Bethel Church Service | Bill Johnson Sermon | Worship with Brian Johnson, Jenn Johnson

Well, good morning. Happy Sunday. It's snowing behind us in No, it's not really snowing in Reading. I wish it was, but uh happy holiday season. We're so glad to see you. This is my dear friend Cassie and I'm Haley Brawn. We're both pastors here at Bethl and we're so excited that you've joined us.

Uh it is very Christmassy, very festive. We had our Christmas market yesterday here. The place was buzzing, full of different people from our community, selling crafts and beautiful things that they've designed, food, so much food. I treats the Brazilian pana, which is a steak. I heard it went in an hour and a half.

So anyway, we've had fun, but some fun testimonies. Last week, we did our Christmas tree lighting service, and we had none other than Dan Fairley as our lead role. And um anyway, multiple people gave their lives to Jesus. In the 8:30 service, we had probably six to eight people.

In the earlier services, we had a handful, too. And one amazing testimony of um someone that people have been praying for for five years, he gave his life to Jesus when he heard that uh that he didn't have to come prepared uh for Jesus, that Jesus was coming towards him.

So, so exciting. If if you are believing for family members, for loved ones to come into the kingdom, uh we know that Revelation 19:10 says the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. And so we just declare that over your family members and come into agreement that this season is a season of salvation. >> Yes. >> Which is what we're talking about actually. >> It is what we're talking about.

Cass was just reminding me um last week the Lord just said believe for salvation which is why I kind of went after the gospel in our last service last week in tree lighting. I really believe the next four weeks um it's a it's like time for us to lean into the grace of the gospel. not just to wait for someone else to preach the message, but actually um I've been encouraging our students and our congregation to get out on the streets, be it in the uh grocery store or in your workplace, to share the love of Jesus.

And I think a lot of times people feel pressure to have to get all the words right. And I just want to encourage you just to step out and share that God loves them. Share the story of Christmas, how Jesus came, that we could be reconciled to the father.

I really believe this is a season of reconciliation and salvation. >> Absolutely. What I loved about the testimony that Haley shared is that one of um the guys who gave their life to Jesus last last week is someone that a family had been praying for for five years.

I'm guessing that there are so many of you just like me who have family members that we've been pressing in for contending for praying for and asking Jesus would you touch their lives? Jesus would you bring them home and what she's prophesying what she's saying is that this is a season to see sons and daughters coming home.

And so, um, Hails, I would love for you to even just pray into that. Like, um, I feel there's something that you've been you've been saying like this is a season to see so many people come home. Like I've heard you say even like the next four weeks, but I feel that thing is not only um the prayer for the hearts to be softened, to come into the kingdom, but it's like a charge to the body of Christ of like this is not just for the pastor in the front.

This is not just for us. Like, oh, bring them to church. that's when they'll get saved, but also like an actual opportunity for the body of Christ to go out. And I know that's what you're saying, but I'd love for you to just pray into that. I feel something of like I I feel like for some of us, we wonder like, but we've been praying forever, but we've been praying for 10 years, but we've been waiting for breakthrough.

Like we've been faithful in our prayers. We actually need like something um to shift in our circumstances, but there's there's actually grace in the air. There's breakthrough in the air even now to see these people come home. >> Yeah. I believe it. I really feel like um obviously what's been going on with Gen Z coming into salvation.

I I really believe it's that kind of that the time is now. Of course, the gospel is for every season, for every day, for every moment. Um but I do feel like there's a courage coming over the body of Christ to to with a fresh revelation of the power of the gospel.

And um I know for me, I'm not like kind of a natural evangelist. uh by some of my friends who are have amazing grace with that. I I look in amazement, but I've just been partnering with the grace of the Lord that gives us the courage and the strength and I've just been saying hello to people, telling people uh encouraging words that I hear from the Lord and it's opening the door to share the gospel.

And so I just want to pray right now. So Lord, I I pray God just as um that moment last week in tree lining, it just clicked for this young man. This this moment he heard what he needed to hear. He heard the the question that his heart had been asking that that he didn't know how to verbalize.

God, I pray that those that we have been praying for that those that are around us, Lord, that that we would have um ears to hear and eyes to see what Holy Spirit is leading us to say. And Lord Jesus, that you would open up the ears and the eyes of those God that have maybe the the the world or the challenges of life had made made their senses grow dull, God.

That you would awaken their hearts, Holy Spirit. And Lord, I just pray for courage. And I also pray for the love of Jesus, like the the deep and powerful profound love of Jesus to grip our hearts in such a powerful way, God, that we would be propelled and compelled to share.

And God, we just say no to fear. Uh no to uh any kind of insecurity around that. Lord, I thank you that it is our testimony, the testimony of Jesus that has has been working in our lives. That is the spirit of prophecy. And I pray that God, every story of your redemption, of your reconciliation, that it would come alive in our hearts and minds and we wouldn't make it feel um uh insignificant, God, but we would see the significance of our story and we would take ownership of that in Jesus' name.

Amen. >> Amen. Oh, I can feel the power of God just even moving in this little area that we're sitting in. Just even as Haley is praying, it feels like a season to go after. It feels like a season to trust what the Lord is speaking to us and and just knowing this is the good news.

Like this isn't a bad invitation. This is the good news and Jesus is the savior and we get to share that every single day. However it is that we get to do that and it feels just I don't know. It feels exciting to be a believer who can do Isaac Reynolds just said here in the chat.

He said, "Yes and amen." Testimony. Our daughter came back to the Lord recently. She started a job and they just hired her as a manager. This is huge for her. 21. I've seen the Lord healing her bl brain. Jesus. Amen. We just declare more of that in Jesus' name.

More salvations for families. Yes. And God, heal her brain. Whatever that looks like, whatever need that is in her mind. God, we just even bless her mind and that she would get so radically touched by you. Um we're seeing a couple different things in here for um prayer.

And if you're um contending, maybe it's for you, maybe it's for a loved one, even for healing. Um we just even bless your bodies even before we go into worship today, that you would be so aware that he is here. >> That his will is to heal and that he is more than able to touch you wherever you are.

That that in the Bible, we saw so many times that um there would be a scent word. Jesus would send his word for healing. And in that exact moment, those people were healed. And so, if that's something you're contending for, we just speak um healing in life. Mark, I see you saying you have the worst toothache of your life.

Whether you're Mark or someone else with a toothache, we just um we just declare that pain to lift off in Jesus name. And that you would experience healing and life in your in your teeth in your in your mouths right now. >> Thank you, Jesus. >> Is there anyone else? >> Oh, I saw another one for teeth for for Ellen.

Joe Ellen. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Father. Yeah, even right now as Cassie's looking for prayer requests, I saw um over someone's uh child, specifically a son. Uh he's around uh between six and eight. I think he's probably around 7 years old. Um that he's been struggling with almost like a anxiety, but it's kind of connected to like um over over stimulation.

I feel like there's something like there's maybe a slight neurode divergence. It's it's nothing extreme, but it's kind of like something where it's really been affecting him in school and especially at home where he comes home kind of over stimulated and kind of a bit frazzled. And I just saw the Lord speaking peace over our children.

Um even if maybe your child isn't that age, I really believe there's a young man that's getting touched right now. But uh just receive that if your children struggle with that. I feel like the Lord is really touching the brains of our kids where they've been over stimulated, sensory overload that he's bringing peace and um he's bringing uh just a calmness over their bodies and I even saw emotional healing where maybe there's been trauma that has caused this over stimulation of these issues.

We just speak healing to that trauma in Jesus' name. >> Come on, Lord. >> I can sense it even as you were just praying. It's like I could see peace being released and I even felt like as people were worshiping today that the peace of God would actually fill your rooms whether it's your kitchen, your car, your bedrooms, wherever you are and all of a sudden you would feel like anxiety lift off.

You would experience even just um a stillness in your mind that you've been desiring. And so God, we just release your peace. We bless uh minds and we bless bodies, God. We bless uh families in their living rooms, whatever it looks like, that your presence would invade, God, that you would come so close and we'd experience your your beautiful presence in Jesus' name.

