The X: ”House of Miracles” by Caleb & Chrissy Cole

project Church how we doing

if you're new yeah if you're new my name

is Caleb and this is my bride of 14

years going on 15. uh Chrissy and we got

dressed up for you today church we

figure Vision Sunday let's pull out the

big guns no honestly they say that if

you're a speaker people receive the

message better when you're wearing all

black so every every single Vision

Sunday we're in all black except he's in

red yes okay cool but hey good to see

you guys man God's doing something

amazing in our house right now you've

heard over this 10-year celebration

month as we've declared we are a house

of Life a house of Freedom last week

Chris he talked about a house of unity

and today we are declaring this Vision

Sunday that we will be a House of

Miracles I want to invite you back next

week we are jumping back into the Book

of Genesis this is something we've been

doing uh for the last several months

walking chapter by chapter through the

Book of Genesis we love going through

books of the Bible here at project

church and this is the final stretch

we're going to close out Genesis right

before Easter can you believe we're only

a few weeks away from Easter and so

we're going to close out this book so

next week we're jumping back in you

should have got a calendar on your way

in with everything happening this month

uh the month of March and so we're

excited to be jumping back in there so

come back next week Book of Genesis is

going to be amazing

but you know this is a different Vision

Sunday than normal to be honest Chrissy

and I came to this Vision Sunday with a

very different perspective you know in

the past we do Vision Sunday the

beginning of every year like this and we

come with a lot of initiatives and ideas

and plans and usually we have a list of

here's all the great things we're going

to do and our church gets excited about

it and we're motivated by it and we have

done much of what we've declared over

these last years you know this year at

first I I really had this burden this

heart that we would put a beam on the

top of our building and when I preached

well

we would light it at the end of every

snow I'm just kidding but come on House

of Miracles look at we want to talk

about miracles church God is doing

something in the Sacramento Kings glory

be to God keep praying for them we're

almost there playoffs come on Breaking

the streak

um but no I'm kidding uh but you know we

we had we have always laid out these

ideas these initiatives

and this year this idea of just being a

House of Miracles

um we felt like God was saying you don't

have to have all these strategies

you don't have to have all these ideas

what I want you to do is to just build a

house that pursues me I really believe

that the time for casual Christianity

for comfortable Christianity for a

church that that goes as wide as

possible but not very deep that time is

over

we are living in a day and age where the

church needs to rise up be set apart

consecrated to be the church that he's

called us to be and he's called us to be

a holy people a set apart people a

different people a people that long for

more of him and his presence not great

initiatives and great ideas but more of

the spirit of God moving in them and

through them as they go out from this

place but it has to start here Church it

has to start with us and so I want to

read Joshua 3 5.

