Chameleon Part 2 | Real Resistance with Chris Schlotterbeck

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We hope this message encourages you, challenges

you, and reminds you that you are deeply loved.

Now, let's hear the message. And I just pray

for more of your presence and more of your spirit,

and it's in your amazing name we pray. Amen.

Amen. Love y 'all. Peace. Bye, guys. Chameleon

part two. Good morning, everybody. Good morning.

Yeah, so glad you're here. Yes, I am an old head.

But I think I can run circles around that young

head. What do you all think? If you're joining

us from home, thank you for welcoming us into...

your space. Thank you for everybody wearing your

jerseys. The lights are bright, but it's not

the lights that are blind to me. It's the black

and gold. Jeez, too much. Just a couple additional

announcements that I want to throw out there.

Thank you for everyone that signed up to be a

part of our 24 -7 prayer this past week. It's

actually still going on all throughout today.

If you get a chance and you can make your way

up front. every single person that was in here

praying this week. For those of you who don't

know, if you're new to our community of faith,

we took this entire week, started last Monday

at midnight, and we've been praying 24 -7 for

seven days. And that's just amazing to me that

there was people showing up here literally in

the middle of the night. At 2 and 3 in the morning,

and all of the prayers have been recorded and

written on these pages. So we've been praying

for our community. We've been praying for our

kids. We've been praying for our country. We've

been praying for our community of faith. It's

been absolutely amazing. So thank you for all

of you that have been a part of that. And also...

Something that's kind of close to my heart that

we've always done here for the past several years

at HCV is we've been a part of an organization

called Souls for Souls. And this month we are

collecting your used shoes. You know, the shoes

that are in your closet you haven't worn in over

a year. You know, those shoes that we all have.

And we send them to an organization called Souls

for Souls. And they send them all around the

world to third world countries to children and

adults. that don't have shoes, just like we sent

to my son over in Kenya. So if you have those,

we'll be collecting those for the next three

weeks here on Sunday mornings. So grab your shoes

that you're not wearing, bring them in, and we

will send them to the ends of the earth. So I

want to open part two of our chameleon series

here for the month of September with a simple

question. Do you have faith, or do you just believe

in the idea of faith? Because there's a difference.

It's very easy to say I have faith, but saying

you have faith doesn't mean you have it. See,

we can sit here on our Sunday gatherings at HCV

and never exercise our faith. We can read the

Bible, quote the Bible. We can sing about faith.

We can raise our hands in worship. We can pray

bold prayers and still never actually trust God

enough. To obey him when obedience costs us something.

And see, maybe that's the problem. We have made

faith or a relationship with Jesus so comfortable

that we've forgotten what it actually is. See,

faith isn't just believing God can. Faith is

trusting God enough to let him change our actions.

To allow the Holy Spirit to form us and mold

us into his image. See, faith isn't just what

you believe in your head. Faith is what you do

with your life. And here's where it gets uncomfortable.

See, if your faith has never required you to

take a risk, make a sacrifice, stand alone, say

no to temptation, forgive someone that's hurt

you, or obey God and trust God even when you

don't understand the outcome, How do you even

know it's real? Because real faith eventually

gets tested. And when faith gets tested, you

discover whether you actually have faith or whether

it's just something you talk about. And see,

that's what makes the book of Daniel so powerful.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego aren't standing

