Transcript of a published conference session by Wayne Huntley, transcribed from YouTube. An attributed primary source — not Acts 2:38 Life doctrine text.
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Summary
Summary prepared by Acts 2:38 Life from the transcript below — the preacher’s words follow in full.
He thanks the introducer, honors the house, and brings his best friend up as a prop
- The cut opens on Huntley himself as the introduction ends — he thanks the introducer (the name stands in two caption forms in this sermon; see packet.md) and seats the congregation. He says he may be a little older, may have had two heart attacks, may be a grandfather, "but my heart is very marinated these days, and I'm never very far from tears" — especially at talk of the initiation of the United Pentecostal Church in Raleigh (now the Temple of Pentecost in Raleigh): when a church is a baby everybody oohs and aahs over it, but when it becomes an adult "you just kind of quits." He has "learned from the mangans" and "learned from because of the times," and the first lesson is his: "none of this is any good if you don't take it home and use it."
- He gives honor to "brother sister Mangan" and "Sister Vesta Mangan" (as captioned) and to all the people of the Pentecostals of Alexandria: "how do you do this for 30 plus years with increasing intensity, increasing excitement, never getting old? Have you ever been to one boring thing at because of the times? There is no such critter." He is pleased every opportunity to follow "bunch and Breeze" (as captioned — see packet.md) — "they set me up very well."
- He will need help on the platform: "I asked my best friend, brother Mark Foster, to accompany to the platform, and he's going to help me preach this sermon today." He jokes with Foster in the congregation's hearing: in a few moments "I'm going to hand him the microphone, and I told him: don't get so carried away you forget to give it back to me. I'm the one doing the preacher, not you're my prop; let's just get this straightened out." Foster assists at points through the sermon but does not preach.
His wife is home sick; the sermon came at five in the morning
- He is thrilled every year to preach at this "fountain head of apostolic revival," and gives honor to the speakers who preceded him "and to brother Cunningham, who will bless you tonight" (a fellow speaker in this same conference; see packet.md). In the audience are his nephew and his nephew's wife Christine, who pastor the United Pentecostal Church of Carthage, Texas — about the only family he has here today.
- His wife would normally be with him, but she has suffered from vertigo since the week before Christmas and cannot travel; as of last night the siege ended, in Jesus' name. While the introducer was speaking, Huntley texted her — "I'm approaching the pulpit right now" — and she answered that she would be in the sanctuary of the Temple of Pentecost on her knees praying for him while he preaches: "she is my very heartbeat and the strength of my life."
- He tells how the sermon itself came. The night his wife went to the hospital in Florida the week of Christmas, he stayed with her until three in the morning, sick himself with fever and chills; home in bed about three, "at five o'clock, without any warning, without any notification, without even thought, I set up in the bed, and the Lord said: this is what you're to preach at because of the times." He had given it no thought at all: "I guess it takes sometimes the destruction of the flesh to hear the spirit."
The text: Shammah stands in the pea patch
- "I'd like to read for you out of second Samuel chapter 23, verse number 11" — and he reads the Shammah passage aloud (the captions render the name "Shama" throughout, and garble "Hararite" as "herorite"; see packet.md): after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite; the Philistines were gathered into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines; but he stood in the midst of the ground and defended it, and slew the Philistines, "and the Lord wrought a great victory" (the closing clause of the passage is the next verse's; the shipped form is ruled at packet.md).
- He will preach with the young ministers primarily in mind, and announces his subject: "I preached today on a pea patch perspective — turn around to somebody and mind your tongue when you speak: a pea patch perspective." For anyone not with him: the lentils "were nothing more than peas — it was just a patch of peas" (the captions render "peas" as "peace" in this sentence and "lentils" as "littles"; settled at packet.md).
Scriptures: 2 Samuel 23:11-12
The spirit of Shammah: a baptism of boldness
- "I stand to declare: the apostolic ministry needs a divine impartation, saturation, and marination of the spirit of Shama[h], in a ministerial spiritual climate of compliance, compromise, and cowardice." His burden is "a fresh baptism of conviction, courage, and boldness" (the captions render "boldness" as "bonus" in this refrain and its recurrences throughout the sermon; settled at packet.md). The prayer of the apostles early in the book of Acts is the pattern — he names it as a range, "in Acts 4 29-31," and reads it: "and now, Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus; and when they had prayed for boldness the bible said the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with a holy ghost."
- "Before we leave this afternoon, we're going to pray again for a baptism of boldness, and a saturation of apostolic authority that will send us out of here strong in the Lord" — a baptism of boldness to stand against sin and preach salvation, against doubt and declare faith, against death and declare life, against fear and declare confidence, against worldliness and declare righteousness, against sickness and declare wholeness, against emptiness and declare fullness, "and speak of things that are not as though they were" (the wording is voiced without a citation; see packet.md). "We need men of God that'll go there pulpit without fear and declare: this is the word of God, this is the will of God, this is the way of God." Many "had rather switch than fight — the spirit of Shama[h] is: I'd rather fight than switch."
- He rehearses Paul's admonition: "he said in Ephesians 6 and 10: finally… be strong," "and in the verse 13, at the end of that verse, it ends with this: and having done all, to stand." What we often say is "don't just stand there — do something; but Paul said: don't just do something — stand there." There is a time to plant our feet as never before "and let the devil know, and let the world know, and let doubt no: we're going to stand."
