Rediscovering Purpose: Embracing God's Unique Calling

### Bible Reading
1. **Exodus 6:6-7**: "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.'"
2. **Acts 20:24**: "But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned to me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God."
3. **Ecclesiastes 4:9**: "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor."

### Observation Questions
1. What are the four promises God made to the Israelites in Exodus 6:6-7? How do these promises relate to our lives today? [01:16]
2. According to Acts 20:24, what does Paul consider to be the most important aspect of his life? How does this align with the sermon’s message about understanding our "why"? [37:46]
3. In Ecclesiastes 4:9, what is the benefit of two people working together? How does this verse support the sermon’s emphasis on community and the Dream Team? [20:42]

### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the promise of God to bring the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 6:6-7) symbolize God's desire to free us from our own "Egypts"? [01:16]
2. What does it mean to have a unique calling and anointing, as illustrated by David using his own sling and rod instead of Saul's armor? How can this understanding impact our view of our personal gifts and talents? [37:06]
3. How does understanding our "why" (Acts 20:24) help us navigate life's challenges and stay focused on our divine mission? [38:22]
4. Why is it important to move from an individual mindset to a collective one, as emphasized in Ecclesiastes 4:9 and the concept of the Dream Team? [20:42]

### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt like you were living in your own "Egypt." How did you experience God's deliverance, and what steps can you take to ensure you don't return to that place? [01:16]
2. What unique gifts and talents has God given you? How can you use these gifts in your current context, whether in your church, workplace, or community? [37:06]
3. Have you discovered your "why"? If so, how does it shape your daily decisions and actions? If not, what steps can you take to seek and understand your divine purpose? [38:22]
4. In what ways have you allowed your past to cripple you? What practical steps can you take to overcome these limitations and move forward in your calling? [10:36]
5. How has culture influenced your identity and decisions? What changes can you make to ensure that God's principles, rather than cultural trends, define your life? [13:15]
6. Are you currently trying to fulfill your calling alone? How can you engage with a community or team to better achieve your purpose and make a difference? [20:42]
7. Think of a specific area in your life where you need to shift from an individual mindset to a collective one. What practical steps can you take this week to foster collaboration and community in that area? [20:42]

Day 1: God's Foreknowledge and Our Unique Purpose
Before we were even formed in our mother's womb, God knew us and had a specific plan for our lives. Like Jeremiah, we were ordained for a unique purpose. This divine foreknowledge should encourage us to seek out and live according to God's original design for us. When we align our lives with His purpose, we find true fulfillment. God’s knowledge of us is not just a distant awareness but an intimate understanding of who we are and what we are meant to be. This should inspire us to live intentionally, seeking to discover and fulfill the purpose for which we were created.

Understanding that God has a plan for us can be both comforting and motivating. It means that our lives are not random or meaningless. Instead, we are part of a grand design, and our existence has significance. This realization should drive us to seek God’s guidance in every aspect of our lives, ensuring that we are walking in the path He has set for us. [39:29]

Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV): "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations."

Reflection: What steps can you take today to seek out and align your life with God's original design for you?


Day 2: Embracing Our Unique Calling
Our calling is unique and anointed. Just as David could not wear Saul's armor and had to use his own sling and rod, we must use the unique gifts and talents God has given us. The anointing is not on the tools we use but on us as individuals. When we allow God's anointing to work through us, what doesn't work for others will work for us. This uniqueness is a testament to God's specific plan for each of us. Embracing our unique calling means recognizing and valuing the distinct gifts and talents we possess, and using them for God's glory.

It is easy to fall into the trap of comparison, looking at others and wishing we had their gifts or opportunities. However, God has equipped each of us with exactly what we need to fulfill our specific calling. By focusing on our unique strengths and trusting in God's anointing, we can accomplish things that are uniquely suited to us. This not only brings personal fulfillment but also contributes to the greater good of God's kingdom. [37:06]

1 Samuel 17:39-40 (ESV): "And David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, 'I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.' So David put them off. Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine."

Reflection: What unique gifts and talents has God given you, and how can you use them to fulfill your calling?


