Pastor Brad DeLong - Spectator Or Participator

we're going to turn to his word together we're returning to the book of nehemiah in the old testament chapter 3 and verse 1. for those who don't know nehemiah is on a mission we're on a mission for the kingdom church he set out to build a wall to rebuild jerusalem that had been destroyed so he gathers all the people that he can he pulls them from every walk of life from every occupation from all backgrounds from all generations all for the purpose of rebuilding this wall of jerusalem and this this sounds a lot like the kingdom of god doesn't it this kingdom is made up of people from all backgrounds walks of life all occupations and they all have the shared purpose of building or

advancing the kingdom of god this was the case in nehemiah 3. it lists the individuals who came together to build the wall you see some of those names there we will sound them out together it says then elias ship the high priest he rose up with his brother built the sheep gate consecrated hung its doors a lot of work they built as far as the tower of the hundred consecrated then as far as the tower of haneno next to elijah the men of jericho built and next to them zakir the son of imright built the sons of hassanea built the fish gate elated its beams hung its doors with its bolts and bars the kingdom involves a lot of work next to them miramoth the

son of your eyes or the son of codes made repairs next to them mushulum the son of barakaiah the son of meshezebel made repairs next to them zadok the son of beyond i made repairs before you go to the next verse hold on if you want mine go back to verse 4 but there thank you so all these households and all of these families came together to build something to participate in the work of the kingdom they all showed up they put their shoulder to the task they they saw the value of the wall and the work and they contributed to the progress of the kingdom what a beautiful picture of unity the power of agreement in the kingdom something we'll talk about in a

moment and you're reading this account all these positive things about the people but then you get to verse five a different response emerges one that stands in contrast to the others i find it interesting it would even include this sentence especially in the presence of all the people who are involved but you see a clear distinction in this first one that we're going to focus on today it says in verse 5 next to them it's kohites made repairs they were involved in the work of the kingdom but their nobles did not put their shoulder to the work of their lord the techoites worked and built but their noble stood by and watched it goes on to list all the other leaders all the other workers

they made the wall possible they made the kingdom of priority but it pauses just long enough to make the distinction between a contributor and a participator over against a spectator in an onlooker it pauses long enough to showcase the contrast between a collaborator a co-worker as opposed to a bystander and in doing so it points to a theme i want to preach about today we find throughout the word of god i'll summarize it my title is simply this spectator or participator spectator or participate before you're seated ask yourself sincerely am i a spectator or am i a participator once you've done that would you lift your voices in your hands right now let's ask the lord for his help we've already asked ourselves the question

would you ask god for his help today lord your word is going to help us i believe there is eternity in the service there's testimony in the services calling in the service and we need your help this morning as we do everything we know to do to serve you and advance your kingdom help us by your word today in the name of jesus we pray amen before you see it turn to your neighbor and ask them are you a spectator or a participator and you can be seated the truth is the kingdom has always had its fair share of spectators we'll discuss some of them momentarily but before we do i'll admit to you that i've sometimes found myself being more of a spectator than

a contributor or a participator at times in fact on one occasion we were in the dominican republic and and i made up in my mind that i was not going to be a participator in one particular service i'll explain why we were in this very small building it was in the heart of summer it felt like a million degrees inside and we were having church just like we were having a moment ago in in the dominican their culture their services usually run about four or five hours four or five hours so if we go ten minutes past today consider yourself blessed no it was wonderful and the entirety of that service most of it we spend worshiping the lord and for oh for what it

matters or what it's worth i don't think we could spend enough time doing that we could spend four five six seven eight hours and still not tap the surface of how great he's worth it's what it was well with him our ride and our responsibility to do that and this particular service though we employed a method of worship that i just wasn't used to you see it's common in the dominican culture to worship in what's called a conga line everyone lines up they put their hands on the shoulder of the person in front of them and they worship in sync and in unison it's one of the most spectacular and beautiful forms of worship you will ever see but if you're like me and you

