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[Silence] We may have the strength with which to live not only this day, but the days that are ahead, to the glory of your name. Amen.

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[MUSIC PLAYING] (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music)

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(gentle music) (gentle piano music) [Music] ♪ Together with Jesus ♪

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♪ We can make it ♪ ♪ Together with Jesus ♪ ♪ We can make it ♪ ♪ Together with Jesus ♪

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♪ We can make it ♪ ♪ All the way ♪ ♪ We will make it ♪ ♪ All the way ♪

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♪ Together with Jesus ♪ ♪ We will make it ♪ ♪ Together with Jesus ♪ We can make it together with Jesus.

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We can make it all the way. We can make it all the way. [MUSIC] I was lost and in distress 'til Jesus took me in.

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And now I'm not the same. I'm bound for the promised land. He placed my name on the road. And oh, thank God, I know that I can make it.

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♪ With Jesus all the way ♪ ♪ With Jesus all the way ♪ ♪ Together with Jesus ♪ ♪ We can make it ♪

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♪ Together with Jesus ♪ ♪ We can make it ♪ ♪ Together with Jesus ♪ ♪ We can make it ♪

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♪ All the way ♪ ♪ We can make it ♪ ♪ All the way ♪ [MUSIC]

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♪ The world has you down ♪ ♪ Everything's upside down ♪ ♪ Just look to God above ♪ ♪ I know he will see you through ♪

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[MUSIC] Just let him have his way and you can make it with Jesus all the way. ♪ Together with Jesus all the way ♪ ♪ Together with Jesus ♪

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♪ We can make it together with Jesus ♪ ♪ We make it together with Jesus ♪ ♪ We make it all the way ♪ ♪ We make it all the way ♪

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♪ All the way ♪ ♪ All the way ♪ [ Music ] >> Hear this word of the Lord.

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And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. Saying, there was in a city a judge who feared not God, neither regarded man.

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And there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him saying, avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, "Though I fear not God,

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nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said hear what the unjust judge saith and shall not God avenge his own elect who cry day and night unto him though he bear long with them. I tell you that that he will avenge them speedily.

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Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on earth? Thus ended the reading of our scripture. We come now to our time of prayer.

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Prayer is a blessed privilege that God has given to all of his children. It's a privilege to commune with him, and as we come now, we invite you to come to the altar, that together, as the family of God, we may pray.

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[� [Humming] Everybody heads and close our eyes. Gracious God, our Father, in whom we live, move, and have being, as your children we

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we come in prayer to commune with you, we pause to say thank you. Thank you for the gift of this day. Thank you for life, for strength, for a reasonable portion of health.

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Thank you, O God, for our families, our friends. Thank you for the work that you've given us to do. Thank you, dear Lord, for the church. Most of all, we thank you for Jesus Christ, who is our eternal companion, who has traveled

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this way before us, and whose steps we are privileged to walk. And as we come now with grateful hearts, we come also seeking your forgiveness. We know, God, we are sinners, sinners saved by your grace. Forgive us for those thoughts that we have entertained which are not in keeping with

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your spirit. us for those acts that we have committed which are wrong. Forgive us, O Lord, for the sins of omission and for the sins of commission. And then we pray that you would cleanse our hearts, that we might be able to worship you in spirit and in truth. Lord, we would not

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be selfish and thinking just of ourselves but we remember our brothers and our sisters some who are on sickbeds some who are in hospitals some who are bereaved whose families have been broken remember them Oh God with your grace with your healing and with your comfort

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Then, O God, we would pray for your church, not just here at Ebenezer, but for those who witness in your name throughout the world. And for those, O God, who are outside the ark, for those millions who know you not in the pardon of their sins. Pray, O God, that somehow we may relate what we do here and

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now, our witness to that worldwide witness, so that we can be workers together with you in bringing to pass that day when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord in Christ. So fill us now, not only cleanse us but fill us and send us forth into the world this week to be the servants of your grace, your love and your power. We ask this

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in the name of your son Jesus Christ who is our Savior and our Lord. Amen. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING]

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[MUSIC PLAYING] [HUMMING] [HUMMING] [HUMMING]

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[MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] Good morning. This is the announcement period. However, I have received many. But please consult your bulletin for the announcement for the week.

