We Are Family Part 2 | Devotion Challenge with Chris Schlotterbeck

Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. To get connected

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this message you feel called to make a change

in your life, text CHANGEME to 97000. Now enjoy

the message. How's everybody doing today? Good.

If you're joining us from home, thank you for

welcoming us into your space. This is a Sunday

that you're never prepared for because the events

that took place during the week kind of overshadows

us gathering together to celebrate and worship

Jesus. It was a difficult week for all of us,

not just those of us in the church, but for the

country as well. And when the event took place

on Wednesday, just being honest from a personal

level, I didn't even know who Charlie Kirk was.

I've never heard about him. I didn't know about

his organization, what he did. So I quickly searched

on YouTube who he was. I wanted to see what was

happening and what all this chaos was about.

And as I watched his videos and his interactions

with college students, I didn't see anything

evil. I didn't see anything judgmental. I just

saw interaction with people, discussions with

people about politics, about faith, about our

society. Nothing threatening. So just the simple

fact that a man lost his life this week for having

a different opinion is absolutely unacceptable.

It shouldn't have happened. It shouldn't happen

in our country. It shouldn't happen, I believe,

around the world. I mean, just a man being able

to express his views and what he believes is

one of the principles for which our country was

founded on. And now not only did he lose his

life, but you have children growing up without

a father and a wife that doesn't have a husband.

And then to throw on top of that, there's another

shooting in Colorado. I mean, my week was full

of emotion. All this took place on Wednesday.

Thursday morning was 9 -11. And I had totally

forgotten that 9 -11 was actually my dad's birthday.

And my daughter sent me an image of him. you

know, encouraging us because we lost him three

years ago. It was a week that makes you kind

of fall back in question. But the most important

thing we can do is not fall back, is not question.

I believe God wants his church to stand up. I

believe God desires his church, those of us that

are passionate in love with Jesus, to continue

to not only stand up, but to move forward. Because

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And

I believe that 100%. And I believe people that

are struggling with sin and doubt and frustration

and negativity and addiction, all can experience

freedom through Jesus. So should we... Have a

broken heart. Absolutely. A man lost his life

for no good reason. But at the same time, we

need to stand up. We need to pray. And we need

to believe that God is going to use this, what

the enemy meant for evil, for good. I mean, Jesus

promised us that, and I'm going to use this in

my talk here in a few minutes. The powers of

hell will not stop us. The powers of hell will

not stop the church and simply stated, this is

evil. That's what that is. That's evil. And we

can't shy away from evil. We have to confront

it with the name of Jesus and point everyone

back to him. So let's open in a word of prayer.

Holy Spirit, come. God, you know our hearts.

You know our questioning. You know our doubts,

our frustrations. God, we just lay them all at

your feet. God, we just come together as a community

of faith, and we pray for the Kirk family. We

pray for those children and his wife, God. We

just ask that you would surround them with people

to encourage them, to love on them. God, just

be with them and meet them in their time of grief.

But God, I also pray for the family of the man

that committed this crime. I just pray for them

as well. And I just ask God in their questioning

of what ifs and could ofs and should ofs, God,

that you would meet them in their time of need.

That you would move in their life. You would

comfort them. Holy Spirit, come. We just ask,

God, that you have your way and that you move

amongst us today. In Jesus' name, amen. So just

a couple additional announcements. Our Money

Talks weekend starts this Friday, Friday evening

and Saturday morning. Our financial coaches,

Jess and I's financial coaches, are in town from

Boise, Idaho. And they would love to share with

you. how to steward your money well so just stop

by the welcome hub if you'd like to be a part

of that group child care is provided and we're

just believing it's going to be a great two days

souls for souls our annual collection of gently

used shoes starts next sunday They've already

started to be collected. Last year, we gave away

more than 1 ,000 pairs of shoes to underprivileged

kids all around the world. So clean out your

closets. This is how I go about it. I look in

my shoe section. And if I haven't worn a pair

of shoes in six months, give them away. Because

chances are you're not going to wear them again.

