Tri-State District Campmeeting
by Steve Smith
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Acts 2:46-47, Acts 6:7, Acts 1, 1 Samuel 15, Acts 4, Acts 9, Acts 12, Acts 15, 2 Timothy 4:11

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/steve-smith--tri-state-district-campmeeting-6
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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thank you good morning everybody and uh what a great camp meeting everything's been done with such excellence and um my wife my boys we've been treated like royalty and uh we're we're just like you we're just ordinary people you know just trying to do the work God and so thankful for what God is doing and I love these kind of settings uh where we can just be ourselves um brother Anthony said um you know do we need to turn the YouTube off is it going to get x-rayed no no no no it we're safe we're safe um we're safe but I think we're going to have a good time today I invite your attention to Acts chapter 2 verse 46 and 47 and then we'll look at acts 6 verse 7 always great to be with uh Bishop Billy Mc and um some things I'm going to talk about today he is a role model to me in this others like Steve Wilson Tim Gil that are just great champions of all of us uh and speak into our lives so Acts chapter 2 verse number 46 and 47 and they continued and they continuing daily with one Accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house did eat their meat meet with gladness and singleness of heart praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved one more verse Acts 6 verse 7 acts 6 verse 7 and the Lord increased and the word of God rather increased and the number of the disciples multiplied in J Jerusalem greatly and a great company of the priests were OB obedient to the faith I want to entitle my thoughts this morning the secret sauce the secret sauce as brother Ericson mentioned in March of of 2003 uh sister Smith Landry and I moved to Westchester County New York it's 20 miles from Manhattan and we started Westchester Apostolic Church brother Mooney one time said um you know there are times that God unplugs your brain people ask what what were you thinking we just were following the will of God we it was what we were supposed to do you look back and think well dear Lord what were we thinking we weren't we were following the will of God when when we started we had 400 PM Christian education and and 5:00 pm service once we started having service and I worked really hard to preach original content at 5:00 pm but the key to starting a church is not preaching um conference quality sermons but it's relationships and so I would spend our 4:00 time and our midweek I would use Raymond Woodward material and if you don't know about Raymond Woodward material it's some of the best and um early on I taught a 10-part series that he had written on the book of Acts it was it was pretty awesome few years later he released a 24-part series and I talked through that again and what I discovered was that I really did not know the book of Acts and that's embarrassing and I was sitting on gry road as soon as I was born then I was in West Memphis I've been in this all my life I've read the Bible through every year for as long as I can remember but I discovered that I did not know the book of Acts I knew the good parts I knew Acts 2 acts 8 acts 10 Acts 19 I knew the Falling Fire I knew the blowing wind I mean the people were being baptized in the water of the spirit I was all over that but I discovered that I really didn't understand the secret sauce of the book of Acts church I a friend in New York his name is will cook and will is a phenomenal cook he's named properly and um anybody that eats his meals they're like will man can I have your recipe and amazingly for New Yorkers he was willing to give you his recipe you'd eat that you try to go home and replicate it and well you just never got it right I mean you know nobody could do it like will and finally a bunch of his friends got together and said well here's the deal will all always leaves out the secret sauce there's always a key secret ingredient that will does not put on that recipe we focus a whole lot on vision mission and value statements and I think those are important but here's what I think we really have to to Grapple with is that culture each vision for lunch every single day it doesn't matter what you want to accomplish if the culture not right it will never happen culture determines what will grow environment is everything you don't find palm trees in Maine you don't find cactus in Central Park you don't find dolphin in the Great Salt Lake for the most part plants animals and people are products of their environment the last couple of years I I think it's due to my boys because they don't miss a whole lot from New York except for winter they miss winter they want snow so we have had snow s the last three or four years in Memphis I mean some serious snow we had one time where we actually had snow on the ground for a week I mean that doesn't happen in Memphis and the the byproduct of that is every time that has happened we have lost Shrubbery the whole side of my house all the whole side was just it was dead the next spring and so I stopped the man who does the landscaping for our HOA and I said what is the deal with these plants he said well they the this is as far north these plants should be and typically it's okay but we had such a harsh winner that it killed them in the last couple of years it's been large evergreen trees that were killed during the winter because the culture wasn't right I I I know the results of the book of Acts but I did not know the culture of the book of Acts and it's the culture that determines what grows I I really think this is part of why sometimes we go to conferences and we try to copy and paste what another church does and bring back to our church and it doesn't work now sometimes it's because things aren't transferable you know what a program that works here won't work there when when I was in New York I would go to to because of the times I promise you what worked in Alexandria was not going to work in Manhattan just