Leaving a Legacy that Lasts

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Such an honor to be at Wynn's conference. And the wind is blowing. Thank God for the Holy Ghost wind that's here. I give honor to the Myers and this great volunteer staff. You have to understand people take off of work. Understand this because of BOTT. People take off of work, give of themselves. Could we give this church volunteers to Myers a great hand? Can I give honor to my mother tonight? She's watching. My mother is B98 in March and she had a serious surgery five weeks ago. But she is doing better and she went to church Sunday, so we rejoice over that. And Gentry, what an honor it is to be able to preach with you. Just a great honor. And I thank God for that. And the preaching today by my pastor, Mike Williams and Paul and Brother Robinette. And then last night Gentry and I landed on a land on called Summer Brother Chris Green. What great preaching that we have already had in this conference. Second Timothy 2. 1, 1 and 2. And second Timothy 2 and 2. Paul. An apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. According to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus. This goes to Timothy. Those that didn't say to us, he said it is to us, but notice what he said. To Timothy. My dearly beloved son. Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Second Timothy 2 and 2. And the things that thou has heard of me among many witnesses. The same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. When Brother Meyer and Brother Urchin, they were together when they called me in and asked me to participate in this. I considered it quite an honor because they wanted me to speak on legacy. And tonight that's what I will do being that's what they've asked me to do. I'm going to preach on leaving a legacy that lasts. Leaving a legacy that lasts. One more time with a shout would you help me praise the Lord. God bless you maybe seated.

When I read this little book of Timothy. I always get a lump in my throat and I get misty eyes. Because so much comes to my mind when I read what Paul wrote to Timothy. My dearly beloved son Timothy. When studying for this message I did pretty good until really this afternoon. And this afternoon in my hotel room I have been an emotional wreck. Because I have which I don't do often but I do need to do a whole lot more of. I because of this message had to reflect on my legacy which I should be doing more of. But I begin to read how Paul wrote this letter to Timothy. And this is just before his execution. By the time he wrote this he now down to a few pieces of parchment and he's got secondhand clothes and the inventory has been dissipated. And the Roman soldiers have now taken him this grand old champion of the faith somewhere north of Rome. And they behead him. His last few weeks of life were confined to this miserable mammothine prison in Rome. Where Nero put his greatest enemies. It was excuse me for cursing a moment a hell hole. And I stood in that dungeon and some of you just traveled over there in the last few weeks. And you stood in that damp underground dungeon looking up to the hole in the ceiling which was the only source of light. Into this hole the great apostle Paul was placed to wait his beheading. Rather than screaming for help and pleading for mercy. Paul decides to continue his ministry on redeeming the time until the very moment that the axe head would split through his spinal cord. His last wheel in testament was written while seated on a stone bench. Maybe he had a flickering lighter candle on that proof of that. But I do know his writing instrument was a quill in scratching apartment. Parchment to the accompaniment of the clanging chains that was hanging on his wrists and on his ankles. It is in that picture that I just painted that he writes to young Timothy in the second letter four six through eight. Timothy I'm now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand. But Timothy I fought a good fight. I kept the faith and I finished my course and I kept it. And then the fourth there's laid up for me the beautiful part a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day. And let me tell Wins conference Paul is saying through me not only to me but unto all them that love his appearing.

So my dearly beloved son be strong in grace be strong in Christ Jesus. And then he gives us that second letter two and two and the things that thou have heard among many witnesses the same commit that to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. Notice in the last few hours that Paul is alive. Paul is concerned about the Pentecostal Apostolic Christian faith when he is gone. He is concerned about leaving a legacy of apostolic laborers and living and fighting the fight of faith and that he finishes strong. So he makes some orderly transition of knowledge and authority. He's not talking about his bank accounts now. He's not talking about lands now. Paul makes the necessary arrangements and he solemnly charges Timothy through his last will. His last testament the man that wrote half more than half of the New Testament. The last thing he writes is to persevere with what you have received. He must not only retain it in a original dynamic but you must hand it on. I'm not just telling you that you got it. I know that you've got it but I'm telling you you can't just have it. You've got to hand it on. Paul. And I want you Timothy to hand it to faithful men who in turn will be able to teach others as I have taught you. We're living in a generation, of course after you hear the preaching that we've heard here from last night to all day long today. The church has been buried good hands with the generation that is right behind me. But we urgently need to grasp the message of what Paul wrote to Timothy. For some have lost their grip on what it means to what Paul wrote to Timothy. You let me tell you repentance is still part of the new birth. Water baptism in the name of Jesus is still the new birth. And the feeling of the Holy Ghost evidence with speaking with other tongues is still part of the requirement of the new birth. So to those of you that are younger to the legacy and the people that are following behind me. To you young tenancies that I'm not nearly about to Paul but standing in my generation's gap. May that sacred deposit of the gospel be placed in your heart. You will determine to proclaim it and you'll be prepared to suffer for it if need be. And will pass it on in its pure form to the next generation should the Lord not come back to get his bride.

