In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of prayer in the life of believers. He highlights the urgency of the times, stating that the end of all things is at hand. Therefore, he urges the church to be serious and watchful in their prayers. The speaker also emphasizes the need for the church to be a house of prayer and warns that a prayerless church will not be ready for the coming storm. He concludes by encouraging believers to run with the vision of spreading the gospel and making disciples, just as Habakkuk progressed from wrestling with the vision to receiving it and ultimately running with it.

Welcome to from the pulpit and classic sermons each week We bring you a different message from some of history's greatest speakers in the Christian faith and powerful sermons for modern preachers, too This week we have Brian Long with a plan vision for the church and cunning persecution So grateful to be here with you tonight Thank you, brother Frank My dear brother. I have that testimony of Algeria's written down. I'd actually written down His testimony at home and have it in my Study, it's ministered to me time and time again the glory of Jesus in the dungeon And he found infinite sweetness in the bowels of the lion. I don't think I'll ever forget that expression Very grateful to be here with you tonight. I do have a burden on my heart that I I'm convinced Absolutely persuaded is from the Lord and I want you to turn with me to the book of Habakkuk, please Habakkuk and will begin in chapter 2 My message is a plain vision for the church and coming persecution a plain vision for the church and coming persecution Habakkuk chapter 2 will begin in verse 1 I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart and watch to see what he will say to me and What I will answer when I'm corrected then the Lord answered me and said Write the vision and make it plain on tablets that he may run who reads it For the vision is yet for an appointed time But at the end it will speak and it will not lie Though it tarries wait for it because it will surely come It will not tarry Now the vision that the Prophet Habakkuk saw was a burden from the Lord you notice if you would in the first verse of chapter 1 the burden which the Prophet Habakkuk saw his burden was a vision from the Lord a Vision that God said would surely come it wasn't that it might come to pass It wasn't that it could come to pass. He said though it tarries wait for it because it will surely come Now there are two parts to this vision that I want to share with you tonight and then having shared the vision To see how we are to run with it because that's what he says write down the vision make it plain on tablets That he may run who reads it. So first of all the vision What was it that the Prophet Habakkuk saw? What was it that God said was surely come? he first saw a Vision of coming judgment. It was judgment that was sure to come from the hand of God to Judah according to the Word of the Lord in chapter 1 judgment was surely coming and the way That God was going to send judgment wasn't exactly what the Prophet Habakkuk had in mind or had expected God to answer him this way in his prayer. He had been praying verse 2 You can see that in chapter 1 his prayer He says O Lord How long shall I cry and you will not hear even cry out to you violence and you will not save Why do you show me iniquity and cause me to see trouble for plundering and violence are before me? There is strife and contention arises Therefore the law is powerless and justice never goes forth for the wicked surround the righteous therefore perverse judgment proceeds Habakkuk is praying is interceding for God's people and he's saying how long how long Lord? how long will the the iniquity the perversion the violence the lawlessness the injustice in this land continue How long will you show me? All of this trouble in our nation and yet it seems like you're not doing anything about it How long Lord will godly people pray for revival and yet there is no revival He was crying out to God from an honest heart he was praying for God to stop the sin and the decay and to stop this dishonor and Disgrace that was being brought to the name of God through God's people and yet it seemed like God was not answering How long will godly people pray and there's no revival? And he's begging God to turn God's people back to him in repentance brothers and sisters How long have we prayed the same way? I? Know I'm not the only one how long have we prayed for revival? I remember the first conference that was held here The burden that I came to Atlanta with and I with such expectation that there was a revival conference And I knew some about sermon index, so I knew this is real revival. We're talking about And fully expecting that after this conference. We're going to see a great spiritual awakening How long have we prayed for revival? And yet there is no revival Granted God has moved in little pockets around the nation. He is moving, but I'm talking about Spiritual awakening the kind of revival that turns the whole Tide of a nation, you know a city or even a society. We've not seen that in this nation We've not seen anything that compares to the great awakenings of the past nor of the great revivals like the Welsh revival or the Hebrides revival we prayed and Yet God Hasn't answered like we might have expected him to but I want to tell you tonight that God does answer God has heard those prayers God heard the prayer of Habakkuk and he answers Maybe not like Habakkuk expected him to answer. Maybe not like we Expected God to answer but God speaks and here's his answer in verse 5 God says look among the nations and watch Be utterly astounded For I will work a work in your days, which you would not believe though it were told you Now that's that sounds amazing to me when God says be astounded. I'm going to work a work in your days that you would not even believe though it