Better Than Ever: 2021 Year In Review

0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:02.880 All right, we're going to get into the message very soon, 0:00:03.040 --> 0:00:07.240 but first an important message for you. This is our 0:00:07.320 --> 0:00:11.440 twenty twenty one year end offering. I love this time 0:00:11.440 --> 0:00:14.440 of year, an amazing time of year because every year 0:00:14.600 --> 0:00:18.520 we end with appreciation for what God has done, expectation 0:00:18.680 --> 0:00:20.759 for what He's going to do. This has been a tradition. 0:00:20.920 --> 0:00:22.880 Like right now, they're going to put up a few 0:00:22.880 --> 0:00:25.959 graphics of all the offerings we've had through the years. 0:00:25.960 --> 0:00:30.120 I can't even remember them, all Game Change or Waymaker beyond. 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:33.600 But this year, you don't even know the word that 0:00:33.680 --> 0:00:36.159 God gave me. I don't. This is not stage. I 0:00:36.159 --> 0:00:38.559 should reveal it to you. Yeah, this is not scripted, 0:00:38.600 --> 0:00:40.640 and we're doing our own camera work, so I apologize 0:00:40.680 --> 0:00:43.680 at the angle is off. But this year the Lord 0:00:43.760 --> 0:00:49.000 led me to the word better. Everybody say better, better, 0:00:50.040 --> 0:00:52.239 like put it in the chat. And we don't mean 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:56.040 better than another person, or we don't necessarily mean that. 0:00:56.520 --> 0:00:59.600 You know, we're never content, And what we mean by 0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:02.520 that is is Hag II two nine says that the 0:01:02.560 --> 0:01:06.119 glory of this present house, what God is doing, will 0:01:06.160 --> 0:01:09.959 be greater than the glory of the former house. We 0:01:10.000 --> 0:01:12.800 believe God is always doing something greater. We just have 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:14.600 to see it. So I want to thank you in 0:01:14.640 --> 0:01:17.040 advance for your gifts. Those of you who already support 0:01:17.040 --> 0:01:20.319 this ministry, you're the reason. You're the reason we get 0:01:20.319 --> 0:01:23.160 to preach the gospel. You're the reason that thousands of 0:01:23.240 --> 0:01:26.600 testimonies that we hear in this ministry are made possible. 0:01:27.080 --> 0:01:28.800 And for those of you who are beginning to give, 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:31.759 either through a one time year end donation to help 0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:34.600 us with our expansion, or the best way really through 0:01:34.600 --> 0:01:37.600 recurring giving, through putting God first with the tide, or 0:01:37.640 --> 0:01:40.080 maybe an above and beyond offering to say thank you 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:43.119 to Him and believe Him for better things in faith, 0:01:43.520 --> 0:01:45.959 we want to say thank you, and we're standing with 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:49.160 you right now as we begin this season of giving 0:01:49.480 --> 0:01:51.720 called Better Now through the end of the year. Yeah, 0:01:51.760 --> 0:01:54.240 thank you so much. Every time you give, it helps 0:01:54.360 --> 0:01:57.880 us to spread the Gospel to the world and beyond, 0:01:57.960 --> 0:02:01.160 and we are so thankful for your partnership with us 0:02:01.640 --> 0:02:05.160 in the gospel. It's going to be an amazing holiday 0:02:05.240 --> 0:02:07.480 season and I can't wait to hear more about better. 0:02:07.560 --> 0:02:09.280 It's going to be better. Better than you ask her 0:02:09.320 --> 0:02:11.440 a match if he's just three twenty, We're believing God 0:02:11.480 --> 0:02:15.200 for you. Now let's go well, thank you for being 0:02:15.240 --> 0:02:18.080 here with us at Elevation Church. I mean, what a 0:02:18.200 --> 0:02:21.520 year that it has been. We're so thankful that you 0:02:21.639 --> 0:02:24.120 decided to be a part today, that you've been worshiping 0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:25.640 with us. I know the room looks a little bit 0:02:25.680 --> 0:02:30.080 different right now because we wanted to get together and 0:02:30.280 --> 0:02:33.000 just talk about some of our favorite moments from the year. 0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:35.919 My name is Chazolo, I'm the online pastor. I'm here 0:02:35.919 --> 0:02:37.959 with some friends. That's right. I'm Colleen Tunas, I'm on 0:02:38.000 --> 0:02:40.240 the programming team. I'm a name Chid, I'm the pastor 0:02:40.280 --> 0:02:42.760 of our University City campus. And I'm Brittany at Cantilla, 0:02:42.800 --> 0:02:45.800 I'm our Egret's pastor. And like I said, we're just 0:02:45.800 --> 0:02:48.840 thankful that you're here in a part of Elevation Church. 0:02:48.919 --> 0:02:51.480 And as we look back and think about all that 0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:55.280 God has done this year, I think about messages. I 0:02:55.320 --> 0:03:00.520 think about significant moments and the the events that we've had. Okay, 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:02.600 so I think about the beginning of the year, back 0:03:02.639 --> 0:03:05.680 to when Pastor pre beta blessings at the beginning of 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:10.520 the year and he talked about boat sinking blessings in 0:03:10.560 --> 0:03:14.600 your life. We talked about being built different and sometimes 0:03:14.600 --> 0:03:17.840 we use that time lapse testimony and these are like 0:03:18.560 --> 0:03:20.440 isn't it Like you hear some of these, you're like, wait, 0:03:20.480 --> 0:03:25.200 was that this year? There's unreal that the year reaching 0:03:25.320 --> 0:03:27.399 kept in the dark, it's like one of my top 0:03:27.440 --> 0:03:33.079 five ever like ever or yes you yes, yes, yes, yes, Okay, 0:03:33.120 --> 0:03:36.440 in the chat, let us know what your favorite sermon 0:03:36.600 --> 0:03:38.720 was this year, or maybe it was your favorite moment 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:41.600 Holly with I don't think I'm ready for this and 0:03:41.720 --> 0:03:43.760 Pastor wrapped up there like kept in the dark. These 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:47.840 phenomenal messages, but yeah, let us know because there were 0:03:47.880 --> 0:03:51.640 so many moments that probably marked very specific times for you. 0:03:52.080 --> 0:03:53.880 When you hear some of these messages, you think back 0:03:53.920 --> 0:03:55.600 and think, man, that was a that was a big 0:03:55.640 --> 0:03:58.400 moment in my life when that reminded me that God 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:01.600 had everything in control. Or man, that's when this happened. 