You are called to stop making your life about you and start making it about Him through total surrender. Embrace obedience in your finances and service to unlock the supernatural revelation God has for you. Join this generation of spiritual leaders by committing to fasting and serving in our community.
*Lord* Jesus, we honor you. Lord, we thank you for your goodness. We thank
you for who you are, and we recognize that you're here with us. And we ask you to speak today in Jesus' name. I want you to stay standing for just a second. In Ephesians-3, Paul is praying for those of Ephesus, which that letter is written to the the church and it's written to to us today to learn from. And he and he says, I pray that the **eyes of your hearts** would be enlightened to know the depth and the riches of his love for you.
And that's my prayer for you today. That you you the eyes of your hearts would be *enlightened* to know the depths of the riches of God's love for you. *Revelation* Revelation, the book of Revelation is the revelation of Jesus. The word revelation means pulling the curtain back. Pulling the curtain back so you can see, so you can understand, so you can know.
And that's my prayer today, is that in multiple ways that God would pull the curtain back so that you can see and know more clearly who he is, but also more clearly who he created you to be. Yeah. And who he is in you. Yeah. And who you are in him.
So that you can reflect that. But the problem is, the bible says, the God of this world, Satan, has blinded the minds of unbelievers. Right? And as believers, you know, you can be an unbelieving believer? Different areas of your life where they're still closed off because of wounds of the past, because of uncomfort, because you just don't believe God really works that way.
Right? Because you've struggled with aspects of the truths in scripture or just ignorance, not knowing that it's possible. The Bible says my people perish for lack of knowledge. Man, I wanna I wanna give you the best that I can, the knowledge of the word. The leaders of this church, we want to lay our lives down to give you the knowledge of his word so you're not perishing unnecessarily in different areas of your life.
So that the blinders are taking taken off. Unbelief is expelled because of the truth of his word and you hearing it. And you grow in the knowledge of the love of God. We love because he first loved us so you can love him back better in relationship with him in a real way. Amen?
Amen. So like when we singing, guys, we're singing these songs, I know I know that a lot of churches, surely it's not you guys. But a lot of churches, people come late to *worship* because they're like, I I don't I wanna miss the concert so I can hear the important stuff, the word. Do you know how much of an offense that is to God? Yeah.
That's right. *Worship*, praise, that's as much and as important to Jesus as the word, because you're actually singing the word from the heart. And the bible says to enter his courts with thanksgiving. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, enter his courts with praise. To just come to skip the worship is making it about your preferences instead of about lifting him up.
And to grow to maturity you need to grow past that. As a church, as body of Christ, we're not here. We're not here for you. You don't come to church on a Sunday morning for you. We don't come to church on a Sunday morning so I can hear better music, so I can feel comfortable, so I can get my next booster shot, and just make it through the week.
You realize that? We don't come to church just to make it through the week. I think I'm gonna go in a little different direction. You guys can be seated. Guys, we don't we don't come to church to just make it through the week and get a booster shot.
As believers in Christ Jesus, you're in relationship worshiping in in him, worshiping him, giving your life for him. We come like this church and worship service is about him. We're not here to make you comfortable. I know we have coffee and most of the time we have great air condition, it's a little hot today. I mean and we want to do things excellently so you come in and it's nice, but we're not here to make you comfortable.
We're not here to create an atmosphere that makes you comfortable. We're here to create an atmosphere that the "King of kings" feels comfortable in. Our church is not oriented around making you feel better. Our church is oriented around worshiping Jesus. An authentic relationship with him where we challenge and encourage 1 another to go all out living for him as an act of worship.
Presenting our bodies as a **living sacrifice**, *holy and acceptable to God*. This is your pleasing act of worship. *Obedience* to Him. You know obedience is not a sacrifice. I mean you're sacrificing your flesh, but you're not losing anything.
You realize the supernatural *revelation* of *God* is on the other side of obedience? You realize there's just the flesh profits nothing? You want to grow in your relationship with the Lord? Quit making your life about you and make it about Jesus. Trust me, this word's gonna be encouraging, and it's gonna be encouraging to your spirit.
And he who has ears let him hear. Because man, I want my my heart's desire as a pastor and leader in the body of Christ who didn't put myself here. You've heard this me say this before, I'm a turtle on a fence post. I get that from Bart. He he's the first 1 who taught me that.
