Transcription
An incredible presence of the Lord is in this place. Amen. You may return to your seats. You can remain standing for just a moment. But let me say this. It has truly been an honor to be here in the Maryland DC men's conference. And uh, thank you so much for the opportunity again to all the elected officials, certainly brother Libby and brother Wright, and also Pastor Stton and his team. And uh, so good to see each of you and good to see my friend, brother Reaver. He and I were in Mississippi for some time, and now he's in Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, and Maryland. He's covered the M. So, uh, so good to see each of you. And if I haven't gotten to meet you yet, I look forward to maybe meeting you after service today. I do fly out this afternoon at four o'clock out of Reagan.
Um, I was actually Louisiana born. I'm Mississippi bred and now I've been Maryland fed. Wow, what an incredible opportunity. All the foods that we've eaten. Thank you for the gift basket. Thank you for your hospitality. And um, I do pray God's continued blessings upon each of you and your families. I do that.
You know, the Bible, the word of God, you know, there's 39 chapters in the Old Testament. I think there's 27 chapters in the New Testament. I think there's 31,102 verses. And you know, I found out today that most probably all of us need to be reminded more often than we need to be instructed. You know, I knew Brother Orson was anointed, but I didn't know that he had my notes in his Bible today. And so, um, you know, he took the meat and he left me the bones. We'll see what we can do with a skeleton today. So, God knows what we need to hear. And so, they had my notes for today, last night. And so, I'm not going to change anything, but I'm going to follow the Holy Ghost. Amen. Amen.
God must know what this district needs to hear. But if you have your Bibles, you'll see in a few moments after the opening scripture and I get into the meat of my message, you'll see what God has for us to say. But if you have your Bibles, turn to Psalms 128:1-4. Again, thank you for the opportunity. Verse one says, "Blessed," everybody say, "Blessed." is everyone that feareth the Lord. Now, I'm from Mississippi, but my father taught me a long time ago that when you see the letters "eth" on the end of a word, that means you have to continue to do that. It's not enough to do it one time. It must continue to happen over and over. It says that walketh, or continue to walk in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands. Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house. Thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man, the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.
I came to remind us today that the family is God's idea. And my relationship with my family clearly reveals my relationship with my God. And I believe this, in the context of my family, when we walk with Jesus, that it takes on flesh and it's made evident. And I believe that the family is the dynamic proving ground for my connection to my creator. And so today, I want to preach to you for a few moments. Fight for your family. Everybody say, "Fight for your family."
Father, we thank you for the reading of the word. We thank you for what's taking place in this conference. Lord, I pray you would anoint your messenger today. God, we seek your face. God, we ask that you would be lifted up. You said, "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me." Father, I pray that you would let us be changed when we leave this place today. It's in Jesus' name we pray. And everyone say, "Amen."
You may be seated. I'm going to tell you like King George told his eighth wife, I'm not going to keep you long. A close look at the Bible reveals God's recipe for building, I believe, and enjoying a godly family. Your family is meant to be a place of hospitality, a place of healing, and a place of hope. Can I preach to you a little bit today? I know we're at a men's conference, but let me remind you that a blessed family consists of a man and a woman that are joined spiritually and legally. Marriage is also designed to be a union of two adults, not children. God did not create children first, but he made two adults and he brought them together. A blessed family will have unity. Not necessarily unity of ideas, but unity of purpose. The Bible tells us in Amos chapter 3 and verse three, "Two cannot walk together except they are in agreement."
Let me remind you, there is no anointing where there is disunity. Unity is priceless and unity is power. We can't make it without unity, but the devil cannot stop us with unity. Can someone say amen? Amen.
Blessed families are both fruitful, both spiritually and I believe physically. Now, when we got married, we wanted four kids. We were happy with two and God sent us three. I like to say we had alpha, omega, and a surprise, surprise, surprise. Some of you are in that same boat as I. But God is attracted to and he blesses a family where the father instructs his children in the ways of the Lord. He basically said that concerning Abraham in Genesis 18 and verse 19, "For I have chosen him that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice." We get confused with that word righteousness. But that means we just got to keep doing what is right. And when you fall and you fail and you make a mistake, you got to get back up. And as we say in Mississippi, you got to roll up your sleeves. You got to hitch up your britches and you got to keep moving forward. It says, "So that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him." I ask you today, what are you teaching your children? Are you teaching your children the way of the word, or are you teaching the children the way of the world?
