Once It Starts, It Can’t Be Stopped - Special Guest Caleb Pierce

Welcome to the Summit Church Podcast.

Thank you for joining us as we share weekly sermons and teachings from Summit Church in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Our prayer is that today's message encourages your faith and helps you grow in your relationship with Jesus.

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Thanks for listening, and we pray this message encourages you today.

I am just so, so honored.

I've got to be really diligent with my time because I got so much burning in my spirit, and I got a lot of friends and family in this place today.

Can you guys make the guests that came with me just extra welcome?

Let them know you love them.

Wow.

I gotta be careful.

I'm about to start calling names, and that always gets you in trouble because I see in every direction I see someone that I want to call out and recognize and honor.

But just so you know, for Allie and I, it means more than we could ever put into words to uh to have you with us.

I gotta help me, Lord.

On the way here, we were we'd just been praying as anytime we minister somewhere, we take time to really just seek the heart of the Lord for for the house, for the ministry.

And over and over, I just kept coming back to my roots, man.

I this is the house that birthed me into the kingdom.

Come on.

Alex, you may want to check this thing in the back.

This is the house that birthed me into the kingdom, man.

Like out of darkness, into marvelous light.

And it's funny because literally everyone in the Roach family played a strategic role in that.

When we first came, um, you know, you guys look around today and you see some at church that's really nice.

Like you look around.

And it was awesome when we first started going, but as it is with any church that's starting from the ground up, you know, you work with what you got.

And so we came in, and it there wasn't all the bells and whistles and all those things, but the thing that I needed most, the thing that all of humanity is crying out for, the presence of God was undeniable in that place.

As it's still undeniable in this place.

And so I I go in and I'm thinking, you know, I'm 14 years old and I have I knew everything.

I'd already figured everything out.

I couldn't get anyone to listen to me, but I had figured everything out if they would just listen.

And uh when I got in there at the beginning, you know, Shelley was leading us in youth, and it's like the light bulb.

Just slowly but surely the light bulb started turning on.

And and I didn't like it because darkness never likes light, but the light bulb started turning on.

And then, you guys, y'all are familiar with Pastor Zach.

He bullied me into the kingdom of God.

If it weren't for Amanda, I would have left this church.

I'm just telling you, I would have been gone, I would have been out of here, I wouldn't have put up with it.

He he I mean, he'd show up at high school and hang me up on my log.

No, I'm just kidding about that part.

Put pick on me and all of that, but really just brought me in and they discipled me.

And and then Tim and Holly, I I can't, I'll never forget the trips we'd make to different conferences, and and I would just say the most, can I just say it?

I just feel like I'm home, so I'm just gonna say it.

I would say the most stupid stuff, man.

And they would just, well, Tim would smile, Holly would call it out.

You guys know.

Holly would call it out, and uh, so anyways, they just love me and and then I I cannot stop without saying, Pastor Sandra, Pastor Steve, pulled me in close and just poured into me.

And you know what they poured into?

There's a lot of amazing ministers with a lot of amazing experience.

She didn't care about any of those things.

She pulled me in and taught me how to host the presence of God.

And then she put with me with Miss Belinda.

And Miss Belinda further taught me how to host the presence of God.

Can I just tell you one more story, real quick?

I I they brought me on staff.

I'm I'm a knucklehead 18-year-old.

I still thought I had everything figured out at 18.

I still thought I knew everything.

And uh they brought me on staff and they start really pouring into me.

And I'll never forget there was there was a season at the church where Pastor had encouraged everyone.

We were going to take like a month or so, we're gonna take some time and fast as a church.

And it was up to everyone how they were going to fast, what they wanted to do.

And uh I remember in one of the staff meetings, Pastor Sander, you had told us, you said, now I want to encourage you, I'm not saying this to the rest of the church, but to the staff and leadership.

I really want to encourage you all to pray about, particularly a uh a Daniel fast, and we will do a full fast on these days.

And so corporately we were in, we were engaging together in this fast.

Well, there was a pastor's luncheon that we would go to, I don't know, maybe once a month, maybe once every other week, something like that.

It was pretty regularly, and it happened to fall on one of the days that there was the full fast.

And so during that full fast, on the way there, I'm riding with Pastor Sandra, and I said, So what do we do today?

On the way to a pastor's luncheon, what are we supposed to do right here?

And she said, Son, well, these kind of moments, what's most important, you don't want to really draw attention to the fact you're fasting and all that.

So just go in and eat, and we'll pick back up after we leave.

So I'm saying, thank you, God.

Y'all, I go in to uh, what is it?

Chop house.

We that's where we met was Chop House.

I go in, they go around the table, they're getting each pastor's uh order, they come to me and they say, What would you like to order?

And I looked at them and said, Can I get one of those big bacon cheeseburgers that you have?

And they're like, Absolutely, on the side for that.

French fries, please.

Next, Pastor Sanders, right next to me, and they said, What would you like?

She goes, Do you have any broth?

The Lord has given you a pass right now, woman of God, and you're ordering broth.

She would not compromise.

I'll just say that to let you know, your pastor will not compromise.

On the way here, on the way here, Allie and I were just praying.

I mean, so many memories.

Over the past few years, we've been, as Pastor Steve said, we've been in Memphis, Tennessee, just plowing that work, laying a foundation.

So, so grateful for those that God's assembled together in that house.

