A Haunted House | Student Pastor Zach Hammond

stand to your feet. won't you shake somebody's hand next to you and tell them it's good to be in the house of the lord tonight. it's good to see my friend, brother holt, pastor holt from alabama. you and your family, we love you all and so many guests and friends that are here. i saw brother chase khan and his family. we love y'all and thankful to have so many. in fact, give all of our guests a big hand for being here with us today. so many guests throughout this morning and tonight. we honor you. thank you for being here with us and worshiping the lord. what a word we heard this morning from pastor sister carpenter. thank you for ministering to us this morning. and why don't we again i i think it's always honorable. he travels the world preaching the gospel. we're thankful for him around here. amen. give pastor a hand for preaching to us. today. i'm thankful for our leadership. i want to preach to you tonight. um i i really struggled, if i'm just being honest with you, on a topic tonight, and i kept coming back, kept coming back, kept coming back to this. and feel the lord wants me to preach to you. but i i do feel uh that i'm going to need your help tonight. is that all right? could you help me preach tonight? i know some of you are thinking, man, it's dreary outside. i barely got out of the bed with my sunday afternoon nap. the rain was just patterning on the roof and you're asking me to get up and help you preach. would you help me preach tonight? >> if if you'll help me preach for a few moments, i feel like the lord would reward you. i feel like he'd do something in your life. acts chapter 1, verse number eight. if you've been around the pentecostal church anytime, you ought to be able to quote it. but ye shall receive power. somebody shout power. >> power. >> come on, shout power. >> power. >> after that, the holy ghost has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me both in jerusalem and in all judea and in samaria and under the uttermost part of the earth. if you look at chapter 2 and verse one, and when the day of pentecost was fully come, they were all in one accord, in one place. we've gathered here tonight in one place. and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a russian mighty wind, and it filled all the house, all the house where they were sitting. and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. and they were all, everybody say all. >> all. all filled with the holy ghost. every person in the room received the holy ghost. >> they were in one accord in one place and they were all everybody, nobody excluded, were filled with the baptism of the holy ghost. say, how do they know? he says that they spoke in another tongue as the spirit gave them utterance. and i pray tonight and i believe tonight that it is the will of god that by the time we leave here in just a few short minutes, i'm i'm going to try my best not to be long so that you feel better about spending more time in the altar. that every person in this room speaks in another tongue as the spirit gives you utterance. you say, "i've never done that before." well, it's for you tonight. the bible says it's a gift and god wants to give it to you. you say, "well, i've had that for 50 years." well, he said to stir it up. and we're going to stir it up tonight. and when we stir it up, god's going to demonstrate himself in this place. and he might just need to need you as a vessel to overflow over to somebody else. and so, i believe that god's going to pour his spirit out in this place tonight. i want to preach to you for just a few moments in lie of the season. my title is a haunted house. a haunted house. nobody leave. nobody get offended. i've seen about 30,000 reels this week on should people celebrate halloween. we never have, never will. we got our own spirit that's been alive for a long time. but i want to preach to you tonight on just a haunted house. look at your neighbor and tell them say it's a haunted house. you can be seated. you can be seated. i was uh reading some interesting articles this week and um i came upon what is considered the worst the worst fivestar review anyone had ever received. you think, well, five stars, that's what everybody wants. it said the worst five-star review for an airbnb. and this is what it said. it said, great stay. spirits were very active. felt watched. kids loved the cold spots. appreciated all the visitors throughout the stay. fivestar review. all of a sudden, nobody's booking this airbnb anymore. and obviously, you can tell why. i thought this is very comical and and uh awful interesting. and man, i would be reaching out to whoever left that review to find out um if they could remove that due to it hopefully being a joke. amen. um i i i know there's a lot of things and and you you can't hardly scroll through anything or watch anything without uh you know, there's a commercial that pops up and there's something that happens. it's like there's got to be this thrill. there's got to be this mystery to everything. um there it the good old good old uh uh as as is all the good christian folks here all even the hall hallmark channel seems to feel like they got to start throwing some mystery and some thrill into things. everybody's got to have something that's a little spooky around this time of the year. and so i felt that that maybe we could we could look at a passage of scripture. i want to pull a little bit of a story uh before i bring to you a concept tonight. and again, i i'm i'm not bringing to you anything that you uh probably don't don't already know or haven't heard. i've not come to convince you of anything tonight. i've just come to remind you of something and try to stir up perhaps something within you. 1st samuel 28 and verse number three. i want to read a story and show you just a few things within the story. it says, "now samuel was dead and all israel had lamented him and buried him in rama and even in his own city. and saul had put away those that had familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land. and the philistines gathered themselves together and came and pitched in shunam. and saul gathered all israel together and they pitched in gilboa. so we already know samuel is dead. and and they they tell us again here for a reason. they said, "and when saul saw the host of the philistines in verse number five, he was afraid and his heart began to tremble. and when saul inquired of the lord, the lord answered him not, neither by dream or by urum nor by prophets. got an odd story here nestled in the old testament says you you look at the whole story. samuel had already told saul in chapter 7 without going into all the the details is chapter 7:3 if you're taking notes or you're making a study tonight when they they needed what they needed to do to defeat the enemy of the philistines. he had already given them instructions and already told them what they did. but samuel ha had had already told them what to do. and so 1st samuel 7:3 he says he spake unto all the house of israel saying if you do not return to the lord with all your hearts and put away the strange gods of asteroth from among you and prepare your hearts