“Still with Us” by Dr. Megan Fate Marshman

Welcome to Gateway Churches Podcast.

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

Hello.

I want to welcome everybody, all of our campuses, everyone watching online, everyone in the room.

Are you expectant for all that God will do in this place?

I mean, what a title of a series.

Let me let me listen to it again.

Ready?

Empowered.

Anyone want some power?

Living a spirit-filled life.

Not spiritually empty, not spiritually exhausted, but spiritually filled.

Are you ready?

The minute I think of that, I think of an illustration.

It kind of has become my like life illustration, and it's that of a cup.

I grew up in church and was told, go love everybody, and I said, sure.

So I ran around and I had my little cup of love and I'd splash love on people.

You're welcome this side.

And then I'd, you know, run over and splash love over here.

And then I, you know, was on sports teams, and then I was on head coaches and teachers and friends, and then I got married, and then I had kids.

And um, when I had kids, I had realized something about my cup.

And it was this.

The problem wasn't me loving people.

That's that's wonderful.

I highly recommend it.

Jesus commands it, so you know.

But here's what I would do.

I didn't realize I had done it this way.

I would love people, that's well and good, but then I would hold out my now empty cup to be filled up by their opinions of me.

Uh-oh.

Have you been there?

And if they like you, it works.

If they notice you, invite you, acknowledge you, honor you, then you feel filled up, right?

And then you and then you're ready.

But here's the problem.

It only satisfied for a bit.

Is anyone else a little bit exhausted running around trying to be filled by people, places, things, opportunities, job descriptions?

I mean, you name it.

How's it working out?

Especially when you have people who are holding out their empty cup in your direction.

And watch this illustration.

A cup makes no sense on its side.

So when I hear this series, here's the invitation I hear from your heavenly father.

Tilt your cup up.

The way a cup was designed.

The metaphor works.

Now watch this.

Imagine this baby cup underneath Niagara Falls.

But notice it's not just for you, is it?

Because what happens is you naturally overflow.

Have you ever come into church, had an encounter with the living God, and then walked out no longer worrying about being loved because you recognized you already are?

That's my expectation, that's my hope, that's actually my prayer.

Because I also know that I can't do it without him either.

I could motivate you to go try to love a bunch of people.

Okay, but I fear that you'd be just like me.

Rather, I want to begin in prayer.

I want to end in prayer.

I want to see what happens.

But my but I gotta let you know about my prayer.

What I'm asking for is beyond what talent can produce.

You know what I mean?

Are you open?

Is anyone else running anywhere else these days?

So let's go to him.

And here's my encouragement.

Wherever you're at, that's where God wants to meet you.

So my encouragement in prayer is this be honest.

You want to know why?

It's not gonna surprise him.

So if you're kind of sitting there and you're just whatever today, tell them.

If you're kind of tired today, tell them.

If you're sad, not just today, but lately, tell them.

If you're kind of nervous about trying it again and then realizing that it might only last till Wednesday and you don't know if you want to try and then be disappointed again, tell them.

If you long to be more disciplined in your life, to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God, as Ephesians 3 challenges us to pray, tell them.

If you're disappointed with where you're at by now, whether it's life circumstances or maybe your spiritual life, tell them.

One of my professors says this, Dr.

John Coe, he goes, hmm, this is good.

Prayer is not a place to be honest.

Or sorry, prayer is not a place to be good, it's a place to be honest.

If you want a boring prayer life, spend all your time trying to be good in it.

He already knows.

Here's my watch this.

If you don't even care today, here's my challenge.

Ready?

Tell him.

That's where he's gonna meet you.

And that's my hope, is that we open our hearts to God word and we see what happens with everything that we're carrying.

You ready?

Let's talk to our Heavenly Father, Heavenly Father.

Yes, you are worthy, and you already know.

So, Lord, I pray for everyone who can hear the sound of my voice on this Pentecost weekend.