You can't, when you plant a church, if you're building on a personality, you can't do this.

You can't leave.

Because everything rises and falls on that personality.

But if the Lord builds the house, if the Lord builds the house, then there's great, beautiful moments like this where we're able to just kind of have a full circle moment.

And uh on the way here, Allie and I were just talking about all the memories, and the Lord, oh, we're riding down the road, and our kids are saying, Why are y'all crying?

And we're just, the Lord's moving.

And Judah said, Daddy, is mama being mean to you again?

No, I'm just kidding.

He didn't say that.

By the way, doesn't my beautiful wife didn't she marry up?

Come on, put your hands together.

I married up, man.

I've been blessed.

I love Miss Allie Pierce.

Um, but on the way here, as we're talking about all that God's doing and what this house means to us, what the Roach family means to us, we kept seeing two words.

It's like everywhere we went.

We went to the Holy Land, uh, Bucky's.

Um hey Jesus, did y'all hear that Hammond B3 organ come in right then?

We we stopped at Bucky's, and and when we went in Buckeys, and then we're riding down the road and we're seeing it on billboards, everywhere we turn, we just kept seeing this these two words.

Welcome home.

Welcome home.

Then I walk in this sanctuary, first thing I see is on the banner right there.

Welcome home.

And then we come in, and up here I see welcome home.

And it's interesting because as we're driving in, I promise, you can be finding your place in Joel chapter 2 and Acts chapter 2.

Joel 2 · chapter mention Acts 2 · chapter mention

That's where we're gonna go today.

But as we're making our way there, I just wanted to point out, as we're driving in, I have to be completely honest with you.

I I was born and raised in an area where I think the last number I heard was 20 million people visit this region every single year.

Twenty million people come to this region.

Now, as a kid growing up, when I first heard that number, I can't tell you how many times I went.

Severable?

Cebraville for you, Taurus?

Severable is this really here?

And I I couldn't put it together.

Having a couple of years away in Memphis, Tennessee, which we love, love, love that city, it's it's ripe for revival, and we're seeing a move of God in an amazing way.

And thank you to this house.

A church that's starting from the ground up, you wouldn't, you it is hard unless you've been in that position, it's hard to really imagine what the support, the prayer, the financial support, what that means.

So thank you.

We are so, so grateful.

But as we're coming back from Memphis and I see in the distance these mountains that I've seen my entire life.

There was just a moment where I I found myself having to take a deeper breath because it took my breath away.

Because in Memphis, flat, nice and flat, and it just dawned on me.

I had this my entire life.

What 20 million people drive hours and hours to come experience.

I had right in my backyard, and it had become so common and ordinary to me that I missed how majestic it really is.

You may think I'm talking about the Smoky Mountains, but I'm talking about some at church.

How we can be in a place where we're worshiping the Lord in freedom and the glory of God.

Now, you may not have eyes to see it every Sunday.

Daddies, let me talk to you, Mamas, let me talk to you.

I know the devil, you faced the greatest warfare you faced your entire week this morning when you got out of bed and stepped on a Lego.

I get it.

I get it.

On your way to church, ready for a move of God, and someone cut a Jeep cut you off in traffic with their ducks.

You jeep people, come, we're gonna have a deliverance service right now.

I take one if you give it to me.

I'm just throwing that out there.

But but since I can't, it's like I heard a guy one time uh just really saying, Well, I just you know, I've read the Bible, read the old test, read Leviticus.

I don't think anyone should eat shellfish.

Dude's allergic to shellfish.

Shut up.

Don't come to me telling me, oh, we should.

Anyway, um the I need counseling in this particular area.

But you come in this kind of place, someone cut you off in traffic, you're believing to have an encounter with the Lord, you spill your hot coffee all down your shirt.

I get the warfare that goes on.

But I also see why the warfare goes on.

Because when you come into this, Jesus said it like this in that day, you will know that I am in the Father, you are in me, and I am in you.

And the more we wake up to the revelation that the same nature and measure of love that the Father has for the Son, he also has for us.

Something in us begins to come alive.

And it's something that cannot be moved by the trials of life, it's something that cannot be moved by the bad doctor's report, it's something that cannot be moved whenever you get a bad report at work because there is a sure foundation, Christ Jesus the rock.

Come on, someone, and you're in a house that is unapologetically preaching that and not just touching the head.

I'm oh, I feel like talking for a minute.

I hate even got to it.

But it's moving into your very spirit, man.

And when you wake up to this revelation, you can say, like David, by my God, I can run through a troop, and by my God, I can leap over a wall.

You'll look the devil right in his ugly green eyes and say, Come at me, bro.

Okay, just so honored to be here.

That was just a good introduction to bless you.

Let's actually preach.

Let's jump into the word.

Let's read, look with me at Joel chapter 2, and listen, if any of y'all make fun of me, I will never come back here again.

Joel 2 · chapter mention

Couple, many of y'all look beautiful with these.

Beautiful.

A couple weeks ago, I had to, uh Allie and I were out on a date, and I bought this Bible, which I love the size of.

I love it, it's just a nice, compact, and that's never been a problem in my life.

Never.

Don't start come on and amen to me on this, because I'm trying to faith my way out of it, people.

We're in we're in this bookstore, and I see a book, and I notice the print.

I'm like doing this number.

