Make a Place for the Man of God

I'm going to Second Kings chapter 4 for my scripture reading today. I was praying yesterday morning, and I'm usually — before the weekend ever gets this close — I have already laid out what is the beginnings of a message that God will have laid in my mind and my heart. But in being transparent, it was a Saturday morning prayer, and I had wrapped up my prayer session and I was still on zero. So, and that happens every now and again. It's not the norm for me, but it does happen from from time to time. And as I got up from kneeling there in the chair where I pray at my home, I just sat on the edge of that chair and I simply said this: God, I need a word. Sunday's coming, and and I need — I need a word for your church. And uh, it was no more out of my mouth and God gave me what I'm going to preach. And that happens. God God speaks to me often. And the word today is a hard message for me to preach. It's an uncomfortable message for me to preach. But I have zero hesitation or doubt that the word is from God. So I say those things not as an apology or an explanation in any way, merely to say that I'm going to, as always, be obedient to the word today.

I I know without a doubt that that Sister Freeman, you were being obedient and God was confirming. I knew he wanted to speak, and he's confirming that he is coming soon. Church, Apostolics, we we we get a little ramped up when you say, "Jesus is coming soon." It's been in our DNA since the beginning. Uh, you get around to Oneness Apostolic and you say, "Jesus is coming," they'll break out in song. Somebody'll grab a tambourine, and they'll — be an offering taken up immediately. But I fear sometimes that we may get desensitized to those words, that he's coming soon. Ladies and gentlemen, prophecy is continuing to be fulfilled. And I would just be so afraid to have set on a pew or a chair — whatever the case may be — and will have heard truth presented to me so many times, and will have convinced myself, "I'm okay, I'm okay," and never stopping to ask yourself, "Am I really okay?" We do that, right? We we we'll have problems for years and never go to the doctor. We'll have problems for years and never go ask anybody about it because we're — "I'm all right, I'll just" — uh, and we we lie to ourself all the time. We're great at lying to ourself. But if there's one area that I don't — I don't want to miss — I don't want to miss the rapture. I don't I don't think it's anything to play with. And I'm going to get emotional today. Um, I blame living with four women — a lot of estrogen in my house, I get emotional — so if I cry, just go with me.

Second Kings 4. And it fell on the day that Elisha passed to Shunnum, where was a great woman. Look at your neighbor, say, "Great." She wasn't ordinary. Something worth note was there. She she was a great woman, and she constrained him — interesting word there; a lot of images come to my mind of how she did that — but she constrained him to eat bread. And so was that oft as he passed by, he turned and thither to eat bread. So there's a relationship that has started. You guys picking up on this? We're only a couple verses in, but a lot has been said. There's a great woman. She's constraining. She's pleading. She's she's making it very plain that she wants him to come where she is. See, she says to her husband, verse number nine: Behold, I perceive that this is a holy man of God which passed by us continue. Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall, and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick. And it shall be, when he come cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. And it fell on the day that he came through there, and he turned into the chamber, and he lay there. And he said to Get Hazardous, servant, call the Shunamite. And when he had called her, she stood before him. And he said un — and he said unto him, say now unto her, behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care. What is it to be done for thee? What does thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain a host? And she answered, I dwell among my own people. And he said, what then is to be done for her? And Gehaza answered, verily she hath no child, and her husband is old. And he said, call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door. And he said, about this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace the son. And she said, name, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto that handmaiden. And the woman conceived and bear a son at the season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.

I want to preach today, with the help of God and his Spirit: Making a Place for the Man of God. Making a place for the man of God. In a church this size, and in a crowd and a service like we have here today, there's no doubt in this preacher's mind at all, no doubt, that there's going to be some here this morning, they're not going to subscribe to the principles that I'm going to lay out in this message. See, I believe that when the roll is called up yonder, and when the gates are closed in behind us, and we are making it onto the sunny banks of New Jerusalem, that there will be the fingerprints of a pastor all over your soul. Most of us know that the word of God says in First Corinthians chapter 1 verse 21: it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. What we're doing here today, a lot in the world say is just foolishness. They don't understand it. They don't they don't get it. But what they miss is that this was God's design method, and how he is to communicate with his church.

