1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:15,440 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. 2 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:23,060 To get connected or to give online go to connect.hcv.church or give.hcv.church. 3 00:00:23,060 --> 00:00:27,360 If at any point during this message you feel called to make a change in your life, text 4 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,840 change me to 970-00. 5 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:33,960 Thank you and enjoy the message. 6 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:35,160 Happy New Year to you. 7 00:00:35,160 --> 00:00:42,460 It's 2025 and I did not give permission for my children to be filmed in those video announcements 8 00:00:42,460 --> 00:00:48,080 including my five-year-old who's slam dunking the offering box. 9 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:50,140 But that is the Phoenix. 10 00:00:50,140 --> 00:00:53,220 If you're joining us from home, thank you for welcoming us into your space. 11 00:00:53,220 --> 00:00:54,220 Happy New Year. 12 00:00:54,220 --> 00:00:55,960 Shout out to our friends at HHC. 13 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:58,640 We love you and hope to see you soon. 14 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:03,640 So this morning is partnership Sunday here at HCV. 15 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:06,800 Some of you may be wondering what is partnership Sunday? 16 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:11,560 Well I get asked all the time by those of you that are new or fairly new to our community 17 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,720 of faith maybe six months, eight months, maybe in a year. 18 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:16,200 Hey, how do I become a member Chris? 19 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,080 Well we don't have membership here. 20 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:19,580 We have partnership. 21 00:01:19,580 --> 00:01:25,980 And what partnership is is simply a year-long commitment that happens every January, every 22 00:01:25,980 --> 00:01:32,800 new year on this Sunday that says that we are going to commit to being a part of your 23 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:33,800 community of faith. 24 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:38,440 Together, including myself, I will sign and date one of these pieces of paper that is 25 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:39,800 in your bulletin. 26 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:44,480 And I just want to go over what it looks like to be a partner in our community of faith. 27 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:45,600 There's three different ways. 28 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:47,800 First we connect to God. 29 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:54,120 I will devote myself this year, 2025, to partnering with HCV by actively attending weekend gatherings 30 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:57,360 and engaging Jesus in worship, which we're doing this morning. 31 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:03,120 Prayer becoming a regular practice in my life, which it should, and daily Bible reading and 32 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:06,360 devotions, which we are constantly encouraging you to do. 33 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:08,280 Number two, we relate to others. 34 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:15,280 I devote myself to partnering with HCV in 2025 by serving once a month at a weekend 35 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:16,280 gathering. 36 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,440 I believe that service and giving back to others is good. 37 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,360 No better place to practice it than here, because guess what? 38 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:27,040 If you can't do it in a church community, you're not going to do it outside of these 39 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:28,040 walls. 40 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:32,760 So we challenge you, serve once a month, not every Sunday, one Sunday a month. 41 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:33,800 Join a community group. 42 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:37,040 Our community group for the winter will launch in two weeks. 43 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:41,480 We value our small groups and we encourage you to be a part. 44 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:47,040 If you discover that there's not one that meets your time, your commitment, your needs, 45 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:48,040 start one. 46 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:52,480 We're all about new leaders coming forward and starting community groups. 47 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:56,180 Participating in other yearly community events at the Hub City Vineyard, we value serving 48 00:02:56,180 --> 00:03:01,080 our community, just like you heard in the announcements at the Reach Cold Weather Shelter, 49 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:03,580 at Tim Tebow's Night to Shine. 50 00:03:03,580 --> 00:03:08,000 We'll be doing all those things in February and we need your help. 51 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:12,240 And to go along with that, we want you praying for the leadership and partners, which is 52 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:15,320 you, of the Hub City Vineyard community. 53 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:16,520 That's how we relate to others. 54 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,060 And third and finally, we serve the community. 55 00:03:19,060 --> 00:03:20,720 How do we serve the community? 56 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:27,760 We devote ourselves to partnering with HCV in 2025 by regular financial support to Hub 57 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:29,260 City Vineyard. 58 00:03:29,260 --> 00:03:30,520 You know we value tithing. 59 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:32,720 We'd be giving back to God first. 60 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:36,800 Serving others with my possessions and talents so the kingdom of God can work in our lives 61 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:38,240 and the community. 62 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:43,040 We value getting rid of our storage containers and giving it all away. 63 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:46,120 If you need a storage container, that means you're not going to use it anyway. 64 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:48,320 Give it to somebody that needs it. 65 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:52,700 Inviting and including others from our community of faith who share in the life changing truth 66 00:03:52,700 --> 00:03:53,700 of Jesus. 67 00:03:53,700 --> 00:03:54,700 Look, here's the reality. 68 00:03:54,700 --> 00:04:00,160 We believe that you can lead someone into a relationship with Jesus every single day 69 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:01,740 that you go to work or go to school. 70 00:04:01,740 --> 00:04:04,720 But a lot of times that can be intimidating and overwhelming. 71 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:05,760 But hey, guess what? 72 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:10,080 An invite to our community of faith gives people an opportunity to hear the good news 73 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:17,320 because you know we pray that prayer every single Sunday expecting people to meet Jesus. 74 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:22,640 Now if you believe you can partner with us in those three different areas, sign that 75 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:27,480 piece of paper, date it, and put it somewhere that you will see it every single day. 76 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:28,600 You know why? 77 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:32,420 Because me collecting them and me keeping them in the big books doesn't mean you're 78 00:04:32,420 --> 00:04:34,680 a member or partner of our church. 79 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:39,340 You need to hold yourself accountable to committing to our community of faith because that's how 80 00:04:39,340 --> 00:04:41,640 the church works. 81 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:43,440 And we value that. 82 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:50,480 So I want you to pray about that and consider partnering with us in 2025. 83 00:04:50,480 --> 00:05:01,880 Now every year as we approach January, I take time to pray and ask God for a word, a scripture 84 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:05,160 that will define the direction of our year. 85 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:08,840 I actually received this word several months ago which is kind of unusual. 