in a Sunday gathering singing about faith. They're

standing literally in front of a king who can

kill them. They look around, and everyone around

them is bowing and kneeling. There's a music

playing. There's this pressure rising, and they

have a decision to make. Will they bow, or will

they burn? And see, these men, they choose to

stand. In fact, they said something that may

be one of the most powerful statements of faith

in the entire Bible. The God whom we serve is

able to save us, but even if he doesn't. In other

words, God can save us, but if he doesn't, he's

still God, and we're not bowing. See, that's

real faith. Real faith doesn't say, God, I'll

obey you if you bless me. Real faith says, God,

I'm going to follow you because you're God no

matter what the outcome will be. So here's the

question we're going to discuss today. If your

faith doesn't change the way you live, is it

really faith? And that leads us to our first

thought. removes anything that competes with

God. Real faith removes anything that competes

with God. And before we jump in to our text this

morning, I want to review last week to set the

table for where we're going today. Last week,

we discussed Daniel chapter one, and we looked

at two competing kingdoms in the world that we

live, the kingdom of light and the kingdom of

darkness. Jesus, of course, is the king of the

kingdom of light. And as his followers, we are

called to be the light of the world. He says,

you're like a city on a hill. And the king of

Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, he invaded and conquered

Israel, taking all the influential young men

back to Babylon where they would be trained and

brainwashed into Babylonian culture. The goal

of the king was that these influential young

men would become leaders in Babylon. serving

King Nebuchadnezzar and influencing Babylonian

culture and its worldview. Daniel and his three

friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they

stand up. And just like I called the men last

week to stand up, to stand up for what is right,

remain committed to their godly convictions,

and King Nebuchadnezzar took notice. After taking

notice, the king had this troubling dream, and

none of his wise men, sorcerers, or astrologers

could interpret the dream. When they were threatened

with death, they quickly ran to Daniel and his

three friends and said, please help us. Daniel

and his three friends begin to pray about the

dream, and God reveals what the dream was to

them. And then gives them the interpretation

which they then give to King Nebuchadnezzar.

He's blown away. He couldn't believe it. So he

elevates Daniel to ruler over all of Babylon.

And then Daniel appoints his three friends to

oversee the affairs of the city as well. Now

it's important to understand the dream that Nebuchadnezzar

had. In order to understand the events that take

place today. In the dream. that Nebuchadnezzar

had, there was a massive statue. The statue was

of himself. He had a head of gold, a silver chest

and arms, bronze chest and thighs, iron legs

and feet were a mixture of iron and clay. And

Daniel gives the interpretation of the dream

to Nebuchadnezzar, stating that his kingdom and

all the earthly kingdoms that follow his will

be defeated by the kingdom of God, which will

stand forever. Nebuchadnezzar could not believe

how accurate the interpretation was, and declares

at the end of chapter 2 that Daniel's God is

the God of gods and the king of kings. Now it's

interesting, fast forward 17 years after Nebuchadnezzar

had the dream, Daniel's prophecy about the fall

of Babylon has not occurred. In fact, Babylon

was stronger than ever. So with the king seeing

no evidence of his destruction, he decides, well,

I'm going to rewrite history and change the future

by turning his dream into a reality. And this

is what we read in Daniel 3, verses 1 and 4 through

Daniel 3:1

7. King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue 90

feet tall, 9 feet wide, and set it up on the

plain of Dura in the province of Babylon, verse

4. Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately

be thrown into the blazing furnace. So at the

sound of the musical instruments, all the people,

whatever their race or nation or language, bowed

to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that

King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Very familiar

section of the Bible. If you went to any sort

of Sunday school when you were young, chances

are you heard this story. See, Nebuchadnezzar

had created an environment where everyone was

expected to bow. The pressure, it wasn't subtle.

It was in your face. Everyone was doing it. And

it wasn't just everyone. Remember, Nebuchadnezzar

gathered together all the leaders and the influential

people within the Babylonian culture. Picture

our presidential inauguration. This was a very

big deal. Thousands of people. And again, because

we heard this story in Sunday school, We immediately

think, well, this is just a biblical story. This

is not true. It's not real. It's just a story.

When in reality, we're wrong. There's actually

historical documents, not just the Bible, that

records this event in the Babylonian society.

This statue of King Nebuchadnezzar, historians

say, took five to ten years to complete. In fact,

for those of you that doesn't believe that happens

today, it's the same idol worship that's happening

in North Korea. Check out this image. This is

an image of the Mansudae Grand Monument. These

are two 72 feet high bronze statues of Kim Sung

and Kim Jong. North Koreans treat this site as

a site where they worship with deep reference.

regularly bowing and placing flowers at the base

of these statues. And it even goes further. At

this site, there is solemn music that plays 24

-7 through hidden sound systems around the clock.

