Call Up, Don’t Call Out | Pastor Adam Mesa | Next Gen Weekend At Patria

Well, Praise God.

Thank you to all those that consider Patria your home

church and you do partner with us with your generosity.

As you've seen today, This weekend that we're doing is

very special weekend because it's our next Gen weekend. It's

become one of my favorite weekends, not because I get

a little bit more of a rest from preaching.

I don't have to go the full time, not just.

Because of that, but because I get to get help

sharing the message today from Patriot Kids, Patriot Youth, and

our young adult ministry as well.

And so in a few moments.

After I share some vision about one of our critical

vision pillars of our church, which is the next Generation

is we want to be a church that doesn't just

reach one generation, it reaches all generations. We don't want

to be a church where just one season of life

a person is being ministered too, while another season of

life people are not being ministered too. And so we

want to do everything we can as a church here

at Patria to make sure there you are a seasoned

person that is on retirement in your life and you're

in that great grandparent or grandparent phase of life, or

you're in the phase of life that you have teenagers

and you're parenting teenagers, or you are a teenager yourself,

or an elementary student yourself. Is we want to be

able to say, hey, Jesus is real, Jesus is available.

God is real, and God desires a relationship with all

of his children. God doesn't create an age bracket to

relationship is.

God opens his hands.

Through the sacrifice of Jesus and he makes available the

grace of God to every single person. And so as

a church, we want to be able to share on

this weekend, next gen weekend, and we started doing it in.

August because a lot of us.

If you have kids that are in school, they're gonna

be starting in the next couple weeks, they're gonna be

they're gonna be starting college in.

The next couple weeks.

They're gonna be moving away in the next couple weeks

if they have it already, if they're gonna be going

to college far away, they're gonna be going into high

school or already in high school, junior high, elementary school,

whatever it is, kindergarten. These are all big seasons and

as a church, we wanted to on these weekends to

stop and pause, to put a flag in the sand

and say we believe in the next generation.

At what we do is also for the next generation.

And also we want to be able to at the end,

we're gonna pray a covering over our children in whatever

new season that they're stepping into or just new grade

they're stepping into, that God would cover them and protect them.

And so we're gonna be going to that in a

few moments. But I have a verse I want to

share with you in First Timothy chapter four, And so

if you have a Bible and you'd like to turn there,

feel free to turn there for a moment. If not,

it's gonna be up on the screen as well. First

Timothy chapter four. It's kind of the.

Famous verse talking about young people.

At this time, Timothy has been led to Christ by

his mom and his grandma, and his pastor is the

apostle Paul and Timothy at this point where Paul writes

this letter is about in his thirties, but he met

Jesus and started getting discipled what most theologians believe, around

his lateeen so eighteen nineteen twenty. And now he's a

pastor and he's pastoring all generations.

But also he's pastoring a lot of young people.

And so the apostle Paul, as a man that's older

in his life and seasoned in his life, writes this

letter of wisdom to a young man who's responsible for

pouring into the next generation. And so this is something

not only you and I can be sent out by.

God for, but also encouraged by God.

So if you found first Timothy chapter four, we're gonna

read verse eleven to sixteen. If you're ready, would you

stand for just a moment for the honor of reading

God's word. I am going to jump into it today.

Here's what it says. Command and teach these things. Let

no one.

Despise you for your youth, but.

Set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love,

in faith, and in purity until I come. Devote yourself

to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching.

Do not neglect the gift that you have, which was

given you by prophecy. When the counsel of elders laid

hands on you. We need to catch that in a

few moments. But people that were older laid hands on

Timothy and spoke into his gifts.

And when the elders.

When the people that were seasoned blessed Timothy and released

his gifts, it says God was all over that God

used that when they laid hands on him, and he says,

practice these things. Immerse yourself in them, so that all

may see your progress. Keep close watch on yourself and

on the teaching. Persist in this for buy so. By

doing so, you will say both yourself and your hearers amen,

you may be seeded. This is such an encouraging scripture,

not only if you're someone that's young and you feel

like God has put a burden or a passion in

your heart and a purpose in your heart, but this

is also an encouragement for anyone that finds themselves seasoned

in their life as well. And we ask ourselves, what

do we do with the next generation. Well, here's what

I want to encourage you with today is the next

generation is not the future.

It's the now and.

Our next generation, particularly Gen Z that's those individuals that

are twenty five, twenty six and younger down to Gen Alpha,

which is our elementary school.

Children and younger.

These individuals, these children, they are on a front lines

right now. You and I think we are on the

front lines. We think we're on the front lines because

we have annoying co workers, or we have an irritating boss,

or your neighbors tick you off. Regularly, you think, Lord

help me, Lord save me.

These people. They are driving me crazy.

Lord, I feel like I'm being stretched and pruned every

single day. But when we really look at what is

really being pulled from attention, when we really look at

what's being thrown at a generation, when we really count

the costs of what the enemy is trying to do.

When you look at the next generation, they are on

the front lines. They have friends at first grade that

have access to cell phones and internet. We have a

school on our campus. Regularly I get communication, not because

Patriot is fully involved in our school, but we oversee it.

