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[The End] [The sound of the wind] So? Good. Can't read it down in my pocket.

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Off and on. It's too complicated for me, Gary. Thank you. Thank you, Tommy. And thank you, Rhonda. And thank you, Dudley. You did a very good job. As a matter of fact, Jim and I just voted. And we'll do all the preaching, and you'll just take the offering from now on.

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[laughter] We were already having a problem getting all our preaching in. And now it's all settled. [laughter] My wife is here tonight, and I'd like you to meet her if you don't know her. She's out here.

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here. Betty, would you stand up? This is my wife Betty. I'd like you to meet her. Jane Hilton is here too. Jane, would you like to stand? This is Jim Hilton's wife. Dudley and his wife are having problems and she's not here. I want to recommend a good counselor to you Dudley. His wife is in Alabama with their children. They're

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getting ready for some other meetings there and she's a beautiful person too. And we're just so thankful to be here. Boy I sure do love you and I thank the Lord that we have an opportunity to come together and just be in his presence and that's what we want. It's what we need so much to be in his presence. I really

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enjoy watching people and the Lord has given me some sensitivity spiritually to people and some to him. And I have the God-given ability oftentimes to read situations and and I was just sort of reading situations here tonight and in light of all that God is doing. You know we come in and many of us we don't

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know each other because we come from various situations. How many of you for instance are here from outside Tennessee? How many of you have come in from outside Tennessee? Hold up your hands real high. Can you see all these folks from outside Tennessee there just scores of people here tonight

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how many of you how many of you are outside the Knoxville in the greater Knoxville area I mean outside Alcoa Maryville and beyond that area outside the Knoxville area let's see your hands and that wonderful is isn't that beautiful

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is there anyone here from Knoxville let me see tonight how many from Maryville and Alcoa and up in those parts. And how many in other communities around Knoxville and the greater Knoxville area?

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All right. God bless all of you. But you know, when we come together, and I've since this, I've been preaching 21 years,

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I know the pastors here, and bless you pastors who've joined us here on the platform, many of you out here, we've asked a few to sit with us each night, and we just thank the Lord

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for all of our pastors who are here. But the pastors could testify to this, and those of you who've been in various church settings, you will discover that when you come into church,

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especially on Sunday morning, you find yourself in an atmosphere that is not conducive to faith. Now, do you understand what I'm saying?

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You will even find yourself far too often in a situation not conducive to worship. I don't really know why we're there. to show up, maybe to check each other out, because that seems to be what we do.

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We're so busy checking one another out, we haven't noticed that somebody's checked out. Because if you ever get in a room where a lot of folks start talking critically and gossiping, someone just left. His name is Jesus. you'd do well to leave swiftly also. And we live in this kind of atmosphere in

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church too often and in religious circles. Matter of fact, we're here tonight we're from all different backgrounds. I know that. We're still living in a day in my own ministry when the majority of our crowds are Baptist people. And I have the label Baptist on me and I'm not at all alarmed about that or disturbed about it.

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But what is, I believe, of deep concern to our Father is that that label would say we're exclusive over here or we're here and you're there and we're not really family, we just sort of tolerate each other. That's not pretty, is it? When we put the label up here and say this is this is our fellowship. You know what

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we've done? We've denied fellowship with people God chooses to have fellowship with. We've said you can't call me brother when God said you can call me father. My virtue of being born again into the family of God. Now here's what I'm praying for folks. I want to tell you, I'm not the least bit interested in coming

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over here to Knoxville and we have a few meetings together. I want us to meet the Lord. I hear the wagons and I know what the Lord wants to do and he wants to bring us together in him. He wants us to experience such a revival that that absolutely overwhelms us.

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And may I say to you that when we come into His presence, His personality is going to be manifested through us, and it will be His character that will be demonstrated in and through us, and not the character and nature of the enemy, Satan.

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It will not be manifested. He's a thief, he's a robber, he's a murderer, he's a deceiver. Satan is the accuser of who? The brethren.

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And when we accuse the brethren, we join ranks with who? Satan. Would you just answer me very honestly and very candidly, is there a considerable amount of accusing the brethren

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within religious ranks today? Does it come frequently from the mouths of professed believers? It must cease. And we must fall in love with one another.

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Your love for him will be largely and often measured by your love for one another. Your fellowship with him will often be determined by your fellowship with one another. Did Jesus not pray in the Lord's Prayer in John 17 that we might be one and that we would love one another?

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Did he not say to the world outside our fellowship, did he not say, "You will know they're my disciples because"--why?--"they love one another"? Do you know what we have today? And we're dealing with this, folks.

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Listen to me. The condition in the church is one of extreme need. It's one of extreme difficulty. We have been training not disciples of Jesus,

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but disciples of men and movements, and even denominations. We're training people to be dedicated to their own traditions rather than to the Word of God.