I'm I'm I'll say it the rest of my life. How does a turtle get on a fence post? He has to be put there. How do you get anywhere in your walk with Jesus? You serve, you follow, and he puts you where he wants you.
That's it. It's not about us. The Christian life is not about you. It's about denying yourself. Picking up your cross and following Jesus, which makes it about him and about other people knowing him.
I have a task today, and that task, we're in chapter 5 of Rooted in Purpose. Our whole church is going through this series called Rooted in Purpose. All of our small groups are are in this series. It's Doctor Leon, 1 of my overseers. He's like a spiritual father to me, and he's written a school of ministry.
So, all of our small groups are going through this school of ministry, which is just powerful, and every book just points you back to scripture. It's just lots of scripture. Know, I'd encourage you, if we could throw up maybe the QR code, you can scan the QR code and buy the book, and then jump in a small group if you're not already. And we're on chapter 5. My task today, the title of chapter 5, is to raise up a generation of spiritual leaders.
Raise up a generation of spiritual leaders. You're all destined. Every single 1 of you, no matter how you see yourself right now, no matter whether you've given your life to Jesus, you've surrendered to him or not, you're destined to be a spiritual leader. To be a mighty man of God. Mighty woman of God.
You're destined to lead others into the kingdom and to everywhere you go people to see the wake of your life and to be sucked into a deeper relationship with him. You're destined to live like a warrior for the kingdom. To win the good fight of faith. Not just struggle day to day, but to day in and day out be laying your life down in service of the king, and empowered by his presence, and empowered by his holy spirit to win. To live an abundant life that other people see, not because you're driving a Lamborghini.
No. Your abundant life you have everything you need to run the race that God's called you to run and they see your life and they're they want to know the Jesus that you know. They see the peace. They see the joy. My task is raising up a generation of spiritual leaders, and don't think I'm talking just to young people.
You are a part of this generation if you're in the room. I don't know about you, but like David, King David said, it's written about him that he served the Lord faithfully for his generation. I wanna be that no matter what. I want to do that. I was I was pondering, know, I I read the chapter and it's a powerful amazing chapter.
Just pondering, Lord, how do you want me to do this? Because I can't raise up a generation of spiritual leaders. That's only his anointing. It's only him that can. And and I just felt like he he said, talk to them like you talk to your kids.
You know, he's your father. So what I'm about to tell you, it's applicable for for most of you, and it can be applicable for all of you. *2 Corinthians-5*, verse 14. It says, for **Christ's love compels us**. I am pulled forward in everything I do not to earn his love.
I'm pulled forward in everything I do because of my revelation of his love. Because of my understanding of his love. We love because he first loved me. And going back to that revelation, like, you wanna go and grow to the next level in your relationship with Jesus, it's all by revelation. It's all by encounter.
Encountering his presence, knowing him more. *Revelation* is pulling back the curtain. That's the definition of revelation, pulling back the curtain so you can see more clearly. It's what it is. And what did Jesus do when he died on the cross?
*God* the Father took his finger from the top to bottom and ripped the curtain and pulled it back so all of mankind can have free access through the body and blood of Jesus Christ into the presence of God and deeper and deeper revelation of His, the Father's love for you. But you have to take a stab. You actually actually have to believe it to actually follow him. For Christ's love compels us because we are convinced that 1 died for all. Therefore, all died and he died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again.
There's 2 types of people in the world. Those that are dead, and those that are alive. Those that are still dead in their sin, and those that have been resurrected to new life in Christ Jesus. Which 1 are you? Are you still dead in your sin?
You don't have to be. *Surrender to Jesus as Lord* of your life. That's not coming to church on a Sunday checking it off of a box, saying that, hey I went, I got my shot in the arm, now I can make it. That's learning to mature and grow as a son and daughter of God. Surrendering to him as the Lord of your life, and he forgives you of all of your sin, takes the weight of shame and guilt off.
You're born of the spirit. He puts the Holy Spirit inside of you to lead you like a father leads a son and a daughter towards the amazing supernatural purposes that he created for you, and they're supernatural. You can't do it on your own. Requires his spirit empowering you. It requires you walking by his *grace* through faith 1 step at a time into greater and greater levels of maturity.
So what I'm about to tell you, if you're still dead in your sin, hear me, God loves you, he cares for you. And you can be born again. You can experience this new life that I'm talking about, and everything from this point in the message forward that I'm saying. God wants it to be applicable for your life, but if you reject him you will die and go to hell for eternity. I'm not telling you that because I'm mad at you.
