Jimmy Hayes, Wednesday Night 07/10/2024

keep from yeah that's on oh just talk in that period okay all right oh he said the monitors were on so maybe that's the problem [Music] we'll get it we'll get it but it's a blessing to be here uh served here for a little over five years and it was quite traumatic for us when we felt the Lord leading us away because when we came in 2016 I told the Shepherds this we came to die here now we didn't want to do that anytime real soon but we came to die here we had no plans of transitioning anywhere and so when we felt the Lord leading us away it was it was quite traumatic for us and then I watched Magnolia go through the process a wonderful incredible process that these are my words these are not maybe not your words but it was a season when it seemed like Magnolia found itself you really found who you were and so I kept in touch with uh Rodney brother Rodney through the through the process and I'll never forget asking him one day because you know our Magnolia had captured our heart so much and I said how's the process going to understand you really have your eye on someone and he said yes we do and I said I know that you know we don't talk about names yet and all that kind of stuff but do you feel good about it because I respect Rodney's been in Ministry since Moses and I I really respect what he says and what he feels and he says yes we're really excited about it I said but do you feel good about it I said yeah and he said Jimmy you're pressing me on that I said because I care who is coming and taking the pull pit at Magnolia and he said well Jimmy let me just explain it I promise you he said this now he's not here tonight and he's studying so I know he's not watching but you asked him he said this he said Jimmy let me just say it to you this way if we secure the gentleman that we hope to secure Magnolia is not going to miss me or you either one so I have gotten to know Grant and love Grant and I I know you do but the shows area appreciates grant for who he is and it's obvious is what's going on at Magnolia that that Grant is a blessing to so many I want to share with you a a message tonight that rather than going through details I want to share with you why I do what I do why you do what you do what do we do in response to the message of the Gospel what is the gospel what do we do why do we do what we do how do I approach Outreach how do I approach missions why do you do all that stuff I think that is so important why did Jesus come and how do we respond to his coming in Luke chapter 4 and Grant kind of stole the scripture out from under me when he put that on Facebook I thought that is so good because that is the message of tonight is the Luke 4 scripture when Jesus Took The Scroll before we get to that place I want to ask several questions and then throw a scripture completely out of nowhere as we get into what I want to share with you tonight if if the message of the Gospel if Jesus's coming is just about heaven we're really disrespecting his coming if it's simply about just the forgiv forgiveness of sin we are really belittling the message of the Gospel the good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom we really are not seeing the gospel for what it really really is that is the heart of the message tonight the gospel is so much more fabulous so much more Epic than many of us in the church ever truly live out that off-the-wall scripture that scripture out of nowhere that I want to share with you is in 1 John chapter 3:1 17 it says if someone has enough resources to live well and sees his brother or sister in a need but shows no compassion how can God's love live in that person now I didn't say that Jimmy didn't say that John said that take that scripture set it over here for just a minute and we'll get back there after we take a journey through the scripture why did Jesus come what should my response be to his coming Luke chapter 4 tells a story and that story to our Gentile Minds is probably a little too surface because Jesus walked into synagogue one day it was handed the scroll and found the place and began to read what you need to understand is there is scripture reading in synagogue on specific days specific scripture throughout the year isn't it amazing that Jesus just happened to show up at synagogue on that day oh no he shows up and the scripture says this The Scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him he unrolled the scroll and he found the place where it was written the spirit of the Lord is upon me for he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor he has sent me to Proclaim that captives will be released that the blind will see that the oppressed will be set free and that the time of the Lord's favor has come he rolled up the scroll handed it back to the attendant and sat down all the eyes of the synagogue looked at him intently and he began to speak and he said this the scripture you've just heard has been fulfilled this very day let me say to us in our Gentile mindset 2,000 years later that scripture was fulfilled 2,000 years ago and it is so unfortunately that we in the church live as though that scripture is going to be fulfilled one day when that scripture has been fulfilled 2,000 years ago 2,000 years ago the gospel the good news of the kingdom was preached to