0:07 Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are seated there as our father and yet you're here in our midst. Your dwelling place is there high in heaven and with the lowly. And so Lord, here we are lowly people. I believe that you want to be near every 0:26 lowly person. You are near every lowly person. And we lowly people cry out to you for a fresh outpouring of your Holy Spirit today that will touch our hearts that will stir us up Lord to follow you more wholeheartedly to be done with the 0:42 things of this world and the things of self. Oh Lord we cry out to you. Send out outpouring of your Holy Spirit. Send that fire into our hearts this morning. Open the windows of heaven Lord like you did on Mount Carmel and send that fire 0:55 on the sacrifice. Oh, look down upon the altar as we've laid our all and send the fire Lord upon our lives. Burn up all that is of dross, all that is of self, all that is not of Christ. Burn it up, Lord. You can take anything away from 1:11 us, Lord, except yourself. We mean that, Lord. And if there's something we're holding on to, some things, some person, some relationship, some attachment, oh Lord, I pray you'll come and burn that up. Convict us of sin. convict us of 1:26 righteousness, convict us of judgment. Lord, I pray, thank you that you've condemned sin in the flesh so that the fulfillment the the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the sp the flesh but after the 1:41 spirit. Lord, give us this life of walking after the spirit. And so, Lord, make us people who walk after the spirit because we're filled with the spirit and that every requirement that you have of us will be fulfilled. You promised it, 1:53 Lord. Thank you, Lord, that the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus is operating in us. Not the law of sin and death, no longer sin and death, but life in Christ Jesus. Give us this life, we pray. And so, Lord, we open our hearts 2:10 to you. We open our mouths wide. We open our ears, Lord, through your and pray that your spirit will come and write your law in our hearts. In the same way that your finger wrote on those tablets of stone, the law that would exist for 2:23 eternity. Lord, will you write now that new covenant law on our hearts, the law of love, love for you, love for each other, love for even our enemies. Write that law in our hearts. Lord, we can't do it. This is an eternal work that you 2:37 must do through the Holy Spirit. We can never do it in a million years. So Lord come through your Holy Spirit and give us marriage love. Give us family love in our homes. Give us church love, Lord. That divine love in the church and a 2:51 love for you foremost, Lord, the divine love in our hearts. Pour out, shed abroad your love in our hearts. We believe you will. You're here to do that. You are near. May there be a spirit of reverence, Lord, knowing that 3:03 you, Lord Jesus, are here in our midst and you are going to speak to us. And when we hear your voice, we will receive faith. faith that will cause us to be overcomers this week. Never again to wallow in defeat and unbelief and 3:16 discouragement and worry and fear and lust and anger and jealousy and bitterness and the love of money. Lord, thank you that you will do that. We shall overcome in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. I've had a a bit of a burden on my heart 3:37 this week and that's what I'm going to share with you all. But um and in in line with that, I I recently heard a story of a young young woman who uh quite young, a young mother who was diagnosed with a uh terminal 3:55 disease and um was u and in in what she said there was um I think been given months to live, a young mother, two small children. And uh it was very very touching, very 4:15 moving to hear just u the the cry of her heart and um that sense of was it was this unfairness as it were that somebody so young with children so young will probably will barely remember their mother. 4:34 and something that she said at the end of that piece um that I came across that that really touched my heart and I don't know if this person knows Christ and it seemed like they didn't and uh but that something she said at the end 4:53 was I'll paraphrase a little bit since I don't know what death is like she was saying and there's no one to tell me what comes after I'll keep pretending I'll keep trying to remember. And that's what she had left. All she 5:11 could hold on to was memories that she had and wanted to die with that sense of memory. It really broke my heart when I came across that story. Since I don't know what death is like and there's no one to tell me what comes 5:27 after. This is why we're here on this earth, brothers, sisters, and children. We're here on this earth to tell the world that there we can know what comes after. And so often we can get so caught up 5:45 with our own circumstances. Oh, I don't have this or I don't have that or I don't feel like this or I wish my life was like that and and so taken up with and I'm not here to minimize any suffering that any of us is going 5:57 through. Please know that. But what a tragedy it will be if in the midst of the s suffering and the affliction and the difficult trials that we go through on on earth, God's people suffer greatly. 6:16 All who live godly will experience suffering. We're told in 2 Timothy 4. So you can expect suffering if you're a child of God. But what a tragedy it will be if we get to eternity and realize that God in the midst of our suffering 6:32 was hoping that with everybody we came across, we would leave them with a taste of eternity. That there is hope after this life. I believe you know it. But you know that the vast majority of people around us, whether they sit in 6:51 churches or not, don't know that. don't know that you can know what happens after death. I hope that nobody sitting here is afraid of death. It starts there. Children, I hope that you're not afraid of death. You know that you don't have 7:11 to be afraid of death. If you are in Christ Jesus, if you really have come to know this father we sang about, you don't have to fear death at all. Death is just the passage to being with Jesus forever and it's wonderful. 7:27 But you know that the classmates whether you school at home or online or go to a school, you know that the vast majority of those children will grow up not knowing what happens after. and you have a few months, a few days, a few 7:44 years maybe if they're in your class to leave them with a little taste for them to know, I know a father in heaven, a God who loves us so much and he's made a home for us and Jesus is coming back. 8:02 You can do that, children. It starts by you knowing God yourself. And I want to start by asking especially you children but maybe this is for some of you adults as well. Are you sure that you will be with Jesus for eternity? Are you sure? 8:21 Let me ask you seriously. Are you sure that you will be with Jesus for eternity? If not, why not? Is there a reason that you're not sure? God has done everything. He's done everything for you to be sure. And I 8:40 believe if you've been in this church for even a few weeks or a few months, which is almost everybody here, you've heard us preach on it. That it's a very simple step of asking Jesus, come and forgive my sins and put your spirit 8:57 within me so that I can be sure. Why not today then? Why not make this the day that you can be sure? children. I believe that most of you are old enough to know that and you'll have such peace. You'll have an assurance. You 9:13 don't want to grow up like the rest of the world uncertain, afraid. Some of you, some of you, I'm not I'm not trying to scare you. Please know that. But somebody sitting here, could be me, could be one of you, may get that news one day as a young boy or 9:31 a young girl or a somebody in their 20s or in their 30s that you only have a few more months to live. And will you live in fear of what's going to happen after that? I don't want to tell you if that was me. Sometimes I worry if if if if I got that 9:48 news that I've got a few months to live, I have no fear about myself. No, not even a little bit. I'm excited to see Jesus, but there is a little bit of uncertainty. What will be what will happen to my family? What will happen to 10:01 my children? Of course, the Lord will provide for them. If the Lord allows that to happen, he will take care of everything else. And I'm growing in that faith. But certainly, I'm not afraid of death. And none of you children should be afraid of 10:17 death. None of you adults should be afraid of death. If there's a reason that you don't are not sure that you will spend eternity with Jesus, why not? And why not today be that day when you can be sure? I want to ask you all 10:33 another question as I've been asking myself. Are you sure that you have been filled with the Holy Spirit? If not, why not? Are you sure that the Holy Spirit has filled you? filled your heart at least as much as you're aware. 