WEBVTT

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 Thank you so very much. What a beautiful song.

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 If you have your Bibles, look with me this morning to Mark chapter 2.

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 And let me just tell you what we're going to do.

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 We're going to look at the first five verses.

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 I'm going to do a hurried exposition of this passage.

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 And then after we do that, we're going to stand back and notice some things

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 about the focal principles of this passage we're dealing with today.

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 If I were to give the message a title,

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 it would be the joy of seeing lives changed.

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 When you read Luke's Gospel, chapter 15,

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 there are my three favorite parables in all the Scripture.

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 It's the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin,

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 and then the prodigal son who returns home.

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 And the teaching in all that is clearly this,

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 that there is joy in heaven over that which was lost being found.

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 It's a joy, isn't it, to see something that's lost discovered again,

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 to see something that's lost purpose and meaning in life,

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 and it's just going down the tube, so to speak,

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 suddenly to be renewed and to find new life and vitality,

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 to see someone's life change.

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 Man, it just doesn't get any better than that.

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 In fact, I can tell you with assurance today,

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 the greatest joy I ever had as a pastor

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 was not in seeing a building packed with people.

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 That's exciting.

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 It's invigorating.

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 But what really and truly is exciting

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 and what really and truly is joyful

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 is to see somebody whose life was out of order

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 and suddenly see them come to know Christ

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 and see the huge difference He makes in their life.

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 Well, if you've never had that joy of witnessing that,

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 I hope you will in the days to come.

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 It's something you're going to see in the story we look at this morning.

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 So if you have your Bibles,

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 turn with me to Mark chapter 2,

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 and let's begin our reading in verse 1.

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 When He entered Capernaum,

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 and He is referring to Jesus,

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 Capernaum is the home base of His Galilean ministry.

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 He lived, grew up in Nazareth,

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 a stone's throw from Capernaum.

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 But when Jesus begins His ministry,

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 He works in and out of Capernaum.

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 He leaves Capernaum, comes back to Capernaum.

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 And so verse 1 of chapter 2 says,

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 When He entered Capernaum again,

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 after some days He's been away,

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 and if you read the chapter prior to this,

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 you know He's been preaching,

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 He's been healing,

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 doing all kinds of miracles.

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 It was reported that He was at home.

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 Some of you may be using the King James Version this morning,

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 and I typically use other translations,

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 but I want to tell you,

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 I like the way King James Version puts verse 1.

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 It says,

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 It was noise that Jesus had come home.

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 I like that term,

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 it was noise,

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 because it tells you it wasn't a computer,

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 it wasn't something on Facebook,

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 it was something that people said to one another.

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 It's a little bit gossipy sounding, isn't it?

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 In other words,

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 this person told that person to tell,

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 this person who told yet another person,

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 and pretty soon all over the region of Capernaum,

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 word has gotten out,

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 Jesus is back home.

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 He's come back to Capernaum.

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 Well, it stirs up all kinds of excitement,

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 and we see that in verse 2.

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 So many people gathered together,

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 that there was no more room,

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 not even in the doorway,

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 and He was speaking the message to them.

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 I mean, when word got out,

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 the whole area wanted to see Jesus again.

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 They'd heard of these miracles He'd done on this Galilean tour,

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 they'd heard about His preaching,

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 all kinds of things were happening.

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 Everybody wanted to come and hear Jesus.

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 So when they hear He's in this local house,

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 there in the town of Capernaum,

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 everybody rushes there to see Jesus.

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 It was a standing room only crowd,

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 what we call an SRO crowd,

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 standing room only.

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 Now, we've got a good crowd here this morning,

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 but we are,

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 what we Baptists like to say,

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 comfortably filling this room, right?

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 You know what that means, right?

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 There's enough room for you to lay down and take a nap

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 beside somebody else.

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 This place was packed.

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 If this had been the room that He was in,

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 and I'm confident it was a much smaller room than this,

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 probably less than a third the size of this room.

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 I mean, they're jammed in there,

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 tree to tree,

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 treetop tall.

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 There are people everywhere.

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 There were people behind Him,

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 people in front of Him,

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 people to the side of Him.

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 I dare say Jesus probably had to stand there

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 as they, in all likelihood,

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 sat or kneeled or maybe lay on their side on the floor

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 if there weren't chairs available to them.

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 And they just jam-packed that place,

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 so much so,

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 you could not get one other person in that room.

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 Now, we who attend Baptist churches,

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 that's kind of hard for us to imagine, right?

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 And I've only seen it one time in my life.

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 I've seen at Easter huge crowds,

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 assuming the church I pastored,

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 where we had to bring in chairs,

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 we had people on the floor,

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 we had people behind us in the choir loft.

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 But only one time in my ministry,

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 when I first started preaching,

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 Western Avenue in 1978,

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 we had truth come to our church.

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 Some of you will remember that group.

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 They were a wonderful, wonderful singing group,

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 and we advertised all over town

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 that truth was going to be there.

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 And I'm going to tell you,

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 I got there about 45 minutes

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 before the performance started.

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 We had one of these old churches

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 that had a wraparound balcony.

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 Remember those?

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 How the old churches were,

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 had a wraparound balcony.

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 I was fearful as I stood there on the platform

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 thinking,

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 I hope nobody falls out of the balcony.

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 They were leaning over the rails of the balcony.

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 It was really a scary situation.

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 All the floor space was taken.

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 The choir loft was filled.

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 We had two vestibules in the back of the church.

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 Both of those were standing back.

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 People standing in the stairwell.

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 Every place is taken.

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 Fire marshal shows up.

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 A few minutes before the performance,

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 he got word of it.

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 He comes down there,

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 takes a look at it,

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 comes to me and says,

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 you let one more person in this building,

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 we're going to close it down.

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 It was genuinely a standing room only crowd.

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 Well, that's what's taking place here in Capernaum.

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 It's a standing room only crowd.

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 They're packed to the max.

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 Well, look at verse 3.

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 Verse 3 says,

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 Then they came,

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 and we don't know anything about this group called they.

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 And then they came to him bringing a paralytic carried by four men.

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 All we know is their number.

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 We don't know their relationship to the paralytic.

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 We don't know anything about their paralytic.

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 We don't know their name.

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 We don't know his name.

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 We don't know how long they've had relationship.

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 We're going to make some assumptions here in a few moments that I think are logical and reasonable.

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 But you can make up your own mind about these men.

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 We're just not told any of the other details.

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 This is what we know.

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 They come bringing this man, probably a friend, on this cot to where Jesus is at this house in Capernaum.

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 Look at verse 4, if you will.

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 Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd,

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 they removed the roof above where he was.

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 And when they had broken through, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic was lying.

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 Now, that ought to take you back.

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 If it doesn't, you, my friend, don't have much imagination.

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 I'm telling you, that's one weird, weird scene.

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 These four guys have brought this guy, probably a friend, to Jesus.

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 They want to have Jesus take a look at him, see if Jesus can help him.

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 When they get there, the front door of the house, there are people standing in the doorway.

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 They no doubt approach those guys, hey, could you let us in?

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 This is a guy we brought to see Jesus.

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 Sorry, pal, you're out of luck, too late, can't get in the house.

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 They walk around the house, the windows, they're jam-packed, the back door, you can't get entrance there.

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 And they wonder, how can we get our friend to Jesus?

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 Now, you'll recall months ago, three months ago, when I began as interim here at Pickens,

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 we preached then from Mark in one of those opening sermons,

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 and we told you that huge crowds often came to where Jesus was,

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 and that Mark was the gospel writer who was not about theology so much or philosophy like John is.

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 He's the guy who's telling a narrative,

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 and he goes from one story quickly to another, to another, to another.

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 He doesn't give us neither the details any of the other three gospel writers give us.

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 In fact, this is the word that you find more often in Mark than you know the word,

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 the word immediately or straightway.

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 He says, and immediately Jesus did this, and immediately Jesus did this, and immediately Jesus did this.

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 So when you're reading this story, here's what you get.

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 Jesus comes home, word gets out, everybody shows up,

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 these guys pick up this guy on the cot, bring him to Jesus, get there, can't get in,

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 and in the very next verse he says,

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 and they go up on the roof, and they tear the roof out,

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 and they lower the man into the presence of Jesus.

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 Now, I hope you've got enough imagination to know

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 that while he's accurate in telling that,

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 he's left out some stuff, right?

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 I mean, who of you in this room,

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 if you're in the position of these four men,

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 say immediately, when you can't get in the front door,

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 oh, I know what I want to do,

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 let's go up on the roof and tear out the thatch

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 and lure him into the presence of Jesus, right?

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 It just doesn't go down like that.

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 There had to be a time where they stood back,

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 and they looked at that, and they thought,

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 well, man, this guy needs to see Jesus.

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 How are we going to get him into Jesus?

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 What are we going to do?

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 And they mull that over,

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 and ultimately come up with a solution

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 that Mark tells us about very hurriedly.

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 They go up on the roof, they tear out the thatch,

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 they lure him into the presence of Jesus.

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 But I assure you,

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 it didn't take place just that quickly as we read it.

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 Well, what happens?

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 Look at verse 5.

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 Seeing their faith,

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 Jesus told the paralytic,

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 Son, your sins are forgiven.

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 Interesting phrase,

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 if you underscore in your Bible,

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 underscore that second word,

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 seeing their faith.

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 The plural pronoun there.

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 Not seeing the paralytic's faith.

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 That's how we normally think.

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 That if I get a miracle in my life,

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 it's because of my faith.

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 But what Mark says is,

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 seeing their faith.

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 Can I give you a picture of what I think happened?

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 Jesus come home.

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 The crowd has gathered.

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 Place is filled to the max.

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 Jesus, in all likelihood,

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 has taken a position

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 in the center of the room.

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 Now think about it.

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 Probably a low ceiling.

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 It's a small house.

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 A lot of folk.

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 So how, if you're a speaker,

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 are you going to talk to those folk

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 unless they're kneeling, lying,

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 and you're standing up,

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 and you're somewhere

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 in the center of the room.

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 I've had occasion where

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 a real large crowd had gathered,

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 and when I was speaking,

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 I'd be speaking to people here

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 and here and here,

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 and I would just keep turning

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 back and forth

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 in order to try to make eye contact

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 with everyone that was in the room.

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 I have a feeling,

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 can't prove it,

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 but it seems reasonable to me

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 that's probably what Jesus did too.

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 He's in the center of the room.

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 People gather around him.

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 He's talking, right?

00:11:43.860 --> 00:11:45.180
 You ever been in a Baptist meeting

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 where somebody's talking,

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 they're up preaching,

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 they're teaching,

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 and somebody does something

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 they didn't intend to do?

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 Or maybe they did intend to do it,

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 but it just wasn't

00:11:53.160 --> 00:11:54.580
 the smartest thing in the world to do, right?

00:11:55.940 --> 00:11:57.140
 Somebody's phone goes off.

00:11:57.400 --> 00:11:57.960
 What happens?

00:11:59.800 --> 00:12:01.020
 Ryan cuts your phone off, right?

00:12:01.420 --> 00:12:02.700
 Everybody looks in that direction.

00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:05.420
 Or somebody gets up

00:12:05.420 --> 00:12:06.440
 and they go do something

00:12:06.440 --> 00:12:07.640
 that you wonder why in the world

00:12:07.640 --> 00:12:08.120
 didn't they wait

00:12:08.120 --> 00:12:08.920
 until the church is over

00:12:08.920 --> 00:12:09.760
 to do that, right?

00:12:10.640 --> 00:12:12.540
 And yet, everybody turns

00:12:12.539 --> 00:12:14.219
 and they look in that direction

00:12:14.219 --> 00:12:15.439
 because they're distracted.

00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:17.620
 So Jesus is up teaching

00:12:17.620 --> 00:12:19.360
 and all of a sudden

00:12:19.360 --> 00:12:20.719
 they hear footsteps.

00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:22.740
 This is not a solid roof, obviously,

00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:24.279
 because they break through it pretty easily

00:12:24.279 --> 00:12:25.740
 and lower this man into Jesus.

