The Adventure of Faith

We're gonna come to the word of God Turn in here first of all to Genesis 12, and this is my message this morning the adventure of faith reading from Genesis chapter 12 and This is our series and faith that we're going to continue on we've been dealing with faith and prayer over these two days And when you begin to recognize that without faith it is impossible To please God and that he that comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a Rewarder of those that diligently seek him then you're gonna take this issue of prayer very serious It's not something that is an option in the Christian life or in the church since we need to go to Prayer in this church the prayer meeting used to be the best Attended meeting in this church at least for eight years Some of yous have lost your way. You need to get back to it again Come to the powerhouse. That's where God does miracles.

That's where the entire church is directed But reading from Genesis chapter 12 and verse 1 Now the Lord had said unto Abraham Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and From thy father's house unto a land that I will show thee and I will make of thee a great nation and I will bless thee and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing Then reading from Matthew chapter 14 and 25 and that's this is our text for this morning Matthew 14 verse 25 down to 29 and in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them walking on the sea and When the disciples saw him Walking on the sea they were troubled saying it is a spirit and they cried out for fear But straightway Jesus speak unto them saying be of good cheer. It is I be not afraid and Peter answered him and said Lord if It's be thou Bid me come on to thee on the water And he said come and when Peter was come down out of the ship. He walked on the water To go to Jesus.

Let's pray this morning father. We pray right now in the mighty name of Jesus We don't come as strangers But we come with an invitation from heaven to approach the throne of God boldly father all of us in this room Unite our hearts right now in prayer We're praying for miracles in this room that you save souls this morning that you'd make them to know There's a living God in heaven. We're praying for many loved ones that are in hospital that are at home Oh God that there are far from you We're asking that you move by your divine spirit by the power of the Holy Ghost We're asking that you breathe on the Word of God We're asking for this adventure of faith nor God those that are Concentrating on themselves that are downcast in heart nor God that are stuck in the muck in the mire father I pray that they're gonna hear the call to come walk on the water.

They're gonna hear this adventure of faith Nor God I pray for the stirring of every heart every family in this church Nor God that we're gonna begin to march as the army of God Nor God that we're gonna take up the sword of the spirit and smite the enemy and ride the hordes of hell Nor God we realize in this city of limerick my God We're fighting hell that you planted this church within a yard of hell I know God we have people dying on our doorstep Lord God and going out into a lost eternity light a fire Oh God Lord God. We need missionaries birthed again. We need preachers and leaders raised up in this nation my God We need new churches that are gonna begin to evangelize Lord God We need those that are gonna raise up godly families.

We need mothers that are gonna pray fervently over their children Oh God We need those that are gonna operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and lay hands on the sick and see them recover My God we need those that are gonna engage in prayer and be an Intercessors in this church that the very heavens would open up Lord God we pray for every student in this school Over this three-week set their hearts on fire send them back home with the new vision No God prepared to do the will of God and to walk with you in Consecration and holiness that you receive all the glory father. It's not for our sake. It's not our name It's not for a reputation or a ministry But it's Lord God our hearts are pledged to loyalty to the Lamb of God the bleeding Lamb And his kingdom I know God we're seeking after your righteousness This morning in Jesus name not our will be done But your will be done on earth as it is in heaven in Jesus name Amen the adventure of faith To know anything about faith or reality There has to be some dangerous living on our part the safety of the religious boot must be forsaken if you're gonna Experience a living Christ most of the religion of this study is a dead religion They preach about a Christ.

They never experience. They see no miracles. They expect no miracles They pray for no miracles It is a dead Christ, but I want to tell you we have a living Christ that walks upon the waters in this hour We must move beyond the boundaries of Conventional religion beyond that which religion has set up to safeguard itself I'm tired of those that carefully calling their prayers so that they won't be caught out They're scared to pray there and prayers.

They're scared to step out in faith They're scared to go to a sinner and to say if you repent to your sins now You'll be born again and God will change you or go pray for the second say I know a God That can heal your sickness since I believe God is the same yesterday today and forever Jesus has never changed and the Jesus you find in this Bible will still do wonders if he can find a man or woman To believe him God said unto Abraham get up get out of your country leave your family Move away from your society and I will show you a country I'm gonna give to you it demanded a daring kind of faith for a man of 75 years old to leave everything to leave his family behind to leave the home the work the Society the culture the language and go out into that wilderness in I'm following God I'm a bay in the Word of God There is a heavenly city that I'm searching for some of you know What this is like you forsook all arose and followed Jesus Christ saying I'm looking for the new Jerusalem I'm looking for a city that is not of this world to know and experience God God Demands of faith that dares to do dares to go dares to act if your faith keeps you sitting Never doing anything never stepping out in faith. You don't even know if it's real or not You play it safe. You have everything is normal.

You're settled in the traditional normal life but since these scriptures we're reading about is talking about the adventure of faith and Matthew chapter 14 verse 22 to 33 the Apostles all 12 of them were caught in a boat in a storm on the Sea of Galilee About the time that all hope was gone. They thought they were gonna die. The boat was gonna break apart Here comes Jesus walking upon the water Thinking it to be a ghost as they looked out on the storm.

