Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
hello City of Refuge family I'm Deacon Bell and I'm Dresden Bell and
this is your City news
mark your calendar for vacation bible school from July 30th until August 2nd
we're looking for volunteers so please visit the table in the lobby for more information
calling all ladies it is time to prepare for the Father's Day choir
please stop by the Ladies of the City table in the lobby to sign up
also the Ladies of the City are sponsoring a fun day at the Viejas in San Diego
on Memorial Day Monday May 27th come join us for a fun filled day of
shopping fellowship and games
for more information please visit the table in the lobby
if you or someone you know is sixteen to twenty-four years old
and have been in the juvenile system or prison and is looking
to turn their life around
we're here to help them with getting in school
finishing their GED getting in a training program and
getting a job anchor of hope is working with PV Jobs
mentoring program and there are seventy-eight openings available and
in the PV program
for more information please call Jean Franklin at area code 323
432-3976
a new masterlife discipleship class session will begin Sunday May 26 at 4 p.m.
for book 1 2 3 and 4 in the worship center registration will take place during orientation
books are available in the Breadbox bookstore for thirty-three dollars per set
praise the Lord City its Aaron Edwards God bless you how many of you know laughter is good
for the soul I know ya'll already know so I'll try to help you keep your soul from stinking alright
come out this Saturday to the Comedy Union where we have a
clean comedy show for you guys
that's 5040 West Pico Drive cross streets Pico and La Brea
right down the street from Roscos we got great comedians
great fun and its all clean and the great thing is it starts at 8 pm
so you can get up and go to church in the morning now
the great thing is the Comedy Union is willing to give back to
the City of Refuge so for everyone who is there before 8 pm
and you pay your ten dollars to get in
they will give five dollars back to the City so you got a chance to come out get your laugh on
and give back to your ministry God bless you City come out and support
and have a great time
City of Refuge Altar Workers annual conference will be held on Saturday June 29th
from 8 am to 4 pm registration in advance is twenty dollars
and twenty-five dollars at the door
special guests will be Pastor Tobias Brookins Youth Pastor Wes Dunn and Dr. Paulette Douglas
for more information visit the Altar Workers table in the lobby
join IYAM for the second annual biggest loser competition
we will provide top-notch fitness trainers and the motivation
this six-week competition will allow you to jump start your fitness program for the
summer while raising money to send missionaries to Louisiana
and Rwanda registration fee is thirty-five dollars per person
and first place prize is one hundred dollars and one month membership to
Equinox Fitness Center second through fifth place prizes
is one month membership to Equinox Fitness Center
orientation and initial weigh-in May 18 at 9 am
all assessments will be done by Equinox certified trainers
all participants will receive a week pass to Equinox during this competition
stop by the IYAM table in the lobby
the Sarah's Daughter mentoring program annual appreciation banquet
will be held June 1st at the Torrance Women's Club
located at 1422 Engracia Avenue Torrance California 90501
from 5 pm to 7 pm tickets are twenty-five dollars and are available in the lobby all are welcome to attend
our Baptismal Committee is in need of a housekeeping assistant on Mondays and Tuesdays
for more information please contact our volunteer coordinator
Christel Johnson at (310) 515-6020 extension 126
ah somebody's ready for it
say yes [yes] say yes [yes]
his spirit lives in me
[Bishop Noel Jones] take somebody's hand if you will
and as you're touching somebody certainly
we all need to pray for one another
I need a special prayer I'm on my way to Africa but this last week
both... the pain was so excruciating in my back
that it literally let this leg go completely numb
and I almost... I mean I had no control over it
I tried to get some epidurals is that what that is
[yes] but the doc wasn't able to do it but I can't... I have to go
so I need some prayer that the Lord will somehow
get me there a back without any complications there's enough medicine to take but
who wants to take medicine twenty-five flying hours
from home so I need prayer that the Lord will help us
I also want to say that I'm not taking on any show that's going to embarrass myself or you [amen]
and I had an interview I had an interview
about a year ago and that's what they're using to promote the show
but my only reason for doing it is that I might expel and
dispel some of the same notions that I'm getting right now
