Count Me In | Selvin Cortez

So let's uh let's get right into it.

Uh we're gonna we're gonna go into um into our Bibles today, and God is doing something great among us.

And and and the Bible says that that uh he's got a plan and a purpose for your life.

If you've ever read Jeremiah uh 23.11, that's what that's what uh God says for us, that He has a plan and a purpose for your life, for your good, to give you uh a purpose and a plan that you don't know what it is, but he has it.

He has ordained it for your life, and we're gonna find out what that means today.

And so uh I want to start off with uh with one of my cool little stories.

Um you have no idea how long it takes to research these things, but uh but I I hope you enjoy it.

Some of you already know this story because it is a very, very popular uh French-Canadian, in fact, Montreal-based story.

And it's about this little this little kid.

His name is his name is Roche Cartier.

Great! Nobody went to school.

Um I remember this story growing up because we had to read the book and we had to do a report on the book.

Roche Cartier, if you don't remember, Roche Cartier, uh, he's a he's a little boy in the 40s, in the 1940s, and in the 1940s, every single child in Montreal, every single child had one hero, and that hero was Maurice Richard.

There's my French, there's my French.

Yes, now you remember.

Um Maurice Maurice Richard, he was called the Rocket, the Rocket Richard.

He was so good at hockey, he played for the Montreal Canadians, he was so fast.

Everybody combed their hair like Maurice Richard, everybody walked like Maurice Richard, everybody, everybody stood up and played hockey like Maurice Richard.

Every single boy in the 1940s, in the winter time, on every single arena in the city, was wearing his jersey.

And they all felt like Maurice Richard, and when they put on that jersey, they were just flying.

They felt like they were in the NHL.

And it was a great time to be alive, uh, I've heard.

Uh and and and so they were they were they were all ready to go.

And obviously, I mean, at that age, when they're little, uh, they grow up so fast.

They grow up really, really fast, and he grew out of his sweater.

Like he grew out of his sweater, his sweater became too small.

And back then, they didn't have Amazon, obviously.

Back then, what they had was an Eton's catalog.

So you would get a catalog at home, and and you would open up the catalog, and his sweater was already worn out and too small.

So it was worn out and too small.

So he asked his mom, and God bless mothers, God bless mothers.

Uh, he asked his mom, Mom, I need a new sweater, a new jersey, because mine is all worn out.

Mom got on the catalog, she found the first sweater and ordered it right away.

It took about two weeks to come home.

Uh, and then he he gets the they get the package, he's all excited.

I've got a brand new sweater, opens it up, tears it open, rips open the box, and pulls out a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey.

And so that's him with his Toronto Maple Leafs jersey in Montreal in a city that idolizes Maurice Richard.

And you can imagine how this little boy felt.

He's like, What am I gonna do?

I can't wear this, and back then the education was a little bit stiffer.

So mama, mama said, Oh, you're wearing this, and so he had to go out, put on his jersey, and play and show up to a hockey arena with everybody wearing Montreal Canadians jerseys except one boy.

Now I really love this story because I grew up in Niagara Falls, and growing up in Niagara Falls meant that we were Toronto Maple Leafs fans.

So when I read this story, I was like, good for this boy.

I love Rush, I love him, this guy.

I'm gonna tell him to come over and we're gonna have coffee or something.

Uh we love this story.

Every Ontarian loves this story.

Maybe that's why you haven't heard it.

Uh, maybe, maybe that's why you you might not have heard it.

But but I just want you to hold on to that thought.

Hold on to this thought of this little boy going to play hockey with a different jersey.

And and I feel like I feel like that's where that's where God is leading us.

Last week we talked about um if God has everything, why does he need me?

We discovered that God chooses to accomplish his mission through people, through us.

He doesn't do it through his angels.

He could do it and he can do it, but he chooses not to do it.

He chooses to do it through you, through me.

That's what God is doing.

So that just raises another question.

Where do I fit in to what God is doing?

So if God, if if last week we talked about God using us to move his kingdom, God is using us to establish his kingdom, to preach and to teach and to bring salvation.

