good morning my friends I'm pastor
Stephen Brooks and welcome today to our
midweek Bible study called Morning Glory
why don't you take your Bibles and meet
me today in John chapter 20 and let's
talk about the emphasis of the holy
spirit during this current season of
your life John chapter 20 and let's open
up in prayer Heavenly Father we ask that
your Holy Spirit would shine today and
illuminate the Scriptures that we might
walk in the light of your truth father
we give you all the praise and Jesus
name we pray and together we all say
amen John 20 verse 1 now on the first
day of the week Mary Magdalene went to
the tomb early while it was still dark
and saw that the stone had been taken
away from the tomb then she came in
excuse me then she ran and came to Simon
Peter a lot of running going on here and
to the other disciple that would be John
who wrote the Gospel John whom Jesus
loved and said to them they have taken
away the Lord out of the tomb and we do
not know where they have laid him Peter
therefore went out and the other
disciple and we're going to the tomb so
they both ran together so everybody's
running around Mary's running Peter and
John there they're running together and
it says that John outran Peter and came
to the tomb first very interesting well
I don't think they were really like
wanting to get into a race but sometimes
when you're just kind of like running
next to somebody just something kicks in
and you wonder I wonder who's faster yes
they just both take off sometimes it
doesn't even have to be said you just
start going each of you going faster and
faster and it proves here that John was
the fastest and you know he was the
younger actually probably the youngest
disciple out of all 12 and lived to be
the oldest and you know Peter was
probably a little bit older maybe a
little bit more muscular because he was
a real strong man even able to pull a
whole net of fish to the beach all by
himself he was a very powerful man but
you know everybody has their different
their different strengths gifts or
talents and maybe John was a better
runner obviously he beat Peter got to
the tomb first
but John does
not go into the tomb and it says and
he's stooping down and looking in saw
the linen clothes lying there yet he did
not go in then Simon Peter came
following him and went into the tomb and
he saw the linen clothes lying there
well that's fascinating that says a lot
about the personality of Peter he was an
apostle of faith and he's just bold so
he goes right in so sometimes in life
it's not who starts first or who gets
there first really it's more of a long
haul experience so you maybe you didn't
get there first what which is what
happened to Peter but nevertheless you
got there in your own timing and you got
there by God's grace for you and when
you show up you show up and you do
things the way God has anointed you to
do certain things and he's both he goes
right in so just be who God made you to
be
praise the Lord now they saw the linen
clothesline there and the handkerchief
that had been around his head not lying
with the linen clothes but fold it
together in a place by itself then the
other disciple who came to the tomb
first went in also now John comes in and
he saw and believed
well I'm sure he did because that is
just an absolutely amazing thing that
they would have encountered because
Nicodemus came previously with over a
hundred pounds of spices and so they
wrapped Jesus in linen cloth wrapped
each finger individually there was a
certain custom certain way of doing it
but they just wrapped his entire body in
in that barrier cloth and then soaked it
with all of that resin all that material
which would begin to harden up and so
when they looked in there and they saw
the grave clothes they're looking
basically and like a resin shell because
the Lord's body is not in it his body
had been resurrected they're probably
thinking how did he get out of that
because that would have hardened with
all of the sticky stuff and all of that
and the only opening the only way
anybody could get out was just that
little cloth that went over the face
because they didn't cover the face by
wrapping it up they just put a cloth
over it and they were probably thinking
how did he get out of this so
you and I know of course he was
resurrected from the dead praise the
Lord
now verse 11 but Mary stood outside by
the tomb weeping and as she wept she
stooped down and looked into the tomb
and she saw two angels in white sitting
one at the head and the other at the
feet where the body of Jesus had lain
now she's going to have a one-on-one
encounter with the resurrected
resurrected Christ verse 17 jesus said
to her do not cling to me for I have not
yet ascended to my father but go to my
brethren and say to them I am ascending
to my father and your father and to my
god and your God Mary Magdalene came and
told the disciples say she did her her
part she fulfilled her responsibilities
which was to tell the apostles you know
relay this message to them that I've
been raised from the dead and I'm going
to be coming soon okay so Mary Magdalene
came and told the disciples that she had
seen the Lord and that he had spoken
these things to her so she's the
messenger and she delivered the message
and if you read the other Gospel
accounts you'll find out that they just
thought it was just silly make-believe
stories so they did not believe her very
credible eyewitness testimony they just
completely dismissed it and didn't
believe now verse 19 then the same day
at evening being the first day of the
week when the doors were shut whether
the sciples were assembled for fear of
the Jews Jesus came and stood in the
midst and said to them peace be with you
when he had said this he showed them his
hands and his side then the disciples
were glad when they saw the Lord
sometimes we think that the revealing of
the hands on the side that initially
happened with Thomas but that happened
later
so these men that were here in this
setting in this group they got to see it
first they saw the Lord's hands they saw
how they were pierced with the nails
they saw the side they saw they saw all
of that now verse 24 now Thomas called
the twin one of the twelve was not with
them when Jesus came the other disciples
therefore said to him we have seen the
Lord so he said to them unless I see in
his hands the print of the nails
put my finger into the print of the
nails and put my hand into his side I I
will not believe well it's amazing he's
just basically saying you know it