86 00:05:08,840 --> 00:05:12,080 It seems to me that God always takes me down to the limit. 87 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:18,720 But actually a few months ago, God put Mark 11, 23 on my heart and it says this. 88 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:20,620 I tell you the truth. 89 00:05:20,620 --> 00:05:27,480 You can say to this mountain, may you be lifted up and thrown into the sea and it will happen. 90 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:32,680 But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 91 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:38,920 I clearly heard the Holy Spirit speak to my heart that in 2025 this is the year of movie 92 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:40,240 mountains. 93 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:44,360 Whether it be a mountain in your own life, whether it be a mountain in your family's 94 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:49,840 life, we believe that this is going to be a year of breakthrough and deliverance. 95 00:05:49,840 --> 00:05:55,720 And I want you to be encouraged that you can do that and we will be doing it together for 96 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:57,920 the next 21 days. 97 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:01,960 As I was praying about this weekend, which actually kicked off last night for those of 98 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:07,240 you who don't know, we had a community worship night which involved six different churches 99 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:13,160 coming together to host a worship night with six different worship leaders and we had nearly 100 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:22,720 600 people here packed the place to worship and declare that 2020-25 was going to be the 101 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:26,080 year of God's favor over our different churches. 102 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,720 And let me encourage you, that doesn't usually happen. 103 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:33,360 I had one of the leaders, worship leaders give me a hug on the way out and she looked 104 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:39,680 at me and she said thank you for opening your doors and welcoming the unity of the body 105 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:43,200 of Christ to come together right here in this space. 106 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:48,380 So we are going to continue to do that because we believe that's how God changes communities. 107 00:06:48,380 --> 00:06:53,600 So we already are planning more worship events like that that will involve different worship 108 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:54,600 leaders. 109 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:58,240 Be sure to stay tuned because you don't want to miss it. 110 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:02,800 So as I was praying about that event and also how we're going to kick off this weekend, 111 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:07,120 God put the word anointing on my heart. 112 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:11,920 And when I heard that word, just being honest, that's not a typical word that I use in my 113 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:13,240 vocabulary. 114 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:15,680 I don't even share it on a Sunday morning. 115 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:19,320 Not that I have a problem with it, I just believe it's a very churchy word. 116 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:25,560 And I'm not a big churchy guy so I avoid language that identifies with religion. 117 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:31,640 So what I did was I began to read different passages in the Bible that connect anointing, 118 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:36,880 the anointing to our mountain movers scripture. 119 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:42,800 And what I discovered was that the Holy Spirit was prompting me that in order for our community 120 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:48,120 of faith to move mountains, we would need a fresh anointing on our lives to increase 121 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:51,960 our faith and believe in the supernatural power of God. 122 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:57,800 So I'm going to open our discussion on the 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, talking and 123 00:07:57,800 --> 00:07:59,640 teaching on the word anointing. 124 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:05,640 Again, I had to do a lot of studying, I had to dive into it and see what it meant. 125 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:06,880 It is all throughout the Bible. 126 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:10,640 I believe in it and I want to share with you what I learned. 127 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:13,760 But before we do, I want to open in prayer because I believe the Holy Spirit wants to 128 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:15,120 speak to your heart. 129 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:18,360 So Holy Spirit come. 130 00:08:18,360 --> 00:08:21,240 Move in this place, God. 131 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:22,240 Change us. 132 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:28,160 Open our ears, our minds and our hearts to receive all that you have. 133 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:31,560 And God, I pray for a fresh anointing to fall on each and every person sitting in these 134 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:37,880 seats that they would sense a tingling in their hands or in their arms, that tears would 135 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:45,840 well up, that they would know that you are with them, that you are here. 136 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:48,800 In Jesus' name, amen. 137 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:51,280 So that prayer leads us to our first thought. 138 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:58,400 See anointing is the power of the Holy Spirit in and on a believer's life. 139 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:03,400 Anointing is the power of the Holy Spirit in and on a believer's life. 140 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:11,120 First John 2, 27 reads, as for you, the anointing you receive from Him remains in you and you 141 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:14,000 do not need anyone to teach you. 142 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:18,560 But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not 143 00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:24,240 counterfeit, just as it has taught you, remain in Him. 144 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:25,440 So there's that word anointing. 145 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:29,840 Now let me share with you the same verse from the New Living Translation which reads, but 146 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:34,840 you have received the Holy Spirit and He lives within you. 147 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:39,720 So you don't need anyone to teach you what is true, for the Spirit teaches you everything 148 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:44,440 you need to know and what He teaches is true, it's not a lie. 149 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:50,760 So just as He taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. 150 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:57,120 See as the power of the Holy Spirit moves through us, we receive power, favor, gifts 151 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:01,440 and the fruit of the Spirit, or to say it another way, the anointing of the Holy Spirit 152 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:06,920 is the difference between the best that I can do personally in my own strength and the 153 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:10,280 best that God can do through His Spirit. 154 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:14,840 It's a desire for God's best in our lives. 155 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:20,960 But here's the reality, when we're in a relationship with Jesus, we become an anointed one. 156 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:27,480 If you're in a relationship with God this morning, you are an anointed one and God wants 157 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:31,800 to use us in our gifts to bring glory and honor to His name. 158 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:36,760 So to further understand this word anointing, we're going to look at two kings in the Old 159 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:40,280 Testament, King Saul and King David. 