It's like, far's not good, close ain't good.

And right beside me, there's reading glasses.

And I put them on, and all of a sudden, I just heard angels singing.

It was the weirdest thing.

See everything?

So I'm good when I get to my iPad, but I want to start, I want to start in this passage right here from Joel chapter 2, and I will look like a librarian for just a moment, so bear with me in that.

Joel 2 · chapter mention

Joel chapter 2, and if you make fun of me, I will take off my boot and throw it at you.

Joel 2 · chapter mention

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

So really honored to be with you.

Joel chapter 2.

Joel 2 · chapter mention

Let's just read verse 28 and 29, and then we'll pray together.

Joel chapter 2.

Joel 2 · chapter mention

It will come about after this, verse 28, that I will pour out my spirit.

Someone say, Pour.

Pour.

It will come about after this that I will pour out my spirit on all mankind.

And your sons and daughters.

Just want to make sure that all of our friends that believe women should have no voice here this part.

And your sons and daughters.

I want to make sure all of this area hears it.

Can we say it a little bit louder?

Your sons and daughters will pro and that carries, just so you know, that carries into the New Testament.

I know a lot of you, like so many in this area, particularly, were raised, and we're sitting in Summit Church, which was birthed by one of the greatest women of God you'll ever meet, a true apostle of God.

Come on, come on, yes, yes.

And if I were not kind and being transformed into the image of love, I would say something like just because your egotistical self as a man will not allow you to receive from a woman doesn't mean that that's not what the Bible says, but I'm being made perfect into the image of love, so I won't say anything like that.

Amen.

And your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will drink.

Come on, old men, let me hear it from you.

I did that at my vaseus.

I was preaching from this passage, and uh, and uh not not a single one of them made any noise.

Your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions, even on the male and female servants.

I will say this word with me, pour.

I will pour out my spirit in those days.

Father, we thank you.

I thank you for your presence that's in this place.

I thank you for the deep, deep wells of revival.

Lord, this is a habitation for your glory.

This city has been marked.

You showed us many, many years ago that we will witness the glory of God rolling down the streets of Severe County.

And Lord, if it's going to start anywhere, let it start with your church that's crying out for a fresh touch.

You told us in the book of Acts that as we cry out to you, there would be times of refreshing that come.

So here we are, Lord.

We're saying, let your spirit move.

You've got a people that say, whatever it looks like, whatever it sounds like, we want you to have your way.

In Jesus' mighty name.

And all God's people said, Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

I wanted you to notice a couple of times, and we're gonna we're gonna pull the bulk of our text from Acts chapter 2, just kind of work through that.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

But I think Joel sets up where we're going with a little bit better framework than we would have if we just jumped into Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

When it says, I will pour, that word is shabbok.

And it literally, it sh it you, it there's a couple translations with it that it's a little bit miss.

The nuance to this word is a little bit missed by the time you get into our English Bibles where it says pour.

That certainly can be a translation.

That certainly is an appropriate translation of the word.

However, there's there's a bit of an image to it.

One could mean to extensively stretch out to cover it.

It's it's not a, oh, I'm standing up from my seat like you guys after sitting for about three hours listening to someone preach.

Take a breath, I'm kidding.

Hearing someone preach for the next 30, 40 minutes, and then I stand up and oh, I have a no, this is a full, like a stretch.

Another word for it, another translation could actually be the word gush.

Which I like that a little bit better.

It's it's not just a little drip, it's not just a slow, faint, dripping pot.

It's a the water mane has burst.

And it's gushing out, and it doesn't matter how many buckets you set out, there's no chance that you're ever going to be able to capture all the water that's coming out of the water main.

I think one of the greatest problems in the American church, and I'm not here to talk about all the problems, but I do think sometimes the only way we actually step into the solution is by addressing what's actually in front of us.

And in the Western Evangelical Church, where we have our doctrinal certitude and we already believe we have everything figured out, one of the greatest indictments against us is that we have the audacity to believe that the Holy Spirit comes in manageable doses.

Out of your belly will flow rivers of living water.

My cup runs over.

This is not a map.

I I have seen churches that want to straddle the fence between being a seeker-friendly church and a church that wants to be a move of the spirit.

And I will tell you statistically, that's why we have the millennial generation and younger that are leaving the church as soon as they have the opportunity.

Because listen, friends, they are not interested in a glorified country club.

They want something that touches the heart.

Caleb, you're getting awful loud and passionate about it.

Yeah, I am.

Because religion has been trying to shove this ideology down our throats for decades and decades and decades, where we have the church version of us that's nice and neat and calm, and yet when you see the church introduced to the world, they look anything but nice, neat and calm.

We we forgot, we think the war is to become a social media sensation.

Who cares?

There's really two schools of thought for this.

That when you move into theology, there's really two schools of thought.

You have a group called cessationist, then you have a group called continuationist.

Now, to put that in really, really simple terms, one group believes that, for example, when you come to the book of Acts, what you're reading is that the miracles that take place only happened during that time frame.

So they pull one verse out that says, When that which is perfect has come, the rest will cease.

And I per just personally, I I know many, I I have most of the professors that I've had, I would say at least 50% of them would fall into the category of cessationists.

And so I can value a lot of what they bring to the table, but beloved, hear me.

Jesus said, These signs will follow those that believe.

And he did not have an addendum that says until.

