“Accept or Decline” by Pastor Daniel Floyd

Welcome to Gateway Churches Podcast.

Wherever you're tuning in from, we hope you're encouraged by today's message.

All right, welcome to church, everybody.

How are we today?

Feeling good?

Come on, let's put our hands together one more time and give God the worship that He's due.

We are so glad you're here.

Want to say hello to all of our campuses, everybody joining us online or on demand later in the week.

Of course, all of our gateway gatherings and our prison campuses.

You're not a project to us, you are family to us, and it is an honor to serve you.

Of course, if you're here for the first time or the first time in a long time, we want to say welcome.

Come on, let's put our hands together at every campus for those that are with us for the first time or the first time in a while.

Welcome home.

We have been in this series called TikTok Theology, and we're going to continue that today.

And I hope that you have listened to the first two messages.

If not, I'd encourage you to go back and get those.

And uh want to talk to you today around this idea of accept or decline.

If you're the note-taking type, write that down.

If not, go ahead and write it down, anyways, everybody.

Um but before I get into that, I want to remind you, two weeks from now, you saw it just a minute ago, beginning a new series called Best Days.

And um that weekend is be a special weekend for a couple of reasons.

One is uh off of the recent live recording, Gateway Worship will be uh leaving or sending out a new song, publishing a new song that is called Best Days.

And it's all around this idea that your best days are in front of you, and our best days as a church are out in front of us.

How many of you believe that?

Yeah, and then also on August the 16th, actually be celebrating one year since the Lord brought us to Texas.

Can't believe it's been a year.

Wow.

Year goes by like that, y'all.

By really fast, but what an honor to be assigned here.

And uh Texas has been wonderful.

The last two weeks have been hot.

Everybody warned us.

I get your warning now.

Hey, let's pray together and let's get into the word of God.

Lord, we love you and uh we're grateful for you.

And we ask that uh you'd speak to us today.

We believe uh that we'll never be the same because of time in your word.

Uh you have the ability to transform us, so do that today.

And we ask this in Jesus' name.

And everybody said, A big amen.

Amen.

Um, how many of you love a good invitation?

Good invitation.

Let me say it this way.

If someone were to come and say, hey, I got a couple extra tickets to uh Sunday's round of the masters, how many of you love an invitation?

Right, okay, it's a little bit different, right?

Um how many of you know that uh invitations can change your life?

Umitations that you accept can change your life, invitations that you decline can change your life, can they not?

Um I think about an invitation that changed my life.

I was in my late 20s and got a phone call uh from a group of people that wanted to start a church inviting us to come and be a part of that, and that became what we pastored for 20 years.

One invitation that we accepted changed our life, right?

Um, a friend of mine in my mid-20s, around 25, a friend of mine said to me, Hey, I'm in this theater production.

Uh, why don't you come back?

Come by after work, will you bring me some coffee?

I want you to meet somebody.

That somebody's name was Tammy, and here we are 22 years later.

Like, one invitation, right?

How many of you know invitations you decline can change your life?

So before I was engaged to Tammy, I was engaged to somebody else.

Hey, it's been a year, you're learning all new things about us, right?

It didn't make it down the aisle.

Obviously, I made it down the aisle with her.

I think my mom prayed that one away.

She's here with us this weekend.

She's shaking her head yes, right now.

She prayed that one away, prayed Tammy in.

Praying moms, all right?

Just encouragement for you right there if you're concerned.

Uh just keep praying, mom.

Um, but invitations can change your life.

And I want to give to you today two invitations that I think really affect your destiny and potentially your children, your grandchildren, a future family that maybe you don't even have right now will affect it about more than any other decision you'll make in your life.

And it's it's two invitations that God gives us in the scripture.

There's a lot of invitations in the scripture, but I think there's two primary that God wants us to give our best yes to over about any other invitation.

It's, and these invitations will shape your purpose, they'll shape destiny in your life, they'll shape the level of fulfillment you live with in life, or the level of fulfillment you don't live with in life.

And the first invitation is this one that we would be familiar with if you've been around church, and that is the invitation into a relationship with Jesus.

That's the first invitation.

It's the invitation not to religion and not to church and not to membership or not to any of that, but to an authentic, genuine relationship with Jesus.

That's the first and the primary.

Matter of fact, uh the the scriptures have, as one theologian said, a scarlet thread that is woven throughout all of Scripture, and it is this is that God loved the world so much that he sent his only son into the world so that we could be redeemed unto himself.

