The Future of the Church, Compromise and Spirit-Led Living @EncounterTodayTV

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Hello everyone. I'm Stephen Strang and welcome to the Strang Report. Thank you for watching.

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You know, if you watch my channel and listen to my podcast, you know that my most recent

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book is called Spirit-Led Living in an Upside Down World because I know that many people

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just like you want to have a victorious life, want to be on the top and not the bottom,

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want to understand what's going on. And we can only do that through the power of the

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Holy Spirit. And it is indeed an upside down world. Well, today on the Strang Report, we're

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going to take a very different look at the book. And it's the look through the eyes of

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Alan DiDio, who invited me to be on his very successful podcast to talk about the book.

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I was greatly honored to be on with him. I've done quite a bit of media and every once in

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a while when there's something that I've done that I think that you would like, then I share

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it with you. And I got permission from Alan to share the video. But let me tell you what

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you're going to hear because we talked about a lot of the challenges facing the church.

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And one of the first questions he asked me was what was the greatest danger of Christians.

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And you'll be interested in my reply. We talked about past instances of revival and specifically

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the opposition to the Holy Spirit's work. We talked about the signs of the time and

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how to recognize the end times. That's kind of his focus if you know his ministry at all.

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We also talked about how there's such a hunger for spiritual revival. I believe that you

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probably feel like that or you wouldn't be watching. And then I encourage Christians

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not to play down their influence. Now, you know, I know this material fairly well. I

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mean, I've lived it in a way. But every interview is different. And Alan asked me some good

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questions, some good leading questions. And we just talked. And I just shared what was

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in my heart. I remember that we, he did, it's pretty long. It's a little bit over an hour.

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We did about an hour and 15 minutes and I asked him afterwards, I said, why did it go

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longer and he wanted to edit some things out. It turned out he didn't edit anything out.

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They added a lot of graphics. I was very, very impressed with the production. I think

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that you'll enjoy it. It is a little bit long, but I think that you'll enjoy it. And hopefully

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you'll learn something. That's the point. It's not because it's my video. It's because

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you can learn something. And then I will add one more message at the end. So here, unedited

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is Alan DeDeo's podcast. I hope you enjoy it.

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We've just come out swinging with a new book about how to live a Spirit-filled life. He's

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not compromising. He refuses to hold back. And today on Encounter Today we are so thrilled

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and honored to have this General of the Faith with us. You're not going to want to miss

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a moment as he walks through the last few decades and shares with us the parallels between

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the struggles of the 60's, the charismatic movement that followed, and what we're seeing

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today. Plus you're going to get some insight into what the Lord has to say to His Church

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moving forward into this new season as we head into 2024. If you're believing to live

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a Spirit-led life, we want to stand in faith with you. What exactly do you need prayer

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for? Let us know in the comments. One can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand

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to flight. Let's stand in faith together. Place your prayer requests in the comments

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and we're going to stand in agreement for your breakthrough. Buckle up. Here he is,

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Stephen Strang. It is so good to have you on Encounter Today. Well thank you. It's a

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privilege to be on with you. I've been looking forward to this. Well this is one of those

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really difficult interviews because you have such a unique perspective. Decades of experience.

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Kind of a bird's eye view of what's been happening in the body of Christ over that period of

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time. And I want to talk to you. You've got an amazing new book out, Spirit-Led Living

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in an Upside Down World. We have the link in the description. We'll dive into that here

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in a moment. But the church has been under attack lately. As we head into 2024, what

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do you think is the biggest threat to the body of Christ? What should we be watching

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out for moving forward? I think the number one temptation for people in the body of Christ

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is to compromise. Our whole culture wants us to compromise. I mean as much as becoming

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woke so to speak. You know like there's some people that if you don't say, I'm talking

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about secular people who don't even follow God. And there's a pressure in the body of

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Christ to go along to get along. And I believe that that is much worse than any kind of governmental

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censorship, tech censorship, any of that. In fact, I wrote a book called God and Cancel

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Culture and I said that the most dangerous kind of cancel culture is self-cancellation.

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Wow. And in a similar kind of way, the worst thing that can happen to Christians is for

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Christians to compromise, go along, back off, not be bold, change their theology to fit

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the script that the world's going along with. Yeah, and it's easier than ever now to feel

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that way, not just politically but spiritually. I often think that the spiritual conflicts

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we see are often reflected in the political conflicts we see. And there's been like a

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militant march of the reform cessationist movement to come against charisma and the

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moving of the Holy Spirit, not charisma, you in general, but the charismatic movement. For

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those who are kind of caught up in the middle of that and kind of feel they don't know what

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side to be on or they're feeling pressure to compromise, what would you say to them?

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Well there's several things I could say. First of all, I've been active in Christian journalism

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since the 1970s. Wow. I know it's hard for you to believe but it's true. And you know

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this was long before the internet. It was before Jimmy Carter, etc., etc. And we had

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cancel culture back then but it was the cessationists trying to cancel those who believe in the

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Holy Spirit. Really? You know it's a different kind of cessationism. In fact, back in that

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day there was a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the denominational churches. You

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know it's what we now call the charismatic movement. It went by different names. But

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I mean there were spirit-filled Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, they would have

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annual conferences. It was probably biggest among Roman Catholics. They would have annual

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meetings. They would have, they usually had an office that kind of coordinated everything,

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newsletters and so forth. But back then some of the denominations really, really, really

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came against the work of the Holy Spirit. I mean even a few trials for heresy. And they

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made it so difficult that either they kicked people out or these leaders just became, and

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sometimes it was more than leaders, sometimes it was whole congregations, they would just

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leave the denomination. Sometimes they would go across the street to a Pentecostal church

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where they were welcome. And in the process those charismatic movements and those denominations

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are basically gone. Gone. Totally gone. So the cancel culture of the day kind of got

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rid of it. And we could go all the way back through history of where there's, you know,

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all the way back to the early church. I mean look at all the problems in the Corinthian

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church and you know some of the other churches that Paul wrote letters to to try to correct

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them. And I'm not really a historian but I'm interested in history so maybe I'm an amateur

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historian and I followed this. So there has always been a tension, always. And it's really

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a tension between good and evil that's manifested with people and denominations and structures

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and other things. We're aware of what's happening now and yes it does seem worse. I mean that's

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why I called it the upside down world. And it does seem that we are speeding toward the

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end of time. There's no question with cryptocurrency, one world government, everyone calling for

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peace, peace, peace, etc., etc., etc. But you know what? There have been a number of

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times throughout history in which people said that Jesus was going to come. In fact there

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was one fellow that in 1988, and I remember this, he wrote a book called 88 Reasons Jesus

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Was Going to Come in 88. And it took, there were some Christian TV stations I know that

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raised a lot of money by giving away, playing it up. And you know, apparently nobody told

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this fellow that Jesus himself said nobody knows the day or the hour. And he finally

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went back into the woodwork as everybody else does. But if you study history in the 1840s

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there were Adventists who believed in the coming of Jesus who actually went up and sat

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on a mountain because there was a prophet who said Jesus was going to come between one

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day and another day. Jesus did not come. And that was actually the beginning of the Seventh

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Day Adventist movement. It was kind of like, you know, hardly anybody remembers that. And

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now you know Seventh Day Adventists are respected by most people. They also had the special

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doctrine about worshiping on the seventh day, which there are some other groups that do

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too, whereas as you know most Christians mainly worship on Sunday. But I mean, I'm just giving

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that as a little example. If you know anything about World War II there are all kinds of

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people that thought that Mussolini was the Antichrist. They never seemed to think it

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was Hitler. Maybe it was Mussolini was in Rome. Of course that came to nothing. And

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someone said one time that the past is never as perfect as we remember and the future is

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probably never as scary as we fear. And I think there is some truth to that. Now we

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cannot become nonchalant and blasé and say, well, you know, it's the same old, same old.

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In fact, are you old enough to remember the Brenda Lee story or song that was, is that

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all there is to a fire? You know, she sings a sad ballad about, you know, there's a fire

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and after it's over, is that all there is? And it comes down to, is that all there is

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to love? And there are people that treat life that way. It's a very melancholy, sad way

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to look at life and we can't look at end times. In fact, I think that the enemy would want

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to get us off guard. He wants us to not take these things seriously and just say, well,

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this is just more of the same. So I don't mean to talk out of both sides of my mouth.

