Thanks for checking out the Anchor Faith Message podcast
from St. Augustine, FL.
Now enjoy this message. First Corinthians chapter 12
verse one says this. Now concerning spiritual gifts
or spirituals. Brethren, I do not want you to
be what? Unaware, ignorant, uninformed.
We want you to accurately flow and function this way.
Do you understand God wants you to function this way?
Because the gifts are not just for the fivefold ministry is for
the believer. And guess what?
Again, to echo, it's not for in here alone.
In fact, it should happen more out there than in here, and it
will function in here. But when it functions in here,
it's for the edification of everyone, not for one person to
be able to. Now Brother Hagin said this
Kenneth E Hagin, who's gone on to be with the Lord, he was a
man used mightily of God in the realm of faith.
He was of the generation of Oral Roberts, Lester Sumrall, those
individuals that were carriers of the power of God and the
working of faith. He was around during.
Mayor, what's her name? Catherine Kuhlman.
OK, they performed some miraculous during what they
called the healing revivals. And Brother Hagin said this, He
said the healing revivals ended, he said, because the Church
missed its intent, that God had used certain fivefold ministers
to reacquaint the church with what?
They reacquainted the Church with what they possessed.
But the church or the Saints as a whole look to the individual
carrying the gifts. Instead of saying I can do this,
they started idolizing the one carrying and he said it was
thwarted or aborted. Well, I don't want this last
move to end because you're looking for a person and don't
think it won't. It's going to happen in these
last days because the Bible already tells us.
Then in the last of the last days, they'll heap teachers to
themselves, having itching ears to get what they they're going
to go. They're looking for the next
person. Quit looking for the next
person. You have the person.
He's on the inside of you. He's called the Holy Ghost.
He functions in the church. He wants to use you.
This is not a competition. It's us completing and
complementing each other. And again, if you're an Obadiah
which gets 1 chapter, big deal. Take your chapter and run.
I mean, just because they may not move constantly in your
life, when they do, aren't you glad they have?
Because we all can. Have them.
And we all should function in them.
Amen. Now, I don't suspect that I'm
going to be up here in worship and I'm going to have a line of
20 people saying I think I have something.
Because first and foremost, here in the Corinthian church,
ultimately, he said that after they do about two or three, they
need to move on to the preaching of the Word.
So how do you know whether you have something in a service if
you are within the first 3, Right?
That's right, because if two or three people, three people have
already come up here, then you're, you're for the next
service. Amen.
Now, here's the thing. I know this God put some of you
on weight, meaning I want to use this person first.
But in case they do not yield, as Pastor Angie told you last
week that she at times did not, he'll have someone on backup to
yield. This is why a lot of times in
churches, it seems like the same people.
But it's really not that God wants to use the same.
It's that he's having to use ones that have become proficient
at yielding. And again, this was what Pastor
Angie the challenge we all have this challenge.
We know we have something, but we're asking it, do I go?
Because it could be that God wants someone else.
And so you're having to since that I know some people have
missed a move of, of of a gift of the Spirit because God spoke
to them in a worship or a praise song.
They held back and held back. We moved on to another song.
Then they came, but the moment had passed.
I said, man, if you had come earlier, we could have released
that now that all that means is you heard accurately next time,
move quicker. And you know what?
God's bigger that if that didn't happen, we can pick it up
somewhere else or it'll pick up somewhere else.
Amen. I know that some have come down
and said, Pastor Earl, I've got this word and I say, what is it?
And they tell me that particular word and I know what I'm
preaching the very next week. And I'm like, man, that's next
week. Do you understand God can give
you something that's in advance, something that's going to happen
in the future. Word of Wisdom would be in the
future when we got to that place and then we released it and be
considered a word of knowledge at that time.
The point is that you may have something that may not be for
this service, but could be for another one.
Amen. And, you know, I want us to
become proficient because one of my biggest things as a pastor,
there are some things that I've always asked before I moved into
this position. And one was, can you be a large
church running thousands of people and still allow the
Saints the ability to move in the gifts?
Because I have found that when churches have gotten larger that
it gets relegated to the staff members.
But there has to be an order. You just can't stand up in the
back and start going off. You can't do that.
Are you hearing me? Now, can that happen?
Yes, there can be, but most of the time there's going to be a
different order about it because you're, again, the Holy Ghost is
not going to interrupt. Let me give you a case in point
of how that would happen. Maybe I would say, man, I'm
sensing that someone's got something.
And then at that point, now I'm given the occasion as opposed to
I'm preaching. All of a sudden someone jumped
something. Now, why would God interrupt
himself? He would not do that.
Amen. Because God does things decent
in order. So we need to desire them.
We're learning how. And again, there are many, as
Pastor Angie alluded to last week, we have some, whether
you've been here a week or whether you've been here 10
years, 15 years, or the 20 years that we've been in existence as
a church here, OK? We all need to remind ourselves
of these truths because just because you've flown in it, have
flowed in it at one point doesn't mean that you're staying
sensitive to flow in it still. Amen.