were told you but the question is what kind of work and The next verse the Lord says for indeed. I'm raising up the Chaldeans a Bitter and hasty nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to possess dwelling places that are not theirs I'm going to work a work in your day. And here's the work. I'm raising up the Chaldeans. Who were they? Babylonians These were not God-fearing people These were enemies of God enemy armies that God would sovereignly raise up and use as an instrument of his judgment to chasten his own people Now, can you believe it? Can you got believe that God would do that? Maybe that's why God said be utterly astounded for I will work a work in your day Which you would not believe though it were told you Keith Green said several years ago when God wants to speak to his people. He will do it in three ways First he will touch their economy. He'll touch them where it hurts in Their economy and if that doesn't work if that doesn't turn God's people to repentance then he said God will touch their ecology and then you have floods and pestilences and if you know Hurricanes a drought this year that's covered a huge part of this nation tornadoes hurricanes tsunamis Lastly though he said God will raise up a nation to come in and invade them That is exactly the judgment that God is pronouncing here And that is the judgment that is soon to come upon this nation and upon North America God sovereignly raising up enemy armies to invade a nation and America This nation believes she's too strong for that That she could never her military force is too strong for that that that can never happen I want to tell you tonight that this nation Sits on the brink of utter destruction that she is right for the judgment of God She is right for the judgment of God Judgment is at the door America will not have a godly president to save the day nor the nation National leaders and politicians will become even more corrupt Muslims and other Antichrist groups will be God's instrument of judgment and what is most surprising of all probably is that This holy remnants and she is found all over the earth gathered in all different kinds of congregations but this holy remnant that Has seen the King has come to know Jesus and is following him wholeheartedly She will be persecuted by a people who profess to be Christians Churches if you will persecuting them because they're not pledging allegiance to patriotism or anything else, but the Lamb of God and She will be Arrested we will be imprisoned Hated beaten and even executed in this nation and I want to tell you brothers and sisters when it happens Do not think that God's hands are tied Don't think that this has taken God by surprise God has actually Executed the judgment however, and whenever he chooses I we need to see the sovereign hand of God behind it all I Love what the brother said earlier the Lions had to look up God here raised up the Chaldeans and God is the God who will allow even his people to Suffer at the hands of enemies His hands are not tied Judgment is surely coming that is a hard message for some to embrace Habakkuk himself is wrestling with this He says in verse 12 Are you not from everlasting? Oh Lord my God my Holy One We shall not die We shall not die. Oh Lord you have appointed them for judgment. Oh rock. You have marked them for correction You are of pure eyes and to behold evil and cannot look on it wickedness Why do you look on those who deal treacherously and hold your tongue when the righteous when the wicked devours a person? more righteous than he Judgment was coming to Judah Judgment is surely coming to North America, but I want to remind you again tonight that judgment must begin at the house of God first Peter chapter 4 verse 17 says for the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God and if it begins With us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Habakkuk's question in verse 13 was Why would God look on those who deal treacherously with his people Why would he hold his tongue? When the wicked devours a person more righteous than he it's true that the Chaldeans were more wicked than God's own people in Israel But it's also true that Israel was sinning against much greater light Brothers and sisters the Muslims aren't holding a Bible in their hand, but the prosperity preacher is the Muslims aren't holding the world's not holding the Bible a Bible in their hand, but I am and When God's people sin against God, they're sinning against a much greater light than the world or any other religion has The angry atheist doesn't claim to preach Jesus Christ Nor do they rob from the people of God, but the wolf in the house of God does the communist doesn't claim to know Christ, but hypocrites in the house of God do and God will not always strive with such mixture in his house There is coming a shaking there is coming a sure and definite judgment to the house of God a Shaking where everything that can be shaken will be shaken and it will bring about a holy separation From those who fear God and those who do not those who know Christ Those who do not those who have pledged their allegiance to Christ and those who haven't it is coming It is coming to the house of God God is merciful and he is so patient. He has shown me more mercy than anybody I know I will never give up on the mercy of God But I tell you this he will not always strive with man and there is a judgment coming to the house of God Jesus Christ is the head of the church And he must have the preeminence in in all it's his church. It's his body It's his bride and I tell you that any assembly where Jesus Christ is not truly the head is Sliding rapidly to the judgment of God, but here's where we've got to make the vision plain We've got to make it personal Do I honor him as the head of the house? It's not enough for us to memorize scripture that says Jesus Christ is the head of the church It's not enough for us to know the