They were already scared They were already fearing for their lives. They realized the elements the circumstances were against them They were familiar with the water. They were familiar with sailing or the weather of Israel But here they are thinking the boats gonna be shattered But as they looked out on upon the water here comes a figure Walking upon the water and I want to tell you when you see things you don't understand It'll frighten you if there's if you have any sense at all They got frightened of what they thought was a ghost but then Jesus spoke amidst the storm and it's the Confusion and it's their inability to discern the Lord Jesus Christ in the storm And he simply spoke these words it is I and verse 27 that voice stirred Something deep within the heart and soul that Peter the Apostle Do you know what stirred within him? He says if that be thou if this is you the Lord Jesus Christ Then bid me come walk in the water, you know in the depths of every genuine believer It's a desire to walk in the water.

I want a real Christ. I want a supernatural Christ I want to know that the God of the Bible is still alive and real not just in stories Not another people's testimonies, but I want to discover him. I want to find him I want to experience him if this God is real let him call to me.

Are you here? Maybe you're you don't know Jesus Christ in this room. Maybe you haven't experienced salvation Are you asking questions in is God real? Is there a God who cares about me? Is there a God who knows me? Is there a God who loves me? Is there a God who died at Calvary for my sin? Is there any hope that my sin can be forgiven my life change? Oh, yes, praise God. There's people in this room delivered from heroin.

They're sitting here as witnesses brother Paul I know always love to remember people's testimonies brother Paul 21 years old I believe saved those drugs That's what he lived for went home flushed them down the toilet says that's me For for me to live is Jesus Christ we serve a God who changes lives you can prove He's real you can find these real and you can walk in the reality of them when Peter heard that voice Amidst the storm amidst the fear of hardly perceiving Christ and you know what? That's where most of the churches today. They can't even perceive Christ. They can hardly recognize the voice of Christ This is Christ speaking to you saying come walk on the water and we don't even know if it is him or not Is it a ghost? Is that a man? Is that the Lord Jesus Christ? Is this real? Am I imagining things is this the voice of God but deep within the heart of Peter? There's a desire for the supernatural for the power of God for obedience to God and listen me You'll never experience the supernatural without obedience stay in your boat You just sit down bowing by your fear your safety mentality Secure and what you've always done unknown Just sit there and let someone else do it since you'll miss out on the greatest miracle of the hour But there's a Christ comes walking on the storm when we're scared when we don't know what's going on when we're fearing for our own Life, it's time to lift up your eyes.

Listen with your ear and you'll hear it is I I'm in the storm I'm walking on the water. I'm coming to you. I am right where you are I'm so close that if you call on to me, you're gonna find me the thing that mark The testimony of Peter was that he moved quickly and obeying the impulse of the Holy Spirit Most preachers who preach in this text all that they can find is Peter Sank well, that's nothing strange any one of you tried walking on water I guarantee on unless you're some rare case every one of you sank that try to walk on water I was in England once and I had this big pond and there was a sign there at the end says Please do not walk on the pond.

It was a place where they trained chaplains for the army all those chaplains I'm sure not a one of them managed to ever walk in that water But saints of God again, we know the story that any man who ever tried to walk on water He sank don't you criticize Peter for sinking? Don't you begin to say that's the heart of this message? It's not every man who tried to walk on water until this day has sank But that man Peter said if it should bed me come on to you in the midst of this water There's a deep desire and Peter's heart was being stirred Peter could have closed his eyes closed his ears refused to look at the storm refused to hear the voice of Christ Refused to recognize that this is Jesus in the storm the Jesus They love the Jesus that saved them the Jesus who fed them the Jesus who done miracles They could have ignored him in that hour because he's not on a hillside ministering the multitudes He's not there at their hand noise in the storm noise on the troubled water noise in the chaos of that hour of Frightening confusion since there's an hour where we say I've got to find out if he's real again I don't care about about past testimonies I've got to find out he's real here now for this church for this school if we can prove him real God help us This generation is gonna go to hell in this hour Peter could have closed his ears to the voice But here was a man who? Responded to the voice of God the sight of Jesus walking on the water Like the church in these times he could have refused to look at the problem You know most of the church have never experienced Christ because they're not out in the storm They don't even call a storm a storm anymore. They don't call sin sin anymore They're not worried about the lack of miracles or the lack of revival or the lack of conversion They're not concerned about the lack of holiness in the church the lack of prayer the lack of desire for God's house They just go live your nice little Christian life I'm gonna tell you that person is not living by faith now man of faith begins to see the problems He looks out on the storm, and he says we need a real God We need something more than we have we can organize our committees we can begin to plan for the church but until we're willing to get out of the back boat and Challenge the situation nothing is going to happen you can say God's called you But if you don't go nothing's gonna happen You can talk about all the things God's shown you all the things you pray We can sit around this table and talk about everything of the day. I've seen it all my life I grew up surrounded by Christians They sat in living rooms that talked every theology every doctrine told you what was right told you what was wrong Told others you need to do this you need to do that.