If God uses us, where do I fit in that plan?

Where do I fit in that plan?

Because sometimes we arrive somewhere simply because life brought us there.

It could have been a decision, an invitation.

Maybe somebody somebody uh uh uh invited you, or there's a relationship uh or a transition or a door that was open, and you feel like um you just happen to be in the right place at the right time.

But is that how God works?

And and maybe there's more happening that that we have to discover.

Maybe God is moving behind closed doors that you don't know.

And and what you feel, what you think is is just happenstance, is actually God working for you, giving you the opportunities that he foresaw before the creation of the earth.

When he saw you, he made these these works, these opportunities that we would walk in them.

We're gonna look at what that looks like.

And that's we find that in Ephesians.

So let's let's go to Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

We're just gonna stay in Ephesians today.

Normally I like to bounce all over the Bible, but today we're staying just in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10.

Ephesians 2:10

Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10 says this for we are God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

There is so much theology happening in that one verse.

We don't have time to get through it all, but let's start here.

The purpose that God has for your life is already there.

You see, he has a plan and a purpose for you to give you to give you something good that you have no idea what it is right now, but it already exists.

If we can, if we look back at this verse, for we are God's handiwork.

That word handiwork, now I'm gonna try to pronounce this in Greek, but it's poemia.

Poemia.

What does that sound like?

Poem.

Right?

And if if you've ever written a poem, not the roses or red, violets or blue one, not that one.

If you've actually written a poem, you know how intentional that you can be when writing a poem.

How how how inspired you can become when writing a poem, how much in love that you can be while writing the poem.

Yes?

And how beautiful the poem becomes as soon as you put a period at the end.

And that's what we are to God.

God says that you are his poemia, that you are his handiwork.

You when when he when he made you, the Bible says David, David is saying in Psalms that his eyes, your eyes, my eyes saw you in the womb of my mother.

Do you know that there's there's something impressive that science has just found out?

When when an egg, when an egg is fertilized uh by a male sperm, when the egg is fertilized, there is uh an energy source that comes out, and it is so bright that they were able to slow it down and capture the moment of fertilization.

There is light that comes out.

There is literal light that that comes out of that fertilized egg in that very second.

David wrote and said, My eyes have seen you, and you have known me.

You you weaved me together in my mother's womb.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made.

That's the God that we serve, that's the God that knows you.

And in knowing you, he is intentional about what he has planned for you.

He is intentional about the purpose that he has for you.

And so his purpose for your life precedes your knowledge of it.

What God planned for your life has already been given before you know it.

So every season of your life, every situation you're going through, God already foresaw it.

Now, that might that that might make you think, okay, so if God already knows it, if God already destined it, um then what what choice do I have?

No, no, no.

It doesn't work like that.

God, think about it this way.

If I can give you a quick analogy.

Um think about a loving father.

A loving father that that has a plan for his son.

Um, but this is a game.

And so what he does, what this loving father does, is he creates um, have you heard of a scavenger hunt?

Where you where you go and you start finding uh you find little clues and you go, you bounce from one clue to the other.

Imagine the father of this child creating this scavenger hunt for his son, for his children.

And so he puts a little clue here and they they walk up to the clue.

Now, as they walk up to the clue, they have a choice.

And so, in that choice, this is what the father wants for them.

If you make the right choice, you get to go to the other clue.

You make the right choice here, you get to go to the other clue.

And so you move on from clue to clue to clue until you finally get to your destination.

Now, that is what God does.

So when He sees you, when He prepared you, when He wove you in your mother's womb, He prepared a purpose for your life.

He already set up the scavenger hunt, he already set up the different checkpoints in your life so that you can walk in them.

Now, it would be great for all of us to make the right choice at all times, every single time.

That would be awesome.

Uh but reality tells us that we don't.

In fact, King David says, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

Notice how in Psalm 23 the Bible says uh that God leads us into green pastures, into still pastures.

God leads us beside the the still waters.

