It's Time to Act!

Praise God. While you're standing, please read. I'm going to read from 1 Chronicles. 1 Chronicles chapter 28 and verse 10. This is the scene where David is is giving instruction to Solomon, his son, to build the temple. David wanted so badly to build the temple, but it wasn't God's will. So he gave the task to his son Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28:10. Here are the instructions. Take heed now, for the Lord hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it. You may be seated. I'll give the title in a moment, but if you'll allow me a few moments to work up to what I want to say tonight, I am thankful for my family and especially my wife above all. Uh I crossed one of those milestones of ministry. I was uh going to South Texas for the district conference.

Of course, I was one of the pastors there for many years and the district superintendent. So, it's my home district. And we drove up drove up to the parking lot. They had given us instructions to go to special place, VIP parking. We had our own special place. Of course, uh my second son, Daniel, is student pastor in the Houston area where this particular conference was located. And so, as we drove in, we found the place. And sure enough, there was a young man waiting to usher us directly to the office, special treatment. And uh so as we got out, he greeted us warmly and uh being a young man full of zeal and wanted to make sure he knew what was going on. He said, "And what is your name?" And I said, "David Bernard." He said, "Oh, you're brother Bernard's father. Welcome." So I'm in the process of handing it off, it appears.

And then my wife, you know, she's a few years younger than I, but she looks much younger. Uh, when I married her, she was a natural blonde. Now she's a natural brunette. She's working on becoming a natural gray, but uh they're just a few gray hairs. And and of course, I've got all the family needs. And uh so we landed in Detroit. We got a rental car. Uh she was going to drive. Um, and so as we started moving out, we were remarking it wasn't a very good car. It was supposed to be a free upgrade and we didn't think it was. And then the sun was pretty hot. And so, uh, we were trying to get the air going and it wouldn't go. So, as we got to the checkout and it was one of those low cars where I'm kind of slumped down in the seat and, uh, I'm I'm getting ready for a long drive.

So, my habit is to kind of take a power nap, you know. So, I'm halfway out of it, I suppose. Uh, you know how you go into the room of an older person or a sick person, you talk like they're not even there? Have you ever noticed that? So, my wife goes up to the checkout and she remarks to the lady, "You know, this really wasn't what we expected. We thought it was an upgrade." The lady said, "Well, in this market that is an upgrade." And she and my wife said, "Well, the air conditioner doesn't even work." And the lady said, 'Oh, honey, uh, you better go back and get another car and make sure you get an air conditioner. You got to get him out of that heat. He couldn't stand that heat. So, my wife's looking out for me. So, I'm not quite done yet, but I am trying to pass anointing and instruction, and I think all of us should do that.

But I want to say tonight, we are a first century church in the 21st century. Brother Sombrano was exactly right. There's nothing wrong with our message. There's nothing wrong with our way of life. There's nothing wrong with the Holy Spirit. What needs to happen? Each generation has to go back to the original experience. We are a restoration movement. We can't live on tradition, not even a Pentecostal tradition. Yes, tradition has its place, but each generation must go back to the original and get the message and the experience all over again. Our general superintendent, Stanley Chambers, in 1968 preached a classic message. It's asked the question, will the United Pentecostal Church survive the onslaught of history? He explained in the history of revival movements, in the history of the holiness movement, even in the history of the Pentecostal movement, you see a first generation revival, a second generation maintenance, and a third generation compromise.

And it's true if you look at the original doctrine or identity or way of life of most revival movements by the time of the third and fourth generations. They're extremely different from what they used to be. But you know the oneness movement in modern times, the oneness Pentecostal movement is now over 100 years old. And the United Pentecostal Church International is over 70 years old. We've passed the generation marker and we're still preaching Acts 2:38 is the plan of salvation. We're still preaching that everybody needs to pursue holiness in order to see the Lord. We still believe in demonstrative worship, vibrant, exuberant worship. something you can't choreograph, something you can't put in a can, but something that's real environment. We still believe in intercessory prayer. We still believe in moaning and groaning and talking in tongues. We still believe in lingering at the altar. I'm here to say we're a first generation.

