In First Corinthians 1218 to 20, it says this.
But now God has placed the members, each one of them.
How many of them? Each one.
So that includes you say that includes me.
You're not left out, You're not ignored.
You're not overlooked. You're not overlooked.
Each one, Hallelujah, you're not overlooked ever.
Each one of them in the body, just as he desires.
You know, the problem with the Saints or with the body of
Christ, even the fivefold ministry, is that we want to get
into places that God's like. Yes, but Amen.
I remember one time when I knew I was called the ministry.
I was in the Baptist Church and my wife and I knew I was called,
went to a particular Bible school, but you know, and I
wasn't even baptized in the Holy Ghost.
But it definitely, I'm not saying anything was wrong with
the school at all. I just didn't stay long enough
because it wasn't where the Lord wanted me.
It wasn't where God wanted my foundation.
And so my wife and I find ourselves back in Florida living
with my mom with three children. And so I'm attending her church
because again, it's my custom to be in that denomination.
All right. Now in the Scripture there isn't
a denomination, There's the body of Christ.
All right. So really this is man made stuff
that we're in, although denominations are living based
upon the revelation they know in God.
OK. And so I was at a place where I
was hungry. I knew I was called, I'm doing
what I need to do. And the particular Deacon boards
at the time with the pastor, because we were a young couple
in that church and there were not many.
In fact, we may have been one of two, to be honest with you.
So you understand they were excited to see someone young
because if you don't have younger people in the church and
everyone's 708090, in a few years, we know where the church
will be in the natural in that location.
OK. And so, you know, obviously I'm,
you know, in my zeal, my young age at the time, I definitely
was like, man, I believe God's called me the ministry.
And they're like, great, we want to have you sit in with the
youth, you know, and be a part of that.
So I did what they said. I sat in with the youth's Sunday
school room and spent some time there and was very excited about
the opportunity to be able to do something.
And so my brother, who happened to be in the youth at the time
at that particular church, we would discuss things at the
house and I would begin to say things that I, you know, that I
believe the Lord wanted me to do once the church gave me an
opportunity. Well, he ended up telling some
other friends, you know, about some things I would do and they
got back to the Deacon board. So I was working a particular
job then. I mean, I wasn't in full time
ministry. I was working actually in a
place in Green Cove that had these crazy shifts where you
work 7 straight days. He did seven straight days on
3rd shift, seven straight days on mid shift, and then seven
straight days on morning shift. And this rotated every 28 days.
It was brutal. I don't know, some of these
people have done it for 30 years.
I happen to be coming off a third shift.
Came to church, didn't go home, didn't sleep, came to church,
got called into the pastor's office.
Well, this Deacon elder began to tell me about how long it took
them to become ordained, you know, in the process.
And I could tell that the pastor was not really excited.
But you understand, that particular denomination is not
overseen by the pastor but by the board.
That's how it's just set up. And I could tell that he wasn't
super excited. But for me, you know, it was
tough. And I was like, man, you know,
I'm not here to do anything but just step into whatever God
wants. The reality is it almost took me
as long as he said. It just wasn't through that
place, and when I look back at how long it took me to get to
here in April of 2004, I'm thankful because God knew what
He was doing. Now when I went on from there, I
went to an assembly. God church got filled with the
Holy Ghost man and I. I was 25 at the time.
I thought I was in my prom 252627 years old.
We took a youth ministry from one.
Vanessa was there and we went from 1 to 75.
The church only ran 150. Half of them were youth.
We were in an off campus location.
We were blowing and going and in my mind you understand I'm like,
I need to be full time now, right?
You felt like you had all the intangibles and the pastor left
and went to Ocala to get in a bigger church with more resource
and I went with him even though I already knew from that
location. I was called to Rhema.
But in my mind I just wanted it. And I thought, man, if I don't
do it now, I'll be too old. That's what 20 somethings think.
You know that when you get into your 30s and 40s year old only
to find out when you get there it's not.
I was deceived the whole time, you understand, right now, 80 is
real young. I know this and I'm not there
yet. I know this.
Now I'm like flip man. I might just get started at 80.
I mean, Caleb's 85 conquering mouth does.
I can't wait to hit 85. And what other county, our state
or nation will we conquer? Hallelujah.
So I realized, you know, I was young, you know.
And The thing is, is that in these processes of being placed
in the body where it pleases Him, we often get in the way
instead of letting God develop. When we graduated from Rhema
2000, I was so tired of moving my family around.
I came to Gainesville, FL to start a church only to hear the
Lord say you're not ready. Wow.
And I had ministered over a hunt.
I mean probably close to A at least 5-6 hundred times by then.
And now going to Bible school, yet he says you're not ready.
Well, don't you know the Lord knows what he's talking about?
Hallelujah. And again, if you don't submit
to the process, more people abort their own destinies
because they will not submit to the process.
And again, Coach Hurley, would you stand?
I appreciate you allowing me to utilize you here because he
coaches, but you know, have you not had players that they
wouldn't submit to the process so you just couldn't use them,
not because they weren't talented.
See, a lot of times it's not about whether you can.
It's that you won't submit to the process to obtain.
Thank you coaching. Be seated.
And so we need to submit to the process because again, but now
God has placed the members, each one of them in the body where
just as He desires. Which tells me God is the one
orchestrating your ability to be released.
You can never think that someone would hinder you 'cause they
cannot. In fact, in some cases they've
actually may be helping you, yet you think it's a hindrance.
Verse 19 if they were all one member, where would the body be?
But now they they are many members, but one body.
So we're not all the same. Again, this particular author by
the name of Ernest Gentile said this.
Why? Why stress local churches so
much? Let me tell you, in our society,
we do not the the world does not stress local churches.
Modern day religious Christianity does not stress
local churches, right? That's the church, because the
enemy doesn't want local churches to be stressed, because
if they are, then he knows game over and Jesus returns.
