A Holy Hunger | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

If you have your Bibles and would turn with me to Matthew chapter 5 and verse number six. Matthew chapter 5 and verse number six. I am uh really stirred up right now. I'm really stirred. And it all started I u stumbled across a YouTube video on the life of William J. Seymour. And I'm I'm tell that name tonight because if you really uh want to know why I'm stirred um William J. Seymour, the man who ignited the 20th century with the Holy Spirit. He is the um he's the pastor and he was never he never wanted to be called that but he was the a he was the pastor of the Isuza Street Mission in Los Angeles California and uh it tells this u if you go to YouTube and go to uh William J Seymour the man who ignited the 20th century with the Holy Spirit it'll come up it's about a 30 minute it's about a 30 minute um um video of his life from uh from his birth um to to the end of his life and uh it will so move you. It will so move you um when you when you understand that before there was an Isuza Street mission where for three years for three years day and night people were there praying people receiving the Holy Ghost people there were notable miracles taking place but what has so captured my heart you're going to hear it tonight in the message was before there was the great outpouring. There was the great hunger. There was a tremendous hunger. He tried to go to he tried just to tell to you this part of the of the video. He heard there was a Bible school in Houston, Texas. He spent about all he could to get from I believe it was um somewhere Louisiana to Houston, Texas. When he walked up to the door of the Bible college, he was told the law forbids a black man to be educated with a white man. And so the teacher allowed him to sit out in the hallway with a small opening in the door so that he could hear it. It's it's just amazing to hear his story, but most of all the hunger that William J. Seymour had for more of God. Let's read my text tonight. Matthew 5 and6. Jesus said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." Let us pray. Father God of heaven tonight, Lord, I never want to become satisfied. God, I always want there to be a holy hunger, not only in my heart, but in the heart of my family. And not only in the heart of my family, but in the heart of my church family that I've been privileged to pastor. Oh God, let a holy hunger be birthed. Lord, let a holy hunger go forth, God, in this place tonight. Jesus, we need the Holy Ghost. We need your power in your presence, Lord. Anoint me tonight in Jesus' name. We all pray. Amen. Amen. Would you give him a hand of praise? Holy hunger. A holy hunger. You may be seated. Thank you so much for standing in honor of the reading of God's word. And thank you church family. Thank you so much for being in the house of the Lord on this midweek on this midweek Bible study. Jesus said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." The word blessed means happy. The word blessed means fortunate. The word blessed has favor written all over it. So he's saying blessed, happy, joyous, favorable are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness. Well, exactly what is righteousness? If we're blessed, if we hunger and thirst after righteousness, then tell me what is the righteousness? Please do not confuse it with the righteousness that Jesus Christ purchased for us at Calvary, the right standing with God through the mediator. This is a different righteousness. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness. What is it? Well, righteous here is simply being pleasing, being acceptable in the presence of God. In other words, you live a life with a holy hunger, a holy thirst, that you want to be pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God. I'm afraid that too many of us fall prey to wanting to be acceptable and pleasing in man's eyes. And we live our lives, we do things that we really don't want to do because we want to we want to be pleasing in everybody's sight. But can I tell you what would it matter if you could please everybody on this earth but displease God? It wouldn't matter. But what does it matter? And it does matter if we could please God and not please anybody else. We have great gain in our lives. >> So this this righteousness that Jesus says you're you're fortunate. You're you're happy if you have a righteousness that is hungry. You have a righteousness. You have a hunger and a thirst to live a life that is acceptable and pleasing to God. You see this hunger and thirst is like passion. It's like passion. This hunger and thirst, the passion is real. Just like a natural hunger and thirst is real. Now, this message may could go over better in a third world country that can identify with hunger. >> We truly have probably never been hungry. We've just not had what we wanted to eat. When you can stand a few moments in front of your refrigerator and be picky about what you pull out, >> can I tell you, you're not hungry. >> You just have an appetite. >> But in third world countries where food, they can identify with going hungry. When if they get something to eat every two or three days, they feel very fortunate. Well, I I don't know that I can break that barrier with you tonight, but our hunger and thirst after God should be as natural as when you want to get something to eat after a few hours of not eating. It should be natural. It's real. It's natural. It's intense. It's painful. It's a driving force. But the final thing I want to say about hunger and thirst, it is a sign of spiritual health. If you find yourself without an appetite, you find yourself in the phys in the in the flesh, you find yourself without an appetite, you just get up tomorrow morning and you're not hungry. And and you you get up Friday morning and you're still not hungry. And somebody has to start making you eat. And you just simply say, "I'm not hungry." Well, I got news for you. After a few days, and I'm not a doctor, so don't put the time limit on it. But after a while, you're going to have to call your doctor, and you're going to have to say, "Something's wrong with me." And he's going, "You, well, what's wrong with you, Mr. Carpenter? I don't have an appetite. I'm not hungry." They'll they'll say, "Hey, there's something going on inside of you if you're not hungry." And what it is in the flesh is the same application in the spirit. If we're not hungry after God and the things of God, then I got news for you. We're not spiritually healthy like we should be healthy. And I believe I'm talking to people tonight that want to be hungry. But see, sometimes we confuse hunger and thirst for other things. You know, it can come disguised. We can think we're after God when we're really just after power. We can think we're after God when we're really just after authority or we're after success or we're after comfort or we're after some of the these things. Please don't mistake the hunger for God for the fleshly hunger of recognition or the fleshly hunger to just simply