Participants:
Series Code: BOLS
Program Code: BOLS000166S
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00:02 #S088 - “Lift Before You Leap” (Part 1)
00:20 Today, friends, we're going to go in our Bibles 00:22 to the Book of Acts Chapter three. 00:24 Last week we were in Acts Chapter 14, 00:28 and we learned about a man who was crippled, who took a leap. 00:31 And this year we're going to look at a 00:32 this week we're going to look at a different man 00:35 who suffers from some impotence in his legs, 00:39 who also finds a leap in the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:42 That's chapter three. 00:43 And we're going to begin together at verse one 00:46 and we're going to read together versus one through ten, 00:49 accept the three verses one through ten. 00:52 The Bible says Now, Peter, and John went up together 00:57 to the temple at the hour of prayer, 01:01 which is the ninth hour, and a certain man 01:05 lame from his mother's womb, was carried 01:09 whom they lay daily at the gate of the temple, 01:13 which is called beautiful, to ask alms from those 01:16 who entered into the temple, who, seeing Peter and John 01:21 about to go into the temple, asked for alms 01:25 and fixing his eyes on him with John. 01:28 Peter said, Look at us. 01:31 So he gave them his attention, 01:34 expecting to receive something from them. 01:38 Then Peter said, Silver and gold I do not have. 01:43 But what I do, I give you in the name of Jesus 01:48 Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. 01:53 And verse seven says, and he took him 01:56 by the right hand and lifted him up. 02:01 And immediately 02:03 his feet and ankle bones received strength. 02:07 So he leap. 02:10 He stood and walked and entered the temple 02:15 with them, walking and leaping 02:20 and praising God 02:22 and all the people saw him walking and praising God. 02:27 Then they knew that it was He who sat begging 02:31 alms at the beautiful gate of the temple, 02:34 and they were filled with wonder and amazement 02:37 at what happened to him. 02:38 But I want to repeat emphasis, verse number seven. 02:41 And he took him by the right hand 02:45 and lifted him up and immediately 02:50 his feet and his ankle bones received strength. 02:55 Today, friends of mine, I want to talk to you 02:57 under the subject lip lift before you leap. 03:02 Lift before you leap. 03:05 Let us pray together. 03:07 Father, my prayer today 03:10 is that you would blanket our souls with your spirit. 03:18 Lord, we realize that there is a different type 03:21 of leap that you've ordained for us to take today. 03:25 So I'm praying that the same power 03:29 that you gave the apostles to preach the word years ago, 03:33 I pray that you would 03:34 give us the same power to preach your word today. 03:38 And Father, I'm asking that you would do a miracle, 03:41 that the spirit that is present in this room, 03:44 that it would translate through the Internet stream, 03:48 and that there would be a sense of anointing in the kitchen, 03:51 in the living room, in the bedroom, 03:55 just as much as it is in this place. 03:57 So, Lord, would you please hide me in the shadows 03:59 of the cross that Jesus alone might be? 04:02 See, that Christ alone might be heard, 04:07 and at the end of our time together, 04:08 let Jesus alone be praised. 04:11 Bless us to this end, we ask in the mighty name of Jesus, 04:14 let those who love God say together, amen. 04:17 And a man 04:20 again, friends of mine, we are talking to you today 04:22 under the subject lift before you leap. 04:27 Now, as I begin today, I want to give you 04:30 a very specific detail about a leap year. 04:36 I want you to know that 04:38 leap years are not insular, 04:41 but leap years are actually communal. 04:45 So that a leap year is not just about how far you go. 04:51 Leap years are about how many people 04:54 you actually bring along with you. 04:57 So that at the foundation of a leap year, 05:01 it's not just about what I want and what I desire. 05:07 A leap year is not just about what I have, 05:12 what I possess, or what I collect. 05:17 A leap year is about how many folk I bless along the way, 05:22 and this is the truth that you should never 05:25 become possessive about a leap year. 05:29 You should never become selfish about a leap year. 05:34 You see a leap year are those who are blessed. 