I'm telling you that because I love you. And eternal hell was not created for you. It was created for the devil and his angels who are very real, and are deceiving many. But God sent his son Jesus Christ to die on a cross to save you from yourself and from your rejection of him. While you were in your sins Christ died for you knowing you would reject Him over and over and over.
Wanting to grip your heart and transform you so that you walk in a loving relationship with the God of the universe. But you can't love Him authentically if you don't have the choice not to. So He's giving you the choice. You can continue to walk around and live that way. And hopefully my prayer is you hit some sort of a rock bottom that causes you to reach out and want Jesus, and repent, and give your life to him so that you can live in eternity.
Not just in the "sweet by and by", but eternal life now, where you know him now. And you walk with him now from glory to glory. Come on, it's good church. The Christian life isn't just, I'm just going from struggle to struggle. No.
There might be struggles. You will have trials. But Jesus has overcome the world, and you can grow from victory to victory, and you will as you mature in him. So what I'm about to tell you is, could be applicable for you, if you haven't given your life to Jesus, but it's very applicable for everyone no matter how mature you are in the Lord. This is applicable for you.
So from now on, verse 16, we regard no 1 from a worldly point of view. No 1. I give my life to Jesus. I've been made alive in Christ. My mind has to be renewed to see the world from the kingdom's perspective.
To learn to see like my father sees. And how can I see like my father sees unless I see my father and watch him and spend time with him? So I'm learning to see you the way that he sees you. And not just see you. How could I see you the way that he sees you unless I see myself the way that he sees me?
You gotta learn your identity. Who God says that you are for real. And who is it that he says that you are? Let me tell you. How do I raise up a generation of spiritual leaders?
I speak to you like the father speaks to you. I see you like the father sees you. Ever since my kids were conceived, ever since I knew Courtney was pregnant with them I began speaking over them what the Lord says about them. My son, who are you son? He said humble bold a leader and a learner.
You know why? Because he's listened to his father say that over him since before he could understand my words. Selah, she's 12 years old today. Who are you Selah? She's confident, creative and courageous.
By the way I didn't prep them for this. This is just normal life. I've been speaking that over them since before they could even understand my words. That's who they are. As they mature they grow into reflecting that.
Not because it's my word over them, because it's the Father's word over them. And the more they believe it and spend time with Him, which first I'm just a reflection of Him to them, supposed to be. The more they'll grow up reflecting that. So you got to learn first to see yourself the way the Father sees you. You're not earning sonship.
Jesus earned sonship for you. When you surrendered to him as Lord you were born again. Born of the spirit. You became a son. Quit trying to earn what you already have.
You don't perform into that. When he sees you he sees the *righteousness* of Christ. The righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. That's what he sees when he sees his sons and daughters. When he looks at you he says that's my righteous boy.
Not because of what you've done or what you haven't done, but because of what Jesus did for you. Righteous means in "right standing" with him. Jesus' blood has actually washed you clean, and the Bible says he didn't just credit his righteousness to you and say I'm just gonna count him that way even though he's not. He imputed it. You're a **new creation** having to learn to see yourself the way that scripture says instead of being taught by religious lies that you're less than what God says.
You're actually forgiven. You're actually clean. You're actually righteous. Not saying you earned it because you didn't. Jesus did and gave it to you and when you believe it you begin to live like you're in right standing with him.
You begin to walk it out like it's actually true. Oh the devil doesn't want you to believe it. Some of you, as I'm saying that it's going against everything you've been taught. And you get this like Todd preached last week, you're like, wait a second. Oh it's in there 2 Corinthians-5:21, He who knew no sin became sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
You know why it says might? Because you got to believe it. You got to actually hear God's word towards you, believe it and receive it and when you do you begin to walk it out. Oh it's all throughout there. Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.
How do you know he believed? Because he began to walk it out. You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. You're a son. You got to believe that you're actually forgiven.
Reason you fall back 2 Peter-1:9 is because you've forgotten that you've been forgiven. "Quit forgetting". Quit forgetting. Get around those that are going to remind you. Because when the enemy brings condemnation you gotta remember there's no therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.