Yet I walk in the valley of the shadow of death.

So it is my choice.

Instead of taking the first clue and going on to the next one, maybe sometimes I make the wrong decision and I choose to go somewhere else.

And God says, Okay, you you you you were supposed to go over there, but you ended up over here somewhere.

Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, it doesn't end there.

I will fear no evil.

For your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

So what does God do?

When when when he feels us, see, he is the good shepherd.

So if I'm supposed to make a choice here and I make the wrong decision, he doesn't banish us, he doesn't discard us, he doesn't disqualify you.

What happens when you make the wrong choice here and you go astray, that's why he is the good shepherd.

So he'll take his rod.

He'll take his rod and he's going to just let no, no, no, that's not God.

That's not God.

That's not God.

That's not God.

He'll take his rod and and when he sees you going astray, he'll make sure to bring you back.

He'll make sure to bring you back.

And so I don't know if this gets any larger.

I don't know.

It doesn't?

Okay.

So he'll make sure that that he can guide you back towards a path.

But the Bible says that his rod and his staff.

So the the rod and the staff are one and the same thing.

The rod is is is um uh a point at the end, and that's what he uses to guide us, to lead us, to make sure that you're not going astray.

He is the good shepherd.

You might feel astray, but you're not in his sight.

And so he uses the staff, the other side, the rod and the staff.

He uses the other side, and this one he is gonna he is gonna swing it, but he's not gonna swing it at you.

He's gonna swing it at the enemy.

You wanna take the life of my of my little lamb?

You wanna take the life of my sheep?

Watch what I'm gonna do.

And he swings it and he protects you at all times from the enemy.

That is our good shepherd.

That's our good shepherd.

He has prepared a way for us, and so we live um at we live before you recognize the purpose.

God has already prepared it for you.

And here's the difference we live with hindsight.

Have you heard of this saying?

Hindsight is 2020.

Hindsight means that that we live moving forward, we live looking towards a future, but we learn looking backwards.

So I live moving forward, I live with purpose, I live with with a direction, I live with a goal.

Now, how do I get there?

Well, let me look backwards and let me see where I went wrong and what I can learn from my mistakes.

So we live in hindsight.

We we we live towards a future, but we learn in hindsight.

We learn looking backwards.

So whatever choices you've made have not destroyed you.

Otherwise, you wouldn't be here.

And if you're in a moment right now where you feel like destruction is around the corner, let me tell you, this is just a season, and I know I don't want to make it little, I don't want to belittle it, but this is a season for us to learn, to look back.

Where did I go wrong?

What can I change?

And that's okay.

If you can't change it, don't worry, Jesus can change it in your life.

And so we look back in hindsight.

You see, we look forward to move and backwards to grow.

God doesn't work like that, God works in foresight.

God only looks forward into your life because he already established for your life the good works that you are to walk in.

So God is always looking forward into your life.

He knows where you're supposed to go, he knows what he has called you to do, and you've got that feeling inside too.

You've got this need, even if you can't identify it like with a word, but there is a need inside of you for his presence.

And some of you've got that need a little bit more developed, and you know that that need is leading you towards ministry.

You know that that need is leading you towards uh uh um planting churches and leading people and speaking the gospel.

You know that that need is inside of you.

That is what God prepared before you were born so that you would walk in that path.

God is doing it in your life, even without you knowing He has prepared every single situation.

Now it's up to us to walk in that purpose.

And that's why this message today is called Count Me In.

Count me in, God.

I will walk in that purpose, I will walk in that plan that you have for my life.

God is inviting us.

And at times that that might look like somebody is inviting you.

Have you ever had somebody just call you out of the blue?

Just been like, hey, I was thinking about you.

I don't know why, but I was thinking about you.

I think uh I think we need to talk.

Or maybe you felt like that.

I know I have.

I sometimes I'm in the middle of my job, I'm doing something, and all of a sudden, boom, I get a thought about somebody, and I'll just send them a quick message.