doesn't matter how many of you have you
know your so-called experience I'm just
flat-out not going to believe it until I
have a one-on-one encounter with the
Lord
myself well again there's some things
that are kind of being overlooked here
we know that there were various
scriptures where Jesus just flat-out
told the disciples look I'm going to
Jerusalem and you're going with me and
when I get there they're going to
they're going to mock me they're going
to scourge me they're going to do all
these things to me and he told them all
the things that they're they're the you
know the Gentiles were going to do and
every single thing was fulfilled and you
said they're gonna kill me they're gonna
crucify me and he said after three days
I'm gonna rise again and he just told
with everything and even though he said
that it's kind of like the light didn't
go on when I'm talking about the light
I'm talking about understanding they
just didn't get it now even Old
Testament Psalms like Psalm 16 verse 10
which talks about the Lord would never
see corruption and reference to his
resurrection they just didn't get an
understanding of that and even though
Jesus point-blank told them I'm gonna
die they're gonna crucify me three days
later I'm gonna be raised from the dead
they just they just couldn't get a hold
of it now the Lord has been resurrected
from the dead and now the testimony and
the words are coming in and so initially
you know the original twelve were very
skeptical and you know Mark's Gospel
concludes and you see the stern rebuke
they received from the Lord because of
their unbelief and here we have the
situation where some of them were not
all present during the Lord's first
visitation when he came into that room
where they were all locked in and just
you know that's his thing he can just
appear in the middle of the room I've
had times in visions where the Lord has
just walked through the wall and he
would come up and talk to me and he was
done turn around and just walk back
through walk out and walk out and go
right through the wall and disappear he
has the ability to do that praise the
Lord
that must be a lot of fun one day when
we get our glorified bodies we'll be
able to have a lot of fun also praise
gods thank you Lord Jesus but see here's
the thing Thomas said basically he said
I will not believe I will not believe we
have to look at this though in context
the Lord is wanting these men these
eleven apostles to believe something
he's more than wanting them to believe
he actually expects them to believe he
even commands that they believe
nevertheless Thomas is just not going
for it and he's resisting he boldly says
I will not believe believe what what's
the Lord looking for he's looking for a
specific belief in what the Holy Spirit
is emphasizing right there in other
words it's not the time for Thomas to
say well you know what I don't really
believe that Jesus has been raised from
the dead but I do believe yes I do
believe that Moses crossed through the
rich sea and then it was split in two
they went across some dry ground on dry
ground I believe that and I believe when
I got to the other side Pharaoh's army
will swallowed up by the sea
I believe it well that's nice but that's
not what the Lord is looking for see
there's a there's a time there's an
emphasis where the Holy Spirit is
endeavoring to get across a specific
faith for watch this a specific thing
and it's not that you don't disbelieve
past events and praise God for past
events or things like that it's just
that there's a different highlight
there's there's a different focus what
what is a denomination why do we have in
the Christian Church it's a good
question that I got a lot of young
believers asked why are there so many
different denominations if we all
believe that Jesus is Lord why are there
so many different denominations good
question it's primarily because what was
lost after the first century what went
into the dark ages where so many of the
initial truths that
the church walked in were just lost not
a denomination would come along a man of
God would come along sometimes a lady
mostly men would come along having
received a revelation from the Lord
how about Martin Luther justification by
faith not my works not by doing push-ups
to prove to God how much you love him
not by doing all of this stuff and you
know all work-related but just by faith
whosoever shall call upon the name of
the Lord shall be saved
oh well I'll just I'll just believe that
so in other words you're you receive
Christ by faith through Saint by grace
through faith and so it's called
basically the doctrine of justification
of faith
so that came as a revelation that
brought a truth back to the church known
as the Reformation and so that
eventually turned into the Lutheran's
the Lutheran Church and what happened
they restored
a lost truth back to the church but they
can't there and see God's still moving
there's still other truths to receive
other things to revive other good
blessings to step into but sometimes
denominations and usually they do
denominations they'll bring to the
entire body a great revelation but
they'll camp in that revelation they'll
not move on so you've had other
revelations brought to the church and
then you know like you know water
baptism in other words if you get saved
and you give your life to Jesus well you
should be baptized jesus said that mark
chapter 16 that if you believe and are
baptized you shall be saved now we know
that that the the the actual act of
being immersed in water doesn't save use
your faith in God through His grace that
saves you but really why would anybody
who's a born-again Christian read that
not want to get water baptized and when
you see an X chapter 2 when they said
you know the big crowd asked Peter hey
what do we need to do to be saved he
said believe on the Lord and be baptized
you know so why would any Christian not
want to get baptized when you say it
laid out so clear in Scripture so there
was a denomination a certain man who
brought that back to the body of Christ
and you know pointed out also that the
word bapt
means to immerse doesn't mean to
sprinkle it means to immerse which is a
type of burial a type of death a
symbolism of that and coming up into the
new life as you come up out of the water
so as an identification praise the Lord
with the death burial resurrection of
Christ so these things get brought back
and then they get kind of established as
a denomination camping around that truth
