The Unshakable Promises of God | Francis Chan

Can we do something right now? Uh, you know, we all read through First Corinthians a few weeks ago and and the Bible talks about these supernatural gifts that he gives us and how we should earnestly seek them like go after them. Like God, I want this. I want this because I love these people and I want to bless them.

And so even for me, I it's very easy for me to come up here and a message, you know, like prepare something and I know how to give a message, but I've just been praying going, God, I I want this absolutely to be from you exactly for the people that are here.

And I even prayed. I go, "God, when I get there and I see their faces, like bring to mind, bring to mind the passages I'm supposed to go to, um, in fact, can you just pray for me right now?" Like, do you I want you to believe in the power of this, though. like to say, "God, I I believe you hear me right now, and I believe you could actually control Francis's mouth and his tongue and keep him from saying anything stupid or unbiblical or that isn't even right for today, but to pray with that type of faith and say, "God, give him a message for us right now."

Would you just pray that to God right now? Oh my god. Father, I love you. I want to abide in you right now. Be connected to you as divine. And God, I want the words that come out of my mouth to be from the Holy Spirit, a manifestation of the Holy Spirit for the good of all these people here that I love.

I want them to love you. I want them to be secure in you. I want them empowered by you. And right now, Lord, I I pray against anything the enemy is trying to do and dividing us when you want a body and we have fingers and toes and arms, legs, eyes, ears that want to run away from the body and be on their own.

And that's not what you want. And so God, I pray that you would move right now. Join us together. Got to read of that early church and how they were of one mind. And there are times in history, Lord, when you'd grab a group of people and you'd make them one.

And you say, "That's what you want to do through Jesus. That's what Jesus prayed for." And I pray that the words, "My mouth, Lord, will not pull anyone away from you or away from your body, but show them their value in you. and how much we need one another and how desperately we need your son to be in charge of everything.

He is our head. He saved us. He deserves all the glory for today. It's in his name we pray. Amen. I want you to think about God like being with us right now. We sang that song like we believe that we believe in his resurrection. That means it's not just us coming up and trying to figure things out with our mind, but God himself is with us.

Okay? And I think sometimes those of us who've been quote unquote going to church for years, it just becomes like this routine thing like we know what we're doing or whatever. It's like no, no, no, we don't ever know what we're doing. We we we want a this space where it's like God, I want this space where you tell us what to do, you know, rather than me tell you what we're supposed to do this morning.

Like God, you are here with us. And sometimes we forget that and we just do a church service. And I don't want to do that. I want to think about his presence here and saying, "God, I want to say whatever you want me to say." I want us all thinking that.

Saying, "God, you're right here with me. So, is there someone here that I'm supposed to talk to that I don't even know? God, I may make a fool of myself, but if you call me to go pray for someone, and it may sound creepy to them or whatever, like, I'm yours.

I came here for you. Like, you're the guest of honor. I don't want to just do my thing. You know, I I think about earlier this year um on my birthday, uh the staff at Crazy Love, they um you know, Liz put together a little birthday lunch. Um and that was awesome.

But she forgot to invite me. That was crazy. Yeah. Like she forgot to invite me. And I was like, so I, man, I was very honored that they were going to do this thing, but it would have been nice to be invited. And um when I found out about it from someone else, like right before I was going to leave that day, you know, it was like, "Hey, where are you going?"

I'm like, "I'm going to lunch with my wife." "Oh, we have a party for you." I'm like, "Oh, that would have been good to be invited." And I But I I felt like it was prophetic. So you were used by God, you know, in your weakness. It it was this because I feel like that's what we do with church sometimes.

Like we get together and we plan and we organize this thing and it's like did we ever just say, "God, I want you to show up." Like I want you to be there and direct us and tell us what you want because we may plan something that you hate.

You know, it's like no, no, no. This is supposed to be about you. What do you want? What do you want? And and so even during the worship, I'm just saying, God, what what is it? What what word do you have for me for these people? There's some passages I've studied, some things I plan for, but but what is it that you want said here?

