From Receiving to Sending: Holy Spirit-Fueled Mission

Let me say this plainly once again because it needs to be stated again. I am not impressed by how much scripture someone knows. I'm not. And the enemy is not impressed by how much scripture you know either. Because hear me friends, information does not intimidate darkness. The only thing that intimidates darkness is transformation. The enemy is not rattled by your sermon notes. The enemy is not intimidated by how many church services you've attended or how many bible studies or conferences you have attended. He's not nervous because you know theology. [01:05:19] (48 seconds)  #TransformationOverKnowledge

And when Jesus is Lord, friends, everything changes. Your speech changes. Your priorities change. Your habits change. Your compassion changes. When Jesus Christ becomes Lord and Savior, you stop managing your appearances and start living surrendered. Friends, we're not called to collect bible knowledge. We're not. We're called to carry kingdom authority. We're not called to simply admire Jesus. There are so many people that just admire Jesus. It's more than that. We're called to resemble Jesus. [01:08:20] (46 seconds)  #ResembleJesus

Some of you, the only time you open up your Bible is when you walk in here and maybe you go through a whole service, and you don't even open up your Bible, and you wonder why your attitude stinks. You wonder why things aren't working out for you. You wonder why you're grumpy all the time. It's because the word of God is not flowing through your veins. You're relying on some preacher to regurgitate it and feed it to you. We're not gonna sustain in these last days on that. So let me ask you a question. Are you a person of prayer? Because this is where many believers, they quietly struggle. [01:22:42] (52 seconds)  #WordInYourVeins

The mission of Jesus cannot and will not be accomplished on human strength. Knowledge alone cannot do it. Good intentions cannot do it. Programs cannot do it. We need power. Not personality power, not institutional power, we know that doesn't work, but holy spirit power. Holy spirit power. The bible says in acts one verse eight, you will receive power when the holy spirit comes upon you. Jesus did not say, you will receive more information. He said, you will receive power, power to overcome sin, power to live holy, power to speak boldly. [01:20:39] (76 seconds)  #SpiritPowerNow

But what gets the enemy's attention, church, is a life that has been redeemed, a life that has been set free, a life that is fully surrendered, a life that no longer negotiates with sin, a life that walks into a room and the atmosphere shifts because Jesus is Lord there. That's what heaven honors. That's what darkness resists. Last week, I called those kind of believers disruptors for the kingdom. Not loud Christians, not performers, but believers who are steady, consecrated, bold, uncompromising. Peoples whose lives actually carry the authority of Jesus Christ. [01:06:39] (58 seconds)  #KingdomDisruptors

But evangelism is not an event. It's a lifestyle of invitation. Our lives represent Jesus. Paul said in two Corinthians five twenty, we are ambassadors for Christ. That's another one. If you're into underlining, second Corinthians five twenty, underline that word ambassador. An ambassador represents a kingdom. When people meet you and I, they are forming an opinion about Jesus. That's why your attitude yeah, we're going there. That's why your attitude, it matters. In some people, their attitudes just stink. It just It's true. Humility matters. Compassion matters. [01:12:30] (51 seconds)  #LiveLikeAnAmbassador

Friends, the invitation had to leave the house. Hear this clearly. A church that only invites people to attend will never reach a community. The invitation must travel. It must travel into workplaces, into neighborhoods, into homes, into everyday conversation. The conversations that you have with your friends, The conversations that you have in the coffee shop. The gospel spreads best through relationship. How do you build relationship? You talk about things that matter. You build bridges with people. It's one of my favorite things to do, build a bridge. [01:10:16] (54 seconds)  #InviteBeyondWalls

But today, we take the next step because when Jesus changes your life, you don't just sit at the table, you begin setting the table. You see, mature believers, they they stop asking, who is feeding me? And they begin asking, who am I inviting to the table? Here's the truth that we must understand. A mature church doesn't exist to just gather people. It exists to send people. Jesus did not save us so that we could simply live comfortable Christian lives, absorbing curated contents. Jesus saved us so that we could carry his invitation into the world. [01:03:37] (62 seconds)  #SendDontJustGather