Called To Greater | Pastor Kami Palmer | Faith Church

Well, this morning, I've had this word brewing

for a couple of weeks here, and my process in

approaching a sermon varies depending on the

type of sermon and what the Holy Spirit is speaking.

But I had felt this, the Holy Spirit speak a

specific thing. And sometimes when I specifically

am feeling the Holy Spirit wanting to bring a

word, it can be a difficult process getting that

out of my spirit and onto the paper. It truly

is kind of a birthing, and sometimes I get really

frustrated because I can hear what the Holy Spirit

is wanting to do and say, and conveying that,

it's not always easy. But this morning, and if

I were to title this, which I guess I am for

Nick, who will appreciate it, it is this, Following

Jesus into the Greater. And I was thinking a

couple of weeks ago about the issue of obedience.

And often when we think of obedience, things

that we are called to obey, we did it this morning,

we're called to obey in our giving, we're called

to crucify the flesh, we're called to love our

neighbor. I don't know, a couple times this week

I was having trouble feeling neighborly with

the noise. We're called to forgive. We're called

to encourage. We're called to prayer. We're called

to gratitude. We're called to hospitality. We're

called to honoring parents, and sometimes that's

hard to do. We're called to submit to authorities,

and sometimes that's hard to do. I was thinking

of all of the things when we hear called to obedience,

and it seems like it's often hard things. And

I kept feeling this, but Lord, I feel this call

to obedience into the greater things. It's the

only way I know how to convey this. And soon

the question became, is it really a call to obedience

that I'm hearing, or is it a call to repentance

that I'm hearing? And he took me to John chapter

John 14 · chapter mention

14. Where Jesus is talking and he says, very

truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will

do the works I have been doing. And they will

do even greater things than these. Because I'm

going to the Father. And I will do whatever you

ask in my name. So that the Father may be glorified

in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my

name and I will do it. That's what Jesus stated.

And what I didn't want today is an emotionally

driven, he will do anything if you do it in his

name. Let's go. I didn't want, what I feel in

my spirit concerning this message is, In fact,

I remembered years ago at our previous church

a specific service. And I remember I was down

here sitting cross -legged at the altar. And

somebody brought a word about preparing for battle

and we're going into battle. And all around me,

everybody was standing and cheering. I have goosebumps

thinking of that moment right now. I remember

in my spirit saying, no. You're not, I received

that word that was given. I knew it to be true.

But I did not think our response was the right

response. It was not a, yeah, let's, I felt there

is some deep battle coming. And we've got to

be prepared. If you're a Lord of the Rings fan,

it's when they're about to go out to battle and

they are so few in number, they're calling their

young boys to battle. And they're talking about

the fear that is in the camp because of the heaviness

of the battle. And that was what I felt in that

moment. We should not be cheering. We need to

get on our faces because we're going into a battle.

I kind of felt that same kind of response to

this word that the Holy Spirit put inside of

me. And earlier, even when Pastor Ben was talking

about being called to become like Christ and

to walk like Christ, we think about doing that,

yes. as becoming in the character of Christ,

don't we? When we talk about becoming like Christ,

we're thinking about his character in light of

the gifts or the fruit of the Holy Spirit, right?

Because Jesus had self -control. Jesus was kind,

right? We think of all of those things in becoming

like Jesus. What I feel Holy Spirit putting inside

of me is that he is calling us to not just be

like him in character, but to follow him into

becoming what he looked like and what he did.

In the works that he did. In fact, the small

group that we just finished in practicing the

way we talk, what we say is that we be with Jesus.

We become like Jesus, but it doesn't end in the

becoming like him. We do what Jesus did. And

often we end where we be with Jesus, we become

like Jesus, but we have no expectation of doing

the works that Jesus did, and even beyond that,

what Jesus said, the greater works. We have no

expectation of that in our lives. Oh, maybe the

pastor or the elders might do that. No. He's

called for you to be with Jesus, to become like

Jesus, and to do the things that Jesus did. So

this morning, my call is more of a call to contend

for these things that Jesus has said we ought

to be operating in. We ought to be doing these

things. We ought to be doing the works he did.

Well, what did Jesus do? We think of the works

that he did in hanging out with the sinners.