the poor 2,000 years ago the blind both physically and spiritually began to see 2,000 years ago the oppressed was set free that's why this thing is good news that's why it's good news because it has already happened this is not one day pie in the sky or as you've heard me say this many times over the years it's not the Sweet By and By it's the sour here and now that's the reason you do bundle of blessings that's the reason you do the soup kitchen the community kitchen that y'all just pray Glenn's going to learn how to cook one day that's why we do what we do at the schs Dream Center every single day under resourced people come in and we say we got some good news you do not have to live this way you do not have to continue where you are not in a belittling way but in an uplifting way this stuff has already been done this good news is for today it's not Sweet By and By it's not one day it is done now go back a couple of thousand years ago the Roman Empire had become so very oppressive to everybody especially to Israel incredibly oppressive Israel had longed for that promised Messiah not fully really understanding what all this was about because most people thought the messiah's going to come raise up an army and they're going to kick you know what out of Rome but it wasn't the evil Roman Empire it was The Evil Within the Roman Empire that Jesus came to rectify he came to fix everything that was contrary to the kingdom of God Isaiah prophesied about this Kingdom if you really want to know about the kingdom of God not only obviously the things that Jesus said but read Isaiah the book of Isaiah is the most beautiful prophetic picture of the way God wants his redeemed people to live it is all about the new new kingdom of God coming to Earth it's really a kingdom that when started was forever could it really be that when God started and established his kingdom it was forever we must admit that we in the church don't live that way we thought Jesus came Jesus expressed everything and then suddenly he went back to heaven we got to live in a fallen world all this time tying a knot at the end of the Rope hanging on and one day God will come and establish his kingdom one day that's not what the kingdom of God is all about because Isaiah said this Isaiah chapter 9:7 his government and its peace will never end he will rule with fairness and justice Justice from the Throne of his ancestor David for all eternity the passionate commitment of the Lord will make this happen Jesus said the kingdom of God is within you Jesus said the kingdom of God is around you Jesus said pray for the kingdom Matthew 6 the Lord's prayer Pray for the kingdom to come for his will to be done on Earth as it is in heaven we can't get away from the fact Jesus came and established his kingdom and if he came and established his kingdom we don't have to wait for the kingdom to be established because once he established it it's a forever Kingdom it'll never end when Jesus went to heaven he didn't mash the pause button that's the reason we can do what we do in reaching the world for Jesus there's a different way to live and unfortunately so much of what he has explained about his new established Kingdom we put in the site by and by we put in the one day it'll be that way and it's called The Sermon on the Mount do you realize how much of the Sermon on the Mount we put out yonder somewhere one of the last I hope you remember this I pray that you remember this one of the last series I ever did here at Magnolia was a Sermon on the Mount don't tell me afterwards that you don't remember that please don't do that it hurt my feelings bad but we read The Sermon on the Mount and we spiritualize it you know that turn the other cheek stuff you remember when Jesus said if a Roman soldier ask you to take the Pack A M I'll take it too you got to be kidding me I mean Jimmy if you start living all that stuff you're going to have this wimpy Faith you're going to be a doormat for everybody well I don't know about that all I know is what Jesus said about his kingdom that's all I know that's all I can preach is what he said about his kingdom that is how contrary to the Fallen World his redeemed Kingdom really is it just looks impossible you can't do that Jimmy that's how contrary it is to the Fallen World around you let's read some other passages in Isaiah Isaiah chapter 35 this gets into the meat of the message of why you do what you do in your mission outreaches home missions and abroad this is why I do what I do in my Mission Outreach that's the reason all those years of travel that you know about all the everything that we do every single day is found in in the book of Isaiah in several places this is another place chapter 35:3 with this news the news of the New Kingdom with this new strengthen those who have tired hands and encourage those who have weak knees say to those with fearful Hearts be strong do not fear for your God is coming to destroy your enemies he is coming to save you and when he comes he will Will Open the Eyes of the blind he will unplug the ears of the deaf the lame will leap like a deer those who cannot speak will sing for Joy those who can't even speak will start to sing for Joy Springs will gush forth in the wilderness and streams will water the Wasteland that's what we need to be saying to the world