DESIGNED | Part 2 | Designed for the Rescue

Hallelujah. Grace Summit Church. How we

feeling today,

man? We are in the presence of God.

Amen.

>> Uh you guys ready for the word?

>> All right. Half of you. Are you guys

ready for the word of God?

>> Man, that's a good reason to get up in

the morning. Amen.

>> For the living word of God.

>> If you're a guest with us, uh my name is

Ben. I have the opportunity to serve as

lead pastor here. And man, I hope you're

ready for power.

>> Amen. Yeah,

>> God has a word for you today. Pray with

me. Father, I thank you, Lord, for

revival loosening on the inside of every

soul in this room. Father, we didn't

come to play church. Father, we didn't

come just to uh hear words from men. But

God, we came, Lord, for divine

revelation and impartation of grace from

your throne room. Lord, I thank you,

God, for the anointing in this house,

breaking the yoke of bondage.

And father I speak to every bondage in

this room right now to be broken in

Jesus name. Father I thank you for

freedom in this house to not only

worship you but to also hear you. So

father give us ears to hear and eyes to

see what your spirit is communicating to

your people on this day in Jesus name.

Amen. Amen.

>> Last week we kicked off a new series

called Designed and we're going to

continue this week.

You are designed by God

on purpose and with purpose.

On purpose

and with purpose. Last week we unpacked

a little bit of that design that you are

designed by designed for power. The same

spirit that rose Christ from the dead

now dwells in you. You're designed to

have the power of heaven flowing through

you. Number two was you're designed for

presence.

When you walk in the room, God walks in

with you. Amen.

And you're designed for passion.

Passion. I think of that warning

about the lukewarm church.

He says, "I wish you were either hot or

cold, but because you're lukewarm, I'm

about to spit you out of my mouth.

Passion.

Start a fire. Light a fire on the inside

of you." Let me say this. If you're

going to be saved, be saved. If you're

going to worship, worship. If you're

going to pray, pray.

power, presence, passion. Today, I want

to go a little bit deeper with you.

And here's the question that gets left

on the table a lot of time when we're

talking about

the design that we have.

Talk about having power and passion and

presence, but what's the assignment?

Look at your neighbor and ask them. Say,

"What's the assignment?"

Can I say this? Every hammer needs a

nail.

>> Amen.

>> I'm a car guy.

>> Actually, I'm just an engine guy. I like

things that I like things that rumble a

little bit. Man, I like a good good V. I

don't want a little four cylinder.

What am I going to do with that thing?

>> I want American muscle, man. I want a

V8. I want that thing to rumble when I

touch that gas pedal and I'm getting on

69.

I'm not tucking behind the semi. No,

sir. I'm getting out in front of that

semi.

>> That's right.

>> Yeah.

Sit on my motorcycle. Pastor D. Oh my

goodness.

1200cc. Got that thing rumbling between

my legs.

I like power.

>> Amen.

>> It's another reason why I like the Holy

Ghost. It's another reason why I like

the word. But let me say this. Every

motorcycle needs a road. Amen.

>> We got to have a destination. We got to

have an assignment. What am I doing with

this thing? Every weapon needs a target.

You were designed by God on purpose

and with purpose. If you're taking

notes, you can write this down. Design

without a destination

is just decoration.

M

design without a destination

is just decoration.

You know, God cleans us up, but he

didn't clean us up in such a way as to

be a piece of jewelry hanging on the

church wall.

>> Cleaned us up to use us for something.

>> Oh, what is that something?

>> Matthew chap 28 and verse 19,

Jesus said this. He said, "Go." Say,

"Go."

>> Go.

>> Go therefore and make disciples.

Make

disciples

of all nations, baptizing them in the

name of the Father and of the Son and of

the Holy Spirit. Catch this. Teaching

them to observe all I have commanded

you. And behold, I'm with you always to

the end of the age.

The commission is to go and make

disciples. The word make there is

interesting in the original language. It

has the idea of forging from raw

material.

Forging from raw material.

