Gilroy's Franchise began in 1953 because of a burden my parents had for reaching deaf at the gospel. I've said this here before, but it probably bears repeating, deafness is an educational handicap. So that you could have anyone of a number of handicaps and still benefit from this service. If you're blind, if you're crippled, if you're educably slow, you still benefit from this service. But if you're deaf and came to Gospel Baptist, nothing would make any sense to you at all unless somebody who loved the Lord and loved you interpreted the service for you. And so my sister Betty was deaf and my parents led Betty to Christ and they had a burden to have a camp where deaf young people could come and quote, hear the gospel. The first year we had 12 in 1953 and now we have about 250 a summer. And all the deaf teenagers that come, come free of charge. There's no cost. Their way is paid through the campership fund, which you people now have helped with for several years. You know, a scholarship is where you need help going to school. Well, a campership is where you need help going to camp. So most of the deaf kids who come are lost, as are their parents. And so there would be no interest in coming to camp apart from it being free. But being free has really worked wonderfully for us through the years. We figure it takes $250 for one campership, that is to pay for one deaf teenager at camp for one week. But the wonderful thing about the campership fund is that if you give $250 or if you give $2.50, it'll all go into the fund that helps make it possible for deaf young people to come. Does that make sense? So whatever you give, it will help. And I hope you'll give tonight to the campership fund of the Bill Rice Ranch. We have to raise about $50,000 a year for the campership fund. And frankly, I think it'd be great if we raised all 50 tonight. So we may be selling one of the buildings here at Gospel Baptist to make that possible. Let me let you meet Mary, my wife. Pal, would you stand up so they can see you? Mary and I have three children. Will is 49. Can you believe that? My youngest is 42. We have three children. Will and Sina are at Land O'Lakes. He's preaching there today. They have three children. Their youngest is 17. He's with them. The other two are in school. And then Wendy, And Lee have three children, one in college, two, one graduating high school, and one in school. And then our youngest, Wren, she and Nathan have three, and the twins are 17. They'll be graduating this spring. So Mary and I have four graduations, one in Virginia, two in Florida, and no, excuse me, two in Tennessee. and one in Florida that we have to take care of this spring. Will is the president of the Broaddus Ranch. You saw him on the video. That's Will. You know, it's hard to believe. My dad ran the ranch for 25 years. And then Mary and I had it for 25 years. And Will and Sina are in their 18th. Isn't that hard to believe? Wow, it's just hard to believe. But that's the way it is. Let me mention quickly the book table in the back. We have some books in the back. They all belong to the ranch. They do not belong to Mary and to me, and when you purchase one, none of it comes to us. It all goes to the ranch. I've had this one here before, but let me mention it. This is First Light. This is Will's devotional book, and it has 365 devotions, and they're excellent. They're all theologically correct. They're encouraging. They're devotional. They're insightful. It really is a blessing. That's $12. This is brand new, and I'm really excited about this. This is Lauren's book. Lauren is Will's eldest, his daughter. And the title of this book is Says Who? The idea being under whose authority? So you say what you say from the Bible, says who? is the point, and it's a study in the book of Genesis. And every chapter has a place where you can answer questions if you are so inclined. Let me just read you, I really love this book. This is a great book. Let me read you a couple of the chapter headings. Chapter three, Identity Crisis, Our Identity as God's Children. And then chapter seven, That Looks Good on You, a biblical perspective of self-esteem. Here's one of my favorite, chapter eight. You are not cast out. Lessons from Hagar. I like that one. And then here's an interesting one. Recovering from Christian agnosticism. Lessons from Jacob. Now, I don't know what agnosticism means, but I read it so you could just see that I could say the word. And if you'll get the book, you can find out about all that. This is $15. If you get both books, $12, $15, you get them both for $25. Pretty good. That's a savings of, carry the two, a bunch. That's a savings of, I think it's about $30, I'm not sure. But at any rate, those will be available after the service tonight. If you write a check for a campership, and I hope you will, make it out to the church, And that way, the church would give one check to the Bill Rice Ranch, and you'll have record of your giving, the church will have record of its giving, everything will be done decently and in order, and that's the way it should be. Don't you think? Okay. So we're in the 11th chapter of Leviticus. We'll have prayer. Let me start first. I don't normally do this, and then we'll read the text in just a moment. Father, help us, I pray, as we look at this wonderful verse. I pray that it'll sink into our hearts and bless us and encourage us and may we live in light of it, I pray. And we ask these things in Jesus' name