That is the first invitation.

And it's not to you being a better person or turning over a new leaf or trying harder, it is to surrender, really, at the end of the day.

It's to saying, Jesus, I can't do life on my own, and the way I'm doing it doesn't work, and I make you the Lord.

Lord isn't a word that we use very much these days, but it's making him in control of our life completely and totally, authentically, to knowing God, not having intellectual understanding of God, not an intellectual assent to the facts and the principles and the precepts, even of Scripture.

It's to full surrender.

It's to a relationship, it's not just to fire insurance.

Are y'all with me?

Like, I want to pass hell, I want to get to heaven.

No matter of fact, Jesus said our prayer should be heaven come to earth.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

All of us are trying to escape earth.

And one theologian said, God is trying to you to bring heaven to earth.

So the first invitation is to Jesus, but the second invitation where I want to spend our time today, is the invitation for you to share with others about the first invitation.

It's the invitation He makes for us to let our light so shine.

We're gonna see in a minute, Matthew chapter 3, to others around us that the world would be impacted by the life that we live and the light that we shine.

Matthew 3 · chapter mention

That is the second invitation.

And here is what's so interesting is that many of us are great with the first invitation.

Jesus, save me.

I want to go to heaven one day.

I want to know what it is to have a relationship with you.

But then when we begin to ask about, have you told anybody about your acceptance of the first invitation?

It's like, hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, I don't know about all that.

That makes me a little uncomfortable.

I don't know if I want to do that.

Can I just say something to you?

Your faith is personal, but it is not private.

It's never meant to be that way.

And so I'm gonna give you a few thoughts on that, and then I'm gonna train us all.

This is my goal this weekend, to train our entire church on how to tell people about the first invitation.

Because the world desperately needs it.

So, number one, let me give you a few thoughts, and then I'm gonna give you some very practical steps.

Thought number one is this it's why you're here.

I want to propose that it's why you're here.

I know you're you're running the business, and I know that you're pursuing the degree, and I know that you're trying to figure out life post-graduation, and you're wondering, is AI gonna take my job, or am I gonna have a job in the future?

And I get all that, but I just want to say, above all those things, the mission of Jesus is why you're here.

Matter of fact, Matthew said it in Matthew chapter 3.

Matthew 3 · chapter mention

I referenced it.

It says, Let me tell you why you're here.

I love the way the message paraphrase says this.

So I'm the Bible's about to tell us why we're here, why you exist, why you're breathing today.

You're here to be salt seasoning that brings out the God flavors of this earth.

Here's another way to put it: you're here to be light, bringing out the God colors in the world.

God's not a secret to be kept, everybody.

We're going public with this.

As public as a city on a hill.

And if I make you light bears, do you think I'm going to hide you under a bucket?

Do you?

I'm putting you on a light stand.

Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand, shine.

Keep open house, be generous with your lives.

By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

Why are you here?

You're to be a seasoning to the world around you.

You're to be a light that shows what God is like to the world around you.

When I grew up in church, we sang this song, and you held up your finger.

This little light of mine.

I'm gonna I got some other church people here.

This little light.

Was it hide it under a bushel?

No.

Right?

I mean, we were forceful with it.

Little kids in church.

Under a bushel.

No! I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

It's why you're here.

It's it's why you're here.

It's why you're in that neighborhood.

Oh, you thought you you thought you just made the offer and negotiated the right deal.

Oh, it's it's why you're here.

It's why you're in the job you're in.

It's why you're in the dorm room you're in.

And you know what?

It's natural in us to tell people about the things we're excited about.

I mean, just think about it.

I was having a conversation this morning.

Someone told me about a restaurant they went to this weekend.

They liked the restaurant, it was great food.

Then we ended up on other restaurants.

That why?

Because we like to talk about the things that we enjoy that maybe we've stumbled upon.

I mean, just you usually don't have to tell people, you know, or ask people if they have kids, they'll end up telling you.

Right?

You know how someone's a grandparent?

They're gonna let you know.

It's kind of like CrossFitters.

Come on, you know I'm telling the truth.

That's funny right there.

I don't care who you are.

They're gonna let you know.

Out doing the Murphs the other day.

So, anyways, I'm for it all.

I'm for it all.

Why?