Scriptures: Acts 4:29-31; Ephesians 6:10; Ephesians 6:13
The good man will not suffer his house to be broken up
- The text declares that when Shammah stood and defended, "the Lord wrought a great victory." There is a time and a place "when we are obligated to stand and to defend our positions, our spiritual possessions, and the prize of other people's sacrifice" — and he sees "way too much running, and not enough standing."
- He cites his warrant: "Luke chapter 12, verse 39 — the Bible says that if the goodman of the house would have known at what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken up." On the authority of that verse: "we are not evil, we are not mean, nor are we a bad spirit when we rise to defend what is ours and what God has given us." The Bible called Shammah a good man, and "a good man will not allow his house to be broken up" — like the other good man, "the god man," who turned over the tables of the money changers (the account is told; no citation is voiced — see packet.md): "you're not doing that in my house — not in my house." The apostolic ministry needs a revisitation "that's not afraid to stand and say: not in my house."
Scriptures: Luke 12:39
Hands on his back — and Jesus standing
- He knows what it is to be spiritually assaulted — slapped, kicked, beaten verbally and spiritually "until I felt my knees began to wobble, and I knew I was about to go down. True story I'm relating: when I felt hands come to my back — and no one was there — that lifted me back to my feet, shoved me back into the arena, and gave me the victory… it was the angel of the Lord that had come to assist me and to empower me." Seeking the Lord about today's service, he saw some in this auditorium beaten, slapped, kicked, bruised, battered — conviction almost gone, courage almost gone, boldness almost gone (the captions render the word "baldness" here; settled at packet.md) — and the same Spirit lifting them back to their feet. He has the congregation reach in front and put their hands on somebody's back: "God's going to restore your conviction; God's going to restore your courage; God's gonna restore your boldness."
- "All Shama[h] had to do will stand — sometimes a great victory is summed up by just taking a stand." And standing has a witness in heaven: "in Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 3, the Bible reveals Jesus… seen sitting down at the right hand of the Majesty on high — in Hebrews 3:3. But in Acts 7 and 56, Stephen said: I see the heavens open, and I see the son of man standing have the right hand of God." His conclusion: "two things will happen when you take a stand — number one, the heavens will open; number two, Jesus will stand for you: if you will stand for him, he will stand for you."
Scriptures: Hebrews 3:3; Acts 7:56
Steadfast, unmovable — and always abounding
- A verse "that's been burning on my spirit for some time": his wife told him someone posted on Facebook from this meeting that the word of the Lord would come at the meeting — and it was the very verse in his notes: "the Bible says in First Corinthians 15:58: therefore, my beloved brethren, be a steadfast, unmovable, yet always abounding." It is possible, on the authority of the word of God, "to be steadfast, to be unmovable, and yet be abounded: you don't have to compromise to grow — you can be steadfast, you can be unmovable, and you can always abound."
- Awake at four that morning, he received the corollary: "vacillating, wishy-washy, spineless leadership we'll never produce apostolic results." (In this movement the platform helper is thanked under a different caption form — "thank you Tommy," as captioned; see packet.md.) "Am I preaching what you believe, or am I in the wrong place? … You're going to have to do it somewhere, sometime, for something — why not right here, right now?"
Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 15:58
Everybody has standards
- Somebody shared with him on the way here: a lot of folks claim they're growing because they have no standards — "that's a misnomer, because... everybody has standards." The most liberal church you know has a standard. He tells on a restaurant chain whose sign says "no rules, just right": pull your shoes off and put your feet on the table in their restaurant, "you're going to find out they do have some rules." "Can we say standard without folks passing out? Can we say holiness without folks getting mad? Can we say we need to defend what God has given us, and yet be positive, and be revivalists?"
- He relays a conversation between a preacher friend of his and a denominational pastor (the friend is named in the telling as "Reese," as captioned — see packet.md): the pastor credited the growth to having no standards, until he was asked whether he'd have any problem with his so-called saints walking down the street with no clothes on: "then you got standards."
- Shammah's perspective: it may look insignificant, not worthy of risk, but "since it is evident that we're going to have to defend somewhere, sometime, over something, I choose to defend here, now." Folks today are always qualifying, restricting, and redefining what is worth defending "until eventually they will defend nothing" — they would have said to Shammah: you're really going to make an issue out of a pea patch, when everybody else is running? "I choose to not back up right here; I choose to draw the line right here." The field of peas (the captions render it "field appease"; settled at packet.md) must be worth more than a lot of folks perceive, "or the enemy would not want to take it from me" — on a ball team, you learn where your strength is by studying where the adversary defends: "they don't defend weakness; they attack weakness, but they defend against strength. And if there's nothing so great about our standards, our separation from the world, our acts 238 message [the reference is named as a doctrine label, never read or expounded — see packet.md], our revelation of the mighty God in Christ, and our unity with the United Pentecostal Church — why does the devil attack it?"
It's my harvest — and once you start cutting, you never stop
- Shammah's perspective includes this: "it may not seem like a whole lot to you, but he said what you don't understand is: it's my harvest — this little patch of peas is my harvest." The apostolic church "has entered into, and is standing right in the middle of, our end-time harvest right now": lifetime prayers being answered, people coming and being baptized whom you thought never would, more receiving the Holy Ghost, miracles, dreams becoming realities. "The devil must not be allowed to drive you out of your dream heart."
