The Call to Radiance: A Message of Awakening & Action

I was texting Pastor Liz this morning because I text her in the morning to know they’re, like, in their evening now. So I text her to find out how the day went because I won’t leave the house unless I know the day is good. She says it’s a good day, then you can go to. So that’s why I’m here.

Other than that, you would have to have apostle Celine come up and preach. She’s doing a good job. Matter of fact, Pastor Liz mentioned to me that Pastor Paul is supposed to be watching this. God help him. And so now what I’d like to do is open up the pulpit to apostle Celine to finish her message.

There’s no reason for me to do know. What do you think? You want to do it?

Oh, okay, Pastor Paul, you’ll get her next time. You’re stuck with me now, okay? I can screw this up as well. That’s the deal with preaching and ministering of any kind. Your prayer should be, God help me not to screw it up as much as I’m able to.

You know what I’m saying? And if there’s anything less than what you’re able to screw something up, you’ve done really well in God. Because God, like we sang, is a God of the impossible. And what he does goes way beyond us. So today I want to speak to you about some weird things and some great things.

I’m going to bring you into space, first of all. Whoa, that looks like space up there, sort of. How does my head look against that thing anyway on the camera? Are we okay? No.

All right. Okay. Last week, Pastor Apostle Pat spoke on light and you all pulled out your phones and you did that thing. Some of you pulled out your lighters. I need to talk to you a little later about that little deal.

I’m just saying we have to have a come to Jesus time here. Of course, when I was young, we did have lighters. We didn’t have those phones. Our lives were better then and worse. And I’m not going to tell you what we use those lighters.

For God is a deliverer, and he can deliver you today. Matter of fact, he will. Amen. Give God a hand.

So, last week’s message was on light. And it’s been kind of bothering me for a whole week, be honest with you. And last night, I was listening to it again, trying to erase it from my brain somehow. And lo and behold, the guy who preached it text me. At that moment, I’m like, hey, I’m listening to you.

How you doing? Oh, great. I just thought I’d encourage you in the Lord. You must go to church tomorrow. No.

So I was thinking about light. And we can think about our lives like a light, like some external thing that’s this little light that goes. But the reality, the way God looks at light, is more like the sun. It’s more like stars. And so the first part of my message, I want to talk to you about some of that weird stuff.

As a matter of know, I’ve heard from some young people. There’s this thing called girl math. Girl math. It doesn’t sound good to me, but I think I know a few people that engage in that. Well, I was telling June Marie I didn’t get a chance to talk to her father, the scientist.

Are you back there? Yes. That I’m going to do some bob science. Okay. So I’m going to give them an opportunity to leave or jump up and correct me at any time.

Okay? This is the way it goes. You came here for church today. Okay. I have scriptures, too.

And I have a word from the Lord for us, not just for us. Matter of fact, I have a word. The Lord put it on my heart during worship. It’s the first time he spoke to me about this particular word that some of our prophets have given for this year, for the rest. So this word actually goes beyond our house?

Far beyond. And so those who might be listening overseas, the word, when I finally get to it, is for everyone. Everyone that considers themselves a minister, a Christian, a worker of God, okay? It’s a pretty serious word, and it’s a great word. It’ll give you instruction and direction.

So, back to my weirdness. I started thinking about stars and our sun. Started thinking how far away the sun is. And yet its light gets here, like eight minutes. Boom, it’s here.

Eight minutes. Pretty close. June, we’re okay. Just yell if I’m off. Close enough for government work.

And I started thinking some of you may have traveled 60 miles an hour. Some of you probably traveled 100, maybe even up the grade this week, this today. And at that wonderful speed, it would take you about 106 years. If you could go straight to the sun. Like, it would take a long time.

We don’t realize how far away things are. Like, if the sun was a little pebble right here, or the earth was a little pebble right here, I think the sun would be this big, massive thing way out there past the fellowship hall. It’s that far. It’s a long ways away. And there’s all weird stuff that happens with stars, which I’m going to break down for you in the word, believe it or not, and show you how we are actually in God’s eyes, his light.

