Let's turn to page 105. 105, Rescue the Perishing. Let's sing the first, second, and last verse. Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave. Weep for the erring one, lift up the fallen, Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save. Rescue the perishing, care for the dying. Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save. Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter, feelings lie buried that grace can restore. Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness, cords that are broken will vibrate once more. Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, Jesus is merciful. Jesus will save. Rescue the perishing, duty demands it. Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide. back to the narrow way patiently win them tell the poor wanderer a savior has died rescue the perishing care for the dying Jesus is merciful Jesus will save thankful that's our calling and our enabling through the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's certainly good to be here this morning, good to be in a place where folks still worship God and understand how great a God He is indeed. Well, it's missions conference time, the last day of missions conference. It's hard to believe. It seems like we just began all the planning stages and here we are on the last day. It's been a good week, a very good week. So thankful for what the Lord's done through the teaching, the preaching. And the morning sessions were tremendous. Sharing with the men as we were praying in the back. I know I say this every year, but I think it's the best conference yet. And rejoice. I was given this envelope by the kindergarten class, and I was going to get a kindergartner to carry it up here for me. It's quite a few quarters. You know how those kindergartners gives. But it's a $76 missions offering. How about that? Praise the Lord for those kindergartners giving and they they have a missions lesson every week in their missions and their Sunday school class admissions emphasis. And so praise the Lord. They can give. We can sure give. Amen. Well, we want to take a couple minutes right now and welcome each other. Please, church family, there's visitors in our midst today, so make sure you welcome them, tell them how thankful we are the Lord led them our way. Let's do that right now. ♪ Praise the work for all to do ♪ ♪ From the ruins of God is calling ♪ ♪ To the heart is calling you ♪ ♪ Live as one with God is your name ♪ ♪ Labor on for wealth or fame ♪ ♪ There's no power that you can take ♪ ♪ Is the one I cherish in me ♪ ♪ And your grace on earth is grand ♪ ♪ We will share to be your faithful ♪ ♪ Love and hope, my children and I ♪ ♪ With the stars that guide us today ♪ ♪ We will love forever more ♪ If you would make your way back to your seats and you can go ahead and be seated Metropolitan. Give me a passion for souls, dear Lord, a passion to save the lost. Oh, let my love arise. Jesus, I long, I long to be winning. Men who are lost and constantly sinning. Oh, in this hour we want a beginning. This story of glory to tell. Oh, there are dangers untold and stern, confronting me in the way. Willingly still could I go the turn, but trusting your grace each day. Jesus, I long, I long to be with you, and you are lost and constantly sinning. Oh, in this hour, we want a beginning, the story of gardeners. ♪ Till this passion for souls be mine ♪ ♪ For faith I'll be answered near ♪ ♪ Help me to throw out the old lifeline ♪ ♪ To those who are struggling near ♪ ♪ Jesus, my Lord, I long to be with thee ♪ ♪ Lived through our loss and constantly sinning ♪ Oh, may this hour be one of beginning, the story of pardon to tell. Jesus, I long, I long to be with Him, when through war, loss, and constantly sinning. Oh, may this hour be one of beginning, the story of pardon to tell. Please stand once more. Let's turn to page 96. Hark! Tis the Shepherd. Let's sing the first and last verse. Hark! Tis the Shepherd's voice I hear, Out in the desert dark and drear, Calling the sheep who've gone astray, Far from the Shepherd's golden way. Bring them in, bring them in, bring them in from the fields of sin. Bring them in, bring them in, bring the wandering ones to Jesus. Out in the desert hear their cry, Out on the mountains wild and high, Hark! Tis the Master speaks to thee, Go find my sheep, where'er they be, Bring them in, bring them in, Bring them in from the fields of sin Bring them in bring them in bring the wandering ones to Jesus Good singing you may be seated Jim and if you'll take your places and get ready for this Morning's offering. And while we're at it, we'll go over a few announcements while we're there. Can you handle that, Brother Gerardo? Goodness gracious. Yeah, I'll try to make it quick here. Everybody, right after this morning service, we are going to go back and enjoy a fifth Sunday type setting. We have enough chicken for everybody, so everybody, please stay. Visitors, please stay. Folks who normally don't stay, please stay. We've got enough chicken for everybody. In fact, if you were planning to go out and get chicken in Lake Worth today, you won't be able to get it because we have it all right here. So please, please stay for that. We've got a men's fishing trip that's going to be this Friday night and Saturday, and there might be one or two that's heading up before then. Please see Brother Allen Webster for details. In fact, it might be a good idea If you're going on the fishing trip to give him a call and say hey, what can I do? What do I need to do? Whatever okay there might be some little details that you've overlooked or he's overlooked or possible Just just need to get some good directions or anything So I want to say a very special. Thank you for everybody has done A lot this week. Some, I mean, it doesn't seem like anybody's just done one little bitty thing. Everybody is all hands on deck. It's been a lot accomplished this week. It's been a lot of food brought, been a lot of food ate. Needs to be some fasting next week, I think. Of course, after all the leftovers are gone, of course. Thank y'all. It has been a very good week as far as that goes, as far as the logistics of this thing. Everybody who's been involved, thank you very much. And I think that's all we're going to cover right now. There's a few thank you notes. Oh, one more thing. If you are a veteran or a wife or spouse of a veteran and you have not received a questionnaire from my wife concerning Veterans Day, please see her. She's trying to put something together for Veterans Day. And she has a little questionnaire that she'd like to Get you to look at and ask some questions about so anyway, let's pray Lord. Thanks so much for us today Thank for everything you've given us today Lord. Thank you for a wonderful week. We've had so far Lord Lord I'm Thank you for the word that's been spoke to us so far Lord I'm asking today Just meet with us again here in just a little while and brother Wayne comes and Lord, please, Lord, just give him liberty. Lord, take the scales off our eyes and our hearts, Lord. Lord, soften our hearts. Let us receive it, Lord. Lord, it be the offering we are about to receive, with the gift and the giver. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Amen before our special Brother Ted Tharp is going to come and you know how best laid plans and you have all the technology and everything set up. We went through a big thing on Friday morning about making use of technology. And then his, our technology failed us. And we aren't able to show his presentation due to some kind of issue, failure of some kind of equipment back there. But Brother Tharp is going to come and tell us about his ministry through Rock of Ages. You come ahead, Brother. And again, I'm so thankful, as Brother Curtis mentioned, for all those who labored this week. Please, when you get back there to the to the gym, to the fellowship hall. Would you please tell those ladies how much you appreciate their labor? I went home every night, my dogs were a-barking. And theirs were probably howling because they were on their feet a lot this week. And even now are several ladies in the kitchen working and preparing for our lunch today. Now, I'm going to do something that's going to embarrass somebody. Becky, will you stand up? She doesn't like to do this. One church we were in, I went to introduce her and said her name and she stood up and sat right back down. There was a little old lady sitting in the front row. She turned around to look for my wife and there was nobody standing up. So, after services, this little old lady comes up to me and starts giving me, what, four? because my wife didn't stand up. And I said, yes, she did. So I took this little 80-plus-year-old lady to my wife, and then I beat a hasty retreat. My wife and I are missionaries with the Rock of Ages Prison Ministries. It's a ministry that was started way back in 1977. Since then, 39 years, We've gotten into several different areas of the ministry. There's prison revival teams, there's chaplains, the lovely ladies ministry and the juvenile ministry. The juvenile ministry has fallen under what we call now the prison prevention program. We go into schools and we have a character under construction classes. We have school assemblies, Bible clubs, and what they call the Yes Club International. We're on the college campuses. We're in military bases. We're basically around the world. We're on six continents. We're in seven different countries, ranging from Brazil, Cambodia, Hungary, Uganda, Togo, Guyana, the Philippines. In those countries alone, last year, we saw 15,210 souls saved. Now, in the United States, we saw a total of 22,107 men, women, and children, school kids, military guys, come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. The total for last year was 37,397 people that came to know Christ. In 39 years of existence, the Rock of Ages has seen 700,347 souls saved around the world. This ministry was started by two men that had a vision for the inmates in a local jail. It started out as a tape ministry. It has grown to what it is today. Because men, as I touched on in the Sunday School class this morning, got inspired to want to do something for somebody that was lost. Going into a jail is not for everybody. Going into a prison is not for everybody. When you hear those big heavy steel doors slam shut behind you, you get, if you will, claustrophobic. Now, I've been working with Rock of Ages as a layman from 99 to 2008 when I became a missionary. I've walked in those prisons, jails. I've seen the doors slam shut behind me. There are people in there, young, old, in between. They have no hope. The Rock of Ages, and trust me, there are Different organizations should come into a prison that do not preach the gospel. They do not bring the truth. They bring lies. I probably shouldn't say this, but my life has been threatened. I've never told my wife this, but my life has been threatened. People wonder why I carry. Now, the whites, and no offense to you sitting in front of me, sir, the blacks and the Mexicans don't bother me. I can talk to them, they can talk to me, and we work things out if they feel like they got a problem with a missionary from the Rock of Ages. But the one that scares me the most are the Muslims. The Islamic religion is out to get us. We have a hard time. I have a facility right now in the state of Indiana that the Muslims come and sign up and take away seats where the normal prisoners could come for services. And the Muslims don't show up. So I'm asking you, please help me. Help those inmates that are incarcerated in this prison. Because if we can get them enrolled in the Bible Institute that the Rock of Ages has and get them grounded, We've come, they can come out and they can be a solid citizen again in society. We've had inmates coming out of prisons and jails who are now in churches. Some of them are even pastors that are working and you would never have known that they had spent any time incarcerated. They don't go back to their old ways. They stay true to the call. So like I said, I'm asking you to help me help those inmates. Thank you. Jesus loves everybody, whether rich or poor. He's standing on the threshold, He is the door. That door has one handle, it's only on your side. When he knocks then open and you'll be justified Listen for a knock, knock, knock on that door He'll forgive, forgive forevermore And you'll live, live, live eternally Just wait, wait, wait and see Come, come, come again For His saints, saints, saints to take with Him When we hear a trumpet sound We'll be heaven-bound So listen for a knock on that door People get so busy in this world doing things. They'll miss heaven's glory and hear the angels sing. Heaven will be home. You can live there too. Just open up that door and He will sup with you. Listen for a knock, knock, knock on that door. He'll forgive. Forget forevermore. And he'll live, live, live eternally Just wait, wait, wait and see He will come, come, come again For his saints, saints, saints to take with him When we hear a trumpet sound We'll be heaven-bound So listen for a knock at that door It will not open if you don't heed his call. There will be a time he won't knock at all, but he's still knocking and reaching for your heart. So open up that door, let Jesus in your heart. Listen for a knock, knock, knock on that door. He'll forgive, And you'll live, live, live eternally Just wait, wait, wait and see He will come, come, come again For His saints, saints, saints to take with Him When we hear a trumpet's sound We'll be heaven-bound, so listen for on that door. So listen for a knock on that door. Thank you, brother. Amen. Well, I think it was Friday night I didn't formally introduce Brother Hudson. So here I am to formally introduce him. He mentioned something about Oklahoma one night, didn't you? And I remember the very first missions conference. It was in Wichita Falls that he preached for us. And we had a couple of missionaries that we supported that had missions in the States and within the United States. And I forget, I think one of them was in Minnesota. And so we had a Minnesota flag and we had a Texas