Bible in our minds that says Jesus must have the preeminence The issue is do I honor him as the head? Not enough to call him King. Do you glorify him as King? Do you obey him as Lord? Do I obey him as Lord? There is hypocrisy in the house of God that comes under the judgment of God We can preach and I Before I could ever stand up here. God took me through weeks Because I never want to preach something. I'm not willing for God to to do in and through me I've asked myself these questions that I'm posing to you tonight How many of us listen to so many good messages we even preach good biblical messages But the issue is not can we preach them? Not can we listen to too many of them? The issue is do we live them? Are we the incarnation of these messages that we're receiving? It's more preaching today good preaching especially on sermon index All these saints of the past. It's not an issue of how many sermons you listen to Do you live them? Listen why do you call me Lord Lord Jesus said and not do the things that I say Why do you emphatically call me Lord and not obey me to live? This way is to build your house on shifting sand and to have it all fall down and blown away in the coming storm There is lukewarmness in the house of God This attempt to serve two masters and it will come under the judgment of God. It's coming a day Where people now are trying to combine allegiances there will be a shaking Christ alone or Christ not at all The pride of leaders and pastors who love to have the preeminence will have the rug pulled out from under them very soon Except they repent Secret sin in the house of God. There's no fear of God and secret sin in the house of God is coming under the judgment of God Judgment is surely coming upon the American dream message of your best life now the word of faith movement the prosperity gospel, which is another gospel preaching another Jesus a false gospel that promotes the love of money Self-centeredness and pride and not only will God demand an account of the deception and dishonor that it is brought to his name in this Nation, but he's especially going to demand an account of those who have piped it into nations all across the world and robbed the poor To line their own greedy pockets that is coming under the judgment of God Every house of worship where The Holy Spirit has been rejected Resisted ignored because we want to have church without him It's coming under the judgment of God when the shaking comes that house will shake and it will not stand We cannot have church apart from the spirit of the living God yet. He's been grieved. He's been resisted. He's been rejected Listen to this scripture from Ezekiel 16 49 God says now this was the sin of your sister Sodom We think of homosexuality and perversion God that that was an abomination to God God sent fire and brimstone on Sodom, but that was not the sin. He even mentioned here These were the sins of your sister Sodom She and her daughters were arrogant Overfed and unconcerned they did not help the poor and needy Arrogance pride Overfed we've been given so much and yet unconcerned while the poor and needy die outside the doors of the house of God Have we abandoned our mission Church of Jesus Christ Have we have forgotten the Great Commission? to go and preach the gospel to every creature and It's twofold also to make disciples of all nations Teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded us Have we forgotten that have we forgotten what true religion is in the house of God? Caring for the orphans the widows in their trouble feeding the hungry clothing the naked Ministering to the poor visiting those in prison and keeping yourself unspotted from the world I tell you because we have neglected this we have not taken it seriously Judgment is coming to the house of God It's sure to come But even that judgment will be an expression of God's mercy and love The worst thing that could happen today is for God to allow Christendom to continue as she is without him and there is a clear distinction in first Peter chapter 4 that the Lord makes but between The punishing judgment of God upon the unbeliever and the purifying judgment of God upon the believer The punishment that will be that the judgment that will be punishment for one will be purifying for another For one it's punishment and utter destruction, but for the remnant That's shaking that persecution Will be to test and try and refine his holy Remnant his beloved bride his cherished church Now I want you to watch this Because someone Inevitably says a message of gloom and doom It's not gloom and doom to me gloom to me is for the church to continue as she is Hypocrisy in the house of God hypocrisy in my heart. That's gloom This is not a message of gloom and doom and this vision of judgment is not all that the Prophet saw He did see judgment coming. He saw the suffering of God's people coming But that's not all he saw God says to the Prophet Habakkuk write down the vision and make it plain Habakkuk What do you see? I See judgment that is sure to come Persecution. Yes Incredible suffering of God's people. Yes a Storm unlike we have ever experienced before. Yes, but that's not all I see Chapter 2 verse 14 Surrounded by verse after verse after verse of coming judgment. There's this little Nugget like a nugget of gold hidden inside the side of a mountain Habakkuk 2 14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea What do you see Habakkuk coming judgment? But wait, I See a coming glory a Glory, that is so great that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth even as the waters cover the sea hallelujah as The waters cover the sea now, where do the waters not cover the sea? Seas make up the waters in other words There's no place on earth where the glory of the Lord will not be known have you seen that Saints through the eyes of faith a Coming glory that is the latter glory that was greater than the former that is great the