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["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] And this time we'll go over the announcements. We'll be following. We'll be doing some of 137. If you'd like a bulletin, just go ahead and slip up your hand, and Brother Anna will bring you one. As always, you've got the service times in there. On the upper left-hand side, we'll be back on Sunday at 10 30 a.m., again at 5 30 p.m. Of course, on Thursdays, we're making our way through the Book of Acts. We'll be in Chapter 11 tonight. We have the Churchwide Soul Winning, as well as the Salvations, the Baptisms, and the upcoming Song Schedule over there. Below that, and on the right-hand side, of course, Happy Birthday to all of those celebrating in the month of July. We have the Soul Winning trip to Payson coming up. If you'd like to participate in that, it's going to be the last one to the town, not because we're throwing up our hands and saying, We're finished. We're not going to do that anymore. It's because we're completing the town of about 17,000 people, so praise God for that, that we've got another small town checked off here in the state of Arizona. We're on our way to knocking every door in the state. Below that, of course, the note about Mexico money is being postponed until further notice. The Navajo reservation on the back, and then the mega conference schedule below that. Had a great time last night going up with the crew from here. We're hearing a great sermon for Pastor Jimenez. If you don't have a chance to catch it last night in the live stream, I highly recommend you go back and listen to that one as well. And then we've got next Wednesday, Pastor David Berzins from Stronghold. There's so many to try to keep track of now. He'll be out next Wednesday, so if you want to go, just go ahead and sign up back there. The sign-up sheets are there for all of the upcoming Wednesday night services up there, and the shuttle will leave at 5 p.m. out of here. Last night was a late one getting back, I'll warn you. It is kind of late, but we can always try to get back a little bit quicker. But we did have a good dinner, so I think it was worth it. Also, not in the announcements, there are a couple of cheesecakes in that fridge right there that were normally part of Costco cheesecake. It doesn't have the strawberries on them, sorry. But there are two large cheesecakes that were supposed to have been given out last night up there with the donation station, but they didn't make it their way in, and then Mrs. Anderson asked if I would want to take them down here, so I grabbed and brought them down here. Fair warning, they're about four days past expiration. So roll the dice. Go ahead, if it's worth it to you to see what comes up, I'm just warning you. I've taken my chances with past two pastries in the past, and it wasn't good. So we'll just leave it at that. But they're back there, so if you want one, go ahead, slice into a piece. But you've been warned. They're past due, they sat unrefrigerated in a car for about an hour and a half coming down here. I'm not really selling the cheesecake, but I don't want to poison half the church potentially and have no one here Sunday. This isn't some conspiracy for me to get all of the cheesecake, where I'm just trying to make sure you don't want it so I can take it home. I'm probably not going to have a piece. I'm not doing a very good job selling the cheesecake. But after that incident I had with the apple pie, I'm kind of hesitant. But I just heard cheesecake, and I was just like, yes, cheesecake. And then I looked at the date after I got here, and I was like, man, I don't know. I'm not going to judge. If you decide to go for it, hey, I hope everything turns out great for you. And I hope you enjoy cheesecake. Anyway, that's caught up to soul winning very quickly just going back to Monday. If there's anything from Monday to report, or Tuesday, Wednesday, or today. All right, we'll go ahead and sing one more song before we get into the preaching tonight. Song number 137, in times like these. Song 137. In times like these. Be a Savior. In times like these. Be very sure. Be very sure. Be very sure. In times like these. Be very sure. Be very sure. In times like these. In times like these. Be very sure. Be very sure. In times like these. Be very sure. Be very sure. In times like these. Be very sure. Be very sure. Be very sure. Be very sure. In times like these. Be very sure. Be very sure. In times like these. Be very sure. Be very sure. Be very sure. In times like these. Be very sure. Be very sure. In times like these. Be very sure. Be very sure. Be very sure. Be very sure. Be very sure. Hey Ben, it's this time to pass the awful plate as the plate goes around. I am their hope, and it's the solid in my heart. Amen. At this time, pass the awful plate as the plate goes around. Let's turn our bodies to Acts chapter 11. That's Acts chapter 11. As always, we'll read the entire chapter. Please follow along silently as Brother Gabriel will read this to us from Acts chapter 11. Acts chapter 11. Verse 1, the Bible reads, And the apostle and brother of Orangidea, heard that the Gentiles had also received the word God. But when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of a certain set, contented with it, saying, Thou wentest into men and circumcised, and