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[Music] [Music] [MUSIC] [INAUDIBLE]

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(chanting) (chanting) (chanting) (chanting)

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(chanting) (chanting) (chanting) (singing)

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(singing) (singing in foreign language) (singing) (music playing)

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[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [Music] (chanting)

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[MUSIC] ♪ Tommy, Tommy ♪ [MUSIC] [MUSIC]

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[Music] ♪ For some say ♪ ♪ I'll be the one to be the first to say ♪ ♪ Oh, baby, I am the one ♪

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♪ Oh, baby, I am the one ♪ ♪ Oh, I am the one ♪ ♪ If you're a decent man ♪ ♪ Oh, you should be the one to say ♪

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[Music] [MUSIC PLAYING] (choral singing) (choral singing)

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(chanting) (chanting) (chanting) (chanting)

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(chanting) (choral singing) (choral singing) (choral singing)

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[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [chanting] (chanting)

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(choral singing) [choral singing] (choral singing) [MUSIC PLAYING]

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(singing) [Music] [INAUDIBLE] >> Let us all say amen.

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>> Beautiful. >> Come now to worship the Lord in our religion. >> Church is supported through the power of God. [inaudible]

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[INAUDIBLE] [INAUDIBLE] [inaudible] [inaudible]

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[ Silence ] [ Silence ] [ Silence ] [ Silence ]

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[ Silence ] [MUSIC PLAYING] [Bell tolls] [BLANK_AUDIO]

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(gentle music) [Music] [Music] [Music]

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[ Music ] [INAUDIBLE] [inaudible] [inaudible]

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[inaudible] Mr. Mary Frances Weston has lost her small platinum ring. [inaudible] Mr. Weston, would you please wave your hand so people know who you are?

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[INAUDIBLE] [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible]

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[inaudible] This is the devil coming for us. He's got to get my shoes on. [ Silence ]

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[ Silence ] [ Silence ] [ Silence ] [ Silence ]

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[ Silence ] (audience member shouts) [INAUDIBLE] The bell to the summer meal is two.

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At the November 30th through December 1st, from 4pm to 1pm. The profit of $50,000 covers lodging and two meals, breakfast and dinner. It is sponsored by WMU of Ebenezer Baptist Church.

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For more information, please contact Mr. Gatley's team, Mr. Rodney Jones. If you took a picture for the Ebenezer Baptist Church's choral church directory, you may pick up your directory in the foyer after the service today. There will be no fellowship hour today, as far as it's found out, but there will be fellowship.

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There will be no fellowship hour today. I have no business with Carlisle. I'm going to ask those who are visiting with us, if you understand at this time, those who are not members of this course of understanding,

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[inaudible] Wonderful, wonderful. You found a good place right here. Thank you so much for coming, Governor Newton. Please remain standing.

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[INAUDIBLE] We want you to be a part of this congregation. Let us all say amen. Wonderful, thank you so much for coming today.

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[BLANK_AUDIO] [inaudible] Wonderful. [inaudible]

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Wonderful. So happy to have you here this morning. Thank you so much. Anyone else? We're so happy and delighted that you've chosen us to be here as your place of worship this morning. Good morning. I would pray that this service will be a source of inspiration and strength to you.

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Thank you so much for being here. Members of the believers who are seated near me, standing, if I could just please give them a warm handshake. Open your hands and bow your heads.

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You've served us so much. Thank you so much for being here. Do you have anyone celebrating a birthday with you? Anyone celebrating you a birthday with you? Alright, God, you're the good man in this house.

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Amen, wonderful, wonderful. Anyone else that's celebrating a birthday with you? [inaudible] [inaudible]

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All right. Yes, this fine young couple coming down. All right. [INAUDIBLE] That's right.

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Let's all say amen. They look like newlyweds, as it is. Yes, ma'am. Dr. Quinlan, thank you so much for that.

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That's wonderful. All right, Dr. Dodson, you know the routine. Today is our 62nd downpour. [APPLAUSE]

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Oh, that's beautiful. That is beautiful. That is beautiful. Let us all say amen for that.

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That's a wonderful hymn. [MUSIC - "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"] [Music] ♪ For he's had his time away ♪

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♪ He's had his day ♪ ♪ For we know that you are his ♪ ♪ And all we ever will say ♪ ♪ Is worthy is his name ♪

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(choral singing) [Music] [Music] [Music]

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[Music] [Children singing] Yes, Lord. [inaudible]

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[inaudible] [INAUDIBLE] [INAUDIBLE] (singing in foreign language)

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[Music] [Music] Yes Lord. [Singing]

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[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC PLAYING] [Music]

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[MUSIC PLAYING] [INAUDIBLE] [INAUDIBLE] [INAUDIBLE]

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[INAUDIBLE] [INAUDIBLE] [INAUDIBLE] [INAUDIBLE]

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[INAUDIBLE] [INAUDIBLE] Yes, yes. [INAUDIBLE]

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[INAUDIBLE] [INAUDIBLE] Yes. [INAUDIBLE]

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Yes. [INAUDIBLE] Yes, Lord. [MUSIC]

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[MUSIC] Yes, Lord. [Singing] [MUSIC PLAYING]

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(singing) (singing) (singing) [MUSIC]

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(singing) (singing) [INAUDIBLE] [MUSIC]

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(choir singing) (singing) (singing) [Music]

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[MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC] (chanting) (music playing)

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[MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] (chanting) (chanting)

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(chanting) (chanting) (chanting) [Music]

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[Music] (choral music) (choral music) (choral music)

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[Music] [Music] (choral singing) (singing)

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[Music] [Music] (music) [Music]

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[MUSIC] [APPLAUSE] I believe we all ought to say amen. Amen.

