Fishing for Men

first of all I want to thank you for being here for your attention that you've given me for the last for the entire month of May on Wednesday night um and it's been an honor it's something that I feel when I look out I think you know there's so many people that could get up here and do this better than I but I thank God for a a a pastor and a pastor's wife and our pastoral team and Brother Gibson and brother hodm uh for trusting me to hold this mic and stand up here in front of you but God gets all the glory it's all about him and I'm so thankful and I just want I don't know about you but I just want to be a vessel I just want to be an instrument that brings God glory and I think that Bible study is important I know Pastor CS it the PB&J um you know sometimes it's you know it's a slower Pace but we we can always be learning we're always learning we you don't outgrow the learning process we can always be getting closer to Jesus and we should be uh this whole month we have been talking about becoming Fishers of Men answering that call we opened up that first night and we talked about obedience and um how that is really the foundation of everything that we do uh obedience it takes obedience to answer the call to follow Jesus The Obedience to uh repent obeying that call to say repent and to be baptized in jesus' name and to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost it takes obedience to step out and follow Jesus and to listen to his voice I'm not going to do the recap because at this point if I did the recap we've covered a lot of stuff that's all we'd be doing tonight we' just be doing a recap but anyway want to open up tonight talking about briefly uh a disciplined a disciplined life of a disciple of Jesus Christ if you're a parent or if you've ever been a parent grandparent going to be a parent uh hope to be a parent one day um you're familiar with discipline now we may have different views on discipline we're not going to talk about that but there are disciplines and it's necessary discipline your child now I will say discipline looks a little different when I have my grandchildren than when I just had my child uh it's a little different um but discipline in life teachers you've got to have discipline uh to a certain degre because you know you can't just let them go and just be their own people I don't know what would happen but anyway everyone and guess what I need disciplines in my life you need disciplines in your life we don't outgrow needing to be disciplined so I want to um well there's a book and there's this book it's called the Bible it's the word of God it's the breathed word of God and that book from front cover to the back cover is full of instruction yes it's full of in inspiration and encouragement but it's also it's a book full of instruction for us and it's still I don't care what anybody says that book The Holy Bible the word of God is relevant today in 2024 still relevant for us today and there are disciplines that we are some disciplines we're accustomed to probably because we talk about them a little bit more often than we do some um but these these particular disciplines it's a short list that I'm going to give you but it that's we're not limited to those things

the first one that I'm going to talk about or mention is prayer we all know to pray we should be praying every day that's our communication with God that's where we grow our relationship with him grows through prayer we know know about fasting now fasting sometimes fasting makes us kind of uh you know but it is a discipline that we need in our life not just when Pastor calls a churchwide um fast yes that's good we need to participate in that and you know we typically do that at the beginning of the year we open up the year with fasting but it's a self-discipline that we need to teach ourselves um because we're growing we're growing closer to God and I'll be honest with you sometimes fasting is hard and there are different types of fast we've discovered you know we can do social media fast you can uh fast certain types of food or you can do a full Fast of no food for a day or two or whatever you feel like you can do but whatever that is and it's my goal and I I don't advertise this typically we don't but it's my goal to to do one day a week I don't always do that sometimes I fail there are some weeks that I just it doesn't happen but different types of uh fasting that I want to do because I understand it's about killing this flesh you know Paul says I Die daily and we want to submit to God and if we do our flesh has got to die fasting is not always comfortable spending time in prayer every day we've got to make sure we're making time for that but those are disciplines that helps us grow closer to God it helps us in our walk this walk this journey that we're on then there's giving we know about giving whether it's your tithing or offerings to missions any anything to further the kingdom of God giving that's another discipline that we practice every Sunday we have people here uh two young people that are receiving offerings we have opportunities to give and we're blessed when we give that's another discipline that we have in our in this Christian walk and then there's Bible reading Bible study we cannot limit ourselves to uh just the preaching on Sunday it's powerful we need that uh it's encouraging to us it's lifechanging uh Bible study no matter where we are in at CAC whatever class we're involved in that's teaching that's the word of God we need that but every single day we need to be disciplined you know maybe start out with five minutes or whatever but every day we need to get into the word of God sometimes we kind of pick does anybody ever pick and choose kind of what you want to read about you know I think we could