After we are saved and are born again we become ambassadors through Christ. How hard are we working to make it difficult for people to go to hell? For the rest of our lives, we need to make it hard for that to happen.
Kevin Wallace: I want to go in your Bible to Second Corinthians Chapter 5. We bless you Lord. How many loving with all their heart? It's a good day. It's a really good day. I want to sort of finish something that I started like six weeks ago. This place, you get something started and then God does - takes you in another little direction for a little bit and then He lets you come back to something that you weren't sure when you were going to get to and that's where I'm going today. How many remember probably five or six weeks ago when we talked about the house of Philip, what kind of house was it, it was a prophetic house and it was an evangelism house, right.
So for two weeks I talked about the prophetic and prophecy and I told you we were eventually going to get to the whole issue of evangelism and talk about what evangelism and prophetic evangelism looked like and I want to teach that today and I want you to go with me to the book of Second Corinthians Chapter 5 and I also would like for you to put your finger on John Chapter 1. There're some examples of what I'm going to talk about today that can be found in John Chapter 1 and I will probably just bring those to your attention just so that we reinforce what it is that God is assigning this house to do. I want you to hear me say this as a pastor, one of the things that is incumbent upon leaders to do as God changes and transforms a church is to make sure that the leader is doing his or her best to communicate what it is God is trying to transition and transform within that body. How many would agree with me we're not just staying where we've always been, but we're moving from glory to glory? That's how churches should be anyway. Your church should be growing and moving forward.
If we stay stuck we can have great services, but if we just stay stuck in where we've always been and we don't take more and more territory, how many that we're missing the mark as the people of God. God doesn't call us just to get saved and have great services, but do nothing that transforms our community, God saves us to be the light of the world, come on, a city set on a hill that cannot be hid, there ought to be some transformation happening. So, one of the things we have to do is articulate that and we have to communicate that as best as we can. And I really sense a shift is happening in our body. I sense that worship is going deeper; I sense that people are more open to the things of the spirit and even embracing their role and responsibility in allowing God to work through them to engage the lost. And I want to kind of bear down on that a little bit today, because this whole thing of prophetic evangelism is not just a passing thing. I think this is actually becoming a theme for this house. That we're going to see people radically saved because of spirit empowered people who are not just waiting on folk to come to an altar at church, but will make an altar in the parking lot at Walmart. I got some crazy people in here that believe it. I got some religious people that are like, ‘What?’ But you know, my prayer is today that God begin to use every single one of us in a way that advances the kingdom of Jesus and that's what this is about.
So, second Corinthians Chapter 5, I want you to go to Verse number 17. When you got it say, word. Okay. Therefore if anyone - this is like a really good reason to get excited. If you like excitement, this is for you, okay. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new. Now, all things are of God who has reconciled us to Him through Jesus Christ and has given us" - somebody say us, somebody say me, somebody say he's talking about me - "he has given you and I the ministry of reconciliation." And that's verse. That verse, yes. That is that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. This is another really good reason to get excited if you like excitement. He was not imputing their trespasses to them. I got one come on now and an amen. That's a little better than that. I said Jesus was working and He was not imputing their trespasses against them and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Next verse, "Now then" - look at somebody say, now then - that's like my grand momma talking right there, now then. "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf be reconciled to God.” Next verse, last one, "For He made Him, that is Jesus, who knew no sin to be sinned for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ." Thank you for your word. Today, I want to talk about evangelism and I'm going to use the title that I preached in a sermon about seven or eight years ago. I haven't - I'm not preaching the same text, but I - well, I just love the title. Standing between Hell and the Harvest, the church today is standing between hell and the souls and the harvest of souls of lost men and women. And I want to know an answer to a question, how hard are we working to make it difficult for people to go to hell? I want to make it difficult for people to go to hell.
Look at your neighbor and say, neighbor, for the rest of our life, we're going to make it hard for people to go to hell in East Tennessee and North of Georgia and Northwest Alabama and anywhere else you all are coming from. How many believe God wants people to go to heaven? Then I think we need to catch on fire with an evangelistic fervor that sets this city in a blaze until every man, woman, boy and girl know that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. How many know that's what He's called us to do? Say Amen somebody. Lord, help us today to understand the significance of standing between hell and the harvest - and I pray today, oh God that an evangelistic fervor and fire would be set ablaze in the hearts of your people. Lord, some of us are not concerned about the condition in the souls of men, but today I pray a great burden would come upon us and that not only would a burden come, but an action would follow the burden and we would begin to see people say because we believe and we know you are a God of salvation.
In Jesus' name everyone said amen. You can be seated. I preached several weeks ago out of Act 21, I'm not going back there again today, but just let me acquaint you with the text briefly. I talked out of Act 21 about the house of Philip, Philip had four virgin daughters who the Bible said prophesied. And we ticked a few people off by saying it's the day of the daughter and women are prophesying and women are speaking the word of the Lord and there were some people who didn't really receive that and we didn't change how we felt about it even though they didn't like it, because I still believe God is pouring out his spirit on sons and daughters. And sons and daughters prophesy, amen. And there was something powerful happening in the house of Philip, I told you, He turned an entire city, the City of Samaria upside down with evangelistic fervor. He was healing the sick and casting out demons and He was preaching the gospel and an entire city, the City of Samaria was just turned upside down by the goodness of Christ manifesting through the life of this man Steven and he wasn't - oh, Philip, pardon me, Philip.
He wasn't an apostle, he wasn't an elder, he was nothing more than a deacon. The Bible calls Him a deacon. He was a servant in the house of the Lord, but yet he was willing to be used by God and God worked through Philip and he turned the entire City of Samaria upside down. God can change the city through the heart of one man. God can change the city through the heart of one woman, how consecrated will we become and how dedicated to the Lord's kingdom will we be in an effort to see His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. From Samaria, He moves up the coast and history tells us through the word of God that he landed in a place called Caesarea Maritima and there for 21 years he and his four daughters lived in a home and it was a prophetic epicenter.
