You are called to step out of your comfort zone and share your testimony with those around you. As you surrender every area of your heart to Him, you will find the strength to love people radically and show them who Jesus is. Start today by asking the Holy Spirit to reveal any part of your life that is still held back.
Welcome to the "Real Church" podcast. Our mission is for you to know the love of Jesus and live out your God given purpose. Now join us and listen in to the latest message from pastor David John Phillips.
Wanna introduce 2 very special friends of mine. We have multiple people who have moved here from out of state, from other places. Justin and Paige picked up their families and moved here from Texas, which is awesome. And Steven and Heather Richard picked up and moved from Louisiana. And and Jade and Teresa Fulford picked up their families and moved from Louisiana to be a part of what God is doing here at Real Church, which is, like, crazy to think about and amazing.
And it it just encourages me and and and gives me I don't know. It just increases my faith in what God is doing and what God is going to do in and through Real Church. This is his work. It's not my work. It's not, you know, it's him working in and through us together to do what he's doing.
But I we we have 2 more recent moves, people that have moved across the country or across countries to be here, which is amazing in itself. Andy Bonner, would you stand up? Would you guys give him a big hand? Andy is a really, really close friend of mine. I met him in Louisiana.
He started going to real River of Life, which is my father's church. And God just did a a crazy work in him about 4 years ago. He, ran back to Jesus, I think, would be the the right words to say, "ran back to Jesus" after a a long time of running from Jesus. You ever been there before? Amen.
Yeah. And and God just completely changed his life from the inside out. And then, you know, I I when I knew that I was coming here, I asked him, pray about moving to Florida and and to be a part of this thing, and he really didn't want to. And he he and then God began to work on his heart and change his heart from the inside out, and the next thing you know, he had a desire to. And then, out of obedience to what God was telling him to do, he went and got a job-6 months ago in order to save up enough money.
So that kind of diligence, knowing and planning and preparing for what God had shown him to do. Got a job-6 months ago, began saving, went and worked in Puerto Rico, went and worked in New Orleans. And once he had saved enough to do what he knew God had showed him to do, he picked up and moved here a week ago. That's complete that's surrender, guys. That is surrender.
And I I would like I mean, I've I've done that, and I like to think that anytime in the future, if God asked me to move anywhere, if God asked me to do anything, I would say yes. And the only way that I would do that is by his grace empowering me to do that, but that is surrender. Right? Would you, could you, if God asked you right now, sell everything that you have, like he did to the rich young ruler who came to him? Jesus, I've done all of this stuff.
I've done all of these good things. I've I've, you know, I've followed every commandment. What should I do? Jesus looked at him and and and saw the 1 thing that he was lacking, which is the same thing that he'll do with all of us because he wants every area of our lives, everywhere of our heart to be a **100% surrendered** to him. It would be a shame to only give your heart to Jesus and not give your life.
You know? Because every aspect of your life that you give to him and you release control, that's an aspect of your life that he can work through and and revitalize and *redeem* and change from the inside out. I want every area of my heart, Holy Spirit, God, show me anything in my heart where is under still under my control because I wanna surrender everything to you. Because that is true trust. Right?
You can only release control to someone else if you trust them with that area. And I wanna release control of everything completely and totally *surrendered*, And that's the life that we're called to live. I wanna introduce another friend of mine. He's a a very special friend as well. He I met him, 3 years ago in Bogota, actually, Sowacha, Columbia.
So think of, think of New York City. That's Bogota of Columbia, New York City of New York. And Sowacha Of Bogota is like, I guess, Harlem of New York City. I don't know what the the worst place is now, but we were there. We were doing ministry and God was moving in amazing ways.
And Sebastian, would you come would you come here? Sebastian. This is my friend Sebastian. I don't even know if I can say your last name right. Romero Romero Romero, I think.
Yeah.
Yes. You got it? Yes. Yes.
So, Sebastian, why? And I told him I was going to do this with him this morning.
