Mission Vineyard Church Sermon 5/3/26

the Lord's Prayer this morning. Here,

you guys take this mic.

>> Okay. Well, take it.

>> So, uh, over 10 years ago, we had this

vision of making sure that whatever we

did as a church that a significant

portion of our budget would go to the

poor. And we recognized in this

community in San Antonio, those who

really know who the poor are materially,

there's a whole spectrum of poverty. Um,

but materially poor, those who know the

material poor are the nurses in the

local schools. The nurses in the local

schools know who is suffering

materially. And so we said, "Hey nurses

in the public schools, what do you need

from a local church? What would be

great?" and they said kids come back

after the weekend and they haven't

eaten. And so Monday mornings,

their diet is compromised.

They don't have the ability to focus and

it creates 10 different kinds of poverty

in their lives when they come to school

because not only have they not eaten,

they can't focus, they have low

self-esteem. There's a whole

complication that goes on in the life of

a child. So, we started thinking and

praying, "God, how can you empower us to

do that?" And at the same time, God was

saying the same thing to another church

in town who we were friends with. And

they said, "Actually, we just got a

bunch of money for this, and we're going

to start a warehouse for this, but the

the school that's closest to you, we're

going to take." And I went, "Oh, all

right." They said, "But there's another

school a couple miles from your church,

and it has a lot of need. Would you be

willing to take it?" And at the time,

our church budget was lower than your

personal budgets.

Anybody have a personal budget at home?

Nobody. Yeah. Okay. So, now that you

realize what your personal budget is,

our church budget as a whole was lower

than your personal budget. And if you

can imagine this, what it took to feed

the children, because there was over a

hundred children that the school had

identified that needed that weekend

care, it cost $17,500

a year. Imagine for just a moment your

budget just getting a $17,000 500

$17,000 hit and going, "The poor are in

need. We have to do this." And so as a

church, we went, "Yes, Lord."

And God provided year after year,

miracle after miracle. After four or

five years, guess what happened? A donor

in Austin heard about us and they said,

"That church is helping that many kids

and it's costing how much?" Cuz the

price kept on going up and the kids need

kept on going up. And they said, "We're

taking care of all of it."

And ever since then, it's so now it's

been like seven years

over a hundred children every weekend

served by you

through volunteers

so that kids when they come to school on

Monday morning have some pride because

they had some food, have sustenance

because they had food. And every week

they get a special bag secretly put in

their backpack by their teacher

as like this celebration going into the

weekend. They're going to be okay

because who knows what else is going on

at home if they're not being fed. So

Vanessa and Emily have been really

really regular volunteers and doing this

every week. So, I just wanted you to

share like what has this been like to

you for you to go to Rogers to get these

bags to distribute them at like what's

it been like for you guys?

>> All right. Um, yeah, it's great. It is a

super simple task that really needs to

be done and so it's nice to be able to

help with something so practical um that

really does not take any like brain

power. It's just bring the snacks to the

classrooms and um the teachers handle

them after that. So, it's it's simple

and it's practical and I'm getting to

serve children in need without having to

do a whole lot. It's not doesn't take a

whole lot.

>> Yeah, it's like uh what was like an hour

to with a child, an hour and a half

commitment uh that we do once a month.

It was actually our way of starting to

show Isabella that service to our

community is important. Um, and it was a

really great thing to start doing with

her because uh, a she's excited because

there's like a cart she can push

and b like she realizes that like she's

helping kids like her that don't have

like all the snacks that she gets to

have. Um, so it's something she can

connect with. So, like I encourage if

you're interested in doing this with a

kid, it's totally doable with your kid.

