Guest Speaker: Thomas Spiridigliozzi // Eleviva

Hi, this is John Ozanting, the pastor of Evolved Church, and this is the Evolved Church Podcast.

Thanks so much for tuning in.

We hope that you find today's message encouraging and full of hope for wherever you're at.

Well, listen, we have a friend in the room with us today, Thomas Spirodidliotsi.

And uh, did you say it right?

Did I say it?

Ah, nailed it.

He practiced many a time.

Didn't sleep a wink last night.

If you were in the room last November for Vision Sunday, we began to tell the story of El Aviva and the work they're doing to mobilize church leaders, train up young church leaders, raise up church planters, and launch new churches throughout Italy and other parts of Europe.

And we began um financially partnering with Ela Viva this year.

And we're continuing to pray about what that looks like for Evolves Story, this little ragtag group of strangers that have become family here in Edmonton to um could we dare to believe that God wants to use our story to impact the greater church across the world?

And Thomas uh um got a beautiful word that he wants to share with us today, and uh, and then I'm gonna ask him a few questions that you get to be in the room for, and uh a little QR about El Aviva and the work they're doing right now.

I know you're gonna love this.

Uh, but can you get rowdy and stand to your feet and cheer for our friend Pastor Thomas as he comes to share God's word today?

Yeah.

Thank you, bro.

Love you, man.

Can we can we pray together?

Yeah.

Yeah, stay standing.

Father, in Jesus' name.

Thank you that Jesus, there's one thing you're committed to building.

It's your church.

That's right.

And you do that through our feeblest attempts and through our brightest moments, through our lives, and through the stories that our lives tell.

Oh, that we, your people, would live in such a way that we're accredited to the message of Christ.

And as we gather today, we worship, we've asked you to do something new in our become a little bit more aware of your presence in our lives today.

And we just want to say thank you for the faithful word and the fruitful word of all of you in our lifetime with you that you do throughout your life.

So we just say thank you for the friendship, the gift of Pastor Thomas, as he shares your word, as he invites us into the living scripture today.

We lean into your voice.

We thank you, Father, in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you so much, friend.

So good to be here with you today.

And um I I am married to my beautiful wife, Liliana, and we are going to be celebrating our 31st wedding anniversary, July 20th.

Were you 14 when you got married?

Like, that makes me feel quite old.

I've got a son who's gonna turn 25.

His name is Jeremy, and another son who is Daniel, and he's 22, and he's our special needs boy, our miracle boy, and uh inspires hundreds of people in his life.

And uh, but we're grateful, we're grateful.

And uh Liliana sends her greetings, says hello to you.

Um, she's kind of jealous.

She knows I'm getting the royal treatment here at Evolved Church, and so we'll just have to bring her the next time.

Amen.

So thank you, Pastor Jono and uh Nicole.

It's just been a pleasure getting to know you guys and developing this friendship and relationship, your hospitality, your generosity.

I mean, you've got the culture going here.

Thank you so much.

And uh Joan and I met a few years ago at uh one of the art conferences in Vancouver, and then I came to Edmonton and we had coffee together, and when we shared our stories, we just felt there was something there, and it was just a matter of timing.

And so we committed to developing relationship and friendship.

And uh, next thing you know, here we are, we're in partnership, and we're so grateful for your support and financial support, your prayer support.

We are 100% faith-based organization, ministry, doing the work that we feel God has called us to do in the continent of Europe.

And uh without you, we can't do it.

So thank you.

And we look forward to what God is gonna do in the years to come.

We look forward to having your pastors on the field serving and downloading and training and pouring into our pastors and leaders uh on the field.

And so we we we just love that.

Love what God is doing in the house.

Like, absolutely, what God has done in the past three and a half years is absolutely supernatural and miraculous.

And how many of you love what God is doing here?

How many of you love your pastors?

How many of you love your church this morning?

You know, I love the church.

I I grew up in the church, I was a pastor's kid, and and I literally was born in the hospital, and two days later I'm in the parsonage of the church in the city of Montreal where my dad was pastoring.

And uh I I was I was that that that kid that uh went through the journey as a pastor's kid growing up, being raised in the church, and and and uh I lived, slept, ate church.

I mean, Wednesday night Bible study, Friday night prayer night, Sunday morning church, Sunday night church.

I mean, Sunday night was the big, big thing, right?

