Transcription
Praise the Lord, everybody! Let's stand together in the house of the Lord. I want to, I want to start just a little bit different tonight by telling you how thankful I am. I don't know why, but just a such a gratitude has washed over me for this church, for the people of this church, for our community, the area that we live in. You know, we're blessed people. We're really blessed. It is so easy to get focused on the negative, but we are blessed. Hallelujah, we are blessed.
We've made a couple of changes recently, and I want to say how thankful I am that Brother Cardwell is going to be working with all of our guests. It came to our attention, uh, here a while back that over the last couple of years, we've averaged 50 to 70 guests on Sunday. What a, what a deal! [Applause] I know you're, I know you're standing, so give me just a minute to say a couple of things to you before we pray. But with that in mind, and we can clap and say, "Oh, that's wonderful." It's wonderful to have that many guests, but you got to flip that around and understand that puts a huge responsibility on us. Because if people think enough of us to come out here and be in service with us, then we've got to do our best to see what we can do for them. What drew them here? Why, why did they drive out here? Sometimes from Decatur or Forest or wherever, Philadelphia, some Jackson and Meridian to pay us a visit and be in service with us.
And so, the person that has shown a tremendous amount of burden, well, many of you have. Because there's, as Brother, uh, Chase Boatwright did such a tremendous job Sunday and outlining all the people in this church that are teaching Bible studies. Thank you. It came to our attention that there are a few of you, Brother Brad Forsyth, Brother, uh, Chris McGrone, Brother Nick Cardwell, different ones have really shown an extraordinary burden for all these guests that are coming. And I prayed about it, and the Holy Ghost really moved on me to have Brother Nick Cardwell just focus on organizing these people on a day-to-day basis to make sure every guest is taken, that they're contacted, that we, we make an effort to make sure we stay in contact with them. And so he's going to be, he's going to be heading up making sure that we maximize on every guest that walks through that back door. Thank you, Brother Cardwell. I can't count the times that he's came to me weeping, telling me about different guests that we've had and and keeping track. In fact, there's some of you that are here tonight that Brother Cardwell's made sure he contacted you and stayed in touch with you. So with that in mind, we're so excited about about our our Outreach Department working with our guests.
Also, thank you, uh, Sister Anna Fedrick for, uh, being the new principal of our school and doing such a great job with our school. And what brought all that to my mind and made me thankful as I walked in the conference room to start this service, and this was laying on the table. I don't know whose it is, I don't know where it came from, but I picked it up to find out what it was. And this is what it says: "What I would like my principal to know about me." Now, the name is not filled in, and we don't even have a grade. But this is how the statement starts, anyways: "My best friends are Jesse Bailey and Cole Barber." So I have no idea who this belongs to, but Sister Anna, we want you to know that whoever this is, they have two best friends: Jesse Bailey and Cole Barber. Isn't it a wonderful thing to have a great community, a great school, a great church family? Aren't you thankful?
And with that, we also have a great Adult Choir. I want them to come right now. While they're coming, would you invite the presence of the Lord into this house and pray for our young people next door that our students that are having church? Jesus, dear Lord, as this Adult Choir comes, we want you to know that we want to worship you. We want to praise you and magnify your name in this service tonight. Anoint us as we lift you up and magnify your name. Anoint the Adult Choir as they sing, or the senior choirs as they sing. Bless us tonight in Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. God bless you. Shake someone's hand as you're seated. Welcome someone to the house of the Lord. Unless you have church in Jesus' name.
[Music]
Every day.
[Music]
Will redeem. Every year.
[Music]
Again. Watch like you won't have to shine. Story with their voices clear and strong. In the redeemed. Every year.
[Music]
Redeemed.
[Music]
Yes.
[Music]
Go with redeem. Or gathering in. It was like slow. Everyone. [Applause]
Praise the Lord, everybody! I'm so thankful for that Senior Choir. You, if you, you can make your way back to your seats. Uh, that's this probably seems getting ready to sing. I'm just overwhelmed by thankfulness also. I'm thankful for Brother Cody Smith. He does a fantastic job leading the Senior Choir every week. I'm so blessed to hear about this, all these songs that you know. I didn't grow up, go grow up in church. I didn't get to grow up sitting on a pew listening to this Apostolic worship, these Apostolic songs. And hearing it, hearing the word sung was about being redeemed to get into heaven. And I'm overwhelmed with thankfulness. You, you can be seated, but I'm overwhelmed with thankfulness that, hey, one day I get to wake up and I don't, and I, I get to wake up in heaven. I get to worship God for all of eternity. And I'm so thankful for becoming that I get to raise my children sitting on an Apostolic pew, getting it right, get raised on hearing Brother Smith sing, getting the raised in the hero of the car will say, getting to raise them here, all these great singers in this church. I'm so thankful that they get to see, hear the words of these songs. They get to hear the words of worship that I never got to grow up with. And I'm so thankful that they get the opportunity to look, hey, one day, Daddy, we gonna go to heaven. One day, Mama, we want to go to heaven. I'm so thankful for that. I'm so thankful for this church. I'm so thankful for the vision of our pastor. I'm so thankful for all the leaders of labor. I'm so thankful for it worship with the praise him as they say.