probably all be a little guilty of I like the The Book of Psalms I'm going to go there that makes me feel nice some of them you know it's like I I'll I'll start with that but we need to dig into the word of God ourselves and have that discipline in our life this is about growing closer to God and yes the topic tonight is still becoming a fisher fisher of in a soul winner reaching for Souls um but there's more than this and in the church I almost forgot these are the common list the things that we're more familiar with of the disciplines coming to church the fellowship those are the things that we love that on Sunday coming together to worship together um coming together on Wednesday night uh we've got connect groups we've got all the things that are going on in the church and we come together and that those are disciplines it's to be be faithful to come together with like-minded Believers and we grow from one another we we're encouraged from one another and that helps us and that's another discipline that we need to practice but there's so much more than that list alone we should be growing every single day it should be our goal I don't care if you've been in this for a day or you've been living for God for 50 years we need to be we need to be growing closer and closer to God with each passing day because this this journey is not over we we're not seeing Jesus face to face I've not heard him say Well done yet so I'm still growing and I've always felt like if we're not moving forward then we're going back and that's we think about backsliding you know we've got to move forward we can't be moving backward we got to move forward and be close to God and get closer and closer to him so if we're not careful we can stay in that a routine of doing the few things that I listed thinking well and those are important things don't get me wrong they're very important those are vital to our walk with God our relationship with God those things that I listed prayer fasting giving to the kingdom Bible reading uh church and fellowship those are important I'm not saying that but if we're not careful we can become comfortable and kind of complacent with just taking care of that list but if we get into the word of God and there's so so much scripture to uh cover on instructions to us but and I try to actually get away from the scripture to be honest with you yeah we laugh but at first I thought well you know I don't know but I kept being drawn back to it sister and I thought okay I almost deleted it last night I almost deleted it and replaced it with something again today but I couldn't so I'm going to go ahead I'm not going to do that

I'm going to turn your attention to the book of First Thessalonians chapter 5 uh I don't I don't want to scare anybody one through 24 it's going to be okay we're GNA make it okay but of the times and season Brethren you have no need that I write unto you for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief thief in the night for when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not Escape but ye Brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief ye are all the children of light and the children of the day we are not of the night nor of Darkness therefore let us not sleep as do others but let us watch and be sober for they that sleep sleep in the night and they that be drunken are Drunken In the Night but let us who are of the day be sober putting on the breastplate of faith and love for a helmet the hope of salvation for God ha not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us that whether we wake or sleep we should live together with him wherefore Comfort yourselves together edify one another even as also you do now I'm going to pause right there just in that and that that passage right there we have some instruction number one we're reminded that we're Children of the light we're Children of the day it also tells us not to sleep not to be sober to be watching to be alert this is instruction for us this is a list of instruction for us disciplines that we need to apply to our life be sober it also instructs us to put on the breastplate of faith and love the helmet the hope of Salvation and it also instructs us to comfort yourselves together and then edify or build up one another encourage one another these are disciplines this is instruction from the word of God and these are things that need to be applied to our life if we're going to be effective in the kingdom of God we've got to do more than just read some scriptures we've got to apply that to our lives every single day I want to be effective in the kingdom of God we talked about Peter a couple weeks ago about him being the Rock and and and holding weight in the Kingdom I want to carry weight in the Kingdom to make a difference if we're going to be a soul winner then we need to make sure this soul is okay and there are some disciplines that we need to apply to our life moving on in this scripture