And the one thing that kept coming back to me as I was praying, as I was worshiping and saying, God, please tell me what do you want me to talk about? The word insecurity kept popping up that that some of you right now, you may be accused by other people of being rebellious or not loving God or this or that. when in reality it's it's not your rebellion so much as you're insecure.

You're not totally sure that God loves you. It's like you and you're striving and you're working and you're frustrated, but there's something inside that's just like I'm not completely sure that he loves me, you know. You know, and then when I heard Sam's testimony, it just confirmed, you know, there's like some of us come from like really messed up backgrounds and we think, man, God, you should change that overnight.

You're God. You're God almighty. He, you know, I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe you can change things overnight. And yet, some things God takes us in this process of sanctification. Now, we read about that in Thessalonians and how he says, "Man, I'm praying for that complete, you know, that you continue into this complete sanctification."

And some of us, it's like we kind of know the love of God. We kind of believe, but it's so hard because some of the things we experience, you know, Sam said, "Hey, some of you, you know, you didn't have a great relationship with your dad. You didn't this and that."

And and some of you, you had no relationship with your dad. Man, I get that. I didn't have a single conversation with my dad. I never talked to him once. Not once, man. I remember when he would just beat the heck out of me for anything I did wrong.

I mean, I close the door a little bit too loud and it, you know, and it's like, man, he'd just come out and just start going at me, beating me and I'm screaming, you I remember being tied up to a tree and just him taking every branch and beating me with it until it snapped, then just leaves me out there.

And I'm like, man, am I allowed back in the house? I don't know. And and then I remember when he died when I was 12 and and there was part of me most of me was actually really excited like ah I don't have to deal with him anymore.

It is awesome. There's another side of as a 12-year-old kid whose mom's already dead and my stepmom's already dead to think, "Okay, now my dad's dead." And sure, there's the fear of watching a body being lowered into the ground and seeing, you know, his face right there lying in a casket and going, "What the heck?"

There's all these emotions, but there was a lot of relief. It's funny. My uh 12-year-old came home the other day and she got her first C, you know, as a low grade. And I like, oh wow, she got a C, you know, like she just and it was in science and she's in seventh grade and I remember I go, that is so weird.

I remember being in seventh grade and getting my first C and it was in science and I was terrified walking home like my dad is going to kill me and I find out about Hershey I just start laughing go that's awesome that's so cool that same thing I got you know let's celebrate um you know but it brought back like man just that terror that I don't ever want on my kids you of man, you you got to be, you know, you sure are you Asian?

You know, just just just going on. It it's just it's none of that. It's like I don't want any of that on them, you know. But but some of us, you know, when you grow up like that and you're actually uh you just feel like my dad never wanted me.

In fact, I feel like my dad really regrets having me. Um because my mom died while she gave birth to me. So it's like this is the one that killed my wife and I just feel like I was treated different everything else. And so then you learn about God and his love for you and you want to believe it but it's hard to get through years of that baggage.

And so then sometimes unknowingly you just start working harder and go let me do this, let me do this. Let me be the holiest guy on earth. I mean, and then it's like you're not even thinking about his grace anymore. And then just to bask in his grace.

I just think there's a lot of you here today that are still like running trying to grab for something that you're never going to get by pursuing it because it's a gift and it's actually an insult to God when you think that you need to earn it and that you can earn it because he wants to just hand you something you could never earn on your own.

Man, aren't there times in your life when you've just wanted to give a gift? Like you just love someone so much you just want to give them and when they don't want to accept that gift and it's like, "Well, no, let me pay for it or or okay, wait till your birthday.

I'll get you something." But it's like, "No, shut up." Like, I just want to give you something. Like, you're screwing it up by trying to earn this somehow. You know that that's not the point of grace. You would make me so much happier if you would just accept it and understand it's a free gift.