Listen to me today. Even though you may be blessed, I believe all of us are blessed if you're living in this place today. I think I said it maybe Wednesday night that, you know, today, Wednesday was another day. But today is the best day of my life. You may say, "Why, Pastor Jay?" Well, it's the only day I've got. Yesterday is gone and and tomorrow is not here and today is the best day of my life. Come on, somebody. Do you believe that today? This is the day the Lord hath made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. But even though you're blessed, and we're all blessed, we're breathing today. Even though we're blessed, blessed families also pass through storms. Blessed families also pass through trials and and blessed families pass through difficulties with their finances and with their children and with their jobs and with their illnesses. The wonderful thing to know when you're going through a trial is the words that were mentioned in Psalms 128 and verse 2. "It shall be well." Can you say that today over your life and over your family and over your situation and over your finances? "It shall be well." You got to get that in your innermost being. You got to get that in your gut. It shall be well. If you believe that, clap your hands to the Lord.
How many today really want to know God? Raise your hand. I think everybody in this house would raise their hand. You wouldn't be here on a Saturday morning. And what a great crowd on a Saturday morning. I prayed that prayer in 2012. Lord, I, I really want to know you. I prayed that. I knelt. I, I laid on the floor. Lord, I want to know you. And that verse says, "Lord, I want to know you and the power of your resurrection." I can preach that. And you would jump and shout and rejoice. And we, we, we know that on the third day he, he rose again. We, we celebrate that resurrection. We celebrated a couple of weeks ago on Easter Sunday. I'm thankful that we have a savior that rose from the grave. He's the only living person that has arisen from the grave and stayed alive forevermore. Amen.
Can someone say amen? The verse doesn't stop there. It said to know him through the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering. Let me say to somebody today in the Holy Ghost that if you really want to know Jesus Christ, you've got to experience some things that he experienced. You got to experience some betrayal. You got to experience being lied on. You got to experience being cheated if you really want to know Jesus Christ. Let me ask you again, how many really want to know him? Not all of us want to sign up for that part.
I was born in the 1900s. I'm a 1971 model. I was privileged to grow up in and around a a construction family. I worked at the same company from the time I was 12 to almost 46 years of age. 34 years in the same company. You know, we had good seasons, we had bad seasons. That's just life. And we, my uncle owned it. I worked for him and God blessed us. And let me say this, I'm a pastor now. And you know, as a pastor, I'm around saved people all the time. But it was a privilege to work in the workforce because I was around sinners, especially in the construction business, all the time. Don't miss your opportunity where God has placed you in this season to be a minister of the gospel. Every one of you are ministers in this building today.
My uncle decided to sell in 2012. He, he asked me to find someone to buy it and I did. And come to find out, the folks that bought it were the wealthiest people in the state of Mississippi. And I knew that God was transitioning me out, but I didn't know when. I worked with them for three years. And after three years, I was basically forced out by the new ownership. I want to remind somebody today that listen, nothing lasts forever. Your job is not your source. Your family is not your source. God is your source. You may think your job is your source and it'll last forever. It may not last forever because nothing lasts forever. Only Jesus Christ lasts forever.
I was forced out after 34 years. I didn't get a watch. I didn't get a thank you. I didn't even get a "God bless you." It was one of the worst times of my life, but also one of the best times of my life because it's during that time that I came face to face with my creator. I, I bowed my face on the floor, said, "God, listen. I don't understand what's going on. I don't understand what's happening with me. I don't understand all that's transpired in the last couple of days, but God, listen to me." He will get you to a place to see if you trust him or not. Listen, either His word is true or it's not true. Amen. Come on, somebody. You got to believe there's 3,000 promises in the word. Everyone is mine.