[Music]
But the walls.
[Music]
Oh, nobody can tear me down.
[Music]
Minutes.
[Music]
Foreign.
[Music]
[Music]
If the Lord hears the house.
[Music]
[Music]
The bricks together.
[Music]
That whatever.
[Music]
[Music]
Right.
[Music]
Nobody else.
[Music]
[Music]
Sing this with us. For me in my house.
[Music]
He's the king. Come on.
[Music]
Please come on in Arizona.
[Music]
[Music]
Thank you.
[Music]
[Music]
For me.
[Music]
[Music]
I'll be alone.
[Music]
One more time.
[Music]
God.
[Music]
[Applause]
Nobody.
[Music]
Else. Nobody else.
[Music]
[Music]
I wish I could do that one more time. I want somebody. I'm standing over praying. I believe God told me there's 12 people that came in here. You may, you may be a guest. You may be accepted as a member of this church, but God said there's 12 people that's came into this church and they found a need that needs to be fixed tonight.
[Music]
Brought you here to give you the answer that you need tonight. I want them to go through that one more time. I want you to really worship. I want you to really fight for that that you really need us and God's gonna deliver it right now.
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
Come on.
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
Friends.
[Applause]
[Music]
Episodes.
[Music]
Your mouth.
[Music]
[Music]
Foreign.
[Music]
[Music]
Lord, you're so mighty. God, if you're praying, you continue praying. If you make your way back to your seats, this is a part, one of the most important parts of the service. We want to give you an opportunity to be blessed today. That's just the columns get ready to sing. Uh, we get some issues to help us. We really want to give you an opportunity to be blessed. The best way to be blessed and to be able to give to the kingdom of God, and it always comes back to press down, shaking together, and running over. I'm so thankful to be able to give to His kingdom. Lord, I ask you, God, to bless every giver. God, I ask you, Lord, to bless and the firmness of your kingdom and your gospel. God, in the name of Jesus. Worship with him. Is this thing? Thank you.
[Music]
[Music]
Up on me.
[Music]
[Music]
I'm not, I'm not safe.
[Music]
[Music]
Followed me through darkness and chased me down with mercy beyond my past. And there is nothing I have ever done.
[Music]
[Music]
Oh, Jesus. Change.
[Music]
Thank you for setting me free. Thank you for taking these chains off of me. Thank you that I'm not who I used to be. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for setting me free. Thank you for taking these things.
[Music]
Who are you this way? Calling my name.
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
Thank you. Hallelujah. Aren't you glad to be in church tonight, man? I'm so excited about what God's doing. I'm so excited about all the, the guests. I'm excited about all the new people that God is baptizing and filling with the Holy Ghost. And I know you're standing, and it's 8 o'clock, and, uh, so I want to go quickly to the word of the Lord. I would like to go to, I would like to go to Proverbs chapter 11 and verse 13 for your consideration for a few minutes tonight. Proverbs chapter 11 and verse 13.
[Music]
A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. Don't you want to be faithful?
[Music]
You know, I'm amazed that the word faithful is used in this verse. Because when we're told in the word of God, what Jesus is going to say when we're welcomed into the kingdom is, "Welcome, into the joy of the Lord, my good and faithful servant." And this says that a talebearer, that's not talking about short skirts.
[Music]
It's talking about gossip. After.
[Music]
25 years of pastoring, gossip's worse than a short skirt. You can, you can get long skirts on someone easier. You can get gossip out of somebody's spirit.
