Let's Go To The House | Mark McCool

could we love Jesus together come on love Jesus a little bit Savior you're so worthy save your weak soldiers save your we honor your presence Savior we're so old by the opportunity to be in your presence right now oh honey no yeah I don't know I'll let you be seated for a few moments wow what an awesome celebration we are in the midst of giving honor to the churches and the pastors that are represented tonight especially those of the tri-state district giving highest honor to the Saints and laborers a first Apostolic Church of Maryville in particular the details have been given already but I keep you highest honor I give honor to our district superintendent for the Atkins to our trust state district board members and we're going to hear from him a little later but I honor our Bishop my dad who should McCool I love him dearly and y'all got to give me a moment here to get my feet under me after an introduction like that I needed someone else to come up here's all I can tell you I give honor to the visiting ministers and honoured guests of first Apostolic Church miracle tonight flawed an awesome army of ministers and preachers I heard one Bishop one time say I give protocol to those that I don't know to call so I honor all of you it's it's an honor to be with with you and to have you here I give special honor to the leadership and first family of this wonderful assembly the carpenters the Erickson's the Hammonds and if I oughta Mize all of them who you know so well some of the most talented gifted anointed people in the Apostolic movement what an awesome awesome first family you have here first Apostolic Church Miravalle give them another hand Church family don't do what I'm about to do this is Bishop Carter be skinny to me that's your first lady's sister Carter but to Jamie that's penny we've earned that ride bro we're a long way from brown pintos blue Nova's green mustangs only you and I know what that's about prayer meetings in the church parking lot sometimes asking God to forgive us other times praying for Direction not knowing where we'd be tonight this is celebration time if I get tears in my eyes I'm not sad I promise I'm so happy tonight we are celebrated and awesome monumentous occasion I'm here to tell you this is a night of celebration God's done something special you talking about a miracle this is an awesome night I honor the illustrious history of this assembly your heritage your lineage is truly remarkable I recently read that it is important to have heroes from the past but not to make our past our hero truer words have not been spoken for from the humble beginnings of McKinley Street house turned the church to the FAC Mirabal campus that's just down the road a piece these are wonderful foundational memories and I like to go back and reflect on those those they call them good old days and they're old and some of them were good but I've got news for you I'm confident tonight that God has indeed brought us to this place we are where we're supposed to be but the Maryville miracle has not ended it's just getting started momentum is continuing 17:23 William Blount Drive is indeed the address of the first Apostolic Church of Maryville Tennessee and this is the house of God what a stunning marvelous all inspiring complex that we dedicate tonight I would ask you to stand for a few moments in reverence to the reading of the word of the Lord I have other things to say but I get my authority as a minister from God's Word our superintendent but the Atkins said he had some scriptures and any of them would be good to preach from so I think I'll just bring from one of them if that's all right I in a service like this would love for God to have given me some obscure passage with some fresh revelation that would make all of these folks in here think wow so if you aren't familiar with this passage that I read tonight I'll give you revelation but I would call your attention to the Book of Psalms the 120 second chapter that says a song of degrees of David I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house below our feet shall stand within the gates o Jerusalem Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compacted together whether the tribes go up the tribes of the Lord and to the testimony of Israel to give thanks unto the name of the Lord it's a house with the right name on it for there are set Thrones of judgment and the Thrones of the house of David pray for the Peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love thee peace be within my walls and prosperity within thy palaces for my brethren and companions sake I will now say peace be within thee because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good for a few moments tonight as we dedicate this house I would give you this subject let's go to the house we have something to be glad about we have something to be glad about let's talk to Jesus a minute Savior I Love You Lord I'm so grateful for this opportunity I thank you for every individual that's here Savior I pray that your word would speak to us tonight Lord I am flesh and I'm nothing without you but Savior we know that you have ordained this service to be so Lord we recognize and we magnify the work that you have done through your servants now God speak to us through your word let us be as you would have us to be and do what you would have us to do we're grateful and thankful in the name of Jesus we pray amen and amen Lord bless you you can be seated I am indeed honored and awed by the opportunity to bring the dedicatory message of this grand house of God it is even a great challenge understand my position it's a great challenge to even stand in the pulpit of one of the preeminent voices in the Apostolic movement your vision and my bishop bishop carpenter and to preach to a congregation first Apostolic Church of Maryville who consistently hears awesome word every time they have Church this is a tough task I've got I'm aware that this foundational text contains many statements that could be developed into astounding theological imagery by ministers of a gospel with much more polemic prowess than I have J jaws Bert I can't even get my voice that low