I've been in ministry over 25 years now — hard to believe that, but I counted up to make sure — 25 years, and 16 of those have been in full time ministry. At this church, the last six years, I've been honored to pastor this church, the greatest church on the planet. You cannot convince me any different. This is the best — the best people, the best talent, the best ability. I absolutely love this church. But I can tell you this as well: there have been some that I have worked with in the last six years that do not believe that I am necessary in their life when it comes to the salvation process. They were not always mean or ugly to me — some have been kind — but they did not embrace the principles that that I feel today in my spirit to preach about, that it was necessary that they have a pastor in their life. And when I look at this passage of scripture that we have read here, when I when I look into the word of God, I see that this woman was a Shunamite. She was an Israelite woman. She was from the household of the faithful in Israel. And we read that Elisha the prophet, he was passing by her house. And and we don't know all the details that took place here, but we have a little bit of information: that she was the — she was a woman that identified who he was, and at some point she decided to invite this man of God into her house. Verse 8 says she was a great woman. That Hebrew word translated "great" there is g'dal, which translate noble or or high importance. This woman was not self-elevated, but others had elevated her into the position. She she held honor in the community and had a place of importance there. She was used to attention and and used to having things done a certain way. She was a somebody, but not in the way that presented her as having a a poor attitude or or bad demeanor. She is not easily impressed by status or titles or positions. She's used to being around people of note and means. So this was interesting to me as I began to study this out, that there was something about the prophet that stood out to her. As time passed, the prophet came by, and as custom is proper, this woman asked her — invited the prophet — "Would you please come and stay at my house? Stay here. Let us let us have a place for you where you can lie your head down. I prepare a meal for you. Take care of whatever needs you may have in this moment." And and in my mind, I I think she probably had a nice house, a place where it wasn't going to be a major inconvenience for those who lived underneath her roof to have a guest show up and be a part of what was going on. At the beginning, I imagined she made maybe a pallet in a spare room for him, or and had a meal there. But as she begins to know him, as she begins to understand this man, see, she sees something about him that's a little bit different. Something begins to stand out. He's not just a prophet. She begins to use language that has has important words associated with it. She says in verse 9: I perceive that this is a holy man of God which is passing by us continually. The Hebrew word "perceived" there is yadah, which means to know, or to to understand, or to discern. And I believe it's not a stretch to say that that she was not a stranger to spiritual matters. To me, I believe this to be a woman who had a relationship with God, and she was familiar with the presence of God. And perhaps that was why she was identifying something special in Elisha's life. And as she began to have more and more understanding about him, and about his — about his ministry, and what all God was doing there, she began to to talk to herself, and even to those of her household, to say: There's something special about this man here. I believe him to be a man of God.

We we know that that Elisha was a preacher. We know that he was a prophet. But I feel that there was something deeper that she's trying to to to tap into that was going on in his life, something more in the spiritual way to the matter. In fact, I believe that it was the very Spirit of God that moved on her when she began to make this statement: a man of God. The man of God is a very important label in the Bible. We see in Deuteronomy 33 verse number one: And this is the blessing we're with Moses the man of God bless the children of Israel before depth. This title signifies something important about the person in whom it was given. There's depth to this title in scriptures. And in Judges chapter 13, when Manoa's wife was visited by the angel foretelling of the birth of Samson, she referred to her husband as a man of God. I don't have time today to go through all the references that are in the scriptures, but there is respect in all that is being implied when someone is referred to as a man of God. When that title was given to them, it was more than just a recognition, more than just acknowledging a position or office that they hold, but it was a spiritual recognition that was taking place inside of whom this person was. There was something about this woman who realized: This is not just an ordinary man. There's something there that I can't quite put my finger on, but I believe him to be a man of God. This recognition is important in the individual life. Proverbs 29 and 18 says that where there is no vision, the people perish. I want you to know that vision and perception go hand in hand. And she was declaring that she had perceived that Elisha was a man of God, because you need a man of God to help divine your vision in your life.

