I've Got Good News - Pastor Brad DeLong

One of the ways that we connect with the Lord of course is through worship but the primary way is through his word and we're going to turn to his word together to the book of Romans chapter 1. We'll start at verse 15 in just a moment. While you're turning I want to say uh to echo what you heard a moment ago. Next week, the fun continues, the festivities continue. We're going to be right back in this space, and uh we have a minister named David Smith who's going to come and he's going to speak and minister and help us.

And if you are in need of healing or you're in need of deliverance or you want salvation, you experience any of those things, we welcome you to come back and be a part of what God is doing here at Apostolic Pentecostal Church. We'll get you some more information on that. Paul gives an invitation in Romans chapter 1. He does that by sharing with this church of Rome. You can imagine at the time they were pretty embattled. They had a lot of stuff coming against them. And he shares with them the power of the gospel, the good news.

This is verse 15 of Romans 1. He says, "I'm eager. I'm so eager to preach the gospel." He said, "That's why I'm so eager to those who are in Rome. For I'm not ashamed of the gospel. It's the power of God. That power is in this room right now to change your life. It's the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. Anyone here believe? Raise your hand if you believe. So the gospel is the power of God to bring salvation to all who believe.

To the Jew first, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed. A righteousness that's by faith from first to last. Just as it is written, the righteous will live by faith. Paul uses the word gospel. The Greek word there means good news. This translates to good news. He defines that good news in 1 Corinthians 15. He says, "For what I received, I passed on to you as of the first importance." It was so important to me when I got this news.

I I couldn't help it. I had to share it with you. I had to pass it on to you that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. How many of you ever heard this good news before? All right, I'm going to ask you to treat this like it's breaking news. Like it's the first time you ever heard it because it ought to be it ought to be good news every time we It ought to be the best news every time we hear that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.

that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the word of God and that he appeared to Cphus or Peter and then to the 12. In both accounts, Paul got good news and he had to share it because it was of first importance to him and anyone who would hear that news. So on this Sunday morning, I could think of nothing better to share with you than the gospel and the good news that I have personally received and one that has changed my life and millions and billions of others along with it.

I'm going to do that in a moment through a simple declarative title with a couple props to help me. And that title is this. I've got good news. Anyone ready to hear some good news? Anybody? I'm ready to tell some good news. If you are, I want you to lift your hands to heaven. Invite the Lord to speak to you. And I I if maybe you've heard this a hundred times, but invite God to speak to you like it's the first time so that you receive this good news and share it with somebody else.

If you're a guest today, just invite the Lord. Lord, I'm here to hear from your word. I'm here to find you and connect with you. I need you, Lord. So, I'm asking that you would help me and speak to me plainly today. Speak to my heart, from your word, oh God. We invite the good news to change us and shape us and help us today. And we pray it in the name of Jesus. And everybody said, "Amen." You may be seated. Thank you for standing. Our world, our culture, our nation, our planet seems to run on and be centered on news.

Most of it bad unfortunately. Anybody notice that bad news is just getting around. Uh news is paramount in the world around us. And news has a way of circulating faster than almost anything else on the planet. It doesn't quite travel at the speed of light, but it travels pretty quick. And you go to tell somebody some news and like, you know what, I already heard it. I just got a text five minutes ago. And like that was my news to tell you. But news just we run on news.

The world runs on news. This has been the case since the beginning when cities and leaders and governors, generals, kings, they specifically trained men and women to run faster or ride faster than anybody else on the planet. All in the name of getting news from one place to another. The world has always run on news. And the truth is we are no less news focused today. The difference being we've got phones and alerts and notifications and news cycles on repeat. And we have no more need for runners or horses or the Pony Express, whatever it may be.

We We've got news everywhere. In fact, we seem to have no more need for these. Anyone ever read one of these before? Raise your hand if you've read one of these. All right. All right. Praise God. Raise your hand if you don't know what that is. All right. Okay. No idea. All right. I it took me forever to find. I didn't know where to find these. I I went looking for these this week. Didn't know where to find them. Thankfully, we had some uh some helpful staff who knew where to find them.