it says this Joshua said to the people

consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the

Lord will do wonders among you

now the context of this is the

Israelites have wandered in the

wilderness for 40 years they were given

a Promised Land but when they got to the

promised land they were outside of it

and they sent spies into spy the land

and they sent 12 Spies and 10 of them

said the Giants are too great The People

are too big we cannot overcome them and

two said our God is bigger than any

giant some of you need to receive this

over your life today you may be facing

some Giants your God Is Bigger and

because the people had not faith and

they sided with the ten spies instead of

the two one of whose name was Caleb just

want to mention that um

because they sided with the 10 and not

the two God made them wander in the

wilderness for 40 years

and so now an entire generation has died

off and there's a new generation that's

risen up and they're one that God is

calling to a deeper place

and so he does actually something

significant it's the same thing he did

when he brought them out of Egypt he

Parts the water

so just as a part of the Red Sea now he

Parts the Jordan River they walk across

on dry land after the Ark of the

Covenant and the priests step into the

water the water stops they could walk

across on dry land but he asked them to

do something this time before the

miracle

he said consecrate yourselves

for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders

among you

you see he had them walk through a

moment of preparation before they

received the miracle and so today what

Christian I want to implore to you and

impart to you is that a House of

Miracles is prepared through the hearts

of its people

so today is going to be a day of

preparation well we are challenging you

that you would prepare your hearts to

receive the Miracles that God wants to

release here's what I believe this is

going to be House of Miracles God wants

to release miracles in this house but

also miracles in your life many of you

been waiting on Miracles you've been

expecting Miracles you've been patiently

asking God for miracles I believe right

now God is calling us to prepare our

hearts for the Miracles that God wants

to do to consecrate ourselves for the

Miracles that God wants to release in

this house and here's the thing so many

times we think that Miracles are very

external we want to see God do something

great in our midst we want to see the

healings we want to see that you know

the crowds of people maybe a miracle of

God for project church is that the the

house is overflowing we can't fill we

can't we can't contain everybody

and I'm sorry that's not the vision this

year

the external stuff is not what God is

leading us to in 2023 God is imploring

that we would work underneath the

surface

think about Jesus's life for 30 years

before he had his public Ministry he

lived in obscurity

anonymity Church we've got to be so

Vigilant about how we're taking care of

things underneath the surface but here's

the thing I want you to understand that

you're not doing the work only God can

do the work and the Miracles that take

place are the Miracles that happen

inside us and it's only what he can do

sometimes again we think that it's just

about the external but God I think does

miracles in the private secret places of

Our Lives when imperfect People Say Yes

to God in the private places not in

front of people not in front of the

lights not on their highlight reels but

when they say yes to Jesus in the

private spaces of their life then that's

the miracle that only God could have

worked out

I mean there's there's revivals that are

happening across the country we're

hearing about it at different college

campuses and I I honestly I've been

disheartened when there have been a lot

of cynical people and maybe some in this

room and maybe even moments in my in my

mind where it's just kind of it's like

is God really moving there are we people

are we seeing people saved or are people

actually like are we actually seeing

Miracles break out because revivals are

this this this this and that and no no

no church we cannot have that attitude

we have to be Seekers

of God we have to be Seekers and we have

to hope and want for greater and not not

willy-nilly believe everything that's

going on but also not being so cynical

we need to continue to seek the face of

God and if if it looks like the presence

of God then we want to want that for

ourselves we we want to have that desire

whether it's real or not other places we

want to just trust that God's going to

do things in the private places let's

stop judging

there's no room for that

God wants us to stay soft with him he

wants us to be malleable in his hands

and so we've got to prepare our hearts

for a miracle

and we're kind of first prepared with

purity

we have to get pure again that's

something that only God can do sometimes

we're like we'll get we'll get rid of

this we'll pray this many times and then

we'll fast about all these things and

we'll do this this that and the other

and God's saying not the list church not

the list it's what am I going to do

Psalm 51 10-15 12. it says this created

me a clean heart oh God and renew a

right Spirit Within Me cast me not away

from your presence and take not your

Holy Spirit from me restore to me the

joy of your salvation and uphold me with

a willing Spirit you know when I sing

that song There was a song that if

you're in Sunday school a long time ago

um you may have sung the song

creating me I clean anybody are

oh my God come on if you know it thank

you and renew a right Spirit

oh I hear it a few of them know it and

cast me not away from your presence oh

Lord yeah right

this is me this is me when I was a