There were other prophets in the day and in this time, and no doubt she had been around some of them and seen the things that they had been doing in their life and in their ministry. But this was not just another prophet. She sees a bigger picture unfolding here in her life. She perceives that he is a man of God. And spiritually, she she begins to know that I need to make a place for him in my life. I I need to do something special, because this is a a man of God, and he has a special role and a special place to to to be in my life. And because of this, she begins to place a room and make a room for him. And the same thing needs to play out in your life and in my life today. We will either — we will or we will not — make a special place for the man of God in our life. God will place, God will plant and put a man of God into your life, and that Spirit that he begins to move on you will hopefully reveal to you the necessity of why that person should be there. It's not just something there's an added decoration to your life. It's not something that should be there, it's just another qualification in what you're trying to do in your walk with God. But there's a special place that only belongs to a man of God in your life. That's something different from anything else you're gonna face. And up to this point, Elisha has been a guest in her home, but now she's trying to make it a little bit different. She wants to let him know: I don't want you to just be a guest. I have a place that specially is specifically designed just for you. It's a place that nobody else is going to go into. It's a place that is just for you. Whenever you're near, whenever you want to stop by, whenever there's something going on that brings you around my way, I want you to know that you don't have to knock on the door. You don't have to be invited. I'm giving you an open imitation right now, that if ever there's an opportunity for you to stop by my house, I have a place that only belongs to you.

She's beginning to see how important it is that she has a man of God in her life. Things are different now. She's making the plans. She has a room with a bed and a table and a candle stick and a stool. She's doing these things on purpose, because it will not happen without you taking time to prepare. Now don't you look at people in the scriptures and think that they were living in a different era of time, and their lives were not like your and our lives. They were very busy. They had schedules. They had things that were going on. They were having to go to and fro, and make sure things happen. They were trying to make sure they had food stored up, and they were — they were making sure that they had to make sure the household was taken care of. I'm quite sure that they had junk in their garage just like you and I. So this was not just empty space. This was something that she specifically carved out of her life to bring the man of God in. Now I believe you are understanding what I'm talking about today, that I'm talking about spiritual matters. You see, Elisha was no longer just an invited guest in their house. No longer was he having to knock on the door to be invited in. But she said: I'm giving you a key. I'm making a place just for you. You can walk right in. You can go to your room. You can lie down on the bed. You can sit in the chair at the table. You can light a candle so that you can see what's going on around this place. You don't have to wonder aimlessly in the dark what's going on, but you have the opportunity to see, and to cast and shed light into every area of the house.

Tell them a firm believer that if you make it to heaven, there will be a man of God that you're going to need to think, with the direction, with the encouragement, with the instruction and the guidance that he has given, to help you arrive over there in glory land. He had a place in your life where he — he didn't have to knock on the door, where your pastor didn't have to ask for permission to speak truth into your life, but he was given a place where he could interject an opinion from time to time, where he might see you going in the direction you didn't need to go, and kind of pull you back a little bit, where he might need to adjust an attitude that was causing you to drift off course from where you need and where you needed to be, that he had the ability to speak life into areas that have died in your — understand this: when you make a place for the man of God in your life, you make a place for God. There are preachers everywhere in this world, and some of them are amazing and eloquent in their ability to to deliver and and and preach a sermon, and and their comprehension of the word and understanding of scriptures. I'm a preacher. I'm a pastor. And from time to time I managed to put together a decent thought that's not half — but I've heard myself a few times, and I I have to be honest: I've heard worse preaching. I'm a man of God. I am a pastor. But am I you're a man of God? So we're wrapping up this family month, and I've been spending quite a bit of time studying the art of shepherding. I find it interesting that Jesus never claimed himself to be a preacher. He didn't. He never used the word pastor. But he referred himself as a shepherd. A shepherd. Shepherding is not a glamorous job. It's not a sought-after position, because you're just dealing with stinky sheep. Sheep, they're messy. Sheep, they're stupid. They're ignorant. Sheep can only see around 15 feet in front of them at any time. Sheep are easily captivated by whatever is right in front of them. Sheep will only concentrate on one thing at a time. Sheep will not make it on their own in the wild. Sheep have to have a shepherd. Without it, enemies will run in and take over and kill them out — take the whole flock out. Without a shepherd to lead them, they'll starve to death, eat themselves out of the only pasture they're stuck in, because they don't have enough foresight and vision to see. And it's this example that we have in the scriptures of what God relates his church to: all we like sheep have gone astray. He himself being a shepherd.