See, we live in a world where idol worship is

still happening. Now, some of you say, well,

that doesn't happen in the United States. True.

But we live in a culture that when the music

plays, if we don't identify with the name this

world has given us or identify with the different

categories our culture puts on us, we're going

to be canceled. True or false? It's true. We

learned that last week. And the Bible tells us

that we're in a relationship with Jesus. Our

first identity is in him. We're a son or daughter

of God. See, our first identity is not who our

parents are. Our identity is not in our accomplishments.

Our identity is not in our careers. Our identity

is not in our physical appearance. And see, if

it's not our identity that culture points to,

then it could be when the music of comfort plays.

Right? When we're tempted to bow down to comfort,

using all our resources to make it so that we're

comfortable in this life. But we must remember,

we pursue a Savior who said, unless you take

up your cross and follow me, you have no relationship

with me. Or if it's not comfort, maybe it's the

pressure to fit in, young people. That when the

music plays at work or at school, we compromise

and begin to live or chase after all those things

that my friends are doing in order to fit in

and not stick out. But Jesus did say the world

would love you as one of its own if you belong

to it, but you're not part of the world. Maybe

it's the music of financial success or the music

of consumerism to buy more stuff. When in reality,

Jesus' currency of success is love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness, and self -control.

So even though we may not have a 90 -foot statue

in our country that people physically bow down

to, there are people, including many Jesus followers,

that are bowing down to idols every single day.

And that's why Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians,

so, my dear friends, flee from the worship of

idols. And we read in 1 John 5, verse 21, dear

1 John 5:21

children, keep away, listen to this, from anything.

that might take God's place in your hearts. And

this is my challenge to you today. I dare you.

Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal any area of

your life where you're bowing down to what culture

is commanding you to worship. Because I believe

if we look in the mirror and we're honest, we'll

find areas in our life, in our heart, where we're

compromising, which leads us to our next thought.

See, real faith is counter -cultural. Let's continue

in Daniel 3. But some of the astrologers went

to the king and informed the Jews. They said

to the king, Nebuchadnezzar, long live the king.

You issued this decree requiring all people to

bow down. That decree also states that those

who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing

furnace. But there's some Jews, jealousy, you

hear that jealousy? Remember Shadrach, Meshach,

and Abednego, they're on top. whom you have put

in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay

no attention to you, your majesty. They refuse

to serve your gods and not worship the gold statue

you have set on. Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into

a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and

Abednego be brought before him. See, Nebuchadnezzar's

culture had established a new normal. When the

music played, everybody bowed. The culture said,

this is what we do. But God's people, these three

men, had to say, this isn't what God called us

to do. And here's the reality that all of us

need to trust. Culture always changes. Opinions

change. Trends change. Right? Just like I said

last week, the 90s are back. Why? I mean, what

is celebrated today very well could be condemned

tomorrow. Except for one thing. And you know

what that one thing is? Truth. Truth never changes

because culture changes. And real faith, real

faith refuses to bow to the pressure society

puts on us if we're in a relationship with Jesus.

Because see, last week, I challenged you to take

a stand, to draw a line in the sand. This week,

we're going to be discussing this real faith

and what it looks like. Real faith refuses to

bow. But see, unfortunately, in the Church of

America, many people are bowing. A group of sociologists

did a study and released a book called Premarital

Sex in America. They studied two groups of men.

All these men were unmarried, college -educated,

and ages 18 to 23. They separated the men into

two groups. The first group was men who were

raised in a family that said it was completely

acceptable to have sex outside of marriage. It

was no big deal. The second group were men raised

in a Christian family that attended church regularly

and learned that sex outside of marriage was

wrong. In the first group of men who had families

that said sex outside of marriage was not wrong,

23 % of those polled. were virgins when they

were married. 23%. In group two, the men who

were raised in a family that taught sex outside

of marriage was wrong, attended church regularly,

and had faith, 20 % were virgins when they were

married. 20%. So in other words, what was happening

in the church was less than what's happening

in the world. And that shows us that they had

a belief, but their belief did not influence

their behavior. They had a theology, but they

were being more influenced by what culture said.

