BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY | Huddle Sunday

Hey, hey, hey.

[Music]

Heat. Heat.

[Music]

[Applause]

Well, hallelujah.

>> Amen.

>> You guys feeling all right today?

>> Yeah,

>> man. My yard's happy. We got some rain

coming down.

Sheesh. I had to get break out the

umbrella today.

Well, hey, if you're a first- time guest

with us, my name is Ben. I have the

opportunity to serve as lead pastor

here. And what a good uh day to be in

church. It's back to church Sunday.

>> Aren't those interesting statistics that

uh the majority of people, if you're

just willing to invite them, will come

to church. Uh some of you here might be

uh here today because I see some hands

going up. Uh because someone invited you

to to to join us. And so, uh, if that's

you and you're you're back in church,

may we celebrate you. We're glad you're

here.

[Applause]

And, uh, hey, maybe, uh, we have, uh, an

online, uh, congregation as well. Uh,

maybe you're back online for the first

time. Let's celebrate the online guest.

Well, we're going to get in the word of

God today. And, uh, would you bow your

hearts and pray with me? Father, we

thank you, Lord, for your Holy Spirit.

Father, we thank you for grace. Lord, I

pray that your grace would be sufficient

in this hour. God, that by your grace,

we would hear from heaven. Lord, that we

would not hear simply words from men.

But God, I thank you for your Holy

Spirit ministering grace to each one,

bringing counsel, comfort, conviction,

encouragement, God, that we would leave

this place stirred up by the Holy

Spirit. Father, equipped to go and do

and be who you've called us to be.

Father, we thank you, Lord, for this

opportunity to just sit in your presence

as sons and daughters

and hear from you.

So Lord, I thank you for it now in Jesus

name. Amen.

>> Well, hey, the last two weeks, if you've

been around, we've been uh doing what we

call kickoff. We've had two kickoff

Sundays and kind of had the football

theme and and really kind of around what

God's doing with us as a people. Uh as

we're stepping into a capital campaign

season and God continues to expand us.

And how many know that a that a growing

church is a healthy church? Amen. And so

we continue to have uh God bring more

people uh here. And it's not just people

from other churches, but we're having

people that are authentically unsaved uh

that have yet to give their life to

Christ uh showing up and giving their

life to Christ and getting saved. That's

good news. Amen. And and so we're just

responding as God is ministering to us

and and moving us as a congregation to

say, "Hey, we want to make sure that

we're that we're ready to receive people

coming to the church."

>> And so we've been launching this capital

campaign and uh really in the idea of

football, we've been catching the play

and we heard the play is a legacy play.

Say legacy.

We've been called to get off the bench,

get in the game.

No sitting around warm in the pews in

this church.

We don't have pews anymore. But we got

we got rows. Can't just sit around in

church. Amen.

>> Church is not a spectator sport. So,

we've been getting off the bench and

getting in the game. And and last week,

God moved us from uh the invitation to

the assignment. and uh kind of spent

some time looking at Moses and the

burning bush and and that whole

interaction and and uh what we resolved

is that God's not sending someone else.

Uh we can come with our excuses and our

reasons and all the different things uh

when God is calling us and puts a play

before us all the reasons why we

shouldn't get out on the field. Uh but

God says, "Hey, I'm not sending someone

else. I'm sending you."

And we as a church have lifted our hand

and said, "Put me in, coach.

I'm ready for it. Uh, anyone that uh

says church is boring is in the wrong

church.

>> Amen.

>> Anyone that says Christianity is is

outdated and stale and boring, uh, man,

you're not connected to the same Christ

that I'm connected to because because my

uh my time serving God has been

thrilling and exhilarating. Amen.

Because I have the opportunity to watch

death come to life. If I watch sinners

become saints, I watch eternity open up.

I I get to live it out every single day.

>> Amen.

>> And so do you. We serve a big God. He

sits on the throne. He's alive and well

and he's dwelling on the inside of us.

Amen.

>> I better get back to my notes, otherwise

we going to be here for a minute.

It's a legacy play.

legacy.

You know, it'd be one thing to say,

"Hey, we we want to raise some money and

build a building just so we're a little

bit more comfortable." Uh, but that's

not the play. I mean, I don't care. We

can set up tents. We can stand out in

the yard if you want. And and man, I can

have some church out there and enjoy

myself.