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Do we have any visitors this morning? If so, will you kindly stand? I assume...oh. Will you give us your name and your church home? [inaudible] Thank you. We're so happy to have you worship with us this early morning,

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and we hope you will be inspired by the service, and that you will go forth proclaiming with God. If you're searching for a church home, come join with us. We'd be so happy to have you a member of our family. Thank you. Let us worship the Lord now in our giving our tithes and our offerings. This week

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National Baptist Convention convenes in San Antonio which is just 75 miles away and the children's choir will appear on the program on Saturday morning they will appear there I believe that nine o'clock so Stallion Lewis is our National Children's Director and we're looking forward to having a rather eventful session in San

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Antonio this week. May we bow our heads as we ask God's blessings upon our giving. Bless us, O Lord, that we may give in the way that is acceptable to you, recognizing that every good and perfect gift comes down from above, that we are trustees of your possessions. Grant that we may give in a way that glorifies your

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name and enriches our lives. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen. You have before you the bulletin showing the stewardship report for our church. There should be errors in your account. We would appreciate you letting us know.

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(soft music) [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING]

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[MUSIC PLAYING] (dramatic music) [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING]

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♪ The blood that Jesus shed for me ♪ ♪ Way back on Calvary ♪ ♪ I will never read the blood that gives me strength ♪ ♪ For day to day it will never lose its power ♪

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It will never lose its cause. It reaches to the highest mountain. ♪ Is a day ♪ ♪ And it flows ♪

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♪ It flows ♪ ♪ Through the lowest valley ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ And it flows ♪

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♪ And it's a day ♪ ♪ A day to ♪ ♪ One day ♪ ♪ If I could have ♪

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♪ My blues ♪ ♪ Blues at all ♪ ♪ It soothes my doubts ♪ ♪ And calms my fears ♪

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♪ And it dries all ♪ ♪ All of my tears ♪ ♪ The blood that gives me strength ♪ [Music]

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♪ Today ♪ ♪ It will never, never, never lose ♪ ♪ Lose its power ♪ ♪ Ooh, it reaches ♪

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♪ The highest mountain ♪ ♪ And it flows ♪ ♪ It flows ♪ ♪ To the lowest ♪

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♪ Of the deep ♪ ♪ To the glow ♪ ♪ Of love ♪ ♪ That gives peace to men ♪

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♪ For men ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ It will never lose its power ♪ ♪ Through it reaches ♪

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♪ It reaches to the highest mountain ♪ ♪ And before ♪ ♪ He falls to glorious memory ♪ ♪ Oh, the blood ♪

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♪ The blood ♪ ♪ The peace he has shed ♪ ♪ The blood ♪ ♪ The blood ♪

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♪ The blood ♪ ♪ The blood ♪ ♪ The blood ♪ ♪ Oh, it will never, never, never lose ♪

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♪ His pow'r ♪ ♪ Oh, it will never, never, never lose ♪ ♪ His power ♪ ♪ Oh, never, never, never lose ♪

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♪ His power ♪ ♪ Oh, it will never, never, never lose ♪ ♪ His power ♪ ♪ Oh, it will never, never, never lose ♪

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♪ His power ♪ ♪ Oh, it will never, never, never lose ♪ ♪ Jesus is born ♪ - Let us all stand and sing the first stanza

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of I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus, I cannot bear these burdens alone. (gentle music) (dramatic music)

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♪ I must tell Jesus ♪ ♪ Above the trials ♪ ♪ I'll let the daily burdens of old ♪ ♪ Be my distressing ♪

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♪ The little helping ♪ ♪ Be of the world's help ♪ ♪ If only thought ♪ I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus, I've never felt this kind of love.

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I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus, Jesus, you have me, Jesus, oh Lord. [Pause] One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer, and to show them that they must keep praying until the answer comes.

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There was a city judge, he said, a very godless man who had great contempt for everyone. A widow of that city came to him frequently to appeal for justice against a man who had harmed her. The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually he, she got on his nerves.

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"I fear neither God nor man," he said to himself, "but this woman bothers me. I'm going to see that she gets justice for she is wearing me out." with her constant coming. Then the Lord said, "If even an evil judge can be worn down like that, don't you think that God will surely give justice to his people who plead with him day and night?"

