300 more tired men still chasing

Judges, Chapter 8, there's a verse in there that I was telling the brethren this morning, that I've always wanted to preach on that verse. And like he had never given himself the time to do it, and had never found the angle to enter that verse. But I have it underlined in my Bible for many years,

and this week when I was talking to these faithful sisters who have been a part of putting together our financial campaign. I bless Patty and Damaris and Herenia and Florecita and other men, Rupert and other brothers as well who have helped us in the elaboration of these campaigns. Glory to God for those brothers.

I knew that this Sunday to be consistent I had to do an interlude of our preaching on the book of Acts and preach something that was in line with the campaign and it came to my mind, since we are in the middle of this campaign. By the way, I don't know if it's possible to put the projection of the graph of the campaign, to clarify something, so that you are clear, a moment. I know it doesn't look so good at the top after where the numbers are at $1,141,000 which is full promise, that's just the uncharted territory of other things you can give. But from there down, it is where more or less, it is what we already have of promises and if you look at the lines, where the arrow is, if you went up two more lines above the arrow, it is more or less where we should be now . That is to say, we are, we are not exactly half there, where we want, but we are not that far either. Two more lines and we would be more or less where we want to be. So it's not that… the other part just extra, that's the territory of extreme faith, where God can take us too.

So we're pretty close. I don't want you to get discouraged either, but we can go further still. And maybe some brothers want to say, you know what? I want to get this monkey off my back and I'm going to give everything I have to give now and give it to the Lord now. If you have it there in the bank, take out those dollars, the poor ones that are freezing in the account, who knows what could happen. Give it to the Lord. Do not repent later and say, wow, I would have given it to the Lord better.

So, a way to bless us too. In any case, I know that some brothers think, you know what? I'm going to wait a while longer and then I'm going to give it to the end. That blesses us now, now we can use it. So I invite some to conceive the challenge. Then we are going to show you now, there are dozens of people who have fulfilled their commitment and are calm over there, lying down fresh and giving thanks, Lord. And some know what they said? I want to register again to continue and give more to the Lord. Would not be. Perhaps God will ask you to do the same. Maybe God is going to put it in your heart, you know what? I'm going to be bold and I'm going to tell the Lord, you know what, Father? I kept my promise and I'm registering again to give you more. Why not? God is going to bless you.

There are examples in the Bible of these extreme offerings. The widow's offering, I would call it, which God blessed greatly, greatly. I encourage you to break the framework of your limit and go to another level of faith, of spiritual growth, of daring in the Lord.

How many can say amen even if it is by faith to what I am saying? Amen, amen, dare. Anche your territory, brother. I am always asking the Lord and God is always putting me in more daring areas to expand my territory, and so we also have to do in our spiritual life. That's where you grow in faith, mature and the greatest blessings from God come. Because it is not just about sterilely giving money to a temple, it is about your life being blessed and expanded so that you live like a warrior in all areas of your life and experience the glory of God in your life.

So, I was telling you about a verse a while ago that I told you that I wanted to preach about it. I want to invite you in verse 4 of the book of Judges, and look at how it says here:

“…. Gideon came to the Jordan..."

How many know who Gideon was? How many have heard of Gideon? Raise your hand. They're here. Are they asleep or are they awake? How many have heard of Gideon? Raise your hand and say amen. Okay. Gideon was a great man of God, a warrior, a judge that God chose to free his people from the oppression of a nation or nations that oppressed the people of God. And God called Gideon young and Gideon needed to expand his vision as well.

We remember that when the angel appeared to Gideon he originally told him, the Lord is with you, strong and brave man. And Gideon came out with a tiny voice telling him, but if I am the smallest in my land, and my family is the smallest in all my tribe, how is it that you say that God is with me? The Lord told him, no, you are a strong and brave man. I want to lead you to greatness.

How many of us when the visions of God come, the impressions of God in our lives, we just look over here and see this half-baked person, and we say, I can't be that great man, that great woman that God has on his mind. God wants to widen your territory. God wants you to dare in the name of the Lord.

And finally God told Gideon, Go with this strength that I put in you, that strength that you already have and do what I command you to do. And God tells this Congregation, I have great goals for you, you are a strong and courageous Congregation, you are a great warrior and I want to take you to the maximum. I want you to do my feats. I want people to one day see in this mostly immigrant town a chosen spear of God to build his kingdom here in New England.

In this place where the pilgrims 400 years ago almost came here, these white people from Europe, from England, came here today, you know what? We are the new pilgrims here in this nation, and God calls us to bless this nation and renew the purposes that he conceived 400 years ago when he founded this nation. I believe that.