Why stress local churches so much?
Very simply, because the local church is the key messenger of
Christ to the secular community. The people of the local church
become the heart, the hands and the voice of Jesus Christ.
This brilliant strategy is God's way of maintaining active
spiritual life in His Saints and then through them, impacting the
secular world. When the people of a community
see the members of the local church body, they hopefully will
see Christ. Coach Hurley could stand up
again. If I had, if I wanted him to and
he would let us know that. You know they are in season now,
but before this season they ended up having a time of
conditioning, which means his current seniors this year that
have played ball with him since they were freshmen have the same
conditioning that takes place every season.
They do fundamentals and they do not get into their senior year
and say I have arrived. You see how good of my batting
average, which is now, do you understand how well my game is
and you want me to take time to do fundamentals?
That's for the younger ones. No, that's for all of us because
the minute a mature believer refuses to go back to
fundamentals, they start digressing to be immature and
flesh LED again. But worse, those become deceived
because they have a knowledge of the word.
They will not do. Amen.
Ephesians 47 But each one of us. But to each one of us, grace was
given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Christ is the ultimate gift, and He's the gift giver, which means
what He imparted into you came from Christ.
Rolando, you are what you are today because Christ did that,
not because you did it. And He and He imparted it to you
in the Spirit before you, in your mother's womb, in fact,
before the foundations of the world.
He was waiting for this moment to release you to the planet.
And the gifts and calling are without repentance now.
You can run from it. You can fail to be trained
adequately to release it, but you will be judged by it.
Ultimately. God does not care about your
4O1K, He does not care about your degrees.
He does not care about anything in this match.
All He cares about did you do what He destined you to do.
That's it. This life is temporary and the
things that God wants to do with something amazing, but each one
of us have a gift. Say I'm a gift.
Come on, say I'm a gift. It's time to unwrap you then he
said in Ephesians 411 and 12. And he gave some say some, not
all. So not all of us can claim this.
In fact, no one can claim it unless the Lord gave it and then
it's a gift. Amen.
No 5 fold minister earns the gift, but they can develop what
has been freely given them and are required to do so.
Hallelujah. I'll give you a case in point.
The the talents did the master give them.
So the ones receiving them did not earn them, but they were
given. One was given 5, two and one.
Why were they given? Because he had given them
something at a time that they showed themselves faithful with
what they had freely received earlier.
This is why the one who had five had already received a number,
most likely less, at a different time and was faithful with what
he received. How do we know this?
Because we know the one who obviously had been given the
training to function with one, but instead of activating the
training, doing the here it is. We hate this word work, which is
just obeying what God says to do.
He buried it and lived His way. I'm not doing what you're asking
me to do. I'm doing what I want to do
'cause then when you come, I'll give you back what you gave no
loss. Well, was the Master happy about
receiving back with no loss? Not at all.
In fact, he was upset that there was 0 gain.
The master was not joyful that it wasn't stolen, that he kept
it safe, that he had the same amount.
No, he told that servant you're wicked and lazy.
At minimum, if you were not going to get out like these
other two and weren't what you've been trained in, you
could have at least put it in the bank and drawn some interest
off of it. So what did he do?
Take the one and gave it to the one who had 10.
Why is he doing that? Because the one who had five
multiplied 5 and showed himself faithful working the gift that
was given to him so that he could receive more.
And he says those who you know are doers and receive, they'll
receive even more. But those who don't do even what
they think they have will be what taken away.
So the gift that you are must be worked.
This is not a free ride. You've been given a free gift to
deploy. Are you hearing me now?
Some are apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelist,
some of his pastors and teachers.
And what are these five fold ministries for that not everyone
that's in the body of Christ. They are for the equipping of
the Saints, for the work of service to the building up of
the body of Christ, Ernest said. This the object of the five fold
gift, we are calling it the five fold effect, is to enable the
whole church to become spiritually mature and truly
function as representatives of Christ's Kingdom.
That's the point. And so we're talking about the
fivefold ministry because we want to introduce you to your
coaching staff because God has a coaching staff that is there to
train. The church is to come train, not
to come hear lectures, to entertain your ear so that
you'll feel comfortable that when you die you go to heaven.
No, it's to train you to get busy in the sectors of society
God has for you so that the Kingdom can be demonstrated.
Hallelujah. God wants to deploy you in the
earth to represent him. Amen.
So last week we talked about apostles, and I want to Segway
from apostles into pastors. We said this, Rick Renner made
made this statement. Apostles are are able to lay
biblical foundations and keep the New Testament pattern at
work among the churches. They strengthen and encourage
pastoral leaders, mobilize churches for action, and present
the global vision of Christ and His church.
They inspire greater faith and empower workers to reach the
secular marketplace. Apostles present the big picture
in an impressive way and often with miraculous confirmation.
I I realized that when God wanted, it was empowering us to
take territory here in our location at the magnitude that
is beyond our ability. It is impossible with us to
achieve what we have achieved back in December of 2021.
It's impossible for us to achieve that, but yet God
achieved it through us. But it did more than just secure
US 25 1/2 acres and 200,000 square foot of building of which
we still function some as a mall.
It now has inspired other pastors that when they hear the
testimony and I have them come up often that say wow, and I
knew then this is a today moment by which people can say God did
something in my lifetime. Many especially among the
denominations, when I say denomination, there is no such
thing as non denominational. Even us, we're not non
denominational. We are connected with an
organization. There are very few people who
are pastoring churches that are not connected to a organization.
So by all rights they say fellowship group or
denomination, you can call it whatever you want to charismatic
Pentecostals, Methodist, Presbyterian, Assembly of God,
you know, Catholic, whatever you want to call it.
You can call it, you know, Word of Faith, whatever the case may
be. It's still a group of people
that have centered around a belief and this common of a
revelation they have of God and they're operating in that area.