I don't want you to earn it. In fact, if you try to earn it, you just destroy my joy. It's like, I wanted to give this to you. And I feel like that's what God wants to say to some of you. Just relax. Believe that there is someone that loves you despite what you've done.

It's not about earning. He's saying, "I'm not your earthly father. I'm holy. I'm different from that. And I'm just telling you from a guy who's been a Christian for about 35 years now. It's weird how some of this stuff holds on. And uh and I need your prayers.

Um just like I pray for you. Let me tell you what I I prayed for myself and it's helped a ton. You know, when we were reading through Ephesians, there was a couple of verses in there that I started praying for myself in because I thought, how can I lead these people if this is my own struggle?

And so, God, fix it in me. And then I began praying for you that God would fix it in you. And I believe this is God's word for us today. It's Ephesians 1 verse 18. I'll start in 17. I'll start in 15. Ephesians 1:15. For this reason, because I've heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you.

What are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints? And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe according to the working of his great might, that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come.

Paul tells these people, he goes, "This is what I'm praying for you. And this is what I prayed for you. This is what I prayed for you this morning. It's what I prayed for you during worship. I've just been praying this non-stop since we were in Ephesians a couple weeks ago.

I've been praying this for myself and it's changing me." Okay? He he says in in verse 18, "Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened that you may know what is the hope to which he's called you." Paul prays. He says, "Here's what I want. I want the eyes of your heart enlightened."

Okay, did you know your heart has eyes? >> Okay, that's weird, right? It's like, man, it's it's but but think about it. Think about like your physical eyes. Okay. Like like man there few times I prayed for this guy in in my previous church who was blind. I was like God I want to see a miracle like a miracle miracle.

Not like oh this finger used to hurt and nah not so much you know like I want like things like I see in scripture like I I know it's possible. And I used to pray for this guy who was blind for years and god just open his eyes man.

This will change the city. I'll tell everyone that it's all about your power. And and it never but but I could and it never happened and not yet and but I believe it can and and like physical I mean just cuz I I just picture like walking in dark you ever do that like imagine what it's like and some listening to this you know what I'm talking about that some are blind and to just be in darkness your whole life and and and then suddenly you know to have your sight given like you see in scripture.

Well, the Bible says there's something that's even greater than that. And it's it's about this spiritual blindness where you really I could sit here all day and tell you how good God is and how he forgives you, but there's there's like I can get your mind around it, you know, where where I could put it on a piece of paper and explain to you, look, you deserve punishment, you know, and so someone has to pay for it.

So, look, Jesus took it on the cross. Let me draw it out for you. He took all of your punishment and you can in your mind and in in your eyes you could see it, but in your heart for you to believe it. It It's like this like again there's this blindness like we read about like in in in first Corinthians how he says, you know, the god of this world blinds people to where they can't see the truth of the scriptures.

And so I'm I'm praying for you. you. I'm on my knees praying for you, saying, "God, I can tell them what you did on the cross, but I can't open the eyes of their heart. I don't even know what that looks like. How can anyone open the eyes of someone else's heart?"

So Paul says, "I'm praying for that miracle." Just like when Peter when he finally understood who Jesus was, remember what Jesus said? He goes, "Hey, flesh and blood didn't reveal that to you. That came from heaven." like God actually opened the eyes of your heart. That's why some of you can be living with a Christian family.

You can be living in our men's home or women's home. You can be surrounded by Christians your whole life and you just never quite get it. Even though you're fed it, even though it's forced and you go to bed with an iPod playing scripture, it's like nothing is working because there's a miracle that takes place where the eyes of your heart are opened.

You they're enlightened and he says that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you. He's like, "I'm praying that you would know what this hope is that he's called you to." Like really know it. Like everything in you is like, "Man, I know what the future's like.

I I know this hope that he's called me to. Like I'm not afraid of death. I'm not afraid of anything." Like I can't wait for that day when I see his face, the whole future. I want to know this hope. Most of us here, I'm willing to bet, are terrible at hoping. >> You don't want to get your hopes up, right? >> And many of you are like me.