And when I did find them, they were selling for $5 a piece. Five bucks. Not this one. This one was free. Thank God for the lady at Shnooks who said, "Don't buy those. Go get these. They're free." I said, "Oh, thank God for you." This is how we used to get most of our news. There'd be a whole system designed to share the news that had been received. Young men and women would get up early. They'd get on their bicycles. They'd warm up that throwing arm.

Oh yeah, I'm making y'all nervous. They throw these things at people. Throw them at your cars. Throw them at your house. Throw them at your porch. They throw them on your roof. You would throw them in your lawn and you'd forget about it and you'd run over it with the lawn mower. They got pretty good at throwing those. Good job. Great job, Walter. I mean, we just whether you wanted the news or not, it was on your porch. It was in your driveway. It was It was up on your roof.

You had to go get it. I think we kind of have a news problem. I think we still have a news problem. At the heart of all that, though, was this eagerness. the same eagerness that Paul expressed in our text that when you get news, you just have to share it. Sometimes you can't help yourself. Breaking news is often too compelling to keep it to yourself. Even when it's bad news, which seems to get all the press nowadays, those anchors and writers and editors, they just feel obliged to share it whether we want to hear it or not.

And especially the good news, you got to share good news, right? If you've GOT GOOD NEWS, YOU YOU HAVE TO SHARE IT. My niece, Miss [name redacted], she's about two years old. She was on a FaceTime call with my daughter, who's also two years old recently. They like to get on FaceTime and chitchat, and they like to share news back and forth, and usually it's just about toys and other things going on. But this day, [name redacted] had real actual news. News that had not yet been made public to any other person in the family.

So [name redacted] on the phone says, "My mommy has a baby in her belly." And mom's eyes got big. [name redacted] didn't know. She just knew I've got news and I've got to tell Selena that that good news is COMING AND THAT I'VE GOT A SIBLING on the way. And now it's public so I can share it with you. All right. Even if it wasn't, it's too good to not share, right? I know I said earlier the bad news always seems to drown out the good. And these newspapers are a testament to that.

I don't know exactly which one this is, the American Standard or something, but uh I I read a couple of these headlines. rate hike adds to inflation squeeze. Flack over flock cameras. I like the alliteration there. I don't like the nature of the article. Assault on free press harms all Americans. Those are just in the first two pages of headlines. I know it it often seems like the only news that we're really compelled to share is bad news and and sorrow upon sorrow. And maybe you're here today.

Maybe you got some bad news this week. Maybe you got horrible news this month. Or maybe this last summer you got some bad news. Or this year has been nothing but bad news. It could have been on your way to church that you got a text with some bad news. Maybe it's the reason you're here in the room today because bad news just seems to abound and that your life is reading like one of these negative newspapers chalk full of the of the negative, the disheartening, the discouraging news that seems to be everywhere.

Maybe you came to church today and you're on your last leg or you just came to get a little bit of barbecue and a little bit of peace of mind and and a little bit of relief from it all. Whether whatever you came in with, whatever news is at the headline of your life, I am so thankful to tell you that I've got good news for you today. I've got great news. I have to share it WITH YOU. IN FACT, I'VE COME WITH SOME OF THE BEST NEWS POSSIBLE.

I have news that's going to change all the other news in your life. I have news THAT SHAPES ALL THE OTHER NEWS. And it's not just news. It's truth with a CAPITAL T. THIS IS WHAT THAT NEWS. HERE'S THE HEADLINE for you. No matter what you're facing or what report you've heard or what the story of your life looks right now, I've come to tell you the good news of the gospel that Jesus Christ came to this earth. He walked and he he lived among us.

