1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,440
Thank you for listening to this message from Life House Church.

2
00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:19,760
All right, everyone. Good morning.

3
00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:26,080
So I am super excited to share this morning with what the Lord has laid on my heart.

4
00:00:26,080 --> 00:00:30,760
And I know I've only been here since September, actually, the time has flown by.

5
00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:35,240
But I'd like to give you a little bit of background on who I am, that kind of thing.

6
00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:38,280
But first, if you just bow your heads with me as we pray for this morning.

7
00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:41,520
Heavenly Father, God, we just thank you for this morning.

8
00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:48,120
We thank you for the opportunity to be here today, that we have been welcomed into your house and into this beautiful journey of life.

9
00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:53,120
Father, I just pray that as I speak this morning, that it's not me that is seen, but God, you seen through me,

10
00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:58,960
that every word that I speak and every everything that is happening in today's service be all for you and for your glory.

11
00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:08,480
Father, I pray that you provide revelation through the word that as we read, as we study, as we go into what it is that you have planned for this morning,

12
00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:12,320
Father, that you soften the people's hearts to hear and receive from you today.

13
00:01:12,320 --> 00:01:15,120
So, Father, we love you and we worship you in Jesus name. Amen.

14
00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:20,960
All right. So I was actually born in China. Start there.

15
00:01:20,960 --> 00:01:25,200
I was adopted at five and a half months old by my wonderful family.

16
00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:30,640
My parents are here today and I have three older brothers.

17
00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:32,440
I'm the youngest of three boys.

18
00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:35,600
I'm the baby of the family, the only daughter.

19
00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:40,280
They are all married. They are all happily married and with kids.

20
00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:45,880
And I get to live with the love of my life, which is my golden retriever, Annie.

21
00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:48,320
I'm just kidding.

22
00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:54,440
I do love her and of course she does live there, but I am engaged to the actual love of my life, which is Ryan.

23
00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:57,920
And he's back in the production booth this morning.

24
00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:00,200
Ryan and I were both raised in the Church of God.

25
00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:04,240
So we've grown up around Pentecostal world and that thing.

26
00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:10,480
But while I am now happily where the Lord has placed me, I didn't always start exactly this way.

27
00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:13,160
There's a few things that I never thought would happen.

28
00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,880
Number one, I never thought that I would be in ministry.

29
00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:20,520
Kind of shocking now that you know me, but before I had no idea.

30
00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:22,960
Number two, I never thought I would marry a pastor.

31
00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:28,560
And number three, I never thought I would be the pastor of which someone was marrying.

32
00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:36,720
But here we are. And in the midst of kind of all that chaos and the beautiful change of this journey that the Lord has brought us on over the last few years.

33
00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:41,560
And also now here at LifeHouse, we're also planning a wedding.

34
00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:46,760
One detail that we have not yet figured out is we're working on the music for the wedding.

35
00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:48,840
And that includes our first dance song.

36
00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:54,080
So, of course, if you've ever been to a wedding, you know that by this point in the wedding,

37
00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:57,640
the officiant has already declared the husband and wife as a united front.

38
00:02:57,640 --> 00:03:03,880
They have then the opportunity to demonstrate that partnership in a dance together.

39
00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:10,560
Likewise, we have the opportunity to step out of the shadows and step into a dance with the Lord.

40
00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:16,640
So give your neighbor a little nudge there and say, let's dance.

41
00:03:16,640 --> 00:03:23,840
Now, before you tune me out because you hate dancing or you have two left feet, let me just ask you this question.

42
00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:28,520
Do you believe that music can move you?

43
00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:33,920
Being in theater and other music settings most of my life, I've seen music move people physically,

44
00:03:33,920 --> 00:03:38,600
whether it's like tapping of their foot or nodding of their head, but also emotionally.

45
00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:44,200
I mean, for instance, the worship team this morning as we sang these songs, like I cried.

46
00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:49,160
And I've also seen the way that a tempo or the speed of a song can change how people react.

47
00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:53,960
For instance, if you watch a movie and there is a dramatic scene going on, it's a slower song.

48
00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:59,000
It's a little bit quieter versus when the McCallister's are late for their Christmas flight.

49
00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:03,240
They are zipping through the crowd to run, run Rudolph.

50
00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:07,400
Similarly, the music behind our dance with the Lord is also important.

51
00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,800
And that music is the word of God in our lives.

52
00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:13,640
It's guiding us through those ebbs and flows of life.

53
00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:19,440
And as we tune into the music, we'll find ourselves more in step and connected with the Lord.