160 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:45,720 The two actually have something in common in that they were both anointed king over 161 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:46,720 Israel. 162 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:52,600 Naturally they were both handpicked by God to walk in the supernatural gifts of God. 163 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:55,560 But their lives had two totally different outcomes. 164 00:10:55,560 --> 00:10:57,360 And let's take a look and see what happens. 165 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:01,440 First Samuel chapter 10, verses 1 and 6 through 7. 166 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:07,360 Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul's head. 167 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:12,640 He kissed Saul and said, I am doing this because the Lord has anointed you to be ruler over 168 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:14,720 Israel, His special possession. 169 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:20,080 Now please understand, Samuel was a prophet and it was his responsibility to anoint the 170 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,200 king of Israel. 171 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:28,280 They did this by pouring olive oil over his head as a symbol of God's spirit being poured 172 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:36,400 over his life, marking him, saturating him, setting him apart for a special service to 173 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:37,400 God. 174 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:42,440 Now in the Greek, the word anoint means to rub or to smear. 175 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:46,720 While in the Hebrew, the word anoint means to pour. 176 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:51,800 And we can literally picture Samuel taking a flask filled with what scholars believe 177 00:11:51,800 --> 00:11:59,960 is about six gallons of olive oil and pouring it over Saul's head. 178 00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:05,600 Now I was going to do that this morning. 179 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:09,260 And many of you know I actually would have. 180 00:12:09,260 --> 00:12:14,520 But then I thought about six gallons on the stage. 181 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:20,500 And I thought about how Rhett and Lauren would soon be ice skating. 182 00:12:20,500 --> 00:12:24,840 Because not only would there have been six gallons, but this gathering there would have 183 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:27,840 been 12 gallons. 184 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:30,640 So I decided not to do it. 185 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:34,520 I just thought it was a little too much. 186 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:37,720 But notice what happened to Saul. 187 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:43,480 At that time, the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you and you will prophesy 188 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:44,520 with him. 189 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:48,960 You will be changed into a different person. 190 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:54,760 After these signs take place, you must do what must be done for God is with you. 191 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:58,760 So please understand, church, the anointing is the presence and the power of God on a 192 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:00,360 person's life. 193 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:03,800 It empowers, it fills, and it activates gifts. 194 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:07,800 Unfortunately, what I've discovered is that many Jesus followers settle for a little dab 195 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:11,600 or a rub of the Holy Spirit on their lives. 196 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:17,440 They're intimidated to have it dumped or poured. 197 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:22,880 But my challenge to you is what if this year as a community of faith we desire for God 198 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,600 to pour out his Spirit on our lives? 199 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:32,240 Pour out his Spirit on our families, on our workplaces, on our marriages, on our relationships, 200 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:34,000 for our entire lives. 201 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:38,920 Because friends, it's the anointing that makes a difference and it's the anointing that is 202 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:43,440 available to each and every person that's in a relationship with Jesus. 203 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:47,580 And listen, it doesn't matter your age, your race, your occupation, it doesn't matter your 204 00:13:47,580 --> 00:13:52,880 financial standing, it doesn't matter if you're married or single, man or woman, we all need 205 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:56,760 a fresh anointing in order to make a difference in the world. 206 00:13:56,760 --> 00:14:02,760 I mean, we read about Jesus being anointed in Luke chapter four, verses 18 through 19. 207 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:06,120 When he grabbed a scroll from the prophet Isaiah and he read these words, the Spirit 208 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:08,840 of the Lord is upon me. 209 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:12,120 Now notice, he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. 210 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:16,160 He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blinds will see, that 211 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:21,040 the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord's favor has come. 212 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:27,420 See, when the anointing is poured out over our lives, we are empowered to live differently. 213 00:14:27,420 --> 00:14:30,200 We will pray with power and authority. 214 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:37,000 We will go to work or school, young people, expecting to see God move through us to change 215 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:39,320 the lives of other people. 216 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,460 As we serve, we will serve with joy and excitement. 217 00:14:42,460 --> 00:14:48,240 We will desire to see friends and family plug into a community of faith, experiencing the 218 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:51,320 presence of God in their own very lives. 219 00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:54,400 The anointing is powerful. 220 00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:57,840 Let's once again look at the life of Saul, 1 Samuel 14 47. 221 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:03,760 Now when Saul had secured his grasp on Israel's throne, he fought against his enemies in every 222 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:12,040 direction, every direction, and wherever he turned, he was victorious. 223 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:16,400 Anointed ones have victory after victory after victory. 224 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:18,320 And why is that? 225 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:22,160 Well, it's because God is fighting our battles. 226 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:26,760 It's because God is staring down our mountains and moving them for us. 227 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:33,480 And I don't know about you, but I desire to live a victorious life. 228 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:38,720 I desire to be victorious everywhere I go, everywhere I share. 229 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:44,040 And what we learn first about Saul is that he was anointed and that God was with him 230 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:48,280 and he led Israel to victory after victory after victory after victory. 231 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:52,000 And then it all came crashing down. 232 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:53,000 Why is that? 233 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:54,120 Well, that leads us to our next thought. 234 00:15:54,120 --> 00:16:00,280 You see, a believer's anointing can be lost on complacency and compromise. 235 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:03,800 See Saul allowed success to go to his head. 236 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:10,240 Saul became overconfident and casual in his relationship with God, which led him to losing 237 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:16,360 his anointing, 1 Samuel 15, 10 through 11, and the Lord said to Samuel, I am sorry that 238 00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:22,960 I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command. 