Okay, so six months is my timeline. So if you

have that or want to navigate through that, start

bringing them in next Sunday and the following

Sunday. And we'll partner with Souls for Souls

and change a kid's life. So last week, I kicked

off a new series called We Are Family. I discussed

four truths that bind us together as the church,

as a family, that is called to impact and change

the world. This morning, I want to focus on one

word, and it's the word devotion. Devotion. So

when you hear that word devotion, what comes

into your mind? Devotion. The definition is someone

who is devoted will give their time, money, and

energy to pursue said passion. A simple example

would be our devotions as a culture to a sport.

It's easy to identify a truly devoted fan. Just

think back to last Sunday, Jersey Sunday. Everyone

wore their jerseys, their colors, they represented.

Devoted fans spend time in preparation for their

team's season. They research those college fans.

The next recruiting class, they listen to commentators

talk about their team. They buy all the gear.

Those who are devoted to their team, of course,

watch the game. And not only do they watch the

game, they watch highlights of the game later

in the day. And then they talk about the highlights

of the game that they watched with other fans

who think they're not a good enough fan because

the devoted fan is out of control. A person who

is devoted is all in and committed. And within

our current societal structure, there are countless

tribes, teams, clubs, groups, and families. A

person... can give their devotion too. But here's

a question for all of us to ponder. If true devotion

is clearly identifiable, what would people say

you're devoted to? What would people say you

personally are devoted to? Ephesians chapter

Ephesians 3:20

3 verse 20 speaks to God's heart. for our lives.

It reads, now all glory to God who is able through

his mighty power at work within us to accomplish

infinitely more than we might ask or think. Infinitely

more. I mean, as we gather here today, every

single one of us walk through these doors or

are watching online and we're caring or dealing

with something in our lives. Could be a broken

heart, a broken relationship, financial need.

And all of us gathered here need God's mighty

power to work in our lives. And I know that because

we can't do it on our own. We need help. We need

resources. We need encouragement. And God desires

to move that way in your life today. It doesn't

matter what you're going through, what you're

struggling with. It doesn't even matter if you

do or don't believe in Jesus. Open your heart

and your mind to receive that mighty work. And

you can leave here a person that is significantly

changed, which leads us to our first thought.

See, God's love is for everyone. God's love is

for everyone. John 3, verse 16. For this is how

John 3:16

God loved the world. He gave His one and only

Son so that everyone who believes in Him will

not perish but have eternal life. God sent His

Son into the world not to judge the world but

to save the world through Him. I want you to

think about this. This verse that I just read

to you is so good, so powerful, so known. That

it's become common. Like when I read those words,

some of you checked out because, oh, I know that

verse. Yeah, I got that one memorized. That's

the only one, but I have it memorized. And see,

for many people in the church today, we've been

attending Sunday gatherings for so long and going

through the motions for so long that this powerful,

life -changing verse loses its power. Just listen

to the truth that comes out of those words. God

loves you. If you're watching online, God loves

you. If you're gathered here this morning, hear

this. God loves you. And he sent his one and

only son, Jesus, to die for you and me. I mean,

God took action knowing that some people, and

we are the prize of his creation. won't ever

put their faith in his son Jesus. God took this

action knowing that some people will live their

whole lives mocking him. Just look at the social

media this past week. But God didn't care. He

desires that all people are given this opportunity.

That they're given the chance to experience an

abundant life. 1 John 4, verse 10. This is real

1 John 4:10

love. Not that we loved God, but notice, he loved

us and sent his son as a sacrifice to take away

our sins. And I want to challenge you this morning.

These truths can't become common for us. This

is an uncommon love coming from an uncommon God

who desires that we experience life to the full.

But see, it doesn't stop there. Jesus then challenged

his followers, number two, to share this good

news. A relationship with Jesus, when we enter

into it, we experience freedom from sin and pain

and death. But hear me out. That's not the finish

line. It's the starting line. See, Jesus challenges

us to take all that he did and does in our own

personal life. And to give it away and help others

experience that same freedom for themselves.