and for his sake, amen. When I was in Bible college, I think I was a sophomore, I intended to read through the Bible in devotions in the morning. So I started obviously in the book of Genesis and that was thrilling. The book of beginnings, it was just breathtaking. You have the creation, you have Abraham, you have Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, one of my favorite characters in the Bible. I loved Genesis. Then Exodus was equally thrilling. The leaving of God's people from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses and then I got to Leviticus and I got bogged down Leviticus is all about the temple and the priest and the things that are clean and unclean and for example I remember thou shalt take the blood from the sacrifice and place it upon the ear the right ear and then on the right thumb and then the Bible says on the great toe of the right foot. And that may be interesting to you, but it left me somewhat wanting. And so I was struggling through the book of Leviticus until I got to the 11th chapter. When I got to the 11th chapter, I read a verse, and I'm not exaggerating this, that absolutely changed my life. In fact, I thought about using this verse as a life verse. But it's not the kind of verse you can do that with. In fact, I warn you when we read the verse, it will not be a verse that you'll say, wow, that is just filled with meaning for my life. But it did make a big difference in my life. And when I first started in revival work, I preached on this verse and just about every revival. So we're gonna read the verse together. It's in Leviticus chapter 11, and it is verse 15. I'll read it, and you can look on, all right? The Bible says, every raven after his kind. Now, don't say I didn't warn you. I did warn you, did I not? I told you it's not the kind of verse that would just stand you on your head, It really, when you give some thought to it, can be a blessing. You know, ravens are not mentioned often in the Bible, but they are mentioned several times, and the way they are mentioned to me is interesting. Let's look at a couple. Can we do that? Turn to Genesis chapter eight. Genesis chapter eight. If I said, Noah sent a bird out of the ark, What bird would you say he sent out of the yard? A dove. All right, a raven is true too. You're kind of ahead of me on this. Look down at verse seven. And he sent forth a raven, this is Noah, which went forth to and fro until the waters were dried up from off the earth. In other words, the raven never came back. Also, he sent forth a dove from him to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground. But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. Then he put forth his hand, took her, and pulled her into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven days. And again, he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came into him in the evening, and lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth, and he stayed yet other seven days and sent forth the dove, which returned not again unto him anymore." Now, sometimes Bible teachers have said the raven in Genesis chapter 8 pictures lost, undone, sinful man. because the raven did not come back to the ark of God's salvation, whereas the dove did. And so, some Bible teachers have said, interestingly, I think, that the dove represents those who have placed their faith in Christ and are in the ark of the salvation, whereas the raven is not. The raven left, never came back to the ark. Now, turn to Job 38, would you? Job 38, this is one of my favorites. Job 38, we're gonna look at verse 41, but before we do that, look down at verse four. God speaking to Job, where was thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare if thou hast understanding. Now verse 41, who provided, that is God, for the raven is food. When his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat. I wonder if you're seeing a pattern here. In Job 38, 41, after having said, God, to Job, Job, where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? In other words, God, the great creator, and then you come from the great omnipotent God who created the heavens and the earth down to the little raven who is cared for by God. So here's what we've seen so far. The raven is unclean. That's what every raven after its kind is all about in Leviticus chapter 11. In the preceding verses, the Bible says, you're not to eat this. It's unclean. It mentions the eagle and the osprey. Every raven after his kind, they were unclean. They were not to be eaten. So we know that the raven is an unclean animal. And then in Genesis chapter eight, the raven may be a picture of lost undone man. And then we come to Job 38, 41, and we see the majesty of almighty God and the insignificance of a little raven. So the raven's not doing too well, is it? Psalm 147. We have much the same kind of truth in Psalm 147. Look down at verse 5, Psalm 147, verse 5. Great is our Lord, and of great power His understanding is infinite. All right, so now once again, you see the power and majesty of God. Great is our Lord. And of great power, his understanding is infinite. So God is omnipotent, he's all-powerful, and God is omniscient, he's all-knowing. Now, look down, if you will, at verse 9. He, that is God, giveeth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. So you have God in his power, God in his wisdom, compared to a little insignificant The kicker, I think, is found in Luke chapter 12. You