Don't Just Show Up!

Just give me Jesus. Y 'all have to forgive me

this morning if I cough a little bit. And if

I lose my voice, that's all right too. Because

I'd rather sing my voice out in worship than

to have it stick around with me a little while.

I'd rather wear my voice out every single service,

preaching or not preaching, just worshiping the

Lord. Give this youth group a hand clap of praise

because they have truly led us into the presence

of the Lord this morning. Guys, thank you so

much. I love you. You know that. I'm so proud

of you. Thank you so much. Come on, you're not

done. Give them another hand clap of praise.

Stand up here and sing in front of y 'all. Y

'all know that? Not a bad thing. It's just a

lot of pressure, a lot of stress. One thing I

can tell you is, number one, you guys can be

jealous of me because I get worshiped like that

every Wednesday night. And I am blessed because

of it. Amen? I'm looking forward to preaching

to you today, and I'm going to be in Mark chapter

Mark 6 · chapter mention

6. Just two simple verses. Verse 5 and 6. And

I'm going to try my best not to cough in this

mic. Because I know y 'all don't want to hear

that. Just say amen when you got it today. Mark

Mark 6:5

chapter 6, verse 5. It says, now he could do

no mighty work there. except that he lay his

hands on a few sick people and healed them. And

he marveled because of their unbelief. Then he

went about the villages in a circuit teaching.

I want to preach to you on the thought today,

simply don't just show up. Don't just show up.

Father, I love you today. I thank you, God, for

the wonderful atmosphere that we all feel in

your house this morning. Father, I don't take

it for granted the opportunity that I have to

stand behind this sacred desk. So, God, I ask

that you would anoint me in this time. Father,

as I preach your word, that I feel like you've

burned in my heart. I pray, God, that you would

make it edifying to the body but ultimately glorifying

to you. And, Jesus, I will praise you and I will

thank you for everything always. In Jesus' name

I pray. Amen. You can be seated. As I was reflecting

over this past weekend and... Just thinking back

at all the wonderful things that God has done

in the student's life and that he'll continue

to do, I believe, in their life, it made me think

very specifically about Winterfest in itself,

right, but versus the normal Sunday and Wednesday

night services that we typically have all across

America. And Winterfest, so you know, is one

of the largest, if not the largest, youth gathering

in our denomination. They happen all across America

in different parts of America. But the Smoky

Mountain Winterfest that happens at the LeCotte

Center is the largest one. Over 11 ,000 students

gathered in that room to be together, to worship

together. They gather to worship with students

their own age, to hear sermons that ministers

preach specifically for them and their age group,

and to be in the presence of the Lord together.

And again, it's one of the largest gatherings

in the world, and it gives them an opportunity

in that setting to really press in and seek God

for everything that they're needing him to do

in their life, no matter if it's for them or

for family or whatever the case may be. It gives

them that opportunity in that setting. to kind

of be free and to really press in, to really

pursue God like they never have before. But then

I began to think about Sunday mornings. Obviously,

we have Wednesday nights as well on this campus.

We have Wednesday night services. I began to

think about the parallel between the two and

these youth services, of course. I've always

wondered why that... So many students go to Winterfest.

Like I said, 11 ,000 just at the LeConte Center,

not counting the ones that gathered in other

Winterfests across the country. But I've always

wondered in myself why Winterfest, all these

wonderful things happen in students' lives. I

begin to think about Winterfest compared to Wednesday

nights. And if I'm speaking on just a youth perspective,

what is the difference between a Winterfest and

a Wednesday night service and youth group? And

then I realized that it's not about Winterfest

in particular. It's about, it's not about where

they gather. It's not about the events that take

place at the gathering. It's not about the famous

worship bands that come from all over to worship,

the names that everybody knows. It's not about

the speakers that they may be familiar with because

they follow them on social media. It's simply

that the students go to Winterfest. With a faith

that God can and an expectation that God will.

So then I began to wonder, do we have that same

faith and expectations on Sunday morning and

Wednesday nights? Because we will gather on Sunday

mornings, won't we? We don't mind getting up

and coming to a gathering. We show up, we like

showing up and seeing people we haven't seen

all week long and share just stuff that happened

that week. We might even share sometimes the

way the enemy's been doing terrible things in

our lives. We want to share what's going wrong

sometimes, but we show up for that. Then we walk

into service like we have here this morning,

and we show up to hear some good worship music,

but sometimes we don't ever have any real intention

of actually worshiping. We may even share. Or

we may even sit there with our arms crossed while

the praise team sings about the goodness of God.

