Sunday Morning Worship Service

morning First Apostolic Church you turn to somebody and say you look good today what a fantastic crowd here this morning gathered to Worship the Lord together in spirit and in truth it is just an honor and a blessing for us to be here with you to be home in a sense this is of course home for my wife who was raised in this church and Bishop McCool I'm so thankful that you all invaded uh Lake Placid Hartford City Indiana it was there when your Bishop was preaching our camp meeting that I first met sister Jamie and I owe so much we owe so much to them a pool and Whitney Whitley families Amen to this church it is um it is a beacon of apostolic truth to not only the city of Knoxville but to the world and I've been reminiscing of how many Ministries have come out from this church and how many churches have been planted by men and women who were raised in this church and poured into by the ministry of this church and it's just our honor to be here with you today to celebrate 66 years of ministry in Knoxville Tennessee what an incredible accomplishment and then 75 years of ministry Bishop McCool 75 years do you realize how few people in the world fit that category you've been preaching the gospel for 75 years man that's that's incredible and unique accomplishment and then also to be celebrating 87 years and if you do the math you've probably already done it he was preaching at 11 years old what an incredible thing I'm supposed to be having preached for 75 years you've got to start pretty young and he did and we love and appreciate them a cool family and the impact they've made up on our lives and of course your associate pastor Nate Whitley is just such a dear friend of ours and an integral part of our world missions department and we give he and his family honor today I'm so glad to be with you this morning and I I hate to miss home Carmel I hate to be gone on a Sunday but there's no place I'd rather be if I wasn't at home than to be in our second home at First Apostolic Church of Knoxville amen we love you appreciate you and looking forward to what the Lord is going to do today Saint John Chapter 13 if you would open your Bibles with me and it's so good to see our Aunt Janet we have family here and Aunt Janet we appreciate you so so very much Saint John chapter 13 verse 35 as you're turning there I'm so glad to have sister Jamie with me and you're going to be hearing a little from her this evening I know she's just anxious to greet you and we have so many long-time friends in this church that we've known for for so so many years and then when we come back there are so many people that we don't recognize and that is such a great Testament to a church that is growing and reaching its community and filling with new people Saint John chapter 13. amen verse number 35 I'm just going to read one verse one verse this morning Saint John chapter 13. and verse 35. if you have it say Amen Saint John 13. 35. by this one saved by this by this got to kind of focus on the word this by this everyone say this by this shall all men know you are my disciples if you have love by this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one to another I just want to share with you this morning from God's holy word message I want to call the litmus test the litmus test and set your Bible down with me before you're seated if you lift your hands one more time and as you lift your hands would you lift your voice and pray with me God I want to hear your word not just a sermon from a preacher Lord I want to hear what this spirit is saying to the church as we open up this book we say to ourselves here and now God is about to speak to us that's how I enter into this season of preaching Lord we are saying to ourselves That You O Lord are about to speak to us from this holy book pray we receive it on fertile soil good ground may it transform Our Lives in Jesus name in Jesus name the litmus test God bless you thank you for standing so long in John 8 and 31 Jesus uses the phrase disciples indeed if you continue in my word then ye are my disciples indeed the word indeed means truly so Jesus was saying if you continue in my word then you are truly my disciple just the use of the phrase disciple indeed implies certainly that there are some who may claim to be a disciple but they are not truly a disciple or a disciple indeed when Jesus said if you do this then you will truly be my disciple the clear in implication is that if you don't do this you may claim to be a disciple but you are not in fact a disciple indeed or a true disciple I'm sure that if you asked anyone who claims to be a Christian are you a disciple the immediate response would be of course yes but that certainly is easy to say or easy to claim Jesus made it very clear In this passage that some may claim to be but are not truly his disciple so the real question this morning is am I a disciple indeed am I truly a disciple am I what Jesus considered a disciple what does a true disciple of Jesus Christ look like what about a person would make you say oh look at him now he's a real disciple or look at her she's a real disciple why don't you think with me or tell me some characteristics that you think are characteristics of a true disciple of Jesus Christ some might respond well spiritual gifts you know if a person could prophesy wouldn't that make you think in your mind this must be a real disciple because they are able to surrender their voice to the Holy Spirit and to speak words that are coming from God so this must truly be a a real disciple or a disciple indeed what if someone could speak like an angel a person who could speak the word of God or speak the things of God with an Angelic Voice