Day 3: Discovering and Holding Onto Our "Why"
Understanding our "why" is crucial. Acts 20:24 emphasizes the importance of knowing our "why." If we lose our "why," we lose our way. Our purpose is not tied to material possessions or temporary achievements but to the eternal work assigned to us by the Lord Jesus. Discovering and holding onto our "why" helps us navigate life's challenges and stay focused on our divine mission. Knowing our "why" gives us direction and motivation, especially during difficult times.

Our "why" is the driving force behind our actions and decisions. It is what keeps us grounded and focused on what truly matters. When we are clear about our purpose, we are less likely to be swayed by external pressures or distractions. Instead, we can remain steadfast in our commitment to fulfilling God's plan for our lives. This clarity of purpose not only benefits us but also impacts those around us, as we become more effective and intentional in our actions. [38:22]

Acts 20:24 (ESV): "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."

Reflection: What is your "why," and how does it influence your daily decisions and actions?


Day 4: Seeing Ourselves as Ministers in Every Arena
We are all ministers in different arenas. Whether you are a teacher, doctor, lawyer, or businessperson, you are a minister. God has set each of us in the body as it pleases Him. We need to express our gifts in a local community, whether it's in the church, business, politics, or education. This broad understanding of ministry helps us see our everyday work as a divine calling. Recognizing that we are ministers in our respective fields transforms the way we approach our work and interactions with others.

Seeing ourselves as ministers means understanding that our work is not just a means to an end but a platform for serving God and others. It means being intentional about how we use our skills and opportunities to make a positive impact. This perspective shifts our focus from self-centered goals to a greater purpose, aligning our professional lives with our spiritual calling. By doing so, we become agents of God's love and grace in every sphere of influence. [29:15]

Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV): "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."

Reflection: How can you view your current job or role as a ministry, and what changes can you make to align it more closely with God's purpose?


Day 5: The Power of Community in Fulfilling God's Purpose
We need each other to fulfill God's purpose. God wants to take us as His own people, forming us into a community that makes a difference. At Hope City, we call this the Dream Team. We are not meant to do life alone. Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor." We need to come together, using our unique gifts and talents to make a difference in the world. The power of community lies in the collective strength and support we provide to one another.

Being part of a community means recognizing that we are stronger together than we are alone. It means valuing the contributions of others and working collaboratively towards common goals. In a community, we find encouragement, accountability, and a sense of belonging. This collective effort amplifies our impact, allowing us to achieve more than we could individually. By embracing the power of community, we fulfill God's purpose more effectively and create a lasting legacy. [20:42]

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (ESV): "Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!"

Reflection: How can you actively contribute to and benefit from your community, and what steps can you take to strengthen these connections?

It is, it is okay. So let's end this series today. Promises part six, talking about making a difference, making a difference.

Our foundational scripture is Exodus chapter six, verse six, where it says, "Therefore say to the Israelites, I am the Lord and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians."

And again, over the past six weeks, we've been teaching this. We started this series right before Easter. Exodus chapter six is where Hope City Church has its vision. It's not particularly that the vision came directly from Exodus chapter six, more so from a lot of New Testament scriptures, but Exodus chapter six was a picture in the Old Testament of what God wanted to do.

And it's a picture of what God wanted to do through the nation of Israel, through the children of Israel, but it became fully established and fulfilled through Jesus Christ when he died on the cross. These are four promises, four things that God said to the children of Israel he wanted to do for them. He says, "I want to bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I want to free you from being slaves to them. I want to redeem you with an outstretched arm. And then I want to take you as my own people."

The promises of God, the Bible is full of promises, but these are the core promises of God that every church should be teaching. Even if their language is not "know God, find freedom, discover your purpose, and make a difference," they may not use that same language, but all churches should be teaching people who God is, helping people get free from yesterday, helping people discover why they said yes to life, and helping people to become a part of a community, a family.

The Bible refers to it as the body of Christ, the Ecclesia. The spiritual, the church itself here at Hope City, as a part of our vision, we refer to it as the dream team, getting people out of Egypt, getting Egypt out of them. Once they're out of Egypt, restoring them back to their original design.

