A Fearless Perspective | Associate Pastor Chad Erickson

thank you Pastor Hammond and he will just remain standing amen give honor to Pastor Hammond to Sister Lauren amen I give honor to my wife today and I'm so thankful are we thankful for the music department of First Apostolic Church what about the choir the worship team the band the production everything that takes place in this house I don't know if you realize it or not but we're spoiled in the society we call Sport I think there's a t on the end somewhere in there but I was I was just sitting and just enjoying the worship and course I was worshiping along with the choir and looked up and and looked at my wife and got to thinking you know she's she's been our lead music director for going on 25 years I know she doesn't look old enough but a quarter a quarter of a century when she was 13 years old we had the the keyboard positioned vacated and her dad walked into her room and said Fallon you're under you're a new keyboardist and she said I'm sorry come again what and ever since that time and you know a lot of times you know young people and I'm thankful because we have young people that are involved in worship now but a lot of times young people they'll take over you know they'll take over a small praise and worship team and maybe a few piece band and what have you but Bailey I want you to know when Fallon took over we had about a 10 or 12 piece Brass Band brother Hawkins we had a cliver probably 75 or 80 people and she told her dad said Daddy I don't know those old songs and maybe that's why we're a little Progressive because 25 years ago we didn't she learned the new songs and brother Ben from that point on we just learned the newest thing coming out and we never but the carpenter would get up to sing an old song look where I found and found me like but over the last 25 years she's gone back and learned some stuff and I'm thankful for the old songs but I'm thankful for new songs too aren't you thankful for a church for a choir that sings songs that lifts up the body as we're lifting up the name of Jesus and they love the Rodriguez's amen excited you're here let me let me just tell you something uh you want to bring your checkbook tonight and I'll tell you why I've been hearing some of the things going on in Mexico and I just got a feeling that our church is going to get involved in what's happening in Mexico so let me be praying about that today but I'm sending I'm sending my checkbook with my wife y'all pray for me I'm sending I'm sending my checkbook brother brother Hammond said that I would be arriving tomorrow around 11 o'clock I'm going to arrive Wednesday at 11 o'clock Papua New Guinea I wish I was I wish I was arriving tomorrow at 11 o'clock that would be a dream but I believe I believe I I come into Mount Hagen at 10 10 I believe it's 10 10 a.m on Wednesday morning and it's going to be it's going to be some time in the air there's gonna be a lot of shoe can be a lot of bad airplane meals but uh we're gonna get over brother brother Naomi flying Philippines Airlines we're gonna have a good time eating some meals on Philippines Airlines and just pray for me I got some snacks in my bag and we're gonna we're gonna make it turn with me in your Bibles I don't want to keep you standing very much longer Numbers Chapter 14. Numbers Chapter 14 and why you're turning there while you're finding that ah I want to uh I want to give you a little pop quiz everybody enjoy pop quizzes just just keep on looking you'll find it here soon later numbers um if you recognize if you recognize any of these biblical men that I'm about to tell you have you ever heard of shamoah or Chef it egal ity I can't even pronounce them because I don't know these guys gabiel or godai Amiel sether nahabai gahuel anybody know these guys you've heard their story a hundred times look me at verse six numbers 14 and 6 is it Joshua the son of nun and Caleb the son of jephina which were of them that searched the land rent their clothes and they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel saying the land which we pass through to search it is an exceeding good land and if the Lord Delight in US and he will bring us into this land and give it a land which which with milk and honey verse 9 says only Rebel not ye against the Lord neither fear ye the people of the land for they are bread for us their defense is departed from them do you see the word defense that's not a misspelled word d-e-n or d-e-f-e-n-c-e it means that the rights of the nation have been taken away who that that that does something to me right there he said Don't Fear them they're bred for us their defense their rights have been taken from them and the Lord Is With Us fear them NADA listen I need you to help me preach this morning is that all right I need you to help me preach on the subject of fearless perception a Fearless we listen a church the body of Christ we got to perceive some things and understand in the house today we cannot have fear in our lives I told you about their 10 spies I named off their ten spies nobody even ever heard of them their names are in the word of God but we've never told them in Bible stories we've never told them to grandchildren we've never told them in a youth class the only two people that we care anything about this story Joshua and Caleb my God give us a Fearless perspective in our life come on put your Bibles out lift up your hands if you're going to help me preach I want you to help me pray father God I'm looking out over a group of people today Lord they love you they're here for a purpose they're here because Lord they want to worship you but not only worship you they came here to receive something from your word today God I believe Lord God that you're going to give us something inside of us Lord a backbone like a crowbar Lord God something Lord God that's going to go against the vows of this enemy God I I believe in Jesus name you're going to give us a fight you're going to give us a hard time you're going to give Victory you're going to give passion Lord God to a group of people who will not fear what this world is coming against us with in Jesus name give us the perspective of faith and give us a Time Lord God when we can say Lord we believed in you though we had hope in you Lord we have faith in you and because of that Lord you brought us through come on if you believe it for victory today won't you clap your hands and give the Lord a shout of Praise if you agree with me in Victory today in Jesus name hey in Jesus name everybody shout him in you may be seated in the house of the Lord today ten ten spies had a perspective of fear and their names are unrecognizable today however we love to preach about Joshua and Caleb because they went to the enemy's camp and they came back fearless and not only Fearless they came back trusting their God as they had never trusted their God before but the fear of theory is a crazy thing because phobias can absolutely get control of people matter of fact my girls are not here today so I'll start off by talking about them my littles my littles are scared of spiders Arachnophobia I believe that's what it's called arachnophobia we were taking down fall decorations out of the attic last night and they were just freaking out about spiders I said baby those are daddy long legs they're our friends come on