Sunday Evening Worship Service
by Mark McCool
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Matthew 25:14-15, Matthew 25:24-27, Luke 16:8-13, Proverbs 24:16, Hebrews 11:1, Hebrews 11:13, Hebrews 9:27-28, Psalm 90:10, Matthew 9:12, Proverbs 17:22, 1 Peter 5:8

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/mark-mccool--sunday-evening-worship-service-7
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
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Lord, bless you. You may be seated. We greet you tonight in the wonderful, magnificent name of Jesus. So good to see all of you who are here in the house of the Lord. We are on just the precipice of a new school year and it's an exciting time. First Apostolic Church, Apostolic Kitty Academy, Apostolic Christian School. We uh sort of set our calendars frankly by the school year because that's one of the main focuses of ministry and messages and the way we minister here at this assembly. This is part of the foundational call for first apostolic church. in at the infancy of the church, the call was for an apostolic church and Christian school. So consequently, that is something this time of year that's really exciting. Most of you now understand I got a little bit um I won't say depressed but sobered would be the word when my wife told me that next year my high school graduating class will be celebrating its 50th year of graduating that that I graduated from high school 50 years ago a half a century ago. Man, that that's sobering. I want you to know. But I always and all of you who are in this house understand what this time of year is all about. There's there's anticipation of a new school year. Uh parents are anticipating an empty house. Now, uh students are uh wondering who their teachers are going to be. Uh teachers are wondering who their uh students are going to be. And there's a a a special excitement this time of year uh that uh only comes with uh the beginning of a school year. And with that in mind, I want to speak to you a little bit because there's something else goes along with that anticipation of a new year. There's also an anxiety that goes along with it. Frankly, there is a spirit of fear that can enter in in every fast. Whether an instructor or a student, whether a parent or a facilitator of a student going to school, there's always a fear factor, if you will, that sometimes causes us all to inordinately worry about what's about to happen in a new year. With that in mind, I want to take you to the book of Matthew tonight, the 25th chapter. In fact, I I'll be reading some passages that I've read recently and before, but I feel to revisit tonight would be appropriate for this time of year. The book of Matthew, the 25th chapter, we're going to begin reading two verses. It says, "For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to every man according to his several ability. And straightway he took his journey. The power of the Holy Ghost masterfully worked through Pastor Whitley this morning as he ministered to us, considering servants who are many times unknown. He gave us a charge and set a standard for us for a new year. And I hope that I can dovetail into that by dealing with that one entity that would try to prevent us from achieving what we would do in God as a servant. So tonight I'd speak to you on this subject, the fear of failure. The fear of failure. Let's pray. Savior, I love you. I'm grateful for this wonderful crowd of believers. Lord, I pray that your word would give us strength, encouragement, and yes, we find joy in serving you, and that brings us strength. Now, God, I pray that as we carry your word tonight, it would go deep into our hearts and give us all that we need to be complete in you and to do what you've called us to do. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. The fear of failure. The passage of scripture that I read in your hearing told of a wealthy man distributing his goods, his talents among his servants. So we can understand more definitively what we're talking about. In the Bible, a talent is not an inherent personal skill. You know, we'll say someone's talented at doing something. That's not what this scripture is referring to. Instead, a talent was a an ancient unit of weight and a massive sum of money. It was the heaviest and most valuable unit in biblical monetary systems. A talent represented an extraordinary fortune. A single silver talent equaled about 6,000 dinari. Because one dinarius was the standard daily wage for a laborer, a single talent was worth roughly 15 to 20 years of labor for an ordinary worker. So with this in mind, consider what the wealthy man who was traveling to a far country had entrusted his servants with. One with five talents, which would be a hundred years approximately wages for a servant. Another two talents, 40 years, another with 20 years of the possibility of what they could earn as a laborer. And to summarize the story without reading the entire parable, upon his return, the man of wealth came to see how the talents had been multiplied and invested. And any of you who are Bible scholars already know the story. The one who he had given five talents had invested and doubled the five talents to 10. The one who he had given two talents had invested and doubled it to four. But the third had instead of investing had taken