They're still sitting in the same place They've never gone and served God. They never answered the call of God. They never done anything for God They're still experts on theology Experts on what everyone else should do But they've done nothing since anyone can sit in the house of God and tell others what they what they ought to do But when are you gonna serve God all you're gonna be is a speaking head unless you obey God in this hour the church was planted in the midst of a troubled sea of people of Disorder and abroad a message of hope you know what when this church was birthed way back at its beginning We were traveling every other way week from nation to nation We had invitations from Ukraine Australia and every country in between across Holland and many other countries We were right on the verge of that and the Lord Jesus Christ Intervened calls us to stop come to limerick You know in all these years anyone who meets me who knows I I don't have the accent of a limerick man Says why and all the world would you come to limerick? I said the Lord Jesus Christ They're confused to say nobody just comes to limerick willingly and I said, that's why it proves I love this city more than you.

I wasn't born here. I choose to be here I love this city one of these kids said what do you like about limerick? I said, I'm here for the people I love the people that's why I'm here. I'm not for the here for the buildings.

I'm not here for Shannon I'm not here for the trees of the forest. I'm here for the people because I believe Jesus died for them God loves them and lice are gonna get saved in the midst of this city We stopped everything traveling and ministry and began with five people in a living room just to start a brand new church No one had done the Lord's table brother soup was there They didn't know how to sing a Christian song or play a Christian song We used to leave the meeting go as he saved as they not is he real as they not do you think he'll make it? Do you think he'll not that was the conversation for six months? We had a ragtag bunch in the living room They started a prayer meet and I couldn't even get praying for two hours. They prayed the heavens down I used to laugh and go they don't even know to the difference This isn't normal, but go on pray on half of them weren't even saved But they're praying Lord come and meet us we prayed at the beginning Lord Send us the worst send us a drug addict.

Send us alcoholic. Send us a suicidal raise up a church There'll be a testimony that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever The church was planted in a troubled sea and we've been given a message of hope It was put here to show men and women the way out of confusion Darkness and sin and yet today she tends to stay inside the church buildings Refusing to face the challenge of this world if you don't go Saints God will blow upon this place You're not gonna sit here for the next 30 years. We're not gonna be just another church.

We're gonna evangelize We're gonna reach the kids. We're gonna reach the lost. We're gonna go on the high street We're gonna go out into this nation There's a dying world and you're only here for a short time a few years and you're gone Into the very presence of the Lord But while we're here It's time for an adventure this the Church of our day lacks the spirit of adventure And she always tends to play it safe and the world goes to hell outside her door while she does This is a tragedy of our time I told you the other day who's gonna go evangelize the Muslims in Paris.

They've come to Europe taken over Everyone's talking about Immigration our world is on fire who's gonna go evangelize the immigrants who's gonna reach the Muslims? You don't evangelize them here. Just watch what happens in limerick and a few short years. They'll come for your children They'll come for your family.

They'll take over everything of this city If you don't evangelize with red-hot Evangelism and you know what saints that's not within our power We need a Christ who comes walking on the sea of confusion Can anyone in this hour see Christ amidst the wars Russia? Iran Israel America China Can anyone see Jesus walking in the water? What about the immigration problem of Ireland? It's beginning to burn all across Britain Europe Denmark America can anyone hear the voice of Christ? Are your eyes focused on the problem or do you see Jesus come and walk in in the midst of this? Peter could have refused to look at the situation But he recognized that Christ does not hide behind the dead sterile traditions and doctrines of religion Christ is always in the middle of the situation wherever there's a fire He's gonna be there wherever there's chaos and hopelessness Christ is gonna go there with a good friend once in Puzzle Park in Glasgow We went there to evangelize a big bus whole group of us with my best friend. We're standing there It was freezing. It was cold, but we were there to evangelize We got to talking and said if Jesus was here, where would he go? What would he do? My friend and me we come to the resolution.

He had find the worst person in Puzzle Park and it was renowned go to Scotland ask about Puzzle Park in Glasgow and you'll hear some stories We were we come to the conclusion. He had looked for the most hopeless Impossible case in Glasgow in that community So we set off down the street me and Neil walking down going let's go find the worst most Hostile person we can find we find her a lady I don't know where it was alcohol. Maybe in her 50s.

Maybe in her 70s She was sitting on the ground still just drunk bottles around her Cursing like a like a trooper as we began to talk to her She began to wait and said God could never love me. God could never change me I'm too bound by sin. I've gone too far too long There's no hope for me and we began to minister the love of Jesus Christ The hope of the gospel since we've gone into the enemy's territory We've gone looking for the very worst of what the devil has done You know what? We said come with us got her on our bus bus began the minister I left her with two friends got off went looking for other fish to fry and as we were standing there when she came off That bus one hour later She was born again and the Spirit of God was in her since she was shining free from alcohol and Rejoicing she said I am amazed at the love of God We need to go evangelize again because this world world is dying and going to hell It is easy for you and I to refuse to face reality even our witness and our witness and we play it safe Why don't you come to my church? Why don't you lay hands on them and pray for them? Don't invite them to come to church.

Please do that, but that's not sufficient Invite them to Jesus Christ saying he can change your life right now if you pray and cry out to him He'll deliver you from your drugs. He'll save you from your sin. He'll break the confusion in your mind It's time for us to get militant.

Take Christ to the loss. Take Christ to the people either you're saved Oh, you're not saved either. This is real or not real since I know it's scary But we need to begin living like this again or we're gonna die after 30 years all these ambitions dreams prayers Never fulfilled.

