The process of conquest
Samuel Acevedo
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: The speaker discusses how the Central Baptist Church, now the Lion of Judah Congregation, has a purpose to bring revival to New England. The new building being constructed will play a role in this strategy. The speaker then discusses Revelation chapter 12 and how the Church is running from Satan, but there is a war in heaven. The Church can influence this war through transformed lives and the Gospel. The three steps to a life of influence are the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony, and despising our lives to death.
The speaker discusses the power of the blood of Jesus Christ and how it sets us free from Satan's accusations. He emphasizes the importance of discipleship and knowing the Word of God. He shares testimonies of transformed lives and encourages the congregation to live with eternity in their eyes and focus on their true home in heaven. He advises them to give up everything for Christ and live for the day when they will be with Him.
The speaker encourages the audience to detach themselves from the world and focus on their eternal home in heaven. They urge the audience to let go of worldly possessions and desires to live a life of influence for God. The speaker then invites anyone who wants to receive Christ to pray with them and be covered by the blood of the Lamb. They end by declaring the blood of the Lamb over the lives and possessions of those present.
The speaker discusses the power of the blood of Jesus Christ and how it sets us free from Satan's accusations. He emphasizes the importance of discipleship and knowing the Word of God. He shares testimonies of transformed lives and encourages the congregation to live with eternity in their eyes and focus on their true home in heaven. He advises them to give up everything for Christ and live for the day when they will be with Him.
The speaker encourages the audience to detach themselves from the world and focus on their eternal home in heaven. They urge the audience to let go of worldly possessions and desires to live a life of influence for God. The speaker then invites anyone who wants to receive Christ to pray with them and be covered by the blood of the Lamb. They end by declaring the blood of the Lamb over the lives and possessions of those present.
Revelation chapter 12 my brothers and we will focus on verses 6 to 11. I will be following the thread that our Pastor started in last week's message, if you remember my brothers the Pastor shared that our goal is not necessarily to be a big Church but an influential church. Our goal as Christians, true success is not found in us acquiring fame or money but living lives that are truly worthwhile, living lives of influence and I know that here among us who were, who got to see the Central Baptist Church where is that, where is the Church?
Welcome to the Central Baptist Church now the Lion of Judah Congregation, but there are a handful of us that remain who remember those days in Cambridge and my brothers since those days I realized even there in that Baptist Church, see that God had a purpose , this was going to be a Church of influence. I was a student, the Lord brought me to this Church in those days of my life, in that trajectory I thought: I am here as long as the Lord has me here and from there I do other things in another place and the Lord told me : There are no other things in another place it is here, get used to it Samuel here you stay this is home.
And with a purpose because the Lord showed me: wow, the Lord has a purpose maybe he has marked New England for revival, this is twenty years ago, the Lord has marked for revival and this Church looks like this little Baptist church and that Pastor have a role to play in God's purpose to bring revival to New England and I prayed to the Lord, Lord I don't want to miss that show, I want to be a part of it. When revival breaks out again in America and when it uses New England for that I want to be a part of it, I want to participate in some way and just in the last twenty years the Lord has led this Church on a trajectory that is just that, transformative.
A trajectory of influence and my brothers as the Pastor has been saying and as Pastor Jonathan shared again this afternoon that new temple that we are building has a great role in that trajectory and in the purposes of God to bring not only more space in our cults but plays a role I am convinced in a much broader strategy of bringing revival to New England.
Let me explain: this building at 68 North Hampton, sixty eight North Hampton Street in which we are used to worshiping the Lord right now is built, literally built on rubble, on the rubble of this neighborhood and I know it not because they told me. : I saw it, I got to see it. In the spring of 1993 the Pastor brought a handful of brothers from the Church, it had not yet been announced that we were perhaps in the process of moving from Cambridge, a very comfortable place without; Well for us right now it would be a little tight, it would be impossible, we would have to have five services, but comfortable, we didn't pay rent, it was a comfortable situation for us, for that Congregation.
And get here and see: oh this is 68 North Hampton, this building was an abandoned building; 62 North Hampton Street which is now the headquarters of the Academic Resource Center and Alpha Agency and Vale Esperar was another abandoned building, this was a totally scary neighborhood. Ahead of us was a very active live and kicking tavern with lots of clientele and across the street a VJ sized liquor store now my brothers is what? a CBS and what has God done?
When an anointed Church that dares to believe God where the Holy Spirit is activated and the Word of God is preached without apology and there is a people willing to come and experience the power of God in its integrity with our failures but we want to be faithful to him to God, to preach a Gospel so filtered of our humanity and our pecuniarity as much as possible to make life miserable for Satan and so has been and has stretched the influence of the Kingdom of God over this place.
A councilor recently told me in confidence, certainly not one of the many councilors who is now running for mayor, but one of them approaches me and says: you know? if there are now half a million dollar condos in that Boston neighborhood, glory be to the Lord, Boston owes it to his Church. The Lord has transformed this area, the influence of Jesus Christ is palpable, it is palpable in this neighborhood, it has to be like this. If there is life in a place and if the Gospel is being preached with anointing and as it should be, it must be supported by life, by anointing.
Now they add that building and the impact of this building on this path. The idea is this: that this building becomes a base of operations for a divine invasion of this city and this region, that is the idea. An invasion base where the powers, powers and principalities that oppose Jesus Christ in New England fall. The light will shine in the midst of the darkness around us and politicians.
By the way, in quotes, we had a visit, there are elections on Tuesday, as the Pastor said last week when other candidates arrived, brothers: that is part of being a Church of influence. And not because as the Pastor said when a politician arrives, a candidate arrives is accompanied by our support, our endorsement unless the candidate is Jesus Christ and is running for King. If so, we back it 100 percent.
But in our prophetic role we receive and we will receive them, we are going to see more and more of it, we pray for it, it gives us an opportunity to pray for the city. But my brothers in the name of Jesus we declare that one of these days politicians will arrive without a candidacy, without an agenda, with nothing but the Hand of God itself will bring them humiliated, lowering their faces before the Lord, kneeling before the Presence of the Lord asking the anointing of Jesus Christ and declaring with your heart and sincerely that Jesus Christ is Lord, that day is drawing near.
