"Don't Ignore the Call" - Rev. Martyn Ballestero [November 10, 2019]

amen as you continue to stand what a privilege it is to have with us one of our favorite one of our favorite ministers a great preacher and a great friend of this church and we love and appreciate brother and sister ballast arrow and their ministry and their friendship they are some of God's finest people and some of the greatest messages that you'll ever hear have come from this man and we're honored to have brother sister Ballesteros back at Bethlehem church amen let's welcome the man of God this morning for the Martin Ballesteros [Music] praise the Lord everyone [Music] [Applause] reach in the name of Jesus which is still the only name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved I am I'm so happy to be here this feels like [Music] pastor I thank you for the honor to allow me to stand in this platform behind the sacred desk my prayers that God will help me to be a blessing to someone to be y'all are just spoiled brats I just tell you that God's giving you the best leadership any church could ever hope to have not only now but throughout the whole history of this church [Music] my wife and I firstly loved whether sister Vasquez and disturbed by the fact that their children have turning into people already they're supposed to be little they not these babies grow up I'm telling you the Lord said if you be good boys and girls I'll give you pastors according to my heart he did say I'm gonna let you vote him in he said I'm gonna give him to you and you have to ask yourself what kind of heart does God have well he hates sin but he loves the center merciful kind gentle and all those other kind of things and you think of all the different kinds of descriptions for a heart that we'd say the God heads and you could see those same qualities in the heart of our pastor that apostasy God has given us a pastor according to his heart [Music] you can't brag on him without bragging on her because they stand together shoulder to shoulder and anybody wouldn't like her wouldn't fight for the country and besides that she's easy to look at that neither one deserve your criticism they all deserve indeed your support you're backing to you're a man's and your love kind of get a witness sister honey and I have a a cherished friendship with the bishop and his bishop hrus is that word somehow the Lord allowed me to walk into their life and I don't have a dear a friend in the world I'm up to poor communicator I seldom call anybody some of my what you call best friends I only talk to him once or twice a year so I mean we tight like but I don't want to live my life with that Bishop Steve Wilson and sister Wilson in my life I fiercely loved while you remain standing I'm gonna have them turn to Acts chapter 2 verse 37 verse Robyn sorry verse 38 and verse 39 I preached for many years in a church where every time you said the word Acts even while you're preaching say the word Acts the church would say something this would say no boy about when you get to the book of Acts so Peters preaching on the day of Pentecost and they were they would toll of from the flow of when he got done preaching they said well what do we do then Peter said unto them repent repenting is going this way and realizing it's the wrong way and turning around let me just tell you this that still come as you are but it's not stay as you are because the whole gospel is about change about transforming about being a new creature in Christ Jesus and repent and be baptized every one of you how many southerners do I have in the house in the margin of the southerners Bible verses every one of you it says Oh y'all I'm I've lived in 32 houses went to 26 schools I've lived north south east west I'm bilingual I can say y'all and I'd say you guys I prefer y'all be baptized every one of you this is not an option it's a command in the name of Jesus Christ up here we saw a few minutes ago baptizing them in the name singular of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost three prepositional phrases modifying the word name right here it tells you what the name is and ye shall and that for all you English majors is future perfect tense it's not just future tenses future perfect and when God uses the word shall or will you can take that to the bank baby it's gonna happen you don't have to bed for it you don't deserve it but if you repent God said you get baptized get your sins much I promise y'all give you the Holy Ghost for the promise is unto you to your children to all those who didn't make it to the meeting to all those that are far off oh y'all even as many as the Lord our God shall shall call and this morning I would like to speak to you on this subject don't ignore the cause god bless you you may be hunkered down this may not mean much but I do have it and the good news is I'm starting to get a little hungry God uses imperfect people you know why because that's all he's got but there's nothing greater in your life that you could ever have and to have the call of God on your life that's the the world's highest honor this morning this is gonna be like a one-room schoolhouse I'm going to talk to the kindergarteners and try to teach you how to stay inside the lines when you color and I want to talk to those in the 12th grade we talked a little bit about trig so if I haven't got to your level just hang on we'll get to you before we're done I remember preaching in 1971 in a little town called Grand Ledge Michigan right out of Lansing and a young 17 year old by the name of Richard straw cutter got the Holy Ghost and Rickard straw cutter later started preaching and in time he pastored a church of about 300 I was invited to go preach for him and they just had one service in Sunday afternoon so in the mall Sunday