The role of a pastor in modern church is quite different from what I believe scripture spells it out to be. There's a role in a place that I cannot fulfill in your life unless you give me permission to. I cannot force myself upon you. I cannot demand that you give me respect. I cannot march into your life and tell you all the things you need to change unless you invite me in. The choice is yours. To do anything by force doesn't make anything work in life. The way the role of a shepherd works is that you invite him to be a part of what you're doing. I'm uncomfortable in preaching this message today, but I also know that God laid it on me in my prayer yesterday morning. More than a head nod, you must make a place in your life for a pastor. You must give him the right and permission to be in your life, to speak the word of God, to speak truth and love, to give him a place where he doesn't have to ask, but he can freely guide and freely direct you right to heaven. You have to create a place in your values, in your thinking, in your heart, and in your planning, where he doesn't have to be invited, but you give him the right as your man of God. And only when you do this — when you give him a place in your life — do you begin to fully understand what the Bible says in First Thessalonians 5 12: And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you. Understanding this, you never find yourself asking the question: What does pastor think he's doing, talking to me like that, telling me like that, rebuking me like that? What does he think he's trying to do? You give me that right when you call me pastor. The way I have always viewed this is: those who call me pastor, I feel like you've given me permission to be that. There are some of you who have never called me pastor. It's okay. It's okay. I still love you, and I still pray for you. But I don't feel like you've given me permission to pastor you.

And where my heart is today — and I hope you understand my heart, and I hope you understand just how uncomfortable I am with what I'm doing right now, because I feel like this is a very self-serving message, and I would not have preached this on my own. I have spent much time in the last 24 hours arguing with God about what was going to be said today. But I also felt so strongly in my spirit, he said: I have a word, and it's my church, and you either do it or I'll send somebody to preach it. So I tell you this today: I cannot force myself upon you. I'm not here trying to get you to pat me on the back and tell me I did a good job. I don't seek any of those things. I don't — I'm not looking for that today. But I'm merely asking: Will you give me permission to pastor you? If if you won't give me permission to pastor you, it's it's okay. It's all right. But I must admire you. You have to have a pastor in your life. And if it's not going to be me, it's okay, but go find wherever it is that you can be pastored, because I don't believe you're going to make it to heaven without a pastor. And I can't in good conscience that you sit here and listen to me today and allow you to go to hell. So with everything within me: if I can't be your man of God, please go find a man of God in your life. You will not make it by yourself. You will not make it on your own. You have to have somebody in your life who can point their finger in your face and tell you you're walking down the wrong road. You have to have a man of God. And if I'm not your man, that's fine. But by all means, find a man and submit to him.