but that a new truth will come forth and
then oftentimes a new denomination is
birthed out of that and then a new move
of God will break forth and many people
will be blessed often believers all
around the world but but then you know
there's other truths to discover so the
spirit keeps moving us forward while
some people can so as you're going up
the mountain never stop never camp at a
certain doctor and said this is it
I'm never moving off of this because the
just like in the Old Testament as the
Israelites went through the wilderness
they had to follow the cloud by day and
the fire by night because the cloud
offered protection from the from the Sun
it was like an air conditioning system
and the fire by night was protection
from animals and enemies and all kinds
of things so you move with the spirit
you move with the cloud and so don't
stop until you get to the very top of
the mountain of God Mount Zion keep on
going a lot of people have settled and
if you settle you're going to miss God's
best I'm not saying your blood you're
not blessed because you you can be very
blessed but if you really want God's
best
don't stop moving there's more pastor
Stephen I've tapped it out there's
nothing higher know that there's more
there it's more and in your heart you
know that it is and so this is something
interesting with with Thomas because the
Lord wants these men to believe that he
has been raised from the dead this is
very very important to Jesus he wants
them he wants them to believe it before
they ever see it and have the valid
proof now look we all like valid proof
we all like evidence but there are some
things you're going to have to take by
faith and really for the life of the
believer the rule of thumb is the just
shall live by faith
so there are some things you're not
going to know no matter how prophetic
you are no matter how much you pray
there are some things
you're not gonna know you're gonna just
keep going forward by faith and that's
the way God wants it to be that's the
way he has created the system that's how
he operates that's what he honors so
Jesus is wanting these men to step up
and believe all the reports that keep
coming in from from women from men the
the two men that met the Lord on the
Emmaus Road and just all the feedback
that is coming we've seen the Lord
he's live and the eleven just sitting
back saying mmm now we're not buying it
well Jesus finally showed up and he
appears in the room and of course every
apostle they're like yep you're you're
it he's he's like here look look at my
hands you look at my side and they're
like and it says they were greatly
comforted Wow Frye used to Lord but not
every apostle was in that room but again
the Lord was just looking for faith and
when he comes back it says in Luke
chapter 18 that when he returns will the
Son of Man will he find faith he's
looking for people of faith but look not
just random faith yes pastor Stephen I
still believe the old story that Jonah
was swallowed by a great fish and that
fish swam all the way the Nineveh with
Jonah in his belly and that fish slid up
on the beach and spit the prophet out
and I believe it pastor Stephen it's the
Word of God that's good um everything in
the Bible you should believe but I'm not
saying of course unless you live in
Nineveh somewhere I'm not saying that's
the present emphasis of the Holy Spirit
it's what's the Holy Spirit emphasizing
right now in your life in your life and
also in the terms what is he saying
oh there's a lot of voices out there but
what does the Holy Spirit speaking to
you what is the emphasis that you need
to focus on so that you hit the target
after all if you're just shooting
everywhere how can you ever have a
target well you don't even know what the
target is
whew praise the Lord have you how can
you exercise faith when you don't even
know the area that you should be
directing it towards just just going
everywhere with it no God wants you to
be specific God wants you to get good
good results now watch this watch this
verse 26
and after eight days his disciples were
again inside and Thomas with them okay
you're alright no Thomas be ready Thomas
you never know I I don't believe it
Thomas you never know I mean last time
he just he just showed up right in the
middle row by he's right in the middle
of here here comes the Lord and I'm sure
I'm sure none of you have ever done that
hint hint right I've missed it before I
I'm not perfect none of us are but I'd
tell you you have to recognize the faith
thing that the Holy Spirit is
emphasizing I really do believe I really
do believe that you can go into a major
exam knowing beforehand
by the Holy Spirit what questions is to
teach you're going to bring forth
because you could have a you could have
a test that could potentially cover this
much material and you're just like a few
throws as all at me I don't know what
I'm gonna do but no teacher thus that
teachers they gravitate towards a
certain thing and they're gonna weigh
that test heavy in that area the Holy
Spirit can reveal that to you and you
can get ready you could have a you know
like a home showing or something like
that a potential buyer and you could
know somehow in your spirit the buyer is
really into the kitchen and you could
you could you can make the focus the
kitchen where the kitchen is just
immaculate you know we have maybe like
some you know nice fragrance and some
fresh flowers and stuff like that and so
the potential buyer walks in and sees
the kitchen there's like oh that does it
for me I'm buying this house the Holy
Spirit knows what the needed emphasis is
to be and here it's not just two random
belief it's a it's a belief you've got a
focus right now eleven men you've got
the focus everything right now
is pointing to one focus the
resurrection you have got to believe
that he's been raised before you ever
see him yourself with your own eyes Wow
praise the Lord that's what he was
looking for and he's looking for
something right now also do you know
what it is do you know what it is or
over your are you just kind of like just
grabbing whatever your solace nature
wants I've haven't faith for that Pastor
Steven I'm having faith
for God to make me a billionaire oh well
yes God wants you to prosper but are you
directing your faith on the emphasis
hole pastor Stephen I know what God
wants me to focus on I know but see a
lot of people they get in the soul and
they want what they want and maybe
they're not really sensitive to what the
heartbeat of God is and what actually