Paul chose well in placing the future of the gospel within Timothy's care. Number one, notice what he said. He said, Timothy when I call to remembrance the unfaith that is in thee which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice. I am persuaded that it's in you. When I think of your grandmother Lois and when I think of Eunice. I know those two ladies so I know what they did. They got it in you. He didn't have to guess whether they got it done. He said I know where you got it from. You got it from them. In an act 1616 where Paul first found Timothy. He took him with him and he says in verse two he said it was well reported of the brethren that were in Lystra and Iconium. For over 15 years now Timothy you have been my missionary partner. Timothy for 15 years you have followed me. I may not have gotten out of search for truth chart. Maybe I should have Timothy. I may not have broken down acts four, acts eight, acts ten, acts 19. Of course we know they're right and all of that then. But Timothy I may not have broken all that down but I have showed you what I believe. You can look at my legacy and know what I believe. And though you're pastoring that growing church in Ephesus and Timothy though you already considered a great leader. Just let yet me tell you that you got to stay strong in the faith. For the one thing that he was really still a very young man. When Paul wrote this to Timothy most writers feel like Timothy was in his early 30s when Paul wrote this to him. I am now 73 my next birthday of course will be 74. And Timothy is in his mid 30s and I got to thinking when my father and God called me home. To pastor then the great first Pentecostal church which Mickey and I led at the Holy Ghost finally begin to call it the Pentecostal of Alexandria. When I went home in 1981 to pastor that great church I was 31 years of age when I became pastor of POA. So Paul is saying to Timothy hey don't let any man despise your youth. Our districts are great our general boards are great our great leaders they don't despise our youth they're behind us. But he's just saying just in case there's anybody around don't let them despise your youth.

You don't get too young to be used of God. You don't get too young to let the gifts of the spirit flow through you. You don't get too young to where God can't use you. Let me say to all you young people that we're full of here age is not the issue training is the issue. Timothy was young but he had more experience in these few years than most men that were scholars in that day and time because he had been 15 years with the apostle Paul hearing in teach and preach and following him personally.

We this great wins conference we have a mandate from God to faithfully train the legacy or the generation behind us and their children. I have a mandate to equip mature disciple our children and grandchildren our young married couple classes the next generation if the Lord's carries. That's why every Sunday school teacher is important. That's why every youth pastor is important. That's why every kids pastor is important. You are empowering the next generation to the Sunday school teacher. It's not from the 9 to 945 hour. It's not just you've got them for 45 minutes. You have an obligation and you have a calling to make sure that you take what Paul had in him and you put in those young timers that they can have an anointing. Rest upon them. You're not involved in some kind of teaching is like a hospital without a medical training unit. It's got a church has to have those that's training the next generation. So Paul had drummed the gospel into Timothy. He had beat it into Timothy. He had put it in his mind. He had put it in his heart. Without any concern that the word would be propagated through this young man's ministry. The apostle simply reminds Timothy in 2 Timothy 1 13 and 14. He said Timothy hold fast the form of sound words which thou has heard of me. Timothy in faith and notice this when you want to bash with it in faith and in love which is Christ Jesus that good thing which was committed under the keep by the Holy Ghost which dwells on the same mandate to us today.

