I want to jump right into the message we’re on this series called basic training, the making of a soldier, basic training, the making of a soldier. So if you got your Bibles here at the road’s church, we believe the Bible is more than just a book that sits on the shelf. On Monday through Saturday, we believe that it is a truly a word from God. So every time we open it, we expect he has something to say to us. So we get a little bit excited about what about whenever we’re going to open up and see what he has to say. So if you’ve got your Bibles today, will you get them out with this Mount Carmel erodes family right here in North city? Let’s gather together. Open them up to second Timothy chapter here at Mt. Carmel Church.
Second Timothy chapter two. Everybody excited to be in church. Just think you could not be. So be grateful. Second, Timothy, chapter two. I’m going to start reading in verse one. Whenever you’re ready. If you’re ready to say ready. All right, I’ll take that for everybody. All right. Number one, verse one says you, therefore, my son be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you’ve heard from me among many witnesses commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others. Also, it’s also faithful men and women. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare with us Mt. Carmel Church. It’s going to be important for us to pull that out. Engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life that he or she may please him who enlisted them as a soldier.
Let’s pray, father. I love you. You are our champion giants fall when you stand undefeated. So I just thank you. Holy spirit. I ask you to come bring power and life to this word that it’s not just be a sermon to tickle our ears, God, but I’ve prayed for truth from heaven to be revealed that you will strengthen us, encourage us and guide us and convict us with the power of the truth. Thank you Lord for healing today. Thank you for deliverance. For those watching online, those of Mount Carmel here in North city goes listening to the podcast later. I pray that the truth of your word will set us free in Jesus name. We pray somebody say, amen, all right, verse three says you therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. We talked about this a little bit last week, and I just want to touch on it in kind of a reference. When it says you endure hardship, it means to undergo hardship for us as the best Mt. Carmel Church , to be afflicted, to suffer physical pain or distress. Does that sound exciting? If you’re going to be a Christian, you’re going to be a follower because Paul’s writing to Timothy, his son in the faith, his disciple, and he’s given him the four one, one what’s up with being a Christian says, all right, heads up. Here’s what’s going to happen. I need you to endure hardship.
Yay, Paul,
Right? I mean like, can I sign up for something else? No, I need you to endure a hardship. It means you’re going to undergo some hardship, be afflicted, going to suffer some physical pain, some emotional pain, some distress, but here’s, what’s key about this. It’s not about the glorification of nor the focus on hardships, but the acknowledgement of, and preparation for their existence. Big difference. When he says endure hardships, it’s not to glorify hardship or to get our focus on the hardship. It’s to let us know that they’re coming and to prepare us for them. It’s part of the package and being a Christian. And God’s just saying, Hey, it’s coming. So I want you to be ready for it. It’s the reason it’s the justification for the training of a soldier. Why does a soldier go through such tough, basic training? Because they’re preparing for battle. We’re not, soldiers are not prepared for the barracks. They’re prepared for battle. So this is what he’s talking about. Hey, Timothy, you’re going to have to endure hardship as a good soldier with a good Mt. Carmel Church. It’s not about what we go through, but how we go through as a good soldier. So be prepared for this. You’re going to have to endure it because he’s training you. It’s a justification to why I’m equipping you to be a son or daughter of God. Why am equipping you to not just think that Christianity is about sitting in church services?
It’s about more than that. You hit maybe, maybe it used to be that people could get by with that. They, I just want to be a good person. Go to church, listen to a preacher and going about my luck. You can’t do that anymore. And be successful. You’ve got to endure hardship as a good soldier as a good soldier with a good Mt. Carmel Church. So you got to endure, you got to throw, go through. It’s not about what we go through. It’s about how we go through. So let’s sit around folks about what I’m going through and just get all depressed and discouraged about school and all the limitation of what’s going to happen and just get the data. It’s not about what I’m going through. It’s about how I’m going to go through. I’m going to go through a lot of junk when it’s not this it’s going to be that.