Come on, it was powerful.

I mean, salvations, transformations, deliverance, you name it.

It all took place on Sunday night.

And I grew up in that.

I had the privilege of growing up in that heritage.

And I mean, I was the kid who invented every possible game you can think of with hymnals.

You know, for those of you who don't know what a hymnal is, it's it's a song book, a thick song book.

And uh, I mean, I I I I invented every game possible with that.

Uh I was the kid who picked up the bobby pins of the uh off the off the women's hair that would fall when they would just be under the power in the presence of God.

I had I had yellow, red, pink, you name it.

I had a whole collection.

And then I was starting to get involved in church, and I was the director of the multimedia, but back then multimedia wasn't what you see today.

It was the overhead projector, and we used transparencies.

Come on.

And you know what?

I think back to those days, and you would think the worship leader would give us the list of songs beforehand.

No, no, no.

You that's not led by the spirit.

You gotta like be on cues.

So me and my buddy, we had this competition going, who can pull out the songs quicker?

I mean, we had that thing down packed to a T.

And so that was the environment that I grew up in.

I rode in the church, big yellow Sunday school bus with my grandparents on the way to church Sunday night.

And I'm telling you, talk about revival in the bus.

Talk about steamy windows in the bus as we were praying for the service.

I mean, there were moments where the power of God would come over that bus where the bus driver has got tears streaming down his face, and I'm like, please keep your eyes on the road.

You know, there were moments where he had to pull over and compose himself because of the presence of God.

And then I had the privilege of co-pastoring with my dad for six years, and then seven other years in the city of Maple Ridge.

And I say all that to say this because I'm gonna speak about the church today.

I'm gonna speak about how God has a preferred future for your church and for the global church.

Amen?

How many of you believe that?

But I I'm sharing this because as I think of my heritage, growing up in the church, being raised in the church with all of its imperfections and all of its disappointments and challenges and the bumps and the bruises along the way, I can say to you today without a shadow of a doubt that I have been shaped and I am who I am, and I'm doing what I'm doing because of the impact of the church.

Right?

And so, and when I speak about the church this morning, I'm not talking about a religious institution, I'm not talking about some monument, I'm not talking about a four-walled building made out of brick and mortar, but rather I'm talking about a church as a living organism, a movement of people, an army of followers of Jesus Christ, living stones that have intricate value in the body of Christ, who are being the church, who are expressing the favor of God, who are expressing the aroma of God, being brokers of hope and being brokers of life and forgiveness and grace and freedom.

That's the church, it's the ecclesia, the gathering of God's people who are inhabiting the earth, who are bringing down the kingdom of God to earth, who are bringing down heaven to earth.

That's the church, friends.

I still believe in the power.

I still believe that the church is the hope of the world.

I still believe that the church matters today today.

The church is the way God has chosen to bring hope to a lost and a broken humanity, to a world that has no hope.

Let me tell you, it's not gonna happen through some political campaign, it's not gonna happen through government, it's not gonna happen through some environmental movement or the educational sector or even a denomination.

But God said, I choose the local church to bring hope and transformation into the world.

And this morning, I like the verse in Psalms 26:8 where it says, Lord, I love the house where you live.

Psalms 26:8

I love the place where your glory dwells.

Or we can say, Lord, I love my church, I love evolve.

Another translation says, Lord, the zeal for your house consumes me.

Come on.

Zeal for your house consumes me.

Can you say that about your church today?

That everything about your church consumes you.

It is passionate.

I sense I'm here this morning to encourage you to keep renewing your passion and your zeal and love for this house as you launch in this next new season.

Because the church is the brightest light on planet earth.

The church today declares that Jesus is alive, it declares the goodness of Jesus, it declares the faithfulness of Jesus.

Come on, church, it declares the forgiveness of Jesus, it declares the love and the hope of Jesus.

The church is no longer hidden, it's no longer a mystery, it's no longer the best kept secret in town.

But it's being declared and it's being shouted and it's being sung about and it's being written about and it's being celebrated that Jesus is the Lord of his church where his glory dwells.

And I don't know about you, but I sense his glory here today.

I sense his presence here today.

And I see a church that worships passionately, that prays fervently, that gives generously, that loves relentlessly, that honors God and one another and serves unselfishly and intentionally engages its community and the lives in unity so that the name of Jesus can be made famous in this city.