Because when you were in Egypt, you allowed Egypt to put stuff on you that you normally would never have done if you were in your right mind. Come on. There were some people you talked to and went out with that you would never have dated if you were in your right mind. But because you were in Egypt, you did Egypt stuff.

So now we got you out of Egypt. Now we're getting Egypt out of you. Once Egypt is out of you, as the scripture says, "I will restore you to your original design." Cause you to remember why you showed up, and then I will make you my people.

And it was four cups that the children of Israel would sit around the table every Passover. We had Resurrection Sunday, and then that Friday they had what is called Passover, where they remembered how the blood of God, if you would, or blood was applied over the doorposts, which was a picture of Jesus coming in the New Testament. And he was going to shed his blood, and whatever God, whatever Jesus sees the blood, even in the life of a believer, there are various things that should pass us by. Why? Because we are now in Jesus Christ.

A little bit more about that, and then we'll move on. The four cups that we also call this was the cup of sanctification, or the promise of sanctification, the cup of deliverance, or the promise of deliverance, the cup of redemption, and the cup of praise. We call it here at Hope City Church, "know God," cup of sanctification, "find freedom," cup of deliverance, "make a difference," or "discover your purpose," the cup of redemption, and to make a difference. That's the cup of praise and putting you on the dream team.

We just choose not to call it the cup of deliverance. We call it the cup of the vision of Hope City Church, which is the cup of sanctification, the cup of deliverance, the cup of redemption, and the cup of praise. We use the language of we're here, we exist to help people know God, find freedom, discover their purpose so that they can make a difference.

That was God's desire then; it is his desire now, and he fulfills this through Jesus Christ down on the cross. And he said, "Whosoever will, let him come." Why? Because God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever will, let him come. And he said, "Whosoever will, let him come." And he said, "Does not have to perish but can have everlasting life."

So the first message was the weekend services, that's know God, small groups, find freedom, new members class, growth track that's taking place today. Matter of fact, every Thursday, Sunday, we have growth track helping people figure out who they are in God.

And then, actually, I'm sorry, today our last message is the cup of praise, talking about the dream team. I want to focus on the unlived life. Unfortunately, there will be a lot of people who are going to live an unlived life. You're going to be saved, you're going to heaven, but you will not live the life that God has ordained for you. You won't be fulfilled. You'll have a job, you'll get paid, you'll make money, but there will always be a longing in you for more, that you were created for more, you were designed for more.

And many people will settle for a less than version of who they were called to be because they have not taken the time to rediscover why did I show up and why did I say yes to life. Because oftentimes when we were in our own proverbial Egypt, if you would, some of us don't even have a mindset to rediscover who we really were. Many people are just happy to be out of Egypt.

And I can understand why, because Egypt could have been that destructive to you. You're just happy to be out. But I'm telling you, there's more to your life than just being out of Egypt. There's more to your life than not only just being out of Egypt and getting Egypt out of you, but there's more to your life than getting out of you. There are some purposes and some promises and some things, some positions in the earth that God wants you to fulfill.

And then you discover that, but then you don't figure out who do I do that with? Who am I called to do life with? How can I manifest? How can I express these giftings? The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 12, he sets the members in the body as it pleases him. How do I express these gifts in a local house? How do I express these gifts in a local community? Am I expressing my gifts in a local church?

Or I like to say the mountains of influence. Is it religion? Is it business? Is it politics? Is it education? Is it government? Well, where's your mountain of influence? What giftings are locked up on the inside of you? You may have discovered your purpose, but now do you know where to perform it and who to perform it with?

I know what I'm supposed to do. I know my giftings, but I don't know where I can exercise these gifts. And if you have spiritual gifts locked up on the inside of you, as Hope City Church continues to grow, we need you to exercise those gifts here.

And to Minister Janine, excellent job. I don't mean to call you out, but you did an excellent, excellent job. I felt like you've been doing that every single Sunday. So thank you for that, ma'am. Excellent. I was sitting there like, "You go girl." You go girl. Yeah, I was just all flowing naturally and all just like, "This is what I do. This is who I am. Let me loose, Pastor Court."