We are the first generation church in the 21st century. Praise God. The question is, are we simply going to maintain or will we have revival and grow? And I think we're answering that question. All my life I've heard, the Lord is coming soon and we're going to have end time revival. I believe the Lord is coming soon and I believe we are now in the endtime revival. We should stop preaching that in the last days there will be a revival. We should start preaching these are the last days and these are the last days of revival. We are in the latter reign. In the last days, says God, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. We are seeing that message come to pass in our lifetimes, in our churches. Praise God. Last year, I titled my message, "It's time to preach." And I said, "If we'll preach it, we will see the evidence of it.

We will see certified miracles. We will see God confirm the word with signs following." I have a few PowerPoint pictures. You may have seen them before. Brother Howal used one scene the other night. I've used some of them in district conferences. But let me just remind you of what God is doing in these last days. After general conference last year in November, I went to El Salvador for the 40th anniversary of the United Pentecostal Church of El Salvador. In that soccer stadium, the largest I believe in the entire country. 35,000 United Pentecostal believers and their guests. services all day on Sunday. That one day total of people receiving the Holy Ghost. 3,842 people received the Holy Ghost. We watched a lame man be healed, rise out of the wheelchair, and walk away under his own power. Let me remind you in Acts chapter 2, 3,120 received the Holy Ghost.

We've seen more than the day of Pentecost in one day. We've seen more than Acts two. In one day, stop preaching. One day we'll have revival. If that's not revival, what is? If it's greater than the day of Pentecost, that's revival. This is our day. Praise God. And so, I've got another slide. the UPC of Bangladesh, their national conference in February of 2016, 3,500 people received the Holy Ghost in that 3-day time period. 1,500 claimed various miracles of healing and deliverance. That's the day of Pentecost. again also February 2016 in UPC national conference in Thailand. I want you to see this little video of what happened. This man came into the conference lane. You are watching his reaction as he is healed by the power of God. That's what it looks like to see a lame man healed. That's what it looks like to see Acts chapter 3 fulfilled before our very eyes.

Hallelujah. Next slide. February 2016, UPC Manila, Philippines soccer stadium. Again, 35,000 people in attendance. Estimated 5,000 people received the Holy Ghost in that meeting. That's Acts 4. If you know your Acts 4, it says, "And the Lord added 5,000 to the church." Well, we've seen a miracle of the Lord adding 5,000 to the church. That's what it looks like. Is there another one? I can't remember. Yes, that's what it looks like. That's what it sounds like to see 5,000 people receive the Holy Ghost at one time. What about us in the US and Canada? The same things are happening, can happen, and will happen. Last year, my message was it's time to preach. This year, my message just goes right along with the amazing messages we've already heard. And really, my message is like brother Haj's last night, except just a few different words. What my message tonight is I've already said it's time to preach and we need to keep doing that.

But that's not enough. My message tonight is it's time to act. It is time to act. It is time to step out by faith. It is time to put into motion what we've been preaching. We've been praying. We've been preaching. We've been believing. But now we got to take a step of faith. Now we got to do something. Now we must act. In my text, we see the story of the building of the temple. A a temple that would set the pattern for worship for the next 400 years. That generation that built the temple would set in motion a way of worship that would last for 400 years. And it was only cut short then because of sin. So how did that happen? If you read the chapter, and I won't take the time, but if you read verses 5-7, you see they were called and they were chosen.

I believe we have been called by God and we've been chosen for this hour. We are no better than anyone else. We're no better than any other denomination except we have been called by his name. Therefore, we are chosen to do what others cannot do. Others do not have the promise of end time revival. But let me remind you, we are the people of the name and we are the people of the spirit. So we can claim the promise. We are the people that God is depending on. I'm not limiting this to the United Pentecostal Church International. Of course, anyone who will accept the message, anyone who will accept the promise. I'm preaching to all of us. We are the called. We are the chosen. We are the people who can do the endtime work that God has called us to do. Not because we're any better than anybody else.

But we are living in the day of the fulfillment of prophecy. We are the people called by his name. We are the people filled with his spirit. So it's up to us. We are the people and we must do something about it. Then in verse eight, now therefore, this is David King the king. Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the congregation of the Lord, in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the Lord your God, that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you forever. And thou, Solomon, my son, verse 9, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind. For the Lord searchth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts. If thou seek him, he will be found of thee.

