Sunday Evening Worship Service - “Rain” Pastor Anthony McCool

keep that same spirit as you make your way back to your seats and you can be seated across this congregation i can never express my gratitude to these musicians and singers and all of our technical staff for the tremendous hours and work they put in and just setting the atmosphere for the presence of god to move in this place i think all of them and i want to say how awesome it is to have brother isaiah comer with us this weekend helping us out let's give him a great big hand he's of course the son of brother wes and sister brooke comer and brother wes comer has literally the term made us look good doesn't even do it justice because he literally has he's a tremendous preacher and singer but he also has a great skill for marketing and creative design long before even uh that seemed to be a great need for the church he was on the forefront of that ministry and uh his impact and thumbprint not only on our movement but to spreading this gospel around the world is truly inestimable and i i think him he he gave his testimony at our ministry or men's conference and he said he was the product of a young boy grew up in a a very tough homeland but uh brother allen lee and brother david trentonella would come knock on his door and invite him and pick him up for church to go to eaglebend apostolic church every single week and then you just look at the fruits of those labor just some several years later and now his son is up here blessing us and it just as bishop was up here this past sunday morning after pastor whitley ministered to us said can we do more and i i think of these these men and said what if i'd have been too busy that day or what if you know completely justified and you know doing something else that day but just remained faithful and picking up a young men for church and he now is pastoring in indiana and his his great family and it's just tremendous what god will do if we'll make ourselves available amen i want to welcome everyone that's here tonight in person that's a term that has been made popular over the past two and a half years but also joining us online right now on our facebook live stream there's over 150 people tuning in with us i think that's pretty fantastic and also on our youtube page as well and pastor whitley and pastor mccool have been telling you at offering time and even on social media the different ways you can help our missionaries uh pastor adams particularly uh right in poland uh very close to the border there of ukraine who's ministering to many of the refugees coming in uh but he talked to us this past week and they tune in right now it's about uh 2 3 a.m there so they're in bed but on monday morning when they first wake up they're going to tune into the archives like they do weekly so we welcome all of you all that will be tuning in to the archives as well i saw brother richard and sister darlene huffman on there my uncle gary my aunt katie and bishop mccool tuning in my uncle mac and it's just all of you that aren't able to be here in person you're equally a part of this great congregation and we love each and every one of you if you have your bibles tonight if you would turn to the book of isaiah chapter 44 verse 3 and we're going to read one verse of scripture isaiah 44 3 it states for i will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground i will pour my spirit upon thy seed and my blessing of online offspring but before i give you my title tonight i i need to write and speak publicly and make an addendum because perhaps it's prophetic um maybe i'm going to be perceived as taking advantage or you know capitalizing on uh the things that we've been experiencing here this past month and i would ask you after i give my title please don't dismiss it and and leave or just count me out just just stay with me i want to preach to you on the subject title tonight rain oh i can see the countenance beginning to change hey look i think this is a good time to pray let's pray over mighty god we thank you tonight we thank you for the opportunity you've given us to assemble together to study your word lord as we lift up our hands and our voices to you we thank you and praise you lord the needs that have gone out for the for across this world to our our neighbors around this nation and our neighbors around this world all those proclaiming your name lord we thank you for them and we pray a special prayer protection on them on this evening lord we ask for your anointing and provision to be upon this sermon as it goes forth in jesus name we pray rain rain waters most well-known and most important effect is providing you and i with water to drink according to the united states geological survey rainwater seeps into the ground in the process called infiltration some of the water seeps deep beneath the top layers of soil where it fills up the space between subsurface rocks it becomes groundwater also called and referred to as the water table less than two percent of the earth's water is groundwater but it provides approximately 30 percent of our fresh water without rains water continued replenishment of the water table potable water would become scarcer than it already is the united states average for rainfall per year is 38 inches in knoxville tennessee it is 50.3 inches per year which many witnesses out there this evening saying hey i think we're on track to potentially break that for this year according to the national climatic data center the wettest place in the world and the highest average amount of yearly annual rainfall is in laurel columbia with a whopping 523.6 inches the highest ranked american location is in mount waheli in hawaii with an average of 460 inches per year the driest location in the world is also