wind ceases. And Mark just records that they were amazed beyond measure and wondered. John writes about it. John writes about it. In John 6:14, John says, "Then those men when they had seen the miracles that Jesus did said, this is a prophet. This is of a truth that prophet should come into the world." So now these people say, "Well, hey, this is a prophet that has come into the world." But in Matthew 14:32, and when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped him, saying of the truth, "Thou art the son of God." I want to tell you today, the wind and the wonder. When God sends the wind into our lives, the wind can either be a good distraction or it can be a bad distraction because the wind can either cause you to fix your eyes more firmly upon him or lose sight of him and fix your eyes upon the wind and the effects. We understand this today. God uses the wind to bring a greater revelation of himself. If there's one thing God would want to tell all of us here today in every trial, in every test, in all of life's problems, he wants to say, "See me bigger. See me greater. See me in control. Don't see me as the wind and the waves, but see me as the rock that cannot be moved. Because the wind is to give us the wonderful. It would be Matthew that would record that when Peter and Jesus step back on that boat, when Peter and Jesus step back on that boat, they begin to say of a truth, you are the son of God. And they worshiped him. every trial we encounter, every wind that we encounter, every taking our eyes off of him just for a few moments and we find oursel knee deep in water sinking ought to be a testimony to us that I'm going to get my eyes back on him. And when I get my eyes back on him, there's a hand that's going to reach down from heaven and pull me back up. We're going to go back to the church. We're going to go back on the boat and guess what we're going to do? We're going to begin to worship him. For the father seeketh such >> to worship him. But you got to get ready. The reason distractions should not direct you is because when you get ready to do the work of God and live for God, when you get ready to live for God and work for God, get ready for the distractors. All right. Go ahead, Nehemiah. Head down to Jerusalem to build the walls of Jerusalem. God has put it in your heart to build the walls of Jerusalem. God has put it in your heart to see the altar on fire again. God has put it in your heart. Go on down and before you move a stone, Nehemiah 2 and 10. When San Ballot the Horonite, and Tobaya the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel. Imagine that. Before the man had ever started laying stones, there was already the distractors there. And they were mad and angry that there was a man came for the welfare of Israel. Do you know that happens every time you and I make a stand for Jesus Christ to live a life wholly dedicated to him? Do you know his name is not Tobiio. His name is not Sam Ballot. His name is Lucifer. And all of the demonic spirits of hell, they rise up and there's angry. They're angry. You know why? There's another one giving praise to God Almighty. There's another one that'll be a witness to a husband, a wife, a family member. There's another one that'll stumble into a drug house and tell them that I've got them bound, that they can be free. I'm telling you, get ready. >> Get ready for the distractors. But you know what? You really need to learn how to talk back to the distractors. >> Sometimes the distractors need to know where you stand. Nehemiah 2:19. But when Sambalot the Horonite, and Tobaya the servant, the Ammonite, and Gisham the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us and said, "What is this thing that ye do? Will you rebel against the king?" That's a false accusation. that distractors will always bring false accusations, halftruths against you. They said, "Are you are you all rebelling against the king?" Oh, no. We're not rebelling against the king. We've got papers. We've got permission to be building this. But now it's time to answer you back because remember what I said, sometimes you need to talk back to your distractors. Verse 20. Then Nehemiah answered, "Then I answered I them and said unto them, the God of heaven, he will prosper us." I like how that sounds. Does it say the God of heaven might prosper us? Does it say the God of heaven, we we're not really sure if we pray hard enough, if we work hard enough. Did he say that? You see, I I've got a madeup mind that if he went to the extent that he did to die for me to purchase my salvation, do you think that you and I in our minuscule mistakes that we make, you really think we're going to mess it up that much? I don't. I'm going to stand confident today and proclaim in the name of the Lord, the Lord our God, he will prosper us. He will prosper us. Not might, not maybe. He will prosper us. Therefore, and I want you to hear this. Therefore, his servants, that's us, will rise up and build. But you, you have no portion nor right nor memorial in Jerusalem. You know what he said to them? You don't belong here. You don't belong here. Do you know as we're working for God, we need to let the distractors know you don't belong in my life. You don't belong in my ears >> for whatever I got to do. When I identify you as a distractor of the work and the will of God, I'm sorry. You don't have any place in my life. You don't have any place because I need somebody to help pull me up. There's enough devils in hell want to push me down. I want to surround myself with people that want to lift me up. Do you realize that's what happened this morning when the choir and brother Yadnashek, brother Ericson begin to sing. Guess what happened? An atmosphere