SPEAKER_00: Look at Acts chapter 16.
SPEAKER_00: I want to show you four or five different examples.
SPEAKER_00: Then I want to show you a scripture to back up the example.
SPEAKER_00: I'm glad you're in church tonight.
SPEAKER_00: Anyone need a Bible?
SPEAKER_00: Everybody in good shape?
SPEAKER_00: Good to thanks for being in Wednesday night services.
SPEAKER_00: That light just went out over there.
SPEAKER_00: If we could uh help that out a little bit, Brother Eddie over there.
SPEAKER_00: See if you could have it.
SPEAKER_00: There we go.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00: Acts chapter 16.
SPEAKER_00: And follow with me just a little bit tonight.
SPEAKER_00: And let's read a couple things and let me bear something out to you.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 19.
SPEAKER_00: And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains were gone, was gone, they uh caught Paul and Silas and drew them into the marketplace and the rulers.
SPEAKER_00: If you remember the story about this thing, uh uh she, this lady, was prophesying and making some money for her keepers, if you would.
SPEAKER_00: And when they saw that this lady was now in her right mind and that they couldn't make any money off of her, they were very angry.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 20, and brought them, that's Paul and Silas, to the magistrates, saying, Watch it, these men, being Jews, do exceedingly what?
SPEAKER_00: Say it, trouble our city, and teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive, neither observe being Romans.
SPEAKER_00: And watch what the multitude says, verse 22.
SPEAKER_00: And the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates rent off their clothes and commanded to beat them.
SPEAKER_00: It's not a good day for Paul and Silas, amen.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 23.
SPEAKER_00: And when they had laid what?
SPEAKER_00: Many stripes upon them, so would you agree with that they were in some trouble that day?
SPEAKER_00: Come on, yes or no, talk to me.
SPEAKER_00: In a great deal of trouble.
SPEAKER_00: After they'd beaten them, they cast them in the prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely.
SPEAKER_00: Now, if you know the story, we call this the story of the uh Philippian jailer, and you know what happens that night?
SPEAKER_00: They sing songs and and uh not to make light of it and quickly, but the earthquake comes and the prison is shook, and all the prisoners are let free.
SPEAKER_00: The keeper decides he's gonna kill himself because he was charged to keep the prisoners.
SPEAKER_00: And out of this whole thing, if you look in verse 33, look at it, uh, Paul and Silas are able to lead not only the jailer but his whole house to the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 23, and he took them the same hour that night, washed their stripes, and was baptized, he and all his straight ways.
SPEAKER_00: So the end result of this trouble that Paul and Silas faced was the gospel went forth, someone got saved and was ushered into kingdom.
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: Is that right?
SPEAKER_00: Yes or no?
SPEAKER_00: You know what?
SPEAKER_00: One of the great things when God brings trouble into our life is that it can be used for his help.
SPEAKER_00: You know, I get tired of hearing this.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I'm having bad luck.
SPEAKER_00: Now, Christians should never say that.
SPEAKER_00: But you hear it in the world, don't you?
SPEAKER_00: Once in a while, somebody says, Oh, it's just bad luck.
SPEAKER_00: To a Christian, there's no such thing as luck.
SPEAKER_00: Luck means chance.
SPEAKER_00: Do you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_00: Well, I just got some bad luck going on.
SPEAKER_00: No, a Christian would say, Well, maybe I'm out of the will of God.
SPEAKER_00: Or maybe I'm in the will of God and he's bringing trouble into my life.
SPEAKER_00: But there's no such thing as bad luck.
SPEAKER_00: Look if you would, what happened here, because of what the trouble came to them, the gospel went forth and someone got saved.
SPEAKER_00: Look if you would at 21, chapter 21, brother.
SPEAKER_00: Watch the pattern here, and I'll bring a scripture to you just a minute in Philippians that'll make sense.
SPEAKER_00: Look at Acts chapter 21, and watch the pattern of this thing.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 27.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 27.
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for turning with me.
SPEAKER_00: I won't preach that long to you.
SPEAKER_00: And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him, that's Paul, in the temple, stirred up the people and laid hands on him, crying out, Men of Israel, what?
SPEAKER_00: Second.
SPEAKER_00: This is the man that teaches all men everywhere against the people and the law, then this place, and further brought Greeks also in the temple and hath polluted this holy place.
SPEAKER_00: By the way, that wasn't true.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 29.
SPEAKER_00: When they had seen therefore with him and the city of Trophimus and Ephesian, whom they what?
SPEAKER_00: They supposed that Paul had brought him in the temple, and actually he hadn't.
SPEAKER_00: And all the city was, say it, talk to me, moved, and the people ran together, and they took Paul, drew him out of the temple, and forthwith the doors were shut.
SPEAKER_00: Now, you talk about a bad day, verse 31, and as they went about to do what?
SPEAKER_00: They were going to kill him.
SPEAKER_00: They were that angry, they were going to kill him.
SPEAKER_00: Now the tidings come to the chief captain, and they go get Paul.
SPEAKER_00: Now, because of all this trouble that comes upon Paul in this situation, look at verse 40.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 40.
SPEAKER_00: He comes through the uh, if you would, the uh chain of command, and he says, Hey, I got something I want to say.
SPEAKER_00: And when he had given him license, Paul stood on the stairs and beckoned with his hands unto the people, and when there was a great what?
SPEAKER_00: Silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, and you know what he does?
SPEAKER_00: He gives his testimony.
SPEAKER_00: The reason he was able to do that was trouble.
SPEAKER_00: Trouble grew, trouble came, and God opened up a door of utterance because of that trouble, and Paul got to witness to as many that could hear his voice.
SPEAKER_00: And you know what he said at midday.
SPEAKER_00: I was on the road, Damascus.
SPEAKER_00: And he gave his whole testimony because of that trouble.
SPEAKER_00: You see, Christians should not look at trouble and say, Oh man, oh man, oh man.
SPEAKER_00: We do, but we ought to look at this Bible and say, you know what?
SPEAKER_00: Every time Paul got into trouble, he used it as another opportunity to witness to somebody.
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: How many times have you gone to the hospital and took tracks with you and found someone to give it to you along the way?
SPEAKER_00: You know, I just can't see a purpose to go to the hospital, especially if you're the one going there and not witness to somebody while you're there.
SPEAKER_00: What a waste of time just being in the hospital, just healing.
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: Look if you would a little bit further and notice if you would.
SPEAKER_00: Uh look over at Acts chapter 20.
SPEAKER_00: Uh, I got a little still a little challenge with my vision.
SPEAKER_00: Acts chapter 24.
SPEAKER_00: Watch the pattern here, and I'll give you a scripture in a minute.
SPEAKER_00: Acts 24.
SPEAKER_00: Uh look at verse 5.
SPEAKER_00: Here he is again, talking about Paul.
SPEAKER_00: We have found this man, Paul, a pestilent fellow.
SPEAKER_00: You ought to look up that word pestilent sometime.
SPEAKER_00: And a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nagaries.
SPEAKER_00: Now listen, anybody, somebody, anytime someone's called a ringleader, it's a sarcastic term.