00:12:25.740 --> 00:12:28.480
 So they hear footsteps on the roof.

00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:31.019
 They can hear voices, no doubt.

00:12:31.159 --> 00:12:33.060
 Hey, then you're not going to drop him, are you?

00:12:33.600 --> 00:12:34.580
 I mean, you okay?

00:12:34.820 --> 00:12:35.600
 Are you all right?

00:12:36.419 --> 00:12:38.340
 And they hear these voices outside.

00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:41.180
 And now they hear walking on the roof.

00:12:41.740 --> 00:12:42.919
 And all of a sudden,

00:12:43.639 --> 00:12:44.919
 somebody gets hit in the head

00:12:44.919 --> 00:12:45.940
 with a piece of thatch.

00:12:47.019 --> 00:12:48.220
 And they look up.

00:12:48.840 --> 00:12:50.519
 And everybody in the room follows suit.

00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:51.560
 They're all looking up.

00:12:51.559 --> 00:12:53.579
 And now, if I'm Jesus,

00:12:53.799 --> 00:12:54.759
 I don't know if he did or not,

00:12:54.819 --> 00:12:55.479
 but if I'm Jesus,

00:12:55.719 --> 00:12:57.000
 I quit talking

00:12:57.000 --> 00:12:59.039
 because I know I've already lost a while anyway, right?

00:12:59.619 --> 00:13:01.000
 And I'm watching the same thing

00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:02.099
 everybody else in the room is watching.

00:13:02.179 --> 00:13:04.279
 I'm watching this little tiny hole

00:13:04.279 --> 00:13:05.539
 through which daylight is coming

00:13:05.539 --> 00:13:07.859
 get bigger and bigger

00:13:07.859 --> 00:13:10.299
 and bigger and bigger

00:13:10.299 --> 00:13:11.079
 until finally,

00:13:11.419 --> 00:13:13.799
 you can lower a cot down through the opening

00:13:13.799 --> 00:13:17.819
 and four faces suddenly appear.

00:13:18.679 --> 00:13:19.259
 Hey, Jesus.

00:13:19.259 --> 00:13:21.860
 Got a buddy here.

00:13:23.080 --> 00:13:24.259
 He needs to see you.

00:13:25.439 --> 00:13:28.240
 And they lure him into the presence of Jesus.

00:13:29.139 --> 00:13:29.840
 Now, I'm going to tell you,

00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:32.080
 that's a meeting I'd like to have been at.

00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:32.460
 Wouldn't you?

00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:36.220
 That is one cool, cool story.

00:13:36.539 --> 00:13:38.639
 That's what we get here in Mark chapter 2.

00:13:39.139 --> 00:13:42.399
 Well, what do we make of this?

00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:43.200
 Uh-oh.

00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:44.659
 I lost my microphone.

00:13:44.659 --> 00:13:48.719
 That's one of those distractions

00:13:48.719 --> 00:13:49.759
 we were talking about.

00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:53.120
 Just cut it off.

00:13:53.299 --> 00:13:54.079
 Now it's back on.

00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:55.139
 Okay.

00:13:57.019 --> 00:13:58.379
 Here's my question to you.

00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:00.159
 Having looked at this story this morning.

00:14:01.539 --> 00:14:02.759
 What in the world?

00:14:03.480 --> 00:14:04.679
 What in the world

00:14:04.679 --> 00:14:07.459
 possessed those four men

00:14:07.459 --> 00:14:10.259
 to do what they did?

00:14:10.259 --> 00:14:13.319
 I mean, can you imagine?

00:14:13.580 --> 00:14:14.639
 Can we just be honest?

00:14:16.059 --> 00:14:17.139
 Is there anybody in this room

00:14:17.139 --> 00:14:18.860
 that can envision you doing that?

00:14:20.340 --> 00:14:22.620
 You going up on somebody's roof

00:14:22.620 --> 00:14:24.059
 who probably you don't even know

00:14:24.059 --> 00:14:27.779
 and tearing a hole big enough in the roof

00:14:27.779 --> 00:14:28.879
 to put a cot through

00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:31.899
 and to lure this paralytic

00:14:31.899 --> 00:14:34.139
 into the presence of Jesus.

00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:35.419
 When it's Jesus,

00:14:36.059 --> 00:14:37.159
 it's the Son of God

00:14:37.159 --> 00:14:37.819
 and He's teaching

00:14:37.819 --> 00:14:39.179
 and you're interrupting Him.

00:14:39.179 --> 00:14:41.659
 Is there anybody here

00:14:41.659 --> 00:14:42.199
 that can imagine?

00:14:42.759 --> 00:14:43.959
 Yeah, I think I could do that.

00:14:45.259 --> 00:14:45.959
 I'm going to tell you,

00:14:46.059 --> 00:14:47.399
 I'll do some wild, crazy things.

00:14:47.559 --> 00:14:49.139
 I don't think I'd have been in on that one.

00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:52.139
 That's pretty out there, you know?

00:14:53.379 --> 00:14:54.419
 Can I tell you something?

00:14:54.819 --> 00:14:56.659
 If every one of us in this room

00:14:56.659 --> 00:14:59.399
 could come to have the same traits

00:14:59.399 --> 00:15:01.719
 I see these guys demonstrate in our life,

00:15:02.719 --> 00:15:04.240
 Pickens, First Baptist Church,

00:15:04.299 --> 00:15:05.279
 wouldn't have to talk about

00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:06.459
 reaching the people of Pickens.

00:15:07.079 --> 00:15:08.879
 You would reach the people of Pickens.

00:15:09.179 --> 00:15:12.059
 Can you imagine what it would be like

00:15:12.059 --> 00:15:15.379
 if this church could really take seriously

00:15:15.379 --> 00:15:16.699
 the mission that you stated

00:15:16.699 --> 00:15:17.919
 to evangelize the world

00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:20.519
 and you really began to see

00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:23.419
 week in and week out lives change

00:15:23.419 --> 00:15:26.299
 because you were reaching your neighbors

00:15:26.299 --> 00:15:28.339
 and your friends and your relatives

00:15:28.339 --> 00:15:30.500
 and people who've never heard about Jesus

00:15:30.500 --> 00:15:31.279
 here in this community.

00:15:31.659 --> 00:15:33.419
 Can you imagine how exciting that would be?

00:15:33.639 --> 00:15:35.179
 Can you imagine what that would be like?

00:15:35.179 --> 00:15:37.059
 I want to show you six qualities

00:15:37.059 --> 00:15:38.019
 these guys possessed

00:15:38.019 --> 00:15:39.319
 that I think made that possible.

00:15:39.459 --> 00:15:41.419
 First of all, these were men.

00:15:41.559 --> 00:15:42.519
 I don't know a lot about them,

00:15:42.559 --> 00:15:43.259
 but I know this.

00:15:43.739 --> 00:15:46.899
 They had to be men of great compassion.

00:15:47.939 --> 00:15:50.259
 I mean, I don't know if they were related

00:15:50.259 --> 00:15:52.620
 to this guy, if they just knew this guy,

00:15:52.939 --> 00:15:54.639
 if they were close friends with this guy,

00:15:55.139 --> 00:15:57.079
 but they saw that paralytic

00:15:57.080 --> 00:15:58.980
 and they heard about the things

00:15:58.980 --> 00:16:00.040
 that Jesus was doing

00:16:00.040 --> 00:16:01.600
 and they believed,

00:16:01.780 --> 00:16:02.639
 as we'll say in a moment,

00:16:02.940 --> 00:16:03.800
 with all their heart

00:16:03.800 --> 00:16:05.020
 that Jesus could help them.

00:16:05.220 --> 00:16:06.020
 And so I want to tell you something.

00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:08.300
 They had compassion for him.

00:16:08.379 --> 00:16:09.040
 They looked at him

00:16:09.040 --> 00:16:09.680
 and they saw a guy,

00:16:09.740 --> 00:16:10.139
 you know what?

00:16:10.420 --> 00:16:11.920
 He can't walk the way we can.

00:16:12.660 --> 00:16:14.080
 He can't get to Jesus

00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:15.580
 if he wants to.

00:16:15.680 --> 00:16:17.020
 I don't even know if he wanted to.

00:16:17.800 --> 00:16:18.360
 But I know this.

00:16:18.620 --> 00:16:19.940
 He can't get there on his own.

00:16:20.460 --> 00:16:22.220
 If he's going to get to Jesus,

00:16:22.220 --> 00:16:24.140
 if Jesus is going to impact his life,

00:16:24.139 --> 00:16:26.100
 it's going to be because somebody

00:16:26.100 --> 00:16:27.360
 cared enough about him

00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:29.659
 to bring him to Jesus.

00:16:29.860 --> 00:16:32.819
 He's dependent on their compassion.

00:16:34.000 --> 00:16:35.919
 Can you for one second

00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.639
 separate yourself from the life

00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:39.639
 that you now have

00:16:39.639 --> 00:16:41.319
 and wonder what it would be like,

00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:42.860
 just dare to imagine

00:16:42.860 --> 00:16:43.759
 what it would be like

00:16:43.759 --> 00:16:46.399
 if you could do nothing for yourself,

00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:49.279
 if you were absolutely dependent

00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:51.120
 on someone else

00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:53.480
 to take care of you

00:16:53.480 --> 00:16:54.899
 and sing about your welfare?

00:16:55.860 --> 00:16:57.480
 When I was pastor in Statesville,

00:16:57.519 --> 00:16:58.560
 there was a lady in our church,

00:16:58.700 --> 00:16:59.420
 Betty Sue Sharp.

00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:01.320
 She's going to be with the Lord years ago.

00:17:02.180 --> 00:17:03.480
 Betty Sue, at the time I knew her,

00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:04.259
 was about 48.

00:17:05.180 --> 00:17:06.299
 She had been injured

00:17:06.299 --> 00:17:07.920
 in an automobile accident

00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:09.319
 when she was 18 years old,

00:17:09.720 --> 00:17:10.759
 just out of high school,

00:17:11.180 --> 00:17:12.240
 severed her spinal cord.

00:17:13.079 --> 00:17:14.920
 She was a paraplegic

00:17:14.920 --> 00:17:16.079
 for the rest of her life.

00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:18.440
 She would lie in bed.

00:17:18.440 --> 00:17:20.380
 Her elderly mother, Mrs. Speece,

00:17:20.420 --> 00:17:21.319
 would take care of her.

00:17:21.319 --> 00:17:22.899
 And occasionally,

00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:25.480
 because she wouldn't turn her enough,

00:17:25.980 --> 00:17:27.359
 she would develop these bed sores.

00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:29.359
 They would have to carry her

00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:31.799
 to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem.

00:17:32.419 --> 00:17:34.399
 When I would go over and see Betty Sue,

00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:35.759
 can I tell you something?

00:17:36.379 --> 00:17:38.639
 They had her on a striker frame.

00:17:39.460 --> 00:17:40.319
 Let me just describe

00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:41.519
 what a striker frame is

00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:42.519
 if you don't know what that is.

00:17:42.859 --> 00:17:43.879
 It's just a little cot,

00:17:43.980 --> 00:17:44.859
 probably very similar

00:17:44.859 --> 00:17:45.659
 to what these guys

00:17:45.659 --> 00:17:46.859
 carried this paralytic on.

00:17:46.859 --> 00:17:49.519
 It has a bar on one side,

00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:50.240
 a bar on the other.

00:17:50.359 --> 00:17:51.459
 The person lays in the middle.

00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:52.699
 It's got canvas in the middle

00:17:52.699 --> 00:17:54.879
 and a place cut out in the canvas

00:17:54.879 --> 00:17:56.459
 for a person to put their face

00:17:56.459 --> 00:17:57.740
 through that canvas.

00:17:58.879 --> 00:18:01.919
 Then they take another identical cot

00:18:01.919 --> 00:18:03.500
 and place it on their back.

00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:05.299
 And then they lace

00:18:05.299 --> 00:18:06.699
 those two cots together.

