Whatever He Says, Do It!

Good. I believe that God is going to give us unprecedented harvest, unprecedented power, unprecedented anointing in the last day. Hallelujah.

Just recently — and I should have got a picture to you. I didn't, so I don't have a picture for this one. But in Europe, which has been a bastion of Catholicism for many, many centuries, for the first time, to our knowledge, for the United Pentecostal Church, the church in Barcelona, Spain just purchased a downtown location of a traditional Catholic church, that will become a center for Apostolic truth in downtown Barcelona. It's a remarkable, remarkable victory for the kingdom of God. We're thankful for that. They're in the process of renovating that right now, and I've seen some pictures and heard some things. Great things are happening.

We — as of January 1st, the United Pentecostal Church was in 199 countries. About a month ago, Brazilian missionaries landed in the island nation of Saé and Principe. There had never been an Apostolic presence on those islands, to our knowledge, ever before. In the first 30 days, they have baptized 40 people in the name of the Lord Jesus. And God is doing a fantastic work in Saé and Principe. That's number 200 for the United Pentecostal Church.

A week ago, missionaries from the island nation of Madagascar — these are not American missionaries; these are missionaries from other nationalities — went to one of the few remaining countries that does not have an Apostolic church. They went to — it's an island nation in the Indian Ocean. They arrived there on an exploratory trip. Country 201 is now in process. The truth is marching on. And the days are very short, until we will see Apostolic presence in every nation, every tribe and kindred. And you are a part of that. And I want to say thank you, for that sacrifice.

If you can throw up — I had a picture of Saltoé. Did we get Saltoé up there? That's Saltoé. This is the first baptism — their first baptism. That's in the Atlantic Ocean, right at kind of where Africa folds over. Those islands are right there. That's the Saltoé and Principe flag. And if you can put up "Pentecost Every Day" for me. I believe that God is going to give us Pentecost, not just as an event. I don't believe that the day of Pentecost was meant to be something we just look back on, and think, "Wow, that was like the high point. That was amazing." I believe, for the United Pentecostal Church, we are going to see 3,000 people a day discipled, baptized, and filled with the Holy Ghost, and continuing. That's a million people plus a year, discipled, from every nation and people group. I'm going to talk about it, until people get sick of me talking about it. I'm going to talk about it, until we see it, in the name of Jesus. I believe a million — every day, Pentecost; a million every year; Pentecost every day — is going to happen. Thank you for being a part.

My wife and my children send their greetings. I know I have you standing still. I've not forgotten. I know some of you thinking, "He should let us sit down." Give me just a second. I'll let you sit down. Maya and the girls send their greetings to you. I apologize that they cannot be here with me today. But they send their love, and they're praying. They're actually in church right now, at our home church in St. Louis. But they do send their greetings.

I want to take you to the Word of the Lord: John chapter 2, verses 1 to5 — a very familiar portion of Scripture. Amen. I love Mission Sundays. I love missions conference. What a wonderful way to live. Thank you, Brother and Sister Elkins, for leing this missions ministry, and taking us where we need to go. I appreciate these people. There are others that I could mention, around this room. Come on. I mean — hallelujah.

John chapter 2, veres 1 and 5. You'll be all right. It's okay to speak different language. You do it in tongues all the time. Just — it's Mission Sunday. If I'm allowed to speak Arabic, it's GNA be today.

John chap 2, veres 1 to5, says this: "And on the third day" — I'll read from here, cuz you got New King James. I got King James. That's okay, though. "On the third day there was a wedding in Canaa of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding" — that's nice, that they were all invited — "and when they wanted wine, they ran out of wine. The mother of Jesus said unto Him, 'They have no wine.'" That's a big problem, at a Middle Eastern wedding in those days — a Jewish one, at least. "And Jesus said to Heroman, what have I to do with thee?'" Verse four — let me see what the New King James says. His mother said — He said unto, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come." "And His mother said unto the servants" — you switched on me to King James. I'm trying to go back and forth, and y'all are switching it on me. What we going to do? "His mother said to the servants, 'Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.'" Amen. That's pretty good advice, when talking about Jesus: whatever He says, do it.