We show up to be encouraged by the preacher because

of the terrible week we had. We need him to make

us feel better and to preach an uplifting sermon

and tell me that God's got me, but he better

not step on my toes. He better not preach anything

that's convicting to me, and he better not preach

to me the uncompromising gospel of Jesus Christ.

Because you see, I need to be comforted, not

changed. We show up to church to check a box.

We show up to church to be seen. And we show

up to church to feel better about ourselves.

But I need you to understand today that Jesus

did not die so you could attend church. Jesus

died so that we could encounter him. And we gather

together as a collection of believers to encounter

the presence. So sometimes I wonder, and this

morning I wonder, do we gather with a faith -filled

expectation? Now, in the story in Mark chapter

Mark 6 · chapter mention

6, we see that Jesus returned home to Nazareth,

his hometown. And what happens there is, well,

the Bible says in verse 5 that he could do no

mighty works there. But the tragedy of Nazareth

wasn't that Jesus didn't show up. The tragedy

of Nazareth was that they were in the same room

with Jesus and still missed the miracles. And

I wonder how many people walk into church every

week all across America, Jesus in the room, his

power is present, his spirit is moving, but unbelief

keeps them sitting in the same seat and leaving

the very same way. I think time and time again

that's where we get. We get put in a place where,

We just get comfortable in our sitting. I was

talking to a friend of mine about the problem

with sitting too long. And when we sit too long,

we begin to stink. And when we begin to stink,

nothing good can come out of that. Amen? I don't

want to be stenched, ripped, ridden. I don't

want to stink. I don't want to sit too long that

it becomes just something I do. Especially when

we're talking about getting into the presence

and encountering Jesus. But too many times we

walk into churches and it's not, I'm not, please

know me, I'm not, my heart is not, I'm not against

you. I'm talking about church in general. All

across America we gather and we sit and we hear

a good sermon and we leave there thinking, man,

I feel better. But were you changed? Were you

transformed? Did you grow? Did you step into

something new? And the theme for Winterfest was

This Is Us. And the whole idea leading up to

Winterfest was how I, the students to let them

know they were unique, they were specific, they

were created, handcrafted on purpose the way

they are for a purpose. Amen. And we need to

think that in ourselves today. It's not just

for the students. It's for us too. We need to

understand that we walk in that door. It was

by design. It was on purpose. It's not by chance

when you look around this room and you see those

sitting to your left and to your right and in

the balcony. It's not by chance that we're all

sitting here today because there will never be

another collection of individuals exactly like

this in this room ever again. So you can't tell

me that we don't serve a God who has a plan.

You can't tell me that we don't serve a God who

has a purpose. You can't tell me we don't serve

a God who has a reason for each and every one

of you and why you're sitting here in this room

today. It's not because old Pastor Brian's preaching.

It's because the Spirit of the Lord is in this

place. And we came not only to sit in our seats

and just raise a hand every once in a while.

We came to encounter the powerful, miracle -working

power of Jesus Christ. He is the reason that

we gather today. He is the reason that we're

all here seeking him. Because why? things that

need to be done in our lives and in our family's

lives. Scott, if you're going to stay up here,

son, you just turn that thing up. I like it.

I like a piano back here. We need an organ. I'm

looking at you, Brent. We need an organ. Amen.

But why do we come? Do we come expecting, do

we come with a faith that expects God to move?

Or do we come just, we prayed and we hope, and

we hope he does, but do we expect him to? So

the first thing I want to talk about today is

that God moves where he is expected. In our text

this morning, we see that Jesus has come into

his hometown. He arrived there, and when the

Sabbath had come, he went into the synagogue

to teach. The Bible says that many were astonished

at his teaching. They would even say, where did

this man get these things? And what wisdom is

this which is given to him? What such mighty

works were performed by his hands? They were

blown away. They couldn't believe that this was

the carpenter that they knew from his hometown.

They couldn't believe that this was just the

simple son of Mary, the brother of James and

Judas and Simon. They couldn't believe that this

was the same Jesus. But Nazareth didn't get a

different Jesus. They had the same Jesus that

healed the blind, the same Jesus that cast out

demons, the same Jesus that raised the dead.

And the Bible says that he could do no mighty

works there. But not because his power had changed,

but because their expectation disappeared. They

looked at him and said, isn't this the carpenter?

