Hope On A Rope | Rev. Raymond Woodward
by Raymond Woodward
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Psalm 71:5, Joshua 2:1, Joshua 2:21, Isaiah 53:5, Hebrews 6:19

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/raymond-woodward--hope-on-a-rope
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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Praise the Lord, FAC. Praise the Lord. Isn't this a wonderful, wonderful church to be part of? I uh I travel a bunch and um there are many wonderful places and many awesome apostolic churches, but there are some that just feel like home and this is one of them. We love all of you. Beverly sends her greetings and her love and we love all of you and we love your pastor and his wife and all of the pastoral team that serve this great church. I love them from the oldest who just celebrated his birthday. I love them right down to the youngest. Those little grandkids, oh my goodness. Um, you know, the they just figured if uh if nobody else going to do it, we're going to replenish the earth. I I love it. Keep going. When you got a good product, just keep going. It's amazing. Don't you love these leaders that serve you every week and stand in this pulpit? And so I have no adequate words to tell you what a high honor it is uh just to be able to preach to you tonight in this great church standing in this pulpit where your men of God every week break the bread of life to you. Aren't you glad that your life has been changed by the spirit of God and by the word of God? My my. Right now, before you're seated, would you lift up your hands? Lift up your voice. Lift up every great word you've got in your vocabulary and give Jesus a great, great praise. Oh, I thank you, Jesus. I lift you up. We are so blessed by your presence. We are so thankful for the move of your spirit that is in our midst today. God, where could we go from your spirit? Where could we go from your spirit? Touch us tonight. Do what only you can do in this room. Do what only you can do in this room. May what we do please you. We pray it in Jesus name. My goodness. My goodness. Go ahead and be seated and then just mess up the devil. Clap your hands and shout. He not expecting that. Clap your hands all ye people and shout unto God with a voice of triumph. Just because we can, just because he's worthy. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. December the 14th, 2024, just six months ago. It was a chilly day in Westfield, Indiana, about 400 miles from here. And David Fiser was just relaxing at home. Around 11:00 a.m., his son Felix was leaving the house. He was going to drive his dad's Toyota Rev Rav 4 back to Ball State University in Muny. when suddenly his son heard a mother and her 18-year-old son shouting and screaming. They had been walking their dog when it chased some geese out on the ice of a frozen pond and it fell through the ice into the freezing water. By the time Felix the son got to the pond, that young man had managed to pull the dog out, but then he had fallen through the ice himself. And now he was screaming for help. Felix reached instinctively for his phone to call 911, but then he realized, "I left the phone in the SUV." So, he races back to the house to retrieve it. And while he's getting his phone, he's yelling for his dad who's in the house. And David came quickly because he could tell the situation was becoming worse. Frigid water can cause shock in a minute. It can introduce dramatic changes in breathing and heart rate. It can cause la loss of muscle control in about 10 minutes and hypothermia in about 20 minutes. And by now, the young man is panicking. He's frantically treading water. And he's screaming, "I'm going to drown. I'm going to drown." Now, thankfully, David Fischer, the dad, he wasn't just your average couch potato. In the state of Indiana, he's known as the rope warrior. And his rope jumping skills are legendary. Over the last 30 years, David has performed for nearly 10 million people, most of them students at school assemblies. He's entertained two US presidents. He's made more than a hundred television appearances and he's even in the Guinness Book of World Records. David also wrote two children's books that feature a superhero who's incidentally called the rope warrior. And that superhero can spin a jump rope fast enough to create an impenetrable shield, which is a skill I don't have. David wrote two of those books and his alter ego has rescued many people with his dynamic rope skills in the books, but never in his wildest dreams did David Fiser ever think it would happen in real life. But as he rushed out of the house that day, he grabbed two of his longest ropes, about double the length of this one, and uh they were 16footers that he used for double Dutch demonstration. He threw one of them on the shore as a lifeline just in case he fell in himself. And then he ventures onto the thin ice as he can hear it and feel it cracking beneath his weight. And when he got as close as he dared to that young man, he held one end of the rope and he threw the other end of the rope and he got just perfectly in line with that young man because he'd thrown a rope many times. He knew exactly how far and