John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only but to steal, kill, and to destroy." Now, he doesn't just stop at stealing your dream and your vision. He wants to possess it and then destroy it and rip it all up so that even when you come to yourself and decide to do what you're supposed to do, he calls you to jack things up so bad in your life that you can't even go back to it.

It's like people who say, who really believe that they don't want to be cremated because they believe if you're cremated and God decided to bring you back real fast, it's all destroyed. You know, that's the mindset of some people. They literally believe that, "Man, I ain't going to, don't cremate me just in case at the last minute God decided to bring me back."

The thief, he doesn't just want to steal it. He wants to kill it and rip it all up. That's what he wants to do to your vision and your dream. Your dreams and your purpose. He doesn't want to just possess it. He doesn't want to just hold it in some box, but he's thinking that once I get it, I want to annihilate it just in case something happens in you. You go to a church that shows you who you are and you desire to go back to your true identity.

So he doesn't want to just steal it. He wants to steal it, he wants to kill it, and he wants to destroy it. It's showing the degree in which he wants to take away who we are designed to be. But Jesus said, "But I come that they may have life and have it to the full." One version says, "I come that you may have life to the full until it overflows."

See, I would tell people my full cup is for me. My overflow is for you. See, I can't give you anything if my cup is not full. My full cup is for me. It's that overflow that I'm trying to pour out so that everybody I'm called to serve, everybody I'm called to bless can be a partaker of that overflow.

It is a promise that God made to Abraham. He said, "Abraham, I'm going to bless you and make you a blessing." Many of you are sitting here right now. Your life is blessed. All your needs are met. All your needs are supplied. That's great. But God says, "No, I want to position you so much so that through your life, other people can be blessed."

I don't know about you, but I want my life to be the kind of life that blesses other people. You know, not that just me, me, me, me, me, me, my selfish life. No, I want to use my life to serve other people. And we got to make sure we move from this unlived life.

And here's a few ways that people live in this unlived life. Number one, we let the past cripple us. Many people live an unlived life because their past cripples them. The mistakes of the past, the failures of the past. Mama, daddy not being there in your past. As a child, whatever the specificity of your past may be, maybe you were addicted to something, maybe drugs, maybe pride, anger, bitterness. It took some things away from you.

Maybe you lost a job that was your dream job, but you lost it because your attitude was bad. And so you lost something that really belonged to you. And now it has paralyzed your thinking. It has paralyzed your identity. We let the past cripple us. We let what they said about us, we let the past cripple us.

And so you lost something that really belonged to you. We let the past cripple us. We let the doctor's report cripple us. We let these outside things rob us. We let delay cripple us. We let the weight of the wait cripple us. Because how many of you know the weight of the wait can be heavy sometimes?

The weight of the wait could be difficult. The W-E-I-G-H-T or the W-A-I-T can be heavy sometimes. And that's why you single people, you got to weigh it. You got to weigh it. You got to weigh it. You and I know it's heavy. It's too much. It's too much for me to bear, Pastor Corey. I can't wait.

In your patience, the scripture says, "Possess ye your soul." What is my soul? My soul is the seat of my emotions. It's how I think. It's how I feel. It's how I make my decisions. In my patience, I possess my soul. But in my impatience, I give away my soul.

So when you get ahead of yourself and you get impatient, single person, or whatever your state may be, you get ahead of yourself. You get ahead of yourself. You get impatient. When you are in patience, in your patience, you possess your soul. You keep everything that belongs to you. And the enemy wants us to get impatient about things. And we end up giving away things that rightfully belong to us.

We become crippled by our past. Psalm 38:4 says, "My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. I am bowed down and brought low." Is that some of you guys right now? A divorce has bowed you down. You maybe lost your home and it has bowed you down. Your children did not turn out the way you thought they should, and you are bowed down. You got an issue going on at the company, at the job that is bringing you down.