Yes,
I didn't I didn't prep him heavy at all. But Sebastian, why pick up and move everything? Why pick up your life and move from Bogota to Clearwater?
Okay. Some of you heard that this morning, but I'm going to repeat. And it is 3 years ago. Okay, I need to start from the beginning. So, I was born in a Christian family.
But there is a thing when are born in a Christian family, that doesn't mean that you are Christian because you need to know Jesus, you need to accept Jesus. And all my life, I have been fighting against that. Sometimes I accept Jesus and sometimes I step back. Okay? But my mother keep telling me every day like, You are my offer to Jesus.
So you can't deny him because you are a worshipper. Okay? And when I met David, I was his translator and I don't know if you know, but I wasn't to be.
You weren't supposed to be?
Yeah. Your translator. Because your translator got sick, So they called me. I didn't know that. Okay.
And I tried because it was my first time as a translator. So there was this pastor from Venezuela and he gave, we were taking our lunch and he gave David a word and I was the translator and the word was to start this real church. David understood *God*'s voice and he moved to this place to clear water and he started. Then he called me and he told me, Sebastian, I want you to come here. Because in Bogota, I told him something like, if you need something, anything, just let me know.
But that is something that we just say to everyone. Okay? If you need something, kind of me, but it's our culture. Okay? And he told me like, do you remember you told me that if I need something, yeah, I need something.
I need you here. Okay, David. That's good but I don't want to. And he start to call me like every day and very in intense?
No. Not not intense.
I don't know the word. Persistent. Persistent every day, but I I just stopped to answer him, but he didn't gave up. He didn't give up on me because *Jesus* wouldn't do that. And, every time David called me, it was the exact exact time when I was **fighting against depression**, crying or alone.
And I don't know why but David was right on time like, dude, are you fine? David, I I don't want to talk. But he he's like, you you let Jesus use you, I'm sure. And 3 months ago, he called me again, Sebastian, it is the time to to come here. And this time, I told my parents, I asked Jesus, I told my pastor and everyone agreed, and they just told me, You gotta go.
Because follow Jesus is leave everything. Give up you, surrender. That's why I'm here, because I surrender. I I I like to to have the control of the things, and in my life, I always have the control, but this time, I don't. I'm just letting Jesus to guide me.
I left I left my family, my country, my culture, and some other things that I told you. I don't know why I don't I don't want to cry, But it is not easy. Okay? Because you guys are so different from my people. Right?
But right now I understand that you guys are my people too. Because we we follow the same Jesus, the same father. So I'm here to surrender.
That is Sebastian. Sebastian is living a life of surrender. Man, once again, allow God, allow the Holy Spirit to search your own hearts, to search you. I don't ever wanna search myself. I don't ever wanna dig down into my own heart, man.
I'll find all kinds of stuff and feel condemned and guilty. You know, In the Psalms, David said, search me, oh God. Allow the Holy Spirit to search us and bring to the surface. If there's any area of our lives that we have not surrendered completely where if he asks us to to do anything, we say yes. Why?
Because he's our Lord. We are no longer the Lord of our life. There's 2 words in the English language that don't go together. That's the word no and the word Lord. If you're still the Lord of an area of your life, you will never tell yourself no in that area.
Jesus asks you to do something that you wanna do, you'll say yes. Yes. Yes. And if he asks you to do something that you don't wanna do and you wanna do something else, you'll say no to him and yes to yourself because you're still the lord of that area. Because no and lord never go together.
And I want him, Holy Spirit, search me. Search me. I want every aspect of my life to line up with what you want in everything because you are the Lord of my life. I want to be able to *surrender* everything because to the extent of my surrender, that's the extent that I'm able to know him in every area of my life. And to the extent that I know him in every area of my life, that's the extent that others can see my life and know him because of what I'm doing and because of what I'm saying.
And that is how we are supposed to live because in 1 John-4:17, in this world, we are like him. We are like Jesus. Why? Because he lives in us. So today is gonna be a little bit different.
