What Makes a Great Church | Pastor Chris Kouba

Hey, it is good to see you.

My name is Chris Cuba.

Let me add my word of greeting to uh Pastor Dave's earlier and welcome to United City and unbelievable uh encounter weekend.

We had a bunch of 11 girls over at our house, which was great.

Uh, and it is just truly amazing just to think about how many people were involved in this at some capacity.

And students, let me just say this to you publicly, like Dave mentioned as well, but I also want you parents to hear this.

I've said this since the day that I arrived here at United City Church, and it will continue to be the case going forward.

I will prioritize the next generation every single time.

With more budget, more dollars, more building, more everything there is, staffing, all that there is.

Um that is not because I don't want to reach all generations.

I actually believe that is the way that you reach all generations as you prioritize the next one.

And I want you to know while we call you next generation, we do not believe that one day we hope you're gonna all grow up and be able to be useful for the church.

We don't believe that.

We believe that you are right now.

God can use you, does use you, will use you, and we are so thankful and have the opportunity to have this type of weekend to invest in you, and we believe God's gonna do some great things.

Now, here's the thing: I also know many of you are running off of literally a few hours of sleep.

So I need you to make sure that you get as uncomfortable as you can.

I don't want anybody snoozing away while we're talking through this because I do got a word for you.

Grab your Bibles, 1 Peter chapter 2.

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

1 Peter chapter 2.

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

Let me take this opportunity to greet all of those that are on the other side of this camera at our correctional facilities, Pendo app, maybe at home, whatever it may be.

Let's celebrate and read all those folks there.

Uh 1 Peter chapter 2.

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

How many of you are ATT customers?

Raise your hands or ATT customers.

Man, it is not a good week to be an ATT customer, was it not?

Uh I am an ATT customer, my entire family's an ATT customer.

I did not think to check my phone and figure out what was going on before I left when I had Wi-Fi at my house.

And so as I'm driving along, I'm real trying to figure out what in the world is happening, the fact that my phone doesn't work, and of course you can't text anybody.

I know how to get to places, but I rely on my GPS a lot.

And so therefore, that doesn't work.

Nothing is seemingly working, and and it was kind of a weird feeling.

You've seen those commercials before where like all of a sudden there's no internet and people just start losing their minds after a few minutes.

That's a little bit what I kind of felt like was happening a little bit.

Like the world's coming to an end.

This is crazy, no cell phone coverage.

I go into Walgreens in order to buy something, and when I was in Walgreens, uh, again, I don't know exactly what's going on at this point, and so I'm going to check out and I go up to the person there at the checkout counter and I said, Hey, just curious, what cell phone coverage do you have?

And she goes, Verizon.

She goes, You don't know, do you?

And I said, No what?

She goes, there's a nationwide outage.

I looked it up on my phone.

You can't do that because you have ATT.

Good luck with that.

Okay, well, I mean, I wish I'd have gone to Chick-fil-A where they'd have told me have a nice day, and you know, blessings or whatever.

But instead, I got this lady there at Walgreens.

It's kind of weird though, because uh once the service did come back up, I began to notice very quickly that T-Mobile and Verizon were very quick to point out that their coverage was not affected by this national outage.

Uh, I then also noticed just literally a few hours later, they actually had some promotions that talked about all the benefits that you can have with T-Mobile and with Verizon, and they added and reliable service at the end of their little thing, right?

Uh it's amazing when you think about it because at the end of the day, like cell phone companies, they all pretty much do the exact same thing, right?

Like, I mean, they all at their basic core level, if you if you kind of whittle it all down, their job is to provide you cell service so that you can make calls, that you can have data, that you can begin to use that whenever you need it, and certainly the way that we've been accustomed to in our lives.

But if you think about it, what made you choose what cell phone company that you chose?

Probably all different types of reasons, perhaps.

Let me just mention a few that I might suggest.

You probably chose the cell phone company that you are with now, primarily because it's what your family did.

That's kind of how that works.

You know, you end up getting a new phone, you sign up for another couple years, another couple years, another couple of years, you look up, and you're actually on a contract now for the next 15 years, right?

Because, but you got a new phone a lot, right?

And so, therefore, that's what your family was, and that's what you are.

A lot of people, when they choose a cell phone company, though, will choose it based upon what is going to give me the most amount of perks for the least amount of money.