We are not countercultural. We are more culture

than culture. So church, this has to change.

If we're going to raise up godly men and women,

we have to teach the truth and live the truth.

And you say, well, that's sex. It's not just

sex. Same things happens with alcohol, drugs,

money, the way we dress, spending, what we watch,

what we listen to. We're called to be different.

We're called to be set apart. We're called to

not be of this world, John 17. I have given them

your word, truth, and the world hates them because

they do not belong to the world just as I do

not belong to the world. In the world, but not.

of the world. We're called to live in the world,

but we're not called to accept its values and

what they believe. Therefore, our decisions,

how we live our lives, should cause us to stand

out from culture, both in what we choose to do

and what we choose not to do. I mean, it's amazing.

Yesterday, Jess and I, we were grabbing a couple

things at a local store to make our cafe look

nice for Jersey Sunday. And as we were in that

store, we were just looking around at people,

engaging with people. And we were having this

discussion about, man, there's a lot of different

people in our world today. I mean, for example,

like today, just walk into Walmart. I'm serious.

Walk into Walmart and don't walk around with

your head down. Like, look at the people. Like,

uncomfortably look at the people. I dare you.

Like, this week. And when you look around, you're

just like, wow. Everyone is different. And the

crazy thing is, everyone's trying to stand out.

Whether it's the way they dress in their pajamas,

their hairstyle, you know, the music they listen

to, the jewelry they wear. You know, like yesterday

I saw a giant shirt with Jason from Friday the

13th on the front of it. And I'm just like, like

blood, I'm like, why? But, you know, it's okay.

Because everyone is trying not to be normal.

Like everyone's a rebel today in our culture.

And our discussion went to the reality that There's

no rebels in our society today except for those

of us that says, I'm not going to do that. See,

if we choose to embrace God and all he has for

us and allow his truth to be lived out in us,

you're going to be different. I mean, think about

it. In order, disorder stands out. For example,

in a classroom setting, Elementary classroom

setting, the child that needs all the attention,

what is it? It's disorder. They're throwing chairs.

They're loud. They're, you know, making themselves

known because they need attention. But in a society

of disorder, which we are living, the one who

is living for truth stands out. In a world who

rejects God, those in a relationship with him

should stand out, should be different. Romans

12, 2, don't copy the behavior and customs of

this world. but let God transform you into a

new person by changing the way you think. Which

leads us to our third thought about real faith.

Real faith is uncompromising. Daniel 3, 16 through

18, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego reply to

Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves

before you if we are thrown into the blazing

furnace, then God whom we serve is able to save

us. He will rescue us from your power, your majesty.

But even if he doesn't, We want to make it clear

to you, your majesty, we will never serve your

gods or worship the gold statue you have set

up. Dude, that's drawing a line in his hand.

And again, back to our biblical story, so many

people say, well, where did this furnace come

from? Why is there just a furnace there? Remember,

it took five to ten years to build a 90 -foot

statue that was made of what? Gold. How do you

make a 90 -foot statue made of gold? You melt

it in a furnace. Yes, it's real. See, Americans,

we pride ourselves on making decisions. We call

it critical thinking or problem solving. We learn

it in school. So what we do when we're faced

with a decision, we begin to rationalize and

process the possible outcomes. So we look at

the different options as far as the decisions

we're going to make, and we're going to recognize

that when we make this decision, this will happen

or that will happen, and we try to choose the

best decision. And see, we can't determine obedience

to God to be perceived to a possible outcome.

Because when the Bible speaks about, no, this

is the way you live and it's God's best, then

that's how we live. These men, they did not rationalize

the decision saying, well, if we do this, we're

going to be burned alive. But if we do this,

then we'll live. So we should choose life. You

know, they said, no, God is in charge of the

outcome. We're just going to choose to obey.

We're going to follow. He will rescue us even

if he doesn't. We're going to be faithful and

hold on to our convictions. And my challenge

to you is stop justifying sin. I mean, stop justifying

sin. When we're presented with an opportunity

to compromise, we can't justify the action as

a means of furthering God's kingdom. You know,

missionary dating? Well, one day he'll give his

life to Jesus. He looks good, man. She's beautiful.