they're pets they live in the Attic it's okay that's their home it didn't go over well you're right it didn't go over well at all but but I found I found a book it's called the worst case scenario Survival Guide the worst case scenario survival God it's by Joshua Piven and David borgnite and it's it's expert advice for extreme situations now listen I began to read through this and I at first I laughed and then I downloaded it because I began to realize there's some there's some fears that I have that I didn't even realize I had until I saw him in the book fears like how to survive being buried alive or or how to fend off a shark I got to look at this I thought this this is pretty good stuff or how to wrestle free from an alligator how to escape from killer bees how to fend off a pirate attack how to survive a hijacking I did read that one how to survive a protest I don't know I read that one too that was good how to tell if someone's lying to you or how to tell if a clown is murderous I'm serious these are real these are real phobias how to survive a flaming cell phone brother Dale is that a thing not an apple no how do I identify fake news I think we know how to do that already how to perform a tracheotomy how to save yourself if you're having a heart attack so pretty good how to deliver a baby in the back of a car God help us all right and then this this one got it all how to remove your own limb listen there are some crazy fears in this world some of y'all are on your iPad right now download this book I see some of y'all y'all looking down you're like is it worth it double click I see you I see you doing right here but there's there's some crazy fears and perspective drives fear because what your perspective is made up of is what you've experienced in your life and so if you have come across any of these things that I just read whether it be all the way from spiders or or if you do a lot of swimming and swamps in in Louisiana or if you do a lot of flying and and you've been watching too many 9 11 videos you don't say there's some phobias that if if you begin too often to allow your mind to think over things that you've experienced in your life your perception and your perspective gets marred by what has taken place in your life and and one thing one thing about me and I've told you this before but but for whatever reason and it's probably not a good thing because sometimes fear is is a safe thing it's good to be scared of things at times there's some things that fear is it's a reaction we have to a situation that God has given us enough sense to avoid that's what fear truly is but the problem is some people fear the wrong things but I I've got this this little issue that sometimes I don't fear enough matter of fact my father-in-law now listen my father-in-law when he when he drives back from Louisiana I promise you he knows every loves truck stop he's going to stop at on the way back he's got it calculated he knows where he's getting gas because he's not just going to go up into any old gas station at night oh no if you know Pastor Carpenter he's only going to stop at love station he's going he's only going to stop at certain truck stops that are well lit and have a lot of security a lot of people outside but I don't have that sense I'm just driving up driving up on some little town in the middle of nowhere brother Poole I just pull in and I know there's some rough people standing at the door but it doesn't bother me it just doesn't bother me I know they're they're mean mugging me and they're giving me the dirty look and and my wife's like Chad we are not stopping here I'm like baby I need to Diet Coke it's not a big deal she says well I'm not staying on the car we're yup coming in with you I said come on SO stuff like that dark alleys dark buildings just I just don't fear I just don't fear even even in high school and in middle school I I didn't have enough sense to fear the bully there's there's a guy oh my goodness Justin Clark I don't know if he's still alive but I had a classmate named Justin Clark that was six foot five I'm talking eighth grade he was six foot five he probably weighed 275 pounds he had he had failed like free grades he should have been like graduating I don't know but but we were in eighth grade together and I just didn't have enough sense to get out of his way I didn't he would talk smack he had his really deep voice I'm probably about five nine you know I'm just like just a little fella and and he like he had this big deep voice and erosion what are you doing and I didn't I didn't have no sense any other same person would have been like I'm doing whatever you want me to do right but but I didn't and and probably one of the most memorable moments of my school history was the day that Justin shoved me in social studies and guys listen I'm I wasn't I don't claim to be a fighter I wasn't I wasn't I'm not I wasn't lifting weights in high school I wasn't I wasn't taking the jetsu or something brother Roger I was just an average kid that didn't have enough sense to be scared and Justin shoved me and just out of reflex swung and caught his chin I didn't I did not hurt him trust me when I say I barely caught it but the whole class went and brother William it was at that point that fear I thought I'm dead but again I'm out the next day we're at recess Matt Navin which was another bully which was friends with Brett Brent or Justin Justin Clark he's like he comes up and goes he goes Chad I just want to warn you he's after you and I was like oh man and so I went out to recess we're on the playground eighth grade we ain't playing we're just too cool for all that we're just kind of out there standing around and here comes Justin and the dude walk like this how about here we go so I was ready for it had my abs clenched and sure enough Justin boom and all honest to God I promise you it but all the kids went oh and I was like thank God because I knew right there I was justified by the second punch you know from that point on I kind of stayed out of the way of Justin I I stand out of the way of Matt Matt came he's like that hurt then and I was like you know I wasn't me dumb enough to be like no I didn't heard nothing bad he would have stopped me put me on the ground so I was like I was like oh yeah yeah you know he got me he got me man he he got me back but I and and sometimes having fear is good but when it comes with our walk with God come on somebody we got to be Fearless when it comes to our walk with God there's got to be something inside of us that every little thing every trial and tribulation that comes our way every situation every problem we got to be able to say God if you're for me who can be against me your word says that within me there's more power than anything that's in this world and so we we start talking about the children of Israel as they're oppressed they're they're in Egypt for some 400 years over 400 years we we find the children of Israel they're slaves and uh in Egypt but but it was Joseph and I want to talk about Joseph just for a moment because Joseph Joseph was the deliverer for his family he was the deliverer from the Great Famine and and most of you know the story most of you know all about Joseph and and Joseph he was hated by his brothers right we know the story I'm not going to go into in death he was hated by his brothers