I'm Annoyed (Robert Madu)

0:00:00.640 --> 0:00:05.040 Are you glad to be in the House of God today? 0:00:06.480 --> 0:00:08.239 I want to do something real quick. But my name 0:00:08.280 --> 0:00:12.920 is Robert Madou. I bring your greetings from the great 0:00:12.920 --> 0:00:17.040 country of Texas. And I didn't lift up my hand 0:00:17.079 --> 0:00:18.720 when they said first time guest. I am not a 0:00:18.720 --> 0:00:21.360 guest here. I'm a part of the Elevation family. And 0:00:23.360 --> 0:00:26.560 I love this church. I love this church. I love 0:00:26.600 --> 0:00:30.120 this church because it is a true reflection of your pastors, 0:00:30.400 --> 0:00:32.159 who are dear friends, and my wife and I. And 0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:34.279 before I say anything else, I want us to give 0:00:34.360 --> 0:00:36.880 honor to where honors do. Help me. Thank God for 0:00:37.000 --> 0:00:40.440 Pastor Stephen thirty, for Pastor Holly. Come on, you uncle, 0:00:40.520 --> 0:00:42.120 do better than that. Would you let them know how 0:00:42.200 --> 0:00:45.400 much you love them? Come on, would you let them 0:00:45.440 --> 0:00:54.640 know how much you appreciate him. Pastor Stephen is my brother. 0:00:54.880 --> 0:00:57.840 He is my brother from another mother. And I'm just 0:00:57.920 --> 0:00:59.760 thankful for him. There's so many things I could say 0:00:59.760 --> 0:01:02.720 about him, his brilliant mind to declare the word of 0:01:02.760 --> 0:01:04.880 the Lord, the incredible songs that he's written. But I'm 0:01:04.920 --> 0:01:07.480 just thankful that he is a brother. When I tell you, 0:01:07.520 --> 0:01:09.480 there have been Sundays before I get up to preach 0:01:09.520 --> 0:01:12.200 I'll get a text from Pastor Stephen saying you're anointed, 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:14.120 You're a man of God. You can do it. Preach 0:01:14.200 --> 0:01:18.080 the gospel. That's that's just the heart of your pastor. 0:01:18.880 --> 0:01:25.479 We have a church called Social Dallas, and the first 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:28.399 church to sow into us when we got ready to 0:01:28.440 --> 0:01:31.840 plant just a year ago, was your church. Your pastors, 0:01:32.319 --> 0:01:36.039 and my wife and I are just incredibly grateful for 0:01:36.080 --> 0:01:38.720 this house. And I want you to stay standing because 0:01:38.800 --> 0:01:40.880 oh my right toe is tingling. I feel like preacher. 0:01:41.200 --> 0:01:44.280 I'm gonna go straight to the word of God. I'm excited. 0:01:44.319 --> 0:01:46.360 I'm excited about what God has given me to share 0:01:46.360 --> 0:01:47.880 with you today. And I don't want to waste another 0:01:47.920 --> 0:01:49.920 second or another moment. But can we thank God for 0:01:49.960 --> 0:01:54.440 the incredible worship team that just let us so beautifully 0:01:55.440 --> 0:01:59.360 into the presence of God. Also, because I'm with family, 0:01:59.360 --> 0:02:00.920 I mean as well show you my fam you know, 0:02:00.920 --> 0:02:02.680 I got to give you the family update. This is 0:02:02.720 --> 0:02:08.880 my bride and my three little humans right there. That's 0:02:08.880 --> 0:02:12.520 the Madou crew. We did good. We did good. So 0:02:12.600 --> 0:02:14.760 y'all pray for us. That is an eight year old, 0:02:14.800 --> 0:02:17.919 a seven year old and a five year old. Amen, Yes, 0:02:18.040 --> 0:02:20.920 pray for your boy. Pray for your boy. But that's 0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:23.359 my family. But I have a word, and I want 0:02:23.360 --> 0:02:25.280 you to stay standing because I want to jump straight 0:02:25.320 --> 0:02:28.600 into it. Did you come to get a word from God? Oh? 0:02:28.639 --> 0:02:30.240 If y'all feel like hearing it like I feel like 0:02:30.280 --> 0:02:33.600 preaching it, something's going to happen in here today, go 0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:40.600 with me to Acts Chapter sixteen, Acts sixteen, And for 0:02:40.639 --> 0:02:44.000 the benefit of brevity, I want to look at verses 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:49.880 sixteen through eighteen. Acts Chapter sixteen started verse sixteen, and 0:02:49.919 --> 0:02:53.920 will land at verse number eighteen. When you're ready to 0:02:53.960 --> 0:02:59.720 read it, say yeah, you're not ready. You need some times. 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:03.560 Hold up. I heard that. Hold up. Come on, hurry up. 0:03:05.639 --> 0:03:07.360 They gonna put it on the screen. You're good, You good. 0:03:08.200 --> 0:03:11.120 Shout out to all the campuses and the Epham everybody. 0:03:12.880 --> 0:03:18.440 Acts Chapter sixteen, starting in verse number sixteen, and it 0:03:18.480 --> 0:03:23.000 says once when we were going to the place of 0:03:23.120 --> 0:03:29.040 prayer that we is Paul and Silas. We were met 0:03:29.040 --> 0:03:31.600 by a female slave who had a spirit by which 0:03:31.600 --> 0:03:35.400 she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of 0:03:35.440 --> 0:03:39.360 money from her owners by fortune telling, and she followed 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:42.600 Paul and the rest of us shouting, these men are 0:03:42.680 --> 0:03:45.920 servants of the Most High God, who are telling you 0:03:46.040 --> 0:03:49.720 the way to be saved. She kept us up for 0:03:49.800 --> 0:04:01.560 many days. Finally Paul became so I was falalsing for 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:06.760 you to say it annoyed that he turned around and 0:04:06.840 --> 0:04:11.400 said to the spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ, 0:04:11.680 --> 0:04:18.080 I command you to come out of her. At that moment, 0:04:19.000 --> 0:04:26.599 the spirit left her. Can you say amen? Spoiler alert 0:04:27.839 --> 0:04:34.039 that girl's liberation led to their incarceration. But they found 0:04:34.040 --> 0:04:36.160 out at midnight that even in change, you can still 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:42.520 have church. And they started singing worthy, you were worthy, 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:45.200 and the chains broke. You know the story. You bet 0:04:45.240 --> 0:04:49.040 at church the doors flew open. But none of that 0:04:49.480 --> 0:04:52.680 is what drew me to The text is verse eighteen, 0:04:53.600 --> 0:05:02.240 where it says Paul finally became so annoyed. I want 0:05:02.240 --> 0:05:06.200 to preach for about six and a half hours today, 0:05:06.960 --> 0:05:08.520 but I want to do something. I want to do something. 0:05:08.520 --> 0:05:10.479 I'm at home so I can do this. I want 0:05:10.480 --> 0:05:13.559 to do something that I've never done in a sermon before. 0:05:13.760 --> 0:05:16.640 I'm gonna give you part of my title right now, 0:05:17.440 --> 0:05:19.400 and then the other half of it I'm gonna give 0:05:19.400 --> 0:05:21.799 you at the end of the message. Is that cool? Okay? 0:05:21.800 --> 0:05:23.680 So if you leave early or epam you log off, 0:05:23.680 --> 0:05:26.080 You're gonna be lost. Okay it. I'm only giving you 0:05:26.120 --> 0:05:28.039 half of the title right now, but here's the half 0:05:28.080 --> 0:05:29.320 I want you to get. I want to talk to 0:05:29.360 --> 0:05:36.640 you from this thought. I'm annoyed. I'm annoyed. I'll give 0:05:36.680 --> 0:05:38.400 you the second half later, but for right now, look 0:05:38.400 --> 0:05:43.240 at your neighbor, whichever one you like the best, and say, neighbor, Oh, 0:05:43.279 --> 0:05:44.800 come on, don't be afraid to talk to your neighbor 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:46.719 in church. You know I can see you. Come on, 0:05:46.800 --> 0:05:53.480 say neighbor. Can I be honest? I'm annoyed. Look at 0:05:53.480 --> 0:05:56.720 your other neighbor, say other neighbor. You're my second option. 0:05:59.680 --> 0:06:04.720 And I gotta tell you this title. Say I'm annoyed. 0:06:05.360 --> 0:06:07.040 If you believe God's going to speak, would you give 0:06:07.120 --> 0:06:14.080 us some praise? Right now? Father, I have your way today. Amen, 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:16.599 you may be seated in the presence of the Lord. 