here begin to lift us up. Now, the distractors will say, "It's just emotions." The distractors will say, "Oh, it's just the weak-minded people that are here that need all of that." But you need to tell the weak-minded, you need to tell the distractors, you have no place, you have no right, and you don't have you you won't even be remembered. Let me tell you something. People don't remember doubters. They remember faithful people. People don't remember quitters. They remember people that trudged on and went on through. That's the people that they they Come on, give him praise this morning. I'm going to read these verses very fast. They'll come up on the screen, but starting at Psalms chapter 25, verse number 15. This is high protein food right here. This is spiritually high protein food right here. You get this in your your diet, you won't be hungry for other worldly entertainments. No, no. You get this high protein spiritual diet right here. Psalms 25:15. My eyes are ever toward the Lord. He shall pluck my feet out of the net. Psalms 121 1 and two. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth. Psalms 123 1 and2. Unto thee will I lift up mine eyes, oh thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of the servant look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of the maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon thee, our God, Lord our God, unto that he have mercy upon us. Psalms 141 and8. But mine eyes are upon thee, oh God. Oh God, the Lord, in thee do I put my trust. Leave not my soul in destitute. And then listen to Jonah as he's in the belly of the well. Verse chapter 2 and verse 4. Then said I, I am cast out of thy sight, yet will I look again toward thy holy temple. The purpose of the wind, the purpose of the wind is to cause you and I to put our eyes back on him. You can tell me what the wind's doing. I may lend an ear, but I'm not going to take my eyes off the Lord. For unto the Lord comes my help. Peter, you would have never sank. You would have never started sinking if you had kept your eyes on the one that said come. Because the word of God never changes. Time cannot erode that. Time cannot take that back to you. If God sent you to a city, brother Yadna, God has not changed his mind. If God called you to preach, God has not changed his mind. If God told you to do a certain job, God has not changed his mind. >> Come, come. When that the writers say, "I keep my eyes upon you." Can I tell you, God will use the wind to get you back in his will. Let me say it again. God will use the wind to get you back in his will. Jonah, yes, God, go to Nineveh, that wicked city, and preach against it. Go to Nineveh and preach. Tell them, "Unless they repent 40 days, I shall overthrow them." Jonah chapter 1, verse number four. Because Jonah decided he wasn't going to Nineveh, right? But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea. There was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners were afraid, cried every man to his God, cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down in the sides of the ship, and he lay and was fast asleep. So the ship master came to him, and said unto him, "What menst thou, oh sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if it be that God will think upon us, that we perish not." Can I tell you something? The wind can break your stubborn will. The wind can wake you up and shake you up and get you back on course. Now, I want you to know today, I want to tell God right now, "Don't send the wind. I'll do it. God, don't send the wind." And God would say, "Okay." But if I ever say, "God, I'm not going to do what you called me to do." God said, "Okay, I'm going to send the wind." And the wind has a way of waking you up, oh sleeper. And it has a way of shaking you up, oh sleeper. You see, a lot of people get so comfortable with God. And they get so comfortable with their life of God. They got a little money in the bank. And oh, the economy is looking good. And oh, Mr. Trump's got everything, man. Happy days. The golden age is here and blah blah blah. Whether it's here or not should not have anything to do with my worship >> and my dedication to God. There'll never be enough money in my back pocket that would cause me to walk in here and keep my hands to my side. There'll never be enough There'll never be enough riches you could give me that would cause me to come in here and stand around and look around. Oh no. Whether I've got cash or whether I got cancer, I'm going to come and lift up the name of J. You won't have to send the wind after me, but he does. The wind can break your stubborn pride. You will be thrown over and a great fish will follow you, swallow you. And in the belly of hell, or what you referred to it as, you would lift up your eyes toward the temple, and you would say, "Salvation is of the Lord." and the great fish would spit you out on the ground and you would go into Nineveh and you will preach 40 days and 40 nights or else you'll be destroyed. And everyone in the city begin to repent. The king be to repent. The servants begin to repent. The king begin to fast. The servants begin to fast. The people begin to fast. They even took the water and the food away from the animals. And they begin to fast and turned their hearts toward God. And God turned his mind. The 40th day was coming along. The 40th day was coming along. And oh, self-righteous Jonah found him a comfortable spot on the side of the hill so he could see the fire fall. The Bible said, "And God caused there to be a gourd, a plant with big leaves that came up. And oh Jonah said, oh, thank you Jesus for my comfort. Thank you. Thank you, Jehovah, for my comfort. Thank you for this wonderful gourd. I'm