I Still Love The Church (Tauren Wells)

0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:06.280 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. 0:00:06.280 --> 0:00:09.360 I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. 0:00:09.520 --> 0:00:10.000 Be sure to. 0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:13.680 Subscribe so we can get you these new sermons every week. 0:00:13.880 --> 0:00:16.440 I hope you're blessed today. 0:00:20.200 --> 0:00:23.799 I'm so grateful to be here with you all this morning, 0:00:24.480 --> 0:00:30.120 just already so encouraged by what God is doing through 0:00:30.320 --> 0:00:35.879 his church in Charlotte, North Carolina and throughout the world. 0:00:37.840 --> 0:00:41.839 I'm encouraged by it, refueled by it, refreshed by you. 0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:47.640 And I can't say enough how much gratitude I carry 0:00:47.680 --> 0:00:52.239 with me up onto this stage this morning, and the 0:00:52.560 --> 0:00:59.320 tremendous affection that I have for your pastor, his wife, 0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:04.480 this team, and for you. I really feel like it 0:01:04.600 --> 0:01:08.600 is a supernatural love that this morning is easy for me, 0:01:09.959 --> 0:01:13.959 and it's difficult because I feel like I'm preaching to 0:01:14.160 --> 0:01:18.080 people I love and you may not know me. I'm 0:01:18.160 --> 0:01:22.039 just your little beige, five foot something cousin that just 0:01:22.160 --> 0:01:25.600 pulled up real quick with some high waters on to 0:01:25.760 --> 0:01:27.479 deliver the word of God. 0:01:28.520 --> 0:01:29.920 But I'm grateful for you. 0:01:29.959 --> 0:01:33.360 Pastor Steven Holly, thank you so much for your friendship, 0:01:33.480 --> 0:01:38.959 your kindness, and for giving your boy an opportunity to 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:47.640 speak today. I love this team, Chris dot Brown, John Soal, 0:01:48.000 --> 0:01:53.400 Jenna tiff lj. I mean I could literally list one 0:01:53.480 --> 0:01:57.240 hundred people right now. Chunks, thank you for coordinating this 0:01:57.640 --> 0:02:00.560 getting me in the room. 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:02.520 Are you ready to hear the word of God today? 0:02:04.200 --> 0:02:07.920 Now before you skip to a previous sermon Pastor Stephen 0:02:08.800 --> 0:02:12.640 recorded on YouTube, just give you boy a minute, because 0:02:12.680 --> 0:02:15.480 I do feel like I have a word for this 0:02:15.800 --> 0:02:20.320 church for this time, and I wondered if you would join. 0:02:20.200 --> 0:02:22.280 With me in prayer very quickly for. 0:02:22.280 --> 0:02:25.280 What God wants to do in the next few moments. Jesus, 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:29.519 we give you this stage, this platform, this room, every 0:02:29.639 --> 0:02:33.160 room around the world where this message is reaching. And 0:02:33.280 --> 0:02:37.520 more than that, God, we give you our hearts, our hearts, devotion, 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:39.399 our mind's attention. 0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:43.799 Our focus is set on you. But I pray that our. 0:02:43.720 --> 0:02:48.080 Faith would be reinvigorated this morning, that there would be 0:02:48.120 --> 0:02:53.720 a supernatural transfer of passion and love for the thing 0:02:53.880 --> 0:02:58.680 that you love most. God, we give you glory and 0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:02.000 it's in your name. We pray a to the men. 0:03:03.000 --> 0:03:06.600 Touch two people and sit down. Touch two people, just 0:03:06.600 --> 0:03:10.280 one two, just a quick one two. Take a seat, 0:03:11.760 --> 0:03:16.800 take a seat, going to read from the scripture today 0:03:16.919 --> 0:03:21.919 in the Book of Ephesians. Spend all year last year 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:27.919 in Ephesians. Because I am a slow reader. It is 0:03:28.040 --> 0:03:34.040 only six chapters. But I dwelled and I've got marks 0:03:34.160 --> 0:03:39.040 all throughout this text. And God has been preparing this 0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:41.160 word in my heart. And as soon as I got 0:03:41.160 --> 0:03:44.320 the invitation to be here with you today, I knew 0:03:44.320 --> 0:03:48.000 exactly what I was preaching. And I feel like I 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:51.800 have a mandate from Heaven to communicate this word to you. 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:53.320 So are you ready? 0:03:54.160 --> 0:03:59.760 The Book of Ephesians, Chapter one, verse twenty two, y'all 0:03:59.760 --> 0:04:03.040 got you also bring bibles? Or I mean, there's no judgment. 0:04:03.080 --> 0:04:05.240 I just wondered if you got your phone, you got 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:08.840 your bible. It's on the screen. Pesians one twenty two. 0:04:09.360 --> 0:04:16.359 And God put all things under Christ's feet and gave 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:23.800 him to the Church as head over all things. What 0:04:24.040 --> 0:04:29.560 priority the church must have if after God gave Jesus 0:04:29.680 --> 0:04:33.840 full dominion over everything in the world, the first thing 0:04:33.920 --> 0:04:35.560 that he assigned him to. 0:04:37.120 --> 0:04:45.440 Was the church. Now the Church is his body. 0:04:46.640 --> 0:04:50.960 And the fullness of Him who fills all in all. 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:54.080 You see, there was a time when the humanity of 0:04:54.200 --> 0:05:00.320 Christ actually lived on the earth. It's documented it's SCIENTI. 0:05:00.520 --> 0:05:05.400 It's historical that the person, the god man Jesus, actually 0:05:05.600 --> 0:05:08.400 dwelled in the spaces. 0:05:07.920 --> 0:05:12.200 And places that we traverse through. 