every single day that's what we have the privilege of saying to over 100 people a day at the schs Dream Center yes 100 people every single day receive service of food and other assistance throughout the day and we can say to them look I know you your hands are tired from trying to hang on you you don't have to hang on under your own strength I know you're tired I know you've been beat down I know you don't think you can hang on to that knot at the end of the Rope anymore let me just take the knot out of your hand you don't have to hang on because Jesus said these crazy insane things like once you grab a hold of him no man can pluck you out of his hand it's not about how tightly you can hang on he's got you and I know you have weak knees you can no longer continue to stand do you know our average person that comes for assistance at the Dream Center is a 70-year-old white woman raising her grandchild it ought not be now do we serve 28- year old black men yes but the average the the overwhelming profile of the person we serve is a grandparent raising their grandchildren actually the other day a great grand couple came in for their great grandchildren's assistance people get so fatigued trying to stand and I can assure you guys their situation is not changing you can't say go get a job you have to encourage them where they are that 82y old great-grandfather his circumstances are not going to change and you have to encourage enourage them you have to say look we're going to stand with you you don't even have to stand by yourself we'll stand with you lock your knees and you know you're not supposed to lock your knees because if you do that you'll faint doesn't matter faint we got you we'll catch you stand lock then that phrase fearful Hearts there's a lot of fear in this world people don't know where their groceries coming from they don't know where they're sleeping tonight they don't know how in the world they're going to be able to maintain their sanity with two children who've become addicts and some of you folks have worked with people you know what I'm talking about there is this unbelievable good news not for the Sweet By and By but for the sour hearing name now there is a message of the now Kingdom that we need as the church we need to start telling people you don't have to keep experiencing this there is a better way to live grab a hold of this Messiah embrace the message of the Gospel of Jesus because he is for now he poured out his spirit is he in heaven absolutely but he said hang loose dude when I'm out of here he's coming had a few more words than that but that's what the Greek says I will pour out my spirit that's the incredible incredible message so that in Isaiah is the context of what Jesus picked up and read from Isaiah 63 because then he said when he picked it up the spirit of The Sovereign Lord is upon me now that's a prophetic word from Isaiah 61 the spirit of The Sovereign Lord is upon me to bring the good news to the poor and then the rest of it so everything that I just said was the context of what Jesus was reading from and then in back in Luke 4:43 he said I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God in other towns too because that is why I came there's a phrase that all of us have probably used for other people to encourage especially with kids as they suddenly become College Age and and we really try to encourage them and we call them World Changers and all that kind of stuff the other day I read a I was reading this after this guy and his name is Tim Alberta and listen at this you you'll have to kind of kick it in neutral to embrace this but it lines up perfectly with the message of the Gospel he said there is all this High blown rhetoric about changing the world we don't need to change the world we don't need to be we're not even called to change the world we're called to be the world already changed by Christ is that not the message of the Gospel Jesus said when I come I'm going to release when I come the blind will see when I come and then this whole prophetic word of Isaiah Jesus has already done that we as the church are simply called to live the chain I can't change the world those folks that come to the show's Dream Center for service for Ministry for services I can't change them it even is detrimental for me to tell them I have to share the message of the Gospel that look there's a new sheriff in town Jesus has changed everything already everything has already changed we as The Messengers in the Kingdom should be preaching a message that we need to change and line up with the change that Christ has already brought living this new kingdom but we're just so I don't know anything but what I've always lived but yet there's a new kingdom there's a new way of living and again as I've already said that's the reason the Sermon on the Mount seems to be so foreign to so many people is because well you just can't do that brother jimie you'll get abused and you'll well didn't Jesus y he did Tom Keller a beloved Presbyterian Pastor in New York City he died what Grant a couple years ago I guess Tom Keller said this the kingdom is the renewal of the whole world through the entrance of Supernatural forces as things were brought back under Christ's Rule and Authority they are restored to health they're restored to beauty and