00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:08.439
 They put it on a swivel

00:18:08.439 --> 00:18:09.919
 so that it can flip

00:18:09.919 --> 00:18:11.639
 so that half the day,

00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:13.619
 changing it every few hours,

00:18:13.619 --> 00:18:15.699
 a person is lying there

00:18:15.699 --> 00:18:16.759
 facing the ceiling

00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:18.439
 and the rest of the time,

00:18:18.979 --> 00:18:19.759
 they're lying there

00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:21.039
 facing the floor.

00:18:21.619 --> 00:18:22.559
 Only two positions

00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:23.399
 they can be in.

00:18:23.799 --> 00:18:25.019
 They're either facing upward

00:18:25.019 --> 00:18:26.399
 or facing downward.

00:18:27.119 --> 00:18:28.279
 When I would go to see her,

00:18:28.579 --> 00:18:29.619
 regardless of which position

00:18:29.619 --> 00:18:30.159
 she was in,

00:18:30.219 --> 00:18:30.919
 when I would get there,

00:18:30.979 --> 00:18:31.799
 the nurse would come in

00:18:31.799 --> 00:18:32.919
 and she would change her

00:18:32.919 --> 00:18:34.000
 so she could talk with me

00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:35.539
 so that she was facing up.

00:18:36.379 --> 00:18:37.319
 On one occasion,

00:18:37.479 --> 00:18:38.559
 I'm visiting Betty Sue

00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:40.299
 and we're having a conversation.

00:18:40.479 --> 00:18:41.979
 It's lasted about 30 minutes or so.

00:18:41.980 --> 00:18:43.559
 And she turns to me.

00:18:43.620 --> 00:18:44.279
 I'm praying with her,

00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:45.160
 getting ready to leave.

00:18:45.680 --> 00:18:46.380
 And before I leave,

00:18:46.440 --> 00:18:46.720
 I say,

00:18:46.759 --> 00:18:47.579
 is there anything I can do

00:18:47.579 --> 00:18:48.339
 for you, Betty Sue?

00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:49.339
 And you know what she said?

00:18:50.059 --> 00:18:50.680
 She said,

00:18:50.740 --> 00:18:52.160
 Pastor, I hate to ask you this,

00:18:52.599 --> 00:18:53.420
 but yeah, there is.

00:18:54.180 --> 00:18:55.700
 Would you scratch my nose?

00:18:57.480 --> 00:18:58.620
 My nose is itching.

00:18:59.500 --> 00:19:00.559
 Would you just scratch it?

00:19:01.599 --> 00:19:02.599
 I'd be glad to.

00:19:03.500 --> 00:19:04.480
 And I'm going to tell you,

00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:07.319
 I had to fight back tears

00:19:07.319 --> 00:19:09.000
 as I touched her nose

00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:10.140
 and began to rub her nose.

00:19:10.140 --> 00:19:12.060
 Because I put myself

00:19:12.060 --> 00:19:12.900
 in her place

00:19:12.900 --> 00:19:13.340
 and I thought,

00:19:13.480 --> 00:19:14.180
 my goodness.

00:19:15.460 --> 00:19:16.720
 I complained about this

00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:17.600
 and that and the other

00:19:17.600 --> 00:19:18.860
 and I can't imagine

00:19:18.860 --> 00:19:19.660
 what it would be like

00:19:19.660 --> 00:19:20.660
 to be lying here

00:19:20.660 --> 00:19:22.980
 on this striker frame.

00:19:23.940 --> 00:19:24.700
 And I can't even

00:19:24.700 --> 00:19:25.960
 scratch my own nose.

00:19:26.320 --> 00:19:27.020
 Can I tell you something?

00:19:27.259 --> 00:19:27.900
 There are people

00:19:27.900 --> 00:19:29.300
 all around Pickens

00:19:29.300 --> 00:19:31.500
 who are just that helpless,

00:19:32.520 --> 00:19:33.820
 just that disabled,

00:19:34.340 --> 00:19:36.120
 emotionally and spiritually

00:19:36.120 --> 00:19:36.980
 and mentally.

00:19:37.460 --> 00:19:38.320
 And I'm telling you something,

00:19:38.319 --> 00:19:39.539
 if they're ever going to come

00:19:39.539 --> 00:19:40.139
 to Jesus,

00:19:40.980 --> 00:19:42.119
 it's going to be because

00:19:42.119 --> 00:19:44.019
 somebody who knew Jesus

00:19:44.019 --> 00:19:45.259
 had the insight

00:19:45.259 --> 00:19:46.019
 and the compassion

00:19:46.019 --> 00:19:47.720
 to bring them to Christ.

00:19:47.859 --> 00:19:49.000
 They're never going to get there

00:19:49.000 --> 00:19:49.559
 on their own.

00:19:50.179 --> 00:19:51.159
 It's going to be because

00:19:51.159 --> 00:19:52.339
 somebody cared enough

00:19:52.339 --> 00:19:53.759
 to bring them to Christ.

00:19:54.419 --> 00:19:55.579
 These were men of compassion.

00:19:55.960 --> 00:19:56.779
 They were also men

00:19:56.779 --> 00:19:59.079
 of deep, deep conviction.

00:20:00.200 --> 00:20:01.700
 Now, in a Baptist church,

00:20:01.779 --> 00:20:02.720
 it's not hard to get people

00:20:02.720 --> 00:20:03.599
 to raise their hand and say,

00:20:03.859 --> 00:20:04.819
 I believe the Bible.

00:20:05.079 --> 00:20:06.039
 I believe every word

00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:06.460
 in the Bible.

00:20:06.460 --> 00:20:07.940
 I have great confidence in God.

00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:09.039
 God can do anything.

00:20:10.539 --> 00:20:11.340
 And I want to tell you something.

00:20:12.180 --> 00:20:13.240
 If we're honest about it,

00:20:13.740 --> 00:20:15.519
 there is a crisis of faith

00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:16.860
 in the church today

00:20:16.860 --> 00:20:19.799
 unlike we've ever witnessed

00:20:19.799 --> 00:20:21.840
 in the history of Christendom.

00:20:22.539 --> 00:20:24.140
 If we're honest about it,

00:20:24.700 --> 00:20:26.460
 I don't think we any longer

00:20:26.460 --> 00:20:29.460
 know even what we really do believe

00:20:29.460 --> 00:20:30.519
 about Jesus.

00:20:31.259 --> 00:20:32.340
 Can I tell you what Paul

00:20:32.340 --> 00:20:33.279
 believed about Jesus?

00:20:33.799 --> 00:20:35.640
 Paul said in Romans 1.16,

00:20:35.640 --> 00:20:37.640
 He is the power,

00:20:37.759 --> 00:20:39.740
 the gospel is the power of God

00:20:39.740 --> 00:20:40.600
 unto salvation

00:20:40.600 --> 00:20:41.660
 to the Jew first,

00:20:42.020 --> 00:20:42.780
 to the Roman,

00:20:43.280 --> 00:20:44.120
 and to the Greek.

00:20:44.800 --> 00:20:45.560
 And that's the reason

00:20:45.560 --> 00:20:46.500
 unashamedly,

00:20:46.600 --> 00:20:47.759
 everywhere he went,

00:20:48.300 --> 00:20:50.220
 he proclaimed the Lord Jesus Christ.

00:20:50.320 --> 00:20:50.620
 You know why?

00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:51.740
 Because Paul believed this.

00:20:52.040 --> 00:20:54.280
 If a man can get to know Jesus,

00:20:54.480 --> 00:20:56.380
 if Jesus can get into a man,

00:20:56.620 --> 00:20:57.880
 the Holy Spirit can come

00:20:57.880 --> 00:20:58.720
 into a man's life.

00:20:58.920 --> 00:21:00.420
 He can regenerate that man,

00:21:00.620 --> 00:21:01.900
 and he can bring him

00:21:01.900 --> 00:21:02.620
 to life again,

00:21:02.619 --> 00:21:04.299
 and this man who was lost

00:21:04.299 --> 00:21:04.879
 can be found,

00:21:05.119 --> 00:21:07.279
 he can have a meaningful life

00:21:07.279 --> 00:21:09.719
 if he just knew Christ.

00:21:10.899 --> 00:21:11.939
 And I want to ask you something.

00:21:12.839 --> 00:21:14.779
 Do you have conviction about that?

00:21:15.859 --> 00:21:16.899
 Is this just something

00:21:16.899 --> 00:21:17.899
 we show up on Sundays

00:21:17.899 --> 00:21:18.939
 and say that we believe

00:21:18.939 --> 00:21:20.179
 Jesus can change the world,

00:21:20.239 --> 00:21:21.079
 He can change lives,

00:21:21.079 --> 00:21:22.659
 or do you really

00:21:22.659 --> 00:21:24.500
 and truly believe that?

00:21:24.579 --> 00:21:25.419
 Because I want to ask you,

00:21:25.619 --> 00:21:26.379
 if you really

00:21:26.379 --> 00:21:27.480
 and truly believe that,

00:21:27.679 --> 00:21:28.839
 how do you see people

00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:29.419
 who are helpless

00:21:29.419 --> 00:21:30.659
 like this man was

00:21:30.659 --> 00:21:32.619
 and not speak to them

00:21:32.619 --> 00:21:34.099
 about the Lord Jesus Christ?

00:21:34.899 --> 00:21:36.720
 How cruel and insensitive

00:21:36.720 --> 00:21:37.980
 and filled with hate

00:21:37.980 --> 00:21:38.879
 must we be

00:21:38.879 --> 00:21:40.000
 to really believe

00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:41.019
 the things that we say

00:21:41.019 --> 00:21:41.639
 about Jesus,

00:21:41.859 --> 00:21:42.879
 but then tell no one

00:21:42.879 --> 00:21:43.759
 about Jesus?

00:21:44.819 --> 00:21:45.919
 Do you understand that?

00:21:46.899 --> 00:21:48.019
 These were men of conviction.

00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:48.960
 I don't know

00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:50.139
 what they believed theologically,

00:21:50.140 --> 00:21:51.240
 I don't know if they believed

00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:52.060
 He was Messiah or not,

00:21:52.100 --> 00:21:52.940
 but I do believe this,

00:21:53.259 --> 00:21:54.860
 they believed with all their heart,

00:21:55.740 --> 00:21:56.580
 they'd heard enough,

00:21:56.660 --> 00:21:57.360
 they'd seen enough

00:21:57.360 --> 00:21:58.380
 of the miracles of Jesus.

00:21:58.660 --> 00:21:59.940
 If we get our friend

00:21:59.940 --> 00:22:01.220
 in the presence of Jesus,

00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:03.200
 Jesus can heal it.

00:22:04.340 --> 00:22:05.480
 Do you believe that spiritually

00:22:05.480 --> 00:22:06.940
 about Jesus healing people

00:22:06.940 --> 00:22:08.100
 in your life?

00:22:08.920 --> 00:22:09.400
 Thirdly,

00:22:10.460 --> 00:22:11.340
 they were people

00:22:11.340 --> 00:22:13.340
 who were determined.

00:22:14.300 --> 00:22:15.360
 They were people

00:22:15.360 --> 00:22:16.460
 who were determined.

00:22:16.600 --> 00:22:17.780
 Now when I say determined,

00:22:18.040 --> 00:22:18.840
 we recognize

00:22:18.839 --> 00:22:20.099
 there are levels

00:22:20.099 --> 00:22:20.740
 of determination,

00:22:21.079 --> 00:22:21.299
 right?

00:22:21.899 --> 00:22:22.399
 There are things

00:22:22.399 --> 00:22:23.259
 even this last week

00:22:23.259 --> 00:22:23.579
 you said,

00:22:23.659 --> 00:22:23.959
 you know what,

00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:24.559
 I'm determined

00:22:24.559 --> 00:22:25.579
 to lose five pounds.

00:22:27.579 --> 00:22:28.339
 Are you really?

00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:29.759
 The proof will be

00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:30.759
 if you lose five pounds,

00:22:30.819 --> 00:22:31.059
 right?

