Sunday Morning Worship Service

praise the Lord I am so glad to be here as my husband was saying we're we are listen uh uh Bishop mol old is figuratively and literally in our case and uh we're so old it takes two iPads to do what we're doing I got to have words he's got to have stuff and and uh so we've got a whole thing we might need a bigger table up here by the time this is done but uh I'm so grateful to be here my how the Lord has blessed this Knoxville Church yes can I say I am so proud of the mol family and what God has done for this beautiful church I am truly the least among you this big buildup up that has happened on my behalf before I stepped up here I'm now a nervous wreck I told uh pastor and sister Whitley I said it's going to be such a want want moment for this church after this big buildup that I just had but I'm going to do my best to do what the lord gave me listen I want you to know this when I was six years old I said Friday night I'm a criers so I'm going to try not to but when I was six years old on a Saturday night yes we had church on Saturday we had church on Wednesday night we had church on Saturday night we had church on Sunday morning and Sunday night we had revivals for weeks at a time and everybody came and we still went to school and well listen I'm getting way off now I'm sorry see I told you I was old but on a Saturday night the preacher was preaching I was sitting back this way in our little church and my mom was up here and I remember writing notes with my friends I couldn't really write I was only six years old I was just doodling and such with my friends and I remember as the preacher started preaching something started happening in my heart and I felt tears coming you know those tears that come from way back back on the back of your eyes you know and you you feel it coming and I knew I had to leave my friends and I made it up beside of my mom and about halfway through the message I thought he needs to call an altar because he got me he's got me I'm ready I went in my little purple dress with the off-white lace my anklet socks and my black patent shoes and I went to that altar on a Saturday night and I knelt about right here and I told the Lord if you will fill me with the Holy Ghost I will serve you for the rest of my life so for 54 years of my life I'm not here because I think I can do this I'm here keeping a promise that I made to the Lord 54 years ago that I intend to keep till he calls my name till I hear him say Well done thou good and faithful servant there is only one thing important to me in the 60 years that I have been in this world especially now my feet must walk on gold whatever it takes and I love the Lord and I'm so honored to be here and I give honor to all of the mle family we thank you for all of the Hospitality the beautiful room the beautiful basket we are so undeserving of such goodness but I am so grateful and as I was uh trying to figure out what to sing I don't sing much anymore and uh when I was going through these tracks I was thinking who's sang These tracks these are so high I don't know who these belong to but I'm going to try to sing this song because the first thing I thought of and I told my husband I have to sing this song for Bishop Nicole so I hope the words of these songs will bless you this song says and I [Music] know wasting onch when I got home late that night she had stay upai all to advice she said girl I see down a [Music] long and I know she said you don't want to listen you always go full steam ahead you like the life you're thinket you say m wor I make it child and I know took the Long Way Around Heaven Sent and Hell Bound [Music] iast I and tired now [Music] I'm [Music] I'm let go [Music] I'm [Music] anding wonder why so long to get back here tonight oh wounding comes so easy and healing comes so [Music] [Applause] slow but the family all is and the Prat on and I sure wish I could go back and be her girl for more [Music] day M and I [Music] to now I know I took the Way Around Heaven Help I was and moving fast wherever I wanted to go May slower and getting tired [Music] now not let go oh I know yeah I've been [Music] now hallelujah oh and that's why we hold on to this truth that's why that's why we hold on to this truth it may seem outdated to some it may seem seem like it isn't necessary but this is why we hold on to the truth I've been there and I know it's going to get us out of here someday somebody praise him for his grace and mercy thank you [Music] Lord hallelujah worship with me today do a sin man up the worst of the worst how could he ever be how does that man who has lost everything gain a new life when he comes to the king that's [Music] [Applause] great that's Mercy it doesn't matter just how unworthy Jesus is all and he give us gra and mercy if you're glad for grace and mercy give him a hand clap of Praise today he's worthy [Music] Hallelujah broken and shattered oh I love this part oh but down and all his past is all gone as soon as he's touched by the power of God that's gra that's Mercy matter just howy Jesus all you and take his Gra and mercy Amazing Grace that like I [Music] Mery it doesn't matter just how unworthy Jesus is and he and mercy he and mercy oh somebody