239 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:28,120 Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the Lord all night. 240 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:29,920 Now listen, let me be clear here. 241 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:35,720 Losing the anointing does not mean that a person loses their salvation. 242 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:40,600 It doesn't mean they're not saved because if a person confesses with their mouth and 243 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:46,000 believes in their heart that Jesus is Lord, then they are held tight in God's grace. 244 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:52,280 But if we become casual or complacent in our relationship with Jesus, we can let go of 245 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:54,480 God. 246 00:16:54,480 --> 00:17:00,040 We can find ourselves in a place where we have not prayed in weeks. 247 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:03,640 We can find ourselves in a place where we stop reading the Bible. 248 00:17:03,640 --> 00:17:05,320 We stop desiring change. 249 00:17:05,320 --> 00:17:07,760 We don't want to share the good news. 250 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:14,200 Church, we can drift and find ourselves distant from God. 251 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:18,300 And listen, it can happen to anyone, including myself, and it's happened before. 252 00:17:18,300 --> 00:17:21,360 We read this in 1 Samuel 16, 1. 253 00:17:21,360 --> 00:17:25,240 Now the Lord said to Samuel, you have more than long enough for Saul. 254 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:32,120 I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. 255 00:17:32,120 --> 00:17:39,040 Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king. 256 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:45,600 When our relationship with Jesus becomes casual and we find ourselves distant from God, the 257 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:50,440 Bible actually says that we quench or stifle the Holy Spirit in our lives. 258 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:53,320 Look at 1 Thessalonians 5. 259 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:58,100 Always be joyful, never stop praying, be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will 260 00:17:58,100 --> 00:17:59,920 for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 261 00:17:59,920 --> 00:18:06,400 And notice what Paul writes, do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 262 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:10,280 Do not quench the Holy Spirit. 263 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:11,280 And what does that mean, Chris? 264 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:16,480 Well, that anointing that was once bright and vibrant and passionate and exciting has 265 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:19,880 now began to flicker out and is just an ember. 266 00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:24,720 And did you know that when we're just an ember, it grieves God's heart? 267 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:28,920 That we can actually make God sad when we lose our passion for him. 268 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:32,620 Look at Ephesians 4, 30 to 31. 269 00:18:32,620 --> 00:18:37,040 Do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. 270 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:40,800 Remember, he has identified you as his own. 271 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:46,160 He has anointed you, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. 272 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:51,040 Therefore, get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as 273 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:52,640 all types of evil behavior. 274 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:58,080 In other words, stop compromising. 275 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:00,860 Stop compromising. 276 00:19:00,860 --> 00:19:07,000 God was so grieved by Saul's complaints at the Incompromise, who was a success at 30 277 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:15,940 years old, but loses his anointing when he's 40, only 10 short years later. 278 00:19:15,940 --> 00:19:19,080 The Holy Spirit is a person. 279 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:23,880 It's the third person of the Trinity that connects with our spirit, spirits and desires, 280 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:25,780 and God's best for us. 281 00:19:25,780 --> 00:19:31,340 He convicts us, corrects us, encourages us, teaches us, but we have to be open to receive 282 00:19:31,340 --> 00:19:33,640 God's best. 283 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:39,200 So God removes the anointing from Saul and sends Samuel to Jesse's house to anoint the 284 00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:40,880 next king. 285 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:46,360 Jesse had seven sons and Samuel had them come out to participate in a sacrifice so he could 286 00:19:46,360 --> 00:19:49,480 identify who God desired to be the next king. 287 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:57,920 Eliab, the firstborn, strolls out, he's tall, handsome, muscular, strong, full of vitality. 288 00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:01,160 Samuel knew this was the next king. 289 00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:06,880 God said no, and he would say no to all the brothers that were in the house, leaving Samuel 290 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:07,880 confused. 291 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:11,480 So he asks Jesse, is this your only sons? 292 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:17,320 And Jesse responds that his youngest son is out in the fields caring for the sheep. 293 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:24,440 Samuel requests his presence, so David walks in, the youngest, not fully developed, a simple 294 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:26,120 shepherd boy. 295 00:20:26,120 --> 00:20:31,840 And God tells Samuel this is the one which leads us to our next thought. 296 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:37,280 You see church, a humble heart releases a fresh anointing. 297 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:40,160 A humble heart releases a fresh anointing. 298 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:45,480 First Samuel 16, 7, and 12 to 14, but the Lord said to Samuel, don't judge by his appearance 299 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:47,520 or height, for I've rejected him. 300 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:51,220 The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. 301 00:20:51,220 --> 00:20:57,520 People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the. 302 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:03,280 So Jesse sent for him, he was dark and handsome with beautiful eyes, and the Lord said, this 303 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:05,240 is the one. 304 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:06,420 Anoint him. 305 00:21:06,420 --> 00:21:11,600 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took a flask of olive oil, he had brought 306 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:16,600 an anointed David with oil, and the spirit of the Lord, notice, came powerfully upon 307 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:19,440 David from that day on. 308 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:24,760 So Samuel anoints David, the next king, but again pouring oil all over his head, and you 309 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:30,600 can picture his hair just being wet and it's going down over his beard covering his clothes, 310 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:38,800 and the Bible says the spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David from that day on. 311 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:42,680 Please understand the anointing has nothing to do with your position, has nothing to do 312 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:46,860 with a title, it has nothing to do with your age or your experience, has nothing to do 313 00:21:46,860 --> 00:21:51,840 with how many likes or followers you have on Instagram or your YouTube channel or your 314 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:53,920 podcast. 315 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:57,000 God doesn't care about a platform. 316 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:00,960 Think about David, he was a simple shepherd boy living in the fields hanging out with 317 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:04,700 sheep. 