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Yes, he will answer them quickly, but the question is, when I the Messiah return, And how many will I find who have faith and are praying? Persistence in prayer. Persistence in prayer.

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Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, unuttered or expressed, the motion of a hidden fire that trembles in the breast. Prayer is not something that can be manufactured in the marketplace. Prayer is a grace, a gift from God.

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It is a way the Heavenly Father has provided for his children to commune with him. We may dial a certain telephone number and listen to a prayer. We may read a prayer. We may write prayers.

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prayer as the scripture speaks of it and as the Christian experience it, experiences it, is an event or a relationship, an attitude or an act which is expressed through Jesus Christ. Christ. Jesus Christ is our elder brother. He is our advocate. He tells the Father what we want. He is our interpreter and mediator. Jesus Christ is the head of the church and we are members of

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his body. So if we pray, we must pray through the mouth of Jesus Christ. We pray only when we say what he wants us to say. We pray only when we think as he wants us to think. We pray only when we ask God what Jesus wants us to ask. But Jesus wants us to live in such a way that we are always in fellowship with the

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Heavenly Father. He says we ought to engage in constant prayer. So he tells this story to illustrate what he means. In a certain city there is an unjust judge who is confronted by a poor widow seeking justice. What a strange set of circumstances. What a disturbing human predicament, an unjust judge, and a poor widow seeking justice. A judge is in

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the legal profession as a member of the judiciary having taken an oath that he will administer justice to all who come before him. There may be judges who will administer justice because of public pressure. Others may administer justice because of fear of not being elected if they fail to do so or not to do so. Then there are those who may administer

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justice because of their fear of men in the sense that they may fear having their decisions reversed by a higher court. Maybe the federal court or the circuit court or the Supreme Court. Then there may be those who administer justice because of their fear of a higher tribunal, the great judge of all the earth. But here is a man who has none of these fears. He's a

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a callous individual. He doesn't care. He's tough. He cares not about God or man. And here is a poor widow who comes to the judge to plead her case. She's alone. Her husband is gone. She's left in the world alone. She's oppressed and defenseless. Not only is she having a hard time, but there is nothing she can

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do but go to the judge with the hope that he will grant her justice. The poor widow is unable to hire an attorney she's unable to bribe the judge he has no concern or compassion even though he's not above taking a bribe she doesn't have the means with which to do so some judges are like this remark

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which you said, when a man was seeking justice he was asked well how much money do you have or how much justice can you afford? But this poor widow is a penniless plaintiff. She comes before the judge to plead her case. She comes before the judge seeking justice.

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And now we get a view of what it means to be persistent. Judge looks at her and he postpones the case. He defers it until next week. She comes next week and he moves it to the next week.

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And on and on it goes until months slip by. But each time this poor widow faithfully appears and pleads her case, seeking justice. She keeps on keeping on. She constantly pesters the judge.

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And so he comes to consider her a perpetual pest. She just keeps nagging the judge. She constantly reminds him of her case and she gets on his nerves.

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Finally, the judge says, I must act on this poor widow's case. She's wearing me out. She's worrying me to death.

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And I'll give her justice not because of any fear I have because I don't really care about any man. I don't care about God. But because this poor widow just constantly pesters me

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and because she really doesn't give up because she's not going away until she get what she's asking for, I am going to grant her justice.

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So this poor widow receives justice from the unjust judge as a reward for persistency in her petition. So persistency means keeping on, keeping on, no matter how difficult,

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no matter how precarious the human situation, Keep on. For if it paid for a poor widow seeking justice from an unjust judge, how much more does it pay for an oppressed child of God

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seeking help from the loving and forgiving heavenly father? But what really happened in the case of this poor widow is she went directly to to the source of help. The judge was in business, so to speak, to grant justice,

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and so she went to the source where the help was to be provided. So you see, prayer is a blank check on the bank of God's providence.

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Whatever we need is there. The deposits are already there. There are enough deposits made there in God's bank of providence to cover everything we need right there. Just write the check and be sure that Jesus Christ is the cosigner. That's what it means.