Let me take it even deeper. It's actually not deeper, it's the same thing, but it might sound deeper. You surrendered your life to Jesus as Lord, you've been born again, you're a new creation, guess what? You're not a sinner. How many of you got guys that makes you feel uncomfortable?
Maybe maybe it doesn't make you feel uncomfortable to hear the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Could you see it in scripture now that I'm not a sinner? Hold on. I've always been taught I'm a sinner saved by grace. You were a sinner, then you were saved by grace.
Now you're a new creation. And the reason you're still acting like a sinner is because you still believe you're 1. When a sheep falls in the mud, is it still a sheep or did it turn into a pig? It's still sheep. It just needs to get clean again.
When a pig cleans itself up, puts a bow in its hair, put some smell good on, goes to church. Is it "still a pig"? No matter how much smell good, no matter how much beauty it puts on it, it's still a pig. Guess what? As soon as it gets out of church, it's going back to the mud.
You're either a *sinner* or a saint. 1 or the other. Remember Romans-5:19, quoted all the time, by the disobedience of the 1 man, the many were made sinners. So you're not a sinner because you sin, you're a sinner because 1 man sinned. And that nature was passed down, that's why you must be born again.
The next part of that verse. But by the *obedience* of the Everybody say, 1 man. 1 man. Jesus. That's not you.
By the obedience of the 1 man, the many will be made righteous. So, you're righteous not because of your obedience, but because of Jesus'. So, that contrasts the 2. You're either a sinner or you're righteous. If you're righteous, you're not a sinner.
You might still sin. You know what happens when you sin? You forgot who you are. If I sin, me, David. If I mess up, I forgot who my father says that I am in that moment.
And I have to remember, wait a second, I'm the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. You know what the Holy Spirit says? He says, hey dude. Sometimes he calls me dude. No.
Hey, that's not who you are. Why would you do that? That's just gonna cut you up. Stop. I was put in you to lead you to look like Jesus, not like you used to look.
And you're gonna feel terrible if you continue. And I ain't gonna let you feel great because I love you too much to enable you in your crap. So many Christians are sitting on pews and seats in churches and they think they're still filthy rotten sinners and so they're constantly guilt ridden and circle the drain in multiple different areas and are trying to climb out of something that God's already delivered them from. You are forgiven. You are clean.
And there is so much more. You got to see yourself the way that God sees you. And you know what else He says about you? If Eden was in here, I'd ask her and she'd say, I'm brave, bold, and beautiful. And then River would say, I'm steadfast, strong and still.
Because that's God's word over them that he gave to me to speak over their lives. But you know God speaks over you? He's declaring who you are in him. Gideon, he sent his messenger angel. Angels just carry the word of the Lord, messengers.
Sent his messenger angel to Gideon. Gideon is in a pit and he sees himself as the least of the least and he's afraid of the enemies around even though he's a son of the children of Israel. They carry the ark of the covenant. They're they're supposed to be reflecting God's character and nature and he sees himself as less than. And God sends his messenger angel to Gideon and says, you mighty man of valor.
He didn't look like a mighty man of valor in that moment. He looked like less than. He was acting like less than. But he, the father gave his *word* through an angel speaking to him, showing him, and telling him who he is. Then Gideon had to either hear it and believe it or say, no, look at my circumstances.
But look at this, and Gideon fought with him for a little bit. You know what God says about you? You're mighty men and women of valor. Be strong and courageous. Fight the good fight of faith.
Be strong and full of grace. You're forgiven. You're loved. You're more than a conqueror. You're not just a conqueror where you have to lace up your bootstraps and go.
No you're more than that. You know why? Because Jesus conquered in your place and then he made you an heir. You're sons and daughters of the most high God. With more in your heavenly bank account than you can imagine.
And as you're ready, he puts deposits in your pocket. But you got to demonstrate readiness otherwise those deposits would kill you. And how do you demonstrate readiness? By **growing to maturity**. Believing who your father says that you are and walking it out in 1 step of obedience at a time.
That obedience is not earning the next thing, it's showing that you believe the last thing. You are spiritual *leaders* who are destined by *God* to lead your generation to Jesus. To lead everyone he's put you in influence over or has influence with, because leadership is just influence right? God is the 1 that gives you favor with other people. You got to be faithful to steward that favor and leverage it for his kingdom.
But I'm not in ministry. Oh yeah you are. Are you a Christian? Maybe you're not in ministry because you were ignorant to the fact that you're in ministry as a Christian. And that's why the people around you are perishing, because of your lack of knowledge.