And because of that situation, I was kindly given and kindly inherited $2 million of debt. My wife and I looked at each other and we said, "God, we're going to test the Lord and see if his word is true or not." And so in that season, we just decided, "Hey, we owe $2 million. We're not worth $2 million. So whatever you send into our hands, we're going to double our giving." Let me say this. I was young and I'm now older. But I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging for bread. Come on, somebody. I want to tell you today that God has been faithful. He's still faithful. I don't owe no man anything. I had people said, "You need to file bankruptcy." But I'm telling you, you can't outgive God. God has been better than good to me. I came to tell you today, it shall be well. Whatever you're going through today, clap your hands to the Lord and say, "It shall be well."
So today, my request may seem simple, but I'm asking every single person to take the next right step. Generation Z, it's those born between 1995 and 2015, currently ages 7 to 27. If you're in this building today and you're between 7 and 27, would you please stand for just a moment? I want to see who you are. I'm so thankful for the young men that are in this building. Can we give these young men a hand clap of appreciation? We're glad you're here. Thank you for coming to men's conference.
You may be seated. This is one out of every three Americans. Approximately 122 million people fall in this category. They say roughly 18% of this generation identifies as atheist or agnostic or they have no religious affiliation. Only 3% of this generation reads the word of God on a regular basis. This generation watches over 7 hours of video a day on their phone. Some of you most probably pretty close to them. But this is the most isolated and disconnected generation in America. The biggest social media generation of our lifetime. But if the truth is told today, they are lonely and they are empty. And you say we have a problem. But I say today, no, we have an opportunity. We just need to follow the playbook of scripture and everyone in our churches have to take the next right step. Amen.
So today, if you're a parent or a neighbor or a fellow church member or a student yourselves, each of us has a part to play in pouring into and developing and believing in the next generation. I have been reading chronologically through the Bible and most of us, we think that Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament. But brother Orson, chronologically, it's Nehemiah. And Nehemiah is the last story in history before Jesus Christ in the New Testament, as he's already told us. Nehemiah was a cupbearer for the king and he had obtained favor. And Nehemiah made an appeal to the king that he wanted to go home and rebuild his country. He had a mind to work. And today, what I'm asking, you already got part one. This is part two. But what I'm asking is for the spirit of Nehemiah to jump on all of us. And I believe that's going to happen before this service is over today. That that spirit is going to come into you. Amen. He's already gave it to you, but I give it to you again. Verse 14. "After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles and the officials and the rest of the people, 'Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome.'" And then he gave us this admonition. And this is the last admonition you're getting before you leave men's conference today. And that is this: Fight for your families. Fight for your sons. Fight for your daughters. Fight for your wives and fight for your homes. It's time that we as apostolic men fight for our families. If you're willing to do that, clap your hands to the Lord. Don't be fearful. Don't be discouraged today. But fight for your families.
Our role. Whether you are a young man here today or you're closer to the end than the beginning of your life, each of us, each of us have a role in fighting for this generation. And I speak that this generation wants us to fight for them. Brother Stton, not too long ago, I heard a survey that a pastor, a friend of mine, did with several hundred young people. I was able to get some of the information, but he basically gave them a blank piece of paper and it said this: "I wish my parents knew." It encouraged them to just fill that open-ended statement out. And here are some of the responses from several hundred young people. Listen to me today. "I wish my parents knew. Even though my actions don't always show it, I desperately want to please them. I wish my parents knew how much I love them, even though I don't always say it. I wish my parents knew how much I treasured their advice, even when I acted like I couldn't care less. I wish my dad knew how much I loved holding his hand, even when I would look like it embarrassed me in front of my friends. I wished my parents knew when they wouldn't let me date a guy and I acted mad. I was really thankful that they were fighting for me. I wish my parents knew that instead of threatening to punish me, I need them to do it. I wish my parents knew that when I saw them fight all the time, it really messed me up. I wish my parents knew that their words impact me more than any others. Things they don't remember saying have changed my life. Last but not least, I wish my parents knew I really want to be open with them about my mistakes and the evils I face every day." It's very sobering today. But what is that generation saying to us? I believe in the Holy Ghost, they are crying out to all of us, "Please be more involved in my life."