I pray that right now we would be honest with what's on our hearts, with our expectations of church, with our deep lungs that we're not even sure if we want to pray.

With our secrets, you're suddenly thinking about something else right now.

We don't want to just learn about you.

We want to meet with you.

So fill us.

And the places that have our hearts today, we pray.

And all God's children said, Amen.

It's Pentecost weekend.

And if you have no idea what that is, I got you.

Fifty days after Easter, pent, pent, is a day that it's like the birthday of the church.

Day one, by the way, if you're doing math and going, like, wait, so Sunday to Sunday, that'd be a 49.

Okay, it starts on Easter Sunday, would be number one.

That's how they did it, okay?

It's kind of like when you say, like, Jesus rose on the third day instead of three days later, because three days later would be Monday.

Anyways, okay, so 50 pent.

This is the birthday of the church, where people, when the Spirit of God fell and they experienced it in Acts chapter two.

That's where we're headed if you have your Bibles.

Acts chapter two.

We're gonna read all about it and see what happens.

But let me give you a whole lot of context to basically the entire story up until Acts chapter two.

Are you guys ready?

Okay, I got you.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

Now the earth was forums and empty darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the spirit of God was pr uh hovering over the waters.

There's the spirit in the beginning, the triune nature of God, long story short, creates everything, not because he has a need, but because he wants to share the fullness of that which he had.

Then, just a few pages later, they listen to another voice.

Creation.

And the consequences are grave.

Romans puts it this way that the consequence, what we earned of a life of sin, was death, separation from God.

Right?

And the fall of humankind.

And so it's it's kind of like this God has a perfect standard right here, in order to be in a relationship with the perfect God, the standard is perfect.

But since Genesis chapter 3, we all fell short, which by the way, my question for you, leaning in for this message so that it can meet you in a personal way.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

What do you do with the gap?

Really?

What do you do with that gap?

You know the one between where you think you should be and where you're actually at?

What do you do with that gap?

There's a lot of temptations on what to do with the gap.

A lot of people just despair over it and go find a different ladder to climb.

Wait, so if I'm supposed to be somewhere else by now and I keep showing up to church and keep being reminded all the ways that I'm not as I should be, I'm gonna go find a different ladder to climb, one that I have a little bit more control over.

If you're wondering where some of that sin stuff comes in, it's because we're just trying to climb other ladders.

And sometimes it's really subtle.

Sometimes it's like the ladder of pleasure, success, relationship status, status in the world, all sorts of ladders that we try to climb.

Because if there's some sort of gap that I can't seem to fix, what do you do about it?

In fact, the entire Old Testament from Genesis chapter 3, all the way till you get to the New Testament, Matthew, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, right at the time you get to Matthew, you have the story of God, which I used to think was a story of people seeking after God.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

And then I read it.

Turns out it's a story of God seeking after people.

That's good news for us, isn't it?

Which tells us this the best response to the fact that you're not as you should be, watch this.

It's not even your response to it.

Do you know God's response to it?

Jesus.

Relationship.

There was a there was a temple, there was a tabernacle, there's a there's a God who wants to be present with his people, but there's all these different things that have to happen in order for them to be in a right relationship.

But because God knew that we could not get to him on our own, because that standard is what?

Perfection.

Because we couldn't get to him, he comes to us.

And friends, who God was is who God is and who God will forever be.

So I can confidently say this: He's been moving towards you the whole time.

Welcome to church, where we don't just try to pump up our willpower to try harder.

No, no, no, we open up ourselves to a God who's been pursuing us the whole time.

That's grace, unmerited favor in our lives.

And so here we have it: God with us in Jesus.

That's Matthew.

In fact, they give him that name, Emmanuel, right?

The one we do during Christmas.

That's the story of Christmas, God coming to us to be with us, God with us.

So the Father sends the Son because we couldn't get to him, he comes to us.

Then he lives the perfect life we couldn't, dies the death we deserve because the wages of our sin is death, and then on the third day rises.

And then he walks around and shares his scars to tell the story.

