Transcription
1 Corinthians chapter 16 verse number 13. Watch ye standfast in the faith. Quit ye like men. Be strong. Let all your things, this just gets real personal. Let all your things, how many's got some things? Let all your things be done with charity.
Next verse. Man, I feel the Holy Ghost in this place today. I beseech you, brethren, ye know the house of Stephanus, watch that is the first fruits of Aacia and that they have addicted themselves. They have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints.
I beseech you, that's a strong, strong word. That's something that needs to be heeded. Something needs to be paid attention to. He said, "There's something I need you to be aware of." He said, "There's something I need you to be conscientious of." He said, 'I want you to know of the house of Stephanus, which was the first fruits of Aacia. These were some of the first converts of the Apostle Paul in Corenth. And he said, "Here's the reason I want you to know these people." He said, "They're addicted." They're addicts. They're addicts. I want you to know the household of Stephanus. And he said, 'The reason I want you to get to know them is, he said, because they're addicts. And he said, let me tell you what they're addicted to. They're addicted to the ministry of the saints. And then if you read the next verse, you can read between the lines what he's saying is if you'll give us the and that you submit yourselves unto such not to them.
But I want you to see what they're doing. I want you to see what they're addicted to. Now, let me say it like this. There's a I want you to see what they're hooked on. And I want you to get hooked on what they're hooked on.
And I'm going to hold a title for a little bit. I need my prayer warriors to pray that God would help me to I feel like I've got it, but I want the Holy Ghost to pull my thoughts. I want to I want to make a statement before we pray and I let you be seated. The the the word addiction. That's too big a word in the world that we live in right now. To be isolated, and I'm not making lie of this. No way am I making lie of this. But that's too big a word. And that's too big of an issue to be isolated in a back classroom somewhere teaching a handful of people with a bunch of brokenness that are ready to be free. This is something we to be talking about openly and publicly.
And that's what we're going to do today because I think that we're destroyed. Why are we destroyed? Because of the lack of knowledge. And some of this stuff is just exposing it. And God wants to give us understanding. And I think if you could understand the avenue, if I could say it like that, in which addictions come. And I believe God's going to help us today. I leaned over and told pastor, I said, "I I I I just I feel really comfortable. I just want to throw a big net." And I'm going back the way I started a minute ago, and I hope that's not too much faith for you on a Labor Day weekend. But I just feel like today could be that day for somebody this morning.
Before you're seated, if you would, would you connect with somebody where it's appropriate? And I want you to lift your voice. And I want you to pray for me. And I want you to pray for yourself. Come on. I want you to pray that the word of the Lord would have free course. Lift your voice right now and help me pray. God, would you help me to help somebody? my heart. Come on, take responsibility for your part of the building, for your pew, for your section. I'm going to make sure this is a hot bed right here for Holy Ghost. I'm gonna make sure this is a hot bed right here for deliverance. I'm gonna make sure this is a hot right here in my area. I'm going to make sure there's liberty right here. I'm going to make sure that if somebody's bound right around where I'm sitting that I'm enthroning because where the spirit of the Lord is. Come on, keep praying. We got time for this. I feel the Holy Ghost moving in our prayers right now. Somebody open your mouth and pray in the Holy Ghost. Break every chain in this house. Let this be a corner turning service. If you feel what I'm feeling, if you if you're feeling what I'm feeling, even up in the balcony, would you put your hands together and give the Lord a shout of praise and in expectation? Come on, let's do it. Let's do it Sunday night on Sunday morning. Lift your voice with a shout of praise.
You can be seated if you'll give me your minds. Lean in. Set out there on the edge of your pew. I have to the best of my ability truncated, removed all the fodder. Let's just get right to the fat of this. Amen.
In both Jewish and Greek cultures, not just Jewish culture, but Greek culture as well, names were often chosen to reflect hoped for qualities. Not only were names given in Greek and Jewish cultures to reflect hoped for qualities, but most times they had divine associations. Another way I could put this is that names that were given in the Jewish and Greek culture were not just labels. They were chosen as declarations of identity and destiny.