We're continuing the "Better Together series". We talked about last week, We talked about better together. We talked about synergy. We talked about exactly what synergy means. We talked about the big bang theory, which is kinda crazy.
Why would you talk about that in the better together series? It kinda doesn't make sense, but I'm just saying this to intrigue you so you'll go back and listen to the podcast if you weren't here. But we talked about how a lot of times as Christians and individuals, we live our lives according to the Big Bang Theory without even realizing it. Just bang, all of sudden something happens and it's amazing, or we expect something to happen out of nothing. And then we also talked about, how we are better together in relationship with him and better together in relationship with 1 1 another and what that looks like.
And we're gonna continue the better together series today, but we're gonna do it a little bit differently than normal. We're gonna go through some scripture, and we're just gonna go through this passage. Let's go to Ephesians-3, and we're gonna start in verse 7. If you wanna follow along in your bible, you wanna follow along on the on the app on your phone, you can go to realchurch.us and and click on this Sunday and the scripture should be there or you can follow along on the Bible app, whatever you want. But *Ephesians-3* and we're gonna start in verse 7.
Before we do, let's pray. Father, I just I thank you for who you are. You're wonderful. You're amazing. And, God, I pray that we walk away from this message, we walk away from today with a deeper realization of who you are, a deeper realization of your love for us, Lord God, and a deeper realization of who we are in you.
Father, let us walk away today with a with a deeper level of surrender, father, a deeper understanding, father, of of what you have called us to do, Lord God, and and of of being together, what it means to be the church, what it means to to to love 1 another as you as you love us, father. I just thank you for being here. You're amazing and you're wonderful. And thank you for these people braving the rain. Amen.
Amen. And amen again. Alright. So Ephesians-3:7 says, I became a servant. This is Paul writing.
You have to understand that everything that we're about to read, Paul wrote from a prison cell. K? Paul wrote all of this from from the middle of a prison. He wrote in in chapter 2 verse 14, for he himself is our peace. Can you imagine being in the middle of prison?
I can't. Maybe some of you can. And and being there and still being able to write and encourage others with Jesus as your peace. Like, that just seems difficult, but yet Paul understood it. So when we understand Jesus like Paul understood, when we understand who he is, then no matter what circumstance, no matter what situation, no matter where we are, no matter if we're with a people that are not our own, we can still understand Jesus as our peace and let every situation not affect the peace that we have inside, but we can be a thermostat and not not a thermometer and change the situation around us because we know who he is in us and through us.
So I became a servant, Paul writes. What is a servant? Well, it's not a slave. A slave is forced labor, but a servant chooses to be. Right?
*God*'s a gentleman. He will never force you into being his slave. He will never force you to follow him. He will only ask you. He stands at the door and knocks.
We have the choice whether or not to open it open up to him. We have the choice whether or not to surrender. I became a servant of this *gospel* by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power of this gospel. Now I want to make sure that we understand. Everybody say the word gospel.
*Gospel*. Gospel simply means "good news". If you go to a church and you hear a pastor preach or you have a friend that's that's preaching to you or or or or telling you about the bible, telling you about Jesus, and it's not good news, then it's not the gospel. It's some man's version of what he thinks is true and what he thinks is right. But good news, the gospel is the good news.
What is that good news? That *Jesus* died for us. He rose again. He forgave us of everything, past, present, and future, that we can have relationship with him, but we not only can have relationship with him, he lives in us and through us and empowers us to have his life, his love, his joy, his peace, his power. It's all about him, not us.
We are not the center of the universe. He is, and that's amazing. That's good news. Because if we were, oh my gosh. That wouldn't be good.
So I became a servant. I chose to be a be a servant of this good news by the gift of God's grace. Everybody say grace. Grace. Grace.
Given to me by the working of his power. Grace, once again, is getting what we don't deserve. That's an aspect of grace. Actually, grace is a person. Grace is Jesus.