Oh yeah, I'll go and hang out with some sinners.

I'll invite people to my table. We get uncomfortable,

though, sometimes with the idea that, well, wait

a minute, he also prayed over blind eyes and

they were healed. He also cast out demons and

they were delivered. He also multiplied things

like wine for the wedding feast in their day

-to -day lives. And it was last year, I think,

at some point when we talked about how we should

live our ordinary life. And see, this was ordinary

life for Jesus. This was how he did his day -to

-day. Oh, I'm going to go to a wedding with my

mom? Well, let's multiply some wine for them.

They're a little short. He brought into his everyday

ordinary the greater works. And I believe that

the Holy Spirit is calling us to this. Why? Why?

Because it's not enough. the culture that we

live in, to preach a gospel, there must be accompanying

it signs and wonders. It's not enough to just

talk out there. They want the evidence of what

we're saying to be true. And you're going to

be hearing more about this, but I talked with

our leadership team last Tuesday night about

this. The World Assemblies of God, of which the

U .S. is part of, and it's all of the nation's

Assemblies of God, are under the umbrella of

the World Assemblies of God. They have made a

hard push into unengaged people groups, of which

there are 2 ,085. These are not just unreached

people groups. Unreached are considered... less

than 2 % of Christians. These are unengaged people

groups where there has not been any known engagement

with the gospel whatsoever, 2 ,085 of them. And

so the World Assemblies of God has said in 2033,

who knows what 2033 is? Now, see, I asked that

question at the leadership meeting. They all

weren't that quick with their answer. It's the

2 ,000 -year anniversary of the death and resurrection

and ascension of Jesus. And so what they're saying

is, we want to bring a gift to Jesus in 2033.

We want to bring the gift of nations to Jesus.

And you're going to be hearing more about that.

But what I'm hearing, why? Why do we need to

be doing what Jesus did? Because there are 2

,085 people groups. Do you know what happens

when every tribe and every tongue and every nation

has heard of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Come,

Lord Jesus, come. The end is at hand is what

it means. And I believe that you and I, I don't

care if you feel a call to ministry like I do

or not, you are part of the family of God, which

means you're on the mission of Jesus. He's the

head. And so we have to be saying, taking ownership,

not just of our Jerusalem, but of our Judea and

our Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world,

and saying, Lord, we want to take responsibility

for the 2085. unengaged people groups. How does

that happen? By doing the greater works that

Jesus did. I feel the call. I feel as he was

stirring this in me, the call. It is time. There

is about to be a Holy Spirit movement happening

that we've not seen. It is time. For us to engage

in what Jesus, what his expectation was. And

what was his expectation? Whoever believes in

me will do the works I have been doing. This

is his expectation for us. It's why he ascended.

It's why he went to the Father, that the Holy

Spirit could come. And through the power of the

Holy Spirit. We could do whatever we would ask

in his name, he would do. And so, as I was reading

this passage of Jesus, there are three areas

that I feel that we need to repent and contend

for. And the first one is in the area of our

expectation. Jesus expected us to do these things.

It's our own selves that get in the way of that.

We don't align our expectation with what Jesus

expected. In fact, in Luke chapter 6, Jesus said,

Luke 6 · chapter mention

given it will be given to you, a good measure

pressed down, shaken together, and running over

will be poured into your lap. For with the measure

you use, it will be measured to you. Now, we

often use that at offering time. But can I say

to you today, the context for this verse is not

giving. He does talk about giving in this whole

speech. But within the verses that we find this,

he's actually talking about judging one another.

So you are a judgmental, critical person toward

other people. Guess what? With whatever measure

you judge, you will be judged. It's a pretty

serious thing. And so the context for that is

our relationships with one another. The grace,

if you extend grace to one another, guess what?

You will receive an abundance. Grace, mercy.

If you're merciful instead of judgmental, you

will receive mercy. Now, I do believe that this

is a truth, although he's using this in regards

to judgment. I believe it to be a foundational

truth with anything. If it's your giving, wonderful.

If it's your time, wonderful. If it's how open

you are with people and giving just of yourself.

It will be returned to you. The point of this

verse isn't to get stuck in the weeds of all

of that. The point of the verse is generosity.

