Sunday Morning Worship Service

Give that hand clap to the Lord. Yes. [Applause] Good night. I love this church. And I could go to church here. I love this part of the world, too. You ought to come to Louisiana. It's so hot. It's so humid. We have great churches down there and we have good food. That's it. No, we have a good baseball team. >> Sorry to say that. God bless you. Hey, be seated this morning. I tell you what, I ought to get I ought to get my lovely bride to come up here and uh tell you with herself how much we've enjoyed being here in Knoxville for not only the camp meeting but man the gracious host the room the basket size of Rhode Island full of goodies topo chicos somebody's been talking to my secretary I us uh to find out what we wanted and we have just had a amazing time. Man, your leadership in this church is on the top level and first apostolic you guys are just amazing and all you've done to make this camp meeting great and I'm I just got to say thank you. God bless you. You know, the Lord said, "If you give a prophet a glass of water, you'll get blessed." You folks have some blessing coming. I I went down into the lobby of our nice hotel this morning to try to get my thoughts together for this service and and I prayed and I said, "Dear God, what can I do to be a blessing to this church today?" as I watched your labor of love and I am greatly impressed. And I asked your pastor, "Is it always this neat and tidy?" He said, "Do you know my wife?" Amen. So, I have a just maybe 10 or 12 of these prayer journals left. It's not a book. It's a It's a prayer journal. It's to help you pray. And uh they're $15. If you buy two, they're 20. any of you buy more than that for $10 each and be happy to to share one of these with you. I did this to help people pray. That's why I did it. All right. I have a couple of props this morning. Uh if if if Pastor Nate and Pastor Anony's going to come and help me. Uh I about broke my neck in here the other night preaching and I asked for a little assistance. I see somebody has already had some assistance to help me here, but I'm I'm going to put a couple of cones over here so I don't break my neck preaching today. Just put Yeah, put it right over there. And some kind brother I saw was up here taping. But, you know, just in case, I don't want to mess up your webcast with these lime green cones, but boy, that'll keep me from killing myself before I get through preaching this morning. I think that's funny. I don't know if you do or not, but I think it's funny. So, if you wasn't here, you didn't see me trip over the cord and about break my neck at 73 and bif focals. You It's not like it used to be. Okay. I uh I'm going to preach from this subject this morning. Simply Jesus. Simply Jesus. where I grew up in and uh I grew up in Texas, hardly left the state until I got grown, began to evangelize at at the campground where I would attend youth camps and then on through the years this there there was this sign they have a huge tabernacle and ceilings very high way back up on the back wall across the top in in a big neon a neon sign said simply Jesus. And I' I've never forgotten that. I was reading the I was just reading my Bible one day. I was reading from 2 Corinthians chapter 11. When I came to this scripture, I thought about that sign. It said, "But I fear I fear lest by any means as the serpent begaled Eve through his subility." So your minds should be corrupted. That word corrupted kind of throws me off there. Your minds be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit, which we have not received, or another gospel which you have not accepted, you might bear well with him. In other words, don't pay any attention to them. They don't have anything to say to you. I I went to see my dad one day. Forgive me for mentioning my dad a lot, but I need this in the sermon. I I gave the media team, production team, a little picture. I want to show you. I went to see my dad and my dad had made me a little toy, a couple little toys. He made me a couple little horses and he he told me the story behind these. He said, uh, when I was a little boy, of course, they dad grew up during the depression years and he he grew up on a little 40acre farm. They couldn't they didn't have money to buy toys. They didn't hardly have money to buy anything. And he said, "My dad would take corn shucks and make me a couple of little horses." And he said, "I wanted to make y'all one. Just kind of something you can remember me by." And I have those. Uh my wife is supposed to be gluing the legs back on. I guess I could do that myself. Uh she's better at this stuff than I am. and he said he used to have so much fun with these horses. And I, you know, I stare at those horses one day in my office and I've lived in an imaginary world as a kid and I'm sure many of you did. I actually played in a number of World Series and never lost one. I always somehow pulled it out in the bottom of the ninth inning. It's just the craziest thing. I My first grandson loved for me to tell stories about him. I would interject him into the stories and and he was still in in his car seat and he we're on the way home. He said, "Paba, tell me a story about me playing ball." So, he's in the World Series and he he's they're they're uh it the game they're down by one run and the bases are loaded and uh Lincoln Dean Stanley II is coming up to bat and he's in the back seat and his eyes are big around his silver dollars and I can see him in my rearview mirror and he's like and anyway so, so uh you got the pitcher, you got them losing by one run, the bases are loaded, there's two outs and Lincoln Dean Stanley He comes up to bat and he uh swings at the first pitch and misses. So his eyes get bigger every time. You know, he gets down to a full count. Then he fouls one off and then the crowd's on their feet. Anybody lived in these worlds? I have. Crowds on their feet. They're screaming and hollering and they're saying, "Come on, Lincoln." And hit that ball. And I said, "The pitcher throws the ball