1 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:12,340 How many of you want revival in your life? 2 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:16,900 All right, you're the ones I'm talking to today. 3 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,020 So, Father, we thank you in the name of Jesus for today. 4 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:24,616 We thank you for the anointing of the Holy Spirit and Holy Spirit 5 00:00:24,648 --> 00:00:24,840 today. 6 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:27,060 We ask you to open the Scriptures to us. 7 00:00:28,170 --> 00:00:31,990 Lord, you always taught people with parables, you told stories. 8 00:00:32,730 --> 00:00:36,962 And Lord, today we pray that you take us into the Scriptures in 9 00:00:36,986 --> 00:00:39,762 a way that we would understand them in a brand new way. 10 00:00:39,946 --> 00:00:41,122 And we thank you for this. 11 00:00:41,146 --> 00:00:42,430 In Jesus name. 12 00:00:42,730 --> 00:00:45,234 And everybody said, amen. 13 00:00:45,282 --> 00:00:47,170 Open your Bible to Hebrews chapter 12. 14 00:00:47,290 --> 00:00:48,946 And we're going to begin in verse 14. 15 00:00:49,018 --> 00:00:51,346 And I'm reading from the King James Version. 16 00:00:51,538 --> 00:00:56,398 And when you come to Hebrews 12:14, it says, follow peace with 17 00:00:56,454 --> 00:01:01,646 all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. 18 00:01:01,678 --> 00:01:04,734 And if you have an ink pen or a pencil on which you'd underline 19 00:01:04,782 --> 00:01:08,446 or circle several words in verse 14, first of all, either underline 20 00:01:08,478 --> 00:01:10,010 or circle the word follow. 21 00:01:10,710 --> 00:01:13,490 Secondly, either underline or circle the word peace. 22 00:01:14,070 --> 00:01:16,850 Third, either underline or circle the word holiness. 23 00:01:17,510 --> 00:01:19,566 And number four, either underline or circle. 24 00:01:19,598 --> 00:01:21,530 The two words shall see. 25 00:01:21,870 --> 00:01:24,902 These four words are really key in this verse. 26 00:01:25,046 --> 00:01:28,182 The word follow, the word peace, the word holiness, and the 27 00:01:28,206 --> 00:01:29,974 two words shall see. 28 00:01:30,142 --> 00:01:33,350 And today we're going to begin at the very first of verse 14 where 29 00:01:33,390 --> 00:01:36,290 it says, follow peace with all men. 30 00:01:36,590 --> 00:01:39,894 And when you study this in the original Greek text, you find that 31 00:01:39,902 --> 00:01:42,086 the word follow in Greek is the word dioko. 32 00:01:42,118 --> 00:01:46,086 And the word dioko is actually the word for hunting. 33 00:01:46,198 --> 00:01:46,970 Hunting. 34 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:51,580 So you could translate it hunt for peace with all men. 35 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:55,984 However, the form of Greek that is used here is a participle, 36 00:01:56,032 --> 00:01:58,704 which means you could translate it follow, follow, follow, 37 00:01:58,792 --> 00:02:01,056 follow, follow, follow, follow, follow. 38 00:02:01,128 --> 00:02:06,480 Keep on habitually following until finally you capture peace with 39 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:07,340 all men. 40 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:11,056 And here we have a picture of people putting on their hunting gear, 41 00:02:11,168 --> 00:02:14,892 putting on their hunting hat, getting all their weaponry. 42 00:02:14,956 --> 00:02:19,196 They're going out into the forest to hunt some kind of an animal. 43 00:02:19,388 --> 00:02:23,292 And they're so committed that they're looking for every footprint, 44 00:02:23,356 --> 00:02:27,020 every little broken branch as they're following and following and 45 00:02:27,060 --> 00:02:30,476 following and following the tracks of the animal until finally 46 00:02:30,508 --> 00:02:32,940 they apprehend that animal. 47 00:02:33,100 --> 00:02:36,880 But in this verse, it says, follow after peace. 48 00:02:37,300 --> 00:02:40,300 And because the word follow means to habitually consistently 49 00:02:40,380 --> 00:02:44,508 follow, it means you can't wait for peace to come in your direction. 50 00:02:44,604 --> 00:02:45,936 If you want to have pe. 51 00:02:46,068 --> 00:02:50,136 Your spouse, if you want to have peace with your parents or peace 52 00:02:50,168 --> 00:02:53,112 with your brother and sister, or peace with somebody at work or 53 00:02:53,136 --> 00:02:56,536 at church, then you have to determine, I'm not going to wait 54 00:02:56,568 --> 00:02:58,280 for peace to come to me. 55 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:02,488 I'm going to do whatever is necessary to capture peace in my 56 00:03:02,544 --> 00:03:04,424 relationship with this individual. 57 00:03:04,552 --> 00:03:08,408 And it's very interesting that this word follow is also used in 58 00:03:08,464 --> 00:03:13,272 1st Corinthians 14:1, where Paul likewise says that we are to 59 00:03:13,296 --> 00:03:18,860 follow after love, which means if you want love and if you want 60 00:03:18,900 --> 00:03:23,148 loving relationships, then you can't just sit at home and wait for 61 00:03:23,204 --> 00:03:24,572 somebody to call you. 62 00:03:24,676 --> 00:03:27,500 You've got to pick up your phone and you've got to start calling 63 00:03:27,580 --> 00:03:28,428 somebody else. 64 00:03:28,524 --> 00:03:31,532 If you want to have loving relationships, then you have to get 65 00:03:31,556 --> 00:03:35,436 in gear and you've got to pursue them until finally you capture 66 00:03:35,548 --> 00:03:37,280 loving relationships. 67 00:03:37,700 --> 00:03:41,862 But now, when we come to this verse, it says, follow habitually 68 00:03:41,926 --> 00:03:45,062 after peace with all men. 69 00:03:45,246 --> 00:03:47,126 Here the word all is all inclusive. 70 00:03:47,158 --> 00:03:50,854 It means with every single individual, which means to the best 71 00:03:50,942 --> 00:03:56,854 of our ability, God expects us to do whatever is required to capture 72 00:03:56,902 --> 00:03:58,370 peace with all people. 73 00:03:58,990 --> 00:04:01,958 And that even means with difficult people. 74 00:04:02,014 --> 00:04:04,774 And I want to give a testimony from my personal life. 75 00:04:04,942 --> 00:04:08,388 It's not a story that I'm proud of, but it's a story which 76 00:04:08,444 --> 00:04:09,920 demonstrates the point. 77 00:04:10,300 --> 00:04:13,444 When my family and I first moved to the former Soviet union, 78 00:04:13,572 --> 00:04:15,440 it was 1991. 79 00:04:15,900 --> 00:04:18,436 Now, younger people don't even know it as the Soviet Union. 80 00:04:18,468 --> 00:04:19,892 They know it as Russia. 81 00:04:20,036 --> 00:04:23,316 But the Soviet Union, of course, was the bastion of Communism. 82 00:04:23,508 --> 00:04:27,876 And we actually moved there when it was still the Soviet Union. 83 00:04:28,068 --> 00:04:30,760 We began preaching, and God began moving. 84 00:04:31,180 --> 00:04:35,064 And one day, Denise and I did a meeting in a public venue. 85 00:04:35,112 --> 00:04:39,480 It was the biggest hockey stadium in the nation, and the ice 86 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:40,536 was still on the floor. 87 00:04:40,568 --> 00:04:43,112 They rolled a piece of red carpet out into the middle of the 88 00:04:43,136 --> 00:04:45,032 ice and put there a microphone. 89 00:04:45,096 --> 00:04:46,904 Denise sang and I preached. 90 00:04:47,032 --> 00:04:50,952 My feet were so cold, I could hardly feel my feet because of the 91 00:04:50,976 --> 00:04:52,776 ice coming up through the carpet. 92 00:04:52,888 --> 00:04:55,592 And finally, at the end of the service, we decided we were going 93 00:04:55,616 --> 00:04:56,808 to pray for the sick. 94 00:04:56,904 --> 00:05:00,522 Well, the sick were on the other side of the ice field, seated 95 00:05:00,586 --> 00:05:01,950 up in the bleachers. 96 00:05:02,370 --> 00:05:04,986 And now we invited the sick to come forward for prayer. 