Loading summary
Transcript24 lines
- [00:01]
A
Come on, let's stand and just praise him for a second. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thank you. God bless the Lord. God is the strength of our hearts. He's the strength of our lives. We thank God for that today. What a blessing. Thank you, choir boy. What a. What a tremendous. From opening prayer all the way to now, we sense his presence here. We're so happy that you've made it. For those that are watching around the country and around the world. We've had a snowstorm here. It's cold outside. But I'm telling you, Jesus is here today doing some tremendous things. We want to welcome all those that are watching from around the country and around the world. What a joy to have every one of you that are watching from around the Tri State area, around the United States and around the world. Let's. I want to welcome all those that are live with us that are watching from South Africa, Kenya, Togo. We say hello to Nigeria and Namibia, Seychelles and Eswatini, Senegal, Uganda and Ethiopia. We welcome India, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines. We say hello to Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Turkey, Myanmar, which is Burma. We welcome Israel. We say shalom to Israel and we're praying that God would begin to bring peace to Jerusalem. We're praying for the peace of Jerusalem for the United Arab Emirates. We also welcome Australia. In just a moment we're going to begin to pray. There was a tragic shooting on Hanukkah there. 11 lives were lost as a gunman opened up for some precious Jewish people celebrating at Bondi beach and they killed 11 Jewish people. We're going to be praying in just a moment and for for you Australia, but especially for the Jewish people. We also lift that we thank God for New Zealand, the uk, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Lithuania. We say hello to Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Germany and Austria. We welcome Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Albania. We say a little Bulgaria, Greece, Portugal and Finland. Our northern neighbors, Canada. We also welcome the Navajo nation that's watching Mexico, Haiti, Barbados, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, French Guyana, Cayman Islands, Honduras, Panama, Cuba, Grenada, Suriname, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. We welcome all those that are watching. We welcome some 45 states that are watching around the US and this is always my favorite part. We welcome all the universities that are watching. We welcome the University of Delaware, Old Dominion University, Houghton University, the University of Toronto. We welcome our Bible School Summit, International School of the Ministry. We welcome New York University in Shanghai. We say hello to Rochester Institute of Technology, the University of Texas and we also welcome Pace University and Iona University. Would you welcome all those that are watching? We will take a moment when we start to pray. We're also going to pray for those shooting victims at the Brown University that just took place last night. Folks, we live in such a time that we need people that pray. We need to. So when we come together, we're going to begin to pray. I do want to make just one ask tonight if you're here or watching from the New Jersey area or even here tonight. We're so excited. At 6:30 we'll be joining get a chance to go over to our New Jersey campus for the Christmas service over there. I'll be preaching. So if you live in the New Jersey area, 6:30 at the New Jersey campus with Pastor Brad and Lisa Geist. We're so grateful to be there on Saturday. As I was preparing for Sunday, I just, there was something very strong on my heart that came from my devotional reading. I put aside some notes and I want to just share with you before we get ready to pray here. I had a meeting just on this Thursday or Wednesday, I think it was Wednesday with two of my favorite people that flew in from Jerusalem. These are two Jewish men that I love dearly and the work that they're doing. There's some things we're doing in Israel that I'll tell you about in January. But he told me a story about before. I share the updates on a project later on that we're involved with. And one of the gentlemen told me that he said before we talk about anything in Israel, he said, I just want to tell you a story and I want to tell you a story about Times Square Church. He said, I was doing a conference with 400 people in Singapore that are praying and believing, most of them Jews in Singapore. And so and while I'm there. So you have to keep this in mind. He says, I flew from Jerusalem, I'm in Singapore, and, and an Indonesian woman comes up to me and says, you look familiar. And he goes, I don't know what you mean. I'm not popular, I'm not a famous person. But I'm just here to do the conference. So just keep this in mind. A Jew from Jerusalem is speaking in Singapore who meets an Indonesian woman in Singapore at this conference. And then she says this. She says, I know who you are. You were at Times Square Church a few months ago. She said, I was there the night you came to hear our speaker. And she said, I have a picture of you and there with some of Our leaders. She says this to him. She says, I go to Times Square Church. So Jerusalem, Indonesia, Singapore and New York City all met there. The kingdom of God is so big. And then these two Jewish men said to me, they said, we have a saying. We either say, it's a small world or a big God. I said, I'm going to go with a big God. I said, I think that's the reason why you do it. I mean, it's the same thing that happened. One of the husbands of our staff were on a flight to Ghana this last week and he was sharing the gospel with the flight attendant and told the flight attendant, the Ghana flight attendant to go to the TSC website. And they said to him, I'm already an online member and I go to TSC already on the Ghana flight. God is doing something for around the world and we're so thankful for it. So today I want to talk to you about that. This has been on my heart and I'll explain in just a moment. The end is just the beginning. The end is just the beginning. Let's pray. Father, in these next few moments, we are going to talk about a big God today. God, you are big. Big enough to be at Brown University with those grieving families. Big enough to be in Sydney, Australia. Father, as 11 of precious Jewish people were were killed on a beach as they were celebrating the first day of Hanukkah. Father, you can begin right now to speak and comfort these precious families in Rhode island and in Sydney, Australia. I'm going to ask you even right here in New York City that you cover our Jewish friends all over New York City during Hanukkah. I pray that the hand of God would send just angelic