So we always gotta be aware. And there's always stories

of Hey, just want to make you aware. This is

what happened in kindergarten, this is what was set in

first grade, this is what was set in fifth grade,

this is what happening in eighth grade. I don't know

if we got any of our private schools, you know

students here, but someone recently told me, you know, our

kids and our junior here in high school know where

all our blind spots are of our cameras on our campus.

And I thought to myself, I don't even know particularly.

Is that they know them? And I was like, my goodness,

how did they hack a server?

What? Like?

How do you find?

But the thing is is there is a front line

and there are things that you and I dealt with

when we were younger. Sure, but the availability to instant

access temptation is real today. And I know we got

our teenagers and junior highs, so I'm not gonna.

Talk about it too real.

But studies have come that right now it's gonna be

potentially the next four to five years that fifty percent

of people that are in gen Z and below, fifty

percent of them will have a boyfriend.

Or girlfriend with AI.

Their partner will be artificial intelligence, and they will flirt

with their AI, they will share memories with their AI, they.

Will date their AI.

Could you imagine that just in no time, we would

be at a place that movies that came out six

seven years ago that were a figment of.

What someone dating AI could look like.

But now it's happening, and the next generation is having

relationships with their cell phones and artificial intelligence. You may

have thought to yourself as a parent, I didn't know

how to know that about my kid.

I didn't know. I had to be aware of that.

We do.

And so that means in today's age, we don't need

to just be cautious. We need to be intentional with

the next generation, and we don't need to be forcefull.

We actually need to lead with example, which is what

Timothy was being encouraged by Paul. He said, Hey, the

word of God transform your life, Timothy. And then what

I need you to do is I need you to

lead this by example, not a pyramid of authority by age,

but by example.

And a lot of.

Times what we tend to think is we think authority

may just be an age and as long as one

person is older than another. You maybe grew up in

a household and just because one sibling was three years

older than the other meant that that sibling was.

Supposed to be more responsible.

But you know that's not always true, because we've determined

and we said, okay, age exemplifies maturity, but not always.

And so what I want to encourage you is authority

is not based on who's the eldest or who's in charge.

Because Paul tells Timothy, don't let people despise you because

you're in your thirties.

He said, they're gonna come into your.

Church, Timothy, because in their day, anyone.

Who was anyone was a scholar. They had to be

in their fifties, sixties, they had to be gray hair.

And so he said, people are gonna walk into the church,

they're gonna want to know the Bible. Timothy, They're gonna

see you, and they're gonna walk out the door. And

he says, don't let that discourage you, because at the

end of the day, Timothy, it is what they will

see by your example, not just by what you say,

but how what you have said transforms you, not just

by what you do, but it's how you've allowed God

to transform your life.

Will show the world.

And he says this in verse sixteen, and it will

allow the hearers to be saved because the example that

you've let in. I want to encourage you with just

this simple thought today, just two thoughts before the next

generation encourage es. Number one is you and I are

called for the next generation to call people up.

Not out. We gotta call people up not out.

Pastor diego said that a few weeks ago, talking about

the different between a referee and an umpire and things

like that.

But we're called to call people up, not out. Verse twelve.

He says, let no one despise you for your youth, but.

Set the believers an example.

You see, the Greek word for that is typos, And

when he encourages Timothy to set an example, set a typos.

Here's what it means in the original Greek. It means

this to leave an impression made by a blow.

Have you ever seen a boxer punched before?

Have you ever seen a mark that was left from

a slap or a punch before. Don't look at your

spouse or anything like that. You've been slapped before or anything,

But have you ever seen that before someone gets slapped

or punch and there's just a big red mark on

their face. Paul tells Timothy, Timothy, when you are in church,

when you're around generations, when you're outside in your community,

he says, you need to leave a mark on people,

not a physical mark, but a spiritual an indentation, like

if you've ever slept on the wrong side of a

pillow before, or blanket or something you woke up and

there was a mark all across your face, and you're hoping,

I hope before I leave the house this will go away.

That's the type of impression that the apostle Paul is

telling Timothy that when you say you follow Jesus, you

better leave a mark on people. You better leave a

spiritual indentation on the next generation.

And he says, that is what leadership is.

That's what it means to be someone that's called by God.

It means that.

Anyone that we're around is they have a spiritual indentation

on their life. Hey, whenever I get around so and so,

I just feel like I'm stretched to be a better person.

I just feel like I'm so negative. But when I

get around SO and so, I'm just not able to

be negative because they're not negative. Or I just feel

like I'm such a gossiper.

But when I get around SO and so, they don't

go there.

Or I feel like I'm such a hateful person.

I'm always talking on people and negative. But when I get.

Around so and so, they're not hateful, they're actually loving.

We're called to rub off on people and leave an indentation.

Maya Angelo, the poet said it like this. People will

forget what you said, people will forget what you did,

but people will never forget how you made them feel true.

They will never forget that.

And there will be times you and I that God

will set us out for the next generation to show

them that everything's gonna be okay, that God is in control.

There is a need to be weary, there is a

need to know that there is a spiritual battle going on.

But also when God is in control, and when Jesus

sits on the throne room of God and everything is

held by the perfection of Christ, then we don't need

to worry.