flag because we had somebody working in Texas. And, well, I'll tell you what, he was kind of poochy-faced that we didn't have a flag up there for Oklahoma. I had to go find a flag for Oklahoma. And he smiled the rest of the week. I was so happy about that. Well, I'm thankful for a faithful servant, someone that values the Word of God. Then when they stand behind this holy desk, they understand that it's not a message about him, it's not a message about worldly things, but a message about the Lord Jesus Christ that folks need to hear. And Brother Hudson's been very faithful this week to preach the truth from God's book of truth. And this morning he's going to preach for us once again. So please, please be in prayer as he comes, my brother. Hey, they trusted you with the glass today. I figured we had a new water boy here. They usually don't let me have one of these. Curtis always calls it Tommy Tippy Cup. Well, I wasn't too proud of those Okies last night. They beat Texas Tech. So, anyway, that's neither here nor there. Texas Tech beat themselves. Take your Bible, please. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 10. I'm thankful to be home this week and thankful, I'm thankful to be a part of this church and a part of the missions, outreach of this church. And I count it a great honor and privilege. We have been, our theme for the week is pray ye the Lord of the harvest, Matthew 9.38, pray ye the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into the harvest. We hear that verse and I think we get a connotation that it's all in Africa or China or South America or somewhere and we're out of the picture. The verse is to the church. And the verse is to us as individuals in the church. And so I wanna try to establish our link to the harvest. I'm gonna try to preach on faith promise a little bit here in a minute, but I'd like to get the link, how we get there. I've noticed in Bible books that John and Paul and the writers many times put the signature to the book, the really emphasis verse of the book at the very back. 2 Corinthians 8, 9, 10 are the basis for faith promise. It's not some dream that somebody dreamed up, but it's a scripture. We follow the scripture. And if it's not scriptural, I'm not interested in following it. And I wouldn't ask you to follow it. But I want you to see what the Bible says as best I can with the time I have. But first of all, I would like for us to read this text I don't know what we put up there, but it's 2 Corinthians 10, verse, I think I put 13 up there, but let's start in verse 12. 2 Corinthians 10, 12. Paul is writing to the weakest church in the New Testament, the most divided, the most unstable. but he has great confidence in them as he writes this letter. He said in verse 12, for we dare not make ourselves of the number or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves, but they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise. That goes on all over this country. I had a fella start a church next door to almost our church in Alvin, and he ran a big ad in the paper, the most exciting church in town. I was talking with him one day, and I said, I didn't realize we were in competition. And he wanted to know what I meant, I said, I imagine God meets with us like he meets with you. I hope he meets with you. And it's exciting when he shows up wherever he meets with us. So he says, those that measure themselves by themselves are not wise. But we will not boast of things without our measure. But according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure, to reach even unto you. For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure as though we reached not unto you, for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ. Not boasting of things without our measure that is of other men's labors, but having hope When your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly. To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand, but he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth. There's some great truths in that passage. We're sitting here in Metropolitan Baptist Church. I don't know how old this church is now. A few years ago, didn't we do the 90th? We did the 90th celebration. I don't know when that was. Some of y'all know how old it is. Some of you older members probably remember. But. We're sitting here because somebody back there had faith. Somebody out there had a vision. Somebody back there sacrificially provided what we enjoy today. And some of you here have been involved several years in the faith effort of this church. Hey, this church has got a reputation all over the state of Texas. I knew about it long before I, in fact, I got my education on faith promise off of Metropolitan Baptist bulletins sent out by Dr. Hugh Atkinson years ago. And he stirred me and whetted me on this idea of mission support. So I'm thankful for the heritage that we enjoy here of others' faith. But we're not living back there. And we're in the present. We have come this far by faith. I had a brother, Drew, I had a black choir at my church come one Sunday and they sung, we've come this far by faith, just leaning on the Lord. I'll never forget that song. What a victory. That's all we are, is what we are by faith. All we are is what we are in Christ Jesus. And without faith, it's impossible to please God, and so we're here by faith. If we go further, we go further by faith. And I like what he says in these first verses about, y'all don't mind, I'll move this. Excuse me. I like what he says about if we measure ourselves by ourselves, we're not wise. See, we have a measuring stick and we say, we look over at brother so-and-so or that church or this church or something and we say, well, we're not, we're much, much further along than they are. But that's not wise. Comparison is dangerous. Comparison will lull you into complacency when God wants to take you further. And that's what he's gonna say. You get satisfied where you're at and you stagnate. This thing we call the race is a lifetime race. And he said, lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset you and run that race. There's no end to it. I mean, when he says, well done, good and faithful servant, that's the end of the race. But until then, we're in the race. And gray hair, no hair, baggy, saggy, whatever you are, we're still in the race. And so Paul's saying, don't get your confidence in where you've come to, because you're just here by the grace of God. And so our confidence is there. Our motivation, look at verse 15. Paul establishes our link with the harvest. We've had some exciting days this week. Brother Milton just lifted me back up the other morning and I remembered a mission conference I was in with him in 1990 something and how that my heart was stirred to do what I'd never done before and how it accomplished and what had happened. And it was just to get in the presence of these men of God that have a vision and are doing something that'll challenge us. But he says here, But he has no problem, verse 15. He says, he says, when your