Night 3 UPCA Conference 2021

[Music] do [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] i want to read to you in closing a passage from matthew chapter 13. this is the parable of the sower you probably remember that and hearing that story and thinking about this visual maybe you're like can you imagine somebody walking they have this bag of seed and they're they're just throwing the seed out here and there and you can picture that stony place with just rocks and nothing no real soil and you can think of the the weeds and the thorns all thick and the briars and all that you think all these four scenarios let me tell you what i thought as a kid as a young person i thought there are these four different kinds of people and some people or the people who are just like they're this good soul and they're just the good people and i hope i'm one of the good people and i hear the word and it's like yay perfect and i grow and become this great christian but some people are caught up in the cares of the world and some people are caught up and they're the hard-hearted and they can't hear the word and to a degree that that works but what about this what if each of those soil types represent our heart and the condition of the heart because you know what there have been seasons in my life where yeah i was that good ground and my heart was open and i was hungry for god and i was in a season of seeking him and god speak to me from your word maybe i was that good ground but i can tell you some other times in my life i was at stony ground and i was hard-hearted and i didn't you know maybe it sprung up for time but there was no roots i wasn't committed there have been times where there was a lot of weeds and thorns in my life and it just choked out choked out anything i was trying to do here's my point any of those four types of soul could represent the condition of a person's heart it's not like god sets up and and says okay this kind of person is the kind of person i can i can work with and then these people no i'm not reaching for them they they're not good ground no no no we know god he doesn't do that if this is though about our heart condition guess what in every one of those four in those four scenarios it could be changed think about that have you thought about that your heart is malleable it could be changed if you were if you identified with the per with the type of soil or there's too many thorns and it's just not healthy for the soil for the seed to grow if that's your story change your heart they could have torn those weeds out and got rid of those thorns plowed up that ground and it could have received it it had been a lot of work but they could they could have dug up those rocks and that stony ground and had some brought in some topsoil and created a place for that seed to grow instead of stony ground the point of this is that we've got to we've got to work on the condition of our heart so that seed of the word can grow and the good news is god's going to help us with this everything that we face can be a way to bring us closer to god and we we we can be proactive in shaping the condition of our heart to receive the seed the word of god the principles of god what god's trying to speak into our spirit well we've got to take action it means we've got to dig some rocks up in our heart we've got to tear some briars out of our hearts some thorns and weeds and thistles that would choke out the seed in the word of god what he's trying to do a big part of that is submission when i submit this when i work to make the soil of my heart receptive to the seed the word of god he's going to help me with this praise the lord i have a testimony to share that i am healed one morning when i wake up i feel the pain on my left elbow and in a few days i couldn't stretch my arm and one morning one sunday morning i went to the altar call for a prayer everyone on the church prayed for me and suddenly i felt the worm running into my left elbow and then when i started to straighten my arm i couldn't feel the pain anymore nothing is impossible if you believe in god i am healed i am the living froth of that one have a look at my elbow praise the lord it is hard to believe this year is coming to a close i mean who knew that this year would be the way it was let's rewind all the way back to the start [Music] i believe that the lord wants his church to awaken in this hour and to understand not only our responsibility but our opportunity this is a chance to turn the world not upside down but right side up but since when did god need something impressive to move since when did god need a wonderful building to move since when did god need great singers and great preachers to move since when did god need five guitars and twelve pianos to move i'm here to tell you that when god moves he's gonna move whether he's got a building or not if god moves he's gonna move whether he's got a preacher or not if he doesn't have a preacher he'll find a bush somewhere if he doesn't have a preacher amen he'll use a donkey because god will not be held back by the physical things of this world would you lift your hands and rejoice do what i've called them to do he said the people that know me will be strong and do exploits i tell them if they are full of my spirit then they are full of my power and there is no devil in hell that can stop them there is no weapon formed against them that can prosper greater is he that is in them than he that is in the world tell them go forward go forward go forward and then our whole world turned upside down i have a confirmed case of the 2019 nov novel coronavirus in victoria the first case in australia we can reveal a sydney man stranded in wuhan has become the first australian evacuated from the coronavirus epicenter here the number of cases has risen dramatically victoria will be in lockdown with a reinstated hard border we could be vaccinated despite all the circumstances shutdowns and challenges we face we went forward we will fail we will fall short of the glory of god and i'm simply here to remind you that when you do fall short of the glory of god god died for that version of yourself he will not turn his back on you simply when you fail no he didn't just die for the best version of you he died for every single version of you i mean even the mess the dysfunction that's the thing that he that died can make into your family into your society into your workplace into your schools in whatever area you are in you have no idea the impact that you will make if you realize what's inside of you you may feel like you don't deserve what has happened in your life but whatever you do i've come to tell somebody today put your trust in the unseen will and stay in