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: In school, how many men in here were ever called the ringleader?
SPEAKER_00: That was not a good term.
SPEAKER_00: Come on, yes or no?
SPEAKER_00: Captain of the team is a good term.
SPEAKER_00: A ringleader is a bad term.
SPEAKER_00: What are they doing?
SPEAKER_00: Who's the ringleader?
SPEAKER_00: Do you know what I'm talking about?
SPEAKER_00: So they were, they were, they were ringleader.
SPEAKER_00: He didn't say, who's captain of the sect of the Nazarenes?
SPEAKER_00: They said, Who's the ringleader?
SPEAKER_00: Well, it's Paul.
SPEAKER_00: So you know he's stirring up some more trouble here.
SPEAKER_00: As a result of that, look at verse 24.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, look at verse 9.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 9 of chapter 24.
SPEAKER_00: And the Jews also assented, saying that these things were so.
SPEAKER_00: Now they're ganging up on him.
SPEAKER_00: As a result of this trouble, again, look at verse 24, brethren, stay with me.
SPEAKER_00: After certain days, when Felix, there's a high authority, came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewish, he sent for Paul and what?
SPEAKER_00: Say it.
SPEAKER_00: Heard him concerning the what?
SPEAKER_00: Say it.
SPEAKER_00: The faith in Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Because of the trouble, the gospel went forth.
SPEAKER_00: He got the opportunity to witness to Felix, and he got the opportunity to witness to Drusilla.
SPEAKER_00: And may I say to you, they weren't the only ones in the crowd.
SPEAKER_00: They had a throng around them that took care of them.
SPEAKER_00: The whole palace was probably there.
SPEAKER_00: The idea was, verse 25, and as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled and answered, Go thy way for this time.
SPEAKER_00: When I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
SPEAKER_00: You know what?
SPEAKER_00: Paul was getting to him.
SPEAKER_00: The Holy Spirit was working.
SPEAKER_00: Why did it happen?
SPEAKER_00: Because God used Paul, got him in some trouble, and then Paul used that as an opportunity to witness.
SPEAKER_00: What are you saying all this before?
SPEAKER_00: Well, brethren, new Christians need to understand something.
SPEAKER_00: Trouble's going to come.
SPEAKER_00: You know we think sometimes when we become Christians and get baptized and get in, oh man, my life is going to smooth out.
SPEAKER_00: Well, in some ways it smooths out, in some ways it gets kind of rough.
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: But when it gets rough, it's usually because God's going to use us as an opportunity to further the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: If we use it for that purpose.
SPEAKER_00: Come on, yes or no?
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: So the idea is we need to teach new Christians that when trouble comes, look for opportunities to witness.
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: Because God has divine appointments.
SPEAKER_00: Our teenagers in our church need to learn something.
SPEAKER_00: By observing we adults.
SPEAKER_00: When trouble comes, we don't fold up our tents and quit.
SPEAKER_00: When trouble comes, we look around and say, somebody's going to get witness to out of this trouble.
SPEAKER_00: Look if you would a little bit further and notice the pattern.
SPEAKER_00: Look if you would at verse uh look at chapter 25, please.
SPEAKER_00: Chapter 25.
SPEAKER_00: And notice if you would, verse 24.
SPEAKER_00: Not only does Felix get witness to, but look at verse 24.
SPEAKER_00: And Festus said, King Agrippa.
SPEAKER_00: Now, Paul witnesses to Festus in chapter 25 and verses 6 and 7.
SPEAKER_00: And then we come over in verse 24 of chapter 25.
SPEAKER_00: And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men which are here present with us, chapter 25, verse 24, ye see this man about whom all the multitude of Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem and also here, crying that he ought not to live any longer.
SPEAKER_00: Man, I tell you what, everybody wants to kill him.
SPEAKER_00: So Festus goes on with King Agrippa and says, But listen, I found this man not worthy of death.
SPEAKER_00: And so Agrippa decides, all right, I'll listen to Paul.
SPEAKER_00: And you know this little statement, but look at 27.
SPEAKER_00: Chapter 26, verse 27.
SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_00: Chapter 26, flip the page.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 27.
SPEAKER_00: Paul witnesses again about his testimony about the road to Damascus.
SPEAKER_00: And verse 27, King Agrippa, believeth thou the prophets?
SPEAKER_00: And then Paul says this, I know that thou believest.
SPEAKER_00: Paul uses his trouble as an opportunity.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 28.
SPEAKER_00: Then Agrippa said to Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a what?
SPEAKER_00: A Christian.
SPEAKER_00: And Paul said very openly, I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day.
SPEAKER_00: Hey, Agrippa wasn't the only one there.
SPEAKER_00: This was a big outing that was going on, and they were bringing Paul in, and Paul used his trouble to propagate the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: That's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_00: This there's no such thing to a Christian as bad luck.
SPEAKER_00: We all had a bad luck day.
SPEAKER_00: What does that mean?
SPEAKER_00: Well, trouble came.
SPEAKER_00: Well, did we look for opportunities to witness?
SPEAKER_00: Did we look for opportunities that because of that somebody came by and we were able to give them a track?
SPEAKER_00: One more, one more, one more uh illustration of this.
SPEAKER_00: Look at chapter 27.
SPEAKER_00: I'll tell you why.
SPEAKER_00: This is important in a minute.
SPEAKER_00: Chapter 27.
SPEAKER_00: Everybody there?
SPEAKER_00: Hey, yeah.
SPEAKER_00: Let me let me stop just for a moment.
SPEAKER_00: Brother Doug Jordan and his family aren't here tonight.
SPEAKER_00: Uh brother Jordan preached the funeral of his mom today.
SPEAKER_00: About 2 o'clock this afternoon.
SPEAKER_00: And think about that.
SPEAKER_00: He preached the funeral of his mom.
SPEAKER_00: Now, on one side there's rejoicing because of the disease she had was affecting her mind and her body.
SPEAKER_00: And she's graduated and she's in heaven.
SPEAKER_00: But you know, there's a lot of loneliness.
SPEAKER_00: Brother Jordan's dad, which some of you know and I don't think I'm speaking out of turn, said to Doug, every day, Doug, for the last 13 to 14 years, I had a purpose.
SPEAKER_00: I got up because my wife needed me.
SPEAKER_00: And I took care of her.
SPEAKER_00: I'm talking about putting her in a chair, sometimes strap her in, and feed her.
SPEAKER_00: I'm talking about at times changing her clothes because she soiled them.
SPEAKER_00: I'm talking about taking care of a wife that was like a little child at times.
SPEAKER_00: But he said, Doug, I had a purpose.
SPEAKER_00: Now I woke up this morning and everything's different.
SPEAKER_00: She's gone.
SPEAKER_00: He said the thing I'm most fearful of is after the funeral.
SPEAKER_00: I guess I'm gonna have to get a couple of jobs or something because that was my purpose.
SPEAKER_00: That's what I live for to take care of my wife.
SPEAKER_00: Now, Doug and Jeannie and all the family are going through that right now.
SPEAKER_00: You know who Doug's dad is leaning on heavily?
