Latest / Meadows Baptist Church Podcast / The Offering of Self - 8/31/26 - Meadows Baptist Church Missions Conference - Bro. Gary Crisp

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The Offering of Self - 8/31/26 - Meadows Baptist Church Missions Conference - Bro. Gary Crisp · Meadows Baptist Church Podcast

0:02
Welcome to [music] the podcast of
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Meadows Baptist Church of Walnut Cove,
0:07
North Carolina. We're so glad [music]
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you joined us today. If you enjoy
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today's message, be sure to subscribe,
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[music] follow, and share with your
0:15
friends. Now, let's join Pastor [music]
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Charlie Branch with a word from God.
0:26
>> Amen. Good to be in the house of the
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Lord tonight. Sure am thankful it's well
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with my soul. Amen.
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>> Well, if it's not with yours, it can be
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before the night's over with.
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>> Sure am thankful. I can tell people that
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God's still in the saving business.
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>> And the blood still works.
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>> Holy Ghost still draws.
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>> Jesus still saving. Amen.
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>> Thank the Lord for that. That's why the
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Head family wants to get out west so
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they can tell him tell them people that
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Jesus still saving it. Amen.
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>> My brother Brian, his family trying to
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get to Scotland. Go tell people Jesus
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still saved. Amen.
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>> We want to get them there as quickly as
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we can. Amen.
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>> Uh people are dying every day without
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Jesus and they need to hear that. Well,
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it's good to be here. Take your Bibles
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tonight. Let's go to the book of Second
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Corinthians.
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2 Corinthians chapter number eight
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tonight. Real familiar, especially
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around missions meetings. I just give
1:24
you a simple little thought tonight. try
1:25
to mind the Lord this evening. I've been
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working on something to me was newer and
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fresh and I thought I had it ready, but
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um Lord sees
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sees something I don't. Amen. So, we
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going to go to something uh something
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more familiar probably to many of you. 2
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Corinthians chapter number eight.
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Of course, this is the second letter
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that Paul is writing to the church at
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Corenth. He's done written one. And in
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that first letter, of course, it wasn't
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broken up in chapters when he wrote it,
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but in chapter 16, he tells these
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Corinthians about an offering.
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He'd already given order to the church
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of of Galatia, and he's wanting the
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church of Corinth to do this as well,
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that upon the first day of the week,
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everyone's to boast to lay by them in
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store if God has prospered them. And
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then he said he's going to send somebody
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by and pick up that offering and they're
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going to be using it for the saints in a
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different location.
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>> We realize that this offering that he's
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dealing with in First Corinthians
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chapter 16 is not a tithe offering.
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>> Nobody comes by our churches and picks
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up our tithes and takes them somewhere
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else. Amen.
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>> So he's not talking about a tithe
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offering. He's talking about a different
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offering. And so um the churches of
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Galatia has been doing this. The church
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of Corinth is committed to do this. And
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now Paul's going to re be reminding this
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church at Corinth about this commitment
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to give uh as he had already commanded
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them to here in 2 Corinthians chapter
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number eight. Look at with me in verse
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number one. The Bible said, "Moreover,
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brethren, we do you to wit of the grace
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of God bestowed on the churches of
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Macedonia,
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how that in a great trial of affliction,
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the abundance of their joy, and their
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deep poverty abounded under the riches
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of their liberality. For to their power,
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I bear record, yay, and beyond their
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power. They were willing of themselves,
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praying us with much intreaty, that we
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would receive the gift, and take upon us
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the fellowship of the ministering to the
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saints.
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This they did, not as we hope, but first
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gave their own selves to the Lord, and
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unto us by the will of God, in so much
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that we desired Titus, that as he had
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begun, so he would also finish in you
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the same grace also.
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Therefore, as ye abound in everything,
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in faith and utterance and knowledge,
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and in all diligence, and in your love
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to us, see that ye abound in this grace
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also. I speak not by commandment, but by
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occasion of the forwardness of others,
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and to prove the sincerity of your love.
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You know the grace of the Lord Jesus
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Christ, that though he was rich, yet for
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your sakes he became poor, that ye
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through his poverty might be rich. And
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herein I give my advice, for this is
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expedient for you, who have begun
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before, not only to do, but also to be
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forward a year ago. Now therefore
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perform the doing of it, that as there
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was a readiness to will, so there may be
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a performance also out of that which you
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have. For if there be first a willing
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mind, is accepted according to that a
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man hath, and not according to that he
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hath not. For I mean not that other men
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be eased, and ye be burdened, but by an
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equality, that now at this time your
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abundance may be a supply for their
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want, and that their abundance also may
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be a supply for your want, that there
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may be equality. Let's pray. Father, we
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are truly grateful for this privilege
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you've given us to come back together
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again this evening. Lord, I thank you
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for everything that has already been
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said and done. Lord, thank you for the
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singing. It stirred our hearts and uh
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we're grateful for it. Lord, I thank you
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for the presentation, [snorts]
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the heart, the the ministry, God, that
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you call brother Jonathan, his family
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to. Lord, I pray that you'd get them
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there quickly that they might be a
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witness, Lord, to those that need to
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hear about Jesus. Lord, I thank you for
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this church. Thank you, Lord, for their
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love that they've already shown to us. I
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pray rich blessings upon each one that's
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here this evening as we look into the
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word of God. Would you please Lord
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please speak the hearts tonight. Lord,
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do what only you can do in this service.
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God, if you will touch me fresh, give me
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liberty to preach. And God, we'll try
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our very best to thank you for whatever
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it is that you do, Lord, for it's in
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Jesus precious name that we pray. And
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amen. As Paul begins to remind these
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Corinthians about the commitment that
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they have made to give, he is turning
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their attention toward an area known as
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Macedonia.
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Macedonia was located in northern
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Greece. And in that Macedonian area, you
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had three good churches. You had the
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church of Philippi, the church of
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Thessalonica, and the church of Berea.
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Those churches are in that Macedonian
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area. Those churches are the one that
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he's wanting the Corinthians to look at.
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That word wit means to look at. So he
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said, "Moreover, brethren, we knew you
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to wit to look at the grace of God
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bestowed on the churches of Macedonia."
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Then he goes into detail giving us some
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information about these churches of
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Macedonia. What God is doing in midst
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these churches of Macedonia and he wants
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them to get in on what's happening in
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Macedonia.
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A lot of negative things have been said
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about the church of Corinth and I
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understand that to an extent. They did
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deal with a whole lot of carnality and
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things of that nature. But in verse
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number seven, under the inspiration of
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the Holy Ghost, Paul says this about
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those church or that church at Corinth,
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he said, "Therefore, as ye the
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Corinthians, abound in everything."
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>> What about that? That church at Corinth
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was abounding. Well, Paul said under the
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inspiration of the Holy Ghost, in
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everything.
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>> And he begins to list those things in
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faith and utterance and knowledge and in
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all diligence and in your love to us.
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Then he adds this. See that you abound
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in this grace also. What grace is he
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referring to? [snorts] He's referring to
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the grace that is being bestowed upon
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those churches in Macedonia. Again, he's
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trying to turn their direction to look
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at what was happening in Macedonia. For
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the next little bit, if God help us, I
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want us as a church. Let's look at
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Macedonia together. as Paul charged the
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Corinthians to do. And let's see what's
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happening in Macedonia. In verse number
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two, we start to see a few interesting
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things about these churches of
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Macedonia. First of all, we read this
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how that in a great trial of affliction.