I want to talk to you for just a few moments — and I know what time it is, and I know where lunch is probably going to be today — and so I want to talk to you about: whatever He says, do it. Whatever He says, do it.

Lord, I thank You today for Your presence. I thank You for Your people that are in this room, gathered. I thank You for the sacrifice that this day represents. I thank You that Center Point is no stranger to sacrificial giving, and sacrificial living. I pray, in the name of Jesus, that there would be a spirit of giving, Lord — not just of finance, but giving of ourselves. I pray a challenging word would go forth, and be received, in this place today. I thank You that You are at work in this place. I pray, God, that You would confirm Your word today, with signs following. I bind distraction, in the name of Jesus. I ask You, Lord, to loose us, as a people, to embrace, engage, with Your presence, Your power, and Your Spirit. I thank You in advance, for what You're going to do, in the name of Jesus. I thank You for it. And everyone said, "Amen." Amen. God bless you, as you're seated.

Whatever He says, do it. There is a divine order to things. There's a kingdom paradigm that is common throughout every monarchy around the world. That is: that the king speaks, the king's instructions are obeyed, the word is fulfilled, and his power is made known throughout his domain. The preacher in Ecclesiastes said it this way. He said: "Where the word of a king is, there is power." Here's how it plays out, throughout the Word of God.

We go all the way back to the Temple of Solomon. The glory of the Lord was not displayed — that cloud of Shikina glory was not made known — until after the sacrifices were made, and after the temple was dedicated. The ram did not appear in the bushes on Mount Mariah, for Abraham, until the wood was carried up that mountain, the fire was arranged, Isaac is prone, and Abraham is poised to do the thinkable, in obedience to a God who called him to it. Non had to dip seven times in the right River, before that amazing skin transformation — from leper to whole — may happen in his life.

There's an off-the-wall example in 2 Kings 3:16. It's a military situation. And the military genius of Almighty God takes a counterintuitive turn, when God's word for the military campaign is revealed, and it is: dig ditches. That's how they responded to — about how, like, 95% of y'all just responded. That's how they responded. Because it doesn't make sense. And in the example of the first miracle of Jesus, that we read about today: "Fill the pots with water. Fill the pots with water, and treat it like it's already wine, and serve it to the master of ceremonies." That is the way of the kingdom. The king speaks. The subjects obey. His kingdom comes, and His will is done. Where the word of the king is, there is great power. Thank God for His Word. I'm going to give you a second chance on that. Thank God for His Word. If you got nothing else to rejoice about today, you should rejoice that you know how to read this wonderfully inspired Book. That you're in a place where you can hear the power and the glory of God made known in your hearing. The written Word that I read with my eyes. The preached Word that I hear with my ears. The spoken, whispered Word that penetrates my heart and my mind, when nobody else knows. The Word is enriching. The Word is enlightening. "Thy Word, Oh Lord, is forever settled in heaven." "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." He has exalted His Word above His name. "Through faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God." He upholds all things, Paul says, "by the word of His power." "In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him" — the Word — "and without Him was not anything made that was made. And in Him was life. And that life was the light of men. And that light shineth in darkness, and darkness comprehend it not." Skip down to verse 14: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory — the glory as of the only begotten of the Father — full of grace and truth." "The Word is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even the dividing of the so of the of the Flesh and marrow."

Brothers and sisters, if you know what this Word can do, you should rejoice that you're able to understand a God who is communicative. A God who is not a silent type. But He speaks, from the very beginning of Genesis. God could have chosen anything to demonstr — I know that God doesn't have a mouth. I know you can't see Him, taste Him, feel Him, touch. I know all that. He's invisible. But when it chose to try to explain to us what God was like, in the very beginning — it says, "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void. And darkness upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said — " This idea of God expressing Himself in a way that I can understand is something that is lost on us. He is the One who fills all time and space. He is perfect, alone. He doesn't have need of any person, or anything. He is transcendent, above and beyond what we could ever imagine. No man has seen God at any time. Yet God, from the beginning of time until the end of time, has chosen to speak, and make Himself known, in a way that is so powerful, and so lifechanging Hebrew said it this way: "God, who at sunry times and in various ways has spoken to us by the prophets, has now in these last days spoken to us through His Son." Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. His Word will not return void, but it will accomplish that to which He sends it.