So we gotta be prepared. What helps me connect and relate, but how helps me provide hope and an example. You need to provide people with an example and hope to look at your life and say, wow, if they can get through, I can get through. So now look at the next verse. No one engaged in warfare, that word engaged in warfare. It’s three words in English with one in the Greek. It means to engage in a war as a soldier to fight or a battle engaged in warfare. Here’s what you need to know. We are in a war. We’re in a spiritual war right now, right now. It’s going on. We’re in it. Whether you’re, whether you’re engaged or not, it doesn’t matter. It’s still going on. There can be a war happening and the people still not be engaged. We need to know that we’re in a spiritual war right now, right now, California officials have announced they will cut off water and power to either to anyone, whether in a church or a private home who continues to worship or have Bible studies or prayer gatherings. This is not in China or the Soviet union. This is not in a communist nation. This is in California, the United States of America, land of the free and home of the brave
Owner of California’s also band singing in church services, band singing in church services. That’s not just in California. It’s also happening in Illinois. What’s happening in California is making its way towards Eleanor, that these policies, these plans and the purpose behind this is to silence the church. We are in a battle. We’re in a war. And I want you to get woke to the fact that the church better lift its voice and have something to say, because the plan of the enemy is to shut your mouth and keep you from saying anything. Rob McCoy of God, speak Calvary chapel. I got a phone call Friday, Friday evening, pick up the phone for instance, Hey, get a plane ticket. We’re going to California. What they were going to California said, why, why, why, why are we going to California? It’s because this pastor friend of mine, pastors, his church and he just had a ruling come down Friday by a judge with us here at Mt. Carmel Church.
And here was the rule that was handed down by a judge. This has Godspeed, Calvary chapel. You can look it up was issued a temporary restraining restraining order. Barring the church from holding services by Ventura County superior court. Judge Matthew GWAS SCO. The judge stated they were an immediate threat to public health and safety due to the 2019 novel Corona virus. Pastor McCoy stated after the ruling. I wish he didn’t have to come to this. I really do, but we will be violating the judge’s order. We will be open this Sunday. So he calls me on the phone and says, Hey, let’s go. I’m like, I can’t go avoid you. I got something going on with Lucas on Monday, I’m kind of scheduled to preach on Sunday. He said, we’ll get somebody else to preach. You need to get them on a plane, go to California. He said, if he’s going to get arrested, I want to be arrested with him. And I want you to be right there beside me. And I said, Hey, you know, I can’t decide, but, but absolutely I’m going to be praying because I want you to know that I have stationed and positioned myself prepared for whatever God has. See the silencing of dissenting voices doesn’t matter to you until your voice is the dissenting voice. That is silence.
Yeah.
You don’t care about the sentence. Dissenting voices being silenced as long as it’s an issue that you agree on. But what about that same empowerment that you’re giving becomes a voice that you want to speak about freely, an issue that you want to dissent on. And now you can’t descent because the thing that you empowered, because it wasn’t, your issue now becomes issue. We got to realize that God is telling the church to stand up with us the best Mt. Carmel Church, speak up and be heard because the voice of the enemy is trying to quiet our voices. It’s time for us to stand out and be different. Now we’re not a guest. When we say we’re going to stand up and be bolts. We’re not against local health officials. We’re not against local people in the medical field. We’re not even against the local law enforcement, because what we’re talking about is a bigger picture, a bigger picture.
We’re fighting a battle. We’re fighting a war. The war is not about whether to wear a mask or not. That is not what the war is about. This is a spiritual war of Christ versus antichrist. What gatherings are they trying to stop? Huh? What could it be? Believers, churches trying to gather, shut off their water and electricity in America. I don’t think so. Now it may happen, but it’s not going to stop the gospel of Jesus Christ from going forward, but we have to be ready. This is why we’re talking about it because we want to truly get woke. If we want to use phrases and colloquialism, let’s get woke to the fact that Jesus Christ is the lamb of God. So we got to realize that we don’t walk in the counsel of the ungodly, but we listen to what Jesus says. So again, we’re not fighting against flesh and blood.
We’re not finding gets people. They’re just trying to do their jobs by their bosses, handing down directives. And I understand all that, but we have to stand up and say, wait a minute, this is the agenda. And the strategy of the enemy to keep churches from gathering together. You can’t sing in church. Oh, I got a lot to say on that, but here’s what I’m just going to say. We’re not trying to be defiant just to be rebellious and an educated. We’re not doing it just to be loud and be ignorant. No, I’ve been, I’ve got 53 pages of a document that I’ve been praying about since March of preparation of facts that I’ve been studying about what all’s is going on. That I’ve prayed. God, what do you want me to release this? Because I’ve been praying about the decisions that I make. I want you to know as the pastor of this church, I do not make decisions lightly.
