New Life, New Community | 06.14.26 | Pastor Deborah Powe

in church. I'm going to read this out of the

passion translation, Luke chapter 12, verse 51.

Luke 12:51

And this is what it says. This is Jesus talking.

He says, don't think for a moment that I came

to grant peace and harmony to everyone. No. for

my coming will change everything and create hostility

among you. And when you first start reading this,

you would think that, well, God don't want us

to get together. He's coming to, Jesus is coming

to set up hostilities and things are not gonna

be harmonious. But as we read, we're going to

look at why he is making this statement. He says,

from now on, every family member will be divided

over me. That's really important. He said they

will be divided over me Not the stuff that we

divide each other over not the things that we

see that causes us to be pulled apart He said

but people will be divided over me and choose

sides against one another Fathers will be split

off against sons and sons against fathers. Mothers

will be against daughters and daughters against

mothers. Mothers in -laws will be against brides

and brides against mothers in -laws. He said,

all because of me. Now what Jesus is speaking

about, he's telling us that when you come into

the kingdom of God, your thinking shifts. Your

mind shifts as you began to look into the Word

of God and understand what God is speaking to

you, how God is telling us how we should look,

what God has planned for our lives, what God

has predestined for our lives. He said there

will be a shift. from the norm, a shift from

people who are not born again because now we

have another idea, we have another look, we see

things from God's perspective now, we have another

perception of how life is supposed to be lived

in general, we learn that the grace of God is

available to us, we learn that the favor of God

is available to us, so it changes how we look

at things now because I'm looking at it through

the lens of the word of God, I'm no longer looking

through the lens of what the world thinks or

what the majority thinks. It doesn't matter to

me what the majority thinks because I am following

the pattern of Jesus Christ. We talk about in

the Word of God that we have the mind of Christ

and we all know that Jesus had some people that...

did not like him because of the things that he

was saying, because of the words that he was

speaking, because of how he interpreted scriptures,

how he looked at his life. People naturally divided

over those things. It talks about in the Bible

a lot of accounts where Jesus was speaking. You'd

have people that would follow and people who

would not follow. He said, so there is a division

that happens when you become born again. And

he's talking about this vision being so obvious.

He says that what will happen is another translation

said there'll be a sword. He said, there is a

severing of how you think and how I think now.

how I do things and how you do things now. And

he says that when we choose that, we got to understand

that we've made a decision that the faith that

we have in Jesus Christ is above earthly relationships.

I'm not just going to hang out with you just

to be with you. And as a matter of fact, more

of people will depart from you. Have any of you

had people when you got born again and decided

you were going to get saved and I'm going to

do it God's way that people kind of departed

from you because you're thinking differently,

you're speaking differently, you're acting differently.

You just don't see it the way they see it anymore.

And so they, you know, they like, so what happened

to you? What happened to you, you know, why aren't

you, you know in with the in crowd? Well, I'm

in with another crowd now called the body of

Christ and so I can remember when that happened

to me and I'd gone to church as long as I could

remember but then when I started to understand

the Word of God when I start to look at the Word

of God and then just accept you know, everything's

going to be good by and by. And I started having

faith in God, trusting Him to do what He said

to do. My language changed. How I saw things

change. I was interested in knowing how to understand

the scriptures more than just showing up for

church. And so as I began to gain knowledge in

the Word of God, I can remember there's a divide

that happened between me and my mom. because

I'm understanding scriptures now and I'm not

moved by all of the hype. I'm not moved by the

preaching. I'm not moved by the feelings anymore,

but I truly want to understand what God is saying

and then having a knowledge that I could, that

it was possible, that God wanted me to understand

exactly what this word was saying to me. And

so I can remember just talking to her and she

asked me about a scripture and of course I...

had studied it, so I knew what it meant. So I

tell her what it means, and she says, oh, so

you know everything now. I'm like, I don't know

everything, but I do know what this scripture

says. But then that became a division amongst

us. Now, the division didn't cause me not to

associate with my mom. A lot of people took it

like that early on. They're like, I just can't

talk to anybody who don't go to my church. I

can't talk to anybody. And God wasn't saying

to do that. But he was saying that the division

comes because you now believe differently. You

now understand what I'm saying in the Word of

God. You now understand what grace is. You now

understand what faith is, and you're not hoping

and applying and climbing up rough sides of mountains.

You're not, you know, begging God to do anything,

but you have trust in what he has already done.

And so my language changed. my posture changed,

my attitude changed. I became confident in what

God was saying to me, which caused a division

amongst people who didn't believe the way I believed.

My sister -in -law, when she first moved to Tampa,

she's a hairstylist, so she was doing my hair,

and she was constantly saying things that were

so negative that I corrected her probably like

every five minutes. And she said, why do you

keep saying that? I said, because I don't believe

what you're saying, and you wanted me to agree

with something that I believe is a lie, and I

can't do that, because I know more now. than

I knew before. And sooner or later, she said,

you know what? I want to talk like y 'all. I

said, y 'all who? She said, the people at your

church. I want to talk like you. And then once

she started learning and studying the word, when

she went back home to a family reunion, they

looked at her and say, you different. Because

when you get when you come in the body of Christ

there is a transformation that takes place That

is what Romans chapter 12 is all about He said

Romans 12 · chapter mention

you want to be transformed by the renewing of

your mind And so as we renew our minds then different

words start to come out of our mouths and we're

speaking to some people a totally different language

They they're like, you know, what is all of this

and what they want to know is why are you so

confident now? Why is it that you can you're

speaking like you are speaking with authority

now? And that's because they hadn't explored

the scriptures that say that you have the mind

of Christ Well, I have ability to think another

thought. I don't have to go along with everybody

else I don't have to go along with the majority.