0:04:01.680 --> 0:04:05.200 Who remembers copy that copy that? Do you remember when 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:08.920 Pastor brought Graham up on stage and I because I 0:04:08.960 --> 0:04:15.360 was weeping stop crying them green light at the Red 0:04:15.520 --> 0:04:19.400 Sea or this one the god not I think that one? 0:04:19.440 --> 0:04:21.960 I think might be my favorite God who walked around 0:04:22.040 --> 0:04:25.480 doing that? Okay, the last message of the pastor Stephen 0:04:25.600 --> 0:04:29.040 preached this year. I think you've probably been doing this 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:32.760 when Pastor did this, everybody do this. Something good is 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:37.000 coming from this. How many times did you do that 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:40.600 in your life these past couple of weeks? Many it's 0:04:40.640 --> 0:04:42.920 has been a staple in my week. Something good God, 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:46.560 I know it. I'm belie But really it's not just 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:50.400 the messages from our pastors that were so thankful for 0:04:50.640 --> 0:04:52.960 this year. We really believe God did so much through 0:04:53.040 --> 0:04:57.279 you through this church, through elevation in our campuses. We 0:04:57.440 --> 0:05:01.480 just know God showed up in home, in workout rooms 0:05:01.600 --> 0:05:06.960 and workplaces and egres spread in rhythm nights with our 0:05:07.040 --> 0:05:09.560 youth and e kids watch parties. I mean, we could 0:05:09.600 --> 0:05:11.760 go on and on about all that we saw God do, 0:05:12.080 --> 0:05:16.240 but really just being the church together, yeah, every single 0:05:16.279 --> 0:05:19.280 week and seeing people join from all over the world 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:22.560 each and every week, and how God is moving through 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:25.039 this place is pretty incredible. So let us know where 0:05:25.080 --> 0:05:27.560 you're joining from. We always love to see how this 0:05:27.680 --> 0:05:30.760 family isn't just limited to a building here in Charlotte, 0:05:30.760 --> 0:05:33.680 North Carolina, but it's a global family. And today we're 0:05:33.720 --> 0:05:36.200 going to take a few moments and just share some 0:05:36.279 --> 0:05:39.640 of our favorite sermons, our favorite moments, some clips from 0:05:39.720 --> 0:05:43.640 some amazing messages from this year. Because this year wasn't 0:05:43.720 --> 0:05:46.240 just a better year. You know, we're believing for better, 0:05:46.279 --> 0:05:51.839 but better. It was better than ever ever. Okay, so 0:05:51.880 --> 0:05:53.960 we're gonna kick it off. This was one of my 0:05:54.080 --> 0:05:56.320 favorite sermons from this year, and it was right at 0:05:56.320 --> 0:05:59.680 the beginning of the year. This one has helped me 0:05:59.720 --> 0:06:01.440 a lot, not just at the beginning of the year, 0:06:01.520 --> 0:06:04.520 but it's helped shape a out of my perspective throughout 0:06:04.560 --> 0:06:08.239 the year. This one is from Same Devil's New Levels. 0:06:08.279 --> 0:06:13.440 Take a look where in your life are you using 0:06:13.440 --> 0:06:17.960 an old strategy in a new season? Where does that 0:06:18.000 --> 0:06:20.400 need to be upgraded? You know, like when you do 0:06:20.480 --> 0:06:23.520 go through the Legend of Zelda. This is a current 0:06:23.560 --> 0:06:26.159 pop culture reference here, Okay for all the young people. 0:06:26.560 --> 0:06:28.880 When you do go through a video game, you got 0:06:28.880 --> 0:06:32.280 to pick up all the weapons along the way. And 0:06:32.320 --> 0:06:34.719 now the shame of it is when you're fighting with 0:06:34.800 --> 0:06:45.560 an inferior weapon because it reminds you of Gowiith. You know, 0:06:46.000 --> 0:06:50.960 when you're defensive but nobody's attacking you. That's bad. The 0:06:51.080 --> 0:06:53.719 whole thing of whether David lives or die, the whole 0:06:53.760 --> 0:06:55.960 thing on whether your join lives or die, the whole 0:06:56.000 --> 0:06:58.080 thing on whether or not you make it, the whole 0:06:58.080 --> 0:06:59.760 thing on whether or not you live to show your 0:06:59.839 --> 0:07:02.560 kid something different. See, I feel sorry for David. He 0:07:02.640 --> 0:07:06.000 doesn't know how to be a king in this way. 0:07:06.600 --> 0:07:10.920 He had a bad example in Saul. He was only 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:14.920 the second king that Israel ever had. The whole reason 0:07:15.080 --> 0:07:19.000 Israel wanted a king was because the Philistines were oppressing them. 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:22.000 The whole reason the Philistines were oppressing them is because 0:07:22.000 --> 0:07:26.520 the Philistines were metalworkers, so they had more weapons. The 0:07:26.560 --> 0:07:29.240 Israelites didn't have the weapons, so they wanted a king. 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:32.520 But they got a bad king because they selected on 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:35.840 the basis of hike, not heart. When David came into 0:07:35.880 --> 0:07:38.480 the throne, he had the heart for it, but he 0:07:38.600 --> 0:07:41.720 didn't know how. And that's the thing about the people 0:07:41.760 --> 0:07:44.080 I passed her. I have the heart to be a 0:07:44.120 --> 0:07:46.480 good dad. I have the heart to be a good woman. 0:07:46.720 --> 0:07:48.840 I have the heart to be a good employee. I 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:50.800 have the heart to make it. I have the heart 0:07:50.840 --> 0:07:53.120 to break these changs. I want to get free, but 0:07:53.240 --> 0:07:59.520 I never saw how. So now I'm out here fighting 0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:05.560 year old giants with fifteen year old tactics, and you 0:08:05.640 --> 0:08:10.200 can't fight grown up battles with teenage tactics. You've got 0:08:10.200 --> 0:08:13.280 to grow into this season. You've got to grow into 0:08:13.320 --> 0:08:16.960 this challenge. You've got to grow into this assignment. You've 0:08:17.000 --> 0:08:19.480 got to grow into the annoying thing that you've had 0:08:19.520 --> 0:08:27.080 all along. It's not automatic. It's not automatic. And whenever 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:30.080 I face something that scares me, you know what I do? 0:08:31.000 --> 0:08:34.280 They say, say, what is it? New levels, new devils? No, 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:36.840 when I hit a new devil, I sink back to 0:08:36.880 --> 0:08:42.240 the same level. I go back to the sewer, you know. 0:08:44.720 --> 0:08:47.640 I go back to the dumpster, back when I was 0:08:47.679 --> 0:08:50.280 emotionally homeless and had nothing to eat. I go back 0:08:50.320 --> 0:08:53.520 inside myself and keep counsel with the most unreliable person 0:08:53.559 --> 0:09:02.200 that I know, me unchecked. How does it go? See 0:09:02.200 --> 0:09:06.520 all these crazy things preachers say, new levels, new devils. 