You have any fishermen in here?

Anyone ever been fishing before?

>> We'll help you out a little bit.

Jesus called us to be fishers of men.

Amen.

>> Fishers of men. Uh Lincoln and I like to

go fishing in the summertime. And uh

man, we come back uh all excited because

we have a nice mess of fish. And then uh

we upset all the girls that live in my

house because we bring them right into

the kitchen and put them on the counter.

I'm in there with my knife. There's

scales flying everywhere. We got a

bucket full of guts and bones and and

all the mess. And my wife was just

talking to me yesterday. Maybe we got a

little outdoor patty. Can we can we uh

set up a little outdoor sink area

>> so you boys can keep your stinky mess

out there?

Yeah,

absolutely. We can do that. Yeah. I'm

going to need about 500 bucks for a good

outdoor sink though. Work a deal.

And man, even after we clean, cuz boys

don't clean real good. There'll still be

scales stuck places.

>> You guys know what I'm talking about?

>> Yeah. And then and then I go, man, I I'm

kind of a neat freak. I like to be

clean. And you go clean really good and

then it still smells and you're doing it

again. You can't get it out from

underneath. It still stink a little bit

like the fish.

Go and make disciples.

Jesus said, "I'll make you fishers of

men." The issue in the church world, and

we're going to talk about evangelism

today, your assignment, your calling,

not just my calling, but your calling,

>> is to go find some stinky fish that live

in a different atmosphere than you.

We're in the air. They're in the water.

And fishermen use bait. The church in

America likes fish,

but we like to go right down the frozen

food aisle.

>> That's right.

>> And get us some prepackaged fish sticks.

Mhm.

Yeah.

Sometimes they're already breaded.

>> What you do is take them out of the Oh,

it smells so good.

>> Take them out of little package and put

them in there. We went fishing.

The church likes those well-kept,

clean-cut fish to come rolling in the

church.

>> I tell you this, fisherman stink like

fish.

>> I I don't know uh where you came from. I

don't know what you got delivered from,

but I was one stinky, nasty fish.

>> Amen.

>> I cursed like a sailor. I smoked

everything I could smoke. I stunk.

I still had dirty jokes in my mind that

I thought were funny

coming out of crack and heroin and meth.

And I am thankful for a church that

didn't need me prepackaged before they

accepted me.

>> I'm thankful for some men and women of

God that used a little bait to say,

"Son, you can come this way a little

bit. Let me let me reel you in because I

need to get you in the boat of Jesus

Christ." Amen. Amen.

>> I'm thankful for A CHURCH THAT

UNDERSTOOD the assignment.

>> Almost started preaching.

>> Dennis Ball caught me after first

service. He goes, "One of these days

you're actually going to do it, aren't

you?"

He says, "You warn us about it every

Sunday.

I don't know if I'll get through these

notes. I started preaching.

He says, "Go therefore and make

disciples."

Make disciples, fashion them from raw

materials. Do you know that the

fisherman smells like the fish? It's

okay to smell a Christian. It's okay to

get a little bit dirty. It's okay to

smell like the world a little bit. Amen.

>> Amen.

Man,

I have had some of the most powerful

engagements with sinners in places that

the old religious legalistic church

world would say, "You can't go there."

>> I'll tell on myself.

I'll tell on myself. I go to places that

the old church, my pastor would be so

upset with me.

He wouldn't go to a restaurant that

served alcohol.

We had to go on date nights to one

location

with my pastor and his wife. Man, I'll

go sit right at the bar.

You want to know why? Because I'm saved

and delivered and healed. And if I'm so

weak that the world's going to influence

me that quick, I have an issue.

I I wouldn't have recommended that to

myself year one of salvation because I

was coming out of a mess. I needed

myself to get discipled first. But but I

got discipled. Amen. I got the power. I

got the passion. I got the presence of

God. And and I'm NOT GOING TO KEEP THAT

just inside the four walls.

