Atrophied Faith | Bishop C.M. Wright

[Music] thank you praise God you can be seated I have been informed there was some kind of power outage had happened in Arnold today wonder if wonders that almost never happens daily it happens less than daily but there is a problem with the streaming they are streaming audio but they are not streaming video they are recording this service and it will be archived tomorrow if you're interested if anybody checks wants to know what happened you can tell them they can watch it tomorrow it's you know the motive behind this message tonight is 100% positive the motive the motive behind this message is 100% positive praise God so when you hear the title remember the motive is positive I'm reading a little bit Romans chapter 10 beginning with verse 1 Romans 10 beginning with verse 1 and you I know you're seated I want you seated because I don't want you to get tired because I'm reading several verses here about 15 20 or so somewhere there brother and my heart's desire prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved but I bear them record that they have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge for they bear for they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth for moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law that the man which doeth those things shall live by them but the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise say not in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead but what saith it the word the word is nigh thee the word this is the Greek word Rhema not logos the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the Word of Faith which we preach that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved that is the plan of salvation right there oh no no brother hates acts 2:38 no that's how you get born again this is how you stay saved this one written to unsay people this was written to save people telling them how to stay sane hello I know Xtreme it's not working but as a PA system working okay that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in that heart that God has raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved for with a heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation for the scripture saith who shall believe on him whosoever shall believe on him shall not be ashamed for there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek for the same lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved that's in the Word of God it's true it's not the plan to get born again it's the plan how to live victorious every day the name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous run ahthe into it nor safe that's not talking about physically running into some tower it's talking about how to exercise faith how then verse 14 how then shall they call on him him in whom they have not believed and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard how shall they hear without a preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent as it is written how beautiful of the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things but they have not all obeyed the gospel for easiest Isaiah saith Lord who hath believed our report so then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Rhema of God not the logos but by the Raima of God and so I am I am teaching on this subject tonight or treating that's teaching with volume I am this is the subject atrophied faith Sunday night I experienced something I never thought I would experience of Antioch before I experienced atrophied faith the definition of the word atrophy is gradual decline in effectiveness or vigor due to under use or neglect I'm not talking about faith they come to church and do whatever I'm not talking about that I'm talking about inactive faith and I know I know I know I understand that there is some negative aspects to referring to the past but excuse me I was there and I experienced it and like I said to you the last two Thursday nights I have the people of this church on a pedestal that's honestly the truth I just I think you're some of the most spiritual powerful people that I know anywhere and occasionally it's disappointing to find out that the pedestal is not as full as I had hoped it would be I'm not trying to be critical honestly I'm desperate to get your attention tonight that ground out there underneath that tent is littered with unclaimed miracles littered covered covered with unclaimed miracles and I've had several days to meditate on this prayer about it let it sit through my spirit try to hear what God has to say about it and and this isn't exactly what I thought two weeks ago I was going to be talking about tonight but it's very critical the reason being is because you're not waiting on God he's waiting on you to believe and some of us have gotten too mature and to spiritual to believe we just don't consider ourselves you ready for this one gullible anymore let me give you an example some of you may not have heard this story but I'll give you an example of why Antioch was able to see fifteen hundred and eighty-five people pray through in two years in the middle of all that it was the fall of 1980 brother Morel Cornwell was here for a couple of days teaching on home Bible studies it was a Saturday morning session and it went past noon and he simply said the first 25 people in the altar tonight are going to receive a special blessing it's all he said he didn't describe the blessing he didn't say he didn't they were that was all that was said he gave no indication what that blessing was going to be what it was about nothing he just said the first 25 people in the altar this evening are going to receive a special blessing we week knocked off around 1:00 to come back around 6:00 there were people who did not go home that afternoon they sat claiming their seats closest to the altar all afternoon to be the first ones in that altar there were people that got there at 4 o'clock thinking they'd be early and found themselves on the fourth and fifth row from the front because people had been sitting there that length of time because the man of God said the first 25 people in the altar were going to receive a special blessing that's all he said and the bill it was crammed at 7 o'clock at 6 o'clock you could not get in the building the building was crammed but then Jacob I mean Richard bishop the supplanter the scheming conniving believer he's not here I'd say it with him here he knows it's true he didn't get to 6 o'clock he said on the back row that was all that was left he's sitting there we've only got we've matched out this little building we own we could only use it for off services we couldn't have Sunday morning Sunday night there it was a Saturday evening it's trim there's only a center aisle we've run chairs all the way up against the wall on both sides there's only a center aisle when brother Cornwell said that that that that day I shook my head he said what did I do I said you have no idea what you've just done what what did I do I said just wait and see you see I had it set up with him because I understand this Jacob business that he was going to give me a signal when he was ready to give the altar call and I was going to be the first one in the altar because I believed - so he's in the pulpit I'm sitting right here and I'm waiting and I'm ready right brother Cornwell's teaching and God's move and all the way in the back