We declare in the name of Jesus that our goal is nothing less than to see the name of Jesus exalted and His influence felt in the public school classrooms of this city, the influence of Jesus Christ. Because there is a Church, it is not the Lion of Judah; a network of churches, the body of Christ raising the influence of Jesus Christ, His influence is felt in the laws, in the classrooms of public schools, in the state house and the mayor's office, that something is happening that moves the Hand of God and that this people come to recognize him as King.
And the process that describes that plan of attack, that strategy is here, it is described by Scripture Revelation chapter 12 which opens with a somewhat depressing scene but ends in victory beginning with verse 6: "And the woman fled into the desert where It has a place prepared by God so that they will sustain it there for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.Afterwards there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought but they did not prevail and no place was found for them. in the sky."
"And the great dragon was hurled out, the old serpent called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him. Then I heard a loud Voice in heaven saying: now has come the salvation, the power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of Jesus Christ because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out, the one who accused them before our God day and night!" now this next verse mark it, underline it, memorize this verse, take it with you in your hearts; in the shower declare it about your life, when walking.
Teacher, teacher counselor declares her classroom in the mornings. Businessman: declare this Word on your counter in the Name of Jesus. The pharmacists, the doctors, the dentists, that chair where your clients will rest, declare this Word around you, declares verse 11: "And they have overcome him through the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony and they despised their lives to death."
My brothers, as I told you about this process of conquest, I believe that this Word partly describes much of what we are experiencing, what the Church is experiencing now. It opens with a somewhat depressing scene: we find the woman who represents the Church of Jesus Christ running from Satan, running from Satan and you know what? as they used to say in the neighborhood in New York: in warned war no one dies. The Lord warns us here that this is coming, do not be intimidated. When you see these signs do not be discouraged.
Here, as we have done, we have declared that Jesus Christ is King, here we have declared His Reign and His Lordship in the surrounding areas, but we send our children to public schools with fear and trembling. What will they be teaching them here? we read the newspaper and see another law, what madness, where is the fear of God? We see scenes of violence and brokenness and we say: where is the Church? and yet we see pulpit after pulpit losing light, losing hope, and many times what doesn't even pass for the Gospel being preached in New England pulpits. That is why our Pastor is very firm that what is preached here agrees with the Word of the Lord no matter how popular it is or how it is received around us.
Fleeing, the Church of Jesus Christ fleeing and Satan monopolizing more and more influence, apparently as our Pastor says, serving himself with the big spoon, keeping his own. But something else is happening, while this is taking place there is war in heaven. Miguel fighting with diabolical judges like in the Book of Daniel, do you remember Miguel in the Book of Daniel? to where the answer to prayer Daniel stopped during the battle that is being fought in the air in heaven.
Now when you see a reference to battle in the skies, in the air don't imagine it so much as here and there. Frankly this is taking place around us invisibly and this is not allegory, this is taking place. But it is invisible, it is taking place behind a veil that our eyes cannot pierce.
But somehow what is taking place here on the visible side, what we can feel and share influences what is happening there on the other side of the veil, on the invisible side, that influence is there and here it is. is precisely what happens. Daniel's response stopped during the battle that was being fought in the air and Daniel continued fasting and praying insistently in the meantime and at the moment power was released and Michael prevailed. Now here in Revelation something similar happens.
Something on Earth, that is, here among the people of God, influences the battle in the air and in the long run Michael prevailed and Satan is thrown from his place of evil influence. What happened here? There are several sci-fi movies in the theater these days, some are worth it, others less so, but mind you, you who are fans, you don't have to raise your hand for sci-fi movies. There is a very common formula that is used in those movies: aliens, do you remember those people? the aliens arrive with their mother ship orbiting the Earth and sending their minions and robots that do evil here on Earth.
And suddenly something happens, your mother ship is blown up, your computer is burned and for now what happens? the robots that are doing mischief here on Earth, what do they do? wooh they kind of lose their power, they lose their influence and the Lord says: there will come a day when Satan will be thrown from his place of influence, thrown from the air and it is as if the Earth were an enchanted place and for the moment boom! we're free; freedom is unleashed over the entire Earth and one realizes: wow Jesus Christ is Lord and the entire Earth declares, kneels before the Lord and declares: You are our Lord and that day arrives.
And how does that happen, what happens? what happens to throw him out of the sky and cancel his influence? Well notice, the very people that Satan has marked for destruction, the very people that Satan has marked for defeat discover the key to prevail against him. The people he ran away from now discover how to fight against him and rise up and now there is victory through these transformed lives that the Lord is raising up in our midst and what is the way, what is the strategy?
It is not a formula, it is simply and simply the Gospel of Jesus. And in verse 11, verse 11 breaks down what I would call three steps to a life of influence. But my brothers this is simply the Gospel three steps to a life of influence and the first step is the blood of the Lamb. The blood of the Lamb.
Declares the Word: "And they have overcome him" first? "through the blood of the Lamb." Satan which is in Hebrew, is translated in Hebrew Accuser literally accusing, Satan accuses because he has something to accuse us of. He has something to accuse us of, he has a case against us. And the Word says that we can find Satan day and night before the Throne of God accusing us.
Why this fiscal role? frankly because his job is to disconnect you, disconnect your life from the Grace and favor of the Throne of God. He well knows that every good gift and every perfect gift flows from the Throne of God and his purpose is to disconnect you from that grace, disconnect you from that divine influence, disconnect you from the channel on which your soul and your eternity depend, that is what he. And maybe we don't realize that but we do realize that something was wrong in our lives before we encountered the blood of the Lamb.
The Word declares that we were dead in our crimes and sins, in other words, spiritually totally defenseless, you could not defend yourself before the Throne of God, there was no way. The impact of that, perhaps, that spiritual reality eluded him, but many of us know the impact of that all too well.
I don't know about you but many of us came, we came to the León de Judá Congregation or to another Church or to another Church of Jesus Christ, now you don't even remember how you got there. He doesn't remember, he doesn't even know how he got there. Perhaps I am describing to you today you could have been in two or three other places: someone invited you, you saw a message on the internet, you heard a radio message; You could easily be today in thirty or forty different places, you arrived as if it were like in a dream as if someone took you by the hand and led you to this place.