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>> We see that these churches, these people
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in Macedonia are dealing with a great
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trial of affliction.
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I love how the Holy Ghost uses
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adjectives.
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>> They're not just dealing with a trial.
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>> It's not just a trial of affliction.
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>> The Holy Ghost wanted us to know that
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it's a great trial
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>> of affliction. That's right.
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>> I'm not real sure exactly what it might
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have been. I've got some ideas, but
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that's neither here or there. It really
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don't matter what that trial was. The
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bottom line is they are dealing with it.
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It's a great trial of affliction. So, we
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see immediately that these churches in
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Macedonia had some problems that they're
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dealing with. Y'all with me? Yes,
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>> sir.
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>> I don't know of a church anywhere
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tonight that don't have some problems
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that they have to deal with.
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>> There's somebody here probably looking
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for that church that don't have none.
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>> I want to give you a little information.
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You're going to be looking for a long
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time. I I don't think we're ever going
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to find a church that don't have some
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problem to deal with. Boy, ain't heaven
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sounding sweeter all the time.
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>> I I can't wait to get to a place where
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there won't be no more problems to deal
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with. Amen. Uh but until then, uh we are
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going to continually deal with problems.
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They had a great trial of affliction.
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And also in verse number two, uh, we'll
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find not only are they dealing with a
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great trial of affliction, they are
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living in what's called deep poverty.
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There's another one of them adjectives.
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They are not just living in poverty.
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They are in deep poverty. I don't know
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what your definition would be of poverty
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tonight, but I highly believe that
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there's none of us living, probably not
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even living in poverty,
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much less deep poverty.
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>> Would you agree with that?
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>> You may have a different definition of
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poverty than I do. And so maybe we might
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might not see eye eye to eye on this.
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You may think you're in deep poverty,
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but go with me for a little while on one
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of my trips that we take. And uh I tell
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you what, I mentioned it yesterday. I've
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been over to Africa a few times and
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especially one country in particular.
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Bkina Faso, we mentioned that last
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night. Brother Keith Shoemakers over
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there, tremendous missionary veteran,
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been there for going on about 30 years
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now. And I've got to go over several
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times and be with brother Keith. And one
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in particular in trip that we made, uh,
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brother Charlie, brother Keith sent me a
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message and he wanted to know if that
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might be a possibility of us putting a
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team together and come over and help
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him. I said, "Sure, we'd love to. What
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do you need?" He said, "We have found
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some villages that's never heard the
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name Jesus, and we want to try to go out
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and try to reach some of those villages
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and introduce them to Christ." That
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became immediately exciting. So, we put
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a team together. There's 11 of us went
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over. And uh for two and a half weeks,
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we did not stay in motel. We didn't even
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get to stay at the missionaries house.
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We literally stayed out under the stars
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covered with a mosquito net. Amen. I
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ain't got time giving y'all the details
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about that. But we went into these
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villages. We found seven villages. Seven
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of them in different locations that had
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never heard the name Jesus.
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>> Hard for us to fathom.
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>> There's people out there that still
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never heard.
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More people in the world's heard of
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CocaCola
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>> than they have Jesus. What about that?
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>> They're still out there. He found seven
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villages. Some of these men had went out
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and found where they was and located
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them. And we were told by a couple of
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these men that these villages probably
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never even seen a white man. And so what
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we would do, we would go into these
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villages and we'd find the tribal chief
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and we would we would get his
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permission. We'd gain his friendship.
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Never failed. They always welcomed us in
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with open arms. And we would sat down
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with the tribal chief and we would ask
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him if we could meet with his people.
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and we would call them to the center of
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the village and we would stand up and
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just preach Christ to them and tell them
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about a man that loved them enough to
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die for their sin. Amen. And so what we
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would do, they would allow us the
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opportunity. We'd go around from hut to
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hut and invite everybody to come to the
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center of the village. I'll never forget
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this. one of the first huts that we went
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to and going around the perimeter of the
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village, we walked up to a straw hut put
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together with straw and mud. Not
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concrete, not quickrete, just mud. Straw
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and mud. Standing outside the hut in the
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doorway was a young lady probably in her
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mid20s, I'm assuming. And she's standing
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there with a broom, just a stick with
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some straw tied to the end of it. And
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she's sweeping the ground in front of
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her doorway,
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smiling from ear to ear. We walked up to
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her and she's amazed that we're there.
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And she steps back and she starts
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pointing us to go in her hut.
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So, we went into her hut. We was
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welcomed into her house, if you will.
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Brother Michael, we walked in and I soon
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as I walked in, I just looked around and
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I scanned real quickly. It didn't take
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just a moment. And over here to the
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right as I went in, it's where her and
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her children slept at night. There
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there's no bed. There's no cot. There's
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not even an egg crate. There's no
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sheets. There's no quilts. There's no
14:40
blanket. It's just a worn out spot on
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the ground. tells where they slept. I
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scanned on around and right over here
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next to that then was some handmade
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shelves. She'd made them out of clay.
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Probably did it herself. And everything
14:53
she had was on those shelves. All there
14:56
was was some handmade pottery that she
14:58
had made herself. Some bowls and cups
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and scanned on around her kitchen. Had a
15:04
little fire pit there. And I guess
15:06
somehow another she'd cooked right
15:08
there. There's a couple of bowls and had
15:10
some kind of grain and some kind of
15:12
little beater that you she'd mash that
15:14
grain up with. And and that's that's
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everything she had. I I didn't see a
15:19
recliner. I didn't see a couch. I didn't
15:22
see an air conditioning on the wall.
15:24
There was no ceiling fan. There wasn't
15:26
even a light bulb. Y'all with me? There
15:28
wasn't a toilet seat. There was
15:30
absolutely nothing. I don't know what
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your definition of poverty is, but to me
15:35
now that would be deep poverty.
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>> And the Holy Ghost said that these
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people in Macedonia
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were in deep poverty.
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>> What about that?
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>> Well, let's look what else we can find.
15:52
We we see their problem. We see their
15:55
poverty. But now, watch this. Right in
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the middle of that great trial of
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affliction, verse two. Now, right in the
16:04
middle of the great trial of affliction
16:05
and the deep poverty, I find something
16:08
else. Not only did they have a great
16:10
trial, not only were they in deep
16:12
poverty, watch this. The Holy Ghost said
16:15
they had an abundance of joy.
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>> That don't make sense to us.
16:22
Help me now, church. There's another one
16:24
of them adjectives. They didn't just
16:26
have joy. Holy Ghost said they had an
16:29
abundance of it.
16:31
>> Oh my.
16:32
>> That tells me two things real quickly.
16:35
Joy does not come from having things.
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>> No, no, no.
16:41
>> If it took things to bring joy, much
16:44
less abundant joy, they'd never had it
16:46
in Macedonia.
16:50
>> That tells me another thing. Joy does
16:52
not come from circumstances. That's
16:54
right.
16:55
>> If it took good circumstances to bring
16:58
joy, they wouldn't had none massed on
17:00
you.
