Sunday Evening Worship Service

praise the Lord German Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said whenever we open our Bibles we should say to ourselves here and now God is about to speak to us and as you open your Bible I pray you do it with that attitude in the gospel of Saint Luke chapter 16 Luke chapter 16. so good to have family here tonight Aunt Janet we love you this is family I was so surprised my cousins came in Tammy and Scott so so many friends in this great church I thought I had it all worked out [Music] I thought I knew I was going to preach for several weeks I had it I know what I'm going to do [Music] Friday night as I was trying to sleep in the hotel just here down the street the Lord woke me up in the middle of the night and started speaking to my heart and that's what I want to share with you today Luke chapter 16 verse number 16 the law and the prophets were until John since that time the kingdom of God is preached and every man presseth kingdom of God is preached and every man must press I just want to talk to you a few minutes tonight I press I press set your Bible down before you're seated I know you've been standing a long time but just lift your hands say Lord speak to me tonight Lord I don't want to just hear a sermon from an evangelist or a pastor I want to I want to hear what the spirit of God is speaking to the church [Music] thank you for standing so long God bless you you may be seated I press here in Luke chapter 16 Jesus was speaking of a new era he said the Old Testament the law and the prophets was until the time of John the Baptist but the arrival of John the Baptist ministry marked the beginning of a new era of a new testament and now Jesus said in in this Testament in this time every man who wants to enter into the kingdom must do so through a pressing you must press your way in it's interesting that Matthew's gospel actually records the same conversation of Jesus but Matthew uses different wording Matthew wrote it like this in Matthew 11 and 12 and from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent you know the scripture do what they take it by force Matthew here speaks of suffering violence and employing violence meaning great force but it's interesting that it's the same Greek word both in our passage in Luke and here in Matthew 11. it's the same Greek word those who enter the kingdom of God Luke said must press their way into it Matthew said must employ violence or take it by force but it's the exact same Greek word everyone who comes into the kingdom must employ great force to get in now this of course is not talking about using some violent Behavior toward people certainly not this is certainly not speaking of trying to force others into the kingdom of God this is talking about a man's own effort in coming into the kingdom of God that he will face spiritual opposition when he is entering into the kingdom of God there will be forces spiritual forces that will oppose him and so he then must be forceful in his response he must possess a certain determination to lay hold to the kingdom of God because there will be violent spiritual battle and so that man and that woman must have the same sort of violent or forceful attitude that says I will not turn back the word that Luke uses to me depicts it beautifully he says You must press you must push you must you must press through opposition if you're ever going to be part of the kingdom of God if you're ever going to be a part of God's church then you're going to have to press your way in because the enemy will challenge your decision and if you're not willing to press or to push through that opposition you will never make make it what a word to every new Christian or every new believer as soon anybody know what I'm talking about as soon as you make a decision that I'm going to live for God as soon as you decide I want to be a follower of Jesus you better get ready there's going to be some spiritual opposition the enemy is going to try to discourage you the enemy is going to try to turn you around so you must you must you must possess a determination a violent attitude that says I won't turn around I won't quit I have made the right decision and I will move forward if you're not willing to press then you'll end up back in the world Jesus was always upfront about the true cost of discipleship he did not hide the requirements in the fine print he said if you're going to follow me then it's really going to cost you it's going to cost you everything if you're going to follow me you're going to have to press your way through some spiritual opposition if you're going to follow me there's going to be a struggle involved there's going to be violent opposition involved and suppressing is going to be necessary remember what Paul told the church this is really not a good sales pitch to prospective church members but Paul told the church in the book of Acts he said that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God are pure but we do prospective Christians a disservice by hiding up front the true cost of being his disciple I'll just be honest and blunt with you tonight if you're going to be his disciple it's going to cost you it's really going to cost you all there is no other way you're going to have to press your way in foreign that Jesus spoke about it isn't just directed to a newcomer to the kingdom of God this concept depressing really applies to anyone who desires more of God in fact anyone who is trying to reach forth to greater things in God they're going to have to press I just talked to a family not long ago at our church and they told me you know Pastor I made up my mind I'm going to get off the sidelines I made up my mind that I'm not going to be a spectator our family's not just going to be a spectator occupying a chair in the church anymore but we're going to step it up we're going to get involved we're going to serve we're going to pray we're going to worship we're going to we're really really going to get in and they said