Yeah. I just saw a few people post and even Sandbar, I know that you you just said you're autistic as we called out that word of knowledge. And I really believe that um I I really see this divine peace coming where there's been chaos and a sense of anxiety.

So, we just declare that. Um thank you, Jesus. Yeah. Amen. >> Amen. We're about to go into an incredible time of worship. We've got Brian and Jen Johnson, Leah Valenuela, and a powerful word from Pastor Bill. And so we uh look forward to being with you in the message, and we'll see you guys afterwards.

We love you. >> We love you. Well, good morning everybody. Go ahead and stand if you would. We're going to get started. I want to welcome you to the house of the Lord on a gorgeous Sunday online. Family, welcome to you as as well. We're going to greet each other in just a moment.

But I wanted to start with a passage out of Deuteronomy chapter 28 that just reminds us of our identity, our call to obedience as well. We had a great day here yesterday. We had all of our entrepreneurs and this place was crawling with folks. Somebody said it was like a human car wash.

I don't know. I don't know. Maybe that's not the best illustration. Anyway, it was a great morning and um just had a great whole afternoon. And then the city had this wonderful celebration of the Christmas tree lighting and the new area they're opening up down there. So, there's there's blessing on our city, on our the the entrepreneurs, the business people of our city, the leaders of our city.

We're going to pray into that as we open. But I want to read to you out of uh Deuteronomy chapter 28. And this is the blessing of the Lord that he wanted to put on Israel that they might be a sign to the nations that God was with them and on them.

Verse one. Now it shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God to observe carefully all his commandments which I command you today that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.

Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground, and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle, and the offering spring of your flocks. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

Blessed shall be when you come in, and blessed shall be when you go out. The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all of which you set your hand.

And he will bless you in the land which the Lord your God has given you. The Lord will establish you as a holy people to himself, just as he has sworn to you. If you keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and walk in his ways, then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord.

And they shall be afraid of you. And the Lord will grant you uh plenty of goods in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.

The Lord will open to you his good treasures, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season. It's the season for rain, brothers and sisters. Be praying for rain. And to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail. >> You shall be above only and not beneath. If you heed the commands of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them, so you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day to the right or the left to go after other gods to serve them.

King Jesus, we see your heart to bless your people and we just want to cooperate with your desire to bless to say, let the quality of our obedience and the quality of your blessing entice the nations to come to you. May they may the the quality of our lives and the way our city functions be something that causes the nations to come and say, "What is with reading?

What is with what's going on there? How do I get this connection with the Lord? How do I walk in this measure of blessing?" We ask that you would that our obedience and our responsiveness to grace would just cause a supernatural visitation and a and a tangible witness that you are amongst your people.

And we just say we in you, because of you, we are the head and not the tail. But that's all for the glory of King Jesus. And the people of God said, "Amen. Let's worship the Lord with joy and exuberance. Fill the front and get after him with a full heart.

Our father everlasting, the all creating one, God almighty and through your holy spirit conceal Believe in Christ the son, Jesus our savior. I believe in God our father. I believe in Christ the son. I believe in the Holy Spirit. Our God is three and one. I believe in the resurrection that we will rise again.

Oh, I believe in the name of Jesus. The one and only name of Jesus. Yeah. Our judge and our defender, suffered and crucified. Forgiveness is in you. Descended into darkness. You rose in glorious light forever seated high. I believe in God the Father. I believe in Christ the Son.

I believe in the Holy Spirit. Our history is three and one. I believe in the resurrection. Now we will rise again. Oh, I believe in the name of Jesus. Heat. Heat. My Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord. I believe in life eternal. I believe in the virgin birth.

I believe in the saints communion and in your holy church. I believe in the resurrection that we comes again for I believe in the name of Jesus. Heat. Heat. Jesus Christ. Heat. Heat. that Jesus Christ is Lord. I believe in God our father. I believe in Christ the Son.

I believe in the Holy Spirit. Cuz our bodies three in one. I believe in the resurrection that we will rise again for I believe in the name of Jesus. I believe Praise God. You make a way when the world says it is over. You make a way for the doors that I can't open.

Give me the faith to see beyond this moment. That's when you say you'll make way. You'll make way when the world says it is over. You make the way for the doors that I can't open. Give me the faith to see beyond this moment. That's when you say you make the way.

You're the God who says speak to the mountains you will be. You're the God who says when there's an ocean we will pass through. All the God says always you're working working for when it see you make my way. God make the way for the miracle is leading.

God make a way for the healing of your people. Give us the faith. to believe for something greater here as we pray. God make a way. Oh, you're the God who says speak to the mountains and will be. You're the ocean working for you. No one before me against me will prosper.

The final word belongs to the Lord. Praise the God who breaks down the strongh. and bring down you said it was you from the grave. Oh Jesus Christ is true. You are the way. You're the goddesses to the mountains and will be moved. You're the godes where there's an ocean we will pass through.

God always working when you see there is no way you will be Heat. Heat. for me. When it seems there is no way, you make a way. When it seems there is no way, you make a way. Sing. No weapon formed, no weapon formed against me will prosper. >> The final word belongs to the Lord. >> The praise of God will break down the stronghold and bring down the walls.

You tore the veil and said it was finished. You rolled the stone and walked from the grave. >> Jesus Christ, the truth and the life. You are singing. No weapon for no weapon before we cast will prosper. The final work belongs to the Lord. The praise of God will break down the st and bring down the wall. cuz you don't Heat.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. There is no way. You make a way. When it seems there is no way, you make a way. When it seems there is no way, you make a way. You make a way. It was my cross you bore. for so I would live in the freedom you died for.

And now my life is yours. And I will sing in your goodness forever more. And worthy is your name, Jesus. And you deserve the praise. And worthy is your name. And worthy is your name, Jesus. And you deserve the praise. And worthy is your name. And now my shame is gone.

I stand amazed in your love uniable. Your grace goes on and on and I will sing in your goodness forever more. Worthy is your name, Jesus. And you deserve the praise. And worthy is your name. And worthy is your name, Jesus. And you deserve the praise. And worthy is your name.

And worthy is your name, Jesus. And you deserve the praise. And worthy is your name. And worthy is your name, Jesus. And you deserve the praise. Worthy is your name. and be exalted now in the heavens as your glory fills this place. You alone deserve our praise. You're the name above all names.

Be exalted now in the heavens as your glory fills this place. You alone deserve our praise. You're the name above all names. Be exalted now in the heavens. As your glory fills this place, you alone deserve our praise. You're the name above all names. Be exalted now in the heavens.

As your glory fills this place, you alone deserve our praise. You're the name above all names. Be exalted now in the heavens. As your glory fills this place, you alone deserve our praise. You're the name above all names. Be exalted now in the heavens. As you fill this place, you will deserve our praise.

You're the name above all. Heat. Heat. Jesus, you deserve the praise. Worthy is your name. Worthy is your name. Jesus, you deserve the praise for you. You are singer. of the praise. Worthy is your name, Jesus. And you deserve the praise. And worthy is your name. And worthy is your name, Jesus.

And you deserve the praise. The word is your name. Oh. Worthy instrument. Jesus and you deserve praise. Worthy is your name and worthy is your name Jesus and you deserve worthy is your name. Thank you. How great the chasm that lay between us. How high the mountains I could not climb.

In desperation, I turned to heaven and spoke your name into the night. Then through the darkness, your lovingly kindness tore through the shadows of my soul. The work is finished. The end is written. Jesus Christ my pain. Who could imagine so great a mercy? What a hom such boundless praise.

The God of aes step down from glory to wear my sin and bear my shame. The cross is spoken. I am forgi. The king of kings calls me his beautiful savior. I'm yours forever. Jesus Christ my hallelujah. Hallelujah. Praise the one who set me free. Hallelujah. Death has lost his grip on me.

You have broken every chain. There's salvation in your name. Jesus Christ my home. Then came the morning that sealed the promise. Your buried body began to breathe. Out of the silence the roaring lion deliver came the morning that sealed the promise. Nobody can Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Yeah. Heat. Jesus Christ my raise up a shout of praise today. Give him glory. All the all the glory. Let's do that again. Lift up a shout of praise. Heat. Heat. Oh come let us adore him. Oh come let us adore him. Oh come let us adore him.

