Investing Myself in the Kingdom | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

thank God this morning would you stand for the reading of the word of the Lord this morning man we're making memories aren't we Church we're making memories some of you all some of y'all one day when these are dedicated when they're running around here or driving around here or especially when they get to the age where they know it all we going to be able to say young man I was there when they dedicated you amen if you have your Bibles turn with me to the Book of Ecclesiastes 11 verse number one Eccles eclesiastes 11 verse number one service would not be complete if we did not hear from the word of God Amen if we didn't hear from the word of God service would not be complete Ecclesiastes chap 11 and verse Number One cast thy bread upon the waters for Thou shalt find it after many days give a portion to seven and also o to eight for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the Earth if the clouds be full of rain they empty themselves upon the Earth and if the tree shall fall toward the South or toward the North in the place where the tree falleth there shall it be he that observe the wind shall not sow he that regardeth the cloud s shall not reap as thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all in the morning sow thy seed and in the evening withhold not thine hand for thou knowest not whether shall prosper either this or that or whether they both shall be alike good for a few moments this morning and in light of what happened Wednesday night at our business meeting of the unanimous decision to purchase a building and property for our Apostolic movement Bible Training Center I want to minister this morning on this subject investing myself myself in the Kingdom investing myself in the Kingdom precious God Of Heaven anoint your servant today that stands with your word Lord I have proclaimed the written word through my voice God help me today to cause the word to have meaning into our lives God you desire to speak to us today Lord you desire to speak to our hearts today as a people Lord anoint me and anoint their ears in Jesus name we all pray amen and amen again give God a hand of Praise give God a hand of Praise give God a hand of Praise give God a hand of Praise oh hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah you may be seated I got that old course on my my mind I wish I could sing like brother Ericson I got that old course on my mind you won't leave here like you came in Jesus name you may be bound oppressed tormented sick or lame but the Holy Ghost of Acts is still the same you won't leave here like you came in Jesus name and I believe that today that you won't leave here like you came in Jesus name the Book of Ecclesiastes let me give you a little history on it it is commonly believed and we know this in Scripture that Solomon David's son had a period of time that he backslid he had a period of time Solomon David's son king of Israel had a period of his time that he lost out with God he lost his relationship with God he he began to explore all kinds of different things and he took unto him many many many wives and uh many heathenish women uh and con ubin he multiplied that into into the hundreds of women that he had at his disposal and of course when all was said and done these wives and concubines LED his heart away from God it was away from God that Solomon woke up and Solomon realized the era of his way now I'm going to tell you something friend you you can talk about backsliding but I like to talk about coming home I like to talk about coming home because it is the will of God for every prodical to come home and thank God Solomon came home now we can talk about all of the idols that he built to these false gods we can talk about all the concubines and all the wives he married but thank God Solomon came home and uh he begin to um he begin to write the Book of Ecclesiastes and um you you know there there is no greater teacher than the teacher that has graduated from the University of hardnox that's a good teacher when you've graduated when you when you know so when Solomon's writing Ecclesiastes the old boy knows what he's talking about he he knows about life and he knows where to go right and he knows where to go wrong and uh so he begins he begins talking about investing ing your life now I know a lot of people you know we did if we we we we did a little little game here today uh tell me the first word that comes to your mind when I say investment most of you would say money but do you know that shouldn't be the first thing that comes to our mind when you hear the word investment it ought to be your life that you have invested because money is just a part of your life life but it is not the totality of your your life so when we talk about investment investing we should be talking about we should be talking about investing our lives now Solomon opens up and I'll just kind of go back what I read to you today he said cast your breed up the waters and you shall find it after many days what this has an analogy to is is that they would load ships down they would load these ships down with wheat was their bread and they would send these ships to far away countries and in return for the bread that was given there would be other things that they could not grow in Israel there would be other things they did not have in Israel that these other countries would trade about you would put your bread up on the in the ship and the ship would go to a far country and sometimes that that bread that you put in that boat would come back it would come back maybe gold it would come back maybe some kind of piece of furniture it would come back it would it would come back different than what you sent it out and so Solomon simply says cast your bread up the waters and then we live in we live in the information of speed okay but back then when you put your bread in a in in a vessel and you send it across the waters it would be months and maybe at times