pastor ever since I made that decision to go farther in God to go deeper in God it seems like all kinds of stuff has come against us sickness and problems in our family and problems at the job and I encourage them listen to enter into the kingdom of God there's going to be oppressing you're going to have to press your way in I'm not just talking to prospective new Christians I'm talking to every child of God who feels a call in their Spirit to go deeper in God it's going to take some a violent taking it by force there's going to be a pressing involved remember what Paul told the church at Philippi Brethren I count myself not to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth under those things which are before I was I press I press toward the mark for the prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus Paul said I press I'm pressing toward greater things in God I love this passage I can preach all night but we don't have time to do that but but I love what Paul said he said I was apprehended on the road to Damascus God arrested me and he said I'm trying to figure out the reason that God arrested me in the first place I'm trying to apprehend that for which I was apprehended by Christ Jesus what Paul was saying although I've been called up into the heavens and seen visions and saw things that God did not permit me to write about though I've seen the dead raised and preached the gospel around the world and then been stoned to death but God Raised Me Up In Miracles and signs and wonders I still feel like God has more for me I still feel like I have not fully laid hold or apprehended the reason that God laid hold of me first on the road to Damascus and he said and so what I'm doing is I'm reaching forth but I realize to lay hold of what God has for me to lay hold of my Divine Destiny to step into a greater dimension of God there's going to be a pressing involved I'm going to have to press I'm going to have to press toward that Mark I'm going to have to press anytime you feel a call to greater things you're going to have to press he didn't say we walked toward the marker we gravitate toward the mark he said no I press it's going to be with great effort with great energy with great determination to be successful in Christ there's so many times when you've got to press you got to press your way through stuff anybody know what I'm talking about you got to press your way through opposition you've got to press your way through fiery darts of the devil you've got a pressure away through failure and pressure away through discouragement you've got to pressure away through confusion if you're going to apprehend all that God has for you and Seize Your Divine Destiny go deeper in God you're going to have to press press through the opposition that will try to hold you back press through the spiritual opposition that wants to keep you in a place less than what God has ultimately destined you for I press everybody say it I I press this verse is talking about a tenacity that you must have if you're ever going to enter the kingdom and if you're ever going to progress in the Kingdom you've got to have a tenacity you've got to have a stubbornness that says I won't turn back but I'm going to press too many people give up too easy at the first meeting of resistance they turn around but if you're ever going to lay hold of the promises of God you've got to press your way into them the violent take it by force you must forcefully that means with great desire and great urgency press toward what God has for you you've got to press through some stuff no you gotta press through some difficulties and press through some discouragement sometimes the miracle comes only when you just keep pressing forward through opposition remember the woman we all know her well who said I must I must touch Jesus but but I'm not going to get there without pressing through some adversity and pressing through some people and pressing through some opposition she did touch him and when she touched him her ailment of 38 years was immediately made whole but she did not get there without some determination without suppressing without pushing his this weak sickly woman who probably can't even walk and she's trying to get through the crowd that has surrounded Jesus must have seemed like an impossible task but she was determined I don't know if she heard the words of Jesus earlier when he said if you're going to enter the kingdom you're going to have to press into it if you're going to lay hold of the promises of God you're going to have to press your way into it listen sometimes you've got to pressure away through people people will try to keep you from your spiritual Destiny people will try to push you in the wrong direction people will try to discourage you from your spiritual ambition people will try to tempt you with mediocrity people will try to push you down you can't let people keep you from pressing on and laying hold of what God has for you sometimes you've got to pressure away you negative people and carnal people sometimes you gotta press your way through doubting people and small-minded people you got to say I love you but I'm following Jesus I love you I respect you but I have a spiritual Destiny and you're not going to me from pressing forward into the thing that God has called you got to be willing sometimes to press Beyond people you've got to be willing sometimes say I love you but I don't receive that I love you but I'm not going to take what you're telling me because it's not aligning with what God is telling me I've got to press on I respect you but I must be about my father's business you can't let people keep you from doing the will of God Jesus said oh I feel like preaching tonight Jesus said let the dead bury the dead but you go do the will of God if the enemy can use people to keep you from getting to where you need to be in God then he's going to keep sending people you've got to push your way sometimes through people you better push her away sometimes through