August 16th, 2026: Called to Represent Him- Latonya Howell, Staff Pastor

The call to represent God begins with a simple correction: calling is not just a title, a pulpit, or a big assignment everybody recognizes. God calls every believer to represent him wherever he has placed them, at work, at home, in family, in the community, at the nail salon, at the barbershop, and in conversations with people who believe differently. The question becomes deeply personal: when frustration comes, when disrespect is felt, when somebody gets on nerves, or when the attitude is wrong even though the facts are right, the issue is still, “Am I representing him?”

Ezekiel 2 places that call in a hard season. God called Ezekiel as a priest and prophet living in exile in Babylon, displaced with his people during a painful moment in Israel’s history. God sent Ezekiel to a rebellious people who had known his commandments, heard his prophets, and still turned away. Yet God was still speaking, still reaching, and still sending. Even rebellion did not stop the mercy of God from pursuing his people.

The call to remember who sent the believer keeps the focus in the right place. Matthew 28 shows that Christ sends his people to make disciples, and that sending reaches into ordinary spaces. God has allowed people to cross paths with believers who may never enter a church, attend Bible study, or listen to a preached word. The witness of a believer becomes visible in how anger is handled, how offense is answered, how honesty is practiced, how the powerless are treated, and how wrongs are confessed.

The witness is not performance. Christianity is not pretending to be perfect so nobody sees the struggle. The witness is relationship with God lived in front of people. Peter’s denial of Jesus was real, but Jesus restored Peter, and the same man who once feared acknowledgment of Christ later proclaimed him publicly. God did not need Peter to have a perfect history, and God does not need his people to pretend they have one.

The call to represent him well requires more than quoting Scripture. God told Ezekiel to speak “my words,” not personal opinions, frustrations, or the need to win. Jesus shows the standard when he is falsely accused in John 8 and answers, “I honor my father.” The question becomes not whether a response can be justified, or whether somebody deserves it, but whether it honors the Father.

The call to stay faithful releases the pressure to control outcomes. God told Ezekiel to speak whether the people listened or failed to listen. Faithfulness plants seeds, trusts God with hidden growth, and keeps turning toward God when results cannot be seen. Jesus alone represented the Father perfectly, all the way to the cross, and through his death, resurrection, salvation, grace, and the Holy Spirit, God gives help for the life he calls his people to live.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Remember who sent the believer. God places his people in spaces that may feel ordinary, but those spaces are not accidental. The workplace, the family table, the neighborhood, and even casual conversations can become places where faith is being observed before it is ever explained. The responsibility is not to know everything God is doing in another heart, but to remain aware that God is the one who placed his representative there. [20:31]
• 2. Witness is relationship, not performance. The goal is not a polished version of Christianity that hides every struggle and never admits wrong. A false perfection can damage the witness more than humble repentance ever could, because repentance tells the truth about both sin and grace. God is represented well when a believer can say, “I was wrong,” and let correction become part of the testimony. [23:14]
• 3. Honor the Father under pressure. Jesus was misunderstood, dishonored, and falsely accused, yet his answer stayed centered: “I honor my father.” That standard cuts deeper than self-defense, because it asks whether a response reflects God rather than merely proves a point. The faithful question is not, “Can this be justified?” but “Does this honor my Father?” [28:26]
• 4. Faithfulness does not control outcomes. God told Ezekiel to speak whether the people listened or failed to listen, which removed the burden of changing hearts. Obedience may plant a seed that does not show fruit for years, and hidden growth still belongs to God. Faithfulness keeps serving, speaking, listening, praying, and trusting when results remain unseen. [31:58]
• 5. Small seeds can carry decades. A gifted purple Bible seemed like a simple act, but twenty years later it stood as a visible reminder of God’s faithfulness. The giver did not know what that seed would become, and that is often how obedience works. God can take one quiet yes and stretch it far beyond what the obedient person ever sees.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [13:47] - Called to Represent Him
• [16:31] - Ezekiel in Exile
• [18:37] - God Still Reaches Rebellious People
• [20:31] - Remember Who Sent You
• [22:08] - Witness Beyond the Church Doors
• [23:14] - Relationship, Not Performance
• [25:28] - Represent Him Well
• [27:24] - Jesus Honored the Father
• [30:41] - Listen While Being Sent
• [31:58] - Stay Faithful Without Controlling Outcomes
• [34:36] - A Bible, A Seed, A Testimony
• [40:33] - Jesus Represented the Father Perfectly
• [41:54] - Invitation to Respond

Bible Reading

Ezekiel 2:1-8
“And he said to me, ‘Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.’ And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. And he said to me, ‘Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord God.” And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house. “But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”’” [16:48] [18:54] [19:39]

John 8:49
“Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.’” [28:26]

Matthew 28:19-20
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” [20:31]

Observation questions

1. In Ezekiel 2, what does God tell Ezekiel about the people he is being sent to, and what does God repeat more than once about their response? [31:58]
2. What specific everyday places and situations show that representing God is not limited to church settings? [13:47]
3. According to John 8:49, how does Jesus respond when he is falsely accused and dishonored? [28:26]
4. What are some visible ways people learn something about a believer’s faith before hearing any explanation of it? [22:08]

Interpretation questions

1. God sends Ezekiel to a rebellious people and tells him to speak whether they listen or refuse to listen. What does that reveal about what God values most in his servants: visible results or faithfulness? [32:18]
2. Jesus says, “I honor my Father,” in the middle of insult and misunderstanding. What does that show about the difference between defending oneself and representing the Father well? [29:29]
3. God tells Ezekiel to speak “my words,” not his own opinions or frustrations. How can a person use biblical language and still fail to represent God’s heart rightly? [25:42]
4. God warns Ezekiel about the people, then turns and says, “listen to what I say to you.” Why is that correction so important for anyone trying to help, lead, or influence others? [30:41]

Application questions

1. Where has God placed you right now—work, home, family, neighborhood, school, or somewhere else—where you need to remember, “I was sent here to represent him”? [20:53]
2. Think about a recent moment when you were frustrated, offended, or felt disrespected. What came out of you in that moment, and what would it have looked like to honor the Father there? [15:44]
3. Is there a relationship right now where the temptation is to prove a point instead of showing the heart of God? What would it look like to be clear about truth without treating that person like a project? [26:43]
4. Has there been a time when saying, “I was wrong,” or asking forgiveness actually strengthened your witness instead of hurting it? What makes humble repentance so powerful? [23:14]
5. Are you trying to carry responsibility for someone else’s response, growth, or decision? What would it look like to plant the seed, pray, and release the outcome to God? [33:45]
6. What helps you stay connected to God so that you are not trying to represent someone you have grown distant from? Where do you need renewal in prayer, Scripture, or listening to the Holy Spirit? [31:09]
7. What is one small act of faithfulness you may be tempted to overlook right now—a conversation, an apology, a prayer, a gift, a word of encouragement, a simple act of service—and how might God use that seed farther than you can see? [36:40]