No, we have to be committed to God. We can't

be committed to people and the culture that we

live in. I mean, the early church was challenged

with this in Acts chapter 5. Look, we gave you

Acts 5 · chapter mention

strict orders never again to teach in this man's

name. He said, instead, you have filled all Jerusalem

with your teaching about him, about Jesus. And

you want to make us responsible for his death.

But Peter and the apostles replied, we must obey

God rather than any human authority. Is that

you? Because we're constantly given opportunities

to compromise. And we constantly hear the voices

all around us. It's okay, everybody's doing it.

It's not that big of a deal. Why are you so religious?

Stop being so extreme. Just go along with it.

Stop taking your faith so seriously. But these

men... This encounter teaches us that there's

some things a follower of Jesus cannot compromise.

Because the moment we compromise our convictions,

you know what we've done? We've bowed to the

things of this world. We've given in. Which leads

us to our fourth thought. See, real faith stands

firm when the fire gets hot. Notice Nebuchadnezzar's

reaction. He was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach,

and Abednego that his face became distorted with

rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated

seven times hotter than usual, that he ordered

some of the strongest men of the army to bind

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them

in the blazing furnace. It's really interesting.

Many scholars, as I was studying this section

of the text, reference how Nebuchadnezzar's rage,

his distorted face, making the furnace hotter.

Right? If you want to torture someone, you make

the furnace hotter. cooler, and make them burn

longer. But he wanted to intimidate their God.

He was flexing on God, basically. Oh, yeah, we'll

see what your God can do. And because the king

in his anger had demanded such a hot fire in

the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as

they threw the three men in. So Shadrach, Meshach,

and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring

fire. These men didn't discover their faith in

the fire. Did everyone hear that? They didn't

suddenly say, oh, Jesus, save us. As they're

getting burned up, the fire revealed their faith,

the fact that they fell into it. They had already

decided in their hearts, in their minds, before

they were thrown into the fire. Right? Everyone

else was bowing. What did they do? They said

no. And as the pressure increased, they stood

stronger. And when the consequences were revealed

as death, they said, no matter. We know where

we're going. See, real faith doesn't disappear

when obedience gets difficult. We don't compromise

when the pressure gets intense. Real faith says,

God, it doesn't matter if you deliver me, I'm

still going to trust you. Right? The fire didn't

make them faithful. It proved their faith. And

see, our faith today is measured in how we respond

when the trials come. Not when it's easy. Like

when we're walking the good life and we're experiencing

the goodness of God, life's easy. But when the

challenges come and the trials come our way,

what Jesus promises, that's when real faith is

revealed. For example, this band right here,

it's an exercise band, those of you that may

have used one before. And it's just basically

a loose piece of plastic. And before it's stretched,

look, it's nothing. But as you stretch it, what

happens? Resistance, resistance changes everything.

Resistance creates strength. Like if you continue

to use this band and the different exercises

that's outlined for you, your muscles get what?

Stronger. It creates strength. And see, sometimes

we look at resistance, we look at trials, we

look at the trouble in our life. It's like, God,

why are you allowing this? Where are you, God?

And we scream out. But what if the thing opposing

you isn't an obstacle? What if God wants to use

it as an opportunity? See, Nebuchadnezzar thought

he was creating a problem for these men. He thought

the furnace would take care of it, that they

would die and be put to death. But God turned,

right, this into an opportunity to reveal his

power. And we know this because Nebuchadnezzar

looks into the furnace. He said, wait a minute.