There's a list of examples. Most of them of these examples if I move down the list you would be familiar with. This morning though I want to speak about the name Stephanus. And so I want to highlight a couple of New Testament examples where this name or these names given were indeed hope for qualities with divine associations. Names with not just labels but declarations of identity and destiny. The first thing that comes to my mind is when Jesus ends up having a discourse with Simon Peter. When he first asked the question, "Whom do men say that I am?" The disciples begin to respond to this question. It is Simon Peter who finally nails it after others give their feeble attempts at an answer to this question. Jesus in return to Simon Peter's response says, "Yes, you're right. That is who I am. And upon this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." We know him not as Simon. We know him as Simon Peter. Jesus gave him the name Peter or rock. It is not a label. It is a declaration. It is an expectation if you will of a hope for quality. Simon Peter, you've been a fisherman up to this point. But if I could borrow even the words of Jesus before all of this is said and done, I'm not going to make you a fisherman of fish, but I'm going to make you a fisherman of men. We know him as Barnabas, but the name given to him by his mother was Joseph. In fact, he is so Barnabas to us that most of you in this building probably don't even realize or remember the fact that he had the name Joseph. But again, it is not a label. It is a divine there is a divine association with the name that was given to Barnabas. You are not just Joseph. You are the son of encouragement. It is Barnabas.
And so somewhere there's a little boy that's born to an excited and an eager family. His mother takes him after it is announced God has given you a manchild. She pulls that boy to her breast and begins to nurse him. And in the moments that ensue and follow in what we now call skin time, two parents decided, I believe the fitting name for this young man is Stephanus. I believe that we will call him Stephanus. Again, this is not just a label. I believe that they named the young boy Stephanus, not knowing what we know, not knowing the rest of the story. No way for them to know at this time that there would come a Jesus name revival. Come on. I feel like preaching this right now to Corenth not h having no way no way to understand and comprehend what would unfold not only in this boy's life but in their life. And that a man whose name used to be Saul. Come on somebody. Not just a label. not just a label but that but has a conversion and he takes on a name with destiny and identity and he becomes the apostle Paul. These parents of Stephanus name him Stephanus having no idea that this Paul would bring the truth and the gospel to them and literally it would change everything about their life. How many is thankful for the beautiful truth? How many is thankful for the gospel? How many is thankful today for water baptism in Jesus' name and the unfilling of the Holy Ghost? I see this adoring mother and father before this child has ever uttered his first words. before he's attempted to take his first step. You parents, this will resonate with you. Who's he going to be? What's he going to become? What will be among his list of successes? Who will he marry before he ever takes his first step? Before he utters ever utters his first words. Again, not a label, but a name given to Stephanus by his parents in hopes of setting him up. A declaration of destiny. And Pastor Tuttle, they name him winner.
The name Stephanus means crown. The name Stephanus can also in the Greek deal with the garland that is placed on the head after they have run after the training after the arouser training. After the race is run and once the race is concluded and the winners emerge, it is a garland that is rested or placed upon the head of the winner of that race. These parents place a name on this young boy before he takes his first step, before he utters his first word. Do I have any parents here today? I want my children to succeed. Come on. I don't think it's natural. I don't think there's a parent in the world that loves their kids, that gives birth to their child, that wants to see them fail. Come on, let me work this out right now. Come on. I said, I don't believe there's a I don't believe there's a good parent in this world, not a perfect parent, but I don't believe there's a good set of parents in this world, Come on, that bring a child into this world that want to see it fail. I want to see my kids win. I want to see my kids overcome. I want to see my kids conquer. Hallelujah. Can I just stop and say this right now? I don't believe God allows anybody to be born to lose. I don't I don't believe God allows anybody to come into this world to be a loser. to win. Not a parent in this world, not a good one. The miracle of God giving us a child to begin with, we want to set that child up to succeed. I don't believe. No, not when I read things in the Psalms that talk about you and I being fearfully and wonderfully made. My soul knoweth right well. Come on. I don't believe that God allows anybody I don't believe anybody in this building today is an accident. You hear me right now? God didn't allow you to be born to lose. God didn't allow you to be born to fail. God didn't Come on. I need somebody to help me throw a net today. You weren't born to be dysfunctional. You weren't born to live in the slums. You weren't born to commit suicide. You weren't born. Hallelujah. I want somebody to hear me right now. If you've got a pulse, then you've got a purpose. If you're not dead, then God is not done. God did not allow you to live for you to continue to languish. You have a destiny. You have a future in God. But unfortunately, sadly, tragically, far too often, we witness parents that do their best, again, not perfect, but do their best to send them out of the gate to set them up to succeed. We do all we know to do. We do the best that we can do. And too often, hear me, tragically, we witness the travesties of people's lives. One or two bad choices.