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:25.400 I'm annoyed. I forgot to mention that I am not 0:06:25.480 --> 0:06:28.840 here by myself. My father is here with me. Robert 0:06:28.920 --> 0:06:32.880 madeu senor Dad. Would you just stand up real quick? 0:06:33.080 --> 0:06:41.200 Do I love it? Because he hates it. He is 0:06:41.320 --> 0:06:45.279 annoyed right now because I made him stand up. But 0:06:45.960 --> 0:06:49.400 traveling with him actually gave me a flashback. He gave 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:55.560 me a flashback to a ministry moment that is indelibly 0:06:55.720 --> 0:06:58.880 etched in my mind. I'll never forget this moment. It's 0:06:58.960 --> 0:07:01.679 years years ago. I was just starting off in the ministry, 0:07:01.800 --> 0:07:05.200 just starting off preaching, years years ago, just a young 0:07:05.240 --> 0:07:08.840 buck preaching the gospel. I was preaching and working at 0:07:08.880 --> 0:07:13.600 Banana Republic. Yes, yes, yes, working at Banana during the weekend, 0:07:13.640 --> 0:07:16.080 preaching on the weekends. Yes, I had a ministry of 0:07:16.120 --> 0:07:19.640 folding khakis during the week and preaching the gospel on 0:07:19.640 --> 0:07:22.200 the weekend. And I'll never forget I got invited to 0:07:22.280 --> 0:07:26.240 this church to preach their Sunday morning services. I'll never 0:07:26.240 --> 0:07:29.080 forget it. I was elated. I was excited because I 0:07:29.080 --> 0:07:32.080 had primarily preached just to the youth group and to 0:07:32.120 --> 0:07:33.960 the youth camps of this church. So when they called 0:07:34.000 --> 0:07:36.120 me to preach Sunday morning, I said, oh, how at 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:39.480 your boy, I have made it to the big leagues 0:07:40.040 --> 0:07:43.120 from moving on up And uh, I got the itinerary. 0:07:43.160 --> 0:07:45.040 I got the itinerary before I got ready to go 0:07:45.080 --> 0:07:47.800 preach there, and I noticed something on the itinerary and 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:53.520 immediately arrested my attention. It was my accommodations where I 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:55.520 was staying while I would be preaching there. And it 0:07:55.600 --> 0:07:59.000 said that I would be staying who at a motel? 0:08:00.240 --> 0:08:03.800 Mo mo hotel, Not a hotel, but a motel. I 0:08:03.920 --> 0:08:05.880 wasn't too alarmed at first. I said, hold on, don't 0:08:05.920 --> 0:08:07.600 judge a book, bise cover. Wait till you see the 0:08:07.600 --> 0:08:10.800 motel first. Robert and Pastor picked me up. I'll never 0:08:10.800 --> 0:08:12.640 forget it. And we pulled up to the motel and 0:08:12.680 --> 0:08:17.040 oh it was a mo. It was a mo. Tell 0:08:17.320 --> 0:08:21.040 everything about the exterior of this motel. Let me know 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:23.480 what the interior was going to look like. I will 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:26.960 never forget. The pastor handed me the key to my room, 0:08:27.000 --> 0:08:28.400 said I'll pick you up tomorrow. I had to meet 0:08:28.440 --> 0:08:32.240 the key to my room. The key to my room, 0:08:32.280 --> 0:08:38.200 not a card, a physical key to my room at 0:08:38.280 --> 0:08:39.839 the motel. I said, you know what, Lord, I said, 0:08:39.840 --> 0:08:41.360 if you can use anything, you can use me. So 0:08:41.400 --> 0:08:44.720 I'm cool and open the door. Open the door to 0:08:44.800 --> 0:08:47.800 the motel. And as soon as I opened the door, 0:08:47.920 --> 0:08:50.600 my goodness, the room looked like a scene from CSI. 0:08:51.360 --> 0:08:55.440 The pungent odor that was permeating from the carpet hitting 0:08:55.480 --> 0:08:58.720 me in the face, said, singed my nose here there 0:08:58.800 --> 0:09:02.640 was stains on the bed and stays on the carpet 0:09:02.679 --> 0:09:06.080 and stays on the dress. So I said, this is ridiculous. 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:08.240 What happened in this room? I looked to the right. 0:09:08.360 --> 0:09:10.439 The roaches were looking at me like, you're gonna stay here? 0:09:10.480 --> 0:09:13.800 For real? Are you gonna slave here? Never forget it, 0:09:13.800 --> 0:09:15.439 I'll never forget it. And uh, I said, boy, it's 0:09:15.440 --> 0:09:17.440 gonna be rough. It's gonna be rough, rough, rough trip. 0:09:17.480 --> 0:09:20.000 And so I was stinking to myself. I said, I 0:09:20.000 --> 0:09:22.240 can't stay here. I can't stay here. And I noticed 0:09:22.320 --> 0:09:26.120 that down the street from the motel was a hotel. 0:09:26.240 --> 0:09:29.520 What's a hotel, you know, nothing, nothing fancy but a 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:31.760 few stars above this one. I said, you know what, 0:09:31.920 --> 0:09:34.000 I can go to that hotel and go to that 0:09:34.080 --> 0:09:36.000 hotel and I can just stay. I'm like, I'll pay 0:09:36.000 --> 0:09:37.720 for it. I realized, you know, I ain't even ask 0:09:37.760 --> 0:09:39.920 anybody to pay for it. I'll go. And the problem 0:09:40.080 --> 0:09:43.720 was the pastor dropped me off and he was picking 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:46.439 me up in the morning. So I was in a conundrum. 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:47.600 I said, wait a minute. If I go to the 0:09:47.640 --> 0:09:49.640 hotel and leave the motel, what am I gonna do 0:09:49.679 --> 0:09:51.120 in the morning when he comes and picks me up. 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:52.880 I'm either gonna have to go to the hotel then 0:09:52.880 --> 0:09:55.360 come all the way back to the motel for him 0:09:55.400 --> 0:09:57.000 to pick me up in the morning. So I was like, oh, 0:09:57.280 --> 0:09:59.000 I said, is that gonna look bad? I don't want 0:09:59.000 --> 0:10:00.640 to be rude. This is my first big Sunday. I 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:02.240 don't want to miss this. Up, I was like, is 0:10:02.240 --> 0:10:05.200 that gonna be rude if I switch hotels? So I 0:10:05.200 --> 0:10:08.320 call my father who was here with me, and I 0:10:08.320 --> 0:10:12.600 should say my Nigerian father, and I call him up. 0:10:12.640 --> 0:10:15.920 I will never forget this. I called him and said, Dad, 0:10:16.280 --> 0:10:17.880 I don't know if you can smell this through the phone. 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:21.440 I said, but they got me out here at the 0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:24.720 motel and I want to switch. I want to switch 0:10:24.720 --> 0:10:26.199 to the hotel. Dad. I'm gonna pay for it. I 0:10:26.240 --> 0:10:28.360 want to switch to the hotel. But I don't know 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:32.040 if it's gonna look bad or look rude if I switch. 0:10:32.120 --> 0:10:33.880 Do you think it would be bad? Dad? If I 0:10:33.960 --> 0:10:37.640 switched from the motel to the hotel, I will never 0:10:37.679 --> 0:10:41.440 forget for this, Nigerian man said to me. First words 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:46.720 out of his mouth were, oh, my goodness, oh my God, 0:10:46.800 --> 0:10:49.920 what didn't look bad? Wood did look bad if you switch, 0:10:50.120 --> 0:10:53.040 of course, it would look bad if you switch to 0:10:53.160 --> 0:10:57.640 a different hotel. Son, you are only death for one night. 0:10:57.880 --> 0:11:01.040 You are death for one night. You are not there 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:06.199 on vacation. You are there to preach the gospel of Jesus' Christ. 0:11:06.480 --> 0:11:11.640 You adare foul one night, he said, it's the apostle. 0:11:11.720 --> 0:11:17.160 Paul can be shipwrecked and beaten and witch for the gospel. Charlotte, 0:11:17.240 --> 0:11:28.840 you can't stand I did motel found one hung up 0:11:28.880 --> 0:11:36.920 the phone. Will never ever forget that moment. I was 0:11:37.040 --> 0:11:45.000 so annoyed. I was annoyed then, but in retrospect I 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:49.760 realized the wisdom of my father. He said, I thought 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:52.760 that he wasn't feeling me. I thought he wasn't being 0:11:52.800 --> 0:11:56.760 empathetic to my plight in my situation. But upon further reflection, 0:11:56.840 --> 0:12:00.119 I realized not that he wasn't being empathetic to my situation. 