he was sold to the ishmaelite trading company he was sold in the Potiphar's house he was allowed upon by Apollo for his wife he was put into Pharaoh's prison uh he had people coming to the prison that told him their dreams he interpreted their dreams they forgot about Joseph Joseph finds himself for years in Pharaoh's prison until one day what happens we understand what happens Pharaoh has a dream feral sins for Joseph Joseph comes interprets his dream when he his dream he becomes all the sudden second in command of all of Egypt there it was that was a fast forward that was a cliff notes right there of the story of Joseph that was about 11 chapters of the Book of Genesis right there we just heard about the life of Joseph but now we come to where he's standing before his brothers and he reveals himself to his brothers and I was I was I was at a uh the ladies or high school girls volleyball game on Friday and I was sitting behind these Colin and some of the boys Eli and some of the boys were were kind of we're kind of there and cheering on the ladies and and I was sitting behind them and they kept on saying something and I told him I said Hey listen where'd y'all hear that because I'm gonna preach about that but they kept on saying minor setback major comeback that's good I don't even know where you got that God knows where you got that from maybe I hope the Lord gave that to you Colin if you got that off some movie I'm mad at you minor setback major comeback man every time the girls might miss something man they'll come back and get the next point I kept on hearing I looked over at brother Matt Perdue and I said hey bro that's going to preach matter of fact I'm going to just inject that into my message on Sunday morning because that reminded me of Joseph's perspective of his whole life he's like yeah minor set back but I've got a major comeback coming and Joseph told his brothers he said you think you sold me but in all actuality God sent me a matter of fact look with me in Genesis 45 because I want you to see this for yourself in verse 5. Joseph is speaking to his brothers right after they realize right oh I don't have time for the story but you know he he sent them away and they came back for more food he sent them away they came back left the brother kept a brother went through that whole rigmarole but finally they come back and he can't the Bible says he can't contain himself any longer and Joseph reveals to his brothers that I am Joseph I am your brother but look in verse number five because I want you really to see this because this was Joseph's perspective about his life he said now therefore be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that she sold me hither for God did send me before you to preserve life for these two years have the famine been in the land and yet there are five years to come in which there shall neither be earring nor Harvest verse seven and he said God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity that means a future generation in the earth and to save your lives by a great Deliverance so now it was not you watch this oh my God I'm feeling the Holy Ghost it was not you that sent me here to Egypt but God and he hath made me watch this a father to pharaoh the Lord over all his house and a ruler throughout all of the land of Egypt he simply looked out for the tower at his brothers and said you might have thought you sold me to Israel like traitors you might have thought I'm gonna get some money from this boy we can't stand this brother we can't stand but all along let me tell you what my perspective is my perspective is that God sent me to Egypt to make a way for you he sent me here to save you to save your children to save your grandchildren what the enemy meant for not God meant it for good when they thought I'm gonna get rid of this dreamer did you really think that you selling me into a slave trade would take my dream away Joseph said you could take my dream away whoa said you can't take my you can't take my dream away God sent me here for a purpose let me just stop right here and just tell somebody you're going through some trials you might be going through some tribulation in your life there's problems going on in your life don't you view that as a negative you've got to have the right perspective I have a Fearless perspective that says obviously God has put me in this situation for such a time as this the people that hate you the most might just be giving you victory Matthew 5 and 44 here's Jesus Jesus said these words he said I say unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray this is the hardest one right here pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you it might just be your enemies that God is using as Pawns oh those Brothers thought they're all bad thought they're all tough thought they're gonna go home and lie to Daddy Daddy he got killed by a wild animal here here's his multi-colored coat that's covered in blood and ripped to shreds they thought that they were doing something great but God was just using them as a pawn to put Joseph in the exact place that God wanted him because if Joseph would not have ended up in Egypt if he would have been with his family let me tell you something there would have been a famine oh yes there would have been a famine but they all would have died out because there would not have been a Joseph in Egypt making sure that there was a storehouse where there would be blessings for a future generation Jesus said you gotta love your enemy bless them do good to them pray for them and when I read that brother Ferguson I thought to myself that that doesn't go along with my perspective of things but then I got to read in Isaiah chapter 55 verse 8 and the Bible says for my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways saith the Lord for as the heavens are higher than the earth soar my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts then your thoughts and I've begun to change how I pray over my trials in my tribulations and my problems I began to pray this instead instead of saying God get me out of them or even God get me through them I begin to say God allow me to see your perspective of my problem let me tell you something I cannot promise you that God is going to always bring you through every trial when you ought to begin when you think you ought to be through that trial I can't promise you your child is going to come home when you want your child to come home or your husband is going to come home when you want your husband to come home but if you could ever pray the prayer God let your will be done and allow me to see what your will is I'm gonna stop praying to get out of stuff and I'm going to stop praying and say God give me a Fearless perspective of what you have in store for my life you're calling ashore hardest belief I believe Joseph's perspective we can't even talk about the children of Israel out in the wilderness or in the promised land until we first talk about the guy that got him out of a family land and brought them into Goshen and so here he is I could just see Joseph I I could just see that young man I could just see him as he said hold everything did you really think that selling me as a slave would take my dream away hold on somebody did you really think that sell me the part of her would cause me to lose my confidence in