He just said, these signs will follow those that believe.

The continuationist camp, the name kind of speaks for itself.

The book of Acts is not something that's just a historical document, it's a paternal document that tells us what you read here is not just something you observe that they did.

It's an invitation for what you can do.

I'm gonna make a statement, and my goal is not to be offensive, my goal is not shock factor, it's just truth.

You ready?

Signs and wonders have not ceased in the world, they've ceased in America.

The power of God has not ceased in the world.

It's ceased in America.

And I'll tell you why we don't have signs, wonders, and miracles in America, because we have systems.

We have programs.

Okay, you ready?

We have small groups, and I love all these things, friend.

I'm not, I'm not knocking on any, I really, I know it sounds like I'm I'm angry about it.

I'm not.

I'm just very passionate about small groups, systems, and programs.

They all have their place, and their place is to serve the move of God.

It's not for the move of God to grow the small group, and it's not for the move of God to get more first time visitors, and it's not, please could God hear me on this.

It's not to grow a social media account.

I think we've lost our focus, then what we've done is we've overestimated the power of our systems and underestimated the power of the Spirit.

So, Caleb, why do you sound so aggressive about?

I got a little boy that's six years old.

I got a little girl that's four.

And I refuse for them to ever know the taste of religion that I tasted.

We can either keep playing church and being cute about what we call the move of God, or we can actually come to a position that we actually host the glory of the Lord.

One will leave a generation, one will leave a generation continuing to seek power from the outside.

Have you ever seen a day where so many are turning to new age?

Have you ever seen a day where so many are turning to power from outside sources?

If the church doesn't introduce this generation to the living, breathing Jesus, we owe, I I love, I was walking the halls and I saw this all down the halls.

We owe the world an encounter with that God.

I came to Summit Church in 2008 as a, I was a man, I was such a punk kid.

And and I wanted, I always say it like this, back in that time, I wanted to be a rock star, I mean worship leader.

Thank God I wasn't any good, so it didn't work out.

But it did win me Miss Allie Pier Allie Bracie's hand in marriage, and so that, hallelujah, Jesus, I'd do it all over you.

I'd boy, I it's like I poured myself into Spandex jeans, man.

Good, and I I had hair, I had hair all the way down here.

I people would see family photos and they'd ask my mom, oh, your poor little daughter.

It was bad.

Thank you, Lord, for freedom.

Um, anyway, anyway, I I look at I look back at that season when I was just so so bound in normalcy and compromise.

When I came to Summit Church, they again, these things have their place, but I was not introduced to a flashy system.

But when I was introduced to the presence of the Lord, and I tasted and I seen that the Lord is good, it's like everything else, every other counterfeit began to lose its appeal.

That's the call of God.

That we would introduce our children, generations of all ages, to such a superior experience that they no longer have an appetite for all the counterfeits.

So let's look.

Let's look.

Let me, as you find your place in Acts chapter 2, let me read this to you.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Something when I was in the sanctuary praying yesterday that I felt the Lord speak to me.

He said, This territory has heard the sound of performance from theaters to pulpits alike.

Just telling you what I believe I heard the Lord say.

This territory has heard the sound of performance from theaters to pulpits alike.

Yet the earth is groaning for a people who will host God's presence.

Come on, summit church, from the day this place was born.

That's what it's been all about.

Jesus help us.

We need more than a gospel that touches the head.

We need a gospel that transforms the heart.

Let's look at Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

I want to just walk through this text real slowly, and then I've just got a couple of things I want to give you at the end.

I just feel I got a real simple assignment today, and I gotta hug some necks, man.

I do not rush out of this place without me getting to see you and look you in the eyes, man.

I'm just so, so it moves my heart so much that you're here.

Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Let's begin in verse 1.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place, and suddenly, someone say suddenly, and suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.

Now, I I do want to I want to make a little point here, because another major component to this house, obviously, is that you're a prayer and worship center.

If you try to remove prayer from the equation, this whole thing crumbles.

That's that's the I mean, man, you feel it.

I this is one of the places when when I walked into this sanctuary, I just felt like, boy, I've been getting caught up to the third heaven.

Like it, there's just an ease because it's the place has been saturated in prayer.

This congregation has been saturated in hair in prayer.

Now, I want to I want to pause for a minute and pull something out that may it may be a little bit of a different take, but I I think if you'll just rightly divide the word of truth, you'll you'll recognize this.

I'm I'm telling you the truth on this.

For starters, I I believe in speaking in tongues.

I I think I could say, like Paul, I pray in tongues more than all y'all.

Okay?

I pray in tongues more than all y'all is what Paul.

You didn't know Paul was a southerner, did you?

Paul, Paul said, I pray in tongues more than all.

Now, I know there are different people that have different beliefs on that.

I believe the gifts available to all, I don't believe all have it.

Paul actually addresses that.

He says, Do all speak in tongues?

As a rhetorical question where the obvious answer is no.

Nevertheless, I believe it's a gift that is available, and Paul, if you read through the New Testament, the Bible makes it quite clear that there are two realms when it comes to tongues.

Or we could say, as it's often presented in Pentecostal charismatic circles, prayer language or a heavenly language.

You have what Paul would say, praying in the tongues of angels, speaking of a heavenly language.