I do not randomly just haphazardly. Say why this is going to do this and thumb my nose at authority. I am submitting myself to the ultimate authority of Jesus Christ seeking his face. What I need to do. I’m going to answer to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Someday. When I stand before his throne and I am fearful, I am fearful of the voice of God. Say, Lord, whatever you want to do, I give you my life. If I have to go to jail, whatever it doesn’t matter. I will kneel for you and bow to your voice and your voice alone. So let’s say we’re still having gathering is something because I’m being reckless or ignorant. I have studied. I am researching. I’ve stoked to immunologists. I’ve studied the virus. I’ve studied the transmission of the virus. So this is not just some blind religious, a foolish thing that we’re doing. It’s educated, it’s calculated, it’s measured. And I say that not to put your faith and confidence in me, but I want you to have your faith and confidence in Jesus Christ. The days of just coming to church and listening to the sermon are over it’s time for the church to realize. And this is what this is about. Basic training. The making of a soldier is it’s not about what the preacher does. It’s about what you and I do together because you will have to stand for your own faith. When Nazi Germany began to hold Jews off into quarantine camps, they were called.
Yeah.
They begin to haul them off to, and they convinced the people that the Jews had this virus. And so they’re taking them to quarantine camps for safety. And they asked Germans later, how did you let millions of people just go off into camps and be gassed and assassinated? How did you do that? They said we had no choice. It was the law. Some people think foolishly maybe ignorantly that the enemy is just going to come out and say, Hey, I’m Satan. Come worship me.
How it works. It’s subtle. It’s using languages like your health and your safety. We’re concerned about your health and your safety. So we’re going to remove these people out of society because we want you to be safe. Does that sound like someone standing up and saying, I am Satan come and worship me? No, that’s not how it works. So we got to realize what’s happening in the world today. It’s not going to be a front. It’s not going to be blatant. It’s going to be coded. It’s going to be underlying things. We have to get woke to the realization that the enemy has to steal, kill, and destroy everyone. It’s not about, uh, people against people. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but so we’ve got to realize that just because we’re not seeing everything in blatant terms, we’ve got to realize there’s an underlying agenda and an underlying motive. So notice what he says, no one engaged in warfare, entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. If we’re going to be engaged in this warfare, here’s number one thing. As a soldier, you have to understand that a soldier in the body of Christ and the army of God, we cannot be so entangled with the affairs of this life that we forget who we’re pleasing with the top Mt. Carmel Church.
You can’t forget it. Can’t forget it right now. It’s a huge reminder of right now. Who are you going to give your loyalty to? Who are you going to please? Who you’re living your life to please. If we get so caught up, well, I can’t lose my job. I can’t. I gotta eat, man. I’m wanting to get into some of my 53 page document right now. I’m just hearing facts come up. But I just got to wait on that. There’s a time for it. God’s going to use it, but I’m just saying, listen, we got to realize that we were Jehovah. Gyra. Lord is our provider, and I’m going to take a stand for him no matter what it costs me, because I trust he can supply for my needs. And for my family said, what are you going to do? If they shut down church and what are you gonna do?
If they shut down, I’m going to do the same thing I do every single day. I’m going to get down and get on my face. And I’m going to say, Jesus, I thank you that you are Lord of my life. And I trust you with everything that I have. Today’s no different than yesterday. I don’t know how you’re going to do it today. That’s a little bit different, but I trust you not to say, this is why we got to live. Nothing that’s happening on the daily should change our agenda. We get up and we serve Jesus every day. And we believe that he is going to be our fortress and our strength. We’ve got to please him. The word pleaser means to give pleasure of pleasing or desire to please who we’re going to please in acts chapter four, Peter and John were told to not by the authorities do not speak or teach in the name of Jesus.
And they pulled him in and said, do not speak anymore. And Peter and John said this in acts four 19, but Peter and John answered and said to them, whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God you judge, who are you going to please? You God, please. God, are you going to please people? They got a, they let them go. And they started to went right back to start preaching about Jesus after they’d just been told not to by those in authority. So somebody is going to have to buck some authority. Sometime. Sometimes the enemy is going to use threats that have to be challenged.