And it's time to go to a church, hopefully this 1, other ones too, will do it. That will equip you to live out your calling, and not let you just sit on a chair. And not make it all about you and keeping you in a seat. So just so that they can have your number for attendance and your money for their salary. If I offend you by sharing the gospel with you and you leave, I was obedient.
I was successful. When Jesus confronted the crowd and they all left because he said it's about me and not just the food that I give you. Jesus when the crowd left him he was still successful. And the true disciples he asked, where will you go? Are you gonna leave too?
And they said, where would we go? We have the words of eternal life. Don't. And Jesus Jesus told John the Baptist who had the the first revelation of Jesus as the lamb of God who was slain before the foundation of the world. Jesus said, blessed are those who are not offended because of me.
Jesus wasn't doing what John the Baptist expected. John's in prison about to get beheaded. And Jesus says, builds up John for who he was and says, blessed are those who are not offended because of me. When things don't go your way as you're growing in the Lord, When prayers don't get answered the way that you expect, are you gonna be offended because of him? And go blame the church, his body, or blame Jesus and run away for a season because you didn't get what you wanted.
If you do that, I hope there's some people around you that'll shake you. Wake up. *God* loves you. Stop acting like a little spoiled brat. Get back in the game.
You're a mighty man of valor. You're *forgiven*. You're loved. You're anointed. You have more in you than you even see right now.
Won't you stand up and run the race God's called you to run? So what does it look like growing to maturity? Because everything that I said to you and more. 2 Peter-1 says, you have everything you need for life and godliness through the knowledge of him. It's already been given to you.
Everything you need, already been given to you. Through His precious promises you participate in the divine nature, which by the way you are, you get to participate in that because you're a son of God. This isn't just ethereal like out there stuff. This is the truth of the word that we either *believe* or we don't. And if you don't, man my encouragement to you would be Lord help my *unbelief* so that I can walk out the calling that you have on me with fullness.
That's my prayer at this church. We engage the culture with the love of Jesus. Why? So that hopefully they give their life to Jesus and then become established in the body of Christ. Because how can you follow Jesus and not be healthily established in the church?
You can't, by the way. Because the church is the body of Christ. And those that say that they're whole hearted sold out Christians and are not healthily established in the body of church, they're deceived in the body of Christ. They're deceived. Don't be deceived.
The body of Christ, Jesus came back to build his church. And the "gates of hell" will not prevail. And the gate of hell is deceiving many people causing them to reject what Jesus is trying to build. He's coming back for a spotless bride and he's washing it in the water of his word speaking, hey you mighty man of valor. Hey you mighty woman of valor.
I've called you to more. I've anointed you. I've given you everything you need. Why don't you stand up and believe it and let's walk it out together because I'm with you. Rise up.
There's more. And some won't believe it and reject it and never get to experience the fullness of the calling they have because of excuses. Not willing to mature in Christ. And what does it take to mature? It takes *surrender*.
Growing in *surrender* in every aspect of your life, learning to surrender. And don't you know that surrender is not losing something, but it's giving God the opportunity to operate in that area and give his life to something that you prevented? In an area you prevented His life? That God wants to give you His supernatural life. But if you try to control an area with your natural flesh, you will be rejecting His supernatural life.
So by controlling it with your natural flesh, your lack of surrender is causing you to lose and miss out. When by the flesh, by the natural thing, we think when I'm surrendering this to God, I'm missing out or losing something. That's just a lack of understanding of the goodness of God. In surrender you experience more of his life, and his life is better than yours. As a matter of fact when you came to Jesus unless somebody taught you you just had to walk an aisle and and pray a prayer of forgiveness and you get a license to go to heaven which is not the gospel.
The gospel is repent. He has to be your Lord, which is I'm believing my heart. You're the Lord of my life. So I surrender to you and then I receive salvation. Repentance is I'm turning over my life to you as Lord.
I'm gonna follow what you say instead of what I think. It's not about you it's about him. I'm dying to myself. Denying myself. Does that mean I'm gonna get it right every time?
No. Because babies make messes And *God* is patient with your mess as he speaks his word over you and you begin to believe it and he helps you grow to maturity. So how do you grow to maturity? Surrender. You know, the bible says Jesus gives the Holy Spirit without limit.