have absolutely no rhythm you can utterly destroy a moment of worship like that so i didn't want to mess with it i stood on the sidelines i spectated i i went through the motions and i gave god a half-hearted effort i gave a half-hearted effort to a god who's given me everything i stood on the outskirts and i watched others worship with all their heart and all their might well i played it cool and i played it safe and i gave less than what i could have given but thankfully one of those worshipers one of my brothers saw me that i needed some help and he came over and he grabbed a hold of my hand like i wish someone would do if i if

i ever park right here and i don't worship feel free to come get me he came and got me and i had a frightened look on my face but i'll never forget the moment i stepped into that worship line and i felt the freedom of god come over me and i worship with everything i had because he's worthy and because it edified i thank god i cross the threshold from being a spectator to a participator and i experience the power and the glory of god and i'm getting a little ahead of myself but this kingdom was not designed for us to sit on the sidelines and watch others participate this kingdom and this church was built so every person and every part has a place

and a purpose to fulfill and for that matter every person here today you were created and designed for a purpose and for a reason paul says in first corinthians 12 but now god has set the members each one of them every last one of you in the body just as he pleased he placed you here in ephesians 4 says every person every member every part of this church has a share and a role to fulfill in other words you are a part of the kingdom of god and you're not just a part of it you are a participant in the kingdom of god you are a part and a participant in the kingdom there's a course a day in a time when each of us

has to decide whether or not we're going to cross that threshold and go from spectator to participator and not and i believe today is one of those days for someone you see we've all been spectators at one point or another as i said the kingdom has always had its share of bystanders onlookers those who stand on the sidelines and on the outskirts and they watch or those who will stand at a distance in order to observe but seldom participate themselves and i thank god that many spectators have become participators but there are many who can resort back to spectating or others become chronic spectators and there are others still who never participate at all the pharisees found themselves in that category among others in luke

6 they watched jesus from afar to see if he would heal on the sabbath they were trying to accuse him they were regular spectators of jesus and the disciples they were never contributors they never became active participants in the kingdom of god they were joined by the crowd in matthew 9 other places they watched jesus heal that paralytic man from afar they wanted to see a miracle but many never experienced the miracle for themselves the rich young ruler found himself in the same boat mark chapter 10 says he goes away sorrowfully jesus invites him to be a participant but he didn't want to pay the price that participators have to pay in the kingdom nicodemus is in the same boat observing jesus from afar but

never coming to follow him during his earthly ministry entire cities crowds even the town of nazareth itself decided to sit on the bench and watch rather than participate with what was happening in the kingdom jesus was known to rebuke some of these people because they wanted to sit on the sidelines and watch for miracles and signs that followed jesus rather than following jesus themselves they were content to spectate rather than participate even the disciples themselves would have been considered spectators at one point but they made a decision to follow they became active in the work of the kingdom and thankfully like each of us there came a point in their lives when they recognized that spectating and observing from the sidelines it just wasn't enough

and that that wasn't what jesus required of them instead they responded to jesus's command in luke 9 and 23 he says this to them all it says if anyone desires to come after me let him deny himself take up his own cross daily and follow me in other words don't just observe my cross from afar and leave it at that but once you pick up your own and get after me why not let some action in some participation follow your faith in your observation why not let some work in some worship follow your belief and your commitment why don't we step off the sidelines where we planted our feet for too long and dive head first into the kingdom and the will and the work

of god i reiterate this kingdom in this church was designed for spectators to become participators and not the other way around the kingdom was made for onlookers to be invited to become partakers in the grace and mercy of god and then be contributors to the will and the kingdom of god this apostolic movement was built upon a group of spectators and bystanders who eventually became participators that's what happened in the book of acts chapter two historians believe there were probably upwards of a hundred thousand to two hundred and fifty thousand people in jerusalem for the celebration of pentecost and suddenly during that celebration in an upper room of 120 people people who were once spectators but now participate suddenly there came a sound from heaven

