Do You Know Your Status | Acts 10:1-8 | Pastor Walter Bowers Jr.

Father, god, we decree and declare that the word that you have given us for this day will manifest itself in the way that you would desire it to be, god.

It's our prayer that you manifest salvation.

It is our prayer that you manifest deliverance.

It's our prayer that you manifest right relationship.

It's our prayer that you manifest healing.

It's our prayer that you manifest unanswered questions.

It's our prayer that you manifest surrender.

It's our prayer that you manifest an encounter.

Thank you, master, for what you've done, thank you for what you're about to do.

We're careful to give your name to glory on and praise.

It's in the powerful name of Jesus we pray.

Let the people of God say together amen, amen, amen To God, be the glory To God.

Be the glory To God, be the glory To God.

Be the glory To God, be the glory Family.

We're going to jump straight in Acts, the 10th chapter, verse 1 through 8.

We enjoy standing as we read the word of God.

It helps it to stick.

We certainly welcome and love and appreciate all of our first time guests Chosen City.

Can we make some noise for them one more time?

We love you, we appreciate you, we know you're here for support, but God does not work.

In happenstance or coincidence, there is a word for you.

We know that you may have just been passing by, but I want you to understand that this is an appointed time, and so I pray that you can be a recipient of what God is going to say.

I pray that, as we go forth in this word, that we all are challenged individually.

I got some bad news.

I won't be asking you to turn to your neighbor much today.

You're gonna be talking to the man or woman in the mirror and asking him or her to change his ways.

Acts 10, chapter verse 1 through 8.

Ready set read In Caesarea there lived a Roman officer named Cornelius who was a captain of the Italian regiment.

He was a devout, god-fearing man, as was everyone in his household.

He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God.

One afternoon, about three o'clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him.

An angel of God coming toward him, cornelius.

The angel said.

Cornelius stared at him in terror.

What is it, sir?

He asked the angel, and the angel replied your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering.

Now send some men to Joppa and summon a man named Simon Peter.

He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the sea shore.

As soon as the angel was gone, cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants.

He told them what had happened and sent them off to java, and I would just like to use as a sermon thought for today, as the holy spirit would allow.

Do you know your status?

Do you know your status?

Somebody say do you know your status?

You may be seated in the presence of our Lord.

Do you know your status?

Is a medical term that some people may be familiar with because one of the things about a medical condition if you don't know what's going on, you can't deal with the underlying issue at hand.

For example, as it relates to your blood sugar, do you know your status?

Right, as it relates to your cholesterol, do you know your status?

And even as it relates to STDs and things of that nature, there's a whole website that talks about do you know your status, while that is very critical as it relates to our medical condition, even in the financial realm, we just finished a class as it relates to stewardship and in the stewardship we said do you know your numbers and you would be surprised how many people just really just kind of go with the flow and they kind of you know wing it and don't necessarily know all of their expenses and all of their income.

Do you know your status?

Well, today, I'm not here to talk about a medical condition, nor am I here to talk about finances.

I'm talking about the status of your soul.

Do you know with certainty, without any doubt, that you are saved?

Now I get it.

This is not the top 10 sermons to how to build a mega church.

This is not the sermon that will make you want to holler and throw up both your hands.

But the Lord said that you got to make sure the people that you serve know their status.

He says because one day, walter Lee Bowers Jr they call me JR in Alabama JR one day, on your great getting up morning, when this life is over, you may come to the throne room and say Lord Chosen City Church, it grew, it had multiple campuses, it had multiple services, it had thousands of people.

Look at me, god.

And God will say I'm not impressed at all, because do you know the status of every person that you shepherd?

Do you know the status of the people that tune in on Facebook?

Do you know the status of the people that watch on Twitter?

Do you know the status of the people that come in every Sunday morning?

And I got terrified in the spirit to say, lord, I, to be honest with you, I don't know the status.

So I guess I got to come in Sunday and ask the question to the family Family, do you know your status, like for real?

Like, do you?

This is not a scared straight sermon, don't worry about that, but it's a question like seriously.

If the Lord said that your season is coming to the end today, do you really know your status?

Well, it got quiet on me, elder Martin.

It got quiet.

I'm a little scared.

Can you say that?

You know that.

You know without any doubt that if this was your last day, see the issue, here's the challenge.

I believe that God is about to bless us financially.

I believe that God is about to bless some of you all with the desires of your heart.

I believe that, with everything that's in me, but the word of God is clear what profit is a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

So, elder David, I'm going to run it back one more time, because if I was saying I was decreeing and declaring that you was about to get the Maybach, we'd be running and shouting, we'd be sweating by now.

But it got real quiet.

It got cold.

You're shivering, you're holding your pearls.

I'm going to ask one more time now Do you know your status?

And that's a question that really that I'm not the gatekeeper, by the way.

My responsibility is just to ask the question, because I don't have the keys to heaven nor hell.

But my mandate and my assignment to you is to ask you that question as a post check today.

The Lord sent you here today.

I don't care where you from, because the question remains.

The Lord sent you here today.

I don't care where you from, because the question remains do you know your status?

You see, you gotta understand that every living human has a soul.

In the Greek, the word for soul is psuche, is where we get the word psyche from, is where we get the understanding of psychology.

From Side point, all of my mental health professionals in the room.

I don't know if you knew this, but even if you are not labeled as a Christian psychologist, I need you if you're in the business of mental health or even coaching in this season.

I need you to understand that you're just not speaking to somebody's mental health when you're talking.

You're speaking to somebody's soul, because the Bible says that when it says what profit does a man gain?

The whole world and lose their soul, if you read it in the Greek it would be that what profit does a man gain?

The whole world and they lose their psyche.

So that's why you got to be careful who you let talk in your head when you're going through some stuff, because they ain't just talking to your head, they talking to your soul.

So we got to pray for our mental health professionals, because you get the wrong one talking to your head, bad things can happen.

We have a soul.

The bible says that our soul shall live forever.

That it is.

It is eternal because it is of God, the psyche, it is the breath.

That moment in the book of Genesis, when God breathed light into dust and dust threw it up, he departed a soul within us.

It is the essence of who we are.