We are actually not supposed to be like our little flashlight on our phone. Yes, but are supposed to be like a star. That’s so bold, that’s so giving, that’s so bright, that reaches everything around it. Now, you might say that’s pretty ethereal, Bob. How does that work with the.

And so, back to my science stuff. If you think about the stars and you think, this is an interesting fact, I found, because I went crazy this week, I didn’t really seek the Lord for the message. I just said, you’ll give it to me eventually. He said, go look up a stars. I looked, I went, what’s the oldest star we know about?

They call it Methuselah.

It’s great. Like, as an old dude, right? No beginning. Yeah. Okay.

So the funny thing about that star is it’s so old that they think it’s older than what they think the universe is. Now, how does that work? Like, that’s there. Just a confused science. I’m sorry, Dr.

Bob. How does that work? I’m sure our wonderful world and its scientists will adjust that in the future so it fits in their scope, in their way of thinking. But God wants us to think beyond what the natural is. Okay.

He wants you to, like, forget this thing. Please don’t let it break on. That was my body, my soul, my spirit’s. Like, let it break. So it must go beyond the natural light that you’re able to comprehend.

But you must touch into the fact that you, from God’s point of view, are like a star. Stars are interesting because they work with this weird thing called nuclear fusion. They don’t ask me to explain that, but it takes a lot of pressure and it gives off a lot of light and heat.

This is for you, Mike, because you’re the only weird one in here that can relate to me right now. I understand that because you’ve been there.

We’re waiting for you to get back. But you’ve been saying. Just saying. Okay, so the deal is this.

We are supposed to be like those stars. This is the message I have for you that are giving. Now stars create light, give light out because they are burning, they are consuming. Oh, wait a minute. Like our God is a consuming fire.

Come on now. You know, like the fire that came down from heaven, the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire that you were part of. Yes. If you know Jesus, you know he came and consumed your old spirit. Yeah.

And birthed into you by the power of God. A new spirit born of him, incorruptible. That like his spirit is consuming and able to bring out from you the light of God. The power of God. The consuming power of God.

Not just come on now. You know this little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. No way. No way. God says you’re more than conquerors.

You’re able to affect the things around you. Let me tell you, you can’t get much closer to the sun and it will affect you. Crazy.

And our sun’s kind of a medium. Starinthians 15. I told you I’d get to the word. I’m going to read you a few scriptures.

There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies. But the glory of the celestial is one and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars. For one star differs from another star in glory.

See the deal is with stars is the ones that are committed to fully given and has a lot to do with their size too. Some. But they are willing to burn up. And it’s in that consuming, burning up situation that’s happening that light comes out from them. And God spoke to me and he said, bob, are you willing to be consumed for me?

Are you willing to be like a star that shines? Not like a star down in the movies because they are terrestrial stars, terrestrial bodies. They have a fame that comes and passes. But God says to his people that if you will be my star, my heat, my power, if you’ll bring out and allow it from you a consuming life that’s consumed by God’s power, you will touch the lives. God says he will deliver people out of our hands.

You. Last week we heard about self deliverance. I believe in self deliverance. Self deliverance though let me help you, is not your delivering yourself.

God is our deliverer. God is the strength of my life. Okay. I wanted to put that in there because I think some people think, okay, well, I’ll just pray for myself. I’ll be delivered.

Great. That’s wonderful. No, it’s not on you. There are some prerequisites to deliverance, like repentance, like we heard last week, I think, from Jerusalem and Pastor Jonathan. Yes, there should be a change.

And when you turn, then you find that God is a deliverer. God started talking to me about us as a people and us delivering people around us, which each and every one of us are completely capable of and expected to do. If you think that’s going to fall on me or some pastor or some apostle or some pope, that was not God’s plan.

Every one of us, if we yield to that consuming fire of God, when we come into the lives of people, we will bring a deliverance. That’s sure. That’s positive.