in south america it's erica chile with an average annual rainfall of .03 inches rainfall is annoying when you have it in abundance having to run to the car to avoid getting your clothes wet it's a nuisance that is when there's food on your table because there's the agriculture and the resources have had the nourishment to grow and to be put on your place on your table oh i can't believe it would rain this game out and oh this game is getting canceled again oh my wedding is is going to be ruined that is unless you were thirsty and the only source of provision you had in your life to keep you alive that you would be dependent upon to come from the sky and i'm not preaching at anyone we've all made the posts and i'm guilty of being sick of all the rain that seems to just continually fall down on us but rain is a blessing from above and precipitation supplies the water that terrestrial organisms need either directly in the form of rain that falls on soil where plants grow or indirectly in the form of lakes streams and ponds where animals can drink animal and human cells are made up of 90 percent water so without fresh water most life could not exist you can see the importance of rain to life on land and if you look at environments like the sahara desert which receives less than three inches of precipitation a year compared to 33.3 inches in an average year in chicago close to 50 inches in knoxville thanks to the scarcity of rain and snow in the sahara it only has sparse plant and animal life so too as we look at the nation of israel and sister floria i this video will not do justice to the beauty of that land in a desert location like israel rain and dew were life giving and life sustaining necessities rainfall was essential for the growth of crops water the livestock and an insured groundwater for wells which would be the source of drinking water for the entire population as can be pictured above the main natural source in israel is the sea of galilee or often referred to as the kinorad as they call it their the kinnarat is the source of the jordan river which flows into the dead sea and it is called the kinoret and it means stringed instrument because the sea was in the shape of david's harp and it is said that the beautiful flowing from the sea of galilee to the other water basins is a beautiful song that just flows out the only way this natural reservoir can serve the entire country is for it to continually be replenished from the sky and the reason god chose israel as his own specifically designated property for his people was due to this very fact israel is by nature utterly dependent on the heavens in a very real and also a very practical way surrounding israel nations who have their own flowing water resources egypt has the nile and the euphrates serves as the mesopotamian basin but israel has no such permanent and reliable source of water civilizations quickly sprung up around the rivers that could sustain life but god led his people to a land where they would have to be utterly at the mercy of the skies and therefore completely dependent upon the one who can make it rain rain can come upon us in a variety of different ways and we must all be on the lookout for it we must prepare for it and we must know how to use it once we receive it our key text says this prophetic voice by the prophet isaiah for i will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground i will pour my spirit upon thy seed and blessing upon thy offspring in first chronicles chapter 12 verse 32 we're told of the children of issachar which were men that had understanding of the times to know what the bible says what israel ought to do they had a understanding of the heavens and of the atmosphere and of the season and the of the timing when it was a good time to plant crops when it was a good time to go to war jesus rebuked his generation for not knowing the times and not having discernment of what was going on around them and these jewish expositors concluded from the former part of his verse that the tribe of issachar had skill in astrology so that they could read the heavens and what seasons were successful for action skill in reading the stars and skill in reading and knowing the seasons and the changing of the air and what might be a good time in the use in husbandry there it was also used in political prudence to discern and embrace the fifth seasons for action and we know the story of david in his personal downfall it says he remained at home when he should have been off to fight because it says in the springtime when the kings go out to battle and this king chose to stay home and not fight for his people seasons timing discernment of the heavens discernment of the atmosphere in my life and sometimes rain that is needed in our lives comes with tumultuous storms beforehand and even during the downpour thunder lightning wind sometimes storms for which we are seeking shelter from are the very instrument that showers a great sustaining provision upon our life and oftentimes what we may think is trying to take us out is the very thing that was sent to sustain us and each drop even if it's in our lives as one singer puts it rain falls angry on the tin roof each drop that crashes to the ground should be a reminder to us that we have to rely on the heavens we have to rely on the one to give us rain we must have the spiritual discernment to know that some turbulence may be a breaking in the heaven a change in the conditions an altering in the atmosphere may just mean that an outpouring is on the way oh we've all been there before where we think here i am in need and it appears that the sky around me is just getting darker it seems that the wind is just beginning to pick up right when i need you to provide for me most but it's in