318 00:22:04,700 --> 00:22:07,840 And I want to challenge you this morning, ask yourself, which person do you identify 319 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:10,160 with? 320 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:15,400 You desire a personal intimate relationship with Jesus, a humble heart that receives the 321 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:22,800 Holy Spirit, puts others first, desires God's best for your life, or do you find yourself 322 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:30,040 in a place of complacency, of compromise, of questioning God's call on your life? 323 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:34,400 And I want to encourage you, if that's you, God is inviting you back. 324 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:38,680 God desires an intimate relationship with you. 325 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:45,200 God desires an anointing to flow through you so that you can once again walk in victory. 326 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:49,960 I mean, we see the anointing in the lives of the disciples when we read in the book 327 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:54,880 of Acts, Acts 4 13, the members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of 328 00:22:54,880 --> 00:23:01,000 Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training 329 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:02,760 in the scriptures. 330 00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:07,240 They also recognize them as men who had been with Jesus. 331 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:14,440 See, even their greatest critics had to admit that Peter and John's behavior, their speech, 332 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:23,760 their boldness, their power was tangible evidence of the time they had spent in close relationship 333 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:26,800 with Jesus. 334 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:32,140 And many of you are thinking, well, Chris, of course, they walked with Jesus. 335 00:23:32,140 --> 00:23:34,600 They talked with Jesus. 336 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:42,800 But yes, remember, they also denied Jesus when they walked and talked with Jesus. 337 00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:52,000 They didn't live this way until the Holy Spirit fell and empowered them to live as bold followers, 338 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:53,000 just like you and I. 339 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:58,000 So we can't just throw off, oh, of course they were with Jesus. 340 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:02,640 No, they were filled with the Spirit. 341 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:05,880 They were filled with that boldness. 342 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:12,240 See, the Spirit's anointing rubs off, if you will, onto them. 343 00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:17,560 Our English expression to rub off means to have an effect through close association or 344 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:18,560 contact. 345 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:23,440 We all know what it's like to paint a fresh door, only to be cleaning up and bump into 346 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:25,000 it. 347 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:28,800 That paint quickly goes where? 348 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:30,920 Onto us. 349 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:39,400 Jesus' attributes, that anointing, it rubs off onto the disciples, right? 350 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:43,960 Their close contact and being filled with the Spirit changed them forever. 351 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:49,680 And this can be your experience this year in 2025, which leads us to our 21 days of 352 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:54,440 prayer and fast focus, becoming mountain movers. 353 00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:58,960 For the next 21 days, I want to challenge you to fast and pray. 354 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:02,120 Now some of you are sitting there thinking, well, Chris, what does it mean to fast? 355 00:25:02,120 --> 00:25:05,120 This is my definition of fasting. 356 00:25:05,120 --> 00:25:11,520 Fast simply means to give up something in your life and replace it with God. 357 00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:16,800 Give up something that is stealing your time and your focus. 358 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:23,340 It could be social media, all the scrolling. 359 00:25:23,340 --> 00:25:27,000 It could be an app that is distracting you. 360 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:29,040 It could be breakfast. 361 00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:34,400 Maybe God is calling you to replace breakfast with an infant time with Jesus. 362 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:38,560 Maybe it's a habit you've been trying to break. 363 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:41,480 You know, this is the New Year's and there's a lot of New Year's resolutions and here's 364 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:43,780 the problems with New Year's resolutions. 365 00:25:43,780 --> 00:25:48,760 You try to do New Year's resolutions in your own strength and they never work. 366 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:59,840 The gym will be empty in two weeks and I will celebrate that day. 367 00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:07,920 But I believe if you have a habit you're trying to break and you made that a resolution, don't 368 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:09,760 make it a resolution. 369 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:11,800 Make it a fast. 370 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:18,640 Because when you replace that habit, say nicotine or vaping or a diet. 371 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:24,380 When you replace that habit, like overeating with fasting and with Jesus, that's when Jesus 372 00:26:24,380 --> 00:26:25,380 breaks it. 373 00:26:25,380 --> 00:26:29,400 When you try to do it in your own strength, you might as well just walk in circles because 374 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:31,840 it's not going to work. 375 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:37,920 But Jesus can break the habit, the addiction, whatever it may be, but you have to choose 376 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:40,520 to lay it down. 377 00:26:40,520 --> 00:26:43,800 Then once you've determined what you're fasting, you replace it with prayer, read it in the 378 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:46,640 Bible in time with God. 379 00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:53,320 And I believe these 21 days can be a special time of receiving a fresh anointing from God. 380 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:58,080 Because see, we need that anointing in order to move mountains. 381 00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:00,720 And some of you are thinking, well, Chris, why would we want to move mountains? 382 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:02,840 Well, notice our first truth. 383 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:05,680 Mountains can cause us to question our faith. 384 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:09,120 I'm going to be jumping into Matthew 17. 385 00:27:09,120 --> 00:27:14,520 Jesus had just climbed Mount Tabor, taking Peter, James, and John with him. 386 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:19,600 While they're up on the mountain, Jesus was transfigured, which simply means his face was 387 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:23,840 shining as bright as the sun, similar to what happened to Moses when he encountered God 388 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:25,440 on Mount Sinai. 389 00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:31,240 Now while on the mountain, Jesus spoke with Moses and Elijah, and this encounter caused 390 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:33,440 the disciples to be fearful. 391 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:39,920 And then Jesus encourages them, and then they move from fear to wanting to build memorials. 392 00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:44,600 And they want to build these memorials to the three men so they can remember what had 393 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:50,440 just happened when in reality, those three disciples just got a glimpse of heaven. 394 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:54,260 What will all get to see if you're in a relationship with God? 395 00:27:54,260 --> 00:27:58,960 And that's why Jesus said, no, we have to get back down the mountain to assist your 396 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:02,400 other disciples because they've kind of run into a problem. 