Because? That someone is the Holy Spirit of God who led you here because he loves you. He loves you and He cares about your condition. He knows your condition, He knows the danger of your condition perhaps more than you yourself. How many of us did not arrive here chained by a vice or arrived here with a ruined marriage about to fall apart or arrived here about to lose our children? Somehow but we were dead in life, a fruitless life.
Or maybe you have achieved something with your life, you have your marriage, you have your job but you recognize the great emptiness, the spiritual bankruptcy within you and you know it. Pastor, I don't know how to describe it, but I know that I am not happy, I have never been happy and I have news for you: without the blood of Jesus Christ you will never be happy no matter how many titles you achieve or what you achieve, no matter how many goals you achieve you will never be happy because without the blood of Jesus Christ you are a walking target. You are easy prey for Satan who has access to your mind and emotions and can play games with you, play games with your life.
And the thing is this: inside you you realize that something is wrong that should not be so, it is like a little voice in a dream that in the middle of the nightmare, a voice reaches you saying: wake up this is a dream nothing more trying to get you out of that charm and that is the Voice of the Holy Spirit telling you: I made you for something else. This is not your reality, this is not what I programmed for your life, you are worth much more than this to Me; come out of this and follow Me, pray My Name and here you are, glory to God here you are.
Now what you lack is the blood of the Lamb. The moment the blood of the Lamb reaches you, you already become the property of Jesus Christ. Satan already loses the title of your life, there is already a lot of work to do, there is a lot of fabric to cut but at that moment legally before the Throne of God you are free, you are free, you are free instantly and that my brothers, by the way I I am convinced my brothers that each soul that comes to the Lord is a miracle because I cannot convince you with my words, this is experienced as trying to explain colors to someone who is only able to see in black and white or to a blind person.
And I ask in the Name of Jesus that the blood of Christ falls like eye drops on his eyes, the scale falls off and he sees the colors, he sees the possibilities, he sees what God wants to do, he longs to do, he has made you to do through That is why the Lord has created you. So in that beautiful moment many of us want to run in four different directions at the moment when the blood of Christ reaches us because at that moment the Word declares that we have the mind of Christ and now comes a stage, an exciting step: the power of His Presence, the power of his testimony.
Satan does not have access to his character, to his mind, he can oppress him, he can influence him, but he is the property of Christ and now discipleship is worth it and don't waste a moment. You received the Lord, register in discipleship even if it is late, know the Word of God but not only know the Word of God. The idea of discipleship is a training in life in which one is in tune with a life of purpose, the life of success that is the life of the Lord and no matter how much his life resembles the life of Scripture, the life of the Lord more and more the Lord will flow in your life, the more success you will have and the more the Lord can do in you and you will realize how many of our brothers take risks after a while here.
The Pastor spoke of risks last week, I prefer to say: take steps of faith. And now you, who did not dare to call asking for a pizza because of the English you have, enroll in that English class in the Name of Jesus; and the Lord tells him: well if you can with the English class maybe the computer class let's see, the Lord gives him success and this works and why not lgid? wow I'm the King's son and you go and take your Gid and you will be the first to be surprised at what God has done in your life. Pastor: And where did this house come from and my children graduating from university and this baccalaureate, this master's degree?
This morning I was talking about a sister and during the services she gave me permission to use her name, sister Margarita Brito and her husband Oscar, these are testimonies from my very common brothers here I am taking it as a point but I know and if I had the time and if we held hands and if we had three hours, we should do this one day just for testimonials. This couple came to the Lord years ago shortly after we arrived at 68 North Hampton with a broken life, a vice that took hold of her and suffering from diabolical oppression and at a moment as I describe to you the blood of the Lord reaches them. they are free from these ties; they get married from what I understand in the wedding hall of the Navy.
And they don't stop there, they advance, they advance and Margarita you already have your mastery of: oh yes Lord, I have my mastery. Mastery, from chains of vice to mastery and that is the point: the Lord using that life now in the Boston public system so that other souls can be reached. The power of your testimony, the power of your testimony because that's what my brothers are worth. With each testimony like this and with each life transformed and with each family transformed and with each neighborhood transformed Satan loses more and more and more influence and the Name of Jesus Christ is exalted and His Reign is extended; that is the idea by the power of his testimony.
Glory to God, the blood of Christ leads us to a place where we can now build a testimony, a garden that the Lord gives us to be able to till it and bear fruit, and with this a danger. At this stage, there is a danger that I allow myself to share, and it is this: if once you had nothing, now you did have something, right? now he has something. The Lord promises Abraham a son and he had nothing until at that moment that promise is embodied in Isaac. Job was an upright man and the Lord blessed him, he blessed him with houses, he blessed him with cattle, he blessed him with children, he blessed him with a wife, he blessed him with a good name in his community and Satan told the Lord about Job How do you tell the Lord about yourself: I have to silence this person, I have to stop this.
And the first thing he asks is this: what can I take away from him? I already lost a soul, that soul to heaven it's one less soul but what do I do from there to here? erase the smile of this being, what can I take away to silence him? And that brings us to this next step as I told the Congregation this morning: the next step either destroys you or makes you indestructible, or makes you indestructible. What finally my brothers, I think what finally screwed up the mother ship's computer was a generation that belittled their lives to death.
How does this work? now, as my brothers have just told you, maybe Satan can threaten you with taking away things that you will need. I'm not talking about your houses or your car or what you have saved in the stock market, that would be easy, many of us don't have that. But when Satan begins to think about your health or your name, your reputation, your loved ones, what do we do? at this stage what do we do?
I give you some advice my brothers: if so, lose it from now on. If so, give everything that I just mentioned, don't leave here without giving it to Christ, if so, lose it once and for all. The Lord said and He said it very clearly, the Gospel has not changed: Whoever wants to follow me must deny himself, take up his cross, what is a cross for, my brothers? take up your cross and follow me. The Lord also said: look at whoever wants to come after Me, no one who comes after Me is worthy unless they first look at what is family, house, savings, mother, father; whoever wants to come after Me delivers all that, there is no one who is worthy of Me unless they deliver houses, parents, family, sons, daughters and also declares the Word: if you dare to do so, the Lord would add you a hundred times more the children, the husbands, the house, the properties with their afflictions, and how does the Lord do that, how does this work?