myself oh no wait a minute Mrs potiphar did you think that you slandering my name and calling me a sexual predator would somehow take my Ministry away no no no no a thousand times no because my perspective of Victory is greater than what you would try to do to me and try to hinder me and try to harm me and try to slander me me oh I wish somebody would look into your life right now and you would begin to think of things going on in your home in your workplace maybe at school right now and you'll be able to think to yourself God I'm gonna stop praying for a way out I just need to see your perspective on this I want to understand why are you doing what you're doing it may not come when I wanted to but God I know that your power is going to come right on time how do you see my situation you gotta start asking God that say God how do you see my situation he said as high as the heavens are brother Josh above the Earth what that simply means is God's birds eye view is so much greater than us right here looking at our situation he looks down and sees exactly his perspective is absolutely amazing I see a pit but God sees an opportunity to give me to Egypt I see a trap but God sees a Red Sea that's going to drown my enemy I see a roadblock but God sees a rock where water's gonna come out and it's gonna you see where I'm going with this just because you are in a trial just because you've got problems in your life does not mean they're not the will of God we got to get over we've been watching too much televangelists on TV they want to tell us that oh it's God's will for you always to have a good life and everything always be going just a smooth sail into your life I don't believe that because all throughout the word of God hardly anybody in the word of God had a smooth sail in life if I had time we could we could we could preach about every disciple we can preach about Paul and all his shipwrecks we can start preaching on on on everyone in the Bible nobody had a clear path to anything that did anything but if we could have a the Bible says that that there are roles of pharaoh who knew not Joseph hundreds of Israelites became Millions in over 400 years they find themselves in bondage but if you will look with me in Exodus chapter 2 and verse 23 because the Bible says it like this it says and it came to pass in the process of time well there was a lot of time to process right there that the king of Egypt died and the children of Israel sighed by reason of bondage and they cried and their Cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage and God heard their groaning and God remembered his Covenant with Abraham with Isaac and with Jacob and God looked upon the tune of Israel and God had respect unto them oh I don't know if you read what I'm reading here but nothing happened until they began to cry out because I just believed that God's going to allow us to stay right where we are as long as we don't realize we need a change as long as we're content with living the lifestyle we're living I God's just going to step back and say hey if that's how you want to live if you want a slave's mentality if that's how you want to live if you want task Masters in your life that are whipping you and are treat you bad and are abusing you if that's the lifestyle you really want to I'm just going to step back and let it happen but when the people of God begin to cry unto God by reason of their Affliction when they begin to cry out and say God we're not pleased with where we're living this is not where I want to raise my children this is not where I want to raise my grandchildren this is not the schools I want my this is not the education I want from my children when they began to cry out to Carter card remembered the promise he remembered Abraham Isaac and Jacob he remembered the forefathers that he had given them a promise that their seed would be like the sand of the seashore and God he wanted he wanted to put into their mouth the taste of freedom and so what did he do I'm a fast forward once again he sent Ted plagues into Egypt and finally Pharaoh let the people go they came through the Red Sea and here they come to Canaan land and here we have now 12 Spies who are being sent into Canaan land to sample the land so there that's what they're going to do matter of fact the Bible talks about that it was a land flowing with milk and honey and I just believe that God God wanted to put a taste of freedom on their palate if you will I don't know if I want to say this correctly I didn't I didn't I didn't grow up rich I don't know how else to say that I had never heard of a palette cleanser until we were eating at the zeander's house about 10 years ago and sister zeander which I love sister Gloria we're praying for her she gave us the first course oh listen you have not had food until sisters Z under prepares food for you we're at their house and and she gives us the first course and then she comes around and she says now I want to give you the palate cleanser I said but what the only thing I've ever done with pallets my stack pallets I thought pallets were to carry heavy machinery and I said what is it he said this cleanses your palate I think she did that right there so that when the main course comes you'll be able to taste every ingredient and I thought give me some belly cleanser and sure enough it's amazing it's not that it doesn't really taste good it just clears your palate to when the next Food enters your mouth you can taste it's the the previous food is not contaminating the next course rich food come a long way from McDonald's because they had been in the wilderness for so long let's let's face it they were eating Manna every day of the week I mean I mean one time they had some Quail come in one time they got to eat some meat let's face it and I preached a message a long time ago and I don't know some of you'll probably remember because you probably like me and you like Honey Buns I was like throwing out honey buns and remember that throwing out some honey buns in the audience I don't know why people love my messages where I throw food out because they talked about it was like a it was like a taste of honey but don't you know that that even that gets old by the third day of the third week of the third month and so they've been thinking he Mana and so God's like I want to give these 12 guys a palate cleanser I'm gonna send them in to witness what I've got in store for them when they cross over Jordan River and so here comes the 12 Spies and sure enough they walk in there I I got a crazy imagination so so this is what I see uh in brother Dale he does so good I'm just going to step into the picture here with Joshua and Caleb I believe There Were Ten I believe that there were ten spies who were hiding under rocks and they had their iPhones out and they're taking pictures of the Giants they're snapping pictures of the the walls of Jericho there's two walls those walls are nine foot wide and they're they're snapping pictures of all this stuff but then you got Joshua and Caleb and they're oblivious to the Giants they're oblivious to the walls there are believings to the armies the cities they've got their iPhones out and they're like check out this grape I just saw Keith wall I don't know why this Vision keeps while doing that come on you're gonna I love you I love you Keith but we're gonna