It's what makes us uniquely who God has called us to be, and that unique individual will live somewhere forever.

What's the status of your soul?

What's the status of your psyche.

What's the status of the thing that makes you uniquely you?

The soul is the most valuable thing in all of existence.

I got a news flash for you.

The reason that the enemy attacks your finances is not because he wants your bank account.

The reason that he attacks your marriage is he has zero interest in what you do between the sheets.

Uh, the reason that he attacks everything that's concerning you he has zero interest whether or not you are successful in business or not, but he uses a tax in that matters to do one thing to get to your soul.

You see, think about it.

I just told you that the word psyche, the or the psuche, if I was to say it correctly in the greek talks about the mind.

So what the enemy did is say to get to your soul, I'm gonna pray tricks on your mind.

And what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna put your mind in a bad headspace.

And when your mind gets in a bad head space, and when your mind gets in a bad head space, guess what?

Your soul gets in a bad space.

Suddenly, you don't worship like you used to worship.

Suddenly, you don't praise like you used to praise.

Suddenly, you don't connect like you used to connect, and the problem is that he's tricky because there are people that show up here every Sunday and the Lord told me to say it and I'm going to say it just like he said it Just because you show up here every Sunday doesn't mean that your soul is in a proper, healthy condition, because some of y'all have gotten busy the Bible calls it busy bodies and just because you are a busy body doesn't mean that your soul I'm going to ask one more again what's the status of your soul?

I'm asking this because I love you and I care about you and I'm telling you all the other stuff is coming, but we don't deal with our soul.

We didn't waste it our whole time.

You can get all the other stuff that you want to get, but if we don't deal with the soul, the Bible talks about salvation.

The Bible talks about the soul.

The soul is so important that there's some language that we don't use in the Bible but we use it in the culture that I want to come and talk against and come against right now.

Y'all ever heard the phrase soul ties?

Soul ties is something that grandma used to tell you about.

Now you can't lay down with everybody.

You got to be careful of them.

Soul ties.

Problem is, I've discovered that you can get a soul tie and never even lay next down to that joker.

You just connect with the wrong people.

They call them trauma bonds in the medical profession.

You get with the wrong people long enough.

What's on them is finally on you, and I want to talk to some people in the room.

I'm going to ask you what's the status of your soul?

Are you connected to something or someone that is killing the very essence of who you are?

What do you mean is killing the essence of who I am?

You're not being what God called you to be.

You're going alone, to get alone, but you're not doing the thing in the earth that God birthed you to do.

I ask you again one more time Am I on time?

Number six, what's the status of your soul?

I've been asking a question, but I'm getting afraid.

Now I need some answers in the room.

Do I have anybody in the room that's bold enough to say that they saved, set free and delivered?

Well, I tell you, if I ain't never received a golf clap before, I've received a golf clap today, maybe I'll start with the clergy in the room.

Clergy, are you sure you're saved?

I got one that stood up.

I got a couple that stood up.

Are you Y'all just standing up?

Because you said, if I don't stand up they ain't gonna look at me funny.

But all right, clergy, y'all, so good.

Since you're so sure, you say how do you know?

That's a question.

How do you know?

You just stood up in front of all these people and said my soul is good, I'm blessed and I'm filled and I'm highly favored.

Won't he do it?

Yes, he will, but how do you know?

Because that's the question to the room.

It's one thing to say it, but how do I know For real, for real?

How do I have an assurance that my soul is secure?

How do I have an assurance that when I leave here, that on my great getting up morning, when this life is over, that I'll fly away?

But guess what, y'all?

I've gone a little bit deeper in my faith.

I discovered that my salvation is not just for tomorrow.

I can take up wings today.

I want to talk to some people in the room and let you know that part of salvation is that you get some power for this side of the journey.

You get some authority for this side of the journey, and one of the ways that you know a person is saved is because they operate under the power, they operate under the anointing, they operate under the strength of God, they pray prayers that break through their hands and people get healed.

I want to ask some people in the room are you saved and how do you know?

What evidence do we have that you're saved?

When Bishop Peter Beloyee, at our 8 o'clock service, said that the problem of Christianity is that we don't have God's DNA, that we come into the building on Sunday but the way we act on Monday is a whole little different.

As a matter of fact, he said if he went to some of our jobs, the people on our jobs would be surprised if we even go to church.

What evidence is there that you are saved?

What evidence is there that you are saved?

What evidence is there that you are set free?

Because our souls are so valuable, because our souls stay under attack, because the enemy has come to steal, kill and destroy.

I want to remind you.

That's why you are going through what you're going through in your family, because there is warfare for your soul.

The enemy lost Newsflash.

The enemy lost One more time the enemy lost, when Satan was kicked out of heaven.

He lost and a third of the angels went with him.

Y'all know how we do when y'all ain't catching from the Bible.

I have to go to music sometimes and there was one old school hip-hop song that said it ain't no fun unless your homies can have some.

I want to talk to you in the room and say, since the enemy lost and since he's been kicked out, he said it ain't no fun unless the homies can have some.

What is he trying to say?

Since I lost out, I'm the biggest crab in the bucket that you're going to ever meet.

My whole job is, since I understand what my end is going to be, that you're going to ever meet my whole job, and since I understand what my end is going to be since I lost out on it, my whole job is to spend the rest of my journey pulling you down.

Spend the rest of my journey just pulling you from your place of promise.

Spend the rest of my journey keeping you stuck in your past.

Spend the rest of my journey attacking your psyche.

Spend the rest of my journey keeping you stuck.

Spend the rest of my journey pulling you and pulling you and pulling you, and what's crazy is you won't even know you being pulled.

He's coming to steal, kill and destroy.

But Jesus was not worried about the tricks of the enemy Because he said, even though the enemy has come to steal, kill and destroy, he says I got some good news that there's an answer to the status question.

Jesus said I have come so that they may have life and have it where more abundantly.

And I want to talk to some people in the room and let you know that part of the evidence that you have been saved and you have been set free is that you are living in an abundant overflow of life.

Oh, we some of y'all got quiet because I'm not necessarily talking about finances.

I do believe that God is going to bless us financially.