I don't want that Preachers feel the call of God yet They live out their life saying when the bills are paid when my children are raised When when when I do this or I do that then I'll go serve God you won't do anything You'll be sitting here in 10 years doing the same thing since if you don't answer the call of God Preach the Word of God obey him get the mind of Christ You'll speak about this for the next 30 years until you go home to glory Let me tell you that that kind of preacher goes nowhere When God speaks we step out of the boat and we face reality Either I'm gonna walk on the water and I'm gonna drown There's no other option here Faith is instant obedience as he called you to go plant a church. You better go I don't want you staying in this church. God's called you I'm gonna help you because you'll be a problem in this church If you stay if God's called you to evangelize I'm gonna help you I mean really called you to do it.

Then I'm gonna help you. I'll do all in my power I want you to obey God. I want you to operate by faith I want you to rise into what God's called you to Simply doing what he told you to do What did Peter say bid me come on to thee on the water Lord? If you're in this call me very scary to start a church in Limerick.

I Never imagined starting a church in Ireland In fact, I told a man years ago said I will not be starting a church in Limerick And I was very determined little did I know God's plan and when he made it clear I let everything go We had no support We had very few people that we could start with and the devil told me every day for a year You're deceived and not funny how the devil tells you that you're stepping out to obey God he says you're deceived When you are deceived he tells you you're fine What for one year every day the devil whispered in my ear you're deceived You're gonna be sitting here in ten years time with ten people and all the nations are gonna be closed to you You're not every single door Internationally closed I had a wrestle through that and pray and go fine Let it be but I'm gonna do the will of God if I'm sitting here in ten years time with ten people fine But I do know the will of God and it's scary, but I'm gonna obey him. I'm gonna step out of the boat I'm gonna close the doors. I'm gonna write to everyone saying I'm not coming to preach in Belgium or Holland or anywhere else? I'm gonna go plant a church in the middle of Limerick and you know what the worst sinners are gonna come in and be a part of this when God speaks we must obey Bid me to come under the water.

That's Peter's hard cry for reality and it's the cry for Jesus Christ to be real on our lives. What did Jesus say come? Come do you have a call? See in this couple of weeks that are ahead of us in this school Are you trying to wrestle to find the will of God? What about when Christ speaks to you? Will you obey him? Will you prepare yourself? Preachers have majored on the fact that Peter sank, but that's not the message of it. He walked on the water He stepped out of the boat.

The other 11 stayed in the boat. They're Christians. This isn't about salvation.

You know, this isn't about Sanctification this is about obedience To the call of God and a seeking after reality. I want to see the supernatural power of God 11 of the disciples they're real Apostles. They're real Christians part from Judas They have all the attributes of real believers, but you know what they're hunkered down in the boat They're never gonna leave that boat.

Only one man actually says I'm coming. I'm getting out of this boat Peter refused to hide behind his fears. Is that binding you this morning? You're fierce.

What if I fail? What if you don't oh But what if it isn't God? What if it is God? Some of you are so scared of failing that you'll never succeed You are born by your fears born by your limitations It's not God that is limiting you you're limiting yourself and you're restricting the living God Now Peter could have played it safe and stayed in the boat Most preachers do that when praying for the sick they say Lord if it's your will to heal them Some of you's remember some years ago. It was a 16 year old kid. I believe he is 16 or 21 He'd fallen.

I think it was Ian and Mary and others notified us They were gonna turn off the life-support machine he'd fell in that bathroom The doctor said there's no hope the mother was terrified of us But they said there's a church who prays and believes God. I'll never forget. I could tell you what I prayed Not Wednesday night.

We come to church. I knew God heard us that night I knew and I prayed if you go back to the recording you'll hear it. We prayed There's only one part of that prayer not answered yet And it's maybe the hardest part.

So he was on a life-support machine. They're gonna turn it off. I believe Friday and we prayed to a miracle that every eye will see it and Heal him.

He's gonna be saved and walk with you. Sadly went back to the world, you know Friday I think it was maybe Saturday morning He come out of that and his mother heard that prayer and the auntie and other family members But he's out here in this city somewhere Saints of God we need to live dangerously again that if our prayers fail, we'll look like the biggest hoax Some Christians are so scared of failing that they're not gonna see the Spirit of God move in this hour But you know what? I want to see Christ in this church I want to see a healer of bodies a healer of hearts a God who delivers the worst I want to see prostitutes saved in this city. I want to see Catholic priests and nuns born again I care about them if they die in their present state.

They're lost They are lost someone has got to care for this city and Mark 16 18 says they shall lay hands on the sick And they shall recover Some people through experience that prayed for someone nothing happened So they're scared to pray anymore then you believe your fears more than the Bible You need a fight through until you get a victory many preachers give so much credit to doctors You don't know why they just don't bring the doctor into the church to minister to everyone. I take nothing away from medicine I'm very glad for dentists. I'm very glad for doctors I'm especially very very glad for nurses, especially the front the one on the front row here but I want to tell you this Bible speaks about Christ the healer about Miracles when a doctor can't do anything for you if one of you in this room gets diagnosed with cancer this week I assure you you're gonna be hoping that you have a preacher and a church that believes in divine healing We can proclaim that truth with boldness and challenge men to believe or we can play it safe and challenge nothing We can pull back to say well Christ might heal we don't we're not sure he still heals in this hour We'll pray our little prayers, but we have no faith no Expectation and we're not disappointed when the prayer doesn't come to pass Peter refused to hide in the boat either This is Christ or it's not either he said come walk in the water or it or he didn't Either I can walk on the water getting out of this boat or I am in serious trouble Since that's when it gets exciting God made it exciting to be a Christian If you sit in this church, or you're in this school, and you're bored with your Christian life.