- "If you're thinking about quitting, take a stand; if you're thinking about throwing a towel in, take a stand; if you're thinking about compromising, take a stand." He asks Foster to assist him with a little point, and turns to "Jeremiah 36:23": "and it came to pass that when Jacob and I had read three or four leaves he was reading the word of the Lord and when he read three or four leaves he referencing jehoicum the king cut it with a pen knife and cast it Into the Fire that was on the hearth" (the reading's name forms stand garbled in the captions — "Jacob," "jehoicum," "Harley" — unrepaired; see packet.md). "Here's what you need to understand: once you start cutting on it, you never stop until it's all gone... one compromise leads to another, and one piece negotiation leads to another."
- He acts out the cutting: the majority of this religious world gets past the famous passages — named as labels in his list: "John 3 16, John 14, the Lord is my shepherd" — "they're done; this is what they start doing: they start cutting." The divine inspiration of the scriptures — "that's not relevant"; the virgin birth — "that's a myth"; the deity of Christ; the resurrection — "that's a joke"; hell — "nobody wants to hear about that today"; the rapture — "those Christians are dreaming"; the gifts of the Spirit — too old-fashioned; "Acts 2:38 — Acts 2:38 — what's that?" (the reference is voiced inside the cutters' dismissal, as a label, never as a read text — see packet.md); miracles, signs, and wonders — "that doesn't happen anymore"; exuberant worship — "that's going to run people off"; the second coming — "nah, no way." What you eventually end up with "is a Bible that looks like this" — the cut-up book held up on the platform. But the book says — in wording he voices without naming its sources (see packet.md) — that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, and that all scripture is given by inspiration of God. "We've come to the cause of the times to take a stand and say: it's still in there — and if it's still there, leave it, and we'll preach it, and we will defend it."
Scriptures: Jeremiah 36:23
Peas, corn, okra, tomatoes — and Ahab's answer
- Shammah had this idea, "and so do I: if I give them my peas, they going to be back for my corn; and if I give them my corn, they're going to be back for my okra; and after they got my okra, they're gonna come back from my tomatoes — and that's when we're really going to have a fight" (the captions render the first "peas" as "peace"; settled at packet.md). "There's no way you can set a spy the hunger of a detestable devil that wants to diabolically destroy you: you give him one, he's coming back for another… you might as well go ahead and draw a line and say: this is where I'm going to stand."
- "In First Kings chapter 20," Ben-hadad's threats came to Ahab: "I'm going to take your silver, I'm going to take your gold, I'm going to take your wives, I'm going to take your children, I'm even going to take the goodliest" — and Ahab at first basically said: it's yours, come get it. With no resistance to the first threat, a second message added: "I'm just going to take all that is pleasant in your eyes." And then something happened. "I'm fixing to quote a verse of scripture, brother Woodward — I've always wanted to preach I've I've known it was in there, I've quoted it myself, but I've never had a chance to preach it; this is the first: the Bible said in First Kings 20:11: let not him that girdeth on his harnessed boasts not himself as he that putteth it off." His own "original Hebrew interpretation" of it (his joke, carried as his remark): "Do it — and then talk about it." "You haven't put it on yet... don't even act like you got victory… I'm going to stand here... the rest of Israel can run, but this is my harvest, this is my pea patch, and I'm going to defend it — and when he stood to defend it, God brought a great victory."
Scriptures: 1 Kings 20:11
A fragment, a nephew who stood, and the apostles' prayer read again
- The captions turn fragmentary for a short stretch here — a few broken lines, one invoking Arkansas (see packet.md) — and the summary leans on nothing in them; the sermon's plain thread resumes: "sometimes all you gotta do to have victory is stand."
- His humorous illustration: his nephew Dwayne (named in the telling — an adult; see packet.md), a big guy, not long in Raleigh, was blocked at an intersection by two men in a truck, one of them extremely intoxicated, who came to his window with the family-coined taunt: "say something else to me — I don't want to hear you say." When Dwayne opened his door and kept coming out of the vehicle, the man's companion called him back — "boy, you're gonna get killed; get over here" — and they tore out. "What I'm saying is: sometimes all you do is stand — you just got to stand."
- The devil will come in order: "he will come for your prayer life, and then he'll come for your praise, then he'll come for your worship, then he'll come for your gifts, and then he'll come for your faith, and that he'll come for your trust, then he'll come for your character, then he'll come for your integrity, then he'll come for your commitment, then he'll come for your faithfulness, then he will come for your covenants of identification — and after a while, that's what your Bible will look like, and your God will look like this: because my faith plus my commitment gives me the appraisal of the size of my God."
- He felt the Spirit assure him there are many here beaten, battered, and bruised — folks walked out of their churches, finances dropped, loyal leaders turned against them; they came through these doors with knees wobbling. "For the devil's worst nightmare is about to happen: if the apostles prayed what they prayed, and the answer is what they got, then right now we can pray what they prayed and we can get what they got." And he reads the apostles' prayer in full a second time: "let me read it all: and now, Lord, behold their threatenings…" through "…and they spake the word of God with boldness" — the same named passage read at the sermon's opening (packet.md notes the double reading). He honors the message just preached by "brother gaddy" (as captioned): "it was marvelous, it was inspiring, it was exciting — but if we don't get bold like him, we won't do what he did. We've got to have a baptism of boldness that will get us out from behind our pulpits: too many of us are lions in church and mice on the street."