SPEAKER_00: Brother Jordan.
SPEAKER_00: Always has.
SPEAKER_00: Brother Jordan came to my house a couple days ago, and just the mere mention of the fact that his dad was leaning on him very heavily, Doug just started crying.
SPEAKER_00: Trouble.
SPEAKER_00: But today Doug preached, and the gospel went out.
SPEAKER_00: And God ordained it.
SPEAKER_00: It wasn't bad luck.
SPEAKER_00: It was divinely appointed.
SPEAKER_00: There's a difference.
SPEAKER_00: Look at chapter 27.
SPEAKER_00: Look at it.
SPEAKER_00: This is Paul getting ready to go through a shipwreck.
SPEAKER_00: We won't read the whole thing, but Paul stands up to all the men on this ship and says in verse 22, verse 22, and now I exhort you, be of good cheer.
SPEAKER_00: You know what he's saying?
SPEAKER_00: Hey, the ship is getting ready to break up, but be glad.
SPEAKER_00: Let's have a good day.
SPEAKER_00: We're just about ready to be shipwrecked, but be of good cheer.
SPEAKER_00: For there shall be no loss of any man's life among you but the ship.
SPEAKER_00: You know what he's saying, guy?
SPEAKER_00: Everybody, cheer up.
SPEAKER_00: The ship's gonna go down.
SPEAKER_00: But you're all gonna live.
SPEAKER_00: Now, you've got to understand, marine merchant men are very superstitious.
SPEAKER_00: The ship's gonna break up, it's gonna go down, but Paul says, You're all gonna live.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 23, for there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar, and lo, God hath given them all, or given thee all them that are sail with thee.
SPEAKER_00: Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer, for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
SPEAKER_00: Now, do you understand there's probably some guys on that boat that don't believe in the God Paul believes in?
SPEAKER_00: And Paul stands up and saying, hey guys, listen, everything's gonna be alright.
SPEAKER_00: The ship's gonna break up, but the angel whom I serve told me, y'all are gonna make it because I'm here with you.
SPEAKER_00: And by the way, one other thing, verse 26, we must be cast upon a certain island.
SPEAKER_00: What's that statement in verse 26?
SPEAKER_00: God's got a plan.
SPEAKER_00: And God's gonna put us on an island because I have work to do there.
SPEAKER_00: Look over here, please.
SPEAKER_00: You know what?
SPEAKER_00: That was trouble.
SPEAKER_00: And in the midst of trouble, Paul perceived of God that there was a plan, that there was something that God wanted him to do, and God chose the island and chose the timing and said, Paul, this is how you're gonna get there.
SPEAKER_00: Ship's gonna break up.
SPEAKER_00: Brethren, that's not bad luck.
SPEAKER_00: That's God's ordained plan.
SPEAKER_00: And you know what happens?
SPEAKER_00: They get on that island and look at chapter 28.
SPEAKER_00: Stay with me.
SPEAKER_00: Chapter 28, look at verse 3.
SPEAKER_00: And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, laid them on the fire, there came out a viper out of the heat and fastened on his hand.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 4.
SPEAKER_00: When the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt, this man is a murderer.
SPEAKER_00: Somebody might say, What bad luck.
SPEAKER_00: Brethren, uh, I asked you a question.
SPEAKER_00: Who put the snake in the sticks?
SPEAKER_00: Who allowed the snake to go in there?
SPEAKER_00: Who allowed the snake to get on Paul's hand?
SPEAKER_00: Who had it all set up?
SPEAKER_00: Oh, come on.
SPEAKER_00: How can you believe that?
SPEAKER_00: I believe God had it all set up because when Paul goes like this and shakes it off, they all look and say, it must be a God.
SPEAKER_00: He's not dead.
SPEAKER_00: What do you think that allows for?
SPEAKER_00: You already know.
SPEAKER_00: The gospel to go forth with authority.
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: You see, brethren, God puts us in troubled situations sometimes because he has a plan.
SPEAKER_00: He shakes off the beast in the fire, felt no harm.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 6, howbeit they looked when he should have swollen or fallen down dead suddenly, but after they saw and looked a great while.
SPEAKER_00: Can't you just watch them looking at Paul, going, this guy, I mean, I don't know what the language is, but this guy should be dead.
SPEAKER_00: They changed their minds and said he was a God.
SPEAKER_00: Now, brethren, don't you know that in the three-month period that they were there on this island, a lot of people heard the gospel and probably some people got saved?
SPEAKER_00: Now, I say all that to show you this.
SPEAKER_00: Stay in Acts chapter 20 and look at Philippians 1.
SPEAKER_00: Stay in Acts 20 and look at Philippians 1.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for bearing with me just a little bit tonight.
SPEAKER_00: Philippians 1, Acts chapter 20.
SPEAKER_00: Look at Philippians 1.
SPEAKER_00: Everybody there?
SPEAKER_00: Don't, don't, don't be falling asleep on me.
SPEAKER_00: I just because I'm from a wheelchair, I can still see you.
SPEAKER_00: And I know I'm not walking back and forth and I'm not flipping the wheelchair up and doing wheelies and all that.
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, later maybe.
SPEAKER_00: Alright.
SPEAKER_00: Philippians chapter 1.
SPEAKER_00: Now look at verse 12 with this in mind.
SPEAKER_00: But I would ye should what?
SPEAKER_00: Say it.
SPEAKER_00: Understand who, brethren, saved ones, that the things which happen unto me have fallen out rather under the furtherance of the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: You know what Paul's mindset is?
SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, listen.
SPEAKER_00: Don't worry about me.
SPEAKER_00: Things that I go through, it seems like it always happens.
SPEAKER_00: And when it happens, the way it turns out is the gospel is furthered.
SPEAKER_00: Hey, you know, when I was on the island, man, that snake bit me and I shook it off, and the gospel was furthered.
SPEAKER_00: When I was in trouble and everybody wanted to kill me, man, I got to witness to Festus and his wife.
SPEAKER_00: I got to witness to Felix.
SPEAKER_00: I've got to witness to Agrippa, just because of all the trouble God allowed me to go through.
SPEAKER_00: Man, when I was in that city, man, they were getting ready to kill me, and I was getting ready to be let off, and I asked for a chance to speak, and I stood on the steps, and in their own tongue I witnessed to the whole crowd.
SPEAKER_00: And the gospel was furthered.
SPEAKER_00: You see, you've got to understand something.
SPEAKER_00: My experience, brethren, is when things happen to me, it's not because of bad luck, it's because of God's ordained plan, and he wants the gospel to be furthered.
SPEAKER_00: Let me say, bring it to practicality, alright?
SPEAKER_00: First thing this morning.
SPEAKER_00: I was able to go to the office for a while.
SPEAKER_00: Brother Shaver comes in and says, uh, Brother uh Ortiz, Alfredo, Paradise Valley Hospital, bleeding internally.
SPEAKER_00: He's still there tonight.
SPEAKER_00: As far as I know, he's not out of the woods yet, is he?
SPEAKER_00: Is he doing okay?
SPEAKER_00: Not yet.