or an Angelic anointing that's actually what happened in Acts chapter 14 in lystra the Bible said and when the people saw what Paul had done they lifted up their voices saying in the speech of the lyconia the gods are come down to us in the likeness of men and they called Barnabas Jupiter and Paul mercurius because he was the chief speaker Paul spoke with such Angelic words with such an anointing that they said to themselves the gods have come down Among Us this this can't even be a man this must be an angel this must be a God and they named him mercurius surely that would be a sign that someone is a real or a true disciple if they could speak the word of God like that or if they could speak the word of God with great eloquence or great oratory I'll never forget when I was just a young preacher in this church it wasn't in this building it was in the old Sanctuary back in the late 80s there was a conference called building a better you and a man named David Johnson preached that year and he preached a message called the end some of you know it you're not in your head preach the message called the end of the ghastly conqueror and he compared death to a mighty conqueror of whom all the great conquerors of the world would pale in comparison and I'll never as a young early 20s preacher I'll never forget how he stood there with such eloquence he began to talk about death and he said there is a dreaded and ghastly conqueror and beside him Alexander and Caesar and Napoleon all pale in comparison he carries a Black Flag he rides a Pale Horse and he returns no prisoners that he has taken he's dug a trench across the hemispheres and filled it with the carcasses of the Nations he gathers together his host and for his armies there are Legions of leprosy and Columns of cancer platoons of plagues and pestilence divisions of disease and disaster squadrons of sicknesses of every sort he knocks with his bony hand at the doors of hospitals and sick rooms there is none who can stay his hand nor stop his Advance presidents and kings and Sultans and czars have fallen alike beneath the wheels of his Chariot and he went on for 20 30 minutes with preaching like that and I was amazed and you might think if someone can speak like that if they could speak with the voice of an Angel then surely that would really be a disciple or what if a person had great understanding the ability to grasp things that are difficult to understand I'm talking about the Deep Mysteries of the scripture things that stump most people what if somebody had a remarkable understanding of the word of God wouldn't that be the sign that they are a true disciple now I know that none of us can can stand and know it all right but what if a man or a woman really was a know-it-all what if they really were full of knowledge the kind of person that always knew the answer and always knew how to handle a situation always knew what the Bible had to say about anything wouldn't that be a true disciple or you might say what about faith now if a man or a woman possessed the faith where they could speak to a mountain and say to this mountain be removed and cast into the sea and the mountain would obey them because of their faith you you would probably conclude that man or that woman must be a true disciple of Jesus Christ some might say well maybe it lies in generosity what about a person who would sell all they have and give to the poor did not Jesus tell the man sell whatever you have and give to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come take up your cross and follow me so generosity must be the mark of a true disciple or what about courage what if what if a man or a woman had courage that's an inspiring quality what if they had the kind of Courage that they could lay down their life for the cause of Christ you would have to conclude this is a real disciple or what morning would you think about a person who would possess every one of those qualities spiritual gifts and understanding and courage and faith and generosity surely that person would be an incredible disciple but the word of God this morning tells us that if I had all of things if I had all of those qualities if I was able to do all of that that but I was missing this one thing then I would really be nothing I would really just be making noise and be without any substance you know the scripture we're going to in First Corinthians 13 where Paul said though I speak with the tongue of men and of angels and have not love I am become as a sounding brass and a tinkling symbol and though I have the gift of Prophecy and understand all Mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all Faith so that I could remove mountains and have not love I am nothing and though I bestow all of my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned and have not charity or love it profiteth me nothing I can speak like an angel or have the most eloquent Voice or the greatest singing voice but if I don't have love I am nothing if I don't have love I'm just making a lot of Racket I can possess all knowledge and have faith to speak to the mountain and it obey me but if I do not have love I'm just a clanking symbol I can even sell all I have and give it all to the poor and even give my body to be burned my body to be martyred for the cause of Christ but if I don't have love the word says it profits me nothing it doesn't matter how many spiritual gifts we possess if we don't love people we are not where we need to be with God it doesn't matter how much Bible knowledge we possess or if we understand all Mysteries of the scripture if we don't love difficult people like Jesus loves them we are not truly his disciple you can sacrifice you can give you can even be