wasn't going to work but now it becomes frustrating when you're following prayer fasting Bible studies that works everywhere but why why is it working here not there the culture will determine a whole lot if any culture is going to replicate the book of Acts Church it must first identify and imitate the culture of the book of Acts so I think the book of Acts gives us three Clues on what the culture is the first clue we find in chapter one now chapter one amazes me of the book of Acts I mean this is I mean if this was our movie as apostolics we would want Steven Spielberg producing it I mean this is an action packed movie but Spielberg would not start his movie with a business meeting I mean it's a great book but it starts with a business meeting Judas has committed suicide and so they've got to find a replacement for Judas and so they they push forward two people we've never heard of Joseph called barabus whose surname was Justice and Mathias two people we've never heard of and we only hear of Mathias the one that got selected one more time these men had been with them every step of the way from the baptism of John to the the Ascension of Jesus they weren't in this for Glory they weren't in this for recognition they weren't in this for position one would have to believe that they were deeply grieved that Judas had committed suicide and they wish that things had gone back to the way they were but with one business meeting one floor of the New Jerusalem is going to be named after beas they're going to be people that are saved going to heaven I'm convinced what Peter James maias who who is that who is that it it wasn't about out what they were getting out of it it was them investing in something that was bigger than them Ministry must be its own reward if you're in it for the Pats on the back or the praise the perks you won't do it for long preaching singing praying praising loving giving must be its own reward every once in a while I I pray to God you know in my sarcasm that I have God I'm I'm just thankful that you let me be on the team I mean my goodness living in New York for 14 years I became a Die Hard Yankee fan and don't don't hold that against me but but man if if I could have got one of those rings when they won the World Series I don't mind I I'll sweep up popcorn you know what I mean I mean I I'll do anything God and God thank you for letting be on the me be on the team of all the people in the world you allowed me to be on your team I don't care what role I play it doesn't matter to me what role I play I'm just thankful to be on the team I I say to God from time to time God you know I don't need platforms and I don't need positions but I've got to have some progress I if we could progress faster with me in a different position or no position at all we've got to have process we've got to have progress we've got to see what God is doing in our lives what one of the things that I I pray consistently and I I am so I'm so far behind on this but I pray God God make me selfless make me selfless to me that's what Paul means when he says I want to Die daily cuz my what what gets in the way of what God wants to do through me is me I want to be selfless God I love the verse that says if for where striving envying and strife is there is confusion and every evil work that's what James says in the new King James he says for wherein and self seeking exist confusion and every evil thing are there and then the passion translation which is right now my favorite new translation it's it's from a Pentecostal bent it says so wherever jealousy and selfishness are uncovered you will also find many troubles and every kind of meanness among preachers yeah yeah among Saints yeah something I learned years ago starting working with organizations and things of that nature um preachers aren't always Saints but that shouldn't be the Greek word for jealousy there means implies an obsession to promote oneself at the expense of others I'm talking about the book of Acts culture I discovered a long time ago and it's true for you as well if it's all about you it's not about much it's just not about much well one day you're going to die and we're going to remember you for a few Generations but we're not going to remember you after that it's all about him and if he can use us in that process then something significant will happen in my life there there's a book that I read every year there's several books that I read every year and all of them are real short but I recommend a book by Tim Keller called the freedom of self forgiv for fness it it's huge we we don't we don't think of it but that's really pride and God can forgive almost anything and he can forgive Pride but boy he fights Pride big time what this comes down to is whether it's about me or whether about the kingdom I like to put it this way whether it's about position or whether it's about Mission so in scripture you see this illustrated by David and Saul Saul was all about position he was all about image he made a monument to himself I mean it was how he appeared that mattered 1st Samuel 15 is a very very insightful uh look into Saul's life where Samuel comes and says God's told you go utterly destroy all of the amalekites and Samuel and the people spared AAG and the best so God said kill them all and they decided I'm going to keep the good and kill the bad and I'm going to move on that direction and then Samuel comes and confronts him and Saul says watch this cuz people that are into position and look we're all here we're not looking at other people we're looking right here every day that's got to die we're really good into talking blessed are you of the Lord I have performed the Commandment of the Lord you lying dog he he had com he he had done some of it but not all of it but watch this Samuel said for why do I hear the sheep and why do I hear the cattle and Saul said they have brought them from the amalekites for the people right be careful if I become addicted to position or if I'm around people who are addicted to position it's not a matter of if it's just when they will throw you under the bus because it's all about their image it's all about them for the people