Then we don't need to be stressed.

You may be burdened, you may be broken, but we

know the healer, we know the physician, and so you

and I God has called us that we go out

into the world and we show the next generation a

lot of the next generation when they get there, there's

a lot of statistics about their stress and they're worried

about the future.

It's super high.

But if you were looking at it, they would say, well,

because whenever I get around grown folk, they're worried about everything.

They're scared about everything.

So therefore you and I we set the exposure rate

to the next generation of how to worry and the world.

As people that.

Are mature, even in the body of Christ, we are

not setting the example that Christ is in control. We

do not set that example collectively. We set the example collectively.

Oh no, I'm so worried. I'm so stressed. I don't

know about this. I don't know about that. And then

our children are looking at that, and they're saying, well.

Then what do I do?

Then I'm worried, and then I'll just go reclusive into

my iPad world, in my iPhone world, where everything there

I can control. Everything there can be fruitful, everything there

can be healthy. So therefore I'll just reclude into this.

And we think to them ourselves, what are you doing

on that? Why are you on that? And they're like, well,

because the world that you guys are perceiving to me

is is broken, and this is the only thing that

seems to be something that I can control. And so

what Paul tells Timothy is he tells Timothy he says,

you need to leave an impression and set an example,

and Jesus tells us what that example looks like. He

encourages I'll have it in the message version. It's in Matthew,

chapter ten, verse sixteen. I put in the message because

it's the message version is a paraphrase, so it's not

a word for word translation. It's more as if we

were sharing a sermon and we paraphrase the scripture was about.

But here's how it says what Jesus says. He says,

stay alert. This is a hazardous work.

I'm assigning you.

You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack,

So don't call attention to yourselves.

Be as shrewd.

As a snake. Be as inoffensive. In other words, be

as wise as a snake. But he also says, but

be as inoffensive as a dove, or gracious as a dove.

He said, don't be naives. Some people will question your motives.

Others will smear your reputation just because you believe in me.

But don't be upset when they haul you before civil authorities.

Without knowing it.

They've done you and me a favor, given you a

platform for preaching the kingdom news. And don't worry about

what you'll say or how you'll say it.

The right words will be there.

The spirit of your Father will supply your words. How

often do we go to the throne room of God

and say, God, would you help me with what to say?

Would you help me with words? Would you help me

with peace? There was a few weeks ago. It was

a couple of months ago. Actually, I came to the

church and it was just a normal work day, a

work week, so I didn't have service or anything.

But that day I had.

Like a couple counseling sessions, and then I had had

some meetings that you know, we were gonna go over

like a you know, our Beyond campaign and some projects,

and it just it just felt like there's the whole

world was just kind of crashing in. And I came

in that day extremely stressed, extremely tired, not wanting to

be be here. I just I didn't want to go

in my office. And I remember saying when I got

out of my cart, I said, Lord, you got to

help me today. I need your strength. I just feel

like everything's caving on me right now. Lord, just just

give me the strength.

Now.

I'm not a person that looks for super natural signs.

I don't, if you know me well enough, I don't

look at the shapes of clouds, you know, I don't

look at the dirt and see you know, words in

it or anything like that. It's just not the type

of person I am. I just don't look for that.

I just I give it to the Lord, and I

just I just you know, if I'm getting punched, I

just keep going to the Lord. I just keep going

to the Lord. But particularly this day, it was a

day that I was on really on a tipping spell

of just stressed and tired and things like that. And

so I walk in my office and out on my balcony,

I see a little dove sitting on my balcony. I'm

a picture of it. I took a picture of it.

There's a little dove right there. And then all of

a sudden, the dove jumps on a table that I

have behind my office.

And then there was two doves.

And I kid you not, they stayed on the table

of my patio my entire work day. They did not

leave at all. And I took a picture of it.

And I guess on like the iPhones nowadays, it can

like recognize trees and birds and all, and it has

like little icon in the corner. So I noticed it

had like a little icon. And because at first I

couldn't figure out. Maybe maybe you're smarter than I am.

But I don't know what breed bird that is. I'm like,

it looks like a dove, but I don't know. And

then I look and it says it's a mourning dove,

you know. It's it's the doves that are used for

like funerals, you know, when people pass on and they

and they fly away, and it's how people grieve, you know.

It's one of the signs that they grieve. And I

sat there and I said, Lord, I am grieving about

some things today. But I said God, thank you that

in this moment you gave me peace that my grief

can be gone.

I can release it. And in that moment, I felt

like the Lord said, I hear your prayer. It's okay,

I got you this. This is not on you and

for you and I as people that are leading the

next generation.

God has called us to be doves for the next

generation that as our children and our grandchildren come into

our homes and they're wearing this burden, they're wearing these questions,

they're wearing these doubts. They're saying, hey, this is what

they talked about in class today, or here's how I'm

being challenged in school, or here's what I did, or

here's what my friends showed me.

It's that you and I we don't all of a.

Sudden just ring the sirens and the bells and throw

the trash bag over them and be like you're never

leaving the house again. It's we sit down and we say,

the Lord has called me to be as wise as

a serpent, but also as gracious as a dove. You

and I are the sign to the next generation that

God is in control.

