Unhindered!
🗣️ Speaker: Dr. James O. Davis
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In this week’s sermon, we were blessed to have special guest speaker Dr. James O. Davis share his experiences and insights on the importance of persistence in faith and the concept of living an ‘unhindered Christian life.’ Drawing from Acts 28, the message focused on how Paul, despite being on house arrest, continued to preach and teach about Jesus Christ without hindrance. This powerful sermon highlighted the significance of developing our God-given talents, skills, and abilities for the Kingdom of God. It also emphasized the importance of being part of the global church network, demonstrating how our continued efforts in faith can have a global impact.
The core takeaway from this sermon is the encouragement for us to live our lives fully for Christ, unhindered by obstacles, knowing that God sees us, knows us, and has a plan to develop us into who we are meant to be in Him.
Let’s come together to explore how we can use our unique gifts unhindered by obstacles, knowing that God is always with us.
Additional Info
The info below was generated by an AI from the audio recording of the sermon.
Living an Unhindered Christian Life: Lessons from Decades of Faithful Service
In the heart of every believer lies the potential for extraordinary spiritual growth and impact—a truth vividly illustrated in the remarkable journey of long-serving pastors and the transformative power of global church networks. This blog explores key insights from a sermon that not only celebrates the steadfast dedication of pastoral leadership but also delves into the essence of living an unhindered Christian life, emphasizing the importance of spiritual development, missionary work, and faith-based healing.
Unwavering Commitment to Spiritual Leadership
The foundation of a thriving church community often rests on the shoulders of its leaders, whose unwavering commitment can significantly influence its spiritual trajectory. Highlighting the exceptional service of pastors who have devoted decades to nurturing their congregations, we uncover the rare dedication that drives spiritual growth and unity. This steadfast leadership serves as a beacon, guiding believers towards deeper faith and commitment.
The Power of Global Church Networks
In an increasingly interconnected world, the role of global church networks in fostering unity and facilitating missionary work cannot be overstated. These networks, transcending geographical boundaries, create a vibrant tapestry of believers united in their mission to spread the gospel. The sermon sheds light on the synergistic potential of these networks, showcasing how they amplify the reach of the church's mission, from local communities to the most remote corners of the globe.
Embracing Spiritual Development
Spiritual growth is a cornerstone of the Christian journey, and living an unhindered life of faith requires a conscious effort towards continuous development. The blog explores strategies for nurturing one's spiritual life, including embracing the gifts and talents bestowed by God, engaging in persistent prayer, and seeking divine guidance. Through personal development, believers can step into their God-given potential, impacting the world in profound ways.
Healing and Faith: A Testament to Divine Power
Miraculous healing and the power of faith stand out as central themes in the sermon, illustrating the limitless possibilities when believers trust in God's sovereignty. This blog delves into the testimonies of healing within the church, reinforcing the belief in a God who actively intervenes in the lives of His people. These stories of faith-based healing inspire hope and strengthen the resolve of believers to seek God in times of physical and spiritual need.
The Call to Missionary Work
The global mission field is ripe, and the sermon passionately advocates for an increase in missionary efforts to spread the gospel. This blog examines the critical need for evangelism and church planting, especially in regions where the message of Christ has yet to reach. By answering the call to missionary work, believers can fulfill the Great Commission, ensuring that no corner of the earth remains untouched by the love and salvation of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion: The Unhindered Christian Life
Living an unhindered Christian life is an invitation to experience the fullness of God's plan for humanity. Through the lessons of faithful church leadership, the strengthening of global networks, the pursuit of spiritual development, the power of healing and faith, and the call to missionary work, believers are equipped to navigate their faith journey with purpose and conviction.
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Use the questions listed below as a launching point to discuss the sermon points together as a family. These are great for dinner table discussions and small groups.
What does living an 'unhindered Christian life' mean to you personally?
How can we develop and use our talents for God’s Kingdom more effectively?
In what ways can our church community support one another in overcoming hindrances to our faith?
Can you share a time when you felt God calling you to persist through difficulties?
How does Paul’s experience of preaching despite being under house arrest inspire you?
What role do personal testimonies play in strengthening our faith and community?
In what areas of your life are you seeking development to better serve God and others?
How can we ensure that our commitments and actions reflect an 'unhindered' approach to our faith journey?
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Connecting our kids to what we as adults are learning and hearing on Sundays is vital to passing on our faith to the next generation. Use the summary below as a great way to talk about the message we heard with your kids.
In this week’s story, we learned about Paul, a man who loved Jesus so much that he told everyone about Him, even when it was hard. Paul was stuck in his house but still found ways to share about Jesus. Just like Paul, we can use what we’re good at to help others and tell them about Jesus, no matter where we are or what’s happening. Remember, with Jesus, we can do big things, even from small places!
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The sermon drew heavily from Acts 28, focusing on Paul's final days in Rome. During this time, Paul was under house arrest, yet he remained unhindered in preaching the gospel. This reflects the socio-political environment of the Roman Empire, where Christianity was not yet the official religion and faced varying degrees of acceptance and persecution. Paul’s situation illustrates the commitment of early Christians to spread the gospel despite such obstacles, highlighting the perseverance and faith that defined the early church. This context enriches our understanding of the message, encouraging us to persevere in our faith and mission even in the face of adversity.
