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Speaker 1: Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation

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Speaker 1: Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank

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Speaker 1: you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope

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Speaker 1: it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to

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Speaker 1: see Gods moving in your life. Enjoy the message, Hey,

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Speaker 1: listen to this. Each year we provide the opportunity to

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Speaker 1: give toward the growth of our church, this ministry, and

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Speaker 1: the Kingdom of God through a year end offering. A

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Speaker 1: couple of weeks ago, we all joined together to finish

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty with favor d y'all remember thousands of you

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Speaker 1: brought your best gift and offering of worship for the

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Speaker 1: King of Kings committed to tithe for the first time.

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Speaker 1: And I think that's absolutely amazing, and I want to

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Speaker 1: congratulate you and tell you to expect God to move

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Speaker 1: in a great and supernatural way in your life because

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Speaker 1: of your faith. I want to tell you that somebody

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Speaker 1: put it in the chat again or say it out

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Speaker 1: loud if you're here, He made a way and because

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Speaker 1: of your giving, you made a way to give away.

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Speaker 1: This is not how much we took in in the

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Speaker 1: offerings so far, and there's still time to participate Elevation

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Speaker 1: Church dot org slash Favor. But I felt this, it's

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Speaker 1: not too late for favor. I don't know who this

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Speaker 1: is for. It's not too late for favor, even if

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Speaker 1: you're watching this weeks after I preach it, and we're

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Speaker 1: already well into the year twenty twenty nine, living on

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Speaker 1: Mars with Elon. It's not too late for favor. But

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Speaker 1: this is what I wanted to celebrate. And I knew

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Speaker 1: you would want to rejoice in the Lord and give

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Speaker 1: thanks about the outreach money that we've given away already

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Speaker 1: over one million dollars given not to the church but

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Speaker 1: through the church. That's what's going back out. Come on,

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Speaker 1: Let's give God a great praise for faithful people who

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Speaker 1: know how to walk in the favor of God. We

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Speaker 1: walk by faith, not by sight. So on, behalf of

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Speaker 1: all of the pregnant mothers through the Human Coalition that

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Speaker 1: we're helping on, behalf of those in Kenya, Haiti and

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Speaker 1: the Congo through the Medical Benevolence Foundation. On, behalf of

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Speaker 1: those in our community that are receiving financial literacy education.

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Speaker 1: All of our mothers completing their degree across the country

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Speaker 1: through safe journey and community and schools. I wanted to

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Speaker 1: say thank you. You're the best church in the world.

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Speaker 1: It's an honor to be your pastor, Holly, and I

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Speaker 1: love you. Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?

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Speaker 1: If not, put it in the chat and I'll see

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Speaker 1: if I can. I'll see if i can work something out.

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Speaker 1: That'd be fun. Everybody. If you didn't get what you

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Speaker 1: wanted for Christmas, put it in the chat and I'm

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Speaker 1: going to pick one person and send you what you

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Speaker 1: didn't get this week. I'm going to do that. Put

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Speaker 1: it in the chat, but not until you've gone to

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Speaker 1: church dot Lord slash favor and given your tithe in

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Speaker 1: that order, who's ready for the Word of God. Pastor

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Speaker 1: rich Wilkerson Junior is in the house. This is my friend.

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Speaker 1: He and his amazing wife Don Sheried are two of

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Speaker 1: the most brilliant lights for Jesus Christ burning on the

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Speaker 1: planet today. They pastor the Great Voo Church in Miami, Florida.

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Speaker 1: We're honored to know you, honored to be friends with you.

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Speaker 1: There's no one that we wanted to preach the last

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Speaker 1: Sunday in the year, but you and trust me this church.

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Speaker 1: This church has so many different people that come through.

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Speaker 1: But I really prayed about it. Who should take us

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Speaker 1: out of one year and into the other. And the

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Speaker 1: Lord said, get rich, get rich. Everybody put in the chat,

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Speaker 1: get rich, and right now you're about to get him.

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Speaker 1: Merry Christmas, everybody. I brought you an amazing preacher. Welcome

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Speaker 1: to Elevation Ministries Global Apath. That's a rich Wilkerson. Oh,

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Speaker 1: come on, church, why don't we go ahead and give Jesus,

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Speaker 1: Come on a big shot of praise. Come on, anybody

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Speaker 1: thankful that you're still here right now, come on and

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Speaker 1: give him praise. It is so so good to be

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Speaker 1: I just noticed that they took away the real pulpit.

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Speaker 1: It gave me the miniature pulpit. But I like this.

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Speaker 1: I love this church so very very much, and what

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Speaker 1: an honor it is to be here. And all of

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Speaker 1: the epham We're so glad that you're joining us on

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Speaker 1: the last Sunday of the year. And help me think, man,

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Speaker 1: it's not always how you start, but it's always about

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Speaker 1: how you finish. Anybody grateful that you're finishing the year

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Speaker 1: in church. I believe that God's gonna speak to us today.

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Speaker 1: If you're in the auditorium, why don't you maybe you

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Speaker 1: a airfist bump and say you look better than I remember.

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Speaker 1: If you're in your living room, why don't you just

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Speaker 1: hug that person because you're allowed to grab a seat

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Speaker 1: all over the place, grab a bible. That's the cutest

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Speaker 1: pulpit I have ever had in my entire life. It

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Speaker 1: is honestly, such an honor, such a joy to be

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Speaker 1: in Charlotte, North Carolina at Elevation Church. I just think

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Speaker 1: that this is the greatest church. Anybody proud and grateful

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Speaker 1: to be a part of Elevation Church. Oh, come on,

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Speaker 1: we can do better than that. Come on. This is

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Speaker 1: a church that's leading all across the world. And for

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Speaker 1: my wife and I, we just honestly count it as

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Speaker 1: one of the real privileges of our life and of

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Speaker 1: our ministry to get to come and be here and

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Speaker 1: share today and things like this. A ministry like this

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Speaker 1: doesn't just happen. It happens because God of a man,

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Speaker 1: and God appoints a woman and they give them a vision.

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Speaker 1: And I just got to say to Pastor Stephen and

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Speaker 1: Pastor Hawley, I don't have the words to articulate just

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Speaker 1: how much your leadership and how much your friendship has

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Speaker 1: meant in our lives. For many, many years from Afar,

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Speaker 1: we have watched from a distance and been inspired and

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Speaker 1: quite frankly, been so impressed with all that God has

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Speaker 1: done with you. But it's been these last few years

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Speaker 1: getting to be up close and personal with you, that

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Speaker 1: I haven't just been impressed. I have been deeply encouraged

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Speaker 1: and your life it just speaks volume. And honestly, I've

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Speaker 1: got a message on my heart. But more importantly, honestly,

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Speaker 1: I's almost more important than the message is for me

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Speaker 1: to get up on this stage today, after the year

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Speaker 1: we just had, after the year that so many of

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Speaker 1: us in the Body of Price have gone through, and

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Speaker 1: I just felt like it was part of my assignment

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Speaker 1: to make sure I took a moment to say thank you.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for being stabled, thank you for walking in character,

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Speaker 1: thank you for not flinching, thank you for having integrity,

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Speaker 1: thank you for standing firm, thank you for not backing down.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for continuing to create, thank you for continuing

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Speaker 1: to have bold vision. Come on, somebody, can we thank

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Speaker 1: God for the Man of God and the Woman of

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Speaker 1: God and what they have meant for all of us.

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Speaker 1: Thank you, thank you, thank you. You make it look

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Speaker 1: way too easy, because what's happening here is not hard.

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Speaker 1: It's impossible. And right before I come up on the stage,

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Speaker 1: I was reminded that em Bounds quote the Great Scholar.

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Speaker 1: He says, the church is looking for a method, but

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Speaker 1: God is looking for a man. And people come from

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Speaker 1: the east and the west and north and south to

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Speaker 1: come and see the method of elevation Church. But guess

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Speaker 1: what you just got to get next to the man

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Speaker 1: and the woman of God. And that's where it's happening.

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Speaker 1: And I just came to honor you today. We give

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Speaker 1: honor where honors do all glory to God. But we

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Speaker 1: give honor today to pastor Steve and Holly. Come on

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Speaker 1: one more time in the chat. Can we just let

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Speaker 1: them know on the last Sunday how thankful we are

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Speaker 1: for them. I love you. I gotta do it. I

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Speaker 1: gotta do it. My name is Rich I come from Miami, Florida.

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Speaker 1: I lead a church called Vood Church. Really weird name

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Speaker 1: for a church, but it's working out okay so far.

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Speaker 1: My wife dontree, she is here with me today. We

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Speaker 1: just celebrated fourteen years of marriage. I love your baby girl,

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Speaker 1: and our church we launched it five years ago, and

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Speaker 1: just so much of what's happening in Miami is due

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Speaker 1: to the leadership of this house. And so what a joy,

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Speaker 1: what a privilege it is to open up God's word.

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Speaker 1: And I think this is an important Sunday because today,

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Speaker 1: wherever you're tuning in from, I believe the fact that

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Speaker 1: you're here it says a whole lot about you. I

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Speaker 1: know this has been a shaky year, this has been

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Speaker 1: an uncertain year, but I'm believing that we are going

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Speaker 1: to finish strong Today. Mark chapter eight is where I

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Speaker 1: want to read from. We gonna read a few verses

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Speaker 1: and then you know, I had a great Christmas. I

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Speaker 1: hope you had a great Christmas. But we've had the holidays,

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Speaker 1: and I'm just glad to be in church on this Sunday.

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Speaker 1: This is like one of the few times I've gotten

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Speaker 1: to preach in front of a live audience. So I'm

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Speaker 1: already feeling a little bit more normal. My faith is

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Speaker 1: already being built a little bit. And so for the

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Speaker 1: next I don't know, thirty minutes or so, I'm a

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Speaker 1: holler like I got a word in my heart, and

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Speaker 1: I'm all trust God that those of you on the

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Speaker 1: other side of this camera are sensing what we are

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Speaker 1: sensing in this room today. Mark chapter eight. Uh, look

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Speaker 1: at me holding this bible. I left my bible on

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Speaker 1: the airplane. The devil was already trying to mess with me.

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Speaker 1: Got off the airplane, left my preaching bible, left my

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Speaker 1: sword on the airplane. But praise God for Pastor Stephen.

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Speaker 1: I got a different Bible, so it's going to work.