Like, how can I pay the least and get the most?

Also, how can I put myself in a position to where there are enough perks of my membership that make my association with that cell phone company worth it?

This morning, as we look in 1 Peter chapter 2 and continue our series called Nomad, I want to make this argument that most people, when they choose a church, choose a church like people choose a cell phone company.

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

They basically choose wherever their parents went, wherever their parents are connected to, that may be the first criteria.

Or they begin to think through this: where can I go that's gonna cost me the least?

Least amount of money, least amount of time, least amount of commitment.

And in exchange for the least amount of things that I'm going to give, I can get the most in return.

And where can I go that has enough perks associated with my membership at that particular place that it allows me to be able to enjoy all the benefits without necessarily having to do a whole lot to get them.

As we continue in 1 Peter chapter 2, we're gonna be looking at a passage that's designed to talk to people who are nomads.

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

These are people who are elect exiles, people who are on the move, who are on the run, folks who know this is not their home, but they're there for a while, so they're gonna figure out how to bless it while they happen to be there.

The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 1 that they are experiencing trials of various kinds.

They're all scattered all over the place, and so he's trying to help them.

How do you live in a culture which doesn't celebrate you?

You students at Encounter Weekend, you just had an incredible time where you were gathered together around people that maybe you were already friends with, or maybe that you'd be connected with and became friends with.

You were in Bible studies and places like that, where you begin to get to talk to each other and you begin to get to talk through what it looks like to live out your faith.

And tomorrow morning you're gonna go into a classroom and it's not gonna be the same.

It's gonna look different.

And what you're gonna be forced to figure out is how do I live in the same faith that I had this weekend, now in a place that is not as celebrating all that I am doing.

This morning, what we're gonna see in 1 Peter chapter 2 is the language is a plural language, which helps us to see not only how we are to live, it also though tells us when you're looking for a church, you shouldn't look for a church like a cell phone company.

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

You should instead look for a church that is defined by these certain things.

Let's begin reading in 1 Peter chapter 2, beginning in verse 1.

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

It says, So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and slander.

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation.

If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

First trait that I want you to see whenever you're choosing a church, whether it's this church, whether it's another church, whether it's some other place, but I want you to know the first trait that you should look at is are the people, do the people long for the word?

They long for the word.

Churches can be known for a lot of things.

They can have incredible weekends like Encounter Weekend where youth come and they have a great time.

They can go into the kids' ministry that's gonna be super safe and super sanitary, and it's gonna be great.

You're gonna be able to go in there and they're gonna have rooms that are gonna be designed for kids, and they're gonna be able to have a great time while learning some sort of truth.

You're gonna pull up in a parking lot, and the parking lot's gonna be able to have folks that are gonna help you know where you're supposed to park.

If you're a guest, you've got a specific spot that you can go to.

You're gonna come up and have greeters that are gonna be designed to try to help you get to your seat and be able to know and meet other people around you.

You're gonna have worship, whatever style it may be, that it's gonna be done with excellence, and it's gonna be done to bring you into the presence of God.

You're gonna have preaching where somebody's gonna get up and they're gonna talk and they're not gonna be boring.

They're gonna make sure that they engage you and help you understand what it is.

And all of these things that I've just told you, none of those things are bad, but none of those things are primary.

What I instead want you to see in 1 Peter chapter 2 is he says, hey, whenever you're scattered and you're all over the place and you don't have a lot of things that are around you celebrating you, here's what you should be known for: you need to long for the word of God.

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

Ultimately, what makes and defines a church is not how their worship or their preaching or their kids' ministry or their youth ministry is.

What makes a church is what they do with this.

How do they handle this?

In fact, you should be a place, whenever you're at a church, to where you begin to notice your ears perk up if they just quote a verse here and then give a TED talk.

Like you should make sure you understand.

Hey, I want to make sure that they're not straying from this.

In fact, you should be so grounded in this that if any time anybody ever stands up and they say something contrary to this, it just bothers you.

Like it just doesn't sound right.

Because you know you are longing for the pure spiritual milk.

Verse one tells us some pretty interesting things because let's be honest, you can get a group of people together, you can even get a church together and start off a church, and you can rally towards a certain cause.

