I love my country. Amen. This is one Indian that never bad-mouthed America. Amen. I believe what I fought for. I believe when I served in the military, you know, it was worth fighting for. And if you ask me, I'd do it again. Amen. I love this country. If you don't like it, go down to Mexico a while. Or up to Canada somewhere. Amen. You know, Canadians, Canadians have never had to fight for anything, and that's why they don't have a fighting spirit. I just found that out, you know. I went up there preaching Montreal, and I told them people I was preaching, and I told them, I said, you guys ain't fought for nothing, have you? You know, and America's different. Us Indians, we fighting you. You know, we fought for something. Amen? We fighting all over. Some of us hadn't quit yet. We're still fighting. I like a man with a fighting spirit, amen? I like a man, you know, just rear back and let you have it, amen? Acts chapter 28 verse 1, And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melitta. And the barbarous people showed us no little kindness, for they kindled a fire and received us, every one, because of the rain and because of the cold. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom though he had escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire and felt no harm. How be it they looked when he should have swollen or fallen down dead suddenly, but after they had looked a great while and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a God. You know, anytime you go out camping, it ain't real camping and it ain't good camping unless you build a fire. And a fire needs to be built. Food on this stuff, people go around in the RVs, and you know, they sit in the RVs, go camping. When I go camping, man, the first thing I do is I build a fire. And I believe this week we come here to camp meeting. And we want to build a fire. We want God to build a fire in this place. You know, God ain't got no trouble building a fire. I'll tell you, we just come out west, and there's about 18 different places, fires burning, out of control, and man's trying to put out the fire. Guess who started the fire? God did. Amen. A lightning bolt here, lightning bolt here. And I'll tell you, he's just lighting fires and people trying to rub two stones together, trying to start a fire. God just says, you know, let that lightning come down here and start a fire. God had no trouble building a fire. I want to tell you tonight, I want to just preach a little bit on this fire here. And you know, like I said, the blessing of coming to a camp meeting is you leave when the fire's burning, and I'll tell you, that's what I want this week. I want God to build fire out of my soul, and I want to be different when I leave, and I want to be able to help my people when I go home. Boy, I'll tell you, there's some things that we lack just today in America. The fire of revival and the fire of evangelism are going dim, and we need not stand by. Let us get fired up this week. Amen. If you're not called to preach, amen, do something for God. Amen. Find a place somewhere. The fight's good everywhere. Just find a place and get in there and start fighting. Amen. And I want to say that Christians need to keep the fire going. You know, you say, well, what are we talking about? You know, the thing I want to say is, you know, there's a danger in building a fire. And that might be why a lot of people don't like to go to these kind of meetings. It might be why a lot of people just sit in their pews and just go home, you know, and nothing ever happens because, you know, there's danger of building a fire sometime. And we see this in our text. How much trouble can you get into building a fire? And you know, while God has built a fire in your soul, you know, you better maintain it and keep it going. God would like for you to be on fire, but there's a danger. I wanted to say, Paul, who was, we read about him here as a much misunderstood, mistreated servant of God, but I appreciate Paul. You know, he never one time, in all the 14 books he wrote, never took time to complain or charge God foolishly by the things that happened to him. He just said, you know, this is my light affliction, he said. This is nothing, he said, compared. You ever notice that, Christian, when you're hurting or when you're kind of having them pity parties, that God always puts you in front of somebody worse off than you? And you know what? That's God's way of dealing with His servants. And I'll tell you what, but there's a danger of building your fire. I want you to notice, first of all, the starting of this fire. You know, oftentimes, you know, our trials take a toll on us and, you know, we get cold on God. We get indifferent, and then you know what? Life is cold without God. Life is cold without the need to do something. You know, the greatest need for these men that just got through a big trial, come out to the shore, was to build a fire. That was the greatest need. And may I say to you tonight, the greatest need every Christian has today is to build that fire. We need that fire built down in our soul. A fire that God will build. Amen, a fire for souls, a fire for the doing right, living right for God. We need that today. I believe that, you know, that's the