This story in Acts three is a perfect picture of most of our church world. This man had apparently laid at the gate for many years. The beautifully robed Priest had walked by often. Anyone that was religious in all Israel had seen him or been seen by him. He could not go inside because a crippled person was not allowed inside the Temple. There was nothing wrong about this beautiful Temple because God Himself had given King David the design. It was worth Millions, but it was now out of business. The great Vial that opened into the Holy of Holies had been supernaturally divided when the Son of God had died and Risen from the dead. Even before Christ’s death the Jewish system had developed into an empty religion and Jesus Christ had sharply rebuked them as “Dead men’s Bones” “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.” (Matthew 23:27) This beautiful religious Temple and people were helpless before the human tragedies at their very gate.

But two men from the Upper Room where the Holy Ghost had been poured out came to pray and everything changed. These men understood why Jesus Christ had come. It was not to institute another empty religion, bur to meet human needs. The world is waiting at the gates of churches all over the world but are mainly getting nothing but head theology. What they need is to see the power of God again. The Church of Jesus Christ has the responsibility of turning truth into transforming oracles. The Bible is not a dead book, but a supernatural revelation. This crippled man was perfectly healed and went into the Temple,”Walking, and leaping and praising God.” (Acts 2-8) This kind od miracle would leave any church a different place. Please invite The Lord to do it in your church.

This is one of the most beautiful subjects in Holy Scripture. Solomon prophesied of Jesus Christ and His Bride, the Church. “A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed” (Song of Solomon 4:12). A metaphor is a word picture of something that is real. It is a way to understand a truth that is too deep to grasp without explanation. The Bride of Christ must spend a lifetime right here on earth preparing for our future with Him. It’s tough to endure the hard places, temptations, and often great criticism. But, this picture of every true saint living in a garden of GRACE, even while the world occupies the fields that are everywhere about us, is all we need to be happy and safe. He watches over His garden, the Holy Spirit teaches and anoints those planted, and His Angels encamp about us to come quickly to our rescue. Throughout the Bible a garden was always a special place. God created Adam and Eve and placed them in a spectacular garden. God Himself would come down out of His Temple and walk with this first couple in fellowship. The Bible will end with another garden and the Godly will spend eternity with our Heavenly Father, His Son, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and all the host of angels and saints. This earthly company is a chosen generation, a peculiar people, a family of saints that have been transformed and sanctified. The Whore Church is determined to seduce the righteous into living after the flesh. Sinners are being deceived into believing that being saved is only different in destination, not in lifestyle. They are harlots in the spiritual sense and will bring you into the same bondage by which they are captured. The idea of living in His garden settles this matter. Not only is this an enclosed place, it is a watered place. “A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon” (Song of Solomon 4:15). The Son of God quoted from this prophecy, “He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). If you are His, then this garden is your dwelling place. The Church and His garden are one even when they are separated by many miles. Our buildings are our meeting places and they should be treated with respect, but the saints are His body and garden.

Backsliding is the greatest scourge among the body of Christ. Almost no one ever intends to backslide, but do so because of weaknesses in their walk. Backsliding always starts with drawing back, praying less or not at all, loss of interest in reading the Bible etc. As I perceive it, there are five things in the Bible that often leads to a backslid state. ONE: God’s Word is very plain that “The just shall live by faith. (Hebrews 10:38). Living the Christian life by feelings is impossible. Some days we can walk on water, and some days we feel totally forsaken. If we live by faith, God is just as real on that second day as He was on that first day. TWO: The Christian life is a life of total surrender to Christ. To serve the Lord, we must forsake ourselves and take our cross. “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). If they are going to keep the faith, a Christian must move beyond the comfort zone of the flesh. A life of obedience is the only acceptable life. If you go to Heaven, you will live a holy life. THREE: People that go back on Christ will first leave their first love. It is impossible to backslide unless you leave that passionate love you had for Him when you were first saved, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent” (Revelation 2:4-5). FOUR: The next great destroyer of faith is to allow an offense against someone. FIVE: If you fail to learn and accept the fear of God in your life. A genuine Christian cannot get away with anything that displeases their Father in Heaven. Listen carefully to this message from the Holy Ghost.