Scriptures: Acts 4:29-31
The first lady he ever laid hands on — and the prayer for boldness
- Boldness, he says (the captions render the word in this movement in several of its forms; settled at packet.md), is stepping up in front of empty pews and saying "you're going to be full"; declaring "we're going to build a new church, with no savings right yet — but we're going to do it." Boldness is what he needed as a young evangelist preaching a small church in Texas (a moment "brother Morgan" had alluded to today, as captioned): burning with zeal to see somebody get the Holy Ghost, he shouted to a lady at the back, "lady, come down here — God's gonna fill you with the Holy Ghost when I lay my hand on your head." The church went crazy; he did too, for about five seconds — then she started pushing her way out and down the aisle, and his prayer flipped: "oh God — Holy Ghost, hit me now; Jesus, if I ever needed you, I need you now." She stepped down, he laid his hand on her head, "and when I touched her, she began to speak in other tongues." The lesson: "we need a revival of boldness, to speak what he says and to do what he says, without qualifying it, logically figuring it out, or human reasoning with an equation that promises us success: if he said it — do it; declare it."
- He brings the sermon to its prayer: "if we will pray like the apostles prayed, what happened to the apostles will happen to us that God will shake this house, he will fill us with the Holy Ghost, and we will receive brand new boldness, brand new conviction, brand new courage — that God is going to do what he said he would do." Step out in the aisle or move to the front; even a limp, a push, a fight, one hand up will do: "don't let the enemy drive you out of your harvest — take a stand in the name of the Lord." They prepare their hearts, throw their hands up together, and pray unitedly: "lift your voice as loud as you can shout: God, baptize me with boldness" — and he leads the close over the music: God is going to renew courage, confidence, boldness; "I'm not going to be driven out — I'm going to defend my heart." The capture ends inside that prayer, on his last captioned line: "God is fighting for us."
Scripture index: 2 Samuel 23:11-12; Acts 4:29-31; Ephesians 6:10; Ephesians 6:13; Luke 12:39; Hebrews 3:3; Acts 7:56; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Jeremiah 36:23; 1 Kings 20:11.
Transcript
thank you and everybody said praise the Lord God bless you and you may be seated thank you brother shock for that very nice introduction I may be because I'm a little older it may be because they say I've had two heart attacks it may be because I am a grandfather but my heart is very marinated these days and I'm never very far from tears especially when you talk about the initiation of the United Pentecostal Church in Raleigh I was so thrilled his brother Yeti preached it brought back so many memories and we were talking about no matter what happens in the size of your church when it matures I mean you may you know hundreds receive the Holy Ghost and miracles of finances and mighty moves of God but none of that compares to the initiation of a church and then I thought as I turned up someone beside me and I said the reason for that is when you're a baby everybody oohs and AWS and Carries On but when you become an adult you don't get much of that do you just kind of quits so the fondest days of my life for the initiation of the United Pentecostal church now the Temple of Pentecost but I'm very thrilled that through the years so much of what has happened in my personal life my family and the Temple of Pentecost in Raleigh I don't mind telling you I have learned from the mangans and I have learned from because of the times someone has said it I'll repeat it quickly and then we'll get to the word none of this is any good if you don't take it home and use it I have no deep dark Revelations on church building I have no profound philosophies but I can tell you this if you'll go home and do what you've heard it will work but nothing works if you don't work it and even a good feel will not produce if it's not worked so if you'll just take home what you have heard what you have learned and apply it to your personal life to your ministry it will work I give honor to brother sister Mangan to Sister Vesta Mangan all the people of the Pentecostals of Alexandria how do you do this for 30 plus years with increasing intensity increasing excitement never getting old have you ever been to one boring thing at because of the times there is no such Critter the Fountain of passion continues to flow and we're the wonderful recipients of it every year would you clap your hands and thank the Lord for the Pentecostals of Alexandria and everything that God does for us while we're here not only that it's the greatest show on Earth you could go nowhere where you'd have more fun than what happens right here I'm pleased every opportunity to follow bunch and Breeze they set me up very well we enjoy teasing with them and what a great talent they are don't you love them and that wonderful what they do just so you will understand set your hearts at ease I'm going to need a little prop on the platform today some assistance and so I asked my best friend brother Mark Foster to accompany to the platform and he's going to help me preach this sermon today and would you make him feel comfortable let him know we're glad he's up here it's a little obnoxious to come sit on the plant for me because of the times when you're not the invited speaker and everybody's wondering what is he doing up there as a matter of fact in a few moments I'm going to hand him the microphone and I told him don't get so carried away you forget to give it back to me I'm the one doing the preacher not you're my prop let's just get this straightened out what you're supposed to do so I'm thrilled to be here every year as a great great honor far more than my deserving to be able to preach at this Fountain Head of apostolic Revival and to be challenged annually to bring a word of the Lord here that we feel from our spirit that would affect all of us as Apostolic ministers Propel us give us a catalyst launch us into the great things that God has for us I give honor to all the wonderful speakers who have preceded me and to brother Cunningham who will bless you tonight I'd like to acknowledge in this audience as my nephew and his wife Christine they Pastor the United Pentecostal Church of