But if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever. This means a perfect heart means wholeheartedly, nothing held back. It doesn't mean you've never done wrong, you've never failed, you have no imperfections. It means with all of your heart. The theme of this conference follow I believe we understand the message. Everything else I'm saying is not based on hype. It's not based on emotionalism. It's based on a relationship with God. We must follow the Lord. We must be dedicated to God. We must be willing to obey him in all things. And that's why I think brother Sombrano, what you said is exactly right. the message of righteousness and holiness and godliness. I'm not talking about legalism. I'm not talking about harshness or hatefulness. I'm simply saying we really take God's word for real. We we really think it's important. We really think it works.

We really think this is the way to live. When we read what the Apostle Peter wrote and what the Apostle Paul wrote, whether it's talking about sexual immorality or modesty of dress, we really think that's for us. We don't think that was just first century culture. We don't just think that was for Corinth. We think that's for us. We think that's for Indiana. We think that's for 21st century. We take it seriously. And when we're wholly committed to the Lord, God will honor that commitment. God will honor that sacrifice. God will honor that dedication. But all that sets the stage for what God wants to do. And so my text, take heed now. Once you've got your relationship clear, once you've made the consecration and the dedication, once you're willing to follow, once you recognize God has chosen you, you need to listen up. It's time for you to be strong.

In other words, you know, why would he say be strong unless there are obstacles in the way? If there's no there are no trials, if there are no problems, if there's no opposition, if there's no attack of the devil, if there are no trials, you wouldn't have to be strong. Now, we like the positive admonition, but we don't like to think there could be trials. And you've thought it. I've thought it, too. Well, God, I'm just trying to do your will. Why should it be so hard? God, I just preached what you told me to preach. Lord, I just tried to start a church the way you told me to. Why should all these people rebel? Why should it be so hard? Why should everything go wrong? I thought you were the one who told me to do it. And I hear God say, "Well, didn't I tell you to be strong?"

In a nice way, I was saying, "Oh, there will be some trials, by the way. There will be some opposition, by the way, but be strong. Be courageous and do the work." The New American Standard Bible says, "Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be courageous and act." The New Living Translation says, "So take this seriously. The Lord has chosen you to be build a temple as his sanctuary. Be strong and do the work." So my message is not going to be the most eloquent message you've heard. It's not going to be the deepest message you heard. It's a very simple message. It's what the scripture says. Be strong and do the work. Be strong and get to work. Be strong and act when you go from this conference. It cannot be business as usual. It cannot be church as usual.

It cannot be Pentecost as usual. But go home and take some action. Go home and start a Bible study. Go home and start a daughter work. Go home and start a preaching point. Go home and start with a neighboring partner with a neighboring pastor. Go home and tell your pastor, "I'm ready to work. What do you have for me to do?" It's time to act. We can preach all day long. We can pray all day long. We can worship all day long. And all those things are vitally important. But at some point, you got to step out by faith and you must act. It's time to act. Now, I understand we must act strategically. You heard my daughter say, "I'm not a great risk taker." Well, if you think about it carefully, I believe in planning, counting the costs, preparing the way. Even organizationally, we've spent some years trying to strengthen our organizational house, our finances, our IT, just every division, every department, strategic plans, etc., etc.

That's absolutely scriptural because if you read the rest of the chapter, you'll find all the plans that David had. And you can see how wisful David is. He wishes so badly that he could be the one, but he's got all the plans laid out. He does point out, I'm giving you the plans that God gave me. If you read verse 19, it says, "Even to the details." Several translations says he had it all planned out. Every room, every piece of furniture, even to the details. If you read the next chapter, you see he's got the money set aside. He's got the gold set aside. He's got the silver set aside. He's got the weight of everything. He tells you, "This is how much goal I've set aside for the lampstand. This is how much goal I've set aside for this piece of furniture and that piece of furniture."

