Can I complain a little bit? I can.
Well, actually, this weekend we thought we would just come down here and enjoy the fellowship with the saints, hoping that we could sit back there and listen to one of the brothers sharing and just enjoy it. And long before, I received a call from Michael Woods. He said, “The brethren decided you should share.” Well, here I am.
The reason we came down this weekend is because we have brethren who have come to our fellowship. We thought we would like to bring them down here to meet the brethren and sisters. Later on, I hope they will introduce themselves and say a few words. It is amazing how the Lord brought them to us, so you will hear from them.
Now, you sang that song that we learned from Minnesota, so shall we try that one so you will not forget it? Yes, let us try that once.
Do you like this chorus? I think God really inspired it. It is very interesting.
Come, behold the love
That the Father has poured out on you.
Waste your poor hearts in one accord.
Come and look upon the love
Of the One who gave His all for you.Oh, God withheld not His own Son,
The treasure of His heart, poured out for you.
Since He already gave His Son,
Why now will He withhold from you His own?My friends, consider the price
That so willingly He paid to bring you back to Him.
Consider how, in your world, you will live,
Just how to spend the days of freedom
He has won for you.Oh, God withheld not His own Son,
The treasure of His heart, poured out for you.
Since He already gave His Son,
Why now will He withhold from you His own?With all the treasures of His throne,
And all the wonders of the sky,
And all the universe beyond,
Our Father gave and spared His Son.
Having this, what is far beyond
The treasures of His kingdom home?Oh, God withheld not His own Son,
The treasure of His heart, poured out for you.
Since He already gave His Son,
Why now will He withhold from you His own?
Let us bow our heads for a word of prayer.
Father, we just want to thank You for this privilege to be together. We thank You that our togetherness is in Your beloved Son, the Lord Jesus. In Him, we are one.
We thank You for this privilege to come together and to testify of our Lord and His love to His people. We thank You for blessing us. Lord, our hearts are full because of You. We worship You.
And Lord, now we look to You that You will speak some words to us, to our hearts, that we may be encouraged to go on, to love You, to follow You, and to serve You with our whole heart. We commit our time to You. Bless our time together. In Your precious name we give thanks and praise, Lord Jesus. Amen.
First, I bring greetings from the brothers and sisters in South Jersey, as well as Central Jersey. We want to thank you, Richmond brethren and sisters, for your support and your prayers these many years.
And if the Lord is willing, we will have another retreat in October. We look forward to seeing many of you up there in New Jersey.
This morning, the Lord already confirmed in my heart what I should share, because of the last prayer of that sister. She kept saying, “That refuge, the city of refuge,” and the Lord seemed to lay that on my heart for this morning.
Let us turn to a few portions of Scripture together. First, the book of Exodus, chapter 21, verses 12 and 13.
He that smiteth a man, so that he dieth, shall surely be put to death.
And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he may flee.
Let us turn to Numbers 35. It is a long chapter, so we will select a few verses to read together: verses 1, 2, and 6 through 15.
And the Lord spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
Command the children of Israel, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their possession cities to dwell in; and suburbs for the cities round about them shall ye give unto the Levites.And the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites, they shall be the six cities of refuge, which ye shall give for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and besides them ye shall give forty and two cities.
All the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities; them shall ye give with their suburbs.
And concerning the cities which ye shall give of the possession of the children of Israel, from the many ye shall take many; and from the few ye shall take few: every one according to his inheritance which he inheriteth shall give of his cities unto the Levites.And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,
then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer that killeth any person unwittingly may flee thither.
And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation for judgment.
And the cities which ye shall give shall be for you six cities of refuge.
Let us turn to Deuteronomy 19, verses 1 through 3, and verse 8.
When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land the Lord thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses;
thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it.
Thou shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the borders of thy land, which the Lord thy God causeth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee thither.And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy border, as He hath promised thee, and give thee all the land which He promised to give unto thy fathers;
then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three.
Finally, let us turn to Joshua 20. It is a short chapter, so we will read the entire chapter.