0:12:00.320 --> 0:12:02.800 It's not even that he was advocating for me to 0:12:02.840 --> 0:12:07.960 stay in nasty motels. For what he was doing in 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:11.720 that moment was trying to get me to look at 0:12:11.720 --> 0:12:16.880 my circumstance through the lens of my purpose. He was 0:12:16.920 --> 0:12:20.800 trying to get me to look at my circumstance through 0:12:20.840 --> 0:12:24.200 the lens of my purpose. That's why he kept saying 0:12:24.400 --> 0:12:28.440 one night, you are just there for one night. He 0:12:28.520 --> 0:12:31.200 was trying to get me to see that my stay 0:12:31.400 --> 0:12:34.800 at that motel was temporal, but the gospel that I 0:12:34.920 --> 0:12:38.720 was preaching is eternal, and if I can focus on 0:12:38.760 --> 0:12:43.280 the purpose, it ought to give me clarity for the circumstance. 0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:45.680 I don't know who this message is for today, but 0:12:45.720 --> 0:12:48.120 I felt like God wanted me to remind you that 0:12:48.160 --> 0:12:51.280 if you could learn to look at your circumstance through 0:12:51.320 --> 0:12:54.079 the lens of your purpose, if you could look at 0:12:54.120 --> 0:12:57.440 the frustrations and the agitations in your life through the 0:12:57.520 --> 0:13:02.720 lens of your divine assigned that would change everything for you. 0:13:03.080 --> 0:13:05.439 As a matter of fact, there is nothing more powerful 0:13:05.600 --> 0:13:08.160 than somebody that is learned to look at what they're 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:11.800 going through through the lens of what they are called to. Oh. 0:13:11.960 --> 0:13:14.640 If you want to see somebody that's unstoppable, look at 0:13:14.640 --> 0:13:16.960 somebody that knows who they are and they know the 0:13:17.040 --> 0:13:19.640 mission and the call that is on their life. Nothing 0:13:19.880 --> 0:13:23.400 can stop that person. Every obstacle will turn into an 0:13:23.400 --> 0:13:27.000 opportunity because they know there's a greater story there's a 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:32.800 greater call than what I say right now. A matter 0:13:32.840 --> 0:13:37.319 of fact, the Apostle Paul could write a master's class 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:40.679 on what it's like to look at your circumstance to 0:13:40.800 --> 0:13:44.240 the lens of your divine purpose. I'm telling you, the 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:47.920 Apostle Paul could do a ten hour ted talk on tenacity. 0:13:48.240 --> 0:13:51.320 Who else but the Apostle Paul. Who else but the 0:13:51.320 --> 0:13:55.080 one who said, I glory in my sufferings, the one 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:57.480 that said, oh that I may know him in the 0:13:57.559 --> 0:14:00.360 fellowship not of his success, but in the fellowship of 0:14:00.440 --> 0:14:04.760 Christ's suffering and his resurrection. Who else but the Apostle Paul, 0:14:04.920 --> 0:14:09.720 that tenacious tent maker from Tarshiss, that gospel globe trotter 0:14:09.880 --> 0:14:12.480 who was full of tower and authority. You know, Paul 0:14:12.600 --> 0:14:15.680 was unstoppable. He was off the chain. Every city he 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:19.280 went into, he would turn the city upside down because 0:14:19.320 --> 0:14:21.280 he knew there was a greater call, there was a 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:23.640 greater mission on his life. They could not stop the 0:14:23.720 --> 0:14:27.840 Apostle Paul. Everywhere he went. He was effective in ministry. 0:14:27.960 --> 0:14:30.360 They said, Paul, we gonna kill you. He said, that's 0:14:30.360 --> 0:14:33.640 cool to die? Is game? They said, okay, then, Paul, 0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:35.680 we're gonna let you live. He said, that's cool too, 0:14:35.720 --> 0:14:38.080 to live as Christ. They said, all right, then, Paul, 0:14:38.080 --> 0:14:40.520 were gonna make you suffer. He said, that's cool too, 0:14:40.640 --> 0:14:42.680 because I already know that the present sufferings of this 0:14:42.760 --> 0:14:45.480 world are not worthy to be compared to the glory 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:48.720 of God that's gonna be revealed down on the inside 0:14:48.760 --> 0:14:53.840 of me. Paul. He was absolutely off the chain. And 0:14:53.880 --> 0:14:58.840 no wonder my dad said if the Apostle Paul could 0:14:58.840 --> 0:15:03.640 be shipwrecked, and surely you can stay there for one night, 0:15:04.200 --> 0:15:06.840 we'll get to my Texas. In Acts chapter sixteen, Paul 0:15:06.920 --> 0:15:09.920 is on his second missionary journey. But let us not 0:15:09.960 --> 0:15:13.440 forget how he stepped into his purpose. Acts chapter nine 0:15:13.640 --> 0:15:18.080 lets us know the conversion and the commissioning of the 0:15:18.160 --> 0:15:21.680 Apostle Paul the Artist formerly known as Saul. I love 0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:25.960 Paul because Paul was actually not waiting to be converted 0:15:26.000 --> 0:15:28.440 to move at the speed of his purpose. He was 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:31.760 already headed somewhere. You know that church planner used to 0:15:31.760 --> 0:15:34.400 be a Christian killer. He was on his way to 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:37.600 kill more Christians when all of a sudden, God just 0:15:37.760 --> 0:15:41.440 interrupted him on his journey. A bright light came from 0:15:41.480 --> 0:15:45.920 heaven and interrupted him. He wasn't seeking after God. God 0:15:46.040 --> 0:15:49.360 wasn't on his radar. Oh, but he was on God's radar. 0:15:49.600 --> 0:15:52.080 I'm want to pause right there. I thank God that 0:15:52.240 --> 0:15:55.840 sometimes when you're not thinking about him, he's thinking about you. 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:59.720 I thank God that sometimes when you're not even having 0:15:59.760 --> 0:16:02.920 an appointment with him on your schedule, God will have 0:16:02.960 --> 0:16:05.840 an appointment with you on his schedule. Somebody watching this 0:16:06.000 --> 0:16:08.440 right now, you don't even know. God is interrupting your 0:16:08.480 --> 0:16:11.840 regular schedule program because He has a call on your life. 0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:14.120 He has a purpose for your life, and you might 0:16:14.160 --> 0:16:16.640 be headed in the wrong direction. But buckle up your 0:16:16.680 --> 0:16:19.480 feet out because when God wants to get your attention, 0:16:19.840 --> 0:16:23.480 he will get your attention. Somebody came to church today 0:16:23.720 --> 0:16:31.440 because God is trying to get your attention. Got Paul's 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:34.720 got Paul's attention in next chapter nine, But in next 0:16:34.840 --> 0:16:37.720 chapter sixteen, let us not forget that this is Paul's 0:16:38.200 --> 0:16:42.400 second missionary journey. It's a secure missionary journey. And he's 0:16:42.400 --> 0:16:46.400 got his homeboy Silas with them. He's got Silence. He's 0:16:46.440 --> 0:16:48.320 even got this young cap by the name of Timothy 0:16:48.320 --> 0:16:51.640 with him. And you can't even really appreciate the connection 0:16:52.120 --> 0:16:56.840 between Paul and Silas until you first understand the separation 0:16:57.600 --> 0:17:02.520 that occurred between Paul and Barnabas. This is his second 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:06.600 missionary journey, and Silence, believe it or not, was Paul's 0:17:06.720 --> 0:17:10.960 second choice. Oh yeah, he didn't pick Silas first. He 0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:13.879 actually had a missionary journey Acts thirteen to fifteen and 0:17:13.920 --> 0:17:16.920 he was with Barnabas. Barnabas Barney. I love it because 0:17:16.920 --> 0:17:21.040 the Holy Spirit separated Paul and Barney put them together 0:17:21.280 --> 0:17:24.040 to accomplish a call. Proof positive that whenever God has 0:17:24.040 --> 0:17:25.679 a call on your life, he will make sure that 0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:28.760 you are connected with somebody to do it. There are 0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:31.600 no lone rangers in the Kingdom of God. All of 0:17:31.640 --> 0:17:33.879 y'all up in here talking about I don't need nobody, 0:17:34.000 --> 0:17:36.920 I don't need the church. It's me myself and I no, no, no, no, 0:17:36.920 --> 0:17:39.480 no no. If your dream and your vision only affects you, 0:17:39.760 --> 0:17:42.320 it is not from the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom 0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:46.240 of God will always cause a divine collaboration with somebody. 