54
00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:27,600
So if you have your Bibles or devices or you can look up on the screens, we're going to do we're going to turn to John, Chapter 15.

55
00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:32,800
And we're reading verses five through eight.

56
00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:39,480
So these are actually red letters in the Bible, which means that Jesus is speaking and in this case, he's speaking to his disciples.

57
00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:44,960
So John, Chapter 15, verse eight, verse five says, I am the vine.

58
00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:49,520
You are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him abide.

59
00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:53,600
Oh, sorry. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit.

60
00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:56,600
For without me, you can do nothing.

61
00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:01,680
If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered.

62
00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:05,600
And they gather them and throw them into the fire and they are burned.

63
00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:11,720
If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you.

64
00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:15,520
By this, my father is glorified that you bear much fruit.

65
00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:18,520
So you will be my disciples.

66
00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:27,800
So I know that some scriptures can be a little bit confusing to unpack, but there are places in scripture that Jesus provides word pictures to help us grasp a concept.

67
00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,600
As a visual learner myself, this tends to help me.

68
00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:39,000
In this case, I want us to focus on the second chunk of that first sentence where Jesus says, for without me, you can do nothing.

69
00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:47,120
This is not written to create a sense of fear, but rather to show that vast difference between existing and thriving.

70
00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:53,480
To say that we can do nothing makes some people kind of tilt their heads like a dog who just heard a squeaky toy.

71
00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:58,400
But in the most basic sense, he is the one who gives us life and breath.

72
00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:03,320
But we were created for way more than to just breathe.

73
00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:12,520
The visual that is given is that you are part of a vine, but if it's just there, if it's not bearing fruit, if it's not growing stronger, it'll wither.

74
00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:20,280
Scripture continues to say that those withered branches then won't remain there, but rather they'll be thrown into the fire and burned.

75
00:06:20,280 --> 00:06:23,280
I think of this little garden that we actually have in the backyard.

76
00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:31,000
It is brown and dying, mostly because it's no longer receiving the nutrients that it needs to produce and to thrive.

77
00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:36,880
So later on, we may find that it's better off used as a fire starter than to create new fruit.

78
00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:43,240
So rather than to just exist and wither and eventually burn, our lives have eternal purpose.

79
00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:48,000
But we won't discover that purpose until we show up to the dance.

80
00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:54,240
Showing up means making that decision to step into something, even if we don't know all of the details.

81
00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:57,600
We know the concepts, we can play out the scenes in our head.

82
00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:04,120
And while there could be other factors that we haven't yet calculated, we're still curious enough to go.

83
00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:12,800
So at this point in my life, I am past the point of homecomings and prompts, but I am at the point where most of my friends are getting married.

84
00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:19,000
I've been invited to weddings of people in high school or people that I knew from high school or knew from college,

85
00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:21,720
basically people that I don't know very well anymore.

86
00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:30,600
And while it was an honor to be invited, that RSVP, man, I had to make the call of do I actually want to show up or not?

87
00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:37,280
I had to go through those pros and cons lifts, things like, well, at some weddings, Ryan won't be there with me.

88
00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:40,400
Some weddings, I don't even know the person anymore.

89
00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:45,320
I don't know who else will be there, and I'm not a confident or bold enough person to be on the dance floor.

90
00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:50,680
So I'll probably sit in the corner in a seat by myself just watching other people dance the night away.

91
00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:54,080
I don't know if that's you or not. But my point is this.

92
00:07:54,080 --> 00:08:00,440
When we choose to hold back, instead of showing up, we're missing out on what the Lord has for us.

93
00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:06,280
When we choose to just exist, the word of God is just background noise.

94
00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:13,880
I'd even venture to say that to just exist is to not believe in the full gospel power of God.

95
00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:21,160
If I'm just existing one day when I stand before the Lord and see him face to face, knowing very well that he is real,

96
00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:26,960
I would have to hear the words of I never knew you depart from me.

97
00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:33,280
To just exist and to not choose a relationship with the Lord leads to an eternal separation,

98
00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:38,680
which is why choosing and finding your partner is just the first step.

99
00:08:38,680 --> 00:08:44,840
Even if all you know on the dance floor is a simple two step, you know that there is at least a first step.

100
00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:48,840
And choosing Jesus, accepting Jesus is that first step.

101
00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:55,120
Since you've showed up, now you have to have the boldness to accept his invitation.

102
00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:58,000
Jesus tells us two parables in Luke, chapter 15.