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Oh, man. Let me begin by apologizing to the Dachshunds. I was so moved by that lovely sound of affection, I forgot to tell them congratulations.

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I ask that they may join us also at the rear and that we may congratulate them in a more personal way. All this scripture this morning is found in the 122nd Psalm.

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(rain falling) I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.

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Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together. "Where the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. "For there are set thrones of judgment, thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

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They shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces. My brethren and companions, faith, I will now say, "Peace be within thee." Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will keep thy good. Amen.

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May we all stand at this time and sing our hymn of consecration, the 122nd Psalm. We want to look particularly at verse 1 of the Psalm. And again it reads, "I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord.'" The title of the message, "The House of Gladness."

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I was glad when they said unto me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord." Psalm 122 is identified as a song of degree or a sense. It is one in a number of songs of similar nature, in that it was voiced by those of long ago who traveled on the road to the feast at Jerusalem during the holidays.

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It is a pilgrim song. In fact, it is believed to have been the hymn that the pilgrim rendered as he neared the temple gate within the city's walls. A pilgrim song, a melody, if you will, in the heart of one who travels the upward way.

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A pilgrim song of ancient times, yet a song that speaks to our hearts today. I wonder if we can hear the melody that the psalmist sings to us about the house of God.

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You know, it is an amazing thing when we really consider the words of this song. Isn't it amazing how this ancient song touches on contemporary issues.

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But during the time of this psalm, that is centuries before even the New Testament, we get a sense of how the city of Jerusalem played a big part in the life of the people.

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So the psalmist declares, "The writer maintains that his feet and the feet of his nation shall be established between the gates of great spirit." And then he goes on to say, "Pray for the people of the nation." You know, in a real sense, it almost sounds like a song that's been sung in your life,

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to this day. But on a daily basis, and almost hour by hour, we are constantly receiving disturbing news from the Middle East relating to the deadly conflict between two peoples,

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is stronger in his fighting over one issue, and that is whose feet shall stand within the pretty gates of the music. And as in the days of old, we are

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implored to the mass to pray for the feet of the music. and for the peace of the region. As many of you know, three years ago, I was blessed with the support of this foundation

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to make a study trip to Israel and parts of Egypt, along with my seminary classes. We had a chance to take in a number of biblical sites in various parts of the region.

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And as I've mentioned before in a previous message, I even managed to have gotten myself lost on the Tucson Strait while in Damascus, Syria. And I praise God even now for the living

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and the sleeping of the Syrian people. Yet another unforgettable experience that I had while there was during the time we were in the city of Jerusalem, and I will visit through the Wailing Wall.

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This is a part of the western wall of the ancient temple there in Jerusalem. And as those of you who have had a chance to visit this site know, You are given the opportunity to pray at the wall. It is truly a solemn and sacred moment for us all.

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But you know, I never shall forget the thinking that was there then, even before the present hostility in this day and time. And I can remember that among the great crowd of people gathered there in the plaza, there were a number of heavily armed soldiers with sidearms and carrying what looked to me like M16s,

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just waiting for someone or something to get out of order. And you know I can recall so well that when it came my time to advance to the walls to pray, that the words of this 122nd Psalm came so vividly to my mind. Especially this part about praying for the peace of the world.

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Because quite frankly, my brothers and sisters, that was exactly what I was doing, praying for the peace and harmony of Jerusalem, especially while I was there in Jerusalem. As previously noted, this 122nd Psalm is primarily concerned with the well-being of Jerusalem in that day. Yet when we today consider the words of this Psalm, we detect a negative effect, especially as the Psalm opens.

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For here we find that the writer focuses not so much on the city, but more on the potential in the city. Or as he puts it, the house of the Lord, God's house, the place of worship. Or, if we want to put it in our terms today, the psalmist is talking about going to church,

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and about what church, if you will, means to him as he journeys to the house of worship. For in his own words, he makes a rather personal declaration. I was glad when they said unto me,

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let us go into the house of the Lord. The psalmist here lifts up a song of gladness, as we sing about the house of gladness. I wonder if we can use the melody.