He gonna be all right. God sits on the throne.

If a news reporter will come to me today and say, Adam,

what do you think about this?

This and this and this and.

This, my genuine response would be Jesus sits on the throne.

That that is my response.

That we do we be about action, and do we

do we do things and get involved and get involved

in our children like of course, But at the end

of the day, the peace of God will surpass all understanding.

The goodness of God.

His mercies will be greater than anything that you and

I could ever control. Because when you and I sleep,

there is a real satan that does not sleep, and

there is a real enemy that's at work when you

and I our eyes are closed. So where we can

only give X amount of hours a day to a

spiritual warfare, he's.

Got twenty four hours a day.

But God is stronger and Jesus has already defeated the enemy.

And so when we're asleep but we're praying, it means

God is in control. That's what we see God doing

with our Beyond campaign. Everything that we're doing with where

we're going with Beyond is so that we can secure

a future for our generation, whether you and I are

there for that day, that they have a place of

worship and all the cities that God had called us

to so that they can pursue the goodness of God.

He told Timothy, Keep teaching the word of God, keep

setting an example, always be available to share who God is,

and he said, and.

People will be saved.

I'll share some more thoughts in just a few moments,

but first I'm going to have the first individual from

Patriot Kids that's gonna come up here, and they're each

talking about three different topics today. And so today, first

from Patriot Kids, we have the young Declan Wolfer, who's

in second grade, eight seven years old, Come on up.

Work, Hi everyone, my name's Ducklin. And did they be

talking to you guys about something super important? It's love

and first Timothy four two says that don't let anyone

look down on you because you were young, but set

the believer is an example in love that makes even

young kids like Mika and Joining an example of what

God's love looks like. But what is love? I just

think love was getting in my way or eating dessert

or identifish my dinner. But that's not it at all,

she just says. And John thirteen thirty four says that

you should love others dishes. I have loved you. That

means show peace, patience, kindness even in hard times. Wait, no,

especially when in charge. Let me ask you by show

of hands. Had anyone ever felt like it's hard to

love someone? Maybe they were mean or hurt your feelings

or just weren't nice. Well I felt that way too,

and it's okay to feel that way. God still wants

us to love one another. Let me tell you a story.

One time I was playing us on a soccer game

and the other teams started being really rough. They were pushing,

shoving and try to harn Us on purpose. I felt

really bad and it wasn't really nice. Then the other

team's coach started saying mean things about me and my team,

and that made me feel worse.

When things got.

Really bad, we left. We didn't fight back or say

anything mean to them. Instead, we got into the car.

We trayed that God will help us to forgive an

it's what It wasn't easy, but it's what Jesus wants

us to do. I realize I don't always do the

right thing, maybe ours meaning to my sister, or lied,

or finish eating my dessert when I didn't finish my dinner.

But but God still loves me and my family still

loves me. Like in First John for Loven says that

if God so loved the world, we should also ought

to love one another. That that means we can. That

means when people are meaning or unfair, we can still

choose to show God's love. And loving like Jesus means

doing things that show we care about uh others even

when it's hard. But how do we love well? Here

are some ways we can love like Jesus. And I'm

used the word love to help everyone remember. LL listen

with kindness, l offer forgiveness, be value others, and I

encourage everyone. We can't. When we love like Jesus, we

can make people him seen, safe and cared for. We're

gonna tell Jesus is love anywhere, anytime, even on the

soccer field. So today, love to Mama. God's love helps

us to love others. Let's pray. Do you have any Father,

thank you for this day. Please help us to love

others just like you have loved us. Thank you for

loving us all the time, and please hope us to

give others Jesus name Amen.

Hey man, Good job back, queen, Great job dude.

I mean he had an acronym and everything.

I have to put in my two weeks him a

little acronym, a little story man, he declan, got it

all right. Well, hey, next up we talked about love.

The next we're gonna be talking about faith. Is Anaya

Corona's coming up and she is in the seventh grade,

so she's part of our junior high ministry and she's

gonna be coming up and encouraging us on faith.

Let's welcome up Zanaiah.

Right now, good evening, Petri. My name is Sanayah. I'm

representing middle school, I'm going to be speaking on faith

from these verses. Bert Timothy Forth twelve says, don't let

anyone look down on you because you're young, but set

an example for the beliefs in speech and conduct, in

love and faith and impurity. This first encourages young people

to be a positive influence on others despite their age.

Matthew seventeen twenty reads he replied, because you have so

little faith, Truly, I tell you, if you have faith

as small as mustard seed, you can say this mountain

move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing

will be impossible for you. This first defines the idea

that even a very small amount of faith, when placed

in God, can accomplish great things. Hebrews eleven one states,

now faith is confidence on what we hope for and

assure about what we do not see. This first explains

faith as a confident expectation of voters hoped for and

a conviction about things not yet experienced. Family, we are

here today in a world that wants us to see

to believe. We are filled with data, evidence, and tangible proof.

Yet the scriptures in our lives call us simbers something deeper,

something that is bigger than the visit, which would be faith.

What is faith?