17:01
>> Cuz they got great trials and deep
17:04
poverty.
17:05
>> That tells me that joy must come from a
17:08
relationship.
17:10
>> Amen.
17:12
>> It don't come from circumstances and
17:14
things.
17:16
>> They had something that some of us are
17:18
looking for.
17:21
>> Amen.
17:22
>> I'm gonna be honest with you. Help me
17:23
right here. I don't know that I'm
17:25
willing and asking for some great
17:28
trials.
17:29
I don't know that I'm going to go ask
17:31
for deep poverty just so I can have
17:33
abundance of joy.
17:34
>> Amen.
17:36
>> I may not be may not sound real
17:38
spiritual, but I'm just Lord, if it'd be
17:41
all right, I'd like to I'd like to find
17:43
that abundance of joy without the
17:45
problems in the poverty. Wouldn't you?
17:48
>> Well, guess what? It can be found
17:51
without the problems and poverty. It's
17:53
in the Lord Jesus Christ.
17:56
>> Amen.
17:57
>> So, right in the middle of these two
17:58
things, they had an abundance
18:01
of joy.
18:03
You mix those three things together,
18:06
that's what happens here in verse two. A
18:08
great trial of affliction, abundance of
18:10
joy, deep poverty, and those three
18:13
things abounded to resulted in the
18:18
product of that was their, notice what
18:22
it said, riches of their liberality.
18:27
Now, y'all going to have to help me
18:28
right here. I think we understand
18:30
riches. the depth, the greatness
18:35
of their liberality. What's liberality?
18:38
Liberality here simply means their
18:40
giving. [clears throat]
18:43
>> Now wait a minute. How does somebody in
18:46
deep poverty able to give anything much
18:49
less, here's another adjective, richly.
18:53
>> Amen.
18:54
>> Said that ain't possible. I believe it
18:56
is.
18:58
>> We We want to read on. We got to we got
19:01
to find out how that's possible. Verse
19:03
number three reveals the how that's
19:05
possible. For to their power I bear
19:08
record yay and beyond
19:11
>> their power.
19:13
>> H
19:15
you see it wasn't it wasn't them that
19:17
was able to do that. It was God that was
19:19
able to do that through them.
19:22
>> Amen.
19:23
>> We see their power. I've got to get
19:25
somewhere and I've got to kick it in
19:27
high gear. Y'all with me? It's about 9
19:30
minutes till late, y'all. Okay.
19:34
>> If you don't know, I'll throw out the
19:36
time every now and then just try to be a
19:37
blessing to you. It It's hard. It's hard
19:41
to look at the watch or the clock while
19:43
the preacher's preaching.
19:45
>> Y'all know that, don't you? You don't
19:47
want him to catch you.
19:49
>> It's embarrassing when the preacher
19:50
catches you. So, I'll just try to be a
19:53
blessing to you. I'll throw it out every
19:55
now and then. Just see if it'll help
19:56
you. All right. It it's about 8 minutes
19:59
late now. And I'm going to try my best
20:01
to hurry. Some of you got to get up
20:02
early and go to work. So, we'll remember
20:04
that.
20:05
>> So, we see their problem. We see their
20:07
poverty. We see their product. We see
20:09
their power. Notice with me real quickly
20:11
their pre pleasure. Verse four, praying
20:14
us with much intreaty that we would
20:17
receive the gift and take upon us the
20:20
fellowship of the ministering to the
20:21
saints.
20:23
>> That word praying right there simply
20:25
means asking.
20:27
asking us with much intreaty. That means
20:31
to beg,
20:33
>> to plead. Here's what's happening. Verse
20:35
four says, these Macedonians was asking
20:39
Paul, pleading with Paul, would you
20:42
please let us be a part of? Would you
20:45
please let us fellowship? Would you
20:48
please let us help in the ministering to
20:51
the saints?
20:53
Here, here's what they said. We want to
20:54
give to that. Yeah,
20:56
>> we want to be involved in that
21:00
>> in spite of their deep poverty. I I
21:02
believe, brother Charlie, if there's
21:04
ever been a people had a good excuse not
21:06
to give,
21:08
>> it'd been them Macedonians.
21:11
>> Yes, sir.
21:12
>> Brother Paul, we we we admire what
21:14
you're trying to do. I believe it's a
21:17
good cause to help the poor saints in
21:20
Jerusalem. We we really we're behind you
21:22
100%. We we can't we can't help you.
21:25
Maybe come back next year. Maybe things
21:27
will be a little different.
21:29
>> Amen.
21:31
>> I mean, they would have they could have
21:32
easily done that. It'd been legit.
21:35
>> Amen.
21:37
>> But they wasn't satisfied, man. Paul,
21:40
please, please let us be a part of this.
21:42
Let us be involved in this fellowship of
21:44
the ministering to the saints. Paul
21:46
might have said, he probably didn't, but
21:49
he could have thought it. How you going
21:50
to do that?
21:52
And Paul finds out how he how they done
21:54
that. God's doing it through them. For
21:57
to their power I bear record. Yay. And
22:00
beyond their power.
22:03
>> So we see their pleasure. Here's where I
22:05
want to get to. Verse number five. We're
22:07
going to see their priority. Talking
22:09
about the Macedonians. And this they
22:12
did. This next statement. Look at it.
22:15
Not as we hoped. That sounds like a
22:17
negative statement, does it not? Sounds
22:19
like a letdown. Not as we hoped. It
22:22
almost sounds like they were hoping for
22:24
more,
22:25
>> but it's really right the opposite.
22:27
>> Yeah.
22:28
>> It's not a let down. They did the
22:30
unexpected.
22:31
>> Yes.
22:31
>> They did beyond what was hoped.
22:34
>> In the fact, here's the first thing that
22:36
they did. Hey, would before they ever
22:39
wrote a check,
22:41
before they ever reached in the wallet,
22:43
>> Yeah.
22:44
>> before they ever dug out the jar behind
22:46
the house,
22:48
>> before they ever did anything, the first
22:49
thing they gave, look what it said, they
22:53
gave their own selves to the Lord
22:57
>> and us by the will of God.
23:00
The key to all that we're trying to do,
23:03
I want you get a hold of this. The key
23:05
to missions,
23:08
the key to Christianity,
23:11
>> the key to church,
23:13
the key to ministry. Right? Here it is.
23:16
The first thing they did, they gave
23:19
their own selves to the Lord.
23:22
>> First thing, not the last thing. The
23:25
first thing that I got to ask y'all a
23:27
question. I'm hurrying. It's about Oh
23:30
my. It's about four minutes till
23:34
let's see if we can speed it up just a
23:36
little bit. The question is, have you
23:39
ever given yourself
23:42
to the Lord?
23:44
>> Fair question, preacher.
23:46
>> Fair question. Really is. I I'm not
23:49
asking, listen, I'm not asking if you
23:51
got saved.
23:54
Hang on with me now. I'm not asking you
23:56
if you got saved. I'm asking you, have
23:59
you ever given yourself to the Lord?
24:02
>> There's a difference.
24:04
>> There's a big difference.
24:06
>> Hopefully, if the Lord help me, I'll
24:07
explain that to you in a moment. I'm
24:09
asking if you've ever given him
24:12
yourself.
24:13
Lock, stock, and barrel. No bargaining.