It was all laid out. So, I'm not one just to say, "Well, God told me," and just rush off into nowhere with no plan and expect God just to cover for our lack of planning. There has to be spiritual preparation as well. If you read chapter 29, you'll see most of it is a prayer that David prayed. He went to God and asked for God's blessing. And then after he prayed, if you notice carefully, and I'm not going to take the time to do this, I'm just trying to get the point across. But after he concluded his prayer, then the people began to worship. They responded to the prayer with worship. And then they offered sacrifices. And after they offered the sacrifices, they had a great feast and they all fellowshipped together. So before they ever built the temple, they had detailed planning and preparation.

They had prayer, they had worship, they had sacrifice, they had fellowship, they had unity. All of that preceded the action. When I read this, I was struck the by the parallel with Acts chapter 2, the early church preparing to build that spiritual temple, the New Testament church. Acts 2:42, they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and breaking of bread and in prayers. You read the rest of the chapter, they went from house to house and in the temple praising God. They gave sacrificially. All the same elements. The only thing I found was different was in the New Testament church there were miracle, signs and wonders. So the prayer was there, the worship was there, the sacrifice was there, the unity was there, and then on top of that was the the you saw the gifts of the spirit in operation. Now I would like to ask us, it's just us here tonight.

We're not trying to be braggadocious. Let's be realistic. Have you sensed some real prayer going on in the United Pentecostal Church International? I'm sensing some real prayer. Our world network of prayer is exploding. I think our people are catching a fresh burden and vision for prayer. What about worship? I believe there's genuine worship everywhere I go. from little churches to big churches, from old- fashioned music to the latest music. I see a spirit of worship taking hold. I'm not going into dead, dry churches. I'm going to churches that are worshiping. What about sacrifice? We're breaking all records in giving. We're breaking all records for global missions, North American missions, youth, ladies, Sunday school. Somebody's doing some hard work. Somebody's doing some giving. Somebody's doing some sacrificial giving. And what about unity? They're always issues. But I noticed this on the general board. I noticed this in the business meeting.

We had a little fun here and there, but there were not two sides arguing one philosophy versus another. We were discussing how best to implement what we all want. And one person thinks this might be the best way. The other person thinks this might be the west way. And a lot of us aren't sure which one. We just want to get it done whatever way. But there's no contention. There's no strife. There's no bitterness. There's no jealousy. There's no hatred. I'm not saying we're perfect. I'm sure all of us have to deal with all of that at some point or the other. But somehow we're overcoming that. Somehow we're getting beyond that. Somehow we're not letting it influence our fellowship. Somehow we're not letting it stop revival. Somehow our districts are moving forward as never before. Our divisions and ministries are moving forward as never before.

There is a deep underlying sense of unity and purpose. I believe it's all falling into place as we've long prayed, we've long preached, we've long wanted, just as we see in First Chronicles, just as we see in Acts two, it's all falling into place. So, what's left? It's time to act. There is a moment that we have to seize the opportunity lest it slip from our grasp. There is a window of opportunity in these last days and I believe it's wide open to the United Pentecostal Church International and we must act. Now, let me say this. Taking action does require risk. Now, as you heard me say and my daughter say, for me it's going to be a calculated risk, but at the end of the day, it is a real risk. It's a step of faith. It's not blind faith, but it's faith that is wide open, eyes wide open.

You see the problems. You see the danger. You see the potential for failure, but you also hear the word of God and you say, "It's time to act." I believe that's where we are. You're going to have to apply this as a local church member or a preacher or a pastor. You're going to have to apply this message to your heart. I don't have the answer for you individually, but I'm sensing in the spirit God is saying, looking at our past leaders up until the very present, we've had tremendous preparation, tremendous planning, tremendous prayer, tremendous preaching, tremendous worship, tremendous sacrifice. But one generation has to act. David was saying, "I've spent my whole life getting to this point. Now it's up to you, Solomon. You're the man. You've got to do it." Now, you have to understand, I was raised by missionary parents in a third world country.

I grew up in that environment. I get it honestly. When you hear all those stories, some we heard this week, I live those stories and my parents shared the stories to help me remember those younger years. But I personally remember my parents being called to Korea. They they were not even I don't remember their original call, but I remember their stories. They were not even preachers. They were lay members in a local church and they got a specific call to Korea. So they started a home missions church in Louisiana because they knew they weren't qualified yet. And so they spent several years building a church to get the qualifications. But then they went to Korea. I was in the wreck that almost killed my mother and my father that put my mom in the hospital for six weeks with a broken neck, a brain concussion, not sure whether she was going to live or die.