It's not a blind leap into the unknown, nor is

it a naive optimism. Just like the author of Hebrews

eleven one tells us, it is an unseen confidence in

the battles of life, a true knowing that holds us

when everything around us feels like crumbling. I like to

think of Abraham when he left a homeland for a

place unknown. I also think Moses leading a nation through

a desert with only a promise. Think of the other

god fearing people throughout history and even in our own lives,

trying to demonstrate something better, not because they had all

the answers, but because they had a solved faith in

something bigger than themselves. Faith a faith allows us to

see beyond what we could ever imagine. When something threatens

to overwhelm us, such as problem with family, money, or health,

faith gives us whispers of hope when injustice seems to triumph.

Faith reminds us of a righteous God when we face lost.

Faith points us to eternal life. Is the lens through

which we see God's hand at work, even when the

path is made unclear. But faith is not passive. It

calls us to action. It helps us step out to

trust and obey, even when it's difficult or uncomfortable. It's

there muser seed that through small, though small, can grow

into a mighty tree. It's the grain of truth that,

when nurtured, can move mountains. In a world thirsting for

instant gratification and quick results, let us patiently gather our faith.

Let us lean into what we cannot see, trusting in

God who is faithful, true and good. For is it

an unseen savior. This conviction of nothings seen that will

keep us secure, us, guide us, and ultimately lead us

head So. Faith to me as a seventh grader, means

believing that God will come through for you in any

type of need. When I was about nine years old,

When I was about nine years old, I was in

a very bad car accident. I have faith that God

will get me safe. That night, I left with only

a bruise on my wrist. For me, being a middle

schooler with faith is hard, but it's all worth it

in the end. Whenever I'm in a season of hardship,

I have faith that God will get me through, whether

it's be passing an exam, or something bigger, like coming

out of a terrible car accident with only a bruise

on my wrist. It's the same faith that carries me

through and ultimately trusting God that everything will be okay.

I invite you all to challenge yourself to grow your faith,

whether it's tign a little bit more, or reading your

Bible a little bit more, or even trusting God when

you're just having a hard time in a lost world.

What I'm trying to say is faith means trusting in

God even when you don't know the outcome. With that

being said, let's go ahead and pray. Dear Jesus, I

asked that you bring all these people to your glory

and your faith, and I asked that you help them

with every season of hardship they're going through, whether it

be happy or whether it be sad. And Jesus minded nay,

and I pray.

Amen. I think.

It's all right. Good jobs, Deny. Let's give it up

for Denight one more time. Phenomenal, good job. I think

all I knew in seventh grade and my dad was

a pastor. I think all I knew was father Abraham

had been an He said, because she's like yeah, I'm

gonna get challenged, but that's okay. I got I'm like,

my goodness, all right, such debt. This is incredible. Seventh grade,

Thank you so much. Last, but not least, representing really

our high school ministry, but going into our college ministry.

Noah just graduated from high school. He's seventeen years old

and this fall he's about to start at cow Baptist University,

and so we're so excited for him. So let's give

it up for Noah. Wayso who's coming up here right now?

Good evening in church. How's everyone feeling. That's great?

Well, I'm glad to see all of you here today,

whether it's in the sanctuary, outside in the foyer, whether

you're online. It's a pleasure to have you all here

with us. But I just want to think first and foremost.

I just want to think leadership for choosing me to

speak here today. I pray that the message will be

delivered with power, and I have faith that the Holy

Spirit's gonna move within these next few moments. But we're

gonna get right to it because I am in a

bit of a time crunch, so or these is yeah,

five minutes, five minutes.

Is rough man. Five minutes is rough, so are these

next few minutes I have with you.

I'm going to go over a few main points that's

really going to tie into this big idea of how

you live should reflect who you follow, with the first

point being live a life of obedience and Philippians, Chapter one,

verse twenty seven, it says just one thing, as citizens

of heaven, live your life worthy of worthy of the Gospel.

Then whether I come and see you or am absent,

I will hear about you that you are standing firm

and one spirit and one accord, contending together for the

faith of the Gospel.

Now Here we see that.

The apostle Paul is trying to write to the church

that their lifestyle should reflect the principles and teachings of

the Gospel, regardless of any opposition they may face. But

one part of this verse that I want us to

focus on for a quick moment is when he says

the words stand firm and as a believer. One of

the hardest parts about living out our walk for Christ

is the dedication to do it consistently. And the Gospels,

Jesus says himself that you must deny yourself and take

upon your own cross daily in order to follow him.

And you know that we see that the life of

a disciple is one that comes out of cost. You know,

it's not easy to follow jes especially in this day

and age. But this is where the concept of discipline

comes into play.

Oh, sorry, I forgot my point for there for a second. Yeah,

we see that you have.

To surrender your need for control so that God can

come into your life and give you renewal that you

that only He is capable of giving.

Amen.

Now, the second one I want to mention tonight is

maintain integrity. If we look into the Oxford English Dictionary,

the definition of integrity is the demonstration of an adherence

to sound moral principles even when no one is watching.

And when I think about out the word integrity, all

I think about is when you know, my dad used

to tell me every day before school that the way

I act around him should be the same way that

I act around my friends on campus. And even though

for a long time I didn't just to being honest,

that message started to resonate with me more and more

as I got deeper with my faith, Because as I

reflect on those moments, just as my dad wanted my

character to be the same even when he was not around.