even years before you saw a return come back so many people were kind of foolish in that they didn't want to give and for it to disappear but Solomon said I want you to cast your bread upon the waters and as you cast your bread upon the waters be patient because it will render to you a tremendous return as it comes back he talks about give a portion to seven and to eight because you don't know what the evil that come shall be upon the Earth we know seven is the number of completion and eight is the number of beginning all over again so we he's just basically saying don't ever stop investing your life don't ever don't ever ever don't ever stop your walk with God don't ever don't ever believe that you get to the place none of us today and boy it includes the guy doing the preaching today there's none of us here today that have arrived none of us all right don't fall into that trap you can put it on cruise control now that you're drawing your Social Security check don't put it on cruise control all right because the devil doesn't mind to take you whether you're 16 or 66 six he doesn't mind to take you so he says give seven and then give eight then he talked about if the clouds be full of rain they empty themselves and he said if a tree falls toward the South there shall it lay and a tree falls toward the north wherever whichever direction it falls there shall it lay what what is he talking about he's talking about cause and effect all right the rain the clouds are full of rain that's the cause what's the effect rain comes down the cause a tree falls what's the effect wherever it falls there shall it lay then he goes into something he starts talking about a the spirit of God and he says you don't know how God works you don't know how God moves I love that song even when I don't see him he's working even when I don't feel him he's working do you know that he that keeps you doesn't ever sleep or Slumber do you know don't ever think that God has to take a nap he doesn't have to take a nap he is an eternal God that's always working things out he says Solomon says you you don't know how God is working say you don't know that then he gives an analogy to it he says you don't know how bones grow in the womb of her that is with child so you you you don't see it you don't know how it all H you don't you don't know how the baby develops inside of the womb he said but it's God that maketh all it's God that maketh all things then he just sums it up he says in the morning in the morning sew your seed in the morning with one hand seow your seed and in the evening put it out for a harvest in other words he said I want you to live I want you to live I want you to live with with this in mind with one hand you're sewing into the kingdom you're sewing your life in the Kingdom with one hand you're in the dirt you're sewing your life in the Kingdom but with the other hand you have a hand of expectation can I tell you today one of the joys of being a child of God is the expectation that we live that something good is about to happen something good is on don't you just live as a child of God I don't care how bad it is if you with one hand sewing your life into the kingdom of God but with the other hand you're saying something good is going to happen I just feel like something good is on this way God is still on the throne God hasn't died he's still alive matter of fact God's never been sick God's never aged so at one hand and then he said this he said the person that is watching the clouds the person that is watching the wind and they determine their life's Decisions by the clouds and by the wind they determine their life's Decisions by clouds and the wind why should you never determine your life's Decisions by the clouds and the wind because they are Ever Changing don't ever step out and say well I you know I'm I I'd really like to dedicate my life to God but it's cloudy right now I really to dedicate my life to God but the wind is blowing right now can I tell you there's no better time than right now and there's no better place than right here for you to make the decision regardless of how cloudy or how windy it is in here today it's time to make the decision I am going to serve I am going to serve God now let me talk to you about something very important in your life and that is your motive your motive why are you serving God why are you serving God now I understand all of us start out serving God because we don't want to go to hell do I have some real people here today all right come on right I mean isn't that what got you out of your Pew some Hellfire and brimstone preacher and the preacher looked right at you I remember my sisters probably got a picture of it but at 16 years old I had a Honda XL 100 motorcycle all right kind of cheated a little bit I see some folks smiling today they know what I'm talking about my daddy put a governor on it but I figured out how to take the corporator and lift that Governor out so it' go all the way God that's before the Holy Ghost all right or was it I I don't know let me just go on but I didn't know the Lord and Mom Mama wouldn't only that only let me drive it on ride it on from one end of Black Oak Drive which budded into U Clinton Highway to the other end of Black Oak Drive that the interstate I75 come in and cut it off and I could ride it up and down that road but on this day mama said if you go to church tonight I'll let you ride your motorcycle all the way over the 5020 Pleasant Ridge Road Hot Diggity Dogs I am going to church tonight now I didn't have the average helmet oh no I had bought me the evil Canal helmet it came all the way across and had a little little uh Shield that went up man I I was a sinner boy I walked into First Apostolic church with my evil coneval helmet and and there in the lobby they had a coat rack and I put my helmet up on the coat rack and went in and brother Dennis Denny started preaching and he told a story he said there was a man there was a man in Texas all these things happened in Texas there was a man