00:22:31.819 --> 00:22:32.619
 If you really,

00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:34.199
 really do mean that.

00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:35.139
 We say,

00:22:35.179 --> 00:22:35.619
 I'm determined

00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:36.459
 to get more sales

00:22:36.459 --> 00:22:37.240
 on my job.

00:22:37.819 --> 00:22:38.139
 Really?

00:22:39.139 --> 00:22:39.899
 Is that just something

00:22:39.899 --> 00:22:40.240
 you're saying

00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:40.899
 to make the boss

00:22:40.899 --> 00:22:41.399
 feel okay

00:22:41.399 --> 00:22:42.399
 about your effort?

00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:44.220
 Are you really determined?

00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:45.779
 Last week,

00:22:46.039 --> 00:22:47.039
 remember how I closed

00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:47.399
 the service?

00:22:47.599 --> 00:22:48.019
 I said,

00:22:48.539 --> 00:22:49.339
 would you do me a favor?

00:22:49.519 --> 00:22:50.099
 Would you go out

00:22:50.099 --> 00:22:51.539
 and invite everybody

00:22:51.539 --> 00:22:51.859
 you know

00:22:51.859 --> 00:22:52.339
 who hadn't been here

00:22:52.339 --> 00:22:52.700
 in a while

00:22:52.700 --> 00:22:53.619
 and get them to come?

00:22:54.139 --> 00:22:54.960
 Because I'm going to tell you

00:22:54.960 --> 00:22:55.659
 something really important

00:22:55.659 --> 00:22:56.159
 next week,

00:22:56.559 --> 00:22:58.779
 and I don't dare say

00:22:58.779 --> 00:22:59.519
 there were some of you

00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:00.139
 who went out

00:23:00.139 --> 00:23:01.819
 and you made some calls

00:23:01.819 --> 00:23:02.359
 and you said,

00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:03.000
 would you come?

00:23:03.659 --> 00:23:05.399
 But I want to ask you,

00:23:05.460 --> 00:23:06.000
 how determined

00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:07.359
 were you about that?

00:23:08.740 --> 00:23:09.599
 Some of you probably

00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:10.659
 never thought about it again.

00:23:11.180 --> 00:23:11.879
 Some of you probably

00:23:11.879 --> 00:23:12.700
 never agreed to do it

00:23:12.700 --> 00:23:13.220
 to begin with,

00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:13.879
 and that's okay.

00:23:14.259 --> 00:23:15.339
 It's just me asking.

00:23:15.339 --> 00:23:16.659
 I think you're not obligated

00:23:16.659 --> 00:23:17.699
 to do what I ask you to do,

00:23:18.399 --> 00:23:19.639
 but were you determined

00:23:19.639 --> 00:23:20.119
 about it?

00:23:20.759 --> 00:23:21.759
 Because I dare say

00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:22.399
 there have been times

00:23:22.399 --> 00:23:22.959
 in your life

00:23:22.959 --> 00:23:23.919
 that you really have been

00:23:23.919 --> 00:23:24.899
 determined about something.

00:23:25.399 --> 00:23:25.859
 In fact,

00:23:26.399 --> 00:23:27.799
 it was such a matter

00:23:27.799 --> 00:23:28.879
 of importance to you,

00:23:29.059 --> 00:23:29.959
 you knew this,

00:23:30.519 --> 00:23:31.579
 I've got to find a way

00:23:31.579 --> 00:23:32.199
 to do that

00:23:32.199 --> 00:23:33.799
 or it's going to be horrific.

00:23:34.759 --> 00:23:35.779
 What if tomorrow morning

00:23:35.779 --> 00:23:36.539
 you went into work

00:23:36.539 --> 00:23:37.459
 and your boss looked at you

00:23:37.459 --> 00:23:37.679
 and said,

00:23:37.779 --> 00:23:38.279
 I want to tell you something,

00:23:38.559 --> 00:23:39.679
 you will have this done

00:23:39.679 --> 00:23:40.319
 by Wednesday

00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:41.220
 or you're gone.

00:23:42.119 --> 00:23:43.199
 I'm going to let you go.

00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:45.380
 You're going to lose

00:23:45.380 --> 00:23:46.180
 your house.

00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:47.880
 You're going to lose

00:23:47.880 --> 00:23:48.480
 your job,

00:23:48.539 --> 00:23:49.140
 your income.

00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:50.779
 Boy, I guarantee you,

00:23:50.779 --> 00:23:51.400
 you would give it

00:23:51.400 --> 00:23:52.259
 your best area.

00:23:52.319 --> 00:23:52.940
 It wouldn't be something

00:23:52.940 --> 00:23:54.279
 you say you'd really try to do.

00:23:54.799 --> 00:23:56.180
 You'd be determined

00:23:56.180 --> 00:23:56.980
 to do it.

00:23:57.620 --> 00:23:58.279
 How determined

00:23:58.279 --> 00:23:59.620
 are you to bring people

00:23:59.620 --> 00:24:00.259
 to Christ?

00:24:01.019 --> 00:24:02.460
 There's a fourth thing

00:24:02.460 --> 00:24:03.140
 I want you to see

00:24:03.140 --> 00:24:04.059
 about these men.

00:24:04.180 --> 00:24:05.059
 It's one of my favorites.

00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:07.360
 They were imaginative

00:24:07.360 --> 00:24:08.900
 and creative.

00:24:09.880 --> 00:24:10.220
 I mean,

00:24:10.259 --> 00:24:10.920
 that just goes

00:24:10.920 --> 00:24:11.840
 without saying, right?

00:24:11.839 --> 00:24:13.059
 They came up

00:24:13.059 --> 00:24:14.359
 with this novel idea

00:24:14.359 --> 00:24:15.659
 after they'd stood back

00:24:15.659 --> 00:24:16.500
 and looked at it a while.

00:24:17.240 --> 00:24:18.679
 Let's go up

00:24:18.679 --> 00:24:20.119
 on the roof.

00:24:21.059 --> 00:24:22.619
 That's the biggest reason

00:24:22.619 --> 00:24:23.359
 I believe

00:24:23.359 --> 00:24:25.259
 they didn't just walk up

00:24:25.259 --> 00:24:25.699
 and try to get

00:24:25.699 --> 00:24:26.319
 in the front door

00:24:26.319 --> 00:24:27.179
 when that didn't work

00:24:27.179 --> 00:24:27.899
 and go up on the roof

00:24:27.899 --> 00:24:28.599
 because I'm going to tell you

00:24:28.599 --> 00:24:29.740
 it's just too creative

00:24:29.740 --> 00:24:30.240
 an idea.

00:24:31.240 --> 00:24:32.339
 Here's what had to happen.

00:24:33.019 --> 00:24:33.980
 When they checked

00:24:33.980 --> 00:24:34.839
 all around the house

00:24:34.839 --> 00:24:35.559
 and they couldn't get in,

00:24:35.619 --> 00:24:36.720
 they had to stand back.

00:24:37.079 --> 00:24:38.720
 They probably put their friend

00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:39.459
 down on the ground.

00:24:40.119 --> 00:24:41.179
 You got any ideas, buddy?

00:24:41.180 --> 00:24:44.660
 They looked at that house.

00:24:45.160 --> 00:24:46.140
 They thought about it.

00:24:46.880 --> 00:24:47.440
 After a while,

00:24:47.519 --> 00:24:48.299
 probably one of them said,

00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:49.080
 hey, you know what?

00:24:49.140 --> 00:24:50.060
 We could...

00:24:50.060 --> 00:24:51.140
 No, that wouldn't work.

00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:53.180
 Well, we could...

00:24:54.299 --> 00:24:55.440
 No, that wouldn't work either.

00:24:56.480 --> 00:24:57.240
 And I can just see

00:24:57.240 --> 00:24:57.860
 the light bulb

00:24:57.860 --> 00:24:59.180
 come on in one of their minds,

00:24:59.900 --> 00:25:00.180
 don't you?

00:25:00.259 --> 00:25:00.820
 All four of them

00:25:00.820 --> 00:25:01.500
 didn't think of it.

00:25:02.140 --> 00:25:03.279
 The others agreed to it,

00:25:03.539 --> 00:25:04.900
 but it was one person's idea,

00:25:04.960 --> 00:25:05.640
 I guarantee you.

00:25:05.980 --> 00:25:06.720
 Hey, you know what?

00:25:07.400 --> 00:25:08.259
 Boy, this is crazy,

00:25:08.259 --> 00:25:09.180
 but I saw a ladder

00:25:09.180 --> 00:25:09.859
 in the back

00:25:09.859 --> 00:25:11.420
 and I saw some rope

00:25:11.420 --> 00:25:12.259
 over there on the side

00:25:12.259 --> 00:25:13.759
 and we could get that ladder

00:25:13.759 --> 00:25:14.720
 and we could go up on the roof

00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:15.700
 and we could tie the rope

00:25:15.700 --> 00:25:16.559
 to the ends of the cot.

00:25:17.039 --> 00:25:17.640
 If you're willing,

00:25:17.960 --> 00:25:19.160
 we can horse you up on the roof.

00:25:19.619 --> 00:25:20.379
 What are we going to do then?

00:25:20.519 --> 00:25:21.440
 We're going to tear out the roof.

00:25:21.640 --> 00:25:22.220
 We're going to what?

00:25:22.279 --> 00:25:23.220
 We're going to tear out the roof.

00:25:23.859 --> 00:25:24.759
 We're going to let our friend

00:25:24.759 --> 00:25:25.940
 into the presence of Jesus.

00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:26.960
 That's creative.

00:25:27.079 --> 00:25:27.720
 That's magic.

00:25:27.879 --> 00:25:28.460
 That's thinking,

00:25:28.559 --> 00:25:29.359
 as we like to say today,

00:25:29.799 --> 00:25:31.079
 out of the box, right?

00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:33.319
 Can I tell you something?

00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:35.779
 We Baptists are not good

00:25:35.779 --> 00:25:36.859
 at thinking out of the box.

00:25:38.200 --> 00:25:40.039
 We Baptists are not imaginative.

00:25:40.119 --> 00:25:41.200
 In fact, we people,

00:25:41.299 --> 00:25:42.339
 not just Baptists,

00:25:43.359 --> 00:25:44.980
 you see those first little kids up here?

00:25:45.960 --> 00:25:46.679
 Weren't they cute?

00:25:48.059 --> 00:25:49.279
 You think they've got imagination?

00:25:50.460 --> 00:25:51.539
 They sure do.

00:25:51.939 --> 00:25:53.519
 I mean, those kids are low.

00:25:53.879 --> 00:25:54.500
 I guarantee you,

00:25:54.500 --> 00:25:55.200
 the one on this end

00:25:55.200 --> 00:25:55.960
 didn't give a nickel

00:25:55.960 --> 00:25:57.079
 what the one on that end was doing.

00:25:57.659 --> 00:25:58.619
 He's doing his thing,

00:25:58.700 --> 00:25:59.899
 she's doing her thing, right?

00:26:00.419 --> 00:26:01.960
 They don't care about anybody else.

00:26:01.960 --> 00:26:03.500
 They're just pioneers.

00:26:04.340 --> 00:26:05.079
 Everything's an adventure.

00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:06.380
 My grandson,

00:26:06.660 --> 00:26:08.120
 he's got a wild imagination.

00:26:08.960 --> 00:26:09.640
 You Christians probably

00:26:09.640 --> 00:26:10.220
 don't want to hear this,

00:26:10.279 --> 00:26:11.140
 but he's as excited

00:26:11.140 --> 00:26:12.100
 as he can be about Halloween.

00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:13.420
 I mean, he wants to be a skeleton

00:26:13.420 --> 00:26:14.140
 and all that jazz.

00:26:14.700 --> 00:26:16.700
 He just loves that stuff, right?

00:26:16.819 --> 00:26:18.660
 He's got a wild imagination.

00:26:18.920 --> 00:26:19.779
 Wild, wild imagination.