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It's just that I think that we have to keep things in perspective and the perspective

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and I've in the different interviews that I've done on the book, I've mentioned this

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God has a purpose for us being here. None of us decided we wanted to be born and to

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be alive in 2023. We didn't pick our parents. We didn't pick the time of history. God did

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that and he has a plan and purpose and all, all we can do, and I hope this doesn't sound

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like some cliche, but all we can do is to be faithful and obedient to God and to God's

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word in this period of time and do what we can do. What happens in world events is way

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beyond what you and I can talk about. And there are some things that we have no control

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over. If there's nuclear war, for example, you can rebuke the missiles and plead the

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blood of Jesus and everything else and you're still going to die if the bomb falls on you

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I mean that's just what happens. And the problem that I've seen is sometimes people are so

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intense and usually they're sincere people. They're so intense and so weird that it's

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like the little boy crying wolf. You know everybody else doesn't want to look weird

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like that and they won't even hardly pay any attention to the danger. So when a real wolf

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comes everybody doesn't take it seriously which in some ways Alan is going back to your

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first question what is the biggest danger and I and I think not taking it seriously

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not seeing the signs of the times. You know Jesus talked about this. He said that secular

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people could look at the sky and tell what the weather is going to be tomorrow and that

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the followers of God couldn't even see the signs and I think that he was probably talking

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about the signs of the Messiah coming and so forth which was you know him in his own

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ministry but we have to be wise. He said himself that sometimes the children of darkness were

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smarter than the children of light and that is a terrible thing to have to say about Christian

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people because if anything if we study the Word of God, God is very clear in his word

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how we should live. If we're led by the Holy Spirit we have and this is something that

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I play up or not play up but emphasize in my book Spirit-Led Living in an Upside Down

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World if we're led by the Spirit of God we ought to be way ahead of the others and really

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the way the world is now people are looking for answers. Just in the last few days I've

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had conversations about how people flock to like Mario Morillo meetings because they're

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so hungry for reality. And right now I want to say that Jesus Christ is Lord over America.

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No weapon formed against you shall prosper. Greater is he that is in you than he that

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is in the world and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail.

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Let's give God a shout right now. And some of the revivals that have happened I was talking

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to one of the leaders of the revival that happened up in Gainesville Georgia just last

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month and they were talking about revival tourism and I've never heard of such a thing

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but apparently people are so hungry to see a genuine move of God that they will travel

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long distances sometimes through other countries to experience these revivals and in the case

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of the Gainesville revival this leader was explaining to me that they actually brought

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it to a close partly because they did not want to have revival meetings night after

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night after night where all the people were from other states who came in to get blessed

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nothing wrong with getting blessed and the local people couldn't even get in and so they

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were having no impact in the local community and I really felt that when they explained

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it that way and I'm not sure exactly how much they said publicly but I think they would

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have explained some of it. I thought that showed a lot of wisdom but the point I'm

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making is people are so hungry partly because they don't see it. We don't have moves of

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God in most churches even most churches that would call themselves spirit-filled or Pentecostal

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or Charismatic is just kind of this you know usually you feel better when you go and if

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you worship and if you're in God's presence and the word of God is explained of course

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you feel better and you enjoy having been to service but there isn't a real move of

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God like there is in some of these revival meetings and people are hungry for that so

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my point in bringing this up is that Christians like you and me and those who are watching

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we need to realize that people want what we have and not be timid and pull back and think

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that we're just a tiny little minority. We aren't. The body of Christ is you know I

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haven't looked at the statistics later you know it seems to me that I can remember when

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world population passed three billion I was a good deal younger and I think it's double

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that now it keeps going up and up and up but Christianity is certainly the largest world

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religion and even if everyone isn't serving God the way they should which has always been

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true it's still an awful lot of people that acknowledge the lordship of Jesus and try

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to some extent to live by biblical principles there's more of us than them. The media and

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the academia and some of the other institutions like entertainment and so forth they try to

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make it seem like they're winning and we're losing but that's not the case in fact that

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thinking is one of the reasons I wrote the book Spirit-Led Living an Upside Down World

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because I get a sense that a lot of Christians are discouraged and they don't really remember

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who they are in Christ and it was my way using my own experiences and my covering the Christian

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community over a period of several decades to remind people what the word of God says

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about the power of the Holy Spirit and how we can make a difference in the world today.

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It's such an empowering read to the experiences and the testimonies that you share but you

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bring you bring this unique perspective I believe apart from the word of God the most

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accurate prophetic voice is history because history tends to repeat itself and as you've

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kind of shared back in the 70s you kind of had these cessationist witch trials if you

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will and we're seeing the same thing today from your perspective do you feel like we're

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kind of on the cusp we're seeing these revivals kind of breaking out do you think we're on

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the cusp of another great awakening do you see that in the church's future? I absolutely

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do and you know I will admit that there is a glass half full or half empty and I want

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to always be an optimist and see it as half full but let's take the charismatic movement

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for example I've had discussions with church historians like Vincent Sinan and others about

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these kinds of things generally with revivals you don't really recognize revival until after

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it's over and looking back you can see what really happened and generally it takes a while

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for these things to become manifested in a big way so let's I'll start with the Pentecostal

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revival Pentecostalism came out of the holiness movement which would have included the Methodist

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Church and a whole lot of different denominations in the late 1880s it from that came the Prohibition

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movement and there were a lot of do's and don'ts the Nazarenes a lot of different groups

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came out of the holiness movement my own family came out of that movement and back in that

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era there are a lot of people praying to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit which is a

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term that you and I would be well aware of and a lot of the people who are watching and

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listening but they didn't know what what it was there there are some denominations like

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the Church of God that had like the second work of grace Charles Wesley talked about

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you know how he had he was strangely warmed you know like a second time but the point

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I'm leading up to is in 1900 in fact it's kind of interesting the real term between

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centuries is not with the zero year but with you know you start with 01 so like 1800 is

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really the last year of the 1800s if you can follow that now yes this happened with last

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millennia with 2000 and 2001 is commonly thought of differently but literally on the night

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between 1900 and 1901 there are some students into into Pica Kansas Kansas and who were

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praying and they were seeking the baptism in the Holy Spirit and those lady named Agnes

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Osmond this is well documented history who spoke in tongues and these early Pentecostals

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said this is it this is it this is the baptism of the Holy Spirit and it was just really

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a handful of people and a few little churches like it went from Topeka Kansas down to Houston

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which is where William Seymour who is a black preacher who because of Jim Crow laws had

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to sit I mean it's hard for you and me to even imagine this he wasn't allowed in the

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classroom he had to sit in the hallway and listen through the door I mean it sounds awful

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yeah but he was he was touched by God he went to Los Angeles went to a home prayer meeting

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on Bonnie Bray Street I've been there it was just an average middle class home and there

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was a prophecy that that prayer meeting would go around the world now you and I have probably

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been in prayer meetings for somebody will give a prophecy of some kind that some you

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know great thing is going to happen and it's debatable whether or not it did but you know

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that prophecy came true it became the Azusa Street revival and spread around the world

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and it was absolutely amazing what happened a newspaper reporter from Los Angeles came

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to cover it to make fun of it some man stands and talks about how God is going to judge

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San Francisco and within 24 hours was the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and

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it was the coverage of that that just made it go around the world and people came from

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everywhere to experience it and took Pentecost back to wherever they were from I mean there

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are denominations that started that way there were a couple of denominations that weren't

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Pentecostal but the leadership received this experience and the church of God in Christ

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is one the Church of God now headquartered in Cleveland Tennessee is another one this

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is a part of their church history so in a somewhat similar way and I was kind of giving

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that as my opinion of the back back story the charismatic movement Vincent Sinan used

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to say that it was considered that it took place on Easter Sunday in 1960 now I can remember

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Easter Sunday in 1960 I was a pretty small boy but I mean I can't remember that era

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I was not aware of all this that was going on but Dennis Bennett who is the rector at

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the Episcopal Church in Vanden Heise California got up on Easter Sunday and testified to have

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having received the baptism in the Holy Spirit the baptism in the Holy Ghost is a reward

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after many years of faithful Christian living because you can't get too far until you have

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it people come and they say but I'm not worthy to receive the Holy Ghost who in the world

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is how are you going to be worthy to receive the Holy Ghost when it is the Holy Ghost that

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makes you worthy let's get this idea out of our head what is the requisite for receiving

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the Holy Spirit repentance acceptance of Jesus trust and faith in him and in his blood that's

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the requirement he was fired the same day it was such a news item that Newsweek magazine

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actually did a story about it now he moved up to Seattle he started a church or took

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over a church he had a great ministry I had the privilege of knowing him the last few

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years of his life but there are people who say the charismatic movement actually started

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now that's because it would have been recognized by the press but really it was going back

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all the way to the healing revivals of the 1940 late 1940s with Oral Roberts and so forth

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Catherine Coleman full gospel businessman was very very influential they would have

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these breakfast and they would have speakers who talked about receiving the baptism in

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the Holy Spirit and all kinds of denominational people who would have never lowered themselves

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to go to a Pentecostal church where people clap their hands and shouted and acted weird