I do believe that we will be the lender and not the borrower.

I prayed last week that six months from now that everybody that I serve will have enough reserves at least six months of reserves in the bank, so that you don't have to worry, regardless of what happens in the economy.

So I know that God is about to bless us in that realm, but that ain't the most important thing.

The most important thing is to make sure that your soul status is where God will have it to be, and the evidence is that you are living in an abundance of life.

What does it mean that I'm living in the abundance?

I'm Holy Ghost filled, I'm fire baptized, that even when I go through bad times, I hold on to his unchanging hand.

When it's not going my way, I worship anyhow.

Do I have some people in the room that worship anyhow?

I don't do this out of tradition anymore.

I don't do this just because it's Sunday.

I do it because I've been saved.

I do it because I've been set free.

I do it because he saw the best in me when the world saw the worst in me.

I do it because I have a past that disqualifies me from standing here.

But God anyhow, I wish I had some people in the room that had a yesterday.

I wish I had some people in the room that been through some bad ugly stuff.

I wish I had some people in the room that went through and you know who God is in your life and you said my evidence.

I'm saying that I'm still here and you said my evidence.

I'm saying that I'm still here.

I wish I had some people that my evidence is not that I live perfectly, my evidence is not that I'm always right, but the only evidence I got, Pastor Walt, is that I got up this morning and I brushed my teeth and I ate my cornflakes and somewhere between the cornflakes and the car I almost didn't come.

And somewhere between the cornflakes and the car I almost didn't come.

And somewhere between the cornflakes in the car I realized I didn't have enough gas.

And somewhere between the cornflakes in the car and not having enough gas, I got a text message and it made me go back to my yesterday and when I almost didn't come, there was something on the inside working on the outside and the evidence that I have that I'm saved is that I'm still here.

It tried to take me out, it tried to block my blessing, but I'm here to testify that I'm still here, and I'm here to testify the key evidence that I'm saved is that he had his hand on my life.

I wish I had some people in the room that could testify that the master of all things, that the creator of the universe, his hand has been on your life.

Do I have anybody in the room that could testify that his hand is on your life?

I ask again family, do you know your status, men and women of God?

The Lord is saying that we have to know our status because he's doing a greater work in our life.

He's saying that Jesus came to rescue us and to save us, and that work is ongoing and continuous.

Reverend Shank, some people think that salvation is this one time experience when I make a confession of faith, that salvation is this one-time experience when I make a confession of faith.

Then I'm immersed.

I want to tell you that's not the end, that's just the beginning, and the reason that some of us have not grown in our faith is that, well, some of us haven't even taken the first step, but the others of us have not taken the next step.

You see, salvation is an ongoing process.

It is the work of the Holy Spirit in us to make us more like Jesus Christ.

Somebody say salvation is an ongoing process.

It means the more that I embrace the teachings of the master, the more that I'm filled with the power of the Holy Ghost, the more that I go through the sanctification process.

The sanctification process is the process where God continuously gets rid of the old me.

There's a process that he continuously molds me and shakes me and the side point, that's why the church of 2024 has to be a church that can no longer cancel people because, just because I don't look like what you look like and just because I don't praise like you praise, and just because I don't know the bible like you know the bible, and just because I lay with some folk that you would never lay with, and just because I put some stuff in my body that you would never put in your body, and just because I did some stuff that you would never think to do, I want you to know that there are people like that that God is about to use in this year and this dichotomy, but he's taking them through the sanctification process, and I need to talk to some people in the room and assure you that you are saved if you have made a confession of Jesus Christ with your mouth.

But what you're going through now is the sanctification process, which means that he's going to shake you up a little bit.

Hey, buddy, he's going to shake you up a little bit.

All right, he's going to shake you up a little bit.

He's going to ruffle you a little bit.

He's going to put you up a little bit.

All right, he's going to shake you up a little bit.

He's going to ruffle you a little bit.

He's going to put you in the holy washing machine and he's going to shake you all about.

He's going to scrub you.

He's going to aggravate you, because I'm taking you through a process.

There was a woman of God in the baptismal pool.

All I saw when she was sitting on the edge of the pool, y'all was I saw process.

I saw that she had been through a lot in life and it took a whole lot for her to get through this morning.

But the Lord just said tell her that it was process, that she is saved, that she is anointed.

And he said release that word to the room.

That is process, that I'm sanctifying you, I'm preparing you, that I'm about to do something better through you.

But don't run from the process, and there are too many people that will give their life to God in January and by October they run from the process.

That's why you can never get excited about numbers in church.

That's why you can never get excited about numbers in church, because my number one concern is over the 200 plus that joined this year.

Where are they now?

Don't get me wrong, that's not anything personal to this church.

We had a bishop from south africa this morning and they deal with the same issue in South Africa.

He got a church in Zimbabwe, mozambique.

He got churches everywhere, and it's an international crisis where we start this journey with the Lord and then life happens to us and we fades back.

We start this journey with the Lord and then other stuff becomes our priority.

There are too many in the room now that God started to work in you, but your own calendar is now your priority.

There's too many people in the room that God wants to do something greater, setting examples for our children that we can prioritize everything in front of our relationship with God.

It's not preaching that you got to be here every time that the building opens, but you know how we prioritize education for our children.

Let your child come home and tell you that they ain't going to do their work.

It's going to be some furniture moving in Jesus' name.

But let that same child say I don't feel like going to vacation Bible school.

Let that same child, I don't feel like going to church.

Let that same child, by the way, you'll make them go to football practice, but let that same child decide that they don't want to do whatever God has called them to do.

Don't y'all see how the enemy is working In their young, impressionable minds?

You're letting them know that their faith with God is optional.

You're letting them know that that's not really a big thing.

It's just something that we do.

I want to talk to some people in the room and say you got to be careful now about the seeds that you're sowing in your children's lives when you let this stuff become optional.

We've grown a generation of people that again, let me post check.

Do you know your status?

Let me post check one more time.

Do you know your children's status?

Do you know your foster children's status?

Because there's a day that's coming that every parent in the room is going to have to give an account.

A day is coming that we got to give an account to god about our status with him.