Then you also have what happens in Acts chapter 2, which is not the tongues of angels, it's the tongues of men.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Because as you go through the book of Acts, what you realize we we have in our congregation, it's been such a beautiful and unique experience.

Our congregation has just started to kind of like explode with the Hispanic community.

And man, I believe the Hispanic community holds a key for revival in the church.

That I don't have time to go into all of that, but but it's been such a beautiful, beautiful thing.

And so I've been doing what any great man of God would do.

I've been saying, Lord, give me the gift.

Just zap me with it, Lord, just give it to me.

Ali, on the other hand, her faith is not where mine's at, so she downloaded Duolingo.

That's a joke.

She knows way more than me.

Faith without works is.

So, so my wife is actually the superior one in this.

She downloaded a little app called Duolingo that'll that actually helps you learn Spanish.

And so she's actually making progress, and I can still say Mooy BM.

That's it.

That's about all I got.

That's about all I got.

But um uh I I think when you get to the book of Acts, obviously they're not downloading Duolingo while they're in the upper room saying, okay, boys, here's what's gonna happen.

We're gonna come stumbling out of this upper room like a bunch of drunk men.

There's a lot of tourists in town.

We need to make sure we can speak the gospel in their language.

So download Duolingo, you learn German, hang on, and then you learn.

Sorry, that was my attempt at hoping God would give me the gift right then.

Didn't work, didn't work.

You learn this, you learn that.

You they're they're not doing that, but God is supernaturally touching them in that moment so that when they stand up on the day of Pentecost and they come out of the upper room, though the city supposes that they're drunk, they're preaching the gospel in a language that all people understand.

Now, I want I want you to pause and just recognize this.

If God is that intentional to make sure that everyone hears the message at the inception of the church, do not fall into this urgency that drives you to a point where you think there's no chance that anyone, the whole world is ever going to hear the good news.

If God had a way of making sure people heard it back then, he's got a way of making sure people hear it right now.

I'm talking to some mamas with some prodigals and some grandmothers with some prodigals and people that are trying to run from the Lord, and you're keeping yourself up at night thinking that it all hinges on you, and I want you to do something really good and really holy right now and go, because he is faithful to complete that which he began.

Now, what I really want to give to the Prayer and Worship Center, though, is that while Acts 2 is not talking about the gift of tongues where we pray in a heavenly language, I have heard a teaching for many years growing up in the church that I think in some ways hinders our approach to prayer when it comes to the realm of warfare.

Number one, let me just start and say, you're fighting an enemy that's already been defeated.

Like, I I know we we do a lot of crazy.

I I have fought battles where I've said, God, if you'll just, I'll fat, I will drink just chicken broth next time I go out to eat.

I'll be just like Pastor Sandler.

Whatever you want, God, I'll do it.

I'll never eat again if you'll just answer this prayer.

I mean, just crazy things because we think we're having to twist God's arm into answering our prayer.

It's your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Like he's more eager to respond than you are to ask.

Are you hearing me?

I think that would shift our warfare perspective just a little bit.

But but specifically when it comes to praying in tongues, I'm not saying it's wrong, you may, you may have this belief, but I do think scripture may teach something that's a little bit more, got a little more power to it.

Sometimes we we have heard things such as the reason it's so powerful when you pray in tongues is because as you start praying in tongues, it's like you, you and your school friends, it's like me and my buddies.

We made up a secret language when we were in grade school, and we would speak that secret language to each other about the girls that we thought were pretty in class that we didn't want them to hear us talking about.

So we had our own little secret code language, and it would confuse them.

But my friend understood well, and that's kind of been our theology a lot of times around tongues, that why it's so powerful in the place of prayer is because as you're praying in the spirit, the devil has no idea what you're saying, and he's so confused that he's just spinning around in circles.

And friends, I'd like to propose to you.

Paul says, whether I pray in the tongues of men or angels.

Come on, say it with me.

Whether I pray in the tongues of men or angels, what was Satan before he fell?

It may not be, my Lord, I feel wind on this.

It may not be that your adversary is afraid because he doesn't understand what the spirit of God is praying through you.

It may be that your adversary is concerned because he knows exactly what the spirit of God is praying through you.

Listen, when we moved to Memphis, Tennessee, I know my time's running out, but when we moved to Memphis, Tennessee, we had a planned parenthood there.

What else did we have?

Crime.

Crime was out of the uh it was out of control.

Now people say, Caleb, what is your all strategy?

How are you planting?

How are you growing?

I'm I am, that's not my job.

My job is not to see how many people I can get in the room.

And when we had eight, we talk about deflating your ego, when we had eight people in our room, and thank God he's added to us marvelously, and I'm thankful for all those that have come and been part of the church family.

But when we had just a couple handfuls of people, and we're praying in the in there, and we're we're calling out Planned Parenthood, and we're calling out the spirit of death that's hovering over our region, there would come a place as we were praying that we did not know how to pray anymore.

And as we no longer knew how to pray, the Spirit of God would begin crying out.

Do you know since we've been there, two years there, since we've been there, Planned Parenthood has closed their doors.

And in Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee, when we moved there, was crew it was dubbed, not by like some little outside source.

We're talking leading statistical experts that Memphis, Tennessee was the crime capital, the murder capital of America.

Listen to me.

From a group of people praying in a little building in the spirit when our understanding is unfruitful, but our spirit man is just praying.

Crime is down over 40%.