the hands of to remember your purpose and you have to not allow anything to distract you from that why do you do what you do why do you go to church why are you involved in music ministry or kids ministry why do you set and pack up the chairs every sunday for service would you still do what you do if no one was watching the struggles that you go through are worth struggling with because there are lives at stake what you have what is in development right now in your life is a testimony that can reach hundreds thousands of people god for i am persuaded that neither life or death angels or principalities nor height or death or any other creature shall separate us from the love of jesus christ we've been separated from our symbols we've been separated from our rituals we've been separated from our daily agendas we've been separated from the things that we have leaned upon but now god has called us to separate from the world and to sanctify ourselves in prayer he has called us to prayer and to fasting to a repentance and a consecration of prayer he has separated us he has divided us and quarantined us in our homes and said seek me while i may be found call ye upon me [Music] in 2020 we are persuaded well praise the lord everyone and welcome to the national youth ministries promotion for 2021. of course this promotion feels very different standing here in a studio not in front of all of you but i still want to begin by acknowledging the incredible committee i've had the privilege of serving with in the most recent year without this committee the department would simply not function the way it does wish to acknowledge our secretary reverend jonathan madeline our north queensland representative sister charlotte nightingale our south queensland representative reverend denmark de la cruz our new south wales act representative brother wiki yapiyata our victorian and south australian representative reverend james cottvis our western australian representative sister angela livinio and our director of promotions brother daniel morton jones and finally our social event coordinator sister jamai mahikala please join me in giving a virtual clap for those wonderful young people that have served with me i'm extremely grateful for their contribution and i know they do great work for the kingdom of god well of course 2020 it goes without saying it's been an unprecedented year in almost every single way in late february the world was hit by a global pandemic that impacted everybody in varying ways first of all it affected the health of many people especially many of our brethren abroad and we pray with them as they continue to deal with the pandemic in varying degrees around the world the the pandemic impact of jobs and livelihoods it touched industries but it goes without saying that it also had a significant impact on the church and the kingdom of god we know that churches ministries youth groups small groups bible studies and departments within churches to varying degrees all felt the effects of this pandemic i can speak on behalf of this department in saying that that many of the programs that we run year on year had to be either postponed or cancelled as a result of the pandemic camps were cancelled missions trips postponed the australian youth on missions program which we love had to be pushed back 12 months but despite that i'm here to say that god has continued to bless this department and its capacity in serving the young people god has inspired us to use different mediums in which to reach our young people and he has blessed these endeavors when churches were shut down and young people could not gather the national youth ministries department felt a burden to provide online youth ministry to every youth group and young person in this nation we held eight national youth services while the church doors were shut and this ministry saw over twenty thousand unique views high levels of engagement from young people and our respective church families we were tremendously blessed by some uh special guest speakers and i specifically want to thank reverend chris green from the u.s and also our national evangelist reverend tavita for participating and preaching for our nation's young people this ministry enabled young people from all over the country to take part uh to contribute to lead worship to be part of these services and i want to take the time right now to thank every youth pastor every youth leader every every church and every pastor for allowing us to to carry out this ministry and i especially want to thank our director of promotions brother daniel morton jones who did an incredible job in putting all of this together we were so tremendously blessed and i continue to be blessed by his ministry we wanted to leverage this national audience and hold a more light-hearted and fun evening and so in april of this year we held a national virtual talent night something which saw many young people demonstrate their talents and abilities in a way that glorified god and again i want to thank every young person for putting their hand up and participating in this night we had great engagement and participation from people from all uh corners of this nation as a committee we recognize the need for ministry that would cater to the struggles the battles the deeper issues many young people were facing in this isolated and vulnerable time so we held a virtual conversation with reverend josh carson and reverend adam shaw who tackled issues of addiction isolation self-worth mental health struggles youth ministry and much more and i want to thank them right now for their contribution and their willingness to take part in this ministry i know many young people were tremendously blessed by their insights and what they had to say on such important issues that young people were facing in 2020 and continue to face today national youth ministries is excited to continue working in collaboration with australian home missions and overseas missions and we are believing god for a 2021 that will allow for missions trips and traveling opportunities and and ministry doors to be reopened we look forward to the resumption of our aym program youth conferences youth camps and conventions we look forward to returning to normality but we do not forget the lessons learned in 2020 the ultimate lesson god has taught us through the pandemic that is if we cannot learn to have a relationship with god with no church building no youth service no missions programs and no visible ministry then we are missing the critical element we have learnt that even in the absence of programs and buildings and human connections we still have a savior who loves us and cares for us who we are called to know 2020 has taught