May we hear the cry of this generation. It's time for the horse and for the spirit of Nehemiah to rise up in all of us. Come on, somebody. It's time for that spirit to come on us today. We got to fight for our families. We got to fight for our sons. We got to fight for our daughters. We got to fight for this generation. Sometimes it may seem like they want us to back off. But the truth is, this generation, I believe, wants us to fight for them. We got to engage with those younger than us and see this generation change in the name of Jesus Christ.
There are four things I want to give you real quick today that I think, according to the scripture, again, I'm just here, I'm a "kiss it" kind of preacher. Keep it simple, son. Mississippi would say, "Keep it simple, stupid." I'm simple, but I'm going to give you what the Lord gave me. Four things for us to do according to the scripture. Number one is, we got to pray for this generation. Men, prayer still works. My wife and I pray for our kids. We pray for every kid in our church. We've told them, "Listen, don't let the world change you. You can change the world." Listen, I want my kids to hear me pray. The way I learned to pray, Brother Libby, was listening to my father pray. I would go into the church or go into the living room and he, he would be kneeling down and on the floor. He would be laying prostrate on the floor and he would be pleading the blood. I learned to plead the blood from my father. Listen, we as men have got to teach our children how to pray. "God, I need you. God, I trust you. God, I can't make it without you." Come on, men. We got to show our kids how to trust in the Lord. We got to show our kids how to depend on the Lord. Can someone say amen? Man, you got to pray for your kids and your grandkids, but also you got to pray in front of your kids and your grandkids because they want you to fight for them. Can someone say amen?
So, what would you, what should we pray for them? We got to pray for them to have a fear and a reverence of God. The Bible tells us in Psalms 34:11, "Come, my children, listen to me and I will teach you to fear the Lord." Fear, what is that? That is a respect for how sovereign our God is, how omniscient he is, how omnipotent he is. We got to teach our kids how to fear or respect the Lord. We got to pray for them to be surrounded with divine favor. The Bible tells us in Psalms 5:12, "For it is you who blesses the righteous one, O Yahweh; you surround him with favor as with a large shield." We got to pray for God to position them exactly where he can use them. We got to pray for God's power to be evident in their lives and make sure they know who's they are. Come on, somebody. I am His. Our kids are His. I pray Luke 2:52 over every person in this building today. The Bible says that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man. I pray that over every man in this building, that you will increase in wisdom beyond your years and stature, first and foremost with God, but secondly with man. God wants to use you. You got to be willing to be a vessel for the Holy Ghost to flow through. And you got to pray that over your kids in Jesus' name. Can someone say amen? Amen.
We got to pray for God to bring our kids godly friends and godly influences. The Bible says Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Listen, show me your kids' friends and I will show you their future. We pray that God will send positive voices into the lives of our kids. Not only should we pray for them, but we must not forget, we got to proclaim the truth to them. The Bible tells us in Deuteronomy 6:6-9, "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children. You shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, when you lie down, when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." What is that telling? The emphasis is on the constant and consistent declaration and display of God's word. I understand doctrine because my father put it in me. My kids understand doctrine because I'm putting it in them. "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord." You shall be saved. Can somebody say amen?
As parents, we fall into the trap of compartmentalizing the Bible into a few hours at church every week. That will not get the job done. I ask you, when was the last time you, as a man and a family, had a Bible study in your home? Got real quiet. Well, that's what we do at church. Listen, go home from this conference and buy you an "Exploring God's Word" Bible study or pull out the old "Search for Truth" Bible study and teach your family the word of God. Can someone say amen? Amen.