Come on, 40%.

Well, brother, that's just this, and that's just that.

I grew up and I cut my teeth in a church that knew how to pray until things begin to move.

It's too late to tell me.

It's too late to tell me otherwise.

So I just want to encourage you in your in your prayers, in your warfare, that there is something about don't let any kind of religious spirit come in and say, you need to learn how to make this a little bit more manageable and nice and neat.

You don't want to freak people out.

I do.

I do.

I want to I want something in them to say, I don't know about that.

I need to go get my Bible.

Yes, please do.

And lay down the doctrinal certitude that Pappy taught you, and then great-grandpappy taught you, and it was passed down from one generation to the next.

There are great truths that we need to cover that they gave us, but there are also great errors that were passed down by way of tradition that has cost us some of what God's called us to.

All right.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Now there were Jews in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven.

And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together.

I feel that over some at church.

There is a sound that's gonna be breaking out of this place that will begin to pull.

It's gonna pull.

Oh, I feel it.

I feel the weight of it right now.

It's as if there's a sound coming forth.

Pastor Zach, there is a sound that's brewing in you in a fresh way, man.

And it's gonna pull.

Oh, I feel it.

Come on, just pray right there for just a minute.

Lord, we ask you that the sound would go forth unhindered, a place that is not given to performance, but a place that's given to host your presence, Lord.

And let it begin to pull in this region.

And when the sound occurred, the crowd came together and they were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language.

And they were amazed and astonished, saying, Why are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

How is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?

Now jump down to verse 12.

Let's jump down just a couple of verses here.

Verse 12 says, And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, What does this mean?

Pay attention to verse 13.

But others were mocking and saying, They are full of sweet wine.

Listen to this statement.

If you can't handle haters, you can't host a move of God.

That's right.

If you can't handle haters, you can't host a move of God.

That's okay because I'm not trying to win a popularity contest.

I literally do not care.

I do, I cannot tell you how much I do not care if every seat is full.

Hear me, friends.

Sometimes, sometimes.

Now I care about people.

I love people, and so I want to see places full for that sake.

But there are some miracles.

Just go ask J.

Iris.

There are some miracles that cannot take place until you get the doubt and unbelief out of the room.

There, oh, I feel the Lord on there are some miracles that do Peter ends up following that same principle.

There are some miracles that cannot take place until you get the distractions out of the room.

I I was in this building uh many years ago.

Now I am growing in love, okay?

I past few years the Lord has really, Jesus is the express image of God.

I mean, I'm waking up to some of this in a way that has radically changed everything about me.

So this is, we'll just say this is BC in some sense.

This is kind of before the revelation of Christ started really waking up to the way it is.

Now, I was up in the youth room up here, and there was a there was a kid in the youth group, a middle schooler, and it was one of those nights where the glory of the Lord just came in the room in such a unique way.

I mean, a unique way.

And if you're wondering who I'm talking about, I'm talking about Ray Smith.

I'm just kidding, I'm kidding.

This is not about Ray.

I just saw him back there, had to take a little jab.

It wasn't Ray, you don't know who it is.

There was there was a uh a young, younger guy, he was a younger guy, one of the younger ones in the youth room, and the Lord came in such a special, special way.

I mean, we were seeing him move in such an incredible way that night.

And at one point, almost all of the youth group is on their face just crying and weeping.

This dude does an army crawl over to me while we're in the glory and says, Hey Caleb, when are we gonna go play dodgeball?

I said, dude, number one, you smell like cheese.

Back up about a foot.

Some of you OGs in this room know who I'm talking about now.

I said, back up, number one.

And then number two, dude, look around.

He's like, uh, I really want to play dodgeball.

And I said, well, go downstairs and play.

Again, being made transformed into the image of Christ.

So I said, well, go downstairs.

I was a great youth pastor.

I was a great youth pastor.

Oh Lord, forgive me for my anyway.

I looked at him and I said, Go downstairs and play dodgeball by yourself, bro.

And he's like, I'm gonna leave.

I don't want to be here.

And I said, that's okay, because hear me, I'd rather host his presence than your presence any day.

Now, now listen, wrong attitude, wrong attitude, probably, probably, mama's saying, I don't know.

Wrong attitude, maybe, but right perspective.

Wrong attitude, I take it.

I was very ignorant, and wrong attitude, right perspective.

The goal is not to see how many likes and follows and clicks.

It's is he in the room?

Because when he's in the room, everything changes.

Everything changes when he comes in the room.

Alright, I'm winding this down.

I'm winding it down.

Verse 14.

But Peter taking his stand with the eleven.

Oh, I love this.

You know, the day of Pentecost is not about Peter, it's about the presence of God.

And I think there's some celebrity preachers that really need to be reminded throughout America this is not about your name.

It's not about your brand or your logo, and it's certainly not about your ego.

It's about the kingdom of God that is ever on the increase.

Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declare to them, men of Judea, and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words, for these men are not drunk as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day.

Last verse, watch this.

But this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel.

Now, I saw, I'm winding this down right here.

I saw a number of years ago when I was on Facebook, I saw, I saw a meme.

Now, I don't know what you guys get into when you're on social media, but I just I love some of these like quick-witted memes, just the kind of sarcastic.

That's that's my love language, really, is just sarcasm.

So I'm I'm reading one of these memes, and there was a meme of a lady with her hand on her hip.