as of a rushing mighty wind it felt probably the same as when we began to sing about the name of jesus it filled all the house where they were sitting and there appeared to them cloven tongues like as a fire it sat upon each of them they were all filled with the gift of the holy ghost as the spirit gave them utterance and this pentecostal experience was never meant to be contained to just a few in a room but it spilled out into the streets where the people people thought they were crazy they thought they were drunk what in the world are they i'm glad to see not much has changed church they still think we're crazy and we probably are we've just got the

same spirit and the same power that they had on pentecost and suddenly at apc there came a sound as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled me so i get a little excited about it we've got the same spirit and not only that but we've got the same mission to invite the spectator and the onlooker to have the same experience and receive the same spirit our message is still the same verse 38 peter said unto them repent turn away from those sins be baptized in the name of jesus for the washing away the remitting by the spa of those sins and you should be received with the or you should receive the gift of the holy ghost for the promise is to you to

a spectator steal your children it's to all who are far off even as many as the lord our god would call thank god he called me that message has not changed and neither has the invitation and if you're here today for the first time or maybe this is the tenth time and you found yourself observing and spectating from the sidelines this is your opportunity today to transition from spectator to participator maybe you've got the same response they had these people are crazy why are they running who are they running from where are they running to ask for the john he knows there's just something that we've experienced oh they just get excited i just can't help it sometimes ah i've experienced the same thing those

pentecostals experienced i just can't help but get excited about what god has done in my life why is he up there screaming the entire time i don't know when i figure out i'll tell you i'm excited and if you're seeing this and maybe it's a little foreign to you everyone's standing and lifting their hands but maybe you're recognizing like those three thousand did there's something to this this isn't just a bunch of hype or emotion but when i step into this house i start to feel the glory of god and i feel tears running down my face and i feel the need to lift my hands and to start to praise him maybe like those three thousand you're seeing there's something miraculous happening here and

i want to experience it not just observe it from afar but those three thousand wanted this experience for themselves they wanted their sins washed away in baptism they wanted their past and their past mistakes covered and gone so while the other 97 000 plus moved on or watched from a distance three thousand decided to become participators rather than just spectators and three thousand lives were changed three thousand eternities altered three thousand added to the church active participants in the kingdom of god they're joined later by another man he's in acts chapter eight six chapters later he's known to us as the ethiopian eunuch philip met him in the desert this story struck me recently because in many ways it's so relatable to some there's this

is a man who had spent his entire life on the outskirts because of his position and because of his condition he was more than likely accustomed to being an outsider being marginalized because of his identity and his role in life verse 27 says he's returning from jerusalem where he went to worship and knowing the customs and the law that day he would not have been allowed in certain places in those inner courts because of who he was and where he came from i wonder if someone could relate in some way today maybe you just feel like you've been on the outside looking in your entire life you just don't fit anyway even when you've gone to the house of worship maybe you don't feel like

you fit you you feel like an outsider but but this eunuch starts reading in isaiah about a man who would change all of that by way of his death on the cross he meets philip in the desert philip tells him how it can happen repent of your sins be baptized in jesus name be filled with the gift of the holy ghost you'll never have to be on the outskirts again you'll be included in the family of god and you'll be counted among the children of god and this man who had spent his entire life as an outsider an onlooker was ready to be a part of something in a participant in the kingdom of god he asked philip in verse 36 he says well there's

water there's water what's hindering me for those that didn't know water what's hindering me why don't i just go get in i'm ready to be a part of something big i'm tired of reading about it i'm tired of hearing others talk about it i'm tired of showing up to another service and seeing some celebration and not getting in on it myself i ought to be baptized in the name of jesus for the washing away of my sins and be a part of the family of god what hinders me nothing just have faith let's go get in that water and get baptized in jesus name and that man who spent all those years on the outside was baptized into the body of jesus christ never the

