A Covenant with the World" - Pastor Greg Jones

May 17, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Stones of Witness at Gilead

Jacob piled rocks with Laban’s sons at Mizpah. Laban called it “The Heap of Witness,” demanding Jacob treat his daughters well. But Jacob raised his own stone pillar, declaring God’s watchful presence. This mound wasn’t just a boundary—it marked Jacob’s choice to honor divine covenants over human deals. [14:39]

God sees every compromise we make with worldly systems. Laban’s rocks represented control; Jacob’s pillar pointed to accountability before the Lord. When we build altars to human approval, they crumble. But memorials to God’s standards endure.

You’ve made agreements that dilute your holiness. Name one relationship or habit where you’ve prioritized peace over purity. Tear down that false altar today. What worldly “Laban” still claims ownership over areas of your life?

“And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap.”
(Genesis 31:45-46, KJV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal where you’ve built monuments to compromise instead of consecration.
Challenge: Write one worldly agreement you’ve tolerated on paper, then tear it up during prayer.

Day 2: Called Back to Bethel

God confronted Jacob: “I am the God of Bethel.” Twenty years prior, Jacob had anointed that stone pillow after seeing heaven opened. Now he tended speckled goats in Laban’s fields, distant from that holy encounter. The reminder wasn’t gentle—Bethel meant “House of God,” and Jacob had built no dwelling there. [10:51]

Christ calls us back to first encounters. Like Jacob, we trade altars for agendas, mistaking earthly success for divine purpose. God doesn’t bless our Laban-like scheming; He blesses obedience to Bethel moments—those early revelations of His glory.

You’ve diluted your first love with practical compromises. Revisit your “Bethel”—the moment Christ became real. What specific instruction did He give you then that you’ve since neglected?

“I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.”
(Genesis 31:13, KJV)

Prayer: Confess where you’ve replaced spiritual hunger with earthly hustle.
Challenge: Spend 15 minutes today reliving your initial conversion experience through journaling or prayer.

Day 3: Eating Slop with Pigs

The prodigal son stared at hog feed, remembering his father’s bread. Swine slop clung to his hands—the wages of rebellion. But that stench became holy incense; the shame awakened him. His “moment” came not in a temple, but a pigsty. [07:45]

God uses our rock bottoms as launchpads. Like the prodigal, Jacob flourished after leaving Laban’s manipulation. Crisis becomes gift when it drives us home. Christ meets us in messes, not museums.

What stench of sin still lingers on your hands? Stop rationalizing. Rise. Walk. The Father waits with ring and robe. What addiction or compromise have you normalized that heaven calls “hog feed”?

“And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father.”
(Luke 15:17-18, KJV)

Prayer: Thank God for the gift of holy dissatisfaction with sin’s temporary relief.
Challenge: Text/Call one backslidden believer today with “Our Father’s house still has room.”

Day 4: Marching Toward the Red Sea

Moses told terrified Israelites: “Go forward.” Pharaoh’s chariots roared behind them, the Red Sea blocked their path. But obedience required stepping into impossible waters. Jacob faced similar tension—leave Laban’s security for God’s unknown. [32:31]

Faith dies between “if only” and “what if.” The Red Sea parts when we march, not when we map. Every revival begins with someone choosing movement over analysis.

You’ve prayed for open doors while clinging to broken thresholds. Name one area where you’re waiting for God to act while He waits for you to obey. What Red Sea are you staring at instead of stepping into?

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.”
(Exodus 14:15, KJV)

Prayer: Ask boldness to take one impossible step toward your Bethel calling this week.
Challenge: Perform one act of obedience you’ve postponed—whether giving, forgiving, or going.

Day 5: Not Going Back

Jacob vowed never to return to Laban. The old schemer had stolen fourteen years through deceit. But covenant with God required burning bridges to the past. Years later, Jacob’s limp at Peniel proved his resolve—he’d rather walk broken with God than whole without Him. [28:18]

Salvation isn’t a recharge station for our old life—it’s a resurrection into newness. Like Jacob, we limp forward, scars testifying to surrendered striving. The healed demoniac’s silent witness transformed Decapolis because presence preaches louder than propositions.

What “Laban” still tempts you with familiar compromise? Destroy that exit strategy. Will you limp toward Bethel today rather than sprint back to bondage?

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark.”
(Philippians 3:13-14, KJV)

Prayer: Renounce one nostalgic sin that whispers “return” to your weary soul.
Challenge: Remove one app/contact/item that connects you to a surrendered sin.