24:17
Here it is. Lord, here I am. You can
24:20
have it. You ever done that? You'd be
24:23
surprised how many good Baptist church
24:27
members ain't never done that.
24:31
>> Ain't never done that. And then there's
24:33
some that has done that, but it's been a
24:36
while.
24:38
>> It's been a while. I don't know what
24:40
God's going to do here tonight, Monday
24:42
night, first first week night of the
24:44
missions conference. And I'm excited
24:47
about it. Been excited about it for a
24:48
while. Hoping God's going to do some big
24:50
things.
24:52
really am.
24:54
>> And maybe here in just a few minutes,
24:55
Brother Charlie, I guess there'll be an
24:57
invitation.
24:59
And I don't know what's going to happen.
25:00
I really don't. But what if what if one
25:03
person,
25:05
just just one, what if one
25:08
got up out of a pew here in a little
25:10
bit, came down to an oldfashioned altar,
25:14
fell down before the Lord, and said,
25:16
"God,
25:18
here I am.
25:22
I don't know why you'd want me, God,
25:25
but if you'll have me, I'm going give
25:28
you me
25:30
with no strings attached.
25:34
I don't know what you think about that.
25:37
Let me help you with that real quickly.
25:40
Got to my message now. Introduction was
25:42
as long as the message, so stick with
25:44
me. That, my friend, would be the
25:46
ultimate thing you could do.
25:51
>> That would be the ultimate thing that
25:53
you could give to the Lord. That would
25:56
be the ultimate offering. You couldn't
26:00
give God nothing greater than if you
26:02
just couldn't give God yourself. Let me
26:05
help you right here. A lot of people's
26:06
got some confusion about a mission
26:08
conference. They think it's all about
26:09
money.
26:11
>> Let me help you. God ain't interested in
26:14
your money.
26:15
I
26:16
>> ain't after your money.
26:18
>> These missionaries sure could use your
26:20
money, but it ain't about the money. If
26:23
God gets what he wants out of this
26:25
meeting, when it's all said and done,
26:26
guess what he gets? He gets you with no
26:29
strings attached.
26:32
>> I mean, if I I if God's will's done this
26:35
week, oh, hang on. If God's will is done
26:37
this week, he gets us with no strings
26:40
attached.
26:42
Amen.
26:43
>> Have you ever done that?
26:45
>> If you do that tonight, that would be
26:47
the ultimate offering. There's no
26:49
greater thing that you could do.
26:51
>> Let me say this real quickly. If you
26:53
would do that, number one, that would be
26:55
an offering
26:57
of life.
27:01
>> Paul said Romans 12, y'all can quote it
27:03
with me. I beseech you therefore,
27:06
brethren, by the mercies of God, that
27:08
you present your bodies living
27:11
sacrifice,
27:13
holy and acceptable unto God. Listen
27:15
what he said. Which your reasonable
27:17
service
27:18
>> ain't asking too much.
27:21
>> By the way, if you don't give him
27:23
yourself, you cheating him
27:26
>> cuz he done paid for it.
27:29
>> He bought you with a price. And what a
27:32
price he paid. Oh yes.
27:34
>> And it's just nothing but reasonable
27:37
you'd bring yourself lay up here on the
27:38
altar and give it to God.
27:41
>> Amen.
27:42
>> If you do that, that'd be an offering of
27:44
life. God, here's my life.
27:46
>> It's yours. Several years ago, I say
27:49
several. I don't think it's been that
27:51
many years ago now. There was a church
27:53
much like this one.
27:56
Had an older lady that was one of the
27:58
church members. and and and brother
28:00
Charlie, everybody called her Granny.
28:05
She had a name. I don't even know what
28:07
her name was. The pastor, I'm not even
28:10
sure he did, but most of the church
28:12
members didn't even know what her name
28:14
was. Everybody called her Granny.
28:16
Granny.
28:17
Granny was usually the life of the
28:21
church. She was life of the church
28:23
services. She'd come into church with a
28:26
kick in her step and praise on her lips,
28:28
ready to worship God. She loved the
28:30
Lord.
28:32
>> And it she's one of them church members.
28:34
If granny's not going to be there today,
28:36
probably ain't going to be much happen.
28:39
>> I think I had one or two of them one
28:41
time.
28:42
>> She's special. Granny was a widow. Her
28:45
husband been gone for quite a few years.
28:48
And granny only had one boy. and her son
28:51
was a missionary serving on a foreign
28:54
field.
28:56
Grew up in that church and a pastor
28:58
pastor loved that boy about like his own
29:01
and he'd watched him grow up and helped
29:05
ordain him and they laid hands on him
29:08
and sent him out of the church to be a
29:09
missionary. One Sunday morning before
29:12
the service started, they had doors kind
29:14
of like y'all and his preacher's office
29:17
was back behind the congregation.
29:19
He was in his office getting ready for
29:21
the church service to start and he
29:23
grabbed his Bible and fixing to walk out
29:25
of the office headed out to the
29:26
sanctuary and just as he did and started
29:29
to walk out, the church phone rang.
29:33
He started to walk on past. I mean, it's
29:35
church time on Sunday morning. Surely
29:38
people know we fixing to have church.
29:40
But for some reason or another, brother
29:42
Charlie, he just reached over and picked
29:43
up the phone and he said the church's
29:46
name and on the other end was a missions
29:49
director.
29:51
He said, "Pastor, this is brother so and
29:53
so." And he said, "I I'm sure sorry to
29:57
bother you right now. I know church
29:58
fixing to start." He said, "I really
30:00
didn't think I'd get you, but I had to
30:01
try."
30:03
He said, "I got some bad news for you,
30:05
preacher."
30:06
He said, "One of your missionaries,
30:11
one of your own
30:13
was tragically killed this morning on
30:15
the mission field."
30:18
His granny's boy
30:21
and it it broke the preacher. I mean, it
30:24
it ripped his heart out.
30:26
He got a few details and he hung up
30:30
and he don't know what to do. By the
30:33
time he hangs up, they done they done
30:35
started the service. They've done got up
30:37
and sung the opening hymn in in the
30:40
sanctuary.
30:42
He made his own way on out and came out
30:44
on the platform up here and and he's
30:47
tore up. He don't know. He don't know,
30:49
brother Jonathan whether or not to go
30:50
get Miss Granny, pull her out of the
30:52
service. He don't know whether to wait
30:55
till after church. He he don't have no
30:57
idea what to do. His mind and his heart
31:00
so broke.
31:02
So he just comes and he he took a seat
31:04
on the platform like he usually does and
31:06
they sung the song and he's got tears
31:08
swelling up in his eyes.
31:11
People could tell they something wasn't
31:12
right. I got through singing and he
31:15
slowly made his way up to the pull pit
31:18
and he just looked at his church
31:21
trying to find some words trying to
31:23
figure out what to do.
31:25
So he said he just started over here on
31:27
this side and he just started looking
31:29
into the eyes
31:32
of all these people.
31:34
He done that until way around over here.
31:36
Miss Granny always sat over here on the
31:38
left side.
31:39
And when his eyes met Granny's preacher
31:42
broke. He just broke. He said, "Church,
31:46
I got some devastating news."