my but if you don't have love then your sacrifice is for nothing how do we know if someone is a true disciple by their bumper sticker by the fish emblem on their trunk by their playlist on Spotify by their modest apparel or their perfect Sunday School attendance record if they can quote all the books in the Bible no that's not how Jesus said by this by this will all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one to another this statement of Jesus provides the litmus test for True Discipleship how do I know if I'm just claiming to be a disciple or if I'm truly his disciple here's how you can know here's how people will know here's how it can be determined if I'm a disciple indeed do I have love one for another Jesus said this is how men will know that you are mine loving people people is the litmus test for whether we are truly is disciple the litmus test do you know what a litmus test is some of us have to think a long way back to high school chemistry it's in the 14th century that scientists discovered that litmus which is a mixture of colored organic compounds obtained from lichen that that organic compound turns red when it comes into contact with acid Solutions and it will turn blue and alkaline Solutions and thus could be used as a acid or base indicator you likely remember that from high school chemistry you took a little strip of paper that they called a litmus strip a litmus test and you would take that little strip of paper you know kind of like if you have a hot tub or a pool at your house you dip that little strip in the water to see how much chlorine there is or if the water is too alkaline or too acidic well you would take that litmus strip and put it in the solution and if it turned red the solution was an acid and if it turned blue the solution was alkaline or a base it was either was either one or the other the litmus test determined it was either an acid or a base so in modern times people began to use the phrase litmus test in a figurative sense in fact it's figurative use is so common today that you'll even find it in the dictionary litmus test and it will say this refers to any single factor that establishes the true character of something or causes it to be assigned to one category or another Webster says it is a test in which a single factor is decisive John 13 35 is the litmus test for whether a person is truly a disciple Jesus said by this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one to another a test in which a single factor is decisive Jesus was asking do you have love one for another if you do you're mine if you don't you're not wow that is direct and and to the point if you have love for one another that is how men will know that you are my disciple you know Jesus didn't even say they're going to know whether or not you're my disciple by how much you love me now you would think it seems like that would be a good indicator of whether or not we are a true disciple how much we love God wow look at him he must be the real deal look at how much he loves God or she must really be a real disciple indeed because I've never seen someone who loves God as much as she does now certainly disciples love God but that is not what Jesus is teaching here he didn't say when men see how much you love me when they see how many tears you shed and how deep your worship is and how much you love me and serve me and live for me they're going to know that you were really mine that's not what Jesus said he said it's not your love for me that will be a testimony to the world it is your love for one another your love for your brother your love for fellow man in fact a disciple indeed is one who loves people they love their brother they love their sister they love their neighbor they love their fellow man a person can say well I love God but that's not the litmus test for whether we are his disciple it is not do you love God it is do you love one another in fact later this same Apostle John in his letter to the church a few years after he wrote this this Gospel of John he in his aging becomes a little more forceful and a little more direct and just a little more I don't care what you think I'm just going to tell you the way it is kind of because the same John in his epistle in chapter 4 of First John he said beloved let us love one another for love is of God and everyone that loveth you see it and everyone that loveth is what is porn of God and knoweth God he was saying if you don't love people you are not even born of God if you don't love people you don't even know man that is if you don't love you don't even know and then maybe when he wrote those first few verses he felt his Wheaties coming on because a few verses later verse 12 no man had seen God at any time if we love one another God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in US hereby this is the litmus test hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in I don't misunderstand for a moment I'm Apostolic from the top of my head to the soles of my feet and when you are born again of water and spirit you will speak in other tongues as God baptizes you in the Holy Ghost and that is the sign that you have been born again of the spirit and that takes place after normally sometimes it can happen before but that happens normally after you are born of the water baptized by immersion calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I believe that but I have to read what John said he's not talking about how we're going to know that you're first born into the kingdom of God he said here's how we're going to know if God is dwelling in you and you in him it's not by how much you talk in tongues it's not by how your worship is excitable it's not how faithful