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Good morning. It's a joy to be with you today and be a part of what the Lord is doing at Oxford assembly and around the world. And I'm so grateful for your pastor and his lovely wife. You know, I've been afforded the opportunity to travel a lot and be with a lot of pastors and their wives over the years.
And outside of my family, the closest friends that I've gotten to know in preaching aspect have been people like Darryl and Marcia. And I have a little perspective that maybe some of us don't have. There's some 15 million churches in the world today, and there's only 300,000 here in America we still think we're leading. There's about 15 million churches in the world today, and more than that probably. And your pastor has served here 39 years this march.
Did you know less than one 10th of 1% of pastors in the world ever serve that lengthy of time in one single place?
The Lord Terry's be 40 years next year. Most pastors in the world today serve three or four or five years, move to another place. Nothing wrong with that. I'm just telling you that's the way it is. And I've just learned it takes time.
You got to stay with something and keep digging and drilling. If you stay with it long enough, you'll make coffee nervous. If you stay with it long enough, you'll find oil. And you could never find a better pastor and pastor's wife than one God's given you right here at Oxford assembly of God. I'm so grateful for them.
And we just few weeks ago, we had our synergized conference in Orlando, Florida. Happens every other year. And Pastor Darryl's been to every one of them since 2002. He's got a perfect attendance record, and there's a handful of those that were there at the beginning, before there was a train on the track. And God has blessed the network, and there's a lot of energy in the network today.
And thank you for your partnership and your relationship to our family and to the ministry. Recently, Pastor Darryl was down in Tobago hub teaching and training there with another pastor that's coming out of Pennsylvania. It's what's wonderful about the network. You get to meet and develop relationships from all over the world. And when we just had our synergized conference four weeks ago, I asked the audience to stand on Thursday night who were from outside the United States, and about 50% of the entire audience stood from all over the world.
And it's because of what God has done in networking in the body of Christ. No knot, no net, no network. You got to tie knots if you're going to have a net. And a net is not to just hang on the wall, it's to use it. And it is to fill it to the point it's breaking.
And if you get to the place where it's breaking, then you'll call the other boats over because you don't want to lose the harvest. And pastor Darryl and his wife have been there from the beginning. So grateful for you and your relationship. And the Lord is not finished yet. I'm grateful for the global church network.
We started out as global pastors network in the early days and then 2017, we changed the name at the gravesite of Martin Luther because we were focused on the finish, synergize, mobilize, finalized, jump the next slide, if you would. And we're all about finish. Not just start, but finish. And when we were at the synergized conference several weeks ago, we announced that registration had begun for the 2000 year birthday of the church. And the 2000 year birthday of the church is going to be June 910 and eleven, 2030.
You say that's six years away. That's about six blinks of your eye and you're there. My father in law, Evan Paul went to be with the Lord six years ago this month. Wow. Six years.
Six years from now, Lord's help. We're going to be standing in the winning circle in Jerusalem. We've already secured the International Convention center of Jerusalem. This past Thursday, early morning Zoom call, we were meeting with the leaders at the International Convention center of Jerusalem once again, already working on the plans. The Jerusalem Convention center seats 3000 and we're going to be inviting 3000 friends and leaders from all over the world to join us and honor the first 3000 that came to Christ when Peter preached that first sermon 2000 years ago.
You can find it Jerusalem 2030 dot. And you can read all about it because we are very focused about finish. Once you get focused on something, you're able to make decisions. This won't get us to the finish. This will.
And it's not personal. You're focused on going to the finish line. Jump the next slide if you would. You helped us with finish Asia. This is a distinguished group of men and women got together in Manila for representing Asia.
And the leaders set a goal to help equip 225,000 young men and women for full time ministry in this season of years. And that took place just a little over a year ago. Go the next slide, if you would. And then we went to West Africa, and we were focused on West Africa. There's 15 nations that make up West Africa.
I'm grateful to tell you the Lord helped us last fall to launch 13 hubs out of the 15 countries. So there were two we didn't quite get done, but doesn't mean we're not going to do it. We're doing it this year. And so a hub does three things. Synergizes the best relationships, systematizes the very best training, strategizes for unreached people groups.
If it doesn't get us closer to the finish, it's really a waste of time. If it's not getting as close to the finish, it's a waste of money. If you have the right measurement stick. And so this was the West Africa summit. Go the next slide, if you would.
And then we hosted the european summit, and there were volunteers that came from this church. You got on a plane and you flew to Zurich to help us with the finnish european summit. And I'm grateful to tell you, the Lord enriched our experience there. I don't know how many trips I made prior to that in western and eastern Europe. A day here, a day there, spending time.
And I had people tell me, you'll never get east and west in the same room. You'll never get the body of Christ focused in Europe. And then I hear stuff like this, God's not doing much in Europe today. Didn't you know that? I've never believed that for a second.
That's like saying, God's not doing much in America. That's just not true. He is. He's at work everywhere. He is.
And so the Lord helped us. And we had over 350 men and women from 43 countries in that european summit. And incidentally, there's only 44 countries in Europe, and they set a goal to help equip 110,000 young men and women in the full time ministry in Europe. God's not finished anywhere. It's always a great need of laborers.