I recommend, my brothers, that the key to this is to live as the writer of Ecclesiastes suggests that we live. Last week the Pastor preached on Ecclesiastes and I have been meditating a lot on Ecclesiastes chapter 3, which declares this, suggests this to us: live with eternity in the eyes Living with eternity in your eyes, and how is that? the only way to explain it to you well maybe is through a testimonial and allow me.
you know? It will be almost three years on this Thanksgiving day that my dad passed away and I buried my dad and when he returned the Lord began to work for me. A lot of times the key to this comes with a loss like that. Perhaps you who are here know very well and can choose: either this loss destroys me or what do I do with this? and the Lord showed me this. If that's the case, I live for two things: firstly, to get to heaven and that's what it becomes, and that's what your goal in life is.
Now I want to clarify: I'm not in a hurry, don't be afraid to get in the car, Marina and I have a dinner date tonight I have a busy day tomorrow, I have an appointment until November, I'm not in a hurry but if it were tomorrow it would be fabulous, if it were tomorrow I I would say: glory to God because I know what awaits me and the idea is this: I have learned what it is to live with eternity in my eyes. Every morning I make another line, not on the wall but I make another line in my journal or something boom, one day closer to heaven, one day closer amen and I go through my day like a sleepwalker.
I do my homework, I get to my meetings, I make my decisions. Well, you know how it is. How many of you get to work and how is that last week before your vacation before going to Punta Cana? on the computer you have, oh yes yes no problem you do your little job but there is the portrait of the beach waiting for you and something much better than Punta Cana the Lord has prepared for us, something much better and we live with that idea, we live with that place that's home. Brother, get used to the idea, get into your head, that is your true home, on this earth we are just pilgrims, foreigners.
If you feel wrong, it's like: Pastor, I no longer feel good in Guatemala or the Dominican Republic or Boston or Florida because you are not from here my brother, we are not from this world; this isn't home, this is not home God has something better for us. Live for that, live for that day, live knowing what God has prepared for you and look, it is the blood of the Lamb, instantly it is your ticket there, everything else is preparation and that is the next point.
Firstly, live for heaven and secondly: the days that I am here if I wake up tomorrow I can get out of bed without help and even right now I can still do it, my mind is working, my ten fingers and toes this is the day What did Jehovah do? What can I do today to be of influence to the Lord? What can I do today to further the interests of the Kingdom? What can I do today to make life miserable for Satan? how can the Lord use what he has given me, my talents, my gifts, my mind, my influence whatever?
God use it for the good of Your Glory since my day is not today then use me Lord for the glory of Your Name and interestingly my brothers, even though I am thinking about heaven and this is in the Scriptures; Pablo, Pedro, Juan, they wrote to a Church and they were aware of the drama of their day, they were present, they were connected with the present. The only thing is that we already get rid of whether they name you or not name you or if it touches you this or another and not you, we are not from here. We walk the Earth like sleepwalkers but detached from here and how interesting.
At least that I put up with this life or I get attached to this world look how interesting and here is the key do you want to live a life of influence? don't want it, do you want to live a life of influence? The less I cling to this world, the more influence the Lord gives me. The less that I hoard the things of this world, the more grace the Lord gives you and the more effective you are, the more effective you are. The secret is to let go and that is the thing, my brothers, I invite the musicians to accompany me at this moment.
We sing "Today I surrender to Him" or "I give you my being, I give you my heart, I only live for You. In each song as my heart beats, the Lord dwells in me." You know it's so easy to confess those words but ask the Lord: Lord that this be recorded in my heart, do you know why? both God and Satan notice when it is not from the heart. Both God and Satan, you declare that and I'm sure you declare it with all your intention but both God and Satan know that: ok he declares that, she declares that and Satan well ready as in his plan of attack on Job.
Look, let me touch that and look how he's going to curse you, let me go around touching that, his reputation as soon as it appears in the newspaper one day or that stubborn son or that investment he has over there; just once just once let me touch it cause they know. "Oh I give you my being" "as long as this doesn't touch me."
You know what, you want to protect this? hand it over Go to the counter and give it to the Lord. He invites the Congregation to stand up. I would like to make a call, this first call seems like half an hour since I shared it, if you are one of them who, like me and many others, arrived at the House of the Lord and perhaps you don't even know why but you know that you need that coverage, you know you are easy prey without the Lord. I have said: Pastor, the only thing I want is to be happy.
I understand you my brother and the only thing I can tell you is that the only thing that can guarantee you happiness is the blood of Christ and if you have never publicly said: cover me with the blood of Christ, I want to make sure that I am yours, that I belong to you. Your property, if that is you we would like the opportunity to intercede for you. If you want to receive the Lord and make sure that you are covered by the blood of Christ, we would like to pray for you. Well, I invite you. Is there someone else who wants? Glory to God. Glory to God.
Cover them with the blood of the Lamb. Jesus we love You, Lord we love you because you are the same yesterday, today and forever. Father, we give you these souls as Your Church, Lord, this people of priests and kings, priestly we declare the blood of the Lamb in front of each one of the lives that pass to the altar at this moment. We declare Your divine protection over each of them, we declare Lord blessing and not curse. We declare Father exciting new beginnings, we declare Lord that Your dream for them will be their reality.
We rebuke and bind every strategy that Satan can raise to divert you, my God, to accuse you. We cease all accusation of the enemy against them and instead we declare Your Grace, we declare Your favor. We declare that today is the day of their salvation, Lord, and that they have interests in heaven.
If today you are praying this prayer for the first time, please I invite you to share this prayer with me: Lord Jesus, I come before You giving my life. I declare that my sins and my iniquities are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ and that I now live for Him. Lord, I invite you to use me, my mind, my heart, my body, my whole being, my dreams, everything that You have created in me, my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, I only ask that you take me by the hand and that you walk all the days of my life until I see you face to face before the Throne of God in the Name of Jesus, amen and amen. Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Now my brothers glory to God. Now we are going to sing this hymn but before that and perhaps this is not all, not all of us who are here but I know that God is operating in some hearts and you are at the counter right now, a spiritual counter and The Lord says to you: give it to me, give it to me. You are not capable of protecting anything: your children, your property, not even your own health. I am the only solution. Your sleep will be deep and without anxiety at the moment that you let go of your heart and say: Lord.