us some important lessons which we take into this year 2021 and it's with this that i now want to introduce you to our theme for 2021. i'll start by reading a brie a brief portion of text out of joshua chapter 1 and verse 2. the bible says moses my servant is dead and now therefore arise go over this jordan and all this people unto the land which i do give to them to the children of israel now this is a well-known portion of text and it speaks to a powerful moment of transition in the history of israel moses having died god was speaking to a deflated joshua feeling overwhelmed by what was ahead of him with morale at an all-time low god chose to use the word arise a word designed to pick up the spirits of joshua reminding him that there was work to be done a vision to fulfill and a nation to lead moses was told to arise at a time of confusion a time of loss and a time of discouragement and we stand here in 2021 one of the most challenging years many of us has have ever faced in 2020 behind us some of us have felt discouragement many of us have felt confused and living in seasons of uncertainty but we stand here today in 2021 and we feel hope we know the work is not yet done there is more work for us to do there are callings to walk in and individual ministries to exercise there are souls to reach and there is a kingdom of god that must continue to go forward and just as god told joshua to arise at this critical moment in israel's history i stand here now and i'm calling every young person in this nation every youth leader every youth pastor everybody involved in youth ministry to arise in 2021 in 2021 our national theme our mantra is simply this to arise arise from a place of frustration arise from a season of confusion arise from the feeling of discouragement i am believing that 2021 will see the birth of ministries god using anointed young people apostolic young people who will rise up and it will happen when we as a body of young people arise praise god so with that we're going to span the nation right now we're going to hear from some young people from all the states and territories of this wonderful land and they're going to tell us how they are going to arise in 2021 [Applause] [Applause] from western australia to south australia from victoria to queensland from new south wales to the torres strait islands we will arise in 2021. 2020 has been a year of growth we've learned many lessons and god still blessed us for that but we are believing that 2021 will be the greatest year we've had when we as a body arise in the very near future you're going to hear some important announcements about the upcoming youth conference in 2021 so please do keep up to date with our national youth ministries social media platforms but for now on behalf of the national youth department we want to thank jesus for what he has done even the difficult seasons that we've passed through we want to thank the executive board for their support and i want to thank every pastor every youth leader every youth committee and most of all every single young person for putting their hand up in a difficult year and contributing to the kingdom of god but 2021 will be our greatest year yet when we as a body of young people arise god bless you and i'm just going to lead us through a a short prayer for every young person so please join me as we pray father we're so grateful lord jesus for this opportunity at the start of 2021 a year of new beginnings i pray lord jesus that we would not forget the lessons that have been learned lord father that above all absent ministry in absent church buildings we as young people have a relationship with you and it's with those lessons lord god that we we approach 2021 full of hope and faith that we will arise as a body of young people i pray that you'd anoint ministries i pray that you would touch lives i pray that there would be a spirit of boldness lord god that you would touch and anoint and empower every single young person to your glory lord father so have your way in the lives of every young person i pray a blessing upon every youth group every church and every young apostolic person in this wonderful country we give you all the glory all the honor and all of the praise in jesus name and every young person said amen god bless you and enjoy the service hi everyone i'm actually at a picnic a church picnic and today is a very special day because this is the first day since the lockdown that our church has had the opportunity to be together and fellowship connecting with each other in actual fact connecting is what i want to talk to you about because in the upc we're going to start a new program it's a new initiative to connect people throughout australia who don't go to any of our churches who are in isolated towns or even in mines and things like that we want to connect them with other people of like faith we've actually found that there are a lot of people out there from different nations and from who were australians who actually don't think there's anybody else in the town where they are just this past week within the last two weeks i've spoken to a man who was in mount isa uh his family want to start to start a church and i said we'd do whatever we can i told brother morris about it and then within a couple of days brother morris said hey we actually know of somebody else that's in mount isa so we're in the process of connecting them so if you know anybody your friends those who have been in fellowship with you in the past whoever they are just send us a message with their details at contact upca dot org dot ayu i'll say that again contact at upca dot org dot iu that will come to us we will then follow it up we will we will do our best to connect them if we can't connect them then we will find somebody who can communicate with them and actually keep them in fellowship you see i'm actually so happy to be here today enjoying this fellowship and yet there's a lot of people out there who are not getting fellowship like this and it's not because of covert it's just purely because of their location so join us in this this new initiative god bless you and thank you very much so so [Applause] so [Music] so [Music] so [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] praise the lord we would like to welcome you for the final service of the annual general conference of the united pentecostal church of australia on the 4th of january 2021 we're so pleased you can join us this evening and we invite you to worship and praise the lord along with us we love to worship god we love to praise the lord we love to lift up the name of jesus so if you're able this evening if you would stand with us as we invite the presence of the lord heavenly father