Carthage Texas and I'm thrilled that they came today to be with me to hear me preach it's about the only family I have here today beside all of you that I claim is family and I'm glad the land trips came over to be with me today my wife wouldn't normally be with me but she's under a Siege of sickness she has been for a while but as of last night it ended in Jesus name so she has suffered from vertigo since the week before Christmas and has not been able to travel with me by plane or by car the only distance that she travels is to church and back home and she's very sad that she could not be here today and I when brother shop began my introduction I had a prepared text for her and I hit the button and I said I'm approaching the pulpit right now she said I will be in the sanctuary of the Temple of Pentecost on my knees praying for you while you're preaching so she's there with some of the Saints and she is my very heartbeat and the strength of my life and I regret that she's not here today I'd like to read for you out of second Samuel chapter 23 verse number 11. the very night that she went to the hospital the week of Christmas I took her to the hospital in Florida and I stayed with her till three in the morning but I had fever myself and I was so sick I could hardly stand up and she was going through all of that and it was miserable it was right at Christmas and so finally I told her honey I hate to leave you but if I don't go back to the to the house here I'm gonna have to get a bed beside you because I was about to collapse I had fever and chills and I got into bed about three that morning and at five o'clock without any warning without any notification without even thought I set up in the bed and the Lord said this is what you're to preach at because of the times and it rocked to me I was so sick I guess it takes sometimes the destruction of the flesh to hear the spirit so I had not given much thought to this at all but this is what I felt the Lord would have me as my part in this marvelous meeting of diversity and after him was Shama the son of Agee the herorite and the Philistines were gathered together into a troop where was a piece of ground full of lentils and the people fled from the Philistines but he Shama stood in the midst of the ground and defended it and slew the Philistines and the Lord wrought a great victory I come to the pulpit primarily with our young ministers in mind but I feel that every one of them need a consideration of what I shall Preach Today for the sake of brother Jerry Dean so he'll not be disappointed lest he leave the conference upset with me I preached today on a p patch perspective a p patch perspective turn around to somebody and mind your tongue when you speak a p patch perspective in the event that you're not with me the lentils were nothing more than peas it was just a patch of peas because of the times I stand to declare the apostolic Ministry needs a divine impartation saturation and marination of the spirit of Shama in a ministerial spiritual climate of compliance compromise and cowardice my burden of this moment is for a fresh baptism of conviction courage and boldness the apostolic Ministry needs a revisitation of conviction courage and boldness the prayer of the Apostles early in the book of Acts was this in Acts 4 29-31 I was speaking to brother Dylan sitting beside me as brother Mangan was leading the service and I said if he doesn't soon stop there's not even not not only is there not going to be Chicken on the
bone there's not even be enough smell of the meat for the dog to chew on it because he was walking down exactly where I was going to go this is the prayer of the Apostles early into the history of the church and now Lord behold their threatenings and Grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak Thy Word by stretching forth thine hand to heal and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy Child Jesus and when they had prayed for boldness the Bible said the place was shaken where they were assembled together and they were all filled with a Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues I am going to preach to us today that before we leave this afternoon we're going to pray again for a baptism of boldness and a saturation of apostolic Authority that will send us out of here strong in the Lord clap your hands and shout unto the Lord somebody I'm talking about a baptism a boldness to stand against sin and preach salvation to stand against doubt and declare Faith to stand against death and declare life to stand against fear and declare confidence to stand against worldliness and declare righteousness to stand against sickness and declare wholeness to stand against emptiness and declare fullness to stand against with a great boldness and speak of things that are not as though they were all ready we need a baptism a boldness we need a baptism of boldness we need a baptism of boldness we need men of God that'll go there Pulpit without fear and declare this is the word of God this is the will of God this is the way of God we need a baptism of boldness in an hour when many I said many not all but many had rather switch than fight the spirit of shama is I'd rather fight than switch so let me rehearse the admonition of the Apostle who was a great warrior the Apostle Paul in his ministry he said in Ephesians 6 and 10. finally finally be strong when it comes to the end he said be strong and in the verse 13 at the end of that verse it ends with this and having done all to stand and having done all to stand what we often say is don't just stand there do something but Paul said don't just do something stand there there is a time when we need to just plant our feet as never before and let the devil know and let the world know and let doubt no we're going to stand we are going to stand our text declares that when shama stood and defended he stood he defended the Bible said the Lord wrought a great victory when shama stood and shama defended the Lord wrought a great Victory the Bible reminds us and I want to remind you there is a time and there is a place when we are obligated to stand and to defend our positions our spiritual possessions and the prize of
other people's sacrifice I'm just going to go ahead and say it I see way too much running and not enough standing right I see way too much running and not enough standing Luke chapter 12 verse 39. the Bible says that if the Goodman of the house would have known at what hour the thief would come he would have watched and not have suffered his house to be broken up I stand and I will say that a lot in the next few minutes I stand I stand we stand I stand to declare on the authority of that verse we are not evil we are not mean nor are we a bad spirit when we rise to defend what is ours and what God has given us I resist the idea that anybody that takes a stand is a bad guy I reject the idea that anybody that takes a stand has a bad spirit the Bible said he was a good man it used the word good man a good man will not allow his house to be broken up and let me just point you to another good man who was the god man who turned the tables over of the money changers and said you're not doing that in my house not in my house we need a revisitation of the apostolic ministry that's not afraid to stand and say not in my