discouragement things happen life happens ups and downs come in highs and lows in life and you've got to pressure away through feelings of discouragement press through thoughts of quitting well it's not working out like I thought uh but but but listen I'm just going to keep moving ahead I may have lost the battle but I'm gonna press forward because the outcome of the war has already been determined I'm going to press through that discouragement listen don't let discouragement keep you from pressing forward if the miracle of that woman with the issue of blood teaches us anything it tells us sometimes you got to press through some stuff well you got to press through discouragement and sometimes press through your sickness and press through loneliness and press through financial setbacks you've got to have a determination a tenacity that says I'm on a press through family trouble and press on through marriage trouble and press through misunderstanding and confusion prestude Temptation press through that anger and press through that grief it may keep knocking you down you gotta keep rising up and pressing on rejoice not against me Micah said oh my enemy when I fall I shall arise I'm not gonna turn back I'm going to press through this stuff I'm gonna lay a hold of Jesus until virtue fools I'm going to press on until I lay hold of him and get a miracle sometimes you gotta press through failure when you mess up and you do stupid stuff and we've all done it you've got to press through that condemnation and shame you gotta press through that accusing voice of the enemy Until You Touch the Hem of His Garment failure will try to beat you down and push you back but you got to have a violent attitude about you that says I may have fallen but it's not over I may have messed up but God still has a plan for my life and you got to get that kind of tenacity and that kind of urgency about you you gotta press press adversity boy brother-in-law you picked a great one for tonight talking about adversity great it's just what I wanted to hear the kingdom of God suffers adversity persecution all right you listen that adversity that you are pressing through your struggle is working for you I want to ask you a question tonight why why would God permit or allow a person to experience the struggle of entering into the kingdom of God or why God a lie a person to experience the adversity and the struggle and the need to press to go to a higher place in the spirit why why did God say that if you're going to lay hold of the prize there's going to be some pressing Pastor Fallon involved why God importantly has the ability to move Every Mountain out of the way and make it easy you can do anything if you believe God can do anything then then God has the ability to move Every Mountain out of the way and make it easy for me the devil fights us because the devil's trying to hinder us and turn us around but why doesn't God just remove those things and that I have to press through okay let's let's just think about that let's go back to what I read at the beginning Luke 16 16 for the law and the prophets were until John since that time the kingdom of God is preached and every man presses into it just let's just hear me out for a minute what said this the kingdom of God is preached and every man is Right In writing you know I I I think I might like the scripture better but but what if what if it said look at Matthew's running and in the days of John the Baptist till now the kingdom suffered violence and the violent take it by force what if it said the Kingdom of Heaven has never experienced opposition and the passive slide right in no Force First Apostolic church tonight could God have made it that way an opposition-free Kingdom path to Abundant Life why couldn't God have just made it so we never have to press oh as much or as much as that sounds good and appealing to you I think you know in your spirit how ridiculous that notion is why is that because our Affliction works for us not against us because our Affliction works for us and not against us our struggle is our friend afflictions make us better Paul told the Corinthians our light Affliction keep it in perspective our light Affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us it doesn't work against us it works for us so my Affliction the things that I face in life that I must press through those things are working for me not against me they are developing something in me do you understand that our struggles they are making something out of us they are making something making us into something some people want to be a conqueror but they never want to conquer anything there's only one way you can be a conqueror and that's depressed through and Conquer some things some folks want to be an overcomer but they don't want to have to overcome anything but I present to you tonight that the only way that you'll ever be an overcomer is to press through some stuff and overcome some difficulty and overcome some tribulation and overcome some struggles in your life if you understand that's the only path to being a conqueror that's the only path to be an overcomer do you understand that to press to press through stuff it's the struggle it's the pressing that does something great in us we pray God I pray I wish you just move this opposition out of my way failing to understand that God is saying what you don't realize is the opposition is what is making something out of you that I can use or we would be oh we would be useless to God if we had a life of ease oh I really wish I could have preached something different tonight but I gotta tell you what God spoke to my heart is we would be useless in the hand of God if we never had to go through anything we wouldn't be very valuable to God if we didn't have to press through some adversity and press through some tribulation it's when we come out on the other side of the junk we've had to deal with that there's a fresh level of anointing that's Upon Our Lives you understand it's the pressing that