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:17.520 But as he was crucified, put in the tomb, and resurrected, 0:05:18.680 --> 0:05:24.760 he breathed into a new living organism, not into just 0:05:25.240 --> 0:05:28.640 brick and mortar spaces like the buildings we may find 0:05:28.680 --> 0:05:32.279 ourselves in today, but into flesh and bone like you 0:05:33.000 --> 0:05:39.120 and I. Now the Church say that's me is his body. 0:05:39.800 --> 0:05:45.360 We're gonna fast forward chapter two. Y'all love the words 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:53.240 and verse nineteen. So then you are no longer foreigners 0:05:53.240 --> 0:05:59.400 and non citizens, but you are fellow citizens with the 0:05:59.520 --> 0:06:07.800 Saint and members of God's household, because you have been 0:06:08.520 --> 0:06:15.159 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:24.880 Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him, the whole building, 0:06:25.560 --> 0:06:31.760 being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 0:06:32.279 --> 0:06:34.080 And I love this part in. 0:06:34.120 --> 0:06:41.200 Whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place. 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:45.160 Of God in the spirit. 0:06:46.279 --> 0:06:49.479 It's amazing to me that, as Paul writes to the 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:54.160 Church in Ephesus, that he uses these particular words because 0:06:54.200 --> 0:06:59.800 you have been built on the foundation of the politicians. 0:07:02.320 --> 0:07:05.120 No, he didn't say that. 0:07:07.120 --> 0:07:11.840 You have been built upon the foundation of ethnicity and culture. 0:07:14.440 --> 0:07:17.080 No, he didn't say that. 0:07:19.360 --> 0:07:22.560 Because all of the things that we believe make us 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:27.520 us are actually just superficial layers that exist at the surface, 0:07:28.480 --> 0:07:34.080 not at the foundation. You see, underneath all of this 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:37.280 is this thing that the apostles. 0:07:36.640 --> 0:07:38.720 Preached and died for. 0:07:40.080 --> 0:07:45.960 That the prophets preached and died for, that Jesus Christ 0:07:46.040 --> 0:07:52.440 himself preached and died for. This foundation that was laid 0:07:52.560 --> 0:07:55.560 for the Church was put together. 0:07:55.200 --> 0:07:58.360 By flesh and blood. 0:07:58.320 --> 0:08:03.240 Sacrifice, tears, and we are being built on it to 0:08:03.280 --> 0:08:05.080 do something extraordinary. 0:08:05.200 --> 0:08:07.360 This has just captured my heart. 0:08:08.640 --> 0:08:12.280 God is fitly framing it together to create a space 0:08:14.320 --> 0:08:22.960 that He inhabits, dwells in, lives in, moves in, breathes 0:08:23.160 --> 0:08:30.480 in two It's beautiful. I actually still love the church. 0:08:32.520 --> 0:08:38.640 I know the Church is under scrutiny. I've been a 0:08:38.720 --> 0:08:47.120 part of the church now for twenty years, just long 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:54.160 enough to be cynical, just long enough to be critical. 0:08:54.240 --> 0:08:59.600 If I could find some things, boy, I could find them. 0:09:00.520 --> 0:09:02.880 I know about things that happened in the church that 0:09:02.960 --> 0:09:06.360 would make you limp in your faith. If you only 0:09:06.520 --> 0:09:08.840 knew some of the bumps and the bruises and the 0:09:08.920 --> 0:09:12.120 scrapes and the scars that comes along with being fitly 0:09:12.840 --> 0:09:18.120 framed together as a dwelling place for the spirit of God. 0:09:19.360 --> 0:09:23.520 I was nine years old and my dad ruined my weekend. 0:09:24.720 --> 0:09:28.840 He came home on a Saturday from the gym and said, rhn, 0:09:30.200 --> 0:09:36.599 you can't call me that. Just my grandma and my dad, Rena. 0:09:36.960 --> 0:09:37.719 We're going to. 0:09:37.840 --> 0:09:44.440 Church tomorrow, I said, Dad, with thought due respect, Because 0:09:44.480 --> 0:09:48.240 I like living and breathing. I don't think I can 0:09:48.280 --> 0:09:53.480 do that. I gotta play street hockey with my friends. 0:09:53.800 --> 0:09:56.480 It's Mighty Duck season, and I gotta get out there. 0:09:56.520 --> 0:09:59.240 With the Goofy movie soundtrack and skate. 0:10:00.679 --> 0:10:01.400 Stead that. 0:10:03.760 --> 0:10:07.679 Some people have called me power line in the previous life. 0:10:08.880 --> 0:10:12.160 I showed it to my kids and we were getting 0:10:12.160 --> 0:10:13.280 ready to do a talent show. 0:10:13.320 --> 0:10:14.920 My son lost, and I said. 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:17.840 Hey, if it goes bad, just do the perfect cast. 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:20.600 Some of y'all don't know what that is. That's all right, 0:10:20.800 --> 0:10:24.160 go watch the Goofy movie. Shout out Tevin Campbell. 0:10:27.400 --> 0:10:30.440 So he says we're going to church. I can't do it. 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:33.200 He's like, well, we're gonna go to the mall first 0:10:33.200 --> 0:10:36.320 and get you, get you a new look. I said, okay, 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:41.000 because as you can see, I don't put on clothes. 0:10:41.040 --> 0:10:44.480 I put on outfits. Fits this. 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:48.680 Yeah, boy, I'd be throwing fits like a toddler. 0:10:48.920 --> 0:10:51.199 Just fits. 0:10:53.800 --> 0:10:58.920 So we went to j. C. Penney, you know before 0:10:59.000 --> 0:11:07.400 the rebrand when everything was just brown. Started walking through. 0:11:08.120 --> 0:11:10.880 Found my little navy blue blazer. 0:11:11.360 --> 0:11:12.959 With the gold buttons. 0:11:15.559 --> 0:11:20.080 Ain't nobody in this church put on my little khaki pants. 0:11:20.120 --> 0:11:22.880 Got them creased up, so I want to get a whooping. 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:29.800 And then we went down to Ricest Shoes downtown Battle Creek, Michigan. 0:11:30.880 --> 0:11:32.839 Picked up some Swede. 0:11:32.440 --> 0:11:37.520 Loafers that nice light tan with the rust bottom. 0:11:37.600 --> 0:11:41.880 You can't scuff them. So boy was ready to go 0:11:41.960 --> 0:11:42.720 to church. 