to the lord and serve him only then he will. only if you do these things will he deliver you out of the hand of the enemy. he told him what to do. he said you got to get rid of these things. you got to do some things to consecrate yourself, rid yourself of some of these things and and then then the lord will fight your battles for you. >> so, we see this and saul seeks the lord and has no connection, no favor, >> no response. >> let's be real with the character of saul. saul left god long before god left saul. he he he went on his own path. and you could say, "well, god god should have spoke to him. god, you know, we we could all saul had left god long before god left saul. the law of moses condem condemns these forms of spirits that saul had banned. so, uh so he he was he was right so far. but here the philistine army is about to destroy him and saul can't get a hold of god. his fear itself tells us that he has no spiritual condition. he sits here trembling with a army in front of him. and so verse 7 says, "then said saul unto his servants, seek me a woman that has a familiar spirit that i may go unto her that i may inquire of her." and his servant said to him, "behold, there is a woman who hath a familiar spirit at endor, a witch." and saul disguised himself, and put on another raignment, and went down two men with him. and they came unto a woman by night and said, i pray thee divine unto me by the familiar spirit. i think it's so interesting that's what they call it, a familiar spirit. i can't get a hold of god, but all of a sudden, this spirit is called familiar. and bring me him up whom i shall say name unto thee. saul travels, you can look at it geographically, about 10 miles through enemy territory. to get to this witch. he goes a long ways out of the way to call for the ghost of the man of god. saul goes by night, not only to conceal his movements, but that's a usual time for a seance to be performed. he takes off his kingly robe to go back to to get what he's going to get something that god had told him that there was laws and told him his word was to get rid of. and so verse number nine says, "the woman said unto him, behold, thou knowest that saul knowest what saul had done. how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits." and the wizard, she said, "you know, you've already got rid of us. c can you see this? he's gotten rid of them, but then he travels the distance between him and them. are you with me?" so he he puts a distance between them and then he he he decides at night to conceal himself to take off his kingly garment and to go and and so so she's reminding him the witch is reminding him, hey, you just cast us out and here you are showing up at my doorstep. you've cut us off. you cut off the familiar spirits, the wizards out of the land. wherefore then uh layst thou a snare from my life to cause me to die. sheep thought he was playing a trick. you cast me out, now you come to me, want me to cast a spell. you want me to do something now for you? or you just you playing a trick so that you can kill me? are you playing a trick so that you can say that i'm breaking the law? and she thought this was some kind of thing going on. and and saul swear to her by the lord. huh? as the lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. know again, there's so many things in here that i could preach, but the man's swearing by somebody that he can't even connect with. he's speaking for somebody that won't speak to him. he says, "i swear by god. nothing's going to happen to you." well, saul, you can't even get a hold of god. you're so scared. you're scared of your life that you've traveled through the night. then said the woman, "who shall i bring up unto thee?" and he said, "bring me up samuel." and when the woman saw samuel, she cried a loud voice. look at this. and the woman spake to saul, saying, why hast thou deceived me? for thou art saul. she was shocked. she didn't know what to do. god allowed saul to experience the ghost of the man of god. she didn't expect to see samuel. she's shocked as he is. she's shocked as anybody in the room. she didn't expect to see samuel. but samuel gives him a message. verse 13. and the king said unto her, "be not afraid. for what what saw is thou?" and the woman said unto saul, "i saw god's descending out of the earth." and he said unto her, "from, what form is he of?" and and and and she said, "an old man cometh up, and he is covered with a mantle." and saul perceived that it was samuel. and he stooped in his face to the ground and bowed himself. and samuel said to saul, "why hast thou disquited me to bring me up?" and saul answered, "i am sore distressed, for the philistines make war against me." and god departed from me, and answered me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams. i can't get a hold of god. therefore, i have called upon thee that thou mayest make known unto me, what should what in the world am i supposed to do? the ghost of the man of god. then said, samuel, wherefore then dust thou ask of me, seeing my the lord has departed from thee, and become thine enemy? question. and the lord had done he he he said, "and the lord had done to him." this is a this is a very interesting story. it's not usually a sunday school story, but this is an interesting story. and he spake by me of the lord. hath rent thy kingdom out of thine hand and given it to your neighbor even to david because thou o he he obeys because you you didn't obey the voice of the lord nor executed the fierce wrath upon amalecch. you couldn't do the first job that you were asked to do. you were supposed to destroy amalecch and utterly destroy him everything. but you saved the king and you saved the things. therefore, the lord has done this thing even unto this day. moreover, the lord will also deliver israel with thee under the hand of the philistines. and tomorrow shalt thy sons be with me, and the lord shall deliver thee, deliver the host of israel unto the land of the philistines. then saul fell straightway all along on the earth, for he was sore afraid, because the words of samuel, there was no strength in him, for he had not eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night. so let let's try to wrap our minds around this. kind of summarize it for a moment. he he goes to a witch. he calls he goes to call for a ghost of samuel. let's let's just go ahead and point something out. and and this is something that we have to be be aware of whether out in the world or inside the church. we don't ever want to be going to try to find life in something that is dead. >> pastor preached about it this morning. stop trying to go find things in the earth. in the earth. it's not going to please you. it's not the thing that's going to you you've got to find something that's got life that's going to produce life. too many people wanting life solutions from dead things. the bottom line of this story is that saul was unprepared to lead. he was unprepared to fight. and he was unprepared to die. all because he had no relationship with god. when we don't embrace our god connection, we look to connect oursel to something else to accomplish what we need. >> every single time if you