We know his family. We were here where he was

raised, and we watched him grow up. They became

too familiar to believe, and familiarity produces

unbelief. The truth is that God is drawn to faith

-filled expectation. I need you to hear me this

morning. Faith -filled expectation sets the atmosphere.

Too many times we walk into a church, and I've

heard it talked about, and I'm going to turn

40 next month, a little telling on me a little

bit. But I was sharing with another young man

who's probably too young to know what I was talking

about, but I was sharing with him about the old

days. Some of you all know what I'm talking about.

Mom's not here, so I can tell this story. I was

hoping she'd be here, but she'd roll her eyes

and get mad at me. But I remember as a kid growing

up, walking into these churches, and my sister

can attest to this. We were little at the time.

Dad always sat on the end, which is where he

still sits to this day. Then it was Mama. and

then tucked underneath her arm was usually me

and Brandon because we got in trouble a lot,

and then my sister was at the end. But when the

Spirit of the Lord would start moving in these

services, some of you know ladies would... would

dance about in the Spirit, shaking bobby pins

from their hair, and men would take off off the

stage, run in the aisles, and who knows, they

might do a couple laps. We don't know. The Spirit

of God would move, and people were freely allowing

the Spirit of God to move. And I remember my

mom, sometimes she'd stand up, and if the Lord

would move on her, she'd maybe give a message

in tongue, and then maybe even start dancing

in the Spirit herself. And I'll never forget

the stone -cold look on her face as she just

dances in the Spirit. Mom, Dad's got his arm

up like this. Me and Brandon's got our arm up

like this because we don't know at any moment

she might fall out in the spirit and she might

be in our lap. We don't know. But I remember

those times of just the powerful move of God,

and I'm hearing way too much even now in the

day that we're living that that's a rare thing.

It doesn't happen anymore. And all these things,

what happened to those days? And if you ask in

my opinion, I'll give you my opinion. That's

because we as a church have become too dignified

to allow the Spirit of the Lord to move the way

he wants to. Because my Bible says he's the same

yesterday, today, and forever. So if that's true,

and I believe the Bible is true, then it isn't

God that's changed. It's us that have changed.

And I believe that if we walk into his sanctuary

on Sunday mornings, on Sunday nights, during

revival times, on Wednesday night services, if

we walk into the sanctuary with a faith -filled

expectation that God is going to move, I have

no doubt in my mind that he will meet us in the

expectation and in the middle of the faith to

perform that miracle and to perform that work

that you're seeking. You're already seeking the

move. You're already seeking the healing. He's

seeking the miracle. So why not walk in here

and expect God to be who you know him to be?

And that's an almighty miracle worker, deliverer.

He's a restorer. Amen. Why not walk in here expecting

that to happen? We come in seeking. We come in

praying. But do we expect it to happen? No, because

we've got our feelings hurt when it didn't happen.

That's an interesting place to be. Amen. But

I encourage you today, come expecting God to

move. The woman with the issue of blood, she

expected a healing. She said, if I can just touch

his clothes. As she's pushing through the crowd,

her determination is, if I can just. Touch his

clothes. She didn't say I might. She didn't say

I hope so. The Bible says she said, I shall be

healed. And we all know what happened. She got

her healing, and Jesus turns to her and says

what? Your faith. has made you well. It wasn't

just the act of her pushing through the crowd.

The Lord didn't look at her and say, you worked

hard, so I'm going to bless you. It was her faith

and her understanding and her expectation that

if I can just touch his clothes, I shall be healed.

Amen. I was talking to Ken about this morning,

the four men who let down the paralytic through

the roof. Everywhere Jesus went, he drew a crowd.

Did he not? especially once the word got out.

So here he is in this town, in this house, and

the Bible says they came from all over and crowded

the house. In my mind, there's just a crowd of

people all around it. Windows are open, doors

are open. They're just trying to hear and grab

anything they can grab from this man named Jesus.

And then these four boys show up carrying this

paralytic. So we got to get him in there, but

how do we get him in there? We can't even get

near the door. Some old boy said, well, we take

that roof off, we'll get him in there. And I

begin to think, what kind of faith does it take

to say to myself, if I tear that roof off, I

can get this guy down in there, and he will heal

him. If I can just get him down there. It wasn't

just the faith, though. It was the expectation.

If they didn't expect God to move, if they didn't

expect Jesus to heal, if they didn't expect him

to do what he did, they would have never even

tried. But the Bible says that Jesus saw their

faith. And he said to that paralytic, arise and

take up your bed and walk. And he was able to

perform that mighty miracle because of the faith

that he saw. In all of these stories, and we

could go on and on, Jesus responds to this faith.