How much more does our heavenly father want us to

behave like a children, regardless of who we are with

or wherever we may be.

Titus two seven gotta go to it.

Titus too seven states and everything, make yourself an example

of good works with integrity and dignity and your teaching.

See just as Titus was instructed to represent Christ well

and everything that he did, so are we obligated to

be a good example to those who may not know

Jesus by the way that we carry ourselves. As citizens

of Heaven, we must live out what we proclaim to

be the truth. But more than self accountability, the question

is what image are you portraying to others? And this

moment I want you to be honest and reflect on

your own personal life and ask yourself the question are

you glorifying.

God even when there are no eyes on you?

Because I'll tell you this, don't waste your time telling

others about Jesus. If you're still living in Heathen's lifestyle.

Your words, they're gonna fall on deaf ears because to

a them believer, if there's nothing special or different about

the way that you live your life, then there must

be nothing special or different about the God that you serve.

And that's why it's so important going.

Back to the big idea of how you live has

to show who you follow. It's no negotiable because nowhere

in scripture does it say that there is the middle

grounds between heaven or hell. It's either you are all

in for Christ or you are all out. And sometimes

it's easy for us as Christians to want to choose

which part of the Lord's teachings that we're.

Going to follow.

But you know, we talk big and we say that

we want God to be lowered over our life. And

when we say all these sweet things to the ear,

but only in the areas that we're willing to surrender to.

And see, the mindset you have to adjust yourself too,

is that this perfect word shouldn't have to change for you.

It's you that has to change for the teachings of God.

Don't deceive yourselves into thinking today that you know just

because you show up the church on Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays,

and you know you clap your hands during worship and

you listen to the sermons, or because you have that

that verse in your Instagram bio. Don't think that that

justifies your way of sinful living and think that you

can just do whatever you want because of your good works.

Just like the Pharisees.

You can focus on your outward appearance and you can

be the perfect Christian on the weekend and nobody be

able to tell what you did Monday through Saturday. But

yet your heart is still so far from Jesus. And

this brings me to one of my last points is

that God is not your genie. He is your heavenly

father and what he asks you today is a relationship

with him. But sometimes we treat God as if he

is in our service. And that's why in a relationship

you must give to receive. It's not just asking God,

oh do this for me, do this, you know all

these things.

It can't work that way if.

There's no sense of respect, effort, dedication, self denial, and

we would usually consider that relationship dead. And today, if

your walk with Christ is spiritually dead, I promise it's

not God who has failed you. It's you who is

not doing your own part. We can't feed into the

lies that you know. We can receive blessings without any

form of sacrifice in our life. And that's why, more

than just your belief, it's important that you actually follow God.

There's a difference between a believer and a follower, and

the Bible says that even the demons of the earth,

no Jesus is real.

So you see, there's.

Nothing special about just claiming to believe in something. It's

once you dedicate your life to that belief that it

now becomes genuine. And once you fully surrender your life,

all aspects of your life to the Lord, there is

true salvation. There is peace beyond understanding, there's transformation and

so much more.

I men chored well.

Before I hand it back off to a pastor Adom,

I just wanna say, uh, real quick. A few weeks

ago talk to Aaron and youth and he asked me

what's my favorite part about Patroon, And I said that

it feels like a family here, you know. So I

just want to thank you for giving me your undivided

attention and engaging in the message. And I pray that

as strict conviction as well as clarity into your lives today.

But more than anything, thank you for making me feel

at home.

So thank you all the sea.

Well dumb will dumb praise God.

You know, oftentimes, what God also does to me when

we do our next Gen weekend is he continually shows

me and realizes. I think there's a misconception about the

next generation that we think that, you know, they don't

want to talk about things of value, or that they're

being too kind on things, or they don't take their

flesh seriously, or they don't take purity seriously. But from

everything that I see when I get around the next generation,

who many of them have also had extremely godly parents

who have tried to raise them up. The Bible says

that if you try, ain't a child up in the

way that they shall go, that when they get older,

they will not depart from it.

And so that is a promise of God.

That doesn't mean that they may not have seasons where

they're challenged, seasons where they go and do things to

gratify their flesh. But God makes a promise that if

we do our part, God will do his. But a

lot of times we don't do our part, and we

want God to do our part and his part.

And so the beauty of hearing.

From every student and Noah, who incredibly just punched us

in so many spiritual directions right now. But that encourages

me that there's a generation that is taking God seriously

and that it is available, and that God has that

offering to us. God has not turned his back on

gen Z. God has not turned his back on jen Alpha.

I believe it's the exact opposite. That God has his

eye on this now generation. That God has his eye

on the front lines of battle, and he's saying that

if you and I.

Would do our part, then the Lord will do his part.

I remember back in the day, it was around probably

twenty and twelve or something like that, maybe even earlier.

But you know, we always have fires. But if you've

been at Patriot long enough, you may know this story

from my dad's perspective, but this is my perspective of

it as well. There was these massive fires, and I

remember waking up and outside of our window there was

nothing but red.

My whole room looked like there was a red light

bulb in the room. That's how red my room was.