SPEAKER_00: I see you.
SPEAKER_00: And he's bleeding internally, he has diabetes.
SPEAKER_00: This happened four years ago.
SPEAKER_00: Some other things wrong with him on the inside, his liver, and some things.
SPEAKER_00: And tonight, if you want to pray for somebody, you know Alfredo?
SPEAKER_00: He stood up here many, many, many times.
SPEAKER_00: Uh, a man that got saved, got lined out, uh, a former uh guy that drank a lot, got saved, got lined out for two years now, been been heavily, heavily leading our our uh our uh death ministry.
SPEAKER_00: And tonight he's laying in a hospital.
SPEAKER_00: Please look up here.
SPEAKER_00: In trouble.
SPEAKER_00: It's not a bad luck day.
SPEAKER_00: It's not bad luck.
SPEAKER_00: We don't suppose that he must have been a murderer.
SPEAKER_00: You know what I suppose?
SPEAKER_00: He's in God's will.
SPEAKER_00: And somebody needs to be witnessed to, and somehow the gospel needs to be furthered.
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: He is God's child.
SPEAKER_00: I appreciate you that have gone down.
SPEAKER_00: I know Brother Knight and Mrs.
SPEAKER_00: uh Liz and B and many of y'all down there uh early and staying with him.
SPEAKER_00: We ought to give them encouragement and support right now.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, he's he's an ICU, and they're they pumping blood into him.
unknown: That's
SPEAKER_00: Dangerous enough.
SPEAKER_00: Tomorrow if you get a chance and you could uh you know, I guess you could call and tell Susan you're you're praying for 'em.
SPEAKER_00: Don't inundate them, but but wouldn't hurt.
SPEAKER_00: If you go visit them, give 'em, give her five minutes and just say, Pastor told us about us last night.
SPEAKER_00: I'm just here to let you know that we're for you.
SPEAKER_00: But God knows exactly what's going on.
SPEAKER_00: And if God's not done with Alfredo, Alfredo's going nowhere.
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: And if God is done with Alfredo, he's going to heaven.
SPEAKER_00: Now you say, don't say that.
SPEAKER_00: It's bad luck.
SPEAKER_00: You'll jinx it.
SPEAKER_00: You can't jinx God.
SPEAKER_00: You can't bad luck God.
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: I know this.
SPEAKER_00: My wife is laying in Samoa.
SPEAKER_00: She just had doctors look at her, diagnose her wrongly, cut her open, find out that they were wrong, and went, oops, let's sew her back up quick.
SPEAKER_00: And let's hope the baby doesn't abort.
SPEAKER_00: She goes to Tripler Army Hospital.
SPEAKER_00: She's there for a month, bordering on death.
SPEAKER_00: She gets back to the States, and now that whole thing, we have a child named Eric.
SPEAKER_00: What are you saying?
SPEAKER_00: Even the doctors couldn't mess it up.
SPEAKER_00: Now I'm not blasting physicians, but please look up here.
SPEAKER_00: You say, well, man, we got a bad deal on a physician.
SPEAKER_00: Even if you get a bad deal, God knows what's going on.
SPEAKER_00: Look up here.
SPEAKER_00: I'm not saying anything about physicians, but they're just men and women.
SPEAKER_00: And if they make a mistake, God's not.
SPEAKER_00: That doesn't mean, oh, oh man.
SPEAKER_00: Gabriel, did you see what happened down there?
SPEAKER_00: Did you see that what that guy did?
SPEAKER_00: He just messed up one of my children.
SPEAKER_00: God knows all that.
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: I'm not trying to make light of the situation, but I'm saying, yes, God gives the doctors wisdom, and we ought to pray for that.
SPEAKER_00: Give them wisdom on what to do.
SPEAKER_00: Man, I've been in enough bedsides and surgeries and recoveries that noncoincidentally the doctor saw something along the way and it just went well.
SPEAKER_00: And I've heard doctors say it was a miracle.
SPEAKER_00: Well, that's what Alfredo needs tonight.
SPEAKER_00: But it wasn't bad luck.
SPEAKER_00: It was God's timing.
SPEAKER_00: Well, you say, what else does it do?
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 12 again.
SPEAKER_00: I would you should understand, brethren, that the things which happen to me have fallen out rather under the furtherance of the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: Look at verse 13.
SPEAKER_00: So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and all other places.
SPEAKER_00: And watch it.
SPEAKER_00: And many of the who?
SPEAKER_00: The brethren, the saved ones, in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
SPEAKER_00: You know what he's saying?
SPEAKER_00: Excuse me.
SPEAKER_00: Not only what I've gone through has furthered the gospel, but you know what?
SPEAKER_00: What I've gone through have given the brethren confidence to keep on going.
SPEAKER_00: I see Miss Monsano in a wheelchair, and it gives me confidence to keep on going.
SPEAKER_00: I see people coming out of surgery.
SPEAKER_00: I see Mrs.
SPEAKER_00: Wade sitting here tonight, and praise the Lord, her back and her spinal starting to fuse just a little bit.
SPEAKER_00: But I just think of all the pain they've gone through.
SPEAKER_00: I say, Praise the Lord, I can keep on going.
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: You know what our teenagers need to see?
SPEAKER_00: They need to see me all bunged up coming to church.
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: Hey, my house has not been a poor me for the last three weeks.
SPEAKER_00: Two weeks, or however long it's been.
SPEAKER_00: It's been very positive.
SPEAKER_00: God's on the throne, everything's alright.
SPEAKER_00: Don't worry, God's gonna work this all out, and I don't want to hear a discouraging word.
SPEAKER_00: We're not getting mad at God, we're not getting mad at anybody, everything's fine, everything is in its place.
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to hear anything discouraging.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Because reality is this is not bad luck, this is God's will.
SPEAKER_00: And if it furthers the gospel somehow, or somebody gets strengthened because of it, then God has had his way.
SPEAKER_00: Three things when trouble comes.
SPEAKER_00: Number one, I'll use me as an example, it works on me.
SPEAKER_00: Number two, it should further the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: Number three, somebody else ought to get confidence because of what somebody else has been through.
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: Now, brethren, statement.
SPEAKER_00: It rains on the just and on the unjust.
SPEAKER_00: The blessings can come on the just and on the unjust.
SPEAKER_00: May I say this to you?
SPEAKER_00: Trouble comes to the just and to the unjust.
SPEAKER_00: Yesterday I went to get all the staples out of the foot, you know, a small pile of staples when they were done.
SPEAKER_00: You know, I noticed something.
SPEAKER_00: Uh there were quite a few people in that orthopedic waiting room.
SPEAKER_00: Now, I was a little bit more bunged up than most of them, but hey, may I say to you, probably everybody in there, there were probably some saved and some lost.
SPEAKER_00: I didn't get to ask them all.
SPEAKER_00: But I mean, there were people in there with their foot up and their arm up, and you know, and orthopedics is that way.
SPEAKER_00: Most of them had some kind of cast on.
SPEAKER_00: And I was thinking as I was in there, you know what?
SPEAKER_00: Trouble comes to the just and to the unjust.