Preach the word. Acts 14:21

Acts 14:21

says 20 years after Christ ascended into

heaven. says, "After they preached the

good news in that city and made

disciples," this was common practice.

Listen, thousands were being added daily

to those that were being saved. They

didn't have church programs. They didn't

have buildings and budgets and and they

didn't have any of this stuff. It was

just solid believers that had the

conviction of the Holy Spirit. They had

the commissioning of God to say, "Man, I

got to go tell somebody about my Jesus

because I've been translated from the

kingdom of darkness, FROM BONDAGE, FROM

SLAVER. I've been yanked out of that and

now I'm over here with the peace of God

that surpasses understanding and I got

to go tell somebody

>> about Jesus.

Preaching isn't just for the preacher.

>> That's right.

>> It's for the believer.

>> I'll mess with your theology a little

bit.

the word pastor

one time in the New Testament.

Ephesians 4, one time

the commissioning is for the followers

of Christ, the believers of Christ.

Romans 10:14 says this,

Romans 10:14

"How then will they call on him in whom

they have not believed? And how are they

to believe in him of whom they have

never heard?

And how are they to hear without someone

preaching?

And how are they to preach unless they

are sent?" How beautiful are the feet of

those who preach the good news or preach

the gospel.

>> John chapter 20 and verse 21 Jesus said

John 20 · chapter mention

this to those that believed in him. He

says as the father has sent me even so I

am sending you.

I am sending you. That's the voice of

God. I am sending you

with power, presence,

passion. The title of the message today

is designed for the rescue.

You're designed

for the rescue.

Proverbs 24:1 says this, "Rescue those

Proverbs 24:1

rescue those who are being taken away to

death.

Hold back those who are stumbling to the

slaughter."

That's pretty serious language.

see a non-believer and they're going to

run right off the cliff into hell.

They're holding back, man. They're get

in their way.

Say something. Rescue those who are

being taken away to death. Verse 12

says, "If you say, behold, we did not

know this."

Oh, I'm about to preach.

>> Behold, we did not know this. Does not

he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who keeps watch over your

soul know it? And will he not repay man

according to his work?

You know what that verse tells me? You

can't plead ignorance.

>> You can't plead ignorance with this

thing.

>> We're not called just to sit on a

Sunday.

>> We're called to rescue the perishing.

Everyone in here, you know people that

are stumbling in the darkness. You know

people that are hurting and broken and

in bondage.

You know their names.

God says, "Don't tell me you didn't know

that you were supposed to tell the truth

and share the good news.

You were designed by God to rescue the

lost.

the broken. Let me put it to you this

way. Uh, every once in a while in the

news, we'll hear about someone lost out

in the mountains. They went hiking and

can't find them. Everyone's worried. And

so, they pull together the rescue team,

get out there. What if the rescue team

went to the the parking lot where their

vehicle was before they went up in the

mountain? What if that rescue team went

out to the to to that last location and

and and put up a sign that said, "Meet

me here Sunday morning at 9:15 and 11:00

a.m. If you're lost, meet me right here

at 9 and 11 and we'll help you get

found."

>> What do they do, man? They're they're

designed for the rescue. They have

weapons for the warfare. Amen. They have

the heart and the desire. And I think

about uh when Jesus talks about

searching for the lost coin and

searching for the lost sheep, leaving

the 90 and9 to go find the one.

THE HEART OF CHRIST IS TO GET OUT IN THE

MESS AND TO GO FIND THAT SINNER that's

lost

and tell them about Jesus.

The church continues to hold up their

little sign.

If you're lost, meet me here at 9 and

11. on Sunday morning.

>> I just got to say it's time to get

saved.

>> It's time to know what you're designed

for. Power, presence, passion, and it's

time to know the assignment.

The time is short.

People were asking me after first

service about my trip to Israel that got

delayed because of the war. They said, '

Do you know when you're going?' I said,

'Well, let's push back to October

if we don't get raptured first.

>> Russia's talking to Iran.

>> I'm not preaching esquetology this

morning, but

time is short. better go tell somebody

about Jesus

because that's what you're designed for.