And I have no idea what they're going through, no idea what they're going through, but I know that they need a quick reminder, and I get some of the some of you send me that quick reminder, and let me tell you, you have no idea the timing of God of your message towards me.

And when you send that message, I am so fully blessed because there's no way that you could possibly know what I'm going through in that moment.

Yet at the moment that I open it, boom, it's an answer that I was expecting, or it's a it's a it's an encouragement, or it's a word that I needed for my life for that specific moment.

So that's what you can do.

And the reason we can do that is because God moves us towards this, God moves us in this path.

He says that he has created in Christ Jesus all the good works which God prepared in advance for us.

So what if what if there is what if there is a why to your being here today?

What if there is a why?

Why am I in this place today?

So purpose for your life was already there, purpose has already been established for you.

Um, what is God doing uh here?

What is God doing in us today?

That's our second point.

Purpose requires a shift.

Purpose requires a shift.

And for that, let's go down, let's just keep reading in Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

We're gonna go to verse 13, verse 13.

But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away, who once were far away, have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

You who were once brought away.

Look at look at this you have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Who's bringing the near?

It's God that is acting, God is bringing.

You near.

You have been brought near.

God is bringing you somewhere.

And in that, it's not our doing.

Now you can think that it was your choices, and yes, they were your choices.

Yes, you accepted the invitation.

Yes, somebody brought you into this place, but ultimately it is God that is weaving it all together.

The good and the bad, he takes it.

He takes the bad and he takes the good and he weaves it together and ultimately calls it good.

He looks at your life and calls it good.

And so right here, God is the one that is acting.

And this is where the shift has to happen.

Church, there is a place for this prayer.

Lord bless me.

I mean, we read it.

There's there's a the prayer of Jabez.

Lord bless me.

God, if you would extend my stakes, if you would extend my tents and bless me.

Yes, there is a place to pray.

God bless me.

God open this door.

God, make a way.

God make this work.

God help me get there.

There is a time and a place for that type of prayer.

But that can't be our only prayer.

That can't be our only prayer.

There has to be a shift.

There has to be a shift, a moment where we know that God's plan includes me in it.

Now, knowing that God's plan includes you is different than including God into your plans.

Let me say that one more time.

Knowing that God is including you into his plan is different than including God into your plans.

And so there is a moment where there has to be a shift that happens.

One begins with a plan and asks God to bless it.

This is my plan, God try to fit into it.

The other begins with God's plan, and I ask, where do I fit into your plan?

Because God has a plan and he's established this plan since the beginning.

At the beginning of time, he got together in Genesis and He said, He said, amongst Himself, He said, uh with the with the Son and the Spirit present, He said, Let us make man into our own image.

And so they made man into their image, and man was created.

That was the plan of God.

And then he gave the man a purpose.

And then that purpose was to build a family.

And then that purpose was to multiply.

And that purpose was to have authority over the creation.

Plan and purpose.

Man jumped out of that boat very quickly.

But then in Genesis, we continue on, and God has a plan for redemption.

And that plan starts through Abraham.

And so he gives Abraham a blessing.

I will bless all those who bless you, and I will curse all those who curse you.

Your seed will be your children, your offspring will be like the stars in the heaven, spiritual offspring, but it will also be like the grains of sand on earth, physical offspring.

So he he creates this plan.

He has this plan in mind for Abraham.

And then in Exodus, we see that plan developing even more through Moses.

Let my people go.

And so he develops through Moses this plan of coming close to us through the tabernacle of Moses.

And so now God, Emmanuel, God with us, God descends, and now his presence is among us, and we can see it in the tabernacle.

That doesn't work out.

Because ultimately the tabernacle leads us to Jesus, our true and living sacrifice.

And so that was the ultimate plan that God had.

See, God has always had a plan, and that plan is universal.

That plan includes you.

And next week and for the next three weeks, we're gonna find out how ultimately that plan is going to come into fruition.

What does that mean for you?

What do the end times mean?

What does it mean to go to heaven?

What does it mean to be raptured up to heaven?

What does it mean for the great tribulation to happen here on earth?