There should be an expectation that when I give

out, I don't have to worry about it. It will

come back in greater measure. And so what we

expect. When you gave of your offering today,

what is your expectation for your budget in June?

Is it that he will throw open the storehouses

of heaven and pour out upon you? Or is it, man,

this is going to be a tight month. And even as

you're putting your offering in, you're declaring,

man, this is going to be a tight month. You've

just declared your expectation. And I really

believe that Holy Spirit is saying, come on,

raise your expectation. There's so much that

he wants to do in and through us. And it's not

that God is the limit. Our expectation is the

limit. Thomas understood this. And unfortunately,

he will forever be riddled with the name Doubting

Thomas, the poor guy. He's probably more like

all of us than any of the disciples. But in John

John 20 · chapter mention

chapter 20, he said, because remember, Jesus

had appeared to the disciples, but Thomas wasn't

there. So Thomas got the report, Jesus is alive.

And what is Thomas' initial response? It wasn't,

yes, I'm so excited to hear this news. I can't

wait to see Jesus. No. He had very low expectation.

He said, unless I see the nail marks in his hands

and put my finger where the nails were and put

my hand in his side, I will not believe. He had

low expectation. And I wonder how often. I'll

raise my expectation when I see this, this, and

this. Here's what happened. For a week, Thomas

sat in that disbelief. Jesus did not immediately

come to Thomas and alleviate his doubts. A week

later, they're gathered, and suddenly Jesus is

in their midst. And immediately he says to Thomas,

put your finger here. See my hands? Reach out

your hand and put it in my side. Stop doubting

and believe is what Jesus said. Stop doubting

and believe. That whole week, what Jesus wanted

was for Thomas. to believe. But Thomas didn't

believe. And immediately Thomas says, my Lord

and my God. And then Jesus said, because you

have seen me, you believed. But blessed are those

who have not seen yet believe. Have not seen

yet believe. He's not looking for people that

are waiting to see the evidence that requires

no faith. He said in John chapter 14 that we

John 14 · chapter mention

just read, you may ask me for anything in my

name. I will do it. He does not qualify that.

Well, if it's in my will, I'll do it. He doesn't

qualify it at all. He just says, in his name,

if you'll do it in his name, that was the only

qualification, he will do it. If we go over a

chapter, so when I read verses like that, because

that is an extreme statement in my mind, ask

anything and I'll do it. I don't just read that

verse. I'm like, I need to know what's going

on around this verse. And so immediately following

this in the next chapter, John chapter 15, we

John 15 · chapter mention

have the passage that talks about abiding in

Christ. Living out life in his presence. And

he says in John chapter... verse 7, he says the

exact same thing again. He says, if you remain

in me and my words remain in you, ask me whatever

you wish and it will be done for you. Ask me

whatever you wish and it will be done for you.

This is to my Father's glory that you bear much

fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

There is an outward evidence of being his disciple.

And it's not just that we're growing in his character,

it's doing what he did. If you were a rabbi and

you had followers, they were to be doing what

the rabbi did. Jesus, if he is our rabbi, we

are to be doing what he did. Ask whatever you

wish. Now let's think about this for a few moments.

If you remain in me, because I'm like, how can

Jesus ask this? How can he say this? Well, he

says, if you remain in me. And if you think about

that word remain, it is. Obviously, to remain

is to stay, right? To be. But it also has a word

in there which means endure. Now, endure has

a couple of meanings, and endure can mean just

to be in something, to stay in something for

a length of time. And that is true. We don't

leave his presence on Sunday morning. We endure

day by day by day by day. However, If you've

endured anything, if you've spent a length of

time, I have endured almost 33 years of marriage.

Now, see, you're immediately thinking of a negative

connotation when I say that. But the truth is,

is that the first meaning just means I have remained

in my marriage for 33 years. It's a time signifier.

However, anybody that's been in a marriage any

length of time knows that in order to remain

and to have that passage of time means you have

had to endure ups and downs. We've had really

great times in marriage, and we've walked through

very difficult times and have endured together

in those difficult times. And so when we talk

about remaining in Christ, And this is what happens

so often. Well, this way I can't just give Jesus

a try. The first minute you have to endure hardship,

you're out the door trying something else. To

remain and endure in Christ means we withstand

the ups and the downs, right? That means there's

going to be seasons, winter seasons, where it

does not appear like you are becoming like Christ

or doing anything that he did. It's a hard season.