forces to protect them here in New York City and around the world. We stand with those Lord God that Father, we stand with the people that you love. You said if we that whoever blesses you will be blessed. And on this day we bless the nation of Israel. Today we're praying God that there would be peace God in that nation. Revival would take place not just there, but in all of those Arabic nations. That God. And we thank you for what we're seeing take place around the world now today. Would you show us that we serve a big God today? Show us how great our God is. Father, we just thank you for what you're going to do. We give you all the praise and all the honor in Jesus name. And everybody said Amen. Before you sit down, you need to greet about three or four people. They made it through the Snow. They need a smiling face today. Tell someone it's so great to see you, and then you may be seated. In 1799, Conrad Reid discovered a 17 pound rock while fishing in Little Meadow Creek. Not knowing what it was made of, his family used the 17 pound rock as a doorstop for three years on their home. Until a few years later his father took it to a jeweler and realized they had a 17 pound piece of gold that he had been using for a doorstopper. This lump of gold that they could not believe, it was one of the biggest gold nuggets ever found east of the Rockies. Seventeen pounds that today would be worth over a million dollars. And they were using it as a doorstop of their home. They had no idea what they had. They thought it was a rock and there was something of huge value there. And that's why as I began to read through the book of Second Corinthians, chapter one, I kept thinking, we may not know the value that we have when we go through testing trial in the furnace. We may not know the actual thing that's happening, that there is a value that's there. Then instead of just pushing it off to the side and going, thank God, we're through, that there's something that God is doing. It was Charles Spurgeon who said, fiery trials make golden Christians. And this is so important for us. Peter kind of bears this out when he says, pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure. Genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine when Jesus wraps this all up. It's your faith, not your goal, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory. I want to ask you this question. I want to give you a challenge. If, and most not if, have you faced suffering and received comfort in the heat of the battle? How many would say, yes, you have been in the heat of a fight and God has come through and comforted you. I want to challenge you as God was challenging me. There is still one more job for you that this battle is not done, that the end is just the beginning. Let me share this with you because your job is this. You are to help someone through their battles, through their suffering. Because the end is the beginning. The end of difficulty for all of us is the beginning of ministry for other folks. The end is not. Q. I'm glad that's over with. That was really difficult. But the end is, let me tell you what God has done for me and if he brought me through, he will take you through it. Listen to Second Corinthians chapter 1, where the apostle Paul reminds us that the end is just the beginning, that the end of a battle is the beginning of ministry. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all of our afflictions, so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. There is what he was talking about, that the end is the beginning. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. For comfort. It is for your comfort which is effective in the patient enduring the of the same sufferings which we also suffer. And our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you will be sharers of our comfort. The Apostle Paul is reminding us that the end of a battle is just the beginning of ministry. It's where God is challenging us. I remember reading someone saying, if you're looking for somebody who can give you wisdom, may I recommend to you that you look for someone who's been hurt deeply and whose faith has remained unshaken. He said, that's the person that you look for. It was Hudson Taylor who began to open up the door for the revival that they're experiencing to this day in the nation of China through the underground church. It was the ministry and faith and even the suffering of Hudson Taylor who went through so much. And now today, the Chinese church, the Chinese underground church. There are more Christians in China today than any other country in the world that God is doing something so powerful there. And it was this man, Hudson Taylor, and he took you. Ricardo led us in a song today that we were. We were speaking, you were singing Jewish names. Jehovah Nisi and Jehovah Rapha. God who heals the God fights our battles. And what Hudson Taylor did in the midst of his battles is he had a plaque in his home, in his apartment there in China. And he had two names up there that I want you to get down. He said he put these two names, Ebenezer and Jehovah Jireh. Ebenezer, when you read it in the Book of Samuel, Ebenezer means, thus far the Lord has helped us. And the name Jehovah Jireh means the Lord will provide. One looked back while the other one looked forward. One reminded him of God's faithfulness and the other name assured him that God will show up in it no matter what fight is ahead. These two names are critical and so important. I know people who have gone through suffering, have gone through affliction, have gone through battles. I want you to listen to me, but have aborted before the comfort has come, that have left it, that have exited it, that has just left. They didn't know Jehovah Jireh. They didn't know that the Lord will provide for them. God will provide strength, God will provide wisdom. God will provide the endurance and the patience to walk through. They have faced loneliness, a toxic culture at their job, a disease diagnosis, a destructive marriage, family dysfunctions, a false narrative that has been raised about them, financial woes and debt. But they didn't wait for part two of the Second Corinthians. Promise. God is not just a God that says, that says, you will face affliction, you will face sufferings. But you have to understand he is also the God of all comfort that says, I will show up in the midst of the fire. I will be there when you go through it. But once you get through it, it's not done. The end is the beginning. That when God comforts us, God is getting ready to prepare you to give that same challenge to other people. What is the comfort that I've learned that I think we've all learned in suffering? It could be a scripture to hold onto. It could be an encounter with God in prayer. It could be a miracle answer to prayer in the midst of