little kid keep saying

created me a clean heart I suck I'm so

good okay so that's really dramatic but

I think that we get into these places in

these spaces and we're like oh God I

suck oh help me and we feel like

surrender and consecration is like

and God wants to remind us that

surrender and Consecration and him doing

the work in US frees us up

it gives us access to life and freedom

and Jesus and this isn't a moment of

Sorrow this is a moment where we realize

that he can restore unto us the joy of

his salvation that he gives us and then

he upholds us so that we are willing to

do what he wants us to do consecration

leads us to obedience

and when we are obedient there is a

different kind of joy that is restored

unto us it's not like I have to do these

things and consecrate myself

God says I will restore unto you the joy

of my salvation I give to you and I will

uphold you with a willing spirit I

believe that this house in 2023 will be

singing in the most joyful manner that

we've ever sung before

when the house of the Lord has joyful

singing then that's a house that is

ready to experience a move of God that

means God is doing something deep in our

hearts bring up a well inside and nope

just all the old songs are coming to me

okay the joy of the Lord is my strength

okay just us it's fine that's right it's

okay so anyways the joy of the Lord is

kind of renewed in us a right Spirit it

will uphold us and that Joy will lead us

to the preparation of praise

preparation with Purity then preparation

with praise Psalm 34 1 says this I will

bless the Lord at all times his praise

shall continually be in my mouth when we

have the joy of the Lord and we realize

that we've been free in him that we have

life and life eternal in him when we are

so desperate and dependent on the Holy

Spirit then we become grateful

a grateful church is a joyful Church a

grateful church is positioned for God to

do what only he can do because when

we're

in our own spheres upholding ourselves

and we're doing what we can do in our

own strength there's no room for God to

move we're taking up too much space and

let me tell you a reason why I love the

second song that we're saying it's all

about the altar it's all about

Consecration and it's saying be

glorified the goal of making a sacrifice

of praise and we bring the sacrifice of

praise so when we praise God when we

sacrifice things we're giving him room

to move so that he would be glorified

church I'm afraid that there have been

moments either in our church and in the

church in America in the church globally

where we have taken and stolen credit

from where credit is due

good are we glorifying god with some of

our visions and some of our plans or are

we actually glorifying ourselves

so we've got to get to a place of

Consecration and purity of the Lord and

so when we're prepared and Purity we're

prepared In Praise

let's never let the praise of who he is

and what only he can do and only glorify

his name let that never leave our lips

gratitude gratitude it's good I think

that

we have a natural Incarnation to lament

what we don't have rather than praise

God for what we do have and it's why I

see a lot of Christians discouraged

defeated depressed because we're

focusing on the wrong things and I know

there's some things missing in your life

but there's also a lot of things that

you could give God some praise for and

so I just want to challenge you that you

would wake up every morning with an

attitude a mindset a spirit of praise

and gratitude because it will shift your

life I believe I've seen it in my life

when I wake up in the morning and I'm

feeling sorry for myself for all the

things that haven't come to pass that's

how I live that entire day but when I

wake up in the morning saying God I

praise you because you've blessed me you

give me this that that you came through

in the past I know you're going to come

through again for me in the future even

if I'm still waiting on some things so

let's be a people of Praise church this

is how we prepare ourselves for the

miracle that God's going to release

we also prepare with prayer prepare with

prayer we have decided and determined

that this will be a House of Prayer

we can't be a House of Miracles if we

are not a house of prayer and I'm going

to be honest that we have not been the

house of prayer that we were meant to be

for several years of this church but no

longer Church part of the vision today

is that we are rolling out regular

prayer rooms in this house every single

week that is the vision it's not the

sexy strategy that maybe you were hoping

for it's not all the cool things that

maybe you thought we would do but I

believe that prayer is where our power

comes from and if we determine to be a

House of Prayer we will see God move in

a way like never before we don't need to

have all the strategies prayer is our

strategy seeking God is our strategy his

presence is our strategy the prayer room

will be our war room

so here's what's going down every

Wednesday we've been doing this for a

year noon to one we have prayer and we

haven't talked about it a ton but now

we're putting it out there it's our

prayer room you can be here in this room

12 to 1 every single Wednesday Tuesday

Mornings Christy's been doing this with

a handful of girls for the last six

months 6 a.m to 7 A.M prayer room if you

want to get up early you're an early

riser not me praise the Lord

um I'll walk with God in the cool of the

evening but my wife loves my wife loves

to get up early and pray

she'll be here a group of people will be

here you can come 6 a.m Thursday nights

7 P.M right we're gonna have an hour of

prayer as well regular prayer rooms

happening in this house and I believe

when we prioritize this and we say

prayer truly is our power and we live as