Um, and it's been really really nice

because we got to know the office staff

and like build relationships with them

and the ladies who are cleaning after

school and like playing cool music and

we talk to them about that and like the

teachers that are staying late and

sometimes we see like the kids that are

still learning after school or doing

these like fun crochet projects and like

it's visible and I've realized that even

though they try to do some of this stuff

in secret, there's definitely kids who

know what we're there for and they

recognize it and and they see it and I

think that's good. So, it's a really

lovely project and again it's very easy

but it's wonderful just be present to

this community. Yeah. So, speaking of

being present to the community, this

community over the years has continued

to ask us would you come and pray for

us. So, they've asked us to do it

weekly. They've asked us to come at the

beginning of the year and pray over

every classroom. This is not a private

school. This is not a charter school. as

an SISD school that because of the

practical assistance and not just

through that but helping teachers

through some crises and helping students

with other issues and um there's been

all kinds of things we've been able to

help with but they want us to pray for

them and this time that the distribution

is at 3:00 on Thursday afternoons right

3:15

>> we go 3:30

>> 3:30

you don't have to get there on time it's

Okay,

>> you can get there around that time. But

what's great about that time is that the

teachers have already had their kids

dismissed for the day, right? And

they're just kind of sitting there

slimed by their day

and they have always wanted for us to

come in and say, "How can I pray for

you?" And we get to do that. And so if

you have any interest at all at just

dropping a bag off or if you have the

courage to be like, "Hey, we're just

dropping bags off. Do you need any

prayer?" and making a difference not in

the not just in the lives of the kids

but also in the students of the

administration and the teachers as as

well. I'd encourage you this is a great

opportunity.

This also reminds me Lord Jesus we thank

you so much for the museum

God place that we've gotten to rent for

nine years I think now. And Lord we are

hungry and you asked us to pray for $1.5

million uh for our 15th anniversary

coming up on on July 12th. And thank you

Lord for the commitments of 10% of that

so far. But God uh we together as a

congregation recognizing the limitations

of a portable space. We want a hub for

the work that you're already doing

through us. We don't want God we know

that you that we don't need a building

to identify us. We want God we want a

hub for what you're already doing. And

so we ask God would you provide this

money please? And would you put it in

our hearts for the way you want to

provide? Thank you for all the ways,

God, for the I was counting this this

morning. It's $1.9 million over the last

10 years, church, that you've given away

to the local community. $1.5 million

just in Bayer County medical debt paid

off.

God, I thank you for the community of o

overflow that you've made in Mission

Vineyard. And I pray you continue to

bless it, especially God in Emily and

Vanessa as they serve. God, restore them

as they've continued to serve in

practical ways. Bless them. I ask in

Jesus name. Amen. Thank you guys so

much.

So fun. So fun. Okay.

So, we continue in our series on

community abundance. My name is John

Rei, by the way. I'm a senior pastor

here and we're in a series on community

abundance. We believe that God has made

his people to be able to multiply

resources, his resources for a

community. Now, raise your hand if you

feel like you can supply all the needs

of San Antonio alone.

No crazy Oh, we've got one crazy person.

Good. Okay. Wonderful. Wonderful. This

sermon's for you.

No, God, from the beginning, from the

beginning, be fruitful and multiply, he

said to Adam and Eve. To Abraham, he

said, I'm going to make you a great

nation for the sake of blessing all the

nations around you. And then when he

sent out his disciples, he said, "Go and

make disciples of all nations, teaching

them to obey everything I've commanded

to you." In the book of Acts, in the

church there was no need among them. It

was said no need among them. Do you know

that church over the last 10 years

you've provided especially those who

have been tithing that goes into a big

fund and then we have people designated

to pay the bills of people in our church

or close to our church when they have

needs.

That's that's been like the amount of

someone's salary that we've gotten to

spend on the bills of people in need in

this church. Isn't that amazing?

Like almost $100,000 just blessing

people in need over the last 10 years.

Well, we're focusing on this scripture

in Jeremiah 29, not Jeremiah 29:11,

Jeremiah 29:11

Jeremiah 29:6 and 7,

Jeremiah 29:6

where the prophet is saying to the

people that are in exile, people without

their own home. Sounds familiar,

like our church maybe.

Jeremiah says to the people in exile

without their own home, even though they

don't have their own home, he says,

"Multiply.

Multiply.

Do not dwindle away and work for the

peace and prosperity of the city where I

sent you into exile."

Knowing that the kingdom of God is our

home as followers of Jesus, we are sent

as God's people into the cities where

God has us, into the neighborhoods where

we live, into the apartments where we

live, to the streets. God has sent us

these places intentionally.

He said, "Pray to the Lord for that

place, for its welfare will determine

your welfare."

Its welfare will determine your welfare.

Now, for most of us, it's pretty good

that you're not seeing that scripture

the other way around. For instance, your

welfare will determine its welfare.

Could you imagine if your welfare

determined the welfare of the entire

city? It's not the truth.

You alone cannot take care of the needs

of our city. That's not the way we were

made. But God's people collectively have

been made to do this.