And the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying,
Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:
that the manslayer that killeth any person unwittingly and unawares may flee thither: and they shall be unto you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.And he shall flee unto one of those cities, and shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city; and they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.
And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver up the manslayer into his hand; because he smote his neighbor unawares, and hated him not beforetime.
And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of him that is high priest in those days: then shall the manslayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.And they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.
And beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.These were the appointed cities for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person unwittingly might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.
The city of refuge is mentioned in four books: Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua. Some Bible commentators say that these four places correspond to the four Gospels.
In Matthew, Christ is presented as King; in Mark, as Servant; in Luke, as the perfect Man; and in John, as the Son of God. Matthew wrote primarily for the Jewish people, Mark for the Romans, Luke mostly for the Greeks, and John for believers—whether Jew or Gentile.
We all need the Lord Jesus as our refuge. We are not Christ.
This morning, I would like to share a little concerning this refuge, and then the meaning of the six cities. What do they mean to us spiritually?
First, these were cities that God appointed. They were set aside by God.
Just like the gospel, salvation is not man’s invention. It is not a human device. Salvation is of the Lord. It is the expression of God’s mercy and the manifestation of the riches of His grace to mankind.
There was not just one city, but six cities, strategically located throughout the land so that the manslayer might flee.
These cities were not God’s emergency measure, because they were appointed before any crime was committed. God is always beforehand in supplying what we lack and what we need.
In one of his books, T. Austin-Sparks said that God laid His plan before the foundation of the world, but God realizes His plan from the foundation of the world. Therefore, in Revelation 13:8, we have this phrase: “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
Before any crime or sin was committed, God’s provision was already there.
These cities were provided for the purpose of giving refuge from the avenger of blood.
Jew and Gentile alike, we all stand guilty before God. In a sense, we all have participated in the Lord’s death because of our sin. But thank God, in His infinite wisdom, through the death of His Son He turned things around.
Through His death, the Lord Jesus gave Himself on the cross and became a ransom for all. In His sacrifice, a way into the city of refuge is now open. We can come to Him.
There is only one way, one door, by which we can come to this city of refuge, and that is the Lord Jesus.
And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.
—Acts 4:12
There is only one way: through Jesus, through Him by faith.
The avenger of blood was determined to carry out his revenge. He was bound to execute judgment upon the manslayer. But the cities were already provided throughout the territory of Israel, so any person could run for his life, enter one of the cities, and find safety.
The cities were placed on higher elevations—on mountains and hills. In other words, they were visible. You could spot them very quickly. The one who fled could see the shortest direction to the place.
Of course, the Lord Jesus died on the cross at Calvary. But in Acts 5, we have this word:
Him did God exalt with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins.
—Acts 5:31
We thank the Lord for His exalted position as Prince and Saviour. He has been lifted up for all to see, and we can come to Him.
There were roads prepared to the cities. We are told that the roads to the cities of refuge were well kept. Every year they would send a crew to make sure that the roads were in good condition. They repaired them, and if there were obstacles, they removed them.
The roads were always ready and in good condition for the fugitive to flee to the city of refuge. They were well marked out—when to turn and where to go.
The cities were strategically located throughout the territory. We are told that the maximum distance between the cities of refuge was about seventy-five miles. A manslayer could run to one of the cities within a day.
From any point in Israel, the furthest distance to a city was estimated at about thirty-five to forty miles. So it was easy access.
Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.
—Isaiah 45:22
A look of faith is a sure way to safety.
The city provided protection only for the homicide—for one who killed someone unintentionally. But the one who deliberately murdered someone was excluded.
Here we learn the lesson that in Christ there is no salvation for those who sin willfully and presumptuously, who defy God’s love and mercy.
For the safety and well-being of the fugitive, all he had to do was remain in the city. Once he got away from the city, his life was in danger.
Brothers and sisters, in John 15 we are told that we need to abide. We need to remain in Him.
Another feature is that these cities were not provided just for the Israelites, but also for the stranger in the land. This city is for all.