freedom there was Supernatural forces when Jesus died there were Supernatural forces when his kingdom was established on the earth and then he said you just began to appropriate the change pray Matthew 611 pray for the king Kingdom to come his will to be done on Earth just like it's done in heaven so you and I are simply agents of change appropriation of change living the change being the change expressing the change there is a new way to live and it's called The Kingdom remember Jesus said today the scripture is fulfilled in your hearing fulfilled there's a passage in Colossians chapter 1 that it seems like every time have you ever experienced this you read you read the same scripture and you can read it a dozen times in a month have you experienced this that every time you read it there's something else that and then you're going through your devotion and and then you and sitting in a church service and the preacher says the same thing and it's because the word's Eternal and there's endless infinite truth of the Kingdom wrapped in the king's words every time it seems like I read this Colossians passage it's like poof again let's read it together Colossians chapter 1:1 15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God this really smells a lot like Hebrews chapter 1 that Jesus is the express image of the Father the exact representation of his nature in other words if you've seen Jesus you've seen God some of y'all have heard me say this before we act as though somewhere between Malachi and Matthew God got saved we we do don't we we act that way God's so mean ogre and then now he's nice good cop bad cop thank God that the son came to save us from his mean old dad that's the way we view this thing but yet the father can be seen in the son the son perfectly I didn't say that Hebrews did perfectly represents the father well Colossians says Jesus is the invisible is the visible image of the invisible God he existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation through him through Christ God created everything in the Heavenly Realms and on earth made he made the things that we can see and the things that we can't see such as Thrones and kingdoms and rulers and authorities in the Unseen World everything was created through him and for him he existed before anything he holds all creation together Christ is also the head of the church which is his body he is the beginning Supreme Over All Who rise from the dead so he is first in everything it's like Paul was saying to the church in colassi there's a new sheriff in town he is supreme over everything and to to show you he's Supreme over everything he was there when everything was created and it was created by him not just by him it was created for him he sits at the right hand of the father so there is an equating of Christ with the father and then after he said that he has the audacity to say this after the supremacy of Christ he says for God in all of his fullness was pleased to live in Christ Jesus is full of God and through him God reconciled everything to himself reconciled reconciled past tense through him God reconciled him he's not going to reconcile one day he reconciled 2,000 years ago that's the reason the kingdom is a now thing that's the reason this message of the Gospel is a now thing because of the duh he reconciled us and then he said after that he made past tense he made made peace this is one of the most beautiful sections of scripture he made peace with everything in heaven and on Earth by means of Christ's Blood on the cross he made peace with everything in heaven and everything on Earth he made he's not going to make one day he made he reconciled he made it's done we're living in this this reconciled Kingdom we're not living in a fallen world even though we're in a fallen World Jesus said you're in it but you're not of it and the message of the Gospel that we see in people every day we say look you're living in it but you don't have to you're not of that y'all know I've had opportunity to travel the world and there's something that here in our country but it's not just in our country it's in other countries too there's something called diplomatic immunity I don't like some of this because it seems to me if you're in a country you need to obey their laws but diplomatic immunity says if I am from Taiwan I can park wherever I want to park you can give me any ticket you want I'm a diplomat I have immunity that law doesn't apply to me I take it to the courthouse they stamp it void and I'm good why because I'm not a citizen of that na of this nation now I don't want to get crazy and squirly but you are a citizen of another kingdom if you have named The Name of Christ and your sin has been washed away you have confessed him and embraced him buried with him risen with him you're a citizen of another kingdom you have de dare we say it diplomatic immunity yes you live in a fallen world but I do not have to live by the dictates of a fallen world because when seemingly I don't have enough God can take care of I enough seemingly when there is no reason at all for me to have peace in my life Jesus himself said I can have a peace that passes all kind of understanding I don't I don't get while I'm cool but God gives me the coolness in the midst of chaos and it's all because of the New Kingdom it's