he was the leader he was the one that was in charge and Samuel said be quiet I'm going to tell you what God told me last night he said when you were little in your own eyes then great things were happening now the Lord sent you on a mission he uses that word you're about position but God sent you on Mission and you didn't listen to God and Saul said to Samuel but I have obeyed the voice of the Lord this guy I mean he was just adamant that he had done the right thing and I have gone on mission on which the Lord sent me and I brought back AAG the king of of of amalec okay that that line right there says that you didn't do what God told you to do and you didn't go on Mission I have utterly destroyed the amalekites again but the people took the plunder the Sheep The Oxen the best of things that were around them and Samuel said has the Lord as great Delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in Rebel as as in obeying the voice of the Lord behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed than the fat of Rams for Rebellion is is as the sin of Witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry if I can't stay selfless if I can't keep myself killed on the altar every day if I'm not careful it will lead me into a place of rebellion with God and Saul said to Samuel I've sinned well good night I mean if you'd have said that a long time ago it have been a lot better I've sinned for I've transgressed the Commandment of the Lord and your words but I fear the people oh my wife would say that's a non-apology you you said the right things but you put the butt there but the people a feared the people and obeyed their voice now they're pardon my sin really it looks like he's just asking him to forgive him and God to to cleanse him so that Samuel would return with him that I may Worship the Lord I know I've messed up but come on we got a photo op coming up we got to look good in front of the people we will you come and Saul said I'm not going back back with you and that's when Samuel said I'm not going to go back with you and Saul grabbed his robe and that's when the robe was torn and he said I've taken the kingdom away from your hand and then later Saul said I've sinned yet honor me now please before the Elders of this people and before Israel and return with me that I may Worship the Lord your God at the end of the day Samuel did go back with him but it was all about Optics it was all about how it look look we ought to put our best foot forward dear Lord if you're going to do graphic design do it the best you can if if you're going to do video do it the best you can we want to do but there's a difference between looking the best we can and doing the best we can and being obsessed with our image it shouldn't take us long in life to figure out don't live your life wondering what people are thinking about you because they're not they're just like you they're thinking about themselves and what they have to do King David on the other hand was all about Mission King David oh man you talking about mess with our Theology and the way we do business mean we prop up King Saul's but we disqualify King Davids act says he's a man after God's Own Heart doesn't mean he's perfect he's far from perfect the brother would be ministered to us in the prison today if he were alive I mean he had a guy killed he had he had adultery but when he when he was confronted by Nathan and he said don't cast me away from your presence and don't take your Holy Spirit from me the number one thing to him was not position it was the presence of God it was the kingdom of God he made in our thinking way bigger mistakes than Saul did but to God Saul's attitude was wrong his motive was wrong his Focus was wrong and God judge Saul more severely David refused to play God and he refused to allow anybody else to play God around him he wouldn't do that Saul was always trying to move the pieces around to be God I mean David was so adamant about this when the amalaki came that killed David David had him killed when when when the the when joab killed adner David could not deal with him right there but he tried to distance himself he tried to say look this is not on Me In My Kingdom God makes sure that that none of his descendants uh make sure that are they are people that have discharges or they're lepers or they lean on a staff or they fall by the sword or they lack bread he he basically cursed them and then when Solomon came to the throne David said you know what to do do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace now that's the cleaned up New King James Version the King James says Hy head but because I have a lot of gray hair I like I like gray hair better than Hy head that just doesn't sound very yeah doesn't sound good to me at all but that's what it calls it then when the men killed isef he killed them as well faith is living without scheming it's another great book by Patrick lyion it's called the motive it's his shortest book it talks about in leadership it's from a business perspective but the motive is not always easily identified but eventually you can to see whether the leader is in this for themsel or for the organization now here's the deal if you do well with the organization you get taken care of as well but the motive is if it's about you you will bleed the organization dry for your benefit Patrick Lyn only only said great leaders don't do this Saul was driven by position David was led by Mission we will drive as we are driven or we will lead as we are LED I went to a denominal conference years ago and this very large mega church the first person that was hired on staff in that um that church got up and began to talk and he said I've discovered that positions Ministry opportunities are like knives he said my pastor if he is anything he is wonderful at getting the right people on the bus and the right people in the right seats on the bus he said in the year years I've worked here i' I've served in 10 plus different positions and he said early on he said I held those positions like a knife and I blamed him for how it hurt me when he removed them from my hand he said I've learned to hold my hand like this because