What does that mean?

What does it mean today to be a Christian?

How much faith do I need today to be a Christian?

And so that's what God is saying.

He's saying, I want, I want you to know that there is a plan for your life.

I have a plan for your life.

I want you to jump into that plan.

God, what are you doing?

Not not God, what are you doing in my career?

Not God, what are you doing with my resources?

Not God, what are you doing with my gifts?

On the contrary, God, what are you doing?

How does that, how does what you've given me fit into this?

So now it's not about my career, it's not about my gifts, it's not about my time, it's about his career, it's about his gifts, it's about his time.

And so now I know that he has breathed life into me.

And with that life, with that short span of life.

Somebody said once that the span of life is just a dash.

In graphic design, we call that an M-dash.

Between two years is your life.

Born, died.

Dash in between, that's your life.

What are you going to do in the span of that dash?

What are you gonna do?

He's given you talents, the gifts that you have.

It doesn't matter what can I use these gifts for?

I don't know.

God does.

He gave them to you.

He knows why.

He knows why.

Can I can I can I be real with you for one second?

One second, one second.

I have never taken in my life a public speaking course.

Ever.

Never in my life.

Um, in fact, uh, it was just one of those things.

I I was never shy, but I've never learned how to public speak.

It's just I don't know what I'm doing.

I don't know what I'm doing.

Thank you for listening.

Thank you for coming.

God bless you.

Um the the Lord is with you, uh, and uh He has mercy on you because I don't know what's going on with me.

Um, but but this this gift is not mine.

And you have you have no idea.

Okay, so so so look at this.

These you've never seen these.

These are my notes, okay?

My notes are highlighted.

I've got stuff that I have to say, and most of the time I don't say them.

Okay?

Um, but these are the notes that I have to say.

Now, now uh I don't write word for word what I have to say.

Um, I write the points, and then you know what?

I just entrust the Holy Spirit to speak through me.

The Bible says, if you open your mouth, I will fill it.

If you open your mouth, I will fill it.

Now watch this.

Fill it with what?

Fill it with his word.

His word is prophetic.

The Bible also says, in tandem with that verse, in tandem with that verse, um, if if you open your mouth, God says, I will fill it.

It also says, it also says that the spirit of prophecy, the spirit of prophecy is this I believed, therefore I spoke.

So, so when you believe, when you believe and you speak, you're worshiping.

When you believe and you speak, you are fulfilling the purpose of God over your life.

When you believe and you act, you're fulfilling the purpose of life.

When you believe and you give, you're giving, you're fulfilling the purpose of God over your life.

So maybe, maybe God made you a barber.

Yeah, you just cut hair, but in that cutting hair, you are touching somebody's head, and the Bible says that the anointing comes through the head.

So you don't have to say anything.

You don't have to be start start praying over them as you're cutting their hair.

You don't have to do any of that.

Just know that as you touch somebody's head, the presence of God is over their life.

And you're cutting hair, and you're you're doing the hair thing, and I got my own personal barber at home.

Um, so so I get to bless him, but he blesses me too, my son.

Um, and so so um, but but it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter what you do.

If you serve a coffee, the Bible says, uh, blessed are you if you give to one of my little ones a cup of water.

So if you work at Starbucks, amen.

Amen.

Whatever it is, let me tell you this, and I've said this before: what you're doing now is probably not where you're going to end up in life.

But God will use it to lead you where you're going to end up in life.

That's God's promise over your life.

Yes, that's God's promise over your life.

So purpose begins to look different when his plan becomes the starting point.

Not my plan, his plan.

And as I look around, I I see you, I see you.

You think I don't see you.

But when when I give you a handshake, when I give you a hug, when I see you, there is something.

I don't know, I don't know, but I I know, I know that there is something that God is doing in your life and leading you somewhere very, very specific.

Now, I don't have the liberty or the freedom of sharing that, but I know that God is doing something very, very specific, very great in your life, even if you don't see it now.

Even though I don't see it, you never stop.

