Bill Johnson – “You are alive because God talks”

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Sunday Night Service | March 7th, 2021

“Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” John 6:68

@ 2:44:52

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i think it mostly comes to people that
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have just said yes
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without any restrictions
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i want you to look at one portion of
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scripture with me and then we’re going
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to wrap this up and pray
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we’ve we’ve already been here basically
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two days
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it’s in john chapter 6.
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you guys had service this morning so
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this is marathon day for you guys
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congratulations yeah it is
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congratulations
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jesus image you you’ve been here all day
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and then i came and preached the eternal
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gospel as i did this morning so that’s
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that’s the way it works all right here’s
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what i want you to
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look at there’s just this bizarre story
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in john 6
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it’s a personal favorite this is where
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jesus has a crowd he’s fed
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he’s fed thousands possibly
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in the neighborhood of 20 000 people
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with the multiplying of loaves and
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fishes
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so if you can imagine him
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in this crowd he’s been healing the sick
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he’s been raising the dead the food is
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multiplied everybody’s happy as can be
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and the disciples are enjoying
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this place of
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warm fuzzy fame and they’re with jesus
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and jesus stands up and he says
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you know you guys you’re gonna have to
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eat my flesh
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and you can just see the crowd going
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did he say eat his flesh
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i think so and you see the crowd because
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the bible actually describes it read
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through chapter six they start
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murmuring and going what
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things were going so good you can see
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the disciples going
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oh no oh no
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he’s going to do that thing again
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and jesus can see the crowds getting
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upset
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he never bothers explaining
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anytime you think god owes you an
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explanation re-read the contract
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he owes you nothing if you get it it’s a
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gift
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but until then you say yes
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so jesus sees everybody’s upset and he
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says
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you also have to drink my blood
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he doesn’t tone it down he tones it up
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he doesn’t he doesn’t dial it down to
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make everybody feel comfortable with the
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moment he says
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let’s crank this up a notch and so he
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cranks it up and he does this i think
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three times
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in his sermon by the time he’s done
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everybody’s left now that’s church
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growth at its finest right there
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all of you leaders who have used gideon
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to encourage yourself
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you have a better one jesus lost
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20 000 and ended up with 12.
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and here he’s in this moment and he
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speaks to
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peter and or he speaks to the disciples
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it says verse 66 says from that time
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many of his disciples went back and
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walked with him no more it’s amazing
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then jesus said to the twelve do you
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also want to go away
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simon peter answered him and said lord
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to whom shall we go
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you have the words of eternal life now
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most of us love peter a lot for a lot of
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reasons but one
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is we identify with somebody who makes
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so many blunders you know we feel
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comforted like
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jesus didn’t forsake him i’m in i mean
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but peter actually this is one of his
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most profound
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comments because this is what happened
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in this story jesus is teaching
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things that are offending everybody’s
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mind
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and some were waiting for comprehension
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to know they’ve heard from god peter was
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waiting for something to move him on the
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inside
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so here’s this crowd they all start
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murmuring you can see the crowd
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dissipating you can see the disciples
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concerned
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that their movement is coming to an end
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and you’ve got to know remember they’re
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competing for who sits on the right and
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who sits on the left
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they’re competing for position for
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posture because they think
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he’s going to establish kingdom in
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jerusalem
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now and have vindication on the romans
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that’s what they’re vying for and
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they’re looking at a lost opportunity
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and you’ve got to understand they’re
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feeling deeply insecure at the moment
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and so jesus says are you guys going to
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go too
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and peter makes this statement that is
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so profound
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peter says where are we going to go
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we burned all our bridges
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our yes was so complete we have no more
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options
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and then he said this phrase you have
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the words
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of eternal life this is so significant
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look back
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at verse um 63
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jesus said to the group he said it’s the
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spirit who gives life
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the flesh profits nothing here’s the
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phrase the words i speak to you are
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spirit and their life just follow this
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i’ll be through in a moment
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the words that i speak to you are spirit
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and that spirit gives life so picture
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this here’s
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jesus christ the son of god the bible
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calls him in john 1
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the word made flesh so he is in the
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flesh
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i tell people don’t tell me you love
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jesus you don’t love the bible this is
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jesus in print
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i don’t understand everything i read so
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if you understood it all you’d have a
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god your size
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i don’t remember what i read i don’t
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remember what i had for breakfast last
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friday but it still nourished me
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so he says my words to you are spirit
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what is he saying
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the word of god is made flesh but now
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whenever jesus talks
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his words become spirit
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what did peter say you have the words of
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eternal life here was what i believe
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peter was
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was announcing i’ll put it in my terms
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jesus we don’t understand your sermon
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about eating flesh and drinking blood
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any more than the crowd that left
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all we know is that whenever you talk we
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come alive inside
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all we know is that whenever you speak
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we find out why we’re alive
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the whole point was he they were
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nourished
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by a word that offended them
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but it nourished them because they
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received it
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they didn’t leave like the crowd they
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stayed in the middle of an offensive
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word
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and it led them to eternal life it fed
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them with life
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when satan came to jesus said turn the
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stone into bread jesus quotes a passage
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from the old testament
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man shall not live by bread alone but by
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every word that proceeds out of the
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mouth of god
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you are alive because god talks
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you are alive you are able to sit here
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insanity most of you
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insanity in
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you’re saying there we go insanity that
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just
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wasn’t working well well i’ve got to use
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a better
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never mind incense all right
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you’re sitting here completely sane
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because he speaks
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man lives by what proceeds from the
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mouth of god you are alive in christ
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because he speaks into your spirit
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he speaks into your soul he restores
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your soul
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he brings life to you he makes you cross
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paths with that person that just says
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that one thing
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and if you want hope it’s there for you
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if you want faith all you have to do is
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listen
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if you’re leaning in and inviting that
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voice to come and to deposit in you
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you will have more than you will ever
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need
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even in the middle of your most
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defensive moments
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when 20 000 people leave what you said
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yes to
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there’s still nourishment for your soul
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in that moment
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you were designed to hear stand please
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i’m we’re gonna pray for folks and and
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uh
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i should have told you at the beginning
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if you get through before i do just go
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home
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we’re gonna have a team up here in a few
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minutes we’re going to call
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certain words of knowledge and pray for
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people and uh
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i we’ll do that somewhat quickly and
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then we’ll have a team up here to pray
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for everyone’s prayer
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but i feel like i feel like i want to
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have an altar call but i don’t want you
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to come up i just want you to in your
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heart come up
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it’s what i’m asking for i don’t know if
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i’ve ever done it like this before but i
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feel like
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i feel like i’m inviting you to
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to lean in you
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hear a conversation
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and you want to you want to be a part
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i remember when i was oh goodness 10
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years old or so