00:26:20.759 --> 00:26:22.180
 By the time they get a little older,

00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:23.319
 they lose some of that.

00:26:23.779 --> 00:26:24.940
 Do you notice how those older kids,

00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:26.220
 they did a great job singing?

00:26:26.579 --> 00:26:28.000
 They all stood in their place

00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:28.920
 because they learned,

00:26:29.079 --> 00:26:29.680
 man, the routine.

00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:31.480
 We got to do this.

00:26:31.560 --> 00:26:32.519
 Mom and Dad will get on to me

00:26:32.519 --> 00:26:33.000
 if I get home

00:26:33.000 --> 00:26:34.160
 and you know I cut up up here.

00:26:35.039 --> 00:26:36.340
 So I can't pull my dress

00:26:36.340 --> 00:26:37.100
 over my head, right?

00:26:37.140 --> 00:26:38.460
 And I can't do those kind of things.

00:26:40.380 --> 00:26:41.920
 And then you look at your choir.

00:26:43.500 --> 00:26:45.160
 Now, they have really learned

00:26:45.160 --> 00:26:46.080
 the routine, right?

00:26:47.120 --> 00:26:47.960
 They're not going to play

00:26:47.960 --> 00:26:48.600
 with their dress.

00:26:48.740 --> 00:26:49.420
 They're not going to,

00:26:49.420 --> 00:26:50.200
 they're going to sing

00:26:50.200 --> 00:26:51.220
 like adults, right?

00:26:52.200 --> 00:26:52.900
 Isn't it amazing

00:26:52.900 --> 00:26:54.320
 how when kids are in middle school,

00:26:54.400 --> 00:26:55.240
 they begin to lose

00:26:55.240 --> 00:26:57.400
 that creativity and imagination

00:26:57.400 --> 00:26:58.280
 by the time they get out

00:26:58.280 --> 00:26:58.860
 of high school,

00:26:59.400 --> 00:27:00.220
 they're just parrots.

00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:02.400
 In fact,

00:27:02.660 --> 00:27:03.620
 most of us in this room,

00:27:03.800 --> 00:27:04.340
 we're parrots.

00:27:04.440 --> 00:27:05.200
 I'm talking about myself.

00:27:05.320 --> 00:27:05.940
 We're parrots.

00:27:06.280 --> 00:27:08.759
 We do what others tell us to do.

00:27:09.160 --> 00:27:10.180
 We don't like to think

00:27:10.180 --> 00:27:11.000
 for ourselves.

00:27:11.460 --> 00:27:13.240
 Most Baptists are parrots.

00:27:14.040 --> 00:27:14.259
 You say,

00:27:14.340 --> 00:27:14.680
 well, preacher,

00:27:14.759 --> 00:27:15.640
 that's a little bit offensive.

00:27:15.780 --> 00:27:16.380
 It may be offensive,

00:27:16.500 --> 00:27:17.000
 but it's true.

00:27:17.860 --> 00:27:19.259
 Can I just prove it to you?

00:27:19.640 --> 00:27:20.800
 Those of you that are maids,

00:27:20.900 --> 00:27:21.340
 think back,

00:27:21.840 --> 00:27:22.940
 I'm 69 years old.

00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:23.800
 Think back in the day

00:27:23.799 --> 00:27:24.639
 when we were young

00:27:24.639 --> 00:27:25.539
 and we were going to church.

00:27:26.379 --> 00:27:27.319
 Remember what happened

00:27:27.319 --> 00:27:28.519
 in the early 70s?

00:27:28.659 --> 00:27:29.079
 I do.

00:27:29.299 --> 00:27:30.159
 I was a young preacher.

00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:32.200
 Early 70s,

00:27:32.579 --> 00:27:34.259
 a guy in Dell City, Oklahoma

00:27:34.259 --> 00:27:36.399
 by the name of Bailey Smith

00:27:36.399 --> 00:27:37.740
 bought some buses

00:27:37.740 --> 00:27:39.579
 and he began busing people

00:27:39.579 --> 00:27:40.139
 to church

00:27:40.139 --> 00:27:41.279
 and pretty soon

00:27:41.279 --> 00:27:42.099
 they were running thousands.

00:27:42.819 --> 00:27:44.119
 Down in Houston, Texas,

00:27:44.240 --> 00:27:44.799
 a guy by the name

00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:45.480
 of John Massonio

00:27:45.480 --> 00:27:46.099
 did the same.

00:27:46.460 --> 00:27:47.139
 And a guy by the name

00:27:47.139 --> 00:27:47.859
 of Jerry Falwell

00:27:47.859 --> 00:27:49.200
 up in Lynchburg, Virginia

00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:49.779
 did the same.

00:27:50.079 --> 00:27:51.559
 And a guy over in Hammond, Indiana

00:27:51.559 --> 00:27:52.359
 began to do the same.

00:27:52.639 --> 00:27:53.099
 And pretty soon

00:27:53.099 --> 00:27:53.759
 there were conferences

00:27:53.759 --> 00:27:55.259
 being held about buses

00:27:55.259 --> 00:27:56.299
 and people were learning

00:27:56.299 --> 00:27:57.079
 about bus ministry

00:27:57.079 --> 00:27:57.639
 and before that

00:27:57.639 --> 00:27:58.439
 nobody knew anything

00:27:58.439 --> 00:27:59.179
 about bus ministry.

00:27:59.559 --> 00:28:00.319
 And guess what?

00:28:00.980 --> 00:28:02.799
 Every church in Easley

00:28:02.799 --> 00:28:05.199
 by 1980 had a bus, right?

00:28:05.879 --> 00:28:06.659
 And we're engaged

00:28:06.659 --> 00:28:07.259
 in bus ministry

00:28:07.259 --> 00:28:07.959
 and nobody ever said,

00:28:08.219 --> 00:28:08.959
 were there any problems

00:28:08.959 --> 00:28:09.799
 associated with that?

00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:11.099
 And we found out there were.

00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:12.399
 There were a lot of headaches

00:28:12.399 --> 00:28:12.959
 that came with that.

00:28:13.119 --> 00:28:14.240
 And it worked in some places,

00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:15.339
 didn't work in other places.

00:28:15.619 --> 00:28:17.139
 And remember the gym phase

00:28:17.139 --> 00:28:18.539
 where everybody said,

00:28:18.679 --> 00:28:19.759
 we need a gym.

00:28:19.899 --> 00:28:20.699
 Well, why do we need a gym?

00:28:20.799 --> 00:28:22.619
 Well, because we need one, right?

00:28:23.099 --> 00:28:24.159
 We need a gym.

00:28:25.059 --> 00:28:26.379
 And it became a place

00:28:26.379 --> 00:28:27.559
 where we played basketball,

00:28:27.899 --> 00:28:29.019
 you know, a few times a year

00:28:29.019 --> 00:28:31.500
 and we had a gym, right?

00:28:31.699 --> 00:28:32.719
 And through the years,

00:28:32.759 --> 00:28:33.719
 I've seen that over

00:28:33.719 --> 00:28:34.719
 and over and over.

00:28:34.879 --> 00:28:36.459
 Some guy on the West Coast,

00:28:36.699 --> 00:28:37.319
 Rick Warren,

00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:38.480
 writes a book called

00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:39.419
 Purpose Driven Life

00:28:39.419 --> 00:28:40.199
 and it's a great,

00:28:40.259 --> 00:28:41.119
 great, great book.

00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:43.199
 And we began to have

00:28:43.199 --> 00:28:43.740
 these conferences

00:28:43.740 --> 00:28:45.099
 and everybody's duplicating that

00:28:45.099 --> 00:28:45.559
 and saying, okay,

00:28:45.699 --> 00:28:47.319
 we need to have a 101

00:28:47.319 --> 00:28:48.099
 and a 201

00:28:48.099 --> 00:28:48.919
 and a 301

00:28:48.920 --> 00:28:49.779
 and a 401 ministry

00:28:49.779 --> 00:28:50.539
 and do things

00:28:50.539 --> 00:28:51.220
 just like they do

00:28:51.220 --> 00:28:52.259
 out on the West Coast.

00:28:53.200 --> 00:28:53.860
 And so,

00:28:54.300 --> 00:28:55.740
 people like you find here

00:28:55.740 --> 00:28:56.279
 at Pickens

00:28:56.279 --> 00:28:57.620
 and in other places

00:28:57.620 --> 00:28:58.300
 like in Greer

00:28:58.300 --> 00:28:59.060
 and all over the country,

00:28:59.460 --> 00:29:00.180
 they say, you know what?

00:29:00.240 --> 00:29:01.240
 We need to get a guru

00:29:01.240 --> 00:29:01.840
 to come in here

00:29:01.840 --> 00:29:02.620
 and tell us how to reach

00:29:02.620 --> 00:29:03.519
 the people of our city.

00:29:03.840 --> 00:29:04.660
 And so they ran out

00:29:04.660 --> 00:29:05.259
 to the West Coast,

00:29:05.320 --> 00:29:06.940
 would you come and talk to us

00:29:06.940 --> 00:29:08.000
 and be the expert for us?

00:29:08.039 --> 00:29:09.240
 Or they call Columbia

00:29:09.240 --> 00:29:10.180
 or they call Atlanta

00:29:10.180 --> 00:29:11.000
 or they get Nashville

00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:12.140
 and a guy comes in

00:29:12.140 --> 00:29:12.800
 with a suitcase,

00:29:13.360 --> 00:29:14.259
 a briefcase,

00:29:14.380 --> 00:29:15.740
 and he's got the plan for you

00:29:15.740 --> 00:29:16.660
 and he lays it out.

00:29:17.019 --> 00:29:17.740
 But I want to tell you something.

00:29:18.160 --> 00:29:19.640
 Because it works in Atlanta,

00:29:19.859 --> 00:29:21.039
 because it works in Columbia,

00:29:21.160 --> 00:29:21.779
 because it works

00:29:21.779 --> 00:29:22.980
 in Bakersville, California,

00:29:23.079 --> 00:29:23.460
 it doesn't mean

00:29:23.460 --> 00:29:24.539
 it's going to work in Pickens.

00:29:25.420 --> 00:29:26.380
 Do you know that?

00:29:27.779 --> 00:29:28.960
 You know who the expert

00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:29.920
 on Pickens is?

00:29:30.620 --> 00:29:31.579
 It's not Ralph Carter.

00:29:31.660 --> 00:29:32.279
 I'm from Greer.

00:29:33.039 --> 00:29:34.779
 The expert on Pickens

00:29:34.779 --> 00:29:36.900
 are you folk

00:29:36.900 --> 00:29:38.500
 because this is where

00:29:38.500 --> 00:29:39.700
 you make your home.

00:29:40.519 --> 00:29:41.380
 You know the people

00:29:41.380 --> 00:29:41.920
 in this county.

00:29:42.059 --> 00:29:42.660
 You know the people

00:29:42.660 --> 00:29:43.240
 in this city.

00:29:43.960 --> 00:29:44.680
 You know the people

00:29:44.680 --> 00:29:45.200
 in this community.

00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:46.420
 You know your neighbors.

00:29:48.080 --> 00:29:49.000
 But what happens is

00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:49.700
 we get lazy

00:29:49.700 --> 00:29:50.460
 and we just want to do

00:29:50.460 --> 00:29:51.160
 what somebody else

00:29:51.160 --> 00:29:51.860
 has told us to do

00:29:51.860 --> 00:29:53.360
 instead of taking the time

00:29:53.360 --> 00:29:54.340
 to stand back and say,

00:29:54.700 --> 00:29:55.740
 we need to pray

00:29:55.740 --> 00:29:57.120
 and we need to,

00:29:57.259 --> 00:29:57.799
 God forbid,

00:29:58.200 --> 00:29:58.700
 think.

00:29:59.580 --> 00:29:59.940
 Right?

00:30:00.480 --> 00:30:01.539
 We need to come up

00:30:01.539 --> 00:30:02.299
 with a solution

00:30:02.299 --> 00:30:03.980
 that's right for our community

00:30:03.980 --> 00:30:04.860
 and a plan for

00:30:04.860 --> 00:30:06.400
 what would reach the people

00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:07.980
 of the Pickens community.