There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, because we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. These cities were for all—not just Israelites, but also strangers and sojourners in the land.
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich unto all that call upon Him:
for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
—Romans 10:12-13
The safety of the fugitive depended upon his remaining in the city. If he wanted to return to his hometown, his home territory, or his old lifestyle, he had to stay in the city until the death of the high priest.
Brothers and sisters, our High Priest lives forever. In that sense, we are eternally secure.
Christ was not only the Man who was slain, but He Himself is the city of refuge to us. More than that, He is also the High Priest, and His priesthood is eternal. Therefore, our security in the Lord Jesus is eternal—eternal.
In Joshua 20, the first city is Kedesh, in the land of Galilee, in the mountains of Naphtali. The meaning of Kedesh is very meaningful: it means sanctuary.
When the Lord brought us to Himself, we came to something far greater, far more beautiful, and vaster than we ever thought before.
I am sure that during the last few weeks we have watched the news on television and seen many refugees driving cars from one country to another. To me, they do not look like refugees at all. They feast and they drink. They do not look like refugees to me.
But when I was young in China and the Philippines during World War II, I witnessed real refugees. They almost had nothing. They were hungry; they were dirty. All they had was a shirt on their back. Those were refugees.
But once we enter the city of refuge, we are just like those in the city. We are not considered strangers anymore.
Kedesh means sanctuary, a holy place. Brothers and sisters, when we come into the Lord, we come into a life that we never knew before—a life within the veil, where we can be in His presence and enjoy His presence. That is what Kedesh brings us into, by His grace.
The second city is Shechem, in the mountains of Ephraim. Shechem means shoulder—a place of strength.
We are all familiar with the Good Shepherd. He left the ninety-nine and went to seek the one. When He found it, what did He do? He took it and put it on His shoulders. That is not all: He took that one all the way home.
Brothers and sisters, that is what our Lord is to us. He not only picks us up from the world and cleanses us, but He places us on His shoulders and is responsible to take us home.
Paul said that the good work which He has begun in us, He will surely complete.
The church is always one, and the church will be a glorious church—not because we can do anything about it, but because of His doing. He has the power to carry us to the very end of His purpose.
Another city is Kiriath-arba, which is Hebron. This is very meaningful: it is fellowship and communion.
In the Lord, and in communion with believers, we can have fellowship with one another.
If you notice in the Old Testament, the place where God would commune with His people was above the mercy seat, where there were two cherubim. The mercy seat was a covering for the ark of the covenant.
Inside the ark were several things. Hebrews 9 mentions three things: the manna, the law, and Aaron’s rod that budded. These things remind us of our failure, rebellion, and murmuring.
We are forever a rebellious people. We are forever failures. We fail the Lord miserably, and we are always complaining. Yet we can come and commune with Him because mercy covers everything that we really are in ourselves.
Whenever we come to the Lord Jesus, we know that He is our mercy seat. Because in Him, we are able to commune with our heavenly Father. What a privilege.
When we come together, we do not look at ourselves, and we do not look at one another. We look at the mercy seat. We look to Christ, and there we have absolute liberty and freedom to commune with the Father. This is the meaning of Hebron.
The city on the other side of Jordan is Bezer. It means fortress or fortified city. The Lord is not only our refuge; He is also our stronghold. He is our fortress.
The Lord also will be a high tower for the oppressed,
A high tower in times of trouble.
—Psalm 9:9
As we follow the Lord and fellowship with Him, the world, the flesh, and the self will cause us much trouble. But thank God, He is our refuge and our stronghold. In times of trouble, we can come to Him.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God; in Him will I trust.
—Psalm 91:2
Those who put their trust in Him shall not be put to shame. He is our fortress.
The fifth city is Ramoth in Gilead. It means height or exaltation.
If the Lord Jesus is in His exalted position—and He is—and we are found in Him, what is our position?
Brothers and sisters, oftentimes we devalue our position. If we do that, we do not bring Him glory.
