A Call to Salvation

Come on, give the Lord some worship.

Woo, I love Sunday mornings.

Come on, y'all may be seated for a minute.

If you can't?

If you can't, I promise we won't hold it against you.

God is good, woo.

That might be one of my favorite songs right now.

Man, it is good to be in the house of the Lord on this beautiful Sunday man.

Yesterday we had the perfect weather.

It was not beating down, sunshine or nothing.

I don't know if that's fishing conditions, but it's Stephen conditions had a nice little breeze.

They said.

If it wasn't, probably wind wasn't blowing so much, we probably would have caught more fish.

I'll stick with what I got and take the breeze.

Want to say welcome to everybody here and welcome online.

We are so glad that you are here and being a part of this service today.

I hope that God is going to mess your life up today.

I don't want a mundane prayer of blessings, I want a Holy Ghost-filled mess your life up, salvation.

I want to say thank you.

They traveled all the way from the Tyler Bullard area my wife's family on her side.

They came over to visit today Best in-laws that I got, hey, and even the best ones I've ever had.

But if you meet them and you don't like them.

I don't know who they are, but it's just kidding.

It's probably the other way around.

You're probably wondering why they're here.

So I want to start off.

I know you just sat down, but I want to.

We have a slide up.

It's Romans 5, 8.

I want to start off.

I know you just sat down, but I want to.

We have a slide up.

It's Romans 5, 8.

And I believe that in the modern church house today we have become so aggressively wrapped up in our programs and orders of services that we have forgot the simple truth of the salvation of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5.8,.

If you'll stand for the reading of God's word, to honor his word, get you a few squats in the day up and down.

But it says but God demonstrates his own love for us in this While we were still sinners, christ died for us.

Let's pray, father, we thank you for your presence that we already feel here.

It is already so evident that you have come to this place today.

So we honor you, we thank you, we appreciate you.

Anoint your humble servant today, as I speak the words that I feel that you have given me for the congregation and the body here today.

In your name we pray Amen.

So my title of my sermon today.

I bounce around a little bit, but I landed on a call to salvation.

And the reason I landed on a call to salvation is because it is a constant call and it is a constant necessity.

Whether you are walking with God or you are not walking with him at all, salvation is a necessity.

Some of you are weekly getting right with God people.

Some of you are daily.

Some of you might have to say that salvation every single hour.

I'll ask your spouses to know the truth, but sometimes we get so caught up in working in the field I'm going to move a lot, so we're going to set this over here we get so caught up in the programs, the order of service, the things we have to do this in this time.

We have to do this many songs.

We have to have these connect groups, which are great.

We started this connect group stuff in the growth track because we want to build community in the body of Christ.

That's what it should be about.

But I felt God's stirring something in my heart is that and here's what we do as a church, as a body of believers, we often make these assumptions, follow me.

I'm going somewhere.

They probably have you ever thought this before you see somebody I saw.

Let's see where was I at.

I was at a restaurant.

I travel a lot during the week for work and I was sitting at this.

It may have been a Whataburger, because you know, that's God's burgers and so I was sitting there and I saw this guy across and he looked like a young man, maybe mid-20s, and it looked like that he was wiping away tears.

This is probably about a year or two ago.

He was wiping away tears from his eyes and he was just sitting there on his phone and it looked like he was trying with all of his might to hold back his tears.

Now the Stephen today would probably go and talk to him the Stephen that I'm telling you about then sit there.

I prayed for him.

But you ever do that where you keep your distance and you don't want to talk to somebody because you're afraid of what they may say.

You'll be like, oh, they probably already know Jesus.

I went at the church that we came from.

They had active shooter training.

You know that time when the churches got shot up a lot, there was this whole ordeal.

We had security training and all this stuff.

A cop came from the local PD and said that you will tell yourself when you hear gunfire in the next room.

Your mind will try to make everything okay.

There's this level of normality that your mind will try to make you think that no, that's not what I just heard.

There's no way that I heard a shot in the other room.

There's no way this person sitting across here could be in need of a Savior right now in their life.

But don't make this assumption.

Let me tell you some stats right here.

According to some studies that I looked up and found on a group of Christian people at a university, they were saying that what they have found across the board in North America they also I think they included Canada it was found that 20% of non-Christians in North America really don't know a person who actually says they're a Christian.

Does that blow your mind?

I was like 20% is high to me.

Or you may feel like you're intruding or they don't want me in their business.

Some of you need to learn to stay in your own business, but when it's concerning God and the salvation of someone who could be dying and going to hell, get all up in their business, because in that moment of time, it could have been a place where, exactly at that moment in time that God led you to this specific place, this specific location, with this on your heart, already you have been prepared.

