HEART FOR THE HOUSE: Change The Atmosphere

Welcome to the celebrating church on the window podcast.

We are celebrating the window, and we hope you are curved by the day.

Alright.

Alright, alright, church.

How you guys doing?

You guys doing good?

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

We almost made it before the video.

We almost did it, but hey man, we still got another service.

We'll get it by the video.

Always.

Always, always, always.

If it's your one of your first times here, want to thank you guys so much for coming to worship with us today.

Obviously, we typically don't have couches and everything out here, but we should.

We should.

We should.

Maybe that will be the new flow.

This is nice.

I think that I would like come out with a sweater, some slippers on, and just like cross my legs and just contificate on the glory of God.

So that'll be next week.

So this might be a new thing.

We're just testing out some things right now.

Um but we want to do is we want to kind of like like wrap up our Heart for the House um series that we've been in and just kind of have some discussions around some of the things that God has truly given us a vision and a burden for, and what we're inviting you to be a part of.

So before we get into that, I do want to like, I really want to highlight what you were talking about earlier with with baptism.

So that's next week.

So that's a that's a that's a significant thing that obviously here at Celebration Orlando, that I think that we're probably uh among the best to do it in the sense that our community is all in it together, the way that we celebrate.

So I'm really excited for baptism.

I remember many years being a part of of what God's doing here and watching many of you take your next step.

So so if that is you, maybe you're maybe you're even entering into a new season and God's stirring on your heart that you want to have like something that can serve as a as a milestone, as a catalyst for you to move on.

Please, please consider getting baptized, man.

We would love to baptize you and do that.

But then after that, so that's next week, but but after this, and you're gonna love this, Mike.

You're gonna love this.

It might, you might, you might.

So after that, the week after that, we're kicking off our Holy Spirit series.

Come on, man.

Yo, like listen, it's gonna it's gonna be incredible.

Like it's gonna be powerful.

It's we're gonna unpack the power of the Holy Spirit.

What is it?

What does he mean in your life today?

Like, it's really gonna be an opportunity not only for us to gain understanding around this powerful subject, but how to really begin to walk in the power that God has called us to walk in.

So I can't wait for that, man.

So it's gonna be really good.

Yeah, it's gonna be awesome.

Are you are you gonna be good, Mike?

I'm gonna be Am I gonna be good?

I'm gonna be great.

Just don't get shocked.

I may have some oil.

I have oil right now.

As you should.

As you should.

Why wouldn't you?

Don't test it.

Absolutely.

Chicken, right?

We grew up very differently.

I grew up Southern Baptist.

So many people are wondering, like, why does he have oil on him?

We're gonna explain it.

We're gonna use oil more from chicken.

We can unpack, we can unpack it.

I'm just gonna line you up in the front and I'm just gonna slap you, and you're just gonna fall out.

Yes.

Yes, that's that's how that's going to be.

That's the church where you are.

Modesty cloths and everything.

We're gonna cover you up.

It's gonna be good.

Yes, get ready for that.

Make sure people see his first time this Sunday are very confused right now.

They are.

Come back.

I promise you.

We'll get into the book next week.

I promise you.

Um, but yeah, so we're we're we're in a good season.

But I I want to circle back real quick because we are wrapping up our Heart for the House season.

And so for the past couple of weeks, we've been talking about what does it really mean to have a heart for the house and what does it mean to give and partner with the vision that God has given any respective um church.

So all across all of our locations, both here and globally, we all are kind of like considered today to be our Heart for the House offering day.

So for the past couple weeks, we've asked everyone to kind of pray and kind of listen to some of the things that God has put on our heart, and we want to unpack that um with a little bit more detail.

But I also want to um give you a couple of scriptures I want you to write down, just so in your in your spare time, if you want to circle back and look at some of these.

Um some of these are familiar because I've I've addressed some of these texts um over the past couple of weeks, but I do want you to just have them as a frame of reference.

Um, Exodus 25, verses 1 and 2.

Exodus 25:1

Again, a key word that's in there is everyone gives as their heart is stirred.

As God speaks to their heart, we want them to respond to it.

Um, Matthew 6, 21, another powerful passage that talks about our resources and how it's connected to our hearts.

And then also in 2 Corinthians 9, I'm looking at verses 6 and 7.

Again, that whole context is around um people coming together.

They're they're taking those resources and identifying the vision that God has for the house.

And then looking at verse number 7, I said that each one must give as he's already decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And and I love the premise of that because with all of these scriptures, it all deals with the heart.

And what I'm hoping that we can that we can communicate today is that we don't want anyone to give under compulsion.

We don't want anyone to give because they feel like they're caught up in an emotional moment.

Over the past couple of weeks, we've been just asking you to pray, be sensitive to what God is asking you to do, and to be obedient as God begins to stir you.

But it's all it all starts with the heart.

So that's really what this Heart for the House season is is really all about.

So with with Heart for the House, uh Pastor Keith, you've been talking about it for the last few weeks, and we really haven't given any uh necessarily specifics yet because we wanted to wait until this Sunday uh to do that.

But you know, as a staff, we've been talking about this for a really long time.

But the things you have talked about that we are that Heart for the House is all about, is that is one of the things is I mean, Heart for the House is specifically for here in Orlando, what uh you know, what we're gonna give to, what this is all about, and that is our church.

And you know, you've been talking about over the last few weeks, whether it be for just equipping our church.

You keep saying using this word equip.

And I know in in Jacksonville, we're all talking about the same thing, is equipping believers here in here in the church, those who attend on Sundays or you know, attend, you know, back in Jacksonville or across the globe, whatever nights they have, uh is is is equipping those of us who are followers of Jesus.

And you know, when you say equipping, can you explain to us some of the ways that that that that you're thinking of that uh that that we want to give to in 2020?