SPEAKER_00: Trouble comes to the saved and the unsaved.
SPEAKER_00: It's just nice to know when you're in trouble that's not a waste.
SPEAKER_00: Now, I believe this.
SPEAKER_00: Trouble comes to the unjust, the unsaved, to try to bring them to humility where they do finally get saved.
SPEAKER_00: Would you agree with that?
SPEAKER_00: Let me say it again.
SPEAKER_00: Trouble comes to the unsaved to try to convince them that they need a savior.
SPEAKER_00: What a waste to go through this life, go through all the trouble of trials and hurt and heartache and death and broken relationships and all that, and then the end of it is to be cast away from God forever.
SPEAKER_00: What a waste! When we go through all these things, we know it'll count in the millennium if we're just faithful to get the gospel out.
SPEAKER_00: Do you understand what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_00: I mean, if I had to go through this and there was no purpose other than, well, okay, God, I went through all that, I wasn't saved.
SPEAKER_00: Well, I know I was trying to bring you down and and call on me, but you just had a strong will and I couldn't get you saved.
SPEAKER_00: You mean I went all through all that and the end result is I got to go to outer darkness?
SPEAKER_00: What a waste.
SPEAKER_00: At least knowing me that I got to go through this, brother, you know what?
SPEAKER_00: I know it's gonna work together for good for something.
SPEAKER_00: Do you not understand what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_00: Alfredo tonight laying down that ICU.
SPEAKER_00: There's something good gonna come out of that.
SPEAKER_00: Brother Jordan tonight preached that funeral.
SPEAKER_00: You know, around that house tonight it's a little empty.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I remember my dad putting that casket in the ground and going home, and even though there were people, it's still empty.
SPEAKER_00: But at least there's a reason.
SPEAKER_00: At least there's a purpose.
SPEAKER_00: If we let there be a purpose.
SPEAKER_00: Now listen, I've met Christians who got bitter because they say, why did God do this if he's a loving God?
SPEAKER_00: You know that tells me?
SPEAKER_00: Immaturity if they're a Christian.
SPEAKER_00: They don't know that, they don't know the God of this book and they haven't read this book.
SPEAKER_00: That's a stupid, and I use that word, that's a stupid statement for a Christian to make.
SPEAKER_00: Well, if God loves me, why did he let this happen?
SPEAKER_00: You know, that's such an immature, stupid statement.
SPEAKER_00: Strong word.
SPEAKER_00: It's stupidity not to know this word enough and not to trust God enough to even say those words.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: It's true.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, if a Christian's been saved five years and he or she's not gotten in this book long enough to know that God is God and God is always good and God's always got a plan, and Paul went through this trouble, and he had the attitude when it comes, hey, it always happens to the furtherance of the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: So I'm God, I'm his, he owns me, he's the potter, I'm the club, he can do what he wants, and I'm not gonna say, why, God, if you're loving God, did you let this happen to me?
SPEAKER_00: We ought to be immature enough that our children never hear that from our mouths.
SPEAKER_00: And if you've ever said it in front of your children, you ought to go home tonight, apologize.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: That's true.
SPEAKER_00: My children are not gonna hear this, and these teens are not gonna see me molly grubbed.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: I don't care if it's hurting or not.
SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna moan and groan.
SPEAKER_00: I'm just gonna say everything's fine.
SPEAKER_00: Then I'll go home and moan and groan privately.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Why?
SPEAKER_00: Because knowledge of the gospel be furthered, it strengthens them.
SPEAKER_00: And they would boldness say, hey, let's get out there and do the job.
SPEAKER_00: Look at Acts 20.
SPEAKER_00: You okay tonight?
SPEAKER_00: We've got to have an attitude, and you say, Why are you giving us this?
SPEAKER_00: Hey, you don't know what's gonna happen to you tomorrow.
SPEAKER_00: You don't know what you're gonna face tomorrow.
SPEAKER_00: We don't have an attitude of build-up ready to go, a residual.
SPEAKER_00: When it comes, I'm ready, I'm gonna keep a good attitude.
SPEAKER_00: Look at what happens here in Acts chapter 20.
SPEAKER_00: Acts chapter 20, look at verse 22.
SPEAKER_00: Look at Paul's attitude.
SPEAKER_00: Everybody ready?
SPEAKER_00: Verse 22.
SPEAKER_00: This is critical.
SPEAKER_00: And now, here's Paul's attitude.
SPEAKER_00: Behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there.
SPEAKER_00: Save.
SPEAKER_00: You know what he's saying?
SPEAKER_00: Well, one thing I do know that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and affliction abide me.
SPEAKER_00: You know what Paul says as he's going into Jerusalem?
SPEAKER_00: I don't know exactly what's going to happen, but I do know this.
SPEAKER_00: There's going to be trouble.
SPEAKER_00: Because the Holy Ghost, He witnesses just in every city I go to, there's going to be bonds, there's going to be afflictions, and they're coming.
SPEAKER_00: Brethren, a statement.
SPEAKER_00: When we fantasize, we don't fantasize trouble.
SPEAKER_00: We fantasize utopia.
SPEAKER_00: We don't think, okay, alright.
SPEAKER_00: Let's just be honest.
SPEAKER_00: Something negative is going to come.
SPEAKER_00: Paul was in reality and said, you know what?
SPEAKER_00: Everywhere I go, the Holy Ghost tells me, here it comes again.
SPEAKER_00: I just might as well plan on being in trouble and have a good mindset about it.
SPEAKER_00: And use it to further the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 24.
SPEAKER_00: But none of these things move me.
SPEAKER_00: Neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with what?
SPEAKER_00: Now look at that.
SPEAKER_00: He said, you know what?
SPEAKER_00: Let me tell you something.
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to Jerusalem, and I know this.
SPEAKER_00: Trouble, bonds, and affliction is coming, but I'm going in with joy.
SPEAKER_00: And the ministry which I have received, the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
SPEAKER_00: He says, you know what I'm going to go in with joy.
SPEAKER_00: Trouble's coming, but I'm going to get the job done.
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to get the gospel out.
SPEAKER_00: Brother, when you go to visit somebody in the hospital, take some tracks with you.
SPEAKER_00: Look for somebody along the way.
SPEAKER_00: Funerals.
SPEAKER_00: Broken relationships.
SPEAKER_00: You say, wait a minute.
SPEAKER_00: How in the world out of a broken relationship?
SPEAKER_00: Hey, you'd be amazed at what God can do.
SPEAKER_00: If we're just ready and willing.
SPEAKER_00: And I kicked myself a couple of times.
SPEAKER_00: I missed opportunities.
SPEAKER_00: Where's my tracks?
SPEAKER_00: Oh man, where'd they go?
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I can't reach them.
SPEAKER_00: Or I just missed an x-ray technician or uh or uh someone that come up, you know, one of those, oh, they're they're they're they're uh I think they like it.
SPEAKER_00: They're physical therapists.
SPEAKER_00: I think they like what they do.
SPEAKER_00: The day after surgery, get up.
SPEAKER_00: Listen, I'm up.
SPEAKER_00: No, no, no.