down in Texas that the Holy Ghost was dealing with him to give his heart to God he ran out of the church that night the man was riding a motorcycle he ran out of the church that night and did give his heart to God and a mile down the road a semi trailer hit him the man went out into eternity and then Dennis new he said this he said tonight when I was coming in I saw a motorcycle helmet and I'm scared and I thought dude you're scared I got to ride that thing home tonight and I I'm not coming to the altar all right so let's all just just be warm with me today we all came to God right we didn't want to go to hell nothing wrong with that ain't a thing wrong with that and then you graduate after you don't want to go to hell if you get real if you keep growing in God you get to saying I get to go to heaven I get to go to heaven but if you keep on maturing in God you begin to say I'm here because I want to be here I'm not here today out of a fear of hell I'm not here today because one day my Feet's going to walk on gold I'm here today because I love God and I want to be here in this place today I love him we have invested our lives in him the only one that's going to get 100% of my emotions is God the only one that's going to get 100% of my heart come on now should be God it should be God that drives every passion that we have it should be God we ought to live our lives to be the best people in all the world why God well let me back up a little bit cuz some of yall are go not so sure about that well I'm going to tell you something you got a right to be wrong and you're wrong Our Lives should be live oh I'm going to grow up I'm going to grow up to be I'm I'm going to grow up to be my uh my our and it's terrible no it's not terrible it's it just it just it's it's reality check our oldest granddaughter Penny turn 17 years old it's like you're kidding me you're you're not 17 you're 12 she told me she said Papa she said I believe God is leading me said I when I graduate from high school I want to go into college and I want to I want to be a lawyer I want to practice law and she said I I really believe that the apostolic church needs lawyers in its midst and you know what she didn't say anything about brother Elijah I really believe that you know lawyers make big money dad and papa you know lawyers really have it made lawyers live in this part of town lawyers live in that part of town but she said it right brother Wimberly she said I want to be a blessing to the apostolic church that's what ought to drive every career move you make I want to be a blessing I want to be a blessing to the church I I I want to some I don't care what it is construction uh I don't care what it is you ought to live your life to say God I want to be a blessing your motive your motive for why you do what you do hinges on whether or not God will bless what you do or God will pass you by and and if there's something that I could tell you I I continually question in my mind why do I want to do what I want to do and you got to bring it back I want to advance the kingdom of God I want to advance God's kingdom why do you want to take the money of this church and send it to miss missionaries because we want to advance the kingdom of God and I almost for this message almost brought out of here almost had somebody like brother Cogdill build me the outline of a coffin the size of a coffin and tell all of us today all of us are headed to a place where it all goes back in the box your car don't go in the Box your house don't don't go in the Box your clothes don't go in the Box the only go thing that goes into the box is you and you're the thing that's going to T to touch God when you appear before God things are not going with you the only things going with you is what you've done for God I want to invest my life in the kingdom of God you don't have to have an education you don't have to have it all together you you don't have to have a lot of different things today you can be poor as poor can be you can be a minimum wage worker or you can be a millionaire it doesn't matter you need to invest your life give him praise today come on give me give him praise today you need to invest your life I am going to make a statement in a few moments at the end of this but I'm going to go ahead and make it now we we signed a contract to purchase a building about 3 minutes from here it'll be the building it'll be the start for our movement Apostolic Bible Center here in mville and uh I am not here today to tell you that in 43 days from now 43 days from now there's a closing and I asked I asked the pastor of that church and I asked their committee if they would allow us to close after Easter the week after Easter and he said we we will we will do that brother Carpenter and between now and Easter I am not asking for an offering I am not asking for an offering we need a little bit over $800,000 but I'm not asking for an offering I'm asking for investors I'm asking for people that are willing to cast their bread upon the Water and watch it come back again and not maybe the way you want it to come back God can bless us and I'm here to tell you God needs to bless us more than just monetarily it's not this cheap plastic stuff of giving a hundred and getting a th how about it's how about it's something that God sees what we give and God works on the behalf in other areas how many have other areas of your life that you need that money has never answered and that money will never answer I'm here to tell you today I'm looking for investors I'm looking for people today that said I'm going to put my I'm going to put make an investment and I'm going to watch it come back well who would have ever thought masako brother and sister Kino are you all here in the auditorium today are you all here would you stand if you're here sister Keno would you stand today C could could could I impose upon you for a moment to come up here today could could I impose upon you for a moment to come one of the finest women of God that's about to come to