103
00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:01,480
You don't have to turn there, but in Luke, chapter 15, verse 10, he says,

104
00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:08,000
there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

105
00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:14,840
Heaven rejoices over even just one person who chooses to make Jesus their life partner.

106
00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:21,960
And unlike a wedding recessional, there's usually not a line of people waiting with confetti or blowing bubbles or ready to clap wildly.

107
00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:30,480
But honestly, when I think of heaven, I think that even that is weak in comparison to what heaven looks like when that one person turns to him.

108
00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:36,560
So then my question for you, if you if you believe that you have already accepted him as your savior,

109
00:09:36,560 --> 00:09:44,800
is what's it going to take for us to be unsatisfied with where we are currently?

110
00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:49,840
Maybe we found our partner in Jesus, but we're a little out of sync when it comes to our faith.

111
00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:57,600
The moment that we convince ourselves that we either know it all or have it all together is when progress stops.

112
00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:05,120
You start dancing alone instead of dancing with Jesus because you've closed yourself off from learning and improving.

113
00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:10,120
It's kind of like if you have a kid who decides that they know it all and doesn't want your help anymore,

114
00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:17,800
or even a teenager who thinks that they don't need your advice because you don't know what they're going through.

115
00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:23,000
Sometimes our form of existing looks like doing church, looks like going through the motions,

116
00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:26,160
whether you're reading the verse of the day, but never reading further.

117
00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:30,800
You're going to church on a Sunday morning, but never reflecting back on the message.

118
00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:36,200
Maybe you're going to a life group, but it's really only to gossip with the people that you're around.

119
00:10:36,200 --> 00:10:39,360
Are these just items on our to do list?

120
00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:43,080
Are they our only time with the Lord?

121
00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:51,320
Because while these things should pique our interests in going deeper with the Lord, they should not be the peak of our week.

122
00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:59,560
First Peter 2 9 says, but you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession

123
00:10:59,560 --> 00:11:05,960
that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light.

124
00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:12,000
Our decision to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, to acknowledge the perfect will of the Father

125
00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:18,160
and to be guided by the Holy Spirit means that we become a part of the vine.

126
00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:23,800
Stopping at that first step is like knowing the words of a song, but not being truly engaged.

127
00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:32,240
So rather than sitting alone in a dance hall by ourselves, we are invited to dance with the God of the universe.

128
00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,880
We declare that we have become one with him.

129
00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:42,720
And from there, we have to agree not only just to dance, but to embody what it means to be a dancer.

130
00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:46,560
We have to embody a dancer, but let him lead.

131
00:11:46,560 --> 00:11:51,920
Now, again, I get it if you're stiffer than a deer in the headlights on the dance floor.

132
00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:57,440
But when the Lord asks us to dance and we accept, we step into a partnership,

133
00:11:57,440 --> 00:12:03,480
but we have to truly embody Christ, which is more than just saying yes.

134
00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:10,440
The bare minimums that we could do and call it a dance is like that little sway or the tap of our foot or the bob of the head.

135
00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:12,200
Somebody might consider that dance.

136
00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:13,840
Maybe not.

137
00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:20,400
But when it comes to dancing with the Lord, we aren't called to just exist or to just do the bare minimum.

138
00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:27,680
Rather, we are called and for him, he desires for us to be his disciples.

139
00:12:27,680 --> 00:12:34,960
John 15, eight, like we talked about earlier, said that by this, my father is glorified that you bear much fruit.

140
00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:37,760
So you will be my disciples.

141
00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:44,760
The word be here in the original Greek translation actually means to become.

142
00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:51,080
So to become means you have to become a dancer when you're following Jesus.

143
00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:57,440
You must embody the character, the movements, the emotions of Christ.

144
00:12:57,440 --> 00:13:02,880
In John 15, basically, when it said that we accept Jesus and we became part of the vine,

145
00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:11,560
we now have a duty as disciples to glorify him and bear fruit that he allows us to bear.

146
00:13:11,560 --> 00:13:19,800
Now, as a disclaimer, as I was talking about with the wedding, I, Ryan and I do not claim to be world class dancers whatsoever.

147
00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:25,800
So what we do at the wedding, it might be a sway and that's OK, too.

148
00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:31,280
But we have dabbled in a few like at home swing dance lessons just for fun.

149
00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:31,920
It's fun.

150
00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:35,560
He doesn't remember most of them, but it's OK.

151
00:13:35,560 --> 00:13:40,640
I've come to learn, though, that when a partner submits to the leader.