want to be comfortable. Well, I promise you, if you'll live your life hungry and thirsting after the things of God, God can give you a comfort that no car, no home, no amount of money could ever give you. God can give you that comfort. Could you give the Lord a praise right now? Now, church, let's face it. We are going to hunger and thirst after something. >> We're going to hunger and thirst after something. My answer to that question that I just posed is this. Why not God? >> Why not God? If you're going to hunger and thirst after something, why not God? King David did. Turn with me to Psalms chapter 51 verse number 10. Psalms chapter 51 is that chapter where David's been confronted by his sin. David has had the man of God to come in and confront him on his sin. And David falls into the merciful hand of God. And Psalms 51:10, this is a man, this is a man that is in the process of repenting because see on a rooftop when you get hungry for the things of the world, you forget who you are. a hunger that distracts you from God. You see, he got hungry for the wrong thing. He got hungry for something that was off limits to him. And uh because of that, because of that hunger, he finds himself in deep sin. But even though he's in deep sin, can I tell you what can bring you out of deep sin? Deep repentance. not sorry I got caught. >> That's not repentance. It's not repentance when I'm just sorry that I got caught and I'm sorry everybody knows. It's deep repentance when you know that God knew before anybody else knew because God should be the only one. Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness, right standing with God. So David's in deep. He's in deep prayer of repentance. In Psalms 51:10, look at how it reads. Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me. Would you notice the order of that prayer? Do you know he first prayed for a clean heart before he prayed for a renewed right spirit? You see, your heart is like a room. Your heart's like a room. And in order for the Holy Ghost to really occupy that room and lead and guide you, that's got to be a clean room. You say, "Well, I want God to take it from it." I I got news for you. Repentance is not God taking it. Repentance is you confessing it and giving it. >> Well, I wish God would take this away from me. I wish God would I wish God would do that. Well, you've got to be willing to clean your heart. You've got to be willing to address and face the issues that's in your heart and say, "This is simply not pleasing to God." Now, you write the check for whatever it is in your life that you could say, "I I just don't believe. I I've got some things in my heart that I don't believe." Well, I got news for you. Every box of things that's in your heart, every space in your heart that something is there that shouldn't be there is a space that God cannot fill. You see, you can't ask for a full God with a half heart. You're not going to have all of God when you are only giving God half of you, >> right? Let's not expect God to we WANT ALL OF GOD, BUT I'm giving you half of me. Do you know you have as much as God? Now listen to this now. You have as much of God as God has of you. That's how much you got. You've got as much of God as you've given to him. So notice what David starts out. He says, "I'm going to tell you, on that rooftop that night, I allowed something to get in my heart. On that rooftop that night, I let lust begin to run rampant in my heart. On that rooftop that night, I let things get in my heart." So now David prays and he says, "Create in me a clean heart. Create." How did God create? In the very beginning, God used his word to create. God said, "Let there be light." And there WAS LIGHT. GOD CREATED LIGHT. God said, "Let this happen and that happen because GOD CREATED." YOU KNOW, IT'S THE SAME WAY WITH our heart. Do you know how you can have a clean heart? Let God's word dictate to you what should be there and shouldn't be there. Not your own thinking, not the culture that we live in, BUT GET IN GOD'S WORD. I IT doesn't matter if I agree with it or not. IT IT DOESN'T MATTER. IF GOD'S WORD SAYS it's right, I wish somebody would shout, "It's right." IF GOD'S WORD SAYS IT'S RIGHT, >> IF GOD'S WORD SAYS IT'S WRONG, >> IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I THINK. >> That's where we have to be with God. >> David said, "Creat in me a clean heart. Clean my house. Clean my room. God, clean my room out, God. Here's this. Here's that. God, clean my room." And then after the room is clean, then I say, "Come on, God. Renew within me the right spirit. Renew within me the right spirit." You you see before you would really before you would really do a lot of work in a room, before you would bring new things into the room, before you would bring bring new things into the room, you would clean the room. Let's say this. Let's say it's new construction. Some of you men can can can relate. Some of the women, Sister Glenna, can relate to this. All right? You've got new construction. It's been a maybe a concrete floor or a wood floor that there's been paint going on and this has been spilt there and that's been spilled. There's drywall mud where they they left about a quarter of an inch of drywall mud on the floor. The carpet man is waiting outside to come in and put the padding down and put the carpet down. But a good a good contractor doesn't say, "Oh, just go ahead and lay it over that dirt." Oh, not a good contractor. A good contractor is going to clean that floor >> before he's going to bring something new in. So, we can't ask God to bring the new spirit in if I'm just letting the dirt be there. He's not into covering up our sin. He's into forgiving our sin when we repent of our sin. And then he says, "All right, YOU'RE REPENTED. NOW, I'M going to put my spirit in you because I'm going to put something new on the inside of your heart." David knew something about this. Look at verse number 11. We're going to stay here for a little bit. Look at verse number 11. What does he say in verse number 11? Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me. Look at that. Look at that. And once again, let me say, we have a hard time identifying with a God that would cast us away from his presence. We have a hard time identifying with a God that would take his Holy Spirit. Why? Because we have been absolutely inundated with God's mercy, God's mercy, God's mercy. We hear messages on restoration. You say, "Do you believe it?" I do believe it. But I also believe in balance. >> I also believe that throughout the scripture, we find this God who if you're going to live in your sin, he's going to cast you away. Oh, you you be c cast me away. That that that means I can never be saved. Well, no, no. That only means God has put you in a place to wake you up because he has found out that his smile on his face has not turned you. His goodness has not turned you. So, what does God do? He turns his back on you in order to wake you up because God loves us too much. to allow us to go on our way. Now I Let's just continue verse 11. Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me. Hold your place there in Psalms, but turn with me to second Kings chapter 17 verse number 18. Israel has had prophet after prophet after prophet and the main theme of prophets was the word repent. Return, repent, return. Israel had had continued to stay in their sin. In second Kings chapter 17 verse number 18, follow me closely. Therefore, the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. There was none left but the tribe of Judah only. Also Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statues of Israel which they made. And the Lord rejected all the seed of Israel and afflicted them and delivered them into the hand of the spoilers until, are you still following me? Until he had what? Where? Out of his sight. He had cast them out of his sight. for he rent or tore Israel from the house of David. And they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. And Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord and made them sin a great sin. Now, let me tell you what the sin of Jeroboam was real quickly. The sin of Jeroboam was the worship of convenience. That's what it's easy. We got to make it easy. We're living in a different day. We got to make it easy on people. If we don't make it easy, convenient on people, they ain't going to come and they ain't going to worship and they're not going to do Can I Can I tell you something? In that day, they were to go to Jerusalem and worship. And Jeroboam had an altar of convenience. He said, "Well, I'll just put an altar right down here by your house, and you don't have to go all the way to Jerusalem to worship. You don't have to do." And he's trying to make it convenient. Can I tell you your flesh will never accept worship unless you keep lowering the price of worship of convenience convenience and and I could go into all that he did but it's just basically he had to make it convenient for them to serve and I remember brother Hammond preached a message one time you know several years ago these little stores popped up all over our neighborhood and they went by the name of convenience store. Convenience store. And I remember him saying, you know, you can go over here at Walmart, you can buy you a roll of paper towels, two or three dollars, but you go to a convenience store, you may pay four or five dollars for one roll because there's always a price to be paid for convenience. Boy, I I don't want the price to be God not smiling on my life. >> I don't want to get so convenient minded in worship unto God that God looks down and says, "You know what? You pleased the flesh of men and women, but you haven't pleased the almighty God. We need the Holy Ghost. We We need We need God's presence. We need his presence." Verse 22. For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam, which he did, they departed not from them. Look at verse 23 real close. Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants, the prophets, so was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day. Where' God put them? He put them out of his sight. He put them to the side. He put them out of his sight. Now, just in case we have anybody here this evening, we say, "Well, Bill Carpenter, the stories you're telling right now, the events that happened happened in the Old Testament, but you know, there's something about when God became flesh, he really got in a better mood and he's not angry with people anymore." Well, that doesn't hold water with scripture. May I take you to the dispensation that we live in right now and take you to the church at Thessalonica, 2 Thessalonians 1:6. Would you go there with me? Second Thessalonians chapter 1 verse number six. Now he's talking about a persecuted church. The Thessal Thessalonans were a persecuted people. They were persecuted. And uh Paul writes to them and he says, "Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you." He says, "It's only right. It's only right. They that trouble you and persecute you, God is going to pay them for the trouble that they have caused you. And and and Paul just says, "Hey, I know you're being persecuted, church of Thessalonica. I know you're being persecuted. There's great persecution that's fallen upon you." He said, "But it's only a right thing. God God is going to recompense. He's going to He's going to pay these people that trouble you. Verse seven. And to you who are troubled, that was the church. rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory glory of his power. And I want you to look at this real closely. Not only did God cast Israel out of his sight. That's bad. But we do know that God's not finished with Israel. All right? We do know on God's prophetic time clock, Israel's coming around. That's why we're hearing a great deal about Israel because God's not finished with Israel. But can I tell you that when we have the rapture of the church and we have the second appearing when when when Jesus comes to this earth and these are two different events. Can I tell you that when God separates man from his presence? It's not temporarily. It is eternal. It is is it is eternal that God is going to separate because it says here in flaming fire verse eight taking vengeance on them look at this now that know not God and that obey not the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished here's here's the punishment who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. Please look back at verse eight with me for a moment because I want to bring a point out. In verse eight, there are two groups of people here. In verse eight, the first group, it's them that know not God. The second group is them that obey not the gospel of the Lord Jesus. Two groups. The first group obeyed the gospel but did not go on to know God. The second group just rejected the gospel. Period. Now I want us all to be aware tonight. Thank God for repentance. Thank God when the waters are troubled. Thank God when people receive the glorious gift of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. But that is your birth certificate, >> not your graduation certificate. >> It is possible. It is possible to have the bornag again experience but not go on and nurture that relationship because it said it didn't say it didn't say taking vengeance on them that go not to church. It didn't say taking vengeance on them that that that are not in the choir. It didn't say taking vengeance on them that don't have a title in the church. It just simply said taking vengeance on them that know not God. I want to shake us tonight to the realization you can come here all three services and still not know God. >> You can go get you a choir robe and get up in THIS CHOIR EVERY TIME SHE EVERY TIME IT sings and still not know God. You can come here and sing the songs while you can come here and give a tenth of your income called tithing and you can even support missionaries and still not know God. >> Well, carbon that's pretty that that but but it is the truth. >> Some people have been have been deceived to think that this is all there is. It's not all there is. These two groups, them that know them that know not God. Well, let's look at Matthew chapter 7 21 for a moment. Somebody give a good amen right now. >> Just give a I know it's a heavy word. I know it's a heavy word. >> But you know what? If this heavy word causes us to think >> and thinking causes us to change, >> then it's going to be a blessed word. >> It's going to be a blessed word. Let's let's look at Matthew 7:21 for a moment. Matthew chapter 7:21. Let's listen to Jesus Christ. He says, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven." Listen to him now. Verse 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done wondrous work, wonderful works. Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity. I never knew you. I never KNEW YOU. WHY? BECAUSE YOU were born again. BUT BECAUSE YOU REMAINED in your sin and you made excuses for YOUR SIN, I CAST you away. I cast I never knew you. I I I I never knew you. Now, it doesn't say there you never knew me. It says, "I never knew you." But they said, "Wait a minute, Lord. Wait a minute, Lord. Have we not prophesied in thy name?" And I'm going to tell you, in the not too distant future, I'm going to do a Bible lesson about prophecy. because we got a lot of folks walking around. I'm going to prophesy to you. I'm going to give you a word. And and I >> can I tell you right now that if if I obeyed every prophecy that someone wanted to give me, >> I would not be here right now. >> I would not be here. I remember getting a call many years ago from someone that I had a you know your heart's deceitfully wicked. All right. Don't All of us all of our hearts are deceitfully wicked. All of there ain't enough amens in this house tonight. >> Evidently God God raptured me. I'm in heaven preaching to the angelic choir right now. Our hearts are deceitfully wicked. >> That's why they sang tonight. We need the Holy Ghost. We need They didn't They didn't sing the world needs the Holy Ghost. The world needs the Holy Ghost. No, no, no. Before the world can get it, we got to get it and we got to keep it and WE GOT TO GIVE IT OUT. I need the Holy Ghost. We need the Holy Ghost. All right. But I got a call from someone and they told me this. They said, "Would you believe me if I told you the Lord spoke to me?" And I said, I said, "Well, just tell me." I said, "You you and this person been in my life." And and and I said, "What what would it be?" And the person said to me, he said, "The Lord spoke to me in prayer and told me that that you have left the field of evangelizing and that you need to you need to resign the church. You need to go back on the field." And then the person said, "And and my son needs to come pastor the marble church." Truth. Truth. Now, if id obeyed that, there's there's a lot of people you you got you got to realize you got to realize it's it's it's a serious thing to get it in somebody's ear and say, "Oh, dude, the Lord said it." You >> hush. Me Nolan, Brother, Brother Nolan, Brother Hammond, we were at a conference. I'd been invited to preach a conference. I'd never been there before. And the conference between here and Vietnam and I'd been invited to speak that night. And I was up on the front row and I was reading my Bible, trying to look at my notes a little bit when a man came up. Come up for another one. I ain't been I know. He come up. That's Will Carpenter. Well, that's both Kenneth Carpenter. He come up. I was reading my Bible before I knew him. like a scanner. >> And so help me. The first thing I grinned because the first thing I thought I thought somebody that that their mama let him get loose or something and and I I I was kind of grinning and and and I want to pat him on the head. I kind of grinning and and and Nolan le leaned back over. and said, "Dad, go ahead." He said, "Dad, be careful." He said, "That's that's the prophet here at the church." He later told me, the prophet, he said, "I was just coming to check your spirit out." I thought I had to preach before you check my spirit out. >> See, there's all kind of crazy. Listen, there there's there there is more there's more of this going on right now. But see, I got to balance it because we can't throw the baby out with the bathwater. >> We can't say there's not prophecy >> cuz there is prophecy. >> But I'm just telling you, here's a group of people that God didn't know. >> And guess what? Their credentials they were offering God. Did we not prophesy in your name? >> You can prophesy in his name, but that doesn't mean that you know GOD AND GOD KNOWS YOU. WE'VE BUILT BIG BIG BUILDINGS in your name. WE'VE CAST OUT DEVILS in your name. >> He said, "Depart from me. I never knew you." I'd like to give a charge to all of us tonight. Starting with the pastor, Brother Carpenter, starting with pastoral team tonight, starting with all the leadership. LET'S BE CAREFUL THAT WE'RE NOT ALLOWING OUR TITLE TO BE THE VALIDATION FOR WHO WE ARE. PASTOR, BISHOP, EVANGELIST, CHOIR LEADER, HEAD THIS, HEAD THAT, HEAD OVER HERE, BISHOP THIS, BISHOP THAT. IF WE DON'T KNOW GOD, IT DON'T MATTER AT ALL IF WE DON'T KNOW GOD. I'm hungry for the Holy Ghost. I'm hungry for the MOVE OF GOD. TITLES WON'T GET IT. POSITIONS WON'T GET IT. Come on. COULD WE JUST PRAISE HIM RIGHT NOW? COULD WE JUST WORSHIP HIM RIGHT NOW? I I wish every I wish GOD I WISH every I get this wrong so many times. We have We have almost 99 employees here at this church. And I want to give an I want to give a I WANT TO GIVE AN ALARM out to every daycare, EVERY SCHOOL, EVERY PERSON THAT works here AT THIS CHURCH. DON'T ALLOW YOUR POSITION JUST BECAUSE YOU COME TO CHURCH EVERY MORNING SICK FIVE SIX DAYS A WEEK DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU'RE RIGHT WITH GOD. I'M NOT SAYING I'M I'M I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOU'RE NOT. I'M JUST SAYING BE CAREFUL TONIGHT. BE CAREFUL THAT YOU KNOW GOD. I'M GLAD THAT YOU'RE A SCHOOL TEACHER. I'M GLAD YOU'RE A DAYCARE WORKER. I'M GLAD YOU'RE UP IN A CHOIR. BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING, I WANT YOU TO KNOW HIM. I WANT YOU TO BE FILLED WITH HIM. I WANT I WANT HIM TO BE IN YOUR LIFE. Depart from me. I never knew you. God, I worked at I did this. He said, I never knew you. Depart from me. You that work iniquity. What about Samson? Judges 16 verse number 19. Judges 16 verse number 19. Delilah. She made him sleep upon her knees. She called for a man. She caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head head. And she began to afflict him and his strength went from him. Y'all know the story. She said, "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson." And he awake out of his sleep. And said, Everybody say, "And said." >> Say it again, please. and said he woke out of his sleep and said, here's what he said. I will go out as at other times before and shake myself and he whis not that the Lord was departed from him. Can I tell you, we flirt with sin. We get out here and get a little bound up. We come to the altar and do a little shaking. We come to the altar and do a little