you are to the house of God and all those things are important but he said that's not the litmus test that's not what will determine whether I'm in him and he's in me what will determine the litmus test for whether or not I have been born of God and am born of God and dwelling in God and God in me is do I love my brother whom I have have seen I can claim to love God who I have not seen But do I love my brother because he has given us his Spirit then then a few verses later he just he just keeps getting more and more blunt if a man say in verse 20 I love God and hated his brother he's a liar okay we get it I think the man say he loves God it does not love his brother I didn't say it my dad taught me never to use the word liar that was a bad word in our house I call my brother a liar I'd get in trouble he might have been a liar he's not alive but I couldn't call him a liar and I'm not I'm not calling anyone a liar John is calling me or you or anyone else a liar if we say we love God but we do not love one another that's harsh I can say I love God but if I don't love the person sitting next to me John said I'm a liar if the color of a man's skin affects my love for that person I'm a liar if I say I'm a disciple of Jesus Christ if how much money is in their pocket is a factor as to whether I love them or how I see them that I'm not a true disciple if how they're dressed or how recently they've bathed or how educated they are or Not educated they are affects how I love them John said I'm a liar if I say I love God but I don't love people loving God is not the litmus test it's loving people that's why Jesus asked Peter he said Peter do you love me and Peter said yes Lord I love you he asked the second time do you love me Lord you know I love you he asked the third time to you love me and Peter said Lord how many times do I have to tell you yes I love you Jesus was saying it's not so much about whether you love me if you love me love my sheep if you love me love people if you love me show you show me you love me by how you love that difficult person show me you love me by how you love that person who does not love you back that is the litmus test as to whether we are truly his being a true disciple is not just about loving God it's about loving people true disciples love people who are difficult to love you know what it's easy to love people who love us back cannot love bishop and sister McCool there's there's no hope for you my wife's down there saying that's the truth there's no people on this planet who are easier to love the bishop and system because they love they love you and then that that that to love quality just kind of poured out in the whole family you know man if you can't love Mark and Jamie McCool or Anthony and Kelly Nate and Ashley and if you can't look because they're just easy to love but you know that's really not the litmus test as to whether we're really his if I can love Bishop who because he loves me back in fact if I were to put one of Jesus statements in in current lingo I'd use the word I looked that up I look that up you Google it it's actually it's actually a word and what I thought it was what T do I found out it's what D do what do you do if if you love people who love you what do you do if you give to people who give back to you Jesus said in the King James what thank you so what does that really mean anything that you can love Bishop McCool he'll love you back he'll give back true disciples love people who are difficult to love come on this if you love them this is Luke 6 and 32 if you love them which love you whoopty do for Sinners listen for who sinners sinners do that man look at me I love Bishop McCool Sinners do that people who don't even have the Holy Ghost love people who love them people who don't even claim to believe in God the atheist can love a person who loves them back if you do good to them which do good to you what thing have ye for Sinners also do the same and if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive what think have ye for Sinners also lend to Sinners to receive as much again what to do do you think you're deserving of some award or some Accolade if you love those who love you if you do good to those who treat you well if you give to those who give back to you what think have you is that some great accomplishment even Sinners do that that is not the litmus test of anything people who don't even have the Holy Ghost do that the real question is do you love people who don't love you back do you love people who don't treat you well do you love and do you give to those who do not return that love that is the litmus test that is the test when you dip that into a person's life into someone who can bless their enemy and love them that curses them and loves the person who persecutes them and says all manner of evil falsely against them but they can still love that person when you pull the litmus strip out of that man's life it's going to say yes he is a disciple of Jesus Christ by this shall all men know that you are my disciples we love people who don't love us pack we love people who are difficult by this Shalom men know we love that obnoxious neighbor we love that crazy family member we love that difficult in law we love that boss or that co-worker or that employee who is challenging by this shall all men know we love that teacher who is an atheist we love that Professor who mocks Christianity by this shall all men and no we love that person who talks bad about us that person who persecutes us and says oh a manner of evil against us by this shall all men know we love that alcoholic we love that addict we love that homeless man on the street we love that prostitute on the street all by this