morning we just got up and ate a brunch we went in to sit down at the table and she had sister Betty straw cutter was the girl raised with my wife and my wife's church and she had nice paper plates that were kind of plastic coated only with a nice pattern on it matching little cups paper cups but still matching and black plastic work and there was Danish and cereals and fruit and juices and coffee very very nice two times I went up there and that's the way it was and then the third time I go I walk in and I see candles burning on the table tapers and for all of you straight gentleman the taper is just a long tall candles okay my daughter has a candle company and I know more about candles than straight guys are supposed to know and and I mean that in a good Christian way and there was old country roses China sitting on the table and crystal goblets and gold flatware and I sat down at the table and I took my my finger and I went funk funk on the old country roses place I said hey girlfriend your paper plates sound different my paper plates she said oh brother Ballesteros we had brother get rose come by here a couple months ago he said that his mama had some beautiful China and that she only brought it out on special occasions because it was treasured she said but she died and daddy married again and the new sister geet rose she uses that China every day and now that China has chips and cracks in it she said when I heard that that made me so mad I told myself someday there may be a new sister straw cutter living in this house but when that chicken mama gets here this China's gonna have chips and cracks in it when she walks through the door instead of your lesson my point is God didn't call you nor me to put us in the china cabinet he wants to put us on the table he wants us to be of use for the kingdom of God can I get a witness Peter said make your calling and election sure and yet I know that Matthew 22:14 tells us for many are called but few are chosen and we hang up on that there are some calls we ignore we now have the option with iOS 13 that we can let every number that we really don't know just go to the trash can pretty much doesn't bother us don't even ring on my phone didn't notify my got a call from this scam person but we ignore call I ain't got time talk to you right now so we ignore phone calls but I remember when I was four years old and I felt like the Lord had dealt with me I was outside Portland Oregon we lived in a tarpaper Shack that cost $30 to put together I went inside the house crying and my mother wanted to know what's the matter I said mom I feel like God's talking to me I feel like God's dealing with my heart I don't know what he wants me to do but I just feel like he's talking to me I'm telling you you can be a child and still realized God is dealing with you about his work I'm just saying don't ignore the car I've never made it a policy to call people to preach it I don't plan on doing that this morning but I make a call for all of us to be involved in the kingdom of God there's something you can do and I can do we're all called to do something I don't want to be among those that bury my talent I'm saying don't fight the call don't ignore the call my generations heard old-timers say well I'd rather burnout than rust out and I've heard my daddy say many times that I preached more sermons than there was days in a year I know what it's like to preach 22 times in 10 days and that was just like three years ago I can still do that since I'm young when I get old I won't be able probably do that no more the last giant that Moses had to kill was a king by the name of OGG og do you know what if you lay the tape measure out his bed was about 14 feet long and they put it in a museum he wasn't known for his sword how many people he killed how many kings he conquered the only thing they knew him for was his bed and look how big his bed was he was known for his can I say it his lethargy here we are folks the last generation I would like to think before the coming of the Lord I don't want to be known for my lethargy we're giants as far as the devil's concern but I don't want to be a giant that just his only known for laying down I got a sword to fight with we got kingdoms in this whole world to conquer in the name of Jesus can I get it what I want to what I want to know is what are we doing for him it's not our kingdom it's his kingdom so let me lay my cards on the table today sinner seeker God's calling you backslider why did you throw your call away lukewarm Saint God's calling you to renewal Holy Ghost field st. that's calling you today Holy Ghost field young people God's calling you that's calling us all to serve that's calling us all to worship that's calling us all to pray that's called an assault to intercede for the Lost he's calling us to be holy he's calling us to be faithful he's calling us to labor in his harvest so maybe called to be a help some may be called to preach I'm just saying don't ignore the call oh brother bow sterile God never called me really I say oh yes maybe you just never heard the call or maybe you never responded to the call but he called you actually God has never stopped calling you Abraham Abraham he was a cousin to Abraham Abraham heard the call and you know what he did he just rolled over in bed and didn't do anything about it oh no he left where he lived he left his family he left his people he left his position and walked away from it all when God calls you you're not the same anymore it makes you want to leave everything behind and say God I'm leaving all to follow Jesus ah old folks used to get the Holy Ghost by saying God I'll do what you want me to do I'll be what you want me to be I'll go where you want me to go I'll say what you want me to say no I heard the call