He was seen among men. He came as a servant to seek and save the lost. HE OFFERED HIMSELF AS A SACRIFICE for my SINS AND AND FOR YOURS. HE DIED on the cross for the same. AND HE DIDN'T STAY THERE. He was buried in a tomb for three days and then he rose again in victory. AND HE HAS ALL POWER AND HE HAS ALL AUTHORITY and he can do anything. In other words, he came AND HE DIED FOR YOUR SINS AND HE DIED FOR MINE. HE ROSE AGAIN and now he offers healing and redemption, salvation, deliverance, peace, hope, JOY, FULFILLMENT.

ALL BECAUSE OF THE VICTORY AT CALVARY. IF THIS IS THE ONLY NEWS you get today, it ought to change your life. I've got good news, brother Kyle. And I threw it to Eric. Thank you. I didn't practice that one. Plenty more. Don't fall asleep. I've got good news. Jesus died for you. For you. Jesus died for your sins AND FOR HE'S ALIVE AND HE did it all for us. Got good news and I'm eager to share it with you. And I want to read for you the headline.

Here's what Jesus wrote. Here's what Jesus had to say in Luke 4. He said, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he's anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. HE SENT ME TO HEAL THE BROKENHEARTED. If you're brokenhearted, he's here to heal you today. To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. And then he closed the book. It says, and he gave it back to those who were with him, and he sat down and he said, "Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." And I believe it's going to be fulfilled today in this room that God is going to not only you're going to get good news, but I believe you're going to have healing and freedom and strength and deliverance from this same God.

I've got good news for you today. Jesus is here and he can do anything for you and for your life. HE SAYS THIS IN JOHN 11. He said, "Go tell John the Baptist the things which you hear and see." This is the aftermath of Jesus's ministry. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the good news, the gospel preached. This is why he came and this is why he's in the room right here and now.

He came and died and he gained victory for you and for me and for whoever who would receive and believe this good news. You know, I don't often question it when I get one of these. I mean, I am a little skeptical, a little cynicism about news, especially the fake kind. When I read these headlines, I just kind of, okay, yeah, flack over flock camera. Sure. Yeah, I could see that. I wonder why sometimes I doubt some of the most powerful scriptures in this text. If I will take this at at face value many times, I should never doubt this.

This is the best news and it's true. It's never not been true. The word says, "THE ENTIRETY OF your your word is true, and every one of your righteous judgments endures forever. This good news is true today. It's for you. Jesus came and died for you." And here's part of the reason why it's so good. You see, this news has been changing lives ever since it touched the first ears that heard it. John says this, and this is a scripture that we like to quote, but we really need to believe it.

John 3:16, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but they'll have eternal life. For God didn't send his son into the world to condemn the world, but he sent him to save the world through him. So understand this is more than just another headline today. This is the power of God that brings salvation to all who believe. It's the best news I could give you, the good news. And because of it, I'm thankful to tell you that the NewsHour just keeps rolling.

Think of the gospel as the headline. And everything else I'm going to say stems from that headline. Because he died for you and because there's good news and because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. These other uh headlines are are made possible. They're all front page news. I wouldn't put any of this on the second or third or fourth page. Uh but the the main headline is the gospel and what Christ did for you. And because of that, I'm thankful to tell you some other good news.

Because of what Christ did, he can also heal you. He can change your life. I've got good news for somebody today that'll receive it. God can heal you. Our God is a healer. He can heal your heart. He can heal your mind. He can heal your emotions, your spirit, your body. He can heal your entire being. Today, I'VE GOT GOOD NEWS. AH, I MISSED YOU, JOSIAH. and he received it. He caught it. Someone receive what I'm telling you. God can heal you right here and now.

This is what the word says. I want to share. YOU CAN READ ALL ABOUT IT. IT SAYS, "SURELY he's borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteem him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But but he was wounded for our transgressions, and he was bruised for our sins and iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes, we are healed." And and I don't want you to worry. There's other witnesses to this. Here's what the psalmist said. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that's within me.

Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget NOT HIS BENEFITS. WHAT BENEFITS? Who forgives all your iniquities? Who heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from destruction. Anyone ever experienced that before? Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies. who satisfies your mouth with good things. So your youth is renewed like the eagles. This is what the Lord said himself in Deuteronomy 32. Now see that I even I am he and there's no God besides me. I kill and I make alive.