And there are seasons we just endure. We keep

doing what we know to do. like Pastor Ben was

talking about. We keep praying. We keep reading.

We keep showing up at church. We keep doing those

things because we are remaining in Christ. So

how can Jesus say, whatever you wish, it will

be done for you? I think he can truly say that

because he truly believes that if we are remaining

and enduring with Jesus, whatever I wish, is

whatever he would wish. Right? Suddenly, your

desires become the desires of Christ. Suddenly,

what you want answered is what will bring glory

to the Father and to the Son. And I think it's

interesting he says, whatever you wish. All that

means is whatever you desire, whatever you want.

And it will be done for you. I'm like, Lord,

I want my son, right? I want health, right? Whatever

I wish, Lord. Because I want you to have glory

and I want to do the things that you've called

me to do. And so whatever, here's what I want,

Lord. Here's what I desire. And I'm coming with

boldness because you said it will be done for

you. I think that maybe we ought to increase

the audaciousness of our prayers if this is what

Jesus said he would do. I think that if Jesus

had said, ask whatever you wish and it will be

done for you, and you're remaining, you're not

trying to do it in yourself and in your flesh,

but you're remaining in Jesus. I think we ought

to be asking for more. I bet he's up there just

saying, come on, son. Come on, daughter. I got

more I want to do. 2 ,085 unengaged people groups.

And how many followers of Christ living in the

United States? Surely we've got 2 ,085 missionaries

we can raise up. And we're not the only denomination.

And we're not the only country sending missionaries.

Surely in all of our churches across the globe,

we can raise up 2 ,085 missionaries to go to

an unengaged people group. Can we ask for a little

more than what we've been asking? Here's where

we get stuck. And we're spending the other two

points won't go this slow. But here's where we

get stuck. We get stuck in the gap. How many

of you know that in the London underground, when

you are stepping out, when the doors open and

you step out, what is the recording that plays?

Mind the gap. Have you heard that phrase? That's

where it comes from. Because between the vehicle

and the platform, there's a gap. And so there's

a recording that will say, mind the gap. And

this is where we get that phrase. And so what

it means is just to be careful and pay attention,

right? Because we're not always paying attention

to what we're doing. Pay attention to this difference

in space, this gap. There is a difference here,

and we need to mind it so we don't trip up. In

fact, I did a wedding yesterday. out of town

in a barn in the country. And so the barn was

kind of up a hill, so they had a ramp they had

built that met then the entrance to the barn.

And so there was about a four -inch gap where

the barn met that ramp. And so, you know, it

had been there all through rehearsal. That gap

had been there, the wedding party coming in.

And all of a sudden, as we're all standing around,

a couple of the groomsmen are pulling these boards

out from the back wall. And they're sticking

them in the gap. And you should have heard everybody.

Oh, we were all enlightened because they had

filled the gap in. And so up until now, we've

been tolerating this gap. Those with heels probably

despising that gap. And all along there have

been provision for the gap. Listen, the gap spiritually.

It can trip us up if we're not mindful of the

gap. And the gap, what it really means is to

be aware of the difference between two things.

And so what we have in our expectation that isn't

that difference is between our expectation and

the reality we're currently living in. And sometimes

there's a gap. We know what Jesus has promised

and called us to, and we know the reality of

what we're walking in. Can I say to you today,

mind the gap. The gap can trip you up if you're

not mindful of it. How you respond in the gap

will matter. And after 40, how old am I? 41 years

of being a Christ follower, What I've learned

is that in these spaces, I have a choice to either

be despising of it, just trying to endure it,

just wanting out of it. Now what I've learned

is to make the most of the gap. What I've learned

is I feel God calling me to do this. Okay, I'm

going to, in the space of the gap between the

expectation of what he's calling me to and where

I'm at, I am going to align my life to my reality?

No. I'm going to align my life to the expectation.