0:11:43.000 --> 0:11:47.800 But walked into the back of this little Pentecostal church, 0:11:49.440 --> 0:11:54.040 about seventy people in there. I was definitely the youngest, 0:11:56.240 --> 0:11:58.560 and my dad and I were the only people who 0:11:58.600 --> 0:12:00.280 looked like us in the room. 0:12:01.920 --> 0:12:04.280 Then it seemed to bother my dad, so it didn't 0:12:04.360 --> 0:12:04.840 bother me. 0:12:04.960 --> 0:12:07.480 And I can tell you when I walked through those 0:12:07.559 --> 0:12:13.440 doors and I slid into that second to last green pew, 0:12:15.200 --> 0:12:20.959 I felt something I never felt before. There was a comfort, 0:12:21.240 --> 0:12:26.200 a sense of belonging that I felt that I had 0:12:26.240 --> 0:12:29.199 never felt. See. My parents separated when I was little 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:33.920 and things were unstable, and God changed the directory of 0:12:34.080 --> 0:12:38.560 my life through my father's decision to step outside of 0:12:39.000 --> 0:12:45.080 his dysfunctional habits to say we're going to church. I 0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:47.679 walked into that church and I fell in love with 0:12:47.800 --> 0:12:54.160 the church. And I still loved the church, still love it. 0:12:55.800 --> 0:13:00.600 Later on that year, I went to church camp. Now 0:13:00.760 --> 0:13:04.960 I heard y'all talking about youth X. It's the last 0:13:04.960 --> 0:13:06.560 week to sign up to make sure you get your 0:13:06.600 --> 0:13:07.280 registration in. 0:13:09.800 --> 0:13:11.360 Only about five hundred seats left. 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:17.520 So so I was I was fired up to go 0:13:17.559 --> 0:13:18.319 to church camp. 0:13:18.320 --> 0:13:21.560 Man, it was not youth X. 0:13:24.960 --> 0:13:30.320 We had basketball, sweat and anointing oil. 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:33.040 That was it. 0:13:34.360 --> 0:13:41.680 That was recreation and church showers. Optional showers were terrible. 0:13:41.840 --> 0:13:44.000 You didn't want to go in there. You came out 0:13:44.040 --> 0:13:48.120 more dirty than when you went in because I took 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:54.160 one once and there's just a trough running down to 0:13:54.240 --> 0:13:58.280 the main drain down there. You want to stay out 0:13:58.320 --> 0:14:02.520 of the showers. Don't worry about the girls. I was 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:06.600 nine years old and I was just living my best 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:12.040 life at church camp. Now, Remember definitively the moment that 0:14:12.120 --> 0:14:15.640 I responded to an altar call. Don't remember what my 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:20.000 man preached, don't remember the sermon title, but I remember 0:14:20.120 --> 0:14:24.480 the carpet that I was standing on as Jesus filled 0:14:24.520 --> 0:14:28.760 me with his spirit, as I was baptized in the 0:14:28.800 --> 0:14:35.000 Holy Spirit, and it was an undeniable experience that has 0:14:35.160 --> 0:14:39.880 given me direction and purpose. That same week, I got 0:14:39.920 --> 0:14:47.760 my first solo in the camp choir. Oh yeah, you 0:14:47.880 --> 0:14:50.520 think fully grown, Torren sings Hi. 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:53.800 Little nine year old Tea. 0:14:53.760 --> 0:14:58.720 Was straight soprana and I was saying, Praise the Lord, 0:14:59.600 --> 0:15:04.360 pray a lot, let everything that has breath, prayers a load. 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:08.920 I had to share a soulo with a girl, so 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:13.120 I was not happy about but it was the first 0:15:13.160 --> 0:15:19.920 time that I felt my soul aligned with a gift 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:25.200 in service of the Giver for the ministry of the church. 0:15:26.400 --> 0:15:29.560 And I wonder if you have ever had that moment 0:15:29.720 --> 0:15:33.200 in your life, a definitive moment, a moment that you 0:15:33.240 --> 0:15:37.200 would remember, a moment that would be ingrained in your 0:15:37.360 --> 0:15:41.000 mind and in your heart, that you realize that God 0:15:41.080 --> 0:15:46.800 had called you into something bigger than yourself, to accomplish 0:15:46.840 --> 0:15:52.520 something bigger than yourself. Your gift and soul aligned with 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:56.040 the giver for the ministry of the church. 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:02.480 I still love the church at this point. 0:16:02.520 --> 0:16:11.240 I've been to hundreds of camps, conferences, church services, rehearsals, 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:21.880 award shows, prayer meetings, small groups, and I still love 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:28.880 the church. Yes, I've experienced the shadow side of church 0:16:31.720 --> 0:16:35.880 because some of us started becoming worship leaders before you 0:16:36.000 --> 0:16:40.680 knew you could win a Grammy. 0:16:40.960 --> 0:16:41.200 Ah. 0:16:45.600 --> 0:16:48.640 When I was fourteen years old writing songs for my 0:16:48.720 --> 0:16:52.840 youth group, the music industry was something that happened on. 0:16:52.840 --> 0:16:54.560 Another planet somewhere. 0:16:56.480 --> 0:16:59.600 So to show up anywhere on a red carpet or 0:16:59.640 --> 0:17:03.280 on a stage or a TV screen was so far 0:17:03.400 --> 0:17:06.520 out that I didn't even have the awareness to dream 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:10.719 those types of dreams. You know what, I loved the church. 0:17:13.720 --> 0:17:17.800 That's what I love about this church. Elevation worship isn't 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:21.640 writing songs to win Grammys, although if anyone's gonna win 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:22.879 some and might as. 0:17:22.760 --> 0:17:23.720 Well be thelmed. 0:17:24.119 --> 0:17:26.680 But I've talked to Pastor Stephen and he said, every 0:17:26.760 --> 0:17:29.520 time he closes his eyes to write a song for 0:17:29.680 --> 0:17:33.360 this church, he's thinking about this church. 0:17:36.800 --> 0:17:39.200 So I have a suspicion he still loves the church. 0:17:42.000 --> 0:17:46.159 I was getting ready to lead worship at this major 0:17:46.359 --> 0:17:50.880 gathering of young people, one of the biggest gatherings in 0:17:50.920 --> 0:17:53.680 North America, and I was so excited about it. Was 0:17:53.720 --> 0:17:56.800 gonna be leading worship on a Friday night. I was 0:17:57.280 --> 0:18:00.080 twenty three years old, and this would have been the 0:18:00.080 --> 0:18:02.560 biggest room that I ever would have been in, far 0:18:02.680 --> 0:18:09.560 beyond my wildest dreams. And because I had been going 0:18:09.560 --> 0:18:17.200 to churches with my band and dancing, I got canceled 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:23.479 from the event. And it wasn't even like choreographed dancing. 0:18:24.480 --> 0:18:26.440 It was just, you know, a little, just a little, 0:18:27.000 --> 0:18:28.800 just had nothing major. 0:18:33.320 --> 0:18:34.320 It's funny in church. 