God wants let me say this I really do
believe that there is a place in the
Word of God for asking and we can ask
whom we can receive personal needs and
that's even in the Lord's Prayer you're
asked for your daily bread and so forth
but I also believe that if you really
endeavor to go after what God wants
he'll add to you these other things many
of them without even you having to ask
and I believe we can see that Matthew
chapter 6 verse 33 seeking first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness all
these things will be added unto you and
the context of all things you know dealt
with the things you need of life housing
clothing and just on and on it goes God
God will cover your basis praise God so
you want to be able to pick up by the
Holy Spirit the emphasis of where you
need to port your faith because you may
think in your mind pastor Stephen I got
all kinds of things I'm shooting towards
that I need God to come through on and I
can understand you could have multiple
needs but but they're the work of the
Holy Spirit is marvelous because he's
able to show you what you need to be
ready for and for the the apostles of
the eleven it was that you've got to get
all your faith get ready it's got to be
all on the resurrection or any more
about anything else right now you don't
even have to focus on anything else
right now focus on this pray use the
Lord now after eight days his disciples
were again inside and Thomas with them
Jesus came and the doors being shut he
did it again didn't he he doesn't he's
not limited by doors hmm he's not
limited by bolts and locks and uh you
know you can't get in there unless
you've got a special visa or whatever it
might be he doesn't need that I'll be
talking more about the door that the
Lord is opening up for
for Iran now I've told you about the six
programs that were recorded with my
American Iranian friend who's fluent in
English and Farsi and how we have raised
the money thank you for your great
gracious giving we have raised the money
so that a voiceover can be done for his
voice and for my voice he was able to
raise the money for his more sober guy
and so I came before you they raised the
money to get a voiceover guy for me that
has been secured but the Lord is opening
the door further to where it could be
more than just to six programs and he
and I record it together on his set
perhaps where my program pure gold that
we have put together together as a team
through your gracious giving that could
be on the the network potentially and
we're going to be talking about that
with that with that company I'll give
you more info on that in the very near
days to come
but you have to understand that right
now in Iran that the Lord Jesus is
appearing to so many Iranians so many
Muslims that from the statistics that
I've read that every seven out of ten
people that you witness to seven seven
of them get saved you think pastor
Stephen that's a phenomenal conversion
rate of people being born-again and
regenerated and saved how could it be so
high because they're finding out that if
that if they share the gospel and they
talked the 10 people 7 out of the 10
have already had a one-on-one encounter
with Jesus through a vision and Jesus
has already revealed himself to them
through a vision saying that I am the
Messiah
I am the savior of the world and I am
able to wash away your sins and so he
just shares who he is with them and then
later people come his workers and you
know which is just the normal everyday
people and they're just witnessing to
each other and people are getting saved
because the person has already been
prepped through it through a divine
encounter praise the Lord
thank you Lord Jesus hallelujah it's
amazing
so Jesus he's not limited by doors he's
not limited by borders he's not limited
by anything he can go anywhere and he
can prep the people and get the hearts
of the people ready so that when the
message comes when the message comes the
people just make up their mind right on
the spot so many just instantly receive
Christ praise God by the way as I've
said before I like fishing where the
fish are biting whoo I'm excited about
that we're talking today about that
emphasis of the holy spirit you know I
do like the following chapter John 21
where Jesus till he tells them to throw
the net on the right side and he said yo
you'll have a catch you'll have a haul
and they did and they had a phenomenal
catch I like fishing where the fish are
at praise the Lord and I'm just
believing the Lord for open to open this
door up to the Middle East would you be
praying for our ministry praying for us
that the 26 programs that we have
already recorded they're all paid for
they're in Full HD
they're ready to go that God would open
the door and that we can begin to come
into the Middle East come into Iran and
see Seoul safe just like pulling fish in
wow cuz this it's on the the move of God
is on it's the fastest growing
underground Church in the world and we
have the good ol ayatollah khomeini to
thank for it well pastor steven why
would we thank him he's like a dictator
he's a he's like a like a crazy ruler
well it's because of his iron-fisted
rule of locking the nation down
enforcing Islamic doctrine nation on the
people so sturdily for 40 years that the
people have had the life beat out of
them and they're just like fed up and
they're like if if this if this is what
it is we can't take it anymore we just
cannot take it anymore
and the government of Iran will even
call for you know like according to the
Muslim calendar national holy days where
you're supposed to come out celebrate in
the streets nobody comes out in the
streets and the government plays old
videos on satellite to
the over there nation they play old
videos of people coming out but even
people can see through that line because
it shows people coming out on the videos
celebrating in the streets on a sunny
day but yet the people are looking
around and so the rainy season so it's
raining so they know the whole thing is
just fake TV and they're not buying it
they're absolutely fed up with a
religion that could not meet their needs
and they're just they're totally burned
out they want they want the Lord praise
God and the Lord is touching their
hearts praised Lord so please pray pray
for us to have an open door and we'll go
through it praise God
we'll go through it thank you Lord Jesus
I'm not gonna share the full details
until I have them all to present to you
still in the mix but it's a really good