the talent and had buried the talent. The Lord, as the scripture refers to him, commended the first two for their wise investment and their multiplying of the talents. But the third who had buried the talent, he called him a wicked and sloful servant. He took the one talent away from him and he gave it to the one who had doubled the five to 10. And then scripture gives us the wicked and soulful servants excuse or explanation for his ineptness and failure. For we read in Matthew 25:24, "Then he which had received the one talent, and and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not stroed." And I was afraid. I was afraid and went and hid thy talent in the earth. Lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, thou wicked and sloful servant, thou knest that I reap where I sowed not, and gathered where I have not sold. He said, IN OTHER WORDS, YOU had the liberty to invest. Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usery. There should have been interest in the investment. And this is where I hope we can find spiritual direction tonight. We must all understand that the fear of failing should never keep us from trying. WE SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THE CALL THAT WE get the distribution of the talents was not equal. One got five, one got two, one got one and the Lord did not expect the same yield but he expected a yield. So we find simply that this idea of failure and the fear of failure causes many to refuse to even try. For you see failure is part of life. Failure shapes lives and helps us choose the path that we take. But the fear of failure can be so strong that it can stop some from trying and folks being afraid to even make an attempt at what they can do. Thomas Edison famously created 10,000 light bulbs which didn't work until he finally got it right. He said, and I quote, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." You see, many of life's failures are for people who didn't realize how close they were to success. But Edison tried 10,000 times before 10,0001 gave us what we still enjoy today. You don't even have to call his name. Most of us, if you just say Michael in the world of basketball, know who we're talking about. Michael Jordan said, and I quote, "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed. He continues, I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something, but I can't accept not trying. End quote. You see failure happens but when you fail at something it does not make you a failure. Henry Ford said failure is only the opportunity to begin again only this time more wisely. Zigg Ziggler I heard brother Whitley quote Zigg this morning. Motivational speaker said remember that failure is an event not a person. Another motiv motivational speaker by the name of Dennis Weightley said, "Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end." But the one that I would want to quote the most tonight to remind us about failure is none other than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For in Luke 16, he told another parable about another man who had been assigned to collect debt for his master. In Luke 16:8, we read, "And the Lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely. For the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness that now this is Jesus words. It doesn't say if you fail. It says when you fail. That's pretty definitive. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE FAILURES IN YOUR LIFE. PREACHER, I CAME TONIGHT HOPING YOU'D TELL TELL US ABOUT THE JOY OF THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND HOW I CAN ACCOMPLISH THINGS. I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHICH STRENGTHEN ME. THAT'S ALL SCRIPTURE. BUT WHEN YOU'RE ATTEMPTING SOME THINGS, YOU'RE GOING TO MESS UP AND YOU'RE GOING TO FAIL. HE SAID, "AND WHEN YOU FAIL, they may receive you into everlasting habitation." He said, "There's other things. There's things that you have invested your life in." It said, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much. And he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." He goes on to say, and this is all Jesus words. If therefore ye have not been faithful in unrighteous mammon, who will commit you to your trust to trust in true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Was Jesus violating what he had just said? Of course not. He said that you make friends with mammon, but you don't serve mammon. There's a difference. You see, in most endeavors in life, the fear of failure does loom large. For some, it becomes human motivation. For others, it becomes a reason to quit. From academic achievement to athletic accomplishment. from business success as an employee or employer. No one wants to fail at what they do. Yet Jesus said failure sometimes inev is inevitable. You see this parable be began with a steward who had been in charge of making collections and he had not been vigilant in his collections. So what he began doing, he began negotiating with those who owed. One owed a hundred measures of oil, another a 100 measures of wheat. And he negotiated one. He said, "I'll take 50. I know you owe 100, but I'll take 50." To the measures of wheat, you owe 100, but I'll take 80. Many would consider this utter failure. But Jesus is in his parable not commending failure, but he was instead commending the