shall all men no listen you will never lock eyes with another human being that does not matter deeply to God will never us with another human being that does not matter to God we love people with who we don't agree we love people who don't embrace our values and our Doctrine and our lifestyle we love people who don't even claim to believe in God shall all men know that you are my disciple that you have love one to another I frequently reiterate to our church in karma that disagreement is not hate disagreement is not bigotry I'm just I'm fed up with the narrative that is pushed in our world come on that if you disagree with me you're a hater if you don't agree with my ideology why do you hate no no disagreement is not hate I tell our church that frequently there's just this agenda this this narrative that's pushed that if you disagree with somebody's ideology you're a hater if you don't support same-sex marriage you're a hater come on if you don't support abortion you're a hater if you somehow believe that it's wrong for minors to have surgeries mutilating their bodies in an attempt to change their gender well if you if you if you don't agree with us you're a hater no no no just because my faith and my values differ from another person does not mean I hate that person that's right and I I I I I reiterate that often that don't let this don't let the university convince you that disagreement equals hate it doesn't but you know what God began to speak to my heart is I am not called just not to hate being a disciple of Jesus Christ my calling is not to just not hate I'm not called just to not hate I'm called To Love my responsibility to those with whom I disagree it's not just not to hate them but I am to love them by this shall all men know that you are mine a lack of Love is the permeating ailment of our culture look at the world around us it's filled with division and strife conflict hatred violence disunity and you know what is the root of most of these ailments it is a lack of love one to another the answer to the world's crisis is the love of God but not just the love of God that flows from Heaven through the cross to Fallen man but the love of God that flows out from Christ's disciples to one another you see the church is the model church is the Beacon of Hope to a divided world the church is supposed to be the model the church is the Beacon of Hope to a world filled with Hate by this shall all men know that you are my disciples that you love one another the world is supposed to be able to look at the church and to see a group of people that love one another they love one another regardless of race they love one another regardless of culture they love one another regardless of color they love one another regardless of political affiliation they love one another regardless of status they love one another regardless of Education or the lack thereof regardless of whether that brother or sister is easy to love or hard to love that is the model that the world should see in the church a church body that loves one another as Christ has loved us that is how men will know that we are his but not just the love that flows in the church wall Falls not just the love of God that flows between us on these rows of beautiful pews this morning not just the love that flows among the children of God but the love that flows out the love that flows out to that Soul who does not even yet profess Jesus Christ that love that flows out to our neighbor to our co-worker to our family member to the stranger on the street to the woman in the supermarket the love we have for Souls for people that is God if God dipped the litmus strip into my life today and pulled it out what would it revealed it's either red or blue it's either you're mine or you're not it's either I dwell in you or I don't it's either you dwell in me or you don't it's either you know me or you don't and the single determining factor of those things do I love people Paul sums it up and I read this in the NLT First Corinthians 13. love is patient love is kind love is not jealous love is not boastful love is not proud or rude love does not demand its own way love is not irritable man this next one's a horror love keeps no record of wrongs love keeps no record of wrongs now I don't have to spell it all out for you you're smart enough to put two and two together if I'm keeping a record of wrongs what's the litmus test revealing about love does not rejoice about Injustice but rejoices whenever truth wins out love never gives up love never loses faith love is always hopeful love endures through every circumstance maybe God put that difficult person in your life will you love them maybe God put you in that hard situation so your love would reveal to the world around you you belong to him God is doing something amazing in this church you believe that amen I feel that this morning God is doing something amazing he has amazing plans in store for First Apostolic Church of Knoxville I believe this church has a rendezvous with Destiny as incredible as the accomplishments of this church have been over the last six decades I stand here today fully believing greatest days of Revival and growth and the impact of this great church are in the future are ahead of you I believe in these last days one of the keys of us laying hold to our divine Destiny as God's Church is growing in our love a love for people a love for Souls a love for one another is a key it's a key to Unity that brings a flow of God's spirit to key to the miraculous a key to the operation of the gifts of the Spirit it's not coincidence that Paul puts chapter 13 the love chapter wedged right between chapter 12 and chapter 14. gifts are useless without love gifts