it. It could be a believer that has helped you, a church that was there to walk you through that battle, that affliction. I received a letter from the west coast of somebody, I'm sorry, from down south that somebody was telling me about how God comforted their sister. They said on Sunday morning some months ago, my wife brought to the 10am Service our church sister, our to church, our sister who is from Brazil. She was grateful we had decided to let her come along with us to New York City and even more grateful that we had brought her to Times Square Church. He said she doesn't understand English, so she was plugged into the translation service and was listening in Portuguese that TSC provides. But at the same time, during the service, her reception went dead and couldn't continue to listen to what Pastor Tim was preaching, but only as God would have it. She remembers that she was being moved by the Holy Spirit, even though the sound went out on her headphones. He said that she began to cry as the Spirit moved on her, and she recalls praying In Portuguese. God, I don't understand a word that this pastor was saying. Don't worry. People who understand me don't understand sometimes, but somehow I understand everything that's being said. I believe that you are healing me of this cancer in my blood that the doctors in Brazil say that I have. I believe in my healing, and I will leave here today with healing is what she prayed right in the middle of the service. So while some people would get angry going, what? The headphones went out, I can't listen. She went. She felt the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Then she said she felt a lifting of something off her body. And she said she went back to Brazil, went through more testing because the doctors ordered it. And after she went through some more tests, holding on and believing that she was truly healed since her experience with God. On that Sunday at Times Square Church, she underwent a specific type of biopsy that would give her a definite answer whether or not she had cancer. Well, she received her results on October 9th. And after consulting with the doctor to understand all the medical jargon that was on the report, the doctor just simply said this. You are cancer free. That's what the doctor told her. The letter said she wanted you in the congregation at Times Square Church and the world at large that God, if we believe, is still in the business of healing, setting free and saving all of the people that will trust in him. She has a great reason today to be thankful for what he did for her. Even before the doctor had pronounced the good news, she felt the power of God. It was this quick affliction, suffering. I'm here. I come all the way from Brazil and the sound goes out. I don't understand anything. Here's the good news. You don't have to understand me, because we want God to speak. And God healed her. And in the middle of the message that she didn't even understand. Only God can do. That's comfort in the middle of the battle. That's God's. That's Jehovah Jireh. Jehovah Jireh. God will provide. Even though technology gets moved out of the way, can I just promise you this? Even though there's a snowstorm, God still shows up in New York City, folks. I've experienced it. I kept going through that list that I wrote down. I kept going through the list that said, what is the comfort in suffering? Whether it's a scripture to hold on to an encounter with God, like our sister from Brazil, a miracle answer to prayer, a believer that helped, or a church that was there I had a word come to me. I'll tell you what the word was. I was in a situation some years ago that it was an accusation against me that I couldn't defend. I had to sit and listen and hear and could not fight back. And God even spoke to me specifically and says, do not fight. Do not fight. Let me defend you. Keep your mouth shut. And God brought me through my comfort in this affliction. My comfort in this battle was a scripture that God gave to me. Let me give this to you. This is the scripture that God gave to me. It's a powerful word from, from. From the book of Genesis. Take a picture of this because one day you're going to need it. I've used this to help others. And it's just simply these words from Genesis, 30, 33. My honesty will answer for me later. How many need that scripture today? My honest. And this is when God says, see the problem with that verse? Keep that on the screen. The problem with that verse is the word later. I want it to be now. And I have given that verse because God brought me through with that verse. Keep your mouth shut. I'll vindicate later. And I felt the Holy Spirit say, you don't defend yourself. Let me do it. Your honesty will answer for you later. That verse, it wasn't. That wasn't the end of my battle. It was the beginning of giving other people that verse of going, if you're ever in this affliction. I knew that what I went through that this verse that God gave to me, I would use it to give it to other people. And this is what's so important. See, those who left and escaped before God would give the comfort, the scripture, the healing, whatever that would be, don't have comfort to give in their conversations when they're talking to people in pain. Don't miss what I'm about to say. Those that have not received comfort in the battle, those that have not received an encounter with God answered a prayer of scripture to get them through. And all of a sudden, when you talk to other people that are in a similar battle, they don't have anything to give. All they have is a painful story to tell you without any help. I got out. I just left. I won't go back to that church. They just tell you how bad everything is, how corrupt this is and how bad this is. And what happens is something so dangerous because what they're doing is, is they don't have the comfort. They need the comfort themselves. I've been musing on this and So I kind of made up my own answer to this. But I thought about this. I went all the way back to the book of Genesis and thought to myself, joseph, who was put in prison, falsely accused of raping his employer's wife, which was so far from the truth, it never happened. In fact, he left, ran from his. From the office, from the palace where he was serving. And while he is in prison for this accusation, he tries to get his own way out of this. Listen to these words. He looks at a group of guys. He looks at a cup bearer and a baker from Pharaoh's palace and says, hey, keep me in mind. This is prison. These are prisoners talking to each other. Keep me in mind when it goes well with you. And please do me a kindness. Mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house. For I was in fact kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews. And I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon.