without waiting for an altar call Jacob I mean Richard got up and started toward the front and I'm paralyzed the man of God's not finished preaching or teaching yet I don't want to interrupt him but here comes Richard and I'm thinking oh god it was like a wave the people in the back half of the building they looked and it didn't register on their minds what he was doing but when the people in the fourth and fifth row caught out of the corner of their eye Richard movin the last people to know what was going on was the people that had been sitting there all day on the front row the first clue they had was people diving over their heads literally I were you there am i telling the truth it's true people in the third fourth and fifth row went straight forward and all from wall to wall in that building bodies were stacked on top of each other like cordwood all the way across I never moved he stopped preaching looked at me and said what just happened I said what do you mean just happen don't you remember what you said we're not talking about a bunch of simpletons we're not talking about you a bunch of kids that was the backbone of this church people had absolute faith the man of God says it it's going to happen and we're not gonna be left out but somewhere some of us grew up and decided we weren't gonna be that gullible meaning we gave up things because we don't work it anymore and our faith has now become atrophied I don't know what I did in this elbow but about four or five months ago I strained the ligament and I kept waiting for it to get better and I put off going to the doctor and it was hurting and then the other day this elbow started hurting and about four months ago I went to the doctor I'd been having pain in his hip for a couple of years and he did an MRI said I got arthritis and it's only a matter of time till I have a hip replacement and that was four months ago and I said never gonna happen it's not gonna happen I will not be having a hip replacement did you have a word not yet but I believe one was coming how's your hip brother right I don't know but I know how my faith is how do you elbows doing brother right that's not the question how's my faith doing am i believing my symptoms or am i believing the man of God and the Word of God when's the last time your faith has produced any results of any kind for you I'm not trying to be unkind here I'm trying to help you I'm kind of challenge some of you to get out of this rut you in because you think you're a Christian and your fates not working at all your faith is not being operated at all at all please please don't confuse my urgency and my approach trying to communicate urgency and desperation and desire as rebuking or condemning that's not what I'm doing I'm trying to challenge you I'm trying to challenge you to wake up I'm trying to tell you to ask yourself a question is my faith active or is it atrophied am i using my faith is is God honoring my faith is there anything happening in the realm of faith in my life at all am i believing for anything and I believe in for anything let's go let's go back to some principles first proverbs 18:21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue death and life are in the power of the tongue you know I've taught earlier this year the mind is the battleground of the of the soul precious ones please hear me struggle as much as you struggle but don't speak out loud your struggles and I'm not talking about going to someone and say it I need some help please help me here let me show you what's going on I'm not talking about getting ministry I'm talking about confessing your doubts speaking negatively about what you're going through because when you speak you're exercising faith oh no no oh yes you are when you speak doubt that's your faith when you speak fear that's your faith when you speak confusion that's your faith when you speak struggle that's your faith I'm not talking about getting ministry I'm talking about complaining and murmuring that's your faith because life and death are in the power of the tongue that's why the tongue is the unruly member that sets things on fire good or bad Matthew chapter 12 beginning verse 33 either make the tree good or and his fruit good or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt for the tree is known by his fruit now listen to the context old generation of vipers how can ye being evil speak good things so this this good fruit this bad fruit is talking about what I say listen old generation of vipers how can ye being evil speak good things for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh oh I was just kidding I tell you what I understand getting frustrated with your kids and I was far from a perfect dad but let me taste something you say to your child regardless of their age whether they're 2 or 22 what's wrong with you can't you ever do anything right what are you stupid you speak that stuff you should be I don't care frustrated you're correct but correct positively deal with the action not the person this is not acceptable behavior that's not an acceptable attitude but you don't say or imply you're not acceptable because when you make it personal to that person you're speaking you know the word curse is not the same thing as profanity there's a lot of cursing that goes on in the body of Christ because we speak when you speak negatively about something you just cursed it what's wrong with this car won't it why won't it ever run hope you got a good credit card you want some bills coming your way oh brother I hope that's being ridiculous no if I'm being ridiculous you just called a word of God ridiculous because this is what the Bible teaches because what comes out of your mouth it's coming out of your heart listen to this verse 35 Matthew 12 a good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringing forth good things and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things but I say unto you that every idle idle rima every idle word every idle Rhema that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment listen to this now okay okay let's hear the word idle means inactive unemployed by implication lazier useless so what what is that saying what's it saying every idle Rhema God gives a promise and you leave it either idle because you don't confess it or you actually speak negatively against it you have just made that word from God inactive unemployed you and I are going to be held accountable for every attempt God is made to speak the Word of Faith in our lives and we either rejected it or just neglected it and from the grand scheme of things in God they're one in the same neglecting and rejecting are exactly the same thing it's unused it's unemployed it's an inactive word of faith listen to this verse 37 for by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned the same God that numbers every hair on your head records every word you speak if you can't speak faith don't speak at all why because what you speak is faith and if I can keep from speaking it then maybe there it really isn't my faith but if I'm so frustrated I can't help myself and I spewed out words Matthew 15 verse 10 he said not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man but that which cometh out of the mouth that defiles this Defiler to man Matthew 15 verse 18 verse 17 but do not ye be do not yet understand that whatsoever in earth in at the mouth goeth into the belly and is cast out into the