Come on lift your hands. Sing Now come and come let us adore. Oh come let us adore him. Oh come let us adore him. Cry to the Lord for he alone is worthy. For he alone is worthy. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. The Lord give you all the glory.

We will give you all the glory. You deserve it. All the Lord be the Lord will give you all the glory. Christ the Lord. You alone are worthy. All our affection, our devotion, adoration on you. Just lift your hands this morning. Just place him in the highest place over every thought, over every to-do list, over every thing in your life.

Just lift your hands and just adore, magnify, glorify the one and only. >> We place you in the highest place, Lord. We give you the glory. Name above all names. King of kings, Lord of lords. Almighty God, we place you in the highest place. We are yet again.

We place you in the highest place. Praise the Lord, oh my soul. Praise the Lord everything within me. Praise the Lord, oh my soul. Praise the Lord. Yeah. Yeah. Praise the Lord, oh my soul. Praise the Lord. Oh, praise the Lord, oh my soul. Praise the Lord. Come on, sing this morning.

Praise the Lord, oh my soul. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Praise the Lord, oh my soul. Praise the Lord. >> Everything within me. >> Praise the Lord, oh my soul. Praise the Lord. Isn't he glorious and wonderful? Isn't he glorious and wonderful? You're wonderful. You're glorious. Magnificent.

Magnificent. Glorious. Wonderful. Magnificent. You're glorious. You're wonderful. We exalt thee. We exalt thee. We exalt thee. Oh, we exalt thee. We exalt thee. We exalt thee. Oh, we exalt thee. We exalt thee. We exalt thee, oh Lord. We We exalt thee. We exalt thee. >> Sing hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Sing it to every voice. Hallelu. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh Lord, just where you are. Would you just sing out in the spirit? Just exalt the Lord. My oh my. Just keep singing. He is the lifter of your head. He is the lifter of your head. my Can we sing?

I exalt thee. I exalt thee. I exalt thee. I Heat. Heat. Just lift up a shout to the Lord. Hallelujah. We glorify you, Jesus. We magnify you, Jesus. As we were worshiping this morning, I saw this picture and I saw this picture of seed on the ground and I saw this wheat seed on the ground and I saw chaff over the the top of this seed.

And I asked the Lord, I said, "Lord, what am I seeing?" And I felt the Lord say that there's people in this room. Some of you have specific circumstances right now that have uh been covering over the seed of faith in your life. Like even coming this morning, some of you feel heavy or burdened.

Some of you even wondered if you should come today because things that are going on in your life feel like they're uh putting weight on you. I even felt like there could be some people in the room that shame and guilt of sin is starting to weigh on your life.

And I I I felt the Lord begin to show me as we begin to praise the Lord. I saw the winnowing fork of Jesus come up and begin to cast the seed up and I began to see the chaff fly off. And then I saw a second group of people and it was people that have been carrying unusual emotional weight.

Maybe it's prolonged grief. Maybe there was a season where you grieve, but it's almost like the enemy has taken advantage and prolonged that or just unusual, an unusual sense of grief. And I I saw the Lord I I saw these two scriptures. One's in Matthew 8 and the other in Mark 9.

In Matthew 8, the leper says to Jesus, he says, "I know you are able, but are you willing?" And then in Mark nine, a father who has a demon-possessed child say his says, "Lord, I believe, but help me in my unbelief." And what I saw was I saw that in each of us, there's this seed of faith.

It's there. It exists. It's been given to us by Jesus when we were saved and received the gift of the Holy Spirit. He gave us a deposit of our inheritance as saints. But what I saw was I saw that what we have in our bank of faith, our I believe, but help me in my unbelief.

Lord, I know you're able, but are you willing? I felt like today the Lord said that he wants to make up the difference. That there's things inside of you that you're trying to come up with 100%. And I felt the Lord say, just just bring it to me.

Bring yourself to me. And I began to hear Isaiah 61, for the spirit of the Lord God is upon me, for he has anointed me to proclaim liberty to the captives. And I I heard the Lord say that he wants to he wants to restore hope and joy and life and peace today.

If that is you in this room, would you just raise your hand where you are? Thank you, God. Just raise your hand. There's no shame, only freedom today. There's only faith for us today. If you're around these people, will you just put your hand on them? >> Hey, thank you, Lord.

Just place your hand on them. Once the hand is on you, you can put your hand down. If you're online, you can just put in the chat, "I need Jesus. I need Jesus. Thank you, Holy Spirit." And church, I'm going to ask that you just begin to pray.

Begin to pray over them. Begin to declare. What I heard the Lord say was, "There's a spirit of breakthrough today. There is a spirit of breakthrough for you today. There is hope beyond hope." Thank you, Jesus. Just begin to pray. Church, we thank you. I'm going to pray over our online people.

Lord, I thank you, God. I thank you for freedom. I thank you for hope. I thank you for life. I thank you, Jesus, that the debt has been paid in full. There is nothing else to be paid, Lord. We attach our faith to yours, Jesus. We attach our hope into you.

Our hope is in you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. What I hear right now, the Lord says is we're leaving the stronghold of fear. We are leaving the stronghold of hopelessness and we're running into the stronghold that is the name of the Lord, which is a strong tower. The righteous run in and they are safe.

We release a spirit of breakthrough right now in the name of Jesus. A garment of praise instead of a spirit of fainting, beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, praise where there has been heaviness. We declare healing to bodies in the name of Jesus. We declare deafness. Someone has a deaf right ear.

I see the Lord opening it up right now. We declare uh hearing to those that are deaf, sight to the blind. We thank you, Holy Spirit. Freedom. Freedom. Thank you, Holy Spirit. There's one last thing I want us to do. I what I saw was as we prayed, I saw a rushing wind of the Holy Spirit begin to blow through this room.

And I just want to invite you, if you want a fresh infilling, if you want the fresh wind of God, just raise your hand right now. And we're going to pray. We're going to pray for a mighty wind of the spirit, a mighty wind to blow away the chaff.

Lord, we thank you. Woo! We thank you, Lord. You can get joyful. You can get excited. You can begin to partner with me. Holy Spirit, we thank you for the gift of the father. We thank you. We have been given the spirit without measure that we have been given the power of God.

And Lord Jesus, we ask for a wind of God, a wind of the spirit, a wind to blow through this room. Let the child blow away. Let the fire be put into place. Come, Holy Spirit, come. Here I come again down this house with you. Wind of God. >> Wind of the Lord.

The joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord. We declare the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord. That is your strength. The joy of the Lord. Can we lift up a hallelujah to the Lord? We say hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Just one more time, if you just raise your hands. Lord Jesus, we thank you for the wind of your spirit. We thank you for the mighty fire of God. We thank you, Lord, for the joy of the Lord. I thank you, Lord, that you're restoring joy all over this room.

Thank you, Lord, that we can shake off heaviness. We can shake off heaviness and we can enter in, God, to your gates with joy and praise and thanksgiving, for you are good and your love endures forever. >> Hallelujah. And all God's people said, "Amen." Amen. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Can we thank this amazing team and our production team?

Please hug someone as you make your way to your seats. Say hello to them. Bless them. We're so glad you're in church today. As you make your way to your seats, if you have an open seat beside you, just put up one finger for one seat and two for two.

We have some guests in town. We want to make sure they get seats. Thank you so much. Yeah. Yeah. I just I'm supposed to be doing announcements right now. Oh, can can we just take one more second? I think I need a second. Stop. So, if this is your first time here, we would like to welcome you.

Is there Yes. Is there anybody where this is your first time? Could you stand up? Could you stand up? Oh, just hold out your hands right now. Just hold out your hands. Family, can we put our hands on them right now and just say, "Get them, God." Yes.

You've come to the right place. Oh, we just declare a baptism of fire right now. Just a baptism of fire. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Thank you, Holy Spirit. Yep. Mister back there with the blue, the light blue, the sky blue. The Lord is doing something fresh in your family in this season, this holiday.