And that gives us more purpose than all of us

have ever experienced combined in our own personal

experiences. The last words from Jesus in Matthew

28. Jesus came and told his disciples, I've been

given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore,

go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing

them in the name of the Father, the Son, and

the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to

obey all the commands I have given you, and be

sure of this, I am with you always, even to the

end of the age. Don't think about that for a

second. God promises to be with us, to live inside

of us every single day. As we boldly stand up,

as we boldly reach out, as we share this life

-changing truth with others, it's not that we

have to do it on our own. It's God through us.

Paul challenges us with these words in Romans

Romans 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10. But how can they call on him to save

them unless they believe in him? And how can

they believe in him if they've never heard about

him? And how can they hear about him unless someone

tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them

without being sent? That is why the scriptures

say, how beautiful are the feet of messengers

who bring good news. And this morning, I want

to remind you, church, you are called to share

the good news about Jesus with others. That that's

our purpose. That's our mission. That's why we

join together. So again, reflect. Who is the

last person that you shared your story with?

But don't stop there. How long has it been since

you shared that story? Because we are called

to share the good news every single day. Which

moves us to our next thought. You see, God calls

this church to be a city on a hill. Matthew chapter

Matthew 5:14–16

5, verses 14 to 16. You, church, are the light

of the world. Like a city on a hilltop that cannot

be hidden, no one lights a lamp and then puts

it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed

on a stand where it gives light to everyone in

the house. In the same way, church, let your

good deeds shine for all to see so that everyone

will praise your heavenly Father. See, God uses

and empowers His church, you and I, to be the

light of the world. That our words and our actions

would make a difference in the lives of others.

And please let me remind you, those words include

our social media feeds. See, God's greatest tool

for reaching people that are distant and far

from Him, not walking in the abundance that He

promises, It's you and me. It's you and me. So

another question for you to ponder this morning,

what are you praying for? Who are you praying

for? What does your prayer life look like? Is

it consumed with self? Or does it include...

Friends and family and coworkers and classmates

that are not in a relationship with Jesus. Because

Jesus promises in Matthew chapter 7, keep on

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

asking and you will receive what you ask for.

Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking

and the door will be opened to you. For everyone

who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds.

And to everyone who knocks, the door will be

opened. I mean, Jesus promises that if we keep

asking, seeking, knocking, we will receive. That

God will answer our prayers and open doors for

loved ones and friends and classmates to experience

this freedom. And typically what happens over

the course of a given day is the Holy Spirit

gives us opportunities to share our story with

others. Our struggles, our pain, our heartache,

our new life. That's how God builds his church.

He uses and empowers you and me. And again, Jesus

made this promise to his followers that are gathered.

And I say to you that you are Peter, which means

rock, and upon this rock I will build my church,

and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

Think about that. The powers of hell cannot stop

us. The powers of hell cannot stop the church.

Cannot stop this church that is called to be

a non -traditional and uncommon city on a hill.

That's constantly pointing people to Jesus to

anyone that will listen. That's what we're called

to do. That's our mission from God. We are called

by God to build His church. And I'm going to

challenge all of you, including myself, to reignite

that fire inside of us today. That for many of

us, we can have to reignite that fire so that

we gain ground, we don't lose it. Now last week

I focused on Acts chapter 1 and the truths that

Acts 1 · chapter mention

bring us together to form the church. Today I

want to move into Acts chapter 2. And Acts chapter

Acts 2 · chapter mention Acts 2 · chapter mention

2 is the outline or the blueprint for what it

looks like to be involved or to be devoted to

the church. So I thought it would be good for

everyone to hear what our community of faith

is all about. What is HCV all about? Because

I'm going to ask you to be a part of it and to

be devoted to it. You need to know what it's

all about. Well, we launched this community of

faith in my living room. In 2006, by watching

the Washington Redskins, the Redskins played

two playoff games in January of 2006. It's amazing,

but we've been having Jersey Sunday at HTV from

the very beginning. It's never changed. We aren't

perfect here at HTV. All of us are imperfect

people pursuing a perfect God. And many of you

know, I've always shared from my heart every

single Sunday, I don't pretend to be perfect.