That’s the word God has for you as his people. Now we can just sit back and go, okay, another year’s past. Wonderful. Everything’s great. But God’s here today to shake us, to stir us from where we’re at, the place we’re okay with, the place we’re comfortable with.

We can get so settled in our lives. I’m so comfortable here. Everything’s taken care of, and I can die quietly.

That’s not where God is bringing his people. That is not where he’s bringing his church. If he’s coming back for a glorious church without spot or wrinkle, he’s not forming a glorious church without spot or wrinkle to sit in the corner and die.

I’m sorry. I only get a few chances during the year to preach. I’m thankful those times, but a lot of stuff’s got to come out during those times, right? These are things that God rolls around in my heart, and I want to express them to you. I’m using this platform for that, but it’s real and it’s essential to us, or we will just go to sleep.

This has a lot to do with the word that we’ve been given as a people for this year and for the years to come.

You know, Abraham. He said, God said, abraham, count the stars. We’re still on the star thing.

So shall your descendants be. He said, matter of fact, I understand from Galatians and other places in the Bible that we, if you will, are the children of Abraham. The children of faith. Yes. Okay.

So when God was telling Abraham, who, by the way, through Abraham, jumped over the law, if you read Galatians correctly, and went right to the spirit, okay. He was telling Abraham your seed will be spiritual seed and natural seed. Israel will be like the stars of heaven in glory. You can’t count them. We have no clue how many there are.

They’re everywhere. God did that. God blows our minds with stuff. And then we are so worried about our little life. What will I eat?

What will I drink? Will my 401 be big enough?

What about if the government goes bad? The enemy of our soul? This world wants your focus, my focus on the little, the temporal things. And God’s like, I have eternal things for you that have a place in this earth now that have a power to exude into this. Now?

Yes, now. I know a couple of spirits over there were just going, yeah, you should get excited about it. Don’t hold it in, because we are so. Look, that’s what the world does. You just sit down, you be a nice christian, you go to church on Sunday and we’ll check you’re good.

And God’s like, that’s not good enough for me. I want you to be overflowing. I don’t want you to sit in your seats and just die there. God’s like, I want you up. I want you infecting this earth.

And we’re so afraid, oh, well, am I going to offend somebody? I hope you offend everybody.

This earth needs to be offended by God.

The wisdom of this earth is foolishness to God, and God is total foolishness to this earth. He put it out there, black and white for us in his word. He spelled it all out. He said that you’re going to find persecution and glory. He says that you’re going to have hard times and great times.

And we’re so in the process of trying to avoid the hard times. We’re so in the process of trying not to offend, trying to just fit in. If I could just fit in, I can live to 25, 30. Maybe if I hit the lotto, I’ll have a nice life. If I could just have a little piece of something.

And God’s like, you have my glory. You are stars. You’re beacons.

I was going to do this thing. I was going to ask him to put something up. At first I was going to make him do a giant sun, but that was too much. I didn’t want to bother our people, so I didn’t do anything. You have to use your imagination.

Imagine a giant triangle and then imagine another giant triangle. Can you imagine those? You guys have pretty good imagination. Those two triangles, when they come together, they make this thing we call.

Does anybody know the star of David.

Why would God use that symbol?

I’m like, God, why would you use that? And he says, stupid Bob, I am Triune. I come from heaven. Triune down, man. You are Triune.

You’re coming up. When we come together, we form a star. That’s come on now. I’ve given you my spirit. When I come together with you, everything else burns up.

You become this exuding star, like I am. Nothing can stand in his presence. No addiction, no sickness, no death. His way of thinking is so different than ours. And he consumes us and he gives us little weird symbols.

I could be right about the Star of David. I could be wrong.

It’s so weird. If you like it, use that someday. Don’t quote me, but it’s awesome when you think about it. The Bible’s filled with stuff like this. It’s weird.

The Bible’s weird. I’m giving just a few weird things. Daniel twelve three says, those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness. Like the stars. Like the stars forever and ever.