I remember that time because I lived with my relatives while my parents were in the hospital. It delayed them one year. I remember that because my dad's hand was inoperable for 6 months until the Lord healed him. It both arms were broken the rest of his life. And still to this day, he can't when he raised his hands, I can tell he can't raise it past this point because of that injury. So, I live with that. I know that every time I part my hair, I see the scar of that wreck that delayed us one year. I also know the story of how my dad won the lady, the nurse in the hospital and her son contacted me a few years ago to said, "I just want to thank your dad. Our whole family is in church today and I'm a Pentecostal preacher because your dad witnessed to my mom in the hospital."

While he was lying there in traction, his nose broken, both arms broken, couldn't even feed himself, he won somebody to the Lord. I was in that boat that took 40 days to make it to Korea. I was in that boat that caught on fire and we rushed to the Panama Canal zone to put it out. I was in that boat when we lined us all on the deck to get in lifeboats to get out all all to discover that the lifeboats are so corroded they wouldn't work. And so we were stuck there. We had to either make it in time to the canal zone or blow up and the firefighters told us later 10% more heat and the whole thing would have blown up. I was there in Korea. I don't have time to tell all the stories, but I remember the time my mom preached the revival.

She told me the story many times and she was sleeping on the floor as the custom and they had cold heat underneath the floor. It malfunctioned. She she was poisoned by carbon monoxide. She didn't show up for the early morning prayer meeting. So, they went to see why she didn't go to church. They found her unconscious on the floor poison. They worked on her all day long to get her conscious to massage her to try to counteract the effects of carbon monoxide. The the effects and and the the pastor said, "We got to cancel service tonight. My mom said, "You have to know my mom." She just passed away a few weeks ago, but she said, "We're not cancelling the revival. You have spent too much money advertising all these people are going to show up. I will be okay. I will preach. Just leave me alone.

Start the service without me and I'll be there. She waited. She still had a little pride, you might say. She cuz she couldn't walk straight. She could stagger. She waited till they're all worshiping and in prayer. She slipped in the back, held on to the side of the wall and made her way to the front just in time to preach. She said she grabbed the pull pit with both hands cuz she couldn't stand up and she began to preach. She said, "When I begin to preach, the anointing fell. I was completely healed and many people received the Holy Ghost." That is not a story in a book for me. I lived that story. I was there. I saw my parents and of course I see it in retrospect when they went to Korea they didn't come back for five years there was no visit with family or friends for five years there's only three preachers from America that visited them in five years brother Vogga the foreign missions director brother JC Cole one of the foreign admissions board members and then right before the five-year mark three youth uh ministry leaders including TF10 Kenny uh

coming for she's for Christ. That was the only fellowship for 5 years. We were the only United Pentecostal family in the whole country. And so my mom leaving her mother dying of cancer. Her mother said, "You need to go. God's called you. Don't wait around for me. I'm saved. You need to go." She took two small children. And then I only realized this much later, but she sent me back home at 17. She sent my sister back home at 17. Perhaps that was just as great a sacrifice to send your kid to some place in a strange city 7,000 mi away, hoping they'd live for God. So I saw them come back after they felt like their work was done and in their late 50s starting a home missions church and both my mom and dad working on secular jobs to support themselves to start the church.

And then I saw them in their mid60s starting a Spanish church, starting the first Spanish church in that whole area which led to the Spanish ministries of Louisiana being organized and produced. And that church is a powerful church today. The the building will seat 700 people. That's where we had my mom's funeral. And I also saw them in their late 70s talking in their home in the kitchen saying, "Okay, the Spanish church is up and going. They don't really need us anymore. We can just we've got one of our converts is now the pastor. We can just kind of support him." And so they told me, "We're not making a big deal big deal of this, but we just rented a little building in an African-American neighborhood because no church is reaching the African-Americans. So, we've just rented a little building and we're having services.