we are gathered together lord across this great nation lord and indeed in different parts of the world right now in the name of jesus christ the lord god to worship you to praise you the lord to lift up the beautiful name of jesus christ o lord and to hear the preaching of your word heavenly father we give this service and we give ourselves into your hands we ask the lord your presence fulfill every church lord god every lounge room lord god every bedroom lord everywhere that this service is washed that you will have great mercy dear lord upon us for we look to you lord and we worship you in the precious name of jesus christ amen [Music] [Music] there is freedom where [Music] is [Music] up [Music] run into my open spaces [Music] [Music] [Music] there is [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] away jesus [Applause] [Music] yes there is [Music] is [Music] freedom [Music] [Music] is me [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] is [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Applause] is [Music] shout it out [Music] [Music] forever [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] celebrated [Applause] [Music] [Applause] happy day happy day i'll never be the same [Music] [Music] what a glorious day glorious [Music] glorious [Music] happy day happy day forever [Music] oh forever i changed [Music] praise the lord praise god come to the point in the service now i'd like to give an appeal and encourage you this evening to give towards the conference we're enjoying the presence of the lord and we have truly been blessed by god in this conference and the apostle paul wrote to the church in corinthians and he wrote when he made an appeal for funds he wrote every man according as he purposeth in his heart so let him give not grudgingly or of necessity for god loveth a cheerful giver so this evening we're going to pray for the offering the details will be on the screen there where you can give towards the conference that we are enjoying dear lord in the name of jesus christ we thank you once again for your many blessings lord and we thank you for the opportunity dear god to give back the lord what you have given unto us i pray to lord that you will bless the offering that you will bless the gift lord and you will bless the giver those who can and those who cannot give bless your people lord we pray in the precious name of jesus christ amen praise the lord [Music] is [Music] i will not be drunk away so i am not afraid you keep the promises [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] my i will not feel [Music] keep calling [Music] me [Applause] is [Music] behind [Music] where are you [Music] [Music] [Music] i am [Music] me [Music] [Applause] no [Music] me [Music] me [Music] you is [Music] [Applause] [Music] i will not be [Music] [Music] i will not feel the flames [Music] victory [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] my god how great you are oh my god [Music] how great you are [Music] the oceans are rising [Music] we are responding oh oh my god [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] you are [Music] praise god praise the lord god is so good the lord has blessed us so much this evening we want to introduce our preacher tonight reverend josh carson reverend carson is the pastor of the calvary tabernacle church in indianapolis in america he is the president of the indiana bible college he has worked in youth ministry for nearly 20 years in the united states he is a husband and sister rachel and i have four children he's an ordained minister of the united pentecostal church international and he is a preacher of the glorious gospel of jesus christ praise the lord brother castle we welcome you to preach to us tonight [Music] greetings to my friends in australia to those that have gathered to be a part of this national camp with us digitally i honor you i bless you i speak and pray blessing upon you in the name of the lord jesus christ i give great honor to the downs and to the entire board that has allowed me this distinct privilege and opportunity to be able to address you i believe that the lord would speak to us today from the book of psalms chapter 137 so whether you're seated there in your home whether it's a main room a living room an office whether you're watching this individually or collectively i'm asking before you even read texts that you would begin to pray with me and would you make that place that is your home or that comfortable dwelling place would you make that a place of worship and praise right now what this entire meeting is all about the freedom to worship god we love you we lift our voices and we lift our hands and we magnify you we pray oh god that your work would be done let it be done with clarity purpose strengthen the body encourage us to be more like you help me o god that i might be able to speak and articulate with wisdom what the people need to hear but help them that they might have their hearts and their minds tuned in to what the spirit would be saying in this hour to the church to them individually but to their body collectively we pray it in the mighty name of jesus christ and right where you're at smile real big and say amen amen turning your attention here to psalm 137 a very very familiar portion of psalm and it seems to be as a psalm that was pinned late when prophecy maybe had grown dim and it was in a tough place for the children of israel in this place of captivity but the writer says by the rivers of babylon there we sat down yea we wept when we remembered zion we hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof for there they that carried us away captive they required of us a song and they that wasted us they required of us mirth saying sing unto us one of the songs of zion how how shall we sing the lord's song in a strange land if i forget thee o jerusalem let my right hand forget her cunning if i if i do not remember thee let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if i prefer not jerusalem above my chief joy remember o lord the children of edom in the day of jerusalem who said raise it raise it even to the foundation thereof oh daughter of babylon who art to be destroyed happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou has served us happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones i want to preach to you today in this emphasis on worship and the freedom to worship about the trouble with memory or the trouble with remembering zion in a difficult season the trouble with remembering zion in a difficult season i had the great opportunity not long ago to sit around a campfire with a group of men we were at a men's outing here from our local church calvary tabernacle in indianapolis