I mean, people from all over the area were coming to Philip's house. It was like the swirl of God's spirit was just over that house and we had Agabus coming from Judea and Paul drops by. There's word traveling about all this activity happening in the house of Philip, something prophetic was happening in the house, something evangelistic was happening at the house. The city he was planted in was not a Christian epicenter, it wasn't even a Jewish epicenter, it was a gentile epicenter full of gentile life and it was in this dark place that God planted Philip and his four daughters and for 21 years they established a prophetic evangelistic house that literally changed an entire city. So examine what it meant to be prophetic, and I told you the day would come when we would get to this whole issue of what does it mean to be evangelistic and then I want to tie, if I can, prophetic evangelism together and then I'll be done. Evangelism.
This text I read to you today in Second Corinthians Chapter 5 is in my opinion, one of the most beautiful, concise and complete descriptions of what should happen to us when we are born again and the life we live thereafter. I want to give you three things out of second Corinthians, Chapter 3, all of them start with an M, that's how I roll. I want to give you these three things out of second Corinthians Chapter 5 about the role and responsibility of the church as it regards evangelism. Everyone say evangelism. The first thing I want you to see is the miracle of reconciliation. The second thing I'm going to tell you about is the method of - pardon me, the miracle of reconciliation, the ministry of reconciliation and the message, the method of reconciliation. Those three things are what I want to talk about today.
First of all, the miracle of reconciliation; Christ came to reconcile us back to God. This is a miracle, because you and I and everyone sitting in this church were born separated from God, hostile to God, enemies to God and could in nothing we did in our self get back to good standing with the Lord. Now, I say this periodically, because there is such confusion in the church as to who really needs Jesus and the reality of it is everyone needs Jesus. There isn't one person sitting in a seat in this building today who doesn't need a savior. I can tell you on the authority of the word of God, that all of us were born into sin.
We were not just born semi-messed up or sort of messed up or in need of a religious Band-Aid, we were hell bound, we were hostile enemies of God. There was nothing in me that could get to Him so the Bible says the miracle of reconciliation is that God was working through Christ to reconcile the world back to Himself. Oh, that's so good right there. That God literally looked down at the condition of all of us, saw that none of us could get it right, none of us could get our ducks in a row sister yay, yay, none of us could get all of our mess together and the Bible said in the Book of Isaiah when He looked for one who could get their act together, He went from Genesis to Revelation, He went from Noah to David, He went from Peter, He went all the way through the Old Testament, all the way through the New, He couldn't find anybody who could build me a bridge back to God so the Bible said in Isaiah, when He couldn't find anyone who could get right with God, God put on a suit of humanity, He came down here Himself, He paid the price Himself, He took care of the sin debt so that those of us who were separated could come back into the good grace and favor of the father. That is a miracle that a man or a woman who had a jacked up, messed up sinful soul could be saved, cleansed, redeemed, and now those who were enemies can now be called friends.
I don't know what that does to you on this Sunday morning, but I think we need about a five-second praise break right here to praise God that those of us who are enemies are now made friends by the blood of Jesus Christ. It's a miracle. Your salvation wasn't just another thing, it was a miracle, you got born again. Well, really, because when I got saved, I didn't - we sung songs growing up in the church, they sang good, but they weren't necessarily theologically accurate. I'm in a new world since the Lord saved me, one of my favorite songs, but the reality of it is when I got saved, I didn't live in a new world. I lived in the same crazy world. If you had a corn on your toe before you got saved, you got one after you got saved probably. You got saved and I looked up at my hands, my hands looked new, I looked up at my feet and they did too. Nope, not me, I - salvation doesn't fit all of the little things we think are flaws. What salvation is a miracle of new birth. And it's not physical birth, Jesus told Nicodemusin John Chapter 3, it's spiritual new birth, it's a miracle. When you see someone come to this altar and get right with God, it's a miracle.
Well, I want to see a miracle. All six foot four of me, here I am, I'm a miracle. How many of you are saved? Look at your neighbor and say, neighbor, you didn't know this, but you're sitting next to a miracle. Write my name down in this book of signs and wonders I'm a walking, living, breathing, moving miracle. How did that happen? I'll tell you how it happened, I was on my way to hell, nobody could help me, nobody could save me, raised in church all my life and still on my way to hell. I just came by today to tell somebody a miracle happened. He took what was no good, He took what was nothing going nowhere and He reached down by grace, save me through grace, set my feet on a rock, I'm a walking - you're a miracle, you're not just an accident, you're a miracle, God saved you. Somebody praise Him that you're saved today. The miracle of reconciliation, the word reconciliation is the Greek word, Kalatasso [Phonetic] [00:17:52] it literally means to put back into favor with something. That's what the Lord Jesus did, He put me back into right standing and favor with God.
I am no longer God's enemy, save people, you are no longer God's enemy, sinners in the house, you don't have to stay an enemy. The good news is that God through Christ was, watch, reconciling the world back to Himself. Jesus, God in the flesh paid the price so that we could be reconciled back to God, Hallelujah and this happened because a spiritual transaction occurred at Calvary. You and I had a sin debt we could not pay and when I came to stand before God, justice demanded payment for my sins. Wallace, you did this, this, this, this, this, this you cheated, you lied, you did this, you looked at this, you went there, you did - anybody know what I'm talking about. And yes it was true and the court of heaven demanded justice for my sin.
But reconciliation is that Jesus looked at me and my failure and said, oh God, he'll never be able to pay for all that so I'm going to have to go down to Calvary and pay it for Him. And that's why He walked up a hill and He carried the cross and they stretched Him wide and they hung Him high and He was mocked at and laughed at and talked about and ridiculed. They spit on Him and they beat Him and they crucified Him and the Bible said it was not for nothing that He did this for I hear the Prophet Isaiah saying He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our inequity and the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed. There is a reason He suffered, it is because I was a sinner and you were too and the good news and the miracle of reconciliation is that those of us who were separated from God have now been brought into right relationship with Him through faith in the price that Jesus paid for our sins.