is evil. Peter rehearsed the matter, and he did it, expounded it by order unto them, saying, I was in the city, a jot, and a frame, and in a tramp, and saw a vision, and a certain vessel descended, as it had been a great sheet, led down from heaven by four corners, which came even to me, upon which, when I fastened my eyes, I could scissor, and saw the four-footed beasts of the earth, wild beasts, and greedy beasts, and boughs of the air. And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter, slay an eagle. But I said, Not so, for nothing common or unclean, had there any time entered into my mouth. But the voice answered me again, Heaven, what God had pledged, and that called not thou common. And this was done three times. And all were drawn up again into heaven. And behold, immediately, there were three men who had already come unto the house where I was, in San Francisco, Korea, as a meeting. And the Spirit made me go with them, nothing doubted me. Moreover, these six threatened accompanied me. And we entered into the man's house, and showed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Java, and call for Simon, for his surname is Peter. And we shall tell thee words, whereby thou, all thy house, shall be saved, as it against thee, holy ghost of Elohim, as on us, and in it. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how they said, John, ye baptized with water, ye shall be baptized with the ghost. For as much as God gave them, who I did, he did unto us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. What was I that should attend to God? When I heard these things, they held their peace, the Lord, by God, saying, Then, as God, also to the Gentiles, who I did repent of his delight. Now they were so scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen. They traveled as far as Venice, Cyprus, and Anzio, preaching the words of none, but as of the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Anzio, they stayed as the Gentiles, with the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. When they handled the war with Gwyneth, they prayed number, leave, return unto the Lord. Then tidings of these things came into the years of the church, which was in Jerusalem, and they sent forth barnacles, that it should go as far as Anzio. Who, when he came, that had seen the grace of God, was glad, and absorbed them all, that was the purpose of heart, the uncleanness of the Lord. There was a good man, the fool of the Holy Ghost, the faith, and much people was the advocates of the Lord. Then departed Barnabas, Tarsus, for to seek salt. When he had found him, he brought him to Anzio. And it came to pass, that a whole year, he assembled himself with the church, and taught much people, and inciphered them, called Christians, Spurs, and Anzio. And in these days, came prophets of Jerusalem and Anzio, and stood up one of them who made arguments, and signified by the Spirit, that there should be great dirt through the whole world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, and the man who went to his ability, determined to set the leaf of the brotherhood, and put on the veal, which also they did, and sent him to the altar of the hand of Barnabas, who sought for Adam to pray for us. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . be in church read your bible live for the lord he's exhorting them then departed barnabas to tarsus for to seek saul so now he's going to go and find saul okay and it says in verse 26 and when he had found him he brought him to anioc and it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much people the disciples were called christians first in anioc and in those days came prophets from jerusalem to anioc and there stood up one and so on so we'll look at here in a minute but the point is i'm looking at the one thing i want to focus in on here is that barnabas and saul are teaching in anioc you say why did barnabas have to go to tarsus and get saul and go to anioc to preach why saul well obviously if we know anything about saul saul is a very capable preacher saul is somebody who knows the bible you know he came up with the feet of gemilio and he is somebody who knows the bible and remember when he first got saved you know he went in the synagogue and preached christ jesus you know he's somebody who's fervent someone who's preaching somebody who loves the lord and he's a very capable preacher that's why he sought out that's why when barnabas sees this great work that's taking place he says man we need more manpower we need somebody to to solidify this church we need to do something here we need to work with this we i need help he didn't just go find anybody he didn't just you know draw a name out of a hat and say well this guy will do okay he went and found somebody that was capable in fact he went to great lengths to get that person didn't he this is before obviously the advent of you know sharing your location you know send me your location where you at he's in tarsus can you narrow it down a little bit no that's the best i can do for you get to tarsus now it'd probably be a little bit easier to find people back then i don't know you know it wasn't as big maybe but you know he had to go find him he went to great lengths to go find saul didn't he because of the fact that saul was capable okay because saul was somebody who could get the