I grew up in a construction family. I worked in it, as I said while ago, for 34 years. But from the time I was 12 to 46 and went into full-time ministry, things did not always go as planned. And yet, in the midst of machinery breaking down and the weather not cooperating with our plans, I never heard my dad curse. I never heard him complain. Instead, he would quote a verse. He would sing a song. He would take it to the Lord in prayer. Listen, we cannot teach what we have not learned yet. Can someone say amen? Amen. We got to pray for our kids. We got to proclaim the truth to our kids. And third, we have to prioritize church. I know I mentioned it last night, but let me say this to everyone, but especially to the fathers and the grandfathers. Make church a priority. Make church a priority. It was never a question, "Are we going to church today?" What about if you're sick? "We need to go get prayer at the church." There was never an excuse. "Well, my nose is running." We're going to go get prayer. Let me remind all of us today, your kids need more than online church. They need a hug in the foyer. They need a firm handshake. They need a positive smile from a teacher. Me and your kids need to see you worship and come to this altar.
There's one couple that came to church one time. They had a fight on the way. It was pretty intense. They got to church. The man decided, "Listen, I'm going to worship God anyway." So, man, he took out running. He made a lap. When he came by his wife, his wife just stuck out her fist and hit him right in the nose when he came by. She said, "What are you doing? Don't you know we fought on the way to church?" He said, "Listen, I'm mad at you. I ain't mad at God." Come on, somebody. You can still worship in the house of God even though you fought on the way to church. We got to show our kids how to worship. We got to show our kids how to praise. Lift our hands, clap our hands, shout on the Lord with a voice of triumph.
God created us for relationship and we need the church body. Jesus showed us in Luke 4:16, "He went to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue as was his custom." You know, this generation, let me say this, maybe this is not you, but listen, sports didn't get in the way when I was growing up. Little Johnny most probably ain't gonna make the MLB or the NBA or the soccer or whatever. He most probably ain't going to do it. Vacation didn't get in the way. It was his custom. My father and my father-in-law, and I'm not telling you I've done this, but my father and my father-in-law never missed a service, Brother Thornon, in over 50 years before their passings. If there was church and the lights were on, we were going to be there. What does Hebrews tell us 10:23-25? It says, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we possess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching." What do our kids need to see? They need to see consistent discipline and strength that coming to church gives them. Come on, somebody. They have got to see us have the right priorities. We got to pray for them. We got to proclaim the truth to them. And we have to prioritize church attendance.
Listen, I'm so thankful that we received inspiration and revelation. But as a man of God, I'm more concerned about activation. We can't just be a hearer only, but we have to be a doer. The fourth and final point I want to make today is we must participate in the development of the younger generation. I'm challenging today. How do we do that? First of all, we have to be an example to them. Mentoring your child is not a part-time job. We cannot get away from investing in others. It is throughout the scripture. I ask you today this question: Who are you investing in? I hope that you take time to invest in your own family first. The second question I'm going to ask you this: What is your disciple's name? If you can't answer that, God is speaking to you right now because the last command he gave us was, "Go ye therefore and make disciples." The first disciples we need to be making is our kids. The second disciple we need to be making is other people. Can someone say amen? Amen.
Just everybody in here, we want to be a disciplemaker. We want to be a Christian. You know, we want to be a better father. You know, we want to be a better son. Everybody in here, we want to be a better employee, a better employer. All of us, we have uphill hopes. We have uphill dreams. God doesn't want you to use me. But if we'll be honest, we have uphill hopes and uphill dreams. But too many of us have downhill habits. And I came to remind us today of the four things we got to pray. Come on, somebody. We got to proclaim the truth. We got to prioritize church attendance and we have to participate. Listen, living for God hard is very easy. When you try to live for God easy, it's going to be very, very hard. And Titus tells us, he said, "Let the older teach the younger." I'm asking some of the men that are 30 and older in here, who are you teaching and who are you mentoring in your church? The Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 3:14, "But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true. For you know you can trust those who taught you. Take what you have learned and pass it on." I've learned some things not to do and I've learned some things to do. One of my favorite questions to ask people is this right here: "Who has been the greatest influence in your life?" I'm trying to touch every generation in this building today. Out of the people that I asked that question to, nine out of 10 talk about a grandparent for those who have had the privilege of having a grandparent around them. So I speak to the grandfathers in this building today. Your job is not done. You can still make a difference in your grandkids. Your voice matters in your grandkids. Can someone say amen? Amen.