Praise Him for grace and mercy thank you Lord thank you Lord hallelujah praise the Lord I'm so sorry let's all stand amen I feel the Lord in this house could we just can we just lift up our hands and our voices to the Lord right now for what we feel and what God is going to do in this house come on would you just pray with us right now let's just lift up the name of the Lord we need his help today come on somebody is coming to this room today and they desperately need this service and I believe that the presence of the Lord has come into this house right now to bless all of us that are here today come on let's just lift up our voice right now let's put all of all the things that we have to do let's let's put them on the back of our minds right now let's push every everything aside every obstacle that may come to hinder us today and let's just begin to Worship the Lord let's begin to thank God Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah God we love you today Lord we praise you God hallelujah if you have your Bibles turn with me to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter number two verse number n just want to read one verse of scripture the Bible says but but as it is written I hath Not Seen Nor Ear heard neither have entered into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that love him I'm going to Preach Today by the help of the Lord on this title The Missing part the missing part you can be seated praise God that is the verse of scripture that I have just read to you I have not seen nor ear heard neither has it entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for them that love him that is not a cliche that is not a platitude but that is a true statement from the Lord I know you know that God has magnificent marvelous awesome things prepared for them that love him does anybody in the house today love the Lord amen God has got some awesome things prepared for us God has got some blessings for us that you and I cannot even imagine anything is possible in this church today we are in the presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of lords Ecclesiastes 8 and4 says where the word of a king is there is power so I just believe I just want to kind of set a little Foundation here and I just I just come to tell you that I believe that God is going to do something today for someone who has come into this house somebody that's hungry somebody that's in need somebody that's hurting does anybody need a healing in this house I believe that God is is going to do something greater for us than what we've ever experienced before Hallelujah does anybody believe that with me praise God maybe maybe you have just recently maybe something has happened into you to your life that has turned your life upside down maybe you've gotten a bad report that is weighing heavy on your mind today maybe something has happened that you have no idea how it's going to turn out listen our world I don't need to tell you this but our world is shaken people everywhere are fearful worried and unsure about what our future looks like but we're here today in the presence of the Lord and God is going to help us today I promise you that amen I believe Jesus said he would not leave us comfortless the Bible tells us the the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit so just just as I was amen setting this Foundation up I just want you to know amen that God has got something special for us today but there is something that may be missing in this scenario that I've just spoken about just recently I was reading some commentaries and I came across one commentator who said that the Book of Ecclesiastes is considered the confession of a king now the book of ecclesiastics is somewhat of a diary in which King Solomon records his experiences his ideas and his Reflections on life some Bible commentators believe that Solomon wrote the book of ecclesiastics when he was in his old age when he was able to go back and look over his life I'll be honest with you as I read the whole book of ecclesiastics over and over I found it to be somewhat sad a little bit depressing there are 4,537 words 22 chapters 222 verses of scripture in the book of ecclesiastics Solomon's great wealth allowed him to indulge in a lifestyle beyond the average person's reach in reading the book of Ecclesiastes you get the impression that there were few restraints to check Solomon in his pursuit of pleasurable experiences if it felt good Solomon did it if it looked good he obtained it if it tasted good he consumed it we may think wow if we could walk in Solomon's shoes then we too would be full and satisfied but when you study this book of Ecclesiastes Solomon was tired he was bored and cynical and somewhat sad with life to be the wisest man to have ever lived Solomon said that he hated life he said things like the dead are better than the living He said sorrow is better than laughter he said the end is better than the beginning he also said that life is Vanity because nothing new ever occurs he said labor brings only vanity Solomon was a very wise man but Solomon was also a very pessimistic man so the wisest richest most influential king of Israel is empty one commentator I read said that Solomon