a House of Prayer we're going to start

to see the move of God we've been hoping

for we're going to start to see the

Miracles that God has called us to to

have so let me let me read this so you

guys know Ephesians chapter six the

whole armor of God I'm going to read the

end of it

verse 16 says in all circumstances take

up the shield of Faith with which you

can extinguish all the Flaming darts of

the evil one take the helmet on

salvation the sword of the spirit which

is the word of God verse 18 praying at

all times in the spirit

not sometimes at all times in the spirit

with all prayer and supplication to that

and keep alert with all perseverance

making supplication for the Saints we

are going to prepare this house to be a

House of Miracles by saying we will be a

place and a house of prayer as well so

that's what we're declaring church

that's the vision of 2023 part of it is

that we will be a place of prayer a

house of prayer and I believe God's

going to honor this and he's going to do

Mighty Works through his people but can

I tell you the War Room the prayer room

is hard work yes

praying without ceasing is hard work

and I know some of you going well that's

not me I'm not a prayer Warrior I'm not

an intercessor can I tell you we are all

called to pray God has called every one

of us to pray you may not be able to be

out of these prayer rooms all the time

but I would encourage you that you would

prioritize prayer in your personal life

daily because I think that God is

raising up a church of Prayer Warriors

and that because of that he's going to

pour out his spirit in this house like

never before let's pray let's prepare

with prayer yes and if we prepare with

prayer we're also saying that we're

preparing with presence

so when we first started our church we

had about 10

10 blueprints which are our core values

and you've heard us talk about this a

lot so Jesus is our message Bible is our

God creative is our spirit oh man you're

blessing me by coming back with me team

is our strength Community is our heart

prayer is our power

and generosity is our privilege and

generations are our goal and then my

father-in-law came on came on staff and

he's just like you know there's

something missing he's like you guys

don't say anything about servanthood and

we're like ah servanthood servanthood

our calling so then we had 11. 11

Blueprints and then this year rolled

around in October the Lord was speaking

to us and one one thought it wasn't

really from the Holy Spirit but one

thought that I had was that there were

12 disciples

it's a joke guys

12 tribes of Judah yeah right 12 is the

round number but honestly he gave us

this idea

that you've got to prioritize my

presence

you can do all these other things but

which is the which is the priority

which is a priority

the presence of God has got to be our

priority and when we say that the

presence of God is our priority we're

saying that we're so desperate to be in

his presence that if we are outside of

his presence we are probably walking in

disobedience

and when where is not presence and I

talked about this last week and I really

encourage you to go back and listen to

the message on Unity without Unity there

is no presence

and I want you to hear this this is um a

moment that Moses had with God on a

Mountainside and he's it's Exodus 33

14-15 and God is telling him I'm going

to favor you I'm going to help you I'm

gonna go with you Moses but sometimes

when we have conversations with God

sometimes we hear him but we're like I'm

still scared but I still you know

anybody else like when he's trying to

encourage you the thing about this the

story that I stumbled upon is that Moses

is having a a Moses intercession is what

the subject line is for this portion of

scripture he's is having intercession

with God and it's like Caleb said every

one of us is called to be an intercessor

a lot of us are called not to just be

like sad look no it's for us to be

joyful intercessors because an

intercession moment is a moment with an

appointment with God

all of us should be making appointments

with God and so this is a like you see

an intercession here in the Old

Testament God meeting with Moses and

he's trying to encourage

Moses and he's saying my presence will

go with you that's a promise he's

promising when you are in the presence

of God you have access to his promises

he says my presence will go with you and

I will give you rest when we prioritize

the presence of God we stop relying on

ourselves

self-dependence is no longer

self-sufficiency is no longer when we're

in the presence of God we have an

opportunity for that to be broken off of

us and we say that we are going to find

rest the promise of being in his

presence is that we find rest

my presence will go with you and I will

give you rest verse 15 and he said to

him Moses it's like bro were you

listening he says if your presence will

not go with me do not bring us up from

here

it's okay that even when you're in the

presence of God there's some uncertainty

but I promise you you'll find rest and

when you find rest you'll stop doing

things in your own strength that will

lead you to the wrong places

so God wants us to prioritize his

presence and he wants to encourage us

that I'm going to give you rest that

it's not about the list it's not about

the how good of a Christian you are it's

about how much you dwell in me and know

me in the secret place you guys this is

under the service

surface our appointments with God when

we're either in these settings or by

ourselves there are under the surface

work that God says if this is going to

be a deeper people then they've got to

meet with me

and we are going to be a church that

goes deeper with him by making the

presence of God our priority and like I

