From Sermons to Encounters: Rediscovering God’s Power

Devotional

Day 1: When Trees Wave and Rocks Cry Out: The Necessity of Praise

Creation itself testifies to God’s worthiness. Just as wind stirs trees into motion, praise is not optional—it’s woven into the fabric of existence. To withhold worship is to resist the very purpose of our being. God doesn’t need our praise, but He delights in it, using it to draw near to us. When life feels heavy, praise realigns our perspective with eternal truth. It’s not about feelings but declaring who God is. Even creation groans for us to join its chorus. [02:00]

“He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.’”
(Luke 19:40, ESV)

Reflection: When have you seen creation itself—a sunset, a storm, a quiet dawn—prompt you to praise? What would it look like to let your daily rhythms echo creation’s unceasing worship?

Day 2: Praise as Sacrifice: Worship When the Fire Feels Distant

Praise isn’t reserved for mountaintop moments. It’s a defiant act in valleys, a choice to declare God’s goodness when circumstances scream otherwise. This “sacrifice” costs something—our pride, our need for control, our demand for answers. Yet in that surrender, God inhabits our praise, shifting atmospheres and hearts. True worship isn’t transactional but relational, rooted in who God is, not what He does. [03:13]

“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”
(Hebrews 13:15, ESV)

Reflection: What situation feels too heavy for praise right now? How might declaring “God is worthy” in that space change your posture toward it?

Day 3: Dynamite Faith: Resting on God’s Power, Not Human Persuasion

Faith built on eloquence or logic crumbles under pressure. Paul rejected polished speeches to rely on the Holy Spirit’s explosive, creative power—dynamis, the force that resurrects dead things. This power isn’t theoretical; it’s for hospitals, broken homes, and addiction’s grip. Our world doesn’t need better arguments but undeniable encounters with a living God. [11:09]

“My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
(1 Corinthians 2:4–5, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you relied on human solutions instead of praying for God’s dynamite power? What dead place in your life needs resurrection, not reasoning?

Day 4: From Secondhand Stories to Burning Bushes: Demanding Your Own Encounter

Moses needed a burning bush. Thomas needed scars. God isn’t offended by our hunger for firsthand experience. Stories of others’ miracles inspire but can’t sustain. Faith thrives when we move from “I’ve heard” to “I’ve seen.” God still speaks through whirlwinds, whispers, and unexpected moments—if we’re willing to turn aside and look. [33:49]

“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”
(John 20:27–28, ESV)

Reflection: Are you living on others’ faith stories or seeking your own burning bush? What step could you take this week to position yourself for a fresh encounter?

Day 5: Beyond Altar Calls: Walking Daily in the Cool of the Evening

Salvation isn’t a one-time event but a lifelong walk. Like Adam in the garden, we’re made for daily communion—sharing struggles, laughter, and silence with God. Faith isn’t sustained by emotional highs but by showing up in the ordinary. God still comes in the “cool of the evening,” turning routines into sacred ground. [54:14]

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.”
(Genesis 3:8, ESV)

Reflection: What mundane moment this week could become your “cool of the evening” with God? How might daily walks with Him reshape your idea of “spiritual” life?

Sermon Summary

Praise and worship stand at the front because God loves to hear the voice of his children. The best cure for a bad day is not getting everything fixed, but bringing a sacrifice of praise because God is God. The Lord inhabits the praises of his people, so praise becomes the place where God draws near and dwells among his people.

Paul’s word to the Corinthians cuts through a world full of opinions, clever talk, philosophy, and religious noise. Paul did not come with superiority of speech or lofty wisdom. Paul made a decision to know nothing among them except Jesus Christ and him crucified, so that faith would not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. The power of God is not only authority, but the creative, transforming power of the Holy Spirit that makes God real in a person’s life.

The danger today is faith built on church experiences instead of God experiences. A person can know the words, imitate the motions, sit in the right place, and still need the Holy Spirit to make the living Christ real. The first century believers did not suffer, die, preach, and stand because they had heard nice stories. Their faith held because they had encountered the living God.

The body of Christ is not called to be spectators. A body cannot have lungs, hands, or joints deciding to take the day off. Every part matters, and the church becomes weak when the people of God only sit, soak, and enjoy the program without stepping into the work of the kingdom.

The stories of Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Peter, Paul, Stephen, Philip, and John all show the same thing. Faith in Scripture grows out of encounters with God. Abraham needed signs along the journey. Moses needed a burning bush. Elijah needed God to come to him in the cave. John, suffering on Patmos, was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day and turned to see the Lord in glory.

God is still the same God. The God who parted seas, healed the lame, raised the dead, cast out devils, and filled believers with the Spirit has not changed. Religion settles for events, but relationship with God is a journey. God wants to restore what was lost in the garden, daily fellowship, daily nearness, daily conversation, so that faith stands not in human wisdom, but in the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit.

##

Key Takeaways

1. Praise brings God near Praise is not a mood that waits for life to behave. Praise becomes a sacrifice when God’s people bless the Lord because God is worthy, not because circumstances are working out. The presence of God dwells where his people choose to honor him with praise. [03:13]
2. Faith needs more than words Paul’s aim was not clever speech, religious polish, or impressive arguments. Faith that rests on human wisdom can be shaken by the next opinion, wound, or temptation. Faith that rests in the power of God has been touched by the living Christ and knows whom it has believed. [10:42]
3. Encounters make endurance possible The first century believers did not lay down their lives for secondhand religion. Their courage came from meeting the risen Lord and being transformed by his presence. A person who has encountered God carries a reality deeper than explanation and stronger than pressure. [18:27]
4. Spectators weaken the body The body of Christ is not an audience gathered around a program. Every joint, every member, every hidden part has a God-given function that matters to the health of the whole. When believers only sit and soak, the body suffers from parts that refuse to work. [21:20]
5. Relationship is a daily journey Salvation, baptism, and the baptism in the Holy Spirit are not meant to become museum pieces from yesterday. God’s desire is ongoing fellowship, like the garden where he walked with Adam in the cool of the day. Religion counts events, but love keeps walking, listening, and responding.