Encourages us to do likewise.

And you remember his great suggestion?

I mean commission that we treat more like a suggestion.

Do you remember it?

Yes, therefore, this is by the way, after he comes to us, lives the perfect life, dies the death we deserve, rises for his life, eternal life to be in us, shows his scars before the ascension, gathers everyone.

He's like, Meet me on the mountain.

They're like, sure.

Because you were dead, and now you're not dead, so we're gonna go ahead and listen.

And so they meet.

And you remember what he says?

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

This is in Matthew chapter 28.

Matthew 28 · chapter mention

The very end of the book of Matthew says, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Therefore, go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I've commanded you, and surely I am what?

Oh, you guys see it up there, cheaters.

With you.

When?

Let me say it again.

When is he with you?

You're actually not as alone as you feel, Christ follower.

So he promises his presence.

Now I gotta tell you, I was a little bit confused in the biblical narrative of Scripture with that promise.

Let me tell you why.

The New Testament begins with the book of Matthew.

You have Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, four guys who give an eyewitness account to the life of Jesus.

Right?

That's where you would say.

Yes.

I have a slide.

Don't worry, I got you.

So here we go.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Four guys give an eyewitness account to the life of Jesus.

Now, I got a little cheater up there.

What's the next book?

So if you were to line it up, here's the life of Jesus is found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The life of the church is found in the book of now, Acts is written by a guy named It's Luke.

Paul's closed because he did like two thirds, but it's okay, it's okay.

It's Luke, Luke, Luke.

So Luke writes two books.

He writes the book of Acts, and then he writes the book of Luke.

You got this.

Luke, that was amazing.

Luke is following along.

So here's the important thing.

At the end of Matthew, see the chart.

Those four different guys give an eyewitness account of the life of Jesus.

And there's these great commissions at the end of them, right?

At the end of Matthew, he's like this.

Go.

In other words, here's the plan.

It's you, church.

Go.

Make disciples.

In other words, do as I've done.

Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surely I am with you always.

Now, here's where I got confused.

The book of Acts is next.

So the next chapter in the story would be Acts chapter one.

So let me tell you something about Acts chapter one.

In Acts chapter one, Jesus ascends into heaven to sit at the right hand of God, which is where he's at today.

We serve an alive God.

But here's where I got confused.

Matthew 28.

Jesus speaking.

Go.

And then it's the Lord's Son and Holy Spirit.

And surely I'm with you always.

Next chapter.

See ya.

Have you ever thought about it?

I'm with you always.

And goodbye.

What?

It would be confusing if we stopped reading after Acts chapter one, because in Acts chapter two is what we're our passage is for today.

Because what happens in Acts chapter two?

The Holy Spirit descends.

Why?

Because God always keeps his promises and he promised his presence for all who believe.

But Jesus, fully God, fully man, God with skin on could only walk with a few.

Yet his plan would be to get to all the way to Texas.

Let me make it more personal.

His plan and his promise would that his spirit would get to you.

So his ascension doesn't mean that Jesus is no longer here.

Actually, the ascension leads way for the spirit so that he could be all over.

So not only did the Father send the Son, God with us, the truth is he wanted to get closer, God in us.

So the Spirit was given.

And here's where we pick up Acts chapter 2, beginning like this.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Now, I'll be honest, where they were, they were a little confused.

Not quite sure.

They were told to wait.

You want to know how they waited?

It says in uh chapter 1, verse 14, they all joined together constantly in prayer.

That's how they waited.

How about us?

How are you with waiting?

Anyway, so in chapter two, they all gathered together.

They didn't stop gathering together in the waiting.

They were all together in one place.

Suddenly, a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled, there's that word again, filled the whole house where they were sitting.

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and began to rest on each of them.

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Can you imagine?

If you're paying attention, the Old Testament imagery of the power and presence of God is all over these verses.

Fire.

Wind.

Power.

Verse 5.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem, God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.

When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment because each one heard their own language being spoken.

