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Hi, my name is Michelle Philip. Dr. Phillip and I want to thank you for listening to this message from Life of Faith Church. We have more resources available to help you build your faith and find your world by the Word of God. From our website, lifeofface.net. You can connect to our doctor channel. Watch the live stream feed from our church services. Access books and downloads in our web store. And discover more about Life of Faith Church. Producing by city, state, nation, and world. Visit lifeoffaith.net today.

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And as it concerns clothing the next generation. The Lord said to me, He said that those who knew and worked closely with men like Kenneth Hagen. Are nearing the end of their course. So keep the message strong and vibrant for the coming generation to hear. Not just your ministry in the future. But teaching the coming generation of ministers. How to pray. How to study. How to minister. And how to flow with the spirit. So clothing the next generation. Now I have to understand the relationship of spiritual fathers in my life. And there's some things that I feel like are misunderstood. Because a spiritual father is probably one of the single greatest components of the Christian life. And there are some things we have to understand about it. It doesn't change the validity of the subject. And as you're going there, let's pray tonight. With an everlasting love. We know the purpose of this meeting tonight.

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And we're gathered here to receive everything that you have for us.

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Father, in the name of Jesus. We submit ourselves to the word. We submit ourselves to your will.

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And we receive all that we need to move forward in your plan for our lives.

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In the name of Jesus. And we'll give our first point here. I may choose to follow them, but they're chosen for me by God. And in 1 Kings 19, verse 15. And we'll read through verse 16. And the Lord said unto him unto Elijah, Go, return on the way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you come, anoint Haziel to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshai shall you anoint to be king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmehola shall you anoint to be prophet in your room.

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Y le dijo Jehová, Be, vuelvete por tu camino por el desierto de Damasco, y yegaras y un giras a Hasael por rey de Siria. Aheu hijo de Nimsi, un giras por rey sobre Israel, y Eliseo, hijo de Safat, de Abel Meola, un giras para que sea profeta intugar.

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Now notice that God spoke to the father about the son. He mentioned two other mention that he wanted them to anoint them king over certain areas. But then he said, and then anoint Elisha to be prophet in your room. In your stead.

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And in best de ti.

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Hallelujah. And notice God spoke to the Father. Amen.

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Amen.

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Amen. You know, you can be not even expecting anything like that in your life, and God say, This is the person that you're supposed to follow their faith.

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Amen.

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I had a relationship with Pastor Caldwell. He was a friend of ours. We were taping at VTN. I had a relationship with him.

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But in January of 2012, sitting in the minister's conference, the Lord said, I want you to follow his faith.

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Now the Lord spoke to me. And I wrote a letter to him and told him what the Lord said.

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But he said to me in a return letter.

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And he said, I'm used, I'm I'm taking your letter as confirmation of what the Lord said. The Lord had already spoke to the Father about the Son. Amen. And notice something. God spoke to him about the one that was busy working. Not the one that was just sitting around waiting on something to fall on him.

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No, um He said that Elisha was plowing in the field.

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Is that right? Amen.

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Amen.

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And notice Elijah cast his mantle on Elisha. Notice he says in verse 19, so he departed and found Elisha, the son of Shaphat, ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth, and Elijah passed by him and cast his mantle on him. Notice Elijah put the mantle on him. You don't get to choose your room. It's chosen for you. You don't just run around saying what am I supposed to be? If you don't know, don't worry about it. Just keep doing what you're doing for God. Somebody will come along and help you understand the room that you're supposed to be in. So the room is chosen for me. And there's someone that's equipped to clothe me for that office. Oh, hallelujah. Say it out loud, Lord, clothe me for my office. You know, every office is not a five-fold ministry office. Everyone's not an apostle or a prophet or a pastor or a teacher. Amen. There's rooms in the help ministry. There's rooms on the worship team. There's rooms in the A V department. That I can be clothed for. Because it's just as vital. We need good pastors. But we need good people helping good pastors.

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Oh, hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah.

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If you gotta pick a couch up and move it, you can be strong and you can be a good person. With a lot of knowledge. You still need somebody to help you.

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I know where to go.