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Speaker 1: Mark chapter eight. Here we go. I hope this one's anointed.

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Speaker 1: Here we go. Mark chapter eight, verse twenty two. It

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Speaker 1: says this. It says they came to Bethsadia, and some

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Speaker 1: people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.

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Speaker 1: He Jesus took the line man by the hand and

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Speaker 1: let him outside the village. When he had spit on

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Speaker 1: the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked,

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Speaker 1: do you see anything? He looked up and said, I

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Speaker 1: see people. They looked like trees walking around. Watch this

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Speaker 1: verse twenty five. Once more, everyone say once more. Once more.

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Speaker 1: Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his

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Speaker 1: eyes were opened. His sight was restored and he saw

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Speaker 1: everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, don't go into

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Speaker 1: the village. I want to take a few moments today

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Speaker 1: and I want to use this text the last Sunday

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Speaker 1: of twenty twenty we made it. I want to preach

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Speaker 1: from this subject little by little, little by little, and

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Speaker 1: I believe this is going to be a word in

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Speaker 1: your This is gonna be a word in your heart today,

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Speaker 1: and would just pray with me. Let's just invite God's

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Speaker 1: presence into this place. Let's invite God to do what

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Speaker 1: only he can do through this word. Lois, thank you

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Speaker 1: that you're here, We thank you that you're moving. We

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Speaker 1: thank you today God for this incredible year that we've

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Speaker 1: walked through. While it was at times turbulent, Lord, we

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Speaker 1: believe that we're coming out stronger than how we started.

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Speaker 1: I pray now today, God that you would have your

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Speaker 1: way in this place, that the e faan that's watching

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Speaker 1: Lord would sense your presence in a mighty way, change us,

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Speaker 1: transform us, heal us. May we never be the same again.

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Speaker 1: We love you, Jesus, and in jesus mighty name, come on,

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Speaker 1: if you grew with that prayer, all of God's people said,

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Speaker 1: come on, All of God's people said, come on, if

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Speaker 1: you love Jesus, make a little bit of noise all

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Speaker 1: over this place. Oh, come on, you can do better

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Speaker 1: than that. Give him a big shout. I grew up

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Speaker 1: in a in a strong, strict Christian home. In fact,

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Speaker 1: i'm four generations Pentecostal preacher. Amen. I like that he

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Speaker 1: knows the cue right there, Amen. And I was just

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Speaker 1: thinking about my childhood throughout this season. It's holiday season,

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Speaker 1: and in my home, my parents just they had rules

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Speaker 1: for rules, right, They just it was strict guidelines, just

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Speaker 1: strong traditions. The fall is full of all these different holidays,

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Speaker 1: you know, But in our house we would change holidays

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Speaker 1: up or we would have traditions. For instance, we didn't

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Speaker 1: celebrate Halloween. It was Hallelujah Day. Where's the real saints

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Speaker 1: at Harvest Fest? Hello? You know what can you dress up?

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Speaker 1: We're not goblins or skeletons. Were disciples. I mean, how

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Speaker 1: many disciples can you be? You know, like, how do

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Speaker 1: you differentiate yourself? You know, I got an ear in

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Speaker 1: my hand. I'm Peter. Okay, we get it, you know,

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Speaker 1: Like it's just how I grew up. Thanksgiving we do

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Speaker 1: these big recitals. Everyone had to come and perform at

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Speaker 1: the Thanksgiving Chris, My mom used to have this closet

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Speaker 1: true Story in our house that gifts that were given

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Speaker 1: to us that she didn't think that we needed true story,

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Speaker 1: she would put them in the gift closet. Why so

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Speaker 1: that when we had a function the following year that

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Speaker 1: we needed a gift, there was always a gift on

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Speaker 1: supplied to gift. Pray for me. I know my childhood

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Speaker 1: was messed up. My first slow dance. Our God is

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Speaker 1: an awesome God. I think some of you all parents

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Speaker 1: out there, how to make your kids, you know, dance

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Speaker 1: to do it again? I think we need to up

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Speaker 1: the game with the DJ. The DJ at the party

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Speaker 1: his name was Crazy Larry, had a red and stint

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Speaker 1: pee tie on. He's like, all right, everybody, who's ready

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Speaker 1: for the slow dance? Our God? He's an awesome gody.

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Speaker 1: I'm like, what is this. It's just my childhood and

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Speaker 1: we had traditions and I was just thinking about traditions

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Speaker 1: on the way over here, and one of the traditions

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Speaker 1: my mom had that that I appreciate now is maybe

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Speaker 1: your parents did this too. But every year, like clockwork.

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Speaker 1: My mom used to have this food pantry and she

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Speaker 1: would take us inside the food pantry and on the

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Speaker 1: backside of the door, she would line up all of

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Speaker 1: my brothers. There's four of us. I have an older

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Speaker 1: brother than two younger brothers. And every year she would

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Speaker 1: line us up on this back of this pantry door

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Speaker 1: and she would measure our height. And every year she

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Speaker 1: would take a sharpie marker and she would mark the

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Speaker 1: place of where a height is. And throughout the years,

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Speaker 1: you know, it was fun to kind of come in

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Speaker 1: there because you could you could see your growth from

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Speaker 1: the year before, and to be honest with you, like

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Speaker 1: most years, like there wasn't some big thing to see.

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Speaker 1: I think the one year I hit puberty, you know,

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Speaker 1: I gained a couple more inches than normal. But for

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Speaker 1: the most part, if I'm being honest with you, the

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Speaker 1: growth was gradual. In fact, if I'm really being honest

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Speaker 1: as I'm thinking about it, unless I was measuring the growth,

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Speaker 1: I wouldn't have even known I had grown, because the

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Speaker 1: growth was just little by little. I wonder today if

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Speaker 1: this is actually how faith works. I wonder if some

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Speaker 1: of us in this room and those of us that

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Speaker 1: are watching online. I wonder if part of our problem,

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Speaker 1: especially with twenty twenty, is that when we think about faith,

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Speaker 1: we only have one category of words associated with faith supernatural, phenomenal, suddenly, suddenly, immediate.

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Speaker 1: And I'm not against these words. I like these words,

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Speaker 1: but I'm concerned if these are the only words that

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Speaker 1: are associated with your faith. What happens is is we

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Speaker 1: find ourselves in seasons where we are struggling, and the

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Speaker 1: reason why we're struggling is because we only have one

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Speaker 1: picture of what faith looks like. And there's people today

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Speaker 1: that are watching on the last Sunday of the year,

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Speaker 1: and you're struggling in your faith. In many cases, you're

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Speaker 1: frustrated with God, maybe you're disappointed with yourself, maybe you're

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Speaker 1: offended with other people. Why because you've got the wrong

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Speaker 1: measuring stick? You say, why do I feel this way?

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Speaker 1: Many of us the big problem when it comes to

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Speaker 1: our faith. If we could just really narrow it down,

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Speaker 1: if we could just really simplify it, if we could

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Speaker 1: really get to the root problem. The problem is it's

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Speaker 1: just all going too slow. It's just not happening as

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Speaker 1: fast as I thought it would. I thought by now

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Speaker 1: I would have had the promotion. I thought by now

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Speaker 1: I wouldn't still be controlled by my schedule. I thought

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Speaker 1: by now I would be married. Hello, there's still time

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Speaker 1: in twenty twenty. I thought by now we would have

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Speaker 1: conceived a child. I thought by now that I would

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Speaker 1: have had a breakthrough. I thought by now I would

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Speaker 1: have been healed. I thought by now I would have

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Speaker 1: paid off my bills. I thought by now I would

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Speaker 1: be farther than I really actually am. All but, friends,

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Speaker 1: I wish today that we had a pantry door measuring

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Speaker 1: stick for your faith, because something tells me, if you

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Speaker 1: could look back throughout the years, what you would discover

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Speaker 1: is that mark by mark, you have been maturing, you

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Speaker 1: have been growing. It's just been gradual. It's just been

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Speaker 1: little by little. I know you're not where you want

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Speaker 1: to be yet, but baby, you have come a long way.

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Speaker 1: Come on, anybody thankful that you've come a long way

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Speaker 1: on this journey. You're growing gradually. In fact, say that

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Speaker 1: all I'll say. I'm growing gradually. I'm growing gradually. It's

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Speaker 1: little by little. I love the quote by J. R. Tolkien.

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Speaker 1: He's the one who wrote The Hobbit and Lord of

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Speaker 1: the Rings, and he says, little by little, one travels far.

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Speaker 1: God speaks to the Israelites in Deuteronomy, and he says,

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Speaker 1: little by little, you will take the nations. Don't be

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Speaker 1: surprised when you ask God for miracles if he answers

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Speaker 1: you with gradual change. I just think, when I look

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Speaker 1: back on this year, if I had the pantry door

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Speaker 1: measuring stick, it wouldn't be impressive. It would just be

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Speaker 1: little by little, I'm further than when I started. See

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Speaker 1: what I love about God, and I just this is

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Speaker 1: just where I feel like we're supposed to end this year.

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Speaker 1: What I love about God is not all of God's

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Speaker 1: miracles are immediate. Some of God's miracles are progressive. They

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Speaker 1: don't happen overnight. They happen over time. What if I

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Speaker 1: told you, come on you, fam, I could teach you

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Speaker 1: how to grow. I just can't teach you how to

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Speaker 1: grow overnight. What if I told you I could teach

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Speaker 1: you some principles and some keys and some think steps

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Speaker 1: you could take. I just can't teach you how to

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Speaker 1: grow overnight. I can teach you how to grow over time.

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Speaker 1: And what I love about Mark chapter eight, the text

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Speaker 1: that we have today in front of us, I just think.

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Speaker 1: I think it's such a great text for us to

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Speaker 1: end this year on, because what you have in Mark

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Speaker 1: chapter eight is you have a story of a miracle

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Speaker 1: in motion. You have a progressive miracle, you have a

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Speaker 1: gradual game, you have a phenomenon in process. It's a

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Speaker 1: slow bro Sometimes when you grow, it feels slow. And

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Speaker 1: today I just want us to walk through the verses,

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Speaker 1: and I want to encourage your spirit as you're coming

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Speaker 1: to the end of this year, do not miss the

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Speaker 1: praise party. Why would you want to step into twenty

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Speaker 1: twenty Listen, I'm telling you an If you can get

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Speaker 1: a revelation to praise God in twenty twenty, woo, there's

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Speaker 1: no telling what the praise is going to be like

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Speaker 1: in twenty t twenty one. I would step into this

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Speaker 1: year praising God with your spiritual family. But before we

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Speaker 1: get there, let's just start right here today with Mark

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Speaker 1: chapter eight, and let's look at this picture, this story

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Speaker 1: of a little by little miracle. The scripture says in

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Speaker 1: Mark chapter eight, verse twenty two, it says they came

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Speaker 1: to Bethsadia and some people, everyone say some people. Some

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Speaker 1: people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.