31:50
He said, "One of our missionaries,
31:52
one of ours, tragically killed this
31:55
morning on mission field." He looked at
31:58
Granny and he said, "Granny, your boy
32:00
died this morning."
32:02
She kindly melted out of her pew into
32:04
the floor. Some ladies got up and they
32:07
head over there to try to help her and
32:08
comfort her a little bit. That only
32:10
lasted a moment, though. Granny got up
32:13
on her feet. She looked toward the
32:15
preacher and she said, "Preacher, can I
32:16
say something?"
32:19
He said, 'Yes, ma'am, Miss Granny. You
32:20
can say whatever you want to.
32:23
She said, "Preacher, I don't mean to go
32:24
against what you said, but I just wanted
32:26
you to know my boy didn't die this
32:28
morning.
32:30
My boy died up there on the altar before
32:32
he ever went to the mission field. My
32:34
boy just went home this morning."
32:37
>> Can I ask you something? You don't have
32:38
to be a missionary to die on an altar to
32:41
yourself and get up and live for Jesus.
32:43
That's for a child of God. Has there
32:45
ever been a time when you died
32:48
>> in an altar, but you got up and live for
32:50
Jesus?
32:52
>> IT'S A GIFT OF LIFE.
32:53
>> YOU DIE TO YOURSELF, BUT THANK GOD YOU
32:56
GET TO GET UP AND LIVE FOR HIM.
32:59
>> AMEN.
33:01
>> It's an offering of life. Let me say
33:03
this. It's an offering of love.
33:05
>> Sure.
33:07
>> There's no greater way to say, "Lord, I
33:10
love you."
33:11
>> Yeah.
33:13
than by what you give him.
33:15
>> That's right.
33:17
>> I want to ask you another question. You
33:19
love the Lord.
33:22
>> Do you really love the Lord?
33:27
It's shown.
33:29
Matter of fact, according to the
33:32
scripture we read, it's proven
33:37
by our giving
33:40
whether or not we love him or how
33:41
sincere we love him.
33:45
[snorts]
33:46
Let me clarify. Let me ask you this
33:48
question. Does the Lord love you?
33:52
Does he really love you?
33:55
How you know that?
33:58
Well, the Bible tells me so. It does.
34:01
>> But he did more than tell us so.
34:03
>> That's right.
34:04
>> Let me give you a real simple one right
34:06
here, y'all. Help me. John 3, I believe
34:09
it's 16, ain't it? For God
34:13
so loved the world,
34:17
>> didn't just love us. There's another
34:18
adjective.
34:20
So loved us. What did he do? because he
34:23
so loved us. He gave
34:28
his only begotten son.
34:30
>> Amen.
34:33
>> Here, here's one. How about Romans 5'8?
34:37
But God
34:39
commendeth
34:41
his love. That's a good word.
34:44
>> Commendeth.
34:45
I I used to think that it just meant
34:47
that he proved. It means more than that.
34:51
It literally means to put on display.
34:55
>> But God
34:57
displayed his love for us.
35:00
>> Amen.
35:00
>> In that while we were yet sinners,
35:04
>> Christ died
35:06
>> for us.
35:08
>> Amen. Listen to me. You may question one
35:11
time whether or not mama loves you.
35:14
>> You may even wonder whether or not daddy
35:15
loves you. may come to a place where it
35:18
feels like your husband don't love you
35:19
or your wife don't love you. May even
35:21
feel like your kids don't love you. But
35:23
there should never be a time where the
35:25
thought crosses your mind whether or not
35:28
he loves you. HE'S DONE PROVED IT. HE
35:31
DISPLAYED IT ON CALVARY. HE'S GIVEN YOU
35:33
EVERYTHING TO SHOW YOU THAT HE loves
35:36
you.
35:36
>> That's right.
35:39
>> Yes.
35:41
>> So, how do we show that we love him?
35:44
by how and what we give.
35:52
Let me I don't want to get rough here,
35:54
but you tip God a few dollars.
35:57
About all you're saying is, "Lord, I
35:59
thank kindly of you."
36:03
You're not willing to give him your
36:04
life.
36:06
Listen to me.
36:08
You can give without loving.
36:12
>> Amen. But you cannot love without
36:15
giving.
36:17
>> It's impossible.
36:18
>> That's right.
36:20
>> Give me two things. I'll find out what
36:22
you really love.
36:24
>> Your calendar and your checkbook.
36:28
>> I'll find out.
36:30
>> Amen. Can I make a confession? I can't
36:32
get bogged down here. It's It's 8 after
36:35
8 now. I'm hurrying. Y'all don't believe
36:38
me, but I am.
36:40
>> I got 10 grandbabies.
36:44
10 of them.
36:46
You hang around me a moment. I'll pull
36:48
out a picture and I'll show them to you.
36:52
I might even show you a video or two.
36:55
>> Wait a minute. I can't get bogged down
36:58
right here. I love them young so much.
37:00
Golly bum. We got mas and papas in here.
37:04
>> Y'all help me right here. All right. Am
37:06
I on to something?
37:09
>> I love them. They got me wrapped and
37:12
they know it.
37:13
>> Amen.
37:17
>> All they got to do is come to papa
37:19
>> when they want something.
37:22
I ain't going to tell you the whole
37:23
story. I'm talking about right at
37:24
Christmas time. Three weeks before
37:27
Christmas, papa, I want this. You know
37:30
what papa does? Papa get it. My daughter
37:34
saying, "Daddy, don't do that." Right
37:36
now, Christmas, I don't care. I said,
37:37
"Stay out of it.
37:40
I can't help it.
37:44
Why would you do something like it? Cuz
37:46
I love him.
37:47
>> Amen. Don't try to tell us you love the
37:50
Lord. You don't want to give him
37:51
nothing.
37:53
>> Amen.
37:54
>> If you really want to show him that you
37:55
love him, give him yourself.
37:57
>> Give him your life. Lock, stock, and
37:59
barrel. The ultimate offering. I'm I'm
38:01
I've got three more. I'm hurrying. If
38:04
you do that, that'd be an unlimited
38:06
offering.
38:10
unlimited been a few years back now.
38:13
Brother Steve Hensley, I don't know if
38:15
any of you fellers knew brother Steve.
38:17
Brother Steve Hinsley pastored in East
38:19
Tennessee. I know brother Brian did and
38:20
some of you. He pastorred in East
38:22
Tennessee for several years. And then
38:25
later on God called him out west and he
38:27
went to Idaho take a work over out there
38:30
that another missionary started and
38:32
left. And brother Steve wanted me to
38:34
come out and preach a mission conference
38:36
for him and he got delayed. We end up
38:38
out getting out there about the same
38:39
time and uh the previous missionary that
38:43
started the work had brought had bought
38:46
the local Catholic church in town
38:50
and uh
38:52
he started it. I don't know who it was.
38:54
I'm not I'm not saying anything. I don't
38:56
know the situation. Ended up leaving and
39:00
just a handful of people and a big
39:02
mortgage and a Catholic building. Steve
39:06
went out there, take it take it over. I
39:08
get there and we the day we get there,
39:11
he's showing me around. Took me inside
39:13
the church building. Old Catholic
39:16
church. Had had high ceilings, almost as
39:19
high as y'alls, but had huge wood beams
39:22
across the top. One of the prettiest
39:23
buildings I think I've ever seen. Really
39:25
was. I was bragging on how pretty the
39:27
building was. He said, "Preacher, it's
39:29
real pretty." He said, "You help us
39:30
pray. We got a big mortgage."