died of natural causes at 55 years old he finished his life surrounded by hundreds of beautiful women Untold riches and every type of pleasure that a person could desire but he died a shell of a man empty hopeless and full of regret this commentator said that Solomon never one time ever repented can I tell you that power popularity Prestige and pleasure could not feel that God shap void in his life so Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 1 and one vanity of vanities saith the preacher vanity of vanities all is Vanity the key word that you find in ecclesiastics is the word vanity so you ask how could a man with everything be so sad be so frustrated and disappointed with life How could a man that be so admired for his wisdom in wealth how could he be so cynical he said in ecclesiastics 1 18-9 All Things Are full of Labor man cannot utter it the eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear filled with hearing the thing that hath been it is that which shall be and that which is done is that which shall be done and there is no new thing Under the Sun so you ask what's the reason for Solomon's boredom what's the reason for this Melancholy attitude why is he so sad and empty and depressed about life and its future why all the pessimism something is missing something is wrong in Solomon's life something I submit to you has been laid aside something has been forgotten or L to my surprise something necessary and vital is not found in Solomon's book of ecclesiastic you would think by reading the whole book that you would find it there somewhere you would think you could find it but it's nowhere there in the book of ecclesiastics I submit that praise is a necessary part of true happiness true joy and through true peace what surprise this church to know today to find out as you read the whole book of ecclesiastic that there is no hint of prayer there is no hint of praise and there is no hint of worship found throughout the entire book of ecclesiastics I only found one time where praise is mentioned in ecclesiastics 4:2 Solomon says these words wherefore I praise the Dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive the only time that you find the word praise in the book of ecclesiastics it's found in a negative connotation so out of 4,537 words 12 chapters and 22 verses Solomon never mentions prayer he never word mentions praise or worship I submit to this congregation today that it is the missing part it is the missing part one commentator I read said the entire book of ecclesiastic is like a lip parching desert without the relief of an oasis not one time in this book does it tell us that Solomon ever prayed that he ever worshiped or that he ever praised the Lord he enjoyed and he participated in all of the worldly pleasure that the world could offer him he B he was blessed like no other man that we read about in the scripture but he had no praise in his life so I submit to this congregation could it be that Solomon's sadness maybe be the reason for Solomon's emptiness and frustration was the result of no praise in his life maybe that's the reason he felt so empty inside maybe that's the reason after he searched the world over amen he went everywhere he could possibly go maybe at the end of his life maybe that's the reason he said vanity of vanities because he never praised God can I remind First Apostolic Church of Knoxville Tennessee that we were created to praise the Lord amen let everything that have breath pray prise the Lord if you haven't praised God this morning and there's breath in your body amen you need to lift up your hands and give God some praise come on we're going to pause for praise for just a moment there are some needs in this house that praise is going to open the door to come on there's some people today amen that's got some problems at home the only thing that's going to answer that problem is some praise you can be seated you can search high and low for life's fulfillment and satisfaction but not until you praise God with your lips and with your life will you ever be able to find true happiness and joy in your heart praising God brings satisfaction that neither wisdom or work or wealth can BR bring I've met a lot of intelligent people in my life who were sad but I have never met a sad praiser I have known a lot of Alcoholics in my day but people who make time to praise God and come to church have Godly contentment that money can't buy praise God I have heard and read about Millions s who are miserable lonely and hopeless but people who know how to praise God can even be happy even when you don't even have any money in your pocket can I tell somebody today that life is not built a life not built on praise is a dull and empty life praise God wisdom without praise is folly work without praise Is idleness wealth without praise is poverty never let yourself believe that you are too smart that you are too busy or that you're too proud to praise the lord we were all created to praise God to praise God that's why God created me that's why God woke me up this morning to praise God now because I do have a little bit of gray in my hair sometimes if we're not careful we'll make fun of the older generation and say that the way that they