Utterly amazed, they asked, Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans?

See, these people gathered.

They knew the Holy Spirit was coming, but they didn't know how, or they didn't know what it would look like.

And look at their reactions.

Verse six, I'll just point out a few words.

Bewildered.

I'm not even sure what that means.

It's like a mixture of confused.

Something's happening.

Verse seven, utterly amazed.

Verse 12, amazed and perplexed.

And they responded with this.

What does this mean?

Then they ask if everybody's drunk.

They're asking what's happening because what they're witnessing is not something that's explainable with a talent.

Do you live your life in such a way that were people watching couldn't just claim it as a talent?

Are they astonished?

Are you shocked?

If not, hear the invitation to go a little deeper.

Because the sum total of what can happen in a weakened service can be can be beyond what's possible with talent.

Let's not rely on talent when we have the Spirit of the living God and his power accessible to us.

Everyone's shocked.

And then they get shocked even more if they knew who he was when Peter, verse 14, stands up.

Verse 14, then Peter stood up.

And I love this.

He's not about to just tell them about the Holy Spirit's power.

He is literally showing it because it starts like this.

He stands up.

Remember Peter?

Peter's the one that when Jesus is going to the cross didn't stand up for Jesus one bit.

Remember?

When's another time we have Peter standing and walking?

He was the guy, by the way, who got to walk on water with Jesus.

Remember that guy?

But you know what shocked me about that story?

Not just that he walked on water.

We should probably not get used to that either.

But you know what shocked me?

He starts walking on water and then he starts to lose faith as he's walking on water.

Wouldn't you think he had like a little faith, like maybe to the knees, and then he's like, wait a second, and then built it because he's walking on water?

Or is that just normal to you guys?

You're just like, yeah, that was in the book of No! Walked on water, and then what happens?

You remember the moment with Peter?

He starts to sink, puts out his hand, and says, Save me, and Jesus does.

I can relate to Peter specifically with when I'm strongest.

So many of you don't know me.

My name is Megan.

Hello.

A little bit about me.

I've been speaking for a long time, sharing the words of God, and I love it.

I think I have the best job in the entire world.

Four years ago, my husband has a heart attack and goes to heaven in the middle of the night.

And I remember going just this week, I was talking to someone just this week about that first like two months.

And I'm like, I don't know if I'm gonna keep doing I don't know what I'm gonna keep doing.

I don't know if I can stand.

I don't know if I can like speak about the goodness of God.

That sounds hard.

Especially when it doesn't feel good.

I feel like Peter, like just kind of drowning.

But here's been the surprise for me, and the total surprise for me in the past four years.

Can I tell you what it is?

I actually relate to Peter.

I think Peter was stronger.

Not when he was walking, but when he was reaching.

I think I was an okay speaker before.

Now I'm a dependent one.

And I think I'm stronger.

I wonder if it's true for you too, that the one thing that brings you to your knees brings you to your greatest source of strength.

I too went to church like my whole life, and they'd go, and our prayer team is up front, and I'm like waiting for the one time I feel really bad about the thing.

And then the person's up there, like, you should come, you know, prayer team, you should come.

And it's like, yeah, okay, for sure.

Okay, it's just as we can for sure.

And I almost had this like kind of walk of shame toward prayer.

And now, can I tell you what what I think prayer team is?

Prayer team is this.

Get up and move towards your greatest source of strength.

Lift your hand when it feels like you're sinking.

Peter's strength was not just in his ability to do the miraculous he could because of who he was with, but his strength was in being dependent upon him.

So dependent that when the time finally comes and he's filled with the spirit, what does he do?

He finally stands up.

And then he gives this really great sermon.

He starts with the Old Testament prophecy from Joel and he goes, The time is now.

It was all about Jesus.

And it says this 2.17, in the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people.

And what he gets at is he's trying to reiterate, it's now, it's now, it's now.

The things that were prophesied are now, verse 21, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

And then he gives an explicit gospel message when he says this, fellow Israelites, listen to this.