00:30:09.100 --> 00:30:09.600
 I'm going to tell you

00:30:09.600 --> 00:30:10.640
 a story out of my past

00:30:10.640 --> 00:30:11.860
 and I hesitate to tell it

00:30:11.860 --> 00:30:12.640
 because I'm so fearful

00:30:12.640 --> 00:30:13.380
 somebody will come up

00:30:13.380 --> 00:30:13.559
 and say,

00:30:13.700 --> 00:30:15.160
 that's what we need to do.

00:30:15.200 --> 00:30:15.840
 No, it's not what

00:30:15.840 --> 00:30:16.480
 you need to do.

00:30:16.580 --> 00:30:17.440
 It's what we did.

00:30:18.200 --> 00:30:18.720
 I'm in states

00:30:18.720 --> 00:30:19.480
 from North Carolina.

00:30:19.819 --> 00:30:20.799
 Went there in 77.

00:30:21.360 --> 00:30:22.360
 Left in 92.

00:30:23.000 --> 00:30:24.620
 Long about the late 80s.

00:30:25.019 --> 00:30:26.539
 We had relocated the church.

00:30:26.980 --> 00:30:27.700
 Run out of room.

00:30:28.080 --> 00:30:29.259
 Built buildings

00:30:29.259 --> 00:30:30.840
 and we had people meeting

00:30:30.840 --> 00:30:32.559
 in every Sunday school classroom.

00:30:33.340 --> 00:30:35.220
 In the auditorium.

00:30:35.779 --> 00:30:37.620
 Had a meeting in a closet.

00:30:37.860 --> 00:30:38.279
 Believe it or not,

00:30:38.340 --> 00:30:38.940
 a room closet.

00:30:39.059 --> 00:30:39.819
 A small class.

00:30:40.680 --> 00:30:42.160
 Had every staff person

00:30:42.160 --> 00:30:43.040
 forfeit their office

00:30:43.040 --> 00:30:43.720
 on Sunday morning,

00:30:43.840 --> 00:30:44.519
 including my own.

00:30:44.860 --> 00:30:45.920
 We all gave up our office

00:30:45.920 --> 00:30:46.220
 and said,

00:30:46.360 --> 00:30:47.420
 you can have Sunday school class

00:30:47.420 --> 00:30:47.680
 in the year.

00:30:47.779 --> 00:30:48.620
 Move chairs in there.

00:30:48.980 --> 00:30:50.100
 We don't have any more space.

00:30:50.440 --> 00:30:51.380
 But I'm thinking to myself,

00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:52.180
 God puts an idea

00:30:52.180 --> 00:30:53.300
 on my mind.

00:30:53.759 --> 00:30:55.400
 If I had another space,

00:30:55.820 --> 00:30:57.220
 I think I could reach people

00:30:57.220 --> 00:30:58.880
 who've never been to Sunday school.

00:30:59.019 --> 00:30:59.720
 They might come

00:30:59.720 --> 00:31:00.900
 to a class that I'd teach

00:31:00.900 --> 00:31:01.920
 if we had one

00:31:01.920 --> 00:31:02.840
 for just people

00:31:02.840 --> 00:31:04.320
 who've never attended Sunday school.

00:31:04.319 --> 00:31:06.619
 I asked the director

00:31:06.619 --> 00:31:07.859
 of our Sunday school

00:31:07.859 --> 00:31:09.079
 and our education director,

00:31:09.200 --> 00:31:09.700
 if you've got a room

00:31:09.700 --> 00:31:10.679
 for me or we don't have

00:31:10.679 --> 00:31:11.379
 any room, Pastor.

00:31:11.720 --> 00:31:12.939
 I don't mind the idea,

00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:13.460
 they said,

00:31:13.599 --> 00:31:14.559
 but you've got to find

00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:15.200
 your own room.

00:31:15.939 --> 00:31:16.200
 Well,

00:31:17.019 --> 00:31:18.299
 one day I'm leaving work.

00:31:19.059 --> 00:31:20.139
 I look to my left.

00:31:20.500 --> 00:31:21.220
 Our building's out

00:31:21.220 --> 00:31:22.220
 on the fringe of town.

00:31:22.879 --> 00:31:23.299
 Nothing but

00:31:23.299 --> 00:31:24.759
 a lot of acres

00:31:24.759 --> 00:31:25.259
 behind us,

00:31:25.339 --> 00:31:25.980
 open woods,

00:31:26.460 --> 00:31:27.119
 except

00:31:27.119 --> 00:31:28.460
 for this one man

00:31:28.460 --> 00:31:29.039
 that lives there

00:31:29.039 --> 00:31:30.720
 and this moose lodge.

00:31:30.720 --> 00:31:33.319
 It's about 250 yards

00:31:33.319 --> 00:31:34.740
 from our building

00:31:34.740 --> 00:31:35.700
 and it's about

00:31:35.700 --> 00:31:37.039
 a third the size

00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:37.740
 of this room.

00:31:38.660 --> 00:31:39.079
 And so,

00:31:39.480 --> 00:31:40.400
 I think to myself,

00:31:41.200 --> 00:31:41.460
 hmm,

00:31:41.579 --> 00:31:42.700
 I don't know any moose,

00:31:43.460 --> 00:31:46.140
 but I could find out

00:31:46.140 --> 00:31:46.980
 who runs that thing

00:31:46.980 --> 00:31:48.400
 and so I made a few calls

00:31:48.400 --> 00:31:49.240
 and pretty soon

00:31:49.240 --> 00:31:50.600
 I get connected

00:31:50.600 --> 00:31:51.640
 with the head moose,

00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:52.039
 right?

00:31:53.339 --> 00:31:54.720
 And it happens

00:31:54.720 --> 00:31:55.420
 he's a member

00:31:55.420 --> 00:31:57.759
 of a Sister Baptist Church.

00:31:58.299 --> 00:31:59.180
 So I told him

00:31:59.180 --> 00:31:59.720
 who I was

00:31:59.720 --> 00:32:00.220
 and I said,

00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:00.539
 listen,

00:32:01.000 --> 00:32:01.180
 you know,

00:32:01.240 --> 00:32:01.680
 you're building,

00:32:01.880 --> 00:32:02.460
 your moose lodge

00:32:02.460 --> 00:32:03.880
 is only about 250 yards

00:32:03.880 --> 00:32:05.559
 from my back parking lot

00:32:05.559 --> 00:32:07.000
 and I'm looking

00:32:07.000 --> 00:32:07.500
 for a place

00:32:07.500 --> 00:32:08.220
 to teach Sunday school

00:32:08.220 --> 00:32:08.680
 on Sunday morning.

00:32:08.779 --> 00:32:09.539
 Do you all use that place

00:32:09.539 --> 00:32:10.079
 on Sunday morning?

00:32:10.200 --> 00:32:10.440
 No,

00:32:10.500 --> 00:32:11.019
 we don't use it

00:32:11.019 --> 00:32:11.579
 on Sunday morning.

00:32:12.000 --> 00:32:12.660
 When do you use it?

00:32:12.960 --> 00:32:13.819
 Use it Friday night

00:32:13.819 --> 00:32:14.420
 and Saturday night.

00:32:15.079 --> 00:32:15.360
 Well,

00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:16.940
 would you be willing

00:32:16.940 --> 00:32:17.819
 for me to rent it from you?

00:32:17.880 --> 00:32:18.039
 Well,

00:32:18.079 --> 00:32:18.819
 I wouldn't charge you.

00:32:18.839 --> 00:32:19.819
 I'd just let you have it.

00:32:20.380 --> 00:32:20.519
 Well,

00:32:20.539 --> 00:32:21.160
 that'd be great.

00:32:21.779 --> 00:32:22.759
 Do you mind me using it?

00:32:22.900 --> 00:32:23.259
 No,

00:32:23.500 --> 00:32:24.059
 but you can tell

00:32:24.059 --> 00:32:24.660
 there's hesitancy

00:32:24.660 --> 00:32:25.220
 in his voice.

00:32:25.680 --> 00:32:25.880
 I said,

00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:26.000
 well,

00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:26.500
 what's the problem?

00:32:26.579 --> 00:32:26.980
 He said,

00:32:27.700 --> 00:32:28.059
 well,

00:32:28.660 --> 00:32:29.039
 you know,

00:32:29.039 --> 00:32:30.019
 I don't know how to put it,

00:32:30.119 --> 00:32:31.240
 but we kind of gather

00:32:31.240 --> 00:32:32.700
 and have social gatherings.

00:32:32.940 --> 00:32:33.420
 What he meant is

00:32:33.420 --> 00:32:34.579
 we party hardy

00:32:34.579 --> 00:32:37.799
 on Saturday night

00:32:37.799 --> 00:32:38.500
 and said,

00:32:38.579 --> 00:32:39.859
 we have to stop

00:32:39.859 --> 00:32:40.920
 the party at midnight.

00:32:41.180 --> 00:32:41.740
 I later learned

00:32:41.740 --> 00:32:42.299
 that was because

00:32:42.299 --> 00:32:43.399
 you can't drink in states

00:32:43.399 --> 00:32:43.960
 at that time

00:32:43.960 --> 00:32:44.559
 after midnight.

00:32:44.759 --> 00:32:44.980
 You know,

00:32:45.059 --> 00:32:45.500
 it's Sunday.

00:32:45.599 --> 00:32:46.599
 You can't have an open bar.

00:32:47.119 --> 00:32:47.420
 So,

00:32:47.960 --> 00:32:48.480
 he says,

00:32:48.539 --> 00:32:49.839
 we close up about midnight,

00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:50.899
 but when we close up,

00:32:50.980 --> 00:32:51.740
 we just leave things

00:32:51.740 --> 00:32:52.579
 just like they are.

00:32:52.920 --> 00:32:53.119
 So,

00:32:53.119 --> 00:32:54.119
 if you went on Sunday morning,

00:32:54.200 --> 00:32:55.019
 there'd be beer cans

00:32:55.019 --> 00:32:55.639
 and beer bottles

00:32:55.639 --> 00:32:56.319
 and whiskey bottles

00:32:56.319 --> 00:32:56.720
 everywhere.

00:32:57.319 --> 00:32:57.420
 I said,

00:32:57.420 --> 00:32:58.720
 I'm sorry to tell you that,

00:32:58.779 --> 00:32:59.759
 but that's just how it'd be.

00:32:59.860 --> 00:32:59.980
 So,

00:33:00.039 --> 00:33:00.960
 I don't guess it would work.

00:33:01.019 --> 00:33:01.300
 I said,

00:33:01.340 --> 00:33:01.500
 yeah,

00:33:01.539 --> 00:33:01.860
 it'd work.

00:33:02.620 --> 00:33:03.000
 I said,

00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:03.980
 would you let me

00:33:03.980 --> 00:33:04.960
 and a couple people

00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:05.360
 go in there

00:33:05.360 --> 00:33:06.460
 and clean that up beforehand?

00:33:06.620 --> 00:33:07.860
 Do you mind if we clean that?

00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:08.100
 No,

00:33:08.160 --> 00:33:08.660
 it'd save us

00:33:08.660 --> 00:33:09.640
 having to come back on Monday.

00:33:10.080 --> 00:33:10.440
 I said,

00:33:10.480 --> 00:33:10.600
 well,

00:33:10.620 --> 00:33:10.800
 great,

00:33:10.860 --> 00:33:11.980
 I'll just clean it up for you.

00:33:12.500 --> 00:33:12.820
 So,

00:33:13.140 --> 00:33:13.920
 I go to the deacon

00:33:13.920 --> 00:33:14.320
 and I say,

00:33:14.400 --> 00:33:14.700
 guys,

00:33:15.160 --> 00:33:15.960
 here's what we're going to do.

00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:17.039
 We're going to open a class

00:33:17.039 --> 00:33:17.519
 for anybody

00:33:17.519 --> 00:33:18.700
 who's never been in sun school.