and we beseech you Brethren to know them which labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love for their Works sake and be at peace among yourselves now we exhort you Brethren warn them that are unruly Comfort the feeble-minded support the weak be patient toward all men see that none render evil for evil unto any man but ever follow that which is good both among yourselves and to all men Rejoice ever more in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Christ Jesus concerning you quench not the spirit despise not prophesyings prove all things hold fast that which is good abstain from all appearance of evil and the Very God of Peace sanctify you holy and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and this last sentence Faithful Is He that called you who will also do it now in this last part of the scripture instruction disciplines that we need to apply talks about our leadership our Spiritual Authority that's in our lives to esteem them to hold them up they have in in the work that they do that's for us when you think about our pastor our pastoral team uh youth leaders uh all the all the Ministries that we have we need to hold those people up in prayer they're working for the Kingdom so that's an instruction for us that's a discipline for us not to take that LLY that's the word of God support the weak be patient be patient toward all men even in traffic I had some situations coming over I was tested and tried I'm here sister Bonita I made it and I was patient I was patient thank you Jesus and then we're Inu Rejoice ever more these are disciplines Rejoice ever more no matter what's going on rejoice ever more in everything give thanks that's something we have to remind ourselves of but that's a discipline that we need in our life in that traffic that's stepping on my last nerve thank you Jesus hey thank you Jesus but give thanks in all things this is the word of God quench not the spirit despise not prophesying not the word of God stay away from anything that's evil anything that's the opposite of God opposite of holy opposite of his word we need to turn the other way these are instructions these are disciplines that we need to apply to our life and then it says the very God of Peace sanctify you holy God is separating us he is setting us apart for his purpose to fulfill his purpose and then that's that that scripture where it ends Faithful Is He our God is a faithful God and the discipline that we need in our life is to be faithful to him so I want to grow every single day closer to him

we should also be growing in knowledge of Jesus Christ when we begin to understand the very nature of God the more we study the more we give ourselves to the things of God we grow in knowled and the more we understand his nature and the more we desire to be like him the more we get to know him the more and we just fall in love with him over and over again and we want to be close to him we want to spend time in his presence we desire to do more and more for him because we have obtained knowledge we we are getting into his word we're we're receiving understanding we're we've got these disciplines in our life and we're practicing them and then it doesn't become something that that's weome because it's okay because we have this we're starting to see God for who he really is we've got this knowledge of who he is the very nature of who he is and we're trying to become like him and then that also increases our faith the more knowledge we have of God the the more we understand the nature of God that begins to increase our faith it just makes us feel bold we feel confident because we serve a faithful God and there's nothing that anybody can say or do that changes my mind about that because God has proven himself to be faithful and as much as we need faith we cannot have faith alone even Jame I think it was was it James said that uh faith without works is dead that lets me know that lets us know that's the word of God works has to be attached to that faith that lets me know that we have work to do not just Kingdom work but work on us work on me

second Peter so we know we've got to add to our faith as a disciplined disciple we're going to add to our faith these things found in second Peter chapter 1 verse 1 through n Simon Peter a servant and an apostle Jesus Christ to them that have obtained like Precious Faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowled know of God and of Jesus our lord according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge there's that word again of him that hath called us to glory and virtue whereby are giving given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that ye by these you might be partakers of the divine nature having having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust and beside this giving all diligence add to your faith virtue now to your virtue we add knowledge to our knowledge we add Temperance to Temperance we add patience to patience we add godliness and to Godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness we add charity for if there's a word if these things be in you and abound they make you that he shall neither be Barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ but he that lath these things is blind and cannot see a far off and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins that's some powerful words really so these are some things these are some disciplines we've got to add to our faith I know there used to be that little song faith faith faith Just a Little Bit of Faith well it may not take a whole lot you can use what you've got but we've got some things and if you don't know that song I'm I'm telling my age but um but it takes more than just Faith the the word of God instructs us to add these things to your faith second Peter now this is not going to be on the screen because I want to read this last verse verse 10 in the Amplified therefore this is same book and chapter therefore Believers be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling and choosing you be sure that your behavior reflects and confirms your relationship with God for by doing these things actively developing these virtues you will never stumble in your spiritual growth and will live a life that leads others away from sin wow that is powerful so lets me know that how I'm living my life and the disciplines that I'm applying to my the disciplines that are in the word of God if I'm applying these things and I'm doing this number one I'm not going to stumble in my spiritual growth we've got to be intentional about growing closer to God about our walk with God we have to be intentional about