imagine this is you I can just see Keith wall ah that's a pomegranate I thought a little watermelon can y'all see Keith do that Seth can you see Keith do that Joshua and Caleb are oblivious because they know why they're there they're not there to spout the land to see if they're strong enough to overtake the land they're there because God is trying to give them a pallet cleanser and trying to get the Wilderness out of their mouth so that they can see the promised land and they can look over look at the water in the hills and the mountains look at the beauty look at look at the beautiful cities we're not even going to have to build Joshua we're not even going to have to build cities they're already built for us take a picture of it brother let me bring hey take them oh take a picture but listen and as a child when I read that scripture it says that the land was flowing with milk and honey I'm sorry I kind of went Willy Wonka a little bit and I saw these rivers of honey and I saw rivers of milk I know that's so Charlie and Chocolate Factory I'm sorry I'm trying to I'm trying to help you visualize what I'm seeing in my head little Oompa Loompas I'm just kidding I didn't see that but I see it's just honey flowing and I see two guys who did it they know why they're there they're Victorious they've already been through a red sea they've already seen water coming out of a rock they've already seen tens and hundreds of thousands of quail get blown in from the East they've already seen all this stuff they know what their God is able to do they they saw the plagues they saw everything that happened to Pharaoh back in Egypt they they saw the people of Egypt giving them jewels in gold and silver and watches and rings and bracelets and necklaces they're they're in the two of them they're just going around they're stabbing pixels of everything beautiful they can find but then there's ten oh my God there's ten they come back the Bible says it didn't say they came back with a bad report it said they came back with an evil report which in God's eyes God was looking Talent he was saying here I'm trying to bless you with a land of promise and you're gonna go back and give a report that we're not able to go into the land what's wrong with you you're nothing you're evil and we're not talking about just any 10 people these were the 10 best from each of the ten tribes they represented these were the top leaders these were the top Guys these weren't some they were the best of the best and here they didn't have enough Vision their perspective was so messed up they couldn't even see what God was trying to do for them but then we look because here we have Caleb and Caleb and Joshua matter of fact Let Me Tell You Joshua is from the tribe of Ephraim and if you translate Ephraim it means I will be fruitful it's not a definition Ephraim doesn't mean fruitful it's a declaration it means I will be fruitful and then Caleb imagine this he's from the tribe of Judah which simply means two praise it doesn't mean praise see a lot of times we we just get like like little nuggets out of the Bible we just try to preach those numbers and whoa Trudeau means praise and send up Judah no no Judah means two praise it's an action term it means they're praisers they're not just called Praise they are praise that's that's what they do that's their identity and so here you have somebody who is fruitful and chooses to be fruitful and you have somebody that praises and they come up with this in numbers 13 26 they went and came to Moses into air until all the congregation of the children of Israel I'm going to fast forward because I gotta move unto the Wilderness of Quran and Kadesh brought back word unto them unto all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land and I just got to believe the fruit guy showing fruit has got to be Joshua or as Bishop Woodward would say Joshua verse 27 and they told him and said we came unto the land with her thou sendeth us and surely it floweth on milk and honey and this is the fruit thereof but then the ten spies they share their fearful perspective and they say in verse 28 nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land and the cities are walled in very great and moreover we we saw the children of enik there those are the Giants and the amalekites dwell in the land in the South and the Hittites and the jebusites and the amorites dwell in the mountains and the Canaanites dwell by the Sea and by the coast of Jordan and can you see them they're bringing all their photos back and they're pictureing this is where the canines and the jebusites this is the amorites and they're they're bringing back all these pictures of work and Caleb in verse 30 the Bible says he still the people he's still the drama before Moses and said let us go up at one side and possess it for we are well able to overcome it but the men that went up with him said we be not able to go up against the people for they are stronger than we and they brought back this evil report of the land which they had searched under the tune of Israel saying the land through which we have gone to search it is a land to eateth up its inhabitants thereof and all the people that saw it are men of great stature and they began verse 33 here's their perspective right here and there we saw the Giants and the sons of Enoch which come of the Giants and we were in our own sight as Grasshoppers and so were we in their sight they had a grasshopper perspective God help us to not let fear turn us into grasshoppers because you know what as we see ourselves that's how the enemy sees us if we don't think that we're nothing I can't do this and I can't do that I've been called here but I've never been called there I wish I could be like him and preach like her and preach like him sing like her I wish I could play music like that if we get into that whole mentality that's how the enemy views us too where we're nothing but God has given us inside of us oh we're so much greater God says if I'm with you if I before you he said I'm going to cause you to come back with giant bushels full of grapes because let me tell you something if you want giant grapes you gotta deal with Giants if you want what giants eat it would change and just you've got to be able to say God I want grapes the size Lord God of cantaloupes I want two men to have to bring in one cluster of Grace if you want that kind of blessing in your life if you want that kind of anointing if you want that kind of ministry you're gonna have to deal with the Giants you're gonna have to live in the Land of the Giants you're gonna have to learn how to defeat the Giants let me preach you for a moment people want big blessings but they don't want big challenges can we really think that we could build an 18 million dollar house of worship debt free and not think there would be Giants we'd have to face around here do we really think that we can lead a Christian School into the highest level of private school accreditation in all of the region and not think that we're gonna have to face some Giants in the school I just want to preach where we're living because we're wanting to do big things and if we want to do big things we're gonna have to face big opponents do we think that we're going to construct a writing Studio the apostolic Collective studio and and write songs Apostolic songs that