brother Osborn this is a tough task of God there will be those who would be able to elaborate and give a great exegesis to enlighten all of us at another juncture about this same passage but since it's my responsibility to minister to you tonight I'm gonna leave all that deep stuff to these good preachers I just hope my presentation will be simple enough that I can present it and anoint it enough that all of you will know that God has been here before the nights over ok nothing deep here I just want you to know we've got something to be glad about at dedication service for first Apostolic Church Miravalle I'm glad to be in this house tonight Oh hallelujah now understand for you folks that live north of the Tennessee line let me give you a little explanation here we have a saying here in the south it's time to go home we'll say let's go to the house let's go to the house now I know y'all say let us go to the house but we have economy of language UNICEF we said let's go to house one of the greatest feelings you can ever hear especially when you're a pastor on Sunday night when everything is finished when somebody starts turning the lights out you said let's go up to house I've told other ministers one of the greatest sounds you'll ever hear is when you pull in the garage and if you're fortunate enough to have an electric garage door closer and you hear it go behind you on Sunday night and then you pray that your cell phone don't ding with a text message it's a good feeling to go home I like going home my house not is not a mansion but it's my house it may not be immaculate but it's my house it may never appear in Better Homes and Gardens for a photoshoot but I'll guarantee you it's immaculately clean and in order because of sister Jamie and not me my house is not a New York City penthouse nor a Beverly Hills mansion it's not even on a dogwood trail nor a Granville estate on Fort Loudoun lake but it's my house and I'm glad to go there okay the more I travel the more I stay in motels and hotels the more I cherish that time we say I'm glad it's time to go to the house but you know what I feel the same way about going to the house of God there was a nervous excitement in me about coming to this place tonight because this is God's house I'm God's child so I'm going to the house I'm going home this is where God's people dwell the church is not the building you're the church but this is our dwelling place this is the house I'm glad when I get to go to the house aren't you glad to be here I looked up that term glad one of those deep definitions it says pleased delighted feeling pleasure joy or delight listen if you're not having fun going to church you're not going to the right church it's fun going to church I like coming to church that's what I've done all my life I like being here this is home this is my place this is my family first Apostolic Church of Maryville I feel at home tonight but did you know there's another definition that goes along with glad it's very willing to do something very willing to do something I've got news for you the reason this is a house of gladness that we're in tonight there's a bunch of folks who's been very willing to do something they haven't been sitting around God does mirror through hands that will work I promise you this place has been given they've been sacrificing they've been praying they've been fasting they brought about this miracle and the scripture stated in verse 7 there is peace and prosperity in the house that ought to make every one of us glad this place is a place of peace this place is a place of comfort this is the place I want to be but scripturally I begin examining situations where God's house had to be tested and those in it to just see how important the house of God he is I'd ask you to turn with me to second chronicles the twentieth chapter and we'll read a bit in a narrative and comment as we go we read it came to pass after this also the children of Moab and the children of Eman and with them others besides the ammonites came against Jehoshaphat to battle then there came some highlight that in your mind then there came some that told you harsh effect there's always some that'll come tell the King bad news there's a bunch of folks that line up to be part of the Sun to tell you that the church is under attack then there came some that told you Hacha fat saying there cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side of Syria and behold baby has a son Tamar with which is India die there's always some don't be a part of the Sun Oh pastor carpenter we're under attack don't be a part of the Sun Oh pastor carpenter that the war clouds are gathering everybody's after us don't be part of the Sun but notice Jehoshaphat feared everybody say the king was afraid he'd hurt so much bad news the king was afraid but this was a smart king this was a brilliant leader for notice what he did and he said himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast through all Judah and Judah gathered themselves together to ask help of the Lord even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord and Jehoshaphat stood up in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem in the house of the Lord before the new Court I'm not part of the son but I want to give you a little heads up just cause you got a new sanctuary just because you got a new complex it does not mean there's not going to be some times that your leadership is not going to step forward and say hey we need to call a fast in this place we're needing to call a fast hi I've got some concerns we're needing to get everybody together we're gonna ask the Lord for help just because we've got a new building don't mean we're gonna stop praying and we're gonna stop fasting and we're gonna stop calling on the Lord oh we have no faith in the bricks and mortar the carpet and the and the concrete we have our faith still in the house of God he set himself to seek the Lord they gathered together they didn't all stay home and watch it streamed you may be seated they encouraged everybody to get in charge get it in in together and getting charged of calling on God together they went to the house Lord somebody said let's go to the