God has prepared them and led to that place of brokenness.

That is the exact moment in time when God could penetrate their hearts.

But if you're like me, I will talk myself out of it and not follow through with what I know God's called me to do.

Let me ask you this If we're Christians and we say that we want to make God happy, that we want to be an audience with God, will God ever get upset with you for talking to somebody about salvation?

Is anybody here Raise your hand?

Anybody ever messed up?

Nobody.

So apparently, oh, you're right here.

Did you raise your hand?

Okay, good, because I'm going to point you out Apparently, and also my wife.

Apparently last Sunday I said butcher house instead of butcher shop and apparently it was the worst sin in the history of man, because he made fun of me in a group text with Pastor Aaron and probably some other people that saw it.

And then my wife was like you said butcher house, and I'm like, oh my goodness, it's a place where they butcher things.

All right, calm down.

So if anybody wants to give these two people a harder time than anybody else today, you have my blessing.

So if you've ever messed up before like I did and apparently it's affected me because this is a week later and I'm still sore about it you have these things in your mind that you allow to consume you.

So I just talked for a second from the place of the Christian looking at the person who was crying over there.

Now we're going to talk with the person who was crying.

When I messed up most of you know my story being on meth and being homeless and all this alcoholism, whatever I felt like I could not talk to someone who knew God because I did not think they would see me as worthy enough to talk to.

Now, probably in a house full of people who most at least 90% claim Jesus, you probably would never look at somebody like that.

You would never look at them and say, well, of course you're worth.

I can't say anything.

But guess what?

The further down the road that we begin to live our Christian lives and the more mature we become in Christ, actually the more selfish we become because we stop telling people like we did when we first were on fire, we become mundane, selfish people that come to a church house and say well, I go to church here.

We have churches in this community and it's like this everywhere that they see each other as competition instead of an extension of the body of Christ.

When I mess up, I'm a pastor and I still mess up, and if that's not okay with you, you probably need to find somewhere else where the pastor will lie to you and say he doesn't mess up, because we all struggle with something, we all deal with something, we all have something that we are fighting on a daily basis.

Sometimes those times are darker for you here than it was for me over here, but if we come together, we get signed up with those connect groups and we start literally breaking down these four walls right here that this is what the church is, because this is what the church is.

We are here for each other.

We are here together.

I told myself multiple times that no one has messed up more than me.

The main reason I didn't go back to church is because I was still in the depths of my sin and we have built up the facade from the exterior that you can't come in unless you got your junk together.

And we don't mean to.

It's not like we're trying to do it on purpose, but I have been guilty of looking down my nose at someone who is messing up so bad, so obvious, and I forget that we all have private mess up too.

Just because it's not out in the open doesn't mean we don't deal with it.

But you know the cure for this To bring down that barrier and to bring down that wall between us who say we know and we love Jesus, and between the person who is far from God, doesn't want anything to do with God.

The atheist you know what the cure is.

It's us from God, doesn't want anything to do with God.

The atheist you know what the cure is it's us.

We have to be willing to step out of our comfort zone and say God, here I am, send me.

When we take the time to get involved into each other's lives, you know what it does.

It strengthens us, it unites us because you know what, when you're having something at your house and it's not the church, people will come to that, probably before they come to the church, because they're just going to someone's home.

It will unite us.

It helps us feel like we're not in this alone.

Acts 2, 46 through 47 says this.

And this is where we get connect groups from and, day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes.

They receive their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all people, and the Lord added to their number, day by day, those who are being saved.

When we begin to open up our homes, the Bible promises that we will grow in numbers.

When we make room for each other outside of this church and we really begin to break bread together, we really begin to know each other.

You want to know somebody?

Go eat with them.

You may only do it once, but now you know you want to know somebody.

Or you want to be known, invite someone into your home.

Something begins to happen that could not have happened if we were apart from each other.

That's why we had so much depression and anxiety going through COVID, the height of it last year, because it was like the devil just used it to separate the herd.

People were going through the deepest valleys they've ever gone through.

People were going through the lowest of lows, feeling more disconnected from anybody and other believers than ever before, because when we come together, it gives us strength.

We begin to grow in strength, we begin to build community and confidence in each other Once we allow someone to see us, to be a part of us outside of the church, the church, these four walls and allow vulnerability.

You know, vulnerability is not a word that I, as a man I'm a man that I like.

I don't like it.

I don't like for you to see me for who I am.

There is an immediate guard that goes up that, if you think that I'm weak, you will see me as less.

When actually and this is the trick of the devil when, actually, when you begin to open up and allow your vulnerability to be seen and your witnesses to be seen, it actually strengthens, it actually begins to break down the walls that the devil's been trying to build up, that all of a sudden, we're all just a bunch of people trying to get through this.