>> Matter of fact, that might be kind of

neat.

Uh, but it's not about us. It's about

the legacy. Who was here Wednesday

night? We our staff was up in Grand

Rapids, but uh at a conference, but man,

I I I got to see some video clips of a

youth

>> le worship team knocking it out of the

park.

And when we're talking about legacy,

we're talking about the generations that

are younger now and the generations

behind us that need to hear the gospel

of Jesus Christ.

>> Amen. And so we have an opportunity to

pour some fuel on the fire, to pour into

that, to see that that this generation

coming up has a solid foundation, a

place to get connected with Jesus, to

get full of the spirit, and to go make

disciples. Amen.

>> I don't know about you, but I like being

part of something that's bigger than me.

>> We're part of something that's bigger

than us, and this play is for

generations to come.

So, I didn't have to, but I felt to stay

in the football theme

>> because I like football

>> and I understand some of the lingo and I

hopefully I can if you're not a football

fan, hopefully I can help you uh maybe

step into some of the lingo, but but

man, today is a little bit different

than kickoff Sunday. Today is what we

call back to church Sunday. And uh I'm

calling it huddle Sunday.

>> Look at your neighbor and say, "Huddle

up."

My goodness.

Yeah. And God's been taking us through

it. And hey, uh maybe uh you've been

here since the very beginning of Grace

Summit Church and uh man, you're you're

feeling stirred and feeling moved and

hear the call and say, "Hey, I'm I'm

ready to get in the game." But uh maybe

you're new to Christianity, new to the

church, and you feel a little bit like a

rookie. Say rookie.

>> Rookie.

And man, that's good news because we

need some rookies on the team,

>> right?

>> Yeah.

I I still like to think I'm young

sometimes. So, I go out and do sports

and I go, "Man, uh" and then I I I go,

"Uh, you young guys go do it."

>> Yeah.

>> Used to be used to be uh on a basketball

league, man. We did it for years and had

a great team of guys and then and then

we had this younger generation that

started playing with us and I'm like,

"Yes, man. Some finally some guys that

can hang, right?" And then they get

running and I'm like, man, they're in

their 20s and they have got more stamina

than what I have. And so like halfway

through we're playing full court and I'm

just like, dude, just just go. And I'm

just like zinging the ball down the

court. Like I don't even have it

anymore. Right? So, hey, listen. We need

some rookies in Christianity that have

that fervor and that zeal and get

stirred up and say, "Hey, man. I'm ready

to go."

>> And I was thinking about

the reality of Christianity.

You know, I'm going to preach that. Can

I just talk to you today?

>> I was thinking about when God uh kind of

lays a play before us. Uh, in other

words, I know the right thing that I'm

supposed to do. God's challenging me to

step out and go do the right thing.

And there's been times that I go, man,

I'm stirred up, ready to go. Hey, I got

to go do this. And I'm standing there

face to face with that moment and this

anxiety and this nervousness and this

something starts setting in that starts

to pull me back.

Forgiveness is a big one. Let's say you

mess up and you know you messed up a and

and you get to go God's challenging you

to go confess that and ask for

forgiveness. It's the right thing to do.

That's the play on the playbook. Right

now I don't know if you guys have read

the playbook, but that's in there.

Right? Go make it right. So, hey, I

messed up. And and uh man, uh some

sometimes I've been standing there face

to face, and

there's something that starts to grip

me.

There's something that starts to hold me

back. And I've even had moments like

that that I fell short and I didn't

follow through

because of my own flesh, my own anxiety,

my own fear stepped in and held me back.

The Bible says to know the good you

ought to do and don't do it for you is

sin.

Maybe it's quitting something, man.

God's been on you and you're supposed to

lay that thing down and you know it's

not right. You know it's not healthy.

You know it's not God. And so so you got

the play before you and so God's

challenging you to do that. You go,

"Man, all right, I'm going to do it."

I quit smoking cigarettes like 315

times.

That was a tough one, man. That was good

to break good to break free from that

smoke for 10 years. And and uh yeah,

this was back in the 90s. I used to wear

the T-shirts with the pocket.