The second thing I want to point out is that

unbelief restricts what God wants to do. No doubt

Jesus... Went into Nazareth with the same intentions

that he had in other places he went. When he

visited and going into the synagogue on the Sabbath

day to teach, he had the same idea and the same

plans of what he was wanting to do. And as they

were offended at his teaching, not really understanding

who he was, the scripture says that now he could

do no mighty works there. I want you to pay attention

to this phrase because it doesn't say that he

would not do the mighty work. It said that he

could not do the mighty work. They unbelief that

they had limited God in that place. So when we

think about God's being limited in a place, it

makes you think back to me on why God doesn't

move in churches the way they do, the way that

he used to. Because we've limited him in the

places where there's no belief. The tragedy of

unbelief is not just doubt. The tragedy of unbelief

is that it prevents God from doing. what he wants

to do. Unbelief can cause us to sit in the presence

of miracles and still leave unchanged. In Numbers

13 through 14, we read about Israel at Kadesh

Barnea, and God had already promised Israel the

land. They saw the Red Sea departed. They saw

manna fall from heaven, but when the spies returned,

they spread unbelief. They said, we're not able

to go up against these people for they're stronger

than we. Where was their belief? They had already

seen works of God. They'd already seen God perform

miracles in them and in their situation, in their

journey, but yet they had no belief. In the Gospel

of Mark, we read about the disciples in a storm

and Jesus is in the boat with them. I mean, of

all places to have no belief, you're in the boat

with the Savior. And they wake him. Y 'all know

the story. They shake him and stir him and wake

him. Do you not care that we're going down with

this shit? And he stands up, rebukes the sea.

and then he looks at them and says, where's your

faith? Imagine being in the boat with the Savior

and him looking at you and asking, where's your

faith? You see, God can do things in our life.

God wants to do things in our life, what you're

praying for, what you're seeking for, what you're

asking deliverance from, what you're on your

knees and just crying out to him for. God wants

to do those things, but our own unbelief, whether

it be consciously or subconscious, prevents him

from performing that work. The storm wasn't the

problem, their unbelief was. We can go on and

on in stories throughout the Bible of unbelief.

Israel missed the promise because of unbelief.

The disciples panicked because of unbelief. Thomas

doubted because of unbelief. Nazareth missed

miracles because of unbelief. Trying to tell

you this morning is, I'm trying to tell you,

unbelief does not change who God is. It does

not change who he wants to be in your life. It

does not change the miracles he wants to perform.

Your unbelief does. You need to understand that

God is still healer. God is still deliverer.

God is still restorer. God is still redeemer.

God is still all those things that we know him

to be. But our unbelief prevents him from doing

the work in our life. So I need you to understand

this morning, don't let unbelief talk you out

of your miracle. Don't let unbelief talk you

out of your breakthrough. Don't let unbelief

talk you out of the promises of God. Because

the same Jesus that walked into Nazareth is walking

through this room right now. And I think it's

a great opportunity to put your hands together

and give God some praise for just being present

in our midst this morning. We praise you today,

God. Mark 9, 23 through 24 says, Jesus said to

him, if you can believe, all things are possible

to him who believes. Immediately, the father

of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord,

I believe, but help my unbelief. Sometimes it's

okay to ask for help for your unbelief. It's

hard sometimes when you're crying out to God

for things that you desperately need him to do

in your life and you feel like no one's listening.

