It's Time To Come Out of The Closet | Dr. Mike Woods, Sr.

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news, the messengers who bring light to darkness. Declaring Christ as our hope and salvation. But how will they believe in the one they do not know? How will they call on him if they have never heard? In distant fields, in crowded streets, there are souls longing, unaware of the hope that is near. But someone must go. A voice must speak. The footprints of the faithful are never forgotten. In eternity, they step into the unknown. They walk into places of need. They run toward the broken. They kneel beside the weary. These are not just feet. These are messengers. Bringers of peace. Carriers of hope. Bearers of light. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! The world is waiting. The Gospel must be heard. Let your feet move. Let your hands give. Give. Let your voice proclaim, because someone somewhere is waiting to hear.

Say, say, I am assigned to shine. I'm going to read the foundation text of the series, and then what I'm going to do is I'm going to put a couple of scriptures on the end of this teaching this morning. To solidify what we're about to say. Amen. So the Matthew 5:16, if you want to go there, you can. But the Bible says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. I'm gonna read it again because it's just all right to read the Bible. Uh, let your light so shine before men Yeah, so in other words, people should see a difference in you if you say you're saved. Yeah, there should be something about you when you show up before men that whatever darkness exists, it has to leave. Okay, we learned Thursday night that when Light shows up, darkness has to go. So it says something to me about our world today because there's so much darkness in the world. So that means there are very few lights that are showing up. All right, are y'all hearing this? We show up in church, the light be bright. I said Thursday night, we've learned church. We've learned how to do church well. We've learned how to manipulate lingo and religiosity. But when we leave this building, somehow we forget to show up. But the Bible said here our light should shine before men. Why? So they can see our good works. Yes. Instead of us showing up, we're walking around trying to find texts and Bible verse to justify bad works. Okay, yeah, maybe, maybe y'all don't know that's really happening. It's happening. There are whole churches that are dedicated to changing a canon to fit lifestyles, to make everybody feel welcome. And when I studied the life of Jesus, Jesus was a radical. Not everybody was welcome, and he disturbed the status quo many times. Are y'all hearing it? And I understand that the reality is when you stand on truth, you're not going to have tons of people who are in darkness flock to you, because at the end of the day, they don't want the light. They want to stay in darkness. Are y'all hearing me? So this morning, I want to use a subject in this second installment: it's time to come out of the closet. Say that with me. Say, it's time to come out of the closet. And perhaps if you understand the statement of being in the closet, well, you know that everybody's out the closet now. Are y'all here? Uh, all the LGBTQXYZs plus is out, and they ain't ashamed about it. Y'all hearing this? They out and glad and happy. But here's the interesting thing: the impact that those groups make— only about 2.5% of our nation are in the LGBTQ+ community. Okay, y'all, y'all hear that? 2.5%. And what we'll do is complain about them being out when what we really need to do is show up as light and give them a guide to a better life. Are y'all here? See, the reality is they're out bold and love what they do. We come to church— I read it last week— and we hide under a bushel. The church becomes the bushel. But if we're gonna be light, we gotta get out from under this bushel and shine for Jesus so people can see the glory of his power. So a few things— you go to this first slide, Mario. I want to give you a different You'll never come out of the closet if you're not truly interested in obeying God, okay? Because the challenge to come out of the closet is not a suggestion, it's a command. I said it on Thursday night, it's time to put the go back in gospel. He said, go into all the world and preach the gospel. He wasn't making a good suggestion. That was a command. It's called the Great Commission. All my military people in here like me, they understand that when somebody gives you a commission or a command, it's not something you negotiate, right? You have to follow that order. If you do not follow that order, there are penalties connected to that. Are y'all hearing this? Watch this. If you don't follow the order of going into the world, there are penalties connected to it. Okay, Ezekiel said, if you do not warn them for me, the blood will I require on your hands. So we got a lot of church folk that's sitting in blood, sleeping in blood, working every day in blood, because you pass people that you don't talk to about God. God said, if you don't warn them for me, the blood is on your hands. And I'm just— listen, don't shoot the messenger, because I know this is not popular. The church doesn't want to hear this because the church wants to be apostles and prophets and evangelists, and we want to cast out demons and pray. But you know, if we don't do this, we ain't gonna have nobody prophesy to. Y'all ain't got to talk to me here. We're not gonna have nobody leading kingdom principles. We want to have good church among ourselves, and the reality is there's a whole world dying. I said Thursday, watch this, in Atlanta, 7.4% of the— no, 7.9% of the 7.2 million people in the Metroplex are born again. That's a problem. You got almost 7.5 million people in Atlanta, in the metropolitan 5-county area. Only under 10%, 7.2% are saved. But wait a minute, you got full churches everywhere. And I said it Thursday, what is happening? They're not really growing biblically. The Bible said they add to the church daily such as would be saved. So we should be getting people saved, and growth should be happening through salvation. Are y'all hearing this? I told God last week, last Sunday, I said, God— because he spoke to me when I was in Florida and told me, he said, the church has to get back to minding my business. We begin to mind our own business. We made the church a corporation and an entity, and people look at the people as stockholders as shareholders to keep the business functional and operational. Come on, Apostle! When really people belong to God and they are sold. Yes, that's right. Yes. Oh boy. So we have to now come to a place where we say, I'm going to obey God, I'm going to do what he says, because we don't want— watch this— to be a part of that cycle of membership transfer. You got— I, I can run off 10 quote-unquote mega churches that say around the 285 radius that say that they have 10,000+ people. Okay, if only 7.2% is saved, what that says to me, they're operating in the realm of membership transfer. So people are leaving one place, going to the next, and these groups just change. Oh, y'all not here. Okay, y'all want me to say that, right? But it's the truth because the numbers don't lie. Okay, now for real, the numbers don't lie. But you'll remain in the closet, you won't let your light shine if you really don't want to obey. I want y'all to understand something. Obedience is a real thing. Are y'all here? We don't just get saved to do nothing. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Are y'all here? So when I get saved, I don't just sign up to do what I want to do and come to church on Sunday, then my life has no accountability. I must align myself in obedience. Watch this, because obedience releases blessing into my life. Okay, the scripture says them that are willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land. The good, the benah in Hebrew, the fat, the prosperous part of the land. But prosperity is released out of obedience. I tell people all the time, and I believe this most of my life, that if there's an area where the good of the land is not manifesting for you, you better check where you're being obedient. All right, okay. And God is always 100% invested in making sure you good, but if you're operating in disobedience, he waits till you get back in line before he can get— because he can't lie. Them that are willing and obedient. That's two things right there. It says to me willingness is connected to obedience. You really can't be obedient if you don't want to, right? That's my first point. You gotta want to see somebody saved. You gotta understand that your testimony is powerful to somebody in the world that needs it. Okay, Mario, go to the next slide. Secondly, you'll never come out of the closet. Okay, this is a good one. If you don't actually love people— well, that's right. First of all, I don't understand how you can say you saved, come on, nonetheless a preacher, and you don't love people. Say it again. I don't get it. Again, because pastors look at people as subjects that's going to help fund their idea or fund their dream. But you really got to have a genuine love for the well-being of people. Okay, I mean, y'all don't like me talking like this, but it's okay. I pray before I come to church every week, so I'm good. Trust me, you don't say nothing. Listen, God is love. So how can you tell me you got God in you and you really don't love the people he created? Was it saint or sinner? You got love. Watch this. And, and I'm gonna— if you know me, you'll, you understand I'm a very reserved person. I kind of stay in my own world. I don't go a lot of places and get involved in a lot of stuff. Last night I went to a function that was being held. Family people was there. And I'm telling you, I love people. Somebody decided, grown man, they wanted to say something out the way to my wife. Watch this. Love is a verb. Love is action. Prophet, they saw the old Apostle. You remember that one, don't you? Okay, because God says you can't— I'm sitting there looking at the expression on his face while he's talking to my wife when she's doing something trying to help him. And everybody else in the room. And I wasn't going to sit there and say nothing because I'm, I'm a man. Now I know he's a soul because he's a sinner that needs to be saved, but at the end of the day, I would have been remiss in showing love. Watch this, let me show you wisdom. He that wasn't sold is wise. If I wouldn't show love toward my wife, that's my first responsibility. Charity starts at home and then spreads abroad. So I'm like, okay, yeah, I gotta shut this down. And I told him, I said, hey, instead of you sitting there complaining about the cake you're eating— and everybody knows my wife cooks amazing cakes, so first of all, what you saying ain't true. The cake ain't that good anyway. Now I'm like, okay, what you're not gonna do and disrespect my wife. Are y'all hearing this? I said, if you don't like it— and I said it really nice the first time— just put it down. But he kept on talking. So I got up, I said, sir, just put the cake down and you don't have nothing else to complain about. Because again, I want my wife to always understand love is a verb, and I'm gonna cover her at all costs. All right, I'll give y'all the whole story. It was crazy. I mean, he was so— I guess he was intimidated. He went out the door because he wasn't saying it while he was in my presence. Called me the B-word. I mean, because this is kind of where you, you know, these people roll when you ain't saved. But I turned up the cheek. I didn't even address that. Because my main thing was protecting her, right? I don't care how mad he got after that. Here's what I'm saying, and then I'm disappointed I'm trying to get to— I still love him. I prayed for him this morning. I was praying for him last night because at the end of the day, I want to see him saved. And my whole— what grieved my heart was I don't want him to be so offended that he won't listen to nobody, all right? Because at the end of the day, he gonna go to hell if he don't, because he need to be saved. Are y'all hearing this? Yeah. So I love him, but you can't let people walk over you. Are y'all hearing this? Yeah. You can't let people abuse you in the name of love, okay? Are y'all hearing this? But you really and honestly gotta have a genuine desire to see people have what you have. When you love somebody, you want them to get what you got, right? Oh boy, I want my kids to understand like I understand. I want everybody connected to me to know God in the way I know him, and even greater. That's love. And love— watch this— doesn't put a price tag on that information. Oh, y'all ain't got to talk. Love don't charge you for help. Uh-huh. Okay, y'all ain't got to say nothing. If I love you, I'm not charging you for a prophecy. All right, right, right. Okay, come on. We have marketed things that don't even belong to us. We have marketed the word, marketed gifts, and we got a premium on it. Matter of fact, you even got some folk, they got— if you give at this level, you'll get this kind of word. Something wrong with that. Something's wrong with that prophet. And wait a minute, and I don't even blame them, I blame y'all. Y'all ain't got to say nothing. For giving them your $3,265 to get a prophecy. My Lord, my Lord. Because watch this, the Bible says Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Are y'all here? So if Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, it, then that means his sacrifice that he gave on Calvary, that was free, and everything that came with it is free. Come on, come on, say it, say it! Come on, Holy Ghost! What people who don't have the love of God in their heart do, they spend a lot of time around church folk and they play churchy games. Come on, Holy Ghost! Are y'all hearing this? All we want to do is hang out with Trump and go to Golden Corral and eat and, and waffle. How well we go. But the Bible said Jesus was a friend of sinners. Wait a minute, the scripture we learned in Sunday school, John 