all because of the work of Jesus made peace with everything honestly that's the only way you can live The Sermon on the Mount is to realize you belong to a New Kingdom you have embraced a new kingdom revelation 21:5 is a passage that many people are familiar with but this is yet another example of we put it o Yonder somewhere Revelation 215 and the one sitting on the throne said look I am making all things new the problem that many of us have is revelation is not about some future that's going to fall apart it's about a past that's been put back together and if you don't get your eschatology right on some of these things you'll still live in lack and not walk in the kingdom when I open my bible up which few people do anymore everybody's got it on some electronic device but when you open your Bible up it says a revelation of end time s right no it says a revelation of Jesus Christ and then we read about Jesus Christ and we we talk a lot about the Mark Mark of the Beast the mark you see there's something and I'm sure Neil could do a better job than me on this but there's something that Jewish people call the Sha or the Shama you'll love the Lord your God mind Spirit but so everything in me and then let him Mark you you see this book that we want to think is something else is really about the kingdom of God living in the midst of the kingdoms of this world and John the Revelator is saying don't live in the kingdoms of the world don't let the empires and the beasts of the World Mark you let God himself Mark you I've traveled to Israel several times and when you travel especially on l but it takes a while to get there it's you know Israel's on the other side of waterloop so it's several hours well they have several prayer times within those that flight time an orthodox Jew gets up and put puts their am I saying this right nail feries around their arm and around their head around their head what Mark is on the forehead and the Jews put the factories of scripture on on their head and on their right arm seven times so you see our Gentile Minds have a hard time sometimes understanding the kingdom of God has come let the kingdom of God Mark you John the Baptist was being incar erated and ready to be killed and the most bizarre scripture this scripture still just fascinates me Luke 7:9 John sent them to the Lord to ask him now here's John the Baptist about to die and he's thinking you know before I die I need to know some things so they sent he sent people to Jesus and he said are you the Messiah we've been expecting or should we be looking for somebody else I'm sorry y'all that just I'm not trying to beat up on John but that's a weird question John the Baptist mom and Mary had an encounter where the babies just jumped and John watched Jesus do all this stuff and then John got down in the water and baptized Jesus and then he said are you really the Messiah or should we hang out and wait for somebody else now Jesus could have answered that several ways Jesus could have said go back and tell John remind him of just a few dozen of the hundreds of prophecies about my coming but he didn't do that he could have said John look you were there dude you baptized me you've been observing everything he could have done he could have fascinated him with his knowledge of scripture he didn't do any of that this is what Jesus said go back and tell John go back and tell John what you have seen and what you've heard the blind see the lame walkal the lepers are cured the deaf here the dead are raised and the good news is being preached to the poor not all of the prophecies being fulfilled but all of this stuff about the New Kingdom the messiah's kingdom coming tell him what you've seen tell him what you've heard I love this passage in Acts 2:22 it's easy to remember too it says people of Israel listen this is Peter's incredible prayer uh sermon people of Israel listen God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful Miracles wonders signs through him so Jesus is saying people saw and people heard Peter is saying God endorsed Jesus by what he said and what he did here's my question don't you think we need to be doing something for God to endorse not just the message we do a pretty good job with the message but what about our doing most of our doing is like this if you'd get your mess together rather than preaching the Good News to the poor rather than all of these things that Jesus said he came to do rather than doing that we just say say say say say say what don't we do now I it's so easy to say that to Magnolia because you guys do an incredible job every single month when is the I think it's first Saturday in August is the next bundles yeah and then I think the soup kitchen's coming up so it's easy for me to sit up here and say this because you guys are doing so much but that in fact that is what drew me to Magnolia to be honest with you y'all know that I've said that to you before we need to be doing not that that doing has anything to do with my Redemption other than show that I'm redeemed it endorses God will endorse that message here is what I would love to hear I'd love to hear someone say wow these guys are they're actually living what their faith proclaims they're actually acting like Jesus they're helping set people free they're helping supply for people they must be