I don't care what the majority thing I only care

what God has to say. I only care what God has

in mind for me I only care about the plans that

God has for me, which then at one time said you're

a cult now Now y 'all in a cult because y 'all

over there y 'all, you know talking funny y 'all

declaring some stuff and so they started throwing

out all kinds of name you'd blab it and grab

it and you know confess it and what all whatever

the things they were saying that were negative

not knowing that these things were truths in

the word of god and so it caused a divide in

denomination they called the divide in households

but god says or jesus said this is the thing

that would happen he said but it's because of

me And so therefore, all this other division

God's not with, you know, you upset with the

person on the other row because they sat in your

seat. He says, no, that didn't cause a divide.

It's what you're thinking. And we're going to

get into how God wants us to think as a community,

as a body of believers. But again, he says, yes,

there will be a division and there will be distinguishing

marks that show that I am not like you. The Bible

tells us that we should not act like mere men.

I found that to be very interesting. I'm like,

what do you mean, God, don't act like mere men?

He says, you don't talk like everybody, every

other man, because you are a new man in Christ

Jesus. Everything has become new. He tells us

that you're now united with me. It's my thoughts

that are going to start to infiltrate your thoughts.

It's my thoughts that are going to cause you

to start to operate it differently. But it's

a good thing that we're doing so he says this

divide is so strong that it will divide even

Relationships family relationships because you

think differently, but there's a good thing about

us thinking differently Amen, and some of the

things that we learn will save their lives When

Jesus talks about healing he didn't say I'm just

gonna heal the saved How many of you know that

Jesus went about doing good and healing all those

who were, you know, being terrorized? Another

translation said they've been, and I like to

use this, they said you're being terrorized by

the devil. When anything is happening, not like

God intends for it to be, he calls it tyranny.

So, you got the ability, according to God, to

pray for the sick and they be healed. So although

they may not agree, They will agree with how

you're starting to handle your life One day you

may have to pray for them and they be healed

and so they get the benefit of your being different

But god wants us to know there's a community

of believers that believe the same thing Aren't

you happy you found a group of people that believe

the same way you believe Believe the same way

you believe glory to god because we're able to

help each other. We're able to strengthen one

another so god has a community the body of christ

and he looks for things in the body of christ

so we're going to look at some of those things

the things that we need to reflect as a result

of being born again so we'll start in ephesians

ephesians chapter four and we'll start at verse

one and this is paul speaking of course and he

says i therefore the prisoner of the lord beseech

you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith

you are called. So Paul here is talking about

I am a prisoner of God and I find that just so

awesome. He means I am sold out. Nothing is changing

my mind. And if you read about the life of Paul,

you'll find out that people chased him down.

They chased him from one city to another city

to make him stop saying what he was saying. But

he said, I'm a prisoner. He said, I'm captured

by God. I can't do anything. I will not pull

back. I will not draw back. I am going to save

what God has said. I don't care what you do to

me. I will not change my mind. I will not change

my speech. I will not change the direction that

I'm going in. I count myself as a prisoner of

Christ. Therefore, I have been captured by Him.

Glory to God. He says, I beseech you that you

walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are

called with all lowliness and meekness with long

suffering for bearing one another in love, endeavoring

to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of

peace. There is one body. There is one Spirit,

even as ye all are called in one hope of your

calling. So he's letting us know there's a oneness

amongst us. We're not supposed to be divided

because there is only one Lord. There's only

one God. There's one Holy Spirit. And I've talked

to people sometimes, and when you come together

on something, people are like... That's just

what God was sharing with me. I can't believe

that you're saying the same thing. I was just

praying that this morning. You'll turn on some

broadcast and be listening to a preacher, and

he's saying the same thing God led you to. You

were reading the same scripture. Why is that?

Because we are one. There's one Holy Spirit.

There's one God concerning our community as the

body of Christ. We don't have many leaders. We

have God. We have Jesus. We have the Holy Spirit.

So he says, there is one body and one spirit

even as you are called into one hope of your

calling. We all have the same hope. We all have

a confident expectation of good to come through

our lives. No matter what we're challenged with,

I have an expectation, and it's called hope.

And hope is a confident expectation of good from

God, regardless of the situation that I am in,

because that's how our community think. That's

how we roll. That's how we look at it. We see

challenges coming in your life, but we also know

what the Word of God has to say, and that's different

than the world. He said, we have the ability

to think heavenly thoughts. We are the people

who say whatsoever is done in heaven, let it

be done on earth in my life. I'm expecting to

see what heaven has cooked up for me, not what

the world is stirring up. He said, there is one

body, there's one spirit, even as you are called

into one hope of your calling. There's one Lord.

We determined there is one Lord. There's one

faith. One baptism, one God and father of all

who is above all and through all and in you all."

He said, this is how we believe. We don't believe

in many gods. We don't believe in worship or

anything higher than God. And what am I talking

about? I put nothing in front of what God has

said and what God has determined. I don't worship

my situations and my problems. A lot of you say,

I don't do that. Yes, you do. The more you give

voice to it, that's a worship. The more you talk

about it, that is praise and obedience to the

thing. When you talk without a victory in your

voice, you may be sharing it, but you need to

share it with a victory in your voice. I have

a pastor friend, he said, you might talk about

the problem, but you better put a but at the

end of it. And a lot of you say, but God. Sometimes

you need to say, but God what? Because, you know,

we call those things that be not as though they

are. This may be happening. This is what I see

with my eyes. This is what I sense with my senses,

but God. Hallelujah. He said, that's how our

community operates. We believe in one God and

one Lord. In Ephesians chapter four and verse

15, I want to read that to you out of the easy

reading version, ESV. He tells us, as a body

of believers. Speak the truth in love. Speak

the truth in love so we can grow up to Him. Now

look, believers don't have no business lying

to each other. There is no cause. Isn't that

interesting that he's telling believers don't

lie? But that's what he's talking about. He's

what he's speaking about. Speak the truth. Speak

the truth because the Bible says, Jesus said,

it's the truth that makes you free, the truth

that sets you free. What truth are we talking

about? We're talking about the truth about who

we are. We're talking about the truth that we

have favor. We're talking about the truth that

we have grace upon our life. We're talking about

the truth. concerning God he says that we don't

need to be lying about it we need to tell the

truth look at somebody say tell the truth you

know i think they have uh they should tell the

kids tell the truth shame the devil But we need

to tell the truth, guys, concerning every situation.