Now, the way that that's done is through

faith.

It's through faith. We're going to be

looking at a scripture today where a

very, very powerful man of God gives

some very simple instructions to

somebody who's very poor

and through the community saw an

abundance that took care of all of her

needs for the rest of her life. But

before I get into that scripture, I want

to tell you something that if you don't

remember anything else from today, I

want you to remember this. Community

overflow requires a simple, empty, and

available vessel.

Point to your neighbor and you can read

this. Community overflow requires a

simple,

empty, and available vessel.

Point to your neighbor and say, "You

look simple." No, no, no. Don't do that.

And definitely don't point to them and

say you look empty.

But may be available.

The truth is that most of us have very

very complicated lives.

Most of us feel very empty most of the

time. Mostly burnt out. I think our

society

social media and the anxiety of this

world especially in our country right

now. It's very difficult to wake up in

the morning and feel strength. In fact,

most of us go to bed swiping so much

that our eyes and brains are burnt out

as we go to sleep. And as we wake up

multiple times during the night, most of

us, we wake up exhausted.

If I can just pause you right there, I

know that there are some of you that

have come this morning feeling like

that. And I want to invite you to the

simple prayer that had meant a led us in

before which is come Holy Spirit.

The desperate prayer of God's people to

be filled

by his spirit

is the foundation prayer that God wants

for all of his people. God, fill me up.

There are some mornings I wake up and I

know I don't have what it takes for the

day. God, would you fill me with your

spirit?

fill me with your Holy Spirit. I had a

mentor. He was a very very famous

speaker and he uh got to speak to

presidents a lot over the years. He

helped um uh Northern Ireland uh

reconcile. He helped a lot of people

out. And I remember him saying, "When I

wake up in the morning, every morning, I

can't get out of bed without saying,"

come, Holy Spirit, fill me new. Fill me

Aresh.

It's not just the spiritual heroes. It's

everybody that needs this feeling

filling. Community overflow requires

simple, empty, and available vessels.

And so, we're going to look at today at

2 Kings verse uh 1 out of chapter 4.

This is a story about a man named

Elijah.

Elisha, very, very powerful man of God

and kind of bold. He had a mentor named

Elijah. And Elijah was pretty powerful.

And he raised up a whole cadre, if you

can imagine, like hippie communes

of people that would yell at the

government

with the voice of God. The actual voice

of God.

That was Elijah. And he raised up all

these hippie communes of prophets. It

was fantastic because truth was being

told to power from the voice of God. Not

just stop it.

But Elijah as he was going to be with

God, Elisha said, "Hey, give me give me

double what you got."

Can you imagine?

That's great. I want double.

And he got it. And he went back to those

hippie communes and prophets and they're

like, "Oh, you got double."

And so he was known.

He was known, but especially to those

prophets that were in his community. And

so one day the widow of a member of that

group of one of the group of prophets

came to Elisha and cried out, "My

husband who served you is dead."

And you know how he feared the Lord. And

now a creditor has come threatening to

take my two sons as slaves. So what's

going on here? There was a prophet.

Sometimes the prophets would get money

from people for different things. But if

the prophet's dead, what happens to

their family? Especially in this time of

society. Women

were not seen as somebody able to work

and sometimes not a prophet. Although

there are absolutely places in the Old

Testament where women were powerful

prophets.

At this time she was just a widow.

in need and she was in deeper debt all

the time and her sons at the time I

guess they were not old enough to work

for her in the future they will be her

salvation as far as finances are

concerned and so horribly someone the

creditor is threatening to take her two

sons as slaves

and so Elijah says what can I do to help

you which is fantastic let me tell you

now no matter how spiritually amazing

you are there is nothing better than

asking the question. What do you want me

to do for you? How can I serve you?

Jesus said it all the time. And Jesus

was God in the flesh.

What can I do to help you? Elisha asked.

And then he had an idea.

Let me tell you, church, I think

sometimes God's ideas for saving the

world are upside down from the world's

reason. Sometimes they just look

absolutely crazy. And Elisha right now,

I got to tell you, in this chapter, if

you look, he does some things that are

upside down of the world, but they work.

And you know what? A lot of the things

in the world haven't worked, have they?