being disciplined but then not only will we not stumble in our spiritual growth we're going to live a life that leads others away from sin now remember we've been called out of Darkness Into His Marvelous Light why would we not want others to come out of the darkness Into His Marvelous Light when you come out of Darkness you're coming out of a world of sin so if we live our life disciplined for Christ a disciplined disciple then and we're applying this to our lives people that's going to affect those around us remember we're going to be Fishers of Men we're going to be Soul winners we're reaching for the lost so this matters this word of God matters and that to me that was that was very powerful discipline creates disciples God doesn't require and I'm so thankful that God doesn't require Perfection aren't you glad anybody else boy I'm relieved got a few hands I'm relieved he doesn't require perfect but he he does need us to be committed and surrendered and and disciplined with a madeup mind that we're going to follow him he's not looking for you to do everything perfectly he's not looking for me to do it all just just right but what he sees is someone that's going to be submitted to him that's going to have a spirit of surrender and that Lord nevertheless there's some things I don't don't understand remember that word nevertheless I'm going to follow you I I want to be a soul winner I want others because of the life I'm living they're going to come out of Darkness because I've applied this to my life then Lord let it be let me apply your word to my life every day this and when we do this when we we've got to embrace discipline some people look at it as a bad thing the word discipline it's not it's not it's for our own growth it's for our own good we need to embrace his disciplines for our life it allows us to become who God desires us to be and don't we want to be who God desires us to be that should be everybody's desire God I may not be much in my own eyes but whatever you see in me I'm going to follow you I want to surrender to you I want to submit to you I want to be all that you have that you've called me to be well that needs to be our desires discipline it allows us to be part of his kingdom when we're obeying his word we're applying it to our lives when we're following him every day not just not just with word but everything that we do we're following him and then we get to be a part of his not just his kingdom to be a part of this church his bride we're becoming the Unstoppable Church Unstoppable everybody say Unstoppable we're talking about spreading the gospel casting the Nets catching Souls sharing the the good news of Jesus to everyone we meet

you know the book of Acts uh in the last few chapters a lot of times we we focus on like the day of Pentecost and you know we get all excited and that's great stuff that's great stuff that's where the church was birthed in that Upper Room the day of Pentecost and we and we read about how the church was added to daily but there's in the last few chapter there's a a main character uh Paul he started out as a persecutor of the the Christians and then he became one himself he was converted we know about that Damascus Road experience that he had uh dramatic I guess but can you imagine having the experience there would be no doubt in my mind if I had a Damascus Road experience like he did that Jesus was real and can you imagine what he felt when he had to come come face to face with what he had been doing um Paul he became a missionary he was traveling through the Roman Empire preaching the gospel he established churches uh as many cities as possible he was on a mission he had had an encounter with Jesus and when we have an encounter with Jesus we need to be excited and we need to be ready to share the gospel Paul was excited to share the gospel so he's preaching he's a missionary he's he's building churches establishing churches as many as possible he's witnessed dozens of Miracles thousands of conversions people converting to Christianity but he also experienced some things that were not so great he had been in jail for months he had been beat people had plotted against his life and honestly to last as long as he did it was by the mercy and grace of God it was divine protection because people were out to get Paul but after he'd been on the mission field he decides I'm going back to Jerusalem sounds simple enough right go back to Jerusalem but not for Paul not during this time it's not quite as simple as that sounds Jerusalem for Paul at that time was probably the single most dangerous place for him to go because the Jews considered him someone that had betrayed their religion he was the Judas of their religion okay they think that he has Dishonored their religion by converting to Christianity and not only that before he takes off to Jerusalem it's even prophesied it's told that hey you're going to go back to Jerusalem but this is what's going to happen you're going you're going to be thrown into jail that's what's going to happen and that did not you think that stopped Paul no in spite of all that in spite of all the things that he had faced he was going back because he knew it was the will of God he had was determined with a madeup mind that I'm going to follow Jesus I'm going to share the gospel I'm going to preach the gospel I'm I want to be in the will of God and he knew this was the will of God sure enough Paul he gets arrested he gets thrown in jail once again what was was he doing what was he guilty of was he stealing was he rioting in the streets No all he was doing was praying in the temple but just the mere presence of Paul being there it was enough to upset the powers of hell they didn't like this Paul Paul was too excited about the good news of Jesus they didn't like