97 00:05:05,018 --> 00:05:09,306 And Denise and I watched as people with crutches begin walking 98 00:05:09,338 --> 00:05:10,746 across that ice. 99 00:05:10,938 --> 00:05:13,946 And I remember thinking, we definitely need the power of God 100 00:05:13,978 --> 00:05:16,538 because people are gonna break their necks before they get over 101 00:05:16,594 --> 00:05:16,906 here. 102 00:05:16,978 --> 00:05:20,442 Here are all these people with crutches and walking across the ice. 103 00:05:20,506 --> 00:05:24,282 The power of God was in manifestation, and we did not know 104 00:05:24,306 --> 00:05:28,062 that that Sunday someone was filming that event. 105 00:05:28,166 --> 00:05:31,582 But when we got home, we got a phone call, and we were told that 106 00:05:31,606 --> 00:05:34,970 it was going to be broadcast on national television the next day. 107 00:05:35,430 --> 00:05:39,230 So Denise and I and our three sons, we sat together on our little 108 00:05:39,270 --> 00:05:43,278 couch in our little Soviet house, turned on the black and white 109 00:05:43,334 --> 00:05:46,926 television, and there we watched Denise singing on national 110 00:05:46,998 --> 00:05:50,850 TV and me preaching the word of God and laying hands on the sick. 111 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:54,536 And while we were watching that program, the Holy Spirit spoke 112 00:05:54,568 --> 00:06:00,424 to me and said, now I'm going to tell you why I really brought 113 00:06:00,472 --> 00:06:02,340 you to this part of the world. 114 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:06,424 And I've learned through the years that very often when you begin 115 00:06:06,472 --> 00:06:09,656 your walk of obedience, God doesn't tell you the full story. 116 00:06:09,808 --> 00:06:13,080 Sometimes he waits until you're in motion and it's too late 117 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:14,260 to turn back. 118 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:16,754 And there we're sitting there. 119 00:06:16,952 --> 00:06:20,446 We think that we're there for one reason, but we hear the Holy 120 00:06:20,478 --> 00:06:23,966 Spirit say, now I'm gonna tell you the real reason why I brought 121 00:06:23,998 --> 00:06:25,070 you to this part of the world. 122 00:06:25,110 --> 00:06:31,198 And I heard him say, I want you to take Sunday school to every 123 00:06:31,254 --> 00:06:36,606 home in the entire 11 time zones of the Soviet Union. 124 00:06:36,718 --> 00:06:39,950 Well, at that particular time, we were working in a Bible school 125 00:06:39,990 --> 00:06:43,976 that was trying to raise up pastors that when you have 11 time 126 00:06:44,048 --> 00:06:48,936 zones, you cannot raise up pastors fast enough to take the teaching 127 00:06:48,968 --> 00:06:50,904 of the Bible into every single home. 128 00:06:50,992 --> 00:06:54,168 And now the Holy Spirit said, I want you to take Sunday school 129 00:06:54,224 --> 00:06:55,400 into every single home. 130 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:59,000 I turned to Denise, and the Holy Spirit had said the same thing 131 00:06:59,040 --> 00:06:59,780 to her. 132 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:06,120 So I began negotiating for the very first daily teaching of the 133 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:08,070 Bible in the entire history of. 134 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:09,450 Of the Soviet Union. 135 00:07:09,530 --> 00:07:13,850 And at this particular time, the Soviet Union was about 70 years 136 00:07:13,890 --> 00:07:14,470 old. 137 00:07:15,010 --> 00:07:18,266 For 70 years, atheism had ruled as king. 138 00:07:18,458 --> 00:07:20,234 God was an illegal topic. 139 00:07:20,282 --> 00:07:21,866 People did not even own Bibles. 140 00:07:21,898 --> 00:07:23,114 You couldn't even buy a Bible. 141 00:07:23,162 --> 00:07:25,882 Back in those days, there were no public churches. 142 00:07:25,946 --> 00:07:29,338 If there were churches, they were underground, hidden churches. 143 00:07:29,514 --> 00:07:34,042 And there were no Americans on television because Americans were 144 00:07:34,066 --> 00:07:35,990 viewed to be the enemy of the state. 145 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:42,848 And suddenly, every day for one hour, an American appears on 146 00:07:42,904 --> 00:07:43,860 television. 147 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:46,340 It truly was miraculous. 148 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:51,440 And people were mesmerized by the fact that an American was on 149 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:52,048 television. 150 00:07:52,144 --> 00:07:55,376 And they began tuning in by the millions. 151 00:07:55,568 --> 00:07:59,696 And not only was an American on television, the American was talking 152 00:07:59,728 --> 00:08:01,232 about the forbidden subject. 153 00:08:01,296 --> 00:08:05,610 He was publicly talking about, about God on television. 154 00:08:06,270 --> 00:08:12,850 And one day I said, if you will write me, I will write you back. 155 00:08:13,310 --> 00:08:17,046 Well, I did not know that Soviet people loved to write letters. 156 00:08:17,158 --> 00:08:22,330 And in a very short period of time, we had 80 tons of mail. 157 00:08:22,830 --> 00:08:24,342 Tons of mail. 158 00:08:24,486 --> 00:08:25,170 80. 159 00:08:26,190 --> 00:08:26,970 Wow. 160 00:08:27,390 --> 00:08:28,854 We didn't even own a computer. 161 00:08:28,902 --> 00:08:32,582 And back in Those days you couldn't buy a computer because there 162 00:08:32,606 --> 00:08:34,054 were no computers to buy. 163 00:08:34,142 --> 00:08:37,480 And in fact, we, when we would go to the grocery store to buy our 164 00:08:37,520 --> 00:08:42,536 groceries, when the grocery store had groceries, they didn't 165 00:08:42,568 --> 00:08:43,980 even have calculators. 166 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:46,600 Do you know how they added up what you owed? 167 00:08:46,680 --> 00:08:50,536 They had an abacus, remember the old abacus they used to use? 168 00:08:50,608 --> 00:08:52,264 And they begin moving those beads. 169 00:08:52,312 --> 00:08:54,168 It was like a sign and a wonder to me. 170 00:08:54,224 --> 00:08:57,880 When they started moving those beads, I would say, would you please 171 00:08:57,920 --> 00:08:59,208 do that one more time? 172 00:08:59,344 --> 00:09:02,022 How in the world do they do that if it just was a world that 173 00:09:02,046 --> 00:09:03,930 had nothing, that was technological? 174 00:09:05,710 --> 00:09:11,222 Well, I said to Denise, we're getting all these mail, but I want 175 00:09:11,246 --> 00:09:12,022 to have a meeting. 176 00:09:12,126 --> 00:09:15,814 I want to see how many people will really show up if we advertise 177 00:09:15,862 --> 00:09:17,718 that we're going to hold a public meeting. 178 00:09:17,854 --> 00:09:22,262 So we decided to rent the largest venue in the capital city 179 00:09:22,286 --> 00:09:24,406 of Latvia, which was the city of Riga. 180 00:09:24,438 --> 00:09:26,290 That's where we were living at the time. 181 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:31,712 We advertised for 10 or 12 days and finally it was time for 182 00:09:31,736 --> 00:09:32,980 the meeting to begin. 183 00:09:33,560 --> 00:09:37,520 Denise and I showed up at the venue and the venue was so jam packed 184 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:39,792 that there was no seating room for anyone. 185 00:09:39,856 --> 00:09:43,792 All of the bleachers were filled, the floor was filled, and 186 00:09:43,816 --> 00:09:45,900 we had meetings for five days. 187 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:51,100 And in five days, 7,000 people prayed to receive Christ. 188 00:09:51,560 --> 00:09:54,528 It was just like when Philip went down to Samaria and preached 189 00:09:54,544 --> 00:09:55,220 the gospel. 190 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:57,548 We saw people come out of wheelchairs. 191 00:09:57,644 --> 00:10:00,428 We saw one man that was paralyzed get up and walk. 192 00:10:00,564 --> 00:10:03,740 Demons screaming as people came to Christ and Christ came in, 193 00:10:03,780 --> 00:10:04,972 the demons went out. 194 00:10:05,076 --> 00:10:12,044 And in Those days, in three of those days, we water baptized 926 195 00:10:12,132 --> 00:10:14,200 people in three days. 196 00:10:14,820 --> 00:10:19,532 And finally on the last night, as I was standing there and about 197 00:10:19,556 --> 00:10:26,080 to dismiss the event, the Holy Spirit said to me, now what are you 198 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:29,700 going to do with all these new converts? 