same again and i thank god for participators who wonder who were once spectators for spectators who realized i need to be changed i need to be baptized in jesus don't you thank god that one day you decided i need to be baptized myself and all of your sins were washed away we were all spectators we were all onlookers we were all in need of grace at one point or another every last one of us just found ourselves as spectators and we all face the decision whether we were going to be called participators and contributors in the kingdom of god so if you're here today and you're just looking from the outside and wondering how can i be involved in this you're in good company because

every last one of us has been there and the truth is this morning we're still there many times we continually confront the decision to be a spectator or a participator even today even those who have become participants in pentecost in the power of god still find themselves regularly traversing the line in the threshold between an active participant or a sidelined spectator i would say even those of us who have been in this kingdom our entire lives still have the decision between and the capacity to be spectators or participators it is a regular and constant decision we are continually compelled to make prime example of this is found in that passage we just read in the book of acts we rejoice often over the 120 in

the upper room the original recipients of pentecost and we should what a great moment historical moment but then we read paul's account in first corinthians 15 he says that over 500 people were witnesses of jesus resurrection in the days leading up to pentecost over 500 believers and followers of jesus the ones who followed him and saw him with their own eyes over 500 witnessed the resurrection and the power of god firsthand but only 120 showed up to the prayer meeting in acts 1 and 2. only 120 participants showed up to one of the single greatest moments in history and 380 others missed the initial outpouring of pentecost there were 120 participators that day and hundreds of others who heard about it from the sidelines this

tells me even believers have to make the regular and constant decision consistent decision to show up and participate rather than just sit by inspect even believers have to enact action and participation beyond their faith and their belief james reiterates this in james chapter 2 verse 18 but some will say you have faith i have works show me your faith without your works and i'll show you my faith by my way you believe that there's one god you do well even the demons believe that and they tremble but do you want to know a foolish man that faith without works is dead he ends the chapter by saying for as the body without the spirit is dead faith without works is dead also even those who

have faith have to couple that faith with action and obe even believers and saints have to continue to be active workers and contributors to the kingdom of god and the work of god this brings me to our text nehemiah 3. it's an interesting occurrence sobering example of the people of god who should have been participators but they became spectators instead these nobles of tekoa i mentioned the context earlier the people of god come together they're going to complete the wall do the work of the kingdom there were men and women of all walks of life all backgrounds all occupations priests family leaders goldsmith merchants there was even a perfume maker there nobles rulers men of the plains laypersons multiple generations were represented families showed up

in full force now the bible doesn't say this explicitly but because of the familial nature there i could just imagine some kids running around little guys like axe well running around they're picking up rocks that aren't going to matter at all i found a rock all right we'll add it to the mortar there's some young men some youth grabbing water and mixing the mortar getting it ready to go on the wall or some moms and dads moving boulders and pushing and placing rocks and stones some elders just showed up and i don't know if the elders were the ones picking up the boulders but they showed up anyway let me just pause here and say some elders you just show up you just show up

they probably showed up and they lit their voice they lit their wisdom you know what i built some walls in the past this mortar is not thick enough you probably need to put that stone right there i can't pick it up myself but i can show up anyway and just being there will be a contribution to the kingdom of god let me help one of our precious elders who feels like you've got no purpose if you just show up and lift those hands ah your testimony and your life is a contribution to your church into the kingdom of god 38 different leaders are listed 42 different groups are listed among the workers groups and people of all backgrounds all generations showed up to build a

wall in the kingdom brick by brick stone by stone nehemiah says everyone had a place everyone had a job everyone had a role and a purpose to fulfill and piece by piece day by day they built the wall and worked in the king step by step stone by stone participators and contributors built the kingdom section by section prayer by prayer church service by service bible study after bible study sunday school class after sunday school class greeting assignment after grief nursery assignment after nursery assignment they built the kingdom of god they built something with the help of god they served the lord together and it took all of them to get the job done some mixed some mortar some found some rocks some gave water to

