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Sermon of the Week 
Thursday, June 02 2022

It’s Time To Get M.A.D.

A woman is in the Police interview room and here’s why.....She was behind a man who was driving very slow, and she is tailgating this guy because she is in a hurry.  He comes to an intersection, and when the light turns yellow, he squeezes through and leaves the woman sitting there at the red light.  The woman goes ballistic.  She honks her horn at him; she yells her frustration in no uncertain terms, while she rants and gestures. While she is in mid-rant, someone taps on her window.  She looks up and sees a policeman.  He invites her out of the car and takes her to the station where she is searched and fingerprinted and put in a cell. After a couple of hours, she is released, and she is in the interview room, and the arresting officer gives her personal effects to her, saying, “I’m very sorry for the mistake ma’am.  I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, using bad gestures and having a tantrum and I noticed the ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ bumper sticker, the ‘Choose Life’ license plate holder, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday School’ window decal, and the Christian fish emblem on your trunk, and I naturally assumed you had stolen the car.” 

When you’ve allowed the enemy to take advantage of a weak moment, it’s time to get mad. When you’ve given him the stick to beat you up with, it’s time to get mad. When you’ve stopped doing the right thing and allowed the Devil to pull you into his trap, it’s time to get mad. 

I want to give you some Statistics which show us that the kind of aggressive Christianity that changes the world is in decline. This was once known over the world as a Christian nation but listen to me....

There are around 4,000 churches that close each year because of a 60% decline in church attendance. What this means is that the average church attendance has gone from around 140 to 40 people. That’s averaging out the big and small ones to come up with that.

It is expected that 4,000 to 7,000 churches will close this year as a result of the pandemic and all of its repercussions...                          Right now only 40% of the population goes to a church of any kind at all. And only 20% live out Biblical Christianity.(bear with me a minute)                                                                                                             Only 27% of teenagers (generation Z, which is 7 to 22 yrs) attend church once a week and that drops down to 12% when they reach 18 years old.

Only 27% of Millennials (23 to 38) attend church regularly and living a Christian life is at the bottom of their list. 

These statistics mean that with the present rate of decline, it’s time to get M.A.D! What if every Christian said, that’s not someone else’s problem, it’s my problem, and I must do something about it.... NOT ON MY WATCH!  If we don’t, instead of a glorious church, it will be a declining church that Jesus comes back for.                                                 BUT, BUT,scripture clearly tells us that Jesus is returning for a victorious, overcoming church, which means that at some point something will happen, and the people of God will get mad enough at the Devil, to turn things around. Why not start here and now!

I want to open with this scripture today.... Matthew 11:12 From the days of John the Baptist until now (this date today) the kingdom of heaven (all that Jesus has reclaimed for us) suffers violent assault, and violent men (those with kingdom authority and dominion) seize it by force [as a precious prize].                                         The law of first mention, which Jesus uses here, indicates that beginning with John who was filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother’s womb....(see Luke 1:41) that John was the beginning of those who started operating in Authority and Dominion which Jesus came to reclaim, and a new season of restored power had begun.

This scripture is addressing those who are acting and living as though it all on the line and depends on their willingness to function and operate in kingdom authority and dominion, and who don’t stand back expecting someone else to do it!

Every day when we wake up, we enter the realm of the God of this world, who only respects and trembles at those who operate in Kingdom authority and dominion. We wake up to warfare, before we even leave our homes each day. 

2 Corinthians 4:4 The god (small g) of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed through the indwelling of Christ.      

7 But we have this treasure in vessels of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in these bodies the victory of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in and through us.

So, the first thing that M.A.D. represents is ManifestedAuthority and Dominion. It’s an acrostic....

Satan is counting on being able to distract us so much by the things Paul talks about, “being pressed on every side, crushed, persecuted, abandoned, struck down, and the pressures and responsibilities of life”, that we will not understand that we carry around in our bodies the victory of Jesus, the light of Jesus, and the life of Jesus, in every situation.

The violent (who are those who operate in the authority that Jesus has reclaimed for us) take the kingdom through delegated authority and power of attorney!

Every time you say “In Jesus name”  you just operated in Power of attorney, or delegated authority! That’s permission to talk like Him, to act like Him and to do what He would do!!Satan can’t handle that!!

Every since the garden of Eden, the devil has been running rough shod over mankind, with the intent of robbing everyone of their God given purpose and assignment. God said “Have dominion and rule over the earth”

But to the shock and dismay of Satan, some have stood up and gotten M.A.D. and they got knocked down, and trounced on, and crushed, but they looked in the word of God and found out that it can be different. That we can change everything. Darkness can’t stand up to light!! 

They got violent! They got sick and tired of being sick and tired! How many believe Jesus got VIOLENT! He saw Satan destroying people’s bodies with sickness, disease and infirmity... and He got mad. He saw those who were supposed to be Spiritual leaders, playing religious games and He got mad!

Look at this.... Matthew 21:12–13 “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and drove out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves”.