this platform right now one of the finest women of God would you just stand right there and face the audience one of the finest women of God is right there uh this woman is instrumental in raising thousands of dollars for missionaries around the world come on come up here and tell me oh you got a picture thank you we got a picture all right now wait a minute hold on just a second before you put it up there okay look at this fine woman of God do you realize did we have any idea sister Brenda Akins did we have any idea do we have any idea when we had the desire and the burden to start a daycare do we have any idea back way I'm not going to say way back then that dates both of us all right way back when we started the daycare we were casting our bread upon the Water we were giving our time our talents and our Treasures to the work of God you got that picture of sister Kano when she came had her kids in the daycare oh there she is there there she is that's how they used to walk in the daycare the street they didn't know God they didn't know God in the fullness of Truth they just thought this was a daycare to put their children in but there's an environment I'm going to tell you something you can Rite me off as spooky and Goofy if you want to but I pray every day that the holy ghost saturates that hallway over there I pray every day that God saturates that when these parents get out of their car they begin to feel something they may not know what it is but they begin to feel something but something happened to you you a long way from that that something happened to you God filled you with the Holy Ghost you got baptized in Jesus name you stayed around here and and you found out that Jesus is God you found out what a Godly woman should act like what a Godly woman should look like but you found out more than that you found out wipe those tears that's all right get me a Kleenex up here here would you please you found out how to raise your children and you've raised two you all have raised two of the most dedicated children that First Apostolic church has you're an awesome you're an awesome family you're an awesome family here today but can I tell you oh man isn't that great that's why ought to live for God but can I tell you it goes further than that she came to Sister Carpenter at the marriage Retreat our our missions director Matthew ball came to me it said James and masino have come to me and they they're beginning to pray about you see they've already taken several trips to Japan that's where sister kano's from they've taken several trips to Japan and there they've done Street evangelism Brother P they the four of them went and just handed out Apostolic tracks on the streets there in the city in Japan there they are and now you know what they're contemplating James and Masa are contemplating spending six months in Japan witnessing and trying to start and get people headed toward the truth and then come back home for 6 months leave the work to someone else and go back and forth for six months did we ever imagine Brenda Ain did we ever would you stand where you're at Brenda did we ever imagine when you were up there sister Carpenter when you all were up there making little daycare classrooms and you were up there staying all night to make sure the paperwork was right you were staying all night us me that had to you remember the men remember us men as the fire marshal come through and he said you all got to make a firewall you all got to get up in the attic and in of course we'd have to do it in July but we had to cut pieces of sheetrock and we had to go up in the attic and nail it to the trust there and then take drywall mud and mud it in and all of that and work did we ever imagine when we were casting our bread upon the water when we were wiping sweat out of our face handing drywall boards up up through a hole in the church over there did we ever imagine God was saying you just wait till that boat comes back you just wait till that boat comes back I got a missionary to Japan I I got I got a woman I'm going to fill with the Holy Ghost I got a I got a woman I'm going to fill with the baptism of the Holy Ghost literally Wednesday night Wednesday night I watched her she had her hair down Wednesday night I guess you let your hair down she let her hair down Wednesday night and I watched her walk by and so help me God her hair dragged the ground that was walking that was behind her can I tell you did we ever imagine when we were doing all of this what God in return was saying can we imagine today First Apostolic church do you want to be a part of it I'm not here to hoard up money I'm not here to brag at a preacher's convention we've got $4 million in our CDs I think as an absolute shame to hoard up money God doesn't give us more money for us to hoard it up we got to reach a world we got to put it on ships thank you sister Masa thank you so much we got to put it on ships what's your motive what's your motive today what's your motive today what's your motive today because what your motive is what your motive is today why are you here what's your motive what's your motive here today oh my motive is to get out of debt that's well and good but you're you're settling for far beneath what your motive ought to be you see the fear of some people is well if I really sell out to God I'm not going to have anything that's not true the truth is the truth is when you sell out to God you're going to die to yourself and you're going to seek first what you going to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things but you can't go after the things first you got to let the things be added to you but you've got to invest your life in the Kingdom turn with me to 2 chonicles chapter 20 and verse 35 who would have ever thought and that's one of many stories who would have ever thought oh my goodness who would have ever thought that Jordan aers would be a preacher y'all laughing if you're here and you're new to faac you know why they're laughing he would be the unlikely he