And with that, many of them are talking about exploits of God of
times long before them. They're using testimonies of
other people and not now. But God is I am, Hallelujah
he's, I am God. So we should have I am
victories, victories with the I am.
But in order to have victories with the I am, you're going to
have to step out of the boat, Hallelujah, at the risk of
sinking. And as long as you don't take
your eyes off the Lord and be fearful of the waves that are
coming, the storms that are coming, you will walk all the
way out and meet Jesus and cause it to come to pass.
The author and finisher of your faith will have it come to pass.
And we are witnesses of this account.
OK, So the apostles obviously are big picture.
These are territory takers. They're constantly keeping a
large perspective in. In essence, they are never into
strict details as much and get lost in them.
They are always from a big vantage point.
Plus, they are those along the way that maintain spiritual
insight concerning Scripture. And they are lens setters.
Are they clear up lenses? They help cause the scripture to
become more clear. Now again, there is no new
revelation, but there are rediscovered ones.
And again, if we cannot receive more spiritual wisdom and
revelation and insight, then there will be no reason for us
to pray the Pauline prayers. Which means if we're praying
them, we might see something in scripture that's different than
what the majority hold as truth. Some could hold something as
truth only to be found out. It's a tradition, OK, And
apostles will help us do that. Now there are 5 gifts, but a
person can function in more than one gift can function in more
than one gift and I want to introduce you to James in
Galatians chapter one verse 19. It says this Paul writing
concerning coming and seeing Peter after he was out by
himself for 14 years in Jesus Christ is personally training
him of the revelation or the mystery of the church.
Paul's been separated and Jesus himself, not a man, but Jesus
himself has been speaking to the Lord or to Peter and saying
here's a mystery. And because you are were a
Pharisee of Pharisees, because you were a Hebrew scholar,
because you knew the law and the prophets.
I'm about to reveal to you everything that's concerning me
and my church. I'm going to show you where I
was always looking and and and and had acknowledged that more
will come in to my Kingdom besides Israel and I'll do it
through a thing called the church.
Now we call the church. We think of it as a religious
organization, but when Jesus said I'll build my church is
ecclesia and it is a set those set apart.
It was a name common in that time that when the disciples
heard the church or Ecclesia, they immediately could think of
Rome, the government. They were not thinking of
Judaism or the temple. Jesus shifted them to a
government and that government, when he heard they heard
ekklesia, they were like, you mean like the Senate that is
connected with Caesar in Rome. And the Senate was this group of
called out ones that would go into a, a territory that was not
Rome itself and begin to establish the culture of Rome in
that territory and enact its laws within that territory.
And he's saying I'm going to build my legislative assembly.
That's what that means. Ekklesia in the earth.
My called out ones they will assemble all of my ambassadors
will come to the embassy, so to speak, understand the policies
of the Kingdom of heaven and enact those in the Kingdom are
in the earth. Are you hearing me So when we
hear church you have to eradicate religious and begin to
realize this is a section of of the Kingdom of God or God's
government. Now how do we know this?
Because Isaiah Chapter 9 verse six and seven says the child
will be born, a son will be given and the government shall
rest on his shoulders. Shoulders are located where in
the body Jesus is the head of the church and we are his body.
And if the government is on his shoulders, we are that
government is called the church or legislative assembly.
So this Bible is is not a religious book.
It's about a king, his Kingdom and his royal offspring.
And don't you know the king is coming?
I said, don't you know the king is coming and he is preparing
the earth for the king? So he gave revelation to Paul,
of which then he enters into Jerusalem.
Spend some time with Peter, of which Peter says you were
talking to Jesus. But he goes on and says here in
Galatians 119 he says, but I did not see any other of the
apostles except James, and which James the Lord's brother.
Now this is not James the son of Zebedee, because you had John
and James, the sons of Thunder. They were the apostles, the
original 12 of the apostles of the Lamb.
But here we are. But he was martyred or killed in
Acts chapter 12. He did not come and see that
James. He saw this James, James the
Lord's brother. This James is the James that
wrote the book of James, and this James is an apostle.
He said. I did not see any other of the
apostles except what does that imply?
James is an apostle? But then when you jump over to
the 15th chapter of Acts, we have a big tribunal take place
because Paul has been planting churches among the Gentiles and
within the Jewish churches that Peter is planting because he's
called to the Jews and Paul is called to the Gentiles.
In the Jewish church. There is no issue with
circumcision because all Jews are circumcised and that is part
of the Old Covenant. It let you know you were in
covenant with God as a male. And obviously that was in play.
However, when Paul started getting out with the Gentiles,
circumcision was not required and all of a sudden some that
had wrong motives following Paul began to spy out.
Now that's just a nice way of saying they were peeking in on
when people were using the bathroom and realized this Greek
isn't circumcised and started to stir up strife in Paul's plants.
So Paul's like, listen, that's old covenant.
The scripture is clear. This is a circumcision of the
heart. It's not you can't be right with
God through some physical manifestation during that time.
That's how it was. But now during this time is a
whole nother ball game. So they descend on Jerusalem,
where the apostle James also resides as the pastor of the
Jerusalem church. Peter's there.
I mean, we're talking all the heavy hitters in the first move
of God. I mean, these are people we're
reading about, right? The ones that you're like, man,
I would love to talk with them. And I, you know what?
I just want you to know you're such a gift.
When you get to heaven, Paul's going to say, I can't wait to
talk to you. OK, So here James in the 13th,
after he's heard from Peter the apostle, he's heard from Paul
the apostle, he says, and after they stop speaking, James
answered and said, brethren, listen to me.
Now, at this point, most often people see James only as pastor,
but he's not. He's also an apostle.