[Music]
A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. One more passage before you're seated, then I'm gonna let you be seated. Second Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 20. Second Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 20. Second Corinthians 12 and 20. For a little bit of teaching tonight. For I fear, Paul is talking to the church at Corinth, and he said, "I have a fear." He says, "My fear is that when I come, I shall not find you such as I would." He said, "There's a condition that I would like to find you in." You know what I believe that condition was? I believe that was a condition of harvest. He wanted to find him in harvest. Hallelujah. And that I shall be found unto you such as you would not, lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, stripes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults. My goodness. He says, "I'm afraid that's what I'm gonna find instead of revival." I want to preach to you for a few minutes from this subject: "The Harvest Will Go On." The Harvest will go on. God bless you. You can be seated. Would you lift your hands and ask the Holy Ghost to talk to our hearts for a few minutes tonight? God, in the name of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Ghost, or the anointing of your word, I'm asking you, God, to take everything out of my spirit that you don't want me to say tonight, and put everything in that you do want me to say. Anoint this tongue of flesh that I can say something to help your people tonight, God, that I can continue the great harvest and the great anointing that's on this church. In the precious name of Jesus, I've got to have you tonight. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Amen. The Harvest will go on. I, uh, I've not been able to get away from Brother Holland's last message that he preached at Pine Grove Pentecostal Church. He talked about great harvest, he talked about great outpouring, he talked about great growth, he talked about building buildings, expansion. He prophesied that God was going to supply the needs financially in every other way for these things to happen. And of course, in order for all that to take place, there's got to be great blessing among the people of God and a willingness to give. But then he said something that has disturbed me every time I pray. I'm praying about it. And if you were wise, every time you'd pray, you'd be praying about it. And this is what he said that disturbed me: He said, "If this great harvest is hindered, it will not be hindered from without, it will be hindered from within." I'm going to preach tonight about the only thing that I know of that can hinder revival. There's only one thing I know of that can stop revival in a church. This is not just from observation, this is from God's word. Only one thing brings revival, and only one thing stops revival. Now, this is the, the, it's important that you hear what I'm saying tonight, because Brother Holland was so anointed that I wasn't here that weekend, but I, as I'm listening to the live stream, I'm understanding everything that's coming out of this man's mouth is straight from heaven. He, he, he's not sermonizing, he's not preaching, he's not, I mean, I mean, God is speaking through this man. If you were here, you had no doubt that you were hearing the voice of heaven through a human vessel. And for him to all of a sudden stop and say, "If this thing is hindered, it will be hindered from without, from within, not from without." Now, I've been in, I've been in Pentecost all my life. All I've ever known is the Apostolic Church and the Apostolic movement. And the only thing I know of that has ever caused a church trouble or hindered a church in revival has been gossip. Other things don't hinder a church. I've seen, and God forbid that any of these things would ever happen to Pine Grove. Thank God we've never had to deal with some of this stuff. But if adultery were to take place in a church, that wouldn't hinder the revival, but the gossip about it would. It wouldn't be the adultery, it'd be those good saints that just couldn't keep their mouths shut, just couldn't help themselves but to spread it and talk about it. Adultery could come and go and never, I mean, never affect the church if saints could just keep their mouths shut and just simply say, "That's none of my business. That has nothing to do with me. I have nothing to say about that." But for some reason, good saints find the righteous indignation to feel like they ought to go all over town asking people that don't even go to this church to help them pray about it.
[Music]
Um, I'm, I'm preaching to you tonight. You see, gossip is an insidious force. It sneaks into our conversation, it poisons our relationships, it tarnishes our souls, and it lays siege on our character. I heard a preacher say this, so this is not original with me, but it was so good that that I've got to repeat it. But he said that the reason Lucifer loves gossip so much is because it's only, it's one of the only sins that he gets a two for one. In other words, when you gossip, it destroys the person you're gossiping about, and it destroys the gossiper. That's why he likes it so much. He destroys both. Let's look right quick at James 3 and 6. James 3 and 6. Now, we're going to turn this thing positive in the end, so buckle your seatbelt for a few minutes. Buckle your seatbelt for a few minutes. It's going to get rough for just a few minutes, and then it'll, it will turn it positive. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body. You know, when you're trying to destroy that other person, you're really destroying yourself. And setteth on fire the course of nature, and the tongue is set on fire of hell. You know, God gave us that tongue to lift Him up, to praise His name, to magnify Him. But when the, when the tongue is used to destroy the fabric of the church, it divides in order to conquer. No person is ever so much like the devil as when they're accusing the brethren. You see, that's what Job tells us. That the devil is, the Bible says that the, the sons of God came before the throne of God, and Satan came among them, and he was there to accuse the brethren. Gossip is accusing your brothers and sisters. It's accusations against people that are trying to live for God. And the Bible warns us against it. And here's what, here's what the Bible says about it. Jesus says that if you hurt one of these my little ones, well, I'm going to tell you, I