So this has been an emotional afternoon because I don't do this often and I should do it every day. But I went on a journey this afternoon. I didn't have this prepared when I got here this part. I went on a journey this afternoon they will tell you I started getting all this stuff sent to me. It's been an emotional afternoon study because it began in Indiana. Their name were Mangans. My grandfather was a deacon in the Puritan church and my grandmother was the worker there. I think we have the first picture of them somewhere on this screen. There they are. That's my grandfather Mangan and that's mom Mangan who they said was one of the greatest ladies that ever lived. She passed away when my mother was seven months pregnant with me and she laid her hand on my mother's stomach and prayed over me. And then she said, Veselane take good care of him. It was this lady that was in a brush harbor meeting in Indiana and the power of God began to fall and she began to speak with other tongues as the spirit of God gave her the utterance. And she said I got to get ahold of myself because if I go home his name is Walter Mangan. If I go home he will kick me out of the house. We're leaders in the Puritan church and the holy rollers were looked down upon. It wasn't the popular time when everybody was speaking with tongues and it was not that day and hour that we're living in today and she said so I got to be quiet. So she decided she was going to put up the horse and buggy and got arena put in the star. Daddy said that's what the name of the horse was and she went and she got ahold of the doorknob to go into the kitchen of her home. And when she did not just the Holy Ghost but the Holy Ghost in fire hit her. Ah! I got the Holy Ghost tonight Walter! I got the Holy Ghost! Oh Walter I got the Holy Ghost! You got what? I got the Holy Ghost! He said you have ruined my reputation. You have ruined my name. You sleep in the bedroom and I will sleep on the couch. And those two apostolic preachers that felt led to go to Plymouth, Indiana decided the next day that they needed to go see my grandmother that had just gotten the Holy Ghost. So my grandfather was in the backfield working and they went to my grandmother and they said how are you doing? She said he's fought me. He's not going to be good. She said yeah we're going to talk to him. She said no you cannot. You go back there. There will be a big fight and he'll jump on you and said you just can't do that. She said no we want to talk to him. She said well I don't know. We're going to talk to him. So they started walking. My grandfather saw him coming. He started preaching red and getting his karate on. They walked up and said Mr. Mangan we're the Pentecostal preacher. Yeah I want the Holy Ghost too. I want it just like my wife. I want to get one inch off. And God filled my grandfather with the Holy Ghost. God filled my grandfather with the Holy Ghost. And they started going to Brother Rouse Church in South Bend Indiana. And if you will look there, I mean it's just amazing what God began to do to them. And that's my father standing there. That's GA. That's my father standing there with his five sisters. And God filled that whole family with the Holy Ghost. And after my grandfather and grandmother had had that experience. They said we want to baptize you. He said well there's a horse trough right there. They took my grandfather and my grandmother and baptized him in a horse trough in the name of Jesus. That's a legacy that's in my life. That's a legacy that's been given to me. That's a legacy that I have of those preachers coming there and God touching their life. That's on the mangan side.

We moved to the Gibson side which is my mother's side of the family. My pops at Gibson was a very respected man. He was very important in the community. And God filled him with the Holy Ghost and my grandmother. There they are. That's my grandfather on my mother's side. And that's Mom's at Gibson. That's my father. That's my grandfather. That is my mother's father and mother. That man and woman of God was preaching brush harbors. And a man drove up one night and was sitting on the edge of a stump. And he said I'm going to come here and I'm going to whip that preacher tonight. My family's gotten in there and I don't care for anything about it. He said but if it's real I want it. But he said just it's going to be some special. Just knock me off of this stump if it's real. About that time bam he was knocked off the stump. That man came through talking in tongues. My grandfather got a call of God upon his life. My grandfather and grandmother began to build churches all over East Texas. My grandfather started 13 churches in East Texas. Where the campground is in Lefkin. My grandfather built the first apostolic church in Lefkin, Texas. I think we got another picture of them. That's them at POA when they moved there to live with us. You're looking at a warrior of the faith. Not because he's my grandfather. But you're looking at a legacy of a man and a woman that had built something strong and built something powerful and laid something in us. That's why tonight we can't just fumble around with what we have. We can't just mess around with what we have. There's a price that's been paid for the message that's been passed on. There's a price that has been paid. I lived down with my aunt, my grandparents, my grandmother lived to be 101. My aunt lived to be 101. My grandfather, Popsie, lived to be 99. And my mother is 98. So if you don't like me, there may be a problem with that. Popsie would plow the field. I said, ain't no one to tell me about it. She said, yeah, honey. I'll tell you all about it. I said, daddy would plow the field. Then he'd come home, wash up out in the tub. Said, then he'd put on that long white sleeve shirt. And he'd walk five miles to preaching a brush harbor. We didn't have nothing to travel by. I said, he'd walk five miles. He'd preach that night in that brush harbor. And he'd walk back. He'd pray for people and they'd get the Holy Ghost. Said, he had revival all over East Texas. He started revival everywhere. He had revival everywhere he went. He started churches everywhere. That's a legacy that I have in my life that I don't take for granted. I said it before and I'll say it again. We're only one generation away from extinction. That's why we're going to have young people. That's got their mind made up. But this is the way. I want to take everything that's challenging you young preachers and wives. You young people, I want to take everything out of your hand tonight.

Timothy was not only young, but he was prone to sickness. He was timid in temperament. Once a scholar labeled Paul's protege, they said Timothy was an introvert. I'm bringing up the negatis of Timothy for just a moment so that you will know God can take you. And God can turn you around. And God can use what you have. And God can turn you.