You never stop working.

You never stop working.

Even if I can't see it, he's working and he doesn't he doesn't stop.

So if God has a plan uh for us and he has an intentionality behind uh what he's doing, then why has he brought me here?

Purpose has a place.

Oh, yeah.

Your gifts and your experience and your life has a place, and that place, your gifts, look at this, look at this.

Um we're gonna read uh 219, 219.

Consequently.

Okay, when a verse starts with the word consequently, you know you gotta read the verses before that, all right?

But verse 19, consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household.

So, no longer strangers.

Let's look at the progression.

You are no longer strangers, you become citizens, and then you become members of his household.

You don't believe me.

Let's read it again.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens and God's people and also members of the household.

There's three things that are happening here.

Number one, you go from being a stranger to being a citizen.

Yeah?

Great.

As a citizen of the kingdom, you have rights.

You have the right to be protected by your king.

You have the right to be provided for by your king, and you have the right to be known by your king.

That's what it means to be a citizen of the kingdom, but not just a citizen.

But then he says that you are part of God's people, which means you go from citizenship to family.

And so now you're part of a family, and we say this every single day, and we just celebrated families today.

You are now part of a family, the family of God.

This is where God brought you to establish a family together.

Some of you have found a family already.

You're looking around, and then yeah, I see you, I see you.

Some of you started the dating thing, you know.

Hands up if you're single.

All right, look around.

This is my this is my gift to you.

Look around, look around.

Um God is bringing us together as a family.

Now, watch this.

It's not just it's not just a family, not just a family.

Look at what uh so citizen, family, look at what verse 20 says.

Built.

I'm just gonna stop there.

You become part of a building.

You become part of a building.

Now, this is this is where this is where it gets really, really interesting.

So these three things are happening: citizen family building.

And that happens because we have connection to God, because we're rooted somewhere.

You see, citizenship means you have to be a part, you have to belong to a kingdom.

We belong to the nation of Canada.

Some of you have dual citizenship.

Like my mother-in-law, she she's from Peru.

She's here, that's why I can say that.

She's from she's got dual citizenship.

I I don't know if I have.

I I might have.

I might have as well.

I'm from Guatemala.

I think I do.

I just don't know that part.

I'm just fully Canadian.

Uh go Toronto Maple Leafs.

Um uh I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Uh so so so um we are we we belong, we belong to the nation, and we have rights and responsibilities here as citizens.

We belong to a family, we are now part of a building.

That's what that's what Paul is saying.

Now, now watch this.

Jesus is the cornerstone.

Verse 20, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone.

That means that Jesus is the reason why we're here in this building.

Everything we do is surrounded by, is focused on Christ as the center of it all.

He is the cornerstone of our faith.

We move, we breathe, and we have our being because of him.

He is the chief cornerstone.

So now we are aligned with Jesus.

The Bible uses the word cornerstone so that we can understand that alignment comes through him.

So now, so now I am connected to God.

Yes, I'm connected to God, but I'm also connected uh horizontally to you.

We are all connected.

Okay?

So, so you can't, you're not the lone survivor here.

You can't just have a vertical relationship with God.

That's not what it means to be a Christian.

To be a Christian, you have to have this connection to God, but you also have to have a horizontal connection to others.

That is the the truth of Christianity.

So we are connected to God, and then we are rooted somewhere.

You have to be rooted somewhere that teaches you the word of God, that speaks truth into your life, that speaks prophetic word over your life, that speaks miracles over your life, that speaks provision over your life.

You have to be rooted in a local church.

That's what the church is for.

That's what Christ established, rooted.

Connection rooted.

So we are not only connected horizontally to God, uh vertically to God, we are connected horizontally to each other, and we are connected vertically down, rooted here in the South Shore, here in Longay, here at New Life Church.

We are rooted in his word.

Why?

So that we can be aligned to our cornerstone, so alignment can come, so connected, rooted, aligned, and that leads to the only other thing, which is proximity.

I am now close to you, and and because I'm close to you, because I'm connected vertically, guess what?