others some made food for the workers praise god some put the mortar on the rocks some guarded the gates in the city by the time it was all said and done nehemiah 6 says so the wall was finished on the 25th day of elul in 52 days and it happened that when our enemies heard of it and the nations around us saw these things they were disheartened in their own eyes for they perceived that this work was done by our god something powerful happens when the people of god decide i'm going to be an all-in participator rather than just a spectator of the where something supernatural happens when united church and united people gets together and collectively puts their shoulder to the work and something

heavenly happens when we're all in one accord in one place and where spectators decide to be participators i'm talking about an all-in people in an all-in church going all in for the kingdom of god i'm talking about a united people that get to work building the kingdom of god and they're so united that people around them notice it and say you know what i want to get involved in this there's something happening here hear me hear me today pentecost turns spectators into worshippers and contributors this morning i'm simply after some spectators today who've been sitting on the sidelines and observing from afar you are needed and you are valuable in the kingdom of god and i believe some have watched from the sideline for too

long but i hear the spirit calling someone to get their hands into the harvest to get their heart into the king you've been watching revival take place and you've been wondering should i get involved in this should i show up early should i should i be a part of the workday should i should i be a part of what's happening this is your invitation to stop spectating start participating in the greatest and most eternal work you'll ever find and i thank god for every participator and every contributor but i believe i've been sent on a mission today to activate and invite the spectator as well like it was in jerusalem the same is true in st louis and apc we need everybody we need all

hands on deck we are building something by the spirit of god and we are not leaving anybody behind this morning and furthermore i'm not here to guilt or contend any spectator i'm just here to encourage someone to pick up a rock and start building the kingdom of god 120 out of 500 showed up and they all got involved they were in unison one mind went accord and they experienced pentecost and i often wonder what would have happened if they weren't all in if they weren't in one mind or one accord now god already promised he was going to pour out his spirit it would have happened one way or the other but what would they have missed if they weren't content if they were content

to spectate and not participate more to the point this morning what are we missing out on when we sit on the sidelines and we don't engage in the kingdom what kind of church would we be if the 120 or the 3000 would not have participated what kind of church would we be of all of us every sunday monday tuesday every day of the week determined to participate and give our all the work of the kingdom of god and this is where the rubber meets the road today that if god is doing something at apc and he is i do not want to sit on the sidelines and watch as it goes by like those nobles of toccoa did i don't want to miss what god

is doing as i stand by and spectate i want to be involved in it every sunday an active participant every wednesday a contributor every day in between i want to be a part of what god is doing apc in my field and my city in fact i pray a specific prayer to that end most sunday mornings wednesday nights and pre-service prayer let me just stop here and say we need more participants in pre-service prayer we are an apostolic church which means we are a praying church i wonder if i could get an amen on that we are a praying church and we're going to continue to be a praying church prayer is the baseline the linchpin of all that we do it's necessary it changes

the outcome and the atmosphere of a service it changes lives eternities if you've ever wondered if it was needed or necessary for you to come early to pray i invite you to think about a service and what it would look like if no one came to pray if no one prayed for a sunday and now imagine what it would look like if everybody came what kind of difference would that be beyond even that we're apostolic so prayer is always necessary and when the sounds of chatter in the vestibule outweigh the voices of prayer in the sanctuary we have far too many spectators and not enough participators we are a praying church we're people of prayer it's non-negotiable it's who we are we need every voice

of prayer we can get whether that's at 9 a.m on sundays or 7 p.m on wednesdays whether it's this altar service we're going to have a moment in a moment or all church prayer we need every voice prayer we can get 120 showed up to all church prayer out of 500 and thank god they did but what would have happened if 380 more were there we need participants in prayer and when you come to prayer you may hear me pray along the lines i just mentioned that everyone would be involved in our service in the move of god in fact many of you know we use a scheduling software called elvonto it's where we get these things on any given sunday there's 70 to 100

people who are involved in that service i thank god for every person involved and those that are you know that the day before you get a reminder you'll see this in a moment it says just as a reminder you're scheduled on sunday service to preach sunday morning could you imagine getting that one what so i pray for all those on the schedule i i pray for the worship leaders and the worship team and the avm team thank god for them the greeters and nursery workers again thank god for them all the sunday school teachers i pray but i don't stop there this is where this passage was born i pray god i pray for every participant in service today whether they are scheduled on elvonto