152
00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:45,920
That the partner doesn't actually have to know what next move what the next move is,

153
00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:51,200
but rather they are just to follow the subtle guiding of the leader.

154
00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:59,760
So in order to follow, there's a level of respect, a level of understanding for me to not step on Ryan's toes.

155
00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:06,240
When we're trying to go through a dance means that I have to submit to him as he chooses and communicates

156
00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:09,680
through a guiding movement of what is to come next.

157
00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:13,200
If I choose not to follow, the dance will get interrupted.

158
00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:18,040
The dance will not nearly flow the way that it was supposed to.

159
00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:26,080
Often in wedding messages, you'll hear that the efficient will share scriptures based on the couple's union and how the two become one.

160
00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:33,200
In the same way, we have to accept Jesus and the Holy Spirit then dwells within us and we become that one.

161
00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:36,560
We become that extension of Jesus Christ.

162
00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:43,400
But still, if we choose not to listen to the guiding of the Holy Spirit and we fall back into old patterns,

163
00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:51,240
fall back into old rhythms and just begin to do the bare minimum, the effects of our dance become less and less exhilarating.

164
00:14:51,240 --> 00:15:02,560
On the flip side, when we agree to dance with the Lord and let him lead, our dance will become more intricate and more beautiful because he's in control.

165
00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:09,520
To embody Christ means that we're going from just talking about Christ to living like Christ.

166
00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:15,640
Embodying Christ means things like knowing his example so that we can be an example.

167
00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:19,240
It's learning how he served so that we know how to serve.

168
00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:24,400
It's recognizing his sacrifice so that at times there are things that we have to sacrifice.

169
00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:29,200
It's knowing just when to let go or when it's time to hold on to something.

170
00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:39,840
It's forgiving when we don't want to, resisting our temptations, striving for that pure and clean heart and mind that he has.

171
00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:44,080
And now I know that we're not all knowing, nor will we ever be.

172
00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:53,520
But as I said, we don't have to know the next move, but to embody Christ means that we have to follow his lead.

173
00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:59,040
So at this time, I am going to ask the worship team to come back up.

174
00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:06,440
And my question for you guys, though, is what is your wedding song with the Lord?

175
00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:10,720
What scriptures have made a difference in your dance with God?

176
00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:19,080
Threaded through the message this morning was the music of God, the scriptures that he spoke to us to ask us to dance with him.

177
00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:22,280
Some scriptures remind us things like we need to slow down.

178
00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:27,360
We need to wait with him or learn from even a present moment that they're in.

179
00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:32,840
Some light a fire for us to move with intention.

180
00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:41,960
As the word of God gives us revelation and movement through scripture, we begin to claim that song of partnership with the Lord.

181
00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:44,400
I love praise and worship songs.

182
00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:49,840
And so if we're talking lyrically, you have ones like trust in God.

183
00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:53,240
I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered.

184
00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:58,720
And sometimes that resonates or other ones like all my life you have been faithful.

185
00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:04,040
Yeah, some things like that tend to resonate with us through different seasons of our life.

186
00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:08,320
But it's still important that we don't remove the music from the songs.

187
00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:17,640
And what I mean by that is we have to remember to seek the scriptures, the meanings, the context behind the lyrics that we dance to.

188
00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:24,760
And as seasons change, our partnership should continuously grow stronger as we embody Christ.

189
00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:33,000
He'll continue to lead us through yet another dance, no matter the pace or the action required or the emotions we feel.

190
00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:41,200
But we have to submit to him and say, OK, God, let's dance.

191
00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:51,040
If everyone could stand.

192
00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:57,880
I want to first give an opportunity for those of you who maybe have not yet accepted that invitation.

193
00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:00,160
To dance with the Lord.

194
00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:12,040
To me, again, as a pretty visual person, oftentimes I think of this as an open dance floor and the Lord is standing right there, holding his hand out to you and saying, come dance with me.

195
00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:16,920
And I know for guys, that's a little bit of a weird analogy because you're used to being the lead.

196
00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:19,280
But in this case, you can't be.

197
00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:26,400
You cannot take the lead in comparison to when the Lord needs to guide you somewhere.

198
00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:31,240
He'll take the lead. He'll guide you every single step of the way.

199
00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:38,000
But if you haven't said yes yet and put your trust in him, then now's your time.

200
00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:39,920
So we'll do this in two parts.

201
00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:47,360
So if everybody would close their eyes, bow their heads, nobody's looking around, it's just me, it's just you and God.