0:17:46.320 --> 0:17:51.639 You need, somebody else hardwired for connection and community. So 0:17:51.680 --> 0:17:54.320 wouldn't it be just like the Holy Spirit to connect 0:17:54.320 --> 0:17:58.200 Paul and Barney to go plant churches and preach the gospel. 0:17:58.200 --> 0:18:00.480 Can you see Paul and Varney go on out, They're 0:18:00.480 --> 0:18:03.760 planting churches, They're preaching the gospel. It was an effective trip. 0:18:03.840 --> 0:18:06.200 It was so effective. Paul said, let's run that back again. 0:18:06.680 --> 0:18:09.840 Let's do it again. Barnabas was like, cool, I'm cool 0:18:09.840 --> 0:18:12.040 with that. Let's run it back again. And then Paul says, 0:18:12.080 --> 0:18:14.800 all right, let's go. And then Barney goes, well, let's 0:18:14.840 --> 0:18:19.120 bring John Mark, my nephew with us. And Paul said, 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:21.840 oh no, no, no, no, no, hold on, we can 0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:23.359 bring a whole lot of people if we are not 0:18:23.600 --> 0:18:29.080 bringing your little stinky nephew, Sean Mark. Don't forget due 0:18:29.119 --> 0:18:31.720 your due diligence and read Joe Bible. You remember John 0:18:31.760 --> 0:18:36.280 Mark was their assistant who abandoning them halfway in the journey. 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:39.159 And Paul still felt some type of way about it. 0:18:39.160 --> 0:18:41.240 He said, no, no, no, we can bring a whole 0:18:41.280 --> 0:18:43.480 lot of people, but we are not bringing John Mark. 0:18:43.600 --> 0:18:47.479 I got beat and whipped stones hitting my head on 0:18:47.520 --> 0:18:50.280 that last missionary journey. And John Mark left because he 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:52.400 had a little tummy age because he was sea fig 0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:54.880 and went back to Jerusalem. There is no way he's 0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:57.560 coming back. See, I like Paul I'm actually on Paul's side. 0:18:58.480 --> 0:19:01.120 Oh yeah. They got into a heated disagreement because Paul 0:19:01.320 --> 0:19:04.680 is a builder. He is ride or die, And Paul said, 0:19:04.680 --> 0:19:06.600 if I'm gonna build with somebody, I need to build 0:19:06.640 --> 0:19:09.159 with somebody who's faithful. I need to build with somebody 0:19:09.200 --> 0:19:11.600 that will show up. Is anybody like me. I like 0:19:11.680 --> 0:19:14.520 people that are dependable. I like people that when they 0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:16.680 tell you they're gonna be there at seven o'clock, they'll 0:19:16.720 --> 0:19:20.240 be there at six thirty five. I won't Sarada die 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:24.560 people in my life. I'm on, Paul said. Paul said 0:19:24.600 --> 0:19:27.919 that boy is not coming with us because he abandoned us. 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:31.359 Problem with Paul's he's a builder who Barnie is an encourager. 0:19:32.840 --> 0:19:35.040 You know how them encourage us are. He's like, come on, Paul, 0:19:35.240 --> 0:19:38.960 give him another chance. Didn't God give you another chance? 0:19:39.480 --> 0:19:42.240 He's the one killing Christians, don't act brand new? How 0:19:42.240 --> 0:19:44.840 come you can't give him another chance? And they keep 0:19:44.880 --> 0:19:48.639 going back and forth. It was a heated argument between 0:19:48.680 --> 0:19:51.240 the two and all of a sudden there was no resolve. 0:19:52.080 --> 0:19:56.359 They disagreed and they win their separate race. They had 0:19:57.000 --> 0:20:02.520 a disagreement that made them go their separate ways. Paul said, cool, 0:20:02.600 --> 0:20:05.080 I'm out. John Mark said cool, and I'll take Barnabas 0:20:05.160 --> 0:20:08.480 with me. They went their separate ways and just agreed 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:12.040 to disagree. Do you know what's from with our culture 0:20:12.119 --> 0:20:15.679 today is we have lost the art of civil discourse. 0:20:16.119 --> 0:20:20.280 We have lost the art of just agreeing to disagree. 0:20:20.520 --> 0:20:23.240 We live in a society that anybody that doesn't agree 0:20:23.280 --> 0:20:25.720 with you, anybody doesn't think like you think, talk like 0:20:25.760 --> 0:20:28.320 you talk, walk like you walk, vote like you vote. 0:20:28.400 --> 0:20:31.159 You got an issue with you want to demonize that person. 0:20:31.359 --> 0:20:34.760 But we don't know how to just agree to disagree. 0:20:35.000 --> 0:20:37.400 And you go your way and I'll go my way. 0:20:37.640 --> 0:20:41.639 And here's the powerful thing. The gospel of Jesus Christ 0:20:41.960 --> 0:20:45.880 was still preached. With Barnabas going his way and Paul 0:20:46.000 --> 0:20:48.800 going his way. Oh God said, I know how to 0:20:48.840 --> 0:20:51.879 turn division and to multiplication. I know you went just 0:20:52.000 --> 0:20:55.960 separate ways, but the gospel is still don't be preached 0:20:56.040 --> 0:21:00.440 in the way. Y'all don't like that. You want to 0:21:00.520 --> 0:21:03.280 demonize the people you disagree with. But can I tell 0:21:03.359 --> 0:21:06.800 you God reserves to right to use people that you 0:21:06.960 --> 0:21:11.120 disagree with. God reserves to write to use people that 0:21:11.160 --> 0:21:15.880 you don't like. You use them and not even check 0:21:15.960 --> 0:21:21.680 with you. It was still effective. John Mark and Barnabas 0:21:21.880 --> 0:21:24.960 were still effective, and Paul said, I'm gonna be effective 0:21:25.000 --> 0:21:28.080 too because I'm rude or die, He said, I got 0:21:28.080 --> 0:21:31.240 to get me somebody else and picks up silence with them. 0:21:31.280 --> 0:21:34.880 Can you see that interview? He's already feeling some type 0:21:34.920 --> 0:21:36.720 of way because John Mark quit on him. He's like, oh, 0:21:36.800 --> 0:21:39.159 silence or you ride or die? You sure you can 0:21:39.240 --> 0:21:41.320 roll with me? Sounds like of course. He's like, all right, 0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:43.920 let me just check punches them in a gut. You 0:21:44.040 --> 0:21:46.840 use my epogetical imagination. Sounds like, oh, what's that for? 0:21:46.920 --> 0:21:48.440 He's like, it's real out here in these church playing 0:21:48.440 --> 0:21:51.359 the streets. I'm just trying to make sure you can 0:21:51.400 --> 0:21:53.640 take a looking to keep on ticket. By the way, 0:21:53.680 --> 0:21:56.160 can you sing? Can I sing? Yes? Can you sing? Yes? 0:21:56.200 --> 0:21:57.720 I want to know somebody pop off at midnight. I 0:21:57.800 --> 0:22:00.080 want to know if you still got to praise in 0:22:00.160 --> 0:22:02.800 your belly saying something right now? Silence is like right now, 0:22:02.960 --> 0:22:08.360 right now, I'm gonna see y victory. I've gotta see you. Yeah, 0:22:08.359 --> 0:22:10.000 you're off key, but you're good. Come on, let's go 0:22:12.640 --> 0:22:17.160 look at him. He's got Silas with him. He picks 0:22:17.240 --> 0:22:21.520 up Timothy along the way, who follows not playing first 0:22:21.520 --> 0:22:23.800 thing he does with Timody, another young youngster, just like 0:22:23.840 --> 0:22:26.880 John Mark's like, oh you call. Timothy's like yeah, you call, 0:22:27.119 --> 0:22:29.439 all right, let me cut you. Circumcises them on the 0:22:29.480 --> 0:22:32.760 first day, just trying to make sure you're ready to roll. 0:22:34.640 --> 0:22:40.880 And uh. They start moving into Figuria. They're effective. They 0:22:40.920 --> 0:22:45.440 start moving, guided by the Holy Spirit, into Galatia. They're effective. 