won't really flow properly without love so love is a key to the flow into the operation of God's miraculous power the key to something flowing out from the church to a lost world the love of God we will never reach the Harvest and make disciples without a deep love for people people don't care how much we know until they know how much we care I need God I need God to do a work in my heart this morning standing with me right now I want you to close your eyes so you're not worried just yet about the person around you just just you and the Lord if the Lord were to dip that litmus test into your heart today and remove it what would that litmus test reveal I know if the Lord were to stick that in my heart it would reveal that Matthew ball needs some work done in his heart today Matthew ball needs the love of God to be stirred in my heart that I might better love my brother and my sister but I might better love this world around me the people of this world around me that I might better love the lost people this world around me if you feel that way would you step out of your seat right now I want us to fill these altars would you slip out of your seat right now and make your way quickly to this altar as close as you can get to the front when you get to this front if you would either stand with your hands lifted or kneel with your hands lifted whatever you are more comfortable doing but I want you to cry out to God would you lift your voice and cry out to God and say Lord Lord I need something to happen in my heart today Lord I want to be I want to be that Beacon of Hope to the world around me I want people in this world to look at my life and see that I'm truly yours by how I love my brother how I love my sister by how I love that difficult person by how I love my neighbor how I love my co-worker on the job how I love that man who doesn't treat me well or does it give love or kindness back to me Lord Jesus touch us touch our hearts right now God oh we want to be true disciples we want to be true disciples today I want to be a true disciple today Hallelujah that's the litmus test it's not how many Bible verses I can quote Oh that's important but that's not what proves whether you're his not how much I can speak in tongues or prophesy oh we need that but that's not what proves whether I'm really his it's not how good I sing or how good I can play the instrument or how much people like me that has nothing to do with what re is revealed on that litmus test it is do I love people God give us a love for one another in this church let it start right here let it start in this room let it start in this building let it start in this altar right now our love for one another in this place how am I gonna love the unbeliever if I can't even love the believer how am I going to love that man that woman who needs God out there in my community if I can't love my brother who's already been born again so Lord let it start right here if I can't love the brother on the platform of the sister I share a Pew with God how in the world am I gonna love somebody who to call somebody's in the world Lord so let it start right here I bring it start right here in this room today I pray you give us a love for one another I pray you give us a love for our brother in Christ for our sister in Christ let it begin here I'm gonna let there be a Wellspring of Love Lord God that flows up so mightily so powerfully that it flows out the doors and windows of this church that it flows out of our lives out of our homes into our neighborhoods into our schools into our workplace into the world around us [Music] know that you are my disciples that you have loved one two [Music] let everything we say and do thank you glory to your name unless your heart not show us how to love like you the Holy Spirit Holy Spirit [Music] Holy Spirit lead us to the Heart of Jesus there is nothing we lost [Music] please [Music] the time to decrease [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] it's all about you it's not about me [Applause] [Music] it's all about us [Music] on a mountain from my heart to the heaven Jesus be the center it's all about you it's all about you and from my heart to the heavens Jesus Jesus [Music] if you would everyone in this room lift your hands with me come on lift your hands as you lift your hands I want you to open your mouth open your mouth and just begin to pray everyone in this room if you just lift your hands and let your voice out and just cry out to God that's what I want us to do come on I want us to cry out to God right now I want you to cry to him and say Jesus you've got to do something in me today gee Jesus I've got to be transformed by your word today if what I'm hearing today doesn't change how I live it's all been pointless Lord hallelujah so would you help me church just lift your voice with me lift your hands with me and cry out to him Jesus Jesus we need you to do something in US Jesus we need to be more like you g Jesus I Need Your Love to flow through my life out to others Lord Jesus I can't do this on my own I don't have it in me to love difficult people it's got to be a work of your spirit I don't have it in me to love those who persecute me I don't have it in my flesh I don't have it I don't have enough willpower to do it it's got to be a Divine work of the Holy Ghost it's got to be a Divine work of your Holy Spirit Jesus lets your spirit why don't you cry to him and say Jesus let your Holy Spirit do a work in me let your Holy Spirit do a transformation in my life today let your Holy Spirit Infuse something in me today that would help me be like you that would help me love people like you love people would help me be your disciple your true disciple Jesus