If you haven't noticed, I've used the Word to describe the Word. And when you utilize His own self-expression, there is a power, and there is an anointing, in simply quoting God, as He talks about Himself. His Word is meant to guide you, wherever you are, in whichever form He chooses to speak, and wherever you find yourself, on this morning. His Word is powerful.

There are times of scarce Word. In Solomon's day — when the Lord began to call him, and speak to the — voice — sorry, not Solomon: Samuel. Yeah, not Solomon: Samuel. The Bible says, "The word of the Lord was precious in those days. There was no open vision." There was no place to find Him. There was no focal point. There was no certain point where you could go, and for sure get a Word from God. And I'll just tell you: those places, and those times, are real. There are places today that still live in a wordree world. It is the saddest place you can live: for there to be a God who speaks, and a God who loves, and you not to know anything about Him, or be able to understand Him. In fact, the very reason we have Missions Sunday is not so that we can give of our living, and that — no. It's because He loves, and He speaks, and all the world must know Him, because of His goodness and His grace.

There are people still who live as if the Word was scarce. 2 000 languages on this planet have no Bible translation of any kind. I didn't say two. I didn't say 200. I said 2,000 languages on this planet have not a single verse of Scripture translated into their tongue. There are places where the Word is still scarce. But we do not live in a time or place of limited Word. God is speaking to us in unprecedented ways and volume. I don't mean decb. I mean volume, as in quantity. It's an enormous amount of Word. There is an astounding amount of revelation that flows. It's flowed from the very time we started in this service. And it flows from this pulpit. It flows from your devices, as you read the Word of God. It flows from radio, as you hear the Word of God talked about. It flows over the internet. And it flows through your eyes, as you read. We are not in a Word desert. God is speaking. And since the restoration of Pentecost, a little over 120 years ago, Word has flowed. Yes, there are momentary situations where individuals pass through Word deserts. But the body is not in a desert. Sunday after Sunday, week after week, Wednesday after Wednesday, many leaders come, and they preach — maybe not to a full house, but to a house of full people. People — every seat might not be filled, but the people who come, in general, are stuffed beyond recognition, with Word, after Word, after Word, after Word. And generally come with not much real hunger. Love you. We are not cut off. There's an unprecedented level of inspiration and power. Word is flowing. God is speaking. God's moving.

And if you're here today, and you're not sure whether God is real or not — if you've never experienced Him, and you don't know if He would speak to you or not — I challenge you to ask God to speak to your heart and your mind. Ask Him to impress something on you that is not from you. Ask Him to speak. Because God loves to talk. If He really is all-powerful, He can talk to you. If your God is not all-powerful, then maybe He will remain silent. But if He really is the all-powerful Almighty, He can talk to you in a dream, in a vision. He can talk to you, speaking into your heart. God loves to speak.

One of the ways that He's speaking, throughout many areas of the world — and the area where I lived, in particular: one researcher said this: roughly 90% of people who fall in love with Jesus, in this particular area where I used to live — 90, I'm not talking about Pentecostals or Apostolics. I'm talking about the entire Christian community. Even people in groups that don't believe in miracles — when their workers go and work in the area that I worked in, they start believing in miracles, signs and wonders, and dreams and visions. 90 of changes are the direct result of a dream, a vision, or a healing, in the name of Jesus. Where there's none of this, or not much of this, He will resort to whatever means necessary. Because He loves people. He wants people to know Him. And if we won't send missionaries, and we won't fund them, He will appear to them, in ways and means that are beyond us.

But today, God gives — I'm on a different message — He gives us the opportunity to partner with Him. Who loves — hallelujah.