But volunteers came from this church. Pastor Darryl and his lovely wife Marcia were there, and we really focused very strategically. And I'm happy to tell you that this spring. Right now we already have in motion 15 hubs in Europe, and we're going to go to the rest of them. We're stairstepping it.
And so I'm also happy to tell you that we're launching eight of those 15 hubs in the balkan nation nations. There's eight of them that make up the Balkans. And we have a follow up meeting with that in May. And when you go and look up the Balkans, you look at Croatia, Siberia, look up Albania, all these kinds of hard places where there's been lots of war, and go up further north into Romania and Kodova. We're launching hubs there this summer and throughout those places.
And it's because of your partnership that helps us to do it. Somebody said, amen. And what I've learned is that relationship currency is the greatest currency in all the world. Go to the next slide, if you would. And then a year ago, I was privileged to be here and I mentioned to you Cairo in Egypt, and I said, we're launching a hub in Cairo and go to the next slide.
Now we're at 425 pastors and leaders in that Cairo hub. They just met again last week. Their final session will be in August, which will be graduation. And when we have graduation, then the hub multiplies. Go the next slide, if you would, because then it becomes aid hubs in Egypt and strategic locations like Alexandria and other designated places.
We already have the hub leaders picked out. They had their meeting this past week with the hub leaders of the new hubs. But this is the beginning of what we envision for the Middle east now. How many of us know we need peace in the Middle east now? We're not going to have peace in Middle east until the prince of peace is ruling in the Middle east because Ishmael and Isaac didn't get along then and not get along today.
You understand that, right? Okay. Abraham had two sons, not one, two. We believe that this is the beginning of what the Lord has for the body in the Middle east. And it forces us to do some things.
It forces us to get all of the resources that we have into Arabic. Now, anytime we take on a new language, this is a small mount Everest for us because there's over 6000 pages to be translated when we take on a new language. And so we are very focused on getting Arabic done because graduation is coming in August and we need to be ready for the multiplication of the hubs. Go to the next slide, if you would. And this is the nations in the yellow area.
Make up that whole rim that we're focused on. So when you look at Libya or Morocco, you go to Jordan, you go further over to Kuwait or the Emirates. All that whole rim of 14 nations make up what we call the Middle east that primarily speaks Arabic. Israel, of course, would be hebrew, but other than that, that whole area is in Arabic. So we have to very strategically get that done.
So we are equipping the hub leaders and the future hub leaders in that area of the world. Go the next slide, if you would. And it's anticipated that the body of Christ needs over 90,000 young men and women equipped and trained for church planting in the Middle east. Now, I've been fortunate to serve in the underground church, and I've served in the upper ground church. I have.
I have had meetings where it was illegal to have meetings. There was one particular one a number of years ago in the Middle east, undisclosed. And we all agreed we would not take one photograph, and we did not. There were 229 men and women in that room from all 22 nations of the Middle east, all of them, including the 14, and then all the way out to Armenia and back that whole rim. And we made a commitment to network in the underground church, and we are doing that in the underground and the upper ground.
And one of the major pieces of it is the translation of the material into Arabic. And so after I teach today and Pastor Darryl returns, I'm going to encourage you to pray about participating in it. Some of you may want to just do one course for $100. Some can do a lot more than that. But I want you to know we are serious about networking in the body of Christ, beyond ego and logo, to get to the finish line.
Because every man, woman, boy and girl needs to have a witness of who Jesus is. And until you have a church planted in their area, you really haven't planted the gospel in that area. So it's more than technology. We've got to plant churches even in the hardest places for the glory of the Lord. And somebody said, amen.
And I know that God will help us to get to the finish line. In a minute, I'm going to read two verses out of acts, chapter 28. Acts, chapter 28. Acts, chapter 28, verses 30 and 31. Acts 28, verses 30 and 31.
Would you stand with me in honor of God's word today? Acts 28, verses 30 and 31. And it's interesting the way Luke ends the book of Acts. It's amazing how he says it right at the very end, and he says in verse number 30, and he stayed full till years talking about Paul in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God, teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness unhindered. I want you to cross your fingers with me this morning.
Would you do that? Cross your fingers with me this morning. When you lived in the first century and Nero was your emperor, Nero would burn Christians on pieces of wood to light the city streets of Rome.
And if somebody walked up with their fingers crossed and shook your hand and looked at you, you knew that they were a Christian. You knew you were shaking the hand of a sister or a brother. But today we put it behind our back and we say things like this, cross your fingers, hope you don't die.
And then we say, cross your fingers, because I'm going to tell you a half truth. But when you were a New Testament Christian and Nero was your emperor, you didn't put it behind your back. You walked up and you shook your brother's hand, and you looked at him in the eye, and they knew by the cross, you were saved by the cross. You were born again by the cross. Jesus is your king, not Nero.
Dearly father, I pray that you will deposit wisdom and truth in our heart today. I pray, o God, that you would help us to live the unhindered christian life. I pray, Lord, that you would anoint me to speak. And everything I'm about to say will be deposited down deep in our hearts and lives. And, Lord, we'll be careful to give you the praise and the glory for it in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ.