397 00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:06,840 And that's where we jump into Matthew 17, 14 through 17. 398 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:09,160 At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. 399 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:14,400 A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, Lord, have mercy on my son. 400 00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:16,160 He has seizures and suffers terribly. 401 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:18,760 He often falls into the fire or into the water. 402 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:24,240 So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn't heal him. 403 00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:29,200 Notice what Jesus says to the disciples, you faithless and corrupt people. 404 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:30,500 How long must I be with you? 405 00:28:30,500 --> 00:28:32,100 How long must I put up with you? 406 00:28:32,100 --> 00:28:33,600 Bring the boy here to me. 407 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:39,440 See, mountains are situations that we experience in this life that are too big to overcome 408 00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:41,440 in our own strength. 409 00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:42,680 It could be a health crisis. 410 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:44,620 It could be a financial concern. 411 00:28:44,620 --> 00:28:47,080 It could be a job related. 412 00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:52,840 It could be a broken relationship that you see as unfixable. 413 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:56,720 And those situations, which Jesus told us we were going to have trouble, it wears on 414 00:28:56,720 --> 00:28:57,720 us. 415 00:28:57,720 --> 00:28:58,840 It brings us down. 416 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:04,120 It causes anxiety and stress and depression to reign in our life. 417 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:07,200 And I believe that's the exact place we find the father in this story. 418 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:11,800 Notice the man came, knelt before Jesus and said, have mercy on my son. 419 00:29:11,800 --> 00:29:14,020 You can hear his heart breaking. 420 00:29:14,020 --> 00:29:15,200 He has seizures. 421 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:16,620 He suffers terribly. 422 00:29:16,620 --> 00:29:17,620 He falls into the fire. 423 00:29:17,620 --> 00:29:19,080 He falls into the water. 424 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:20,320 Have mercy on my son. 425 00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:26,360 You can hear the desperation in his voice and the context behind this mountain, this 426 00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:27,360 trauma. 427 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:35,040 The father is unable to help his son and he's watching his son experience this pain. 428 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:38,920 And as I was reading that this week, I pictured Jesus kneeling down, making eye contact with 429 00:29:38,920 --> 00:29:44,480 the father, then looking at the son, desiring to set him free. 430 00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:48,560 I believe we can all relate to this father, all of us. 431 00:29:48,560 --> 00:29:54,080 Again, like I said earlier, it doesn't matter if it's a health struggle, cancer, a family 432 00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:58,080 member that is struggling with an addiction or infertility. 433 00:29:58,080 --> 00:29:59,840 It could be death. 434 00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:05,340 It could be grief of a loved one that has passed and you can't get over. 435 00:30:05,340 --> 00:30:11,440 It could be your marriage that is not where it should be and you're fighting against counseling. 436 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:18,120 See, mountains cause pain and mountains can cause us to question our faith. 437 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:19,960 Notice Matthew 17, 19 through 20. 438 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:26,480 Where the disciples asked Jesus privately, why couldn't we cast out that demon? 439 00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:29,800 Jesus says, you don't have enough faith. 440 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:35,520 See, mountains, if we're honest, they block our view. 441 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:36,520 They're big. 442 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:37,920 They're overwhelming. 443 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:41,980 The stress, the anxiety, we have no clear vision or plan for the future. 444 00:30:41,980 --> 00:30:44,040 There's no hope. 445 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:47,140 It's as if it's always going to be this way. 446 00:30:47,140 --> 00:30:50,800 And we settle for less. 447 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:55,400 And my question to you this morning is what is your mountain? 448 00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:59,040 And if you're thinking you don't have a mountain, let me define it better for you. 449 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:02,680 What is causing you anxiety, pain? 450 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:05,460 What is keeping you up at night? 451 00:31:05,460 --> 00:31:12,480 And whatever you answer to those questions is your mountain, which leads us to our next 452 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:13,480 truth. 453 00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:14,480 There's good hope and news. 454 00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:15,840 Jesus moves mountains. 455 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:21,760 Matthew 17, 18, then Jesus rebuked a demon and the boy, in the boy, and it left him for 456 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:24,480 the moment the boy was well. 457 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:28,160 And as I was reading that this week, it's like, could you imagine the reaction from 458 00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:29,160 the father? 459 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:31,720 I believe he would have leapt for joy. 460 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:36,720 He would have had gratitude toward God, celebrating the healing of his son. 461 00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:39,760 And what does it mean for us? 462 00:31:39,760 --> 00:31:42,960 What does that mean for us? 463 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:47,560 See, when we're in a relationship with Jesus, here's the reality. 464 00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:50,320 Doubt has to go. 465 00:31:50,320 --> 00:31:54,040 Doubt is not allowed in the presence of faith. 466 00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:58,920 Doubt is a lot like a plane that is delayed due to inclement weather. 467 00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:03,020 When there's doubt, that flight is grounded. 468 00:32:03,020 --> 00:32:05,720 It doesn't take off. 469 00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:09,840 Our faith is grounded with doubt. 470 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:10,840 It doesn't take off. 471 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:16,000 It doesn't move mountains, and prayer is essential for a follower of Jesus. 472 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:20,520 But it's rendered ineffective when we bring doubt into our prayer life. 473 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:26,000 We can pray about the mountains, and then after praying in Jesus' name, if there's 474 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:30,520 doubt in our mind or our heart, gone. 475 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:35,800 Might as well not even have said it. 476 00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:39,440 Therefore it's time to make a decision to believe in God. 477 00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:42,800 And in order to accomplish this, I want to give you four questions to ask yourself. 478 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:48,320 And you can just ask them in the quietness of your heart when it comes to faith. 479 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:50,160 Question number one, is God able? 480 00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:55,740 Ephesians 3.20, now all glory to God who is able, through his mighty power at work within 481 00:32:55,740 --> 00:33:00,360 you to accomplish infinitely more than you could ever ask or imagine. 482 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:02,440 Number two, is God effective? 