would be the unlikely but who would ever thought that boy would graduate from this school get called to preach and he's pastoring hear me now Jordan aason is pastoring one of the fastest growing churches in West Tennessee right now whove ever fought cast your bread up on the water and in many days you'll find it again who would ever think listen you you don't have any idea those kids you're bringing to school in the morning those kids that you're paying tuition those kids that you're bringing them to school and the enemy's doing everything he can to tell you you're wasting your time the enemy is doing that because the enemy knows what's in the backseat of your car he knows that when you cast your bread up on the water he knows what's coming in the boat well let's look at some motive everybody say motive I need to keep hammering on that say it again motive motive 2 Chronicles 20:35 and after this did Jehoshaphat keep king of Judah joined himself to haaiah king of Israel now haaiah look look at what he did was he a good man can somebody look at the rest of that was aiah a good man no so he's joined to this a haaiah of Israel who did very wickedly he joined himself with him to make ships to go to tarus and they made the ships in e Z gber eion gber then verse 37 Eliza the son of doana of May Russia prophesied prophesied excuse me against Jehoshaphat saying because thou Hast joined thyself with the haaiah the Lord Lord hath broken thy works and the ships were broken that they were not able to go to tarus the ships were broken First Kings 22 and 48 re referring to the same message Jehoshaphat made ships to go to Tarsus to go to O far for gold but they went not for the ships were broken at Ean gber he joined himself together in a business venture with a wicked man what was their MO motive build ships to go get gold build ships to go get gold their motive is to increase their wealth but something happened e and giber is the port the problem with eion gibber giber is that it's got a coral reef that is around it this hidden coral reef has to be navigated you will shipwreck if you don't know how to navigate through e and gber there's a coral reef there you have to know how to navigate if you don't know how to navigate then you're sure to shipwreck either going into eion and gber or coming out as a matter of fact it's an interesting brother Nolan it's an interesting word the the word E Zion G gber because it simply means the backbone of a man the backbone of a man they named it eai and gber because the coral reef resembled the spine of a man there many a ships were wrecked because they were not schooled in being able to navigate let's go to a different story 2 chonicles chap 11 or Excuse Me 2 Chronicles chapter 2 and verse number 11 are you still with me today 2 Chronicles 2:11 then Haram it's he's called hurum here but it's Haram the king of Ty answered in writing which he sent to Solomon now this Heathen man writes a letter to Solomon and he says in this letter because the Lord hath loved his people and hath made thee King over them huram said moreover blessed be the Lord God of Israel now now this man's a heathen man but he says blessed be the Lord God of Israel that made Heaven and Earth who hath given to David the king a wise son endued with prudence and understanding that might build a house for the Lord and for the house of of his kingdom now here's a heathen man that writes Solomon a letter and he talks about Solomon's God and he talks about Solomon's dad and he talks about it in a favorable way First Kings chapter 9 and verse 25 First Kings chapter 9 verse 25 somebody say praise the Lord and three times a in a year did Solomon offer burn offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the Lord and he burned incense upon the altar that was before the Lord so he finished the house he finished the house of the Lord his priorities was to finish the house of the Lord now watch verse 26 he's got his worship down he's got burnt offerings down he has finished the house of the Lord the house of the Lord is is his main is his main priority verse 26 and King Solomon made a Navy of ships that's interesting in E Zion giber which is beside ELO on the shore of the Red Sea in the land of Eden Edom and Haram now it's the same man that wrote to him and praised him although in that writing it's a you and Haram sent in the Navy his servants shipmen that had knowledge of the sea with the Servants of Solomon so Haram had the Navy he had the knowledge of the sea he joins up with the Servants of Solomon why y'all want a Navy for and they came to ofar and fetched from th gold for 120 talents and brought it to King Solomon look at this I hope you followed this two men Jehoshaphat and Solomon two men that attempt to do the same thing but they are in line with the wrong motive Jehoshaphat just wants to get rich and he sends men in that don't have the knowledge of e and gber they don't know how to navigate they don't don't know how to get around they're after wealth but it's the wrong motive they don't know how to navigate but Solomon hooks up with Haram a man that loves God they have worshiped God they have magnified God and finish his house but their motive is not to get rich their motive is just to increase with gold not to be rich but for the house of God and the things of God one man Jehoshaphat ends in shipwreck at the same place another man Solomon ends in Gold being brought back what's the difference the difference is motive the difference is Solomon's men had a knowledge of eai and gber and they knew how to navigate sometimes people get money and they don't know how to navigate and I I I'm not I'm not today I'm just going to say this today and it's not all of them but these young men and young women that one moment they're working at McDonald's or they're working somewhere and at minimum wage they sign a contract to play ball or do something and one swoop of a pen they are multi-millionaires you say well that's great but a lot of them it's been the disaster of their