39:34
I said I said, "Brother, I will. I I'll
39:37
sure help you." I'd done gotten back
39:39
east and and a few days had went by and
39:42
I got a message on my phone.
39:45
It was a video message. Marco Polo. I
39:48
don't know if y'all even know anything
39:50
about that stuff. I don't know much, but
39:51
it's a it's a video text message, I
39:54
guess you'd say. I clicked on it. It's
39:56
Brother Hensley, and he got something in
39:59
his hand, and he's wiping tears. He sent
40:02
the message out to a few of us and he
40:03
said, 'Brethren, I just got to tell you
40:04
what God did.
40:07
He said, "Somebody walked in off the
40:10
street." We don't even know who he is.
40:12
Walked in off the street and gave us a
40:13
check for $92,000.
40:15
Enough to pay the mortgage off.
40:18
>> He said, "I done been down the bank,
40:19
make sure it's good." And it is.
40:22
>> Amen.
40:23
>> We rejoiced over that. Somebody said,
40:25
"Man, I wish somebody gave me a $92,000
40:28
check." I said, "Man, I wish I could
40:30
write a $92,000 check." Amen. We We
40:34
rejoiced and WE SHOUTED OVER WHAT AN
40:36
OFFERING.
40:39
>> But guess what?
40:41
It's gone.
40:43
>> It's done. Young man, you come up here
40:45
and help me, me
40:49
appreciate your help. What's your name?
40:51
>> Elijah.
40:51
>> Elijah. Elijah. Fine looking young man.
40:54
How old are you?
40:55
>> Uh 12.
40:56
>> 12. Just right.
40:58
Elijah, you got any money?
41:00
>> A little bit. You
41:02
>> got a little bit of money?
41:04
>> Should I ask him how much? No, I won't.
41:06
I won't do that.
41:08
>> Got a job?
41:09
>> No job.
41:11
Got a vehicle?
41:13
>> Got one picked out.
41:14
>> No,
41:14
>> I don't know. Going to have to hurry up
41:17
that
41:20
you know what Elijah could do? Elijah
41:22
got a little bit of money. He could he
41:25
could go and get that and and he could
41:28
put it in a mission offering. Wouldn't
41:30
that be a blessing?
41:32
12 year old young man do something like
41:34
that. I I think that'd be honorable.
41:36
Don't you?
41:37
>> I'd probably make I'd probably make mom
41:39
and dad proud or or somebody like that
41:41
or I know it'd make his pastor proud.
41:44
But I got a better idea. What What if
41:46
Elijah just kept his money?
41:50
But he walked up to an old altar
41:52
somewhere and
41:54
crawled down an altar and said, "Lord,
41:58
it's Elijah.
42:01
You know, I'm just 12,
42:04
but God,
42:06
if you'd have me,
42:09
I'd just like to give you me, my life.
42:13
I don't know what you'd do with it. I
42:16
don't know why you'd want it, God, but
42:19
Lord, it's yours if you want it.
42:22
We shout over a $92,000 check.
42:26
Let me tell you what's a whole lot
42:27
better than a $92,000 check.
42:33
>> 12 year 12y old young man giving his
42:35
life to God.
42:37
>> Amen.
42:38
>> $92,000 check gone. Can't do nothing
42:41
else for God. What could God do with
42:44
this young man if he gave his life to
42:47
God?
42:47
>> Oh yes.
42:49
>> Unlimited.
42:50
>> Yes.
42:51
>> Amen.
42:52
>> No. Tell him what God Hey, don't you
42:54
downplay. He's just 12.
42:56
>> That's right. That's right.
42:58
>> Tell him.
42:59
>> One of the greatest evangelists in the
43:00
United States today. I won't mention
43:02
names, but he started when he's 10 years
43:04
old.
43:06
>> Mom and daddy would drive him to
43:07
meetings. He'd preach revival all over
43:09
the South. Mom and daddy drive him. and
43:11
he'd go out and play with the other kids
43:12
when he got through preaching.
43:16
Powerful preacher today. God's using
43:18
that man all over the country. No
43:20
telling what God would do.
43:24
>> But this young man, if he gave him his
43:26
life, thank you, Elijah. Some of you
43:28
here say, "But preacher, I can
43:30
understand how great it would be for a
43:32
young man like that to give his life to
43:33
God. But most of my life's gone.
43:38
Most of my life's behind me. I don't
43:40
have a whole lot left. Let me help you
43:42
right here. God could do more with
43:45
what's left than you could ever dream of
43:49
if you'd give it to him. Amen. No
43:53
telling what God would do if you'd give
43:55
it to him. Won't you Won't you try him
43:58
out and see?
43:59
Lord,
44:01
it's all yours. Do with whatever you
44:04
want. Some of you afraid to do that. You
44:05
afraid. You afraid God going to send you
44:07
to Africa. Yeah.
44:08
>> Yeah.
44:10
>> I don't know why we pick on Africa all
44:12
the time.
44:14
>> I'm telling you, you'd be better off in
44:16
Africa
44:17
>> in the will of God.
44:18
>> Yes.
44:21
>> The ultimate, the unlimited. Two more
44:23
real quickly. That'd be an unending
44:25
offering.
44:27
>> I know what you're thinking. Yeah,
44:29
preacher, that means it just keeps on
44:30
giving. Well, that's true, but that
44:32
ain't what I'm thinking. Here's what I'm
44:33
thinking. If Elijah was to come to this
44:35
altar tonight, I ain't trying to work
44:37
that out. Don't believe that. I'm just
44:39
telling you an example. If he came to
44:40
this altar tonight and he gave his life
44:42
to God tonight,
44:44
you know what he's going to have to do
44:45
tomorrow?
44:49
>> He going to have to do it again.
44:53
>> If you come tonight and you lay your
44:55
life down and say, "God, it's all yours.
44:57
You can have it." You know what you're
44:58
going to have to do tomorrow?
45:00
>> Going to have to do it again.
45:02
>> What do you mean, preacher?
45:04
If you offer God a living sacrifice,
45:08
that's what it would be.
45:10
A living sacrifice don't want to stay on
45:12
the altar. It keeps crawling off.
45:16
>> How you know, preacher,
45:20
I keep crawling off.
45:23
So flesh don't want to stay there.
45:27
>> Paul said, I die daily.
45:33
It's an offering you have to keep on
45:35
giving
45:37
over
45:39
and over. I said some of you done that a
45:42
while before, but it's been a long time
45:44
since you've done that.
45:47
Probably about time you do it again.
45:49
Unending. Got one more. It's only I
45:53
think we're doing okay. About about 17
45:56
after y'all. All right.
45:58
One more. You'll like this one. Okay,
46:01
most of you going to really like this
46:03
one.
46:05
It's the ultimate.
46:08
It's the unlimited. It's unending,
46:12
but it's also an unrequired offering.
46:17
You don't have to.
46:19
Somebody said,
46:22
"What do you mean by unrequired
46:24
offering?" Listen to me carefully. I
46:26
asked you earlier if you'd ever done
46:28
that. And I I said I wasn't asking you
46:29
if you'd ever been saved. Listen to me
46:32
carefully.