Hey, I just I just see this um grief just wiping off of your family this holiday season. And so we just bless you. A garment of praise. Yes. Thank you, Lord. Thank you. Amen. Amen. Just say, "I receive it for myself." Well, if somebody in your family can keep their hands raised, we have ushers that are going to walk around and hand you something.

If our ushers are in the room, we got a little gift for you. If you can keep your hand raised, if you're Oh, they already happened. It already happened. Okay. Okay. Jesus, I got to get off this stage. Um, tonight, tonight we have a special guest, a friend of the house with us.

David Hogan is going to be here tonight. It's going to be so good. Praise God. And I think that that is my only announcement that I have. So I love our church. Amen. >> Hi Bethl family. I'm Steve Moore. I'm on the senior leadership team here at Bethl.

And we're so glad that you've joined us today for the earliest filming in church news history. And I'm Dan Fairley. I'm not Steve Moore, but I am on the senior leadership team like Steve Moore, and we consider ourselves the Navy Seals of Church News. Indeed, the earliest filming ever.

It's about 4:30 right now, A.M. The 30th annual holiday feast is happening Saturday, December 13th, and it's a wonderful way that we get to love our city. And we need your help in two ways, at least. One, you can bring food contributions or financial contributions, but also we need folks who want to be table hosts, who want to chitchat about Jesus and the love of God. and also just make a deep connection with people as well.

I think we need servers. So, there's a way for you to be involved. We'd love for you to be there. By the way, I was wearing the exact same shirt that I'm wearing now. Um, which is a little awkward, but that's okay because like I tell my wife, I have clothes that are older than my kids.

We also have our second annual Joyful Noise Christmas concert taking place the day after on December 14th in the College View Sanctuary. So, join us for just a fabulous night of Christmas songs and carols and worship. And uh just remember to bring your heart full of Christmas joy because 7,000 people in the church, we can only fit a thousand in the sanctuary.

So we're looking forward to it. He will not be singing. With all of our upcoming Christmas events and celebrations, we wanted to make sure that you're aware of some of our regularly scheduled meetings may be postponed or on break during the Christmas season. So please visit our website for specific information on those meeting changes. >> Always check the website, baby.

Always check the website. >> Come on, Bethl family. and we really are a family. We want to thank you for your amazing generosity in giving. We know that many of you, you know, make a plan to have a year-end contribution and just to remind you there are so many ways you can sew into Bethl.

So many opportunities to give and then so many ways to give. So just ask that you prayerfully consider uh a donation at this holiday at the end of the holiday season and make it postmarked if you're going to put it in the mail by December 31st. You can find out more about this at bethl.comgive or email givingbethl.com.

Join us at the Randy Clark School of Healing and Impartation from January 14th through the 16th in 2026 right here in Reading, California. Throughout the school, Randy and his team will teach on words of knowledge, the prayer model for healing, faith for healing, and the biblical basis for healing.

There will be times of activation, healing prayer, and impartation through the laying on of hands. >> Cannot do that. There will be times of activation, healing, prayer, and impartation through the laying on of hands. We invite you to join us for this powerful time. If you've missed any of these announcements, you can find them at bethl.com/church news.

So, we hope you are up and Adam this week just like we are bringing the kingdom and the joy. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. >> They are absurd. Steve's laugh. I could be having a bad day, but if I hear Steve's laugh, we're going up at least two notches.

Okay, why don't you guys stand up? It's time to take our tithes and offerings today. What a blessed time of the week it is that we get to give. Especially in this season, I was just reminded in worship of the time in the season in my life where I I grew up enough to realize that I also was supposed to tithe.

Do you ever you remember like growing up and you're like your your parents do it or you look around you're like am I am I old enough for that yet? Do I have to do I have to was the question when I was really young. And I specifically remember the season in my life where I felt this conviction inside like oh I'm I am this is for me too.

And I'll tell you what it was a season when I had very little to give very very little of my own. In fact, the money I had to give was money that had been given to me either by parents or like birthdays, Christmas, whatever. It wasn't even my money really.

But it was the season that taught me that when I bring what I do have, God is faithful over and beyond to surpass what we could ever give to him, what we could ever give. And it was the season I learned that anything I have belongs to him.

Anything I have. So in this season, I I feel a special grace to just lean in to our own generosity because he is generous towards us. >> And when we bring our tithes, right, it's not actually us being generous. Actually, that's a command. Like we're commanded to bring our tithes.

So it's a little bit different. But I do know that as we posture ourselves in obedience in this way, he's going to show up and he's going to teach us about his nature. And that's what really matters. We need to learn about his nature as we become like him.

So, let's think about that as we make our declarations today. In this house, we love to declare what we know to be true over our tithes and offerings. So, we invite you to join us as we um declare together offering reading number one. Let's do that. All right.

As we receive today's offering, we are believing the Lord for jobs and better jobs, raises and bonuses, benefits, sales and commissions, favorable settlements, estates and inheritances, interest and income, rebates and returns, checks in the mail, gifts and surprises, finding money, debts paid off, expenses decrease, blessing and increase.

Thank you, Lord, for meeting all of my financial needs that I may have more than enough to give into the kingdom of God and promote the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. Yes, we bless your tithes and offerings this morning. If this is not your home church, we'd ask you to keep your tithe for your home church, but of course, you're you're able to sew in over that.

We would love it. Okay, ushers are going to pass those buckets. There is ways to give on the screen. Bless you, Bethl Church. Why don't we welcome up Pastor Bill. Thanks. Thanks. Good morning. Hello. Hello. Good morning. Sounded painful. How many of you made it to uh the Christmas bazaar marketplace yesterday?

That was so I I look forward to that every year. I'm so glad I was I was able to be there again. How many of you spent money at the Christmas market here? Yes. I I have a gift in my life. It's called my daughter. Yes. I pour money through her.

It's kind of Jesus does to you and me. He pours money through us to others. I pour it through her. And uh it's it's our stocking stuffer day for our family. So we we shopped cuz I was there. I was there. She would say we need that and I'd buy it.

That's the way it works. Some people just have the gifts, others of us don't. So I I uh she she helps me every year. And this was fun fun. Yesterday um Benny years ago half jokingly told the kids, "Let's not do stockings this year." Any of you do stocking stuffer?

Yeah, we we do. And it was almost a revolt in our family. Almost a revolt because it's like the most fun thing. Except I got to buy bigger stockings cuz cuz I I get more than will fit. And I just need to get bigger stockings. I need someone to help me get the jumbo kind cuz what? >> Christmas. >> No, no, it's got to be stockings.

It's It's No, I'm I'm a traditionalist. Yeah, it's got to be stockings. It just needs to be fat stockings, big stockings, because I want to be able to put things in there. I I Well, never mind. Let's let's let's leave that where it is. I apologize for How many of you have have ever had a advent calendar for Christmas?

Yeah. According to my chocolate advent calendar, there are only three days till Christmas. This was a a priest, Father Brendan, wrote this a year or two ago. He said, "People be telling me that Christmas trees, holly and ivy and mistletoe are pagan." I respond by saying, "Yes, I do celebrate one of the holiest days of the year by beding my home with trophies of my vanquished foe."

I like it. I like it. I read it cuz I like it. My stomach is flat. It's just that the L is silent. >> Yeah. Yeah, I know. One more. One more. I've decided to leave my past behind me. So, if I owe you money, I'm sorry, but I've moved on.

All right. Grab your Bibles, open to Luke chapter 2. Uh, you know what? I I actually have more of a subject than a message if if that makes sense. I I felt so strong uh I've been pulled in two different directions this week in thinking and and praying for today.

And um the the worship set this morning had so much to do with answers to prayer and specific decrees. And so I I'm going to talk to you about prayer. I I want to talk to you about prayer. And uh but what we're going to do is I want I want you to look with me at two people that are in the Christmas story that are sometimes uh not emphasized as the heroes that I think they are a prophet and a prophetist and their ability to hear from the Lord and to discern what God was doing is really really extraordinary and uh they helped to set the stage for the coming of the Messiah.

So we asked the question how important is prayer? Now, what you're not going to hear today is that we need to pray more. What I want to tell you is we need to pray better >> there. We we sometimes get accustomed to the lack of a breakthrough and think that's normal >> and it's not.