job done all right the lesson we can learn from this is that opportunity comes to the prepared people who are prepared have the doors of opportunity open to them okay we're going to keep it within the context you know of serving god and the church but this you could apply in other areas of life if you're prepared at your job opportunity will come to you you know if you're somebody who's maybe studying up outside of business hours or you're learning your job and doing well and taking extra learning whatever or you're just faithful you're there you know all the ins and outs you're not just mindlessly punching a clock and not you know just counting down the minutes to get out of there you know you're someone who's dedicated the job when that opportunity comes it will come and it reminds me when i was locksmithing i was an apprentice when we first moved to phoenix and i was apprenticing at a locksmith shop it started me out like eight dollars and change okay and i had a two-year-old and we had just had our second child and we were living in a two-bedroom apartment i was making eight dollars and change and this wasn't that long ago okay and there was a lot of rice and beans back in those days and sometimes if i came across a ketchup packet it went on there and i was like flavor you know salt you know to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet not that i despise butter and salt now those are good things but you know i remember starting it out and it would look like there maybe there was a lot of opportunity out there was a pay increase like i can't remember how it worked but they gave you a little bit you know it was basically borderline indentured servitude is what they had you on this program where you could end up making 12.50 an hour at the end of it you know and then go from there and i was working in the shop and there was this other older guy there that was kind of showing me the ropes and how to do all this different you know automotive locksmithing and re-keying and cutting keys and duplicating and everything that goes into that trade and here's the thing he was kind of a road tech that got pulled off and had to fill in that gap and then they brought me in as the apprentice to kind of come up there but i knew something this guy didn't know i knew how to type you know the home keys i knew how to do that i'd learned that in junior high or whatever so i had i had a leg up on him okay i didn't see it at the time you know but i but that was an opportunity for me to have you know a skill that he didn't have i already had that i knew how to open up a browser like chrome and use multiple tabs rather than reopening the application multiple times every time you want to look at a different website because we'd order parts from different websites and he would open up a whole nother application of of the browser and i was like mike you know you can just click this little plus button at the top and it opens up another tab oh i knew that guy was kind of defensive he's a good guy though and he got touchy you know anyway one day the guy throws his back out it's kind of a funny story poor guy but i'll tell you that one smaller time but he throws throws his back out and he's out for like two or three weeks just gone and they're like hey can you run the shop i said i got it opportunity came and by that point i think i'd gone from eight dollars and change to like nine dollars and change so i'd really you know and i was working nights at pizza hut to make ends meet you know i would leave there and then go work till one or two in the morning delivering pizza did that for nine months anyway so he throws his back out and i'd do that job for a few weeks and finally i just came to him and said hey if you guys want me to continue working here you're going to take me all the way to end my being apprentice and i'm going to run the shop and they said done and when mike came back he was a little upset you know he belonged on the road anyway that's where he belonged so he went back on the road where he wanted to be you know but how did i how did i get moved up i was just there i was just faithful and i had a skill and i had a skill not albeit not much of one i mean typing isn't a you know that a lot of people can do that right but the difference between this and this can be significant when you're trying to get things going right that one thing you know that gave me an edge the opportunity came and my ability gave me opportunity i was prepared for it okay i'm just using as an illustration why did and find saul because saul had ability not just because he was his buddy just because he was his pal because he could get something done you know he had an edge you know if you have that out in the workplace if you can get an edge if you get an angle it's going to create opportunity for you okay same thing goes in the church opportunity creates excuse me opportunity comes to those that are prepared how about when it comes to preaching the gospel you know if if you preach to strangers right if you go out and preach to people that you don't know and you learn how to preach the gospel it's going to create opportunity to preach to people that you do know the people that you do love and care about because that's something you hear from people a lot and say man i got a dad and mom and uncle whatever they got some relative