People may come to you in distress, but you tell

the truth because the truth is the only thing

that breaks that bond. That is what Jesus Christ

says. And he said, it's the truth you keep saying.

So you keep saying it. You keep saying it. When?

Until you see it. You keep speaking it. Sometimes

we don't understand the power of our words. But

we have to understand that God says that you

will have what you say What you keep saying you're

going to see it there is power in agreement.

Amen So that's what we're talking about community

We're talking about you have to get amongst people

who believe the same thing you believe who's

going down the same road that you're going down

And then in first corinthians chapter one and

verse 10 Again, Paul is talking to us about what

community is supposed to look like he says now

I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord

Jesus Christ that you all speak the same thing

and That there be no divisions amongst you But

that you be perfectly joined together in the

same mind and in the same Judgment he says there

should not be any divisions amongst us. We should

We should remain together in mindset. We should,

and we're not talking about us all looking the

same. We're not talking about all of us doing

the same. We're not mechanical people, but he

is talking about our minds. We're having the

mind of Christ. We have the same thoughts. We

have the same judgment. We all determine. what

is good and what's acceptable by the Lord, or

we accept everything that's good and acceptable

by the Lord. So again, he is talking about us

being single -minded, us all believing the same

thing about what Jesus Christ has done for us,

us all believing the same things concerning who

we are in Christ Jesus. There was a point where

it was written in the Word of God where it says

that, I used to consider you by the flesh. He

said, but I don't do that anymore because we

consider Jesus by the flesh and we were wrong.

We were very wrong. So God is telling us as believers

when people come into the kingdom of God You

accept them as one that who's born again We accept

him as one who has the same privileges and the

rights that we have We accept the fact that God

can speak to them just like he speaks to us We

accept the fact that they he they have favor.

We accept the fact that God is don't have this

this This thing where you escalate so high that

you're so far above everybody else But god says

every believer has the ability to hear from me

As a matter of fact, he says my sheep hear my

voice. That's a definite That's not they don't

come to hear my voice after why when they work

into it, they don't hear my voice But people

sometimes think make you think that there's levels

to getting to things that God has said There

is no level it is as I receive it as I believe

it because it's already true It's not coming

true for you, but it's already true concerning

you every promise is already true concerning

you You don't have to earn it. You don't have

to work for it. It's true for you And God is

telling you just believe it and I thank God he

is so good because how many of you know sometimes

it's hard to believe some stuff that you read

in the Bible it's just like you know what I want

that to happen but I got a little you know something

something going on my head I am so happy that

we're teaching you which is very true that to

every promise there is a path and the thing of

it is if it's not working in your thought life

you just need to talk to the Holy Spirit because

guess what he is God said he was our helper Jesus

said that he would help us. And I don't know

why we limit the help. Because he said help.

And to me, he didn't say help with this, this,

this, and this. He said he is our helper. So

I can't tell you how many things that you may

think ain't spiritual that I ask God help with.

I'm like, God, I want to believe this. But there's

a lot. But negative stuff is speaking loud. Holy

Spirit. Show me the path. Help me to get to this

point of belief in what I know is true. See,

because we know some things are true, but our

belief is kind of off a little bit. Am I the

only one? I didn't think so. That's why I said

it. And that's why I'm talking to you now, because

some of you are struggling with things that the

Holy Spirit will clearly help you with. You trying

to work it out in your own mind? You're trying

to do all these things, and you got all these

mental gymnastics going on in your head, and

the Holy Spirit's sitting there like, anytime

now. Anytime now. We can work through this. But

again, he's telling us that we have the same

thoughts, we have the same goal, we have the

same perspective concerning the kingdom of God.

Now, let's look in Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10. Again, we're talking about how uh,

the bible is telling us our communities should

look and that it is good and that uh, we get

our Um, we can get our strength based upon us

being in community with one another I want to

read this to you out of the amplified. It is

herews chapter 10 starting at verse 24 And it

says and let us consider and give attentive continuous

care to watching over one another. Let us consider

and give attentive continuous care to watching

over one another. Listen to this, studying how

we may stir up, stimulate, and incite to love

and helpful deeds and noble activities. He's

talking about us intentionally considering one

another. He's telling us to be watchful. He's

telling us to be prayerful He said he want us

to be able to stimulate one another to incite

one another to do good works So you have to be

paying attention to the person who are who's

around you. It's not just me It's not just what

I can get, but it's what I can deliver, what

I can assist, what I can aid another brother,

sister in Christ in. As a matter of fact, I quoted

the scripture last service, but I want to read

it to you out of Isaiah chapter 50 and verse

Isaiah 50 · chapter mention

four. And this is the King James version. Listen

to this. The Lord had given me the tongue of

the learned that I should know how to speak a

word in season to him that is weary. He waketh

morning by morning. He waketh mine ear to hear

as to learn. So in this passage of scripture,

God has said, I woke you up to teach you something.