How quickly people's lives become broken, strung out. messed up. I want to preach to somebody here today. How quickly? How could somebody be born and God destined? How could somebody how all listen all of the babies that are aborted? All of the mothers that would love to have children that are not able and for somebody to be born and for God to want that one to be born just like Stephanus to wear a crown, to wear a garment, to be a winner. How could somebody that God wants to win so bad lose?
How does that happen? Where do those turns take place? How does that unfold? How does something that starts so innocent turn so ugly? How does something that begins so beautiful turn so bad? Did you hear what I just said? How does something that starts so innocent turn turn so ugly? How does something so beautiful turn so bad? I think there's some insight here in this parenthetical statement. It's the first fruits of aac. It's some of the first converts of the apostle Paul. It's some of the first ones in Corenth that he baptizes in Jesus name. He's at the end of his letter to Corenth which lets me know Pastor Tuttle that even though there's a church at Corenth and even though these were some of his first converts in Corenth that still still there were people who had been baptized in Jesus' name that apparently weren't hooked. They weren't addicted because he's still admonishing them. Yes, he's admonishing us, but it's the last chapter and he's admonishing the church at Corenth in the letter to Corenth. Let me let me tell you about some of your members. Come on. Probably some of them you might roll your eyes at. Some of them, come on. That you pray when you bring visitors. Oh God, don't let brother Willie do his twirly bird today. Oh yeah. Oh God, I hope Sister Sally, I know she's half Cherokee, but oh God, I've got two visitors with with me today. And Lord, please, I'm going to bring them on Sunday morning where it's kind of quiet. Don't let Sister Sally start letting out her war cry and her war hoop. Oh, I know this is probably hardly ever the case, but let brother Tuttle be in one of those uh soft, easy, kind of quiet. You know that ain't going to happen. I can't believe you ever wished. Come on. I can't believe you ever wished on that anyways. He is trying to bring note to the household of Stephanus. And I think he's trying to let them know the household of Stephanus is not your problem. Corinth, your problem is you need to be more like the house of Stephanus. They are addicted to the right things. Everybody's going to be addicted. You better hear me. Everybody's going to go after something. Everybody's going to crave. Everybody's going to desire. Everybody has desires. It is not even in question if you're going to desire. No, it's not even question if you're going to worship. The question is not if you're going to worship. The question is what will you worship?
A friend of mine was pastoring in Tennessee, cold. I'm He said it was been freezing rain. It was on a Saturday. He pulls up to a pump to pump gas. He said he looks across there and he said there's a guy on the other side of the pump and he's pumping gas and said this dude is in a pair of shorts, shorty shorts below freezing, no shirt on, and he's painted. I'm fixing to mess with sacred cows in here today. He's painted orange and white. Checked all over his face, down the front of his chest, on his legs. And we when he looked around the pump, they caught one another's eye. And the guy the the nut. I said, "The nut." They locked eyes and he and and this guy had been to this pastor's church and he recognized him. He said, "Oh, hey." Oh. And they recognized one another. And and and so the pastor thought, "Well, I'll get I'll slide a little invitation in there." He said, "We're looking forward to the next time that you come back and see us." He said, "Oh, no. You people are crazy down there." Now, I'm trying to make it funny. Come on. I'm trying to make it funny, but I'm telling you, that's the world that we're living in. Everybody's going to be addicted to something. The question is, what are you going to be addicted to? What are you going to be hooked on? What is your passion? What are you going to crave? What is your desire?