Now, that's Bible salvation 101. And a lot of us are excited to be at the miracle. I'm not going to hell. I believe that's good news. I don't have to go to hell. But there is something here in this text beyond the miracle of reconciliation, it is that Christ saved you and I and called us not just to embrace the miracle of reconciliation, but to understand we've been called to the ministry of reconciliation, say, the ministry of reconciliation is an altogether different thing in the body because we live in a day and time now where we hire out our ministry.
Okay, offended party of one. We hire out our ministry, Pastor, you are our minister of reconciliation. All the staff are the ministers of reconciliation. They have responsibility of saving and preaching administering to the lost, I cannot find that in my Bible. Those who have been reconciled to God accept within the salvation act alone this built-in mechanism of sharing it. At least it's supposed to be that way. Those who have tasted salvation and reconciliation and favor with God are not supposed to be able to contain it, hide it or keep it in. And what we have going on now in the church at many places is we have social reactions and we are socially offended so we do social media to release a social statement about social frustration we are feeling with social activities that do not line up with the word, and instead of sharing the love of God, we're getting mad at everyone with - hold on, wait, let me fix it.
We don't have a problem talking to everybody, we actually spent a lot of time trying to talk to people, we just want to fix them all. I'm not getting any help and I'm trying to figure out why. I'm telling you the problem right now is we're investing all of our mental and spiritual energy and activity in trying to fix everybody, correct everybody, show everybody how much we know and the reality of it is if you take the same breath and use your same voice and type with those little fingers in the same way, you could use your life as an instrument to magnify the love of God rather than waste your time trying to fix everybody who ain't listening to you anyway.
Slap your neighbor and say something that they'll listen to, because most of what we want to say to people don't fix anybody, it don't help anybody it only makes the wound get wider and it makes the heart go deeper. Why don't we really get fall up the Holy Ghost and start flowing in the fruit of the spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, genuineness and self control. I'm not getting any help in here, I must be talking to somebody today. I've just dropped by to tell you your single role in life is not to get born again. Ready? Stand up. Everyone stand, everyone stand, everyone stand, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, turn around put your hand on your pew, you see, feel that heat, that is not your divine contribution to the kingdom of God. You are not called to warm a pew, you are not called to complain and bicker and argue, you are not called to stir the pot and stand on your soap box, you are called by the grace of God to come out of darkness, into His marvelous light, to tell everybody you know how good God has been to you.
My God, I feel Him in here. It's a ministry. I'm trying to measure my words, but I don't feel like being politically correct today. Preachers, churches, believers, we are not saved to stand on our soap box and to announce what's really important to us and forget about what's really important to Him. This past week, Jeremiah was doing a project, he came to me and said, dad I need some examples of churches that - churches or people in history who've tried to do ministry, but did it all the wrong way and just - it came off really bad. And I thought for a few minutes and there's a particular church, I won't call the name of the church, but they picket and boycott funerals and say with the nastiest words and the meanest signs you've ever seen homosexuals are going to burn in hell and bust hell wide open and they have these huge signs saying evil things about our soldiers who've died in battle and they do it all in the name of standing for Christ.
Now, first thing I want to tell you is I'm not even sure if those people are saved. So don't ever associate me with them. You hear me? Don't let the news drag you into a cesspool of being associated with somebody who calls themselves a church, but don't look like Jesus looked. And don't act like Jesus acted, because there's a lot of people in the media who want to bash the church. I heard it this past week. What is the church going to do about all of this perversion and pedophilia that's been surfaced in one particular denomination or one particular sect of the people who were supposed to be born again? I said to myself, "I didn't do that." And that ain't right and somebody needs to go to jail for a long time and don't ever associate the born-again righteous redeemed with a group of people who would not only abuse and take advantage of children, but cover it up and continue the activity. That my friends is a crime and it is sinful. I'm going somewhere, just hold on. I'm not trying to create enemies. I've also been in places where people felt called to be social prophets. I don't even know what that is.
The problem is I can't find it in the Bible. Because if you're a real prophet you love everybody and if you are a real prophet the word God gives you is for everybody - I'm not going to get no help, but I got Him and that's really what I need this morning. What I'm telling you is the church has got to get back to what she's called and anointed to do it's not to stand up on silly soap boxes, it's not to waste time trying to persuade people to believe in us and the kingdoms we build, it's not to cover up sin, it's not to abuse children. There is one ministry, God has given all of us who are saved, it is the ministry of being burdened that a lost and dying soul on its way to hell can be reconciled back to God through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Can you please calm down, you are too excited. No. Cry out loud and spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet, my God, people are going to hell and we're trying to figure out how to get more nickels and noses in the church. We need to tell our people who are lost there is a savior who will save.
Glory. It's the ministry. Okay. Jesus, Hallelujah. For I plead with them through you sayeth the Lord, I plead with the lost through you says the Lord be reconciled to God for this is the ministry I have called you to. And not only have I called you to it, but I have graced you and anointed you for it for the spirit of God is saying in this day that there are those who are wavered, lost, blind and wondering and God says your voice, me speaking through you will call them into the way of life eternal and I will use you says the Lord to lead people to me and I will receive the glory for I have paid the price and I have come that all who come to me will find life abundantly sayeth the Lord. Somebody lift your hands and pray to God. Hallelujah. The ministry of reconciliation is what we are called to in this house. Lost people, okay, thank you, Lord, do you know what this Bible says, can you put that scripture back up there, I think it's Verse 18, maybe it's 19. This came to me this morning in prayer. Verse number 19; can you put Verse 19 up there, Second Corinthians 5, 19. I want to take a minute, because I want you to see this. This is my point.