That's the purpose.

Jesus said, "As the father has sent me,

so I am sending you." That's your

assignment. And I want to give you some

new confidence to be effective in that.

In other words, I want to give you a

little bit of rescue gear today. Is that

okay?

>> Look at your neighbor and say, "Get

geared up."

Matthew chapter 16 and verse 18

Matthew 16 · chapter mention

says this. Jesus said to Peter, he says,

"And on this rock I will build my

church." Catch this. "And the gates of

hell shall not prevail against it." He

says, "I will give you the keys of the

kingdom of heaven. And whatever you bind

on earth shall be bound in heaven, and

whatever you loose on earth shall be

loosed in heaven.

I want you to say this with me. Say, I

am the church.

>> I am the church.

>> And the gates of hell,

>> the gates of hell

>> shall not

>> prevail

>> against me.

>> Number one in your notes, you're

designed to storm the gates of hell.

You're designed

to storm the gates of hell. He tells

Peter, he says, man, I'm going to build

my church. gates of hell won't prevail

against it. A lot of people have read

that verse and thought, "Well, uh,

that's our our little Christian circle.

We get together and the gates of hell

won't prevail against it." I got to tell

you this, gates don't move.

>> That's right.

>> Gates are set and established. Gates are

designed in such a way as to keep people

in and to keep other people out.

>> Amen.

I don't know about you, I've never been

chased by a gate.

Oh, the devil's after me. I just don't

pray for me, pastor. The devil's just

chasing me.

Gates of hell shall not prevail against

it.

We've interpreted that text and others

and built our own legalistic religious

structure in Christianity to say that we

don't go to the places of darkness. We

don't hang around the sinners.

Devil keeps whispering in our ear, stay

in the building.

>> Stay with your people. Stay safe.

>> Stay safe, everyone.

You know what the religious leaders of

the day, the Pharisees and the s what

they call Jesus?

They said, "How in the world can you f

He calls himself a rabbi and he's a

drunkard and a glutton." You want to

know why they said that? Not because he

was a drunkard or a glutton, but because

when they saw him, he was hanging out

with drunkards and glutton.

>> Man, this guy hangs out with tax

collectors and the stinky and the filthy

and the dirty.

You want to know the only criticism I've

ever got from my type of evangelism

is from overly legalistic Christians.

Do you know that there's people in this

room right now that I met in what many

religious Christians would say is

questionable atmosphere?

Oh, look. He has his hand up.

lost as a ball in high weeds, man.

>> And he's sitting here saved today.

>> Do you want to know the biggest ploy of

the enemy, the strategy of the enemy

against the church is to keep the church

inside the church.

We're called, catch this, to let the

light shine in the darkness. But why is

it we get in our little Christian huddle

us for and no more and we have our

little light and we only shine light

where the light already is

when the Bible says Jesus said to let

your light shine in the darkness like a

city on a hill.

>> I'm going to preach it from the

rooftops.

>> Amen.

>> I'm not going to go sin with the

sinners, but I'll go hang with the

sinners.

And if I'm not saved enough to do that

and not be negatively impacted,

then I have the issue.

I better get back to my notes. We're

going to be here till two.

Pastor Dan, we got to beat the Baptist

to the restaurant.

The devil is not afraid of your Sunday

services.

He's afraid of your Monday at work,

your Tuesday afternoon,

your Saturday morning.

He's perfectly happy

when you only let your light shine where

there's already light.

I think of that old phrase to march into

hell for a heavenly cause. I think of

the idea to take back what the devil

stole.

The gates of hell are a defensive

structure.

They don't attack you. They don't chase

you.

They don't come for you.

They are set and established to hold

others in bondage.

And Jesus says those gates won't prevail

against you.

In other words, the gates are defensive

and the church are supposed to be on

offense.

We got the ball, man. We're running it

down the field.

>> We're gaining ground. We're pushing the

darkness back. The gates of hell shall

not prevail against me

>> because I am a carrier of something.