how uh hard to throw. And so that young man was able to grab on to the other end of the rope and David pulled him to solid ice. But then the young man tried to stand up too quickly and he went through again. So David threw the second throw and he was able to get that teenager out of that frigid water just in time to save his life. Other than some scrapes on his chest from the sharp ice, the teen was unharmed. About five months ago, David and Felix, they were both honored in a ceremony at Westfield City Hall in Indiana by the mayor and the fire chief. The story was carried by major newscasts, maybe you saw it, national newspapers in the US and even in Canada. And David remains very humble about the whole episode, simply saying,"I just very thankful that I happened to be there and to have the perfect tool for saving him. I'm so glad I had my rope handy. I was the right man for the right job at the right time." So you could say that that little incident that made the newspapers all across the country was a case of hope on a rope. Now in the Bible, ropes are used both literally and symbolically. They were used to secure the coverings of the tabernacle. They were used to anchor sailing ships and they were used to restrain prisoners. So in the scripture, ropes can represent security or servitude. They can represent binding or bondage. The book of Hosea speaks about bands of love. While the book of Job refers to chords of affliction, the book of Ecclesiastes, you know this one, it talks powerfully about unity, declaring that a three-fold cord, a threefold braided rope cannot be quickly broken. Now, in the English language, we say things like, "He's at the end of his rope." And when we say that, we mean that person has lost their hope and they're exhausted by their situation. Now, that's what we'd say in modern English, but that didn't come from modern English culture. It's actually reflected in the scripture. Psalm 71:5. For thou art my hope, oh Lord God. Thou art my trust from my youth. There's a very interesting little twist in the Hebrew language because in the Hebrew language, tikva is the word for hope. And when people have a common hope, it brings them together. And uh so the noun for tikba, it comes from a root word that means to gather or to bind or to twist together because when we have a common hope, it unites us. And so tikva in Hebrew is the word for hope. But it's just a quirk of the Hebrew language. Tikva is also the word for rope in Hebrew. So, you've heard the saying, when you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. Well, that's exactly what the psalmist was saying in Psalm 71 and5. You are my hope, oh God. You're my rope and you're my hope. If I can hang on to you, I know I can get through anything. If I can hang on to you, I know that this situation is not going to do me in. You're my hope and you're my rope. You are my tikva. And so if I can just hang on to you, I won't lose hope because weeping may endure for the night. But I know if I can just hang on, joy is coming with the morning light. Oh my. There's another remarkable rescue in the opening chapters of the book of Joshua. If the Israelites are ever going to conquer the land of Canaan, they have to conquer Jericho first. And that's not going to be easy because Jericho is a literal fortress. It is surrounded by double walls, an inner wall and an outer wall. They are both 30 feet high. And in Bible times, you couldn't fly over anything. They didn't have that technology. So a 30 foot high wall, especially two of them, that's an impenetrable fortress. The outer wall was 6 feet thick. And if you ever did manage to breach that, the inner wall was 12 ft thick. The city of Jericho was relatively small. And so to accommodate the population, many of the houses were built across the 12t gap between those two walls. You know, they had a view 30 feet high looking out over the surrounding hillsides. And they were safe there because no weapon could reach them 30 feet in the air. All they had was a nice view. The city was impenetrable. And the Canaanites, they're fierce warriors. 40 years earlier, Moses sent 12 spies into Canaan to spy out the land. and Jericho intimidated them so badly. The people, the Canaanites, intimidated them so terribly that out of the 12, only two came back with a good report. Joshua and Caleb. So, fast forward 40 years. Joshua says to himself, I'm not making that mistake again. If we sent 12 and only two came back with a good report, I'm just going to send two this time. And so, that's what he did. He rigged the odds. Joshua 2 and 1. And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shidam two men to spy secretly, saying, "Go view the land, even Jericho." And they went, and they came into an harlot's house named Rahab, and they lodged there. God led those two men, those two spies, to an unlikely ally. She was a prostitute named Rahab and her house was one of the ones located high on the outer wall of the city. She was an unlikely ally because her past was filled with sin and shame. Her past was filled with all kinds of mess and mistakes. But even that prostitute had heard about the mighty miracles that Jehovah had done for his people. She'd heard about