You go into a situation and you just expect the worst so you won't get let down, right? It's like, well, this is going to suck, you know? And then you get there, it's like, okay, it only sucked halfway. Good day, you know, right? versus those times in your life when you go, "Oh, this is the relationship.

This is the one or or this is, you know, this dad or this, you know, whatever. This is where I'm going to find it." And then you get let down and you see the brokenness of other people and you get let down. You walk away depressed. And then you just you just put a guard up where you go, "Man, I'm not going to do that again.

I'm not going to expect anything good." Some of you are coming here and going, "Okay, I'm going to come with this group of people. Okay, they're they're supposed to be the church, but you know what? They're probably not probably a bunch of hypocrites. This is probably nothing real that's going to happen in this place to me.

You know, it's just another church. They're all the same. This is this is how you put that wall up, right? So, this way when the guy up front has an affair or something like that, I'll say, "See, I told you. I was expecting that anyways." Yeah. when when I find out that he's got secret bank accounts or this or that or when someone in the church starts talking behind see see and and you just guard yourself because you're not going to hope and you start what happens is you start treating God's promises like everyone else's promises.

It's like well my dad promised me this. The very people that were supposed to protect me actually did the opposite. And so now I'm supposed to believe that he's actually going to do what he said. And I'm telling you, this is different. This is God's word. He wants us to be people that know the hope that he's called us to.

And so I've been praying. I go, God, even though we've all been let down, I've let you down. People here have let you down. Other spiritual leaders have let you down. That that doesn't screw up your hope. And when God opened their eyes, the eyes of their heart, so we'd be a bunch of hopers, and we'd know the future that we're hoping for.

And then uh there's three things in that, okay? The first one is I want you to know the hope to which he's called you. That's what Paul prays for. Secondly, this is insane. What are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints? Don't miss a word of that phrase.

Okay, this is what he's saying. He wants to open the eyes of your heart to. He says, "What are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints?" Pay attention to every little word. He what what does he want you to know in your heart? He goes, "What are the riches of your glorious inheritance?"

No, that's what you'd expect, right, God? Oh, you just talked about my hope. So, help me understand. Help me know my inheritance, like what I get in the future. But that's not what he says. He says he's praying that you would understand the riches of his inheritance in the saints.

Wait, wait, wait. God's inheritance. Wait, God inherits something? Wait, God, you know, like if you had a relative that had a billion dollars and you're the sole like uh recipient in his will, you're kind of hoping he dies, right? You're like, "Oh, this is going to be awesome.

I mean, I'll miss you, but this is going to be great, right? This is your inheritance. You're going to get this and then boom, you know, you're going to take care of everything. All you just just want that." Wait, God has an inherit. It's Wait, does it say his inheritance?

The riches of his glorious inheritance. What is his glorious inheritance? Us, the saints. Wait, so you're telling me that this holy, all powerful God who's sitting on his throne right now with a 100 million angels screaming out his glory, his holiness, he on that throne is looking at us and saying, "Look at my inheritance.

I can't wait. I can't wait. Look at how glorious, how beautiful they are. I can't wait to inherit them." What are the glorious riches of his inheritance in this? So God is looking at me because of what Jesus did in cleansing me like cleansing me completely. Like everything's washed away and I'm this beautiful bride now.

We are this beautiful bride that he's going I can't wait. I can't wait for that wedding day. I can't wait. Like that's my inheritance. God is thinking that about me. Did Jesus really make me that beautiful? For some of us, that is going to be the hardest thing on earth to believe that Jesus made us that beautiful that God the Father is saying, "I can't wait to inherit them."

It's going to take a miracle, right? where you go, God, no one's ever wanted me like that. I was born into a family that didn't even want me. People on earth didn't even want me. And now I'm supposed to believe that God, God, him, the name, the creator sees me as his glorious inheritance. and he's in heaven going, "Look at my gorgeous bride right there.

