Welcome To Pardise

(Welcome to Paradise) Matthew 25:43-45 (King James Version) 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. On Women’s Movie night Oct 12th I was greatly touched and moved by the spirit of God. It seemed to completely capture my whole being. After the movie we were fixing to have prayer and Nancy had a request, but then said no I’m just going to share this with you all. And she did. We all anointed her and prayed in the name of Jesus agreeing together that this problem had been taken care of. Wow! What an anointing was in that little room. Praise God I believe it has been answered. She will be tried, but don’t doubt what we know God did. As I watched this movie my mind went back to so many things. As one by one God showed me different things that had happen. I said in my spirit …”God what you did for this church you are going to do for us. I was so touched by this movie God laid it on my heart to prepare a message about it. As God began to speak to me about this I thought this sounds crazy. I have never turned a movie I looked at into a message. How in the world will I do this? How will I know which scriptures to use and where to put them in the message? But the thought kept coming back to my mind. I prayed and sought God on what to do. And after much praying I still could not get away from doing this. Okay Lord I will do this but you are going to have to show me which way to go with this. God said first get your paper and write down the movie the way

you remembered it. Then I will guide you to the scriptures and exactly where to put them in the message. Church Please do not think that I am trying to throw stones at anyone for anything that is said in this message. I’m just trying to get my point across about the moral of the movie because it 1 was about a Woman Pastor. Don’t sit there and say I can not receive anything from this message because I do not believe in women preachers. I am going to obey God and if you receive it okay and if not that’s okay too. I think over a period of time God gives you that toughness that it doesn’t really matter. You learn to say “Hey God what do you want me to do next?” I believe God is saying to men and women boys and girls when I call you to do a task you do not ask for man’s approval. You don’t need it when you’ve got mine. Today you may be struggling with this same thing. My advice to you, go for it honey no matter the cost. This message is not just for the individual but for the church. What I saw in this movie God said I will do the same for the East Roxboro Church of God if they will fight for me as this Woman fought to save her congregation. I want to bless this church as I did the Paradise Community Church God said. And this is exactly what this message is about. Not allowing the situations that you are facing to stop you from doing what God has called you to do in this church. The 22 people that said I want to go out and work in the harvest, this is for you. This woman was tested in so many ways the message to us is to know no matter the struggle we as a church and as a body of Christ have to go through to get to where God wants us to be we can and will get there by the mercy of God!!! God is going to bring this church through to victory. So if you believe in the mighty miracles of God get in line.

Question: Even right now how many have really seen the hand of God as He has been moving on different situations and also in our services. Wow! I believe God is saying “Ministers” it’s time to tare down the wall!! It’s time to put our hands to the plow and not look back. This movie was about a Woman by the name of Debbie who was a Pastor. Her husband died and left her alone to raise a teenage son. The church she attended was a big up town church with a big congregation. My terms a very starchy church full of pride and arrogance. Big churches are alright, be sure to leave God a seat. One Sunday morning the Pastor asked her to do the announcements because the person that had been doing them was not there. 2 She was dressed in her long robe that they wear in these big churches. (Nothing wrong with that) Well as she began to speak to the congregation it got a little warm with the robe on over all her other clothing so she took it off. The Pastor was very disturbed because she did this. And this was not all; Debbie had been working with the young people trying to change some things around the church for the benefit of the younger generation. Now the Pastor did not like that either. You see church some people really get upset with the Pastor when God speaks to him and he begins to make chances. Later the Pastor called her into his office for a meeting. Not realizing that she had done any thing wrong she had no idea what the meeting was all about. He told her that all of her duties were being dismissed from the church and they were transferring her to Paradise Community Church, which were many miles away from where she was living. Needless to say, Debbie was very upset by this announcement. And she asked the Pastor what she had done for him to come to this decision.