And so, how do we do this?

How are we going to partner with God to advance the kingdom, his kingdom, through building his church?

How are we going to achieve this?

How are you going to fulfill the vision that God has for this house and fulfill its purpose in this city and around the world?

Thessalonians gives us some insight.

And um, there's a bit of a prophetic edge here as I as I read this scripture, but in Thessalonians, 1 Thessalonians 1, 2 to 8, it gives us insight on how we can move forward.

And this is Paul speaking to the church in Thessalonica, and he's actually praising them and thanking God for how they were flourishing.

I mean, the church was doing great, and he's actually highlighting how how great they were doing.

And here it goes.

And in verse 1, it says to the church of the Thessalonians, in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, grace and peace be to you.

We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.

We remember, and here he is, he highlights it.

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith.

Come on, that's the first one.

Your labor prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope.

In the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 4.

For we know, brothers and sisters, loved by God, that He has chosen you.

Come on, He has chosen you.

He has chosen this church, He has chosen each and every one of you to be such an important part of what God is doing here.

This church has been chosen in each of you, and as a part of the body of Christ, a part of it that has each part that says yes and does his work, as you say yes and realize that God has chosen you to do something, you aren't here by accident, but you are here because you have been called, you have been chosen, and you have been planted here by God.

And verse 5, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with the power of the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.

See, friends, there's a deep conviction in the core of your vision and to what God has laid on the hearts of your leadership for this church.

You know how we lived among you for your sake.

You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcome the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

You know, friends, sometimes you have to go through suffering in doing the work of God.

Overcome some hard seasons.

You're gonna have to overcome some challenges and some obstacles and transitions.

But what does it do?

It produces strong character to be able to sustain you in what God has for you to do, elevate you to higher ground, to give you greater responsibility and greater vision and ownership, but you do it with joy because there's a deep conviction on the inside of you that says, God has called me, God has planted me here.

Come on, and verse 7, and so you become a model, you become a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.

You aren't just evolved church on this street and look pretty and become iconic or a religious institution, but God's desire is that you become a model in this community, that you become a model in this city.

The Lord's, and then it goes on in verse 8, the Lord's message rang out from you.

There's a message, I believe God wants to bring out from this church that's going to reverberate.

There's a message and a reputation that's coming forth from this church by the way you live your life in faith.

Out from you, not only in Macedonia, which means not only in this community, and Achaea, which means Edmonton, but your faith in God has become known everywhere.

Can you say that right now?

Say everywhere.

That's the reputation you're gonna have.

It's gonna go beyond this community, it's gonna go beyond Edmonton, and it's gonna go globally.

This isn't it.

You haven't arrived.

There's more to be done.

We we we heard that in the worship set this morning.

There's more ground to take, there is more impact, there's more influence to be had and gained.

You aren't done yet.

And someone says there is more to be done, there's more to be done, there's more for this church.

There's more, there's a preferred future for you.

And just because you've gained momentum and progressed as a church up to this point today, the last thing we want to do is get comfortable.

The last thing we want to do is settle.

The last thing we want to do is say, This is good enough.

No, no, no, there's more, there's more, and God wants to do more.

This isn't it, friends.

Here's how you're going to do more.

Here's how you're going to build and grow and expand your reach as a church.

Verse three your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, your endurance inspired by hope.

Your work in faith is produced, your work is produced by faith.

The Greek word for work here means good deeds.

It means your daily actions.

It means more than going to work every day and doing your job.

It's actually talking about how you live your life in being a good neighbor.

It's how you care for people, it's how you help those that are vulnerable.

It's about living your life in doing good.

Last night Jonah came and picked me up at the hotel and he was waiting for me, and I walk out the doors, and there he is with his arms wrapped around this gentleman that was outside the hotel.

I mean, you know, that's your pastor, right?

Okay, right?

And and he's praying over this man, and this man just spilled, spilled his whole life to him, and he's praying and loving on him, and they exchange messages, and throughout dinner, the guy's texting him and saying you wouldn't believe what happened after you prayed for me.

But but that's that's our work that's produced by faith.

It's a natural outflow.

And you do these things not out of obligation and legalistic or demand, but you do it out of your faith.

Doing good deeds is a natural outflow of our faith.

The incentive of going out there in our everyday life and do good works is a result of our faith in Jesus.