0:18:34.400 --> 0:18:37.280 You know, you can dance as long as you don't 0:18:37.320 --> 0:18:41.760 know what you're doing. We want everyone else to be 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:45.359 good except for the dancers. Somehow being good is wrong, 0:18:47.720 --> 0:18:53.440 So leave Davite alone. Let him do his thing. He's 0:18:53.600 --> 0:18:59.440 it's the joy of the Lord. But I got pulled 0:18:59.480 --> 0:19:05.800 out of that conference. It was someone from the church 0:19:06.800 --> 0:19:09.280 that had to sit down with me and tell me, hey, 0:19:09.359 --> 0:19:11.200 you know, hips don't. 0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:19.639 Lie, and you're not leading worship. Pulled. 0:19:20.880 --> 0:19:29.040 The same week, I found myself in Sony Music's executive 0:19:29.760 --> 0:19:35.879 office sitting down with a record label having conversations about 0:19:35.880 --> 0:19:41.000 how my band could partner with provident music and carry 0:19:41.000 --> 0:19:44.600 what we're doing all over the world. I only tell 0:19:44.640 --> 0:19:47.840 you that story to tell you this. The Church hurt 0:19:47.920 --> 0:19:55.800 me and the church helped me. I've seen the shadows 0:19:55.840 --> 0:19:59.520 side of the church. I told you all this the 0:19:59.600 --> 0:20:02.000 last time I was here with my wife. 0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:04.000 And I got married. We had our wedding. 0:20:04.040 --> 0:20:08.960 Invitations mailed back to us from church people because black 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:14.600 and white folks shouldn't be doing all that. I've felt 0:20:14.640 --> 0:20:20.479 the shadow side of the church. I've seen headlines that 0:20:20.600 --> 0:20:26.720 have broken my heart. I have been bruised by believers. 0:20:28.680 --> 0:20:35.080 I've been shocked by the politics surrounding the church. I've 0:20:35.119 --> 0:20:41.119 been stunned by reactions and mindseps and missteps by the church. 0:20:43.200 --> 0:20:48.280 I'm still confused as to how some Christians managed to 0:20:48.480 --> 0:20:52.639 carry the weight of the cross and still possess the 0:20:52.800 --> 0:20:57.720 strength to hurl stones at their brothers and sisters who 0:20:57.760 --> 0:21:02.639 are trying to follow Jesus as imperfectly as it may be. 0:21:05.320 --> 0:21:07.560 But I've learned that I. 0:21:07.520 --> 0:21:13.359 Cannot judge the majority who are trying to do it 0:21:13.560 --> 0:21:18.040 right by the minority who got it wrong. 0:21:19.320 --> 0:21:20.639 I still love the church. 0:21:21.480 --> 0:21:25.080 I love the church because the Church has outlived empires 0:21:25.440 --> 0:21:31.639 and philosophical systems and persecution and sabotages from within it 0:21:31.640 --> 0:21:37.400 its traverse countries and continents. It's transcended kingdoms and cultures. 0:21:37.760 --> 0:21:41.480 From its inception on the day of Pentecost to today, 0:21:41.600 --> 0:21:45.119 the Church has moved by the wind of heaven to 0:21:45.280 --> 0:21:48.320 accomplish the mandate that Jesus. 0:21:47.960 --> 0:21:49.600 Himself said when he. 0:21:49.680 --> 0:21:55.000 Said, go into all the world and make perfect people, 0:21:55.520 --> 0:22:00.640 know disciples, and give. 0:22:00.520 --> 0:22:07.080 God some praise for his charge. I still love the church. 0:22:08.200 --> 0:22:12.040 The Church is not dead. The Church is not atrophied. 0:22:12.320 --> 0:22:14.080 The Church is not irrelevant. 0:22:14.320 --> 0:22:17.040 I can look around this room today and I can 0:22:17.080 --> 0:22:18.240 tell you that the. 0:22:18.320 --> 0:22:30.520 Church is alive. I still love the Church. 0:22:31.840 --> 0:22:34.879 I couldn't sleep last night because I was so excited 0:22:35.080 --> 0:22:38.520 to get here. I told my wife last week it 0:22:38.560 --> 0:22:40.639 was a Saturday, I'm like, I'm just getting excited for 0:22:40.760 --> 0:22:44.119 church tomorrow. It was like I had to wake up 0:22:44.160 --> 0:22:46.840 at four point thirty to get to our rehearsal at 0:22:46.840 --> 0:22:47.560 six point twenty. 0:22:48.680 --> 0:22:51.880 I never missed my alarm on a Sunday morning. I'm 0:22:51.960 --> 0:22:56.479 just excited about it because I love the church. 0:22:57.680 --> 0:23:02.359 I love the church because it's not a political platform. 0:23:02.440 --> 0:23:05.720 Yeah, yeah, Yeah. It's not a political platform. 0:23:06.640 --> 0:23:12.080 It is the expression and embodiment of the Kingdom of Heaven, 0:23:12.320 --> 0:23:16.600 alive and active in the earth. The church is not 0:23:16.680 --> 0:23:20.440 a museum filled with ancient relics of what God. 0:23:20.480 --> 0:23:21.280 Used to do. 0:23:21.960 --> 0:23:25.840 It's a movement of selfless believers who have decided to 0:23:26.000 --> 0:23:30.120 follow Jesus, carry the cross and tell the world that 0:23:30.320 --> 0:23:34.639 Jesus says. The church is not a showroom for pretty 0:23:34.760 --> 0:23:39.200 perfect people. It is the beautiful, living, breathing. 0:23:38.920 --> 0:23:40.000 Bride of Christ. 0:23:45.440 --> 0:23:53.679 The church is in some empty ritualistic routine. It's not 0:23:53.840 --> 0:23:59.200 the equivalent of a nonprofit or philanthropic organization, although those 0:23:59.200 --> 0:24:04.879 are grown and they're great partners for the Church. But 0:24:05.000 --> 0:24:12.480 the church has the exclusive mission and mandate to elevate Christ, 0:24:13.080 --> 0:24:18.000 to preach him crucified, and to tell the world Jesus 0:24:18.200 --> 0:24:19.520 still say. 0:24:22.760 --> 0:24:24.719 I still love the Church. 0:24:29.119 --> 0:24:36.120 The Church is the imperfect amplifier of truth, justice, and 0:24:36.160 --> 0:24:42.720 the sovereignty of God. The Church is Jesus' love on display. 0:24:43.840 --> 0:24:48.520 It is a symbol of grace, a conduit of mercity 0:24:48.680 --> 0:24:52.760 of mercy, a hospital for the broken, a family for 0:24:52.840 --> 0:25:03.680 the lonely, and the place where captives find freedom. 0:25:03.760 --> 0:25:05.040 I still love the Church. 0:25:07.480 --> 0:25:12.160 I still love the church because Jesus loves the church. 0:25:14.240 --> 0:25:16.240 The church is his treasure. 0:25:18.840 --> 0:25:22.639 The Church is his bride, The Church is his love, 0:25:22.800 --> 0:25:26.560 The Church is his dream. 0:25:29.920 --> 0:25:31.880 I've come to the realization. 0:25:33.080 --> 0:25:39.520 That I don't want to spend my life building my dream. 0:25:41.760 --> 0:25:43.840 Put my dream in the coffin. 