You'll see those hardly, you know,

>> but throughout throughout my day, I'd be

like I'd be reaching and I'm like, you

know, the the the struggle, the

temptation

uh overtook the passion I had to lay it

down.

So, how do we get past the knowing the

good, knowing the play? How do we get

past that to where we're actually in

position

to go do what we know we need to do?

That's what God wants to tackle

with us today.

How do we move from the plan to

performance,

from the call to courage,

from the assignment

to being equipped for battle?

So, how do we carry this thing out? I

want to talk to you today. God uh gave

me an idea of two essential huddles. Say

huddle.

>> Huddle.

>> Man, stick with me. Who who likes

football?

>> Yeah,

>> man.

I watched a good game yesterday, man. It

was

>> good, man. We went back and forth. It

was a good just a good game, man. And me

and a couple of the kids, not all my

kids like football. A couple of kids. We

had some snacks. We're hanging out and

watching the game. Man, there's two

essential huddles in the faith. If

you're taking notes, write these down.

The first is what I'm calling the holy

huddle. Say holy.

>> Holy.

The second is what we'll call the team

huddle, also known as the church huddle.

And we get the play from the playbook.

But catch this. We get the faith from

the huddle.

The Bible says that faith comes by

hearing.

>> Faith comes by what?

>> Faith comes by hearing and hearing by

the word of God.

We get the play from the playbook, but

we get the faith

from the huddle. And back to church

Sunday, man. It's back back in the

huddle Sunday for me. And uh in in a

football game, the play doesn't start on

the line of scrimmage. It starts in the

huddle. And really, that's where the

quarterback calls the play.

That's where every player gets, catch

this, the same assignment.

We all know what we're about to go do.

Now, I want you to think about the

individual that missed the huddle and

the game's intense and things are

happening and the quarterback calls the

play on the field and and the goofball

that was running late for the huddle

didn't make it and he didn't hear the

play.

>> He's going to be the one that we're all

picking on watching on the field. And we

have a lot of people that get out on the

field of Christianity that do not know

the play.

I want to hear the play. God, what are

you up to? we'll just do that. That's

what it is. So, every player gets the

same assignment and that's where the

team gets aligned, gets focused, and

gets unified.

>> And that's before they break out to go

face the opponent.

We will never succeed on the field if we

skip the huddle.

>> You'll never succeed on the field if you

skip the huddle. So, today we're going

to talk about two huddles.

First is the holy huddle.

It's what I call the secret place with

God. This is prayer,

devotion.

This is fasting.

This is Sabbath.

This is the word of God. This is the

playbook.

There isn't another playbook.

Let me pull a couple of things out of

the playbook that encourage me. Man, I

love getting alone with God and

especially when the weight of the world

I don't know if you guys go there, man.

The weight of the world's on me and and

uh uh life starts to come. You ever have

those seasons where feels like the walls

of life are kind of closing in?

Yeah.

And uh I'm thankful that I don't just

run to him when the pressure's on, but I

run to them when everything's good as

well. But I love those moments when all

the pressure is on and I get in the word

and God brings me to scripture. If God

be for me, who can be against me?

>> Man, that gives me faith to get on the

field. No weapon formed against me shall

prosper.

>> No weapon formed against me shall

prosper. Amen.

>> Man, I get plays out of the playbook. I

get plays because I'm in the holy

huddle.

I can do all things through Christ who

strengthens me.

>> When the enemy keeps whispering, "You

can't do that. You can't do that. I no

no no no no devil back up because my God

said I can do that because I can do all

things through Christ who gives me

strength.

>> And so we go to this holy huddle

regularly to get the play to get the

game plan to get the courage to get the

faith to get that stirring.

We have prayer meeting here, a group of

us that really love to pray every

Wednesday.

And I don't know how many Wednesdays in

a row I've woke up in the morning. I get

the opposition. My schedule's too busy.

I don't even know if I can make it over

to prayer meeting today. I've got the

weight of the world. I've got the

schedule. My calendar scares the living

daylights out of me half the time when I

look at it. And then I've got other

things that are coming up through the

day, the kids, this, this, and all this

stuff. And I and I and I push through

and I go make it to the holy huddle. I

go make it to to to the destination and

I get in prayer and I start walking

around this room and I start praying and

God starts ministering to me and the

things of the world start to fall off

and I leave there with a peace.