don't have yourself full of the holy ghost, let me guarantee you one thing tonight. you're going to be full of something. you may be deceived into not even realizing it, but you've got something that's filling that temple. it's made to be filled. it's going to be filled. it's not empty. that's why repentance is so important because there's always going to be something in there. >> there's a spirit that's that's that's lurking, looking to fill. and and saul is not seeking his way back to god. he's seeking a way to win. let me let me let me just just plant another seed into your your mind tonight. god is not god god is is is more about your character >> than he is a goal. >> he's more about developing who you are because who you are will put you where you need to be. >> are you with me tonight? he's more about your character. saul's just all worried about the end result. god says, "i i need to to to get you back in the right standing." he says in lev, leviticus 19:31, "regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards to be defiled by them. i am the lord your god." this was a part of the law because we know we need the spirit, but often times we result to other spirits for our solution. how do people get all messed up? how do their minds how how do you look at the things that happen in our world around this time of the year and think how could they be so deceived? how could they enjoy that? how could they find pleasure in that? because your souls, your house >> is looking for a spirit. >> something's going to dwell in it. it's never empty. it's never vacant. it's never a house. this heart is never a place that's just going to be empty of anything. something's going to inhabit it. and it needs to be the holy ghost >> ghost. amen. >> this is a part of the law. this is a part of of of very early pages of scripture. that's why the scripture makes way too much sense to us in our world right now in current events. ephesians 6, paul writes, "finally, my brethren, be strong with the lord and the power of his might. put on the whole armor of god that you may be able to stand against the ws of the devil. for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, >> but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness in this of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. there is a spiritual battle that we cannot be ignorant of. there's a spiritual battle going on in this room right now. >> there's a ghost looking to haunt your heart. now, here's the thing. the word haunted means frequently visited by a spirit. frequented by a spirit. so, so i i i want to to really make emphasis, and this will be what i'll try to drive home tonight, that let not our heart be haunted >> with a spirit, >> but let it be home. to a spirit. i i i fear so strongly as i watch people try to navigate life that they're living a life that's just haunted. even it's by the holy ghost. >> it just comes and goes on sundays, >> but it never takes up habitation. >> it's a haunted place. it has a spiritual dwelling, but the spirit tries to get in after a repented heart on sunday morning. but come monday night, >> come tuesday afternoon, >> all of a sudden we've watched something. >> we've scrolled through something. we've exposed oursel more to the spirits and the principalities that are at war against us than the actual holy ghost. >> so i ask you this question tonight. is your heart a haunted place or a holy place? god writes in his word this perfect will for us that that we we we must choose it to do it to do it by his will. and so why is it that it seems so weird as christians that that that we are viewed by the world as being odd because we have this spirit that dwells within us. uh, too many times i know that as the pentecostal church, as the the the apostolic, the church that's known by its demonstration and its power, and we want to see god move, that we're considered a little bit too spiritual, >> little too demonstrative, >> a little bit. it's too much. it's and so i get so confused. and people ask me like, "are you do you really speak in tongues? >> do y'all really shout? y'all really worship? y'all really see it's really that explosive in there. i said, "yeah, it it is. i'm confused that you're confused. >> i'm confused that you can look at where you're at and think that we are extreme." >> that's right. >> that's right. i'm confused that you don't realize that you're living in a much more haunted house >> than the holy one that i've got inside of me. >> i'm confused that you think that there there there's an enemy that has lined up on the mountain that wants to take our families. there's a spirit that has lined up like the philistines that are staring at saul. and so i ask you tonight as a church of the living god, protecting the next generation, protecting our families that we preached about this morning, what's your house look like? what's your heart look like? there's an enemy that's lined up. the spirit of perversion is here to attack our families. it's a spirit of the aes that's wanting to continue to to have you turn that show on show on in your home. >> all right. huh? >> could i just be real with you for a moment? >> preacher, >> the stuff that you're flipping through, >> there's a spirit coming out of those speakers. >> there's a spirit entering in their eyes. >> there's a spirit ending in entering into your eyes. oh, i've i've seen enough. i'm i'm i can handle it. can you >> can you see what's going on in the spirit world >> while you're visually scrolling through some of the things you're scrolling through? >> while you're listening to the music that you're not just bumping to, you're bowing to. >> there's a spiritual struggle going on in your house when you're not careful of what's being on display, what's being what's being clicked through, what's being i understand it's a struggle. i got two little boys that just want to turn that thing on and all of a sudden something's playing and you got to get in there and you got a parental monitor and all these things, god forbid, so social media and cell phones and parents trying to monitor this and parents be careful. be aware. i'm i'm telling you right now, it's worth you fighting because there is a spiritual battle going on. why do they feel the way? look at what they're feeding on. look at what's coming in their mind. look at what's coming in their heart. look at what they're watching. look at what they're listening to. why? because i can guarantee you one thing. the issues within our world today, you can find them in the lyrics of an itunes top 10 charts. you can find them in the most watched things on netflix. you can find them. why? because there's a spiritual battle that's going on. and god forbid the church. be ignorant. there's an enemy that's lined up on the mountain. promotes rebellion, perversion, adultery, fornication. don't go to the witch's world. the spirit of fear and anxiety, it strikes hearts all over the world. the last place they ever will look is god. seems too extreme, seems too spiritual. you're already dealing with spirits. read an article this week, brother jacob showing me nike has changed its main logo from just do it to why do it? because