Pray For Miracles

Dr. Tim Rivers | March 9th, 2025

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Hey, if you are a guest with us today, we just want to say welcome to Embassy City Church. We are delighted that you are here and we love the opportunity to get to know you more. So if you are a guest and you don't have to be a guest, maybe you've been around here, but you're ready to get some more information about Embassy, we would love to talk to you. So right after service, out the back door to the right, go all the way down. We have a welcome center with friendly faces and people who are there to talk to you, answer any questions you may have, also give you a free gift. Who doesn't like a free gift? Come on now. But we just love, we would love to get connected to you. Maybe you've been around here and you're wondering, what is my next step? What is God calling to me next? We are a church that is moving forward. We believe that God always has something for us to do. So there's a QR code and a seat back in front of you. Just scan that QR code and you will see several options for your next step. Maybe it's that you join the church.

S1: Maybe you've been around the church. It's time to join the church, become a member. Maybe it's you want to join a group. I think all the groups may be filled up, but still look on there. If you're a guy, my group is not filled up yet. And it's on Wednesday morning from 7:00 to 8:00. Are there guys that are in that group, make some noise. Come on now, join those guys. Maybe your next step is giving. It's giving. You know, we don't just give God our time and our talents, we also give him our treasures. And by the way, anything that you have, you got it from God. We are a generous church. That's part of our culture. We give a lot and we believe that this is the nature of God. So maybe that's your next step, is to join us in generosity. Whatever your next step is, make sure that you're doing something because God wants to use you in a spectacular way. And everybody say amen.

Would you stand to your feet?: We're going to the book of Luke, chapter 11. The Book of Luke, chapter 11. If you got a paper Bible, make some noise. Oh, man, that was nice. I love hearing pages turn. If you're an electronic Bible person, make some noise. We have to do Bible sword drill at some point. That dates me right there. Bible quizzing. Anyone grow up doing Bible quizzing? Bible sword drills, memory verse, challenges. I can't say that I was real spiritual when it came to that. I just wanted to beat the next person. I remember one time we did a memory verse challenge. And we always had Saturday night prayer before Sunday. And I would go around and ask the guys in my class how many verses they memorized in case I have to go home and memorize some more. And I had a friend of mine that had memorized a few more than I did. So I went home and memorized another 50 verses because he wasn't about to get me. Really, the reason I did it is because I want to hide the word of God in my heart that I may not sin against him.

Luke, chapter 11, verse number one. Here it says, now, Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples. And he said to them, when you pray, say, father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us, and lead us not into temptation. Now, for some of you, you may think, man, this is different than the one I memorized. This is the Lucan version. Matthew also writes a version of that. We'll look at that here in a minute. And he said to them, which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, friend, lend me three loaves for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey and I have nothing to set before him. And he will answer from within, do not bother me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything. I tell you, though, he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence, his persistence, he will rise and give him whatever. Somebody say, whatever.

He was so annoying. He said, I'm not just going to get you bread. What do you need to stop bothering me? And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you. This ain't me saying that. This is Jesus. Seek and you will find, knock, and it will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds. To the one who knocks, it will be opened. What father among you if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? This is a cruel father. If you then who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? We can go home right now. This passage preaches itself, but here's my title. Pray for miracles. Pray for miracles.

Let's pray. Lord, we are so grateful, so thankful to be in your presence. I pray that in the next few moments as we consider your word, that you would give us revelation from your word, that you would give us rhema. Let the word come alive to us. Help us, Lord, to have ears to hear, heart to receive, and a mind to understand what you would say to us. Change us from the inside out. Do what only you can do. Work miracles in this place. Give signs and wonders. We give your name the praise, the glory, and the honor because you're worthy of it in Jesus name. And everybody say amen.

Look at your neighbor and say, neighbor...

It's already done.

Look at your other neighbor. Come on now, other neighbor, it's already done.

You may be seated. I love that y'all knew I was going to do that, so y'all didn't even sit. I want to begin today by addressing, by discussing two opposing theological views on miracles, signs and wonders. So we're going to nerd out for a second. Is that all right? All the nerds make some noise. Let's go. There are really two views, two extremes that are opposed to each other. But there are two views when it comes to talking about miracles, signs and wonders, especially as it relates to their existence and their activity today. And I think it's very important to talk about these two, because there are people who are in this building, that are watching online who may be skeptical about miracles because of either their own personal experience, maybe something that they saw or something that they were taught. There are others in this room, in this building, watching online that wholeheartedly believe in miracles because they have experienced a miracle that is undeniable.