art of negotiation. For the unjust steward had negotiated a partial payment rather than nothing. He said basically sometimes you're going to fail, but you're not a failure if you learn to negotiate some things. Micah said, "Rejoice not against me, oh my enemies. When I fall, I shall arise." Proverbs 24:16 said, "For a just man fallth seven times, and riseth up again, but the wicked shall fall into mischief." Negotiation simply means to confer with another to arrival at a settlement in a matter. Now, please stay with me. I'm not sweating and spitting yet, but I am telling us something tonight. Negotiation is not compromise. There's a difference. There are some things in our walk with God that are not up for negotiation. Our doctrine, our holiness, our righteousness, our honesty, our integrity, our fidelity. Someh sometimes however people get so unyielding about everything that they are doomed not just to fail BUT TO BECOME A FAILURE BECAUSE THEY HAVE UNREAL EXPECTATIONS of even what God's going to do for them. Did you know successful marriages happen when both parties learn negotiation of their differences? It has been said that marriage is not a 5050 proposition. It's a 100% com commitment on both sides. Bishop several years ago was counseling with one gentleman that was having some difficulties in his marriage and the gentleman told him, I've told you this before, but it bears repeating just so you can get the numbers right. He said, "Bishop," he said, "90% of our marriage marital problems are my fault." But he said the other 50%'s hers. Something wrong with those numbers there. You see, the art of negotiation is different than compromising. You see, I want to build your faith tonight. And I've I've talked about this a couple times recently, but let me let me build your faith again. If God carries everybody in this room, someday you going to die. Don't that build your faith? In fact, I've got news for you. The agent are likely to die before the young folks. Oh, brother Mcool, you need to be building my faith. I am because I want you to have faith in God's word and not unreal expectations. I've seen folks absolutely sit down and quit because they say, "I wanted my mother or my father to live and WE PRAYED AND THEY DIED." YEAH, they were knocking down a hundred. They were 30 years past what the scripture promises in years. God had given them a long extended life. BUT SOME HAVE UNREAL EXPECTATIONS OF THIS LIFE ON THIS EARTH. LET ME tell you, we need to TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EVERY MOMENT AND NOT FIND OURSELVES FEELING LIKE WE'RE A FAILURE. I'M GOING TO SERVE GOD AS LONG AS I'VE GOT BREATH IN my lungs. And when I STOP BREATHING, I PLAN ON GOING AND SEEING HIM. I'M not I'm not GOING TO BE INTIMIDATED BY THE WAY LIFE'S PROBLEMS COME ALONG. I'M NOT GOING TO FEEL LIKE I'M A FAILURE. >> Ecclesiastes said it this way. I returned and saw under the sun. The race is not to the swift, NEITHER THE BATTLE TO THE STRONG, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet rich to men of understanding, nor yet favor TO MEN OF SKILL. BUT TIME AND CHANCE happened to them all. I do not have the answers why bad things happen to good people sometimes. Brother Kevin, we've lost Sister Eve way too soon. Uh my staff meetings are going to be different this year. But you know what I do know? I know she was a lady of faith. until her last breath, Brother Kevin, she trusted in God and she gave every bit of effort AND THAT THAT'S NOT A FAILURE. GOD HADN'T HADN'T DISAPPOINTED US. GOD HADN'T let us down. GOD'S WILL IS PERFECT. WE DON'T UNDERSTAND perfection always. But I'm here to encourage you tonight. WHATEVER COMES IN YOUR LIFE, DON'T CONSIDER IT A FAILURE. IF YOU'RE TRUSTING IN GOD AND YOU'RE DOING ALL YOU CAN TO PLEASE HIM, you are a success. >> Hebrews 11 gives a litany of Bible heroes. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." I mean, that's how we define faith. substance things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it, by what? By faith, elders obtained a good report. And you can go from verse three through verse 12. It names Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, JACOB, SARAH, ALL HEROES OF THE FAITH. MAN, if if there's if there's any heroes that we CAN LOOK INTO, THAT'S THE HEROES OF THE FAITH. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT VERSE 13 SAYS? THESE ALL died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them a far off, and were PERSUADED OF THEM, EMBRACED THEM, AND confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on this earth. You see, WE USED TO SING IT THIS WAY. This world is not my home. I'm just passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven's open door. And I can't feel at home in this world anymore. I'm here to TELL YOU IF I GO OR IF I STAY, I'M NOT A FAILURE. I MAY HAVE FAILINGS IN MY LIFE, BUT I'M TRUSTING IN GOD. HE'S GOT TOO MANY WONDERFUL THINGS FOR ME. HE'S GIVEN ME TOO MANY BLESSINGS. I I WILL NOT CLAIM FAILURE TONIGHT. >> HEBREWS SAID, "IT'S APPOINTED UNTO MAN ONCE TO DIE." YOU GOT AN APPOINTMENT. I hope that does not kill you tonight. I hope that encourages you. But after that it said, "So Christ was once offered up to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he APPEAR THE SECOND TIME WITHOUT SIN unto salvation." You see, the promise IS THIS. IT'S APPOINTED