I don't act like I have it all together. I'm

real, raw, and honest. And if you struggle with

that, then it's okay. But you're going to hear

it. Because I want to partner with you and God

on a journey to change the world. Because I believe

that's what we're called to do. HTV is a come

as you are church. What does that mean? Simply

stated, people are welcomed in our community

of faith just as they are. They don't have to

clean up. They don't have to pretend to be something

they are not. HTV is practical. Look around.

Our building is not luxurious. It's practical.

It's a living room that welcomes people to gather

together and encourage one another. Right? That's

the way you have concrete floors. We know you're

going to spill coffee. No big deal. Just mop

it up and move on. But let me tell you something.

If they were granite floors, we might have a

different outlook. HDV has fun on purpose. We

believe that God celebrates and has a party when

people who are lost find their way home. And

we believe that party extends into our gatherings.

I approach every Sunday as a day of celebration.

And it's like this week God took me back to Bower

Avenue. We used to meet up on Bower Avenue, which

is a mile up the road here. And for those of

you who weren't a part of Bower Avenue, every

single Sunday there was this train that rolled

by. And I would be in the middle of prayer. I'd

be leading the people into a relationship with

Jesus. And then all of us hear this. I mean,

just this loud, annoying horn. And I hated it.

But I learned to love it when I had to start

parking on the other side of the tracks because

God was leading so many people in a relationship

with him through our community of faith. It was

like a horn that went off sounding, another lost

one came home. HTV is a hospital, not a courtroom.

This isn't a place where you will be judged.

Our community of faith welcomes you right. Where

you are. Why? Because all of us are broken and

hurting. We all need Jesus to impact and change

our lives every single day. HTV is a locker room,

not a country club. A country club is a place

where people wear their best, smile all the time,

pretend everything is amazing, and sit around

counting their blessings. Not that that's a problem,

but that's not who we are. We're a locker room

and I get it. Sometimes you roll into here, it

smells like it, but that's okay. We use this

building for a lot of purposes. But if you think

about a locker room, it's a place where we gather

and we're reminded of why we do what we do. Then

we join hands and we lock arms and we hit the

field with everything we got, believing that

God is going to empower us to change this community.

As a church, we believe the local church is the

key to God reaching people and changing lives

in the world. We don't compete against other

churches. We don't put down other churches. We

don't judge other churches. We desire to encourage

and support. As a community of faith, we are

empowered evangelicals. We value the Bible as

God's written words to humanity, and we value

the Holy Spirit. Because when we're in a relationship

with Jesus, we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

And in the book, Empowered Evangelicals, Rich

Nathan writes, for too long, evangelicals have

emphasized the Bible over the Spirit. While charismatics

have emphasized the Spirit over the Bible. But

the Bible and the Spirit belong together. And

that's how we live our lives. HCV is generous.

We believe that God has called us to give away

our resources, our stuff, our time, and our focus

to see the world change. So if that sounds like

a community of faith you want to be a part of,

let's look at the blueprint for being devoted

to the church. First, devoted is defined as zealous

or ardent in attachment or affection characterized

by loyalty. Devoted means we are committed. We

are committed to pandering our lives after what

we read in the Bible. We are devoted or committed

to living our lives in the church, just as the

first church outlined for us to follow. Four

ways the first church devoted themselves to God

and one another. Now we must remember in Acts

Acts 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, there were 120 Jesus followers gathered

in the upper room when the promised Holy Spirit

fell upon them. They saw flames and tongues of

fire. They began to speak in other languages.

They rolled out into the streets speaking these

languages. And people from all over the known

world gathered to question and wonder why they

could hear their language being spoken. Now many

of those gathered there when hearing this chaos

assumed that they were drunk. Then Peter stands

up and preaches the first sermon ever given,

and 3 ,000 people gave their lives to Jesus,

and they became the first church. What did they

do? Well, they devoted themselves, number one,

to being in God's house. All the believers devoted

themselves to the apostles' teaching. That's

what we are doing here. We are gathering in God's

house, devoting ourselves to the apostles, teaching

them. They worshiped together at the temple each

day, met in homes for Lord's Supper, and shared

their meals with great joy and generosity. Ask

yourself, am I committed to being in God's house?