And everybody said, amen, and amen. You may be seated. This morning. This morning I want to speak on unhindered. And I do a lot of writing on my long trips.
And so, on the table in the foyer is the book unhindered. It's on the entirety of the book of Acts. I had a gentleman in the first service, and gentlemen out in the lobby came to me and said, two different guys said, I read the entire book unhindered on the book of Acts. And they said it was a very enriching experience to them. And I thank them for their compliment.
Because if you read this particular one, it's not 29 pages, okay? And it's on every chapter and every verse. A friend said to me, said, are you writing a commentary? I said, no, I'm writing a sermonary on the entire book of Acts. I'm gradually writing through the entire New Testament, and I recommend it to you.
I know it will enrich your life. And so every copy is $25 a 2445, and all the proceeds go to help us to build a net that works. And I know it will enrich your life. Luke, the author of the book of Acts, comes to the close, and he's trying to summarize it in one word, and he chooses the word unhindered. He chose the word unhindered because it is a signal of completion.
He says, what we started, God has helped us to finish. What God started as a small entity has now become quite large. He said, what started in with acts one eight, go and preach the gospel to the ends of the earth. We're now putting a claim in Rome. We're placing the flag of Jesus Christ in the heart of the roman empire.
It was a symbol of completion. It was also a symbol of continuation, because it ends abruptly, as if to say, the half has not yet been told, it ends abruptly, as to say, now we're living in Acts 29. The story is still not finished. You and I are part of Acts 29. We're part of the story that is still unfolding all around the world.
It is a work of continuation. But also he's saying it's a symbol of coronation. Jesus Christ is truly the king of kings and the Lord of lords. And he's really saying, just as Christ is unhindered, you can live the unhindered christian life. And I believe that in this day and time in which we live, we need to live the unhindered christian life.
And I believe Paul symbolizes it with Luke, his personal position, how they went about their life. And as we enter into this season of years in front of us, I really believe with all my heart that people everywhere are looking for authentic Christianity. They're looking for something that is the real deal. And I believe that God has called each of us to live the unhindered christian life. And that's what I want to talk about briefly this morning, because I believe we are to live a defended life.
I believe the Lord defends us. I believe the Lord guards us. I believe the Lord protects us. Even when we don't know it. He is there working on our behalf.
He has a way of taking care of his children who are on divine assignment. The apostle Paul has been on a boat in acts 27. There has been a terrible storm that has come, and now the boat has sunk, and the men are swimming to shore, and they come to the little island of Malta. This spring. We're launching a hub in Malta.
We are. We're launching a hub in Malta. And we were working with a key leader there, and he said, you really want to launch a hub in Malta? He said, we're just a small nation. I said, so you think the big nations get it only, aren't you glad God's concerned about all of us?
And if your vision is not big enough to include everybody, it's not a God size vision. Aren't you glad Jesus didn't die for a percentage of the world? Aren't you glad he died for 100%? Everybody's included. And Paul comes to shore, comes to that little island of Malta, and Malta means refuge.
And as he comes to shore out of that storm tossed sea, he meets some people there. Now, in the book of Acts, they're called barbarians. And the reason they're called barbarians, because if you didn't speak Greek, then you were called barbarian. So when you think of the word barbarian, don't think about it in the terminology or definition of what we may think today in the Greek and world, there, if you didn't speak Greek, then you were a barbarian. Now, I want to come up front and tell you I don't speak Greek.
Probably most of us don't, so don't take that personally. The Lord doesn't think you're a barbarian because you don't speak Greek. But what he's saying is this, I came ashore and they befriended me. I came ashore and they loved me. I came ashore.
Not only did they look out for me, but they looked out for everybody else. Sometimes we find more hospitality in the world than we do in the church. And I'm telling you, my dear friend, believers ought to be the most hospitable people on this earth. We ought to be unhindered in our hospitality and our graciousness and our love. And when a company is looking for more employees, they ought to say, by the way, if you know any Christians, send them, because they're the best workers I'll ever have.
Didn't get many amens on that, but it's true. That's the kind of testimony we ought to have. And so they come ashore, the people meet them, and they build a fire. And Paul chips in. He gets in the middle of it, starts gathering wood, the scripture tells us, and there was a snake in that wood.
And as he was picking up a limb, that snake bit him. And so the people of Malta said, well, he probably deserves it. That's literally what they said. He's probably a murderer. He's probably done something he shouldn't have done.
And so know, what goes around comes around. And so they concluded that this guy they're helping must not be a really nice guy. But when Paul didn't die, when Paul kept living, they finally started looking at him, saying, there's a miracle in our midst. God protected Paul. God provided for Paul.
God Almighty defended him. And ladies and gentlemen, there are times that we may risk our lives for the gospel, but the Lord will protect us and defend for us and look out for us. And there'll be so many times when we finally get to heaven, we'll realize how many times God did really look out for us. Amen. It's true.
I believe there are angels on assignment. I really believe that. I know there have been angels that looked out for me from time to time, and I look back on it, and I know there was an angel that visited me here. There was one that visited me there. I believe there are times that he's at work and we don't even know it.