and for a hundred years or so without one word of encouragement without one pat on the back without one attaboy he kept on doing what he was called to do if you get frustrated and you get disillusioned and you get tired because no one's given you words of affirmation you better tighten up your belt rich your teeth and realize our reward is over yonder we're not doing this from in we're not doing it for men to Pat us on the back let me just see right veterans I honor you thank you for your service I traveled sometimes I fly four or five times a week if I see a service person in the mall on the street in the restaurants in the airport I always make a point to say thank you for keeping me free or something like that if I go up to McDonald's in an airport something I see a service person line I'll do my best to pay for their meal okay but then I got under condemnation because I wasn't saying thank you for what you do for the kingdom of God you give your life for the kingdom of God bishop thank you and your wife forgiven your lives for the kingdom of God Pastor you and your wife forgiving you precious Saints sitting out here you've been faithful to every service you witness you pray you've prayed with seekers around the aisle to thank you for giving your life for the kingdom of God Saul later called Paul he heard the call and the call knocked him flat on his face and he obeyed the call Jonah he heard the call and he ran I'll just tell you you can't outrun God don't run from the call the call will catch up with you and when you run God will see to it that things are going to go bad for you would you run for him Samuel heard the call and he said speak Lord thy servant heareth let me just say this what do you think was the description of the job description of Samuel as a child living in the tabernacle for the temple what do you think it was I tell you the only job description that you see for Samuel as a child was it every morning he opened the door to the house of the Lord he was a door opener it's a job so easy a child can do it when you appear singing you know what these work up here you call them praise singers that's not what they are they're door openers people stand there where say welcome to the house of God they're door openers they're trying to make you feel I give you a chance to enter to the presence of the Lord it's a calling it's a calling I say it heard the call he said here am I send me God's looking for somebody excited willing wanting to work for him if you're looking for excuse to see how little you can get away with you can't like it husband said I'd like to marry you girl but how little do I have to do to stay married to you can I still have can I still have a side chick and honey I'd like to marry you but I hate cooking I don't want a clean house and I never do laundry I sure don't want to have any kids you start thinking trying to get by on as the old boy said on a mini mum marriage is not 50/50 it's a hundred hundred if you're gonna live for God let's go all the way the most miserable people that call themself Christians are those about half in and half out if you go live for God go wholehearted amen when Jesus said follow me he gave the call when Jesus said come unto me all ye that labor and a heavy laden and I'll give you rest he gave the call when he said take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly and ye shall find rest for your souls he gave the call when he said my yoke is easy my burden is light he gave the call when he said if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink he gave the call the rich young ruler heard the call he said I can't afford it feliks heard the call but the timing was bad when I get a more convenient season I I'll come around a grip I heard the call but he wouldn't convinced it it was for him have you ever felt that something was missing in your life have you ever laid down at bed at night and prayed God don't come tonight oh I'm not ready have you ever had someone talked to you about your soul have you ever heard that someone was praying for you don't get mad that they mentioned your name you ought to be glad somebody loves your soul enough to pray for it have you ever prayed for God and ask for his forgiveness have you ever sat in church and knew that you needed to pray you've heard the call to every church member it's here in Bethel today have you ever stood in Walmart and wondered how many in this store today had been baptized in Jesus name I got the Holy Ghost you've heard the caller have you ever driven through a town or a little village and wondered why there was no church there I say you've heard the call have you ever been to an airport wonderful why if you were the only one there that been baptized in Jesus name I said you've heard the call have you ever prayed Lord send laborers to the vineyard I say you've heard the call have you ever driven down the highway out of nowhere tears start coming down your cheek you just had to pull over felt the need to pray I say you've heard the call can you look at the size of a town and the look at the size of the Apostolic Church of that town to realize that there's more work to do I say you've heard the call have you ever looked at your classmates or your employees and realize you're the only one with the knowledge of who Jesus is I say you've heard the call have you ever looked at the server the restaurant and thought oh Lord they just look like someone who would like to have the Holy Ghost I say you've heard the call Judas heard the call but he wasted the call Ruth heard the call but she responded to the call she had a grand a great-grandson named David just for what it's worth Orpah who heard the call and refused it walked away she had a great-grandson named Goliath you put it together you say well