Second Corinthians 5, 19, "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself not imputing their trespasses to them." And here's what the Lord said to me in prayer this morning. "If I was working in Christ on behalf of the world not imputing their sins against them then why is my church doing that?" And it's not everybody in the church, but I think we ought to get something straight today. Yes, I'm called to say sin is sin, yes I'm called to say the house is on fire, yes, I'm called to say there is a hell. But I am not called to stand up and use pulpit time that God has given me in His mercy to point my religious finger at people and tell them, you're going to hell. Well, who wants to come back and hear you say that? Will they go to hell if they don't accept Christ? Yes. But we don't let the story end in hell. I believe in preaching - you can't preach hell hard enough. It is a place where the worm dieth not, men will gnaw their tongue for pain the Bible says. Darkness so dark your soul cannot comprehend it, yet Jesus came so that men and women could be freed from the fear of losing their soul and yet we have people - when I was growing up, I got saved every single Sunday; most of the time I got saved every Wednesday.
I wasn't just going to hell, I was going to bust it wide open. It's not just enough some people are going to hell, we want them to know how horrible they are - they're going to bust it wide open. Got no problem with preachers saying there is a hell to shun, but I have a serious issue when we act like we are more happy. That people are going to hell for their sin than we do spending our tie and energy and our passion telling people Jesus Christ came so that they might have life. I get the impression some people sitting in church are a little glad that some day some of these sinners are going to get what's coming to them. I tell you, you should examine your heart, you should examine your heart while there are hell bound, there are God haters so are you. So was I. While I was raised in church all my life, I don't care you were an enemy of God. The only reason any of us are heaven bound today is because Christ paid the price and saved us from our sin and gave all of us the ministry of reconciliation. There is not one person in Chattanooga going to hell today that I don't want to see Jesus save. I want Him to save all of them. And I want to tell you this, He can save all of them.
If He can't save all of them, let's shut the doors and go sell hotdogs and car insurance, because if He can't save one of us, He can't save any of us. I'm telling you today He can save to the uttermost, that's what the Book of Hebrew says. "He saves to the uttermost." Do you know what the uttermost is, it's the point where you and I go and we say, well, this is pretty far, this curtain over here, this is the end of the love of God, this is the limit of His grace, this is as far as God will go, they're just too lost. Uttermost is when God says, okay, is that where you stopped, here's uttermost, grace isn't going to stop where you stop, grace is going to walk on behind it and grace is going to say no matter how far you go and no matter how rank you are and now matter how you don't have to shout I just came to tell somebody if you got friends and loved ones who have turned their back on God, don't you ever give up on them. God saves to them - I feel the Holy Ghost on me, He saves to the uttermost.
Ministry of reconciliation; everything we do in this house should be because we believe God can save anybody. We ought to love deep, go the extra mile. It's a ministry. Let me just say this to you, God loves people. God loves people. My question is, do we? Do we understand the value of a soul, the value of a soul, a soul that has an eternal destiny? We can't just warm pews and sing Kumbaya and take communion once a month and feel good about it. If we see the harvest of souls as we should, and we recognize we're standing between that harvest and their hell - come at me, come at me, you all come at me, you all come at me, whole front row, come on, come on. Rick, you're the pastor, stand here. Carolyn, you're the choir director, stand here, you're the youth pastor, stand here, you're the children's pastor, stand here. No, no - everybody face me. You're all members of the church.
Oh, we've got a multicultural, multi-generational church, come on here we go. Okay. You ready? Here's what it looks like. Look like you're having church, just lift your head - do whatever you do when you have church, praise the Lord, Hallelujah, glory, okay. Keep doing it, don't stop, my God, you're supposed to know how to have church, okay. Watch. Here's what it looks like, here's the harvest. Here's lost sin, you all really need a breakthrough, my God. Here's the lost, sinful, humanity, here is the dude that lives across the street from the church. Here's the single momma raising four kids that works beside you on Monday and you just keep telling her how are you, I'm great, how are you, oh, I'm great, church was awesome yesterday, praise the Lord, life is so good living this American dream. And that person lost and doesn't know God, walks right through us on their way to hell. And we're worshipping -, but don't let me get in your way from worshipping Jesus, I'm just on my way to hell.
Don't let me get in your way while you're doing your Bible study and while you're doing your singing and while you're doing your preaching. I feel this on me right now. They're on their way to hell and we're standing between the harvest and hell and my question is are we having church and are people just passing us on their way to hell? Thank you. You say Pastor, that's a little dramatic, that's just a little too much for me I can't handle you getting all up in my space. I want to tell you something, there are people you have a divine assignment to minister to and if you miss that divine assignment it will take God in His kind mercy and He can do it Himself - I read stories after story this week of Muslims who were having dreams about Jesus coming to the Lord no one preaching to them in their tribe, they're just having encounters with Jesus in visions and dreams and they're getting born again, why, because we serve a God who really loves people. He really loves people. He loves Republicans and Democrats. Nope, I'm not going to do it today.
I usually hit it and when you don't like it, I usually just bounce to the next thing. Today, I come to tick you off completely. He loves Republicans and Democrats. He loves red, yellow, black and white. He loves Church of God, Assembly of God, non-denominational, Methodist, Baptists, Muslims, Hindus, Shinto, it don't matter where you - He loves people. You ready? He loves conservatives and liberals. And we're standing between hell and the harvest and the harvest is going to hell and the only thing missing is laborers who will intercept them and say, you know you might be shocked to find this out, and every time I talk about this, which isn't all the time, but when I do I always get somebody who sends me a message.
So save your time. You may be shocked to find out there are people who struggle with homosexuality that go to this church. And they have e-mailed me privately and said what is your position on homosexuality and I say homosexuality is a sin just like drinking and lying. See how I just kill all the religious people right there - and gossiping, roll your tongue back up before you bash the homosexual, get that forked tongue back in that mouth real quick - and tearing people down. I can think of a lot of sins and homosexuality is a grave sin and people who do not trust Christ and accept this sin just like everyone else who rejects Jesus they're going to go to hell, not because God is mean and doesn't want to save them, but because they rejected the only solution for their sickness. But - everybody say, but -, but I want you to come to our church, I tell them this. I want you to come to our church, why, - they will say that sometimes, why - because number one, God loves you and number two, we love you. And if they don't come here and find love where do you think they're going to find it? And I'm going to tell you - I don't have to have help today, I'm in one of those moods, you know where this started changing where we stopped being so mean to people, when pastors' kids started struggling with it. Because we gave them religion and gave them this hard God that's real mean and ready to beat them down and they wanted nothing to do with it and they rebelled and went as crazy the other way as you could, I saw it happen.