He said, "My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. I am bowed down and brought low." Not only do we allow our past to cripple us, we allow the culture to define us. We allow the culture to define us. Current ways and current trends, it defines us.

Now, I always say, and I forgot who actually said this quote here, but the quote is, "In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock." It's okay to kind of move things around in seasons where, you know, in this season, just like now, we're going to a season now where we're in the spring and we're wearing spring clothes, but the summertime is coming.

And you don't wear coats in the summertime, right? So, the season calls to wear more different kinds of clothes, right? I don't even see you at the beach with a sweatsuit on. Are you with me? That's style. Those things come and those things change.

But what shouldn't change in your life is standards, is principles. Come on, somebody. See, this is the stuff that God is looking for in our life. He doesn't care if you dye your hair this week blue and next year you dye it red. God could care less about the color of your hair. Are you with me?

You want five tattoos, you won't see. I think God could care less about any of those things. But when it comes to character, when it comes to matters of heart, when it comes to standards, come on, somebody. When it comes to integrity, those are the things God is looking for.

We let the culture define us. If they're doing it, then I'm going to do it. Even when that doesn't align with your purpose. It's one thing to be doing something that they're doing because it aligns with where you're going, but you only want it because they got it.

You were content with your house and your car until you saw the picture of their new house and new car. Now, you want a new house and a new car. Why? Because you're trying to not keep up with the Joneses, as we used to say, but you're trying to keep up with everybody on Facebook, on Twitter, TikTok, social media, whatever you thought.

We let culture define us. Galatians 1:10 says, "Am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God?" Who am I looking for the approval for? A man, a people, or a God? Am I worried more about what they say or am I worried more about what God says?

I have realized we have come to a point in life that we are more concerned about how we, how other people feel and not how God feels. We can care less about how God feels as long as they are happy with me. As long as she's happy, as long as he's happy, and God may hate this, it doesn't matter.

I want to make sure I please them because I can't see God, but I see them. But it doesn't take away the emotions of how God feels about the matter just because you don't see him. Come on, somebody.

And so it's, it's, it's, it's, it's who are you trying to please? Am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I was still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

See, when you join, I'm going to say the army of the Lord. That sounds spiritual, right? But when you join the army of the Lord, there are certain things you have to let go.

Who here has been in the military before? When you went to the military and you entered there, certain doors, certain stuff you came in with, they were about to strip you of all that. And you couldn't say, "Oh, no, bro, I'm keeping this one right here." No, no, no, no, no. You're going to be held in contempt of whatever words they use.

When we make a decision to follow Christ, to become a part of God's kingdom, there are some stuff we have to let go. But we always got to keep in mind, God's not trying to get nothing from us. He's trying to get something to us.

So whenever God is requiring us to let go of certain stuff, it's not because he's a bad or a mean God. It's literally because he's a good God. So when you go back to the garden of Eden, God gave them free access to almost everything in that garden.

He said, "Touch any tree you want to, eat whatever you want to eat. Just don't touch this one tree." He said, "Do whatever you want to do. You got free access. Just don't touch this one tree because in the day that you touch this particular tree, something's going to happen."

God wasn't trying to withhold nothing from them. He was trying to get something to them. And he knew if they touched that one tree, it was going to destroy a lot of things in their life. Some of the stuff that God is telling you not to touch, he is saying it not because he's not trying to get something from you. He's trying to get something to you.

So when it's the way that we talk to our spouses, "I'm a man, I can talk the way I want to." But if you keep talking like that, you're not going to get the dream marriage. You won't. You're not going to get the honor and the respect. You can't treat your husband like he's your child.

"Well, I'm a grown woman." No, no, no, no, no, no. We're not trying to tell you what to do. God is showing you how you can get everything that belongs to you. But because you can't touch this one tree of being, "I'm an independent woman," or "I'm a grown man."

No, that's God not trying to hold nothing from you. He's trying to get something to you. And that's a freebie for the ladies. Being independent, an independent woman is overrated. Did I say it? Just a freebie right there.