Hebrews 13 to 17 says: Obey them they have the rule over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls, that they may give an account, that they may do with joy, not with grief. Unless you've ever sat in the chair, unless you've ever felt the weight of eternity fall down on you as you cried out names in the middle of the night, unless you've had to put up with all the mess that comes with dealing with sheep — be very careful how you talk about a man of God. I never asked for this. I had my career path chose. I had a good job, and I was making a good living. But I couldn't sleep. I couldn't rest. I didn't ask. I went in kicking and screaming, but I was tired of being miserable. I didn't think I was ever going to amount to anything in the ministry. And not that I've even amounted to anything in ministry, but I never ever ever asked for this. But I said: Okay, if that's the way you want, God, I give in. I give in, because I understand how important it is to be obedient. So I did. I love to tell you there's been roses and everything's worked out perfectly, but it hasn't. But don't you dare feel sorry for me. I have meat you know not of. I have been to places in the Spirit some of you could never ever comprehend. There has been times in my lowest moments when he has lifted me to the highest heights. There's times when I have faced my accusers, and I had listened to them gripe and complain, and I have listened to them spread false lies against me and tell things that were absolutely not true. But I did not defend myself, because that belongs to God alone. And should they choose to smear my name, or try to take my family down, I have no recourse other than going on my knees and asking God to know — you know, God, you know my heart. You know what I've done. You know what I've tried to do. You know, God, how many times I've prayed for that individual. Yeah, they spew venom out of their mouth every time they see me. I've watched him fight for me. And I've watched my heart break as I've watched God humble people. I thought: How crazy is this? And now I'm praying for them, God, and they were the one who were so hard on me. To understand the heart of the shepherds: to know that every sheep matters, even the ones who kick you every time and bite you every time. Even those, they still matter. Because there's nothing else that comes to the importance of showing up and saying: All that you gave me, you're still here. And when the ones walk away, and they keep you up at night, and you leave and you try to find them, and you search everywhere, and you you you see them, and they're so dirty, and they're so unkept, and you're trying to pull them back, and you're trying to to to shear them. You're trying to trim them and wash them and get them back where they need to be, just so that you can present them back one more time. See, here's the thing: you don't have to like me. You don't have to like me. It's never in my job description that the sheep had to like me. My job description was: I had to get you from here to there. My job description is that I have to give an account for you. And he is admonishing us, the writer Hebrews: Let him do it with joy. For the young men and young women in this room who are praying about being a pastor, I say: Be very careful. It better be the call of God.

The sooner white woman discerns that there was a holy man of God, and she was going to make a place for him — a place where he could feel free to just come in. There came a day when the child was grown. We see in verses number 18 of that fourth chapter, Second Kings, it says that when the child was grown, it fell on the day that he went out to his father to the reapers, and said to his father: My head, my head. And said to the lad: Carry him to his mother. And when he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he set her's knees till noon — sending her knees till noon — and then died. And she went and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. And she called to her husband and said: Send me, I pray thee, and one of the young men, and one of our asses, that I may run to the man of God and come again. We don't know exactly what it is. I've read every commentary I could on this story several times. It it it seems like the the consensus is that he probably had a heat stroke. You know, God can save you from your sins — we all know that — but he doesn't save you from life. Life still comes. Life still happens. Sometimes it can be ferocious. It can be fierce. Joe 14 1 says: Man this born a woman is a few days and full of trouble. Life, even life for the Holy Ghost, can beat you down. Trust me, you can just get tired. Trouble comes to their life. The child dies. And when trouble comes, she doesn't post it on social media. She doesn't spread it. She doesn't get the — you know, the party line going. Some of y'all get that in the room. She didn't send out a carrier pigeon. She doesn't call a friend. She doesn't bury it. But she takes her trouble to the place that she made for the man of God. You see, when you've made a place for the man of God, you've made a place for the God of the man.