You're not obeying God You're not living like this You pulled yourself so back that you're looking at your belly button always focused on yourself in a state of Continual confusion, but I want to tell you when you're here in the call of God go pray for someone go reach the lost Saints you're you're gonna begin to burn if you go out onto that high street alone this afternoon and stand up and begin a preach I go to a center and say do you know the Lord Jesus Christ some of you are so respectable you've never done that and You won't do it But you don't know what you're missing out on Peter was not afraid to go beyond the conventional Things of those around them no one else is moving no one else is Responding no one else is saying if that's you call me to come to you See this is the normal realms of Christianity the day after Pentecost look at Peter on his way to a prayer meeting with John on his way to the temple be in the hour of prayer He saw a man above 40 years old That have been sitting at the gate of the temple beautiful bag and our arms all of these years Do you know Jesus walked past him? He's been sitting at that gate for years 40 years old he's lame. He can't walk Jesus had to walk past him. Why didn't Jesus do it? Why should I do something if Jesus hasn't done it fine? Just keep walking to your prayer meeting But you know what something stirred within the heart of Peter and John as they passed by the Fisherman said to the man begging silver and gold have I none But whatsoever I have give I unto thee in Jesus name rise up and be healed You know what? He's saying.

I got something in that upper room. It wasn't a feeling wasn't tingles Wasn't an emotional experience. I got the real baptism and the Holy Ghost Such as I have gave I unto you.

Hey look at my pockets. I don't have a penny I if you asked me for ten pounds, I couldn't give it to you, but I tell you what I've got something else I believe in the authority of Jesus name I believe he's still a healer a man 40 years old a cripple is sleeping shouting and praising God Because a man was not afraid to act. You know what Peter done.

They didn't just pray for him He reached out his hand and he pulled him up said get up in Jesus name. He didn't pray a nice prayer He says I expect this man to be healed in Jesus name many years ago. I Told you about shammy in my room with me an army hemorrhage in his head Nightmares pain all through his body, but I kept telling him the day you get saved you're gonna get healed I knew it.

It wasn't a faith proclamation. I knew it st. So God There is an adventure of faith.

We have an answer that guy got healed in front of my eyes All the pain left his body all the noise from those joints should have died early Wish I could find shammy leather out there in this world sometime Since the things I've seen in my life are remarkable, but it's been amidst fear Dots worries concerns. I'm like you ago. What if God doesn't answer the prayer? What if nothing happens? What if what if I damage their faith? What if I dishonor God? But then always the thought comes but this is who Jesus Christ is.

This is the Word of God It's not enough to say in Jesus name You need to pull some cripple to their feet and either you're gonna look like a fool or Jesus is gonna heal them You're gonna say to some drug addict. I believe that Christ can set you totally free from your drugs You know, I've preached that from the beginning of this church I'm gonna tell you I'm more persuaded than ever God can deliver any man in this city and put his mind, right? Have they blown their mind with drugs God can restore their mind if I didn't believe this I'd stop preaching saints I'm not gonna play with people in this city God never works until a man moves out on a limb Whereas only justification for but for being or Existence is that there is a real God and that the Bible is true when Peter entered the room of Dorcas Who lay dead a young maiden? Everyone in that room was weeping and praying and telling them what a good woman. She was Peter didn't begin to show pity or cry tears He didn't even say in the name of Jesus Listen he said I say unto thee Arise, he went there with a mission.

I know God's will I know God's actually whispered in this ear of mine This thought come to my mind This conviction came into my heart that I'm to go and raise her up from the dead And I'm the biggest fool are God's about to do a miracle Since this is the scariest place in all the world to live But you're either gonna find out God's real or he's not I do you're gonna have a testimony to tell your children or you'll always be telling other people's testimony do you know the servant of a Ally Elias Sorry, I miss my Elijah Elisha the servant of Elisha. Sorry. I need to get my word straight there the servant of Elisha Was a storyteller first come Elijah then Elisha Elisha done twice the miracles of Elijah But then get his eye the servant.

He was the third generation. Do you know what he was a Storyteller he was an expert storyteller Do you know God done this miracle through Elisha and this miracle and someone got raised and someone got healed? Elisha was never a part of us. He was actually after money He lied he manipulated, but he's in ministry.

He's in those circles, but it never got in his heart Saints look at Peter at the altar of Ananas and Sapphira They come to the house of God lying about money playing religious games looking a reputation Thinking that nobody knows but Peter by the Spirit of God speaks and says why have you lied? Unto the Holy Ghost and they die They fall down dead and get buried not first church the early church of the Apostles prayed with boldness That doesn't just mean they prayed loudly Their boldness was listen. This is how they prayed grant unto thy servant They're being persecuted if yous go out and preach in Jesus name. We're gonna throw you in prison We're gonna beat you.

We're we're gonna stop you listen to what they done They had a prayer meeting and they prayed like this They said here thy servant stretch out thy right arm and do and Heal the sick and do mighty signs and wonders They're looking for a real God. We're being persecuted. You need to stop preaching.