indiana and there a group of of men had gathered and there were fires that were taking place men were eating and cooking and visiting and fellowshipping and i sat with an elder for some period of time listening to stories more than doing the talking myself he began to speak and talk about his time of working around north america as he would travel from one job to the next and he told me about spending a portion of their time in maine the northeast area here in north america and he was talking about the snow that they would get and the drifts that would come he said there were times that the drifts would get so high that in order to get out of the front door you would shovel your way out of the house he said it was bitterly cold i said that sounds like a terrible place to live he said it's beautiful when the weather is good but during this time it could be difficult if you couldn't get used to it and i asked him what his main job was what was he doing and he began to talk about the different areas he was involved but one of the things he talked to me about that i was so intrigued with was the harvesting of potatoes harvesting potatoes that would grow out of the ground now growing up in central illinois in an agricultural community that was not a overly intriguing thing by itself but it was when he told me that due to the extreme climate every few years they would not harvest potatoes but they would first have to harvest rocks when my listening kind of perked up a little bit i thought i had heard him correctly but i looked at him and i said did you say that they would harvest rocks he said that's right stones in the ground he said there's special equipment that they have built in this area and this portion of north america because the permafrost would be pushing these rocks up from deep as the expansion and contraction takes place he said that every few years they would have to go through the soil and harvest these rocks with this machinery if they wanted there to be a good growth of the crop then they had to deal with the frustration of the stony season that the process had brought to the surface again ladies and gentlemen i want to let you know i think that's where we find ourselves every so often whether you're in the ministry or whether you are simply a member of a congregation maybe you're a preacher maybe you're a school teacher maybe you are a construction worker i don't know maybe you're doing all but here's what i will tell you living for god seems to bring us to a place where every so often we're having to deal with the reality of a stony place in our life that what we desire to see harvested cannot be harvested because of the circumstances that we are dealing with right now the global pandemic that has been fought by the church has allowed what i would consider a an overreach by government it has allowed and brought a place to the church where we have found ourselves perplexed by rules and regulations and situations and even some that are watching this video right now have spoken negative words because you were not able together and you you stood on a different side possibly even of a political spectrum or in an ideology or thinking but i want to remind us from the beginning of this message as i feel so compelled and even anointed by the holy ghost to tell you we are not in the body unified by our political reasoning we are not in the body to be to be unified by how we feel on social customs or even the strategies of economic development but we are gathered and unified even though you might be individually separate in your respective areas you are unified to the body because of something that is greater than anything that this world itself can produce or can take away and that is the powerful and matchless name of jesus christ it is the name that is above every name whether we gather in a church building in a communal gathering or whether your individual covenant and your individual love for god has you being a faithful member of the body and watching alone right now we are unified because of our love for jesus christ wherever you're at you should say amen to that right now therefore we don't live for god based on what we encounter in the world anybody that has been living for god for any period of time recognizes that there are seasons not just seasons like would happen in our climate but there are seasons in our life the same way that you deal with it in your physical maturity you deal with it in your spiritual maturity some of you right now are in a season the pandemic has only been compound interest against the season that you're battling in your life and i'm speaking to some people very directly right now you have never faced hardship like you are in this season you have never battled anxiety like you are in this season you have never felt oppression or depression like you have in this season but i have come to tell you that god is still faithful regardless of what you're dealing with regardless of what the context of your current life is god is still faithful and he is worthy to be praised and worshiped the same way that this group of farmers had to get creative in maine and harvest rocks because they wanted there to be a good crop of potatoes i'm telling you in the spiritual we've got to get there and we've got to get there right now we've got to figure out how in a time of overwhelming pandemic how in a time when the church seems to be more challenged than ever before how do we talk about harvest how do we talk about revival how do we lead and preach and teach and reach for revival i'm going to tell you how i think that we've got to get to harvesting some stones i think we've got to get to a place in our prayer in a place in our preaching in a place in our intentional leadership that we say i recognize that the landscape is tough right now but there is nothing so tough that the name that we magnify is not able to reach to and reach through and grasp and pull from it those things which are trying to be a deterrent and destructive to the church i refuse to believe that we have to settle for lesser in the church simply because we are in a situation right now we've never been in before i draw your attention back to the text of psalm 137 where the children of god have been held captive and they are very much in a place where their captivity has become normative they have begun to feel find themselves establishing life in captivity but every day they considered jerusalem every day they consider zion they reflect constantly on where they used to be where they could still be had it not been for the evil oppressors had it not been for the evil enemy that had come and had taken them hostage and brought them into this land and so we are