And what James is doing is not coming from his pastoral role,
but from his Apostolic gift, because apostles correct
doctrine and this is a doctrinal issue that they need clarity on,
of which the first apostle Peter makes his case and the second
apostle Paul makes his case. And then Apostle James, who
happens to be the pastor of Jerusalem, says, based upon what
I've heard, and I'm hearing the Holy Ghost as well, it seems
right to us that we do not require any of the Gentile
churches are those that are born again to subject themselves to
physical circumcision. It's not a requirement, but
there are some things we want them to do, and that is take
care of the poor, take care of widows, right?
And then do not eat any meat strangled and given to idols.
All right. And be through that Apostolic
anointing. Although he's pastor of the
church, it sits through all of the churches, not only the ones
Peter had planted, but also the ones Paul had planted.
Do you see this? And this is where that Apostolic
and pastoral merge, because the pastor gift is it cares for the
flock and it wants to feed the flock the right word.
So once the Apostolic has the this is thus saith the Lord.
Then the pastors took that word and implemented it within their
congregations. Are you hearing me?
Of which was delivered by the apostle Paul himself.
Are you hearing me? So James was an apostle and
pastor. Now why do I say that?
Because I am an apostle and pastor and again for years, you
know, I recognize and there's no problem.
You could always call me pastor or you call me brother or if you
want to. But we said last week, if you
want to receive a righteous man reward, then you acknowledge a
righteous man. That's what you get.
But if you want to get a prophet's reward, you got to
acknowledge them as that I'm, I'm, I am not something.
It is the gift. So again, when you make a demand
on the gift, then you receive from the gift and there's a day
you want Pastor Earl because you don't want Buddy Earl, because
Buddy Earl doesn't have an anointing day to help guide you,
but Pastor has an anointing to guide you.
I mean, I put my pants on just like you.
I'm in the same field as you. I am being an example to you
because I'm at demo day. In fact, there's a person in our
church right now won't mention their name was not attending our
church, but their child was going to our preschool.
And the thing that caused them to show up is because Pastor
Marcy and myself were on a ladder in the hallway painting.
And they said, I've never seen a pastor do this in the ones that
they had attended prior. Because again, those pastors
have done something that we'll talk about here in a minute that
we don't do. We just get involved in the
process. We are to be an example.
Well, then there's other times that you need the role of the
apostle. Are you hearing me?
And in the Apostolic role, the Apostolic role will help you
take territory. I mean, again, if you're a
business owner, you want to draw on that because we can get
insight. I have dealt with our property
managers with them all. And I know I have not gone to
school for business. I have not done that.
But God that when certain negotiations have gone in
certain ways, that Apostolic anointing will pop in and and
I'll drop an idea and my property managers that have
great understanding and knowledge of business will say
that's a great idea. Well, it's a Holy Ghost idea
because I don't have that, but the anointing does.
Are you hearing me? So James function in these two
gifts. And so that's why I utilize him
today. But let's move over to the
pastor Hebrews chapter 13 verses 20 to 21.
It says now God, now the God of peace, who brought up from who?
Who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep
through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord.
So Jesus our Lord is the great shepherd.
Verse 21 equip you and every good thing to do his will.
So the Great Shepherd wants to equip you in every good thing to
do. Whose will?
Your will, your will.
Is God here to meet your will? Does God want it to fulfill,
help you fulfill your fantasies, your desires, your wants?
No, He wants to equip you so that you will fulfill His and
His are the best. It goes on to say working in US
that which is pleasing in His sight.
Without faith it is what? Impossible to please God?
That's Hebrews Chapter 11, verse 6.
So how are you pleasing in His sight?
You are living by faith. How does faith come?
Faith comes by hearing and hearing from the word of God,
but not hearing alone. You must act on that word.
Hearing does not mean you're in faith.
Hearing means you have access to function in faith.
Faith only happens when you act and when do you act?
When it's when you hear, not when you see.
Because faith calls those things that be not as though they were.
And yet you're acting like it's done and everybody knows it's
not. What are you saying?
You're saying what it's not. Have you lost your mind?
It's not no, it's that way because he said it's that way.
And I'll only believe it, and you watch because it will be
what I say, because he said, are you hearing me?
So he goes on. Then He is working, pleasing in
a sight through Jesus Christ, to whom the glory forever and ever.
So Jesus is the great shepherd. All right, then go over to John
10. We'll start in verse 11.
We're talking about a pastor here because the only comparison
according to Ephesians chapter 4 and Ephesians chapter 4 is the
only time the word pastor is actually even mentioned.
Now, some of the others equate the pastor with an administrator
in Romans, but I'm not dealing with that because honestly, as a
pastor, I'm a horrible administrator.
You know, I'm not wired that way.
I'm wired more towards my Apostolic meaning.
Now, that doesn't mean I can't administrate things, but I don't
get bogged down in details. I'm always moving to the next
thing and will care for you along the way because again, you
got to see us as a church this way.
You do not see yourself as and you you can't, you can't stay at
Anchor Faith Church anyway, if you want this, because that's
not who our makeup is. If you want a pass, just come
out and and hug you and tell you, you know, you're super
awesome and that, you know, here's a little bit of food
here, you know, and then, you know, come play with your kids
all the time and, you know, show up at the hospital all the time
and never really just do anything different than what's
going on in your on the dress. You've come to the wrong church.
I'm the coach that we're on a marathon, OK, And I'm the one
running with you. Now when I say that that can
look two ways. That could be I'm in the car
now. Why do I say that?
Not because I'm not willing to run.
It's just say apostles get way out there and then come back and
let you know what's coming. And then also because you're way
out there along the way and and I'll feed you in route.
So again, if you run races like long Brittany, where you at?
Stand up. Brittany said you're the one
that always pulls me into this stuff all the time.
Brittany, pull me into the gate river run 15K.
All right, that's almost 10 miles, right.
And she's faster than I was. So thank you for bringing me in
and then being in a different wave and I never saw you the
whole time. OK, you can be seated.
So in my desire to catch Brittany, whose legs are double
my length, you understand she does this and I do this in order
to get there. OK, With that being said, along
the way, kilometer 1, kilometer 2, kilometer 3, somebody was
feeding me. Give me an opportunity to be
nourished along the way. That's how this church is.