Our Lord Jesus today is a glorified Lord, an ascended Lord, an exalted Lord. If He is exalted, and if we are in Him, no wonder Paul said that we are seated with Him in the heavenly places. That is where we belong.
If the world, sin, and flesh cannot touch Him, they cannot touch us if we are in Him. When we come to the Lord Jesus, we have come into something far greater than we ever realized.
The last city is Golan. It means joy, joyful, or rejoicing. In these cities, we see the progression in our spiritual experience.
The joy of the Lord is our strength.
The joy of the Lord’s people, and the joy of the Lord’s people coming together, is just so beautiful. This last Friday we had a meeting, and most of us there were believers. There was one person there who was not a believer.
I was sitting there and looking at their faces. All those believers were glowing and just talking in the Lord—just talking in the Lord. And this unbeliever, I do not know how to describe her expression. It was so different when you saw the contrast.
When the Lord Jesus was brought to the temple as a baby, you see the contrast between the old Adam and the last Adam: one old, wrinkled, gray-haired, and dying; yet here was new life.
Friday evening, I saw such a contrast: those who were rejoicing in the Lord and abiding in the Lord were sitting in the heavenliness of the Lord, and those who did not know Him. What a contrast. What is rejoicing?
And not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
—Romans 5:11
Romans is a book about justification by faith, and here Paul has this beautiful verse. We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus. He is our joy. Without Him, there is no true joy.
Happy is the people that is in such a case;
Yea, happy is the people whose God is the Lord.
—Psalm 144:15
This happiness is not because circumstances make us happy. This happiness is in every situation. As long as we are in the Lord and He is in us, He is enough. We have happiness.
How often we rely on things to make us happy. Sometimes we even rely on good ministry and good words to make us happy. Those things are not reliable. The Lord Himself is our happiness, and that is what we have been brought into.
We have been brought into something wonderful—something wonderful.
But how can we properly apply some of these lessons in these last days?
The six cities were appointed because the condition of the people of Israel was not normal. When there is a temptation to kill or hurt someone, whether intentionally or unintentionally, something is not normal. Is that normal?
The six cities were set aside in anticipation of abnormality in the national life of Israel. Because of the flesh and self, it would happen. Yet somehow the Lord provided a remedy before it happened.
Brothers and sisters, in these last days, we know that the whole of Christendom is largely in captivity. It is Babylon; it is confusion. God’s people are looking for refuge.
Every fellowship and every local assembly should be a refuge. We need it, and many people need it.
I am so thankful that in the last twenty or thirty years, the Lord has raised up many places in this country—not just for people in the world, but for the Lord’s people. Thank God for those who have found the way.
Let us turn to 2 Timothy and read a few verses. We all know that 2 Timothy was Paul’s last epistle. Some of the words he wrote in this epistle are very weighty, but necessary—necessary.
Nevertheless the firm foundation of God standeth, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His: and, Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness.
Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some unto honor, and some unto dishonor.
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, meet for the Master’s use, prepared unto every good work.But flee youthful lusts, and follow after righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
—2 Timothy 2:19-22
In the Old Testament, the first mention of the word fugitive is in the story of Cain and Abel. Cain ignored the word of the Lord. The Lord warned him, but he did not heed the word of the Lord. He murdered his brother.
He said, “From now on, I will be a fugitive. Anyone who sees me will kill me.”
Sin makes us fugitives. When our relationship with the Lord is not right, we are fugitives. When our relationship with our brethren is not right, we are fugitives. We run.
Is that not true? When you have a controversy with the Lord, you do not want to be with your brothers and sisters. You avoid them. You become a fugitive.
The second time, the angel of the Lord said, “Run for your life and run to the mountain. Do not look back. Escape for your life.” That was Lot and his family.
Lot was a righteous man who became well attached to the world. In God’s mercy, He sent the angel to say, “Now run for your life.” You know the story.
Brothers and sisters, in this life there are many traps and snares. The terrible thing is that when we are trapped, we do not even know that we are trapped, because we are deceived. We need God’s mercy.