those times when though we're facing an attack from the enemy that we've got to understand and we've got to realize that the resistance that we are receiving might just be because we are making progress and are on the potential precipice of a breakthrough those times in our life when we're facing a storm and there's rain coming down and the thunder's rolling and the lightning is striking and the wind is about to blow us out of where we are at it's going to be the instrument that's going to produce the very downpour that i've been praying for the breaking in the atmosphere might just be the very beginning of the thing that you've been promised and the need that you've been asking god for and maybe tonight you're in a drought maybe it's a dry season maybe you're needing some questions you have answered maybe you're needing to bring life desperately to a situation maybe you've been waiting for a blessing for a miracle maybe you need anointing and direction in your calling tonight and maybe you're facing the storm of your life where it seems like it hasn't slowed down one bit but the word of god gives us precedent for god's sending reign to supply the physical and the spiritual needs of his people and being his people like the land of israel we tonight are solely dependent upon him to provide let rain be an indication to you when you see it when you hear it when you feel it yes sometimes a nuisance yes sometimes it ruins your plans but every raindrop that i see let it be a prophetic voice that god who created this world is sustaining life all around me that the fact that humans can do nothing to create rain or prevent it it's clear demonstration of god's sovereignty over the weather and the rain in this case whether it be physical or whether it be spiritual and every time you see rain you need to realize that there is restoration taking place that means there's going to be rivers that's going to continually flow that means groundwater is going to be filled up it means that crops will be flourished that means livestock will be nourished that means that a place that is barren it's going to receive some abundance that means a place that needs some nourishment from the heavens it's going to potentially grow and every time you've seen rain you need to know that it's an absolute miracle and blessing from above of a sovereign god providing for his people we need rain and we have to have rain in first kings we find the prophet elijah writes in the midst of a drought and right in the midst of this three and a half year drought we read that he tells the king to get thee up he said it's time to eat and drink for i hear the sound of the abundance of rain not a sprinkle not a light scattered shower but he said i hear the sound of the abundance of rain so so eat and drink and some of us some of you whatever your situation is you might have been like elijah you might have been like the nation in a drought for three and a half years or maybe even longer you've prayed you've praised in advance you've fasted you've remained faithful and you haven't become weary and will doing and maybe for some of you maybe doubt crept in maybe there was some skepticism begin to eat at your dinner table and then maybe some of you were like job who said three and a half years maybe four maybe five if you never do anything else you've already done enough though he slayed me yet will i trust in you but whatever the need is whatever the situation i believe that in this house i believe us invoking in the power of the name of jesus that's already gone across during this service i believe that you are in the atmosphere tonight for god to send provision on the situation that you brought into this place i'm preaching today by faith i know we live in a world and i personally i have to really fight sometimes to have faith sometimes i struggle with doubt sometimes i struggle with skepticism sometimes i attempt to place reason and logic on everything and what i continually do oftentimes is put limits on what god is able to do but though elijah knew and gave a prophecy to the king he said some of he said we've been in a drought for three and a half years but i hear the abundance of rain and though elijah knew there was rain on the way and though he gave this prophetic voice it says he still went and prayed with perseverance every single day and after he gave the word after he gave king ahab the word from god it said so ahab went up to eat and drink and elijah went up to the top of carmel and he cast himself down upon the earth and it says he put his face between his knees so he gave a prophetic voice to the king that rain was on the way but it wasn't like what pastor mccool spoke about uh last sunday where god in his life was just a insurance policy just to turn on and off when i need him but there was a relationship there and there there was a trust there and though he gave this prophecy he went and prayed with more perseverance because if you remember only a few chapters earlier elijah was in a showdown with the bell worshipers and god instantaneously sent fire down from heaven and elijah had had ignited that fire as proof with water even though they were in a drought and he god did that for elijah instantaneously and now we see elijah who gives this prophecy to the king and then he goes and prays even more fervently no doubt as he was praying with his head between his knees on the earth saying god you have got to deliver i just went and told the king the king's no doubt told uh all of the others in the town and in the nation lord if you don't provide i'm going to be a laughingstock god i need you to provide we've been in a drought for three and a half years there's people going hungry there's people dying of dehydration lord we need you to send your provision