UNTO MAN ONCE TO DIE. THEN THE JUDGMENT, BUT CHRIST OFFERED HIMSELF UP FOR THE SINS of many. We are the many. Psalms 90 and10 says by the days of our years are three score years and 10 and if by reason of strength they be four score years I believe that's 80 yet is their strength labor and sorrow for soon it is cut off and we fly away death is coming realizing your mortality is not a lack of faith instead it is an acknowledging that We live by faith. We acknowledge like Paul did that to live is Christ and to die is gain. Could I also tell you this? As these old bodies face the challenges of life, sometimes illness and sickness will come even to people who are serving God. That's not God's punishment. We read that time and chance happenth to them all. Jesus said in Matthew, "The sun rises on the evil and on the good, and he sendeth rain on the just and the unjust." You see, there will be sickness, there will be illness. And I I don't cross theological swords with anyone in the room. So, please don't be offended by what I'm about to say. I honor those who say they never need any medical attention. I used to brag about I'd never spent a night in the hospital till a couple years ago and I had to go to the hospital. Scripture says in Psalms, I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. God made these old bodies. But we just read that there was a limitation on our flesh. Matthew 9:12. But when Jesus heard that he he said unto them, this was Jesus words, "They that behold need not need not a physician, but they that are sick." Sometimes when you're sick, you need to go see a doctor. I mean, that's what Jesus said. Now, I I if if I believe in divine healing, I've seen folks healed. Jesus healed the sick. His disciples healed the sick. I've seen folks healed right here in this church. But there are also folks that were not healed in Jesus' time, and there are folks that will not be healed in this time. The Apostle Paul himself had a thorn in his flesh and asked God three times to take that thorn in the flesh out. You can figure out what that is and imagine what it is for yourself. It might have been a physical malady or an imperfection in his personality. Scripture doesn't say. But he said, "My grace is sufficient for thee." Whatever it was, that fleshly limitation had to be managed in Paul's life. Proverbs 17:22 says, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." You know, is it wrong to have a merry heart? No. So, apparently at times a medicine is okay, too. Uh we have too many folks who want to stay addicted nowadays and they're trying to replace what God wants to do in their lives with some type of uh pill and some kind of uh medicine. But I'm here to tell you properly administered medicines at times was a scriptural thing that took place. You know, if a merry heart doeth good like a medicine, if you're going to believe all the scripture, that doesn't mean somebody's sick, you go up and tickle them, right? You a medicine will work sometimes. I realize I appear to be way off base for many, but you see, he said, when you fail, our flesh will fail. Our flesh will get old. Our flesh will have maladies. But you see, the same God that created us, that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, lets us know that the blessings of the Lord, it maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow to it. There's no bitterness and ugliness when you serve God. In fact, it tastes good. It's We said, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." Psalmist said, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that trusteth with him." THERE WILL BE FAILURES, but you're not a failure. Did you know there will be financial failures in some folks lives? Malachi gave us a plan for not having financial failures. He asked the question. He said, "Will a man rob God yet? Ye have robbed me. You say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offering was the answer. For you're cursed with a curse. For ye have robbed me, even the whole nation. Now pause again. Is it that God needs our money or is it that God needs to give us a blessing? He owns it all. He just entrusts it to us. But you see, we rob God with the opportunity of blessing us when WE REFUSE TO PUT OUR FINANCES under his authority and his plan. Will a man rob? HAVE YOU ROBBED ME? YOU'VE ROBBED ME IN TITHE AND OFFERING. YOU'VE ROBBED GOD OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO POUR OUT BLESSINGS on you. HE SAID, "BRING YOU ALL THE TITHE INTO THE storehouse that there may be meat in mine house and prove me now. HEREWITH, SAYETH THE LORD OF HOSTS, IF I WILL NOT open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive, and I will rebuke the devourer for your sake. You want to be successful in your finances, put your finances under the authority of the word of God. He The prophet Hegi addressed the people of God who have neglected the house of the Lord. He said, "You're you're living in your sealed houses." In other words, everything at your house is okay, but you've neglected my house. And here's what he said. He said, "For ye have sown much and bring in little. You eat, but you have not enough. You drink, but you are not filled with drink. Ye you ye clothe you, but there is none warm. And he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Ask yourself this question. What's devouring my wealth and my substance? A sinful lifestyle is expensive. An undisiplined lifestyle creates waste. Desires for the world and its vices cost much. Feeding the flesh and starving the spirit charges great interest. He said, "I will rebuke the devourer." Who's the devourer? 