0:25:46.240 --> 0:25:51.920 And bury it six feet under, because God will use 0:25:52.160 --> 0:26:00.879 buried dreams to resurrect better dreams. I want to be 0:26:00.920 --> 0:26:05.400 a part of what he loves, of what he's doing, 0:26:06.480 --> 0:26:08.880 of making his name great. 0:26:08.760 --> 0:26:09.480 Not my own. 0:26:11.359 --> 0:26:14.760 If that's a byproduct of my obedience, so be it. 0:26:15.840 --> 0:26:17.800 I'll live with the perks and. 0:26:17.640 --> 0:26:22.240 The consequences because it comes. 0:26:21.920 --> 0:26:22.600 With the cost. 0:26:24.560 --> 0:26:30.840 But I want to build God's church. He died for it, 0:26:31.320 --> 0:26:35.480 I might as well live for it. The church belongs 0:26:35.560 --> 0:26:40.200 to him. I still love the church because I need 0:26:40.240 --> 0:26:40.879 the church. 0:26:42.760 --> 0:26:47.800 Oh hear me today, I need it. We need one another, 0:26:48.000 --> 0:26:49.040 We need each other. 0:26:49.359 --> 0:26:54.600 You want to look like Jesus, Get around some church 0:26:54.680 --> 0:26:59.040 folks who will pocash you and tell you when you 0:26:59.119 --> 0:27:01.040 gain it a little too more, wait and tell you 0:27:01.080 --> 0:27:03.320 when you need to be praying and when you need 0:27:03.359 --> 0:27:03.960 to wash. 0:27:03.840 --> 0:27:06.600 Your car, And wow, you look a lot better than 0:27:06.600 --> 0:27:07.320 you used to. 0:27:08.640 --> 0:27:16.600 People have said that to me in church. But I 0:27:17.200 --> 0:27:23.520 need the church. Some people say faith is a crutch. Yeah, 0:27:23.600 --> 0:27:29.480 because we're all wounded and limping and hurting and carrying pain. 0:27:29.640 --> 0:27:33.000 So yeah, I need something to lean on that's bigger 0:27:33.040 --> 0:27:33.320 than me. 0:27:34.760 --> 0:27:37.840 But I also need the church as a crucible. 0:27:37.320 --> 0:27:41.280 That melts me down to make me pliable to be 0:27:41.480 --> 0:27:46.199 conformed to the character of Christ. I can't look like 0:27:46.480 --> 0:27:51.199 Jesus and not love his church. I can't look like 0:27:51.400 --> 0:27:54.879 Jesus and not be in relationship with his people. 0:27:55.840 --> 0:27:57.280 I still love the church. 0:27:58.800 --> 0:28:02.280 I went to a the job site a few years back. 0:28:02.880 --> 0:28:06.400 We were building a house somewhere in Houston. We only 0:28:06.440 --> 0:28:08.600 live in houses for about a year and then we moved, 0:28:08.920 --> 0:28:11.240 so we weren't there for very long. But I went 0:28:11.280 --> 0:28:14.320 to that job site. And I don't know if any 0:28:14.320 --> 0:28:16.520 of y'all have been on a construction site. I'm not 0:28:16.600 --> 0:28:19.040 Bob the builder. So can we build it? 0:28:19.200 --> 0:28:19.919 No, we can't. 0:28:20.160 --> 0:28:23.359 But I went around this job site and it was 0:28:23.560 --> 0:28:28.080 absolutely disgusting. I mean, the workers are all in. 0:28:27.920 --> 0:28:32.840 There doing god knows what. They weren't building the house, 0:28:32.960 --> 0:28:34.480 that's for sure. It took forever. 0:28:35.160 --> 0:28:38.080 But I was walking around and everything's muddy and there's 0:28:38.120 --> 0:28:41.760 stuff tracked off through and things are exposed, wires are 0:28:41.800 --> 0:28:44.880 hanging in the bathtub is filled with filth, and I'm like, 0:28:44.960 --> 0:28:49.400 this is a mess. I'm supposed to live here. How 0:28:49.440 --> 0:28:51.840 am I ever gonna take a bath in that? 0:28:51.840 --> 0:28:59.600 That's disgusting, But it was in process of beam. 0:29:02.720 --> 0:29:07.680 We cannot come into the church and expect to apply 0:29:07.920 --> 0:29:13.000 ourselves to a finished product. By the time we got 0:29:13.080 --> 0:29:16.280 though at that house, it was beautiful and we loved 0:29:16.360 --> 0:29:19.560 being in it, and we couldn't never imagine leaving it. 0:29:19.600 --> 0:29:23.600 But it was fitly framed together, and it was noisy 0:29:23.640 --> 0:29:26.960 and loud, and they were banging stuff together and nailing 0:29:27.080 --> 0:29:31.720 things through walls, and it was messy and imperfect, but 0:29:31.880 --> 0:29:38.960 when it was presented, wasn't a blemish to be seen. 0:29:42.120 --> 0:29:48.239 In the same way God is building us together, you 0:29:48.280 --> 0:29:53.680 can expect the mess, you can expect the bumps. You 0:29:53.720 --> 0:29:57.479 can expect things to be challenging and difficult at times, 0:29:57.520 --> 0:30:03.640 because God is using the church to make us like him. 0:30:03.680 --> 0:30:11.040 Being a part of the church means sacrifice. Oh God, 0:30:12.080 --> 0:30:15.520 I know we hate that word because it means the 0:30:15.680 --> 0:30:17.320 church is gonna cost. 0:30:17.040 --> 0:30:20.280 Us something, But that's what it is. 0:30:20.920 --> 0:30:25.760 What Christ did Jesus pay for the church everything, So. 0:30:25.760 --> 0:30:28.360 What should I be willing to pay for his church? 0:30:29.800 --> 0:30:38.640 Coming early, standing in a line, having to wait to park, to. 0:30:38.680 --> 0:30:44.080 Be a part of something greater than me, that's no cost. 0:30:45.320 --> 0:30:47.920 Being a part of the church means commitment when it's hard, 0:30:50.200 --> 0:30:54.520 laying down your personal preferences, not because they don't matter, 0:30:55.680 --> 0:31:01.000 but because you've decided something matters more. It means showing 0:31:01.120 --> 0:31:04.720 up when you don't want to, serving when you feel 0:31:04.760 --> 0:31:09.560 taken for granted, being honest and vulnerable, when you can 0:31:09.640 --> 0:31:16.000 build real relationships, accepting shortcomings and imperfections of others. 0:31:17.440 --> 0:31:19.080 A mentor told me this recently. 0:31:19.120 --> 0:31:23.720 He said, if you follow Jesus long enough, everything that 0:31:23.840 --> 0:31:26.760 happened to him will happen to you. 0:31:31.560 --> 0:31:32.920 I want to be a part of the church. 0:31:34.760 --> 0:31:39.360 I still love the church because God uses the Church 0:31:39.720 --> 0:31:46.000 to bring us into His presence, and I love the 0:31:46.040 --> 0:31:52.080 presence of God. The presence of God is the promise 0:31:52.640 --> 0:31:54.560 of the gathered church. 0:31:55.920 --> 0:31:57.680 Can he meet you by yourself? 