199 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:36,000 Well, I didn't like that question because it implied spiritual 200 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:37,136 responsibility. 201 00:10:37,328 --> 00:10:39,856 They were like sheep without a shepherd. 202 00:10:39,888 --> 00:10:41,872 And I understood they needed a church. 203 00:10:42,016 --> 00:10:44,368 And by asking me, what are you going to do with these people? 204 00:10:44,424 --> 00:10:46,820 I knew the Lord was telling me to start a church. 205 00:10:47,310 --> 00:10:50,262 I didn't want to start a church, but yet I knew that's what 206 00:10:50,286 --> 00:10:51,766 the Lord was asking me to do. 207 00:10:51,838 --> 00:10:54,170 So we located a venue. 208 00:10:54,750 --> 00:10:59,542 And the venue that we located was the central auditorium of the 209 00:10:59,566 --> 00:11:00,850 Communist Party. 210 00:11:01,550 --> 00:11:06,646 When you walked into that building, massive, massive chandeliers, 211 00:11:06,678 --> 00:11:09,974 which were donated by Joseph Stalin, adorned the ceiling. 212 00:11:10,022 --> 00:11:12,822 And all the way around the building were the sickle and the 213 00:11:12,846 --> 00:11:14,358 hammer of the Soviet Union. 214 00:11:14,454 --> 00:11:19,678 And directly under the stage was a bust, a statue of Lenin bigger 215 00:11:19,694 --> 00:11:21,742 than me, and all it was was his head. 216 00:11:21,846 --> 00:11:25,374 And every time I preached, I was standing on top of Lennon, thinking 217 00:11:25,422 --> 00:11:29,662 about how we are taking authority in this place where wickedness 218 00:11:29,726 --> 00:11:33,422 once ruled and God's power began to move. 219 00:11:33,526 --> 00:11:37,438 And so many people crammed into that auditorium that people 220 00:11:37,494 --> 00:11:40,450 were literally hanging over the balcony. 221 00:11:41,510 --> 00:11:45,254 Well, there was another church in town which was also doing quite 222 00:11:45,302 --> 00:11:45,890 well. 223 00:11:46,270 --> 00:11:49,366 And in fact, there were only two churches in town which were considered 224 00:11:49,398 --> 00:11:50,198 to be large. 225 00:11:50,334 --> 00:11:53,574 Remember, at this time, all churches were still underground. 226 00:11:53,702 --> 00:11:55,078 They were hidden churches. 227 00:11:55,174 --> 00:11:56,886 They didn't try to reveal themselves. 228 00:11:56,998 --> 00:11:59,210 They tried to hide themselves. 229 00:11:59,870 --> 00:12:02,742 But now there's an American preaching in the local Communist 230 00:12:02,806 --> 00:12:03,558 auditorium. 231 00:12:03,654 --> 00:12:08,170 And there's another Pentecostal pastor, a little guy. 232 00:12:08,590 --> 00:12:11,450 And when I say little, I mean he was about this tall. 233 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:15,380 And he had been from the Pentecostal underground movement. 234 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,144 And he said to them, I'm finished with you guys. 235 00:12:18,192 --> 00:12:19,600 You're trying to hide all the time. 236 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:20,736 I'm going public. 237 00:12:20,888 --> 00:12:22,460 I'm leaving you behind. 238 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:24,176 I'm the new thing. 239 00:12:24,248 --> 00:12:26,340 I am the move of God. 240 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:30,624 And every other church in this city will eventually close. 241 00:12:30,792 --> 00:12:34,768 And all of you pastors are gonna bring me your people, and you're 242 00:12:34,784 --> 00:12:39,180 gonna come to me on your knees to declare how great I am. 243 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:43,380 Well, I would say that's pretty big arrogance. 244 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:46,400 And you don't make a lot of friends by talking like that. 245 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:48,940 He offended every pastor in the nation. 246 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:53,584 Well, he was quite upset because our church was growing. 247 00:12:53,632 --> 00:12:56,820 And he had just declared his was going to be the biggest church. 248 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:59,648 In fact, he declared he was gonna take the whole city. 249 00:12:59,704 --> 00:13:00,860 The whole city. 250 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:03,460 And now our church is thriving. 251 00:13:04,210 --> 00:13:07,770 He is so upset by the fact that our church is thriving that 252 00:13:07,810 --> 00:13:11,830 one Sunday he came into the pulpit of his church and he said, 253 00:13:12,770 --> 00:13:17,510 I understand there's another church in this city. 254 00:13:18,130 --> 00:13:21,962 I don't want to say the name of the church, but it's led by an 255 00:13:21,986 --> 00:13:24,670 American who is bald. 256 00:13:26,610 --> 00:13:30,644 And he said, if you want to know what I think, I think anybody 257 00:13:30,692 --> 00:13:37,524 as young as him who is bald is probably under some kind of curse, 258 00:13:37,652 --> 00:13:40,760 and I would advise you not to go to his church. 259 00:13:42,860 --> 00:13:45,320 Well, when I heard that, I thought it was hilarious. 260 00:13:45,660 --> 00:13:48,212 I've been bald since I was 17 years old. 261 00:13:48,316 --> 00:13:50,372 It doesn't bother me that I don't have any hair. 262 00:13:50,436 --> 00:13:52,612 I think it's a blessing I don't have anything to take care 263 00:13:52,636 --> 00:13:53,200 of. 264 00:13:55,270 --> 00:13:59,086 But the more I begin to think about his attitude, it really began 265 00:13:59,118 --> 00:14:00,610 to get under my skin. 266 00:14:01,270 --> 00:14:03,010 And I began to be offended. 267 00:14:03,670 --> 00:14:05,490 And, you know, when you're Offended. 268 00:14:05,910 --> 00:14:07,246 It's amazing. 269 00:14:07,438 --> 00:14:10,718 People begin to bring to you information about the person you're 270 00:14:10,734 --> 00:14:14,190 offended with, to confirm everything that you feel about that 271 00:14:14,230 --> 00:14:14,718 person. 272 00:14:14,854 --> 00:14:17,582 And suddenly people are bringing me all kinds of information 273 00:14:17,686 --> 00:14:21,390 about crazy doctrines he's teaching, things he's saying about 274 00:14:21,430 --> 00:14:23,976 other pastors, other things that he has said about me. 275 00:14:24,078 --> 00:14:28,480 And it's affirming my offense with this man. 276 00:14:29,420 --> 00:14:35,908 And finally, I got so upset that one Sunday I did something very 277 00:14:35,964 --> 00:14:36,840 carnal. 278 00:14:37,580 --> 00:14:43,524 I came to my pulpit in my own church, and I said, I have an announcement 279 00:14:43,572 --> 00:14:44,320 to make. 280 00:14:45,180 --> 00:14:49,636 I looked at Denise on the front row, and she was saying, don't 281 00:14:49,668 --> 00:14:53,882 do it, don't do it, don't do it. 282 00:14:54,066 --> 00:14:55,670 I just ignored her. 283 00:14:56,770 --> 00:15:01,350 And I said, I understand there's another pastor in town. 284 00:15:02,370 --> 00:15:07,322 Don't want to say the name of his church, but he's a little short 285 00:15:07,426 --> 00:15:08,110 guy. 286 00:15:09,170 --> 00:15:12,670 In fact, he's kind of a pygmy pastor. 287 00:15:14,050 --> 00:15:17,390 And he says, anybody that is bald is under a curse. 288 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:23,552 But I'm telling you that I think anybody whose growth is so 289 00:15:23,576 --> 00:15:27,232 stunted is clearly the one that's probably under some kind of 290 00:15:27,256 --> 00:15:28,100 a curse. 291 00:15:28,520 --> 00:15:30,272 Now let's open our Bibles. 292 00:15:30,336 --> 00:15:32,020 And I continue to preach. 293 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:36,336 Well, the word of what I said began to travel like wildfire throughout 294 00:15:36,368 --> 00:15:36,912 the city. 295 00:15:37,016 --> 00:15:41,264 And a war erupted between that pastor and me and between his church 296 00:15:41,312 --> 00:15:42,580 and our church. 297 00:15:43,010 --> 00:15:45,338 It was horrible what was taking place. 