05:37 Don't just take a leap. 05:39 Those who are blessed facilitate a leap. 05:42 Let me say it again 05:43 that those who are blessed don't just take a leap, 05:46 but those who are blessed facilitate a leap 05:51 so that as you are experiencing God's favor and growth, 05:55 make sure you are careful to bless others along the way 06:00 and understand that there is a symbiotic relationship 06:05 between how high you leap 06:08 and how much you lift. 06:11 In fact, Jesus says give and it shall be given unto you. 06:16 Good measure, precious dam, shaken together 06:19 and running over. 06:21 And I want to encourage you to add another tier 06:25 to your faith, because you don't just want faith to receive. 06:31 But some of us need to pray for faith to give. 06:34 You don't just want faith to get a blessing. 06:37 You need to have the faith to be a blessing. 06:41 You don't just want faith for your prayers to be answered. 06:44 You want the faith to be an answer 06:45 to somebody else's prayer. 06:47 And this is the word to somebody today 06:51 that when God starts growing you and when God starts 06:54 elevating you, when God enlarges your territory, 07:00 when God puts you in the overflow, 07:03 be careful not to make the overflow selfish. 07:07 In other words, hear me on this. 07:09 You see, we don't understand the principle of overflow. 07:13 You see, 07:14 I need you to understand that we got put you in the overflow. 07:18 He usually puts you in a community of need. 07:22 And see, the problem is, we think the overflow is about 07:25 me. Just having so much 07:28 that I can't manage all the blessings God gives. 07:32 But there is a reason that God puts you in a community of need, 07:36 so that when God causes your cup to run over, 07:39 when God puts you in the overflow, 07:42 the reason He puts you where there is a need is 07:44 so that the extra shouldn't hit the gram. 07:47 The extra is not supposed to spoil, 07:50 the extra is not supposed to go bad. 07:53 But God puts you in a community of need 07:56 so that the extra blesses somebody else. 08:00 The extra is supposed to help somebody else. 08:03 The extra is supposed to lift somebody else. 08:05 And the word to somebody today is Don't let your leap year 08:09 be selfish. 08:11 It is not about the individual, but God wants to use you 08:17 to bless the whole community if that makes sense. 08:19 And he's a man out there today. 08:21 And so today, friends, I want invite you to go back 08:23 with me in your Bible to the Book of Acts Chapter three. 08:27 And I want us to look together 08:28 at verse number one as we unpack God's word today. 08:32 Accept the three in verse one, 08:34 the Bible says, Now, Peter and John went up to the temple, 08:38 went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, 08:44 which is the Bible, says the ninth. 08:47 Our now friends today, I need you to know 08:50 that our text is powerful and filled with truth. 08:54 But the first thing it teaches is that truly 08:58 spiritual people are never spiritually satisfied. 09:04 Let me say it again that spiritual people 09:07 are never spiritually satisfied. 09:11 Now, here, friends, the Bible says that we find Peter and John 09:16 going up to the temple during the hour of prayer. 09:21 Now, the reason that is powerful is that they are fresh off 09:25 of the experience of Pentecost and notice 09:29 that their first post Pentecost activity is to go 09:34 the next day into the House of God for prayer. 09:39 See, this is powerful, for they have just 09:41 received the refresh of the Lord. 09:45 In fact, the marks from the cloven tongues of fire 09:50 are still settled upon their head, and notice 09:53 that after they receive the Holy Ghost, 09:57 there is no sense that we are straight. 10:00 There is no sense that we are good. 10:02 That because we received a lot 10:04 yesterday, that we don't need some more today. 10:08 So they go right into the House of God 10:11 after they've 10:12 received the Holy Ghost and it shows something powerful 10:16 because they realize that yesterday's anointing 10:20 is not sufficient for today. 10:23 And I want to say to somebody this morning that it doesn't 10:26 matter how powerfully God moved on yesterday, 10:31 we still need a fresh anointing for today. 10:36 It doesn't matter how much God answered prayers on Wednesday. 10:41 I need God to answer a prayer this Sabbath. 10:44 God move powerfully in the service last week, 10:48 but there is no carry over to this week. 10:52 And the same thing we learned from the miracle of the manna 10:55 is that every day I need a new portion, 10:58 every day I need a new supply. 11:02 Because yesterday days anointing is not sufficient for today. 11:08 And the reason friends, we need to be daily replenished 11:12 by God is that every day life takes something from you. 11:18 Everyday life withdraws something from you. 11:22 Every day you make a deposit is it into someone or something? 11:26 And because life is always taking, 11:29 my soul is always needing. 11:32 And so I need to be daily replenished. 