483 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:07,960 Isaiah 55.9, for justice to heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than 484 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:12,000 your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 485 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:14,600 Can I trust God? 486 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:18,480 Jeremiah 17, but blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope 487 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:19,480 and confidence. 488 00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:24,800 They are like trees planted along a river bank with roots that reach deep down into 489 00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:26,800 the water. 490 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:30,160 Such trees do not bother by the heat or worry about long months of drought. 491 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:34,400 Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit. 492 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:37,600 And finally, number four, do I trust God? 493 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:42,000 Part 9.23, what do you mean if I can, Jesus said? 494 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:46,400 Anything is possible if a person believes. 495 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:52,720 And see if your answer is completely yes, then you need to be praying bold prayers, 496 00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:54,960 because those prayers move mountains. 497 00:33:54,960 --> 00:34:01,120 But if for any reason you answered no to any of those questions, why? 498 00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:03,680 Why? 499 00:34:03,680 --> 00:34:08,520 Because a no to any of those questions is a lack of faith or doubt. 500 00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:10,080 And listen again to what Jesus came to do. 501 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:14,240 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring good news to the 502 00:34:14,240 --> 00:34:15,240 poor. 503 00:34:15,240 --> 00:34:18,600 He has sent me to proclaim the captives will be released and the blind will see and the 504 00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:20,040 oppressed will be set free. 505 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:24,080 And at that time, the Lord's favor has come. 506 00:34:24,080 --> 00:34:28,880 See he desires to set us free from our doubt and for us to move in power, which leads us 507 00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:30,680 to our final truth. 508 00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:35,720 Only Holy Spirit-empowered prayer releases the supernatural. 509 00:34:35,720 --> 00:34:40,000 And I believe God is calling our church to pray this way. 510 00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:41,960 You don't have enough faith, Jesus told them. 511 00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:45,360 I tell you the truth, if you had faith, as small as a mustard seed you could say to this 512 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:48,920 mountain, move from here to there, and it would move and nothing would be impossible. 513 00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:52,360 And the funny thing is, I have a mustard seed in this jar. 514 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:55,280 I actually have five or six. 515 00:34:55,280 --> 00:34:58,840 And I'm going to lick my finger and put one on the end, because that's the only way it 516 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:06,160 will stay there, because four will fall and one, there it is, will stay. 517 00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:10,600 I'm going to hold it up for you. 518 00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:12,680 And you can't even see it with the camera. 519 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:15,040 It's impossible. 520 00:35:15,040 --> 00:35:21,480 You can't see it. 521 00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:28,240 And see Jesus is trying to get us to see the difference between the seed and our mountains. 522 00:35:28,240 --> 00:35:35,520 Because when you compare the two, the mountain is huge, so much larger. 523 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:40,440 But this mustard seed has so much more potential. 524 00:35:40,440 --> 00:35:48,960 A mountain can't grow, but this seed of faith can explode into plants in six short days 525 00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:51,720 and eventually grow into a tree. 526 00:35:51,720 --> 00:35:56,640 I learned this, that a mustard seed has every nutrient we need to survive. 527 00:35:56,640 --> 00:36:01,880 A mustard seed is loaded with vitamins, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. 528 00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:06,760 And because of the high concentration of antioxidants, mustard seeds can help prevent diseases like 529 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:11,320 cancer, arthritis, asthma, and hypertension. 530 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:16,480 So if we're going to understand faith, we have to understand this seed. 531 00:36:16,480 --> 00:36:19,980 It's packed with power. 532 00:36:19,980 --> 00:36:25,100 And our faith in Jesus, our relationship with God has power. 533 00:36:25,100 --> 00:36:26,960 How do you know that, Chris? 534 00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:31,600 Well the one living inside me is greater than the one living in the world. 535 00:36:31,600 --> 00:36:35,560 We can do all things through Jesus who strengthens us. 536 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:37,760 Nothing is impossible with God. 537 00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:44,320 We are more than conquerors through our relationship with him. 538 00:36:44,320 --> 00:36:53,000 And I wonder if Jesus, when he held up the seed, challenged his disciples, he knew that 539 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:59,760 these simple men would be the ones that one day spread the good news about Jesus to the 540 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:00,760 ends of the earth. 541 00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:02,120 I mean think about this. 542 00:37:02,120 --> 00:37:10,400 The reason we are sitting here today is because of this seed that was planted over 2,000 years 543 00:37:10,400 --> 00:37:17,040 ago and now accounts for more than 2.5 billion people being a part of the kingdom of God 544 00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:20,980 in a relationship with Jesus. 545 00:37:20,980 --> 00:37:23,720 That is faith with power. 546 00:37:23,720 --> 00:37:31,000 In Mark 9, 29, Jesus says it this way, this kind can be only cast out by prayer and fasting. 547 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:36,640 And that's why I'm challenging you, the church, to make faith an action verb, to step out 548 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:41,040 believing that God wants to move through you and in you so that you can see the miraculous 549 00:37:41,040 --> 00:37:45,360 not only in your own lives, but in the lives of others. 550 00:37:45,360 --> 00:37:48,000 Which leads us to our simple action step. 551 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:49,000 Pray. 552 00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:51,800 Church, we need to start praying. 553 00:37:51,800 --> 00:37:55,280 And we need to start praying prayers of power and authority. 554 00:37:55,280 --> 00:37:57,320 Look at James 5, 16. 555 00:37:57,320 --> 00:38:02,400 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so you may be healed. 556 00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:07,200 Therein is prayer of a righteous person, has great power, and produces wonderful results. 557 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:09,680 Prayer moves mountains. 558 00:38:09,680 --> 00:38:15,280 And every morning for the next 21 days we'll gather right here in our cafe at 6 a.m. to 559 00:38:15,280 --> 00:38:19,120 pray for our church, our community, our nation, and the world. 560 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:21,560 I want to challenge you. 561 00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:23,920 Show up. 562 00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:24,920 Show up. 563 00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:27,640 Well, that's too early. 564 00:38:27,640 --> 00:38:31,520 Maybe that's your fast. 565 00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:35,100 Maybe you need to set the alarm a little earlier. 566 00:38:35,100 --> 00:38:36,320 Be a part. 567 00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:41,440 Now listen, tomorrow there's a blizzard coming, if you've heard. 568 00:38:41,440 --> 00:38:42,780 It's Washington County. 569 00:38:42,780 --> 00:38:44,940 There's a blizzard. 570 00:38:44,940 --> 00:38:51,860 We may get three inches of snow, according to the meteorologists. 571 00:38:51,860 --> 00:38:58,520 But there's a small band coming through that could produce 28 inches. 