What are they doing? They're up and everything They're saying we need the power of God We need the power of God so we can preach boldly in the name of Jesus Look at him at the altar where on an ass and Sephora died look at them in these prayer meetings This is reality Nothing works when you operate in fear fear and unbelief can paralyze you You won't go you won't obey you won't step out in faith. You won't trust them. You're paralyzed We must move beyond fear after being beaten These disciples Went and prayed they're not pulling back.

They're not hiding. They're saying let's advance Let's go forward if we die we die. We need more Christians like that If we're rejected, you know, some of you's you're scared for one person to reject you You're so soft as someone said something to you you'd fall over since we need a militant church that when Persecution rages against it It burns with the Holy Fire a fire begins to kindle and say whatever happens to me.

Let it happen. We're going forward We're gonna evangelize. We're not gonna stop.

We're gonna intensify the work of God Our problem is a lack of the Holy Ghost It is the lack of Holy Ghost boldness that has rendered us almost helpless in this battle for the Lord It has brought us down to where we almost Apologize for what we believe in this hour. I am NOT apologetic with LGBT I'm not going to conform to this Gender-friendly generation. I don't need to submit and Nullify the Word of God let come what's going to come I'll preach the word as it is as it is written, but let happen what's going to happen Saints one of these days there's gonna be a clash between the real church and world powers and we're gonna see a real church Most of the church will pull back.

They didn't believe anything anyway, but I want to tell you there is a real church We have reached the point that what we believe in our head has to move to our heart faith Demand demands an adventurous spirit that dares to believe God Here this morning, I'm challenging you in this school in this church dare to believe God He will do what he said he would do. It's not about you It's not about your ability not about the size of your faith You can use a small mustard seed size of faith. You know what it's about.

It's about his word Did he say it what about his character? What about his will God is not a respecter of persons whenever you and I are believing enough To act what he says, then God will work obey him obey his written scriptures pray for your family When I was born again When I repented faith come into my heart you can't be saved without faith being there every born-again Christian has faith It's not the gift of faith to do miracles It is the gift of faith to live by faith obey God to follow him no matter where he goes What he does or what he requires Martin Luther preached justification by faith, but we need to remember there's not only Justification by faith there is a living by faith You can't live this life unless it's by faith if I have faith Then it is the exact same faith that Peter had which raised the cripple And raised up the dead it is the same faith Oh was in Elijah when he parted the waters of Jordan. He got that mantle from alive Got this mantle went to the water struck it and the waters opened up Since that doesn't happen But for a man of faith if you don't go there Expecting to get across either this is real or it's not real if he calls me in the ministry He's gonna provide financially young man never make your appeals to men don't send out begging letters We need a generation of faith filled Christians that pray to God like George Muller and Hudson Taylor Away with the prosperity gospel. They have no faith give us men of faith again He'll pray in the finance for the local church pray and finance for evangelizing nations But you see what the test is here Do you give in to fear are you gonna walk by faith Peter could have hidden the boat Refuse to get out refuse to hear the Word of God or say maybe next month.

It's all over by then He could have allowed fear to dictate every step of his future There's never a time and any man's life When they come to a place where they can just rest on their laurels or stay where they are You need to keep on the cutting edge of this to the day you die Saints I'm only here for a short time And I'm not gonna do less in the next 25 years of the Lord tarry than the previous 25 years Let this be the best hour. I'm not gonna retire God help you So you're not gonna get rid of my God's either gonna have to remove me Someone's gonna stone me or he's gonna send me to some other country I don't know, but I tell you I'm not hanging up my sword I'm not retiring. I'm not going on to a building program.

I could care less about the building We're after soul saints We're gonna pour our money into the souls of men if you refuse to listen to God You'll be fear bond, but there's something about hearing the voice of Christ come walk in the water It's me come walk And if you answer the call it's gonna be scary You might think You might be an edge of this But you're gonna be in a position Well, you're gonna be utterly reliant on me since I like to live there. I'd like to live there for a long time My personality is timid safe conservative very quiet That's my personality I could have be dominated by my entire Christian life, you know when I was a child I Couldn't hardly read and write straight F's in my exams. I couldn't speak to an adult I was too scared timid got confused But I at night I would dream in my bed lying there when I was 13 years old God would show me dreams of me standing preaching the vast multitudes and they're in gross darkness And I'd be preaching things.

I never heard my dad preach my pastor preach my denomination preach No one around me preaching I was around a lot of preachers five times on a Sunday I was in church And he's he showed me up and I went Okay I'm a quad time a kid, but I go if it's you Lord, let's do it If this is you you are gonna do it and I have full faith and expectation in you So I pray believe walk with him and let him do it Saints of God the things that he reveals over the years we need to get back to biblical Christianity again Real biblical faith you can discern it faith never draws back It goes forward God told the Prophet Elijah to go Since James said of this man that he was a man of like passions. What does that mean? He's born of a woman He is natural fears God tells him go tell the king. It's not gonna rain for three and a half years unless you tell it to Can you imagine walking a palace? I'm gonna walk into the palace.