Now, after all that talk about the Word — about how wonderful it is, and how powerful it is — I'm going to just drop a bomb. Not literally. Let me just make a statement, with very careful footfall: the Word is not enough. The Word is not enough. In fact, my dear Pentecostal friends in Murphysboro, on a Sunday — I think it's afternoon by now — repeated exposure to the Word doesn't change anything, or anybody. Now, I — lost some of you, but I'm gonna get you back here in a minute, so just ride with me for just a little bit.

I was born on a Saturday. I didn't go to church the next day, but I think eight days later, like Paul, I was in the house of the Lord. And I have heard, from that day — 43 years, 43 years and one week ago — I have heard preaching, in English, most of it. Some of it was talked like this, in English. The preaching I heard that should count as a foreign language — I'm just saying, I'm a native Tennessee and, but I'm from the east side, the mountains and the hills. I've heard so much Word, that I don't even remember it. I've heard probably — I would say tens of thousands of messages. I've heard the Bible preached front to back. I've heard enough Word to save this entire planet a hundred times over. But can I just tell you: repeated exposure to the Word, and ongoing revelation, is not what activates it in my life. You can hear the Word all you want, but if you don't do what the Word says, it will remain inactive, and it will remain void, in your life. It is the application of the Word that changes lives. It is the applied Word that empowers. It is the Word taken, engrafted, into my heart and my spirit, that transform me from the man I used to be, into the person He's making me. It is the applied Word, where I don't just hear it through one ear, and it exits the other — but I say, "I hear it, and I'm going to do what the Word says." It is the application of the Word that produces the seed, that forms into the tree, that is a lifegiving organism, that changes me, and changes my world.

James said it this way: "But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only." And we kind of like to forget the last four words of that verse. I've heard it preached. I've heard it talked about: "Be you doers of the Word, not just hearers only." But those last four words are pretty powerful, because he says, if all you do is hear, and you never do, you lead to self-deception. You say, "Well, what in the world is he talking about?" He's saying, if you hear, and don't do, on a repeated basis, you are on the road to a self-deceiving lifestyle. Here's what it means: I can become so familiar with the how, and the details, and the theology — I can quote to you verses, and I can quote to you Scripture, and I can tell you what's right, and how you should do it, and I can tell everybody what's wrong with their life, because I have encyclopedic knowledge of what I've heard. But I don't want to know about your encyclopedic knowledge of what you've heard. I want to know about how you live on Monday morning. I want to know about how you apply what you've heard.

You may not — you may be happy when I get on that plane tomorrow morning. Because I've come to tell you, Pentecostals: this is not a place where we just come and hear good sermons, and that helps us. I'm sorry — good sermons don't help anybody, unless it puts on shoe leather, and it begins to be lived out in the life of God's people, around the world.

We are inundated by the urgent, and the trivial. The trivial things of life scream at us so loudly, and so strongly, that when we come to the most important thing, that has the ability to change everything — many times I am so full of the trivial, that I don't have room for what is truly lifechanging and great. When the urgent dominates, the great is delayed, or undervalued.

The Bible says this: "To him who knoweth to do good, and doeth it not — " Very inconvenient Scripture — can I just say you? It's an incredibly inconvenient verse, from the Word of God. If you know to do good, and you don't do it — that's basically what James is saying. He's saying that if you hear it, and you don't do it, you become self-deceived, to where you know exactly the way that is right, but you don't do what is right. When revelation is consistently heard, and consistently defied, we continue in our existence on a self-controlled, comfortable, air-conditioned reality, that demands nothing be changed, nothing be altered. My schedule doesn't have to be tweaked, cuz I can just come on Sunday for a little while, and I can maybe feel a little bit of conviction, but I'll pray a little bit, and it'll be out of me by Sunday evening, and I'll be okay, and I can just live the rest of my life.

When was the last time you heard the Word, and it challenged you so much that it changed your schedule on Monday morning, and it altered your routine on Tuesday, and it made a different — I'm telling you, God wants to do something in the end-time church, that is more than just auditory, that is more than just intellectual. It's more than just cerebral. It's lifechanging. The world is waiting, not for a Pentecostal church that knows all the theology, and can quote all the verses — but God, He's looking for a people who will show forth the praises of Him who has called them out of darkness, and into His marvelous light.