And that vision may sound too exaggerated for you, but I believe that it is so and God tells you, I have chosen you to do something great. Don't answer the Lord with a little scared cat voice. No, answer him like a lion, a lioness. Amen, Lord, I am going to do it in your name, I am going to launch it in your name. I haven't even read this verse. It seems that I wanted to preach today.

I want to make up for all those weeks I didn't preach. Verse 4 says here:

"... And Gideon came to the Jordan and he and the 300 men that he brought with him passed by... here is the center of this sermon and the theme of what I want to discuss with you... 300 more tired men still chasing, even more tired chasing..."

Say still. Say tired. More still chasing. I want to hear them all: tired but still chasing. I like that word, chasing. Because it's a word like it has intentionality, chasing. They were hunting down the enemy, they were committed to a goal, and they weren't going to give up until they reached that goal, even though they were exhausted.

In the translation, in the English that Gregory read this morning when he was translating, it says exhausted, they were exhausted but still, like the marathon athlete at mile 25 and a half, before reaching mile 26, which is the end of their race, because there is no strength left in his body. All he has left is his willpower and discipline. The only thing that remains is his spirit that says, I'm not going to get tired, I'm not going to finish until I reach the goal, because I proposed 26 miles and I'm going to reach it.

And so it happens many times in life, in projects that we conceive, visions that God places in our hearts, that many times the years have passed and we only have a trickle of energy and will left and we have to ask ourselves, am I going to get tired? and I'm either going to give up and give up and walk back ashamed and disheartened or I'm going to take one more step of faith until I reach the finish line.

And that is what it is about, brothers, the Christian life, even if you are exhausted, even if you are tired, even if the world around you tells you, let your guard down, you have already fought enough for that project, that vision, that purpose in your life, That dream that you conceived 10 years ago, you have already tried, several doors have been closed to you. You tell the Lord, you have put that vision in me and I am going to finish it in the name of Jesus. And you keep going, that's the key to a victorious life that achieves goals.

I thank the Lord for so many people in this Congregation that I see year after year reaching their goals. And I have seen them struggling for many years at times, but one day they reach their goal. I have seen those little sisters and little brothers fighting against the weight, for example, of their bodies, and sometimes they go down and another time they go up a little more, and they go down and go up, but I see them fighting. And one day they finally stabilize and have what they were looking for. That illustration may seem banal to you. But you know what? Life is full of little visions like this, that you conceive in your spirit and you commit yourself in the name of the Lord and say, you know what? I'm not going to take my hand off the sword until I fulfill what I promised. Because I am a child of God and I have the genetics of God and God never ended a battle ashamed or defeated.

God has been battling for thousands of years with his creation, humanity so that they come to see the vision that he has for them. And humanity is still not convinced, but God has given up his efforts, he continues to work through history, he continues to work through his church, because he knows what the goal is. New heavens and new earth. A redeemed creation. Men and women touched by the spirit of God, renewed and until that vision is fulfilled in the eyes of God, God will not stop working in history and he has chosen us to carry out the redemption of this land. Every day we here strike with the sword to fulfill God's vision in our lives and in the world around us.

I love this passage because it talks about men who were tired, had waged a battle but were still pursuing. What's more, I'm not even going to look at my notes, because I'm just going to concentrate on that. I like this passage, brothers, because that is the motto of my life. I don't want to live according to my emotions or my mind, not even what my body dictates. Most human beings live enslaved to what their nervous system feels, to whether they are tired or not, whether they are animated or not. if they are encouraged they do something, if they are discouraged they do not. If they are sad they don't come to church, they don't praise God, they don't give, they don't serve, they don't evangelize. If they are with adrenaline in their body then they give, praise, listen to Marcos Sweet on the radio, otherwise they turn it off and put it as a punishment because God has not blessed them. When he blesses me then I turn it on again.

We are living at the mercy of circumstances and emotions, of thoughts, of the flesh. But the son of God is not like that, the son of God, the daughter of God lives according to what God has said through his word. I am haunted by the words of Christ Jesus, he says, "man shall not live by bread alone." Put there instead of bread, put not only impressions, emotions and circumstantial and material things that man will live, but every word that comes out of the mouth of God.

To me that's what it means. I am not going to live on emotions or circumstances, I am going to live on what God has dictated. If God said do it, I'm going to do it. If God has said, execute him, I am going to execute him. If God has said change it in your personality, I am going to change it and I am going to battle no matter what until I see God's goal in my life fulfilled.

And I like that, because these men and their body, said surrender, you've done enough, but they continued, even though they were tired, they continued chasing the enemy. what had happened? Had God given Gideon a vision? I had called him, free my people from the oppression of Midian and Amalek. Release it, the time of liberation has already arrived.

