To You and Your Children

Acts chapter 2 verse 37. now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart and said to Peter and to the rest of the Apostles men and Brethren what shall we do then Peter said unto them repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost for the promise everybody please say the promise it's unto you and to your children and to all that are far off even as many as the Lord Our God shall call today I want to preach for a little while on this subject to you and your children this is Faith for our future God bless you please be seated amen we are in a strategic season of our imagined Vision campaign we're focused on embracing the future that the Lord has planned for our church but I'm so thankful that we're not just strategizing in the flesh we are operating in the spirit as God directs us in our strategic Services have been supernaturally blessed of God he walked in the doors of the Delta Flight Museum one of our leaders told me that I just felt the presence of God there not just the cool factor of an off-site service on March 19th we honored our past what a wonderful past we have as a local church on March 26 we celebrated our present what God is doing in our church right now on April 2nd we promoted the future and we saw the fly through of the architectural renderings of our future sanctuary as we one day release this to the Next Generation this building amen but I want you to see today that the promise of Pentecost was not just given to the people who were gathered there that day there are some people that believe that the holy spirit that was poured out on that day was just for that day or just for that era of time some erroneously say that they spoke in tongues to spread the gospel which if you just read that chapter you will see that that's really not it at all because Peter stood up and he preached in one language probably Aramaic and everyone there who had gathered from all over the world understood his preaching they were more fluent in more languages than most Americans like we are they spoke more than one language their language wherein they were born and the common language of the day so this that was given on the day of Pentecost was not just for them it was for their children it was to those who were afar off even as many as the Lord Our God shall call I want you to see today God's focus on the future now God dwells in one Eternal now he is the same yesterday today and forever he inhabits eternity the Bible said but God created time and he uses it to fulfill his word and his kingdom is an Ever advancing ever expanding Kingdom amen God has always been against people who lived in the past not not honored the past but lived in the past he has been against those who in the present consumed the resources that were dedicated for the future there were times when backsliding Israel followed Pagan practices and some of the most despicable were causing their children to pass through the fire literally sacrificing their children to the fire god Malik many places in the Old Testament speak about this detestable practice but in Jeremiah 2 32 Jeremiah said you made your sons pass through the fire unto Malik the Lord said I did not command them to do that neither came into my mind it would never even enter the mind of God to sacrifice the present on the altar excuse me the future on the altar of the present when Samaria the city was Under Siege there's an incredible story there there are two mothers they are starving like everyone is starving they make a pact with one another they say let's do this today we're going to boil your son and eat him this is second Kings chapter six and then tomorrow we'll sacrifice my son will boil your son so this woman who goes to the king so we boil my son and we ate him and the next day I said give me your son that we can eat him but she's hit her son she goes to the king to appeal her case of this woman who lies it is one of the most heartbreaking grotesque stories in the Bible but one day it occurred to me I mentioned this in passing before him preaching it what came to me what if the world was going through the minds of these women cannibalism should not even be on the menu but why would you not say look we want our babies to live and if somebody's going to die let it be me today and tomorrow let it be you but let's not sacrifice our future for the appetites of the present don't sacrifice your kids for your career for your hobbies for your selfish Ambitions for your selfish desires that you would ditch your family for yourself don't sacrifice the future on the altar of the present God is always been against that man I feel that they are churches that sacrifice the future on the altar of the present it is the adult generation that consumes all the resources of the church on themselves even those that should be allocated and dedicated to the Next Generation the formula for failure is to forget the future to live with a memory of the past but then consume the future for the needs of the present an older generation which I'm a part of that holds the most money and positional power in local churches that dictate the culture of the church over time people who serve their own appetites created Church culture that does not attract the Next Generation does not reach the next Generation this fatal trend for a local church is seen in the choices that serve the last generation and not the next when churches lose sight of the future when they lose their faith for the future they become ingrown and they consume everything that they produce in the present and they store up nothing for the future those decisions Doom that congregation those decisions are seen in budget allocations they are seen in building designs and Furnishings they are seen in worship service components in music style in Ministry priorities in dying churches the last expenditure to be reduced are those that keep the members of the church most comfortable that is a direct direct quote from the book The autopsy of the deceased Church Friday night I had the privilege of preaching a district conference service in Providence Rhode Island it was then a church was over a hundred years old where that church had declined and died and sold it to a United Pentecostal Church for pennies on the dollar because their church was looking backwards and they destroyed their future and that conference they told about the victory of brother Les and sister Linda O'Dell he for the first time since they've been in that District Massachusetts Rhode Island District they were able to buy a building for