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And we will agree with the Word of God as long as the Word of God does not point a convicting finger at our group. Then we go with the group and not the Word of God.

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Now we're going to have to decide tonight whether or not we're going to be Baptists, Pentecostals, Charismatics, Methodists, as a priority over whether or not we're going to be Jesus' disciples.

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And if we become disciples of Jesus, we're going to be one in Him because when we were born again, we were born into Him.

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And I believe that the revival Jim Hilton talked about a moment ago is a revival that will so quicken us in the spirit and so release the power that is within us that we will not only recognize Jesus Christ as Lord,

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but the world and everyone around us will recognize that he is in fact our Lord. And I believe that they will see in us that Jesus Christ is alive.

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Because if we are a part of his body and by virtue of the new birth we are, then it is through this body that the world will view and see Jesus, and only through this body.

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My dear friend, there'll be no revival that comes around his body, the church, and that is the church. We can gather in church houses

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and we can gather in worship centers, but the church is not a building made by hands. It is the body of blood-bought, born-again, baptized believers.

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And this is his body, and it is through this body that people will see Jesus is alive, and they will see his love. And it is the longing in my heart

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to see a revival come to the people of God. For 21 years I've preached, and I've gone into meetings where the subconscious desire,

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oftentimes, in addition to the desire to see people saved, which is the desire of every Christian, the subconscious desire was for something to happen in our midst

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that would make us look good in our community as church groups and church people, Get us additions, get us numbers, get us growth, make us look good.

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And that's been a priority in our mind subconsciously. It's not something we think about a lot, but it's there. We want to look good. We want something that makes us look good.

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My friend, a revival will make God look good. And in order for God to look good, we're going to have to recognize the manner in which we're not like Him.

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We're going to have to recognize the methods that are not His methods. We're going to have to recognize the practices that do not manifest His nature in us.

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(audience "Amen") And we need this revival. It's my prayer that we'll see it. And it'll begin in you.

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There's no need for us to look to the right or to the left and say, "I hope they get it." There's no need for some of you here who feel like you've seen truth

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beyond what others have seen it. You say, "I hope you get up to speed. "I hope you get up." Boy, we're glad some of you are coming along.

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In the midst of much learning can come an abundance of arrogance, and we must watch that because that's not the nature of Jesus. He says, "I'm meek and lowly."

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Now he says, "Come learn of me." You know what we're going to discover? We're going to discover that when we're sitting at the feet of Jesus, which is the way we're supposed to be,

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we're going to be sitting at one another's feet and there'll be no arrogance, no pride. And we're going to learn that if you hurt another Christian, you hurt Jesus.

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You're going to learn that if you cut off another Christian, you cut off Jesus. My dear friend, we've not done it intentionally. I'm convinced we've been deceived.

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I don't think there's anybody, I don't think there's any pastor, I don't think there's any evangelist that deliberately tries to get people to follow them. In other words, come follow me.

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And I don't think there's any preacher or pastor who deliberately tries to get people to pledge their allegiance to tradition or to denominations. I don't think there's any preacher

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who deliberately wants his people to become antagonistic and hateful toward other people. But do you know who it is that's interested in all those things occurring?

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Satan. And may I assert that he's been highly successful at it. And it's just obvious. You know, we're worried.

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I turned to Dudley a moment ago, and to Jim Hilton. I said, "Now, I can tell there are a lot of folks out there "that want to put their hands up." And I said, "Now, one of you guys up here on the platform,

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"you ought to get your hands up. "Be the official hand raiser. "So the ones who want to raise their hand, "we'll see one of us up here got his hands up."

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I don't know if you noticed or not, I got mine about halfway up. (audience laughing) I was trying to relieve the folks

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that wanted to get theirs all the way up. See, there's just nothing wrong with it. It's all right. See how good you feel?

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I mean, it's all right. I've been in situations, honest to goodness, if I went in a meeting years ago and I saw anybody with their hand up,

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I'd faint, slap, slap at the door. I'd say, "Oh no, they're in there, they're in there. "I'm telling you they're there, they've invaded." And I want you to know that I'd look and I'd say,

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"They got hands up and they're not even voting. "I mean, nobody's made a motion. "They just got 'em up." I want you to know it's all right.

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As a matter of fact, it's scriptural. As a matter of fact, I think probably And if we wanted to get into a debate and a dialogue, we could probably prove it's not only scriptural,

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but it's a command. But let's don't get hung up on that because there's some folks that just don't feel like getting them up.

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And I want to tell you, till you feel like getting them up, it really wouldn't do you much good to get them up. Because it just really doesn't do a whole lot for you.

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But there's nothing wrong with it. And there's nothing wrong with them not being up. And I'll tell you something else. There's a lot of folks that get them up,

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but they still don't praise in their heart. And a lot of folks do it with their lips. Some folks get in where they just sort of get caught up in the ritual of it.