Maybe it's a struggle for you, that's good, but in that struggle tell the Lord: help me, rather tell him: take it off my hands so I can give it to You Lord, do that and it will be a lifetime. Father so we declare in Jesus Name. Lord we do not want anything that does not come from You and we declare that in truth we do not have You are our only one, Your salvation is our only property and at Your feet we leave everything Lord. We declare the blood of the Lamb on the lintels of our home, we declare the blood of the Lord Lamb on the place where our children sleep, Lord.
We declare the blood of the Lamb over everything that You have entrusted to us, it is not our Lord, it is not ours, we only ask for Your Glory and we ask that You enlarge the site of our tent but You are our Lord, amen.
Welcome to the Central Baptist Church now the Lion of Judah Congregation, but there are a handful of us that remain who remember those days in Cambridge and my brothers since those days I realized even there in that Baptist Church, see that God had a purpose , this was going to be a Church of influence. I was a student, the Lord brought me to this Church in those days of my life, in that trajectory I thought: I am here as long as the Lord has me here and from there I do other things in another place and the Lord told me : There are no other things in another place it is here, get used to it Samuel here you stay this is home.
And with a purpose because the Lord showed me: wow, the Lord has a purpose maybe he has marked New England for revival, this is twenty years ago, the Lord has marked for revival and this Church looks like this little Baptist church and that Pastor have a role to play in God's purpose to bring revival to New England and I prayed to the Lord, Lord I don't want to miss that show, I want to be a part of it. When revival breaks out again in America and when it uses New England for that I want to be a part of it, I want to participate in some way and just in the last twenty years the Lord has led this Church on a trajectory that is just that, transformative.
A trajectory of influence and my brothers as the Pastor has been saying and as Pastor Jonathan shared again this afternoon that new temple that we are building has a great role in that trajectory and in the purposes of God to bring not only more space in our cults but plays a role I am convinced in a much broader strategy of bringing revival to New England.
Let me explain: this building at 68 North Hampton, sixty eight North Hampton Street in which we are used to worshiping the Lord right now is built, literally built on rubble, on the rubble of this neighborhood and I know it not because they told me. : I saw it, I got to see it. In the spring of 1993 the Pastor brought a handful of brothers from the Church, it had not yet been announced that we were perhaps in the process of moving from Cambridge, a very comfortable place without; Well for us right now it would be a little tight, it would be impossible, we would have to have five services, but comfortable, we didn't pay rent, it was a comfortable situation for us, for that Congregation.
And get here and see: oh this is 68 North Hampton, this building was an abandoned building; 62 North Hampton Street which is now the headquarters of the Academic Resource Center and Alpha Agency and Vale Esperar was another abandoned building, this was a totally scary neighborhood. Ahead of us was a very active live and kicking tavern with lots of clientele and across the street a VJ sized liquor store now my brothers is what? a CBS and what has God done?
When an anointed Church that dares to believe God where the Holy Spirit is activated and the Word of God is preached without apology and there is a people willing to come and experience the power of God in its integrity with our failures but we want to be faithful to him to God, to preach a Gospel so filtered of our humanity and our pecuniarity as much as possible to make life miserable for Satan and so has been and has stretched the influence of the Kingdom of God over this place.
A councilor recently told me in confidence, certainly not one of the many councilors who is now running for mayor, but one of them approaches me and says: you know? if there are now half a million dollar condos in that Boston neighborhood, glory be to the Lord, Boston owes it to his Church. The Lord has transformed this area, the influence of Jesus Christ is palpable, it is palpable in this neighborhood, it has to be like this. If there is life in a place and if the Gospel is being preached with anointing and as it should be, it must be supported by life, by anointing.
Now they add that building and the impact of this building on this path. The idea is this: that this building becomes a base of operations for a divine invasion of this city and this region, that is the idea. An invasion base where the powers, powers and principalities that oppose Jesus Christ in New England fall. The light will shine in the midst of the darkness around us and politicians.
By the way, in quotes, we had a visit, there are elections on Tuesday, as the Pastor said last week when other candidates arrived, brothers: that is part of being a Church of influence. And not because as the Pastor said when a politician arrives, a candidate arrives is accompanied by our support, our endorsement unless the candidate is Jesus Christ and is running for King. If so, we back it 100 percent.
But in our prophetic role we receive and we will receive them, we are going to see more and more of it, we pray for it, it gives us an opportunity to pray for the city. But my brothers in the name of Jesus we declare that one of these days politicians will arrive without a candidacy, without an agenda, with nothing but the Hand of God itself will bring them humiliated, lowering their faces before the Lord, kneeling before the Presence of the Lord asking the anointing of Jesus Christ and declaring with your heart and sincerely that Jesus Christ is Lord, that day is drawing near.
We declare in the name of Jesus that our goal is nothing less than to see the name of Jesus exalted and His influence felt in the public school classrooms of this city, the influence of Jesus Christ. Because there is a Church, it is not the Lion of Judah; a network of churches, the body of Christ raising the influence of Jesus Christ, His influence is felt in the laws, in the classrooms of public schools, in the state house and the mayor's office, that something is happening that moves the Hand of God and that this people come to recognize him as King.
And the process that describes that plan of attack, that strategy is here, it is described by Scripture Revelation chapter 12 which opens with a somewhat depressing scene but ends in victory beginning with verse 6: "And the woman fled into the desert where It has a place prepared by God so that they will sustain it there for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.Afterwards there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought but they did not prevail and no place was found for them. in the sky."
"And the great dragon was hurled out, the old serpent called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him. Then I heard a loud Voice in heaven saying: now has come the salvation, the power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of Jesus Christ because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out, the one who accused them before our God day and night!" now this next verse mark it, underline it, memorize this verse, take it with you in your hearts; in the shower declare it about your life, when walking.