SPEAKER_00: Stand up.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, stand up.
SPEAKER_00: Here, let me put this belt around you so in case you fall.
SPEAKER_00: And I mean this little gal, if if I fall, she's actually gonna, you know.
SPEAKER_00: I'm not against it.
SPEAKER_00: I know it's necessary and all that.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, we're back again.
SPEAKER_00: What do you want this time?
SPEAKER_00: Well, we want you to go out and we want you to go, uh, let's go walking up and down some steps.
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
SPEAKER_00: But opportunities to witness too.
SPEAKER_00: Give them a track.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, oh, by the way, uh, you know what, I I wish I could take a better picture.
SPEAKER_00: It just never comes out right.
SPEAKER_00: What are you talking about?
SPEAKER_00: We'll read the inside.
SPEAKER_00: Picture in there.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's you! That's you! Yeah, that's me.
SPEAKER_00: I'm a member there and I pastor there.
SPEAKER_00: Would you come?
SPEAKER_00: The point is, there's got to be some joy somewhere in this.
SPEAKER_00: You know what?
SPEAKER_00: You know why people go out and get drunk and get on drugs?
SPEAKER_00: They lay in those hospital beds or they get laid up or something like that and say, How can I forget this?
SPEAKER_00: How can I get over this?
SPEAKER_00: How can I get by this?
SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, uh, give me some of those drugs.
SPEAKER_00: How many people do you know that started convalescing that turned into alcoholics?
SPEAKER_00: They're all over the place.
SPEAKER_00: Shouldn't be that way for Christians.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Are you listening to me?
SPEAKER_00: Shouldn't be that way for Christians.
SPEAKER_00: Brethren, count all joy.
SPEAKER_00: There must be a reason in this.
SPEAKER_00: There must be somebody to witness to here.
SPEAKER_00: In Brother Ortiz's situation tonight, and I'm not making light of it.
SPEAKER_00: I hope you know that.
SPEAKER_00: Man, I've been grieved about that all day long, and I want to get down to see him tomorrow.
SPEAKER_00: But someone, somewhere, God wants to use to either get the gospel out or strengthen us.
SPEAKER_00: Brother Jordan, I'll guarantee the gospel went out today.
SPEAKER_00: And Brother Jordan, his wife will come back stronger.
SPEAKER_00: Hey, it's one thing to preach a funeral.
SPEAKER_00: Brother Jordan has been pre- he's preached many funerals, but he's never preached the funeral of someone that close in.
SPEAKER_00: You ever seen someone that nurtured you and mothered you laying in a casket?
SPEAKER_00: It's a lot of difference than, well, that was somebody I knew, but it wasn't my mother.
SPEAKER_00: My dad, or my wife, or my husband.
SPEAKER_00: He listened to me.
SPEAKER_00: That's when it hits close.
SPEAKER_00: Paul's attitude was I'm going in, something's gonna happen, I'm gonna do it with joy, and I'm gonna get the gospel out.
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
SPEAKER_00: That's what I'm gonna do.
SPEAKER_00: God's got a plan.
SPEAKER_00: On Monday when I went into the uh Saturday, the accident on Monday the uh had a little staff meeting in the hospital.
SPEAKER_00: We were getting ready for the uh uh budget.
SPEAKER_00: And I had uh our three trustees, and Brother Gill was over in the hospital.
SPEAKER_00: And this was Monday, uh, my eye was still bunged up.
SPEAKER_00: And I remember uh the nurses saw these four guys come in.
SPEAKER_00: We needed some extra chairs, and one of the nurses said, What are you doing?
SPEAKER_00: I said I'm having a staff meeting for the finances of our church because we got a you know a business meeting coming up.
SPEAKER_00: She kind of looked at me like I can't believe this.
SPEAKER_00: And uh so we had our meeting, and I I uh uh somebody came in.
SPEAKER_00: I said, Could you come back a little bit later?
SPEAKER_00: Some oh I know, it was a fat that physical therapist.
SPEAKER_00: That's true.
SPEAKER_00: I said, I said, could you come back a little bit later?
SPEAKER_00: I got a meeting going on.
SPEAKER_00: Work to be done, amen.
SPEAKER_00: And uh I told the guys, I said, now listen, um, this was Monday, and we were going to have that business meeting on Wednesday night.
SPEAKER_00: I said, listen, I don't know how you guys feel, but there's a possibility I might have surgery.
SPEAKER_00: And uh so they said uh later, they said, Well, if you have surgery, preacher, let's put off a week.
SPEAKER_00: So the doctor comes back with the uh, the surgeon comes back with the x-rays a little bit later on that Monday night, and he says, Well, uh, here's your choices on your heel.
SPEAKER_00: He says, Now what has happened is uh the floorboard of your vehicle pushed your heel up at a tremendous pressure, and by the way, the reason the floorboard came up was because the engine came that way.
SPEAKER_00: And when you put the engine against the floorboard, something's got to give, amen.
SPEAKER_00: And it pushed my heel up, and he said, uh, you need to know that the uh the calcanus bone, which is down there, is like the coxswain bones, it's one of the thickest bones you had.
SPEAKER_00: He says, Yours is fractured, but it got shoved up.
SPEAKER_00: He says, So here are the two choices that you have.
SPEAKER_00: He says, if you if you decide not to go to surgery, you'll have extreme arthritis probably within the first year, and you're always gonna have to buy two different shoe sizes.
SPEAKER_00: I said, huh?
SPEAKER_00: He said, Well, your foot's flatter now, and as long as that heel's been shoved up that way, you're gonna have to buy one shoe size for your right foot, and it'll take a wider shoe size for your left foot.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, all right.
SPEAKER_00: Let's see.
SPEAKER_00: So what you're saying, Doc, is I could save money if I have this operation.
SPEAKER_00: He said, now what we have to do, he says, he's we've got to get that heel bone down, we've got to pull it down, then we've got to screw it into your ankles.
SPEAKER_00: And uh he says, I think we could do a pretty good job of it, and this guy assisted me and everything like that.
SPEAKER_00: And you've got to understand something.
SPEAKER_00: I didn't necessarily want to go through surgery.
SPEAKER_00: I don't like surgery.
SPEAKER_00: I don't like operating rooms, they're cold.
SPEAKER_00: Some of you all sitting there going, why do you keep talking about yourself?
SPEAKER_00: It's trouble.
SPEAKER_00: But it wasn't bad luck.
SPEAKER_00: Operating rooms are cold.
SPEAKER_00: The tables are flat and hard.
SPEAKER_00: Amen?
SPEAKER_00: And everybody looks at you with that mask on like like, I mean, and they're very they're very professional, and you feel like a slab of meat.
SPEAKER_00: You say that's terrible to say.
SPEAKER_00: You do.
SPEAKER_00: You got this, you got that, you got this, you got that.
SPEAKER_00: And the uh I come into that thing and they the uh the anesthesiologist says uh now, listen, you've had a fever for a couple of days, and uh we can either do a spinal block.
SPEAKER_00: I said, let me ask you something about this thing with the spinal block.
SPEAKER_00: If you spinal block and that, I'm still kind of awake.