1 Peter 5:8 said, "Be sober, be vigilant, for your because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring line walking about seeking whom he may devour." Satan himself wants to devour your substance and your wealth. When you feel like you've got more month at the end of your money, let me give some pastoral advice. I I do this every couple of years just to remind everybody. I think I have calculated this right. This is going to put fear in a lot of folks. Right now, it's 138 days till Christmas. Some of y'all that frightens you right then. right now. Let me charge everybody in the church, be determined to have financial discipline in your life so you won't fail. Some will go so deeply in debt supposedly celebrating Jesus' birthday that they'll lose their walk with God over credit card debt. They they can't come to church anymore because they're working multiple jobs to pay off their credit debt. Mammon has started ruling you when that happens. God didn't PAY MY BILLS THIS MONTH. NO, you spit foolishly. DON'T BLAME GOD. BLAME VISA. BLAME MASTERCARD. BLAME DISCOVER. BLAME AMERICAN EXPRESS AND 22% INTEREST RATES. I am still preaching. Believe it or not, >> let me tell you, we need to be financially independent of this world. WE NEED TO FIND OURSELVES DRAWING INTEREST INSTEAD OF PAYING INTEREST. I didn't see anybody run. You see, it has been said, and I I quote Bishop because he's the one I heard say it the most. We spend money we don't have to buy things we don't need to impress people we don't like. Oh, God, I don't want to find myself a financial failure. I I I don't want to fail. Let me put my life under God's financial plan so that he can bless me. Oh, let me hurry. You can I won't dwell there. You You can You can dress for success without being opulent and expensive in the way you dress. You can be holy and and and find yourself uh pleasing unto God. In fact, Isaiah said it this way. He said, "Wash you, make you clean, put away evil of your doings from before mine eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do well." You have to practice to do good. I've said it before, but I will repeat it again to the church. Soap and deodorant are cheap. Breath mints and mouthwash are inexpensive. We're talking about being a good witness right now. I don't be a failure. One can damage your testimony if you go around all the time unckempt and smell like a goat. Unless you're witnessing to goats, you know, homelessness and holiness are not synonymous terms. The psalm has said, "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." Let me tell you, if we will find ourselves living disciplined lives OUTSIDE THE CHURCH, then we'll have more enjoyment and more joy when we're in the church. I IF YOU'RE A SLOB AND UNCKEMPT, DON'T BLAME THAT ON GOD. IF YOU'RE AN ETHNIST FINDS YOU THAT WAY IN THE CHURCH, YOU'LL BE THE SAME WAY IN THE WORLD. YOU'LL BE A SLOB AND UNCKEMPT IN THE WORLD, TOO. Teach your kids to have manners. You do that with an by being example. Practice civility. Know how to know how to behave in a restaurant. Don't represent Christ as a brute, a chur, or a rude crude dude. Develop your vocabulary. debasing guttural language of the world will not make you successful. I'm so frankly appalled and disappointed at those who are supposedly the elite of our nation and of the world that they cannot communicate without using four-letter expletives anymore. God's people ought to be better than that. Instead of learning to curse, teach your kids to develop their vocabulary that they can communicate. Corinthians said, "Be not deceived. Evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness and sin not. For some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame." Don't let the way we speak to this world damage our testimony. I want to be a success. I don't want to be a failure. Stand with me. Some of you wonder where I'm going. Here's where I want us to be tonight. I said we're on the precipice of a new school year. I want to rebuke the fear that would keep every person in this room from meeting your potential and doing what God has called you to do. Here's what I'd like to have happen tonight. I would like to first of all with Apostolic Christian School, Apostolic Kitty Academy. I would like for every teacher and worker in our church, our rather in our school, in our child care center. I'd like for you to step out and I want you to come and stand around the front facing me. every every teacher and every worker want you to come and stand facing the pull pit, please. And right behind them, just just fill this whole front up here if you would. I'd like for every student, whether you're coming to ACS or you're beginning a new ski school year, whether that's at university or that's here at ACS or wherever you're going, I'd like for you to come and gather right in behind them. Now, I I want these are students now. Come on, students. Come on. Is this not beautiful? This is not a separate group here. This is one one body and one family. Now I want every parent, grandparent or facilitator of your