A faith that produces in us a desire to live for Him and a desire to serve Him faithfully.

In James chapter 2, 17 to 18, in the NLT it says, so you see, faith by itself isn't enough unless it produces good deeds.

James 2 · chapter mention

It is dead and useless.

Now, someone may argue some people have faith, others have good deeds, but I say, How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds?

If you don't have good works, I will show you my faith by my good works.

You see, our faith, our our work is done in faith.

Our work is produced by faith, and faith leads you to action.

Your faith produces good works, they're inseparable.

You see, I can't say to Pastor Jono and say, hey, Pastor Jono, you know, I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna have the faith department and you have the works department.

That's doesn't work that way.

There you can't compartmentalize those things.

It's not something you delegate.

Faith and works, and works and faith fit together.

They go hand in hand, and faith always moves you to do something.

When we step out and live out a life of faith, something happens, something gets released from the heavens.

There's a supernatural release that comes in the midst of you doing good work.

It opens the door for the kingdom of God to come, for heaven to be invited in the situation in your sphere of influence.

I remember uh we were planting churches in Crimea years ago, before it got overtaken by Russia.

And I remember the national leaders were telling us, look, we only have a short window before Russia is gonna take over Crimea.

It's interesting what's happening in the whole nation today.

And so they said, we really need to plant some churches before this happens, so we could say we've got a church.

And so uh we started planting, we planted about 14 churches in the region of Crimea over a span of five years.

And uh and I'll tell you, um we sent uh on one summer in particular, we sent 27 interns from our home church to go and just love our church planters and visit the different villages and communities that we were planting churches in.

And uh I'll never forget they were in this one little village, and uh they just felt like we we really need to do something tangible.

We we we need to love on this village.

And they noticed that the the uh the main bus shelter in the town, in the village, was really just falling apart.

It was rusted, paint is falling apart, and and it just needed a good clean, a good fresh coat of paint.

And so so they went uh so they talked to the church manager and says, We want to really paint and clean up this bus shelter.

And he's like, Yeah, sure.

He goes, We'll have to go and and talk to the to this to the counselor of the village and make sure it's all good.

And so they went to talk to the counselor of the village, and they and here he is, you know.

The pastor goes in, our youth pastor goes in and he says, Hey, we wanna we wanna help clean up the bus shelter, we want to paint it.

And he's like, What?

You wanna what you're here with what 27 students from Canada?

Why would you come all the way from Canada in this village in the middle of nowhere?

Nobody knows us.

You came.

Here and you want to do this?

He goes, Yeah, we want to do this, and we want to buy the paint.

You're gonna buy the paint.

Yeah, we're gonna buy the paint.

And so they go and they get all the supplies, and and so they they gather the team of 27, they start scraping the paint off, who's sweeping and cleaning up, and and as this phenomena is going on, they're starting to apply paint.

There's people coming out from their homes in the village, checking this out.

Because can you imagine 27 young people with their bright t-shirts on doing something good for this village?

And so, and so they're coming out, they're like, What is this?

We've never seen anything like it.

And there's a crowd that assembles around what's happening at the bus shelter.

And so, our youth pastor, which was Justin Reimer at the time, was uh was saying, Wow, you know, we I really feel God wants to do something.

So he started picking out a few young people, saying, I want you to share your story, I want you to share your testimony.

And so one by one they started to share.

And then and then he he kind of wrapped it up with a brief word, and and then this one man started to manifest, and and so they took him to the side and he began to pray for them.

But to make a long story short, around a bus shelter with 27 students from Canada, cleaning it up, painting it, four Muslim people gave their life to Christ right there.

Right there in that moment.

Come on, give them, give them praise.

Yeah.

You see, our faith naturally leads us to good works, to do something, to move, it prays, it believes, it lives, it fights, it perseveres, it's determined.

And so faith that leads us to action.

Number two, how do we continue to extend the kingdom of God?

It's it's done through our love, our labor that is prompted by love.

Love is the motivator of what compels us to do what we do.

We do this work by faith, but it's impossible to labor and to work without love.

The word love here goes beyond just good works.

The the it this thing just means plain old hard work.

How many of you have had to endure some hard work in the last three and a half years?

And Paul is saying to the Church of Thessalonians, thank, I thank my God, that your hard work is done out of a prompting and out of a motivation of love.

And the church is labor.