it appeals to a more gen z anxious america. it promotes hesitation. it promotes think through the why before you start. you're telling me that we're we're just going to coddle to and cater to the mind that is anxious and just say, "hey, we're just going to have to learn how to live like this." absolutely not. church, please, please, please hear me tonight. it is not the will of god for you to deal with anxiety and depression and the things that our world is dealing with. we have the holy ghost inside of us. we have the holy ghost inside of us. i claim to be a crit. what? that means you got the holy ghost inside of you. this is not a haunted. this is a you say, "well, i'm fighting that." i understand if you're fighting that. i understand we all have struggles, but it is god's will that you are a overcomer by the blood of the lamb. and i just i just get so confused. this is not haunted. this is holy. you know, it's it's it's such a comparison. it's a weird world. you know, dancing for god is weird, but we got all these tick tock dances that seem normal for some reason. don't make no sense. you know, you know, it's just like you you got you mean you got like a prayer closet. yeah. i mean, you got a suicidal hotline. we got a prayer closet. you >> which spirit is it? how you want to handle it? you want to go and travel across and have you a little you go have you a seance or you going to have you a prayer meeting? going to have you a moment where you try to figure it out with a facebook group >> or you go >> you going to turn to the comment section and find you a a real to watch and let that be your spiritual guidance or you going to go find you somebody that can connect you with god. huh? you're going to find yourself in a place where you got to be aware tonight that there is a spiritual battle going on. i'm here to sound the alarm. i'm here to sound the alarm. parents, please hear me tonight. you people of god, saints of the most high god, there is a spiritual struggle. it's happening. >> don't dabble in it. >> don't play with it. >> we're ared for dressing a certain way and having a holiness lifestyle, but the world can't seem to figure out and determine which one is which. >> and we're the ones that's confused. i mean, saul of all people, again, i can't preach everything in that story because there's so much in there, but you know, saul, he had to take off his kingly robe to go, >> there's a cost. they they've got a dress code, too. >> that's a dress code you don't want no part of. >> i'd much rather have a standard of holiness that i know is going to give me peace and joy and a sound mind than to feel like i've got to do this and line up to that and cut this and spray that and let's just be honest. >> that's right. >> you are fooling yourself. if you look at the world and think they don't have a dress code, >> so you going to have to take you better you better take your kingly garment off. you better be ready to sneak in at night. >> they're not going to do nothing in the light because they don't want you to see everything that's going on. >> huh? you have to work and you have to go through. you're going to have to work and get it go out of your way. >> there's a cost to that crowd as well. that's right. that's right. >> that crowd's going to have you. you're going to compromise something to be a part of any crowd. >> don't let the devil deceive you that there's a spirit on both sides and you just got to decide which spirit you're going to serve, >> which is going to inhabit your heart. in fact, let's just talk about it. we we see that saul, he he hadn't ate. says he hasn't ate for a few days. he'd been trying to pray. i know for a fact that witch that was doing that seance, if she's doing it the way they've done it, she was using her uncut hair. >> they've got a form, but they don't have the fullness. >> they want to use the concepts. they want to use the ways to be able to try to summon a spirit which can get something stirring, get something moving, get something happening. but i'm telling you, there's only one true spirit. >> and you can't just have part of it. >> you can't just have a portion of it. you can't just take a few things in the bible and leave the rest. you can't just take this and make it work and try to have you a spiritual seance >> to achieve what you needed to achieve. >> and it says, in fact, it says saul took a couple people with him. be be careful who you're following. >> know what their agenda is. know what they're trying to accomplish. that goes for in in in in the real world and on social media. be careful who you're following. >> be careful who you're following. >> there's people being led astray by people they're following on social media. i just don't get it. lord, help me to transition tonight. i'm trying to move on, but our world. you know, it's it's it's crazy to see how we we seem to be allergic to authority. >> we seem to just be it it's like it it sends hives over us when somebody says the word submit. >> that's right. >> it don't really have anything to do with the truth that's being said half the time. it has to do with the fact they have to submit to something. >> right. that's right. >> i heard i heard a statistic the other day that the re the reason entrepreneurship is on so high is because nobody wants to submit to a boss. >> yes. >> it's it's the it's the it's the biggest move right now. and that's not against anybody that owns their business. god forbid. own your business. do your thing. but you better be careful that there's there's this lurking there's this line that's just that that you can follow through the pages of scripture that is working against us spiritually today that god help us. >> we don't submit to the word of god. we still need to submit to the man of god. i don't know where i'd be without a pastor. i don't know where i'd be without the man of god in my life. i don't want to think about where i'd be without the man of god in my life. look, we'll line up to the world standards to get a promotion. you'll do anything to try to date that person. you'll say anything to try to get their attention. you'll do this to get a follower. you'll do this. but no, it's too extreme to si to live holy. i don't think so. you got to decide which spirit is going to live and dwell within you. he's not just haunting this place. he's not just a come by and stay. it's not some airbnb in my heart. i want him to live here. i want him to live here. >> i want him to dwell here. this is a holy place. >> i don't want there to be anything. i don't want there to be anything. >> reminded of king manasseh. caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of hemon. and he observed times and used enchantments and used witchcraft and dealt with a familiar spirit. and the wizards brought much evil in the sight of the lord and provoked him to anger. manasseh turned the palace into a haunted house. parents, our kids have got enough excuses without us being one of them. our kids have got enough issues without us just cultivating and allowing things to go on. put away the enchantments. put away the spirits. put away the things that are going to cause them to fail. i want my kids to be