00:33:18.800 --> 00:33:19.340
 You can't come

00:33:19.340 --> 00:33:19.840
 if you're already

00:33:19.840 --> 00:33:20.880
 in sun school class,

00:33:21.400 --> 00:33:22.460
 but if you're not

00:33:22.460 --> 00:33:23.360
 in sun school class,

00:33:23.420 --> 00:33:24.120
 we're going to open it up

00:33:24.120 --> 00:33:25.100
 to anybody who wants to come.

00:33:25.400 --> 00:33:25.740
 They said,

00:33:25.799 --> 00:33:26.000
 okay,

00:33:26.079 --> 00:33:27.059
 you can try it and see.

00:33:27.539 --> 00:33:28.860
 I could tell the way they said it.

00:33:28.880 --> 00:33:29.500
 They didn't really think

00:33:29.500 --> 00:33:30.200
 that's going to work

00:33:30.200 --> 00:33:31.420
 and I wasn't sure about it.

00:33:31.559 --> 00:33:31.799
 I mean,

00:33:31.819 --> 00:33:32.519
 it's just an idea,

00:33:33.019 --> 00:33:34.180
 but we tried it.

00:33:34.700 --> 00:33:35.579
 Me and a couple guys

00:33:35.579 --> 00:33:36.200
 went down there

00:33:36.200 --> 00:33:37.279
 and that Sunday morning,

00:33:37.400 --> 00:33:38.000
 we cleared out

00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:38.840
 all the bottles,

00:33:39.960 --> 00:33:42.519
 had two big garbage can bags

00:33:42.519 --> 00:33:43.539
 of beer bottles

00:33:43.539 --> 00:33:44.059
 and cans

00:33:44.059 --> 00:33:44.519
 that we took

00:33:44.519 --> 00:33:45.340
 and put in the dumpster

00:33:45.340 --> 00:33:46.880
 and then we opened

00:33:46.880 --> 00:33:47.600
 that building

00:33:47.600 --> 00:33:48.299
 for Sunday school.

00:33:48.440 --> 00:33:49.200
 You know what we called it?

00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:50.640
 The Happy Hour.

00:33:54.100 --> 00:33:55.160
 We sandwiched it

00:33:55.160 --> 00:33:56.259
 between one worship service

00:33:56.259 --> 00:33:57.400
 and another worship service

00:33:57.400 --> 00:33:59.360
 and some of those guys

00:33:59.360 --> 00:33:59.720
 that said,

00:33:59.860 --> 00:34:00.620
 I bet you won't have

00:34:00.620 --> 00:34:01.539
 over five or ten

00:34:01.539 --> 00:34:02.120
 were right.

00:34:02.700 --> 00:34:03.720
 We had 42

00:34:03.720 --> 00:34:05.500
 the first time

00:34:05.500 --> 00:34:06.299
 we met in that room.

00:34:07.559 --> 00:34:08.400
 Can I tell you something?

00:34:10.139 --> 00:34:12.340
 The secret to reaching Pickens

00:34:12.340 --> 00:34:14.260
 is not out there

00:34:14.260 --> 00:34:15.079
 in some book.

00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:16.960
 It sits right here

00:34:16.960 --> 00:34:17.519
 in this room.

00:34:17.519 --> 00:34:19.739
 when you care enough

00:34:19.739 --> 00:34:21.139
 to come out

00:34:21.139 --> 00:34:21.639
 for something

00:34:21.639 --> 00:34:23.019
 other than a worship service

00:34:23.019 --> 00:34:24.300
 and sit down

00:34:24.300 --> 00:34:25.059
 with your friends

00:34:25.059 --> 00:34:26.119
 and family members

00:34:26.119 --> 00:34:26.699
 and say,

00:34:26.880 --> 00:34:28.219
 let's develop a strategy

00:34:28.219 --> 00:34:30.340
 for reaching our community

00:34:30.340 --> 00:34:31.239
 for Christ.

00:34:32.059 --> 00:34:32.900
 The fifth thing

00:34:32.900 --> 00:34:33.320
 I want you to see

00:34:33.320 --> 00:34:33.960
 about these guys

00:34:33.960 --> 00:34:35.199
 is they were daring

00:34:35.199 --> 00:34:36.800
 risk takers.

00:34:37.360 --> 00:34:38.179
 That's one thing

00:34:38.179 --> 00:34:38.860
 to get an idea.

00:34:39.759 --> 00:34:40.519
 It's another thing

00:34:40.519 --> 00:34:41.079
 to see it through,

00:34:41.159 --> 00:34:41.420
 isn't it?

00:34:42.940 --> 00:34:43.940
 I'm confident

00:34:43.940 --> 00:34:46.300
 there wasn't a Baptist

00:34:46.300 --> 00:34:48.400
 among those four

00:34:48.400 --> 00:34:50.400
 because if there

00:34:50.400 --> 00:34:51.180
 had been a Baptist,

00:34:51.519 --> 00:34:52.360
 especially a Baptist

00:34:52.360 --> 00:34:53.260
 deacon or a pastor

00:34:53.260 --> 00:34:53.900
 or staff member

00:34:53.900 --> 00:34:54.640
 among those four,

00:34:54.720 --> 00:34:55.060
 you know what

00:34:55.060 --> 00:34:55.560
 they'd have said?

00:34:56.960 --> 00:34:58.039
 We can't do that.

00:34:58.120 --> 00:34:59.140
 That's never been done

00:34:59.140 --> 00:34:59.620
 before.

00:35:02.200 --> 00:35:03.080
 Somebody would have said,

00:35:03.080 --> 00:35:04.380
 do you know

00:35:04.380 --> 00:35:05.140
 whose granddaddy

00:35:05.140 --> 00:35:05.920
 built that roof?

00:35:07.480 --> 00:35:08.019
 I mean, wouldn't he?

00:35:08.760 --> 00:35:09.640
 And certainly

00:35:09.640 --> 00:35:10.440
 somebody would have

00:35:10.440 --> 00:35:10.980
 said this,

00:35:11.820 --> 00:35:12.880
 who's going to pay

00:35:12.880 --> 00:35:13.600
 for that?

00:35:13.980 --> 00:35:14.380
 Right?

00:35:14.840 --> 00:35:15.820
 We can't do that

00:35:15.820 --> 00:35:16.860
 because there'd be

00:35:16.860 --> 00:35:17.800
 cost involved

00:35:17.800 --> 00:35:18.680
 and somebody would

00:35:18.680 --> 00:35:19.140
 have to pay

00:35:19.140 --> 00:35:20.039
 for that roof.

00:35:21.240 --> 00:35:21.519
 And I'm going to

00:35:21.519 --> 00:35:21.900
 tell you something,

00:35:21.980 --> 00:35:23.059
 those four guys

00:35:23.059 --> 00:35:24.320
 through caution to the wind,

00:35:24.900 --> 00:35:25.220
 they said,

00:35:25.300 --> 00:35:25.660
 you know what,

00:35:25.720 --> 00:35:26.800
 this is the only way

00:35:26.800 --> 00:35:28.140
 our buddy is going

00:35:28.140 --> 00:35:28.740
 to get into the

00:35:28.740 --> 00:35:29.599
 presence of Jesus

00:35:29.599 --> 00:35:30.960
 if we go up on that

00:35:30.960 --> 00:35:31.700
 roof and tear out

00:35:31.700 --> 00:35:32.460
 that roof and lower

00:35:32.460 --> 00:35:33.180
 him into the presence

00:35:33.180 --> 00:35:33.760
 of Jesus.

00:35:34.099 --> 00:35:34.840
 And if we do that,

00:35:34.900 --> 00:35:35.360
 you know what,

00:35:35.700 --> 00:35:36.559
 I think Jesus

00:35:36.559 --> 00:35:38.039
 will heal him.

00:35:38.960 --> 00:35:39.240
 And boy,

00:35:39.300 --> 00:35:39.980
 they were right.

00:35:41.000 --> 00:35:41.619
 And so they

00:35:41.619 --> 00:35:42.180
 demonstrate

00:35:42.179 --> 00:35:44.199
 what it is

00:35:44.199 --> 00:35:45.379
 to be a risk taker.

00:35:46.099 --> 00:35:46.879
 Can I ask you

00:35:46.879 --> 00:35:47.659
 something this morning

00:35:47.659 --> 00:35:48.199
 personal?

00:35:49.279 --> 00:35:50.460
 When's the last time

00:35:50.460 --> 00:35:51.699
 any of us in this room

00:35:51.699 --> 00:35:53.779
 took any kind of risk

00:35:53.779 --> 00:35:54.259
 at all

00:35:54.259 --> 00:35:56.219
 in sharing the gospel?

00:35:57.699 --> 00:35:58.359
 Where you said,

00:35:58.460 --> 00:35:59.239
 I'm throwing caution

00:35:59.239 --> 00:35:59.879
 to the wind

00:35:59.879 --> 00:36:00.679
 and I don't care

00:36:00.679 --> 00:36:01.619
 what's ever been done

00:36:01.619 --> 00:36:02.179
 before,

00:36:02.659 --> 00:36:04.079
 so long as it's legal

00:36:04.079 --> 00:36:05.359
 and it's not immoral

00:36:05.359 --> 00:36:06.679
 and it has integrity

00:36:06.679 --> 00:36:07.539
 and character,

00:36:08.119 --> 00:36:09.219
 it's a viable way,

00:36:09.359 --> 00:36:10.139
 it's just not something

00:36:10.139 --> 00:36:11.279
 we've ever done before.

00:36:11.900 --> 00:36:12.739
 When have you ever

00:36:12.739 --> 00:36:13.480
 cared enough

00:36:13.480 --> 00:36:14.759
 to risk yourself,

00:36:14.960 --> 00:36:15.759
 to risk this?

00:36:15.819 --> 00:36:16.519
 You know what we

00:36:16.519 --> 00:36:17.599
 fear risking more

00:36:17.599 --> 00:36:18.059
 than anything else?

00:36:18.119 --> 00:36:18.859
 It's not our money.

00:36:19.799 --> 00:36:21.359
 It's risking embarrassment.

00:36:23.039 --> 00:36:23.759
 When's the last time

00:36:23.759 --> 00:36:25.000
 you risk embarrassing

00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:25.739
 yourself

00:36:25.739 --> 00:36:27.199
 to see someone

00:36:27.199 --> 00:36:28.239
 come to know Christ?

00:36:28.739 --> 00:36:29.219
 And finally,

00:36:29.339 --> 00:36:30.199
 and I close with this,

00:36:30.639 --> 00:36:32.179
 they worked as a team.

00:36:33.900 --> 00:36:34.980
 They probably

00:36:34.980 --> 00:36:37.359
 weren't completely

00:36:37.359 --> 00:36:38.139
 in agreement

00:36:38.139 --> 00:36:38.759
 about going up

00:36:38.760 --> 00:36:39.400
 on that roof.

00:36:40.220 --> 00:36:41.220
 I can't imagine

00:36:41.220 --> 00:36:42.420
 any three friends

00:36:42.420 --> 00:36:43.280
 that I've got

00:36:43.280 --> 00:36:45.040
 where I would be

00:36:45.040 --> 00:36:45.540
 the fourth

00:36:45.540 --> 00:36:47.100
 and any one of us

00:36:47.100 --> 00:36:47.520
 suggest,

00:36:47.780 --> 00:36:48.260
 let's go up

00:36:48.260 --> 00:36:48.800
 on that roof

00:36:48.800 --> 00:36:49.700
 and tear it out

00:36:49.700 --> 00:36:50.940
 and lower our friend

00:36:50.940 --> 00:36:51.880
 in the presence of Jesus

00:36:51.880 --> 00:36:53.140
 where at least

00:36:53.140 --> 00:36:53.840
 one or two of them

00:36:53.840 --> 00:36:54.240
 wouldn't have been

00:36:54.240 --> 00:36:54.460
 saying,

00:36:54.680 --> 00:36:54.900
 whoa,

00:36:54.900 --> 00:36:55.260
 whoa,

00:36:55.260 --> 00:36:55.780
 whoa,

00:36:55.780 --> 00:36:56.200
 whoa,

00:36:56.200 --> 00:36:56.460
 whoa,

00:36:56.460 --> 00:36:56.660
 whoa,

00:36:56.660 --> 00:36:58.480
 wait just a minute.