But an aspect of grace is getting what we don't deserve. When we've realized what we've been getting, that we don't deserve it, that's when we can know him. Too many people, too many times, we get caught up in the fact that we deserve this and we deserve that. We can't come to him and really receive anything from him until we realize that we don't deserve him and that he freely gives it to us anyway. It's a gift.
A gift is not earned. A gift is received, and we must receive it. There's so many people of other religions and so many people that claim to be Christians, but but are caught in this religion of performance and religious religion of works that they can never receive the grace, the freely getting what he wants to give us because they think that they have to earn it. That's not grace. That's you being in control by your deeds.
And remember, surrender is surrendering control. If you gotta read enough and pray enough and come to church enough to feel better about yourself, that's still all about yourself. We read and we worship and we pray because we know who we are in him. And because we know that we're forgiven and we know that we're loved, so we want to. There's a difference there.
That's walking by grace, getting what you don't deserve. And then Paul says this, although I am less than the least of all the Lord's people, this grace was given to me to preach the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ. Although I'm less than least of the Lord's people now Paul, we think of Paul as this, like, great dude. Like, this guy traveled the world and and and preached the gospel, healed the sick, raised the dead, like, you know, was beaten multiple times, bruised and bleeding, this radical surrender, but yet he still saw himself as the least of all of these. Why?
Because he realized that in and of himself, he is nothing apart from Christ. And we are all the exact same way. We can't we cannot come to him and allow him to work through us until we realize what we are apart from him. That's why it's the the Jesus said Jesus said in the, in the parables, he said it's harder for a rich man to come to the kingdom than for him to go through the eye of a needle. Why did he say that?
He didn't he wasn't saying that because he was saying it's evil to be rich. No. It's a blessing to be rich. No. He was saying that because a rich man, whether he's rich in spirit, rich in money, rich in finances, he thinks he's rich in joy, he thinks he's rich in goodness, he thinks he's rich in friends, whatever he thinks he's rich in, a rich man doesn't doesn't think that he needs anything in that area of his life that he feels rich in.
But but Jesus said, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those that recognize that they have need of Jesus. You can't receive him until you know that you need him. And that's what Paul is saying. Even though he's been walking with Jesus, even though he's seen all this, he didn't let it get to his head that his pride and what I've done.
No. He realizes that if it wasn't for God in and through him, Jesus Christ working in and through him, he is nothing without him. So he surrenders to him so that he can be all that he was created to be in and through him. That's the that's how we live our life. That surrender.
That's amazing. And then this grace now grace isn't just getting what you don't deserve. We said grace is a person, but grace is also the ability to do what you don't deserve to do. Think about that. I don't deserve to be up here preaching this message.
I don't deserve to to speak and lives be changed. I'm not that good. But he's given me a grace to do that. But here's the same principle, he's given you a grace to do what you don't deserve to do as well. And together, when we come together, as we talked about last time, there's a synergy when you're doing everything that God's graced you to do, which he hasn't necessarily graced me to do, and I'm doing what God's graced me to do, and we come together as a team, there's it changes the world, guys.
I could never play the guitar like Ben. It's amazing. But because of that, we have this amazing, like, lead lines and stuff that just makes you wanna worship Jesus better. It's fun. There's a grace given there.
And my prayer is that for me, like he says in verse 9, and to make plain to everyone this mystery, which was for the ages, kept hidden in God who created all things. What is the mystery? You know, Scientology there I said it. Makes you pay in order to reach these higher levels to find out more mysteries. Right?
Other religions. A lot of other other religions you have to seek, especially agnosticism. And you you seek this mystery, you know, and you you grow in the understanding of this knowledge by the more that you study and the more that you read and and do, and you're seeking out this mystery to find this hidden word, this hidden thing, the Masonic Lodge, you know, to to find this search this hidden. The mystery is Jesus. It's simple.