lives because they don't know how to navigate Ean gber they don't know how to have money in its proper place can I tell you today money again money is not your life money will not make you happy God should be your life God should be the joy of your soul listen what we felt when the choir was singing money can't buy it money can buy you a good mattress but it can't buy you a good night's rest money can buy you a lot of different things but it can't buy you a reputation money can buy you a lot lot of things but it can't buy your children that have the fear oh I wish somebody was hearing me today money can't buy you the fear of the Lord Worship the Lord right now create an atmosphere right right now come on Magnify Him right now Magnify Him Today money will blind you money will blind you uh I thought about that eion gber and I thought about a wreath and I thought about Sailors and I just I guess I just Googled I just Googled how does a sailor know where the reefs are and boy Google shot me back a lot of things seven ways a sailor knows where the reefs are and all of them have to do with eyesight and training the eyesight said if a good sailor is unsure where the wreath is at the Sailor should get at the highest point on the ship and look down into the water unable to see the wreath if your eye level with the water it takes you getting above the water and looking down it said get to the highest point on the boat and the highest point of the boat sound like to me that's a Watchman on the wall sounds like to us we should not live the low level of this world system of money sounds like to me that you and I should say I'm going to build my life on the kingdom of God I'm going to get up I'm going to get up to see the pitfalls said the sailors said the sailors are trained to even tell the the depth of the Water by the color of the water dark blue deep water light blue 30 feet green between 12 to 30 feet pale green less than 12 feet yellow to White five feet or less Jesus said well ye Hypocrites you can discern the sky you can look at the sky and say it's going to rain today or it's not going to rain but you can't determine the salvation of your soul can I tell you today we ought to be spiritual Sailors because our motive today is not to die happy our motive today is to die holy our motive today is not to die with it all in place but our motive today is to die with a testimony that God says he ran a good race he fought a good fight and henceforth has laid up for him a crown of righteousness I refuse to accept the US way the American way that when you get 60 it's time to lay your tools down it's time to retire somewhere it's time to just sit down and take life easy I am absolutely despise that mentality I believe as long as we've got breath in our body we ought to be doing something to advance the kingdom of God we ought to be doing something to advance the kingdom of God I'll never get to the place to where I don't feel obligated to come to church I'll never get to the place I'll not feel obligated to live for God and you shouldn't ever get to the place now my mother-in-law here today and I don't want her talking out you let me do the talking I'm about to talk about you and I don't want you to do any talking all right but she's been retirement age for 25 years she's been retirement age for 25 years she could have retired and did nothing 25 years ago but Betty Maynard's got a burden for this church and Betty Maynard's got a burden for the work of God and Betty Maynard gets up two or three days out of the the week and drives to Knoxville to a job that she's had for would it be close to I'll let you talk one thing how long you worked there 43 years she does it all she does it all because she wants to be a blessing to the kingdom of God I don't know about you but I think that would deserve a hand clap offering today even if she is my mother-in-law I think that deserves a hand clap offering she Delights herself she's a she's a miser she's a miser I mean she she saved so much she even had a daughter she named Penny she's a penny pincher I I mean she she she she's a she's a miser but I'm G to tell you there's nothing that puts a smile across her face when she's able to say hey and she was one of the first when we thought we were going to get the building right over here she was one of the first to go to her checking account now now wait a minute you're you're you you should be retired wait wait a minute you you don't need to have a little net wait a minute you don't need to and she wrote out a check now I know she's got more left over I think she's got more left over but she writes a check and with a smile on her face she brings a she brings a well let me tell you let me she brings that check with a smile on her face that an Undertaker can't wipe off I wouldn't have this son if I wasn't still working now she the only thing I'm going tell I'm going to say this about her I'm going to go on she's such a miser the only issue I got with her we live in the same house she don't turn the stinking lights on John I'm telling you it's it's God's truth we meet at the we meet at the coffee maker about 5:30 every morning and if I didn't hear the hissing of the coffee maker I wouldn't know she's standing there all right and I said memo turn the lights on you're going to go and then she complains she you can't see I said turn the lights on over here I'm always getting on tur but turn the lights on come in turn the lights on in here and and anyway that's that's my story I'm sticking to what's the motive what's the motive oh Lord I went way too long today what's the motive why did why did Joshua's ships sink in the same place that Solomon's ships sailed through the motive was different the motive was different everybody say motive I don't need to tell you the tragedy of aen Akin saw a Babylonia garment damned his whole family studied in Joshua chapter 7 namon the leper got his healing but gesi got a curse because gesi coveted what should should should have went back and gesi got greedy in