We're going to see what we can do. We can start a church." Then my dad had his stroke. My mother's Alzheimer's begin to manifest. I had to be the one to take her car keys away from her. I had to be the one to and my sister did most of the work, but we had to tell her, "You're going into assisted living." I watched her, and I told this at the funeral, but on her 80th birthday, she knew she had Alzheimer's, but she didn't want to acknowledge it. She knew she had to give up her home, never to come back. She knew she had to give up her finances. She had to give up her whole life. And that night she was really struggling. In fact, she tried to hail a cab to New Orleans. She was going to leave and just go start a new life without us because we were kicking her out of her house.

But we caught her in time. We said, "Mom, you can't do that." And she told my sister, and my sister typed it as fast as she was talking. And she said her night of her 80th birthday, she says, "God woke me up, told me to pray." She said, "I prayed for three hours." And she said, "Suddenly, I started speaking in tongues just like when I received the Holy Ghost as a teenager. She wasn't raised in church. She was the first in her family to receive the Holy Ghost at age 16. She spoke in tongues non-stop for three days. They all thought she was crazy. She even had to quit school and go to apostolic college because it was a Catholic school. They they couldn't it just wouldn't work. And so she tells her testimony. She said, "I had the same experience as when I received the Holy Ghost."

So I was speaking in tongues and I couldn't stop. And she said, "God spoke to me, gave me peace." And again, you have to know my mom. She says, "I hate my life. It's crummy." But she said, "God gave me peace and said I was okay. He had a plan for me and everything was going to be okay." So all my life, I've seen my parents step out by faith. And so I really had no choice. Looking back, I think I would probably not advise my kids to do some of the things I did. But I was 24 when I got engaged and God had called me to preach. I was in my last year of law school. I was doing these interviews for law firms and basically I felt God telling me, "No, stop the interviews." So, I stopped all the interviews. I'm engaged.

I'm graduating on May 13th. I'm getting married on June 6th. I've already told my wife to be we're moving somewhere for full-time ministry. I didn't have a clue. I didn't get a confirmed job till April 30th when brother Craft hired me to teach at JCM. And so here we go into full-time ministry. Married two weeks. And the ministry opportunity was amazing. I think now enough time has passed, Brother Tenny, Brother Craft, we could probably tell the story. But to make a long story short, a group of leaders had decided to take a Pentecostal school and make it into a non-pentecostal theological school. And when that was uncovered, the president and the board brought in a new team. And I at the age of 24, married two weeks, was the dean of students and the academic dean, the main theology teacher, 16 hours of classes of systematic theology, church history, Romans.

And I went into those class of upper classmen and I would begin to teach on the oneness of God. Found out they didn't believe in the oneness of God. I taught on the essentiality of baptism in Jesus name. Oh, that's a technical formula. Uh speaking in tongues is initial evidence. No, that doesn't normally happen anymore. Divine healing for today. No, you can't expect that. As far as living a holy life, there's very few points of that. It was almost eternal security. And if you don't think your doctrine affects your lifestyle, be the dean of students in a school where people believe once saved always saved. As I told my wife later, I think we dealt with every sin known to the human race except first-degree murder. But we did have someone drown in the bathtub was accidental death, epilepsy. 24 years old. That was crazy.

I don't know why Brother Craft did that. He was desperate. But, you know, I know what it's like to move from a full-time job at headquarters and go start a church just by family. I know what it's like to start a new district when I guess enough time has passed to say there's quite a bit of opposition. No physical abuse, but verbal abuse, lawsuit, threats, anything else you can imagine. I remember one time, I don't know if I should be saying all this, my oldest son, my oldest son was 16. I get a phone call. It's blistering. It's heated. It's like like no Pentecostal preacher you would imagine. And so I quickly run to the utility room because I don't want my family to hear. It's so loud. It's obvious. And my wife is saying, "Hang up. Just hang up." And I'm thinking, he's a preacher.

