You Don't Have to Be Lukewarm — Luauna Stines

Father, I thank you so much for your word. It has power. It has authority. It has dominion. I pray Lord God that you would pour out your spirit and your anointing upon this word. Take it into the hearts of men and women, young and old, everyone here.

Oh God, and pour out yourself, Oh Lord, in revelation, understanding, wisdom, and the mind of Christ. I take authority over every opposition and every strategy of hell that would come to steal God's word.

I break every yoke, every stronghold in Jesus' name. Amen. If you missed out on Revelation, I've been doing a study on Revelation, if you missed out on the first part, chapter 1 and the beginning part, please make sure you just ask Pastor Jill for a copy of that CD and just learn it and take it in your heart.

The Church of Smyrna and Christ’s Call to Faithfulness

We're reading out of Revelation, chapter 2. If you will open up your Bible, please. Revelation, we already went through the first part of Ephesus, so I'm not going to go there. I'm going to the second church and I want to take you through the entire word of God so you can understand it.

Revelation, chapter 2, reading in verse 8, we're going to the second church and I'm reading in Revelation, chapter 2, everybody got it? Verse 8 through 11. And to the angel of the church of Smyrna write, these things says the first and the last, who was dead and came to life.

I know your works, tribulation and poverty, but you are rich. And I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer.

Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison. That you may be tested and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. Let me talk to you for a moment about this church that we have to understand. Smyrna, number one, we understand that it is a seaport, it's a seaport city.

It's in Asia Minor, which we now know as Turkey. It's only 40 miles from the first church that we studied at, about Ephesus, and you'll have to pick that CD up if you don't have that. Smyrna was founded by Alexander the Great.

He had temples erected to the Sun God. He himself made it the center of emperor worship. He had temples honoring Roman rule. Can I tell you that even on his coins that he had made, he had created idols and put them on the coins that he, Sybil is one of the coins, it was a goddess.

He called her the great mother goddess. She was regarded as the divine being responsible for the well-being of the city. Fertility, health, and protection were said to be among the benefits that she was supposed to provide.

They made her temple located on the eastern side of the city, and Beverly, if you can open this up, if you will please, let me share with you some of this. Thank you. Now that, how many of you know, Smyrna's right here.

We just studied about Ephesus, 47 miles. Pergamos, the island of Pergamos, is here for those of you that weren't here and learned about the first part. But right here, Smyrna, these are the seven churches.

This is now, we know, is Turkey. Okay, you can shut it off. But it was bound by idolatry. It was bound, but what is happening here, you and I have to understand, that Jesus was foretelling of a great persecution that would come to the church of Smyrna.

And so many times we don't even understand that Jesus commends them. He doesn't rebuke this church. If you find out there's only two churches, and we'll go into that later, there's only two churches that he doesn't rebuke.

All the rest of the churches he rebukes very strongly, but this one he didn't rebuke. I want to share a true story. In former USSR, Christianity was under such unbelievable, severe persecution that they gathered underground or in warehouses to have their secret church meetings.

Testing Genuine Faith Under Persecution

Several soldiers of the Soviet Army, armed with machine guns, submachine guns, kicked open the door. And they raided the place right in the middle of a church service. All the Christians held up their hands.

How many of you know that, you know, that is a scary thing, that here are these armed soldiers breaking down the door, coming in, in the middle of a church service. You and I would be going like this too.

And all of a sudden there they were, and he said, the soldier said, you will be tried. And any of you wanting to disown Jesus Christ, step forward. Now is your chance to avoid persecution. Some of the people stood up and ran right out the door.

The reason they were, some of them were fearful, and they knew that it was very dangerous because, you know what, they were sent to Siberia, a place of endless suffering and a lot of agony and pain for their faith.

Once more the soldiers yelled, we will give you one more chance. A few more stood up, fearful, shaking. The rest closed their eyes and put their hands up. They reached over to grab one another's hands, held their hands, and with tears began to pray and cry because they knew that they were either going to die or be sent off to this prison.

Then all of a sudden the soldiers waited till the last one left. The soldiers turned around and bolted the door, threw the guns down, and said, all right, I'm here for service. We're really Christians, but we had to make sure that all the not real Christians had to be gone so that there's no detection.