>> Amen.

>> I am the temple of the Holy Spirit and I

have an assignment and devil,

you better back on up.

>> Gates of hell won't prevail against me.

That means you're supposed to go in and

that everything that hell has built is

not strong enough to stop you.

And the gates aren't the point. The

people behind them are.

>> Isaiah 61:1

Isaiah 61:1

and Jesus echoes this in the New

Testament.

Jesus said, "The spirit of the Lord is

upon me because he has anointed me to

proclaim liberty to the captives,

to set at liberty those who are

oppressed."

And Jesus identified that as his job

description

and he handed it to you.

He handed it to you.

Proclaim liberty to the captives

to set at liberty those who are

oppressed.

Revelation 1:18 talks about Jesus having

Revelation 1:18

the keys of death and of Hades.

And when Christ was crucified on that

cross and died before he ascended back

to the father, when you study and dig a

little bit, you see that Jesus went to

the center of the earth

and stole the keys of death and of hell.

And Jesus didn't just

go to hell, he robbed hell.

>> Man, I picture that moment. Jesus got

down there and said no. Grab those keys

right out of your hand. Enough is

enough.

>> Hallelujah.

>> And echoes what Moses said. Let my

people go. Amen.

That's the voice that we have.

We have the keys.

People are dying. People are stuck in a

living hell.

Hell is the fortress and we're designed

to storm it. Can I say this? The church

was never meant to be a bunker.

>> You guys know the bunker mentality,

right?

>> Yeah. Church is meant to be a battering

ram that destroys gates.

Nothing will stop us from getting

through.

Jesus didn't rise again

so that we could build us a really nice

bunker

and manage our comfort from the inside.

just holding on till Christ returns.

Come, Lord Jesus. Come,

man. I got I got an assignment.

There's still sinners out there that

need to hear the message.

He says, "On this rock, I will build my

church, and the gates of hell shall not

prevail against it." Listen to verse 19.

Jesus said, "I will give you the keys of

the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you

bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.

Whatever you loose on earth shall be

loosed in heaven." What are keys for?

Keys are used to open up what is locked

or bound.

It's not God's responsibility to unlock.

He says, "Hey, I went and stole the

keys, man. I've got them now. I'm giving

them to you and you go use the keys. The

problem is is we have millions of

Christians on the planet that have the

keys and keep them right in their pocket

and walk around all sheepish.

>> I don't want to offend.

I don't want to I don't want to make

waves.

The gates of hell are on defense. I'm on

offense.

>> That means I'm offensive to darkness.

I want to offend the devil.

>> Matter of fact, it's a joy that I have.

>> He's an idiot. I don't know if you guys

know that. It doesn't take much to

frustrate him. He I mean, gets all

scrambled, upset.

You have the keys.

Number two is you're designed for

authority.

You're designed for authority. Luke 10

portion of scripture where Jesus sends

out 70 disciples.

Catch this. It's not the 12. It's not

the inner circle.

70 regular people. He sends them out two

by two into every town. And then they

come back with a report. Luke 10 and

verse 17.

They said this. They said, "Lord, even

the demons are subject to us in your

name."

70 ordinary people.

Jesus sends them out and they come back

like, man, it it worked.

It worked, Jesus. I mean, you you said

that you you all authority in heaven.

You said to go and preach. I mean, you

said it and we went out there and the

devils, the demons are freaked out by

us, man.

Do you know what you carry?

Do you know the authority that you have?

Not just Peter, not just John, not the

super elite 12. Let me say this. It's

not just Pastor Jack. It's not just

Pastor Dan. It's not just Pastor Ben.

>> Not just Pastor Jessica.

You have an assignment and you carry the

power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

He said, 'Lord, even the demons are

subject to us in your name. Verse 18,

and he said to them, he says, I saw

Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

Behold,

I have given you authority to tread upon

serpents and scorpions,

and over all the power of the enemy, and

nothing shall hurt you.

Nothing shall hurt you.