298 00:15:45,474 --> 00:15:48,110 And unfortunately, I entered into the fray. 299 00:15:49,010 --> 00:15:54,362 And finally, one day, after many months, I was praying, and the 300 00:15:54,386 --> 00:15:59,990 Holy Spirit said, rick, do you want revival in your life? 301 00:16:00,930 --> 00:16:04,430 And I said, yes, Lord, I want revival. 302 00:16:05,250 --> 00:16:09,630 He asked me a second time, do you really want revival? 303 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:13,020 I said, oh, Lord, I want revival. 304 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:19,420 He asked me a third time, do you really want revival? 305 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:23,580 I said, lord, I really want revival. 306 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:28,856 And I heard the Holy Spirit say, if you want revival, then I'm 307 00:16:28,888 --> 00:16:34,216 requiring you to drive to that other church, go into that pastor's 308 00:16:34,248 --> 00:16:39,080 office, get on your knees in front of him, and ask him for forgiveness 309 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:40,900 for your attitude. 310 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:47,140 And the Holy Spirit asked me a fourth time, do you want revival? 311 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:50,860 And I said, I'm not sure. 312 00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:53,580 I'm not sure. 313 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:57,300 And I remember saying to the Lord, me, get on my knees. 314 00:16:57,720 --> 00:16:58,940 What about him? 315 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:00,540 What about him? 316 00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:04,640 And the Lord said, I'm not talking to you about him. 317 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:06,400 I'm talking to you about you. 318 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:08,224 I'm talking to you about your attitude. 319 00:17:08,272 --> 00:17:11,950 I will talk to him, but right now, I'm talking to you. 320 00:17:11,990 --> 00:17:17,650 And if you want revival, then I'm requiring you to ask for forgiveness 321 00:17:18,150 --> 00:17:19,690 for what you have done. 322 00:17:21,350 --> 00:17:22,974 Well, I didn't quickly Obey. 323 00:17:23,022 --> 00:17:24,850 In fact, several months passed. 324 00:17:25,190 --> 00:17:27,854 I kept thinking that if I ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit, 325 00:17:27,902 --> 00:17:30,398 maybe he'll just stop talking to me about this. 326 00:17:30,534 --> 00:17:33,150 But I say, the Holy Spirit is like the hound of Heaven. 327 00:17:33,230 --> 00:17:36,152 He stays right on your heels and follows you and follows you. 328 00:17:36,176 --> 00:17:39,640 And every day I would hear him say, are you going to obey me? 329 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:40,664 No, I'm not. 330 00:17:40,752 --> 00:17:42,008 Are you going to obey me? 331 00:17:42,064 --> 00:17:43,320 I'm still thinking about it. 332 00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:44,712 Are you going to obey me? 333 00:17:44,816 --> 00:17:47,736 And after several months, I was just so inwardly disturbed. 334 00:17:47,768 --> 00:17:51,780 I knew I had to do what the spirit of God was telling me to do. 335 00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:57,620 So I said to my associate, we're going to drive across town. 336 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:04,098 I'm going to get on my knees, and I'm going to take responsibility 337 00:18:04,194 --> 00:18:05,590 for my attitude. 338 00:18:06,490 --> 00:18:10,786 And my associate said, well, you know, he's been telling everybody 339 00:18:10,818 --> 00:18:14,226 that all the pastors are going to come before him on their knees. 340 00:18:14,338 --> 00:18:17,490 And if you get on your knees, he's going to say, look, the first 341 00:18:17,530 --> 00:18:19,970 one to come is the American bald preacher. 342 00:18:20,050 --> 00:18:21,522 He's going to make you an example. 343 00:18:21,586 --> 00:18:22,950 Don't get on your knees. 344 00:18:25,530 --> 00:18:29,622 So we drove across town and walked in the building, and I could 345 00:18:29,646 --> 00:18:33,142 hear a buzz of people all around me because the enemy was in 346 00:18:33,166 --> 00:18:34,102 the camps. 347 00:18:34,246 --> 00:18:36,930 Everybody was shocked that I was in their building. 348 00:18:37,630 --> 00:18:40,518 I walked up one flight of stairs and another flight and another 349 00:18:40,574 --> 00:18:43,974 flight, and finally I came to the top floor of the building, walked 350 00:18:44,022 --> 00:18:47,798 down the long hallway to his office, knocked on the door, and 351 00:18:47,854 --> 00:18:49,606 heard a voice say, yes, open the door. 352 00:18:49,638 --> 00:18:56,048 I opened the door, walked in, and there was the pygmy pastor sitting 353 00:18:56,064 --> 00:19:01,504 on the other side of his desk, so short I could hardly see him on 354 00:19:01,512 --> 00:19:02,980 the other side of the desk. 355 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:06,224 And so arrogant. 356 00:19:06,352 --> 00:19:07,540 So arrogant. 357 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:14,860 So I came in and took my seat across the desk from him. 358 00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:18,740 My associate sat to my side, watching. 359 00:19:20,130 --> 00:19:21,710 We talked about the weather. 360 00:19:22,450 --> 00:19:24,430 We talked about politics. 361 00:19:25,250 --> 00:19:27,818 I talked about everything I could think of to talk about. 362 00:19:27,874 --> 00:19:30,634 Just trying to buy time because I didn't want to do what 363 00:19:30,642 --> 00:19:32,154 the Lord was telling me to do. 364 00:19:32,242 --> 00:19:34,550 And finally there was nothing else to talk about. 365 00:19:35,650 --> 00:19:37,350 And I knew it was time. 366 00:19:38,210 --> 00:19:39,354 It's time to obey. 367 00:19:39,402 --> 00:19:45,338 It's time to get on your knees in front of this man and take responsibility 368 00:19:45,434 --> 00:19:46,830 for your attitude. 369 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:51,780 So I looked at my associate. 370 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:54,060 I said, it's time. 371 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:58,180 And he said, don't get on your knees. 372 00:19:58,600 --> 00:19:59,584 Don't do it. 373 00:19:59,672 --> 00:20:02,912 I said, I brought you here to encourage me, not to discourage me. 374 00:20:03,016 --> 00:20:04,180 Just be quiet. 375 00:20:10,360 --> 00:20:19,270 So I slipped onto one knee, and I heard the Holy Spirit say, 376 00:20:19,730 --> 00:20:21,150 both knees. 377 00:20:24,210 --> 00:20:26,430 So I went on to my second knee. 378 00:20:28,770 --> 00:20:35,642 And when I looked up, this pastor was so thrilled I was on his 379 00:20:35,666 --> 00:20:39,782 knees that he literally had crawled across top of his desk and 380 00:20:39,806 --> 00:20:44,742 was looking over the edge with big eyes filled with glee. 381 00:20:44,886 --> 00:20:47,478 Because the prophecy is coming to pass. 382 00:20:47,614 --> 00:20:50,614 The first pastor's on his knee in front of me. 383 00:20:50,782 --> 00:20:55,462 And I remember looking into his face thinking, you ought to get 384 00:20:55,486 --> 00:20:57,930 off that desk and get on your own knees. 385 00:20:58,350 --> 00:21:00,822 You need to be asking for forgiveness, too. 386 00:21:00,926 --> 00:21:03,170 And then I realized, no, no, no, no, no, no. 387 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:05,040 You're not here to deal with him. 388 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:06,860 You're here to deal with you. 389 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:11,460 And so I began to apologize. 390 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:17,712 But at first, the apology did not go so well because it sounded 391 00:21:17,776 --> 00:21:18,700 like this. 392 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:25,792 I'm here today to ask for forgiveness because I'm really offended 393 00:21:25,856 --> 00:21:27,860 by your lousy behavior. 