We have a mandate from heaven, to reach the world. Confirmation after confirmation. Motivation after motivation. Program after program. PR after PR. Conference after conference. Idea after idea. But at some point, we've got to go from confirmation to activation. We've got to get it outside of the walls of a building. And we got to get it into living rooms. We got to get it into workplaces. We got to get it into break rooms. We got to get it into classrooms. We got to get it into stores, where I'm at the checkout counter. We got to be changed. At some point, the promise has to put on shoe leather.

Redemption didn't happen in the beginning of time. The Bible says, in the fullness of time — even though the Lamb was slain from before the foundation of the earth, the Bible says, in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law. It happened in the fullness of time. And interestingly, the Bible calls Jesus the Word of God. God is so great, and so powerful. God is so awesome, that we could not understand Him, unless He would make Himself known in some way. And so, when the Bible says Jesus is the Word of God — interestingly, other books also say that. Other religions also identify Him as the Word of God. You'll figure that one out in a little bit. God is so great, He needs this focal point. He needs this expression. And He's One, so He expresses Himself in flesh. He's all-powerful. God can do anything. If He wants to express Himself in flesh, He absolutely can. But redemption did not happen when the plan was put into place. Redemption happened when the plan put on flesh. The conceptual idea, the plan of God, the logos — the idea that God had, from the beginning, to reconcile people — it was a good plan. But it didn't happen, and it was not accomplished, until Jesus was born in the flesh, and the flesh accomplished what needed to be done. Lives were not changed, and reality wasn't altered, until the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Because when the Word became flesh, it put something into practice. And it took this plan, in the ethereal, and it turned it into the real. And the net result is the salvation of people who would have had no chance, and no opportunity.

The Bible says, by one man's disobedience, sin entered into the world, and through sin came death. But it also says, by one man's obedience, that was overturned, and that was done away with. That one man's obedience opened a door that no man can shut, for you and for me to know the power of Almighty God. Hear me: your obedience to God's Word — your obedience to God's Word — it doesn't save them, and it doesn't make them righteous. But I believe there are people all over this county, and all over this city, that are waiting for the obedience of one person, that will swing open a door of salv, just like God — opened the door to the Gentiles, through a vision that God gave. And somebody had to break the law, literally, in order to go into a Gentile. Somebody had to be inconvenience. So Peter had to get his shoes on, in order for him to obey what God was speaking to him.

Some of us want to serve God with our shoes off. We want to serve God with a really comfortable position. Let me tell you: you will never change the world with your slippers on. You got to get some boots on, and say, "I'm going to go where He calls me to go. I'm going to give what He calls me to give. I'm going to do what He calls me to do."

There are redemptive stories that have been hijacked by the disobedience of God's people. Don't say it again, because maybe you didn't get it: there are redemptive stories in this community that have been hijacked by the disobedience of God's people. You say, "What do you mean? God's all-powerful. God can do anything." No — God can do anything, but He works through the agency of His church, and His body, in the earth. That it's not just a beautiful analogy, that we are the hands and feet of Jesus. It is a literal reality, that God has chosen to do nothing in the earth, except by the invisible work of His Spirit, and the tangible work of His people. Pray all you want for revival, but if you don't have Sho leather on that faith — going into the highways and the byways, and compelling them to come — don't tell me how great your faith is. Don't tell me how much you want revival, until you get shoe leather on, and you get a Bible study chart, and you get praying. It's a little inconvenient, I'm sorry, on Mission Sunday. But I've come to tell you: God wants to do something in this age, that is beyond anything we've ever seen before. But we've got to be obedient. Passivity is not faith.