and one of the things I need to ask is does anybody believe that
people change after they come to church
[applause] amen I mean whatever your laundry was before you get saved
I do believe that God gives you some sort of validity after you got saved
amen even though being saved is a struggle at least let's rid ourselves of what we did before we got saved
[applause] amen and the third thing I'll tell you is I've said it before and I'll say it again
I ain't marrying nobody until I tell you
amen amen amen that ain't happening if I haven't gotten up here and say I'm getting married it ain't happening
amen and right now Toshiba is my girlfriend I got some books to write some works take those hands please
Father we come in Jesus name and we realize Lord that in this life
there is no certainty except that you are God all by yourself
and we need you now to touch the hands we hold we need you to touch our bodies our minds our spirits our souls
we need you to take us to a new height a deeper depth
and that your power will be evident in our lives
so now Lord we pray that you give us the victory in this house
and tonight when the Spirit of God is resting in here
that you will answer prayers that you will heal bodies
that you will anoint and give words to our prayer leader
that something marvelous and miraculous will take place in this house
and we claim the victory right now and we speak it in the name of Jesus
and we thank you for it now Lord you know what my brother is going through what my sister is facing
and we claim now that the victory shout will come over
that you are God all by yourself
and we thank you for it now so bless bless and bless again
in Jesus name look at your neighbor and say you're looking at a miracle
tell somebody else the miracle already took place
in Jesus name he's worthy he's worthy
he's worthy of all our praises you may be seated in the presence of the Lord
in Isaiah 66 and beginning at verse five
and in trying to be contextual I will read five through and including
verse thirteen and you will see a connection in a kind of distant way
to last week because as I was pondering what Mother's Day was
all about this particular scripture sort of stuck in my mind
and as I was flying from Orlando yesterday it seemed not only to get stuck but cemented
it says in sixty-six five hear the word of the Lord ye that tremble at his word
and that's interesting hear it listen carefully and its spoken to those who tremble at his word I thought
that was interesting those who... and Camilla Reed you're exceptional
and for those who aren't listening well of course trembling isn't essential
for those who don't listen but hear ye the word of the Lord ye that tremble at his word
it sort of reminds me of seek him while he may be found
call upon him while he is near and the marvelous literature that's associated with Isaiah
is astounding its one of the most literary books in the world
hear ye the word of Lord ye that tremble at his word
the brethren that hateth you that cast you out for my name sake
said let the Lord be glorified but he shall appear to your joy
and they shall be ashamed
a voice of noise from the city a voice from the temple of
which from the Lord rendereth recompense to his enemies before she travailed
she bought forth before her pain came
she was delivered of a man-child who have heard such a thing
who has seen such things shall the earth be made to bring forth in
one day or shall a nation be born at once
for as soon as Zion travailed she bought forth her children
shall I bring to birth and not cause to bring forth
saith the Lord cause to bring forth and
shut up the womb saith the Lord
rejoice ye with Jerusalem and be glad with her all ye that love her
rejoice for joy with her all ye that mourn for her that ye
may suck and milk thus saith the Lord behold I will extend peace to her like
a river and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream
then shall ye suck ye shall be born upon her knees and be dandled upon her knees
upon her sides rather be dandled upon her knees as one who his mother comforteth
so shall I comfort ye and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem I want
you to look at somebody on one side of you and just simply say a time of restoration
[a time of restoration] look on the other side and tell them a birth [a birth] a time of miracle amen
so put it all together the time of restoration is the birth of a miracle
amen the politicians didn't upset you did they
amen did you see somebody you didn't like
[laughter] well don't express it today express it on Tuesday
amen be real quiet about it because you can handle it Tuesday
you don't have to say a word you can just [laughter]
because Tuesday you can handle your business
Isaiah of course is one of the most remarkable books in the bible
and particularly its impact in the old testament
the pentateuch the torah