I didn't have the privilege of being around my grandparents a whole lot. For me, the greatest influence in my life was my dad. And as a father, as my kids have grown up and moved out, I've realized that I had the greatest opportunity to be a positive influence and a godly man while they lived at home. We have to be an example to them. Listen, you don't have to be perfect, but you got to be consistent. Maybe you don't know much about the Bible. That's okay. Keep learning. I don't know everything about the Bible. I've never been to Bible college. You know, I have a construction engineering degree and an MBA. I know more about business than I do about the Bible. But my dad put it in me and I'm trying my best to put it in my kids. The Bible says in Titus 2:6-7, "In the same way, encourage young men to live wisely, and you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching." We as men need to set an example in our speech and in our actions and in our patience. We need to be as patient as we are Pentecostal.
Not only should we be an example, we should also be available for them. You got to mentor someone. Take a young person to coffee. Take someone to lunch or dinner every month. Let them know that they can call you if they need you. You got to set aside time to be with your kids. You got to be intentional. This is not in my notes, but listen, since I've been married, my wife and I, every single week, we plan, we, we schedule, we have a date night for just she and I without the kids. That's one of the best things we've ever done for our marriage. But the second thing that we've done that was great for our family is every week we had a family night. So, we had three kids. So, this week, this kid got to choose. Next week, that kid got to choose what to do. But listen, you got to invest in your wife. You got to invest in your kids. You got to pour the word of God in them. You got to show them how to be a Christian. God has called us. Listen, be an example and be available for them. The Bible tells us in Psalms 90:12, "So teach us to number our days, that we may present to you a heart of wisdom." Listen, this is not about just counting your days, but this is about making every day count. We got to be intentional. If you want to do that as a man, clap your hands to the Lord and lift your hands and say, "God, help me to fight for my family."
Not only should we be an example for them and be available to them, we got to be positive about them. What do you mean by that? Listen, be honest. We didn't do everything perfectly. I made a lot of mistakes. You know, my kids know this more than anyone as a father. You know, my wife Demetri, we haven't been perfect parents. We don't have perfect kids, going to have a perfect family. But I'm so thankful, all right, that if you call my son right now, Jace, he's James E. Carney. Listen, give me the priorities according to the word of God. It's God, it's family, it's church, and then it's work. God, family, church, and work. And this men's conference is a time for us to get realigned to the right priorities in our life. It's time to seek God first. It's time to put our family second. It's time to put church third, and everything else follows after them. I'm so thankful today. My kids aren't perfect, but I want to be thankful today that my kids love God. My kids love my wife and I. They love the church and they love people. Come on, somebody. We have no greater joy than my kids walk in truth.
Please come to the music. Listen, if your child makes a mistake, and they will, don't point out what they did. You can say, "Hey, that's what you did, but that's not who you are." Come on, somebody. How do I know that? According to the word of God, Romans 4:17, "He is our father in the sight of God in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not." What am I saying? We got to speak life over our kids. We got to speak life over our grandkids. We got to speak life over this next generation. We got to believe in them. Can someone say amen?
Brother Orson, you preached my message, but I'm going to close with it anyway. This generation wants us to fight for them. Can everybody say amen? But I also want you to know what else the word says. The second reminder today is Nehemiah 4:20, "When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding, then our God will fight for us." I think the conclusion of this message today is He's saying to all of us, "When you fight for your family, I will fight for you." He's not going to fight for you unless you fight for your family. The way I feel led in the Holy Ghost to end this service today, I know you young men stood up a little bit ago, that anyone in the age group from 7 to 27, I want you to come and I want you to face this altar. And I want these young men to know that they have a generation. If you'd come forward, if you guys don't mind, line up across the front if you don't mind. I feel led in the Holy Ghost to do this. I want you young men to know, look me in the eye. I want you to know I love you and I believe in you. God's hand is on your life, Jordan. You made a lot of mistakes. That's what you did. That's not who you are. God has placed His hand upon you. Every one of you young men, the world wants you. The enemy wants you. He wants to steal, kill, and destroy. But I want you to know that I love you and I believe in you and I'm going to fight for you. You got a lot of men behind you that's going to come up right now. I want you to come behind these young men. I want you to know you got some men that's going to fight for you. Not only we going to fight for you as our our kids and our young people, we're going to go home from this place and we're going to fight for our families. Come on right now. I want you to come up. I want you to pray blessings over these young men. I want you to pray in the Holy Ghost over these young men. It starts with repentance. We put our faith in you today. You might have made mistakes, but you are one decision away from receiving Him and turning things around in your life. We're fighting for you. We believe in you.