and Lincoln swings and misses. Strike three." And my grandson went. Started crying. Oh, wait a minute. It's a foul tip. And he won the game, won the World Series, and he's happy and dried his tears off. you know, uh I don't know. Kids today do a lot. I I I wondered and I was thinking about I wondered if if my dad had as much fun with these little horses as kids have with Mario Brothers or whatever they're playing now. I don't know. I can't keep up with it. I ask my grandsons, "What what what game are you playing?" And they act like I'm dumb, which I am in that field. But I uh I thought of this when I thought about this scripture that Paul referenced or that I referenced where Paul said, "I don't want your minds to be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." Brother Anthony said it while ago, said something about a book of Acts church. Ironically, it's here in my notes. I've always wanted and desired to be a part of a book of Acts church. And I will confess to you that I have I have been in some parts of the world where I felt like the churches were replicas of the book of Acts church that we read about in our Bibles. I've heard stories and listen to people and all of that. It It's quite amazing. And I've often wondered what would prevent us >> from having that book of Acts church. >> Help me out now. Do we have the same God? >> Do we have the same Holy Ghost? >> Can we utilize that same powerful name of Jesus? Do we have the authority to use the name of Jesus like they did >> when they prayed for the sick and the the the lame man jumped up on his feet? >> I I say yes. >> We have the same God. He said, "And his name through faith in his name have made this man strong whom you see and know. I've always hungered and desired and I know you do, too." Well, what would hinder us? I uh I think some of the answer may be found in the verse of scripture that I read to you that maybe sometimes our minds have been corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. >> We have certain ministers that are greatly used to pray for the sick and all of that. When we've had them at our church many times and we'll have them again and we love them all. But there's one particular preacher, but he he used to come to our church every year. And when he would show up, people would drive 300 miles just to come and be a part of that meeting we were having, hoping he'd pray for him in the altar or something. And you know, I I I I applaud them for their hunger and their desire, but sometimes we get caught up. We get caught up in entertainment preaching. We like a sermon that goes, "Wow, I never thought of that." >> And I do. I do. I'm I'm just like you. But there there should be a simplicity >> to what we are doing. >> There should be miracles in the mundane daily part of our life. >> Amen. >> Amen. And uh I this verse in Ephesians 3:19, I wish you would write this down if you take notes and go home and stare at this verse for 10 minutes because I looked at it one day. He said Paul said to know to know the love of Christ. Then he said it passes knowledge. Well, how can you know something that passes knowledge? But this is what he said then, that ye might be filled, are y'all listening? >> With all the fullness of God. >> I can't wrap my brain around that >> that I I got goosebumps right there. >> I Do you know what God he's talking about? >> Do you know this creator God that Bishop was talking about? And he said, "I want you to be filled with all >> the fullness. >> Have we made this too complicated? >> Have we put too much mystery in in this? >> Or can it just simply be Jesus?" >> Amen. I uh years ago I read the book. It's called The Phenomenon of Pentecost. It's written by Frank Uritt who in the early days of last century was a part of the uh uh Zuza Street revival and all of that. That book is so fascinating. These people didn't have distractions. This this preacher traveled and preached and I I I read in this book and he's talking about preaching up in Canada somewhere on the western side. I think it was in British Columbia. And he said one night in the congregation there was a man, it's in the book, you can read it. He had a very large tumor on the side of his neck. And he said, "We were singing that old song, Jesus breaks every feeder." And he said, "While I was singing that song, I saw the tumor fall off the man's neck and down to the floor. I want a book of Acts, church. >> Well, you know, I go look for the song. I'd never heard that song, Jesus Breaks Every Feather. And old Bishop Patterson down here in Memphis, he had some recordings and he had it on he had it on one of his albums. Jesus breaks Every Feder Bishop. Do you know that one? You mean this predates you? That means it's over 88 years old then. like Jesus breaks every know and in my brain I'm like I'm going to sing that song if a tumor will fall off. I preached a sermon the next week called Jesus breaks every feeder. How many of you know it wasn't in the song? >> It was simply Jesus. >> There was a point of faith. There was a contact of faith. The man listening to the song said, "Oh, if he can break ever feder, he can take care of this tumor on the side of my neck." And there you have it. He just fell off in the floor. I don't know if you would love to be a part of a movement like that. I would. >> They said to Peter, "By what power or by what name have you done this?" Peter filled with the Holy Ghost >> said, "People and elders of Israel, you're examining us of this good deed to the impotent man by what means he has made hope. Be it known unto you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name >> of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, >> whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you." Who? can't please Jesus. [Music] >> Amen. Amen. You we we can we can sometimes maybe get lost in the big things when we don't have to have the big things. We can we can utilize simple faith and trust in God. Amen. with and with the servant stopped non and I won't tell that story and one