God understands that because we are imperfect, because we have made bad choices, that there is no way that we can work towards our salvation.

In other words, on our best day, our righteousness is as filthy rags.

That's the Bible.

On my best day, I'm not good enough for what God has blessed me with.

That's why the Bible teaches that salvation is a gift.

Somebody say salvation is a gift.

It brings us right to our text.

When I was saying Lord, are you giving me salvation to preach about?

Who should I look at?

And he brought me to this individual by the name of Cornelius.

Cornelius is known throughout history as the first Gentile to be saved.

He was the first Gentile.

We understand who the Jews were because of God's promise to Abraham.

He made a promise to the descendants of Abraham, first that he would be a blessing unto them, first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles.

That's all of us in the room.

He keeps his promise to the Jews.

He brings salvation unto them and unfortunately, the same people that jesus was trying to save were some of the same people that rejected him.

Listen, don't be the one that god trying to save today and you reject them anyway.

God said I brought you here.

This whole sermon was just for you.

Don't reject me, because I brought you here just because the Jews those that rejected him.

He wasn't surprised by this rejection because God takes what the enemy means for evil and he turns it for good.

There is this individual by the name of Cornelius.

The Bible declares that he was a God-fearing man, cornelius.

The Bible declares that he was a God-fearing man, that his whole family was God-fearing, but he was missing something.

Can I speak to everybody in this room and tell you that it's not enough to be God-fearing?

Just because you fear God don't mean you save.

I once had a conversation with somebody in a restaurant.

I ain't that churchy, y'all Y'all can hang out with me.

I don't have it's probably about four a restaurant.

I ain't that churchy, y'all, y'all can hang out with me.

I don't have, it's probably about four or five.

I don't talk.

I be talking about the cowboys and stuff.

I ain't churchy like that, but that day I was churchy, having a conversation with somebody in a restaurant and they was talking about.

You know, being a Christian is cool, but it's not really that necessary to believe in Jesus.

There are other paths.

Some of you all have heard that before and I'm not coming to attack anybody's faith because I don't have to attack.

I just got to stand.

But what I want you to understand is that Jesus made it clear that I am the way, I'm the truth and I am the light.

And Jesus go on to say what no man can come to the Father except by me.

Pastor Walt didn't write that.

That's the red part of the Bible when Jesus said I ain't gonna let Paul write this one, I'm gonna write this one myself.

So there's no confusion.

In 2024, and that's a trick of the enemy He'll have you thinking that you, that's because you live good.

That was the argument in the restaurant.

She said I got plenty of friends.

They give to the poor.

I got plenty of friends.

They pay the taxes.

I got plenty of friends.

They are good people.

They just don't do the whole faith thing Cornelius is an example is that salvation is not just for those that are busted and disgusted.

Cornelius was.

He had rank y'all.

He was a high-ranking officer in the strongest military in the universe at the time, in the largest country in the world known to the world.

At that time.

He had money, he had status.

The Bible says that.

He gave to the poor.

The Bible says that his family had it going on, but he was missing something.

I want to talk to some people in the room and say you got a lot of stuff, but one of the signs that you may not be saved is this constant feeling that you're missing something.

And don't let the fact that you have been in church your whole life keep you from dealing with the reality that I might be missing something.

I hate to tell y'all this, but it's pastors that preach every Sunday and they may not be saved because they're missing something.

The truth of the matter is it's not our good works.

So Cornelius is praying to God because the Bible says that he's a God-fearing man, and when he prays to God because he was a God-fearing man, suddenly somebody say suddenly, around 3 o'clock on that day, the Lord sent a messenger.

And I want to declare today that I got good news I get to be your minister today.

It ain't 3 o'clock and I promise you we won't be here until 3 o'clock, but I got some good news today that there's get to be your medicine.

It ain't three o'clock and I promise you we won't be here till three o'clock, but I got some good news today that there's a word from the Lord for anybody in the room that's been praying because you've been missing something.

I got great news today that there is a word from the Lord.

He goes to Cornelius and because of his presence, cornelius doesn't really understand who it is, but when the word starts to come out of the messenger's mouth, he understands that it's a word from the Lord, and I want you to know that.

You may not know who I am, but the words that come out of my mouth, I pray that as you hear them, you will know that this is a word from the Lord.

I'm going to say to you what the angel said to Cornelius.

He said that I heard your prayers and I saw your good works, and I want you to know that the answer is yes Now.

We dealt with that last week, but I want to talk to some people in the room that let you know that God has heard your prayers.

He has seen your tears.

He's seen what you're trying to do as it relates to taking care of your family.

He's seen your good works.

He's seen what you're trying to do as it relates to being an impact in the community.

He sees your good works.

He knows that you fall down sometimes but you get up and you try again.

He sees your good works and because he sees your good works, he says that there's a gift that's available to you.

Cornelius, and may I talk to some people in the room that have?

You're in this season I know I'm talking to a bunch of y'all more than I thought that you're in this season where you're not desiring stuff from God.

You're in this season I know I'm talking to a bunch of y'all more than I thought that you're in this season where you're not desiring stuff from God, you're desiring more of God.

Who am I preaching to in this room?

Yeah, stuff is good, but stuff I've come to the conclusion that stuff won't fix it.

I need more of God.

I need his heart and not his hand.

I need God because, god, if you show up in a situation, god, if you just show your kind of glory, I need God.

I've had stuff before.

There's plenty of people with stuff that take their lives every day.

Stuff can't do it, I need God.

And that's the problem.

The enemy got some of y'all chasing stuff.

Put in overtime on Sunday morning because you need some stuff.

Don't do devotional time because you're too busy on your hustle, because you need some stuff.

And when you get stuff you still going to be empty because we need God.

So I got some good news for everybody in the room.

They're praying like a news that I need God.

God speaks in sins and answer, because salvation is a gift and salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit.

You see, the Holy Spirit, when we make a confession of faith, as these nine individuals did, the Holy Spirit seals our salvation.

Without the Holy Spirit, there is no salvation.

In a nutshell, the Holy Ghost will keep you when you can't keep yourself.

In a nutshell, the Holy Ghost will keep you when you can't keep yourself.