3:16: For God so loved the world— not a church, the world. He said he so loved the world that he— I believe he loved the church, but he specifically said his death was for the world. Are y'all here? Say, God loves me, so I should love people. Say, if I love people, I'll come out the closet. Place. Glory to God. This is another good one. You'll never come out of the closet if you don't actually know God. Amen. Say, I got to know him. I got to know him. Religious people are still looking for God. Matter of fact, the root of the word religion is rel— R-E-L. It's a, it's an actually Mid-Eastern word, Hebrew word, that actually means to search. So when you— religion means I'm looking for answers, I'm looking for the truth. Well, you know God, you found the truth. All right, and you ain't gonna witness to nobody if you don't know him. But if you really know him and you tasted of him, that is more exciting than somebody giving you a Rolls-Royce. And you know what you do if you got a Rolls— somebody gave you a Rolls-Royce? You'd be all on Facebook with it, with your phone. You'd be live, look what God done did for me. You get a new house, you going to be walking around the house, look what God done did. But what about your salvation? Isn't that more precious than a Rolls-Royce? Oh boy, God have mercy. What does it profit a man to gain the world and lose his soul? So you get all the stuff and still bust hell wide open. Why? Why? I can write you a check for a million dollars right now, it wouldn't matter if you went to hell the day after you wrote the check. After I put it in your hand, you went to— what does it profit you to gain stuff and lose your soul? And when you know God, you understand that. You want to tell everybody, look, you better find Jesus. You want everybody to know what you know about him. This is how I know most people's experience is shallow. It's not real, it's religious. Because they want— but when you're excited about something, God is— oh my God, he's gonna put a fire in your belly that won't go out, and you're gonna tell somebody about what he's done. I got to know him. Yeah, you got to know him for real so that if an angel show up and preach another gospel— are y'all hearing this? You're like, no, bruh, I know him. I don't care where you came from. Angel could show up and say Jesus ain't real, and you better know it for real in this day. Cuz you got a lot of stuff out there telling you he ain't real, but I want to serve notice on the devil right now. Jesus is real. Jesus is alive. Matter of fact, I, I hear the old song say he lives, he lives. Christ Jesus lives today. He walks with me, he talks with me along my narrow way. He Lives, he lives, salvation to impart. Ask me how I know he lives. He lives in my heart. I'm not talking what somebody told me. My daddy is a great preacher, he was a great teacher. I learned a lot under my daddy, I've learned a lot from my mentors, but my relationship, glory to God, with God has nothing to do with who they are. I have— I know him for myself. And I want to challenge every person in this room: spend time with God. Listen, don't take prayer for granted. Oh my God, we got to get back— listen, uh, rebuilding our altars, glory to the name of God, is not just about prayer. It's about meeting God where he is. It's about sacrificing ourselves to know him. So that means you have to be deliberate. I know my wife because I'm deliberate. I could have married her and just let the chips fall where they may and just hope I get to know her. Yeah, but every day I talk to her. Are y'all hearing this? Every day I pray for her. Every day I pray with her. I spend time with her. I lay hands on her spiritually and naturally. Glory to God. Are y'all hearing this? Well, because I know her, and I don't want to know nobody else in that sense the way I know her. Your relationship with God should be exclusive. Oh God, you ought to deliberately communicate. Open your Bible. Listen, if you shouldn't open that blue F and that orange camera on your phone more than you open your Bible— okay, y'all don't like that, right? Your screen time is more Facebook, Instagram than it is Bible. Now I don't know about the Android users, y'all gonna have problems, but If you got an iPhone, it'll tell you your screen time, and you need to look at your screen time and check it and see if you're opening your YouVersion Bible app or whatever Bible app you use, or Facebook more. And you may say, Apostle, well, I'm getting the word on Facebook. No, you need to spend some quality time with God. 'Cause you, you can't— most folk can't even stay on a video 5 minutes. Y'all ain't got to talk to me, but you got— you ain't gonna never go get nobody saved and come out the closet and speak truth to people if you don't know God. You got to know him. You got to know your testimony is sure. Say, say this with me. Say, in the name of Jesus, I am grateful for everything God has done for me. Say, I'm saved, I'm sanctified, I'm filled with Holy Ghost. So I have power. Say, I'm anointed. Say, and I know God. See, I have a relationship with him. Say, in the name of Jesus, because I know him, I will tell others What he's done for me. Come on, if you believe that, give God praise and glory. How do you got to get excited about that? Because we got to get back to the business of winning souls. Are y'all here? Yes. Glory to God. Last one, Mario, go to it. You'll never come out of the closet if you're operating in Fear. There's a lot of people in the closet who want to witness, and perhaps you're one of those persons. You know God, you love God, you love people, you want to be obedient, but you're afraid. Can I submit to you this morning that God has not given you the spirit of fear? Matter of fact, let me go there. Glory to God, let me go there. 1 Timothy, I think it is, or 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy. Thank you. Glory to God. And we want to look at this because I want you to see it. Say, I ain't scared nothing because I got Jesus in my life. Glory to God. Hallelujah. 2 Timothy 1. I want to look at— I'm going to start at verse He says, when I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which first dwelt in thy grandmother Lois. Now let me tell you why I'm reading this and why this is significant to what we're talking about, because it's important to be connected to people and in places that have like DNA, that desire what you desire. Watch this. Even in marriage, you got to marry somebody that wants what you want. Amen. How can two walk together except they agree? Amen. My wife supports my dreams. She wants the same things I want to see in life. It will be chaos if that wasn't the case. Are y'all hearing this? 