draught but those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart and they defile the man for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts murders adulteries fornications thefts fault witnesses blasphemies these are the things which defile a man but to eat with unwashen hands to file if not a man we got that thing out there in the for you out there that for you gets clean your hands up because of all these dirty hands you've shaken hands with tonight you would be better off to skip that and go just lick your hands off with your tongue go into your car it would do you best less damage then the stuff we idly say you know what if I really believed the preacher of the church was the problem I'd find myself someplace to pray out fast and pray and say God help the man of God at Lord help the church Lord Jesus save the church but when people don't fast and pray and they're complaining about the church it's nothing but a smokescreen to blind themselves to their own problems so they can live in denial because people with faith they don't complain they pray they pray they believe the Word of God they want to see things turned around and they don't turn around by gossip or complaining or being critical they turn around through fasting and prayer so we reveal exactly what our real attitude is by whether or not we pray rather than complain mark 11 verse 22 Jesus answering saith and answering saith unto them have faith in God listen now this is really specific for verily I say unto you that whosoever shall say under this mountain who shovels so say under this mountain be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea and shall not doubt in his heart but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass he shall have whatsoever he saith therefore I say unto you what things soever you desire when you pray believe that you receive them and you shall have them this is it self deception that this this isn't some name it and claim it blab it and grab it deal that's not what this is talking about this is talking about faith jesus said have faith in God then he explained how to have faith in God have faith in God I believe in casting cares absolutely it is the daily practice of my life casting cares but I would tell you something right now you and I are called because we have his name on us and a spirit within us that makes us the temple of the Holy Ghost and we are called to be a conduit for the Word of God is purposed in heaven to be fulfilled in the earth somebody's got to hear it believe it speak it into existence that's our role in the kingdom and whether it Jesus what do you think God let's bad stuff come into our lives personally because if you can't get us to care about others enough hopefully we'll care about ourselves enough to learn how to exercise faith so therefore we can exercise our faith for ourselves and find out that faith works and that God will do it then the hope that Lord has is that once I learned that faith works I will turn that around and use it for the kingdom where it doesn't benefit me it doesn't have to benefit me anymore I now know that this works this is true God will do it and so now rather than continuing to be focused on myself now I'm using the principles and God is trusting me to be a conduit and he gives me Rhema and I speak Rhema brother Brown how much of you and your wife walk the streets of Robin Hood in the last 10 12 15 years however long it's been huh I'm talking about just walking the streets of Robert Wood doing visitation a lot well there is a word that says it's in the book someplace that wherever the soles of your feet or planted I'll give it to you so it doesn't matter what the police blotter says doesn't matter what the newspaper says Lord you said wherever I put the soles of my feet you're gonna give this to me I clean this entire neighborhood for you every house ever purchase live here everybody you're not going to save Lord move them out of here because I cleaned this neighbor I walked these streets Lord I've knocked these doors Lord this is where my feet have been put somebody neat you guys have had a lot of people walk a lot of places in the city but somebody needs to be walking around progressively larger larger blocks around that building up there because we have a word it's not out for a stroll Lord you said wherever put the soles of my feet you're going to give it to us well you have to be a preacher to do that can you show me that the book what about your neighborhood what about the hallways you walk at work or at school is it easier just to blend then and you know let's don't get to involve this face stuff because you might have to die out a little bit for it to work rise up Holy Ghost rise up faith where's the faith of Antioch let me tell you the problem is if you've ever had faith and now it's at refined or you start trying to exercise you get tired really quick but most of you don't know this is because it's not something I talk about a lot but Jacobs got a hip out of joint and I've got a paralyzed shoulder blade in the morning at December the 4th 1968 I woke up with a pain in my shoulder in between my spinal cord and my shoulder blade I was supposed to fly that day I was hurting really bad it was a Friday I walk I walked into sick bay to see the flight surgeon how many of you need definitions for that I went into the clinic to see the doctor and because guys that weren't ready to fly would claim to be sick if they couldn't see that your arm was broken or you had your eyes were crossed from a big knot on your head they thought you were faking it and I said sir I don't know what's wrong but I hurt really bad yeah you can see pain see you can't he couldn't see the pain he said to me well I can give you a cortisone shot I knew what he was doing he was trying to bluff me I said sir if you've got anything you can do to help my help me with this pain I would appreciate it because I'm hurt so he goes through the process of getting together that cortisone and getting it all ready to go for the shots waiting for me to say no no no not I think I'm alright no uh-uh I took my shirt off and looked him straight in the eye and he kind of gulped a little bit and I turned my back to him and he gave me two cortisone shots between my spinal column and my shoulder blade and he sent me home and I was hurting so bad we had planned to go over and see my mother and father-in-law and and we went ahead my wife drove we went over and and I laid around in the bed all weekend because I was hurt those shots didn't do me anything and I was feeling something funny something didn't feel right so I went back to see the doctor on Monday morning because I'm still hurting and I showed him I flex my my shoulder not but shoulder blade flopped out there his eyes got about this big and he knew he was in trouble because he thought he had caused that with his needle and even with his attitude and I knew it wasn't me personally he was used to guys pulling that stuff even with his attitude I decided to spare him I said sir you didn't cause this you could see him visibly exhale and almost pass out he was so relieved put me on limited duty couldn't fly couldn't work with the therapy for one full year five days a week they sent me to the Naval Hospital in the early afternoon and I'd lay on a table and they put electrodes right off my spinal column and on the outside of the shoulder blade and it would exercise those muscles