We're all in this together.

There's none of us better than the other.

Now, this is vital.

This is why we recreated the connect groups, because it strengthens the body of believers to stop thinking that the church is these four walls.

We are the church, this body of believers.

So, as far as y'all know what I'm about to show you, I caught the biggest one.

So let's go to the first of the fishing.

Look at there, it gets better.

Keep going.

Look how beautiful it was.

I don't know I got no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Okay, now go back to okay, go back a little bit.

Go back, all right, go back again.

Go back one more.

All right, see how he's got that fish in the mouth.

That's experience.

Keep going Forward again.

Sorry, see how he's got that.

That's experience.

Keep going.

She don't like touching fish, but she's got a way.

And then I got them over there on that boat.

They were having fun.

All right, go one more.

Look at that.

See how he's got that fish.

That's experience.

Now, that was not the biggest one.

He caught the other one.

He actually released it before I even got my phone out.

Go over, see that.

That is the first time I may have ever touched a fish in the mouth.

I'm proud of it.

Man, look at that thing.

You see how Okay, hold on.

You see how big my hand is compared to my head.

That's because I was trying to lead as far as I could.

That thing was about that big.

That means I went fishing, right.

All right, go to the next one.

Go to the next one.

You go to the next one, should be it.

Yeah.

So you felt that environment for a second.

How we got that joy together.

We got that memory of something that meant something to us.

You saw your pastor look like a moron because he was holding a fish like a girl.

No offense, but it was like I was like ugh, like, while he told me to hold it up, I was thinking in my head.

I was like, oh my gosh, I'm touching a fish.

I'm not.

Look.

I told him before we went.

I told him.

I said I have not went fishing since I was a kid.

I do not know how to do this.

Please, please, be patient with me.

Y'all know what an open-faced reel is.

Boy, I was a pro.

Ask him I throw that thing anywhere.

He said, hey, put it up there.

Pow, right in there where I wanted it.

We ain't going to talk about how many times I backlash, but I learned.

I became a pro at digging out what'd you call it a crow's nest.

I became a pro at digging out what you call it crow's nest, bird's nest.

See, I'm not.

I don't know the slang yet, I'm still learning.

But there was only one that I had to get a hook in there and get it out.

But I got every single one of them out.

He offered to help me one time.

I said no man, I got this.

So I I did it.

I didn't fall overboard.

You try, okay, let me.

Let me tell you something about buoyancy.

All right, you get a man the size of Brother Rusty over here and a little guy on the back and if he steps one way, the boat's going that way.

He doesn't know this, but twice I almost fell out of the boat because he went to step one way and I grabbed the seat.

I almost was gone, but I wouldn't let go of that rotten reel.

I was going to have it one way or another.

But you see, this environment right here of having a good time is what the community of Christ should be about.

We learn to love each other through times that are funny, even though it's at my expense.

I had a blast.

The sun came out a couple of times, and as soon as it did, I felt these white legs start to burn.

I was like, oh so I'm spraying my son stuff on, like you ain't getting me, son.

They didn't burn Clouds covered it up, but it was a good time.

As far as you can tell, I caught the biggest one.

As far as you can tell, I caught the biggest one.

But hey, the truth is, though, I did catch the most stuff.

Now, if you wanted to know where anything was at in the water, I could find it.

I kid you not, I would cast it out, and he'd be casting right next to me.

I was on the back, he was on the front.

I'd kind of cast him like that, and I'd be like I'm stuck again.

I would throw it and start reeling it, and he would just be stuck and I'm like are you kidding me?

So I don't.

They were huge fish and he would have to.

All right, I'm coming around to get the trolling motor over and get me up to it, and I'd have to.

I never lost one, but it was a little depressing because I kept throwing it and I kept catching stuff they weren't fish.

So we were building relationships and we were having fun doing it, something I had not done in years.

Sometimes, to get the community that God wants you to have with the people in this church, you have to do something you haven't done before, you have to do something that is uncomfortable to you, and then, once you start doing it, I got this.

Have you ever you ever stretch?

Okay?

So the other day Tristan got a shot.

The kid about hyperventilated and we weren't even there yet, like I started talking about getting a shot because he's going in seventh grade and that's when they have to do it.

And he was like dad, dad, stop, dad, stop.

It's like, oh my gosh, kid, it's like that big Calm down.

So we went inside and in this moment, up until the doctor actually came in the room, he was okay.

The doctor came in.

It's like okay, this is you know.

He did a little checkup, had to do a physical for athletics.

He's playing football this year.

He left.

I'm like, oh, they didn't give you one.

He looked at me and he's like so yeah, the nurse is coming back.