I wound and I heal. Nor is there any who can deliver from my hand. Maybe, just maybe, those seem like distant accounts from an old newspaper, from a bygone era. Maybe you got some bad news recently and someone told you, "Uh, that's all fake news and it can't happen and God's not able to do that. That's just a Bible story. That's just allegorical." I refute that news and tell you plainly that God is able. I I want to just ask for a show of witnesses, eyewitnesses here.

Has God ever healed your body? Anybody? If you're wondering if it's fake news, JUST LOOK AROUND. HAS GOD HEALED you recently? Anybody? God healed you recently? Yeah. In case there's any doubt in your heart and mind, I want to share some news with you. We've got eyewitnesses. We've got evidence. Sister Christine came by. She's here today. She dropped this off after a recent service. She told me this morning, doctor said, "You're either going to have surgery that'll lay you up for a year or you can wear this." And she said, "All right, I'll wear this." And she was wearing it faithfully until our bishop preached a message about healing.

And that day, she took this thing off. And I asked her this morning, she's back there. She hasn't needed it since. Our God is able to heal. OUR GOD IS ABLE TO TOUCH. OUR GOD'S ABLE TO DELIVER. I'VE GOT GOOD NEWS FOR YOU TODAY. God is able. HE CAN HEAL YOUR BODY. HE CAN TOUCH YOUR MIND. He's able TO HEAL YOU. HE'S ABLE TO SAVE YOU AND strengthen you. You put that picture on the screen. Brother Jeff. Sister Crystal Ray had a doctor's report. And you may not be able to read uh read this, but it says on that bottom uh line there, she had a a nodule that they thought to be cancerous.

It says there nodule biopsy in 2025 is no longer evident. In other words, it just disappeared. It's gone. There's no more cancer. God did it. I've got good news. Our God can heal you. He can do it now. He can do it today. WE'VE GOT DOCTORS WHO ARE BAFFLED AT THIS POINT. Sister Karen had a stroke of the eyes. They said, "You know what? That usually amounts to you going blind." And that doctor, she came in to get the test results. And the doctor is doing a he's doing literally a dance, a jig.

He said, "I don't understand this. We haven't done any treatment for you. You should be nearly blind, but your eyes are as good as they were 60 years ago. You've got great vision. God healed you. God Our God can heal you today. I want to just pause right now. This is something you'll find if you're here around a while, a couple weeks maybe, or just one week hopefully. But we'll just pause. If the Lord starts to move on somebody, if you need healing in your life and body, I want to just invite everybody to stand if you wouldn't mind.

That just make it easier on everyone. Just invite you to stand. If you come today and you need healing in any way, shape, or form, I wonder if you just raise your hand right now because we really believe this. We really believe this news. We've got hands up across the room. We've got some over here. And here's what James says to do in James chapter 5. The prayer of faith will will heal the sick or and if he's committed any sins, the Lord will forgive him.

So what we'll do is we'll go and we'll lay hands on those who have their hand lifted and we'll believe that God will heal them just like he did in the book of Acts. So lift that hand right now. If there's a brother or sister nearby, I wonder if you just go right now and pray for these individuals who have their hand lifted. We've got people all throughout the room. Keep that hand lifted high. And we're going to believe for healing in your heart and your life and your body.

This is a church that knows how to pray. Church, would you just begin to express your faith? If God healed cancer, if God removed tumors, if God HEALED SISTER CHRISTIAN'S NECK, GOD'S able to heal right now. We're believing in the name of Jesus that you're going to intervene. that you're going to do a work of healing that none of us can do. Lord, we submit these needs to you. We submit every life to you right now in the mighty name of Jesus. In the powerful name of Jesus, you're able, Lord, you're able to do a work of healing.

Uh we're just doing what your word says to do. We're taking you at face value that by your stripes, we're healed. By your stripes, we're healed, oh God. Ah, in the name of Jesus, we pray in the name of Jesus over every ailment, over every life, over every body. Oh, Lord, you can heal them. EVEN AS WE PRAY right now, you can touch them. AND IF THERE'S SOMEONE THAT'S NOT HERE TODAY, we pray for them knowing that you're able to heal. Jesus name. In Jesus name.