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but God's still looking on the heart. But I love to see people happy. I mean, just see people be just, all right, it's all right to be happy.

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I mean, why do we think we go to church, we gotta be sad? I mean, they get happy in that football stadium and they ain't got much to get happy about

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around Tennessee. But they get happy anyway, see? You know, Jim was talking a moment ago about, you know, that it wouldn't be any indication

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that miracles and Jesus is coming for Tennessee to win. Son, it would be a miracle, baby, that might get some believers. Oh no, better days are coming for Tennessee.

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They're gonna take up hockey. All right. (audience laughing) No, better days are coming.

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But I tell you, folks get happy out there, there's nothing wrong with being happy in church. Man, it's really all right. It really is all right to just be happy in the Lord.

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And it's all right just to love one another. Boy, I've just gotten in, in recent days, I started meeting some of these folks that I used to spit on a lot.

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I didn't just go up and say, spit on. It'd have been better if I'd have done it that way. I'd talk tacky about 'em. And I was unkind.

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And I've just been sort of going around and watching. Matter of fact, I'd been doing it for a long time. And the thing that always puzzles me, I kept seeing Jesus in different situations.

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I found Jesus in the Nazarene church, the largest in the world, where I preached last year. He just showed up. He met about 700 people at the altar.

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He was glad to meet 'em. And they were glad to meet him, and their pastor was so thrilled. He asked me to come back.

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He said, "I can't believe I'm asking a Baptist to come and preach in the Nazarene church for a whole week. I thought, well, you're really not. You're just asking a Christian brother

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to come and preach Jesus as Lord. And I went to a Methodist church, and I want to tell you, they'd led about 500 people to Jesus already that year.

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And I said, well, Jesus is over here. And you know what? I went to a Pentecostal church, and I thought these folks were swinging from chandeliers.

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They didn't even have a chandelier. They just had some love, and they really did. I mean, I've seen the extreme and the excess. Nobody ever recommends extreme and excess

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any more than we can recommend a skepticism and a dead orthodoxy that makes us stiff-necked and say, "Well, we're really more spiritual than those that are over there like this.

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We're real spiritual." And they're over there. See, if you go to extreme anyway and it moves you into unbelief,

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and we're not like Jesus, it's not good. When the flesh manifests anywhere, it's to be repented of. Just anywhere, see?

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And I went to assembly of God churches and I saw the Lord was there. Oh, I remember Billy Graham telling me, he said, "You know, I'm amazed, I'm amazed

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"at how people strive with one another." He said, "You know, when I leave this country, "so much of what goes on all over the world "is supported by the Pentecostal people

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"and people over here that some groups "feel totally obligated to just destroy." And he said, "Jesus is just there." So beautiful, so beautiful to pray

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with a Dr. Cho from Seoul, Korea and see how much he loves Jesus. I mean, it's just good. But we've been trained we can't do that.

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You know what? If we would arrive at a good sound conclusion tonight, we might go somewhere in such a positive manner that Jesus just might decide to come and meet here with us.

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And that would be to decide that none of us really know much. And the evidence proves it. because he's not confirming our words, he's waiting to hear his. The signs and wonders are not following what we say.

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Death and destruction and division and dissension. You say, "What signs and wonders are you talking about?" Everything he did. And the most beautiful of all is a life transformed to be like Jesus.

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That's the most beautiful wonder of all. Do you know that every one of us here tonight can be like Jesus? That's a miracle. There is no greater miracle than the fact that we can be like Jesus.

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And all the other miracles are just... well, they're just ordinary once you get into the miraculous presence of Jesus. Once you get in His presence, you'll never have time to bow down and worship a physical manifestation,

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no matter how many you see, no matter how many beautiful things occur. You're so caught up in Jesus, you just say, "Well, that's just like Jesus."

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Well, isn't that just like Jesus? Isn't that just like Jesus? That's just Jesus. Let me ask you something.

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Do you think Jesus spent all that time with his disciples, teaching them to do something that he really didn't expect them to do? Now be honest with me. Do you think that Jesus deceived his disciples when he said,

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"Now go make more disciples and teach them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you"? And he really didn't mean it? Then somebody said, "Well, why don't we do those things today?" Because we've been convinced we can't.

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We've been convinced He won't. We've even in some circles been convinced He can't. But He is the same. And the world's waiting to see living Jesus in the church. Some of you think the greatest miracle that could occur in Knoxville, Tennessee would be a bunch of blind folks to see and that would be

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nice. If you've ever been blind, it'd be nice if you could see. It really would be. It really would be nice. And Jesus said He can't be of sight to the blind. He meant far more than physical sight, which He did. It still does. but he wanted to give spiritual sight

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and open the understanding of our minds and our hearts. He really wants to do that. It'd be so wonderful if crippled people, wouldn't that be great?

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I want to tell you something, and he really does like that too, just as much as you'd want your children to have the touch of healing or health in their body.