Well said the Pastor,” one of the things was the disrespect of the robe that you were wearing when you took it off in front of the whole congregation. Also your way of worship that you are trying to indoctrinate among the young people. You are completely out of order. She asked him wasn’t the young people important to him? Well yes they are, but the adults are the ones that are paying the bills and in my own words you don’t ruffle their feathers. She tried to talk to him and explain how valuable these young people were to the church. how they needed something to reach out to the young people with. No matter what she said he would not listen. So the transaction was made. Her teenage son Hayden was very upset about the move and gave her a hard time. She told him she had no choice. They actually had no time for leaving preparation because she was assigned to be at the new church the very next Sunday. You see we as Ministers and workers in the church must be ready at all times. That is why praying, fasting and seeking God is so important. In fact He talks of His coming in that same fashion. In the book of Matthew... 3 Matthew 24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Wow!!! The first Sunday for Debbie was very hard. Good attendance but received very little support. The congregation was upset especially part of the men didn’t like it because they sent a woman to be their Pastor. And for the most they were just curious not knowing what was going to happen. The Assistant Pastor wasn’t pleased at all because he was turned down for the job and now

was doing everything he could to stop her work. But as you know we have an awesome God that works in awesome ways? Well lets just Praise God!! Now this great woman of God was determined she was going to make this assignment work. No matter the fight she held her head up high and obeyed God above all the circumstances. She definitely reminded me of Deborah who was not afraid to stand against the enemy in battle. (Judges4: 4-5). Her son Hayden was having a very hard time at the new school, having trouble in his reading class because of his eyes. The bullies coming around trying to give him a hard time. But Hayden found favor with the coach. The coach saw him playing basket ball and was very impressed at how good he could play. He took him under his wings and was more like a mentor to him. As Debbie went out one day she heard this beautiful music and singing which attracted her toward the other side of the street. Sitting there playing his guitar and singing his heart out was a big robust man of another color. Now just that within it’s self would have driven some people away, but not this woman. You see church, God doesn’t see us as male or female, or of different colors. We all are the same in His eyes. Why? Because we are the unique creation made in His image and exactly the way He wanted us to be made.

4 As she made her way over to where she could hear him he was singing a song that she knew and she joined right in with him. Beside him was a bucket that people were dropping money in. She found out his name was Trevor a homeless man. After he stopped singing she began to question him. At the end of the conversation she invited him to come and sing at the Paradise Community Church for Sunday services. Well needless to say he was shocked at this invite.

His response was I don’t think those people there would want be, especially the Pastor. She looked at him and said. I am the Pastor and I do want you to come. With that she left saying I’ll see you Sunday. I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not:

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sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. Now can you imagine how Trevor must have felt? All these years no one from this church had wanted him. No one was concerned about his soul. All the people that had passed him by. Because He was homeless and of another color. Now this Woman Pastor was inviting him to come to church and more than that she wanted him to sing. Wow!! What a God!!! Debbie was taking her rightful place as a woman of God in this community. A Woman called to win the lost at any cost. And she was going for it. Just as Deborah the Judge she was not afraid to face her enemies. (Judges4:4-5) Sunday came; the homeless man Trevor from on the street corner singing for money was sitting on the very front row with his guitar, feeling very uncomfortable but yet excited too. When she got through with her message she asked him to come up and sing. As you can imagine all heads were turning and the people were whispering. A Woman Preacher and now this 5 What in the world was she going to pull next? By now the Assistant Pastor was shaking his head and not pleased at all. Trevor came up and singed a beautiful song. Had a beautiful voice and a talent to play and sing. All eyes were on him, when he finished everything was quite. Debbie the Pastor started clapping, after a while others started clapping. Wow! A change was taking place. Some were excited some were just puzzled and didn’t know what to think.

You see church, sometime God just likes to sake us up a little bit to see where the pieces will fall. If everything comes back together He stops shaking for a while, if not the ground beneath our feet is not steady because we as a child of God have taken our feet off of the solid rock, which is our foundation. Wow! Don’t allow your foundation to crumble beneath your feet. Now little by little things were happening. Debbie began to find favor with some of the people. Duet 28:1-14 The Lord will command blessings upon me and everything I set to do in my destiny shall prosper and be fruitful! I will not miss one divine appointment that is set for my life! My Husband, my children will not miss one divine appointment set for their lives. God’s Word and anointing that is upon me shall not depart from me nor my children and grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He shall make me the head and not the tail. I will be above only and not at the bottom! Wow!! After church was over that Sunday she announced that she thought it would be good to have a “Pot Luck Dinner” the next Sunday. After service she and her son were carrying Trevor back to the shelter. As they pulled up in front of the shelter the man spoke to a woman that was standing there. He asked her to come over and he introduced her to Debbie. 6 He told her that he had been to church and that Debbie was the Pastor. Debbie shook her hand and invited her to come to church the next Sunday and even invited them to come for lunch and wanted Trevor to sing again. Again he didn’t know what to say. She told him that as long as she was the Pastor he would be singing at that church. As the Sunday before they had a big crowd. A lot of people were there from the homeless shelter. A great change was taking place and the people could not yet see what God was doing. She preached her sermon then called Trevor (The man from the shelter) to help her sing. She asked the