Absolutely.

Um so one of the things that uh one of the many things that that we've been asked about, particularly with us, if you're new here, Megan and I have been in this role as the as the lead pastors for about five going into our sixth month.

And so whenever there's moments of of transition of of that magnitude, one of the one of the questions that constantly comes up is where are we going?

What are we doing?

What's the what's the vision of the house?

And and those are all very like practical, realistic questions.

And maybe even some of you are are asking those same questions.

So let me let me kind of resolve that and then we'll we'll hop into some other things.

I I honestly don't believe that that I have the authority to determine what that is.

And here's what I mean by that.

Jesus tells us that.

Jesus, Jesus tells us what the vision is for his church because we are his church.

And so here's what I can tell you.

We're our our our mission, our vision, and whatever colorful language we wrap around it with our branding and all of our creativity, at the end of the day, it comes down to uh of to two things reaching the loss and equipping the found.

That's the mission and vision for every single church that exists.

If it's not, then run far away from it as you can.

Because that's the mission that Jesus has left for all of us is to reach the loss and equip the found.

So everything that we do as a church will fall into one of those two overarching categories.

We're doing something that's either to reach people who don't know Jesus, or we're gonna do our best to equip people who know who Jesus is, so that they now can now go out and begin to do this same thing that was done for them.

So that's the big picture of what we mean by equip.

But but more specifically as it relates to equipping and our assignment here at Celebration Orlando, is it's understanding the season that we're in.

Not only as a church, but just culturally speaking.

And what we're aware of is that by by just looking at statistics and and having an understanding of where we are, um, the average person comes to church like 1.8 times per month.

I don't know how you calculate 0.8 in attendance, but you guys understand how numbers work.

You just kind of calculate.

And so the average person comes to church 1.8 times a month.

And some of it is because of work schedules, some of it is because of like a lot of other things going on.

But what we want to make sure of is that we're able to resource and equip people so that their faith is not something that they rally around on Sunday, but by Tuesday they begin to run out of gas.

We want to make sure that we're able to equip and resource them.

So here's a couple of things specifically, um, and I'll give you some examples around that.

That kind of is really on that's really on my heart.

When I when I think about like marriages and home life and things along those lines, we realize that there's a lot of things that are fighting for your attention.

Our our phones, our televisions, all these things are there, and we're engaged in these things anyway.

And so when we when we have opportunities in these vehicles that allows us to deliver content exactly where you are, it's only going to help us to resource people that much more.

So when it comes to like our equipped classes, um, we have a lot of different things that the church offers.

Because here here's what I'm aware of when I when I'm sitting in a room of this size.

As you guys will will see, it it ties right back to the to the Exodus narrative.

I'm I'm aware that sitting in this room right now, there is somebody who may be at this church for the first time, but to take it a step further, there's somebody who doesn't know Jesus at all.

So in my mindset, that's a reflection of Egypt, just someone who's away from God altogether.

At the same time, in this exact same room, there's somebody here who has a walk with God, but they're walking through some things as we all are, and I call that the wilderness season, where you're trusting God, but you're walking through some things, and you're not fully functioning, but you're seeing progress in your life.

We have those individuals that are sitting in here right now.

But in addition to that, we also have people that are in Canaan, the promised land.

You understand who you are in Christ, that you're thriving in your walk with God, but God still wants you to pursue more and to help other people.

So in any given Sunday, we have all three of those individuals sitting in this room at the same time.

So the assignment that all of us have, particularly myself, as I as I share each Sunday, is I now have to create a message that can speak to the person that's in Egypt, that can encourage the person that's in the wilderness, and equip the person that's in Canaan.

So we know that on Sundays, we're not able to go as deep as we want to.

We're not able to unpack everything.

You catch me in the lobby after this, and we can go there.

But you realize that you have to work through all of this because all of you guys are sitting in the room at the same time.

When we talk about equipping, what that allows us to do is it allows us to take the conversation beyond what happens here on this platform, and now we can tailor it more specifically to the varying needs that are in this room.

So one of the tools that we want to be able to revamp is we really want to upgrade our technology.

As we know that there are so many ways that people engage information, but there's not a shortage of information.

What we actually need is a revelation, an integration.

We want to take what God is doing in us and be able to, hey man, I'm just getting started.

That was good, right?

I didn't even have that in my notes, Justin.

Um I just I'm just a fountain of wisdom.

Out of the overflow of the heart.

Yes, out of the overflow.

So so honestly, for us, what that means is we realize that some of you have um crazy work schedules, and maybe you want to come to one of our equipped classes.

That takes place in our church offices, but it may be hard for you to get there.

We never want someone's ability to take their next step in their discipleship journey to be limited by their ability to be in the building.

So, what we want to do is we want to upgrade all of our equipment and technology so that we can extend our podcast.

Now, let me let me say this.

Um, I noticed when we had um we started the Exodus series, and I think like week two, we had like the hurricane.

So we didn't even have church on on that Sunday.

So we ended up recording it really quick in the offices and we and we put it up on YouTube.

And we saw all through social media, like all the watch parties, many of you guys gathering together to participate.

We saw such a profound pouring out of people who wanted to engage the content beyond just sitting in this room.

Please hear our heart.

I want everyone who feels called to be here to be here every single Sunday, but I don't want the conversation to end here.

We want to be able to resource and equip.

And so, what we would be able to do if I use the Exodus narrative as an example, while I'm aware of Egypt, wilderness, and Canaan, I'm also aware that there's other conversations we can have.

And with us upgrading our technology, it will allow us to have dedicated podcasts to varying subjects and even different people groups that we then can deliver that content to you right from your phone in your homes and things like that.

So equipping is really taking what we're doing and taking a conversation beyond what just happens here on a Sunday.