0:09:07.880 --> 0:09:09.680 So I wanted to show you, on one hand, how 0:09:10.880 --> 0:09:14.800 this is not Goliath. It just reminds you of him 0:09:14.880 --> 0:09:19.199 and that you have grown. But really, what I want 0:09:19.200 --> 0:09:22.800 to show you is what God did for David when 0:09:22.840 --> 0:09:24.360 he was cornered, and I believe He's going to do 0:09:24.360 --> 0:09:27.560 it for you. I know what we want to happen. 0:09:27.679 --> 0:09:30.920 That is not going to be what happens we want. 0:09:31.160 --> 0:09:34.880 When David's got a sword to his throat. Remember this guy, 0:09:35.120 --> 0:09:38.280 this Ish. I like how his name starts with ish 0:09:38.280 --> 0:09:42.880 because we're all dealing with some Ish, aren't we. That's 0:09:42.920 --> 0:09:48.480 the part of his name. I can't say. Somebody put 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:53.480 in the chat new Ish, same God, all right, stop 0:09:54.800 --> 0:10:00.760 stop it. He had a sword three hundreds Can you 0:10:00.800 --> 0:10:06.280 believe that that's seven pounds? Can you believe that Golias 0:10:06.360 --> 0:10:10.920 was fifteen pounds six hundred shekels? It was only half 0:10:11.000 --> 0:10:17.840 the size of Golias? Sort? So why couldn't David beat him? 0:10:18.120 --> 0:10:20.280 I should be able to do this. I should be 0:10:20.320 --> 0:10:22.840 able to movement. I always did it this way before. 0:10:23.080 --> 0:10:25.040 And I got up, and you know, my get up 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:27.360 and go, got up and went. While we're doing cliches, 0:10:27.440 --> 0:10:30.040 you know what's happening right now? Why isn't this working? 0:10:30.120 --> 0:10:33.480 Because it sucks because the moment you mastered the strategy 0:10:33.480 --> 0:10:38.880 of chefs. So like when my oldest became a teenager, 0:10:38.920 --> 0:10:40.240 I'm so proud of him, but I didn't know how 0:10:40.240 --> 0:10:42.000 to raise a teenager. And you know, everybody start telling 0:10:42.040 --> 0:10:48.320 me just give him his space. I says space. So 0:10:48.440 --> 0:10:51.400 let me get this right. This human being that gave 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:55.320 me no space or sleep for the first two years 0:10:55.320 --> 0:10:59.800 of his life, now I'm Sill's just back afe. That's 0:10:59.800 --> 0:11:03.800 hard to do. Why are y'all looking at me crazy? 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:06.800 You can't parent a fifteen year old the way you 0:11:06.840 --> 0:11:10.200 parent a two year old. I see people try to 0:11:10.240 --> 0:11:14.199 do it, and then I see the kid explode when 0:11:14.240 --> 0:11:17.160 they get out from under that supervision because you did 0:11:17.200 --> 0:11:23.360 not shift the strategy to match the season. Do you 0:11:23.400 --> 0:11:26.120 think pastoring this church now is like how it was 0:11:26.240 --> 0:11:32.800 pastoring when we had nineteen people. Imagine if we imagine 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:34.760 if we tried to have the cookout on my grill 0:11:34.880 --> 0:11:37.800 after this sermon like we did back then. There's not 0:11:37.960 --> 0:11:42.880 enough propane in North Carolina. Uh huh uh huh huh 0:11:43.000 --> 0:11:48.120 huh huh. So what you have to do is what abashi? 0:11:49.080 --> 0:11:50.880 I want somebody to name their baby that I wish 0:11:50.920 --> 0:11:52.760 I wouldn't name one of my kids. Abashi. It's a 0:11:52.760 --> 0:11:55.720 good name. No, it's a good name. It means father 0:11:55.840 --> 0:12:02.120 of a gift. And what I wanted for the Bible 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:05.640 to say, because when I feel like the enemy is 0:12:05.640 --> 0:12:10.720 closing in on me and I'm tired, and I'm spent, 0:12:12.240 --> 0:12:15.960 and I'm out of ideas, and I'm sick of people. 0:12:17.960 --> 0:12:23.520 I wanted to send me an angel. God did not 0:12:23.600 --> 0:12:28.680 send an angel to rescue David. My goodness, I see 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:31.280 why that's one of your favorites. I just wanted to 0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:36.120 keep going. I wanted to sitting on this front road. 0:12:38.160 --> 0:12:44.200 It's just over and over that it's God, and like 0:12:44.240 --> 0:12:46.000 that's how we started out the year. We started out 0:12:46.040 --> 0:12:48.440 the year so strong, and I know the sermons have 0:12:48.480 --> 0:12:50.600 been speaking to us all year. And there's one other 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:53.000 thing that I have to say started out real strong, y'all, 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:57.840 and that is worship them recorded this year called Old 0:12:57.920 --> 0:13:01.679 Church Bases. Yes, good, you know, just a few weeks ago, 0:13:01.880 --> 0:13:04.120 it's been nominated for a couple of Grammys. I'm saying, 0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:06.080 we have Album of the Year, that's right. And then 0:13:06.120 --> 0:13:09.000 we also have two songs Zirah wait on You that 0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:12.400 are also nominated for Grammys. Of course, you remember when 0:13:12.480 --> 0:13:16.199 we got to hear wait on You the preview. I 0:13:16.320 --> 0:13:20.640 was right here, yeah, right there, first time we heard 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:22.920 that song. Yeah, we got a little exclusive look as 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:25.520 a staff. And if you are not familiar with it, 0:13:25.760 --> 0:13:27.400 or maybe you just want to relive it for a moment. 0:13:27.480 --> 0:14:29.440 Take a look at this. Okay, so this is one 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:33.200 of admittedly one of my YouTube repeats. Yes, oh of course, 0:14:33.280 --> 0:14:38.520 and I want that to keep going. We can't do that, 0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:41.560 just keep playing. And speaking of YouTube, can we talk 0:14:41.600 --> 0:14:44.200 about how YouTube has been ministering. It's the year of 0:14:44.320 --> 0:14:47.320 twenty one playing back all the sermons and we've haven't 0:14:47.320 --> 0:14:50.040 seen two new YouTube channels launched, right, So we had 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:52.960 Elevation plus plus launch this year and that's where you 0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:54.800 can watch back some of the stories that we're able 0:14:54.800 --> 0:14:57.160 to share in church. We actually go live every Wednesday 0:14:57.200 --> 0:14:59.640 and we're able to dive deeper and talk about the sermons. 0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:03.200 But then we also launched Holly's soup channel this year 0:15:03.640 --> 0:15:06.040 and it's been super fun. It's honestly a really fun channel. 0:15:06.200 --> 0:15:09.120 It really is recipes, there's clips of sermons, all types 0:15:09.160 --> 0:15:11.840 of things. It's also inspirational. She's got devotionals on there. 