the greatest display of God's glory that has ever been known in the history of the world a coming glory Where the knowledge of that glory will cover the earth even as the waters cover the sea why? Because in the fires of persecution the church gets purified Yes, all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution But suffering for Christ and the sake of Christ always precedes glory Suffering for Jesus equals glory to Jesus Paul the Apostle says in Romans 8 verse 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and if children then heirs heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ if indeed we suffer with him That we ought may be also glorified together suffering glory for I consider that the Sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us Suffering with Jesus precedes the glory of Jesus and his glory will be revealed where? According to Romans 8 in the heavens somewhere among the stars in Some Cathedral temple somewhere we have to go find that that man-made know where in us the glory of the Lord Revealed in us how through suffering through persecution Habakkuk see something else in verse 20 of chapter 2 But the Lord is in his holy temple He says the Lord is in his holy temple Let all the earth keep silence before him and the Lord beloved in his holy temple through his holy temple Will display his glory and the knowledge of that glory will cover the earth even as the waters cover the sea You remember under the Old Covenant When God chose to reveal his glory in the days of Moses He commanded Moses to build a tabernacle Moses built the tabernacle just as God had told him to do and in that Tabernacle in the Holy of Holies the Shekinah glory of God would come down God's glory would rest among his people God would visit his people in the tabernacle the glory of the Lord Displayed in the Holy of Holies and everybody who was there knew that the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob he is God the glory of the Lord but that tabernacle one day was no more and King David had a deep desire in his heart to build a house for the Lord a temple for the Most High God and God honored that request in David, but he said David you're not going to build me the house your son Solomon will build my temple and King Solomon did build he built a incredible magnificent beautiful Temple for the Lord and you remember what happened? When Solomon finished dedicating the temple to God in prayer the glory of the Lord came down So much so that the priest could not even enter the temple but down on their faces They went on the pavement and they worshiped God and what did they say for he is good and his mercy Endures forever and that display of God's glory was greater than the former in the tabernacle God manifested his presence God displayed his glory. His glory came down and was revealed through the temple but that beautiful magnificent temple of Solomon's was also destroyed and God's people were taken captive for 70 years to Babylon but God then raises up a remnant God always has a remnant and The remnant marched to Zion back to Jerusalem to once again build a temple for the Lord at the command of the Lord They were few in number, but they were one in purpose one in vision They'd come to build the house of the Lord so that the Lord could visit his people another place for the glory of the Lord to rest to Come down among his people that all may know that he is God and God said this though that Outward temple wasn't as spectacular as the previous temple Solomon's temple yet God said I will fill this temple with my glory and the latter glory will be greater than the former glory and What happened was it greater? It was greater because one day the Son of God himself stepped down and he walked into that temple and he opened up the scriptures and he read and Jesus Christ stood in the temple and the word became flesh and dwelt among us and John said we beheld his glory The glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth God once again filled his house with glory and that glory was much greater than any of the former glory because this is the Son of God himself Jesus Christ Displaying seeing the glory of God in the face of Jesus We beheld his glory, but our Lord went to the cross Died on the cross for our sins was raised again on the third day ascended into heaven He's now seated at the right hand of the Father that temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD not one stone found left upon another and I still hear the Spirit of the Lord say Heaven is my throne and The earth is my footstool Where is the house that you will build for me? Where is the place of my rest? God longing to visit his people Where is the place once again where God will display his glory? Habakkuk said I see the Lord in his holy temple Let all the earth be silent and through that holy temple the knowledge of his glory covers the earth even as the waters cover the sea But where is that temple? Stephen said in Acts chapter 7 the Most High no longer dwells in temples made with human hands where is that temple and The answer resounds to the Apostle Paul first Corinthians chapter 3 verse 16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that? The Spirit of God dwells in you if anyone defiles the temple of God God will destroy him for the temple of God is holy which temple you are The Prophet says I see the Lord in his holy temple and the Apostle Paul says yes The temple of God is holy and which temple you are You see it brothers and sisters That's the vision The vision of God's coming glory is the coming of the greatest display of the glory of God ever in the history of the world I want to tell you that this is the church's finest hour. I believe it with all of my heart We are living in incredible days God Almighty wanting to display his glory once again to such a degree that glory will be greater than the former glory It has to be if the knowledge of his