want to turn there with me? Luke chapter 12. If I said to you, the Bible says, his eye is on the... That's what you'd say. Sparrow. And you can be certain that God cares for you. Well, look at Luke chapter 12, verse 24. Jesus is speaking. Consider the raven. For they neither sow nor reap, which neither have storehouse nor barn, and God feedeth them." Now, listen to this. How much more are ye better than the fowls? Now, the Lord Jesus is teaching the disciples that God will take care of you. God will take care of you. After all, Jesus says, you know, look at the raven. He doesn't sow or reap. He doesn't have a storehouse or a barn. God feeds them. How much better, Jesus said to the disciples, are you better than the fowls? Now, I want you to think about this through the eyes of the disciples. Think of Peter. Peter would have known that a raven was sent out, I assume, from Noah's ark. Peter certainly would have known that a raven was unclean. Peter probably knew about the comparison between God in heaven and the raven here on earth, both in Job 38, 41 and in Psalm 137. And Jesus was making the point, look, don't take thought for your life. You know, the life's more than what you wear and it's more than what you eat. After all, the raven doesn't sow or reap. doesn't have storehouse or barn, God feeds him. How much more are you better than the fowls? Now, put in our common English, it would be, you're a lot better than ravens. If God would take care of ravens, you can be assured he'll take care of you. And can you see how that would have sunk into the heart and mind of a man like Peter? Let me ask you something, Peter. Are you better than a raven? Well, I guess so. I'm a lot better than a raven, an unclean bird. I'm better than a raven. Well, let me tell you something, Peter. God takes care of the ravens, and God will take care of you. So you can see that the standing of a raven in the Bible is not good. He's unclean. He may be a picture of lost men. and Genesis 8. In both Job 38 and in Psalm 147, you see him in his insignificance compared to God. And then here in Luke, you see Jesus using the raven to convince the disciples that God would take care of them. After all, if he feeds even the ravens, he would take care of you. So are you with me so far? All right, there's one more significant speaking about ravens in the Bible, and you probably have already thought about this. It's when the ravens fed Elijah at the brook Cherith. You remember the story? Now, we all know it, but out of the sheer joy of just seeing it once again, turn to 1 Kings chapter 17. 1 Kings chapter 17. and we'll read this story. I just love this story of the prophet fed by the ravens. Look at you at verse one, if you would. This is 1 Kings 17, verse one. And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, as the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand, there shall not be dune or rain these years but according to my word. I love that. Verse four. God spoke to this prophet in verse three, get the hints, verse four. And it shall be that thou shall drink of the brook, that's the brook Cherith, and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he, this is Elijah, went and did according under the word of the Lord. For I went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Georgia. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the brook." Ah, Elijah. I think the greatest prophet of all the Old Testament times. It was Elijah who called down fire on Mount Carmel. Remember that? It was Elijah that took his cloak and smote the waters of the Jordan and then walked across on dry ground. It was Elijah of whom Elisha said, Father, and Elijah whom Elisha wanted to see go to heaven. It was Elijah to whom Elisha was so close that God sent a fiery chariot to separate Elijah and Elisha, and then a whirlwind took Elijah into heaven. Elijah never died. He was taken up whole into heaven, a great man. Well, somebody says, well, Bill, didn't Elisha perform more miracles than did Elijah? Well, it's true. Elisha performed more numbers of miracles, but not more different kinds. In other words, every miracle that Elisha performed, Elijah had already performed that same kind of miracle. It was Elijah that had the school of the prophets. It was Elijah who was remembered at Calvary. When Jesus was dying on the cross, he cried out, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, which is being interpreted, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And some of them that stood by when they heard it said, behold, he calleth Elias, Elijah. In other words, these Jewish people thought that Jesus was calling for Elijah. He was not, but they thought he was because Elijah is recognized as a great prophet in the Old Testament. I cannot think of a greater prophet than the prophet Elijah. And while all of us have great admiration for Elisha, it was still Elijah who was the leader and beginner. Now listen to me, and you listen to me carefully. Elijah would never have done anything for God. He would never have performed any miracle for God had it not been for a little lowly indescript unimportant, unclean, perhaps a picture of a lost man, compared to God a nothing raven. In fact, the first miracle that Elijah would have been forced to perform would have been the miracle of raising himself from the dead, because had it not been for ravens, Elijah would never have been the man of God that he was. Elijah said, God, I want you to go to the brook Cherith. You can drink from the brook and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. And so Elijah went and every morning and every evening, the ravens brought Elijah food and the ravens brought Elijah something to nourish him and to eat. And that day as a student in Bible college, I sat down in my room and said, if God can use a raven, then God could use me. And if God could use a raven, then God could use you. And if God can use a raven, then God could use us. I'm telling you that it is not the raven and its ability, or its intelligence, or the lack thereof, or his usefulness, or his worth. It is none of those things is the fact that God used a raven. And if God uses ravens, people, God can use us. Which brings, I think, an interesting question. If God can use ravens, and He can, can He not? and God can use us and he can, can he not? Then why is it that so often he doesn't use us? Can I mention three reasons? Never run, ravens aren't as smart as we are. When God said the raven, I want you to take bread and flesh to this prophet who's gonna starve if you don't take it. The raven didn't say, now Lord, I know you mean well. but I'm not really good at this delivering food business. Some people can witness and some people cannot. Some people have the gift of knocking on doors and others do not. Some people can work for a woman and for the children and others cannot. Listen, I appreciate everything you're trying to do, Lord, but you don't understand what I understand because I'm smarter than a raven. I really am not that usable. You know what I'm saying? And so you can't use me. Number two, ravens don't sin. You say, well, of course I do, Brother Bill, and I know that, all of us do. If we say we do no sin, we deceive ourselves, and it's true that it's not in us. But if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. that there is failure in my life or yours and that there is sin in your life or mine is no excuse for allowing God to use you. Confess it, forsake it, clean it up and get busy. Well, somebody says, you know, Bill, you may not have noticed, but I am of retirement age. Well, the problem with that is that in America, I saw three guys on the way here that were retired that couldn't have been in their 30s. They had little cardboard signs saying homeless. And I would be as concerned about a person without a home as anybody else, but I think if you need a home, it might be, though unique, an idea that you'd get a job. So they say, well, these guys, you know, they really can't get jobs. I'm sorry. I'm just not ready to buy that yet. The guy's in his twenties and he's retired. I'm, I'm asking questions. So maybe you're in your seventies or older or younger and you're retired. Yeah, that's fine. But you're not retired from service to God. All of us should be serving. So It may be because we're smarter than, it may be because we're sinful, it may be because we're just rebellious. This is fascinating to me. The Bible says, God said, I will command the ravens to bring you bread and flesh. So did God command the ravens? Yes. Did they do it? Yes. Let me ask you a question. Has God said, give and it shall be given? Okay, then are you obedient? Has God said, as you are going into all the world, which is really what the text says, as you are going into all the world, be sure you proclaim the gospel? The Bible doesn't say you need to go to witness it. It says you need to be witnessing as you go. Because the Bible understands that everybody's going to be going. They did in the first century. And heaven knows we do in the 21st century. We're all in the process of going. We all meet people. We all see people. So as you go, be sure to proclaim the Bible truth that Christ died for our sins. That's a command. I don't know how many people I've heard say, well, soul winning is not my gift. It's not anybody's gift. It's the responsibility of all of us to take the gospel and to give it to people. So the deal is, God used a raven because a raven was usable. He wasn't as smart, he wasn't sinful, and he wasn't disobedient. God didn't say to the raven, take bread and flesh, and the raven say, no, I don't think I'm gonna do that. In fact, the raven didn't say anything. God commanded, the raven obeyed. You know what? That would be a help to all of us. If we would say God's commands and then we would follow, it would change lives in this service. We are to be servants and God can use us. And I know all of us feel at times, for whatever reason, inadequate, don't we? All of us feel inadequate. You know, I'm not the person to do. You know, I am so thankful for people who just do because they follow God's leading. You know, Will said in the video tonight, three of the people who will be ministering to deaf young people this summer, that's Rebecca, she's the girl that spoke. That's her sign name, Rebecca. And then Alan, that's one of the men that spoke. And then Ronnie, that's another one of the men that spoke. Rebecca teaches young ladies and Alan and Ronnie both preach in the Deaf Weeks. They're deaf. Are you listening to me? They're deaf. But they reach deaf people. Ronnie often speaks to hearing crowds. And he's worth hearing. Ronnie speaks and then there's a reverse interpreter, somebody like Mary. that would sit on the front row and have a mic in front of them, and they will tell you what Ronnie is saying. And I'm telling you, he's worth hearing. Ronnie, as a deaf evangelist or a deaf preacher, to me, makes a lot more sense than some of the people I've heard who have both ears and they're good. So the point is, God, listen, there's a place where God can use you. I have a friend that lives out on the Northwest. He pastored for many years. I had revivals with him. in the late 60s and early 70s. Wow. So that's a long time ago. And he's older than I. I'm 78. I think maybe he's 85, 86. For years, he has worked with a hospital system in the Northwest as a, quote, chaplain. And he just visits people and he sees people and he wins people to Christ. And he does all the time. We're getting letters from Brother Bill all the time where he's talked to this 70-year-old or this 80-year-old or this 65-year-old or a man who's lost his wife or a dear lady who's lost her husband. He's a comfort. He's a help. He's a blessing. He wins people to Christ. He's doing the work of God. And you can too. I don't know where you can be most effective, but God will show you if you'll just get at it. If you'll just say, Lord, listen, if you use ravens, you can use me, and I want you to use me. If you just tell God you want him to use you, he will. When I was about eight, my father was traveling and mother in revivals, and Pete and Kay and I, the three of us, were traveling with dad and we went through Greenville, South Carolina and we stopped at Bob Jones. I didn't know anything about Bob Jones, of course, I was whatever, eight years old, but my dad had spoken on several occasions with Dr. Bob Jones Sr. Now Bob Jones Sr. was an evangelist in the last century. and he held great, we would call them today, city-wide or area-wide campaigns. He would preach often in a building that was built for the purpose of the revival. And he would preach for maybe five or six weeks to thousands of people. He was a great evangelist in the early part of the last century. He preceded John Rice and and others who may be somewhat well-known as evangelists. And he was wonderfully used of God. Well, he started a school. I've forgotten if it's in 29 or 39, but he started a school, Bob Jones University. Pastor went there, and he started the school. And so we were visiting the school. So we were staying the night, and we had supper with Dr. Bob in the dining hall. And after supper, he gave me a dollar and said, buy the family ice cream. Well, there were five of us, and in those days, ice cream cones cost a dime. Yes, people, I'm that old. That's what they were. They cost a dime. And I have never forgotten that. So my sister Betty, who's the oldest, went to Tennessee Temple. Great help to her. My sister Kay went to Tennessee Temple, great help to her. My brother Pete went to Tennessee Temple, great help to him. I went to Bob Jones. Now you say, Brother Rice, why did you go to Bob Jones? Because of Bob Jones Sr. And because of ice cream. I never got any more when I got to school, but that's why I went to Bob Jones. And I had a great admiration for Bob Jones Sr. I wanted to be an evangelist. He'd been wonderfully used of God as an evangelist. And so I considered it a privilege to, in quotes, sit under his tutelage, even though he was at the end of his life and didn't preach or teach very much or really at all when I was a freshman. But he still had a great impact on my life. Well, when I was a sophomore or junior in Dothan, Alabama, which is where Bob Jones was just a kid, just a boy, They erected a plaque on the highway where the homestead was where Bob Jones lived. You following this? So they got up in Chapel and they talked about the plaque. Well, when I was a senior in college, I went to a wedding in Chipley, Florida. Anybody here know where Chipley, Florida is? Yeah, all right. Chipley is just south of Dothan, Alabama. And 231 runs right through Dothan, and 231 goes to Murfreesboro. So I was at the wedding, and after the wedding, I got in my 1956 Ford. This is something that taught me the meaning of faith, driving a 1956 Ford. 1956 Ford, and I said, you know, I would like to see the plaque that designates the boy at home of Bob Jones Sr. So I got to Dothan. I stopped at a filling station. I said, you know where the plaque is that the highway department's put out for Bob Jones? He said, yes, you just go on 84. He said, you go out about two miles, and you come to a hill, and you go up over this little hill, and you dip down into a little valley, and then up over a second hill. And when you do, you look to your right, and the plaque is right there. And then he said to me these famous words, you can't miss it. Now that's always been a challenge to me, because I feel like if I can't miss it, nobody can. And so I want to prove that I can. So I got in my 1956 Ford. My 56 Ford, nothing worked really well on it. Its right headlight was up like this. So it would have been great for squirrel hunting, but not for driving down the highway in the left light, you know, worked pretty good and so on. So I got in my 56 Ford, I went out a couple miles, up over hill, down, up over the second hill, looked to the right, sign wasn't there. I wasn't surprised. I didn't think it would be. So I backed up. I thought maybe if I did it the second time it would appear. So I backed up second time and I came over the first hill, over the second hill, looked to the right, it wasn't there. There was a house up on the hill and the lights were on. So I parked the 56, the Ford, and went up to the house and knocked on the door. They had company. I was embarrassed because I was interrupting. And I said, excuse me. I was looking for the boyhood home of Bob Jones, Sr. And there's supposed to be a plaque around here someplace. I wonder if you know where it is. And he said, yes. The plaque was actually right out in front of our house. But the highway department is doing work on the road. And so they've taken the plaque down. But he said to me, you see across the highway, about a quarter of a mile away, you see that farmhouse there? And I said, yes. Well, he said, on this side of the farmhouse, there is a lane that goes back to a field, and in that field, the well still stands where the house used to be, where Bob Jones Sr. lived as a 9-, 10-, and 11-year-old. I said, thank you. I got back in the 56 and I crossed the highway and I turned down the lane. I thought I should ask the people in the farmhouse because I was on their property. So I could see a lady in the kitchen on the side door. So I walked to the side door and knocked. She opened the door, drying her hands with a dish towel. And I said, I'm really sorry to bother you, but I was looking for the place where the house used to be where Bob Jones Sr. lived as a boy. And they tell me, it's just in the field behind your house. Is it OK if I see it? She said, sure. She said, there's nothing there. But if you follow this lane down, you will see the well where the house used to be where Bob Jones Sr. lived as a kid. I said, thank you. So I got back in the 50 cents. And I drove to the field. And then I swept the field. seeing all the trees above me, and I swept the field until my light fell on the pipe that was standing up from the well. I parked the car, and I got out, and I walked up to the pipe. And I looked down in it. Of course, I couldn't see a thing. But I just wanted to say I had seen the pipe where the well was, where the house used to be, where Bob Jones, Sr. lived as a boy. And after I looked down in the well, I just stopped and prayed, and I thanked God for Bob Jones and that all that he had meant for me and to me. And I asked the Lord if I could be an evangelist, something like Bob Jones Sr. was. Then I went back and got in my car and drove 400 miles home that night. I didn't think of it that night, but I have literally hundreds of times since. Let me ask you a question. Was Bob Jones Sr. a raven or a prophet? Well, you say, Bill. Great area-wide crusades, five weeks in length, hundreds of people saved, thousands of people hearing him preach, the founder of a school which bears his name. I would say Bob Jones Sr. was a prophet. But if we could resurrect the old 1956 Ford, an impossibility, I know. And if you and I could drive down that lane, which is now a golf course, And if we could find the well, I'm told it still stands, where Bob Jones Sr. lived and played as a boy. And you could see in your mind's eye a boy in southeast Alabama, almost certainly barefoot, with overalls, running around with 10 siblings, and his mom, Georgia Creel. Would you say he was a raven or a prophet? Oh, Brother Rice, I guess if I saw him in Southeast Alabama, I would think of him as a raven. So which was he? Bob Jones went to Gloria in 1968. If he were here tonight and we said to Bob Jones, do you consider yourself to be a raven or a prophet? I don't know what he would say, but I think he might say something like this. I don't know and I don't care. I don't care if I'm the greatest prophet America has ever known, or if I'm the lowliest raven that's ever walked the earth. When I was 11 years old, God told me he wanted me to preach, and I did. When he was 13, he heard his, he held his first revival in a brush arbor two miles from the spot of that sign. So what was he, a raven or a prophet? I don't know. And I don't think it makes any difference. Here's what makes a difference. At a point in his life, Bob Jones Sr. said, God, I want you to use me. You determine how, you determine where, you determine why. I just want to be usable. I just want you to use me. And God did. And you can say the same thing to God. I'm hearing all the time, you know, Bill, These missionaries coming off the field for various and sundry reasons, and boy, there's such a need that people serve the Lord. Well, of course there is, but there's not just a need for pastors and evangelists and preachers on mission fields. There is a great need for God's people to say, Lord, use me. And if that means a wanna, so be it. And if that means a bus, so be it. And if that means a men's breakfast, so be it. The point is, God can use you if you're usable. So stop saying, well, I'm a nobody or I'm a nothing, and I don't have any abilities. That's not the point. It's not your ability that God's looking for. It's your willingness that God wants. And once you turn to God with your willingness, everything else falls into place. So are you a raven or are you a prophet? Well, I don't know. You don't either. It doesn't make any difference, does it? I would have been honored to be a raven feeding Elijah, wouldn't you? We would be honored if we were in the business of being a prophet. Whatever it is God wants you to do, that's what you need to do. And you can do it if you're simply willing. If you would like to know more about the Lord Jesus Christ, you may contact us at the church website, gospelbaptistchurch.com, or you can go to Facebook and type in Gospel Baptist Church, Bonita Springs, Florida. Also, you could call the church office at 239-947-1285. Thank you, and God bless.