There's four men in there. Didn't we throw three

men in? But he sees four. See, we must remember

Jesus' promise in Matthew 28. Teach these new

disciples to obey all the commands I've given

you. And look at this. And be sure of this, I

am with you always to the end of the age. And

I say that all the time to individuals that are

going through trials when I'm praying for them

and encouraging them. Jesus is with you. Jesus

is with you. But I don't feel it, Chris. I don't

sense it. I don't know. How do I know the Holy

Spirit's with you? And my challenge to you is

this. If you're going through a trial this morning

and you feel like you're all alone and Jesus

isn't with you, then maybe God wants to use that

trial for you to share your story with someone

else so that they come into a relationship with

him. Because notice what this scripture says.

teach these new disciples to obey all the commands

I've given you. First. Like when we're sharing

the good news, when we're praying for people,

when we're inviting and including, when we're

seeing God move into our friends' lives, when

lives are being transformed, be sure of this,

I'm with you to the end of the age. And if you're

going through a trial, maybe that trial is an

opportunity for God to use to reveal his power

through your story. And if you feel like he's

not there, maybe you should share what God's

doing in your heart with someone else. And it

will reveal himself to you, which leads us to

our fifth thought. See, real faith allows God

to refine us through the fire. And that's where

it gets hard. But suddenly Nebuchadnezzar jumped

up in amazement. What? I see four men. Didn't

we throw three? I see four. And wait, they're

unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed.

And the fourth looks like a god, or as theologians

call it, Christophany, a pre -appearance of Jesus

in the Old Testament. Then Nebuchadnezzar came

as close as he could, and he shouts, Shadrach,

Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High

God, come out. Come here. So Shadrach, Meshach,

and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the

high officers, officials, governors, and advisors

crowded around them and saw that the fire had

not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was

singed, and their clothing was not scorched.

They didn't even smell of smoke. And it's interesting,

if we looked even further, as theologians point

out, everything that resembled Babylon, you remember

they were bound, was burned up in the fire. And

that's what happens when Jesus is in the fire

with us. See, the fire, the trial, the troubles

that we experience in this world, they don't

consume us. It purifies us. It makes us more

like Jesus. And this is what separates the kingdom

of God from the kingdom of darkness. The kingdom

of darkness wants to destroy, cancel, shut down.

The kingdom of God wants to purify and change.

Jesus told us we're going to have troubles in

this life. Expect it. I mean, just this year,

whether it be a death of a loved one, job loss,

health issues, financial struggles, anxiety,

worry, fear, you name it, we all walk through

it. But in the presence of God, fire is always

a symbol of refinement and not destruction. Refinement.

Gold doesn't start out as gold. It's all mixed

with the different minerals until it's purified

by the fire. And the more we're in the fire with

Jesus, the more like Jesus we become. And that's

where our faith grows. Isaiah 43. When you go

through deep waters, I will be with you. When

you go through rivers of difficulty, you will

not drown. When you walk through the fire of

oppression, you will not be burned up. The flames

will not consume you. And I want to encourage

you, if you're in the fire right now, Remain

faithful. Be made new. Experience freedom. Share

your story. 2 Corinthians, for the Lord is the

Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is,

there is freedom. So all of us who have had the

veil removed can see and reflect the glory of

the Lord. And the Lord, who is the Spirit, makes

us more and more like him as we are changed into

this glorious image, which leads us to our final

thought about real faith. Real faith turns opposition

into opportunity. Then Nebuchadnezzar said, praise

to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

He sent his angel to rescue his servants who

trusted him. They defied the king's command and

were willing to die rather than serve or worship

any God except their own God. These men, they

didn't ask for the furnace, but when the furnace

came their way, what did they do? They used it

as an opportunity to show the world who their

God is. Right? Nebuchadnezzar meant for them

to die. But God used the fire as a declaration,

as an opportunity, as a testimony, as a platform

to share his goodness. And here's the reality,

church. Sometimes God doesn't remove the opposition

because he wants us to use that opposition. He

wants to use the fire to point others to him.

Classmates, friends, family members. Right? What

was meant to tear you down, break your faith,

can be the very thing that reveals your faith.

Matthew 5, in the same way, let your good deeds

shine out for all to see so that everyone will

praise your heavenly Father. What do you mean

good deeds, Chris? Doesn't that mean serving

someone? No, it means sharing your story. It

means not compromising. It means not giving in.