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I know how to tell you to get there. But I need you to occupy your room. Oh, hallelujah.

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Oh, hallelujah. Do you see this?

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Hallelujah. Someone is equipped to clothe you in that office. Amen. I heard uh Jim Molson say the other day. Matter of fact, welcome, Kansas. We're so glad to have you with us tonight. But he's mentioned it a few times in some messages he's been ministering. He taught the last two Sunday nights previous to this on how to honor your spiritual heritage. And he said, he said, when Pastor Calwell became pastor's spiritual father. He said it was evident the change in his ministry. Because there was there was a mantle there that wasn't there before. And it changed the outlook of everything. It changed the way the ministry was. Why there's someone that's equipped to clothe you for that office. I've learned something over the years. Nobody knows everything. Nobody has a total grasp of everything. Everybody needs somebody to speak into their life. Everybody.

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Why?

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So that I can move into what God has for me to do.

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Listen, my brother, my sister, time is short.

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We need every advantage that God has for us. God was not joking when He said this generation that knew all these things is passing away. Just men that have personally radically influenced my life. Doctor Dufrein.

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Charles Capps. Charles Capps.

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Jerry Savelle. We lost all of them in my lifetime. Now the only way their voice is going to be heard in the earth. Is if those that were spiritual sons carry it on. Or the voice will be silent. Every day I listen to Charles Capp. And he said something the other day that just stirred me up. And I told my wife, I said, He being dead yet speaks. I know you're wanting to know what he said, right? He said, God cannot say no to something he's already said yes to. Hallelujah. Now he was not a spiritual father to me. But he was a voice in my life. A voice that we honor and respect. But what if nobody cared about what he said? Then there would be a generation that doesn't know how to speak to the mountain and how to give voice to the word of God. Think about how that changed your life. How did the revelation of the favor of God from Brother Jerry, how did that impact your life? It caused you to expect something every day. Every time something comes up that looks impossible. I say out of my mouth, yeah, but I have favor. Oh, hallelujah! How did that impact you? Amen. Somebody sent me a picture the other day of Brother Jerry preaching.

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In Agape Church.

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And Larry, I think I saw you and Vicki sitting there a few rows back. Many of the rest of you, you were there. Think about how that impacted your life. Because the church you chose to be in. You chose to say, That's my pastor.

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This is my church.

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And here comes Mr. Favor. And you got a revelation. Because you were with who God told you to be with.

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Where God told you to be with.

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Oh, hallelujah.

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Oh, hallelujah. Hallelujah.

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Well, because they were equipped for you in that office. Amen.

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Amen.

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Did you see that? People will come to our church and they'll say, I just don't know. I've heard that before, but it's it means so much to me now.

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Because you television significa mucho para me gado where there's a voice that's called to pull that out of you. Amen.

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Hallelujah. See, I'm aware of something. You know why there are so many people in our church that sat under Pastor Calwell?

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Because we carry that same anointing.

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This church carries that same anointing. And because of that, you've not yet seen what God's going to do. We're picking some things up in the spirit.

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Oh, Hallelujah.

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Someone's equipped to clothe you for that office. Oh, hallelujah. And do you see that? And so you carry something of that individual around in you. Hallelujah. I was listening to some, I well, Jim, actually the other night, I was listening to him minister. And I thought, if I close my eyes, I would think that's me. Amen.

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Amen.

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Now in the natural, he don't look anything like me. Hallelujah. Some of my darker sons sound more like me than he does sometimes. But they're carrying something. Think of that revelation that changed him. Oh, hallelujah.

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Oh, hallelujah.

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Ed Dufrain had such a revelation on the anointing. The power of the anointing. I couldn't get around him that that didn't just get all over me.

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No, um, amen.

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And all of those ministries. We're still vitally connected to them. Because you don't just cut off a lifeline. You don't just act like you can live without it.

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Oh, hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah.

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And it doesn't matter if most of the people around you are white-headed. You said white-headed are white-headed. Amen. We have to be careful with that. Amen.

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Amen.

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The Lord said to me, He said, You stay with your fathers and you'll stay safe.

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Amen.