But in this instance, they all knew. Miraculously, God Almighty had protected this man from death and looked out for him. When we are on the Lord's assignment, the Lord looks out for us and works on our behalf. When favor is high, labor is low. When favor is low, labor is high.
We need God's favor on our life. When people drive by our home, they ought to say that home is highly favored of the Lord. When we walk into a place, they ought to sense God's favor upon our life. I've often asked as I've traveled, Lord, let your favor rest upon me, because I know when your favor's on me, the journey will be a lot easier. Paul had a refuge.
You have a refuge. You may find yourself in a storm tossed sea of life today, but God has a refuge for you. God has a way to renew your mind, your body, and your soul. To renew you, to give you the energy and strength to go on and do what God has called for you to do. In this generation, we have a refuge.
Some years ago, I was ministering in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for Pastor Terry Lamer, who's been working with Pastor Darryl in the tobago hub Sunday through Wednesday, Palm Sunday week. And so on Thursday morning, I was driving into the Philadelphia airport. It's about 100 miles or so. I left very early in the morning to catch a flight. And as I was getting closer to the airport, I called Pastor lamer just to thank him for his kindness, his hospitality.
And then I was pulling into the Hertz rental department, or area where the hertz rental cars are. And a lot of, you know, I travel very light. I do. And what comes on the plane, comes off the plane. I don't have horror stories of chasing up on bags.
I don't, thank God, been there, done that a long time ago. Decided that's not the way I want my life to be. What was your life like? Well, I chased a bag there, chased one over there. I didn't want to do that.
So I was getting on the Hertz van, and I have two bags, computer bag, and a small other piece of luggage. And I sat down the seat, and I took my computer, my wallet, and put it right there on my lap as I sat down. And so I put my wallet there, and I was waiting to get off the bus to get to my gate, and they pulled up to terminal F. Now, I. It's really not good.
If you know how many terminals there are in airports, it's not really good. It's not a good sign. Means you've been there a lot. And so I was getting off the hertz van, and I grabbed my two bags, was going up the escalator, and then I make a left to go into TSA pre check, and so I was making a left to go into TSA pre check, and then it comes a time you need to show your ID. And so I went down to grab my wallet in my computer bag where I normally put it, and I realized, oh, no, I didn't do that.
That wallet is on that Hertz van on the floor. I did not put that wallet back in that bag. I began to make my way back down the escalator. Now you show up in airport without an ID, life just changed for you. It's not the same as it was five minutes ago.
I don't care who your mom and dad is. I don't care if they built the airport. It doesn't matter how much money you've got. I'm going down the escalator thinking, I've got some friends in Philadelphia. I know they're not planning on a guest tonight.
It's literally what I'm thinking. But who could I call to spend the night? Then I was thinking, well, maybe I could call my wife, and she could overnight my passport, and I would have it the next day. Then I could get home, then solve the problem. And so I'm on my way back down the escalator, and I'm praying, God, you know, I've made a mess out of it.
I need you. Please take care of me somehow. Help me to find this wallet. And I'm coming out onto the curb, and I'm thinking to myself, okay, I'm going to get on this Hertz van. When it gets here, I'm going to the office, and I'm going to say, has anybody turned in a black wallet?
And if not, I'm going to get on each van that comes through, and I'm going to look on the floor of every van. I don't know how many vans they have. Can you imagine that kind of scenario? What did you do on that day? What?
I went through 49 vans, and it's going through my mind. I come down, I'm standing on the curb. I said, God, please help me. I made a mess out this. I need you to help me solve it.
And I see the hertz van coming. I'm thinking to myself, I'm getting on that van. I'm going to that office and going to figure out what we're going to do. And the hertz van comes right up to where I'm standing. The man opens the door, and he says, is this your wallet?
Is this your wallet? I said, this is my wallet. He goes, when I saw you dropping on the floor, and I thought to myself, if I hurry, don't stop at that office and make my way all the way around, you'll be coming to the curb by then. And I was hoping I'd be able to personally give it to you. And he drove off.
And I stood there on that curb. I lifted both hands to heaven, and I said, lord, you see me standing right here. You see me right here. You saw what I did, and you helped somebody to help me to solve it. The Lord sees you.
He saw you when you went to bed last night. He saw the dreams that you had. He knows everything about you. Don't let the devil tell you a lie. Don't let him tell you you don't mean much to God.
You mean more than the whole world to God. Don't let him twist your mind to say you don't really matter much. Oh, yes, you do. He sees everything about you. He knows everything that you're challenged with today.
He knows what you're walking through by Jesus Christ. We have a defended life. We are protected by the mighty power of Almighty God. And if you believe it, say, man, oh, we have a defended life. But not only do we have a defended life, but the unhindered christian life has a developed life.
A developed life. The Bible says that people began to bring their sick on the little island of Malta.
The news got out. There's a unique person on this island. And Paul began to lay his hands on them. The Bible says in acts 28, and people were divinely healed and set free right there on the island of Malta. Oh, it was a new day for Malta.
Things began to change. People began to bring their people from all of that little small nation to Paul. And he laid his hands on them and they were healed. God had given Paul a gift, a gift of healing. And God used that gift of healing to touch other people.
Ladies and gentlemen, we all have gifts. All of us do. We all have gifts, talents and abilities. And when we work on those gifts, they get stronger. When we work on those talents and skills, they get better.