are birthed right here in this building that are being sang all across this world did we not think that there will be Giants in the land we're we're writing songs about the exactness of Salvation about God being one and his name is Jesus in the fullness of the godhead or embodied in it you think we're going to write a song about that and we're not gonna have to face Giants in the land we're gonna write songs talk about seeing our city in Revival in our family and Revival in our nation in Revival you don't think we're gonna have to fight Giants when we walk into the spectrum of songwriting when it comes to Salvation you better believe it because the enemy Hates Who we're doing and he's going to come against us with everything he has the Giants are in the land you think you think I'll start a Spanish church about about a month and a half ago you thinking people that speak the Spanish language from our city to come into that building over to their Sanctuary you don't think we're going to have to take on some devils brother Hannah he started your testimony let me finish it brother soda was working alongside a couple workers there were Spanish-speaking workers in the community and they go to the Catholic church and then they have a Catholic service every weekend and they found out that he was a minister of the gospel and they turned to him and said well would you care to come and sing and to preach in our Catholic service brother Soto texted me said do you think it'd be okay if I went over to the Catholic Church on Friday or Saturday whatever it wasn't and if I preach I said would it be okay he text me a picture he said I've got over 20 in this Catholic service he says I'm about to step up and preach the word of God to them do you think there's going to be Giants in the land you better believe there's going to be Giants in the land you think we're going to have a disciple making movement conference in this building where hundreds if not thousands of people come from all across the country people come from out of country to come and hear about how to make disciples you don't think we're going to have some Giants and some trouble and some thousands of people against us you better believe it can spies but I choose to be like Joshua and Caleb I choose to say come on Bring it on Bring your trachable sons of Enid bring it on I'm ready I've got God God on my side and if God before me who can be against me you may be cheated we're one of the Catalyst churches of the apostolic movement in Christian education and music and student Ministries children's ministries production you name it I believe we're the Catalyst in so many areas we're one of the apostolic churches where every Apostolic Church looks to to find out how to do it show us what are your systems what are your processes how do you do what you do you can't tell me the sons of Enoch aren't going to show up I'd go overseas whether it's to the Philippines about a month ago when I go to Papa New Guinea when I go to Taiwan when I go all across this world everybody comes up to me with the same thing they say the same thing we watch you every week it's unbelieving people from across the world I never met them I never met their Pastor never met their Bishop watching brother Josh watching week after week it's unbelene it's a it's a little scary I am scared of that I do have fear it's a Godly fear I think to myself God help us we got Giants in the land they can't stand us would want to stop us how to there's Giants in the land there's Giants in the land but I want you to know there are two that brought back a report that said we are well able to go in and possess the land we are more than able I believe in this church today there's a bunch of people there's a bunch of people who can say we are more than able if God is with us if God gives us his anointing if God gives us his calling we are more than able somebody shouting to God and give him praise in this place today we are more enable he may be cheated your perspective and your situation will make you or break you let me Envision cast just for a moment because I got to think at who as much as I'm so glad of what's happened in the past I began to look forward to our Spanish Church listen let me tell you something you all if you want to experience a holy ghost anointed experience Tuesday nights at seven o'clock in the student Sanctuary you enter through the back entrance the student sanctuary entrance when I say our Spanish speaking people are saints of God have church like no other when I tell you the Holy Ghost Falls in that room when I tell you I don't understand one word I told I told Minnesota I said I said I don't want a translator this is not for English-speaking people this is for Spanish speaking people I've got eight English speaking Services I can attend I said this is for our Spanish speaking people but I show up and I feel the same Holy Ghost again I don't understand what they're singing oh I can't understand what he's preaching but the anointing is so strong and the anointing is probably so strong because I can't understand what they're saying and so I feel that anointing poof hits you man he starts going on like I'm thinking myself I don't know what he's saying oh I feel the Holy Ghost and I know it's good I can't understand Spanish I'm trying to learn it but I don't understand he's preaching a little bit too fast for me to understand but all my feel the anointing and I know the power of God is in our Spanish service but I say all that to say this that room is not going to be big enough I believe in about a year's time we'll be looking for chairs to add we'll be looking for a new space to have church on because I believe the Spanish-speaking people of our community are gonna find what you preach in their Catholic Church they're going to find truth they're gonna find Salvation I believe hey I'll tell you what's going to happen I'll just tell you what's going to happen the Spanish are going to move out to a bigger location and we're going to start our Chinese Mandarin Church we've already got a matter of fact train well I got to tell y'all something the listen this this week has been an awesome week I had a I'm gonna come back to Trey I I probably had a conversation with the most interesting man I've ever talked to in my life this week the most interesting the the front office called me and said brother Ericson there's a missionary that's coming over I think he's been with the WPF conference and he's coming over he's a missionary from China I'm thinking right away I'm like time out from where China okay they said would you would you be willing would you have time in your schedule maybe I said absolutely I said you just let me know when he's here when Madam brought him back to my office and I knew right away I knew right away he's probably in his 70s man you I felt the anointing like I felt his burden like like there was like a like a like a Halo of anointing around you he said can I tell you my story I said please I said please Dude tell me a story he said I was studying to be a Catholic priest listen all this is going to go together you're going to see where all this just kind of just just the plot the plot's just going to come together he said I was studying to be a Catholic priest I was in a comment he said I was with about 20 other young men we were all studying he