I was in a nine-week revival in North Carolina and I saw a ironfisted holiness mean preacher. His son went totally homosexual - some of you all don't like it when I talk about these stories, but they're good for you to hear. His son was raised in church all of his life. When he turned 18 years old, he turned his back on God, his mom and dad and his church. His dad would always tell him you can't wear that to church, you can't look like that, don't dress like that, can't say that, you'd go to hell if you do that, everything was a sin.
Anybody other than me - we had to lie to go to the movies, the picture show. This young man, when he turned 18, he rebelled against that and he went as far away from home as he could possibly get, I'll never forget the night Rick Smith I was preaching on this, and I didn't know why I was 19 years old and I preached this very text as if God were pleading with mankind through us, be reconciled to God and I was preaching this text. We were on a nine-week revival, over a 150 people had been saved in that night. I started preaching along these lines about grace and forgiveness and I watched that hardened - and I don't mean he wasn't saved, I just meant he was legalistic he got mad while I was preaching and what he did not know that night that on the other side of that building his son was in the room and he came weeping at an altar that night. He didn't even feel like God could save him and the Lord healed that man's heart and saved him and forgave him and watched him.
I watched that mean daddy weep at the love of God. I want to tell you this today, our ministry is not one of condemnation. If Jesus didn't come into the world to condemn the world who do you think you are? He came so that you could be a mouthpiece of His goodness. The message is not you're going to hell, the message is you should have, but you don't have to Because He's good. That's the message. The message is don't keep walking that way, come on. Christ calls us to turnaround, He'll give you grace for a new life. So the ministry of reconciliation and finally 10 minutes of this, He gives us, watch, the miracle of reconciliation, the ministry of reconciliation and then finally the method of reconciliation and Paul tells us what the method is. Go to - that was right there, the last phrase. "And has committed to us say us, say that's me, look at your neighbor and say that's you - so watch this, He gave us the miracle of reconciliation which we've been reconciled to God, then He gave us the miracle and the ministry and then finally the method which is the word. There is a method through which God works in reconciling the world, it is the word. Say it again. There is a - you know I'm trying to prepare - oh, you're awesome, I appreciate that.
You freaked me out, I thought you were just talking back to me, but maybe I said talk to me, I don't know, it's okay. We're on this vibe today, we got this thing going, it's awesome. Watch this, there is a method by which God activates the ministry of reconciliation, the method by which God activates the ministry of reconciliation is the word. Now, let's establish we've already talked about this, we've talked about the written word and the prophetic inspired word. Okay, so this is the written word and how many know this has preeminence and final say in all things? Well, I got a vision, does it line up with this, great, if it doesn't, it was pizza, sorry. If something you saw violates something He said, I'm going to go with what He said over what you saw.
How many are with me right there, right? So this book is the foundation and this is what we - we just build everything off of this, okay, but here's what we know about the spirit of God, say the spirit of God. The spirit of God wrote this book. Now, he moved on the hearts of holy men and they wrote things down as the spirit of God moved up on them, that's how we go the Bible. This is not - this did not drop out of heaven like that, okay, this came to be when holy men of God wrote down what the spirit of God was saying. That same spirit that moved on men of God to write these words moves on the hearts of men now to speak in ways that are in harmony with this book that have the power to pierce the heart, penetrate the mind and touch people's lives today. Here comes the prophetic application of evangelism.
So first of all, God wants to save everybody. God came to save the world. Do you have proof for that, absolutely. Second Peter, Chapter 2, Verse 9, "God is not willing that any man should perish, but that should come to repentance" First Timothy, Chapter 1 - I could go down the line - First Timothy, Chapter 1 Verse 15, "Christ came into this world to save sinners of which I am chief." This is why Christ came. First John Chapter 3 Verse 8, "For this reason was the son of man manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil in the lives of men." That's why Jesus came, He came John 3:16, "For God still lived the world that He gave His only begotten son that whoever would believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John Chapter 1, "In Him was the light and life was the light of men and the light shone in the darkness and the darkness comprehended it not to as many as believed in Him to them, Jesus gave power to become the sons of God, there is one reason, He came to save." But the ministry of reconciliation operates, watch, on the word.
And this word, this Bible is the primary way God speaks, but let's be clear, we do not believe it's the only way God speaks. It is the primary way God speaks and all things that are spoken of by God will line up with what He's already said, because God is not schizophrenic, He's not going to say something in the Bible and then speak to Sister Gertrude and say something completely different. What she says ought to line up with what He said. How many are with me. So the ministry of reconciliation and the miracle of reconciliation happen through a particular method, it is the word.
God gave us the word and He gave us this word, and here's what I want to say to you before I close. This is prophetic evangelism. He gives to you prophetic words; those prophetic words that you and I release over people who don't know Christ often call the God design in them out of them. Do you have Bible for this -, but of course; go to John Chapter 1. Oh, I like being in a mood like this. Okay. So watch how Jesus changes people's lives, okay, we'll just watch Him. This is beautiful. Say I have been given a miracle of reconciliation to God. Say And with that I have been given the ministry of reconciliation and in that ministry in my future, God is going to give me words of reconciliation.
Why would God do that to us, because He loves people, and He trusts His family to enlarge His family. He trusts you and I who've been saved to tell people how great it was and then other people are like, wow. He also trusts you with an assignment to reach people who no one else is going to reach. Watch, John Chapter 1 not First John, John Chapter 1, let me read a few things. Watch how Jesus transforms people's lives. How many got Verse 43, say whoop. Okay, John 1:43 when you get it say whoop. Okay. You all are weird, okay, watch. The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee and He found Philip and said to him, you're going to hell - God you're a sinner. That's a way to win people. Is that what He did?