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Speaker 1: I just want to stop because I want to give

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Speaker 1: you the context of what's taking place in Mark eight.

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Speaker 1: In Mark eight, Jesus has just finished feeding four thousand people,

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Speaker 1: and now he has got his crew, his posse, his disciples,

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Speaker 1: and they are walking into this village known as beth Sadia.

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Speaker 1: And when he gets to beth Sadia, a group of

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Speaker 1: people come over and they begged Jesus. They say, Jesus, please,

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Speaker 1: can you touch this man who is blind? He can't

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Speaker 1: see anything, and we believe if you touch him, you

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Speaker 1: can heal him. What I wanted to stop for just

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Speaker 1: for a moment, because I just know that there's some

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Speaker 1: faithful people that have been a part of Elevation Church

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Speaker 1: for many years, that had been on the journey for

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Speaker 1: a decade, that had been sowing, that had been giving,

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Speaker 1: that had been praying. Please understand that God uses people

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Speaker 1: to bring people to Jesus. I just want you to

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Speaker 1: see it. It's just it's really simple. We don't know

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Speaker 1: their names. All we know is some people see. If

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Speaker 1: we're all being honest, that no doubt right, God gets

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Speaker 1: the glory. He's the one who performs the miracle. But

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Speaker 1: what you'll notice throughout the scriptures is the scriptures don't

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Speaker 1: shy away from the fact that He invites you and

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Speaker 1: I in to be a part of the process of

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Speaker 1: the miracle. Remember in One Corinthians chapter three, where Paul says,

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Speaker 1: I planted seed a Paula's watered seed, but only God

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Speaker 1: makes it grow. He's giving God glory, but he doesn't

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Speaker 1: stop or negate the simple truth that you and I

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Speaker 1: get to plant. You and I get to water. And

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Speaker 1: if you're watching it, I know there's some people that

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Speaker 1: I watched it. If you just think about it for

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Speaker 1: a moment, just consider how many people were a part

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Speaker 1: of you coming to know Jesus. Just none of us

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Speaker 1: can truly say it was just me and God. All

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Speaker 1: of us have to say, oh man, there was that

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Speaker 1: coworker who kept inviting me. There was that friend that said, hey,

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Speaker 1: why don't you turn your browser onto Elevation Church and

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Speaker 1: listen to my pastor. There was that spouse who was gracious.

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Speaker 1: Come on. There was that book that captured you. There

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Speaker 1: was that song that melt you. There was that grandmother

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Speaker 1: who never quit praying for you. Come on, anybody thankful

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Speaker 1: out there for a loved one who said I'll stand

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Speaker 1: in the gap. I'll keep on praying I will be

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Speaker 1: a part of the some people. I wonder today, do

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Speaker 1: we want to be a part of the some people?

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Speaker 1: That's how God moves. He finds some people that will

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Speaker 1: say no, Servian is not beneath me. Therefore, leadership is

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Speaker 1: not beyond me. It's just about It's just about some people.

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Speaker 1: The question comes to all of us. And this is

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Speaker 1: the question you have to ask, do you care more

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Speaker 1: about titles or testimonies because we don't get their names,

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Speaker 1: Like I could just camp here all day. It doesn't

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Speaker 1: say Deacon so and so, it doesn't say pastor so

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Speaker 1: and so, it doesn't say mister missus. It just says

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Speaker 1: some people, just some people. I'm just part of the

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Speaker 1: some people. I'm just I'm just here to help be

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Speaker 1: a vehicle. I'm just here to help people meet Jesus.

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Speaker 1: Talk about this favor offering. There's still time to be

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Speaker 1: a part of this offering. But please make no mistake

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Speaker 1: about it. This money is designated to help accelerate the vision.

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Speaker 1: We got great programs, We've got great expansion ideas. It's

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Speaker 1: awesome the things that Elevation is gonna do. This is

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Speaker 1: one of the most trustworthy places that you can sow ascend.

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Speaker 1: This is healthy, healthy soil. Listen, seed is cheap, soil

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Speaker 1: is expensive. Find a place that's got some healthy soil.

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Speaker 1: Take your little and watch how God will turn it

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Speaker 1: in to Ah. Come on, somebody, this is healthy soil.

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Speaker 1: But let's just be real. You want to know why

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Speaker 1: we're giving in the favor offering. You want to know

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Speaker 1: why we're giving above and beyond at the year end.

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Speaker 1: It's not so the budgets can be met. It's not

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Speaker 1: so we can turn the lights on. It's because we

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Speaker 1: want to see people who are far from God, people

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Speaker 1: who are desperate. We want to see them encounter the

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Speaker 1: love of Jesus Christ. Come on, somebody given praise today.

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Speaker 1: I want to be a part of the sum people God.

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Speaker 1: I don't care about a title. I just want the

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Speaker 1: end of my life that I wasn't collecting titles. I

427
00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:05,200
Speaker 1: was collect testimonies. I saw God move in my lifetime. No,

428
00:25:05,359 --> 00:25:07,080
Speaker 1: you don't know my name, but I got a feeling

429
00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:10,439
Speaker 1: you're gonna know his name. I saw God move, I

430
00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:14,280
Speaker 1: saw God meet our needs. I saw God heal blinded eyes.

431
00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:19,840
Speaker 1: I collected testimonies. You gotta decide are you do you

432
00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:25,240
Speaker 1: want titles or do you want testimonies? Do you want testimonies?

433
00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:27,040
Speaker 1: And these people they just they just want to see

434
00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:29,280
Speaker 1: God move and they bring this man to Jesus, and

435
00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:32,000
Speaker 1: like Jesus, they beg him. We don't know their names,

436
00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:35,400
Speaker 1: please touch him now. Now you can read this and

437
00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:37,480
Speaker 1: quickly if you if you don't just do a little

438
00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:40,639
Speaker 1: bit of context study, you would miss how scandalous this

439
00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:44,240
Speaker 1: request is. Jesus at the time is considered a rabbi,

440
00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:47,679
Speaker 1: a Jewish rabbi, and rabbis they don't go around touching

441
00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:50,840
Speaker 1: people that are sick or touching blinded eyes. Why because

442
00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:53,720
Speaker 1: the paradigm or the theology or the thinking of the

443
00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:57,240
Speaker 1: day was was that your your ailment or your sickness

444
00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:02,679
Speaker 1: was a result of your sin. And so rabbis couldn't

445
00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:05,719
Speaker 1: touch something that was considered sinful because that would make

446
00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:09,800
Speaker 1: them unclean. But thank God that Jesus is not some

447
00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:14,880
Speaker 1: regular rabbi. Thank God that Jesus stepped out of divinity

448
00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:17,840
Speaker 1: and wrapped himself up in humanity, and he came to

449
00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:20,879
Speaker 1: touch the messiest areas of our life. He came to

450
00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:23,600
Speaker 1: touch the broken areas, the areas that you have been

451
00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:25,920
Speaker 1: hiding the areas that you don't want anybody to see

452
00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:28,639
Speaker 1: or notice. He came to take your mess turn it

453
00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:34,959
Speaker 1: into greatness, because whatever he touches, he always transforms. Whatever

454
00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:38,720
Speaker 1: Jesus touches, he transformed. Anybody out there thankful that God

455
00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:41,320
Speaker 1: touched you. Come on, anybody in the chat right now,

456
00:26:41,359 --> 00:26:44,000
Speaker 1: can you just witness and testify He touched me and

457
00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:48,480
Speaker 1: touched me. Church is Bundy to me because right there's

458
00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:50,880
Speaker 1: things that we say in church sometimes that we don't

459
00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:53,919
Speaker 1: always think about how hilarious they are, you know, like

460
00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:55,800
Speaker 1: we have all these cliches and things that we do.

461
00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:57,679
Speaker 1: Even right now today, I'm doing things that only a

462
00:26:57,720 --> 00:26:59,960
Speaker 1: subculture of Christians would understand. You know, God is good

463
00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:06,199
Speaker 1: and all the time. Let go and you guys know

464
00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:10,720
Speaker 1: my messages. You're covered by the blood of the Lamb.

465
00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:12,760
Speaker 1: Can you like imagine if you're a guest covered? But

466
00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:17,600
Speaker 1: I don't want that. I was preaching one dive Bastor

467
00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:19,720
Speaker 1: Steven at a conference. I'll never forget it. And the

468
00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:22,320
Speaker 1: preacher was good. He was he had the group going

469
00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:24,680
Speaker 1: and they were fired up. And some preachers can just

470
00:27:24,680 --> 00:27:27,000
Speaker 1: say the coolest stuff from the microphone. I haven't. I

471
00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:28,760
Speaker 1: haven't learned this yet. But he was preaching and he

472
00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:32,760
Speaker 1: was like, I don't drop F bombs. I dropped J bombs.

473
00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:38,280
Speaker 1: I'm like, what does that even mean. We're like, nobody

474
00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:40,359
Speaker 1: knows what it means, but it's provocative and it certainly

475
00:27:40,359 --> 00:27:43,840
Speaker 1: gets the people going. He goes, I don't have an

476
00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:46,879
Speaker 1: AK forty seven, I have a John three point sixteen.

477
00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:58,800
Speaker 1: He went, good, good, good, people were standing wing. Oh.