presented with a pitiful penmanship when we see the expression of how they're feeling as a group of people when they are asked to sing the song of zion here is that reflection we we sat down and we wept when we remembered zion we hanged our harps on the willows they have carried us away captive and they have asked of us a song how can we sing his song in this strange country and while i know that i cannot feel the extreme devastation with which they must have been enduring and i i recognize that my life all of these centuries later is void of the context in which they actually were living but i've got to tell you i come back to the heart of this and i fear it's where some of us are right now to which i would respond to them by preaching to you we are certainly currently living in a foreign land and too many of us are feeling as though we are in fact captives in this land it does not seem to reflect the heaven we believe in it does not want to rejoice in the name that we honor and we admire it does not want to live walk talk dress act in a way that we see as important and even imperative through our biblical worldview but i will tell you what we cannot do apostolic men and women we cannot hang our harps on the willows or i will tell you this we cannot take our worship and allow it to be silenced because we feel as though we are captive in an unfortunate and an overwhelming time we cannot allow the songs of zion to be silenced because we are not happy with our current conditions but i would preach to them if i had the chance and i will do so by preaching to you and preaching to myself right now allow me to preach to me and maybe you just amen wherever you're at if you agree but josh carson you hear what the lord is speaking to the church right now this is not a time to be silent this is a time to worship god as demonstratively as we have ever worshipped him before this is not a time to allow our instruments to grow silent because we are in a pandemic or our churches are isolated or our events have been shut down no this is not a time to allow our voices to grow silent or our eyes to grow dim or or our prayers to grow weak or lethargic if there has ever been a time for us to lift our voice if there has ever been a time for us to audibly and demonstratively praise and worship god this is in fact that time riots seem to have never been more prominent than they are right now there is social and racial injustice around the world at seemingly a more alarming rate than ever before there is parade for every agenda there is an outcry for every cause and if we the apostolics are not intentional in this hour who do we think will be intentional on behalf of the kingdom of god therefore i would speak and i would preach that it must behoove us into a place where we lift our voices whether it's from the hilltop of your community whether it's through the microphone of your local assembly or whether it be in the neighborhood outreach of the community in which you live i will tell you there has never been a greater name to or a greater day to be a worshiper of the name of jesus there has never been a greater hour to look the enemy in the face and say wow you might think i am your captive right now i have a home that is greater than this current location i have a long-standing residence that is greater than where we are right now therefore i lift my voice and therefore i lift my praise and i receive the understanding that while i might feel captive i am no captive to this world and i am no captive to sin but rather i have been purchased by the blood of the lamb i have been freed by the power of the name of jesus i'm talking to somebody right now that has been buried in baptism in the name of jesus your sins no longer hold you captive the ideologies and the customs of who you once were they no longer can hold you captive and therefore i would speak to you and i would tell you that you must allow a life of liberty and worship to overcome you get up that's what i'd like to tell them quit thinking so much about zion that you cannot worship him here for it seems to be hidden within the within the framework of the text that was in the minds of the people that their harps were on the willows and their tongues had been made silent because god was not to be worshipped in this strange land they were allowing the captors those who had taken them in and were oppressing them they had allowed the mocking of the enemy to silence the praise of god formulated in a statement first we sat down and we wept and then through the form of the question how can we sing in a strange land let me speak to the statements first it is not time to sit down hear that very clearly it is not time to give up apostolic position we cannot in this world give up apostolic position so do not sit down do not sit down on truth do not sit down on doctrine every time you get the chance let somebody know what you know to be true hear o israel the lord our god is one lord let them know i will not sit down on fundamental doctrine there is one lord there is one faith there is one baptism there is one god and father of all who is above all through all and in you all do not sit down on his identity manifest in jesus christ that from colossians 2 in him dwelleth all the fullness of the godhead bodily well we're captive in a strange land in a strange time so we sat down and we wept don't sit down on doctrine and don't sit down on truth and secondly i would speak to their statement and tell you if you're gonna weep let it be about lost souls and not your condition amen i want you to catch that if you're going to weep let it be over lost souls and not your condition we have got to stop lamenting that we can't have churches normal we've got to stop lamenting that we can't have services the way we want we've got to stop lamenting what we don't have and we've got to start rejoicing about what we do have and we've got to start weeping again for the lost weep over the lost god will make a way if the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church then covet cannot prevail against the church and social injustice will not prevail against the church and racial tensions will not prevail against the church turf war will not prevail against the church but then i speak to the question and it's really what i felt so strongly for australia how how how how how shall we sing the lord's song in a strange land how are we supposed to sing right now we cannot even sing together imagine if you will try to allow it to be painted on your mind as they set there the river free-flowing next to them the willows they they were there and the harps were there gently swaying in the breeze of the day the the long grass whipping around