Now, I heard what some of you wonderful people just said, in your spirit. You saidwell, what about, 'Be still, and know that I am God'?" Thank you for the comment. Yes, there are moments where God says, "Be still, and know that I am God." And in those moments, you better obey. The key is not being still, or going. The key is obedience. If He tells you to be still, be still. If He tells you to move, move. But whatever He would ask — I'm coming to a close — you need to have your yes ready, before you ever know what He'll ask for. You better have your yes prepared, before you ever know what He's going to ask. That's what I've come to preach to this congreg ation.

I know you came looking for a mission service, on a Sunday afternoon. And I thank God that this involves giving. This involves going. But I believe God's going to speak in this room today. I believe God's going to whisper in the ear of His people. And He will speak amounts to you, to give, that you think are ridiculous. So you better get your yes ready right now, before He speaks it. Man, I didn't get a single amen on that one.

There's calling in this room right now. There is such a palpable call of God in this room. I feel faith for God to call people to the mission field. I feel faith for God to call people to [pler]. I feel faith in this room right now. But let me tell you: it cannot be accomplished, without you having already settled in your mind, that whatever He asks of me, my answer is yes. Whatever He would ask of me, my answer is yes. Wherever He wants me to go, my answer is yes. Whatever He wants me to do, my answer is yes. Whatever He wants me to sell, and give demission, the answer is yes. Wherever He wants me to speak, and it's inconvenient, God, the answer is yes.

By no means am I suggesting to do it in our own strength. The truth is, when we engage in faith, we always engage at our weakest. Because faith, by its very nature — we're asking and believing for something that we can't accomplish on our own. Faith is never from a position of strength. Faith is always from a position of weakness. If I was strong, I wouldn't need faith. So when I come, believ in God, ask Him for something — the truth is, I'm already in a place of weakness. But hear me: weakness is not an excuse not to obey. I'm going to say it again, in case you didn't hear it: weakness is never an excuse not to obey. His strength is made perfect in weakness.

The Lord called me to work in an area of the world that limits freedom of expression, and where limits to freedom of worship or the norm. I lived the last 20 years of my life feeling, in some ways, like my hands were tied, because I couldn't use the means and the methods that others were using. I could give you a litany of prohibitions on evangelism, and all the reasons why it can't happen, and why it shouldn't happen, and why I didn't have it all together. But can I tell you what I found, in some of the most challenging nations on earth? I found that if I would simply step my foot in that place, in obedience, in the name of Jesus, that the Spirit of God was already there, at work in His people, preparing the place.

We landed in the Horn of Africa. Go home, and if you don't know where that's at, go home and look it up. You'll see the country I'm talking about. There's a helicopter documentary connected to this place. We landed in that part of the world. We' never been there before. I'm sorry, cameraman — I know I'm moving all over. I' never been to that country, ever before. To our knowledge, no Apostolic had ever steep foot in that nation, with the purpose of ministry. This might seem small to you, but it's big to me.

I'm that airport. You get off — there's no, like, jet bridge. There's no real building. You just get off, and walk into this little place. And I'm trying to make sure I don't get cheated. I got my money out, trying to change, make sure I'm doing it right. Well, thank God for my wife, cuz my wife pays attention when I don't. She's happened to be listening. And she listens. There's this family beside us, at the next booth, and they're very local. They are 100% from the Horn. But Ma's listening to him, and she realizes that their kids are speaking perfectly accented American English. So my wife walks over. We've been on the ground in this country for 10 minutes, where no — to our knowledge, no Apostolics ever been. My wife walks over, says, "Hello, how are you?" And she starts talking with the kids. "Where are you from?" "Well, we're originally from here, but we live in this place. Probably you've never heard of." My wife says, "Well, where is it?" "Well, it's Lewiston, Maine." My wife says, "That is so interesting. My brother and sister-in-law, and four kids, live in Leon, Maine." We start talking. They know the same teachers. They know the same streets. Within 10 minutes of landing, in a place where no Apostolic, to our knowledge, had ever been, we had a dinner invitation. We had a connection with people, that we could —