And again, you understand, if I do not know you at all, I'm
probably going to have to give a little opportunity meaning.
OK, And here's some testing I did.
David, would you stand up? When David first came to our
church, you know, I didn't know David from anywhere.
I know that he was at a different church.
That was a Rhema church down in Orlando.
You know, I knew that he has written 20 something books.
OK. I realize he loves God, but at
the end of the day, I don't know him, know him.
And here's a service that all of a sudden he's got something.
So he knew the order. He went to an usher At that
point. I went over and I listened.
Well, you know, it seemed accurate, but I didn't know
David. So I said, OK, thank, I'll
release it. Because here's the thing, if
it's coming from God and he just gave it to the overseer, if I
release it, we're still honoring.
God is not making me. Now what I always do in those
moments, I'll say someone had this word, I'm going to give it
because again, it didn't come from me.
It didn't originate from me. It is of God, but it came
through another vessel that way. I want you to know that God's
using people in the church. Hallelujah, David, you can be
seated. But as I grew and learned David
and then all of a sudden, a lot of Times Now if David has
something and I hear about it and and I'll either go to him
because I'm kind of getting the flow or I may get it already.
And I said sending. And he'll come on up and he'll
deliver that. I remember one time, very
specific, he gave me something concerning healings.
Trying to think of what that was.
Now was it back? Or it was a heart issue and it
was a heart issue and I gave the word, but I had David lay hands
on everyone because it originated through him.
I sense the anointing was on him because again, lay hands on the
sick and they shall recover. That's the Saints can do.
The Saints can do that. Which means if he got a word
from God, then he could be functioning in the gifts of
healing. And who am I to deny the gifts
or the Holy Ghost working through him to lay hand because
it's God doing it anyway. It's God doing it anyway, the
only time. You and I are going to have a
resistance with the gifts is if your motives off and we'll look
we'll look at that here in a second.
So there are a variety of gifts, verse 4 but the same Spirit,
there are variety of ministries, the same Lord, there are variety
of effects, but the same God who works all things and all
persons. But each one is given the
manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
For to one is given the word of wisdom through the spirit, to
another word of knowledge according to the same spirit, to
another faith by the same spirit, to another gifts of
healing, by 1 spirit, to another the affecting of miracles, to
another prophecy, to another distinguishing of spirits, to
another various kinds of tongues, and to another the
interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit
works all these things, distributing to each one
individually, just as. He wills as who wills who wills.
He wills not you will. All you can do is earnestly
desire them, but your earnest desire doesn't make.
Him do it. But it does give him the ability
to use you because you have a willingness and you're seeking,
in essence, you have a desire would be a better way to say it.
OK, so Hebrews chapter 2 four says this God also testifying
with them both by signs and wonders, and by various
miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit.
According to what? His own will.
So again we see this concerning the the the disciples that when
they went out after Jesus was ascended to heaven that he would
testify through them with signs and wonders.
These power gifts we're going to talk about and then other gifts
of the Holy Spirit according to his will.
Again, as the Spirit willed, he did things.
He moved and he and he had some some function again.
Jesus said it this way in John 1412 through 13.
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works
that I do, He will do also, and greater works than these.
He will do, because I go to the Father, whatever you ask in my
name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in
the Son. The gifts always glorify God,
not you. Amen.
And if you start taking the credit, you're going to.
Open yourself up, give you another testimony.
Kennethy Hagin During the healing revival there were some
other men's that were there a Allen a a Allen was a person.
Give me some other names that was along those lines.
Branham, William. Branham, Jack Coe.
I said Oral Roberts already, but Jack Coe, those those
individuals now Oral Roberts was not but one of these others.
I'm not going to mention who it was, but Brother Hagin went to
that person specifically and says you.
Need to stop. Entertaining familiar spirits in
your service, He says you're yielding to the Holy Ghost in
one service, and then the next service you're yielding to
familiar spirits. And this minister said to him,
Brother Hagin I. Have to.
Because the people expect me to perform.
Now here's the thing, know this, that when the gifts get in
operation, selfish people will push you.
Selfish people will make a demand on what they want.
And This is why I say to those who are 54 or older, that many
in the generation, you know, really 60s beyond me, that those
that were in that line of faith, I can't tell you how many
ministers I had say, oh, so and so.
Reminds me of brother, why are you following a man anyway?
Why are you doing that? Why are you not following Jesus?
Hallelujah. And again, when you get around
certain certain administers can be very common in doing certain
expressions of God. And it's not because God wants
to do it, but because the people demand again William McDowell,
not our Bill McDowell, but William McDowell, who is a
worship minister and pastor down in Orlando.
He's wrote a song called Isurant.
What was that song? I give it give myself away.
And so he had a, a very, you know, popular praise album.
And so he would go minister at churches, and the churches
wanted him to sing that song. Well, he said, you know, I got
into these services and the Lord didn't want me to do that.