and we need it right now he gives this prophecy about hearing the sound of rain and then goes up to the top of mount carmel and prays even more fervently and while he's praying he tells his servant go out and look at the sea and see if you see anything elijah continues to pray the thunder got my shovels here didn't it if that happens the thunder will mess up your plans that looks better elijah sent his servant to go look out into the sea and see see if you see anything up in the skies i'm i'm going to continue to stay right here and pray i've already made a prophecy to the king that rain is on the way so go up and see if you see anything servant comes back servant comes back elijah i don't see anything elijah says go back go back up seven times and on the seventh time the servant came back and said i see a small cloud in the shape of a man's hand so elijah knowing that the storm was on the way the rain was on the way went to king ahab and he told him he said gird up your loins there was about to be rain on the way and the sea in this situation was representative of the word of god and he said servant go back up until you see a cloud keep going back until you see something i'm not going to get discouraged go back up seven times god's perfect timing is however many times it takes and the sea in this situation was represented of the word of god and how many of us at different times of our life were facing a trial a circumstance we've prophesied over our family we've prophesied over a particular situation and we open the word of god and we're reading it and we're faithful in reading it and applying it to our lives but we just don't feel a thing you know what we need to do keep going back a second time a third time a fourth time a fifth time and on the seventh time there was a small cloud in the shape of a man's hand oh i've come to church before and and the singers are singing and the the choir's going and the the music's playing and my my neighbors getting blessed and my friend is provisions taken place in their life and i'm happy for him but i'm rejoicing and i'm shouting but the smile on my face seems a bit painted on because i'm still facing a trial and i still haven't received one answer to the question what do i do elijah i don't see anything go back up keep going back till there's keep going back until you see something i came to tell you tonight that whatever it takes we have to believe we have to have hope and we have to have faith that god is going to provide and we've got to keep going back to his word we've got to stay and remain faithful and keep praising and worshiping because eventually eventually if we'll keep going back oh it might seem small to some others but we see a cloud in the shape of a man's hand oh and i know whose hand that is that hand is the author and the finisher of my faith that hand is orchestrating all of the things in my life although it might seem like a small small cloud if i'll keep praying if i'll remain faithful if i'll trust in his word if i'll keep going back i don't feel anything right now oh but i believe there's going to be a seventh time oh i'm rejoicing and i'm shouting and the choir is singing it might get loud but i still and i and i'm worshiping but i don't feel i don't feel like there's a breakthrough yet oh just keep going back and i believe that in this atmosphere that you're in i believe if you'll remain faithful i believe that if you put your complete trust in the one that created this world i believe that in due time there's going to be a seventh time where he is going to send the rain down he's going to rain down provision in your life he's going to ring down anointing in your life he's going to bring lost family members home he's going to provide for your family he's going to strengthen your marriage i believe there's a seventh time in this house tonight i might not feel anything i might not see anything but i've got to keep going back keep going back the answer to every need we have is right here in this book god has a word for us but we got to keep going back to the sea oh there there'll be doubt there'll be scoffers that say oh that's just a that's just a little cloud but we know that if i just have faith as a grain of a mustard seed that god can provide mightily in my situation jeff josephat and two other kings who were about to go to war against the mighty moabite army they found themselves in the middle of a barren wasteland desert where there was you guessed it no water nor drip nor drop to drink jehoshaphat did what any godly leaders should do and he went to the prophet god told jehoshaphat through his prophet elisha second kings 3 16 thus saith the lord i'm just going to send you miraculous water and you're going to be sustained you don't got to do a thing no he said make this valley full of ditches but uh prophet i don't i don't think you heard me correctly now my men are in this that i mention barren wasteland edom we need water we're about to face an enemy we're not even going to get to fight because my men are going to be dehydrated and die before we even get a chance to fight the prophet told jehoshaphat what you need to do is make this valley full of ditches god promised to send water to the valley he said dig a ditch right in the middle of the desert and god said if you will dig the ditch if you will make preparation i will send you the blessing because the ditches that you dig are going to be the reservoir for which you store what i'm going to send you if i send you the blessing right now you don't have anything to catch it with if i send you the provision right now what are you going to do with it you might get a cup full here but it's not going to sustain you if i if i send my anointing on you right now you haven't done one thing to