because they didn't want the muscles to atrophy while they were hoping the nerve would regenerate itself so I went every day five days a week for them to work work those muscles are officially through electric electrical stimulus trying to keep the muscles from atrophying and they finally stopped because it didn't change and they medically retired me and I have a right winged scapula I know about Astra fide muscles I knew that I couldn't do this stuff I used to do anymore I couldn't get my upper arm any farther away from my rib cage than that ten years the reason being is because the muscles that hold the muscle group holds the shoulder blade against your rib cage to give the shoulder leverage to be able to push the arm up like this it is physically impossible for me to do this it's physiologically impossible for me to do this there are no muscles left the shoulder blades still paralyzed I was in church one night about ten years after it happened with my hands up praising the Lord suddenly realized literally literally just like that you're not supposed to be gay be there you're not you can't be there see they don't know how I can do that they can't explain it they stopped trying because when they don't have explanations they don't like you they want to get rid of you so they got tired of me coming in and I raised my arm when my shoulder was obviously paralyzed or at part of my : late taken out laid up in the bed for about five months before during and after some of you experienced the same things if not worse inactivity causes muscles you to lose muscle mass you lose strength it's not easy to get it back faith is just like that you don't use it it at rifice and then you try to use it and it feels so weak it feels weak it feels strange when you have been able to do something for a while and and you have been you you maybe you got an arms been in a sling for six weeks or whatever it is and then yet and then you start trying to use that arm and and it doesn't feel right something doesn't feel it does doesn't feel right it's not working right and so what we do is because it's not convenient then we quit trying to exercise it and get it back into shape you know waiting on God hear me Antioch you know waiting on God he's waiting on you to believe you're not waiting on him in your personal life you're not waiting waiting on him in the ministry you're a part of you're not waiting on him and in this church corporately he's waiting on you to have some faith he's waiting on you to exercise some faith that whosoever shall say unto this mountain be thou removed and be thou cast in the sea and shall not doubt in his heart you know if that's talking about that's talking about not just saying it to see if it'll work but saying it and knowing it will work even if you don't see it happen when you say it knowing absolutely that what you said it's going to come to pass and it doesn't make any difference when I agreed to come to Annapolis the first week of September 1970 I God gave me a vision of a large white church building sitting on a four-lane highway outside of Annapolis it's now been 45 years in a couple of months that building has still never been built ask me if I believe it's going to be with every fiber of my be asked me if I believe there's going to be a hundred thousand members to this church with every fiber of my being and here's what unbelief says how that's unbelief because faith knows I don't have to know how at the moment I asked how I'm proven I don't believe it well that's kind of simple-minded either brother right did in that kind of being foolish what did God give us a brain for well obviously to get in the way of faith because that's what most of us are using our brains for our brain is getting in the way of faith because if we can't see it we don't believe it really really I'm so happy to be alive today because that little argument is so totally bogus now when's the last time you saw a picture you knew is absolutely what exactly what it looked like when the picture was taken that what the picture was taken of is exactly what the picture looks like you can get free apps and cheap apps dollar two dollars and fix even your pictures taken on your phone anybody see the picture of that right bright red fiery cloud that was over the tent I took him posted hey folks it didn't look like that I got an app that that brings out the color and makes it look it was nice and red but it didn't look like that that picture wasn't wasn't what I took a picture of the camera made it look better well I don't believe anything except what I can see then you are sure desiring to be fooled they aren't you because what you're seeing you can't rely on and I'm so happy we're in that day and time because anybody says they don't believe anything except what they see they just admitted they prefer to be duped ladies all over this country look at magazine covers I don't mean dirty magazine covers just magazine covers of these cover girls and foolishly compare themselves to what that picture looks like hey I got news for you she doesn't look like that either she doesn't look like that they couldn't sell magazines with her on the cover looking like she really looks so therefore if I have faith I don't have to see to believe I have to hear to believe faith comes by hearing hearing by the Rhema of God first Timothy 1:18 says this this charge I committed to the son Timothy according to the prophecies which went before on thee that thou by them mightest war a good warfare the good side of faith of first Timothy 6:12 is the time between receiving the word of the promise and seeing it manifested that's when you fight the good fight of faith you know I've had some really good days since Sunday with this hip I've had a couple of times where it's kind of caught me a little bit what does that have to do absolutely nothing I'm getting a new hip and I'm not having a hip replacement in the story how do you know that because God said it I was in the place Sunday night I heard the word I didn't just hear the word I heard the word I received the word I claimed the word and I'm still claiming the word every day hey hey he said everybody in the place was gonna get healed he said the Lord said everybody in the place was gonna get healed uh if you want to stay here a while I'll read you all the scriptures that I've written down where it happened in the book and not just through Jesus's ministry but through the early churches ministry there were times that everybody present got healed after church brother ron Richards text me said brother right I couldn't be there his Walker doesn't work under that tent but I heard the word I cleaned the word and I walked without a walker tonight for the first time since I had my stroke [Applause] hey what if you go to his house tomorrow and he's using the Walker does that mean he quit believe it no no excuse me mark me anyway you want to mark me my wife and I were able to I finally got well enough to visit and Ernie Nielson he can't have sick people around him and I've been sick for weeks head cold all that stuff we're sitting there and I said what are those doctors gonna do when those two kidneys they left start working he's got three kidneys right now you know that the transplanted kidney and they left the two that aren't working I said what are they going to see that lately this let's see I don't care if you believe it or not it makes no difference to me whatsoever