You I have chosen you. The Lord bless you and keep you. Make His face shine upon you. Be gracious to you. The Lord turn toward you and give you peace. The Lord bless you and keep you. Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. Hallelujah. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Be upon you generations and your family and your children and your children and your children. His favor. You thought He was not mad at you. He's still not only going to the right door at the right time in the right city. The children and their children and their children coming to the Lord generations and your family and your children and you love you loving crown and we look to you Jesus as the author and the finisher of our faith. with you. He is with you. He is with you in the morning. In the evening, in your comfort, in your glory, in your weeping. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is doing it. He is working for you. He is for you. He is for you. Amen. Well, you are you haven't given up here. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. May his favor be upon you in a thousand generations and your family and your children and their children and their children. May his favor be upon you in a thousand generations and your family and their children and their children and their children in the morning, in the evening, and you're coming and you're going and you're weeping and rejoicing. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. He is for you. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus.
Are you willing to fight for your family? Are you willing to go home and fight for your family? Pray for them. Proclaim the truth to them. Prioritize church attendance, but we have to participate in the lives of this next generation. Listen to me one second. One second before I leave this pulpit. The Lord laid something on my heart while I was praying just a few seconds ago. Concerning Samson, he made a lot of mistakes, but the greatest victory he had in his life was at his end, at the end of his life. But let me say this, all right? If we can take the eyesight and the vision of this younger generation and can meld it with the strength and the resources of this older generation, we can bring the house down. But it's going to take both generations working together. The older generation respecting the younger generation and the younger generation respecting the older generation. We need each other. But if we can lock arms together and unite together in love, there is no telling what God can do in your family, in your church, in your community. But we got to fight for our family. I love you. God bless you. It's been an honor to be with you. May God get all the glory and all the praise. Hallelujah. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Can we just raise our hands right now and receive what the Holy Ghost is doing? This isn't a position, a title. Can't put what God's calling us to on an org chart. It's got to be our elder men recognizing there's no place I get to where my role in the church is finished. This isn't a role. It's a responsibility. I believe that if the elder generations of our church, so I guess that's 30 and above, would make up in our mind that we are going to start mentoring this younger generation. Not because there's some, maybe your church can come up with a way to make it a program, but I just think if you just make up in your mind, I'm going to find a young man, a couple of them, and I'm going to start mentoring them in alignment with the vision that God's given the pastor. I'm going to, I'm going to begin finding these young men and mentor. I'm just telling you, the devil will not be able to stop what God is going to do in our churches. It'll give our elder generation fresh purpose and it'll give our younger generation vision and they, they're going to feel important. They're going to feel involved. And so, I want to invite us. I know this for my local church. I see it. It happens right as people get older. Amen. And it can, I think it was, uh, with Samuel, Eli's eyes that start to get them. And I think with our older generation, if we're not careful, they can drift off. But we need our elder generation to get plugged in in this hour. We need them. Amen. We need them. And I can't, one man can't do it. There's no way the pastor of your church, I don't care what size your church is, there's no way one man can do it. There. It's impossible for me to mentor all the young men in my church, no matter how hard I try. But if I can get a team of men to come alongside of me and say, "Come on, pastor. We're going to, we're going to develop these young men together. We're going to develop these young men. Take them to coffee. Take them camping for a weekend. Whatever you need to do."