I didn't want that just for you. I woke you up

so you can pass it on. I woke you up to give

you a word so you can speak to a brother or sister

in Christ and help them out. He says they may

be weary you got the word for him. Look at somebody

say you may have my word He said you got up and

you started praying because you thought it was

all about you and what's happening in your life

You didn't realize the same thing is happening

in another brother and sister's life and it's

not just for you How many of you read something

and you ran across somebody and that word wasn't

just for you, but you realized God gave me that

word, but it wasn't just for me, it was for you

too. And so that's why he says you need to keep

an eye open. You need to study. You need to study

for yourself and you study for other people because

that's how we come together. That's how we grow.

That's how we stay strong. That's how we stay

undivided because I'm looking after you. I'm

not just looking at my own private situation,

but somebody else must be going through the same

situation that I am. I can't tell you how many

times I prayed for marriages because mine was

so horrible. I thought to myself, I can pray

for you. I can really pray for you because I

can connect with what's happening in your house.

So I can pray a fervent prayer. I can pray a

prayer that I'm like, God, I'm not just being

cutesy here. And you know how sometimes the people

say, pray for me. You go, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll

pray for you. But you ain't really engaged. Y

'all don't know. Pray for me. And then you go,

OK, I'm going to pray for you in three days later.

It's like, oh, that's right. I was supposed to

pray for you. That's why a lot of times you say

pray for me. Let's do it now Let's do it. Let's

do it right. Let's do it right now But again

He's saying you're studying not just for yourself,

you got a body of believers, you got community,

you got people that may be going through the

same thing that you're going through, and you

can pray a more fervent prayer than a person

who cannot face this. I'm not saying that we

can't pray for you and we can pray in faith,

but another person can really get down with God

concerning your situation because of what's happening

with me. And God gave me a word, so I'm giving

you a word. See that I just just crossed my mind.

That's why I wrote that book help. I have children

I'm not trying to tell people how to raise their

kids because everybody's child is different But

I do want you to keep your sanity while you're

raising your key And so I wrote the book to you

so you can be sane. I Mean I had four children

they are not the same But work with one did not

work with the other so It was like, hey, they

kept me near the cross. And as a result of it,

I became a stronger Christian. As a result of

it, I'm able to share things that other people

who don't have children share things. They can't

share it like I can share it. As they say, they

can't tell it like I can tell it. See, it's funny.

I'm watching my children raise their children

and they're like, I don't understand. I'm like,

you did the same thing, singing like you would

understand. What would you tell you? What would

you tell you? Because obviously, I didn't know

what to say, but you was. Y 'all know what I'm

saying. How many people are experiencing their

children raising children? It's funny. It's comical,

isn't it? I don't understand. Let's see. I had

one child to tell me, because their child is

kind of in that place. of I kind of know everything,

because they can do it on, as my mom would say,

the World Wide Web. She had to say it all, the

World Wide Web. I was like, oh yeah, I do recall

talking to you one day and said, you don't know

everything, you're still learning. You know what

their response was? I may not know everything,

but I know a little bit about everything. I said,

hmm. And now that their child is saying it, I'm

just like, hmm. It's amazing how things can come

back to remind you, not bite you, but remind

you. Philippians chapter two. Philippians chapter

two, verse two. We're going to look at it in

the NIV. And this is Jesus speaking and he says,

again, truly I tell you that if to listen to

this good news, again, truly I tell you. that

if two of you on earth agree about anything,

this is the power of community. He says, it's

as little as two. You don't need to call all

the prayer people in the world for everybody

to be praying for you, although that's not a

bad thing. He said, but if two, if two of you,

as little as two of you, agree about anything.

Now, I've heard people say this, let's touch

and agree. I don't have to touch you to agree.

He's talking about agreeing on the same thing.

He's talking about being on the same page. He's

talking about not one person thinking one thing

and another thinking another. He said, but we

are in agreement. We're coming to agreement concerning

this promise of God. We're coming into agreement

concerning the outcome. Jesus says here that

if two will agree about anything they ask for,

it will be done for them. Now you see why the

enemy wants us to be divided. Now you see why

that he wants us to be separated. Now you see

why he wants to want us not to come together.

Now you can see why it is that God says it's

imperative that we get rid of all this senseless

stuff that we do. You sat in my seat and that's

my seat. Why don't you just sit beside him and

agree on something? because some power is going

to be happening because you are agreeing. Not

just because you're touching, but we're agreeing

concerning the same outcome. And Jesus makes

the promise. He said, it will be done for them

by my Father. It will. That's why we have to

be cautious concerning our relationship. That's

why we don't let anything just take us off. That's

why we don't just fuss about stuff that don't

move the needle. We don't get all upset about

the things that the world gets upset about. I

have the power to have another thought. I have

the power to believe what God is saying. I have

the power on the inside of me to think like Jesus

think. And Jesus wasn't, he wasn't concerned

about the petty. He wasn't concerned. Listen,

this is just Deborah thinking. If it's not gonna

take me to heaven or hell, I don't care. I'm

not, you know, I'll voice my opinion about it.

And I've said what I've said. Now I'm done. I

am done. And then only thing I say is one of

us is right. You or me. I don't know. We both

may be wrong. But God, you settle it. But in

the meantime, I'm not going to have any animosity

concerning you because some power is going to

be missing. I may need for you to agree concerning

something. So I don't have time to be mad about

you parked in my parking space. I don't have

time to be upset. You all understand what I'm

saying? We get upset over the wrong things. Then

the power of God, the way He wants it to operate

in community, does not operate in community because

we can't come together because of some senseless

thing that we are thinking. And so that is why

the enemy don't want us assembling together.