makes something of us it's the pressing that develops something in us it's depressing that develops our faith and our trust our Inner Strength our patience our thank you Bishop 75 years diamond anniversary you you realize that the most valuable things on earth the most valuable things on earth are the things which have endured and the most valuable in the kingdom of God are those who have endured the most valuable people in the kingdom of God are those who have endured Affliction those who have had to endure pressure those who have had to press through some stuff let me speak a word to you about this church this is a great sister Jamie said it this is a that's a great place for a hearty amen and handclap let's try it again this is a great church I mean you ought to just go crazy with that right now Justin let's try one more time this this is a great Church come on now 66 years you ought to stand and Shout clap your hands and make a lot of noise this I say it one more time this is a great Church But First Apostolic church is a great church not because you've lived free from struggles and trials this is a great church but it's not a great church because you've had it easy it's not a great church because you've had 66 years free from trouble and struggles and difficulties and adversity no no no quite the opposite you are a great church you are a great asset to the kingdom of God because you've had struggles because you've had to endure because you've been through some things in 66 years you've had to press in 66 years you've had to press through adversities Bishop you've had to press through struggles Pastor Mark you've had to press through setbacks Pastor Nate you've had to press through difficulties this church isn't a mother Church to countless Apostolic Ministries or around the world because you've had 66 years of ease that use Church is not a mother Church countless Apostolic Ministries around this world because you've had 66 years of ease quite the contrary it is the afflictions and the struggles and the trials have made this church hi press hi press the Reason God allows adversity that you must press through is because it is what makes us into what is valuable in his kingdom you'd be useless in his hand if your life had been easy you'd be powerless in the Kingdom were it not for your struggles you'd have no anointing had it not been for the pressing the crushing of the oil of the olive it's the struggle it's the trouble oh going to wish for the Fallon you never came up here but but I'm telling you what's going to make the great church in Cleveland Tennessee it's not that God moves Every Mountain it's that God doesn't it's that God doesn't move Every Mountain what's going to make a great church in Cleveland Tennessee is not that God always removes the trouble and removes the adversity and makes it easy that's not what's going to make a great church in Cleveland let me tell you what's going to make a great church in Cleveland and a great Pastor in Cleveland is the fact that God is not going to move Every Mountain out of the way and he's not gonna move every difficult situation out of the way but he's going to whisper in your ear and he's also press on press on just press just set your face like a fled to the wind and press on and when you come through and oh Hallelujah what's me this church great is the struggles that it's been through why this is an Apostolic church with an anointing oil that is so amazing God has had many times over many years this church in the Press where God is pressing the oil from the olive there is no anointing without having to press [Applause] so why don't you quit bellyaching [Music] about your struggle and realize just maybe God is up to someone and he's making a Man Out of You and he's making a woman out of you he's making a minister out of you he's making a pastor he's making a saint out of you remember in Revelation chapter 7 when the 24 Elders pulled John aside and said this is all great this is awesome you know the angels singing Before the Throne and all this he said but the the Elder said but what I want to know is who who those John's like you don't want to know about these angels that have all these wings are crying holy that's that's what's that's not what's that that's captured my attention more than anything else it's who are these folks over here these with palm branches in their hand and dressed in white John said well these These are they which have been through tribulation let me tell you John wasn't impressed with those who hadn't been through tribulation the elders weren't impressed with those who hadn't been through anything what captured the eye of the 24 Elders they said who these folks over here John said these are folks who've been through some stuff these are some folks who've endured some stuff these are some folks who didn't always have it easy but they stayed faithful to God here's some folks who've had some trials and tests and tribulation but they didn't quit and turn around and give up that's why they stop Oh Glory that's why they still have a palm branch in their hand because all through all through that test and child adversity and tribulation they never set their Palm Branch down you know the most glorious worship to God is the worship of somebody who's been through some junk and still lifts their voice and lifts their hands and says the lord giveth and the lord taketh away blessed be the name of the Lord do you know that the most glorious and sweetest incense in the Tabernacle that rose up before God the Bible tells us in Leviticus it was the incense that was the most glorious aroma the nostril of God was no worship from the incense those in The Crucible of affliction and the struggle and the trials and grind push Crush when you've been in The Crucible of Affliction but you still lift your voice to God and say still I will trust him though he slay me yet will I trust him glory from the rising of the sun until the going down of the same the name of the Lord is to be praised God said