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Amen. Am I helping you so far? There's some doctrines out there, people say, Do you listen to this? I say, I've never wanted to. Folks, I'm going to be very honest with you. I'm going to say some things too. I don't put any stock in gold dust falling out of the ceiling.

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I don't believe in it.

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I don't care, I don't care what anybody says. If you can't show me that manifestation in the Bible, I don't need to be a part of it. I don't believe in people showing up with nail prints in their hands and their feet and their head. I'll just stay with my father. His track record is proven. It's solid. Amen. Going on 50 years of ministry with no scandal. No lapse of integrity. No church splits. We will just stay with that. Because that's the mantle I carry. Amen. Do you see that? Am I helping you? So, number one, my father's chosen for me. Number two, I must remain faithful to them. Look at 2 Kings 2. Oh, Hallelujah.

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Oh, Hallelujah.

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Tell your neighbor say, I'm glad you came tonight. Oh, Hallelujah.

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Oh, Hallelujah.

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And we're going to read verse 9 and 10. And it came to pass when they were gone over, Elijah said to Elisha, Ask what I shall do for you before I be taken away. And Elisha said, I pray or I ask, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me. And he said, You've asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I'm taken from you, it will be unto you, but if not, it will not be so. We don't know how many miracles Elijah did. We only know what the Bible records. The Bible says in the book of John, if the miracles of Jesus were recorded, the books, the world could not contain the volumes.

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So that's not necessarily an indication. It's widely considered that this double portion considerado que esta double portion is the portion or the part of the firstborn.

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The faithful son. You stay here. As the Lord lives. I won't leave you. The Lord's called me to Bethel. Stay here. The opportunity is always available to stay somewhere your father isn't. Do you see that? This is important. He said, No, I won't do that. Well, the Lord's called me to Jordan. Stay here. I won't do it. And they both went across Jordan. And he said, now ask me. What do you want me to do? Now who's doing it? The Father. What do you want? Let's read it again. And he said, Ask what I shall do for you before I be taken away. God provides the opportunity. The impartation is from the Father. To use the analogy I used earlier. God put the opportunity of this church in the city. But when you come, the impartation is from the man and woman of God. And he said, I want that double portion. King James says, if you see me when I go. It'll be so.

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If not, it won't.

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So that's always that always stumped me. Because if you see me when I go, well, what's he going to quit looking? Well, the only way he would see him if he when he went. Amen. In one man's book, Alfred Edder. In the Hebrew it says this. If you see it all, if you see the whole thing, it'll be granted to you. See this through. What does that mean? Stay with your father.

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Stay with him.

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Don't let anything drive you away. Don't let anything shake you.

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Three times the sons of the prophets tried to shake him.

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And he said, Yeah, I know what's going on. Hold your peace. I got business to do. Hallelujah. And notice in verse 13 of chapter 2. It says, This is after he went up in the whirlwind. It says he took also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and went back and stood by the bank of Jordan. Notice he took up the mantle. It didn't just fall on him. He went and picked it up. He was there to receive it. Faithfulness obtains the anointing. It was Elijah's manual that Elisha picked up. He purposely went and picked it up. See, that's why words like spiritual father. Pastor. Those are weighty words. More weighty than most people know. Because you're saying that's the person God has called me to. It's not just something that's in vogue. You know, years ago, everybody and their brother was writing a book about spiritual fathers. Some of them were good and some of them weren't. But it it was it was like this it was like this wave that people were writing. And I had people coming from everywhere asking if I would be their spiritual father. And to many of them I had to say, but I don't know you. I can't be your father if I don't know you. Amen. You know, that's concerning if a child pops up and says I'm yours, and you're like, what?

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Amen. Amen.

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Father denotes relationship. Not just acquaintance. Not just I know you every now and then. Faithfulness to obtain it. It was not a badge of distinction. It was a symbol of a work. And an office. He had stepped into that room. You know the importance of a father. You don't know how to operate the equipment in the room you're entering into. But the one that's been there before does know how to operate it. Hallelujah. Do you see this? Amen. I used to tell ministers in our church. You know, before you accept an invitation to go minister, come talk to me. Come ask me. And I had people say, look, uh, yeah, he just wants control. No, I know people you don't know. I know things about people. I can save you from getting stained by somebody that's not right. But if a person allows pride to stop them from consulting their father. They can end up in a bad spot. Amen.