house I said not my house there comes a point if you're going to have a Revival if you're going to see a move of God you're going to have to take a stand whether you like it or not turn around somebody say just don't do something stand there I know what it is to be spiritually assaulted I know what it is to take Pontius a slap a stomach a kick a beat a verbal spiritual beating until I felt my knees began to wobble and I knew I was about to go down true story I'm relating when I felt hands come to my back and no one was there that lifted me back to my feet shoved me back into the arena and gave me the victory I looked around to see who it was and there was nobody there but it was the angel of the Lord that had come to assist me and to empower me so while I was praying and while I was fasting and seeking the Lord about today's service in my spirit I saw some of you beaten slapped kicked bruised battered conviction almost gone courage oh most gone boldness almost gone but I saw that same Spirit come into this Auditorium and lift men and women back to their feet and renew their boldness and renew their courage and renew their conviction I want you to reach in front of you and put your hands on somebody's back right now God's going to restore your conviction God's going to restore your conviction God's going to restore your courage God's Gonna restore your boldness
you don't need to be afraid of the devil you don't need to pray to the world and you don't need to be afraid of saints you don't need to be afraid of saints you need an Apostolic Authority a boldness courage conviction to stand somebody and say when you take a stand you're not a bad man I ain't gonna let the devil take over the church I pastor I ain't gonna let sin take over the church I passed I ain't gonna let Compromise take over the church I'll Pastor I'm asking God to give me a baptism of courage and a baptism of conviction if I will stand God will bring the victory God bless you maybe see it I want to rehearse that that when shama stood to defend the Lord wrought a great victory all shama had to do will stand sometimes a great victory is summed up by just taking a stand just taking a stand in Hebrews chapter 3 and verse 3. the Bible reveals Jesus sinning he was seen sitting down at the right hand of the Majesty on high in Hebrews 3 3. but in Acts 7 and 56 Stephen said I see the heavens open and I see the son of man standing have the right hand of God I stand to tell you that two things will happen when you take a stand number one the heavens will open number two Jesus will stand for you if you will stand for him he will stand for you there's a verse of scripture that's been burning on my spirit for some time I'm glad I get to share it with you right now my wife shared with me that someone came to this meeting and posted on Facebook or some type of media that the word of the Lord would come at this meeting and this is what it would be and they didn't know it was in my notes here's the word of the Lord the Bible says in First Corinthians 15 58. if we could show that I believe you have it therefore my beloved brethren be a steadfast unmovable yet always abounding I Rise to preach to you today that it is possible on the authority of the word of God to be steadfast to be unmovable and yet be abounded can I just say it you don't have to compromise to grow you can be steadfast you can be unmovable and you can always abound there are some things we're steadfast about there are some things we are unmovable about and at the same time we can always be abounding I'm preaching you can be conservative in your positions and still be radical in your Revival and in your evangelism they are not opposing each other they are not adversaries it's not one or the other you can have both of them and be blessed by God vacillating
well I was awake this morning four o'clock That's Not Unusual when you have a challenge like this I awoke at four this morning and this is what the Lord spoke to me to share with you vacillating wishy-washy spineless leadership we'll never produce Apostolic results I wish somebody would help me beside a foster thank you Tommy am I preaching what you believe or am I in the wrong place am I out of touch with a spirit or is God telling this Apostolic Church take a stand you're going to have to do it somewhere sometime for something why not right here right now with this I was talking to somebody about this on the way here and this is what they shared with me there are a lot of folks that claim they're growing because they have no standards that's a misnomer because don't swallow that because everybody has standards the most liberal Church you know has a standard I don't know what Outback means I eat their steaks I don't argue with them but their sign says no rules just right nothing can be right without rules and if you believe they really believe that going to their next the restaurant the next time you're there pull your shoes off and put your feet on the table you're going to find out they do have some rules one denominational are y'all uncomfortable everybody all right can we say standard without folks passing out can we say Holiness without folks getting mad can we say we need to defend what God has given us and yet be positive and be revivalists and have grown so this preacher friend of mine was talking to a denominational Pastor in his town and the nominational pastor told him said Reese your church is growing it's called y'all not growings cause y'all have standards he said to the denominational preacher are you saying you all don't have standards oh no we don't have standards he said then you wouldn't have any problem with your so-called Saints walking down the street with no clothes on then you got standards I was somebody said then you got standards shama seemed to say and this is his perspective shama seemed to say it may look like something quite insignificant and not worthy of risk but since it is evident that we're going to have to defend somewhere sometime over something I choose to defend here now and this that's going to get a little tougher right here but help me this is what I'm hearing out there that needs to be dealt with folks today are always qualifying restricting and redefining is what is worth defending until eventually they will defend nothing in other words they would have said to Shama you're really going to make an issue out of a Pea Patch you mean you're gonna you're out of a Pea Patch everybody else is running and shama is standing and he said you know I I'm going to have