how they walked through the waters of the Red Sea on dry ground. I don't know what else she'd heard about. Probably that miraculous pillar of fire and pillar of cloud that led them through the wilderness. She'd certainly heard about all the victories that they had as God literally fought for them. So, she may have had a bad past, but she had a desire that her future would be different than her past. Can I just tell you, I know we look pretty today. It's Sunday in Miraville, but let me tell you something. If you could see where Jesus brought some of us from to the place we sit today, you would know the reason why we love him. So you talk about unlikely allies for the kingdom. Paul said it best. Such were some of you, but today you're washed. Today you've been transformed. Today you've been set free. Today there's no more chains holding you. But we didn't deserve to be here. We don't have any claim on here. It is the grace and the mercy of God that brings us together in this place tonight. If you're visiting with us, please look around. Everybody here is exactly like you. We're just frail human flesh. We make mistakes. We fail. We're fragile and sometimes fickle. But our God, he's so mighty. He's so merciful. He's so powerful. He can put one finger on your family situation and he can give a miracle that will restore everybody in your family. And so Rahab, that's what she wants. She tells the spies, "I want my future to be different. I want a God like your God. I want some power like your God has. I want what God has done for your people. I want that to be true for me and my family. And so she broke the law in the city of Jericho. She hid those spies and she sent them on their way once the authorities were finished looking for them and the coast was clear. But before she sent them on their way, she made them promise her something. I know that your God is going to give you this city. I know that your God is going to do mighty works. I know that your God is going to lead you to victory. So when he does, don't you forget about me. When you come back to this city and you take over, I want you to rescue me and my family. I'm tired of the way I'm living. I'm tired of the way this is going. I'm tired of this old culture in this sinful city. So when you come back and God gives you the victory, I want you to promise me something. You take me and my family with you. All right. Now, the spies couldn't leave by way of the city gate because the soldiers were still looking for them. But since Rahab's house was conveniently located high on the city wall, she was able to lower them to the ground out of the window of her house on the outside of the city where nobody saw it. And the Bible tells us that in her house, she had an old scarlet rope. And so she lowered that scarlet rope out of the window of her house. And those two spies climbed down that rope all the way to the ground and they took off running. And the authorities of Jericho never caught them. But before they left, they said to her, "We want you to take this rope that you've led us down by this scarlet cord, and here's what we want you to do. You tie this red rope in your window, and it will be for you a true token. And when we come back to the city, we'll tell the whole army, you look for the window where there's a red rope hanging out of that window. You look for that scarlet cord. And when you see that rope, you're going to know that city, that house is on our side. When the city goes down, that house doesn't go down. When the city is destroyed, that family isn't destroyed because there's a true token that's hanging in the window. and you look for that rope and that rope is going to save Rahab and her family. I don't know if you hear the same echo that I hear in that story. God said to Israel, "And when I see the blood, I will pass over you." But it's not just an Old Testament story because there was a day when my sins were washed away by the precious shed blood of Jesus. And I stand here today in a pulpit. Imagine that. I'm not worthy to be in a pulpit. I'm not worthy to preach the word of God. But let me tell you, his blood many years ago cleansed my life. And he said, "And when I see the blood, I will pass over you." There are some people in this room tonight that you fix up and dress up real pretty. But if we could see the past, but it's been so long ago now that you've walked in freedom. It's been so long ago that you've walked in liberty. Some of you have raised multiple generations of your family now in the apostolic faith. You don't even know how blessed you are. Thank God for the day when God said, "When I see that red token, when I see that red covenant, when I see that red rope, I'm going to pass over that house with judgment." The spies told her that she should take that same rope that saved them, bind it in her window. And here's what Joshua's recording says. Chapter 2:21. And she said, "Okay, according to your words, so be it." And she sent them away. Oh, I love this. And they departed. And she bound the scarlet line in the window. That's the Hebrew word tikva. In that window, she tied her rope and she tied her hope. All of her hope was tied in that window. And then she waited confidently for