Teacher, teacher counselor declares her classroom in the mornings. Businessman: declare this Word on your counter in the Name of Jesus. The pharmacists, the doctors, the dentists, that chair where your clients will rest, declare this Word around you, declares verse 11: "And they have overcome him through the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony and they despised their lives to death."
My brothers, as I told you about this process of conquest, I believe that this Word partly describes much of what we are experiencing, what the Church is experiencing now. It opens with a somewhat depressing scene: we find the woman who represents the Church of Jesus Christ running from Satan, running from Satan and you know what? as they used to say in the neighborhood in New York: in warned war no one dies. The Lord warns us here that this is coming, do not be intimidated. When you see these signs do not be discouraged.
Here, as we have done, we have declared that Jesus Christ is King, here we have declared His Reign and His Lordship in the surrounding areas, but we send our children to public schools with fear and trembling. What will they be teaching them here? we read the newspaper and see another law, what madness, where is the fear of God? We see scenes of violence and brokenness and we say: where is the Church? and yet we see pulpit after pulpit losing light, losing hope, and many times what doesn't even pass for the Gospel being preached in New England pulpits. That is why our Pastor is very firm that what is preached here agrees with the Word of the Lord no matter how popular it is or how it is received around us.
Fleeing, the Church of Jesus Christ fleeing and Satan monopolizing more and more influence, apparently as our Pastor says, serving himself with the big spoon, keeping his own. But something else is happening, while this is taking place there is war in heaven. Miguel fighting with diabolical judges like in the Book of Daniel, do you remember Miguel in the Book of Daniel? to where the answer to prayer Daniel stopped during the battle that is being fought in the air in heaven.
Now when you see a reference to battle in the skies, in the air don't imagine it so much as here and there. Frankly this is taking place around us invisibly and this is not allegory, this is taking place. But it is invisible, it is taking place behind a veil that our eyes cannot pierce.
But somehow what is taking place here on the visible side, what we can feel and share influences what is happening there on the other side of the veil, on the invisible side, that influence is there and here it is. is precisely what happens. Daniel's response stopped during the battle that was being fought in the air and Daniel continued fasting and praying insistently in the meantime and at the moment power was released and Michael prevailed. Now here in Revelation something similar happens.
Something on Earth, that is, here among the people of God, influences the battle in the air and in the long run Michael prevailed and Satan is thrown from his place of evil influence. What happened here? There are several sci-fi movies in the theater these days, some are worth it, others less so, but mind you, you who are fans, you don't have to raise your hand for sci-fi movies. There is a very common formula that is used in those movies: aliens, do you remember those people? the aliens arrive with their mother ship orbiting the Earth and sending their minions and robots that do evil here on Earth.
And suddenly something happens, your mother ship is blown up, your computer is burned and for now what happens? the robots that are doing mischief here on Earth, what do they do? wooh they kind of lose their power, they lose their influence and the Lord says: there will come a day when Satan will be thrown from his place of influence, thrown from the air and it is as if the Earth were an enchanted place and for the moment boom! we're free; freedom is unleashed over the entire Earth and one realizes: wow Jesus Christ is Lord and the entire Earth declares, kneels before the Lord and declares: You are our Lord and that day arrives.
And how does that happen, what happens? what happens to throw him out of the sky and cancel his influence? Well notice, the very people that Satan has marked for destruction, the very people that Satan has marked for defeat discover the key to prevail against him. The people he ran away from now discover how to fight against him and rise up and now there is victory through these transformed lives that the Lord is raising up in our midst and what is the way, what is the strategy?
It is not a formula, it is simply and simply the Gospel of Jesus. And in verse 11, verse 11 breaks down what I would call three steps to a life of influence. But my brothers this is simply the Gospel three steps to a life of influence and the first step is the blood of the Lamb. The blood of the Lamb.
Declares the Word: "And they have overcome him" first? "through the blood of the Lamb." Satan which is in Hebrew, is translated in Hebrew Accuser literally accusing, Satan accuses because he has something to accuse us of. He has something to accuse us of, he has a case against us. And the Word says that we can find Satan day and night before the Throne of God accusing us.
Why this fiscal role? frankly because his job is to disconnect you, disconnect your life from the Grace and favor of the Throne of God. He well knows that every good gift and every perfect gift flows from the Throne of God and his purpose is to disconnect you from that grace, disconnect you from that divine influence, disconnect you from the channel on which your soul and your eternity depend, that is what he. And maybe we don't realize that but we do realize that something was wrong in our lives before we encountered the blood of the Lamb.
The Word declares that we were dead in our crimes and sins, in other words, spiritually totally defenseless, you could not defend yourself before the Throne of God, there was no way. The impact of that, perhaps, that spiritual reality eluded him, but many of us know the impact of that all too well.
I don't know about you but many of us came, we came to the León de Judá Congregation or to another Church or to another Church of Jesus Christ, now you don't even remember how you got there. He doesn't remember, he doesn't even know how he got there. Perhaps I am describing to you today you could have been in two or three other places: someone invited you, you saw a message on the internet, you heard a radio message; You could easily be today in thirty or forty different places, you arrived as if it were like in a dream as if someone took you by the hand and led you to this place.
Because? That someone is the Holy Spirit of God who led you here because he loves you. He loves you and He cares about your condition. He knows your condition, He knows the danger of your condition perhaps more than you yourself. How many of us did not arrive here chained by a vice or arrived here with a ruined marriage about to fall apart or arrived here about to lose our children? Somehow but we were dead in life, a fruitless life.
Or maybe you have achieved something with your life, you have your marriage, you have your job but you recognize the great emptiness, the spiritual bankruptcy within you and you know it. Pastor, I don't know how to describe it, but I know that I am not happy, I have never been happy and I have news for you: without the blood of Jesus Christ you will never be happy no matter how many titles you achieve or what you achieve, no matter how many goals you achieve you will never be happy because without the blood of Jesus Christ you are a walking target. You are easy prey for Satan who has access to your mind and emotions and can play games with you, play games with your life.