There's a list of reasons why we are why we are typed as sheep through scripture. I wasn't aware of this, but sheep are one of the most dependent animals that God created. A sheep gets on his back and unless there's not a shepherd there to help him back on his feet, he'll lay there until he dies. Ladies and gentlemen, we are created to be dependent. It is in your human makeup. God created you that way. But God didn't create you to be dependent for you to be dependent, come on, on drugs and dependent on alcohol and dependent on the world. God created you to be dependent. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. I shall not. Your problem is not that you're dependent. The problem is the placement of your dependency. That's right. That's right. All of us have the proclivity to lean. That's not what disqualifies people from being winners. And and we watch the travity travesty of people falling into the pit of being losers. It's not that they leaned. Everybody leans. It's what they chose to lean on. Hey, I'm not Hey, listen. I If this makes me sound weak, then I'm just going to have to sound weak to you today. I've got a dependency. I can't live without him.
That's why that's why I worship. I can't get enough church. I can't get enough of God's people. I can't get enough of God's presence. I've got a dependency. So Hersian, our buddy Ursin, tell her he accused me of squeezing every last drop out of a verse. So I grabbed a hold of this and I said, "There's got to be more there." And so I started ringing it. If addiction is such an issue and if the Apostle Paul's bringing so much attention to the house of Stephanus because they're addicted and then he's saying, "Hey, everybody else be like them." Then what's it look like to be addicted? The Greek word that's translated addicted there, Elder Tuttle, is the word the Greek word tasos. God, the Holy Ghost wants to help somebody today. Tessos. I was shocked when I started digging into this word, the word tessos. You think addiction. Let me just help you. You think addiction. And this is more in a line to what we think of a definition when we think of addiction. A strong inclination to do, use, or indulge in something repeatedly. That's what we think of when we think of addiction. Some of you that are a little more distinguished and dignified. You need a little more medically. You You need me to annunciate my words a little better. It's a compulsive chronic physiological or psychological need for a habit forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical psychological or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, trembers, or nausea upon withdrawal or abstinence.
But that's not what tessos means. They were addicted to the ministry of the saints. The word tessos is actually a Greek word. It's a verb that means to arrange in an orderly manner. Lean in and listen. I'm going to unpack this. It speaks of appointments. One word that continued, babe, to pop was prioritizing. Lord, please let please help me communicate this. I want them to see this. I folks, I I was born in this truth, okay? So, I never got the light of seeing Jesus name baptism. I've always seen it, but I've I've been with people, Brother Smith, and I've wanted to see what they seen when they said, "I see it." I feel like I seen that light when it comes to this word, pasos. It's to prioritize. It's to Now listen, it's not to arrange in just any old way. It's to arrange in in an orderly fashion. Oh my god. In fact, when you really get into the word, the orderly fashion, when you're arranging, these are the two things that you have to keep in mind. Assignment and disposal, right? That stays that can't stay.
I I I want that, but I need that. God, I I I long for that. But that's what's going to last. God, you see, in reality, in reality, when you show me someone who's an alcoholic and an addict, you you think that person is just unable to make good decisions. No. Every time that they choose, listen, every time that they choose to go back to the bottle, they are actually making decisions. They are actually arranging. They are actually prioritizing. They are actually putting into order. That's why they'll spend their whole paycheck before they get home on Friday. You know what they've just done? They've just prioritized. Boy, I'll throw this mic and let you preach. You're a far greater preacher than I. He's He's already five steps ahead of me. He's quoting my verses down here. You got to prioritize. Come on. An addiction is an addiction because someone at some point has stepped back and they've decided, I want that more than I want that. I want. So I I wanted to know where else does this word show up? Where else does tasso show up? I don't have time to talk about all of them, but two other places it is translated it's the word appointed. It's addicted in our verse, but it's appointed in three other places. Two of those places, it's one is Matthew 28:16. The 11 disciples went away into Galilee unto a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. Same word pasos. Acts 22:10. And I said, "What shall I do?" This is Saul who becomes Paul. And the Lord said unto me, "Arise, and go into Damascus, and there shall be told of of all things which are appointed." Yeah. So there is an element of this, brother Tussle, that God arranges. Oh my God, this helped me. Oh my God, this helped me. There is there is a Listen, there is a degree. There's some of this that God says, I will I'll arrange it. I'll let this happen. I'll let this come together. I'll let these paths cross. There's a lot of things in our lives that God will neatly the steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord. But the flip side of that is is God is not going to arrange everything in your life. The flip side of that is seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. God said I will. But the flip side of that is you've got to say I will.