around an altar to hear prayer, >> to hear godly things. >> we have to recognize tonight we're in a spiritual battle. stop letting a a spiritual world tell us how we need to act spiritually. again, i i know i know it's it's being challenged even in the in the in the church. you're telling me you worship that much. you're telling me you go to church that many times a week. but we religiously do other things every day of the week. >> you just got to decide which spirit yes. >> which spirit are we serving? >> we wouldn't dare miss we wouldn't dare miss certain things, but then spiritual things that have to do with god are optional. >> i'm here to warn you, there's a battle going on. >> and you could be claiming to have the holy ghost inside of you, but how long's it been? how long's it been since you've been able to connect with him? saw. if all hell broke loose, if there all of a sudden was an army lined up on the heel, could you get a hold of god? paul says it to church of galatia. oh, foolish galatians, who hath bewitched you? what spirit has fooled you that you should obey the truth? >> yes. >> he he says, "no, no, no." says, "who who's bewitch you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes jesus christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among you? this only would i learn of you, received ye the spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? are ye so foolish, having begun in the spirit, that you are now made perfect in the flesh?" i i i i just want to shoot straight with you tonight. that's my fear for the american church. >> we may have began in the spirit. you had an initial evidence. you had a moment with god. you had a stirring with god. something happened in your life and all of a sudden you found yourself at an altar and you found yourself in the waters of baptism and you did all that to prepare yourself for the promise of the holy ghost. >> and i'm thankful for it. but have we been so foolish that we began something one way and now we find ourselves that we are made perfect in the flesh? there's something else inhabiting your heart, but you claim to be following god. many people have been fooled back to the flesh. haven't felt it in a while. haven't seen it in a while. i'm i'm i'm not sure if i ever really got the holy ghost. the holy ghost is too spooky for me. i'm just uncomfortable allowing myself. i'll just tell you this. if the holy ghost is too spooky for you, the rapture is going to get you in more than one way. all the stuff we read in our bible, this is not haunting. this is holy. i'm supposed to be this house for the spirit. it's supposed to be here. he says, "are you bewitched by the world? have you been bewitched or deceived by your flesh?" saul, are you looking for something dead that you once put away? are you looking for something as a solution that you know god has gotten rid of? have you lost your connection to god? paul says, "are you so foolish? you lost your faith. you've now been made perfect in your flesh. i i i i just i feel so strong tonight in the holy ghost. >> i i get it. i i know that this is hard to believe. many, in fact, many ghost stories, if you go to the library, and i know that's that's kind of a foreign thing. and some of you might still go to the library, but many people, you know, they buy their books off amazon or you read them on your your kindle or whatever you read them on. but if you you go and you start searching um anything about ghost stories, most of the time, no matter how convincing or how many people put their name to it or how many reviews they've gotten, eyewitnesses, they still put them in the fiction because people don't believe them. i i don't know. i don't know the trendsetters have been on the trip to charleston for some reason. for some reason, we we go on those ghost tours, you know, on the little carriage thing at night, and there's always that guy, you know, that's given the tour that's got the pictures on his phone. probably ai made them, you know, it's like stuff in the trees. well, when i tell you they are so convinced, all the conspiracy theorists in the house were like, "hey, it's real, man. i've seen it. they showed me the pictures. they text me the pictures. that's just so they can text you to like try to get you to come back again. they got your number and they put it in the system. that's the only reason. but it's it's a thing where you you you you go and you you hear these stories and and and again, they they won't even it doesn't matter how real this is. you know, this this guy's got pictures, he's got evidence, he's got stories, he's got witnesses. they still put him in the fiction category because it's about a ghost. only those who experience believe it. i saw it. i felt it. i heard it. here to ask you tonight, have you really had an experience with the holy ghost? when somebody begins to talk to you about god, do you just overwhelmingly overflow with, "oh, it's real. it's real. i know it's real. >> i've felt it. i've seen him move. i've seen him touch my life. i've seen him do things in my life. i know there's been times where i wanted to to to really react a certain way, but the holy ghost. i wanted to say something, but the holy ghost. i wanted to do something, but the holy ghost, an experience with the holy ghost will change you. he said, "you shall receive power after that the holy ghost has come upon you. you shall receive power. you'll also receive revelation. if the pillar of of cloud and fire was good enough, he wouldn't have came. if the tabernacle was good enough in the holy of holies in the box in the tent, he wouldn't have came. if walking with the disciples would have worked, maybe he didn't have to die and rise again. he just would have walked with them. but it didn't matter if he was a pillar of fire or he was sitting upon the mercy seat between the two cherubams or he was walking right beside judas. it seems like each and every time they would betray him. they would go into 300 years of there there was no king in israel. so everybody did what was right in their own eyes and judas would still betray him and peter would still curse him and didn't matter if they had him by a pillar of fire or they had him walking right next to him. it didn't seem to work. >> so he said, "i've got to get inside of them. i've got to get inside their heart. i've got to get inside this earth and vessel that i created with a space to feel. and we can't do it without him. i just want to stress to you again tonight, i know again i i'm not bringing to you anything of revelation tonight. we can't do anything without the holy ghost if you call yourself a christian. >> that's right. >> biblically, we're not here and i'm i'm all about the doctrine. i'm all about the bible. but we can't do anything merely as christians without the holy ghost. without the holy ghost, you'll keep denying him. without the holy ghost, you'll keep trading him. without the holy ghost, you'll go back to egypt. without the holy ghost, you'll never make it through a day. please be reminded tonight, you've got to have the spirit of god alive in your life. you got to have the holy ghost. you need the holy ghost. we need the holy ghost, church. we