but the oppressors the oppressors that were there it did not matter how beautiful the scene might have been it was the oppressors that overshadowed everything it was the the snarls of their face it was the the look in their eyes it was the mocking tone which with they spoke everything about the scene and oh oh oh i remember jerusalem i remember zion can you think of it they would whisper to one another about it they would reflect about what it was and how it was and the geography and the topography and the and the way but most of all it was void of the oppression it was void of him and him and him and they weren't here and the and and and the cruelty and the mocking and the scourging it's one thing to take a prisoner but even history records in this particular story what a uncruel uh or or a super cruel thing that it was to mock them to to make them seeing in the question seems sincere but it seems inappropriate in some sense when you really try to break it apart how how how do we sing the lord's song in a strange land ladies and gentlemen we live in a strange land i recognized to them their reflection of zion had been the place of their citizenship it had been the place where they were born and raised and had been known as the place to which so they should travel and and had been the place that was the the security as it were for them and for many of us our security has came in where we live or the confines of our city or our country or or the region in which we travel but anything outside of that feels foreign or odd or awkward but i remind everybody that would hear me tonight we are all pilgrims in this land whether you're from australia or new zealand or whether you're watching this from another country you hear me right now this world is always going to be a strange land for us well we we we think about how church used to be and in the day when everybody wanted to dress holy no they didn't want to dress holy sometimes your memory is skewed by the thought of glamorizing or romanticizing in into something that it was not i want some of the elders that are watching this right now you can amen i know that there were some glory days maybe 30 or 40 years ago and but if you would be honest you could say amen to the young people there have always been challenges against the church there has always been a fight to hold to what is true there have always been oppressors there has always been an enemy there has always been someone or something whether it be in the form of a person or whether it be in the form of a devil there's always been an enemy against the people of god that has tried to creep in and take us captive for a season and we have gone through seasons where we have lost good men and good women we have watched them walk away from truth and walk away from the church we've gone through seasons in our churches where we've looked around and wondered what is this strange land in which we dwell you might be living in the same city but the land feels strange for part of the pandemic and the social issues and the health that we are fighting right now makes us feel like we're in a strange land while we never leave our own homes to which i would remind you this is not a new devil this is not a new enemy this is the same enemy that has always wanted to destroy the church but i speak the same word this same timeless word over any new sickness that materializes over any new devil that wants to try to rear his head and act like it's a new attack for everything i speak he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace upon him and with his stripes we are healed yes i speak that in the face of sickness to the enemy that comes in and tries to make us feel oppressed and has us wondering how are we supposed to sing the lord's song i'll tell you this the lord's song was never about the location it was always about the lord yeah i'm going to say that again say it with me it was never about the location it was always about the lord say it again it was never about the location it was always about the lord that's right if you can say that right there in your home if you can get that right there in your bedroom or in your living room or if you can get that to become the custom in your mind if you can get that to be burdened and birthed into your heart then you can understand it is not about my condition it is about the unchanging goodness of god whether i be with the the daughters of babylon or whether i be in the middle of zion the goodness of god is not predicated upon my geography but it's based upon the fact that he is the same yesterday today and forever so i'm going to tell you what's holding up our freedom to worship it's only us it's not the devil the devil's not stopping our freedom it's not the social climate that's not stopping our freedom it's not the enemy of our soul no no no no no it's not even health that is stopping because while you may be ailing in your body you can simply lift a whisper to god you can simply lift a soft song unto the lord it's not about how loud your voice gets it's not about how demonstrative your praise is because it's not about impressing people it's about giving the amount of honor that you can to a god that is worthy so i preach today to these people that are in bondage while i preach to the church that has been wrecked with the havoc of our current season and i tell you this get your harp off the willow get your praise back out get your worship re-identified and get a song back in your mouth your best days are not behind you your best days still lie ahead of you it has always been understood that in time of great tragedy comes time of great revival blood has always been the lubricant to revival there has always been an understanding that in order for us to see a miracle we must endure a tragedy for you do not get one without the other we didn't ask for this season but we were trusted by god with this season hear that right now you were trusted by god with this season so stop remembering what used to be stop thinking about what could still be stop thinking about the days gone by and start focusing on the song that's in your mouth and the air that's in your lungs and the praise that's in your feet and the ability to lift your hands remember that while you might be in a strange land in a strange season you are not the child of a strange name you are a child of god and you have power and authority and ability to worship god in spite of it all so right where you're at i want you to take a season don't let it be awkward surely by this point now it's not awkward to worship god in your home i want you to rejoice i want you to begin to mention it over and over blessed be the name of the lord blessed be the name of