She came back.

She had a needle.

The needle wasn't this long, the shot itself was this long.

The needle was like Tristan, just pinch yourself on the opposite side and get your focus off of it.

When you got something bad going on over here, you need something over here to get your mind somewhere else.

It helps Connect groups helping that way too.

If you got something going on in your life, you need community with the fellow believers that will lift you up and encourage you.

Because I think sometimes as Christians we kick our down more than anybody out there does.

We're easy to put them down when they just had a scratch and we're acting like they got a broke leg and we got.

She came in there, got a shot.

He pinched his leg.

He's like, oh, it wasn't that bad.

He stood up when she said it was okay to go and he about hyperventilated after the shot.

I don't understand how or why, but he's like following the nurse over here and I'm like, tristan, the door's right here, what are you doing?

He's like I don't know what I'm doing and he's like the kid had been drinking and he was freaking out after the fact.

Sometimes, when God delivers us from something, we still dwell on it after it's done.

Sometimes we stress out more after it's already done, worried about what the aftermath is going to be, and God's like listen, you've already been delivered, you got your medicine.

Let's go on and learn from it, poor kid.

So why is building relationships so important in the community of Christ, in the body of believers?

Why is it so detrimental to the wealth of this church?

Let's take away numbers for a second, because in my mind, numbers mean squat.

I don't care if people come and we have a thousand people here.

If we're not discipling people here and we don't focus on the salvation of Jesus Christ, then everything is pointless.

In John 13, 34 through 35, it says this so now I'm giving you a new commandment Love each other.

Just as I loved you, you should love each other, for your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

The community, the love, the strength in our relationships in this church is not so you can wear a badge of honor that you're fellowshipping with someone who you really don't like.

It's so that others can see true love and what true love is.

You know there's a saying going around that makes me very mad that love is love.

It's not.

God is love and the rest of it's a perversion of the truth.

That's just the bottom line.

And so when we start betraying that true love and fellowship with one another and we start coming together, we are strengthened and then are witness to those who do not know God, become strengthened.

We are commanded to love each other.

Matthew 22, 36 through 40 says teacher, which is the greatest commandment of the law?

And Jesus replied love the Lord, your God, with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind.

This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is, like it love your neighbor as yourself.

All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments we are going to encounter, whether you're in church or whether you're just out in the world.

You're going to encounter people that you don't like.

You're going to have to love people that are pretty unlovable.

You are going to have to sit at some uncomfortable tables and sit down with people that you don't want to talk to, but you have to love them.

Now, how does all this point to salvation?

Have you ever been hurt in the church?

We have some people right now that I know of it, since I've been here and I haven't been a part of that church from before.

That will not come back to church because they were hurt in a body of believers.

They will not darken the doors of a church because people cannot shut their mouths and show love.

Sometimes, because you know something or feel something doesn't mean you have to say it.

Something I found in the short time that I've been here and I've known this.

But putting it in action is a completely different story from knowing something and actually doing it yourself.

But there's a reason.

There's strength in counsel, because if you are not sure about something or you don't know if you should say something, shut up and ask someone that you know listens and believes in God and they will help you.

Because sometimes you shouldn't say some things and if you do it you should also bring it into that council and handle it.

There's biblical texts that if someone offends you, how to address it and what order to take it in.

You don't just go blasting somebody on social media because you're mad.

Social media makes a lot of people brave and a lot more ignorant.

We have to stop allowing the devil to manipulate the church house.

You may believe in god, but the devil can still trick you into being a moron.

Some of you, including myself, are on the brink every day of being one.

You're on the brink of saying something so stupid that can get you so deep in trouble.

Ask my wife.

I have a gift in that I have to seek wise counsel.

You know what I've learned, and this is the way I stopped cursing.

I have learned that when I am in pain, like if I hit my hand and screw goes in my hand, whatever nail I don't say a word, I just scream, and I have not said a bad word since.

Some of you just need to go out in the woods and scream it out and don't say anything else to anybody else, and just let God take care of it, because you know, when God does something and the Holy Spirit moves on someone's heart, you can't undo that, and then whatever happens after that, it's not on you, that's God's business.

If someone does you wrong, or if you've been done wrong in the church house, let it go, because it is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

You will never, ever be loose of that if you don't let it go, because I guarantee you that the person who hurt you doesn't probably even remember doing it and you're letting it control and manipulate your life.

We have seen people you've probably seen people being in a church long enough.

You've seen someone probably get hurt in the church.

Are they mad at God?

No, they're mad at you, they're mad at us.

So whose fault is it?

It's ours.

So in this sense, we become the gatekeepers to the people, whether they want to know God or not, and that's a pretty heavy responsibility, but it's one for ours to bear if we bear the name of Christ.