0:15:12.080 --> 0:15:15.080 It's got everything you could possibly want. That's right. But 0:15:15.120 --> 0:15:18.680 the woman of God, Holly Fredick, has been bringing words 0:15:18.680 --> 0:15:22.120 this year that have been ministering to my soul. Can 0:15:22.160 --> 0:15:26.440 we talk about that for a second. Different she's been 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:30.560 on another level and she preached one of my favorite 0:15:30.600 --> 0:15:33.240 sermons called running on Empty this year, and Colin, you 0:15:33.240 --> 0:15:36.240 probably remember these. We got these after she preached it. Yes, 0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:38.440 it was awesome. It's literally just like a graphic that 0:15:38.480 --> 0:15:41.240 she made to help us remember, and it says cry out, 0:15:41.520 --> 0:15:43.560 reach out, and pour out. These were the points that 0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:46.880 she preached about, and a little bonus point called live 0:15:46.920 --> 0:15:49.080 on what is left. And so take a look at 0:15:49.080 --> 0:15:53.840 this clip. And you know, sometimes we go through seasons 0:15:54.400 --> 0:16:00.680 with the emptiness. So it's more than just it's more 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:04.680 than just the feeling that we don't have purpose. Sometimes 0:16:04.720 --> 0:16:07.680 it's the feeling that you don't have enough to make it. 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:12.000 And I know that some of you under the sound 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:16.440 of my voice, you're like my friend, and you're going 0:16:16.520 --> 0:16:21.200 through the hardest thing you've ever been through. You're fighting 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:24.440 for your life and the word of the Lord for 0:16:24.520 --> 0:16:31.880 you today. Just keep pouring. You have to keep pouring, 0:16:32.880 --> 0:16:40.480 because the miracle only happens when you move, because it's 0:16:40.680 --> 0:16:43.520 while you pour. Oh, I'm out of dargs. It's while 0:16:43.680 --> 0:16:47.360 you poor that you experience God's strength and his grace 0:16:47.640 --> 0:16:53.720 and the joy that only comes while you pour. Because 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:59.680 now you're pouring with a purpose. She was pouring for 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:04.119 those voice. But she was never pouring from a full jar. 0:17:05.480 --> 0:17:08.800 She was pouring from a jar that only had a 0:17:09.000 --> 0:17:14.399 little bit of oil. And if you wait, thanks guys, 0:17:15.040 --> 0:17:20.800 if you wait until you feel full to pour, you 0:17:20.840 --> 0:17:24.600 will never experience the power of God in your life, 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:30.359 and you'll never experience the miracle a feeling. My God 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:34.919 is just pouring through you. Sometimes when you pour, it 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:39.520 does feel like a sacrifice, a sacrifice, and no one 0:17:39.600 --> 0:17:44.080 will ever see. You know what Jesus said, Luke six 0:17:44.080 --> 0:17:47.439 point thirty eight. He said, give and it will be 0:17:47.520 --> 0:17:53.679 given unto you a good measure. Press it down, shaken together, 0:17:53.760 --> 0:17:57.080 Get that jar full, because it will be running over 0:17:57.240 --> 0:18:04.000 into your lap. Jesus said, you just keep giving and 0:18:04.200 --> 0:18:08.359 I will pour into you. Our instinct says, hold on 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:12.600 tightly to everything you have, but Jesus says, just keep giving. 0:18:14.200 --> 0:18:17.720 Be generous with your love, be generous with your time, 0:18:18.440 --> 0:18:23.800 be generous with your encouragement. When you feel empty, just 0:18:24.520 --> 0:18:38.160 keep pouring. So here's how the story ends. When all 0:18:38.160 --> 0:18:42.400 the jars were full, she said to her sons, bring 0:18:42.440 --> 0:18:47.280 me another one, but he replied, there's not a jar left. 0:18:48.200 --> 0:18:51.800 Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the 0:18:51.840 --> 0:18:55.199 Man of God, and he said, go and sell the 0:18:55.280 --> 0:18:58.560 oil and pay off your debts. You and your sons 0:18:59.400 --> 0:19:01.240 can live on what's left. Can I give you a 0:19:01.240 --> 0:19:06.720 bonus point, Live on what's left? See when you're in 0:19:06.760 --> 0:19:10.360 a pouring season, that season where you're fighting for your 0:19:10.400 --> 0:19:15.639 life and you just keep your head down and you 0:19:15.760 --> 0:19:20.439 keep pouring. You pour when you're tired. You pour when 0:19:20.480 --> 0:19:24.520 you feel like no one notices. You pour when everyone 0:19:24.520 --> 0:19:28.400 else's kids are acting right but yours. You poor when 0:19:28.400 --> 0:19:31.000 your friend gets pregnant by accident but you still can't 0:19:31.000 --> 0:19:34.280 get pregnant on purpose. You pour when someone else gets 0:19:34.280 --> 0:19:37.480 the promotions. You pour when you need a healing in 0:19:37.560 --> 0:19:43.119 your own body. And the next thing you know, you 0:19:43.160 --> 0:19:45.000 made it through another day. You don't know how, but 0:19:45.080 --> 0:19:51.960 you did. And one day you turn around and you've 0:19:52.000 --> 0:20:02.520 got a pantry full of oil to live on. Live 0:20:02.560 --> 0:20:08.600 on what's left. Remember Remember that Bible study that I 0:20:08.640 --> 0:20:12.640 wrote for the women of our church when we were 0:20:12.680 --> 0:20:16.359 in the pandemic. My husband and I were just praying 0:20:16.400 --> 0:20:18.960 about how we could help people during this time, Like 0:20:18.960 --> 0:20:22.600 what else could we do? I said, well, I have 0:20:22.720 --> 0:20:27.640 this little Bible study. So we sent out a message 0:20:27.680 --> 0:20:35.480 on Facebook, and thousands of women from all over the 0:20:35.520 --> 0:20:44.040 world responded, and for eight weeks, every Tuesday night they 0:20:44.119 --> 0:20:48.639 joined me live and we studied how to be a 0:20:48.680 --> 0:20:55.680 godly wife. Somehow you made it through those dark days. 0:20:57.960 --> 0:21:03.679 But now you see, all along, through the pain and 0:21:03.720 --> 0:21:12.399 the confusion and the heartache you've been stockpiling. She lost 0:21:12.440 --> 0:21:15.040 her husband. She's not gonna get her husband back, but 0:21:15.119 --> 0:21:19.120 she had something left to live on. Oh oh, here's 0:21:19.160 --> 0:21:23.000 that friendship that I made sitting in chemo treatments. And 0:21:24.880 --> 0:21:27.280 here's the verse that God gave me when I was 0:21:27.320 --> 0:21:33.280 crying on the couch. And here's the song that I 0:21:33.359 --> 0:21:38.080 listened to every single day for months. And every time 0:21:38.119 --> 0:21:40.600 I hear that song, it just reminds me of the 0:21:40.600 --> 0:21:46.280 faithfulness of God. And oh oh, here's that gratitude journal 0:21:46.800 --> 0:21:49.919 where I learned how to look for the little blessings. 