said last week Unity doesn't happen

without the presence of God

if we want the presence of God we're

going to prioritize unity and you know

there's a moment a couple years ago

where I had a friend and she has a lot

of prophetic dreams and she spoke to me

and she was just like I had this dream

I'm not sure what it's all about but

there was a window that was open in your

in a house and I think I think it was

you I think it was your house and this

demon came in it was a crazy chick crazy

crazy chick sometimes demons look like

crazy chicks okay

um came in and ransacked your house

it was crazy and it was so interesting

that

the next year

um when I looked back on it a year after

she had shared this with me I realized

that I had access

in my life and my life kind of looked

like it was in disarray privately you

guys may not have thought so up here I

was I was like but me I'm preaching on

Sundays I'm helping people I'm doing the

right thing I'm like I'm following my

calling but I realize that there was an

access point in my life and you know

what access looks like

it looks like wounds that are unhealed

it looks like vulnerabilities

that you are being self-sufficient in

it looks like weaknesses that you are

applying your own strength to and I

realized that that was a warning that

dream was a warning and I had to repent

because there were areas in my life and

therapy helps conversations with loved

one helps and being in the presence of

God is the ultimate help

where he illuminated some things about

myself he healed some areas that needed

to be healed he showed me where I had

some doors open to enemies and let me

tell you division happens in the body of

Christ because there are wounds

and when those go unhealed we stay

severed from the body of Christ and when

we are not repaired how are we going to

hold the presence

if there's Brokenness everywhere

God wants us to prioritize the presence

and for us to be unified as a body so

that we can hold his presence so that

all of us can be presence carriers

because this is what needs to be served

to the rest of this world

hope love peace that happens when the

presence is in us but I believe that God

wants to heal someplace some marriages

there's some division in marriages

because we're unwilling to be healed

we're we have some issues at our

workplaces we have some issues with some

family members

and God wants to heal that up so that

you can carry the presence of God he

wants to cauterize some of those wounds

that you're experiencing where it is

just access points for the enemy so I

want to just declare right now that we

are going to be healed in Jesus name

and we are saying you have no access

to me or to this body I am keeping my

eyes on him it doesn't mean that you're

gonna feel healed the next day or maybe

he can do a miraculous work but we're

going to say I'm going to be so

dependent on God that there's no access

for the enemy to have in my life

so with this presence and preparing a

heart with the presence of God we felt

led to shift our first Wednesdays to

call them now presence nights where

we're going to

Foster welcome and and encourage the

presence of God to be in this place now

I know he's here because When Jesus

ascended to heaven the Holy Spirit came

down dwells in every one of us

but when we gather together there is a a

power in it because now all of us as

presence carriers coming together

there's a heavier presence in the room

that

is

this is this guy it resets sometimes

it's no worse we're not live anymore

like that here we said sometimes so okay

have y'all said something no

what does that mean Caleb

that means you were meant to do this

Faith Journey alongside others

you know I think we live in a very

individualistic society and I can relate

to this because I'm a very

individualistic person

it's been a challenge on our marriage

Chrissy will tell you

because I like to do me

I just like to do me I got my own time

with God I like to work out by myself

um I like to to you know study the Bible

on my own worship on my own and there's

this tendency in our culture I'm just

gonna do me

it's not how God intended it in the

family of God

he said you're a family

there's unity in community

he saw that it wasn't good for Adam to

be alone so he made him a Helper and

then he called us to be one in Christ

so I just want to say this over you

you're not gonna agree with every

perspective of everyone in the room

you're not going to see everything the

same

[Music]

but in this room

black white

Brown everything in between

We Are One in Jesus Christ you don't

come from the same side of town maybe

you don't have the same Financial

backing maybe you didn't have the same

upbringing you didn't grow up in the

church or you've been in it since you

were born it doesn't matter we are one

in Jesus Christ and we must align

ourselves with one another under the

banner of Jesus watch because it's under

him that we were called to bring Heaven

to Earth it's under him that we were

given dominion over this Earth and said

bring Heaven here build my kingdom here

on Earth

so how do we prepare Church

we prepare with each other

how do we prepare for the Miracles we

have to be one

in Christ

can I tell you you you're never going to

be one apart from Christ

because apart from Christ you're too

different

apart from Christ you have too much of

your own perspectives

but in Christ

We Are One

and so I believe that the unique

Christie talked about last week and

unity he's called us to as a church it

is the going to be the precursor for the

Miracles that he wants to release in

this place so you must right now say I

am going to build the kingdom of God

with the people that he's aligned me

with with the people that he's placed in

my life

Matthew 9.