>> Didn't change one circumstance in my

life but it changed my perspective on

the circumstances that I face.

>> It's a holy huddle.

So we're talking about two huddles.

First is the holy huddle. That's between

you and God. The second is the team

huddle. Hebrews chapter 10

Hebrews 10:24

verse 24.

And let us consider.

Say consider.

>> Consider.

>> Let us consider how to stir up one

another to love and good works.

Let us consider how we can stir up one

another to love and good works. Not

neglecting to meet together,

not failing to come to the huddle as is

the habit of some, but encouraging. Say

encouraging.

>> Encouraging one another all the more as

you see the day approaching.

In my Bible, that's a capital D. That's

when Jesus comes back.

I'm not going to teach esquetology

today. We don't have time for it.

But I got to tell you, that day is

approaching quicker than we think.

>> That day is approaching quicker than we

think. Uh, no man knows the hour.

But I got to tell you, there are some

things happening that we know that we're

right at the brink, right at the end. Do

you know uh just in August uh the Jews

got the got permission for the very

first time to blow the trumpet on the

temple mount? Do you know that was the

first time before the destruction of the

temple in 70 AD? Do you know that there

is prophetic significance about being

able to blow the chauffear to blow the

trumpet on the temple mount? In two

days, say two days

>> is Rashashana,

the Jewish new year, which is a

significant date.

And they are planning to blow the

trumpet again on the temple mount. They

have all of the materials ready for the

building of the third temple. They have

the red heers

ready to rock and roll for the

sacrifice. They've already done practice

run through sacrifice.

My goodness.

Read the book of Revelations and

I got chills talking about it.

I uh share this with you. I have an

opportunity to go to Israel very soon.

And I don't think God could have chose a

better year.

October 20, man. I'm out of here. I'm

going to Israel.

Yeah. Oh, I'm excited. Miss Jimmy. Yeah.

So, I'm going to miss you for a couple

of weeks, but I'm ready to get over

there, man. I just And it's, you know,

the I was on a Zoom call and they're

talking about, you know, getting us

prepared. They said going through the

itinerary. We're going to go down by the

Gaza Strip. And I was like, whoa, whoa,

whoa, hold up. This is safe, right? Cuz

I got a wife and kids I'd like to come

back to, you know.

He said, "Man, are you you step out of

that plane? There's going to be Israeli

military everywhere. You're going to see

more guns than you've ever seen, and

they're going to protect you the whole

trip." And so, man, I get to go get

baptized in the River Jordan. I'm going

to float around on the Dead Sea. I, you

know, I don't know where I'm going to

go. I want to go I'm going to go to the

Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed.

Do you know that there are trees that

are older than 2,000 years? There are

trees in the Garden of Gethsemane that

were there when Jesus knelt and prayed

before he went to the cross.

My good. Oh my goodness. You

>> I heard it.

>> None of that was in my notes.

>> We're talking about the day approaching.

He says, "Hey, make the huddles more

frequent

as you see the day approaching.

Get get in there and get to play

cuz God's up to something."

Back to church Sunday. This is the

huddle. One of them.

You got to get to church.

And the huddle isn't just to get to play

and listen to the coach. I don't know if

you've ever watched a high school

football game. Uh but a lot of times in

the huddle, these guys start acting a

fool. They they're hyping each other up

and they start smacking each other on

the on the pass and they're like, "Come

on, man." They're like, "Boom." And

they're grabbing they're hitting each

other's helmet, you know, and they're

just acting a fool. It's like I'm moving

out. Now we're ready to get on the

field.

>> Yeah. That's what the huddle's for, man.

Stir it up. Smack each other around a

little bit. Get out there and do what do

what God wants you to do, man. Consider

how we can spur one another on towards

love and good works. Quit sitting on the

bench.

>> You got saved for a purpose. We got to

get going.

>> Amen. Yes.

>> Sitting around in a quiet, stale church

for a hundred years,

singing the same songs. God bless you.

Yeah.

God's alive and well. And there's some

things that God wants to do. And we'll

get the courage and the faith when we

keep meeting together and we get in the

huddle and we take the call to stir each

other up.

says, "Not neglecting

to meet together."

We keep coming back to the huddle.

That's not just Sunday morning. We keep

going to the connection group.