I might have been called but I weren't chosen done I say maybe you didn't make yourself available why would God call you out of sin clean you up and then set you on a pile of do-nothing he would have never called you if he hadn't been interested in using you we were talking here the other night about not drivers in 1960 I took driver's ed Muncie Indiana I learned how to learn how to drive on ice and snow I just tell you straight up Jack if you can drive on ice and snow you do okay on in summer weather in Mississippi but in that text book it said that the average driver makes approximately 60 adjustments per minute driving his car so about two three years ago I thought yeah I'm not even sure that's right so I put my car on cruise control I'm on the interstate got my little stopwatch going looking in the mirrors passing cars I counted 57 adjustments I did it twice and I got 57 both times what I'm saying is there are some folks well when I was learned to fly single-engine aircraft they told me that flying was this was a series of small corrections hours of boredom interrupted by moments of sheer panic as well but that's a different story some people get married and never feel the need to make an adjustment some folks come to church they get baptized to get the Holy Ghost and sit there they never grow in God they never make any adjustments I say living for God is a series of adjustments we continue to grow in God we adapt we learn you know I'm telling you what's the truth God doesn't call bench fillers I say he did call you I say he did choose you every last one of you he didn't call you young men to be pretty boys he didn't call you young women to be glamour models he called us to serve he called us to witness he called us to be an influence on our generation the book said ye are the salt of the earth well salt preserves salt seasons so far so good what does the salt do it makes you thirsty my job is to make you thirsty for what I got and if I start dressing like you if you're in the world if I start dressing like the world and acting like the world I won't make them thirsty I'm supposed to be so different that I make you thirsty for what I got that's my job first Peter 2:9 but ye are a chosen generation a royal priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people that doesn't mean we're a bunch of weirdos and dingbats peculiar means here's just another word I have a fingerprint that's only mine I I'm uh I have TSA PreCheck and I also have clear when I walk into the airport that has the option I can look into a little camera and it takes pictures of my eyes and my name Martin Ballesteros just pops up on the screen my eyes tell them Who am I that's peculiar to me this mind okay what it says peculiar people that means we belong to him that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into this marvelous light I got I got a conference all messed up one time because I got up at the Youth Conference and I put on the do-rag and my do-rag said born to be wild and some of them folks sitting out there what they were they was too light-skinned didn't know first of all what a do-rag was and they gasped it sounded like a Hoover vacuum cleaner convention when they sucked in air because I put a do-rag on David said to his wife Mike I got a problem with any chick named Mike I just say that's but that's me would you can simulate if you need to know more about that Michael had a problem with her husband dancing like he was dancing and he said woman I'm going to be more vile v's and Viktor I le brother Strong's says gives three definitions to vile and one of them is wild WI LD be wild I'm born to be a worshiper to show forth the praises of him that called me out of darkness into this marvelous life God didn't call you to sit there like this the whole service he called you to put your hands together he called you to get on your feet once in a while he called you to lift your hands and praise okay if we are not he said but ye are a chosen generation I say if we are not the called generation then why in the cornbread world are we here if we are not the chosen generation then who is 1962 about the month of September Bakersfield California much of us they dismissed Bible School we all went to the youth conference in Bakersfield they had this preacher named brother verbal being preaching I'm not certain that I could tell you what his title was but it was about witnessing about being involved the work of God and the McDonald sisters John McDonald's sisters we're behind a big screen like a trifold and they sang this song for altar call they saying the world needs Jesus but why should I tell you you're busy with no time to care they're dying without him who's known by just a few how long did this thought can you bare Jesus who died for you and me on the cross he died for your neighbor - how can you live without a burden for the loss may God have mercy on you I don't know that there was an actual invitation to come to the altar but as young people ran and laid our faces on the carpet and sobbed for what seemed like an hour or more God I'll do whatever you want me to do I'll be whatever you want me to be I make myself available to you nowadays we want to hear pop psychology sermons we we want to hear dr. feelgood kind of messages well it's more than just getting your little praise on getting your little blessing we got a job to do God's calling us I am the eldest of five children I'm the only boy I've four sisters my wife is the oldest in her family and she had four sisters and her brothers I've been a float on the estrogen ocean all my life raised in a girls dormitory it's the wonder I didn't turn out to be precious my sister Beverly was 14 months younger than I and she was born with her large intestines intestines we twisted I mean