'Cause I'm a dreamer, and I need somebody that really can see like I see. So Paul says to Timothy, in a patriarch-to-a-son, uh, dialogue, he says to him, I remember what your grandmama Lois carried, the faith she walked in. See, your anointing and your faith and your gifting should point to something beyond you. Are y'all hearing this? There should be a legacy you can point to, a foundation you can point to, which developed you into the person you are. Let me tell you something. One of the— because my wife is attractive and beautiful, a beautiful woman outside— and one of the most attractive things that I salt into her on the inside. And I hate to keep using her, but I, you know, this is my personal example. All right, so, but the reality is her foundation, where she comes from in church, how she was groomed— first of all, before she joined my church, the only other church she was a member of is the church she came from. Are y'all hearing this? That says something about accountability. It says something about faithfulness. Are y'all hearing? And then I understood the culture of that ministry, and I knew if she was there that long, what she learned, what she gained. Are y'all hearing this? So Paul says, I want you to think about this. You have in your DNA Stability, focus, and faith. Are y'all hearing this? Yeah, you can't get that if you don't connect to that. Are y'all hearing me? If you just kind of play with it— yeah, again, I talk about my daddy. A lot of things in me, and the older I get, I realize I am becoming this man. I'm just talking about— even my mom said, boy, the older you get, you just like your daddy. And I'm not just talking about spiritual, I'm talking about just as a natural man, because he was there. There's things I saw. Watch this: authority perceived is authority achieved. If I can see the authority, it can— it will be achieved in my life if I receive it. It. But if you ain't around it, if you're around weak spaghetti back folk who can't, don't want to lead you into greater, if you're around folk that all they want from you is what you can give them— Father, I said this Thursday— if you did not come into a covenant on either side to give, you came to take. Everybody should show up to give. Listen, I'm even a person standing up here. Even if you have a business relationship and there's a covenant on both sides of the contract, everybody's got to give something. I was negotiating with a guy last week, and he's this Indian guy. I signed this contract to go do this job in Boston in September. And I'm like, bro, and I'm like, listen, I don't gave you all I'm gonna give you, but you're not giving me anything. I said, so either you're going to give me these things I'm asking for, or you're just gonna need to find somebody else. And finally he broke down and said, okay, you are giving me a lot, I'll give you that. I'm like, we could have did this from the beginning. We on the phone an hour. Listen, I done already negotiated as much as I'm going. I'm not cutting my price no more. It's not happening. So I gave you all I'm giving. I came to give because I already initially proposed up here anyway because I know where I was gonna have to go. Are y'all hearing it? But I knew where my foundation was. Once we got there, okay, that's it. What you gonna do? When I said find somebody else, he said, okay, we can do that. I mean, you know, so we signed, we did it. The reality is you have to show up with your value And you have to release that because people need that from you. But you'll never do it if you're not trained in your mindset to be a giver of you to people. And honestly, that's what evangelism is about. I give people knowledge and information all the time that I should charge them for. For, but I don't because my blessing comes in sowing the seed. Watch this. Fear is a bully that'll try to make you question what's in you. Oh God, I'm gonna read, I'm gonna read in a minute. But you are seed sown in the earth. Say that with me. Say, I'm a seed sown in the earth by God. So when God— when God released you— so when God released you out of your daddy's loins, packaged inside of that seed was purpose, was destiny, was potential to become extremely great, to advance the kingdom, to be a light in the world. You're a seed walking around. But watch this, no seed can flourish without dirt. That's right. Well, are y'all here? Oh boy, oh boy. If you plant a seed, the first thing you got to do in agriculture is dig a hole. Oh yeah, you gotta dig a hole to put the seed in. So stop complaining about the holes that the enemy have tried to dig for you. All right, it's only because the hole had to be dug for you to be planted. All right. Oh God. And then it don't stop there. Once the seed gets dropped in the hole, they push dirt back on top of the seed. Once the dirt gets on top of the seed, you can't even see The seed no more. Oh yeah. And the dirt, because it's a bully, it starts talking to the seed. I got you now. I got you weighted down. You're never coming out of here. A lot of times when dirt gets thrown on you, when you go through hard spaces in life, when people reject you, when people talk about you, when the enemy attacks That's dirt being thrown on you. Are y'all here? And it's trying to weigh you down. But you know what? While the dirt is talking, the seed talks back and says to the dirt, I got life in me. All right. And the difference between me and you, Father, you are a source that's fertilizing me. You are a source that's making me stronger. You are a source that's activating all that I am. So next time somebody throws dirt on you, I want you to realize that it's only a force that's activating who you really are. Amen. Are y'all hearing this? And before long, that seed and the life force in the seed starts popping up through the dirt. First of all, what it does in the dirt is form a root system. Inside of the dirt, there's a root system that's going to keep everything that springs forth alive. So watch as your life, through your trials, through the dirt, through the testimony that's being built, a root system is being created. This is why many of you are so sold out, because of that root system. Your mind is made up, it's Jesus and Jesus alone. Your mind is made up. I ain't turning back because I'm rooted in under this dirt, and this dirt has made me who I am. All right. And then all of a sudden, you start seeing leaves and manifestations of what that seed was pop up out of the dirt, right? And guess who's on top of the dirt now? Yeah, come on now. So, so you got to understand, the next time Somebody thinks they're burying you. You need to tell them, I ain't buried, I'm just planted. Glory to the name of God. You got to decide, I'm coming out of this, and when I come out, I'm coming out with something. But you can't be afraid when life comes and comes at you and makes you feel like you're inadequate. I need somebody to shout, I am adequate! Come on, say, I am enough! I say, God's going to use my life to do great things in it. He says, well, I put you in remembrance. Verse 6, watch this. I put you in remembrance— he's talking to his son— that thou stir up the gift of God. So first of all, say remembrance. Now I want you to say something. Your mind has two functions: memory and imagination. Your memory replays history. Say that with me. Say, my memory replays history. Say, my memory replays the past. Two functions: memory, and then secondly, imagination. Your imagination preplays the future. So your imagination is vision pre-playing what God is saying is coming. But here the apostle says, I want you to remember what was put in you by the laying on of my hands. Okay, again, you need somebody to make impartations in your life. He said, I want you to stir up the gift. Somebody said, stir up the gift. Your stir in Greek is er, which means turn on. So he says, now put your remembrance— there's something in you. I want you to remember that there's something in you. So many times the enemy will send distractions. To make you feel like you ain't got nothing really in you, you ain't carrying nothing. They'll criticize you, criticize your position where you are, they'll criticize how you're walking out your purpose. People will judge you based on external things, but you've got to remember what's in you. Oh, glory to God. Rub your belly and say, there's something in me that you— that I can't see. But tell yourself, I'm getting ready to turn it on. He said, turn on the gift. I need y'all to turn it on. Come out the closet, stop being afraid, and turn on the gift. There are so many people in the body of Christ with dormant gifts. That lie dormant, dormant abilities, latent potential that have not been released into the world. But God is saying to us this morning, you got to release that potential, because when you came to this earth, you came packaged with potential. You came full of purpose. You came designed with a destiny that is sure from heaven. And you got to release the gift that come. Touch yourself, say, I'm a gift to somebody. Y'all just say, I'm a gift to somebody. So I ain't got the fear. Say, I ain't got the fear, cuz somebody needs me. Oh, I need you to believe that. Clap your hands and praise him. I got to go, I can't stay on this long. Verse 7, he said, but God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a power of love and a sound mind. He didn't say you ain't have fear. He said I didn't give it to you. So if you're afraid, that ain't of God. If you're in the closet because you're afraid, you, you're operating in something that's not God. All right, the word fear here is dehelia in Greek, and it means a cowardice from fright, which means you are frightened, you are terrified, and it immobilizes you. So you sit in the closet, you won't tell anyone about Jesus. You can be in the store knowing you need to talk to somebody about God. You'll see that person, you know, I need to share my testimony with them. I need to talk to them. And their fear will grip you and you'll hold back. But God says, I didn't give you that. I gave you power. That word of power is exousia, which is authority. I gave you authority to operate like me. That's what exousia is. I have given you the inheritance of my ability. Abilities to do my work. So that means you're not operating in your own self and your own self-esteem, your own self-confidence. You're operating in his abilities. All right, are we here this morning? Say, I got power. I got power. Say, I got exousia. Say, I got authority. I got authority. And I'm not afraid. And I'm not afraid. To tell someone about Jesus. Watch this, he said, I gave you love. Watch this, that's agape, unconditional love. God says, I love you for love alone. Watch this, it's perfect love. Perfect love casts out fear. Yes. So he says, I love you perfectly. Do you realize God loves you so much that he saved you in spite of you? He knew everything about us and saved us anyway. Matter of fact, the scripture says while you were yet a sinner, Christ died for you. While you were slipping and sliding, doing what you love, he was dying. Saying, I'm gonna give them life, I'm gonna love them completely. See, you got to embrace that, man. That should make you want to tell somebody that you are filthy. Glory to God. And you were late in sin, but he died for you and said, I'm gonna give my life and sacrifice myself so you can have relationship with the Father. Man, I'm telling you, if that don't— that's better than the Rolls-Royce. Because the rest of what I quoted earlier, John 3:16, says that for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish. So that love keeps me from perishing. For you people out there that don't believe it's a hell, there is a hell. And if you don't accept the love of Jesus and the efficacious vicarious substitutionary work of Calvary and his redemptive cross into your life, you are going. Are y'all hearing this? You gotta accept him. And you, when you understand what God has saved you from, fear won't be able to keep you in the closet. Something will begin to burn in your belly. I got to tell everybody I can. I got to get out of this closet because people need to know who he is. Thirdly, and I got to move, he said, I gave you a sound mind. I didn't give you fear, I gave you power, I gave you love, I gave you a sound mind. Sound mind, sophronismos in Greek, is a compound Greek word that means a well-balanced, intelligent mind. Which means you ain't crazy, all right? You just saved. Are y'all hearing this? Hallelujah! Just somebody say that. I'm not crazy. Say, I'm just saved. Hallelujah! And Paul even said, I'm just a fool for Christ. And you got to make up in your mind, when people don't understand you, I'm still going to be saved. When people don't understand why you live like you live, talk Like you talk about— glory to God. I, I love how God has taught me how to walk in light, because even when I go around people that's doing stuff I don't do— so last night, folks were drinking, and the host of the house said, do y'all want some wine? You know, and the first thing came out of her mouth, the Bible said Jesus had a drink. I didn't even address it. I didn't even say nothing back to her. I just turned this way and kept eating my food. I'm not going to get into that with you. Glory to the name of God. You don't sit up and say Jesus was doing something the Bible ain't saying nothing about. What is it? Just because you're doing it— listen, all I got to say to folk that want to live in sin, if you want to live in sin, just do it. Keep Jesus out of it. And when you get ready to get right, get saved, then let's talk. Glory to God. Let's keep Jesus out of these conversations that justify what we want to do. All right, all right. Some, some stuff you don't even need to engage. Are you, are you here? I mean, you know that ain't— that wasn't the truth. I almost sit here and just start having a conversation about something like— I'm not even going to do that. Let me eat this chicken that's on my plate. Say, I'm saved and I'm smart and I'm powerful. I say many lives, many souls will be transformed because of who I am. Come on, clap your hands if you believe that. We got to get out of here. Go to Romans chapter number 10 real quick. Glory to God. It should be on the screen. Chapter 10, uh, verse 14. Yeah, and I'm closing. I already gave the points. I'm just gonna read these scriptures, right? The Bible says, how then shall they call on him? Say, I gotta call— come out the closet. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Let me submit to you, first of all, the preacher he's talking about here is not the one standing in my spot. Y'all ain't got to hear me. The word preacher is chariso in Greek here, and it means one that officially has authority to speak on a matter. Okay, watch this. If you're saved, you have official authority to speak on matters of Jesus. All right, you ain't got to have the title apostle, you ain't got to have the title prophet, you ain't even got to have the title evangelist, pastor, or teacher. All right, if you're saved Oh boy, I got to get out of here. You have the authority officially to testify to others what he's done for you. That's all preaching is, hallelujah, is lifting your voice in testimony. Glory to God, to what God has done. Many times when I'm here and I'm preaching and I get happy, when I get to the end, if I'm hollering or something. I ain't doing that for y'all, cuz I already taught y'all what I want y'all to know. But at that point, I am heralding to God. I'm celebrating because of who God is to me. Are y'all here? Glory to the name of God. So you got to make up in your mind, I'm going to celebrate this God of mine. I'm going to talk to everybody I can because I am official. Yes, yes. You ain't got to wait for somebody to lay hands on you and put a backwards collar around your neck Glory to God. Most folk that wear them need to be choked with them same colors. Glory to God, cuz they're dead. Y'all hear? Glory to God. But the reality is, you're a preacher. Glory to the name of God. If you're saved, you're a preacher. If you've been born again, just nudge somebody and say, go and preach. Tell them, tell them somebody's waiting to hear you. I know, I know, cuz what we When we were done, we made the reverend. The reverend is the preacher. The devil is a liar. Glory to the name of God. Everybody that's saved got an official right to preach the gospel. Glory to the name of God. And there are people— I said to Brother Smith on Thursday night— there are people he can reach and preach to I can never reach. God has delivered him out of a lifestyle I've never been in. And there are people in that life that he'll be able to reach that I'll never be able to reach. But thanks be to God that God can use him to go into those places and begin to declare the gospel to drug dealers, to drug addicts, that he can declare the gospel to alcoholics. I wish I had somebody that you used to be a drunk, but now you're a preacher. Oh my God, here you used to be a ho, but now you a preacher. Used to be a lesbian, used to be a homosexual, but now you a preacher. You can declare, look what God has brought me out of. If I have anybody that's made up your mind, I'm going to preach it. Preach it when they don't want to hear it. The Bible says be instant in season and out of season. Preach it when they go to the bathroom. Preach it online. Preach it at your job. Preach it in the grocery store. Preach it at the gas station. Somebody shout preacher! Okay, okay, okay. Y'all sit, y'all sit. You used to be a liar. I heard God said preach it. Oh God, God says go get them that went through what you got delivered from. You're official. They need to hear your voice. They need your spice. They need your life. They need your anointing. They need the power to flow out of your life. Rabacca said, preach it! Y'all didn't do it. Do it like the old preacher. And Rabacca said, preach it! Yeah, okay. I said, Jeffrey, I got you. How can they hear without a preacher? Shantay, amen. Verse 15 says, and how shall they preach except they be sent? Oh my God. —said is apostello in Greek. What? Watch this. It means that you have been sent away on assignment. Watch this. To yield to order. So when apostello means that God sends those who are official away to yield to his commission to preach the gospel to every creature. Yes. So watch this. When you depart his presence, the assignment now is to preach instant, in season, and out. You got to go forth. I got to go forth. I got to go forth and do, and do what God says. What God says. Watch this. As it is written, I'm, I'm, I'm going How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace. That's good stuff. In the natural, you may have corns and a little crusty little toe, ain't quite so beautiful. Nails might be all jacked up, but if you preach, amen. God said, in spite of them big, them bad feet God said, I'll give you beautiful feet. Oh boy, and beautiful there in the Greek means— watch this— established, stable, prosperous. So the word means that he said, I'll prosper your way, I'll establish your way, and I'll give you stability in your life. Are y'all here? God says, if you preach it I'll make you— wait, wait, wait. If you take care of my business, he said, I'll take care of yours. Are y'all hearing this? If you take care of God's business, God says I'll take care of your business. Glory to the name of God. I guess somebody touch yourself, say, I'm getting ready to take care of business. I'm getting ready to preach. I'm getting— preach with your business. Preach with your life so that God can establish you. Let everything you do be rooted in the gospel, for you are the light of the world, a city that's set on a hill that cannot be hid. Somebody needs the anointing that rests on your life. I dare you, shout it again! Preach it! He says, I knew to repent of him that preach. You gotta move. Verse 16 says, but they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah says, Lord, who believes your report? Hallelujah. That simply says, even when you preach it, everybody won't obey, everybody won't believe, but preach it anyway. Hallelujah. Preach it anyway. Don't get discouraged when they don't turn. Don't get discouraged when they don't transform. Thank you, sis, for coming. God bless you. Glory to God. Verse 16 says, for so then faith come by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Glory to Jesus. Go to Romans 8. I'm almost done. I told the visitor we had last week, because Pastor Jeffrey preached while I was on vacation. I said, well, he preached shorter than me. I guess the visitor today thought the same. It's too long, I can tell. Go to Romans 10. Glory to God. I'm sorry, Romans 8. Romans 8:15. Almost done, this is my last scripture. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba, Father. So look, when we come into God We're not coming into a bondage situation, a religious legalistic situation, and we should not be serving from a place of fear. We should be serving from a place of love. You shouldn't live for God and come out the closet and witness for God because you're afraid of him. You do it because you love him. And here's why you should love him: because you have obtained the spirit of adoption. You have been adopted into the royal family. I've never heard of an unwanted adoption. All right, I've heard of some unwanted pregnancy, all right, but never heard of an unwanted adoption. If you adopt, you wanted to. Sheree's got grace for her life to take in children. You got to have a grace for that. I don't need nobody seeing her do that and think, I'm gonna do that too, so I'll get a check. Devil is a lie. You need grace. And you need a special kind of love for children. Yeah, and you got to want and desire them to accept them into your life and your home. Watch what God did with us. In spite of what we've done, he adopted us anyway. Thank you. Can I submit to you, there's nothing about you or your past that surprises God. Again, this should make you more grateful to share this gospel with other people. So because of this, we all cry Abba Father, because we all were adopted. My sins may not have been what yours were, and yours may not have been as mine, but he adopted all of us. And just like he my daddy, he your daddy too. Hallelujah! Yeah, that's a good place to focus, cuz you know what, growing up in my house, again, we loved our daddy. And my sister was the only girl, and she often, even to this day, she was making think that's my daddy. Well, it ain't just your daddy, it's our daddy. Are y'all hearing it? And we know that, you know, she was a girl, she got that special, you know. But we didn't want that anyway, we were boys. But at the end of the day, my daddy received love from all of And the reality is, when it comes to God, he has no respect of person. And watch this, you got to embrace him and embrace the fact— because one of the challenges with adoption is adjustment. It's adjusting to a new environment, is adjusting— watch this— to real love. Because most of the time, individuals who go through adoption have been through levels of trauma where they have walls up, where they cannot receive real love that's given. Perhaps you got saved and God's been trying to give you the fullness of his love. And you won't accept it because some human traumatized you. God is not like man. He loves fully and he loves completely. Watch this. And he'll never leave you nor forsake you. Verse 16, watch this. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit hear that we are children of God. So watch this, God moves into our life when he adopts us and gives us a witness. But you're my child. My God, you know, you got a good family, you want to brag on your family. Yeah, I, I love, you know, my children get on my nerve and I talk about the stuff they don't do a lot, but my children pretty dope, man. They, they some good kids. Are y'all hearing me? Amen. And I'm proud of them. It bears witness to what their mamas and me put in them. Are y'all hearing this? You ought to bear witness to what your Heavenly Father put in you. Are y'all hearing this? Train a child in the way he should go, when he's old he won't depart. So if you— that's, that's natural, but also spiritually. If you're trained up under God, when you're old you won't depart from him, and you'll bear witness that he's in your life. Yeah, I just think saved folk ought to live safe. They ought to display salvation. Are y'all here? Say, I'm a child of God. Therefore, I'm gonna talk about my daddy. I'm gonna let people know that my daddy is awesome. My daddy is 'Amazing.' 'My daddy is wonderful.' 'My daddy is loving.' 'My daddy is a provider.' You got to talk about your dad, not your natural daddy. God is your daddy. You know what? The folk that's in the world and serve the devil as their daddy— are you here? Because he, that daddy, because he is the prince of the power of the air. He's the prince of darkness. And if they ain't in God, they in him, and they're influenced by his spirit. But guess what they do? They glorify their dad. If there's a time folk had a respect for God in God's house— that's right, man. When I was a little boy, we would be playing to be doing some devilment. We could walk up on the church and say, wait a minute, we need to cross the street. We need to go by the church. Because we had reverence for God. That might have not really did nothing to us, but we were clear this is where God at. Now they don't care. Smoke weed, blow it in your face. What you say, Jesus? Okay. 'Cause they represent their daddy. So you got to be on your job representing your daddy. Saints, tell me, oh, they give me a headache at this job. I'm so tired of these folk getting on my nerve. Why don't you go to work and give them a headache? Talk about the Lord. Talk about God's goodness. Are y'all hearing me? All right, make them aware of who your daddy is. We all have some sinners stop by the church. I need to see what's going on at this church because all they do is talk about Jesus. Are y'all here? Tell them, 'I'm a child of God.' Verse 17, watch this. So if I'm a child of God, then I'm an heir of God. This is a whole nother teaching. There's a whole lot of teaching right here, so I'm gonna hit it and keep going, but I can go on this all day. Say, 'I'm an heir of God.' That means your inheritance is in God. So whatever God has, it's equally yours. If that ain't no reason to come out Right. Last time I checked, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, them and they that dwell therein. Last time I check, a cattle on a thousand hills belong to him. He don't need them cows, them cows for us. He made this earth for us and we're heirs of God, and what belongs to him belongs to us. Amen. Say that with me. Say, I'm an heir of God. I'm an heir of God. Say, I'm a joint heir with Christ. I'm a joint heir with Christ. So whatever benefits the firstborn son gets, we also get. Oh, you got to read your Bible, man. You got to know what's yours. I'm a joint heir with Christ. So Christ has power with the Father. He has a voice with the Father. Because I'm his child and Christ lives in me, I have power with the Father. I have a voice with the Father. I'm a joyfully-yam. Why are we walking around here in a closet acting like we ain't got nothing. Listen, you got everything because you're in God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. I dare somebody to shout, I'll never be broke another day in my life. You better confess that. Say it again. I'll never be broke another day in my life because I'm a joint heir with Jesus Christ. Say, in the name of Jesus, wherever I put my feet, it will prosper. Say, wherever I place my hands, it will be blessed, because I am a joint heir with Christ. Say, in the name of Jesus, I lack no thing. I'm neither do I have a care because I'm a joint heir in Christ. Say, in the name of Jesus, I have plenty of money so I can give it away all the time because I'm a joint heir with Jesus Christ. Now, if you believe that for real, I need you to give him a real praise for your heritage. Come on, praise him for your heritage. So he says, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together with him. So don't count the put them out of suffering suffering that you've gone through in vain. Don't curse your crisis. It's that seed with the dirt on top of it setting you up for greater glory. Verse 18 says, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. So you might be going through it right now, you might be having a hard time. The word suffering