fifty thousand dollars that's worth something like a half a million dollars an old church looking backwards died at an Apostolic Church looking forward was able to buy that building [Applause] that congregation controlled the money they returned 40 of the fifty thousand dollars they ended up getting that building I think they're in it debt free now having Church in in New England in an Apostolic environment in a Mainline Church but those buildings that are being sold for pennies on the dollars I was in Pennsylvania a few months ago the district superintendent Nikki cluster they just bought a church for twenty thousand dollars it's a beautiful picturesque church that seats over a hundred people it's a historic building but now people receive the Holy Ghost there they'll be baptized in Jesus name there because our church and God's church is always focused on the future they're not on the past we praise God we are part of a church that is thankful for the past we celebrate the past we stand on the shoulders of the past but we're not aiming ourselves backwards we're not nostalgic trying to return to a bygone era but we live in this culture we have been placed here for such a time as this to lead this church and God's Church to evangelize Metro Atlanta and to build bigger and for the future for the Next Generation we have faith in our future we believe that God is going to use us to fund that future I was thinking about proverbs 13 22. that a good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children Brother Floyd in the waning days of his life told his son Gary senior that I'm going to leave something I've got resources y'all don't know about they probably know about it but he wanted them to know he didn't make a lot of money in his lifetime but he was thinking about his family in the future and that's what I believe God is helping us do Proverbs 13 22 a good man please an inheritance to his children's children but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous I'm ready for some wealth of Sinners to come to the righteous I don't know how that's going to happen but that would be a good prayer for Imagine amen the sailors have had it long enough amen but this principle this idea is what I believe we are doing that we are thinking about our children and our grandchildren and we would like to leave them some Financial Resources but more than that we want him to we want to leave them a church that is anchored in the Bible that is looking for the coming of Jesus Christ that is saving people that are dead in their sins amen we are leaving an inheritance for future Generations it's more meaningful than the investment of money it is a statement of our faith in the future of our church we are investing in our families when we build our future every time you pray and fast every time you worship every time you give every time you bring someone to church to find the Lord you are showing the next Generation that this is so good I believe in it it's a stake in the ground it's who we are and we believe in you when we're leaving something for the Next Generation amen you've heard me say this before some things I intentionally say over and over but for me I care mostly about two things I'm very detailed minded very particular unfortunately for my family and friends but what matters to me as a pastor is that we make sure we maintain our Apostolic message no compromise on our Doctrine Amen on our Apostolic identity our Apostolic Doctrine it is not for sale it is a thick stake in the ground as we March into the future we're not going to compromise and use to lose the power that brought us to this place amen we're not going to compromise the mission of the church in fact we need to focus on it more than ever before they are non-negotiable the message of the church and the mission of the church but for me the methodology the decor the music style as long as it gives glory to God that's kind of up for discussion amen I don't think anything goes but what matters to me is that the Next Generation loves God like we love God and maybe even more that they still preach hero Israel the Lord our God is one Lord that they still preach that without Holiness no man shall see the Lord that they still preach Acts 2 38 they may say it a little differently they may put a colored light on it they may paint the black wall light but black I couldn't care less I want the Holy Ghost to be poured out on the Next Generation [Applause] oh let's Worship the Lord there's a visitation of the Holy Ghost right now [Applause] praise God amen but let me continue God's kingdom has always had a future Focus Psalm 100 verse 5 is truth endureth to all generations Psalm 145 45 verse 4 one generation I love this verse shall praise His Works to another that's what happens when our kids are here that we're praising God but we're not just praising God we're praising God too the Next Generation they're seeing our passion our worship our lifestyle and we're praising God to the Next Generation amen Isaiah 9 and 6 is prophetic verse of the Messiah that would come the Everlasting father the Prince of Peace of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end local churches May plateau and decline but God's kingdom will never be in Decline regardless of the cultural makeup that we face right now the nature of human beings is spiritual and there is a spiritual vacuum in our country that is hungering for that which is authentic that which is powerful that which will deliver them that which will change them that which is giving to that which is worth dying for our world is hungry for a church for a kingdom that has no end Jesus it was prophesied that he will rule over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there shall be no end the image that Nebuchadnezzar Saul and Daniel interpreted was about a little Stone cut out of the mountain without hands that would Smite the image of Gentile Kingdoms in its feet and would destroy it would replace it it would grow and fill the whole earth and if that Kingdom it would there would be no end it would be an everlasting Kingdom that is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ we are connected to the past and we are reaching to the Future the Apostle Joel The Prophet Joel in Joel chapter 2. said it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon All Flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy it's gonna be in you your day you adults but it's also going to be to your children amen your old men shall dream dreams your young men shall see visions and also upon the servants and upon