We neglect it, it gets smaller, we work on it, it gets bigger. We all have gifts, talents and skills. The Lord didn't save us to be bench warmers. You know, when we get into the big soccer games or what we call also football here in America, there's these stadiums at 100,000 overseas, a lot bigger than that. But when the football season is going on, there's 22 people on the field that need rest.
There's 80,000 people in the stands that need exercise, 22 people that need rest, and 80,000 people that need a lot of exercise. But there's usually two or three guys sitting up there in the nosebleed section and they've got the game all figured out. I wouldn't have called that play if I was the coach. They ought to sit that boy down. He can't throw that football.
But they're not going to get up and go down into the field and pick up that pick skin. They're not going to go down to the field and block against a 350 pounder. No, they're going to sit up in the grandstand and go, Ra, I hope you guys win. And if you don't, we'll criticize you on social media and we'll tell you how bad you were. And if you win, maybe we'll say a little compliment.
And you know what? There are a lot of people who go to church. They sit in the grandstands, they go, rah, rah, rah. But they don't get down there in the harvest field. They don't get down there where the devil is.
They don't get down there where the real scrimmage of life is. Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you, it's time for God's people to get out of the grandstands and get in the playing field. It is time for us to develop our gifts, our skills and our abilities and use them for the glory of Jesus Christ, we all have gifts, skills, and talents.
When I was 18 years young and I was going to University of South Alabama, mobile, I took three semesters of voice lessons in those early days, and I had an incredible vocalist to train me and teach me, and she was amazing. And we've been going for a number of weeks in that first semester. And she looked at me and she said, now, jimmy, would you please tell me, what do you plan to do with the rest of your life? And I said, well, ma'am, you know, I've shared with you. The Lord has called me to be a preacher of the gospel.
That's what I'm going to be and do all of my life. Then she said, do you plan to have any singing involved in it? I said, no, I don't. She said, that's a really good plan, Jimmy.
That's what she said.
She said, so why are you taking these voice lessons? I said, because I want to protect my voice.
I said, I want my voice to be strong because God's given me a gift and I want to work really hard at it. Some people don't know. They don't have the gift of singing.
They think joyful noise is a gift.
But we all have gifts, talents, and abilities, and God wants us to develop them. He wants to lay his hand of anointing upon our life, and he wants to strengthen us for our good and his glory. And when we have a physical need, God wants to divinely get involved in our world and minister supernaturally. You know, miracles are a mystery. How God works.
The person who says he's got it all figured out probably had a lot of pizza the night before. Miracles are mysteries. God works in a mysterious ways. How God touches one person and touches another person, it's a mystery to me. But God is still in the miraculous business.
He's still in the healing business. When I have a need in my physical body, I'm calling somebody who still believes that God heals. I'm not calling somebody says, well, maybe heals sometimes and maybe not the other. I'm not calling that guy if I have a financial need, I'm calling somebody that says, I believe that God prospers, that God orders your steps, that God gives you strength. I'm not going to call somebody say, well, you know what?
We're all going to have bad days. No, I'm going to ask God to hook me up with somebody that believes his word, that believes their beliefs and doubts their doubts, and lives victoriously in Jesus Christ.
A number of years ago, I went to West Africa, Nigeria. And a friend of mine picked me up, and we went out of Lagos, went to a small city, and I stayed at this particular hotel. One night I was going in there, speak that day and speak twice, then go back to Lagos. I was speaking for a friend of mine. His name is Alamole Shola.
That time, he was the president, nigerian Baptist convention.
I stayed at this particular place. I called the do drop in. And when you walk into the room and you see mosquitoes, it's not a good thing. They believe in do drop in also. And the bathroom was a dirty mess, and I don't have to have the Taj Mahal, but I'm telling you, that was not a clean spot.
When I got back home a few weeks later, I wasn't feeling good, and I was out to dinner with a friend of mine, and his name is Ben Lerner. I said, ben, I don't feel good. And he said, maybe I need to have some tests done. And I did. And I had hepatitis B.
And we were headed to the synergized conference within a matter of weeks. And I went through the synergized conference not feeling well at all. So I went through a series of tests, and every time it came back, yeah, you got hepatitis B. And we kept praying, God, please, minister. And it was about the march of the next year.
Went back for a series of blood tests. They said, you don't have hepatitis B. And so one doctor said, well, the reason why you don't have is because all those other tests were wrong. I said, oh, really? I said, you used to say they were right.
You said they were right four times in a row. Now you say they're all wrong because this one is different. Now, I love doctors. I have some really close doctor friends. I thank God for them, and God uses their skills, talents, and gifts.
But God healed me of that. God took it out of my body because I needed it. I needed God to help me. I didn't go searching for it. It searched for me.
But God brought healing. And maybe you're here today and you need a healing touch in your body, but my friend Jesus Christ wants to get involved in your life. I believe he wants to touch you supernaturally and give you health and strength. I believe he wants to develop you and make you stronger. And somebody said, amen.
We have a developed life, but third, we have a destined life. A destined life. We're on a divine assignment. And Luke is saying, at the very end, we have demonstrated what it is to live an unhindered life. What is it going to take for us to get to the finish line?