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but they would come to a breakfast in a nice hotel and it full gospel businessman which

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there is isn't a big like it used to be it had an enormous effect so here you had early

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days of the charismatic movement going on all in the 50s and then it really didn't

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get going until it was poured out in 1967 in first in Pittsburgh with a prayer group

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of Catholic students then it jumped over to Notre Dame and really took off and now there

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are millions of Catholics who testify to having a prayer language they're the ones that gave

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us this term prayer language before Pentecostals just called it speaking in tongues or some

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variation of that and so here you have all this happening in a somewhat similar way and

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I said all that to say this I believe that we're seeing the part in the 50s and early

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60s it won't really be recognized until later and you know I don't know are you old enough

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to remember that old song showers of blessing they you know they don't sing it much anymore

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but the lyric goes mercy drops round us are falling but for the showers we plead we plead

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and I think that a lot of the things we're seeing the revival at Asbury Mario Murillo's

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meetings what happened in Gainesville Georgia recently at Jensen Franklin's Church these

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are like showers of blessing and listen in the middle of a drought a few raindrops are

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a blessing but we you know we want it to be poured out like a thunderstorm to end the

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drought I think that part of it is because things are getting worse and worse and worse

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and the worst things get people are more desperate for God and I think that we've seen this through

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history look how bad things were in the world when Martin Luther came on the scene look

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how bad things were in England it's hard for us who aren't English to really remember but

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England was so bad that Karl Marx a German ended up in England and when he saw how capitalism

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worked in England and how the working-class people were so put down that's when he wrote

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the Communist Manifesto he wrote it in England but there are historians who believe that

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John Wesley and the Methodist movement changed England so much that they avoided having a

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revolution like the French did which would have been just a few a couple of decades before

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that England was right to have a French Revolution in England and it was the gospel would today

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that we have the same thing happen with people turning to God by the by the tens and hundreds

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and millions tens and hundreds of thousands and millions and so I I know this is a very

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long answer to a very short question but I'm just trying to give you you know my take historically

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on what's happening and I think that there is reason to believe if you look for it if

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you don't look for it you won't see it and the secular people don't want to see it they

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want to say we in fact some of the woke people in terms of things like same-sex marriage

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and all this kind of stuff they've actually said we won you lost and you know it's like

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after World War two when the Allies won and the ones that lost they were just out of power

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and you know their governments and so forth went away and they established new governments

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and they're saying this is a cultural war and you guys lost I don't agree with that

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at all I don't agree with it but if we go along with that thinking and just kind of

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turn power over to them thinking that we're powerless then in a way they would have won

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in fact in any war if one side just kind of gives up and turns it over to the other side

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they win without firing a shot so my book in its own way and I realize a small way in

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terms of the big picture is to try to remind people that we have the power of the Holy

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Spirit to stand against this as the body of Christ but also to stand against it personally

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so that we don't have to I mean you you can be full depressed if you sit and watch the

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news all the time you could be depressed I only watch news on an as needed basis to sort

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of keep up with what's happening with the presidential primaries or or the war between

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Israel and Hamas because I don't want to be discouraged I mean they do stories all the

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time about drag queen story hour you know it is a relatively few times that it happens

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but they play it up it makes it seem like it's every day in every library it's really

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not and now at the same time if Christians wanted to do something like that they wouldn't

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do it because the people that run the libraries are mostly kind of on the other side so to

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speak and they think this is cool they think indoctrinating children is cool well we don't

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agree with that and we need to stand up and as we stand up it's like it happened in Virginia

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that if you follow the governor's race a couple of years ago it was because of what was happening

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in the school boards where parents were standing up and complaining about some of these woke

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things that were happening in the schools and you know what happened what it shows you

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how crazy our government or at least parts of our government is the FBI was looking into

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those parents and calling them domestic terrorists if you can believe that yeah and you know

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people stood up and said no we're not domestic terrorists you need to be taking care of the

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terrorists that are coming across our southern border without even getting stopped you know

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trying to fit in with all the people that are coming here for economic reasons I mean

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there's a lot of the stuff and I know I'm getting political and that's not really the

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purpose of our discussion here but you know I mean even even some of the candidates that

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have stood up dare I mention Donald Trump you know if anything he's he's standing up

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to the bullies even though he is not exactly an exemplary Christian so to speak which people

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criticize him for but I'm thinking since when do we expect our presidents to be great Christians

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I mean was Lyndon Johnson you know it was well known he did stuff in the White House

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and John Kennedy and you know I don't want to be too explicit here but I mean we've always

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had leaders that weren't perfect and I'm not here to discuss Donald Trump although I wrote

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three books about him because I do think that that God raises up imperfect leaders and aren't

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we glad Alan because that means that if he can use imperfect leaders he can use you and

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me yeah so important and wow when we talk about revival and when we talk about the move

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of the Holy Spirit you can see the passion in your eyes those of you watching this are

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you are you receiving from this let me know in the comments what's what's jumping out

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at you but you can see your love for the history of the moving of the Holy Spirit the baptism

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in the Holy Spirit why do you feel that's so urgent I believe that the baptism Holy

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Spirit is one of the great apologetics of our day that we need to be sharing it evangelizing

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if you will the baptism in the Holy Spirit across America around the world but you can

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see that passion in you why is that so important for you well I think it's important to be

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all we can be in Christ and there's a lot of things we need to do we need to prove our

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spirituality by acts of kindness you know James talked about that we need to in the

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way that we live and act the Bible would call them fruit of the spirit but also to stand

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up against I'll say says tannic tack or spiritual warfare because the Bible very clearly says

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we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers well how

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if you're a human being how are you going to stand up to demonic attack and you know

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sometimes demonic attack is an actual demon sometimes is a generational curse that comes

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down through your bloodline you know a lot of why is it that so many alcoholics are the

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children and grandchildren of alcoholics I mean you know that's a whole different discussion

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that's true and sometimes it's just strongholds that people let happen in their lives where

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you know and I'll tell you one of the biggest ones is offense in fact we've all seen most

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people who have church hurt and that's a real thing this is it's as true as PTSD church

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hurt it's because of offenses and you know they they expected leaders to be perfect or

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they expected to something happen and they don't and then they get offended and some

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of those people are the nastiest people you've ever seen and you know unless you've been

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through some kind of church split you don't know what the definition of nasty and this

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is well we need to not be like that and how can we how can we not be like that well we

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can have the power of the Holy Spirit the power of the Holy Spirit comes to us through

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the baptism and the Holy Spirit now when I was a kid it seemed like the old older folks

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or the adults were always talking about being filled and it was like a one-time thing and

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then they were praying for years and years to be refilled well the Bible says to keep

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being filled with the spirit yes and it's something that we can actually pray every

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day and and in my in my personal time and when I'm alone and quiet and trying to think

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about the Lord I will pray and I will pray in the spirit I I write about this and in

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my book I have a whole chapter on hearing from God and also praying and on how to receive

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the baptism Holy Spirit and all those kinds of things and one of them is that the the

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Lord can speak to us you know even as we pray in other tongues I tell a story about Oral

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Roberts that I had the privilege of knowing him the last well let's see I would have known

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him the last two decades of his life and he took a personal interest in me I'm I never

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understood why but I think he'd maybe read Charisma magazine and then when I came along

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it was like oh this is a nice young man and I just he was a great man of God and he would

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tell this story that when God called him to start a university I don't even think he hard

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well I've read his biography he did have some training but it certainly was not at a major

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university and he bought this land in Tulsa which in itself was a miracle and he would

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go out and walk the farmland and pray and he told how he would pray in tongues and he

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would ask the Holy Spirit to interpret his own prayer language and in the interpretation

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he was getting kind of how shall I say it not the vision but kind of the instructions

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on what to do and today it's a great university if you've ever been out there it's it just

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shows when a man has a vision and can believe God the great things can happen so in the

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book I tell stories like this to encourage people I don't write as the this book is not

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written as theology I am not a theologian I've never been a theologian I'll never be a theologian

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I you know all of us as Christians need to have a firm theology based on the Word of

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God and there are things we can learn without being an accommodation we just can I'm a journalist

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I'm a layman and so I write in a way that people can understand or at least I hope they

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can understand and people relate to stories so one of the gifts of the Spirit is the word

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of wisdom a lot of people don't really know what that means but it's where the Holy Spirit

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reveals something to you that you would never know if the Holy Spirit didn't reveal it and

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there was a story about Reinhard Bonnke the great German evangelist who the last couple

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decades of his life had his headquarters in Orlando where I live and I I had known him

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over the years and I actually went to one of his great crusades in Nigeria in the year

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2000 and there were over a over a million people there and I had heard about this and

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I walked the crowd and saw how they counted and came back a believer that yes there were