You may be asking: How can a mother do that? How how can that be her response? You can only do this when you have vision and you're able to discern, when you have understanding that there's a bigger picture at play, what's going on. She goes to where the man of God is. Verse 25: So she went and she came unto the man of God at Mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her far off, that he said: That Hazel is servant, behold, yonder is that Shunammite. Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her: Is it well? Is it well with a husband? Is it well with a child? And she answered: It as well. Now don't miss this point: she's not speaking to the man of God right now. She's speaking to the servant. She did not tell her problem to another. She did not bad mouth what was going on in her life. She didn't spread anything that was going on. She didn't say: Well, I know I'm not too happy about this what's going on. She didn't do any of those things. When she had an issue, when she had a problem, she went directly to the man of God. She had a place for him. Because she — because she knew that she had a place for him, she also knew she had a place for God. When things in my life are not where they belong, I cannot help but believe that this principle still applies in life. She makes her way over to where he is, and she falls and she grabs Elisha's feet. Gahesa tries to push her away, and Elisha says: Leave her alone. She's made a place for me. People say — I'm to say: Pastor, I don't ever bother with you. No, no. If I'm — if I'm your pastor, if you've made a place for me, you have the right to come. You have a right to come in. You're not bothering pastor when you come in times of trouble, because you've made a place, and you allow the opportunity for me to speak into your life.

Elisha goes in. What's interesting here — and I don't want you to miss this point, excuse me — Elisha makes this statement in verse number 27 when he says: Her soul is vexed within her. The Lord hath hid it from me. He hath not told me. See, sometimes I feel like you think that God tells me all your business. He doesn't. And I'm thankful for that. I am so thankful for that. Now, God does from time to time give me insight. There are times when I'm preaching and ministering. There are times when I'm working in the altar praying, that God will quicken my spirit. Often times it's just one or two little words of impression that I have in the moment. But God doesn't come and spill all your beings in front of me so that I'm like: Oh, that's what they've been doing. I wondered what was — he doesn't do that, and I'm happy about it. But also understand that if your attitude is: Well, if if if he's really in tune with God, he'd know what's going on in my life, and he'll come over here and pray for me — look, if if Elisha didn't know what was going on, he's way yonder up higher in the pedigree of what goes on than Kevin Allen. So if Elisha has an opportunity to say: I don't know what's going on, God hasn't given me any word — now, more often than not, if you've got something going on, I probably don't know. I mean, unless you've sawed a leg off and you come in here — those things I'm perceptive that way, I'll probably get that one — but if you got something going on inside, if you're under a spiritual attack, what's going on, oftentimes I'm not going to be aware. That doesn't mean God can't, but more often than not, he doesn't, because he's also looking for your faith to operate enough to go to the man of God.