of the servants came you know non was ma I mean uh uh uh non was mad cuz he thought the prophet he said was going to come out wave his hand >> and go hocus pocus >> and cure me of my leprosy >> what did the servant say to him he left in a rage if if if that asked you to do some big thinking >> just go dip seven times in the Jordan. Non went and dipped. And how many know he was made whole? >> Simple things, miracles in the mundane, little things. I want to live my life like that. I I've changed over the years of pastoring most all of my adult life. How many hundreds of times has somebody come up to me and say, "Pastor, I want you to pray for Uncle Charlie, Aunt Susie, whoever, and I want you to pray for me. I'm having surgery." And you know, I always say, "I promise." I Yeah. I just say, "Yes, sir. We'll pray. Yes, ma'am. We'll pray." You do the same thing. And then you do what I did. You go home, forget it. That's why some of you are laughing because you say, "Yep, I don't do that anymore." They come up to me and I don't care where we're at. I don't care if we're in a restaurant. Most of the time it's at church. I just call me on the phone. I said, 'We going to pray right now. We're going to pray. We're going to pray right now in the mundane part of life. Amen. We you you ought to learn to practice that. Somebody at your work says, "Pray." Hey, you can be used of God. >> You can be used of God. You don't have to be in the pull pit. These signs shall follow them that believe. It's simply Jesus. >> We had a we had a man who who worked with Ginger at our church. He he was a nurse. They were hospital uh right there where Kelly's father works and and uh they they would have lunch break and he he uh he had some struggles in his life. They would sit and study the Bible and he'd say, "That's not in the Bible. I never heard that." Well, you need to read your Bible. Anyway, it shortened his story. Uh finally one day he came to church. He got baptized and uh we were having a Monday night prayer meeting and and he came to the prayer meeting. Doug came to the prayer meeting and uh he was part of our seven club uh our seven recovery program. And and so we pray about an hour and we were going and she he did he looked at her and said, "Where are y'all going?" She said, "Well, we usually prayed about 8:00 and we're going." And and she could tell he was troubled and she said, "You don't have to leave, Doug. you can stay as long as you want. She got home and got worried about him and she called Doug and she said, "Doug, are you okay?" He said, "No." She said, "What's wrong?" He said, "Jinger, I want the Holy Ghost." She said, "When?" He said, "I want it now." Ginger told me this story. She said, "Pastor, I've never prayed." She said, "I prayed with a lot of people to receive the Holy Ghost, but I was never in there giving them instructions." She grabbed her computer and Googled how to pray somebody through to the Holy Ghost speaking in tongues. She said, she said, "Pastor, I pulled up of sight. There were three bullet points." She said, "Okay, Doug, you ready to go?" He said, "Yes." She said, "The first thing I want you to do is I want you to repent. >> She's reading on her computer. She's reading the book." This is a true unmbellished story. She's reading on a computer. And then she leads him on and she said, "Now I want you to start praising God." And he busted out speaking in tongues over the phone. He said, "Jinger, you got to give me Pastor Dean's number. I want to call him and tell him what just happened. Do you know why Doug wanted the Holy Ghost? He had been said told all of his life that tongues wasn't a part of the church today. And he read the scripture where Paul said, "I thank my God. I speak with tongues more than you all." Doug is a member of our church today. I'm just telling you, it's simply Jesus. There's miracles in the mundane. I read a story about a little lady. She was a little grandmother and she'd gone to the mall, got out and realized she had locked her keys in the car. She didn't know what to do. And uh she was sitting there and here comes a guy riding up on a motorcycle, leather jacket, got all the got all the signs of being in some motorcycle club, you know, and he got out and said, "Can I help you?" And she said, "I've locked my keys in the car." He goes over to his motorcycle. He gets out a little gadget. He slips it down in her window, unlocks her car, and she said, "Oh, thank God. He sent a good man to help me unlock my car." And the man said, "Ma'am, no, I'm not a good man. I just got out of prison for stealing cars. She grabbed him and hugged him and said, "Thank God he sent me a professional. >> I want to live my life like that. It's simply Jesus." I try to wrap my mind around this. In the book of Acts, travel was the speed of snails. They either walked or took ships and fought devils everywhere. >> They were harassed. They were persecuted. I don't suppose Paul ever asked where the nearest hotel was because he knew he'd probably have a free room and board in the local prison. That's right. >> Amen. And yet this band of believers, God almighty, they said they're unlearned and ignorant. This band of believers in Acts 19 and 26, the Bible said they have they have turned the world upside down. The Bible said all all throughout Asia, all Asia heard the word. They didn't have all the means that we have today to get the gospel out. It was simply Jesus. Somebody shout to the Lord right now and clap your hands. [Applause] >> Simply Jesus. I I want to be filled with all the fullness of God. Amen. Am I making any sense to you today? There are miracles in the mundane of your life. Somebody on your job says, "Hey, I I I I want you to pray whatever." You know, don't don't do this, please. For for all my life, I've had people in a church call me say, "Hey, pastor, I'm working. One of my co-mployees or one of my friends is in the hospital and uh I asked them if they would mind if you came and prayed for them. I don't mind, but I want to know what's wrong with you. Yeah. >> When