Do I prioritize Sunday gatherings? Or simply

stated, do I attend out of convenience? Well,

as long as there's nothing else more important.

On my calendar. See, we are called to be different.

We're called to be set apart. We're called to

be uncommon. The common church attendance is

one out of every three Sundays. So essentially

once a month. Uncommon church attendance is saying,

no, I'm going to be there every single Sunday.

That's being sold out for Jesus. And I get it.

You're going to get sick. And then you're going

to go on vacation. And you're going to try. You're

going to do different things. I get it. That's

what the live stream is for. But we've become

too comfortable in gathering together as the

church. The first church gathered together every

single day. In the temple. In the homes. And

then they shared it. With others, Hebrews 10,

25, let us not neglect our meeting together as

some people do, but encourage one another, especially

now the day of his return is drawing near. And

see, the most important part of that verse is

encouragement. See, we all need encouragement.

I mean, just looking upon this past week, there's

such evil and negativity destroying the very

fabric of our culture. We need each other. Right?

We need to text one another. We need to pray

for one another. We need to lay hands on and

meet face to face and encourage one another.

That's what the early church did. And that's

how they moved forward to change the world one

life at a time. But we've got to be devoted.

We've got to be committed to being in God's house,

which leads us to number two. We've got to be

devoted to getting in a group. All the believers

devoted themselves to the apostles, teaching

to fellowship, to sharing of meals, including

the Lord's Supper, and to prayer. They worshiped

together at the temple each day, met in homes

for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals.

You saw in our announcements in last week, all

of our fall growth groups launched. And now is

the time for you to jump in and get in a group.

We have over 30 groups gathering together throughout

the week in different places here, there, and

homes. And we need double that. We need 60 groups.

The people gathered in the first church realized

the mission that Jesus gave them. It was daunting.

It was going to be difficult and hard. That's

why they came together, because they needed each

other. They couldn't pursue the plans of God

without putting the people of God in their lives.

See, when we make the people of God a priority,

A family, we are family. Listen to what happens,

John chapter 13. So now I'm giving you a new

John 13 · chapter mention

commandment, love each other. Just as I have

loved you, you should love each other. Your love

for one another will prove to the world that

you are my disciples. See, our love for one another

will point our friends, our families, our co

-workers, our class, points them to Jesus. And

we have to break free from the lies of social

media. To be connected means we need one another,

not digitally, but physically. We need to come

together to support, encourage one another, which

leads us to number three, they were devoted to

giving. The church, the first church, gave everything

they had. All the believers met together in one

place, shared everything they had. They sold

their property and possessions and shared the

money with those in need. I mean, think about

it. They were selling their stuff so they could

stay generous. They could be even more generous

than what God asked. To reflect on this simple

question this morning, if everyone gathered here

at HCV gave like me, is there even a church?

Do we have the funds needed to make this place

a reality for one another every single day? And

I mean that every single day. That is one thing

that just excites me about our community of faith.

There's not a day that goes by where there's

not something happening in this place. This building

is a community center. It's open every single

day. Because we believe in welcoming people in

right where they are so their lives can be changed.

And Jesus reminds us in Luke 6, 38, give and

you will receive. Your gift will return to you

in full, pressed down, shaken together, and make

room for more. Running over and pouring into

your lap, the amount that you give will determine

the amount you get back. Which leads us to our

fourth devotion. They were devoted to serving.

All the believers met together in one place,

shared everything they had. They sold their property

and possessions and shared the money with those

in need. And you just have to ask yourself this

morning, am I serving in our community of faith?

And I want to challenge you this morning. Say,

Holy Spirit, come. Speak to my heart regarding

this important part of being the church. Because

listen, if you can't serve on Sundays or during

the week, you're not serving in our local community.

We're not serving our friends and our family.

We, as a church, have to choose not to take.