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Man, God's no less compassionate than you. There's not a parent here that doesn't want the best for their children. Why do we belittle God by saying he doesn't want that?

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You say, "Well, where's the problem?" Listen, the problem is there's a healing that needs to occur in Knoxville. I mean there's an incredible healing that needs to occur in the body of Christ

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because people can't see Jesus. They can't hear Jesus. All they hear is our clatter. All they see is our commotion. All they see is a manifestation of the nature of the devil rather than the character of Jesus in us. Now let me tell you, they see it. I mean we have to come in here tonight and check each other out to

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decide whether or not we're family. We come in here and say, "I wonder who's here. I I wonder who's really behind this meeting. (laughter) I really wonder who's for it.

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Listen, if God's for it, it doesn't matter who's against it. And God's for what he says. He's for his word. And listen to this.

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You can already know that the purer the message is and the more undefiled and unadulterated it is, the greater the uproar against it will be. It's always been that way.

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It'll never change. Jesus said if you live godly in Christ Jesus, you'll suffer persecution. Jesus said leap for joy when somebody says

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something unkind about you and bless those that curse you. Don't strike back, don't fight, and don't go start another fellowship. Man, listen, that's a sin.

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Let me tell you what the Lord's convinced of me. He's just practically shouted this to me. He said for heaven's sake, when revival comes, don't start another fellowship.

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I want to start my people fellowshipping. I want to have a fellowship in the body. That's what we need. We need another something.

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We need to know who we are in Christ and start acting like it. Release him, we can love one another. We got a lot to learn.

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I want to tell you, I think we can safely announce none of us have it all together. I'll guarantee you yours truly doesn't. Boy, he's putting it together.

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And he's going to put it together because I'm willing to sit at your feet and hear Jesus through you. I'm not going to write you off.

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You say, "Why not?" Because Jesus said that I am to love you as the Father loved the Son. That's a lot of love, folks.

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You know what, I have no choice. I can't cut off from you. I'll cut Jesus off. Do you understand the significance of that?

00:20:29.380 - 00:20:38.860

If you cut off another born-again brother, you've cut off part of Jesus. You can't believe all the people God's been convicting me of

00:20:38.860 - 00:20:48.360

that I've gotta go and sit down and hear God through. I think they've missed it a few places, but God's shown me for sure I've missed it. I'll tell you what, I showed it to you on the plane.

00:20:48.360 - 00:20:57.000

I got a brochure of a guy. Be anything I ever saw, I mean this guy, I'm not gonna call his name 'cause I wanna go see him, but I'm gonna see him.

00:20:57.000 - 00:21:08.980

He's preaching all over this country right now. And in his reports, and man, it looks solid. He talks about people getting healed out of wheelchairs. A blind man, never seen, about 40 years old,

00:21:08.980 - 00:21:18.960

instantaneously healed right there in front of a whole crowd of 8,000 people. People healed of every kind of disease, 150,000 professions of faith in seven weeks.

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Boy, I remember I looked through that stuff, I found some of those little buzz words that I've learned to say, "Get him on." I kept looking through, I said,

00:21:28.440 - 00:21:40.920

"Lord, what if this dude's missed it?" It just seemed like the Lord said, "You know what, if he has, maybe you could help him "if you wouldn't be so quick to spit on him."

00:21:40.920 - 00:21:50.760

And then you know what the Lord said? "Maybe he could share something with you You'd quit kicking on him. I'd never heard of the man before.

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It doesn't matter what his name is. I want you to know God's training out of me the meanness of the enemy. And he's pouring in the love of an all-compassionate Jesus.

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And I want to tell you it's good to be on the receiving end of Jesus, because suddenly there flows a giving of the life of Jesus. It's so ugly.

00:22:15.340 - 00:22:25.780

I once was scolded because my picture was taken with Billy Graham while we played golf. And a man said, "I can't believe that you would "play golf with Billy Graham.

00:22:25.780 - 00:22:39.040

"What compromise?" And I said, I thought, "My goodness. "What is that spirit being expressed through you, Joe Bask? "What is that spirit of condemnation and criticism?

00:22:39.040 - 00:22:49.040

"Where'd that come from?" Do you know what we've interpreted separation to mean? It's separation from each other. Jesus said it's separation from the world.

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And one of the ways of the world is a hostility toward one another when somebody doesn't agree, or say it like you say it.

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It's not rebels we're dealing with, it may be some people walking in blindness, stumbling in darkness, but do you make a practice of kicking cripples?

00:23:04.860 - 00:23:11.800

Do you make a practice of spitting and shoving blind people? Why do you do it in the spiritual realm? God clearly said, "Know no man after the flesh.

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I know every man after the Spirit. It's going to get tight in here tonight, folks. I want you to know it's a time for repentance. And we must begin to repent of the unholy attitudes.