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And that's what Jesus is talking about when he says, "Ask whatever you will, whatever you want, ask for it in my name." and the Father will grant it you. So you see prayer provides us with tremendous proceeds. It's the right thing to do. That's why we are always pray. It's the right thing to do. If somehow we really want to be in tune with goodness we

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need to pray it's the right thing to do to pray. There's one TV personality on ABC Good Morning and she often leaves by saying keep thinking the right thoughts keep thinking the right thoughts and so if you really want to keep thinking the right thoughts then you need to pray because there's something happening all

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the time all around you to keep you thinking the wrong thoughts and the only way you can keep thinking the right thoughts is to pray. It's somehow to put ourselves in the stream of goodness and if you want to think feel your good thoughts to fill your mind with goodness of how good God is. And if you keep

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thinking about how good God is and how God provides for those who are faithful to him, then you can accept a lot of the hell that's around you if you keep thinking the good thoughts. So one needs always to pray, to pray, and then if you want to feel good about yourself even when your body doesn't feel good, but

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when you pray you can feel good about yourself. It's a struggle, prayer is a struggle. It's a struggle somehow many times to push back, to push out those things that that seek to keep us from thinking the good thoughts and doing the good things. That's a struggle. That's why Jesus says that you ought to be like that poor

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widow, recognizing that she has nothing, no human prop on which to lean. Everything else all around her has been taken away, yet she comes now to the source of help saying give me justice. That's what Jesus is saying that we ought to do we ought to persist in that way because he says there is one who

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knows what we need. He knows even before we ask, he already knows what we need but when we pray we somehow relate ourselves to the one who understands us and knows all about us and we get in tune with him so that we can control ourselves and our attitude and our action in a way that is acceptable to him. So, we ought to pray not only that we might feel good about ourselves, that we might be able to deal courageously and victoriously with whatever life sends our way.

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poor widow kept coming to the judge presenting her case. Jesus said just keep coming to God, keep knocking on that door. Have you ever knocked on the door of heaven? Have you ever knocked there and it seemed that there was no answer and and you just kept knocking.

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There was something deep down in your heart. There was something that you were anxious about. And so you went to God in prayer, and you knocked. And it seemed that there was no answer.

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But Jesus is saying, keep knocking. Because the God who made us, who loves us, wants us to be persistent in our prayer. And you see, there's a lesson in persistence.

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Because in being persistent, there's something that enables us to deal with the disappointments in life. And that's what Jesus is talking about.

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And Jared said no, no, time and time again to this woman, she kept coming back and Jesus wants us to learn how to deal with the disappointments of life so that we can we can have such a relationship with God that no matter how many times life says no to us that we know that somehow above

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all of these no's that life is saying to us that there is one who is above it all saying yes, yes. Then he wants us to keep on so that we can discover the error of our ways. You know many times what we pray for we don't need anyhow and we would really be in a terrible situation if God gave all of us what we ask him

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far and he wants us to keep on in such a way that in the midst of it we discover the error of our way sometimes we find ourselves off on little side roads little dead-end streets you see and we get off on little detours when we need to be on the international in the the the IH in a highway so to speak one that goes straight through and that's what prayer

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is it's sort of a pilgrimage and when you get on that highway when you get off of the side roads and get on that inter-regional highway it's a pilgrimage to God and somehow we know that we have access to God and that he listens that's the wonderful thing about prayer. God listens. And so in the romance of

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prayer not only do we listen to God, God listens to us. It's a dialogue, it's not a monologue, it's not just talking to yourself as some people say, it's It's listening to God. God, God the Father spent hours in prayer

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and it is said that one day he had just a silent day of the week, just silent. Oh, how wonderful it would be if we just spent a little time in silence,

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listening to God. Lord, what do you have to say? In another word, George Washington Carver said how he discovered the secrets of the of the potato and the peanut he said I just

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listened to God and I asked God Lord where is the secret what do you have to say to me and he said God told him the secrets there are secrets for happiness secrets for joy secrets for power if we trusted God and listened to him what he has to say Oh, no wonder I hear the fathers in that little church where I grew up, I hear them as they sing. I can hear them as they would raise the hymn, as some would say as they heist the hymn.