Paul wrote to Timothy something that's very, very important. That I want you young people in the legacy behind me to get ahold of us. He wrote in 2 Timothy, I hadn't given you the spirit of fear. You're not to be afraid of nothing. But I've given you love, power, and a sound mind. Strong to faith. I've given you power. I've given you love. And I've given you a sound mind. He has called you. And when you are called, there's nothing that can stop you. No circumstance can stop you. Your Creator called you. Your pastor didn't call you. Your Creator called you. You can communicate that gospel. In his divine plan, God has sent the Holy Ghost to empower specifically young men and women for this day and hour. Jesus said when the Holy Ghost came on the believers that they would receive power from on high. Paul gave himself to such occasion. First and foremost, Timothy was at the forefront of fighting that battle.

And then he also said this, and I'm closing in just a few moments, but he also said this. He said, Timothy, don't think it's going to be Sunday morning or Sunday night every time you go to church. He said, Timothy, one in 12 of the second letter. For the witch calls I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed for I know in whom I have believed. And I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed under him against that day. The gospel is a death, burial, and resurrection. He said you're going to be hating the last days for my name's sake. Don't think it's just going to be lovely all the way. The apostolic Jesus name, church will suffer persecution. And you say, well, I don't know about that. I don't know about that in America. Probably will come. But I can tell you what, those that's having revival overseas, they're suffering persecution. But they're still having revival.

Many pulpit today are having a field day. Pastor Gentry will come along in a minute. But they're preaching man and Mary instead of Christ in the cross. You can't make it just being a man with Mary. You're going to have Christ in the cross. No man can preach Christ in him crucified without opposition. When you preach Jesus Christ, and when you preach the new birth, there's going to be opposition. But you keep on preaching it.

I said, Dad, I said, down my dad, and never forget I was in his office as I was turned this way. He was in that rocker. And I'd been down at a political function. I prayed a prayer for the inauguration of the governor. And my daddy said, how'd it go? And I said, fine. And I said, well, Dad, you know, I'm having to do some counseling. And he said, you do too much counseling. I said, what do you mean by? He said, you and your mother, y'all counsel all the time. He said, you need to look at people and tell them to get in that prayer room. He said, they need a good praying through to the Holy Ghost. I said, well, Daddy, if you don't counsel people, they may leave. We've got a lot of churches, apostolic churches in this area. He said, you look at them and said, you don't let that door hit your backside. I need your seat. He said, you don't let nothing hold you down from preaching the truth and preaching the gospel and standing firm in the things that you stand for. Preach the apostolic legacy. Preach the apostolic truth. Preach it!

I'm so glad Cam's here. Cam is helping with music. He's our pastor of music in Alexander. The best there is. He's unbelievable. Such a young man. But let me tell you, if we're not careful, we can enjoy worship more than we do repentance. And if we're not careful, praise singing will become more important than preaching the Word. I love our praise singing. I love to dance. I love to hop. But if you don't like preaching of the Word, if you don't like to hear the book preach, I don't want to hear your praise singing. And if you're a praise singer and can't go to the prayer room, I don't want to hear you sing. Don't give me your mic and look at nice and swinging. You get to the prayer room, then you walk out here and give me what does say at the word of the Lord. You'll get to where we don't demand anything of the believers in our church that follow Christ. The cross demands everything of me. Not some of me. It demands everything of me. We're getting, I prayed for Gentry. I said, Gentry, I gave him that speech that Daddy gave me. I said, I'm praying for you, buddy, because you're getting a lot in this church that they show up Sunday morning and I'm meddling now, but I'm on meddling a while. And those of you watching online, you need to be meddling with too. But in POA, it's very careful for us to get people. You get me here at 10 o'clock on Sunday morning and you'd be done by 1130. If you're not done, I don't know if I'm staying. You got one shot at me, so give me your best shot. Let me tell you, we went to prayer meeting on Tuesday night. We went to church on Wednesday night. They had choir practice on Thursday night. They had prayer meeting on Saturday night. We had Sunday school, Sunday morning worship, and Sunday night, but it built a great church. My father and mother built a great church.