And do you understand right there? I'm talking about light. I've seen this happen. I've never preached this in my life. Literally right now, God's dropping in my spirit. I have seen people, you have too, that have had experiences equal to what Paul had or Saul had on that road. Knocked from there. Yeah. Bright light blinds them. And you and you're like, "My God, they're going to make a saint." Yeah. I'm talking about happens on Sunday morning. They snot, cry, slobber. They hug 25 people. Somebody takes them out to eat and then Sunday night. Yeah. What? God said, "I will. I will. I will. I will. I will. I will. I will. What? Where else does Ananas show up? Do you understand that? He wasn't a conference preacher. He wasn't day of God, day of Pentecost preacher. God saved Ananas for one man. And God does that. And it's beautiful. Any of you that have lived for God in a period of time knows that God knows how to take all things in our life and redeem them for good. God orders, God designs, God puts out, God puts in. But listen, he says, "I've appointed I've already got it all ironed out once you get to Damascus." What happens though if right after that experience, Saul says, "I don't like the fact that I'm in the dark." Yeah. Come on. I just got knocked off my horse. My plans just got scrambled. Yeah. And God's over here saying, "I will." In fact, I have. I've already unfolded. You you've already written between half and 2/3 of the New Test. You've already written half to 2/3 of the New Testament in my plan. Yeah. But my will doesn't always come in alignment with your will. And that's the addiction. That's it. And you want to use the excuse when you're addicted that you don't have control. You do have control. Every time that you go back to your addiction, you're making a choice. You are prioritizing. You stick a needle in your arm, you snort it up your nose, you pop the pills back. You're making a choice. You are prioritizing. You are arranging. Families are destroyed. Men who really love their wives, men who really love their kids, all kinds of estrangement, divorce, children by multiple. Are you hearing me? From multiple marriages. And you go back and you start pulling it layer by layer by layer and and it's addiction, addiction, addiction. It said no. Quit blaming everything on an addiction. Somewhere somebody made it a priority. Somewhere some you got to make up in your mind. Come on. My family's first. Come on. My kids are first. My wife is first. My God is above.
Maybe maybe maybe I should have done this on a Wednesday. Just a little Wednesday night Bible study here. There's things that God appoints and and you that have lived for him any period of time know it's a beautiful thing. Well, you just trust him and love him. And it's it's progressive re revelation as you walk into it. It just unfolds but God doesn't arrange everything in your life. God doesn't appoint everything in your life. This word chose tassos shows up another place in the New Testament and is translated the word determined. They determined. Addicted people are actually very determined. Yeah, that's right. They're very determined. They use the word can't a lot, right? And Paul said, "I beseech you." Parenthetical statement, the first fruits of Aacia. Some of those first ones that started at church at Corenth. The reason I'm even writing to you, oh my God, I'm not insinuating here too much. Come on. I believe I can safely say this could be the very reason you're even here cuz somebody had the right priorities in place. Let me take you back to where it all began. Hallelujah. Let me take you back to where it all began. You know why there were 500 that stood there and watched him ascend? There were 500. You think 380 of them are deaf? They weren't deaf. All 500 of them heard him go. They all heard him say, "Go to Jerusalem and Terry." You know how Jerusalem how far Jerusalem was for where they were? 3 to 5 miles. It wasn't that far at all. They were accustomed to walking that nothing flat. Where to 380? I'll tell you where they went. Come on. They made the decision. They put another priority above the priority of his word. They appointed what they wanted over what he wanted.