Yeah.
Not speak about Jesus anymore.
Ooh. Okay.
What are you going to do in that moment? Are you going to be gone? Are you going by obey man? God had told him to go into all the world and preach the gospel. So what did they do? They went right back to the synagogue. They started preaching the gospel. They went back and told the authorities, Hey, those people that you said not to preach in jesus’ name, they’re doing it again. What are you going to do? Well, we’re going to do something. So they took him and they put him in jail, put them in jail. So then the Bible says, the angel of the Lord came that night and let him out of jail. So don’t be afraid about going to jail. We got connections to somebody that can get us out of jail, got them out of jail. And they went right back to preaching again with the best Mt. Carmel Church.
So the authorities come, they’re like, what are we going to do with you? And they, they said, listen, we’ve we thought we threatened you and told you, we thought we made it clear. We thought we’d put out all kinds of notices and information. And we put it on Twitter. And we put it everywhere that you understand you can’t preach in jesus’ name anymore. The next chapter five verse 29. But Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God. Rather than men, we have to live with a purpose. Notice what it says. We don’t entangle ourselves with the affairs of this life that we may please him who enlisted us as a soldier. We have to please God, if you’re going to know about being a soldier about, about being enlisted in this army, we have to have it set in my heart.
I’m going to please, God we’ll please God, rather than men, it’s the first agenda. First directive that we have now notice what it says. Enlisted him as a soldier. We have been recruited for God’s army. You’ve been recruited. If you’re a sir, if you’re a son or daughter of God, if you’ve accepted Jesus, you’re a Christian. You’re again. You need to know you’ve been recruited into an army. You’ve been recruited into a family. You being recruited in an army. There’s all kinds of applications. We could go about the body of Christ. But one thing we have to know, we have been recruited into an army, not an army fighting for something, but an army defending something. We’re not fighting for victory. We’re fighting from victory, but we are an army nonetheless of enforcing what Christ paid for us. So we’re an army to defend that we will defend the ground.
So recruited as a soldier, not as an observer, we’re recruited to engage and not to watch. When you recruited as a soldier, you’re not included recruited just to watch the preacher preach sermons. You were recruited to be a soldier in your own home, in your own life to fight the good fight of faith. No matter your age, no matter your occupation, it does not matter. We’ve got to get past thinking. It’s about the people that’s paid to do it. They’re the spiritual people and we’re not. No. My job is to equip the saints, to rally the troops, rally the trips together, say, let’s go out and take the Hill with us here at Mt. Carmel Church. Not for you to watch he popcorn. While I try and take the Hill, we can take a lot more Hills together than one person can buy their selves. Two things. I want to give you those two things.
Every soldier needs to know. This was from just military. Study. Two things. Every soldier needs to know. Number one, they need to know the mission. You need to know the mission. What are we trying to accomplish? What is the goal? What is the objective? What is the objective? If you’re going to be a Christian, if you’re going to be a follower of Jesus, you need to know your mission. Why are you a Christian? What are you doing? What’s the objective? What’s the goal is the objective. Just to get to heaven. No. Some people think that that’s the objective. The objective is not just to get to heaven. The going to heaven is the reward. Not the objective. That’s going to be like nails on a chalkboard to some people, but I’m telling you your mission as a believer is not to go to heaven. That’s a reward of completing your mission.
Jesus came with a mission. Jesus, son of God didn’t even come to earth without a mission. Here’s what he came to do. Luke 1911 for the son of man has come to do what to seek and to save that which was lost. He knew he was on a mission. First, John three eight says for this purpose, the son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Thank you Jesus. For destroying the works of the devil, Luke four 18, the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he’s anointed me. He’s anointed me. Here’s what he’s anointed me to do. He’s anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. So he’s equipped for that we are looking to help you with us at Mt. Carmel Church. So Jesus, whenever he saw poor people, he’s like, Oh, I’ve got an answer. I’ve been equipped for something. I’m gonna preach the gospel to them. So when he saw poor people, he was excited because he had something to offer. I’m talking about mission. I’m talking about knowing why you’re here. When we know why we’re here. Then when we see a need, we don’t say, well, I better call the preacher and have him come do something about it.