its astounding but the book is very difficult to navigate
to me and the difficulty and I'll modify it by saying to me because it may not be difficult for you
but its difficult to me because its pre-exilic in its presentation
but its post-exilic in its promise
and by that I simply mean that he is writing the book to a group of people who have not gone into exile
and yet he is astoundingly giving promises
of what God intends and will do after they come out of exile
it took a little while for me to navigate into it to understand
the operation of God as he moves from the judgment or the punishment of his people to the encouragement
of his people and I'm led to conclude that the spanking of God or the chastening of God
can be so complete and so horrific in its presentation
and in its execution that ultimately God
has to encourage the individual
who has been chastened
so that he doesn't lose them ultimately
I think that deserves saying maybe in another way
oftentimes the chastening
will leave the psychological debilitation that God has
walked away
but the truth is the intensity of the chastening
is significantly dependent on the disobedience and the stubbornness of the subject
it is not that God is in any way sadistic
it is simply that the children of God because of their behavior
and I'm laughing because of what came across my mind
has to be masochistic for you not to change so that God
might do his bidding in your life
its like sometimes
we almost have to lose our minds to change our minds
which means that God then takes us to the limit of our mental state he drives us to the very edge
in order to get us to become what he wants us to be
so consequently the chastening is so intense
that God has to turn around and console and soothe
while he is taking us through the process of releasing the negatives and
reaching for the positive
I won't spend much time here but I think its important to reiterate even at the cost of being repetitive
that to operate in the things of God
is to move out of our sensual perception our intellectualism
and understand that to grasp the things of God
has to be through the process of revelation
and that is that the individuals who walk and operate within the parameters of the truth of God
have to do so because of the revealing nature of walking with God
he is outside of our intellect he's outside our sensual perception
and this is the substratum of every message you preach
and that is to understand God you can't approach him with your intellect
you can't approach him with how smart you are or you think you are
you have to approach him by faith because
it is his Spirit operating through your spirit
in spite of how intellectual or how cognitive or how cerebral you may think you are
you don't get into the things of God by being smart
because smart only limits you to your dealings with each other
but when it comes to the things of God he is beyond your capacity to intellectualize him
so the only way to operate with him is through faith
which connects you to his Spirit and his Spirit speaks to your spirit
and then your spirit talks to your mind
it is important here because if you cerebrally look at the things you're through you will have no revelation of why
is it happening
but when you operate in the Spirit of God and he reveals to you
certain things that's going on on the surface
that's literally tied to things that are going on in the depth of your spirit
where there are transfers that's being made from Spirit to spirit
that you are not aware of cognitively
and if you are aware of the situation
that's bringing the Spirit to your spirit
you generally misinterpret it
if you take it from a mental point of view
I hope I haven't missed you let me come around so I can talk this part out
its important to understand and I looked at it last night in light of this message
I looked at two Hebrew words and one is tselem
and the other is demuwth
I looked at tselem because tselem is associated with the word of God in Genesis one and twenty-six where
he says let us make man in our own image
and I looked at tselem and what tselem wants to say to me
is that it is a duplication it is an image like you would have on... who is on the hundred dollar bill
[Franklin] Franklin thank you
and it is an image... I didn't say dollar bill I know that one
but I wanted to go a little higher to take you a little higher you know
no sense in talking about Washington when we can talk about Franklin
so the issue here is
that he is an image of Franklin are we... I hope they got it right
and so... but he is not Franklin but he is an image on the dollar bills
tselem is saying it is not one and the same
because he's simply an image
and when he said let's make man in our image
tselem is dealing with the outward corporeality of man that is made in the image of an omnipresent God
which means he's speaking prophetically of the shape of Jesus Christ
I hope you're with me ah...