478
00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:02,080
Speaker 1: I was like, I want to do that, so I

479
00:28:02,119 --> 00:28:04,320
Speaker 1: think it's real good in you're living room. Well, no,

480
00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:11,120
Speaker 1: it's not a demon, it's the Holy Spirit working. I'm

481
00:28:11,119 --> 00:28:14,720
Speaker 1: thankful that God touched me. He touched me. We started

482
00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:16,280
Speaker 1: our church five years ago and I remember as we

483
00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:18,720
Speaker 1: started to grow, it started to grow, and it was

484
00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:21,680
Speaker 1: actually quick growth. We went from one service to two services,

485
00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:24,520
Speaker 1: to three services, to four services to five services. At

486
00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:26,520
Speaker 1: one point we were in six services and a small

487
00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:30,040
Speaker 1: little auditorium in Wyndwood nine am, eleven am, one pm,

488
00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:33,600
Speaker 1: four pm, six pm, eight pm. I'd preach all six

489
00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:35,520
Speaker 1: of them. I was just oh, let's go. You know,

490
00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:39,240
Speaker 1: you get done. You're like, I think I need therapy.

491
00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:42,959
Speaker 1: And it was it was hard starting the church because

492
00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:44,959
Speaker 1: you know, you're trying to build a culture, and you're

493
00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:47,000
Speaker 1: trying to get people to lean in and believe. And

494
00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:49,080
Speaker 1: I remember at the time it was really difficult because

495
00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:51,400
Speaker 1: we were trying to build up the parking Lot team,

496
00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:53,600
Speaker 1: and in Miami we have what you kind of call

497
00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:58,760
Speaker 1: what would you say? What would I say? It's the

498
00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:04,520
Speaker 1: weather is unpredictable, it's not hot, it's hot hot, it

499
00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:08,080
Speaker 1: doesn't rain, it rain rains. It's all to the second Power, okay.

500
00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:11,160
Speaker 1: And like to this day, I've never met only at

501
00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:13,160
Speaker 1: Elevation Church where you find someone who's like, I am

502
00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:16,920
Speaker 1: called to park cars for Jesus. Like most people don't.

503
00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:19,360
Speaker 1: That's not their spiritual gift, you know. They're like they're like, nah,

504
00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:21,160
Speaker 1: I'm not. I'mnna be on the stage, bro, you know, like,

505
00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:23,720
Speaker 1: not the parking lot. And it was these early days,

506
00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:25,040
Speaker 1: and so I was trying to build morale, and so

507
00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:26,960
Speaker 1: I would go out to the parking lot and that's

508
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:29,560
Speaker 1: been the first fifteen minutes. No, let's go do it

509
00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:32,560
Speaker 1: for Jesus, you know, parking the cars, rallying the team,

510
00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:34,320
Speaker 1: let's go guys. That I'd run in, I'd preach my

511
00:29:34,360 --> 00:29:35,800
Speaker 1: message that I'd get out to the park lot. They

512
00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:37,200
Speaker 1: thought it was a magic trick through I got weren't

513
00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:39,000
Speaker 1: you just in there? I'm like, nah, I'm just that good,

514
00:29:39,080 --> 00:29:42,040
Speaker 1: you know, and parking these cars and I'll never forget

515
00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:44,000
Speaker 1: one time it maybe laugh so hard. I'm in the

516
00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:45,880
Speaker 1: parking lot. It's about fifteen minutes in the service, and

517
00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:47,320
Speaker 1: I've got a bunch of the guys around. We were

518
00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:49,280
Speaker 1: parking the cars, and this woman drives in and when

519
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:52,360
Speaker 1: she drives in, she can't believe that I'm out there,

520
00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:54,320
Speaker 1: and so she's way over in the distance. But she

521
00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:56,240
Speaker 1: turns her car around and she starts driving it over

522
00:29:56,280 --> 00:29:59,400
Speaker 1: towards me, and she's getting excited. I'm getting excited. I

523
00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:02,000
Speaker 1: like people like, oh, she's excited. I'm excited. And she

524
00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:04,360
Speaker 1: just starts to pray like she's just testifying. She's like, oh,

525
00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:06,720
Speaker 1: God is good. She's going off. She's praising God. And

526
00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:08,560
Speaker 1: she rolls her window down. Got a group of people

527
00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:11,120
Speaker 1: now around me. She's like, pastor rich, Oh, this is

528
00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:12,840
Speaker 1: such a miraculous moment meeting you. I want to let

529
00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:21,200
Speaker 1: you know that last weekend you touched me. Well, ma'am,

530
00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:26,120
Speaker 1: excuse me, lower your voice. She wouldn't stop. She said, oh,

531
00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:30,320
Speaker 1: you touched me. Oh, he touched me. Oh, rich you

532
00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:33,760
Speaker 1: touched me. And finally, after the third time, I understood

533
00:30:33,760 --> 00:30:36,800
Speaker 1: what she meant. I said, Oh, I kind of laughed

534
00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:41,560
Speaker 1: and shut up. Please, I said, ma'am respectfully, No, I

535
00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:46,360
Speaker 1: did not, but I know who did. His name is

536
00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:50,200
Speaker 1: Jesus Christ, King of Kings, Lord of lords, and he's

537
00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:53,560
Speaker 1: still touching people today. Is there anybody out there who's

538
00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:57,000
Speaker 1: thankful that God touched you to transform you, that when

539
00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:59,480
Speaker 1: he found you, he didn't leave you in your brokenness?

540
00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:05,200
Speaker 1: Do you want a journey? He's still touching people today. Oh,

541
00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:10,240
Speaker 1: he touched me. And Jesus, Hey, bring this man to Jesus,

542
00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:13,920
Speaker 1: and he touches the blind man. But notice about Jesus.

543
00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:17,080
Speaker 1: When Jesus touches you, he always touches you to take

544
00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:21,680
Speaker 1: you on a journey. He doesn't leave us here. It's

545
00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:25,800
Speaker 1: little by little, the scripture says in verse twenty three,

546
00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:29,160
Speaker 1: it's just beautiful, Jesus, Would you touch this man? Would

547
00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:31,560
Speaker 1: you touch this man? He's not afraid of your broken area,

548
00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:34,959
Speaker 1: he's not afraid of your hidden area. He touches us,

549
00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:37,240
Speaker 1: and he grabs the man by the hand. The scriptureays

550
00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:39,200
Speaker 1: verse twenty three he took the blind man by the

551
00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:44,000
Speaker 1: hand and led him outside the village. Took him outside

552
00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:45,440
Speaker 1: the village. I'm just want you to see this. He

553
00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:51,160
Speaker 1: hasn't healed the man yet. Please heal him MEA grabs

554
00:31:51,160 --> 00:31:57,080
Speaker 1: his hand and walks him outside the village. I don't

555
00:31:57,120 --> 00:32:00,520
Speaker 1: know what it was about the village and why Jesus

556
00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:04,520
Speaker 1: doesn't do the miracle in the village. What I do

557
00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:07,760
Speaker 1: know is that when it comes to Jesus, I do

558
00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:11,640
Speaker 1: know that environment is so very, very important. And what

559
00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:13,880
Speaker 1: I do know is that many of us, the reason

560
00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:17,200
Speaker 1: why we can't find ourselves sustaining change is because we

561
00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:23,120
Speaker 1: continue to live in a toxic environment. And I can't

562
00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:25,040
Speaker 1: say for certain as to why Jesus didn't just heal

563
00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:27,320
Speaker 1: him right there, but something in my spirit tells me

564
00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:30,280
Speaker 1: it's because Jesus is sensitive and he's doing something quite

565
00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:33,640
Speaker 1: significant in the man's life. I believe that Jesus is

566
00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:36,240
Speaker 1: taking this man on a journey, and the reason why

567
00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:37,840
Speaker 1: he's taking the man on the journey is because he

568
00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:40,760
Speaker 1: wants to give him spiritual sight before he gives him

569
00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:48,560
Speaker 1: physical sight. Better to be blind walking with Jesus than

570
00:32:48,600 --> 00:32:53,120
Speaker 1: to be able to see and go alone and so

571
00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:57,120
Speaker 1: Jesus graciously, mercifully grabs him by the hand and just

572
00:32:57,120 --> 00:33:01,720
Speaker 1: starts walking with him. Why because Jesus as establishing faith

573
00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:06,440
Speaker 1: in his life. Faith is not about physical sight. In fact,

574
00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:09,800
Speaker 1: by definition, faith is being sure of what we hope

575
00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:13,000
Speaker 1: for and certain of what we cannot see. It is

576
00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:16,920
Speaker 1: impossible to please God without faith. We don't walk by sight,

577
00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:22,120
Speaker 1: we walk by faith. Why do we need faith? We

578
00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:25,360
Speaker 1: do not need faith to simply get an external blessing,

579
00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:27,360
Speaker 1: simply to get our back pain, to go away, to

580
00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:30,080
Speaker 1: simply see disease gone. I believe in all that stuff.

581
00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:32,120
Speaker 1: If you've got sickness in your body, we're gonna pray

582
00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:35,280
Speaker 1: and plead the blood of Jesus over you. But please understand,

583
00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:40,120
Speaker 1: it's far more important than that. The reason why Jesus

584
00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:43,560
Speaker 1: gives you faith is because you need faith to follow Jesus.

585
00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:47,560
Speaker 1: You don't need physical eyesight to follow Jesus. You're going

586
00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:51,080
Speaker 1: to need some faith to follow Jesus. And before Jesus

587
00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:54,040
Speaker 1: gives this man physical sight, he says, I'm gonna give

588
00:33:54,080 --> 00:34:00,760
Speaker 1: you internal faith. I don't know what it is, but

589
00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:03,960
Speaker 1: I have discovered that some of the most deep and

590
00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:07,760
Speaker 1: intimate things that God has done in my life have

591
00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:10,920
Speaker 1: not happened with the crowd. They have happened in places

592
00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:16,040
Speaker 1: of solitude. Please learn today there is a difference between

593
00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:21,520
Speaker 1: being around God and being alone with God. I'm misgathering

594
00:34:21,560 --> 00:34:23,040
Speaker 1: in person, and I can't wait for the day that

595
00:34:23,120 --> 00:34:25,520
Speaker 1: I can get back in that room. Faith is tangible.

596
00:34:25,680 --> 00:34:27,000
Speaker 1: You ever been in a room before? Back Man, There's

597
00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:29,240
Speaker 1: something in this thing, There's something going on in here.

598
00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:32,600
Speaker 1: It's called faith. The problem is a lot of people

599
00:34:32,640 --> 00:34:35,600
Speaker 1: walk into a faith environment and they convince themselves they're

600
00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:37,799
Speaker 1: on fire for Jesus. But when they get out into

601
00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:40,240
Speaker 1: the storms of life, they discover they were just sensing

602
00:34:40,280 --> 00:34:47,040
Speaker 1: the heat from everyone else surround them. Faith comes from solitude.