that's the most glorious I'm reserving that for the holies of holies are you you understand read it and then Leviticus I'm reserving that for the golden sensor that was in the holies of holies because the greatest worship isn't from the mouth of someone who's had it easy the greatest worship is not from the mouth of somebody who's never been through a trial the greatest worship doesn't come from somebody who's had a silver spoon and a life of ease their whole life no sir the greatest worship to God is somebody who's had to press I've had to press through some discouragement I've had to press through some disappoint of that depressed through some questions and I've had to I've had to press through wondering if I've ever cut out to be a pastor's wife and I better drive to Knoxville and talk to my I gotta press the folks treating you wrong I gotta press through disillusionment and I gotta press but when you press God is making something the most valuable thing in the world are those things that have endured pressure [Applause] Affliction is working for me not against me my pressure Hallelujah is my promotion my preparation for promotion my struggle is strengthening my faith my trial is my test for graduation my battle is my birth to a new level my tribulation is my transition to Greater Effectiveness your Affliction is working for you not against you your Affliction is bringing you into your destiny and so we press we press on church we press through church one day we're going to look back and not curse our trial but we're going to say blessed be the name of the Lord God knew all along God knew all along what he was doing because what we thought would be our demise was actually our Salvation hell afflicts us to destroy us but hell has made a fatal error because our Affliction works for us and not against us and what the enemy means for evil God turns for our good the devil my Lord I feel like preaching tonight the devil thought he was going to destroy you but he did you a favor when he threw you into the fire fear made a terrible mistake he fought if I afflict the children of Israel they will become less but the more he Afflicted the children of Israel the greater and the mightier they became the more he Afflicted them the more they multiplied my afflictions Make Me Greater not lesser Bring It On devil whatever Force whatever violence you bring against me will be met with a violent attitude of determination that my life is in the hands of God and God knows what he's doing and I'm not going back to Egypt and I'm not turning around and I'm not going to curse God I'm trusting God knows what he's doing hasn't been that way all through the scripture struggle is what produced the victory there is no great King David without a battle with a lion all right all right Giant there is no Joseph ruler of Egypt without a pit in a prison a potiphar there is no Jacob renamed Israel without a wrestling struggle with an angel on a desert floor there are no Angels appearing to Daniel unveiling great end-time Mysteries that we still preach about 4 000 years later three thousand years later without a lion's den there is no Apostle Paul without Perils of water Perils of robbers and perils in the wilderness there is no Book of Revelation without an Isle of patnes and there is no glorious Resurrection Easter morning without a cross and a crucifixion and a tomb so quit crying and quit bellyaching about the heat that you're in your tribulation is working patience in you quit bellyaching about the adversity you're in God is preparing you for his purpose why don't you quit complaining about your trials and ask God what is it you're trying to develop in me how is this struggle supposed to lead me into my destiny we pray for deliverance when we ought to pray for understanding instead of praying woe is me we ought to say what in Me Lord are you trying to develop what are you preparing me for we want to escape what is difficult but it is depressing that makes us into the vessel that God can use stop complaining about your adversity and start praying God give me the grace and give me the strength just to forge ahead and press ahead so that your purpose will be revealed in me you're ready to quit there's people in here ready to quit and you don't even realize your Affliction is producing the anointing God needs for this in time my city doesn't need assistance my city doesn't need a shallow Church Carmel Indiana needs a man who knows what it means press my city needs a church that has persevered through adversity God is Raising you up to have dominion and Revival but there's no Dominion without pressing and there's no Revival without adversity so press on your brother press on dear sister your struggle is the very thing that's moving You Into Your Divine Destiny press and soon you're going to look back and say my trial was my training ground my Affliction became my advancement my adversity became my promotion my difficulty became my defining moment suffering is what brought me my solution we are in generation the church has ever witnessed the end time last days Church will face battles and struggles like no other Church is faced what God needs in this end time Church is a church who has oppressed through thing David said in the Book of Psalms many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him notice carefully out of them all it doesn't say what we want it to say does it say what we might have quoted it as being here's what I wanted to say many are the afflicts well that's I'm not even that what I like to say is few early many are the afflictions of the righteous and the Lord delivers him from we preach and we say Manny oh we testify many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers them from them all never said the Lord delivers us from them the Lord said I deliver you out of them in other words I'm not going to keep you from them I'm going to take you through them I'm not going to keep you from adversity but I'm going to be with you in adversity I'm not going