We we cannot readjust Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, book of Acts to our lifestyle. We have to energize our lifestyle until we learn how to pray that the Holy Spirit actually directs us in in prayer because prayer was always meant to be a co-aboring relationship where we partner with God.

We hear his heart and we pray and decree things that uh that matter to him. Often times we we beg God to do what he's told us to do. And the assignment that we have is to pray into a position we where we make decrees where we we we speak to the mountain to be removed.

Jesus in his great uh teaching in Mark 11 on faith in and on the answers to prayer said you speak to the mountain and the mountain will be removed. And often times we beg God to do something that he's actually told us to do. And I I'll admit it.

This one is is uh baffling to me and I'm I'm just trying to learn it. But he said, for example, Randy Clark made a statement several years ago that really convicted me. He said, "For us to beg God to heal somebody is for us to assume we have more compassion than he does."

Some things have already been set in stone. They've already been accomplished. I mean, you know, Jesus doesn't need to return, die on the cross again to take care of yet another sin. He took care of it 2,000 years ago. The same happened with healing. It's just we have to learn how to pray effectively.

I remember years ago, in fact, I was standing right here as it was maybe 20 years ago. A gal came up. Uh we were we were prayer teams all over. We were praying for the sick and this gal came up came up. She had 10 years of m migraine headaches and uh was just really really tormented by this thing.

And so I I just I I prayed best I knew how. nothing happened. I I finally asked her the question, "Anything traumatic happened to you 10, 11 years ago?" And she said, "No, nothing that I can think of." I said, "All right." So, we prayed and and there was peace, but there just wasn't the breakthrough, you know, that we're we're looking for and accustomed to.

And um I was walking around praying for other people. She came to me maybe 20 or 30 minutes later. She said, "I remembered what happened to me 10 years ago." I said, "What?" She says, "I was raped." You would think that would be the first thing that would come to mind, but sometimes, you know, you move on with life and you just learn to dismiss the effect of certain things.

Well, it was still having an effect. And uh so all all I did is I said, "Well, let's take care of that." And so we we prayed together. We took care of the forgiveness issue, took care of the infirmity that was released because of that that that was done to her.

Remember, Jesus releases prisoners, those who have done something wrong, and captives, those who had something wrong done to them. Yes, >> he releases both. And she said, "Okay." So, we prayed through it just in a couple minutes and she's completely healed of 10 years of ongoing mind grief.

It wasn't the need to pray more. It was the need to find out how the Holy Spirit wants us to pray in a given situation. So, what I'm hoping is that the Lord will give every one of us the gift of dissatisfaction. >> Kind of like the birds do in the nest. you know, they pull all the feathers out and make them little sticks prick and poke until the bird finally wants to learn to fly.

And I'm hoping that this next year you and I will learn to fly and and effective prayer in ways that we've not known before. You know, I'm so thankful for what we've seen happen through the last almost 30 years. Incredible. But I know there's more. I ache for the more.

And I just pray that you get uh poked and pricricked. Sounds like a country western song, but we'll just leave it right there. Let's read through these two uh parts of the Christmas story. Um Luke chapter 2, read, we'll start with verse 25. We've got several verses to read.

Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and he blessed God and said, "Now Lord, you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your word.

For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for the before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel. So what happened here? The Lord spoke to Simeon. Here's a man of in intense prayer life, intense focus on the purposes of God.

So much so that the Lord satisfied the cry of his heart and said, "You will not taste death until you actually see the Messiah, the King of Kings, come to earth." This is his moment. And he says, "Now I can depart in peace because you fulfilled it." The next scene is with Anna, a prophetus.

Verse 36, "And there was one Anna, a prophetus, daughter of whatever of the tribe of Asher, and she was of great age. and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity. And this woman was a widow of about 84 years who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

In coming in that instant, she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of him to all who looked for the redemption of Israel. All right. What happened here? We have a prophet, a prophetus who recognized Jesus as the Messiah. Let me change the language a little bit. We have a prophet and a prophetist who recognized the king of all kings when he was an infant.

It could be said that they recognized who it was because of their prophetic gifting, but I don't think so. I think their prophetic gifting was backed by their passionate prayers. And when you lean into something in prayer, it's much easier to recognize the answer in its infancy. It's much easier to recognize that which comes not fully formed, not fully shaped, not the way we'd expect a king to come, >> the Messiah to rule and to reign.

He didn't show up the way many expected, but because of the devotion to prayer and the that that sense. How many of you have had times where you've been praying and you can tell the Holy Spirit is riding on or saying amen to what you're praying? you you know that feeling.

I I wish I could say it's there all the time. It's not there all the time for me, but when it happens, make a note because you you've just engaged in what is called co- laboring. You've partnered with the Lord and you are actually praying not to God, but from God. >> You're joined with him in administrating his will in the earth. >> Now remember, every single part of our life falls under the assignment of his dream.

And his dream is, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." >> His dream, his desire, everything that he's done, every miracle that Jesus did, every word that he preached, everything that was done was to demonstrate the reality of that world and how it could have effect on this life, on this world.

Your assignment is to co- labor with God and to hear his heart. What happens often in prayer is that is that we pray. Let me back up. Start with whatever you think is a good idea to pray for. I I know this will sound not very spiritual. Don't ask for direction.

Start with what you have because it's easier to steer the car when it's when it's rolling. Start with what burdens your heart. You you you may be praying for a while and suddenly you feel this shift in the presence where he starts defi refining the prayer and it's almost like the Lord says you know if I answered your prayer it would be plan B but let me show you plan A.

And as we continue prayer and we sense that presence affirming and giving the amen so to speak to what we're praying we tap into that moment of co-aboring with God where we see things happen that we've not seen happen before. And I'm I talk about this every once in a while.

I'm going after it again because I feel like the next 12 months are supposed is supposed to be the most extreme and extravagant breakthroughs we've ever seen in prayer. That there are things that are yet have yet to happen that are going to happen not because because we, you know, are so intelligent, not because of anything except that we've learned to hear his heart.

We've learned to sense his heartbeat, what he's burdened for, what he dreams of. You only know that by interacting with him. We we often beg God to do things that he's commanded us to do. And it's just it's just not healthy. And what happens all through church history is when that takes place, we find we find people just blaming the absence of an answer on the sovereignty of God. when he's already purchased that miracle.

He's already taken care of that people being reconciled, that person being reconciled, whatever it might be. He's already done what's necessary to make it possible. Your job and mine is to discover how to collabor with him in such a way that his hand is released in the most impossible of all situations.

This is the privilege of our life. I am not interested in praying so that I can check the box >> and say I've done what I'm supposed to do as a Christian. >> How important is prayer? I think it was John Wesley that said prayer, God does nothing in the affairs of man except in answer to prayer. >> So how important is prayer?

It's unbelievably important >> that he didn't even send the Messiah without intercession. >> You would think if there was anything that God would just choose to do on his own without anybody asking for anything, it would be the sending of of his Messiah to earth. But he didn't.

He first provoked and stirred up the prophet, the prophetus. People had actually been praying for the Messiah to come for several hundred years. There was this cry of the people and when it came to this breaking point, Anna and Simeon, they had been so intensely devoted to praying for this that Simeon's life was dependent on this.

He literally would not be able to depart and to go into paradise until he had be had behold beheld the the Messiah, the son of God. And in this moment, he had been leaning into this direction in prayer so significantly that when the answer came in its infancy, he could recognize as the king. >> Wow. >> I I'm concerned with I'm concerned with my prayer life.

So I'm I'm cons I concern me. All right. So let's let's just be honest here. I I'm concerned that I find myself praying for things in a way that Jesus didn't pray for. And it's not that I want to make anybody paranoid. I just I I want to make sure that everybody hears an invitation to come and find because the Holy Spirit tells us in Romans 8, we don't know how to pray as we ought. >> Yeah.

Yeah. >> So, that's a good place to start. God, I don't know what I'm doing, >> but you invited me. So, this was your idea and I'm ready to learn. Show me how to partner with the spirit of God so that your purposes are accomplished in the earth and ahead of time.