glory covers the earth even as the waters cover the sea and he wants to do it Where through his church through his body through his temple, which is us Coming judgment. Yes Coming persecution. Yes Suffering. Yes, but a glory of God and to God that makes it all worth it. I Agree with the Apostle Paul the sufferings of this present time are not even worthy To be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us There's the vision, but how do we run with it? He says write the vision make it plain on tablets that he may run who reads it and in other words Do something with this vision it demands a response a practical response run with the vision and Someone who is running is either running away from something or they are running in pursuit of something and I want to say to you Tonight to run with this vision is to run in pursuit Not of something but someone Hebrews chapter 12 if you turn there with me Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 1 run with the vision, but how Run pursuing someone Therefore we also since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us and let us run With endurance the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus The author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross Despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God This is a pursuit namely of Jesus Christ himself You want to run with the vision pursue Christ with all your heart Fix your eyes on Christ the author and finisher of our faith Let Jesus fill your vision go after him Let him be your chief delight your highest ambition your most passionate pursuit Your greatest desire should be the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Otherwise, you're not running the race And you're not running with the vision so Make it plain make it personal. How is it with you? What is your greatest passion? What's your most passionate pursuit? What do you talk about the most? Who do you talk about the most? Jesus Christ or your Bible translation Jesus Christ or your particular doctrine theology eschatology Jesus Christ Or your ministry Jesus Christ or your gifts Jesus Christ or your head covering Jesus Christ or your children your family Jesus Christ or your denomination it can be a number of things brothers and sisters and they're not all bad But nothing everything should pale in comparison of love for him Love for Christ the pursuit of Christ I'll tell you this remnant that God is raising up that is scattered all over the earth She has one thing in common to you who believe he is precious Christ is precious. Hallelujah first Corinthians chapter 9 and verse 24 again, the Apostle Paul says Do you not know that those who run in a race all run but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it In other words run to win run on purpose the Apostle Paul Ran with purpose. He says in verse 25 Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things now They do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown Therefore I run thus not with uncertainty thus I fight not as one who beats the air But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection Lest when I have preached to others I myself should become disqualified He ran on purpose and Paul was so concerned About coming to the end of his race and finding out that he had run it in vain He was so adamant that he would not run this race in vain. He would not be distracted from his purpose He's running with the vision. His eyes are on Christ. He disciplined his body He didn't let food and sleep and leisure and entertainment Master him nor distract him from this vision of Christ He wouldn't be distracted from what Christ had clearly called him to do. He wouldn't waste time He wouldn't become spiritually lazy. I get in embarrassed of myself when I'm talking about persecution I'm reading Foxe book of Martyrs and all of this And I see his spiritual laziness that I'm prone to Areas of my life where I'm not dying now There's a lot of spiritual laziness and undisciplined in the house of God Are we running on purpose? Are we running to win with our eyes fixed on Christ? He wouldn't stray from his purpose. And what was his purpose? verse 23 Now this I do for the gospel sake That's my purpose And he wouldn't stray from it. Paul was passionate and determined not to run in vain His purpose was the gospel He wouldn't waste time. He took every open door every opportunity that he had everywhere the Spirit led him He was sitting on ready To preach the gospel. He said I'm not ashamed of the gospel My son Luke the other day reminded me of a quote that he had read by DL Moody Moody said I don't find anywhere where God says that the world is going to grow better and better. I Look upon this world as a wrecked vessel and God has given me a lifeboat and said to me Moody Save all you can and you know Moody didn't stray from that purpose Brothers and sisters you and I have a purpose and it has to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ Are you running with it? The messenger who runs with the vision is a messenger who is running with good news Christ died for our sins. He rose from the dead. He lives and he's coming again Repent and believe the gospel That's the man. That's the woman. That's the child of God is running on purpose They have not lost sight of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. So I want to ask you again What are you doing with the news that has been placed in your hands? Are you running with the vision? Have you gotten away from the true gospel of Jesus Christ? He came to save souls To seek and to save that which was lost the sins of Sodom again I tell you the poor needy were dying outside her doors and she was unconcerned And any Christianity that doesn't carry the compassion of Christ for the lost Is a dead religion, it's not true Christianity Get back to your calling brothers and sisters Who are you praying for that's lost? Who are you reaching