202
00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:54,320
If you reflect on that and truly think, you know, have I accepted that invitation?

203
00:18:54,320 --> 00:19:07,600
If that's you, I just want you to just very simply, all you're going to do is slip your hand up, put your hand right back down, just long enough for me to see.

204
00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:08,800
OK, thank you.

205
00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:13,280
I see those hands and I know that heaven is rejoicing.

206
00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:19,000
And so we're going to continue into that this morning.

207
00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:20,760
We'll do that prayer in a second.

208
00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:28,520
But the second part is the large majority of you in this room maybe have already accepted that invitation.

209
00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:33,800
You've already been in a relationship with him, but maybe you've tried to force your way into the lead.

210
00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:40,600
Maybe you've grown stagnant to where you're coming to church and doing the right thing.

211
00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:42,960
But you realize you've become numb.

212
00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:46,200
You've just started to sway.

213
00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:54,400
You're doing the minimum of what's required of you and trying to call it a day.

214
00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:57,360
Sometimes we come up with all sorts of excuses when that happens.

215
00:19:57,360 --> 00:20:03,480
We say that, oh, well, we're just so busy or the pastor's message really didn't strike a chord with me.

216
00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:08,840
And excuse after excuse after excuse, we just continue to sway through the motions.

217
00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:11,800
But now is the time to truly follow his lead.

218
00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:16,920
So in the same way with every eye closed and with every head bowed, if that is you this morning, same thing.

219
00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:20,520
Simply raise your hand and put it back down.

220
00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:31,880
I see those hands and I know that the Lord knows your heart too.

221
00:20:31,880 --> 00:20:33,880
Thank you, Jesus.

222
00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:35,600
All right. So this morning we are going to pray.

223
00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:39,600
And for those of you who have not yet accepted that invitation to Christ,

224
00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:48,400
those few hands that I saw, this is your time that we are we are dedicating this time in your life back to the Lord.

225
00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:55,680
Back. We are coming back to life as we sang earlier that we were once dead in our sins,

226
00:20:55,680 --> 00:21:01,520
dead to our transgressions, but now we have been freed by the blood of Jesus,

227
00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:06,480
that we believe that he has died for your sins, that he has made you clean.

228
00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:09,440
He has wiped your slate.

229
00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:19,320
So that now as you step into that dance with him, it is this beautiful partnership that is about to begin.

230
00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:22,880
So pray with me this morning.

231
00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:25,520
Heavenly Father God, we thank you.

232
00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:27,200
God, we thank you for this morning.

233
00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:31,040
We thank you for the hearts that are turning back to you this morning,

234
00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:36,160
for the ones that have never yet accepted your invitation,

235
00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:41,280
for the ones that are saying for the very first time or rededicating their lives to you that say,

236
00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:45,200
God, right now, all I want is you.

237
00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:50,720
And I know and I believe in my heart that you have died for my sins.

238
00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:56,840
And I know that you have died and come to life so that we can live a life eternally with you.

239
00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:01,640
Father, I want to believe that everything that you have for me, everything that will come to pass,

240
00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:06,360
everything in this dance and this partnership with you is going to be guided by you,

241
00:22:06,360 --> 00:22:08,880
that I don't have to do it all on my own.

242
00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:15,080
But Father, as I'm surrounded by several witnesses, as I'm surrounded by several people in this body

243
00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:22,840
who also feel that presence, who also know that you are the God of the universe that has invited us all to dance.

244
00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:26,200
Father, we come back to you this morning.

245
00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:29,240
We come back to you and say, God left dance.

246
00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:30,680
I don't want to sway anymore.

247
00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:34,360
I don't want to just go through the motions.

248
00:22:34,360 --> 00:22:37,400
But Father, today I choose you.

249
00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:48,200
I choose you today, tomorrow and the rest of my life that I want to for the rest of eternity, spend my life with you.

250
00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:54,760
God, you are so good and you are so gracious to forgive our sins

251
00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:58,920
that we don't have to hold on to the guilt or the shame or the regrets of those things.

252
00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:02,520
But we are propelled forward into the future with you.

253
00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:07,480
That as this tempo begins to speed up, as our songs begin to move and ebb and flow with life,

254
00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:16,000
that we trust in the scriptures that you have given us, the music that you have given us for our lives.

255
00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:26,280
Father, continue to move on your people this morning as they turn back to you and give you absolutely everything they have.

256
00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:30,520
Father, we worship you and we thank you again for this morning.

257
00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:57,000
In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

258
00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:03,000
LifeHouseCOG.com