to keep you from struggles but I'm going to bring you through to the other side and when you step out of your adversity you're going to be a man that you weren't before you're going to be a Hallelujah you're going to be a woman that you were not before I feel I'm not I'm not coming here as a prophet saying I know what's going on and seeing all this stuff in the spirit I don't even have to have that I don't have to know that I don't have to walk in that to know that every Church goes through difficulties I don't think I don't have to be a prophet to say I'm sure that First Apostolic Church of Knoxville Tennessee you've been through some junk lately you've been going through some stuff you've had some difficulties you've had some setbacks you know how I know that not because I'm a prophet I know that because the Bible said many are the afflictions of the righteous because I've been pastoring long enough to know you always got drunk you got to deal with I know there's some Mondays when you wonder am I really even cut out for this and so I understand all that so I just feel like I'm safe in saying that there are some people in this church even ministers in this church and families in this church that you've been going through difficulty and you've been going through struggles and it feels like all of hell has come against you and and you're you're just praying that God deliver you from it all and this this preacher's come to stir you up a little bit and tell you I'm not sure God's going to deliver you from it but I tell you this he'll deliver you out of it he'll deliver you through it if you'll stay with him he'll deliver you through it if you'll stay with him it's your press it's your press it's your press he'll take you to the other side and when you get to the other side it's going to somebody walking through those doors and there's an anointing on you like what what who is that oh those over there yeah those in white with palm branches that's a brother who's been through some tribulation there's a depth there's an anointing and there's an authority that comes people who have been through stuff so about normally The Scourge Pastor Mark because the devil might mean the adversity for your evil but God is terminated and saying the most valuable things in the Kingdom people who've endured some stuff this church is great because Bishop endured and the Saints of this church endures that's why his church [Music] that's why it's a planted churches all over East Tennessee churches in East Tennessee have been planted out of this church that's why there are ministers preaching the gospel around the world that have come of all help from this church it's a great church all right do you think it would have been a great church to everything had always been easy it's depressing yeah that makes something of us that gives us the anointing of greatness right now in fact we're gonna do something a little different I want you to come out of your seat I'm sorry I preached so long come on out of you see everyone I want everyone everyone if you are physically able to get out of your seat I want you to come and the first ones here you've got to come all the way so we have enough room it's a great crowd here tonight the first one's here we're going to come all the way so there's room behind I want everybody will take time take a few moments to everybody this is this is a 66 anniversary celebration this is a special moment for First Apostolic Church so we want the whole church to come when everyone come on keep coming keep coming if you're physically able to get down this aisle I want you to come that's your way in if we filled up if we filled up the altar then then once the altar is truly filled up and start filling up those aisles but I want everybody to get as close press in here's close as you can in Jesus name Hallelujah that's it come on keep coming thank you thank you keep coming in the name of Jesus I want everyone in this church everyone who calls this home once you lift your hands and your voice is we're going to pray we're going to pray right now for strength because their families in this church dealing with with hell has aligned itself against you we're going to pray right now that God's we're going to pray that God would strengthen and God would encourage there there are families in this church who are who are going through the worst trials your life here we're going to pray right now come on I want you to pray cry to God and say Lord I just I need your strength I need your grace to press see the devil wants you to give up and turn around but you're going to press you're gonna press on you're gonna press forward you're going to push through it but you need God's strength to do that I understand that's what we're praying for right now everyone that's what we're praying for right now God give me the strength come on we're praying for strength in Jesus name I reject and resist and rebuke the spirit of weariness I reject I rest a spirit of weariness cast it out of this place we resist we submit ourselves therefore to God and we resist the spirit of weariness go in the name of the Lord take your hands off the people of God take your hands on the people of God I pray a strength come and replace weariness I pray a joy come and replace weirdiness we're in a spiritual fatigue and awareness oh we rejected discouragement we reject in the name of the Lord discouragement we reject it in Jesus name be encouraged I pray the power of the Holy Ghost would encourage our spirit right now I pray the power of the Holy Ghost encourage our spirit right now in the name of the Lord come on that's it God's going to give you the strength to persevere I pray an attitude of perseverance come I pray attitude of perseverance and tenacity and come on Mama you're not gonna give up you're gonna persevere come on dad you're not going to quit you're not gonna give up you're not going to turn around you're gonna persevere you're gonna press through I press I press That's The Way of the Kingdom