That's why. Because He knows the power that we

have. When we start speaking and we start talking

because the Bible says you'll have what you say

So that's why he tells us he says seek for peace

if peace can be found seek for the peace Start

weighing everything in light of eternity Start

weighing in things in light of what you have

the ability to do with that brother or sister

in christ And I'm talking about the power that

comes from it. And I like when God uses the word

power because it means dunamis. It means like

dynamite. You have no idea the damage you can

do in the kingdom with the devil if you will

just agree. Listen, he talks about going to the

elders of the church and praying, having them

to pray for you, coming together, agreeing concerning

my healing. And I'm agreeing concerning my own

healing. You're agreeing concerning my healing.

And the Bible tells us that that person will

be healed, not they might be healed. It said

they will be healed. And then they get amongst

believers who keep saying that to them. Won't

allow them to go down a negative road. Won't

allow them to think anything differently because

I am in agreement with what that person just

prayed for you. Be in agreement with the Word

of God because there is power. Look at somebody

say power. It's power in agreement. You know

there's more power in agreement than submission.

You can submit to something and not agree. Am

I right? So it's better to agree because the

power is now available. Every point I think about

that in someone, you need to think about this.

When someone asks you to pray for something and

you agree on the outcome, you agree on the, sometimes

you might even ask them, what are you standing

on so I can agree with it? What script are you

standing on so I can agree with it? I have told

people that. What script are you standing on?

Well, I'm like, ask the Holy Spirit what script

do you need to stand on so I can agree. So now

it's not just me and you. It's me, you, and the

Holy Spirit agreeing, concerning the same thing.

And when you think about it, that brother or

sister in Christ come to you and say, let me

pray for you, let me pray with you, you need

to think power is about to take place. Power,

ability, strength, might, victory, overcoming.

Those are the words should feel your thoughts,

not, I wonder if it's going to happen. No, brother,

it's going to happen. Why? Because we say so.

Because we have determined. Because we are declaring.

Man, so much we miss out on because we want to

be an island. And God didn't call us to be an

island. He called us to be together. He calls

us to be a force that cannot be reckoned with.

And you have to see those things. And you have

to help your brothers and sisters in Christ who

may be failing a little bit in that area. You

bring them back to their true identity. I got

to remind you of who you are. I got to remind

you of everything that's at your disposal. I

got to remind you. I got to, what did I say?

Stir one another up. That's what he says. Stir

one another up. He said, incite one another.

You know, when I think about incite, I don't

think of whisper. You all understand. I don't,

I'm here to incite you. I'm not up here going,

well, you know, if you would just, just pray

just a little bit more and then if we could just...

I'm like, speak up. What thus saith the Lord,

speak up. Because I know power is brewing. I

know power is brewing. So many things come to

my mind when I think about these things, because

I love to get pictures in my mind concerning

what God is doing. When I think about power brewing

up, you know. uh when you read in genesis and

they're talking about god creating the heavens

and the earth and it talks about the holy spirit

was hovering over the water when I think about

hovering I think uh of um let me see your well

that's my favorite so I can't use my I think

about when it says hovering over the water waiting

for god to speak so he can move I'm thinking

about you know when you pull up I don't do this

when you pull up to a red light And there's a

muscle car on this side. And a muscle car on

that side. And you're revving your engines just

waiting for the light to say green so you can

go. So you can see who outruns the other. When

I think about power of God. When I think about

the Holy Spirit waiting for us to speak and to

talk, that's what I'm thinking about. I'm thinking

he's just waiting for you to say something in

agreement with the Word of God because he's already

revved up to move. And in community, all y 'all

got Harleys. I'm talking about the motorcycle

because I just love how it sounds. I mean, it

has a different... Okay, y 'all can't go with

me on that, maybe. Go ahead and listen to a Harley.

I'm just saying that the power that's available

to us when we walk as one is incredible. It's

supernatural. It moves mountains. It calls a

peace that will surpass all understanding. A

word spoken in season. Look at somebody say,

I probably have a word for you. Look at them

and say, I heard it during my prayer time. Praise

God. Heavenly Father, we just give you praise.

We give you honor. We thank you, Lord God, for

the abilities that you put on the inside of us.

Thank you, Lord God, that they are ignited when

we come together. I thank you, Heavenly Father,

for what you have put and made possible. through

our symphony that comes up to you when we agree

with one another. We thank you, Lord God, that

your word is reliable and it has the power to

change men and women lives. We thank you, Heavenly

Father, for us understanding the importance of

community and us coming together, speaking the

same things, speaking the truth in love. We thank

you, Heavenly Father, that as we... think about

these things as we meet each other throughout

the week. I thank you Father God that we'll see

each other just like you see us as one. Believing

truly, thinking truly, having the same hope and

expectations. And we just give you the praise

and the honor in the name of Jesus. Amen. If

there's anyone here today, and you're not born

again, oh, praise to God. Yes, amen. If you're

not born again, this is an awesome opportunity.

We'd love for you to join our community. And

even at that, it's a body of believers. But then

God has us to have community within community.

And that is so powerful and so God. But if you're

not born again But you want to know God. I'm

so happy that he made it simple He said you don't

have to fix yourself up. You don't have to do

anything additional He says that only thing you

have to do is accept the gift that I have offered

you and that's the gift of forgiveness of all

of your sins and that came through the death

of Jesus Christ and he said if you believe that

if you believe that He said, then you will be

saved. That means that a relationship is now

forged. It's an open door, open access to God.

And if that's you, if you'll raise your hands

wherever you are, and of course those who are

online, if you would just type in the chat, I

want to be born again, I want to be saved, want

to know God, want a relationship. All of those

words will cause us to give you, to contact you,

to help you to understand. the magnitude of the

decision that you have made, and just how much

God loves you. So if there's anyone in the sanctuary

this morning, if you will raise your hands if

that's your designer. Amen. We see a hand in

the back. Praise God. Hallelujah. I just want

to be the first one to say welcome to the family.