Covetous and greed had set up it’s operations right in front of the Temple entrance, blocking the path of worship and praise. It was a huge distraction, as doves, and oxen, and sheep were being sold at unreal prices so the temple leaders could make a profit. It was religion for sale. It exploited the poor and needy. A form of Godliness that denied the power of God.

Jesus wasn’t mad at people, but the greed which was using the people to do Satan’s work for him. Jesus wasn’t fighting the religious leaders, but the deception that was using them to accomplish Satan’s agenda of oppression and bondage. Sometimes when you strike the Devil, those who are doing his work, take a hit. That’s called putting some skin in the game....

We don’t fight people, but we wage war on principalities and powers and rulers of wickedness in high places. We Manifest His Authority and Dominion, and the Lord, sends angels to fight where we cannot. When we engage Satan’s forces in this dimension, Mighty angels of God, engage Principalities and Powers in a higher dimension... When that which empowers demons here, is cut off and defeated there.... Victory is the results and breakthrough is going to happen.

Don’t you quit till your healing is manifested. Don’t you quit until your family comes into the kingdom. Don’t you quit until you see, what Jesus came to reclaim for you!!!

What you don’t see here and now doesn’t mean it’s not in the second heaven dimension! Cut off the head, and the snake will die! I repeat, CUT OFF THE HEAD AND THE SNAKE WILL DIE!

So M.A.D. stands for Manifested Authority and Dominion.

M.A.D. also stands for Make A Demand....

When our spiritually awakened demands intensify, divine supply is guaranteed.

Matthew 7:7 says “Keep on Asking and Keep on knocking” …                                 To wish for something, means to look for a miracle, a breakthrough, a turn around, or a new beginning, without doing anything to put a demand on it or to call it down.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    To Desire something, means To have a heart cry, to really want it, and to be motivated to see it happen, but it’s still half hearted, and is easily swayed by many things. But to Demand (oh yeah, come on now) – Is to bombard that desire with continuous prayer, decrees of the word, and fully believe that Satan’s kingdom will come down. We can safely say Desire plus Action which operates out of authority and dominion equals Demand.

Matthew 16:18 “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.                                               ”The gates of hell cannot prevail”, means we go to the very source where Satan has gotten into your body and brought sickness...                       We go to the gate where Satan has gotten into your home and family and we shut it!...We go to the gate where Satan has gotten into your finances, your relationships, your work place, or any of your stuff, and we shut the gate....                                                                                                              He can’t get into what you’ve shut or bound. And he can’t stop or shut what you have released....The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Word of God and God’s angels are backing you up! Team, Team, Team!!

M.A.D. also stands for Make A Decision!

The conchs would say “Fish or cut bait”.... Make up your mind and don’t look back. Talk like it, think like it, act like it. Once you make the decision, get everything else out of the way that doesn’t belong.                                                                 Mark 11:24 The Passion Translation “This is the reason I urge you to boldly believe for whatever you ask for in prayer—be convinced (make a decision) that you have received it and it will be yours”.

There was a woman with what was called an “Issue of Blood” –she had a life threatening issue! (what is threatening your quality of life, Child of God?) Twelve years, it had weakened her body and dominated her life. It appears that it had cost her, her husband. Now she is alone, no company, no lover, and no companion. But she made a decision to get to Jesus. This was her opportunity and she was not going to be denied. She pushed everything aside that wasn’t part of her decision!

Have you missed some opportunities? Relax, you can still make it, just make your decision and stay with it.                                                                                                   I can almost hear her singing, “Pass me not O Gentle savior, Hear my Humble cry, while on other thou art calling, Do not pass me by”.                    She pushed through every obstacle, she took it by force, she put a demand on the crowd that day.... I’M COMING THRU! And she put a demand upon the hem of His garment, and pulled virtue out of Him.....

I’ve told you that when I heard God tell me to build a Christian radio station in Key West, it about wore me out. I had to make some decisions and not look back. I rejected everything that wasn’t part of that decision. For one year, I went to City commission meetings, every month, to get approval, with outany results. It wasn’t until the 12th month, at 11:00 at night, (The lawyer and I, were the only ones there plus the mayor). Mayor Hymen said, it’s late, I’m tired, what can I do to go home, and get rid of you folks? BAM, IT GOT DONE IN 10 MINUTES! Then I had to build a studio, put up a tower, get equipment, install everything and get on the air in 3 weeks time.... and God did it because we made a decision and never looked back. That station is now owned by the Billy Graham Association and is broadcasting the gospel to the Caribbeancommunity. 

It's a whole other story, about how 12 foot angels showed up at my house (about 20 of them) to let me know it was happeningwhen it looked impossible.... they let me know that they had broken through in the 2nd heaven, so that it could all happen!And thousands of them were coming in for reinforcement to clear the way for what had to happen.

So, like the little woman, get M.A.D. And MAKE A DECISIONand don’t look back.

Another thing that M.A.D. also stands for is Make ADifference. It starts with yourself. Be the person you would like to find. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Be friendly and outgoing if you want to find someone who is. Be cheerful and positive if you want to attract that same quality. Clean up, Dressup, and show up, and watch God do the rest.  