there's a story Jesus is teaching

and he tells using this powerful analogy

he says no one puts a piece of unshrunk

cloth on an old garment

for the patch tears away from the

Garment

and a worse terror is made

neither is new wine put into old wine

skins

we don't really understand this but in

that day this is how they would prepare

wine they would take wine they would put

it in these leather pouches these wine

skins but you always put new wine and

new wine skins

and as the wine AIDS the wine skin would

Age with it they were in tandem together

if it is if you put new wine in old wine

skins the Skins burst and the wine is

spilled and the Skins are destroyed

but new wine is put into fresh wine

skins and so both are preserved

this is talking

about this new message

that God had called him to release on

the earth that he was establishing a New

Covenant he was the Fulfillment of the

Covenant which they'd seen in the Old

Testament

and in the same way I felt like today as

we came in here

that there are people in this room

that have not allowed the old things of

their life

to be put to rest

they have not let go of the old ways

maybe it's sin that you have not let go

of

that you stayed connected to maybe it's

trauma and pain that you have not been

healed of that Chrissy talked about it's

baggage that you haven't laid down at

the foot of the cross

it's unforgiveness that you've held on

to and it's become this toxicity in your

life it's bitterness that you have not

given over to God here's what I want to

say to you God is doing a new thing

right now in our house

he wants to release some new wine and

new Miracles over your life

you will not be able to receive it if

you don't let go of the old

you can't put new wine in old wine skins

you can't receive the new promise the

new anointing the new touch from God the

new Miracles if you're still stuck in

all the things of your past you're still

staying how you were when you first met

Jesus and so today in this place I felt

like I want to say there are people that

are still holding on to the old wine

skins it is time for them to lay them

down so I can put the new wine in the

new wine skin of their life heads bowed

eyes closed across this room that's you

you say Caleb that's me I've been

holding on to things of old sins

bitterness unforgiveness trauma pain I

haven't let it go I haven't given it to

God I've allowed myself to stay in

bondage and today you're saying I'm done

I want the new wine to go in the new

wine skin I don't want to stay stuck in

the old way of thinking the old way of

life the old wine skin that I've been in

for all these years today that's you I

want you to lift your hand come on go

ahead that's you put your hands up yes

hands going up around the room you got

yourself stuck in the old ways and God's

wanted to do a new thing thank you thank

you for your honesty for putting your

hands up you can put them down

second thing you're in this place you

say Caleb honestly

I don't even have relationship with

Jesus I don't know Jesus I've never

surrendered my heart to Jesus maybe you

ran from him maybe you turned your back

on him you tried to do it in your

strength your way but today you know

that in order for you to receive the

Miracles in order for you to receive the

the faith that God wants the new wine

that God wants to put on your life you

have to surrender your heart fully to

him that's you

I want you to lift your hand right now

go if that's unique give your life to

Jesus a first time rededicate yourself

yes I see that hand yes I see that hand

anyone else

yes I see that handle

come on that's what is yes I see that

hand

you can put your hands down pray this

with me Church everybody in here right

now

say this with me say Jesus today I

receive forgiveness

over my life over my sin

today we are laying down our old ways

our old sin old way of thinking

old perspectives

unforgiveness trauma God pain we're

asking you to heal it we want new wine

skins

for the new wine you're going to pour

out on our lives we pray all this in

your name Jesus

amen amen come on Church stand your feet

with us here's what I want to do

here's what I want to do I'm going to

invite the prayer team forward uh to

come

up to the front

As we sing this this is a House of

Miracles that we come alive in the name

of Jesus there's some people in this

room that you need to be healed

the old things that have held on to you

the unforgiveness the bitterness the

pain that which you have not allowed God

to heal I want you to step out there's

no judgment here this is a house of life

and freedom and love and unity and so I

believe there's people in this room you

need healing

take a let go of the old wine skins and

step into the new and so as we sing this

I want you to come our prayer team wants

to pray with you encourage you uh Speak

Life over you but let's sing this and

let this be our declaration that this is

a House of Miracles that in Jesus we

will find the light that we've been

called to so come on lift your voices

with us step out if you need prayer

today our prayer team is here