11:35 I need to be daily refilled. 11:39 I need God to add to what life took away on yesterday day. 11:44 And the thing that I like about the apostles 11:48 is that they don't settle with progress. 11:51 They build on progress. 11:53 Let me say it again, 11:54 that the apostles, they don't settle with their progress. 11:58 They build on their progress. 12:01 And I need to preach to somebody who feels like 12:05 they have spiritually gotten to the right level. 12:10 You see, I need somebody to understand 12:13 the reason that some of us have not had a leap year 12:18 is we got too impressed with our progress. 12:22 In other words, there is some that got so impressed 12:25 with their progress that they stopped progressing. 12:29 You got so impressed with your prayer life 12:33 that you stopped praying like you used to pray. 12:36 You got so impressed by what you know 12:40 that you don't need Bible study in Sabbath school no more. 12:43 You've got so impressed by how many offices that you held 12:48 that you don't need to be in service for the Lord. 12:51 But I need you to know there is a danger 12:53 and getting impressed with your progress. 12:56 Because sometimes the celebration of progress 13:00 is actually the formula for complacency. 13:03 In other words, hear me on this church, 13:06 because sometimes celebrating past progress 13:10 is the formula for present paralysis. 13:13 The reason that some of us are paralyzed today 13:18 is because we've been so busy looking at our progress 13:20 from yesterday and see, this is why 13:25 we are given these admonitions about the apostles and Jesus. 13:28 It is why you should never 13:29 become high minded because of your spiritual fruit, 13:32 because the Bible says Let him that stands take. He 13:37 left, he falls. 13:39 In fact, Jesus said it this way. 13:41 You better pray that you enter 13:43 not into temptation, because the Spirit is willing. 13:47 But guess what? 13:48 The flesh is still weak. 13:50 And the truth is, it doesn't matter 13:52 how well I experience God in times past. 13:56 The truth is, I need an experience with God 14:00 that is current. 14:02 I need an experience with God that is fresh. 14:06 I need an experience with God that is right now 14:10 as the old him says, I need the Lord. 14:14 I need Thee every hour. 14:17 I need the bless me now, my Savior 14:22 as my soul comes to thee. 14:25 And I just want to say to somebody today 14:28 that if you are truly walking in Christ, 14:31 I want somebody to know that there is no plateau in Christ, 14:36 that if you're still on this earth, you had made it yet. 14:41 If God hadn't translated you, 14:44 there is still growth that needs to take place. 14:47 There is still more that needs to be learned. 14:51 There is a level deeper in Christ that you can experience, 14:55 because the thing about spiritual people 14:58 is that spiritual people never get spiritually satisfied. 15:02 Okay, let me say it this way. 15:04 I need somebody to know that there is a interesting 15:06 correlation between spiritual growth and spiritual hunger. 15:12 And in other words, some of you all realize that 15:13 I have a 13 year old son and I have a ten year old son, 15:18 and God has blessed me with some big boys 15:21 and see the one challenge with having big growing boys 15:24 is that they are always wanting something to eat. 15:28 And this the crazy thing about it, Pastor Fail 15:32 that there will be times where we will sit down 15:34 and eat a substantial meal 15:37 and a half hour later 15:40 they will be requesting a snack 15:44 as if they did not just eat 30 minutes ago 15:48 and see when they're always hungry. 15:51 It's how my wife and I know they are in a growth spurt. 15:55 In other words, 15:56 a growth spurt is something that demands more to eat. 16:01 But there is an interesting 16:02 reciprocity that takes place because the more they eat, 16:07 guess what? The more they grow. 16:09 But the more they grow, guess what? 16:11 The hungrier they get 16:13 and the hungrier they get, the more they eat. 16:17 But the more they eat, guess what? 16:19 The more they grow. 16:20 And the more they grow, guess what? 16:23 The hungrier they get. 16:24 And so the evidence that they're growing 16:28 is that their hunger can't be satisfied. 16:31 The proof that they're growing 16:33 is that they're always wanting more. 16:36 The truth that they're growing is that they're always times. 16:40 And what I'm saying to somebody today is that 16:42 if you're in a spiritual growth spurt, 16:46 then you have spiritual hunger. 