God's promise to be fulfilled. The tikva was her rope. The tikva was her hope. It was quite literally hope on a rope hanging out the window of Rahab. And when the walls of Jericho finally fell, the people of God came back. They didn't lift a weapon and attack the city walls. They marched around seven days, seven times on the seventh day. And when it came to the right moment, Joshua gave them the command. He said, "And when you compass the city the seventh time on the seventh day, here's what you do. You shout." God's God said, "Shout for I have given you the city." Now, we like to do that backwards. We like God to give us the city and then we'll shout. Give us the healing and then we'll shout. Give us the miracle. Give us the deliverance, God, and then we'll shout. We'll show you, God. We're going to praise you. That's backwards in the kingdom of God. God said, "You shout now. You worship now. You praise me now. Shout for I have given you the city." That's why we get together every week and we worship God with abandon. We're shouting because there's still some unfinished business in Maraveville. There's still some unfinished business in my family. So, I'm going to shout because I'm expecting God to give me the city. If you're waiting on God for anything, I want you to lift up your hands and lift up your voice and give God a shout of praise. Shout for I've given you your healing. Shout for I've given you your miracle. Shout. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. And when they came back and when they shouted and those walls fell, there was one section of wall that did not fall. There was one piece of wall standing 30 feet in the air that did not collapse or fall and that's where the house of Rahab was. And sure enough, there was an archaeological dig by historians Selin and Watsinger between 1907 and 1909. And guess what they found when they excavated Jericho? There was one section of wall on the northern side of that old city that was still standing. Let me tell you, when God gives you a promise and when you hang on to the hope, God keeps his word every single time. Don't you go doubting the word of God. If God's given you a promise, you hang on to that hope. I I read Pastor Chad was so kind in his introduction. I read the Bible and I'm just kind of like a little detective. I just keep asking questions. And so here's a question for you. How do you think Rahab and her family got down from that house 30 ft in the air perched on top of the only remaining piece of wall? Let me tell you how they got down. They used the very same scarlet rope that the spies had used. Here's what they knew. If that rope is tough enough and strong enough to let down those two spies, that rope is still strong enough to let us down. It was the same rope that saved Rahab and saved her family. They used that very same scarlet cord. If the rope was strong enough to carry those big two strapping men, it was strong enough for her and her family. And we know the end of the story. Joshua saved Rahab and her family alive. And a former Canaanite prostitute became part of the lineage of King David and part of the lineage of the Messiah Jesus Christ. The apostle James command comm commends Rahab as an example of good works. And then the writer of Hebrews goes even further and he places Rahab in chapter 11 of Hebrews at the conclusion of a long list of saints across the ages who had notable faith. Just before he goes into all the anonymous believers, he puts her name last. And it's all because she had confidence in that scarlet cord, that scarlet rope that hung in her window. She had trust in God's promises. She literally had, brothers and sisters, hope on a rope. That's literally what she had. Let me tell you, there's another scarlet cord, and it runs the length and the breadth of your Bible. It is the bloodline. It runs all the way from Genesis to Revelation. We see that scarlet cord in the Garden of Eden as God sheds the blood of an innocent animal to provide a covering for Adam and Eve when they sinned. But that's not the last time we see that rope. We see it in the sacrifice of a ram crowned with thorns on the top of Mount Mariah as Abraham says to his son, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for the burnt offering." Can you imagine that old patriarch? He just moved into prophecy. Isaac said to him, "Dad, we've got fire. We've got wood. We've got a knife. We've got all kinds of things, but one thing we don't have, Dad. We don't have a sacrifice. And the spirit of prophecy hit that old patriarch. He said, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for the sacrifice." He didn't know what he was saying, but to the very same spot, many years later, Mount Mariah became the location of the city of Jerusalem. And on the very same spot, on the highest point of that mountain ridge, was a place that you know as Goltha. And on that very same spot, some 3,000 years later, Jesus provided himself a lamb for a sacrifice. Abraham didn't know what he was saying, but he was all tied up in that scarlet cord of redemption. We see that scarlet cord everywhere. We see it on the doorposts of Israel as they paint the blood on their doorpost. And that night of