The Holy Ghost will open the door for you to get connected to God in unusual ways, because for some of you all to get saved, you had an unusual testimony.

Is there anybody in the room that?

had an unusual testimony about when you got saved for real.

Now, I'm not talking about that time grandma made you go down the aisle because you were 12 years old.

I'm talking about that time when you got hit for real.

Y'all I done had a couple of them, but the one that comes to mind was actually when I was six years old.

When I was six years old, I went to my mama and I told my mama what the Sunday school teacher said.

That's why you got to get your children in youth church so they can break it down on their level.

I told my mama the Sunday school teacher said that if you believe in Jesus Christ being the son of God and that he died for your sins and I remember that Sunday morning I was sitting in church, y'all, and I'm from the old school.

I'm from a fire and brimstone type church, if you will, and I remember my old pastor.

He's 88 years old and he retired now, but I remember that he preached.

He died, didn't he die?

I wish I had some witnesses in the room that can testify that.

You know what I'm talking about.

But if you're not from that school, don't worry how long now.

They used to preach every Sunday and they'd take us to the cross.

Do I have any witnesses that was raised like that, that every Sunday they was going to take us by that old, rugged cross because they had to keep the main thing, the main thing.

They understood that if my business was blossoming, they understood that if things was going well in my marriage and they understood that if God was blessing me in the city and if God was blessing me in the field but there had not been a ounce of blood found on our life, they understood for the second time what profit did the man to gain the whole world and lose his soul.

So the old preachers would take us by the cross every Sunday.

They would remind us that early one Sunday morning I thought y'all was raised.

Like I was raised, they would say.

Early one Sunday morning he got up with not some power but all power in his hands.

Did your pastor do it like mine?

They would say way-making power, miracle-working power salvation power, joy-giving power, and I got some good news today that the blood still works and it'll never lose its power.

I need to take some of y'all back to the old church, some of y'all back to the wood flow church, because some of y'all back to the old church, some of y'all back to the wood flow church, because some of y'all have forgot, and some of y'all have never been taught, that the only way that we are here, that the only way our ancestors survived Is because of the blood, and I need some blood washed.

Holy Ghost field Fire baptized people.

Who've been through some stuff.

Who've been through some stuff.

Who've been through some storms.

I need to testify to the unchurched people that the blood still works.

I bet you won't turn to somebody and testify it was the blood.

That kept me when your granddaddy walked out, it was the blood that kept me.

Before I had health.

It was the blood that kept me before I had health insurance.

It was the blood that kept my mind before we had mental health professionals.

It was the blood that kept me before we had domestic violence resources.

It was the blood that kept me when they had a poll tax at the voting booth and I want to let the new generation know that the blood still works and it'll never.

I need some witnesses up in here.

I can't preach this one by myself.

I need some folks that have been through some stuff, some folks that got it yesterday that it still works and it'll never lose its power.

That's the power that saved me.

I was six years old and I understood that at six.

I understood it before my brothers did.

I understood it before my cousins did.

And my mama saw the look in my eyes.

It's a look of determination and I'm a I gotta do it, mama.

So she sent me for final approval.

She sent me to go see my daddy.

Now, if you know my daddy, he is a missionary Baptist pastor.

Well before he spent time at 25 years as an Alabama state trooper, at a time where they refused to hire black Alabama state troopers.

He was in one of the early classes and before that he was a Marine, camp Lejeune Marine, okinawa Marine.

In a nutshell, my daddy didn't play nothing.

Dr Lynch used to say I met your daddy and I figured out why he flunked kindergarten because your daddy don't play.

You should read my daddy.

He hardcore through and through.

Some of you have read him.

Before I go to my daddy at six years old he's sitting there, true, shining his boots, because my daddy would never put on his uniform without shining his boots, and he's shining his boots.

He said what you want, boy?

I said daddy, mama said I had to come talk to you.

He ain't looked up yet.

He got the Kiwi and the T-shirt for all of the folk that know and he's shining them boots.

And I said, daddy, I want to go down and I want to get baptized.

He said what you want to do that for, for one of your little friends at dinner I said no, daddy, because the Sunday school teacher say that I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ died and rose from the grave.

And he said when I hear that and the pastor get an invitation and if God was speaking to me I want to I got to go down, daddy, and I got to give him a yes.

My daddy looked up at me y'all still shining his boots, and he gave me permission to proceed.

And that was a beautiful Sunday a few weeks later when I got baptized and my daddy baptized me at six years old.

But I wish I could tell you that was the end of the story.

I'm here to testify about how salvation works.

You see, I'm from the old school that we didn't go to summer camp in the summertime.

We went to grandma's house, me and my brothers and my cousins.

We'd just be all at my grandma's house.

Somebody know what I'm talking about and I was blessed that I had three generations living together.

I had my grandma, my great-grandma and my great-great-grandma all living in the same house.

Now, because my grandma was the youngest, we liked to hang out in her room because she had a little bit more understanding.

My great-great-grandma she chewed snuff and had a cane, so we didn't mess with her too much.

We'd hang out with grandma because she had a little bit more understanding.

And I'm back there in grandma's room and I'm flipping on grandma's bed and my grandma tell me to stop flipping on her bed.

But because I was somewhat of a ringleader before you know it.

Not only am I flipping, all of my cousins flipping and we trying to see who can get the highest and touch the ceiling.

And my great grandma, she was sitting in the kitchen I'll never forget it y'all and she was making some some.

I understand it's salmon, but back then in Alabama they said Simon, I thought it was Simon.

She was making some Simon patties and grandma looked at me and she said boy, didn't you just get baptized yesterday?

At some on your life you got to be able to show some sign she stole my high y'all.

She.

She killed my vibe because at six years old, I didn't fully understand salvation, but what my grandma said to me while she was making them salmon patties, it brought me to a place to let me realize.

Realize that when I give my life to the Lord, it is just the beginning of a process and I may not be perfect on the journey.

That's why I got in a lot of trouble as a teenager.

But I may not be perfect on the journey, but I want to talk to some people in the room and let you know that part of the salvation journey is at some point in the process you got to show some sign At some point in the process that God is not done with you yet.