the real deal and this King that they keep proclaiming wow if these people that I can touch are that way what their Messiah must be what their God must be putting a good taste in the mouths of people based upon not just the message but what we do not just what we say but what we do I believe if we do a better job we meaning the church The Big C church I believe that would bring the endorsement of God upon us and our message would be so much more powerful well you remember that little scripture that was off thewall if a person's got resources but doesn't share it with others how can the love remember that one let's get back to that as I wrap up here because he's going to he told me he's going to turn that off here in just a minute so and y'all love him so much y'all would let him James 1:27 pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the father means caring for Orphans and widows and refusing to let the world corrupt you have y'all noticed something we C seem to categorize things we seem to think our faith is either about piety or it's either about social concern I am here telling us it's about both it's not one or the other quit splitting these things things up because right here pure and genu genuine religion in the sight of God is caring for the orphans social concern and refusing to let the world corrupt you piety social concern and piety but we spend way too much time trying to convince people how we need to do the orphans and the widows oh I'm sorry forgive me going to Medlin it's true isn't it but James says this is the real deal this is when faith is real when you do both well that's what James says Isaiah says very first chapter of Isaiah verse 16 and 17 wash yourselves and be clean get your sins out of my sight and give up your evil ways piety verse 17 learn to do good seek Justice help the oppressed defend the cause of Orphans and fight for the rights of widows social concern you see if you try to do one without the other you're seeking the king without his kingdom seeking the king wanting to be right wanting to be holy and right righteous and all that but you're not seeking his kingdom that's helping the widows and the orphans that's helping those in distress our task is to live the gospel and since I've gone way too long I I want to just wrap it up by saying this to remind us of Colossians 1:19 and 20 that he said that we have been reconciled and he has made peace peace with everything Heaven and Earth I want to live as though my Redemption is Sign Sealed and Delivered because our Redemption is Sign Sealed and Delivered now it's up for us for the rest of the time we're here on Earth to live within the confines of the New Kingdom not the old one you remember that Kingdom that says the crazy stuff y'all know what I mean that says the crazy stuff the kingdom of God I'm sorry the kingdom of God's crazy pray for and love your enemies didn't say it just read it pray for those who despitefully use you on purpose turn the other cheek rather than taking retaliation crazy straight up Bonafide registered crazy but that is the new contrary Kingdom because that's the kingdom of heaven and it is so contrary to the kingdom of this world I want to pray and I know I've gone I apologize Lord have mercy y'all know I never preached this long y'all know but I do want to take time to for some answers and uh any questions you may have about the Dream Center itself uh but I want to pray first I want to for me y'all just kind of do it for me a minute I I want to consecrate once again I try to do this every day of my life but I want to concentrate consecrate once again my life to living the principles of the Kingdom so let's let's pray together Lord thank you so much for your incredible Grace and your incredible patience with us Lord we have been trans transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of your dear son we've been transferred we've been taken out of one Kingdom and placed in the other but Lord we've done such a terrible job living the principles of that Kingdom so Lord help us we confess it and we ask your help and Lord I also want to just thank you for the incredible wonderful ways that this this precious Congregation of Magnolia live out the the principles of the Kingdom through bundles and Lord through cooking and providing food for the hungry and homeless and for the other ways that that they reach out I thank you Lord for Magnolia's commitment to make a monthly contribution to the Dream Center thank you for that partnership so Lord I know I'm standing among those who have an understanding of a reconciled peaceful Kingdom so Lord may we embrace it walk in it and then share that message and do those acts of kindness we thank you for it Lord in Jesus name amen well if you have any questions real quick you have anything you want to say before we do this he's he's told me just to when I get through I'm done I took a little offense to that because I didn't know what done meant does anybody have any questions about the Dream Center if you want to know more about it there's brochures in the back and there's a uh some numbers what's what am I trying to say Billy Ray there's some numbers on the back that on the little sofa table thing in the back please take one of those take a brochure take a a wristband if you don't want to do anything else with