God’s interested in you leading people to righteousness. How do you do that?

Questions. I could take questions. Anybody have a question? I can answer any question. All questions?

Yes. It’s written. Cool. You should see it. It’s a whacked out job.

Okay. I’m embarrassed to put it out. Okay. Revelation 20 216. Jesus calls himself the root and offspring of David.

And then he goes on to say, and he is the bright and morning star. Jesus calls himself a star.

It was very interesting. I sat there. I get diverted when I read the word. Sometimes he says, I’m the root. Yes.

And the offspring of David. The root’s the beginning. It comes before. Right. Which is really strange when God’s explaining himself.

He’s also the offspring of David. You can go read that in Matthew. Right. You can see that he’s, like, in the lineage. That’s our God.

No beginning, no end.

And he’s put these stars into heaven to whack us out so we don’t understand what’s going on or why. And they’re differing in glory. And is like, so many things to speak to us about that I think about those stars. They are so far away from each other. Distances that you cannot conceive.

Okay. That’s what I’m going to say. We like to think like one star was here, another one’s on the other. No, beyond that. And these stars are so far away, yet they light each to each other and they light to us millions of years later, theoretically.

And I think about the body of Christ, we are all little stars flopping around here. And sometimes we feel like we’re all alone, all the way out in the middle of that universe, and it’s me, and I’m all alone. And meanwhile, God’s like, I got other stars.

I got other people. And you have to tune in spiritually to know that you are connected with the body of Christ, or you will go around thinking you’re just a little solo star. With this little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. And I hope I don’t mess it up too bad. When God says the firmament displays my glory, that is all the stars together, the ones we know about, the ones we don’t know about, the ones we wish we knew about, all together, they make up this thing that starts to display my glory in the earth, just starts.

And if we got the picture, I just think of us as the body of Christ. Like, the top of my head has never seen the bottom of my feet, thank God, but the top of my head really depends on the bottom of my feet.

True, right? Really depends. They’ll never see each other. They’ll never talk to each other. Try to.

If I have an itch on top of my head, my head’s without the hand. Look, you’re all stars. You’re all stars in God’s universe, and he’s calling you and letting you know you’re not alone, but that you have a corporate assignment and to minister to everything around you. And even though sometimes you feel alone, you’re not. You’re part.

You’re connected. It’s just part of the message. I’m here to tell you today, because the problem with us as Christians is we get so isolated and strung out and thinking we’re all on our own and we never were. You just need to look and observe and understand there’s other lights out there and that you are connected to those lights regardless of the distance.

Philippians 215 and 16.

Yeah, maybe we should read that together.

I’m going to start with 14. Do all things without complaining and disputing. There you go. That’s pretty natural stuff. That you may become blameless and harmless to children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

Yes. And if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith. I am glad and rejoice with you all. Paul, now I read to you a few things. Daniel, Abraham, all these.

Jesus Christ himself, Paul writing in Philippians here, he’s talking about people and to people and how they should give themselves, how they should be radiant, how they should burn, how they should consume. And in verse 17, he says, look, I’m giving you an example. I’m not just telling you to do this. I’m doing this. I’m pouring myself out like this drink offering.

In Corinthians, two Corinthians, twelve chapter, verse 15, he goes on and he says, I’ve spent myself on you.

God is giving us instructions here in our church and in churches all over the world, to not be so isolated and be willing to spend ourselves on others.

When I get to the word that for our church here and for others later, you’ll see the significance of the statement I just said.

If we are not willing to spend ourselves, we are not worthy to minister for Christ.

If we’re not willing to give, we’re not worthy to be. That’s a hard word. Yeah, but it’s a real word. It’s the Bible. I would love to be able to sit here and tell you, you just live your nice christian life and everything’s great, and it will be great in a very natural realm, but before God, it will not be so great, because he gave everything for us and he expects everything from us.