I'm under this shade. And oh, thank you. Thank you for this shade. And then the Bible said, the Lord prepared a worm. And the worm drilled a hole in the side of the gourd. And then the Lord said, "I'm going to send a veheminent east wind, dry." It shriveled up the gourd. Jonah began to get sunburned and hot and he began to complain and he said, "I would to would I would just die." And God rebuked him. And God told him, said, "You've had pity on this bush that came up in a night and was dead in a night, but yet a city of 180,000 that cannot discern between their right and left hand, you have no pity." Can I tell you today to every church that's not loving the lost, to every person here today that's living in the comfort of this consumer age that we're living in, may God send the East Wind. And may God bore a hole in what we're using for comfort until we can get a love for lost humanity all over again. A love for lost souls. A love for lost people. Regardless if they're rich or they're poor or they're bound or they're free or they're married or they're divorced. Regardless of the ugly bondage that the world puts upon them, you are welcome at First Apostolic Church. That's what we're here for. Come on. Would you give him some praise? If you believe we're here to reach the lost, the wind and the wonderful, it's amazing. The wind can distract you from something that's good and the wind can distract you from something that's bad. The wind can distract you. Do do you know I I I don't think there could be anything more harmful than religion that denies scripture and tells those who follow it wholeheartedly, you're saved. But you know what those people need? They need a distraction from religion. And that distraction is the wind. John 3 and 1. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. Oh, so religious. Oh, so religious. The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God. For no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him." Well, our religion, you're a good teacher. You're a good teacher. Jesus answered and said unto him, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus. In other words, what he's telling Mr. Religious there, you don't know what you're talking about. He said, you you you think you see the kingdom of God, but you really you you really don't know what you're talking about because verily verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Mr. Religious speaks up and says, "How can a man be born when he's old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not, Mr. Religion, that I said unto thee, you must be born again." Mr. Religion, the wind bloweth where it will, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but can not tell whence it cometh, and whether it goeth. So is everyone that is born of the spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, "How can these things be?" Can I tell you what? Jesus knew that Nicodemus, "You need a distraction from man-made religion. You need a distraction from man-made traditions." What would that distraction be? Uh Jesus, you need to hear the sound of the wind of the spirit of the Almighty God. church family today. Our county, there's a there's a lot of places. Oh, here hear you, pastor, this morning. There is a lot of cities that have princes of darkness hovering over them. Some cities have the prince of gambling. Some cities have the the prince of of of sexual immoralities. And and not saying we don't have that here, but it's not the dominating thing here. What is the dominating prince of darkness over our city is manmade religion. It is manmade religion. It is people that are being taught they're saved when they're really on the first step, but they've not completed that. But it is left up to the church of the living God for them to hear the sound of the wind that is coming down. Can I tell you what happened just a little bit this morning when you walked into this place? We don't have a schedule other than worshiping Jesus Christ. We don't have an order. We don't have to be out at 11:30. I don't have to end the sermon at 11:30. It's We want the wind to blow in our midst because what every man-made denomination needs is the wind to blow through this city. Let the wind blow through this city. Come on. If you want the wind to blow, begin to praise him right now. I want the wind to blow in this city. Woo! Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah to God. I want the wind to blow in our city today. Are we not church? >> Musicians, make your way at this time. Are we not founded upon the wind? I said, "Are we not founded upon the wind >> and the fire?" God help us. I don't want to live in the ashes. I want to live in the wind. Acts chapter 2 and verse number one. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came a sound from heaven. As of a mighty, as of a rushing mighty >> came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty. Help me now. >> It filled. What field? The sound filled all the house where they were sitting. There appeared unto them clothe tongues like as a fire and it set upon each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance or the ability to do so. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem. Follow this closely with me please. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, what was noised abroad? What was noised abroad? The wind. Not the people speaking in tongues. 