Because we like to share with people the things that we're excited about, but for some reason in this one area, the enemy has caused us to believe this lie that you can tell everybody about everything, about the things you're the vacation you went on, the restaurant you like, the new peptide you're on.

Like you can tell them about everything, but when it comes to God, you better be quiet.

Better keep it to yourself.

No, it's why we're here.

We're here to be on the mission of Jesus.

We're here to be a part of what he's trying to accomplish.

It's why you're here.

Number two, it's what people need.

Man, if there was ever a day when people need you to shine your light, it's right now.

Look what John chapter 4, if you've been around the Bible, you know this story.

John 4 · chapter mention

The good Samaritan or the Samaritan woman, Jesus comes and he's sitting by the well.

She comes out, comes out to draw water, and Jesus said to her, Will you give me something to drink?

Because his disciples had gone to Taco Bell.

They weren't back yet.

Kidding.

And the Samaritan woman said to him, You're a Jew, I'm a Samaritan, how can you ask me for a drink?

Because they didn't get along.

There was a lot of racial tension between these two groups.

And Jesus answered her, If you knew the gift of God and who it is that ask you for a drink, in other words, he's saying, If you knew who I was, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you living water.

And the story goes on to unfold is that the reason she's even at the well at this time of the day is because most likely she was avoiding the early morning of the hour when all the women from town would come to get the water, and she wanted to come at another time because she was known as one of those women in town, and she probably didn't want to put up with the scrutiny.

So now she here she is alone with Jesus, and she has been thirsty, so thirsty, she's gone to man after man after man trying to quench this thirst in her soul.

And Jesus said, If you knew who I was, I'd give you living water, and he goes on to say, You'll never thirst again.

And can I tell you something?

We have a thirsty culture, we have a thirsty world around us.

There's millions and billions of dollars being spent every year because we're trying to quench thirst.

We think this brand will quench it, and we think this purchase will quench it, and we think getting on this program will quench the thirst, and we're spending, spending, spending all around us.

People are thirsty, and we have living water.

Why?

Because salt water will dehydrate you and only make you more thirsty, which will dehydrate you, only making you more thirsty to dehydrate you only to making you more thirsty and eventually you die.

And people all around you, some you even care about, are drinking salt water, thinking it'll quench their thirst.

And we have living water, everybody.

It's what the world needs.

They need the love of Jesus that we have to offer to them.

It's what the disciple said to Jesus in John 6.

He just before this, he said, Are you gonna leave too?

Because all these people that have been following him left because he gave them a hard teaching, and they say, Master, whom would we go?

Where else can we go?

Because you have the words of real life, of eternal life.

And they said, We've committed ourselves.

We're confident that you are the Holy One of God.

Where else do we go?

There's only one source of living water and his name is Jesus.

And who are we that have a cup of living water offering everybody that we come in contact with?

It's what the world needs.

Number three.

I hope you can say this.

It's what's changed me.

It's what makes me better than me.

Are you all following me?

A relationship with Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit in my life.

I like to say it this way: the Holy Spirit and walking with Jesus doesn't make me better than you, it makes me better than me.

And I need something that makes me better than me.

Because I'm limited, and I've got a parent, and I'm limited, and I need to be a good husband, and I'm limited, and I need to be a good leader and a pastor.

I need something that makes me better than me, that can change Daniel from what he naturally wants to do, so that supernaturally I do what God wants me to do.

And if it's changed you, it can change other people.

Are you with me?

Can I just remind you, the gospel is still transforming lives?

It's what happens according to Galatians when we begin to show the fruits of walking with God.

This is the message paraphrase, but it's the list of the fruit of the spirits.

What happens when we live God's way?

He brings gifts to our lives in much the same way fruit appears in the orchard.

Things like this: affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity.

We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people.

We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

We're able to have self-control.

What is this saying?

It's saying that there are some things that are supernatural that cannot be produced in your natural.

And it is the Spirit of God, it's faith in Christ, that changes us.

And if it's changed us, we are walking testimonies.

We're walking witnesses of the goodness of God and the power of the transformation of the gospel in our lives.

And so, if all this is true, then why are we not sharing it?

I think there's a couple of reasons.

One, I think for some of us, we've seen it done so horribly, we'd rather not do it at all.

We've seen it done so offensively and so negatively, and we're like, we don't want to become that.

Or we've just seen trying to think how to say this kindly.

We've just seen it done weirdly.

Are y'all following me?