don't know anything that hurts like gossip. You know, the amazing thing is, is you wouldn't want anybody gossiping about you. It's one of those things that, that when you do it, you wouldn't want somebody doing it to you. Oh, my goodness, why can't we shake ourselves? I said, why would I do to someone else what I wouldn't want done to me? He said, "If you were to hurt one of these my little ones, it would be, it would be better for you to tie a millstone around your neck and cast yourself into the floor of the ocean." If unity brings revival, then division stops it. If unity causes revival to happen, then a lack of unity is what stops a revival dead in its tracks. Now, here's the deceiving thing about gossip. Here's the deceiving thing about talking about people. Is it can always be justified? There's not a thing that you can tell that you can't justify it if you want to. That's why gossip is so deceptive. It doesn't matter how bad it is, it doesn't matter how ugly it is, it doesn't matter how unkind it is, it doesn't matter how much trouble it's going to start. It can always be just about, "Well, the whole reason I told them is just to protect them." Well, I mean, someone needed to know. I just had to get it off of me. I just need you to tell somebody. I just need to deliver my soul. Well, I'm just so worried. I'm so concerned about this. There's always a justification for gossip. That's what's so deceiving about it. Is it can always be justified? But you know, but you know the real reason it is always jealousy or envy. There's always an evil motive for gossip. And you know in your heart, we all know in our hearts when our gossip is for an ulterior motive, no matter how we might paint it. And you're never so smart that you're not tricking, that you're tricking eternity. Now, that's the important thing. Because here's what I came to present to you. When, when gossip and slander come together, they, they, they're always fruitful. They always bear children. And the children that are born of the union of slander and gossip is destruction and hell. But never for your intended target. I am convinced after 25 years of pastoring that people that get upset and always say, "Why is all this bad stuff happening to me? It don't seem like I can catch a break. It seems like everything that happens to me is bad. It seems like all kind of bad stuff is happening to me." They never stop to think that there is a reaping for gossip. If you're a gossiper, you're going to have bad stuff. If you're a gossiper, you're going to reap a harvest to that gossip. Bad is coming to you. The things you wished on others with your gossip is going to return. You're going to struggle financially. You're going to struggle with downturns. You're going to struggle with bad things happening. It is the children, it is the birthing process of gossip. Um, gossip is a boomerang. It always comes back to the gossiper. And then the gossiper wonders, "Well, why is this happening? What, what is taking place in my life?" And they become more bitter and more envious and more angry. Hmm. Hallelujah. I'm preaching to you tonight. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 29. Gossip is always the result of arrogance and pride, because humble people don't talk about others. One of the signs of humility is that you're not a gossip. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Man, is that, is that what, what's happening with what you're talking about? Is it bringing grace to the people that's listening to you? Proverbs 20 and 19. I'm gonna, I'm gonna use a lot of scripture tonight. Proverbs chapter 20 and verse 19. He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips. Now, this is a, this is an amazing scripture because it says that while they're bearing tales about others, they're flattering you. "I'm telling you about this because I know you pray. I'm telling you about this because I know I can trust you. The whole reason I'm coming to you about this is because I know you're just going to lift these people up before the throne of heaven." You know what it says? You stay away from people like that. Let me just say this, you wouldn't have gossip in a church if people are righteous enough to stop them dead in their tracks. Say, "Don't say that to me. I have plenty to pray about. I don't need you adding to my prayer list. Don't talk about them to me." You know, so you say, "Well, I don't, I don't, I don't want to be rude." Well, what about how rude they're being? You know, you know the reason we don't stop them is this is what the Bible says, and I won't take time to go there because I'm, uh, it's already 8:24, so I gotta hurry up if I'm gonna turn this message. But the Bible says it's because gossip is a delicious morsel. Yeah, I'm telling you, the Bible literally says that gossip is a sweet morsel, and it hits just the right place in our bosom. You know, they're saying it just hits different. That's why we like gossip so much. It just hits different. It's part of our flesh, and we like to hear it. But what we don't understand is, one of the greatest insults is when somebody will gossip to you. It shows that they don't respect your walk with God. If they will gossip to you, that's why the pastor's always the last one to hear about things. It'll go all over the church. You know, just ask them when they start in, just say, "Have you talked to Pastor?" "Well, I didn't want to bother him." "No, if you're that concerned about this, if you went, this is, I'm stopping your air. Don't, don't tell me anymore. Have you took this to Brother Cole?" "Well, no, I, I thought I'd have some people pray about." "No, you, it's because you respect the pastor enough not to go try to gossip to him. What does that say about how you feel about me?" We wouldn't have gossips if we didn't have ears that was willing to receive it. Um.
[Applause]
It's time for you to stand up and say, "My ears are not a garbage dump. My ears are not a garbage can. I don't want to hear stuff about people. I, I don't come, bring it to me. Pray about it. Talk to the Lord about it. I can't do anything about it, but God can." And, and sometimes you need to ask yourself, "What if this was my brother or sister?" When you talk about someone, what, what if that was your blood brother? Would you want that said about you? What said about your blood brother? If, if the same thing that you're telling about that person was being told about your brother, you'd be ready to scratch somebody's eyes out.