God he's speaking then of an outward image
but notice now that image tselem is going to be influenced by demuwth
because demuwth is likeness
I want to create man in my image and in my likeness
the likeness deals not with the outward pulchritudinous expression
but it deals with the inward spiritual association
I don't only want to look in the world
and see my image like Franklin would look at a hundred dollar bill
but I not only want a replica of myself from the outside
that has no mobility or no intrinsic value
from the inside but I want an outside image that has an inside likeness
ah... I feel like preaching now you see
the essential piece here is that we spend more time and I'm finding out with what I'm going through recently that
the church is all about image
but at the end of the day if the image doesn't have a likeness
it has a form of godliness but it denies the power thereof
ah... I feel the Holy Ghost
it is here where then it becomes essential
for the child of God to understand
that I'm not operating on an outward surface relationship with God
because if I choose to deal with God intellectually and cognitively
I'm going to miss the significance of faith connecting me to his Spirit
therefore I don't judge things according to the outward intellectual sensual perception
deduction but I see things through the revelatory power
of the Holy Spirit
I've got news for you you can't even look at the person beside you
and decide intellectually that they're anointed
because anointing isn't discerned through cerebral energy
if you look at your brother or your sister and decide that they are anointed
it has to be by revelation from God
because you have judged folks by their image
but God judge folks by their likeness
so I'll put you through hell in order to get you to be like me
and when I see that it seems as if you're falling apart
I'll step in supernaturally and console you
to let you know that my thoughts of you are not evil
ah... I wish somebody would get it
its important let me go back to the business of being structured
its important here because
we are caught between sensual perception and our faith
and sometimes we need faith sometimes in fact all the time
when we can't see our way we have to navigate by instruments
I'm going to be in an Emirates plane triple seven Boeing
somebody said if its not Boeing I'm not going but I'm not going on the French three eighty I'm in a Boeing
between here and Dubai which is fifteen hours
he is going to be in a situation where he can't fly by sight
and if he's flying through the night he certainly can't see any landmarks
and as he pushes at thirty-six thousand feet at five hundred six hundred miles an hour
his sight isn't going to do him much good
but he has a cluster of instruments and avionics
that he will have to depend on when his sight is useless
I wonder how many times in your life your sight has been useless
but something down on the inside
was connected by faith to the Spirit of God
and it was that connection that kept you
in perfect peace because your mind was staid on him
ah... I feel restoration coming here
it doesn't matter what's swirling and twirling on the outside of your life
there is perfect peace in the inner part of your being because I am not walking by sight I'm walking by faith
ah... I feel something happening here
Isaiah was frustrated and
his whole life was one of frustration
because here he's dealing with a people who
isn't hearing what he is saying
because he realizes that Babylon and he realizes that exile
is on the way and if I could just get people to hear the word of the Lord
and God did some drastic things just to show the significance
and the importance of the presentation
because we're so outward God had Isaiah lay on his left side naked for six months
and then when Isaiah said is it time to put my clothes on
God said turn the other side for another six months
he was drastic in his presentation because
he was trying to move people out of
the lethargy of their incapacity to operate in the things of God
to an energetic intensive spirit
that was hungry for God
I'm wondering as I get older I spent the first part of my life trying to imbibe information
I discovered last night that I've got to spend the second half of my life and maybe some of that is already gone
trying to interpret the information that I've gathered
because I'm asking myself a question
do we really believe God
or is the bible just a book of fantasia that we read on a day-to-day basis
is there anybody in the house of God who forgives
and is there anybody in the house of God who believes
that God can take you from the guttermost
and take you to the uttermost is there anybody who really believes
that he transforms the lives of people
and its interesting how folk
always want to take you back to what you used to be
when God has made something else out of you
I want to preach this thing I don't know
I'm too contaminated really to preach in a pure sense
but you've got to understand... I want to preach to you sisters for a minute I want to talk to the sisters brothers hang out on the