Paul says, “Depart from iniquity. Flee youthful lusts.”
We face temptations everywhere. The traps are always out there. The trap set up by the world is easier to recognize, but the trap set up by the religious world is one with which we are often numbed.
In a sense, the trap set up by religion is more deadly than the one set up by the world, because it kills our spirit.
What is Paul’s remedy for the people of his day, as well as for our day? Flee. Depart. Seek with those who have a pure heart.
A pure heart simply means an honest heart. It does not mean that we are perfect. But if we sin, we say, “Lord, I sinned.” That was David. He always inquired of the Lord. He always confessed and repented. He had an honest heart.
When we get this way, it does not mean that we are perfect people. But we are people who want an honest heart before the Lord. If we are wrong, we say, “Lord, we are wrong,” and then we make the right adjustment. We flee.
The avenger of blood pursued the manslayer. Probably he would wait outside the city of refuge. Once he thought the manslayer was careless, he would get him. He pursued relentlessly.
Our problem is that we are not pursuing. We drift along, coasting, because to us it is not an issue of life. But to the Lord it is an issue of life, because it involves His testimony. We are here to be His representatives.
Paul asks us to do four things. Verse 22 says, “Flee also youthful lusts, but pursue.” Go after. Go after what? Righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Righteousness comes from the word right. What is right? What is correct?
A brother put it this way: righteousness is measured by what is due to the Lord. What is due to the Lord? He must have first place in all things. Do we honor Him as such? When we do, that is right. That is righteousness.
It is very practical. We can carry that into our school, into our work, and into our relationships. Put the Lord first. That is right.
Righteousness is the measure of what is due to Him. He wants to have first place, and we want to give Him first place.
Faith is measured by our obedience. Faith is believing.
The Lord is looking for such people. When they meet together, they want Him to be first. They want to obey His Word. That is why we are meeting here: the Lord is the center, and His Word governs our actions.
Love is measured by sacrifice. If there is no sacrifice, there is no love.
Peace—He is the King of Peace. In Ephesians 2, He made peace. He is our peacemaker, but He is also our peace.
Peace is not the absence of war. Peace brings us into harmony with one another in fellowship. That is why, in the Old Testament, we have the peace offering. The NIV translates it well as the fellowship offering.
Ephesians 2 must be reality. All the barriers and all the things that set us apart are gone. The causes are gone, and He is our peace. We have the same access through Christ unto one God and come to worship.
In South Jersey, somehow the Lord never wanted us to be ethnically pure—whether Chinese or Caucasian. Since the beginning, there has always been another group: Americans and Chinese. Later, the Lord brought a family from India—not American Indians, but real Indians.
Then the Lord brought more Chinese. In the last few years, the Lord also brought Brazilians. The Lord never wanted us to be ethnically pure.
To us, language is not a problem. I was told that when Mario’s mother and Christian’s mother met for the first time, they were both elderly sisters in the Lord. Sister Chen, Christian’s mother, could not speak one word of Portuguese—not one word. Mario’s mother could not speak one word of Chinese.
But when they first met, they were just talking to each other. One spoke Portuguese and the other spoke Chinese, and they were there for ten or twenty minutes. You see, language is not a problem. It is the spirit; it is the heart.
It was just so beautiful to see those two old ladies. They could not understand one another’s language, yet there was such sweet fellowship. Well, I feel it is heavenly. That is spiritual.
Even Americans and Chinese are all Gentiles. But in Ephesians 2, we read concerning Gentiles and Jews. In God’s sight there are three groups of people: Jews, Gentiles, and the church.
In the world, Gentiles are still Gentiles and Jews are still Jews. But in Christ, Jews are gone and Gentiles are gone; they are one in Christ.
When Alan Levine came to us, he said, “I found my way. I have been searching for a place, a home. Somehow I sense something here. I can be at rest.”
The Lord is breaking down all these barriers and bringing us into His sanctuary, just to be with Him in His presence, enjoy Him, and go on together.