And so this explains to me, maybe I need to call him. This explains to me now why I've wrestled Brother Smith, two close pastor friends of mine that only had one kid at peace. Both of them had daughters. It's hard to find anything on the character of those two pastors or their wives. They gave everything probably too much as we're guilty to set those girls up for success. And you look at that and you go, "They're not living for God." They're not only not living for God. Oh my goodness. Yeah. And so we we that's just told that's what we want to do. Well, well, what's we start doing like this. Even our friends in California, the two that have acted and and the other and and and and you start going, they done everything. They weren't perfect, but they done everything they knew to set them up as winners. But at the end of the day, no matter what your mom and dad does for you, and no matter what I do for them two kids right there, at the end of the day, that's the reason I had them do that graphic like that. Winners are determined. by inner. They can name you hey they can name you Esther they can name you Paul they can name you Mark Luke they can name they can name you Ruth come on I hope they do they can drag you to church they can drag you to every youth camp I hope they do come on they can get you involved in the youth department and I hope they do but at the end of the day if You don't have this in you. If you don't prioritize this, if this is not a passion, if this is not your desire. That's right. Exactly. Winners were not determined by the homes that they're born in. That's right. Hear it. That's right. If that's the case, then explain to me what happened to Samuel's sons. That's right. Winners are not determined by the atmosphere that they're put in. If that was the case, Lucifer would have never got kicked out of heaven. That's right. That's right. Was there a better church? Was there a better church than the first one? Ananas and Safire couldn't say it was the church's fault. They weren't winners. That's right. They were losers, but they weren't winners. It wasn't the church's fault. Not at all. Never is in. It's what's in here. It's what you're disposing of and what it's what you're pulling in, what you're pulling in, and what you're putting out.
Give me a keyboard player. I'm watching that clock back here and it's making me break out a nerve switch. There was nobody like Job want to shoot evil. How many people does God bring to the attention of Satan because of the life that they lived? But apparently that first batch of kids was Do you understand the scripture says Elder Tuttle that Job set them up to be winners. Every morning before he started his day, he sacrificed for every one of them.
Please, I don't want to create another problem trying to fix one. Parents, it does matter what we're doing and what we're putting in them. It does matter but at the end of the day they have to make up is my priorities going to be your priorities? Is my passions going to be your passions? We can put it in them but what happens is those two pastors put that in them but when they started arranging the future of their lives the things that had been put in them they disposed.
One of the things I'm talking about, this is one of the most heartbreaking moments in scripture. And some of you going like, I never even stopped to think about this. Well, you never been a leader and you've never invested anybody. Then that whole deal goes down with Gahhesi. And Elisha catches him in a lie. And what does he say? Did my heart not go with you? I put it just like Elijah put everything in me. I put everything in Heziah and you Elijah put in me. Yeah, it went with him. But when it came time for him to make decisions and it came time for him to arrange the priorities of his life, money mattered more. And he struck out the things that money and clothes, he struck out the things that Elisha had put out of his heart into.
So, I'm fixing to walk out of the room and then it hits me. It's like God said, "Go back and read it one more time. Would you put the verse back up there one more time?" I've been misquoting it on purpose cuz I didn't want you to catch it what I say until the end. I kept saying they addicted them. They addicted. They were addicted to the ministry of the saints. I kept saying through this, they were addicted to the ministry of saints. They were addicted. You know, hey, even church work, you're not going to hang in there if it's not something that's a priority and a passion to you. Cuz people are fickle. That's why what you're doing, you better be doing it under the Lord. Because if you're doing it under people, I left it out on purpose. Like God said right before I walked out, go back and read that one more time because I kept saying they were addicted to the ministry of the saints. That's not what that says. That's it, Sister Smith. You're a deep prayer warrior. You caught it. They addicted themselves. So, it's not ministry we put in its place. It's me. And when I get me in place, God.