Because I'm connected vertically, there's some way somehow God speaks to me, and God, not not audibly, uh uh I can't hear him, but but he'll put a feeling inside of me, and I'll be like, hey, Simon, is everything okay?

I uh you don't need to tell me, but I'm gonna pray for you.

I don't know, you don't know that I know, but I don't know.

I don't know what's going on in your life, but I'm gonna pray for you because the spirit uh we are aligned together, but it doesn't matter.

God, God is not a gossiper.

In Spanish, chisme, he doesn't like that.

He's not that.

What God does, God is not a gossiper.

He's going to He's going to let me feel something, He's gonna let me know somehow, somehow.

It could be a vision, a premonition, it could be whatever.

I'm gonna feel something when I hold your hand because we're connected.

Now, if if I'm not connected to Him, He's not gonna tell me anything.

What's the point?

So I gotta be connected to Him so I can bless you, and I gotta be rooted in the Word so I can know what to say, and I gotta be in proximity to my brothers and sisters because the Bible says where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.

So connection, rootedness, alignment, and proximity, that is what God is calling us to do.

In Him, verse 21, verse 21 says this in him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple of the Lord.

Ephesians 2, 21.

We are now joined together.

We all have different stories, different generations, different backgrounds, different gifts, different journeys, but God is joining all of us together.

Now I want you to just look around for a second as the musicians come forward somewhere.

Just look around.

This is your family.

We are joined together.

There is a spiritual thread that runs through this entire auditorium.

No matter how how far apart the two of you are right now, between between you, Kyle, right now, there is a spiritual thread that leads from me to you and from you to everybody around you.

Between you and Andrés, Andrés is on the other side, there is a spiritual thread.

I wish I knew all your names.

I would do the same example.

There is a spiritual thread there that connects us.

You are not alone.

That's what being a part of a family is.

You're not alone.

And so, and so God says this uh uh that that you also look at verse 22 and in him you also are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by the Spirit.

You also, you also.

Now you might think this is for somebody else.

No, no, no.

God is calling you, you also.

See, he's calling us collectively, and collectively we worship, collectively we receive the word, collectively we are inspired, but he's also saying, you also are a building, a temple of my presence.

You also need to move forward, you also need to make connections.

You also need to get rooted.

You also need to be aligned.

You also need to come into proximity with two or three other believers so that my presence can be in the midst of you.

And I want to congratulate all of those of you that signed up for small groups.

That's proximity.

That's connection.

That's rootedness.

That's being aligned.

And if you're not part of a small group just yet, sign up.

But let me tell you something.

We are getting more signups than leaders.

And so if God is stirring you in your heart, in your in your that you know that you know that God is calling you to lead, lead a small group.

You don't have to talk like me.

You don't have to think like you don't, you just have to show up and believe the spirit of prophecy.

I believe, therefore I speak.

So we need leaders.

You know what else we need?

We need you to become a member of this household.

The Bible says this in verse 20, verse 19.

We are members of the household of God.

Notice how it says we are members of the household.

It doesn't say that we are members of the kingdom.

We are citizens of the kingdom.

We are family with Jesus.

We are members of a household.

This is your household.

This is your house.

And let me tell you something.

Whether we're in this building or we're somewhere else, this is your house.

You are the foundation.

You are the living temple of the presence of God.

So wherever we go, whether we have morning services one day, whether we stay at 4 45 as of October 18th.

You guys are listening.

I love you guys.

This is my church.

Um whatever time frame we gather together, this is your church, and you are a member of it.

And being a member of this church means that you have rights and you have responsibilities.

But that's just what it is at my house.

At your house, too.

Parents, you gotta come on board with me.

Your children have responsibilities at your house, they have to make their room.

Take out the garbage.

Change the channel.

No, no, we don't do that anymore.

We don't that was in the 40s.

That was in the 40s.

Change the channel, no?

I I was a channel changer growing up.

Uh I don't know.

Maybe I'm dating myself here, but we had a TV where we had to, yeah, you got it.