Yeah, and I would also say about equipping people with resources a lot of times during the week, you go through many things.

Sometimes it's and it's not a bad thing, sometimes it's challenging times.

And equipping people with resources helps you, it strengthens your faith.

You know, it helps you develop a personal relationship with God outside of the Sunday service.

And so that's what we're we're thankful for that we do have what we have so far, but we want to reach people more in your homes or whether it's being streaming.

I mean, I know that's a big deal for like when you go out of town and you miss a Sunday, you're like, oh, I don't want to miss Sunday, but I still want to have church.

We want to be able to stream the services so that you don't miss anything and that you're still equipped going uh through your next week.

Amen.

I forgot about that.

Thank you for circling back.

Good job.

You're welcome.

Yeah, I mean, I think I think all of us in this room, we've we've benefited from something like this, whether it be from from other churches.

I mean, I my office is right next to Mike.

I think Mike is a part of about nine different churches because I always hear like TD Jakes, you know, just blasting out, you know, whatever the Sunday service was, you know.

I'm in there praying all the time.

Yeah, and so you know, I I think we've all benefited from from churches who who do this, you know, but like I think our church is pretty incredible.

Like, you know, I I think your messages are great.

I'm not trying to fluff you up but say that.

Yeah, I think, you know.

I don't think they heard you, Justin.

Say that one more time.

I think your messages are great.

I think, yeah.

Did y'all hear what he said?

Can y'all be the man of God?

You know what I mean?

You know, and so just realizing, you know, I I do.

I watch about three or four different pastors and their messages from Sundays throughout the week, and it does like what you were saying, Pastor Megan, it does like it helps you grow personally.

Like there's things I may experience something during the week.

All I gotta do is go to Google and type in, like, uh, I don't know, anxiety Chris Hodges from Highlands and Church of the Highlands, whatever it may be.

And it pops up, and there's something that I can watch right then and there.

Same with our equip classes.

You know, we we had a finance class uh last month.

There's something you can go to our website, man, I'm struggling with finances right now, type that in, and boom, you didn't miss it, but you're right there in it now.

And so that's what we want to do, and just some stats real quick on why this is so important.

500 million minutes of videos are watched on YouTube every single day.

Wow.

People need to get a job.

One billion weekly users participate on Instagram, and 40% more with video than static posts.

So the engagement, people are engaging with video.

Gone are the days of just posting a picture of your dinner when you're out to eat and getting a lot of likes.

People don't want to see that junk anymore.

They want to see how you made the dinner.

Okay?

You know, that's true.

You know, and so that's we want to, you should do a cooking show.

You don't know I can cook.

Look at cooking.

But does that surprise anybody?

Mike, look, you look like somebody who can cook.

I look like I can cook.

You're you're I'm still waiting, like, I've been here like five months.

I think we're going into six months now, and I'm still waiting for like that bread pudding.

Oh, yeah.

Yes, mac and cheese.

Yes, come on.

It's it's getting to a point now, Mike, where you have to make a decision.

I can leave this stage right now and go to a store and go cook.

Well, like, how about after service?

We can't.

I think a different spirit is beginning to take over this conversation right now.

So we're gonna get back to the hungry spirit.

Yeah.

So, okay, so so we've talked about the tech package.

Like we've talked about kind of what we want to do technology-wise, but it's it's more than just that.

We've been talking about for the last five years, we've been talking about a permanent location.

Come on, y'all.

Can I get an amen?

Yes, let the church say amen.

And so can you just can you just explain just a little bit of kind of like what that means when we're when we're when we give towards a permanent location?

Yeah, I mean, and I I think that most of us we we get that.

And and if you're on one of our teams, like, yes, I I love set up and tear down just as much as the next person said no one ever.

Um ever.

But and and here's what that means.

Like, for those who who are unaware, like this is obviously a school, and we're so grateful for our relationships with the school system that allows us to come in and and turn this school into a place of worship every day.

And what I truly believe is that it's because of what we do here that it permeates and it actually is an encouragement of the students and the teachers and the faculty as they come in on every single week.

I really do believe that with my heart.

Yeah, we we can have like I think one person to clap, but I think at some point we just gotta give a courtesy support.

Yeah.

Um, so I do I do believe that, but I also know that just like we see in scripture, like when the tabernacle was built, it was a season when they were mobile and they had to have the nimbleness and had to adjust.

But then when David came on the scene, he had a heart to build a house for God.

And and what that does is just allows us to have a stable location where we're now able to reallocate our resources to better equip.

Now, now here's a couple things.

We we realize, as we're saying, we want to do everything we can in this season to remove the barriers that keeps us from doing everything that God is calling us to do.

We want that for your own lives.

Like, what are some of the barriers that limit your ability to engage God?

So we want to be able to deliver content to you in the event that you can't make it here on any specific Sunday.

But to take that a step further in the context of us having a local building, there's many times that we're we're talking and we're praying and we're saying, like, hey, let's have a let's have a worship night.

Okay, so now that that that kicks into a whole bunch of conversations on availability, who's gonna help us set up?

Okay, we have to tear down, it's gonna be during the week.

Well, they have school the next day.

So it creates these limitations in our ability to really respond to what we feel like God's ultimately calling us to do.

So not only was is this gonna allow us to do church and have a permanent location, which obviously is a powerful thing, and that's to have a regional hub in this area that that we can partner with other churches and all that stuff, but even just serving you guys, we feel like us having our permanent location, creating a space where you can come in at lunch and come and pray, where we can have worship nights that doesn't require a whole lot of uh backing to it.

Like that's ultimately what it is.

So I think that we get that.