I've never believed this condition he's got was permanent in my spirit I've never believed it was permanent if that had to be fixed today for me to believe that it doesn't has to be fixed tomorrow for me to believe that it has not to be fixed in five years from now to bleep believe that I believe it I believe it [Applause] poor old Dylan poor old Dylan I'm talking to you Dylan Nielsen poor huh yeah poor old Dylan it's not you don't have it as bad yet but you know it's just a matter of time isn't it that's what you're told isn't it it's just a matter of time I I want to know what you believe what do you believe Billy yes my wife and I went through chemo and she went through surgery well where was her faith we were doing exactly what we were told to do chemo and surgery doesn't take away from the fact that the doctors can't explain how she's in the condition she's in right now they can't explain it when the oncologist says my medicine didn't do this God did this it's kind of hard not to believe that God was involved you don't add to the word you don't take away from the word but you believe what the word says what did the word say you see that's our problem I Pau for many of us we believe the lie and the lie is that miraculous and instantaneous are synonymous things that for something to be a miracle it's gotta happen miraculous and gaffs happen instantaneously that precious boy that comes sits up here in that wheelchair there will be a day there will be a day there will be a day when not my problem the only thing that required to me is to believe it why he was there Sunday night and the man of God said God said everybody here is gonna get healed you know what our problem is we want it to happen in front of us for our entertainment you think it's gonna matter to him whether it happens in this corner or he wakes up one morning all of a sudden arms and legs began to be able to be used that he couldn't use before you think that's gonna matter to him I got another question you think that's gonna matter to God just because something is not instantaneous doesn't mean it's less miraculous well why would God do it like that you ever heard of the good fight of faith I'm not trying to be sacrilegious here but in the in a very real sense faith is like a muscle there has to be resistance you have to put that muscle under load if you want it to get stronger it's got to be under load what you see up strong arm you see this bottle-cap watch this you're not very impressed are you why you going that's ridiculous that's no load yeah it is mARMS a load no no see that's our problem we want miracles without anyone needing the miracle lord why am I going through this they sent a message Lazarus is sick he just keeps on going ignores him Jesus your friend Lazarus is sick I know why she doing something about it because this is for the glory of God he's not sick unto death Oh guess what the word came he's dead no that's what was said he was dead was he dead I guess my man's definition he was dead but because the Word of God says he wasn't dead it was only a matter of time till he and the Word of God got in harmony where's the faith of Antioch at where's your faith when's the last time you believe for something if when it didn't come to pass the first day did come to pass the second day did come pass the seventh day didn't come to pass the first month but you're just as strong and faith on the end of the first month as you were when you heard it because you know God said it when he does it's not my problem how many of you have a promise for lost loved ones being saved but because things look worse than they did you quit that you quit claiming it you quit confessing it you quit believe in it because instead of them looking more save than looking and acting more lost that's not how faith operates I was five years old my dad was away at the Korean War the church we attended had old wooden theater style seats they had bought from someplace you ever tried to be a kid and sleep on a theater seat got to kind of back yourself into the seat and wrap your back of your legs around one arm and then I and I'm laying there asleep and the Holy Ghost started moving and I woke up 1951 I woke up and a lady preacher was walking back and forth across the platform she held a microphone in her right hand and she had a cast on her right arm that was started just below her elbow through wrist and hand and she was walking back and forth across that platform her arm like this and she was saying Jesus was coming and it was thundering in the spirit in that place I'm five years old I remember is if I was there this moment Jesus is coming I don't know why it never dawned on me that I wasn't lost because I wasn't lost at 5:00 I prayed my first prayer I don't ever remember praying before there but I prayed that prayer and I pray from my dad who lost away at the Korean War I prayed I prayed so hard so much tears and other stuff coming out of my nose I completely soaked my mother's skirt and I remember thinking I've ruined her skirt but it doesn't matter because Jesus is coming and I prayed for God to save my dad that was 1951 but over on windsor avenue the last sunday of december 1979 the Lord answered that prayer 1951 to December the last Sunday of December of 1979 God answered that prayer he didn't answer it overnight he didn't answer the short amount of time but he answered it there were days that wasn't the first time I'd ever pray for my dad received the Holy Ghost there were a couple of services I had preached in he'd come to hear me preach and I pressed him a little bit and prayed and he prayed okay but it never happened but that night that night something was different there were times yes there were times when I just couldn't I couldn't get the mental image inside I couldn't get the I couldn't see it I couldn't see him save all I saw him doing was smoking the rest of his life and not living for God the rest of his life that's all I can see and I refused to voice it because I prayed and I knew God hurt me the last Sunday of December 1979 Oh what was it that happened in 80 and 81 what was that the two years of revival last Sunday at December 1979 God answered the first prayer ever prayed answered with it within a year he had its local license within two years he was pastoring and he pastored till the last day of his life just about I'm going down in August and preaching the church that he pastored when he passed away I'm not taking anything away from that pastor he loved my Batman loves my dad loved my dad but my dad mom's ministry in that town that a church had a bad reputation there were preachers come through there and acted like idiots my dad had grown up in that town and people respected him he knew they knew he was a good man man a character and he'd go to the pulpit with a oxygen cannula on but he never preached with it on he'd be all huffing and puffing just trying to go about his day but when he got in the pulpit he'd take that thing off and he wouldn't huff and puff for air the whole time he was under the anointing and when he quit preaching he'd have to put it back on and he preached like that up to within the last few days before he died and they didn't see a lot of results but the whole attitude of that town changed toward that church and that church that was only running about 20 or 25 when my dad died the man that my dad appointed to take over when he was no longer the pastor the church