Now, gentlemen, the Hebrew people understood this.

This is a great revelation from the Bible.

If a woman ever looks at you like this, you're in trouble.

That's that's just deep revelation.

It's a joke.

But the meme is a picture with a lady, and she's got her hand on her hip, and it and it's someone asking a question in her response.

The question was, do I really need the Holy Spirit to be a Christian?

And the lady's standing there with her hand on her hip, and it the text says, Honey, you need the Holy Spirit to go to Walmart.

You need you need the Holy Spirit to go to Walmart.

Now think, think about this.

The day of Pentecost comes, and it's it's about far more than just a good experience in that moment.

I love the services where we're swinging from the chandeliers and we're doing the worm and we're doing all the stuff.

I love that.

I love it.

I I tell them at Vibatius all the time.

I we got people with their flags, and they, and we even got someone with pom-poms.

They bring pom-poms to church.

I love it.

And I told them, I said, listen, I love the move of God.

I will get a flag myself and start waving that thing around.

Ah, some of y'all look at me like I'm crazy.

We let the Lord have his way.

But as much as I love the experience, me, me and Ray Sr.

will get the flags.

Ray Sr.

will get a flag.

Yeah, I see it right now, brother.

I feel it.

I I want whatever God wants to do, but it's about far more than what you receive.

The purpose of receiving is unto releasing.

It's about far more than an experience.

Now think about this.

Before Pentecost, just 50 days before this, after the crucifixion, right, there they are at the resurrection.

All of these disciples are hiding in a locked room, the Bible says, for fear of the Jews.

Jesus was just taken, chopped liver.

I think we're next on the line.

Peter's like, Yeah, I think so.

Let's go hide and we'll lock ourselves in the room.

These same men that are hiding just before Pentecost have this encounter in the upper room.

Oh, I feel the Lord on this.

And after they encounter the Lord like that, the same men that were hiding in private, the same women that were hiding in private are now coming out.

The righteous are as bold as lions, and they're raising their voice in public.

And hear this: the move of God is an announcement that what has been hidden is being revealed.

This is a word for some at church today.

I know that it's been 22 amazing years of what God's done through this family of believers.

And as glorious and grand as it has been, I am sent here by God to tell you today that you are about to come out of hiding.

And I know, I know that it's you say, We're 22 years old, but hear me, friends, there's more territory to take, there's more glory to release.

We're coming out of hiding.

We're coming out of hiding.

Listen to this.

This this move happens.

And Peter comes out of the upper room, looks at the crowd, and says, This is that which the prophet Joel spoke about.

This is only about a hundred and twenty of y'all.

What do you mean this is that?

One, two, three, four.

A hundred and twenty?

What do you mean this is that?

It means that if you have prophetic insight, you can see in seed form where something's headed in maturity.

Zach, you better get up here, Pastor, if you don't mind.

That'll help me wind this down.

I want to point this out to you.

Jesus comes into the temple as an infant, and when he comes in, you have Anna and you have Simeon that are able to look at Christ the infant and see a promise fulfilled.

He's not in maturity yet.

He's a baby.

But in infancy, they have enough prophetic insight to say, wait a minute.

This is that.

It may not yet be all that it's going to be, but this is that.

Friends, in your destiny, in your sphere, in your world, in what you're walking into, do not despise the days of small beginnings.

We're 22 years old as a church.

That's okay.

That's okay.

Because in the grand scheme of things, as glorious as it's been, and it has been glorious, this is just the beginning of what's being unleashed.

This is that.

Sadly, sadly, sometimes the enemy has a bit more prophetic insight than the church.

Prove this to me.

Alright?

I'm glad you asked.

There's this moment where Moses is a baby, and a whisper comes from Pharaoh, let's kill all of the children.

Gets this whisper.

Same thing is up happening when Jesus comes.

Jesus is a baby, and a whisper comes to Herod, let's kill all the babies.

I just think, I think Pharaoh, you know, obviously you sent something, but what's the big fear?

Are you are you afraid that a little toddler is going to storm their way into your palace and look at you and say, cuckoo, gaga.

Is that the great threat?

I think it's that sometimes the enemy sadly has more prophetic insight than the church.

And what happens is you can grow battle fatigued if you're not careful.

You'll grow so weary from all the it's I was talking to someone just the other day.

It's rarely the fight itself, it's normally the duration of the fight.

And take it, go to the dentist.

You can see you can take anything for an hour.

Get a root canal, you can take anything for a little while.

It's the duration, it's the prolonged battle.

But what if, what if, some at church hear me.

What if the reason there's been a fight is because the devil recognizes there is a future.

Stand to your feet.

I felt the Lord just sweeping this place right there.

What if the reason there's been a fight is because there is a future.

Don't you grow weary, man?

Don't you grow weary?

Don't you settle in the wilderness when you're a step away from your promise?

There's something unfolding.

I feel the ground beneath my feet beginning to shake.

And I know there are giants in front of me.

Did you think you were gonna walk into your promise and the enemy was just gonna sit down?

Come on, there's there may be problems, but the problems are a sign that you're stepping into your promise.

You're crossing a line.

Come on.