0:21:54.440 --> 0:22:04.399 Now I get to live on what's left miracles. Don't 0:22:05.400 --> 0:22:13.399 be afraid of the empty spaces, because empty is where 0:22:13.480 --> 0:22:21.000 God does his best work. Empty is where God does 0:22:21.400 --> 0:22:24.120 his best work. Now you see why this was Yes 0:22:24.280 --> 0:22:26.640 my favorites, and I get it. That's why I keep 0:22:26.680 --> 0:22:29.600 this reminder in my Bible. Right at second King score 0:22:29.720 --> 0:22:32.159 verses one through seven. Ye, there's a reminder of what 0:22:32.200 --> 0:22:34.480 Holly shared with us, and I remember she wrote, just 0:22:34.560 --> 0:22:37.280 keep pouring, right, and so that's the anthem that I've 0:22:37.280 --> 0:22:40.600 been living through twenty twenty one is just keep That's 0:22:40.640 --> 0:22:42.520 so good. It's such a powerful visual. I think of 0:22:42.560 --> 0:22:44.199 that all the time, of her just holding all of 0:22:44.200 --> 0:22:46.040 their dispers and I actually remember watching that sermon. I 0:22:46.080 --> 0:22:48.000 was like, she's definitely gonna drop on this. She gave 0:22:48.080 --> 0:22:50.120 us a jar, he does. I have it on my desk, 0:22:50.160 --> 0:22:51.560 Alli look at it all the time, and it reminds 0:22:51.560 --> 0:22:54.200 me of that exact thing that you just said is 0:22:54.240 --> 0:22:56.600 gone to a whole nother level. That's right, whole nother level. 0:22:56.680 --> 0:22:58.760 And I'm just so thankful for our pasty way that 0:22:58.840 --> 0:23:03.320 they continue to poor, poor and poor weekend and week out. 0:23:03.400 --> 0:23:05.720 And one of the other things that I've loved about 0:23:05.720 --> 0:23:07.159 this year is that we were able to sync up 0:23:07.160 --> 0:23:10.439 across all of our campuses and online this year, and 0:23:10.600 --> 0:23:14.320 one of those moments was with Race Like Baptism. It 0:23:14.400 --> 0:23:16.600 was amazing to be able to be in these rooms 0:23:16.640 --> 0:23:19.000 again where we've been shut down for so long and 0:23:19.080 --> 0:23:22.159 doing everything we can to build again, and to have 0:23:22.240 --> 0:23:24.200 this moment. To see people go public with their faith 0:23:24.440 --> 0:23:27.040 in these massive numbers was amazing. You guys got to 0:23:27.040 --> 0:23:29.920 go on the road. Our online team got to go 0:23:29.960 --> 0:23:33.040 to nine different states to baptize people, and you got 0:23:33.080 --> 0:23:35.760 to go to tost I got to go to Colorado. 0:23:35.880 --> 0:23:38.399 Chad was your baptizing people at Valentine and it was 0:23:38.480 --> 0:23:40.720 just so it was really special to be a part of. 0:23:40.680 --> 0:23:43.320 It's amazing to see people that have been waiting for 0:23:43.400 --> 0:23:46.280 an opportunity to be able to go public in faith 0:23:46.320 --> 0:23:50.119 and this moment representing them leaving pain in this water, 0:23:50.240 --> 0:23:53.920 leaving shame in this water, sin, and so many things 0:23:53.960 --> 0:23:56.359 that I feel like Pastor has been used. God's been 0:23:56.440 --> 0:23:59.600 using Pastor to really preach to throughout. That's one of 0:23:59.640 --> 0:24:02.000 my favorite sermons this year was a troubled Mind in 0:24:02.040 --> 0:24:05.520 an open door where Pastor got real practical around what 0:24:05.560 --> 0:24:07.000 does it mean for us to be able to step 0:24:07.040 --> 0:24:08.679 into some of the things that God has called us 0:24:08.720 --> 0:24:11.320 to do. How about we check this clip out now. 0:24:11.359 --> 0:24:13.800 Listen to this what God says to the church at Philadelphia, 0:24:13.840 --> 0:24:15.240 and I believe he might say it to the church 0:24:15.240 --> 0:24:23.400 at Elevation too. I know you have little strength, It's 0:24:23.400 --> 0:24:28.919 not about strength. Can I show you something? This is 0:24:29.040 --> 0:24:34.359 really cool. Everybody says strength, now everybody says scheme. Go 0:24:34.440 --> 0:24:40.040 back to Second Corinthians, Chapter two. Verse eleven is one 0:24:40.080 --> 0:24:42.360 of those that I've read out of context for years. 0:24:42.840 --> 0:24:44.640 I didn't even really know what it meant. I never 0:24:44.680 --> 0:24:47.960 really read it in the context of Paul's conflict. But 0:24:48.040 --> 0:24:51.120 now have and I saw something. He said in verse eleven. 0:24:51.560 --> 0:24:54.520 We got to forgive and get through this in order 0:24:54.560 --> 0:24:57.879 that Satan might not outwit us, for we are not 0:24:57.960 --> 0:24:59.560 aware of his schemes. Now, what was interesting to me 0:24:59.680 --> 0:25:03.760 is he didn't say in order that Satan put the 0:25:03.800 --> 0:25:07.159 verse back up. He didn't say in order that Satan 0:25:07.600 --> 0:25:15.879 might not overpower us. He said outwit us. Because the 0:25:15.920 --> 0:25:26.119 battle is not about strength, it's about strategy. Put this 0:25:26.200 --> 0:25:27.760 in the chat. Say it out loud if you're with 0:25:27.800 --> 0:25:34.359 me in the room. It's about the strategy. And Satan 0:25:34.440 --> 0:25:38.560 is not stronger than you. We just read this. If 0:25:38.600 --> 0:25:41.679 God opens the door, nobody can shut it. No devil, 0:25:42.480 --> 0:25:49.480 no depression, no trauma, no abuse, nothing, nothing can stop 0:25:49.520 --> 0:25:52.760 the Gospel of Jesus Christ from going forth in your life, 0:25:53.080 --> 0:25:56.040 in your heart, in your marriage. We give the devil 0:25:56.080 --> 0:25:59.760 too much credit sometimes because we'll say, oh, well, the 0:26:00.040 --> 0:26:04.399 devil is attacking my marriage, the devil is attacking my finances. 0:26:04.640 --> 0:26:06.879 That's where you're feeling it. But that's not where the 0:26:06.960 --> 0:26:12.520 attack is happening. He didn't say in order that Satan 0:26:12.600 --> 0:26:16.080 might not overpower us, because that would make it about 0:26:16.080 --> 0:26:20.200 your strength. And we already know from John sixteen thirty 0:26:20.240 --> 0:26:23.920 three that Jesus said peace. I give to you my 0:26:24.119 --> 0:26:27.320 peace I leave with you in the world. You will 0:26:27.400 --> 0:26:32.240 have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world. 0:26:36.119 --> 0:26:38.480 It's not about the trouble in front of you. We 0:26:38.520 --> 0:26:41.159 could have a testimony service about your trouble. What's the 0:26:41.240 --> 0:26:43.199 point we can all line up and blake. Can I 0:26:43.240 --> 0:26:45.320 top your trouble? I have a headache, I have a 0:26:45.359 --> 0:26:47.240 back ache. I don't have a back, I don't have 0:26:47.320 --> 0:26:50.240 a head I'm decapitated. I've seen people do it, and 0:26:50.280 --> 0:26:52.560 we top each other with our trouble. But that's not 0:26:52.600 --> 0:26:56.800 what this is about, is it. It's not about what's 0:26:56.800 --> 0:27:01.280 happening in my life. Satan's not stronger than you. He 0:27:01.359 --> 0:27:04.320 can't make you do anything. If God opens the door 0:27:04.400 --> 0:27:07.119 to freedom, if God opens the sea, you can go 0:27:07.280 --> 0:27:10.880 through it. I don't care who's chasten you. God don't 0:27:10.880 --> 0:27:14.240 care who said you couldn't. I don't care how long 0:27:14.280 --> 0:27:22.400 you've struggled with it. It's not about who's stronger, it's 0:27:22.440 --> 0:27:29.639 about who's smarter. Because you're like, well, that's Jesus. Jesus 0:27:29.720 --> 0:27:33.840 has overcome the world. I'm not Jesus. But first John 0:27:33.880 --> 0:27:35.560 four for says, greater is he that is in you 0:27:35.640 --> 0:27:40.200 than he that is in the world. So he's not stronger. 