her her intestines were in the wrong places the small and the large were mixed up she had rickets as a small child she had some birth defects that was caused her to die when she was 17 if you see pictures of me even at the age of four I'm holding Beverly's hand or got my arm I knew that she was needy and I I was her protector I was the big brother Beverly tripped her hair wouldn't grow her fingernails wit and girl her eyesight was bad her body produced no calcium so she had to take big horse pills of calcium she was walking through the house even very carefully one day and she tripped over a throw rug on the carpet and she broke her leg in three places this is back before they had screws and plates to put in your leg they put her in a cast up to her hip but it wouldn't mend it wouldn't heal the Saturday before she died on a Monday morning she snuck out of the house in those days 1962 we didn't have handicap ramps and accessible things she took the old high back like a 1940 type wheelchair would coming up real high she pushed it out herself down two steps then hobbled outside and God in the wheelchair and rolled herself down the sidewalk and she would see neighbors in the arches at high she wore a scarf around her head to make it look like she had long hair she wanted to have long hair so bad she said hi my daddy pastors that that big white church on the corner and I'd like to invite you to Sunday school Sunday she went to five people nobody came Beverly died Monday morning in a lot of pain but she died talking in tongues you see I was a senior in high school they buried her the day I graduated and I got to praying the next service after her funeral and I didn't want to meet Beverly in the judgment and her Saint Marty you had no desire to go on visitation knocked doors or to be a witness I was in a wheelchair in a cast that came up to my hip and I tried I would pick her up and carry her cast and all to the church she didn't hardly weigh 280 pounds put her down in a special chair they had to the church there's only like 75 feet from the house to the church but something you can call it what you want to but it was like a knife in my heart that made me say Oh God Here I am with health and I'm not doing anything I'm not using it for your glory Here I am with ability but I just have no desire because well I'm embarrassed or I'm only going on visitation because my dad is the pastor I'll get in trouble if I don't go out there and I don't want him scolding me so I'm gone I knock on the door and I hope they don't come so when brother being preached that sermon my life got turned around and I had to submit myself to God and say God I've not been a fruitful servant I've not been a faithful servant I ask for your forgiveness I want to dedicate my life to doing whatever I can for you I may not be able to do it as good as they can but I will do all that I can do for you I don't have to be you and I don't have to be you I just got to please him with what I do have you have you buried your calling like the man who buried his talent have you buried it in excuses have you buried it in your preoccupation the Lord knows I'm busy now you know that my job and everything but let me just tell you I don't have that why I believe it's Genesis 26 25 if you could find that for me real quick it says concerning Isaac that he built an altar pitched a tent and his servants digged a well first comes the altar there are some folks who will move around the country looking for a well the well is the thing that gives you sustenance in the wilderness but God put it last if you will Isaac put it last the first thing was we get this get us an altar here the second thing is the tent the family the third thing is the job don't put your job before your family don't put your job before the house of God you don't even put your family before the house of God you put God's house first seek you first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things should be added of you so here is my one of my points if the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance meaning if God's called you he don't take it back that means whether you do anything about it or not he's still gonna hold you to that when you get judgment you don't get to retire there's Albin it said today there's no discharge in this army don't throw away your calling on temporal things don't throw away your calling on wine women song or men don't throw away your calling on video games or sports don't throw your calling away on politics or sinking men's approval don't throw your calling away on pleasures the calls going to affect how you dress the calling is going to affect where you go where you don't go who you date who you don't date when you got a call on you then you only want to be with somebody else that's got to call on them don't be so busy being a businessman that you ignore your call don't be so busy being a businesswoman you ignore your call don't minimize your call I didn't give you the scripture but could you throw up first Chronicles 4:23 first Chronicles 4:23 well you say I ain't done much and I know sometimes it's probably be worse if we thought like we doing all that because actually you in trouble when you think you're all that in the bag of chips but it said concerning powders did I give first chronicles 4:23 it said and these were the potters and those that dwelt among plants and hedges they lived in the bushes there they dwelt with the king for his work understand that these guys there the trade was to make dishes and vessels to drink out of goblets but they never got to eat out of one of the platters they never got to drink out of one of the goblets because it wasn't for them it was for him and they didn't get to eat their wives cooking every night or kissed their babies