10:50 He's going to continue to fill you. Yes, there's a lot more filling every one of us. But are you sure that every room in your heart that you're aware of, he has filled? If not, why not? Cuz God has promised to fill us. And he 11:08 wants you to have a life of not only being sure that you will spend eternity with him, but that you're living here on this earth full of the Holy Spirit. He wants that for us, brothers, sisters, and children. I want to read something that I wrote in 11:26 my journal this week. I'll just read it as I wrote it. I woke up last night. This was a few days ago in the middle of the night. The initial thoughts that started to come to my mind were regarding my children, what our family's 11:39 future would be like, how I would be able to set them up for that. I think any of you who are parents know can relate to that. This was probably a result of conversations I'd had the previous day with someone about these 11:53 topics. Almost instantly, the Lord spoke a clear word to me. I am coming soon. I couldn't sleep for some time after that, but my thoughts and prayers 12:08 changed to yes, Lord, come soon. And may your grace be with me to keep me ever ready for your return. I'm going to read that again, but will you turn with me to the last page of your Bible, the last chapter, the last few verses, 12:27 Revelation chapter 22. I'd had a conversation with somebody and just thinking about how you know there's so much uncertainty. Uh it was around the context of that I back in the day I chose computer science because it seemed like a good field to 12:44 go into and now I'm not so sure and uh like their jobs are fewer because AI's taking it over and so there's so many other jobs that seem to be less affected these days and so I'm not sure I would recommend my children to go into that 12:59 and and all that and so that was there in the back of my mind not in a fearful way but there was there uncertainty so I don't know what the world's going to be like when my children are my age. No idea. It's changing so fast. Just in the 13:14 last year. It's changed so fast. How much more in 30 years? Revelation 22 verse 20. He who testifies to these things that is Jesus 13:28 says yes I am coming quickly. And John's response was, "Amen. Let it be so. Come, Lord Jesus." So, let me read that again. After I'd had these thoughts about my 13:46 family's future, almost instantly, the Lord spoke a clear word to me. I am coming soon. Please remember that, dear family, as you go through this week. Jesus is coming soon. Very, very soon. And so my prayer changed to I yes Lord 14:05 come soon and may your grace because then he says the last verse of the Bible the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. May your grace be with me to keep me ever ready for your return. I go on to write in my journal that that 14:22 I wrote it the next morning. I also had a burden that everyone at RLCF would have an encounter with God through the filling of the Holy Spirit. And I prayed that way for some time, even as I fell back to sleep. When I woke up this morning, the first word the 14:38 Lord spoke to me was, if you'll turn with me to Luke 1, verse 37. Luke 1 verse 37. And I'll read it in the Amplified Bible. 14:58 Luke 1:37. When I woke up this morning, I wrote, "The first word the Lord spoke to me was for with God nothing." And here it is about seeking for the fullness of the Holy Spirit. In the same way that the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and into Mary 15:16 and formed Jesus in her supernaturally the he Holy Spirit came and formed Jesus inside Mary's womb. A picture of how the Holy Spirit is now going to come inside you and I and form Christ in us spiritually. 15:34 And in this context, the angel says Mary's like, "How can it be?" And you think, "How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit? What does that mean? I've prayed or I don't know what to pray." And children, you're perhaps thinking, 15:45 "How can I be baptized in the Holy Spirit? What does that mean?" Then you read verse 37, "For with God nothing is ever impossible, and no word from God shall be without 16:02 power or impossible of fulfillment." No word of God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment. I go on to write, it strengthened me that the word from God that he would fill us with the Holy Spirit, that's Acts 1:8, 16:20 has power and is certain to be fulfilled. That's the burden on my heart now as for the last few days, especially this week. And how I would express it this morning, dear brothers, dear sisters, and especially for you children, young 16:37 people. The most important thing is that you have an encounter with God. Have you had an encounter with God? Maybe you're an adult and you grew up in a Christian home and you've said the prayer and rel Christianity is just a a 16:54 religion and it's a way of living your life and you read your Bible and you say your prayer and you do this and you do that and you come to the church meeting and you come to the Bible study and but it's not you haven't had an encounter 17:07 with God and that's why the Christian life is boring and heavy and sometimes seems like a drag and you're not sure about things in life. You're not sure if being a living a life that's devoted to Christ wholeheartedly is the only life 17:22 worth living. And if you haven't had an encounter with God, all that you hear in the Christ in the in the church will just be head knowledge. The memory verses, you could get up here week after week and say your memory verse and please don't stop doing 17:37 that. That's an exercise of faith. But if you continue to do that and you haven't had an encounter with God, face to face with God, you're missing out. And God wants you to come to that place, dear family, dear friends listening online, where you have 17:57 an encounter with God. We've read the stories of godly men and women in that book that we read. They found the secret men and women. Some of them were very useful in ministry. Some of them were already pastoring churches and they had 18:12 an encounter with God. Read the testimony of brother David Wilkerson in uh in his book The Cross and the Switchblade where he was pastoring a church and one day he had an encounter with God and it revolutionized his ministry. It's like everything else 18:26 was minuscule compared to that experience he had when the Lord filled him with the Holy Spirit. And and you see he lived until the end of his life so filled story after story. Will Samuel Logan Bringle pastoring a church here 18:42 and he knew that something was lacking. He hadn't had that encounter with God. And yet people thought he was a wonderful preacher and people were already packing his church. and he heard about William Booth who had had an 18:54 encounter with God and