394 00:21:29,170 --> 00:21:32,602 All the foul things you've said about me, and not just about 395 00:21:32,626 --> 00:21:32,762 me. 396 00:21:32,786 --> 00:21:34,970 And I began to give a list of all the things he had said about 397 00:21:35,010 --> 00:21:35,418 other people. 398 00:21:35,474 --> 00:21:37,590 I was really laying into him. 399 00:21:38,290 --> 00:21:42,350 And I realized, this does not sound like an apology. 400 00:21:43,330 --> 00:21:48,618 So I pulled back, and again, I heard the Holy Spirit say, you're 401 00:21:48,634 --> 00:21:50,150 not here to deal with him. 402 00:21:50,850 --> 00:21:52,790 You're here to deal with you. 403 00:21:54,130 --> 00:21:56,510 And I began to ask him for forgiveness. 404 00:21:57,770 --> 00:22:01,750 Now, the truth is, he should have asked for forgiveness. 405 00:22:02,410 --> 00:22:04,350 He started the whole thing. 406 00:22:05,530 --> 00:22:08,150 His attitude toward others was foul. 407 00:22:08,970 --> 00:22:10,834 He should have asked for forgiveness. 408 00:22:10,962 --> 00:22:12,130 He never did. 409 00:22:12,250 --> 00:22:13,602 He never has. 410 00:22:13,786 --> 00:22:16,350 And that's been 34 years ago. 411 00:22:18,010 --> 00:22:20,066 But God didn't bring me there to deal with him. 412 00:22:20,138 --> 00:22:23,560 God brought me there to deal with me, because my attitude was 413 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:24,420 not right. 414 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:32,872 And on that day, I began to put on my hunting gear, and I made 415 00:22:32,896 --> 00:22:33,700 a decision. 416 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:40,312 I don't care how hard it is, I'm going to follow, follow, follow, 417 00:22:40,416 --> 00:22:43,192 follow, follow after peace with this man. 418 00:22:43,296 --> 00:22:47,560 And if he never initiates in my direction, I'm initiating in his 419 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:48,222 direction. 420 00:22:48,336 --> 00:22:50,434 I live in this city with this other pastor. 421 00:22:50,482 --> 00:22:54,274 I'm not gonna have a bad name for the church and two pastors. 422 00:22:54,402 --> 00:22:58,610 I'm gonna follow after peace until finally I capture peace with 423 00:22:58,650 --> 00:22:59,538 this man. 424 00:22:59,674 --> 00:23:03,666 And the word peace that is in this verse is the Greek word erinae. 425 00:23:03,698 --> 00:23:05,630 And guess what the word erinae is? 426 00:23:05,930 --> 00:23:10,322 It was an old word which was used to describe the end of war, 427 00:23:10,426 --> 00:23:15,652 the cessation of conflict, and the rebuilding of society after the 428 00:23:15,676 --> 00:23:16,948 conflict has ended. 429 00:23:17,044 --> 00:23:19,668 Building new streets, building new infrastructure. 430 00:23:19,764 --> 00:23:21,412 That's what the word peace means. 431 00:23:21,516 --> 00:23:25,252 To put aside the conflict, the cessation of war, and to take all 432 00:23:25,276 --> 00:23:29,108 those same energies which were formerly invested into conflict and 433 00:23:29,164 --> 00:23:33,204 now invest them into building and rebuilding and infrastructure. 434 00:23:33,332 --> 00:23:40,340 And I understood it was My job to find a way to find a way to build 435 00:23:40,380 --> 00:23:41,558 a new relationship with. 436 00:23:41,604 --> 00:23:42,510 With this man. 437 00:23:43,130 --> 00:23:44,710 And it was not easy. 438 00:23:45,210 --> 00:23:47,870 He continued to say bad things about us. 439 00:23:48,570 --> 00:23:50,946 I'll never forget when we were in the middle of our own building 440 00:23:51,018 --> 00:23:56,722 project and we were desperate for finances, I was determined I 441 00:23:56,746 --> 00:23:58,610 was going to capture peace with this man. 442 00:23:58,650 --> 00:24:00,034 And he was in a building project. 443 00:24:00,122 --> 00:24:04,434 So out of our own need, we gave a massive financial contribution 444 00:24:04,562 --> 00:24:08,254 to his church, trying to buy peace with this man. 445 00:24:08,442 --> 00:24:11,862 And when we gave it to him, he met with his staff and laughed at 446 00:24:11,886 --> 00:24:13,770 the size of our contribution. 447 00:24:14,830 --> 00:24:18,118 That was a little painful, but I'd made a decision that I was gonna 448 00:24:18,134 --> 00:24:21,766 be like Teflon and nothing else was gonna stick to me. 449 00:24:21,838 --> 00:24:25,062 I wasn't gonna be required to get on my knees a second time. 450 00:24:25,166 --> 00:24:26,770 I was gonna get it right. 451 00:24:29,470 --> 00:24:32,966 And now, 34 years later, he never has asked for forgiveness, 452 00:24:33,078 --> 00:24:35,650 and he continues to do the same things. 453 00:24:36,700 --> 00:24:42,276 But now I've come to a place where I just love that man in spite 454 00:24:42,468 --> 00:24:43,748 of what he does. 455 00:24:43,884 --> 00:24:47,520 And by the way, real love is agape love. 456 00:24:48,140 --> 00:24:49,332 Agape love. 457 00:24:49,436 --> 00:24:51,044 Now, there are two kinds of love in the church. 458 00:24:51,092 --> 00:24:53,680 There's agape love and there is phileo love. 459 00:24:53,980 --> 00:24:58,164 Philo love is a reciprocal love, which means, if you scratch 460 00:24:58,212 --> 00:25:01,172 my back, I'll scratch yours. 461 00:25:01,316 --> 00:25:04,904 But that the day I scratch your back and I don't get a scratch 462 00:25:04,952 --> 00:25:07,064 back, I'm out of this relationship. 463 00:25:07,192 --> 00:25:09,480 It is a love with strings attached. 464 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:13,416 And unfortunately, this is what most marriages have, and that's 465 00:25:13,448 --> 00:25:14,360 why marriages fail. 466 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:17,060 They say, I put more into this than I got out of it. 467 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:19,368 They're looking for something reciprocal. 468 00:25:19,384 --> 00:25:24,380 But agape love, Agape is a love that has no strings attached. 469 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:27,752 Agape love is the highest, the finest kind of love. 470 00:25:27,856 --> 00:25:28,962 It is a love with no. 471 00:25:29,016 --> 00:25:31,530 No expectation at all. 472 00:25:32,230 --> 00:25:36,846 And this is why we read in John 3:16, For God so loved the world, 473 00:25:36,918 --> 00:25:39,550 that's the word, agape, the highest spy in this kind of love 474 00:25:39,590 --> 00:25:41,870 that he gave his only begotten son. 475 00:25:41,950 --> 00:25:45,210 And yet we read in John 1:11, he came unto his own, and his own 476 00:25:45,590 --> 00:25:47,210 received him not. 477 00:25:48,310 --> 00:25:51,278 If God had been moving in phileo love, he would have said, 478 00:25:51,334 --> 00:25:52,382 I'm out of here. 479 00:25:52,486 --> 00:25:53,406 Here I've come. 480 00:25:53,478 --> 00:25:54,398 I've done all of this. 481 00:25:54,454 --> 00:25:56,170 You don't even know who I am. 482 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:02,728 But God was moving in agape love, a love that just loves. 483 00:26:02,904 --> 00:26:04,300 It just loves. 484 00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:10,232 And the best illustration of agape love in our sphere is when 485 00:26:10,256 --> 00:26:12,060 a newborn baby is born. 486 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:18,776 It is the purest example of agape, when that child is placed 487 00:26:18,808 --> 00:26:20,060 into your arms. 488 00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:23,710 You love that child. 489 00:26:24,250 --> 00:26:27,550 It is a love like you have never known love in your life. 490 00:26:28,250 --> 00:26:31,730 But in that moment when that newborn is placed in your arms, that 491 00:26:31,770 --> 00:26:33,790 child doesn't even know who you are. 492 00:26:34,330 --> 00:26:36,770 The child can't say, hello, mom, hello, dad. 493 00:26:36,850 --> 00:26:39,474 The child has nothing emotionally to give you. 494 00:26:39,562 --> 00:26:43,538 In fact, the only thing the child has to give you is dirty diapers 495 00:26:43,554 --> 00:26:44,770 and a lack of sleep. 496 00:26:44,850 --> 00:26:46,450 And you just think it's so cute. 497 00:26:46,530 --> 00:26:48,510 You just love that child. 498 00:26:49,300 --> 00:26:53,548 It is the highest kind of agape on a human plane. 499 00:26:53,644 --> 00:26:55,004 It is just loving. 