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We must put off every unwholesome word and all the unfruitful works of darkness. We must put on the armor of light. For your salvation is nearer you than when you believed.

00:23:40.940 - 00:23:47.480

You say, "What does that mean? "I'm nearer getting saved?" No, your salvation is nearer than when you believe. You say, "What is my salvation?"

00:23:47.480 - 00:23:56.560

That is wholeness. All of Jesus dwelling in you, all the time for his glory only. You can't imagine what God wants to accomplish

00:23:56.560 - 00:24:04.240

in our lives and will this week if you'll take time to be still and know that he's God. Folks, he said take time to be holy. It takes time to be holy.

00:24:04.240 - 00:24:11.680

You're gonna have to shut some of your agenda and your schedule down. Business as usual's not cutting it. We do not like Jesus.

00:24:11.680 - 00:24:25.560

Hanging in there and just toughing it out is no fun. Nobody who has a conqueror living inside likes being run over by an enemy and devastated. We like to live free when Jesus is in us.

00:24:25.560 - 00:24:32.200

We like to be overcomers. Now we even have theological emphasis that tells you you can't overcome. It's normal to lust.

00:24:32.200 - 00:24:37.700

It's normal to be defeated. It's normal to be angry. Why, it's just the way we are. That's a lie.

00:24:37.700 - 00:24:44.600

That's not the way he is, and we're in him, and he's in us. We better find out who we are in him. That's what revival is.

00:24:44.600 - 00:24:55.620

(applause) It is a lie. You've been convinced you can't overcome? It doesn't matter who tells you you can't overcome.

00:24:55.620 - 00:25:05.060

Jesus said, "You shall overcome." When the Son makes you free, you'll be free indeed. You'll not get free by joining movements. You'll not get free following preachers.

00:25:05.060 - 00:25:16.600

You'll not get free just simply associating with some Baptist group or Pentecostal group, you'll only be free and whole in Jesus. That's where we're headed.

00:25:16.600 - 00:25:29.680

It's good to get there in Jesus. Isn't it? Now you just watch me. They're doing their job and they're doing a good job.

00:25:29.680 - 00:25:45.380

I've told them that sometime God's gonna show up in one of these meetings, I want 'em to catch it. And you just never really know when he just might show up. So you don't need to be checking to see

00:25:45.380 - 00:25:59.760

if they're checking you out. (audience laughing) And you don't have to sparkle for the camera. You just let the light shine as it flows through you.

00:25:59.760 - 00:26:06.020

I'm just glad we can share this beyond this meeting, aren't you? Whatever the Lord says to us, we can share it with others.

00:26:06.020 - 00:26:20.420

What did Jesus say you are? You're light, you're salt. Salt adds flavor to all of life. It's therapeutic.

00:26:20.420 - 00:26:30.780

The church should be a healing quality in the community. Oftentimes it's upon a division. You ever wonder why we have so many churches? You say, "Boy, I tell you, we just, boy, we just,

00:26:30.780 - 00:26:36.820

we just, mission-minded." (audience laughs) We put 'em on every corner. We don't want anybody to be able to get by

00:26:36.820 - 00:26:44.400

without going to church. That's not why they're there. They're there 'cause we're so stinking mean we can't get along with each other.

00:26:44.400 - 00:26:50.980

(audience laughs) I mean, if it was mission-minded, you wouldn't put it two blocks down the street. You know what I think?

00:26:50.980 - 00:27:00.680

I think if revival comes, we're gonna get less selfish with the buildings that we started building when we did like Israel. He said, "Israel, my people have forsaken me

00:27:00.680 - 00:27:17.840

built temples. When we realize this is the temple and that you'll never get God in that building till you let him reign in this temple right here and his glory will dwell in the land. You know what I think will happen when a revival comes? We won't be so stingy with the trappings of what we call religion. Some folks that

00:27:17.840 - 00:27:35.680

might need a building, we'd say, "Why don't y'all meet in our building on Monday night?" Why do we build so many buildings anyway? Not that it's wrong to build buildings, it's not.

00:27:35.680 - 00:27:54.640

Not that it's wrong to have a meeting house, it's essential in many, many ways. But oftentimes, we really waste a lot, and we don't make good use of our facilities. And we let an old world just go to hell

00:27:54.640 - 00:28:03.240

while we try to look good on the corner, But we don't look good in the community. Folks, it must change. That's not a shot at your buildings.

00:28:03.240 - 00:28:11.280

I think God wants to use them for His glory. But I think He wants to fill the temple with His glory so those buildings be functional. And I want to tell you that if revival comes to this land,

00:28:11.280 - 00:28:24.460

you can't build enough buildings to hold the people that would like to come together in worship and praise. I'm saying let's don't be stingy with our buildings. Let's just let the Lord move in people's lives.