*Colossians-1:27*. The mystery is Jesus Christ in you, the hope of glory. God's hope of glory in this world, he has 1 plan, "plan a", not not a plan b, just 1 plan. It's you. It's you understanding who Jesus is and who he is in you.
Because as you understand that, other people will see him in and through you. Everywhere that you step, they'll see him. When you when you walk out, they'll see the love of Jesus. Not because you're all holier than thou and talking all religious like. No.
Because you're a "real person" living a real life for a real Jesus having a real good time. And they see that genuineness in and through your life because you're living a life of open *surrender* to him. And they, man, I want that. That's attractive because everywhere that he's lifted up, all men are drawn to him. And I want my life to lift up Jesus so that all men will be drawn, not to me, but but Jesus in and through me.
And it changes the world around me, but that is not just for me, that's for everyone. That's a life of surrender. His intent, verse 10, was that now through the church, his was intent was that now through individuals no. It doesn't say that. It says through the church, the wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers in the heavenly realms according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What is the focus there? His purpose made known, accomplished in Christ. *God* should be made. It's it's all about him, but he does it how? Through his body, the church, through you.
Through you. That's how he does it. As you understand and and and people people get caught up in, oh, I got hurt in this area, or I got hurt by this group of people, this church, and so I'm never going to church again. You're rejecting the body of Christ by doing that. The end of the I mean, just let me be frank with you.
The the towards the end of the scriptures, it says, do not neglect gathering together as some are in the habit of doing. Why? Well, some people are in the habit of that, and they make an excuse saying, oh, you know, I can do church on my own. Yes. You are the church, but you're a part of the church, and you need the rest of the church to encourage you.
Because as you go from from Monday through Saturday or or whatever, as you're going in your daily life, you're around people that are ripping you to shreds by their words and by all kinds of different stuff. And you're being the light, but you're getting this dirt on you. And you need other people in the church, your brothers and sisters in Christ, to wash your feet and to remind you of who you are in him. To encourage you so that we can come together and be more effective. And then as you go back out into the world, you're encouraged and challenged.
And now you can be more effective as you go out because you remember who you are in him. I'm having fun, guys. Listen to this. Verse 12. In him and through faith in him see, the focus is him.
Anytime in our life, the focus is self. That's where that's death to us. Our focus is Christ. In Christ is life. In him and through faith in him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
What would it be like, guys? And gals. Louisiana, I can say that. What would it be like to approach God in every aspect of your life with freedom and confidence? What would it be like?
You can. We can approach God in every area of our life with freedom and confidence. Why? Because he has taken away our shame. He has taken away our guilt.
He took all of that. You know, *Jesus* and and I love preaching this in other cultures because they are more in American culture, we're more guilt based. In other cultures, they're more shame based because it's a community thing. But I think we deal with shame in the same way. Do you realize that Jesus *Christ* as he as he's carrying the cross naked and bleeding and bruised after taking 40 lashes.
I mean, it was crazy. Naked, bruised, bleeding. He's carrying it through the city of Jerusalem, and people are spitting on him and mocking him and calling him all kinds of names. They're shaming him. Why did he do that?
Because he was in that moment taking our shame. What came in with the fall when we originally mankind originally sinned, we shame entered the world, and we've been feeling shame every time we mess up. We don't wanna go talk to people. We we hide from relationships because we feel shame because of our faults. But don't you realize that Jesus 2000 years ago took our shame on himself as he was walking through the streets of Jerusalem and people were spitting at him and mocking him.
He was taking your shame so you never had to feel shame again. You can be 100% open. That's where the freedom comes. 100% transparent. Letting his light shine on every dark part of your heart, not hiding in shame anymore.
Free and confident. Why? Because he loves you so much that he died for you to be that free in his presence because he's your father. That's how loved you are. Don't hide anymore.
Secret sin only comes more becomes more dirty. He paid for that. Run to him and be free and confident. And when you fall, "fall forward" into his arms. Don't fall away in shame and guilt hiding again.