500 00:26:55,132 --> 00:26:59,948 And when you move in agape love, it is a love that can never 501 00:27:00,004 --> 00:27:01,356 be disappointed. 502 00:27:01,548 --> 00:27:03,628 It can never be disappointed. 503 00:27:03,804 --> 00:27:06,572 And this is the kind of love which we are to have in our Christian 504 00:27:06,636 --> 00:27:07,500 relationships. 505 00:27:07,580 --> 00:27:08,956 It's what we're to have with our kids. 506 00:27:08,988 --> 00:27:10,716 It's what we're to have with our spouse. 507 00:27:10,828 --> 00:27:14,700 It's a love that just gives with no thought of expectation or 508 00:27:14,740 --> 00:27:15,180 return. 509 00:27:15,300 --> 00:27:18,684 And if something comes back, that's a blessing, but it's not expected. 510 00:27:18,772 --> 00:27:23,132 You're loving simply because you've chosen to love. 511 00:27:23,316 --> 00:27:29,228 And God enabled me to move into that kind of love with this 512 00:27:29,284 --> 00:27:29,880 man. 513 00:27:30,180 --> 00:27:35,340 I loved him in spite of him, and I still do to this very day. 514 00:27:35,380 --> 00:27:37,052 And I really love him. 515 00:27:37,236 --> 00:27:38,760 But wait, there's more. 516 00:27:39,060 --> 00:27:40,440 Look at verse 14. 517 00:27:41,140 --> 00:27:43,120 It says, follow after peace. 518 00:27:43,990 --> 00:27:44,766 Now you understand. 519 00:27:44,838 --> 00:27:46,398 It really means follow, follow, follow. 520 00:27:46,454 --> 00:27:47,726 Follow habitually follow. 521 00:27:47,798 --> 00:27:48,894 Put on your hunting gear. 522 00:27:48,942 --> 00:27:51,330 Don't stop until you capture peace. 523 00:27:52,070 --> 00:27:55,582 Peace is putting away strife, putting away offense, taking the 524 00:27:55,606 --> 00:27:59,326 same energies you formerly invested in the strife and now using 525 00:27:59,398 --> 00:28:03,918 it to build a relationship, reconstruction, infrastructure. 526 00:28:04,014 --> 00:28:06,050 Now you're doing something positive. 527 00:28:08,390 --> 00:28:12,120 And then it says, follow peace with all men. 528 00:28:12,740 --> 00:28:14,560 And holiness. 529 00:28:15,220 --> 00:28:16,720 Everybody say holiness. 530 00:28:18,020 --> 00:28:20,800 The word holiness is the Greek word hagios. 531 00:28:21,300 --> 00:28:26,040 The first time it appears in the Bible is in Exodus chapter three. 532 00:28:27,140 --> 00:28:30,412 And in Exodus chapter three, Mount Horeb is there. 533 00:28:30,436 --> 00:28:32,236 And Moses comes up on the mountain. 534 00:28:32,348 --> 00:28:36,108 And God says, remove your shoes, for the place where you stand 535 00:28:36,164 --> 00:28:37,320 on is what? 536 00:28:37,690 --> 00:28:38,498 Holy ground. 537 00:28:38,554 --> 00:28:40,950 That's the first time this word appears in the Bible. 538 00:28:41,450 --> 00:28:46,482 That word Hagios described a place that was so consecrated, it 539 00:28:46,506 --> 00:28:47,910 was so sanctified. 540 00:28:48,730 --> 00:28:52,322 And the reason it was so sanctified is because the divine 541 00:28:52,386 --> 00:28:54,866 presence of God had touched that spot. 542 00:28:54,978 --> 00:28:58,946 And when God's presence touched that spot, suddenly that 543 00:28:59,018 --> 00:29:00,722 spot became separated. 544 00:29:00,786 --> 00:29:02,210 It became consecrated. 545 00:29:02,290 --> 00:29:03,138 It became different. 546 00:29:03,194 --> 00:29:06,700 There was not another place on the earth like this spot. 547 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:08,488 It was holy. 548 00:29:08,664 --> 00:29:09,880 It was different. 549 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:11,300 Everybody say different. 550 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:14,440 Let me give you another example of the word holy. 551 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:17,384 You have in your Bible A what in your lap? 552 00:29:17,432 --> 00:29:19,480 A holy Bible. 553 00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:22,072 The word Bible is from the Greek word biblios. 554 00:29:22,216 --> 00:29:23,380 It means book. 555 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:26,344 The first part of the word in Greek is hagios. 556 00:29:26,472 --> 00:29:28,500 It's a holy book. 557 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:33,542 But the use of the word holy in this name, holy Bible, tells us 558 00:29:33,566 --> 00:29:34,810 a lot about the Bible. 559 00:29:35,310 --> 00:29:37,170 It means the Bible is different. 560 00:29:37,790 --> 00:29:40,006 The Bible's in the category by itself. 561 00:29:40,118 --> 00:29:43,606 There is not another book on the face of the earth like the Bible. 562 00:29:43,718 --> 00:29:45,254 You can go down to the library. 563 00:29:45,302 --> 00:29:46,278 It is filled with books. 564 00:29:46,294 --> 00:29:48,358 And in the library, you'll find a Bible. 565 00:29:48,454 --> 00:29:51,686 But the Bible is in a category by itself. 566 00:29:51,798 --> 00:29:53,030 It is sanctified. 567 00:29:53,110 --> 00:29:54,886 It is separate, it's holy. 568 00:29:54,918 --> 00:29:55,782 It is different. 569 00:29:55,886 --> 00:30:00,040 It's not like any of the other books in the library. 570 00:30:00,700 --> 00:30:03,940 This word hagios is the same word which is used all over the New 571 00:30:03,980 --> 00:30:07,380 Testament to describe you and me as saints. 572 00:30:07,460 --> 00:30:10,040 The word saints is the same word, hagios. 573 00:30:10,460 --> 00:30:11,812 Well, look at us. 574 00:30:11,996 --> 00:30:14,200 We all just look like human beings. 575 00:30:15,020 --> 00:30:19,812 But when the blood of Jesus touched us and when the Holy Spirit 576 00:30:19,876 --> 00:30:25,892 sealed us, the divine presence suddenly set us aside, just like 577 00:30:25,916 --> 00:30:27,348 it set the holy mountain aside. 578 00:30:27,364 --> 00:30:29,082 And the mountains suddenly became different. 579 00:30:29,186 --> 00:30:33,482 When God's presence touched each of us in salvation, it separated 580 00:30:33,546 --> 00:30:35,178 us from the rest of humanity. 581 00:30:35,274 --> 00:30:39,082 And we might look like normal people, but we are not mere men. 582 00:30:39,186 --> 00:30:40,570 We are sanctified. 583 00:30:40,730 --> 00:30:41,562 We're holy. 584 00:30:41,626 --> 00:30:44,190 We are different from everybody else. 585 00:30:44,530 --> 00:30:47,818 But when you have this word hagios in the context of this verse, 586 00:30:47,914 --> 00:30:53,310 it really tells us that God expects us to behave differently, 587 00:30:53,660 --> 00:30:55,396 to behave differently. 588 00:30:55,588 --> 00:30:58,964 We don't have the option of behaving like other people, behaving 589 00:30:59,012 --> 00:30:59,924 on a low level. 590 00:31:00,012 --> 00:31:03,940 And that's why the verse says, follow after peace habitually continually 591 00:31:04,020 --> 00:31:07,924 follow, follow, follow after peace and be different. 592 00:31:08,092 --> 00:31:10,600 Be different than how other people behave. 593 00:31:11,180 --> 00:31:18,680 And then it says, without which, without which no man shall 594 00:31:19,910 --> 00:31:20,686 see the Lord. 595 00:31:20,718 --> 00:31:26,814 Well, it kind of sounds like that if you die grumpy or if you 596 00:31:26,822 --> 00:31:31,822 die offended or if you die bitter, you're not going to go to 597 00:31:31,846 --> 00:31:32,606 heaven. 598 00:31:32,798 --> 00:31:34,530 But we know that's not true. 599 00:31:34,950 --> 00:31:37,406 There's a lot of bitter Christians that have died and they've 600 00:31:37,438 --> 00:31:38,450 gone to heaven. 601 00:31:39,270 --> 00:31:43,678 The two words shall see, which I asked you to circle would be better 602 00:31:43,734 --> 00:31:50,712 translated, without which no man will be admitted into the immediate 603 00:31:50,776 --> 00:31:51,672 presence of God. 604 00:31:51,736 --> 00:31:57,560 And now we find that when you've got foul stuff going on inside 605 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:05,224 your heart, it becomes a blocker that stops you from entering 606 00:32:05,272 --> 00:32:10,072 into and experiencing the presence of the Lord. 607 00:32:10,136 --> 00:32:13,448 And this explains why you can be in a service like this, where 608 00:32:13,504 --> 00:32:17,566 everyone around you is being richly, richly touched by the spirit 609 00:32:17,598 --> 00:32:19,166 of God, and you feel nothing. 