mix and I believe the Lord can do
something very very special now knowing
that Jesus can just walk into a room at
any time who knows maybe he'll walk into
your room and surprise you he has met me
before in some very unexpected places
one time he actually met me in a laundry
room where there was a washer and dryer
in an apartment flat that I was staying
at in Berlin Germany and the the where
they kept this washer dryer it was a
single unit where it washed and dried
both you see those in like RVs and so
forth but it was in a little bitty room
that was not even as high as this table
it was probably the room was only the
rumors maybe like four feet high and it
was only maybe four feet wide
little cubicle room that you could just
stick your hand into it open the door
take clothes in and out and you know
push the buttons on the machine but
there's a little room over on the side I
can go over there and pray would you
believe the Lord came in there and stood
before me in a vision and I saw him
standing up while I was kneeling down in
this little place he could meet you
anywhere even in a jail cell of their
prisoners watching don't be discouraged
God can get his word to you anywhere
even if Jesus needs to bring it to you
by his own personal self praise God now
now let's continue Jesus came the doors
being shut and stood in the midst and
said peace to you probably a really good
thing to say knowing how much that would
startle somebody he said peace to you
then he's
said to Thomas look he goes right to it
the Lord so direct I like that about the
Lord he doesn't he doesn't say well you
know let's you know somebody get a
little coffee going on a little latte
let's sit down and let's talk this over
no he walks in and he's going straight
to Thomas mmm
and he said the Thomas reach your finger
here and look at my hands and reach your
hand here and put it into my side do not
be unbelieving but believing Wow catch
catch the context he's not saying Thomas
don't be unbelieving you need to believe
in God it's not what he said what is he
trying to get over to these guys that he
really wanted out of them at that moment
what is he looking for faith in his
resurrection that they'll believe it
before they ever even see him and they
didn't do it they didn't do it even with
multiple credible eyewitnesses people
they would trust with their lives they
just didn't they didn't believe him
they didn't believe on that course they
were gonna believe it now there he is
standing there you know with his body
and you know he's raised from the dead
well they believe it and I'm sure Thomas
did all the poking and the touching and
and all of that stuff and Thomas
answered and said to him my Lord and my
god jesus said to him Thomas because you
have seen me and have believed blessed
are those who have not seen excuse me
blessed are those who have not seen and
yet have believed
praise the Lord now verse 31 concludes
this chapter by saying but these are
written that you may believe that Jesus
is the Christ the Son of God and that
believing you may have life in his name
so all of these stories and testimonies
Matthew Mark Luke John they're written
that we may believe that we have what
life in his name
so you you stir up the faith the
believing through the Scriptures that
would speak to eternal life and keep
reading this you're going to want to
that's why most missionaries they'll
give unbelievers the Gospel of John
they'll go to other countries
you got the whole Bible but they
it's good but use it they just go right
to it just like Jesus going right to
Thomas really good missionaries they
know what to do they go into these
nations if they're teaching like English
as a Second Language and a lot of times
they'll even use the Gospel of John as
the curriculum as the as the as the
thing that will teach them how you know
like the foreigners how to read whether
it's in Asia or wherever it might be I
think it's a very wise thing to do
because you keep reading the Gospel of
John you're an unbeliever it's just
going to get into you next thing you
know you're gonna want to receive Christ
praise the Lord thank you Jesus now
let's go back again to what the Lord's
main emphasis was what he told Thomas he
said do not be unbelieving but believing
do not be unbelieving not not in these
areas of things that you already have
gotten established in your heart you
know the Lord had already talked to them
you know one day I'm gonna rule and
reign and you know all all 12 of you
you're gonna have your own throne you'll
your rule beneath me and I'll I'll reign
over the earth and David will reign over
Israel and you also have your own
jurisdictions your own areas he's gonna
uh well reign over the twelve tribes of
Israel and so they they knew a lot
there's a lot of stuff they had faith in
they were settled in but that's not what
he was looking for at that time he's
looking for a specific faith and a
specific thing and the Holy Spirit just
kept highlighting faith in the
resurrection faith that he's being
raised from the dead so right now the
Holy Spirit is endeavoring to highlight
something in your life that God wants
you to put the spotlight on now he does
two things the Holy Spirit's doing two
things right now he's emphasizing
something in the church that he wants to
church to pick up on corporately because
we are a body Christ is the head and we
are the body some are fingers some are
arms some are you know kidneys summer
long summer feet wherever it might be
but even still there is an emphasis by
the Holy Spirit for the body
what should the body be focused on in
faith believing for oh oh
I know pastor Steven it's the rapture
we're getting out of here and it could
happen to that pastor Stephen I mean I'm
an
faith for the rapture hmm I'm ready I'm
ready
mmm I do believe because I believe the
Bible
I do believe 1st Thessalonians chapter 4
I do believe in the catching up of the
Saints into the air to meet the Lord in
the clouds often called by certain
eschatology eschatology preachers the
rapture are the catching up I believe in
the catching up I don't always agree
with the timeframe of when some of them
say it's going to happen but I just
believe that right now we've got a
little more time now for it comes well
hallelujah let's let's just go praise
God we're ready to go I believe we have
a little more time
I believe the great harvest that the
Lord talked about and that so many
scriptures refer to and also what is
typifies through the seven feast with
the which is the last piece being the