I give you all the credit. I give you all the glory. >> Prayer is so important that the Messiah didn't even come. But do you know the return of Christ even comes in response to prayer >> because the Bible says, "And the spirit and the bride say come."

Our partnership with the Lord is so vital that there are things happening all over the world that he would love to put his hand into. But until there is I know this will sound strange to you, but permission given. Let me back up. Put it this way. If I own a home in town, then I'm renting and you're renting from me and you are renting my home.

I have the master key. I have the title deed. In fact, since this is my talk, my that house is paid for, you know, and it's a big house, too. I just want you to know since I'm doing the illustration, this is my house. It's a big house, and I pay I own it outright.

And you're renting from me. I can't go into that house anytime I want. Even though I own it and I have the master key, >> I can only enter legally at your invitation. >> The scripture says, "The earth was made for men. the heavens for God. >> Wow. >> He put humanity in charge and then he made a covenant with us.

You pray and I respond. You give me the invitation and I will enter. Sometimes it's not praying more. Sometimes it's praying differently. Sometimes we've been asking God to do something he told us to do and we finally realize actually I need to speak to the mountain myself instead of God asking God to remove the mountain. >> Sometimes it's taking ownership responsibility to our assignment considering carefully.

I I watch often as people abort answers to prayer. Answers are released the moment a prayer is prayed, but it's in its infancy. It's embriionic in nature, in size, and then somebody will speak against the very thing they prayed for. I've heard people pray for, you know, maybe a backsliden child, just not walking with the Lord, and and they'll pray and have that sense of God's promise, and the very next moment they say, "Oh, he's just so filled with rebellion.

I don't know how this could ever happen." What did they just do? They just fueled the enemy's assault on on that child. People will will pray for a miracle in their body. Listen, I I get this. This is a this is a challenging journey. But what I what I don't want you to do is abort the miracle.

Something was released in that anointed prayer and and oftentimes I I'll pray for somebody and and and really really sense breakthrough. Sometimes I, you know, I'm just doing my best. Always just praying, but I really sense that breakthrough. And as soon as I'm done praying, they'll say, "Well, I know God can do it." >> Well, what you just told me was, you know, he hasn't done it. say recently that you know he hasn't done it.

I'm not asking anybody to pretend, but let's be honest here. Does Jesus need to return to the cross to deal with any future sins? >> No, it's done. Well, does he need to return to the cross to deal with any any present or future illnesses? No. It was settled then and there. >> So, the question isn't his will.

The question is, will we collaboration to see his breakthrough come? Amen. >> Sometimes it's not more prayer that's needed. Sometimes addressing a situation is needed. >> Sometimes speaking the heart of God, the will of God. >> When Jesus taught on this incredible subject of faith in in Mark 11 where he talks about have faith in God or actually have the faith of God in a given situation.

He goes on and he says, "You speak to the mountain and you command it to be removed. You address the mountain, command it removed. There's a responsibility that I have. I I can't >> I can't make anything happen outside of his authority. >> That's right. >> But I need to make everything happen that's possible inside that authority.

And you do that by being a surrendered, yielded vessel in a given situation. >> He says, "Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven." Stop asking God to bind the devil. >> Wow. Talk to us. >> Yeah. >> He told you to bind him. >> And we bind him to the word of God.

The covenant that God given has given us in his word in his scripture. >> Yes. Yes. >> That you will trample on powers of darkness. What I'm hoping and praying for in these next 12 months is is that every one of us will see levels and realms and measures of answers to prayer we've never seen before.

I I uh I just I I keep coming back to this feeling like it's time. It's time. It's time. I don't know. I feel kind of like the pitbull. I'm going to lock my jaws on this one and just not let go cuz uh there are things that are supposed to happen.

Listen, I'm thankful. I've seen more than I could ever than I ever deserved. and uh I he doesn't ever have to do another thing for me and I will have a burning heart for him forever because of what I've what I've already seen. >> But I also know he's left me here for a reason.

He's left you here for a reason. >> And there is a measure of breakthrough. Listen, answers to prayer manifest glory. Man, answers to prayer manifest glory. You're you're giving me that look. Let let me just read this this to you. Jesus turns the water to wine which is a amazing story says he turns the water to wine.

The very next verse says uh verses says um the beginning of signs Jesus did in Canaa of Galilee and manifested his glory and his disciples believed. Answers to prayer literally released glory into the atmosphere. How do you think the glory of the Lord is supposed to cover the earth? >> It's not because of a military invasion.

It's not it's you know I I believe in the return of Christ. I absolutely believe Jesus is coming back. He said he's coming back. I believe he's coming back. I don't know how. I don't know when. I just know it'll be the shock of a lifetime. I I know that much.

But I do believe he's coming back for a glorious church. >> Yes. >> I do believe I believe he's coming back. Many people have greater faith in the return of Christ than they do in the power of the gospel. >> Wow. And it's not that we must diminish the expectation and hunger for the return of Christ.

We just have to elevate the faith and the power of the gospel. If it can change a life, it can change a family. If it can change a family, it can change a city. If it can change a city, it can change a state and a nation. >> It's a greater faith in the power of the gospel. >> And this power of the gospel is demonstrated quite frankly through answers to prayer. >> Yes.

Amen. >> Right now, we have visitations of God in what's called the 1040 window, the Islamic part of the world. Why? For, I think, 40 years, missions groups have been targeting that part of the world. And they've been praying that people outside of faith in Christ would experience God's love.

And t day after day after day, people will have dreams of a man in white. They'll see visions of a man in white. And they actually come to Jesus because of these encounters, these visitations, these dreams that I know of. That wasn't happening 100 years ago. >> When did it start happening?

When people decided to start praying in that direction. What happens if we choose to reject a segment of society and not pray for their salvation? What happens when we do? >> I'd like to suggest to you that the angelic activity is intensified over the groups of people, the individuals, the situations where we have given ourselves in prayer.

It's not the token prayer. It's stepping into a moment. It may be five minutes, it may be five hours, but it's the intensity of joining with his heart. How many of you have been in a prayer gathering? In fact, let me illustrate. Let's say we've got five or six people here together.

We're going to pray together in a group. And let's say we have one person who has a real burden for homelessness. We have another who has a real burden for children's ministry, another for uh for single adults, another for uh you know, for for whatever for world missions or whatever.

So, we've all got six people. Each have a burden for one thing. We're all going to lead in prayer for what we have a burden for. Is that right? Yes. But when you sense that presence of God come upon one of those areas, drop your prayer. >> Drop your drop what you're praying for.

You can deal with that later on your own. Drop what you're praying for. Why? Because God has just said amen on something and we got to step into that momentum and and not just repeat the same prayer. Oh, God, uh, heal so and so's cancer. Amen. Oh, God, heal so and so.

No, pray something different. Come at it from a different angle. Don't just repeat the same prayer because you're telling me you don't believe the last one was answered. >> All right. Well, >> um, I like God surprises. >> I like when he surprises me with stuff. And I feel like we should just announce the next 12 months as Christmas. >> What is it?

The 12 days of Christmas. Is that a song? >> 12. It's We're going 12 months of Christmas. >> We're going 12 months. I'm serious. I I I feel like we're we're just supposed to we're supposed to pick up an attitude about things that haven't worked out >> instead of yielding and just assuming, well, God works in mysterious ways.

Yeah, he does work in mysterious ways, but he works. >> He's not absent in mysterious ways. He works in mysterious ways. That was a good point, Bill. That's a good point right there. So, here here's what we're going to do. I wanted to take the last uh 13 minutes that we have to we're going to pray for specific needs.

How many of you you before the end of the year you actually need a very specific breakthrough financially? Put your hand up if that's you. All right. Only those with their hands up. Stand. Now we're going to experience the power of corporate prayer. Now, let me be honest with you about something.

I would rather have prayer from one person with real faith >> than a thousand people with a good idea, >> with hope. I'd ra it's not the amount of people, it's the quality of the faith. >> But I believe that the Lord is setting us up for a measure of breakthrough in corporate prayer. >> I I'm I'm interested.

I'm very curious what as what's going to happen in the next 12 months uh in corporate prayer. So I'm asking those of you that are sitting down, stand up quickly, lay hands on somebody that has uh that is standing and I want you to pray specifically over them that the windows of heaven would open.