We we understand that because we truly do believe that when we are able to take ground, even if you look at it in your own life, I remember those moments when when when we used to like rent and we were moving from place to place, but when we honestly were able to take ground and say, like, this is our home and we're gonna build it the way that God's called us to build it and watch what God does with it.

I truly believe that's what the mission is for us.

So we've we've been in this season for a while, but I think that God is now positioning us where now, as a as a response to your giving and your generosity, it's gonna put us in a position that as we're having conversations about where God will have us to make our permanent location, as God begins to speak to us about what our next steps are, we're gonna be able to respond to that very quickly as a result of you guys' generosity and walking alongside us in this season.

Yeah, let me let me just say this.

For five years, we have we have, you know, me and Mike have been here for the last five years, and we have always got this question, be like, man, when are you guys gonna get a permanent building?

Like, I don't know, when God gives us one.

Like, you know, it's you know, it's not you know, we don't enjoy the suffer of setup and break.

It's not like this is we're intentionally, you know, you know, we're whatever.

But we thought when we moved here, uh we we signed a three-year lease here at Howard Middle School, and in our minds, we're like, oh, for sure, for sure.

Like, you know, end of year one, we're gonna have a building, you know.

This is gonna be year one ended, be like, oh no, for sure, you know, year two, definitely.

And then, and then the contract ended, and we were like, yeah, for sure, by the time, you know, whatever.

And we we we are looking, and this year, we are believing, you know, we are we are believing, for sure, you know.

We are believing, you know.

This year.

This is the this is the year, 2020, 2020.

I'm sure, I'm sure you could bring something biblical out of that.

I don't know.

You know, I'm putting you on the spot.

We'll we'll talk about next service.

We'll talk about next service.

Yeah, listen to the podcast for next service.

Um Vision, 2020 vision.

Oh, you know, we can write the vision, make a claim.

Um give me a second, man.

We'll go there.

Um my mind is blown.

Yes.

So, yeah, we have we have vision to get the building, writing the vision, making it plain that we're gonna follow where God's leading us to go.

But we truly do believe it's gonna be a benefit um to our entire region.

So that's something that we're really believing God for.

You are so wise.

Um okay, so part of this heart for the house is it's it's it's our church here.

Like it's it's celebration church here in Orlando.

But another part of this that you've been talking about over the last few weeks is that of Heart for the House for our city.

Um I I love this quote that you've been saying just amongst staff, and I mentioned it in in an offering a few weeks ago.

You asked this question, I've never thought about it like this, but would our city miss a celebration if we were to just go away tomorrow?

When you asked that, I was like, I don't know, I don't I don't know.

You know, like I I would hope so.

You know, I I would really hope so, but it convicted me of like how focused, you know, am I, Justin Todd, you know, on my city?

Like, am I doing things that if tomorrow I were not around, like would am I making an impact?

And so, you know, I want to kind of ask you, what are some of those things that that we as celebration church want to do to impact our city more?

Yeah, absolutely.

And and and and and on the heels of that question, I realize that we that for years we've we've stepped into some very uncomfortable spots.

We respond to crisis.

I can't I can't keep count of the many moments that we've stepped up and that we've been engaged.

So by all means, we've we've done a lot.

But what really stirred that that question that I pose to us is is really looking at a sustained impact in the environment that God has called us to be in.

And and I really think that it's it's it's understanding that it's not one or the other, but it's both.

How can we how can we build and equip the church here, also recognizing that God has given us a bigger assignment beyond here and having uh an impact in the city?

And and so that's really just been something I've been thinking about.

And when we did have that question amongst our staff and even amongst some of you, we've found that, yeah, there's moments where we step in, serve day, those moments where we step in and we rally, but it becomes more like an event instead of it being a sustained presence.

And I want us to have something that's more than just like, hey, we're gonna rally on this one day in the summertime, and then we'll come back in the next summertime, or we're gonna wait for the holiday and do something.

No, I believe that the mandate that God has given the church and us is to have a sustained presence in the community that He's called us to be a part of.

And I think the best way that we do that is we do our best to intentionally remember the people that society has forgotten.

Um, I think that's the assignment that God has really given us because here's here's here's what I know, practically speaking.

I I realize that that so much of our energy and resources are built around the Sunday experience, and that's not going to change.

We're gonna continue to do that.

But I also believe that God has given us the resources and the vision to realize that there are people beyond who are just in this room that also need to be met with the gospel of Jesus Christ as well.

Every time I ride through our city and I see people who are that are homeless or that are in a need state, um, I know that there's that tension that we wrestle with because it's like, man, like.

Like, how did they end up there?

For me, I look at it through the lens of like all of us have a story to tell.

And if I and as I've shared before, like it's just one decision away that maybe I could have been that person.

Maybe because I have family support, that my family would have rallied and taken care of me if something were to happen to me.

Maybe for another person they didn't have that opportunity, regardless of what that all is, and we can go down that rabbit trail any given moment.

It's more so what is God calling us to do with that?

What are we supposed to do when we see someone who's in in needs?

And so we don't necessarily feel like a significant burden to recreate the wheel, so to speak.

We just feel like God has given us a responsibility to recognize the organizations that are already making such a huge difference in our city and partnering with them and providing them with resources and giving avenues for us as a people to come alongside and to serve with them.

So the homeless community is something that's really big on my heart.

In addition to that, I also want to step into the prisons and help those individuals as well.

Because even regardless of the crimes they've committed and the fact that they're repaying their debt to society, those are still men and women that are made in the image of God.

He still has a purpose and a call for their lives.

And just because they're in captive, it does not mean that Jesus still does not want to reach them with the grace and with the word of God.

So I want to come alongside our prison ministries and people who are in the prisons.

Do you know that there are many churches now that have begun to actually plant churches in prisons?

That they're actually using those as one of their locations because those individuals need the gospel as well.