0:22:46.040 --> 0:22:49.359 The ministry is thriving. Paul says, you know what, how 0:22:49.400 --> 0:22:52.679 about we go to the Province of Asia. This is 0:22:52.720 --> 0:22:56.000 modern day Turkey. And they get ready to go to 0:22:56.040 --> 0:22:58.119 the Province of Asia, and the Bible says something that 0:22:58.119 --> 0:23:00.000 we have yet to read in the Book of act 0:23:00.600 --> 0:23:06.280 It says the Holy Spirit forbid them from going to 0:23:06.359 --> 0:23:10.240 the province of As. I said, okay, maybe not, hey, 0:23:10.240 --> 0:23:13.000 sul let's go to Bithynia. So they start setting sell 0:23:13.119 --> 0:23:15.600 getting ready to go to Bithynia, and the Bible says 0:23:15.600 --> 0:23:21.359 again that the Holy Spirit forbid them from going into Bithnia. 0:23:22.520 --> 0:23:26.280 I'm confused. It's not like they're going to sell drugs, 0:23:29.040 --> 0:23:32.200 they're going to plant churches, They're going to go preach 0:23:32.359 --> 0:23:35.199 the gospel. She would think that if my motive is 0:23:35.280 --> 0:23:37.560 right and I'm going to do something that I know 0:23:37.600 --> 0:23:39.919 God has called me to do, that I would always 0:23:39.960 --> 0:23:43.440 have an open door. I can understand what God closes 0:23:43.480 --> 0:23:45.920 a door if I'm about to go do something bad, 0:23:46.600 --> 0:23:49.160 like I get that. If my car don't start before 0:23:49.160 --> 0:23:53.280 I go to Chrispy Kreme, I get that because it's 0:23:53.320 --> 0:23:57.520 not good for me. But what do you do when 0:23:57.560 --> 0:24:01.600 you're called to do something and you're running to a 0:24:01.760 --> 0:24:06.960 closed door? That is annoying. It is annoying when you 0:24:07.160 --> 0:24:09.840 set out to do something that is your divine call, 0:24:10.160 --> 0:24:12.760 it is your mission, it is your mendate, and you 0:24:12.920 --> 0:24:16.440 keep running into closed door after closed door. I don't 0:24:16.440 --> 0:24:18.680 know who this is for, but somebody knows what it's 0:24:18.800 --> 0:24:23.200 like to walk into a closed door. The Holy Spirit 0:24:23.280 --> 0:24:25.920 forbid them to go. See, this is where I got 0:24:25.920 --> 0:24:29.080 annoyed with doctor Luke. Because doctor Luke is writing the 0:24:29.080 --> 0:24:32.040 Book of Acts, and he's a doctor. Doctor's a thorough Luke. 0:24:32.119 --> 0:24:35.080 You could have told us how the Holy Spirit forbid 0:24:35.119 --> 0:24:37.600 them to go. That would have been some helpful information. 0:24:38.000 --> 0:24:40.960 Let me know, how did the Holy Spirit forbid them 0:24:40.960 --> 0:24:43.280 from going? Did the Holy Spirit just show up in 0:24:43.280 --> 0:24:45.840 physical form and say, y'all, don't go with the boat, 0:24:45.920 --> 0:24:49.200 not start. Tell me how did Paul get a stomach ache? 0:24:49.520 --> 0:24:52.400 How did the Holy Spirit stop them? But but but 0:24:52.480 --> 0:24:55.119 Luke doesn't give us those details of how. He just 0:24:55.200 --> 0:24:57.719 lets us know that the Holy Spirit, the one that 0:24:57.840 --> 0:25:01.639 empowers us, is the same one that guys us. And 0:25:01.680 --> 0:25:04.000 if the Holy Spirit is gonna guide you, the Holy 0:25:04.040 --> 0:25:07.800 Spirit will sometimes let you hit a closed door. The 0:25:07.840 --> 0:25:11.399 Holy Spirit will sometimes let you walk straight into a No. 0:25:12.000 --> 0:25:14.919 I want to pause right now and thank God for 0:25:15.040 --> 0:25:17.240 the Holy Spirit. I want to thank God for the 0:25:17.280 --> 0:25:20.879 Holy Spirit that doesn't just empower me and give me empowerment. 0:25:21.040 --> 0:25:23.480 I'm thankful for the Holy Spirit that gives me discernment, 0:25:23.680 --> 0:25:27.000 that'll speak to me and say no, don't go there, No, 0:25:27.080 --> 0:25:29.800 don't go there. I need the Holy Spirit to guide me. 0:25:30.080 --> 0:25:32.480 Is there anybody that can relate to the fact that 0:25:32.520 --> 0:25:35.000 life is above you'll pay grade and you need some 0:25:35.119 --> 0:25:39.359 divine direction. God, show me which way I'm supposed to go. God, 0:25:39.440 --> 0:25:42.320 close every toy that needs to be closed, and open 0:25:42.400 --> 0:25:44.720 every door that needs to be opened. Show me what 0:25:44.880 --> 0:25:47.119 job I'm supposed to take, and show me where I'm 0:25:47.160 --> 0:25:49.639 supposed to land, show me who I'm supposed to marry, 0:25:49.760 --> 0:25:55.960 and if I'm not giving me a no? When was 0:25:56.000 --> 0:25:59.720 the last time you praise God for a no? When 0:25:59.880 --> 0:26:02.480 was the last God that you thank God because he 0:26:02.560 --> 0:26:05.119 gave you a shut door and a big old no. 0:26:05.520 --> 0:26:07.920 I know you want God to give you a yes, 0:26:08.200 --> 0:26:10.000 but I want to pause and thank God for all 0:26:10.040 --> 0:26:15.520 the times He's given me a no. No, don't do it, no, 0:26:15.800 --> 0:26:20.480 I want to thank God for his no. God will 0:26:20.520 --> 0:26:24.000 often guide you, not just with his yeses, but with 0:26:24.040 --> 0:26:28.320 his nose. Would you just say no, I'm won't say 0:26:28.320 --> 0:26:31.160 it with your chest, say no? Have you ever done that? 0:26:31.440 --> 0:26:32.840 Have you ever had the Holy Spirit just hit you 0:26:32.880 --> 0:26:35.760 with a come on you on the date you ain't 0:26:35.800 --> 0:26:38.840 even order the advertisers, and all of a sudden, the 0:26:38.840 --> 0:26:42.480 Holy Spirit is like, all right, I guess they see. 0:26:43.400 --> 0:26:46.879 I wouldn't much rather have a no than to have nothing. 0:26:47.760 --> 0:26:49.879 I need his discernment. As a matter of fact, I 0:26:49.880 --> 0:26:51.600 don't know how God speaks to you, but I'll tell 0:26:51.600 --> 0:26:54.040 you how he speaks to me. Sometimes his nose are 0:26:54.080 --> 0:26:57.440 louder than his yeses. Sometimes I'll be getting ready to 0:26:57.480 --> 0:27:01.199 open the door and yeah, okay, all right, and then 0:27:01.240 --> 0:27:05.200 the yes will be like yes, but God on you 0:27:05.280 --> 0:27:08.920 sho like hold a sudden again. Have you ever been 0:27:08.920 --> 0:27:11.199 there before, whether the yes was just quiet but the 0:27:11.320 --> 0:27:13.920 no was so loud and the yes yes just a 0:27:13.920 --> 0:27:15.919 little mini mouse yes, and you have to go like 0:27:15.960 --> 0:27:18.240 on a five day fast and start praying like God 0:27:18.280 --> 0:27:20.560 that I'll hear you or no. Oh see, some of 0:27:20.640 --> 0:27:22.280 y'all don't like this because some of y'all want the 0:27:22.320 --> 0:27:25.280 direction before you go. But I'm telling you, God won't 0:27:25.280 --> 0:27:27.520 always give you the yes or the no before you go. 0:27:27.680 --> 0:27:30.399 Sometimes it's not until you take that step and you 0:27:30.560 --> 0:27:33.560 actually start trying to open the door that you find 0:27:33.560 --> 0:27:40.520 out whether they say yes or they tried to go 0:27:41.240 --> 0:27:43.480 and they got to know. And I've learned in my 0:27:43.520 --> 0:27:48.800 life to embrace the know. I've learned that sometimes it's 0:27:48.800 --> 0:27:52.080 not until i'll go then I'll get to know. I've 0:27:52.160 --> 0:27:54.720 learned sometimes that if my steps are going to be 0:27:54.840 --> 0:27:57.879 ordered by God, then my stops must be ordered by 0:27:57.960 --> 0:28:04.159 him too. Sometimes he'll hit you with an hour so 0:28:04.200 --> 0:28:06.919 they couldn't go to Bithynia, they couldn't go to the 0:28:06.920 --> 0:28:10.200 province of Asia. What do you do when you've gotten 0:28:11.000 --> 0:28:14.760 no and you don't know where to go. You pause 0:28:15.680 --> 0:28:19.200 and you wait to hear. See. God is not playing 0:28:19.240 --> 0:28:21.560 games with you. He wants you to know his will 0:28:21.560 --> 0:28:24.280 more than you want to know his will. But some 0:28:24.320 --> 0:28:27.160 of us have sensory overload. You got too many things 0:28:27.160 --> 0:28:29.520 going on. No wonder you can't hear God. You always 0:28:29.520 --> 0:28:32.159 scroll left, you always on Netflix, You're always talking to 0:28:32.200 --> 0:28:34.439 other people about it. But if you could ever quiet 0:28:34.480 --> 0:28:40.240 your soul to hear, he will speak. All of a sudden, Paul, 0:28:40.480 --> 0:28:44.880 he gets a vision at night of a man in 0:28:44.920 --> 0:28:50.040 Macedonia that says, come here and help us. He gets 0:28:50.040 --> 0:28:54.160 a vision, don't miss this of a man in Macedonia. 