did you think it had to be a preacher >> to go pray for somebody? >> One one man I remember the story well and and I I walked into the man's room and I'm happy to go pray for somebody. I don't mind doing that. But what's wrong with your lazy hide? >> I shouldn't have said that, should I? >> It's simply Jesus, church. >> It's the same Holy Ghost Peter and John had. It's the same name Peter and John used. I I have a few people looking at me weird right now. You need to quit looking at me weird and start saying, "Thank you, Jesus, for what I just heard. God can use me. God can use you. God can use anybody." Do you know what Brother Brian Kinsey taught me? That God never asked us to manufacture anything. God only needs a conduit. He didn't need Peter and Paul and John and the rest of the disciples to multiply the bread. All he needed them to do was pass it out. >> Just give me the loaves and the fishes. I'll do the hard work. You do the easy work. I think I hear Jesus saying today, just simply believe. I don't have to manufacture something. >> Have to trust God. And I think we're distracted. I know we are. I know I am. I know I am. We we we uh it I mean life is just absolutely crazy. I thought I was retiring. Our wife said, "Quit telling everybody you retired. You go to the office every day." I like my office. What's with all the storage buildings? [Music] >> Who? >> Everywhere you look, they're putting up more storage buildings. >> Am I right? >> What are they putting in these buildings? >> Stuff. >> Huh? You filled your attic up >> and you don't throw anything away. >> You just save it up there so your kids can take it to Goodwill. [Music] >> Am I right or wrong? >> I mean, everywhere all in my city, they're putting up and now they got them air conditioned. You know, you you can put it in an air conditioned room. Praise God. I'm gonna put it in an air conditioner so when my kids take it to Goodwill, it won't be all warped and bent [Laughter] >> here. Here's this is what I'm going to conclude the rest of my sermon with because I really I really think that we get distracted so much and some of it is the cost of living. >> Some of it is the cost of living. When when I read uh another book by a man who was at Isuza Street, he talked about his baby dying and he had to build the own ca his own casket for his little baby. I know the first superintendent of the US be of the UPC was a man named Howard Goss. And when Howard Goss died, they his family didn't have money to buy him a tombstone. I'm not against having money. I've lived broke and I've lived not broke. And it's a whole lot more fun when you're not broke. And by the way, how are we going to evangelize the world if we don't have something to put in the kitty to help build Bible schools and churches and send missionaries around the globe to get the gospel out for Jesus Christ. But Paul said in Colossians 3 1-4, if you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, >> where Christ siteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth. >> For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life shall appear, then we shall appear with him in glory. I love the NIV Bible. At home, we call it the nearly inspired version. I love the NIV and what it said about this. He said, "Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth." That's the way that early church lived. I mean, all but one of the apostles were martyed, right? They didn't know when their day would come, when they'd lose their head or lose their life. They didn't know, but they didn't care. They didn't care. It was simply Jesus. And I asked myself, what is the answer? What did they do? What what attitude did they have that I can develop in my life so that I will be a part of the restoration of the true apostolic church in North America? What can we do as the body of Christ? Brothers and sisters, is there something we can mimic? Is there something in that early church we can copy? >> Set your affection on things above. and not on things of this earth. >> Yeah, I heard my wife say, "Help me, Jesus." Hey, I think that was her. Hey, I took my little first grandson. In the south, we have ISIS. Do y'all have ices up here? >> What? They don't have them? >> Oh, they're not as good. Lincoln loved ices. I took him to get an icy one day at the little grocery a little corner gas station by our church and and so he's cute as a bug, man. He's sitting there. He's holding his little icy and we're waiting to pay for it and and a little lady came up to him and she was admiring him and talking about how cute he was. You know, she said, "You're so cute." And patting him on the head and he's looking at her. Well, she is made up, brother. I'm telling you, she had on enough makeup to camouflage a battleship. She had on enough power to powder to blow it up. And she had those Tammy Fay Baker long eyelashes. You kids don't know what we're talking about. I mean, she had enough she had enough something on her eyelashes. I don't know how she kept her eyes open. And I see my little grandson staring at her just and I'm like, "Oh, God. Something's coming out of this that I'm not going to be proud of." And in a minute, he said, "What your eyes doing?" and she didn't hear him. And I was thanking God. And she looked at me and said, "What did he say?" I said, "Nothing." He said, "I I want to ask I want to I want to ask First Apostolic Church in Knoxville that question. What's your eyes doing?" >> You know what he said? Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. That was an attitude of the early church that I want to see resurrected in the last day, church, before the coming of the Lord. When we've got our affection on things above, come on. Over the next hill, we're going to be home, church. Over the next hill, we're going to be home. The signs are everywhere. Let's get excited about it. Amen. Amen. I know you've heard this before, but the longest sermon that's recorded of the Apostle Paul outside of his epistles was on Mars Hill where all the wise men and all the noble men and all the educated men gathered and they wanted to hear something new. Man, Paul waxed eloquent. He quoted their own poets and the Bible saw only few people saved. He didn't make a dent. He said, "This guy's interesting. We'd like to hear you next week." Do you know he left there and he went over to Corinth to preach a revival. You know what happened from from from Marsill to Corinth. He threw away those notes. He said, "I ain't worried about what their poet said. I'm not going to preach about the unknown God." He got over to Corinth, he said later when he wrote to them, "When I came to you, I determined to know nothing but what?" Jesus Christ and him crucified. Simply Jesus. He said, "I came to you in weakness. I was trembling. I was in fear. I I wanted a demonstration of the spirit and the power of God. FAC Knoxville, help me preach right now. Let's get back to that. Let's get our affection our affection on things above. What are your eyes doing? Are you planning long term here on this earth? Or are you thinking about heaven every now and then? At least we're going to go home. And I I want to just share I got five bullet points and I'll be done and I won't spend a ton of time on any of them. I don't think number one they just followed Christ's instructions. They simply followed his instructions. Whatever he told them to do. Remember Mary told the servants at the first miracle that Jesus performed, "Whatever he tells you to do, do it." Yeah, they were sold out. They just obeyed. They'd learned this lesson well in in the Gospels. Throw your net on the other side. Well, we fished all night. They just did what he asked him to do. Twice it happened. He's followed his instruction. told a man, "Go washing it and pull the silon." Amen. It happened. They learned to live that way. You know, if that's you, Lord, bid me come to the on to you on the water. Come on. >> Really? >> Good God. I I wonder what all those other disciples were thinking when he crawled over that boat. >> We make fun of him for sinking. Bless your heart. Have you ever walked on the water? The Bible very plainly says he walked on the water to go to Jesus. >> But what happened? He got his eyes on the wrong thing. >> He started looking at the wrong thing. I think it's time as the body of Christ, we get back in that Bible. If you're willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. I call it redemptive lift. I preached about it the other night. When you do what God tells you to do, he's not a man. He cannot lie. neither the son of man that he should repent. And I want us to get back to that simply Jesus. Amen. I can be used of God. I I'm a believer. God wants me to be a conduit. Make me somebody you can flow through. Lord, >> they just went everywhere teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. The next thing I notice uh about these uh these uh early church they had singleness of heart. It's in the Bible. They continuing daily with one accord in the temple breaking bread from house to house did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. The word singleness there in the Greek means simplicity. They were in this together. They had the same motives. This was not something they did on the side. It wasn't their f their their their second job. It was their first and last job. It wasn't a hobby. It was their life. It was not an hour and a half on Sunday morning and an hour and a half on Sunday night. It was daily. Somebody shout daily. They had singless of heart. They went everywhere. They went out and preached everywhere. The Lord working with them, confirming his word with accompanying signs. That's what the Bible said. They just believed it. If they got persecuted, they just had singleness of heart. No task was too small. There was no division in that church. Little things made a big difference. Who were these disciples that we read about when uh we look at those guys that let Paul down in a basket in the night when when they were coming to take his life? We don't know their names. We don't know who they were. We just know there were two good men who were a part of the body of Christ and said, "Hey, we got to get Paul out the window. put him in this basket. They had no clue that when they held that basket and let that man of God down, they weren't they were holding on to twothirds of the New Testament Bible that you read. They had no clue that they were letting down a man that was going to change the world by preaching the gospel to the Gentile church. Open the door to me and you here in Knoxville today. They had no clue. There was no task too small. I'll do what I can do. Thank you for working a camp meeting. Thank you for being at the back door, brother, with your coffee in your hand and your iPad looking at it. Make sure nobody comes in to shoot the flock so they don't get the Glock. Thank you, my brother. You're doing something for the kingdom of God. They had singleness of heart. I hope you're hearing what I'm telling you right now. No task was too small. Whatever you're doing, do it with excellence. If you're an usher, do it with excellence. If you're a greeter, do it with excellence. Everybody counts. said singleness of heart. Yeah. And then I noticed after this that quitting was never an option. They didn't think about quitting. Now there there were some people that let Paul down. I understand that. And uh Deus hath forsaken me. I left Ephroditis. He was sick nine to death. But God had mercy on him and not on him only, but me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. But I mean, these guys went through some stuff. >> I don't I've I've racked my brain to try to remember if I ever really sacrificed. I don't think I have. I had parents that did. My wife parents did. Your bishop did. I've heard the stories. I told by the old church yesterday they took me by the old church. They showed me where you put those concrete steps >> for free. They stoned Paul and at Lististra and thought he was dead. Be a good time to check out Paul. Boy, this should Nobody