out to with the gospel of Jesus Christ, who are you discipling? There is at least one person who is younger in the faith than you are that you can disciple if you know If you do not know one you need to pray for someone lead them to Christ and disciple them Get back to your purpose Get back to your calling. What is God called you to do? Get back to it Don't stray from your purpose Run on purpose why because one day very soon we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ and We will give an account to what we have done in this body Did I run on purpose? pity the man God forbid You come to the end of the race You see the glory of Jesus you stand at the judgment seat of Christ and it suddenly revealed to you You ran in vain you wasted time you went this way that way the other You didn't run on purpose When you run pursuing Christ you run on purpose That purpose is the gospel. Can I tell you another purpose that all of us? It's a God-given purpose given to all of us who are believers prayer You run with this vision by prayer in everything by prayer Listen carefully to a verse that had that the Spirit of God has arrested my heart with Here recently continues to bring it back to my remembrance seems like every day now first Peter chapter 4 verse 7 But the end of all things is at hand The end of all things is at hand if the Apostle Peter said that When the Spirit of God moved him to write this How much closer are we to the end of all things? The end of all things is at hand therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers Because the end of all things is at hand get serious about prayer Get back to our knees Get back to our purpose Church My house shall be called a house of prayer. The prayerless Church will not be ready for this soon coming storm. I assure you The most effective ministry and preparation we have is prayer Our Lord Jesus commanded it. Not only that he set the example for us the most trying Hour ever that the Lord faced on this earth was in that dark night in Gethsemane When the cross was set before him, but it wasn't just the physical cross The cup was set before him and That cup meant he would take upon himself the sins of the whole world in that cup was the wrath of God Talk about a crisis hour Talk about a difficult hour that none of us can even come close to understanding or comprehending. How would he prepare for it? Let's follow in his steps How did he prepare he went to prayer and he says to his disciples you stay up and stay awake with me watch and pray because they were also about to face a very Difficult trying testing time hour that was set before them. The only way for you to be prepared is pray Stay awake and pray Jesus went a little farther fell on his face and prayed Comes back and he finds his disciples sleeping Wakes them up again goes back and prays again so fervently that he sweats as it were great drops of blood He prayed and he prayed and he prayed When the hour came he was prepared his disciples Slept when they should have been praying and what is the result? One denies him one betrays him and they all forsook him and fled How will you stand in the coming persecution when you're prayerless The prayerless church will not stand in the coming storm. I Assure you the most single most vital important meeting of the church is the prayer meeting. I Believe that that I'm 100% persuaded of that and I'm not just preaching it That's what we live in Barnsdall. Why because we've seen with nothing without God We started in a barn coming together saying what are we going to do brother Brian? I don't know Down to our knees and we pray and we've never lost sight of that Saturday night prayer Prayer meeting and nothing can substitute that There's nothing more important. I feel tonight as the richest man on the face of the earth, you know, why? Because I have a little flock in Barnsdall who right now they're not listening to the message They're watching it the volumes down. They're praying corporately brother Brian. We're going to pray for you until it goes off-air We're not going to stop praying but they didn't just start tonight Nor did they start today? Sunday morning. I'm finished preaching One brother stands up and says this is what we're going to do You remember when brother Brian's son was sick in fighting cancer. God taught us how to fast and pray Brother Brian's going to Atlanta Thursday. We're starting to fast and pray who will take the first hour Who will take the second hour? One hand goes up one after another and from Thursday around the clock 24 hours all the way up to tonight. Somebody has been praying for this conference and for me glory to God That means more to me than anything They told me that I went to thank them and broke down weeping couldn't contain myself You know, that's the greatest gift any preacher any pastor could ever have But why it's because God has revealed to us in everything by prayer Such a small flock such we have two prayer meetings on Saturday night small prayer meetings small people nobody's But a great big God shows up every time at prayer meeting sometimes you have to pray through But he comes and the result Sinners have come to Christ as a result of calling upon God on Saturday night They've come to Christ on Saturday morning as a result of that prayer meeting marriages have been restored Relationships have been reconciled people have been healed miraculously by God Most of all God manifests his presence on Sunday. He meets with us He continues to surprise us week after week after week Brothers who are now standing in the pulpit and preaching if you would have told them a year ago They'd been preaching they wouldn't nobody would have believed you That's what God does when his people pray The only the greatest way to prepare the greatest preparation We have for persecution or anything for that matter is to call upon the Lord in prayer pray Make the vision plain make it personal so I ask