We're going somewhere. So you get fed in route.
Are you hearing what I'm saying? And if we get to a mile marker
that you're like, man, I can't, I'll put you in the car, let you
stay with the group. And after you get refreshed,
let's get back out in the road and start running again.
Are you hearing me? This is not a free ride.
It's a race we run together. Hallelujah.
All right, so we know he's a good great shepherd, but John
1011 says, and I am the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Now I just want to be very specific for a moment, and that
is we are talking very specific about Jesus because I'm going to
be honest with you, me dying will do nothing for you.
The only death I experience as a Good Shepherd is I crucify my
flesh daily and I die to self for the sake of feeding you.
And if you've been with me a little while, as in Anchor Faith
Church, you know that's the case, that I've laid down
vacations, I've laid down opportunity, I've laid down all
kinds of stuff. For what purpose we got to feed
I would love to do, but can't, can't go there, can't do that.
Want to be off, got to feed. You understand, when you have
livestock, they're hungry whether you want to go out there
or not. All right, all right.
So he's the Good Shepherd, verse 12.
He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd who is not the owner of
the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees,
and the wolf scattered, snatches them and scatters them.
He flees because he's a hired hand and not concerned about the
sheep. He said, I'm the Good Shepherd
and I know my own and my own know me, even as the Father
knows me. I know the Father and I laid
down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep which are not
of this foal. He's talking about Israel.
He's moving over to the Gentiles there he said I must bring them
also. And they will hear whose voice?
Come on, whose voice? Whose voice?
My voice. And they will become one flock.
With who? With what?
1 shepherd. So let me tell you this, I am
not your shepherd. I am an overseer.
Jesus is your shepherd. Number two, I am not the voice
into your life. I don't even have a voice in
your life because the only voice you should hear is it is
written. Now, how do you know if
somebody's functioning as a overseer or someone serving the
Good Shepherd or the Great Shepherd as a pastor?
How do you know this? Because they will not speak of
their own initiative. They're not going to tell you
their opinion. They're not going to communicate
to you their feelings. This is why a lot of times the
Saints struggle with the pastor. A real 1 is because he's not
giving you a bunch or she's not giving you a bunch of insights
into the struggles and all the stuff going on.
Because at the end of the day we are obligated to give his voice,
not our own. Because a hard hand will tell
you how they feel, and when trouble shows up, they run.
Now they may not run physically from what we call the church,
but they do run by not obeying the voice of the Good Shepherd.
Have you ever been around someone who claims to be a
believer? You talk to them and yet what
they're saying is not what he says.
They're personally present, but yet they're talking not from the
voice of God. They're complaining.
I mean, with some you can even hear offense.
You can hear bitterness. You can hear unforgiveness.
And in your mind you're like, but what's the Bible say?
A hard hand will give you what you want to hear.
But make no mistake, when a wolf comes, they'll run from it
because again, it's not their fault.
In essence, they want the gift that they've now decided is a
title, but they do not have the anointing to deal with the
pressures associated with the gift.
Because a hired person is not going.
And why can the sheep be snatched #1 because a hired
person is not given the voice of the shepherd.
That's one reason. Now, there are other reasons why
she gets snatched, and we'll talk about that here in a
minute. Are you hearing me?
So we understand. You got to understand, just
because people say they're pastor doesn't mean they're
pastor. It's identified by what they say
and the life they show. It's their fruit.
Amen. And as sheep, please do not have
short term memory. This is why the writer of
Hebrews says, obey those who oversee you, for they watch over
your soul. They'll give an account to it.
Let them do this not with joy and not with grief because it
would be unprofitable for you because there are other voices
besides the Great Shepherd and the Good Shepherd and you've got
you have to decide what you want to listen to Jesus tells in
verse 14, I know my own and my own know me and they know my
voice. Are you hearing me?
And he lays down his life, meaning I will do the will of
the Father for those and those that are real pastors are going
to lay down their lives for the sake of caring and feeding and
nurturing the flock. Look at this over in Acts
chapter 20 verse 28 says this, be on guard for yourselves and
for all the flock. This is the Apostle Paul talking
to the pastors of Ephesus, elders and overseers, he says,
among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd
the Church of God, which he purchased with his own blood
last week. I said this.
Saints have no right picking their coaches.
Coaches do not pick their sheep. It's the Lord who says, pastor,
I'm planting you in this field and these are the ones I'm
bringing to you. That's how that works.
Again, the scripture is applicable.
Jesus says you didn't choose me, but I I did not choose you.
The Lord chose you to come to anchor faith.
The Lord chose you to. If it is that you have been
chosen to come and if you have then no devil in hell, no
circumstance in life, no situation, nobody sitting next
to you that's trying to grow in the things of God could get you
so sideways that you would abandoned your post and your
calling. That would never happen when
you're it's the fabric of your being because the Lord called me
now no one can make me leave here.
A devil in hell can't make me leave here.
Trials and tribulations can't make me leave here.
The inability of people to grow up can't make me leave here.
The pressures of life, because if the longest the Lord has
established me on this field. I'm in this field period.
Now wolves can run the fence and wolves can only snatch sheep who
choose to disconnect from the fold.
Because if you stay with the 99, the shepherd doesn't have to go
find the one. And do you think the one went
off by itself? Because sheep tend to stay
together anyway. So most likely what happened is
four or five started to move in a little different direction and
the shepherd gave a call out of which three or four came back to
the group, but the one kept. And it's not because they didn't
say something, but it's because they're going out on their own.
The enemy is always trying to pull you away from the flock.
A Good Shepherd, a great shepherd is not here to defied
the flock. A wolf does that.
And the scripture tells us that wolves can show up in sheep's
clothing. Hallelujah.
Do you understand? Even as a sheep, you should be
able to sniff out a wolf yourself.