again there is pathēma, which means it is a designed course of pain or struggle, which means God designed it specifically for your purpose. He took you through that so he can get the glory out of it. He created the situation so he can give you a revelation. He said, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory. Watch this. The glory is the doxa in Greek, which means the express manifestation of God's hand in all you do. So glory shouldn't just happen in church. We go to church and, man, we went up, the glory came, we were in the floor, we cried. But you are a glory carrier. Yes. And so when you leave the building, glory should go with you. The Bible said when the cloud moved, Israel moved. And you have to have a cloud with you at all times. And the thing that guarantees the cloud is with you is your suffering. So don't curse your crisis. When crisis show up, go through it. Grit your teeth. Because God's got another plan. God's gonna get some glory out of it. Glory to the name of God. Somebody's gonna get saved because of it. Somebody's gonna get free because you survived it. I don't know about you, but I survived stuff that other folk died in, and I didn't want to. Listen, when I was in it, I'm like, God, do you really love me? I'm going through this right here. How You let me go through this and you say you love me? And he says, son, I got you, but somebody's gonna be blessed because of this pain. There's a new level, there's a different dimension I'm gonna take you into because you endured this. So I say to you this morning, endure the hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. He's just getting you ready to come out of the closet. I gotta get out of here because when you come out the closet, you going to come out with glory. You going to come out with authority. You going to come out anointed. You going to come out moving in power. When you come out of the closet, cancer will have to back up when you show up. When you come out of the closet, deliverance will happen because you came on the scene. I dare somebody to say, I'm coming out. I'm coming out. And I want— don't you do it, Pastor Jeffrey— I say, I want the world know. I think Diana Ross said that, but I'm stealing it this morning. I tell you, nudge somebody and say, I'm coming out and I want the world to know. I got to let it show that I'm saved. I'm full of glory, I'm full of power, I'm full of the anointing, I'm full of— oh my God— grace from God. I need somebody to praise Praise God for glory and honor. Oh, I got to get out of here. Here's my last words, I got to go. I'm telling you, when you come out of this closet, glory is coming with you, and your family is going to be saved. Your friends going to be saved. Hallelujah. Your siblings, your mama, your auntie, your uncles. God says, I'mma bring deliverance because of the glory that's on your life. The Bible, the Bible says here in verse 19, and I got to go home, he says, for the earnest expectation of the creature. That creature waited for the manifestation of the sons of God. Oh my God, they're waiting for you to come out the closet. The earnest, the apokaradokia in Greek, which means they have been next stretched out like baby birds waiting to be fed. They're, they're looking for you. I'm telling you, they're looking for you to open your mouth. They're looking for you to preach. They're, they're expecting the real church to come up, not this bubblegum church with no authority, no power, nothing but fluff, nothing but hype. God says I'm I'm looking for a church that will go into the world and meet the expectation of the creature that walks in authority, that walks in power. Y'all ain't got to say nothing, but you better surrender yourself and make up in your mind, I'm gonna rise up in power and I'm gonna meet the expectation of the creature. Brother Lamont, they're drug addicts waiting on you. They're drug dealers waiting on you. Go get them. Glory to the name of God. I stopped by this church to tell you, you're a life jacket to somebody drowning. You need to go find them. Find them. Lord have mercy. They're waiting for you to show up. You got a word that'll bring their deliverance. You got a word that'll bring their breakthrough. You got a word that'll do a new thing in their life. It's the earnest expectation. They may act like they're dense and drunk and smoking weed, but deep down in their soul, they're waiting for you to tell them that Jesus loves them, to tell them that Jesus is Lord. Do I have anybody here that's going to meet the expectation? Clap your hands and shout about it! It's the earnest expectation of the preacher. Watch this, they're waiting for the manifestation. I got to go, Lord. I feel my preacher rising up in me, but somebody— y'all just, y'all just let me go. Just Let me go, let me say this, and we're gonna go. Glory to God. It's the earnest expectation of the creature. They're waiting for the manifestation. Oh God. So that's not just showing up. Apocalupsis in Greek, it means that you are the revelation that they have seen that will bring forth their deliverance. Apocalupsis That means you're the manifested revelation of what God has promised them. Can I tell you something? God has promised the sinner that he would save them. He's promised the sinner that he would set them free. And I want to say to whatever sinner's watching me this morning, hell is no place to get right. I'm telling you now, the sons of God are coming, and sons is not a gender word. It's a spiritual word. There's no gender in sons, whether you're male or female. The word sperma means life force. They're waiting for the manifestation of the life force of God to come forth and bring deliverance. Stop complaining about your children. Stop complaining about your family. Stop complaining about your community, but manifest yourself. Show up and preach it. Tell them who Jesus is. Tell them, look at me, look what God did for me, look how he saved me, look how he brought me out. Come on, Pastor Jeffrey, you can go home, son. Just tell somebody, I'm coming out and I'm going to preach this thing. Glory to the name of God, and I want to submit to you. I got to leave. I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go. But you cannot do this— going back in my last point, and I'm done— if you're walking in fear. Fear is not of God. The Bible says in Luke 21, it says men's heart would fail them for fear. So many people are failing because they afraid. They won't talk, they won't share Jesus because they're afraid. But again, God didn't give you that. He gave you power, he gave you love, he gave you a sound mind. Yay! Though I walk through the valley and the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil, for Thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff comfort me. I wish I had somebody that made up your mind, I won't ever be afraid again. I'm coming out of the closet and I'm going to let the world know that Jesus lives, that Jesus is still alive. If you believe it, shout glory! Say glory! Glory! Clap your hands and bless God.