It's hard work, friends, but we do it because we love.

Love has to be our motivation.

You know, my wife gave birth to two boys, Jeremy and Daniel.

They call it labor.

It would be crazy to ask, why would you go through all that pain and discomfort?

In the same way, it would be crazy to ask your pastors, why do we want to grow the church?

Why do we want to further reach?

Why do we want to increase our influence in our community?

Why partner with more mission initiatives and global partners?

Why have mission partners?

It just seems like a lot of hard work, time, and resources for a lot of people.

And why do it?

Because it's prompted and it's driven and it's motivated by love, just as the Father loved you into the kingdom.

Because there is something that fills your heart, knowing that somebody needs all this, and you're motivated by love to do something about it.

We do it because we have a love for Jesus.

And when you have a love for Jesus, it motivates you and prompts you to put in the hard work.

And so in 2 Corinthians, Paul says in 5, 4 to 14 and 15, says, For Christ's love compels us because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.

And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again.

You see, friends, the love of Christ motivates us, moves us forward.

It takes us from our place of apathy and it propels us to a place of genuine and faithful service.

Paul starts off by making it clear that Christ's love is the driving motivation.

It compels us.

He no longer lived for himself.

You know, he he no longer lived for his own goals or his own dreams.

He was completely consumed with God's mission of reaching as many people as he could with the gospel.

That's why he made a bold declaration.

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors sent out to be hope and to be love.

We see how Jesus was motivated and compelled by love.

I mean, why did Jesus go die on the cross?

Why would he take on the shame and all of the humiliation on him?

Why would he take the nails?

Why would he go through that pain and discomfort?

Why would you take up the call of God on your life that is laborsome and sacrificial?

Why would you want to expand capacity?

Why would you want to sacrifice and give so much away?

Why would why do we need to develop and train and empower more leaders?

Why do we need to plant more churches?

Why do all these things for the kingdom of God?

Because we have a king of kings that is motivated by love, and you carry the same motivation deep inside your heart, and it's called love now, if Jesus is motivated by love to bring hope to a broken world, then love needs to be our motivation as well.

So let me ask you this important question: how much do people who are far from God matter to you?

How much do people who are far from God matter to you?

Do you love them enough to share with them the one thing that matters the most?

That's Jesus.

And that's what we do with our church planters on the field.

And we never know what's gonna happen.

It's a I mean, I could be here all day telling you story after story to love and serve people in your community 24-7.

This isn't a model for church.

I believe it's actually what the church was designed to be from the very beginning.

The vision God has given to you and to your pastors for your church is motivated by love.

It's a genuine motivation.

And I know because I know the hearts of your pastors and the future of this church and the love is motivated through the labor of your workers.

I see this house filled with a people motivated by love.

You are willing to pay the price that required to see the kingdom come in every sector of society.

And so let me come to the last point here, real quickly.

So we work by faith.

It would be sad if we worked in our own strength.

We work by faith.

We are motivated by love.

And thirdly, we endure by hope.

Hope inspired by Jesus in us.

I can say that today in Canada is filled with people that work in faith and motivated by love only for a short season.

Many have short-term vision.

They start well with all the good intentions, but it fizzles out within a short time.

But we must endure to the very end.

We need endurance.

If there's ever a time the church needs endurance, it's right now.

The last two years things have been shaken up all around us, but the church will not be shaken.

The kingdom of God shall not be shaken.

And we need endurance.

We need the Holy Spirit this morning to give us a fresh supply of endurance.

Endurance speaks about perseverance.

Even when times get hard, and what is it that that helps you to persevere and endure?

It's our hope.

You see, if you lose your hope, you lose your endurance.

The enemy's after your hope.

Because if he can rob your hope, he knows you're not gonna endure and you're gonna quit and you're gonna throw in the towel.

But today, here I see a church, I see a people who have made a decision that say, I'm gonna endure for the long term.

I'm gonna say yes and support and sacrifice for the vision of his church.

And I'm going to, I'm, I'm gonna be here for the next five years.

I'm gonna I'm gonna be on the team serving harder and better in the next 10 years.

I'm gonna make a commitment of loyalty, my heart, for the great future that God has for this house.

We are going to endure in hope, inspired to us by God through the Holy Spirit.

We're gonna endure in hope because you have your eyes that's fixed on the goal, on the finish line, on the prize.