610 00:32:19,278 --> 00:32:21,374 You Might even wonder what is wrong with me. 611 00:32:21,462 --> 00:32:24,558 Well, if you've got any wrong attitude in you, it is a blocker, 612 00:32:24,654 --> 00:32:29,870 so that you cannot be admitted into and enjoy the presence of the 613 00:32:29,910 --> 00:32:30,530 Lord. 614 00:32:31,510 --> 00:32:35,518 And that's why when you come to verse 15, it says looking diligently, 615 00:32:35,694 --> 00:32:39,886 looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest 616 00:32:39,918 --> 00:32:42,734 any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby 617 00:32:42,782 --> 00:32:43,530 many be. 618 00:32:44,220 --> 00:32:47,716 The two words looking diligently in the King James Version 619 00:32:47,908 --> 00:32:51,300 are translated from the Greek word episkopos. 620 00:32:51,380 --> 00:32:52,660 The word EPI means over. 621 00:32:52,700 --> 00:32:54,720 The word scopos means to look. 622 00:32:55,020 --> 00:33:01,124 The word scopos is where you get a telescope, a microscope. 623 00:33:01,172 --> 00:33:03,720 It's something that looks very intensely. 624 00:33:04,140 --> 00:33:07,720 When you connect it to the word epi, it becomes episkopos. 625 00:33:08,700 --> 00:33:13,240 It is one who has insight or oversight of something. 626 00:33:14,020 --> 00:33:17,660 And in the New Testament, it is normally translated as the word 627 00:33:17,820 --> 00:33:19,520 bishop, bishop. 628 00:33:20,020 --> 00:33:23,308 And in fact, you could actually translate this verse bishoping, 629 00:33:23,404 --> 00:33:25,440 bishoping yourself. 630 00:33:26,340 --> 00:33:28,348 So you have to stop and think about a bishop. 631 00:33:28,444 --> 00:33:29,960 What does a bishop do? 632 00:33:31,060 --> 00:33:34,000 A bishop has oversight of a group of churches. 633 00:33:34,340 --> 00:33:37,980 I'm a bishop in Russia today, I'm over a group of churches. 634 00:33:38,060 --> 00:33:41,452 You, your pastor, in a certain sense, is a bishop because he has 635 00:33:41,476 --> 00:33:44,732 all the V1 churches, and he has oversight of all of those churches. 636 00:33:44,796 --> 00:33:45,740 He's the bishop. 637 00:33:45,820 --> 00:33:47,360 He's the overseer. 638 00:33:47,860 --> 00:33:49,200 Episcopus. 639 00:33:49,940 --> 00:33:54,700 Well, when you're the bishop, if the churches under your care do 640 00:33:54,740 --> 00:33:57,480 well, you get the credit for that. 641 00:33:58,420 --> 00:34:02,140 But if you're the bishop and the churches under your care do poorly 642 00:34:02,220 --> 00:34:05,052 and you're not managing it correctly, you will get the blame 643 00:34:05,116 --> 00:34:05,880 for that. 644 00:34:07,590 --> 00:34:11,022 And now when you come to this verse, we find that in some sense, 645 00:34:11,166 --> 00:34:15,730 every single believer is a bishop. 646 00:34:16,230 --> 00:34:20,450 Turn to your neighbor and say, you're looking at a bishop. 647 00:34:22,150 --> 00:34:23,890 You're looking at a bishop. 648 00:34:24,790 --> 00:34:26,650 You say, a bishop of what? 649 00:34:28,070 --> 00:34:30,010 You're the bishop of your heart. 650 00:34:31,680 --> 00:34:33,060 It is your heart. 651 00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:37,256 And if your heart does well, you'll get the credit for that. 652 00:34:37,328 --> 00:34:40,744 If your heart does not do well, God will hold you responsible 653 00:34:40,792 --> 00:34:41,352 for that. 654 00:34:41,456 --> 00:34:44,008 Now, there are people who say, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. 655 00:34:44,104 --> 00:34:48,200 My heart is filled with all this contention and bitterness for 656 00:34:48,240 --> 00:34:49,060 a reason. 657 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:52,936 This person did this to me, and that person did that to me. 658 00:34:53,008 --> 00:34:53,640 And you know what? 659 00:34:53,680 --> 00:34:55,020 That may all be true. 660 00:34:55,680 --> 00:35:01,700 But when you grow up, you find out that it's your heart. 661 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:06,376 And in some fashion, you had to say yes to that offense. 662 00:35:06,488 --> 00:35:09,288 And if you're offended, it's because you opened the door for it. 663 00:35:09,344 --> 00:35:12,072 And when you stand in front of Jesus and say it's their fault and 664 00:35:12,096 --> 00:35:13,368 their fault and their fault. 665 00:35:13,464 --> 00:35:15,208 Jesus is going to say, but it's your heart. 666 00:35:15,264 --> 00:35:15,880 It's your heart. 667 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:17,176 It's your heart, your heart. 668 00:35:17,248 --> 00:35:19,912 And I expected you to be the bishop of your heart. 669 00:35:20,016 --> 00:35:22,686 And you're accountable for what goes on in your own heart. 670 00:35:22,808 --> 00:35:26,002 And the day you begin to be set free from offense is when you 671 00:35:26,026 --> 00:35:29,362 quit blaming others and you start saying, it's time for me to 672 00:35:29,386 --> 00:35:30,402 deal with my heart. 673 00:35:30,506 --> 00:35:33,746 And we're told in Proverbs, chapter four that out of the heart 674 00:35:33,818 --> 00:35:36,670 flow all the issues of life. 675 00:35:39,050 --> 00:35:44,578 But wait, it goes on in verse 15 and says, Looking diligently, 676 00:35:44,674 --> 00:35:54,236 lest any man fail of the grace of God, how do you fail of the grace 677 00:35:54,268 --> 00:35:54,732 of God? 678 00:35:54,796 --> 00:35:55,960 How is that possible? 679 00:35:56,980 --> 00:36:00,684 We all know grace is what God does freely for us. 680 00:36:00,852 --> 00:36:01,740 You don't earn it. 681 00:36:01,780 --> 00:36:02,716 You don't deserve it. 682 00:36:02,788 --> 00:36:03,580 It's free. 683 00:36:03,700 --> 00:36:05,000 So how do you fail? 684 00:36:05,860 --> 00:36:08,604 Well, when you study other places in the New Testament, it says 685 00:36:08,692 --> 00:36:10,860 that you can fall short of the grace of God. 686 00:36:10,940 --> 00:36:14,160 It says that you can frustrate the grace of God. 687 00:36:14,870 --> 00:36:17,250 The word grace is the Greek word charis. 688 00:36:18,150 --> 00:36:19,790 It was borrowed from the pagan world. 689 00:36:19,830 --> 00:36:21,630 It was carried into the New Testament. 690 00:36:21,710 --> 00:36:26,990 It described a supernatural touch that divinely, supernaturally 691 00:36:27,070 --> 00:36:30,974 enabled you to do what you could never do by yourself. 692 00:36:31,102 --> 00:36:34,446 It changed you to be what you could never be by yourself. 693 00:36:34,558 --> 00:36:39,912 And when grace came on you, a person was so transformed that the 694 00:36:39,936 --> 00:36:43,064 pagans would say, that person's under grace. 695 00:36:43,192 --> 00:36:46,920 It meant they're under the divine spell of the gods on their 696 00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:47,256 own. 697 00:36:47,328 --> 00:36:48,600 They could never be like that. 698 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:49,832 They could never talk like that. 699 00:36:49,856 --> 00:36:51,640 They would never have those abilities. 700 00:36:51,720 --> 00:36:55,224 But when grace touches you, it gives you abilities you don't have. 701 00:36:55,312 --> 00:36:58,312 It causes you to do what you couldn't do, to be what you could 702 00:36:58,336 --> 00:36:59,544 never be by yourself. 703 00:36:59,672 --> 00:37:03,176 And now in verse 15, we find that if you're dealing with issues 704 00:37:03,248 --> 00:37:09,490 in your heart and suddenly the grace of God comes, it might happen 705 00:37:09,530 --> 00:37:14,630 in a church service, might happen while Pastor Mike is preaching, 706 00:37:15,050 --> 00:37:17,190 might happen while you're reading your Bible. 707 00:37:17,690 --> 00:37:24,290 And all of a sudden you begin to have good thoughts about that 708 00:37:24,330 --> 00:37:26,750 person that you've been offended with for so long. 709 00:37:27,850 --> 00:37:29,710 The grace of God has come. 710 00:37:31,220 --> 00:37:35,372 And the grace of God has come to enable you to do what you would 711 00:37:35,396 --> 00:37:37,948 never do on your own, to be what you would never be on your own. 712 00:37:38,004 --> 00:37:40,300 He's enabling you to ask for forgiveness. 