side its interesting because men can do stuff
and get away with it men can do stuff
and we pat men on the back
you know I'm sixty-three years old its not that much I can do
regardless of what folk say
but understand this men can do things
if a man is seventy year old and the woman is thirty years old
everybody just pats him on the back you're a bad man
and o he's the cat's meow and the dog's bow-wow too
men can brag about how many women they've been with
and nobody is arguing hey you just bad he can tell his friends and
shake their hand man you know hey hey hey
and everybody... o he's bad
now a woman can't tell her best friend
how many men she's been with or
they're going to call her names
I wish I could talk to you now
and if a woman is seventy and a boy... a man is thirty
you see the connotation
I just want you to stay with me
immediately something is wrong with her
a woman can't have a whole lot of pictures of herself
floating around in the world when she felt like doing it
and there are a lot of pictures of other women that just didn't get to
the tabloids I feel like preaching now
and so all your life you're going to be stigmatized
by what has happened in the past
let me go to the bible for instance
there's something that's an anomaly that's done in the scriptures
and only folks who navigate in bible often can understand
the anomaly of what I'm about to say
if you look in the genealogy that's presented by Matthew
not by Luke
because if Luke presented it it would not have the same intensity
when Matthew presents he's writing to the Jewish people
and they are the most strict when it comes to the Torah the Pentateuch and they don't yet believe
that Jesus is the Messiah
and yet Matthew writes to them
he puts four women
in the genealogy I might as well just preach it
he puts four women in a genealogy
where women are never mentioned
in a genealogy
and you would think he would put Rebecca
and Sarah
and that he would put Rachel
that he would put some real sweet and wonderful women in the genealogy
but he doesn't do that
he puts Ruth in the genealogy
well who is Ruth
Ruth is the daughter the granddaughter the great granddaughter whatever level
of Lot and his daughters
because after they left ***
they went into a cave in Zoar
and both daughters went with their father
and the Moabite nation was born
I hope you're with me
Ruth is a daughter of ***
I wish I could talk to some folk
and yet God put Ruth in the genealogy
now I'm going to add one for free this won't cost you anything
when David said I was glad when they said unto me
let us go into the house of God
everybody missed it because you don't know the history
because Ruth is a part of David's line
the Moabites could not enter the temple
until the thirteenth generation
which is a hundred and thirty years
from Ruth to David
and when David realized
that he could now enter I wish I could preach to you
I don't care what your background is
you have a right
to be able to...
ah... I feel like preaching here
I feel like lifting him up
give somebody a high five
and say neighbor why do you think you have a right
and I don't have a right because of my past
its because of my past why I praise him
its because of my past why I lift him up
its because of my past why I can say to God
I'm so glad Jesus lifted me its because of my past
ah ya'll rest a minute there give me a few more minutes
its critical here because
not only did he put Ruth but go down the road sisters
and find out that Ruth didn't just marry anybody
and I'm not trying to justify getting married because I'm not going to do it
and the more I feel and the more I preach
I say Lord you're going to have to hit me with a bolt of lightning
because I can't even walk across the street
I wish somebody would tell me why am I that important
why am I so significant
I'm just another brother like your brother
like your father like your son
ah... God but notice who she married
not just anybody
but Boaz the most powerful man
in all of Bethlehem
God will wipe out your past and he'll make a *** into a housewife
don't let anybody demean who you are
and a whole lot of folk walking around being picky and choosey
and most men want somebody that has no experience
after he has tore up half the city
I wish I could preach to you
you ought to look him in the face and say man I almost said something else
let me tell you something you can't just be with anybody
you need to be with somebody who can handle your junk
and you found the right one now
I feel like having church in here
not only that but Tamar sat on the side of the road
and Tamar played the ***
because she was being mistreated by Judah
well who is Judah
listen to what the bible says
and Judah is a lion's whelp and the scepter shall not depart from Judah
nor a lawgiver from between his knees
until Shiloh comes
Tamar went with both of Judah's sons
and then went with Judah the father
and that's the line that Jesus came through
I want to talk to some of you folk
that's dealing on the surface
but has not got down into the revelatory part of the Spirit of God
leave out Bathsheba