it just shoot it at somebody it comes in comes in handy it really works too watch this see there I knew he could catch it that's the reason I did that uh Dennis you had a question any day that ends with a why uh no kidding we're predominantly Monday through Friday but we do some activities on Saturday but we only serve Monday through Friday uh that's a great question and we love volunteers we do have staff we have about 20 people 24 people I think but the volunteers is who fills in the gaps to really put us over because being a faith-based nonprofit there's never enough money there's never enough people there's never enough anything so the volunteers do things like unload the trucks of food stock the shelves when you feed a 100 people a day you're pretty naked by the end of the day the shelves are empty by the way let me let me give a shout out to somebody tomorrow morning at 8:30 a tractor trailer from Publix is pulling up and they are unloading a truckload of free food to us shop at Publix when you use your little card and it says do you want to give a dollar to feed the hungry that's us we be the dollar round it up to 10 because about every six months sometimes it's more than that about every six months they call us up and they say you got another food Grant and we say hallelujah so we get free food so in the morning when that tractor trailer comes somebody's got to unload it somebody's got to put it on shelves uh we also about 40% maybe 35 to 40% of our budget comes from our thrift store operation all the sales 100% of the sales in a thrift store go back into uh buying food or paying bills and all that to be able to give folks so we have a lot of donations you know when Jim gets tired of that shirt he'll donate it we will sort it put it on a hanger and sell it to somebody else that money will go and bu food so any day of the week is good uh we prefer the Monday through Friday stuff because our staff is there to help oversee but I would say any given day we probably got seven to 10 people in in the building working I saw some over here but she's yes we are super lenient with documentation you do have to have an ID that lets me know you is you uh we have four intake Specialists that assist people all day we we set them down we set up an account for them and every time they come you got to come back in and we we go through that account again but the documentation sometimes is simply Word of Mouth uh if you tell us this is your income it's your income we trust you you don't have to prove that you fall below the poverty level we just because we're a nonprofit faith-based organization we can do what we want to do so our big thing is we want to minister to people and help them get out of the situation so we don't want to get hung up with all that stuff we want to build that trusting relationship and we we have that a large part of our our people that come to us they're not in church anywhere they're not in church anywhere at all and sometimes people come in the front door and the receptionist says do you have an appointment today and they say no I just want to talk to one of the intake folks they just need somebody to talk to they don't want food they just want to talk to somebody and what we do with people like you that are partners with us when I I in fact I heard somebody the other day and I was high five in the secretary next to me because when someone comes in and we ask them are you involved in a church somewhere if they say no well what faith tradition did you grow up what faith tradition are you used to where are you comfortable all those kind of words and somebody said the other day they said well you know I used to go to this kind of church and that kind of church and they they heard the word church AC Christ and our lady said well let me encourage you to visit Magnolia now they're a little different honestly don't tell her I said this honestly that's the first thing they say every time they say that now they're a little different because you're a little different but they we point people we're not a church we don't want to pretend to be a church we can't do all the things that a local congregation can do and be to that person we can help in one way but we can't do a lot of the stuff so we point them here so we want you to know we are doing everything we can do to try to get people to Magnolia try to get people to First Baptist try to get people to First Presbyterian we're wherever their faith tradition is used to be so I don't know if that that's probably a little more than what you asked for but it was an opportunity for me to say all that anything else anybody else yeah yes you did you sure did yeah absolutely thank you for that because see every bit of that turns into money it takes $73 I know you think this is not possible but we can take $73 and feed a family of four for almost a month not not totally you got to fill in the blanks with things but we can give you the Staples to last about three weeks for $73 so I guarantee you all that stuff that the lynville donated got turned into way more than $73 so they fed several families that month when you come and volunteer we figure up the volunteer hours let's say that Grant comes and gives us 10 hours of work person's going to make 12 bucks an hour you do the math that's a lot of free money so he