I think maybe the most interesting thing in the book of Acts, Acts chapter 2, in the very beginning, it says, on the day of Pentecost, there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and suddenly, and suddenly, someone say suddenly, suddenly.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

It's interesting because Peter would end up coming back to this moment where he really he's helping Luke, and Luke would write and say, uh, suddenly, suddenly, suddenly, suddenly.

St.

Peter would end up writing and saying, or speaking and saying, This is that which the prophet Joel prophesied.

Theologians are a little bit split on this, but most theologians believe that the prophecy of Joel either happened on the shorter end, 400 years prior to this moment.

Most theologians believe that it would have actually been closer to 800 years prior to this moment.

800 years prior to this moment, Joel prophesies, in the last days, I'll pour out my spirit on all flesh.

Then you get to Acts chapter 2, and when when Luke is writing all of this down, he has the audacity to look at this moment and say, and suddenly.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

There is nothing sudden about what happened in Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Except for.

Let me tell you this.

I know you're standing.

I'm closing this right here.

I get it.

I'm, you know, I'm a guest speaker.

That means I get at least 10 free closings.

This one's number 10.

This one's number 10.

There was a great man of God I know.

He was, he had his uh first first child, and they were driving down the road, they come to a stop sign, he looks up in his rear view mirror.

And I've I've kind of been the helicopter parent where I'm I want to know everything before my child does it.

Like I'm very Allie, you know, she's like, ah, the Lord's got it, and we're good, and she'll look at it and say everything's fine.

But I'm like, nope, nope, no, no.

I want a checklist, I want to make sure, you know, it's like anyway, a little crazy there.

But it's been a little different since we have the second one.

It's like, no, Judy, you can't eat the French fry that fell on the floor.

What if it's got E.

coli or something?

I don't know.

I don't know what's what Rahma gets in and say, eh.

One day rule, you're you're fine, go ahead.

But as one of those parents, I'm like, I'm getting the when anytime we'd go in for the for the uh physical or whatever for our kids, they'd be tracking their milestones.

And it's like if they were running a little bit behind, oh, you better give me just a couple of weeks because I will get them caught up.

I will work, they will meet every milestone, they will excel every milestone.

That's the kind of parent I was, and I'll never forget with Judah, when it came to talking, it's like, it's like, bro, when are you gonna start talking?

When are you gonna start talking?

And so he started to talk, but when he talked, he would do this, he'd keep his mouth closed and try to talk with his mouth closed.

So we'd always say, Judah, you have to open your mouth, and he'd go, and my heart, you know, as a parent, it's like these things just weigh heavy on you.

So my heart's weighing so heavy.

And I was talking to this man of God one day, and he said that the same thing happened with his little girl, and he's looking in his rearview mirror as they pull up to a red light, and he's just saying, Oh God, oh God, when is my little girl ever gonna talk?

When is she ever gonna talk?

He said, just a few months passed by.

She's around that age, we're talking just, it's like in a day, it just comes.

And he finds himself at that same red light, and when he gets to that red light, she's just in the back.

And he prayed a similar prayer, but very different.

He said, Oh God, oh God.

When's she ever gonna shut up, God?

Because once it starts, it won't stop.

Oh, it's taking forever.

God, you said that we would see the glory of the Lord rolling down the streets of severe camp.

God, where's it at?

Where's it at?

And I know it seemed as though he's tarried long, but listen to me, summit church.

Once it starts, it can't be stopped.

And I'm here to announce to you today there is something beginning to move through this place.

But we're admonished.

Don't grow weary in well-doing.

Because you will reap.

Watch.

If you do not faint.

I know, I know it's a little bit later.

Well, it's maybe a little bit later than normal, but I've got to obey the Lord on this.

There's some people in here that you're feeling the weariness of the wilderness you've been in.

And I get it, man.

I've been in those seasons.

And this is not, we do such stupid shame culture in the American church that it's like, well, I can't respond to the altar call because if I go, what will someone think about?

Who cares, man?

Can this be the day that we just get free from the opinions of man?

I'll be honest with you, there are areas in my life right now where I need to respond to the call myself.

And that makes me no less a child of God, no more accepted.

Areas where it's you can feel the pull into the promise, but the battle has been real, man.

The heaviness of what you're going through has been real.

But there are some people I'm I'm sent by God to this place today to tell you, I know you're feeling the weight of the wilderness, but you're a step away from your promise.

Don't you grow weary when you're this close?

If you say, you know what, I'm not even gonna hype this up.

If you say, you know what, Caleb, I feel that.

I know exactly what you're talking about.

I think today's the day we just lay hold of our promises.

Today's the day we just shake that weariness off and we receive a fresh infusion from the Spirit of the Lord.

How do we do that?

God's people perish because they have no vision.

Where there is no vision, the people perish.

He's giving you fresh insight today.

So, right now, just for five minutes or so, if you say, you know what, I know the weariness you're talking about, and I sense my promise pulling me, but it has just been hell.

It feels like lately it's been one fight.

If that's you, come, come, come, come, come join me, come join me.

I I'm in this with you.

I'm in this with you.

Come on.

Listen, I want you to put your hands together because these are people that are about to lay hold of their promise.

That's why the fight's been the way it's been.

The promise is knocking on their door.

The promise is knocking on your door, the promise is knocking on your door.

Now, all you're doing in this moment, you're not coming for a man to touch you.

What you're doing is you're partnering with the promise of heaven and saying, I'm calling my reality into alignment with the truth of God's word.