Um, you said, "Brother Copeland, what are you preaching about tonight?" I'm preaching about 25 years of pastoring, and I'm preaching about the fact that the Holy Ghost has been moving on me about if anything's going to stop this harvest, it's going to be dissension, because unity brings revival. You say, "How do you know that?" Because on the, the greatest revival that was ever started was started in Acts the second chapter, and this is what it says about that revival: "And they were all in one place, and they were all in one accord." There was unity. They had the same goal. They were pulling for the same purpose. Oh, Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Man, I'm, I'm telling you, I'm feeling the Holy Ghost. We're about to, we're about to turn this thing. I'm here to announce to you that the harvest will go on. We're not going to let anything stop the harvest that has come to Pine Grove Pentecostal Church.
[Applause]
Let's go right quick to Proverbs 6 chapter 6 or verses 16-19. Proverbs 6:16-19. Then we're going to do our best after a couple of scriptures to turn this thing positive. Proverbs chapter 6, verse 16-19. This was amazing to me when I saw this today. The Bible says there are six things that the Lord hates. Men, I'm just telling you right now, I don't want God hating the things that I do. I got enough problems without stirring up God's hatred. I got enough issues in my life without stirring up God's hatred. I'm telling you, some of the strongest words in the Bible are found in the book of Romans. You know that? You know that book that, that they say is a grace book, and that book that's so much about the grace and the mercy and the love of God? One of the strongest statements in your Bible is in that sweet, graceful book. It's in the ninth chapter. You know what it says? It says, "Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated." Now, surely there's got to be a problem in translation, because I never want to believe that God can hate someone. But if I can, if I can turn that kind of feeling from God to make God hate me, I pray that that's not true. I pray that Romans, that that ninth chapter of Romans, that there's some kind of translation issue. That's my prayer. Because I don't want to believe that God can hate His own creation or somebody that He loved. But if it's possible that He does, there are six things the Lord hates, seven are an abomination to Him. And then when the list comes on, I want you to know that almost every one of these six is talking about gossip. A proud look. I told you earlier, humble people don't, don't gossip. Gossip is bound in pride. A lying tongue. You, you can't gossip without lying. Hands that shed innocent blood. That's what gossip is. You're destroying an innocent person. A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations. That's gossip. Feet that are swift in running to the bishop. That's mischief. That's gossip. A false witness that speaketh lies. That's gossip. And he that soweth discord among the brethren. That's what gossip does. When you gossip, you are guilty of the six things the Lord hates.
[Applause]
God, don't let me talk about people. Don't let me run people down. Don't let me cause confusion. God, no matter how much I try to justify my motives. Oh, Hallelujah! Now, let me redeem you a little bit. You know why this church has had so much growth? Because of preaching like this. You know why this church has unity and don't have division? Because of preaching like this. You want to know why we've got have growth? Because I preach like this.
[Applause]
Man, we got to stay together. We got to edify each other. We can't be guilty of tearing each other down. If there's anything this church needs to do, it's to love one another and cover one another and stand together. And, and through doing that, the harvest will go on. It will continue.
[Applause]
But if somehow a gossip slips in among us, if someone how someone is found to be gossiping among us, and you come across it, you need to be the first one in all the love and care and concern to say, "Don't do that to me. Don't do that to yourself. Stop that. That's destructive. We can't have that. That's not love. This church has got to be a church of love if we're going to keep this revival going. We've got to care about each other. We can't talk about each other. We can't talk behind each other's backs. We're going to love each other because the harvest must go on. The harvest must go on." And I want to be one of the ones that keeps the harvest going. Is that the way you feel tonight? Do you stand and testify that you want to be one of the ones that keeps this revival going?
[Applause]
First Timothy 5 and 13. First Timothy 5. We're going to read verses 13 and 14. First Timothy chapter 5, verses 13 and 14. "And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not." This is Paul warning Timothy. Timothy's a young preacher in the church. Did you know that the, the first and second books of Timothy is an MIT class? It's a ministering training class. Paul is writing to training courses to a young preacher, and he's warning them about people. He's got too much time on their hands. He said they're idlers. "And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things talking about things they ought to shut up about." Next verse: "I will therefore that the younger women marry, and bear children, guide the house, and give none occasion of the adversary to speak reproachfully." You know what he's saying? He's saying the reason you have so much time on your hands, the gossip and tattler, is your house is filthy. Yet man, house cleaning. And what you need is some kids and a good clean house. Shut up and scrub your floors. You got time to run around gossiping? I bet you, I bet you Washington ain't done. You got time to run around spreading, spreading gossip? I guarantee your clothes ain't folded. Shut up and go fold your clothes. I'm not adding, that's what it says. They're idle. They ought to be mopping their floor, getting the house cleaning, cooking dinner for when their husband gets home. He's going to come home from work. There ain't gonna be no dinner on the table. The house is gonna be a mess. The clothes ain't gonna be folded. He's got to go to the laundry room to find his underwear, but they've been running around gossiping. Go home, get busy, clean your house, and shut up, because you're causing disunity in the church. You stop in revival. You said, "Brother Copeland, you ought to say things like that." I didn't. Paul said it, and he was doing more than just saying it. He was telling a young preacher, "This is what you need to preach about. You need to preach about people that are so idle that they got time to run around tearing everybody else down." And I guarantee you, they're not doing their housework, and their marriage is going to get in trouble because they're gossiping instead of keeping their house clean. So I said, "Boy, I wish, I wish Brother Copeland would get up there and preach about end-time events." That ain't gonna help you. But preaching about keeping a good clean house and keeping your marriage together will help you. You don't need end-time events. You need to fold your clothes. You don't need end-time events. You need to quit serving your family Pop-Tarts and get in there and learn how to cook a roast. It don't matter when God's coming back if your marriage is together and you're ready.