When I get me in place, he's hanging out over there by his wife and the pastor. Come on. I wish you'd come over and preach to me a little bit. All right, I will. I got I I got a couple verses here for you right here in closing. What What What about this? David said, "One thing have I desired." Daniel said, "I purpose in my heart." Amen. Paul said, "This one thing I do."
So, they're not addicted to drugs. They're not addicted to needles. They're not addicted to sex. They're not addicted to secrets and daliances and they're not addicted to pornography. They're actually addicted to themselves. You're prioritizing yourself first. And the first prerequisite of being a disciple is not pick up your cross and follow me. The first prerequisite of being a is you have to deny yourself. There you go. In fact, we get over there and we don't quote it all. Who who are these arrayed in such fine white? They've come out of the great tribulation. Boy, we get all growly and preachy. They've overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. And that's where we stop. But I got to give you the third and maybe definitely not the last reason that they came out and made it. and they love not their life even until the end. They refuse to prioritize me. That's right. You have to set yourself in order. And when you get yourself, why do we fast? Am I helping anybody right now? I hate f I hate fasting. Are you kidding me? If you like fasting, get up here and let me pray for you right now. I'm going to strongly lay hands on you and I'm not using oil. I'm going to use spittle right on your forehead. You need prayer. You know when we fast, we're telling we're aligning. We're addicting.
You say, "Brother Marks, I've had the alignment all out of whack. I have addictions, but they're the wrong addictions. It's not the ministry of the saints. It's not others. It's me. Well, I got hope for you in closing. Isaiah said it like this. He said, "I will trade you beauty for ashes." And the Hebrew word, like the Greek word for Stephanus, the Hebrew word beauty, it's translated beauty there is a garland or crown. And God said, "If you will let me help you, I can take everything you've burned to the ground. That's right. I can take the catastrophe and give you a crown. You've been losing your whole life, but I have the ability. If you'll hear my way, if you'll hear my word and you'll heed to my ways, I have the ability to make you a winner. You prioritize me and I'll take your ashes. and I'll give you a crown.
Stephanus did not become a winner just because that's what his parents wanted him to be. As much as we'd like to take credit and brother Tuttle, Sister Tuttle, what a wonderful job. But every time I look at my kids and my oldest boy, John's, what John say? There's no greater joy than your kids to be walking in truth. But I sat there last night and my oldest been married 2 years. I can't I can't I can't take. He's pulling things now in the arrangement and putting things in order that I'm going, where did that come from? I never thought of that in my life. It's inner. If you're going to be a winner, it happens. It It starts right here. Right here. You can't blame it. See, you know what this does? It eliminates all excuses. That's right. That's why some of you are wiggling right now cuz you wanted to blame the mom you never had. That's why you're addicted. Nope. Nope. Nope. You can't do that. Cuz if you can't say, "Well, they're winning because they were raised to be." No. Then you can't say, "Well, they're losing because they were raised by losers." Right. That's right. Because you got Kors, you got Esther's. You got the kids of Kors. You got Esther's. You got Ruth's. Esther and Ruth. Two of the 66 books of the Bible were named after them. We don't even know what happened to Esther's folks. Ruth was an ex Moabitis who had lost a father-in-law, a brother-in-law, and her husband. And her mother-in-law saying, "Hey, I'm going back where I came from. See you." No, but there's that there's that word talis again that I said was determined. When Naomi saw she was steadfastly minded. Your God will be my God. Your people will be. What was Ruth doing? She wasn't just connected to the right family. Oh my God. Some of you, God brings you here and he It's not just about being connected to the right church. You still have to prioritize. Is East Kate where it's happening? Absolutely. Somebody asked me about this church not too long ago and they know I'm close to brother telling. I said, "Well, you build a fire big enough you don't have to advertise and they're coming from far and wide." But let me tell you something. Just like Ruth, you got to do more than connect them to the right family. Come on. Because it didn't work for Orpa. Or didn't prioritize. Orpa didn't Orpa wasn't addicted. Orpa didn't align the right things. Let's stand. Oo, I'm 3 minutes in the red. Jesus help us Lord.