Look at this example that we have here, this great woman. As soon as she had a problem, she didn't sit in that room. She didn't sit down where the boy was dead and say: Well, the man of God will know. I'm in his room, and he's going to come. She didn't sit there. That's not the example. She put her trouble in the place, and then what did she do? She went to find the man of God. Why? Because she had enough faith to know that wherever the man of God is, the God of the man is also there. So she goes. Elisha goes with her. He goes back. It's a beautiful story there, as he stretches himself out over the boy, face to face. He lays on top of him, begins to pray. This makes me feel good, because nothing happened when he prayed. There's been plenty of times that I prayed and nothing happened. There's even been a time or two that I prayed and it got worse. Well, that boost your confidence right there. But he goes back in. He prays again. The boy sneezes seven times. I'm not gonna go into all the significance and everything that was there. The boy ends up coming back to life, and it's an awesome miracle. And it's an awesome example of what was going on: that she had the ability to trust God. The boy lived. But God had something in motion with this. And it was because that she had made a place for the man of God. She not only received her son back, but as you can see in the book of Second Kings chapter four — this was the story — but in chapter five, there's an interesting story about Naaman being healed, captain of the guard, the man's man. Most of you know how that story goes. He got mad because he goes to see the prophet, and the prophet never goes out to him. He sends a server now, and says: Hey, go dip yourself in the in the Jordan River. Are there not better rivers where I'm from? And then the servant says: Won't you just be obedient? He goes in, and he's what — he's healed, right? That's chapter 5. But interesting to know, the Naaman's trying to pay for what took place, and the man of God says: I don't need no payment. Go anyway. But his servant Geheza runs after him and says: Hey, the prophet changed his mind. So you have a couple things, and maybe a size 42. And he got some new clothes and got some money. When he came back, the prophet meets his servant out and says: What have you done? And Naaman's leprosy gets on Geheza. All right, you guys with me so far? Who's got leprosy? Geheza. All right. Hazel was who? Elisha's servant. So let's go in chapter five, chapter six. Ben Hey Dad, he sieges Samaria, and famine starts in. And it's so bad that they're actually selling dung to eat. Know about you, but I'm hoping for something a little bit better after this message. It's so bad that they're dividing babies up. Now only you, but that's pretty bad, right? Cooking babies and eating poo — not a good day. That's chapter six. Chapter 7, Elisha shows up, the man of God, and he says: Boy, it's bad. What are y'all eating stings in here? He begins to prophesy there's going to be some food. There's four lepers who are sitting there at the gate, and they begin to say to themselves: Hey, you know what? We could just sit here and die. I've met some of those people in my life. I just might as well die. I don't know what to say to you. We could sit here, die. Or I heard there's this little encampment right down the street. We could go there, and they might kill us, but either way we're probably going to die. Anybody up for a road trip? So here they go, this band of misfits — you know, missing legs and limbs and eyes and ears and nose — and these leopards, they're hobbling down. And the word of God says that there was a sound as the mighty army, and all of a sudden everybody ran off. So when they get there, guess what? There's a whole bunch of food. There's a whole bunch of clothes, a whole bunch of spoils, right? And then all of a sudden, these these lepers are like: Hey, look what — look what we have. And one of them says: Hey, we we shouldn't do this. Let's go back and tell everybody what's taking place. Now this is — this is Kevin. Okay, look at your neighbor and say: This is Pastor Kevin. All right. I firmly believe that was Geheza and his sons. Now you you theologians go study out, and you tell me if you can prove me wrong. I believe that was Gehazai and his sons, and I'll prove why I'm saying that in just a minute. And I believe on the way back, God heals them. I believe he restores them back. Because in chapter 8 — in chapter 8 verse number 1: Then spake Elisha unto the woman who said whose son he had restored life, saying: Arise, go to thine household and sojourn wherever thou can so adjourn, for the Lord have called a famine to come in the land for seven years. And the woman arose — because she loves the man of God, she's obedient to the man of God — she gets her house up, because the man of God said there's going to be a famine. Guess what? We need to leave. So she leaves. Verse number two: And the Romans — and the woman arose, and they have to say in the man of God, and she went with her husband household, and sold Jordan to the Philistines for seven years. She's still obeying. But when seven years passes, she makes her way back home, because she's like: Hey, we got on the counter. He said seven years. We're going to count down seven years, because I'm ready to go back home, because these Philistines stink. I don't be here. She goes back. Verse number four: And the king talked with — who's he talking to now? Here's the deal: there would never ever ever ever never ever never never ever ever ever never ever ever ever ever tailor never be a day that a leper would be talking to a king, ever. So how is Gehaza in front of the king? How? Well, I believe them four misfits got healed coming back. And what I believe happened is Get Hazard had a moment when he seen the spoils and said: Hold up. Last time this didn't work out too good for me. Before we touch anything, how about we go back and tell everybody? And I believe his faith in doing the right thing, he got his healing, so much that he's standing in front of the king. And while he's back in front of the king, the king's like: Tell me some stories about Elisha. Tell me I'll pray that all the great things Elijah had done. And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he restored the dead body to life, that behold, the woman whose son had restored cried to the king for her house and for her land. See, what's happened is: when you leave for seven years, squatters sometimes show up. So she had been gone seven years, and she comes back home, and somebody's living in her house. And she's knocking on the door saying: Hey, what are you doing? They're like: What do you mean? You're in my house. This ain't your house. I've been living here six and a half years. So she goes to the king. Now what are the odds, what are the odds, that all this is playing out, and Gehazar is telling the story — the very story about the woman — when she comes marching in the room and saying: Hey, I need to speak to the king. And Gahesha says: Well, my goodness, there's the very woman we've been talking about. And the king invites her up to tell the story. Verse number five: It came to pass, while he was telling the story, behold, the woman who her son restored life cried for the king of her house, for her land. And Hazel said: My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elijah restored to life. And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed to her a certain officer, saying: Restore all that was hers, all the fruit of the field since the day she left even until now. Because here's the deal, ladies and gentlemen — and I'm at the end of my message, this is it — when you make a place for the man of God in your life, you have access to the king. When you listen and obey his voice in your life, even when it doesn't make sense, even when it seems to cost you, even when you have to leave your house, even when he's directing you away from some things and you don't quite understand why everything has to take — but when you are obedient, you get access granted to see the king. And in the king's presence, everything can be restored. And there are some of you who have been dealing with a lot of stuff in your life, and the problem is you won't be obedient to us being preached by the man of God. You're not making a place for the man of God in your life. And I'm telling you, it has nothing to do with Kevin Allen. Has everything to do with the position that God has placed me in. And should God take me home tomorrow — I don't necessarily want to be on the express chain, but if I'm out of here tomorrow — and whomever God puts in my place, you need to be obedient to the man of God in your life. Because there's going to come a time when you're going to need somebody to tell you: This is not what you should be doing. You're going to have to have somebody tell you: Hey, there's some bad stuff coming your way. If I was you, I'd pack your bags and get out of here. There's going to come a moment when you're going to need access that only comes under the umbrella of authority and how God has organized things in your life. There's there's a hierarchy that gets spelled out, and if you're willing to fall under it, there are things that just happen. I can't explain it. I can't tell you any other way around it. I've tried to show you the best example in scriptures that I've ever seen about somebody who said: He's a man of God. I want to make a place for him in my life. And it was because of that obedience in her life that she ends up standing in front of the king. And it's the king who restores everything back in her life.