He found Philip and said to him follow me. Philip is like, okay. He starts walking with Philip, must keep reading this is pretty fascinating. Now, Philip was from Bethsaida the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, the only thing Jesus said to Philip was follow me. Philip goes to Nathaniel and says, bro, we found the one that Moses wrote about. Okay. That didn't freak you all out like it freaked me out. I read that, I was like, what happened here, what did I miss? The only thing Jesus said to Philip was follow me, no, listen it was much deeper than two words. It was an identity.
Just one two sentence phrase - one two-word sentence, pardon me. Follow me and the dude leaves what he's doing to follow Jesus. Why? Because Christ called out of him an identity that the Father had put in him. Watch, it gets better, watch. Follow me. Now, Philip was from Bethsaida the city of Andrew and Peter and Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, we have found him of who Moses in the law and all the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Nathaniel said to him, can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, come and see.
So we have two powerful things happening here. Number one, we have Philip's life being totally wrecked by a two-word sentence, follow me. Then we have something else absolutely fascinating. We have a man who has a preconceived notion about Jesus that He's not really all that because of where He came from, which is how many of your coworkers, neighbors and friends feel about Jesus, they really don't understand what the big deal is. Can anything good come out of Nazareth, I mean, can anything good come out of the church, can anything good come out of the Bible? Watch, don't miss it, ready what - look what Philip says to Nathaniel. Come and see. Prophetic evangelism is number one speaking to people and calling out a God placed identity that is within him, but the other thing is sometimes you just got to invite people.
I'm going to back here and talk - okay, I'm going to walk back here, because I see people in the back row checking their watch, so it's time for me to come back there, watch. When's the last time you invited somebody to come and see Jesus? When is the last time we said He really is that big a deal? Can anything good come out of Nazareth, can anything good come out of Holland Park, can anything good come out of Chattanooga? The next time your coworker who doesn't believe in Jesus asks you, is it really all that down there what we're hearing about, don't say, oh yeah, it's too much, you don't want to come down there He preaches 52 minutes every Sunday, my God we get out of there so late I feel like I've been through a marathon, every time I come.
The next time they want to know, can anything good come out of there, just - if you don't know what to say, just say come and see, 9:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. 11:45 Sunday afternoon, Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m., come and see. I'm almost done, but I'm not, watch, Nathaniel said to him can anything good come out of Nazareth, Philip said come and see. Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him. Bryan, you can help me. Jesus saw Nathaniel coming toward him and said of him, behold an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. Nathaniel said to Him - now, Jesus looks at Nathaniel, Jesus looks at Nathaniel coming toward Jesus and Jesus looks at Nathaniel who is not saved and says Nathaniel, look at you, no deceit in your mouth. And Nathaniel says, how do you know me? This is how Jesus works, Jesus says before Philip called you, when you were under a fig tree I saw you. Wait a minute, that's weird, you were looking at him under a fig tree, what does that even mean a fig tree, because that's where Jewish people went to contemplate.
They were searching and seeking and they would go under the tree. Nathaniel is under a tree I think he's searching for God, trying to find God. Lots of people are looking for God, they're just looking in all the wrong places. And what Jesus was saying to Nathaniel is you were under there looking for me, but I saw you. Here's the thing. This is what's so awesome about gospel; the work of the gospel. It's that the person you're trying to get saved nobody wants them to get saved more than the God who came to save them. Jesus isn't just waiting on you to do something. He's actually just trying to get you to activate what he's already put in place. He wants to show His love to people. I'm almost done. Before Philip called you when you were under the fig tree I saw you Nathaniel answered and said to Him, Rabbi you are the son of God. All he did is say I saw you under a fig tree and Nathaniel says you're the Christ, the son of the living God. Is it me or - it takes very little - I need to give him a 55-minute sermon so they know who Jesus is. One two-word sentence, follow me and then he looks at Nathaniel and says when you were under the fig tree I saw you. And these men leave everything to follow Jesus?
There's something powerful about the transaction when Christ is really the one doing the calling and that is what Paul says is happening in Second Corinthians 5 " Quit living your life as if you're just a Christian isolated from the big bad world, Christ is pleading through you with the souls of men and women, saying be reconciled to God." [Indiscernible] [01:00:54] I just heard the Holy Ghost Norm I'm called to this city, but the Lord is calling you home. And as you come home this is the ministry in you sayeth the Lord, the ministry of reconciliation. I see the fathers heartbroken for his sons and daughters and He's calling through you pleading through you, be reconciled to God. And the Lord says some ears may be deaf, but many shall hear sayeth the Lord and many shall turn for I will turn the hearts of the father toward the children and the hearts of the children back toward the father.
The Lord is working through you and it is not time, but you will know the exact moment and time. The Lord is going to line several things up. I see three things happening. Three doors and they're going to open, one right after the other. The first is a smaller door, the second is slightly larger, the third is enormous. It's a kingdom assignment and the spirit of the Lord is going to order your steps, because there is a people God has assigned you to and the spirit of the living God is breathing on your life in this season, you endeavor going to experience an acceleration. I see you getting sucked up in a tornado, almost of kingdom acceleration. And the Lord says it's a ministry and the method is the word and He's put both within you. And a miracle shall come to pass.
In a hard place you shall see harvest sayeth the Lord. I believe and I've had such a wonderful time getting to know you all - pardon me, this is for them too. I've had such a marvelous time getting to know you, but the whole reason God sent you here was for that word. I mean, you deposited so much into this house I don't mean it that way, but my ability to speak into your life, God sent you into this place in this moment, for that word it will shape what God is getting ready to do, it's not because I said it, but because God's hand is on you in such a demonstrating, powerful way, I give you the glory, Lord. The woman at the well, I was going to teach - I'm not going there.