him by so Paul there he goes he finds himself sitting in in jail once again through no fault of his own but the problem with that prison is that sometimes you get delivered and sometimes you don't have you ever been in a situation where you're like Lord you delivered me that last time are you going to come rescue me this time sometimes you wonder why you're having to stay in a situation a little longer because there's a purpose in it there's a purpose in everything that happens Paul I don't know that he understood the bigger picture but he didn't care what was happening why because he had answered the call to follow Jesus he and he had a burning desire to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that didn't stop him at all and God had sent an before when he was locked up God had sent an angel miraculously to to get Peter out of jail then there was the earthquake where he was loosed was it going to happen again this time no no had he been forsaken by God no he had not but there was a purpose in this there was a purpose for what he was getting ready to to encounter this imprisonment wasn't just for a few weeks not even for a few months but two years and remember all he was doing was praying in the temple that's all he was doing but after two long years of what most of us would be just screaming and mad because it was not fair because I've not done anything wrong Paul is waiting patiently and finally he gets to make a statement in his defense before the Roman Governor Felix and you know it's funny after a few moments when you read the story of Paul when you you read this account it's like he forgets what he's doing there he's supposed to be defending himself he's supposed to be telling his side of the story why he shouldn't be there but he's so excited about the Gospel of Jesus Christ it's not long that when he's before the governor he's testifying about Jesus he forgets all about the fact that hey I'm not guilty I'm not doing we would be like giving all the RO maybe you're maybe not you but I would be up there being like well this is why I don't need to be here and this is why I don't need to be here and they they were all lying about me and and doing all this and I don't deserve to be here but not Paul he started out with the intention to defend himself sister Unice but you know there was something so much more important than him I've got to tell somebody about the good news of Jesus Christ he started testifying he didn't care it was the governor let me tell you about my Jesus now I don't think he might have said that but who knows what he said we don't know he could have he could have so and it it always seems like with Paul that it's the judge that's ended up on trial but Felix as Paul spoke as Paul was sharing the gospel sharing his testimony Felix fell under conviction the entire time Paul spoke to him that does something to me I want what would it be like God if I would just to to talk to a stranger the entire time I talked to them not because I was pointing a fe a finger of Judgment at them but because I was sharing the good news of Jesus that conviction Came Upon them so strong that they began to tremble because that's what the word of God said that he began to tremble because he was under so much conviction at every word that Paul spoke Paul's excited about the gospel if you've not called on to this he is ex he's very excited about Jesus Christ and he thinks everyone needs to know about it but he trembled he could have gotten saved in that moment he could have given his life to God but sadly he chose not to he used an excuse I think maybe it wasn't a convenient season has anybody ever told you when you've been witnessing to them you know maybe or inviting them to church it's just not a good time I've got so much going on right now I don't think that you know I just I I don't think I can I don't think I can live that life right now have you heard the excuses before I have I've heard excuses I wonder if Felix for eternity is going to regret that not being the best season for him to give his life to God he's got an eternity that he's going to wonder why why didn't I surrender to that feeling of conviction when he had the perfect opportunity with Paul so anyway Felix is out out he's recalled to Rome then Paul has to go through this entire process again entire process but and he's going to have to stand before fesus don't you love these names and this means even more time in prison remember just for praying in the temple because Paul knows he understands now that a full trial before the San hindin in Jerusalem it would mean certain death so he finally appeals his case to CES but before they ship him off he has to go one last trial before King agria oh my goodness here he goes again now go ahead and imagine that you're Paul you're going to go you've been arrested for doing nothing more than praying as a Jew in the Jewish temple you've been charged with a capital offense of which you are completely innocent and now you've been un justly imprisoned for two whole years but At Last At you've got a chance to tell your side of the story again and defend yourself to King agria what would you have said would you have gone to King Agrippa and once again let me tell you how bad I've been treated let me tell you how bad it's really been but what did Paul do this is almost funny Acts chapter 26 and verse two I think myself happy King AG grippa what I think myself happy that's real words that's what Paul said to King of gria I think myself happy King AG grippa because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews we would probably say I think myself mad I think myself angry I think myself frustrated this has been unfair but Paul sees a something that others are not seeing I'm standing before this this guy this King AG grippa