And we're like, I don't want to be that person, I don't want to be the one they avoid at the coffee table at the office, or I don't want to be the one that's like kicked out of the dorm.

Like, can I just tell you something?

You can shine your light and not be weird.

You can love people like Jesus and not be weird.

Are you following me?

Like, Jesus doesn't make people weird.

People are weird before they meet Jesus.

And so I want to give you some really practical tools on how to do this.

Because I just believe if our entire church were to leave the doors of our campuses, were to close the screen, and this week simply be the light, it would transform homes, transform communities, transform your office, transform your school, transform the dorm you're about to go move back into.

If you'd simply do this, and it's not rocket science.

If you're all with me, say amen.

Alright, if you've never written down anything in the last year, write these down.

Number one, simply be aware.

That's it, simply be aware.

In other words, have eyes to see.

Psalms 37 says this the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

And then Proverbs 16, very similar to that, says, in the in the hearts we plan our ways, but the Lord establishes our steps or orders our steps.

In other words, in your day-to-day, I'm not asking you to like rearrange your whole day, be like, man, I'm I'm gonna go stand on the corner and I'm gonna hold up some signs, I'm gonna really be a light today.

I'm gonna wake up.

And the Bible says you plan your day.

I'm gonna go to the gym, I'm gonna have my quiet time, I'm gonna get ready, I'm gonna take the kids to school, I'm gonna go to work, I'm gonna run errands, whatever it is.

I just want you to be aware that you may have planned the day, but give God space to ordain some things in the day.

So just maybe the stop at Starbucks and the conversation with the barista was a God-ordained moment, even though you planned to go there yourself.

And maybe that whenever you went to run the errand and the person that you just happened to run into in the store that you haven't seen forever, that you would just have an awareness to go, oh, this could be a God moment.

This could be an opportunity for me just to just to shine my light.

Does that mean that you gotta go?

Hey, I want to make sure you understand John 3 16.

Want to make sure that no, shining your light just means I'm just gonna I'm gonna be loving, I'm gonna be kind, I'm gonna be there, I'm gonna be present, I'm gonna I'm gonna be who Jesus is into the people that I interact with every day.

I'm just gonna have an awareness for it.

And can I tell you something?

If you'll have an awareness, you'll start to see the God moments in.

Your day.

But if you just got your head down thinking about you and all the things you gotta do, and all the things you gotta check off the box and all the lists that you gotta get through, you'll never see the God moments.

You're not aware of them.

I'm I was reading this, I'm reading this book currently called The Science of Scaling, and it's irrelevant what it's about.

But it's so interesting, this little paragraph that I read, and I was like, I was thinking about this message.

I thought, man, this is psychologically what happens to it.

He's talking about pathway thinking relies on this.

That's what I want you to get.

A deeper psychological insight known as selective attention.

So our brains have this ability to do this thing called selective attention, which is our human ability to mentally filter for the most relevant information while ignoring all other data.

So some of you wives are like, okay, it all makes sense now.

I'm kidding, I'm joking.

Put simply, here's what I want you to see: the quality and clarity of your goal, as well as your commitment to it, shapes both what you see and the actions you take.

So if your goal every day is to say, God, make me aware of divine moments where I can be a light in somebody's life, and I'm committed to it, your brain will start to see those moments.

All you gotta do is be aware.

It's like this: you bought the white Tahoe, and now it feels like everybody on the road has the white Tahoe.

The white Tahoe is always there.

You just now see it.

Listen to me, church.

Look at me.

There's people thirsty all around you.

Every day, all day, people are thirsty.

And you have living water.

You just have to see it.

You just have to be aware of it.

Is it rocket science?

How do you shine your light?

Just be aware.

Number two.

Be intentional.

Just be intentional about it.

Be intentional about being a light.

Paul said this in 1 Corinthians.

He said, To the weak I became weak to win the weak.

I've become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.

You know what Paul is saying here?

I'm gonna give you the Daniel translation.

Look for common ground, not battleground.

Look for common ground, not battleground.

How do I shine the light of Jesus to the world around me?

I look for common ground, not battleground.

Too much of church these days, in my opinion, is we look for all the things we disagree on and we give that 100% of our attention.

If you can only find one thing you agree on, give that 100% of your attention so that the door may open for the opportunity for the gospel to be shared and the love of Jesus to be given to somebody.