you very plainly very Straightforwardly, are you part of a vibrant prayer meeting right now at least once a week? Are you part of a prayer meeting? If not, why not? You know what the Lord show me brothers and sisters this coming persecution. It's not enough that I stand What kind of do you have any do we have any kind of love for our brothers and sisters? It's not enough that I stand my brother. He must stand. I want him to stand. I want my sister to stand They denied Christ they fell asleep instead of praying We have got to stay on our knees and see our dependence upon God and pray together Are you part of a prayer meeting? If not, you need to start one If somebody says I can't find anybody to pray with me you start one I assure you God has 7,000 that have not bowed their knee to bail and you need to find them ask him for one two Just one or two to join with you If they won't join right away You start the prayer meeting and the Father Son and Holy Spirit will show up and meet with you in that prayer meeting and he Will draw one or two Start the prayer meeting and let nothing Take it Substitute it nothing at all. That's one meeting. We will not miss. Do you have to miss Sunday morning? So be it Wednesday so be it do not miss Saturday night, and they don't want to miss Saturday night They saw God bring my son through cancer again totally healed From calling upon the Lord. That's the Lord's doing miraculous Testimonies that God has done in people's lives Are you part of a prayer meeting get serious about prayer because without it and this is why I'm coming to Final part of running with the vision without it. There is no power Prayer precedes the power of the Holy Spirit The power of God and I want to tell you we must have the power of the Holy Spirit Self-confidence grit teeth sheer determination and even sincere promises will all falter and fail in the coming storm and persecution But those who have waited upon the Lord in prayer Who put no more confidence in the flesh? Who have believed and received the promise of the Father who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. They will not waver They will be his witnesses They shall prophesy they shall preach boldly. They shall praise the Lord at all times and through them That holy remnant the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will fill the earth even as the waters cover the sea What sets them apart? The same thing that set the Apostles in that early church apart the baptism of the Holy Spirit The spirit of the Living God will be with them in them and upon them and I I know Ephesians 519 Speaking to one another in Psalms hymns and spiritual songs Singing making melodies music in your heart to the Lord giving thanks to the Lord the God the Father Always for everything in Christ Jesus what I'm saying to you is someone who is filled with the Holy Spirit Will praise the Lord at all times They will sing to him. They will praise him They will worship him at all times and I want to tell you brothers and sisters We're not called in these days just to hold down the fort No, you're not called to go stack up food and hide somewhere right now We're called to go in the power of the Holy Spirit on purpose Reaching the lost world making disciples joining the Lord Jesus in building his church Because it's through that temple that the glory of the Lord will cover the earth even as the waters cover the sea. I Come to a close Habakkuk back to Habakkuk. I Want you to see this as we close that there is a progression in the book of Habakkuk only three short chapters in Chapter 1 he's wrestling with the vision in chapter 2. He receives the vision in chapter 3 He's running with the vision chapter 1 he's and and just as you and I Must move from Romans 6 to Romans 7 to Romans 8 We must also move from Habakkuk 1 to Habakkuk 2 to Habakkuk 3. There's a progression He's wrestling with the vision The suffering the persecution judgment to come But ultimately he's wrestling with the God who's calling His people to suffer Habakkuk's very name means wrestle or embrace number one, are you willing to embrace a God who calls you to martyrdom? Are you willing to embrace a? Christ who calls you to take up a cross and die for his glory That's the only true and living Christ there is if any man be my disciple Let him take up his cross daily let him deny himself take up his cross daily and follow me Some of you may be wrestling right now Habakkuk says we shall not die Yes, and you need to make the resolve if you're wrestling Lord by faith and by your grace I'm willing to embrace the cross get on the cross die to this self-life Because I want nothing more than you and you glorified Chapter 2 he receives the vision That vision is in the midst of all this suffering again The knowledge of the glory of the Lord covering the earth even as the waters cover the sea the Lord in his holy temple He receives that by faith God wants to glorify himself through his church Receive that vision but in chapter 3 he runs with it. And how does he run with it? Chapter 3 is an entire chapter of prayer It's a back ex prayer, but even in this prayer, there's a progression the prayer begins in verse 2 with Oh Lord I've heard your speech and was afraid Oh Lord revive your work in the midst of the years in The midst of the years make it known in wrath remember mercy We pray you run with the vision by prayer, but don't give up on the mercy of God Judgment has to come to the house of God in wrath. Remember mercy still pray for the mercy above all mercy upon Us and mercy upon never his mercy endures forever Never let go of the mercy of God in wrath. Remember mercy never let go of praying God revive your work Revive that yes, this is revival. But yes, it means Persecution in the fires of persecution the church gets purified but this prayer progresses its petition now But what happens as he prays like always happens if you really pray he now sees the Lord and