Now, how do you know when the shepherd knows there's a wolf?
Because he's given instruction. If you just obey.
Come on. If you just obey.
All right, let me. I'm gonna help you some more.
Acts 2028. Let's go be on God for yourself
and for all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made.
So who made them? The overseer.
You didn't make me an overseer. I mean, the audacity of somebody
thinking they can unmake me an overseer.
I mean, just think where you're positioning yourself when you go
against a minister. I mean, we already seen this
played out with another congregation called Moses who
was made the overseer. Somebody raised up and said we
can do it too. We can do this too.
We're not listening to you. We're not going to do it and
pull the whole group. The Lord said we'll just show
you who I picked. And then the rest didn't end up
well. It didn't end up well.
The Lord actually took it personal.
Now I'm not going to take it personal, but God will.
Come on, Saints, listen to me. Don't take it personal.
God will. Now that scares me.
That's the fear of the Lord, because I get sideways with the
Lord. He takes it personal.
No, not me. I'm just going to stay with Him.
So I'm an overseer because the Holy Spirit made me that way to
shepherd or to oversee God's church, which he purchased with
His blood. That's why we say He's building
his church. It's his voice, it's his action.
We're just following. And often I just look like I'm
the lead follower. I look like I'm leading, but I'm
just following the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Have you ever missed the Holy Ghost?
Aren't you glad he forgave you? Why don't you extend the same
courtesy to the Fivefold Ministry then?
These are not things that make you just run out and leave.
David didn't run out and leave from the king who tried to kill
him, but was a blessing to him and to his kids, did not try to
destroy him or his family. Wow, come on, Saints, say law
verse 29. I know that after my departure,
savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock, and
from among your own selves men will arise.
Speaking perverse things to what?
Draw away the after. Therefore be on the alert.
Now what is Paul saying here? Paul is saying to them.
He said, now listen you, I'm giving you insight and he's
already wished. He's already issuing a warning
to the ones that he knows. Now how would he know this?
Therefore be on alert. Remember the night and day for a
period of three years. I did not cease to admonish you,
each one with tears. That is someone who cares for
them. And he goes.
And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which
is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among
all those who are sanctified. Now I'm going to give you an
example what this verse 32 means.
Ready book of beginnings. God said, let us make man in our
aim according to our likeness, and let him have dominion over
the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, over all the
cattle, over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth
and over all the earth. So he takes his man Adam before
he's called Adam. But this man, he puts him in the
garden and he shows him all of the produce and all the trees
and everything, and he says, now you are going to subdue, have
multiply, have dominion. He gave him 5 particular things
that he would begin to do, and he takes this man and he says,
now listen, this tree here, this one right here, it's called the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
You will do not eat from this tree for the day you eat from
it. You will.
You're going to die. Now somewhere between that
conversation, a rebellion occurs in heaven where God kicks the
morning star or Lucifer. King James calls him.
We know him as a Satan, as Satan out because of rebellion.
Now he shows up in the garden and he begins to talk to Eve and
Adam. He directs his words towards
Eve, but Adam's listening. Now here's the thing.
Religion teaches us that the pastor has to be everywhere.
You're in trouble, got to show up, got to be there at midnight,
got to be here at 1:00 in the morning.
Got to do this. Got to run here.
Got to do this. Got to run, got to be here, got
to be here. You know what?
You know how many pastors burn out and run themselves racket
because everybody wants their pastor right here and put it
camera. That's where they want their
pastor. In essence, you want the pastor
to be your personal indentured servant.
That's what you want. Now, God is the great Shepherd.
Does he care for humanity more than anybody?
Yeah. And here's his son.
The one he loves made in his image is in the planet.
And the thief has come in. How could he not show up?
Because he didn't have to. Because he gave him his word.
The number one role a pastor is to give you the word of the
king. I don't even have to be there in
your greatest trial because he's there.
God didn't have to show up in the garden and slap the fruit
out of his hands as we want the pastors to do in your life.
We know I wouldn't have got in this trouble if you would have
been here, if you would have done.
I mean, this is what they said to Jesus.
If you only had been here, Lazarus would still be alive.
He's like he's on rise. I know in the last I am the
resurrection and the life. I mean, you think I have to all.
All that has to be available is the word.
And the feeding of the flock is to communicate the voice of the
Great Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, not my personal
opinion and little anecdotes and jokes to entertain you so you'll
feel funny and happy so that you can continue to live a carnal
life and wait to go to heaven when you die.
It was never the role of the pastor.
I mean, the sheep want the pastor's to lay down their life,
fall out on top of, wrestle with wolves, wrestle with lions,
wrestle with everything. Yet their number one
responsibility is say, here's the word.
This is what this means. You need to act on this.
Be a doer of this. I'm feeding you.
Are you eating? And I'm going to tell you right
here at ANG for a church. A buffet.
Come on, y'all not know this? There's been another.
A buffet is being laid out because I fear God too much to
come to you with a couple of scriptures and a bunch of little
funny stories and read or digest stuff to try to make everything
relatable when what you need is the word of the Good Shepherd,
the great shepherd, because when you out and about you can take
things down. Hallelujah.
Now why does Paul know there's ones that are going to happen if
you go over to Philippians, We're not going to go there.
I'm just going to give you the example.
Paul said I can only send you Timothy for the rest of these
that are running with me. They seek their own interest.
Saints do not always see when someone running with the
fivefold ministry is a self seeker, but pastors do and so do
apostles and Ruffino. I have been long-suffering with
a lot of people because I see their self interests.
When you going to use me? When you going to die to
yourself? Self seekers and they abound.
Go ahead say this. I was a self seeker.
Yes you were. We all were self seekers.
But God. But just 'cause you were born
again didn't mean you quit pursuing yourself.
That is something you got to die daily to.