And it it may it may and and you may even be, we agree on nothing.

We'll just be like this.

Hey, we both are breathing.

That's cool.

We both like inhale oxygen.

Isn't that amazing?

Isn't that crazy how oxygen?

I mean, I just love it.

I love oxygen and the fact that it keeps us alive, and I love that you're alive.

I'm being facetious, but you get what I'm saying, right?

What is the thing that we can agree on?

That we might find common ground.

Paul said, if you're weak, I got weak.

Why?

I tried to become all things to all people.

Why?

So that I may win some.

Paul said, I became weak.

I became whatever I needed to be, so that I could share the good news of Jesus with the people I came in contact with.

Paul also was great at coming in from people's perspective, trying to see life from their lens, stepping out of ourselves and into somebody else's shoes.

I want to show you one example is when he was in Athens, Acts 17.

So Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus.

It's a place where philosophers would speak, and he laid it out for them.

He said, It's plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously.

When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across.

And then I found one inscribed to the God nobody knows.

I'm here to introduce you to this God so that you can worship intelligently and know who you're dealing with.

I want you to notice what Paul didn't do.

He didn't come into Athens and get the attention of all the people.

Say, hey, seen all your shrines, dumb.

You ignorant people, what is your problem?

No, what'd he come in?

He came in to find their perspective.

Did you see how he opened, walked through the door?

He said, Hey, I walked around and I saw how serious you are about religion.

It's almost commending them in order to win them.

And then he said, and I even saw one to an unknown God, the God nobody knows.

And he says, I want to introduce you to that God.

He came in on their perspective.

He he stepped to the place of connection with them, not saying, You've got to come over to my side.

Get their perspective.

Are you with me?

Let me show you what else Paul said this to Timothy.

He said, Again, I say, don't get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights.

A servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach and be able to be patient with difficult people.

Gently instruct those who oppose the truth.

Perhaps God will change these people's hearts and they will learn the truth.

In other words, here's what Paul's saying.

Hey, Timothy, I want you to operate with patience.

Can I tell you somebody?

Everybody is at their own pace in this journey of faith.

And just because they're not running at the pace you're running at doesn't mean that you're there to prod them with a stick.

Are y'all with me?

Some of you go to family gatherings and see people you haven't seen in years.

You know you need to get things right with God.

How about how are your kids?

How about we start there?

I'm not saying we don't get to that place.

Are you following me?

I'm just saying some people get so shut off to the gospel because we're not able to walk with them at a pace that they're moving at and how God is working in their lives.

We just need to be like, hey, I'm not.

Are y'all tracking with me?

Don't get in these foolish arguments.

Like, why are you showing up with your end times magazine?

Let's start with Jesus loves you.

And he loved you so much he died for you.

And I want you to know I love you, and I want the best for your life.

Come on, somebody.

Like, be intentional.

Number three, be the light.

I want to revisit Matthew 5 again.

He says, if I make you light bearers, do you think I'm gonna hide you under a bucket?

No.

I'm gonna put you on a hilltop.

Why?

So you can shine.

I want you to keep an open house.

I want you to be generous with your lives.

In other words, I want you to open, I want you to be closed off to people.

It's the opening of your heart to people.

It's the hospitality of people.

That's what is going to prompt people to open up with God.

So I have this torch and these candles, right?

I'm gonna get one of these.

It's my new favorite toy.

So you and I both know that if we were to shut the lights down, that all the focus in the room would come to here, right?

Because these would be illuminated.

They wouldn't illuminate the entire room, but it would illuminate this part around the room, but it would grab the attention of everybody in the room.

But here's what's interesting about these candles.

Whenever you light a candle, the candle doesn't go.

Look at me.

I'm being a light.

I'm shining.

I'm shining.

Look at me.

No.

All the candle has to do is just be lit and be a candle.

And wherever it goes, it's gonna light up the room.

Because it's just being a candle.

Can I tell you something?

That when you're the light that Jesus wants you to shine, you don't have to walk in a room and go, look at me.

I'm being kind.

Look at me.

I want to tell you off, but I'm being loving.

No, you just have to shine.

You just have to shine.

And in a dark and thirsty world, you will be a bright light and living water.

But here's what's happened to some of you is that you're like, Pastor, I tried to shine, I tried to shine in my dorm room, and I tried to shine on work, and I tried to shine, and every time I try to shine, they just want to blow out my light.