John 4, prophetic evangelism. He looks at woman who's been married five times, she's with someone she's about to marry, but hasn't yet, they start getting into religious debate and discussion, the woman gets real spiritual Jesus says where is your husband? The question was not intended to be asked because He was unsure of her husband's location the question was asked because He wanted the woman to identify something that she was trying to ignore and that is she couldn't choose men well. She kept looking for life, but kept finding people who couldn't satisfy. One prophetic word where is your husband changed her entire life, it's called prophetic evangelism. How? Because He asked her a question she says I'm not - I don't have a husband I've been married five times. He said you've been married five times right where you said. The one you're with now is not your husband. I told you this several months ago, but He was - Jesus was the seventh man. She had five, she was dating one, but Jesus walks up, He's seven. How many of you know when you find Him He is the number of completion, come on, somebody. She goes home, she leaves her water pot, goes back to the city where she's had a really jacked up résumé a bad reputation. And she goes into the city and says to the men of the city, read the Bible, John 4, "Come meet a man who told me everything I ever knew, He's the one." He didn't really tell her everything she ever did He really only told her one or two things she did, but when He cared enough to share one word it opened up her heart and she knew she could share everything with Him. There's my point. People are going to hell and you and I are standing between hell and the harvest. You say, Pastor, the Lord is going to save him if He don't I know I sure can't.
The Lord can save anyone, but He's chosen in His economy to work through you. And I've talked a lot today, longer than I usually do, but some of you need to be shocked out of your religious existence just existing religiously. When is the last time God could trust you with an assignment? Not to preach a sermon, sermons don't always change lives. But one word, fitly spoken, spoken by the spirit through you can change someone's eternal destiny. So evangelism is reaching the lost. But the prophetic evangelism is when you understand God wants to reach the lost through your life. And it may be one word, it may be two, it may be a simple sentence that gives context and identity to someone who has lost in life, stand with me.
Can we just yield our lives to God before we leave this room? If you have to get kids and you have assignments for the next service I totally understand I'd like for you to go ahead and move right now so that I can pray with everyone after this. So everyone that has to go can be released for their next service assignments. But if you don't have to leave, I have a few minutes here. Well, I think God wants to empower some people, to start living with purpose. Are you just going to go to church knowing that you tasted the miracle of reconciliation to God? You are on your way to heaven and you're so glad about it. But you're not quite fervent and passionate enough about it to do something about those who are on their way to hell now. You just kind of like - you know, I'll let somebody else do that for me, Pastor, that's just not me, that's not my thing.
Listen, it is your thing when you're saved. It's an awareness that God might be wanting to speak through your life, it's an awareness. I'll never forget being on a plane - I mean, I can think of - I thought of 20 different times when I was having a really rough day and God was trying to get me to stop focusing on me. I've told this story before about the chick with shaved blue hair. She had a shaved head; Chris was with me she spray painted her head blue. She looked like a struggling smurf. And we had been upgraded - I had been traveling, I had been preaching, it was a tough travel month. I think it was the month of June, I'd preached something like 18 times that month in camp meetings and we were trying to get from one place to another and I just got an update on my Delta app, you've been upgraded to first class and dude I'm over here I'm like look what the Lord has done - favor of God is on my life. Talk to your neighbor, tell him upgrade.
No, no, no, that's just what I was feeling. I mean, I was like - you know, I was, like, happy. And then I get to the gate. This chick is on the phone screaming, cussing, in front of 400 people. I'm like, oh, my God, she needs an attitude - in my mind this is what I'm thinking, she needs an attitude adjustment. I mean, somebody didn't take care of their child's discipline when they were growing up, that's what I'm - all these things are going through my mind. She is jacked - I mean - me and my preacher self I'm thinking, she needs a good sermon. And I get called to the desk. Mr. Wallace, we know that you're a platinum medallion member and we just told you you were upgraded, but actually we gave your seat away. You gave my favor away. The devil is a liar where's your manager. I want my first class seat back. No. You're not going to get it on this flight, we'll send you a few bonus miles for your trouble, so you're going to be sitting in the regular coach area.
So I'm like, oh Jesus, okay, I'm not going to make a fool of myself, because I'm probably on some hidden camera somewhere. Not only did I not sit in first class, I sat by the struggling smurf. She is screaming, cursing on the phone going crazy. I'm mad because I'm not in first class. I sat down and said, Father, what have I done to deserve this? He said this has absolutely nothing to do with you, Kevin, I trust you with this assignment. Hour-and-a-half, I learn everything about the young lady that I needed to know. She's on my left, I'm sitting by the window, she's sitting in the aisle. She's on my left and the Holy Ghost was sitting on my right and for one-and-a-half hours she should say something and the spirit of God would say tell her this. She would say, I'm married to another woman, we just adopted a baby, she just found a man she loved and took the baby with her and my life is falling apart and the spirit of God would tell her - the spirit of God would say to me tell her that wasn't my will for her life anyway.
I'm just having a conversation with her while God is talking through me to her, pleading with her, don't go to hell, be reconciled to God. One-and-a-half hours later, she is weeping. She is weeping profusely. Chris was sitting behind me. The dude sitting beside Chris, when I sat down with her and she was screaming on the plane, cussing, Chris goes, oh touch him, God, be with him Lord and the guy sitting next to Chris goes, I feel so sorry for your friend. And Chris goes, "This is a divine moment for this young lady." An hour-and-a-half later she's weeping and I'm weeping. She said, will you take my hand and will you tell me how to find Jesus? And at 36,000 feet without a pulpit, without a microphone or a King James Bible, at 36,000 feet, Jesus started talking to her through me and she gave her heart to Christ.
And when I landed where I was going she followed me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To this day that young lady still follows me and I check on her every now and then, because she doesn't have blue hair anymore. She's not living in that lifestyle anymore and although she doesn't have her baby and what she wanted didn't get put back together God changed her life. Here's the deal. I'm trying to get you before I pray for you - I'm trying to get you to see, please stop living on Sunday morning only for Jesus, people are going to hell. People are going to hell and they're not aware that they don't have to. Somebody else in churches beat them down maybe and told them God didn't love them and God - you'd gone too far for God to - why don't you be that minister of reconciliation that brings one word.