the lord the lord which was the lord which is he is to come he is infinite in his wisdom he is perfect in his understanding i acknowledge that if he brought me to this season he can bring me through this season if he brought me into this land he can bring me out of this land somebody give him praise right now it's in genesis the first chapter where we watch the formation of man it's when god takes the dust of the earth and we believe in the creation of god for humanism human beings were developed by him he forms from the dust of the earth and he he breathes the breath of life into his nostrils and we know that once he has developed him and he's beginning this development of his wife and it's because in genesis chapter 2 in verse 18 he is evaluating his own creation and says it's it's not good that man should dwell alone but between that creation and the third chapter we begin to see the introduction of the serpent more subtle than any beast of the field and the serpent engages in dialogue with eve this dialogue begins to author confusion by a questioning of god's word i'm not telling you anything that most of you have not preached or taught yourself but be reminded that sin's introduction was when eve allowed the enemy time in her ears hear me saying of god hear me pastor hear me preacher you've got to be careful what voices you're listening to in this critical season oh yes i feel great witness of the holy ghost right now while i speak this to you need to be careful what you're focusing your eyes on you need to be careful what you're allowing into your ears what agenda is getting time in your ears i don't think that that fruit would have ever found its way to her mouth had she not allowed herself to enter dialogue with the with the devil in her ears but because of it it's by the third chapter in verse nine that we see that the lord comes looking and he's calling where where art thou how have we gone from the design of man breathing breath into his nostrils reaching into his body creating a woman as his help meat showing and mirroring for adam and eve this design that it would be this relational value that he is longing for with his people to with only a handful of verses now they're hiding themselves they have backed away from covenant they've removed themselves from relationship hear me in this strange season in this strange time you've got to be careful what voices are speaking otherwise you might indulge in things that you are convincing yourself are okay well we've never been here before maybe i maybe i don't understand it as clearly as i think i did maybe maybe that was for another time or for another season and if you will allow the media to dictate what you indulge and if you allow those on on one side of a political party or the other that is not what can be allowed to have its place in our ears but ladies and gentlemen it must be the word of god the word of god must continue to dictate and determine what we believe and how we live we're in a strange land but we were designed by god fearfully and wonderfully according to scripture he knows the number of hairs on your head he knows when you wake up and when you lie down when you walk by the wayside he knows everything about you in your body 206 bones in the human body they have been placed there along with over 600 different muscles they have been placed there intricately by the infinite wisdom and direct design of god they've been placed there so that you could do what as the trees clap their branches so that you can intentionally put your hands together oh clap your hands unto the lord magnify the lord why why do we do these things why why do i lift my voice i cannot lift my voice without allowing the muscles in god's great design of my body to begin to work and push air from my diaphragm across my vocal cords up through the constricted muscles we if i would try to articulate the work that's actually taking place but god designed it and if we're not careful we can take for granted the ability to lift our voice and and the ability to do this right here ah how about the ability to do this right here to leap up and down how about the ability to dance or to shout if we're not careful we lose it and then on top of it all put us in a strange land put us in a strange time but my word for you is you're as free to worship as you've ever been oh pastor carson no we're not we we can't even come together in worship we we can't even go to the church we can't do this or we what can you do maximize what you can do you can right there in your living room have an absolute move of the holy ghost with your family you can get together with one other brother or one other sister get a couple of friends together where two or three are gathered in my name what's the problem with with this land well it's a strange land so so we can't sing the lord's song to which i remind you and i i don't want to be redundant but i do want to be particular and tell you yes you can you can sing you can worship you can praise god the freedom is not restricted by anybody other than you i want you to close your eyes i want you to lift your hands right where you're at i want to pray over you right now tan dodo boco god i pray a sovereign move upon their minds and their hearts i pray that you would speak to them that they would not be discouraged that they would not be overwhelmed but that they would find freedom in their worship that they would have demonstrative praise yes that they would have praise that is daily that it would happen anytime they feel a move of the spirit and honestly even when they don't help them to clap their hands help them to lift their voice but i'm asking for more than just a monster to praise i'm praying for freedom to worship worship that is a lifestyle worship that keeps them in zion but also in a strange land i pray that upon them upon their churches upon their families in the mighty name of jesus christ harvest the stones if necessary say i don't have the equipment then build the equipment in prayer but if we're going to get a harvest out of this strange time then we're going to have to be intentional about doing things we've never been willing to do worshiping maybe like we never have before going to a level in our praise and dedication and prayer that we've never been before i speak blessings on you in the name of the lord jesus don't be too overwhelmed with remembering what used to be but sing in the strange land we're in right now god bless you so [Music] [Music] 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Channel: UPCAustralia

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Id: LLB85-fx37E

Length: 119min 58sec (7198 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 04 2021