he said,"I want that." And so he said, "I'm giving up my pastoral ministry and I'm going to go to England." And William and he here he came as this respectable pastor. William Berth Booth had heard of him and he 19:08 said, "Oh yeah, you're that pastor, right?" Yeah. I have a job for you. You're going to be shining boots. Famous pastor. And Samuel Logan Bringle thought, "Lord, is this what you called me to do? I thought I was going to be 19:20 saving lives, joining brother Booth in the streets, preaching to the prostitutes and the drunkards and all I'm doing is shining boots. And he had an encounter with God while he was shining boots. And he was used powerfully in the Salvation Army. 19:36 There's story after story like that. And dear RLCF family especially, the burden of our hearts as elders is that not one of us should go through life or sit here week after week without having that encounter. Children, there's one prayer 19:53 we pray for you. Not that you'll have a successful life or even that you'll get up here and say your memory verses every week or all these other things or that you'll be healthy. Those are secondary prayers. There's if you 20:07 could boil down one prayer that we pray for you. Dear children, please listen to me. Look up at me if you will. Dear children, look at me for a minute. There's one prayer we pray for you. And that is that you will have an encounter 20:20 with God. And if you have that encounter with God, you could be four years old. You could be 8 years old like little Samuel was. He had an encounter with God. Little boy that he was, God spoke to him. God's not just wanting to speak to the 20:35 old people like us. He wants to speak to you children. And please, when you sit here, I pray that a spirit of reverence will be here in the meetings that you'll, you know, I know sometimes the meetings are long and we don't expect 20:46 you to pay full attention. You might get a little distracted and you might bring some coloring, but keep your ears open because God wants you to have an encounter with him. He'll change your life. It's changed my life to have that 21:01 encounter with God. My personal encounters with God came when I was at my lowest point. I had a a number of them. And I'm not just talking about meeting with God like I I meet with God. Every time I'm in this place, honestly, 21:16 every meeting I'm sitting here, not a single one for the last number of years, I experience God. I see Jesus. I pray with all of my heart. Lord, I want to see you. And I do see him a little bit more clearly. I'm not saying that 21:29 proudly. Please don't misunderstand. I'm not more special or anything than that. God has given me a gift to teach. He's called me to be an elder. But that in terms of seeing Jesus, you and I are in the same place. We're all equally 21:43 entitled to see Jesus. But I've just made it the passion of my heart that I never want to go a single day without seeing him. I never want to sit one hour, even one minute in my seat there without seeing Jesus. And if you'll make 21:58 that your prayer, you can too. And you can say, "Every time I come into these doors and I sit down, I see Jesus a little bit more clearly. I hear his voice a little bit more clearly. That must be our life." But I've had specific 22:13 encounters with God that I I just feel undeserving of. And that's why I want to share that as an encouragement for you. It's not that I attained some level of spirituality and went on the mount of transfiguration and saw God. That was 22:28 not my experience. Not even once. It was always shortly after I had failed the Lord. After I dishonored his name, after I felt so unworthy that he would speak to me, that he actually met with me and filled me Aresh with the Holy Spirit. 22:44 And so if you're here and you're discouraged and you're feeling unworthy and uh thinking, "Lord, I I I don't know. I don't connect with some of the others. They seem so spiritual around here at RLCF." I want you to know that 22:57 forget about all of that. Cry out to the Lord. If you're in a place of emptiness, in a place of loneliness, he's near the lowly. He's near the brokenhearted. Sometimes it can be possible that sitting here in RLCF that you hear the 23:12 language of the church and you seem seems like well they all have this language and let that never be a hindrance. If if if you speak a different language and by language I mean not another earthly language but you use different words. We try to use 23:25 biblical words. That's why that language comes from when we when we use certain phrases it's because they're written like that in God's word. And that's good because that's how God chose to word it. But if you express it differently, 23:40 that's fine. But in the midst of that, don't let that lack of if you feel a little out of place in some way or a lack of connection that might happen with some of you children or some of you adults. Don't let that prevent you from 23:54 seeking to have a personal encounter with God. You must have that, dear family. Otherwise, sitting in this church will be misery. You'll always feel like this, I don't quite get all of it. I don't fit in. And oh, what a difference an encounter with 24:11 God will have. You'll grow up and you'll find that fellowship actually happens. Not just friendship, not just coming here and having a good time, but something's happening. Our fellowship, your family must be on the basis 100% 24:26 only on the fact that each of us has had an encounter with God. If you're not having an encounter with God and you're not seeking for it, please I want to say this very carefully. If you're not seeking for a personal encounter with 24:40 God, I want to tell you, you and I will probably not have fellowship over time. It'll just get more and more distant because I'm headed in that direction. That's the passion of my life. The only way I want to go is to continue to have 24:53 a continual encounter with God. and I hope that you'll join me and they'll you'll join the others here who are seeking that. That's what our fellowship is going to be based on. And we're not a special group of people. I don't do that 25:07 looking at others at other churches or people who have left this church or anything like that. I don't even think about that much anymore. I say, Lord, I want to focus my devotion and my affection on you and having an encounter 25:20 with you continually. And Lord, build a church out of such people. And I pray that not one of you sitting here will choose a different path. You know, there's nothing special about this church. And the Lord may lead some 25:35 of you elsewhere. I I perhaps not saying that all of us will be sitting here or that you must sit here. But wherever you go, if you leave this church, let it be because the Lord has called you to have an encounter with him somewhere else. 25:50 Not because of some earthly thing. Oh, I want this or I want that or my relatives or I better job or anything like that. Let it be that God, you're calling me to have an encounter with you there in that other church. Sure. ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S 26:04 WHAT I WANT FOR YOU. And if the Lord gives you a clear word that he is going to give you an encounter with him somewhere else, I will open the door for you and say, "Please go there, brother." It won't I won't be offended. We won't 26:16 stop having fellowship. But let it be because you want an encounter with God and he's leading you there. And children, he might lead you somewhere where you'll have an encounter with him somewhere else. You become young people. You might go somewhere 26:31 else. You might marry somebody that you go live somewhere else. But let even that marriage if you're seeking a marriage, young young people, I hope that all of you young people, not those of you that are below 18, too early for 26:42 that. For the rest of you, I hope that you have your aspirations to someday be married to a godly person. Make this your prayer. Dear young sisters, dear young brothers. Lord, lead me to that spouse, that brother, that man, that 26:57 woman to whom I can have an encounter with you. Let our marriage be one where we can have an encounter with you together as a husband and wife made one meeting with Jesus. This is the marriage you will have if you make it the passion 27:12 of your heart. But as I was saying, the encounters I had always came when I was at my lowliest, when I'd failed the Lord. But you know, I I thought about it like this that um what I found on the other side of it that is is that that experience 27:28 the Lord breaking away some relationships from me, some attachments to certain things or certain people that the Lord Lord saw was hindering me from an encounter with him and he had to break away those things. And I got this 27:43 picture of a rocket. The way I understand rockets, I'm not a rocket scientist, but a little bit that I know is there's a process called staging where parts of the rocket fall away. And that falling away is because that extra 27:57 weight is slowing it down. Yes, it needs that initially. It's that extra u portion of the rocket provides that initial thrust to move it forward. But now that needs to be stripped away and you see parts of the rocket just falling 28:12 a falling away from the rocket so that it can propel up into the stratosphere and continue to move in its orbit. And that's exactly what those experiences of failure, loss, pain, suffering did for me. 28:29 the the the break the tearing away and it has nothing to do with who or what the Lord took away, but it the purpose that the Lord had for my life. And so, I'm here to encourage you, church family, if you're in a place where the 28:43 Lord's tearing away something or allowing you to go through some loss or pain or suffering in some way and if it is his doing, trust him that he's looking for you to have an encounter with him. That's my testimony. I want to show you from scripture a few 29:01 examples in the time left uh from the Bible of men who had an encounter with God and the difference it made in their lives. And I'd like to start with um the story of Abraham. If you'll first turn with me to Hebrews chapter 6. 29:24 If you remember nothing else, children, young people, and all of us as well, I often speak to the children primarily so that all of us can understand. And if it means writing it down, that's why we give you bulletins where there's a 29:37 little blank page on the back side of it so you can write this down. Write this down. Write this prayer down. Lord, I want to have an encounter with you. Make that personal. Lord, I want to have an encounter with you. Encounter means a 29:51 deep meeting, one on-one. just you and God. In Hebrews 6, we read in verse 13, when God made the promise to Abraham, since he could swear by no one greater, 30:09 he swore by himself, saying, "I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you." And why is the writer of Hebrews reminding us of this story? It's already recorded in Genesis 22. Why is he reminding us of this story? Continue 30:25 reading. And so having patiently waited, verse 15, he obtained the promise. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath or swearing given as confirmation is an end to every dispute. That means that 30:42 settles it. In the same way, where here's why the writer of Hebrews is recorded, reminded us of this story. In the same way, God desiring even more to show to Santos, put your name there, the heirs of the 31:00 promise, that's you and I, the unchangeableness of his purpose, interposed with an oath. That means he decided to swear. Why would God swear? It's the only time that I know of in scripture where it says that God swore. 31:18 And the writer of Hebrews reminds us of that interposed with an oath. So that verse 18 by two unchangeable things that is God said it and he never lies in which it is impossible for God to lie. He said it first of all he promised it. 31:34 That's the first thing that's unchangeable. And just to be absolutely certain he says I swore. He took an oath and that makes it all the more unchangeable. Two unchangeable things. He promised it and he can never lie. And then he swore it 31:50 by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie. We, you and I, put your name there, who have taken refuge, would have strong encouragement and to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the 32:09 soul. A hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melkisedc. So something happened and you know when God 32:27 swore to Abraham let's go back and read that in Genesis chapter 22. See God made promises to Abraham multiple times. you the journey with Abraham actually begins in Genesis chapter 12 32:44 uh or chapter 11 right after you see the descendants of Shem and then you see Abraham Abram he's called at that time showing up towards the end of chapter 11 and God's promise to Abraham starts in chapter 12 but this is that first 32:59 unchangeable thing the promise of God and in chapter 12 and chapter 13 and chapter 14 chapter 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. It's God's promise. It's God's promise. It's God's promise. He's reminding and reminding him and 33:14 reminding him, but he hasn't sworn yet. The swearing, and I use that word carefully. It's not swearing like using a bad word, but it's God taking an oath. And he did it with an intentional purpose. After chapter 12, 13, 14, 15, 33:33 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, Isaac has come. Now, Abraham has seen the fulfillment of the promise, he sees his little boy. Now, not so little. By the time you get to chapter 22, a Isaac is, I believe, 16, 17, 18 years old, probably. 33:48 Certainly strong enough to carry wood. So, he's a strong young man, the darling of Abraham's heart, the promise that he held on to, his only son at this point. But God has still not sworn. God wants to swear. God wants to take 34:05 that oath to make it absolutely sure so that you and I who have fled to God for refuge might have strong comfort and encouragement and lay a hold of the hope that is in us. And before God can do that, he says,"Abraham, I want you to 34:20 have an encounter with me so that I can take an oath." And you know the story verse chapter 22. This is God about to take that oath and make it absolutely certain for you and I today. See, it wasn't just about Isaac. It wasn't just 34:35 about Abraham. It was so that Abraham and Isaac going through that experience could give us, that's what the writer of Hebrews says, could give us strong encouragement. Brother, sister, child, do you have strong encouragement in your 34:50 heart to lay a hold of the hope that is before us? If not, meditate on Abraham and Isaac and see God taking an oath. Came about after these things where God has promised and promised and promised and promised and promised and promised 35:06 and he's fulfilled the promise. He says, "Listen, I want to take an oath about what I said." I know you see a I Isaac. I know you see the fulfillment of the promise. But there's much more Abraham after these things that God tested 35:20 Abraham. If you want to have an encounter with God, it's going to require a test. God tested Abraham and said to him,"Abraham," and he said, "Here I am. Take now your son, your only son, the one thing you have whom you love, 35:40 Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you. So Abraham rose early in the morning. You know what happened between verse 2 35:57 and verse three? I believe Abraham came, God spoke to Abraham in the middle of the night, 11:00 at night, Abraham's falling asleep. And God says, "Take Abraham. Take Isaac, your only son. I know I've given you the promise, but 36:16 I'm going to test you now that even the fulfillment of the promise is not going to come