SPEAKER_00: Can you put me out enough that I don't hear bones, that I don't have drills, that I don't hear screws going in?
SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm talking about?
SPEAKER_00: It's my foot down there, they're doing that too.
SPEAKER_00: And I don't want to hear a drill going and it's going into my bone, and you're feeling the pressure.
SPEAKER_00: Now, some of you might go, oh, that'd be cool.
SPEAKER_00: It's not cool in my book.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: You do it your way, I'll do it my way.
SPEAKER_00: She said, listen, she said, I can't guarantee that you won't hear some of that.
SPEAKER_00: I said, put me out.
SPEAKER_00: You say, you're a chicken.
SPEAKER_00: I'm practical.
SPEAKER_00: You see, I either go out voluntarily, or when I start sweating and get into that shock thing because I go, oh, I don't want to, oh, what are they doing down there?
SPEAKER_00: The guy's gonna go, put me out anyways.
SPEAKER_00: So why not just go out in the first place?
SPEAKER_00: Now, if you've never been through surgery, you don't understand.
SPEAKER_00: That means you've got to come out of that junk.
SPEAKER_00: I had all kinds of dreams.
SPEAKER_00: I hate that anesthesia.
SPEAKER_00: This time I dreamed, I had read a National Geographic book, and I'd seen in there in Russia where they put six on a rotating table when they operate.
SPEAKER_00: And I just move them around to these different stations.
SPEAKER_00: And while I'm in this anesthesia, I'm hearing some of this stuff going on.
SPEAKER_00: I think, I'm laying on one of those rotating tables.
SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm talking about?
SPEAKER_00: And weird things can happen, you know, and there's there's bunny rabbits operating on me, and you know, all that weird kind of stuff that can.
SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_00: You say you're strange.
SPEAKER_00: Hey, some of you have your stories.
SPEAKER_00: Now, I come out of that, and the doctor comes in from surgery, and he's all excited.
SPEAKER_00: He shows me these x-rays.
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to see the x-rays.
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to see them.
SPEAKER_00: Because you know what they're going to show?
SPEAKER_00: Pins and screws and staples and metal in my foot.
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to see them.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, here, you've got to look at this.
SPEAKER_00: Here, hold it up.
SPEAKER_00: I'm closing my eyes.
SPEAKER_00: Say, how's it look, Doc?
SPEAKER_00: Everything okay?
SPEAKER_00: Great.
SPEAKER_00: He says this to me, and he's a nice guy.
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to witness to him next appointment.
SPEAKER_00: He says, uh, you know what?
SPEAKER_00: You were very lucky.
SPEAKER_00: I didn't say a word, but in my mind I said, it wasn't luck.
SPEAKER_00: It wasn't luck.
SPEAKER_00: There's a reason.
SPEAKER_00: There's a purpose.
SPEAKER_00: It's a thorn in my flesh, which is a blessing.
SPEAKER_00: Let me say it again.
SPEAKER_00: It's a thorn in my flesh, which is a blessing.
SPEAKER_00: But somehow the gospel has to be furthered.
SPEAKER_00: Somebody needs to be strengthened.
SPEAKER_00: I need to be corrected.
SPEAKER_00: Whatever happens, it's not you were lucky.
SPEAKER_00: I thought to myself, no, I seem to be in God's will.
SPEAKER_00: Say, how can you say that?
SPEAKER_00: Paul said, I'm going to Jerusalem.
SPEAKER_00: There's going to be affliction and bonds.
SPEAKER_00: They're probably going to cast me into prison again.
SPEAKER_00: Chances are they'll beat me.
SPEAKER_00: And you know what I'm going to do?
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to use this as an opportunity to further the gospel, strengthen somebody, and get the work done with joy.
SPEAKER_00: Now I want to say this to you, and I'm going to finish.
SPEAKER_00: Every one of you here sooner or later, if God tarries the next one year, five years, ten years, fifteen years, you know trouble's coming.
SPEAKER_00: You've got to know that.
SPEAKER_00: To think that you're going to live in utopia and none of this is ever going to happen to you.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe not like this, but it's coming in some way, shape, or form.
SPEAKER_00: Come on.
SPEAKER_00: Something's going to break, you're going to lose a job, trials, uh, somebody's going to die.
SPEAKER_00: Come on, yes or no?
SPEAKER_00: It rains on the just and the unjust.
SPEAKER_00: Trouble comes to the just and the unjust.
SPEAKER_00: It's going to come.
SPEAKER_00: What we need to do is make sure our minds are saturated in this book so we don't panic.
SPEAKER_00: And fret.
SPEAKER_00: And get to be like one of those Christians that mad at God and they got a reason for staying home tonight from church and watching the stupid baseball game.
SPEAKER_00: Now we say, why'd you say that?
SPEAKER_00: Because in relationship to church tonight, there are Christians that are home tonight justifying, well, God did this to me, and until I understand it, I'm not going back.
SPEAKER_00: Man, you come back to church whether you understand it or not.
SPEAKER_00: You give the gospel out whether you understand it or not.
SPEAKER_00: I don't understand why Brother Ortiz is in the hospital that way tonight.
SPEAKER_00: But you know what?
SPEAKER_00: I know he's God's child.
SPEAKER_00: I know he's been serving God faithfully.
SPEAKER_00: I know they just had a tremendous death revival, and maybe there's a purge going on.
SPEAKER_00: If there's a purge, it's because God loves him.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know why Brother Jordan decided, or why God decided at this time to take Mrs.
SPEAKER_00: Jordan.
SPEAKER_00: I make this statement.
SPEAKER_00: One of the best things about being in these troubled situations is to see God's timing.
SPEAKER_00: How do you know it's God's will?
SPEAKER_00: If you can just see God's timing.
SPEAKER_00: You say, how do you see God's timing?
SPEAKER_00: Please look up here.
SPEAKER_00: Hindsight.
SPEAKER_00: To be able to look back three weeks, a month, two months, and say, man, it was the perfect time.
SPEAKER_00: It was perfect.
SPEAKER_00: God's timing was perfect.
SPEAKER_00: Now I can see it.
SPEAKER_00: You get enough of those build up.
SPEAKER_00: What do you mean?
SPEAKER_00: You get enough of those situations build up where it was trouble.
SPEAKER_00: And then you look back and you say, perfect timing, God.
SPEAKER_00: And when you're in the midst of it, you go, I know if I wait long enough, I'm going to see God's hand.
SPEAKER_00: If I wait long enough and I operate properly and I keep on going and I keep the right spirit and a woman, doing what I'm supposed to be doing, I know I'll see God's timing in this study, and hindsight will prove it was God's will.
SPEAKER_00: Man, I've been waiting for a while to see that in a situation.
SPEAKER_00: Keep waiting, you'll see it.
SPEAKER_00: It may take a year, it may take three years, it may take four years, but if God's willing, he'll give you the understanding and show you why.
SPEAKER_00: Do you know what I'm talking about?
SPEAKER_00: What a blessing to be a child of God.
SPEAKER_00: And not to say, boy, this is some bad luck.
