General Superintendent's Address

And welcome to the General Superintendent's Address this evening. What an honor it is that you're allowing me to come into your home, and for the next few moments just cast vision about what God is doing through the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I want to say that this family — the ALJC family — that as we are so closely knit together, that when one member is honored, all are honored, and when one member suffers, we all suffer. We have, for several weeks now, been lifting up the district superintendent's family from the Heartland District, Brother McDonald, at the tragic loss of their grandson. All over our fellowship, hundreds of churches have been uniting together and lifting up the McDonald family in our prayers, and we continue to do so.

We understand that we are coming — it would appear we have come through this pandemic, COVID-19, and that we are refocusing our vision on our heartbeat. The heartbeat of the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ is two things: revival and harvest. Revival and harvest.

Just recently, the general board and the executive board, along with the eight departments, met for our fall planning business session. It was a time of great unity, a time when we gathered together for two days, and we simply, in the Spirit, began to pray, felt the presence of God that came down in that meeting. And then we went into training. We went into a time of casting vision and creating a net — a net that's going to help us fulfill the Great Commission of going into all the world and preaching the gospel to every creature.

We do understand that in the Gospels, Jesus Christ found men casting a net, and He also found men mending their net, because the net was so essential to their trade of fishing. The net was something that they could not do without. I am thankful that the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ, through much prayer and fasting and hard work, have created a network that's going to join us all together, and it's going to enable us to fulfill that great — that Great Commission.

I'd like to share a few passages of Scripture this evening. In Genesis chapter 13 and verse 10, the Scripture says: "And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah." We understand the simple phrase: "And Lot lifted up his eyes." His vision of the direction that he would take his family — he solely looked at the fleshly side of what would be to his benefit. And the Scripture simply says that he lifted up his eyes. That was his vision, down toward Sodom.

Sometime later, in Genesis chapter 13, verse 14, it said: "And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, 'Lift up now thine eyes and look from the place where thou art, northward, southward, eastward, and westward. For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, to thy seed forever. I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed be also numbered.'"

Verse 17 is where, in prayer, that I have felt so impressed to have one word for our theme for 2022 — 2022 GMC in Chattanooga, Tennessee — and that one word is "Arise." He said to Abraham, "Arise — arise, and walk through the land, in the length of it and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee." Arise. That one word — that one word that was given to Abraham, that was not given to Lot. That word "arise."

Arise — at times, God has used the word "arise" to signal the end of a test and the beginning of the fulfillment of our destiny. It is the word "arise" that God is impressing in my spirit. We have weathered a season of uncertainty. It's now our season, Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ — it is now our season to arise. The land is ours, from the north, the south, the east, and the west. It is time for us to arise and evangelize our communities, evangelize our state, and evangelize the world.

We understand that the work of God — revival — begins with one person. It begins with one person that has a burden. And I believe tonight that I am addressing the men and women of the ALJC. I believe that I am addressing churches across our fellowship that is hungry. The season has ended — the season of uncertainty has ended — and now it is our time to refocus and redirect our attention, to redirect our assets, toward fulfilling that great — that Great Commission. It begins with just simply one person.

I'm so reminded of the power of one person when I study the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was living a life of comfort. Although he was a captive, he was living a life of comfort. But Nehemiah was a man that always kept a burden — he always kept a burden for Jerusalem. Three simple words can define Nehemiah, and I hope and pray that these three words — these three words — can ever be branded upon our hearts. Nehemiah was a man of concern. Nehemiah was a man of compassion. And Nehemiah was a man of confession of sins.

Nehemiah was concerned about Jerusalem. Although he lived in a palace, he was concerned. When men came from Jerusalem to the palace, Nehemiah asked them how things in Jerusalem were going, and when they informed Nehemiah that the walls had been torn down, and that the gates had been burnt with fire, and that the people there were under poverty and great reproach, it so moved the heart of Nehemiah, and it moved him to the direction of the first step of revival. It moved Nehemiah to prayer. And Nehemiah began to talk to God. He began to take the condition of Jerusalem — just like you and I take the condition of our churches to God in prayer — and he began to petition God, that God would move upon the king.

We know that a chapter later, that God did move upon the king. He noticed the sadness of Nehemiah. He inquired and found that Nehemiah was burdened about Jerusalem. And the king opened up the treasury. The king gave Nehemiah all the wealth that he needed to rebuild Jerusalem.

But next we find Nehemiah not alone, because the way that we're going to arise in this new season is not being alone, but the way that we're going to arise in this new season is, the ALJC has created a net — something that connects us together. Because we are better together, we are stronger together, we are wiser together. We understand, as we read the book of Nehemiah, that now that Nehemiah is not alone as he surveys the walls, but that he has a group of his brethren with him. He's got a following that's with him. And he begins to tell them what God has put in his heart.

And we understand that revival — true, God-sent revival — that you will have to fight obstacles in the way. There will always be obstacles or challenges that are in the way. We know that no sooner had Nehemiah energized the brethren, and they rolled up their sleeves, and they even used the word, "Let us rise up and build" — let us rise up and build — we know that Nehemiah would be met by scoffers and mockers that would come and scoff at them for wanting to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, to rebuild the city that had once been a thriving city of worshipers.

And no doubt in this season, as we are rebuilding our congregations after this pandemic, as we are rebuilding our schedules and the dates of rallies and camp meetings and our corporate gatherings together — as we're rebuilding this, let's not allow our mockers, our Sanballats and Tobiahs, to come and tell us that things will never be the same as they were before the pandemic. Because I believe that the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ has faced our challenges, we have faced our setbacks, and because of prayer and our focus on evangelism, God is going to give us our desire.