He expects, like those stars, that we will consume our lives to give his light out, that we will burn our lives out to do his work, to be his people, to be his deliverance in the land, to be his healing. But if we’re so wrapped up with protecting our little precious lives, we will never let ourselves go to that place.

Let me read you the word that I received from several of our prophets, a couple of our prophets.

Like I said, this is for you. You should take this very personally. And it’s also for people out there maybe watching, because I believe it’s a word for the world, christian world. He said, open wide your doors, for they are coming. Who are they?

I’m bringing them. Open wide your doors of your heart. God says it twice. Open wide your doors. So something about our closed nature normally is not okay in this season.

Open wide your doors of your heart. He goes on, he says, spread your arms out wide and receive all that come, for I am gathering. He calls them my people and bringing them to you. For what? For what?

For healing.

Now you might think, don’t relegate healing to just sickness. It’s that. But it’s much more than that, okay? There’s a healing that’s coming and it’s coming through, apparently from the word we received from one of our mantle prophets to us, through us, to people who are coming. I want to go on record of saying they are coming, maybe through those doors.

I think some have actually showed up today, but also coming to you in your life, wherever you keep your doors, maybe in your work, in your business, in your school, in your friendships, maybe you’re going and working out at the gym. God help you. No matter wherever your life is, wherever the doors to your life exist, God’s saying, open up because I’m bringing someone to you. And if you hear a word like this, and I’ve got much more of this word that I’m going to pack for you, but if you hear a word like that and go, oh, yeah, they’re coming through the door. I can see them on Sunday.

You miss the entire point of what God’s saying. And by the way, this is an essential, urgent, like wake up. They’re coming. They’re coming. They’re coming into your life.

They may be family, they may be friends, they may be close enemies. You’ll love those. They may be all sorts. Don’t put them in a box. But when they arrive, you need to see them.

Be alert. See them for who they are. And then you need to be willing to do this. Come into my life. Come into my life.

I don’t have a lot for you. I have a lot of stuff for you. I have nothing of me. But guess what? God told me I have healing for you.

And he goes on and he says, I’m coming. And I’m gathering my people and bringing them to you for healing. I am bringing them to you for a glorious life of liberty. Did you hear? A glorious life of liberty.

That’s an assignment. You need to understand this. God’s giving us an assignment now in this season, that when they come to you, they are going to find a glorious life of liberty, not just a good christian life that shows up on Sunday and checks the box.

I hope I offended somebody and everybody. I’m offended by it because we can get so much there. And then it goes on. And he says, the Lord says, I’m telling you this so that you’ll know when it happens. It won’t be a strange thing, but a miraculous happening.

I heard the Lord say when I read that word preparation, he’s telling you, prepare. God doesn’t do anything unless he tells his prophets. Yes. And so he’s telling us, prepare. Something’s going down here.

And so when this word came, I immediately contacted the whole leadership team of our church and said, I believe this word is now. Like it’s important, it’s essential, it’s now, it’s for us. It’s not just for an apostle and a pastor or pope and know minister. It’s for every single person who’s a Christian, who carries the name of Christ, who has holy spirit residing in them and wanting to manifest through them, says they’re coming, the spiritually crippled by religion and traditional mindsets which have blinded their eyes and closed their ears to the truth of my word. I heard when I read that that’s their condition.

So we had an assignment, preparation and an understanding of their condition. Blinded, crippled, I’m bringing, it goes on to the outcast. Listen to this. I’m bringing the outcast, the unclean, the addicts, the Violent, the rich, the poor, the sick and the healthy, and you’re going to heal them. What?

God, you said they’re healthy and you’re going to heal them. That just doesn’t make sense. God, obviously our prophet who brought this, know something was wrong with them and the Lord just started speaking to me. Bob, a lot of people absolutely know they’re positively healthy in their own eyes, spiritually, mentally, physically. I’m just going, we’re good.

Matter of fact, I’m going to just exhort you as the people of God, there are going to be people coming in your life. They have it all together and they don’t have him. And all that together means nothing for their eternal life. And you need to be prepared to reach out to the healthy, to the rich, to the poor. A lot of times in church we’re like, oh, the downtrodden, the addicts.