0:31:58.120 --> 0:32:02.960 Absolutely, But something happens when two or three get together 0:32:03.600 --> 0:32:09.840 and touch any one thing. It commands the authority, the blessing, 0:32:10.240 --> 0:32:13.680 the favor, and the presence of God to show up. 0:32:13.880 --> 0:32:19.400 Wherever you are gathered. I was shocked by this, y'all. 0:32:19.480 --> 0:32:23.480 I know, pandemic was crazy, COVID was wild, and now 0:32:23.600 --> 0:32:27.720 this search engine algorithm is going to bury this message. 0:32:27.800 --> 0:32:32.280 But the average church member today, these are people like 0:32:32.320 --> 0:32:34.400 you and me who say, I love the church and 0:32:34.440 --> 0:32:36.600 I'm committed to it. 0:32:36.720 --> 0:32:37.960 People's elevation Church. 0:32:38.000 --> 0:32:42.320 That's my church, man, it's my pastor, Stephen Fredickman, that's 0:32:42.360 --> 0:32:52.960 my pastor. On average, we attend church once every six weeks. 0:32:55.120 --> 0:33:00.240 I know you don't think that's true, but if you 0:33:00.240 --> 0:33:06.000 actually looked at the time, the average once every six weeks, 0:33:06.040 --> 0:33:08.520 that's about eight times a year. 0:33:11.760 --> 0:33:14.320 That means your kids. 0:33:15.880 --> 0:33:21.640 Are in Sunday school learning the foundations of the faith. 0:33:23.200 --> 0:33:24.760 In a community of their. 0:33:24.640 --> 0:33:32.640 Peers eight days out of three hundred and sixty five. 0:33:35.400 --> 0:33:39.040 What does this say about the future of the church. 0:33:39.840 --> 0:33:46.720 If this is the present reality of the church. Now, 0:33:46.760 --> 0:33:48.600 you could say I'm weak because I need the church. 0:33:48.680 --> 0:33:50.920 You could say, man, you know you're really sure. I 0:33:51.000 --> 0:33:53.280 can't believe you need the church. You know, haven't you 0:33:53.360 --> 0:33:56.360 seen this and read that and heard that? Yeah, but 0:33:56.440 --> 0:34:05.880 I follow Jesus, not headlines. I live according to the 0:34:05.920 --> 0:34:12.400 principles of the prophets, the apostles, and the chief priest, 0:34:12.600 --> 0:34:20.040 Jesus himself, not producers in Hollywood. And when Jesus stands 0:34:20.120 --> 0:34:24.480 up to speak before the people in the synagogue, the 0:34:24.520 --> 0:34:34.040 writer of Luke writes something very interesting. He says, and 0:34:34.200 --> 0:34:37.080 he came speaking of Jesus to Nazareth, where he had 0:34:37.080 --> 0:34:42.800 been brought up, and as was his custom, he went 0:34:43.400 --> 0:34:52.239 into the synagogue. On the Sabbath day, Jesus went to church. Well, 0:34:52.280 --> 0:34:54.520 I don't need the church. It's just me and Jesus. 0:34:55.440 --> 0:35:01.440 Jesus to the truck. 0:35:06.800 --> 0:35:10.480 And then after the Holy Spirit wind blew into the 0:35:10.560 --> 0:35:16.120 upper room, and the New Testament church was birthed. The 0:35:16.160 --> 0:35:20.080 scripture goes on to say, with one accord, they continue 0:35:20.200 --> 0:35:22.720 to meet not weakly. 0:35:24.040 --> 0:35:28.560 Daily in the Temple chords, and. 0:35:28.600 --> 0:35:32.560 To break bread from house to house. So we have 0:35:32.680 --> 0:35:36.880 theological tribes that say it's church on Sundays, and we 0:35:36.920 --> 0:35:40.640 have other tribes that say this should be house to house. Well, 0:35:40.680 --> 0:35:43.880 if I look at the Scripture, which is the authority 0:35:43.960 --> 0:35:47.080 for my thinking and my paradigm, it tells me they 0:35:47.080 --> 0:35:48.680 didn't just meet at houses. 0:35:49.160 --> 0:35:51.239 They met in churches. 0:35:52.600 --> 0:35:55.880 Okay, this is where I knew this was gonna happen. 0:35:56.960 --> 0:36:01.279 So Jesus went to church, the New test Believers went 0:36:01.320 --> 0:36:07.360 to church. Paul started planted and pastor churches. A quarter 0:36:07.520 --> 0:36:11.320 of our Bible is God's instructions to churches. 0:36:13.640 --> 0:36:15.239 So what should that say. 0:36:15.040 --> 0:36:19.800 About our instruction, our imperative. 0:36:22.000 --> 0:36:23.800 We can't reject the New. 0:36:23.680 --> 0:36:36.520 Testament church's priorities and expect their power. We can't reject Jesus' 0:36:36.640 --> 0:36:45.799 priorities and expect his provision. I was in Louisiana recently, Lafayette, Louisiana. 0:36:46.600 --> 0:36:49.960 Laura and I were there, which Lorna is here with me, 0:36:50.080 --> 0:36:50.839 my beautiful wife. 0:36:50.880 --> 0:36:53.560 Can you just give her a hand for being anointed 0:36:54.120 --> 0:36:54.759 and beautiful? 0:36:55.480 --> 0:36:59.440 Lafayete, Louisiana, and we were announcing the launch of the 0:36:59.560 --> 0:37:04.160 church with our friends, and it was an incredible morning. 0:37:04.200 --> 0:37:06.000 And I got up and I told the people that 0:37:06.040 --> 0:37:08.760 we were planting a church, and everyone was so excited 0:37:08.760 --> 0:37:10.840 and they clapped and all that. And there was a 0:37:10.880 --> 0:37:13.560 guy apparently sitting in the room, and he said, when 0:37:13.560 --> 0:37:15.640 you said you were planning a church, I thought, I'm 0:37:15.680 --> 0:37:18.759 going to give you a thousand dollars. And he told 0:37:18.760 --> 0:37:20.800 me this after and I was like, wow, a thousand 0:37:20.800 --> 0:37:22.400 dollars that'd be absolutely amazing. 0:37:22.480 --> 0:37:24.520 You know, that's an. 0:37:23.960 --> 0:37:27.640 Incredible We can buy goldfish for the children's ministry for 0:37:27.680 --> 0:37:31.480 a week with that, that'd be phenomenal. So then he 0:37:31.520 --> 0:37:34.080 comes back and he actually gets a picture with us, 0:37:34.120 --> 0:37:36.400 and he's like, when I walked away from the picture, 0:37:36.880 --> 0:37:39.040 God spoke to me and said, don't give him a thousand, 0:37:39.120 --> 0:37:42.400 give him ten thousand. So I thought, okay, I'm going 0:37:42.480 --> 0:37:44.560 to give you ten thousand dollars. And he told me 0:37:44.600 --> 0:37:46.440 that right before we snapped the picture. I'm gonna give 0:37:46.480 --> 0:37:48.600 you ten thousand dollars. I'm like, oh my goodness, this 0:37:48.640 --> 0:37:52.320 is absolutely incredible. It's amazing. Well, later on that evening, 0:37:52.520 --> 0:37:54.640 we went out to dinner with the pastor. He said, 0:37:54.680 --> 0:37:56.799 I can't wait till the end of this meal because 0:37:56.840 --> 0:37:59.280 I'm going to tell you something that's going to absolutely 0:37:59.320 --> 0:38:00.000 blow you away. 0:38:00.280 --> 0:38:01.880 I'm like, awesome, I can't wait to hear it. 0:38:01.880 --> 0:38:03.719 Do we have to wait till the end because I'm 0:38:03.719 --> 0:38:06.080 on the Daniel Fast and this whole thing is torture. 