And the thing is this: inside you you realize that something is wrong that should not be so, it is like a little voice in a dream that in the middle of the nightmare, a voice reaches you saying: wake up this is a dream nothing more trying to get you out of that charm and that is the Voice of the Holy Spirit telling you: I made you for something else. This is not your reality, this is not what I programmed for your life, you are worth much more than this to Me; come out of this and follow Me, pray My Name and here you are, glory to God here you are.
Now what you lack is the blood of the Lamb. The moment the blood of the Lamb reaches you, you already become the property of Jesus Christ. Satan already loses the title of your life, there is already a lot of work to do, there is a lot of fabric to cut but at that moment legally before the Throne of God you are free, you are free, you are free instantly and that my brothers, by the way I I am convinced my brothers that each soul that comes to the Lord is a miracle because I cannot convince you with my words, this is experienced as trying to explain colors to someone who is only able to see in black and white or to a blind person.
And I ask in the Name of Jesus that the blood of Christ falls like eye drops on his eyes, the scale falls off and he sees the colors, he sees the possibilities, he sees what God wants to do, he longs to do, he has made you to do through That is why the Lord has created you. So in that beautiful moment many of us want to run in four different directions at the moment when the blood of Christ reaches us because at that moment the Word declares that we have the mind of Christ and now comes a stage, an exciting step: the power of His Presence, the power of his testimony.
Satan does not have access to his character, to his mind, he can oppress him, he can influence him, but he is the property of Christ and now discipleship is worth it and don't waste a moment. You received the Lord, register in discipleship even if it is late, know the Word of God but not only know the Word of God. The idea of discipleship is a training in life in which one is in tune with a life of purpose, the life of success that is the life of the Lord and no matter how much his life resembles the life of Scripture, the life of the Lord more and more the Lord will flow in your life, the more success you will have and the more the Lord can do in you and you will realize how many of our brothers take risks after a while here.
The Pastor spoke of risks last week, I prefer to say: take steps of faith. And now you, who did not dare to call asking for a pizza because of the English you have, enroll in that English class in the Name of Jesus; and the Lord tells him: well if you can with the English class maybe the computer class let's see, the Lord gives him success and this works and why not lgid? wow I'm the King's son and you go and take your Gid and you will be the first to be surprised at what God has done in your life. Pastor: And where did this house come from and my children graduating from university and this baccalaureate, this master's degree?
This morning I was talking about a sister and during the services she gave me permission to use her name, sister Margarita Brito and her husband Oscar, these are testimonies from my very common brothers here I am taking it as a point but I know and if I had the time and if we held hands and if we had three hours, we should do this one day just for testimonials. This couple came to the Lord years ago shortly after we arrived at 68 North Hampton with a broken life, a vice that took hold of her and suffering from diabolical oppression and at a moment as I describe to you the blood of the Lord reaches them. they are free from these ties; they get married from what I understand in the wedding hall of the Navy.
And they don't stop there, they advance, they advance and Margarita you already have your mastery of: oh yes Lord, I have my mastery. Mastery, from chains of vice to mastery and that is the point: the Lord using that life now in the Boston public system so that other souls can be reached. The power of your testimony, the power of your testimony because that's what my brothers are worth. With each testimony like this and with each life transformed and with each family transformed and with each neighborhood transformed Satan loses more and more and more influence and the Name of Jesus Christ is exalted and His Reign is extended; that is the idea by the power of his testimony.
Glory to God, the blood of Christ leads us to a place where we can now build a testimony, a garden that the Lord gives us to be able to till it and bear fruit, and with this a danger. At this stage, there is a danger that I allow myself to share, and it is this: if once you had nothing, now you did have something, right? now he has something. The Lord promises Abraham a son and he had nothing until at that moment that promise is embodied in Isaac. Job was an upright man and the Lord blessed him, he blessed him with houses, he blessed him with cattle, he blessed him with children, he blessed him with a wife, he blessed him with a good name in his community and Satan told the Lord about Job How do you tell the Lord about yourself: I have to silence this person, I have to stop this.
And the first thing he asks is this: what can I take away from him? I already lost a soul, that soul to heaven it's one less soul but what do I do from there to here? erase the smile of this being, what can I take away to silence him? And that brings us to this next step as I told the Congregation this morning: the next step either destroys you or makes you indestructible, or makes you indestructible. What finally my brothers, I think what finally screwed up the mother ship's computer was a generation that belittled their lives to death.
How does this work? now, as my brothers have just told you, maybe Satan can threaten you with taking away things that you will need. I'm not talking about your houses or your car or what you have saved in the stock market, that would be easy, many of us don't have that. But when Satan begins to think about your health or your name, your reputation, your loved ones, what do we do? at this stage what do we do?
I give you some advice my brothers: if so, lose it from now on. If so, give everything that I just mentioned, don't leave here without giving it to Christ, if so, lose it once and for all. The Lord said and He said it very clearly, the Gospel has not changed: Whoever wants to follow me must deny himself, take up his cross, what is a cross for, my brothers? take up your cross and follow me. The Lord also said: look at whoever wants to come after Me, no one who comes after Me is worthy unless they first look at what is family, house, savings, mother, father; whoever wants to come after Me delivers all that, there is no one who is worthy of Me unless they deliver houses, parents, family, sons, daughters and also declares the Word: if you dare to do so, the Lord would add you a hundred times more the children, the husbands, the house, the properties with their afflictions, and how does the Lord do that, how does this work?
I recommend, my brothers, that the key to this is to live as the writer of Ecclesiastes suggests that we live. Last week the Pastor preached on Ecclesiastes and I have been meditating a lot on Ecclesiastes chapter 3, which declares this, suggests this to us: live with eternity in the eyes Living with eternity in your eyes, and how is that? the only way to explain it to you well maybe is through a testimonial and allow me.
you know? It will be almost three years on this Thanksgiving day that my dad passed away and I buried my dad and when he returned the Lord began to work for me. A lot of times the key to this comes with a loss like that. Perhaps you who are here know very well and can choose: either this loss destroys me or what do I do with this? and the Lord showed me this. If that's the case, I live for two things: firstly, to get to heaven and that's what it becomes, and that's what your goal in life is.