thing that's determined how good a church is. You know, I like to see the Spirit of God move. Many years ago, when Indian people were fighting the white people in this country, the only way that the Indian could send a good message was by fire. He needed three things, you know. He needed a fire, and then he needed a wet blanket. Amen. And then also, he needed green pine needles. And he would build a fire, he would take that fire and put on top of it them green pine needles. Green pine needles will not burn, but it'll sure smolder. And when it'll smolder, he'll get that wet blanket. And he'll lay it on there and just send a smoke signal. Get the message. I want this week to let you know that, you know what, we need some people out here to get those three items in their heart and say, God, let me set a fire for you across this country. Let me send the right message. Let me send a message. Paul did here. You know, life is cold without God, I said. But you know what? The biggest need in our churches is a well-built fire. We need a well-built fire. You know what? You need a fire. No fire means no joy. No fire means no shout. No fire means just no progress, you know? We're just here. But I want to tell you, there ought to be something come out of this meeting. There ought to be something that ought to get someone, ought to get staring up. Amen? Go back and do something greater for the Lord. You know what? The feeling of fire is hard. There's dangers in it. You know, I hear several years ago in our church we married a young couple and he's been coming to camp meeting with me every year. And this year he didn't make it because he's in a place called Djibouti, Africa. And you know what? He wrote back and you know he's writing us and he said it's about 130 degrees. He said, we're just out there, you know, every day. And he said, the troop isn't doing anything. He said, he's in the U.S. Marine. But he said, I decided that I'm just going to do something for God. So he went out and he started passing out tracts. And he started to tell people about the Lord. He went sent home for some tracts in that country's tongue. And he started passing out tracts. And one day, he met a Muslim. And he met a Muslim. And that Muslim, he said he was walking down the road, and all of a sudden, A horn blew, and that Muslim just went to his feet, he took the blanket, laid it down, and got down and faced the east, and he started mumbling something. And he said, he just waited and watched him. And he said, after he was done, the man picked up his blanket, put it over his shoulder, started walking towards him. He said, when they met, he said, what did you just do? And the man began to tell him that he was practicing Islam religion. And he said, well, he said, do you know about that? He said, yeah, I've heard about it. He said, I'm from America. He said, we have a God we serve. His name is Jesus Christ. And he started witnessing to this Muslim. And the Muslim said, well, what makes him different than my God? And he said, rather than me standing in the hot sun to tell you about it, he said, you understand English enough, I'll tell you what, let me trade my Bible for your Koran. And the man said, OK. So they swapped Bibles. They swapped books. And he said a week later, he saw that man, and he came up and he said, here's your Qur'an, you want it back? He said, oh no, he said, go give it to somebody else. I've done found something better. I'm saying to you today, hey, hey, there's a man, there's a book, there's, I'll tell you what, there's a man that built a fire, amen. Somebody's soul, somebody got, somebody's fire got lit. That man never be the same, because somebody built a fire. I want to tell you what, folks, we need to build that fire. He sends letters home. He's our unofficial missionary, Brother Levi. What a blessing. He built a fire out there in the middle of the desert. And God got to sit around in our church, people weeping when he wrote a letter. And he said, and we always hear these missionaries talk about how hard it is to win Muslims. And Levi said, I guess it's better, you know, it's good that I don't know nothing. Glory! But I'm saying, you folks, we got churches. No prayers, you know, no preaching, no praising, no participation. That's why there's no fire! Why do we need to build a fire? Paul started that fire. Hey, if there's no fire burning in your church, build one, amen! Everybody get over there and build you a fire! Get it stirred up, keep it stirred up! Not only that, but I want you to notice number two, the stirring in the fire. Paul got over there and he grabbed a bunch of wood and he put it on that fire. Bible says that viper got out when the fire was built. Amen. You know why a lot of times we can't run off the devil, can't stir him up? Because there ain't no fire. I believe we need the fire of God. I mean, this snake didn't move until that fire came in. That fire was built. You know, a good fire will stir up the devil, you know it? I mean, we're probably stirring the ground this week. Amen. Already we heard some good preaching and good singing. Hey, we got the devil on the run. Amen. And all God's use is a fire. I'm saying to you, there needs to be a stir in the fire. You know, a good fire will stir up the devil. The devil's not stirring up because a lot of Christians are cold. We're not on fire for God. We got all this, I used to be. You know, I used to do this. I've done that before. Well, why ain't you doing that now? Why don't you get back to it? Amen? I mean, listen, I think today we need a lot more people to get involved in building that fire and then stirring that fire. I mean, listen, ain't nothing good for Baptists than to make the devil mad. Amen. If the devil stays mad at you, hallelujah. You get the devil stirring up all the time, you know what? I'll tell you, he might come out and bite a few times, but I'll tell you what, that's worth it just to be able to frustrate him. Just to be able to let him know, folks, that he don't need to be resting there in some area and just have comfort zone. Paul, you see, what, went to believe in stirring. He believed in stirring that far. And we need to stir it up. Maybe that's all you do this week, get your fire stirred up. That'd be enough to get you back to doing something, baby. I mean, listen, we independent, fundamental, King James only preaching church. A lot of us, you know, we talk about the church, we talk about how good it is, but you know, a lot of times, we're not doing what we're supposed to be doing. Because our fire is not burning. I want you to notice something else there. He said there, you know, in verse number three, it said there, and Paul was gathered, when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid down on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat and fastened on his hand. You know, notice when we see the servant only started the fire, he stirred it, but the servant got bit. Paul got bitten, and you know why he got bit? Because he was closest to the fire. You know why a lot of you don't have no trouble and everything is just smooth all the way to glory? Some of you don't want trouble. Some of you don't want problems because you enjoy this too much. I believe we ought to enjoy what we got, but every once in a while we endure it. Every once in a while we get close enough. And do you know when Paul got close enough to the fire, you know what happened? The viper fastened on him. And you realize when you build a fire and you tend it closely, eventually somebody will come up and attack you. Amen. I hear it all the time, you know. I heard the other day back home, and God forbid, you know, Brother Calvin is a rugby knight. Oh, I told that brother, I said, you just found that out? I said, I was running with that crowd long before you started. I said, that don't bother me. I just kept going. And he said, doesn't that bother you? I said, no. I said, I had worse things bite me. Ain't nothing, you know? I want to tell you folks, when you get close to the fire, you are going to be bitten. I mean, a brother will bite you. Ain't nothing like a good brother coming around and just take something out of you. All in the name of the love for Jesus Christ, all in the name of charity. That's what they do. You realize tonight, folks, if you tend to fire closely, eventually you're going to offend somebody. Might be that family member. It might be that friend sometimes, you know, that, you know, he agrees with everything, but you know what? Sometimes we're all going to have to go through the valley. Eventually, you're going to have to go down the valley. Hey, I like the mountaintops. I like it when the shouting's good, and honey's flowing, and everything's just going good, but sometimes I've got to come off that mountain. And there I go again. I'll go up on the mountain. And here I go there, down in the valley. And up the mountain, praise the Lord, shout out, but here we go down in the valley. Boy, you better count your blessing, Christian. You know what I heard recently at the hospital? This is good. Boop. Boop. Boop. This is not good. Amen. You better thank God. Amen. You got some trouble coming to your life. Go ahead and stir the fire. Go ahead and make somebody mad. Go ahead and put some salt on your preaching. Put some salt on your Christian life. Make somebody mad. Remember, this is good. This is bad. Amen. I want to say, Christian y'all, to say what Paul said. He said, and so be that we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him. And I'll go ahead and go through with all that problem. Hey man, this year, probably the best year we've had, the camp meeting, it got good from day one. And it just stayed good all the way. Then you can't, man, I had a heart attack, you can't. I mean, all these kids started running, I seen Mark McGehee, he couldn't sit still no more, he took off. And perhaps the church left the building. And it was on. I'll tell you, we stirred the devil enough that he left. God came in. God showed up. God got to stir it around. I tell you what, that was something I had never seen on the reservation. Boy, I tell you what, I would not even be able to tell you, you know, ten years ago that that would happen. But that's because, you know, there's some people that were willing to take the time, the effort, willing to take the blows, willing to take the hardship, just so that God could do something with them. I want to say, that you know the servant got bit, but that getting bit was a good thing. Now I want you to notice number four, verse five, the Bible says this, and he shook it off. The beast to the fire felt no harm. You know what it says there? And he shook off the beast. Amen? You know what? You get a fire started, you stir it, And then you go in there, and you know you get bit, and there's somebody come after you. You know what you do, brother? Shake it off! They come around, criticize you? Shake it off! They come around, you know, and complain? Shake it off! Amen! Just whatever they do, just go ahead and just shake it off! Amen! Amen! Just shake it off! Bible said Paul got in there, he was in knee-deep trouble, but he just got him, he just shook it off! Oh, we'd have a whole lot less casualties if people knew how to just shake it off. Won't you shake it off tonight? Them things that bothered you, them things that you brought to camp meetings, hey, just shake it off. When people come against you, shake it off. Amen. When problems confound you, shake it off. When persecution comes your way, shake it off. Hey, when people criticize you, shake it off. Amen. Just pray and press on. Just shake it off. That's what Paul did. He just shook it off and went on. You know, that's what we need to learn tonight. Now, I want you to notice in verse number 6, Habiadeh, look when he should have swollen. or falling down dead suddenly. But if they had looked a great while and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a God. I want you to know, last of all, that he didn't swell up. He didn't swell up! Listen, Peter Paul, when he got bit by that snake, surely an unsuspecting poisonous viper would have just took him. But you know what? He didn't swell up. You know, good Christians get mad, but they don't stay mad. Did you hear me? It amazes me the things people get mad about and stay mad about. Listen, we need to realize that, folks, we get stirred up. You know, Paul told Timothy, he said, stir up the gift that is envy. Stir that up, he said. You know, I think about that. You know, all the trials, all the problems that Paul had, you know, he shook it off. You know, he just kept on going. You know, the thing I like about this, you know what? I think Paul didn't swell up because he had confidence in the Savior. I believe he kept looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who the joy was set before him and endured at the cross, despite the shame, and sat down on the right hand of God. He said, one day I'll be where He's at. I'm just going to keep trusting him. I'm still just going to keep going. You know, he had confidence in the Savior. You know, we need tonight to build a fire of confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to build a fire tonight in the compassion for sinners. Amen. Paul had compassion for sinners. He said, my people of Israel. He said, I would that, you know, that they was like you and I. He said, my people of Israel, you know, I would that they would get saved. He said, I would like to get him to come to know Christ. That was his burden. He had compassion on his people. I think we have more people saved this year than any other year. And you know, it's because our people are finally starting to show some compassion for their own people. And God allowed us to start a church last May, right before we came camping up in Alaska with an Alaskan brother. May I tell you, our hearts got knitted together, that brother. And everybody makes fun of me on the reservation. Brother Calvin, your buddy, up in Alaska. I said, yes he is. He's our stripe. And you know what, that brother said, you know, Brother Calvin, he said, you're the only Indian I know, he said, that's working with his people and Preach like the way you preach, and people love it. I've had Indians run off people. I've run off people. I said, people, they don't really do that. Why? I told them, I said, brother, you have to learn how to have compassion for your people. You can preach hard, you know, with compassion. People read through the lines and they see that. You know, we need to have some compassion. Build that fire of compassion. Number three, build fire of consistency. Hey man, stay on the job. Don't be this up and down, middle of the road Christian, man. I'll tell you, be there. Be where you're supposed to be. You know what? I just wanted to say this. Paul was consistent. Paul had confidence in the Savior. You know, Christians, when we do that, we build a good fire. And you know what? I'm sure that rainy day, there was plenty of firewood on that island. But remember, it was raining. And Paul had to look real hard, that's why he found a snake. Had to find real hard to find some good fire that will kindle. But you know after you got that fire going, you get a good fire going, even the wet log will burn. If enough of us get fired up, stirred up, we can get some of these wet logs in on it. There's some wet logs in here. You're in here. Well, I'll figure this week we get this thing fired up. You wedlaw get in on it. Let there be something that we could call mission accomplished. Would you go home this week, build a fire? You a pulpit preacher? Would you build a fire in your people this week? Would you build a fire in the area where you're working for the Lord? God help us that we do that.