I'm a leader. I'm trying to start a district. I, you know, I gota and finally got off the phone and I walked back to join the family. I saw my 60-year-old son just standing there. I said, "Uh, Jonathan, did did you hear any of that?" He said, "Yes." I said, "Well, sometimes preachers get upset. You know, sometimes they say stuff they don't really mean. You know, we're all human." And, you know, and he said, "Dad, touch not mine anointed. do my prophets no harm." And he walked out. I know it's like to be asked to start a seminary. I said, "No, I knew that was way too much work." I said, "I cannot raise the money for that." And I'm called a pastor in Austin. I am not called to move to St. Louis and start a school. So, they came back with a plan.

Well, you can still stay in Austin. We'll take care of the finances. You just run the school. Sure, that's great until we have a staff and we have a payroll and the payroll is due. It's not the committee that's going to find payroll. It's the president. There have been many times our church and brother Jesse Williams church, other churches, and to be honest, I had a credit line. Personally, there are times we just use our credit line. I got out 0% interest credit cards and there are times we are juggling the church, juggling the school, and just getting new credit cards. I don't advise that. I don't think it's the way to do it. But sometimes you do what you have to do. There is a risk. It's a great honor being general superintendent. I people treat me very well. I have a nice income, a nice home, a nice car.

Everything is wonderful. But you know, walking away from your dream of church you started in your home for 18 years. seeing it grow to the point where you can actually impact a city of two million people, you're there and just say, you know, forget your life's dream, they want you to do this and what if you don't succeed? What if after two years people change their mind? What if the finances don't work out? What if you know this ministry and that ministry? What if the people don't like cuz if if you're going to go there, you're going to go to change. What if those people don't like the change? There's a real risk. Now, it's a calculated risk. You plan, you pray, you work out your finances, you work out your plan. I found if you don't have a plan, you're headed for disaster. But I found if you do have a plan, it's not going to work.

not the way you think. But when you come to your crisis, you say, "Okay, God, this was my plan. I did it in all sincerity. I did it in all honesty. I tried my best, Lord. It didn't work. So, Lord, you're just going to have to come in and make up the difference. You're just going to have to help me out. You're just going to have to perform a miracle. It wasn't my negligence. I really stepped out because you said to, and now I'm stuck. Lord, you got to help me. And I found that God will help you. I'm preaching to somebody. It's time to act. It's time to step out by faith. You can only pray so long. You can only save up money so long. You can only plan so long. You can only stay comfortable in your home environment so long. At some point, somebody has got to step out by faith.

Somebody's got to act. Somebody's got to do something. I am passionate about this. We do not need the status quo. We do not need maintenance mode. Get up and act. Be strong. Be courageous. Be a man of God. Be a woman of God. It is time to do the work. It is time to act. It is time to take a risk. It is time to step out of your comfort zone. It is time to do what God has called you to do. Saint of God, your pastor needs somebody who's willing to take a risk with him. Your preacher, you don't have a license just to vote in a conference. You have a license because God has called you to do something that nobody else is doing. What are you doing that nobody else in your church is doing? What are you doing that nobody in your city is doing, pastor?

It's not about a lifetime income. It's not not about a retirement plan. I believe in all that. But if you've reached a comfort level, I challenge you. Start another church. You could pastor two churches if you wanted to. You could start a daughter work with your young ministers if you wanted to. You could start a preaching point. At least you could teach personally a home Bible study. At least you could do something. That's it. That's my message. It's somebody feeling the burden. United Pentecostal Church International. I believe we have already entered into the greatest revival in the history of the church. It is time to act. It is time to move forward. It is time to do something. It is time to go. If you're feeling it and God is calling you, I want you to come right now. God is calling somebody to preach.

God is calling somebody to teach a Bible study. God is calling a couple to make yourself available for ministry. God is calling someone to be a home missionary. God is calling someone to be a foreign missionary. God is calling somebody to act. It's time to act. It's time to do. It's time to fulfill. It's time to accept God's call. It's time to receive God's promise. It's time to step out by faith. It's time to act. Come on, church. Come on. Would you come? If you can't make your way all down to the front, find some place to pray. Find somebody to pray with. It's time to respond. Somebody ought to be talking to their pastor after this service. Somebody ought to be talking to your district superintendent after this service. Somebody ought to be talking to the home missions, North American missions. Somebody ought to be talking to brother Tony after this service.

Somebody ought to be talking to brother Howal after this