got to have the not just the one time experience, not just the haunted sunday night, not just the haunted prayer. i got to have him inhabit this house of my heart. >> can't do it without him. >> so my repentance at my altar, my experience in a watery grave was all just a setup. it was a cleaning of the house that i would make this a holy place that the holy ghost could now not just frequent here but could live here. it's essential. i can't live without him. i can't walk without him. i can't do anything without him. i asked god before i walked up to here tonight. i said, "god, i'm nothing without you. i can't make it without you. i can't be a dad without you. i can't be a husband without you. i can't be a son without you. i can't forgive without you. i can't love without you. i don't have any hope without you. i don't have any future without you. you got to understand the holy ghost. it's everything we need. it's just like it's like trying to play play the game of football without the football. you you you got to have the holy ghost. you can't do anything >> without him. >> i can't stress to you enough tonight. i know it's simple. i i understand it's simple. you're like, you got to you got to bring me something that that gets me excited. i've never heard about tonight. and i'm here to remind you that you better not be living a life without the holy ghost. >> everything we do is to be filled with the gift of the holy ghost. it's real. it's real. i hope you know that it's real. as the song says, it's a pentecostal blessing. and i know i know it's real. i know there's always going to be doubters. >> i know there's always going to be doubters. in fact, many don't believe in the holy ghost by the evidence of speaking in other tongues, but this is a holy house. and they were all amazed and were in doubt, saying one to another, "what meanth this?" others mocking said, "these are full of new wine." but peter standing up with the 11 lifted up his voice and said unto them, "ye men of judea, and all ye that dwell in jerusalem, be this known, and hearken unto my words, for these are not drunken as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. but this is that this is that that was spoken by the prophet joel. and it will come to pass in the last days, sayaeth god, i'll pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dream. i'm here to preach to the apostolic church, to the pentecostal church tonight. this is that. this how long's it been since you be able to look at your experience on a sunday night and said, "this is that this is what we were birthed on. this is what i was." come on. would you throw your hands up in the air right now? and would you just ask god, "lord, stir me up tonight. stir me up tonight." >> come on. don't be a doubter. don't be a doubter. >> don't be a doubter. come on. the holy ghost is here for you. we need more of that. that pro was prophesied by joel. this is that. >> oh, hallelujah. >> hallelujah. >> hallelujah. you can be seated. i'm almost done. >> this this well, what is this? speaking in tongues as the spirit gives utterance is that it's the pouring out of god's spirit. every time someone received the holy ghost, they spoke with another tongue. >> no one received the gift of the holy ghost in the bible without speaking in tongues. all throughout the book of acts with the church's birth, the the bible hinges at the book of acts. the bible does not hinge from malachi to matthew. it hinges at the book of acts. it is the birth of the church. everyone up into that dispensation is dealing with a a whole different gospel than the grace the church dispensation. but everybody beginning in the book of acts, all of a sudden acts 8, acts 10, acts 19, on and on. then paul writes to all the church and and he he deals with their self-righteousness, their unrighteousness. he keeps going back to one thing. you got to have the holy ghost, the spirit of god is what you're going to have to have. i know there's people that's going to bewitch you. i know there's things you're going to be fighting. i know there's things that's going to be deal you're going to be dealing with. but you got to have the holy ghost. that's right. >> you need the holy ghost. >> can't do it without it. wherefore i give you i give you to understanding that no man speaketh by the spirit of god called jesus the cursed and that no man can say that jesus is lord but by the holy ghost. you can't call him lord of your life but by the holy ghost. i'm just just can i just be honest with you? what does that say? he says you you got to know what's inhabiting you. romans paul says again, "now the the god of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the holy ghost." where you going to get hope? through the power of the holy ghost. i need a comforter. you pray and pray in the holy ghost. first thessalonians, for our gospel came un not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the holy ghost. and in much assurance as you know what manner of men we were among what that were among you for your sake. what's that mean? you need to pray >> in the holy ghost before you read your bible. >> how do you how in the world do you think that people have taken this same bible and they've gotten so off track? >> how in the world? you want you know the quickest explanation for somebody who thinks that there's three gods in this book. >> they don't have the holy ghost. >> the holy ghost empowers you to see this. i'm all about teaching a bible study, but my goal in a bible study is to try to get you to repentance and to try to get you in that water and try to get your tongue speaking in a language that it knows not of. why? because once you have the holy ghost, then the gospel can begin to shed light and all of a sudden you start seeing things you've never seen. why? i can't see the word right until i've got the holy ghost. i can't do anything until i've got the holy ghost. he said, i'll tell you what manner of people are around you. you got the holy ghost. the holy ghost. you're not in the flesh, he says, but in the spirit. if so be that the spirit of god dwell in you. now if any man have not the spirit of christ, he's none of his. and if christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. but if the spirit of him that raised up jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by the spirit that dwelleth in you. now, if there's if nothing else, if you don't need hope, if you don't need uh uh you know, you don't need to read the word with the right, what whatever i've read that maybe doesn't uh doesn't really intrigue you, you got to have the have the holy ghost >> to be raptured. >> that's right. that's right. >> you got to have the holy ghost >> to be caught up. in other words, you can be a part of the b body of christ. you can be in in in the boat, so to say. let's as it was in the days of noah. you could be in the boat. but see, in our dispensation, it's not just the boat. the boat's got an engine. the boat's got something that's going to start up and carry you out. it's going to quicken you. it's going to carry you. it's going to move you. it's going to it's going to cause you to be uh uh to to be quickened from this