And so, I'm ready for some upside down

things. Elijah says, "Tell me, what do

you have in the house?" "Nothing at

all," she said, "except a flask of olive

oil." Does anybody have a flask on them?

It's not a trick question,

but if you can imagine a flask fits in

your pocket, small. It's not a lot.

I don't know what she intends to do with

this olive oil, but if she's got just

that little left and it's all she has,

I I don't I don't know if I would be

willing to touch it. Nothing at all

except for a flask of olive oil. And

Elisha said, "Borrow as many empty jars

as you can from your friends and

neighbors. Then go into your house with

your sons. Shut the door behind you.

Take the flask. Pour olive oil from your

flask into the jars."

This is 1 + 1 equals 11 million.

This is anti-physics. This is

anti-ature. This is upside down. Elisha

says, "Pour your olive oil from your

flask into your jars, setting each one

aside as it's filled." He's already got

in his mind and heart they are going to

get filled by your flask.

And so many that you're going to have to

keep setting them aside. Get an assembly

line ready.

Could you imagine? This is our God that

looks at nothing or a flask and says,

"Get ready. get an assembly line ready

because I'm going to provide for you in

ways that seem absolutely nuts.

Setting each side when it's filled. And

so she did.

So can we just get a little bit of

curious about ourselves right now? How

many of you would do this? Really?

Really?

This is the only dollar you have left.

Your kids are about to be sold into

slavery. Who? And none of us know that.

Thank God.

And a prophet tells you, "I want you to

take that dollar.

>> I want you to go tell your neighbors

that with that dollar, you're going to

make a million as long as you can borrow

their stuff to make a million.

Go do it."

I don't know.

But this is the faith and it takes the

faith of a community to do it. So these

boys went out.

She did as we're told. Her sons kept

bringing the jars to her. I just Can you

picture this for just a moment?

Her kids going out, hey, my mom needs a

jar. What does she need it for? She's

going to fill it with olive oil from

what? Whatever she's got in her flask.

Oh, okay. Take the jar, kid.

But so many did. The community gave her

all the jars. They were empty jars. They

weren't filled.

They weren't giving her resource. What

were they giving her?

Faith.

They were leaning in for the miracle

that she wanted.

And guess what? As the sons brought the

jars to her, she filled them one after

another. And soon every container was

full to the brim. Imagine your house,

especially I know the one that the

people in your house that are

responsible for cleaning the house. I

want you to imagine a bunch of jars of

oil piled up all over the house

and the oil stains that you imagine

happening to the carpet and the wood and

her house full

of jars of oil.

Bring me another jar, she said TO HER

SONS. THERE AREN'T anymore in the whole

community.

There aren't anymore.

And then the olive oil stopped flowing

out of the flask.

Isn't God good? Isn't God good

when he has a solution for somebody's

need and we get to participate in simple

obedience and he provides everything.

This is our God. He's so good.

And so she was able to go back to Elisha

and said, "Hey,

look what all this happened." She told

the man of God what had happened. And he

said to her, "Now sell all the o olive

oil, pay all your debts, and you and

your sons can live on whatever is left

over." Her need was completely taken

care of.

This is a real story, by the way. This

is not a coloring book that you read to

kids. This is what God does. And this is

just one way in all the 66 of the books

of the Bible that God's done this. In in

second Kings, there's miracle after

miracle. Right after this, a child dies

and Elisha goes and prays with his whole

body over the kid and the kid comes back

to life.

This is our God. This is our God.

Here's where I think we get messed up a

little bit. We're so dependent on our

own provision for our daily lives, which

is good for good, responsible people

that we've stopped actually relying on

God for his provision.

Fasting is one of those things that I

think is critical for the follower of

Jesus because it intentionally puts us

in a position where our only provision

is from the God of the universe.

Most people in the west, we don't have

that opportunity.

there's some kind of supply from

somewhere. But most of us need to fast

just to practice that God is our

provider.

For some of us, it's tithing. It's

saying, "God, I want to give whatever I

want whenever I want to give it." And

God goes, "Good for you." You're still

in control when you do that. So set a

tithe 10%. And and in the Old Testament,

God says, "Test me on this." The only

place he ever says in the scriptures,

"Test me on this," is in tithing. is

taking 10% before anything, giving it as

a first fruit to God, and saying, "It

all belongs to you anyway.

>> He's that good.

>> Yes.