One of my favorite scriptures,

Isaiah 54, is that no weapon formed

against me shall prosper.

>> No weapon formed against me shall

prosper.

Every once in a while, I like that

scripture so much I start walking around

singing, Israel, hope, no weapon formed

against me shall prosper. I ain't going

to sing for you right now.

But man, that's powerful because the

devil keeps coming to tell me that

that's going to mess you up. That's

going to throw you off if you go there,

if you do this, all these things. And

the devil will not relent at weapons

aimed at you, Christian.

But no weapon formed against me shall

prosper. I've been given authority over

all the power of the enemy.

No weapon formed against me shall

prosper.

So why are you scared to share your

faith?

If you believe that if all authority in

heaven has been given to you, why are

you so scared to share a testimony?

Why are you nervous

about starting a conversation in public

with a non-believer?

Oh, no. You'll talk to him about the

weather. That's not what I'm talking

about. But I'm talking about being the

hands and feet of Jesus and sharing the

good news of Jesus Christ. I can talk

I've never met a stranger, man. I talk

about the weather to anybody. I remember

those early days, man, when when I'm

starting to feel something. And I got to

man I'm feeling like I'm supposed to

tell this person maybe a little piece of

my testimony. Maybe it'll speak a little

life into them because the tongue has

the power of life and death. So I'm I'm

talking myself into it and man that

anxiety starts coming and my head starts

telling me

who no no no no. We don't do that

because the moment you talk about Jesus

something shifts in the atmosphere

doesn't it?

>> That's right.

>> And it's right where the enemy wanted

me. Can I tell you, man, when I realized

what I carry and what I'm designed for

and I started walking in that to go

therefore and make disciples of all

nation to be a fisher of men to go and

let my light shine in the darkness when

I begin to just preach and teach and

talk and testify when I be man I it

feels like I'm the I'm the I'm the in

the perfect fit. It's what I was made

for. It's what you were made for.

Romans chapter 1 and verse 16 Paul said,

Romans 1 · chapter mention

"For I am not ashamed

of the gospel."

I am not ashamed

of the gospel.

I'm not ashamed

of the gospel. You say, "Well, I'm I'm

not either."

What about in those certain

circumstances, in those certain rooms

when you're afraid to say what's

supposed to be said?

When you're afraid to stand up for

Christ, when you're afraid to stand up

for righteousness.

Paul says, "I'm not ashamed of the

gospel, for it is the power of God for

salvation to everyone who believes, to

the Jew first, also to the Greek."

I'm not ashamed.

I hold the keys. I have the authority. I

storm the gates of hell.

I preach the gospel.

Number three in your notes is you're

designed to demolish strongholds.

You're designed

to demolish strongholds.

I want to go a little bit deeper

on what we're actually storming.

When we talk about storming the gates of

hell,

2 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse

2 Corinthians 10 · chapter mention

three,

for the weapons of our warfare

are not of the flesh,

but have divine power to demolish

strongholds.

We say we

>> we

>> we destroy arguments and every lofty

opinion raised against the knowledge of

God and take every thought captive

to obey Christ.

Well, what's a stronghold? This is our

assignment.

Stronghold is a lie or a practice that

you've believed so long that it feels

like truth.

It feels like truth.

Somebody, whether it was a stepparent, a

teacher, or the devil himself, told you

you were worthless,

and somehow you believed it so long that

when God comes along and sends

messengers to say, "Man, you're worthy.

You're worth salvation. You're worth

being loved. You're worth there's value

there. You just simply cannot believe

it. That's a stronghold.

You're called to demolish strongholds.

That's what I'm talking about when we

storm the gates of hell.

And you'll see those gates. If you're in

tune with the spirit, man, you'll just

be chatting with people and meeting new

people and interacting with with

different ones and you'll see that gate

of hell.

And that person's on the other side in a

type of bondage.

How do you

demolish strongholds?

Weapons of our warfare are not of the

flesh,

but they have divine power.

Divine power.

You're not going to intellectualize

somebody out of the gates of hell.