When you look at the Gospels of the New Testament writers and the Book of Acts, the overwhelming picture includes a gentleman Holy Ghost. He is full of grace, the Spirit of compassion, redemption, and mercy. Never do we see the Holy Spirit acting out the judgments against the wicked. That’s an office of Jesus Christ and His host of angels, but the Holy Ghost is always the “Spirit of Redemption and Conversion.” This is why Jesus taught us that to blaspheme the Holy Ghost is to never be forgiven. You may blaspheme the Father or the Son and be forgiven, but never the Holy Spirit. If you blaspheme Him, then the grace of God cannot be applied because He has been rejected. This is breathtaking truth and helps us begin to grasp the depth of His great Personage. He is not a fleeting influence that drifts about without personality. He is very God as is the Father and the Son. Nothing has changed my life as much as coming to honor the Holy Spirit. We never exalt Him above the Father or the Son, but as an equal. We experience all of the Father and His Son because the Father and the Son sent the Spirit to connect us back to them. No one can be saved unless they are drawn to Jesus Christ by His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called the Holy Ghost in the church era because He came to represent another, even the Son and the Father. A born again believer can remember when they were pursued by the sweet Spirit of Grace. No matter where they were or what they did, they could not escape. Many souls have sit in a bar drinking trying to drown the call, but it would only grow more intense. How well I remember when He saved me and the grace of God swept across my life. Earnestly, tenderly, He’s calling someone even as you read. The Holy Spirit is calling someone today. Do not wait. His Spirit will not always strive with men. There is a line in the sand that you must not cross.

The bodies of Godly saints are the single dwelling place of the Holy Ghost. He does not dwell in beautiful buildings that have been built with our millions. He is not impressed with our ornate sanctuaries or great human programs. Never has there been a great revival that started because the church built Him some elaborate place to pour out His Spirit. The location of a Holy Ghost outpouring is in the lives of broken saints that have separated themselves from the world and given themselves over to compassion for the lost. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (I Corinthians 6: 19-20). It’s insane how our churches are so taken with pride and human activities, while our world goes to hell. Our day has become so taken with great speakers and their good speaking abilities, while the mighty power of the Holy Ghost is uninvited or unwelcomed. Most churches no longer believe in the supernatural gifts of His Spirit. PRAISE THE LORD! God Himself is watching. At His appointed time He will invade among those saints that have refused to bow, bend, or burn. The old-fashioned saints of yesteryear saw God’s powers in tents, brush-arbors, and storefront churches. If you are willing to be a part of His plan, then provide Him a Sanctuary — your sanctified body. Give up your love for the world and clean up your life. The worldly crowd will call you legalistic until He begins to pour out His Spirit, then they will call it wildfire. Soon, they may even come and join you. Your sanctified life, free of sin and unlike the world, will be noticed by the Lord of the Church. That’s where Revival starts!! Our church’s name is Paw Creek. I like that name because Paw Creek Presbyterian Church had a revival in a tent in which up to 10,000 people came and experienced a mighty move of the Holy Ghost. One man road his horse into the crowd jeering at the meeting. The power of God knocked him off his horse and he could not get up until he repented and was converted. Do it again, Father!!

The world is shaping up to an exact Biblical picture for the end of this age. Its breathtaking to know that the Bible is infallible and nothing can occur out of order. Look at four things Jesus said as recorded in the Gospel of Luke: (1) “Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.” (2) “But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.” (3) “And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” (4) “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.” (Luke 21:8,9,11,20). If we read nothing else we can stand on these four words from our Lord Jesus Christ. Israel is in place and the world hates those chosen people. They have made it easy to hate them because they have been obstinate in their unbelief. Look at the second verse above and the word “commotions.” It means unstable, disorder, or tumults. It would be impossible to find words to better describe our entire world system. I know you can take any one of the many Bible predictions and document that similar action at different times. But, we live in a day that all of the Bible predictions are occurring simultaneously. The apparent collapse of the European Common Market will open the door for the Biblical “One World Order” to arise in the Middle East with an Assyrian at the head. There is a large number of prophecy scholars that have contended for this against much opposition. That disagreement will soon be over because God Himself will have the last word. His Bible is a perfect book. Get ready to go in the Rapture. He is coming for the Saints and the worldly crowd will be left with broken hearts.