that's how the kingdom operates I press come on come on press through you're going to press through that discouragement you want to press through those trials you're gonna press don't stop pressing Jesus name I reject hopelessness I buy the spirit of hopelessness get out get out God has a purpose for our lives there is hope passion control positive control Hallelujah thank you Hallelujah Hallelujah come on let your voice out let your voice out in prayer oh this should be a sound of a prayer crying out to God right now rising up out of this altar in the name of Jesus in Jesus name in Jesus name in Jesus name strengthen my brothers strengthen my sisters strengthen the leaders of this church strengthen the families of this church oh God bring strength and encouragement and Grace in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah sometimes the greatest spiritual opposition listen now sometimes the greatest spiritual opposition is the precursor to the greatest Revival we've seen sometimes the greatest spiritual opposition God's purpose is revealed and it all starts making sense the oil that's been produced through our adversity starts pouring out of us so we want to pray as a church right now because this church I feel like you're on the cusp on the on the precipice of a whole new level of Revival growth delicate since then that's why the devil's trying to hammer him hinder you so we're going to praise the church I want you to grab hold of that brother or sister next to you and as a church body right now I want you to lift that hand that's next to you I won't just say Jesus come on we're going to pray for First Apostolic church for the spiritual opposition that's come against this church we reject it we resist it we press we press through we press through it we we lay hold with a violent attitude of determination and tenacity we we say it's not going to discourage us it's not going to get us to quit that's why the devil does it he's trying to keep you from moving forward he's trying to keep you from going into that next level of Revival he's trying to keep you from moving into that greater dimension of Spiritual Authority in this community oh that's why the devil's doing it but what we're going to do is the church is we're on a press we're not discouraged by it we're just going to press through it we're not discouraged by it oh we're just going to press in Jesus name give this church Faith I pray God and tenacity and determination that though opposition comes we will continue moving forward though difficulty and trial rears its head we will continue forging moving forward into what God has called us to do and to be in the name of Jesus Italian Hallelujah Hallelujah in Jesus name I see I see something I see feet I see feet that are running I want to speak a word to you this is not time to run I see feet that are running feet it's strange it's like feet that are putting tennis shoes on like you're getting ready to run do not run do not run away do not run away from what God's called you to do do not run away because the the difficulty has come and there's a temptation to run run from your situation to run away from what you're facing to run away from the church or to run away from this church or to run away from your ministry or to run listen we reject that in the name of Jesus I want to speak a word to you in the Holy Ghost do not run you need to stay I don't know what that means to everybody need to stay I'm not talking about just just well he's just talking about stay in the church or don't leave the church you have that too but no I don't know I don't know what I'm speaking to but but whatever that situation is God wants you to stay because you've been in trial you've been in adversity you've been and you are so close to coming out on the other side God didn't deliver you from it he took you through it and you are so close you are so close don't run now don't quit now don't turn around now don't run now you need to stay God is with you you are about to come through the adversity and when you do there's going to be an anointing upon your life like you've never felt there's going to be an authority in your ministry like you've never felt because you've come through something because your adversity has been like a press that has pressed the oil out of out of the olive so don't run Stay Don't Run God's about to bring you out now I want everyone to lift your hands now now we're going to turn it personal second thing we're going to do we prayed for Grace to endure just to have the tenacity and the faithfulness to God to move forward in spite of adversity but now I want us to pray for understanding I want everyone to lift your hands and say God trial on my men just could you what's going on could you show me Lord what you're doing Lord just help me understand what you're trying to do in my life and show me what it is Lord if you just show me what you're trying to do in me I I give myself to this process just show me Lord what what is it you're trying to teach me I don't want to stay in this fire forever I don't want to stay in this fiery furnace forever God so show me what is it that you're trying to teach me in this adversity what is it what is it God that you're trying to develop in me Lord I surrender to you would you tell the Lord that right now I surrender to you Lord let this adversity work its perfect plan in my life develop in me Lord God what it is you're trying to produce in the name of Jesus show us your will show us your plan what's your purpose in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus now just lift your hands would you lift those hands and worship guys [Music] can you be like those with palm branches in their hands and white robes who are these folks who are these precious brothers and sisters of faith that First Apostolic oh I tell you those are folks who've been through adversity and they're still worshiping God those are folks who've been through some tough stuff and they've still got their hands lifted still God