And I'm trying to ask you again what is your salvation story?

What is that moment that it came real to you?

What's that moment that you realized that God was doing something different in your life?

Everybody in the room got to have a salvation story.

When we remember that moment where God saw the best in us, in spite of ourselves, Because salvation is the work of the Holy Ghost, and so Simon, so Cornelius, because God sees him, he gives him this message.

But because when God wants to save you, not only is God speaking to you, he's speaking to people around you.

Watch this.

He sends a message to Peter.

He says Cornelius is giving instructions from the angels.

Send your best soldiers to go find an individual that's about to change your life.

God is going to give some of you some instructions.

You just got to follow the instructions and your life is about to shift.

Cornelius is obedient.

He sends his soldiers to go find an individual named Peter that they did not know.

I'm so glad that Cornelius was connected to people that walk by faith and not by sight.

It's too many people that, if your friend asks you to do something, you got too many questions.

I'm so glad that I'm connected to people that walk by faith and not by sight.

They go looking for Peter.

Peter is on the rooftop and the Lord starts speaking to Peter.

He gives him a vision three times.

In the vision there's a white sheet that comes from heaven and in the sheet there are various animals, Animals that in the book of Leviticus, that Jews could never eat because they were considered ceremoniously unclean.

The hooved animals were on the sheet and in the vision God gave him, he said I need you to do something.

I need you to eat the animals that you are considered to be unclean.

Peter, being religious, says no, God I could.

I would never eat of the unclean thing.

After about three times of doing this, God speaks to Peter and helps him understand that nothing that God has made is unclean.

Peter doesn't understand this in the moment, but what Peter is understanding and I'm coming to a close is this Not only is salvation a gift.

If I'm truly the same, I can't be.

If I'm truly saved, I can no longer be a racist.

If I'm truly saved, I can no longer discriminate.

If I'm truly saved, I can no longer treat people any type of way just because they are different than me.

It's in the Bible.

Read it carefully Acts 10 and Acts 11.

I'm coming straight from the Bible.

Peter, the Peter that's in the Bible, the Peter that was robbed to die with Jesus Peter was a racist.

The Bible is clear that Peter was a racist because he concluded that salvation was only for the Jews and that the Gentiles were good enough.

And, as I ask you to post check yourself.

How do you treat people that don't look like you?

God had to deal with Peter's stronghold that was keeping him from being effective for the kingdom.

So he gives him a vision of something that Peter perceived to be unclean.

And he said, Peter, nothing that I made is unclean, including the Gentiles.

That was the purpose of the whole vision.

He said, Peter, there's a man downstairs looking for you.

I need you to connect with these men because they don't know who they're looking for.

And when you connect them, I need you to go back to his house.

Now you got to understand a Jew would never be found alive in a Gentile's house because they look down upon the Gentiles.

But one of the things about being saved is I can't look down on people y'all.

I'm here to tell you.

I'm going to say it how I feel it and say the truth.

Y'all understand where I am as it relates to marriage between a man and a woman, but it's a challenging issue and we are doing a horrible job of dealing with it.

But let me condemn and warn you you got to be careful when you look down on other people Just because their life circumstance ain't the same as yours.

I believe theologically what the Bible teaches about that subject, but I'm highly concerned that we have become a group of people that look down on other people Just because that's their situation.

I believe that the same Holy Ghost that dealt with me I'll be the same Holy Ghost that deal with everybody else.

I believe that it's not my job to stand up here and beat anybody down.

I believe it's my job is to tell everybody that the wages of sin is still death, but the gift of God is eternal life.

And if it was not for grace, if it was not for grace, I wouldn't be here.

You wouldn't be here.

I need some people in the room that just thank God for grace and we got to pray for grace for people and we got to stop being judgmental, Because the same God that saw me in my situation, the same God that saw me in my fornication, the same God that saw me on my late night trip, the same God that saw you doing what you wasn't supposed to be doing Do I have any witnesses in the room?

If he was God, enough to save you.

I believe that he's God enough to save everybody.

He said, peter, I need you to get off your high horse, I need you to go to a Gentile house and I need you to break bread with them, because real salvation brings people together.

I need some people in the room to understand that I'm questioning our salvation Because there's too many church people fighting against one another.

But every time I see salvation in the Bible, I see people coming together, I see people getting yoked up.

I see communities getting built.

I see resources flowing.

I see communities getting built, I see resources flowing, because what happens is when the gift that's in you connects with the gift that's in me.

Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard what God has in store for his people.

So salvation is a gift.

Salvation makes us deal with the things that make us look down upon other people and, last but not least, salvation makes us count up the cost.

Check this out and we're done.

Cornelius story ends there in the Bible, but Christian history and we're done.

Cornelius' story ends there in the Bible, but Christian history and several theologians suggest that Cornelius put down his army rank, he put down his title and would ultimately become the bishop of Caesarea.

For all you Googlers out there, google it, google it.

Fact, check me.

It's not in the Bible, but it's in Christian history, which is an interesting concept to me because it brings me to the ultimate question that the one thing that salvation is ultimately going to cause you to do is going to ultimately require you to stop doing what you are doing and be who God has called you to do.

It's going to ultimately require you to stop doing what you are doing and be who God has called you to be.

So I'm going to post check you again.

What's your status?

I'm going to post check you again because we're about to go home now.

What's your status?

Cornelius stopped his high-ranking work, he stopped his status in society to do what God had called and birthed him to do One more time for the people in the back.

What's your status?

Can I ask you the question have you gotten to the point in your walk with the Lord that you are willing to stop doing what you want to do and do what God has called you to do?

In the book of Philippians we're reminded that we should work out our own soul, salvation with fear and trembling.

In a nutshell, new Living Translation.

Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.

And I want to talk to the people in the room and ask you the question have you obeyed God with deep reverence and fear?

Here it is and we're going home on this.

Help me out, chris.

We're going home on this one.

That was a time where Jesus was trying to help people understand what salvation really looked like.

He tells the crowd a final question.

Many of you have been following me for the last three years.

You're talking about you save, you set free and you deliver.

You show up at choir rehearsal, you're on the finance team, you work in the hospitality ministry, you work as a church musician.