We're gonna rally and do this, or I'm gonna get a team and we're gonna try to win this championship, or whatever.

But here's what ultimately begins to happen whenever you don't have a purpose that is so great it is able to sustain you.

Look at what it says in verse one.

It says, put away all malice.

You know what starts happening?

You start fighting each other.

You start fighting each other, and all of a sudden you take your eye off the ball, and now you start to kind of go sideways towards each other, which then leads next to deceit.

This is whenever you begin to start saying stuff like, Man, I don't really like that person, I don't really like, and you begin to say things that aren't true, and you begin to say things that are gonna kind of hold them down, and then it ultimately leads the next word to hypocrisy, and that's whenever you say one thing in front of the boss, or you say one thing in front of the coach, but then you act a different way when the coach and the boss isn't looking.

You know, people like this who basically are hypocrites, and you don't like those people, but that's a natural thing that begins to take place on a team that begins to lose their unity, ultimately, the next it leads to envy.

That's whenever you start saying they don't deserve that spot that they've got.

They don't deserve that opportunity that they've got, and then begin to tell you why you're better than them, which ultimately leads to next to slander, where you begin to say, it's not about what I've got to do, it's basically about how do I take you down because I don't like where you are compared to where I am.

And it's this cycle.

And churches can fall into the same thing, youth ministries can fall into the same thing, groups can fall into the same thing where they started off with one thing, but because they lost the compass along the way, which is the word of God, it led to all types of craziness.

Look at what it says in verse 2 like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk.

It doesn't say give a nod to the Bible, it says long for it.

The word spiritual is the same one word used in 1 Peter chapter 1, which refers to the word of God.

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

My wife serves in the preschool ministry, and by the way, just FYI, we are in a couple of months gonna be moving to three services.

And so we're gonna be switching up all of our service times.

We're growing in such a way we've got to make some adaptations, and so we're gonna hear more about that in the coming days, which means this, we're gonna need a lot more people like my wife to go work in the preschool ministry, okay?

In order to be able to pull that off.

But right now, she works in the preschool ministry, she works in the baby area, and I can promise you, I've never asked her this, I've just had four kids, so I know how this works.

I can assure you, while those babies were under her care for the last hour while she was there, I promise you she had to give at least one of them, if not all of them, a bottle.

And then when the parents pick them up, you know what's gonna take place in a couple hours?

They're gonna have to give them another bottle.

And you know what's gonna happen this afternoon?

That parent's gonna get that child, that baby, and they're gonna have to give them another bottle.

Probably another one right around dinner time, and then my guess is right before they go to bed, you know what they're gonna give them?

Another bottle.

Because here's what it's suggesting: long for the pure spiritual milk.

It's saying that you have to drink multiple times in order to long for it.

Otherwise, you're not getting the word if you get it one meal a week.

So, some of you that are here at Encounter Weekend, you got a lot smashed in to one weekend, which is awesome.

But let me tell you something.

God speaks tomorrow just like he did yesterday.

I want you to know that God's gonna be able to speak to you on Wednesday as you open up his word in the same way that he spoke to you when you're gathered with all of your friends and you're gathered with all of a church, and we're in a packed out room hearing the word of God taught.

Here's why this is so important: you're not gonna survive on your own if you don't realize that you're not on your own.

You see, you got God's word that speaks to when you're on your own.

You got God's word that encourages you and helps you and guides you and tells you what to do so that even if I don't have all of my friends who are all doing the right thing with me and I'm by myself, guess what?

Leaders do hard things.

Sometimes they do it alone.

Well, what is that hard thing?

It's whatever God says to do.

You long for the pure spiritual milk.

And look at what it says in verse 2 that it does, so that you may grow up to salvation.

Folks, you want to go deeper?

You want to experience an overflow?

That was the theme this past weekend in the encounter.

Let me tell you how it happens.

It doesn't come with more conferences and more activities, it comes with more time with Jesus in his word.

It comes with more time spent hearing from him.

Look at what it ultimately leads to in verse 3.

If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

This is a quotation that comes from Psalm chapter 32, 34, verse 8, which says, O taste and see that the Lord is good.

Psalms 32 · chapter mention

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

God's word helps you grow up.

Let's keep going.

Verse 4.

As you come to him, a living stone, rejected by men, but in the sight of God, chosen and precious.

You yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

For it stands in Scripture, behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.

So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe.

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.

They stumble because they disobey the word as they were destined to do.

This passage is filled with Old Testament imagery and also building imagery.

Verse 6 actually quotes a phrase from Isaiah chapter 26, verse 18, which shows this that the whole purpose, the primary foundation, the emphasis, everything must be given to Jesus.

Isaiah 26:18

If you're looking for a church, whether it's this church, another church, or someplace else, what I want you to know is this.

You need to find a people who long for the word first.

The second thing you need to find is a people who are locked in on Jesus.

They are locked in on Jesus.

Look at what it says in verse 4.

It says there, it says, as you come to him, him is Jesus.

Jesus is then said to be the living stone.

This is a reference to his resurrection.

Then the words rejected by men is a reference to his crucifixion.

Then it says that he was chosen.

This speaks about the fact that God before the foundation of the world didn't send Jesus to be a superhero, find a problem, and fix it, but instead, from the very beginning of time, he sent him on a rescue mission to come to this earth, to die at death on a cross, to rise from the dead, and overcome and defeat the power of sin and death, which of course makes it precious.

The word verse six expounds this more and it refers to Jesus who was the stone, but this time he calls him the corner stone.

The word cornerstone can also be translated as the capstone.

Whenever an ancient building was formed, specifically an ark, there was a center stone and everything else was built around it.

Let me show you what this looks like.

Here's what these stones look like.

Today we would call it a capstone or a keystone.

The idea is this that that middle stone right there is the most important stone in the entire structure.

That if you somehow removed that stone, all the other stones would collapse in on themselves and wouldn't be able to stand.

But because you have the capstone, everything fits in its place, can be built around it.

And therefore, what it's saying is that Jesus, he is the capstone, he is the keystone, he is the one whom all things point to.

Please hear me.

We as a church are gonna make Jesus the focal point of all we do.

We as a church are gonna make Jesus preeminent in every way.

We're gonna sing about Jesus, we're gonna talk about Jesus, we're gonna preach about Jesus, we're gonna do small groups about Jesus, we're gonna make sure that the babies, as they are being fed their bottle, are being prayed over in Jesus' name.

Literally, whether you are a senior adult or whether you are the youngest of child, you are gonna hear about Jesus.

Why?

Because we know this.

If you take Jesus out of United City Church, this whole thing falls apart.

There's nothing here.

It is all about Jesus.

Students, if there's anything that you can walk away with as you walk into your schools, let me tell you this: go with this knowledge.

It is all about Jesus.

You have to make sure you understand.

He is the one who everything points to.

He is the one which everything is sustained by.

Philippians 2, 10 and 11.

So at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God Father.

Every single week when you come to United City Church, we're gonna give you the opportunity to respond through something we call an invitation.

And if you are here today and you choose not to accept Jesus, I want you to know this.

The Bible says in verse 8, you're gonna trip over him as you leave this place.

That's how obvious we want it to be.

Like there's no secret, hidden password that you've got to have in order to unlock all the mysteries.

Here's what it is: it's Jesus.

It starts with him, it is through him, and it is for him.

And so, therefore, as you leave today, I want you to know this.

Our desire and our prayers that you would know Jesus, but if you decide not to, I want you to know this.

You're gonna have to make a choice about it.

You're gonna be presented with the opportunity to receive Jesus as your Lord and as your Savior.

Look at verse 5, though.

It's very important.

It says, You yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Verse 4, he refers to the living stone and refers to that as Jesus.

Verse 6, he refers to Jesus again as the capstone.

In verse 5, though, he says, But you are living stones.

What does this mean?

He's talking about the church.

He's saying that God has given you the ability to be on Jesus' team and to fulfill his mission.

That is so important for us to see.

I got a bunch of bricks up here.

And it's pretty interesting.

Whenever you grab a brick and you have hold a brick, right?

You don't ever look at that brick and think, man, that's a good-looking brick.

Right?

You've never done that before.

Like you never think that.

You immediately, when you see a brick, begin to think, I wonder what that goes to.

Like, I wonder what that's gonna build.

Because obviously, if you see a brick separated from a pile, you know the purpose of that brick is not to like shine by itself.

The purpose of that brick is to be connected to other bricks like it, and it's gonna be made into a wall or it's gonna be made into a house.