We've all tried.

Divine power. We talked about it last

week.

power, the presence, the passion to

demolish strongholds.

We destroy those arguments and those

lofty opinions raised

against the knowledge of God.

Those

that are addicted,

who've tried maybe several times to get

free from addiction, but because of

their lineage, because of their

experiences, they just have taken that

on as their identity.

I'm just this. This is just who I am.

And God says, "No, you're not."

And so we demolish those strongholds

with the power and the authority with

the key to unlock them

with the truth of God. Amen.

>> Be a battering ram against the gates of

hell. You're not an addict. You're

loved. You're delivered. You're healed.

You're set free. Tongue has the power of

life and death. Speak life over them.

There's people in this room right now

that

hearing all of this evangelistic talk

going, "Pastor, that might be for you,

but I don't think that's me.

I think I'm scared to death to go do

that."

Or I'm too far gone or I've got my own

stuff in my life. God can't use me.

Those are gates.

Those are walls that God wants to

demolish in your life.

So you know who you are and why you're

here.

Those gates and those walls aren't built

out of concrete.

They're built out of lies.

Our weapons have divine power to

demolish them.

Not church power, not willpower,

not positive thinking or your self-help

book that you found on Amazon.

Divine power.

>> Amen.

divine power.

Evangelism is not sharing facts. It's

demolishing lies.

Preach the gospel.

Tell the truth. You don't have to quote

chapter and verse.

You know the truth.

Somebody starts to tell a lie about

themselves, you tell the truth about

them. You're loved by God. Yeah,

>> God's right here with you. God's for

you, not against you.

>> Start to start to bring the battering

ram to the conversation and begin to

destroy those lies. And I got to tell

you, it might take 20 years. It might

take three seconds.

>> Amen.

>> I've had different ones that I was

working on for years and years and

years. just believing this sitting under

this cloud of lies and this bondage and

I just keep b using the battering ram

and battering ram and battering ram and

when you least expect it they'll call

you because the Holy Spirit will

minister to them and all those words

that you spoke that were cracking the

foundation of hell that was busting

through the chains all of a sudden it

began to click and the gate fell open

and they'll come to you and say man you

were right all along

>> introduce me to this Jesus

Isaiah 59-19. I'll close with this

verse.

Maybe the worship team should get up

here.

Get Pastor Mark a shepherd's hook. He

can just yank me off.

Isaiah 59:19 is a favorite text of mine.

Isaiah 59:19

It says when, say, when.

>> When the enemy shall come in,

when

the enemy shall come in like a flood,

the spirit of the Lord shall raise a

standard against him.

I am the temple of the Holy Spirit.

You are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

And when the enemy comes in like a

flood, the spirit of the Lord raises a

standard against it. Like a fly. Think

of that book, Acts chapter 2, when the

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Holy Spirit showed like a rushing mighty

wind.

And we're so in tune with God. We have

right relationship with God. We've been

seeking God and chasing after God and

reading the words of God

that when the lie comes, when the enemy

comes in, there's this thing on the

inside like a flood. We just raise a

standard against it.

We don't get tossed to and fro with

every wind of doctrine.

We've been through some things.

We have a foundation of truth.

Look at your neighbor and say, "I

understand the assignment now.

Praise you, Jesus."

When the enemy comes in like a flood,

the spirit of the Lord will raise up a

standard against him. Every time you

speak truth into a lie, you're tearing

down a wall.

You're breaking your battering ram.

You're demolishing strongholds.

Praise you, Jesus.

I just think we were made for more. I

told you last week, I get bored in

church

when church is just church.

We just got our little programs and our

systems and our neat things. And

I think we have that in us

because the church is designed for more.

Amen.

>> I think we're designed for more. And I

got to tell you, Grace Summit's doing a

great job.

>> We're doing a great job.

There's a power on the inside of you.

And we've had enough plastic

Christianity. We've had enough seeker

friendly movements. We've had we've had

enough systems and programs. Well, what

God's looking for is a few good men.