Yes, god is the ultimate in all authority, but we can mess up all the work he is doing by being stupid.

Can I say stupid in church?

2 Corinthians, sorry.

2 Chronicles 7.14,.

If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

After we went fishing the other day, I think Josh actually said something about it this actual verse and I said you on track, buddy.

It does not say one time in that verse if the sinners repent.

It does not say one time.

If the person who is far from God will repent and humble themselves, then I will hear, I will heal.

It says if his people.

It says if his people which means what People in the church house need to get their crap together.

People that are right here right now, now need to start actually living what they say they believe and start really focusing on God and stop other people around them.

God is calling us to be a house of repentance.

He's calling out the church.

He is calling the church back to salvation Because, I guarantee you this, we have enough hypocrites in the world.

We have liars, we have thieves.

We have people who say I'm going to do this.

They won't ever do it.

We have people that say I believe this and they don't even follow the belief.

Like, do you even read?

Then people come to the church and are expecting something different and we're all still saying we're still messed up.

So how about we agree today that we will start living what we say?

We believe, that we will be a testament of who God really is by living out the salvation that he is calling us to?

He's calling the church back to salvation for us to repent, for us to turn away from our wrongdoings and repent.

You see, a salvation, or a call to salvation leads us down a tough path of submission.

Anybody else doesn't like submission.

It's tough.

That means we have to take what we want and completely give it over to him.

We have to yield who we are, what we want, to God's authority.

Repent and turn.

Repentance a word that holds a lot of weight in the Greek Metanoia, which is a deeper than English definition of repent, sincere regret or remorse.

It actually in Greek it's a summons to a personal, absolute, ultimate, unconditional surrender to God as sovereign, A complete change in direction and full submission of God's authority.

When we do this, we begin to recognize God's purpose in our life.

God didn't send you here to consume.

He sent you here to contribute.

Listen, we have a church, body of believers as a whole that we are so selfish in our salvation that we want to get and get and get and we forget to turn around and give out what God has given us.

A complete change in direction, a full submission of God's authority.

And when we do this, then we begin to recognize the purpose that God has for us.

So what are we called as children of God?

For Salvation, john 3, 16,.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever believed in him will not perish but have everlasting life.

In Acts 3, 19,.

It says this repent then and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.

Number two we are here to love and to serve each other.

Once we find that salvation, we should start to produce the fruit of the Spirit towards each other.

That then will bleed out into the community.

If you have issues with your fruit, you need to begin to check your root.

You will end up planting yourself in soil that is not proper for growth in christ.

Matthew 22, 36 through 40 says teacher, which is the greatest commandment in law?

Jesus replied love your lord god.

And then he says this is the greatest commandment, but then he compares it to loving each other.

He says love god, but then he compares it to loving each other.

He says love God, but then he says equally to love each other.

Because when we do this, we are outwardly displaying the love of God, just like when you come to salvation.

The next step, if you don't know, is to get baptized, because not only is salvation an inward thing, now you turn around and begin to display outwardly, by getting baptized, that you are saying and making a statement that I believe in God.

I have turned my life to God.

Salvation is not a sinner's prayer.

Salvation is a lifestyle actively seeking God, persisting to pursue him every single day, living in community and harmony with one another.

John 13, 34 through 35 says so.

Now I am giving you a new commandment Love each other.

Just as I've loved you, so you can love each other and you will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

And through these things, if you notice both of those verses I just read I've read before, I'm repeating it Although, through these things we will present the truth not only with our mouths but with our lives, and this is what truly matters.

Talk is cheap.

You can say all day to your blue in the face you know another saying that I hate.

I'll say hate.

I can't stand when someone says me and God are good.

God is not somebody you went to high school or college with.

That's one of your buddies.

You call up when you need him.

He is a sovereign, almighty God that sits above every other king ever in the history, every president, everything that goes on in our nation, our lives.

He is above and beyond.

He is the ultimate.

He is the I am.

He is the one that is beyond anything that we can ever fathom.

His greatness is above anything we can imagine.

He is not somebody that you and him are just good and you bump fists and you're on your way.

If you think you and God are good, you don't understand the majesty of our Lord and Savior.

This is what truly matters that the sons and the daughters of God live in peace together, putting aside petty differences.

You ever get mad at somebody.

This happens a lot in families.

I've heard a lot of this.

Like you get mad at somebody, they don't talk to each other for like a year, two years, three years and you can't even remember what the fight was about.

That started the whole thing.

Because we get so fixated on these petty differences and God's like listen, I've called you to live in peace.

If you want to follow me, you have to pick up that cross and face that person.