I say, open the doors, let all the addicts in because God’s the deliverer. But I also say open the doors and let all the rich and healthy in because God’s their deliverer. It works across the board. It’s not just certain people go, oh, it’s a church, or you need a crutch. Dang it, everybody needs God.

Everybody. And when we forget that, we discount the ability, our ability and our assignment to let that light shine into people’s lives because we think we discounted ourselves. I don’t have anything to offer this person. They got everything going.

God’s got an assignment for his people. You’re going to have to come out of yourself and into the positive anointing of holy spirit that looks way beyond what a person is and how they behave and looks into their life. The light of God shining on their life and you bringing that light into their life. Let’s continue. He goes on so you know that we know his assignment is preparation, their condition, your purpose.

And then he says, bind up their wounds, comfort those who mourn, heal the brokenhearted, and set the captives free. That’s a directive. It’s a directive. And when I read that, I thought once again back to Jerusha’s testimony last week. There are people you must lead into deliverance.

There’s a setting of the captives free. It was Jesus’assignment here on the earth, and we are with him. And you must not be afraid of it. You must not be scared. I’m not saying go find every know witch coven and Satan house, but you have assignments, and you have some forms of authority, and you have places that God’s opened up to you to be able to execute his deliverance in the earth.

And you must see that as your assignment. You must not say, oh, that’s for somebody else to do. And be afraid. I said, don’t be stupid, but don’t be afraid.

Because either you have the power of God residing in you or you don’t. There’s no in between. Which case maybe you need to be filled with the Holy Ghost, possibly some of you saved. It’s hard to tell.

Freely, he goes on. Freely, you have been given freedom. Freely. You have been loved so freely. Give it out.

Don’t hold back, but give forth life and do it in love. Hey, is this resonating with anybody about at any level? Is this coming to you and making a little bit of sense? I’m hoping this, like, I felt like this is like an instruction manual for us. I gave you the whole spooky, weird suns and methuselah and shining and brighter and how far and that’s great, but this is how you live today.

This is the now. This is how you do it. You do it by giving what you’ve been given. I don’t know what I have to give them. You’ve been given liberty.

You’ve been given freedom. Give it to them. Show them God. And then he finalizes this part of the prophecy with and my glory will follow you wherever you go.

That glory that shines through, that glory that manifests, that glory that has power and intensity with it. I will be a testimony to my goodness. It will be a testimony to my goodness, what will be a testimony, my glory that’s following you wherever you go.

And all will know that there is a God in heaven that loves them. And I wrote this to myself. The outcome is not on you. The initiation of your involvement is. See, this is the problem.

We all think when we go to minister to somebody, boy, I sure hope it all works out in the end. But the reality is that outcome was never dependent on you. I’m helping some of you as the church of God minister. See, I’m not worthy to go pray for that person. I’m not worthy to speak truth to that person.

Because what happens if it doesn’t work out? I’m helping somebody here.

That’s not on you. What’s on you is to do it. What’s on God is to perform it. It’s always been that way. And in church, we set up idols.

It’s the healer idol, it’s the deliverer idol. It’s the one that brings the word idol. And it’s like, no, it’s God that works in and through us. It’s God that determines what’s going to happen and when it’s going to happen and how it’s going to happen. And we just think, well, no, I just don’t have it good enough.

I’m going to bring this stupid word about the sun.

How’s that going to work? God don’t care how you think it’s going to work. How does God think it’s going to work is what matters. And what God does with what you do matters. I’m not saying be reckless, be crazy, be stupid.

Come on, church. Hopefully we are beyond that as a church, at least generally. But the reality is there’s times to step out and do what you are. And this is one of those times. God’s saying, hey, wake up.

It’s time another word came. This was an unsolicited word from a prophet in our house. I rebuked her soundly for bringing this word. I won’t tell you who she is. Unsolicited.