- [22:51]
B
What.
- [22:51]
A
What if Joseph would have gotten out that way? Think of that just for a moment. What. What if God goes, you want. You want a way out? Because I'm gonna. Because God. Those who know the story of Joseph know that God is going to give Pharaoh a dream that nobody can interpret. And then they're going to go back into the prison and say there is a Hebrew that interprets dreams. And in one day he takes off a prison jumpsuit and puts on the robes of a prime minister. In one day. But if he would have gotten his own way and got out, when before that took place, I kept thinking to myself, he goes back to Canaan, faces the famine. But Joseph thanked God that God didn't answer that prayer. Joseph stays in jail for almost 12 years, released by that dream and the memory of a cupbearer. God's exit strategy and comfort would make him a prime minister. There's something more that God is doing. When you want to get out, let God begin to comfort instead of you. Exiting. Ask God for help. Ask God for a scripture. Ask God for a prayer. Ask God for a miracle, but don't try to make your way out of that thing. God has something that he's wanting to do. Suffering without the God of all comfort is dangerous. It's toxic. You're hearing from someone who is who. When you're hearing from somebody who has not experienced the comfort of God, they just. It was difficult, so I left. It was difficult, so I got out of the marriage. It was difficult, so I left New York. I got out of the job. I left the staff. I don't know, whatever it may be, I'm just throwing things out there. You're hearing from someone who is hurt but not healed. Comfort heals and preps you for. For the ministry that's supposed to take place. God is wanting to do this is where God is going. The end is just the beginning. Your testimony brings comfort to people. That's one of the ways God uses the powerful tool of a testimony that when God brings you through, it's not over, it's just beginning. For you to tell that story, you can make it through, you can get through that. I think that for even my daughter who is in college sports and resilient, who has gone through injury after injury after injury, and I just, I think that God, you're giving her a story. You're giving her a testimony. She blew out her knee and then has to rehab and misses a whole year of recruiting and all of a sudden it's gone. But God put her in the right place. Then the first day back, after she's cleared by the doctors, after surgery, she runs her mouth into the knee of somebody at a tournament and her front teeth get pushed in the back. She has to go through surgery and stitches inside of her mouth. And I'm just thinking to herself, this poor girl is going through it over and over again. But God has done resilient things through her faith and what God wants to do through her, that she just hasn't quit. It's a story to tell that God can bring you through. And it's so important. Just because you went through a difficult moment doesn't mean you have something to offer. Unless you've received what God has given to you. You cannot just think you going through it. I went through it. Let's talk about it. If the person who's talking has not received something from God, you are going to hear a story with a bitter tone. Some of you going like, I knew I should have stayed home this Sunday. Your suffering story without the comfort of heaven means you need comfort before you comfort others. It's so important to understand that God wants to use you now. I wanna just tell you this. I wanna tell you what Paul does. Now back to Second Corinthians. Paul tells his suffering and then tells his comfort story. Our. I think our monitors. Oh, no, it's up there. I think that my monitor's gonna. Okay, perfect. Paul tells his suffering and comfort story. The apostle Paul's comfort came from a prayer meeting that was 300 miles away from his suffering. This is important to understand. So once he finishes and Says the end. The end is just the beginning. The end of what you went through is just the beginning. What does that mean? That when God takes you through something, you're going to help somebody else get through something. When God gives you a scripture, a word, a brother, a sister, that is not the end going, wow, you got me through. No, no, no, no. You are meant to get other people through it also. The end is just the beginning. It's just the beginning. And Paul is going to show us this. Paul tells us his suffering and comfort story. The Apostle Paul's comfort came from a prayer meeting. And I want to tell you this why this is important, because Paul is going to tell you about a big God. Just like remember Jerusalem, Singapore, New York city and Indonesia, 300 miles away, there's a prayer meeting while Paul is going through the challenge of his life. Paul's problem, he's going to tell you, this was in Ephesus, which is modern day turkey. That's Acts 19. And the prayers that were going up for him. So this is the prayers that were happening. This is the comfort that was taking place. The prayers were going up in Corinth, which is in Greece. That's 2nd Corinthians 1. So keep this in mind. We're going to read both of these scriptures. You have Acts 19, Second Corinthians 1. These verses, these verses in your Bible may be 60, 70 pages apart, but on a map, it was 300 miles apart, 300 miles from Paul's problem. There was a prayer meeting that was going on that literally rescued him 300 miles across the Aegean Sea. God was going, I've got comfort. I've got a group of people that are going to stand in the gap for you. They're going to pray you through this. Paul, listen to it. For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves, so that we did not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us from he on whom he has set our hope. He will yet deliver us. Now here it comes. Listen to the prayer meeting. And