603
00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:52,759
Speaker 1: Solitude is different from isolation. Isolation leads to loneliness. Solitude

604
00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:58,800
Speaker 1: leads to fulfillment. I'm not alone when I'm alone with Jesus,

605
00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:03,480
Speaker 1: not lonely when it's just me and Jesus. And to

606
00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:04,960
Speaker 1: get that kind of faith, he has to take me

607
00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:08,000
Speaker 1: outside of the village. I have to get away from

608
00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:10,560
Speaker 1: the crowd. I'm glad that we're gathering today. I want

609
00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:12,640
Speaker 1: to plant a seed of faith in your heart that

610
00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:15,320
Speaker 1: you will reap as you step into twenty twenty one.

611
00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:18,719
Speaker 1: But please listen to me. We do not just need

612
00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:22,640
Speaker 1: faith on Sunday, No, sir. We need faith when our

613
00:35:22,680 --> 00:35:25,600
Speaker 1: world has fallen apart. We need faith when our marriage

614
00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:28,279
Speaker 1: is barely hanging on. We need faith when we find

615
00:35:28,280 --> 00:35:31,600
Speaker 1: out from the doctor it's cancer and there's no answer. Oh,

616
00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:34,320
Speaker 1: come on, somebody. Is there anybody out there who wants

617
00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:40,560
Speaker 1: God to establish faith in your life. He's serving the man.

618
00:35:41,840 --> 00:35:46,000
Speaker 1: Faith is not about spiritual superiority. It's about spiritual survival.

619
00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:52,920
Speaker 1: I won't make it without this lesson. Come on now,

620
00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:55,040
Speaker 1: and you want to feel like you got taken out

621
00:35:55,040 --> 00:36:00,959
Speaker 1: of the village in twenty twenty it's been nine months

622
00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:07,680
Speaker 1: since our church has gathered. But I wonder, I wonder,

623
00:36:08,120 --> 00:36:11,880
Speaker 1: is Jesus just get in person, one by one and

624
00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:16,719
Speaker 1: just saying, Hey, your faith is getting deeper. I know

625
00:36:16,719 --> 00:36:19,040
Speaker 1: you feel like you're blind, but you're about to see

626
00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:22,000
Speaker 1: better than you've ever seen before. Just keep walking. You

627
00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:25,240
Speaker 1: don't just need faith for healing. You need faith to follow.

628
00:36:26,480 --> 00:36:28,360
Speaker 1: And the scripture says in verse twenty three, watch this.

629
00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:32,320
Speaker 1: It's just gonna When Jesus spit on the man's eyes

630
00:36:34,239 --> 00:36:37,520
Speaker 1: and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, do you

631
00:36:37,600 --> 00:36:41,920
Speaker 1: see anything? Can we just stop for a moment. Jesus

632
00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:43,759
Speaker 1: takes him, he still doesn't heal him. He's walked him

633
00:36:43,719 --> 00:36:46,239
Speaker 1: outside the village. Now he's talking to him, and the

634
00:36:46,239 --> 00:36:48,520
Speaker 1: first thing he does is he spits on the man's eyes.

635
00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:54,359
Speaker 1: How bad you want to get healed? Spin on me? Lord.

636
00:36:57,280 --> 00:36:59,800
Speaker 1: You know what's fascinating to me about this text is

637
00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:02,400
Speaker 1: there seven different accounts of Jesus healing blind men in

638
00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:06,000
Speaker 1: the New Testament, and every time Jesus heals someone who's blind,

639
00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:11,000
Speaker 1: he does it a different way. But I wonder, I

640
00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:12,759
Speaker 1: just wonder, you know, sometimes I read the stories and

641
00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:14,400
Speaker 1: I just try to put myself into the store. I

642
00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:17,279
Speaker 1: just wonder if this man, while he's with Jesus, I

643
00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:20,120
Speaker 1: wonder if he's kind of frustrated. I wonder if he's

644
00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:21,880
Speaker 1: like I wonder if he's heard of the other stories

645
00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:25,440
Speaker 1: where Jesus has healed people. I wonder if he's going yo, like,

646
00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:28,640
Speaker 1: I know, we're walking, but I'm still not seeing anything.

647
00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:32,960
Speaker 1: I wonder if he's disappointed because all of the other

648
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:36,000
Speaker 1: stories that he's heard about Jesus did it quickly, but

649
00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:42,799
Speaker 1: it seems like with him, he's doing it slowly. Many

650
00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:44,960
Speaker 1: of you that are in the chat today, you're watching

651
00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:47,880
Speaker 1: and you're so frustrated because you're looking around left and

652
00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:51,799
Speaker 1: right and you're comparing you're today to somebody else's and

653
00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:56,600
Speaker 1: you're going but they're growing and they're flourishing. I don't

654
00:37:56,640 --> 00:37:59,480
Speaker 1: know if that's really the case. I just wonder if

655
00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:02,040
Speaker 1: every time you check in on them, all you're seeing

656
00:38:02,120 --> 00:38:04,960
Speaker 1: is the marks on the pantry door that you weren't

657
00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:07,200
Speaker 1: there for the gradual growth. You weren't there for the

658
00:38:07,239 --> 00:38:11,560
Speaker 1: little by little. You're comparing your slow to their fast,

659
00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:14,799
Speaker 1: and it's leaving you in a place that you are discouraged.

660
00:38:15,680 --> 00:38:18,759
Speaker 1: Jesus spits on the man's eyes and he asked the man.

661
00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:23,080
Speaker 1: He says, do you see anything? I think this is

662
00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:25,480
Speaker 1: a profound question, because ultimately, this is one of the

663
00:38:25,560 --> 00:38:29,399
Speaker 1: questions that Jesus was constantly and continually trying to get

664
00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:32,719
Speaker 1: across in his ministry on the Earth. In fact, it's

665
00:38:32,760 --> 00:38:35,040
Speaker 1: a fun word study, like grab your concordance. If you

666
00:38:35,120 --> 00:38:37,160
Speaker 1: got some time before the New year and look up

667
00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:40,120
Speaker 1: the words see in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and

668
00:38:40,160 --> 00:38:43,160
Speaker 1: you will discover it just shows up over and over

669
00:38:43,280 --> 00:38:46,480
Speaker 1: and over again that in all of Jesus's ministry, one

670
00:38:46,520 --> 00:38:50,800
Speaker 1: of his greatest frustrations was trying to get those around

671
00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:56,239
Speaker 1: him to see what he could see. Can I just

672
00:38:56,239 --> 00:38:58,640
Speaker 1: speak to the Epham and everybody right now at home?

673
00:38:59,360 --> 00:39:03,560
Speaker 1: What you see today is still in the beginning stages

674
00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:06,200
Speaker 1: for what I believe, all that Pastor Stephen and Pastor

675
00:39:06,239 --> 00:39:10,440
Speaker 1: Hawley still see for tomorrow. It's so important that we

676
00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:12,560
Speaker 1: continue to create an environment that we can learn how

677
00:39:12,560 --> 00:39:14,359
Speaker 1: to see the way that they see. Because God gives

678
00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:18,200
Speaker 1: us leaders who have vision. And God is asking you

679
00:39:18,239 --> 00:39:23,080
Speaker 1: today do you see anything? What do you see? Do

680
00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:25,680
Speaker 1: you see anything? And it's important to God that you

681
00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:29,160
Speaker 1: start to see. I'm not talking about physical eyesight. I'm

682
00:39:29,160 --> 00:39:32,880
Speaker 1: talking about seeing with spiritual eyes that God wants to

683
00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:36,520
Speaker 1: give you a vision. Close your eyes, what do you see?

684
00:39:37,440 --> 00:39:42,080
Speaker 1: Faith is the absence of sense. Faith doesn't make sense.

685
00:39:42,640 --> 00:39:45,680
Speaker 1: And God gives us a vision? Why? Because vision gives

686
00:39:45,719 --> 00:39:49,440
Speaker 1: pain purpose. Many of us we keep quitting and we

687
00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:52,479
Speaker 1: keep backing down because we lose the vision. We don't

688
00:39:52,520 --> 00:39:55,720
Speaker 1: see anything, and God says, what do you see? Vision

689
00:39:55,760 --> 00:40:00,880
Speaker 1: gives pain purpose, Vision creates passion, and vision gives direction.

690
00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:03,240
Speaker 1: I wanted to say it to you this way today,

691
00:40:03,440 --> 00:40:06,959
Speaker 1: where you're headed is better than where you have been.

692
00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:11,680
Speaker 1: There is more to come in twenty twenty one. Come on, somebody,

693
00:40:11,760 --> 00:40:14,640
Speaker 1: if you believe it, thank God in advance. What do

694
00:40:14,680 --> 00:40:20,440
Speaker 1: you see? What do you see? I'm a man? In

695
00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:23,280
Speaker 1: verse twenty four, he looked up and said, I see people.

696
00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:27,640
Speaker 1: They look like trees walking around. What a peculiar thing

697
00:40:27,960 --> 00:40:32,000
Speaker 1: to say. He opens his eyes and says, I see

698
00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:37,080
Speaker 1: trees and they look like people walking around. I think

699
00:40:37,120 --> 00:40:42,000
Speaker 1: it's really peculiar because obviously he's not seeing clearly yet.

700
00:40:42,280 --> 00:40:46,200
Speaker 1: Still Jesus has touched him, Jesus has walked with him,

701
00:40:46,280 --> 00:40:48,799
Speaker 1: Jesus has spit on him. I could preach that one

702
00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:52,440
Speaker 1: of these days. And now Jesus has asked him, do

703
00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:53,879
Speaker 1: you see? And the man still goes now, I see people.

704
00:40:53,880 --> 00:40:56,040
Speaker 1: They look like trees walking around. What a peculiar thing

705
00:40:56,080 --> 00:40:59,439
Speaker 1: to say. I heard one preacher one time say, oh,

706
00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:01,720
Speaker 1: this is because the man was now seen with spiritual

707
00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:05,440
Speaker 1: lenses and the people walking around that look like trees.