713 00:37:40,380 --> 00:37:42,812 He might be enabling you to get on your knees. 714 00:37:42,956 --> 00:37:46,060 He's enabling you to take responsibility for your heart. 715 00:37:46,100 --> 00:37:47,516 And now you've got a choice. 716 00:37:47,628 --> 00:37:49,600 You can partner with the Grace. 717 00:37:51,060 --> 00:37:53,200 Or you can frustrate the grace. 718 00:37:54,420 --> 00:37:57,452 You can say, you know, lord, I hear what you're telling me to do, 719 00:37:57,476 --> 00:37:59,088 but I'm not doing it. 720 00:37:59,284 --> 00:38:02,744 And when you reject the grace of God, you fail of the grace of 721 00:38:02,752 --> 00:38:02,936 God. 722 00:38:02,968 --> 00:38:04,616 It doesn't mean you lose your salvation. 723 00:38:04,728 --> 00:38:07,720 It just means the grace came to help you do what you could never 724 00:38:07,760 --> 00:38:10,900 do by yourself, and you didn't hook up with it. 725 00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:16,232 And therefore, the grace of God could not do what it came to 726 00:38:16,256 --> 00:38:18,660 do because you frustrated it. 727 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:24,710 Let's carry this into the context of your marriage. 728 00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:27,114 If you're married, there's a lot of young people here. 729 00:38:27,202 --> 00:38:29,258 I don't know how many married people we have. 730 00:38:29,394 --> 00:38:30,522 What an awesome church. 731 00:38:30,586 --> 00:38:34,870 Pastor Mike, let's say Denise and I have an issue. 732 00:38:35,730 --> 00:38:37,830 Denise and I don't have many issues. 733 00:38:38,210 --> 00:38:39,830 You know why we don't have issues? 734 00:38:40,530 --> 00:38:42,710 Because we decided we're done with that. 735 00:38:44,130 --> 00:38:45,674 We have a no strife policy. 736 00:38:45,762 --> 00:38:47,910 We don't allow strife ever. 737 00:38:49,010 --> 00:38:50,870 It's not permitted in our ministry. 738 00:38:51,050 --> 00:38:52,254 Permitted in our home. 739 00:38:52,342 --> 00:38:53,570 There's no strife. 740 00:38:53,910 --> 00:39:02,930 But if strife tries to come, say, I get a little irked with Denise. 741 00:39:03,510 --> 00:39:05,530 Happens not often. 742 00:39:06,070 --> 00:39:10,062 Or maybe I have said something not as kindly as I should have said 743 00:39:10,086 --> 00:39:12,410 it, and maybe I don't even know that I was not kind. 744 00:39:12,790 --> 00:39:14,810 And Denise is upset with me. 745 00:39:16,240 --> 00:39:16,856 Praise God. 746 00:39:16,888 --> 00:39:26,472 It's pretty rare, but a moment comes when you're empowered to say 747 00:39:26,496 --> 00:39:30,920 in a kind way, rick, I think you could have said that a little 748 00:39:30,960 --> 00:39:34,340 nicer without chastising me. 749 00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:39,816 Or I could have said, denise, I think that I could have been nicer. 750 00:39:39,848 --> 00:39:41,112 I want to ask you to forgive me. 751 00:39:41,136 --> 00:39:42,238 There's a grace that. 752 00:39:42,264 --> 00:39:45,906 That comes to empower you so your little issues don't become mountains. 753 00:39:45,938 --> 00:39:47,682 They don't have to become mountains. 754 00:39:47,746 --> 00:39:50,994 And if you'll pay attention, the grace of God will come to empower 755 00:39:51,042 --> 00:39:51,778 you to do it. 756 00:39:51,834 --> 00:39:54,386 And you can get over things really, really fast. 757 00:39:54,498 --> 00:40:00,018 But for you to do this, you've got to realize, hey, it is my heart. 758 00:40:00,074 --> 00:40:01,474 It doesn't matter what she does. 759 00:40:01,562 --> 00:40:02,818 It doesn't matter what he does. 760 00:40:02,874 --> 00:40:04,050 It is my heart. 761 00:40:04,170 --> 00:40:08,066 I've gotta be accountable for my heart because I am the bishop 762 00:40:08,098 --> 00:40:09,784 of my heart. 763 00:40:09,872 --> 00:40:11,220 It is my heart. 764 00:40:15,280 --> 00:40:17,340 And if you'll embrace the grace. 765 00:40:18,080 --> 00:40:20,140 Everybody say, embrace the grace. 766 00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:24,260 You can live free. 767 00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:25,940 Free. 768 00:40:27,120 --> 00:40:29,420 Now, I'm going to end with a short testimony. 769 00:40:30,720 --> 00:40:35,970 When this event happened with the pick me pastor, and I had another 770 00:40:36,010 --> 00:40:42,466 event with another pastor the same year, I realized this is a trap 771 00:40:42,498 --> 00:40:47,990 of the devil to steal my peace, steal my sleep. 772 00:40:49,130 --> 00:40:51,026 If you go to bed thinking about somebody. 773 00:40:51,058 --> 00:40:53,266 And if you wake up talking about somebody, and if you're talking 774 00:40:53,298 --> 00:40:55,762 about that person in your prayers and in your conversation 775 00:40:55,826 --> 00:40:57,870 all the time, you've got an issue. 776 00:40:58,890 --> 00:41:01,200 Forget what they did, you've got an issue. 777 00:41:04,780 --> 00:41:06,320 And I made a decision. 778 00:41:08,300 --> 00:41:09,600 It's my heart. 779 00:41:10,540 --> 00:41:12,400 I'm the bishop of my heart. 780 00:41:13,900 --> 00:41:19,960 And from this moment forward, I'm going to be an unoffendable individual. 781 00:41:21,420 --> 00:41:25,364 And for nearly 34 years, I have walked free of offense. 782 00:41:25,492 --> 00:41:25,774 It. 783 00:41:25,812 --> 00:41:28,474 It doesn't mean people haven't done things, because they certainly 784 00:41:28,522 --> 00:41:29,066 have. 785 00:41:29,218 --> 00:41:32,490 But when you've partnered with the grace of God, it gives you the 786 00:41:32,530 --> 00:41:35,130 supernatural edge to let it go. 787 00:41:35,250 --> 00:41:36,186 Let it go. 788 00:41:36,338 --> 00:41:38,270 In fact, do you know the word forgive? 789 00:41:38,610 --> 00:41:42,346 The Greek word ephiemi, it literally means let it go. 790 00:41:42,418 --> 00:41:43,354 Everybody say it. 791 00:41:43,442 --> 00:41:45,242 Let it go, let it go. 792 00:41:45,346 --> 00:41:46,490 That's what forgiveness is. 793 00:41:46,530 --> 00:41:51,706 It is to permanently dismiss and forfeit your right to ever retrieve 794 00:41:51,738 --> 00:41:53,270 it and bring it up again. 795 00:41:53,680 --> 00:41:58,420 It is permanent dismissal of the Greek word ephiemi, let it go. 796 00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:04,280 And when you let it go, not only do you free them, you keep yourself 797 00:42:04,360 --> 00:42:04,980 free. 798 00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:11,240 Because there's nothing worse than living in a prison of bitterness 799 00:42:11,320 --> 00:42:13,352 and unforgiveness and offense. 800 00:42:13,496 --> 00:42:15,300 But it doesn't have to be you. 801 00:42:16,560 --> 00:42:21,470 So rather than get offended, ask the grace of God to help you 802 00:42:22,330 --> 00:42:24,230 put on your hunting clothes. 803 00:42:25,370 --> 00:42:28,834 The Holy Spirit has the strategy and the key to every person's 804 00:42:28,882 --> 00:42:29,282 heart. 805 00:42:29,386 --> 00:42:33,870 And say, holy Spirit, show me how to catch peace with this person, 806 00:42:34,570 --> 00:42:36,710 and he really will give you that ability. 807 00:42:37,450 --> 00:42:38,402 I want to pray for you. 808 00:42:38,426 --> 00:42:40,706 Would you bow your heads and put your hands on your heart? 809 00:42:40,858 --> 00:42:42,482 I'm going to give this to Pastor Mike. 810 00:42:42,546 --> 00:42:45,916 Father, I thank you that you gave us the wonderful opportunity 811 00:42:45,948 --> 00:42:47,320 to be with V1. 812 00:42:48,660 --> 00:42:53,180 Many people in this room that are young, they have life in front 813 00:42:53,220 --> 00:42:53,960 of them. 814 00:42:55,300 --> 00:43:00,556 Holy Spirit, I ask you to grace them, give them the divine 815 00:43:00,588 --> 00:43:04,220 ability to take responsibility for their own heart and to walk in 816 00:43:04,260 --> 00:43:05,040 freedom. 817 00:43:05,860 --> 00:43:11,156 That they would be like Teflon, that forgiveness would rule 818 00:43:11,188 --> 00:43:14,628 their hearts, and unforgiveness and offense just would 819 00:43:14,684 --> 00:43:16,240 not stick to them. 820 00:43:17,500 --> 00:43:22,708 Help us to partner with your grace, and we thank you for it. 821 00:43:22,844 --> 00:43:23,900 In Jesus name.