Passover, Jehovah delivers them from 430 years of Egyptian bondage. We see that scarlet cord in every single sacrifice offered on every altar in the tabernacle and the temple over hundreds of years. It's the scarlet cord. We see that scarlet cord in the lofty words of the prophets like Isaiah who says he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him. And then the old prophet gets so anointed, he jumps from the past tense into the present tense. And he says, "And with his stripes we are healed." Let me tell you, there's enough power in that scarlet cord. There's enough power in the blood of Jesus. Whatever disease has been diagnosed in your body, when you're in a service like this, you're in the greatest radiation room that you could ever be in. The spirit of God, the blood of Jesus, the word of God, the name of Jesus, any disease has to bow. Any diagnosis has to bow. There's a scarlet cord that runs through this sanctuary tonight. Oh my. We see that scarlet cord on the Jordan River when John the Baptist stands up and says, "Behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." And we see that scarlet cord on Mount Calvary when Jesus cries out, "It is finished." We see that scarlet cord in the preaching of the Apostle Paul. You who sometimes were far off are now made nigh by the precious blood of Christ. And the final time we see that scarlet cord is when all the saints of all the ages, they stand blood and blood purchased and blood washed and they are around the throne in heaven. And we see the far end of that scarlet cord when John records, "And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony." We woke up to some crazy news this weekend, didn't we? Got a question for you. Just one question. How in the world do you think we're going to be saved when this old world comes crashing down around us? because it sure looks like it could. Let me tell you, the same scarlet cord that rescued the saints of all the ages, the same scarlet cord that saved those pioneer preachers, the same scarlet cord that got all those faithful saints all the way to glory. That same scarlet cord, it's going to rescue all of us. If it was strong enough for them, it's strong enough for you. If it was strong enough to heal their body, it's strong enough to heal your body. If it was strong enough to save their family, it's strong enough to save your family. It's the same cord. It still works. The blood still flows today. I wish you'd give God a great praise in this room. The blood of Jesus is going to be sufficient for me. The blood of Jesus is going to be powerful enough for you. What the apostles preached about, I have confidence in it. I have hope in that rope. That's what I have. Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 19 the writer says which hope we have as an anchor of the soul. It is both sure and steadfast and it enterth into that within the veil. It is literally anchored in the promises and in the covenant of God. I've got confidence in the rope. I've got trust in the rope. I've got my hope anchored on that rope. The blood of Jesus is strong enough to overcome any obstacle that you face. His blood was not merely shed for your salvation. That's its primary purpose. That's its primary goal. But when the scripture keeps coming up with phrases like, "I am the Lord that health thee." When the scripture keeps coming up with phrases that tell us, "Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits. He heals all your diseases." Let me tell you, the blood of Jesus, I'm so glad it washed my sins away. That's how I get to heaven. But I don't have to wait until I get to heaven to let the blood of Jesus go to work for me. It is a shield for my mind. It is a boundary around my family. It is a wall around my marriage. The blood of Jesus is a powerful force. And the devil can't cross over that bloodline. It circles me like a fence. It circles me like a shield. Nothing gets to me except through the hand of God. I just need to back that truck up one more time. Nothing gets into your life except it comes through the hand of God. You're covered by the blood of Jesus. It's powerful. I wish you'd lift up your voice one more time. I'm almost done. I wish you'd lift up your praise one more time. I don't care how far down you are. I don't care how the problem has infringed in your life. I don't care how fierce the attack of the enemy is. Let me tell you something. The blood of Jesus speaks for me. The blood of Jesus reaches for me. The blood of Jesus strengthens me. It gives me my energy. It gives me any anointing that I have. The blood of Jesus paid the price for it. We don't get anywhere without the blood. You say, "Pastor Woodward, I've messed up. I've failed. I'm fragile. My life is kind of a mess." Let me tell you that if a dad in Indiana could throw a little skipping rope and he could reach a boy that's sinking and he could pull him to safety. Let me tell you what the blood of Jesus can do. I don't care if you feel like you're going down for the last time. The blood of Jesus can reach you. I don't care if the devil has beat you senseless. If you can get one hand on the rope of the blood of Jesus, it can deliver you. I don't care what the divorce court