I'm going to ask God to teach me how to do that

which is expected. I'm going to research areas.

that I feel him calling me to. I'm going to resist

the devil who would come in and say, oh, see,

here's your reality. He didn't really say that

to you. No, in the gap, I'm going to resist him

and say, no, flee. In the gap, I'm going to fan

my flame of faith. In the gap, I'm going to give

myself to prayer and to asking. How we mind the

gap is really important. And it will either keep

your expectation up, but if you don't mind it,

suddenly, because it's like your body, right?

Your body quickly begins to just... And one week

of not exercising, suddenly it's... It's the

same way spiritually, if we don't mind the gap.

The second area that I feel him calling us to

is the area of imagination. And I've talked about

this before. And we even talked about Ephesians

Ephesians 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3 before. But as I was praying through

this, I felt the Holy Spirit speak something

a little different in regards to Ephesians chapter

Ephesians 3:20

3, verse 20. And in the NIV, It says this, now

to him who is able to do immeasurably more than

all we ask or imagine, according to his power

that is at work within us. And I've often said,

Lord, I'd just be thrilled if you would do what

I asked or imagined. Don't even have to go beyond,

and I would be thrilled. I like how the New King

James Version phrases this, though. It says,

now to him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly

above all that we ask or think. I found this

phrase interesting, abundantly above. The way

that word above is, it means beyond. It means

superior to. It means more than. And so often

when we read Ephesians 3 .20, we're just thinking

God is going to do numerically maybe more than

what I'm asking or imagining. He's going to increase

it more than that. As I was reading this, I felt

Holy Spirit say is the beyond that I want to

do is superior. To what you're asking for. Think

of it this way. Isaiah 55 says. We know this.

My thoughts are not your thoughts. Right? My

ways are not your ways. As the heavens are higher

than the earth. My ways are higher than your

ways. And my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

And so. What I. think we often think is what

I'm asking or imagining, we understand in terms

of our own thinking, but we cannot comprehend

what God is actually wanting to do. It is beyond

us. And I believe that is the more than that

he wants. An example of this would be the Jewish

people, right? On Palm Sunday, oh, we're all

excited. The king is entering Jerusalem on a

donkey, no less. That means he's coming to take

up kingship. He's coming to take up his throne.

And immediately they're rejoicing and excited.

Why? Was it because Jesus was coming? No. It

was because finally somebody is going to come

and get rid of this Roman rule and set up a new

kingdom. And Jesus is going to be the head of

it. See, they've been asking for it. They've

been imagining what it looked like. And God did

it above and beyond, but it did not look like

what they were envisioning. And even later, after

he had died and resurrected, they're asking Jesus

the question, okay, Jesus, now are you going

to do it? Now are you going to set up your kingdom?

Again, they're still thinking. They're still

asking and imagining based upon earthly kingdoms.

All along, Jesus, they were thinking outward

kingdom, and Jesus, what was he thinking? Inward.

There's a kingdom of God that they were not able

to perceive. Their ways were not God's ways,

and their thoughts were not God's thoughts. And

there are things that God has promised to you

and you have perceived them in your own understanding.

And that above and beyond that God wants to do

is because it's beyond what you can think or

imagine. And I believe that God wants us, I think

he wants us to ask and imagine because it keeps

us believing. But we need to be open in that

to saying, Come and make it happen the way God

you know to make it happen. The way you believe

it should look like. And so he's given you a

promise in life. Maybe it's you've been perceiving

it and believing for it. And God's saying, your

way is not my ways. Your thoughts aren't my thoughts.

You're not perceiving it the way I'm perceiving

it. And he wants to restore that. And then the

third area is the area of expansion. He said,

whoever believes in me will do the works I have

been doing and do greater things. In 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 9:8

9, verse 8, it says, God is able to bless you

abundantly so that in all things, At all times,

having all that you need, you will abound in

every good work. And so Jesus said, you're going

to do the works that I have done, but you're

going to do it greater. And here we see in Corinthians

that God is the one that supplies, that having

all things at all times, everything we need.

we will abound in those good works. As I was

praying through this one, I couldn't help but

be drawn back to Jabez. And we had to be careful

because there was the whole season of the prayer

of Jabez, and sometimes we quit seeing things

then. And the prayer of Jabez is interesting

in 1 Chronicles 4. It's just a lineage being

laid out. This is why even in the lineages, we

keep reading through all those names, we come

to some treasure points. And this is one of them.