I better send a Facebook message to the pastor. Hey pastor, could you get ahold of this person and deal with it? Can you fix their life? Is there any way you can just talk to them and fix them? Right? Wait a minute. Did the Lord put them on your heart? If the Lord puts you on their hearts, then you have the answer. The solution it’s in you. It’s called Christ in you. The hope of glory. So he says there, he said, I got the gospel of the poor. He sent me to heal the broken and he saw broken, broken hearted people. Like I know what to do. I’m going to heal him. Why? Because I’m anointed to do that. I’m anointed to do that. I have a job. I have a role. I have an assignment. I have a mission. Bring me the brokenhearted people.
Why? Because it’s why I’m here. He didn’t run from problems. He said, when they come bring the masses, why? Because he wasn’t pulling on himself. He was pulling on the anointing. The reason we get all dried up and flustered trying to serve other people’s when we start serving from our own produce, we got to serve from the gift that is on the inside of us. And they’ll take me in the wrong direction. Let me just say it was just a nugget. I’m just throwing that out there to proclaim Liberty, to the captains recovery of sight, to the blind, listen to this part, to set at Liberty. Those who are oppressed to set at Liberty. Those who are oppressed, the green Bay Moroccan motto. I looked this up. The motto of the Greenbrae is day oppress old Liebherr means to liberate the oppressed, to liberate the oppressed with us a great Mt. Carmel Church.
This is what Jesus came to do. This is the sound of the green Baret to liberate the oppressed. He says, come on where some oppressed people, I want to bring liberation to them. I want to see some people that are oppressed by the enemy will press by the lies of the devil oppressed by, by, by an ungodly government. I want to be, I want to break, see people that are oppressed and I want to bring Liberty to them. Living in Liberty. That’d be a great series where to do that sometime Liberty. So what is our mission as soldiers under his command? Here’s our mission. You gotta know your mission. Here’s our mission transformation of people to transform culture.
I’m gonna let that set for a moment. Some of you have not heard stuff like this before. Maybe you’re hearing it for the first time. Christians, your mission, should you choose to accept it is to transform people with the gospel of Jesus Christ so that we can transform culture. The mission of the church is not church attendance. The mission that you have before you, that you need to ask, will you accept it? Choose you this day, whom you will serve is for you to allow the word of God, to transform your life and that transformation on the inside of you help transform other people’s lives. And together, we begin to transform culture to not just survive this world, but to change this world. That’s the mission of the church. We didn’t, we didn’t get hit. We didn’t get saved to hide. Look what Matthew six says this in verse 10, Jesus, teaching us how to pray said your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven at Mt. Carmel Church.
Pray this way. Lord let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I believe the church has lost its mission because they fought that their mission was just church attendance and they lost their mission a little bit. And I’m going to step into something just briefly and then I’ll step out of it. But I believe, I believe they’ve been taught that their mission was to just go to heaven and avoid the sinful dirty world. And that we’d get raptured out of here and forget all this mess. It’s going to hell in a hand basket. And so we just gotta survive and get in the church and console one another. And I’m telling you, one book will be snapped out of here. And it’s we just have to, don’t have to worry about the world. I’m telling you what if our mission was to change this world and not just survive this world.
What if God called us to be safe and not just enter the mountain of influence of religion and huddle in hair and hide until he zaps us out? What if he wanted us to go into all seven mountains of influence and change the culture where the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God? What if, what if, what if he wants you to go to work and be a change agent of culture? What if he wants you to bring it into a culture of the kingdom of God? Instead of like, I’m the only Christian there. I’m just trying to survive eight to five guy. What if he said go in and change the culture of the coal mine? Well, you don’t know how them guys are down there. You don’t know how Jesus is on the inside of you.
What if he wants to change the culture at school? What he wants to change the culture wherever you are. We got to be change agents. I love to say that mission. We got nowhere mission. What’s our mission. Transform people, transform culture, Rose Church heads up. Here’s our mission. Transform people, transform culture. That’s what we’re going to do. That’s what we’re going to see God do. Cause we’re we have a different agenda. We’re not just trying to survive this thing. We’re changing this thing through the power of God. Number two, you got to know your mission here with us at Mt. Carmel Church. Number two, you got to know the rules of engagement. Every soldier, before you go out to battle, you need to know the rules of engagement, like what’s rules of engagement. Here’s what rules of engagement are. The orders issued by a competent military authority that describe in detail when, where, how, and against whom this is important.