earn it deserve it you're not even going to know how to use it you're not even going to know how to appreciate it you're not even going to know how to rely on me and perhaps god does these things in our life like he did with elijah where he he met the need with the fire from heaven instantaneously but then to get that ring took him seven times prophesying praying in desperation maybe it's an act of humility that says hey elijah yeah i know you're brave and heroic and i'm proud that during my servant and what you did in front of the bell worshipers but don't you ever forget i'm the one sent the fire down and now we see uh elisha and jehoshaphat you've got to do something to get this blessing because you have to have an acknowledgement if i just give it to you you're not going to recognize or have any gratitude or or be thankful for the blessing i'm going to provide for you but but if you'll roll up your sleeves and begin to make a reservoir for the blessing i'm going to give you oh there's going to be a shouting party you're not going to understand it at first but you're going to see how i brought you out and god promised to send water to the valley but they had to dig the ditches to catch what god was going to provide water was going to come but however much blessing they wanted however much provision they wanted they had to make sure that they had a reservoir large enough to receive it oh i man i i'd love to be a great leader and pastor just let me preach you ready to have sleepless nights you ready to deal with some criticism you you ready to to to do absolutely anything it takes oh i'd love to be a great entrepreneur like like this person like like like this successful businessman or this successful businesswoman you ready to take all calls at the of the night and be able to risk every single uh all of your finances and uh oh i i you know i i would love to have the anointing and the and the ministry and the testimony of this person are you ready to go through the sickness that they endured and remain faithful are you ready to experience and still worship god through all this trial and tribulation that they've been through to get that testimony that their mere presence here is an absolute sermon to every one of us in order to get god's anointing in order to have god's provision in our life we must show and remain faithful and we must be able to understand that in order for revival to take place uh it's not just gonna happen it's gonna take us getting to work and beginning to shovel out some things in our life oh we've got to remember what god is here we've got to remember that it was some faithful men and women of god who put up some concrete forms by faith oh that's that's great isn't it it was their last nickel it was their last penny to even build the form and then god would send the concrete and fill it up you know what they did we're gonna if the concrete came right now there wouldn't be anywhere to place it but i'm going to prepare for what god is going to do we're going to have some vision in this place what did bishop tell us last sunday morning i think we can do i think we can do more i think we ought to keep building we ought to keep having prayer meetings we ought to be more passionate about our kids ministry and our children's ministry and our youth ministry than ever before we can't become distracted with things that don't matter we must be passionate about our doctrine but we must show compassion to this world as pastor talked about we're not in the politics business we're in the people business and it's going to people aren't just going to randomly show up yes there's anointing here yes the presence of god here is here that you can feel it in this atmosphere but we've got to go out to the highways and the hedges and to compel them to come in we've got to do the work for what god has called us to do but in this particular miracle elisha who was the who was elijah's protege we have elijah then who trained elisha and elijah actually found elisha while he was out working uh what's the word of god tell us we we need to watch and pray maybe a modern translation we need to work and pray and elisha now we have another generation in this particular miracle they dug the ditches they created the reservoir they they made the the space for the water to come in but they didn't receive one raindrop the rain the water came from a different place many theologians suspect that the water came rushing down from the nearby mountain of edom they create and the and god directed that water specifically there for their situation we see god providing in a higher place and that water flowing down to a people who were desperately in need we are here today because of the sacrifice and the prayer and the dedication and the faithfulness and the sacrificial giving of previous generations and their anointing and their provision they they prayed for us to be where we're at today and that anointing comes trickling down from another place but we as a generation we have got to understand that we rely on the same god they did and we have to make room and we have to make a space and we have to have a reservoir to receive that blessing because god's spirit is going to be poured out god will pour his spirit out somewhere but we have to be ready to receive it suddenly water came by way of edom god previously with elijah sent a downpour and now with elisha he sends a flood god did and provided for another generation but he did it differently than he did for the previous generation all right god with moses moses stood up and parted the red sea with god's help and they walked across on dry land but then with joshua when they got to the jordan river he said take the prophets and the ark of the covenant and when you step in the water the