between me and you, Abraham." And now, do you think Abraham slept a wink that night? He tossed and turned. like, "How can it be, Lord? This is the 36:30 promise. Do you want me to kill the promise?" That's what happened between verse two and three. Abraham had a sleepless night. It tormented his soul. And if you want to have an encounter with God, it's going to cost you 36:43 something. It's going to cost you giving up that which is most precious to you. And but he woke arose the next morning and you know the rest of that story. And he verse 9, they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham 36:59 built the altar there and arranged the wood and it's tormenting. He's eating it up little by little as he's putting that more wood. He's like, "What is this wood for?" And Isaac is still confused. Abraham's putting another piece of wood. 37:12 And with each piece of wood, he's just is a little bit more of his heart is just being eaten away and eaten away and eaten away. Think about that thing which is most precious to you. and the Lord asking you to give it up and it's not 37:25 just an instantaneous taken away from you in a moment. It's a process and he's taking it away and he's taking it away and he's taking it away and then he starts to tie Isaac up and with each time he bound put that rope around 37:39 Isaac's wrists he's thinking this is my son and Isaac's confused and I can imagine the tears flowing down Abraham's face thinking Lord you're asking me to give up this son of mine and Isaac's probably looking with pleading eyes 37:54 saying what's happening Here Abraham built the altar the middle of verse 9 and arranged the wood and bound his son. Seems like just small words on on paper. But walk through Abraham, walk with Abraham through the emotions he went 38:12 through there and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and to that very moment, see the devil's coming at Abraham now thinking, "What are you doing, Abraham? Don't do this. your only son. HOW COULD GOD ASK YOU TO 38:26 GIVE UP THAT one thing that he promised you? And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said,"Abraham, Abraham, you've had an encounter with me." And he 38:44 said, "Here I am." He said, 'do not stretch out your hand against the lad and do nothing to him. For now I know that you fear God. This is the encounter God wants you to have with him, brothers and sisters, to know that you reverence 38:59 God above everything else. He is everything to you. Reverence for God means that God has become so precious to you, so much your everything that you're really willing for him to take away everything else around you. Take away whatever you might whatever 39:16 your life looked like, whatever you thought your future was going to look like. He could snatch that up and you say, "Yes, Lord, I fear you. I reverence you alone. Now I know that you reverence me since you have not withhold your 39:31 only. You have not withhold your only. Then verse 15, the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven. Oh, the delight in this encounter that Abraham had with God and said, I have sworn. This is where God takes that oath. You 39:50 gave up that which was precious. I've sworn it will come to pass. My dear brothers, dear sisters, God has promised this hope. This is our hope. We read in that we read in Hebrews 6, an unchangeable o hope where Jesus is 40:07 seated at the right hand of God. It enters within the veil. What is that? That you and I will be conformed into the image of Jesus. And unless you have that encounter with God, you will always face that uncertainty. You'll think, 40:19 well, I don't know. I just failed. How is God really going to do that? Am I really going to become like Christ? But if you have that encounter with God and you're willing for him to ask you to lay that which is most precious to you on 40:31 the altar and you do, you will have that encounter with God. You think Abraham regrets it today? You know, you read in he in I think it's in Romans that he he actually thought that Isaac was going to die. He didn't expect 40:45 the angel to stop him. He thought I'm going to kill him, but Isaac is going to be raised back from the dead. That's how much hope he had in faith. You read that that he was sure that God is able to resurrect Isaac from the dead. And so 41:00 even if God causes something to die in your life, he's able to bring it back to life in his will and in his way. What is the Lord asking you to lay on the altar and it, you know, sometimes we go into it thinking, well, Lord, you're 41:13 going to stop the knife, right? I'm not really going to have to give it up. Lord, I give it up. I really do. like Abraham. See, he didn't have the advantage of there was no Abraham before Abraham that he knew no somehow. But he 41:27 said, "Lord, I don't care what it looks like, but you're able to bring back Isaac from the dead cuz I saw you do that in my body. My body was as good as dead. Sarah's body was as good as dead. You can bring back Isaac from the dead. 41:39 Why not?" "Sure, Lord, I give it to you. And when you give that which you have promised back to me after I had given it up then you'll know that you are more precious to me even than that gift and that promise that encounter with God. 41:56 Now I don't read that Isaac had such an encounter with God. I'm not going to read too much into it but you know Isaac's story is kind of sad. At the end of his life, he's blind and he can't tell the difference between his own sons, Esau and Jacob. And he he 42:15 he's not listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit to to tell him. He got deceived. I mean, have you ever thought that such a thing is possible that somebody could put c goats hair on his hands and his father could be so 42:32 fooled and deceived into feeling that goat's hair and thinking, "Yeah, this is human hair." That's how blinded and deceived Isaac became and blindly gave the blessing to is to uh Jacob thinking it was Esau. 42:50 Isaac loved food. There's a lot I'm not here to make it about Isaac, but I don't see that he had that encounter with God. But you know who did? Jacob, the deceiver. Let's turn to Genesis chapter 28. Sometimes it skips a generation. It 43:09 doesn't have to. Genesis 28. After Jacob is deceived by by cunning by his own ability, Jacob is his name means grabber, deceiver, take advantage of 43:26 others. I'm going to grab it. Take you know trick you while you're sleeping, while you're not looking. And after that he has to run for his life. And so verse 10 he knows Esau will kill him if he doesn't if he stays there. And so he 43:42 goes away. Jacob departed from Beersa and went down toward Haron. And he came to a certain place and spent the night there because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head and lay 43:56 down in that place. And he had a dream. And behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven. Behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it. Now, where's the 44:11 Lord? He's way up there at the top of the ladder, a far away God. This isn't the encounter that Jacob's going to have yet. This is him seeing God. And perhaps that's where you and I have been. Perhaps that's somebody sitting here 44:26 where God, I've seen him. I hear him from a distance. I sit in the meetings and his voice a little faint. I think this is the word of the Lord. The Lord stood it says um the Lord stood above it and said, "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham 44:44 and the God of Isaac, the land on which you lie. I will give it to you and to your descendants." Here's the promise of God. But Jacob hasn't yet had an encounter. You know why? He goes on from that place. The place is called Bethl. 