In fact, I want you to declare it over them. You got just like two minutes to pray. The windows of heaven open over them. Pour out a blessing until there is no more need. Pour out a blessing until there is no more need. >> God, we pray for favor.

Favor in the marketplace. Favor in the courts. those who are in litigation. Favor in the courts right now. >> Favor with the IRS. Favor in impossible situations. >> Favor with relatives, with family. >> God, we call for you to fight on their behalf. And we declare the spirit of breakthrough to rest upon each person.

The spirit, the mantle of breakthrough now in Jesus name. in Jesus name. >> Amen. All right, you did good. Bless him. Good. Be seated. We got a couple more things to pray for. Now, I'm I'm real serious about this. So, I I hope you are. I I want you to write down what you prayed for.

Uh what you stood for. I want you to write it down. And I want you to put the date down cuz I want you to be able to tell the people that prayed for you. I want you to actually anticipate an answer. Some of you are going to have unusual breakthroughs within seven days.

Give us the report. Please give us the testimony. Don't just sit on it. Please give us. We need the prophetic release of testimony over this house. The next area we're going to pray for, how many of you have uh you need a miracle of reconciliation? There's something in a relationship, perhaps a family member, anything of that nature, you need a miracle of reconciliation and it's imp naturally impossible, but you know that God is able.

Put your hand up if that's you. All right, stand if that's you with your hands up. Now, I want you to surround these, you guys know what to do by now. Surround these folks and begin to declare over them the spirit of reconciliation. We bind the spirit of division, that Leviathan spirit that twists information.

Everybody, please be involved in this. Don't be just spectators. Please, please, we declare the spirit of breakthrough, reconciliation, restoration of lost family members. >> Let it be so. Let it be true in the name of Jesus. Let a spirit of revelation come upon people where they know what to do to be reconciled.

Birth in us the hunger for reconciliation at a measure we've never known before in Jesus mighty name. >> God we release right now literally the angels of the Lord. angels to be on assignment to these relatives, these family members, these these friends that you would help to um manage the circumstances of their life to where they see that you've been calling to them for reconciliation.

We pray this in Jesus name. >> Jesus name. Amen. Just declare reconciliation >> is the will of God. >> Say it with me. Reconciliation is the will of God. Amen. >> Amen. Go ahead and sit down. The last one for for now is u how many of you are you're you're facing a health issue and you really need a breakthrough before the end of the year.

Put your hand up if that's you. Your hands up. Please stand. >> Please stand. Amen. Yep. Amen. Breakthrough by the end of the year. You know, it's it's amazing to me. >> Miracles are quick. Miracles are quick. They're just so fast. Getting there is what's sometimes slow. So, let's just take the word of the Lord >> in our mouths.

By the stripes of Jesus, >> I was healed. >> By the stripes of Jesus, I was healed. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Just declare that over them right now. >> Yeah. Just join around him. >> Thank you, >> Yep. >> Come on. >> Just declare. It's the will of God.

You know as well as I do. If Jesus were here in the flesh, every one of these would be healed. So, we're standing in his name to enforce and to bring about the will of God. >> Jesus declared earlier in our prayer time, I am willing be healed.

I am willing be healed. >> Thank you, Lord. >> Speak to the condition. Don't just ask God to heal him. He's already decided to speak to the condition. >> In Jesus name. Thank you Lord. >> Now I want you just to confess the blessing of the Lord over their bodies right now.

We confess, we declare over you the blessing of the Lord. Be blessed with strength. Be blessed with going out. Be blessed with coming in. The scripture says, "The Holy Spirit who lives in us gives life to our mortal body." So declare that over them right now. The Holy Spirit gives life to your mortal body.

The resurrection life of Jesus. >> Amen. Now, I want you to just say this with me. Everybody in the room, just stand if you would just say this with me. I receive the healing >> I receive the healing >> that Jesus bought for me. >> that Jesus bought for me. >> Let's say it together.

I receive the healing that Jesus bought for me. >> Wow. Wow. >> Wow. Wow. You know what? Tonight's going to be I think the most outrageous night of the year. I do. I think so. I'm so I am so happy about tonight. And it's not even tonight yet. >> And I'm already happy about tonight.

Oh, I'm just glad I have a reserve seat. Oh my. How about we get hungry for an impartation of the courage to face the impossible? If there's anything that this family carries, it's the courage to face the impossible. Wow. Wow. Wow. Let me ask a question. With this many people in the room, there's always the odds are high that there's people here that don't have a personal relationship with Jesus.

And the most important, the greatest miracle of all is that you would come to know Jesus, be forgiven of sin and be what the Bible calls born again, changed from the inside out. And it's available to everybody in the room, everybody online, our online uh audience is significant and large.

We bless you as well. And if this is your cry, this is your place of surrender today to say, "Yes, I want to surrender my life to Jesus. I want to come to know him. I want to know what it is to be forgiven and to be changed.

I want you just to put a hand up where you are and I want to make just an agreement with you. Wherever you are, just put your hand up high so I can see you. I just don't want to miss anybody. So wave it if I miss you.

All right. I'm going to assume you're all in. Amen. >> Amen. All right. Now listen, hold your places. You still owe me almost four minutes, so don't you dare leave. I got 3 minutes and 45 seconds. Come on up. Wrap it up. And uh tell tell them what they won.

Yeah. Tell them what they want. >> Don't say wrap it up, Bill. You know what happens when you do that. >> I forgot about that. Yeah. >> It's already started. Thanks, God. Oh, thanks God. Oh, look at your neighbor and say, "You just got an answer to prayer." >> Yes.

Yes. You came for more of God and you just got an answer to prayer. God, we thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Ministry team, would you come forward? Hug the person next to you. If they prayed for you, especially hug them and tell them happy Christmas online, we would love for you to record answers to prayer.

If you put it in the chat that you needed prayer, we know that there are those surrounding you praying for you. So, please put your testimonies in the chat. We'd love to hear about it. Ministry team is coming forward. If you need prayer, anyone here at the front with a badge and their hand up will be very happy to pray for you.

Uh we would love to see you get a breakthrough today. We would love to join you in partnership uh with what God wants to do in you this morning. Come on up if you would love to receive prayer. Anyone here with their hands raised and a badge on is able to pray with you.

Hello. Hello. Hello. I feel the presence of God so deep just coming out of that service. I was telling Haley that we were just praying for people in the crowd and um after praying I could feel the power of God. And we want to lean into this right now.

Um Pastor Bill just released a powerful word. It's not just um an encouraging word. It's not just a message I think he's preaching. He's he's releasing a prophetic word not only for our house but I think the body for these next 12 months of seeing unprecedented breakthrough answers to prayer and we want to go after it. >> Amen.

We do. >> 12 months starts now. >> That's right. >> Oh, thank God. If you need prayer right now, if uh I know we just prayed finances for relational reconciliation that is impossible. Um what was the third one? Healing. Heal the body. If you need one of those, I actually want to invite you if you're able to stand just in faith right now.

When we started leading our online school, we began to recognize when people would stand or do something, it kind of activated their faith. So, if you're able to just put your hands out in front of you, Lord Jesus, we thank you. We thank you, Lord. What I saw as we were praying was I saw the lash the after lash after lash that Jesus received.

And I I heard the Lord say, "Every strike is something we need fulfilled." And Lord, I thank you, Lord, that you didn't stop at one, Lord, but you bore all of our burdens. You bore all of the impossible circumstances, Lord Jesus. You paid, Lord, that sin, sickness, and poverty would be dealt with what the enemy dished out to humanity when Adam and Eve felt, Lord, you came to restore us to life and life in abundance.

And we declare right now over every impossible circumstance, over every relational uh uh circumstance that needs reconciliation, where there is offense, where there is bitterness, where things have been twisted and cause great pain. Lord, we thank you for healing. We thank you for hope. We thank you for blessing Lord over every body that needs uh to be restored over every impossible circumstance over um every intolerance every inflammation Lord that is causing um I just I see chronic illness Lord Jesus in the name of Jesus every cancer uh every defect Lord Jesus we thank you that you have come to restore us to heal us to make us whole and we receive your stripes it is by your stripes we are healed.