120 people speaking in tongues might have got the attention of maybe 30 or 40 that were within hearing distance. And it would have said and those that were surrounded the upper room. But it says in verse six, "Now when this was noised abroad," can I tell you that entire city heard the wind. That entire city heard it. But what caused them to be attracted was not hearing the wind, but seeing the people that experienced the wind. My God, what got them was not, "Hey, we heard the wind was that something's happening down here in an upper room." And when they went down to the upper room, they found 120 disciples, including the mother of Jesus, Mary. They found them down there speaking in other languages, speaking in other tongues the wonderful works of God. And then they said, "How do we hear them speak in our tongues?" Can I tell you this whole blunt county knows about the Holy Ghost? This whole blunt county knows about the sound of the wind. But what they need is more than hearing about the wind. They need to be in somebody's life that's experiencing the power of the wind. And we're talking about the mighty works of God. He is still a miracle giver. He is still a divine healer. He is still a way maker. He can still split a red sea. He can still open blinded eyes. He can still do all of that. Would you stand with me right now if you believe it? He can still do it. But what he's got to have is a church that says the wind and the wonderful. The wind and the wonderful. The wind that distracted them away is now the wind that were pulling us. Can I tell you how powerful the wind is on that first day that the church was in operation? 3,000 people were added to that church on the first day. Somebody shout, "Because of the wind." Because of the wind. >> Because of the wind, 3,000 people were baptized and added to the church that same day. Because of the wind, a hardened religious leader was changed. His name was Saul. It was changed to Paul. And because he got a hold of the wind, he said in first Cor 1 Corinthians 14:18, I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all. It's time the hour is late. It's time that we fill Blunt County with people that have not heard about the wind, but people that have experienced the wind. Oh, brother Carpenter, you're never going to change them. Their hard shell blank, their hard shell this. Was that right? Well, just get the wind blowing. And in Acts chapter 6:7, and the word of God increased, and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly, and a great number of the priests were obedient to the faith. No, I can't match you mouthto for mouth. But if I can get the wind blowing through my life, the wind has a way of affecting them. It got a hold of a man in Acts chapter 10. It got a hold of a good-hearted man. I believe there's good-hearted people in this city that are serving God to the best of their knowledge. I believe they're sincere, good-hearted people that love God based on everything that they know. But they need the Apostle Peter to come down. They need a man that's had a wind experience. And when that man comes to that house before it's all over with, Cornelius and his whole house are filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. when I believe our city is filled with people that believe that they're doing the will of God. I believe our our city's filled with good-hearted people. They're good people. They're morally good people. They're blunt countians. They're the best. But they just need a Paul to come down and say these words. Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? And they said, "We didn't hear about the wind." He say, "What then? Were you baptized?" Oh, you need to be baptized in Jesus' name. Because the promise is to those that are baptized in Jesus name. Oh, just let me close and we're going to gather up around the front. Ask God to send the wind. You do realize one last verse. It'll come to pass in prophecy. Revelation 7 verse number one. And after these things I John saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth holding the four winds of the earth. that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. Let me stop there for a moment. You can AI it if you want to. I would prefer you do it after church. But our natural earth will soon cease to be if it's not for the wind. You can you can AI. will tell y'all the scientific things that if the if the earth had no wind, it's going to happen in Revelation 7. But if the earth had no wind, it will soon stop to exist. The oceans will fill with blood on and on things that hey, I'll just tell you all the things that would happen if the wind ceases to blow. The earth ceases to exist. But can I bring it to a spiritual thing today? If the wind ever ceases to blow here, >> we cease to exist. >> If there ever comes a time that you only come to the altar when you have a problem in your life or you have a this, you have a that, you have a tragedy, if it ever gets to the only time you're up here is when you're in trouble. I'm telling you something. The wind will cease to be. But God, I'm telling you this morning as this church gathers into this altar, we want the wind to blow. God, we want the wind to blow right now, God. Oh God, if there's somebody here today that has not yet been baptized in your wonderful name, God, they accept water baptism in your name right now. Lord, if there's anybody in this room that has not yet been filled with the Holy Ghost, Lord, that you would fill us right now with the wind, God. Lord, we need the wind today, Lord. Lord, we need the wind to blow right now, God. We need the wind to blow right now, God. I, Kenny Carpenter, I need the wind in my life right now. I need the spirit, God, to move upon my mind right now. I need the spirit to move upon my soul right now. Oh, I need the wonderful wind to blow. I Kenny Carpenter, I need the wind to blow in my soul. I need the wind to blow in my life right now, God. I need to blow out I need to blow out the negative. I need to blow out, God, the lethargic. I need to blow out the