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Amen.

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So it was not a badge of distinction.

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It was a work and an office.

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Now look at verse 14. And he took the mantle of Elijah. Now isn't it interesting? That he says again, the Bible says again, it was the mantle of Elijah. Why is it that everybody's got to run after their own? My own gifting, my own calling, my own this, my own ministry, my own church. He had no problem carrying Elijah's mantle. This is important. Amen.

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Amen.

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Do you see this? I was reading from my journal from 1999. And I had written in that journal. I was not aware of the responsibilities of pastoring. And I wrote there, there has to be staying power in God. And I wrote It would be wonderful to have somebody to talk to about this. No one's ever taught me. 1999. First year that we were pastoring the church. And my heart was crying out for a father to help me. Because I'm called. But I don't know how to use what I'm called to do. I was missing something. The garment of a father.

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And once that garment came into my life, things began to change.

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He said the same words that Elijah said. And it worked the same way. The anointing on my father will work the same way for me. I learned a long time ago, I don't have to reinvent the wheel. I just have to follow the steps of those that went before me. There's things I have to update, things I have to do differently in the sense of application, but I just have to do what they did. Now you hold yourself in a place of faithfulness. Faithful. And remember, faithful is not just being there. Faithful is being faithful in your thoughts, in your words, in your actions. They walked through the front door over in Markham. And I went and introduced myself. I said, You know, I'm Pastor Steele, good to have you tonight. And he said, Yeah, I wanted to come see what y'all were doing. I used to work up there at Agape with Happy. Listen, God is my witness. I walked off. I have nothing for you.

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If you're going to be that dishonorable to my pastor, I have nothing for you.

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If he walked in the door tonight, I have nothing for him. Because I'm faithful to my pastor. My man of God, my father. And I called Pastor and I told him this man had come to the church. And I said, Pastor, I don't do what people call you by your first name. And he just laughed and said, I know it. Now understand, why is this important? I never allow myself to put them, to allow myself to put them in a position that's less than honorable. Do you see this? This is important. That's part of being faithful. I say that's part of being faithful. Look at 2 Kings 3. Here's the third point. See what is important to you. In 2 Kings 3 11. It says, But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord that we may inquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, There, here is Elisha, the son of Shaphat, that poured water on the hands of Elijah. What if all that was said about you is that you serve your spiritual father? The Lord asked me that one day. What if that's all people remembered about you? Was how you served your pastor, your spiritual father. I remember one uh one time a few years ago. And I was going with him. And um I woke up and man, I woke up, I just didn't feel well. And it was one of those things that you know it's tough. And Pastor Michelle said, He needs you to be there. And I and I knew that. And so I got up and cleaned up. By the time I got cleaned up, I felt a little better.

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Still not good.

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And the Lord showed me a couple things on this trip. Do you got time? And so we're flying and we flew to Jasper, Alabama, and you know, Little Rock to Alabama's not very far. And we we landed there and they took us to the church. And you know, my job on the trips with them, I work. You know, it's not vacation, and I get to sit on the front row and smoosh with people. I work.

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Transports.

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I'm on call 24 7. And so we got there and I started setting up the table. And after I got everything set up, now I've got to go check on pastors. Does he have everything he needs?

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So I went to the room they had him in.

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And I knocked on the door. He said, Come in. They had him in such a small room, the door almost hit his knees when I opened the door. I said, Pastor, is this where they have you? And ever, ever kind, he said, Yeah, it'll be all right. Well, I got done there and I went and uh dealt with some people at the table, then I went and sat on the front row. And the Lord said to me, You are receiving far more than you're giving. He said, You are receiving a dividend that will last forever. Impartations that are priceless. And boy, he ministered that morning and we had a room for the afternoon so we could go freshen up and go back to church that night. And the pastor said he had invited all these other pastors from around the area. He wanted Pastor Caldwell to pour into them to minister to them. And he had a meeting set up after church to do that. And uh so after church they took him to the place we were meeting. I packed up the table and rode with the usher. And when we got there, I went through the front door. And all these pastors that were there to be poured into. Are over here joking and laughing and funning. Now looked through another door. And there was pastor sitting by himself. And I went to him, I said, Pastor, I thought he was going to have you minister to these ministers. I thought that's why they were there. Do you see this? You're getting far more than you're receiving. You're getting far more than you're receiving. I received. Because I'm gonna be there. Amen.