a sibling whatever it is and they say i really want them to get saved how should i what should i do how should i preach to them well like you preach to anybody else it's not like a different gospel it's the same gospel that they need but the people that don't get that are the people that don't go soloing the people that don't they don't understand that they're they're wondering what they're really asking is how do i preach the gospel not how do i get my loved ones saved how do i preach you know you want that opportunity to get them saved well you know if you were prepared that opportunity would be there it would come to you if you knew how to preach the gospel i mean it's your if it's a loved one if it's a relative it's somebody you see with any kind of frequency you know chances are you're going to be at some reunion you're going to be over at their house they're going to be at your house you're going to be spending time with them in some way shape or form there's probably going to be an opportunity over the years for you to talk to them about the lord and get them saved and if you know how to preach the gospel to strangers you'll know exactly how to preach the gospel to them the problem is people don't the reason opportunity doesn't come to people is because they don't they're not prepared because being prepared is work you know what about preaching behind the pulpit there's probably a lot of people that would say that's an opportunity i'd rather not have you know but there's probably people out there as well that would love the opportunity to get up and preach do you have a sermon you got a sermon written have you thought about what you'd preach you're just going to wing it i don't recommend winging it i've winged a couple sermons and somehow it turned out you know but i don't make a habit out of that it's not something i intend to do you know i've gotten up with ready to preach something else and just read the scripture and said and just went in another direction but that wasn't wasn't my intention you know here's the thing what if on the way over here tonight you know i got into a fender bender or you know what if i came in here before service and helped myself to a piece of that cheesecake you know before the song service is over i'm keeled over you know yakking my guts out you know i gotta go to the er i'm out i'm done no one's gonna eat a single bite of that cheesecake yes it worked i just i gotta warn you right hypothetically you know it could happen you know hey we need someone to preach we got an opportunity to preach uh i've been there that's not a good feeling it's been a while it was a long time ago okay was it last week i woke up oh yeah i gotta preach i know that opportunity is coming every sunday all right so i'm prepared okay but there are times when hey the preacher's out suddenly can't make it are you ready i remember there was a guy was getting sent out of the church in tempe and it was it was on that a week night he got to call at work hey i'm running late i don't think i'm gonna be able to make it tonight pastor called him i don't think i'm gonna be able to make it can you preach and he just was like he's getting ready to send out so he couldn't say no because he didn't want to give him like a bad impression like hey you're fixing to send me out to start a church and i'm not ready to preach it's not gonna look good so he's like yeah of course had nothing written nothing completely unprepared and he struggled it was rough i felt bad for him and he knew and and the best part was is the pastor showed up like 10 15 minutes into the sermon and he thought oh great he's going to take over the pastor just sat down and looked at him and the pastor you know he immediately knew what was going on and just started kind of laughing to himself you know that's the worst when you're preaching a sermon and you're trying to make a real serious point and people start laughing i guess it's just like all the air goes out right but the guy wasn't prepared you know i'm not trying to just fault the guy i'm just trying to use that as an illustration believe me the guy had bigger faults but that's another story the thing is is that you know if we want opportunity we have to be prepared to take it when it comes and it will come it will come but people don't want to get prepared because it's work through desire a man having separated himself uh mingled with intermetal with all wisdom right he seek at the intermetal with all wisdom through desire you got to want it you know you'll write that sermon when you want to you'll go out preaching when you want to you'll find that opportunity when you want to let's wrap this up verse 27 through 30 we have the great dearth being prophesied there in verse 27 he says and in these days came prophets from jerusalem unto anioc and there stood up one of them named agabus and signified by the spirit there should be great dearth throughout all the world which came to pass in the days of claudius caesar then disciples every man according to his ability determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in judia okay so they have this dearth which is basically a drought okay being coming upon a land and they're prepared for it they see it coming and they decide hey let's send relief unto those in judia and this is a great principle in scripture about churches