water is going to clear and every step you take by faith the water is going to clear out in front of you he did it a different way than he did the last time we serve a god who is not constrained to doing something the same way each and every single time he might do it for you differently than he did it for someone else it might be a different time than he did for someone else but be assured if you'll put your faith in him if you'll put your trust in him if you'll get the shovel out and whatever that need is in your life whatever that provision is you've been praying for whatever that situation is that you're needing god to provide for if you'll put some shovel to the dirt and begin to dig i just believe that you're in the atmosphere tonight that you're not going to know where it came from but there's going to be a mighty river basin that just comes from on high from a place you don't even realize it's going to take place at and though you're tired and though you're sweaty and though you've been faithful and though you've been doing things over and over but you've been faithful this seventh time this time god is going to fill you up i believe that under the authority of the name of jesus for i will pour water upon him that is thirsty oh i i will send a bomb to those that need healing i will send a rain to those in a drought i will flood the dry ground and i will pour my spirit upon thy seed and i will bless the offspring moses was blessed joshua was blessed but it was different elijah was blessed elisha was blessed and every time we see rain when we hear that rain begin to fall down oh we need to understand that only through god's divine sovereignty are we here today oh and that the river basin of faithfulness to these prophets it would flow through until we get to bethlehem and there would be a baby boy be born and it would be god manifest in flesh not a god far removed from humanity and the suffering of his people but he would be born and have sickness like you and i he would succumb to the same emotions fear and doubt and anxiety and all of these things just like you and i he would be betrayed by his very own people just like you and i can experience at times and he would go on a cross and he would be bruised for our iniquity and from his stripes we would receive healing and he would go down in the grave and after three days he would be raised up because it's the former in the latter rain together as we used to sing that song sister phyllis used to sing it the former and the latter rain together and if you're here tonight i'm not talking about the weather i'm talking about the holy ghost rain that's going to pour down in your life and in this place because of the faithfulness and because of the trials that you've endured maybe it's a storm in your life right now but that could be the very instrument from which the downpour is going to take place maybe you're in an opposite situation where you're in an absolute drought and you would do anything for just a drop of rain i believe you're in the right atmosphere for god to move in this place if the musicians and praise singers would come and why don't you just go ahead and stand with me across this house up through time in the synagogues and to the early church the word of god went forth orally with public proclamation we've talked about elijah going back to the word of god going back a second time i'm going to remain faithful and keep reading but i still just don't have an answer and i don't feel anything going back a third time i i still don't i i still don't know god i'm remaining faithful but going back a seventh time we've talked about jehoshaphat trusting in elisha to prepare for the outpouring that god is going to bring in doing so i remember a few years ago we needed a a playground out here special needs pregnant and sister sandy got all the plans together and right in the middle of a building program i'm reminded in this story like hey we're we're right in the middle of battle god we're we're about we're fighting on your behalf and you're wanting us to dig a ditch to get water you shouldn't you just it would make more sense god if you would just provide for us instantaneously you're omnipotent you can do anything but you're wanting us to dig a ditch we've got to be able to remain faithful to his word in prayer in fasting and living and our conduct in our speech through the filter of god's word but we also have to be able to put a shovel in our hands and get to work for our community for our city for our family for our marriage for our workplace whatever that is in your life [Music] as i was mentioning through to the early church the word of god would go forth in public proclamation and i wonder tonight at the close of this sermon i just wonder if we could just be merely that's not the right word not merely stirred i wonder at just at the reading of god's infallible living word that it could just stir our hearts sure the praise team and the musicians are going to play but that not being the motivation that brings me to the altar oh i hear the rain and i see the the great media that's gone forth and but that's not what brings me to the altar i'm talking about god's word beating the motivation for my response psalm 68 7-9 says o god when thou went us forth before thy people will now dismarch through the wilderness salah the earth shook the heavens also dropped at the presence of god even sinai itself was moved at the presence of god the god of israel o god did send a plentiful reign whereby thou disconfirm thy inheritance when it was weary oh when i see that rain fall down i know the same god that provided for moses the same god that brought down the walls of jericho the same god that provided for elijah the same god that provided for elisha the god that