So we are safe. So let's continue the service. In our minds we can't even fathom that. Today we ourselves must be true Christians. We must be ready to stand strong for our faith in the days ahead. We are called to serve God with all of our heart, all of our mind, all of our soul, every part of our being.

And let me give you one word of wisdom. There is no shortcuts for godly character. None. Smyrna was a place that went through great tribulation. I can imagine as it was in the center of emperor worship.

And anyone who did not bow to the emperor, anyone who did not bow to the idols, anyone that did not live according to their command were put to death. Jesus versed in verse 9 of this portion of Scripture, he said, it was Satan behind this evil, but Smyrna overcame this terrible time of persecution.

That's how come they didn't receive rebuke. They were promised a crown. You and I are promised a crown, a crown to he that is faithful to the end and he that overcomes. Jesus knew that this church was going to meet death in verse 11.

He said in Revelation 2 verse 11, he says, do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you in prison that you may be tested and that you will have tribulation ten days.

Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown. Let me tell you something. This is a powerful prophecy that Jesus was speaking to them and he wanted them to know it wasn't ten days. The prophetic prophecy of that was going to be over ten Roman emperors that were going to persecute the church, but Jesus knew.

You and I have to understand, he says, the first death, he said, be faithful until death and I will give you, I will give you the crown. You see, the first death is to the body. You and I, every one of us, we can't escape death.

We're all gonna die the first death. I know we all think we're gonna live forever, but just go to the graveyard of those that have died and have gone on. No one is going to escape death. Every man, every woman, every child, young and old, if Jesus tarries, will meet that first death.

But we have to be careful about the second death because in Christ, that second death is the soul and this death comes to the wicked. The second death is identified as everlasting torment of the soul in the lake of fire that burns with brimstone.

A Testimony of Salvation and Compassion for the Lost

Why am I out there on those streets? I don't know why every Christian is not in those streets. I don't know why every church doesn't reach out to the lost. When I think about my life so bound in the web of sin and darkness, do you know if it wasn't for the young lady who interrupted my life?

Out of the 7-Eleven store, do you know that I wouldn't be saved today? Do you know that that woman, she didn't have to talk to me. She didn't have to tell me one thing. When I first saw her, I didn't even recognize her.

We were at the 7-Eleven. I was on one side of the counter. She was on the other. I was all dressed up. I was going to party. I'd already done lines of coke. I was wired for sound. I stopped there to get me a pack of cigarettes, but I grabbed me a cigarette and grabbed me a beer because I was gonna go to the club that night and party and she's across the counter at me.

We catch eye contact for a moment. I didn't even recognize her. I look at her, put my head down. I'm dressed up. Here's my money. I need another line of coke. Let me get to the car. Let me go smoke my cigarette.

I'm in my car. I'm waiting there. I'm lighting a cigarette and here she comes. She goes to tell me about Jesus. No, thank you. No, thank you. What if she would have taken me up on that first rejection?

What if she would have just said, forget it. Go to hell then Luana, but she didn't. She followed me and you know the story. If you don't know the story, read my book, A Mother's Story. She bombarded my life.

She interrupted me. My pride was hurt. My ego was wounded. Leave me alone. I was in darkness. I was blinded by the depths of darkness. I didn't know that I had to come out of darkness and into the glorious light of his kingdom, but that young lady interrupted.

This is why we have to go. When I think about the lake of fire burning with brimstone and then I go there and on Thursday I'm there at 12 noon and I look and I, you have to go. You have to see. It does something to you in here.

Two things happen. You get pride and get angry and then God convicts you and then you realize, oh God, give me a compassion for the lost because I have a hard heart and until you get the compassion of Jesus's heartbeat, you don't care.

You'll live your life without notice and it doesn't matter who's going to hell, but Jesus calls us. That second death, the powerful prophecy Jesus wanted them to know in Smyrna and he wanted us to know as well.

The Ten Roman Persecutions of the Church

It signified ten Roman emperors that would persecute the church. Nero was the first one. He persecuted the church and he reigned AD 37 to AD 67. He was on the throne at 16 years old. Later he killed his wife Octavia.

Later he killed his mother. Later he put all of his brothers to death. History writes that after he committed all of those horrible, terrible crimes, he wanted to write a poem and when he went to write a poem, he was so angry because there was no inspiration coming because he was so full of himself and angry and he wanted to write a poem and he couldn't write a poem and suddenly he got this insane, insane idea and he said, you know what, I want the city of Rome.