helping churches you know we can look to a lot of things that that are done in the book of acts and elsewhere in the new testament throughout the whole bible principles that kind of help us operate churches and how churches should interact one with another and there's absolutely nothing wrong with churches sending financial resources to other churches you know some churches might have more more money coming in that they even know what to do with a good use of that money is to help other churches that they know that are you know serving the lord that are right on doctrine that are like-minded that's something you see here right they're helping other churches that's something that paul you know talks about in second corinthians 9 where he was talking about the ministering to the saints and those uh you know how he boasted to them of to them of macedonia and ikea that was ready a year ago and that their zeal had provoked very many if you go read second corinthians 9 he's talking about the fact that they had given finances to this other church you see examples of that in scripture and paul's encouraging it and he's saying in fact that zeal provokes you know very many so there's nothing wrong with you know sending finances to other church because other churches because of the fact that well what's a church it's not just some institution it's brethren right if you notice there it says they send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in judia you know when we're when we're helping other churches we're helping our brethren we're helping you know our brothers in christ so that's a good thing to do churches help churches because of the fact that churches consist of brethren but notice in verse 30 i'll try to tie this all together here it says which also they did and sent it by the elders to the elders they sent it to the elders by the hands of barnabas and saul so again who is it that gets sent with this offering it's barnabas and saul right they're the ones that are given the opportunity to go out and do this because they've proven themselves in the past barnabas and saul have proven themselves to be able ministers to be faithful men good men who are capable of getting this job done okay so yet again opportunity is coming to them to be a blessing to other people okay because they're prepared but i'll close on this thought okay barnabas and saul are being entrusted with a great deal of wealth right they're being given a large sum of money and it's not to just go you know recarpet the church in judia or whatever it's not just go paint the walls or something they're going to go relieve the brethren who are suffering from famine basically so it's a lot of responsibility isn't it they're literally going to go feed people's families with that money and if they fail you know if they give into some temptation and just decide to spend the money on the way or whatever or they get robbed or any number of things that could have happened to them happen to them that people could very likely starved i mean the people are going to are going to suffer as a result it's going to be a huge disappointment so yes they have an opportunity but they also have been given a great responsibility okay being prepared brings opportunity but opportunity brings what responsibility okay and you know we are given the opportunities in life you know we're given opportunities to to aid one another like we're seeing here at the end of the story you know they're aiding the brethren which are in judia you know we have that's how we need to look at loving the brethren which we're exhorted to do throughout scripture see that you love one another fervently love the brotherhood do good unto all men especially they have the household of faith and that's something that is just reiterated multiple times in the new testament to love the brotherhood and that's an opportunity that's given to us to to aid one another we're given the opportunity to go out and preach the gospel to all to every creature that's an opportunity that's given to us because it's our opportunity it is also our responsibility to do so we have to do it we have to aid the brethren it's our responsibility with opportunity comes responsibility it's our not just our opportunity to preach the gospel it's our responsibility we have to do it so the question is are we prepared to do so have we prepared to to to come you know uh complete the responsibility that's been given to us are we prepared for that opportunity to come to us are we prepared to fulfill our responsibilities let's go ahead and close in a word of prayer dear lord again thank you for the great opportunity that we have in christ lord to put off the old man to walk in the spirit to be renewed daily in our minds and and lord to draw closer to you through your word and through prayer lord thank you for that great opportunity i prayed help us to avail ourselves of it that we would take that up and and understand it that it is our responsibility to walk in the spirit to walk in the new man that we might be filled with the fruit of the spirit lord that we might love one another and love the lost we ask these things in christ name amen all right we'll go ahead and sing one more song before we go tonight so foreign is oh oh so so so so so so so so so so so so so you know so what you want me so so yeah so yeah so so so so