0:28:54.880 --> 0:28:57.479 This says, come here and help us. Can you imagine that? 0:28:57.520 --> 0:29:00.400 Next morning, the clarity he got, He's like, y'all out, 0:29:01.520 --> 0:29:05.440 I got the clarity. I saw a man in Macedonia saying, 0:29:05.480 --> 0:29:08.200 come help us. We're going to Macedonia. Don't you love 0:29:08.200 --> 0:29:10.160 it when God speaks and you got the clear vision 0:29:10.600 --> 0:29:12.280 he said, we got to go. There is a man 0:29:12.360 --> 0:29:15.920 in Macedonia that needs the gospel. Who they sailed to 0:29:16.000 --> 0:29:19.560 Macedonia pull up on the shore. Don't forget it was 0:29:19.600 --> 0:29:22.400 a man he saw in his vision saying come help us. 0:29:23.040 --> 0:29:25.920 After getting the vision of the man, they walked straight 0:29:25.960 --> 0:29:33.239 into a women's Bible study. There are a group of 0:29:33.240 --> 0:29:37.400 women by the riverside having a prime meeting. He was thinking, 0:29:37.440 --> 0:29:39.040 he's gonna go to the synagogue, but there was no 0:29:39.120 --> 0:29:41.920 synagogue because you had to have at least ten Jewish 0:29:42.000 --> 0:29:44.320 men in the city to have a synagogue. So the 0:29:44.320 --> 0:29:46.640 fact that these women are gathered by the riverside is 0:29:46.680 --> 0:29:49.920 that you know, thuk aren't even ten dudes in the city. 0:29:51.160 --> 0:29:53.280 And here he got a vision of a man saying, 0:29:53.320 --> 0:29:56.719 come help me, and walk straight into a women's Bible study. 0:29:56.840 --> 0:29:59.520 Who I'm gonna bring it right home to you. What 0:29:59.560 --> 0:30:03.680 do you do when your reality looks contradictory to the 0:30:03.800 --> 0:30:07.120 vision that God gave you. Have you ever been there 0:30:07.160 --> 0:30:10.000 before when God gave you a vision you were sure 0:30:10.040 --> 0:30:12.560 about a God set moved to Charlotte and you said, 0:30:12.560 --> 0:30:15.120 all right, you move and you walk into a situation, 0:30:15.440 --> 0:30:18.880 and all of a sudden, the reality looks completely contradictory 0:30:18.920 --> 0:30:21.520 to the vision that you God. What do you do? 0:30:21.680 --> 0:30:23.640 He got a vision of a man and saw a 0:30:23.800 --> 0:30:26.920 women's Bible study. I'll tell you what you do when 0:30:26.920 --> 0:30:30.600 your reality is contradictory to your vision. Here's what you do. 0:30:30.720 --> 0:30:34.120 You stick to the mission. Stick to the mission whenever 0:30:34.240 --> 0:30:38.000 your reality is contradictory to your vision. Paul had been 0:30:38.040 --> 0:30:41.160 given a mission and a mandate to declare the gospel 0:30:41.200 --> 0:30:43.520 of Jesus Christ. And Paul had to learn by the 0:30:43.600 --> 0:30:46.520 riverside that I can still preach this gospel at a 0:30:46.560 --> 0:30:49.320 women's Bible study. I don't have to be in the synagogue. 0:30:49.400 --> 0:30:55.400 I gotta stay on my mission. Never your situation seems 0:30:55.440 --> 0:31:00.320 contradictory to your vision, stick to your mission. There he 0:31:00.440 --> 0:31:03.720 is preaching at a women's Bible study, and I'm glad 0:31:03.800 --> 0:31:05.880 he got the preaching. Because there was a business woman 0:31:06.000 --> 0:31:09.600 named Lydia who who was a baller and a shock 0:31:09.720 --> 0:31:12.920 collar sister girl owned the tsarra that all they sold 0:31:13.040 --> 0:31:16.480 was purple cloth. She was a wealthy businesswoman that knew 0:31:16.520 --> 0:31:19.240 about God, but hadn't had an encounter with this God. 0:31:19.440 --> 0:31:21.400 And all of a sudden, not only does she get saved, 0:31:21.560 --> 0:31:24.640 her whole household. God saved. Because if God can just 0:31:24.680 --> 0:31:27.600 find somebody who is available and will stick to the mission, 0:31:27.920 --> 0:31:31.000 you have no clue the ramifications of what would happen. 0:31:32.240 --> 0:31:36.520 Lydia gets saved, her whole household gets saved and Lydia 0:31:36.680 --> 0:31:39.760 begs Paul to come stay at her house. Can you 0:31:39.800 --> 0:31:43.360 see Paul and Silas and their whole crew walking into 0:31:43.440 --> 0:31:50.880 Lydia's six bedroom house, Marble everywhere. Paul's like, wooo, it's 0:31:50.920 --> 0:31:53.920 a good thing to preach this gospel. Oh can you 0:31:53.960 --> 0:31:55.720 see him? You know, Lydia had a good house. I 0:31:55.720 --> 0:31:59.280 can see him sleeping on that beautiful down feather pillow, 0:31:59.400 --> 0:32:03.440 going off, Oh, thank you Lord for Lydia. I'm just 0:32:03.520 --> 0:32:06.239 being obedient. This ain't a motel right here, this is 0:32:06.920 --> 0:32:13.040 this is nice. Slept real good, woke up the next day, 0:32:14.000 --> 0:32:17.360 started staying on mission again, preaching the gospel. He goes 0:32:17.400 --> 0:32:20.560 to preach, probably by the riverside it said this day. 0:32:21.320 --> 0:32:24.320 Right before he gets up to preach, probably behind him, 0:32:24.920 --> 0:32:28.440 he hears his voice, These manservants are the most time. 0:32:28.560 --> 0:32:33.440 Did that said service is about to start? He's like phrase. 0:32:33.520 --> 0:32:38.280 Guy goes the next day to preach again, same woman, 0:32:38.400 --> 0:32:40.800 same voice, These man of service in the most time. God, 0:32:41.760 --> 0:32:43.960 all right now, just trying to preach the word appreciation. 0:32:44.960 --> 0:32:47.720 Day three, getting ready to preach these man of serves 0:32:47.760 --> 0:32:50.160 in the most time. Don all right, sister girl, thank 0:32:50.200 --> 0:32:52.160 you can you post it on my Instagram page. I'm 0:32:52.160 --> 0:32:56.320 trying to preach day four. This man is saved the 0:32:56.320 --> 0:32:59.400 most I got day after every time he got ready 0:32:59.400 --> 0:33:01.880 to preach, this girl is shouting out, these man are 0:33:01.880 --> 0:33:04.800 savings in the most time. Guy. Day twenty three. She's 0:33:04.800 --> 0:33:07.040 still going these not silence if you don't take her out. 0:33:07.040 --> 0:33:10.480 I'm about to take her out. This man heavy. I 0:33:10.480 --> 0:33:11.880 don't know how long it happened, but I know it 0:33:11.920 --> 0:33:14.560 happened for a long time, a long time. Give us 0:33:14.600 --> 0:33:17.640 subscripture for it. Look at it at chapter sixteen, verse eighteen. 0:33:17.960 --> 0:33:20.800 It says, look at this, it says, and this she 0:33:20.880 --> 0:33:24.160 did for many days. I don't know how long many 0:33:24.240 --> 0:33:27.960 days is, but it was a long time. Finally, Paul 0:33:28.320 --> 0:33:33.760 got so annoyed that he turned around and he looked 0:33:33.840 --> 0:33:36.360 at her. Hold on before I say what he said. 0:33:36.520 --> 0:33:39.600 I find it intriguing that this woman is possessed by 0:33:39.720 --> 0:33:46.280 a demon, but she's saying something that was right. This 0:33:46.400 --> 0:33:49.000 is why you need the Holy Spirit, not just for empowerment, 0:33:49.040 --> 0:33:53.680 for a discernment, because most of us would have listened 0:33:53.720 --> 0:33:55.760 to what she said, and yeah, we would have been 0:33:55.760 --> 0:33:58.000 over saying, well, least she's saying the right thing. At 0:33:58.080 --> 0:34:01.120 least she's saying the right thing. But paul On understood discernment, 0:34:01.280 --> 0:34:04.040 and the Holy Spirit began to speak to him as 0:34:04.040 --> 0:34:06.480 he was out administering the Gospel. But she was saying 0:34:06.480 --> 0:34:09.320 the right thing. And that's actually how the enemy works. 0:34:09.560 --> 0:34:11.600 In fact, when the Bible says she has the spirit 0:34:11.640 --> 0:34:14.560 of divination, it was actually the spirit of the Python. 0:34:14.880 --> 0:34:18.200 And that's what the enemy does. He loves to deceive, Hugh, 0:34:18.440 --> 0:34:22.040 and he will rap a truth with a lie. You'll 0:34:22.120 --> 0:34:25.320 rap a truth with deception. But I'm thankful for paul 0:34:25.320 --> 0:34:27.600 who was full of the Holy Spirit, who was able 0:34:27.640 --> 0:34:30.120 to look past the deception and saying, you're saying the 0:34:30.200 --> 0:34:32.680 right thing, but it's coming from the wrong spirit. So 0:34:32.840 --> 0:34:35.759 he spoke to the spirit, because we rush so knock 0:34:35.920 --> 0:34:39.640 with flesh and blood, but with principalities. So finally he 0:34:39.719 --> 0:34:42.920 got so annoyed and turned around and said, in the 0:34:43.080 --> 0:34:48.040 name of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out. Oh, 0:34:48.239 --> 0:34:50.920 I came to tell somebody you better start speaking to 0:34:51.040 --> 0:34:54.320 the spirit. He just speak to the woman. He spoke 0:34:54.360 --> 0:34:58.680 to the spirit. I'm faithful for sermons, I'm faithful for counselor, 0:34:58.920 --> 0:35:01.000 but every once in a while, you better get some 0:35:01.120 --> 0:35:05.440 authority and some determined and speak to that spirit. Speak 0:35:05.480 --> 0:35:09.000 to the spirit of depression, speak to the spirit of anxiety. 