What would it look like if it was on fire? And he commanded all of his officials to go out and start Rome on fire and as Rome was burning and the agonies of cries of people weeping and crying as the city is burning, he suddenly gets a revelation to go write and he writes a poem.

This man who is filled with demonic forces, no control over his mind and suddenly somebody's begin to spread the rumor it was Nero that started this. He said, no, no, no, no, no. He said, no, no, no, no.

It's the Christians that did this. It's the Christians. He started that false rumor and right after that he ordered that all Christians be executed and he sent out his men in full force to begin to execute Christian after Christian after Christian young and old babies.

In AD 67 the Apostle Peter was arrested and put to death during that time. He was crucified upside down. In AD 68 Paul was martyred. They say that Paul was beheaded. The second Emperor that went into persecution, I could never say his name, D-O-M-I-T-I-A-N, Domation, that's good enough.

He's 11th Emperor of Rome. He ordered and demanded the people to worship him as the God of Jupiter. Under his persecution the Apostle John was exiled to the island of Potamos. History described him as ruthless.

Third persecution AD 98 was the reign of Trojan. He was the 13th Emperor, Roman Emperor. He outlawed Christian faith period and he said we're gonna persecute the church to no end. He got a gentleman by the name of Ignatius.

He was one of the disciple of Peter. He was thrown into a lion's den and he was torn apart before thousands of people in a Colosseum. But you know what? A judge told him, he said, why don't you just deny Christ?

Why don't you just deny it? Why don't you just betray Christ and live? And Ignatius stood in that crowd in that arena with his hands to his side and he said, I have served him these from since I was a child all these years.

They said he was over 80 years old. He said, and never once did Christ betray me. Shall I now betray him? No, I shall not. And the shock of his stand and his love for God shocked half of the people in that arena and many of them were converted to Christianity that day.

But it cost that man's life in that lion's den as they him say, no, I will not betray Christ. And he stood there and they opened up the gates and those lions came out and roars of people rejoicing and laughing and standing up as he was ripped to shreds by those lions.

He stood strong. The fourth persecution was Marcus Aurelius AD 161 to 180. The Emperor martyred among many others, Polycarp and Justin. Polycarp was a second century Christian bishop of Smyrna. He died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake and then stabbed when the fire failed to even touch him because he stood strong for Christ.

The fifth persecution was Symptomus Severus AD 202 to 211. He enacted a rigid law against the spread of Christianity. As a result, many, many hundreds of Christians were beheaded. The sixth persecution was Maximum AD 235 to 237.

He was known as such a rude barbarian who massacred the Christians. He had their bodies burned into lots of 50 and 60 and he said, make sure you burn them in my garden because I want to see the light.

In our minds we can't imagine that Smyrna would go through so much and yet God warned the church. The seventh persecution was Emperor Decius AD 249 to 253. He also persecuted the church fiercely and he said, I intend to destroy it.

Unfortunately, God had him die at a very early age. Eighth persecution was Valerian AD 257 to 260. Another Christian author, Cyprian, was martyred to death and several hundred others. Ninth persecution, Aurelian AD 270 to 275.

Tenth persecution, Diocelitan AD 303 to 312. He said, I'm going to destroy Christian churches and I'm going to demand that all the copies of the Bible, anything be burned. His persecution was so intense and so violent throughout the Roman Empire that he put up a monument so excited that he would terminate Christianity.

Twenty-five years after his death, Christianity became the state religion of Rome. Ten persecutions, ten people tried in vain to destroy Christianity from 100 AD to 312. But you see, Christianity didn't die completely.

Why? This prophecy in Revelation chapter 2 was fulfilled and the only reason that you and I can hear the gospel today is because somebody stood strong during this time of great persecution. Somebody said, I'm not going to give in.

Tell me how great that persecution was, that the church went underground. Many Christians were born in those dark catacombs of Rome, so many of them were hidden, but yet they never gave up on the hope that they cherished within their heart.

They were true spiritual warriors who kept their faith under great persecution. This is why today we must hold on to our faith in Jesus Christ. We owe our freedom and we have the ability to read this word today because of those great men and women that were beheaded burned the stake, fed to the lions, crucified upside down and beat beyond recognition.