But really, there are two theological views. One is called cessationism, and the other is called continuationism. And I want to break these down. And the reason why I want to break this down is because your view, your theological view of miracles, signs, and wonders, has a tremendous effect on your view of God and your relationship with him. So the first thing I want to talk about is cessationism. So cessationism, here's the definition, is a theological belief that spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophecy, and healing, ceased with the apostolic age. Now, I don't have a lot of time to really dig deep in there and tell you about the origins of where it came from. But I will say the basic belief of those who believe in cessationism is that the miracle gifts, primarily tongues, prophecy and healing miracles, ended in the apostolic age. Now, the apostolic age is the period of time between the ascension of Jesus and the death of the last surviving apostle of the original 12 apostles. Make sense? So the last one, the last of the 12, would have been John. John died in 100 AD around the age of 93.

So a cessationist view believes that miracle, signs and wonders were active with the original 12 to prove the validity of God and the validity of the inception of the Church. However, it ended with the last apostle of the original 12. And the premise for this belief is really based out of First Corinthians, chapter 13, where Paul says that tongues, prophecy, and knowledge will cease when the perfect has come. Now here's the kind of issue with that. When does the perfect come? Because Paul doesn't give us a time period for when the perfect comes. He doesn't say, hey, this is going to end with the last apostle. In fact, in the next chapter, First Corinthians, chapter 14, Paul begins to encourage the church. And he says, I wish that you all would earnestly seek after spiritual gifts. Now why would someone say these gifts are going to be no more, but by the way, pray that you get more of them?

Make it make sense. What Paul actually meant when he said the perfect come, he meant the end of the age, the end when Jesus comes again and eternity begins. I want to talk about this second view. The second view is called continuationism. And continuationism is the theological belief that the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual gifts, have continued to the present age and are available and active today. This is the view that we as a church, Embassy City Church, we espouse that view. And here's why. We believe that when Jesus said in John, chapter 14, verse 12, truly, truly I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do. And greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father, we believe that Jesus actually meant it. We don't believe that Jesus said that and was like, I'm just kidding. We believe that when Jesus said that, he actually meant it.

We believe that when Jesus said in Mark, chapter 16, verse 17, and these signs will accompany those who believe in my name, they will cast out demons. They will speak in new tongues, they will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them, they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover. We believe that God actually meant that. We believe in a wonder... We just sang about it. We believe in a wonder working God. We believe that God stands outside of time and space, and yet he interjects himself into space. We believe that the works of God are wondrous, they're miraculous. We believe that the demonstrations that the early church saw through the power of the Holy Spirit, healing of the sick, casting out demons is still available today. In fact, this is what I will tell you.

If you believe in this book, you believe in a book of miracles. From the very first page of this book, you start reading miracles. Think about this. The creation of the world by the spoken words of a God that you cannot see, that's a miracle. Bringing fire down out of heaven to consume a sacrifice, that's a miracle. Raising a little boy just by laying on him who was dead, that's a miracle. Killing a thousand Philistines with a jawbone of a donkey, that's a miracle. Killing Goliath with a stone to the forehead, that's a miracle. Surviving in a fiery furnace and being there in the presence of the one who looks like the Son of God, that's a miracle. Chilling in a lion's den with hungry lions and not being eaten up, that's a miracle. This entire book, walking on water, that's a miracle. Feeding 5,000 with two fish and five loaves of bread, that's a miracle. Raising Jairus daughter, that's a miracle. Healing a woman with the issue of blood, that's a miracle. If you believe in the Bible, you believe in miracles.

I could go on and on, but it's in the very nature of God to work miracles. It is a part of his character. You cannot separate miracles from God, because God, when he interjects himself, is always working miracles. Here's the thing. To deny that miracles exist is to deny the fundamental characteristic and nature of who God is. To say that miracles do not happen is to say that at some point in history, God, who has for hundreds of years worked miracles, was like, yeah, I'm done. But the greatest proof of miracles is your personal testimony of what God has done in your life. I wonder, are there any people in here that could testify that God has healed your body? Are there any people in here that could testify? I'm talking about a hand raised or a hand clap that God healed your mind when the doctor said there is no hope?

Is there anybody that could testify that you ran out of money, didn't know how it was going to happen, but God miraculously supplied all of your needs according? Are there any witnesses here today? I could pass the mic around and we would be here all day. Let me just tell you one of the miracles that I experienced when I was in my late teens, I was playing racquetball with a friend. And we were going at it, man, and it was down to the final points, and we were going. And we had been playing for several minutes. And I did something that I normally never do when I played racquetball. I took my protective eyewear and I put it up on my forehead and I did a mean surf. And I don't know why, but I turned around to see if he's going to return it.

And when he did, he hit the ball with all fire, and it hit me right in the eye. And when it hit me in the eye, everything turned black. I fell to the ground and my eye just started burning and I couldn't see out of it, and it was starting to swell and turn red. And so that was the end of the game. I went to the eye doctor and I said, yo, I can't see. The light is hurting it. All the above. The eye doctor did an exam of my eye and he said, you have extensive nerve damage in the back of your eye. And he explained to me that racquetball eye injuries are some of the worst. In fact, most people will lose their eye if they get hit by a racquetball in the eye. And the reason being is the racquetball, which is round, when it gets hit, it turns into an egg like shape. And what happens is it pierces into the eye and it pushes the eye back into the back of the eye socket. And then when it pops back out, it turns into a suction cup and pulls your eye back out. Some of y'all like...

So essentially, I had extreme trauma to the eye. I couldn't see out of it. It was hurting. They put me in an eye patch. He said, most likely, you're going to have extensive damage. You already do. We see the blood vessels. You have extensive damage to the eye. This may not be good, but we need you to come back in a few days and we'll do an eye exam and we'll see. We'll go from there. I had an eye patch on, and I thought to myself, you know what? I need my eye. I mean, I want both of my eyes. So I went to church with an eye patch and I said, I need somebody to grab the extra virgin olive oil. Because if I remember, the scripture says, are there any sick among you? Let them call for the elders of the church. And they shall anoint them with oil, right? And the sick will be healed. I said, I need y'all to dab me up with some of this oil.

So they came and they put some oil on my eye. I said, yo, a little softer, please. It's still hurting. The miracle hadn't happened yet. They put it on my eye. They prayed the prayer of faith. I felt like something happened, but I couldn't explain it. That night, I went to bed with my eye patch. I woke up the next morning. I had no pain in my eye. And I thought, okay, maybe I got healed, but I got to go verify. I went back to the eye doctor and I said, and I went without my patch. And he said, okay, let's do another exam. He checked my eye. He said, I'm not sure how to explain this, because we have the images from when you came in, but there is absolutely zero evidence that your eye ever had trauma. You can't tell me that God don't work. I've seen it with my own eyes. I wish somebody who has ever been healed in their body, who has ever seen God, just testify to some of our friends that miracles, signs and wonders do happen.

But I understand why some would be skeptical. Because there are a lot of people who go around tricking people under the guise of miracles. And really, they're just working evil magic. Paul even dealt with it in Acts, chapter 19. He said there were the seven sons of seven who were going around doing exorcisms. And then when Paul showed up on the scene, they said, hey, man, you messing with our business. And Paul says, what you are doing is magic. What I'm doing is I'm working a miracle through the power of the Holy Spirit. And so the seven sons of seven decided, you know what? We know his schemes, his trick. He always uses the name of Jesus. So let's try this on somebody. They found a man who was demon possessed. They pulled him aside and they said, hey, listen. By the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.

And you know they did it in the corner just in case it didn't work out. The scripture says that the man in whom the demon was looked at them, and he said, Paul, I know him. We recognize him. Jesus, We know him. But who are you? And the Bible says that the man in whom the demon was whipped all seven of them, pulled their clothes off and they went down the street running butt naked. But when that demon possessed person came to Paul, Paul said, in the name of Jesus and whom is all power in heaven and in earth, I cast it out. And that man was relieved. Let me tell you something, you could try to fake it, but you ain't going to make it. You got to get the real Holy Spirit working in your life. That's another message, I'm sorry, but I understand why some people would be skeptical. But let me break this down for you. Let me make it very, very practical.

Because if you're in this building or you're watching online, my assumption is that you either believe in God or you're curious about God. That's my assumption. So let me make it very practical to you. If you believe in God, let me ask you this. If you believe that God, whom you have never seen, who stands outside of time and space, if you believe God spoke the worlds into existence and that same God has worked supernatural, unexplained miracles throughout history, and you believe that Jesus, the son of God, descended from heaven, robed himself in humanity, walked the earth teaching and preaching and performing miracle signs and wonders, and then that same Jesus went to a cross, died a horrible death, was buried in a grave, stayed there for three days, got up with all power in his hand, did that for you and I to pay a price that we were not able to pay, and that same Jesus hung out with his disciples for another 40 days.

And then that same Jesus ascended up into heaven, which you have never seen, and is seated on a throne, which you also have never seen. And he has poured out the Holy Spirit to indwell anyone who believes so that through the power of the Holy Spirit, miracles, signs and wonders were performed in the early church, and if you believe that that same Jesus will one day return back to earth to judge the quick and the dead, and we will return with them into eternity to live with him forever, if you believe that, why would you not believe that that same God could heal somebody of cancer? I'm just trying to be practical. If you got the faith to believe that God exists, you have enough faith to believe that he also rewards them who diligently seek Him.

This is why the writer of Hebrews said in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 6. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists. The writer of Hebrews was like, listen, if you believe that God exists and you've never seen, then why would you not believe that God can supply all of your needs according to his riches and glory? Then why would you not believe that God can bring your lost loved one back? Then why would you not believe that the thing that you've been praying for the job that you applied for, that you're not qualified for, why would you not believe that he will give you the job? If you can believe that God exists, then you have enough faith to believe that miracles are possible.

In fact, if you believe that God exists, every other miracle is chicken scratch. It's minor. So if you believe that it's possible, because that's your job, your job is not to figure it out or to be logical about it. It's just to believe it's possible. And if you believe it's possible, then the next question becomes, how do I access a miracle? Because I think anybody who needs a miracle is wondering, how do I get it? No, no, no, Pastor, I believe it's possible, but how do I access it? Well, I'm glad you asked, because Jesus actually gives us the answer in the Lord's Prayer. Let's look at Matthew, chapter six, verse number nine. This is the same prayer, but it's Matthew's rendition. He adds a little more of what Jesus says. He says, pray. The word pray means to petition or to make a request.

He says, pray then, or make a request or a petition like this. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. So, number one, when you approach God, you must believe that he exists. Why would you pray if you didn't believe God existed, right? So the first thing you do when you make acknowledge that he exists, right? Then he goes on to say, after you acknowledge that he exists, Jesus said, you continue to pray. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

I want to stop right there because some of you are like, what does the Lord's Prayer have to do with miracles? Maybe you wake up in the morning and you pray the Lord's Prayer every single day. Maybe you are familiar with the Lord's Prayer, you quote it all the time. But maybe you didn't realize that every time you pray the Lord's Prayer, you are actually praying for a miracle. Let me break this down. Can I break it down? Because if you remember the explanation of a miracle, a miracle is an unexpected outpouring of God's power in an event that defies ordinary explanation which occurs to advance God's kingdom. A miracle is when the divine intercepts the natural. A miracle is when the heavenly invades the earthly. A miracle is when the supernatural interferes with the natural. A miracle is when God interjects himself into the mundane life of an ordinary person. So when Jesus said you're going to pray, he said, don't just come up to me telling me how your day is going. Don't come up to me asking for stuff that you can do in your own power. He says, when you pray, pray that heaven comes down to earth.

That's the definition of a miracle. Jesus literally says that if you're going to pray, don't waste them on chicken scratch that you can do by yourself. But when you pray, ask God for his divine power to interject itself into your life. When you pray, pray that the supernatural disrupts the natural. Pray that the will of the Father is done down in your life. Pray that the great power compensates for your lack of power. Pray that the transcendence invades the mundane. Pray that heaven meets earth when you pray, every time you pray, you ought to be praying for a miracle. Every time. Yes, every time. If you didn't need heaven to invade your space, why pray? If you didn't need God to come through for you, then why did go go to him in the first place? God, God, I need you to help me to wake up early. Just set your alarm clock. God, help me. Help me, Lord Jesus, to treat my wife better.

Take her on a date. I'm not God. I'm just giving you some practical answers. I only go to God with things that I can't do. Yes, he's concerned about your life. He will take care of you. But when it's time to pray, it's time to ask God to invade your space. It's time for God, God, I tried everything. I went to every doctor's appointment. I got all the reports. I did all the scans. They tell me it's not going to work. They tell me it's going to be bad. Now I need you, God, to come into my life and invade my space. No, no, no, no. I know some of y'all are like, okay, listen, I hear you. But the reason why most people don't pray bold prayers and ask for miracles is because one, they don't think that God will answer. Or two, they have prayed before and God did not answer. They prayed again, and God didn't answer, so they just give up. But Jesus knew that we were going to have a hard time.

So directly after he gives us instructions on how to pray, he says, I'm not done yet. He says, there was a man who ran out of bread. His supply had run out. What he had prepared was gone. He had need for intervention. He came to the end of what he had available. And now he needed somebody to intercede on his behalf and give him something he did not have. So he said, this man ran out of bread. It's 12 o'clock in the midnight. And this man, when he ran out of bread, he knew he needed bread. So he thought of the first person who had bread, which happened to be his neighbor. So he gets out of bed, rolls over to his neighbor's house. First of all, he believed that his neighbor had the bread that he needed in his time of need. If you come to God, you must believe that it's possible. If you're going to pray, you got to pray believing it's possible. So he goes to his neighbor and he says, probably the first time.

Yo John, doesn't get an answer. Yo, yo, Johnny boy. No answer. Yo, John, I need some bread. I got a friend of mine over, I'm out of bread and I know you have bread. John stop playing, dawg. I know you got what I need. Can you come out here and just give me some of that bread? John said, don't bother me, dawg, I'm sleeping. I'm hanging out with my kids. It's late. Yeah, I got the bread, but go away. Ta ta. Jesus said, that man said, nope, I'm not leaving until I get what I came here for. And the scripture says that he kept on knocking and his neighbor got up, not because he was his friend. He came to the door, hey, this ain't because we in a relationship. This ain't because I actually like you. It's not because you've done really good by making sure that your lawn is kept nicely.

I'm coming here because you pestered me and I'm going to give you whatever you need to stop bothering me. Jesus says that the same way that that man kept going and knocking and asking for the bread, who he knew that his neighbor had, he says, in the same way I tell you, ask and it will be given. Seek and you will find. Knock and it shall be opened. In other words, Jesus gives you permission to be a pest with your prayers until God answers. Let me tell you how I pray. I pray for miracles. And I will continue to pray unless God says no or gives me an alternative. Isn't that what Paul did? Paul said, man, I got a thorn in my side. I went to the Lord, hey, my side's hurting. Would you remove the thorn? God didn't give him an answer. He came back, hey, remember, I'm back again. I got this thorn I'd rather you take it out so I can do ministry.

God doesn't answer. He comes back. I'm serious about this God. It's bothering me. Can you take it out? And God gives him an answer. Not the answer that he wanted, but the answer that he needed. God says, I'm not going to take away the thorn, but I'm going to give you the grace to sustain the pain of the thorn. Sometimes you may be praying for healing, and God's answer to you is, I'm not going to heal you right now, but I'm going to give you the grace to worship in the face of adversity. Sometimes while you wait, the miracle is that you have grace. It's a miracle. When you're sick in your body, but you're still worshiping God, it's a miracle. It's a miracle. When you run out of money but you're still giving to God, it's a miracle. Sometimes the blessing of a miracle doesn't look the way you think it should look but just keep on knocking, keep on asking, keep on seeking. Some of y'all have given up too early, and you're one knock away from your miracle breaking through. I wish somebody would get a faith back in your spirit that says, I'm going back to knock.

The reason why some of us don't have the miracle, it's because we quit knocking. And Jesus said, I give you permission to be annoying. Any parents that got children? You ever trying to do something and they're, daddy, daddy, what you need? I'm hungry. Okay, give me a second, man. I'll get right to you. Daddy, Daddy, I'm hungry. Okay, give me one second. I'm almost done. Daddy, Daddy, whatever you need. What do you need? And isn't it amazing that if you get pestered enough, you're not just willing to give them what they need, but you're also willing to give them what they want. If you just keep on knocking, imagine what would happen in your life if you just kept knocking on heaven's throne and saying, God, I'm back again. You didn't say no. So I take that as a possible. You didn't give me an answer. So I believe whatever I'm asking for, I know you got it. I need bread. I know you're a bread maker. I need a miracle. I know that you're a miracle worker. That man did not knock on that neighbor's door...

According to what he had, he knocked on his neighbor's door according to what he had. You're not praying according to what you have. You're praying according to what he have. And the scripture says anything is possible. Oh, my Lord. Y'all want some more scripture I can tell. Because some of y'all, like, I hear that, but I've been asking for like 30 years. Okay, you're right on par with Abraham. Abraham kept going into the tent of Sarah. Okay, is it this time? No, but, honey, we should probably try again next month. And he went back for 25 years. The miracle didn't come, but he kept going back into the tent and doing what he needs to do, believing that at some point it was going to happen. Jacob wrestled with God and God said, hey, let me go for the day breaks. And Jacob said, I'm not letting you go until you bless me. You either kill me or you bless me, but either way, I'm not letting go of you. What kind of confidence did you have to have to wrestle with God and tell him, I'm not leaving until you...

Some of y'all got to get a bulldog mentality about the miracle that you need. You got to have an attitude, God. I'm not saying an attitude toward God, I'm saying an attitude toward the enemy that's trying to convince you that God is not going to do it for you. The enemy ain't got nothing to do with the miracle that God has for you. You got to go to God and say, God, I know you got that bread. I know you got that miracle. Elijah's servant had to go back seven times. The children of Israel had to walk around the Jericho walls for seven days. And on the seventh day, seven times. Naaman had to dip seven times. The children of Israel had to do over and over and over again. They had to keep going back to God. Bartimaeus prayed that he would receive a miracle, but it didn't happen the first time. So the Bible says he cried the more aloud, Jesus, you didn't say no, so I'm going to keep yelling and screaming. This is the story that I love.

The man who was the paralytic who had no way to get to Jesus. So I don't know how he did this. I don't know if it was his friend's idea or if it's him. But somehow four friends decided to take this man to Jesus. And this man is laying on a bed. He cannot move. His friends are going to Jesus because they believe that a miracle is possible. But when they get to the house, the house is full. So they try to get through the nice way. Excuse me, please. Pardon me. Pardon. Excuse me, please. And ain't nobody letting them through. Why? Because everybody else is like, I'm waiting on my miracle. Get in line. They said, well, yeah, but this man can't even walk. They said, we don't care. I got some issues of my own. So they tried the front door. It didn't work. So one of them said, let's try the window.

They went around to the window, but the window was crowded too. It was occupied. They said, well, okay, we tried the window. We tried the front door. Let's try the back door. They're going to the back door try to get in, they can't get in. It's still crowded. People are still trying to get miracles. They could have at that point, after all that rejection, had so much doubt then say, you know what? I'm sorry, man. Today's just not your day. Let's go back to the house. We'll put you up, we'll get you some bananas. We'll wave you down with palm leaves or whatever. Like, just, we'll just try to make your life comfortable while you're in misery. Someone had the almitigated God that said, since we got here, we might as well go all the way. They didn't care about insurance claims. They didn't care about construction destruction. They said, we want to get this dude up on the roof. They got on the roof, they started ripping down clay tiles and dirt and straw and removing.

And Jesus is sitting there having a nice conversation and teaching and sheetrock and mud and dirt and straw is hitting the son of God. And Jesus, like, he didn't call for them to stop. He just said, what in the world is going on? And lo and behold, a blanket starts coming down. And in the blanket is this paralytic man. This man could not do anything about it. Imagine being the guy who is in the bed, probably trying, hey, guys. Hey. I understood the front and the side door, the back door. This is too much, man. If I could, man, I would. But he comes down in the blanket. Probably so embarrassed, looking at Jesus like, my bad. I got crazy friends, don't we all? You got Judas, you know what I'm saying? He's coming down and Jesus looks at him and goes, you know what? I'm not going to heal you according to your faith. But these boys up here, they got bulldog faith.

They got I'm coming back faith. They got the type of faith that don't care. I'll deal with the Sheetrock later, but since I'm here, I'm not leaving until you either say no or I get my miracle. Somebody ought to get some faith back in your spirit that says, I'm going back to ask God again for a miracle. It may not have come last year, it may not come this year, but don't you stop praying. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Every day that you wake up, you ought to pray that heaven invades your space, that the divine interrupts your life, that the supernatural breaks into your life. Maybe I'm just preaching to myself. I may have to go back and watch my own YouTube video. Some of y'all are quitting too early. Go back, pray again. This is what he said. This is what he said.

For everyone who asks, receives. This ain't me. These are the words of Jesus. And the one who seeks, finds, and the one who knocks, it will be opened. The three Hebrew boys, they said, y'all, we about to throw you in the fire. They said, go ahead, because we would much rather go into the fire and be burned up, believing that it's possible than to satisfy my enemies by staying complacent. What is it that you need from God that you need to verbalize to him? Isn't it amazing oftentimes Jesus would go to heal somebody that obviously had a situation, and he would say, what do you want me to do for you? And they'd be like, isn't it obvious what my situation is? Jesus goes to the man by the pool of Bethesda. He says, hey, man, what you need? He said, man, I done missed so many miracles. When the water's troubled, I ain't got nobody to take me. And when I do have someone, they just get there too late. So I've been missing miracles for decades. Jesus said, I know you missed 'em for years, but now I'm here, and I'm about to give you what you need. Can I just tell you, God is in this place right now. Some of y'all, like, figuratively? No, no, for real.

He is in this place. And the waters of miracles are troubled right now. If you need a miracle right now, all you have to do is ask, believing that it is possible. It's not your job to be logical about it. Prayer is not logical. You're talking to a God that you do not see, asking for things you cannot do. So if you're going to do that, why not ask him for the thing that you need that you can't do for yourself? Jesus is the one who has instructed us to pray for miracles. So I pray for miracles. I pray for cancer to be dried up. I pray for diabetes to be no more. I pray for backs to be healed. I pray for shoulders to get rotation back. I pray for jobs to come to people. I pray for supernatural natural blessings and miracles and signs and wonders. I pray for the unleashing of every spiritual gift that is available to the body of Christ.

If you want God to invade your space, just stand to your feet right now. I'm closing with this. Luke and Matthew, you essentially very similar, their passages are parallel. Matthew chapter seven, Luke chapter 11. And they both say, ask and it will be given. Seek and you will find. Knock and it shall be open. Matthew says that God, who is a Good father, that when you ask of him, he will give you good gifts. Luke says it a little differently. Luke says if you ask of him, he will give you the Holy Spirit. Now why would Matthew say good gifts and Luke say the Holy Spirit? It's because of perspective. Matthew concerned himself a lot about the actual miracles. Luke concerned himself a lot about the indwelling dunamis power in the believer and what the Lucan Gospel teaches us. Because remember, Luke is also the one who wrote Acts. And anyone who read the writings of Luke understood what Luke was saying.

Luke was saying that to the unbeliever, the Holy Spirit is salvation, but to the believer, the Holy Spirit gives you access to every available spiritual gift that was displayed when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church in Acts. Meaning that if you are a believer filled with the Holy Spirit, you have access to pray for the sick and they will recover. You have access to pray over people who are depressed, and they're going to receive peace. You have access not just to the Holy Spirit as just an embodiment that covers you, but to Dunamis power. You know what Dunamis means? Dynamite. So you're telling me that I have in me the power to blow things up? You mean when I pray, power, blow up power is available to me? You mean, I got the power to the Holy Spirit that when I pray to blow up my current situation?

Yes. The question is, are you praying for that dynamite power to intervene, interject itself into your circumstance, or are you praying pretty little prayers? So this is what I believe. In prayer on Thursday, I felt like the Lord said miracles are going to happen this weekend. It's not my job to make them happen. It's not my job to predict what it's going to be. It's simply my job to believe that it is possible. So here's what we're going to do. We did it earlier, we're going to do it again. Because I think some of you, your faith is now stirred to the next next level. If you need a healing in your body for real, for real, just lift your hand right now. Keep your hand up. Jesus, right now, by your name, through the power of the Holy Spirit, God, no tricks, no gimmicks, no flash, just your anointing power. I believe in the dynamite power that you will blow up, God, every sickness that's in this place.

I pray that you would put all things together in the body, that you would heal the body, that you would give a clean doctor's report, God, that you would heal backs, that you would heal headaches, that you would heal neck pains, that you would heal arthritis, that you would heal hip pain and leg pain. I pray that those who may have just injured themselves, broken something, that you would go right now and that you would mend the broken pieces. I believe in you right now. You're the creator of the body. You're the healer of the body. We believe you for it in your name and by the power of the spirit, let it be so. And we give your name the praise right now in victory and rejoicing. We say, thank you, God, for the miracle of physical healing. Somebody give God praise in his place. Another thing that I felt like the Lord dropped in my spirit was that there is healing, emotional healing that's supposed to take place.

There are some people here that are wounded by trauma in your past. And you've gone to counseling, which is good, you've gone to therapy, which is good. But there's still that lingering. The Lord can heal you. The Lord can heal you. There's some people that are in this building, watching online, that you've not been able to sleep without sleep aids for quite some time. And God's about to deliver you and give you perfect peace that surpasses all understanding. So if you're in need of and emotional healing, just lift your hand. Maybe there's a wound that you have from a church hurt. Really people hurt in a church, or you have hurt from your family that's been bothering you, that's been bogging you down, that's been messing with your mind. Maybe you're dealing with depression or anxiety, you've been having panic attacks. The Lord's going to give you healing right now. So just lift your hands, Father, right now, God, every anxiety, every depression, every. Every lack of peace or sleep, I pray right now, God, that you would heal the minds and the souls of your people, God, by the power of the Holy Spirit and through the name of Jesus, I pray that you would make a supernatural thing happen, God.

I pray against panic attacks, God, I pray against troubled sleep. I pray that right now, God, those who have had trouble sleeping, that they would sleep without sleep aids, that they would feel rested when they wake up. Let it be done by your name and by your spirit. And we give your name, the praise, the glory, the honor, the adoration, because it's all for your kingdom. It's all for your glory in Jesus name. Somebody give God praise in advance. Yes, God. There are those in here that need a financial breakthrough. You need a job. You need God to give you direction. I'm not talking about those who just frivolously spend money and then want God to bail 'em out. I'm talking about you got a budget, you've been taking care of your stuff, you've been faithful to God with your finances, but man, you are dealing with a hard time. Maybe you've been out of job for a while and the pressure's going up. If you need a financial breakthrough, just lift your hand.

You ain't got to be embarrassed. Who hasn't gone through a financial? You know what I'm saying? But you need divine intervention like God, I need you to come through. Father, right now, God, I pray God for supernatural supply. I pray, Lord Jesus, that you would give jobs to those who are seeking them. I pray, Lord Jesus, that you would meet the need God. I pray, Lord Jesus, if there are those in this place who have handled their finances correct, they've done everything they need to do, but the pressure's still on, I pray that right now, God, that you would relieve them of pressure, that you would send somebody to slip money in their hand, that you would give them some kind of raise, that you would supply, that they would have an income tax that's crazy.

Whatever it is, Lord, however you want to bless them, I pray that you would do it right now according to your will and glory. God, the fact that you own a cattle on a thousand hills, the fact that you made gold and diamonds and silk, all those are yours. And right now, I pray for supernatural supply. We give your name the praise, the glory and the honor. Somebody give God praise in advance. Let me tell you something, I could spend all day telling you about how God comes through. One time, Janice and I, we're going on vacation. We spent everything we had to go on this vacation. But I really wanted to do an excursion. I said, God, I really want to do an excursion. I know that's a plus, God, 'cause you've supplied for us to go there. But I said, God, this excursion is 499. I just need you to come through. And I was on the phone actually with Tim Ross and I was talking to him and I was in this area of the parking lot.

Nobody around, no people, nothing. I'm just walking around talking to him and all of a sudden I see a little flutter of green underneath the rock. I said, let me go investigate. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, bro. Yeah, yeah. I reached down, 100 bill. I said, my God, thank you Lord. I'm trying to hold my excitement. I'm just, I'm looking around. Are they cameras? Am I going to end up on YouTube? Does this belong to anybody? Is there a string attached to this? Right? I ain't going to be got. Nobody around. This is a, in the corner under a rock. I said, all right, thank you Lord. Now I am aware. Yeah, so I'm talking and I'm looking and lo and behold, I see some more green fluttering under a couple more rocks. I looked at, my God, two of them jokers.

Now I got 300 and I'm like this now, you said, seeking, you will find. I'm looking. I said, well, God, thank you lord. I got $300 to make it to this excursion, but man, that thing is 499. Okay, so I'm about to get off the phone and I'm about to leave and I look over and I see another flutter. And this time it's in a tree. I reach down $200, $500 that I know God sent me supernaturally. Some of y'all going to be walking out like this. Whatever it takes, let your faith get to the next level. I'm telling you, when you pray for a miracle, you better start looking for it. When you pray for a miracle, you better start looking for it. If you pray that God will bless you financially, your eyes better be wide open and you ought to be staring and looking around to see where that blessing is coming from. If I pray for God to heal my body, I'm going back to the doctor, run the test again. One more prayer that I want to pray over this entire Church is that there is an unleashing of all spiritual gifts available to the body of Christ.

We believe that all gifts are available to the body of Christ. There's no reason why God would give it to one and and not the other. He's the same yesterday, today and forever. Whatever he says, it will not return unto him void, but he will accomplish everything he sends it for us to do. Which means that every available miracle, gift is available to us. That means that prophecy, healings, words of knowledge, encouragement, administrative gifts, wisdom, prayer language, all of these are available to the body of Christ. So if you want gifts in your life, just lift your hand. Spiritual gifts active right now, Father we pray right now, God, for spiritual gifts to be unleashed in our body. Not for us, but for your kingdom. So that those who may be in doubt know that this is undeniable when somebody comes up to them with a word of knowledge or wisdom, that prophetic words would go forth, which is just the bubbling forth of your word God, we're not here to try to replace scripture or add to the canon of scripture, but we want to be used to be conduits to speak to people in their present situation.

I pray God, that people's prayers would be unlocked, that they would tap into praying prayers that they may not understand, but that the Spirit is praying through them. The Bible says that we pray heavenly languages, God, the language of angels, Father, I pray that it would be unleashed. I pray God, that you would endue people with with the faith to pray for the sickly and they will recover, God. I'm praying, Lord Jesus, that you would unleash wisdom and words of knowledge that when they walk through Walmart or Costco, you would give them a word for somebody else and they would share it and they would wreck their lives. Not for our sake, not for our glory, but for for the glory of the kingdom. I pray God, that miracles, signs, wonders would take place in our midst and help us to be the conduit of what you want to do now. Somebody give God praise in advance.