the great harvest or you know
Tabernacles that's the in gathering
that's the big pool I don't believe
we've had the big harvest that we're
that we're all looking for now I know
some nations have had recent moves of
God and are still in mighty moves of God
but I know other countries I know some
places where people have never even
heard the name Jesus before so we have a
responsibility in this generation to
take the gospel to all the earth and the
technology is advancing so fast that
it's going to happen even in the room
the most remote areas that at least
people will have the opportunity to have
heard the gospel preached now what they
do with it will be up to them and but
you know we're at least going to get it
out there and by the way we are going to
see a lot of them say praise the Lord
it's going to be really good but there
there is an emphasis right now by the
Holy Spirit see there's a lot of there's
a lot of things shouting for attention
that are out there in the in the church
right now and I'm not saying they're not
good but I'm saying it's easy to major
on a minor and not major on the major
and at that point at that time with
where the Lord was at and what was going
on it was he was like I want some
resurrection faith around here I'm
looking for faith in the resurrection
pastor Stephen I got
for a new car that that's good but
that's not what the Lord was into on
that day he wants to see some
resurrection faith and get your car
later because he's going to be walking
into your room real soon and you need to
be in faith for resurrection he's been
raised from the dead I believe it how do
they I haven't seen it but I believe it
hmm I believe the reports I believe the
testimonies but they didn't believe and
they they had and so the Lord yet to
deal with them about that praise God may
that not be your testimony I don't
believe it's going to be I believe that
you're gonna be dialed in spiritually I
believe you're gonna be dialed in
corporately for what the Holy Spirit is
saying mm-hmm thank you Lord Jesus
I'm not gonna let the cat out of the bag
just yet I believe I have some insight
into what the Holy Spirit is emphasizing
for the church but I would also say this
there is also a personal emphasis by the
Holy Spirit and as you respond to the
personal emphasis of the Holy Spirit for
where you should focus that most with
your faith right now you'll you'll start
getting tied into the corporate vision
as well thank you Jesus now we all have
very busy lives we have many things that
compete for our attention and our time
but you need to spend time with the Lord
so that this emphasis can be developed
clearly and then you can begin to really
build up that area praise God you can
build up that area thank you Lord Jesus
the disciples they should have sat down
and they should especially Thomas I'm
not gonna give Thomas a hard time he
turned out really well he was lost he
was one of the guys little slow out of
the blocks finished having completed his
course there's two churches today that
he found it in India that are still how
about that that are still functioning
today they've never they've never closed
the doors for 2,000 years I have nothing
against Thomas a great man a great man
don't forget we're gonna meet all these
people one day I always try to speak
nice of them because one day we're going
to stand before them and they are
they're aware particularly what
preachers preach so we always want to
keep things on a good level
praise God because we're all going to
see each other eventually face-to-face
sometime but my friends I think what I
would have would have been what I hoped
I would have done is you know get get
those two guys that were on the road to
emmaus okay now okay I would say now
tell me the story again okay that's good
okay state of the night when I get up in
the morning tell it to me again
this is building my faith up you
actually saw him he walked with you yes
yes hey yeah we had a meal with him at
communion with him oh okay
tell me the whole thing all over again
okay and I want to get those ladies back
in here I mean Mary I mean she saw she
saw two angels oh those were the
Resurrection angels okay tell me again
what you saw I want to know the whole
thing say every time you hear it it
builds faith and then you'd be like you
know what he is I mean not John what did
you see Peter what did you see there at
the tomb you saw the empty grave clothes
and knowing there's no way he could
physically get out of that he something
this happened he has been raised from
the dead so you know but you have to
keep hearing it you have to meditate on
it and you have to make the right thing
the right thing you have to make that
the focus praise the Lord
now focus can shift over time focus can
shift over time we're not really
contending for what would have been
classified as you know the Reformation
period where the just shall live by
faith
we know that now well you know we're
justified not by works but by but by
faith in God where we don't have to
continue for that that's been
established but God keeps moving by the
spirit and truths have been restored and
just like your life also the church can
go through times and places where you
know you stop and think about the 1900s
where it just seemed like in the
evangelical churches and Christian
churches the pastor and the teacher or
let's say like this the pastor and the
evangelists were accepted but there's
five ministry offices but only those two
were really respected or welcomed and
the other three nobody even talked about
them why they had been lost through the
centuries but they got restored and you
saw the office of the teacher just
explode in the late 70s and the early
80s
the teaching movement particularly what
was known as the word of faith we're
teaching I mean just everybody was just
consuming teaching of the word of God it
just exploded but before that you hardly
ever heard of a full-time minister who
made his living teaching it was almost
unheard of you either a pastor or
evangelist the office of the teacher was
almost like never heard of before and
then after that in the 90s you had the
explosion of the prophetic and now the
prophetic starting in the late 80s 88 in
vintage of the 90s now the prophetic
ministry was established and before that
it was very rare it was very rare to see
prophetic ministry embraced or endorsed
but now now the teaching ministry is
back in the church you know you know
going full speed ahead
now prophets are you know noticed and
accepted and understood in the church
and now also the Apostolic has been
restored back to the church and you know
these are moves of the Spirit why
different emphases at a different time
in church history what we're about to go
into a new decade there's going to be a
shift in the emphasis the focus of the
Holy Spirit of what God is trying to
emphasize of where we need to be really
developed in a certain area for them at
that time right here what we're looking
at today resurrection get your faith up
strong for the resurrection because he's
gonna be checking your faith one on one
he's gonna check your faith and he's
gonna go over it with you did you
believe or not and of course they didn't
we want to we want to be ready for the
emphasis of the Holy Spirit and he will
prep you he will prep you for the test
that's what the Holy Spirit will do and
so just just God moves with special
emphasis in the church from season to
season from decade to decade and you
know different timeframes he also that
does the same thing in your life and
what was maybe the focus one year or 20
may not be the focus and I'm sure it's
not right now if you're 40 or 50 or 60
there's a complete different focus of
the Holy Spirit in your life and you
need to spend time with the Lord and
catch that catch what the Holy Spirit is
emphasizing okay I'll be honest
sometimes what the Holy Spirit is
emphasizing God's people don't want to
embrace they're like oh I see that verse
over the
and I know the Holy Spirit's emphasizing
that verse more that's going to really
mean some crucifixion of the flesh to
embrace that yep and and that that that
could be the case but I'm saying until
you're willing to embrace what the Holy
Spirit is emphasizing and grab that and
say alright Lord if that's that's it I'm
going I'm gonna I'm gonna really begin
to that you work in my life in this area
if you don't do that you can't tie into
the larger corporate picture because
most likely and I would say highly
possible and probably high probability
is that this working he's doing in you
as an individual is setting you up so
you could be a greater blessing to the
body to the brothers and sisters in the
body praise God
thank you Lord Jesus even even the
Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians chapter
14 he said that the purpose of the gifts
of the Spirit is to build others up in
the body of Christ what a blessing oh
praise God so the Holy Spirit will show
it to you he'll show you what that
emphasis of God is but you still have to
be willing to say ok I'll take it and he
can reveal it through the inner witness
he could reveal it through a scripture
he could reveal it through a visionary
experience that you have with the Lord
or with an angel or something like that
but you're gonna have to take it and
you're gonna have to embrace it and put
the lead weight and development into it
and then you'll be so glad you did
why oh because sooner or later the Lord
always comes around and shows up in your
room and talks to you about it so it's
good to follow the holy spirit I'm
telling you whoo the Holy Spirit he will
really really help you in these areas so
get ready maybe he's already been trying
to get this over to you but you've been
kind of like you've been like holy
spirit I don't you want to look over
there because I have an idea of what
you're saying the emphasis is and I
don't even want to let see just just go
for it
that's where true happiness is remember
jesus said if you love your life that's
your self life the selfish nature of
life if you love your life you're going
to lose it in the end but if you lose
your life and when he's what he's
talking about is your own way your
selfishness and doing it you know not
having any influence of the Spirit but
you just do it your own way
then he said if you lose your life
you'll find his life praise God hmm
sometimes these things can be right in
front of you I get concerned sometimes
about certain people I um I know a
couple and husband and wife they're
married and I know the the husband I
know his parents are getting real old
and they're not saved just as
spiritually dead as you can be him never
received Christ into their heart they
don't know Jesus as their personal Lord
and Savior and they're getting older and
they're getting older and they could die
at any time
and you know you think if that's my
parents I don't want my parents go to
hell I need to step in here and do
something about this oh well there's the
Holy Spirit showing you your response
well that's not the highlight I want I
want the highlight to be that God that
God wants me he wants me to be a movie
star hmm that's probably the flesh
now let's crucify the flesh and let's
get over here and to find out what the
Holy Spirit is emphasizing lest we have
our own family members die and go to
hell that is not acceptable
praise God not when we can pray and go
before the Lord and say Lord that this
cannot be Lord we're gonna have to get
them Lord break through to their hearts
praise God mm-hmm
thank you Lord Jesus don't be hopefully
somebody else is going to be doing the
praying if that's your mother and father
you you need to be praying for them more
than anybody else don't put it all over
on your preacher
maybe because maybe he doesn't even care
you know maybe he's got his hands full
who know whose praise the Lord but
sometimes I see I see people they don't
even care it's like they don't even care
if their family members are gonna make
it or not and I'm like hey that's your
parents they're not gonna live forever
hallelujah now I'm blessed in that area
that's something that's not a concern
for me or on my wife's side both of our
parents they love the Lord my dad's in
heaven my mom she's you know loves the
Lord deeply reads her Bible every day
Kelly's parents wonderful Christians
dearly
the Lord greatly loved God as well so
you know pretty much well you know
everybody's doing doing good but outside
of that you know if you're if your
family's not saved that could be
especially especially if time is running
now watch out because that can be an
emphasis of the Holy Spirit see the Holy
Spirit will interrupt your self life I
just want to have fun pastor Steve and
life's hard I just want to have fun and
escape and go to the movies every night
well stay home from the movies a few
nights and pray and you'll put the
emphasis on that on that thing that the
Holy Spirit is emphasizing and then and
then go go to the movie after you've
done your praying praise God
you'll find though oftentimes after
you've prayed like that you probably
don't want to go to the movie hallelujah
thank you Lord Jesus hallelujah God
wants you blessed God wants you blessed
remember Jesus said do not be
unbelieving but believing that is a
commandment and it's not broad and it's
not general it's not just like I believe
in God even even the demons believe in
God and they tremble but don't expect
any demon ever to say I want to get my
life right with God they're never ever
going to do that they're lost they're
gone forever and they're never there
spiritually dead and they're locked into
that into that they're never getting out
but my friends this is not a general
faith this is a specific faith and it
can shift it can be highlighted think of
a high light can change depending on the
season of your life and I think I think
the spotlight is coming down by the
Spirit of God upon something right now
you really need to lock on to it might
not be something that won't run that
long maybe it's for two months maybe
it's for two years maybe it'll change
after that but right now if that's the
spotlight you need to put the focus
where it's at because the Lord will come
he will come and he won't do an
inspection down the road about how you
responded to this demand of hey I was
really looking for faith in this area
that's really looking for people to
believe that I've been raised from the
dead before they saw me to have to
believe in from before before they
finally believed it I was looking for
people to believe it particularly all of
you that I put faith into for
three-and-a-half years you know the
travel with
being you know you saw me Minister and I
tried to build your faith up I was
really looking for it in you guys mmm
praise God so the more you know the more
responsibility you have before the Lord
thank you Lord Jesus he treats you
differently
when you know and I know I'm speaking to
many people that you're not you're not a
baby in Christ you're maturing the Lord
and he's expecting you to do your part
praise God I have confidence that you
will hallelujahs so should the Lord show
up in your room you'd be like okay Lord
praise God the Lord I was ready pray I
had been building myself up in that area
obedient and obeying in that area praise
God thank you Lord father I pray for
your people today that they'll they'll
focus on that faith in that specific
area highlight it by your Holy Spirit
something that they're really supposed
to be working on right now I thank you
father tie them into the larger
corporate vision we thank you we give
you praise in Jesus name Amen and amen
now say I receive by faith and yet you
have to believe right you have to
believe that God is going to work with
you in this area he will everything is
received by faith every blessing thank
you Lord Jesus let's take communion
together today please grab some
unleavened bread some grape juice maybe
you're watching the program today and
you're thanking Pastor Steven I don't
really live in I Ron but uh sounds like
a lot of people are getting to know
Jesus over there maybe I maybe you live
in America or something like that you're
still thinking you know I'd still like
to get to know Jesus well if you don't
know him but you would like to receive
him as your Lord and Savior pray this
prayer right now pray it out loud say
Lord Jesus come into my heart I give my
life to you wash all of my sins away
make me clean and pure thank you Jesus
write my name in your book of life thank
you Jesus I receive you now as my Lord
and Savior amen and amen praise got it
if you prayed that prayer from your
heart you now belong to Jesus and you
washed your sins away and you've
received eternal life let's all take
holy communion together father we thank
you for the bread and the juice we bless
it and we consecrate it this is now the
flesh and the blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ father we thank you that as we
look at it we see a little wafer maybe a
piece of bread and we see grape juice
still but we thank you Father it's the
flesh and blood of the Lord Jesus
concealed through what physically would
appear now to be a little wafer and a
cup of grape juice father we give you
praise we thank you for the body of
Jesus we thank you that all of his
promises are true there yes and amen we
take a hold of them now the promise for
now the highlight the faith highlight
now Lord God make it so clear Oh God
that you could take like a highlighter
in the Holy Spirit and highlight it in
yellow or blue thank you Father God so
that we see it and say Lord we're gonna
go to work in that area we thank you we
believe it in Jesus name
let's receive the body of Christ
father thank you for the blood of Jesus
shed for the remission of our sins the
complete forgiveness and the forgetting
of our sins father we thank you we
forgive anyone who sinned against us we
forgive them and blessed them thank you
Father God that we belong to your family
we give you praise in Jesus name Amen
let's receive praise God hallelujah okay
this just came on me right now there's
an anointing for travel I don't know why
but it just came boom just just dropped
there's an anointing that if you would
like to travel more and this is this is
actually International this is running
this is international travel if you
would like to travel international maybe
you haven't but you would like to okay
get ready I'm gonna pray for you and if
you have done a little travel but you
would like to do more because this is
something got to put it in your heart
that would include you too I'm gonna
pray for you praise God I know what that
anointing is when it comes this is for
travel travel anointing alright so that
you lift your hands Heavenly Father I
thank you for your people I release the
travel anointing upon their life now in
the name of Jesus that they will go as
father as the ambassadors of Christ
wherever they go they go as ambassadors
of Christ father it might not even be a
mission trip or something like that but
they're going to go it could be could be
that maybe they just want to go see a
historic site somewhere or reduce some
but they're gonna go as an ambassadors
thank you Father God sower of seeds
owers of the word of God into the hearts
the fertile soil of people father we
thank you in the name of Jesus received
the travel anointing amen and amen
praise the Lord amen okay look for the
highlighter God's gonna give it to you
and show you what the focus on thanks
for watching I'll see you back next time