I'm just going to say the Bible is right. Two is better than one. There's something good about two bank accounts. Come on, somebody. More money. Come on, somebody. It's just overrated. "I'm an independent woman." How you feeling that over there by yourself?

Come on, somebody. How you feeling about your independence? Could you code? Could you code over there? Yeah, I'm just over here being independent by myself, going out to eat by yourself at the table with your independence there.

Let me get back on task here real fast because I'm off task. We let our past cripple us. We let culture define us. And watch this here. We try to do it alone. We live an unlived life because we let our past cripple us. We let the culture define us. And we try to do it by ourselves.

You got so much locked up on the inside of you. Mr. Brooks, who's the chairman over at the boys club over there, he's got some dreams and some visions locked up in his head, locked up in his heart. But he can't bring the vision and the dreams locked up in his heart over at the boys and girls club by himself.

He needs a team. He needs a group of people that got stuff that's locked up on the inside of him, all coming together collectively, manifesting something, building something that he could not do by himself.

I love the fact when you look back at that verse over in Exodus. He says, "I will bring you out. I will free you. I will redeem you." Then he switches it in the end and says, "I will take you as my own people." It went from an individual to a people.

And we call it here at Hope City, the dream team. Because we don't believe you should be doing life alone. Yes, you individually got gifts and talents locked up on the inside of you. He brought you out of your Egypt for a totally different reason than he brought me out.

Yes, we were all struggling with something. But what you were struggling with may be totally different from why I came out of Egypt. But when he ultimately gets done with all of us, he wants to bring us together, group us together as a people to make a difference.

And so y'all can't say, "I don't like going to no big church." Because we're going to get bigger. I'm just warning you right now. Why? For some basic reasons. Because people want hope. The Word is making sense in their life.

And you can't be so selfish and say, "Well, it's just getting too many people here now. Let me go somewhere else." Well, I feel sorry for you if you go. I'm just being honest with you. And I'm not saying we're not the only place.

But what I am saying is if God sets you here, you just can't leave because things are getting bigger. It's now I got to discover my purpose and see how I do. I plug in here to keep making a difference or to help make a difference.

Because watch this here. I can't do it by myself. Come on, somebody. We need more people like Minister Janine. Y'all got to get the bigger picture. You know, folks, they want to go international or go global. You haven't gone local yet.

I mean, how are you going to go global and you haven't even done nothing locally yet? You know, some people have been prophesied, "Oh, you're going to go global. You're going to the nations." They ain't even doing nothing at their local church yet.

How are they going to the nations? Because we don't show people what I believe is a clear biblical in which I hope I did over the past six weeks. It took me six weeks to make one point, y'all. That's crazy, right?

Six weeks to make one point that I hope y'all got the point of this message here. And we're going to live a fulfilled life moving from an unlived life. We cannot do this by ourselves.

Ecclesiastes 4:8 said, "There was a man all alone. He had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil. Yet his eyes were not content with his wealth." The man had money. He had wealth. He had riches. But he had neither son nor brother. In other words, he didn't have anybody in his life.

He didn't have people in his life. Listen, we need people. People say, "I don't need nobody." Yes, you do. God designed us to need. A baby needs someone to get them out of the crib. God wired us to need people.

But we come to a place in our world where people have either been offended or hurt. And leadership doesn't know how to handle that to help bridge the gap. The gap from the brokenness in bringing people together.

You know, John Maxwell just wrote a book called High-Role Leadership or High-Role Leaders. And in it, he's talking about how we're in a day, in an hour where we need high-role leaders, whether it's in business, whether it's in church, and particularly today in politics, we need high-role leaders because leadership right now, everybody's going low-rolled.

Everyone's going in the gutter. We're not talking about stuff that matters. We have low-role leaders. Then John and Pastor Chris Hodges in Birmingham, they're working on a book now that'll be out in June called Jesus, the High-Role Leader.

Taking it, showing through scriptures how Jesus, even when Jesus was firm and had to correct, it's oftentimes not what Jesus said, it's how he said it. Because we could be so caught up on trying to make a point that we hurt people in the process.