There’s no reason. But when I read it, I went, oh, this fits with this other word from one of our mantle prophets. And it goes on. It says, wake up and be alert. I’m pretty sure that’s why God put me up here.

I thought about that. I’m like, oh, God, when you want to wake people up, you use that guy with a big, loud voice.

Because we know our God is a quiet little mouse in the corner. We know that. Wake up and be alert. Be diligent. Be in tune with me.

What? When I read those words, the first thing that came to my mind was, shake off the slumber. It’s so easy when everything’s nice and warm and comfy. You got that rose, that weighted blanket. It’s like, I’m not getting out of bed.

I’m just staying nice here. Was nice and warm. Be alert. Wake up. Be in tune.

And then the word goes on. It says, be close to me.

When God says to be something, he’s asking us to do something.

It comes with the being.

I’m a Christian. I just don’t practice Christianity.

Right. It doesn’t work that way. When he says, be close to me, he’s telling us, draw close to him. I heard the spirit saying this distinctly. This is a time he is pulling people into his secret place.

Right now, he’s drawing on hearts. And you think, oh, my heart’s too cold. My heart’s too far.

I messed up too much. And I heard the Lord say, and this is when we were doing our fasting and praying. He says, it’s only a tiny step. See, you think it’s this gigantic step you think it’s going to take, like, things moving in the heavens and lining up, we’re back to that thing. He’s like, this is a tiny step.

And when you take that tiny step, I do so much with that. So I don’t want you to be discouraged that you think, oh, wow. Being close to him. Oh, God. It’s just.

I don’t know. I’ve wasted a lot of years not being close to you like you wanted me. So what? Be close to him now. Draw close to him now.

And if you’ve been drawing close to him, draw closer, because that’s the time we’re in. And if we are not alerted to this time, this is why this word came. It said, wake up. Be alert, be diligent. It’s because of this time.

And he goes on to say, bring others to me. These are pretty simple instructions. In other words, share him.

That takes like, you want that in the Greek, in the Hebrew.

Then the word went on and said, shepherd them.

Wait, I have to be a pastor to Shepherd.

I don’t like to do this. I don’t want to see the hands of the shepherd who’s a shepherd. Are there any shepherds in this House?

Are there any shepherds in this house? Really?

He says, shepherd them. In other words, if you understand yourself to be a shepherd, that’s not a pastor, that’s not some ministerial thing. It can be that, too, but it’s shepherding people. If you’re a shepherd. Care for them, watch over them.

This is a pretty simple word, and the thing that came to me when I was reading this is assignment. God’s given you an assignment. Care for them, watch over them. Let me put it in plain English for you so I don’t have to interpret it out of the Greek and the Hebrew for you. Care for people the way you would like to be cared for.

Care for people who are in a miserable way. The way you would like to be cared for when you’re in a miserable way.

Care for people who are in a great way when you’re in a great. The same way you would like to be cared for when you’re in a great way. You see how this works? This is pretty simple stuff, and it goes on and says, don’t be idle in the waiting. In other words.

Sorry, Rose, I’m helping you because the weighted blanket thing. Don’t drift back to sleep. Rose.

That was only for Rose. We have this. I work for Rose. Actually, she’s got her weighted blanket she’s putting on right now. It’s awesome.

Don’t drift back to sleep. Wait on me. And what I have to say when you wait on God and what he has to say, that is active listening, that’s not hoping that something’s going to fall out of heaven. Wow. This is what you got to say, God.

Wow, that’s great. No, that’s like, you got my ear. I’ve drawn closer to you, God. You got my ear. I’m listening.

I’m listening. I’m listening with the willingness to do not just listening so I get information through my ears and in my brain so I can just regurgitate it later. I’m listening for your assignment so that I will be a faithful soldier of God that will execute what he says he wants of my life, in this life, not, oh, I’m waiting. Can you show me how to do that? Exactly.

Can you push me over and make me do it? Will you help me open up my heart and my hands to people? You know, this is not like me. Really. What a lame excuse we give ourselves.