That's a trap. Every time that you mess up, the tendency is going to be to hide, but don't do that. Don't do it based on your feelings. Do it based on his word that you can run confidently to him and be free. Chapter 4, we're gonna skip quite a bit.
No. Chapter 3 verse 16. I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Christ dwell in your hearts through faith. It doesn't say Christ dwell in your hearts through feeling.
*Faith is by. We we don't walk by sight. We don't walk by feeling. We walk by faith*. Faith is based on what he's spoken, what he says, what his word says.
And his word says that you're forgiven. His word says you don't have to feel shame and guilt anymore, but you can run confident in his presence. I don't care what you feel right now. I do I I care what you feel. Okay?
I I care about how you feel, but how you feel should not change the truth and the reality that you're a son or a daughter and you're loved by God and he cares about you. Never let your feelings hold you back from living in his truth. I don't feel like God loves me right now. That's a lie. Your feelings are lying to you.
We don't live by feelings, we live by faith. I don't feel like I can do this. I don't feel like I know that God told me 1 day that I was I was called to start this business or I was called to go here. I was called to help here. I was called to do this, but I just feel like I should not You don't walk by feelings anymore.
You walk by what he spoke because you surrendered your feelings to what he said. You surrendered your feelings to Jesus who is the word of God. Right? So we surrender our lives 100% and as we surrender to what he said how we feel, that's where Jesus is made manifest or comes alive in our life and other people see that and say you should feel terrible. You should be in bed right now.
You should be doing these things. But we're walking by faith and it's showing Jesus to everyone around us and they're in awe and drawn into relationship with the 1 that we're following because we're not following ourselves feeling we're following him. Why am I talking like this? This is why. *Ephesians-4:1*.
As a prisoner for the Lord, this is Paul writing it, saying he has the he can write this because of what he's been through. He he knows what it means to do this. He says, as a prisoner for the Lord, then I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. He doesn't say worthy of the calling that Paul has received. You're not supposed to live a life worthy of the calling that I have received.
You're supposed to live a life worthy of the calling you have received according to the grace he's given you. Some of you are business leaders, business owners. Some of you are missionaries. Some of you are are are meant to be mothers and and serve as a mother right now in this season well. Some of you are meant to be, you know, workers and pastors and leaders.
Some of you are meant to to serve and and and and just be and and be a roofer. Not just a roofer, a roofer on fire for Jesus and a missionary right there serving worthy of the calling you have received because wherever you are, whatever you're doing in your life, you are a minister of the gospel. You are a missionary wherever you are in life. Period. I don't care if you're a mom.
I don't care if you're a salesman. I don't care if you're a business owner. I don't care if you're in jail. If you're listening on the podcast, you are a missionary wherever you are. Live worthy of the calling.
Live worthy of where you are *surrendered* 100% so that when people see you, when people hear you, they see and hear Jesus and drawn to him. We can't just focus and wait on people to come on a Sunday morning. We have to be Jesus to our world. Verse 11, 12, and 13 of chapter 4. So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and the teachers to equip his people for the works of service.
Other versions say the works of *ministry* so that the body of Christ may be built up until we reach we all reach unity in the faith, in the knowledge of the son of God, and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. So you have verse 11, verse 12, and verse 13, and I see them sequentially. You have the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Okay? So think of those as like the mentors of the church, if you will.
Then you have to equip the saints for the works of ministry, and then you have unity and maturity. You see that? My job, of course, in my daily life, I'm doing ministry. Right? That's just we're all doing ministry.
That's what we do. But my job as whatever you wanna call me up here is not to do ministry. It's not my job according to his verses. My job is to equip you to do ministry. That's it.
Why? Because you are a minister of the gospel. You know Jesus. Have you surrendered your life to Jesus? Then then then whatever you've been given, share your testimony with somebody.
Let them know how much *God* loves them. Just just love people radically. Step out of your comfort zone. Begin to read his word. You are a minister of the gospel wherever you are.