>> He's so good that he wants us not to be

kids that are always worried and anxious

about where the next piece of food is

coming from. He wants us to live in a

kind of abundance that we know only

comes from him.

The children at Rogers Academy know that

their provision comes from a local

church who depend on the living God.

>> Did you know that God doesn't need your

money, church? And the church doesn't

need your money either.

You may be obedient to God in your

tithing and giving and that's wonderful,

but it all comes from him.

>> It all comes from him. And so when we

join in, it's like getting a present

from our parents and going to a birthday

party acting like we bought it from the

store. You didn't.

Your parent bought it and said, "You're

going to a birthday party. you going to

need this? And we show up going, but I

want it. This is the new transformer.

And our parent goes, no, I've given you

something to give away.

>> I want to invite you into my own nature.

That's who I am.

>> I want to show you that actually I'm

your provider and you're not your own.

God's provision is God's provision. It

belongs to him.

It belongs to him. And we get to

participate in that with simple acts of

faith.

We get to participate in that with

simple acts of faith. Now, there's one

more hurdle that I think some of us run

into.

There's one more hurdle,

and I think some of us feel like we are

already broken. So, how could God use

me? And let me tell you, especially for

those who think that we're only talking

about money here, I have been in $55,000

worth of credit card three times over. I

have felt financially broken.

So, I want to tell you those who are

hearing about God's provision and

feeling so broken,

the invitation of faith,

I'm going to pass out some empty cups.

The invitation of faith

is to recognize you have an empty

vessel.

You actually have an empty vessel. And

for a lot of us, it feels like it has a

bunch of holes in it.

What the scripture says is, "Show your

cracks. Let the cracks in the vessel you

have be shown."

Being ashamed and cloistered and in the

dark about your financial needs and debt

is not the way to God's freedom in your

life.

Show your cracks. And our church

provides a $100 free courses for you to

go through to start getting free. And

our leader have been through that course

seven times.

And we still struggle.

We're free today, but we struggle.

Show your cracks. God has enough glory

himself.

What he needs is your vulnerability.

He has enough provision. What he needs

is your vulnerability.

>> Second Corinthians says this, Paul is

making sure that the religious figures

of the churches do not put on a facade

of strength.

He says, you see, we don't go around

preaching about ourselves. We preach

that Christ is Lord. We ourselves are

servants for Christ's sake, for Jesus's

sake. For God who said, "Let there be

light in the darkness," has made this

light shine in our hearts so that we

could know the glory of God that is seen

in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have

this light shining in our hearts. But we

ourselves are like fragile clay jars

containing this great treasure. This

makes it clear that our great power is

from God,

not from ourselves.

It's from God. It's not for ourselves.

Uh St. John Chrysm, right, Elias?

>> Yes. Your favorite theologian from

church father 3rd c fourth century

fourth century. We were reading about

him this past week because Elias is

digging into those things. I I don't

read the church fathers very often. But

one of the things he said knowing about

the early church just a couple of

centuries after the early church was

born. He said sometimes God wouldn't

allow healing to happen through the

apostles so that the people around the

apostles would know that the glory from

God comes through weakness

and not strength.

That the glory of God comes through

weakness and not strength. Sometimes

God wants his glory to be shown not our

glory. Now does that mean that we start

changing our Instagram and Tik Tok feeds

to I'm in debt. I'm going I'm recovering

debaholic. I'm recovering alcoholic. And

we just start spreading that as the

first thing. I don't know.

But I think that vulnerability begins in

the local church in a small group with

somebody who's trusted in Jesus to say

in the name of Jesus, you're forgiven

and free and now let's work together.

That's where I think it begins.

So the first barrier that we walk

through is being willing to show our

cracks. The second barrier is that we

often don't take time to prepare our

jar.

Most of our jars and hold these cups up.

Those who I gave the cups to, hold them

up.

They're empty.

How empty is your life?

So full. I mean, from minute to minute,

aren't you just filling your life with

all the things? We had this most

beautiful alpha retreat yesterday where

people got to be prayed for and receive

the Holy Spirit, be baptized in the Holy

Spirit and it was the most precious,

precious time. We went away a little bit

into bron new bronles and got to see the

hills and the windows were open and we

just waited on the Lord. And as we

debriefed and everybody felt the power

of God, somebody shaking knees, somebody

feeling like the spirit of God's gift of

in uh intercession was coming on them,

somebody else giving different gifts and

feeling God's presence and power. What

they all said was the most powerful

thing of the moment was the time of

silence.