708
00:41:05,480 --> 00:41:08,359
Speaker 1: Well that's because that's a metaphor of playing the long game,

709
00:41:09,160 --> 00:41:10,719
Speaker 1: and that you and I were called to be like

710
00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:14,000
Speaker 1: trees planted by living water. We're not called to be

711
00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:16,279
Speaker 1: like the grass that withers and fades, were called to

712
00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:20,360
Speaker 1: be like trees that bend and do not break. I

713
00:41:20,360 --> 00:41:22,760
Speaker 1: thought that was beautiful. But I'm just not that spiritual.

714
00:41:24,320 --> 00:41:28,680
Speaker 1: I'm a little bit more practical than that. I think

715
00:41:28,719 --> 00:41:31,040
Speaker 1: the obvious reason why the man looks up and says,

716
00:41:31,080 --> 00:41:33,000
Speaker 1: I see people and they look like trees is because

717
00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:37,960
Speaker 1: the man still does not have his eyesight back. And

718
00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:41,080
Speaker 1: what we are witnessing is we are witnessing a gradual miracle.

719
00:41:41,160 --> 00:41:47,120
Speaker 1: We are witnessing a miracle in process. I don't know,

720
00:41:47,160 --> 00:41:49,759
Speaker 1: I just I got to make an observation. If you

721
00:41:49,800 --> 00:41:53,360
Speaker 1: were born blind, you would not know what people look like.

722
00:41:55,400 --> 00:41:59,240
Speaker 1: If you were born blind, you wouldn't know what trees

723
00:41:59,280 --> 00:42:03,680
Speaker 1: look like. It leads mean to bely that this man

724
00:42:03,719 --> 00:42:07,239
Speaker 1: was not born blind, but instead this man lost his

725
00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:15,680
Speaker 1: vision along the way. I wonder if you're watching today

726
00:42:16,640 --> 00:42:21,080
Speaker 1: and this year twenty twenty has taken your vision. I

727
00:42:21,160 --> 00:42:24,200
Speaker 1: wonder if this year has taken your dream. I wonder

728
00:42:24,239 --> 00:42:27,239
Speaker 1: if this year has taken your calling. I wonder if

729
00:42:27,280 --> 00:42:30,480
Speaker 1: you lost your marriage. I wonder if you lost your business.

730
00:42:30,640 --> 00:42:34,240
Speaker 1: I wonder if you lost some friendships. Can I prophesy today,

731
00:42:34,520 --> 00:42:37,719
Speaker 1: can I declare to every home and household that which

732
00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:41,440
Speaker 1: the devil stole? I declare you can get it back

733
00:42:41,880 --> 00:42:45,719
Speaker 1: in Jesus. Come on, somebody give him praise all over

734
00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:52,439
Speaker 1: this place, give him praise today. I'm gonna need some help,

735
00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:58,440
Speaker 1: worship team. You can get it back that which you lost.

736
00:42:58,600 --> 00:43:03,560
Speaker 1: I declare you can get it back in Christ Jesus.

737
00:43:07,440 --> 00:43:12,560
Speaker 1: Why because verse twenty five says once more, Everyone say

738
00:43:12,560 --> 00:43:16,880
Speaker 1: once more, once more Jesus put his hands on the

739
00:43:16,920 --> 00:43:20,040
Speaker 1: man's eyes. Oh can I tell you today that you

740
00:43:20,080 --> 00:43:23,520
Speaker 1: serve the once more God. Come on, anybody believe in

741
00:43:23,520 --> 00:43:29,440
Speaker 1: the once more God, the miracle, wonder working power of Jesus. Friends,

742
00:43:29,520 --> 00:43:33,080
Speaker 1: This this is grace. This is grace that God comes

743
00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:35,799
Speaker 1: to us when we cannot get to him, and he

744
00:43:35,920 --> 00:43:42,040
Speaker 1: touches us once more once more. I grew up in

745
00:43:42,120 --> 00:43:44,360
Speaker 1: church and we just to have these things called alter calls.

746
00:43:47,280 --> 00:43:49,160
Speaker 1: And in the church I grew up in Yo, you

747
00:43:49,400 --> 00:43:53,120
Speaker 1: know you there, like my dad would preach. If he

748
00:43:53,120 --> 00:43:55,080
Speaker 1: saw me talking, he would call me out in the sermon,

749
00:43:55,560 --> 00:44:02,120
Speaker 1: Hey boy, shut up, just wet my pants. And I

750
00:44:02,160 --> 00:44:04,279
Speaker 1: can just remember so many times every service an altar call.

751
00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:08,120
Speaker 1: Do you ever have that moment where you just you're

752
00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:11,279
Speaker 1: in God's presence and the man or the woman that's

753
00:44:11,320 --> 00:44:15,440
Speaker 1: bringing the word, it's like it's coming right for you.

754
00:44:15,440 --> 00:44:16,960
Speaker 1: You get that moment where your heart's beating, you know,

755
00:44:17,000 --> 00:44:19,560
Speaker 1: your palms are sweating. It's not an eminem song, it's

756
00:44:19,600 --> 00:44:24,320
Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit. And I can just remember throughout my

757
00:44:24,880 --> 00:44:27,680
Speaker 1: teenage years, just how many you know, people talk about

758
00:44:27,719 --> 00:44:30,719
Speaker 1: these these moments that like, just that's the day I

759
00:44:30,719 --> 00:44:32,799
Speaker 1: get my life to Jesus. And I never wavered. That's

760
00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:36,080
Speaker 1: not my story. I don't know how many times I

761
00:44:36,160 --> 00:44:39,600
Speaker 1: walk that long aisle. I don't know how many alter

762
00:44:39,719 --> 00:44:44,080
Speaker 1: calls I responded to, but it was a lot. Thank

763
00:44:44,120 --> 00:44:48,080
Speaker 1: you God for your grace, and I I just remember

764
00:44:49,400 --> 00:44:51,200
Speaker 1: coming to the altar and going, God, come on, you

765
00:44:51,239 --> 00:44:59,680
Speaker 1: can't forgive me again. God, it's the same thing I know.

766
00:44:59,760 --> 00:45:05,359
Speaker 1: I'm I did it again. I lost it again. I'm

767
00:45:05,400 --> 00:45:11,440
Speaker 1: messed up again. Do you have any more chances? Do

768
00:45:11,440 --> 00:45:14,000
Speaker 1: you have any more opportunities? And every time, every time,

769
00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:17,120
Speaker 1: and He's saying it right now, God, how much moist

770
00:45:17,160 --> 00:45:22,680
Speaker 1: is once more? Once more? Once more? More? I'm not

771
00:45:22,719 --> 00:45:25,440
Speaker 1: finished with you. Being confident of he who began a

772
00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:27,760
Speaker 1: good work and you will carry it out into completion

773
00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:31,680
Speaker 1: once more, the scripture says in verse twenty five says,

774
00:45:31,719 --> 00:45:36,960
Speaker 1: then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and

775
00:45:37,000 --> 00:45:42,120
Speaker 1: he saw everything clearly. That word restored means to be

776
00:45:42,160 --> 00:45:48,120
Speaker 1: brought back to its original state. Anyone ever have that thought?

777
00:45:48,120 --> 00:45:52,280
Speaker 1: In twenty twenty, can we get a do over? Remember

778
00:45:52,280 --> 00:45:55,600
Speaker 1: the Nintendo when that game wasn't working when you pulled

779
00:45:55,600 --> 00:46:06,200
Speaker 1: it out. I felt like that a couple of times

780
00:46:06,200 --> 00:46:13,800
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty. Reset Please Reset, Please God, God's like

781
00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:17,759
Speaker 1: restore to the original state. This is why Jesus came.

782
00:46:18,480 --> 00:46:22,959
Speaker 1: He came on a restoration mission. Ever since Genesis three,

783
00:46:23,040 --> 00:46:26,160
Speaker 1: when man sinned and shame has come into the world

784
00:46:26,200 --> 00:46:29,120
Speaker 1: and death, Jesus came not just to save us. He

785
00:46:29,200 --> 00:46:34,520
Speaker 1: came to restore us. I have this old Jeep and

786
00:46:35,600 --> 00:46:37,120
Speaker 1: it sits in my driveway. I've had it since I

787
00:46:37,160 --> 00:46:39,279
Speaker 1: was seventeen. It's paid off, It's just this beautiful car.

788
00:46:39,320 --> 00:46:41,120
Speaker 1: I just love it. It's just been a part of

789
00:46:41,320 --> 00:46:42,919
Speaker 1: my childhood and I've just kept it and I don't

790
00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:44,400
Speaker 1: drive it much. In fact, I haven't driven it for

791
00:46:44,400 --> 00:46:45,680
Speaker 1: like six months. And the other day I wanted to

792
00:46:45,760 --> 00:46:47,359
Speaker 1: use it and I came out, and when I opened

793
00:46:47,360 --> 00:46:50,719
Speaker 1: the door, I was shocked because the whole entire car

794
00:46:50,840 --> 00:46:53,680
Speaker 1: was full of mildew and mold. The steering wool was green,

795
00:46:53,920 --> 00:46:56,000
Speaker 1: and the front seat was green. And I said, how

796
00:46:56,040 --> 00:46:57,800
Speaker 1: on earth did this happen? The car when it started,

797
00:46:57,840 --> 00:46:59,719
Speaker 1: when it worked, And then I discovered that I had

798
00:46:59,760 --> 00:47:03,000
Speaker 1: just I left the window just cracks, just a little bit,

799
00:47:05,160 --> 00:47:07,880
Speaker 1: just a little crack, let the rain water get in.

800
00:47:09,200 --> 00:47:10,960
Speaker 1: Isn't it amazing that when we just leave a little

801
00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:12,640
Speaker 1: crack to a heart, how the enemy can get a

802
00:47:12,640 --> 00:47:17,520
Speaker 1: foothold and some of us it was just a little

803
00:47:17,520 --> 00:47:20,359
Speaker 1: bit of dishonesty, but it's just started to corrupt that heart.

804
00:47:21,680 --> 00:47:24,360
Speaker 1: Was it was just a little window in the marriage

805
00:47:24,360 --> 00:47:27,920
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty, and it just the things deteriorating. It

806
00:47:28,040 --> 00:47:32,359
Speaker 1: was just a little bit of just a little bit

807
00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:34,320
Speaker 1: of a lack of character when it came to our business.