mortal body. and so i i challenge you tonight that you you do yourself a favor to stir up the gift of the holy ghost. i don't know about you, but i i i i pray that i don't let a day, but surely not a week go by that i don't pray until i pray in the holy ghost. well, you're extreme. boy, when i start reading everything, i can't even get through all of it tonight. when i start reading everything that tells me what i have when i have the holy ghost, i need some evidence and i need some reassurance in my mind to know that i've got the holy ghost inside of me. >> likewise, the spirit also helpeth our infirmities. are you sick? you got things going on in your life. for we know not what we should pray. for as we ought, but the spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. and he that searchth the heart knoweth what is in the mind of the spirit because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of god. you want to know the will of god. you don't know what to pray. i struggle understanding this season of life i'm in. i don't know. and we know that all things work together for the good of them that love god and to them who are called according to his purpose. what precedes that much quoted scripture is that you need to pray until you prayed in the holy ghost. i don't know what else to preach to get you a little bit stirred up tonight. but those of you that are dealing with some things, the best thing i don't know the answer. i don't know what to say. i don't even know how to approach god. it doesn't make sense to me in my life. my s my son's sick. my daughter's sick. my wife. pray till you pray in the holy ghost. why? because all of a sudden, you don't even know what you need, but god does. and when i start praying in the holy ghost, he'll start doing things perhaps you didn't even know you needed. stand to your feet. stand to your feet. all of a sudden, i start praying the holy ghost. he says, "all of a sudden, i start interceding." and and i i i'm thankful. i'm thankful. i've heard it preached. i've heard it preached so many times. you start praying in another language and they they they you know you know the the the the real spiritual people they said even the devil can't understand it. >> all right. >> i'll be honest with you. i got enough scripture that puts that devil where he's supposed to be. >> i just need to pray in the holy ghost sometimes to deal with what i don't understand. >> i need to pray in the holy ghost sometimes to shut up this old flesh. >> i need to pray in the holy ghost sometimes to get me out of my stinking thinking. i need to pray in the holy ghost sometimes to give me a little confidence to know that i'm not headed to a devil's hell. that i need to stop responding that way. i need to act a certain way. i need to talk a certain way. i need to walk a certain way because we sing about that it'll make you walk right. it'll make you talk right. it'll do something to you. but how long's it been since you let the holy ghost move on you in a way like it did the first time? how foolish are we? hear me. pentecostals tonight. we are foolish young people. we are foolish trends setters. we are foolish parents to think that we have began in the spirit. >> well, we just got this thing figured out in the flesh. i've heard all the scriptures. i can manage this. i can filter my heart. i can filter what i say. i know when to do certain things and when not to do them. you better be careful. you can't do it without the holy ghost. you can't do it without the holy ghost. you can't do it without the you can't do it without the holy ghost. lift your hands in this place. >> come on, lift your hands for just a moment. lift your i just believe i just believe god is going to renew somebody in the holy ghost tonight. i just come believing god's going to fill somebody for the first time with the holy ghost tonight. come on. you say, "i believe in god." well, have you received since you believed? paul said, "i i believe is good, but i'm asking you to receive and turn this heart into a holy place." come on. i'm asking you from the front of this altar, from this stage all the way to the production room tonight, god wants to feel. and all of a sudden, there came a sound from heaven. whatever posture you need to get in here in the next few moments, it's going. if you got to get in repentance mode for a few minutes, that's perfectly fine. but god wants you to stir up that gift tonight. god wants to give it to you like he did the first time. come on. i know you can dance. i know we can shout. but can we get in the presence of god? come on. can you get in the presence of god right now just by repentance? oh god, god clean me out. god forgive me. god wash me. come on. he wants to fill you right now. there ought to be a move. there ought to be a move because we're just so hungry for a demonstration. god, i want to see you move. god, i want to see. come on, daddy. pour your heart out. connect with god right now. come on. i know it may be been a while, but could you seek him right now? could you seek him right now? could you seek him right now? that's it, sir. that's it, sir. let that spirit give utterance right now. let the spirit give utterance right now. oh yes, god. come on. and i feel like i got about 50% of you, but it's his will that we experience the book of acts in this room tonight. i wish that every young person, to every old person, to every exper i don't care how long you've been in it right now, would you pray? would you pray? would you pray right now? we're in a spiritual battle. we're in a spiritual battle. glory. hallelujah. glory ghost. worship. jesus. jesus. jesus. oh jesus. jesus. >> jesus. we need you. >> jesus. we need you. >> jesus. we need you. >> oh, hallelujah. hallelujah. hallelujah. >> church. church, if i could have your attention for just a moment. we're going to go we're going to go right back into prayer. >> please hear me tonight. and i hope this doesn't come across the wrong way. i know i know how it is. you get so entangled and so caught up with whatever it is you're trying to communicate. we try to make such an emphasis upon it. and it's not because i'm preaching it tonight. it's not because it's the topic for tonight. but there's not anything more important that i could bring you than the importance of the holy ghost and it being demonstrated in your life. i i i don't mean that to again this is not i i hope it don't sound like i'm trying to make this push because i'm the one up here and i'm trying to to to toward you toward it. no, no, no. we can't do anything without the holy ghost. if i could just prove it to you through this one statement. the church and its doctrine did not produce pentecost. pentecost produced the church and its doctrine. we don't have the doctrine without the experience. paul says, "i know you believed, but have you received >> the pentecostal experience will completely transform somebody?" >> all of a sudden, the holy ghost will make you want to do things that you never ever ever ever wanted to do. i could read it to you. i could read it to you. i could put it in your airpod. i could read it to you all day long. but here, hear me tonight. you'll never do it without