We live in a culture of takers. Well, give me,

give me, give me what I need, what I want. Make

me feel better. And as a church, we have to choose

not to take. So ask yourself, am I serving or

am I the one who pulls into the parking lot and

waves at the men and women in yellow vests helping

me to find a parking spot? Am I serving or do

I simply thank people for welcoming me at the

door, opening the door for me and smiling back?

Am I serving or do I simply thank the person

that hands me a cup of coffee and makes me feel

better? Am I serving or do I say thank you for

caring for my kids and teaching them about Jesus?

Am I serving or do I simply just enjoy the music

and connect with the Holy Spirit during worship?

I'm challenged by the teaching. I'm thankful

for all the people that produce the live stream

that I can watch while I'm away. But I'm serving

nowhere. See, friends, if that's you, that means

you're a taker. And you're taking. And God invites

us into so much more. He desires we walk in our

calling to serve others and impact our community.

We need you. It's really easy to walk into this

place, especially during our second gathering,

and think, wow, they got it all together. They

don't need me. Just look at the guy talking.

I'm in far from having it all together. We need

each other. We need you. And there's so many

different ways that you can serve in our community

of faith. Just on Sundays alone, I already mentioned

it. Parking team, welcome team, cafe team, prayer

team, production team, worship team, clean team.

I mean, think about it. You could get up from

your seat and go scrub toilets right after this

for the third gathering so the toilets are good

and clean. Who doesn't want to do that? Did you

know, some of you don't even know this, on Sunday

mornings, we go to Hagerstown Healthcare, which

is a local nursing home, and Jeff France leads

a team of individuals that take our notes, our

worship, and our message to them every single

Sunday. And let me tell you something, from being

in there every other Wednesday for a Bible study,

that's the forgotten. This Wednesday, we're baptizing

them in their wheelchairs. This Wednesday. Oh,

did I mention our kids' ministry? You know, the

kids' ministry that leads kids into a relationship

with Jesus. The last time I checked, that's a

very important aspect of growing up. After all,

the window for people saying yes to Jesus, the

highest percentage of people giving their life

is the, does anyone know? Eight to 12. Eight

to 12. I mean, there's no better way to practice

telling your story and sharing about Jesus than

teaching a three and four year old. You want

to know how Chris started? Felt bored teaching

three and four year olds. That's how I started.

For two years. Felt bored. This is Jesus. He

loves you. Get involved with the kids, man. You're

changing lives for eternity. Youth ministry,

it's exploding. Some of you think you're young.

Okay, go be young and lead some youth in a relationship

with Jesus. They need it. You remember how hard

it is to be a teenager? Well, now it's twice

as hard. But it doesn't end there. Through the

week, we have growth group leaders leading groups.

We need more groups. We have recovery ministries

that are leading people out of addiction. We

have a free community dinner every Thursday.

Every other Wednesday, we go to HHC and do a

Bible study. Every other Wednesday, the ARC comes

here and we lead a Bible study. We have First

Saturday Serve. We have Servant Evangelism. We're

sending a team to North Carolina to rebuild houses.

And when you're devoted to the church, you see

God move in miraculous ways. Acts 2, 41 and 47.

Those who believed. What Peter said, we're baptized.

And they entered the church that day, 3 ,000

in all. And each day the Lord added. Notice what

it says, each day the Lord added to their fellowship.

When we're devoted, God adds. Then the church

kept serving, kept giving, kept growing. And

then in Acts 4, it says, but many of the people

who heard the message believed it. So the number

of men who believe now total 5 ,000. The people

were watching God perform miracles right in front

of their eyes. was using them to serve others,

to see others set free and healed, relationships

restored, sins being forgiven, the blind see,

the lame walk. And daily, people were becoming

a part of God's family. And why? All of that

was happening because the people were devoted.

And there's no greater time to be devoted than

right now. And why do I say that? Because the

man that lost his life this week, he was a follower

of Jesus. He was a follower of Jesus. And we're

not called to shy away. We're called to stand

up and say, no, this is how the church lives.