or not i pray for every participant and contributor even those who aren't on the schedule even those who didn't get a reminder today i pray because you're all participators you're scheduled every sunday and wednesday and every day in between because you're always the people of god you're always about the work of the kingdom you're always an active participant in every service and event we have and whether you are on this platform or not you are needed in the kingdom of god we need you we need your voice we need your talent we need your giftings we need your abilities you're a worshiper in the kingdom you're a prayer warrior you're a minister of reconciliation you are a spirit-filled believer a christ follower a contributor to

the kingdom of god so whether you've got a reminder or not this is your notification today you're scheduled to be a participator as musicians come romans 12 4-6 as we have many members in the body but all the members don't have the same function so we being many are one body in christ and individually members of one another we need more than half a body we need all the body having them gifts referring according to the grace it's given to us we have gifts let us use them use the gifts be a part of the kingdom be a participator and a contributor in the work in the kingdom of god coming to a close as brother daryl johns he has a saying i repeat it

regularly he says you create what you celebrate so i want to celebrate what i'm preaching today i celebrate i do not diminish every participant please know my heart today i just know that there's some others who are missing what god wants to do in your life whether you are here as a guest and god's calling you to repentance or baptism or you're here as a saint and you've been sitting on the sidelines for too long and if you need to sit there and rest by all means but be a participant one way or the other i celebrate those jesse we've celebrated you a lot and rightfully so stand up for me a couple weeks ago i walked out in the vestibule i looked over i

saw jesse in a suit and tie looking sharp he looked sharp today man in the doors i'd rather be a door keeper in the house of the lord i told him i said jesse stand over there i'm so proud of you man you're getting involved this is what he said he looked up he said it's for the lord it is for the lord jesse you're not serving for me and because i got up and preached it's for him it's for others i thank god that a spectator came in at fall fest he was a little worried i talked to him you guys are crazy but he decided i'm done being a spectator i'm going to be a participator he got baptized in jesus name filled

with the holy ghost he's been working and witnessing at his job a participator in the kingdom of god we need participators today but the corporate couldn't be here he came in on a sunday sat over here i talked to him it took him about 30 minutes to realize he was done spectating he wanted to participate got baptized that morning filled with the holy ghost the next week thank god for that i watched him last sunday he came down to pray in the altar and then he kind of went back over but then he saw someone who needed prayer so he came back and he's laying hands on people and he's praying thank god for spectators who recognize i'm done watching from the sideline i'm going

to particip oh i wonder if you're thankful for the day it happened to you or you're thankful that god's calling would you just stand to your feet right now and thank the lord for the moment he called you beyond spectating and observing and watching from the sidelines thank you jesus thank you lord for that day i was baptized in your name had all my sins washed away became a part of the body of christ thank you jesus thank you jesus i want to ask for something specific today i don't always do this but i i want to help us and i feel like the lord is going to help us this is not for my benefit or i said i can feel good about what

i preach this is for the benefit of the body and for your benefit i'm going to ask today for 100 participation because every last one of us including myself need that recommitment that i'm going to be a part of this lord i'm going to ask for some guests who are here today and you feel like you know what that guy up there screaming is making a little bit of sense and i want to experience pentecost and i want my sins washed away if you want to experience pentecost in just a moment i would invite you to come and you can lift your hands and ask for forgiveness and ask the lord to forgive you of all your sins and he will and you can be

baptized in his name and then i'm going to ask for some saints of god to come and to commit to be participators and come to commit and ask god for revival in your life and your spirit ask god to help you to continue to be a participator and i'll say today if you're not physically able if you would just participate from where you are and you don't have to feel ashamed about that at all but i am going to ask for 100 participation for those who want to be a part of the kingdom of god would you just begin to come right now and come and lift your hands come and lift your voice if you're a guest and you've never received the gift of