There are two trains racing down the track, but going in opposite directions. The first is the Glory Bound Train and the second is the Judgment Bound Train. The Judgment Bound Train is loaded with the wicked — the most vile human beings on earth — but also a great crowd of decent people who refused the saving merits of Christ. The music on this train is stupefying and leaves the crowd clueless of the direction they are going. There are very few rights and wrongs, so the majority have no disturbing conscience. The depot is not far ahead and it will be a breathtaking moment when the train pulls up at the wallboard. The music will end and the gloom will last forever. By far the majority of our world is riding this fast train to sorrow. Thank God, there is a Glory Bound Train and it is moving with the speed of light. The crowd on this train are the redeemed and the music is all about the worship of the Lord and praise to Him that saved us from our sins. Their appearance is pure and modest and their language is exciting. There is no cheap talk or gossip. The women are actually dressed like ladies and the men look and act masculine. The children are respectful and treat the elderly with deep regard. As they sing of their Lord and New Jerusalem, the music actually lifts the soul upward and lingers long after the last line. This crowd knows Him of whom they worship, so the emphasis is not on how loud the music but how pure the words. They are talking to each other and recounting the day of their conversion. No one has one thought of returning to the dark sins of their past. There is a strength in their face that is greater than human. These are the chosen of the Lord and they know they will soon be in His presence. Occasionally, a shout will arise from their midst. It is not a empty shout but has a ring of genuine. This crowd will spend seven years in the greatest celebration of human existence. Then, there will be another trip but this time on horseback. We will return to rule this earth.

This message from Holy Scripture is clearly prophetic. Godly saints are fasting and praying, and the best ministers of God that I know are believing and hearing from the Spirit. Our Heavenly Father is going to come down and show our world that He is God. Here is a prophetic word from Isaiah, the Statesman Prophet. No one can speak clearer in the time of political crisis than Isaiah. He declared, “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence” (Isaiah 64:1). The only hope for our nation and the rest of the nations is for the true and Holy God of the Bible to step into the fray. He has done exactly that throughout history and He will do it again. The title of this sermon is “THE SOUNDS OF ABUNDANCE OF RAIN.” The hour is certainly at hand when God Himself promised an outpouring of His Holy Ghost. I believe we can expect it to begin anyday. I go to church every Sunday believing it will be the Sunday it starts. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17). Every great revival came in the time of desperate saints that would not give up. Also, it was a crisis similar to our world condition. The wicked get bold and arrogant and think they can eliminate God from their schemes. That’s where we are and I’m excited to see their boldness. It means God is also looking and the great saints of God will be avenged.

In his Psalm 139, King David settled the beauty of God’s Holy Spirit. This Divine Person of the Godhead is the Omnipresent member that makes His Spirit, the universe embracing manifestation. There is no where that He is not. We cannot escape this manifestation of God. He hears everything we speak, He knows everywhere we are or go, and every good deed or evil action of which we are part. The GPS of modern tracking systems is not so new after all. Read what David wrote as He spoke by the Holy Spirit, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me” (Psalm 139: 7-11). This Divine Person is the sum of life in our world. The Lord Jesus prayed to the Father and the Father sent the Spirit to indwell the Church and make His earthly Body invincible. The wicked can resist and run and even ignore this Great Person, but they cannot escape. A God-fearing believer has great comfort in knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God unless you simply walk away. Even then, He will follow and call to your heart to return. Every sinner should tremble knowing that this Holy Spirit is the Master of the Heavenly archives and keeps a perfect record of all our deeds.

The Bible is the most incredible Book in the world. It is filled with the Heart of God. A man came to Jesus that was suffering from a dreadful disease called leprosy. He sounded just like most people feel about God today, not sure that he really was concerned or willing to give him a miracle. Listen to how he addressed the Son Of God. “And it came to pass, when He was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean” (Luke 5:12). This men certainly knew that Jesus could, but would He cleanse and heal a worthless leper? Jesus could look beyond a diseased and tormented body and by His power see a whole man ready to serve Him. I love the way Jesus answered this suffering man. Actually, His answer reaches all the way to us. Jesus did not have to say, “I Will.” He could have simply touched him and he would have had his answer. But, for the Word of God’s sake, all of us needed to hear the answer. His answer is for you today!!!!! He wants you to know He is willing. Read carefully, “And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him” (Luke 5:13). That “I Will” has never ended. “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).