00:28:24.460 - 00:28:32.500

You say, "Well, but I don't know what they'll be saying in there when they get in there. Well, you can attend their meeting. It's amazing how many preachers are scared silly

00:28:32.500 - 00:28:39.040

that their people are gonna start reading the Bible and having prayer meetings. For the last five or six years, I've had scores of pastors come to me

00:28:39.040 - 00:28:43.080

and say, "Oh, my soul, help me, James. "I don't know what I'm gonna do. "My people are reading the Bible "and praying all the time.

00:28:43.080 - 00:28:49.620

"I don't know what I'm gonna do. "They got all these home Bible studies going. "I'm telling you, it's about to drive me crazy." Now, brother, that's a lot of insecurity

00:28:49.620 - 00:28:59.780

being expressed right there, and also there's a domineering spirit being expressed there that's not a shepherd's heart. We think we're protecting people from evil what we're doing without meaning to we're protecting them from an opportunity to worship God

00:28:59.780 - 00:29:15.780

Why do you think they're organizing that prayer meeting so they can take over the mafia? I? Mean you think they're getting a hit list they're gonna bump you off first I Mean they got a heart for God man. I mean what's wrong with folks I want to pray all the time want to read the Bible. I think that's what you've been preaching for

00:29:15.780 - 00:29:34.460

But you see we've been trained on a preach want you to come listen to us No, sir We either sit at Jesus' feet and hear him, or it is an exercise in futility and an expression of vanity.

00:29:34.460 - 00:29:45.460

Oh, you just don't know how hungry people are to meet the Lord. Man, they've got a hard hunger for God. And I'll tell you something, when people begin to seek God, we've got to teach our preachers and our evangelists and our pastors

00:29:45.460 - 00:30:03.600

that there is a difference in a seeking sheep and a sneaking wolf. Quit calling seeking sheep, sneaking wolves. You see, the wolf comes to destroy and to devour. The sheep is looking for food.

00:30:03.600 - 00:30:09.240

And rather than being critical, you ought to take that little group that's got a heart for God, dead in man, feed them and begin to grow.

00:30:09.240 - 00:30:16.880

And you ought to pray that every home in your community will be a Bible study and a prayer meeting. That's what Jesus wants. That's the way the New Testament church was.

00:30:16.880 - 00:30:26.200

(audience applauding) You don't have to fear prayer meetings in Bible study. When Mrs. Billy Graham, Ruth Graham, went to Korea several years ago,

00:30:26.200 - 00:30:34.380

she said the glory in that meeting was not the fact that Billy Graham preached to a million people. By the way, over 2,700,000 gathered a couple of years later

00:30:34.380 - 00:30:46.560

and it wasn't the dynamic personality of a Billy Graham that drew them together. It was the quiet, calm, compassionate spirit of a mild-mannered Bill Bright.

00:30:46.560 - 00:31:02.340

And in one night, almost three quarters of a million people publicly professed their faith in Jesus Christ. But when Ruth Graham went over there, she said the thing that overwhelmed her

00:31:02.340 - 00:31:10.820

was not the million people and the Korean children choir, which blessed the world, but she said the thing that thrilled her was going downtown in Seoul, Korea

00:31:10.820 - 00:31:23.060

at four o'clock in the morning, five o'clock in the morning, and in a single building there were over 7,000 people who prayed for hours and hours every morning and then walked or rode their bicycles home to work

00:31:23.060 - 00:31:31.540

at 7.30 or 8. They'd been praying there, she said, since four in the morning. People are making reservations to pray

00:31:31.540 - 00:31:40.140

on what they call Prayer Mountain over there. And do you know that Dr. Cho said, "We have one person fast and pray all day long "for every person's need."

00:31:40.140 - 00:31:45.740

If you had a prayer need and you said, "Go pray for me, one person to fast and pray," All day for you. Say, "Why do they do that?"

00:31:45.740 - 00:31:55.980

Not because it's tradition, because they believe God answers prayer. You know what else Dr. Cho mentioned? He said, "We've learned you're wasting your time

00:31:55.980 - 00:32:05.120

"when you try to deal with the enemy, "or you try to deal with diseases in people "that are not serious about the word of God." We insist that people repent

00:32:05.120 - 00:32:14.560

before we even get involved with them. There's some people who get free and then seven more demonic spirits come in to take over because they've never understood the importance

00:32:14.560 - 00:32:22.500

of abiding in the word. Jesus, who healed a man who had been lame, said, "Now go and sin no more, "lest something worse come on you."

00:32:22.500 - 00:32:30.380

Every healer, every person who emphasizes that, and there are no healers, there's but one. His name is Jesus. But those who emphasize the importance of it

00:32:30.380 - 00:32:40.760

must also emphasize that unless you live in the word, you will be overcome so easily by even those things from which you've been set free. That's what Jesus said.

00:32:40.760 - 00:32:46.960

"Go and sin no more, lest something worse come on you." Now he obviously healed him totally. You say, "What does that mean, James? "Live perfect?"