What it's going to take for us to get from where we are to where the Lord wants us to go? I believe it's going to take. An uncommon proclamation. Notice what Luke says. He says, paul is in his own rented corners.
In house arrest, in other words. But then the next verse it says, and now he's preaching the kingdom.
Even though he's in house arrest. His preaching is unhindered. It's an uncommon proclamation. Ladies and gentlemen, there's a lot of stuff coming out of closets. It's time for Christians to come out of closets, not with an obnoxious attitude and bad breath to go with it, but to let people know that Jesus Christ can set anybody free.
An uncommon proclamation. We need a fresh insight and creativity and dynamic in this technological world in which we live. But, ladies and gentlemen, there needs to be that proclamation of the gospel. The yuan guleon. The preaching of the gospel.
An uncommon proclamation. A clear sound. Not a fuzzy sound, not a wishwashy word, but a clear sound. When they came to see him, he was preaching the kingdom, teaching about Jesus. You won't ever hear me say, go share your faith.
It's not my faith that saves somebody. It's Jesus that saves somebody. And it's time for me to share Jesus. Well, they may not like it. Everybody loves the baby Jesus.
They just don't like the grown up Jesus. Everybody loves the baby Jesus. Every time it comes around, everybody gets excited. But it's the grown up Jesus we have to tell people about. We got to have an uncommon proclamation we got to have passion to go with it.
Paul loved everyone, and so did Luke. Paul knew that he was going to be an apostle to the Gentiles, and he was a Jew, and he loved everyone. A lot of people stop loving a long time before they stop living. We are to love everybody. We may not love what they do and how they live, but they need to know that we genuinely love them.
There needs to be that passion that lets men and women from all ethnicities let them know we love them, and so does Jesus Christ. An uncompromising passion. An uncomfortable persistence. You can always tell the size of a person by what it takes to stop him or her. Some people let a little rain shower come by.
Central Florida oh, no. I can't go to church today. Oh, no. I mean, it's too dangerous. I mean, it's just too dangerous.
I'd have to use my windshield wipers to go to church. Today. And I know the Lord doesn't expect me to do that. That's a heavy burden. So, lord, if you don't mind, I'm just going to stay at bedside assembly with pastor sheets.
I just don't think you want me to take a risk. And then I'd have to pull up here at the parking lot and my shoes get wet and I'd have to carry an umbrella. An umbrella. In Florida, who's ever heard such things?
But, Lord, you know how much I love you.
You know how steadfast I am. We have more persistence for work on Monday. If that same rain cloud is here on Monday, people will get dressed. They will. I promise you they will.
They will get in a car. They will use their windshield wipers. They will have to carry an umbrella. They have more persistence on Monday. But, God, send revival.
Please send revival. Send an awakening, Lord. We really need it. And the Lord is going, really persistence. I have been in places in this world.
They didn't have running water in their home, but they had a motivation and a drive. It didn't matter how far they had to walk to be in the house of God because they wanted to be a part of what God was doing. I have seen people hike for 14 days to the Himalaya mountains to spend three days in a conference and hike 14 days back because they have persistence to do what God has called them to do. And we're over here in America, Lord, you know how rough we've got it. You know how hard we got it, Lord, if it wasn't just so hard, we could see something mighty happen.
And I think the Lord yawns. He's looking for people who have persistence. You could put Paul in a prison, and if he can't redecorate the walls of the prison, he'll redecorate himself and say, rejoice in the Lord, always. And again I say, rejoice. You couldn't stop him.
It didn't matter what Nero said. He was going to write another letter because he was persistent and an unwavering purpose. Ladies and gentlemen, when we have that purpose that we know why we're on this earth, things get so clear to us. Mark Twain said, there are two big days in everybody's life. The day that he or she was born and the second day when they find out why.
An unwavering purpose. That's what sin set Paul apart as an unhindered christian servant. Paul and Luke have run that race, and Luke finally picks up that pin. To summarize it with the word unhindered. They're there on the day of Pentecost.
And people have gathered from all around. Those early hundred and 20 began to speak in languages they'd never learned before. And the people all around could hear them speaking in their own language because the church was unhindered. Peter would walk up to a lame man in acts chapter three, and he said, gold and silver, have I none, but such as I have. Take up your bed and walk.
And that lame man gets up. Because unhindered. The early New Testament church knew what it was to face persecution. And what did they do in acts four, they had a holy huddle. And the Bible says they began to pray, and the place was shaken.
And what did they do after that? The Bible says they preached the gospel with boldness because they were unhindered. Then Ananias and Sapphira showed up one day, and they learned. They lied and they died. They lied to the Holy Spirit.
And Peter said to Sapphira, the guys that just buried your husband, on this next verse of the hymn, they're coming to bury you. Can you imagine what it'd be like to go to church the next Sunday? You're going there. They buried two people last week. You going there, it may carry you out.
The church was unhindered. Stephen would stand in the city streets and he would proclaim with wisdom, faith and power, the Bible says. And they began to throw stones at him. But what did Jesus do? The heavens opened.