When we looked at the mission statement of Jesus that's found in Luke 4, which he's reading from Isaiah 61, every one of the things that Jesus says that he's coming to do, they're attached to people who have needs.

I love what you said about the homeless.

Um, one of the things that I love that our our staff does is there's uh special kits and stuff that they have specifically for the homeless that you can just grab um out of our offices and we keep them in our car.

And so if we don't have money, we have resources like toothbrushes and deodorant and stuff like that that we can just hand out to them uh in those moments.

So we do have a heart for them, but we want to reach so much more.

There's so much we need in the city of Orlando.

I mean, there's many homeless, the stats are out there, um, but we just want to reach them more than just having you know one thing in our hand.

Like, how can we equip them to get off of their feet?

How can we partner with organizations to do that?

And so I'm grateful that you know, for the the burden that God has for our city, um, that we can do a little bit more.

And one thing I want to add to that, because I know we have to have to keep moving, in addition to that as well, is is is honestly like is our senior community.

We know that there are there are many that are in our senior community, and um, and many times they may feel like they're forgotten or that they're left out, and maybe their families have put them in there, or there's all types of variables that are there.

But I do feel like God has given us a mandate to go into those spaces to ensure that those individuals feel loved and encouraged and that we're presenting the gospel to them as well.

And I mean, and they literally could be in a position where that's their last chance of hearing from it.

So I think God is just calling us to step into these spaces where people need um to have an experience with the love of God, and and and I feel like our responsibility is to step into those spaces and do it.

Yeah, and you know, to kind of to kind of wrap this whole whole thing up, I know we're keeping it moving, but you know, so we've talked about our church, celebration or we're doing that through technology and and and kind of equipping our church, and we've talked about our city, whether it be through homeless, the homelessness population, the prison ministry, or or senior care.

But the last thing that that we've been talking about for Heart for the House that you've kind of touched on is that for our world.

And uh, you know, for for Heart for the House, you know, uh we've been talking about and staff, and you've mentioned it on stage a few times, is is man reaching and resourcing the youth.

And I know you guys just spent about two weeks at our celebration Zimbabwe uh campus, and that's I know that's gonna be a huge part of it too.

So can you just speak a little bit more to that?

Absolutely, and I can I can go on for for hours about this.

So let me just give you guys some some quick stats so that you can understand um the dynamics of what we're talking about, specifically looking at like our youth uh initiative.

So that's more than just here in Orlando, but that's just all of our network of churches really feeling like there's a need for us to really engage the the next generation.

Here's a couple of stats.

Um, of all everyone that kind of fits into that Gen Z category, which when I looked at it last night, is basically from the ages of 10 through 24, is kind of considered um Generation Z.

35% of the people that fall into that demographic, um, they view the Bible as irrelevant and hypocritical.

Um that's kind of how they view it.

Of that demographic, 60% of them walk away from church when they are old enough that they can do it.

Um of that demographic, only um 75% of them would say that they read their Bibles, but only once per month.

So we're looking at like a generation of people that are that are drastically um uh falling away from God.

And and and one of the things that's very humbling for me to consider is when I think about if we continue on this trend, when the next generation becomes now, and if they're not engaged in God's word, if they're not engaged in church, we will eventually begin to see the church take a decline as we become those who are now in the senior um communities and we begin to die off.

Like we're at an epidemic where this is what the stats say that of that Gen Z, it's the least church generation that has ever existed since mankind was birthed.

Like, I want us to feel the weight of that.

Like, this generation is the least church ever.

But God has given us the vision, the insight, and the ability to partner with organizations that are dedicated to equipping this generation with making sure that the statistic of 60% walking away from the church, that we can reverse that.

See, I feel like what we do uh a lot of times in the church is that we we're really good at reacting.

We react to things, we react to brokenness, we react to things.

But I believe that God wants us to stop reacting and to start responding by getting ahead of it.

Because this is what I truly believe.

I believe that it's far much um better resource of our stewardship and of our time if we can actually deposit into people instead of trying to repair them on the back end.

So, what we want to do as a church is we want to come alongside organizations like One Hope, um, the Bible Project, as well as You version, to create this content that we can deliver to our students and to our youth pastors and everyone who's involved in it, where we're actually helping our students to grow and be rooted in their faith.

I love the idea of David, who was a teenager when he went to face Goliath, and this is the imagery that I want for all of our students.

When Saul tried to put his armor on them, you know what David said?

I can't go in this, I can't wear this.

Here's what I want for us.

I want for us to equip our next generation with these resources and environments where they can grow, that when the world puts labels on them, they're like, man, I can't go in it, that's not me.

I I'm not gonna go in it, that's not who I am.

I know that the world wants to put these labels on me, but that's not who I am.

And so us, our ability to partner with organizations that specialize and bringing this content to students, is it changes everything.

It radically changes their lives so that way when they do reach the age where they're going away to college and they're having every temptation, every obstacle, and every thread of doubt is trying to find a way of attaching itself to them.

They can say, No, I can't go in this.

I know who I am in Christ, I know that God is real, and they actually become the ones who are going out and reaching people instead of being taken off the path that God has for them.

That's good.

That's good.

Michael, you serve with the youth um on the weekends at OCC.

Tell us about that.

I love it.

So that, and you know, and that is one of the best things that I love that we get to do is we get to partner with people who are already doing it, which is which is amazing.

Because how many times have we been in churches where we're like we're gonna invent something new?

And then you have just basically everybody doing their own thing, but nobody really accomplishing anything.

And so what we get to do every weekend, and and some of them actually who are directors there come to celebration and we actually partner with Orlando's Children's Church on the weekends, and it is phenomenal to be able to impact the lives of students, not just in one part of town, but they bust in students from all over the city.