And you die through serving and you die through doing things
that seem menial. And you, you know that you're
destined for something else. But it doesn't matter because
nothing can stop you but you. So Paul knew I got a group of
self seekers here and Paul could not remain any longer to try to
weed that out. So he warned them, I know how
some of you going to operate after I go because the Apostolic
anointing, when it's around the crowd, it keeps it at Bay.
And when the pastoral gifts around that group, it will keep
in this presence. They will act different.
But when it's away, they will show up first Peter chapter 5
verse 2 through 4 says this shepherd the flock of God.
This is pastors now Paul telling or Peter telling them he says
shepherd the flock of God among you exercising oversight, not
under compulsion, but voluntarily according to the
will of God, not for sorbid gain, but with eagerness.
Verse 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your
charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.
And when the chief shepherd appears, you will will receive
the unfading crown of glory. Now if you were only a pastor,
OK, if and here we we've said he's the great shepherd, the
Good Shepherd. Now he's the chief shepherd.
OK, he's the chief shepherd. Now as a pastor, you are guiding
apostle. You are moving forward.
If you were only around a pastoral gift.
There's a lot of God. Hey, come on, hey, come on, hey,
come on. But when the apostolic's there,
it's like you need to get up and move if we're going to
accomplish what we've been destined to do.
That's why it sounds now. At the end of the day, the
apostle can't make it. Oh, you don't want to hear this
fun. I will talk to the camera.
Paul is having a conversation with Barnabas concerning a St.
He said we are not taking John Mark, not going to do it.
It's not going to happen. The guy abandoned us.
We cannot have that as a team member.
He's not ready. Does that mean that he's
demanding and and and overlording and and pushing?
No, he's making a demand on the fact that there's territory
we're going into that the faint of heart, they're not mature
enough to get there. And Barnabas fought with him
about that. Now, the problem with Barnabas
is, like most people, he put his personal family before the
vision, the call, ultimately because that was his nephew.
And so he abandoned what God had separated him to do and we never
hear his name in Scripture again.
Now was he offended? No, I don't believe so.
He still were with John Mark. And John Mark became an asset to
Paul later on, of which Paul was not saying John Mark can't be an
asset. He just saying on this trip he
cannot come, he's not ready. I said he's not ready.
So when those gifts are in operation, you have to.
We all wear hats. Husbands wear a hat, but then
you put your father hat on. You don't wear your husband hat
with your kids. That's called incest, All right.
You know how to take that hat off and you be a father.
You maintain boundaries based upon that.
So you have to recognize when when I'm wearing a pastor hat
and that anointing is operating and when I'm wearing the apostle
hat and wear that when that anointing is being is operating.
But because nobody really takes time to talk about these gifts
and we only want to accept the pastor gift.
We just want someone to lead us into the Greenfield and let us
lay out in the green pasture and relax and eat till we're full.
And they say, well, come on, let's get some water.
Let's get some water. Looks like you're getting too
much wool, right? Let me calm it out for you other
than my wife. And it's not because it's a bad
experience, is that she just, you know, don't want to stop.
That's the problem. I, I, I like it when my wife
cuts my hair. There's not like being just
Marcy's. Like I don't want to have to get
my hair done. Not because she don't like
getting it done, she just don't want to take the time that it
takes to get it done. That's what I'm saying.
Me, I like the whole process, you know, go ahead and run your
hands through my hair right now. If I was going to someone else,
I would still like the process. I just wouldn't have those
thoughts when they're touching me.
She's my wife when she's my wife and she gets to the front that I
can like grab her legs with my legs, you know, you know, I can
hold her like this. I there's advantages when she's
your wife, but even when she's not, you know, I've had
somewhere they do the little massage and they take the
straight razor. That's AI like that.
That's super cool, right? So we want, you know, to be
massaged. And those things are there, but
they're not the only thing there, right?
So again, we have to be an example because when the Chief
Shepherd appears, we're going to receive the unfading crown of
glory. All right, let me pass through
pretty quick now. John 2115 to 17.
If you're a vision partner, you know where I'm going here.
It says this. And so when he had finished
breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do
you love me more than these? And he said, yes, Lord, you know
that I love you. And he said to him, 10 my lambs.
And he said, the second time, Simon, son of John, do you love
me? And he said, yes, Lord, you know
that I love you. And he said, Shepherd my sheep.
17 He said to him a third time, Simon, son of John, do you love
me? And he was greed because he has
said this a third time, Do you love me?
And he said, Lord, you know all things, you know the love of
you. And Jesus said, 10 my sheep.
There are three things that are said here. 10 my lambs, keep
this up, do not take it off. 10 my lambs, shepherd my sheep, and
10 my sheep. 10 means to care for.
And so as an overseer in the pastoral, we're going to care
for you. And the number one way that we
care is that we're always giving you the word.
Why do we give you the word desire, the sincere milk of the
word that you may grow by it. So 10 my lambs, lambs are baby
sheep, which he's saying, listen, when people get born
again, they're going to be a babe in Christ.
And I need you to care for them. I need you to give them the milk
of the word. I need them to grow up, which
comes to the second phrase. The second phrase then says
shepherd my sheep, which tells us God never intended for Saints
to stay as lambs. So growth is a requirement in
church. Look at your name and say
growing up is required. Growing up is required.
It is not OK to maintain preschool status after you've
been in for 15 years. You are not supposed to fail
every year the tests and trials of the words being spoken over
your life for you to implement and do.
And you be a 30 year old preschooler who can't get out of
BPK. You are not Peter Pan, come on.
So get rid of. I don't want to grow up, OK?
The Lord wants you to grow up because there's power in growing
up. He says shepherd, my sheep.
Now shepherd will guide and protect.
That's what they do. And this means when you get to a
place of maturity, the pastor will help guide you, but also
protect you, which means you you can get in situations, even in
spiritual maturity that you need protection.