When, where, how, and against whom military force may be used. And they have implications for what actions soldiers may take on their own authority. And what directives may be issued by a commanding officer. Here’s the spiritual application. We need to know the rules of engagement spiritually, that we are not fighting a battle of flesh and blood. Let me give you some of the rules of engagement. I’m going to go to second Corinthians, chapter 10 for though we walk in the flesh. We do not war. According to the flesh, we don’t fight according to fleshly weapons for the weapons of our warfare. So we do have weapons. We do have weapons. We don’t want, we don’t war according to the flesh, but we do war. We don’t war according to the flesh, but we do war. Some Christians don’t know that they don’t know that they’re supposed to war. They just think they’re supposed to whatever God wants to do. He’ll do. He’s sovereign. He’s in control. So I’m just supposed to go. Whatever happens happens. We’re supposed to walk.
Okay? Okay. Just making sure you knew that weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they’re mighty in God and pulling down strongholds. Here’s something we need to know about the rules of engagement. We have weapons, they are spiritual and they are mighty mighty weapons. We got them. You’re loaded. You’re ready. So what are these weapons? What are these weapons? See the rules of engagement. Help us to know when, where, how, and to whom we use our spiritual weapons. So Ephesians chapter six says this, Hey brethren, be strong. The Lord in the power of his might put on the whole armor of God that you be able to stand against the Wiles of the devil for, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. We’re not fighting against people. We’re not fighting against Democrats. We’re not fighting against Republicans. We’re not fighting against the press with us at Mt. Carmel Church.
We’re not fighting against individuals. We’re fighting. It’s principalities and powers. Rulers of this darkness, darkness of this age against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may able to withstand in that evil day. Having done all to stamp. Every military person goes through weapons, train everybody in the military goes through weapons training. But if they’re going to all the weapons that’s made available to a soldier, they train them on how to use it. They don’t hand them a machine gun. Does they just start shooting? They don’t hand them a hand grenade and just, they just throw it around and blow some stuff up. Everything that they make available to them. They train them exactly how to use it. I saw them training on a hand grenade. I’m thinking I’d throw a ball really well. You don’t need to train me on. They had to train on the trajectory, how to place your arm. Exactly how to throw it, how to hold it. All of that. If you’ve got something that’s going to explode. I mean, those, it’s a good idea to get some training on.
So see, I dunno, you pull this pin here. Let it go see, Oh yeah, you want some training. They get specific training. Here’s what I feel is a difficulty in the church is that we’re not getting specific training on the weapons that’s been made available to us. Ephesians chapter six, you’ve got weapons crew. Second Corinthians said, they’re mighty weapons. Do you know how to use the weapons that’s been made available to you? Do you know that you have to war with a great Mt. Carmel Church? Do you know that when you put on the belt of truth, what that means, how you use that? Do you know that whenever you put on the breastplate of righteousness, that helps you do you know how to use the shield of faith to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one? We got to have weapons training. If we’re going to be successful as soldiers in the body of Christ, we got to have weapons, right?
Do you know how to use the sword of the spirit? Do you not use the helmet of salvation? Do you even knows that those are available to you? If you don’t, this is what we’re talking about. We want to do basic training that, you know, the rules of engagement, you know, who, when, where, and to whom you release those spiritual fours. I don’t use my spiritual forces against people. That’s not the rules of engagement. My rules of engagement go that I’m not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, rulers of darkness, this agent’s personal hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. That’s the rules of engagement. Also another part of rules, engagement’s important rules of engagement said that you need to know what are the authority of the soldier on their own and to what things they need to go back to the commanding officer to get directives for.