Well, we went off the rails on this message.

You know, faith comes with those and changes come with those small steps. Like I was saying, two corinthians tells us that he made us to be sin. He was made to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made. Okay, christians.

That we what? That we may become the righteousness of God. Whoa, how do you do that? What does that look like?

You’re able. I’m speaking to someone here, someone who’s been lulled into maybe years, a lifetime, maybe of sleep, that Jesus Christ became sin for you, the one who knew no sin. He became sin. He didn’t just take it on and feel like, oh, I can really relate to them. No, he became it.

That you, that I might become the righteousness of God.

Not just talk about the righteousness of God. Not just think about that nice christian life, not just tippy toe into it once in a while and go, I did my christian life thing first. Peter talks about that, about he bear our sins right, and we were dead. Now we’re dead to sins and alive to righteousness, because that righteousness is coming up and out of us.

It’s shining like that star we talked about. It’s not something you have to work up or make up. It’s who you are. But your responsibility is to do and be who you are in life. God gave you very simple instructions on how to do that in the coming.

God knows how long there are opportunities coming. I’m going to leave you with this. I’m going to read these scriptures to you. One corinthians 15, I’m going to start at verse 50, says, now this. I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption.

Behold, I tell you, a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. That’s not just a nice christian life, that’s the power of God. That’s the assignment that word of life has been given from the beginning.

We’re not here offering you a nice christian life and a nice christian atmosphere here, although we can do that. But we are offering you change that’s tied to the righteousness of God, the power of God, the deliverance of God. Everything else is trash in God’s eyes. And then it goes on and says, for this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up.

Death is swallowed up in victory. Oh death, oh death, where is your sting? Oh grave, where is your victory?

This earth, if we are earthly minded, only offers us a grave. At the end of it all, all you get is a grave.

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. In the work of the Lord. The Lord gave us an assignment not to earn our salvation by works.

The word he gave us for this church and for others outside of our church is not to work for your salvation, but to do the work of the Lord, which is. Open up your arms.

Come. You’re hungry. You’re hurting. You feel like you’re doing okay. It doesn’t matter.

Come. We’re here to receive you because we’re willing to walk with you in this time so that you with us might attain to that glory. That’s the message that we were founded on here. It’s never ended. And it’s so important for our young people here that come in and new people that come in to hear we actually believe this stuff.

Therefore, beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

There’s a reason, man. I was listening to some of Pastor Isaac, some of his message from Africa with Pastor Pat and both wonderful men of God. And it’s such a privilege that we all can be considered part of that message of life, that we all have partakers of it, but also we bring it to others, and not one person is exempt from that. I’m looking around at people I’ve known for almost 50 years and people I don’t know because you just got here today. Somehow I don’t know.

But every single one of you that know Christ as their savior has the assignment on their life to open up. This is the assignment for today. Open up your heart. Open up your life. Bring to this earth the life, the light that it is dying for.

Come on. So that at the end of the times, Christians, Jesus, he’s not just offering you a nice life and a grave at the end. That’s all this world is offering when it’s all said and done. But he’s offering you life eternal.

Thank you, Pastor Bob, for a serious word. You guys, I’m so grateful to be doing this with you guys. I know there is so much faith in the room to walk in the promises of God, and there is just great opportunity ahead for us.

One thing that I wanted to announce. Shamakatura are doing baptism classes and for those that want to get water baptized, it’s open as soon as we get three or four people signed up for that. But it’s a part of responding to this call that God has for us. Amen. His glory is going to follow us, and there is nothing more rewarding than walking this out with God.

So, amen. Let’s pray. Father, we thank you for this word. And we open ourselves up, God, to say, help us. Help us to walk in this opportunity you’re setting before us.

Help us to draw close to you. Help us to understand the magnitude of this invite that you have given to us, Lord God, that we would allow you to build your church, that we would be a part of that God, and that we would just love this time with you. That increases as we surrender our heart. It’s.