Do you see? What are you looking for? Am I not here for you? Your soul can be mine. All you have to do is yield it to me. What are you looking for? Love, I am here. What are you looking for? Peace of mind, I am here. What are you looking for? I'm here. Just ask and you shall receive. Let's lift our hands right now. Let's pray all over this building. Come on. I don't want anybody to just move just yet. Just freeze where you're at. Just lift your hands right now. There's We're This is This is a holy moment. I'm not I'm not trying to sensationalize this pastor, but I believe generational stuff could be broken in this service this morning. Gener generational stuff could be broken in this place this morning. Brother Marks, I've been in and out of drug rehabs. I've been in and out of this. I'm telling you, I believe today Here's what I want. Here's what I want. Please after after this morning, go right back to way brother Tuttles taught you. I love the eagerness of when you make an altra call, everybody comes down. He's taught you that. Keep doing that. That's what I teach. But I want to do it a little different today. I want I want there to be room on this front side for people I'm really reaching for. I'm not going to embarrass you. Here here's what here's what here's how I'm going to do this. I don't care what your story is. I don't care what the arrangement of your life has been. I don't care how many broken pieces. I don't care how ugly, how messy. I If you're here, I'm gonna make this easy. And you say, "Brother March, I don't know how. I don't know where to start, but I can tell you this. I love God and I want more than anything else to please him, to be the person he wants me to be. I want my family to be okay. I want to please him. I don't even know how to start doing all of that. But I do love him. And I want to get that process started of disposing of bringing into arranging. I want my dependencies to shift. And you started today by saying that today could be the day. I I don't know the time. Listen, I'm not this is not hyperbole. I don't know the time that I have seen tears like I see in this building right now. There there is people the spirit of the Lord is like it's like it's hovering in here like a cloud. Who said you couldn't have revival on a Labor Day weekend? If that's you, I I love him. I I don't know how. I don't know how to find my way, but I want to find my way. I want to get my life together. I want to please him. I want to open this altar. There's people that's going to pray with you. I'm going to I believe there's going to be addictions broken today. I believe that's a choice by you moving from where you're standing to the front. I believe you're you're already starting to arrange. You're you're prioritizing. That's why the devil fights people back in their pews. He doesn't want you prioritizing because when you come to the altar, you you are prioritizing. That's the first step. So, I'm opening this altar right now. I don't care what your story is. Come on. Right now. This is your day. This is your moment. Come on. Right now. You know who you are. I've preached to you. There's some of you in the balcony. It's not one or two. There's loads of you. Don't come down here and bury up. I want you to come stand with confidence. Oh, you can. You can. Please. Come on right now. Come on right now. Come on. You can. If you need somebody to come with you, there's somebody. You girls, you ladies, listen to me. It's It's not over. I'm not trying to scare you or embarrass you, but the trap that so many ladies like you get into is that it's there's no way out. It's like you set a direction and and you can't get it turned around. That's not the truth. That's why God brought you here today. That's why God connects you to people in this church. You can get it turned around. They're still coming. Come on. Maybe God's leading you to somebody. Maybe there's somebody just needs a little bit of coaxing. Just come on down here. Come on. right now. Nobody's got to know. Everybody's got a story. Everybody's got a story. They're still coming. Now, Eastgate, I want you to come in the loving church that you are. Everything Brother Tuttle and Sister Tuttles put in you to care and love. And I want you to come and I want you to begin to infiltrate and come around these people, around them, in front of them, behind them. I need ministry to help me. They're fixing to sing something. We're about to pray. Come on. The Holy Ghost is moving right now. Come on. Go ahead, sis. Come on, somebody. Lift your voice and begin to pray. If you're down here for help, just lift your head, raise your hands, open your mouth, cry out to God. Just tell him you need him. Tell him you're sorry. Come on. Just tell him, "I I'm I'm standing here today and I need you to help me. My life is a mess, but I'm ready to get it back on track starting this morning.