0:27:41.040 --> 0:27:45.119 That's not why you're stuck. He's not stronger. You have 0:27:45.160 --> 0:27:49.399 the spirit of God. He's not stronger. The condemnation that 0:27:49.440 --> 0:27:51.920 haunts you at light, in your in your midnight hour 0:27:52.160 --> 0:27:55.840 has been nailed to the cross. The written regulations have 0:27:55.840 --> 0:27:58.440 been nailed to the cross. That's dealt with. That is 0:27:58.560 --> 0:28:03.560 not what is standing at the door. Paul said, I 0:28:03.600 --> 0:28:07.520 had an open door, but I had a troubled mind, 0:28:09.359 --> 0:28:11.159 And so he sent Titus with a letter to the 0:28:11.160 --> 0:28:14.600 Corinthian Church because he didn't know if things were going 0:28:14.640 --> 0:28:17.480 to be all right. You know, your body can be 0:28:17.520 --> 0:28:21.160 one place, in your mind can be another. And Paul's 0:28:21.200 --> 0:28:24.080 at Troaz, and God's given him opportunities and he can 0:28:24.480 --> 0:28:28.240 preach the gospel to a whole city, and he said, 0:28:28.240 --> 0:28:32.240 but I couldn't find Titus, so I left. And it 0:28:32.280 --> 0:28:36.120 didn't like he left because he wanted to. When Paul 0:28:36.160 --> 0:28:39.000 says in verse fourteen thirteen, excuse me, I believe it 0:28:39.040 --> 0:28:41.080 is he said, I said goodbye. That's the only time 0:28:41.120 --> 0:28:44.640 he uses that phrase in all of scripture. It's a 0:28:44.680 --> 0:28:48.400 solemn farewell. He's almost embarrassed about it. He's like, I 0:28:48.400 --> 0:28:52.560 couldn't get my mind right, so I couldn't seize the opportunity. 0:28:53.440 --> 0:28:58.200 Now that hit me because I'm trying to raise these kids, 0:28:58.280 --> 0:29:01.480 you see, and I know God has given me an 0:29:01.520 --> 0:29:06.440 opportunity to be a great father. Sometimes, if I'm honest 0:29:06.480 --> 0:29:11.200 with you, I'm sitting at the table with them, and 0:29:11.240 --> 0:29:16.440 my body is there. My body is there, but my 0:29:16.480 --> 0:29:21.720 mind is on other stuff. And some of it is real, 0:29:23.360 --> 0:29:27.120 and some of it is completely fabricated, of stuff that 0:29:27.200 --> 0:29:33.560 might happen three years from now, maybe, and so my 0:29:33.600 --> 0:29:37.040 mind will drift to the possibly and slip away from 0:29:37.080 --> 0:29:42.280 the present. Now. When I saw Paul, I saw us. 0:29:43.480 --> 0:29:45.400 He said, I was intro ass, and so was the 0:29:45.440 --> 0:29:49.640 open door that God gave me, and great things could 0:29:49.680 --> 0:29:53.560 have happened intro ass. But I had to say goodbye, 0:29:53.600 --> 0:29:57.000 not because of the trouble in Troass, but because my 0:29:57.040 --> 0:30:02.960 mind was trouble. The enemy wants to mess with your 0:30:03.000 --> 0:30:07.440 mind so much that you can't even go through the 0:30:07.480 --> 0:30:12.800 doors that God opens for you, that you can't even 0:30:12.920 --> 0:30:17.560 enjoy the moments that God gives you. He wants to 0:30:17.600 --> 0:30:21.960 mess with your mind and scramble your perspective to the 0:30:22.000 --> 0:30:27.400 point where you can't even focus long enough to sit 0:30:27.440 --> 0:30:34.840 down and pray about something. He wants to He wants 0:30:34.840 --> 0:30:38.200 to get you so focused on something. And I put 0:30:38.240 --> 0:30:40.320 down four things that spell the word door with each 0:30:40.400 --> 0:30:45.880 first letter. When was the disappointments in your life? When 0:30:45.960 --> 0:30:49.360 was the outcomes that you can't control? That's the oh, 0:30:50.240 --> 0:30:54.200 disappointments outcomes When we mentioned the offenses that you can't 0:30:54.200 --> 0:30:59.480 get over, and one is the regrets of the opportunities 0:30:59.480 --> 0:31:05.760 that you can't get back. My God. I mean, I 0:31:05.880 --> 0:31:07.880 just I really love the way that Pastor not only 0:31:08.240 --> 0:31:12.440 preaches revelation and it's a spirit that comes in rooms 0:31:12.440 --> 0:31:14.680 to pull you out of out of these dark moments, 0:31:15.080 --> 0:31:18.000 but he gives you practical action steps things that you 0:31:18.040 --> 0:31:20.800 can do, and spelling things so that we can remember 0:31:20.840 --> 0:31:23.440 remember that yes, I'm just so thankful for the way 0:31:23.440 --> 0:31:25.960 that Pastor and Holly has poured out this year. Yes, 0:31:26.000 --> 0:31:29.400 I totally agree. Pastor Steven has preached some incredible messages 0:31:29.400 --> 0:31:31.800 this year. And there's one that probably only a handful 0:31:31.840 --> 0:31:33.400 of people have gotten to here, and that was his 0:31:33.440 --> 0:31:35.800 message for Elevation Nights, and if you don't know what 0:31:35.840 --> 0:31:37.640 that is. We actually got to go on tour this 0:31:37.760 --> 0:31:40.360 year and we got to worship with over sixty five 0:31:40.440 --> 0:31:43.440 thousand people in eight different cities across the United States, 0:31:43.760 --> 0:31:45.720 and it was just a surreal thing to be a 0:31:45.760 --> 0:31:48.960 part to go to Atlanta, both of you guys, It 0:31:49.040 --> 0:31:52.440 was blowing. It was amazing wild just to think of 0:31:52.520 --> 0:31:54.920 the beginning of this year just what church looked like. 0:31:55.000 --> 0:31:57.520 Then to fast forward to the fall where we're worshiping 0:31:57.560 --> 0:32:00.840 in full arenas with people singing songs all across the 0:32:00.960 --> 0:32:03.960 United States. The things that came out of our church. 0:32:04.040 --> 0:32:07.120 And so it's always so special for me to see 0:32:07.160 --> 0:32:09.320 and get to meet our e fam and for you too. 0:32:09.320 --> 0:32:10.800 We got to meet so many people that came up 0:32:10.800 --> 0:32:12.960 to us and said, like, you have no idea how 0:32:13.000 --> 0:32:14.680 God used your church to get me through the last 0:32:14.720 --> 0:32:17.840 eight years. It did feel so much like family. You know, 0:32:17.920 --> 0:32:19.520 that was the thing. You know. We'd go into an 0:32:19.520 --> 0:32:22.000 arena and it was an empty arena, and then when 0:32:22.000 --> 0:32:24.160 it was full, Yeah, it didn't feel like a bunch 0:32:24.160 --> 0:32:28.400 of strangers together. It felt like family together. And working 0:32:28.840 --> 0:32:31.920 and hearing from pastors was amazing, It really was. Well, 0:32:31.920 --> 0:32:33.360 if you didn't get to make it to one of 0:32:33.360 --> 0:32:35.400 those stops or we didn't come near, you, take a 0:32:35.440 --> 0:32:56.720 look at this. Yes, wew you wait on God, you're 0:32:56.800 --> 0:32:59.640 getting strong up. He is a god of yes and 0:32:59.760 --> 0:33:02.160 a men, and he has come through for me in 0:33:02.200 --> 0:33:06.360 the pass and he's not gonna leave me now. Comment. 