Once he sees the Lord, there's no more perplexity. There are no more questions. There's no more wrestling He sees the Lord he comes to the end of the chapter and he says this verse 17 Though the fig tree may not blossom nor fruit beyond the vines Though the labor of the olive may fail and the fields yield no food Though the flock may be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls yet. I Will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation The Lord God is my strength He will make my feet like deer's feet and he will make me walk on my high heels the progression from petition To praise and this is the remnant God is raising up in spite of circumstances in the midst of persecution In the midst of pain in the midst of suffering Praise the name of the Lord with all of your heart because he's worthy of praise No more questions because he's not looking at the Chaldeans now. He sees God He doesn't see the the the persecutors anymore, but but the Lord His eyes are upon the Lord When will the glory of the Lord cover the earth as the waters cover the sea When his people rise up in the power of the Holy Spirit to praise him at all times brothers and sisters Let's make that let's run with the vision Let's run with the vision. Let's pursue the person of Jesus Christ with a passion unlike we've ever pursued him before You're willing to suffer the loss of everything to gain him to know him more Let's run on purpose Let's run on purpose with this message of the gospel of Jesus Christ Join with someone building the body the true body of Christ Making disciples preaching the gospel run on purpose start the prayer meeting start praying get to prayer run on purpose Seek God to be filled with the Holy Spirit and I simply want to ask you plainly tonight If you're one like myself who has seen your lack You see you need and even tonight you say the Holy Spirit's been speaking to you You say God I need you to fill me afresh with your Holy Spirit Baptize me with your spirit Baptize me with your presence with your love Lord God all of you I want more of you the Holy Spirit always Glorifies Christ more of you Jesus more of you Fill me Lord. You don't have to wait for weeks. I don't believe that if you meet the conditions you're thirsty Jesus said out of your innermost being will flow rivers of living water. I simply want to ask you to join me and asking God to do something within our own hearts and Joining the Apostle Paul in that prayer of his and Ephesians 3 that says God just strengthen us with power By your spirit in our innermost being let the rivers of living water flow For your glory fill us with all the fullness of God so that we can love our enemies So that we can preach the gospel with power and anointing so that we can Praise you at all times in the midst of every circumstance fill us with the Holy Spirit That is my prayer. And if that is your desire tonight, that is your prayers. We enter into a time of worship I want to invite you to come to the altar You can you cry out to God you pray you cry out to God. This is my need Here is my lack Lord. You gave a promise. This is the promise of the Father You said it's for me for my children for as many as you shall call I'm simply coming brothers and sisters as we heard already if you being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Ghost to those who ask him? He will he is more willing to give than you are to receive If you're willing to meet those simple requirements, I'm thirsty Jesus I come to you first for cleansing I'm willing to surrender all I'm willing to be poured out I'm willing to go wherever you tell me to go do whatever you tell me to do say whatever you tell me to say I'm gonna take you at your word and your promise fill me with the Holy Spirit and I believe we shall go out of this place and the power of the Holy Spirit and one of the evidences of that will be We will be a people who praise the Lord at all times in Every circumstances even if the fig is not a fruit is not on the vine and the fig tree doesn't blossom and there's no cattle in the stalls We will rejoice in the Lord. Amen Please stand to your feet as we pray brother Dave You just lead us brother out in praise and worship it and allow us a time not to rush in the presence of God But to praise him To call upon him in prayer and brothers and sisters when you know, God has answered your prayer rise to praise him Praise him tonight with all of your heart father. I ask you in the name of Jesus To do what only you can do no man Can impart anything God apart from you? We come to you? We come directly to you our father and our God the one we can call Abba Cry out to you Abba father We come to you tonight father and you know the condition of each and every heart here tonight You know the condition of each and every heart that's who's listening online Perhaps there are people right in their own houses right now who have seen their lack Seen their need their desperate need to be filled Baptized with the Holy Spirit. Would you meet us tonight father? We don't have time to waste We don't have games to play. We don't have to figure it all out or explain it all. It's very simple. We lack We can do nothing apart from you you made a promise and we come to you tonight father to fill us afresh With your Holy Spirit Would you do that father as we enter into a time of worship and praise and I pray God that tonight You'd pour out upon us a spirit of praise that we would go forth praising your glorious Magnificent name the name of Jesus the name that is above every other name We love you Lord, and we glorify you tonight in Jesus name Amen, if you'd like to come to the altar or pray where you are You've been listening to the from the pulpit and classic sermon series this week You heard Brian long with a plain vision for the church and coming persecution Tune in next week to hear Paris read head talk about hating sin on from the pulpit and classic sermons