the New Testament the Incarnation could not have happened until Mary the Virgin Mary said you're allowed to use me it wasn't that Mary didn't have a choice God said Mary I want to invest in the Kingdom in you Mary I want to invest the kingdom in you Mary could have said you're crazy you're not going to upset my life you're crazy no no no no no no you find somebody else Mary didn't say that and if Mary had said that God would have found someone but when Mary said go ahead invest in me I give you myself Mary conceived the wise men brought gold to Jesus frankincense they invested now we all know Judas Iscariot was the man that held the bag he held the money why in the world would you put Judas over the money why in the world Jesus can I ask you a question Jesus why in the world would you put J Judas over money I'll tell you why I gave Judas the oversight of the bag of money knowing he had a problem with greed I made him responsible so that his mind would be occupied on work and not self becoming responsible will mature you to the reality and to better Behavior I gave him that money to mature him I gave him that to mature him but he allowed what I gave him to deter him in degree can I tell you something today God allows us to get wealth to mature us some of us have un unexpected blessings that way that come our way you need to understand God may be giving you something to try to mature you this world and the things of of this world is not our home we have got to invest Our Lives into the kingdom of God for the furtherance of the kingdom of God let me let me I I musicians would you come and I'm bringing this to an end Joseph of arthea why give away your expensive grave plot to Jesus because he needs it but do you realize that anything that Jesus has ever used he gives it back to you better can you imagine how common that grave plot was to Joseph of armea until that day Jesus used it for three days and then it's yours it's yours it yours how about the early church how about the early church Acts chapter 2 and verse 44 the church has just been birthed it's membership is 3,120 and all that believe acts 44 and all that believe we're together and had all things common sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men as every man had need and they were continually one Accord in the temple breaking bread from house to house and to eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved in the DNA brother Elijah of the early Church in the DNA of the early church the early Church begin to know they begin to know immediately to put material things in its proper place and when they went from 120 disciples that lived in Jerusalem to 3,000 that were there and didn't want to leave somebody said I've got some extra bread you can have a loaf somebody said I've got an extra room at the house you can have it it is in the DNA of the church to invest in the Kingdom I could go on and tell you today of Acts 4 and I just need to bring this sermon to an end 3,120 if you could resurrect those 3,120 today and show them the mark that they made on the world you think they had any idea when that little group of 3,120 but all of a sudden it spreads and today there's millions of people millions of people that are embracing the apostles message you resurrect them today did you ever believe that when you handed that man a loaf of bread what this was going to keep alive did you ever believe when you let that family come and stay in that back room did you ever believe when when you had that extra donkey and you you gave it over here an extra wh and you gave it no more and if you'd have told us years ago when there you using inferior things nailing things together meeting all the requirements of the state but we didn't have money to go to office supply places and buy fancy swiveling chairs and all of this stuff the first desk of the apostolic Christian Academy you know where the first desks were built it built in my garage built with wood from Low's and varnish from Sher Williams did we ever believe then that God would raise up and do what he's doing sister Arwood I see you back there today you and brother R would never imagine that little old house on McGinley Street what would happen but we're here today because you and your husband and your family and the handful invested themselves in the kingdom of God has God stopped I say no is God finished with us I say no are we just going to stay here and fill this building up and be happy not on your life not on your life there's a kingdom there's a building would you stand with me right now there's a kingdom there's a building there's a plan there's an Apostolic there's a building about three miles from here that's going to be the start of the movement Apostolic Bible Training Center Center young men and young women people from around the world are going to come for intensive training they're going to be trained in church work they're going to be trained in witnessing they're going to be trained in the doctrine they're going to come and then at the end of the four to nine month they're going to be sent away sent to their field of Labor we have no idea what we're starting here today today we have no idea what we're starting here today here's my Altra call I want us to sing the song together if you come on out they're going to sing a song I give myself away and I want you to sing right there in your Pew with hearts lifted up to God I give myself myself away sing it now I Give Myself Away I give myself so you can use me I Give Myself Away sing it church sing it church I give myself I give myself I give myself away myself less of me oh God less of me oh God less of me myself God what we're starting God what we're starting God myself oh God I Give Myself Away God I Give Myself Away God give myself away so you sing it now sing it now God oh God oh God oh God my life is not my oh god oh are oh God oh God myself is not my to you I belong I give myself you is not my own to you I belong I give myself I give myself to you yes my life is not my hope