You feel like your prayer goes in one ear and

out the other, so to speak, of God. You feel,

you look at your situation and you think, God,

you ain't moved yet. What's happening? Am I not

getting through? And sometimes we have a habit

or a response. We want to respond to that by

pushing even harder. Or pushing deeper. Or maybe

we just ask why. Maybe we're confused and we

don't see God working because he's working behind

the scenes. But we start questioning him and

we start asking him why. And we start not understanding,

well, this can't be true because he hasn't done

it for me. It's even worse when you see him do

it in somebody else's life. And you're thinking,

where's mine, Lord? Where's mine? Help my unbelief

today. Help my unbelief today. Third thing I

want to talk about is how faith -filled expectation

prepares the ground for miracles. Even Jesus

was amazed in our text. The Bible says that Jesus

marveled at their unbelief. And there's only

a few times in Scripture, there's only a few

things that amazes Jesus. One being great faith

and the other being unbelief. Imagine that, the

creator of the universe stood in that town, in

his hometown where he's from, and their unbelief

shocked him. They were so close to a miracle,

but their expectations were so low. Faith is

more than belief. It is an expectation. Expectation

prepares the heart the way soil is prepared for

the seed. You must prepare your heart before

you get there and ready to receive. You have

to make up your mind when you get up on Sunday

morning what you're going into the house of God

expecting to receive. I told the students before

we left the Wednesday night, before we left to

go to Winterfest, I said, I want you to go home

tonight. I want you to say your prayers and I

want you to ask God and seek him because I want

you to show up. ready to go, and I want you to

make your mind up before you get there. We can't

just walk into Sunday morning church on a Sunday

morning and hope God's going to move. Like it's

an afterthought, like it's secondhand. We have

to show up with an expectation. But make your

mind up before you walk through those doors.

In my mind, those doors are the entrance into

the sanctuary. That's the entrance into the holy

place. That's the entrance into the reverent.

place where we come to encounter an almighty,

powerful spirit of the Lord. And I want to do

everything I can to be as prepared as I can to

enter into his presence. It's that important

to me. And I don't know about you, but I need

him to move in my life. I need him to hear me

when I pray. I need him to deliver me when I

need to be delivered. I need him to restore when

I need to be restored. But most people wait until

they feel something. But can I tell you, miracles

don't start with feelings. They start with a

faith -filled expectation. Expectation changes

the atmosphere. When people walk into the house

of God expecting nothing, guess what? You'll

usually receive nothing. But when people walk

in believing God is about to move, you better

believe God is about to move. to move. Imagine

if we had all 200 of you sitting in this room

today, that when you walk through those doors,

you walked in with the mindset of God is about

to move. I'm excited. I'm pumped up. I'm ready

to go. I want to get into his presence because

God is about to move. I need him to move in my

life and God is about to move. I need him to

perform miracles in my life and God is about

to move. Imagine if we walked into his church

with an understanding of God. is about to move.

We'd be excited like Ken is on Sunday morning.

I got here early. Ken was already in the sanctuary

praying. Imagine if we all got to the house of

God with that expectation on our heart. God,

you're going to move. I know you're going to

move. You're going to do it. Today is your day.

God, perform the work and move all across this

room. Father, we love you today and I thank you.

When we enter in with an idea and the thought

already made up our mind, God is about to move,

something begins to shift in the room. Because

faith -filled expectation prepares the atmosphere

for miracles. Blind Bartimaeus on the roadside,

when he heard Jesus was passing by, he cried

out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. And

the immediate response was hush, hush. What'd

they do? They tried to hush him. They tried to

tell him be quiet. That outcry don't belong here.

But he had already made up in his mind, I expect.

a deliverance. I expect a healing. So the Bible

says he cried out even more, Jesus, son of David,

have mercy on me. And Jesus said, I hear your

faith. Call him unto me. He walks unto Jesus

and Jesus says, what could I have to do for you?

And he said that I would receive my sight. And

Jesus gave him back his sight and his deliverance

was made. His healing took place and it happened

immediately. Ken, that's the difference in a

miracle and a healing. Healing takes time, but

miracles are instantaneous. I don't know about

you, but I need some miracles in my life. I need

God to move right now. I need God to move right

now. I need God to move right now. It's not a

healing. It's an expectation of a miracle in

this place and in our lives. All giving praise.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh, we praise you all

across this room today, God. You are a miracle

working God. You are the healer. You are the

deliverer. You are the redeemer. And God, we

came expecting that today. In Jesus' name. In

Jesus' name. In Jesus' name. expectation had

risen in his heart, and he would not take no

for an answer. Expectation is like the difference

in a waiting room and an emergency room. In a

waiting room, we all sit quietly and patiently.

We're on our phones, scrolling. Maybe we just

talk to family, but we're waiting our turn. But

when the emergency doors come flying open, You

see everybody spring into action. There's doctors

flying here, there are nurses flying here, there

are stretchers are rolled all across the hospital

and things come alive. Why? Because urgency changes

the atmosphere. And when expectation arises in

a church service, the atmosphere changes. People

don't sit back like spectators anymore. They

begin to worship like they believe God's listening.

They begin to pray like they believe heaven is

responding. They begin to lean in like they believe

this could. be the moment that God moves. Miracles

rarely happen in rooms full of spectators, but

they happen in rooms filled with people who expect

God to move. The same service can have two different

outcomes. One person sits there thinking it's

just another church service. The other person

sits there thinking today could be my day for

my miracle. And I came to tell you today, I need

you to be the type that says today could be my

day for the miracle. Amen. Because why? Because

God still heals today. He still saves today.