the holy ghost we're not forcing anyone to come but we're inviting you if you'd like to come and god can fill you with his spirit and god can change your life this morning why would you come and pray for revival come and pray that god would revive a calling in your life that god would cause you to stop watching from the sidelines and start contributing and participating oh if you just want to come and worship you're welcome to do that you're a participator either way my is what i'll be i will be what you call me to be is what you've called me to be i'll say yes is that's what i'll be i'll say yes yes i'll is i will be what you've called

me to be i'll say yes is yes yes i agree i'll say yes i will be what you've called me to be is and agree with someone in unity for what god's gonna do here at apc and in your life we're doing this together this church is together and we're united would you pray right now for your brother or your sister their involvement in the kingdom what god's doing in them what god's calling for them to do oh jesus we're not in this on our own lord ah i'm not an isolated participant but today i'm a part of something bigger than myself i'm a part of a kingdom that's bigger than what i am lord oh i pray for that brother and sister their involvement

in the kingdom oh jesus we're not leaving anyone behind we're not leaving anyone in the heart on the sidelines we're going to involve everyone we can every participant we can oh jesus jesus jesus jesus jesus we need you we need one another we need one another my invitation is to you partner with me to do my work to do what i want to do is would you just make your commitment right now i wonder if we just stretch our hands to heaven let the lord know our full intention today god we intend to partner with you lord oh we intend to be a part of what you're doing in saint louis in our field and our city god i'm not going to sit by and

watch others florida i'm going to be apart today i hear and feel you knocking on the door of our hearts this morning we thank you for that invitation for that invitation thank you jesus for all of our guests who are here today we believe in the operation of the gifts of the spirit you can find in the book of first corinthians chapter 12 what we've experienced is the lord speaking to us through his body which which is exactly what we're getting at today in the premise today god wants every last one of us to be involved in participants in what he is doing he's not in the interest or the mindset of leaving anyone on the sidelines but i just felt to run after some

people or to pride some people who've been watching and missing out on what god's doing he's ready to do something in your family in your life god's about to wash away all of frank's sins in the name of jesus we've got more participators on the way we need some men and women of god ready to receive them we're thankful for frank's family who's here they've come to see what god is doing in his life brian's been helping him go ahead brian this is my friend frank from work and frank is here today to participate in the plan of salvation god has been doing a work in frank's life about seven weeks ago frank came down here to the altar and repented of his sins and

after he'd repented of his sins he he stated that he felt like a physical weight had been lifted off of his shoulders and his posture even changed from a downward position to a more upright position because jesus lifted that weight of sin off of his shoulders a couple weeks ago frank said to me that he was ready to have his sins washed away i'm so thankful i'm so thankful for what god is doing in frank's life would you stretch your hands forth to frank and pray over his life and pray that he would receive the gift of the holy ghost jesus i thank you for what you're doing in frank's life i thank you that you're a miracle-working god that you love each and every

one of us that are in this place today god i pray that you would continue to walk with frank all the days of his life god there's no turning back there's no looking back we look to you jesus and we follow you now and we thank you for filling frank with the holy ghost and for washing his sins away now frank in obedience to the word of god and according to your faith i now baptize you in the name of jesus for the remission of your sins in jesus name thank you jesus are you thankful you just witnessed a miracle in the name of jesus a life changed the dead cancelled oh every sin washed away you're already doing it let's celebrate church hallelujah jesus

i looked over a couple weeks ago i saw frank with his apostolic pentecostal shirt on i thought there's one there's our newest participant right there god's working and moving his life we thank god for new family members here at apostolic pentecostal church and if you have yet to be baptized and you like the experience of having all of your sins washed away in obedience to the word of god we are ready we got towels warm water set at a nice 95 degrees it sounds warmer than it is but uh it's not that hot we're ready another one we're ready thank god for every participator today for the church thank god for every guest who has come and participated in worship along with this we are

thankful for you