the handmaidens people of different social classes multi-cultural if you could say in those days will I pour out of my spirit Joel spoke those words 700 years before Pentecost but when the day of Pentecost was fully come and the Holy Ghost was poured out for the first time and they begin to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them the utterance people heard the news and spread people gathered Peter preached people asked but he said this that is happening in Acts chapter 2 on the day of Pentecost is that which was prophesied by Joel 700 years ago that prophecy had been sitting on a shelf but now it was activated or that day and we are living in that day the last days it started with the outpouring of the Holy Ghost and indeed we are living in the last of the last days when God is visiting this Earth we take great Revival before he comes back again he may come back before we turn his shovel full of dirt but until he comes back we're going to occupy we're going to take new territory till he comes back again praise God thank you Jesus Peter preach is this an amazing sermon Acts chapter 2. and then while he's still preaching he's interrupted in people who are convicted by his preaching and by their own sins as men and Brethren what shall we do and the Apostle Peter preaches this message that is pivotal in the Bible I was reading commentary yesterday and I was amazed by this non-apostolic commentator that basically said who in their right mind cannot see this as the message of salvation everything points to this verse then Peter said unto them repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost we will baptize you today in the name of Jesus you can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost today before you leave that promise from the past is for today amen and then the Apostle Peter he could have stopped right there because he had a lot of people gathered there most of you know that on that very day over 3 000 people were filled with the Holy Ghost and baptized in the name of Jesus Christ that would have been a great success but the Apostle Peter goes on to give them this multi-generational promise for the promise of salvation is unto you you're hearing this right now but he didn't stop there it is to your children it shouldn't die in one generation it endures to all generations So This Promise today is based on our faith in the future that God believes in the future of his church and this prophetic promise that the promise of the Holy Ghost is not just to the adult generation but as to the Next Generation amen it is to your children and it is to those who are afar off even to as many as the Lord Our God shall call when churches die it is because they fail to transfer truth to the Next Generation oh if it is because parents don't really believe it and they really don't live it and their kids don't feel it so it's not worth living for and dying for but I'm just telling you here that we're driving another stake in the ground that we believe is message and we believe it is for us and we believe it is for our children and what we do is not to be consumed on the present but it is to prepare a place for the future of this church [Applause] praise God it is to you and it is too your children amen most every parent that ever had a child to be born in their family was worried about the culture in which that child would be raised we thought about it 40 years ago oh my goodness this world and how much more today this world but that's why I want to assure you that God's truth endures to all generations and we're sinned at the bound their death Grace much more abound if we will stay anchored in truth and not compromised if we will love God with a pure heart fervently if we will hold the truth in sincerity if we will share it with our children they will Embrace truth because they have a hunger in their heart but if we are complacent if we are living on the fridge they're not going to love a god that is on the friends of our life it is a God that we love with all of our heart soul mind and strength that will be transferred to our children they're hungry for a god who's working in us so he can work in them amen so when you're faithful when you're praying fast when you love God when you give generously and sacrificially our children see that in our imagine campaign some mom and dad were talking about one of the meetings they were having and their son asked them I may tell the details of this story later and they said we're we're starting a vision campaign and and we're going to be giving to build the future a new church that young man not even a teenager yet went upstairs got all the money he had I won't tell you the amount right now but I know it brought it back down gave it to his mom and said I want to give all of this to that Capital campaign let me tell you why that child did that he was on the video a while ago and not one of my grandchildren in case you're wondering so why that child did that because he saw his parents talking about what they believed in and it was important enough to them to be important to him because what we are preaching what we are living what we are building is for you and your children to you and your children [Applause] it is our faith for the future and we're going to give God probably more financially than we've ever given in our lives and we're going to deal with joy and God is going to supply all of our need according to his riches in Glory by Christ Jesus and the windows of Heaven the miraculous Windows of Heaven are going to be opened on our people for resources and sources of income and giving that you never dreamed of in your life as God shows himself strong on our behalf amen I was thinking about David who wanted to build a house for the Lord and the Lord taught him David I'm going to build your house and David said you've spoken about your service house for a good time to come what I've learned is if you will build God's house if you will focus on building God's house God will build your house that's where we are today our faith in the future when we live in a world where so many things are being shaken we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken that will never be moved and we are sold out to investing our lives and everything we have to see the vision for the Future come to pass so that our children and our grandchildren and all that are afar off will know that this was worth living for this was worth giving to and they will be the recipients of what we handed to them and they will be a part of it so they will not take it for granted