who Matthew would not even call out her name
the one who was the wife of Urias come on man
Matthew you know that woman's name
her name is Bathsheba
he wouldn't even call her name
but leave Bathsheba out
and let's go see Rahab
I wish I could talk to you Rahab ran the brothel
she was the madam and God reached for Rahab
and set her in the middle of Jesus' line
and that's why the text says I've come to restore and I'm going to show you a miracle
if you got anything in you I'm will bring it to birth
let's go Pat I need to have some church
give somebody a high five
for the second time and say I don't care who you are on the surface
I just believe that God has impregnated you
with a powerful revelation
and something is getting ready to come out
I hear the Lord saying you've suffered long enough
and you've been through enough hell
over where you're coming from
but I don't bring you to the edge and not bring it to birth
I want to talk to somebody that God has implanted his Spirit in you
and has given you destiny
and purpose in your spirit
and every time you try
to walk in your purpose
somebody raises up and tries to demolish you
but God told me to tell you
that I don't bring you through travail
and then cause you to miscarry
shake somebody's hand for the third time and say neighbor
I will not miscarry
this vision is of the Lord
my next level is of the Lord
my next move is of the Lord
and I've been through hell
but I see a cloud the size of a man's hand
and its getting ready to rain
give somebody a high five for the fourth time and say neighbor
this is your season God said its not going to be long
because the enemy is fighting you
like he has never fought before
and God said I'm going to do a miraculous thing
I'm going to bring the baby out as soon as you feel a pain
he said normally you would go through hell for a long time
but I'm getting ready to shorten it touch your neighbor say you're almost there
God is shortening the time of your pain
God is shutting your enemy's mouth
that's alright I'm almost there
I feel like lifting him up
I'm almost there give somebody a high five for the fifth time
and say neighbor watch how quickly God's moving in your life
watch how quickly he's going to turn it all the way around
watch how quickly he's going to make a stand
in your spirit watch how quickly he's going to shut the enemy's mouth
for I heard him say weeping may endure for a night but joy is coming in the morning
I feel the Holy Ghost
the devil is a liar
put him under your feet
God's got this in his hand
I'm closing but its been in you a long time you've been impregnated
with new vision with fresh anointing with more power
you've been impregnated give somebody a high five
say let that book out let that testimony out let that idea out
let your vision out quit holding your vision because you don't have any cooperation
your help my help cometh from the Lord
you're too gifted to let folk run your life
you're too gifted to be broke
hit somebody for the last time and say neighbor I'm restored
I'm rejuvenated I'm God's child
somebody holler no weapon formed against me shall
you might as well praise him
praise him for your vision praise him for your purpose
praise him for your destiny its been blocked but it being released
in 2013 God told me to tell you I'm releasing you
I feel it in here
can I prophesy there's at least seventeen miracles of progress that's getting ready to happen
in this house there's at least seventeen new concepts new ideas new wealth
new levels you better claim it you better receive it
you better walk
your time point at somebody and say neighbor its your time
I feel him in here I feel a praise I feel a praise
its your time
don't you feel it don't you feel it a new day in your life
restoration has finally
I'm talking to the warriors in here yes we've battled yes we've disagree
yes we're still fighting but at the end of the day its coming out and everyone is going to rejoice
because after the birth that a man-child has come into the world
all the pains are gone I need you to just shake somebody's hand
and say you're hurting now but you're not going to hurt always
and God shorten the time you're crying now but your crying is going to give way to laughter
and victory
somebody in this building God is saying come come
come the intensity of your battle come
come unto me all that are heavy laden I'll give you rest take my yoke upon you learn of me
come on young man young lady
come on this is quite a battle God is calling you come on
come on yes sir come on
yes yes give God praise freely give
what melodious... [I will ever love and trust him] I hope this rings in my mind all the way over
way across the water in his presence daily live somebody lift your voice and say I surrender all
I just wish I could be accepted in the house of God
I wish there was a place that I could feel safe the Lord says I've provided a place
come on I've provided
Father our savior our keeper we thank you for your love for your blood shed on calvary's cross
and I pray you go with us bring us back at the appointed time in Jesus name