Here’s how that’s important. There are certain things that they told a soldier and train them in this situation. This is what we give you the authority to do. And you don’t need to ask us about it. When you get in this situation, this is how you respond, how crazy would be with soldier. Get in this situation they had been trained for in order to give them the authority for, and they go up to that enemy in that situation, they call back and they want to talk to their drill Sergeant, Hey, I’m just Sergeant I’m facing this thing right now. And I’m just not sure. Should I go ahead and pull the trigger or not? I mean, they’re shooting at us like crazy. You know, I really don’t have time to talk to you, but I just wanted to ask and make sure it’s okay. We fire back. Wouldn’t that be ridiculous. If they’d already been given authority, I believe Jesus said, behold, I give you authority over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you. There’s certain things that we’re calling God about when he said I’ve already trained you and equipped you and gave you the authority to go do that, handle it.
There’s certain things that we need to ask the Lord about. There’s certain things that we need to go back to him. There’s certain things that he’s given me authority to do. And I operate in it. There’s certain things I asked him about. Say, Lord, I’m not sure how you want me to use the authority that you give me. Do you want me to use it this way? Or do you want me to use it that way? It’s called submitting to the King of Kings and saying, Lord, I don’t want to make a decision unless you were behind it. We need to know the rules of engagement. So as we’re fighting right now, we’re battling. I just want to encourage some people and what we’re facing in a, in society. I said, I’m, I’m prepared for whatever challenges are going to come our way. And I’m not saying that some types of false martyrdom deal to make it about me or anything like that. But I want to say to saints, to true Christians here at Mt. Carmel Church, it’s time to wake up and be prepared. Cause we’re in the midst of a battle. We’re in the midst of a separation of Christ and anti-Christ Christ and anti-Christ. And that separation is only going to get bigger. And it’s going to get clearer and clearer who, the ones that are yielding themselves to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And who’s the one who yields themselves to the voice of the world, get on the army.
Cause in this battle, there’s two sides. So the army, only one of them is going to win. I will be on the right side. I’m going to be on their side. That declares Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And the other side is a loser. Even if they think they’re winning right now, the Bible says, God laughs at them while they think they’re winning. He lives with me. That’s cute. Now it may not seem cute when we have to endure hardships. When we have to go through difficulty, I’m not laughing when I have to go through hardships, but I’m looking to him say, God, I trust you that I will be bold as a lion because we will be victorious through Christ. And I believe that people need to hear this message. I be believe people are needing to be led, but there’s boldness available to the Christian and we can’t back down. We come in, we come in, we ain’t backing down. Not because of us. This is not a selfish defiance. That’s putting people in danger. No, I said that before. And I’m saying in the gifts I reiterate, we are concerned about the safety of people, but I’m more concerned about the spiritual safety of people to not give them some candy coated message like, well, I don’t know. Let’s just see what they say. Who are they? My Bible says do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly.
So I’m listening for godly counsel. And if someone to hold Jesus. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Someone says so. Yeah. Yes. It’s people say we just got to get some common sense. I’m like common sense. Let’s talk about common sense. What’s common sense. Mean to everybody common sense. I there’s some things I think ought to be common sense that are common sense to everybody. You some common sense. You started to do this. Come say, Oh, John will say, I’ve been meditating on this thought for last couple of days. It seems a little harsh. I’ve just got a, I think it’s common sense.
I think it’s common sense.
It seems to me like it would be common sense to not vacuum a live human out of a womb. It seems like common sense. To me, it seems like common sense to not sell a child into sex trafficking. It seems like common sense to me, this seems like common sense to me that pedophilia is not an orientation or a disorder. It seems like common sense to me, but that’s abuse the same seem like common sense, but what’s common sense to me. It’s not come since to everyone. So people go to you and talk about what we just got to have common sense. Well, what’s common sense. Do you want to talk about, I will talk about the common sense of the gospel of Jesus Christ, whether it’s common and everyone or not. It is common where it matters. It is common in heaven. This is way everybody thinks in heaven.
And what we see is temporary. What we don’t see as eternal. So I’ve set my affections on that. I’ve set my feet planted. I say, Lord, however, this plays out. I’m in, I’m all in. I’m rolling up my sleeves. And I’m saying, I’m going to declare. I said to my kids, went to my younger to my kids and tell them, I said to my kids, I said, listen, are you ready? Are you ready to be questioned for your faith? Are you ready to have to stand up for the gospel of Jesus? Are you ready for them? Are you ready to give your life for Christ?