So my message is simple as I close. And I don't need music right now. My message is simple, guard the truth. And the truth is not just Acts 238, it's prayer. It's fasting. It's a holy and godly lifestyle in and out. Guard it. Even in that dungeon, Pete Paul was saying to the followers of Christ, keep it on, put it in your heart. The gospel Paul preached his shoe. Somebody would say, well, I look into that church, listen, just because some are suffering persecution or church is going through some, don't mean they're missing God. Look at Paul. Can't you imagine what they would say? Well, if he was preaching like Jesus would be taking care of it. Jesus put in there so he could write half of this book to us. He wrote half of this book to us. Half of New Testament of this book to us. Same picture you heard. If you're leaving the God and you're serving God and you're going to church, things won't happen to you. Let me tell you, some of our greatest prayer warriors at POA have gone through some of the biggest battles. And I'll tell you, the closer you get to the foot of the cross, the harder you're going to fight. You don't want the devil messing with you. Get on out there. But the closer you get, I want to be close to God. You want to get close to God? The devil's coming after you. But I want to be close to God. I've got a legacy that lived there. You may be seated.

So Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy. And I'm sorry I didn't give you all these scriptures, but I'll give you time to jump with me. 2 Timothy 3, 11 through 15. Timothy, there's persecutions. There's afflictions, which came into me at Antioch. And I called him in Lystra. What persecutions I endured, but out of them all, the Lord delivered me. Timothy, yea, in all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, not might, not maybe, they shall, they shall get the Holy Ghost and fall out in faint and have prayer lines, those that live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer. Why? Because evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But Timothy, continue down the theme, which thou hast learned and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. And that from a child that has known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise under salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Paul is loading up Timothy. I know one who I have believed and I'm persuaded, I'm persuaded that he's able to keep me in that day. It's deposited there and it's deposited very well.

When I became friends, and forgive me for that, and the brethren were with me today, but when I became friends with the President Clinton and he wrote about me and Mickey, very, very important, well-known televangelist, get ahold of me and Mickey. And he said, I would like to fly in and talk to you and Mickey. And I said, well, that, oh man, I never thought, I'd be honored. And so he said, okay, I'll be landing at England. And he said, if you would come out there, I would appreciate it. So I went out there with a sheet of paper because I had in my mind probably what was going on. And this very important, well-known evangelist looked at me. He said, I would like for you and Mickey to host a television program, which at that time was one of the larger television, Christian television broadcasting companies in America and around the world. And I said, wow, what an honor. Thank you, thank you for that great honor. And I said, I would be honored to do that, but if I do, I just brought seven things that I would probably be mentioning or talking about occasionally when I'm on that program. And we got through, he said, couldn't you say it some of the way? I said, you know what? I could probably say it another way, but I would be in trouble with God because God called me to say it this way. He said, well, if you ever have the opportunity and if you and Mickey ever want to, you have an open door to our television broadcast. And you can host your program. I said, I'm so honored. Hugged the man's neck, we prayed for him, and he had a beautiful jet. He took me on a tour of his jet, I walked off his jet. I went back down and got in my car in Little Alexandria with 40,000 people. I guarded what had been deposited in me. Good opportunity. Been great. This would have really gotten a lot bigger. I've been gypsy and momsy. That had deposited something in me. You won't believe this.

But the last time my father preached at BOTT, every time I went in Dad's office, he was always in his recliner parade. We have a key to each other's office, and I would just go, I would knock, just open it up. Jentron and I had the same and the same privilege, and he just walked in. So I walked in and dad of course had been in prayer and Because of the times was about a week and a half and he was the first preacher on Wednesday night And I said dad if you don't mind don't forget you And he said come here. He said I'm I have a message and I'm asking you not to put me on the table. He said yes, sir dad That's what you say. That's what we would do I'm been knowing to me Until he preached that message I'm telling you he didn't tell nobody knew it except those that helped him build that mess. He preached probably one of the greatest messages That's ever been preached at because of the times It was the nail in the sheer place. It was the watermark It was what grandpa mangan put in him It's what he put in me and it's what I attempted to put in So we walked out and there it was and I wish you'd go watch the whole message When you have time and this meeting is over But here's what we heard that night There was a generation after them that did not know the dream didn't know the beauty They lost identity Jesus name Holy Ghost Holiness they lost it and punch the world into the worst darkness It's ever been in You think I will let him get ahead of me? March ever rains be inspector uniform I want to see if you got the same uniform on Let me expect your gospel shoes to you got ammunition Anybody that's so they see anybody out there. They have a right to shoot them ammunition here Nobody toy with your brain or your mind Don't let nobody toy with something that somebody died for We stand together and

Would you believe that would you get to this front as fast as you can and lift your hand and begin to praise God and ask God for The Apostolic anointing the Apostolic way for the face of God for their anointing to fall upon you For the faith of the same to be delivered to you Let it happen to you in the name of Jesus Let it happen to you in the name of Jesus Let there be the Apostolic faith