44:58 the the house of God is the literal meaning there. And perhaps your experience with God is that house of God experience. I come to the meetings, not this physical house, but the gathering of God's saints and I hear God. Yeah. 45:13 One or two lines from the sermon or one or two lines from the songs or I I get it a little bit. It's God at the top of the ladder speaking far away and saying, "I'm I promised you I'll do it. I'll make you like Jesus. I'll 45:28 fulfill that promise in your life. But it hasn't changed Jacob. Perhaps it hasn't changed you. Years after year sitting at RLCF and God is far away. You hear a little bit and now and then it it clicks, but then you just 45:44 continue to live the same old life. Jacob continued to be a disaver for years after that. And then he got tricked by his father-in-law into marrying the wrong person. Then he had got tricked into serving extra years. And so he tries to 45:57 get his father-in-law back by by trickery to get more sheep to make his flock bigger. And this trickery goes on and then he deceives his father. He gets his wives, his father-in-law's children to join him. And they run away, you 46:13 know, he he goes, he says, "Let me go far away." He tells his father-in-law, "Let me live from a distance so that you can have your space and I'll have my space." What's he thinking? I'm going to bolt. And he tricks his father-in-law. 46:25 Laban is tricked. Jacob escapes, but then Laban finds out and he's chasing after him. This Jacob's still tricking others, still trying to grab God. He hasn't had that encounter with God. And then he finally does. Let's skip to verse uh chapter 32. 46:45 Here he is on the run where he Laban finally tells him, "Wait, why were you trying to run? These are my daughters. I'm not going to harm them. I'm not going to harm you. Just go your way. Okay, you want to run? But now he knows 46:56 he's got to go meet I Esau. And no matter how long it's been, decades, he says, I'm sure this brother hasn't forgiven me. I remember that look of hatred on his face, and I know he's he's going to kill me. I know Esau, man, 47:12 hunter that he is, red-blooded, fiery redhead that he is, he's going to nothing wrong with redheads, by the way. Please understand is I'm I'm secretly a redhead. I think you guys know that in my heart. Um but he it says is you know he's angry man. Um and 47:30 um and he Jacob is is is uncertain and he's afraid. And then we get to chapter 32 24. Jacob was left alone. And dear family, this is where you'll have that encounter with God. Most often I'll tell you the 47:48 encounters I've had with God that are those stagings like I said the rockets have that propelled me were almost never in this room. It was always somewhere at home somewhere by myself where God met with me. Jacob was left alone. Now you don't 48:05 have to you could there could be others around you and perhaps it'll happen here. That's part of the reason why we don't really do altar calls because it's difficult I find. Now there's nothing wrong with them. some churches do them 48:15 and if that's where it happens. But I found even through alter calls that there can be that a little bit of oh I'm aware that people are looking with me and I I I find I'm just self-conscious and maybe you're you know you're able to 48:26 get past that but more often than not certainly having an altar call in public should never should never stop you or prevent you from having those alones with God. And seek for that dear family, brothers, sisters and children. Seek for that 48:43 where you're left alone. That means everybody has left you and you nobody can stand with you. You have no friends left perhaps and you feel lonely and you feel like Lord who else is going to leave me now and that's where God will 48:55 have that encounter with you and that will make all the difference. Jacob was left alone and now God comes down to him. He's no longer God at the top of the ladder speaking from heaven. He's come down and he's fighting with 49:09 him. He says, "Jacob, I want to break you. For years, I've been trying to break you through allowing circumstances, but now it looks like the only thing that will break you is an encounter with me face to face, wrestling with God." Have you had that, 49:24 brothers, sisters, children? Say, "Lord, I want you to come down from being far away. I've heard enough at RLCF and I feel like you've been speaking to me from there, but will you come down and you come down and meet with me? Oh dear 49:37 young people, I want to challenge you. A fresh. If you're listening, please listen. This is the encounter that will preserve you. When you leave home and you go, whether you go to college or you go and get a job or you go somewhere 49:48 else, you must have an encounter with God. The knowledge that you get in your mind of the Bible and of prayer and the teaching will never preserve you. The encounter with God alone will and it will protect you from so many mistakes 50:03 and so much failure. God will give you all that he wants to give you in life if you have that encounter with him. You don't have to fail. You don't have to make mistakes. You don't have to wait till you leave home. Let this be the 50:17 day. Cry out from your heart and say, "Lord, I want to have that encounter with you like Jacob had." And when he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh. And you know that from that moment on, Jacob walked with a 50:31 limp. That man that wrestled with God, a picture of God himself, poked him in his thigh and broke him, broke his thigh, his hip so badly that he could never walk straight again. He needed a a crutch. There may be things God will 50:47 break in your life that will have a permanent effect forever. You will carry that pain in your body or in your heart perhaps, but you'll have had the encounter with God. You think Jacob regretted it? Every time he got out of bed and needed to lean on 51:03 that staff, he was like, "I've had that encounter. I'm holding on to God." He was holding on to that staff. That staff was a picture of God that he'd had that encounter with God. Let's continue reading. Um then he said the the man said 51:23 26, "Let me go for the dawn is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me. I want that encounter with you, God. I want that blessing that you promised. I want to be a vic victor. I want to h have 51:37 victory. I want to be an overcomer. I want to have the gifts that you want me to use in your body. I want the fruit of the spirit. I want love in every circumstance. I want rejoicing in the Lord always. I want peace that passes 51:49 understanding. Lord, you promised it. I WILL NOT LET YOU GO UNTIL you give me this life, the life of Christ. And so he said to him, "What is your name?" He says, "Well, I've been grabbing. I'm grabber. I get everything by grabbing. Nobody 52:05 will give it to me." So I tricked them into giving it to me. And he says, "No longer. Your name will no longer be grabber. You will no longer be the same person as grabbing this and grabbing that and complaining of God against God because 52:19 you don't get what you want. and complaining against God and grumbling. No longer grumbler. How about that? No longer will your name be complainer. No longer will your name be one who is anxious. No longer will your name be one 52:33 who is discouraged and condemns yourself. No longer your name will now be Israel. You have because you have striven with God. Verse 28. You've had an encounter with God and have prevailed. He blessed him there. This is the 52:54 encounter. And you read later on that he actually comes back to Bethl. You read a few chapters later and he builds an altar for God there. But this time it's different. This is Jacob in the house of God has having had an encounter with 53:07 God. Pineal is the place where he had he wrestled with with God. And that place means the face of God. Have you seen, dear brothers and sisters and children at RLCF? Let's make RLCF not just the house of God, but the place where we're seeing 53:24 the face of God. Are you coming