 I was glad when they said unto me, Come, let us go into the house of first congregational. Long live Connecticut, and have revival with the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ. I bring you greetings from the Peach State of Georgia, the capital city of Atlanta, eastern suburb of Stone Mountain. The good people of the victory for the word United Church of Christ is good to be in Connecticut, especially when the Falcons aren't playing the Giants or the Jets. We give God all the praise for God's amazing grace. I have to just praise God for Brother Kent Samadhi, and to my sister Davita McCallister, and to my good brother Steve Camp, to my good brother Matt Laney, and to all of you who comprise the household of faith, it's good to be here with you on tonight. The hour is already going late, so let us not hold you too long. In the book of Acts chapter 1, I want to invite your attention to verses 6, 7, and 8, Acts chapter 1. From the New Revised Standard Version, it reads like this. So when they have come together, they ask Tim, Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel? He replied, it is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. And the disciples want to know, Lord, at this time will you restore the kingdom to Israel? Our topic tonight in the meantime. Got to say a word about this praise team. I'm sure if we looked up praise and worship in the dictionary, you would find the pictures of these sisters right here. And these amazing musicians. God, we honor you tonight. We ask that you will continue to move in this worship experience. Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, hearts to receive what the Spirit is saying to us tonight. We thank you because we know that you're already here, already moving, already blessing. Continue to do what you do best, and that is set your people free. We'll give you all the praise because there's none like you. In Jesus' name. Amen. My brothers and sisters, everybody I know is waiting on something. Workers are waiting for payday. Students are waiting to graduate. Young people are waiting to get older. Older people are waiting to retire. Sick people are waiting for healing. Lonely people are waiting for relationships. Tired people are waiting for rest. Hurting people are waiting for help. Unemployed people are waiting for jobs. Distressed people are waiting for deliverance. And some of us are just waiting for church to be over. We believe that God will answer prayer. We believe that God will work all things together for our good. We believe that one day we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. But while we are waiting for all that, the question is, what do we do in the meantime? How do we make it in the meantime between a prayer request and a prayer answered? How do we make it in the meantime between what we believe and what we expect to receive? How do we make it in the meantime between the weeping that endures for the night and the joy that is promised to come in the morning? We know that God will provide and that God will make a way out of no way. But the question tonight is, what do we do in the meantime? According to Acts 1 and 3, Jesus appeared to his disciples 40 days after the resurrection. On this occasion, the disciples asked Jesus, Lord, at this time, will you restore the kingdom of Israel? The disciples were really asking Lord, when bring back the glory, the independence, the sovereignty and the prosperity that we as a nation once enjoyed under the golden reigns of King David and King Solomon. We've been under Roman oppression. We've been under Roman occupation for a long time. We've been praying for a Messiah. One sent from God to lead us out of the oppression into the promise of our national inheritance given to us through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God, we believe that you will make us a great nation. We believe that God will establish us as a great nation in truth and righteousness. We believe that God will deliver us from all of our enemies. We just want to know when. Haven't we been praying and hoping and struggling and waiting long enough? We know God is a strong deliverer. We just want to know it tonight. Waiting on God to bless, while to solve a problem has the same question that the disciples had. Lord, when? It seems like we could handle our tribulations a little better if we knew when they would be over. It seems like we could bear our burdens a little better if we knew that they would be over by Thanksgiving for two or three days. Longing and versities in life God would show up and make things all right. The disciples of Jesus wanted to know the same thing that we all want to know. Lord, when? When will you make good on your promise? When will you make things all right? When will you restore the kingdom or the kingdom of God? When? Will you answer prayer? When? Will our faith become sight? Lord, we know you can. We believe you will. Just tell us when. Jesus responds to all of us in Acts 1 and 7. He says it is not for you to know the times or the periods that God has set by God's own authority. In other words, the question of when is God's business. Not your business. Jesus says, I'm not going to tell you when everything is going to work out. But I will tell you how to meantime, while you're waiting on God to heal you. While you're waiting on God to open doors. While you're waiting on God to deliver you. That's what you need to know in the meantime. You shall receive power. Undespite your perfect power. I know you want to know when your problems will be over. But I hear Jesus saying, I'm giving you power to do everything. Despite your problems. I'm working with what you've got until you get what you want. Some people can't do anything. Some people can't even get started. As everything is in place. Just to make you proud. Until you get what you want. Basement until you work your way to an upper