This is now Jabez was more honorable than his

brothers. And his mother called his name Jabez,

saying, because I bore him in pain. And Jabez

called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh, that

you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory,

that your hand would be with me, and that you

would keep me from evil, that I may not cause

pain. So God granted him what he requested. This

is all we see here. Now, we do know there is

another city named Jabez. that was probably named

after him. Based on a lot of our ancient Jewish

writings and storytelling, we do learn a few

things that Jabez was a learned doctorate of

the law, and he probably had started a school

of scribes. He became so well known that scribes

were coming to Jabez, and he began to train and

establish a school. He would be considered a

rabbi in that. And so he truly had a place of

influence. And I find it so significant because

Jabez was born with a name that defined him as

painful. And I'm imagining this mom, because

as an adult, it obviously had been something

that truly had identified him. Because what is

his prayer? That I may not cause pain. There

was something in him that said, I don't want

to be a causer of pain. I have been a causer

of pain. I'm imagining that mom as he's a little

kid getting in trouble being like, Jabez, I brought

you into this world and you caused me a lot of

pain. You better whip it up into shape. I just

imagine this mom saying things like that to him.

That he would become an adult with such an awareness

of how he touched people's lives. That he was

so worried about causing pain that it became

his prayer. And this man that had been a causer

of pain prayed a prayer of audacity. He prayed

a prayer of, Lord, bless me. Lord, enlarge my

territory. And I don't know, I think we think

it's so holy to not ask for things of influence.

You know, I read, I'm reading a book right now,

and they read a statistic of denominations. And

of all, you know, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist,

Pentecostal. In the economic sense, in the economic...

facts that they collected. The wealthiest economic

status were those like the Presbyterians, the

Lutherans, the bottom 10 % Baptists and Pentecostals.

And I believe it's because we think it's spiritual.

We think it's unspiritual to ask, Lord, bless

me, enlarge my territory. And can I say that

is just, I think, I think that the enemy has

used that to keep us in a lower economic situation

because it takes resources to expand the gospel.

And I think we should resist that kind of, I

think that the devil whispers that to keep us

in places of bondage. I'm like, I don't know.

I'd rather have us all be at that top economically

with hearts to enlarge our territory that the

Father would receive the glory of every tribe,

every tongue, and every nation. Missionaries

can't just, you know, fly for free. And so I

think we should change that statistic and be

like Jabez, unafraid to pray bold prayers. God,

would you bless me? Would you enlarge my territory?

Not out of a prosperity doctrine, but out of

a desire that the Father would be glorified in

the earth. And we would be a part of sending

that forward. Enlarge my territory. And so this

morning, this morning the team is going to come

and in these three areas, in the area of your

expectation, of your imagination, of your expansion,

I want us to be honest before the Lord. of where

we have been at in that. Maybe we have not minded

our expectation well. We've not been a good steward

of the gap. And he's kept us in the gap so long

because he's just waiting for us to steward it

well, to maybe learn something, to grow deeper

roots in those places. Maybe he's calling for

you to maybe get a little bolder in your prayers

for your family. To expand your expectation for

the one that feels like might never come to Christ.

I think that can be the most radical testimony

of what God does in your family. And I will believe

for no less. Some of you, God wants to expand

you. In Jabez's day, that was marked by territory

and herds. But listen, he wants you to expand

your territory in your workplace, in your family.

He wants to expand your influence in your neighborhood.

Can we just pray that, God, expand my territory.

I want to see the gospel of Jesus Christ flow

out of me. We just came off of Pentecost Sunday

last week. And at the end, which we grabbed these,

poor Darren had so much happening last week that

he didn't really get to this. But last week and

this morning, you should have received this four

more card. We are a Pentecostal people that believes

that the Holy Spirit has been given that we would

have power to be a witness in Jerusalem, in Judea,

in Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth.

And I am believing for the uttermost parts of

the earth. But there is a pathway to that and

it is through Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria.