Tell him. Hey King I prayed God's gonna answer my prayer and you're not gonna get any rain on Until there's repentance in this nation. No rains gonna come You know what? We've missed this because we thought these were super men of faith You know in his minds come in every thought nothing's gonna happen It's gonna rain soon as you get in there and tell him it's gonna begin to pour down with rain There's a battle in the mind since this is what we all face, but some of you never go there God speaks to you says come walk in the water.

You go. It's just me. Come walk on the water must mean him Can't mean me Okay, stay in the boat you stay there God spoke to Elijah and told him to go down and tell the king Those were his words Jew isn't even gonna fall on a rock until I pray again Now that is what he had to go tell a king since he is a man like you and me He has feelings he has battles in his mind.

He has thoughts of fear and dark Nothing's gonna happen None of you are immune to that There is a time when prayer becomes unbelief God says to Moses go down deliver the people of Israel two to three million people down there go if Moses would have went and started having more prayer. I think I need to go and pray and fast now No, you don't you need to obey me You could hide in prayer and fasting. Well, I'm gonna see God for the next five years You could be an unbelief you could be in this prayer meeting and unbelief Because you're not obeying God.

You're not willing to what he to do what he says, you know, why you're scared of fail? What if nothing happens then you've got your eyes on yourself for nothing God you care more about yourself You don't even believe what he says. What about his glory? What about his vision his commission his word? What about a lost world of eight billion people? You can shut your eyes to it, but God doesn't God's gonna raise up someone God has told Elijah what to do and the devil told him you better go back and pray about it again But the difference between Elijah and most of us is that he didn't listen to his fear Yes, he had much to fear. He had thoughts feelings emotions So did Moses, but these were men who kept walking forward their mind is battling fears Dots are rising sincere questions the heart Gideon says, where's all the miracles? I mighty man of valor.

Are you sure? Yes You beat him Since we need faith again What is faith faith is an action based upon a belief and the only thing God will allow For a belief is the Word of God. Do you believe the Word of God God's faithfulness to his word? It's not about you. The issue is in you.

It's whether God is faithful does work Does he provide for those who serve him will he answer prayers? That's the issue It's not you'd get your eyes off yourself You're always in but what if what if what if get your eyes on him? He said he said he said Since real faith is grounded on the Word of God That is the thing that moves men beyond the boundaries of human reason Everyone's telling them they're crazy. You can't do that. Yes, I can Yes, I can my two brothers when I left the army stepped out Into serving God 21 years old my two brothers.

My dad was dead. So they're playing daddy They sat me down. Just what are you gonna do for a job all you do for money? What about when you get a wife you won't have a house And I listen to him, but they don't know God's Word to me I know what he's called me to I can either listen daddy's advice through two brothers Everything they said was right.

Very good. Correct. It's just it was filled with unbelief not faith According I knew what God was saying Saints of God we need to move again beyond the boundaries of fear and inhibition You're gonna face utterly impossible Situations in the future.

You'll hear a sermon to go evangelize But you afterwards with your natural record and will say I can't do that. I'm a quiet disposition You you don't understand what I am. God's gonna use others and you'll stay in that boat You're gonna miss it.

The Bible says faithfulness in the house of God, but you don't need to do that Well, your children will copy you You are now Functioning in the church you are in in the way that you're gonna train your children to live the Christian life And you better be an example unto them because they're gonna follow your example not the good preaching You're gonna find that the same beast that Paul ran into an Ephesus is gonna be where you go to in your community your time and You're gonna have to find a place of victory You can either be scared of the devil or saying I'm gonna write this beast and after this people are gonna get saved here There's gonna be a church here God's glory is gonna be here Someone's gonna get saved and come out of that drugs world faith demands an action an action beyond the ordinary Thinking of religion. It means to move beyond the safety of that religious boat into the realm where if God doesn't do it You're in serious trouble. I Like living there, let me say it again.

I don't like living there, but I do like living there. It's so exciting But it scares the living daylights out of you the book of Hebrews uses two words Two outstanding words. The first is faith One whole chapter chapter 11 is devoted to faith.

And the other word is heavenly Go through the book of Hebrews and you're gonna count the times that the words heavens Heavenly or heavenly ground issues and these are some non Synonymous terms faith and heavenly ground are synonymous terms. You want to live by faith? You're gonna be in heavenly ground That's where you're gonna be Look at the Old Testament when Israel got to the Red Sea. They're obeying God Moses has said God said you're coming out tonight We're gonna follow God.

We're following that pillar of fire. I don't to wilderness You know, he led them down that valley to the Red Sea two mountains either side Red Sea in front of them and here comes the entire Egyptian army behind them. You know what that is.

It's heavenly ground Heavenly ground isn't an ecstatic mountaintop experience You know what heavenly ground is if God doesn't come we're in trouble We're in serious trouble. I Come home from school 15 years old My dad's work colleague picked me up Threw me home said Keith. I've got bad news for you.

Your dad's very sick Walked into a house. I've still got my coat and my school bag on walked into my dad's rolling Literally on the sofa in the living room. I've never seen him sick one day in his entire life Not one day didn't see him stay home from work one day in his entire life Still remember to this very day is big hand bigger hands and Paul big hand holding my little hand I'll never forget it.

I'll never tell the day I see Jesus And he's rolling there holding his belly. He's in agony The cold ambulance rushed him to hospital That night about midnight. My mom called my two brothers and me into her bedroom She had a bad migraine had the lights down.