We're devoted to one another. We're supporting

one another because we know the only thing that's

going to change our community and change our

country, is Jesus. That's it. So will you stand

with me? I'm running a little late, but I need

to do this. So everyone just bear with me. Now

listen, I challenged all of you that when you

walked in this place today, or you're watching

online, you have something you're dealing with

in your heart. I know you are. We all have it.

So I want to pray for you. So whatever it is

you brought into this place this morning, I want

to invite you, just put your hands like this.

This is just a sign of saying, God, I want you

to have it. That's all this means. It doesn't

mean you're weird. It doesn't mean anything.

It just means, God, I want you to have this.

I want you to take whatever it is that's a burden

on your heart. Whatever it is. I want you to

just lay it down at God's feet right now. Holy

Spirit, come. God, you know that every person

watching online and gathered here brought something

into this house. Move in our hearts. Free us

from the pain. Free us from the addiction. Give

us hope. Give us meaning. Give us purpose. Challenge

us to be devoted to one another, to the church,

as we see your kingdom come and see your will

be done right here in the tri -state area as

it is in heaven. Now, the other thing that God

highlighted for me this week, now just bear with

me, please. If you're 20 -something, 20 -something,

you know what that means, 19 to 31. That's it.

If you're 35, you're not 30, okay? I'm giving

one year each way. If you're 19 to 31, that means

you can't feel like you're young. That's how

old you are. I want you to come up here right

now. Come on. I know there's a lot of you. Jeez,

I'm not going to like kick you in the face. Come

on. 19 to 31. Let's go. Fill it. I got to be

able to see everyone. Come on, spread out. There

we go. 19 to 31. Anybody else? 19 to 31. Come

on. Listen, listen. God needs you. God needs

you, all of you. He wants you to change our world.

And you have the youthfulness and the desire

to want to go and do. He's inviting you to do

that. Stop sitting on the sidelines. Stop making

excuses. Stop. All the reasons that you can't

do it or you won't do it or whatever. Listen

to the Holy Spirit because we need you. We need

you to lead. We need you in this church. We need

you to be examples to the next generation of

what it means to follow Jesus. I'm old. Okay?

I'm old. 52 years old. Kids don't want to listen

to me, but they'll listen to you. You understand?

They'll listen to you. But you've got to make

a decision to commit and to go all in and be

committed. And as a church, we need you. We need

you serving in kids. We need you serving in youth.

We need you in the worship. We need you everywhere.

So don't believe the lies. You are important

to this church, to his church, and to this country.

And we need you to make a stand for Jesus. And

someone this Sunday, whether it's first service

or second service or third, we're called to start

a 20 -something something here where you all

just get ruckus and crazy and don't even know

what ruckus means. Where you just encourage one

another and pray for one another. Man, I want

to take this city over. So I threw it out there.

I threw it out there. If that's you, let me know.

If that's you, let me know. I'm going to pray

for you in a second. Stay here. Four words of

knowledge before I let everyone go. Hearing loss

in your left ear, muscle pain extending from

the back of your neck to your lower back, muscle

nerve pain in the upper part of your left arm.

You're struggling with a broken heart. If any

of those are you, our prayer team will be here

on the right. But will all of you... I just want

to pray for these young people. Join me in praying

that God's going to just move in them and they're

going to just change this place. Can we do that?

Holy Spirit, come, God. Move in this generation,

God. Allow this generation to be one that stands

up for Jesus and moves forward and says, no more

laziness, no more standing by the side. We're

going to change the church. We're going to change

the country. We're going to make a decision.

To put you first. Move in these lives, God. Speak

to them. Allow them to be young people that won't

back down, but will move forward and share your

truth with many. In Jesus' name, amen. All right.

All right, listen, hold on. I'm a little late.

If you got a kid in the kid's wing, leave now.

Like, get out of here. Everyone else, stay put.

If you have a kid, get out of here. Go get your

kid, your child that's learning about Jesus.

Pick them up. Thank you. Thank you. All right.

I'm going to that door there. So if you have

to run out, you can go to that door. I love you

guys. It's going to be a great series. Next week,

I'm talking about loneliness. I'm addressing

the pandemic issue and giving you tools to help

people walk free from it. Have a great week.

that you are working now.