Also, Stop criticizing and belly aching and whining... and understand that if it can be changed, you can change it.                                         Everyone say with me... “I can do this”....                                             

Most things start with a domino effect. One thing setssomething else in motion and so on.... You may only be the first or third or twentieth domino, but when you activate your domino, it sets in motion a spiritual cause and effect.

Gideon was only one domino, but it set in motion a cause bigger than he was when he invested his domino, and the Midianites were driven from the land... Moses was only one domino, but he set in motion a spiritual cause and effect that liberated a nation of people and altered the course of nations... and what about some fishermen, a tax collector, a physician, and a zealot who formed the 12 disciples of Jesus and changed history as they knew it and we know it, because they made a decision to totally follow Jesus....What a difference they made!!

We had a friend named Bill, years ago, who was a former hit man for the Mafia. It cost him his marriage and his family. But he got arrested by the Lord, I mean, he got saved, quit the mafia, which was a miracle in itself... and started getting involved in the church. It was hard winning back the confidence of his wife. And we had many prayer and counselling sessions, but over time, they came back together as a family and started coming to church with him. We kept encouraging him to talk, act and think as though it was already done. And he never let his words, actions or thinking go contrary to what he was believing for. 

You may ask, “How long”.... until it happens. Sometimes when you’re hammering a rock, the rock changes you before you, before you change the rock....and you become stronger, wiser, more patient and humble before you see your decision come to pass!!

Say it with me..... Matthew 11:24 “Believe you have received it and you shall have it” Stop looking for someone else to do it, and for someone else to start.

We should be asking.. If not us, then who. If not now, then when!

Without some sense of dissatisfaction with where we’re at, there is no desire for growth, and without an awareness that there is more, there is no hunger to receive all that God said we could have! MORE LORD!                

“....Will you agree with me.... “if I truly believe, then it will change the way I speak, act and think. And I will get MAD enough at the devil for destroying and ruining so many lives, that I will rise up and Manifest Authority and Dominion, which shuts the gate and releases what Jesus has come to reclaim, and I will begin to MAKE A DEMAND because I have been giventhe keys of the kingdom of heaven, therefore, I make a decision and I don’t look back, because if I believe I have received it Ihave it. So I understand that I can make a difference, and Idon’t wait for someone else to do it, because it starts with mydomino, and a chain reaction begins”...

Get MAD enough to bury and be done with the thing that is keeping you from taking that next step into your very best self. What is that? What is the final frontier that is calling you and what is the thing that needs to be left with all the other things you’ve moved on from?

Last of all, M.A.D. stands for the fact that we are called to MAKE A DISCIPLE..

Look at this.... Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all people, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

That’s a clear mandate which we have been given and here’show you do it... Matthew 18:19 “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven”.

Find someone who agrees with you about what God is telling you that needs to be done.... start praying together, or go around the city and speak over it, get involved in some area of the community and volunteer to make it better...it may be the school system, law enforcement, the hospital, food delivery, or something with the homeless, maybe working with addicts, or 911, or perhaps marriage and family... There is much to be done that makes a difference. But we must move beyond wishing, desiring or just praying and put action with desire, and make a difference!                                                                                                                                                                                    Ephesians 6:10-11- “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the deceitfulness and lies of the devil”.

Make a disciple by imparting what God is saying to you, into that person and use the power of agreement for kingdom building.                                       We all have a place in our hearts for a need that is not being filled, where we can make a difference. 

IT’S TIME TO GET M.A.D.!!! But let’s get mad at the devil and avoid fighting people that he may be using. Storm the gates, and shut down the places where the enemy has built a highway for sin and division!      

Prayer.....Lord Jesus, you’re calling us to establish your kingdom here on earth, so others may know and follow you. May your kingdom spread throughout our land and bring You more and more to this world in need of Your transforming power. Help me to be faithful in helping advance your kingdom here as you taught us, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. Show me the path You have set before me, so I may follow Your leading.  Father, I pray that Your reign may be seen more clearly in my life. There are people we love who, today, are outside of your kingdom. Lord, in Your mercy, bring them in! Help us to do Your work while it is day before the night comes when no one can work.                                                                          Let Your heart beat among us and unify us throughout every generational or gender grouping. In Jesus Name, we destroy every demonic assignment against the peace and unity of the Body of Christ. We stand against every label that serves to divide Your people – labels like denomination, political party affiliation, race, ethnicity, nation of origin and economic status – and we declare that we are one in You, Lord. We stand against the spirits of confusion, arrogance, deceit and pride.  We render their works null and void.  We declare that we will be like-minded and there no division in the Spirit among us. Help us to walk worthy and fully pleasing beforeYou.                                                                                                              As believers, help us to be fruitful in every good work. We ask You to strengthen and empower the leaders of our churches and help them to represent Your Kingdom in the earth.  Holy Spirit, synchronize the heart of every true believer and unify our spirits to receive and submit to Your vision for our city.  Help all of us to do our part to manifest Your vision for Your Church!  Please help us all to serve You by manifesting real Kingdom change in the world, as we walk in the fruit of the Spirit demonstrating love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Hasten the day when the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. In Jesus name, Amen!

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