repenting. And and I'm just preaching to you as a pastor from my heart tonight. But sooner or later, you're going to shake and God's not there. >> You're going to shake and he's not there. Well, I I went up and and I felt I felt this. Sooner or later, God's going to say, "No, I've done I've done let you go OVER HERE AND COME back and I touched you. I let you go over here and come back and I touched you." And God says, "That's not going to change your life. I'm going to have to put you aside. They're going to take your two eyes from you. YOU'RE GOING TO GRIND MEAL in a prison like a mule does. But the Bible says, and let let's just stop right there for a moment. Number one, I don't want any of us to lose our giftings. I don't want any of this is why I'm preaching this tonight. I don't want any of us to wake up one day and the Lord has departed. And we knew we He wish not that the Lord has departed. He I that's what I want to stop it right now. You know, for years I told the story of my brother that went the wrong way and went to prison for 34 and a half years. You know what? It just really should take one Jerry Carpenter to stop everybody. IT SHOULD JUST TAKE ONE YOUNG man like that that gets his eyes taken out that gets put in a prison and all of that to say to any young man or young woman here tonight, I want to listen to my pastor. I I WANT TO SHAKE MYSELF AND LISTEN TO MY P. I'VE let the devil GET ME OVER HERE TO WHERE I THINK, YOU KNOW, HE'S JUST an old man out OF TOUCH WITH EVERYBODY. HE'S JUST A RED-FACED PULLPIT POUNDING ANOTHER LOUD PREACHER THAT'S OUT OF TOUCH WITH SOCIETY. NO, NO. THAT'S WHAT THE DEVIL WANTS YOU TO THINK. BUT WHAT GOD SAYS, YOU BETTER SHAKE YOURSELF. THAT'S MY MAN OF GOD. THAT'S THE MAN PREACHING ME THE WORD. THAT'S THE MAN. HE TRYING TO KEEP ME OUT OF HELL. HE TRYING TO KEEP MY FAMILY RIGHT. >> >> Go back with me to Psalms 51, please. Psalms 51:12. We need the Holy Ghost. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. uphold me with thy free spirit. There you go again. He says, "God, restore it to me." I'm going to tell you something tonight. There's been too many Sunday school teachers and too many workers in God's house across America, across the world that while you were in office, while you were called, while you had a gifting to to to do whatever you were doing in God's house, you had a failure. You had a moral failure in your life. And you you you you were taken out of that. But can I tell you, you're never taken out to be punished. You're taken out to be corrected. But some of you have stayed out of your Sunday school room too long. And some of you have stayed out of your choir road too long. And some of you have stayed out of your calling too long because you've bit the bait that the devil has said, "Well, you're just going to come here and you're just going to have the memory of what you used to be and what you used to do. And if you can endure all this until Jesus comes, you're going to be saved. But I've come TO TELL SOMEBODY TONIGHT, GOD IS SAYING, "RESTORE ME, OH GOD. LORD, I HAD A FAILURE. LORD, I HAD A MOMENT, A SEASON IN MY LIFE. GOD, THAT WASN'T ME. BUT BEFORE THAT, I WAS KILLING GIANTS. I WAS WRITING SONGS. I WAS SINGING. I WAS PRAISING. I WAS OBEYING. GOD, RESTORE THAT BACK TO ME. GOD, RESTORE THAT BACK TO ME." YOU MAY HAVE BEEN OUT OF YOUR SUNDAY SCHOOL ROOM FOR 20 YEARS, BUT GOD, I'M LOOKING FOR SOME PEOPLE TO COME WALKING BACK UP AND SAYING, "GET ME BACK IN THE CHOIR. GET ME BACK TO DOING I'M TIRED OF JUST SITTING ON A PEW." Am I making sense tonight? >> Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. And look at this. uphold me with thy free spirit. What am I going to do when you restore me and you hold me up by your free spirit? What am I going to do? Verse 13 tells us what we're going to do then will I teach transgressors thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Can I tell you something, friend? >> There's nothing like a person that has went out and come back in that can help a person that's on their way out. There's not. Listen, you listen. If you've ever if you've ever been in and went OUT AND GOT BACK IN, you have a spiritual perception that I don't have. All right? That doesn't make me better than you and you less that. No, no, no, no. YOU JUST HAVE A PERCEPTION. You can see it a long WAY OFF. AND BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE IT A LONG WAY OFF, YOU BEGIN TO CALL THEM UP AND SAY, "HEY, I SAW WHERE YOU MISSED WEDNESDAY NIGHT. HEY, I SAW WHERE YOU MISSED SUNDAY MORNING. HEY, I SAW WHERE YOU SAT BACK AND AND AND I SAW I SAW THE HOLY GHOST WAS MOVING." I'M THAT'S A TRUE FRIEND. WELL, I'LL WAIT TILL the preacher PREACHES ON IT. I'LL GET THERE. BUT WHAT IF GOD GIVES YOU THE PERCEPTION RIGHT NOW THAT ALL IT WOULD TAKE IS A BUNCH OF PHONE CALLS AFTER CHURCH TONIGHT. HEY, I MISSED YOU TONIGHT. HEY, YOU USED TO BE HERE WITH ME TONIGHT. HEY, I'M TELLING YOU, YOU YOU YOU come on, King David. David, you got back on your feet. Psalms 42 verse number one. Listen to this. As the harp or the deer panteth thirsteth after the waterbrooks, so pantth my soul after thee, oh God, my soul thirsteth for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? If David could cry out to God, "I'm thirsty for you, God. I'm hungry for you, God." Can I ask you tonight? Can I ask you tonight, when's the last time that it's bothered you that you don't know the last time you felt the touch of God upon your life? When's the last time that it bothered you that I can't really remember the last time I got lost in the spirit? I can't remember the last time that hot, salty tears rolled DOWN MY FACE. I couldn't remember the last time till I start I STARTED PRAISING AND I couldn't stop saying hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. HALLELUJAH. THANK YOU JESUS. GLORY TO GOD. I PRAISE YOU GOD. I MAGNIFY YOU GOD. I I WORSHIP YOU GOD. CAN I TELL YOU THE REASON WE HAVE THE BATTLE? IT'S CALLED THE FLESH. THE FLESH IS DECEITFUL. THE FLESH WILL TELL YOU WHEN YOU GOT TO CHURCH TONIGHT. WHEN YOU GOT THERE, GOD OUGHT TO BE SATISFIED WITH YOUR BODY THERE. HE'S NOT SATISFIED WITH YOUR BODY. HE SAID, "THEY THAT WORSHIP THE FATHER MUST WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH." I GOT TO KEEP GOING BY MY FLESH. I LOVE YOU, GOD. I PRAISE YOU, GOD. I MAGNIFY YOU, GOD. YOU'RE WONDERFUL, GOD. YOU'RE MAGNIFICENT, GOD. We need the Holy Ghost. FILL US WITH THE HOLY GHOST AND FIRE. FILL US WITH THE HOLY GHOST. WE NEED THE HOLY GHOST. WE NEED THE HOLY GHOST AND FIRE. WE NEED THE HOLY GHOST. WE NEED THE HOLY GHOST AND FIRE. OH, let me go on. Let me quickly go on. >> Jesus. David said his soul panted after God. Jesus gives an invitation. Jesus gives an invitation. John 7:37, listen to this. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood in what? It's about 10 of you. Jesus stood and >> right. You see, one of the one, let me just say something. We'll never have a Pentecost in this church till we get in one accord. We'll never have a Pentecost until everybody that's got the Holy Ghost in this building is saying, "We need the Holy Ghost. >> I need the Holy Ghost and fire. >> Fill us with the Holy Ghost." >> We're not going to have Pentecost around here with 25% saying, "Amen." And >> it's not going to happen. I love you. >> I love you, but you you're in trouble spiritually. I just I'm going to tell you something. You're in trouble spiritually. And the sad thing about it is time's going to tell the story on you. IF YOU'RE NOT RIGHT WITH GOD, SOMETHING WILL COME DOWN THE ROAD THAT'LL knock you so far out of this church, it won't EVEN BE FUNNY. AND YOU'LL FIND YOURSELF IN A SITUATION. >> Let's try that again. In that last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood in what? >> Boy, that's a Pentecost right there. Now, >> WHY'D HE CRY? YOU CRY TO emphasize saying, "If any man, >> let him come unto me and >> he that believeth," what's you talking about? What are you talking about? Come to you and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture has said, out of his BELLY SHALL FLOW RIVERS OF LIVING WATER. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, JESUS? BUT THIS SPAKE HE OF THE SPIRIT WHICH THEY THAT BELIEVE ON HIM SHOULD RECEIVE. FOR THE HOLY GHOST WAS NOT YET GIVEN. BECAUSE JESUS WAS NOT YET GLORIFIED. HE CRIED AND SAID, "IF ANY MAN THIRST, COME TO ME. AND GUESS WHAT I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU? I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU THE HOLY GHOST. I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU THE HOLY AND WHEN YOU GET THE HOLY GHOST, YOU'LL NEVER THIRST AGAIN. WHEN YOU GET GOD IN YOUR LIFE, YOU'LL NEVER THIRST AGAIN. YOU'LL HAVE IT. YOU'LL HAVE IT. YOU'LL HAVE IT. YOU'LL HAVE IT." >> OH, LORD, help me. Come on. David testified. Jesus testified. Listen to Moses. Listen to Moses. He says to God in Exodus 33, he says, "God, you've not told me who you're going to send. I I'm not going I'm not moving till you tell me who you're going to send with me." Exodus 33:14. And God said, "And he said, my what >> shall go with >> and I will give you Yes. >> And Moses says unto him, listen to what Moses said in verse 15. And he said unto him, if thy >> go not with, >> carry us not. >> I don't want to hear about milk and honey. I don't want to hear about Canaan land if you're not there. There's too many people want a land of Canaan, but not a God that carried them there. I would Listen, you don't have to build me a mansion. It don't have to be streets of gold. It don't it don't have to be streets of gold. It could be a mud road. It could be it could be an old log cabin. It could be anything. Heaven is not heaven because streets of gold, walls of jasper and gates of pearl. HEAVEN IS HEAVEN BECAUSE HE IS THERE. HEAVEN IS HEAVEN BECAUSE HE IS THERE. AND IF he Come on. Come on. JUST ASK GOD RIGHT NOW. FILL ME WITH THE HOLY GHOST. COME ON. FILL ME WITH THE HOLY GHOST. COME ON. DISRUPT SOMEBODY ON YOUR PEW RIGHT NOW. I I HOPE TO GOD AT LEAST THERE'S ONE PERSON ON EVERY PEW THAT'S GOT THEIR HANDS UP AND SAYING, "FILL ME WITH THE HOLY GHOST." >> I hope there's AT LEAST ONE PERSON ON EVERY PEW TONIGHT. THAT'S ALL I NEED. I JUST NEED ONE PERSON ON EVERY PEW TO DISRUPT EVERY PEW RIGHT NOW. GOD, I NEED THE HOLY GHOST. >> >> Can I tell you tonight, you may be seated for a moment? Can I tell you tonight, you will like me better if you get filled with the Holy Ghost. Can I tell you something tonight? I will like you better if I get filled with the Holy Ghost. Can I tell us all something tonight? We have let we Did somebody say marriages? We need some marriage counseling. I I wonder if you need praying through. You know, it's been a long time since I've done it, but it worked. I don't know why I stopped doing it. Oh, weapons. Oh, old weapons still work good. against the devil. >> But you know, years ago, I used to, Sister Selena, I used to have something to where people come wanted to have marriage counseling >> that we had 30 minutes of prayer before we went in the office. >> I can't tell you how many times after 30 minutes they said, "We don't need it." SO MAYBE YOU DON'T NECESSARILY NEED SOME MARRIAGE COUNSELING BECAUSE THERE'S NOT ENOUGH JAMES DOBSON'S IN THIS WORLD TO PROVIDE WHAT THE HOLY GHOST CAN GIVE YOU. >> THERE THERE'S NOT ENOUGH THERE'S NOT ENOUGH PSYCHIAT THERE'S THERE'S NOT ENOUGH MARRIAGE COUNSELORS IN THIS WORLD. WHAT WE NEED IS THE HOLY GHOST. WHATEVER HUSBAND NEEDS IS THE HOLY GHOST. WHATEVER WIFE NEEDS IS THE HOLY GHOST. WHAT? I want you to hear this statement tonight. God's spirit isn't a promise to be claimed as much as the as it is the goal of our prayers. Oh, I've got the promise of the Holy Ghost. Do you have it right now? Historically, you got the Holy Ghost, but you have it right now. Do you have it right now? That's that's you know, because he didn't just give you the Holy Ghost so you would have a historical landmark to say, "I got born again." No, no, no. He gave us the Holy Ghost to dwell in us. >> As a matter of fact, the church in Ephesus, he writes in Ephesus, Ephesians 5:18, listen to this little closely. Ephesians 5:18. Why don't we read it together? Why don't we read it together? Ephesians 5:18. And be not >> be what? >> Be filled with the spirit. How about Galatians chapter 5 verse number 16? Let's I'm gonna have you read it. It do it do you good to read it. Do do you realize that the word amen in the Bible, this is another sermon for another day, but real quickly, you realize the word amen in the Bible is to be spoken verbally by the person that's heard the word. >> The Bible says the prophet stepped out and said this, you are to do this, this, and the Old Testament, they said, you are Moses tell the people to do this, this, and this, and all the people shall say, >> right? So there's a verbal thing here. All right? There there there's a verbal there's a there's a verbal thing here. Let's let's read Galatians 5:16 all together. This I >> All right, let's go to Romans chapter 8. You're sounding great, church. You're sounding great. Romans chapter 8, verse number 14. I hope somebody's reading on every queue. I hope there's a voice on every Q reading. Romans chapter 8:14. Let's begin. Four. >> Do you realize what we just read? Be filled with the spirit. Walk in the spirit. Be led by the spirit. >> You see, you can't walk till you're filled. Because that walking is that daily progressing. That walking is not that you that that you don't leap in the Holy Ghost. You don't leap from Sunday to Wednesday, from Wednesday to Sunday. You walk Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and you come back Sunday still walking in the spirit. >> That that walking in the spirit that that that that's walking in the spirit. You got to be filled with the spirit. And then you got to walk in the spirit to be led by the spirit. See, you need you need to understand when God leads you by the spirit, God will lead you in he'll never lead you somewhere that his word is against. He'll never violate his principle. If he leads you into something, if he if he if he leads you into something, there was a there