Petty differences, for the sake of furthering the gospel, we have to put these aside so that the true gospel of Jesus Christ, the true love that this world is seeking after, is found in the love that we share and show with each other on a daily basis.

There's no room for quiet, closet Christians.

We are called to display who God is by being who he has called us to be.

You know, we get caught up very, very easily, and I'm guilty of this.

We get caught up on the.

Do we start looking at what the Bible says we should do what?

And I'm guilty of this we get caught up on the.

Do we start looking at what the Bible says we should do?

What we need to do to do this, what we need to do to be this?

We need to start focusing on the who, because when you focus on that and you hone in on that, that right there will change your life forever.

We should not be seeing who can draw the biggest crowd with the programs and all the alluring things that we add to a church Y'all.

We just got lights, we got a new soundboard, we got some cameras going on in here.

That is awesome.

That is not our purpose.

It makes it where I can see my stuff very well, and a lot of the lights are only for the cameras.

We can turn the other lights on.

It'll probably be just fine.

But everything that we do if we don't have the gospel of Jesus Christ at the forefront of that idea, thought or purpose, we are playing a selfish game.

There is only one truth that should be at the forefront of our message and purpose as a church body there is only one way to heaven.

There are no other gods.

Jesus Christ is the only way.

John 14, 6 says I am the way, the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

There is no other name in which man can be saved.

Why is this so urgent?

Why do we stop needing to be consumer Christians and stop being selfish with our salvation?

Romans 3.23 says this because we all have sinned and fallen short.

No one is above the other.

It doesn't matter nationality, creed, color, what church you go to, height, stature, whether you're around or little, it doesn't matter.

God came for everybody to come under his salvation.

That's why he went to the cross, because yet he knew us in our sin.

He still died for us Because, guess what?

Just like John the Baptist preached, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

We do not have time to play these games.

Christ is soon returning, and in the blink of an eye.

No one will have a chance to wait and get on their knees before it happens, because this is not a game.

This is serious.

We're talking about souls and lives.

Jesus Christ came for everybody.

We need to start doing our due diligence to get that message of Jesus Christ to them.

Accepting Jesus.

And guess what?

Let me just throw this out there real quick before anybody gets confused.

Jesus Christ did not come for a certain denomination.

God did not send his son for a denomination.

We need to stop building walls between churches and start building bridges.

This is petty stuff.

The only qualifying factor to get into heaven is to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Everything else is just added.

That is the one truth that needs to be on the tip of our tongues when we speak and think, and the way we look at other denominations has become a pathetic slap in the face to God, because we think listen, I'm telling you.

I'm telling you, this is something I told you.

I never preached on anything I never dealt with.

We talk or say things about other denominations like we're better than them.

Are we or did we just read something that says we have all sinned?

I'm going to get back to my notes.

That was free.

Accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is the only way Repenting and turning from your fleshy desires, leaving behind the old man and being born again, made new and righteous by the atonement of Jesus' sacrifice, and actively pursuing God daily, taking up your cross.

If you are hearing the sound of my voice or you're watching online today, choose today whom you will serve.

And let me tell you this there's a reason that God called the church to repentance because we get sidetracked and we end up creating idols.

You know, sometimes idols is not a on-purpose situation.

Sometimes we allow things in our life little by little, because that's the way the devil works, because if he would come in so bluntly we wouldn't recognize the enemy.

And now in our homes, in our churches, we have allowed stupid, little, petty things to creep in our lives and we can't even feel the raw blessing of who God is because we have things blocking us.

You cannot serve two masters.

You either bow to the flesh or you fully submit to God.

You cannot do both.

In Revelation 3.16, it says this God, you cannot do both.

In Revelation 3.16, it says this but since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

You know God is love.

Jesus came because God so loved.

Jesus did not come to unite everybody together.

Jesus did not come to unite everybody together.

The Bible says he actually came to divide.

Because if you want to be united with everyone, that's grouping in with the sinners and guess what?

They're not going to accept you for worshiping God.

You cannot.

You cannot mix oil and water.

It does not mix.

If you want to be lukewarm, you have to accept the spewing of God.

This isn't a scare tactic.

This is not something that I'm bringing to you to say, hey, you better do this or God's going to strike you down.

I'm trying to present this as a way that we can grow together Because, listen, god loves you so much.

We have to in Proverbs.

If you are following the Wednesday night Bible study thing, we've been going through Proverbs, the 31 chapters of Proverbs, and we've been talking and it says a wise man welcomes correction.

That is hard, but if we want to submit and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have to submit to the Word of God.

We cannot pick and choose and take pieces and parts of what is acceptable to us and me and God are good and you get into heaven.

That's not how it operates.