is now running over 300 get this they had this little building it was that had been there forever and it was a mess and there was an assembly God Church in town I mean this town it doesn't have a regular red light it's a blinking light that's the only light in the town okay this town had there was an assembly guide church that had seven seating for seven hundred beautiful new building beautiful building fact it's right across the street from my grandfather's property where my dad was raised that church had a fuss it was a split the great majority of that church moved about eight miles away built another building and left a bunch of old folks there and they couldn't take care of it they called up brother baron said would you be willing to take this church over if we gave it to you it was debt-free beautiful brick 700 seat auditorium and all it cost them was $64 to register the deed miracle after miracle God's performed he's no respecter of persons brothers and sisters it has nothing to do with where you're from there's nothing to do with if you with what how far you went in school or how much money of God that's nothing to do with culture or anything else it has other everything to do with faith faith faith when's the last time you claimed that that the families living on your street when you drove by their house Lord I claim this family I claimed this family for you I claim this family for you when's the last time you claimed your coworkers when's the last time you refused to get all up in your kids face because they were acting stupid and instead you got up in God's faith and said the Lord I gave this child to you that cow was dedicated to you an oil was put on this child's head and hands were laid on his head and I dedicated this child to you Father and I don't care how he or she is acting right now I believe you God I believe you're going to save my child what's the last time you prayed that way when's the last time you can test that [Applause] what's the last time was the last time you believe that I say it again do you know why God let you go through crisis so that something will matter enough to you that you will pray and learn how to use faith so that you will believe that faith works so he can then use you in faith for other things and other people in the kingdom well I pray for some things God didn't do yeah and whenever my good god my heavenly father your heavenly father does it do what you ask him to do in faith there's always a really good reason and you may not know it in this life but there is and that's part of trust but you hear me right now some of you prayed prayed and prayed somebody that live and they didn't I got one question for you did God ever say to you he was going to heal them and they weren't gonna die did he ever say that word to you did you have a right to pray like you prayed absolutely did you have a right to believe like you believed absolutely but faith comes by hearing hearing by Rhema of God and you can pray and believe and it's all good but if you didn't get a word and it doesn't happen God didn't fail God didn't fail we're living in a world that the church is either gonna close up shop and hide out trying to protect itself from the attitudes an addict and the treatment of this world or there's going to be somebody who rises up and say wait a minute it's not how much money political action committees have it's not the the political bent of the commentators in the news media I have a relationship with God and I'm a child of God and he can use me to speak what he wants to happen and they don't ever have to know where it came from because that's not the point so have you heard me tell this story before some of you may read it I think it was like 1980 Reader's Digest did a survey to find the friendliest city in America and they were a little bit shocked it came back solidly Rochester New York ten years later they decided to do it another survey they were really shocked this time the survey came back the friendliest city in America's Rochester New York they sent some writers reporters from Reader's Digest up to Rochester to find out what was going on and this is what they were told by the longtime people from Rochester this whole attitude and spirit of this city is a direct product of prayers prayed at a revival that was had by Charles Finney and his prayer partner over a hundred years ago Charles Finney had a prayer partner named I know why they called him father Nash but that's what he was calling when Charles Finney would feel directed that he was going to go someplace and focus on that place for a while he would he would poor father managed to go and get a hotel room and just pray weeks months before brother poor Charles Fendi could get there pray pray and then when Charles Finney was directed to go he would go join father Nash they wouldn't put up posters that didn't knock doors they just prayed they prayed until conviction started to fall in that city and when conviction fell in that city because they prayed and that God used them to shake the foundation that city history says the bars the saloons closed the dance halls closed the theaters I don't mean movie theaters but the theaters closed the jails started getting emptier and emptier because people weren't committing crime and weren't getting arrested and people would fall down on the street in tears and pray and repent to God because conviction for their sins would come on I'm so strong is there anybody in the earth today that really believes that God is the Lord and that he's just looking for someone to work through there's a saying I've heard many times the world is yet to do to see what God could do through just one person totally committed to him the world is yet to see what God could do through just one person totally committed him atrophied faith I'm not upset with you I feel bad for you some of you came in that tent sick afflicted and went home sick and afflicted it oh it was just hype he was just trying to hype us up that's why I took the risk of standing up and relieving the man of the mic for a few minutes trying in desperation to get across to those that were present I trust this man if he said God told him to say that I believed it there was a bunch of I prayed for did I act like I believed it oh yeah I still believe it what did you pray for yourself didn't have to there's too many other people pray for I I already knew what I was doing I was claiming what he promised if I have to come in here five years from now on crutches because it won't work hear me right now you hear what I'm telling you my kids hip replacements no there's people here Adam there's nothing wrong with them not making any kind of making me feel bad but hear me right now the Word of God Sunday night was everybody in the place gonna heal you everything wrong with you you just believe it hey I just got an overhaul it doesn't matter to me how long in the any of the individual parts head takes that to be manifested I just got prepared to live for awhile and function well because God said God said no it's easier just to put up with it and suffer through it in it there are times that it's the will of God for us to suffer the scripture says if we suffer with him we shall reign with him that's what the Word of God says but there was it was an individual that the Lord spoke to me and I said this to him on Sunday night I said the Lord says you now need a miracle more than you need the