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And as they would raise that hymn, they would say, "I love the Lord!" He heard my cry, pity'd every groan. long as I live and troubles rise I'll hasten to his throne I'll keep on praying I'll keep on praying then they went on to saying I love the Lord he bowed his

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ear and chased my griefs away Oh let my heart no more despair while I have strength to pray Persistence in prayer, being faithful, and communing with God constantly, whatever may be the condition or circumstance. I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses to come to God in prayer,

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only in the morning of our lives but to keep that relationship with him all along life's way. As we sing now the hymn of invitation we invite you to come and accept Jesus Christ. To get in tune with him, put your hand in his hand, to walk walk with him a long life's way.

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And I'll be about him, sure as the heat, will never leave us, and he somehow will be our eternal companion, and he'll walk with us over the hills, and through the mountains, and over the level places.

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He'll be with us in the garden of life, and I can count on him. I count on him. ♪ I come to the garden floor ♪

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♪ While the dew is still on the roses ♪ ♪ And the voice I hear ♪ ♪ Calling on my ear ♪ ♪ I saw the man ♪

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♪ He smote his ♪ ♪ And he watched ♪ ♪ With me and he touched ♪ ♪ With me and he touched ♪

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♪ He held me close ♪ ♪ And the joy we shared ♪ ♪ As we married there ♪ ♪ None have ever ♪

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♪ As a couple ♪ ♪ He speaks and the sound of his voice ♪ ♪ Is so sweet the birds must have seen him ♪ ♪ And the melody that he made to me ♪

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♪ When in the heart he's bleeding ♪ ♪ And he walks with me ♪ ♪ And he talks with me ♪ ♪ And he tells me that I am his own ♪

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♪ Our land is old ♪ ♪ And its glory we share ♪ ♪ As we stand today ♪ ♪ Land of the ♪

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♪ As the world ♪ [music] I ask that the deacons will come forward at this time for be prepared for the Lord's Supper.

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All the deacons. To the pastor and members of Ebenezer Baptist Church, we have Sister Bessie Meredith Burks

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from Lyons Lions Unity Baptist Church, Houston, Texas. All right, Sister Burks, would you stand? Sister Burks come to unite with our church from the Lions Unity Baptist Church in Houston, Texas

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on the basis of her Christian experience. All who are in favor of accepting her, would you say "aye"? Aye. All those in no words, carry it.

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Sister Burks, we are happy to have you come. And to give you this right hand of fellowship, giving you all the rights and privileges as a full member of this church. church that we might together be workers together in seeking to fulfill God's will. May God bless you and may he keep you in his hand.

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Those persons who are not going to remain for the morning worship would you raise your hands. All right for the next, all right. It was on time when Jesus was betrayed on a Thursday evening that he observed this meal with his disciples and we as the family of God fulfill his will when we observe it because he says

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is an often is as often as you do it you show forth my death and suffering until I come. This is a table that God has prepared that's available to us even in the presence of our enemies. Table giving his strength his power enables us to go forward. May we bow now as we pray. Gracious God our Father we thank you that you have

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prepared a table and set it before us. We know that we are not worthy to eat at this table of ourselves so we don't come here trusting in our goodness. We come in the humility of our weakness. We come trusting in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We come now seeking your forgiveness and we hear the word one of

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you will betray me and we see Judas around that table. Grant O God that we shall not be guilty of betraying you and our thoughts and our actions. Sustain us by the food which you provide the food of forgiveness of hope of faith love bless us now as we commune together in Jesus name Amen

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he took the bread [INAUDIBLE] [inaudible] [inaudible]

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[INAUDIBLE] Thank you, all of you. [Music] Would you raise your hand until you're certain, please, I'll leave that for the campus.

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[Music] that except you eat my body and drink my blood, you cannot be my disciples. And when they heard this, many of them went back and walked no more with him. And turning to the 12, Jesus said, "Will you also go away?"

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Simon Peter, who spoke and said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." [Cell phone ringing] You'll keep your hand raised until you've been served.

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[music] There is someone who should be served who has not been served. Would you raise your hand so we can see? Let us commune together. [Bell ringing]

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Would you put your hand in the hands of the person next to you and look into the face of that person? And repeat after me, "The peace of God be with you." [Audience] Peace be with you. God loves you.

00:57:25.040 - 00:57:34.040

[Audience] God loves you. I love you. [Audience] I love you. Go forth in faith, in love, in hope, and in peace.

00:57:34.040 - 00:57:43.020

You're excused. [ Silence ]