We need to come with submission, humility before God and say God, my life is yours, you do not have to live in the sin anymore.

Jesus knew me, he knew you and yet he still died.

For us, that is a message of hope.

The time for riding the fence is over.

God you so much.

He wants a true relationship with you daily.

Now listen the reason I'm saying this.

I know, like I said, there's probably at least 90 that I know of.

But there is something that we all can work on and we have to submit ourselves to god's ruling that when god says, change this, we, we actually change it and we don't say, well, I pray about it.

That just not on Sundays is when we come in audience with God.

Like, imagine this, I'll give you a real world experience.

Imagine this If I only had face-to-face time, community with my wife once a week, I gave her once a week.

I would allow her in my presence for once a week.

Excuse me, made her laugh a little too hard than I thought it would.

Imagine if that was our relationship.

When I put it in that context it sounds funny, but we do that with God.

It sounds funny when I say me and my wife, I give her one day.

But yet we do that with God, like, okay, god, I'm here for Sunday.

Check, I'm good till next Sunday.

And then it's the in-between when the devil attacks.

Anybody ever felt like the presence of God today?

Just like you walk out the door and all the junk that you had before you came in is still there.

It doesn't change what's going on out there.

And it is so hard.

Sometimes You're like man, that was a good service.

We go out all right, devil, where you at.

We go out there and we get out there and we're like, oh man, I forgot about that bill.

Or oh man, I forgot, I didn't have a job for a split second.

We're in that like ecstasy of like god, god is good all the time.

All the time god is good.

Then we go outside and we're like, oh my gosh, I thought god was good.

What's happening?

It's because life is still life.

But you will never be more in tune with what's going on around you until you give yourself over to complete to god.

When I first got my truck, y'all know I'm bragging on god, look, we sold our house to come here and in tune with what's going on around you until you give yourself over completely to God.

When I first got my truck y'all know this, I'm bragging on God.

Look, we sold our house to come here and we have had that truck just a little over a year and it's paid off.

That is a testament to God.

But listen, when I got that truck I'm going to tell you another funny story about Tristan.

He's got a lot of them, but I'm going'm just this one when I got that truck, we got home I set out in my truck.

I had worship music going and I carry all my keys always.

This little thing right here has got anointing in it and I sit out there and it's stupid.

It's a truck, but I anointed that thing and I said God, this is yours.

God desires so much to be a part of the little stuff in your life.

He loves when you come to him about big stuff, but, man, the little stuff.

It's like when you lose somebody.

You remember all the little stuff.

When Pastor Phil lost his mom, you remember several times he had to go this last year and go and get her stuff and he said she collected all these little trinkets and it just meant so much to him to see that little stuff that was valuable to her.

It's the little stuff.

God's not looking for all these prestigious whatever ministers that come and say Lord, we want to give.

He's looking for you, he wants a relationship with you.

I anointed that truck and Tristan walked out there and he said what are you doing?

Because I was crying, because everything that God gives me y'all talk about, we talk about 10% of giving God tithes 100% that I have is his.

He can do with it whatever he wants.

He said what are you doing, dad?

I said I'm dedicating this truck back to God.

He looked at me funny.

He's like really.

I said yeah, really, I'm teaching him this truck back to God.

He looked at me funny, he's like really.

I was like, yeah, really, I'm teaching him that when God gives you something, if you give it back to him, why wouldn't he bless something that is his?

Why wouldn't he move heaven and earth for something that's already his?

That's why we have baby dedications, because what God blessed us with we want to give back to him.

So, tristan, he said are you really?

I said yeah.

He smacked his hand on that truck hood and he said blessed Jesus.

And he took off running and laughing the whole way into the house and one year later that truck has paid off, not because of me, and I'll tell you.

Talking about tithes, I'll tell you this and this is what I stand by.

This is my position as a minister of the gospel.

If you think that this church is after your money and you're like, well, I don't want to pay tithes here, because that don't pay tithes here, pay tithes somewhere else and give it three months and see what God does for you.

Don't pay it here.

We don't want your money, we don't want that curse.

But the Bible said the one time that God says, test me was with money.

Test him.

You're not testing me, you're not going to hurt me.

I am going to be a witness of what God can do.

But if I had that relationship with my wife where it was just once a week, and you know what the devil likes to do, he likes to get you, he likes to use the blessings of God for distractions.

You ever been there, say, man, I need to get back in the Word.

But you've been so blessed with work you can't you ever pray for children.

And then you have six of them.

You're like now I don't have time for anything.

It's coming, man, I'm just kidding.

I'm not going to speak that evil over you, but in those terms it sounds ridiculous.

But this is how we become in Christian.

Look, this is a constant struggle for me Because Tristan said the other day he's like you're always working.