All it takes is one word. Just be - look at your neighbor and say be used by God. If you want to, if that's what your heart is this morning that you want Christ to plead through you and you want to see lives change and you want to yield your heart to the Holy Spirit today, lift your hands right now. Father, you see every hand lifted. You see - this is not a rhetorical question, you see every hand lifted. May we live and make it difficult for people to die and go to hell, may it get really hard for people, may we change a community, a neighborhood, a city, may we become so passionate, so fiery for - may we get so excited for the souls of men that turn to God, may this house not just be about encountering you, but may we be an encounter.
When people come into our lives, may the God in us cause an encounter. Some of us today, God, have no self-confidence that you could use us. But I pray right now God, you would break that fear of man off of their mind. The fear of, well, I don't add up and I'm not a great preacher and I'm not even a great Christian and God can't use me, break that off of their mouth. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ today. I'm asking you Father to mark this house as a place that winneth souls. May it be filled with people who care about the souls of a humanity that's on its way to hell. May we not just stand between hell and the harvest and may we do the work of those who are harvesting the souls that are ready to come into the kingdom.
Lord, you see every heart lifted and every hand that's been lifted saying yes to this. I pray grace on you right now, family. I pray grace on you right now to make a difference in your area of influence. The Lord is going to give you words, prayers to pray, just simple - some of you are going to have to - there is a reason why God taught us first about hearing His voice, talked about that several months ago, hearing the voice of God, why, because now becoming prophetic means you got to know the voice of the spirit within. That radar on the inside. That little thought that God is planting in your redeemed mind, telling you they need this prayer, they need that prayer.
You need to tell her this. You need to tell him that. You ready for this? I didn't say this, this is something that Bill Johnson and the Bethel Family said. It's like going treasure hunting. Start looking at humanity like one who goes treasure hunting. You know that there are people in your life that some people look at them and they're just - they say they're dark and ugly and evil and they got all kind of problems. And when you look at them, you don't see all the evil and the - you see a treasure in there somewhere. Let's go treasure hunting. What if God started using you to call out the purpose in others? The last thing I'll tell you and we're leaving. This house used to be a house of tremendous evangelism before we ever got here, this building that you're in right now, everyone see that back wall, that big back wall, it wasn't there. That back wall never existed until 2007.
If you look - if you could look - can you open the doors, can somebody help me with that? I know that this is not convenient for aesthetics and the people out in the lobby, but I want them to see something. When you look all the way back to that back wall back there made out of glass - I don't know if you can see it. See that glass wall back there, that used to be the back of the church. When you walked in the backdoor, you were in the sanctuary. There was no lobby. There were no children spaces. This was one massive sanctuary that sat 6,000 people. And they filled it twice every Sunday. And my dad - I don't know if he's in this service or will be in the next one, but my dad got saved on one of the bus routes in that building next-door to this one. It was the old Chauncey Goode Auditorium and this place used to walk the streets like Pastor Gary and the evangelism team do now and they bus people in. They baptized thousands of people over a 10-year period. Thousands and thousands - if you've ever been to our baptistery - back there it's not a baptism pool it's a swimming pool.
I'm like they got a deep end here, this is amazing. They have 40 changing rooms, why, because they used to win the lost. And they get them baptized. Let me tell you something, this weekend prayer the Lord said to me that well is coming open over this house. I'll prophesy [indiscernible] [01:18:49] I prophesy that well is coming open and it's not going to be because one preacher preaches a great sermon, it's going to be because a company, a prophetic evangelist start recognizing they're standing between hell and the harvest. And the spirit of God is pleading through you to them, be saved. I love you.
But God is about to shake religion out of some of us that have sat on a pew our whole life and He's about to use you for His glory till He comes. It's about eyes closed, if you're in this room today and you need Christ to save you I don't care how long you've been a sinner, how messed up you are as a sinner, what your problem is, what your addiction is, none of that matters, Jesus loves you right now. And if you will give Him your heart, He will take it. He will cleanse it, He will forgive you of all your sins and He will make you His very own. I'm counting to three for you today. If you want to be saved and give your heart to Christ, say, Pastor Kevin, pray for me. When I say three, lift your hand, 1, 2, 3. Lift your hand. Thank you, sir, I see it, yes, ma'am, I see it. Yes, ma'am, I see it. Yes. Ma'am, I see it. You could put your hands down. Everyone look at me. There's a person - this is why we came to church, this is why we came. We don't rush this moment, because someone needs to turn from their sin into Christ and live. Amen.
I want you to look at the person on your left and right and whether you've known them your whole life or you never met them before, I want you to ask them this question, do you need someone to go to the altar and pray with you? And if you lifted your hand or you know in your heart you should have, when they ask you that question I want you to come to the altar with them. Right now, I'm going to pray with you and Christ is going to save you. Let's pray, come on. Ask your neighbor - if you need someone to come with you and they ask you that. If you lifted your hand or you should have, just say yes, I need prayer. Come stand with me.
Two people have already given their hearts to Jesus. I got another brother coming right here. I got another brother coming right here. Anyone else? I want to give my heart to Christ. Thank you for coming buddy thank you for coming. Thank you for coming, sir, God bless you pal, come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on, I'm pleading - I am pleading with you, be reconciled to God. Come on. They're still coming. Somebody say, “Praise the Lord.” Listen, I'm going to let the elders and leaders pray with them and they're going to make sure they know what's going on. If God doesn't give you a prophetic word, everybody - somebody shout everybody - no, not everybody, say everybody. Everybody can say this come and see. If God don't give you word from, at least invite Him to come and meet Him. I love you. I see you in United Seven going to peace of the Lord, the Lord bless you as you leave today.
Thy Kingdom Come: What is the Ecclesia?