Because of those great men and women of God in this church right here that stood the test of time even all the way through death, they said, you know what, we will stand the test of time. We will stand no matter what.

The Heroes of Faith and the Better Resurrection

I am reminded at some of those heroes in Hebrews chapter 12, reading in verses 1 and 2, therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witness, let us lay aside every weight and sin that so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews chapter 11 tells us again about these heroes of the faith. Hebrews chapter 11, reading in verse 33, it says, who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword.

Out of weakness they were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their debt raised to them. Others, the others, were tortured, not accepting deliverance.

No, I will not deny my Christ. Not accepting deliverance. Why don't you just deny Christ? Why don't you just throw in the towel and give up? It doesn't work anyway. That they might obtain a better resurrection.

You see, it wasn't the first death, but the second death, that they might obtain a better resurrection. The dead in Christ shall rise and we the believers will meet him in the air. Verse 36, still others had trials of mockings and scourgings.

My mocking downtown is nothing, nothing compared to what these great men and women and we get scruttled so easily. We need a miracle of God's grace. May God help us to understand what is the true purpose of Christianity.

Still others had trials of mocking and scourging, yes, of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were tempted. They were slain with a sword. Do you know what that means, with a sword?

What does that mean? They were killed brutally. They wandered around in sheepskins and goatskins. It's not the gospel of today, is it? The gospel of today is blab it, grab it, claim it, and frame it, and get rich.

We forget we're just passing through. This is not our home. We're not living here forever and the only thing that we're gonna take with us are people. No one else. We're not gonna take one thing with us.

We're not gonna take our fancy houses or our 30 million dollar jet because I think to myself, have you not been to the third world country? Have you not been to the heart of Africa? Have you not seen the people that are starving in Pakistan?

Have you not seen the people in Mindanao that are suffering? They have to run to the jungle in Mindanao. They have to have places, I am sure even in some places in China. I am sure that there are people that are being killed all day long around the world today, but in America we have the wonderful privilege and wonderful opportunity.

Jonah, the Gospel, and the Call to Preach

Why did Jesus come? I wonder if we have forgotten the very purpose. He said, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life.

For God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world but that through him the world might be saved. And then he says, how will they know without a preacher? How will they know unless somebody tells them God shakes a man by the name of Jonah?

He says, Jonah get up, get up Jonah, get up. Go into the city of Nivea and tell them, cry out against them for the wickedness has come up before me and I'm going to destroy them. Go tell them. Jonah gets up, he gets angry, he gets mad at God.

How many of us are like Jonah? We get mad, I'm not going. Why? Because I just don't want to. Jonah finds himself in the middle of a great big fish because he tried to go the opposite direction. How easy it is for us to go the opposite direction of what God wants.

I know I've been saved 33 years and I have to tell you, I have been in a few big fish, pouting and feeling sorry for myself, just like Jonah. When God begins to build your character and God begins to change on the outside and God begins to say, your heart needs to be rent before me and it's not the outward but it's the inward man that I look for.

Behold, I do not look as a man looks for a man looks at the outside, the height, the status and the structure, but I the Lord, I look at the heart and the intentions thereof. God never looks at our outside statue.

He could care less how tall, how short, how fat, how skinny, what color. He could care less. He doesn't look like man looks. He looks at the heart. He goes straight into the chambers of the heart. He looks with eyes that are like flames of fire and he goes down deep inside of the hidden chamber of man's heart and he says, what is your heart?

Are you really loving me? Are you born again? Are you set free? You see, because Jonah found himself in a great big fat fish, rightly deserved. I'd want to not sit in a fish for three days thinking of all the junk that fish ate makes my stomach hurt and all of a sudden God commands that fish to vomit him out and God tells him again, Jonah get up, cry out against the city, go in and Jonah goes into the city and he cries out, God is gonna destroy the city.

Repent and he cries out. He goes up and down the street. 40 more days. He cries out and you know what? Somebody in the city hears the word of the Lord. The governor, the top official says, who is this mad man?

What is he doing? He's saying that God is gonna destroy the city. Paraphrase. He said, well what are we doing about it? I believe what this crazy man said. Let's rent. Let's get our sackcloth. Let's put ashes on our head.