This is Peter, by the way, speaking.

Jesus is Nazareth, made a was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.

This man, Jesus, was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge.

And you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to a cross.

Kind of a sharp message.

It would have been a lot lighter if he went like this.

We all sin.

He gets real personal there.

You.

You put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

Why?

Ever thought about why Jesus had to die?

Ever thought about it?

Maybe you've known it.

Why?

He's pretty explicit right here.

It was our sin that put him there.

See, God really wants relationship with his people, but the problem is we all fell short, and the wages of that sin is death.

Think of it not just as a physical death.

When death entered into the story, it wasn't a part of the original plan of Genesis 1 and 2.

Genesis 3, wages of sin is death, therefore death has to pay that penalty.

Why did Jesus go to the cross?

Because what we earned was death.

Do you know what he earned?

He was perfect.

He earned life eternal.

We earned death.

So he died to take that which we deserve on him.

All of it.

Death feels so final.

And this is the power of God is that his wasn't.

Peter doesn't stop, but he definitely doesn't ignore the sin because neither does Jesus.

I used to think that.

I thought, like, when you become a Christian, like God just goes, God doesn't ignore sin.

He absorbed sin on your behalf.

And then in verse 24, the good news, not only that you can be forgiven in Christ, the good news gets gooder.

Verse 24, but God raised him from the dead.

Why?

Freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Do you know that about our God?

It was impossible for death to keep a hold on him.

Friends, Jesus went to the cross to take that which you deserve, and then by grace, through faith and trust, not in yourself and your ability to get to God, but faith and trust that he came to you, live the life you couldn't die, the death you deserve.

The moment you put your faith and trust in his sacrifice to make you pure.

Not only does he take that which you deserve, watch this, you receive what he deserved.

There's an exchange that happens.

And Peter standing up to declare it.

It's not just that you're forgiven, it's also this.

In Christ, you're accepted too.

Accepted.

Anyone else running to find acceptance anywhere else?

Or are you guys all good?

You guys are all good.

Can you imagine walking into the next job interview knowing you're accepted before the job interview?

Can you imagine going into your next date night knowing you're accepted before you feel it?

You know what I mean?

Ladies, can we take a second?

Or am I just having a moment by myself on the stage, vulnerable with the internet watching?

Can you imagine walking into the gym going, my acceptance hasn't found here, I'm free here?

Can you imagine?

So he stands up and he declares the good news of the gospel and he doesn't stop.

Then he gives some psalms in his sermon, and then he ends like this, in conclusion, verse 36 Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this.

God has made this Jesus whom you crucified.

Don't forget it, it was you, both Lord and Messiah.

How do the people respond when the people heard this?

They were cut to the heart and said to Peter and all the other apostles, brothers, what shall we do?

Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

I went back to school four years ago because I wanted to understand.

It was four and a half years ago that I started school.

I finished it because it was my husband that pushed me to get into it in the first place.

I just finished it two weeks ago, and here's what I wanted to study.

How in the world do we actually change?

I don't want to stand up here and motivate a crowd.

I want to know how the spirit actually moves.

You know what I realized?

After four and a half years of schooling, you're welcome.

I'll give you a summary for nothing but your church attendance.

The same exact way that you grow is the same exact way that you first came, humble.

Oh Lord, how I need you.

That's actually how you grow.

It's not by knowing more, it's opening more.

That's why he says, repent.

In other words, return, be baptized, be filled afresh again.

Repent and be baptized.

And look at the response, verse 41.

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to their number that day.

Revival.

And I was thinking about this message in this time in this place.

You know what I realized?

The revival did not begin when 3,000 people showed up to be added.

Revival began when the 3,000 people who were already there were changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Do you understand the difference?

The revival that will take place through Gateway Church will not be when more crowds come.

It begins when the people who are already here are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is like the best news ever.

Don't wait for the people.

Open your heart.

That's what he's getting in.

And revival breaks out.