here and I've got this opportunity I may never get this opportunity again I'm going to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ I think myself happy he's not going to allow the circumstances of his life which were pretty bleak to be honest that didn't seem to bother him prisons back then I mean I can prison anywhere at any time is not a good thing but they didn't have some of the luxuries we have in 2024 it was rough stuff but he finds himself in prison on more than one occasion but I think myself happy I've got something to tell you I'm going to tell you about Jesus I'm going to tell you about my Encounter With Jesus he's going to share the good news he's not going to let his his circumstances dictate his testimony he's got this one opportunity with a grippa and he's going to take this opportunity just like he did with Felix and fesus and whoever else that's Paul for you I think myself happy and that's what we have to do we have to overcome our circumstances sometimes we cannot look just at ourselves and our situations that we're in because we have to understand so often there's a Divine Purpose for everything that going through and I guarantee you it's because of a testimony you want to talk about casting Nets your testimony that's your net you toss that net into the deep dark abyss searching for Souls share that testimony you think oh nobody wants to hear that share that testimony because you never know just like Paul being so excited not caring who he's standing in front of us he's going to testify of the goodness of Jesus Philippians chapter 4 verse 11 says not that I speak in respect of want for I have learned in whatsoever State I am therewith to be content that's Paul prison that's okay I think myself happy let me tell you about Jesus it's the real thing but once again here he is with King agria okay turns the table before long it's agria who's it feels like he's on trial it's really Paul but Paul always forgets he just starts ify he forgets about himself he forgets about him circumstances and King agria is under so much conviction and to me these are some of the saddest words in the Bible Acts chap 26 verse 28 it's heartbreaking then AG gria said excuse me then AG gria said unto Paul almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian almost to me that is so heartbreaking because he had such a perfect opportunity while Paul is sharing the gospel he's he feels conviction and almost so he has to go into eternity and think my goodness here I am and one word could have changed it I could have omitted o the almost and I could have said Paul you have persuaded me the point is is we've got to continue sharing the gospel we may not always like the responses we get from everybody some people may reject that message reject your invitation to church they may reject your invitation to teach them a Bible study they may reject your testimony that they may not want to hear it I think myself happy that's okay I'm going to share the gospel you go ahead you cast The Net you plant the seed you go ahead and give the testimony and you know what you never know you never know some will reject it and I'm sure the day coming that King AR gria is going to regret those words almost you persuaded me Paul almost oh my goodness

finally he get he Paul is on his way to Rome he goes as a a political prisoner before he arrives in Rome though that's not all there there's a shipwreck I mean he's marooned on an island he gets bit by a poisonous snake I mean goodness gracious Paul I think myself happy I think myself happy but for real that's his that's his Outlook I'm going to be happy because this isn't about this journey it's not about me it's about Jesus and it's about sharing Jesus with a lost world that needs him and that's the Outlook that we need to have we need to think oursel happy right in the middle of our mess right in the middle of our heartbreak right in the middle of things that we don't understand I'm going to think myself happy because you know what this is all about Jesus I've got to tell somebody about Jesus so he's got all this stuff going on but hey he gets out of that too now once in Rome Paul is placed under house arrest here he goes again in his own house you know the ankle bracelet no I'm not really they don't have this he is literally chained to Roman soldiers again waiting for more than two years for his case to be Tried by Caesar in his house chained to a Roman soldier listen there may be some situations you feel like the enemy you're chained to some situations and you're bound by those things let me tell you what Paul did he went ahead and he kept testifying people were coming to him and he didn't stop nothing stopped Paul nothing hindered him from sharing the go gospel and there he is house arrest he can't go anywhere he's chained to Roman soldiers I don't care there is not one excuse that I can have or any of us can have from to keep us from sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is what we've been commissioned to do we need to take it seriously and over the last few weeks this is It's convicted me because I feel like I know I'm not doing enough I'm not doing enough and you read about Paul and you think oh my goodness you read about the disciples the apostles and all that they did they they everything nothing mattered they gave it all to the cause of the Kingdom the cause of Christ and can we do that can we do that acts 28 verse 30 and 31 and Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house and received all that came in unto him preaching the kingdom of God and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence no man forbidding him and that's the last of the book of Acts but you know what don't have time to to go in not only that I don't have the knowledge of all the Greek things