[Applause]
You can't keep your marriage together, but you know when God's coming back with more power to you. There's needful things in the church. Eschatology and what you need. If your house is falling apart, leave eschatology for the preachers. Get your house in order. Get your marriage together. Learn how to love your wife and husband and kids. Get them ready for the return of Christ, whenever it happens, post-trib or pre-trib, it don't matter if you're ready. Sorry. Oh, Hallelujah! Man, I better turn this thing positive. I'm gonna get in trouble. What are you preaching about tonight, Brother Copeland? Preaching about harvest. I'm preaching about the fact that we need to be reaching this area with the gospel, and you're not going to reach. I'm gossiping, but you will reach him with a Bible study. Man, if you've got all that time on your hands, get a Bible study chart. Well, and you people, you use the excuse, "But I just don't know how to talk to people. I just don't know how to teach a Bible study." Well, you all feel good at gossiping, man. If you could just learn how to cup your hands and say, "If you just knew how to cup your hands or put your hand behind anything, have you, have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?" Ghost, man. It, if you want to know how to teach your Bible study, just do it. Just do it in gossip mode. Just don't gossip. Just gossip about the goodness of Jesus. Quit talking about people and start talking about the Lord. Quit talking about your brother and start talking about Jesus Christ.
[Applause]
Man, if, if you got to teach the whole Bible study where your hand tucked around your mouth whispering, just do it like that. You're good at it that way.
[Applause]
Oh, Hallelujah! I'm telling you, the harvest must go on. The harvest has got to keep going. We can't let the revival.
[Applause]
James 1 and 26. You can be seated. Man, I hope I'm preaching this in such a way that's not offensive tonight. I hope I'm preaching this such a way that love is exuding from my heart. I'm not against anybody here. I'm not after anybody here. I'm preaching for preventive maintenance, because if the devil is going to stop this revival, he's not going to do it by you getting you to backslide. You love God too much for that. He's not going to get you to give up on the truth. You love the truth too much for that. He's not going to get you to walk away from this Apostolic move, but you love it too much for that. But if he can just slip some gossip into your conversation, you'll hurt people, not even meaning to do it. "If any man among you," and it seems to be religious, or he's trying to portray himself as religious, but deceive, "but bridleth not in his tongue, he deceiveth his own heart, and his religion is useless." If you can't control what you say, "Well, it just slipped out." We'll do better. Do better. "I didn't mean to say that." Were you? You need to be more careful, because it's damaging. It sets a fire that can't be stopped. And don't portray yourself as religious if you can't rattle your tongue. Verse 27: "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself or yourself unspotted from this world." Why would this verse follow verse 26? Because the best way to get spotted with this world is not bridling your tongue. Why? Because you're not religious. The Bible says you deceive yourself if you think you're religious, but you can't bridle your tongue. Proverbs 10 and 18. Just, we're going to do three verses here right back to back, and then we're going to shift gears. Proverbs 10 and 18. Here's what I'm going to bring to you. The Bible says a gossip is a fool, that they're godless, and they're perverse. Now, it would offend you if I walked up to you, Brother Chase Boatwright, and said, "You're a fool, and you're godless, and you're perverse." But that's exactly what the Bible says you are if you talk about, if you talk about people. I'm gonna prove it to you. "He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander is a fool." Let's look at, let's look at Proverbs 11 and 9. Proverbs chapter 11 and verse 9. The very next chapter, one chapter later, he says, "A hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbor." But through knowledge shall the just be delivered. Verse 10. I'm sorry. You know what? I looked at, I, I got two different versions of the Bible here. Here, instead of calling them godless, he calls them a hypocrite. A hypocrite. All right. Verse Proverbs 16 and 28. Another version. Don't say hypocrite. It says, "It's a godless man with his mouth that destroys his neighbor." You know what a hypocrite is? Pretty godless. Proverbs chapter 16 and verse 28: "A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends." And here the, this version uses froward, but the Bible I wrote was reading out of today used the word perverse. You're perverse when you sow strife and you separate old friends. This says chief friends, but the other version says old friends. Proverbs chapter 18 and verse 19. Very important passage of scripture here before we shift gears. "A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city and their contentions are like the bars of a castle." You see, once someone's found out that someone in the church is gossiping about them, falsely accusing them, talking behind their back, I'm going to tell you, the person then, it do it, that don't go to church anymore can