house there's an issue going on where we're needing to call on the Lord but I want you to notice the prayer that Jehoshaphat Fred Jehoshaphat prayed a rhetorical prayer this prayer wasn't really asking God to do anything really his prayer was reminding himself with just how great God was notice his prayer and he said O Lord our fathers are not thou God in heaven well of course he is sometimes we have to pray so we can listen to what we're talking about andrew is not thou over all the kings of the heathen and understand this was a fearful King praying fearful Kings worried and all of a sudden he's heard all the stories of son he's called a fast he's got everybody together and he's praying a rhetorical prayer to God really reminding himself and just how great God is and in my hands is there not power and might so that none is able to withstand thee art not thou our God who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel and gave us it to the seed of Abraham die friend forever sometimes we need to pray to get rid of our fear and get glad again somebody may need to be praying a prayer to be reminded not what some said but how great God is sometimes I've got to get on my knees and say Oh God you're still the one who answers prayer God you're still in charge god you're still in charge of this thing Lord I'm not gonna listen to the son anymore come on if they see Mirabeau there's gonna be times we're gonna get together and just be reminded how great our God is god you're doing so much I'm not gonna be afraid anymore and he went to the house that had the right name on it verse eight said and they dwelt therein and have built me a sanctuary therein for thy name saying if when evil come against us as the sword judgment or pestilence or famine we stand before this house hear me if they see Maryville I'm preaching to you and let everybody else listen you need to stay in this house there's a lot of buildings that will be called churches but you need to stay in this house it's this house where you'll get your needs met it's this house that God has ordained to be so this house is the mayor of Ulm miracle this house is the house that's going to minister to the community it's this house you need to be in he said I built it for a sanctuary it's this house where I need to be we stand before this house why for their name is in this house I'm glad to have his name on the house but it's more important to have his name in the house hear me if we can't preach the Jesus name apostolic message or we might be offensive to someone hear me if we can't repeat repeat the message of repentance water baptism Jesus name the infinite of the Holy Ghost evidence with speaking with tongues if we're afraid to name that we're in the wrong house I'm in this house that's what's gonna be preached in this house I told you the deep stuff will come later that's what's in this house you know what he did he he took a stand he said we're gonna stand in this house he said crying to be in our affliction then that will herein help he took a stand in the house of God he dwelt in the church it was a sanctuary with his name on it a sanctuary is a place where someone is given shelter or protection a consecrated place I've got news for you this place was consecrated in the very first service we're dedicating it tonight but it's been concentrated for a long time this church family came in worshipping and praising and saying this is the house we're gonna praise in now understand I've stayed in comfort suites fair fillion Holiday Inn Express hi it's Hilton Sheratons marriage brother Carter I've stayed in the back and in with you and Ireland Bishop croucher we stayed in the El Walid and Amman Jordan they have different stars than we do over there so I continued the more I go to those places I'm happy to go home I'm I was glad when they said let's go to the house hear me I'm glad to be in this house this is our house this is our place this is where God's people dwell this is our sanctuary I'm glad to be here let the sword come let Judgment Paul like pestilence arrive let famine take place I stand in this house but I've got news for you he didn't just go to the house by himself he took his family with him verse 13 said and all Judah stood up before the house with their little ones and their wives and their children we preached it thousands of times that we send our kids to church we bring them to church we don't look for minimal amounts of service that we contend attend in fact we make sure our homes are an example of the house of God that we come to we make sure that we still minister to our children just because we've got a new sanctuary and I knew a place of worship here the first Apostolic Church of Maryville hadn't stopped ministering to the kids don't forget the children keep kids ministry strong keep the schools strong keep the childcare centre strong keep the children up that's another generation in this house Jehoshaphat said bring your wives bring your children bring the little ones into the house this is not a house of arguing quarreling bickering and cursing it's not a house of the silent treatment either it's not a house of sin a house of horrors a House of Blues a house of discouragement a house of gossip a house of criticism this is the house of God I'm glad to be in the house and I want you to notice what happened in the house when they take their kids to house this is now a multi-generational Church isn't that or don't that sound good we are a multi-generational Church that means you got young pocono faux middle-aged folk middle school folk you know but notice what happened in the house then upon Joe hazel the son of Zechariah the son of Ben aiiow the son of Jo the son of Montana ayah but a Levite in the son of Asaph came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation and he said hearken ye all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and thou King Jehoshaphat thus saith the Lord unto you be not afraid nor dismayed by the reason this great multitude for the battle is not yours but gods if you want God to use your children keep them in the house now I know that Sam I told you this was going to be easy this is simple they're probably not