SPEAKER_00: Let's see, what do I do?
SPEAKER_00: I'll change my hairstyle, maybe.
SPEAKER_00: That'll bring me some good luck.
SPEAKER_00: Uh let's see, I'll uh, boy, let's see.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe uh, boy, this this this St.
SPEAKER_00: Christopher isn't working.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe I'll put a cross around my neck.
SPEAKER_00: Do you remember Satan?
SPEAKER_00: Uh uh, I must a black cat must have crossed my path.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, let's see, the moon's full.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, it's almost Halloween! Government's still in charge no matter what.
SPEAKER_00: I know this though, there's a big day coming.
SPEAKER_00: I know it's ladies' banquet this Friday and Saturday, and I know some ladies are going to get helped.
SPEAKER_00: I know my wife's been going through some battles, and I just keep see her keep plugging away.
SPEAKER_00: Keep on going, keep on going, keep on going.
SPEAKER_00: I don't think I've ever seen her this strong.
SPEAKER_00: I think it's great.
SPEAKER_00: And I I don't know if I've told her that.
SPEAKER_00: You here tonight, Patty?
SPEAKER_00: You're pretty strong.
SPEAKER_00: What do you mean?
SPEAKER_00: I mean, typically just before ladies' banquet, she gets battled.
SPEAKER_00: It's the battle before the battle.
SPEAKER_00: Do you know what I'm talking about?
SPEAKER_00: Am I ready to do something good for God?
SPEAKER_00: Man, here it comes.
SPEAKER_00: But it's not bad luck.
SPEAKER_00: It's God's will.
SPEAKER_00: I go to my appointment yesterday.
SPEAKER_00: And by the way, got a sleek new model?
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
SPEAKER_00: It's uh, yeah, it's uh it's called an equalizer, want you to know.
SPEAKER_00: And uh, much better than that other hard thing I had on.
SPEAKER_00: This comes off, and you know, it's very, very nice.
SPEAKER_00: And uh surgeon said again, I heard him say it again, he said, This is looking real good.
SPEAKER_00: He said, You are lucky.
SPEAKER_00: Now I'm building up a rapport with him.
SPEAKER_00: Man, I I bragged on him yesterday.
SPEAKER_00: I bragged on him.
SPEAKER_00: I said, Man, you did a great job, and I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_00: And I that was, I'm I'm being honest.
SPEAKER_00: He has done a tremendous job.
SPEAKER_00: And I bragged on him and I said, Man, this and man that and everything like that.
SPEAKER_00: And he said, I don't know, I don't like this stuff.
SPEAKER_00: I said, What do you mean?
SPEAKER_00: You know, what would you want to be rather than a surgeon?
SPEAKER_00: He said, Oh, I don't know, a fireman or something, anything, you know.
SPEAKER_00: I said, Oh no, this is you're good at this.
SPEAKER_00: You you did a great job, we appreciate it.
SPEAKER_00: Now I'm going in the next time when they uh saw this thing off.
SPEAKER_00: Four weeks from now or so, Lord willing.
SPEAKER_00: And uh, I want to give him a gospel track and say, hey, you help me.
SPEAKER_00: And he did a good job.
SPEAKER_00: And and I know this is HMO and everything like that, and you get paid, I don't know how, but I mean this is not like you're making a whole lot of money on me.
SPEAKER_00: I just want to say thank you for helping me physically.
SPEAKER_00: I want to do something to help you spiritually if you'll let me the furtherance of the gospel, brother.
SPEAKER_00: I don't think in the last after the first three or four days in the hospital, I haven't been down too much.
SPEAKER_00: Once in a while, but not not not too much because I've been reading this book.
SPEAKER_00: And I read there that Paul had a good attitude and I had the same one.
SPEAKER_00: Now I'm praying for Brother Ortiz tonight, and I'm praying for Jerry Hunt still in the hospital.
SPEAKER_00: Uh he's laying there with tubes all over him in Kaiser.
SPEAKER_00: Now they transferred him.
SPEAKER_00: And uh praying for Brother Jordan tonight, and Mrs.
SPEAKER_00: uh uh Eugene Swim's wife just got out of the hospital and she's at home now, still doing okay.
SPEAKER_00: Praying for, praying for her.
SPEAKER_00: She's not doing that great.
SPEAKER_00: And brother Swim knows what he's facing before long.
SPEAKER_00: It won't be bad.
SPEAKER_00: Luck will be God's will.
SPEAKER_00: You want to hover around somebody that's gonna need a little uh encouragement?
SPEAKER_00: Uh brother Eugene Swim here is gonna face some things before long and say, don't say that, you'll jinx it.
SPEAKER_00: There's no jinx.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's see.
SPEAKER_00: I I know I keep driving to work that same way.
SPEAKER_00: It's bad luck.
SPEAKER_00: I'll drive a different way today.
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I got I got my lucky whatever in my my pocket.
SPEAKER_00: I bought one of those four-leaf crovers that is in this little stapled thing that, you know, it's three real ones, and they got a fourth one glued in there.
SPEAKER_00: You know how that goes.
SPEAKER_00: I got in my wallet.
SPEAKER_00: Better off, get your nose in this book.
SPEAKER_00: And see what happened to someone else and how God dealt with them, and then get the attitude, brethren, you know what?
SPEAKER_00: All these things have befallen me, Paul said.
SPEAKER_00: It happened rather to the furtherance of the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: And you know what I noticed too, Paul said?
SPEAKER_00: And brethren, seeing what I've gone through, they wax confident.
SPEAKER_00: They got some boldness, and they kept going for God.
SPEAKER_00: Now that's all in this book.
SPEAKER_00: Why does trouble come?
SPEAKER_00: Personally, to deal with me, further the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: Number three, maybe somebody else's strength, or if someone's lost, to bring them to Christ.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know where you're at tonight.
SPEAKER_00: You say, well, this doesn't apply to me.
SPEAKER_00: Be careful.
SPEAKER_00: Mike jinx it.
SPEAKER_00: You know I'm kidding.
SPEAKER_00: Let me tell you this, and I'm finished with this statement.
SPEAKER_00: Here it comes.
SPEAKER_00: Oh our Lord.
SPEAKER_00: How can I use this trouble as an opportunity?
SPEAKER_00: What is the opportunity?
SPEAKER_00: What is the open door laid before me here?
SPEAKER_00: I know I'm supposed to learn something, but what is the open door laid before me for the gospel to go out and the brethren to be strengthened?
SPEAKER_00: Show me.
SPEAKER_00: Don't let me miss this door.
SPEAKER_00: Don't let me wait waste this thing.
SPEAKER_00: Let me see it so I don't miss it.
SPEAKER_00: So at the judgment seat of Christ, you'll be pleased with how I handled this trouble that came my way.
SPEAKER_00: And in the millennium, it'll count for something other than just I had to go through it.
SPEAKER_00: There's a reason, there's a purpose.
SPEAKER_00: Help me to do something with it.
SPEAKER_00: We ought to pray that for these other brethren that are going through some things right now, too.
SPEAKER_00: And let it strengthen us.
SPEAKER_00: Let's all stand.