So glad that you made that decision. And we're

going to have someone to speak with you as we

said. We're going to ask you to Uh, who we're

gonna meet? Miss Patricia, is it you? Okay. If

you will... He's on this side, so if you'll stand

up so he can see that wonderful... all these

wonderful colors that you're wearing so he won't

mistake you. Okay, you're gonna have to come

over this way, Miss Patricia. Keep walking, keep

walking, keep walking, keep walking. There it

is. The person who waved their hand in the back.

There she is. Okay. All righty, then. Oh. Are

we... Oh! Here? Yes! Amen! All right. Well, you've

already seen the wonderful dazzling colors that

Miss Patricia has on. First room to your left

as you exit. Amen. Praise God. Welcome to the

body of Christ. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Amen.

And again, it's important that you... get into,

if you're not already a member here, if you get

into a Bible teaching church. It's so important,

as I said before, that you walk with community.

So, Revealing Truth Ministries is a good place.

I, you know, if you ask me, I would say this

is a good place because we have all these wonderful

people in here who will welcome you. And I just

believe this, that if God laid it on your heart

to join... this church, that you have a gifting,

a talent, an anointing on your life, that's good

for this ministry. And not only that, then this

ministry is going to be good for you, help you

to make spiritual progress. We're all here in

community to make sure that you finish strong.

Amen. So again, if that's you, if you didn't

raise your hands, if you will meet us to... First

room to your left is your exit. There will be

people there to speak with you concerning being

a part of Revealing Truth Ministries. And for

those of you who are online, if you will type

that in the chat, we'll let you know how you

connect with us. Even if you do not live in this

state or in this city, I just want you to all

understand that we do have members that are not

in this city, not even in this state. And they

are very active. in the vision of revealing truth

ministry so if God laid it upon your heart don't

consider distance just be obedient amen amen

amen so uh i believe there is i'm supposed to

turn this over to there she comes miss luana

let's welcome miss luana thank you so much graduates

of class 2026. Can we give it up for them real

quick? Yes. So today we celebrate a remarkable

group of students who have reached an important

milestone in their journey. Graduation marks

the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.

And what a fitting celebration this is because

we're in a new life, new community, sermon series,

right? So because of new life, because new life

isn't just about starting over, it's about stepping

forward. It's about embracing the future God

has prepared, trusting Him with what lies ahead,

and believing that every new season carries new

opportunities, new purpose, and new possibilities.

Today we honor students who have worked hard,

persevered through challenges, grown in character,

and reached a moment with celebrating. worth

celebrating, I'm sorry. Church family, would

you help me celebrate them one more time? Give

them a round of applause, right? So one of the

greatest, one of the greatest joys of having

a church family is watching our young people

grow and not only in knowledge, but in faith,

leadership and purpose. Today we will have the

privilege of hearing from one of our very own

students. She graduated last year. Right, girl,

Jasmine? Yes, yes. She graduated last year, so

she is now an alumni graduate. Let's go. So she's

going to come forth right now and share a few

thoughts for class of 2026. Let's give it up

for Jasmine Jones. Congratulations to this year's

high school graduates, class of 2026. You have

successfully completed not only the last four

years, but the last 13 years of continuous schooling,

late nights, early mornings, extracurriculars,

exam after exam. You've done it all and you've

done it well. Your endurance does not go unnoticed.

You've experienced such So much changed in the

past years from friendship circles to becoming

teenagers and learning who you are. With this

completion comes great recognition and great

responsibility as you embark on this next chapter.

So here's some advice, whether you're going to

college, the workforce, trade school or the military.

I can speak from experience that who you call

a friend really, really matters. Be mindful of

the people you're always around and check for

fruit. How do they talk? How do they spend their

time? Who are they trying to be? Build that community.

Surround yourself with like -minded people. It

makes a huge difference. Don't be afraid to meet

new people. That can be joining clubs, complimenting

someone new, all the things. Don't be afraid

to make the effort. Remember what you've been

taught both at school and at home. Trust people

can tell the difference between People who act

like they've been trained versus the opposite.

That discipline is a gift and it will work for

you if you apply it. Try new things. Figure out

what you like to do long -term and develop new

hobbies. This is the perfect opportunity to explore

and experiment within reason, of course. One

of the quickest things I learned in young adulthood

is that cringe is just a concept. There aren't

people who are extremely invested in every move

that you make, like it was in high school. Everyone

is simply concerned with their own lives and

moving on from your mistakes. So it's okay to

make them without feeling judged. Also, keep

learning. You may not be at a tiny desk with

a little laptop this chapter, but keep learning

new skills and principles that strengthen your

mind, whether it's how you communicate or...

simply baking a sweet treat, learn something

new. Life will always find ways to get serious

over and over again, so be sure to let the small

things go because life goes on. This has helped

me tremendously in the past year. It is important

to discern which things are worth giving your

time and energy to and which are not. A good

rule of thumb is that if it won't matter the

next day or the next week, it might be good to

let it go and move forward. As always, remember

who you are in Christ. You are the redeemed of

the Lord. You are a new creation in Christ Jesus.

You are the righteousness of God through Jesus.

You are the head and not the tail. You are a

chosen generation. Make it your mission and everything

you do to know God a little more, love like Jesus

a little deeper, and follow the Holy Spirit a

little quicker. I am extremely proud of you graduates.

And with that, congratulations. I celebrate you

all. Thank you. Thank you, Jasmine. That was

beautiful. So every graduate story begins somewhere.