going to start prophesying at Little League permanent on Sunday afternoon if you keep them out of the house you can sit down again if you want your kids to be used of God keep them in the house secular activities it's not where they're going to be used of God they'll start prophesy and they'll start speaking words of encouragement they'll start ministering if you'll bring him to the house keep your kids in the house he said King don't be afraid a young man now he said don't you be afraid they'd already given his multi-generational credentials he said tomorrow go you down and gets them be home they come up by the cliff exists and ye shall find them at the end of the brook before the wilderness of Jarrow ye shall not need to fight in this battle set yourselves stand you still and see the salvation of the Lord with you Oh Judah and Jerusalem fear not nor be dismayed tomorrow go out against them for the Lord will be with you and I want you to notice what they did after the young man prophesied Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground and all of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord worshiping the Lord they had a worship service but it didn't stop there and the Levites of the children of the cowhides and of the children of the chorus stood up to praise the Lord they had worship and praise service and I'm with you brother Eriksson with a lab boy it's on high if you want God to use your children keep them in the house of God and let me give you a warning sometimes we're gonna get loud I said a warning not an apology no understand to all those folks who have already downloaded a decibel meter to your smartphone because you suddenly got frightened about damage and everyone's hearing it's gonna get loud in here sometimes you may need to take that to Neyland Stadium and compare what's going on heaven help us when the charismatic churches are handing out earplugs and we're handing out nodos it's gonna get loud in here sometimes we're gonna get wild sometimes we're gonna shout we're gonna run oh we got a new building we're supposed to act more sophisticated now I'm here to tell you the Holy Ghost is gonna fall in this place you're gonna see folks run that you never saw a run before you're gonna see folks dance that you never somebody better hear this preacher we're in the house we're in God's house this is God's house stay with me just a minute longer I want you to notice what else happened they didn't develop a bunker mentality we didn't build this place to keep the world out we didn't build this beautiful place so those old nerdy nerdy and nasty and dirty I saved that didn't we don't want any of that stuff in here huh we're holy and hear me we'll have our standards of holiness that we believe and we'll talk about that but you better hear me when the young man prophesied he told him where the enemy was they didn't wait for the enemy to attack they went out after the enemy hear me first Apostolic Church of Maryville don't have a bunker mentality we're going out and ministering to the Lost there's folks that we're gonna bring in they not gonna smell like us they don't smell like sin they're not gonna look like us oh we're not putting them in the pulpit but we're loving them to the altar we're caring about them hear me we can't develop an idea that we're better than everybody else instead we got a minister to our community we gotta let him into this house this is the house they need to be in uh hallelujah verse 21 stated and when he had consulted with the people they don't mean they took a vote of the board this consultation was here's what we're going to do you're pastoring your leadership sometimes gonna get up and say here's what we're gonna do and you know what you're gonna do you're gonna do it because God has given us the same mind in the same direction this is our house you're your pastor your pastoral leadership they're gonna get up and they're gonna call on us to do some crazy things sometime if we'll just stick with them and stay with them God's gonna give us souls that we thought not possible in this community when he had consulted with the people he appointed singers there they are under the Lord that they should praise the beauty of holiness this is still a hole in this house and they went out in front of the enemy holiness and lead us out to go into battle we will be our holy people not a self-righteous people but a holy people that lead out into our community saying I want you to experience what I've got I'm not condemning you I love you I want you to see how God changed me they went out before the army to say praise the Lord for His mercy endureth forever they praise the beauty of holiness and then they glorified the mercy of God you see the King no longer had fear he wasn't hiding under the covers he got up early he headed to the wilderness ready to win he had fresh faith God will renew your faith in this house God's house will make you appreciate holiness you can tell folks who stayed out of the house of God too long holiness becomes ugly to them could I give it a sudden I got a lot of folks from Knoxville here tonight so I'm not talking about you and talk about the ones that aren't here now we're online early I personally dread counseling with any person who wants to meet in the office but they do not have time to come to God's house or meet me at the altar folks that don't have time to come to the house but they want to counsel they've got a problem with the house of God they don't know what the beauty of holiness is like they're expecting some kind of secular counseling to take care of their sinning a lot of you folks wouldn't need counseling if you come to the altar first you can clean this up later Bishop hear me sometimes I just need to get in the house and pull down on my knees and remind God just how great he is when I've got some silly situation I've been getting my backup over if I can go to the altar and say God cleanse me Lord renew me you're the merciful God you fought my battles you're greater than any situation choirs gonna keep singing cuz here's what happened when they started singing and they started worshiping the Bible says that God said in ambushment against the