to fight him somewhere sometime I choose to not back up right here I choose to draw the line right here this seemingly insignificant field of peas shama said to himself must be worth more be more significant or of a greater value than a lot of folks perceive or the enemy would not want to take it from me why are the Philistines so interested in my pee patch there must be something here a lot of folks haven't understood I don't want to talk a lot about sports right now but let me tell you this if you're on a ball team and you want to know where your strength is study the position and strategy of Defense of your adversary and they'll tell you where you're strong they don't defend weakness they attack weakness but they defend against strength and if there's nothing so great about our standards our separation from the world our acts 238 message our revelation of the Mighty God in Christ and our Unity with the United Pentecostal Church why does the devil attack it somebody's got to take a stand you gotta take a stand somebody say you're not bad when you do that the Bible said he was a good man the good man said you ain't coming here and take this stuff no not in my house you ain't coming here hurting my wife and my children you ain't coming here taking what I've worked for all my life I'll deal with that more in just a moment Shaman's P patch perspective including this it may not seem like a whole lot to you but he said what you don't understand is it's my Harvest this little patch of peas is my Harvest I turned the corner just a minute and some of you get a breath of fresh air hear me when I tell you the apostolic church has entered into and is standing right in the middle of our end time Harvest right now long time and some even lifetime prayers are being answered right now can I get a witness can I get a witness dreams are becoming realities right now people are coming you thought never would come people are being baptized you thought never would be baptized you've got more people in church than you could ever imagine more people are receiving the Holy Ghost more people are being baptized we're seeing Miracles we're seeing dreams hear me after years of planning after years of watering after waiting it's now breaking out into an amazing Harvest and the devil must not be allowed to drive you out of your dream heart you got to take a stand and say this thing's about to break loose this thing is about to turn wide open we're just about to overflow this church I'm in my dream Harvest and you're not going to drive me out you gotta take a stand if you're thinking about quitting take a stand if you're thinking about throwing a towel in take a stand if you're thinking about compromising take a stand I'm going to ask for the Foster to
assist me here with a little point and I'll quickly move Jeremiah 36 23. and it came to pass that when Jacob and I had read three or four leaves he was reading the word of the Lord and when he read three or four leaves he referencing jehoicum the king cut it with a pen knife and cast it Into the Fire that was on the hearth and here's what you need to understand once you start cutting on it you never stop until it's all gone once you start cutting on it you can't put the brakes on it because one compromise leads to another and one piece negotiation leads to another and if one family threatens to leave over it if you don't stand for something 10 will eat so here's what happened the Bible said that Harley turned three or four leaves I mean they didn't go far in the word at all the majority of this religious world you get past John 3 16 John 14 the Lord is my shepherd they're done this is what they start doing they start cutting why do we cutting the divine inspiration of the scriptures that's not relevant cut some more the Virgin birth that's a myth the deity of Christ what about all these other denominations and religions the resurrection of Jesus that's a joke hell nobody wants to hear about that today the rapture those Christians are dreaming the gifts to the spirit to old-fashioned Acts 2 38 Acts 2 38 what's that Miracle signs and wonders that doesn't happen anymore exuberant worship that's going to run people off we don't want that the second coming of Christ nah no way why do you eventually end up with is a Bible that looks like this but the book says man shall not live I've read along but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God and all scripture is given by inspiration of God we've come to the cause of the times to take a stand and say it's still in there and if it's still there leave it and we'll preach it and we will defend it somewhere we're not just interested Bible story yes shama had this idea and so do I Shaman said you know what I think if I give them my peas they're going to be back for my corn and if I give them my corn they're going to be back for my okra and after they got my okra they gonna come back from my tomatoes and that's when we're really going to have a fight shama said there's no way you can set a
spy the hunger of a detestable devil that wants to diabolically destroy you you give him one he's coming back for another you give up one part he'll come back for another part you give him this he's coming back for something I wish somebody would believe what I'm telling you right now you might as well go ahead and draw a line and say this is where I'm going to stand in First Kings chapter 20. when Ben haydad's threats to Ahab came here's what he said to Ahab I'm going to take your silver I'm going to take your gold I'm going to take your wives I'm going to take your children I'm even going to take the goodliest I can't hardly believe it but been Ahab basically said to them hate him it's yours come get it and so when there was no resistance to the first threat then been hated sent another message and this one was I'm gonna do all the above but I want to add this I'm just going to take all that is Pleasant in your eyes and something happened at that point I'm fixing to quote a verse of scripture brother Woodward I've always wanted to preach I've I've known it was in there I've quoted it myself but I've never had a chance to preach it this is the first the Bible said in First Kings 20 11. let not him that girdeth on his harnessed boasts not himself as he that putteth it off I want to give you the original Hebrew interpretation of that this is what he said do it and then talk about it that's what he meant when he said hey you haven't put it on yet we ain't even got it on yet don't even act like you got victory because I got a new a word for you you're going to have to do it before you can talk about it because I'm going to stand here I'm going to stand the rest of Israel can run but this is my Harvest this is my Pea Patch and I'm going to defend it and when he stood to defend it God brought a great victory clap your hands and Shout yes The Protector is not in your hand it is advised the prayer that I've given you he calls to defend it by 80s hear my word Arkansas and who was hey I'll give you the fools all the evidence of my words others have done it yes sometimes all you gotta do to have victory is stand let's get ready let's get ready remain standing my nephew is a kind of big guy I was hoping I might could add this today it's a little humorous illustration we'll move to conclusion he's a big guy he hadn't been in Raleigh very long his name is Dwayne Dwayne pulled up to an intersection and