it's not about where I am matter of fact our job is to work ourselves out of a job it's not about where we are but it is it is about letting God move us see if you're about Mission then God can put you wherever he wants to put you if you're about position it's it's about my identity it's about what I've got to do it's again back to me god-appointed and God anointed leaders typically recognize the anointing and ability of those under their influence those who are driven by position often try to destroy those in their Ministry those who are led by Mission seek to deploy those which they're responsible for the first step the first clue is it's about selflessness the second clue is found in Acts chapter 6 it's the verses we read where they were having a difficult time meeting all the needs there is kind of some racial overtones to this as well uh they're not meeting all the needs of the widows and so they basically said we need to get together and and form a Meals on Wheels Ministry it's what we need we we need some guys to go out and take care of these needs and and so they selected for themselves seven men who are of a good reputation full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom and they went out to do the work of the ministry now we would think well that's not real Revival driven that's systems and processes that's kind of the boring stuff some people don't like that stuff but here's what the the end result was for the book of Acts Church in verse seven it says and the number of the disciples multiplied Acts chapter 2 when all that had happened after the the the day of Pentecost the Lord added to the church daily those that were being saved God changed the mathematical equation of the early church because the culture of the church changed simply because we got more people involved in Ministry doing what God had called them to do there's things that you hate to do but somebody else loves to do it let them at it they'll be fulfilled doing it the third thing that third clue and my final clue that shows us The Secret Sauce of the early churches what I believe in discovering the most important New Testament character outside of Jesus now this is just the way my brain thinks you can take it'll leave it but maybe it's Simon Peter I mean come on he he preached the the inaugural sermon of the church he is the central figure of the first 14 books uh four 14 chapters of the book of Acts but I don't think it's Simon Peter maybe it's Paul I mean he is he is the central figure of the last 14 chapters of the book of Acts he wrote 133 of the 27 books of the New Testament they're ascribed to Paul more than any other New Testament author I mean he wrote Romans he wrote 1 and 2 Corinthians he wrote Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 and second the Thessalonians ver and second Timothy Titus fiman I I submit to you though that the most important New Testament character outside of Jesus never had a book published in the Bible or even a sermon recorded in scripture but without this man Paul possibly would have never written those 13 New Testament books accredited to him we find him in Acts chapter n when Saul had come to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples and they were all afraid of him wouldn't you be I mean can you imagine I mean we look at Paul Paul is literally in still in Israel today the most hated even above Jesus of of biblical characters I also believe he's one of the most Brilliant Minds That Ever Walked the planet but in this moment they were all afraid of him they did not believe that he was a disciple I mean he this guy's just trying to get inside to figure out what we're doing then he's going to he's going to he's going to take us out it's kind of like if you ever go to Eastern Europe and and particularly in Poland you're you're meeting with some of of of great godly people who have lived their life in Bell Russia and other places where they didn't know who to trust in their own church because people were infiltrating and then the scripture says but Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles how in the world did Paul did Barnabas know that Paul was legit he didn't there was no way he knew that he was legit there was a possibility that Paul was really everything they were afraid of but Barnabas used his influence put his name on the line and open a door for somebody he wasn't sure was going to be who he said he was now now Barnabas really isn't his name that's a nickname if you look in Acts 4 you see that his name wasn't Barnabas but the apostles called him that because he was such a son of encouragement he he was so into encouraging they said yeah your name doesn't fit you we're going to call you Barnabas you look at acts 12 and Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their Ministry and and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark this was a guy who was good at finding people and bringing them around them you look at acts 15 after some days Paul said to Barnabas hey I think it'd be a good idea if we went back and visited the brothers and every City that we've preached and Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark but Paul insisted that they should not take him because he was the one that had departed from them at penilia and the contention was so sharp that they parted from one another part of understanding the book of Acts is it wasn't nearly as harmonious as we like to preach it was and every return it was like a GMC business meeting you know what I mean you know I mean sometimes there was Major contention going on you think that's an invention of our time no it's always been that way I mean these guys almost got to 50y cuffs over it you know I mean he it was sharp the message translation says Barnabas wanted to take John along the John named Mark nicknamed Mark but Paul would not have him he was not about to take along a quitter who as soon as the going got tough he jumped on them in penilia tempers flared and they ended up going their separate ways now here's the deal about Barnabas he never got the headlines he never was the one that people talked about Paul looked like he had it all together I