## [54:14]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:00] - Praise as the cure for a bad day
[05:05] - Needing a word from the Lord
[08:06] - Staying true to the Word
[09:15] - Paul and Jesus Christ crucified
[10:42] - Faith in the power of God
[12:50] - When people walk away from faith
[16:13] - More than a church service
[17:52] - Why the early church endured
[20:33] - Called beyond spectatorship
[24:53] - Theology explains, encounters define
[29:34] - Hebrews 11 and living faith
[33:49] - Moses and the burning bush
[36:16] - Elijah and the fire of God
[42:18] - John sees the Lord on Patmos
[47:18] - Invitation without fear or pressure
[54:14] - Religion as events, relationship as journey

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

1 Corinthians 2:1-5
“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” [10:42]

Psalm 22:3
“Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” [02:11]

Hebrews 13:15
“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” [03:13]

Revelation 1:10-12
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, ‘Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.’ Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,” [42:25]

Observation questions

In 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, what did Paul refuse to rely on, and what did he want people’s faith to rest on instead? [09:31]
According to Psalm 22:3 and Hebrews 13:15, what kind of praise is described, and what does that praise do? [03:13]
What examples were given of people in Scripture who needed a real encounter with God during their journey of faith? [29:34]
What picture was used to describe the church as a body, and what happens when parts of the body stop functioning? [21:20]

Interpretation questions

Paul says faith should not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. What might faith look like when it is mostly built on human words, religious routine, or personality instead of the Spirit’s work? [10:47]
If the Lord inhabits the praises of his people, why might praise be especially important on hard days rather than only on joyful ones? [03:34]
John was suffering on Patmos, yet he was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” and turned to see the Lord. What does that suggest about God meeting people in lonely, painful, or pressured places? [42:37]
The church is described as a body, not a crowd watching a program. What does that reveal about the responsibility and value of each believer in the life of the church? [20:33]

Application questions

When a hard day comes, what is the usual first response: worry, silence, distraction, or praise? What might it look like this week to offer a real sacrifice of praise before the situation changes? [02:51]
It is possible to know the words, sit in the right place, and still need the Holy Spirit to make Christ real. Where is faith feeling most like routine right now, and where is fresh nearness to God most needed? [25:22]
Church experiences alone cannot carry a person through pressure, temptation, or disappointment. What has most shaped faith lately: habit, other people’s opinions, or personal communion with God? [20:12]
Every part of the body matters. In what ways is there active participation in the work of the kingdom right now, and in what ways has there been more sitting and watching than serving? [20:58]
God’s desire is not just one past event but an ongoing journey of fellowship. What helps create daily space to walk with God, listen to him, and respond to him? What keeps getting in the way? [54:14]
Many people can tell stories of what God did years ago, but each generation needs its own encounter with him. How can space be made in the home, in the group, and in the church for younger believers to seek and recognize God for themselves? [44:17]
Jesus invites rather than drives. When the question becomes, “Do you love me?” what honest answer rises in the heart right now, and what might love for Christ need to change in daily life? [49:34]

Sermon Clips

42s

#FaithIsAJourney

“``Those who walk with God have consistent encounters with God. We made our faith too much in events instead of a journey. make salvation an event. We get somebody to come to the altar and and and and they pray their sinner's prayer, shed a few tears, and we'll say, you're good to go now. You had the event today. No. No. No. No. No. No. If that's the case, then the day you got born was an event, and you're not supposed to have any other experiences after that moment.”

59s

#BodyNotInstitution

“``There's no calling in the body of Christ for us to come and to sit on the pew and soak up week after week after week and and enjoy the programs and the ministries of the church and and not be involved. You see, the Bible tells us that we are the body of Christ. How many of would be okay if your lungs said, I think I'm gonna take the day off? I mean, I've been working all these years, and I'm a little tired right now. I need a little break. I think I'll just not work today. And they're look at me like that's so stupid. Well, there's no there's no there's no crazier than when the body of Christ because we are a body. We're not an organization. We're not an institution. We're a living body, that every person, every joint is important. Every part of your being is important. The smallest part of your body is important.”

80s

#ExperienceBeforeWords

“``How arrogant we are to believe that people ought to walk with God because we tell them our story or we give them our words. When that young man said to me, why should I believe? I thought for a moment, I thought, you know what? You shouldn't believe. You shouldn't believe just because somebody says something. You shouldn't believe just because a group of people say something. You should only believe. You see, we we we we put all Thomas down because we call him doubting Thomas, but we forget the fact that Jesus had shown himself to the other 11, and Thomas was not there that day or the other 10. Thomas was not there that day that Jesus revealed himself. And they tell Thomas, hey. The Lord is risen. We we saw the Lord. And Thomas said, and some of us ought to get a get a good dose of Thomas than us. And Thomas said, listen. I got to have the experience. I gotta be able to touch him because I want to know that my faith is not standing in your words, but my faith is standing in the power of God. Amen.”

35s

#TheologyExplainsFaith

“``But this is what I've learned. Theology only explains our faith. It doesn't define it. me say that again. Theology only explains our faith. It doesn't define it. What defines our faith is experiences and encounters with God. See, I'm just an old Pentecostal that still believe that we ought to have experiences that is supplemented by our faith and our knowledge.”

Ask a question about this sermon

thecagchurch This sermon · AI assistant

What role does praise play in revival

What defines faith theology or encounters with God

When is a Rhema word necessary beyond Scripture