0:33:11.200 --> 0:33:15.920 God doesn't mean anything from you. What's our faith? You've 0:33:15.960 --> 0:33:19.840 been in a storm lately, But I see Jesus walking 0:33:19.920 --> 0:33:24.160 over top of your situation. You've been under anxiety. The 0:33:24.240 --> 0:33:26.960 devil's been telling you you're not gonna make it. He's 0:33:27.040 --> 0:33:45.240 a liar. And upon this rock Jesus said, I will 0:33:45.240 --> 0:33:51.720 build my church to make you want to go back 0:33:51.720 --> 0:33:56.080 a bit. I too, truly, truly. So what's crazy about 0:33:56.080 --> 0:33:57.840 this is that we were on the road for our teams, 0:33:57.840 --> 0:34:00.920 were gone for ten days. Pastor Stephen free eight times 0:34:00.920 --> 0:34:02.720 in ten days, and then we got back did we 0:34:02.760 --> 0:34:05.120 get back on Saturday, Friday, Saturday, whatever it was. The 0:34:05.120 --> 0:34:08.080 weekend was right around the corner, and Pastor Stephen just 0:34:08.160 --> 0:34:10.839 jumped in with one of my favorite services from the year, 0:34:10.880 --> 0:34:12.799 and I'm like, I don't know how he does it, 0:34:12.880 --> 0:34:15.320 but he did it, and it was called stop Crying. 0:34:15.400 --> 0:34:17.600 It's coming. It's unbelievable. Take a look at this clip. 0:34:18.040 --> 0:34:22.960 He says after Jesus cried, which is important. You know, 0:34:23.040 --> 0:34:28.879 trauma is trauma is real. Seventy years in Babylon will 0:34:28.920 --> 0:34:33.960 make you cry. It'll make you forget to sing when 0:34:34.000 --> 0:34:36.160 you find out what your kids been doing behind your back. 0:34:36.200 --> 0:34:40.080 It'll make you cry when you and your husband don't 0:34:40.120 --> 0:34:42.080 even look at each other except when you're around people 0:34:42.080 --> 0:34:45.920 so you can fake it real good. It'll make you 0:34:46.000 --> 0:34:50.719 cry alone. God doesn't correct the sisters, but glad he 0:34:50.760 --> 0:34:54.239 didn't stop there, and you can't either, because in verse 0:34:54.280 --> 0:34:58.439 thirty eight John eleven thirty eight, it says, not Jesus cried, 0:34:58.480 --> 0:35:04.840 but Jesus wants more deeply moved came, so he cried, 0:35:06.520 --> 0:35:19.319 and then he came. Stop crying is coming. I don't 0:35:19.360 --> 0:35:26.120 want the old temple to keep me from seeing Jesus. Seriously, 0:35:27.480 --> 0:35:29.120 you know how it's said in the verse and Hadi 0:35:29.200 --> 0:35:31.400 that from the day I brought you out of Egypt 0:35:31.640 --> 0:35:34.040 till now, did you catch that really small thing in 0:35:34.080 --> 0:35:35.480 verse five? I didn't make a big deal out of it, 0:35:35.520 --> 0:35:38.640 but it is a big deal. Because they thought that 0:35:38.719 --> 0:35:40.800 Pharaoh had to let them go for them to leave Egypt. 0:35:40.920 --> 0:35:44.840 That wasn't their biggest problem. Their biggest problem was letting 0:35:44.840 --> 0:35:49.839 go of Moses. Because see, Moses gave them the law, 0:35:50.719 --> 0:35:54.200 and they were so committed to that that when Jesus came, 0:35:54.640 --> 0:35:57.000 who is the true image of God to show them 0:35:57.000 --> 0:35:59.600 what God is really like, not to break the law, 0:35:59.640 --> 0:36:03.560 but to feel it. When Jesus came, they could not 0:36:03.760 --> 0:36:12.120 recognize better because they were stuck in before. So while 0:36:12.160 --> 0:36:14.320 we're fighting like, hey Pharaoh, let me go, Hey addiction, 0:36:14.440 --> 0:36:16.400 let me go, Hey temptation, let me go, God's like 0:36:16.440 --> 0:36:20.840 the thing that you're holding onto is the former glory. 0:36:22.400 --> 0:36:23.880 I don't know who it is of his three people, 0:36:23.880 --> 0:36:30.160 as we're saying, you gotta let go a former glory 0:36:30.360 --> 0:36:38.120 to receive present help. Now that means a lot of things. 0:36:39.600 --> 0:36:42.520 It means that the same Jesus who cried at the 0:36:42.560 --> 0:36:46.680 gate came to the tomb. It didn't stop him from 0:36:46.760 --> 0:36:49.960 doing what he came to do, because he didn't come 0:36:50.080 --> 0:36:52.719 just to cry or give him a Hallmark car. He 0:36:52.760 --> 0:36:54.719 didn't just bake him a roast so they could eat 0:36:54.719 --> 0:36:57.960 it three days later. He came to show them who 0:36:58.040 --> 0:37:02.720 he was. He came to reinvent their concept of God 0:37:03.200 --> 0:37:06.600 and to switch their template of truth that not only 0:37:06.680 --> 0:37:10.319 am I a healer, I am resurrection. He came to 0:37:10.440 --> 0:37:14.720 prefigure what he would do. He came so he cried. 0:37:14.760 --> 0:37:18.000 Everybody say, he cried. Come on, don't tap out on me. 0:37:18.120 --> 0:37:20.279 This is the best part of the sermon. I know 0:37:20.360 --> 0:37:22.400 y'all aren't going to listen to a sermon about the 0:37:22.400 --> 0:37:24.840 glory of the Latter House and skip the end of 0:37:24.880 --> 0:37:27.200 the sermon. This is the part I wanted to preach 0:37:27.239 --> 0:37:30.440 us to because he cried, and you've been crying, and 0:37:30.480 --> 0:37:33.480 you have a Christ too, criest, so that's fine. He 0:37:33.560 --> 0:37:36.160 will cry with you, But then you have a Christ too. 0:37:36.400 --> 0:37:40.120 After he stopped crying, he came to the tomb. So 0:37:40.239 --> 0:37:43.000 he's coming to the tomb. He's coming to the park 0:37:43.040 --> 0:37:46.080 that's buried. He's coming to the park that's broken. He's 0:37:46.080 --> 0:37:48.560 coming to the park that's dead. He's coming to the 0:37:48.600 --> 0:37:51.360 park that stinks. He's coming to the park that's rotten. 0:37:51.600 --> 0:37:54.520 He's coming to the park that's given up on. He cried, 0:37:55.120 --> 0:37:58.319 he came. But that's not the good part. The good 0:37:58.320 --> 0:38:02.760 part is verse forty three. There's forty three on the screen. Quickly, quickly, quickly, quickly, 0:38:02.920 --> 0:38:07.400 And when Jesus has said this, he called. So he cried, 0:38:08.680 --> 0:38:13.600 he came. And then he called in a loud voice. 0:38:14.280 --> 0:38:17.840 And I hear that voice calling today through the halls 0:38:17.840 --> 0:38:21.560 of history, from the pages of Hagai to this very 0:38:21.640 --> 0:38:28.920 moment in the house of God, Lazarus, Come for, Come 0:38:29.080 --> 0:38:35.640 for he's speaking to your joy. He's speaking to your peace, 0:38:36.160 --> 0:38:40.560 he's speaking to your strategy, he's speaking to your spirit. 0:38:41.280 --> 0:38:48.319 Come far. So you cried a while. It's all right. 0:38:48.719 --> 0:38:52.240 I am convinced that the sufferings of this present time 0:38:52.600 --> 0:38:56.920 are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed. 0:39:01.280 --> 0:39:07.440 Sh did you catch that whole sermon? He cried, he came, 0:39:08.800 --> 0:39:15.960 He called. You got to call some things out today. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, 0:39:16.040 --> 0:39:20.880 yeah yeah. You ain't not gonna come just automatically. You 0:39:20.920 --> 0:39:24.840 can cry over it as long as you want, But 0:39:24.920 --> 0:39:27.520 I believe that something deeper is call him from the inside. 