In Jesus name. Jesus name. Jesus name. You can be seated for just a moment. We'll just see how far we get. All right. I want to tell you that God can heal of any ailment, not just the physical. This is if God can do this, he can touch your mind. And sometimes we leave that. Oh, we'll let we'll let the experts handle that. And we believe and I'm thankful for good and godly counsel. And scriptur is full of good and godly counsel. We've got wonderful people who are Christian counselors who use the word of God.

I'm thankful for that. But also, we know that God can touch you and God can heal of any ailment. God can heal of any turmoil. God can heal of anything that's troubling you. Here's what it says from the author himself to the Jews who believed him. Jesus said, "If if you hold to any teaching, you're my disciples. Then you'll know the truth and the truth will set you free." This is the truth today. They answered him and said, "We're Abraham's descendants. We're we're free. We've never been slaves of anyone.

How can you say that we'll be free? He replied, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." Now, a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So, if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed. He says this in Colossians 1. Paul says, "For he's rescued us from the dominion of darkness. He's brought us into the kingdom of the son he loves in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins." And Psalm 34 says, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous." There's righteous people in the room who may be afflicted, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

He said, "I sought the Lord and he heard me and he delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 107. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He sent his word and he healed them. Brother Bruce or Bishop, whoever it goes to. He sent his word and it healed him. How many of you have ever prayed in maybe a midnight hour and the Lord touched your mind and touched you and helped you? Anybody? We've got people in this room who have been so through some of the worst turmoil you can imagine and here they are worshiping God.

God can heal you in any way, shape, or form. I really felt this week for someone uh who is in turmoil, who's embattled right now. Maybe you're not in need of a physical healing, but your heart, your mind, or your spirit are troubled, and you need deliverance, and you need a rest that only Jesus can give. Our God is able to deliver you from any turmoil, any distress, any anxiety, any fear, any doubt, any oppression, even to the uttermost. He's able to deliver. Brother Fred's in the room today.

We know his testimony. If you've been around here, he had purchased the weapon that he thought was going to end his turmoil. He was planning to use it. Thankfully, he came to a church and he found a God who loves him and the Lord delivered him. And it's decades later and he's still praising that God and still worshiping that God. Jesse, where you at? He's standing right there by that back door. Jesse was battling addiction in his life and he held on to that precious Bible, one of his I think his grandparents' Bible and began to pray and the Lord delivered him in that moment.

Sister Michelle's in the room today. Same thing happened to her steeped in addiction. She began TO PRAY AND GOD delivered her. I talked to Brother Blake Kesler this week. Asked him if I could share his testimony. God delivered him from a moment where he had an overdose and and his life seemed to be closing in. And then he he thought, you know what? I've got a solution. I've got a plan. I've got a way. I'm just going to end all this turmoil. I'm going to end all this struggle.

He made the plan. He had the place. And I remember the day that the Lord stirred my heart. And I began to pray over him. Begin to plead God's blood. And his mom and dad and his family were praying the same. And the Lord stopped that. And God touched him and delivered HIM FROM OUR GOD. CAN DELIVER YOU. EVEN IF YOU'RE AT THE BRINK TODAY, YOU got suicidal thoughts OR IDEATIONS, OUR GOD CAN STOP THAT. OUR GOD CAN HELP YOU. OUR GOD CAN GIVE YOU PEACE.

OUR GOD CAN BE A GUARD OVER YOUR HEART. And there is no anxiety THAT OUR GOD CAN'T TOUCH. I'm going ask you if the Lord has ever helped you when you're battling anxiety. Raise your hand. God's able to do it. We look at anxiety right now as, "Oh, it's just an epidemic and no ONE CAN ESCAPE IT." YES, YOU CAN. WITHOUT GOD'S HELP AND BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE WITH THAT ANXIETY. YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIVE WITH THAT FEAR OR THAT OPPRESSION.