Before diplomas and graduation caps, there were

first steps, first classrooms, first friendships,

first lessons about God's love. So to share a

few words about our graduates from infancy through

fifth grade. Please welcome Creative Kids Pastor

O 'Neal Delva. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

He didn't help me up the stairs. I feel some

type of way I'm a little hurt. Just messing.

All right, Revealing Truth Church, wow. today

is a good day no it's a great day for a celebration

as we once again celebrate and honor our 2026

graduates let's hear for them once again all

right now my name is pastor o 'neill for those

of you who do not know as mentioned a moment

ago i am over our creative kids uh children's

ministry so i've had the great pleasure of seeing

a lot of these amazing uh individuals grow up

over the years i want to call them kids but they're

not kids they're not children they're young adults

so I've had a chance to see their journey as

they've grown into the person who they are today,

and I'm excited about the person who they will

be in the near future. Now I will say, when they

asked me to speak, they said, you know, you got

three to five minutes, all right? Now for me,

I'm not gonna lie, it could be a little difficult.

For someone who talks a lot, who talks for a

living, three to five minutes. What? I'm just

joking, but we'll get through this together,

we'll get through this together. Now, as I prepared

for what I was going to say today, something

just kind of stuck to me with me the entire week.

It was really something that Pastor Brian said

last week as he talked about adding your own

seasoning, your own flavor to every situation.

Now, when he was talking last week, he was talking

about, you know, making turkey and stuff and

how great of a cook he is and so on. But I'm

not going to lie to you all. Revealing truth,

that's not me. Eyes don't cook, okay? I'm what

you would call a microwave chef, okay? Read the

instructions on the back, beep, beep, start,

three to five minutes, dinner is served. However,

I do understand the importance of seasoning,

right, and how it can potentially just help to

bring something new, changes the meal completely.

So, you know, maybe add a little salt, a little

pepper, make it your own. So I guess I can say

I'm a chef, right? So I know how to do that much.

But now, but as of late, one of the things that

I've been on, I've been loving is kind of this

little bottle right here. It's hot honey, all

right? Hot honey, that's not seasoning. I know

it's not seasoning, but hot honey, you can put

on anything. You can put on pizza, you can put

it on chicken wings, put it on biscuits, and

so on. It brings a whole new different flavor,

whole new different experience, all right? For

graduates, earlier if I saw you, I gave you a

little basket that has some goodies and so on,

and I gave you your own little hot honey bottle.

Now. Now you're probably wondering hot honey

and seasoning what in the world does this have

to do with graduation? Come on pastor. Oh get

to the point right now actually has everything

to do with graduation and where you are in your

journey Psalm 139 verse 14 reminds us that we

Psalms 139:14

are fearfully and wonderfully made, and Ephesians

2 and 10 reminds us that we are God's handiwork,

creating Christ Jesus to do good. So really,

you've already been made unique. You have unique,

you're on the inside of you, right? You are unique,

you have your gifts, you have your personalities,

your experiences, your faith, your perspectives,

all of those things. are your seasoning, right?

So as you leave high school and you get ready

to go into college or trade school, as mentioned

a little bit earlier, military, or even the workforce,

because I know I've talked to some of you already,

you'll be presented with a lot of opportunities

to just blend in and be like everyone else, right?

People will tell you who you should be. Social

media will tell you who you should be. Culture

will tell you who you should be, right? But it's

important for you to remember that God has already

decided who you are, all right? Well, I'm looking

to our seniors or our graduates online as well

as over here. So for you all over here, I'm not

ignoring you. They're just sitting over there.

So I'm looking over there. All right. But it's

important for us to remember that for you to

not blend in with what's already there, for you

to be original and be who God has created you

to be, right? So the world really doesn't need

another carbon copy of somebody else. It needs

you, you to be original, right? The version that

God has created you to be. Jesus also reminds

us that you're the light of this world, so light

we know don't blend in, light stands out. So

it's important for graduates as you encounter

different situations and so on and so forth for

you to just take a moment for you to be that

light in the room, for you to bring your faith

with you, for you to bring your kindness, for

you to bring your integrity, your purpose, bring

your seasoning into the room that you're in.

The word also reminds us that we're in this world,

but we're not of this world. So it's important

for you to remember to be original and for you

to be you, all right? Actually, graduates and

congregations, let me get, look at your neighbor

and just say, just be you. All right, so once

again graduates, congratulations. We are proud

of you. We're praying for you. Remember that

you have a community of people who are excited

about the things that's gonna take place next

in your lives, and we're here to support you.

So before I turn over to the next speaker, back

to Ms. LaWanda, let's hear it once again for

our 2026 high school graduates. Whoop, whoop,

whoop, yeah. Thank you, Pastor O 'Neill. Let's

give it up for Pastor O 'Neill one more time.

Oh, he didn't want the help that time, huh? So

the middle school and high school years are filled

with growth challenges and discoveries and opportunities

to deepen faith. Throughout those years, our

students have been encouraged, discipled, and

supported by incredible leaders. So we would

like for you all to please welcome one of our

UR student minister leaders, Zamari Faison. Done

got the stage all to myself now. Aw, man. So,

for y 'all who don't know, Zamari, one of the

youth leaders in Young Heart Big Dreams Envision

U, and I have the privilege of teaching these

young minds almost every Sunday now. I wanna

start by saying, I'm only 23 years old. I grew

up with most of these kids over here. From when

they was little young babies running around the

church, running around the band room, doing whatever

it is they was doing, just being themselves.

And it has been an absolute privilege to grow

with them, to learn with them, to now teaching

them what faith really is. And I don't take that

lightly because they're not just my friends.

These are now my students. These are now my peers.

They hit that threshold to where, man, now I

gotta start respecting them like they're me.