the holy ghost. you will simply frustrate the grace of god. i'll never live up to it. i'll never be enough. no, you won't. you won't be able to do it without the holy ghost. it's a doctrine you won't keep. it's a law you won't live up to. but when you get the holy ghost inside of you, it changes everything. i'm begging you tonight. and i don't know who i'm speaking to, but you feel like you've prayed and you prayed and you prayed and you prayed, but god sent me tonight to simply tell you, you're in the right place. you're all in one accord, in one place. even from the youngest kid here, in a moment, we're going to lift our hands. and i don't care how long it's been since you've experienced a move like he used to move, god's about to rest in this place. he's about to move in this place like he did in the book of acts where he sat upon each of them. i'm asking you right now to lift your hands. would you lift your eye and lift your your head back and close your eyes that you wouldn't be distracted? and would you lift your voice like a trumpet to heaven? and would you ask god, "oh god, i need the holy ghost." oh, that's it, church. >> >> come on, young man. get it again. come on, young lady. get it again. come on, mom. experience it again. >> >> receive it. receive it. >> come on. that's it. that's it. that's it. that's it. it's not by my might. it's not by my power, but it's by his spirit. it's by his spirit. come on. father, mother, family, would you gather together? find you somebody. come on. let's pray together as a church before they sing. come on. before they sing, can we pray together? >> >> lord, let us be a church that's led by the spirit. lord, let us be a church that is without doubt. those are the pentecostals. those are the people that can get a hold of god. those are the people that don't have if you want to move with god, you go to that church. if you want to be healed, you go to that church. if you want to see god work, you go to that church. >> >> yes. yes. yes. yes. yes. god's answering prayers as you pray in the holy ghost. god's answering prayers as you pray in another tongue. the intercession, the spirit. hallelujah. >> >> come on. come on. come on. come on. i'm ask you just to push just a little bit more. i know we all gathered around that young person. we all gathered around that saint of god the first time they spoke in tongues. but how desperate would it? oh, how how foolish would it be for us not to be that desperate each and every time to make sure. oh, i want to make sure my kids are prepared. i want to make sure my family's prepared. i want to make sure that we don't go too long without experience to the evidence. god forgive us if we lose the urgency. god forgive us if we become calloused. oh god, tonight >> >> hallelujah. hallelujah. hallelujah. oh my god. holy ghost. we can't thank god. >> >> come on. that's all right. it's just a good oldfashioned prayer meeting. if you feel led to pray with somebody, pray with somebody. come on. if you love to feel feel led to lay hands on somebody, would you pray with them? there's nothing wrong with that. come on. we need each other. oh, we need each other in one accord with our minds set on one thing. lord, we're no church at all without the holy ghost. we're no family at all without the holy ghost. oh, we need the holy ghost. oh, god. oh, we need the holy ghost. i don't know. >> >> hallelujah. >> >> usa. >> >> come on, church. come on, church. there's people seeking the holy ghost. there's people seeking the holy ghost. there's people seeking it for the first time. there's see there's people seeking it. oh, to be renewed in this place. come on. come on. don't take this moment for granted. be a part of the church right now. find somebody. oh, begin to pray. pray. pray. pray. this promise is unto you. this promise is yours. he wants to give it to you tonight. he wants to give it to you tonight. he wants to give you the promise of the holy ghost. it's a gift. yes, god. yes, god. yes, god. yes, god. oh, yes, god. god, renew. god, renew. god, renew, lord, let a fresh fire burn. let a fresh fire, lord, let revival >> >> oh jesus. oh jesus. oh yes. yes god. yes god. hallelujah. hallelujah. hallelujah. holy ghost. >> >> oh hallelujah. hallelujah. hallelujah. hallelujah. hallelujah. hallelujah. hallelujah. hallelujah. jesus we love you. jesus we love you. jesus we love you. jesus we love you. oh god we praise you. oh god, we need you. demonstrate your power, lord. demonstrate your power. so good to us. lord, you're so good to us. oh, we bless you, jesus. we bless you, jesus. we bless you, jesus. oh, god, you're so good. god, you're so good. jesus, we bless you. jesus, we bless you. jesus, we bless you. oh mighty god, mighty god, mighty god. jesus, we love you. god, help us. god, we need you tonight. jesus, we love you. i know there's some that are still praying. cody, are you being deployed? you are. why don't you come and i want to i want to anoint you and pray over you. he got news wednesday. i believe he's being deployed. we want to pray over him tonight. if we get the oil church, in closing tonight, as we pray over him, going to pray one more time together and whatever pastor wants to do. but paul also writes that the fruit of the spirit, it's love, joy, peace, patience, good. it just it's it's all the things we want to be identified as, right? that's the fruit. it it begins to grow. it begins to so again, there's that initial evidence of the holy ghost that we want to pray in, but that's not where it stops, right? we want to be a church that's known for the fruit. the evidence is beyond just speaking in tongues. i want to walk in the spirit. so, as we we get that holy ghost, it's going to do a whole lot more in our life than just have that experience where we talk in another language. and that's what we need. amen. that's that everything we just read. but i believe that as we go from here tonight, that all those things that he lists, all of a sudden, you'll start seeing those things as you renew those the holy ghost in your life. you'll start seeing, hey, i i i'm a little bit more patient. i'm a little bit more kind, a little bit more loving. all those things begin to grow fruit in our lives. that's the will of the lord. amen. amen. let's lift our hands one more time. i'm thankful for the lord. i'm thankful for his spirit. and if you are, i wish you'd lift your hands and just thank god for the holy ghost. come on. thank you for the holy ghost. says, "i can't do it without you. i couldn't do it without you, lord. i pray you would touch cody, lord. lord, i pray that you would keep your hand upon him, oh god. lord, i pray that you would be with him, that your spirit, oh god, the holy ghost would go with him, oh god. lord, keep your hand upon him, protect him, oh god. lord, order his steps, oh god. lord, put a hedge of protection upon him, oh god. let your angels go with him, oh god. send your angels with him, oh god. lord, we thank you, lord. we thank you, lord, for your presence, oh god. oh, we thank you, jesus. oh god. oh, we thank you, jesus. we thank you, jesus. >> lord, you're so good to us. lord, you're so good to us. lord, you're so good to us.