572 00:38:58,520 --> 00:39:03,040 It could hit us. 573 00:39:03,040 --> 00:39:06,280 So if schools are closed or delayed, we won't have prayer tomorrow morning. 574 00:39:06,280 --> 00:39:07,280 Making it simple. 575 00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:10,280 We'll start on Tuesday. 576 00:39:10,280 --> 00:39:12,480 Deal? 577 00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:16,320 What's a good goal for people showing up to pray for 21 days? 578 00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:18,360 20 people? 579 00:39:18,360 --> 00:39:19,360 What's a good goal? 580 00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:22,360 What do you think, Nate? 581 00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:23,360 40? 582 00:39:23,360 --> 00:39:26,360 What do you think? 583 00:39:26,360 --> 00:39:27,360 Rick? 584 00:39:27,360 --> 00:39:28,360 100. 585 00:39:28,360 --> 00:39:32,400 They're not my words. 586 00:39:32,400 --> 00:39:33,400 50? 587 00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:34,400 100? 588 00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:37,080 It's up to you. 589 00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:40,600 I'm not going to make you come. 590 00:39:40,600 --> 00:39:44,040 I'm not going to bend your arm. 591 00:39:44,040 --> 00:39:45,040 Make you feel guilty. 592 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:48,160 It's got to be in your heart. 593 00:39:48,160 --> 00:39:50,200 You got to want it. 594 00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:55,840 If you want life change, we got to go on the offensive. 595 00:39:55,840 --> 00:40:00,760 We got to believe, oops, see it's gone. 596 00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:08,640 That that little seed that's in us, I can't even get it to stick now. 597 00:40:08,640 --> 00:40:15,920 It's the power to change your life, the lives of others, and the tri-state area. 598 00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:17,840 That's how we move mountains. 599 00:40:17,840 --> 00:40:27,640 We get on our knees and we pray with authority and boldness and watch God do the rest. 600 00:40:27,640 --> 00:40:32,040 But it all starts with your passion, your excitement, and your desire for more. 601 00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:37,140 Will you stand with me? 602 00:40:37,140 --> 00:40:40,080 We're going to close this gathering with communion. 603 00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:42,940 So if you didn't get an element, put your hand up. 604 00:40:42,940 --> 00:40:45,040 Our people will come around. 605 00:40:45,040 --> 00:40:46,280 Here they come. 606 00:40:46,280 --> 00:40:48,560 They're running. 607 00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:49,560 One hand up. 608 00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:52,520 If you need gluten-free, put two hands up. 609 00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:56,680 You say, Chris, why are we having communion? 610 00:40:56,680 --> 00:40:59,880 Well, this is an activation moment. 611 00:40:59,880 --> 00:41:04,320 This isn't just something we do at church. 612 00:41:04,320 --> 00:41:07,120 This is an encounter with God. 613 00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:09,640 I did a series on communion not too long ago. 614 00:41:09,640 --> 00:41:14,600 You can go listen to it on our YouTube channel if you want to understand it. 615 00:41:14,600 --> 00:41:20,120 But basically, this is an encounter, an activation moment with God that can supernaturally change 616 00:41:20,120 --> 00:41:22,980 your life. 617 00:41:22,980 --> 00:41:30,220 The bread is a reminder of Jesus' actions on the cross, his broken body. 618 00:41:30,220 --> 00:41:35,960 The juice is his shed blood for the forgiveness of sins. 619 00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:38,920 So every time we have communion, we're going to pray a simple prayer because we believe 620 00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:41,120 there's people here that are not in a relationship with Jesus. 621 00:41:41,120 --> 00:41:46,660 And listen, I don't want you to take this if you're not a believer because basically 622 00:41:46,660 --> 00:41:50,440 you're spitting in the face of God. 623 00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:55,960 So get real and identify where you are in your heart. 624 00:41:55,960 --> 00:41:57,720 So we're going to pray a simple prayer. 625 00:41:57,720 --> 00:42:00,400 We pray it every week because we know that there's people in our midst, whether you're 626 00:42:00,400 --> 00:42:05,040 far from God, walked away from God, or have never met him. 627 00:42:05,040 --> 00:42:08,480 Jesus, I'm broken. 628 00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:13,440 I'm full of doubt, shame, regret, sin. 629 00:42:13,440 --> 00:42:14,440 Change me. 630 00:42:14,440 --> 00:42:17,080 I believe you're God's son. 631 00:42:17,080 --> 00:42:20,440 I believe you died for me. 632 00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:22,360 Make me new. 633 00:42:22,360 --> 00:42:23,960 Set me free. 634 00:42:23,960 --> 00:42:26,160 Fill me with your spirit. 635 00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:31,120 Help me, God, to serve others in Jesus' name. 636 00:42:31,120 --> 00:42:33,160 So Holy Spirit, search our hearts. 637 00:42:33,160 --> 00:42:39,480 If there's anything between us and you that is causing a separation, a brokenness, may 638 00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:41,120 we lay it at your feet now. 639 00:42:41,120 --> 00:42:46,480 On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread, He broke it, He gave it to His disciples and 640 00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:47,840 said, take eat. 641 00:42:47,840 --> 00:42:53,440 This is my body which is broken for you and do it in remembrance of me. 642 00:42:53,440 --> 00:42:57,480 Likewise, after supper, He took the cup of wine. 643 00:42:57,480 --> 00:43:02,600 He said, this is my blood which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. 644 00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:07,320 Drink it often and do it in remembrance of me. 645 00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:10,920 Let's drink. 646 00:43:10,920 --> 00:43:14,960 And that proclaims the mystery of faith. 647 00:43:14,960 --> 00:43:18,200 Christ lived, Christ died. 648 00:43:18,200 --> 00:43:20,520 Christ is born again. 649 00:43:20,520 --> 00:43:26,760 And we thank you, God, for moving our life in Jesus' name. 650 00:43:26,760 --> 00:43:31,280 So if you prayed that prayer, listen, we're having baptisms next week. 651 00:43:31,280 --> 00:43:33,560 I got about 40 people signed up. 652 00:43:33,560 --> 00:43:37,800 So you want to see a big party come to our third gathering. 653 00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:42,840 We're only having baptisms at our, say it again, third gathering. 654 00:43:42,840 --> 00:43:46,360 So we'd love for you to come and celebrate with the 40 plus people that have declared 655 00:43:46,360 --> 00:43:50,480 and want to make that outward public commitment that they are now in a relationship with Jesus 656 00:43:50,480 --> 00:43:54,360 and if you want to be a part of that, please sign up. 657 00:43:54,360 --> 00:43:55,760 It's real simple. 658 00:43:55,760 --> 00:43:59,920 If you just said that you gave your life to Jesus, get baptized. 659 00:43:59,920 --> 00:44:01,720 We want you in the water. 660 00:44:01,720 --> 00:44:03,480 Prayer starts tomorrow morning. 661 00:44:03,480 --> 00:44:05,660 At what time? 662 00:44:05,660 --> 00:44:10,640 And one person believes that 40 is a good number, 50, and another person believes 100. 663 00:44:10,640 --> 00:44:11,640 Not Chris. 664 00:44:11,640 --> 00:44:12,640 Say again? 665 00:44:12,640 --> 00:44:13,640 Okay. 666 00:44:13,640 --> 00:44:14,920 Unless it's nose. 667 00:44:14,920 --> 00:44:25,520 Unless it's nose and the schools are canceled or unless. 668 00:44:25,520 --> 00:44:27,520 A few words of knowledge. 669 00:44:27,520 --> 00:44:35,180 If you're struggling with digestive tract issues, you have right shoulder pain. 670 00:44:35,180 --> 00:44:39,020 You have muscle or nerve pain starting six inches above your left ankle that goes up 671 00:44:39,020 --> 00:44:41,360 into your lower part of your leg. 672 00:44:41,360 --> 00:44:44,000 You have left inner ear infection. 673 00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:47,960 You're struggling with stress or anxiety. 674 00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:54,520 Or this is mine. 675 00:44:54,520 --> 00:44:57,320 You need to receive a fresh anointing. 676 00:44:57,320 --> 00:44:59,280 We want to pray for you. 677 00:44:59,280 --> 00:45:00,960 Our prayer team will be here on my right. 678 00:45:00,960 --> 00:45:04,160 There will be plenty of people there so make your way there. 679 00:45:04,160 --> 00:45:05,560 I'll pray for you out in the cafe. 680 00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:06,560 I don't really care. 681 00:45:06,560 --> 00:45:07,560 But here's the reality. 682 00:45:07,560 --> 00:45:14,560 There's no impossible I believe that you are working now. 683 00:45:14,560 --> 00:45:15,560 Pour it out. 684 00:45:15,560 --> 00:45:37,920 Oh, pour it out.