Now I want to clarify: I'm not in a hurry, don't be afraid to get in the car, Marina and I have a dinner date tonight I have a busy day tomorrow, I have an appointment until November, I'm not in a hurry but if it were tomorrow it would be fabulous, if it were tomorrow I I would say: glory to God because I know what awaits me and the idea is this: I have learned what it is to live with eternity in my eyes. Every morning I make another line, not on the wall but I make another line in my journal or something boom, one day closer to heaven, one day closer amen and I go through my day like a sleepwalker.
I do my homework, I get to my meetings, I make my decisions. Well, you know how it is. How many of you get to work and how is that last week before your vacation before going to Punta Cana? on the computer you have, oh yes yes no problem you do your little job but there is the portrait of the beach waiting for you and something much better than Punta Cana the Lord has prepared for us, something much better and we live with that idea, we live with that place that's home. Brother, get used to the idea, get into your head, that is your true home, on this earth we are just pilgrims, foreigners.
If you feel wrong, it's like: Pastor, I no longer feel good in Guatemala or the Dominican Republic or Boston or Florida because you are not from here my brother, we are not from this world; this isn't home, this is not home God has something better for us. Live for that, live for that day, live knowing what God has prepared for you and look, it is the blood of the Lamb, instantly it is your ticket there, everything else is preparation and that is the next point.
Firstly, live for heaven and secondly: the days that I am here if I wake up tomorrow I can get out of bed without help and even right now I can still do it, my mind is working, my ten fingers and toes this is the day What did Jehovah do? What can I do today to be of influence to the Lord? What can I do today to further the interests of the Kingdom? What can I do today to make life miserable for Satan? how can the Lord use what he has given me, my talents, my gifts, my mind, my influence whatever?
God use it for the good of Your Glory since my day is not today then use me Lord for the glory of Your Name and interestingly my brothers, even though I am thinking about heaven and this is in the Scriptures; Pablo, Pedro, Juan, they wrote to a Church and they were aware of the drama of their day, they were present, they were connected with the present. The only thing is that we already get rid of whether they name you or not name you or if it touches you this or another and not you, we are not from here. We walk the Earth like sleepwalkers but detached from here and how interesting.
At least that I put up with this life or I get attached to this world look how interesting and here is the key do you want to live a life of influence? don't want it, do you want to live a life of influence? The less I cling to this world, the more influence the Lord gives me. The less that I hoard the things of this world, the more grace the Lord gives you and the more effective you are, the more effective you are. The secret is to let go and that is the thing, my brothers, I invite the musicians to accompany me at this moment.
We sing "Today I surrender to Him" or "I give you my being, I give you my heart, I only live for You. In each song as my heart beats, the Lord dwells in me." You know it's so easy to confess those words but ask the Lord: Lord that this be recorded in my heart, do you know why? both God and Satan notice when it is not from the heart. Both God and Satan, you declare that and I'm sure you declare it with all your intention but both God and Satan know that: ok he declares that, she declares that and Satan well ready as in his plan of attack on Job.
Look, let me touch that and look how he's going to curse you, let me go around touching that, his reputation as soon as it appears in the newspaper one day or that stubborn son or that investment he has over there; just once just once let me touch it cause they know. "Oh I give you my being" "as long as this doesn't touch me."
You know what, you want to protect this? hand it over Go to the counter and give it to the Lord. He invites the Congregation to stand up. I would like to make a call, this first call seems like half an hour since I shared it, if you are one of them who, like me and many others, arrived at the House of the Lord and perhaps you don't even know why but you know that you need that coverage, you know you are easy prey without the Lord. I have said: Pastor, the only thing I want is to be happy.
I understand you my brother and the only thing I can tell you is that the only thing that can guarantee you happiness is the blood of Christ and if you have never publicly said: cover me with the blood of Christ, I want to make sure that I am yours, that I belong to you. Your property, if that is you we would like the opportunity to intercede for you. If you want to receive the Lord and make sure that you are covered by the blood of Christ, we would like to pray for you. Well, I invite you. Is there someone else who wants? Glory to God. Glory to God.
Cover them with the blood of the Lamb. Jesus we love You, Lord we love you because you are the same yesterday, today and forever. Father, we give you these souls as Your Church, Lord, this people of priests and kings, priestly we declare the blood of the Lamb in front of each one of the lives that pass to the altar at this moment. We declare Your divine protection over each of them, we declare Lord blessing and not curse. We declare Father exciting new beginnings, we declare Lord that Your dream for them will be their reality.
We rebuke and bind every strategy that Satan can raise to divert you, my God, to accuse you. We cease all accusation of the enemy against them and instead we declare Your Grace, we declare Your favor. We declare that today is the day of their salvation, Lord, and that they have interests in heaven.
If today you are praying this prayer for the first time, please I invite you to share this prayer with me: Lord Jesus, I come before You giving my life. I declare that my sins and my iniquities are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ and that I now live for Him. Lord, I invite you to use me, my mind, my heart, my body, my whole being, my dreams, everything that You have created in me, my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, I only ask that you take me by the hand and that you walk all the days of my life until I see you face to face before the Throne of God in the Name of Jesus, amen and amen. Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Now my brothers glory to God. Now we are going to sing this hymn but before that and perhaps this is not all, not all of us who are here but I know that God is operating in some hearts and you are at the counter right now, a spiritual counter and The Lord says to you: give it to me, give it to me. You are not capable of protecting anything: your children, your property, not even your own health. I am the only solution. Your sleep will be deep and without anxiety at the moment that you let go of your heart and say: Lord.
Maybe it's a struggle for you, that's good, but in that struggle tell the Lord: help me, rather tell him: take it off my hands so I can give it to You Lord, do that and it will be a lifetime. Father so we declare in Jesus Name. Lord we do not want anything that does not come from You and we declare that in truth we do not have You are our only one, Your salvation is our only property and at Your feet we leave everything Lord. We declare the blood of the Lamb on the lintels of our home, we declare the blood of the Lord Lamb on the place where our children sleep, Lord.
We declare the blood of the Lamb over everything that You have entrusted to us, it is not our Lord, it is not ours, we only ask for Your Glory and we ask that You enlarge the site of our tent but You are our Lord, amen.