We know that they began to work together, and they began to rebuild the walls, and they began to rebuild the gates, until eventually the city walls were built, the altars were being used, the worshipers were coming, and the city of Jerusalem began to sing again.

Recently, at our fall business planning session, there's a small booklet that we gave out. It's called the Connect Book. It tells of all of the things that are happening in the ALJC. And we have several events. As a matter of fact, in just a few weeks — November the 23rd through November the 25th — in Nashville, Tennessee, will be our National Youth Conference, which is always the highlight of the year of the ALJC.

As I began to look through the Connect Book, that I would like to share with you, I am first reminded of our World Missions director, Brother Matthew Ball. And I'm using this time tonight to challenge you and to remind you that everyone is important, everyone is needed, everyone plays a part in this great effort to reach our world. No church is too small. No effort — no effort will go unnoticed.

And as I looked at the World Missions in our Connect Book, under the leadership of Brother Matthew Ball, I want to challenge — I want to challenge every church to give to World Missions. I want to challenge you — I want to challenge you to look beyond yourself, look beyond your needs in your local church, and understand that there's places in our world that have never heard of the plan of salvation. And your involvement, your giving, joined with someone else's giving, creates a budget for our missionaries. So from the bottom of my heart tonight, I want to challenge every church, every district superintendent — I want to challenge you to get the word out, to get involved in World Missions.

I was recently contacted by a pastor of a new church — a young church, just a few years old — and he had told me that he wanted to get involved in giving to World Missions. And he asked me, he said, "We took up our World Missions offering, and I think the World Missions offering was somewhere around $80 or $90 for that month." He said, "I know that it's not much, Brother Carpenter, and should I just hold on to it until it's several hundred dollars, that I can send it all in at once?" And of course I told that precious brother to go ahead and send what he had taken up, to send it in, because that, coupled with someone else's offering, helps create a budget for our missionaries to be able to evangelize.

But I believe that if you can understand — you can understand the scope of Brother Matthew Ball reaching the world with the apostolic message, with a growing slate of missionaries in over 33 countries — the ALJC has missionaries in over 33 countries. The World Missions department of the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ has grown over the past decade into a global force for apostolic doctrine and Holy Ghost empowerment. Brother Ball has laid out a vision and a plan to plant Bible colleges on every continent — Bible training centers where our missionaries can gather, and then train and send out across the continent that they are in.

Then we have our Missions America, that is being led by Brother Traxel — Brother Stephen Traxel is leading our Missions America. He is leading our Missions America in something that is very, very much needed, and that is training, equipping our Missions — home mission pastors, our church planters — and equipping them to how to start churches, and cities, starting churches in cities that have absolutely no apostolic witness at all.

I'm reminded of the Apostolic Crusaders for our youth. I'm just talking about the wonderful net that the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ has: our World Missions, our Missions America, our Apostolic Crusaders — our conference is coming up in just a few weeks, of which God is going to move mightily there in Nashville. I think of the Ministry, our men's ministry, and the training that Brother Chesser is giving. I think of Women's Esprit — Brother — Sister Terry Scott, and the great job that she is doing with Women's Esprit. Kids Quest, my brother Nathan Roberts, and the work with our children. Our Christian — our Christian School department, with Brother Tisdale. And then our Evangelist Department, with Brother Sean Garnett.

All of these departments that are coupled together, that help us to cast our vision, to be able to see the Great Commission of going into all the world and preaching the gospel to every creature.

I want you to know tonight that God has His hand upon the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ. All of our districts are reporting revival. All of our districts that are opening up after the pandemic are reporting crowds that are just simply packing out the buildings that they are in. Our general secretary, Brother Josh Wilson — there is a stream of new applications that are coming in, ministers that are joining, churches that are joining the ALJC. And as we are experiencing this great growth, we are ever seeking to hone our skills to be able to reach a lost and a dying world.

And just like Lot, who lifted his eyes in the wrong direction, but Abraham, that lifted his eyes in the direction of harvest, in the direction of revival — I pray tonight that I can challenge all that are watching, that I can challenge you, as 2021 is coming to an end, that I can challenge all of us to refocus. The land is ours. Let's arise. Let's arise and walk through our land. The land is ours. Let's take it for the glorious apostolic faith.

Just like Nehemiah started out with concern — his concern for the work of God, his concern that led to compassion, and his concern that led to confessing the sins of the people — the Bible simply tells you and I tonight, with this great apostolic truth that we have, we are simply told that if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.

Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have been brought to the kingdom for such a time as this. Do not allow the adversary — do not allow the enemy, in this time of separation, at this time of not being able to meet in a corporate gathering due to the pandemic — do not allow the adversary to tell you that you're not needed. Do not allow the adversary to tell you that this is a new way of doing things, you can make it on your own. The truth of the matter is that I need you. I need you. You have something that I don't have, and vice versa — I have something that you don't have. But coming together, as Paul would write, we become the body of Christ, with feet and hands and heart and voice and ears.

I hear the Macedonian call. I hear the Lord calling the ALJC to the harvest fields of the world. I thank you this evening for allowing me the privilege to come into your home for just a few moments, and casting, from the bottom of my heart, a burden to lead this great God-ordained organization to higher heights — a great harvest before Jesus comes.

Thank you very much for allowing me a few moments of your time. May God bless you, and may God keep you, and may God always cause His face to shine upon the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ.