Get Up and Walk...

I love the opportunity to be able to sit under somebody else’s preaching. And this morning, we all have an incredible opportunity to sit under my new friend, Sam George, this morning. He’s going to preach for us. I give a little context. Pastor Sam has led Emmanuel Ministries, which is in India, for the last 35 years. And deeply, I really am, I’m so excited to hear some of the story, but also just what the messages that you have for us this morning. Sam, he is through friendship related to our church. So all the guys that were here for the Wild Game Supper, any of y’all, just go ahead and raise your hand if you were here for that night. All right, so y’all got to hear Tyler English speak. Two weeks before I started as pastor here, Tyler also preached for us. Sam is Tyler’s father-in-law. So this is going to be a great treat for us. So he is back in the States for only a little while, visiting family and making some trips, talking about what God’s doing over in India. And we had a great opportunity this morning for him to bring the word for us. Brother, I’m going to pray for you and then turn it over to you, okay?

Thank you very much. Yeah, of course. Thank you so much. Yeah, let’s pray. Lord, thank you so much for today. God, thank you. This is your day as we got to sing. You, Jesus, you are preeminent in everything. You have first place in our hearts. You have first place in this church. And we look forward to the day where you sit on the throne totally and truly, where you have first place in the souls of everybody in the world. Lord, I pray that you would prepare us for your word this morning. God, that you would anoint Dr. Sam with what you want Him to communicate to us and that we would be good soil ready to receive it. Father, thank you. It’s in your great name we pray. Amen. Brother, thank you.

Greetings to you all in the blessed name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Indeed, it’s a great privilege for me to be here with you this morning to glorify the name of the Lord. Thank you, Pastor Jeremy. Thank you, all the believers, deacons, elders, opening the church for me to come and speak in your church. It’s wonderful to see that what God has done it. Seeing me, you can understand where I am. I am from India. If you have not seen an Indian, this is Indian. So that is my daughter and she and I sitting there and that is Tyler and my son-in-law, my grandchildren. Praise the name of the Lord and thank you and praise the name. And I heard about it, this church and Tyler spoke and said that well done, good. And we praise the name of the Lord, good. And we praise the name of the Lord, this opportunity. And see what God has given us a great vision and great commandment, go into all the world and preach the gospel. That is the mission of the church. And that is what exactly what God has called me. If you don’t understand the life when I was a small child, maybe two months old, two months old, a sickness known as jaundice. And my mother looked on my eyes and said that this boy is not going to live anymore. No medication, no doctors, no advice. My country mother took me in her hand and called upon the name of the Lord, Lord of heaven. Jehovah, the one who heals. Lord, if you heal this child, he will be preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord healed me on that moment. That is why I am standing here today. Otherwise, I would have been buried 68 years before. Now you understand my age and there is no doubt. Somebody asked a question, who is that? And went and asked Sheena, my daughter, is that is your husband? She said that that is my father. So it is making clear, very clearly that one, that is I am 68 old. Man. Praise the name of the Lord.

A few thoughts from one simple verse. Turn with me to John’s Gospel, chapter 5. John’s Gospel, chapter 5. Only one verse, I will read it. John Gospel, chapter 5, verse 8. A simple verse. Jesus said unto him, rise, take up thy bird, walk. Simple three things. Jesus said unto him, rise, take up thy bird, walk. The story, everybody knows it. Thirty-eight years, a man without any help. Many priests passed through. Nobody helped. Many pastors gone through. Many priests gone through to offer sacrifice. But there are people. It is written in that chapter very clearly. A great multitude of important folk, blind, halt, and withered, waiting for the movement of the water. This is a very clear picture of the world today. There are people, those who are just hopeless, and walking here and there with no meaning in the life. Here, Jesus Christ walked through that. Thirty-eight years, a man is lying there. Can you imagine? What is the age of Jesus that time? Thirty-three. So, before Christ born, He was there. Thirty-eight years. Condition of the people. Condition of the mankind throughout the world. And people need Jesus. People need Jesus. Nothing more than that.

So, this lesson, speaking about Jesus, have gone and seen this man, talk to Him, and say that, do you want to be healed? That is a funny question. Then, why is there? He is there. He wanted to be healed. That is why he is there. But Jesus wanted to just speak, hear from his mouth. Yes, lead. Yes, Lord, I need You. But I am helpless. I am hopeless. When the water is troubled, and before I come, somebody goes inside. I am hopeless and helpless. I am disturbed in my mind. Such kind of people need Jesus. That is why we are there in Tengashi, India. That is why I am sending graduates into different parts of India. Go and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Only the gospel of Jesus Christ can give hope to the mankind. Nothing more than that. You may have a wealth. You may have an education. Prestige issue. Everything is there. But all those things is nothing. Only Jesus will be able to help. And nobody is able to do it.

So, seeing this man, Jesus has said nothing. Only three words. Very simple three words. Number one, rise. Number two, take up thy bed. Number three, walk. Three simple words has three great meaning. Great spiritual meaning or spiritual. Three important lessons for spiritual life. Our spiritual life. That is what I wanted to emphasize this morning. Number one, rise. To whom the Lord Jesus Christ said, rise. Thirty-eight years, he never stood any time. Thirty-eight years, he never walked any time. He doesn’t know how to do that. He has seen people walking around. But he could not get up. Then why Christ said, rise? Let me tell you a great meaning here this morning. If you and me need to understand, a great important lesson from that rise. The first, most important lesson. Immediate obedience. That is what God wants. Not thinking about your situation. If you believe that when Christ has said, rise, he should be willing to rise. The power of the word. Along with the word, the power came on its angle to stand. And that is what the immediate obedience. You may not be able to do it. That is what exactly, my dear friends. The Lord told me, rise and go to that place. I went to that place, that is why I started doing the ministry 35 years. Many lives have transformed, many children found life in their life. Immediate obedience. I was not disobedient to the call of God. People need Jesus, that is why I was gone there. And not that He did not say that, I will try, I will ask my other people, friends. No, without doubt, when the Master says, when you read the scripture, when you hear the word of God, and the Spirit of God speak to your heart, the Lord said, do it, do immediately, without another Christian. And that is what God wants. Let me tell you in connection with the great mission, this is one of the great lesson. A story about a woman, let me tell, and then I just go for the next one. A woman from America wanted to go to a mission field, already dedicated. When she heard about the mission field in throughout the world, she said, I will go to the mission field and serve the Lord. She decided, and the time has come. She went to the New York port, sitting waiting for her time to board in the ship. There she received a telegram from her brother, her own brothers sending a telegram, is come back home, my wife left to fight children and died, nobody is there to take care of her. Brother calling and telling, and she was in a trouble, in a great struggle in her mind, what to do. I prayed for the mission field, what shall I do, where I’ll go now? And the Lord said that to one, you know what the Spirit of God said, “Just go back, take care of those five little girls.” You know what the blessing is? A blessing? She immediately obeyed. Gone back to her brother, took all the five children, brought them in the fear of God. Not only brought them in the fear of God, every day taught them the mission field. Taught them, “This is the mission field. This is the work of the Lord.” The oldest girl finished her graduation, came and told, “Mommy, I am going to a mission field.” The second girl finished the graduation, came and told, “Mommy, I am going to so and so another mission field.” Third one, fourth one, fifth one, all five came and told her, “We are going to a mission field.” Can you understand what I say? If she was going, she was going only one mission field. But when the Spirit of God told her, immediately obeyed, she went, brought them all, and she sent them five mission field. What a wonderful thing is that? You can do that sitting here. You need not to go, but you can train. You can do the things, praying for the people. You heard already the video very clearly, praying, your prayers can reach there. And that is what we need to do it.

Number one, rise. Number two, the second lesson is talking that one, “Take up thy bed.” Can you imagine taking up that bed? How many years this man is lying there? 38 years. Did any time he change the bedspread? No. Nobody washed and given anything. Stinking bed. Why the Lord said it, “Go and take it”? A very important lesson is there. He rose up and he got strength. He started walking in the Christian life, and the Spirit of God encouraged him and enthusiastic. He started doing the ministry. After going one day, two day, three day, he will get a commitment. Think that that place is more better than this place. So he will have a temptation to go back and sleep in that same place. You know what is the greatest lesson? Go forward without a fear of failure. That is the lesson. Go forward without a fear of failure.

I went to Tengashi to do the work of the Lord, not seeing anything in my hand. I was there. You know how I started my family life? You won’t believe. When I married my beautiful woman, Elizabeth, and means Sheena’s mother, and she was so beautiful. You know how much rupees I had? Indian rupees, 500 rupees in my hand. That means not even five dollars. You understand? I married my beautiful woman, seven biological children, 70 other children. Everyone got married, settled. Who has done it? The Lord said it. I went forward without seeing anything. That is the ministry. That is what we are seeing here. Go forward. If I see the failure, I’ll come back. No. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, and the Lord will be able to do great things.

A missionary family went on an island to serve the Lord. They went by boat. The only means of transportation was boat. They went by boat. They went and served. And as soon as they reached there, they got down into the land. They took the boat, and that boat, they broke it. Burn it. You know why? We don’t want to go. When we have a failure, we don’t want to go back. Go forward. Christian life is full of problem and difficult situation. Go forward. That is what the Lord said to Moses. Why you stand there? Go forward. Number one, rise, immediate obedience. Number two, take up thy bed. Go forward without a failure. God can do it. Great things.

Number three, the third one, walk. The greatest lesson you and me need to understand. The strength God has given you not to sit down, not to lie down, but to walk. Christian ministry is that. The knowledge and the wisdom, the understanding of the Bible. You know what is the greatest, richest blessing in your life? Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. If you know that, share those things to others. That is the mission. Then wisdom and knowledge, what you have, is not to bury yourself. Go and tell to the people. To the people. I have a friend there. Her name is Beth. She is 84 year old. She is in Texas. I went and met her. The doctor said that she is going to die this year. “Psalm, I am going to die this year.” I thought she will be discouraged. You know what she is doing? She is living, She is living in the apartment area. She take the gospel. She shown me, Psalm, all this gospel, which I am taking to every door and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. 84 year. Doctor said she is not going to live anymore. This year, you will die. But before I die, the strength that God has given, let me use it for the glory of God.

This morning, let me challenge you. I do not know what is your spiritual strength, but God has given you. Let it use, walk for the glory of God. The knowledge, the capacity, the wealth, and the understanding, God may use you mightily.

Three important lessons. Rise, take up thy birth, walk. Rise, immediate obedience. Do not delay. When the Spirit of God is to do something for the glory of God, do it. Number two, take up thy birth. Go forward. Do not turn back. Number three, walk. The strength that God has given, use it for the glory of God.

May the Lord help us to understand. Let the Spirit of God use us for the glory of God. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for listening me. May God bless you.