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a million people there it was just incredible but when he moved to Orlando a few years later

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I got to know him better and he grew up in a Christian home but he had a brother who

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never followed Christ and who actually was either an atheist or a functioning atheist

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and his brother came into a very difficult period in his life a lot of things went wrong

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including a divorce and his health I tell the story much better in the book and he was

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considering taking his own life and he prayed and he said Lord if you're real have my brother

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Reinhard who is a man of God have him reach out to me and at the same time Reinhard had

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a dream that his brother had jumped off a bridge and it concerned him and he wrote him

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a letter this was before the days of the internet email and just urged him to turn his life

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over to Christ and the letter came and it was such an answer it was a word of Reinhard

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had a word of wisdom he had no idea what was happening they lived in different countries

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and didn't have they didn't communicate that often but his brother ended up turning his

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life over to Christ and so there are stories like that I tell a story with prophecy you

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know there's different kinds of prophecy including you know John the beloved told prophecy in

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the book of Revelation of course what was going to happen but there's also a prophetic

398
00:41:13,720 --> 00:41:21,000
word that that I might give to you or you to me or somebody with a prophetic gift says

399
00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:25,920
I believe that the Lord is leading you to do so-and-so and and the Lord's going to open

400
00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:32,040
these doors well we had that happen with Jonathan Cahn and I know that you had a very good interview

401
00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:38,420
with him not long ago but Jonathan Cahn had never written a book he was not very well

402
00:41:38,420 --> 00:41:46,200
known outside of messianic Judaism circles I had even though I had crossed paths with

403
00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:52,000
him once he was not somebody I really knew but the Lord had given him a book which became

404
00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:59,480
the harbinger and he wrote it but he didn't know what to do with it he was he was praying

405
00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:05,600
he was literally praying and saying Lord I've got to make a decision what to do and so I'm

406
00:42:05,600 --> 00:42:12,320
going to use this trip he was on a plane trip to a Dallas Texas I'm gonna use this trip

407
00:42:12,320 --> 00:42:17,800
to really seek you well that he had to transfer planes in Charlotte it was horrible weather

408
00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:22,680
he ended up in the waiting area about two in the morning you know I go into all the

409
00:42:22,680 --> 00:42:27,660
details but there was a man with a prophetic gift his name is huby sin we have since become

410
00:42:27,660 --> 00:42:34,280
friends he was my friend at the time and he had a gift it was usually an encouraging word

411
00:42:34,280 --> 00:42:40,000
and he would ask the Lord is it when he traveled Lord is there someone you want me to bless

412
00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:44,720
with you know give him a prophetic word and the Lord said yes I want you to speak to this

413
00:42:44,720 --> 00:42:50,200
Jewish looking man that's sitting with with his little Bible kind of going like this he

414
00:42:50,200 --> 00:42:55,240
looked all the world like an Orthodox Jew and huby said no I do not feel like witnessing

415
00:42:55,240 --> 00:43:03,040
to an Orthodox Jew because sometimes it can be a very very awkward situate you know conversation

416
00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:09,320
at but the Lord the Lord would not let him not speak to him so he spoke up and said to

417
00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:15,200
Jonathan what's the good word well Jonathan looks up and sees this businessman and he

418
00:43:15,200 --> 00:43:22,040
is a businessman he's a CPA and he just assumed he wasn't saved and he answered and said Jesus

419
00:43:22,040 --> 00:43:30,840
loves you and they instantly knew that each other were believers and huby said you know

420
00:43:30,840 --> 00:43:36,440
the Lord has shown me that he has given you a message that will shake the nations and

421
00:43:36,440 --> 00:43:42,360
you're in the valley of decision about which direction to go and I mean it was so spot

422
00:43:42,360 --> 00:43:47,760
on of what Jonathan was literally praying for he said oh we've got to sit together on

423
00:43:47,760 --> 00:43:51,400
the airplane which they did he said now give me that word again and he was taking a yellow

424
00:43:51,400 --> 00:43:57,760
pad and trying to write it down long story short huby said I don't know a lot about the

425
00:43:57,760 --> 00:44:02,240
world of publishing but I do know Steve Strang do you want me to mention something to him

426
00:44:02,240 --> 00:44:06,680
and Jonathan said you know if you feel like to do it that's fine with me so Jonathan wrote

427
00:44:06,680 --> 00:44:11,600
me and said I met this guy in the airport who says he's written a book are you interested

428
00:44:11,600 --> 00:44:17,800
well right I mean let's face it I mean if you were a publisher what would you say and

429
00:44:17,800 --> 00:44:24,040
I said I would need to know a whole lot more but if you're interested I know that I'm interested

430
00:44:24,040 --> 00:44:30,240
and can I learn more and Jonathan took that as a sign from the Lord and of course that

431
00:44:30,240 --> 00:44:34,280
was you know when we found out about the book and talked to him we could tell it was special

432
00:44:34,280 --> 00:44:39,900
we had no idea that it would sell two million copies or that it would spawn all the other

433
00:44:39,900 --> 00:44:46,760
books but I mean that was that was a prophetic word and I tell that story I also tell a story

434
00:44:46,760 --> 00:44:56,920
about how the same man huby sin gave a word to David Tyree who did that catch on the helmet

435
00:44:56,920 --> 00:45:03,600
and he was actually David Tyree CPA that's how he knew him and he knew David was a believer

436
00:45:03,600 --> 00:45:07,080
and he said I believe I have a word for you do you mind if I give it to you and David

437
00:45:07,080 --> 00:45:14,040
said no please do and he's and he knew that David was a strong Christian and wanted a

438
00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:18,840
platform but he was one of these people on the NFL that nobody ever heard of and he said

439
00:45:18,840 --> 00:45:22,240
the Lord is going to let something happen in the Super Bowl that's going to give you

440
00:45:22,240 --> 00:45:28,400
a platform for him and it was that catch they say it was the greatest catch in history so

441
00:45:28,400 --> 00:45:34,680
this book is full of these kinds of stories I could take up all our time to know stories

442
00:45:34,680 --> 00:45:38,400
and you're not you're not joking the the kind of behind the scenes and these stories of

443
00:45:38,400 --> 00:45:41,920
these great generals of the faith the book is full of that and even excerpts from some

444
00:45:41,920 --> 00:45:45,480
of the generals of the faith guys you got to get a copy of this book this is going to

445
00:45:45,480 --> 00:45:50,440
empower you to live a truly supernatural spirit fed spirit led life so let me ask you a little

446
00:45:50,440 --> 00:45:55,040
bit more about this the stories in this book because you're considered by many of us to

447
00:45:55,040 --> 00:45:58,880
be a general of the faith yourself but over the decades you've rubbed shoulders with some

448
00:45:58,880 --> 00:46:04,800
of the greats some of the giants of the of the 20th century and one of which the book

449
00:46:04,800 --> 00:46:10,440
opens with an excerpt from Jack Hayford which I thought was powerful reading through that

450
00:46:10,440 --> 00:46:16,280
it was so insightful and so good you had a personal relationship with him what was he

451
00:46:16,280 --> 00:46:19,320
really like Jack Hayford we'll talk about a few of the other folks here in a moment

452
00:46:19,320 --> 00:46:23,880
too but and what did that relationship mean to you well Jack Hayford had a wonderful church

453
00:46:23,880 --> 00:46:31,360
in Van Nuys California in fact just down the street from the church that St. Mark's Episcopal

454
00:46:31,360 --> 00:46:37,080
Church I mean literally like six blocks away you can't drive to Jack's church without going

455
00:46:37,080 --> 00:46:41,960
by this little Episcopal Church it was kind of you just have to ask yourself what the

456
00:46:41,960 --> 00:46:49,040
Lord was doing with you know two historic ministries and Jack was a wonderful minister

457
00:46:49,040 --> 00:46:53,960
and he would speak at different conferences he's also a songwriter you know he's the one

458
00:46:53,960 --> 00:47:02,560
that wrote Majesty and we over time we found out about his ministry got to know him did

459
00:47:02,560 --> 00:47:08,000
a cover story in Charisma he ended up being on the cover three different times you know

460
00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:14,840
over a period of decades and I had a good relationship with him we we were very close

461
00:47:14,840 --> 00:47:20,640
or I was very close to Jamie Buckingham he was in a different era he was kind of the

462
00:47:20,640 --> 00:47:26,400
conscience of the charismatic movement he tragically died of cancer before he turned

463
00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:32,800
60 and he had been the editor of Ministry Today magazine and I asked Jack Hayford if

464
00:47:32,800 --> 00:47:38,480
he would help us out during this very difficult transition by kind of being sort of the guest

465
00:47:38,480 --> 00:47:46,120
editor and he said yes it was the beginning of a so I worked with him much closer he ended

466
00:47:46,120 --> 00:47:51,640
up being in that position for many years later he started a seminary which is now the King's

467
00:47:51,640 --> 00:47:59,120
University and I was very very involved with that at many levels so I he was at my home

468
00:47:59,120 --> 00:48:04,680
I was in his home we were in the office many times there are some office procedures that

469
00:48:04,680 --> 00:48:09,320
we use here at Charisma Media that I actually learned from Jack he was just really he was

470
00:48:09,320 --> 00:48:17,240
a man he was masterful in so many ways and he was the same in behind the scenes as he

471
00:48:17,240 --> 00:48:26,440
was in the pulpit he was just very very relatable and you know he was a wonderful man of God

472
00:48:26,440 --> 00:48:33,640
but he wasn't without his his own problems he had a wonderful wonderful son-in-law that

473
00:48:33,640 --> 00:48:42,240
he handed off church on the on the way to and his son-in-law was 49 years old he had

474
00:48:42,240 --> 00:48:47,920
a headache he during a service and he said to one the other man I you know I need to

475
00:48:47,920 --> 00:48:55,280
slip out and he collapsed before he got out of the room and died two days later of a brain

476
00:48:55,280 --> 00:49:03,920
aneurysm I mean to have a wonderful handoff with a son-in-law who I knew pretty well to

477
00:49:03,920 --> 00:49:11,000
have to live through that there were other things like that in Jack's life that happened

478
00:49:11,000 --> 00:49:15,240
you know the kinds of things you get to know when you really know people but he was always

479
00:49:15,240 --> 00:49:24,880
consistent and he he was a worshiper he had a lot to do with work that you know worship

480
00:49:24,880 --> 00:49:28,920
when I was a kid growing up in a Pentecostal church we used to have song leaders and they

481
00:49:28,920 --> 00:49:33,720
used to stand and kind of go like this like they were leading a choir I mean that's just

482
00:49:33,720 --> 00:49:39,600
and we'd sing there's power in the blood and he's all I need and these great old choruses

483
00:49:39,600 --> 00:49:45,280
and yes some we would you know of course we would enter into worship but music today is

484
00:49:45,280 --> 00:49:53,720
much more worship full yes partly because of people like Jack Hayford and he wrote about

485
00:49:53,720 --> 00:50:01,360
the he wrote several books on the Holy Spirit he actually died he was declining the last

486
00:50:01,360 --> 00:50:06,160
couple of years so I didn't have much to do with him then he actually died after the book

487
00:50:06,160 --> 00:50:11,840
was finished and before it went to press and so we did two things we we put him on the

488
00:50:11,840 --> 00:50:22,040
cover and did a big splash in Charisma magazine and I also kind of changed some things around

489
00:50:22,040 --> 00:50:26,280
and we actually were able to pull from some materials that we had published we published

490
00:50:26,280 --> 00:50:31,360
several books with Jack Hayford he was very prolific and he had many publishers over the

491
00:50:31,360 --> 00:50:35,920
years and we used some of it and did include it in the book and I'm glad that it ministered

492
00:50:35,920 --> 00:50:36,920
to you.

493
00:50:36,920 --> 00:50:40,160
Oh such a tremendous tremendous section of the book and the book's full of stuff like

494
00:50:40,160 --> 00:50:44,160
that that you throw in there so it's a it's an amazing reading you go through it really

495
00:50:44,160 --> 00:50:49,080
fast but you really feel like you're being equipped when you're reading it and at Encounter

496
00:50:49,080 --> 00:50:55,040
Today we have a great great honor in the Generals of the Faith from Lester Somerall to Norval

497
00:50:55,040 --> 00:51:00,280
Hayes J. Edwin Orr some of these great great Generals of the Faith who were some apart

498
00:51:00,280 --> 00:51:04,400
from you mentioned Orr Roberts who in the book you tell a story about he spoke into

499
00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:09,840
your life and told you never to diminish the gift that's on your life never never to question

500
00:51:09,840 --> 00:51:13,360
the gift that's on your life so many personal stories in there who were some of the other

501
00:51:13,360 --> 00:51:15,520
Generals of the Faith that really made a mark on your life.

502
00:51:15,520 --> 00:51:19,960
I'm impressed that you must have read the book to know that little anecdote.

503
00:51:19,960 --> 00:51:20,960
Yes.

504
00:51:20,960 --> 00:51:29,000
You know John Osteen who is Joel's father and he died probably around 2000 I actually

505
00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:37,760
knew Joel when he was in college really John has several kids and I had no idea that Joel

506
00:51:37,760 --> 00:51:43,840
would you know become a best-selling author as he did and I'm under the impression that

507
00:51:43,840 --> 00:51:49,360
he never preached until his dad was on his deathbed that's what I heard too because he

508
00:51:49,360 --> 00:51:56,760
worked like they television they groomed him he was in charge of the TV ministry yeah and

509
00:51:56,760 --> 00:52:02,560
I'm trying to think how I got John was a Southern Baptist he received the baptism in the Holy

510
00:52:02,560 --> 00:52:10,240
Spirit probably in the 60s that was a little bit before my time and he used to talk about

511
00:52:10,240 --> 00:52:14,080
how the Southern Baptist gave him the left foot of fellowship you know the Bible talks

512
00:52:14,080 --> 00:52:18,480
about the right hand of fellowship it was kind of like a joke meaning that he got kicked

513
00:52:18,480 --> 00:52:23,880
out he actually had a church called Lakewood Baptist Church and they just dropped the word

514
00:52:23,880 --> 00:52:33,400
Baptist and I visited several times they they had a lot going on and they used to advertise

515
00:52:33,400 --> 00:52:39,000
in Charisma magazine back in the early days I can remember going there and visiting then

516
00:52:39,000 --> 00:52:46,260
they built a great church kind of I don't know a part of north north parted Houston

517
00:52:46,260 --> 00:52:51,760
I guess and it was thousands of people I was even invited to preach there one time and

518
00:52:51,760 --> 00:52:57,240
I'm not a preacher so I guess I kind of gave my testimony and John became a mentor to me

519
00:52:57,240 --> 00:53:05,000
he really did I would say for about a five-year period and in that setting I got to know him

520
00:53:05,000 --> 00:53:11,280
much much better and as far as I was concerned he was strong and vibrant you know he was

521
00:53:11,280 --> 00:53:16,720
up in years I don't know how old he was but he would have been probably in his early 70s

522
00:53:16,720 --> 00:53:23,640
and and then something happened and he passed away and he turned it over to Joel and Joel

523
00:53:23,640 --> 00:53:29,920
has done great but in some ways Joel has just done what his dad did because they used to

524
00:53:29,920 --> 00:53:37,060
call Lakewood the oasis of love yes and we did a story in Charisma magazine you can read

525
00:53:37,060 --> 00:53:41,880
and it talked about how was about a third Hispanic or third black and a third white

526
00:53:41,880 --> 00:53:46,440
well if you go to Lakewood now it's a third Hispanic a third black and third white they

527
00:53:46,440 --> 00:53:53,000
still call it the oasis of love John Osteen put billboards all over the city proclaiming

528
00:53:53,000 --> 00:53:57,560
the love of the Lord and inviting people to Lakewood last time I was in Houston I saw

529
00:53:57,560 --> 00:54:02,240
some Lakewood billboards and I thought well Joel has just taken a page out of his daddy's

530
00:54:02,240 --> 00:54:09,000
playbook and the services are pretty much the same now I hope what I'm saying is not

531
00:54:09,000 --> 00:54:16,240
critical I don't mean to take away from Joel Joel Joel has been but isn't is that ideal

532
00:54:16,240 --> 00:54:22,400
that a father would have a successful ministry and it was a huge ministry we would call it

533
00:54:22,400 --> 00:54:27,240
even today we would have called it a mega church I happened they bought the compact

534
00:54:27,240 --> 00:54:33,220
center which is where their NBA team played and I actually flew out there to be there

535
00:54:33,220 --> 00:54:38,840
on the first Sunday they were in the compact center wow and it's just amazing you know

536
00:54:38,840 --> 00:54:47,520
that but quite as a Houston I can't even think of the Houston yeah game their name right

537
00:54:47,520 --> 00:54:52,640
now but I thought you know they filled this up to watch people play basketball now they

538
00:54:52,640 --> 00:54:59,640
fill it up for the Lord and it's just a beautiful facility I have so much love and respect for

539
00:54:59,640 --> 00:55:06,760
Joel I just was with his sister in Dallas and she and I were reminiscing about some

540
00:55:06,760 --> 00:55:15,240
of the stuff which is actually and I was telling her how much her dad meant to me I've gotten

541
00:55:15,240 --> 00:55:20,920
to know her and some of the other siblings as I mentioned but it was his sister named

542
00:55:20,920 --> 00:55:30,640
April and he's an example Lester Somerall I don't remember how the very first time I

543
00:55:30,640 --> 00:55:37,320
was ever on TV in my whole life was at Lester Somerall station in South Bend Indiana on

544
00:55:37,320 --> 00:55:44,440
a cold January day I remember it and he talked to this young guy about a magazine he was

545
00:55:44,440 --> 00:55:51,600
starting called Charisma that was starting to get some national attention and I was actually

546
00:55:51,600 --> 00:55:58,600
on his program several times I went to the Philippines he participated in a great crusade

547
00:55:58,600 --> 00:56:05,200
with Kenneth Copeland in 1981 I would have just been in my late 20s at that time and

548
00:56:05,200 --> 00:56:09,640
there were two different groups going and I was in one group and Lester Somerall was

549
00:56:09,640 --> 00:56:15,320
with the other we changed planes in Tokyo and I sort of didn't understand that we were

550
00:56:15,320 --> 00:56:19,840
in two different groups in two different airlines I just went with the flow they came looking

551
00:56:19,840 --> 00:56:24,640
for me and said oh they're you know you're in the wrong place and they took it was remember

552
00:56:24,640 --> 00:56:31,120
that story about Jesus who was in Jerusalem he stayed with the ones that were teaching

553
00:56:31,120 --> 00:56:37,400
that was me and Lester Somerall he could tell more stories I am a rank amateur in terms

554
00:56:37,400 --> 00:56:42,080
of telling stories and he had seen so many things in his career he traveled with Smith

555
00:56:42,080 --> 00:56:49,240
Wigglesworth you know who has now become kind of iconic he was teaching on deliverance he

556
00:56:49,240 --> 00:56:54,960
built a big ministry in Manila which he helped open the doors for Kenneth Copeland to go

557
00:56:54,960 --> 00:57:03,140
they met with Ferdinand Marcos you know who was you know I hate to say he was a dictator

558
00:57:03,140 --> 00:57:08,200
we call him a strong man but I mean had an audience with him I didn't get to go to that

559
00:57:08,200 --> 00:57:14,420
it was a great experience and I used to love to sit and hear him tell stories by the hours

560
00:57:14,420 --> 00:57:20,920
and he was a great man of God he had this successful career as a missionary and when

561
00:57:20,920 --> 00:57:26,000
he came back to America he was he would have come back to America oh when would have been

562
00:57:26,000 --> 00:57:32,080
the late 60s I guess and he was so concerned about the state of America that he actually

563
00:57:32,080 --> 00:57:38,720
went into Christian broadcasting which was new new for him certainly and believes that

564
00:57:38,720 --> 00:57:42,760
he would lead a million people to Christ through Christian television and I believe that he

565
00:57:42,760 --> 00:57:49,040
did he ended up with several stations he was a great man of God and the late 60s you know

566
00:57:49,040 --> 00:57:55,200
this kind of gets back to what we were talking about before but they had riots at the Democratic

567
00:57:55,200 --> 00:58:02,800
National Convention 1968 we had three high profile profile assassinations in five years

568
00:58:02,800 --> 00:58:08,920
that was wow the two Kennedy brothers and Dr. Martin Luther King jr. we haven't had

569
00:58:08,920 --> 00:58:15,760
any assassination since and we had attempts against Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan both

570
00:58:15,760 --> 00:58:21,760
but that was a very difficult time the summer of love whole generation taking LSD and all

571
00:58:21,760 --> 00:58:27,840
that kind of stuff it was a very very difficult time economically it was difficult we had

572
00:58:27,840 --> 00:58:37,840
interest rates were 22 percent inflation was like 16 or 17 percent we had gas lines and

573
00:58:37,840 --> 00:58:41,680
you know unfortunately a lot of the time we're in kind of feels like that but you know what

574
00:58:41,680 --> 00:58:46,960
out of that era came the Jesus movement and if you haven't seen the Jesus revolution movie

575
00:58:46,960 --> 00:58:52,480
I encourage you to watch it because it's it's it's wonderful and a great witness to what

576
00:58:52,480 --> 00:59:00,620
was happening very very well done from a cinematic point of view but God brought the Jesus movement

577
00:59:00,620 --> 00:59:07,480
and also the Catholic cares listen when I was a kid growing up in a Pentecostal denomination

578
00:59:07,480 --> 00:59:13,720
the adults didn't even think Catholics were saved you know because their doctrine is so

579
00:59:13,720 --> 00:59:21,240
different from ours I believe that many many many Catholics are saved they just talk about

580
00:59:21,240 --> 00:59:25,800
a different but then there's an awful lot of Catholics that were born Catholic and and

581
00:59:25,800 --> 00:59:29,080
they go to the church and get married and they have their funeral there and that's about

582
00:59:29,080 --> 00:59:34,680
the extent of their Catholicism but you know what there are Protestants that are about

583
00:59:34,680 --> 00:59:40,960
in the same place exactly my point was that here the Holy Spirit was outpoured on the

584
00:59:40,960 --> 00:59:48,440
Roman Catholic and they would have they would have 50,000 people in a football stadium worshiping

585
00:59:48,440 --> 00:59:53,280
Jesus it was just wonderful we used to do stories about it all the time in charisma

586
00:59:53,280 --> 00:59:59,400
you'd get these pictures of these nuns you know dancing and the and the priests and the

587
00:59:59,400 --> 01:00:04,960
different ones and of course mostly it was laypeople and it started with the young people

588
01:00:04,960 --> 01:00:11,840
and I think that there is something happening and yes I'm just glad to be alive and glad

589
01:00:11,840 --> 01:00:15,320
to be in the media you know there's a lot of media that won't cover this and if they

590
01:00:15,320 --> 01:00:20,780
do it's from a jaundiced point of view but charisma media were we're wanting to cover

591
01:00:20,780 --> 01:00:26,340
the move of God we're wanting we're not wanting to exaggerate and we're not wanting to glorify

592
01:00:26,340 --> 01:00:34,040
man of course not and we're not but we want to tell just the facts that you know that's

593
01:00:34,040 --> 01:00:39,800
because of my background I when I came up through journalism there was still an emphasis

594
01:00:39,800 --> 01:00:47,520
on the truth and on facts and things like that and and I do think that a healthy honest

595
01:00:47,520 --> 01:00:52,920
press provides a real value in society it seems like the press is very very jaundiced

596
01:00:52,920 --> 01:01:00,200
and I know this firsthand because without me asking for it in any way I've had stories

597
01:01:00,200 --> 01:01:08,960
in the on me in the New York Times and with Rolling Stone and they weren't exactly complimentary

598
01:01:08,960 --> 01:01:13,180
the New York Times was probably about as nice as it could be considering who the New York

599
01:01:13,180 --> 01:01:19,040
Times is and who I am and they basically the theme of it was how could someone who calls

600
01:01:19,040 --> 01:01:26,320
himself a journalist be stupid enough to support a New York businessman who ran for president

601
01:01:26,320 --> 01:01:31,640
they just treated me like I was an idiot for that reason and oh by the way he you know

602
01:01:31,640 --> 01:01:38,240
does all this other religious stuff he was just stupid it wasn't good journalism at all

603
01:01:38,240 --> 01:01:43,960
even though I got to be friends later with the author but I'm just using that that I've

604
01:01:43,960 --> 01:01:48,960
seen up close and personal I was in the business and we don't have time to go there but I could

605
01:01:48,960 --> 01:01:54,260
see the seeds of it back when I was being trained as a journalist in early in my career

606
01:01:54,260 --> 01:01:59,960
and I didn't want to be a part of what I saw developing is much much worse at least back

607
01:01:59,960 --> 01:02:05,720
then the journalists pretended to be objective now there's not even a pretense of being

608
01:02:05,720 --> 01:02:09,480
that's why Charisma News Charisma Magazine is so important and we're going to provide

609
01:02:09,480 --> 01:02:12,840
the links in the description of this video as well for people to connect to get faith

610
01:02:12,840 --> 01:02:17,600
filled news and news that matters to you and by the way I'm so glad you brought up John

611
01:02:17,600 --> 01:02:22,800
Osteen one of my favorite preachers to this day if you want to lift yourself up just YouTube

612
01:02:22,800 --> 01:02:27,800
John Osteen John and Jody Dodi just a tremendous tremendous blessing they're preaching to this

613
01:02:27,800 --> 01:02:32,920
day still blesses me you know Dodi beat cancer and I'm not sure when it was but it had to

614
01:02:32,920 --> 01:02:38,320
be the 70s and you know some people say they beat cancer and then the next thing you know

615
01:02:38,320 --> 01:02:44,240
they say it comes back but she really really was healed and her little book on cancer yeah

616
01:02:44,240 --> 01:02:49,600
anybody who's fighting cancer is a real faith builder let's put the link for that book in

617
01:02:49,600 --> 01:02:54,320
the description too I've had that book in my library and you're exactly right it's almost

618
01:02:54,320 --> 01:03:00,120
like a booklet it's not very big I've read it several times and this conversation will

619
01:03:00,120 --> 01:03:06,560
remind me to go back and get it and yes I'm going to YouTube John Osteen tonight I need

620
01:03:06,560 --> 01:03:10,800
I need a good old it just lifts your spirit when you watch because you see that fire and

621
01:03:10,800 --> 01:03:16,720
that passion he was such a no compromise minister but he didn't bring any any angst or cynicism

622
01:03:16,720 --> 01:03:23,160
or bitterness it was just joy and faith and it was contagious when he would minister so

623
01:03:23,160 --> 01:03:27,520
so thrilling and it's good to hear that that's that's being continued and that's what you're

624
01:03:27,520 --> 01:03:31,580
kind of advocating in this book you're you're teaching people to be able to live a spirit

625
01:03:31,580 --> 01:03:35,840
led life like he lived like many of these generals of the faith who you cite who you

626
01:03:35,840 --> 01:03:40,440
quote in the book who would you say this book is for who should get this book I think every

627
01:03:40,440 --> 01:03:47,800
Christian should read it and I know that sounds pretty presumptuous I read you know it's just

628
01:03:47,800 --> 01:03:53,760
the basics I just explain what the Word of God says I talk about I have all chapter on

629
01:03:53,760 --> 01:03:59,640
deliverance you know people are talking about that now this is a good way to either remind

630
01:03:59,640 --> 01:04:04,360
yourself of things you know or maybe learn some things or even to see how things fit

631
01:04:04,360 --> 01:04:08,960
together you know as a journalist sometimes we just try to help people get a perspective

632
01:04:08,960 --> 01:04:16,160
and see how this fits with that I do a lot about the end times you know I have never

633
01:04:16,160 --> 01:04:24,560
really been into eschatology myself because it's it's all over the board and I never

634
01:04:24,560 --> 01:04:33,040
really wanted to get in debates with people about it and also I have a theory about eschatology

635
01:04:33,040 --> 01:04:38,720
that when Jesus comes back it's going to fulfill all the scriptures but it's going to be different

636
01:04:38,720 --> 01:04:43,160
than what people think because that's what happened when he came the first time his birth

637
01:04:43,160 --> 01:04:48,400
fulfilled all the scriptures but was very very different than what the Jews thought

638
01:04:48,400 --> 01:04:57,320
it would be so because of that I don't put I don't put myself out as having a theory

639
01:04:57,320 --> 01:05:01,380
I do think that it's important that we study it I think it's important that people begin

640
01:05:01,380 --> 01:05:08,700
to understand and to realize that something's going to happen I also come from a background

641
01:05:08,700 --> 01:05:12,920
where they taught the rapture which meant that all these bad things were going to happen

642
01:05:12,920 --> 01:05:19,560
but hey don't worry about it we're going to be out of here and you know that may happen

643
01:05:19,560 --> 01:05:28,400
I I'm not so certain that we can live our lives based on that assurance because there's

644
01:05:28,400 --> 01:05:34,240
only one scripture that even talks about the rapture you know in first you'd know better

645
01:05:34,240 --> 01:05:39,280
than I do because you're an expert first Thessalonians chapter 4 well I'm not an expert but as a

646
01:05:39,280 --> 01:05:45,280
pre-tribber myself I wholeheartedly agree with you this whole idea that has been used

647
01:05:45,280 --> 01:05:51,480
as an escapist mentality that just you know bury our heads in the sand and hope that we

648
01:05:51,480 --> 01:05:54,800
just get taken out of here before it gets bad listen ladies and gentlemen it's going

649
01:05:54,800 --> 01:05:58,960
to get bad and you need to be prepared you need to be ready to be shining lights in the

650
01:05:58,960 --> 01:06:05,120
midst of gross darkness and this book your insights are very enlightening even in eschatology

651
01:06:05,120 --> 01:06:10,040
and everybody needs to take a look at it for sure well if you read the book of revelation

652
01:06:10,040 --> 01:06:18,440
which I recently reread I admit I don't understand most of it but the Bible says that you'll

653
01:06:18,440 --> 01:06:22,080
be blessed if you read it and I thought you know what I've read it several times I want

654
01:06:22,080 --> 01:06:26,920
to be blessed I'm gonna read it one more time but it says it like half the world's gonna

655
01:06:26,920 --> 01:06:31,480
die that's gonna include a whole lot of Christians and I'm saying that we have to have the power

656
01:06:31,480 --> 01:06:36,120
of the Holy Spirit just to not recant your face when they come knocking on your door

657
01:06:36,120 --> 01:06:43,360
or whatever they do and try to make us recount you know recant we know that when they're

658
01:06:43,360 --> 01:06:51,180
trying now by the way is Islamic terrorists you know take hostages and stuff they often

659
01:06:51,180 --> 01:06:58,240
try to make force them to convert to Islam well this is only a few you know only affects

660
01:06:58,240 --> 01:07:04,400
a few people we don't know what's gonna happen we have to have the power of the Holy Spirit

661
01:07:04,400 --> 01:07:10,320
even to stand strong and so what they kill us you know what we're all gonna die anyway

662
01:07:10,320 --> 01:07:15,760
our lives are like a vapor the Bible says that now we we'd like to live a few more months

663
01:07:15,760 --> 01:07:21,960
or years of course I mean that's you know God put it the will to live within us but

664
01:07:21,960 --> 01:07:27,680
they kill you so what you're suddenly in Jesus presence you win either way you know but I

665
01:07:27,680 --> 01:07:33,080
really believe that we have to have the power of the Holy Spirit yes stronger than ever

666
01:07:33,080 --> 01:07:42,080
and so that's what I hope people get out of the book and I'm doing everything I can to

667
01:07:42,080 --> 01:07:47,960
try to get the word out was on Daystar last week and now with you and I just met with

668
01:07:47,960 --> 01:07:54,400
a one of the major denominations last week that have agreed to use it as Bible studies

669
01:07:54,400 --> 01:08:03,000
each while as you see it's kind of standalone with study questions at the end I taught it

670
01:08:03,000 --> 01:08:08,160
in my own home we've had it in a few other churches and and there are a lot of churches

671
01:08:08,160 --> 01:08:12,640
that talk about the Holy Spirit they say we believe in the Holy Spirit but they don't

672
01:08:12,640 --> 01:08:19,200
teach on it much my book is a way to do it and I've prepared some little videos they're

673
01:08:19,200 --> 01:08:24,460
about eight minutes long and it introduces each chapter I did this actually in my own

674
01:08:24,460 --> 01:08:31,240
home because I found it was not easy to summarize all chapter with the goal of getting discussion

675
01:08:31,240 --> 01:08:39,080
started so we everyone agreed to kind of read the chapter ahead of time and if people will

676
01:08:39,080 --> 01:08:44,800
email me I didn't check with you ahead of time but if they email me at info at charismamedia.com

677
01:08:44,800 --> 01:08:51,640
and ask we will send them a little playlist you just email it back you can watch you know

678
01:08:51,640 --> 01:08:59,240
they're all there there are 13 of them this could be a 13 week study in a church a small

679
01:08:59,240 --> 01:09:05,120
group a Wednesday night this denomination said some some pastors will likely teach this

680
01:09:05,120 --> 01:09:10,920
like on a Wednesday night and that's my goal yes I'm in the business of publishing that's

681
01:09:10,920 --> 01:09:16,600
how I make my living but I didn't write this book you know just to sell a book I'm trying

682
01:09:16,600 --> 01:09:23,760
to get it out far and wide and I really appreciate you being allowing me to articulate this because

683
01:09:23,760 --> 01:09:28,440
and listen mine is not the only book there's all kinds of books many many many books written

684
01:09:28,440 --> 01:09:35,040
on the Holy Spirit and we need many many more this was this is what I could do I felt led

685
01:09:35,040 --> 01:09:39,040
of the Holy Spirit to do it I had done several books on Donald Trump and I just felt that

686
01:09:39,040 --> 01:09:44,320
I needed to write one that's really kind of my life story there's I tell some of my own

687
01:09:44,320 --> 01:09:49,320
stories in there I tell about how receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit when I was

688
01:09:49,320 --> 01:09:55,120
11 years old which really helped me through those difficult teenage years and how getting

689
01:09:55,120 --> 01:10:02,560
turned on radically to Jesus in my late teens early 20s actually going through deliverance

690
01:10:02,560 --> 01:10:08,600
in the chapter I talk about how I for me I just sort of had to know I just had to know

691
01:10:08,600 --> 01:10:14,000
but you know what some things I battled went away so even though I didn't have a lot of

692
01:10:14,000 --> 01:10:20,160
manifestations myself and I think that and I say this in the book when I talk about deliverance

693
01:10:20,160 --> 01:10:25,200
there are some Christians who say that a Christian can't have a demon and literally probably

694
01:10:25,200 --> 01:10:31,240
cannot be demon possessed but I'll tell you what the the devil oppress you and tie you

695
01:10:31,240 --> 01:10:41,240
up every which way and a lot of problems that won't go away have a spiritual warfare basis

696
01:10:41,240 --> 01:10:49,540
yeah and if the you know if you remember the story in the Old Testament where Naaman had

697
01:10:49,540 --> 01:10:55,800
leprosy remember and the prophet told him to dip in the muddy Jordan and he didn't want

698
01:10:55,800 --> 01:11:01,160
to do it and and his servant said you know what if he'd asked you to do something really

699
01:11:01,160 --> 01:11:04,880
difficult you would have done it he asked you to do something that is to kind of like

700
01:11:04,880 --> 01:11:10,680
beneath you some people it's like beneath them they're they're too proud to admit that

701
01:11:10,680 --> 01:11:15,920
they need prayer but they need a it can be a friend or a pastor just someone who has

702
01:11:15,920 --> 01:11:22,440
spiritual authority can pray with you to overcome you can pray for yourself Greg Locke my friend

703
01:11:22,440 --> 01:11:26,720
calls this self deliverance and there's a lot of deliverance that you can just take

704
01:11:26,720 --> 01:11:34,160
authority over the enemy be quiet your spirit be able to focus pray in tongues get into

705
01:11:34,160 --> 01:11:39,060
a spiritual atmosphere just rebuke the devil the Bible says rebuke the devil and he will

706
01:11:39,060 --> 01:11:46,920
flee from you that's God's word and if self deliverance does not work you know it's good

707
01:11:46,920 --> 01:11:53,240
help a little bit like getting sick if if your own little remedies don't work you know

708
01:11:53,240 --> 01:11:59,920
maybe you need to go see a doctor and to me some of this is just common applying common

709
01:11:59,920 --> 01:12:10,080
sense and common sense in in taking what's available to us through through God's word

710
01:12:10,080 --> 01:12:16,200
through the teaching we we get from our pastors and and other spiritual leaders you know for

711
01:12:16,200 --> 01:12:20,640
twenty five years as a pastor I get a lot of questions about a lot of things and the

712
01:12:20,640 --> 01:12:25,280
most common answer that I give people to their question doesn't matter what it is is be led

713
01:12:25,280 --> 01:12:29,600
by the spirit that's the answer to a thousand questions be led by the spirit but then the

714
01:12:29,600 --> 01:12:36,560
question arises how well you're gonna learn how by reading this book the link is in the

715
01:12:36,560 --> 01:12:41,800
description it will change your life Stephen Strang I can't thank you enough for coming

716
01:12:41,800 --> 01:12:45,960
on the program how can people connect with you other than the links we have in the description

717
01:12:45,960 --> 01:12:52,800
well they're probably the best ways I do have a website called Steve Strang books.com and

718
01:12:52,800 --> 01:12:57,360
I've published over two thousand books but I've only written a couple in the last couple

719
01:12:57,360 --> 01:13:01,360
of years if they're interested in any of the books I wrote on Donald Trump they'd be there

720
01:13:01,360 --> 01:13:06,280
and of course you can get my book and if they buy it from my website which is called which

721
01:13:06,280 --> 01:13:12,080
is either there or my charisma shop.com they get an autograph copy the easiest way of course

722
01:13:12,080 --> 01:13:18,720
is probably go to Amazon and encourage people to do it I hope it ministers to them I'd love

723
01:13:18,720 --> 01:13:27,020
to hear from any of your viewers and listeners you the easiest way is to go to info at charisma

724
01:13:27,020 --> 01:13:32,680
media.com charisma media is the name of our company we write it as if it's one word and

725
01:13:32,680 --> 01:13:39,280
they pass along the emails I get quite a few and I answer each one of them and I would

726
01:13:39,280 --> 01:13:44,440
love to hear from people especially if something that was said because you and I just had a

727
01:13:44,440 --> 01:13:50,100
conversation we didn't rehearse this at all and hopefully something that was said ministered

728
01:13:50,100 --> 01:13:55,360
to you maybe it was even a word that the Holy Spirit used in due season for something that

729
01:13:55,360 --> 01:14:00,120
you're going through. Yes well ladies and gentlemen you have access to this general of the faith

730
01:14:00,120 --> 01:14:04,600
email let's write him share with him how this has blessed you and encouraged you get a copy

731
01:14:04,600 --> 01:14:09,480
of the book let him know you saw it through encounter today and be sure to click all the

732
01:14:09,480 --> 01:14:13,440
links we have in the description to connect with this ministry charisma magazine charisma

733
01:14:13,440 --> 01:14:18,080
news once again Stephen Strang it's truly been an honor. Well thank you it's an honor

734
01:14:18,080 --> 01:14:23,440
to be with you and let's do this again sometime. Absolutely ladies and gentlemen click the

735
01:14:23,440 --> 01:14:28,480
links in the description get a hold of this book today and learn how to live a spirit

736
01:14:28,480 --> 01:14:33,800
led life. We'll see you soon. I think Christians are tired of supporting woke companies with

737
01:14:33,800 --> 01:14:37,940
their dollars when they take those dollars and support agendas that are antithetical

738
01:14:37,940 --> 01:14:43,040
to what we believe as Christians. That's why it's important for the body of Christ to raise

739
01:14:43,040 --> 01:14:48,180
up a parallel economy. That's one of the reasons why we started our own coffee company right

740
01:14:48,180 --> 01:14:52,120
here at encounter ministries where you can get some exciting blends like our brand new

741
01:14:52,120 --> 01:14:56,880
one I'm really excited about this one Azusa Street mornings where you can get your morning

742
01:14:56,880 --> 01:15:01,280
out pouring where we give honor to William Seymour on the back of the coffee bag there's

743
01:15:01,280 --> 01:15:05,800
some facts and information about Azusa Street about William Seymour because we want to build

744
01:15:05,800 --> 01:15:10,880
your faith and speaking of faith we also have the Wigglesworth blend where it's awakening

745
01:15:10,880 --> 01:15:15,380
faith and these are amazing actually they taste amazing they're going to be your favorite

746
01:15:15,380 --> 01:15:20,680
coffee and they make great gifts with every brew you become a part of a movement that

747
01:15:20,680 --> 01:15:26,080
transcends a morning routine together we're brewing revival awakening hope and delivering

748
01:15:26,080 --> 01:15:30,680
love one cup at a time you can select from whole bean or ground as many bags as you

749
01:15:30,680 --> 01:15:43,840
can for yourself and for your family and support the preaching of the gospel.

750
01:15:43,840 --> 01:15:50,520
Well thank you for still staying tuned I hope you enjoyed that I know it was long I watched

751
01:15:50,520 --> 01:15:56,280
it myself and was very impressed as I had said earlier with the production value I also

752
01:15:56,280 --> 01:16:02,080
was interested that the sales in spirit led living upside down world really spiked after

753
01:16:02,080 --> 01:16:06,000
it showed so that meant that a lot of people want the book and it's not because it's my

754
01:16:06,000 --> 01:16:12,200
book listen I've written books I've published a lot of books is it does it help you and

755
01:16:12,200 --> 01:16:16,460
I really believe it does there are things in here that are very practical I cover everything

756
01:16:16,460 --> 01:16:22,720
from the end times to goal setting and temptations and deliverance and all that kind of stuff

757
01:16:22,720 --> 01:16:27,320
I really believe that you'll like it and some people like signed copies so if you go to

758
01:16:27,320 --> 01:16:33,520
my website which is my charisma shop.com and buy spirit led living upside down world it

759
01:16:33,520 --> 01:16:39,480
will be signed I personally signed all the copies or sometimes it's easier to go to amazon.com

760
01:16:39,480 --> 01:16:44,800
and it's still in a lot of stores so thank you for watching thank you for being a subscriber

761
01:16:44,800 --> 01:16:50,260
share this with other people they'll enjoy it we wanted to go viral and it's because

762
01:16:50,260 --> 01:16:57,680
people like you watch us again and again every Tuesday and Thursday 4 p.m. Eastern time live

763
01:16:57,680 --> 01:17:04,640
on rumble and YouTube and then of course it's on the internet 24 7 so again thank you for

764
01:17:04,640 --> 01:17:15,600
watching God bless you.