said. I don't care what the lawyer said or the banker said or the doctor said. You still have a hope if you've got the blood of Jesus. Pastor Nolan, run over here and grab the other end of that. All you need to do is you need to get a death grip on the blood of Jesus and you need to let it pull you out of the situation you're in. You say, "It's been too long. I don't care. The blood of Jesus, if it could save the sins of the whole world, if it could deliver us, it can heal you. It can deliver you out of your situation. Stay there just for a minute for me. Oh my goodness. Not long after Paul was converted, he was just a baby Christian. He was just a new believer. and evil men in Damascus, they hated him. They thought he was a traitor and they decided, "We're going to kill him. We're going to put a stop to all this Jesus nonsense because they thought Paul was a traitor and they thought Paul was in error." But the disciples, they helped Paul escape from Damascus because they lowered him over the wall in a basket tied to a rope. Just back up there and pull on it for they lowered him over that wall in a basket. And Paul escaped to live another day and to preach another day because they lowered him by the rope. Can I tell you folks, your pastors have been preaching to you about your families lately. They've been preaching to you about core doctrines of the apostolic faith lately. Let me tell you something. You don't even know who's on the other end of that rope. Those believers in Damascus, they didn't know yet that Paul was going to be the greatest missionary who ever walked in shoe leather. They didn't know he was going to be the Apostle Paul. He was a brand new baby Christian at that point. They didn't know who was on the other end of that rope. They were just trying to help him escape. They didn't know he'd write half the New Testament. They didn't know that a preacher from Canada would be quoting him on a June Sunday night in Marville, Tennessee. They had no idea. They didn't know who was on the other end of that rope. I want to speak to every mom and dad and every grandparent. You don't know who's on the other end of that rope that you're hanging on to in your family. You have no idea who that is. Your son, your daughter, your grandchild, they could be mightily used by God. You don't know who's on the other end of that rope. So my advice for you, thank you, pastor. My advice for you is to get that rope, that scarlet cord, get it all wrapped around you, and then you get it all wrapped around your family. You get it wrapped around your kids. You get it wrapped around your grandchildren. You don't have any idea who's on the other end of that rope. You stand with me if you would. and this great church that I love so much this week. You have the responsibility and you have the privilege of hosting Strong Tower Youth Camp and your pastors have stood more than one of them in this pulpit today and encouraged you to not just be kind of well that's our church hosting. They've encouraged you to be part of that and here's why. You have no idea who's on the other end of that rope. You have no idea what young evangelist or what young pastor is going to be called this week. You have no idea what young person is going to pray a prayer in this altar that will alter their family situation. So here's what I'm preaching to you tonight. You need to get your hand all tangled up in that scarlet cord called the blood of Jesus. And then you need to hang on for dear life to everybody in your life. When God saved Rahab, he saved her family, too. And when God saves you, it's his will that his blood goes to work in your family. Before we ever come near the altar tonight, I'd like you to grab the hand of the person on either side of you. Propel every hand into the air right now. And now, lift your voice up. Now, lift your voice up and pray for a moment. Pray for a moment. Pray for a moment. Yes. Yes. Yes. You can't see it, but there's a scarlet cord. It's running like a river through this place. This is the week when some young person is going to be set free. This is the week when some family is going to experience a miracle. This is the weak. If the blood is strong enough for you, it's strong enough for your son and your daughter and your grandchildren. You're praying so good, but just pray a little more. You're praying so good, but just lift it up one more moment. Ah. Ah. Oh my. I am pushed right now by the Holy Ghost. This is an amazing church family, but this church family is connected to hundreds of backsliders. Hundreds out through the branches of every family tree here, every friendship, people that used to come to church, people that used to serve God. I believe that before the coming of the Lord, and that's not saying I think it's a hundred years away, Jesus could come at any moment, but I believe before the coming of the Lord, it's going to be a quick work. He will do a quick work and cut it short in righteousness. I believe there's going to be a pull and God is going to pull a whole bunch of backsliders home. Don't you be offended when they come at the last minute. As long as we get them in under the wire, we're going to get to spend eternity. Oh, Jesus. Because there's