16:49 Because the more you eat, guess what? 16:52 The more you grow. 16:53 And then the more you grow, guess what? 16:56 The hungrier you are 16:58 and the hungrier you are, the more of the words you get. 17:02 And the more I eat, guess what? 17:04 The more I grow. 17:05 And the more I grow. 17:07 Guess what? 17:08 The hungrier I get If Jesus 17:12 and I need somebody to know that if you're 17:14 in a spiritual growth spurt, then the more you're going 17:20 to want more of Jesus Christ in your life today. 17:23 Friends 17:25 and so friends of mine, 17:26 I need you to know that this text is very powerful for us, 17:29 because the second thing this teaches us 17:33 is that certain parts are compromised, 17:38 are certain parts of the body suffer 17:41 when other parts of the body don't work? 17:44 Let me say it again that certain parts of the body suffer 17:48 when some parts of the body don't work. 17:51 Now, again, the Bible says we find a man 17:55 that is crippled in his feet 17:58 from the time that he was born. 18:01 Now, sometimes with this we would make the assumption 18:06 that the man is actually straight 18:09 from his head down to his ankle bones. 18:14 The assumption would be that he is in good health 18:17 from his head, but that infirmity deformity 18:22 would not show up until you got to his feet. 18:25 But I need you to understand something about this 18:28 man's journey, because even though he is 18:31 carried daily to the temple, 18:35 a good portion of his life experience 18:39 is actually spent on the ground. 18:42 In other words, this man spends a lot of time clay laying, 18:47 and because his feet don't work, 18:51 he has to overcompensate by putting a lot of part 18:56 pressure on other parts of his body. 19:00 In other words, if you solve this man, guess what? 19:04 His hands would be filled with calluses and sores 19:10 because parts of his body don't work, 19:14 that his elbows and his joints would be filled 19:17 with inflammation simply because of the parts of the body 19:22 aren't working. Y'all still not here yet? 19:24 In other words, 19:25 this man would have bedsores and lesions on his legs 19:31 because certain parts of the body are not working. 19:35 In other words, there are certain parts 19:38 that are on the verge of burning out 19:41 because other parts of the body are not working. 19:46 And it's an interesting thing because that when he eats, 19:50 all the parts are get nutrients from the meal, 19:54 but every part doesn't give to the body. 19:58 In other words, when he sleeps, certain parts of the body rest, 20:02 but they don't give energy to the body. 20:05 In other words, 20:06 whatever the body receives, the entire body gives it, 20:11 but only certain parts of the body contribute and see. 20:16 This is an allegory to what Paul says 20:18 to the Corinthian church, for he says Christ is the head, 20:24 but we are the body 20:27 and there are certain parts of the body that are struggling 20:33 because other parts of the body don't work. 20:35 Okay. 20:37 So if you hadn't got it yet, I'm rebuking all of those 20:41 who come to church and watch 20:45 church and view church. 20:49 But you don't work in church. 20:52 And the problem is that the 20% 20:56 that work, the 20% 20:59 that serve, the 20% 21:02 that give are on the verge of burning out 21:08 because we've got too much dead weight in the church. 21:13 We've got parts of the body that receive from the body. 21:18 But guess what? 21:19 They don't give to the body 21:21 that they are blessed by the body, 21:24 but they don't contribute to the body 21:27 they receive from the body, 21:30 but they make no offering to the body 21:33 and see the reason that you can't get a good head, 21:37 Deacon, is because the other deacons won't serve. 21:40 And the reason you can't find a Sabbath school 21:44 teacher is that one teacher is going to have 21:45 to serve every week. 21:47 And the reason you can't by media folks, 21:51 is they don't have to be on duty all the time. 21:53 And guess what? 21:54 Those small parts are suffering 21:58 because you got of the parts of the body that don't work, 22:02 I know you want to 22:03 switch the channel and change it is okay with me, 22:08 but I'm going to stand right here and preach the word 22:11 of the living God. 22:13 Because when we talk about what's wrong with the church, 22:18 what's wrong is not the music. 22:21 It ain't the way these little kids dress. 22:23 It ain't that church. 22:24 Don't sound like it used to sound. 22:27 The problem is that we've got parts of the body 22:32 that are not working. 22:34 I can't hear me today. 22:35 And it's crazy because in the church of today, 22:39 everybody's got a lot to say, but not everybody's 22:43 got a lot of service availability. 22:46 Everybody's got an opinion, 22:49 but not everybody has a church obligation. 