But it's interesting.

While the same imagery is used here in verse 5 to describe how we should be acting, when it comes to a lot of believers, you know what they try to do?

It's just Jesus, my Bible, and me.

And I'm just gonna be all by myself.

I'm gonna be wide over here as a brick, away from all these other bricks, and I'm just gonna kind of do my thing.

Online church is an amazing thing, it's one of those things that we love to do.

We spend a lot of time, effort, and energy in making sure that it's done well.

That being said, online church has been used by a lot of people as an excuse to basically have me, Jesus, my online church, and I don't have to go talk to anybody else.

I don't have to be around anybody else.

Some people actually come to the church, but here's what they do: they just basically attend the church, but they don't serve the church, they don't engage with the church, they don't give to the church, they don't do really anything other than in fact their goal is to come in, be anonymous, and then leave, and no one even notice that they're there.

And the problem is that you look like a brick that's by itself and doesn't connect to anything.

Other people, on the other hand, though, they they they they they find themselves, like you grab a brick, and what they're saying is like, man, I'm a good looking brick.

I'm a really good looking brick.

In fact, don't you think I'm a good looking brick?

In fact, any bricks over there?

Don't you think you want to be like me?

Because I'm a way better brick than you are.

You want to know why?

Because I look better than you do, all right?

Uh I'm stronger than you are.

Uh I I I I have so many more things going into my life than I than you do, and so therefore, you want to kind of look up to me.

If you're in a work context, you go to your office, you want to know what you want to do, you want to be the best brick that's ever been existed.

You want to be the most successful brick that has ever existed.

You want people to look up at you and say, Man, that brick is successful.

If school, you go to school, and you know what you want to do?

You want to be the most popular brick.

You want to be the brick that gets the most likes and has the biggest platform.

You in fact will do whatever you have to do, even if it means compromising your standards and your decisions in order to be elevated in the lives of everybody else as man, that brick, that's what I want to be a part of.

You're looking for validation and you're looking for affirmation, and you're wanting everyone to talk to you about how great you are as a brick.

Here is the problem.

You're just a brick.

And bricks are not made to be by themselves.

Instead, here's what happens, and here's what you know whenever you have a church that's locked in on Jesus.

You instead can be comfortable with who God made you to be, but you also can realize that you are placed in such a way to where at the end of the day you exist as a brick.

Not to show off and be singular and be seen as just somebody that is by yourself, but instead you exist in order to be used by God to build up what it says there in verse 5 to become a spiritual house.

Got a great attendance at our 9:30 service.

There's nothing else in the world that brings us together other than Jesus.

No one.

Yeah, you may have friends in here that you may do stuff with in school, or you may do stuff in your neighborhood, or you may kind of run around with and all of that.

But the fact that we've got senior adults in here, the fact that we've got students in here, the fact that we've got folks who just got out of prison, and the fact that we've got people that are going to be leading a meeting in a boardroom tomorrow, all in the same place, all worshiping the same Savior, there's nothing like that.

And our message to the world is not how great we are or how great you are.

Our message to the world is look at what Jesus can do when we have a rally around him.

Like he builds us absolutely, come on, let's go.

He builds us into a spiritual house to where everybody looks and says, man, what a beautiful house.

If you're looking for a church, you need to look for a church that makes it all about Jesus.

And so every decision and thing that you do is not how can I make sure my needs are met at this country club.

Instead, every decision and thought is how can I make much about Jesus through my life and all of those that I get to do life with.

Let me give you the last thing.

Last thing I want you to see that you need to make sure that you look at when you're looking for a great church.

Number one, long for the word.

Number two, be locked in on Jesus.

Number three, look for a people who live your calling.

Live your calling.

The theme this weekend for encounter was about overflow.

The idea was this is that you were to receive, and you're not just supposed to be stopped there, but you're supposed to then give out.

So we're literally it's like you're pouring water into a cup, and the cup is overflowing.

So I've received so much from the Lord, and so therefore it is natural and normal that I then give that out to other people.

Encounter weekend wasn't for you, it's for the people who didn't come.

Do you realize that?

Like our goal is that you go back into where you came from, you go back into your schools, and you have the opportunity to go and to reach kids who've never encountered Jesus.