a rope. There's a bloodline. And some of you precious parents and grandparents, you spent years tying that rope around their soul. Every prayer you prayed, every prayer meeting you come to, every service where you call their name, you've been tying that rope around their soul. And God is going to pull the rope and he's going to pull them back. I speak to you in the Holy Ghost. You can doubt it. You can discount it. You can criticize it. But let me tell you, there is going to be a harvest of backsliders before the coming of the Lord that's going to blow your mind. They're going to come. I speak to the north, give up, and to the south, hold not back. Bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the end of the earth. Even everyone that is called by my name. And God is going to give that rope a tug. And there's going to be a harvest like you can't even imagine. And I believe great churches like this are going to be impacted in such a major way. your precious prodal. They may be slumbing in a pig pen tonight, but it just takes one decision and they're back in Father's house in their own bed of enjoying the meals around the table with the family of God. Just one decision, they already know what's right to do. Could you believe with me that this week's going to be such a week for some young person? I don't know whether it's going to be somebody that's here that's going to reach out to a friend at school. I don't know how it's going to happen. But could this great church believe that we're going to see a harvest? I know we got apostolic kids coming to Strong Tower, but there's all kinds of other kids that those good kids are connected to. I'm sorry, Bishop. I'm sorry. Before we approach the altar tonight, I want to make sure we're ready to approach it. One more time, would you take that hand next to you on either side? Lift it. This time, lift your voice high. Pray. Great church. Great church. Pray. Pray. Pray. Pray. When we come to the altar, we're coming with purpose. When we come to the altar, we're coming with prayer. When we come to the altar, we're coming with intercession. When we come to the altar, we're coming and we're going to shout now because the Lord is going to give us the city. The Lord is going to give us the harvest. The Lord is going to give us the miracle. Somebody pray in the spirit. Lift up your voice. You're filled with the Holy Ghost. Pray in the Holy Ghost. You're filled with the Holy Ghost. Pray in the Holy Ghost. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Can you feel it? There's a rope pulling you toward the altar tonight. It's pulling you to prayer. It's pulling you to intercession. Cuz there's somebody on the other end of that rope. There's somebody on the other end of that rope. You don't even know who's on the other end of that rope. You don't even know what they're going to do for God. You don't even know how their life is going to be changed. There's somebody on the other end of that rope. Would you come and join these that are already in the altar? When you get here, pray for somebody. Pray for somebody. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Don't pray in sorrow. Pray with a shout. Pray with victory. Pray with anticipation. Don't pray with sorrow. Shout for I have given you the city. Worship for I have given you that backslider. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I'm not playing with you, But would you get a hold of somebody's hand and let's pull together. We're pulling on that rope. We're pulling on that rope right now. Pull, church. Pull, church. Pull. Pull in prayer. Pull in prayer. Pull in prayer. There's a harvest coming this week. There's a harvest coming this week. There's answered prayer coming this week. Pull. Pull. Pull. Come on. Come on. Heat. Heat. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I've said it before in this pulpit in the last chapter of the book of Job. The Bible says God turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends. Would you turn yourself to somebody else, your family, to another family? And would you get in a little holy huddle right now all across this altar? And I want you to pray for them and their family just like you'd want somebody to pray for you and your family. I want you to pray over their life just the way you'd like somebody to pray over your life. I speak unto you in the Holy Ghost. This is a week of harvest at Strong Tower and at FAC Miraville. It's a week of harvest. I don't know who. I don't know what. I can't tell you the details, but it's a week of harvest. It's a week of harvest. It's a week of harvest. God to work in our families. God to work in our families. Heat. Heat. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We have prayed in Jesus name and by faith the answer came. Hallelujah. He's a prayer answering God. I speak over you the words that God spoke through Joshua. Are you ready? We've got a great week coming up. It's going to be a week of harvest. It's going to be a week of harvest. May it be unprecedented at Strong Tower Youth Camp. May it be unprecedented this year. And I speak to you what Joshua spoke on behalf of the Lord. The Lord said, "Shout for I have given you this city." Hallelujah.