So whatever we say there ends up going into other parts of the city.

So now you can kind of start to see how your stretch is actually going.

So your one Saturday morning, four hours or whatnot could really impact in really an almost infinite way the entire community and how we are either impacting in their home lives or impacting um just in the schools in the in this county, and so it is absolutely impactful, and that's even going from the youngest of ages all the way through high school, and just being able to love on them essentially because that's the crux of it, is just loving on um these students and then being able to provide the word of God to them.

And I'm sure we'll be able to resource with all the um the Bible project information and everything else in a way that is tangible to them and to our city.

And that's that's the goal.

Ultimately, it's partnering, like you said, with other organizations that are already doing it.

And I I love what you said.

Everybody's doing their own thing, but no one's making a difference.

We actually want to identify where the people that are making a difference.

Let's send resources and people in those lanes where we can actually begin to say, as a result of us getting involved in this, we've seen this happen.

It's quantifiable, it's not just these feel-good moments, but we literally can point and say, we saw the homeless population decrease as a result of us getting involved.

We've seen students being more discipled by measurables that we can actually begin to tabulate now as a result of us getting involved.

So those are some of the things.

But then um, Pastor Justin, you had mentioned um celebrations Zimbabwe, they fall into all this as well.

So, as you guys know, Megan and I just came back from there um a couple weeks ago, and and it was a life-changing experience for us, and we're gonna have trips there.

We had an opportunity to meet our sponsored child while we were there.

Um, so it was the whole experience was really powerful.

But here's the best way that I can put it there, they're God has like given them such profound favor that they're able to go into these regions where there's literal cult worship.

I I couldn't begin, and I could tell you guys in some conversations that when you're riding through a country and a community and you see that they create these spaces for these ritualistic sacrifices, that God has given us favor in those exact areas and we're putting churches there, and the people that were once involved in those things are getting radically saved and getting involved in the church.

I can't think of a more literal um parallel to what it means to take ground from the enemy.

So God has given us favor to literally plant churches in these environments that are so far removed where cults are being um very, very pervasive, but yet we're stepping in and we're seeing the hearts of men change.

So in this season for Heart for the House, all of our global churches, we recognize that there's one location that you and I went to in Sourtown inside of Zimbabwe where they already have the material.

They just need resources so they can actually build the building so that they can begin to have churches there.

It creates jobs for people.

And like for us, us giving just a thousand dollars over there may seem like, yeah, that's a little bit over here.

That changes everything for people over there.

Like it literally changes people's lives with something like that.

So a portion of our Heart for the House is gonna be going over to our celebration Zim community, so that not only are we gonna be able to build a place where the enemy has now currently operating, but we're gonna begin to take ground back.

But also we'll partner with schools in that area because every single day we as a result of all of our giving, we feed 60,000 kids every day in in Zimbabwe.

Every day, and what we're truly believing is by the end of the year, as a result of what we're doing in Heart for the House, we're gonna be able to bump that up to like a hundred thousand kids per day.

Wow.

Per day.

Like that's a big deal, but it's all because we all have a Heart for the House.

And so God's been doing some incredible things over there.

Yeah.

And I would say too, uh, your giving has already, like at Sourstown, that's where our sewing project room is.

They have a uh business over there where they've equipped the people in the community to be able to um teach them a trade, to be able to sew things like bags and make jewelry and all this stuff so they can make uh funds for their families and stuff like that and sell those things.

So it's actually on the Sourstown um ground.

And so we were able to see that and see them working hard when we walked in there, and that was just amazing to see like not only are they equipping people with equipping the kids with food, helping to integrate them with the word of God, um, but they're also taking people in the community who need jobs.

I mean, there's a 95% employment rate there, and so every person that we can get to get employed, you know, we're just helping that to decrease.

So your giving has already contributed to that.

Yeah, it's a it's a big deal.

Did you they got pictures of us when we were in Zoom?

Look, that's so cool.

Look at us.

Like, y'all see us in the mission field just suffering for Jesus.

We really went, guys, I promise.

Um that's not Photoshop.

So so here's what it here's what it all boils down to.

And I know that Pastor Justin hit on it earlier.

Um, and in just a few moments, we're gonna create some space for us to have our our heart for the house offering.

That kind of like is in our opportunity for us to kind of partner with the vision that we truly believe that God has has given us.

And so we're gonna create some space where you can pray.

We've we've invited you to pray over the past couple of weeks, but we're gonna create some space in our service um right now for you to kind of pray and really say, God, like again, what what do you put on my heart?

What is the heart, what is the thing that God's stirring in your heart?

Not under compulsion, but as God has led you to do that, we want to create the space for you to do that.

And then once you do pray, we'll go into worship, we'll give, and we'll we'll seal the service out, and Pastor Justin will give us some instructions.

But I do want to give us uh just a real quick um biblical framework because I think that God has given us um an opportunity that we really can change the atmosphere.

So the the primary text I want to look at, and we're gonna go through this really quick, is is found at the Gospel of John chapter 12, and is verses one through eight.

John 12 · chapter mention

I'm I'm not gonna read all of it, but I do want to read um this one part where it talks about what Mary gave to Jesus.

And what it says here at verse number three, it says, Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

So I want us to get this imagery of Jesus being in this person's house, and that Mary was moved in such a way that she wanted to come and to and pour out this blessing on her.

And I think there's some things that we can see in all of that.

Because I think that what we see when it says that the house was filled, is we see that the atmosphere was changed.

That means that she poured out so much of this perfume that it it literally changed the atmosphere.

And I honestly believe our assignment for us, for all the things that we've talked about, is I think that God has given each of us the ability to change the atmosphere.

Because who among us hasn't been around the person that went a little heavy on the cologne and it and it changes it changes the atmosphere?