And then pain comes along and just wants to blow out my light.

And the disappointment came along and just wants to blow out my light.

But here's what I want to show you is that because you're filled with the Spirit of God, you just keep reigniting and reigniting and reigniting and reigniting.

Come on.

Let your light so shine before men that they might see your good word and give glory to your Father in heaven.

You were meant to shine.

For you to hide and decower.

Just shine.

Just be Jesus.

And here's what will happen, 1 Thessalonians.

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.

That's what Paul's saying.

You should mind your own business.

That's a good word for somebody.

And work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders.

Time out.

I want you to see this.

How you handle yourself and how you work with your hands is a testimony of who Jesus is.

Let that sink in.

It's not just you're there doing a nine to five job because that's when you've got to clock in and clock out.

No, no, no.

That nine to five is either telling people about Jesus in a great way or not a great way.

Paul says one of the greatest apologetics is how Christians work with their hands.

And what will it do?

It'll win the respect of outsiders, and so that you'll not be dependent on anybody.

Lead a quiet life, mind your own business, work hard with your hands.

And that life, living that out every day, be in the light, just letting your candle burn will win people over to Jesus.

So be aware.

Be aware.

Just say, God, give me eyes to see.

Just help me to see in my everyday.

Where are you moving?

And how can you use me?

And then be intentional about it.

Find common ground, not battleground.

Don't pressure people, have patience with people.

Try to see life from their perspective.

And then just simply shine.

And then when the door opens, someone says, Why are you that way?

The Bible says, be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within you.

What do you do?

Share your story.

What if they asked me about where the dinosaurs went?

That's rarely the question, everybody.

Usually the question is, how do you have peace like you have?

I don't have that.

How are you able to be that kind of parent?

I don't know how to.

That's where people are thirsty.

You just share your story.

I met Jesus, He changed my life.

Got around a community of believers.

Share your story.

Share your church.

You have a great church to share about, by the way.

Phenomenal church, a resilient church.

Hold your head up high.

Because the church is not a building and the church is not a name.

The church is the people.

And there are remarkable people here.

People in love with Jesus.

People that want to help people journey in the journey of faith.

So you get to decide what you'll do with the two invitations.

The invitation to Jesus and the invitation to share with others about the first invitation.

You can accept or you can decline, but they will shape your destiny.

They will shape meaningfulness in your life, purpose.

And I promise you they will shape your family for generations to come.

So I pray that you will simply let your light shine.

Will you pray with me?

With every head bowed, every eye closed.

Maybe you're here today and you've never accepted the first invitation.

The invitation into an authentic relationship with Jesus.

As I said earlier, not into church or into religion, but a real relationship with Jesus where you've really surrendered your life to him, where it's authentic, it's every day, it's not just on the weekend, it's not when things are in crisis.

But it's an ongoing, growing relationship with Jesus.

Where you surrender to him, make him the Lord of your life.

Or maybe you're here today and there was a moment in your life when it was like that, but you know in your heart you've strayed away.

Well, today's the day for you to come back home.

The arms of the Father are open and waiting for you.

And so in just a moment, we're gonna pray together, just making that the confession of our heart.

God, I want to receive your gift of salvation or Lord, I want to come back home to you.

I want to recommit my life.

But before we do that, I just want to know who I'm praying with.

No one's gonna come to you or embarrass you.

I just want to know who I'm praying with at every campus.

Myself, your campus pastor, is there to see.

But as I count to three, I just want you to shoot your hand up high.

You'd say, Pastor, that's me.

I need a fresh start in God today.

I want today to be a day of a new beginning for me.

And if that's you, when I count to three, you just shoot your hand up high, then we're gonna pray together.

So on three.

One, two, three.

You just shoot your hand up high.

God bless you.

God bless you.

All over the room.

God bless you.

I see you.

God sees you more importantly.

You can put your hands down.

Church, will you pray this out loud with me for the benefit of those who just slip their hand up?

Just say, Jesus, I need you.

I ask you to forgive me of all my sin.

I believe you died for me.

I believe God raised you from the dead.

Today I make you my Lord and Savior.

Thank you for a brand new beginning.

In Jesus' name.

Everybody said amen.

Amen.

Come on, let's celebrate those who made that decision at every campus.

Thanks for joining us today.

If you'd like to connect with us, text Connect to 71010 or visit gatewaypeople.com.

We hope you have a great week.