OUR GOD IS ABLE TO DELIVER YOU. I've got good news for you today. There was a man, they call him the demoniac. He was so ridden with turmoil in his heart and mind that they had him in chains. They tried to bind him in chains. He was living in tombs. You see anyone living in a grave site or living in a cemetery? Anybody ever seen that? I haven't. But if I did see it, I think, man, something's up. Something's wrong. If they're living there, he would be tormented.

Bible says he had a legion of darkness and demons in him. Jesus shows up and within about five minutes that man was in his right mind. I need someone to believe the news that I'm sharing with you today. I believe the Lord sent me not just to tell you, but I believe the Lord sent me to to call you to respond to that news. And again, I don't want to embarrass anybody. This is a safe place and environment. And again, if you come for a couple weeks, you'll find that.

I want us to stand again. This may be as far as we get today. I don't know. Stand again right now. And if you need the Lord's peace, would you just lift your hand? That's all we're going to say. It doesn't mean that you got anxiety. It doesn't mean that you're depressed. Uh it could mean that. But if you just need God's peace, lift your hands. Church family, there's hands all over the building right now. Would you go and pray for those who are in need of God's peace?

And we don't have to ask any questions. We know that God's able to do it. Would you move again? We'll just see what the Lord does right now. If you see a hand lifted, that's your that's your uh moment. That's your opportunity to go and to pray for them right now. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. We're believing for peace. Lord, your word says to be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds through the power of Christ Jesus. We stand on that word today. We stand on it. Oh, I wonder if you just lift your voice right now, men and women who know how to pray and begin to pray until that person experiences the peace of God which is assured to them because of his spirit and because of what he did AT CALVARY. LORD, YOU ALREADY WON THIS BATTLE. You've already given us the victory.

You're able to give peace in every life and every circumstance. You're able, Lord. You're able, oh God. You're able, oh God. This is more than just some other news. This is the truth of the word of God and it's for somebody today. Ah Jesus, Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. We need you. We need you, Lord. We need you, Jesus. Oh, if you need peace, would you just cry out to the Lord right now? It doesn't have to be audible. It doesn't have to be loud, but just call on the name of Jesus and ask God for his peace to cover you.

And I believe uh he he'll he'll respond. He'll come close and he'll touch your heart and life. He's drawn to those of a broken and contrite heart. So we call on the name of Jesus Jesus name. It might be that you came today and you were thinking, well, we'll just we'll have a little fun and we'll worship God together and this may be a little more news than you can handle right now. what the Lord loves you and the Lord wants to help somebody. I'm not trying to offend.

I'm going follow the Holy Ghost. If you are battling suicidal thoughts, that is not God's plan for you. He said, "I came to give life and life more abundantly." Do not let that enemy or those thoughts rob you of what the Lord wants to do in your life. And maybe you battle him for a while, but our God's able to do anything, anything. There's a young man a couple miles away from us right now. His name is [name redacted]. He's one year old. He has an aggressive form of cancer.

He's taken some pretty lethal cancer treatments. Four rounds of it. So lethal they have to give him stem cells to keep him okay. There's church prayed. His family prayed. We're team [name redacted], right? Fred doctor said, "Hey, you just need to expect he's he's going to have sores all over his body. He's going to be miserable. He's going to need a lot of pain meds. He's he's not going to be his normal self. He's been through three rounds since that happened. As far as I've heard, not a single mouth sore, not a sore on his body, no pain, miz, his normal, happy self.

If our God can do that, I've got good news. You ready for it? You ready? No. You ready? Jason's ready. Oh, it didn't get to him. Watch out, Sister Smith. I've got good news. He's able to do anything for you. I'm an eyewitness today. God can do anything. I've shared this story with our church before. My name's on the witness report. February 6, 2026. Standing outside and I see that car end over end coming off the highway. I see a silhouette leave that car. Human leaves that vehicle.