00:32:46.960 - 00:32:54.360

No, it means live in the word. Hide the word in your heart that you not sin against God. You say, "You mean to tell me "we're gonna live where we never sin?"

00:32:54.360 - 00:33:03.300

No, it means you live so that when you do sin, you immediately do with that sin what this word tells you to do with it. You confess it, repent of it,

00:33:03.300 - 00:33:11.080

and get back into fellowship with God instantaneously. You don't live in rebellion against God. (audience applause) You can't do it.

00:33:11.080 - 00:33:21.320

(applause) And have the overcoming release of God's spirit in you. You live in the word. That's the emphasis that must be made today.

00:33:21.320 - 00:33:27.800

My friend, God is serious about his word. Do you understand that? He's really serious about it. I want to tell you, he's so serious about it

00:33:27.800 - 00:33:37.400

that if you leave here tonight and you've not laid down all of your prejudices and all of your traditionalism, and if that means denominational idolatry,

00:33:37.400 - 00:33:49.340

it must go. You tear 'em down. If your denomination is anything more than a fellowship of believers for the purpose of exalting Jesus, magnifying Him,

00:33:49.340 - 00:34:04.160

sharing His love, sharing His life, and evangelizing the world, your denomination is against the Word of God. It is not a place to separate you from other believers. When revival comes, we'll all move together in Christ.

00:34:04.160 - 00:34:15.100

And those areas where we cannot agree are not important enough for us to try to bury a hatchet in one another's heart. We'll learn those things when Jesus comes and makes it absolutely clear.

00:34:15.100 - 00:34:27.360

If it's not clear now, quit trying to act like you know it's clear when you don't know. I'll guarantee you there's nothing here. There is nothing hidden but to be revealed.

00:34:27.360 - 00:34:34.400

My dear friend, those things God wants us to know, he'll make it clear to all of us if we'll just get all the trappings off and all the prejudice off.

00:34:34.400 - 00:34:43.060

And those of you here who've come in without an absolute love in your heart for God expressed in an absolute love for other Christians, you must confess and repent,

00:34:43.060 - 00:34:52.440

or there'll be no healing in Knoxville, Tennessee. There'll be no healing in the body of Christ. I'm convinced that God is waiting for a people that will be so committed to God

00:34:52.440 - 00:35:03.540

that he will come in such manifest presence that a revival will literally explode throughout this land and touch the whole body of Christ. And when that revival comes,

00:35:03.540 - 00:35:15.980

It will not be merely reported as the awakening or the revival of Ashbury Methodist College or University. It will not merely be the spiritual visitation that Jim Hilton saw for 18 weeks in New Albany, Indiana,

00:35:15.980 - 00:35:26.060

in the largest Southern Baptist church where God came and did everything He did in the New Testament, in that Baptist church for 18 weeks. It will not be where in that same area

00:35:26.060 - 00:35:35.080

in the largest assembly of God church, God moved in for 17 weeks. It will not merely be God showing up somewhere and a little glimpse of his glory,

00:35:35.080 - 00:35:45.920

or a manifestation of his miracle working power. It will be where the people of God decide that they're going to allow his glory to dwell in the land,

00:35:45.920 - 00:35:55.500

and they will refuse to be divided by any power of hell or lie of Satan. And they will gather at the feet of Jesus and their fellowship will be in him.

00:35:55.500 - 00:36:07.120

For you and I have been born into him, and we're to seek diligently to preserve unity of the Spirit in a bond of peace. And then we mature into the unity of the faith,

00:36:07.120 - 00:36:14.320

because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. And you can't hear the word of God when you're committed to fight one another.

00:36:14.320 - 00:36:20.260

You can't, you may think you can. All you do is get prejudiced. And you know what happens when you get prejudiced? You have to start a group.

00:36:20.260 - 00:36:27.100

And you have to name yourself something God didn't name you. And it's a dangerous thing to call yourself something when God already gave you a title.

00:36:27.100 - 00:36:33.800

He called you accepted and the beloved. He called you his children. He called you the sheep of his pasture. He called you the redeemed of the Lord.

00:36:33.800 - 00:36:42.540

He called you his children. He said, "Call me Father." And then we want to hang a label on, and we want to gather around that label

00:36:42.540 - 00:36:52.620

rather than around Jesus. Elizabeth and Zacharias found they were going to have a child. God said, "Call him John." His name was John, John the Baptist.

00:36:52.620 - 00:36:58.960

When he was born, they asked Elizabeth, "What's the son's name?" She said, "His name's John." She called him what God called him.

00:36:58.960 - 00:37:07.500

And the crowd clamored. Why, it was the ritual and the tradition of the day to name the first son after the father. Call him Zacharias.