I had never realized I was always working until he spent the summer with me.

Never crossed my mind.

Then I heard him say the other day I just wish somebody would throw the football with me.

What the heck am I doing this for If I can't throw the football my own kid?

The devil uses blessings for distractions and we become stale and stagnant because we get further and further and further and further from who we want to be and who God's called us to be.

But then we get so busy and so caught up in our blessings that we forget about the blesser and complacent in our relationship with God.

And this is a message of salvation.

The simple truth of the gospel should be at the heartbeat and the mission of Connect Church and at the Christian body of Christ as a whole.

We need to bring our focus back to what really matters.

If we fill this place with a thousand people, the message should still be about Jesus.

Baby, you got the ribbon.

So we're going to do something.

We're going to end the service on this today and Sister Barbara you mind coming up and playing something while we do this.

So what she's going to do is she's going to, on this altar, space out ribbons.

You ever heard of a prayer cloth?

Well, these are prayer ribbons and we weren't able to do it.

Yet.

This is the first Sunday we've been able to do it.

Can somebody go get Pastor D and then Pastor Aaron, will you come down, please?

We believe in the power of prayer.

We believe that when we pray, things that normally would not have been will come into existence, people will be healed, lives will be changed.

We do not want something just to be a mundane prayer of blessing.

We want it to be a life transformation that they will never be the same.

You're going to stay in your seats, but in a moment you're going to stretch your hands forward and we're going to pray.

The pastoral staff of this church are going to anoint and pray over every single ribbon.

These are for your children, these are for your teenagers.

You may have grown children, you may have college kids that ain't acting right.

Slip it in their car, where they don't know where it is.

Because I believe that through the power of prayer, when people unite, things begin to happen.

People will come back to a call of salvation and that the churches will begin to lift up Christ once again, back to salvation, that we stop worrying about programs and numbers but we start focusing on who God is and we are going to pray After we anoint them and after we pray and we dismiss.

If you have someone that you know or that you love, it doesn't have to be a child, but we're going to pray over their school year.

And if you have somebody that doesn't know God, sneak them a ribbon.

There's no power in these ribbons, but there is power in the prayer that we're going to declare over them today.

It is just a marker of the presence of God going wherever these go, and we will believe it in Jesus' name.

Pastors, if you'll come, we will anoint and we will pray.

If you'll stand up and put your hand forward, we're gonna slick these things up, baby, you guys.

Okay, as we begin to pray, I want you to believe, like you know, that where these ribbons go, the presence of the Lord is going.

Do you believe it?

Do you believe it?

Do you believe it.

We believe that the power of God is existent in our prayer.

So let's pray, father, right now, in the name of Jesus, as I anoint these things you know what child, what person, what family member, what friend they're going to I pray a special anointing, not of just blessing but of salvation.

Come over the entire household, that wherever these ribbons rest, lord, that there will be salvation, that the presence of God will sweep in through every location that these go to, whether they're in a car, whether they're under a pillow, whether they're in a book, whether they're in a backpack.

God, I believe and I anoint in the name of Jesus that wherever, whoever has these, that they will be blessed and they will be another testimony of that prayer works when the believers of God come together and pray.

Prayer works.

When the believers of God come together and pray, I pray a special, a special wind blow through that God, every person, that it be a ripple effect to their lives that they can't even contain and they don't understand, but they just know that God has showed up once again.

I speak life over the dead things.

I speak healing over brokenness.

God, you see the broken homes of today's society.

Restore the brokenness, mend the brokenness.

Mend the broken hearts.

God, let this be the beginning of revival in Longview, texas, as we step forward through faith.

Praying over these, god, we pray that our prayers do not stop today, but we be reminded of these every single day.

To pray wherever these are, your blessings will go.

Wherever these are, salvation will follow and that your mercy and grace flow through every circumstance that these represent today.

In the name of our Savior, jesus Christ.

We believe it.

We believe it.

We know your word is true.

We are standing on your word today.

In your precious name, we pray Amen.

Come on, give the Lord a hand clap of praise.

We're so thankful you came here today.

Listen, if you have somebody who needs Jesus Christ's salvation, come and get a ribbon, hide it.

Throw it in their purse.

If you see a stranger at Walmart, let's become bold in our faith that we stand firm on the promises and salvation of Jesus Christ.

Firm on the promises and salvation of Jesus Christ that this city, this state, this nation and this world will not be the same because of the prayers that were uttered here today.

We believe that prayer changes everything.

It doesn't change some things, it changes everything.

Father, bless them as they go forward in the rest of this week.

God, I pray that you unite us like never before.

Let your spirit move through our lives.

In your name we pray Amen.