And what we desire is that you all, students and adults and everybody else would live out your calling, knowing this is true of you.

Look at what the verse says in verse 9.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.

That you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Once you are not a people, but now you are God's people.

Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles, to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

What it's saying is that you are not a part of the family, but God made you a part of the family through Jesus.

You are not a part of the group, but God made you a part of the group through Jesus.

You were disconnected, you were desperate, you were wicked and separated, but because of the mercy of Jesus, you become a friend of God.

You've been redeemed as a saint, and you don't have a future and a hope.

And so your responsibility is to get the megaphone, is to get the mouthpiece, is to do whatever you possibly can do, to get the born and tell everybody else about what Jesus has done.

We say this all the time.

We exist for those who are not yet.

Let it be said of us that we've got a heart and a passion for our neighbors and our coworkers and those around us and those we do sports with and those we're in the clubs with, and all the things that we do in our lives, that we orient our lives in such a way where we are like a megaphone, a megaphone, and a born, proclaiming the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

A couple of the guys that were baptized.

Um, I I don't know if you guys are juniors or seniors at K Park, right?

What are you?

Sophomores, juniors, seniors, whatever you guys were, a couple of you guys that get baptized.

I believe you're on the sports teams over there at K Park, is that right?

God didn't save you just so that you could be saved.

God saved you that you can keep going.

What's happening over at K Park High School through your sports teams?

Some of you kids that got together and this week you got you were maybe all from the same school or might be all from the same area, maybe you play each other on various sports teams.

God didn't let you have encounter weekend just so that you could have a weekend.

God lets you have encounter weekend so that you can know that you can encounter Jesus every weekend.

And that you can live in such a way to where there's other people like you who a few months ago or a few years ago didn't know the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous life.

And God has saved you, not just that you can be celebrated as you're baptized, but God has saved you so that you can be sent out and to live your calling.

Because I promise you this God wants to use you in ways you can beyond what you could have ever possibly imagined.

God desires that you would meet your neighbors and your friends and your co-workers, but all it takes is a people who say, you know what?

This isn't enough.

But instead, it takes a people who say, This, God, what else do you want to do?

And how do you want to use me to do it?

Would you bow your heads and close your eyes all across this room?

I want to ask a question that I want you to really think about.

If every person in the church is just like you, what kind of church would that be?

If everyone gave like you, served like you, prayed like you, share their faith like you.

What kind of church would that be?

Do you long for the word?

Or do you give a nod to it?

Maybe for some of you, you need to make a commitment.

Get a plan and a place.

The best version of you gives God the first part of his day.

Spend time with him every single day, reading his word, hearing from him, writing down what he's saying to you.

Maybe some of you you've you've made the church all about how your kids like it.

If they have fun, whether you feel good when you're there.

Look, none of those things are bad, but none of those things are primary.

Would you today make a commitment to be locked in on Jesus?

He's all that matters.

Nothing else is worth it.

It's just Him.

Some of you need to make a commitment today to say, you know what, God, I'm willing to be used by you.

Would you help me reach out to my classmate in the fourth period that I know I need to invite to church, I need to share my faith with.

Some of you need to walk across the street and you need to have a relationship with your neighbor.

Hey, I know I hadn't talked to you in quite a while.

I'm sorry.

I know we've been friendly and we've waved as we've got along, but I need to tell you something that's changed my life that can change yours.

Some of you need to live in your business world and your business role, recognizing that God's primary purpose and goal for you is not that you make money, but instead that you would be used for the kingdom.

Live your calling.

I hope that you'll make that commitment today.

Some of you need to come and join United City Church.

I would tell you this: we're not a perfect church, but we despire and seek to be a great church.

I know a lot of churches in this area.

I'm friends with a lot of the pastors.

There's a lot of great places, but if God is leading you to be a part of this church, I want you to know we are not going to be a country club designed to meet your needs.

We are going to live on mission, making it all about Jesus, never deviating from the word of God, no matter how much the culture doesn't like it.

So if God is calling you to be a part of this place, maybe you see this weekend and you're a guest with us and you see the emphasis that we've got on the next generation and you believe in that and you want to be a part of a church that's going somewhere.

This is a church.

I'm telling you, we'd love to have you be a part of that.

You come forward and lead the way today.

Your coming always is going to inspire and encourage others.