She's lying in bed Spoke to us said boys the doctors have said That if your dad survives the night He'll maybe have three days maximum to live. I was in shock utter shock Didn't expect it. They'd operated on him that night and opened up and his entire stomach Cancer was in the stomach to such a degree.

They couldn't operate nothing the surgeon that night Said to my brother when you get to this point, there is another answer. There's nothing we can do We sewed him up took a specimen, but see at this point. There's a God in heaven Thank God for surgeons for doctors It'll actually point people at the Red Sea to God a real God in heaven That's surgeon dead told my own say brother.

There's an answer Well, my mom that night says the doctors have said if he survives one night three days, I'm 15 years old preparing to face my exams And this is what my mom said said the doctors have said But I believe God's gonna heal your dad. We're gonna pray And we're gonna go in there tomorrow, and I believe God's gonna restore your dad and raise him up again So you need to be operating by faith to do that What if he's dead the next morning? You're a fool You kind of play afford to play that with your children or with this God The next morning he was alive we went in I'll never forget putting my head in his bed, and I wept and wept and wept Never seen my dad sick. I Didn't know what to think but I know my mom's a woman of faith Just believe in God later that day the elders from the church come in and anointed him with all prayed the prayer of faith My dad said after they left he went to the toilet And all this black stuff poured out of him, and he started to feel better And the next day started to feel better and the next day and the next day three months layers He went to the specialist said is around stopping me from going back to work.

No Yeah, he asked the top surgeon specialist in Belfast Went and sat in his office and talked to him And he said well, mr. Malcolms and we in the medical profession You just need to understand sometimes these things just happen, and we don't understand it We can't give you an explanation But it just happens all the x-rays are there all the scans all the information And my dad didn't miss an opportunity he began to witness to him and preach to him and began to testify Jesus Christ has done this The next three years went to England Scotland testified held meetings people got born again three years later Cancer a different kind came in and he died and went home to be with the Lord We didn't die within three days Since I could give you a thousand testimonies, but what about your testimonies? I can give you testimonies how God healed my stomach after a year of vomiting and Diarrhea, I wrecked both my knees doctor says you need an operation of probably three months I God healed me two nights later I could tell you of praying for a kid whenever the other person praying Romania She's six months saving says I think you need to pray for this little boy the Lord's telling me smart girl I Melt I went God help me Prayed for the little boy never forget his face. Just exploded jumped up into my arms. I'm going what happened What happened they're all speaking Romanian? Felt a wind blow through his eyes Some of you are gonna step out and Serve God and since this church isn't just here to build up a nice big church and get some Testimony and sit here for people to talk about us.

We've got souls to rescue that are on the edge of hell There's a girl line up in that hospital if God doesn't touch her She's finished But I'd love to see the power of God come on her and raise her up and heal her and Restore her and her family get back together and has a testimony that God is real But someone is gonna have to believe God someone's gonna have to pray You know God's only just say Pam and there she is up in that hospital laying hands says Keith You're not gonna believe it. I you know I don't pray out loud. I can't pray out loud, but in that hospital I start to pray for that girl.

It's her best friend or a good friend Who's in serious trouble, but she begins to pray Begins to pray Why don't we do it one more time saints of God? I'm not a fanatic. You know that I'm one of the most careful people you ever meet And I'm not a heretic, and I don't follow clouds And I don't look for feathers fallen from smoke machines I'm one of the most careful people But I believe God is who he says he is and this is not over yet And you children need to believe God you children need to believe I began as a kid began to dream pray Believe and say Lord use me. I do not want to die of boredom in the house of God I'm not gonna just sit on that boat while someone else steps out.

No way hey Peter. You're not going anywhere I'm coming with you Even if I have to grab on to his coattail You aren't getting out of this boat without me being there Since I'm not gonna die in the house of God always talking about someone else's miracle. Please stand with me Let's lift our hands Let's ask God to do wonders in this hour since you could be embarking on one of the scariest Adventures of your life, but I promise you God will be there You can play it safe have your nice little family life You can go through a normal Christian life over the next years until Jesus comes now You can step out and say use me God if this is you I want you to call me if this is you if you still heal today I don't want to sit here with no testimony of healing.

I want to see it with my eyes I want to be like Thomas if he's alive if he's real. I want to put my fist in that side I want to touch the nail pierced side. I want to know the reality of this Christ many people criticize Thomas I tell you I don't he's looking for a real Christ.

He's looking for the marks of crucifixion He wants to touch reality He wants to know that this is real and either you'll have a nice little Christianity Always listening to other people's testimonies. Are you're gonna go see this and do this this altar is open here this morning father We love you. We bless you.

We offer ourself nor God if this is you then bid us come nor God if you are still the God of the Bible the God of Elijah the God of Peter the God of miracles the healer the deliverer the Savior my God if you still save souls Then I want to see it in my family with the hardest with the worst with the most stubborn my God I want to see you answer prayers not just answering other people's prayers But I want my prayers to be answered my God. I pray for everyone watching online everyone here in this church in this school Lord God Upset our nest Oh God like that Eagle stir up the nest Oh God Don't let us live a normal Christian life. Don't let us go from day to day.

I want to see your glory again I want to see your power again. I want to see your holiness again. I want to see revival again Lord God calm us a mighty wind stir us up.

Oh God in Jesus name