goodnight they had to sleep out there on the ground in the bush the only thing that's good about the whole situation was the king was there with him I'll tell you what you may not feel like what I'm doing is not very important I'm not getting I don't even get to be home with my babies I don't get deep my wives cooking I'm sleeping on the ground out here this is not the life I dreamed of I'm giving my all and my name's not even mentioned but I'll tell you what the King is out there with you so you may not the devil's going to try to magnify that in your head make you feel like you're not doing all that much don't minimize your calling if you're a Potter there's a work for you to do God gets honor and glory out of what you're doing for him I got one more while I'm at it ezekiel chapter 27 and verse 9 if you could please ezekiel 27 and verse 9 it says this the ancients of Jabal and the wise men thereof were indeed I call curse CA LK ers caulker all the ships of the sea with their Mariners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise several times in this one chapter it says the word call ker a Caulker was somebody aboard ship that could not read a sextant he never got to be the first mate he didn't have a suntan he didn't get to go above deck he never got to seek hands with a king or queen when he landed there when they came to port because his job was to stay below deck and look for a leak if he found a leak he had to get some hemp some rope stick it down in tar or pitch put it into the hole there get a wooden wedge and it wouldn't mal it and drive it in there and stop the leak the reason the boat was still flowing Fulton was because of a caulker his name don't even get mentioned he didn't get the Pat's on the back and get new bars to put on his chest he was just a cocker no one wanted to shake his hands they didn't have solvents to take off the pitch to the tar off of his hands I could even get honey on my hand and spent a half hour getting the honey off of my hand I can only imagine what pitch and tar how long it would have stayed on when there was no solvents back in the day but his job was to keep the boat afloat you may not be getting much recognition from the pulpit you just may be cutting sandwiches in half getting ready to serve Sunday school kids you may be wiping snotty nose off of a Sunday School Bus you may not feel like I'm getting much recognition what I'm doing is not very important but you're keeping the boat afloat and thank you for what you're doing for the kingdom of God you might be called to the mission field you might be called to the ministry you might be called to be a help in the church you might be called to be a saint and that's your first calling regardless you all are called we might he might be called planted daughter work somewhere I don't know all I can say is Paul writing to Romans he said to all be in Rome beloved of God called to be Saints my first calling is to be a saint I wouldn't even let men admit the call to the ministry list they first became a soul-winner first thing you're a saint first our job is to go you therefore in all world preach the gospel as what I'm talking about well I would just tell you you and I have a ministry in common did you know we got the same ministry you mean we tight like that we we holy said second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 18 said in all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and have given to us the Ministry of reconciliation my job then is to find somebody who needs the favor of God on their life and do my best to make friends with him and help get him restored to the favor of God where he can be blessed with the same favor that I am enjoying don't waste your experience with the Holy Ghost there's folks all around you family friends neighbors who need what you got your job is to help them find the favor of God on their lives can I get a witness from somebody I will tell you that God's calling right now revelation 3:20 behold I stand at the door and knock If any man hear my voice I'm 75 but two months ago I had a physical my annual thing the doctor said they had me do a cognitive test and count backwards from 100 by sevens see if I could stand up without using the armrest of a chair if I knew where I was what the day of the week was but the date of the week and the day of the week repeat after me Apple table chair and then they had me count backwards from 100 by sevens then they asked me what three words did we tell you to repeat then the doctor said I'm rescheduling you for a hearing test and I looked at him funny like I spent my lifetime in front of these things right here I've had I can't tell you how many amplifiers I've owned if it's got strings on iphone with it when I resigned I gave away box guitars electric guitars banjos mandolins a pedal steel three lap Steel's a ten thousand dollar dobro I had strings I'm not saying I'm good I can get you through church service but I've been around loudspeakers all my life well okay the doctor said reason I want you to take this hearing test is because untreated hearing loss leads to dementia not what I never heard that go go ask brother Google he knows a lot of stuff and he was right there's a spiritual application once you start hearing what you stopped hearing you're going to find yourself going astray and doing stupid things because you're not hearing the Word of God anymore listen to this behold I stand the door knock If any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me it's gonna be a two-way street why didn't you hear his call didn't you hear him knocking let me just tell you of all the houses in Mississippi he chose to knock on your door of all the hearts he chose to contact yours he picked you not because you're perfect but because you