Feeling God's peace for the first time

ever

and feeling his peace definitely in that

time.

Guess how long we waited in silence.

>> Someone guess.

>> Five. Three.

10

>> 30 seconds.

>> It was all of like two minutes.

>> And it was one of the most powerful

times.

How empty is your cup?

How empty is your cup? And how prepared

is it? Because some cups I was reading

about history and and and did you know

that

>> there wasn't always indoor plumbing here

in the United States?

Do you know what you had to do when you

had to go to the bathroom in the middle

of the night?

>> You pee in a pot.

>> Friends,

God wants to prepare your vessel

with faith for his abundance for the

world.

And it's much harder if that pot needs

to be cleaned up over and over and over

again.

Watch what happens when Jesus uses a

specific kind of container. This is John

John 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2. Standing nearby, he was at a

wedding and there were six stone water

jars used for Jewish ceremonial washing.

Church, has your body been given to

Jesus for his work?

If it hasn't, you need to let them wash

you out because chances are it's been

used

and it needs to be cleaned. Jesus told

the servants, "Fill the jars with

water." The jars had been filled and he

said, "Now dip some out, take it to the

master of ceremony." So the servants

followed the instructions. Jesus used

the pot that was ready with ceremonial

water, living water. Do you know that

those who decide to follow Jesus receive

his spirit and are filled with living

water?

>> Jesus uses living water to provide

whatever is needed in every situation.

Even when wine is needed for a party,

prepare your jar, church. God uses those

prepared for worship to provide his best

resources.

I want to wait right now in the

uncomfortable silence because I think

the Holy Spirit wants to do something

else. So, can we wait?

Chris, Steve, would you come up for just

a second?

How's the Lord been preparing?

>> Can I show something personal?

>> Yeah.

>> So, I'm sure you all picked up on the

fact that um the lady with the olive oil

had everything she needed except for the

empty vessels. Um and God provided those

right through her community. Um

obviously

what I got from this is we are the empty

vessels. And the problem is is that we

continue to fill ourselves because we're

empty and we want to be full, but

there's so many things that we try to

fill ourselves with. And all those

things do is distract us from him.

um whether it's um food,

drugs, alcohol, pornography, we're

constantly trying to fill ourselves with

things that we think make ourselves

happy. And all they do is separate us

from him because that space that he

cannot fill. And he wants to fill every

inch of us. And when he's filling us,

once he fills us, he fills us to

overflowing. And when we're overflowing,

that's going to touch everything and

everyone around us. And that's all that

he wants. He wants to use us to touch

others. And you're here for a reason.

You've seen this. You've been a part of

this. And he wants to use you to do

this. And he can do that in so many

ways. And he does that

in different ways for each of us. But we

have to be connected to him to

understand and to start to to be able to

hear him. And there's so many different

ways that he speaks to each and every

one of us. And some of it looks similar

between a couple of people, but there's

so many different ways that he uses each

and every one of us. And it's such a

beautiful thing when it all comes

together and we're all a piece of the

body, a piece of the church, right?

>> We're praying for a space not because we

need a building to be a church. We are

the church.

>> Yeah.

>> No matter what kind of

>> place we meet in,

>> but we feel like he's leading us into a

permanent space.

to grow us even more so that we can give

back even more. And whether or not that

looks like a church building or not, it

doesn't matter because he's going to use

it. It's his. It's all his. He's

providing for it, but he wants to use us

to bring that money together. He wants

to use us to give back to the community.

And so, we've got to be willing to let

ourselves go to get rid of all that junk

that we try to fill ourselves with.

So that I I wanted to invite Chris up

because I I like checking out prophetic

words from him with him and Steve

similarly, but Steve also leads the

prayer time beforehand where a bunch of

people are discerning what God's up to

because I had two impressions. One was

that God wanted to break the chains off

some people that were um just really

really struggling with addiction this

morning

>> and drug, alcohol, finances. God wants

to break those chains off. I believe

there's power in this room that God

wants to use to do that. And that like

nobody here that's going to pray for you

this morning actually has that power.

They are empty vessels.

>> Yes.