And there was fires all around our community, and I

could see them from the backyard of a few houses down,

just the fires climbing up over the walls. And so

my dad pulls up to the house. He runs in

and he says, everybody, come here. He gets all me

and my two older brothers quickly in a room, and

he said, get all of the most valuable things that

you have and meet me at the car, because this

afternoon we may not come back to a standing house.

And so all of a sudden, you know, mom's getting

birth certificates, social Security cards, you know, jewelry stuff like that,

and you know my brother's getting his you know, guitar

and PlayStation one and all that kind of stuff like that.

And I remember a like eleven or twelve years old,

I went into my dad's study where he would prepare

all of his sermons, and I got a gym bag

and I filled the gym bag with all of my

dad's Bibles.

And because at that age I didn't know what value was.

Maybe my brothers were a little older, so they had

things that they really cared about.

I was like eleven years old, ten years old.

I didn't really get value yet, and so I only

knew value based on what my parents showed me was valuable.

And all that I knew at that time was my

dad's Bible was the only place that I ever saw

him web. You know, my dad's bible was the only place.

My dad's a very quiet guy. So in front of

my dad's Bible is like the only place I even

heard him talk, you know. And so you know, at home,

he's a very quiet. He's an introvert. And so it

was really in front of my bible, in front of

my dad's Bible, that I would ever see how excited

or how much he.

Would light up.

So I thought, this has to be the most valuable

thing in our home. And so I filled a gym

bag with about eleven bibles.

And my dad tells the story.

Now this is where I don't remember the rest, but

my dad tells the story, and he said, I told

you to get all the most valuable things we you know,

He's like, I love my Bibles, but we could get

more Bibles, Adam, And he says that I said that

whatever happens from here on out, we're probably gonna need these.

And so.

He said, okay, bring the Bibles. And so you know,

we grabbed him at that point. And I say that

to say not because at a young age I understood

the depths of who God was or had full revelation

of who Jesus was. It was because I had parents

that set an example and they showed me what was valuable.

My parents had prize things, they had important things, but

as a child, the only thing that I understood was

the most value was God.

That's what I.

Knew at a young age. My parents told me and

showed me that at the end of the day, God

and his word was the value of our life. And

so I got an image that I just want to

propose to you today of what the next generation show

me the praying grandmother first, Show me that picture first,

and you know, this is what the next generation is

doing to you and I. They may have the distraction

in front of them, they may have something that's calling them,

but at the end of the day, they will see

you on your knees in prayer. Whether you think they're

looking at you or not, they are looking at you.

And at the end of the day we will show

them what is valuable.

To us or not.

Because we could either reflect the Kingdom of God and

we can either win battles on our hands and knees

seeking God in prayer, or we can just look like

our children and you go to the second picture, or

we could just look like our children, and we can

be just as distracted as them. Just because your device

is smaller than yours doesn't mean it's not a distraction.

My sons tell me all the time when I tell

them to get off their iPad, they say, Dad, are

you gonna get off your phone.

Now? They don't fully understand.

That I got to answer emails and slacks and other things,

but I mean it hits me. It does hit me

because I'm scrolling through TikTok, I'm going on Facebook, I'm

doing Instagram.

You and I, our children and our grandchildren.

They're looking at us, and I'm not saying, hey, when

you leave here, throw your phone in the receptacles or

the trash can or anything like that, but I am

encouraging you to say that. As a church, we have

a commitment to go beyond, and we want to see

that as we're doing this thing for the next three years,

it is to see increase across our campuses, for the

next generations, to make an impact in our kids ministry

and our youth ministry, and our sanctuary and in the

cities that we're going to. Because what I want to

do at the end of my life when I get

at the top of this journey, I want my children

to see the King of Kings and the Lord of

Lords at the end of the stairs.

I want to hear that we have finished our race. Well.

I want to see that, if my children ever come

up to the ladder of my life, that they see

their Father in his word, praying and seeking the face

of God when times get hard, rather than seeking immediately

to all of my earthly things on the other side

of this. I want, at the end of the day

that I set and you set, we set an example

to the next generation to say, we too had distractions

in this world, but at the end of the day,

we chose Jesus above all those things. We chose to

fall on our knees and to surrender to the one

who is in control, and to the one who has

the answers, and to the one who carries the peace

of God. So I want to do this before we close,

if we can do this together, and we'll all leave

here in a matter of moments. If you are here today,

I don't think we have any elementary school students, but

if we do, they're probably still in Patriot kids. And

I know Saturday is normally a little bit of a

smaller service, but we want to pray and bless out

for the school year, our.

Next generation of students.

And so if there are any students in here that

are in elementary school, junior high, high school, or college,

would you just begin to come up here at the front.

It's gonna you may be introverted or scared to but

we just just want to pray for you. Okay, So

would you come up here? We got a couple and

I'm gonna ask that our elders, deacons and pray, our

team and our pastors that are here. Would you come

around our students as they come up right now, I

see some elementary students coming up, junior high, high school students.

And if you're here today as an adult, I'm gonna

asking no matter of moments, that we extend our hands

and we come in agreement and we believe God for

our next generation. That God's greatest days of revival are

ahead in this generation. These are our sons and daughters,

These are our nieces and nephews, our grandchildren, granddaughters and grandsons.