Uh we go to the meeting. We jump on the

phone call.

We stay on the team active because the

huddle is where it's h where it happens.

You guys know this. You are who you hang

around.

Yeah.

Uh, at one point before I knew Jesus, I

used to hang around in the unholy

huddle. You guys ever been in that

huddle?

You know that we've all probably been

there. Uh, hanging out with the wrong

crew.

Yeah. Remember hanging out with these

guys, man? And I thought they were

pretty cool and and uh dangerous, you

know? He's like, "G, I'm going to hang

out with these guys." So, I'm hanging

out with these guys and one of these

guys has the stupidest idea that anyone

has ever thought of. And then the other

guy goes, "Oh, that's a good idea, man."

And so all of a sudden we're like, we're

all, you know, you know, I'm pulled into

this thing and I go to do something

absolutely ridiculous that I would have

never done on my own. They're like,

"Man, let's get baseball bats and go

smash mailboxes.

Come on. You guys live through the 90s,

right?"

Yeah. Don't do that anymore. It's

federal offense.

And uh stay out of my neighborhood if

you don't mind.

>> Yeah. But there was never a time that

I'm sitting home in high school by

myself and I'm like, I'm kind of bored.

Yeah, I think I'm going to go smash the

neighbor's mailbox. That was never like

a good idea on my own.

>> Yeah, that was only a good idea because

I was hanging around this unholy huddle.

Now, what did I get from the unholy

huddle? I got courage to go do something

that I would not do on my own. Do you

know when you lay down the unholy huddle

and you step into the holy huddle, you

get courage to do the thing that God

wants you to do that you would never

have the courage to do on your own. We

call it faith.

We call it faith.

Courage. Church is the good huddle. It's

where I get stirred up and I get

energized. I get strengthened.

All right. Two huddles. Let me say this.

Before you're valuable in the team

huddle,

you need to be in the holy huddle.

In other words, before and let me just

put it this way. I I get in the holy

huddle and I get it from God.

Able to lay down all the burdens, cast

all my cares upon him because he cares

for me. Man, I start getting something

in the spiritual realm. And then when I

meet with you, I get it from God and I

give it to you. Let me tell you what

that doesn't always look like. It

doesn't look like, "Well, I was talking

with God this morning. I got a few

things to tell you guys."

Cuz I've been in those meetings

>> and I'm going, "Ah, it doesn't resonate

with

me."

You know, when I get in a holy huddle, I

get peace.

I get faith. I get strength. I get

spiritual power.

I I get all these things and and man,

now I'm now I'm prepared to get into the

church huddle. Now I'm prepared to get

around a group of Christians and and the

Bible says that the spirit itself

beareth witness with my spirit that we

are the children of God. There's

something unique when we get in a team

huddle and man what what what I've been

praying about and what I've been

spending time in the word reading man

somebody else will start to go man that

resonates with me. And then by the time

we're out of this huddle we go man

that's a good idea. We need to yeah

let's do that. And all of us feel this

supernatural faith, this stirring to get

up and get out and get on the field.

>> Matthew 66, Jesus said this. He said,

"But when you pray,

not if

you pray."

Sometimes we have a culture of

Christianity in America

that avoids the holy huddle at all costs

and only comes to church on Sunday.

When do you tuck away with God? When do

you get in a secret place?

We pray over our meals. That's good.

God's looking for a little more

than bless this food.

God's looking for a relationship of

intimacy,

relationship of father and son or father

and daughter. God's looking to bless

your socks off. He says, "When you pray,

go into your room, close the door, and

pray to your father who is unseen. Then

your father who sees what is done in

secret will reward you. It's the secret

place. It's your personal huddle.

Just you and God before you ever step on

the field.

You can't win the battle on the public

field if you're losing the war in your

private prayer closet.

man.

Holy Spirit bringing some conviction in

the house of God.

Moses knew this. We talked about him

last week.

Last week we saw him standing at the

burning bush. That was a holy huddle,

right? Just him and God. God, man. I

want to do that. I'm going to go on a

nature hike, man. I'm hoping God God

talks to me through a bush.

A burning one.

That'd be cool. Here's the thing. If I

came back and told you that God spoke to

me through a burning bush on Puffer

Belly Trail, you'd be like, "This

pastor's a nut."