was a man a man living in gross immorality. He was living in gross sexual immorality, and he said, "I'm praying about leaving and getting out of that relationship." Well, you don't have to pray about it. Just get out. Well, I you know, I'm waiting for for God. It's already written. How many want to be led by the spirit? Well, y'all be you ought to you ought to ask God to lead you during major changes in your life, during major changes, major decisions in your life. It ought to be the prayer, "God, oh God, lead me in this way, God. God, if this is not your will, Lord, stop it right now. Put something in the way. God, lead me." Now, I'll close with this tonight. I'll close with the question. What does a healthy holy hunger look like? Because I've been very kind of just a a a broad banner of the Holy Ghost. But what does it look like? What does a healthy holy hunger look like? Are you ready? Number one, a desire for prayer. A desire for prayer. Well, I I you know, I I've tried going to prayer. I just don't feel just go to just go until just go until you will. I promise you if you will pray, you will see the benefits of that prayer and it'll get inside of you. You get a habit of praying down. You get a habit of praying down and then you miss a day or two of that prayer prayer habit. Guess what? A little bail starts going off inside of you. >> Little bail starts going off inside of you. You can tell in the flesh. You can tell in the flesh that hunger bell goes off inside of me quite often >> frequently. 10, two, four, and six. All right, it's it's it's going off. Everybody say a desire prayer. >> Desire for Bible reading, Bible devotional. I have a little book and boy, they're they're they're by the millions now. I have a little book uh called I got it I got it out of Sister Carpenter's little briefcase thing and I've kind of taken it. It's called the power of prayer, but he unbounds. Every day, every day it's got the calendar and every day it's got just a little bit of devotion. Today's devotion was the famous day of Pentecost. He writes a little old devotion. I grab that first thing in the morning. I read that little old devotion. Bible reading. Bible reading. Bible devotion. Desire for the house of God. What does a holy hunger look like? >> A desire for the house of God. What does a holy hunger look like? A desire to be pleasing to God in my mind, my motives, my life. >> What does a healthy desire look like? It's the desire to crucify your fleshly desires that lead us astray. >> That's what it is. Now, Bible talks about two types of mind. There's a spiritual mind that's obedient to God. There's a carnal mind that's ab absolutely opposed to God. >> It's absolutely opposed. It's a carnal mind. The word carnal means flesh. It demote it demote it denotes the human nature. The earthly nature of a man apart from divine influence and therefore prone to sin and oppose God. You see, you it's possible you can you can you can be in church tonight, have a carnal mind. And I end with this. Here's how the carnal mind thought. When I mention about prayer, the carnal mind says prayer. Well, that's just for a few naturally given to prayer. Pray me pray. Well, you know me pray. I mean, there's people in this church pray. You ought to hear our prayer room over here. Can I tell you something? carnal man, woman. That's how a carnal person thinks. Well, I go to a church that prays. And and Bible reading, here's how here's how a carnal mind would interpret Bible reading. If I have to read the Bible, WHY DO I NEED A PASTOR? If I need to read the Bible, why do I need you? Read the Bible. You'll find out why you need me. When I said lose a desire for the thing for THE HOUSE OF GOD, HERE'S WHAT THE CARNAL MIND SAID. I FEEL GOD more at home, the lake, the mountains more than here. When I said that you ought to be pleasing to God, carnal mind said, "Well, well, God understands me." Me and Big G got something going on. Me and you know me and the man upstairs. That right there tells me you don't know him. Me and the man upstairs, we got it going on. That's carnal mind. That's carnal mind. carnal mind would say, "I know I'm not living right, but compared with what I hear about the church people, I'm okay." That's a carnal mind. That's a carnal mind. When we begin to say these things, can I tell you the spiritual mind will say, "God, give me a desire for prayer. God cut deep grooves in my heart that God can only be satisfied with your presence. God cut deep grooves in my heart that regardless of how financially successful I am, I can't get so FINANCIALLY SECURE THAT I don't need you in my life, God. THAT I DON'T NEED YOUR PRESENCE IN MY LIFE, oh God. We need the Holy Ghost. Would you stand with me right now? A holy hunger. Remember what I said at the beginning of the service about William J. Seymour? Go on YouTube, listen to him. Listen to tell about his life. I'm I'm on my third time of listening to it right now. And I find myself saying, "God, I want to get hungry for you all over again." Let's just lift up our prayers right now to him. >> Oh God, fill me with the Holy Ghost, Lord. Oh God, give me an appetite for you, Lord. God, give me an appetite. God, I'm so empty. God, I'm so empty. God, God, I feel like my life has no purpose in it, God. >> God, I need the Holy Ghost in my life. God, I need I need the Holy Ghost. Come on, church. Come on. I I need the Holy Ghost in fire. Oh, I NEED THE HOLY GHOST THROUGH FIRE right now, God. Fill me, Lord, with the Holy Ghost. LORD JESUS, TAKE US ON a journey, LORD. TAKE US ON A JOURNEY RIGHT NOW, GOD. TAKE US ON A JOURNEY TONIGHT, GOD. >> LORD, I PRAY THAT YOU TOUCH EVERY worker at THIS CHURCH, GOD. START THAT HUNGER WITH ME RIGHT NOW, GOD. LORD, AS A PASTOR OF THIS CHURCH, GOD, START THAT HUNGER WITH ME RIGHT NOW, GOD. OH, GOD, I NEED THE HOLY GHOST IN MY LIFE. LORD, I NEED THE HOLY GHOST IN MY LIFE, GOD. COME ON, PRAY FOR YOURSELF right now. WE NEED THE HOLY GHOST, GOD. WE NEED THE HOLY GHOST RIGHT NOW. LORD, I I I REPENT, GOD, OF ATTITUDES. LORD, I REPENT, GOD. LORD, OF IDLENESS, GOD. GOD, I REPENT, GOD, OF SATISFYING MY FLESH WITH THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD. LORD, I NEED THE HOLY GHOST, GOD. LORD, HELP ME TO HAVE MORE PRAYER, MORE BIBLE READING, more church, more working for you, God. OH GOD, IN JESUS' NAME. In Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. IN JESUS NAME. GOD, START A REVIVAL. LORD, START A REVIVAL OF THE HOLY GHOST ON THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT. LORD, start a revival. Oh God, START A REVIVAL RIGHT NOW, LORD. OH GOD, TAKE US BACK TO WHAT REALLY MATTERS, GOD. LORD, TAKE US BACK TO WHAT REALLY MATTERS, GOD. OH, TAKE US BACK RIGHT NOW, >> LORD. Take us back. >> Thank you, Lord. Oh, God, take us back to what really matters. LORD, TAKE US BACK TO WHAT REALLY MATTERS. If you HAVE TO, I UNDERSTAND THERE'S MANY OF YOU GET UP REAL EARLY for work. IF YOU GOT TO BE DISMISSED RIGHT NOW, WE UNDERSTAND THAT. But could we go home from the altar tonight? Oh God, Lord, we need the Holy Ghost, God. Oh