808
00:47:34,640 --> 00:47:36,120
Speaker 1: It was just a little bit of not serving, a

809
00:47:36,120 --> 00:47:38,280
Speaker 1: little bit of not giving. And I don't know what happened,

810
00:47:38,280 --> 00:47:42,560
Speaker 1: but I reminded of when the Theologian, when Solomon says,

811
00:47:42,600 --> 00:47:47,440
Speaker 1: above all else, guard that heart, for it's the wellspring

812
00:47:47,440 --> 00:47:51,680
Speaker 1: of life. Keep that window close, don't you open up

813
00:47:51,719 --> 00:47:58,839
Speaker 1: that window. It seeps in and lets the wrong stuff in,

814
00:48:00,040 --> 00:48:04,279
Speaker 1: and it's just a little bit. It's just a little bit.

815
00:48:06,480 --> 00:48:09,839
Speaker 1: But Jesus, he doesn't shy away. He touches the man,

816
00:48:10,719 --> 00:48:13,720
Speaker 1: and when he touches the man once more, his eyes

817
00:48:13,719 --> 00:48:17,880
Speaker 1: are restored back to the original state. He can see clearly.

818
00:48:17,920 --> 00:48:21,480
Speaker 1: Eugene Peterson, he says it this way. He says that

819
00:48:21,520 --> 00:48:31,320
Speaker 1: the man could see clearly with twenty twenty vision. Anybody

820
00:48:31,400 --> 00:48:36,560
Speaker 1: feel like it took twenty twenty to give you twenty

821
00:48:36,600 --> 00:48:40,960
Speaker 1: twenty spiritual vision. Anyone feel like out there that you

822
00:48:40,960 --> 00:48:42,799
Speaker 1: had to go through some shaking, you had to go

823
00:48:42,840 --> 00:48:45,040
Speaker 1: through some turbulence, you had to go through some pain

824
00:48:45,400 --> 00:48:50,000
Speaker 1: that your eyes might be opened up. Oh. I want

825
00:48:50,040 --> 00:48:51,719
Speaker 1: to say to people out there right now, to some

826
00:48:51,760 --> 00:48:53,960
Speaker 1: of you, you have been waiting a long time. Some

827
00:48:54,040 --> 00:48:55,880
Speaker 1: of you you're on the brink of giving up. But

828
00:48:55,920 --> 00:48:59,480
Speaker 1: I would say, don't give up, hang on, keep on waiting.

829
00:49:00,080 --> 00:49:02,480
Speaker 1: You're going on. I've just been waiting so long. No, no no, no, friend,

830
00:49:02,719 --> 00:49:06,000
Speaker 1: you are not waiting. God is restoring. I know, but

831
00:49:06,040 --> 00:49:08,760
Speaker 1: I've been waiting so so long. No, no no, you're not waiting.

832
00:49:08,800 --> 00:49:11,480
Speaker 1: God is restoring. God is bringing you back to the

833
00:49:11,520 --> 00:49:15,239
Speaker 1: original state. Keep the window up, keep your heart sealed up,

834
00:49:15,440 --> 00:49:21,040
Speaker 1: keep it closed up. He's bringing you back, He's restoring you.

835
00:49:23,120 --> 00:49:24,880
Speaker 1: Some of you know the story of Dontrie and I.

836
00:49:24,920 --> 00:49:27,920
Speaker 1: We went eight years on an infertility journey. Eight years,

837
00:49:27,920 --> 00:49:31,520
Speaker 1: could not have kids, talk to doctor after doctor, couldn't

838
00:49:31,560 --> 00:49:33,880
Speaker 1: seem to find the miracle. I love our God. Its

839
00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:36,919
Speaker 1: scripture says he gives every good and perfect gift. God

840
00:49:36,960 --> 00:49:38,680
Speaker 1: doesn't have a good plan for you, friend, he has

841
00:49:38,719 --> 00:49:42,040
Speaker 1: the best planned for you. We came to a revelation

842
00:49:42,160 --> 00:49:44,919
Speaker 1: somewhere on the journey. It feels like we're blind out

843
00:49:44,920 --> 00:49:47,360
Speaker 1: here in the village. But guess what. It's better to

844
00:49:47,360 --> 00:49:50,520
Speaker 1: be blind with Jesus than to have eyesight and have

845
00:49:50,600 --> 00:49:52,960
Speaker 1: a baby in our hands. If we never get a baby,

846
00:49:53,239 --> 00:49:58,000
Speaker 1: Jesus is more than enough. Our family is complete in Jesus.

847
00:49:59,600 --> 00:50:02,440
Speaker 1: But don't you We just love God. Eight years of trying.

848
00:50:02,840 --> 00:50:05,520
Speaker 1: That number eight means the number of new beginnings. January

849
00:50:05,560 --> 00:50:09,120
Speaker 1: of twenty eighteen, my wife gave birth to our firstborn son,

850
00:50:09,480 --> 00:50:15,560
Speaker 1: Wyatt Wesley will Curson. He's a miracle boy. We were happy.

851
00:50:15,600 --> 00:50:18,520
Speaker 1: We thought we won the lotto. Yo, I got a son. Yo,

852
00:50:19,080 --> 00:50:22,240
Speaker 1: this is my son, whom I love and then will please.

853
00:50:23,760 --> 00:50:25,560
Speaker 1: But God's like, nah nah, I'm the God who gives

854
00:50:25,560 --> 00:50:28,920
Speaker 1: you double for your trouble. And so that's why this passed.

855
00:50:28,920 --> 00:50:31,520
Speaker 1: October in twenty nineteen, my wife gave birth to our

856
00:50:31,560 --> 00:50:37,440
Speaker 1: second born son, wild Wesley will Curson. I'm like, I

857
00:50:37,480 --> 00:50:40,480
Speaker 1: got two boys. I can't even carry my blessing. I

858
00:50:40,520 --> 00:50:43,600
Speaker 1: can barely hold them. We're good, God, We're good. But

859
00:50:43,640 --> 00:50:46,840
Speaker 1: God's like, nah, nah nah, that ain't cool. I'm still

860
00:50:46,880 --> 00:50:49,319
Speaker 1: working something in your life. Don Shree can't be in

861
00:50:49,360 --> 00:50:51,560
Speaker 1: that house with three men. She's going to need a

862
00:50:51,600 --> 00:50:55,240
Speaker 1: companion herself. That's why I'm proud to announce in July

863
00:50:55,440 --> 00:50:58,000
Speaker 1: of twenty twenty one, my wife is gonna have our

864
00:50:58,040 --> 00:51:05,680
Speaker 1: third child. It's a baby girl whoa I would say

865
00:51:05,719 --> 00:51:10,760
Speaker 1: to you, if the vision seems flow in coming, wait

866
00:51:10,880 --> 00:51:15,600
Speaker 1: for for those that wait upon the Lord shall renew

867
00:51:15,640 --> 00:51:23,759
Speaker 1: their strength. You're not waiting. He's restoring. He's restoring. This

868
00:51:23,880 --> 00:51:27,440
Speaker 1: year's been long, but he's restoring. He's restoring. I gotta

869
00:51:27,480 --> 00:51:30,600
Speaker 1: I gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go. But

870
00:51:30,680 --> 00:51:33,040
Speaker 1: I love Jesus he does. This progressive New yoricle didn't

871
00:51:33,080 --> 00:51:39,440
Speaker 1: happen overnight. It happened over time, my jeep, it just

872
00:51:39,440 --> 00:51:42,560
Speaker 1: got restored. I drove it to my friend. I said,

873
00:51:42,560 --> 00:51:45,239
Speaker 1: bro help me, and over time he just turned it

874
00:51:45,239 --> 00:51:49,680
Speaker 1: back and it's in good condition. Restoration is possible. It

875
00:51:49,800 --> 00:51:54,920
Speaker 1: just might not happen overnight. That's what the Lord show me.

876
00:51:55,320 --> 00:51:56,759
Speaker 1: This is what Jesus says. I just I gotta go.

877
00:51:56,880 --> 00:51:58,960
Speaker 1: Jesus says, okay, does this miracle? What does Jesus say?

878
00:51:59,000 --> 00:52:02,640
Speaker 1: It's last first twenty six, he says. Jesus sent him home, saying,

879
00:52:02,920 --> 00:52:09,160
Speaker 1: don't even go into the village. Someone say, don't go

880
00:52:09,280 --> 00:52:15,759
Speaker 1: back to the village. I don't know what's up with

881
00:52:15,800 --> 00:52:20,480
Speaker 1: this village. I don't know what Jesus saw that we

882
00:52:20,560 --> 00:52:24,839
Speaker 1: don't see. But I do know that sometimes people they

883
00:52:24,840 --> 00:52:27,040
Speaker 1: get healed, but they go right back to the place

884
00:52:27,080 --> 00:52:32,800
Speaker 1: that hurt them. I know that some people they find freedom,

885
00:52:32,800 --> 00:52:36,200
Speaker 1: but they go right back to the place that enslaved them.

886
00:52:37,000 --> 00:52:40,280
Speaker 1: Some people they step into the light, and the moments

887
00:52:40,320 --> 00:52:42,120
Speaker 1: they step in the light, they find themselves running back

888
00:52:42,120 --> 00:52:44,759
Speaker 1: to the darkness. Don't go back to the village. In

889
00:52:44,800 --> 00:52:46,839
Speaker 1: twenty twenty one, come on, someone say, don't go back

890
00:52:46,880 --> 00:52:49,880
Speaker 1: to the village. Don't go back to the village. Don't

891
00:52:49,920 --> 00:52:52,640
Speaker 1: go back to the thing that was holding you back.

892
00:52:55,760 --> 00:52:59,560
Speaker 1: I don't know why Jesus said don't go into the village,

893
00:53:00,080 --> 00:53:04,720
Speaker 1: because really, the only evidence I have about the village

894
00:53:04,960 --> 00:53:10,560
Speaker 1: is good stuff. This is the people who brought the man.

895
00:53:10,680 --> 00:53:13,560
Speaker 1: This is the sum people who brought the man to Jesus.

896
00:53:14,400 --> 00:53:18,759
Speaker 1: And it got me thinking, maybe Jesus says, don't go

897
00:53:18,800 --> 00:53:21,600
Speaker 1: back to the village, not because the village is bad,

898
00:53:23,239 --> 00:53:27,000
Speaker 1: But maybe it's just as simple of the fact that

899
00:53:27,040 --> 00:53:34,359
Speaker 1: it's because the village is big. The village isn't isn't bad,

900
00:53:34,440 --> 00:53:38,440
Speaker 1: It's just it's big. You know what I've learned on

901
00:53:38,480 --> 00:53:44,840
Speaker 1: my journey that gradual miracles are no place for the masses.