He still restores today. He still breaks chains

today. You can have your breakthrough today.

He brings families back together today. He can

do all these things today. And when a church

begins to expect God to move, the atmosphere

shifts from routine into revival. And I don't

know about you, but I want to see a revival in

our church today. Young men and women, it's going

to be through you. Can I just tell you today,

it's going to be through you. It's not going

to be because of things happened in the past.

It's going to be something new and fresh and

on fire with an expectation. Hallelujah. In the

Gospel of John 5, the Bible tells us about a

man at the pool of Bethesda. The man had been

crippled for 38 years. 38 years of pain, 38 years

of limitation, 38 years of watching over people

get their miracle. The Bible says there was belief

that when the waters were stirred, the first

person in would be healed. So every day, people

gathered around the pool waiting, watching, and

hoping. But see, this man had a problem. He had

an expectation, but it was misplaced. Jesus asked

him, wilt thou be made whole? And the man didn't

say yes. Instead, he said, sir, I have no man.

When the water is troubled, to put me into the

pool. You need to notice what happened. The miracle

was standing right in front of him, but he was

still looking at the water. The expectation was

tied to the method instead of the Messiah. And

people need to do the same thing today. It's

not if the song is right. It's not if the preacher

is right. It's not if the atmosphere is right.

The truth is the miracle is not in the water.

The miracle is in Jesus. Hallelujah. Give him

praise all across this room today. So you need

to stop waiting on the water to be stirred. You

need to stop waiting on someone else's help.

You need to stop sitting here waiting on the

water to be right and start looking to Jesus

who is standing right there with you. Why? Because

the expectation shifts our focus from systems

to the Savior. And that is where miracles happen.

Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Y 'all can stand.

I'm going to close. Oh, hallelujah. Thank you,

Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. I came in today with

expectation. I walk into this church every morning,

and I don't say it just to say it. I say it because

I mean it. I'm excited to get to come into this

church every Sunday and every Wednesday. Lately,

Monday through Friday, Saturday, it don't matter.

I get excited to come in the house of God. But

it's one thing to be excited about the Sunday.

It's one thing to be excited to be in the God's

house and to be in his presence, but it's a whole

nother to have to come with an expectation that

God is going to move. And I pray right now that

we... We get our desire back and our expectation

to want God to move. In our text it says Jesus

marveled at their unbelief. Not because he lacked

power. Not because he didn't want to move. But

because the people who were closest to him were

the ones who expected the least from him. And

I wonder this morning how many people are sitting

in this room. With the same Jesus present. The

same Jesus who heals. The same Jesus who saves.

And the same Jesus who restores lives. But unbelief

has whispered in your ear so long that you've

stopped expecting anything from him. Maybe life's

been hard. Maybe prayers have gone unanswered.

Maybe you've been disappointed before. And slowly

your faith didn't disappear, but your expectation

did. You still believe God can, you're just not

sure if he will. But I came to tell you something

this morning, that God has not changed. It sounds

cliche to say, but there's no more truth than

that. God has not changed. His power has not

changed. His promises have not changed. The same

Jesus who walked through Nazareth is walking

through this room right now. And the difference

between those who leave the same and those who

leave changed is often one or two things, faith

and expectation. We have to believe today could

be the day. Today could be the day that chains

break. Today could be the day that healing comes.

And today could be the day that God restores

what the enemy tried to destroy. And I want anyone

who... who wants those things to happen in their

life to make your way to this altar right now.

Not because the altar is special. I want you

to come with your faith, and I want you to come

with an expectation. Because I believe that in

this day and time right now, in this place right

now, God is ready and willing to move in your

lives and our lives like he never has before.

The things that we've been seeking, the things

that we've been praying for, the things that

we've been asking God to do, he's waiting on

someone to say, I have the faith, and I came

to receive. I have the faith, I have the expectation,

and I've came to receive. Father, I thank you

today. I praise you all across this church today,

Lord, for your spirit and the power and your

Holy Ghost that's moved in this room. God, I

thank you for your presence, and I ask, God,

that you would draw hearts near to you today.

Father, I ask that you would draw us unto you

and change us, Lord. Help us to walk down to

this altar with the faith that we can stand firm

and with the expectation that you're going to

move. God, we know who you are. You are and we

believe who you are. And we thank you today in

Jesus' name. Amen and amen.