46:34
You have to get saved.
46:36
>> Y'all with me?
46:38
>> You want heaven?
46:40
>> You want eternity with Jesus. You want
46:42
to miss hell.
46:43
>> You have to get saved.
46:46
>> When you get saved, that does not mean
46:48
you gave God your life. Here's a famous
46:51
phrase in the South, Brother Charlie. We
46:54
say when we got saved, we gave Jesus our
46:56
heart. You ever heard that one?
46:58
>> I'm not I'm not complaining about that.
47:01
If you want to use that phrase and help
47:03
yourself, but I tell you what you really
47:05
gave Jesus when you got saved.
47:09
>> What What did you have to give him? I
47:11
mean, I'll just tell you what I gave
47:12
him, brother Michael. I gave him my sin,
47:15
>> right?
47:16
>> That's really all I had.
47:19
>> I had a bunch of it, too. Yeah.
47:22
>> And bless the Lord, when I gave it to
47:24
him, he took it.
47:27
>> Every
47:29
>> something ran up my back. He took every
47:32
single one of them.
47:36
>> Past, present, and future.
47:40
>> Amen. Listen to me. If he'd left me with
47:43
one, I'd be in trouble tonight.
47:45
>> But bless the Lord, NOT IN PART, BUT THE
47:49
WHOLE. HE TOOK THEM ALL. THANK GOD.
47:52
>> ALL OF THEM.
47:53
>> That's all I had to give him. That's
47:55
>> all I had to give him.
47:56
>> Amen.
48:00
>> I'm saved.
48:02
[laughter]
48:02
>> I'm going to heaven.
48:04
>> If you gave me sin,
48:06
>> That's right.
48:06
>> You get to go to
48:08
>> Amen. Just because you gave him sin
48:10
don't mean you gave him me life.
48:13
>> I was doing a study on all them Old
48:16
Testament offerings. There's a bunch of
48:19
them. I ain't got time to get into all
48:20
that. You got the trespass offerings and
48:23
you so many of them. Most of those
48:26
offerings I found something in common.
48:31
That which was being offered
48:34
had to be perfect
48:37
without spot
48:40
without blemish. That sin offering had
48:43
to be without spot without blemish.
48:47
That's why it's so important that Jesus
48:49
was sinless, [snorts]
48:52
>> spotless,
48:53
>> he's the only one that qualified
48:56
>> to give an offering like that.
48:57
>> Amen.
48:59
>> If you and I had to give an offering
49:01
like that,
49:03
I think we'd be in trouble, wouldn't we?
49:06
>> But I kept on studying and reading and I
49:09
found I found an offering that became
49:11
real interesting to me. There was an
49:14
offering that would be accepted
49:17
even if it wasn't perfect.
49:22
It It could have it could have some
49:25
issues. Here's one of the Bible words
49:27
that it used. Superfluous.
49:30
This offering could be superfluous. You
49:32
know what that mean? I had to look it
49:33
up. Leaking fluid,
49:36
scratched or cut.
49:40
There was an offering that didn't have
49:41
to be perfect that God would accept. You
49:44
know what it's called? It's called a
49:46
free will offering.
49:48
>> You don't have to give it.
49:51
And if you do give it, it don't have to
49:54
be perfect. Oh my word.
49:58
Listen to me. If you bring yourself up
50:01
here and put it on the altar and give
50:02
your life to God, you know what that'd
50:04
be? That'd be a free will offering.
50:07
>> Amen.
50:08
It's one of them offerings it's just
50:10
because you want to.
50:11
>> Yeah, that's right.
50:12
>> Amen. It's one of them offerings you
50:14
just say, "Lord, I love you so much.
50:18
>> Lord, you've been so good to me.
50:21
>> HOW CAN I NOT GIVE YOU EVERYTHING?"
50:25
>> And you just bring yourself up here and
50:26
you put it on and say, "God, here it
50:28
is."
50:28
>> Amen.
50:29
>> I don't know what in the world you can
50:30
do with it. I've tried for a long time
50:33
to do something with it and I ain't done
50:34
nothing but make a mess of it.
50:37
Lord, if you can take it and you can do
50:39
something with it, here it is. It's
50:40
yours.
50:43
You know what I've seen God do? I've
50:46
seen him take a mess like that and make
50:49
a miracle out of it.
50:52
>> I've seen people bring him a mess and he
50:54
turns it into a ministry.
50:56
>> What about that?
50:58
Hey, I'm telling you, I can't I can't
51:01
get over what God and this is just
51:04
please, I I don't even want to I can't
51:06
get over what God's done with my life
51:08
since I gave it to him.
51:11
>> I mean, [laughter]
51:14
he took me places I never dreamed I'd
51:16
get to go. He's let me see things and do
51:20
things I only dreamed of getting to do.
51:23
Yeah,
51:24
>> my little mama before she went to
51:25
heaven. It wasn't too many months ago.
51:28
She she died in May, but I was talking
51:30
to her just a few months before she
51:32
died. I was down in Florida doing a
51:35
mission conference and I talked to her
51:36
and her mind gotten real bad. And she
51:38
said, "Where are you at?" I said, "I'm
51:41
down here in South Florida, mama." She
51:43
said, "What are you doing?" I said, "I'm
51:45
preaching a mission conference." She
51:47
said, "How in the world somebody like
51:48
you get down yonder?"
51:51
I've been asking myself the same thing.
51:53
How in the world somebody like me, oh,
51:58
I I'm amazed.
52:00
GOD CAN DO MORE than you ever dreamed of
52:03
if you'd let him have a shot at it.
52:06
>> The first thing those Macedonians did,
52:11
>> they gave gave God their life.
52:14
>> They gave themselves.
52:17
Go back with me real quickly to Job. Let
52:20
me remind you about Job just a moment
52:22
and I'm done. Job was what the Holy
52:26
Ghost said under the inspiration.
52:29
He was a perfect and upright man. One
52:31
that feared God to shoot evil. Y'all
52:33
remember that?
52:35
>> We read about him in chapter one. Man,
52:37
he was so blessed. It starts listing all
52:40
them things and all the livestock that
52:43
he had and God been real good to him.
52:47
And Job, we're told in chapter one that
52:50
he would rise up early.
52:53
Said this did Job continually. So I
52:55
guess he'd do that about every day. He'd
52:57
get up early every morning and he'd go
53:00
out and offer sacrifices
53:02
unto the Lord,
53:05
a worn out trail to an altar where he'd
53:08
offer them sacrifices. Thus did Job
53:11
continually. See, he'd offer them
53:12
sacrifices even for his children.
53:16
And then it came to pass that Satan came
53:19
before the Lord. Y'all remember it,
53:20
don't you? Hast thou considered my
53:22
servant Job. Obviously, Satan had said,
53:26
"You got a hedge up about him. I can't
53:29
get over it. I can't get under it. I
53:30
can't get around it. You lower that
53:32
hedge. Let me add him."
53:34
Man, it happened, didn't it?
53:37
Just a few verses, Job loses everything,
53:41
including 10 children. 10 of them.