0:35:09.280 --> 0:35:11.959 Speak to that spirit and say you, in the name 0:35:12.040 --> 0:35:16.759 of Jesus, I command you to come out. Oh, I 0:35:16.840 --> 0:35:20.360 need somebody that still believes in the delivering power of God, 0:35:20.800 --> 0:35:23.680 just to take fifteen seconds and give him some place 0:35:24.000 --> 0:35:31.919 like you know, he still has power to deliver people today. Hallelujah. 0:35:34.800 --> 0:35:39.840 He didn't speak to the girl, He spoke to the spirit, 0:35:41.640 --> 0:35:48.759 and in an instant, this girl was delivered and said free. 0:35:49.920 --> 0:35:53.480 You gotta be careful sometimes when you're doing what God 0:35:53.480 --> 0:35:57.080 has called you to do, you gotta be careful of 0:35:57.120 --> 0:36:01.680 the ramifications of it. Because this girl had owners that 0:36:01.760 --> 0:36:08.400 were using her gift for their financial gain. They didn't 0:36:08.440 --> 0:36:12.959 care about her. They only cared about what she could 0:36:12.960 --> 0:36:18.600 do for them, how her gift benefited them. In that 0:36:18.640 --> 0:36:22.480 what the enemy does. He didn't care about you, but 0:36:22.560 --> 0:36:25.600 he wants to use you. Not just the enemy. Some 0:36:25.600 --> 0:36:30.879 of you are connected to people who you think care 0:36:30.920 --> 0:36:34.200 about you, but they don't. They care about what you 0:36:34.520 --> 0:36:37.480 offer them. They care about the benefit that you are 0:36:37.560 --> 0:36:40.359 to them, and they actually don't want you free. They 0:36:40.440 --> 0:36:45.000 want you to stay co dependent and connected to them, 0:36:45.239 --> 0:36:52.080 since this girl completely free. But the ramifications of it, 0:36:52.080 --> 0:36:56.760 it tored the city up. They took Paul and Silas 0:36:58.280 --> 0:37:04.759 and they beat them. A crowd gathered around them and 0:37:04.920 --> 0:37:10.960 stripped their clothes and beat them and kicked them and 0:37:11.200 --> 0:37:15.920 punched them. Understand that even the Jewish law had a 0:37:15.960 --> 0:37:19.120 restriction on how many times you could whip and beat somebody. 0:37:19.719 --> 0:37:23.440 You had to stop at thirty nine. Forty was a limit. 0:37:23.480 --> 0:37:26.359 But they said stop at thirty nine because you could 0:37:26.360 --> 0:37:30.280 get caught up as you're mad and rage and lose 0:37:30.280 --> 0:37:35.960 your count. But they are in a different province. The 0:37:36.040 --> 0:37:42.160 Romans didn't have that rule. They kept beating and kicking 0:37:43.239 --> 0:37:49.840 and punching them. They took them from the beating into 0:37:49.880 --> 0:37:54.920 an inner prison. There was three levels to the prison. 0:37:55.880 --> 0:37:57.719 It wasn't the outer part of the middle part. It 0:37:57.880 --> 0:38:00.719 was the inner part of the press. And it was 0:38:00.920 --> 0:38:09.600 a dungeon where they're bleeding, flesh lacerated, perhaps coughing up 0:38:09.680 --> 0:38:15.960 blood bruised in the inner part of the prison, a 0:38:16.239 --> 0:38:21.080 dungeon where it is dark. Everybody shouts about at midnight. 0:38:21.200 --> 0:38:25.799 They didn't know what time it was. This is Luke 0:38:25.880 --> 0:38:28.879 writing this when you're in a dark place, you don't 0:38:28.920 --> 0:38:35.359 know whether it's sunlight or whether it's midnight. And there 0:38:35.360 --> 0:38:40.759 they are bleeding and bruised. And the thing I kept 0:38:40.760 --> 0:38:46.480 asking myself is what got them in the inner prison. 0:38:47.960 --> 0:38:56.759 It was not their disobedience, It was their obedience. Their 0:38:56.840 --> 0:39:04.280 obedience got them beat Their obedience got them punched and kicked. 0:39:04.320 --> 0:39:09.440 Their obedience got them in the inner part of the prison. 0:39:09.480 --> 0:39:13.960 What do you do when you're calling has become a crime? 0:39:16.640 --> 0:39:21.120 What do you do when you obeyed God and you 0:39:21.200 --> 0:39:24.839 still ended up in a dark place. Most of us, 0:39:24.880 --> 0:39:28.279 if we're honest, we cry out to God when our 0:39:28.320 --> 0:39:32.360 disobedience got us in a dark place. Isn't that something 0:39:32.360 --> 0:39:34.719 when you just you know it was your bad decisions 0:39:34.719 --> 0:39:36.960 and your disobedience got you in that place. You're like, God, 0:39:36.960 --> 0:39:38.680 I know I messed up. It was me. It was me. 0:39:38.800 --> 0:39:40.840 I'm reaping the consequence of what I did. Most of 0:39:40.920 --> 0:39:43.200 us cry out to God, then, but what do you 0:39:43.239 --> 0:39:47.320 do when your obedience got you in a dark place 0:39:48.520 --> 0:39:55.040 and you're bleeding and your bruised. That's annoying. It's annoying 0:39:56.160 --> 0:40:01.239 to be in a dark place. It was your obedience 0:40:01.239 --> 0:40:04.360 that got you there. I wish I could tell you 0:40:04.360 --> 0:40:07.320 that every time you obeyed God, you'd be in beautiful, 0:40:07.320 --> 0:40:11.680 bright places. But this text is proved positive that you 0:40:11.719 --> 0:40:14.239 can do the right thing and still end up in 0:40:14.280 --> 0:40:18.480 the wrong place. You can be fully obedient and still 0:40:18.640 --> 0:40:22.040 have pain in your body and be in a dark place. 0:40:22.080 --> 0:40:24.480 And maybe you're in this room or watching online and 0:40:24.520 --> 0:40:27.359 your obedience has gotten you in a dark place. And 0:40:27.400 --> 0:40:29.680 God told me to tell you that He can still 0:40:29.800 --> 0:40:32.879 show up in a dark place. And just because it's 0:40:32.920 --> 0:40:36.520 a dark place doesn't mean that God can't do a miracle. 0:40:36.880 --> 0:40:39.280 Just because you're in a dark place doesn't mean God 0:40:39.400 --> 0:40:42.520 is done with you. Yet they were bleeding, they were 0:40:42.600 --> 0:40:45.920 broken because their obedience got them there. What do you 0:40:46.040 --> 0:40:48.839 do when you're in that place? I tell you what 0:40:48.920 --> 0:40:51.120 you do, what will come out of you is what 0:40:51.239 --> 0:40:55.000 has always been on the inside of you. No wonder. 0:40:55.080 --> 0:40:58.560 Paul and Silence decided to lift up their voice and 0:40:58.760 --> 0:41:02.680 worship and pray He's God. They weren't doing it at midnight, 0:41:02.920 --> 0:41:05.239 they didn't know what time it was. But when your 0:41:05.320 --> 0:41:08.880 disobedience and your obedience has got you in a dark place, 0:41:09.040 --> 0:41:10.880 and you know God is the one that got you 0:41:10.960 --> 0:41:12.919 in it, if you want to make the enemy man 0:41:13.200 --> 0:41:16.919 start crying out to the very same God that got 0:41:17.000 --> 0:41:20.600 you in the situation. Oh, this is why the enemy 0:41:20.640 --> 0:41:23.359 wants you to keep your mouth shut. The enemy wants 0:41:23.360 --> 0:41:26.200 you to be mad and be offended and be hurt 0:41:26.360 --> 0:41:29.040 and stop talking to God. But I came to tell 0:41:29.080 --> 0:41:33.000 you don't stop talking to him, even if your obedience 0:41:33.120 --> 0:41:36.520 to him got you in their place. Oh that's where 0:41:36.560 --> 0:41:40.120 the enemy messed up. See, the enemy shackled their feet, 0:41:40.360 --> 0:41:43.640 the enemy shackled their arms, But he should have shackled 0:41:43.680 --> 0:41:47.239 their mouth, because whenever you opened up your mouth and 0:41:47.440 --> 0:41:51.000 crawled to God, he has to come in the situation. 