I can't wait. I can't wait. I can't wait to see them on that day." That's why Paul says, "I'm praying for you that you have these eyes in your heart that can actually believe that because this is impossible in the flesh. And I'm praying for you. Some of you have been hurt so badly, been lied to so badly, and I'm doing everything I can not to be another one of those people.

That's what your pastors are trying to do. It's like, man, this shows something different. But it's inevitable that we're going to let you down in some ways, but for you to look at God differently. And hopefully we can paint that type of picture of something different. But ultimately, our hope is in him saying, you know what, God, open my eyes cuz I don't feel beautiful.

I feel like I just keep letting you down left and right. I'm still I'm still holding on to stuff that I've done in the past and I don't believe that you're beautiful. I feel like you might put up with me, you know, and because of your grace, you might put up with me and you might just let me squeak in.

But that's not having faith in what happened on the cross. That it says that he made him who knew no sin become sin on our behalf. that we might become the righteousness of God through him. So, it's like we really took on Christ's righteousness by faith. By faith.

This isn't an arrogant thing. It's a faith thing where I go, "God, I'm beautiful to you. Give me the faith to believe that." So I quit quit striving and fighting and arguing with people and I just sit here and go what else do I need? I know the hope to which he's called me.

I understand his glorious inheritance the his glorious riches of his inheritance and the saints. And then finally, and what is the immeasurable greatness, the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe according to the working of his great might. Okay? Not only do I believe in this hope of the future and not only am I to believe in his love and and his glorious inheritance in the saints but now for us this is what I'm praying for us that we would believe the immeasurable okay that you can't measure the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.

The immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe. You do you believe you're powerful? See, see, this is this is this is the stuff that's been convicting me lately, and I'm excited about it. This is why I'm so excited about this next season of the church, cuz I believe that God has enlightened me that that I knew this stuff in school, man.

I I got it right on the test, but the eyes of my heart weren't open to this. And I was praying going, "God, okay, I want to believe everyone then. everyone here who believes in Jesus Christ to believe in an immeasurable greatness like there is so much greatness in the power that is in you that God gave to you.

This is not about a test that you learn in school this or that. But this is about you and God putting this in you and your eyes being open to what you have to offer to the rest of us. Look, I spent so much of my life thinking, "Oh, I got to be humble."

And so to be humble means, "Oh, I'm not very gifted. I'm not a very good speaker. I can't really change anyone's life." And that's humility. No, no, no. That's that's that's just a lie. Humility is saying, "Yeah, you know what? In the flesh, I've got nothing. I I really have nothing.

But I believe in the word of God that it's not just that I'm powerful through him, but there's an immeasure immeasurable like you have no clue how much power that God wants to use in in my life. Like you can't measure it. Like it's that great. It's it's like the power he took when he rose Christ not from the dead but seated him above everything.

He says that's the power he he goes you can't even fathom that kind of power and to believe that that power now is coming towards me. And what we've been what we read in first Corinthians is about how every one of us who believes has this supernatural spiritual like Holy Spirit like like right now like it's not just me trying to say stuff but but God I want your spirit to be speaking through my mouth to where it actually penetrates your mind and and to where in your heart like your eyes are open like I finally get it like I'm not this loser.

I'm not okay. I know what what my grade was in this class, this class, this class, and I know what I scored on the SAT. I know that I don't even know what the SAT is. You know, I know this, this, this. I know what work they promoted this guy.

I know this, this. And it's like, no, that's not what this is about. That's all flesh stuff. And so, so Satan wants you to start thinking in the flesh like, well, this is about as I I think I peak out right about here. This is about as all this is all I can offer to the church is I'll show up and I'll sit here and I'll smile sometimes.

You know, that's about what I have to offer. And that's not what the Bible says. The Bible says that everyone here who believes in Jesus Christ, you are an indispensable part of the body. Okay? And I'll be honest with you, I have not always believed that because my eyes of my heart were not enlightened to that.