Amen.

God's looking for somebody to say, "Man,

I I I get it. I I know this. I'm going

to send me, Lord. I'll go tell them.

Man, you wrestle with whatever you got

to wrestle with to get your flesh to sit

down and shut up so that you can go tell

people about Jesus.

Amen.

Let's stand to our feet all over this

house.

>> You were designed by God on purpose,

with purpose.

You're not designed just to survive as a

believer, but you're designed to advance

the kingdom.

You're not designed to just be

defensive, but offensive.

You're not designed just to feel the

power.

You're designed by God to use the power.

>> In just a moment, I'm going to open this

altar.

And today is a little bit more of a

commissioning than anything else.

You don't need Bible college.

You don't need certificates on the wall.

Master of divinity,

finally qualified to tell somebody, get

saved, man.

I I'll just say it. Most MD MDs that

I've ever met are the least effective in

the kingdom cuz they sit with their

other scholars and theology and they're

splitting hairs. I go, "Man, get saved.

We have a job to do, man.

>> We got places to go."

people to see.

>> It's okay that you got education, but do

you have the power? Do you have the

heart of Jesus Christ? Do you know the

assignment? Are your feet getting out

there going and making disciples of all

nations?

Today's a little bit more of a

commissioning much like you would see in

the early church. If you got saved, then

go.

And we're going to close with worship.

But I want to invite you if you're in

this place going, man, I don't I don't

think I knew the assignment yesterday.

Or if you're going, I don't think I have

been fulfilling the assignment.

I want to invite you to come to an altar

and our prayer team's going to be up

here and we're going to lay hands on you

and pray a simple prayer to commission

you and send you.

Maybe you're in this place and you're

going, "Man, I think I'm the one behind

the gates of hell.

I I think I'm the one with some

strongholds and some lies, and I know

I'm not real sure how to get out, but

but but I got to tell you, if you come

to this altar, there's a few good men up

here that can help kick down the gates

of hell and get you out of that.

Jesus is in this place,

and I refuse to shrink back. I will walk

in the authority of heaven."

>> Amen.

storm the gates of hell. And the third

person in this room, you might be

listening to this and you go, "Man, I

don't even think I know Jesus after

listening to that."

If you're in this place and you need to

give your life to Jesus Christ,

in just a moment, I'm going to ask you

to come forward.

>> And I'm going to be standing up here.

Pastor Jack's going to be standing up

here and Pastor Dan's going to be

standing up here. We're going to do it a

little bit different this morning, this

afternoon.

And if you're in here and you need to

give your life to Christ, whether it's

the first time or the 500th time, I'm

going to ask you to come find

either Pastor Dan, Pastor Jack, or

myself and say, "I want to give my life

to Jesus." And we're going to pray a

simple prayer with you

to make Jesus Christ Lord of your life.

Pray with me. Father, we thank you,

Lord, for your Holy Spirit.

Father, I thank you, God, that you've

called us for more, God. That you've

called us more than conquerors.

Lord, I'm thankful that you've called

us, equipped us, and now you send us.

And Father, I pray that we would bear

fruit for the kingdom of God. Lord, that

this house would be a house of prayer.

That this house would be recognized as a

place where sinners become saints.

Saints become disciples

and disciples make other disciples.

>> Praise you, Jesus.

>> Thank you, Lord. Father, I thank you,

God, that you're taking the elitism off

of ministry. That all of us are called,

all of us are being sent by you, all of

us have the same power.

the uniqueness of what you've called us

to. God, I pray that you would allow us

to be effective for the building of your

kingdom.

Thank you, Lord.

Father, I'm praying that a whole lot of

gates of hell are demolished this week

and next week and next month and next

year, God,

that we storm the gates of hell and

knock it over and let the people out

under the authority of Jesus.

Father, we thank you for it, Lord.

Pray that every person that needs this

altar makes their way to this altar and

that you do in them what only you can

do. God, thank you for it in Jesus name.

Amen. The altars are open. Won't you

come?