need him and he needs you how long you gonna let him stand at the door knock how long are you gonna stand there and let him call he said my spirit will not always strive with man how does it call oh he calls it in his word he calls it a sermon he calls sometimes in a song he calls it when an invitation is given he calls you in your trials he calls you in your pain he calls her in your trouble he deals with conviction and calls you you can't just let him stand at the door and knock and not answer the door my wife didn't like me you know messing up the house none so I was trying to repair a small engine in the basement without her knowing much about it and we have five children and she had the our youngest boy was a little toddler and she was in the bathroom giving him a bath and I was expecting someone to come to the door to see me but I had a needlenose pliers and a special tool I'm trying to get this spring in there just right into the clip in place and I heard the knock on the door I four kids able to get the door upstairs and nobody moved several of them were teenagers and they kept sitting there doing their own thing he knocked the second time and I realized I'm gonna have to use our special communication equipment I said man it sounded like a stampede upstairs them kids was running towards that door I didn't want them to go away I didn't want them to leave my job this morning to say somebody get the door the Lord's knocking on your door he's trying to get you to serve Him he's trying to call you your he wants to wash your sins away he wants you to repent of your sins he wants to use you for his glory I don't care what your yesterday's have been how sinful they were he still loves you he wants you he needs you today he does in my mind I married the world's most beautiful girl but nobody told me she had this twisted mind she can't go to sleep without a fan when they live in dollar an eighty eight cent box fans going or thank God for the man who invented sound machine noises and stuff put on your iphone I'm not gonna call the names because I just want to bring by the dude cabinets into the story but when he was 16 he's driving down the road and he threw a rod in his car evidently you're supposed to put oil in the engine stuff is its complication he wasn't aware of so what he did he turned the music up real loud so he couldn't hear the rod knockin but folks a block and a half away could hear it everybody was aware of it but him it seemed like because he was trying to drown out the noise I guess what I'm trying to tell you some of y'all got your noise factor up too high the pleasures that you're involved in the noise are so high and you that you can't hear him knocking maybe your pride is so loud that you refuse to respond to the door your your bitterness is so vile if you will that you can't hear him calling you your indulgences your worldliness is such a high factor that you can't get the door maybe your attitude is such that you just can't get to the door right now God don't call you when you're ready God doesn't you don't get to pick and choose when to reap it the goodness of God leads you to repentance God picks the time God takes the place backslider your noise is too loud you need to turn it down today lukewarm Christian lukewarm person yep Center you may have an easier chance to get the door than anybody else because you haven't learned how to drown him out yet cold-hearted saint of God you're the most dangerous condition of all you've learned how to go to these Pentecostal services and say well that's just a Sunday night joke that they pull on you preaching in Orange Texas I mean many many years ago I was still a teenager a backslider brought the former Miss Texas to church I'm about done musicians go ahead and cut me out said over there against the wall after the sermon people were crying praying and a message in tongues came forward an interpretation and the former Miss Texas started crying and the backslider hit her with her elbow said don't let that shake you up that's just a Sunday night trick they pulled and trying to get folks in the altar if you ever lift left on 16th Street in Orange Texas going north you can lay a 30 out six down on the centerline and pull the trigger and then when the bullet dies it's gonna be still on the centerline it's the street roads what I'm trying to say and how you can run off the road and the tree is beyond me but when they left church they ran off the road hit a tree and both of them died I'll just tell you when God's calling you you don't ignore the call I'm not a crash on the highway kind of preacher but you don't want to fool around when God chooses you of all the people in this world he picked you today you're not here by accident you're not here just because I happen to be here God had a hand in you being here today go ahead and stand with me if you would please I'm telling you he's still calling you he's calling you today he's calling you now old Saints used to sing softly and tenderly Jesus is calling would you don't respond to the call today join me up around the front come and stand with me around this halter today lift your hands your voices to the Lord don't leave without talking to the Lord today say that yes to him make today the day that you surrender all to him thank you Jesus pray with someone today [Music] Thank You boss [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] me [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] presents today [Music]

Channel: Bethlehem Church

Views: 820

Rating: 4.818182 out of 5

Keywords: Bethlehem, Church, of, the, Lord, Jesus, Christ, Don't, Ignore, Call, Martyn, Ballestero, Preaching, Apostolic, Pentecostal

Id: eo_Hwr5n6po

Length: 61min 21sec (3681 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 11 2019