My my my oldest son, he he would hate that I would tell the story, but when he was when he was uh going through those little teenage years, when he was trying to show off, like he used to go real strong on an axe body spray.

Like that was that was his that was his jam.

And so like he would get up early in the morning because obviously school was like first thing in the morning, but we would wake up maybe like around seven o'clock, and he'd already been gone since like six something, and you could just smell axe body spray everywhere he was.

Like it it changed the atmosphere, every room that he was in.

Because in his mind, he's thinking, like, man, it's a long day.

So he wanted to put on enough at 6 a.m.

that he could still have it smelling real strong at four when he was coming home.

So he he would like empty the and it would it would fill the atmosphere, like it, it it changed everything.

It got to a point where you would get nauseous when you smelled it.

You you would get uncomfortable, like you would like, man, is it gonna attach itself to me?

Like you just didn't, it got it got it got really weird, but but here's the thing he put on enough that it literally changed the atmosphere.

Every room he went into, it it left that aroma there.

And and and what if what if I told you that that the grace that's on your life has the ability to change the atmosphere?

What if what if I told you that when you go into your workplace and if you have that joy on your life that it should change the atmosphere?

What if what if I told you that when you go into your home and you're dealing with tension, but if you allow yourself to wear the the the garment of peace, that you have the ability to change the atmosphere?

What I want us to see is that that God puts something on us that allows us and empowers us to change the atmosphere.

You don't have to adapt to what's happening in those rooms, but you are supposed to allow those rooms to adapt to the grace of God that's on your life.

And I believe that this is a powerful illustration of that.

And when we look at Mary and the way that she poured out what was on her and how it changed the atmosphere is the same thing that I believe God wants us to do in our homes, with our students, in our marriages, with equipping in Zimbabwe, all these areas that God is asking us to be a part of is that we that we deposit something that has the ability to change the atmosphere.

So as we prepare to pray, there's there's three things that I want us to kind of process through as it relates to having a heart that can change the atmosphere.

First and foremost, it's a it's a heart of thankfulness.

Because with Mary, her brother was dead.

As you read this text and you look at what happened in John chapter 11, Lazarus has died.

John 11 · chapter mention

But Jesus shows up, he's resurrected, and so now they're having this big party.

So in the mind of Mary, she sees Lazarus, that thing that was once dead, sitting next to Jesus, and this overwhelming sense of gratitude began to rise up inside of her heart.

I'm not sure about you, but I know for me, when I begin to go back and look at the resume of my life, there are moments that I am so thankful for what God has saved me from.

I'm so thankful for the dead things in my life that Jesus has resurrected.

I'm so thankful for the fresh opportunities that He's given me.

So when we prepare to give, it's giving through the lens of has God been good to you?

Is there anything that God has stirred or that he's changed in your life?

And it's with that attitude that we have.

But in addition to having a heart that's full of thankfulness, it's really just a heart full of generosity.

Because she poured out a lot.

Like it wasn't, it wasn't a small amount, like it was it was a lot.

It would have been considered like an extravagant, over-the-top gift.

Like the oil that was there, like it was imported from India.

Like they say that it was 300 denari, which basically translates to about$10,000.

So imagine this.

Imagine going to your local, going to your local Walgreens right now and buying$10,000 worth of old spice.

And then bringing it here to church and just pouring it all on Pastor Justin right now, just head to toe.

I prefer brute.

Okay, yeah.

Or brute.

You do look, you look like a brute man.

Brute and Wranglers, just brett farving it.

Um so but but imagine that.

Like it would, it would be that's that's an exorbitant amount.

But I what I think is that she she understood that I have no intentions on holding back.

I have no intentions on being conservative in this area.

I want, I really want to change the atmosphere.

And so it it got on everything.

But then the the last part that I really think it's it's something that we can probably lean into in this moment is that we also have a heart that has a desire to make an impact.

As we've talked about the places that God has given us an invitation to be and be involved in, it really is understanding that God is inviting us to have an impact.

As I as I share with my son's story and how the aroma lasted longer than him, I wonder if we really began to look at things through this lens.

If am I giving something that will outlive me?

Am I giving something that that can that can still exist even when I'm no longer in the room?

That's that's the overflow that I believe we see in this text and what God is inviting us to be a part of.

The material that they wore back in those days would have been like a combination of of wool and cotton.

I've done some research on this, thank God for Google.

And what you'll find is with with with wool and cotton is that it's a it's a material that that breathes.

And with heat, it actually traps the smell, but then it actually slowly releases it.

So here's what I want us to get a sense of.

She poured out so much that it didn't just get on Jesus, but it was on everybody.

Have you have you ever been in someone's home and maybe they got some fried chicken or something going on, and you can smell it, like it's on her hair, like it's it gets on everything.

Like we we've all been in those moments.

Whenever we make bacon at home, like, okay, I can smell it, it's on everything, like it attaches itself.

So it stands the reason that they she poured out so much that it wasn't just for Jesus, but everyone that was in the vicinity was the beneficiaries of what it poured out.

Mary was the beneficiary of what she poured out, Peter was the beneficiary of what was poured out.

And here's here's the imagery that I want us to see is that not only when when Jesus was had all this anointment on him, this anointing oil, so to speak, but there's there's only in scripture there's only three different types of people that were anointed in Bible times.

They were either prophets, priests, and kings.

Jesus was all three.

He's the prophet, he's the priest, he's the king.

So it was almost like her acknowledging that I'm pouring out because I know that I can trust your word, Jesus.

She was pouring out because she knew that Jesus' intercession was going to be complete.

She was pouring out because she recognized that Jesus was king.

That when you give, you understand that, Lord, I can stand on your word.

I can trust in what you're doing on my behalf, and I know that you're reigning over every situation I'm in.