Gideon conceived the vision of God. I believe that God has called this little Gideon who is the Lion of Judah to this Congregation, full of immigrants, people who do not make much money. We don't have too many people who make millions of dollars. We don't have them, period. But you know what? With that little bit, brothers, with 5 loaves and two fish, God allows us to do things that much larger and richer Congregations cannot do.

And God knows that I do not say this with pride in my heart because we are precisely, God has chosen us not because we are the best, but perhaps because we are the worst, as he chose Israel in that way. There is no pride in that, but I give glory to God that he can do great things with the little things. And while the little one conceives more great things, the more great things it can do for the Lord.

So, I believe that like Gideon, God calls us to free his people. There are other Congregations that perhaps God is also calling. We are not the only one but God says, Lion of Judah I want you to be a lion here in Boston, in Roxbury. I want you to roar in my name and do great things. Conceive my vision. There is so much demonic oppression in this area. This area has been freed economically. Here are condos and studios next to our building that are worth $300,000, $350,000, the size of a kitchen in some houses. But he knows that oppression has also made the darkness stronger in this region: more secularism, more humanism, more rebellion against God's dictates.

This church is a spiritual fortress of the Kingdom of God tucked in here, like those forts that were in places in the western United States, in the middle of new areas that they were conquering, were there to make an appearance. We are here a fortress in the positive sense of the word, of the spirit. Here and we are not entrenched, we are rather conquering. It is not that we are looking through little holes to see when the enemy is coming. No, no, we have the doors open because there is the power of God in our midst.

And brothers, I continue to insist that the best times are ahead of us. The call of God has been given to this Congregation. If we are building a sanctuary, it is not because Pastor Roberto Miranda wanted to build a mausoleum for his pastorate. It's not about that. It is that God put a vision, as he did in Gideon, to build a temple for the Lord and declare to this region of the city that we are not going backwards but that we are advancing. The Kingdom of God advances. The Kingdom of God does not recede.

Many have declared New England an inhospitable land for the Gospel. And we tell him, no, the best is ahead. God's harvest is ahead of us. New places must be prepared so that the glory of God may be lifted up. God does not call us to keep vessels but calls us to find vessels, not a few, so that God's oil can fit in it and God can do what he wants. We are not here being conservative, but we are building new places so that those who come can find a place.

If you look around right now there are a few sad chairs still sitting here empty. The rest is full. There are a hundred-odd children up there right now receiving the word of God on the third floor. And this morning the place was packed too, African-Americans, Anglo-Saxons, Asians, Africans, Latinos worshiping the Lord in our English ministry.

God is doing great things and we need more vessels so that God's anointing can be broader, greater. We build for the future, not for the present. We build for what God has ahead of us. And God needs Gideons who conceive God's vision and then set out to execute it.

Gideon conceived the vision of God and God gave him a very rare way to defeat the enemy. He gave him 300 men only, against an army of hundreds of thousands of men. And the weapons and the strategy that God used, God gave Gideon in a way that we don't have time to explain to you, but that crazy and strange and different strategy, scattered the enemy, confused him. They started to fight each other. There was confusion in the camp of Midian and Amalek and there was a great defeat and panic spread in the enemy camp and all that great army was sent to run and Gideon had a commitment with God that was to complete what God had told him.

If he had let that army escape, he would have been in serious trouble, because that army might have been able to consolidate again, recover and come back to attack and oppress the people of God. Gideon wanted to finish what he had promised.

If you look at the histories, for example of World War II, and you see that there were moments in World War II when the allies could have finished, defeated the enemy at a key moment, in a key battle, but unfortunately they fell back before to finish what they had started. The same happened with the German enemy. They could have defeated the allies in a key battle, but through inexplicable ways and strategic errors they withdrew before consummating what they had started. They did not use the moment to fully accomplish the work.

And so often happens to us. We settle for partial victories and then we lie down to rest and refresh ourselves because... no, but God wants us to reach the finish line.

So Gideon threw himself behind the enemy because he wanted to cut off any chance for the enemy to recover. When we enter Chapter 8 at this moment that I read here, it is that moment when Gideon's men, after having already wiped out the initial part of the enemy, are behind the enemy, they want to completely destroy it. Because when God's people start something, they have to finish it. And so we see here Gideon and his men weary but chasing. They have spent the whole day fighting but they have to complete the battle.