Are you ready? Because I’m telling you right now, I’m telling you if someone puts a gun to my head and says, you didn’t deny Jesus, or I’m going to take your life. I said to pull that trigger because absent from the bodies be present with the looks. And I want you to note that if someone puts a gun to your head and once you know what your daddy stands, that have never gone to an denounce, Jesus Christ. I’ve never gone to Nelson for your sake or for anybody else sake, because I know that God’s going to take care of you. I’m telling you, I’m talking about a faith rising and the body of Christ, a boldness rising the body of Christ that we’re created for this time we were created for the time you were born, you were born for such a time as this, you were born alive in this time here at Mt. Carmel Church.
Not so long as you can run in fear and hot, but to say, Hey, Jesus said I was qualified for this time. Therefore I will take up the gifts and talents. God’s use meats and I will hit change in the warfare. I won’t watch it from the hillside eating popcorn, but I’ll engage. And I’ll say, Lord, here I am. Wherever you need me. You need me on the front lines. You need me over here. You need me in the observant, wherever you need mics. Here I am send me. You were made for this Mt. Carmel Church. You were made to serve in this time in history to say, we will be the ones who declared Jesus Christ is the lamb of God that saves the world. We will be the ones that say we won’t be silent. We won’t be held in bondage. We will be free. We’ll be the ones. We’ll be the ones. We’ll be the ones that say no, no, no. It’s not going to work. No, no watch. We will declare freedom. We will declare I give my life for Christ. He died for me. I will live for him. We will be the ones to hear God calling out his army. I hear the sound of a marching of an army with us at Mt. Carmel Church. I fear God raising up an army of the body of Christ who know who they are.
I know who you stand for. Say, ah, yeah, it’s going to be hard. Please. Let me be clear. And drew hardship as a good soldier.
I’m ready. You ready? You ready? Do you know how to fight?
How do you use your sword to beat depression? Do you know how to use your sword to get over addiction? Do you know how to put on the helmet of salvation to come against thoughts? Do you know how to do that? It’s all right. If you don’t know all of it, we’re going to train. We’re going to talk about, we will teach you because we got to realize as Christians, it’s not about just sitting in and listening to a sermon saying good job, preacher, I’m going to go to lunch. No, it’s about realizing. God’s called you to transform culture. We will sit and watch the news and say, man, got us. Your hope. You come get us quick. I’m like, come on. Let’s change them. Lord. Let’s change our community. Let’s change the laws. Let’s change the culture by changing the heart, change the heart of humanity.
You change everything. No matter what the laws we’ve got to stop, we keep going. Do you hear God speaking to hear God’s stirring up your heart to hear the call of God on the inside of you. I hope you do. Cause my, my goal today is not about impressing you with my performance about stirring up an impact on the inside of you with us here at Mt. Carmel Church, that God is calling the army. He’s calling on an army. He’s saying who are the ones who are the ones going to say, enlist me in that army. Enlisted me in that. It lets me know. I don’t want to play church. I don’t want to play church. I want to be enlisted in an army. I want to go out and sit and defy the devil. When he tries to tell me this or that I will say no, no, my watch not today.
Devil. You will tell me about my kids. You will try to steal my kids. Let me just tell you what’s going to happen. Let me pull the sword out. Say all my children will be taught by the Lord and great shall be the peace of my children in righteousness. They will be established. What else? You got to train up my kids in the way they should go. And they will not depart from it as they get older. Lord, thank you, Jesus, Lord. That great will be the peace Lord. I thank you. That peace is coming upon me. Not as the world gifts that not my heartbeat trouble. Don’t let it be afraid. Let the words come out of your mouth, man. I’m getting, sorry. I was getting excited. I’m like, I’m not trying to land a plane, but I just feel God’s stirring. Why? Because I want you to know that you’ve got something to say, you’re a soldier, male or female.
It doesn’t matter. God’s given you something, given you a mouth to declare say, wait a minute, try to steal my marriage. And not today devil, I’m going to pray. I’m going to confess the word of God. I’m not fighting. It’s flesh and blood. That coworker, that friend, that they’re trying to call some troubles with us at Mt. Carmel Church, trying to get you to hate them, trying to be bidders, trying to get you into political division. But it’s the Democrats. It’s the Republicans. I’m not wrestling against him. I tell you, I got you square on my side step ups. And I’m telling you you’re going to not be able to be victorious in my life because Jesus,
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