mean they they came to blows almost over this we're going to I know I know Mark is my cousin Paul but I'm I believe in him I think there's some stuff in him that can be developed I know there's some things that can be that can be de developed if we can go and Paul said not do it I tell you what I'm going to pick Paul and Silas and then we never ever ever sang a song about Mark and Barnabas not one time but boy we tore up some church seeing Paul and Silas in a Roman jail seemed all hope was gone and though their hands were tied and their feet were bound they still had us I mean we had some church talking about Paul and silus Paul looked like the one that had it all together and Barnabas was well you know he's got a big heart but boy I I don't know you know he he's just always encouraging people AR I'm going argue with you that Barnabas was right even Paul admitted it 2 Timothy 4:11 he says I'm in prison in Rome I'm all by myself hey get Mark and bring him with you for he is profitable for Ministry see Barnabas was not a pushover he was not second R he was not a reject Barnabas was a strong leader he identified Paul and Mark as potential leaders when others had their doubts but here's what I know it takes a leader to know a leader if you're having a conversation about somebody coming up and and there's somebody vemate they don't have the goods and Bishop Billy Mc says yeah they have the good I'd go with the leader I'd go with it takes a leader to know a leader he was not a pushover you didn't fight with Paul without coming out W coming out unscathed I mean Paul was brilliant but Barnabas knew what he was doing he was a passionate leader and he knew what he knew I mean part of me thinks Paul I would acques to Barnabas if it hadn't been for Barnabas where would you be Doc I mean I would acous to him then the contention was so sharp they parted one from another yet without Barnabas we wouldn't have probably 13 of the New Testament books of the New Testament we wouldn't have those 13 books that Paul wrote nor would we have that gospel that we call the gospel of Mark because the one that Paul said shouldn't go along with us was the one who wrote that particular book 14 out of the 27 books of the New Testament are directly attributed to one encourager that never stood on the platform that never wrote a book but that loved people and knew how to identify when somebody had the goods and they said I'm going to be a CEO I'm going to be an encourager of everything that's good and positive around me without baramas we would not even know about the time that Jesus healed the blind man and he saw trees men like trees walking because it's only recorded in The Book of Mark without Barnabas we probably would have never heard for I'm not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God and the Salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek without Barnabas we probably would have never heard there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not in the flesh but after the spirit without Barnabas we probably would have never heard therefore If any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things are passed away behold all things are become new without Barnabas we probably would have never heard finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and the power of His might put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the Ws of the devil for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against Powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places without Barnabas we probably would have never heard for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord Barnabas wasn't the headliner he wasn't the conference speaker or the noted author he wasn't even one of the original Apostle so when you get to heaven there's not going to be a floor of the New Jerusalem named after him but he had the ability to identify to encourage to introduce those who would get the Limelight and then quietly slip into the shadows and do what he did best applaud he opened the door set the stage made the introduction and then moved into a supporting roow now we need Simon Peters today and we need Paul's but honestly not too many those Brothers weren't always the easy people to get along with but we need an army of Barnabas who know how to identify and encourage and to support the next generation of apostolic Frontline leaders I am convinced this is the secret sauce of the Apostolic Church brother sister talks about culture my most important responsibility at the church I lead is the culture the culture I I want to make sure the culture is right and if the culture is right things are going to grow things are going to develop here's the deal we don't have to fight for our place in the kingdom of God I've got three boys and none of them have to fight for their position in the family they have that position by reason of birth I need to be comfortable with who God made me to be and allow God to use my voice to impact whoever he wants to impact it with the last couple of years my wife and I taking little road trips in December gone a little further into Mississippi down in the Delta it's only NOS for blues and clay pottery and tamales I mean it's wear baring Wasteland I mean it's just I like to drive through there at night because there's nothing to see today either way I mean it just you know but I wound up the first year going to BB King's Museum now I'm not I'm A M I love music but I'm not a blues guy I I want the happies I don't want the blues you know but I I wanted to go and and Bishop I was really intrigued because I didn't know that his beginning had roots in West Memphis and so you know normally I go to a museum how long is it going to take to go through there oh two hours at two hours I was at the halfway point and so the next year we came back just so I could go through that whole museum and what I was blown away with is that BB King is one of those musicians Kenny G is another one to me Jim Brickman's another one plays the piano that even if you don't know the song and have never heard the song if you walk into a restaurant and BB King is playing now the dude didn't even cord he