But no, man, a staple that Pastor Bryan has been

saying throughout this sermon series is that

for every promise, there is a path. And I believe

that the Lord has set a promise on each and every

last one of y 'all. And one thing we know about

a path is that in order for you to start that

path, you gotta take a step. You gotta take that

step. You don't get to the destination by standing

still. You don't. That step may be hard. That

step may be difficult. That step may be easy.

Hey, you might even know what you're doing next.

Sometimes you don't know what the heck God got

going on in your life. But one thing you do know

is that the man who built your path the man who

gave you your destination has built this whole

thing and he knows where you are he knows where

you're gonna go man uh proverbs three and five

says trust in the lord with all your heart and

lean out on your own understanding and all your

ways know him and lean on him so in everything

you do whether it's going to trade school whether

it's going back college, whether it's you already

going into the workforce, lean on God. Don't

chase success. Chase the Father because he knows

what you need. And I'm gonna just, I'm gonna

end it right here. Look, I just want to tell

y 'all, man, I love y 'all. I'm proud of y 'all.

Y 'all church is proud of y 'all. Y 'all family

is proud of y 'all. God sees you. He knows where

you at. He knows where you're going. And congratulations,

Class of 2026. Can we give it up one more time

for Mrs. Zamari, Mr. Zamari Faison. And let's

give it up for all of our leaders. Yes. Thank

you. So at this time, I'm going to ask for our

pastors to come up to the stage as well as we

get ready to call each one of our graduates.

onto the stage. So as they're coming, I wanna

say thank you for investing so faithfully into

the lives of our students. Church family, graduation

is not the finish line, it's the launch point.

As these graduates step into college careers,

military services, trade schools, ministry, or

whatever path God has prepared, we believe they

are entering into a season of new life filled

with purpose and possibilities. So as we are

getting ready to call their names, just celebrate

with them, okay? Awesome. So at this time, we

welcome to the stage, Raphael Anderson. Next,

we have Corey Phobbs. Honorable mention, we have

Jarrett Fritz. He is not here at this time. Next,

we have Teagan Gaffney. Next, we have Next we

have Zoe Givens. Next we have Shannon Honors.

Next we have Alana Mitchell. Bye, Mustapha. certificates

for you I know you guys are heavily awarded today

I've seen a lot of tassels a lot of you know

what they represent y 'all want to shout out

your high schools for the last time Cypress Creek

South County Cambridge Christian Sumter High

School summer something I thought I said it right

Both yours says NHS. National, oh Jesus. I told

y 'all I ain't getting no sashes. Boy, I almost

caught myself. That's National Honor Society.

Y 'all saw where I was. I said, man, what school

you went to? I thought we was... Wharton High

School. Academy of Holy Names. Patel High School.

Armwood. Special Fed Academy. Specially Fit Academy.

You look fit too. Proof is in the pudding. And

so we are excited for what God has done, what

he's going to do. And so we're just going to

pray over you guys in the future that he has.

And so we're just excited. So if y 'all could

just stretch your hands towards the graduate.

Father God, we thank you for every student represented

here. We thank you for bringing them this far.

We thank you for the grace that they've operated

in. We pray that it is just maturing, that there's

more and more grace in their future. Father God,

we're praying that your hand be upon their next

journey. We pray that they are surrounded by

people who. Love who they are understand what

God is doing and continue to cover them. What

God is doing father God We pray that doors will

be open and any door that is not where you want

to go It is shut but we pray that they lean on

you through this entire journey and we're just

praying God for just a Testimony that is to be

heard of what you are doing and going to do in

their lives in your precious name. We pray a

man a man And so we do, as a ministry, they have

some gifts for you guys and a reception for you

guys, but also we are going to sow a financial

seed into each one of you guys and just pray

that there is a harvest to come. And we just

know, I'm looking at Greg because I'm thinking

he always saying he ain't got no money, but he

can pay. I think he can pay for dinner today

is what I'm thinking. Also to the church, this

is from the church, this is from everyone sitting

here, we've sold into you, $250, right? And so

you can pick up your check this week, just get,

Ms. LaWanna will email you when they're available

for you to pick up. Also, there is a campaign

still going on. If you go to the app, all the

graduates on stage, we are asking that you continue

to sew, because in August, before they go to

school, we'll be... Dividing that campaign whatever

we raise will go and divide it into all 12 of

them So please now that you got a chance to see

who graduated Please continue to sew into the

app and that'll go to wherever they're going

their college their books or even Continuing

their education. Amen. Amen It pays to do a God's

way that's what we saying but a man and y 'all

want to shout out what you're doing next Now's

the time look I knew something listen I Will

be going to Louisiana State University pursuing

nursing I'll be going to the Midland University

to play for football I'll be going to FAMU to

study pre -med biology It's a lot of pressure,

Gregor. I'm going to Polk State for pilot operations.

No pressure? You want it? Okay. I'm going to

trade school for barbering. You don't know where

you're going yet? But the Lord will be with you.

And the tassels. Just take them with you. Huh?

So Ms. Luana has an announcement to make. Here

we go. Well, just so you guys know that we did

also present them with some cords as well. The

blue cord that they have around the neck are

for those that are here, members, our members,

our very own children. And then the gold cord

is for those who have graduated with honors.

And then the life green cord is for those who

served here in the ministry. So let's give it

up for them, for servanthood. I think that's

it, y 'all. Pictures. They wouldn't do a picture.

He's taking it. That's his mama. We don't have

a shout rule at the church. So this is the moment.

You can shout all you want. I'm down, sis. All

right, awesome. You guys can stand to your feet.

We will be dismissed. Y 'all enjoy church today.

But now unto him who is able to keep you from

falling and to present you faultless before the

presence of his glory with exceeding joy to the

only wise God, our savior, be glory. majesty,

dominion, and power both now and forever. Amen.