So what's the limiting factor? What's the limiting factor? Me too. We gotta take responsibility. Wait a second.
I need to *believe* that I am actually who you say that I am. Hebrews, end of Hebrews-3 and beginning of Hebrews-4 connects *unbelief* with disobedience and shrinking back, which is fear and insecurity. It's all tied together. *Obedience* and hearing, it also connects not hearing with unbelief. I'm just explaining that away, that's not applicable to me.
But hearing and *obedience* are connected, and belief. So you can't say you believe and not obey. You've to be honest with yourself. I've to help. Help me in my unbelief.
So how do you grow to maturity? Surrender. What does that look like? I really only needed ladders with like 5 steps, but first, let's say this is the side of surrender and this is the side of growing to maturity. Now this is an analogy.
Okay? But first, the fifth step is you surrender to him as Lord. When you surrender, you surrender your spirit. Dead, separated from God. I give Jesus my life.
I surrender to you and he puts the Holy Spirit inside of you in communion with your spirit. You become 1 with him. Your spirit comes alive. Now I surrender and I'm learning to surrender my soul, my mind, my thoughts, my thinking, my will, my desires, my my want to's, my emotions and my feelings. I'm surrendering.
The enemy attacks you here constantly just because you have thoughts and feelings and desires that come in that you hate doesn't mean that you're still a sinner. You've been born again, you're new, you're learning to renew your mind and you're surrendering those thoughts to him, letting taking them captive, casting them out to the knowledge of the truth so that you can "walk in freedom". So you surrender, you're learning to grow in the Lord, so you're surrendering not just your spirit, making him Lord of your life, but you're you're making him Lord in your soul, your thoughts, your emotions, your feelings, and your body. Your body lines up. Your body, you don't have to be a slave to the feelings of your body.
Your body lines up with your surrendered spirit, surrendered soul, your surrendered mind, will and emotions. Your body is now a **temple of the Holy Spirit** to reflect his goodness. Just because you have an urge doesn't mean you have to follow it. Tell it no. Self control, fruit of the spirit that's in communion with your spirit.
So you surrender, and you're growing, learning, opening up these different avenues of your life for this life of the Holy Spirit to dive in and bring resurrection life so your thinking changes. So your feelings begin to change. Your desires begin to shift to the way that He created you to reflect His character and nature. Oh and then comes relationships. Surrendering your relationships, that's hard.
Friendships, the way you interact with your brother and sister. Trip and say, Lamentations. Guys are growing in that. Praise the Lord. *Surrendering* your relationships, not making it all about you, but learning to look like Jesus as a spiritual leader.
And what did Jesus do as a leader? He was the "servant of all". Did not count equality with the 1 he was equal with, the Father, to be grasped, but instead made himself a servant. And right before it it says, in our relationships with 1 another, we're supposed to have that same mindset. So though I'm equal with you, I'm not supposed to count equality with Logan, with Timothy, with Ren, something to be grasped.
But instead, I'm supposed to make myself a servant of you guys in order to so that you can live out the fullness of the purposes God has for you. And as you serve, you're actually leading. Not from a title, but from position of the heart because you've been transformed and surrendered your relationships and you quit making it about you. You're maturing. Oh boy.
In comes your money. Your business, the economy of your life, your time, your talent, your treasure, the things that are valuable, *surrendering* to his Lordship. People grab onto some area of this life. I don't want to let go. When you're not letting go you're preventing the resurrection life of God from filling that area.
You're preventing yourself from growing to maturity. So as you surrender these things at the same time you're starting to grow to maturity. What does that look like? Well, first, it looks like becoming a believer. You're born *again* in Christ, but you're a baby.
And a lot of times babies don't know how to interact with the father, babies have to learn how to interact with the body, babies make messes. So as you're learning surrender, you're also a baby. And guess what babies need? Mommies and daddies, older brothers and sisters. *God*'s not mad at you for being a baby, but he'll spank you if you don't grow.
Because he's a good dad, and good dads discipline their children. Dads who don't discipline their children make their children illegitimate children. That's the bible. And it's actually not love. Proverbs says Proverbs says, you don't discipline your children.
It actually says, use the rod. You don't you hate your children is what it says. You know why? Because you love yourself and the way that they think about you more than you love your child. Train your child up in the way you should go and a rod's not gonna break them.