You are Jesus. You are. And there are people in your life that are waiting. They don't even know they're waiting, but they're waiting for you to be Jesus to them. They're waiting for you to show them who he is by your life, by your words, by what you say.
And maybe you're the only person that could reach them. I couldn't reach them. You could. God put you in their life. My job is to equip you to be able to be effective at being a minister of the gospel.
That's it. And as you minister, so 11 is the is the mentors or whatever you wanna call them, equipping the saints, equipping you guys to do ministry because you're doing ministry. And then 13, that's 12, and then verse 13 is unity and maturity. You know, unity and maturity don't come before ministry. You're not supposed to wait until you get mature before you minister.
That's backwards. You minister what you've been given, and as you minister what you've been given, that's when you mature. You can have a Christian who's been sitting on a church seat or church pew or whatever you wanna talk for 30 years and they've never told anyone or they never they've never let the gospel live through. They have never lived it out. They've just been coming.
They've learned a lot of head knowledge and it's become pride, but they're still a little bitty baby Christian because they're not giving out what they've been given. And you can have someone who's been saved for 1 month. 1 month. And they're diligent to be obedient, to step out of their comfort zone and tell people about Jesus, invite people to church, to to pray for people, or to to be radically generous in their daily life. And they're more mature than the 30 the the person that's been sitting in church for 30 years because they're giving out what they've been given.
It's not about head knowledge. It's about "heart knowledge", and heart knowledge just comes from walking out what he tells you to do. And as we minister, we grow in unity because we're growing in his love. What he what we're we're growing in our understanding of his love for us and for others. So we're growing in unity because we realize it's not about all of the theological, oh my gosh, this, that, the other.
No. It's not about all of that. It's just about Jesus. And as we grow in our understanding of Jesus, we're all growing together, and all that denominational bullcrap falls away. Well, I'm not I'm not your friend because of this.
No. It's Jesus. We might disagree on this stuff, but we agree on Jesus. Let's do ministry together so that we can mature and unify. Verse 14.
Then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by waves and blown there here and there by every wind of teaching and by cunning and craftiness of people and their deceitful scheming. You know, are people that are deceitfully scheming to get what they want out of you. Stupid. Instead sorry. Instead speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head that is Jesus.
From him, the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament grows and builds itself up in love as each, oh my gosh, as each part does its work. Real church will be only as effective as it is that each part does its work. And I can stand up here and speak all day and we not grow any more effective until we all learn, each 1 of us, you guys, learn to *surrender* and minister what he's given you and show other people. Because as you show him his love, you're receiving more of, understanding more of how much he loves you and you're growing maturity and changing people from the inside out. It's changing the community.
Changing the world. And and real church is growing because you're growing. You're inviting. You're doing all those things. I mean, that's amazing.
That's and then the body of Christ, more people is growing. The the people are being encouraged, and, it's just fun, man. So let's let's let's stand, and we're gonna sing this song. And I just encourage you as we sing this song, we'll close after we're done with the song. Just allow the Holy Spirit to minister and surrender.
He's gonna bring to your mind. The Holy Spirit will. Don't go searching. Just put your put your focus on him. Sing this song as a prayer, and the Holy Spirit will bring to your mind what areas of your heart are not surrendered.
You know what? Confess. That means agree. Just agree with him. You know what?
That's right. I haven't surrendered that area of my life. But right now, by faith, I I'm giving it completely and totally to you. I'm your child. I'm forgiven.
Thank you, Jesus. Help me.
Thanks for listening to the Real Church podcast. If you have questions, comments, or I'd like to get to know us, be sure to check us out on social media by searching Real Church Clearwater or visit us online at www.realchurch.us. If you'd like to play a part in what we're doing, you can do so right where you are. Your prayers are powerful and effective. You can also be a part through giving.
Go to realchurch.us and click the give button. Whether you're praying, giving or serving with real church, you are playing a part in every life being changed. Thank you. Until our next podcast, be blessed. We'll see you next time.