But he says here is the litmus test so that you can check your own status.

He says that if any one of you wish to be my follower, you must deny yourself, you must give up your own way, you must take up your cross and follow me.

And I gotta pull everybody in the room and I gotta ask you one more time what's that point in your journey where you have finally gotten to the place where you've given up your own will and you've given up your own way and you've gotten to the point where you're gonna take up your cross and and follow Jesus?

When Jesus started to teach like this, now the crowd started to thin out.

When Jesus started to teach like this, now the mega church became a storefront.

But he said I'm not here for the crowd, I'm here for your future.

I'm not here for the crowd, I'm here for your soul.

And I'm stopped by Chosen City Church today to let you know that I'm not here for the crowd, I am here for your future.

I'm not here for the crowd, I'm here because I love your soul.

So I'm going to ask you one more time what was that day in your life, when you gave up everything that you wanted to do and said that I have decided to follow Jesus.

The teaching gets hard now.

He goes on to say if you hang on to your life, you will lose it, but if you give up your life for my sake, and the sake of the good news that I will rescue your life, and I want to talk to somebody in the room that's afraid to give God your best.

Yes, God is saying don't worry about what you're going to lose in pursuit of me, because if you chase after me, if you draw unto God, he'll draw unto you.

If you draw unto God, he'll open doors that no man can shut, and he'll shut some doors that no man can open.

Do I have any witnesses?

in the room and I just stopped by on this early October morning to poll the crowd and ask you, before I go to my seat, what is your status?

Do you know that?

You know that you know that you're saved and set free?

Do you know that you know that you know that you have been delivered from the hands of the enemy?

Do you know that you know that you know that, from this day forward, I have decided to follow Jesus?

No turning back.

No turning back.

Friends may not go.

Still, I will follow.

I wish I had some witnesses in the room you spent long enough chasing after stuff.

You spent long enough chasing after stuff.

You spent long enough chasing after prosperity.

You spent long enough trying to please people.

You spent long enough trying to please society.

But God is looking for a remnant.

And I believe there's a remnant in this room.

God is looking for just a select few, and I believe there's a remnant in this room.

God is looking for just a select few that'll carry the cross.

Must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free?

No, there's a cross for everyone and there's a cross for me.

I don't know about you, church, but I decided to carry my cross.

I've decided to do what he called me to do, I've decided to preach how he tells me to preach, I've decided to pray how he tells me to pray.

I've decided to worship in spite of myself, I've decided to praise when it's painful.

I've decided that the Lord will make a way.

Oh yes, he will.

I got to trust him y'all when I can't trace him.

I got to trust him y'all when I got fear in my heart.

I got to trust him y'all.

With pain in my body.

I have decided to follow Jesus.

No turning back.

Do I have any no-turn-back saints in the room?

I really want to know now, because the Lord is saying there's a call for salvation that just hit this house.

There's a call for people to repent and turn around.

There's a call for people to give their life to the Lord.

I have decided that there's no turning back.

No turning back, no turning back.

I'm not going back to what God has delivered me from.

There is no turning back.

I got to be like Cornelius.

He's heard my prayers.

I got to be like Cornelius.

I got to respond to the move.

I got to be like Cornelius and give God my best.

Yes, and some of you out got to be like Peter and stop being so religious.

Some of you out gotta be like Peter and stop being so religious.

Some of you gotta be like Peter and stop being so racist.

Some of you gotta be like Peter and stop being xenophobic.

You gotta be like Peter and surrender.

I asked you for the last time as we open the door to the house of God do you know your status?

Listen, family, here's how we're going to do it today.

I need a couple of the elders to go ahead and meet in the aisles as we stand to our feet Church family.

Y'all gonna help me out today so we can go home.

If you don't know, if this is your first time visiting, one of the things that I enjoy doing this year is I asked the partners and everybody in the room to ask you a couple of questions.

They prime because they love you, and the truth of the matter is that we can't ask people these questions in church.

We'll never ask them.

In the streets.

We'll never ask them on the job.

We'll never ask them at the family, reunion, family.

What y'all want you to do is to turn to people on both sides and ask them the first question is are you saved?

Ask them, don't be afraid.

We believers, y'all we can't be timid in our faith anymore.

You should be asking somebody are you saved Now?

If the answer was they're unsure or they don't know, ask them would you like to give your life to the Lord today?

You got to know with certainty, because tomorrow is not promised.

You got to know with certainty.

Now they say, yeah, I do want to give my life to the Lord today, because I know that God brought me here for a reason.

What I need you to do is I need you to walk with them.

You bring them right to the elder.

We're going to set an atmosphere.

Y'all start celebrating with expectation.

I believe that some people about to get saved today, some people that didn't know about to get saved.

I believe it Because I walk by faith and not by sight.

I ain't got to see it to celebrate.

I believe some people are going to get saved today.

Come on, y'all let's keep praying.

Y'all keep asking.

If everybody listens, somebody's life is on the line.

Tomorrow's not promised.

It's not a scare attack, it's the reality of the situation.

Tomorrow's not promised.

They'll be giving you a minute, because it's a tough decision, but it's the best decision you're going to ever make in your life.

You give your life to God today.

He's about to give you some power.

He's about to establish you.

That means that can we put the scripture on the screen?

Romans, the 10th chapter.

I believe verse 9, because I need somebody that's on the fence to see this.

Romans 10, verse 9.

Romans 10:9

It reminds us of a simple truth that we confess hallelujah, I see somebody coming.

Hallelujah, woman of God.

Let's celebrate the woman of God.

I need you to, I need you to celebrate as if we just pulled her out of a burning building.

Because that's what salvation is Her life just got rescued, hallelujah.

He's walking with the glory of God.

I believe we baptized him.

He's walking with a family member, but there's somebody else.

God's trying to rescue a life right now.

He brought you here to rescue your life right now.

He brought you here to rescue your life right now.

Listen, look at the scripture before we sing.

Look at this.

It says if you declare with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved, then the scripture teaches us that, as part of that salvation principle, then we're baptized to show the world that we're unashamed and we identify ourselves with Jesus.