0:39:29.520 --> 0:39:33.160 What the prophet told the people was you got to 0:39:33.200 --> 0:39:40.400 do the work. You gotta do. The work is wishing 0:39:40.880 --> 0:39:45.400 for something that you don't have keeping you from working 0:39:45.520 --> 0:39:55.719 with what you do have. I don't know, maybe it's 0:39:55.800 --> 0:40:00.879 just me, but I needed this word that the Lord said. 0:40:02.280 --> 0:40:07.080 You can cry, but eventually you gotta come and you 0:40:07.160 --> 0:40:10.279 got to call those things that be not as though 0:40:10.320 --> 0:40:16.279 they are beneath your feelings. And the promise is it's 0:40:16.320 --> 0:40:22.239 a covenant, not a commitment. Commitments can be broken. Yeah, 0:40:22.480 --> 0:40:27.080 covenants cannot, especially when one of the parties is the 0:40:27.120 --> 0:40:36.000 one who cannot lie. So it's a lot of pain. 0:40:38.480 --> 0:40:41.480 You know. When they laid the foundation, Ezra showed us something. 0:40:43.160 --> 0:40:46.040 Give me Ezra three ten when they got that temple started, 0:40:46.640 --> 0:40:48.279 And I think I'm gonna pick this up next week 0:40:48.320 --> 0:40:53.080 for real, y'all, because y'all got one point. It's your fault. 0:40:54.200 --> 0:40:59.760 You were shouting and receiving and glorifying Die. I didn't 0:40:59.760 --> 0:41:05.160 come to get through my points. I came to give 0:41:05.200 --> 0:41:10.920 you this work. Stop crying. It is common, it's common. 0:41:12.960 --> 0:41:16.160 This message was so challenging and encouraging at the same time. 0:41:16.239 --> 0:41:17.640 And I think that's just one of the things I 0:41:17.680 --> 0:41:20.960 appreciate the most about it. Yeah, you get both, and 0:41:21.040 --> 0:41:23.560 it was so so helpful. We get that time and 0:41:23.600 --> 0:41:27.799 time again all year long, and I hope even just 0:41:28.280 --> 0:41:31.960 reliving some of those moments stirred up some feelings of Man, 0:41:32.040 --> 0:41:34.359 I remember what God was doing in my life at 0:41:34.360 --> 0:41:38.000 those specific moments. Maybe you're new to joining us and 0:41:38.040 --> 0:41:39.960 you're like, I want to see the rest of that. 0:41:40.280 --> 0:41:41.839 Where can I see the rest of that? Well, if 0:41:41.840 --> 0:41:45.040 you head over to Elevation Church's YouTube channel, you can 0:41:45.080 --> 0:41:48.640 catch all of these messages and more finish them up. 0:41:48.640 --> 0:41:50.480 Pastor was saying, I'm going to pick that up next week. 0:41:50.520 --> 0:41:52.440 You can see what he preached them last week. And 0:41:52.560 --> 0:41:56.480 so what we just really hoped that you came away 0:41:56.520 --> 0:41:59.279 with today is a sense of gratitude of what it 0:41:59.320 --> 0:42:01.279 is that you're able to be a part of and 0:42:01.360 --> 0:42:04.160 thankful for how God is moving not just in a 0:42:04.200 --> 0:42:08.040 global church but through you right where you are. And 0:42:08.080 --> 0:42:09.839 that's what we love seeing. You know, we didn't have 0:42:09.880 --> 0:42:14.839 time to hit some other amazing moments this year. Let's 0:42:14.880 --> 0:42:21.960 hit it love. Yes, how many hours too many? The 0:42:22.000 --> 0:42:24.920 people that were impacted by groups? Yeah, yeah, groups, I 0:42:24.960 --> 0:42:27.239 mean we could sit here all day and relive some 0:42:27.360 --> 0:42:30.640 of the amazing moments that we saw God do incredible 0:42:30.680 --> 0:42:33.120 things in our lives, and we're trusting that it happened 0:42:33.239 --> 0:42:35.520 right where you are. And I was just stated again 0:42:35.560 --> 0:42:37.560 what I love about our church is that it's not 0:42:37.680 --> 0:42:40.239 just some people here in Charlotte, but it's people in 0:42:40.360 --> 0:42:43.400 University City, it's people in Florida, it's people in GTA, 0:42:43.520 --> 0:42:45.919 it's people on the other side of the world who 0:42:45.920 --> 0:42:49.040 are mobilized to be the church right where they are. 0:42:49.080 --> 0:42:51.640 And so thank you for what you do, and thank 0:42:51.680 --> 0:42:54.440 you to our pastors. Yeah, I mean, we'd be abissed 0:42:54.480 --> 0:42:56.880 to go any further without saying thank you to Pastor 0:42:56.920 --> 0:43:01.520 Stephen and Holly for your leadership, for you allowing to 0:43:01.560 --> 0:43:04.400 God work in and through you and speak through you 0:43:04.600 --> 0:43:08.279 to the world, literally to the world each each and 0:43:08.400 --> 0:43:10.480 every week. So put it in the chat just as 0:43:10.560 --> 0:43:14.480 we're closing up here, how thankful you are for our pastors. 0:43:14.520 --> 0:43:17.120 We're so thankful for you, Pastor Stephen and Holly, and 0:43:17.160 --> 0:43:20.200 thankful for you Elevation Church. Seeing how God is working 0:43:20.200 --> 0:43:22.120 in and through your life has been amazing, even in 0:43:22.200 --> 0:43:24.160 this year end season, seeing how many of you have 0:43:24.160 --> 0:43:27.360 stepped up for the very first time through giving in 0:43:27.400 --> 0:43:29.239 this year end offering. So many of you said I'm 0:43:29.239 --> 0:43:31.319 placing God first in the ear of my finances and 0:43:31.320 --> 0:43:33.520 we're excited to see how God works in your life 0:43:33.680 --> 0:43:35.480 or maybe some of you, well, we know a lot 0:43:35.520 --> 0:43:38.520 of you went above and beyond and gave thousands of 0:43:38.560 --> 0:43:40.480 you did to say I want to see what God 0:43:40.520 --> 0:43:42.640 can do. Is I trust Him and step out in 0:43:42.680 --> 0:43:44.840 faith and believe for more. And that's what we're believing 0:43:44.880 --> 0:43:47.279 for your life as we wrap up this year and 0:43:47.360 --> 0:43:51.520 really look forward to what's next. We're really excited that 0:43:51.600 --> 0:43:53.200 we get to be a part of something this year 0:43:53.200 --> 0:43:55.360 that was better than ever. That's right. I don't know 0:43:55.400 --> 0:43:57.360 what you thought you were coming into this year with. 0:43:57.600 --> 0:43:59.680 Maybe you were caring some heavy things, but we're just 0:44:00.280 --> 0:44:01.840 that it was better than ever. But we don't have 0:44:01.920 --> 0:44:05.560 to stop here. We're believing that next year is even better. 0:44:05.760 --> 0:44:07.759 Next year is going to be the best year. Yes, 0:44:07.920 --> 0:44:09.680 So thank you for being a part of the church. 0:44:09.760 --> 0:44:12.000 Thank you for letting God move in and through you 0:44:12.360 --> 0:44:15.319 from right where you are. Our prayers of blessing are 0:44:15.360 --> 0:44:17.759 on you today. Thank you cheers for being a part 0:44:19.200 --> 0:44:21.399 well if you enjoyed today's podcast, there are a couple 0:44:21.400 --> 0:44:23.480 of things I'd love for you to do. Make sure 0:44:23.480 --> 0:44:27.839 to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast. It can also 0:44:27.880 --> 0:44:30.799 help us reach others by investing today at Elevation Church 0:44:31.040 --> 0:44:34.080 dot org, slash give and thanks again for joining us 0:44:34.160 --> 0:44:35.560 on the Elevation Podcast.