Maybe some of you, though, you need Jesus.

Here's the problem in your life.

It's not the fact that you don't have enough, it's not the fact that you're not good enough.

The problem is you're trying too hard to be a brick that sticks out.

And what you need to be is joined to a mission.

The Bible says that God sent his one and only Son, Jesus, to die on a cross for you.

He rose from the dead, and he gives you right now the opportunity to receive him as your Lord and as your Savior.

Maybe some of you students, you heard the invitation multiple times this weekend, and you just didn't quite, you weren't quite ready.

You didn't quite go forward, you weren't sure, but now you know without a doubt this is your moment.

Don't wait.

It's never too late to come to Jesus.

You come forward.

Those of you that are here as well, that maybe weren't here this weekend, but you know God's talking to you right now.

That's the prompting of the Holy Spirit, inviting you to receive Him as your Lord and Savior.

You come right now.

In just a moment.

Receive Him as your Lord and your Savior.

Father in heaven, I come before you and I ask that you would move in these moments that we have left together.

Father, I pray that people would be bold and make decisions today.

They wouldn't be hesitant, but God, give them courage to solidify in their hearts what you're doing in their lives.

Lord, we thank you.

Thank you in advance for how you've moved already this weekend, but God, we thank you in advance how you're going to move in these next moments.

It's in the name of Jesus that I pray.

Amen.

I'm going to ask you to stand up and as you stand, please no one leaving or shuffling around.

But if you have a decision to make today, you want to know more about what it means to have a relationship with Jesus to join our church.

If you need prayer today, our team is up front and on the sides, ready to receive you.

You come as God is leading you.

Come on.

Praise God for you, man.

Who else?

Praise God for you over there.

Who else?

Our folks are on the sides and they're at the front.

You come and find somebody.

We thank you for what you did this past weekend.

Father, we thank you for what you're gonna do in the days ahead.

Father, we thank you for what you're doing in our church.

God, ultimately, it's amazing to be a part of a church that's getting to see 26 people baptized.

Father, we thank you the fact that we know each and every one of them has a unique story of life change.

Father, that you pursued them and that you called them to yourself.

And Lord, they surrendered their lives to you and received the grace and the mercy of Jesus.

Father, I pray that as we leave this place today, that you would not allow us to keep any of this to ourselves.

But Father, may we be people who proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Father, may we be truth tellers this week.

May we be gospel sharers this week.

May you allow us, Father, to leave here overflowing, so full because of all that you have done in our hearts and our lives.

Father, for those of us that are already believers, we thank you so much that we get to see life change in front of our eyes.

Because, Father, that's our story.

That's our testimony.

And Father, we thank you for what you're doing.

We pray, God, that you would not only continue to move in the lives of our students, but Father, you would move in every generation in our church.

Father, that you would allow kids to be coming to you in a relationship with Jesus as they hear the gospel.

Father, I pray for the parents of these students that they would not allow this just to be an experience where the students got to meet with you.

But Father, I pray that they would meet with you.

I pray, God, that you would lead them in such a way where it is so obvious, Father, that Jesus is in that home.

Father, I pray that you would continue to raise up the next generation of leaders, Lord, not only for the future, but for right now.

Thank you, Father, for a church that believes in these students, that believes in what you're doing, and that believes faith for them as they head back into their schools and all the things that they do.

It's in the name of Jesus that I pray all of these things.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you, PC.

Hey, if you're here today and you've joined with us as a guest, maybe you're here to watch a baptism or you were invited by somebody that lives in your neighborhood or you work with or something like that, and you're looking for a church home.

We would love to be that church home.

All right.

Students, encounter weekend doesn't have to stop right now.

Keep it going.

Bring the gospel, bring life to your communities, to your schools.

Church, we love you.

We'll see you next Sunday.

Wow, what an amazing message we got to hear this morning.

I hope the Lord showed himself to you in a fresh, new way.

Hey, if you made a decision today to follow Jesus or a decision for Christ, we would love to process that with you.

And so text the word next to 55498, and someone from our team will be more than happy to reach out and process that with you.

If you missed the message or you missed a note or two and you want to go back, don't worry.

We've got the option for that as well.

It's going to be available on Spotify as well as have a music.

This has been an amazing morning.

We love you guys so much, and we hope to see you next week.