We are so blessed. We have a couple coming to

our Petersburg campus and originally from Illinois,

but spent 40 years in Tennessee and moved back

to Illinois so that she could pray for Illinois.

I was like, yeah, God. All these people moving

to Tennessee. When Illinois needs Jesus. We have

our Jerusalems. You have a Jerusalem that I don't

reach. You need to change your expectation for

your Jerusalem. You need to begin to imagine

and believe over your Jerusalem. You need to

pray for expansion in your Jerusalem. Nobody

else is going to reach it. And we need to pray

that for our region, for our state, for our nation,

and to the ends of the earth. To believe in expectation,

to begin to imagine what could happen, to believe

for expansion. And so if you received this card,

I want you, you're going to have this card for

a year. And I want you to put four people on

this card that you are going to have expectation

for, that you're going to imagine over, and that

you're going to believe for expansion into their

lives of the gospel. And then you're going to

tear it off and turn in the bottom because we

want to pray over your names as a church. And

so if you took one home last week, I'm going

to ask that you would fill that out this week

and bring it back next week so we can pray over

your people. If you just got one today, you can

do that this morning and you can just turn this

into the offering box in the back. And we have

a fried chicken with friends that's coming here

in a couple of weeks. And I want you to begin

to just pray. Jesus called us to do the things

that he did. And I don't want to be a Pentecostal

church in here experiencing wonderful things

and having goosebumps and Holy Ghost parties,

which I love. In fact, I'm driving over to Radiant

tonight. They're having a worship night, revival

night. So I'm going to go hang out and have myself

a little revival night. I believe in that. It's

our locker room where you get encouraged and

filled up ready to leave. But the Holy Ghost

was given so that you would leave and go do what

Jesus did. Jesus left this earth so that you

could receive the power of the Holy Spirit and

go do what he did. And go do it in a greater

way than what he did. And I feel great heaviness

that we, it's not a, well, that's great for those

that are evangelists. There is a heavy responsibility

I feel in this. There is a cost to it in the

life of Christ. And we've been put on this earth

for such a time. You're here for such a time

on this earth. to do what Jesus did and beyond.

Amen? That should be an amen. So let it be. So

let it be. And so this morning I'm going to ask

if you will stand. I love testimonies of what

Holy Spirit does in here, but I love it more

when you guys come and say, here's what happened

this week. at school, at work. And I hear how

Holy Spirit has used you to flow in the gifts,

used you to pray for somebody and they've been

healed. My favorite, I love Tabitha back there.

She's online for her work. She's constantly ministering

to the people she talks with online, on the phone,

at her workplace. I love her testimonies. What

is she doing? She's believing. She's believing

that she can do what Jesus did and do even greater

works than that in the lives of those people.

And so this morning, Jesus, in just a quietness,

in just a sincerity of heart, Lord, we're asking

As we abide in Christ, as we abide in you, as

we seek to live and dwell and move and have our

being in you, that the good works that you have

established for us to do would come into fruition.

God, we're saying we're not going to settle any

longer for just becoming like you, Christ. No,

we're not settling any longer. But we're saying,

Christ, we want to do the things that you did.

The hungry and the thirsty in our lives. That

we would be pitchers of living water being poured

out. That we would be bread distributors giving

of the living bread of Christ. we're asking not

that we would be a Pentecostal people in these

four walls, but we're asking that we would be

a Pentecostal people outside these walls. We're

asking that where our feet step, that we would

take that ground, that wherever we are walking

and talking and being, that we would evidence

the character of Christ and do the things of

Christ. And Lord, we in this moment, as one body

we just take a moment to say God we're sorry

for having such low standards of being Christ

followers forgive us for our low standards our

low expectations and teach us Jesus what it is

to do the things that you did teach us Jesus

how to lay hands and to pray over people. Teach

us, Jesus, how to release people from the bondage

of sin through the gospel. Teach us how to hear

when the Holy Spirit quickens us. Teach us, Jesus,

to do the things that you did in our places of

businesses. Jesus, you excel in the hardest places.

You excel in the most sin -bound places. Your

power is greater than any dark place. There's

just no place that's too big for you, Jesus.

So we repent for our low standards. And we raise

our expectations to all that you would have us

Do and be. Jesus.