talk about you, and you just, you don't, you don't bother you. James says the problem is is when they say they're a Christian and do it. Once someone finds out someone's talking about them, they're doubly hard to be won back. You know what one of the, one of the things that enrages me the worst is a pastor. I can take a lot of things, but if you really, any y'all in this church ever had me upset at you? Yes, sir. I'm gonna tell you what to get me upset worse than anything, and that's someone mishandling a new convert. Someone that just come in the church, they hadn't had the Holy Ghost long. And in 25 years, it's happened. You know, somebody preached through, and you know, let me, let me, let me enlighten you on something. Everyone that prays through in the church, don't pray through in the church because they love God or they're hungry for God. We develop that in them. But let me tell you, the most common reason that people get in the church, it wouldn't matter what our doctrine was, it wouldn't matter if we were a cult, it wouldn't matter if we were the Charles Manson gang, they'd still get in because they don't come in because they love God. They come in because this is the first place they felt real love. So it wouldn't matter what we were, it wouldn't matter if we was Islam or Buddhist, their real motive for coming in is they've been rejected everywhere they've ever been in life. And they walk into Pine Grove Pentecostal Church, and for the first time in their life, they genuinely feel loved and feel like they can fit. And it just does something to their heart. The miracle is they found the truth. The miracle is we're not the Charles Manson gang. The miracle is we're not a cult. The miracle is we're a genuine church that loves people.
[Music]
And so, you know what they do? They do some, they've been guarded their whole life. They won't let anybody in. They won't let anybody near because everywhere they've ever been, they've been rejected, and they felt pain. And so they throw their heart open. Well, usually the reason they've been rejected places that they've been is because they're a little quirky, you know, they're just a little quirky. They just get little quirks. But the church accepts them in spite of that, until a little 20-year-old jerk, they don't have enough sense to know any better, decides to start calling them a stupid name, and then it gets back to them. You better be careful. Let me tell you what the Bible says about that. You, you just go on with your jokes. You just go on. Nothing makes me angrier than that. It don't even matter. It don't even matter if they are what you're calling them. If they'll stick around, the Holy Ghost will change them.
[Applause]
If they'll just keep coming, the Holy Ghost will make them new. It's not humorous, it's dangerous. If it ever gets back to them, you're going to stand in judgment and answer for their soul.
[Applause]
You can be seated. The Bible says they're harder to be won. And I, I, you know, I can't believe I got people here kind of smirking about all this. You're dangerous. You're dangerous. You, you need to take that somewhere else and destroy somebody else's church. Don't wound this one, because the harvest, the harvest has got to go on. Nothing can stop the harvest.
[Applause]
A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, and their contentions. What does that mean? It means when they say, "I'm never coming back. I'm not coming back. You don't know what they said about me. You don't know what's been talked about me. You don't know what they're saying behind my back. I'm never gonna, I'll never come back to that church." There's contentions are like the bars of a castle. You know what that means? It means that what they're saying back to you about the way they've been treated, it's sealed up tight. It's got real weight to it. It's genuine. They should not have been talked about. And that means that their contentions stand. You can't talk about people. You can't whisper behind people's back. You can't call people names behind their back. You can't be loose with your tongue. The Bible says if you're loose with your tongue, you are not a Christian. Your Christianity is useless. You better be careful what you say. It's a big deal. Not man, I hope I'm preaching this with the right spirit. I hope I'm preaching this, and I'm, I'm telling you, I'm not just defending the new convert. I'm defending everybody that sits on these pews. Every one of you. I'm for you. I'm backing you. I'm with you.
[Applause]
I'm with you. We gotta love each other. This is the one place you got to believe that you're not going to be made fun of. This is the one place that you've got to be able to believe that I can trust those people. They're unified. They'll fight for me. They've got my back. That's the way that people have got to be able to feel about this church, and they got to be right about that. And if they're not, if that's not the way you feel, if you, if you're in this church and you're a part of this church, and you think it's funny to make fun of people and snicker behind people's back and talk about the, uh, people's back, then you're the outsider. I'd rather lose you than them. Yeah. If we got to lose somebody, you go, because I'd rather have them with all their quirkiness than some smarter like that laughs behind people's back and thinks it's funny to make fun of people.