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A melody that begins with the words, "I was glad." You know, gladness is a powerful element of life. For an attitude of gladness can help a person get through just about anything in life. Because regardless of what our situation may be, or in spite of whatever we are going through,

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if we approach whatever we are facing in life with a sense of gladness, joy, if you will, we can accomplish just about anything in this life. And do you know, my brothers and sisters, that's what the psalmist is talking about here. Making the journey to the house of glass in an attitude of glass.

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In fact, the word used here in the original language can be rendered in one of two ways. For on one hand, this word can mean to leap about for joy and to be in a state of total abandon and unrestricted hilarity. In other words, we get a picture of the psalmist shouting on his way to church, or in some cases, shouting before church services even began.

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And I don't know about you, but I think we all know of somebody like that. I can remember that in the church that I grew up in, there was a man who used to sit in the far left rear corner of the church on the very back seat. Now I never knew his name, but I can remember that we as children used to call him that shouting man.

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And we used to call him that because we knew that every Sunday without fail he was going to shout. Now we didn't know when it was going to happen, but we just knew that once he got in and got seated, he was subject to shout at any time. Sometimes he'd shout during the sermon. At other times he'd shout during the singing of the choir, even before the preacher got up. But you know there were those other times when long before any of this took place, when he would just sit there as the musicians played the opening prelude on the organ.

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And he would just seem to fill up with the spirit. And then that's when a group of us would gather around him and just get ready, because we all knew that he was getting ready to go. Shadows before church service even get dark. Some people are just prone to express their feelings in that way.

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Even before church gets started, they're just glad to be in the house of gladness. And we reach here where the Father says, "I was glad when they said, 'Uncle Lee, let us go into the house of the Lord.'" Can't we simply celebrate on his way to church, shout before he even gets there? But you know, when we look at this word "glad," we find that it can be rendered in another way.

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For in the original language, along with meaning to literally "jump about," it can also mean simply "to shine." to shine, not making a whole lot of noise, not causing a whole lot of disturbance. And with this in mind, my brothers and sisters,

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with your permission, I'd like to re-read the words of the psalmist in saying, "I will shine when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord or the house of shining gladness. Have you ever known of somebody or some people that you just enjoy being around?

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They don't have to say a whole lot. They don't have to do very much. It's just a joy to be around them. And you know if you allow me to say this, there are some people in this congregation that fill me up with so much joy every time I come into this house of gladness that I can hardly wait to get in. Oh, it's true, my brothers and sisters, that I come to the house of God to worship God.

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But for me, there is what I call a free benefit. Some people just have the ability to shine with so much glass that it makes me want to shine with glass, regardless of how I may feel at the time. That winter, the youth were in charge of prayer meetings.

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And like always, they did a beautiful job in leading in song, prayer, and bringing us to the table. Well, when it came time for testimony, I asked for volunteers. And the ones who did, by the way, gave beautiful answers, wonderful testimonies. But you know, my brothers and sisters, I was especially moved by the testimony of young Jolly Williams.

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And those of you who were there know what I'm talking about. But Jolly was shining with gladness. He thanked the Lord for his team winning their first football game. Jolly was shining, y'all.

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He thanked the Lord for helping him make good grades in school. Jolly was shining. In fact, he got to shine so much that he even made a special announcement at the prayer meeting, invited everybody to his football game.

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And if you needed a ride, Jolly said, "My mom will be glad to pick you up." Now, I don't know about you, but that's what I call gladness. That's what I call shining with gladness.

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And you know because you were shining with gladness, that made all the rest of us want to shine with gladness. And I don't know about the others there, but I was just glad to be here. The song is said, "I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord.'"

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He sings his song of gladness about the house of gladness. I wonder if we can give to them. My brothers and sisters, I don't mean to get too personal.

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I don't mean to try. But if you'll allow me, I've got a question for you. How do you feel about the House of God? Has it become just another place that you come to or send to the Lord?

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Are you just here out of a sense of obligation or you're serious? Do you come to this house just to get out of your house for an hour or two? And when you do come, do you come with a sense of sadness and down-frightening because of the anxiety of the season? Well, if that's the case, and you feel a little tempted to stay at home, I'm inviting you to come on the church anyhow.

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Because I can guarantee that you're going to come in contact with some folks that's going to be filled with so much gladness that it's going to cut through your sadness and make you glad if you think. And even though we may not find us shouting with gladness again, you sure gonna find a whole lot of folks shining with gladness.

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Because in spite of it all, my brothers and sisters, when we really think about it, hadn't God been good to us? Don't you feel like shining right now? You know, we got a reputation here at Ebenezer that we don't celebrate that much.

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No, but they got that wrong. So that is a whole lot of folks out there right now, shining with the goodness of God. And if you don't feel like shining, look up here.

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I'm shining because I know how good God has been to me. If you have a little problem with it, if you have a little problem with shining for the goodness of God, if you don't feel like shining,

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shine for me because you know and I know that God has brought us through and brought us from a mighty long way. You may not feel like shining, but I feel like shining right now because God has been good to me.

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Just think, hallelujah, just think of his goodness to you. [ Silence ] [BLANK_AUDIO]