If you know this, that's why God doesn't

do a lot of stuff like that today.

[Music]

And in this holy huddle, God gave him to

play.

And uh you know, we went through last

week, he came with all the excuses, all

the reasons why. He says, "Lord, please

send someone else." My favorite portion

of that text, please send someone else.

Can I just say this? The play that you

get from God will seem too big for you

to take on. Doesn't even make any sense.

And here's the thing. If you could do it

on your own strength, why would you need

God?

>> Faith.

Moses. Interesting. If you continue to

kind of follow his life throughout his

entire message, he kept going back to

the holy huddle. Say going back.

>> And he go back to the tent of meetings

to huddle with God. He'd have these

little pow-wow prayer sessions with God.

And God I can only imagine Moses being

freaked out most of the journey with

what are we supposed to do now? God,

what what in the world am I supposed to

do now? God says, go tell him this. Go

do this. Take your take your shepherd's

staff. Man, you know when that whole

portion of scripture when uh God's

challenging, he goes, "What? How am I

supposed to do?" He says, "What's in

your hand?" And the only thing he has in

his hand is a stick that is used for

dirty sheep.

Yeah. And I can just imagine like, "What

in the world am I supposed to do with

this thing?" Go smack Pharaoh in the

nose. Like what I mean what is this

thing? And with it 10 plagues come out.

with it the the water I mean the waters

are split and Pharaoh's army gets sucked

at the cross over to dry with it he

strikes a rock and I mean with what you

have in your hand you are more than

capable if we give it to God and let God

give it back to us

>> we get that in the huddle

his public power was directly connected

to his private devotion

I I believe this you'll never have the

strength to face your pharaoh

speak to your mountain to stand against

your giants in your life if you're not

first spending time in the holy huddle.

Three things you get from the holy

huddle from this secret place, this

one-on-one with God.

Number one, it's where you get your

identity. Say identity.

>> Identity.

Not from Instagram likes.

Not from your Tik Tok channel.

>> I'm sorry. There's old people in the

room. Not from your Facebook.

Come on. That was fun. Stick with me,

folks. Hey.

It's where you get your identity. Can I

say this? You don't get your identity

from your job title.

How many times I've been introduced to

individuals, get to have a conversation,

trying to get to know who they are, and

everything is wrapped up around their

title.

>> I think you're more than a job title. I

think you're a son of God, full of

strength and power, the same spirit that

rose Christ from the dead. I think you

have a calling and a plan and a purpose

that came from God that God wants to

fulfill through you. You're more than

just a factory worker. You're more than

just a business. You're you're more than

that.

And you get your identity from the holy

huddle. When God says, "You are my son,

beloved child of God." Number two, it's

where you get your assignment.

>> Say, "Assignment."

>> Assignment.

>> Not from the noise of the world. The

pressures of the world, man, back to it.

I get the pressure coming. I got all

this stuff going. I'm going, man, I'm

starting to feel it.

Yeah. And I've had the pressures of the

world be the thing that forces my hand

to start making decisions. and it

becomes the activator of my life.

I don't get my assignment from the

pressures of the world. I tuck away with

God. I get in the holy huddle and I get

my assignment from him.

Get my assignment from him. Holy Spirit

speaking. This is the way. Now walk

therein. Number three,

it's where you get your power. Say

power.

>> Power.

Not from your own strength,

but learning how to operate in his

strength.

We're insufficient

on our own strength to fulfill the

supernatural calling that God's placed

upon our life.

It's the huddle,

the holy huddle. That's not the only

huddle. Hebrews 10

24 again it says, "Let us consider how

we may spur one another on towards love

and good deeds."

Spur one another on towards love and

good deeds. I don't know. I've watched a

couple cowboy movies. I grew up on a

farm and I've seen some spurs and

there's nothing that looks exciting or

comfortable from the horse's perspective

about a spur being rammed in his

backside just to get him to move.

It seems slightly cruel and

uncomfortable.

It's interesting that the scripture uses

that. How can I How can I just nudge you

a little bit? How can I poke you a

little bit? because because Christianity

wasn't called uh to be sitting on the

bench, but but how can I nudge you to

get you out there and get you going in

the right direction?

I don't want to be the one in every

church huddle that I'm getting the spur

going, "I guess I'm not doing what I'm

supposed to do."