manifest himself in flesh is the god jesus christ who is working on my behalf and that rain is proof that i'm reliant on the heavens and that rain is proof that rain is proof that it is my inheritance as well that blessing is your inheritance the healing is your inheritance the provision is your inheritance hosea 6 2-3 this verse just stirs my heart after two days he will revive us in the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight then shall we know if we follow on to know the lord he is going forth is prepared as the morning and he shall come to us as the you guessed it as the rain as the ladder and the former rain unto the earth and i'm not talking about a passive uncertain indifferent prayer tonight i wonder if somebody under the sound of my voice having the understanding that god created the heavens in the earth has given you a promise and he created you to be dependent upon his provision and i say all of that to say this the former and the latter together trusting and being faithful to his word knowing how to put the work in and being thankful for what god has provided for us as we find ourself after his resurrection acts 2 17 and 18 he the disciples were instructed to wait to jerusalem until i rained down my spirit upon high acts 2 17 says and it shall come to pass in the last day sayeth god that i will pour somebody say poor my spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall drink dreams oh this is a church that fits the following and on my servants and on my handmaidens i will pour out in those days my spirit all that are far off it's your inheritance this is a church who describes itself as being pentecostal receiving the gift of the holy ghost with the evidence of speaking in another tongue and the holy ghost is an advocate on your behalf for things that you didn't even know you needed to pray for and i just believe tonight that you're in an atmosphere i believe tonight when we say in jesus name as people come to this altar that whatever situation you're facing whatever provision you're needing i believe that it might just start off as a small cloud or it might be a storm that you're in i believe that god can send the rain in your situation and i believe that it can pour down tonight quitting is not an option losing hope is not an option losing faith is not an option he might do it a different way than he did last time but i'm going to remain faithful and keep going to his word i wonder if somebody tonight would come up here with boldness and say i'm going to do whatever it takes i'm going to do whatever it takes to receive the promise that god has for me anybody that comes up here if somebody take a shovel and after you pray with it why don't you pass it around and let it be some imagery to us tonight that i'm going to remain faithful it might be different than what i expected it might look different from what i anticipated god might do it different for this person than he admit my person myself he might do it different for this gener another generation that he did it from my generation but whatever the case i'm going to remain faithful and i'm going to trust in his word and i'm going to put the work in and i'm going to prepare for what god is going to do in this place yes jesus i have this confidence god's word let god's word be your motivation i believe the heavens are beginning to open up would you pray across this house this is a pentecostal assembly if you've got the holy ghost why don't you pray in the spirit right now you keep the promises [Music] [Music] my praise will call the sun to rise [Music] is [Music] i [Music] [Music] so i am not afraid i behind me [Music] i am [Music] [Applause] [Music] me [Music] don't let it be said of this assembly oh i wish god would just come back things are getting so bad no no no no it'd be nice if there was a church that had some resources that could pump them out to help people and i'm preaching to the choir because that's what this church does because this church is going to roll up our sleeves and whatever the need is whatever the situation is we're going to give we're going to provide and whatever we can do we can pray and we can work we can pray and we can give we can pray and we can fight we can pray and do absolutely whatever it takes we're busy working we're not saying stuff like that because i think we can just reach one more i think we can touch one more i think we can spread this gospel out to one more person no we're not sitting idle by and just letting things come at us but we're getting the shovel out and we're going to begin to work to make sure that this gospel goes out across this nation and across this world and if you're tuning in with us tonight and tuning in with us in the archives we love you and if anything we can do we're here and we're going together sing that song one more time hold before me behind me and always beside me no shadow no valley where [Music] oh me [Music] [Applause] will not be drowned my god will make her way so i am not afraid when i am in the fire i will not feel the rain i'll stand before the giant declaring victory my god will make the way so i am not afraid [Music] so i am not afraid [Music] my god will make away so i am not afraid [Music] the god of the wind and the rain is the god who defeats all fears he defeats all of those anxieties all those things that would trouble us i'm thankful for the rain i'm thankful for the rain i do indeed remember that song that we used to sing that said the former and the latter rain together the next line said and i'm not talking about the weather it's the holy ghost rain that's falling down on me aren't you thankful for the rain of the holy ghost aren't you thankful for the deluge of the holy ghost that we experience and for its life-giving water