And you know, the Bible says sometimes we'll we'll we'll we'll act like the rest of the world does. And if someone's gifted at something, oh, we'll make him a leader in the church. And then if someone's not that gifted, they're just kind of put aside. I'll just show up and take up a seat.

And the Bible says, "No, no. every single part is so necessary. I need to come under the leadership and figure out what is that gift and we want to release you into that gift. That's what drove me nuts about the previous church that I led. I'm like, gosh, here are thousands of people and I'm the only one using my gift.

Like what a waste. Like I am really screwing that this up. I mean, imagine being the CEO of a company where no one else shows up for work. You're failure. You didn't even know how to figure out how to get everyone operating in their gifts. Like, you're paying all these salaries and no one's working.

And in the same way, in this in this in this group right here and the others that aren't here with us right now, man, they're all indispensable parts. and to believe that you're not just, oh, okay, you know, thanks for coming and and just another face, but to go, no, there's something insane inside of you.

Like this power that I can't even measure and we need you. That's where he says the eye can't say to the I don't need you. Hand can't say the I don't need you. But to look everyone in this body and go, man, we got to have you here. not just have you here, but there's a power, not just an average power of, oh, I I'm pretty good at math.

I'll help with the accounting. No, spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts where God may give you. The Bible says, "Earnestly seek the gifts, especially prophecy." You don't know who God's going to pick to speak through. I I I someone might have an amazing word from God for you today and it may not be me.

Probably isn't me. In fact, the Bible says, "I'm going to take the weak things and I'm going to make them strong. I'm going to take the wise things and they're actually be shamed by the foolish to where people go, hey, the wisdom of this world, the people that the world sees as wise.

And so I I'm just sharing we we are going to enter into a new season as the church. Okay? And I I'm I am so excited about this. Okay? And this is what we're going to start doing in a couple weeks. And um well, you can start now, but um every Tuesday in December, Tuesday nights, we're going to get together and explore this as a church where we just start learning about our spiritual gifts and start exercising our spiritual gifts.

It's not just going to be me at a microphone talking and everyone sitting there, but everyone coming and going, "Okay, God's given me immeasurable greatness, like a power that I can't even measure, and I'm supposed to come blessing the body with it. See, I believe that about myself now.

I'm starting to believe it about you. And I'm saying, God, I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know what this means for next year as we continue on as a church. It was kind of like when we started this. I remember my wife and I was saying, "Hey, let's just gather a few people in our room in our house."

And all I know is when I read scripture, it talks about this love that a church is supposed to have. Like they're supposed to love each other so much that the world is attracted to their love. And all I've ever known is getting on a stage and having people attracted to my teaching.

And I go, God, that's not a good church. Like, people aren't attracted to the church because, oh, look at the way they care for one another, but I believe it's possible. And so, let's just start with people that are willing to live live as family and go, man, my house is your house.

What do you need from me? Like, we don't care about the things of the earth. We just want to be known for our love. God supernaturally work through us so that there's love. And so then we started the church and you guys see what it's become and now we're at eight churches and we're getting ready to, you know, jump into whatever 10 to 15 churches this next uh in in January and going, God, I don't know what that's going to look like, but you just start moving.

And man, most of you are I don't think anyone's here because of my teaching cuz I usually don't teach. You're here because someone loved on you. And now we're becoming this church that I thought, "Wow, I've never been a part of a church like this that's multicultural, that's different, you know, backgrounds and everyone's starting to live like family."

And so now I read the scriptures and go, "Wait a second. There's there's so much more about these spiritual gifts." And if everyone was using these gifts in the right way, the Bible says that's the way the body. So I don't know exactly what this is going to look like but I want to be careful and the elders want to be careful that doesn't because what happened in the Corinthian church was everyone just started talking and it was just chaotic.

What also started happening was people just started saying things that were not biblical and they weren't being called out. There were people that were like raising their hands, I want to speak. Um, the Lord just told me, I feel it in my heart, um, that Jesus is cursed.