And then their lives start to change, and what they do starts to change.

You can read about it.

Verses 42 to 47.

It talks about a totally generous people.

It talks about people who really did life together, which by the way, all it takes is one person making the invitation.

It's actually that simple.

I like Jesus' words when it comes to friendship.

He says this just do unto others as you'd have them do unto you.

In other words, do you wish someone would invite your family over?

Jesus' advice: make the invitation.

Not only did the Father send the Son, the Spirit was given, and then we end with the Son continuing his work, not only God with us, not only God in us, but ultimately God through us.

I grew up hearing this phrase, uh, Christianity is not a religion, it's uh more than you think.

It's a relationship with a power source that can compel you to actually live different.

But I want to teach you as we conclude how we change our lives back to the cup.

You, the idea would be that we would be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God, that we might not stop there, but it would overflow out of our lives and then make a mess into the wow, okay.

I did this recently to an elementary school, Christian Chapel.

I knew I could do the water illustration.

I knew they would like it when it overflowed, and they did.

But there was an epiphany I had right in the middle of giving the illustration, and it was this Did you see the water flow?

Were some of you worried about the stage?

It's fine.

But notice this the overflowing happened.

Watch this.

It's not empty.

You can give, you can love, you can invite, you can risk, you can in a way where you're not empty.

But here's where I don't want to land.

I do not want to land in the behavior.

I want to land in how the behavior is possible.

The goal is not for me to tell you, go overflow, go love your neighbor.

The mean one, not the easy one.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

How does the overflowing happen?

How does the overflowing happen?

When you're open to receiving.

The posture at the end is not go try, the posture at the end is open.

Because what he wants to do through you is significant.

In fact, one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture is Acts 1.1.

Do you know it?

Most people don't have this one memorized.

It says this, Luke writes, in my former book.

So who's writing again?

Luke.

What's he referencing again?

What's a former book?

Luke.

So in my former book, the book of Luke, I wrote about all that Jesus, what's the next word?

Began.

So what's that assuming about the book of Acts?

If Luke is what he began, what's Acts?

What he is continuing to do.

Who, what, what, who is continuing to do?

Jesus.

Notice that.

In my former book, I wrote about what Jesus began.

In this book, the church era that began in Acts, I'm writing about what Jesus continues to do, but in chapter one, he ascends.

Do you know what that means?

Do you want to know what Jesus is up to?

Good question.

What are you up to?

Because this book, the church era, is what Jesus continues to do.

Acts chapter 1, he ascends because what happens in Acts chapter 2?

Acts 1 · chapter mention Acts 2 · chapter mention

He descends by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwell within those who believe.

That former book, loop, that was what he began.

This era, what Jesus is continuing to do, except this time it's through his church.

If you're wondering what Jesus is up to in your neighborhood, good question.

What are you up to in your neighborhood?

What is Jesus up to in your broken family?

What are you up to in your broken family?

Because that's precisely what Jesus is up to by his spirit in you.

What is Jesus up to in your brokenness?

Good question.

What are you up to as you open it to the Holy Spirit in honest prayer?

What is Jesus up to in my workplace?

Great question.

What are you up to in your workplace?

Because what you're up to is precisely what Jesus is up to.

I am here today to tell you what you do matters because what you're doing is precisely what Jesus is up to through you.

Saint Teresa wrote a beautiful poem.

And to conclude, I want us to read it as a responsive reading.

I'll read the non-bold, and you can read the bold.

This poem that I adapted from Saint Teresa is titled, Christ has no body but ours.

Let's read it together.

No hands, no feet on earth, church, but yours.

Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world.

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good.

Yo are the hands with which he blesses all the world.

Let's read together.

Christ has no body now but ours.

No hands, no feet on earth, but yours.

Yours are the eyes.

Yours are the legs.

Yours is the mouth.

Yours is the voice.

Because as you say with me that final line, Christ has no body now on earth but ours.

God with you, God in you, and God through you.

Fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus died and rose again.

Not only that you would be forgiven for all of it, but that you would receive what he deserved, life eternal, and this is life eternal, that you would know him as you are fully known by him.

Tilt your cup.

Let's receive everything we need.

Will you pray with me?

Father.

I pray that we would just open it all.

Whatever's on the heart, whatever's on the mind.

Your lack of purpose, your personal brokenness, your hatred, your anger.

Lord, I pray for those that don't know you, that have not put their faith and trust in you.

I pray that they would open up their heart, they would have heard your words, and that they would repent or turn towards you and receive your life in exchange for the consequence of their sin, trusting that, Lord, you took it all.

I pray for those who have not put their trust in you, that they would today.

This would be the day.

And that you would be filled.

And for those who have been filled by the Spirit before, I pray that you would open up any area of your life that feels lifeless, any part of you that feels burdensome.

I simply pray as Paul prayed that you would be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God, that you may know how loved you are.

He knows all of you and loves you entirely.

He wants to overflow that love to a thirsty community.

So, oh Lord, have your way in us.

We pray.

And all God's children said, Amen.

By way of response, I told you I spoke to a group of little kids.

I wanted to tell them how loved they were because I knew that their lives and their actions weren't gonna change by just trying to change because our willpower lasts till Wednesday.

You know what I did?

I did the water and it was so cool.

And they really liked the overflowing, so I'll show you.

Look at they loved this part.

What?

That's crazy.

Oh, they loved it.

Okay.

And then I told them about that, and then I told them how the only way they'll do as Jesus did.

The only way is when they'll know how loved they are.

It's God loves that fuels everything.

I said, So guess what?

I have a secret, and all the kids are like, candy.

And I was like, no.

Not candy.

I said, I called some of your parents.

They're like, yeah, not as good as candy.

And I had some of their parents come down the aisles, and I had the teachers and the administration line the whole room.

It was amazing.

And I said, if really we're only gonna change by knowing how loved we are.

Friends, I went and got my doctrine.

And there was a climax moment when we're talking about change, and they're like, You wanna know how to change?

We're like, yes, and he's like, Oh, I don't know how loved you are.

You're really loved by God.

Like every part of you, it's it'll fuel the change.

So I was telling the little kids about God's love.

I was like, and if you wanna, if you wanna remember God's love or receive God's love, maybe for the first time or the hundredth time, what's gonna happen is you can walk up to someone who's just gonna pray for you, but first they're gonna bless you.

They're gonna look you in the eyes, and they're just gonna tell you, wanna know why?

Because Christ has no body on earth but ours.

And if he were to tell you that he loves you, I think he'd use a person.

So if you want to receive God's love, and I had no clue, I don't work with kids all that often.

I have some, but you know.

And so I um I was like, if you want to receive God's love, come to one of these people, friends, the kindergartners and the first graders sprinted.

It was like messy because they're like, I want that! I want to know how loved I am.

And then the first and second graders, or like the second graders and third graders, they were like kind of jogging, and there's just lines everywhere.

And then the fourth and fifth graders were kind of too cool.

Until the coolest of fifth graders was like, I'll do it.

And then all the other ones are like, us two.

It was so cool, but there was just lines and lines.

And my prayer today would be that there'd be lines.

And for those of you that already know it, we're gonna invite the prayer team forward right now.

And if you already know it, guaranteed he wants you to know it more.

And I think it's only your pride that would limit you from receiving it in the places you can know it the most.

He loves you toward change.

So we're gonna go into a time of worship response.

And Lord, let there be lines.

Come forward, and here's I'll let you know what's gonna happen.

They're gonna look you in the eyes, say your name, tell you in one way or another, in one sentence, God really loves you.

And then they'll pray that you would receive it afresh.

So let's worship in response.

You don't have to come forward, but by all means, I hope some of you are sprinting to know how loved you are so he could overflow his love through you before we release to a thirsty world.

Let's worship in response together.

You can come forward.

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.