said I'm fluent in Latin and then he went off and Latin and proved it and I was like you're the man he said and something drew me he said nobody invited me he was from Canada he said something drew me to an Apostolic church and I went in expecting there to be a mass because that's just what I'm used to he said that's all I've ever known I'm studying to be a priest he said all of a sudden somebody with a guitar got up in the city I felt the Holy Ghost he said he said this this music came into my ears I'd never heard before this it was this worship sound that I've never I've never heard before he said and I felt something I couldn't even explain what it wasn't he said now you gotta understand in the Catholic Church you know we have the Altar and because we have the Holy The Vessel of holy water and he said I'm looking and I'm looking for for mother Mary for Saint Mary I'm looking for statues of Jesus and I don't see any he said I'm confused but I feel something he said and then somebody came back to me and said would you like to go with me to the altar and he said I looked up and he said I didn't see an altar because they're looking for a table right with he said I didn't see he said I don't know where the altar is he said come with me well well he came forward I came forward with him and he said I was filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost he said from that point on he said I started studying the word of God he's written a book He's written a book that goes back all the way through church history and because he knows Latin and because he understands the Catholic Doctrine in the history of the Catholic Catholicism so well he's put this book together that goes from Catholicism then explains where Apostolic the apostolic movement was the movement that the Catholics broke off of it wasn't us that broke off from the Catholics the Catholics broke off from the apostolics and the book is amazing but but as this this most interesting man I said now tell me so you're a missionary to China I said do you live in China he said oh no no I don't live in China because China is communist and and there's no freedom of religion he said so I go into China he said he said I go into China and what I do he said I let the Lord lead me into China he said and I'd listen carefully he said matter of fact I don't care if I've bought if I have purchased two thousand dollar plane tickets to go into China if if I get any just a small inkling from God not to go he said he said I will lose that money before I go into China and get arrested her but he says sometimes people will will bait you they'll bait you into China because they know you're a Christian they'll bait you in he said he said but there was this one man that I was talking to and the man said listen ah I'm so bad he said I see the Oneness of God you've given the Bible study and he said I I want to be baptized my wife wants to be baptized my children want to be baptized and here they are they're in mainland China but here are missionary our missionary said you know what I felt the Lord he said I got a plane ticket he said I headed over to China he says I got to the guys of course there the the population is so great they live in these great housing Towers he said I I walked up 10 flights of stairs to find out there was no place to baptize he said all they had was a shower he said all they had and the man began to cry and he said I saw desperation upon him I felt animals moved by his desperation he said well he said there's no bathtub he said if we go to the river if we go to the river they're going to arrest Us in the river we can't baptize in a river he said what are we going to do if the man said hold on the man went down I don't know 10 flights of stairs or so and as he went down the stairs he said I think I have an idea he said I've got a garbage can that's at the side of the street he said I'm going to clean this garbage can out I'm gonna fill it with water he said do you think you could baptize me if we feel this garbage can with water and about that time the mission is telling me the story and I I start feeling the Holy Ghost he said I would dunk them down into the water and as I brought them back up they would come out of the they would come out of the trash cans speaking in other tongues he said every one of them got the gift of the Holy Ghost coming out of the trash can I want you to know we got to be Fearless we got to have a Fearless perspective to say nothing is impossible With God all things are possible if you give me away if you give me a call I'll go I'll do it but I say all that you may be seated to say this pastor Pastor got a text message from Trey Trey is married to a beautiful woman from China he's married to a Chinese bride and I couldn't help but all these just correlated together from the Catholic church that you preached at to you being married to a to a Chinese bride and he said this morning he said pastor you said the water is always warm in the baptistry he said you think that I could get baptized this morning hey don't you tell me that God doesn't work things I believe oh everything is just intricately woven together I believe God sent that missionary this week talking about Catholicism talking about China all this is coming together because we're going to have a church of China that speaks Mandarin in that's you Sanctuary I believe in Jesus name we're going to raise up a great Chinese Mandarin speaking church right here in Maryville I'm almost through I'm almost through highs I believe the movement University when we get it off the ground listen every giant has come against us with the movement University and I'll tell you what that means that means it's going to be the greatest most successful church planting launching station that we've ever witnessed I believe we're gonna have missionaries whole missionaries evangelists Musicians music directors I believe we're gonna have Christian School teachers we're going to have production technicians they're going to be graduating out of that why are they going to be graduating out of that place because we're going to see the gospel priesthood in every land in every nation in every city every County every state I just believe if we will understand there's going to be Giants in the land Pastor told you the story we had an ACA graduate who went back to his church across town and baptized 28 in the name of Jesus for the remission of their sins this week what does that tell me that means the son of Anika is coming after us the sons of Enoch are coming after us there's a Goliath who has my name ran on his I don't know if this excites you like it excites me but I know this is what I know where's brother Ben Penn I think he's working he's working up in production this morning brother Ben we had so much trouble trying to get our services webcast I don't know how many years it's probably been 20 years ago it's been over 20 years I've been almost married 20 years it's been well over 20 years ago that we got on and we started filming we got TV cameras and we got TV lights and we started putting a webcast together and I want you to know we fought hell no we we thought we were fighting technology we we thought we were fighting that the cable company didn't have fast enough internet to get our get us online we thought it was because of the computers or the