praise God is not necessary in 2024 but if we could go back on this story and if we could look at the life of David the father of Solomon the son yes David struggled long and hard to fight the enemy and to build the kingdom but he if you read David's life if seems like he was always rejoicing and praising the Lord just go back one book and read the book of Psalms and you'll see how blessed that David's life was but notice Solomon the blessed and the entitled son amen Solomon had wealth and power and security but his life tells us that he was very cynical and sad and pessim pessimistic I believe that the praise Factor in David's life his father made the difference a life accented by Praise is a life that is blessed a life that is full and a life that is satisfied I just wonder and I say this respectfully maybe the young people need to get a little hold on what some of the older generation has because I can remember in my day it didn't matter what day of the week whenever we gathered in the house of the Lord we came to praise God it didn't matter who was singing it didn't matter who was preaching didn't matter what day of the week is amen we came to the house of the Lord and we praise God it's never too late to start praising God if you woke up this morning a little gloomy if you woke up this morning a little bit dry amen if your life is kind of boring amen it's never too late to start praising and worshiping the Lord listen if you've been given a bad and a a a hopeless diagnosis in your body are you hearing me if you've been given a bad or hopeless diagnosis by the doctor this week I want somebody to know that your situation can be brightened up by Praise I'm feeling the Holy Ghost here I have to admit I'm feeling the holy ghost here on this Sunday morning I'm feeling something I'm feeling a wheel in the middle of the wheel because I tried a lot of things amen I've went to the doctor amen I've had a job I've searched this and that but the only thing that really brings satisfaction in my life is when I begin to praise the [Music] lord we we we had an elderly lady in our church church diagnoses with therosis of the liver but you know what she said I came to church anyhow she said I was diagnosis diagnosed with therosis of the liver but I came to church and I praised God anyhow and God healed me of therosis of the liver that was seven years ago sister Vance is 84 years old she never misses a service she's always got her hands up in the air pray praising God so I come to tell you that no matter what your situation may be I said no matter what your situation may be prayer and praise and worship is your answer I said it once I'll say it again anything is possible in an atmosphere of Praise no matter how heavy your birth bur is no matter how heavy your burden is this morning it can be lightened by Praise amen didn't we just sing the song Worthy is the Lamb Worthy is the Lamb anybody believe that Holy is the Lamb you're not you're never out of order when you lift up your hands and you begin to praise God I read on Facebook last night that when you lift up your hand it's just like a little baby reaching up to his father I want you to know when you lift up your hands all you're doing is lifting up your hands to your heavenly father that has all of your need taken care of I don't know how they figure these things out but they say in a 24hour day they say they now excuse me they say that the average Christian person 70 years old spends about 6 months of their life praising and worshiping the Lord so I ask us in a 24hour period how much time do we really praise and worship and pray unto the Lord I think it's time that we kind of get back Amen to praising God because there's power in Praise the preaching sounds so sounds so much more better when there's praise the singing sounds so much better when there's praise we're not as cynical when there's praise amen there's healing I said there's healing in Praise there is Deliverance I don't care what it is in Praise there is salvation in this house in Praise you'll never receive the Holy Ghost if you don't praise God there is joy and peace and happiness in praise that's why I said at the beginning of this service there is so much available in this Sanctuary today than what we can possibly even think or even hope for amen it is unimaginable the things that God has prepared for us respectfully I say to us let's lay down the burden for just a little few moments and let's praise God with everything we have today because I'm here to tell you God is here to bless you why don't we just take a few minutes minutes and praise God because it's the missing part it's the missing part it's the missing part Hallelujah your life can be changed Forever by Praise it's so simple praise is so simple has God done anything for anybody this week then if God has done anything it's so simple just open up your mouth God I'm thankful for the job I have I'm thankful for the home that I have to live in I'm thankful for the family that's sitting on this Pew with me I'm thankful for this wonderful church that you've given me I'm thankful for the Holy Ghost it's so simple the devil wants to make it hard the devil doesn't want you to lift up your hands and voice and begin