Let's repent. Call it fast. Call the whole city to repentance. The entire city of 120 ,000 people fell to their knees and repent. Why? Because one man, one man finally obeyed God. One. One. You see this early church was so persecuted in Jerusalem.

Standing Unashamed in a Hostile Age

Christians, oh my goodness. He says these, all these. Look what he says here. Being destitute, afflicted and tormented of whom the world was not worthy. Can I tell you that don't be afraid of being a Christian.

Do not be ashamed of being a follower of Jesus Christ. We are watching that even today as they're coming in saying no prayer in school, no Bibles in school. Take out the Ten Commandments in our White House and in Washington DC and in our government and in our buildings.

Sandblast those things off of there. They can take it out of the sandblasted walls but they cannot take it out of the true Christian's heart. You can chop me up in a million pieces and every single piece will say praise God.

Praise the Lord. Praise Him. Praise Him. Praise Him for His mighty works. Praise Him for His goodness. Praise Him for His greatness. Praise Him. Our God is faithful. He said in whom the world was not worthy they wandered in the deserts and the mountains and dens and caves of the earth and all these having obtained a good testimony through faith did not receive the promise.

What promise? They do receive the other promise eternal life. They receive the promise God having provided something better for us that they should not be made perfect apart from us. You see as the early Christians why were they persecuted?

Because the early church was doing something. The early church was doing something. You see they tried how many of you have ever how many of you like to get a fire going you get a fire going you sit around the fire.

I like to do that. You get a fire going but you know what have you ever taken a log and you're everybody's sitting around the fire you don't mean to but you accidentally throw in a log and all those sparks go like this.

Those sparks are flying everywhere. You see those ten Roman Emperors were like taking a stick hitting a fire. When they were hitting against those Christians it was like hitting a bonfire. Those sparks just went everywhere and they forgot that they started fires of revivals everywhere.

God is calling you and I to be setting fires everywhere we go. Everything we do may we spark for Christ. You see our Heavenly Father knows what every church went through. Our Heavenly Father knows what we go through.

Nothing nothing is hidden. He knew what this church of Smyrna. He knew that they were going to go through great persecution. Crushed myrrh is what Smyrna means. Do you know that myrrh is bitter? It has a bitter tasting.

How much more he calls this church Smyrna which means crushed myrrh. How much more bitter does myrrh taste when it's crushed? Much more bitter. Well that's because Jesus told them it would be a terrible bitter persecution.

Myrrh. Do you know what myrrh was used for? It was used raw or was used crushed. It was mixed with oil. Some of it was made for perfumes and some of it was used to medically reduce swelling and stop pain.

Can I tell you that only Jesus can stop our pain and only Jesus can be with us through every trial? You know Bible references Jesus to the balm of Gilead. Jesus is our crushed myrrh. He knew. Jesus spoke again in the New Testament a word for you and I.

He told us to hold on. He tells you and I the church the New Testament Church in Matthew chapter 10 verse 28 he says do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

You see we have to fight against this lukewarm stage and age right now. These are the last days and we are watching that. This last days of lukewarmness of the church age today. You see the cross equals Jesus and Jesus was crushed myrrh.

The Cross, the Myrrh, and Christ’s Sacrifice

John chapter 19. I think about how great our God is. How this Bible is all weaved and tied together. John chapter 19 reading in verse 38 to 40 says after this Joseph of Arimathea being a disciple of Jesus but secretly for fear of the Jews asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus and Pilate gave him permission.

So he came and he took the body of Jesus and Nicodemus who at Nicodemus who at the first came to Jesus by night also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and alloids about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus bounded in stripes of linen with a with spices as the custom of the Jews is to bury.

Why did they take that myrrh? They prepared that body but yet at the same time why did these amazing powerful men come and why did they give baby Jesus? From the cradle to the cross to the grave he rose.

Why? For our freedom. Look what he said here in Matthew chapter 2 verse 11. And when they had come into the house they saw the young child with Mary his mother and fell down and worshipped him and when they had opened up their treasures they presented gifts to him gold frankincense and myrrh.

Do you know why? Because they knew the Lamb of God that would take away the sins of the world. They knew the baby Jesus frankincense and myrrh. A bitter ending for him. No not really. Psalms the psalmist writes and tells us in Psalms chapter 42 11.