>> That want to pour out God's oil on you

to heal you. Okay. Uh not literally. You

don't worry. I mean you may get

anointed. I don't know. But the other

thing was does the empty vessel I was

going to check this with you but you

just went for it. So I appreciate that.

Um,

these empty cups, I I didn't have the

faith to have you pass them around and

look at one another and say, "My cup is

empty, but I trust God to fill it for

you.

My cup is empty, but I trust God to fill

it for you."

And so as Steve has written down

breakthrough for addictions

>> and Chris is saying the exact same thing

about the empty cup. I believe that God

has given us an assignment this morning

for ministry. So would you stand please?

>> I I would also add money. Are we trying

to fill ourselves in our lives with

success and money as the world would see

it? um because that can occupy every

every ounce of everything that you have.

Um and we feel like it's the right thing

to do because we want to we want to show

we want to show the world that we're

successful. And I would challenge you

with

what is successful in God's eyes? What

does that look like? Because

he doesn't need our money, but he

provides it so that we can be a part of

what he's doing.

>> Yeah.

and and when we look at it in the right

way, success can come in financial ways.

But if it's if it's something that we're

relying on, I would challenge that

that's not his way.

>> Hima and Emily, would you guys lead us

again, Jake? And I'm going to have them

lead into a song. And they didn't know

what the sermon was going to be about,

but the song that they picked right now

is pretty applicable, wouldn't you

think?

>> Yeah. So, I'm going to let them lead in.

And as they lead, I'm just going to lead

us into a time of repentance because

each one of us, you may not feel like

you're addicted, but boy are you filled

up with distractions, maybe. But the God

is so good. He wants to free you.

He wants to free you completely. And so

as they lead, can we just wait? Come,

Holy Spirit. We repent, God. We repent,

God. Go ahead. Go ahead.

Come Holy Spirit.

Look at the flowers.

All of their beauty.

I don't have to wonder.

>> Know what you're doing.

So why would I worry at all?

You're faithful to ser

everything I need.

Everything I need. My father has it. My

father has it. Every single time the

Lord will provide.

My father has it. My father has it.

And so we welcome you right now. There

are prayer teams that are ready to

receive you.

If you are someone who needs to be

baptized, God wants you to pay attention

to the desire to be baptized. Right,

Steve? And we're going to have baptisms

May 31st.

If someone needed to hear Psalm 63:8,

Psalms 63:8

"Your right hand upholds me."

Breakthrough for addictions, strange

pains in the head, also hearing strange

sounds, God wants to heal you today. In

the midst of the craziness around us,

find rest in God alone. That's the other

thing the prayer team said. Now, if any

of these are relevant to you at all, or

maybe you feel like, "Oh, God didn't

write my name down this morning." Just

if you have a physical, practical need,

spiritual need, emotional need, come and

receive prayer. These teams are ready to

receive you as the worship team

continues. And I'll be back to bless us

in just a minute.

Look at the sparrowing

for nothing.

No fear of tomorrow

and what it will bring.

If I have you, I have enough love. Cuz

your love will satisfy

everything.

Everything I need.

Everything I need. I know my father has.

My father has it. Every single time the

Lord will provide. I know my father has.

My father everything.

Everything I need. Everything I need. My

father has it. My father has it. Every

single time the Lord will provide

my father,

my father.

Seek first the kingom

and its treasures.

Everything else will be added. All that

I need.

I know the Lord will provide

cuz I know my God's empty hand. He gives

us blessings upon blessings. I'm

stilling

cuz I know the Lord will provide. Seek

first the kingdom.

So seek first the kingom and its

treasures. Everything else it will be

hiding all that needing.

I know the Lord will provide

cuz I know my Godanded.

He gives us blessings

upon blessing. I'm still believing

and I know the Lord will provide.

Everything I need.

Everything I need. My father has it. My

father has it. Every single time the

Lord will provide.

My father has it. My father has it.

>> So prayer teams are going to continue to

be available. There's a line right now,

but if you need prayer, get in line.

They would love to pray for you. For the

rest of you, as the worship team

continues, I want to bless you to go. So

would you receive this blessing in the

name of the Father and the Son and the

Holy Spirit? Would you go out as empty

vessels

cleaned and restored by Jesus

crack showing

so that Jesus can fill you and show his

glory to the world through you. I bless

you in Jesus name. Amen. Go in peace.

>> Everything I need. Everything I need. My

father has it.