deepness of my heart, God. Come on, church. Base, God, for the wind to blow. >> Oh, yes, God. Yes, God. >> Yes, God. Yes, God. Yes, God. >> Oh, God. >> I need the wind. >> I need the wind. >> I need the wind, God. I need the wind, God. >> I need the wind in my life, God. >> I need the wind in my mind. I need the wind in my heart, Lord. Let the wind wake up my heart. Let the wind wake my heart up. Wake me up, God. Wake me up, God. God, hold me up. Wake me up, God. >> Wake me up, God. >> Wake me up, God. Wake me up, God. >> Wake me up, God. >> Wake me up, God. Come on, church. Come on, church. Wake me up, wind. Wake me up, wind. Wind blow across my sleepy head. Wind blow across my sleepy soul. Wake me up tonight. Oh, wake me up, God. I know you. Wake me up, God. Wake me up, God. Wake me up, God. Come on, say some God all over this place. May your prayer be call your name out. Wake me up when Wake me up. Don't let me go to sleep. You're all we want. >> You're all we want. You're >> You're all we want. Holy Spirit. >> Come on. Come on. Good church. Come on. Come on, church folk. Come on, good church folk. We need the wind. We need the wind. We need the wind. You're the only one. Holy Spirit. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. >> >> Yes. Heat. Heat. Heat. >> >> I know you will do it. I'm here. I know you. Oh yes. Oh God. I Jimmy Carpenter. I need the wind in my life. I carpenter. I need the wind. I need the wind. I need the anointing. I need the wind. Heat. Heat. >> >> Would you do that with me? Would you call your name out and just tell God, I need the win? You You don't even have to understand the win. Just pray a prayer. Lord, if if there's such a thing as the Holy Ghost, I want it. If there's such a thing as speaking in other tongues, I want it. Oh God, I know enough to know that I need the win. I know enough to know that I need the win today. Come on. Come on, good people. Oh, yes, God. >> Oh, yes, God. Yes, God. Yes, God. >> >> You all, you all know Sister Maynard and Sister Carpenters's be sister Maynard's daughter and Sister Carpenter's sister Rhonda, that was such a powerful testimony. Boy, I'm gonna tell you when Rhonda when Rhonda heard the wind, Rhonda received the wind and she told me, she said, um, I'm so glad for my testimony sake that when I got the Holy Ghost and I got baptized and I got in the apostolic church, I'm so thankful that I didn't know then that I had cancer. She said, she said, "Bro Carpenter," she said, "people might just say, "Oh, Rhonda, you're in church now because of cancer." She said, "But I can truly say, I didn't know I had cancer when I got in church." But she spent what little time she had left being a great witness, a great witness to our city. I don't know who the gift came from, but at her funeral, somebody purchased a large set of wind chimes. And uh Sister Kman said, "I I I want those. I I'd like to take those home." So, we took those wind chimes home, Brother Mayford, and we put them on the back porch. We can be eating breakfast. We can be in the living room and the winds start blowing and we will look at each other and say, "Do you hear Rhonda? Do do you do you hear Rhonda?" And such a beautiful reminder that those chimes do nothing if the wind doesn't blow. >> But let the wind blow. Don't you want Easter to be a time that people hear the chimes around here? >> Hear the chimes and they'll say, "I I hear Jesus speaking. I hear I hear Jesus speaking." So, we're going to close in prayer. Why don't you try to call somebody this afternoon and invite them to a Sunday night evangelistic service? Why don't you make a special note? I'm I'm telling you, if the wind's blowing on you, that's already in your mind. I think I need to call somebody. I think I need I think I need to call somebody. Would you would you prayerfully would you prayerfully consider today? I I could be very bold and say, "Everybody call somebody." You know, everybody call somebody. But I just want you to really be prayerfully considering somebody that needs somebody that needs what we felt. Brother Troy, somebody that needs somebody that needs what we felt. You see, we're in the pool. We're used to the water, but there's a world that if we could ever get them to jump in, they'll come up with their mouth open saying, "Wow, wow, I never I never knew this." There's a slack family that'll come and say, "Man, we never knew this." So would you would you prayerfully consider today just getting on phone calling somebody and at least giving them an opportunity. Hey, we start six o'clock tonight. We have singing and then we have preaching and and uh man, I'd like you to come be my special guest tonight. Would you do that? Would you do that with me? Let's pray. Father, >> Lord, I pray that you will move upon all of our hearts. That God, we will become more mindful of the lost and the needy. that God will become more mindful of those that are lost, God. Those God, that if something doesn't happen, they'll spend eternity in a devil's hell. They'll spend eternity, God, if something doesn't change in their life. Oh God, would you move upon the good people of this church today that we would get so stirred that we would make phone calls today? We would invite people today. We would bring them out. And Lord, I'll give you the praise and I'll give you the glory. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. And amen. We'll go ahead and tell you this. Pastor's got the jump on you. I've already got one committed to coming on Easter Sunday. I've already invited a a a be a stranger to all of us, but I've already invited a man that I met. He said, I will be there on Easter Sunday morning. Let's get busy inviting people in the name of the Lord. God bless you.