1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:04,000 Welcome to the First Apostolic Church podcast. 2 00:00:04,520 --> 00:00:07,960 Our church mission is to love as God loves showing compassion 3 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:11,440 every soul, thus winning those souls and equipping them to be 4 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:13,640 sent out to plant and to harvest. 5 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,000 Thank you for joining us today and we hope that you are blessed 6 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:28,800 by today's podcast. Amen, going to allow you to turn 7 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:34,400 to First Chronicles Chapter 23. Seems like I've preached out of 8 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:39,080 Chronicles quite a bit this year, but that's OK Gets 9 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:41,160 everybody familiar with a book that you want to skip over. 10 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:45,720 Amen. First Chronicles. 11 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:50,240 Please also be advised that today starts the ministry 12 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,800 Appreciation for brother and sister Mason, That's Jerry and 13 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:56,720 Roberta Mason. The event is up on Facebook that 14 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:58,960 will continue for the next two weeks. 15 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:01,160 So that is there for your perusal. 16 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:04,080 Maybe pick a day or show something type of appreciation. 17 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:08,240 Listen to show an appreciation doesn't always mean monetary 18 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:12,840 gifts or or gift cards. It could just be a simple note. 19 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:16,760 Just be a simple and, and whenever I say simple, I'm not 20 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:18,680 saying that a note is simplistic. 21 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:22,640 Matter of fact, it it's very meaningful and so it could just 22 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,840 be just a few words scrawled if scrawled on a napkin. 23 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:29,280 If you got to a man that could just be at you text something 24 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:31,240 like that. I guarantee you that that that 25 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:34,920 goes so many miles. Just just a just a few words of 26 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:36,840 appreciation, even just like that. 27 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:44,440 Also the the 4th Sunday of this month, All right, is brother 28 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:48,640 Stumbo and sister Stumbo, a man is going to be with us in 29 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,360 service. And this is the older Stumbos, 30 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:55,040 not the younger Stumbos. A man, they're going to be here 31 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:58,920 in service, share with us their burden and what's going on in 32 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:00,360 Russia. Amen. 33 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:03,960 So that'll be exciting to hear. And they are out of the district 34 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:07,520 that we participate in and have been in Russia for many, many 35 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:09,360 years. I can't even count the number of 36 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,840 years that they have been in Russia off the top of my head. 37 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:17,480 But many a man entered into a very oppressive and somber 38 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:20,040 country. A man have done a work there for 39 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:22,000 the past several, several several years. 40 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,440 So come and be a part of that as we invite them here to the first 41 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:27,280 episode Church. To my knowledge, you'll be their 42 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:31,080 first time being here. Mark and Wanda, I think maybe, 43 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:33,760 maybe their first time, unless they did under Bishops 44 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,080 leadership. But first time being here as far 45 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:38,360 as I can remember. I know they were at Brother 46 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:40,160 Frills. We went and was in a collective 47 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:43,600 service over there at South Gibson with them, Amen. 48 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:46,080 But none the less, whether it is or isn't their first, we're glad 49 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:47,280 to have them. Amen. 50 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,640 And then the very last Sunday of this month in the AM, it will be 51 00:02:50,640 --> 00:02:53,920 our fifth Sunday. We'll have Pastor Tony Frederick 52 00:02:53,920 --> 00:02:55,400 and his wife, Linda. They're going to be here, 53 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:57,800 Minister, we're the Lord throughout this year. 54 00:02:57,800 --> 00:02:59,720 Our fifth Sundays will be guest speaker. 55 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:02,960 Sundays, I don't know if I said that thus far, and this year, 56 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:05,760 but our fifth Sundays are be guest speaker Sundays. 57 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,240 We'll have somebody in those AM services from different place. 58 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:12,440 I think the first one, of course, was Easter. 59 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:16,240 I was your guest speaker. But beyond that, the other ones, 60 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:19,320 Brother Frederick's coming up this month in the month of 61 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:23,360 September I think is the next one is brother Travis Gardner 62 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,400 and his wife and family. And then in December is the 63 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:29,640 other one, the very last Sunday I think of the year, I think it 64 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:32,600 is, will be a fish Sunday. And that will be Kevin and Nikki 65 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:35,400 Hopkins will be here to minister the word of the Lord. 66 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:38,080 And so that's just a little preview of those that will be, 67 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:40,480 Amen. The 5th Sunday's also that 5th 68 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:42,200 Sunday will be our Sunday school picnic. 69 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:45,400 By Wednesday, I'll have me a list out for food and things and 70 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:47,480 such to bring them people and start signing up. 71 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,240 It'll be the culmination of the pie in the face for the youth. 72 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:52,240 That's going to start, I believe, on Father's Day. 73 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:55,960 So that's going to be a culmination of that as well. 74 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:59,640 So good, good times, good times, Amen. 75 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:03,360 The First Chronicles, chapter 23, you might need to make a few 76 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:06,240 extra pies on the list for Sunday school picnic, since some 77 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:08,280 of them is going to be used for people's faces. 78 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:11,000 Amen. Second Chronicles chapter #23 79 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:12,320 I'm going to read verse number six. 80 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:14,800 Glad to have you here. Glad to have Hadley. 81 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:19,160 All right with Sister Cox. And she turned into a just a, 82 00:04:19,399 --> 00:04:22,000 just a beautiful young lady. Amen. 83 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,200 I'm so glad to have her. Don't want to embarrass her. 84 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,320 I'm trying to tow the line, Hadley. 85 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:29,440 I really am, Amen. First Chronicles 23 and verse 86 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:31,400 #6. And I'm going. 87 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:33,800 To skip around a little bit. OK, So just follow my lead, 88 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:35,360 Trevor. Follow my lead. 89 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:37,520 Amen tonight. Thank you, Trevor. 90 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:40,640 Trevor's doing a great job filling in as a media director. 91 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:44,800 Live stream up everything going. It's not just it's not just 92 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:47,040 flipping one switch folks. I'm here to tell you right now, 93 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:49,960 and I'm not just saying that just because he's my offspring. 94 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:52,640 I'm just saying I appreciate him and his diligence. 95 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:56,720 Amen. Tonight, First Chronicles 23, 96 00:04:56,720 --> 00:05:01,640 verse 6, and David. And listen folks, you're going 97 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:03,000 to hear some stuff you don't like, right? 98 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:07,480 Connection of names, sorry, sorry. 99 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:13,040 And David divided them into courses among the sons of Levi, 100 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:18,000 namely Jershan, Kohath, and Mirai. 101 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:23,800 Verse #12 the sons of Kohath. Please note that was one that 102 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:30,720 was just mentioned in verse 6. Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzzle 4 103 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:37,040 going on with verse 13, The sons of Amram. 104 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:39,360 That was already noted in verse 12. 105 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:41,000 See the connection happening here. 106 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:44,720 Aaron and Moses and Aaron was separated, that he should 107 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:48,560 sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons forever, to burn 108 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:51,840 incense before the Lord, to minister unto him, and to bless 109 00:05:52,280 --> 00:05:55,880 in his name forever. Verse 14. 110 00:05:56,120 --> 00:06:00,960 Now concerning Moses, the man of God mentioned just in the last 111 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:04,920 verse, his sons were named of the tribe of Levi. 112 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:14,720 Verse 15, the sons of Moses were Jershom and Eleazar verse #17 113 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:20,600 and the sons of Eleazar. So this strings all the way from 114 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:25,080 verse number six, mind you, from Levi Ford and the sons of 115 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:36,840 Eleazar were Rehabaya the chief and Eleazar had none other sons, 116 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:42,880 but the sons of Rehabaya were very many. 117 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:47,560 Tonight, title of my message is faithful stewardship. 118 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:51,040 It has nothing to do with money. We're stewards of more than 119 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,320 monetary goods. We're stewards of more than 120 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:56,560 money. We steward people. 121 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:02,000 We steward whatever has been set under our care. 122 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:07,560 I feel the Holy Ghost. I want to talk about tonight, 123 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:13,440 Faithful steward ship. When I was younger, I could come 124 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:16,640 up with a whole lot fancier and catch your titles. 125 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:23,000 Now I'm just like boring but faithful stewardship. 126 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:25,200 But I guarantee that the Lord has something to say. 127 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,520 Father, I come to you tonight and I'm thankful, Lord Jesus. 128 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:32,440 Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your diligence. 129 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:36,200 God with us in our lives. I pray, O Lord, help me God, to 130 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:40,560 relay God from my spirit, what I feel like you have poured into 131 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:44,400 me, Lord Jesus, today, Lord, and even prior today when I first. 132 00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:46,520 Pinned some things. Down. 133 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,800 I pray God that you ever to bring all these things to a 134 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:53,320 culmination here Lord, in this service God touches in this 135 00:07:53,320 --> 00:07:57,040 place in this atmosphere today, God will not fail to thank you 136 00:07:57,040 --> 00:07:59,560 for it. The lovely name of Jesus Christ 137 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:02,600 that I pray. Amen of the church say Amen. 138 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:05,440 Dear wife, if you could get me a bottle of water. 139 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:09,200 I don't hardly ever use it, but sometimes an allergy season I 140 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:16,920 do. There is a string of names that 141 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:20,680 was presented before you tonight If if you followed it, and maybe 142 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,560 you had trouble following it. But. 143 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:27,760 Who I want to concentrate upon, or at least the sector of this 144 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:31,000 whole line that I want to concentrate on, is that which 145 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:36,320 was found in verse #17 when it speaks of the sons of Eleazar. 146 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:41,520 Yet he only had one son, and he had no other sons except that 147 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:45,640 one. His lineage is very impressive. 148 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:52,560 He is the son of Moses, the son of Amram. 149 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:59,040 The son of Kohath, the son of Levi, Eleazar's father was 150 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:03,680 Moses. Moses of all people, the notable 151 00:09:03,680 --> 00:09:08,120 one who was the deliverer for the nation of Israel. 152 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:14,480 Eleazar's uncle was Aaron. Aaron, the high priest that 153 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:19,480 served in the priesthood of that that level of importance to the 154 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:24,040 same nation that his father Moses had delivered with within 155 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:29,160 his family line are these two prominent men that were largely 156 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:32,840 responsible for Israel's exit from Egypt. 157 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:36,080 He comes according to, if I could use the word, Brother 158 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:40,080 Louise, according to the genealogy, he he comes from the 159 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:46,840 stock of the Kohathites, who, unlike the others, they did more 160 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:52,360 than transporting tabernacles, coverings and curtains and 161 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:54,600 frames and structural components. 162 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:59,600 The Kohathite division were those whose duties were caring 163 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:03,240 for the most sacred aspects of the Tabernacle, such as 164 00:10:03,560 --> 00:10:07,960 attending to and covering and carrying more importantly the 165 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:10,800 Ark of the Covenant and the table of shoebread and the 166 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:15,840 lampstand and both altars and all of the sacred utensils that 167 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:19,280 were used in the Tabernacle throughout their wilderness 168 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:22,600 journey. The Kohathites carried the 169 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:26,360 sacred furnishings between each of their encampments, and the 170 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:30,360 Bible tells us in Numbers 33 that there were 42 of those 171 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:34,480 encampments of them pitching the Tabernacle and pulling it back 172 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:38,280 up and traveling. So in between these 42 times, 173 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:42,200 the Kohath Heights, which Eleazar was a descendant of, 174 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:46,640 were those that carried these precious things and even carried 175 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:50,440 them across that miraculous journey across the Jordan River 176 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:56,520 into the land of Canaan. Eleazar, the son of Moses, was 177 00:10:56,520 --> 00:11:01,680 born during Moses's exile to Midian, before he was ever the 178 00:11:01,680 --> 00:11:07,440 deliverer of God's people. Therefore, it's easy to deduce 179 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:13,520 today that even Eleazar himself carried some of those precious 180 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:17,560 things through the wilderness journeys that he touched some of 181 00:11:17,560 --> 00:11:19,720 the very things that God had touched. 182 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:23,840 He touched some of the very things that God presence had 183 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:26,720 touched. He we understand in Scripture 184 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:31,880 that Eleazar's father Moses, the Bible says that his he climbs up 185 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:35,440 the mountain and God gives him the privilege of looking into 186 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:38,840 the promised land and he would die there. 187 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:43,560 The Bible says that Moses was 120 years old when he died. 188 00:11:43,560 --> 00:11:47,240 He, he was not allowed to enter the land of promise, only to 189 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:50,720 look into the land of promise. And the Bible describes that 190 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:55,160 when he died that his eyes were not weak, neither was his 191 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:59,320 strength diminished, which tells me that there was some more 192 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:04,360 living that Moses could have done had it not been for God's 193 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:07,240 decree upon his life to not enter. 194 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:13,400 So that means this, that his son Elie Azar then did cross over 195 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:17,560 the Jordan. He walked on what only his dad 196 00:12:17,560 --> 00:12:21,400 could see. He touched what only his father 197 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:25,000 could look at. And if Elie Azar lived the 198 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:29,720 number of days and years of his father if not more because Moses 199 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:34,120 still had some life, then he, Elie Azar even witnessed some of 200 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:37,240 the events in the land of Canaan. 201 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:39,880 Can you imagine? Here is Eliezar. 202 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:42,520 He is a man that has a great heritage. 203 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:48,080 He has a great heritage and a man no doubt was such a notable 204 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:52,320 heritage would would want to increase his offspring as 205 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:58,040 inheritors to such a heritage. He would like to attach no doubt 206 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:03,640 as many souls as possible to that type of ancestry and that 207 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:08,280 type of background of having both a deliverer and a high 208 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:12,720 priest in his family tree. Not to mention all those 209 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:17,480 Cohathites that were transporters of of God's ark and 210 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:22,280 shoebred and coverings and and sacred things and altars. 211 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:26,440 You, you want to attach people that to that type of legacy, you 212 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:30,880 know, because it seems to be a famous, if you will, or it seems 213 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:33,240 to have some type of importance to it. 214 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:36,800 He would want to do that. He would want to broaden the 215 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:40,920 scope of that type of heritage. That would be paramount in the 216 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:45,760 mind of Eleazar to do so. Yet the Bible records that 217 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:54,240 Eleazar had rehab but no other sons. 218 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:59,200 He had been endowed with a priceless heritage. 219 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,240 These people had carried the weight of God's presence, if you 220 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:05,840 will, by carrying the ark on their shoulders. 221 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:08,920 But Eliezar, no doubt one to pass that on. 222 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:13,120 What numbers to be many that could inherit that he has only 223 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:19,760 one son. I mean, Eliezar's daddy was a 224 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:23,000 crucial component in deliverance, his uncle the high 225 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:30,000 priest, but that did not guarantee that Eleazar would 226 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:34,400 have many sons. Eleazar operated in all of the 227 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:38,440 functions that concerned the sacred things of God's house, 228 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:44,040 but that didn't ensure he would have numerous sons. 229 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:48,160 So what Eleazar is left with here is a choice. 230 00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:51,560 What he's left with here is a decision. 231 00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:57,440 He can either complain about all the sons that he doesn't have, 232 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:06,680 or he can pour himself into the sun that he does have. 233 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:12,560 I've come to preach on this Sunday night that we got to as a 234 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:17,600 church. We got to as a pastor and as 235 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:22,400 youth pastors and as administrative pastors and as 236 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:28,240 musicians and as teachers. We have to steward what we have 237 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:31,440 rather than focus on what we don't have. 238 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:40,560 Someone say Amen. In Second Kings chapter #4 May I 239 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:45,240 remind you tonight of the story of the widow who has a couple of 240 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:47,800 sons. The creditors were going to come 241 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:51,040 and take those boys. She is at wits end. 242 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:56,600 But that widow's miracle came again from what she had not what 243 00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:59,680 she did not have. She did not be. 244 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:04,520 She did not become consumed or consumed in her time with what 245 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:09,480 she lacked. She poured herself into what she 246 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:12,880 had, which was a solitary pot of oil. 247 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,200 You'll remember when the Prophet came to her house and he says, 248 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:18,360 woman, what do you want me to do for you? 249 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:23,440 What do you have in the house? She said, Sir, I do not have 250 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:28,000 anything in the house save a pot of oil. 251 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:34,000 When God is in it, even when it appears small debts can be paid 252 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:38,000 and you can live on what it is if you steward what you got. 253 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:43,480 Sure, the lady in that moment probably thought, you know, 12 254 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:47,160 pots of oil would be lovely, but she didn't have 12 pots. 255 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:50,240 She had one. She had been, she didn't get 256 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:54,640 deterred by all the have nots. Well, I have not this, have not 257 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:58,040 that, have not this. She may have missed the miracle. 258 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:01,800 What was in the one? Had she been concentrating on 259 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:06,560 what she didn't have? God wanted to work through the 260 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:11,319 one. Someone say man, the church 261 00:17:11,319 --> 00:17:15,640 tonight is a spiritual mother. The church is a spiritual 262 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:17,880 mother. For that matter, the collection 263 00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:22,359 of churches all across this world are churches worldwide. 264 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:25,880 They are a collection, if you will, fragments, pieces, 265 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:30,840 portions, body parts, if you will, of the overall church. 266 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:34,720 I know we say well, there's you know, five churches in that city 267 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:36,840 and that state has X number of churches. 268 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:40,400 There's only one church. We're all parts and pieces of 269 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:43,360 the church parts and pieces of the church. 270 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:47,080 Isaiah spoke. He said for as soon as Zion 271 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:49,440 Speaking of the church, if you will travail. 272 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:53,480 She brought forth her children and throughout Scripture this is 273 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:56,600 a common occurrence. This is a common association 274 00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:59,760 that the church is pictured throughout the Bible as a 275 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:02,000 mother. Other times it's pictured as a 276 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:03,840 birthing mother. Amen. 277 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:08,240 As such, nonetheless, we aspire as a part of the church. 278 00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:13,840 We aspire to have children, we aspire to have converts, and 279 00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:16,480 there's various variables that impact that. 280 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:20,560 Some of them we have control over and some of them we don't 281 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:23,600 have control over. What I'm saying tonight is this 282 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:29,040 many times, like Eleazar, the church has a very rich heritage. 283 00:18:29,360 --> 00:18:33,480 They've had intimate involvement in sacred matters, and we want 284 00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:38,080 to broaden that base of inheritors by seeing babes born 285 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:41,320 into the Kingdom of such a noble legacy. 286 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:45,720 That's an honorable desire, but sometimes you're given one. 287 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:57,320 Son probably wanted many to share such a heritage with, but 288 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:03,400 God gave him one. Honey, we can get Millie mouth 289 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:06,760 and bite our bottom lip and talk about well, I wish the place was 290 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:09,560 full and I do too. But if you're going to spend all 291 00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:12,600 your days off of what you don't have, you might miss what's 292 00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:16,560 sitting right here. The potentiality, the 293 00:19:16,560 --> 00:19:20,600 missionaries, the teachers, the preachers, the soul winners that 294 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:24,920 are right here and we all day can focus on what the have nots 295 00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:29,920 are, but we got to wrap our mind around about what God has given. 296 00:19:39,470 --> 00:19:42,550 Anybody wants to share the legacy of what we've inherited 297 00:19:42,550 --> 00:19:46,350 with somebody else. But sometimes he won't give you 298 00:19:46,350 --> 00:19:48,430 a nation, He'll give you a child. 299 00:19:52,830 --> 00:19:55,990 He might not give us all Mount Carmel, but he might give us one 300 00:19:55,990 --> 00:20:01,510 in Mount Carmel. I shared this with our 301 00:20:01,510 --> 00:20:05,470 leadership on a Sunday some time ago. 302 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:14,520 According to Carl F George, 93% of American churches and this 303 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:18,480 this 93% of American churches are small. 304 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:27,880 What they consider small is under 350 people, while 80% are 305 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:30,680 very small. What they consider very small is 306 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:36,280 under 200 people. So, he said if size equals 307 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:42,120 success, then 93% of pastors or churches, mind you, are 308 00:20:42,120 --> 00:20:47,120 unsuccessful, bad at their jobs, inadequate at fulfilling their 309 00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:50,480 calling, while 80% are very bad at their jobs. 310 00:20:55,120 --> 00:21:04,360 That fable has been perpetrated or propelled by society and even 311 00:21:04,360 --> 00:21:09,240 by church society. That success is only equated 312 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:14,880 with numbers. I've traveled this United 313 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:19,200 States. I have seen just as many 314 00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:22,720 unhealthy large churches as I have unhealthy small churches. 315 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:29,920 The mood, Brother Freddie, is not large or small. 316 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:34,280 That's not the matter. It's about stewarding what you 317 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:41,280 have. It's about being a faithful 318 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:45,240 steward over what you have. Please, somebody hear me 319 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:47,400 tonight. Someone online might be ready to 320 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:49,880 crucify me. So let me make this disclaimer 321 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:52,040 tonight. What I'm talking about tonight 322 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:55,040 isn't about an excuse for avoiding outreach. 323 00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:57,760 It's not about using an excuse for winning souls. 324 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:02,160 But what I am doing is advocating investing in what you 325 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:06,680 have rather than waiting to do that when you reach a number you 326 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:15,960 hope you'll have. I've said it 1000 times and let 327 00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:20,000 me say it 1001, the pilots going to fly the plane and take just 328 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,640 as much diligence if he has 12 on it. 329 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:26,400 Or if he has 80 on it, he's going to be just as diligent. 330 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:29,800 And so we can't just go half called because we feel like 331 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:31,560 there's not a number there. Amen. 332 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:35,480 In order to qualify our better worship, or our better praise, 333 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:39,560 or our better investment, it matters not if there's one or 334 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:44,520 two they deserve. I just had a conversation with a 335 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:47,720 home missionary pastor not long ago and he was talking about 336 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:50,840 there were periods of time in his home missionary work for a 337 00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:53,320 month's time almost. You know what he did every 338 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:56,520 Sunday whenever they had church, he preached to his wife. 339 00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:59,200 That's all he had for a solid month. 340 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:09,400 What is that? That's being a faithful. 341 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:13,760 You know what he could said, said, honey, no one's here. 342 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:17,880 Let's go on home. Or be thinking in the back of 343 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:19,760 his mind. I'm not going to put any hours 344 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:22,720 of preparation for preaching the word because there might not be 345 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:26,640 anybody here there, but there could be one child. 346 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:34,680 You got to quit looking at the have nots and look what you 347 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:40,320 have. And as a result of that, yeah, 348 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:42,200 I'm going to come in and lift up my hands. 349 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:44,040 I'm going to praise. I'm going to worship. 350 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:48,000 I'm going to put the same hours in that I do hear that I do for 351 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,840 a conference. It matters not because God has 352 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:54,560 just asked me if I'll be a steward of over what he's 353 00:23:54,560 --> 00:24:05,800 provided to me. If so, it's Amen. 354 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:14,360 Sometimes there are the Eleazars with the finest of pedigrees who 355 00:24:14,360 --> 00:24:22,080 have one son. One son who listened to me 356 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:28,520 Clearly that one son, Rehabaya, the Bible says, had many or 357 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:35,120 numerous sons. Eleazar could have come 358 00:24:35,120 --> 00:24:40,200 preoccupied. With the sons he didn't have and 359 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:42,600 as a result neglected the sun he did have. 360 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:49,800 What are you saying, Eleazar? You have one sun. 361 00:24:50,480 --> 00:24:54,800 Invest in that sun. Equip that sun. 362 00:24:55,360 --> 00:25:00,240 Show that sun, the path, or if you will, the heritage of your 363 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:02,600 family. As fast as it is. 364 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:08,440 Push it all inside of that one son that you have, because only 365 00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:13,280 the future and eternity can reveal what the outcome can be 366 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:22,200 of that one author and pastor Carl Vader's. 367 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:24,960 He struggled with the size of his church. 368 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,120 Which was, according to the standards I read before you, 369 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:31,360 small. He didn't have many sons, so to 370 00:25:31,360 --> 00:25:33,960 speak. Didn't have many sons. 371 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:38,480 But he admitted this, he said. As it turns out, my church 372 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:40,520 wasn't broken until I tried to fix it. 373 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:46,320 What's that mean? We can't ignore what God has 374 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:50,040 given us by wishing we had more. And forget about the ones that 375 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:53,320 are sitting right here. The ones that show up faithfully 376 00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:55,520 Sunday morning and Sunday night and Wednesday. 377 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:58,400 The one that put in the work when you ask for a work day, or 378 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:01,360 the ones that clean and the ones that teach and the ones that 379 00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:03,200 says I'll show up. The ones that says I'll cook a 380 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:06,400 meal if we don't watch it. We'll break something that we 381 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:09,120 think is broken, but we'll break it by trying to fix it. 382 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:12,440 There's nothing wrong with it, we just got to be a steward over 383 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:21,360 it. Eleazar, you may never have many 384 00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:25,880 sons, but can you be contented with what I've given you? 385 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:31,480 Can you, Eleazar, pour yourself into the wand? 386 00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:37,440 Because unknown to you, Eleazar, the many you desired are 387 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:43,160 embedded in the one you have. Someone say Amen. 388 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:47,800 What are you saying? I'm saying this only God knows 389 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:51,400 what he'll do through a Reese Singer. 390 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:57,440 Only God knows what he will do through a Ray McVeigh. 391 00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:02,880 Only God knows what he will do. Through a Ethan Wright, the 392 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:07,280 footprint of the Little Graceland and Julie and Addison 393 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:11,600 and Asher and Raya and Kade, Hey man, the footprint that they 394 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:15,240 will have up on this world has yet to be determined. 395 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:18,560 How many children will impact the Kingdom? 396 00:27:19,120 --> 00:27:22,840 I don't even know the balance of my own kids at this point. 397 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:25,320 I don't know how they'll impact the Kingdom. 398 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:28,200 What do I must do? I got to invest. 399 00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:32,760 I got to poor myself. I got to steward the ones that I 400 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:40,540 have. It's like, well God, I would 401 00:27:40,540 --> 00:27:43,900 like 150, he says. Well are you stewarding the 50? 402 00:27:51,590 --> 00:27:53,870 You want me to trust you with more? 403 00:27:55,230 --> 00:28:01,440 But have you stewarded the few? So we can't weary ourselves over 404 00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:04,800 how many you don't have. You got to invest yourselves in 405 00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:11,520 the ones you do have. And the rehabbiah rehabbiah may 406 00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:15,120 have numerous. And when that rehabbiah has 407 00:28:15,120 --> 00:28:20,280 numerous sons or many sons, then the influence of Eleazar and the 408 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:26,360 stewardship of Eleazar has indirectly almost impacted and 409 00:28:26,360 --> 00:28:30,960 facilitated the many that his son would have. 410 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:38,680 Everybody doing OK Church is a spiritual mother. 411 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:44,040 When a woman is born, you know this, many know this. 412 00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:49,040 When a woman is born, she is born with all the unfertilized 413 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:49,600 eggs. She will. 414 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:57,360 Ever have in her life? That means that a mother, in 415 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:03,840 essence, when she is pregnant with another female child, is 416 00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:11,880 carrying her grandchildren. When my wife was in her mother's 417 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:18,280 womb, Judy Mcbroom, at that time, those unfertilized eggs 418 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:24,600 were being developed in my wife still yet in the womb before 419 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:28,920 birth. Two of those eggs that was in my 420 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:33,200 wife in her mother's womb would later become Mariah and Trevor. 421 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:40,040 My mother-in-law was carrying one woman. 422 00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:44,960 She nurtured that girl in the womb. 423 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,800 She followed the plan of the doctor concerning that girl in 424 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:53,120 the womb, but she wasn't just nurturing that girl. 425 00:29:53,440 --> 00:29:57,080 She was nurturing in essence. Two that were yet to be born. 426 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:05,720 One child, one couple could have many children. 427 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:12,320 A mother of one child is still bearing the burden of many 428 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:15,440 potential children in the next generation. 429 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:19,240 Someone say Amen. For that matter, whenever we 430 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:21,600 talk about men and men on the other hand, and I'm not trying 431 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:24,600 to be graphic, but men can produce sperm cells for their 432 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:28,480 entire lives. So offspring in a monogamous 433 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:30,840 relationship, one man and one female. 434 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:32,440 And I know there's a lot of variables. 435 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:35,560 Just hear me for my context tonight in a monogamous 436 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:37,960 relationship is limited by the female. 437 00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:41,800 If there is no medical issues because there's only so many 438 00:30:41,800 --> 00:30:45,280 eggs to fertilize, everybody doing all right. 439 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:48,480 Stay with me here to get nerdy with scientists for a moment. 440 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:54,400 At about 20 weeks of gestation, the female fetus has about 6 to 441 00:30:54,440 --> 00:31:00,720 8 million eggs in her ovaries. This number will decrease to one 442 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:05,040 to two million eggs by the time she is born. 443 00:31:05,760 --> 00:31:09,840 About 30 to 40 eggs leave the wading pool in the peak 444 00:31:09,840 --> 00:31:13,920 reproductive years. Daily of a female's life. 30 to 445 00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:18,880 40 eggs daily are are are are released, but only 110th of them 446 00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:24,360 enter a menstrual cycle and then typically only one egg develops 447 00:31:24,360 --> 00:31:27,080 fully and ovulates. Are you following me? 448 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:32,440 The ovaries release about 500 mature eggs throughout a 449 00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:37,200 lifetime of a female. Female egg numbers at birth 450 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:40,280 Listen to me clearly here. Female egg numbers at birth can 451 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:44,280 vary female to female, with some women having fifty times more 452 00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:51,560 eggs than other women. With all that being said and the 453 00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:54,520 church being the spiritual mother and drawing a parallel, 454 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:58,080 I'm just asking then, is it safe to say that some churches have 455 00:31:58,080 --> 00:32:04,520 been born with the potential for more births than others? 456 00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:11,720 Possibly. None the less, we still got to 457 00:32:11,720 --> 00:32:14,960 nurture. What we have? 458 00:32:16,040 --> 00:32:21,200 Because in doing so, we might be nurturing others in generations 459 00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:31,800 to come. Heli Azar, you got one child, 460 00:32:33,280 --> 00:32:36,200 but invest in that child because he's going to have an offspring 461 00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:42,000 of many children. See, there's some great outcomes 462 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:44,800 that can come from very seemingly modest beginnings. 463 00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:49,000 No wonder it was Zachariah that said very, very plainly, he 464 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:52,760 said, for who have despised the day of small things. 465 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:57,280 The enemies of Judah and even the Jews themselves considered 466 00:32:57,280 --> 00:32:59,960 the temple that was being built in that moment, the Second 467 00:32:59,960 --> 00:33:02,640 Temple. They considered it to be small 468 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:05,240 in comparison to what had become before it. 469 00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:08,040 They almost compared it to something as nothing. 470 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:10,840 It was contemptible in their eyes. 471 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:14,920 The elders even pleaded that had seen the first Temple and said 472 00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:18,240 that it basically pelled in comparison to the temple of 473 00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:20,280 their day. I want to pause here just for a 474 00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:22,200 moment tonight. And again, I'm not here to be 475 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:25,600 mean or in sensitive, but I want to pause and tell our older 476 00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:30,480 generation not to prejudge this generation's church because 477 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:34,240 although it may appear less to you, we've not seen the outcome 478 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:41,640 of it start quite yet. Someone say Amen. 479 00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:49,560 First Chronicles 23 David is organizing in essence singers 480 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:52,640 and musicians and porters or gatekeepers, if you want to call 481 00:33:52,640 --> 00:33:56,800 them that other Levitical rose. He is organizing here the the 482 00:33:56,800 --> 00:34:00,080 days of transporting the ark and the furnishings are over that 483 00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:01,560 traveling through the wilderness. 484 00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:05,040 It's done it's finished. So there's not the Kohath I 485 00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:07,960 tribe that is carrying, you know, these things, those, those 486 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:12,560 obligations and rose have come to a place of ceasing now the 487 00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:16,360 that the Kohath I have contended with those duties all these 488 00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:20,120 years, but not anymore. And so David is repurposing the 489 00:34:20,120 --> 00:34:24,080 Rose as as singers and guards and musicians. 490 00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:26,679 He has all of this organizational structure 491 00:34:26,679 --> 00:34:30,199 together because he knows his son is going to build the temple 492 00:34:30,199 --> 00:34:33,960 and he's preparing ultimately for that temple that is to come 493 00:34:33,960 --> 00:34:36,360 and for it to be implemented whenever it comes. 494 00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:39,600 But there was even some implementation of these things 495 00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:43,360 that he's planning for, for his old rude tent structure that he 496 00:34:43,360 --> 00:34:47,360 had for the Ark of the Covenant. There was worship and praise and 497 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:50,560 singers and musicians. That took place even right 498 00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:53,000 there. Much of what David even 499 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:57,400 organized involved the regular worship service, and it involved 500 00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:01,600 the ministry of prophecy it it involved order and overseeing 501 00:35:01,600 --> 00:35:04,840 the offerings and maintaining the temple premise, all these 502 00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:06,640 things. And it's uncertain. 503 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:09,760 According to the Word of God and the scriptures I read to you 504 00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:13,880 night, it's uncertain whether Rihabaya, his immediate 505 00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:18,560 children, had any opportunity. To function as a singer or a 506 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:22,400 musician because again, after they come into the promised land 507 00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:25,920 there, there's 400 in about 30 years that judges are going to 508 00:35:25,920 --> 00:35:27,160 rule. And then there's going to be 509 00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:30,200 King Saul for 40 years, King David for 40 years. 510 00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:33,760 Before you even get to Solomon, there's a lot of years that 511 00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:36,120 pass. So we don't even know about his, 512 00:35:36,200 --> 00:35:39,280 his children functioning in any of those things. 513 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:45,880 But none the less, we do have this interesting little excerpt 514 00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:51,000 from Scripture about an offspring that's from the line 515 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:56,360 of Eleazar and Rehabaya in First Chronicles 26. 516 00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:01,640 The Bible says in verse 24, and I'm going to read a few verses 517 00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:11,040 of Scripture names again and she Buell, the son of Josham, the 518 00:36:11,040 --> 00:36:13,480 son of Moses. Josham was one of the sons of 519 00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:18,360 Moses, was ruler of the treasures, verse 25, and his 520 00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:23,760 brethren by Eleazar, meaning Eleazar the other son of Moses, 521 00:36:23,760 --> 00:36:26,200 the one that we spoke of in chapter 23. 522 00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:34,760 Rehabiah his son, and Joshiah his son, and Joaam his son, and 523 00:36:34,760 --> 00:36:38,960 Zachary his son, and Shilomyth his son. 524 00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:43,240 Verse 26. Which Shilomyth and his brethren 525 00:36:43,240 --> 00:36:48,400 were over all the treasures of the dedicated things? 526 00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:53,120 Which David, the king and the chief fathers and the captains 527 00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:56,120 over thousands and hundreds and the captains of the hosts had 528 00:36:56,120 --> 00:36:58,800 dedicated out of the spoils won in battles? 529 00:36:58,800 --> 00:37:05,280 Did they dedicate to maintain the House of the Lord in Direct 530 00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:19,000 Line from Levi to Amram to Eleazar to Rehabiah, all the way 531 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:26,280 down to this Manchilo myth? He's over protecting the 532 00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:31,280 treasures of dedicated things. What are you saying, Pastor 533 00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:36,200 McGee? Because a man, Eleazar, invested 534 00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:46,920 in the one he had rather than wishing for more, paying 535 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:50,880 attention to what he had. Because he invested in what he 536 00:37:50,880 --> 00:37:55,800 had that materialized Sister Sheila, many generations later. 537 00:37:56,760 --> 00:38:00,960 That continued many generations later and flowed for generations 538 00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:07,080 to the future of a man called Shiloh Myth, who was a Direct 539 00:38:07,080 --> 00:38:12,840 Line from the one who would oversee the treasures of the 540 00:38:12,840 --> 00:38:17,920 dedicated things. What are you saying tonight, 541 00:38:17,920 --> 00:38:19,280 brother? I'm saying as a pastor, I'm 542 00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:23,760 saying as a church that if you will pour the Kingdom in who you 543 00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:28,160 have, it'll raise a generation who will pour themselves back 544 00:38:28,160 --> 00:38:34,720 into the Kingdom. Let me repeat. 545 00:38:34,720 --> 00:38:39,000 If you will pour the Kingdom in who you have in future 546 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:43,000 generations, it'll raise up a person, a group that will pour 547 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:45,320 themselves back into the Kingdom. 548 00:38:45,840 --> 00:38:49,560 He was going to protect and guard the things that had been 549 00:38:49,560 --> 00:39:01,560 dedicated to the House of God. He would protect what past 550 00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:07,920 generations had thoughtful. This might not excite me. 551 00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:09,400 It can excite me. That's all right. 552 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:12,400 I'm, I'm, I'm good about being excited all by myself. 553 00:39:13,680 --> 00:39:16,720 It'll protect what generations before them had fought for. 554 00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:21,320 And listen, folks, Sister Cox, if that isn't success, then I 555 00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:34,420 don't know what success is. Success is not about how many 556 00:39:34,420 --> 00:39:38,100 you have sitting on the seat now, it's how many of those feet 557 00:39:38,100 --> 00:39:50,680 hit gold later in order for them to want to pour themselves into 558 00:39:50,680 --> 00:39:53,800 the Kingdom. We got to pour ourselves into 559 00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:59,080 what we have. Stewards. 560 00:39:59,840 --> 00:40:12,440 Faithful stewards. This is the mindset. 561 00:40:14,400 --> 00:40:15,800 That we must come to listen, folks. 562 00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:18,640 I have a lot of friends. I have friends who pastor what I 563 00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:21,000 would call large churches. I have friends that pastor small 564 00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:25,960 churches and our organization that listen over half of the 565 00:40:25,960 --> 00:40:27,560 churches. Over half of the churches in 566 00:40:27,560 --> 00:40:31,160 America are small, but when you put them all together, they make 567 00:40:31,160 --> 00:40:33,320 up the greatest population of the church. 568 00:40:35,040 --> 00:40:37,200 If you did not have small churches, you would have a much 569 00:40:37,200 --> 00:40:40,240 smaller overall church by over half. 570 00:40:43,880 --> 00:40:45,360 So don't tell me they're insignificant. 571 00:40:51,030 --> 00:40:53,190 God make me make make me steward of where I am. 572 00:40:53,190 --> 00:40:56,950 Because maybe I couldn't handle 500, but there might be someone 573 00:40:56,950 --> 00:40:58,710 that has 500 that couldn't handle 50. 574 00:41:00,790 --> 00:41:02,830 They might be ready to leave before I am. 575 00:41:10,260 --> 00:41:13,660 God prepared me through years of evangelism, gave me a thick head 576 00:41:14,500 --> 00:41:19,120 and gave me thick skin. I preached many times when, you 577 00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:22,880 know what, you could hear a, a, a mouse chewing ice in the 578 00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:26,120 corner of the church. And I preached a lot of revivals 579 00:41:26,120 --> 00:41:29,800 where there were a lot of few, few, few people and preached 580 00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:32,600 night in, night out and sweat and yell and all this stuff. 581 00:41:32,600 --> 00:41:34,720 You know what he was doing? He was preparing me for Mount 582 00:41:34,720 --> 00:41:41,240 Carmel. He says I'm going to make you 583 00:41:41,240 --> 00:41:45,040 where you'll be, a steward of faithfulness, that no matter 584 00:41:45,120 --> 00:41:48,880 tide high, tide low, you'll just steward what you got. 585 00:41:54,320 --> 00:41:57,360 Anybody says please don't look down upon me because we have a 586 00:41:57,360 --> 00:42:00,560 Church of 50. Listen, don't be calling me and 587 00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:02,760 say, well, one of these days Brim Gee threw you on. 588 00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:04,720 One of these days I got fifty people to steward. 589 00:42:08,760 --> 00:42:11,520 And when I'm cold in the grave, who knows what they will be 590 00:42:11,520 --> 00:42:15,240 doing and their offspring are doing and those day of touch 591 00:42:15,240 --> 00:42:20,360 will be doing. Don't weep for me. 592 00:42:20,360 --> 00:42:23,040 Don't clasp your hands and feel embarrassed for me. 593 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:26,120 I'm not embarrassed. God's chosen me for this place, 594 00:42:26,320 --> 00:42:34,040 for these people to steward. We're not broken. 595 00:42:34,920 --> 00:42:49,240 We're not broken. I sometimes think Medora 596 00:42:49,240 --> 00:42:51,560 Pentecostal Church, Brother Walls there have been in the 597 00:42:51,560 --> 00:42:55,120 little town of Medora for years. You know what would be 598 00:42:55,120 --> 00:42:59,680 considered a small church? He has two families of Stumbos 599 00:42:59,680 --> 00:43:01,400 out of his church that are missionaries. 600 00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:06,360 I wish you would now take their numbers and add it back to 601 00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:12,040 Medora. You know, within our district 602 00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:14,280 they are one of the largest givers to missions. 603 00:43:15,400 --> 00:43:17,720 Then some of the quote UN quote large churches. 604 00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:21,320 How can they do that? They don't have as much 605 00:43:21,320 --> 00:43:31,340 overhead. I'm not. 606 00:43:31,500 --> 00:43:34,720 God has blessed this assembly. We had a water leak this week 607 00:43:34,720 --> 00:43:36,400 week out here almost in the same place. 608 00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:38,120 We had a water leak before years ago. 609 00:43:38,360 --> 00:43:39,600 And all the men get out there on this. 610 00:43:39,600 --> 00:43:42,680 I came on a Sunday morning and the parking lot was filled with 611 00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:44,120 water. Water was just running over the 612 00:43:44,120 --> 00:43:45,560 parking lot. It was like in the fall. 613 00:43:45,760 --> 00:43:48,480 I think it was after we had a, a chili supper one time sometime 614 00:43:48,480 --> 00:43:50,320 after that because we ate chili back here that day. 615 00:43:50,320 --> 00:43:52,320 I remember clearly. And all the men out there were 616 00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:54,000 were shovels. We're digging through whatever a 617 00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:56,560 foot of gravel and all that stuff and finally got dug. 618 00:43:56,560 --> 00:43:59,080 And you know, Mike Penro got down that hole and we're trying 619 00:43:59,080 --> 00:44:01,240 to fix all this pipe and stuff doing all this garbage. 620 00:44:01,440 --> 00:44:02,560 You know what happened this week? 621 00:44:02,720 --> 00:44:05,800 That thing happened and and while I was gone and and and and 622 00:44:05,800 --> 00:44:08,320 it has been happening. We just couldn't have no visible 623 00:44:08,320 --> 00:44:11,840 sign it was taking place. Brother Fred called guys like to 624 00:44:11,840 --> 00:44:14,360 come dig a hole and whenever they were here for everything, 625 00:44:14,360 --> 00:44:16,720 you know, maybe we should, you know, fix it or we do it 626 00:44:16,720 --> 00:44:19,360 ourselves and guys like was here and I said if they can do it, 627 00:44:19,360 --> 00:44:22,320 let's just let them do it and we can do that. 628 00:44:22,840 --> 00:44:24,720 I'm not worried about the money situation. 629 00:44:25,640 --> 00:44:27,400 But Brother McGee, you only have whatever. 630 00:44:27,680 --> 00:44:29,440 That's all right. You know what we have done over 631 00:44:29,440 --> 00:44:30,640 the years with the little we've had? 632 00:44:30,720 --> 00:44:34,240 We've steward them about how to give and how to tithe and how to 633 00:44:34,240 --> 00:44:36,920 be faithful and this little thing can take care of that. 634 00:44:36,920 --> 00:44:40,440 Why? Because we poured our lives into 635 00:44:40,440 --> 00:44:43,000 who we have and they poured back into the Kingdom. 636 00:44:47,080 --> 00:44:50,480 There are not many churches this size that can, if you will, take 637 00:44:50,480 --> 00:44:53,400 care of a full time pastor and wife and family. 638 00:44:53,720 --> 00:44:55,600 But this church can. How in the world can that 639 00:44:55,600 --> 00:44:58,280 happen? Because we stewarded people for 640 00:44:58,280 --> 00:45:00,400 years. We have stewarded people, and 641 00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:08,040 they poured back in the Kingdom. I don't have anything to hang my 642 00:45:08,040 --> 00:45:24,050 head about. Someone say, man, stay with me. 643 00:45:24,050 --> 00:45:25,130 I'll come to a close quick. Huh. 644 00:45:28,490 --> 00:45:32,120 So Eleazar hailed from a lineage of great significance, being the 645 00:45:32,120 --> 00:45:35,240 son of Moses coming from the tribe of Levi. 646 00:45:35,680 --> 00:45:39,360 But he only had one son. And despite his rich heritage 647 00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:42,880 and involvement in sacred matters, Eleazar face the 648 00:45:42,880 --> 00:45:46,040 reality of having a solitary heir. 649 00:45:48,480 --> 00:45:50,760 But one's value cannot be underestimated. 650 00:45:51,800 --> 00:45:55,120 Just as the widow and 2nd Kings chapter #4 poured herself in one 651 00:45:55,120 --> 00:45:59,320 pot of oil she had so too. Ladies and gentlemen, you and I, 652 00:45:59,720 --> 00:46:03,380 we got to invest in what we have, whether it be a quote UN 653 00:46:03,380 --> 00:46:06,880 quote small congregation or limited resources, we got to 654 00:46:06,880 --> 00:46:11,920 pour steward what we have. So what are you saying? 655 00:46:11,920 --> 00:46:15,640 I'm saying tonight as a church, as those that are numbered right 656 00:46:15,640 --> 00:46:19,080 here, let us embrace the stewardship challenge tonight 657 00:46:19,760 --> 00:46:22,400 and invest in what we've been given in the moment. 658 00:46:23,240 --> 00:46:25,440 He may give us more and I that's fine with me. 659 00:46:25,640 --> 00:46:28,840 But we got to be faithful over what he's giving us right now, 660 00:46:29,120 --> 00:46:33,520 in the moment, shepherding our congregation, stewarding our 661 00:46:33,520 --> 00:46:36,080 resources. We got to pour ourselves into 662 00:46:36,080 --> 00:46:41,160 what we have, knowing that the impact of that investment may 663 00:46:41,160 --> 00:46:45,920 exceed far beyond what we can ever imagine days in the future. 664 00:46:47,560 --> 00:46:51,280 Because listen, I understand clearly God can magnify and 665 00:46:51,280 --> 00:46:56,040 multiply your efforts and he could use them to maintain and 666 00:46:56,040 --> 00:47:00,120 advance his kingdom's purposes. So he and Sam for the McGee, 667 00:47:00,120 --> 00:47:03,160 please, if this is you, if this is you that you come in church 668 00:47:03,160 --> 00:47:09,240 and you just get discouraged over what's not here, you walk 669 00:47:09,240 --> 00:47:13,120 in and the foreboding emptiness and the seats just depresses 670 00:47:13,120 --> 00:47:20,440 you. Don't be discouraged by the 671 00:47:20,440 --> 00:47:28,600 apparent smallness, Rather, become a faithful steward over 672 00:47:28,600 --> 00:47:36,560 what you have, trusting that God can bring forth great outcomes 673 00:47:38,840 --> 00:47:45,040 even from modest beginnings. When we first came to town in 674 00:47:45,040 --> 00:47:50,240 2007 and during a range after we came to town, it wasn't in 675 00:47:50,240 --> 00:47:52,160 anything. You can go back and look to 676 00:47:52,160 --> 00:47:56,040 range running around 100, little over 100 or in the 90s 677 00:47:57,360 --> 00:48:00,280 consistently. It was here that we broke our 678 00:48:00,280 --> 00:48:02,760 record attendance of 136, I think. 679 00:48:02,760 --> 00:48:08,280 Yeah, it went back at the second church, 138 back at the second 680 00:48:08,280 --> 00:48:10,480 church here. It was on the Easter. 681 00:48:10,880 --> 00:48:15,640 It was 163 on that Easter, Brother Fred, we didn't give 682 00:48:15,640 --> 00:48:18,840 away one prize. We did not have an egg hunt. 683 00:48:19,560 --> 00:48:22,560 There was nothing quote UN quote special outside of normal church 684 00:48:22,560 --> 00:48:27,080 that we had on that Easter and we broke our record 163. 685 00:48:30,360 --> 00:48:40,920 It don't have to be a gimmick. I know what can be done, I know 686 00:48:41,040 --> 00:48:46,520 where we can go to, but I can't get my mind so fixed on that. 687 00:48:46,520 --> 00:48:52,360 I ignore where I'm at. I can't just relive the glory 688 00:48:52,360 --> 00:48:56,120 days and allow that to be a chain and ball, to neglect where 689 00:48:56,240 --> 00:48:57,520 and who I. Have. 690 00:48:58,440 --> 00:49:02,200 Are you hearing me right now? I can say, well, you two come 691 00:49:02,200 --> 00:49:06,480 before church an hour early and pray, and that's great, but I 692 00:49:06,480 --> 00:49:08,840 can't forsake then the investment of who's here. 693 00:49:14,250 --> 00:49:18,850 I was in all those days too, folks. 694 00:49:18,850 --> 00:49:21,800 I was there when we first walked into the first church and there 695 00:49:21,800 --> 00:49:23,440 was 15 people included in our family. 696 00:49:23,440 --> 00:49:26,280 I was there. I know I wasn't during the 697 00:49:26,280 --> 00:49:29,480 evangelism years. I come, you know, here and 698 00:49:29,480 --> 00:49:33,520 there, but I've been there. I've been here. 699 00:49:34,240 --> 00:49:39,080 I've been here ever, ever since before 1990, whenever Dad was 700 00:49:39,080 --> 00:49:41,720 voted in and we went 18 months helping this church, I was 701 00:49:41,720 --> 00:49:44,680 there. I've been there. 702 00:49:45,440 --> 00:49:50,320 So since around 1988, something then since around 1988, I've 703 00:49:50,320 --> 00:49:56,920 been here, I've seen her high, I've seen her low, I've seen her 704 00:49:56,920 --> 00:50:00,000 on fire, I've seen her almost twice, dead, plucked up by the 705 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:02,000 ribs. Do you know what? 706 00:50:02,920 --> 00:50:09,960 We're still here. What are you doing all those 707 00:50:09,960 --> 00:50:12,680 moments? You steward what you have. 708 00:50:15,400 --> 00:50:18,360 You might decrease the number of Sunday school classes you have 709 00:50:18,360 --> 00:50:21,560 and go around that route. You might change the format of 710 00:50:21,560 --> 00:50:24,200 how you do Friday nights. You might change the format how 711 00:50:24,200 --> 00:50:26,760 you do Wednesdays and offset teaching and then connect. 712 00:50:29,680 --> 00:50:33,240 Methodology may change, but the doctrines stay the same. 713 00:50:35,440 --> 00:50:46,680 But the stewardship should as well, because who knows those 714 00:50:46,680 --> 00:50:52,040 that are presently in the womb, how many unfertilized eggs, so 715 00:50:52,040 --> 00:50:58,800 to speak, is in their system yet to be born. 716 00:51:05,400 --> 00:51:08,280 Oh, can we just right now reach out to the Lord here tonight. 717 00:53:41,100 --> 00:54:06,170 I didn't plan on doing this, but 718 00:54:06,170 --> 00:54:09,530 with with that tongues tonight. I feel the lead in the spirit 719 00:54:09,530 --> 00:54:16,720 this in conjunction with that there was a pastor purely just a 720 00:54:16,880 --> 00:54:22,160 an acquaintance really to me that text me early Friday 721 00:54:22,160 --> 00:54:25,200 morning stated these words. I believe this is what the Lord 722 00:54:25,200 --> 00:54:30,480 wants in conjunction with that he text me just really an 723 00:54:30,480 --> 00:54:32,640 acquaintance. I wouldn't call myself friends 724 00:54:32,640 --> 00:54:34,960 with this person really just an acquaintance. 725 00:54:35,720 --> 00:54:39,480 He said child of God, hold on and keep believing in the dreams 726 00:54:39,480 --> 00:54:41,560 and visions. God has burnt deep into your 727 00:54:41,560 --> 00:54:46,560 spirit, your guts. The painful truth is there will 728 00:54:46,560 --> 00:54:49,160 be some fall by the wayside on your journey. 729 00:54:50,000 --> 00:54:53,440 Some that simply can't or never could see, or simply never did 730 00:54:53,440 --> 00:54:57,320 see or believed. Some will never truly understand 731 00:54:57,320 --> 00:55:00,560 it because it was never a true vision like it was to you. 732 00:55:01,320 --> 00:55:04,640 To some it was simply just an opportunity to work at it. 733 00:55:05,640 --> 00:55:08,720 But yes, with you it was a divine God-given dream and 734 00:55:08,720 --> 00:55:11,560 vision from God. Yes, you will die before 735 00:55:11,560 --> 00:55:14,680 compromising even one part of the God-given vision. 736 00:55:14,680 --> 00:55:16,840 To you. It's been plain from the very 737 00:55:16,840 --> 00:55:19,160 beginning. You chose to make it plain 738 00:55:19,160 --> 00:55:21,840 because God made it plain to you years ago. 739 00:55:22,320 --> 00:55:25,760 To you it's more real today than when God first gave it to you. 740 00:55:26,520 --> 00:55:28,560 The back of two. One, I will stand up on my 741 00:55:28,560 --> 00:55:32,640 watch, and set me up on the tower, and we'll watch to see 742 00:55:32,640 --> 00:55:35,880 what He will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am 743 00:55:35,880 --> 00:55:37,760 reproved. And the Lord answered me, and 744 00:55:37,760 --> 00:55:41,280 said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon the tables, and He 745 00:55:41,280 --> 00:55:44,480 may run that readeth it, for the vision is yet for an appointed 746 00:55:44,480 --> 00:55:46,880 time. But at the end it shall speak 747 00:55:46,880 --> 00:55:49,840 and not lie though it. Terry, wait for it, because it 748 00:55:49,840 --> 00:55:52,920 will come, surely come. It will not tarry. 749 00:55:53,320 --> 00:55:55,000 He quoted a man by William Feather. 750 00:55:55,000 --> 00:55:58,840 He said success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on 751 00:55:58,840 --> 00:56:02,840 after others have let go. He says I'm still standing and 752 00:56:02,840 --> 00:56:05,200 making it plain, because the vision never lies. 753 00:56:05,360 --> 00:56:08,040 It shall speak though it tarry. Wait for it. 754 00:56:08,040 --> 00:56:16,240 It is surely to come. So in the interim, just steward 755 00:56:17,080 --> 00:56:21,800 which had been given. Can we raise our hands again? 756 00:56:21,800 --> 00:56:24,480 Can we be mindful? The Lord, this altar is open. 757 00:56:26,400 --> 00:56:29,040 This altar is open tonight. If there's someone in here that 758 00:56:29,040 --> 00:56:32,520 says God, I just, I just want to steward my position and my 759 00:56:32,520 --> 00:56:35,880 place. I want to be a steward. 760 00:56:35,880 --> 00:56:40,440 I want to be responsible, God for those that that I come in 761 00:56:40,440 --> 00:56:43,480 and sit down beside and that I worship with them. 762 00:56:43,480 --> 00:56:47,080 Those that I have conversations with before and after church, 763 00:56:47,080 --> 00:56:50,320 help me God just to be help me to be a steward. 764 00:56:51,480 --> 00:56:54,960 If you serve in any capacity or role in this church, I'm asking 765 00:56:54,960 --> 00:56:58,480 you to reflect upon your life in the past and ask yourself, have 766 00:56:58,480 --> 00:57:01,640 you been a good steward? Have you been a good steward 767 00:57:01,640 --> 00:57:04,960 over teaching that Sunday school class and those kids that you 768 00:57:04,960 --> 00:57:08,200 have regardless the number, have have you been a good steward? 769 00:57:08,320 --> 00:57:12,160 Musicians and singers and how you sang and how you prepared a 770 00:57:12,200 --> 00:57:16,480 man for singing and presenting because it was few or many did 771 00:57:16,880 --> 00:57:19,640 did did you plan for the event you had at your church the same 772 00:57:19,640 --> 00:57:21,920 way that you planned for when it was just your church? 773 00:57:22,360 --> 00:57:26,320 Have you been a good steward over what you have been given? 774 00:57:30,600 --> 00:57:33,480 Preachers that are using this church, teachers that are using 775 00:57:33,480 --> 00:57:36,280 this church? Do you put do you put the time 776 00:57:36,280 --> 00:57:38,640 in? Do you do it based upon how many 777 00:57:38,640 --> 00:57:41,360 you think are going to show up or do you do it just with 778 00:57:41,360 --> 00:57:44,920 abandoned regardless of who's there or not there because what 779 00:57:44,920 --> 00:57:48,240 you have is what you invest in. What you have is what you've 780 00:57:48,640 --> 00:57:50,800 poured and will pour yourself into. 781 00:57:54,880 --> 00:57:56,720 Would I spend more time in prayer? 782 00:57:56,880 --> 00:57:59,520 Would I spend more time if I knew there was more that was 783 00:57:59,520 --> 00:58:01,280 going to be there for the worship service? 784 00:58:01,280 --> 00:58:06,080 Or, or does that matter? Are you a steward with what has 785 00:58:06,080 --> 00:58:27,480 been given unto you? I love you, Lord. 786 00:58:34,840 --> 00:58:36,880 Thank you for listening. If you would like more 787 00:58:36,880 --> 00:58:40,080 information about our services and activities, you can find us 788 00:58:40,080 --> 00:58:44,960 on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter with the username FACMC. 789 00:58:45,120 --> 00:58:49,520 Again, that's FAC MC Thank you and have a blessed day.