I just started ministering on and all of a sudden it's like
they were booing me. They were making a demand that I
sang a very specific, which means the spirits not moving in
the song, he said. I quit singing when I went to
minister in churches because they made a demand on me to
basically they wanted me to perform.
Now, not too many ministers are willing to let go of that kind
of popularity, and I'll go further.
Popularity and provision associated with performing for
someone because we understand in the entertainment industry
today, they are some of the wealthiest people.
Why? Because they're giving the
people what they Amen. We have the reigning spirit,
though I said we have the reigning spirit.
I know there's a way to test the spirit, especially when it comes
to guest ministers. Some I'll tell them directly
what I want them to minister and if they will not do what I
asked, then I know they yield to whatever the following demands
of them. Yep, because I know what the
House needs, this local body and you know, some of these
ministers have some really great content if they wouldn't yield.
To the pressures of the people, Hallelujah, because people will
feel like they didn't get a service if it didn't go a
particular way. Say Amen anyway.
So Jesus said these works or you're going to do who's going
to do you are say I can function in the gifts.
Come on, say I can function in the gifts.
Some of you are not even talking.
I mean, the first way to function is just to yield to
easy instruction. Because if you're like, I'm not
going to do what he says, I guarantee you you're not going
to do what the Holy Spirit says who you can't see and doesn't
say it audibly so that you hear it like this, but it's an inward
witness. OK, I'll give you another
chance. I function in the gifts of the
Spirit. Amen.
And you've got to believe that again.
There's a line in the nation of Israel hearing a giant taunt
them and they all believe God could take him out, but no one
believed that he would use them except David.
David showed up and says what? I go down there, I'll go down
there. Now you can say David's up on
the mountain. He like, he ain't that big, get
down there, he's that big. But it didn't move him, right?
Because David knew God could through him.
And you've got to say God can use me, Amen.
Because again, we're not even, we don't care about you anyway.
We care about what God wants to do through you to edify the rest
of the body, Amen. So as Pastor Ange, you said
don't be selfish. Which brings us to James chapter
4 verse one. It says this.
What causes fights and quarrels among you?
I'm going to read out the NIV. They don't.
They come from your desires that battle within you.
Now I'm going to say this real fast.
Just a little infomercial. Some of you are watching too
much stuff on YouTube about people's Bible translations.
God will make sure that there's the authenticity of His Word.
And if I use any translation, I've already checked multiple
translations to make sure it's accurate.
And this particular one may just read in such a way that allows
you to digest it quicker because some people, if it's not the
authorized King James Version, which is not what Jesus spoke,
Jesus did not speak King James. The minute you begin to, if you
have enough discernment that you can jump over and say what's
saying here is what's saying here, and you're picking up the
spirit of the Word. So be aware of that because
there's some translations that I read out of that.
There's places that I don't read from because they have a
traditional slant to it. So I do not use that one.
But I do not disregard the whole text because I've taken the time
to go into the Greek anyway to make sure that it's where it's
at in its original. Or Hebrew.
Or Aramaic, whichever original context it was in.
Amen. All right.
So verse 2 you desire, but you do not have.
So you kill. You covet same word and
earnestly desire, covet spiritual gifts, same word.
You covet, but you cannot get what you want.
So you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do
not ask. And when you ask, you do not
receive, because you asked. With what wrong motive?
So that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Many, as Pastor Angie said, unfortunately in the church
world, want to function in spiritual gifts so that they are
recognized. And here's the thing, sometimes
they do and they're accurate because Caiaphas was accurate.
But ultimately, ultimately, you're not going to get the
results and you will not stay with just the Holy Spirit or the
reigning. Spirit when you have.
A motive that's off God is merciful.
God is so merciful, say he's merciful.
He's merciful. Do you understand?
He's merciful to the ungodly. I mean, he rains down on the
just and the unjust. God's merciful, I mean,
blessings will even come to the unrighteous.
That doesn't mean God approves of their life.
I mean, God's a merciful God. God does good things to horrible
people. Why?
Because it's the goodness of God that draws men to.
I mean, because again, some of the greatest repentance in a
person's life are drawing back to God.
Is that when God blesses them and they know man, He should not
do this for me. I am in total rebellion to him
and I know it and He knows it. But man, he still does it
because God. That doesn't change God's
ultimate judgment. If you persist, then judgment
comes in the persistency. But if you repent, then we can
rejoice. Amen.
We can rejoice Hallelujah. So you know, I've been around
some people that I know, man, their life, it and all that.
They ain't this, that and the other.
And then pastor, I got a word or, you know, I got OK, you
know, because at the end of the day, I'm not going to despise.
I can judge. Sometimes I'm like, man, they
were right, even though they're wrong, right.
I mean, God is so merciful saying I'll I want to use you.
Oh my gosh, I want to use you. Amen.
Now, why do I say that? Because we instantly think when
someone starts to function in the gifts of the Spirit that
they must be spiritually mature and that is not true.
And all of a sudden, we'll actually go follow the person I.
Want to get the next one? I was reading concerning these
power gifts concerning Smith Wigglesworth and Smith
Wigglesworth. They said if a person got in his
healing line twice, he would kick them out.
Literally, he would turn them around and kick them.
Oh yeah, man, the church couldn't handle Smith today.
No way. Smith Wigglesworth, that guy had
cancer and they said he punched him in the gut and he flew
across the, I mean, fell and, and they're like, he's dead and
he's like, he's not dead. He's healed and kept on
ministering. He was out for 10 minutes and
then got uphill to the Lord. No cancer.
Amen. Hallelujah.
No, but we won't think. Come here, Dustin.
We won't. We want the gifts like this,
right? I mean, what are you gonna do if
all of a sudden the gifts go right?
I mean, Rodney Howard Brown testified of healing deaf ears.
He said. I don't know why deaf ears pop
open in my ministry more, he said.
But I have on more than one occasion that the power came on
me and next thing you know, damn, I slapped him upside the
head and they hit the ground. But they get up hearing and then
we asked, you know, did you feel me hit you?
And they're like, Nope, didn't feel you didn't know you even
hit me because it was the power of God.
But yet you understand we have it on mind.
Thank you. What we think because many
people would all be like. But I ain't.
That's not the that's not the gifts.
That pastor just punched that dude in the face.
Slap that tumor right off your head.
I mean, it can happen today, Hallelujah.
But let me say this, Rodney Howard Browne said this
concerning the gifts. He said whenever God uses you,
you must realize it's God. It's not you.
All you've got to do is make yourself available for him to
flow through you. If we could make it happen, if
we could turn the switch on to make it happen, we'd keep it on
all the time and we can't. So again, one of the the
thoughts of the church is that, well, you know, if God's healing
and we ought to be able to just go into the hospital, can't do
it. And in fact, again, the reason
why if you want to get the answer to the question, why are
we not seeing more miracle signs and wonders, look at yourself in
the mirror. Look at yourself in the mirror.
Because again, God is not in to raising up 1235 anointed
individuals that the whole world has to come to to receive.
It's not doing that. He says, I'm in you, I'm going
to use you. I mean, we should be able to
come and say, in fact, I did this test with the pastors at
Raymond one time because, you know, again, where are the
miracles? And I'm like, and I did this
with you. I said, how many people here in
the church was sick and had symptoms the last month?
And I had the church raise their hand and so many raised their
hand. I mean, really, almost half the
church, if not more. I said, now how many of you that
had symptoms of sickness in the last month, you've asked the
Lord to heal you. You stood in faith and you were
healed basically the same amount.
Raise their hand. I said.
Now if I had done a service where I called for healing and I
laid hands on all of those individuals and they all
testified they were healed, we'd be like, wow, we're seeing
healings again. Yet people are functioning and
healing all the time by birthright.
But you know what we're not doing?
We're not testifying. You know, I was sick the other
day, but the Lord healed me. I stood in faith and the healing
power of God. Still working in the church
today. The reason why?
It's because we're really not talking amongst ourselves
because you know what? We're ashamed to actually say we
had symptoms because it's like we have a lack of faith.
Well, the reality is we're in a suit that is still dying, right?
That we're doing everything we can to keep it rocking and
rolling with the word and God can quicken your mortal body,
don't get me wrong. And you can function in a way
that symptoms are few and far between.
But even Brother Hagin, when he said to that I've not had a
headache in 33 years. His grandson, Pastor Craig said
what do you mean by that? He said, well, you know, when my
head started to hurt, I'd get on it immediately and it would go.
And he said, but Poppy or whatever, you know, he called
his grandfather, he said, by all rights, you actually had a
headache. It just was gone quick.
So again, what happened in the circles that we run in is that
they assumed that he never felt a headache for 30 something
years, which is not true. Now, again, why did he do that?
To emphasize that you can stay in healing so that it's as if
you've not had one because when it comes, you don't tolerate it
because you know who you are in Christ and you're going to
stand. But you understand God sometimes
wants to use the body. So you could have something.
You're standing, but the Lord is in this particular case,
whatever why that symptoms on and where it came from.
God may want someone to lay hands on you and there he's
encouraging them through you to get your healing because again,
you can receive healing just through the simple laying on of
hands, but then some of you are contracting some stuff.
Unfortunately, that or you're in some situations that the gifts
of healing need to get in play. Which is is beyond natural.
When I say natural, it's still supernatural, but your ability
to believe on your own to receive.
OK, so the power gifts are this. They are gifts of action which
produce signs and wonders. They operate in the realm of the
physical. Meaning you see something
change. Now I'm going to say again.
We've said this for years and teachers say this I'm apartment
to teach. But with that being said, of the
9 gifts of the Spirit, which are the most powerful, it's the one
needed at the time We sensationalize gifts.
Man, I want to see the power gifts.
Well, if the power gifts not necessary, there's no reason to
have it and you're not going to make the Holy Ghost show it.
In fact, every time the Lord was made a demand on to produce the
gift, the power gifts in His ministry, He was like, not doing
it. I don't have to do it to prove
to you. You understand, if anyone comes,
well, let's see. God is not in the business of
having to prove Himself because He's already proved Himself by
creation. The lost and dying world are
already out without excuse by creation alone.
God does not have to perform to prove.
So again, do not think man, we've got to have these gifts so
that the world can change. You don't have to have them, all
you need is the word. But the gifts will work and will
help and do help. Some come on over into the
Kingdom and be changed. Amen.
So we should desire them so the. First one I'm going to deal with
is the gifts of healing, and that's the supernatural
intervention of God's healing power over sickness and disease
without natural means. I'm going to give you a couple
of examples in the Bible. Turn to John chapter 5.
In John chapter 5, we'll start in verse 5.
It says this, there was a man who there who had been ill for
38 years. When Jesus saw him lying, he
knew that he had already been a long time in that condition.
He said to him, Do you wish to get well?
The sick man answered, Sir, I have no one, no man to put me in
the pool when the water is stirred, but while I am coming
another steps down before me. This is at the pool of Bethesda.
Jesus said to him, get up, pick up your mat and walk
immediately. The man was made well, picked up
his mat and began to walk. Now it was on the Sabbath.
It was the Sabbath on that day. So the Jews were saying to the
man who was cured, it was the Sabbath, it was not permissible
for him to carry your pallet. But he answered, he said, he who
made me well was the one who said to me, Pick up your pallet
and walk. They asked him, Who is the man
who says to you, pick up your pallet and walk?
But the man who was healed did not know who it was.
For Jesus has slipped away while there was a crowd in that place.
Afterwards Jesus found him in the temple and said to him,
Behold. You have become well.
Do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse.
Happens to you? First thing I want to point out
is this last verse. When the gifts of healing
function in your life, it does not guarantee you'll never get
sick again. So when the gifts of healing are
in operation and the many times people come down and the gifts
of healing get in operation and people are healed, completely
healed, it's gone. They know it's gone yet what
does Jesus tell this guy? Your lifestyle is going to
affect your body and what I did for you, that you were in this
condition for 38 years. Not only would it come back, but
be worse. And you know how many people
have left the gifts in operation, completely healed,
come out of the wheelchair, drop off their canes, everything.
But not too far in the future, start to develop, the symptoms
again get worse and what do they say?
I guess God didn't heal me. That's not true.
It could be and most likely that they did not repent and change
the way they were living. Say Amen anyway, because again,
many people are bad advertisers for God when God did.
If you come down and hands are laid on you and all of a sudden
what nothing you could do could change you or cure you or heal
you, but now you're healed and it's gone, then you need to
praise God and say now self examine me because I sure don't
want this to come back and it works.
And I'm going to learn about my covenant right in healing so
that I can keep things at Bay, so that the gifts of healing
technically are going to have to get in play in my life.
Say Amen. So we need to recognize that the
next thing is why is this the gift of healing?
Number one, this man had no faith concerning it, didn't even
know who Jesus was. Jesus is healing him independent
of a belief system that this man has doesn't even know.
This is not like the woman with the issue of blood that her
Jesus was in town knew he was the healer because it was not
the gifts of healing that healed her.
He turned to that woman and said your faith has made you well,
not my the gifts of healing that came out of me.
Power left him, but power left him because of her faith, not
because of the gifts. But in this case, he was on
assignment by the Father. He knew who he was looking for.
He was the only man, the only person at the pool that was
healed that day, the gifts. It was what the Spirit wanted to
do through Jesus for that man. And he did.
Amen. Another one here is in Acts
chapter 3 verses one, one through 8.
Chapter 3, verse one through 8. Now Peter and John were coming
to the temple in the ninth hour. The man had been lame from his
mother's womb, being carried along whom they had set down
every. Day at the gate.
Of the temple which was called beautiful in order to beg alms
of those who were entering the temple.
When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began
to ask. He began asking to receive alms.
But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said,
Look at us. And he began to give him his
attention, expecting to receive something from them.
And Peter said, I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do
have I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene
walk. And he seized him by the right
hand. He raised him up, and
immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened with a
leap and a shout. With a leap he stood upright and
began to walk. And he entered the temple with
them, walking and leaping and praising God.
Are you hearing what I'm saying? So when it says that he fixed
his gaze on him, this this phrase fixed his gaze comes from
a Greek word. It's a combination of two.
And when you put them together, a is at the beginning, then you
have which is alpha, and then you have the ladder, which means
to stretch. And again, we define this as,
you know, looking intently, but the reality is if it's alpha and
the word means stretched, then basically you are looking it
from the stretch or from the perspective of Christ.
He's he's stretching his sight from heaven down to this man.
In essence, he is hearing God concerning what he wants to do.
The gift got in operation. He was just going by then all of
a sudden the Holy Ghost came on him.
And the Lord wanted to heal this man.
Now, this man had no faith for healing.
What he had faith for was money. But what did Peter say?
He addressed what the man's desire was.
He says silver and gold. I have none.
That doesn't mean that Peter was broke.
It means he wasn't carrying any coins that day.
But that wasn't what he was supposed to give anyway.
What he was giving was healing. And again, this man was lame,
which does not indicate he had anything missing.
What he had was just not operating and he was so
confident that the Holy Ghost was speaking to him about it
that he spoke to him first what was going to take place.
Then he grabs him by the hand that was functioning because
remember, he lifted out his cup. Now I don't know, but it could
have been that Peter slapped that cup out of his hand and
then grabbed his hand or just grabbed his forearm.
But it says he he pulled him up. That define means he snatched
him. This wasn't no all right, let's
try like we see all right, you ready now I'm not saying that
people can't be healed doing that.
I'm not saying, but I'm saying equally it can be that get up.
I mean talking about confident expectation and yielding that
you know you've heard God about this deal snap, because if it
ain't working, I mean you understand he's just pulling him
dragging his face. It's.
Like OK. OK, he sat and all of a sudden
everything was made. Strong nerves, his his muscles.
Now I'm not going to tell you he went boom.
His legs got big like that. I'm not telling you that.
But there was strength in those little skinny legs I can
identify. Hallelujah.
All right, the next one is working a miracles, working a
miracle, supernatural gift from God to work a miracle.
It is in an intervention of God in the course of nature.
OK, here's 1 Matthew chapter 14 verses 25 to 29.
And the fourth hour of the night he came walking on the sea.
And when he his disciples saw him walking on the sea, they
were terrified and said it is a ghost and they cried out in
fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to
them saying take courage. It is I do not be afraid.
Peter said to him, Lord, if it's you command me to come and walk
on water. And he said, what come?
And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came
towards you. That is a working a miracle.
Now, again, when we think of working a miracle, unfortunately
we tend to only think about, you know, body parts growing out.
We always tend to for whatever reason associated with the body.
OK, again, some of our congregation members that are
here that are deaf, there's different.
Reasons some could. Hear at a time.
But lost it, which means they had everything there and it left
or everything's there but the nerves just not sending to the
brain yet there are some that don't even they do not have
everything within the eardrum. It's not there and that requires
a working of miracles. You're going to This is why when
Jesus, in one of the occasions of a blind man, he stood dirt
and put it on his eyes because man was made out of what?
The dust of the earth. So what he was doing is what
wasn't there for him to see because he had never seen.
He put it on him, the dirt. Now I'm not telling you to go
grab dirt and throw it in someone's ear.
What I'm saying is you hear what God says, but in this case God
Jesus had heard that put, you know spit on the dirt, put it on
his eye and said go wash in the pool of Salome and he went and
washed it. When he finished washing he
could see which it manifested. OK, so we see here that to walk
on water is a miracle. So do not relegate the gifts of
the spirit to only hit some some kind of healing manifestation.
It can be other things. I'll give you this 1 John
chapter 6 verse 9 through 14 for the sake of time, because most
people know this context, write it now.
So you read it yourself. But this is where God fed 5000
men, not counting the women and children.
So there were more than that. And he wanted to feed them.
They found a lad with five loaves and two fish and they're
like, there's no way this is going to feed everybody.
But he said sit them down, Jesus blessed it began to divide it
and it multiplied that when they everyone was had eaten and were
satisfied, which means they didn't want to eat anymore.
He collected the leftovers and it ended up being 12 basket
fulls. OK, that is a working of
miracles. Now I'm going to give you a
testimony of my own working of miracles when I say that where
God used that gift. Mr. Berry, would you stand up?
Mr. Berry will testify of this work in a miracle.
OK, Mr. Berry came over to 312, our last location before we
moved here, and he donated wood pickets to put on a fence that
we had to build for the preschool that we were about to
start. OK, so the cats out of the bag,
he was the guy that donated it. All right?
I mean, we've been here 20 years.
We should be all right. OK cuz I need him to testify
now. I did not tell him this
personally but when he brought it I knew that it was not
enough. And I'm sure when he saw the
fence, when he got there, he himself was like, right, Well, I
didn't buy enough. So I started to put the pickets
up and saying the whole time, this is not enough.
And I'm trying to think, you know, how are we going to get
more? We can't even open this
preschool till this is done. This is going to delay us more.
And it's not like we have the money.
I'm extremely thankful that he did this and it won't cost me as
much. But at the end of the day, you
know, when the account zero, it's still 0.
You know, when you're, you don't actually have extra to do this.
And I got, you know, probably from that step to this step,
maybe a little bit further when the Lord spoke to my spirit.
Now, Mr. Berry was probably doing this already, but I sure
wasn't doing it. And you know, there's more power
when people get in agreement, but there's real power when you
begin to hook up with the word of God.
So the Lord spoke to me and he says, is that what you're going
to call it? Now when he talked to me, I knew
he gave me an instant image of this 5 loaves and two fish and
the woman with the little bit of meal.
And I knew God can multiply natural things supernaturally.
So I only confess from that point on that we will have more,
we will have enough, we'll have more than enough.
And sure enough, we got to the end and around the corner.
That should have been it, but we made the next corner and the
next corner and the next corner, and the link that I complained
was all that was left undone. And when I got to that link, the
Lord spoke to me. He said that was the link you
complained and doubted me. You can pay for that yourself.
He said that to me because He wasn't paying for my doubt and
unbelief. Now, did that happen, Mr. Berry?
We saw a working of miracles take place where God multiplied
natural materials supernaturally.
Amen. And I know at other times,
especially in the realm of food, it has happened in this church
as well. We've had kind of a time of
fellowship and all of a sudden way more people showed up than
we were expecting and people had made.
And it's like, man, whoo y'all better speak over this right
now. Again, when you're saying that
it's not that we willed it, we recognize the Holy Ghost was
wanting that to occur because what was he doing?
Everyone that was in play of just serving that food and I
know y'all can testify, stand up Don and Michelle because they do
our dining with Daniel Monday. They've called me before and
says, pastor, we did not prepare enough.
And they sought the Lord Lord and the Lord granted them a
working a miracle because they know Lord, we earnestly desire
because it's got to happen or it's not going to work.
So they got with the team, they prayed and the power of God fell
and they began to declare. And sure enough, before that
money was over, fed everybody more than enough.
And you had leftovers, right? They can testify.
See that's happened again. Where are the miracles Anchor
Faith Church, They're right here, they're right here.
Amen. Now, again, if I was in a
congregation that did not know you'd be seated, that did not
know me like you, they'd be shouting, they'd be jumping and
running. They'd be leaping.
Because when Brother Hagin got into churches and would talk
about the miracles, people are like, wow.
I mean, if we earnestly desire, you ought to be excited that in
the local church you're a part of, God is doing that.
Now, I can't tell you it's going to happen every week, but I'm
just saying, don't think the gifts aren't flowing here.
And if they've done it with us in these capacities, again, I
wasn't even at Dining with Dignity.
OK. That means then it can happen
with you where you're at, wherever you're at, and you
should desire it and expect it to take place.
The gifts of faith. That means it's a divine,
supernatural manifestation of God's faith imparted to.
You at a specific time, at a specific place for specific
purpose. It is a.
Supernatural gift from God to receive a miracle we could
almost say this concerning the power gifts that when Jesus
functioned in the working of miracles or the gifts of
healing, he also had the gift of faith associated with it anyway
because he said I don't do anything but what my.
So there's a gift of faith concerning, and I'll give you a
really good case in point here in John Chapter 11, verse one
through 6 says now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany,
the village of Mary and his sister Martha.
And it was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his
feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
So the sister sent word to him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom
you love is sick. When Jesus heard, he said, the
sickness is not to death, to end in death, but for the glory of
God, so that the Son of man may be glorified.
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, so he.
So when he heard that he was sick, then he then stayed.
Two days longer in the place where he was didn't even go.
Pastor, I'm going to the hospital.
All right, I'll see you in a couple days.
Now, people get offended over that.
Jesus said OK, but he heard something.
I said he heard something and he spoke.
He said it will not end in death, though really at the
time, if you calculate this, at the time that he is hearing
this, Lazarus just died. He cannot get to him.
So he stays two more days. Then by the time he gets to,
he's been in the grave now four days.
Took him two days to get there. Now this is good for Jesus,
because now Jesus. Is going to see someone come out
of the grave in four days which gives him confidence that he
coming out in three. Are you hearing me?
His daddy is good to him because Jesus's mouth side the planet,
but he's wants you know, son, your word, it's going to work.
I can get them in four. I'm only leaving you there
three. All right, verse 11 it said he's
go down to verse 11. This he said after that he said
to them, our friend Lazarus was has fallen asleep, but I go so
that I may awake him out of sleep and the disciples said,
Lord, if he's asleep, he'll recover, meaning, you know, he's
probably getting rest. You know, whatever it was, you
know, rest does good when you're sick.
But he's like, Nah, Nah, Nah. He goes on and says this.
Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought he was Speaking of
him literally sleeping. So Jesus said to them plainly,
Lazarus is dead. He's dead all right. 1st 39
Jesus said remove the stone. This is the gift of faith.
He's heard something. I said he's heard something.
And he's functioning off that faith that it's going to be, he
goes on. Martha, the sister of the
deceased, said to him, Lord, by this time there'll be a stance
for he'd been dead 4 days. And Jesus said to her.
Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory
of God? So they removed the stone, and
Jesus raised his eye and said to the Father, because again he
heard from the Father the gift of faith God imparted his faith
to. Jesus, Father, I thank you that
you have heard me. I know that you always hear me,
but because of the people standing around, I said it so
that they may believe that you sent me.
And when Jesus has said this, he cried out in a loud voice.
Lazarus come forth, and the man who had died came forth, bound
hand and foot with wrappings in his face was wrapped around with
a cloth. Jesus said to him, Unbind him
and let him go. Amen.
The gift of faith. And it cause you to believe for
something beyond your own natural natural supernatural
ability to receive faith from God.
It'll kick in. I'll give you a case of two case
in points one, we experienced this as a church.
If you did not I I tangibly only because.
Of being the overseer, that when the Lord told us to purchase
them all, and I got it, I did not waver.
Right. Which means I had the ability to
walk in that piece for five years, despite rumors and others
wanting to come and buy it out from underneath us.
While we were raising the money, so the gift of faith held it.
Are you hearing me another time, Matthew?
Maybe you were there. Maybe Brandon was there.
Help me to determine who went on this Nicaragua trip with us.
But we went to a penny L and it was raining and outside was
basically this building. I mean, it was only about a.
Quarter of this building, but there's no size, just the roof,
OK. And all of a sudden it's rainy
season in Nicaragua and the water came.
And it was. I mean thunderous.
Now I'm speaking in English. We have a translator, he's on
the mic. I'm not using a mic.
I'm loud enough. They don't need that.
But when the rain, they definitely can't hear me.
They can barely hear the interpreter.
And what we? Needed they needed to hear and
so I'm preaching low and in my spirit the gift of faith took
place. The Lord said to me, he said,
tell the rain to stop. Who was there?
You were there, David. You were there.
Brandon, you were there. OK, y'all stand up.
David, come down so they can see you.
If y'all can testify this happened.
This was this was a Brandon stand up.
Thank you. Just stand there.
I need a David move. I want you to stand so they can
see you. That way if they want to come
and ask, you can testify to this.
OK, so you know, I so I say rain in the name of Jesus, stop now
what I didn't know took place is the the guy that oversaw that
ministry. When I said that, he immediately
said in his mind, well, he just lost the crowd.
He's going to look like a crazy person now, talking like.
That. But these men's witness in 60
seconds, the rain stopped. The rain stopped.
Now I can't stop rain, but God can.
And I just, I mean I'm preaching and I heard in my spirit tell
the rain to stop in the name of Jesus.
And then I just kept on preaching like I didn't even say
it, but everyone heard it and there was a sucking the air out
of the room, which, you know, it's kind of hard since it
didn't have any walls. But you know, it's like, oh, but
then the rain stopped. Then there was like this one
section, maybe 2 minutes afterward a little bit more came
and the Lord said tell them that had already fallen and gravity
has just brought it down. And I said that, which
apparently was from a different cloud.
Apparently it was layered and I didn't know that, but I said
this is stopping and it was what, maybe 30 seconds?
Then it quit and it wouldn't even, I mean it was like not
even 30 seconds of dropping and then it stops.
No rain. The sun came out.
I finished preaching, but I had preached long enough with the
rain that the Creek that we came across had made it to flood
stage and at that stage you can't cross it, which means we
cannot leave. But we were supposed to minister
at a university that night and I told, I said we've got to go, we
have another place to minister. They said Pastor Earl, I have
been here for 10 years at the time I think it was.
And he goes with the water in the river is this high, it takes
8 hours for it to come down because it's just running.
Are now were you that you weren't at that one Anyway, with
that being said, I said no in the name of Jesus got to come
down and God is my witness. 30 minutes, 20 minutes later,
everybody's running around screaming in Spanish like crazy,
You know, we don't know. I don't know what's going on
because none of us are speaking it, you know, And we're like,
what in the world's happening because someone drove up.
They're just like screaming, going crazy.
Everybody's running around. Next thing you know, they take
off, they go down the hill, then they come back up and they say,
you will not believe this. It has gone down in 20 minutes.
I said, well, praise the Lord, we can get to our next
assignment. That's the working of miracles.
Now, honestly, I kind of wish God would have let us go down
there and slap it and it would have departed that way.
That'd be cool. However, God didn't need to do
that to do now. What I did not realize is that
working a miracle, and there's always this language barrier.
The next time I came into Nicaragua, I let them know we're
coming in on this day and they, for whatever reason, they always
confused. 12:30 AM that day as the afternoon for some reason,
you know, I don't know why they did that.
So we get there, no one's there, and we're having to get picked
up by someone else. Well, what that?
Did is it? Delayed us getting to Penny Ale
and when it delayed us getting to Penny Ale, there had been 600
people that were waiting to hear me Minister, but they had to
leave and go home. And this is what they were
saying. We wanted to hear from the man
who calls the rain to stop because it did not rain in that
area the rest of the rainy season.
Now I didn't do that, but that's what the miraculous will do.
Where people then will want to hear.
Y'all can be seated. Are you hearing me?
So we need to earnestly. Desire spiritual gifts.
Because it will create a hunger and people wanting to see and
know God. Because many have.
Heard of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?
People have heard. About the God of the Bible.
But they don't think he's functioning that way.
But he wants to function that way through us.
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