So I don't know where you are. I don't know what you're going through. And I know there are a few in the room today that you have great pastors in your life. You just happen to be visiting. This isn't me trying to convert you in any way. You go back and you'll be obedient to your man of God in your life, because you've got a good man of God. But if Center Point is your home, if you're really wanting to get all that God has for you in your life — this isn't because of me, but it's the office I hold — make a place where the man of God can speak into your life. Make a place for the man of God to be able to guide you and direct you in your life. And what comes far outweighs anything that you give part. Always. I'm going to close this way. They're going to come, musicians. I I don't know how exactly to end this message. God and I had that conversation too. So I'm simply going to do this. I'm not looking for you to come and give me some pledge of allegiance, all right? I'm not looking for that. I'm looking for you to sign my shoes and watch Michael. I don't need him. That all makes me so uncomfortable. I can't even tell you how uncomfortable all this makes me. But I feel it's important to open this altar up for whatever needs you have. He is here to supply whatever circumstance or problem you face. He is here to take care of whatever hurt, whatever broken, whatever — whatever it needs to be mended, he is here. So as I get ready to say this — this prayer — this this altar is open, and I'm going to pray. But my prayer is a simple invitation for you to open up your heart to what God needs you to do.

One of my greatest honors: when you call me pastor. I love my pastor, Phil the priest. He's not the pastor of this church anymore, but I have to have a pastor. And he's my pastor. And his voice is weak, and his body is frail. He's not what he once was. But when he speaks to me — and there are still some times he speaks a word — it's a convicting word. But I need it, because I have to have a pastor. And should the Lord Terry, and one day he goes on to his reward, I'll have to find a pastor. I don't know where. I don't know who it is. But I have to have one. Everybody needs a man of God. Everybody. Jesus, I love you. God, I've delivered my heart to your church today. Lord, I pray in this special moment here, as your presence moves in among us, God, that you would heal the brokenhearted today. God, that you would feel the empty vessel today. God, that you would restore relationships today. Gotta turn this now over to you. Invite your church to come. Let us all work on our relationship with you. Church's altar is open. If you'd like to come, I invite you.