devices we thought it was because the cameras weren't quite good enough we thought it was all those technical things but it wasn't at all it was because the Giants were in the land and we had a fight against those giants because they knew if we give first episode on the internet if we give them a foothold on television if we give them a foothold they're going to win the world and if we're going to win the world we got to be ready to fight the Giants I'm preaching about a Fearless perspective who ah I'm gonna fast forward I'm gonna skip that skip that oh God I wish I had time I wish I had time to preach this but oh God if you could take your personal life and if you can plug in what I'm preaching now I've been preaching about the church and I've been preaching about what we're doing as a collective body but I believe there's people in this room who have hell fighting you because the devil knows what you're about to do come on somebody's marriage is being fought from hell you've got a problem child you don't think you get turned back around you got a financial issue that you cannot overcome you got bills the critters are calling you got broken relationships that you can't find out how to mend them and I just want you to know you've got to take on a Fearless perspective because God is looking look I believe he's looking for the desperate he's looking for somebody kind of like that man was from China who said I need you to come over here I don't care what happens I don't care what I have to be baptized in desperation is the door that breakthrough walks through and if we can get desperate enough I promise you it'll open that door to where breakthrough because it takes place in our life breakthrough because it takes place in our marriages breakthrough begins to take place in our family breakthrough begins to take place on the child I just believe breakthrough is on the horizon let me give you just a little application for this message I want to read numbers 13 and 30 again you can help me on the screen I'm sorry I skipped a bunch of stuff I got out of control in the middle there but here's application your perspective on your circumstances will not change until you speak you speak it out verse 30th numbers 13. Caleb tell the people so I don't know what that sounds like but I just got to believe there had to be a lift into the voice there probably had to be some redness of the face when he's still the people that's a really nice way of saying it he told them to him to shut up and he began to speak out and this is why this is why Caleb got to cross over and ain't none of the 10 got to cross over it you lifted up his voice and said let us go at once he said let us possess it he's talking to Moses he's talking in the sight and under ears shot at every person that just heard the 10 spies and Native report evil report he said let us go up at once for we are well able overcoming you got to look at yourself in the mirror you're going to say I can overcome I can't be victorious I can't take this land I can't take this mountain I can't take this city come on I was somebody in this place with a lot of Holy Ghost to begin to speak to you my family will prosper my children will be saved I will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost come on you gotta speak out and stop letting the minority come on somebody so many times the minority is the loudest but I believe the majority of this room today if we would speak out if the majority would sneak out and say we all will able to go in and possess the land Romans chapter eight I'm gonna end with this I gotta bring this in the New Testament I've been in the Old Testament eight and eleven but at the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelling you that's the Holy Ghost he that raised up Christ from the dead Pastor Zach already talked about this shall also Quicken them your mortal bodies by his spirit that dwelleth in you look at verse 15. get down to 15. for ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but you have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba the spirit of self-bearth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God and if children than heirs Heirs of God and Joint heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together for I reckon that sufferings the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us another translation says that's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times in the coming Good Times fear is not my future you are sickness is not my story you are a heartbreaker is not my home you are get this not the end you are sing that song Hello peace hello Joy hello love come on I'm talking about a perspective of fear it's a New Horizon I feel the Holy Ghost so strong in this room right now I believe if you wanted to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost I believe if you would make a decision to get baptized in Jesus name today your life forever would be changed if you would get a Fearless perspective of who you are and whose you are I am his and he is mine I am his and he is mine The Same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is living in me the Same Spirit the power come on I open this altar we're gonna spend the next 10-15 minutes in this whole time we're about to baptize we're about to sing we're about to Rejoice but I just need people that'll come in this Altar and you'll begin to speak out things into your life we can't overcome huh oh come on honey come on Life come on husband we can't overcome huh we can take this mountain there's no wall City it's too strong come on somebody right now begin to seek it out it doesn't count unless you cry it out God did not fulfill his promise until the people began to cry out begin to cry out come on make your way to this holster fight your way to this altar break through break through and get to this halter and begin to say I am well able I am well evil I got a perspective of Victory I got a perspective of power I got a perspective of Holiness and righteousness God that's gonna take me through oh lift up your voice lift up your voice lift up your voice speak it in Jesus name declare it declared I declare Victory I declare healing I declare Joy I declare hope you are sickness is of course this is the Thompson heartbreaks sure this is how I can take this land hey I will prosper I will be saved us right here not my home come on why don't you find somebody to pray for somebody next to you come on why don't you find somebody and pray for somebody next year why don't you lay your head upon him and pray over them right now come on you're my brother you're my sister how big is nothing come on testify with your worship testify through your worship help me hello Church could we reach our hand this way and pray for Trey God we thank you so much for baptism Lord I Thank you that as you were buried we can be buried today that we are baptized in Christ as a new creature in Christ Jesus Lord I Thank you for Trey's decision today Lord to take upon the name that's above every name Lord to go down to the remission of sin Lord I pray today Lord that you would let us all see the power of this experience Lord in the name of Jesus we pray Trey Goodwin upon the profession of your faith and in obedience to the the word of God I now indeed baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost