Thanks for checking out the Anchor Faith Message podcast
from St. Augustine, FL.
Now enjoy this message. All right, so if you have your
Bibles, turn to Matthew 28, Sorry for my rabbit trail there.
Amen. That just identifies my humanity
in connection with some things happening in the planet.
I saw, I saw the sorrow. He's wearing it.
He's wearing a sweatshirt. You understand you're having
issues if you're wearing a sweatshirt right now that's got
Florida State on, he's like, trying to say my team should be
in. I know how this is right And
Patricia's over there, so you need to repent already because
she's like, don't talk to me and my Bulldogs are going to beat
them down. Y'all lost the ACC championship.
How come you can't beat the boys in the SEC Championship?
Because I got a pastor coming Sunday who's from Alabama and
they say Hallelujah and roll Todd at the same time.
I'm telling you, I went to his church man in Alabama, the one
we went to Moundsville where he said Hallelujah, roll Todd.
I'm tell you, I mean if they said that once, they said it
five times. So you know when they won, I
text him. I said roll Todd.
He said I'm saving this for later, right?
Because he knows I'm a Gator fan and he's praying for me, trying
to get me converted, you know, I mean, there it's, it's, it's bad
with us right now. We are in a drought bad.
All right. Matthew, chapter 28, verses 18
to 20. How many want to have some
increased power? How many want to get some
increased power? All right.
And Jesus came up and spoke to them saying all authority.
How much authority, all authority has been given to me
in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples
of all the nations, baptizing them the name of the Father,
Son, the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I
commanded you, And lo, I'm with you always, even to the end of
the age. Now the King James and some
other translations in verse 19 says go therefore and teach all
the nations but the Word. Teach.
Means disciple to make disciples.
So when those translations, when it says go teach.
The problem with the word teach alone, if you don't go into the
Greek, it gives the implication that you're just going in
teaching people about Jesus. And you know, that's really
happening a lot. That we are now just teaching
about Jesus. So people have knowledge of
Jesus, or I could say information of Jesus.
Or they're being here. You go educated about Jesus.
But the church was never called to just educate the body.
Because if all you do is educate your body or limited to
teaching, the best you can produce in your congregation is
a Pharisee. OK, so the New American Standard
gets it right and it says there it go.
Therefore, because it defines that word correctly, make
disciples now a disciple of somebody More than just being
taught the word, there's someone who is being a doer of what they
taught. They've assimilated that
teaching so that it becomes the lifestyle and behavior of their
life. It governs how they what they
think, say, and do. And so Jesus literally
communicates concerning the Great Commission.
Nowhere in the Great Commission did it say go therefore and get
people born again. Now you have to be born again to
be a disciple. It's a prerequisite.
But we were in the net were never to leave them at born
again Status, which is all right, a babe in Christ.
As Paul said, I can't even speak to you spiritual, but I have to
speak to you as carnal or babes, right?
You should desire the sincere milk of the word that you may
grow. And we have, you know, churches
all over the place that are doing huge events, getting
people saved, but they're not getting plugged into a church.
They're not actually making disciples.
And that's the problem. Jesus never in his Commission
says just get people. Born again because all that
matters is where they're going to go when they die.
He never said that, OK. And so obviously, you know,
we've kind of watered that down, especially after the Second
World War where a lot of this in the United States began to be
taught. And, you know, next thing you
know, we don't disciple because again, you know, I was raised in
the church, you know, a Baptist Church actually that had Sunday
school. And I was always like, that's
instrumental. So I knew when I started Anchor
Bay Church I'm going to do something that.
Used to be done, and that is give opportunities for people to
be discipled. That's why we have Anchor Faith
live classes on Sunday morning. That's why we have services here
and we did a midweek, not just one.
And we do have Sunday night service.
It's just for those who want more.
Discipleship is called Kingdom Institute and so you can come to
service for 3 1/2 hours right? Get three different subjects
taught to you. Because we're creating
discipleship. Then we have the 318 class for
men on Monday, which another hour long cast for what?
Discipleship? Because God said go therefore
and make so. He didn't send me to Saint
Augustine to convert. Them.
He sent me to make disciples. Now if you're going to be a
disciple, you're going to have to deny yourself.
You're going to crucify your flesh.
You're going to have to put your will down and do His.
So the ones that just want to be born again, they're not going to
stay here because the demand is to grow, is to mature and to be
the church Jesus Christ is coming back for.
Are you hearing what I'm saying? So we see then in God's
inception or design He never. When he said I'll build my
church, I'm gonna build it through converts, he said.
I'll build my church because I'll make disciples 'cause we're
gonna be disciple makers. We're gonna be people who will
enlist as a pupil and be studiers of the word novel
thought. Christians read the Bible daily
and read it cover to cover Novel thought, OK, and This is why we
do what we do. And you know, we only got a
couple more weeks and we going to finish it one more year.
Hallelujah. And then we'll do another year.
We'll start all over again. Genesis 11, Hallelujah.
Because I keep finding stuff in it that I haven't seen before
because he's talking to me. He's talking to you, is he not?
Well, with that being said, you know what it says in Ephesians
chapter 4, verse 11 to 13, And we'll jump down to 16, he says.
And he gave some of the apostles, some of his prophets,
some of his evangelists, some of his pastors and teachers just to
tell you what to do. That's not what it says, does
it? So quit taking that thought and
don't ever come to me and say you're just trying to tell me
what to do. I'm being biblical.
You're being fleshly. Right.
So again, anybody try to tell you that the leadership within
the church and it is leadership, I said it is leadership, it's
oversight, OK. And God's given that.
Again, Hebrew says obey your leaders, they watch over your
soul says that. OK.
And then. You know again Paul telling the
church at of Ephesus and acts he said listen you.
You, you, you guard the flock that that Jesus Christ has given
you through His blood by the Holy Spirit as an overseer.
OK, so God appoints these positions.
He gave some who gave some who gave them.
So why are we so mad at God? Then.
Because the minute you don't want to submit to a pastor,
submit to apostle, submit to you know the advantage prophet and
teacher. You don't want to get in
submission to those fivefold ministry.
Basically you're telling God you're not going to do it his
way because God gave them. Now again, I understand humans
can be self-proclaimed and they won't add the title that God
gives them, which is false in front of that.
I understand that. But again, when you're led by
the Holy Ghost and you're a disciple, then you'll be able to
discern which one's false and which one is real.
And I don't care if there's 1000 false ones.
There can be a real one. And you know the Holy Ghost
would direct you to them. You know there could be a there
can be a billion churches that aren't really truly seeking God,
but there is some on the planet that are because Jesus is
building his church, which means they're has to be somebody
obeying him and a group of people want to do it his way and
you know the Holy Ghost will navigate you to it.
You'll be without excuse because if the loss is without excuse in
the realm of salvation, how much more the spirit filled Holy
Ghost led by the spirit Christian be without excuse to
tell God you couldn't find a church.
Because if you really seek him, he will say, I know a place, I
know a group of people that are walking in love, walking in
oneness, walking in unity, that is wanting to grow up, wanting
to throw off the flesh, wanting to serve me and be unified in
that serving, right. Yeah, it happens.
So why did God give some of these?
For the equipping of the Saints? Not just education, it involves
educating you, but it goes to equipping for equipping of the
Saints for the work of service to the building up of the body
of Christ. I don't have time to explain
equipping, but you can buy our book A Guest Relations called
Equipped verse 13 until we all attain to the unity of the
faith. Unity, say Unity, say unity.
I think Pastor Marcy had y'all doing this exercise on Sunday,
say. Unity.
So again, it's not your belief. It's not my belief.
It's his word and we believe it and we are to agree on it.
We cannot agree to disagree because somebody's wrong.
I mean, you're not going to stand before Jesus one day at
the great, you know, at the judgment seat and go, well, you
know, now we can agree to disagree on how that went down.
I mean, you think Jesus is going to be like, you're right, we can
you see it your way? I see it mine.
It's not going to be like that. So when we go into scripture,
you're like, well, I believe this.
Well, you can't hold that unless the Holy Ghost says something
else. If the Holy Ghost is not
confirming what you're believing, then you might need
to abandon it. Hallelujah.
That's why we always say here, because I'm not.
I'm not afraid because at the end of the day, I just want to
be right with the word. You're not obligated to believe
anything that I say. Just 'cause I say it, you should
shirt the scripture for yourself.
And if there's a challenge of something that's being said and
you're like, man, I don't necessarily agree with that.
Well, don't be argumentative, but at least come to me and say,
hey, I didn't see it that way, Can you help me?
And then then, if I'm hearing what you're saying, you know
what? You're actually right.
I need to change that 'cause I'm sure not going to stand up here
and try to act like I know more than God for the sake of saving
face. That's how you get kicked out of
heaven, right? So at the end of the day, it's
like, you know, didn't see it that way.
Need to see it that way. You're absolutely right.
Everything's being confirmed by 100 scriptures right now, and
we're going to change the way we think, right?
I mean, I understand two or three, but you know most truths.
When you go in, you'll find it it it'll get so fortified.
It's amazing. Anyway, until we attain to the
unity. Of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God. To the mature man, say mature,
say mature, to the measure of the statue which belongs to the
fullness of Christ. Then down to verse 16 says this.
From whom? The whole body?
Say whole body, not just my body.
When I say my body, I'm just not my.
Part. All of our parts, All of it,
From whom? The whole body being fitted and
what separated and come in anytime you want, right.
I mean we act like you know, it's held together, it's not
loosely passed through by what every joint supplies according
to the proper working of each individual part causes.
Because if these things are taking place, what we just read
and you know from 11/12/13, OK, and then we get into 16, you can
set something in 15 if we wanted to.
But if when these things are functioning, guess what, it
causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in
love. And I like what Pastor Marcy
said on Sunday. She pulled somebody up out of
the congregation, said How long have you been here, right?
Have you learned anything? Well, they learned something
because somebody greeted them, somebody did their part, which
created the environment for them to be able to come and to grow
in the things of God. It wasn't just our teaching that
changed them, it was your response to them in how you
serve the vision that continues to help them grow.
Cause many people go into a place and say man, that's true.
But how come everybody? I'm looking around and getting
it. I mean that takes place.
Now at the end of the day, I am not going to tell you Anchor V
Church is perfect because it's not you're here, right?
I mean, we still have things to change, but I would not leave
just because someone hadn't got it yet, because if I was having
to grow a bit and someone was being patient with me, well, if
you're so mature, surely you can be patient for somebody else.
But if you noticed a spiritually mature ones can't handle.
Well, you know, the church is carnal.
I just can't stay. Oh, well, really.
You're carnal and you can't stay.
Amen. Be real, pastor.
I'm not going to preach to you. OK.
So there's this connection here of uny and again to these
churches. I'm going to you know, when I
realized that there's they're not thriving the same, It's not
because it they don't have the spirit.
It's not because they don't have the miracles.
It's not because they don't have prayer.
It's not because they don't have good teaching.
It's because the individuals within the body are not unified
around the vision and are passionate to find their part
and won't let nobody stop them from doing it in essence.
They've made the church their priority and everything else is
secondary because when we get into that church, well, it is
community changing. It's community changing.
Cause again, yes. Does God know you have to work?
Well, God wants you to work. God said if a man don't work, a
man don't eat, but he doesn't have you working so that you get
money. He has you working so you can be
an ambassador and an influence in that area of which they just
happened to pay you. And the minute you change that
perspective, then you'll quit seeing it as a job and you'll
see it as a mission field that God is supporting.
God was wise enough to make them pay you so you could influence
for him in that workplace. Amen.
And if you're like man, in my workplace, nobody's getting
saved. Nobody wants it.
Well, you should be wise enough to say, is this workplace?
And have I come to the place where I've done all I can to
share? I need to take my shoes off, my
sandals, so to speak. Dust them off and you send me
somewhere else. Because you'll hold them
accountable to the way I lived in front of them.
Because it isn't about me getting a check with them.
It's about me trying to make an influence with them.
And I'll stay here as long as you need me to.
But if, if, if, if it's really got you to the point that you
know they're not and I've done the task, I'll leave here
because you can assign me somewhere else and have somebody
else pay for me to be an influence there.
I mean, that's totally different concept.
Because again, that's putting the Kingdom 1st instead of
fitting the Kingdom in to your life.
There's a difference, and for most believers, they don't
really seek first the Kingdom. They don't seek it first.
They do everything and then they think of God.
Now again, you can think of God all day long, but if you don't
have a thought about church, then you're missing an element
of Jesus, because how can you separate the head of the church
now? That's why we love Jesus on a
cross. Because he's not yet.
Come back to say church is here. We bout to have church now.
Y'all need to tarry till the Holy Ghost come.
We bout to have church right? And that's and Jesus said I'll
build my. Church.
I'm going to build it. I'm going to build it.
So what work is Jesus doing? His intercessory prayer for the
Saints, not the lost for the Saints, is so that they'll build
his church. They'll unify around the faith.
And they'll increase in power so that after they leave this
place, which is the most important place in their life,
then the rest of it are just influential places, even though
you spend. And you know what?
God has no problem with you spending more time there.
This is what's what? Listen, the Bible says this
physical exercise profits little, but spiritual exercise.
OK, now is the Bible saying don't work out?
No, it's saying in comparison, do you understand spiritual
things you know have greater gains than physical.
So I concluded because you know a lot of times you know well, if
you're going to work out for an hour, you got to pray for an
hour. Do you understand?
I could pray for 5 minutes and do more than I could in an hour
of physical workout because spiritual things are.
Greater in less time. Now I'm not saying don't pray
for an hour, nor am I not saying don't pray for eight hours.
I'm not saying you now should only have a 5 minute prayer
life. I'm not saying that.
I'm saying when it comes to spiritual things, things that
come alive in the spirit grow exponentially quicker than the
application of physical growth. So here's the thing.
God can do more for you in two hours in this meeting that can
fuel you and empower you for the hours you are out as an
ambassador. But he never intended you to
stay disconnected 'cause this is the place that you come and
bring a supply and he refuels you so that you can go out and
continue to be alight. Because if the light would
couldn't go out then why do we have the 10 virgins?
Cause the light can go out. You have to be constantly
refueled and this is the source that you do it.
This is one of the. Filling stations, so to speak.
OK, so with that being said, Acts Chapter 6, Acts Chapter 6,
excuse me. So again, I'm seeing when I go
to these churches, I'm like, man, these pastors so much want
to see their community change, but they're one person and the
reality is the people love church.
Now when I say that, I say that in the wrong.
Context, 'cause they don't even understand church.
They love to be here, but they don't want to be doing.
They love the concept, but they don't want what takes place.
And again, if you don't get into the serving side and it's we're
doing this, I'm just what trying to let you know why you're
increasing in? Power.
You're not increasing in power, just 'cause you're born again.
You're not increasing power, just 'cause you're praying the
Holy Ghost you're not. Increasing in power 'cause you
have a personal relationship with Jesus and increasing of
power #1. The growth of the church happens
not because they're having prayer meetings all the time.
OK, again, what I'm saying is not to diminish prayer or the
reading and instruction of the word.
No problem. But what did Ephesians just tell
us? That when we come together,
bringing our supply, it causes the growth of the body.
It helps create the maturity of the man of the whole church.
You cannot come to maturity and be disconnected from your
serving part of the church. Can't happen.
In fact, the church in power is when all of us are active.
Doers. Active doers because it's the
supply that's coming back and forth between us because we're
hearing from heaven, we get that and then we obviously are
ministering in this context. But then we go out, we come in,
we go out, we come in, we go out because we're like this element
is the most important. It's what Jesus is coming back
for. You know he's not coming back
for your business. Your business is not in the
catching away program. So no matter how successful your
business is, it's not your business getting caught up.
He's not here to catch up your family.
I'm not saying your family can't be born and getting caught up.
I'm just saying it's not for your family, it's for the
church. Because God's family is not just
natural blood related, it is spiritually blood related.
But not just spiritually blood related, it is spiritually blood
related who do His word. Because Jesus qualified that.
Now if you're my family. You're going to do my word.
OK, so being born again doesn't mean you're active, although
you're technically in the family.
OK, so again. We see then there's this thing
that takes place that causes churches to really thrive in
communities is because people are buying in to what Jesus has
died for in order to leave. In the earth until he returns.
All right. So in Acts chapter 6 starting in
verse one, it says now at the time.
While the disciples were increasing in number, a
complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the
native Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the
daily serving of food. This church had a problem.
Let's just tell us all churches are going to have problems,
right? So get rid of mythical thinking.
So if you hear of a problem, that's like, that's normal.
OK, let me go. If you ever hear of a problem in
the church, that's normal. It can arise.
Now if we go on, we see in the next verse they want to fix the
problem. But you understand, there's many
Saints that aren't problem fixers.
They're problem finders, and all they do is talk about the
problems. Well, you know what?
I'm glad you see what everybody else sees.
But the difference between a disciple and just a convert is a
convert talks about the problem to everybody and complaints
about all the problems they keep finding.
Where a disciple says we'll find a solution so that we can
continue to unify. So the next time someone comes
to you and says, you know what? That you know what I've noticed
about anchor Faith Church, you say, well, is that a real
problem? Let's talk about a solution.
Now go ahead and move them to solution 'cause if they don't
want to talk solution then you can say well you need to mature
up a little bit. Quit just looking at problems.
That's what the world does. Say Amen.
Anyway, it's fine. So.
But you know what I love about this?
Look at this verse two. So the 12 summoned the
congregation of the disciples and said it is not desirable for
us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.
Now this is what I love about these two verses right here.
Where in the world does it say church?
Anybody know? It says that when it says the
word while the disciples were increasing in number.
Well, listen, you can't be a disciple unless you're born
again. And if you're born again, by all
rights you've been added to the church.
So what are we seeing here? As Jesus said, go therefore and
make disciples. God never intended his church
not to be full of disciples. And verse two says he saw the
12th sum of the congregation. We will call that a church.
But notice what he called the congregation?
Congregation of So in the first church, there was no concept
that if you're born again, filled with the Holy Ghost, you
wouldn't be a disciple, which you would you would be obviously
identified as a disciple, Not a Pew warmer not a casual a tender
not. I read the Bible whenever not.
I'm more influenced by the world than I am the church.
I mean it says they while the now at the time while the
disciples were increased was this is the church they were
being added to. It's growing.
It's huge, it's it's developing, it's getting big.
All of a sudden now they've got more people.
More people means more problems to solve.
There's going to be problems, but we can solve them.
Why? Because we have the answer.
His name's Jesus. He's the head of the church.
We get to go to him and say, Lord, how do we solve this
problem in your church? And guess what he'll do?
He'll say we'll do this. And then when we do that,
instead of just saying, I just can't believe that happened,
some problems are not by design. Some problems are.
We didn't realize it was a problem and now we realize,
well, this is a problem, so we're going to have to do
something. You know, what I didn't realize
was a problem is that people would bring their dogs to the
mall. I didn't know that.
I didn't know they would bring their dogs to the mall and let
them poop inside. Oh yeah, my KDG team has cleaned
up dog poop. Yeah, they're not service dogs,
they're pets. So I'm like, well, we're going
to have to solve this problem. So we went up and found state
statue and everything we posted on the front.
Say it got to be a service animal.
If it's not a service animal, that can't come in.
Because I don't want your fleabag dog up in here getting
fleabag stuff all over my carpet.
Then I got to go and, you know, fumigate my whole thing because
you can't be separated from your dog for a few minutes because we
need more. I mean, if it's an emotional
deal, I understand that because a lot of people have emotional
issues. But I can help solve your
emotional problems. His name's Jesus.
You get a new life, He'll renew your mind and then you won't
have anxiety like you have Cause the Lord says be anxious of
nothing, right? But I don't have to have your
dog in. So now our people are saying
can't bring in your dog in. It's people like.
I mean, who would have thought a father would have brought their
child in the mall with their bike to teach them how to ride
inside? This happened in our mall.
Kids riding around in the bike, like what's happening here?
Well, it was cold or raining or something.
I brought him in to no bikes in the mall.
We don't ride bikes in here. And then it Where am I supposed
to go? That's not my problem.
Go to your living room, right? Ha ha ha.
You know how many? Cars drive through our private
property that they think is public.
This is not. Public land.
Hallelujah. So I'm I'm praying about some
stuff, like do I put up gates so when the malls close, I shut the
gates. You can't even drive on the
property. I'm thinking, who authorized you
to try to paint my parking lot black with your tires?
In don't circles. I mean, if you're going to do
it, at least run strips so that we can get an even coat, right?
Nobody asks you to do abstract art.
I mean, we put our little life for our flagpole and somebody
ran over and tore it down, so we had to put yellow columns.
Yeah, it's crazy. But you know what?
We just keep fixing problems, right?
And why is it that there's all kind of problems at your work
and you'll stay at work, but when a problem comes at church,
you'll 'cause you're not a disciple.
Now you can stay here and be a complainer.
It may be just best you go, 'cause if all you're going to do
is complain, then really you're like cancer.
No, you're supposed to change your thinking.
You're supposed to love the Brethren.
You're supposed to love being. I'm just be honest with you.
I'd be very candid about it. Because again, we're going to
have the church. That's mature.
If you really don't like being here, you literally have my
permission to go somewhere else. Not that you needed it, but if
you want me to say it so you can hear it, go.
I want you to grow, not to feel like you're getting nothing.
Because I know the ones that are hungry, they getting a lot.
And I don't understand why you're not opening your mouth
and being anorexic. Because I you'd have to
conclude, if you've been here long enough that someone to hear
what we're preaching and not be growing, that means they're
getting it in their ear mouths, right?
Their mouths are eating it up, your ears are eating it up, but
the minute they go, they throw it up because they're not being
a doer of it. So you're giving this appearance
that you're eating it, but you're throwing up and you're
being spiritually anorexic. You need to get delivered from
that the most of that's because you know you have your own
mindset of your own issues, that God's like, you're awesome and
you just need to believe God, what he says about you, instead
of what you think about yourself.
Because let me just tell you what you think some other person
is thinking about you. They're not.
And you're wasting a lot of
time. You're wasting a lot of time
because God's not saying that to you, but the devil is.
So if you're spiritually mature, you should discern that's the
devil talking to you. Because if God's building a
church that's unified, then God is not saying.
You know what? They're talking about you here
at your church. Now why would he say that?
If he's trying to unify, that can't be the voice of God.
So the 12th some of the congregation of disciples,
right? He said it's not desire for us
to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.
This word, desirable, means this, he said.
It's not right for us to neglect or it's not proper.
Now again, it's not. That the apostles here could not
serve tables. But you understand.
The emphasis here in verse one is now the disciples were
increasing in number. It is mythical thinking to think
the FIFO ministry. Should have to do everything and
is the only ones who are supposed to do.
And if you don't see them doing it, then they're really not
serving because at certain sizes you will be involved.
And I know we were heavily involved, we're still involved.
But could there come a day that I'm never involved but still
serving the body and doing my part?
Not because we're too good. It's that we've increased and
God wants everyone to get involved.
Everyone. So again, the minute an
opportunity comes, we should rejoice because it's God saying
I got something for you. Amen.
Hallelujah. So he goes.
On and says this, then, therefore, brethren, select from
us from among you seven men. Notice of good reputation, full
of the spirit and Wisdom whom we may put in charge of this task.
Now this is pretty powerful, you know.
And I think we may have, you know technically dumbed down
church serving because in order just to serve a table with.
Food. You had to have a good
reputation. Now you can't even have a good
reputation and only be here a month.
You don't build reputation in a week.
We know I came to that church. I've been there a month and
ain't using me at all. Well, what's your reputation?
We're building it because again, if you've come to serve, then
you want your reputation to show up.
You know what you want your reputation to be?
That you're faithful. I mean if I look out and only
see you, you know every other month and then you want to serve
Flip man they have enough time to come to church and then we're
going to task them with the responsibility and
accountability of serving your reputation has said because you
don't understand a reputation is Speaking of you without
speaking. Yeah being born again is is just
entry. You understand Being born again
is the door. Jesus said I'm the door to get
born again. You just walked in the door.
I don't let nobody just walk in the door and come up here and
preach. No.
And the Bible even says this since we talking about doors,
Paul said. Do not put a novice in
leadership position 'cause they will incur the same sin that the
devil had and they'll get lifted up in pride.
So if you've just been born again, I don't care how zealous
you are, you need to develop a reputation because if I give it
to you too fast, it will destroy you.
So the way the table you got to have good reputation, but not
just that, you've got to be full of the spirit.
And we're not talking about a spirit bearing witness with your
spirit, your child of God. We're talking about ton talk and
stuff, yielding to that truth, to be baptized in the Spirit of
God. Amen.
Now, I understand we've had people serve that have not been
baptized in the Holy Ghost. I've recognized that.
But you know, we keep pressing and you understand at the end of
the day, you should press to want everything God has for you,
should be unacceptable for you to let go of something God has
promised you, just because you don't understand.
Well, then seek it out. Because there was a day I didn't
know about the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
And the pastor preached on it and he came to me and he thought
maybe he scared me off. And I like, I'm not scared.
I mean, I just want truth. So show me.
Well, it took him a few months. When I say that it didn't take
him a few months to to show me. It took me a few months to get
the revelation I had to let go of whatever it was that I was
trying to let go of and and receive what I needed to
receive. Good news is, I wasn't taught
that it was of the devil, so I didn't have to rewire that
garbage, you know? But at the end of the day, I
mean, it became very convinced, obvious.
And then a couple months later, I got filled with the holy good
and my life was way better. I've lived on the side of just
being born again, and I'm on the side of being baptized in the
Spirit, and it's way better. It's way better because when I
was on this side I had this. Little nagging thing that kept
saying there's got to be more. And you know what that nagging
thing was? It was the spirit of God saying
there's bro, there's more. There's got to be more than
this. What you're doing right now, and
there is, if you will let me teach you, 'cause you just, you
just you just know you're right with God.
But I got way more for you than just this.
And I don't have to take you through a big seminar to get it
to you. You can get it as soon as you
got born again. So they need to be full of
spirit and of what wisdom, which means they had to have become
some type of studying and they had to have been doing something
within their reputation for us to realize, You know what, when
this person is put in these situations, wisdom, they have an
answer. So in essence, he didn't put
seven problem finders, complainers, or whiners.
And this is where pastors miss it the most.
Is they need a position filled so they'll fill them with a warm
body. Their breathing is what I mean.
Well, you're alive. Come on and do it.
But the. Problem is, they may make it
worse. It'd be better to not even do
it, 'cause here's the thing that I did.
I made demands on stuff. First of all, I want you to know
that you are a byproduct of my faith.
Well, what do I mean by that? My faith in doing before you
ever met me. Before I ever showed up to
Anchor Faith Church, I served in another body and I was acting,
enacting the law of sowing and reaping in my mind, 'cause I
already knew I was going to pastor one day.
I said I know the type of people that I know should be serving in
the church. I'm going to be that person for
this guy. So I'm going to eat, breathe and
drink his vision When I walked around Sand Springs, OK, They
didn't even know my name. They knew me this.
Oh, that's the youth pastor of the depot at War Life
Fellowship. Oh, that's the youth pastor of
the depot. They saw the building.
They saw the building on the hill.
They didn't see the man or know the man.
They saw the building. It is more of a compliment for
someone to say you go to anchor Faith.
That is way more of a compliment than they know your name because
now they see the vision. And that's how I was.
Is it not true, Pastor Marcus, This is how I lived, I mean, and
I was apparel wearer. I mean, I had Depot everywhere.
I was always advertising that vision.
I was man. I had apparel.
I mean, I was everywhere doing it.
I would wear it. I wanted everybody to know,
which means then I had to act away while I'm wearing.
And if I wasn't wearing, I'd still act the same way because
I'm the same person, because again, that's the type of
people. So I made a demand just like now
you know, the Lord's talking told us about calling a
particular number of adults in and I add to it, Lord, I want
these many people you told me to believe for this many people,
but she's never asked me to do a number before, but he did.
So I do. And I said that are submitted
and committed to the vision. I don't want the number.
I want the submitted, committed people that can make the number.
Because at the end of the day you can have the number and have
nobody submitted and committed and then you just have problems
that when you try to solve the problems, they don't want to
solve the problem, they just want to be a problem.
The only way to solve that problem is to get rid of the
person. Are y'all doing all right Again,
I'm saying this because we have been talking about community
mobilization. We talked about what's the
catch? Pastor Marcy talked about
Oneness, and it seemed right with me and the Holy Ghost to
bring this thought process up one more time to the Wednesday
crew. You know, there was a time when
we started Anchor Faith. Church.
That the number difference between a Sunday morning and a
Wednesday night was five people. I held that for like 3 years and
then it fell off, which means I got a bunch of uncommitted
people. I think, you know, they just
heard about us and they wanted to see what was going on.
But in the beginning I had. I had people that were hungry,
and when I say I had people, I have people today.
I understand that, you know, 'cause our Wednesday's probably
larger than most people's Sundays, but we're still not the
largest church, and I'm not trying to be the largest church.
Whether or not we're the largest church, not see relevant to me,
are we the a congregation of disciples?
That's what we're going after. Because a true disciple the only
thing about. Being in it long term.
Is that everybody can look at your life and see the
faithfulness of God. Not you're owed something
because the Kingdom is not a union.
The. Kingdom is what whoever God
wants to do something with, and he can do it with somebody that
you know has developed a good reputation full of the spirit
and wisdom, and you've done it so long.
But the Lord's like, I'm using this person right now and you
should be a champion of that person, not trying to compete
with that person. So he goes on and says, but we
will devote ourselves to prayer, to the ministering of the word.
This is our task. We've grown so much.
I have to be in this task because if I'm not in this task,
there may be more conflict because there's more people that
we have to minister to that we need to be hooked up in the
spirit to know what they need to hear.
Because again, when I preach, I can preach generally, but a lot
of times, and many of you have come to me at some point, said
Pastor. You were speaking right to me.
Well, I don't know that I'm speaking right to you, but the
Holy Ghost knew what you needed. But that takes time because
you're in prayer and you're thinking about the Ministry of
the Word. The thing that I do not like the
most is when I have to become administrative in service.
I don't like it at all because it takes away from me.
Here's the thing, I can be hooked up with the.
Spirit and I can have conversation.
I'm not this guy that has to sit out in the back of my office and
then come in and can't talk to nobody because you'll mess up my
anointing. I'm not that Jesus could walk
around, not mess up his anointing, OK?
I, I, I, I'm of the same cloth, but I don't want to get into
admin. I want to be able to stay hooked
up to that. So thank God we've been able to
delegate certain things out so that we do not have to do that.
I don't want to have to get. What are we going to do this?
Most of the time things are happening administratively.
And I don't, I don't even have a clue about it till Monday
because I know leave pastor alone, We'll take care of that,
OK? And so as it grows, you have to
be able to take care of things differently.
It says. The statement found approval of
the whole congregation. They chose Stephen, a man full
of faith and of the Holy Ghost. And then here's these other
guys, these six other guys. Now look what it says in verse
six. Then these they brought before
the apostles and after praying they laid hands on them.
Now that's why we do the laying on of hands after you do your
elevate orientation, because again, we don't want your talent
in the position. We want the anointing associated
with the vision and we want you to want the anointing associated
with the vision. Because when you have the
anointing associated with the vision that comes from the head,
his name's Jesus, through the pastor that overseas the church
into the congregation. Then when you're in the
assignment, you'll start pulling on that same anointing to be
able to have wisdom to problem solve when things occur.
And when it happens, you'll just have the idea and it and it will
seem like you just thought of it.
But if you're really in tune, you'll realize, wow, it's
amazing how I hear so clear from the Holy Ghost, because that was
a brilliant answer to handle that.
Because don't you think the head of the church wants to take care
of any problem? Sure he does.
So they laid hands on them. Verse 7, The Word of God kept on
what? Spreading.
Now why does the word keep on spreading?
And the number of the disciples continue to increase greatly in
Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming
obedient to the faith. Why is this happening?
Because seven guys got in their fit.
I mean the churches I go to, I know they want to grow, but one
of their greatest hindrances is the lack of participation of the
Saints. So.
They'll do a 21 day fast for growth, 21 day fast for miracle
signs and wonders. And by the way, we're going to
do a 21 day fast that begin this year.
We have a living faith conference coming with pastor
and what I know we're preaching. Next year.
You're going to need to start it out in prayer and fasting, OK?
Because things are going to get real.
I mean real where you can pull back a veil and see stuff real.
OK, we're going to be in tune. In the realm of the spirit, all
right. And so the minute the if these
individuals would just get involved with their pastor's
vision. Now I have to admit too
someplace I go, pastor don't have a vision.
And I understand that. And that's tough because they
don't know how to get involved. But if there is a vision and the
pastor's, you know, doing it, when they're saying, hey, let's
get involved here, it's not because there's not a need.
Let me ask this question. How many problems do you think
there are in Saint Johns County? Yeah, you're already going.
Oh, there's so many, right. Well, God is already sending
people to us and asking us how to fix those problems.
Well, you understand. I can't go do it all.
In fact, what's my assignment, pastor?
And what's that assignment? Praying and the ministering of
the word is my #1 assignment #1. But I'm having to engage these
sectors of society. Why?
So that I can say they just came to me about this.
Who wants to get involved here? Because as we are involved in
this, it gives us involvement out there.
And the more we're doing because we see the church 1st and God
works out all the other stuff, then guess what?
Increase, but not just increase. Look at verse 8 and Stephen,
full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and
signs among the people. Because he was willing to serve
a table, it actually increased the miraculous ministry in his
life. And some of you are serving a a
a serving assignment away from being able to hear God clear
enough to perform some pretty amazing signs in Publix,
Walmart, your place of business. Because again, God's not
impressed if you go lay hands on somebody in a wheelchair and
they stand up and walk if you're not passionate about where they
need to go to become a disciple. Because this is about you coming
back and say, man, I lay hands to somebody in public and they
got, we're walking around and it was crazy in there, right?
Well, you didn't do that because you don't have that kind of
power. But you have that kind of power
through his name and he's authorized you to do it and it's
him doing it through you because Jesus wants them to know, right?
And because there's when we get involved with the church, then
where's an increase of power that takes place?
We saw it in Ephesians that when we all bring our supply it
causes growth. So increase comes because of
that internal serving. But also when we are tasked with
a task, whatever it may be. In this case it was food
distribution, then guess what? It brought increase to the
church and then when the church is increased, then obviously
individually you're going to increase because how can the
church get more powerful if you're not?
So you're a byproduct of the church getting more powerful.
So again, when you know Rick's family, Christmas comes to us
and say we want you to tell. I mean, this guy's been doing
for 22 years, right? 22 years.
Do you know how many churches have helped him?
How many years have we been helping him?
So he has 20 years of every Christmas feeding the homeless
and churches and people from the community helping.
We show up in two years. And out of 20 years of serving
with other people, he says you should take it.
What did he see in Anchor Faith Church people that he didn't see
in any of the other ones, right? I mean, surely?
There's 20 years of relationship that he could have said, you
know, you've been doing this for five years with me, you've been
that he could have said I trust you to carry it on, but here we
are. I said, here we are.
And how many people? We got set up for that.
To help with it. Yeah, from our church.
How about 505040 to 50 that are happening on Christmas Day?
Yes, Sir. See what I'm saying?
Let me tell you what that mean. This is why this church is so
amazing. That is the epitome of
selflessness, because Christmas is not about you sitting under a
tree. I'm going to come by and just
let you know. But again, I don't have to.
That's the point. I don't have to come by.
I shouldn't be obligated to show up, although I'm coming.
But you understand. You see what I'm saying?
I mean, This is why we've become powerful.
And every time I come in, I'm like, God, I love this, you
know, I'm not afraid. I'll lose it because I don't
have fear, because the devil's a defeat, a foe.
And at the end of the day, if somebody can't stay with the
vision, got to bring somebody up.
I had this phrase that I've said for years with our staff and I'm
going to give you a few pull up points and we'll close.
I said if you can't continue to grow with the vision, if you
can't continue to grow as the vision grows, I'll be forced to
replace you. It's nothing personal, but the
vision must go on. Now that can sound callous.
And there's a few leaders that said I hated when you said that,
but when they got revelation of it, they realized that's what
Jesus did. Jesus said it to Peter just
sounded different. He said, guys, I'm going to die,
but on the third day I'm going to raise up.
Peter doesn't listen to the Raisin up and he pulls him to
the side. May it never be, you're not
going to die, he said. Get thee behind me, Satan.
In essence, if you can't continue to grow as the vision
of my life, then I'll be forced to replace you.
Judas, you go ahead and do what you got to do because you failed
to continue to grow. And I'll be forced to replace
you. And did he replace him now?
Did he love Judas? You bet he did.
Does he love Peter? But don't you mess with his
vision because he'll put somebody else in it.
Do. You think he loved Moses?
In fact, he said Moses was the meekest man.
He said, I ain't like the rest. I speak to this guy face to
face. But when Moses hits a rock
twice, what'd he say? You violated my vision.
You dishonored me. You're not taking them in.
Joshua's got the assignment. When Barnabas says bro, we're
going to take John Marker. I'm not going with you, Paul,
even though we're the ones that God separate unto me, Barnabas
and Saul, which is Paul for the work that I've sent them to do.
And Paul's like he's not going And they argue so much.
He said fine, I'll take him and do my own thing.
We never hear him again. You know what God says?
I'll give you Silas cause the vision will go on.
So don't think that Anchor Fay Church won't go on.
'Cause it's going to go, 'cause it's God ordained it's going to
go. The sad part would be me
watching you at the judgment seat and God say, well, I had
all these rewards when you were at Anchor Fay Church, but then
you left. Now the rest of your
accomplishments are burnt up 'cause they you were never
assigned. There.
Hallelujah. So the church was always
supposed to be a congregation of disciples.
Are you hearing me? See, there's a misconception.
Unless you pray and study all the time, you can't operate in
the miraculous regularly. And that's not true, because the
seven men were picked and they were people who prayed, and they
were people who stayed with the word, but they also serve
faithfully, the miraculous increased.
And I believe many believers are missing the miraculous because
they're only using two out of the three processes.
They're praying, they're studying, but they're not
serving. They're not serving because if
all you want to do is pray and study, then you're already
selfish in your relationship with Jesus because Jesus says
freely you've received, but you're holding it and keeping it
in the closet with him. OK, when the church increases,
complaints will come, but that's all right.
Disciples are the answer to the problems we encounter within the
church. The disciples are the answer.
I'd like to go outside and get consultation, which is another
thing that blows me away, that there are churches that are
bringing in outsiders for consultants and they're they're
putting systems together because these consultants tell them how
they can grow and they're not growing disciples, they're
growing processes. Now they can grow in numbers of
people, but that doesn't mean the church is growing
day-to-day. Duties are not menial.
Tasks, he said. Man, we got to feed these
people. We're going to do it daily.
You know how important this is? Find me good reputation, full of
the spirit, full of wisdom, because this is not a menial
task. So let me tell you.
Dining with dignity helpers, it's not a menial task.
Let me tell you, parking lot, it's not a menial task.
Any area that we serve within the church is not menial.
It actually helps you increase in power.
When someone says I just don't want to.
They don't value the Body of Christ properly.
Oversight within the church requires identifiable character,
again, even for the day-to-day duties, even for the day-to-day
duties. Now, with that being said, it
doesn't mean you can't get an opportunity because we're always
trying to pull on potential. Maybe you hadn't arrived yet,
but we think you could be there. But if you don't assimilate,
you're not going to make it. Any task you are put in charge
of there will be grace and power and the power of God added to
your life again. You're praying, You're reading.
You want to be with God, but yet he wants to empower the grace in
your serving. The anointing comes to those who
have the character to serve. And do serve.
OK, you have to have the
character to serve. Because again, again, if if
somebody's playing our guitar and then they fornicate, we
can't keep them on the platform. They're going to be set down,
and we got to restore them. We're just not going to put a
body up here, 'cause we need it. I mean, you know how many people
are on the platforms now and they live like the rest of the
world, And then I'll hold it. Well, we, but we need somebody.
I mean, pastors are actually paying worship teams that aren't
even a part of their church, and they're saying they're having
worship. No, you're having a band play
songs, and I feel for the ones that are actually doing it
because many of them are traveling from church to church.
I mean, basically you've become a secular artist that your gigs
are within the church body. Now any task you put, you are
put in charge. Again there will be grace and.
Power of God added to your life. The anointing comes to those who
have the character to serve and do serve.
The anointing reaches out to all who come in contact to the ones
serving. You have an anointing.
That's why I say many people should get healed long before
they even get in service, because how could they get past
somebody in a parking lot that they wouldn't lay hands on the
sick? Or a greeter, or an usher, or
whatever the case may be. Right?
And what happened? The word spread among the church
and it grew as a result of what 7 people doing their part in
ministering to the brethren. Whether they increased was,
guess what, They probably had another problem they didn't
write about. And he said we got to find some
more people because the early church, which is not a Western
thinking, they knew this is the center of our life and
everything else revolves around it.
But in our Western society, our jobs.
Our families is our center of our lives that we say God's
there, and church is around that.
But that's not the Church of the Bible.
Because here's the thing, you can do a lot of stuff with your
family. You can get involved in all
kinds of stuff, but when the church is the center, then those
things are going to be way more prosperous.
And you can have a layer of prosperity, or it seems like
you're getting ahead in those areas, but not at the level when
the church is the center of your focus.
Because here's the thing. I didn't ask you to come.
I didn't ask you to come here. I didn't ask you to come.
In fact, I didn't even show up on my own accord.
I was sent. I'm here by direct obedience to
the Lord, and I'm helping him plant his church here and in
other parts of the world now. Right?
And then he's drawn you here. And if he drew you here, then
he's like, you got a gift, you got a gift, you got a gift.
And it's his job in the earth to pull it out and deploy you.
And once we do it, your prayer and your word life strengthens
your serving life and we increase in power.
And I'm just going to be honest with you, We are rare.
I know that we're rare. And some of y'all who's just
been hooked up not too long ago been you, you know, Some of
y'all been with us so long, so you've forgotten.
So I gave you permission to go to another church this Sunday.
Go ahead, go sit in another congregation again.
I'm not scared. Well, you think, what if they
want to go, they can go. Because God's going to have
people here to do this vision and not the city.
Impact the nation. Influence the world with
passion. Say I see myself.
Where else could I go? They're going to be the Peters.
Where else are we going to go? You have words a lot.
Where else are we going to go? My whole life exists in here.
I found myself in this vision. How am I going to go somewhere?
Because my life's not my own. And that's what's cultivated
here. And man, it can't be stopped.
And man, when I go to these other churches, I'm like, man,
if they they don't have what we have, they they don't have what
we have. Because I'm, I'm in front of
some of the most passionate people for Jesus because you're
serving is what does it. And you know what?
There's a lot of people out there that need the Lord.
So God's calling us. I said he's calling us.
You're not too old to continue to serve.
You're not too old. And we use a lot of young people
too, just to let you know, right?
I got teenagers serving because we're cultivating.
I said we're cultivating Amen. Thank you so much for listening
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