Police report says she landed 150 ft away from her car. AI says she had no chance of living, 15% maybe, but would have lifelong debilitating injuries. 10 days later, she left the hospital. Two months later, she went back to work. Three months later, she wrote me and Mariah a letter. Five months later, we met her face to face. Miss Katherine's supposed to be here today. Eight months later, she's walking in her own strength and the Lord has done a work in her life. I know what the statistics might say about your condition, but our God is able.

And before you come to this altar and before we respond in full, he is able to forgive and save to the uttermost. He's able. If you've come here today and you're saying, you know what, I need forgiveness. I've made mistakes. I messed up. The greatest news I could give you is our God is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and cleanse you of all unrighteousness. You know what the odds are that someone like me and our family, Dad, and some of the people in the room today would be here and would be able to live an overcoming life.

I'll give you a hint. On our own, there's zero. Anyone testify to that? That your odds were zero of you pulling yourself out? Anybody? Here we are. Are we perfect? No. If you came looking for a perfect church, you didn't find it, but you you found a good one full of people who've been redeemed by the power of God. So today, if you've never repented of your sins, which just means that you turn away from sin and darkness and your past and all those mistakes and habits and hang-ups and addictions and turn towards Jesus.

And today, if you've never been baptized in the name of Jesus like Peter said to do, if you've never received the spirit of the Lord with the evidence, the biblical evidence of speaking with other tongues, I've got good news for you today. You can have that today. You ought to have that today. You ought to experience that today. God can heal you. God can touch your mind. And God can fill you with his life changing spirit. Old things will be passed away. All things will become new.

This is what the Lord sent me to do today. I've come to give you good news. Whether you got a newspaper or not, I think I got six more of them. I could throw them out, but I won't. Whether you got a good a newspaper or not, this news is for you. It's for you. He told me to tell you the good news and to call you to respond to it. Here's what that looks like at APC and in the biblical record. When they got good news or they they encountered Jesus, they sought after him.

They went after him. Some people were climbing trees. Some people were pushing through crowds. You don't have to do either of those today. You might have to push through to an altar, but that's all right. The point is, if you get good news, you ought to respond. Anyone here ever told someone the best news you had and they said, "Oh, that's great. Thanks. I'm going to go eat. That's the worst. When you get good news, you respond to it. If you believe in that news, you you you take a step of faith.

Hebrews talks about this. He who believe or that God's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. What that looks like here is we just open the front of this building and all the brothers and sisters of the Lord come and they lift their hands and they begin to pray. And maybe you're like, "Oh, that's too much for me today." You can pray right where you are. But that's just a sign of faith. I believe what you're saying. So, I'm going to go down to that altar and lift my hands.

And there'll be others that'll be here to pray for you. So, here's what I'm going to ask you to do. If you need healing again, would you just raise your hand if you need healing in the house? Raise your hand. All right. Now, if you need deliverance, raise your hand. Anybody you need deliverance? All right. What about peace? Anybody need peace in the house? Anybody? Yeah. Anyone robbed of their joy and you want some joy? Anybody want to be baptized in the Holy Ghost? If you raise your hand and you believe God can do it, we got a brother already coming.

I want you just to step out of where you are and come to the front of this place. And I'm going to ask brothers and sisters who believe it's going to happen to come with you. And they're going to begin to sing in a moment and God's going to move and God's going to work. If you need anything from the Lord, would you just step out of where you are and begin to come to this altar with other brothers and sisters with faith? And if you believe if you're an altar worker today and you know how to pray for people and you believe that God can do it, I want you to step out and begin to come and lay hands on somebody and believe that the Lord's going to touch them and the Lord's going to strengthen and help them.

We're just responding to the good news right now and our God's going to do a work and our God's going to touch and he's going to move in hearts and lives in the name of Jesus. Oh Lord, I believe that you're going to respond to the faith that's in this room. Every one of these responses, Lord, you see it. You know it, oh God. Healing is healing. You know the need, Lord. We respond in faith. We believe, Lord. We believe, oh God, we believe in your word.

We believe in the good news of God.