to you I belong I myself I myself life is not my I Bel I give myself I give myself to you life is not my you are belong I give myself I give myself to you give myself away Jesus do your work I give myself you give myself away give myself away you can you see give myself give myself myself I give myself away you you my life is my life is not my own you are Bel I give myself I give myself to you me Lord my life is not my own you I beong I give myself I give myself to you my life is my life is not my you are Bel I give myself I give myself my my to you I belong I give myself we we have one to baptize I believe that they would go ahead and be getting ready for the one but we need and I do apologize for preaching so long today but we need to do this today the Holy Ghost is moving we are not going to have an open offering I'm not going to take an open offering today what I want you to do right now the Bible said we have not because we ask not I'm not asking you to give but would you say the word amen if you agree to this would you pray with me right now that come April 1st or April 7 2nd that we have raised the money to purchase that building yes the Bible says you lust and have not sound like to me that lust and for things leads to Poverty you lust and have not then he said this you have not because you ask not so right now we're going to pray a prayer and we're going to ask God that by April 1st or 2nd I'm I'm not really know which date that is I just know it's after Easter not taking an open offering I'm not I'm not taking an offering period I all I want is investors all right I want people to invest in this on Easter night Sunday night Easter I'll announce and by faith I'm going to tell you Easter Sunday night I'm going to announce that we've raised the money to purchase that building I'm going to announce that please help me pray right now would you just help us pray that we meet that go right now Jesus God you know our motive God is pure Our God you know our hearts God come on all over this building ask him right now for it the mission god of the apostolic Bible Training Center God you know God that our motive Lord Lord is to see this glorious truth increase God you said of the increase of your government there shall be no end Lord you said go ye and all the world and preach the gospel to Every Creature God we've got to raise up missionaries God we don't just need people willing to go we need trained people that go God we just don't need people that emotionally want to go God we need people Lord that are trained in what to say when they get to that place God lord we need young men and young women Lord to feel the call of God we need young men and young women Lord to be trained Lord would you help us God would you help us touch the hearts of the investors in Jesus name now I want to say this I want to say this and we baptize the last thing I want to say this brother sards there are some investors there's some men Tyler that are so good at investing other people's funds they're so good they know the market they've studied the market you can't even get a meeting with them unless you're going to invest a quarter of a million dollars or a half million dollars but can I tell you about God can I tell you about God this morning if you pray and ask God this why I don't want it to be an open offering I don't want it to be this one matter of fact you're not going to hear you're not going to hear so and so gave this and so and so gave that this is going to be a sovereign move of God you're going to hear about the offering on Easter Sunday night is when you're going to hear about it because I don't want it to be that something influenced you over here I want to be you and God and I'm going to tell you something I'm going to tell you something he is a great investor that's willing to take any amount that you would invest in this most worthy Adventure that we're about to go on any amount so don't stand here today and say you know what well and I'm just G I'm I'm gonna pull this amount well all I've got is $100 I could invest don't you allow that don't you allow that to happen to you I believe if we let God speak to us if we let God speak to us and I know there's many of you that may be watching online you attend other churches the only way we receive your offering the only way we receive you have to clear that with your pastor with your man of God there in your local church we don't need we don't need because we have a global Ministry we don't need to stand here today and say let somebody else do it I want to do my part so in years to come when we're having graduation in this church and this one's going this country and that one's going to that City you're going to be able to sit there and say I had a hand in that I had a I had a a part I had a I had a part in that I had a part in that I believe I believe I've written down I believe I put down on my notes today 43 days 43 days from now is when the closing of that property should be taking place we have 43 days I ask you to pray if God lays on your heart an amount just do this on the check or on the envelope please designate for the Bible training C Center or the Bible school or the building please make a note for that if God speaks to you then then then give and we're going to be praying for 43 days that God speaks to us father in the name of Jesus Christ I pray today that you will speak God we have asked God we have asked you Lord we've asked you God to let it be God speak to men and women that are in this room right now God speak to those that are watching online right now God Speak Lord you know that amount that we need and God you're more than able to supply that need through your people Lord and I pray God that this happens For Your Glory and for your honor in the name of Jesus Christ if you believe it's going to happen would you just give God a praise right now you believe it's going to happen would you give God a verbal praise right now do you believe it's going to happen I believe it's going to happen today