you also joining in, helping us through your prayers so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many. This is amazing because Paul tells us, if you look at verse 10, it said, he who delivered us from so great a peril of death and will deliver us. That's Ebenezer and Jehovah Jireh right there. Thus far, God has helped us and will provide a way out. He's going to begin to do it. It's faithfulness and assurance. Paul said, I was in an affliction in Asia that was about to crush us. He said, I thought we were about to die, but thank God there was a prayer meeting happening in Greece while we were facing death in Asia. Thank God that no matter what you may be facing in Australia, what you may be facing in Israel, or what you're facing in Ukraine, I'm believing that there is a church here in New York City thousands of miles away, because prayer bridges the gap, what seems to be miles on a map. There is no miles or gap between that when the people of God begin to pray. And that's what happens here. Asia has a problem and Greece has a prayer meeting. Let me say that again. Asia has a problem and Greece has a prayer meeting. So if you're watching from California, get people praying for you, even though they may be thousands of miles away, prayer always works. You need people to seek God for you. Look at the problem that he had in Ephesus. This is what he's talking about in Second Corinthians 1. About that time, there occurred no small disturbance concerning the way for a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsman. These he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades and said, men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. You see in here that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia. This Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying, the gods made with hands are no gods at all. Not only is there danger that this trade of ours falls into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence. Look at. Look at this talk, Paul. Paul's. Paul's reputation of winning people to Christ. Now all of a sudden, this battle is brewing. The pot is boiling. And then when they heard this, they were filled with rage and began crying out, great is Artemis of the Ephesians. The city was filled with confusion. They rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia. And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him. This is where they knew that death was looming over them. Also, some of the assarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater. So then some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion. Confusion. The majority did not know for what reason they had come together. Some of the crowd concluded it was Alexander. Since the Jews has put him forward and having motion with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from all as they shouted for two hours, shouting this phrase, greatest Artemis of the Ephesians.
- [33:39]
B
Wow.
- [33:40]
A
This is what's going on. Two hours they're shouting the same phrase. And we, Paul says, we thought we were about to die. We thought it was all over for us. But something was brewing in a house prayer meeting in Greece, something 300 miles away. There was a little prayer meeting in Corinth that got a big God to help us. That all of a sudden, without the comfort, without knowing that these people were praying that God would protect. And God did protect them. God did begin to surround them. God did begin to get them out of there safely. It's the power of prayer. Can you imagine if Paul just leaves without knowing the comfort of a prayer meeting? He could just tell people, don't go. Don't go there to Asia. Those people are mean. They hate us Christians. But here's the story. Because of God's comfort, it's Paul telling him, no matter where you go, no matter how dangerous, no matter who's against you, if you have people praying for you, God is with you. God will cover you every single time. It's the presence of God that we need. It's the power of God that we need. I was talking to someone the other day when they were asking me about a church that has people from all over the world in it. And they. And it's. And they're trying to find this kind of thing to like, what do you do for all the nations? What do you do? Like, we live in a time that's trying to make the pulpit kind of connect with people out there. I said, you know what the great equalizer is? It's the presence of God. It's God's power. I don't have to stand up here with a beanie on and ripped up jeans and sit up here with a latte talking to you with words that I can't even pronounce, that my kids are laughing at me all the time folks, hip is gone, out of my life. I am not hip though. Someone said I walked into a place and they said, hey, that outfit you're wearing is dripping. And I don't even know what that means. How do you bring together over 120 nations in this place? It has to be God's power and presence. We're not here to make you feel like, hey, we're connected. I want you to get connected with God, not with me, but with God. I speak that to leaders, to 60 and 70 year old men that are trying to be hip and stick their hair straight. Okay, let me just stop. Listen to me right now. Stop. Stop it. Ask God to show up at church. Ask the presence of the power of God, that it doesn't matter what you look like as long as God is in the house. Take that off. I don't know why I said that. Listen to me. Let me finish with this. This is how Paul describes the Corinth prayer meeting. Let me read it to you. Look at the screen. 2nd Corinthians 1:11. Band, you can come up. You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation. I don't want you to be in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God's deliverance of us. A rescue in which your prayers played a crucial part. Hallelujah. Wow, that's amazing to me. God says your prayers played a crucial part. A crucial part. And that's what God wants to do. Let me finish. This is a for real finish. On Saturdays, I come in the mornings and I or mid afternoon and pray over the seats, pray over the place, pray over these spots, pray that God would just move. Prayed over your seats and just asking God to move. And then usually in the evenings I try to take another walk, praying for God to protect this place. But I did something I have never done before. I took a different prayer walk last night for my evening prayer. I went to a pizza place to pray. It wasn't eating and praying, but I was standing outside of it and praying. I want to tell you why. There is a pizza place close by just a few blocks down the street that boasts to be the largest pizzeria in the country. Now I have to tell you, it's a little bit significant. They boast on their website this is the largest pizzeria in the nation. But there is more to this pizza place called John's Pizzeria on 44th and 8th. It's on 44th and if you go down seven blocks from here, make a left. You're going to see an old building, a giant sign, and it's going to say John's Pizzeria. I have to tell you a story because if you go to that pizza place, there's something that occurred there. I think it was Elder Chris that told me about the church that once was down here. And he said, pastor Tim, do you know there was a church down on 8th? John's Pizzeria answered the question that I've been looking at for four years. I'm going, where was that church located? John's Pizzeria was actually Gospel Tabernacle. Gospel Tabernacle. Let me tell you why that's important. Gospel Tabernacle's pastor was a man named A.B. simpson, who started the Christian Missionary Alliance. It would be birthed there in 1881 the fourfold gospel. Christ our Savior, Christ our sanctifier, Christ our healer, Christ our coming king. And from that church they would start Nyack College. Nyack College where if I listed to the alums of that, both in ministry and Christian music. It's amazing the man that had a influence of that, that whose books have affected so many from that church. AW tozer. But how does Gospel Tabernacle turn into John's Pizzeria? How does it turn into John's Pizzeria between 43rd and 44th? What happened that the church is no longer there? Even Nyack, the school, it just shut its doors after being open 140 years and it shut. What battles did they face? Folks, I'm not here to be judgmental or critical. It sobered me as I was looking at this, thinking to myself, God, there's always a fight. There's always a battle. There's always something that wants to shut this place down. There'll be a battle that wants to make you give up going. It's not gonna. And I go, God, please, in every battle, send that comfort, send that answer. I don't wanna give up, I don't wanna exit. I don't wanna just say, well, it's financial problems, it's this no one's showing. I wanna go, God, what are you saying? Get me through this in Jesus. And when he does, the end is just the beginning. It's not just to get you through, it's to get other people through that. To get all of us through that. As all the, as all the singer, everybody comes, listen to me. I was just, I just heard this CBN 700 club just reported it. They said just this year in the country, this year, 15,000 churches in America have shut their door. In the next couple weeks, 15,000 Church in America has shut their door. It's over. No more. Think of that for just a moment. Over a thousand churches every month. I didn't even do the math. So if It's. You have 30 days in a month and a thousand churches are shutting down, what is that? That would be 30 churches every day. Every day. They just go, this is the last sermon. We'll close our doors. We'll close. And that's just this year. And they said, in the coming years, this country will experience. They said, these were their words. 100,000 churches in the next few years will shut their doors. Folks, I'm telling you, we are going to face battles. We are going to face affliction. You're going to face suffering. And the goal is not for you to get out. The goal is for you to get out and then help others to get through. The issue is not like, oh, I'm so glad, or my family went through that. No, the end is the beginning. When God has brought Cindy and I through, Cindy and I and our children through. It wasn't so we can get through. It's so we can walk other people through it. It's not so you can sit here. It's so ministry starts. The end is the beginning. That's what Paul was saying. Paul was going, I learned that he is Ebenezer. He is the God that has helped us thus far, and he is Jehovah Jireh. God will provide. That's what it means. God will. Future tense. Will provide. In the midst of the battle, in the midst of the difficulty, it's not just an abundant of affliction, Paul says, but there's an abundance of comfort that comes from heaven. There is God that steps in and says, if you receive the comfort, I'm going to teach you how to get other people through this. I'm going to teach you. Folks, I'm telling you this. I am not interested in this place turning into a Broadway theater. We are going to pray, we are going to fight, we are going to believe for God's comfort. They are not going to walk by this place and go, wasn't there a church? That was. There wasn't. No, no, no, no, no. They're going to. They're going to walk by, they're going to see an LED wall. They're going to see a whole screen and going, that church isn't going anywhere. Listen, stand with me. Stand with me, stand with me. Listen. Listen carefully. There is a. There is a. And a preacher from Australia from 70, 80 years ago. I've picked up his sermons and I've read them, and I just. And I'll never forget some years ago, reading the story he told of. I want to make sure I got my name right. He talked about the great British scientist, Alfred Russel Wallace. He said Wallace discovered this incredible thing about the emperor moth. He said in his laboratory, he was watching this. This amazing specimen of an insect that was trying to get out of a cocoon. And as it's trying to get out, it's struggling to get out. And so you know what Dr. Wallace did? He took a penknife and made it easier. He cut the hole bigger for that emperor moth, it said. When it came out, it said it never flew and it lost its color, he said, because in the struggle, he realized when it's struggling through the hole, the gunk on its wings are coming off. That junk is coming off through the struggle. The junk is coming off of us to do what we're supposed. So if you're in a battle right now, don't cut the hole bigger. That's what Joseph was doing. Cut the hole bigger. Get me out of here. And God goes, no, no, no, no, no. I need you to fly as a prime minister. I need you to do something. I need you. So I'm not going to make it a bigger hole. It's going to be a struggle, but when you come out, I'm telling you, junk will be off you. You'll be able to go where God wants you to go. Listen, the end is the beginning. The end is the beginning. Don't take your battle and just put it as a doorstop and going like, whoa, thank God that's over with. Let's go to church. No, it's time for ministry. It's time to fight. If God brought you through something, it's not for you to simply be on a mic. It's for you to tell others, God will take you through this. God will get you through this. That's what he does. So if you're sitting here singing, you're going like, oh, my goodness, this. I'm in a battle and I'm trying to get out of this thing. Don't cut the hold more for them. Listen to me. The struggle is worth it. It's worth it. The junk is coming off as you struggle through. The stuff is coming. So what you want to do is going, let's get out. Let's go back. Folks ask me, they go, have you ever wanted to Leave Times Square Church all the time. I've told Cindy before, I said, just let Hawaii Call, But I'm not. I'm telling you, it may be a struggle, but that junk is coming off. And I'm going, get this junk off me. And you know what it is? God goes, this is what God says to me. This is what God says to me. He says, and this is what he spoke to me. He says, the end is the beginning. If I can get you out, it's just the beginning of what I want you to say. God did not bring you through to put you in a choir and a microphone. He brought you out. He didn't bring you through. Those that are these. These instruments, these singers, these ushers, the TSC kids, those that are sitting in your. He didn't bring you through to sit in a seat or sit behind the mic. He brought you through to say you can do it. Listen to those. Don't listen to those that have never experienced comfort. Don't listen to their bitter story. Listen to the ones that says, let me tell you about Ebenezer, the Lord has helped thus far. And let me tell you about Jehovah Jireh. God will provide. Hallelujah. How many are saying, it's a struggle right now? It's a struggle. It's a fight. I'm in a fight right now. Okay, let me ask you again. How many are in a fight right now? Raise your hand. Okay. How many are kind of wishing for a bigger hole to get out? Anybody with me go like. And you start. And I've done this. Listen to me. I've done this. When people have gone to you, they're going like, hey, how are you doing? What can I pray for you about? And I know God wants me to be quiet. And you're going like, hey, we just praying over. You know, I remember doing this a few years ago back in Detroit. We're going through a financial need. Oh, I'll be praying for you. Yeah, just be praying, because it has to be $1,322.16. What was I doing? I was trying to tell them what to give me. It was so gross. When I stood back going, God, why can't I just trust you? What do I have to make it up for? You know what I was doing? I was cutting the hole. I was cutting the hole. And God goes, let me do it. Let me do it. Do you have a song on your heart? Perfect. If you're in a struggle right now and you're going, he's got to get this gunk off me. Now, as we sing this. Just get out of your seat. I want to pray for you.
- [49:48]
B
You.
- [49:48]
A
Because I'm with you. The end is the beginning. Just get out of your seat. Get up here and just say balcony.
- [49:52]
B
Come on.
- [49:52]
A
Get down here. If you're in. If you're in the annex or if you're at Jersey campus, I want you to go to the altar right now. Come on. You come. Let's sing this as you come. Come on.
- [50:12]
B
And all see how. How great. How great is our God. Oh, how great. How great is our God. Sing with me. How great is our God and oh, see how great how great is our God. You're the name above all names. You're the name above all names. In your. The name above all name Worthy of our praise wor. You're the name above all names. You're the name of God and you're the name above Worthy of your worthy.
- [51:45]
A
Come on, let's sing how great. Let's go up. Let them sing. Let them sing. How great. Come on. You sing it now. Balcony, main floor. Sing it to him now.
- [52:00]
B
Sing.
- [52:00]
A
Sing with me.
- [52:01]
B
How great is our God.
- [52:14]
A
Let's go up one more time. Come on.
- [52:16]
B
Sing it. Church.
- [52:17]
A
How great is our God. Sing it one more time. How great is our God?
- [52:20]
B
Sing it. How great is our God? Sing with me. How great.
- [52:47]
A
Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Don't close shop. Don't give up. His comfort's gonna come. His comfort's gonna come. Okay, and listen, here's. Here's the thing. It's not just to get you out. The end is just the. What? The beginning. He says, I'll take you through. Not to simply get you through because there's more work to be done. I'm gonna use you. And you. Some of you are. I'm looking at some of your faces. You're going like, he can use me.
- [53:22]
B
He can use me.
- [53:23]
A
And what I'm going through can use me in this. Yes, he can. Yes, he can. You can ask Cindy. There were moments I. I gave to Cindy. I, I, I scripted to her, in one of our hardest moments, I scripted the. The cocoon hole. And this is what I told her. I said, we're out of here. I'll never forget. I said, we're done. I said, here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna go back over here, and we're gonna live with your parents. And then I'm gonna say, she goes, first of all, I know that's not the Lord. She said, because we're not living with my parents. Those are such. She said, and what was I doing? I was cutting the cocoon hole bigger. And God goes, no. And thank God for a godly wife. You know what? She. She wouldn't let me. She wouldn't let me take the pen knife. She goes, and not that she said this, but the junk was coming off of me. The junk was coming off. That's what was happening. I had stuff. I couldn't go where God wanted me to unless he got it out. So there is. There's blessing in the struggle. But you've got to listen to people that have gone through and receive comfort. You may be. And I feel so strongly, listen to me online balcony. Listen to me at this altar. You listen to people that have gone through it and have received from the Lord. You don't go to people and going, like, oh, you went through it. I went, ask them this. Tell me what God did for you in that. Because if all it comes up is going like, that's why I don't go to church anymore. That's why I'm starting my own ministry. Okay? At that point, run how many know what I'm talking about? Because in those moments, they didn't get comfort. They found an exit. They cut open. They cut open the cocoon. The junk has to come off. I listen, I thank God for the people in my life. I thank God for. For the Pastor Carter's. I thank God for my wife. I thank God for the people that said, no, no, no, we're not making the hole bigger. God is doing something. He's doing something. He's doing something. So come on, lift those gunky wings to the Lord right now. Come on, lift them up. Because what he's doing and just say, thank you, Lord. There's blessing in the bath. Thank him right now for it. Would you just say, God, with your help, I'm not going to exit prematurely. I'm not going to abort mission. I'm not going to abort. Would you just tell God, say, lord, I know the end is going to be the beginning. The end is going to be the beginning of what you're going to do. Come on. I'm lifting my gunky wings to the Lord right now. There's stuff that he's got to get off of me right now. But God, I'm asking you, bring people in our life, oh, God, that has been through it, that has not exited, but said, we know what God can do. Come on, would you praise him for a second for being Ebenezer. Ebenezer. That name means, thus far the Lord has helped. Thus far the Lord has helped. Thus far the Lord has helped. You are standing at this altar because he is Ebenezer. Thus far the Lord has helped. Hallelujah. Thus far he has helped me. Thus far he has worked miracles for me. Thus far. Now, would you praise him for being Jehovah Jireh? Would you just say, God, you'll provide. You'll provide a scripture. You'll provide a prayer meeting for me. You'll provide the body of Christ, a brother or a sister that will put an arm around me and a hand on my. In my hand and walk me through this. Come on. Just tell him, say, I thank you that you are Jehovah Jireh. You are Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide. Thus the Lord has helped. Thus far. Thus far. Far. We have got promises and assurances. We have got faithfulness and assurances. God is with us. God is with us. God is with us. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Those at this altar, just look at me for a second. Don't give up. Just don't give up the promise. Edith said there's going to be abundance of affliction and suffering. I'm going.
- [57:26]
B
Ah.
- [57:26]
A
I don't want to read that. I came in the snow for that. You came in the snow for this. There will be an end, but that's the beginning. That's the beginning. That's the beginning. I've operated so much in my life that the end is the end and it's not. He's just prepping you. He's getting you ready because we want to bolt. We want to bolt. Listen, you're looking at number one bolter right here. Get your finger out and tell the person, say, don't bolt. Look at the person next to you and say, the end is the beginning. God's gotcha. He's got you. He's got you. There's hope in this. You're not. Look at me. You're not going to become a pizzeria. And I don't want any of you. Listen, if you go down there, you're not to buy the pizza. Just pray. That's why I don't want anybody going like, hey, that's pretty good. Pete. Nobody gets John's pizza. I just want you to go. Not again. I'm not against John. I just want it to be. I want it to be a memorial for us just to pray. I'm not angry. I'm not. I'm not even critical. I just. I used it as God. I'm gonna fight. I'm gonna fight because that's what the enemy wants to do. The enemy wants to turn me into a pizzeria. I'm not doing it. You're not gonna see me on Ace going like, hey, who wants a slice? I will fight. We will fight. God is with us. God is with us. God is with us.
- [59:06]
C
Thanks so much for listening. We hope you've enjoyed this message and be sure to subscribe so you can receive new messages each week. Visit TSC NYC for all the latest info on how you can stay connected. Also, don't forget that you can follow us on social media on all major platformsquarechurch. Thanks for tuning in today. Have a great week.