Sermon Summary

From our first small steps in ministry to the present, we recognize a steady summons from God to move beyond comfort and familiarity. We remember Jacob as a portrait of a life God redirected: he gained what the world values, then God tugged him toward a destiny that served the covenant purposes of God. We see how worldly attachments distort calling and how God repeatedly calls us back to Bethel, to the place where we first met God and vowed allegiance. We confess that fleshly desire and the noise of culture easily anchor us to lesser things, but repentance means rising, leaving, and returning to what God intended.

We name covenant as a public, spiritual boundary that separates allegiance. The stones Jacob piled as testimony remind us that vows matter and that God watches between the divided hearts. When we choose covenant with God instead of covenant with the world, our testimony shifts from self-preservation to witness. That witness carries weight because obedience provokes God to move. When people obey and worship, Scripture shows that angels attend, provision follows, and God meets his people in power. We expect God to show up when our feet walk where the Word directs and when our lives display the character of Christ.

We commit to not backslide into old patterns. The Red Sea image urges us to march forward rather than settle or regress. Persistence in prayer, steady worship, and deliberate refusals to re-engage former compromises form a posture that invites revival. Revival does not arrive because of nostalgia or imitation of past forms but because communities align their hearts to God’s promises and act on them.

We call one another to decision. Some must get up and go. Some must make a covenant and refuse to return. Some must obey now so God can manifest his presence and blessing. The altar stands open for those ready to respond, and the invitation to press forward remains urgent and hopeful.

Key Takeaways

1. Called to something greater than comfort We admit that God summons us beyond safe routines and domestic comforts into purposes that shape nations and families. This call reorients priorities so that our decisions reflect kingdom advancement rather than personal accumulation. When we accept the call, we begin to measure success by faithfulness to God’s mission rather than by worldly gain. [02:30]
2. Repentance means getting up and leaving Repentance functions as a posture of motion, not just regret. We rise, disengage from corrupting influences, and take direction toward God even if the path feels uncertain. This physical movement signals an inner reformation that resets identity around covenant promises, not past failures. [06:16]
3. Covenant becomes a public witness A covenant marks the place where choice meets testimony and where God becomes the guarantor of fidelity. We erect visible reminders so the future will recall the resolve made in God’s sight. Those markers hold us accountable and sharpen our witness to a watching world. [14:39]
4. Obedience invites God to appear Obedience triggers divine engagement because God honors faith expressed in action. We find that praise and faithful steps create space for angels, provision, and transformative encounters. Worship and obedience do not manipulate God but align us so his presence becomes evident among us. [20:54]
5. Decide we will not return A firm refusal to backslide changes how we live daily and how we pray corporately. We anchor ourselves in forward movement, trusting that persistence births revelation and blessing. This resolve protects future fruit and cultivates courage to pursue what God promised. [27:57]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:15] - Pastoring beginnings and early calls
[01:09] - Bible studies and neighborhood outreach
[02:30] - Call to something greater
[04:09] - Jacob, wealth, and temptation
[06:16] - Moments of conviction and return
[10:51] - Bethel and the call to return
[13:21] - Covenant at Gilead and Mizpah
[20:54] - Obedience and God showing up
[27:57] - Decision not to return and resolve
[35:05] - Invitation to respond and altar call

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Genesis 31:13 (KJV)
"I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred."

Genesis 35:1-3 (KJV)
"And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went."

Exodus 14:15 (KJV)
"And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward."

Observation questions

In Genesis 31:13, what specific command does God give Jacob, and what does He remind Jacob of from his past?
What actions does Jacob take in Genesis 35:1-3 to prepare his household to return to Bethel?
How does Exodus 14:15 shift the Israelites’ posture from hesitation to action?

Interpretation questions

Why do you think God repeatedly called Jacob back to Bethel, the place of his original vow, rather than a new location?
Jacob’s covenant with Laban involved setting up stones as a witness (Genesis 31:44-48). How might physical markers like these help communities stay accountable to their commitments today?
In Exodus 14:15, God tells Israel to “go forward” instead of standing still. What does this reveal about the relationship between obedience and divine intervention?