I mean, you see that in First Corinthians and Paul says, "What the heck?" I mean, is that he says, uh, you know, no one by the spirit of God says Jesus is cursed. And he says, you know what, don't go beyond what's written in scripture. And so, there's a caution that's there.

And that's why you have elders. And that's why all of you are reading the Bible. And that's why he says, you know, even like tests the spirit. So if someone says something, you don't just accept it. Okay? And that's why we're saying, man, praise God that you've all been reading the word of God.

Because if some of you, you know, comes up to you and says, "Hey, God told me this." And it's totally unbiblical, you can squash it. And so it's not just you, but it's the elders too that go around like if someone ever gives you a prophecy and you're just like, "Man, that doesn't seem right.

Talk to one of us and we'll be like, man, that that is not biblical. Let me show you why that's not biblical." Okay? So, there's a caution in this, but that doesn't mean that we don't eagerly desire and pursue. See, this is where I screwed up. I always prided myself in saying, "Well, I'm one of those guys that's open but cautious."

Well, that's not what he tells the Corinthian church to be. He doesn't say be open and cautious. He says eagerly pursue it. Go after. And if there was one church in history that he should have told them, hey, calm down on the spiritual gifts there, it should have been the Corinthian church, right?

But what does he tell them? Eagerly pursue it. Go after it. Don't you dare forbid the speaking in tongues. Just don't do it all at once in a setting where there's no interpreter. But don't you forbid it either. and pursue this prophecy. And so as elders, we're just trying to go, okay, how do we do this?

How do we do this? Well, we're praying. We're seeking it. And and what what the main thing you need to know is love, right? Love and truth. I mean, in between 1 Corinthians 12:14 is this chapter on love and chapter 13 that says, "Hey, I don't care if you guys speak in tongues or prophecy. you have all faith and you got all these signs and gifts.

He goes, "If you don't love one another, that's not why you're doing it, then this is worthless. This is pointless. You're like making a bunch of noise. You're like a noisy gong or a clanging symbol. It's supposed to be love." So, what I want you guys to do, cuz what I've been doing is getting on your knees this week before you gather as your church, you know, next Sunday or Wednesday, whenever you gather next, and say, "God, I love this group of people so much.

Man, I love them. And sometimes I feel like I have nothing to offer, but your word tells me something different. So give me this manifestation of the spirit cuz I want to bless these people this week. I want this to happen. Make it out of love. And this is not about you.

Because some of us, we just like to talk. We like to be the center of attention. We're used to talking and not listening. And this is not a platform for you. This is for you who love and go, "Man, I begged God this week and I feel like he gave me a word and I don't even like talking in front of crowds and this is really actually scaring me to death, but I feel like I'd be wrong to not say this and to start sharing and practicing and um we want to do this in a biblical manner.

But going back to what this is about for today, I'm praying that God opened your eyes to see that you were a sinner in his eyes. Like the rest of us, the Bible calls us objects of wrath, children of wrath by nature. But God because of his great love with which he loved us.

God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us. Man, he gives us this gift. He just hands it to us. He says, "You know what? I'm going to have my son pay for all of that." He demonstrated his love that while we were sinners, he had Christ die for us.

And now because of what he did in those of us who believe that he says you're this beautiful bride that I can't wait to inherit. You have this hope for the future and you have this immeasurable greatness of power towards you who believe. And in this next season in the church I want this to be this courageous secure group of people that go, you know what, I'm loved by God.

So, you can call me what you want. You can tell me this or that. I can take a lot because I'm loved by God. And um I just think Satan is trying to divide some of us right now and stick some thoughts in your head cuz he'd love to tear pieces of the body off and let them die on their own and left us here with a little stump.

And you know what? I'll stay here. I'm going to fight this thing through and I'm going to keep loving whoever's here and so are the pastors and we're going to go after this. But I'm excited about this next season in the church. But I pray now, God, would you enlighten their hearts so they know they're loved by you, their future is secure, and they have some serious power and a gifting for the body.

And we need you here.