I tell my kids I'd rather your butt hurt now than your life hurt later. Because I love you and I love I love your life more than I love what you think about me in the moment. Parents quit loving yourself more than you love your kids and discipline your kids. Train them up. Set boundaries, and if they break those boundaries, don't discipline them because they made an accident.
*Discipline* them because they rebelled and broke a boundary. Babies need fathers. If you've never been discipled, you've never sat with somebody that's further along in the Lord than you, you've never been willing to, you're probably more immature than you think you are. Because disciples make disciples, and those who want to be discipled find people that will teach them. When the student is ready to learn, the teacher is always waiting and willing.
Don't blame other people for not discipling you. You go find somebody. Disciple makers, go find a baby. Fathers, go find a baby. Pour your life into them.
That doesn't mean that you lord over them. That means you lay your life down to wash their feet and clean their messes even if they don't listen to you. Makes sense? Because that's what the father does for us. When you become a strong believer, you will become a *member* of the body of Christ.
You will be a terrible *member* if you're not a strong believer. Strong weak believers are weak members. You grow in belief in your walk with Jesus, you will become a faithful member of the body of Christ. Why? Because it's important to your father.
If you're not an established member of the body of Christ, go get established. Stop making excuses and become a strong believer who's a faithful member. If this ain't your church, you're just visiting, go be a faithful member at your church unless God's calling you here. Quit making excuses. You're just being a weak need, yellow bellied baby believer.
It's time to grow up. Okay? There's a time for being weak need and and not knowing. But now you know. Grow up.
Stop making that mess and blaming the church for your insecurity. *God* wants to use the church to help you grow. And if you had a church that won't help you grow, that won't speak truth to you, and love you where you are, but get challenge you forward, you're welcome here. We will. And we'll offend your flesh.
And challenge you to grow in the spirit. Okay? So as you you grow in believer, *member*. Guess what? Strong members become *ministers*.
It doesn't mean you're preaching on a stage. If you're a weak member, you'll never be a minister. If you're a strong member of the body of Christ, you'll become a minister, and you're all supposed to be ministers of the gospel. What is a minister? A minister is not a pastor.
A minister, the word, the Greek word is the word doulos. It's like a waiter. It's someone that's waiting tables, giving food and drink to those sitting down. What are you supposed to carry? The word.
You've been transformed by the word. You You have the presence of the Holy Spirit. So as you are a member, you're being equipped hopefully by the church to minister in your daily life. Whatever church you go to, please come here. But wherever you go, you're being equipped to minister.
As you are a strong member, hopefully you're a strong member, you'll be placing yourself in places to be equipped by others that are stronger than you. So you'll begin giving out the *word* and the presence of God will be changing the atmosphere everywhere you go. Your job becomes your place of ministry, not as a detriment to the business, but as a blessing. You begin to work and your boss says, why are you why are you going all out in the way that you are? So what's changed?
Oh, I I just followed Jesus, so I gotta do my work as an act of worship. Opens his heart. Within a year, 2 years, he gives his life to Jesus. Why? Because he's watching the way you work.
*God* opens up opportunities that don't take away from the business. And you get to share the gospel or pray for healing, and next thing you know people are growing in the Lord. Your work is a place of worship. You've transformed the whole place and the business is is growing and there's more money and and more everything because you're there. Why?
Because you are a *faithful* believer and faithful believers who grow in believers become faithful members. If they're not a faithful member you're a weak believer. You're a faithful member, you're a strong believer. You can't be a faithful member and not a strong believer. And you can't be a faithful and strong believer and not be a minister.
As you start to minister, guess what? Start to mature. What is ministry? It's serving people. What's a leader?
1 who serves. As you serve people God gives you influence with them and they begin to follow you and you become a leader. Not because you puffed your chest out and said, follow me, but because you were a faithful believer who became a faithful member, who became a minister. And as you ministered more and served people, you got influence. They started following you as you followed Jesus.
You became a spiritual leader. You can't be a good spiritual leader without being a faithful minister and you can't be a good faithful minister without being a faithful member. You can't be a faithful member without being a strong believer. So you grow here. As you're a leader for a while, next thing you know, those that are following you begin reproducing.
They start leading too. Now you're a reproducer. You can't be a reproducer without being a strong leader. So now you're a reproducer and you're growing and maturing, becoming a spiritual father and older brother to many other people, not because you promoted yourself but because you laid your life down to be a Christian. Now don't pretend you're somewhere you're not because if you promote yourself to being a leader when you still haven't *surrendered* so you promote yourself to being a leader, but you're still bound in your feelings and your emotions.