[Music]

I want to be the one that God's using.

Man, let me inspire you and let me let

me let me speak into that for a minute.

Let me bless you with with something

that might give you some courage and

some faith to get out there on the field

and and do what you know you're supposed

to do.

Second huddle is the huddle with the

church with the people of God.

We are the body of Christ. We are the

team and teams huddle up.

Spur them on. You know spur means to

provoke.

How can I provoke you towards love and

good works?

We challenge each other.

I love you too much to let you get lazy

sitting on the bench.

I love you too much to continue to make

excuses why you can do what God doesn't

want you to do.

I'm going to poke you a little bit.

Bible says to encourage one another.

Encourage is interesting.

Encourage.

It means to pour courage into another.

Isn't that interesting? To encourage. I

want I want to pour some We hang out and

have coffee. I want to pour some courage

in you. Amen.

>> When we meet together on Sunday, I hope

you leave. I hope I'm able to bring a

55gallon drum of courage in.

>> You leave this place and you can go

right up to any demonic thing, any devil

and say, "Take that devil.

>> I I've been stirred up. I've been

spurred on.

>> Blood of Jesus Christ is against you.

When you're afraid to run the play, when

you're thinking about quitting, you need

a teammate that'll look you right in the

eye and say, "You can do this.

God's with you. I'm with you. We're with

you."

I got to tell you, the devil's favorite

player on the Christian team is the lone

wolf.

the one that isolates and separates and

refuses to huddle. They're the ones that

get tired, get picked off, get defeated.

That's why you being here today matters.

That's why your connection group that

you meet with matters.

It's why serving on a team in the church

matters.

It's in the huddle that we get aligned.

We get focused. We get united. We get

encouraged

before we say team break and have to go

out there and face the world and face

the devil, face the struggles of life.

So, you've been in the holy huddle,

you've been in the church huddle,

you've got the play. Now, what

I'll say this, you need a little faith

to actually run the play.

Hear this.

The play never works if you never leave

the huddle.

The play never works if you never leave

the huddle.

Somehow sometimes we just get in this

place of selfpreservation and protection

where all we do is stay in the huddle.

That's all we do is say we've we've

heard uh so many plays called and

assignments and and man, I got to tell

you, there's a there's a type of

Christianity that comes and hears the

book preached every single week, gets

encouraged, loves it, but never gets out

there and runs a single play.

Got quiet in here. Sheesh.

Play never works if you never leave the

huddle. some point you have to break the

huddle, walk up to the line of scrimmage

and snap the ball. Even when the

defensive line is scary, even when the

defensive line looks much bigger than

you,

even when the enemy's coming. Even when

the pressure's coming, we get up there

and walk by faith and not by sight.

Faith is trusting the play that was

called more than the opposition you see

on the field.

And it's Noah building an ark

>> when there hasn't been any rain.

It's young David

running towards Goliath with no armor,

few stones and a sling saying, "In the

name of my Lord," I mean, he takes off

running. That's that that's that's

getting out of the huddle. Then that's

saying, "God, I got I got a few things I

know that you want me to do and now I'm

going to get up and go do it."

H

Peter stepping out of the boat walking

on water.

A lot of us will hear the message that

you can walk on water.

Who's willing to step out of the boat

and stand there?

It's us as a body of believers

seeing the opportunity to expand God's

kingdom to impact a generation for

Christ.

Stepping up to the plate saying, "Put me

in, coach.

I want to be part of that."

It's trusting that the tithe you give

will accomplish more than the money that

you keep. Amen.

>> It's trusting that the forgiveness that

you offer will heal more than the grudge

that you hold. It's trusting that the

invitation to bring a friend to church

will change their eternal destination

and bring salvation.

It's getting off the bench, getting in

the game.

Faith is the moment the huddle breaks

and your feet start moving.

James chapter 2 and verse 17

James 2 · chapter mention

I'll close with this

says in the same way

faith by itself

if it is not accompanied by action

is dead.

You got to get out of the huddle.

Make it alive.

Faith by itself, if it's not accompanied

by action, is dead. Listen, you can have

all the theology in the world. You can

have the best church community,

but if you don't have the faith to step

on the field and run a play, you're

never going to make it to the goal line.