enemy God sent an ambushing spirit no stay with me just a moment some of y'all might have heard of CS Lewis the twentieth century Christian apologist you know Chronicles of Narnia and all that stuff he made this statement he said let choirs sing well or not at all otherwise we merely confirm the majority that's the world in there conviction that the world of business this which does with such efficiency so much that never really need doing is the real adult and practical world and this culture and religion horrid words both are essentially marginal amateurish and rather effeminate activities now what he was saying was if we're going to have a choir they need to sing like this choir did denied the days of showing up ten minutes after churches started and picking songs are over with oh they're just getting too organized for me no preparation is not a sin getting here early for your choir director and preparing it self quit preaching started meddling already I call job getting to church early and turning on the sound system before the preachers halfway through his message those days are over preacher don't learn how to operate the sound system that's not your job God's gonna send you people that are faithful could have preach to the choir that's a term they use you know preaching to the choir let me preach to the choir could I tell you some of you may not have quality enough voice to being a mic but if you'll just praise a little bit you don't need a mic to praise just cut loose and hucklebuck a little bit and you see what happens let somebody else have the mic you just praise a little bit God will bless your effort you can praise in the choir half-hearted effort and unfaithful attendance won't ambush the enemy a desire for unholy lifestyles and appearance but I've got a right to sing and do technology anyway won't ambush the enemy the spiritually unprepared or rebellious nature will not equate to ambush in the enemy we're not singing for a recording contract we're not singing to exalt ourselves but it's about him we're exalting Jesus we're praising Jesus Oh hallelujah and when they begin to sing in the praise the Lord said ambushment against the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir which were come against Judah and they were smitten maybe somebody started singing this is how I fight my battle ha ha this is how I fight my battle it may look like I'm surrounded ha ha but I'm surrounded by you walk I'm in the house I'm glad I'm in the house Oh musicians come on give us a little background music that'll make folks think I'm quitting anyway because bishop and pastors coming back to clean all this ad and when Judah came toward the watchtower in the wilderness they looked under the multitude and behold there were dead bodies falling to the earth none escaped and when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them they found among them in abundance both riches with dead bodies and precious jewels which they stripped off of whom's more than they could carry away and they were three days in gathering the spoil it was so much do I dare I dare verse 27 says then they returned every man of Judah and Jerusalem and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them to go to Jerusalem howl with joy sometimes your leadership don't come in this place and you're going to how in the world is he smiling how could this guy be so happy I know what you know why he's got joy because he's in the house he knows that God's got victory God's gonna do something he may not have have been able to go out and even fight I only had to stand still because God was ambushing the enemy and they came to Jerusalem with psalteries those are streamed instruments with hearts with trumpets under the house of the Lord you see fear had changed now the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries hear me first Apostolic Church of miracle if you keep the house of God going from the enemy scared to death of what you're accomplishing enemy don't like what's happening in this city because of what you're accomplishing is it any wonder verse 30 said so the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet for his God gave him rest roundabout is it any wonder that the psalmist said I was glad I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord would you stand with me I want this to be an anointed house of gladness the psalmist said it this way in Psalms 45 6 thy throne O God is forever and ever the sceptre of the kingdom is at the right sceptre thou lovest righteousness and hate his wickedness therefore God thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness as we dedicate this house tonight I want this to continue to be a house of gladness a place folks look forward it said all that garment smell of myrrh and aloe and kiss you out of the ivory places whereby they have made thee glad they may come in smelling like sin but I want them going out smelling like glad they may come in with the stench of sin on them but I want them going out smelling like glad I would pause and remind you I will not quote the entire passage but the 100 Psalm make one statement that I would remind you of it said make a joyful noise unto the Lord they didn't say to let a joyful noise happen that means there's a concerted effort going forth in just a moment I'm gonna turn this mic back to our passenger to introduce our Bishop for the dedicatory prayer but I don't want this tonight to be a time of sad singing and fast digging that's called a funeral this is a turn to celebrate this is a time to be glad we're in the house of God could you give high praise and gladness to Jesus enjoy let's go come out I said let's go to the house let's just go to the house right now you know what I mean by that let's go to that Upper Room of joy and unspeakable and full of glory praising his name right now thank you Jesus thank you Lord glory glory thank you lord no weapon formed against me will prosper for I am the head and not the tail I'm above and not beneath for in the house of the Lord there's joy peace God's house God's house jobs house turn to your neighbor and say go to the house and now your pastor is going to tell you go back to your Pew right now