but you know in the Greek word the last word in the book of Acts um it means unhindered unpreventable Unstoppable and Paul and so many of those disciples and apostles that gave their life for this gospel they were Unstoppable it didn't matter that he was chained to a Roman soldier it didn't matter that he was in prison Luke writes that he is Unstoppable are we Unstoppable are we the church in Acts was Unstoppable you know why there's not a definitive end to the book of Acts because we're still living the book of Acts we are the church that was birthed in the book of Acts if we're writing the final chapter before Jesus comes back what is our chapter going to look like are we going to be the church that's Unstoppable because the book in Acts they were you couldn't fight those Christians you couldn't beat them up you couldn't throw them in prison it did not matter what you threw at them they were being martyred the church was Unstoppable Unstoppable Paul understood something that we need to understand we are willing participants not only in what God does but in his way we have to surrender to that Paul could have questioned everything that was happening to him but nevertheless I think myself happy let me tell you about my Jesus let me tell you what he did for me that needs to be our passion that needs to be us second Timothy 2 and N wherein I suffer trouble as an evildoer even unto bonds but the word of God is not bound the word of God is not bound they may have been prisoners they may have been locked up Paul may have been locked up and imprisoned he might have been under house arrest chained to a uh a Roman soldier but there's one thing that you could not bind there's one thing that you could not stop St and it says so right here in this this scripture in second Timothy the word of God is not bound if you can speak then we need to speak up and we need to tell the Gospel of Jesus Christ we have been called to be Fishers of Men we have been called to cast the Nets we we don't know we we don't go pick and choose who we think deserves to hear this gospel but everyone deserves this what if someone overlooked you or myself or someone in our family I'm fourth generation Pentecost what if someone had overlooked my grandmother my grandparents and said n there's a good chance I wouldn't be standing here I wouldn't be in church today this gospel is for whosoever Will and it is our job it's my job to share this gospel to be passionate about it like Paul was so excited I don't care what's happening I don't care what's going on my circumstances I'm not going to let them let them rob me of my testimony I'm going to tell the world about Jesus the disciples the apostles they set out on a mission they were going to turn their world upside down and that's exactly what we did we serve the same God we had the same Holy Ghost as they did and we have been commissioned to do the same thing reach a world that needs Jesus

going to close out with this there are souls that are attached to our obedience think about that we started out talking about obedience that first week but think about souls being attached to your obedience there are lives hanging in the balances as we decide whether or not we're going to submit to the will of God it's never about just us once we have been filled with the power of the Holy Ghost it's never about building a platform for myself or my own personal Ministry or having a title that's not what it's about the blood of Jesus wasn't shed for personal gain it's about people it's always been about people reaching people everything we do have a has a spiritual effect Every Act of obedience ripples into eternity God help me to be obedient one day we're going to stand before the King of Kings and the Lord of lords and our works our works they're going to be tested our lives are going to be laid bare before the one and only holy God we're going to be judged by our works are we fulfilling am I fulfilling our Eternal purpose or are we living for the here and now when the book is open and everything we've done for the kingdom is revealed am I going to receive a reward will there be a a crown to to place at the feet of Jesus how many times have we silenced the voice of the Holy Ghost in our lives for personal comfort for personal gain for Pride or fear or maybe just because we don't feel qualified will there be any excuse that will stand when we are face to face with the creator of Heaven and Earth have we truly submitted to his will are we seriously answering the call to follow and reach a world that so desperately needs him are we running this race that has set before us what are we doing with what God has entrusted to us there are souls attached to my obedience to your obedience and it's time for us Church to be eternally focused we all have an assignment go teach preach read he's coming back soon and we have work to do

can we all stand right now can we just lift our hands all over this place Jesus I love you God I Feel So Unworthy God I feel so ashamed because I know I've not done enough for your kingdom God give me a burning burden inside of me Lord that reaches for the lost that I'm not comfortable where I am God it's not just enough for me to be okay and come to church and to and to sing and to worship but God there is a world that we have been commissioned to reach for God let us feel that burden let us each have that desire not to give up but to be the Unstoppable church that's excited about the go gospel that you've given us to tell others about the power of the Holy Ghost and how you can transform their lives God reach for us as we reach for others dear God for your kingdom God for your perfect will to be done we praise you tonight can we just praise him right now thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you Jesus