would blame you. >> Nah, I ain't done yet. >> I'm going right back into Lististra. >> I'll set the alarm clock and leave in the morning because I got some more preaching to do. Quitting was I've never understood people who want to quit the church. That's about the dumbest thing you could ever do. No, it ain't about the dumbest thing. It is the dumbest thing you could ever do. I've seen people walk away from church because they got their little old feelings hurt. >> Preacher didn't even shake my hand. You know, I've seen I've seen it all. I've seen it all. I've seen it all. But I'm going to tell you what else I've seen. I've seen people that held on. They went through thick and thin. They did whatever they had to do cuz quitting was never an option. This Acts 238 message is the message that will change the world. It changed your life. It'll change the world. And they just kept plotting. I want to say something for the plotters today. This there's a book I read called In Praise the Plotters. I want to thank you for being here this morning. I want to thank you for saying I'm getting up and going to the house of God. Quitting's not an option with me when you didn't have the money to write that tie check and you said, "You know what? Quitting's not an option to me. I'm going to go ahead and write it because God's not a man. He cannot lie. And I'm going to sit back and watch what he's going to do. Is there anybody that's like me? My wife used to take a calculator to the grocery store to make sure she we had enough money in our bank account to pay for the groceries. She had to put things back. I've been there. But I followed Christ instructions. And I never thought about quitting. I never thought about getting giving up. I've had my feelings hurt a few times. I've had some ignorant people do me wrong, but I never thought about quitting. And that's the attitude we ought to all have. If we going to be that early church, if we're It's just simply Jesus. Nothing else matters. Nothing else matters. Nothing else matters. Nothing else matters. And their simple confidence gave them boldness. >> And I want that boldness. Woo. I got a bowl in my last year. Sometimes to the point of a little too bold. I probably told you this for I I when I I I drink too much Starbucks, boy. But I had a latte yesterday for velocity about made me speak in tongues. Hallelujah. One of our little ladies went to work up there at Starbucks and when I walk out the door, she'd say, "Hello, pastor." Well, everybody got to calling me pastor in there. And then one day I walk in and there's one little African-American girl. She was little cute girl. And I walk in the door and order ahead, you know, and so they know my name. And I walk in the door and she goes, "Jerry, Jerry, I this is a true unmbellished story. Brother Bishop, I walk in there one day and every employee in Starbucks started going, "Jerry, Jerry." And that went on until all those people quit and went on to other jobs. I I'm going to tell you, I'm going to be bold. I'm going to treat people nice. I'm going to talk to people. I'm I I'm I'm telling you, I'm not like everybody else that walks in that Starbucks. I have the Holy Ghost, the same Holy Ghost Peter and John. I'm I'm different. I'm not going to be every old sigh pussed sirefaced person that walks up there gripes if their coffee is not ready when they say I'm sorry it's late. I'm going to say it's okay. I it's going to be worth the wait for me. I'm going to treat people nice. I'm coming down the elevator at LSU hospital and a lady gets on the elevator with me way up about the 11th floor and she looks up at me. It's just me and her. And she went, she rubbed her arms and she said, "Are you a preacher?" I said, "I am." She said, "I have goosebumps." I said, "Ma'am, that has nothing to do with me being a preacher. That's because I am full of the Holy Ghost." Now, you don't believe what I'm preaching today. You're think you're ever John Doe that walks up to work every morning. No, you're not. You've got the Holy Ghost. You've got a mark on you. God's put his name on you. You're a child of the everliving God. And beyond that, you got a revelation most of the world don't have. You know who Jesus is. You know he's not the second person of a trinity. You know he's the eternal father. You know he's the mighty God. You know who he is. You're not everybody else. It's simply Jesus. Clap your hands and shout. I'm saying it at home is we do not have throwaway services. >> I said that the other night cuz I don't know who's there and I don't know what somebody needs. >> They got an evangelist today and they're they're going they're going to have an amazing time at home. They'll pray people through. He's amazing. He's amazing. He's amazing. Amen. Praise God. Here's the last thing I'll say. The musicians can come. Is this all right? >> They kind of liked it on this side. What's wrong with this side? Y'all backslid over here. Paul said, "Forgive me in my folly." So, I have to ask you that. Forgive me in my folly. My last point, they simply gave their all. They gave it all. God promised you a blessing for just reading the book of Revelation, the unveiling of Jesus Christ. And here's Paul. Here's John on the aisle of Papus. It's amazing, isn't it? He's a prisoner of the Lord. They sent him out and quarantined him on that island. Alligator, Alcatres, whatever. I don't know. Couldn't get off. Jesus said, "Freely you have received, freely give." Can somebody say that with me? Freely you have received. Freely give. >> And Peter took his word. Silver and gold have I none. Boy, we can't say that anymore, can we? >> But such as I have give I thee. In the name >> simply Jesus >> in the name of Jesus rise up and walk >> and he had so much faith he reached down and took him by the hand and he lifted him to his feet and the Bible said his ankles his his ankle bones receive strength and he went running and leaping into the temple. I pastor one of the most giving churches in the world. And the more they give, the more I see them