Stephen sees Jesus Christ standing there, welcoming home, because Stephen was unhindered. Paul would be on the road to Damascus, thinking he was going to persecute some more, when the Lord got a hold of him and turned his life in the opposite direction. Because anybody can be saved through the miraculous power of God. The grace of God is unhindered. When you get over to acts chapter 15, they put Peter in prison.
They think you can lock up Peter, but they don't understand. The Lord has angels that have keys to every door. And they go in, and Peter is sound asleep. And the angel wakes him up and escorts him out. And you know the story.
They go back to the house church that's praying, and the lady opens the door and Peter is standing there, and she closes it, goes back, and Peter's ghost is here. He's dead. It's pretty sad story when even the Christians don't believe that God can answer prayer. It's a pretty bad story. And they brought Peter out because he is unhindered.
Then you see Paul and Silas in a midnight jail. And they begin to sing, and they're enjoying the moment. And God pats his foot. He's enjoying the melody. And the earthquake begins to happen.
All the doors open. The jailer comes to Paul and Silas. I don't know what it is that makes you who you are, but whatever it is, I want that unhindered stuff in my life. And he gets saved. And before sunrise, his whole family is saved, because Paul and Silas are unhindered.
You can put Paul on a boat, and you can put him in a shipwreck. But the captor becomes the captain, and he comes to Malta and proclaims the gospel. And at the very end of it all, Nero, with his demonized possession in his spirit, is persecuting believers on crosses. But in the midst of it all, even though Nero may be on his throne, God is unhindered on his throne. And though Paul may be in house arrest, the gospel, you can't chain it up.
You can bind it up. It is set free. And the Lord has called us to live the unhindered christian life for the glory of almighty God. Hallelujah. Oh, my friend.
God has called us to live the unhindered christian life. I don't know what your needs may be today, but I'm telling you, the Lord knows you. He sees you right where you are. And he wants to help each of us to go further than ever, to do more than ever for the glory of Jesus Christ. Would you please stand with me in this sacred gathering today?
As our eyes are closed in this sacred gathering, I counted a privilege to preach and teach for Pastor Darryl. So faithfully preaches and teaches week after week after week after week.
So our eyes are closed in this sacred gathering as they play softly a simple chorus of worship. Today, as they say in the business world, I left. I left nothing on the table. Today, the Lord sees you right where you are. He sees your need.
He knows every aspect of your life. He knows your goals, your ambitions, your dreams, your heartache. He knows everything about you. He does.
And he wants to develop you. He wants to develop me? He wants to make us better, stronger, wiser. He wants to develop us. If we give him our small things, he'll make them into something else, huge.
He will. He wants to develop us. He wants us. Desires for us. If we could only see what he sees in us.
Wow.
If we could only see what he sees in us. Oh, my goodness.
You're here today, you say, James, I want the Lord to really develop me into that man I can be, that woman I can be. I want him to take my gifts, my talents, my skills, my insights. I really want him pleased to develop me into that Christian that I know I can be in Christ, the unhindered Christian, unhindered in our mindset, unhindered in our faith, unhindered in the way we think. In a minute, I'm going to count the three. And if you can say with integrity, Lord, please develop me.
Please develop me those gifts, those skills, those talents in my life. Help me to become all I can be in you, Lord, in this season of my life. When I count to three, if that's you, I'm going to ask you to lift your hand, and my hand will be the first one that will go up today. No matter where you are, no matter how long you've been involved in the christian life, whether it be five days or 50 years, there's still more to be developed in our life. When I count to three, if that's you, going to ask you to lift your hand and keep it up, and my hand will be the first one to go up.
One, two, three. If that's you, just lift your hand dearly. Father, you see the hands lifted in this beautiful sanctuary. You see each brother and each sister. Lord, I pray right now that you administer to her, that you administer to him, that you would do that supernatural work that only you can do in their heart and in their life.
Please, Lord, just lay your hand upon them in a sovereign way. Lord, I pray that you would just crystallize some things in their mind and heart. Now, Lord, if there's some things that need to let go, Lord, help them to let it go. Lord Jesus, I pray that you develop us to be men and women of God, the unhindered Christian that you desire for us. Now, can you take a moment?
Lay a hand on somebody's shoulder? To your left or your right? You may know them, you may not. Lord, we pray for the one on our left, our right. We pray, o God, that you would lay your hand, that you would freshly anoint my brother, my sister, my friend, my spouse, my acquaintance.
I pray, o God, that you would do this sovereign work, only that you can do in their heart and life. Lord, may they fulfill all that you have for them to be. And, Lord, if they need a divine healing touch in their body, we pray right now that you would do that divine work, that do that healing work, that you would step in and miraculously bring health, whether it's health that's needed. Lord God, I pray for a miraculous work of grace in my brother and my sister's life. Lord, we give it all to you today.
We believe that you hear us when we pray. We give it all to you, Lord Jesus. Thank you, God. Now let's just take a moment, maybe lift one hand to the Lord. Lord, we praise you today.
Praise you today inhabit Lord, the praises of your people we love you and we praise you. Thank you God, for your work of mighty grace help us to go from glory to glory oh, thank you God, for your goodness to us praise your name we love you so very much. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Praise be to the Lord. Thank you, God.
Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, Lord. You may be seated. Thank you, Lord.
Pastor Dale we love you, brother. We love you so much.