You're still you're still struggling with your money and other things. It's surrendering. I I can't stay in the splits long. Eventually, I'm gonna fall, and that's why leaders fall. They promoted themselves before they were ready.
*Leaders* fall. That's why *members* and *ministers and others begin to to fall is because they they're still holding on to things that should be surrendered*. Now we grow in surrender, so it's not perfect analogy. But this is how you grow in maturity, and don't pretend that you're more mature than you are. *God sees you as a mighty man of valor*.
*God* sees you as righteous. You're not a sinner. Jesus is the Lord of your life. He sees you. He's given everything that you need for life and godliness.
The gift of the Holy Spirit. The baptism of Holy Spirit for those who want it, and you should want it because you can't do any of this healthily without it. He's given all of these things. But if you're just a baby because you just gave your life to Jesus, or you're a teenager growing in the Lord it's great. You need discipleship.
We all do. You need to learn and grow and surrender so you can grow over here healthily. If you pretend that you're more than you really are you will fall. And not only will you make a mess of yourself, you'll make a mess in the church. So that's why 1 of our core values as a church is communicate transparently and love boldly.
Because man we want to be open with you and you can ask anything but we want to love you too and not just be like oh man they're really screwing up. Now go talk to them because you love them. Make sense? We don't put on a face, we're real here. And, the more you grow in Christ, the more you take the mask off and just be a son or a daughter that's an infant, or a 2 year old, or a 10 year old, or a 20 year old, however old you are in the Lord.
Amen? Amen. That's all I got. Thank you. I'll say this.
To end, I'm gonna ask the I'm gonna ask the altar team to come forward. We wanna minister to you where you are. If you've never surrendered your life to Jesus, yeah, an altar team, you guys can come on forward. If you've never surrendered your life to Jesus, come forward. They'll lead you into into Christ.
If you've been playing playing church, you've been struggling in different areas, man, that's what the body's for. Even adults need brothers and adults in Christ need brothers and sisters, you know. So no matter where you are, we're here for you. We love you. If you've never become a faithful member, go through Establish on our website, www.realchurch.us.
Go through Establish, then become an established member. An established member is 1 who's attending, serving, and tithing. You know why we say tithing? Because it's biblical, and it shows that Jesus is Lord over your money. Because if you're not tithing, then he's probably not first.
Make sense? Which is which is awesome. I mean, like, well, he sure talked about that. Jesus talked about it a lot. I'm not forcing you, I'm just calling you to greater levels of maturity.
That's all. The other thing is, praise the Lord, we are really excited that we have a building that we're in the middle of a miracle in the building. If you haven't seen the video, go look on our Instagram pages. Man, it's it's the perfect place for us. It's a gift, but a gift must be prepared for and participated in.
So the way that we're doing that, this gift, I mean, it still costs us $3,500,000. So we we have to supernaturally come up with that. It's supernaturally bigger than we can naturally do. So we're praying for a miracle, and and I know that the resources are in the harvest. Yeah.
So praise the Lord. If we come up with that, which I believe we will, but if we come up with that by June 30, it will be ours. And July 21, you can go see it, it's Radiant Church Clearwater, that campus, you can Google it, go look at it. July 21 will be our first service there. You're invited to participate in that.
So, we're fasting on Friday nights, or Fridays. Sorry. Every Friday, we're fasting, no food. You're invited. If Real Church is your home, please fast with us.
If you've never fasted, "it'd be good". Fasting is forsaking your flesh to focus on his word. And we're as a church gathering at Boiler Room on Friday nights from 8 to 9PM. I'd encourage you cancel your plans on Friday nights. Well, that's just hey, it's worth it.
*Again*, I invite you. You're not forced, but man, you "don't miss out". Okay? And I don't look down on you if I didn't see you on Friday night. I'm not taking notes or anything, know.
But I'm just saying, man, Friday nights are powerful, and what happens in real church is birthed in the boiler room. So fast with us. If you've never fasted, it's a good thing. Pray with us. And God bless you.
Thank you for giving us your time today. "Be encouraged". Grow in the Lord. You're a mighty men and women of valor. And come forward if you need ministry.
"You're dismissed". Oh.