blessed. The more they pour into missions, the more they pour into the work of God around the world, the more I see them blessed. New people come into our church and I tell them, "Look on the parking lot. You're going to see a lot of nice vehicles. I want you to know some of them were right where you are, but they gave it to the Lord. They put in their first fruit. They began to believe God for his word and trust him. Hallelujah. I've never given all. But I will tell you what, someday it ain't going to matter what we had left over, is it? [Music] >> Paul said, "What things were gained to me? Those I counted loss for Christ, yay, doubtless. And I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things. He said, I suffered the loss. It hurt. It wasn't easy. But he said, I count them but dung. For you young people, if you don't know what dung is, talk to me after church. I count them at dung. Why? That I might win Christ. Simply Jesus. I pulled up to a barbecue place one day. There was a man that took my order at the drive-through window and he uh he came out. He said he loved my truck. I had a black F-150 until last week. I had it. I got me a new one to drive up here. God's been good to me. I didn't have Ben Franklin Motors to give me one. But me and my wife sat down in my new truck. I love that new truck. I've drive trucks a long ways. I rarely buy a new vehicle. It's always a used one. I looked at her and said, "Honey, look how blessed we are. I didn't have Ben Franklin's, but I had Jehovah God." And I'm going to tell you something about Ben Franklin's. It was the blessing of God that allowed him to do what he did for your bishop. Keep doing it, Mr. Franklin. Hallelujah. Keep doing it. I don't know who you are. Your name's probably not Franklin, but I'm going to tell you, God, don't get his hand stuck in his pocket. what he promised he'd do for you, he will do for everybody. I've seen God work miracles. I got a call one day and I don't have time to do this. It's 11:32. Stand up with me. All right. >> I got a call. my I was in my little cubby hole and Sister Karen who's helped us for so many years. She said, "Pastor, there's a man there's a missionary named Corbin on the phone and he's in Bangladesh and he wants to talk to you." I I knew who he was. I'd never met him. I heard him speak at conference a little bit one year and I know Bangladesh is a Muslim country. I know that. One of the most populated countries over there. Anyway, so we get on the phone and uh so help me. This is a true story. And we we do a little small talk and I said, "Well, Brother Corbin, I'd love to meet you someday." And I said, "What is the purpose of your call?" He said, "Brother Dean," he said, "God woke me up at 3:00 in the morning last night and told me to call you." That's pretty cool. God's thinking about me and a missionary is in Bangladesh. I said, 'Well, what what is it about?' He said, 'Brother Dean, I'm trying to build a Bible school in memory of Guy Rome. Guy Rome was such a powerful man. Had a great church in St. Louis. And when I was working at our national headquarters, that's where my family attended church. We loved that man so much. He was an icon. Started Gateway College. And I'm like, "Oh man, what do you need?" He said, "I have a piece of property, Brother Dean. It's not big enough to build the Bible school and the training center we need to build here in Bangladesh. And I said, "How much do you need?" He said, "I need $50,000 more dollars to buy this land." The owner called me and said, "If you don't purchase this, I'm fixing to sell it." I said, "Man, oh man, I got an idea. I'm going to the Indiana camp meeting. They asked me to preach missions tonight." I got my church directory down. I looked at all those churches and $50,000. That's easy. I saw some big churches like Calvary Tabernacle. Man, I can get $50,000 that night. Easy. I didn't tell anybody what I was doing. I was afraid they'd tell me no. True unmbellished story. My wife would vouch. So I walk into the tabernacle that night. I was there for one night to preach their mission service. And it was not global missions. It was North American missions. And they had about 15 couples that were planting churches that they were raising money for. And I literally sat on the platform and changed my message. And I'm on the way home the next day and I'm I'm I covered up my eyes because I was praying and I said, "God, what am I going to tell brother Corbin?" Had tears in my eyes. I covered my face up and the Holy Ghost spoke to me. and said, "I didn't ask him to call Indiana." I called my elders together, told them that story, and I said, "Gentlemen, we got to send $50,000 to Brother Corbin." God gave me favor. Few days later, Pastor Hawklin called me from Detroit. He said, "Would you come preach my missions conference?" I went up there. Every floor, it was five stories. I'm going to bring a picture tonight and show you. It's built. Every floor was 75,000. I brought him to our missions conference. We raised enough money to build two floors. Brother Hoffman built a floor. I went to preach in Missouri camp where brother Guy Romero is from. And that night in that service, they gave $150,000. They paid for that building because somebody just simply followed God's instruction. Simply Jesus. Do y'all believe we can have an apostolic revival in the last? >> Would you move up to the front before we go? It's 11:36. I don't know what time y'all get out. The restaurants don't open till 12:30, do they? Is there anybody here wants to be used of God this morning? Come up here, my brother, with a coffee shop. I forgot his name. What's his name? Brother Jason. Where's your partner? Is he here? Come here. That's a nice little joint you got over there. [Music] Would you like for that to be turned into a soul saving station? [Music] Simply Jesus. I'm going to tell you to do this. I'm just going to offer a suggestion. Get somebody to print you a little sign somewhere in that kitchen. You don't have to put it out in the public. Just put there