Application questions

“Bethel” represents a place of encounter with God. What personal “Bethel moment” (a time you clearly felt God’s call or presence) do you need to revisit to reorient your priorities?
Repentance is described as “getting up and leaving” old patterns [06:16]. What is one compromise or distraction you need to physically walk away from this week?
The sermon mentions creating visible reminders of covenant commitments, like Jacob’s stones [14:39]. What tangible practice (journaling, prayer rituals, etc.) could help you remember your vows to God?
The Red Sea story urges forward movement, not nostalgia [32:16]. What “safe routine” have you been clinging to that might be holding you back from greater obedience?
Jacob refused to return to Laban’s compromises [27:57]. What old habit, relationship, or mindset do you need to declare “I will not go back” to—and who could hold you accountable?

Sermon Clips

47s

#KeepMarchingForward

“I was reading the account of Moses and the children of Israel, and they're standing at the at the at the sea. The Red Sea, they're standing there. And all the people are are are grumbling and they're griping to Moses and Moses says, just stand still. Let's see what happens. Let me go to god. He goes to god and you know what god said? Don't stand still. Go forward. Get that rod out over that sea and it'll part and go forward. It's not time to stand still. It's time to march forward. Now, sometimes we have to stop and listen to god but most of the time, it's keep marching.”

58s

#KeepGoingBlessings

“We got rewarded because we kept going. It's not time to stop. I know what the world says. Stop and smell the roses. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. There's something greater. Something greater that's in your coming in your life. Don't stop now. Don't back up now. Don't quit living for god now. Don't go back to what you were. There's greater. Amen. Amen. I love it. I love it when god shows up. I love it when I obey god and he says, now I'm gonna reward you. I'm gonna bless you. I really feel like we're at that point because we've been being obedient to god.”

45s

#CalledBeyondBuilding

“I don't care what your name is. I don't care where you're from. I don't care what you've done, where you've been. God is calling us to something greater, calling us out of this world, calling us to unto him, not unto me. He's not calling you to me. He's not calling to you to Stroud United Pentecostal Church. We want you to come. We're glad you're here, and we're glad you're part of this body of Christ. That's an important part, but we're not called to this building and we're called to a work in the kingdom of god. We're called to something bigger than than than Israel.”

34s

#NoGoingBackCovenant

“You may be at the place you may be at the place that you need to get up and get out. You may be at that place. You may be at the place that you need to make a covenant. Tell the world, hey. You're not getting me. I'm not coming back. Or you may be at the place that you've been obedient to god. You're ready for god to do the blessing. I'm telling you, it's all here right now. Can we just talk to him in this place right now?”

45s

#DailyPrayerNoBackslide

“But man, I kept feeling that feeling that push. I've got greater. I've got greater. And I can't I this this became a daily prayer for me. I'd go spend hours at the church praying. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back but I didn't wanna backslide. I've done that. Didn't wanna do that again. Now I'd go spend hours at church praying. And I kept feeling that. There's greater. So I I said this all the time. I ain't going back. Not going back. I'm not backing up one bit. I'm going forward.”

40s

#CalledToBeAWitness

“Amen. You're gonna be the thing that's gonna let this world know that I am God. Can I tell us we were called out of darkness to show that God is a God of this whole world, that he is mighty, he is holy? He didn't call me to be worldly. He didn't call me to be sinful. He called me to be separated from this world to show and be a witness under him. It is time for us to rise up and say, hey, god. I'm on your side, and I'm revealing who you are. Oh, hallelujah.”

42s

#GreaterInTheLaterDays

“Amen. This heap is gonna remind me that I've gotta go further than what I'm doing right now. Amen. I I I'm glad for the call of God on my life. Amen. And I'm getting towards the end of my I'm on the I'm on I I hate to say this, but I realize this. I'm towards the backside of my ministry these days. Amen. And and I get that picture, and that's okay with me. Amen. But I do know this. There's still greater in my life. Come on, somebody. There's still more of god for me than what I've got right now. There's still a great move of god that's gonna happen in my life, in these last days. Amen.”

31s

#PraiseInvitesHisPresence

“shows up. When we're obedient to the word of god and we begin to praise and magnify god, he inhabits the praises. It's it's biblical. God does that. When we pray, God shows up, and he answers our prayer one way or another. Yes or no? When when we're obedient to the word of God, God shows up and begins to do what god does. We gotta do and obey the word of god. Whoo. I feel the holy ghost somebody. Amen.”

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A Covenant with the World" - Pastor Greg Jones

Devotional

Day 1: Stones of Witness at Gilead

Day 2: Called Back to Bethel

Day 3: Eating Slop with Pigs

Day 4: Marching Toward the Red Sea

Day 5: Not Going Back

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

A Covenant with the World" - Pastor Greg Jones

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