902
00:53:49,000 --> 00:53:56,040
Speaker 1: Arenas don't gather for practice. Crowds don't show up backstage,

903
00:53:56,640 --> 00:54:02,279
Speaker 1: theaters don't fill up to witness the process. And I

904
00:54:02,320 --> 00:54:05,000
Speaker 1: think Jesus was saying, if you go back to that

905
00:54:05,120 --> 00:54:12,600
Speaker 1: village big only knows how to celebrate big. And if

906
00:54:12,640 --> 00:54:17,520
Speaker 1: your measuring stick is simply reduced down to this word big,

907
00:54:18,920 --> 00:54:23,120
Speaker 1: you're gonna always feel small. Some of you just keep going.

908
00:54:23,160 --> 00:54:24,480
Speaker 1: God's gonna do a big thing. God's gonna do a

909
00:54:24,520 --> 00:54:26,400
Speaker 1: big thing. But you have not defined what a big

910
00:54:26,480 --> 00:54:30,279
Speaker 1: thing is. And if you just take that miracle right

911
00:54:30,320 --> 00:54:32,160
Speaker 1: back to the masses, they're just gonna go to the

912
00:54:32,200 --> 00:54:34,920
Speaker 1: lowest common denominator. And if they would have gone back

913
00:54:34,920 --> 00:54:36,440
Speaker 1: to the village, the village, you would have said, oh,

914
00:54:36,440 --> 00:54:40,600
Speaker 1: my goodness, Jesus is a healer. He opens blinded eyes,

915
00:54:40,920 --> 00:54:43,120
Speaker 1: and that would have been very true, and that should

916
00:54:43,120 --> 00:54:46,040
Speaker 1: be celebrated. But I believe Jesus was saying, if you

917
00:54:46,080 --> 00:54:49,239
Speaker 1: start celebrating the wrong thing, you're gonna repeat the wrong thing.

918
00:54:49,760 --> 00:54:52,840
Speaker 1: I opened up your physical eyes, but I did something

919
00:54:52,920 --> 00:54:55,799
Speaker 1: much deeper. For there will be a day when you

920
00:54:55,880 --> 00:54:59,120
Speaker 1: can't see again, but this time you will know you

921
00:54:59,200 --> 00:55:03,200
Speaker 1: can keep all walking. Little by little, bit by bit,

922
00:55:03,719 --> 00:55:08,239
Speaker 1: moment by moment, day by day, you will know I'm

923
00:55:08,280 --> 00:55:16,400
Speaker 1: not just a healer. I'm a savior whoa it's little

924
00:55:16,400 --> 00:55:20,400
Speaker 1: by little. We tend to overestimate what we can do

925
00:55:20,480 --> 00:55:23,960
Speaker 1: in one year and clearly underestimate what God could do

926
00:55:24,040 --> 00:55:31,399
Speaker 1: over ten years. God, I'm choosing to follow you day

927
00:55:31,400 --> 00:55:39,040
Speaker 1: by day, moment by moment, little by little, just a

928
00:55:39,040 --> 00:55:43,640
Speaker 1: little bit. I'm just growing. I'm just it's gradual. I

929
00:55:43,680 --> 00:55:46,680
Speaker 1: know you can't see it much, but I'm becoming. Where

930
00:55:46,680 --> 00:55:49,239
Speaker 1: I'm headed, it's better than where I've been. The only

931
00:55:49,239 --> 00:55:50,759
Speaker 1: thing more important with who I am today is is

932
00:55:50,800 --> 00:55:52,840
Speaker 1: who I'm becoming tomorrow. And so you don't see much today,

933
00:55:52,840 --> 00:55:54,359
Speaker 1: but little by little I'm growing. How do you build

934
00:55:54,360 --> 00:55:56,200
Speaker 1: a good marriage little by little? How do you build

935
00:55:56,200 --> 00:55:57,959
Speaker 1: a great church? Little by little? How do you build

936
00:55:57,960 --> 00:55:59,640
Speaker 1: a business? Little by little? How do you build healthy

937
00:55:59,640 --> 00:56:02,440
Speaker 1: friendsttle by little? It's little by little. You need a

938
00:56:02,520 --> 00:56:07,719
Speaker 1: new measuring stick, You need a new measuring stick. It's

939
00:56:07,800 --> 00:56:16,120
Speaker 1: little by little, little by little. I just want to

940
00:56:16,120 --> 00:56:19,279
Speaker 1: pray for people before we sing, because I just sense

941
00:56:19,320 --> 00:56:23,160
Speaker 1: the power of the Holy Spirit. Some of you are

942
00:56:23,160 --> 00:56:29,200
Speaker 1: so disappointed, so hurt, so frustrated, but you're growing. You

943
00:56:29,320 --> 00:56:32,560
Speaker 1: just can't see it. And some of God's greatest miracles

944
00:56:32,600 --> 00:56:36,880
Speaker 1: are not immediate. They are progressive. They're progressive. Come on

945
00:56:36,920 --> 00:56:39,879
Speaker 1: the journey, Church, and you lift your hands towards heaven. Lord,

946
00:56:39,880 --> 00:56:42,640
Speaker 1: I thank you for every person right now who's listening

947
00:56:42,680 --> 00:56:44,040
Speaker 1: at the sound of my voice. I think for every

948
00:56:44,040 --> 00:56:47,799
Speaker 1: person on the other end of that screen. And Lord,

949
00:56:47,840 --> 00:56:51,279
Speaker 1: I prophesy and declare today that they are growing gradually,

950
00:56:52,000 --> 00:56:55,319
Speaker 1: that little by little, Lord, they are making gains. I

951
00:56:55,360 --> 00:56:57,400
Speaker 1: pray that today, Lord, they wouldn't give up, they wouldn't

952
00:56:57,480 --> 00:57:00,359
Speaker 1: back down, but they would be full of faith. God.

953
00:57:00,360 --> 00:57:03,000
Speaker 1: We don't just want to celebrate the immediate. We don't

954
00:57:03,040 --> 00:57:05,480
Speaker 1: want to get lost in the hype. Lor. We want

955
00:57:05,560 --> 00:57:07,640
Speaker 1: you to make us holy. We want you to make

956
00:57:07,719 --> 00:57:11,279
Speaker 1: us strong. We want you to make us deeper. God,

957
00:57:11,280 --> 00:57:14,600
Speaker 1: I pray for elevation. Church thought. I believe the best

958
00:57:14,640 --> 00:57:17,480
Speaker 1: stays are in front of this church thought. I believe

959
00:57:17,480 --> 00:57:20,040
Speaker 1: that we're just scratching the surface of all the things

960
00:57:20,080 --> 00:57:23,200
Speaker 1: you're going to do and want to do. But Lord,

961
00:57:23,200 --> 00:57:26,760
Speaker 1: today we commit once again. It doesn't have to happen overnight.

962
00:57:26,960 --> 00:57:29,560
Speaker 1: But God, what you did in the first fifteen years, Lord,

963
00:57:29,560 --> 00:57:32,680
Speaker 1: we're signing up again for another fifteen years. If you

964
00:57:32,680 --> 00:57:36,960
Speaker 1: can use anything, Lord, use us. We're available to you.

965
00:57:37,240 --> 00:57:40,320
Speaker 1: We want to be used by you. We're gonna grow slow,

966
00:57:40,560 --> 00:57:43,959
Speaker 1: We're gonna stay on the path. We're still standing even

967
00:57:44,000 --> 00:57:47,480
Speaker 1: after a pandemic. We're still standing, even though the world

968
00:57:47,560 --> 00:57:51,040
Speaker 1: has been divided, and we're united under the name of Jesus.

969
00:57:51,200 --> 00:57:54,560
Speaker 1: So we commit again to plant seed to water seed,

970
00:57:54,880 --> 00:57:58,400
Speaker 1: to plant seed to water seed, to plant seed to

971
00:57:58,560 --> 00:58:02,240
Speaker 1: water seed, and we're gonna as that our God will

972
00:58:02,480 --> 00:58:07,400
Speaker 1: make it. Well, believe it. Give God some praise, Come

973
00:58:07,400 --> 00:58:12,240
Speaker 1: on the workship, lift your hand, lift your voice, come on,

974
00:58:12,400 --> 00:58:19,400
Speaker 1: sing it out. But I know you are blessed by

975
00:58:19,440 --> 00:58:22,720
Speaker 1: that word. Man. Thank God that he sends who we

976
00:58:22,760 --> 00:58:25,120
Speaker 1: need to speak, and he says what we need to

977
00:58:25,200 --> 00:58:27,080
Speaker 1: hear in the moment when we need it the most.

978
00:58:27,600 --> 00:58:30,440
Speaker 1: Hope you had a great Christmas. We're praying for you

979
00:58:30,480 --> 00:58:33,480
Speaker 1: as we enter another year. We know that nothing magical

980
00:58:33,600 --> 00:58:36,600
Speaker 1: is going to happen because the calendar changes, but we

981
00:58:36,640 --> 00:58:40,360
Speaker 1: are believing for a fresh perspective like we heard about today.

982
00:58:40,680 --> 00:58:43,040
Speaker 1: And I want to thank all of you who gave

983
00:58:43,160 --> 00:58:46,760
Speaker 1: an are giving to our favor offering. There's still time

984
00:58:46,840 --> 00:58:48,760
Speaker 1: to do it, you know. If you believe in what

985
00:58:48,880 --> 00:58:52,680
Speaker 1: this ministry is doing, get the word out by investing

986
00:58:52,720 --> 00:58:55,360
Speaker 1: and also by sharing. If you're not subscribed to this channel,

987
00:58:55,920 --> 00:58:58,480
Speaker 1: and if you've never shared a link with somebody, do that. Man.

988
00:58:58,560 --> 00:59:01,600
Speaker 1: It's just a wonderful for us to build God's kingdom

989
00:59:01,640 --> 00:59:04,120
Speaker 1: together and see his will done on earth as it

990
00:59:04,160 --> 00:59:06,440
Speaker 1: is in heaven. But you'd be blessed and we'll see

991
00:59:06,480 --> 00:59:08,600
Speaker 1: you real soon. Holly, and I love you very much.