Brothers, the comparisons do not have to be elaborated much. We are more or less in the middle, a little more than half of our financial campaign. God has blessed us greatly, we started building in July and we are going exactly where we want to be with the construction out there, but you are in the battle. Maybe some of you are tired but keep on chasing. My goal is to tell you, brothers, keep on chasing. If you made a commitment before the Lord, don't say, oh, that was a vain dream, a commitment, you don't need me. All things seem to be going well over there. Who knows if in the end we will give something. But no, no, you conceived something in your heart, renew, refresh your commitment before the Lord. And even though the economy is bad and your work may have taken hours away from you, as the Moroccan sister said.

Look, God does not know about a few hours or a few hours. God can take 5 loaves and 2 fish that are smelling bad because they were in the sun all day and bless a whole Congregation with that, you know? Bless a city with it. We need a deposit. God always works through the deposits that we put into the earth.

Christ took 5 loaves and 2 fish, raised them to heaven, blessed them and gave the whole crowd to eat and there were 12 full baskets left over. And if we don't put 5 loaves and 2 fish, God doesn't do his part, brothers, that is the key to the Christian life. If there isn't a Gideon who says, yes, Lord, I'm going to do it. If there are no men who continue to pursue despite the fatigue, God's goals are not achieved. And you are part of that miracle, you are part of the 300.

I ask that the musicians pass through here quickly. You are part of the 300. Never live your life for emotions. Do you know why he doesn't bless you more? Do you brothers know why there are no more prosperous families? Why aren't there more young people in our community studying? Because sometimes they haven't seen an ethic of effort, persistence, and discipline over emotions in their families. What you have seen is more people who have adjusted to the circumstances, they have adjusted to their past, they are simply doing the same thing that their older generations did. If my parents did not study and my grandparents, why am I going to study? If they were workers, I am also going to be a worker. Our children see that message and then they fall short too.

What would it be if in each family there were fathers and mothers who, even if they were sad or even if it was snowing, raining, would go to the house of the Lord to offer their sacrifice. And those children saw those parents being firm in their commitments. What would it be like if those children saw their parents reading the word of God regularly, or reading a good book regularly, or watching documentaries that feed their culture and intelligence, instead of seeing them watching silly things that edify them at all?

There are times when I see silly things on TV and in the end I feel like I ate 20 cookies with a full stomach and I go, aaaah! If I hadn't eaten that, if I had eaten something healthy instead. That's how we are sometimes. We spend 3 hours on the TV and in the end what we are left with is a huge stomach ache.

What would it be if instead of doing that we built, read, disciplined ourselves and our children saw that discipline, that culture of discipline over emotions, over the mind, the body. Our children would be like us. God wants to bless his people, but God's people have to overcome fatigue. God wants that temple built, brothers, I am sure of that. When God spoke to me in that building, that room number 208 up there, with this place completely full of dust and rubble, we hadn't even just begun the building of this sanctuary yet, and this building, and God told me, one day there Outside in that parking lot I want you to build me a building with the parking lot below, stilts that support the building, and above that a sanctuary with a balcony, and on top of that another floor. It has to be like 10, 12, 13 years ago, brothers. And that vision has haunted me and I have wanted to carry out, print that vision of God. And I don't want to do it alone, nor does God want me to do it alone, because the things of God are done in community.

I want the honor to be a little piece for each one of you, each family, each house. God wants it to be so. God never does anything alone, he always does it as a team. If you read that Chapter, Chapter 8, Gideon had to ask people for help while he was chasing because they needed help from others to come complete the task. God always works in community. You are part of that community. Tired but chasing. We are halfway there, we still have a long way to go.

I want to invite you this afternoon to renew the vision of God, as a church we are going to say, Lord, we want to continue until we reach the goal, we want to pulverize that goal and exceed it, enter the terrain of the unforeseen, the uncomfortable and even exploit the ambitious visions that we conceived at the beginning for the glory of God.

And one day when we see that fully built sanctuary, we will be delighted every time we walk to enter it and when we sit on those benches and adore the Lord and the voice of the great Congregation that God is going to raise up sounds, we can say, I was part of this miracle. God used me to print the vision of God. And how good to be part of God's miracles.

So, people of God, this afternoon I invite you to refresh your vision of God. Stand up now, let's all stand up and Father, I promise to give you more inclusive than what I conceived at the beginning. And I ask that your people be refreshed, Lord, that giving to you is not a reason for drought or anguish or agony, but that it be a delight, Father, and that we see that what we give to you, you make it rebound for the blessing of our lives.

We ask for a prosperous people. We ask for a scandalously blessed people. We ask for a people that provokes the envy of those who do not know you because you have blessed them as you blessed your people, Israel, when they were faithful to your call. We want an exemplary church, Father, a church that announces with its life the fidelity of the God we serve. We renew our commitment in the name of Jesus.