So would you join me in extending your hands to

these beautiful children of God as we bless them out

this year.

God. Right now, Father God, right now, Lord, we say,

these are your children.

Father God, you have given them to us as stewards. Lord,

you were the one that breathed life into them.

Father God.

A mother may have carried them, a father may have

prayed for them, But God, you have had your mind

on them since they were in their mother's wound.

God.

So I pray Lord that as they go to elementary school,

as they're in elementary school, as they're in junior high,

as they're in high school, as they're going off to college,

Father God, I pray Lord that you would surround them

and protect them every single day. Lord, protect their eyes, Lord,

protect their ears, Father God, I protect their hands, and

bless their hands and their feet. That wherever they go, Lord,

may your shadow go with them. Father God. We pray

for their mother and their father. Father God, we pray

for their guardians that are in their life. Father God,

would you give them the grace and the wisdom and

the peace of God to be able to pour into

their life. Lord, May you remind our children and grandchildren

Lord that for a lot of ways, we've not seen

everything that they're seeing today at their age. God, so

give us wisdom. Lord, give us grace.

Father God.

I pray Lord, right now that the enemy cannot have

these children. Lord that Jesus you have given all authority

on heaven and earth to your Church. So right now,

God we bind the devourer. Lord, we rebuke the enemy

in Jesus name.

Father God.

We pray a protection of provision over their life, of health,

over their life of safety, over their life. Father God.

We pray Lord that you would give them dreams of

the future. Father God, that you would bring clarity to

their purpose. Father God, I pray that wherever they're at

in their life, Lord, you would remind them that their

days are not over Lord, that their future is greater.

God.

A pray for these young women of God, Lord, that

they would see their life with clarity. When the enemy

tries to say that your life has no value, God God,

remind them, remind them that you see value in them.

God, that you have given them breath in their lungs.

Lord, show these young men, Father God, that they have

been created with purpose. Lordy they have been called by you,

Father God. I pray for these sons and daughters, Lord,

that they would open their eyes every day being reminded

that God has a future and a plan for their life.

Father God, no matter how dark they may feel in life,

God remind them show them that He that is in

them is greater than they that are in the world.

Father God, we thank you for this moment in Jesus

Mighty name. Amen and Amen. Let's give it up for

our children today and thank you guys for coming up.

There was a lot of you guys in service today.

And lastly, as we pray right now, I just want

to invite you in a matter moments, if you're here

today and you want to confess Jesus Christ as your

personal Lord and savior for the first time, I think

Noah said it beautifully. Is it's not a matter of

having God conform to your life. It's a matter of

us conforming to God. It's a matter of saying, God,

I relinquish all the things, all of my burdens, all

of my sins, all of the things that are not righteous,

and I cling.

To Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior.

And so if you're here today, wherever you're at, would

you join me in praying this prayer out loud. The

prayer is not the thing that saves you. All we're

doing is affirming what the Holy Spirit is already doing

in your life. Right now, Jesus says, if you would

acknowledge me before Man, then I will acknowledge you before

my Father in Heaven.

But if you don't acknowledge me before Man, then I

will reject you before my Father in heaven.

Not because that's God's heart, but it's because it mirrors

our heart. So would you join me in saying this

today for those that are ready to cling to Jesus

Christ as their savior, which say, Dear Lord Jesus, right

now in this place, I confess you as my Lord

and my Savior. I believe in my heart that Jesus

died on the cross and he rose from the grave.

And from this day forward I commit to following you

for the rest of my days in Jesus's name. Amen,

Let's praise God for what he did today, About what God,

how God moved today.

I truly believe the presence of the Lord was in

the room today.

If you said that prayer today gave your life to Christ,

either for the first time or the last time, you

can go.

To our website ww dot grow Dot Faith.

We'd love to come alongside of you and walk with

you in your journey of faith and your relationship with Jesus.

We'd never want you to leave this place to say

I said that prayer, but I didn't know what was next.

That's how we want to come alongside of you.

If you have any trouble finding out next information, you

can find anyone with a badge that says Family or

dream Team or a Family shirt and they love to

help you out. I'm going to pray bless us out

right now today. We have elders, deacons and prayer team

at the front. So if you need prayer about anything,

you need anyone to come in agreement with you about

anything that's going on, or maybe even you do have

a college student that you just want an extra anointing

over as they go off to college. Feel free wherever

you're at in your season. Please come up for prayer

if that's what you need. After service, Lord, I pray

you bless and keep this moment.

God. I pray that this moment was sacred Lord.

For some of us, this is going to be a

normal Saturday to us, just another check off the box

of a Saturday service that.

We went and we worship God and we praised Him.

But there are going to be some that are going

to mark this day as a life transforming day in

their life.

God.

There's going to be some people that will look at

this day as a pinnacle moment of their life where

they fully surrendered their life to Jesus, Father God. I pray, however,

this day is to us God, that when we leave

this place, we leave here striving after Your glory and

your presence. We bless this moment Lord in Jesus Mighty name.

Amen and Amen, God bless you family. We'll see on

Wednesday or next Sunday.