faith, having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly to preach the gospel in regions beyond you. He said, I've got here. He said, I've came all the way to Corinth by the rule of God that brought me here. He's gonna say over in Romans that I preached all the way to Illyricum, wherever in the world. That's up north of Turkey somewhere, somewhere in the edges of the European continent, across the Adriatic Sea from Rome. He wrote that letter to the Romans and he said, now I'm ready to come over there where you are also. But what he said to these Corinthians is I've got here by faith, by my faith and those who help me, those who God put in my path to help me to get to you. But he said, if your faith is increased, hey, God's given every one of us something already by faith. For by grace are you saved through faith. He sung that song about the door. If you read Revelation 3.20, the door is the door to the church. And Jesus is standing on the outside of the door saying, if one person in that church would just hear me and open the door, he said, I'll come into that one part. You say, well, my church is just not doing well. Well, you do something. It's an individual call. And so when you by faith open that door, I call it double supping. He said, I'll sup with you and you can sup with me. I mean, when he pours it on your saucer, your saucer will run over and then you'll be ready to do something. That's what Paul said. My little old measure, I couldn't have got out of any odds. But with God's measure, I've been all the way to Illyricum, and I'm down here to Corinth by God's measure. Now, when your faith is increased, when you are enlarged in faith, my ministry will be enlarged and I can do more. And that's what faith promise is. It is a means for, see, we're the call. Sometimes we've got the idea that the calling is only for Brother Morrison, Brother Gavinsky, Brother Tharp, or some of you preachers. No. When you got saved, you were called to salvation. And when you were called to salvation, the next step was you were called to sanctification. The next step is called to service, and it goes on. You've got a cause. You've got a ministry. God's placed you here maybe for preparation time and education time to get you ready to go further in your faith. But some are called to go to somewhere that we can't go. But the saint is no less who stays right here. that is called to sin, support, intercede, pray. And so don't feel left out. You are a part of the program. God's ministry is a ministry of the church. So our motivation then, he's gonna talk about, I'm gonna back up now. I wanna talk about I don't remember what we called it, next step, the measure, and what's the next one, brother? The definition, I want to get it down, definition. I didn't put down what I got on my paper. I wanted to find faith promise for you from the scriptures. If you'll look at these first verses, and we'll read, I'll read a few verses. I'm not gonna read everything. We're gonna go down through the verses. If you'll just get in eight and nine, we'll be there. In verse four of chapter eight, he says that we should receive the gift, praying us with much entreaty that we should receive the gift and take on us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. That's what faith promise is. The grace gift that allows you and me to fellowship in the ministry to the saints. I've been amazed. I've been in faith promise now over 30 years. I don't know how much over 30 years, but I've been amazed what God's done with it. I've been in countries out of this country that I never thought I'd go to. I know missionaries around the world. I can pick up the phone and call folks and call them friends that are scattered all over the world. Some of you have been more than me. But what I'm saying is we become partners in the ministry that God's given the church to go into all the world, preach the gospel to every creature. So, maybe you didn't come from where I came from. I came out of one of those associational churches where missionaries were kind of imaginary people. You read about them and but we never saw them. You missionaries stand up. If you're here for this mission, or if you're a missionary out of this church, stand up. Now look here, there's flesh and blood. These are real missionaries. They're just folks like we are who have answered the call of God, and now God is using them and will use them beyond even what they have said is a rule, beyond what they can imagine as our faith, Our faith is increased. He said over in verse number five of chapter nine, I'm gonna be back and forth eight and nine now. Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren that they would go before unto you. He sent Titus and some other men over here to encourage Corinth to go before unto you and make up beforehand your bounty. That is an abounding gift, a plentiful gift, a generous gift, a gift that does not come out of my pocketbook, but it comes out of the grace of God. I couldn't imagine giving what he's gonna do. Whereof ye had noticed before that the same might be ready as a manner of bounty and not of covenants. He said, we don't want what you got. We want you to be sparkling in grace and we want to carry your grace bountiful gift over there to some folks that'll use it for the glory of God. So this grace gift, this abounding gift, it's different than the tithe. I had a young man work for me one time in a chemical plant. He said, he come up there one day and he said, Wayne, I got a new vision, what God wants me to do. I said, really? I said, what is it? He said, I've got a vision, I'm gonna pray that God will give me a million dollars and I'll give him the tithe back off of it. Well, listen to this. 3.8, Malachi said, will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me, but ye say wherein have we robbed thee? in tithes and offerings. See, when we give our tithe, we've not given God anything. He gave it to us first. A million dollars is God's money. He gave it to, if he did give that boy a million dollars and he tithed back, he's not given anything. So, we're not talking about tithes. There's three levels of giving that I see in the Bible. There's the tithe, Then there's offerings, and then there's the alms. Alms are what you do for needy people as you run into them here and there. That's my opinion. That's a country boy definition of it. But I wanna talk about faith, promise, offerings. See, in this chapter eight, he's gonna define faith promise offerings, and could I say, I'm not there yet, but could I say that first of all, it is a gift of your love. Look at verse eight. He says in 8.8, I speak not by commandment. This is no commandment. This faith promise is an issue between you and God. The preacher doesn't set the requirements. The church doesn't set the requirement. It's you and God. You can be stingy if you wanna be. You miss the blessing of being of the grace gift if you want to, the bountiful giver. I speak not by command but by occasion of the forwardness of others and to prove the sincerity of your love. Do you love him? Did He save you? Are you going to heaven on His grace? How could you not give? How could you not love? Down to verse number 24. Wherefore show ye to them, and before the churches the proof of your love. My wife tells me every once in a while, anybody can say they love you, but it's doing that proves your love. So, first of all, it's a gift of love. And the definition, now let's read. Let's read chapter eight, the first five verses. Here's the witness of the grace that was given to these churches in Macedonia. Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit the witness of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia. How that in great trial of affliction and the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded under the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power. Listen to that. To their power, that's their ability. Beyond their power is their sacrificial ability. They were willing of themselves, praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift and take upon us the fellowship of ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we had hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord and unto us by the will of God, insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, he would also finish in you this same grace also. Verse seven, therefore if you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and diligence, in your love to us, see that you abound in this grace, this grace of giving also. It's more than, I was listening to somebody this morning teaching on love. No, I was reading a devotional this morning on love. And Dr. White said that 1 Corinthians 13 does not define love, but the love of God, charity in the Bible is that agape love that we can't define. 1 Corinthians 13 simply gives you the output, what that love accomplishes. And you'll never know that love until you're saved. But if you are saved, that love has already been shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit. And Paul said, it is the love of Christ that constrains us. So get out of yourself and by faith access Christ, that love will motivate the giving that will take place. It's a gift of love. It's a gift out of poverty These Macedonians, I've got a little note here in my Bible. He said, verse two, the abundance of their joy, the trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy, and the well of their deep poverty. God brought them down to a place that they could look up. When they looked up, he gave them abundantly grace. He gave them more than they ever could have dreamed, Grace. And now they've done more. I don't want to compare. But I was in a little old church last week. They had their first faith promise mission conference. And I challenged them on the will of God and the work of God. The preacher called me yesterday. I talked to him. He said they had 30 there on Wednesday night. That's more than they've been running on Sunday. He said the people came in talking about doing the work of God in that community. Hey, we got a community here. It's our Jerusalem. Somebody said, well, he's gonna talk about dollars. No, I'm not talking about dollars. I'm talking about your heart. If your heart gets right, your dollars are not a problem. I've seen that happen over and again. I saw it happen in me first. So, out of their hand of poverty, they put it in the hand of the grace of God. Now I've gotta go on. Secondly, or thirdly, whichever that is, it's a gift of promise. Look at verse 10. And hereby have I give, I'm in 8.10 now. And hereby I give my advice for this is expedient for you who have begun before, not only to do but also to be forward a year ago. It is a promise for a year at a time. That's what that verse says. 8.2 says, We know the forwardness of your mind, which I boast of you to them in Macedonia and Achaia. And Achaia was ready a year ago, and your zeal has provoked very many." And then he says over in 1 Corinthians chapter 16, it's a promise for a year time, but it's gathered up every week. Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I've given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye on the first day of the week, that every one of you lay by him in store, as God has prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. You understand, he said it over and again, and I haven't, he said it's the offering for the saints. The famine was on in Israel and the saints in Jerusalem were struggling and the church, that mighty church was struggling and the gift was being given to further the gospel over there. Here's these Macedonians and Corinthians that they just got saved. They've come out of heathen world. But now they're sending them back over there to the other country that has rejected them all these years, but they're doing it by the grace and love of God to do the work that God's called them to do. It removes all the barriers. It tears down the barriers. A gift of promise. You say, well, how do you promise You don't know what your income is. Put it on the same priority with your car payment. Put it on the same priority with your house payment. You made a faith promise to the car dealer or the insurance or the banker or somebody when you bought your house. Put it on that same priority. You be as faithful to God as you are to the car dealer. I gotta go on. A gift of purpose. Look at verse number 11 now in eight. Now therefore perform the doing of it, as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which you have. For if there be first a willing mind, it's accepted. Over chapter nine, verse seven, he says, every man is courting as he's purposed in his heart, so let him give. It's not budgeted giving. It's not something that you don't have, but it's out of what you do have that you can trust God to replace. How much is that? Well, I've been in it over 30 years. Every year they hand me one of these cards and they say, how much you gonna give? And I pray about it and God never has said less. He's always said more. Put a little more on there. Sometimes I say less, and then he changes my mind. But a gift of purpose, what you purpose then, commit to, it begins with what we have, verse 11 and 12. If there be first a willing mind, verse 12, it's accepted according to that a man has. Nobody's saying what you gotta give. It's what you're willing to give, what you can give. And nobody compares, there's no place on the card for your name. Nobody's comparing you to anybody else. You won't receive any greater stature in giving or less stature in giving. It's a God promise, a faith promise. I gotta go on. If you look at verse 12, it's an attitude that's blessed. Verse 12 said, if there be first a willing mind. Down verse seven, every man courting is he purposely in heart. Verse eight, verse seven, so let him give not grudgingly necessity for God loveth a cheerful giver. And if you go over to, I think, I don't know what chapter it is. I've got it wrote down here somewhere. but Jesus standing by the treasure, remember? And the rich folks came by and dropped in their offerings. We've been in some offerings like that, haven't we? Brother Drew, that's common practice in a lot of places where you go by and drop it in and they say, uh-uh, more than that. They were dropping in the offerings and the widow came with two mites. Two mites is one fourth of a cent. One fourth of a cent is one fourth of a day's labor. That lady gave one fourth of one day's labor while they gave their riches, but Jesus said she gave more than an all because she gave it out of her heart and she gave all she had. Your amount makes little difference to God. You're not gonna out give God. I've got some promises I won't get to, but he's already promised to replace it at least 100 fold in this life. You're not gonna out give God. So what are you holding back for? He said, I like a glad giver. A glad giver will always give more than a sad giver or a mad giver. Some of you are mad givers. You get mad every week when you write the check. Some of you are sad givers. It breaks your heart to turn loose. You squeeze the wings off that quarter before you get the eagle over to us. Be a glad giver. God gave it to you first. All you have is what he gave you. He said to his disciples as he sent them out to preach, he said, freely you've been given. Now freely give. Hey, we got saved. You know, I haven't had an alcohol bill in years. I haven't had a car wreck due to an alcohol bill in years. God's given to me. My kids grew up without dope. My kids grew up without alcohol. God's given to me. I can't ever repay what he's done for me already. Freely he's given. He's gonna say some things down in chapter nine and then I'll be done. The blessings. In chapter nine, verse six, he said, you reap what you sow. It's an agricultural principle. A couple of years ago, I went after the big Drought here in North Texas, I went down to buy Bermuda seed to replant my yard. I'm stingy. And they had a five pound bag or a one pound bag. I bought a one pound bag and dropped them. You know what happened? Half my yard was bare for another two years. You know what I did is I reaped what I sowed. If I'd have bought a five pound bag and just saturated it, I could have enjoyed a yard two years before I did. Agricultural principle. Here's not an agricultural principle, but here's an attitude principle. Verse seven, every man is repurposed in his heart. I've already said that. The motive of our sowing. And then verse eight says, verse eight, nine, down through verse 11 says, we reap In the moment of our sowing, he says in verse eight, God's able to make all grace abound toward you. I've got four or five promises that he'll keep to us. I don't mind, I'll get to them. But let's skip down through these verses. He says in verse eight, when you let grace abound in you, you will abound to every good work. Verse nine says that his righteousness remains around you. Verse 10 says, he'll minister seed to the sower, and minister bread for your seed, and multiply the seed that you sow. I used to play games over in the wintertime at a peanut farmer's house. He was an old German. He was tighter than I was. He'd grumble, sit over there and grumble. Them boys, his wife knew what to do with peanuts. And we'd go to the seed barn, get peanuts, She'd do wonderful things with peanuts. She could make peanut candy or fried peanuts or a hundred different ways she made peanuts. And old Ernie'd be sitting over there, I'm boys gonna eat up all my seed, I won't even have enough to plant. He can multiply the seed to the sower and he can multiply the seed so that we have bread to eat while we're sowing. Increase the fruits of your righteousness. Verse 11 says, he'll cause through us thanksgiving to God, just because the grace of God is on us. He causes through us thanksgiving to God. Verse number 12 says, that he'll bless the many through our giving, he says, the administration of this service not only supplies the one of the saints, these men are here this week, these families are here this week, going by the direction of the grace of God, going in the hand of God to administer seed out there, to sow the seed. He said, these saints that are in our midst, will be blessed by what we do for them. They'll be able to sow seed. Verse number 12 says, and it supplies the one of the saint, but it's abundant also by many thanksgivings to God. The sinners who get saved, that song says, they'll come and say, thank you for giving to the Lord. I'm alive, it was changed. Then verse 13, here's the most important thing. Verse 13 says, while by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God, for your professed subjection unto the gospel of God, and for your liberal distribution unto them and all men. I passed a sign in the hall a while ago for the kids, it said, let your light so shine before men. The rest of that verse says that they may see your good works and glorify God on your behalf. Somewhere over there, somewhere over there, somewhere over there, somewhere back there, somebody comes and says, thank you, Lord. I've got a good friend, Humberto Gomez. He wrote that Gomez Bible. He talked about being a 17 year old drunk on the streets of Matamoros, Mexico. And he said, I just wanna thank you churches in America. You sent a missionary. He said, down there on the backside of the dark corners of Matamoros, he established El Cordero de Dios. Iglesia Bautista, El Cordero de Dios. I'll let Bruce tell you what, it means Lamb of God Baptist Church. And he said, thank you for sending a missionary. He wept. He wept in our church and said, thank you for sending missionaries to Mexico. You don't get to hear much of that here, but we'll shout over heaven about it. It's going on all over this world. And you think about this, they talk about They talk about communist China. You remember when communist China kicked out all the missionaries? And now they say that that church in China is growing like never before. It went underground, but it was alive. Old Hudson Taylor went over there and was seven years before he won his first Chinaman. Can you imagine what his glory is piling up to the Lord? And when he throws crowns, it'll be a clatter and a scatter for quite a while. It's still going on. I'd like to get in on that, wouldn't you? When we started this series on the harvest the other night, It begin right here. Verse number one of chapter two of Acts. When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Now look at verse 14. Verse 14 says the sower the saints and us. For by their prayer for you, which long after you, for the seeing grace of God in you. To me, one of the great opportunities we have is to be united, to work together. You know what happened to Texas Tech last night? They didn't play as a team. You know what happened to Oklahoma last night? They played as a team. God said, if you'll just get under the grace of God, quit pouting, quit bitter, get all the bitterness out, get all of your self-interest out. Come back to Jesus, let the love of God fill you. Come back to the burden of Jesus, lost souls, red or yellow, black or white, they are precious in His sight. Doesn't matter about the outside, it matters about their hearts. And their hearts can be reached only with that agape love that's been put in your heart. And by grace, he unites us all together. And we mold together. It's not, Faith Promise is not Wayne Hudson or Jim Turner or anybody else. Faith Promise is Metropolitan Baptist Church, reaching this world. We come together and are united. And that's what he says here in verse number 14, one of the great benefits. Let me ask you something. Are you sitting on the sidelines and criticizing? Are you involved? If you're not involved, you're not in the church. Are you involved? I'm not asking for hands. I just want you to search your own heart. Are you a used to be? Or are you today? Where are you at? I think these altars ought to be full of folks rededicating themselves to a commitment, not just of money, but of my heart to the work of God. See, it doesn't cost us anything to go over here on on one of these streets around here in Lake Worth. We can do that, we may not have the, they gave out of their poverty. I stepped into the foyer, I'd preach the missions thing in a church in Austin. Little boy come out of the bathroom, his hands were black. I said, boy, where you been? How'd you get your hands so dirty? He said, oh, I've been back there shining shoes. I said, you mean the church? He said, yes, sir. He said, he's back there in the men's bathroom, he shines shoes. I said, why do you do that? He said, that's how I get my faith promise money. We had a little girl on our bus, 14 years old. Her mom and dad didn't come to church, she rode our bus. She came weeping. She said, Brother Wayne, I want to give the faith promise, but I don't know how. I can't. I sent her to Susie, and Susie and her come up with the idea of selling marshmallow treats after church on Sunday mornings. And she sold marshmallow treats on Sunday mornings to make her faith promise. There's a way to do it if you want to do it. You do about anything you want to do. If they're having a game over in Jerry's Stadium, you'll go if you want to. You'll figure out a way. If you get serious about serving the Lord, you'll figure out a way. I remember when I refused and God closed in on me. I'm so glad I submitted. So glad for that day. I've already told the story here, I'm not going to tell it. But he changed my heart that day. And it's only been blessings ever since that day. And it will be for you. If you'll get out of yourself, get out of your attitude, get out of your hurts, and we've all got them. And come back over here to Jesus, let him fill you again with that agape love, that love that has no description. That love that can do all things, he said in chapter 13. It can overcome your problem too. And come back into the fellowship of the believers who serve with a vision for the grace of God. Not in your boundaries, but in God's boundaries. Not in my measure, but His measure. We've come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord. How far are we going, church? How far are we going? What are we gonna do? They're gonna give you a car. It is to the glory of God. I urge you to consider it, pray about it, and put something there. Put more than you thought you could put and let God have his way and get into the harvest. Father, I pray, Lord, you've had your way this morning. I pray, God, that this, I know we've just hurried through everything, but Lord, I pray that something would land somewhere. Lord, I pray that you'd just touch our hearts and help us, Lord, to be all and do all that you'd have us to be. Lord, we're not even worthy to call on you as our Father, much less as the laborers of your harvest. Oh God, I thank you that though we're unworthy, you're worthy. And the greatest blessing is that verse 15 when he said his unspeakable gift, that unspeakable gift that's ours. Lord, I thank you for that unspeakable gift of the Lord Jesus Christ. overcomes all the problems, heals all the wounds, motivates, empowers, directs, and leads us just where He wants us to go. Help us to look to Him today. Take charge, in Jesus' name I pray, amen. Want another? Page 156. Listen, while we're singing, why don't you come? God's speaking to you. You may need to be saved. God's here to save you this morning. Maybe you just need to get right with Him. Get settled with Him. Whatever He's telling you to do, do it right now. We're here to worship. I hope you'll worship. You have longed for sweet peace, for faith to increase, and have earnestly, fervently prayed. But you cannot have rest or be perfectly blessed until all on the altar is laid. Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid? Your heart does the Spirit control. Why don't you come? God's speaking in your heart. Why don't you come right now? What are you waiting on? Don't look to someone else. Look to Jesus right now. Would you walk with the Lord in the light of his word and have peace and contentment always? You must do His sweet will to be free from all ill. On the altar you're all you must lay. Old Brother Paul said, I could talk about my measure. I could talk about where I've been and what I've done But it's my measure. He said, the greatest day of my life was when I laid my measure down and picked up the measure of God. You may be accomplishing a lot. Somebody might be here that said, well, I fell out along the way. I don't know how to get back. He says, come unto me. Oh, you that labor heavy laden, I'll give you rest. Why don't you come to Him? Why don't you let Him do business with you? Don't go out like you came in, but let Him change you, make of you what He wants you to be. All you do is lay it on the altar. He gives you Himself. You walk out with that grace on you. Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid? Your heart, does the Spirit control? You can only be blessed and have peace and sweet rest as you yield him your body and soul. Oh, we never can know what the Lord will bestow of the blessings for which we have prayed. Till our body and soul He doth fully control, And our all on the altar is laid. Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid? Your heart, does the Spirit control? You can only be blessed and have peace and sweet rest as you yield Him your body and soul. Amen. You can be seated, folks. As we do this one time of the year, I'm going to ask the ushers to prepare with the the faith promise cards and the pens there. We do this once a year. Make that commitment with the Lord, what we've prayed and settled with the Lord that he's going to help us to do for the coming year for the cause of Christ in missions. I've been asked the question so many times, well, why don't you just take care of that out of the general fund, out of the regular funds of the church? Okay, is that better? Out of the regular funds of the church. Beloved, we could never ever do what the Lord has enabled us to do over these past years out of the general fund of the church. There's two things. There'd be missionaries that wouldn't be able to be on the field, and you and I would not receive that blessing for having given by faith. and God reward and pour out his blessing on us. This is a gentleman, if you're ready, come forward please. And what we're going to do is, if you're a member of Metropolitan Baptist Church, you call this church your church, you want to be part of this church. They're gonna pass out what we call our faith promise cards. And as Brother Hudson mentioned, there's not a place on that card for your name. Brother Gerardo, I need one. There's no place on this card for your name. This is a commitment between you and the Lord. There's a line there for you to put the amount that God has given you peace with. And then below there's two boxes there, whether that's what you'll be able to give weekly or monthly. Some folks do their offerings monthly, some do it weekly. And you say, why do you bother with these cards? As we finish this offering, we go back to eat lunch. The fellows will take and they'll add all this up, put it together. And as we total that up, what we, as Brother Hudson shared, what Metropolitan Baptist Church covenants together with God to do. It enables us to have an understanding of what our missions budget is for the coming year. And so it's both a matter of faith, trusting God, but also a practical thing. It enables us then to plan how we can support and help different missionaries hopefully be able to do more than we've been doing. And, you know, I shared my Sunday school class. I go through the same thing every year. Brother Hudson said, you know, Lord, I can't do no more. You know how much I've been doing. And I just can't do no more. And then he starts poking and prodding me. He says, what he he says, have I taken care of you this year? And as you look at me, I'm I'm pretty well taken care of. I'm not hungry. And the Lord supplies my need. And over 42 years of being involved in faith missions, The Lord has enabled us to do a little bit more every year. And we're a whole lot different place in our faith missions giving than we were 42 years ago when we first started out those very first steps of faith. But along the way, God's grown us and helped us and shown us that He will not, He will not be my debtor. And He will take care of me in every area and every need in my life. And so as we've encouraged you over these past weeks to pray. We don't want you to give because of an emotional thing going on in your life during this week. We want you to give what God's directing you to give because that way, Comes this time next year, this commitment will be met as we give obediently as the Lord enables us. Last year, Brother Robert Stevens sent me the numbers, I believe it was yesterday or Friday. The last year, and again it just depends on what date you start and what day you finish, But very close, if I remember right, you nod your head, Brother Robert, very close to $108,000 Metropolitan Baptist Church was able to give to missions. That's tremendous. But as always, we could do more. I can do more. And so as you take those cards, and we're going to pray, And then, because I'm not going to put down my mount here until after I've prayed. Then the men will come and they'll receive those cards back. And then we're going to go enjoy a wonderful lunch. Father, we bow before you today. Lord, I realize that it's a very important day in my life and ministry, but also in the life and ministry of Metropolitan Baptist Church. Father, I'm asking you to give your direction and your leadership that you would guide and direct with each individual, each family in our midst today. Father, I'm praying, I'm asking you to help me and help every one of us to give as you direct, as we would purpose in our hearts, as you would give liberty, as you would give the provision, and Father, as we would be obedient to you. Father, I'm so thankful for this church. so thankful for the generous folks that are part of this church family. Well, we're a great privilege. We're a privileged church to be involved with the missionaries, their families that we send and sponsor through our church, but also the many, many missionaries and ministries that we're part of as well over and above that. And so, Father, I'm asking you to help my faith today. Pray that you'd would enlarge our ability to trust you, that you are indeed a giving God, a God that blesses those who give. And I'm praying that you'd enable me to be that cheerful giver, especially, Fathers, we hear those reports, souls saved and lives changed from around the world. Thank you, Father. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of what's going on here today. Please bless for your glory, for your son's glory, and for the cause of Christ and the gospel. In his name we pray. Amen. Right, men, as you come, those plates. Brother Hudson reminded me as they begin to receive these cards back, reminded me, and some of you have traveled with Milton Martin to southern Mexico and the state of Chiapas and different places, and I've been in church after church after church, where after we've had a meeting sometimes, maybe a few days, maybe just one night, And then Brother Martin would go to the back like we do and there would be a line of people. Sometimes it would take an hour or sometimes longer. In the case of the 50th anniversary of his ministry, it was hours upon hours. But person after person, and Brother Martin always wanted me to stand there next to him. I was his pastor. And person after person, young and old, would come and wrap their arms. I mean, most of the folks in those Mexican villages are shorter, especially shorter than Brother Milton. And they'd come and wrap their arms around his neck and weep on his chest. And I could hear those words repeated over and over and over. Gracias, hermano. Gracias, hermano. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. One after another. He was the one, folks, that for some of those old saints, that he'd walk sometimes days to get to their village and share Christ with them. But there were churches back home that made it possible for Milton to do that. Brother Milton shared the other day about the first time he took a 10-year-old boy into one of those villages. The boy's sitting right over there. He grew up in that kind of atmosphere. What a privilege. What a privilege we have as a church to be part of their ministries. Amen. It's good. Well, they've got those cards gathered back up, and it's time for you and I to go have something to eat. As Brother Curtis said, why would you go somewhere else when there's going to be a beautiful... You got to eat. Is everybody going to eat? Somewhere you're gonna eat somewhere, right? You might as well eat here Tables are set the food is prepared. You might as well just come on back where you go now You know, you're not gonna find better fellowship anywhere Right. Hey, man, let's stand together Visitors we sure would love to have you stop stay with us brother John, you know what? I'm gonna ask you to do two things, right? What's the first thing and prep folks? We're gonna go through those doors. Just follow your nose and you'll find the food Let's think little as much Little is much when God is in it, labor not for wealth or fame. There's a crown and you can win it if you'll go in Jesus' name. Let's pray.