And we had about eight channels.

Um, and if dad wanted the channel change, I was a channel changer.

Um, but our children have responsibilities.

This house has responsibilities.

As a member, you have this house that is yours.

That is yours.

And and and what we what we strive for today.

We've got we've got this the the hallway full of information kiosk for every single department.

You want to get involved?

Get involved.

This is the place where God is going to manifest his purpose over your life.

This is the place where where we can send you out.

And we've got plans and we've got dreams of sending people out and and and and sending them into the the the the the the the the townships.

But you got to be sent out somewhere, from somewhere.

And that that has to be coming from a place.

This is your home.

From here, we are sending out people, but we need you as a member.

We need you, we we need to know you, we want to get to know you, we want to connect with you, we want to pray with you, we want to know, we want to know what God has placed in your heart, the gifts that He has given to you, then we want to be good stewards of the gifts, of the time, of the generosity, of the giving, of your experiences.

That's what we want to do, that's our responsibility, and so if you feel like God has brought you here for a specific reason, and I mean New Life Church, this is your church, yeah.

It's not it's not the music, but the music is awesome.

Yeah, you want to serve on the music, serve on the music, become a member, serve on the music.

I'm sorry, you have to have the talent to serve.

Our our our leader, he's looking at me as he's saying, No, no, no, don't give that one out.

Um uh you want to serve with us, you want to let God move his purpose in your life, you want to speak the word of God, you wanna you wanna lead people.

Let let your gifts flourish in this house.

And to do that, we need to get to know you.

And we want we want you to become a member.

And so there is a special QR code.

It's super easy now.

You just gotta watch a video, don't fast forward it.

Uh, I don't think you can fast forward it.

Uh, there's a video there, uh, it's gonna be Pastor Claude, it's gonna be me.

You're gonna see the video, watch the video, become a member of this house.

Commit to this house and see what God is doing in your life.

He has brought you here for a reason.

Our paths have crossed for a reason.

God has called you for a reason into this place for such a time as this, because he is building something in the South Shore because He knows when He's coming back, He knows that He needs you, He knows He needs your hands, He needs your gifts, your talents, your time, your energy, your strength.

He needs you to accomplish His mission here on earth.

Would you rise with me?

And what a mission it is, what a mission it is, God.

Count on me, count me in, count me in.

That is the title of today's message, and it is a message of commitment, it's a message of saying, God, I understand that you have purposed for my life something great.

Count me in.

Wear here at New Life Church.

Count me in.

How whatever you got for me, God, let me, let me, let my life be a reflection of your glory.

Let my gifts and my talents be established in your purpose.

Your purpose for my life, God! Not my life for your purpose, not my life for my purpose, but my life for your purpose.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Your will over my will.

Your will over my will.

Your decision-making ability, you who sees the future, you know where my next step is.

Your will be done over my life, your purpose over my life, your thoughts over my life.

Your thoughts are not my thoughts, your thoughts are greater than my thoughts.

Let your thoughts be established in my life.

And God, there is a moment where I'm going to need you.

There is a moment where I'm going to cry out to you.

And the Bible says that all who call on the name of Jesus shall be saved.

And so, God, I am foreseeing over our lives a moment where we're gonna cry out to you and you're going to save us.

There is a moment that is coming for us to cry out, but before that moment comes today, we commit to saying, Count me in, count me in to your plan, count me in to your vision, count me in to your purpose, count me in to your story.

Church, I just want to invite you somehow, somehow, in your heart, in your words, that you would repeat that word, just just that phrase, count me in.

If you're all in, go all in for Christ.

He can take care of you.

I promise you, he will never forsake you, he will never leave you, he will never condemn you, he will never count your sins against you, he is your loving father, he is your saving Christ, he is the spirit of counsel over your life, he is God, and he wants you, he wants you, he wants you, he wants to come into relationship with you, he wants to show you gifts that you didn't think you had but are there, and he wants those gifts to flourish within us.

He's calling you into this house for such a time as this.