two guys in a truck for whatever reason blocked him where he couldn't get across the intersection come to find out one of the guys was extremely intoxicated so the little intoxicated guy gets out of his truck and he runs over to Dwayne's window and this is something our family has coined for years we've enjoyed it the little intoxicated guy not knowing what was in that Duane's vehicle said roll your window now he stepped up to his window and he said say something else to me I don't want to hear you say we have enjoyed that for years he said say something else to me I don't want to hear you say well when he did Dwayne opened his door and started coming out and when he started coming out he kept coming out and he kept coming out and that little guy hit him about his belt and the other guy in the truck startling there I get out here boy you're gonna get killed get over here you're gonna get killed the guy ran back to his truck and they tore out what I'm saying is sometimes all you do is stand you just got to stand he will remain standing he will come for your prayer life and then he'll come for your praise then he'll come for your worship then he'll come for your gifts and then he'll come for your faith and that he'll come for your trust then he'll come for your character then he'll come for your integrity then he'll come for your commitment then he'll come for your faithfulness then he will come for your covenants of identification and after a while that's what your Bible will look like and your God will look like this because my faith plus my commitment gives me the appraisal of the size of my God I felt the spirit speak to me so assuredly that there would be many here who have just been beaten battered and bruised lean in this way are you with me lean in this way just leaning right now they're just kind of listening something's got their ear that's bent them just a little bit but one reason is they've been slapped folks have walked out of their churches finances have dropped loyal leaders have turned against them and they walked through the doors cause of the times battered bruised and knees wobbling for the devil's worst nightmare is about to happen if the apostles prayed what they prayed and the answer is what they got then right now we can pray what they prayed and we can get what they got and when they had prayed let me read it all and now Lord behold their threatenings anybody feel threatened in this room threatened and granted to thy servants that with all boldness they may speak Thy Word by stretching forth thine hand to heal and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy Child Jesus and when they had prayed this is what happened the place was shaken where they were assembled together and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake the word of God with boldness we enjoyed brother gaddy's message it was marvelous it was inspiring it was exciting but if we don't get bold like him we won't do what he did we've got to have a baptism of boldness that will get us out from behind our pulpits too many of us are lions in church and mice on the street we're big bad behind a Pulpit loud and boisterous but quiet
as a Texas Oyster in the community we're getting ready to pray what they prayed and that God would give us boldness boldness is to step up in front of empty pews and say you're going to be full boldness to declare we're going to build a new church with no savings right yet but we're going to do it boldness is to say I'll never forget the first lady that I've actually laid my hands on to get the Holy Ghost I was young evanges and I was preaching a small Church in Texas and it was one of those times something I think brother Morgan alluded to it today why did I say that it was a little church and it was a lady back there of course back in that day we didn't have a one or two didn't have the Holy Ghost and I was burning with a Zeal to see somebody get the Holy Ghost I shouted lady come down here God's Gonna Fill you with the Holy Ghost when I lay my hand on your head and you know the church went crazy they love that and I did two for about five seconds and all of a sudden I thought well maybe she didn't hear me but she's pushing her way out she starts down the aisle and here she comes oh God Holy Ghost hit me now Jesus if I ever needed you I need you now I mean it was like where'd that come from and where did it go anybody recognize that foreign she stepped down there and I laid my hand on her head and when I touched her she began to speak in other tongues what I'm telling you is we need a Revival of boldness to speak what he says and to do what he says without qualifying it logically figuring it out or human reasoning with an equation that promises us success if he said it do it declare it I want us to pray right here in just a moment and I believe if we will pray like the apostles prayed what happened to the apostles will happen to us that God will shake this house he will fill us with the Holy Ghost and we will receive brand new boldness brand new conviction brand new courage that God is going to do what he said he would do if it's all you can do to limp push fight and all you can do is get one hand up step out in that aisle or move to the front right now the baptism of boldness to baptize everybody in this house foreign don't let the enemy drive you out of your Harvest don't let the enemy drive you out of your Harvest take a stand In The Name Of The Lord take a stand in the name of the Lord just one moment go and begin to prepare your hearts but we're going to throw our hands up together in a moment and pray unitedly and God is going to refill us with the Holy Ghost and he's going to baptize us with a brand new boldness and when that boldness comes miracles signs and wonders are going to begin to happen begin to prepare yourself right now begin to prepare yourself right now that's it prepare your heart
God's going to renew your courage God's going to renew your confidence God's Gonna renew your boldness enemies and I'm not going to be driven out I'm going to defend my heart baptism it's about here foreign when you ask me foreign I want you to lift your voice as loud as you can shout God baptize me with boldness one two three lift your voice and they were filled with the Holy Ghost and the house was shaken they were filled with the Holy Ghost like shaking take away our fear take away our loss of confidence renew us Rave into us give us boldness God is fighting for us
Scripture references as spoken: 2 Samuel 23:11-12; Acts 4:29-31; Ephesians 6:10; Ephesians 6:13; Luke 12:39; Hebrews 3:3; Acts 7:56; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Jeremiah 36:23; 1 Kings 20:11.