to praise God but when I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that he's done for me my soul Cries Out God's been good to me I don't know about you but God's been mighty good to me he's taken care of all of my needs I've been young and now I'm old but I've never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging bread amen my wife is saved my daughters are saved my son-in-laws and saved my grandchildren go to church with us God's been good to me hallelujah hallelujah just give me just a few more minutes the Bible says that God inhabits the praise of his people that means he lives he dwells he occupies he resides in our praise amen I've noticed and and I say this with all due respect it's even in our church but years ago we used to have a powerful Amen Corner it didn't matter what point of the service there was always people that were amening God and praising the Lord people who used to lift up their voices and praise and so many of our churches now have gone on to be with the Lord but where is the new generation of praisers and worshippers and amen oh I'm feeling that because in this generation probably more than any other generation we need more prayer we need more praise and we need more worshippers amen we are apostolics that's who we are that's who we are so David said praise ye the Lord praise God in his Sanctuary that's what it says praise God in his San uary praise him in his firment of his power praise him for his mighty acts Praise Him according to his excellent greatness from the rising of the sun until the going down of the same the name of the Lord is to be praised I got to thinking as I was studying this and David and uh Solomon and and David uh they were they were they were inviting us they were inviting us into praise and worship but as they were inviting us into this powerful Arena where we can go it is not either or not inviting us to some meaningless act they were inviting us to do something that has the potential to pay huge dividends of blessings in our lives not only in the spiritual realm but I believe that a person who knows how to praise and worship God is also blessed in the Physical Realm and in the material realm when we open up our hearts and our mouths and we begin to praise the Lord I believe that the Lord dispatches his angels say unlock those warehouses and bless my people David said I Will Bless The Lord amen continually from my mouth I Will Bless The Lord continually amen when I go to bed at night I'm going to bless the Lord when I wake up in the morning I'm going to bless the Lord when I at a stop sign or a stoplight I'm going to praise the Lord when I go to Walmart I'm going to praise God Amen because what this world needs is more praisers and more worshippers if the music will come the story is told of a pastor who was walking down one of the city streets one day and he met some of the ladies from his church now if you've been in church anytime at all you know that when old time Apostolic Pentecostal people when we see one another no matter where we are we automatically say praise the Lord Brother M praise the Lord the Pastor said as he was walking down the city street the local businessman and the attorney were there also and this Apostolic Pentecostal lady uh this Pentecostal lady said to her pastor praise the Lord Lord Pastor in return He said praise the Lord sister the two other men just stood there quietly and they began walking down the street as the attorney and the pastor walked down the street the attorney asked what did she mean by saying praise the Lord the pastor replied she meant what she said praise the Lord the attorney said why not keep that for the church can I say with all due respect that's the problem in our world today praise was never supposed to only happen on church on Sundays but we need to be so filled up with God's glory amen we need to be so filled up with praise and worship then when we walk out of these doors amen we're going to take praise with us because praise is going to change the atmosphere all around us praise should be offered unto the Lord from the rising of the sun until the going down of the same the name of the Lord is to be praised why don't we stand right now I'm going to invite you to this altar right now but I don't want you to come like we normally do I want you to come with your hands lifted up amen I want us to create an atmosphere people need healing today come on there's some marriages that need some help today there's some young people amen who's fighting some devils why don't we we just come with our hands lifted up and say I'm going to praise the Lord this morning I've tried everything else I've tried everything else I've been to the doctor the lawyer I've tried to work it out my own self but the missing part today is going to be my praise it's going to be my praise come on Church lift up your voice right now come on let a praise go out right now all across this Sanctuary all across this sanctuary if God has been good to you then praise him praise him come on Praise Him hallelujah hallelujah I feel him come on God is breaking some chains come on God is opening some doors God is releasing something in this Sanctuary right now it's the missing part it's praise