here? Will you come here? If not, if it didn't happen today, will you make it your goal in life? Lord, every time I walk in these doors, at least these doors, it can happen throughout your life, but 53:36 every time I walk in these doors, this is the place where I'm going to see the face of God. A lot of people want to go to the house of God, but you can be sitting in the house of God, and God is far away at the top of the ladder 53:47 speaking from a distance. But can you sit here in that chair and see God face to face? This is the longing of his heart. And if you have that encounter, your life will be one where you're seeing God face to face. May it be so. 54:01 and he never grabbed again. You read in Hebrews 11 that he worshiped leaning on God, leaning on his staff, a picture of God. You read the stories of Isaiah and Ezekiel, I don't have time time to show you, but in Isaiah 6, you read about 54:17 Ezek Isaiah, uh the time when King Uzziah died, and I believe Isaiah had counseledled Uzziah and Uzziah started out as a good king, but then he got proud. You read in um I forget the exact passage in 2 Chronicles where Uzziah got proud and thought he 54:36 was because he had had so much success and all he had had so much wealth he thought well I'm a king I might as well be the priest too and God had forbidden any king to be a priest and he went into the temple and had that sensor and God 54:48 judged him. Well the priests uh came in and confronted him and then he yelled back at the priests and God gave him leprosy in that moment. Here was Isaiah the prophet mourning over this Uzziah who had fallen, seeing a leader fall 55:04 like that. And Isaiah was a prophet of the Lord. And in the year Isaiah 6 of Uzziah's death, God gives Isaiah of an encounter with him. Those first five chapters of Isaiah, you read him preaching. He's preaching, but I believe his preaching 55:20 lacked anointing. The words lacked authority. He was condemning. Woe to them and woe to them and woe to you and woe to you and it was just a lot of good preaching and then he has an encounter with God and the first thing on his 55:31 mouth lips are woe is me. Read that in Isaiah 6. No longer do I have a finger to point at anybody else. Look at how they treat me or what are they doing to me. Oh, they spoke about me like that or this person doesn't treat me right. They 55:44 didn't include me in that. No, woe is me, Lord. I've had an encounter with you. Now it's no longer about how other people treat me, but woe is me because I've seen the living God. I've seen his holiness. Woe is me. You know, often when I leave 56:01 the meetings here, I'll tell you, every time I have that kind of an encounter with God, I leave the place thinking, Lord, why did you pick me? Woe is me. Why? Why did you pick me to include me in your family? That's one of the marks 56:14 that you've had an encounter with God. You no longer have a finger to point at even one other person, no matter what they've done to you or how they've treated you because you've seen the living God. Ezekiel, you read in chapter 56:27 1, his vision, he sees the glory of God, and that transforms. He was preaching to people who were in captivity in Babylon. You could be a a slave like Ezekiel was and see the glory of God, have an encounter with him and lead God's 56:41 people. Ezekiel died in Babylon in captivity, but his words are preserved until this day. And we read it. The promise of the new covenant was given to Ezekiel all the way there in captivity in Babylon because he had an encounter 56:55 with God. Before I close, I want to speak about some of the New Testament. Turning with me to Acts chapter 1. This encounter with God is more than just knowing Jesus, having asked him to 57:14 forgive you for your sins and having your hearts cleansed through the blood of Jesus. This is something deeper. This is a touch with God. I've seen some of you brothers and sisters and children even. I've seen some of you have those 57:27 encounters with God. I tell you, it's precious. I've seen God move in your hearts. And I I think about that and I pray that those encounters that you've had where I've seen tears coming down your eyes. I've heard the pray prayers 57:39 coming from your hearts, even little children where I know you've had a touch from God. And that's what I'm trying to remind you of. Paul encouraged Timothy with this. Don't forget the anointing you received when I laid hands on you. 57:52 Now, dear young people, if you've had those moments of encounters with God, don't neglect that. Don't lose sight of that. I know you've had that. But I've seen it happen in our prayer meetings. I've seen it happen here. And if it 58:04 hasn't happened, seek for it. Seek for those moments when you just couldn't stop singing and you didn't want the prayer meeting to end cuz God had touched you and you look back on the past and you were so grateful for his 58:16 love. This is what I'm speaking about. An encounter with God. Oh, that you'll seek for it and long for it. And dear young people especially, that will transform your life. That will preserve you in the dark world. And this was the 58:29 experience of the disciples. They'd walked with Jesus. Jesus was far away in the sense that they were here and he was here next to them physically but not in them. Jesus was somebody that they he could handle situations for them but he 58:47 was a distinct person from them. And if Jesus was ever in a moment not around them, then they all hell broke loose. Literally the boat they got in a panic. the boat was going to sink because Jesus wasn't there. Or if he was there, he was 59:02 asleep in the bottom of the boat on a on a pillow. Is a Jesus that you believe in sometimes asleep in your life? Then you need to have an encounter with God. Are there moments when you feel like God is not present and you start to lose your way 59:16 and like, Lord, I haven't heard from you. What do I do? I've got to make these decisions for my family. I've got to make these decisions for my life, but I don't hear your voice. Oh, that you will have an encounter with 59:27 God. And the disciples remained these fearful men and then the women you read in chapter one because they hadn't yet had that encounter with God. Acts 1 verse 12. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet 59:42 which is near Jerusalem a Sabbath day's journey away. And when they did entered the city they locked themselves up in an upper room afraid of what's going to happen next. Jesus is gone. We saw him and we we stayed there. You read earlier on just a 59:58 few verses. They watched the heaven and then we can't see Jesus anymore. I I don't know what it was like. You know, sometimes you see these balloons going up, helium filled balloons, and you see, I can still see it. I can still see it. 1:00:09 The little dot. I think that's it. I imagine that's what it was like for them seeing Jesus slowly ascending up. And they're like, "Yeah, he's gone. He was just here." I held his hand. I leaned my head on his shoulder. But now he's gone. 1:00:22 He's far away. I can barely see him like a dot in the skies. The clouds have hidden him. And then the angels came and said, "What are you doing still looking up in heaven? God wants you to have an encounter with him that'll change the way you think 1:00:36 about Jesus." And sure enough, they did. What did they do? They obeyed Jesus. He said, "Go and wait in Jerusalem. Lock yourselves. Put aside all the other things. Don't move from this place until you've had that encounter with me." 1:00:50 That's what happened. Acts chapter 2. The Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost and now Jesus was in them. And now all heaven broke loose. You couldn't stop Peter from getting in front of that crowd of multitudes and say, "This Jesus 1:01:05 whom we preach is the source of salvation. You must repent and you must be baptized." And then they got