God, we need the Holy Ghost, God. Lord, I THANK YOU. LORD, I THANK YOU THAT YOU LED US through a building program that Lord, we were able to build this building debtree. Lord, I thank you, God, for the talk IN OUR CITY ABOUT THIS BEAUTIFUL edifice of a building. Lord, I thank you, God, FOR OUR BALL FIELDS. LORD, I THANK YOU, GOD, FOR OUR SCHOOL. But Lord, if we don't have the Holy Ghost, LORD, IF WE DON'T HAVE THE HOLY GHOST, GOD, LORD, WE'RE NOTHING BUT SOUNDING BRASS and a tinkling symbol. GOD, WE DON'T HAVE THE HOLY GHOST RIGHT NOW TONIGHT. LORD, we need the Holy Ghost. WE'RE HUNGRY. WE'RE HUNGRY. WE'RE HUNGRY FOR THE Holy Ghost. Lord, I need THE HOLY GHOST. LORD, I'VE GOT TO BE SAVED. LORD, I'VE GOT TO BE SAVED. GOD, I need the Holy GHOST. GOD, COME ON. I NEED THE HOLY GHOST, GOD. I need >> Oh, Jesus God. Oh Jesus God. OH JESUS GOD. OH GOD. LORD I know we've GIVEN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO MISSIONS, BUT IF WE DON'T HAVE THE HOLY GHOST, LORD, I KNOW GOD, THERE'S HARDLY A SUNDAY GOES BY WE DON'T BAPTIZE. BUT GOD, we need the Holy Ghost, GOD. LORD, WE need the Holy Ghost, God. Lord, there's marriages that NEED THE HOLY GHOST. LORD, THERE'S MARRIAGES IN THIS CHURCH THAT GOD, IT'S NOT YOUR WILL FOR THEY TO BE IN the condition they're in. God, we men NEED THE HOLY GHOST. LORD, THE WOMEN NEED THE HOLY GHOST, GOD. LORD, they're our youth, God. Lord, our youth are dabbling in THINGS THAT THEY OUGHT NOT DABBLE IN, GOD. OUR YOUTH NEED THE HOLY GHOST TONIGHT, GOD. WE NEED THE HOLY GHOST. WE NEED THE HOLY GHOST, GOD. Come on. Come on, pray. Come on, pray. Fathers, come on, please pray. Fathers, COME ON, PLEASE PRAY. MOTHERS, COME ON, PLEASE PRAY. YOUNG youth group, some of you young people are GOING THROUGH A BATTLE RIGHT NOW. SOME OF YOU YOUNG PEOPLE ARE HURTING ON THE INSIDE. WHAT YOU NEED IS THE HOLY GHOST. LIFE IS NOT FAIR. NEVER HAS BEEN, never will be. You need the Holy Ghost. >> >> Oh God. Oh God. I need the Holy Ghost, Lord. OH GOD, I NEED THE Holy Ghost. Oh God, to love one another, WE NEED THE HOLY GHOST. OH, to love the unlovable, WE NEED THE HOLY GHOST. OH, we need the Holy Ghost. WE NEED THE HOLY GHOST. WE NEED THE THE HOLY GHOST to overcome wounds that we've got. We need the Holy Ghost TO OVERCOME WOUNDS THAT WE'VE GOT. We need the HOLY GHOST TO OVERCOME THE SEASONS WE WALKED AWAY FROM YOU. WE NEED THE HOLY GHOST RIGHT NOW. OH, we need the Holy Ghost. We need the Holy Ghost. Come on. If you have to go home, I understand. If you have to go home, I totally understand. But if we could just lean in to God tonight, Oh, come on. Drink, church. Come on, drink, church. Drink, church. Push through that flesh right now. Push through it right now. Push. Push through that flesh right now. Something's being birthed in First Apostolic tonight. SOMETHING'S BEING BIRTHED RIGHT NOW. SOMETHING'S BEING BIRTHED RIGHT NOW. PUSH. PUSH. If you got to keep saying the same thing over again, keep saying it. I love you, Jesus. I love you, Jesus. I love you, Jesus. I love you, Lord. I need you, God. push right now. God, I repent that I've not God, I repent that I've not put you in my life more. God, I repent. There's been seasons, GOD, THAT I I HAD IT ALL MAPPED OUT, GOD. GOD, I repent, God. God, I repent. I want to add this. >> If you listen to the the the William J. Seymour's clip, it'll make reference to a message that he preached. Brother Mayo, you see the Isuza Street Church there in Los Angeles fell under great persecution from from without. Why? Because whites and blacks and Hispanics and Chinese and there was no racial barriers there. There was no racial barriers there. the rich, the poor, the white, the black. Uh there was no racial bear, but but but they still fell under great persecution. As a matter of fact, Parham, who was Seymour's teacher from Houston, came to came to LA, came to Los Angeles, and walked in walked in to the Isuza street, saw people slain in the spirit, speaking in tongu, singing in tongues, and Parham turned around said, "It's out of order. It's not of God." Parham walked out. So Seymour had persecution from without. Seymour preached a message. Seymour preached the message and he said, "Let us not fear persecution from without." PERSECUTION FROM WITHOUT will never stop this. He said, "The only thing that will stop what we've have is pride from within." When you get too prideful to be identified with a church that shouts and shakes and praises God, >> when you get just a little bit highut and educated and a little bit of this greenback stuff and and you start coming and looking around like that's weird, that's strange. No, what's weird and what's strange is the pride that's all around us that says we don't do that. When when we get that prideful, the Holy Ghost just kind of leafs off of us. >> It'll never be persecution. They will never persecute us enough to stop the church of the living God. THEY'LL NEVER SAY ENOUGH LIES. They'll never persecute us enough to to nail the doors of this church shut. THE ONLY THING THAT WILL STOP WHAT GOD STARTED IN MVILLE 45 YEARS AGO THIS WEEKEND IS WHEN WE GET PRIDEFUL AND WE FORGET THAT WE NEED THE HOLY GHOST. We need the Holy Ghost. I'M GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT'LL TAKE YOUR FAMILY TO HELL IS FOR YOU GETTING PRIDEFUL. BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'LL TAKE YOUR FAMILY TO HEAVEN IS FOR YOU TO LOSE YOUR PRIDE. I don't think it's a coincidence. 45 years ago, this weekend or close to it, this church started. I don't think it's a coincidence that God let me stumble upon the William J. Seymour t video and it has turned me. We need a holy, holy ghost. We need the Holy Ghost. church family tonight. I can't dismiss you from this holy hour, this holy moment, but I can just tell you this. I appreciate how this message has been received tonight. I appreciate the desire. I appreciate the hunger that I feel here. So, let's just go home. Let's just take a moment. I don't know if God's done with this right now. I feel Can we just take a moment or two and just linger in his presence? I don't want to leave, God. >> I don't want to leave your presence, God. God, I don't want to leave your presence, God. >> Oh, God. I don't want to leave your presence, God. I don't want to leave your presence, God, tonight. God, I don't want to leave your presence, God. I'm hungry for you, God. I'm hungry for you, God. I'm hungry for you, God. God, I'm hungry for you, God. I'm hungry for you, God. I'm hungry for you, God. God, I'm hungry for you, God. I'm hungry for you, God. I don't want to leave your presence, God. I don't want to leave your presence, God. God, I want you more than I want a few moments fellowship with the people right now. Oh, God. I need you, Lord. I need you, Lord. I need you, God. I praise you, Lord. I I need the Holy Ghost, God. I need thee. Oh, I need thee every hour. Oh, bless me now, my savior. Cuz I I One more time. One more time. from the bottom of your heart individually. Let's sing it now. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Heat. Heat. >>