So I need to talk to a few more people in the room that you haven't been baptized.

I know you're like Cornelius, you fear God, but you haven't been obedient.

I know that you love the Lord.

But I need you to make this confession with your mouth and make a public declaration Don't be ashamed.

Don't be ashamed.

We've all had to make that walk before.

We want to walk with you.

We need to rescue a few more lives this morning.

Now there may be some that you're saved, but you don't have a church covering.

You don't have a church covering.

You don't have a church home.

When Cornelius was saved, he instantly got connected with the body.

And there's some of you in here.

You've been outside of a covering for a long time.

This is not a perfect place, but we serve a perfect God and we want to cultivate the gift that's in you.

Let's celebrate God.

I believe that we're gonna have some new partners today, that somebody in the room that's been looking for a church home.

I believe in God.

I believe God like that.

Hallelujah.

Listen as this song ministers and the Holy Spirit speaks to you.

You don't have to leave here like you came.

My goal, my primary objective today is to see people give their lives to Christ, and I believe in my heart, if y'all pray, there's going to be a few more people that had their breakthrough.

There's going to be a few more people that give their life to Jesus today.

I believe that in my heart.

I believe it in everything in me.

Hallelujah, we're going to minister this song so you can have some time to give God a yes on today.

Glory to God.

So you have a yes on today.

Glory to God.

Oh be my.

You have rescued my life.

You have rescued my life and I'm never and I'm never, no.

So you have rescued my life.

Come on, family.

Rescued my life and never.

Will I go away?

Y'all keep playing.

This is what I'm going to do.

Y'all keep playing.

I want to pray Because I feel in my spirit that there are several people that want to give their life to Jesus.

But don't let the format intimidate you, so I'll shift the format to meet you right where you are.

I'm going to pray and we're going to all make a confession of faith together and then, if you have made that confession of faith for the first time and you're not ashamed when you throw your hand up, one of the clergy is going to come to you.

So you ain't even got to come to us, because we got to meet you where you are you.

So you ain't even gotta come to us because we gotta meet you where you are.

There are quite a few of you in here that couldn't answer the question of whether or not you were saved.

So let's put the scripture back up on the screen romans 10 and 9.

But I want everybody in the room, saved or unsaved, that believes in your heart.

Don't say this if you don't believe it, but if you believe it in your heart, I want you to repeat after me I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and I believe that he died for my sins, and I believe that he rose from the dead with not some power, but all power in His hands, and now I'm giving my life to Jesus Christ To be my savior.

Thank you, lord, I'm saved.

Thank you, lord, I'm set free.

Thank you, Lord.

I am delivered.

Now, let's celebrate God right where we are.

Come on, let's celebrate God right where we are.

Come on, let's celebrate God right where we are now.

Now I need everybody to close their eyes because I don't want anybody to feel intimidated because I got a.

We got a snack, some people out of the fire.

Now, if you believe it and you're not ashamed because the Bible talks about, don't be ashamed of him before me, because he would be ashamed of us before the Father.

Mark, the 8th chapter.

If you did that for the first time in your life, or if you did it and today it actually made sense, like you felt something different in your heart, I want you to put your hands up and we're going to come to you.

I want you to put your hands up and we're going to come to you.

I want you to put your hands up and we gonna come to you.

Put your hand up high so we can see you.

Hallelujah, hallelujah.

You made that confession of faith for the first time.

Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God.

We gonna come to you.

We gonna come right to you.

We gonna come right to you Now.

L to J you start worshiping right there, listen, listen, listen.

Nobody looking at you but me.

I saw some hands that went up just a little bit, but I want to be sure Nobody going to embarrass you today.

This is about your soul.

This is about your tomorrow.

Elder J, I want you to sing a little bit Now.

Put your hand up high.

Put your hand up high.

We got nothing to be ashamed of.

Elders, if y'all see somebody with a hand go up, you go straight to them.

If y'all see somebody with a hand go up, you go straight to them.

You ain't got to pull them down an hour.

We're going to meet them right where they are.

Glory to God, glory to God, yeah, yeah, worship, worship, worship.

Okay, let's celebrate God for what he's doing in this space.

Let's celebrate God.

Okay, you can open your eyes.

We can worship right here where we are.

Come on, come on.

Hallelujah, you're my redeemer.

Hallelujah.

I respond to you.

Hallelujah, you're my redeemer, hallelujah.

Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank you for the souls that responded to the gospel today.

God, somebody today needs Holy Spirit, boldness.

They are here, they are wrestling, but don't let them leave.

Leave god, without them giving you a yes.

help them, because it was predestined for them to give their life to you.

I thank you for the seed that was planted.

I thank you for the seed that was water and I know in due season you're going to get the increase.

God, as we prepare to leave this place but never your presence we're careful to give your name all the glory.

We're careful to give your name all the honor.

We're careful to give your name all the praise, for it's in the powerful and undisputed name of Jesus we pray.

Let the people of God say it together Amen, amen, amen.

Family, amen, family.

Can we celebrate God for the souls that responded to the gospel of Jesus Christ in the house, the souls that responded online, if there were any souls there?

We thank you for the opportunity to thank you for joining us in worship today as we prepare to transition.

Part of our worship is worship through giving, so if you didn't have a chance to do that as you came in, they'll have those options online so you can be a participant and plant a seed.

I got a homework assignment for you family.

If you know your status, does your husband, does your wife?

Does your husband?

Does your wife?

Does your boyfriend?

Does your girlfriend?

Does your children?

Do the people that you babysit, do the people in your inner circle know theirs.

I don't want anybody that I love to miss out on the kingdom.

I don't want anybody that I love to miss out on the kingdom.

You shouldn't want anybody that you love to miss out on the kingdom.

You shouldn't want anybody that you love to miss out on the kingdom because you are not bold enough to share the love of Jesus Now.

May the grace of God and the sweet communion of the Holy Spirit rest, rule and abide with each and every one of us, now, henceforth and forever more.

That the people of God say together Amen, amen, amen.

Listen, hug somebody on the way out, tell them that you love them, tell them that you mean it To God.

be the glory To God.

Be the glory To God.

Be the glory.

Amen and hope and peace.