simply Jesus. Let's see what God might do. I never do anything like that. Ask my sweet wife. I feel that in the Holy Ghost. Who knows? [Music] what God might do. Can I pray? Lord God, I ask to be a blessing to this church. What could I do? Lord, I asked. What can I do? What can I do? I hope I've been a blessing to somebody. I want to put a seed of faith in the ground. The miracles in the seed. The miracles is in the seed, Lord. And your word is the seed. And I want to put a little seed of faith in somebody's heart that thinks they cannot be used, that never dreamed. They could pray for a sick co-orker or a sick neighbor and they'd be healed. They could pray for somebody with a phone and they could receive the Holy Ghost. I'm praying, oh God, that little seed of faith will grow that we'll we'll have a we'll have hundreds of little conduits in this congregation that you're just flowing through. [Music] God, take us back to the simple things. Don't let our minds be corrupted, oh God, from the simplicity that is in Jesus Christ. [Music] The serpent deceived Adam and Eve. Don't let us be deceived. Don't let him corrupt our minds by thinking we can't be what you called us to be. We can give us singleness of heart in the body of Christ in Knoxville. Oh God, help us to be bold in our faith and step out and believe you. I'm praying in the name of Jesus. I'm praying in the name of Jesus right now. Take somebody by the hand. If you're comfortable doing that, lay a hand on the shoulder. Husband and wife, just pray. We're going to be conduits. I don't have to manufacture something. I don't have to I don't have to manufacture something. All I have to be is a vessel. That's all I need to be. I just need to be a conduit. Move through me, oh God, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. We're praying. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. >> Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Let's pray together before we go home. [Music] I speak Jesus. [Music] Your name is power. Your name is healing. Your name is life. [Music] Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadows. Burn like a fire. [Music] Your name is power. Your name is healing. Your name is love. Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadows. [Music] Shout Jesus from the mountains and Jesus in the streets. Jesus in the darkness over every enemy. Jesus for my family. I speak a holy name Jesus. [Music] Oh Jesus from the mountain. Jesus in the streets. Jesus in the darkness over every Jesus for our family. I speak the holy name. Jesus, [Music] your name is power. Your name is healing. Your name is life. Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadow. [Music] Your name is power. Your name is healing. Your name is love. Break every stronghold. Shine through the shadow. [Music] Shout Jesus from the mountain. Jesus in the street. Jesus in the darkness over every enemy. Jesus for my family. I speak the holy name. Jesus. [Music] Oh Jesus from the mountain. Jesus in the streets. Jesus in the darkness over every [Music] Jesus for my family. I speak the holy name. Jesus. [Music] Shout Jesus from the mountain. Jesus in the streets. Jesus in the darkness over every Jesus for my family. I speak the holy name. Jesus. [Music] Would you say simply Jesus? Say simply Jesus. Pastor Dean, thank you for letting the Holy Ghost speak to First Apostolic Church today. We have business owners in this place. We have entrepreneurs in this place. We have employers and employees. every walk of life that God has afforded you the opportunity to work and to provide for your family. And too many times we get so caught up in the exercise of following through the motions that we forget to put simply Jesus in all of it. I've got news for you. Nothing's gonna work if you don't have Jesus at the beginning of it. >> Brother Dean, here's your here's your Bible school today. Look at here. That that's that's what the Lord spoke to Brother Dean in existence. There's the construction and there's the finished product. Is that not incredible? Give the Lord a great big hand. Hallelujah. That's what's taking place. Hallelujah. [Applause] Brother Dean didn't know this. I we stopped by yesterday and took him to uh Velocity Coffee. This is not a commercial. This just happened to be the way it happened. Uh I I'm I'm thankful for what God's doing in everybody's life. And and God's going to do miracles that you're going to get equal time in your business about. I promise you. Let me tell you, uh, sometimes getting a new business off the ground is a tough thing and you're trying to, uh, make sure you do everything to reach out to the public. And, uh, uh, Brother Dixon and, Brother Huff started this business. And the coffee business works good in the morning and the coffee business works really good on the weekends. folks like to come in on what's a lot of the world's day off and uh they like to have coffee on Sunday mornings and when they first opened up they were opening up on Sunday morning and that wasn't working for them brother Dean and I want you to know they had to give some notices and all that but today you didn't know this today is the first Sunday they said no for not going to be open on Sunday anymore. God knows what's going on there, brothers. And God spoke to you. Let me tell you, when you put God first, some of us, if we will realize some of the things, the world's model don't work for us because we're different. You've been called out. There's going to be some differences in the way you do things and the disciplines in your life because it's simply Jesus leading us and guiding us. Thank you. Thank you, Pastor Dean. Man, I wouldn't miss service tonight for anything. We're going to have a great time in the Lord. Pick up this prayer journal. It's a guide to teach you to pray. We have them. Sister Nikki Richmond will be in the lobby taking care of those at the media desk. anybody but like to purchase those. Lord bless you. We'll see you tonight. Main service begins at 6:30. You're dismissed in Jesus name.