[Applause]
There's no room for that in an Apostolic Church. Now, there be, there may be churches that are built on politics. You can be seated. There may be churches that's built on politics and built on how you dress, and it's the cool place to go to church. And you gotta, hey, listen, we like to dress nice around here, but you're welcome in your tennis shoes. We like to dress nice around here, but you're welcome in your boots.
[Applause]
And no one in this church should ever look down on you, no matter where you work, or what your job is, or how you dress, or what family you come from, or what your last name is.
[Applause]
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! And if you walk around here thinking you're something because you got the right name, or you got the right status, or your status quo, and somebody walks in and they're not dressed right, or they didn't say the right thing, and you're snickering and laughing behind their back, I'll keep them, and you, you leave. We don't need you.
[Applause]
Because you, because you're causing division. And when they find out they're being laughed at behind their back, they'll be harder to be won than a strong city. And essentially, what this is saying is, their contentions are real. They're not throwing up false things. They got a viable excuse to not come back. And Jesus follows this thought up in the New Testament and says, "Let me tell you, your outcome would be better if you're ever talking behind people's back, using slurs that's offensive, and somebody finds out and it hurts them." Said, "You'd be."
Better take a millstone. You ever seen those millstones? I couldn't believe it when I went to Israel and actually saw one. They're six or eight feet in diameter and and some of them weigh 2,000 pounds. They weigh a ton.
"Millstone," Jesus said, "you'd be better to run a rope through the middle of that thing, tied around your neck, and get them to take you out in the middle of the ocean and just drop that thing over in the middle of the ocean with you attached to it around your neck and let it pull you a mild deep." He said that that would be a better outcome than what's going to happen to you if you hurt one of my children. And there's nothing that hurts His children like gossip and slander. Nothing can stop revival like that. Oh my goodness, I'm I'm out of time. I'm out of town.
All right, here we go. Romans 14 and 13. Romans 14 and 13. I'm not going to get I'm not going to get through tonight, but I'm going to do my best to wrap it up. "Let us not therefore judge one another anymore, but judge rather this, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way." Don't say things and do things that if it gets back to that individual, that it would be a stumbling block to them.
Here's why. Second Corinthians 13 and 11. And I hope I got this right. It might be Second Chronicles. I might have wrote wrote it down wrong here, but let's look at it. Let's look at Second Corinthians 13 and 11 right quick. "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect. Be of good comfort. Be of one mind. Live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you." Do you understand? If this statement is right, then if you're not of one mind and you're not living in peace, then the God of love and peace will not be with you.
Hey, the harvest is going to go on because we're going to dwell in love and peace and one mind. First Corinthians 1 and 10. First Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 10. First Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 10. "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, and that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." That is how the harvest continues.
Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 3. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 3. I'm wrapping it up. Someone comes to music, please. Well, not just anyone. Lauren, one of you come. Ephesians chapter four in verse 3. Brother Hall is the first one I ever heard say that. Brother Hall said they always say, "Someone come to the music." He said, "What if somebody that can't play just decides to go up there?" So why don't they call me? "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Is that what we're doing? Are we working every day thinking to ourselves, "Before I say this, is this going to cause unity or division?" Um, because I I got to work. Listen to me. We got too much going in our church. There's too much revival. Let me let me plead with you just a minute. Do you know how many churches in Pentecost would like to have 50 to 70 guests every Sunday? Do you know how many churches in Pentecost would do anything to kind of have the kind of revival that we're having? Do you understand? The churches in Pentecost that have have alled, they've dwelled for 40 years talking about the kind of revival we're having and hoping and wishing and believing that they could have that at their church. How in the world would we mishandle that? How in the world would we would we put the dove of the Holy Ghost to flight with with loose lips and and talking foolishness and responding in such a way that's not righteous? Man, let's endeavor. Let's work together. Let's make a vow to one another tonight that I'm going to tell you what we're going to do. We're gonna endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace because the harvest has got to keep going. It must go on. The harvest will keep going.
[Applause]
Just another verse or two. If you'd stand together. Everybody's standing. In fact, before we go to these verses, why don't you just lift your hands all over this house? Come on, all over this house. Would you lift your hands and magnify the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords? No. Come on, somebody. Reach out. Come on, somebody. Magnify the Lord with me. Man, I'm feeling the Holy Ghost so strong in this place right now. In fact, there's so much an anointing here, I'm just going to quit. I'm just gonna quit. One on everybody in this house. Reach out right now. Lift up the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. God wants to do something in the last moments of this service. Would you cry out to His name right now? Everybody.