00:37:07.500 - 00:37:17.020

And they called Zacharias in, and they appealed to his pride. They appealed to the pride. And they said, she says she's not gonna call him Zacharias. She needs to name him Zacharias.

00:37:17.020 - 00:37:23.580

And Zacharias, who couldn't talk and who couldn't communicate, because he was silent. He was unable to speak.

00:37:23.580 - 00:37:32.060

He and his wife couldn't communicate. He was gonna be unable to speak to his child. They were silent, dumb like so many Christians today. Can't really speak what God says

00:37:32.060 - 00:37:40.700

because they're always saying what their mind says. And they handed, Zacharias rather took the writing device, the slate, and he wrote on the slate what God said.

00:37:40.700 - 00:37:47.420

He said, "His name's John." And you know what happened? God loosed his tongue. And he could speak.

00:37:47.420 - 00:37:53.480

And I want to tell you, when the church learns to call it what God calls it, he's going to loose our tongue and we're going to be able to say what he says

00:37:53.480 - 00:38:02.480

in the spirit in which he says it. Well, that's gonna be a healing like you've never seen in the body of Christ. I mean, people are gonna love one another.

00:38:02.480 - 00:38:10.560

And all the powers of hell won't divide 'em. You won't get over here and get your name on your shoulder and say, "Well, I'm a Baptist." I asked a lady the other night in a restaurant a while back,

00:38:10.560 - 00:38:20.040

had a frown on her face, looked like someone slapped her in the face with an apricot and stuck a prune in her mouth. I looked at her and I said, "Lady?" I said, "Are you a Christian?"

00:38:20.040 - 00:38:28.940

She said, "I'm a hard-shelled Baptist." I wanted to sing, "There's a sweet, sweet spirit "in this place." (audience laughs)

00:38:28.940 - 00:38:37.680

Boy, you've got folks say, "Well, we're fundamentalists "and we're proud of it." Well, I'm a Southern Baptist and I'm a charismatic. I got folks all over the country watching me now

00:38:37.680 - 00:38:49.960

and they're thinking, "I believe he's got it." (audience laughs) I hate to disappoint you, I've always had it. (audience laughs)

00:38:49.960 - 00:39:09.100

It just hadn't always had me. (applause) Man, there are folks at every camp saying, "When are you coming on over all the way?"

00:39:09.100 - 00:39:18.460

I mean, when are you gonna really come, when are you gonna really tell 'em what you really are and come all the way over? I want you to know I'm not joining anything but Jesus.

00:39:18.460 - 00:39:28.500

And if that's not sufficient, folks, and I'll just come up short. Because I'm not joining anybody's movement. We're just gonna stand and preach Jesus

00:39:28.500 - 00:39:38.840

to a needy, thirsty land. And brother, if that's not good enough, then the rest of you can just do exactly what the Lord said we're not to do.

00:39:38.840 - 00:39:47.520

And boy, I want you to know it's easy to do it. It's a temptation to do it. I've been so tempted to do what Jesus said don't do. 'Cause he said you are not only that therapeutic salt

00:39:47.520 - 00:39:57.520

that brings healing, He adds all the flavor to life. But he said, "You're the light of the world." And what did he say do with the light?

00:39:57.520 - 00:40:04.200

What did he say do with it? He said what? - Let it shine. - You know, we learned that one

00:40:04.200 - 00:40:11.840

when we were little bitty folks. We do, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna..." Isn't that good? I can't sing too good, Doug, now don't laugh at me.

00:40:11.840 - 00:40:25.880

"I'm gonna let it shine." What does he say you're to do with the light? You know what he didn't say do it. He didn't say shine it Some of you folks that see the light. He said I see it boy. That's good

00:40:25.880 - 00:40:50.380

You just go right into disobedience and you disregard what he said and you start shining you say say say say Do you say do you say can you see preacher do you say preacher? Can you say and he's going my soul? No, man, I'm telling you about the blind He didn't say shine it on folks some of you get something so good you become an evangelist for what you got good you forget God

00:40:50.380 - 00:41:07.180

We begin to gather around gifts We begin to gather around experiences. There's nothing wrong with anything Jesus says is yours Just don't make an idol out of something. He gives you We made an idol out of preachers that have a gift to preach we made an idol out of this

00:41:07.180 - 00:41:20.740

We made an idol out of an experience. Oh, you gotta get this experience Man, a lot of folks would never, never get saved if they kept looking for the blinding light that Paul saw. He said, "Look for Jesus."

00:41:20.740 - 00:41:39.220

Man, he may come to you like he did in the night with Nicodemus. I mean, you can't pin everybody down to the way it happened to you. Man, when Jesus healed three different blind people, one of them, he healed his eyes and he didn't even spit.

00:41:39.220 - 00:41:49.220

Another one, he spit once in the mud. Another account says he spit twice in the mud. Now, that's three different denominations, no spit, one spit, and two spit.

00:41:49.220 - 00:41:59.220

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