Then the last thing is tin my sheep, which means again, you
never get to a place of maturity that you graduate from the
church or the fivefold ministry or a overseer in a local area
that's been assigned a particular field as the Holy
Spirit made them that and he says you're part of that flock.
OK, now we are going to care. This is what it looks like in
closing, Second Timothy, chapter 3.
Second Timothy chapter 3, I'm in in every case of the gifts.
I'm not talking to you because this will be a more exhaustive
study and I'm not doing that this time, but we could talk
about false apostles, false pastors, false prophets, false
teachers. We could get into what they look
like. And again, you should go in and
find out how they function and operate because then it would be
easy for you to identify. Well, that ain't right.
OK, But let's talk about the what that we are supposed to do.
It kind of comes in this nutshell.
Timothy is hearing from Paul, who now is the pastor of the
Church of Ephesus, and he says to him, all Scripture is
inspired by God and profitable for So what will a pastor do?
He'll teach. What else will he do?
For reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.
So in order for you to be trained in righteousness, 3
things are going to occur teaching reproof and correction,
and they're all positive. The problem is when the pastor
gets over into reproof and correction, the Saints see it as
negative and get offended. Wow, that was tough.
Again, Coach Hurley, have you not had to correct your players?
That's not how we're doing this play.
Run it again. Now.
Coach Shirley, tell me, am I? Do you guys, do you never raise
your voice? OK, I thought so.
He's one of those guys that, you know, it seems quiet, but you
you know that it can kick in. Do you hate them when you raise
your voice? No.
In fact, when he raises his voice, it just means he's so
passionate to want to see them perform at their highest level.
And yet we've become so sissified in the church that if
somebody raises your voice or say you need to quit, that
sissified, just slap carnal babyish.
That's all that is, right When we're just trying to get you to
perform at a high level, right? That's all.
And so run it again. No run it again.
No, you're not listening. And we let every other sector of
society do this. But here's the Saints born again
have the Holy Spirit in them. And you know the Holy Spirit
saying, I'm telling him to say this.
Y'all don't want to hear that because again, all scripture is
inspired by God. It's the Holy Spirit that says
correct them, reprove that. In fact, 2/3 of your ministry
time should be you're like, I might have fixed that and that's
not a negative. That's like, praise God.
Now we don't want to hear this because again, we only want just
teach me, tell me what I want to hear.
Come on, we'll go on. Let's go, Let's keep reading.
So the man of God may be adequate to quit for every good
work. See, when you get this, you'll
be adequate and he quit for every good work, but he doesn't
stop. We do chapters and verse.
He's moving on into the very next chapter.
He says I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of
Christ Jesus, who is the judge who is to judge the living and
the dead. Don't judge me.
Jesus will judge your living born again self.
He's going to do this and by his appearing and his Kingdom.
What's he tell Timothy to do? Preach the word man, preach the
word, be ready in season and out.
That means when that you come to service and you know the
congregation don't want to hear nothing, you're saying, well,
I'm a preach anyway and maybe I'll go 3 hours longer because
if you're not listening now, you're not going to listen 3
hours from now. And I got a lot to say.
Just kidding. But it says be in season and out
of season. Here we go.
Reprove, rebuke, exhort. And with what?
Great patience and instruction. So again, there's going to be
reprove and rebuke. I mean, as much as you love your
kids, do you not correct them? And why do you do it?
So you can Lord it over them. Let me tell you who I am.
No, you didn't. I tell you not to do that.
You can't do that. I'm safeguarding you.
I'm here to help you. I care about you.
Yeah. What is the, you know, the, the
emotionally friendly to flesh congregations?
The minute you begin to reprove or correct, then all of a sudden
they get all sensitive and that like, oh, we're just trying to
grow up. This is what pastors are
supposed to do. And I'm going to be honest with
you, you know what, in the last days, not sure how many are
going to be out there because if we go on and keep reading, it
says we're going to reprove, rebuke, exhort with great
patience and instruction. For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears
tickled. They will accumulate for
themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,
and they will turn the away their ears from the truth and
will turn aside to myths. You should be greatly concerned
if you came to Anchor Faith Church and I had less scripture
and more stories. You should be like what I need
to pray for, our pastor sums up. But let me just tell you this,
you're not going to get to me. I'm not here to tickle you, the
great Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, the chief Shepherd.
It's his voice that I'm speaking.
And if he says correct this, I'm doing it.
He says we prove this, I'm doing it.
And there's a lot of things that I can't even say that affect me
personally. But he said be patient,
long-suffering, merciful. My grace is sufficient and you
drive on. But don't think that correction
doesn't come. Reproof doesn't come.
Training comes. And as great as as an athlete
can be, they can mess up. The greatest running back
fumbles, the greatest hitter gets in a slump.
And initially, like, we'll get it, we'll get it.
But then it comes, man, you're going to have to work on
something. Something ain't right.
We're going to have to fix this. Are you hearing me?
So the pastor number one thing within his gift is feeding,
because whether he's guiding or protecting, he does it by giving
you the Word. I can't be everywhere the other
voices are, but the word I teach you can come to your remembrance
and you can say thank you, Lord, that you gave me a pastor who
gave me the word that that just came up in my spirit and now I
can let it guide me in this situation.
Thank you that that word just came up in my spirit that our
pastor fed me with, and now it protected me from that.
Because at the end of the day, you're going to have to overcome
too. I if God doesn't come down and
knock the fruit out of Adam's hand, then don't think that I'm
coming and taking a phone from you who's called you, or run to
your place of business and stand between you and your boss that's
unsaved, or be in the hospital every time you get there.
So sometimes, what if you're out of the country somewhere else?
Now, that doesn't mean we don't send people, don't get me wrong.
But if you have the word in you, come on.
If you have the word in you, then that's something that means
you've had a good pastor who listened to the Good Shepherd,
the great Shepherd, the chief Shepherd and didn't give you
their opinion. They gave you the word.
Let's pray.