0:38:06.440 --> 0:38:08.440 So if you could give me some good news, no, no, 0:38:08.560 --> 0:38:11.600 I won't be angry. So we get to the end 0:38:11.680 --> 0:38:13.840 of the dinner and he says, two people call me 0:38:13.880 --> 0:38:18.920 today from the church. Each of them are going to 0:38:19.000 --> 0:38:21.520 give you one hundred thousand dollars to start your church. 0:38:23.440 --> 0:38:34.200 I was in Ruth Christ make our brother shot. So 0:38:34.239 --> 0:38:36.360 I was talking to the guy that was a thousand 0:38:36.360 --> 0:38:40.960 and then ten thousand. I found out it was him. 0:38:41.440 --> 0:38:41.759 He said. 0:38:41.800 --> 0:38:44.120 I was thinking about it, and God started talking to me. 0:38:46.200 --> 0:38:50.719 He says, a businessman owned several businesses, sold several businesses. 0:38:50.719 --> 0:38:53.160 He said, the Lord said, you. 0:38:53.160 --> 0:38:59.480 Invest one hundred thousand dollars in businesses every year. Why 0:38:59.520 --> 0:39:10.799 don't you invest in my kingdom? And he was so 0:39:11.040 --> 0:39:15.440 excited about it. Most people would write one hundred thousand 0:39:15.440 --> 0:39:18.760 dollars check with dread and trembling hands. 0:39:20.280 --> 0:39:24.319 He was so pumped. Why because he felt his soul. 0:39:25.520 --> 0:39:30.719 Aligned with a gift and service of the Giver for 0:39:30.840 --> 0:39:36.320 the ministry of the church. I still love the church 0:39:36.440 --> 0:39:41.080 because God uses the church to connect us to our purpose. 0:39:43.360 --> 0:39:47.960 God uses the church as the context for the gifts 0:39:47.960 --> 0:39:54.520 of his people to be discovered, developed and distributed. We 0:39:54.560 --> 0:39:58.360 shouldn't have to go into musical theater to develop believers 0:39:58.360 --> 0:40:02.680 who love arts. We shouldn't have to go to coding 0:40:02.800 --> 0:40:06.440 camps to learn how to do technological things that I 0:40:06.480 --> 0:40:08.880 don't understand. 0:40:10.160 --> 0:40:14.360 We should be able to excavate the gifts of the 0:40:14.480 --> 0:40:18.000 people within the body of the church to meet the 0:40:18.040 --> 0:40:21.080 needs not only of the people in the church, but 0:40:21.400 --> 0:40:22.080 beyond it. 0:40:24.200 --> 0:40:30.280 You want purpose get your soul aligned with the gift 0:40:31.040 --> 0:40:32.840 in service of the giver. 0:40:33.280 --> 0:40:38.000 Ministering to the church. Now, I've got these. 0:40:39.480 --> 0:40:44.120 Guitar strings here, thank you creative team for pulling this together. 0:40:45.000 --> 0:40:49.480 And these are elixures, so they're they're really nice premium 0:40:49.840 --> 0:40:57.440 premium strings here. And it's actually they're guitar strings. So 0:40:57.520 --> 0:41:02.799 you have to know the context so that you can 0:41:02.880 --> 0:41:09.440 understand the design. But what's amazing about this string is 0:41:09.480 --> 0:41:18.920 that it's free. Doesn't it look free. It's just it's free. 0:41:19.360 --> 0:41:23.279 It can move, it responds, it reacts. 0:41:24.000 --> 0:41:27.920 You could probably do things with it. I don't know. 0:41:28.280 --> 0:41:31.080 Maybe you would want to lock your kids in the 0:41:31.120 --> 0:41:34.200 pantry with it so that you can enjoy ten minutes. 0:41:33.840 --> 0:41:36.399 Of peace and quiet. It's just the thought. I'd never 0:41:36.480 --> 0:41:36.879 do it. 0:41:40.280 --> 0:41:42.200 Or maybe if you were balling on a budget and 0:41:42.239 --> 0:41:44.879 you found the one, you could cut it and make 0:41:44.920 --> 0:41:49.640 a little guitar engagement ring. Because it's love, that's all 0:41:49.680 --> 0:41:59.560 that matters. I'm sure that it could be useful for 0:41:59.640 --> 0:42:11.440 a lot of things, but it's only designed for one. 0:42:11.800 --> 0:42:12.960 See. 0:42:13.280 --> 0:42:19.400 This string is free to do what it wants, but 0:42:19.560 --> 0:42:21.480 it was created. 0:42:22.600 --> 0:42:23.799 To be connected. 0:42:27.040 --> 0:42:32.920 And we will never see the full potential of this 0:42:33.480 --> 0:42:42.120 single string until it is connected to something greater than itself. 0:42:42.200 --> 0:42:45.560 Come on, E, where's E come out here? Yeah? 0:42:45.600 --> 0:42:47.640 Yeah, yeah, grab your Grab the guitar. 0:42:48.440 --> 0:42:51.000 Grab the guitar, because we're about to preach. 0:42:52.440 --> 0:42:56.520 Some of you have been trying to operate in your 0:42:56.600 --> 0:43:03.440 maximum capacity and you feel limited. You're not limited when 0:43:03.520 --> 0:43:08.400 you get connected. You're limited when you're disconnected. 0:43:09.280 --> 0:43:10.399 There's only so. 0:43:10.560 --> 0:43:15.520 Much this thing can do by itself, but it's only 0:43:15.760 --> 0:43:22.200 activated in its purpose when it's connected to the guitar. 0:43:24.160 --> 0:43:27.440 Now here's the beautiful thing. Can you got some rope? 0:43:27.640 --> 0:43:28.640 Can come out here a little bit? 0:43:28.680 --> 0:43:29.239 You turned up? 0:43:29.480 --> 0:43:34.719 Yeah, because you're about to shred. Here's the amazing thing. 0:43:36.880 --> 0:43:43.560 This is called a headstop. It's the head of the guitar. 0:43:45.360 --> 0:43:52.000 This is called the body. There is a connection point 0:43:53.160 --> 0:43:59.640 between the head and the body, and it's a guitar string. 0:44:01.120 --> 0:44:03.879 And the only way for the string. 0:44:03.719 --> 0:44:07.640 To operate and its potential is to not just be 0:44:07.760 --> 0:44:11.880 connected to the head, which is where most of Christianity 0:44:12.000 --> 0:44:15.319 is right now. Me and Jesus got a thing going on. 0:44:15.800 --> 0:44:19.760 Me and Jesus just walk together and talk together, driving 0:44:19.800 --> 0:44:22.680 the car together, and don't really go to church. It's 0:44:22.719 --> 0:44:25.680 more of my grandmother's thing. That's not really for me. 0:44:25.880 --> 0:44:29.480 And we think that that's the definition of following Jesus. 0:44:29.920 --> 0:44:33.400 But will never be fully connected to our purpose until 0:44:33.440 --> 0:44:36.920 we take what is connected to the head and connected 0:44:37.040 --> 0:44:43.280 to the body. You gotta get connected to the body. 0:44:43.760 --> 0:44:48.320 This is the living, breathing body of Christ. He doesn't 0:44:48.360 --> 0:44:51.240 just fill buildings, He fills people. 0:44:51.120 --> 0:44:53.000 With his spirit. And when you. 0:44:53.080 --> 0:45:00.720 Get connected to the house, you operate to your maximum capacity. 