Maybe I have taken my time, so I would like to ask Brother Alan Levine to say a few words. Alan, come and say a few words. Use the big microphone.
A big microphone for a small man.
There is one thing I will not give up: I will not give up bagels and lox. You can put me on the rack. You can torture me, but I will not give it up.
My capacity for eating has expanded since I have been with South Jersey Christian Fellowship—everything from bagels and lox to seaweed. My friend Richie is laughing because he is Cuban, and I have learned to enjoy that too.
But all kidding aside, it is a pleasure to be here. I have heard about you for many years, and all the rumors are true.
It is really a blessing to be here with the brothers and sisters. Probably my greatest testimony came after I became a believer. That is when the search begins.
I have gone through many transitions, as we all have, and many different kinds of Christian movements. I have gone through many transitional periods concerning the work of God and the New Testament church.
The Lord spared me—not totally, because there were some broken hearts along the way, especially in my own life. But I have been looking for the city of the Lord, and I am starting to get a greater glimpse of that city.
It has caused me even to put up with and tolerate my other brothers and sisters, because I know that this city is not complete yet here on earth.
What I am trying to say is that I really appreciate what the Lord is doing. I originally came to the Jersey area to be with a bunch of Italian folks. God has a sense of humor, and I ended up with Chinese folks. But it is all the same, folks.
What I came for, what the Lord brought me for, I do not quite understand yet, but it goes beyond our understanding. I appreciate that very much.
Rich and I went to South Jersey Christian Fellowship. It is a long name; it is hard for me. But we went there, and Mike was sharing. We really felt the Lord there in a wonderful way.
One of the things the Lord has been dealing with me about is to be pliable, to be flexible. Another thing He has always worked in my life is the need for God’s people to restore passion for the Lord—real passion for the Lord. I have been sensing that.
Years ago, I went from the Bronx to Miami, Florida. It was a crazy story, but I ended up there, and there was a tremendous revival among the youth. I was involved with that.
I remember that we touched something of the Lord. We really touched—not only His garment, but I believe we touched His heart. Everybody knew it, and it was a wonderful season.
But then along came all the wonderful systems that we have looked up to and put on pedestals in Christian circles. When they came in, they squeezed the very simplicity of life out of that group.
When I went to the fellowship in South Jersey, even though many of them were older, I sensed the real presence of the Lord there.
I am a drummer by nature. Seriously, I was a jazz drummer before I was saved, and I am moving all the time inside. The Lord has had to deal with that in my life—to wait on Him, calm down, and relax.
Beyond the cultural things, beyond the laid-back Chinese culture and all that, the Lord sent me there to get them going, and the Lord sent them to me to calm down. The balance.
We shall see what the Lord shall do. There are also Latin brothers and sisters there, including Mario. That is the beauty.
I was reading a book by Lance Lambert, perhaps God’s Eternal Purpose. He told of an English church where someone came in who was excited, perhaps a brother from Latin America, really enjoying the Lord.
An Englishman went over to him and said, “Please, we are in England now. We are in a wonderful state.”
Lance said, “No, that is not true.” He used a wonderful expression: if you go to a flower garden and there is only one fragrance, you might get bored. But when all the fragrances are put together, there is a wonderful bouquet of the Lord.
I sense that the Lord is going to do some wonderful things in these days. I have great anticipation there, here, and everywhere.
I appreciate my wife Amy. She inspires me in a tremendous way, and I appreciate that.
I would like to greet you in the name of the Lord. I am not accustomed to speaking in front of crowds.
In spite of nationality, there are two types of people: those who pursue and those who are pursued.
For a good many years, I was a pursuer of the wrong kind. The Lord got hold of me many years ago, but I fell from Him and became involved in law enforcement. That became my god for a good number of years.
Ironically, speaking about the manslayer, I was a homicide detective. That became my god. I was a pursuer with a vengeance.
Thank God that He was a better pursuer. Amen.
The only other thing is: pursue righteousness. Pursue Him now. That is what I have seen in my life. Thank you.