She's pouring out from a place of recognizing who he is.

So here's what I want us to understand: that everybody that was there, they were carrying that same grace on their lives.

I believe that even when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and he was praying about, Lord, if there's another way for me to not have to die, I would love for us to do that.

You could still smell the anointing on him.

I believe that when he was arrested, you could still smell the anointing on him.

I believe that when he was standing before Caiaphas and Pontius Pilate, you could still smell the anointing.

When they punched him in his face, that even the soldiers would be able to smell their fists and saying, But there's something that's on this man that he's still anointed.

I believe that when he was crucified on the cross, that the soldiers could smell the anointing on him.

There was something about what was poured out that it changed the entire atmosphere, and you could smell the anointing.

Here's what I believe.

I believe that that when we pour out, that it gets on us as well, and no matter what season we go into, people can still smell the anointing on you.

That no matter what's going on in your life, you're still anointed because you decided to pour out.

I truly believe that an open hand means an open heaven.

And what we see with Mary, that as she as she prayed and she she wiped his feet with her hair, it got on her too.

So everywhere she went, it was like, oh, I I can tell that you've been with Jesus.

Do you do you know that when we pour out that people can see that you've been with Jesus?

Because that what's connected to Jesus is the anointing.

What's connected to Jesus is the gratitude, which is connected to Jesus is recognizing that he is King.

This this is what he's inviting us to be a part of of pouring out and leaving a legacy that even goes beyond these four walls, but it's not just for us.

So when you came in, we we gave you um our giving envelopes.

You can certainly prepare to give that way.

We we have our regular ways that you can give on the screens and you can text in.

But we also gave you a card.

And I want to be really clear that's not a that's not a pledge card, that's not something that we can follow up with you later, but we just realize that some people may not be in a position where you can give right now.

But that card is simply to be a reflection of this is what God has put on my heart to give.

We don't want anyone to miss.

On this sacred moment because we believe that in this moment that God is going to seal and begin to do some incredible things.

I love how Paul says that when you that when you sow, that you're going to also redo that everything that Mary poured out, it also got on her as well.

And I believe that what we're doing is going to not only benefit our church, it's not only going to benefit our city, it's not going to just benefit the kids and everyone else that God has given us a heart for, but the truth of the matter is it's going to also benefit us.

So in a moment, we're going to we're going to lead you to a space where you can just create some space to pray.

We want to pause for a moment and worship's going to lead us.

And if you're with your spouse, maybe you can just pray.

Like maybe you've already had that conversation, but if you haven't, this is a moment where we want you to praise that God.

This is what we believe God wants us to do.

And we're going to create some space for that.

After that, Pastor Justin's going to come out, give us some instructions on how we can then get.

We're going to worship and believe God's going to do something incredible.

But this heart for the house moment is us allowing us to see that the house has a heart for you.

The house has a heart for the disenfranchised.

The heart, the house has a heart for the broken.

That's what this church is all about.

That's the mission of this church.

That's the vision of this church.

So what I want us to do is I just want us to pause.

I want us to go ahead and get those cards out if you want to fill it out that way.

And what I want you to do is just to steal a few moments and just pray.

Pray and be sensitive to what God's going to do, and then we'll come out and give you some more instructions in just a moment.

Let me pray for us as we prepare to pray.

God, I thank you.

I thank you that you're even speaking to our hearts right now, that you're stirring us right now.

So Lord, I pray that you speak to us and that you give us the courage to obey.

Even as Mary obeyed, knowing that what we pour out, God, it's also for us as well.

So speak to us, God, and give us the boldness to be obedient.

This is the time for a heart for the house giving.

And just as Pastor Keith explained and I explained, at the beginning of service, you have two envelopes when you came in, and if you've already given one for the tithe, the other one is for Heart for the House.

You can designate your gift as Heart for the House on there, and then you can also text 25101 and select Heart for the House that way as well.

And you can also give online until the end of the year as well for Heart for the House.

But the most important thing is this card that's in your hand right now.

What we encourage you to do before you place it in the containers is just take a picture of it.

If you're not giving today that you're gonna give throughout towards the end of the year, whatever it may be, take a picture of it.

Take it with you and so you can pray over that as well.

But um, what I'm gonna do right now is I'm gonna pray.

I'm gonna go ahead and ask the ushers to come forward.

And when I say amen, we're gonna begin to pass the containers.

And I want you guys to continue to stay in a moment of prayer.

Continue to pray over what you're given, continue to pray over what God wants to do through what we're given here today for Heart for the House.

And then after the container's been passed, the worship band is gonna come up and lead us to one more psalm, and they will invite you to stand.

But when I say amen, please remain seated and just continue to stay in this moment of prayer.

God, we thank you so much for what you've already done in the last five years of this church, God.

And we are excited for 2020, God, and what you're gonna do through this heart for the house offering, God.

Lord, we pray for every single person in here, God, who you have spoken to and they have decided what they are going to give, God.

We pray, Lord, that when they give, God, that they experience uh blessings beyond compare, God, that they experience obedience, uh, the joy of being obedient to what you have put on their heart, God.

And Lord, we pray, uh, Lord, for what you're gonna do through this Heart for the House offering, God.

We pray that you would take Celebration Church.

You would use all of us, Lord, beyond what we thought possible, God.

And we would be able to see, God, not just Orlando, but the nations come to know you, God, that we would be able to have a greater impact through this, Father.

Lord, thank you for choosing to use us, God.

Thank you for choosing to use us to be your hands and your feet.

There is no greater honor and there is no greater privilege.

Father, we love you and we praise you.

In your name we pray.

Amen.

Thank you for tuning in to today's podcast.

For more information about Celebration Orlando or to get in touch with us, please visit celebrationorlando.org.