Yes all kings shall fall down before him all nations shall serve him for he will deliver the needy when he cries the poor also and him who has no helper he will spare the poor and the needy and will save souls of the needy he will redeem their life from oppression and violence and precious shall be their blood in his sight.

The psalmist writes you and I he writes here how great is our God what is he going to do? Mark chapter 15 verse 23 it says and they gave him Jesus wine mingled with myrrh to drink but he did not take it.

When did he not take it at the cross? Why? Because he chose to be the crushed myrrh for you and I. He chose to be the balm of Gilead. He chose to give us our all and all. He chose us you and I. In our minds we can't even fathom.

John the Baptist’s Discouragement and Perseverance

You ever feel like sometimes you get discouraged? You ever feel like well gee gosh Lord it's not supposed to be like this. The Holy Spirit took me to the Word of God in Matthew chapter 11. Let me paint this picture for you really quick.

John has about a public ministry of a total of about one year. Kings and governors and masses of people are coming to see this wild man John who has camel's hair as his clothes and a belt with locusts.

He obviously is a very earth man eating locusts and knows how to get bees honey out of the beehive and fills his pouch with honey and locusts and he's this wild man who had been in the desert for many many years and he was studying the the books of Isaiah.

He hears because how do I know that because when they all these top officials and all these mighty men come to Jesus they say to him they said are you the Messiah and he says no I am I am like Isaiah said I am he who comes crying in the wilderness I am he who comes prepare you the way of the Lord I have come to prepare no I'm not the Messiah.

So it tells me that he was in that place in the desert and they even say that there's even a cave that John separated himself in and groomed in God and and read the word and of Isaiah's books the prophets reading and taking all that God had and suddenly here's John who after one year of an amazing public ministry is now in prison.

I am sure that he hears all the people around him saying yeah the King's about to give us time and we're gonna chop John's head off and I'm sure that John sat there in that prison and then the the disciples come and say John John John you ought to see all the things that are happening.

John John in his mind. I am sure let me read to you. Now it came to pass. Verse 11. Matthew chapter 11 verse 1. Now it came to pass when Jesus finished commanding his twelve disciples that he departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.

And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ let me stop there for a moment. John had heard in prison. Can you imagine everybody running to John. John John you never believe what happened.

You know Jesus was sitting over there and this man was blind and all of a sudden his eyes open. John John this woman you know where you saw her. She was bowed over 18 years. Oh 16 years. She couldn't even stand.

Jesus healed her. Another one will come. John. John you wouldn't believe it. 10 lepers were healed. 10 lepers. They weren't even allowed in the city. Suddenly Jesus came and healed two lepers. I saw another two came and all of a sudden there he is.

Oh remember Mary Magdalene. Oh she was healed delivered set free. Jesus touched her. Remember that crazy woman at the well that ran around from one man to another. Jesus touched her. All these reports came to John.

But see John was reading the books. I don't know if you've ever read Isaiah. Isaiah says. And he shall come and the government shall be upon his head. His sword he shall take. And in my mind if I was John the disciples are going this Jesus just multiplied fish fish fish.

Where's the sword. He just turned the water to wine. Where's the government. Where's he gonna take charge of the government. I am sure that John's mind was very confused. And how do I know that verse 2.

And when John had heard in prison about the works of Jesus he sent two of his disciples and he said to him. And he said to him are you the coming one. Or do we look for another. What does that tell you about John sitting in that prison.

He says you know what. This ain't quite what I expected. I thought you were gonna bring out the sword and take the government by storm. What are you doing. Multiplying fish and feeding the multitude. Are you the one.

Are you. Are you the one I'm gonna die for. Are you the one that I was groomed in that desert for. Are you the one. Are you the one I'm like I'm gonna get my head cut off. Are you the one. Are you. Cuz if you're not I need to know.

Are you the one. You see those disciples went back to Jesus. Oh how Jesus loved John. Or do we look for another. Do I need to go back to the books. Did I read it wrong. Did I interpret it wrong. Let me tell you something in your Christian walk.

Look at me. If all you look for is a flare then you'll not make it in your Christian walk. If all you look for is goose you know happy bumps. You're not gonna make it. Because I'm gonna tell you something.