suffering I never heard anything like that my life that's what the Lord said to me you now need to receive a miracle more than you need to continue in whatever benefit God's doing in your life because of the suffering brother right what if what if I legitimately couldn't be there had a good reason honestly if your reason is good enough between you and God he's okay with that and you know what I'd do I'd claimed the blessing of those that stayed by the stuff yeah they became home from battle found his city burning with fire and all the men all the women and children and all the their possessions gone and the Lord said pursue and you will capture all but about a third of his army was too tired to travel so they couldn't go and when they the two thirds with him defeated the people that had captured his their wives and children and all their stuff the bunch of his guys wanted to keep all that stuff for himself he said no no no no no we're giving back the stuff that was taken from those who stayed by the stuff who could not go forward this right now if I wasn't in that service I'd go Jesus I didn't miss because I was just laying out of church and so I'm claiming the blessing of those that stayed by the stuff I want my share of that Jesus help us there's a whole lot more to this but I'll just close with this Jesus walking down the road one day with his disciples he was hungry the Bible says he saw a fig tree and he looked for figs on that tree even though it wasn't the season for figs and since in his hunger there were no figs he simply spoke to the fig tree and said no man is ever going to eat fruit off you forever walked on there was no visible sign at that moment that anything changed a few days later they came back by and the fig tree was withered up from its roots and Peter said look the fig tree is withered from its roots so the question is this when did the fig tree die did it die when it looked at or did it die when he said from the moment he spoke the word the fig tree was dead even though it still looked alive so I get a question for you did your miracle take place when God said it or when it was Men At when it's manifested this is one of the most basic principles of faith this is one of the most basic principles of faith when was the fig tree dead when God said no man's gonna eat from you ever again or when they walk by a few days later and they saw the fig tree dead when did the fig tree die when is your miracle an accomplished fact when God said you're healed when you felt healed most of you know brother McIntyre our founding district superintendent here in Maryland he returned from fighting a world war two he was working in Baltimore some uninvited church he got saved at an Apostolic Church a little Apostolic Church downtown Baltimore he was diagnosed with stomach cancer told he didn't have long to live he was in church there was a prophet of God and preaching for them that night the man lined ever said if you got any kind of physical problem line up down the middle when it came brother McIntosh turned he didn't tell the man what was wrong with him man said you've got stomach cancer and they haven't given you long to live but God says you're healed for the Makah time now listen now I'm not you got to do what your faith says he never went back to the doctor never took any more medicine and he had severe stomach pains for two years after that night long after he should have been dead he was still alive but he was hurting and according to his testimony one morning a little over two years after that night he woke up and immediately noticed us don't didn't hurt anymore and had never heard him again and he still almost 91-92 when was he healed when his stomach stopped hurting when God said it he thanked God every day for his healing every day for two years Lord you said it I believe it I thank you for it God you feel me every day every day every day every day I think good God for good health insurance but sometimes that gets in the way you know because sometimes if you couldn't afford it then maybe you get more desperate and maybe God would do more miracles because it's instead of choosing an easier way we'd receive a miracle from God I did not just say that anybody that went to the doctor didn't have faith I didn't say that twisting my words I've been to a doctor before I'm sure before all this is over with I will will have gone to a doctor again nothing wrong going to a doctor no sin and taking medicine but the bottom line is this who you're gonna ultimately trust for your healing I know the world doesn't understand this did they world thinks we're crazy anybody here what the pastor said Sunday night right about the Education Forum you guys were filling out the question was asked filling out some application for one of the kids more schooling or something question was asked me you believe in faith healing and he said what he was expected to do was just stop filling it out right there because if you believe in faith healing you were no longer qualified to go to that Christian school let me tell you something friend when the doctor says there's nothing more we can do you don't have long to live I don't care what your doctrine is you're gonna start hoping and believing that that God can't heal somebody when the doctor can't do anymore Jesus name this is not a gimmick this is not a ploy the Lord spoke to me to do this and he aachen you don't know how critical your faith is to the kingdom and the adversary is warring against our faith that's why it's called fighting the good fight of faith because the devil puts all this stuff in our brains to try to get us to not believe Stephen doesn't want to join Stephen we're gonna pray against the spirits that are warring against the faith of this church if you need to go you're welcome to go it's a little bit after 9:00 you are welcome to go but we're about to pray against the things that are warring against the faith of this church I want to come battle with him you could stay where you are that's fine whenever you're ready whenever you feel it son just pray in the name of Jesus not going to use a microphone we're just gonna pray this needs to be broken this needs to be broken in this church this the faith of this church needs to needs to be revived strengthened restored in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus come on come on wherever you are it's time to pray this needs to be broken this needs to be broken five people received the Holy Ghost Sunday night there were a bunch of people healed that was just that was just that wasn't even an appetizer that was the first bite of an appetizer the Lord is ready the Lord is working the Lord wants to do things through us he cannot work through you he works through your faith your faith your vibrant healthy functioning faith is the conduit through which Jesus works [Applause] in the name of Jesus come on if you need to go you're welcome to go I understand not a problem but the Holy Ghost told me to end this tonight in prayer against every spirit every principality and power that wars against the faith of this church the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus come on come on we're gonna have victory rise up Holy Ghost rise up faint in the name of Jesus rise up Holy Ghost rise up faith in the name of Jesus he Casa Colorada Baja ela romo coushatta hyah rise up Holy Ghost rise up faith in the name of Jesus [Applause] in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus come on let's press a little bit come on let's press a little bit come on come on in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus [Applause] in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus we believe you Father we believe you word we believe your promises in the name of Jesus [Applause] in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus ekata Jara Jara ta kala Rattata Baha'i yogi a color retire but a sahaja yogi a la rata bhai elope aerobic Osaka high in the name of Jesus [Applause] in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah [Applause] in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus ek ta da Kalamata hi tha Loretta hi ela romo cachaca hi Miele robocco Shasta hi [Applause] in the name of Jesus [Applause] in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah [Applause] hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah yatta yatta taka ta la la na ma ma ma ma cahaya ETA caller hasta la da de la Roca Bobo coach says I gotta hire a TA Karla rata hi in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus [Applause] he cut the ha ha ha ha hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Robo cachaça ha ha Loretta hi al-kitab Arabic a socket ah ha Alaba highest-ever say in the name of jesus in the name of jesus in the name of Jesus yellow yellow rocket 88 an errata Tata hai ye Yamaha Yamaha Yamaha hallelujah [Applause] hallelujah [Applause] let's stand on our feet and give a shout of victory together in Jesus name come on let's give a shout of victory together let's give a shout of victory let's give a shout of victory in the name of Jesus yes ah ha ha ha ha Rua Suki a kata ha la ba hyah la ba hiya love a-ha a-ha Baja sucked at the Papa hyah come on let's worship the Lord let's give him praise and thanks he is worthy he is worthy hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah praise God praise God praise God ha ha ha [Applause] thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you Jesus whoo hepa highs ether hi yay ha ha ha heh ah ha ha ha ha Loretta he kia kaha hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah praise God praise God praise God praise God this is awesome but the question now comes down to this what are you gonna do when you get home what are you gonna do when you wake up in the morning is anything you feel like God to promise you anything you're believing for when's the last time you cook you claimed it when's the last time you thank God for it in advance when's the last time you did that whenever it comes into your mind every time every day you need to give God thanks and glory for it you need it lord I believe you Lord I believe you hallelujah hallelujah praise God praise God hallelujah I'm not stopping this when you're ready to go you're welcome to [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the hand of the Lord was upon me and he carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones and caused me to pass by them roundabout and behold there were very many in the open Valley and lo they were very dry and he said unto me son of man can these bones live and I answered o Lord God thou knowest again he said unto me prophesy upon these bones and say unto them oh ye dry bones hear the word of the Lord thus saith the Lord God under these bones behold I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live and I will lay sinews upon you and bring up flesh upon you and cover you with skin and put breath in you and you shall live and you shall know that I am the Lord so I prophesied as I was commanded and as I prophesied there was a noise and behold a shaking and the bones came together bone to his bone and when I beheld lo the sinews in the flesh came up upon him and the skin covered him above but there was no breath in them then said he unto me prophesy to the wind prophesy Son of Man and say to the wind thus saith the Lord God come from the four winds o breath and breathe upon the slain that they may live so I prophesied as he commanded and the breath came into them and they lived up upon their feet an exceeding great army in the name of Jesus Christ breath of God come from every direction into this sanctuary right now and breathe fresh life into the faith of every individual into this church and into this church collectively in the name of Jesus Oh breath of God breathe right now in Jesus name I speak life into the faith of this church in Jesus name I speak life into the faith of this church in the name of Jesus by the power of your spirit God fresh new life in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus halimbawa Mandela bhai in Jesus name in Jesus name in Jesus name according to your word Lord let it live according to your world let it be revived let it be renewed let it be active and operating to do what it is you've given it to us to do in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallo hallo Boesel Abba hiya fresh life fresh life Lord fresh life Lord in Jesus name in Jesus name hallelujah hallelujah lujah hallelujah hello Bo SATA Raimondo logo shuttle bhai in the name of Jesus the name of Jesus hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelu bow Satara mondo Lobos hey Kiara bhai yellow Lobos at our amando Lobos at a lava high yellow Lobo Korean de Lobo secular Abba hyah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah thank you Jesus thank you Jesus hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah thank you Jesus hallelujah hallelujah thank you Jesus hallelujah second Kings chapter 7 verse number 1 says this then Elijah said hear ye the word of the Lord thus saith the Lord tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel in two measures of barley for a shekel in the gate of Samaria I don't have time to give you all of it if you don't know it but they were laid seeds and there was a great famine and that things were things were horrible so Elisha says this in verse number two then a Lord on whose hand the King leaned answered the man of God and said Behold if the Lord would make windows in heaven Mike this thing be and he said behold thou shalt see it with on eyes but shall not eat thereof I know we're used to tongues and interpretation for prophecy but I've prophesied to you tonight that there will be those who will begin to testify of what God is doing but there will also be those who will merely be spectators because you did not choose to engage your faith the question is not whether or not God's going to do something the only question is whose faith is going to be active in what it is that God is going to do I don't know about you but I don't want to be a spectator I want to be a participant in what it is that God is going to do in Jesus name in Jesus name in Jesus name sattell Abba hiya villa-lobos a key and abajo sitala baja yay mondo Lobos a key Allah in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus yellow Lobos atta revoke ojos AHA yellow logo satella mando Lobo Xhosa salamander robocco yay Villalobos shot ar-rahman de la Bahia in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah

Channel: Apostolic Iron

Views: 1,119

Rating: 4.8709679 out of 5

Keywords: Apostolic, Apostolic Iron, Jesus, Prayer, Pray, Praying, C.M. Wright, Bishop Wright, Pentecost, Pentecostal, UPCI, Call To War, God, Lord, Preaching, Apostolic Preaching

Id: X4pIMZI5Jac

Length: 105min 4sec (6304 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 12 2018