just played single notes you know it's BB King and what I was struck with is what happened through that one man using his unique voice we're always trying to be like somebody else we're always trying to be something else but God is never going to say when you get to heaven you weren't a better version of somebody else he's going to ask you well done and it's not just well done generally it's going to be did you do what God called you to do did you use your unique voice to do what you do and as if if it impacts somebody then if it's a powerful thing there there are several verses I mentioned one last night that I'm convinced that we we we don't believe we don't believe we we don't believe um you know we reap what we sow we now negatively but we don't we as pastors as ministers we we don't we get discouraged I get discouraged like it it's not doing any good but but but I believe that if I put seed in the ground it's going to be a harvest we don't really believe what gel said that if it's of God you can't stop it if it's not it's G to die anyway I've seen preachers waste a whole lot of their time trying to stop something like if it's not of God it's going to die anyway just leave it alone and the third one is this great verse none of us practice I mean all of us are guilty of it it it's just horrible but we dare not compare our elves among ourselves for those who compare themselves they're they're not wise well we're all not wise then because we've all done that the reason Paul says that we should not do that is because it always brings to two very ungodly responses if we compare ourselves to somebody else and we think we're doing better that leads us to Pride typically that's not what we're doing though typically we're comparing ourselves to somebody else and we feel very discouraged and that's not God honoring either God has given each of us something to do in our lives and the Secret Sauce of the church is simply us finding what it is and not and being secure enough to celebrate everybody else around us if it my my phrase is if it's Apostolic I like it so I I inherited in Memphis this is YouTube so I got to be very careful um a mess at the at not our church but the whole climate with was not was not good a lot of competition a lot of and and people started planting churches which is good brother the Ericson and and I started telling the treasure they're they're opening a new building um send them a check for so much money and I would get push back not from our treasure but from other people well what about and I would say if they're Apostolic I like it they'd give me another reason why we if it's Apostolic I like it they'd give me another reason said if it's Apostolic I like it I can do this all day I mean if people can go to heaven from there then I like it I don't even have to like the person but if people can go to heaven from there I like it because it's not about me at all it's all comes down to really a pride that we won't identify as Pride years ago I I was given the privilege a few times to preach a few conferences and uh that's always fun to do um and then I started notice and I'd get mailers and there were conferences that my friends were preaching but I wasn't preaching and what I'm talking about reared its ugly head Bishop I grabbed that flyer and I hauled myself to my prayer room said God it ain't about me if it's Apostolic I like it and I'm now at an age that I actually like going to things a whole lot better than I have nothing to do with I mean I'm a great cheerleader there's no pressure to that at all I can do that it's not about what we're doing we don't have to fight for our place we don't have to fight for we just play the role that God has given us I close with this example got a friend who's about 15 16 years older than me so now he's he's in his 70s but in his early Ministry he he was the youth pastor for jtp Brother The Walker told me one day he said one of the most profound things I ever experienced working in Odessa was one morning in the prayer room I walked into that prayer room I saw a Pew kind of squatted like an Indian cross leg in the corner and I got close to him and all he was doing was rocking back and forth he was saying God Save Me From Myself God Save Me From Myself God Saved Me From Myself the secret sauce to the apostolic church is us being selfless in wherever God has called us to be when when I was was planning in New York I I was a part of a group of Metro missionaries and to be honest we didn't like each other we didn't um we hadn't we hadn't thought about any of this stuff and so when somebody in other city was having Revival our brain thought so what's that say about us and so we were competitive we didn't like each other there was a director over Metro missions that was absolutely brilliant we went to Whit Stone and had a retreat I'm going to tell you what changed that whole group of of men and women it wasn't a move of God it it wasn't it it wasn't it was a session that we just played guestures you know that game that's kind of like charades and oh you ought to seen my wife do it I mean she that there's another level she goes to and it broke down walls and we became friends and we started saying to one another when you have Revival what's that say about me absolutely nothing doesn't a thing about me it says that God is blessing you this is your day and I'm going to have my day because it's not about me but it's all of us together let's stand to our feet and let's ask God to help us to emulate the culture of the first century Church oh God it it it ends with people being baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost there's Miracle signs and wonders but but that first century church was selfless God help me to be selfless help me to Die daily it's not about me it's all about you God help me to be an encourager of those that are around everything that's good and godly and wholesome God let me be as loud of voice as I can cheering them on to the mission that God has called them to do God I give you praise for what you have done through this group of men and what you will continue to do God we magnify you in Jesus mighty name we pray Hallelujah