congregation to all stand and sing with them. One by one they began to stand until the whole congregation was standing. Most were singing and seemed to be enjoying it with the exception of a few. Along with the Assistant Pastor who was really upset by now. But this did not stop Debbie. You see sometime if people don’t have their hand in the pot they are not happy. And this is what was wrong with this Assistant Pastor. He could not step back and allow God to do the work. It doesn’t always mean that God is through with us, He just wants us to stand back and watch as He works through others. And He wants us to rejoice in the process as God uses them. After service they all went outside for the dinner. Among the crowd was a woman by the name of Frances, the homeless woman that Debbie had invited to the services. (Lord use me and don’t refuse me for surely there’s a work that I can do). Frances wanted so much to be a part of society. She had been the victim of bad circumstances, yet she never lost her faith in God. Just before all was finished eating Frances asked the woman she was sitting beside if she could say something. At first she thought Frances wanted to tell her something. But Frances said no, I want to say something to everyone. At first she was a little reluctant to allow her to do it. She thought about it and told her she could. She quieted the crowd and told them that Frances had something she wanted to say. 7 Of course eyes were rolling, strange looks on some of the faces, especially the Assistant Pastor. She began to tell them why she was homeless. Her husband had died and left her with a huge debt. She lost her home and everything she had and ended up with nothing and nowhere to go. Tears began to swell up in the eyes of different ones. Now she said I just want to thank you all for allowing us to come and be a part of this service and dinner. Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

Just as Frances finished her speech a storm began to come up. The wind was blowing and the clouds were very dark. They all began to work very hard to get up the tables and clean everything so they could leave. The homeless people had gotten on the van and the pastor came to the door and was going with them, but she noticed that Frances was missing. She asked the guys where Frances was. Well she is not allowed to sleep at the shelter because it is all men. You will find her on the back porch of the church. The Pastor told them to go on without her that she would take care of Frances. Debbie went to the porch of the church and there huddled up on the porch in the rain was Frances. Please come home with me you can sleep on my couch. Frances felt that she was imposing on the Pastor and would not accept the invitation. If you will just let me stay on the porch of the church until the storm is over I’ll be alright. Then I will leave. So the Pastor agreed for her to stay. Debbie went on home she and her son Hayden retired for the night. (by now things were going better with the two of them). Early in the morning the telephone ranged. The man on the other end of the line told her that the church had burned down. She and Hayden rushed down to the church as fast as they could. When they got there the police had arrested Frances and charged her with burning the church down. For the most of them they did not believe that Frances did it. The Pastor tried to get the police to allow her to talk to Frances but they would not. 8 They carried her away in the police car. As all of this was going on the Assistant Pastor was giving her a hard time, and accusing her of being in fault of the church burning because she had allowed Frances to stay there.

After a few days, one of the ladies from the church along with the Assistant Pastor met at the pastor’s house for a meeting with the Ins. Adjuster. He said well I have bad news for you Your Ins. Premiums on the church has not been paid in the last two months (that was how long Debbie had been there) now you do not have any Ins. to take care of the damage. The Assistant Pastor acted as if he knew nothing about it. But he was the treasurer and the Ins. Salesman had notified him about the problem. Well of course he raged out of the house and said he was not going to be a part of this. (I think here you can read between the lines).Be sure your sins will find you out. Our Hands Gets Heavy Some time But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. Exodus 17:12 The Amalekites attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. So Joshua led Israel's army against them. Meanwhile, Moses stood on a hill with the rod of God in his hands. Whenever Moses raised the rod, Israel prevailed against the Amalekites. When he let down the rod, the Amalekites prevailed. Soon, Moses' hands became heavy. He let the rod down more often and Israel began to lose the battle. Something had to be done. So Aaron and Hur stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. With their support, Moses held the rod high until sunset, when Israel won the battle. 9 Pastors often become weary. They struggle to resist Satan as he attacks the church. The pastor lifts up the shield of faith, repelling Satan's fiery darts. If

the pastor fights alone, his faith soon weakens. His hands become heavy. The shield of faith drops more often. Every pastor needs his Aaron and Hur ... people who will support him in his efforts to protect and care for the congregation. Can you imagine the heavy load that this Woman Pastor was carrying about now? All this from the ugly spirit of jealously and anger among some of the members. Right now her hands were very heavy. She needed An Aaron and Hur to lift her hands. Hold them up as she struggled to win the victory. As the story goes on one of the members owned a restaurant and most of the congregation were there along with the Pastor. The Pastor had won favor with the lady who owned the restaurant and was a member of the church. As they all were trying to come up with what they were going to do the restaurant owner said “you know I was just thinking that I have an old barn on my farm that I haven’t used in a long time and if you want to fix that up then it is yours.” The Assistant Pastor spoke up”I’m not going to church in an old barn. Watch out how we allow pride to rise up in us. Pride and a haughty spirit comes before a fall. Of course they ignored him. I think by now that most of the members knew he was trying to drive her away. Again the lady offered the barn to the Pastor as a place for them to worship. They began to talk about how they could fix it up. But the problem was it had to be done in a day and some thought that it was an impossible task. Wow!! But you see with God all things are possible no matter what it is. Oh I believe that little woman Pastor was praying in her heart as they all were talking. Praying for God to show her what to do.

10 I believe she said this,” I am blessed in the city and blessed in the field. I am blessed coming and going. My daily provision is blessed, my storehouse is

blessed. The Lord will conquer my enemies when they attack me. They will attack from one direction, but they will scatter in seven. Wow!!!!! Now about this time the Assistant Pastor’s Father-in-law walks in the door. Now this man is well known in the community. He owns a car dealership. And he is not too fond of his son-in-law. What’s going on in here, he asked, oh we are just talking about the church burning down and no Ins. to take care of the lost. He knew his son-in-law was the treasurer and also he didn’t like the new Pastor. After much discussing the Pastor decided they would go for it. The car dealership owner was all for it. The next day the restaurant owner took the Pastor to see the barn. It was definitely a mess. Straw was on the floor, chickens in the barn, walls about to fall. It really looked like an impossible task. Wow! Wonder what we all would have done? When our backs to the wall and it seems impossible it is good to know who the peace maker is. To know the one that calms the storms. Wow! Church, He rides on the wind and walks on the water!!!! Praise God!! Right at this time my heart went out to this Pastor. Now says the devil I got you. It is no way that you will ever turn this old barn into a church in one day. This is so awesome!! She turns her self away from facing the woman and looks up as if she was looking up to God (Oh the times I have done that very thing) she stood there for a second, turns around with a big smile on her face and said this will work. That afternoon she had a meeting with the (for lack of the word they used) Seer of the churches. And the Pastor from the big church uptown. The Seer told her that they were closing down Paradise Church. There will be no more a Paradise Church. She could not believe what she was hearing. 11 They were closing the church because of the Ins. there had been a foreclosure on the land and they felt it was no use to spend the money to

rebuild. They were transferring all the membership of her congregation to the big uptown church. And the people would have to drive miles to go to church. Well that didn’t go across to good with this little Woman Preacher you can bet she didn’t take this with no fighting back. She wasn’t about to sit there and not fight for her sheep that God had given her. After all she was their shepherd and she would take these wolves on… not in her strength but in God’s. What was she saying in her mind? I believe she was saying “Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me in Jesus name!All has been settled by the blood of Jesus Christ! I have over come Satan by the Blood of the Lamb and by the Word of my testimony, and I love my life unto death. I crucify my flesh, myself, my ego, my way, my every thing Col1:1-29 My body is for the Lord and the Lord is for my body! A simple reminder: Regardless of my adversity, obstacles, or persecution, what He's called me to - He'll see me through! (Theresa’s Thought for the day) I have no regrets. I couldn't be surer of my ground—the One I've trusted in can take care of what he's trusted me to do right to the end. 2 Timothy 1:12 (MSG) Only when you place your complete trust in Him and know who you are through Him will you have the confidence to stand for Him! 2 Corinthians 10:3, 7 (MSG) The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! But, I am quite sure of my standing with Christ. 12

Now this was the time for her to stand tall. And about this time I believe the anointing took over. She began to rebuttal them. No you can not do this. This is a little community church and it was not right to tell these people where they were going to church. As the conversation went on the Seer said they did not have another place for them to go. She spoke up again; yes they do have a place to go. We have land that has been donated to us. Well what about the building? We have that too. The owner of the land has given us a barn and we are going to turn it into a church. Wow!! The Pastor from the big uptown church laughed at her. Remember this was another one of her enemies that was trying to destroy her. But God had plans other than what the enemies had. We are thankful to know that God is bigger than all the schemes of the wicked one. You see the enemy can only do what we allow him to do. Or in Job’s case what God allowed him to do. But God knew His man, His child Job had the victory and through the testing it would be recorded and an example for us, to encourage and know as He did for Job so He will do for us. And in this case He knew what this Woman Preacher would do. In Jer.29:11 (NIV)11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. How do you plan to have this church built in one day? She spoke up with a holy boldness, we will do it (it wasn’t any doubt in her mind, no if’s nor maybe’s but we will do it!) Wow! I love that! As if she was saying, you little devils just sit back and watch what my God is going to do for me!!!! Then the Seer spoke up and said okay I will give you until Sunday, but if the church is not built by then, there will be no Paradise Church. That is exactly what she wanted to hear. We will do it and I invite you both to come to the Sunday morning service. Got up, with her head up high her shoulders straight and said “and that is all I have to say. Then she walked out. Wow!!

13 When she arrived back at the barn the congregation was standing around waiting for her. She told them what the Seer had told her. She asked them all to hold hands and they stood in silence for a while with all eyes shut. As she open her eyes and looked around she saw that the people were united, that increased her faith to go on. “United we stand, Divided we fall” She said “Amen” and they repeated it. Then she said lets go to work. All pitched in, the car dealer went into town and brought back the men from the shelter that had been coming to church. They all were working together to get a job done for God that had to be completed in a few hours. Stayed on into the night. Even the Assistant Pastor had realized his wrong and decided to do his part. But there was another miracle happening here that stood out to me. The Pastor was missing for a while and someone said she had to go into town. It wasn’t long before she came back with Frances the homeless lady. Now during this time that all the people were working the Pastor and the owner of the barn had gotten together and the extra room behind the barn had been fixed up for Frances to live in. Even in the midst of all the things the Pastor was going through, she was thinking of what she could do for others. . Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. They lead Frances to the room and told her what they had done. That this was her home as long as she wanted to stay there. But the church was going to need a lot of work done to it and she could help do that. Frances threw her arms around the two ladies and cried and thanked them for what they had done. As they left her alone in which now was her room she fell down beside her bed and prayed and thanked God for her new home.

14 Saying to God that she knew in her heart one day He was going to find her another home. What A Mighty God we are serving! Wow! To finish the story, they worked way on into the night. With their car and truck lights on because they had no electricity. Wow! What a determination these people had. The building was finished as the Pastor promised it would be. With a beautiful big cross erected at the top of the building to show that it was a house of God. (Oh church do you see how good God is?) Sunday morning came; the little Barn now called (Paradise Community Church) was packed. Many were there from the shelter, along with Trevor and his guitar. As the Pastor was behind the podium (which also one of the members had built for her) looked up and in walked the Seer with a big smile on his face as he looked around and saw what had been done. The Pastor had a smile on her face, but her countenances were quite different from His. The radiance from the Holy Spirit seem to be glowing on her face. She knew not only did she have the support from the Seer, but she had God’s approval!! God brought many changes to that little church that day. Why? Because of a Woman of God by the name of Debbie that would not give up because she was a woman, because she was rejected, because she was pushed down, because she was ridiculed, or because the devil told her it would never work. Praise God!! The more the enemy came against her, the more zeal she had to make it work. When the enemy comes in like a flood the spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against him. And that is exactly what happen in this situation. Wow! What a God!! But that’s my God!!

The bullies that picked on her son were changed, her son was changed, and even the Assistant Pastor that was so filled with jealousy and so much anger was changed. We can thank God for working through Debbie the Pastor and showing us His great Glory in so many ways. 15 Church Don’t give up! At the proper time, your harvest will come! It really doesn’t matter who or where it comes from as long as we receive it. You don’t have to go to the Mission field to produce a harvest. The fields are white right here in Person County. Gal. 6:9 NIV- Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up! Wow!!! Research of the phrase do not lose heart means not to give in to doubt and unbelief or discouragement when prayer is not answered immediately. When you don’t see immediate results from your prayers or the results of your labor we must continue to preserver. The enemy tries to make you believe that you’ve wasted your time praying in the vineyard of the Lord. Faith in adverse circumstances will pay off. This is one of my favorite scriptures. Habakkuk 3:17-19 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

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The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet,

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and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. Wow! All may look bleak. But my anchor still holds. The song says” Though the ship may be battered my anchor still holds

(Thought for the day) News Flash for Satan: For those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, It IS A Divine, Blood Bought Right to get an answer! So the next time Satan tries to feed you his lies … feed him the truth of the Word: I will not give in to doubt because I don’t see the results of my prayers right now! It is my blood bought right to receive the answer and it will come in my Father’s time! I will Not Give Up!!!!

16 This Woman Pastor was thrown to the wolves by her enemies. Wow! And believe me I know how she felt. Been there, done that. Being a Woman Pastor is not easy. Now she could have buried her head in the sand and thrown the towel in. But the price Jesus paid ON THAT CROSS WASN’T EASY EITHER. On that day the price was paved at Calvary for us. Oh what a price??? So is it worth it church? Is one soul worth going after no matter the cost you have to pay? Remember you once were where they are now. Suppose the person that God spoke to pray for you and stand in the gap for you had not been willing to do that. Where would you be today? Now that you are saved you want to forget about others that have fallen and need you to do for them what that man or woman did for you to help win you to Christ. Let me ask you this in closing. Just how far did God have to reach down to pull you out of the gutter, to pick you up, to clean you up? Oh how quick we tend to forget where we were. Instead of the world becoming more accepting of Christians, hostility toward Christians seems to be increasing. Still, in spite of adversity, Christians always have, and still do, love Christ and are determined to be faithful to

Him. In the face of adversity, the Christian knows this life is not all there is. There is eternity, and the reward waiting in heaven for faithful Christians makes any sacrifice made for Christ here worthwhile. Listen church! God is getting our church ready for a revival. This is another thing God showed me, everything in this church was completely destroyed. Down to not even being able to rebuild. Because of the Ins. being canceled. We think well this was an awful thing to happen. But was it? I believe the whole thing was a God thing. Why? He didn’t give them a new building. It wasn’t the building that was the problem. That was God’s way of getting their attention. He just restored the inside of the old building at a new location. And I’m talking about the inside of the hearts of the members.

17 Yes the building burned down, you see it’s not what’s on the outside. Right now this building we are in doesn’t look good on the outside. It’s an old building, it needs new siding, it needs painting. Right now we are under renovation. We are doing as the finances come in, as God provides. Oh but church, look what God is doing on the inside of our church. People being saved, lives transformed, healing taking place, people joining the church. Wow! What a God!! Now The inside of the Paradise Community Church had to be restored. This awful tragedy as bad as it was from the Pastor being pushed out of the big church uptown to ending up in the restored old Barn!!! Wow! This was what it took to bring them together. Did it have to be this way? No, but through disobedience from God’s children, just like the Israelites God had to get their

attention. It took another Deborah like in the book of Judges to be willing to stand tall. Wow! And that is what Pastor Debbie did. Let’s be a Debbie today church. Let’s be willing to roll our sleeves up and fight to the end!! Catch the vision of what God wants to do for our church just as he did for the Paradise Community Church. Can and will He do it!! Wow! Yes He can and yes He will!! I say let’s go for it!!! Greater is the He that is in me than the He that is in the world. We are more than conquers through Christ Jesus! Ask and ye shall receive. And when asking do not have your arms stretched out with your hands close. But have those hands open so God can fill them. (I believe tonight before we come to the altar we need to just raise our hands in Praise to God for what He is doing in our church, and claim the fields of harvest that 22 people said they wanted to work in. Did you really mean it, If you did it’s time to take actions. Church it is coming, hold on to your God given Faith!) Get ready for the harvest that is coming in. God is ready, he’s waiting on us. Turn over to Pastor for altar call!!

(6,842

words)

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