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Amen.

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This is important. I said this is important. So there's times you come to meetings. You could be doing something else instead of being there. But the benefit that you're receiving from being there outweighs the benefit that you could get anywhere else. I learned so much on that trip. I learned how to deal with people when they don't treat you right. Amen. I learned how to stay in the spirit. It would have been real easy to pull a peter. I'll just cut all their ears off and we'll.

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Oh, hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah.

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Amen.

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Amen. What God has asked you to do for your spiritual father has to become one of the most important things on your agenda.

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Hallelujah. Has to. You know, the Lord said to me. Now obviously He wants us to pastor a church here. But he said to me, He said the main reason that you're in a little wrong. Is to help your pastor. He said the church will be successful. But you're here to help your pastor. Now I don't know why God saw fit to bring somebody from Kansas to help my pastor, but he did. But God called you to the person. What you receive is a result of what you do for the person. See, we're talking about how to be clothed. You want to be clothed, you've got to be around the person that can do it. Point number four. You only have one father. First Corinthians four. And verse 15. It says, though you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, yet you have not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. One translation says, but you only have one father. Now here's the thing. I don't expect to be every person's spiritual father. If you come to this church, I'm your pastor. And I may be your spiritual father. But here's the thing. You only have one. Only have one. And notice what he said. He said in verse 16. Wherefore I beseech you, be followers of me. One translation says that's why I implore you. To follow the footsteps of me your father. Amen. So only have one. And I should get all I can get from them. Be in their meetings. Make them my example to follow. Amen. To honor someone is to be present with them. Hallelujah. You know, it would have been very dishonoring for all of y'all to show up tonight and me just not be here. Well, where is he? He's home. Yeah, but we're all here. No, no, no.

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No, no.

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Honor is to be present.

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Honra is estar presented.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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Honor is not a light thing with me. It's becoming more important. Because honor is to carry weight. It's something that weighty with me. Hallelujah. Do you see that? This is important. I want to read to you the verse that is the foundation for these meetings. Romans chapter 1. Here's point number five. The impartation of my father strengthens and establishes me. Amen. You know, I had a person that said they felt like the Lord wanted them to depart our ministry. And I talked to them and I said, Well, I'll pray for you. And I didn't send them out. Because I don't think they needed to be sent out. But I'll pray for you. But I'm not sending you out. You follow me? Amen. And you know, this person waited a little over a year. And started a church right across the street from us. How is that honorable? Now here's my reason for telling you that. The first phone call was to my father. And I said, you know, I'm I'm calling you because of this, and I said, I said the main step is to walk in love and stay above the fray. And he said, yes.

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And tell them either on the phone, face to face, or in a letter, that what they're doing is of the devil.

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It's division. It's demonic. And it will not prosper. Now that's not me. You ask my wife. I am not in the natural a confronted person. I'm not saying when the anointing is on me, I'm saying in the natural.

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If you're not messing with my family, I'm you be you, man.

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Right? But I knew this. And I did what he told me to do. Immediately there was a release in the spirit. Hallelujah. Because that's what a father is for. Amen. Romans 1 11. Notice it says I long to see you that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift to the end that you may be established. Now let me read this from some different translations and you'll see why it's the foundation for these meetings. One translation says to strengthen you. Another says to make you strong. Another says to give you fresh strength. Strengthening meetings. Strengthen you. Make you strong. Give you fresh strength. Every person here tonight has some semblance of ministry that you're in. Whether you're ministering in this church or ministering in other avenues. But a stability. And uh we're going to pray for different groups. But the first thing I want to say is this. I need to pray for all the children first. All the children.