came and worked for a day he fed a couple families if he works a long day so that's how some of that works I'm sorry 8 to 3 we stay open to 4: but we stop serving at 3: so that people have time to get over to the grocery side so from 8: to 3: is when the office area is open and uh we have a grocery store we don't just push a grocery cart out you actually come in you take your grocery cart and you go through the aisle and you get what's good good for your family if you don't like garbanza Bean don't get garbanza beans in fact sometimes we get fruit that I have no idea what it is we got a a uh now I may show my ignorance and y'all forgive me if it looks ignorant y'all know what dragon fruit is I ain't never heard of a dragon fruit in my life it's the ugliest piece of fruit you have ever laid your eyes on it's good somebody said it was really good but it's ugly we got dragon fruit and produce and fresh stuff and it's just it's uh anyway I don't know why I said that but you had another question you can come the the way we say this is you can come uh and qualify once a month but gener generally it's a couple of weeks more than that just because of the volume we serve a 100 people a day so we go through and and average person gets about 75 to 80 pounds sometimes it's 120 depends on the family but we get anywhere from 80 to 100 pounds of food per person so that's a bunch so it just sometimes the volume pushes it out a little further I heard the receptionist this morning uh give someone an appointment it was three weeks out so if you call in and we do everything by appointment because our service starts with you keeping your appointment to build some responsibility in you you don't come and line up at 4 in the morning stand in the cold Stand in the Rain we give you an appointment your food appointment is at 8:15 if you get there at 8:15 you're served you don't have to get there at 8: but if you get there at 9:15 guess what you don't get served so it's we build some responsibility and accountability into all of those things because our thing is to help the whole person we don't want to just keep people fat we want to help the whole person and then that usually gives us an entrance into helping the spiritual side and we're kind of slick like that anything else well thank God so much for allowing me to come and especially letting me be long- winded oh y one-onone right then when someone comes in that's a great question thank you for asking that when someone comes in for service you go back into an intake office we have intake Specialists that know how to share the gospel know how to love people know how to accept people and we go through the process of getting all your information getting everything and then we give you the food voucher you've got the food it's yours it's done and then we say how may we pray with you today and then we go into the presentation of the Gospel after everything's done we do not want anybody to think they got to come in and jump through some kind of hoop and and act like they are praying some prayer in order to get food you got the food honey now how can we be an extra blessing to you and then sometimes people say now I don't want you to pray for me I don't believe in all that stuff people say that and I appreciate people's honesty and then our intake folks who are our ministers they say okay well we'll just be praying for you and then I heard somebody say the other day we don't have drop ciling in our office so you can just about hear everything so I heard somebody say the other day uh when when somebody said well I no you don't pray I don't I don't believe in that stuff she said you know I really do believe in that stuff I live my life by that stuff so we'll be praying for you and then when they come in month after month after month because we do have repeats when they come in month after month after month they get get to see people living the gospel accepting people where they are don't ask people to jump through a hoook just loving on them and then they get a little softer and a little softer and then a little softer and then somebody came over what's today Wednesday somebody came over Monday this guy one of our dude intake Specialists he came over he was crying I said man are you okay he said not really and he was just undone because somebody had come in sat in his office and melted and said I need Jesus I can't do this anymore and he sat there and let him to Christ and then called a family member got him plugged into a church I'm telling you guys you talking about cranking your tractor that'll get you going yes yes and then if they tell us that they're a part of a particular church one of the questions we say does your minister know that you're here does your church know about your situation now we're not going to just call and and tell some you know tell some church that they're members here but we ask them would you let them know that you're here because they probably would like to help you too now we'll still help you but I think it's important for you to let your church family know that you're struggling right now so our everything that we do is to try to point people back to the local church because we're not a local church well all right since Grant said when I'm done I'm done I guess I'm [Applause] done love you [Applause] guys e