But that doesn't happen quickly.

There is a race that we first need to run, and it's not a sprint, it's called a marathon, church.

There's a journey that needs to be embraced.

It's going to take time, hard work, sacrifice, overcoming situations and circumstances.

It's gonna, it's gonna require perseverance and determination, laying down your preferences and your own personal opinions.

It's gonna cost us everything.

It means we will need to be all in at whatever cost.

There is nothing more fulfilling when you say yes to the call of God on your life and his plan and his agenda and his vision for the kingdom.

The Bible says, whosoever will save his life will lose it.

But for those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

You are laboring, you're working, you're enduring, not for a short season, not for a moment, but for the long term.

This church must build a legacy.

And I pray a legacy anointing on this church right now.

But you can't forget that your hope and strength in Jesus, it's it your strength doesn't come from this church, it comes from the Holy Spirit.

And may I remind you, church, we still need the Holy Spirit.

Today's Pentecost Sunday.

We still need the Holy Spirit.

And if we're feeling weak or tired, we shouldn't be asking the church to give us less work.

Because if we do that, we're asking the church to be disobedient to what God has chosen them to do.

We can't ask the church to do less because we are motivated by love, so we actually have to do more.

Because there are still thousands of people that in this city that are in the waiting, ready to say yes to Jesus.

So the work has to stay.

We aren't gonna compromise.

The path for the future of this church is clear and it's just beginning.

But you will need the Holy Spirit to strengthen you for the work that is ahead, church.

Romans 15, 13 says, May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace because you trust in Him, that you may overflow with hope and by, again, here it is, the power of the Holy Spirit.

I pray that out of his glorious riches, that he may strengthen you with power.

How is he gonna do that?

Through evolved strategy?

Through a pat on the back from your leader?

Will he strengthen you from the likes and the comments on your Facebook and Instagram?

Will he strengthen you from this world?

We know where that's going.

Yeah.

No.

He wants to strengthen you through the power of the Holy Spirit.

And I would say there are some here today that maybe you're feeling weary, maybe you're feeling tired, maybe you're feeling weak.

The pandemic has done a number on people.

It's made some people go really like but today you can endure with hope.

And as you put your trust and faith you've got in him, he promised you that it will overflow with hope.

And I believe many of you here today, you can agree that there's a great work of faith before you, that there's a great labor of love before you.

But some of you might be frustrated and you feel like the wind and the sail in your sails is gone.

You're feeling maybe depleted, and maybe you're asking, How am I going to do this and keep going?

I want to take this opportunity to pray for you right now.

Would you just stand to your feet just for a moment as we close this off?

And would you just, if you can, if you're comfortable, would you put out your hands and in a posture of receiving?

Can we just take a moment and make space for the Holy Spirit?

Make space to receive.

Do you need the presence of the Holy Spirit right now?

Because He's here in this room right now, and He's gonna fill you.

Fill you with confident hope and the power in His name.

You love the generations, you love your nation, your world, and you want to do more for God, but you're going to need strength by the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon you.

Come on, just receive.

Thank you, God.

Thank you, Jesus.

Thank you, Jesus.

Come, Holy Spirit.

Fill this out.

Infuse us with your spirit and strengthen us by the power of your Holy Spirit.

Give us eyes of faith to see a preferred future for evolved church.

Download an endurance where endurance has been depleted.

Would you restore hope where hope has been stolen by the pandemic, by the devil, by circumstances and hardships and loss.

Yeah, right now, Holy Spirit is working right there on you, sister.

Receive, receive.

And I pray what the apostle Paul prayed over the Ephesians.

For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have the power, together with all of the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know the love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now, to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine according to his power that is a work within us, to him be glory in the church, in evolve church in Christ Jesus throughout all generations.

And so, Holy Spirit, right now, I declare the strength of God.

I declare the presence of the Holy Spirit, I declare the only true source of hope that you would start to rise up within us right now.

Would you fill us completely this morning with joy and strength, that the eyes of faith would be rejuvenated, that we would see the future and why you've chosen us to be here at such a time as this, and what you've called us to in the mighty name of Jesus.

Amen and amen.

Come on, give him praise this morning.

Thank you so much for listening to today's message.

If you're ever in the Edmonton area, pop by for a visit.

And if you need any more information, visit Evolvechurch.com.

We hope to see you soon.