Some of you are so afraid of stepping out of the unspoken expectations of Tennessee culture, and being thought that you might be a little crazy. But I come to tell you: revival and harvest are just beyond the boundary of what is acceptable cultural behavior in Middle Tennessee. About 25 of you believe that, and that's — it's not okay. But stand with me, today. Some of us get very confused, because we feel like, in order to say yes, we have to be experts. Obedience does not require expertise. Obedience is a sign of faith, not a sign of expertise. I'm not asking you if you know how to do it, today. It's not what I'm asking for. And I'll just be honest, when it comes to this: I'm not asking if you have it in your bank account. That's not this discussion. That's not what this is about. This is about: whatever the Lord would speak, do you have your yes already prepared? Whatever God would ask you to do — young person — is your yes already prepared? Pastor — started with this, and I'm going to end with it. Mark 16 — I think he read from Matthew, but it's the same thing: "He said unto them, 'Go into all the world, preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth in his baptized will be saved. he that doesn't believe will be condemned these signs shall follow them that believe: In My name they cast out devils. They shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents — '" by accident, I believe — "'and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay — '" yeah, you caught that. I'm from Tennessee — "'they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.'" East Tenness see, specifically.

"So then, after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God." He said, "Go," in verse 15. And in verse 20, "they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word with signs following."

You don't have to know how. You don't have to know where. You don't have to know when. But I believe, all across this house today, before I invite you to this altar, I believe you can prepare a yes to whatever God would speak into your heart, into your mind, and into your spirit. The plan of God — hear me right now, I believe I am speaking prophetically — the plan of God involves every individual in this room. That's not preacher-speak. I'm not speaking hyperbole right now. The plan of God involves every single person in this room, right now. purpose of God involves every adult, every child, every visitor. God is not looking for wealth. God is not looking for expertise. God is looking for obedience.

Before I invite you to this altar, I wonder if we would lift our hands, and ask God to help us to prepare our yes, before we make a commitment, and walk down this aisle. Lord, in the name of Jesus. God, there is such a mighty touch of Your Spirit in this room right now. I believe there's young people that You are calling, God, to go, play, and do things that are above and beyond anything we've ever done. I just happen to believe, God, that there are moms and dads in this place, that You're dealing with, about what difference they can make in the kingdom of God. And I'm asking, in the name of Jesus, Lord, that You would prepare a way. God, help us to prepare our yes, as we prepare to open this altar. As Pastor comes, I ask, in the name of Jesus, that You would let our yes be prepared. And that, as we make our way here, God, You would begin to speak into this congregation. I ask You, in the name of Jesus, to speak words — whisper words — into the hearts of every giver, and every goer. I pray, in the name of Jesus, that every student in this place would hear the voice of the Lord this morning, God. That they would prepare their yes. That they would prepare their yes. I pray, in the name of Jesus, I pray, God, that we would be ready to do whatever You've called us to do. I pray, God, we would be ready to go wherever You've called us to go. I ask You, Lord, to make the way clear. To make the crooked straight. To make the mountain plain. In the name of Jesus, I'm asking You, God, to release Your voice over this people, in this moment.

There are prayers of generations past, that have hovered over this people, and over this church. There are bold on audacious requests, that have been prayed on behalf of My people in this land. And they hover above you right now. "I am prepared," says the Lord, "to open the windows of heaven to you, and pour you out of blessing, that you are not able to contain. I am prepared to give you the good of the land. I am prepared to open to you what has been closed to My people in previous days. I am ready to give to you what only I can give," says the Lord. "But this day, I set before you a choice. This day, I set before you the opportunity, and the option. I will not force My people to go where they will not go. But I set before you, this day, the opportunity of blessing and cursing, the opportunity of life and death. And I say to you: if you will choose life, you will live abundantly. If you will choose life, you will receive the good of the land. And I will speak unto your voice. I will make you My people. You will know My word, and you will hear My voice."

I don't know what your yes looks like. I don't know what God's going to ask you. But I stand on the authority of the written, preached, and spoken Word of God, that there is an opportunity before you, this day. Is your yes ready? Is your yes ready? As I turn this to your pastor, I'm inviting every person who has a yes to begin to make your way to the front, as God begins to speak to His people.