22:53 And I'm just going to be honest with you, Church, 22:55 that when you come 22:56 with a bunch of opinions but you ain't serving, I'm going 22:59 not politely and let it go in one ear and out the next 23:04 because I need some folks 23:05 that are willing to come along side in the digital space 23:10 or in the physical space and not put it on a few people. 23:15 But we need the help body to go to where 23:18 I see friends of mine. 23:19 This is epic because there are some of us. 23:21 It's a strange thing. 23:23 There are some folks I've met that don't go to church. 23:27 They don't attend church, they don't give to church, 23:31 but they keep their name on the church roll 23:35 so that when they die, they can have a church funeral. 23:39 But I need you to know, it doesn't matter 23:41 who's facilitating you when you go into the hall, 23:45 what matters is that you serve the one that's able 23:48 to bring you out of the grave. 23:52 And what I'm saying is that if we don't get to be like 23:55 the old school church, we got to be a working church. 24:00 See, there are some of us that when we talk about old 24:02 school church, 24:03 all we talking about 24:04 is long skirts and hymns from the start of the service 24:07 to the end. 24:09 But what made old school church great is that it was a warm 24:12 blooded church where you didn't get credit for attending. 24:17 You only got credit for serving. 24:19 And I'm praying for a revival of primitive 24:22 godliness wherever everybody's a minister. 24:26 Guess what? I'm the pastor. 24:27 But guess what? 24:28 All our ministers up the Lord Jesus Christ 24:34 and see, see, I need you know, man, 24:36 this thing is burdening me today 24:39 because I praise God for the faithful 24:41 and the breath of life 24:41 and Oakwood community 24:43 are those who are in your church community. 24:46 But Chris, I shudder to think when I look at 24:49 what the church does with only 30% working, 24:55 I shudder to think how many people could we reach 25:00 if the body was working? 25:03 How much could the Godfather of the Gospel go? 25:06 If all the body was working, how many children could we save? 25:11 If all the body was working, 25:14 how much further would we be prophetically 25:18 if oh, the body was working? 25:22 Thank you for joining us for The Breath of Life 25:26 Television Ministries broadcast with Pastor Airs. 25:30 Now, we hope and pray that you have been blessed 25:33 by this powerful message. 25:36 Join us next week 25:38 for part two of the message Lift 25:43 before you leave 25:46 you don't want to miss 25:48 what's good family. 25:50 Joe 228 says that in the last days 25:53 I'm going to pour out my spirit on all of this. 25:56 Your sons and daughters will prophesy, 25:59 your young men will dream dreams, 26:01 and your old men are going to see visits. 26:04 I want you to know family that we are living 26:06 in the age of visions and dreams. 26:10 That's why I would invite you to our second annual Breath 26:13 of Life Vision and Dreamers conference last year. 26:18 Hundreds of you came from all over the country 26:21 and we had a great time of instruction and inspiration. 26:24 But this year we're going to do it even bigger. 26:28 Make sure you save the date for November the seventh 26:30 through the ninth 26:31 for this year's Vision and Dreamers conference. 26:34 We're going to be blessed 26:35 by the awesome ministry of the hip hop preacher. Dr. 26:38 Eric Thomas is going to be here. 26:40 We're going to hear from the leading leadership 26:43 voice of our generation, author John Maxwell. 26:48 Then we're going to also be blessed by the ministry 26:51 of Entrepreneurship and visionary Tabitha Brown, 26:54 and I'll be here to assist along the way. 26:58 If you're an entrepreneur or content creator, a speaker 27:02 and author, I need you to know that this conference is for you. 27:07 It's going to be the biggest conference to ever hit. 27:09 The city of Huntsville, 27:10 and it's going to be one of 27:11 the most impactful occurrences of your life. 27:15 So if you want to register, 27:16 I want to encourage you to do it right now. 27:19 Get the early bird special. 27:22 You can register to come in and be in person, 27:25 or you can register to attend the event online. 27:28 But there's a limited 27:29 amount of space for those in-person attendees. 27:34 So go right now to our website and register 27:37 at www.BreathofLife.TV It is going to be in amidst 27:41 time of instruction, food, fellowship, 27:46 networking, and your visions and dreams will be empowered 27:50 to be moved from just a concept to a truth and reality. 27:54 God bless. 27:54 I look forward to seeing you there. 28:10 And less 12 28:12 days is less than 12 |
Revised 2025-04-02