Thank you Jesus. Thank you, Lord. And we just I just want to declare breakthrough, God, that you would bring breakthrough in these impossible situations where we've almost um reconciled it in our minds of this is just how we'll live now. This is just something that we'll carry for the rest of our lives.

And yet, the King of Kings paid for that, too. That you don't have to stay stuck in a chronic illness or whatever it is, but actually ah that he's releasing breakthrough. He's releasing healing. I even saw um people who came in with neck issues like lack of mobility.

Um whether you had a car accident 10, 20, 30, even someone I feel like 50 years ago, you had a car accident and you lost mobility in your neck or you've had tension or pain and I see Jesus removing that right now. Oh, thank you, God. I just thank you for what you're doing.

I even Go ahead. No, no. Yeah. I even felt like there were some of you um as you were standing in your rooms or in your kitchens that you were actually beginning to pray and declare life over yourself. Like there's something so powerful about us praying. But there's something wow about us like partnering and declaring just like pas what pastor Bill was saying to to speak it to declare what is the truth of what God's saying over my life. >> Yes. >> There is life in me.

You know today as we were in worship and how I closed worship you only have a few minutes but what Bill uh spoke on I felt I felt that's what I was feeling in the room. I feel like there's even people on here. You're praying and you're believing, but there's a part of you that can feel your heart struggling to connect because it's been so long.

It's been so hard. It's almost like you've been accustomed to this. And what I heard the Lord say over the body uh this morning was that he was coming to blow the wind of the spirit to take away that chaff that that which is trying to cover over and almost I saw this like dampening this depression, this kind of weighty blanket of hopelessness.

I saw the wind of the spirit coming beginning to blow that away. And I feel like there's going to be restored hope, restored faith, and restored vision for the Lord to answer these prayers that the Lord wanted to engage the body of Christ. Not just engage a few of us, but engage us as a body into faith uh for the Lord God, the spirit of the Lord God is upon me, and he has anointed me.

And I just want to declare over you that are watching that God's spirit, for those of you that have received the free gift of salvation through the the purchase that Jesus purchased for us by his blood and his flesh, he has made the new and living way. For those of us that have entered in, received him as our savior.

It is part of our inheritance. This is part of our inheritance that we walk in the anointing of God and see heaven come to earth. And we just declare that. I speak that over any hopelessness in your spirit that that there would be a hope, a renewed joy and hope even today.

May you laugh today as you go to bed for some of you as some of you go to cook in your kitchen. Whatever it is, I pray for a restored joy where there's been hopelessness. Come on, there's such power in what you're releasing hills. And um even when you shared that in worship, I had seen a picture a little bit um before that where I saw the Lord breathing life into people.

And I saw um specifically even in wombs, I felt like there were people out there who've been struggling to get pregnant, people who've had um miscarriages or um even a word spoken of like you may not carry life, but I saw the Lord saying, "But I called you to carry life."

And I saw the Lord blowing um like wind into you. And I saw him releasing life. And so I want to just partner with that word and just release Jesus's life, the the life of the Holy Spirit into you. Whether you have gut issues, whether you've had IBS or Crohn's or any chronic conditions in your gut area, whether it's your womb, I just saw it's like that lower stomach, you know, and and for me, I'm like, I'm not going to limit what God can do.

If you have a need in that area and you're like, maybe she's going to call it out, maybe she's not, but you can feel the breath of God going in and out, him actually breathing new life into you, you just receive that. >> Oo, God, we just thank you that you're here. >> We thank you that you're here.

Thank you, Lord. I can feel I feel this really strongly. Some of some of us uh our hope is connected to us receiving God's joy. There's something about like sometimes we think our circumstance needs to change before we can receive the joy of our salvation, the joy of the Lord.

That is our strength. And I feel over many of you right now that the Lord, he wants to give you like the joy of the Lord that will give you the faith to pray through the circumstance. I can feel it over over things that the enemy has tried to uh distract you with, try to give uh create hopelessness.

It's almost like it's created this ecosystem. And I hear the Lord say that joy is going to break through the ecosystem and disrupt that which the thief has come to steal, kill, and destroy. And so Lord, I just thank you, Lord. I thank you right now, Lord, that we can receive joy before everything changes.

That joy is not based on circumstance. It's based on the reality that you have paid. You have done it, Lord Jesus. You and we rejoice today. I feel like some of you might even need to get up and start rejoicing. You might need to start just going, I rejoice, Lord.

I rejoice in your suffering cuz your punishment bought me peace. I rejoice in the stripes, Jesus, because it is healed. I am healed. And I feel like some of us just need to step into the celebration that it has been paid for. And and I feel like that that manifestation these next 12 months is going to come from the settleness that Jesus is really who he says he is and has done what he said he would do.

This is so good cuz I I'm I'm just thinking of like that's what I want to do. I want to stand up and I want to declare it and and maybe that's what you're doing in your room and you're like listen I want to listen to these two women but actually I need to stand up and and and start to declare something.

I need to partner with joy. I need to partner with praise and and >> what would you tell them like if you were like if you're standing up in your living room right now? >> I mean I'd probably we should just sing together. I've got a river of life flowing out of me.

It makes the lame to walk and the blind to see. It opens prisons doors, sets the captives free. I've got a river of life flowing out of me. Spring up a well in my soul. Spring up a well. If only we had someone mixing my voice right now. >> If only I could sing with you. >> Spring up a well and give to me that life abundantly.

Some of us, we just need to we just need to step into the joy. Sometimes I do this even in my kitchen with my kids. We just put on praise music. It says that we enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. And really what I saw today was I saw our praise lifting up the the the wheat and the chaff and the wind coming.

And so God, we praise you. We lift you up. Just join me right now. We glorify you. We magnify your name, Jesus. We lift up our heads. Psalm 24. We lift up our heads and we open the gates of our hearts, Lord. And we say, King of glory, come in.

Come in. And as our hearts say, who is this king of glory? You say you are the Lord God, strong and mighty, and you are mighty in battle. God, I thank you that you don't just wait at the finish line of victory, but in the battle, you show yourself strong.

And we partner with that. And we celebrate that our God is the one who is with us. He is for us. He is Elroy, the God who sees. That he's not separate from our struggle, but he is now here present. And we receive you, Lord. We receive that in the name of Jesus. >> Wow.

You can feel the joy being released right now. If you're in your room and you're like, I want that kind of joy, just begin to declare something out. I did this last week. We'll end in just a second. Um, we were in prayer and we were just declaring different things and I said this same phrase like 10 times in a row, just talking about who the Lord was as my joybringer. >> And I I didn't feel joy before I started to declare joy.

But I'll tell you, after I started declaring it like 10 times, I was in a different space. My perspective had shifted. And so if that's you today, just begin to declare who he is. >> Yes. >> Tell him who he is. Begin to partner with that as the truth for your life.

Hail, why don't you pray real quick before we wrap? You know what I saw? I saw Cassie and I and the rest of our family all coming together and saying we holding each other's arms up today as we praise as we lift up. For those of you that are weak, that are struggling, we come, we come with you and we thank you, Lord.

You are the lifter of our heads. We lift our eyes to the heels. Where does our help come from? My help comes from the Lord. And so Lord, today we just lift up the arms of our brothers and sisters. And Lord, we thank you, Lord, that you are bringing us what we cannot get for ourselves.

And Lord, I thank you for your Holy Spirit. I thank you, Lord. You did not leave us as orphans, but you came. You came and you didn't just come beside us, though you are here. You filled us. You filled our beings. And I pray for a fresh infilling, a fresh infilling of your joy.

Let the river of God pour out and we bless you. We bless you as sisters in Christ to each of you. And we say it's an honor to be in your family and together we join in and we partner and we say today is the day of breakthrough.

Today is the day of breakthrough. Lord, let it begin. We mark it in our calendar. And Lord, we thank you. 12 months from now, we're going to be celebrating testimony after testimony of answered prayer in Jesus' name. >> Amen. Guys, we've got ministry rooms for you. We love you so much.

Have the most incredible week. And let's pray.