53:46
Everything's gone. Then on top of that,
53:50
he smoked from the top of his head to
53:51
the bottom of his feet with sore balls.
53:54
And we find Job
53:56
sitting in the ashes
53:59
with a potshur. That's a broken piece of
54:02
pottery. He's scraping himself with all.
54:06
I asked myself a question. I said,
54:08
"What's Job doing in them ashes?
54:12
What ash is Job in? Tell
54:16
>> some might think, well, it's probably
54:17
the ashes from the destruction of him.
54:20
No, no, no, no. Here's what I'm
54:22
thinking. I think that next morning
54:25
after he lost everything.
54:27
I think he got up like he did the
54:29
morning before when he had everything.
54:31
>> Sure.
54:32
>> I think he walked the same worn out
54:34
trail back to an altar.
54:36
>> Yes, sir. Only problem is this time he
54:39
don't have a lamb to put on that altar.
54:43
>> He don't have a goat. He don't have a
54:44
turtle dove to put on that altar. You
54:47
know what I think he put on that altar?
54:49
I think he put himself on there. Said,
54:51
"God, I ain't got nothing left to give
54:53
you but me."
54:56
>> That's what God wanted all the time.
54:59
>> That's all God's really want from you.
55:03
>> He's after you. He wants Oh, that's
55:07
shout ground right there. What in the
55:08
world God want with you?
55:10
>> Who are you
55:12
>> that he'd be interested in?
55:15
>> 8 billion plus people. Why would he be
55:17
interested in me?
55:20
>> Wow. He knows us.
55:23
>> Wow.
55:24
>> Heads are bowed, eyes are closed.
55:28
The offering of self,
55:32
the mission conference. We talk about
55:34
giving. We talk about going.
55:37
The first thing those Macedonians did,
55:43
they gave God themselves.
55:47
I wonder tonight, let me ask this
55:48
quickly. Maybe there's one here tonight
55:50
and you've never been saved. You've
55:52
never given God your sin.
55:56
You want to go to heaven.
55:59
You you you want to miss hell, you
56:03
better get saved. Better put your faith
56:05
and trust in try Christ and give him
56:07
your sin.
56:10
You don't want to face God with him
56:11
yourself.
56:13
I wonder if they'd be one to say,
56:14
"Preacher, won't you please pray for me?
56:17
I've never been saved. I need your
56:18
prayers. Would you let me pray for you?
56:20
Just slip the hand up real quickly. Let
56:23
me see that. You can put it right back
56:24
down. Anybody? I'm looking. I'm looking.
56:28
Anybody? Preacher, please pray for me. I
56:30
ain't never been saved.
56:33
Please pray for me. Anybody right quick
56:36
or if they'd be one say, "Preacher,
56:37
won't you pray for me? I've been saved.
56:40
I give God all my sin,
56:43
but preacher, I ain't never give God my
56:44
life."
56:47
Holy Ghost spoke to my heart tonight.
56:49
Preacher, would you please pray for me?
56:52
Or if they'd be one, just one somewhere.
56:55
Preacher, please pray for me. Never have
56:57
given God my life. Never have took my
57:01
hands off of it. Never have let it go.
57:03
Never have give it to him. Would there
57:05
be one?
57:08
I'm looking.
57:10
Let me ask this. I'm done asking
57:11
question. I see that hand. God bless
57:13
you. Let me ask this. How many of you
57:15
say, "Preacher, I've done that before.
57:17
It's been a while.
57:19
It's been a while, preacher.
57:22
I need to probably do that again.
57:24
I stand. Somebody's coming to the piano.
57:28
Altar's open. [music]
57:31
An altar. What about that? An altar.
57:35
What happens on an altar? It's where you
57:37
lay down the offering.
57:39
[music]
57:40
That's where that that's being offered
57:42
dies.
57:44
It's [music] consumed.
57:48
That's what happens on an altar.
57:52
[music] How long's it been?
57:54
How long's it been? God's interest in
57:57
you. [music] God wants you.
58:01
Oh, I say, bless the Lord. Isn't it
58:03
amazing? [music] God wants us.
58:06
God's really interested in us.
58:10
Wow.
58:13
Next best thing after getting saved I
58:15
[music] ever did, I gave my life to the
58:18
Lord.
58:21
I tell you where I was.
58:25
I was in an [music]
58:26
army tent
58:30
in the middle of Saudi Arabia in the
58:33
desert.
58:35
I got down beside an old cot
58:38
in that sand. [music] I said, "God, I
58:40
don't know why you'd be interested me."
58:44
God, here I am. Feel [music] happy.
58:47
He took it.
58:50
My my
58:52
best thing I ever [music] did outside of
58:53
getting saved.
58:57
The offering of self.
58:59
Give it to [music] him. Give him all of
59:02
it. Take your hands off of it. Let him
59:04
have it.
59:06
See what he does [music] with it.
59:09
See what he does with it.
59:13
You're doing it [music] tonight.
59:15
Probably going to have to do it again
59:16
tomorrow.
59:18
I hope that don't discourage [music]
59:19
you. I know flesh just don't want to
59:22
die.
59:24
Got to keep doing it over [music] and
59:25
over and over and over and over and
59:28
over.
59:41
Our [music]
59:53
father [music] in Jesus name, we come
59:54
before you tonight.
59:56
Thank you so much for your servant that
59:58
minded you tonight.
1:00:03
Lord, I pray you'd help us to count the
1:00:05
cost.
1:00:10
Sinners are lost and dying.
1:00:16
Lord, we're hanging on to way too much.
1:00:18
God, help us to give it all to you. I
1:00:19
pray for [music] each one that's on this
1:00:21
altar tonight. Pray for the ones didn't
1:00:23
come tonight. I ask [music] you, God,
1:00:26
tonight that all your will's been
1:00:27
accomplished in this service.
1:00:29
Lord, I pray, Father, that you would
1:00:31
help us all to be obedient to the truth
1:00:33
that's been shared tonight. [music]
1:00:35
Lord, it'll change our life if we'll let
1:00:37
it.
1:00:39
God, I ask you, Lord, that you'd help
1:00:40
our church, Lord, to embrace [music]
1:00:42
this,
1:00:44
God, help me to embrace this,
1:00:47
Lord, because it is daily. [music]
1:00:49
And Lord, I sure love you. Thank you
1:00:51
again for the word of God. Thank you for
1:00:53
speaking to our hearts. We give you
1:00:56
praise and honor for all that you've
1:00:57
done, for all you're going to do. We ask
1:00:59
it in Jesus' name. God's children say
1:01:02
it.
1:01:03
>> Amen.
1:01:04
>> Thank you for joining our service today.
1:01:06
We'd love it if [music] you join us in
1:01:08
person. the next time you are able at
1:01:10
Meadows Baptist Church. Our physical
1:01:13
address is 2988 Stewart Road in Walnut
1:01:17
Cove, North Carolina. Our service times
1:01:20
our Sunday school [music] at 10:00 a.m.,
1:01:22
Sunday morning worship at 11:00 a.m.,
1:01:24
Sunday evening worship at 6:00 p.m. and
1:01:27
Wednesday evening [music] Bible study at
1:01:29
7:00 p.m. For more information, visit us
1:01:32
at meadowsbaptisturch.com.
1:01:34
[music] Thanks again for tuning in.