Back to church Sunday, man. This is

huddle Sunday.

This is huddle Sunday. We're we're in a

season as a body of believers, a season

of building, a season of faith, a season

of legacy, uh where God is challenging

us. And and I've served God for a

minute. A lot of the plays from the

playbook that that God gives us as a

church, it's we're going to run the

ball. We're going to get a few yards.

We're going to we're going to we're

going to keep pushing forward and we're

not losing yards, right? And so we keep

we keep teaming up and God gives us the

play and we're going to we're going to

keep things moving forward and it's

incremental.

this play that God is calling us to, God

is speaking. I'm stirring in my God's

saying, "Go long. Go long. We're about

to take the field. Go long." And that

that that go long play when God calls

it, it changes everything. We're not

running up the middle anymore. We're not

We're not going to fight the big guys on

the defensive line. Now, now we have

those

running out in the field and the

quarterback zings it down. We're not

going for two yards. We're not going for

four yards. We're going for the

touchdown.

>> We're going for the goal. We're going

for the win.

>> Look at your neighbor and say, "Go

long."

>> And we serve a good God.

>> Amen.

>> We serve a good God.

>> I asked the worship team to join me up

here. And

if you would stand to your feet all over

this place,

[Music]

know where you're at in your journey

with God.

You might not even be the rookie yet.

You might be standing here going, "Man,

I don't even know if I'm on the team

yet, but I like what I hear, and I think

I'm ready to put a jersey on."

and you're ready today to take that step

of faith

to pray that prayer and say, "God, I'm I

want to switch teams. I'm with you.

You want to give your life to Jesus

Christ.

God's challenging to do that. We want to

pray with you."

Man, I got to tell you, there's a whole

team that's ready to love on you and

accept you and walk with you. You know,

the Bible says that every time a sinner

repents and gives their life to Christ

that a band of angels rejoices in

heaven.

So, not only will this team celebrate,

but there's an angelic team that's right

with us celebrating that decision.

You close your eyes and bow your hearts.

[Music]

And Father, I thank you, Lord, for those

that you've brought to this moment in

time

where everything stops.

Father, I thank you, Lord, for those,

Father, in their heart today. They're

ready to make a change and switch teams

and ready to receive you, Jesus, for

salvation.

Father, I thank you for eternity being

their home today in heaven with you.

Thank you, Jesus. We're going to

continue with every eye closed,

every head bowed, and I'm not going to

embarrass you. I'm not going to ask you

to come forward. But if that's you and

you're in this place and you're saying,

"I'm ready to give my life to Christ."

Would you raise your hand? I want to

pray for you.

>> Thank you.

There are others you lift your hand and

say, "I'm ready to join the team. Thank

you.

Praise you Jesus.

Thank you Lord. Father, I thank you for

those commitments God.

Praise you Jesus.

Thank you Lord. Father I pray that

nothing would hinder authentic divine

spiritual salvation of soul over their

life now in Jesus name. Thank you Lord."

So Father bless them. We're going to

pray this prayer together. And if you

lifted your hand, I want you to pray

this prayer. And man, I just want to

lead us through a simple prayer to

switch teams. And so, would all of you

follow me in this prayer? Would you say,

"Father in heaven,

>> Father in heaven,

>> today,

>> today

>> is the day.

>> I switch teams. I switch teams.

>> I receive you

>> as my Lord.

>> Lord,

>> my coach, my God,

>> my God,

>> my father,

>> my father. Father, I thank you.

>> Father, I thank you

>> for the blood of Jesus.

>> For the blood of Jesus

>> cleansing me

>> from all sin,

>> all unrighteousness

>> right now.

>> Right now

>> in Jesus name

>> in Jesus name.

>> I confess with my mouth

>> Jesus.

>> Jesus Christ is my Lord.

>> And according to your word according to

your word

>> today

>> I'm saved.

>> I'm saved in Jesus name.

>> in Jesus name. Amen. And can we

celebrate the work of the Lord today?

I'm going to ask our prayer team to join

us up front. In just a moment, we're

going to step back into the atmosphere

of worship and whatever it is that God's

been doing in your heart. If you need

prayer for anything, we want to invite

you up. Let us pray with you and

encourage you before you leave this

house today. God bless you.

Heat. Heat.

[Music]