0:41:52.400 --> 0:41:55.200 Oh I need somebody to exercise this right now, and 0:41:55.360 --> 0:41:57.919 just begin to open up your mouth and give God 0:41:58.000 --> 0:42:01.800 some place, even in the dark, even in the place 0:42:01.800 --> 0:42:05.239 where you can't see, and your old pede has got 0:42:05.280 --> 0:42:14.839 you there, preached this all the time. The magic wasn't 0:42:14.840 --> 0:42:19.239 at midnight. They were in the dungeon. They couldn't see 0:42:19.239 --> 0:42:23.160 what the time was. They weren't even praising God so 0:42:23.280 --> 0:42:27.279 he could send the earthquake. Come on, think about this. 0:42:28.400 --> 0:42:31.000 It's not like we have any scriptural evidence that people 0:42:31.040 --> 0:42:34.440 that praise got an earthquake. It's not like they were singing, 0:42:34.520 --> 0:42:36.720 going Okay, if we just sing long enough, he's gonna 0:42:36.719 --> 0:42:38.879 come on the third stands of the Here they didn't know. 0:42:40.680 --> 0:42:44.920 They weren't praising for deliverance. They were praising out of devotion. 0:42:46.160 --> 0:42:49.000 They were doing what they had always done. They were 0:42:49.080 --> 0:42:52.080 doing what was always hit them. They said, God, I know, 0:42:52.200 --> 0:42:55.000 obeying you got us here, and this don't look nothing 0:42:55.040 --> 0:42:58.160 like Lydia's house. It's looking alive, like a little motel. 0:42:58.480 --> 0:43:01.320 But you are still worthy of the praise in spite 0:43:01.360 --> 0:43:04.120 of how I feel. I know my obedience got me here, 0:43:04.320 --> 0:43:07.360 but I gotta look at this circumstance through the lens 0:43:07.440 --> 0:43:14.799 of my purpose and ask their praise God. An earthquake 0:43:14.920 --> 0:43:19.080 came in the foundations of the prison were shaken, and 0:43:19.440 --> 0:43:25.120 everybody's chained God loose. Oh right, y'all. Don't like that 0:43:25.239 --> 0:43:27.200 right there, I'm trying to tell you, you think you're 0:43:27.320 --> 0:43:30.040 praise on a Sunday is just for you. What would 0:43:30.040 --> 0:43:32.400 you do if I told you that your praise had 0:43:32.440 --> 0:43:35.840 the power to set somebody else free, that your praise 0:43:35.960 --> 0:43:38.839 had the power to reach your child who's not even 0:43:38.840 --> 0:43:42.880 in service, that your praise have the power to act generations. 0:43:43.120 --> 0:43:50.200 If you get praise them in a dark you know 0:43:50.280 --> 0:43:56.040 the story. I'm done. The doors are open, the chains 0:43:56.239 --> 0:44:02.600 are loosed. Anybody in their right mind after you've praised, 0:44:03.440 --> 0:44:05.560 when it was your obedience to God that got you 0:44:05.640 --> 0:44:08.920 in the situation. And he finally shows up and the 0:44:08.920 --> 0:44:12.160 doors are open, anybody in their right mind. He said, 0:44:12.160 --> 0:44:15.799 this is my time to go. You did it, Lord, 0:44:16.560 --> 0:44:19.560 your waymaker, promise keep a miracle worker. The door's open. 0:44:21.080 --> 0:44:28.000 I'm gonna run. But they stayed. They stayed. What would 0:44:28.080 --> 0:44:32.360 make Paul and Silence stay in the prison when the 0:44:32.400 --> 0:44:37.279 doors have been opened and they could run free. They 0:44:37.320 --> 0:44:44.719 saw the jailer pull a sword and get ready to 0:44:44.880 --> 0:44:49.759 kill himself, and Paul says, hold on, don't do it. 0:44:51.080 --> 0:44:54.720 All of us are here. Don't do it. Don't kill yourself. 0:44:54.760 --> 0:44:58.840 Stop because this jailer knew that the consequence of letting 0:44:58.840 --> 0:45:01.480 all of them prisoners free would been his own murder, 0:45:02.520 --> 0:45:04.360 so he said, I'd rather just do it myself for 0:45:04.480 --> 0:45:07.080 Paul in the middle of the night, says hold on, 0:45:07.160 --> 0:45:11.920 hold on, don't do it. Why did Paul and Silas 0:45:12.000 --> 0:45:15.239 refuse to leave. I don't know why they stayed, but 0:45:15.280 --> 0:45:18.080 I do know that up until this point in the text, 0:45:18.840 --> 0:45:28.920 all he had run into were women. Remember the vision 0:45:29.000 --> 0:45:33.360 that he got was not of a woman in Macedonia. 0:45:33.760 --> 0:45:37.160 It was of a man in Macedonia. And as soon 0:45:37.200 --> 0:45:39.680 as he got there he saw Lydia, and he opened 0:45:39.719 --> 0:45:42.279 up his mouth. That Lydia's household got saved. Then he 0:45:42.360 --> 0:45:44.480 kept on preaching and stayed on mission, and all of 0:45:44.520 --> 0:45:46.840 a sudden the slave girl got set free, and she 0:45:46.960 --> 0:45:49.359 got saved. But he still hadn't ran into a man 0:45:49.719 --> 0:45:53.400 until after he praised in a dark place and prison 0:45:53.480 --> 0:45:56.759 doors were open. And maybe the reason he couldn't leave 0:45:57.360 --> 0:46:00.279 is because that jailor looked a lot like the man 0:46:00.360 --> 0:46:03.520 that is tall and his vision, and said, you're the 0:46:03.640 --> 0:46:08.759 reason why I'm here. Don't you care of yourself? We 0:46:08.920 --> 0:46:20.319 are still here. That Jaela put down his sword and 0:46:20.400 --> 0:46:23.840 said the most powerful words perhaps written in the New Testament. 0:46:24.080 --> 0:46:27.239 He says, sir, would you tell me what must I 0:46:27.360 --> 0:46:31.680 do to be saved? He got saved, His whole family 0:46:31.840 --> 0:46:37.040 got saved because Paul understood, Oh, I might be annoyed, 0:46:37.520 --> 0:46:40.080 Can I get you the rest of my title? I'm annoyed, 0:46:40.400 --> 0:46:44.480 but I'm a signed. I'm annoying, but I'm a sign. 0:46:45.000 --> 0:46:47.840 I was called to you. You're the one I signed 0:46:48.000 --> 0:47:01.160 my vision. I had to be in this trick, whole household. 0:47:02.120 --> 0:47:13.080 God saved this jailer, Lydia and this slave girl would 0:47:13.080 --> 0:47:18.759 be the first members of a church at Philippi. That 0:47:18.920 --> 0:47:23.480 Paul would write a letter to later and say, I 0:47:23.640 --> 0:47:27.600 thank God every time I think of you. That Paul 0:47:27.640 --> 0:47:32.960 would write out of the joy remembering them because he's 0:47:32.960 --> 0:47:39.600 looking back, going, oh yeah, how was annoyed? I didn't 0:47:39.640 --> 0:47:43.680 like it when doors kept shutting, and I like it 0:47:43.719 --> 0:47:47.239 when she kept getting on my nurse saying the right 0:47:47.280 --> 0:47:51.080 thing but from the wrong spirit. I didn't like getting 0:47:51.120 --> 0:47:54.840 beat in and whipped when I was just being obedient. 0:47:56.560 --> 0:48:01.799 I was annoyed, But I'm a signed And when you 0:48:01.880 --> 0:48:07.800 understand your assignment, you can stay in a motel or 0:48:07.800 --> 0:48:15.320 a prison one night, because it is the assignment that 0:48:15.480 --> 0:48:22.160 puts the annoyance in perspective. I don't know what's annoying 0:48:22.200 --> 0:48:25.759 you right now, but can I tell you you're assigned, 0:48:27.760 --> 0:48:32.719 signed to that family, sign to that job. Don't you 0:48:32.840 --> 0:48:38.319 let that annoyance make you walk away from your assignment. 0:48:39.880 --> 0:48:46.120 You're annoyed, but you're assigned. You buy your heads. I 0:48:46.160 --> 0:48:49.359 want to pray for you, Father. I pray for my brother, 0:48:49.480 --> 0:48:55.239 I pray for my sister. God, I'm not denying the annoyance. 0:48:57.400 --> 0:49:02.919 I'm not denying the pain. God. We're not denying being 0:49:02.920 --> 0:49:08.839 in a dark place. Lord, I thank you that You're 0:49:08.880 --> 0:49:12.480 able to use all of the pain and the annoyances 0:49:13.840 --> 0:49:20.560 for your divine purpose. Though the vision waits, though the 0:49:20.640 --> 0:49:25.640 vision tearies, God will wait for it to come to pass. So, Lord, 0:49:25.680 --> 0:49:30.000 I pray strainths over my brother, over my sister, to 0:49:30.080 --> 0:49:36.400 look at every annoyance through the lens of their divine assignment, 0:49:37.880 --> 0:49:40.520 knowing that He who began a good work in us 0:49:41.960 --> 0:49:47.239 will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ. Jesus, God, 0:49:47.280 --> 0:49:52.240 give us strength and give us grace for the divine 0:49:52.280 --> 0:49:56.239 assignment that you placed on all of our lives in 0:49:56.320 --> 0:50:04.279 Jesus a mighty matchless name. Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen. God 0:50:04.320 --> 0:50:10.640 bless you Elevants. Well. If you enjoyed today's podcast, there 0:50:10.640 --> 0:50:12.600 are a couple of things I'd love for you to do. 0:50:12.719 --> 0:50:17.080 Make sure to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast. You 0:50:17.120 --> 0:50:19.560 can also help us reach others by investing today at 0:50:19.560 --> 0:50:23.560 Elevationchurch dot org. Slash give and thanks again. For joining 0:50:23.640 --> 0:50:25.200 us on the Elevation Podcast,