And I want to invite those brothers and sisters who are new to the Congregation, perhaps you have come in the last year, months, weeks, if you have not had the opportunity yet, if the spirit of God has not motivated you yet and now you feel that motivates you to renew or commit yourself for the first time, it would give me great joy to see brothers take one of those bricks. Maybe you need to talk to your wife, your husband, and say, look, how much are we going to commit to? I want you to think about it carefully so that you have time to give even more to the Lord.

It's supposed to be a joke, you can laugh. But the idea is that at the end of the service you can come over here and give the Lord a commitment. If you haven't done it before, you can then next week say, therefore, but today I'd love for you to just say by faith, I'm going to put my name on it and then I'm going to let the brethren know how much I'm committed to. Or else do it right now in the name of the Lord. Ask God, ask, because God speaks, ask God to give you clarity about it. Do not leave here being one of those who has not yet committed, because the Gideons of God need the help of others who unite to chase the enemy until they are pulverized and finish what was started.

So I place that vision in their hands and in their hearts. Towards the end of the service I invite you to come by, if you haven't already and if you want to renew, having already given, we're going to look in a little while at the names of many dozens of people who have already given their full commitment. I hope this is an inspiration for your life.

I love that chorus, I will give you the best of my life. So, Omar, come over here and let's tell the Lord, I'll give you the best of my life. Amen. And then we are going to listen to one more thing from the brothers of the campaign and then we are going to go home blessed. Amen.

How many believe that God wants to bless your life? How many believe that God wants you to print his messages here on earth? Amen. Glory to the name of the Lord. So we are going to bring before the Lord and his altar our crowns, our authority, our resources and lay them at his feet, and he will be more than happy to see his people commit to him. Amen and amen.

We bring today before your discharge

our crowns

We want to give you the best of our lives

I will give you my whole love

The dreams that I managed to achieve.

I will give you the best of my life

I will give you the best every day

It will be much more than a song

Obedience is my best worship

I will give you the best of my life

I will give you the best every day

It will be much more than a song

Obedience is my best worship

My brothers in this same spirit that we really believe, we believe that blessings, if it were easy, would not be blessings and because we treasure what we are hearing, that we are tired of not seeing the solutions, we are tired of seeing those accounts in red . Yes, we are tired of not seeing those doors open, however, we are going to pursue even more, we are going to continue and we want to take this moment to thank you, brother, sister, that only your life, only with your testimony, can you give faith that this is true. And here are dozens of people who perhaps have found it difficult but have already fulfilled their promise to the glory of the Lord. And let's look at this slide.

I will give you the best of my life

I will give you the best every day

It will be much more than a song

Obedience is my best worship

I will give you the best of my life

I will give you the best every day

It will be much more than a song

Obedience is my best worship

I'll give you the best of me

I'll give you the best of me

I will give you the best of me.

I will give you the best.

Hallelujah!

Oh Lord, we promise to always give you the best knowing that you will always give us the best. We bless you, Father. Thank you in the name of Jesus. Amen and amen. Take a seat, brothers, as we celebrate the sacrament that we have this last Sunday of the month, we make reminders that through these symbols we are strengthened and I ask the brothers not to leave me too quickly. If you have to leave, go with all the reverence that you can, because we still have to give respect to the holy supper that we have here before the Lord and we want to say. Lord, thank you, because you gave your best.

The word says that he who did not spare his Son, look at that, God did not spare his Son, if the Lord asked him, give me your son, give me your daughter, as he asked Abraham, you would give him your son ? Brothers, to tell the truth, I am not sure. I hope so, I would like to think so. God didn't think twice. When the time came to redeem your creature, you and I, God said, the only solution is to give my Son, and he did. That is why the word says, he who did not spare even his own Son as he will not give us all other things together with him.

So as we celebrate the sacrament, we remember that God gave us the best. How can we not give our best to him? And our best will never be compared to God's best, always remember that. Give your best to God and you will see how your life will be transformed. Give the Lord the best offering, give the Lord the best of your days, energy, talents, gifts, emotions, money, property, profession. Give the best to him, the chosen part, the best part give to him, the first fruits.

And call me a liar one day if you don't see God's blessing explode in your land, in your life. I have not met anyone who gives the best to God and then comes back saying, you know what? They sold me a lying product. I have always seen people who when they give God their best are blessed. Yes, they go through tribulations, difficulties, but they always come out victorious, stronger than ever, having shed the skin of a baby and now a skin of a warrior. This is how the great victories of the Lord are achieved. Glory to the name of the Lord.

So let's remember that God.