0:45:01.480 --> 0:45:06.840 Come on and give God some praise right now. Hey, 0:45:07.719 --> 0:45:12.080 he gave you a purpose, but your purpose is connected 0:45:12.120 --> 0:45:13.120 to other people. 0:45:14.560 --> 0:45:17.200 Here's the problem with our society. 0:45:17.719 --> 0:45:25.680 We have elevated individualism over everything else. Being you and 0:45:25.800 --> 0:45:29.640 being an individual is at the highest. 0:45:29.120 --> 0:45:31.080 Premium and value. 0:45:31.239 --> 0:45:36.880 The problem with that is when individualism is the highest value. 0:45:38.040 --> 0:45:45.160 Oh God help me say this, we end up cannibalizing 0:45:46.320 --> 0:45:53.160 each other our gifts, our talents, and our dreams to 0:45:53.360 --> 0:45:57.800 climb to the top of the tower of success, only 0:45:57.880 --> 0:46:01.120 to find out that loneliness is the name of the 0:46:01.239 --> 0:46:05.480 hotel and there is no one else there but us. 0:46:05.960 --> 0:46:14.919 We made it, but we're alone. I want to be connected. 0:46:17.560 --> 0:46:26.680 We want autonomy, not attachment. That's why we've been datinger 0:46:27.760 --> 0:46:31.839 for ten years. I got a guitar string right here, 0:46:32.960 --> 0:46:42.480 we can get it right today. That's why we go 0:46:42.560 --> 0:46:48.799 into the job looking for the back door, because we 0:46:48.880 --> 0:46:53.320 think autonomy is the greatest aspiration. 0:46:54.600 --> 0:46:55.279 God. 0:46:57.760 --> 0:47:04.600 But when that happens, we limit ourselves. Now here's the 0:47:04.600 --> 0:47:13.400 beautiful thing. You just play one string, just one. Wow, 0:47:16.480 --> 0:47:22.600 isn't that impressive? Play that string one more time? 0:47:25.080 --> 0:47:27.480 Special, it's special. 0:47:29.680 --> 0:47:32.360 Now, now play it in harmony with some other strings, 0:47:32.400 --> 0:47:37.680 like maybe just a chord. Okay, so that it's a 0:47:37.760 --> 0:47:40.960 little bit better. Okay, Now give me just like a 0:47:41.040 --> 0:47:44.399 little something where you use the fretboard a little bit 0:47:44.440 --> 0:47:46.160 and just move on it just a little bit. 0:47:47.239 --> 0:48:10.200 Uh huh, go ahead, eat you better play Yay, I'll 0:48:10.239 --> 0:48:11.480 catch the hole it goes right. 0:48:11.520 --> 0:48:11.719 Now. 0:48:16.440 --> 0:48:21.760 Here's the interesting thing. You know, what creates the sound, 0:48:23.960 --> 0:48:24.520 the tension. 0:48:29.760 --> 0:48:33.319 See, so many of us want autonomy and not attachment 0:48:33.400 --> 0:48:44.040 because we don't want tension. But where you feel the 0:48:44.200 --> 0:48:56.000 tension is where you find your purpose. I'm not free 0:48:59.040 --> 0:49:03.439 to just fling around out here and do my thing. 0:49:04.360 --> 0:49:09.200 There's no sound that can be developed because there is 0:49:09.280 --> 0:49:15.520 no tension. But when you are connected to Christ, who 0:49:15.640 --> 0:49:19.480 has become the head of the church, and you are 0:49:19.640 --> 0:49:23.959 connected to the body, and you are willing to put 0:49:24.000 --> 0:49:31.399 yourself in tension, you become God's in tension for the 0:49:31.440 --> 0:49:32.560 body that. 0:49:32.520 --> 0:49:35.359 You are serving. Here's how I want to tell you. 0:49:35.920 --> 0:49:42.279 If you see a problem, you're probably the solution. If 0:49:42.280 --> 0:49:43.560 you wish my church. 0:49:43.360 --> 0:49:46.399 Did this, and my church did that, and my church 0:49:46.520 --> 0:49:48.520 did this, and my church did that. 0:49:48.840 --> 0:49:49.920 If you're able to. 0:49:49.960 --> 0:49:54.399 Recognize the problem, why don't you recognize yourself as the 0:49:54.480 --> 0:49:58.239 solution Because the thing that you see is the thing 0:49:58.280 --> 0:50:06.239 that you can solve. So instead of criticizing what the 0:50:06.360 --> 0:50:10.160 church isn't doing, why need you get yourself connected to 0:50:10.280 --> 0:50:15.319 the body so that He can do something supernatural through you. 0:50:17.880 --> 0:50:20.880 Come on and give doc pray for the church. I 0:50:21.600 --> 0:50:28.720 still love the church. I still love the church. Where's 0:50:28.760 --> 0:50:29.280 the band? 0:50:29.360 --> 0:50:29.560 Then? 0:50:32.719 --> 0:50:33.600 Clock is right? 0:50:39.440 --> 0:50:39.600 Who? 0:50:40.719 --> 0:50:44.560 God wants to accomplish something and He's going to use 0:50:44.640 --> 0:50:48.080 his church to do it. Your gift was designed to 0:50:48.239 --> 0:50:52.400 impact the church, not just the culture. 0:50:54.239 --> 0:50:55.200 Don't let your. 0:50:55.080 --> 0:50:59.120 Life down for the culture. Don't let your family down 0:50:59.160 --> 0:51:03.480 for the culture. Lay it down for the church. Because 0:51:03.520 --> 0:51:07.120 God has designed the church to declare Jesus on the 0:51:07.239 --> 0:51:12.480 mountain and Jesus in the streets, Jesus in the ghetto, 0:51:13.120 --> 0:51:18.520 Jesus in the white House, Jesus in every country, Jesus 0:51:18.680 --> 0:51:19.880 on every continent. 0:51:20.160 --> 0:51:22.320 He wants to use you to do it. 0:51:22.320 --> 0:51:26.680 It's more revolutionary than apple, It's more valuable than an NFT, 0:51:27.239 --> 0:51:28.400 It's more virtuous in. 0:51:28.440 --> 0:51:32.200 A social agenda. It's more accelearating than space X. 0:51:32.600 --> 0:51:37.720 It is His son, and the case up Hell shall 0:51:37.880 --> 0:51:40.120 not prevail against it. 0:51:40.760 --> 0:51:44.080 From on eleft the church, raise a sound. 0:51:43.760 --> 0:51:46.839 Of praise in a worship in this place as a 0:51:46.880 --> 0:51:50.359 fresh commitment to what God wants to do wrong. 0:51:54.000 --> 0:51:56.560 Hey, I hope you enjoyed the podcast, and if you did, 0:51:57.080 --> 0:51:59.640 make sure to share it and subscribe so we can 0:51:59.680 --> 0:52:02.319 get you all of these new messages as soon as 0:52:02.320 --> 0:52:05.120 they're available. I also want to take a moment and 0:52:05.200 --> 0:52:07.000 thank all of you who are a part of Elevation. 0:52:07.520 --> 0:52:10.840 Whether you support us financially, or serve with us, or 0:52:11.239 --> 0:52:13.960 just share these messages, it's because of you that we're 0:52:13.960 --> 0:52:16.920 able to reach people all around the world. And if 0:52:16.920 --> 0:52:19.439 you want more information on how to be a part 0:52:19.440 --> 0:52:21.719 of Elevation, click the link. 0:52:21.600 --> 0:52:22.360 In the description. 0:52:22.880 --> 0:52:23.880 Thanks again for listening. 0:52:23.880 --> 0:52:27.239 Make sure to leave a review, share the message and subscribe. 0:52:27.520 --> 0:52:36.960 God bless you.