level. Come on, wait. Until you can receive your degree and demand. To start with a little and develop it into a whole lot of something. Start with a book and build it into a library. Start with an idea and build it into an institution. Start with a desire and follow it into your destiny. You're not going to always have everything you want. The way you want it. I've got to handle what you've got. If you want everything you want immediately. Glad it's nice that I really got to use my imagination. The best stuff. That's what you want. What you got. What you've got. Receive power. Come to the church. Even big church folk. Get on the reserve. Get there. Jesus said while you're waiting on your blessing fight your pains, pressures and problems. Secondly, in the meantime. While you're waiting, I'm giving you power to proclaim good news. Despite your predicaments. I know you don't have everything you want, I hear Jesus say. I know God hasn't given you everything that God has promised you yet. But in the meantime, according to Acts 1 and 8, after you receive power you shall be my witnesses. You will have power to proclaim good news in spite of your bad predicament. In other words, I'm going to give you a testimony not after your test but in the midst of your test. I'm going to give you power to proclaim God to still walk in through the valley for the shadows of death. Some of us think we only get a testimony after the test is over. Until the battle is over, I'll put your pain through. But sometimes we've got to bring God to give me the desires of my heart. But I need to hear from somebody to bless God with a broken heart. Somebody in here tonight in a rocky romance. Somebody in the midst of another love, TKO, who can come to church and still say, bless the Lord within me. I know how to thank God when my finances get right. I know how to thank God when the ship comes in. But I need to know how to keep the faith with the telephone disconnect. And you're waiting on the next paycheck and you've got a little bit to buy some food. And the baby need a pair of shoes and they've got a light bill too. I need to hear from somebody in a financial crisis tonight who can still testify to Jehovah Jireh. I've got to shout, not after the storm is over. The light can flash. The flames inspire your predicaments. I'm giving you power to prove your remittance. The disciples are concerned with the political. They thought that the mission of the Messiah only pertained to Israel. But Jesus said, you shall read my witnesses. You shall do my work. You shall spread my good news. Not only in Jerusalem. If you give to us, God bless me and stop it. You can't limit God's liberation to just your people. Your church, you can't put that church aside. While citizenship status that we're fighting for racial African Americans put a circle around free that you can hear all the folk get free. It's just a franchise group in America is fighting for justice that keeps on living. Serving my Jesus that I ain't got time to die. Jesus resurrection on Easter Sunday. Have you ever thought of it twice? Have God have just what you need but then fail to take the step that it takes to get to the place where God wants to cruncher the desires of your heart. It's not that the blessing didn't work ready, sometimes we are not ready for the blessing. It's not that God can't do it. Maybe somebody wants to just think about it. Stand on your feet if you will. Be encouraged. No matter what's going on God will make it alright but you gotta stay strong. When I grew up in the little church in Darlington, South Carolina the old folks used to tell us it takes time to live holy. It takes time to walk by faith. It takes time to be patient enough to believe that what God has planned is better than what we can get. Just by grinding in desperation. Let's just bow our heads and pray tonight because I know all of us have petitions on the altar. Sometimes it seems like those petitions that God says I'm still moving even in the night and we think nothing's happening. God says I'm still attending to your need. An induced Caesar I hear the Lord say you shall reap a harvest of blessings if you labor and fend not. When on the Lord my sister God's heard your prayers and God's got everything you need. When on the Lord my brother God knows what you need and you think you know what you need. Better to trust God. I'm pressing all the upward way. New heights I'm gaining every day. Still praying as I'm onward now. Lord plant my feet on higher ground. God to thank you. So many of us have gotten discouraged. So many of us have moved from faith to desperation because somehow it seems that it's taking too long. But God not only do you know what's best you know when to deliver. You know when we are ready. You know when we are prepared to receive what you have already prepared for us as your people tonight. Prepare us for what you have prepared for us. Touch our hearts and our minds. Touch our attitudes. Strengthen our faith. Let us count to press on and persevere even if things don't work out by next Thursday. Work in us. Work the miracle in us. We may not have everything we want but God you have promise to supply all of our needs. So we thank you and we give you praise for right now. As a matter of fact before we ask you for anything else we just want to say thank you. Thank you. For the doors you've already opened if you don't open another door you've already opened doors. But we give you praise before we ask you for anything else we just thank you for our lives right now. And thank you for strength to be more than confidence right now. And thank you for the victory not when things happen but right now. We believe and we receive. Thank you for being our prayer answerer. Thank you for being our sustainer. Even in the meantime in Jesus name Hallelujah. Thank God. Ain't no need to worry but the night is going to bring it will be all over.