student being in school, I want you step out and come behind them. Now we can fill in the sides now. Now, behind these folks, I want everybody in this house that will pledge to be a prayer warrior and pray for the ministry that God has given. Hey, I Sister Denise, would you mind coming down here? Sister Denise, Sister Denise Cole is a special lady. She's worked in in public education for many years. I I want you to come and join us. Where's Sister Brena at? Oh, she's up here singing. All right. I I might I might let you step up here and sing. But these folks are in a special battleground. You get limited sometime for what you can say and what you you know what she does? She made her way up because she was so excellent. She does it anyway. She take care of business. I I I know these two, but you're part of this this education Hear me. The enemy. The enemy. Bishop saw it a long time ago. It was revealed to Bishop a long time ago that the attack on generation after generation would come through education. Those who would posture themselves as knowing more than anyone else. And what's the biggest thing you're afraid of when you're in school? Failure. Who wants a big red fat F? I mean I MEAN THAT JUST SAYS FAILURE. THAT'S WHAT IT STANDS FOR. And consequently, if we aren't careful, the fear of failure becomes greater than the excitement of success. I'm praying and I want everybody else in this house now I if you would gather with us for a season of prayer. We're going to pray a special prayer tonight and we're asking God to give us successes, unprecedented successes. Oh, we're going to have battles that you may feel like you didn't win that battle. We're not going to stop with the battle. We're going to win the war. We're not going to be failures. We're going to be successes. We're going to succeed in being soul winners. We're going to succeed in our grades, in our instruction, in our taking care of all God has put us in charge of. Could you right where you are, could you lift your hands and love Jesus together just a minute? Hallelujah. God, I come before you right now. Lord, I claim success in you. Not a prosperity message, but Lord, a desire to serve you with everything that's in me. Lord, I will not be afraid. Your word tells me that perfect love casteth out fear. And your word also tells me that God, you are love. You are that perfection. If I have you living in me. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. WOULD YOU PRAY ONE FOR ANOTHER RIGHT NOW? HALLELUJAH. GOD, I pray for every student. I pray for every instructor, LORD. I pray for every parent and grandparent, Lord, who have bound together, who have sacrificed, that their students would be at apostolic Christian school, for those who are on the front line that are battling the enemy that would try to destroy through education. Lord, I pray for special strength and wisdom and guidance for them. God, I'm claiming it right now in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Now, would you lift your hands in victory? Would you lift your hands in victory? Hallelujah. >> Hallelujah. Sing it unto the Lord. Hallelujah. >> Yeah. Hallelujah. >> Hallelujah. >> Your mercy is forever. You are good. You are good. You are good. Your mercy is forever. >> This is You are good. >> This is one of our graduates. >> This is one of our graduates and he's getting ready to serve our nation. He's gone into the military, gone into the Navy. Is that right? You can swim, right? Okay, good. Just make his shirt. He He is a valuable valuable asset to First Apostolic Church. He's one of those technical minds. He's helped us with lighting and and all these kind of electronics. Uh they know where to get smart people. But I'm praying for a special hand of protection and guidance. >> I want you to know where you came from. Be proud of where you came from and who you are. You're a child of God. You hear me? I want us to pray right now in the name of Jesus. >> God, I'm calling on you right now for a special hand of guidance and protection. Lord, I pray that wherever he is assigned, God, that your hand would go with him and give him all the wisdom and knowledge to stand for you. Lord, I pray that you would protect his life and order his steps. God, I'm believing you for it. In the name of Jesus, I'm calling on you right now to do the work. Lord, I praise you. I thank you. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. And amen. Our graduates going forward, we we prayed for brother Drew earlier headed to uh to Indiana Bible College. I'm praying that every one of our students that God's going to continue to bless them. And don't y'all forget where you came from. Come back home. We need servants, don't we, brother? Let me finally say this. I desire your prayers for the leadership of the church that God would give us wisdom, direction, guidance, and God would let us minister as he's called us to do. I stated this morning, I stated it again. If you're interested in being involved in Christian education, fill out a an application in our office. Give your resume. We're always looking for workers in the kingdom of God. Make yourself available. Lord bless you. I love every one of you. Now, would you greet your brothers and sisters, students, parents, teachers? Could we greet each other and love each other? Lord bless you. You're dismissed in Jesus name