It means standing out and being different. Colossians

4, live wisely among those who are not believers

and make the most of every opportunity. Let your

conversation be gracious and attractive so you

will give the right response for everyone. Church,

real faith doesn't ask, God, get me out of this.

Real faith says, God, use this to further your

kingdom. Right, your story is someone else's

opportunity to see Jesus in their life. Your

story, how you overcome, how you stand, how you

stand up for truth. How you're set apart and

different points others into a healthy relationship

with God. Will you stand with me? God, I'm just

grateful for truth. I'm grateful at how your

book, how your story, the story of God comes

alive for us. And it's made real to us. God,

I'm grateful for you moving in this place. I'm

grateful for lives changed and testimonies of

your faithfulness. Give us the boldness to declare

your goodness to others, God. May this community

of faith be a community of faith that is uncompromising

in their beliefs. And not only the uncompromising,

but we desire to serve others, pray for others,

and see others set free with your truth. So I'm

going to ask you to be bold. If you're here this

morning and you feel like you're in the fire,

you got a trial, you got a dilemma, you're struggling,

just put your hand up. I want to pray for you.

Put them up. All right, now if you're around

someone that has their hand up, just put your

hand on their shoulder if you could. I want everybody

to have their hand on their shoulder. Everybody,

come on. If you're around someone with their

hand up, put your hand on their shoulder. I'm

gonna pray, don't worry. Don't be intimidated

like you gotta pray. All right, if someone's

touching your shoulder, put your hand down so

I know who's left. Oh, there's a couple of hands

back here. A couple of hands back there. Can

someone get their hand on their shoulder? I'm

going to pray for them. Turn around and look.

Yep, thank you. Holy Spirit, come. God, you know

the trial. You know the decision. You know what

is facing those that are facing the fire. And

we trust, God, that you're going to use this

to make them more into your image. That Jesus

will be glorified through this trial, through

this temptation, through this struggle, whatever

it may be. God, give them peace. May your presence

reign in their life. May they be uncompromising

in their faith. May they be a people that point

to you even in the midst of difficulties. And

may their stories lead others into a relationship

with you. Radically move in this place today,

God. We're grateful for all you're doing in our

community of faith and we're grateful for those

that are a part of it and God now move in their

lives. Speak to them today in that still small

voice. And we're grateful for life change. In

Jesus' name. And we said together, amen. You

all have a story. And you're going to be able

to share that story. Now listen. Hear me out.

You know we pray a simple prayer here every single

Sunday. And if you're not walking in real faith,

I just outlined real faith for you. And if you're

not walking in real faith, my question to you

is, do you have a real relationship with Jesus?

And that's why we pray this prayer. So as you

all know, we pray it together corporately because

we don't single anybody out. We're a family here.

Let's pray. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of doubt,

shame, regret, sin. Change me. Forgive me. I

believe you're God's son. I believe you died

for me. I believe. You're alive today. Make me

new. Set me free. Fill me with your spirit. And

help me, God, to serve others. In Jesus' name,

amen. So if you, now listen, if you prayed that

prayer, stop by the Welcome Hub, see me, see

Rudy, want to give you some next steps. But listen,

for those of you that wonder why we pray that

prayer every week, you all have it memorized

so you can pray with someone else. You may not

know it, but if you start praying that prayer

with someone else, guess what's going to come

out? Everything you just said. So I just equipped

you and trained you to leave others into a relationship

with Jesus. You're welcome. All right. Before

we go, our prayer team will be on my left and

my right. There was very specific needs in our

words of knowledge. You have left hip pain. You

have an inner ear infection. You have, I'm going

to do my best, nurses. Metastatic breast cancer.

Is that, what is it? Metastatic, thank you, nurses.

Metastatic breast cancer. You have a pinched

nerve in your shoulder. There's a female that's

struggling with a hunched back. And you're physically

struggling with heart issues that makes it hard

for you to walk. So if any of those are you,

our prayer team would be up here to pray for

you or any other need that you may have and agree

that God's going to move in you. Where's our

tailgate? Everyone point to it. Okay, good. Go

get in a group. God bless you guys. Love you.

us.