00:36:58.940 --> 00:36:59.500
 There were some

00:36:59.500 --> 00:37:00.540
 serious objections

00:37:00.540 --> 00:37:01.180
 I'm sure

00:37:01.180 --> 00:37:01.900
 that somebody

00:37:01.900 --> 00:37:02.620
 in that group

00:37:02.620 --> 00:37:03.600
 of four raised.

00:37:04.220 --> 00:37:05.200
 But in the end,

00:37:05.260 --> 00:37:06.340
 here's what impresses me.

00:37:06.340 --> 00:37:08.240
 when it came down

00:37:08.240 --> 00:37:09.079
 to crunch time,

00:37:09.740 --> 00:37:10.780
 they all grabbed

00:37:10.780 --> 00:37:11.860
 one end of that rope

00:37:11.860 --> 00:37:14.019
 and they all worked

00:37:14.019 --> 00:37:14.440
 together

00:37:14.440 --> 00:37:16.460
 to make it happen.

00:37:17.740 --> 00:37:18.640
 I want to tell you

00:37:18.640 --> 00:37:18.920
 something.

00:37:19.420 --> 00:37:20.660
 I've been so impressed.

00:37:20.760 --> 00:37:21.380
 I'm not saying this

00:37:21.380 --> 00:37:22.320
 to make you feel good.

00:37:22.480 --> 00:37:23.180
 I've told everybody

00:37:23.180 --> 00:37:24.300
 I've come in contact

00:37:24.300 --> 00:37:25.140
 with since I became

00:37:25.140 --> 00:37:26.039
 your interim pastor.

00:37:26.880 --> 00:37:27.559
 Those people

00:37:27.559 --> 00:37:28.220
 at First Pickens

00:37:28.220 --> 00:37:29.079
 are some of the nicest

00:37:29.079 --> 00:37:30.600
 people I have ever met.

00:37:30.599 --> 00:37:32.519
 I believe you have

00:37:32.519 --> 00:37:33.139
 that quality

00:37:33.139 --> 00:37:34.400
 of caring about people.

00:37:35.079 --> 00:37:35.799
 I think you have

00:37:35.799 --> 00:37:36.480
 the conviction

00:37:36.480 --> 00:37:38.699
 that Jesus can change lives.

00:37:39.519 --> 00:37:40.360
 I hope you have

00:37:40.360 --> 00:37:41.059
 the imagination

00:37:41.059 --> 00:37:42.819
 to do the daring

00:37:42.819 --> 00:37:43.960
 and are willing

00:37:43.960 --> 00:37:44.920
 to take the risk.

00:37:46.199 --> 00:37:47.380
 But I hope you also

00:37:47.380 --> 00:37:48.880
 have the ability

00:37:48.880 --> 00:37:49.900
 to work as a team.

00:37:51.159 --> 00:37:52.259
 I hope you're willing

00:37:52.259 --> 00:37:52.599
 to say,

00:37:52.679 --> 00:37:53.159
 you know what?

00:37:53.699 --> 00:37:54.920
 I may not get this.

00:37:55.039 --> 00:37:56.199
 I may not understand this,

00:37:56.259 --> 00:37:56.799
 but I know this.

00:37:57.099 --> 00:37:57.559
 I'm going to be

00:37:57.559 --> 00:37:58.199
 one of those guys

00:37:58.199 --> 00:37:58.960
 holding that rope

00:37:58.960 --> 00:38:00.019
 and going up on that roof

00:38:00.019 --> 00:38:01.420
 and hosting that man

00:38:01.420 --> 00:38:02.259
 into the presence

00:38:02.259 --> 00:38:03.179
 of the Word Jesus.

00:38:04.059 --> 00:38:04.739
 Now let me close

00:38:04.739 --> 00:38:05.500
 by telling you this.

00:38:05.800 --> 00:38:06.840
 What is the payoff?

00:38:08.199 --> 00:38:08.440
 You say,

00:38:08.500 --> 00:38:09.099
 what's the payoff

00:38:09.099 --> 00:38:09.860
 if we did that?

00:38:10.019 --> 00:38:10.699
 What if we began

00:38:10.699 --> 00:38:12.039
 to change how we do ministry?

00:38:12.659 --> 00:38:14.139
 What if we really said,

00:38:14.900 --> 00:38:16.500
 let's be serious.

00:38:16.599 --> 00:38:17.619
 Let's not just say this

00:38:17.619 --> 00:38:18.360
 in name only.

00:38:18.900 --> 00:38:20.059
 Let's be serious

00:38:20.059 --> 00:38:21.440
 about reaching

00:38:21.440 --> 00:38:22.699
 our community for Christ.

00:38:23.519 --> 00:38:24.460
 And let's get together

00:38:24.460 --> 00:38:24.940
 as a church

00:38:24.940 --> 00:38:26.239
 and let's map out a plan.

00:38:26.880 --> 00:38:28.039
 What would work here

00:38:28.039 --> 00:38:28.820
 in Pickens?

00:38:28.820 --> 00:38:30.600
 And then when we have

00:38:30.600 --> 00:38:30.940
 our plan,

00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:31.800
 let's begin to work

00:38:31.800 --> 00:38:32.340
 that plan

00:38:32.340 --> 00:38:33.320
 and let's be determined

00:38:33.320 --> 00:38:34.160
 and let's do everything

00:38:34.160 --> 00:38:34.480
 we can.

00:38:34.539 --> 00:38:35.640
 And if we fail a few times,

00:38:35.680 --> 00:38:36.100
 that's okay.

00:38:36.260 --> 00:38:37.080
 We'll back up

00:38:37.080 --> 00:38:38.380
 and we'll come at it

00:38:38.380 --> 00:38:39.140
 from another angle.

00:38:40.059 --> 00:38:40.700
 But our goal

00:38:40.700 --> 00:38:41.880
 is to reach the people

00:38:41.880 --> 00:38:42.480
 of Pickens

00:38:42.480 --> 00:38:43.340
 with the gospel

00:38:43.340 --> 00:38:45.840
 of the Lord Jesus Christ.

00:38:46.780 --> 00:38:46.920
 Well,

00:38:46.960 --> 00:38:47.539
 I'm going to tell you something.

00:38:47.800 --> 00:38:48.539
 It'd be a sacrifice.

00:38:49.200 --> 00:38:49.860
 It'd be daring.

00:38:50.120 --> 00:38:51.019
 It'd require you

00:38:51.019 --> 00:38:51.600
 to take some risks.

00:38:51.920 --> 00:38:52.640
 But if you do that,

00:38:52.700 --> 00:38:53.360
 what would be the payoff?

00:38:53.480 --> 00:38:54.180
 Here would be the payoff.

00:38:54.179 --> 00:38:58.079
 Jesus saw their fate,

00:38:58.980 --> 00:38:59.839
 the team's fate,

00:39:00.019 --> 00:39:00.699
 not the man's,

00:39:00.719 --> 00:39:01.500
 the team's fate.

00:39:02.359 --> 00:39:03.179
 And he said,

00:39:03.279 --> 00:39:03.559
 Son,

00:39:04.299 --> 00:39:05.279
 your sins are forgiven.

00:39:05.460 --> 00:39:06.219
 And a little later,

00:39:06.279 --> 00:39:06.679
 if you go home

00:39:06.679 --> 00:39:07.539
 and read the rest of the story,

00:39:07.599 --> 00:39:08.219
 you know what he says?

00:39:09.219 --> 00:39:10.319
 Take up your mat

00:39:10.319 --> 00:39:12.299
 and walk.

00:39:13.579 --> 00:39:14.599
 And here's the payoff.

00:39:14.599 --> 00:39:17.360
 Those four guys

00:39:17.360 --> 00:39:18.199
 on that roof

00:39:18.199 --> 00:39:18.980
 looking down

00:39:18.980 --> 00:39:21.019
 got to see their buddy

00:39:21.019 --> 00:39:22.000
 for the first time

00:39:22.000 --> 00:39:23.019
 they'd ever seen this

00:39:23.019 --> 00:39:25.659
 get up off that floor,

00:39:26.619 --> 00:39:27.380
 stand there,

00:39:28.440 --> 00:39:29.079
 and walk out

00:39:29.079 --> 00:39:29.819
 that front door.

00:39:31.299 --> 00:39:31.940
 Would that have been

00:39:31.940 --> 00:39:32.819
 cool or what?

00:39:33.619 --> 00:39:33.980
 I mean,

00:39:34.019 --> 00:39:34.659
 can you imagine

00:39:34.659 --> 00:39:35.679
 how cool that was?

00:39:36.239 --> 00:39:37.000
 There he goes.

00:39:37.079 --> 00:39:38.000
 He's walking down the road.

00:39:38.059 --> 00:39:38.739
 He's heading home.

00:39:39.860 --> 00:39:40.860
 What a cool thing.

00:39:42.099 --> 00:39:42.940
 I'm going to tell you something.

00:39:43.380 --> 00:39:44.500
 You'll never have a joy

00:39:44.500 --> 00:39:45.800
 as great as the joy

00:39:45.800 --> 00:39:47.519
 of seeing someone

00:39:47.519 --> 00:39:48.639
 whose life

00:39:48.639 --> 00:39:49.880
 was just going down the tubes

00:39:49.880 --> 00:39:50.739
 and you,

00:39:50.840 --> 00:39:51.300
 through the power

00:39:51.300 --> 00:39:52.460
 of the Lord Jesus Christ,

00:39:53.179 --> 00:39:54.300
 help rescue them

00:39:54.300 --> 00:39:56.059
 and bring them to Christ.

00:39:56.940 --> 00:39:57.679
 I'm telling you,

00:39:57.699 --> 00:39:58.280
 that's a hoot.

00:39:59.360 --> 00:40:00.380
 I believe some of you

00:40:00.380 --> 00:40:00.860
 this morning

00:40:00.860 --> 00:40:01.519
 would like

00:40:01.519 --> 00:40:02.960
 to have that experience.

00:40:04.320 --> 00:40:05.599
 It doesn't take everybody.

00:40:06.820 --> 00:40:07.739
 It takes four.

00:40:09.159 --> 00:40:10.619
 We're going to have Brian

00:40:10.619 --> 00:40:12.539
 sing a verse of a hymn.

00:40:13.500 --> 00:40:14.519
 If the Holy Spirit of God

00:40:14.519 --> 00:40:15.639
 has spoken to your heart

00:40:15.639 --> 00:40:16.800
 while He sings this,

00:40:17.739 --> 00:40:19.159
 would you be brave enough?

00:40:19.259 --> 00:40:20.519
 Would you take a big enough risk

00:40:20.519 --> 00:40:20.920
 this morning

00:40:20.920 --> 00:40:21.699
 you'd step out

00:40:21.699 --> 00:40:23.039
 and come and just kneel

00:40:23.039 --> 00:40:23.659
 here at this altar

00:40:23.659 --> 00:40:24.279
 for a moment

00:40:24.279 --> 00:40:25.759
 and just say,

00:40:25.840 --> 00:40:26.460
 by your coming,

00:40:26.759 --> 00:40:27.779
 I want to be one of those four.

00:40:28.699 --> 00:40:29.699
 I want to be somebody like that.

00:40:29.739 --> 00:40:30.259
 I want to be somebody

00:40:30.259 --> 00:40:31.920
 who dares to reach

00:40:31.920 --> 00:40:33.019
 this community

00:40:33.019 --> 00:40:33.719
 with the gospel

00:40:33.719 --> 00:40:34.940
 of the Lord Jesus Christ.

00:40:36.019 --> 00:40:36.659
 Let's stand.

00:40:36.659 --> 00:41:06.639
 Let's stand.