beaten a few days later. And they got thrown in jail. And they went through suffering after suffering after suffering. And one 1:01:18 day Peter was hung upside down as he finished his life at a very young age. But he died having experienced the true Jesus in him having had that encounter with God. And dear family, I don't know when the end of our your life will be. I 1:01:34 don't know when the end of my life will be, but I pray it will be as ones who have had that encounter with God. Don't reach the end of your life without having had that encounter with God. And I don't know what the eternal destiny 1:01:47 will be for those who just knew Jesus far away at the top of the ladder. Somebody who was with me every now and then and fell asleep every now and then. Another Jesus. The Jesus of today is one who wants to live in your heart through the 1:02:02 Holy Spirit who wants to fill you with the same spirit of Christ. This is the life that you and I are called to live. This is what it means to be a disciple. And that encounter made them bold witnesses. One last example, 1:02:17 Paul. Acts chapter 26. I think we know that Paul was alive on the day of Pentecost. Was he a young young man and then he grew up and became a Pharisee a few years later. He started to persecute the church. I think he was 1:02:33 in his late 20s or early 30s by the time Acts chapter nine. And by the time this incident happened, here was Paul being a zealous for God. Zealous for God, being zealous for God. And then he has an encounter with God. 1:02:52 Acts chapter 26 he says while so engaged being zealous for God doing lots of things for God a good member of RLCF not having had the encounter with God but here every meeting coming to the prayer meetings coming to the Bible 1:03:07 studies helping out when there's anything that needs to be done haven't yet had that encounter with God that's where Paul is Acts 26:12 I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priest at midday oh king I saw saw on 1:03:21 the way a light from heaven brighter than the sun shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. And when he had when they we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew, in his own 1:03:35 language, I heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, this is what it means to have an encounter with God. Santosh. Santosh. Samuel. Samuel. You read in the book of 1:03:54 1 Samuel. Put your name there. God calling you specifically. Paul had an Saul had an encounter. His name was changed after that. Why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goats. I said, "Who are 1:04:09 you, Lord? You're calling me by name. Until now, I I revered you as the God who dwells in heaven. Jehovah uh Jira the provider and and all that and I I reverted you revered your law and this was God to me the law was everything but 1:04:25 now you're calling me by name YOU'RE A PERSON WHO ARE you and he says I'm Jesus I am Jesus whom you are persecuting Jesus and Saul wrestling Jesus welcoming Paul and saying Paul you're 1:04:44 mine Get up. Stand on your feet. Because I have, for this purpose, I've appeared to you. I brought you to this encounter Saul for this purpose to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen but also to 1:05:01 the things in which I will appear to you rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God that they may 1:05:17 receive forgiveness of sin and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in me. This encounter with God revolutionized Paul's life. He was so filled with the love of God that it compelled him. It constrained him. 1:05:34 Dear family, this is what God wants to do at RLCF that every single one of us sitting here will have that encounter with God. You don't have to be a preacher. You don't have to have a outwardly visible gift. But there are people like the story I just 1:05:51 started out with who don't know what death is like and don't have anyone to tell them what comes after it. And God is looking for those who have had an encounter with him so he can stand you up and say, "Stand on your feet and quit being so self-centered and 1:06:08 occupied with your own life and your own future and your own things and self because I've called you and I've appointed you to be a minister for me." That applies to you brothers. It applies to you sisters and all children, young 1:06:22 people. It applies to you. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray that the words that you've spoken, not my words, will sink deep into the hearts of every one of us. Myself first of all, Lord, I need this encounter with you even today. 1:06:38 Lord, will you bring us to that place? Whatever it takes, whatever it is we're still holding on to, whatever um baggage we're still carrying, whatever grievance we still have, whatever whatever it might be that's holding us back, 1:06:51 whatever things are entangling us, whatever sin is still besetting us, oh Lord, bring us to this encounter with you and set us free that we might fulfill the purpose for which you placed us here on this earth. I believe you 1:07:03 will, Lord. And may we not quickly lose, may we never lose, Lord, the word that you've spoken to us this morning. May we live as those who are seeing you face to face, the face of God. We believe you'll do that, Lord. Oh, fill us with your 1:07:19 spirit. I pray don't be in a rush to move on. Dear family, dear children, you'll go to your Sunday school class. Don't worry, but pause for a moment and make seal it now before you go. The devil's going to come rushing in and try 1:07:32 to steal it from you. God wants you to have an encounter with him. Build an altar for him now and say, "Lord, I'm not going to let go of you until I see your face. I've heard your voice from a distance. I hear you every now and then, 1:07:43 but I want to see your face, Lord. That will change me for eternity." Oh Lord, do that. I pray that not a single person at RLCF will miss it. Lord, I pray for those who have chosen to join us online as well. I believe you 1:07:59 want them as well to have an encounter. It's not just in this place here in Loveland, Lord, that you're doing it all over the face of the world. Your spirit is moving, seeking for those whose hearts are completely yours that they 1:08:10 might have an encounter with you so that you can strongly support them. Lord, do that. We pray. I believe you will. Thank you. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your spirit who's with us until the work is finished. Thank you. Thank you. 1:08:25 Oh, give him praise. pray to him and say, "Thank you, Lord, that you're going to send you're going to do this in my life. I refuse to remain in unbelief. I refuse to remain ungrateful. But I thank you, Lord, that you who promised the 1:08:37 Holy Spirit are sending him even now into my heart. You're moving, Lord, here in this meeting right now. I believe you're sending the Holy Spirit that we will see Jesus. We'll have an encounter with him that will change our lives. We 1:08:50 won't go back to the same old defeated life. Oh Lord, do that. I pray. Send a revival into this church, Lord. Not an emotional revival, not an earthly stirring, Lord, but a a move of your Holy Spirit, a revival to repentance, a 1:09:04 revival to true humility, a revival to setting things right that need to be setting right. A revival to unity in our homes, and a revival to holiness, Lord, in our young people, in our children, Lord, you'll do it. I believe. Thank 1:09:19 you. Thank you. Thank you, Lord. We praise you for what you've done. We praise you for what you are doing. We praise you for what you will do. Thank you, Lord. We give you thanks. We give you thanks, Lord. We haven't seen all of 1:09:29 it yet, but we believe. We see with eyes of faith what you're doing. Praise you, heavenly father. We praise you. Thank you in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.