And you can make a point. And you can correct, but you don't always have to hurt people in the process. I mean, think about Jesus and the woman at the well. I mean, you're talking about calling somebody out. Jesus at the well with the woman telling her all about her business, the man she was with, the man she was with, he ain't even your husband.

You know, I looked at it recently. I said, "You know what? I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I'm going to find all the places where Jesus clapped back." Because I realized Jesus was clapping back in the Bible, y'all.

Jesus. Y'all, I saw at least 10 places where Jesus clapped back with people. He didn't move on. He stayed right there with them. I mean, come on. Imagine at the well, you're talking with Jesus. And Jesus will tell you, "Well, yeah, uh-huh, yeah, but the man at your house right now, he ain't even your husband. And the one you had last week, he ain't your husband either. Yeah, now what?"

Talking about high-road leadership. We think high-road leader is always just being passive. You can be a high-road leader. Be firm. Be firm about the principles. See, it's all about the principles.

We major in the minor, and we minor in the major. Jesus always was strong when it came to the major stuff. On the minor stuff, he didn't fight over that. I remember one time they said to Jesus, they said, "Jesus, John and I are baptizing people, and he's baptizing more people than you." Jesus said, "That's cool."

He said, "As long as he's gathering, he ain't scattering." We get so caught up on, "Ah, ah, ah, me, me, me, me." I shared earlier, and I'll share it now. This should have been at the end of my message here. But I shared earlier that maybe about two or three years ago, I remember distinctly God asking me, "Will you be okay with most of your fruit being on other people's trees?"

It took me maybe about 10 seconds to get what he was asking me. But are you okay? Are you okay with most of your fruit being on other people's trees? And it was in that moment where we were processing, I was processing planting another church, how to get more people in here.

Do we need a bigger building? Can we find one that fits more people? And that's when he was showing me the multi-sites that we got to start. Are you okay that if everybody doesn't come here? Are you okay with creating places where people that will come to you, but they go hear Pastor David? Or go hear Minister Harris?

Are you okay if I send a lot of people your way, but they go and be with someone? Are you okay with that? Absolutely. He said, "Okay, good. Watch what I do with you." If we can get over ourselves, God can do great things in all of our lives.

He desires to do great things in all of us, in all of our lives. What God needs to do in Savannah, it's going to take more than one pastor and more than one church. But we got to get over ourselves. We try to do it all alone.

Here's a few things I want to give you here, the promise to make a difference. Pastor Corey, how do I make a difference? Let me get ready to close this out here. Exodus 6:7, "I will take you as my own people and I will be your God."

Isaiah 61:6 says, "But you shall be called the priests of the Lord. They shall speak of you as the ministers of our God. You shall eat the wealth of the nations and in their glory you shall."

But talking about, imagine God making us his people and we're all called to be ministers without the title. But we all got the position as ministers. And you know how, and even in our government, in particular in other nations, they use the words like the minister of defense, the minister of agriculture.

See, we get so caught up in the church. I want to be called minister because they make me look good. No, do you know anything about defense? Do you know anything about agriculture? The thing is, we're all called to be ministers.

Have I discovered my purpose and what I'm supposed to be ministering in? Even if it's not the pulpit. Come on, somebody. You could be a school teacher and you're ministering. You could be a doctor and you're ministering. You could be a lawyer and you're ministering.

Have you discovered your place in the body? He's gifted you and he set you in the body to make a difference. Have you discovered your purpose? And once you discover your purpose, now I need to discover my people. I need to discover my people who I'm supposed to be making a difference with.

So it's like my wife, for example, she's a school teacher. And I think, I would assume she discovered her people. That this is the people I'm supposed to be. Even if she knows she's called to teach, have she discovered who I'm supposed to be teaching?

Because many of you know you got the gift of teaching in you. Have you discovered who am I supposed to be teaching? What level, what grade, what type of people I'm called to teach? The gift of teaching is in you.

But don't let the wrong person steer your teaching in the wrong direction. That's the reason why I don't like bad prophecy. And people just using their position to call things out of people and direct them in the wrong place.

I know some churches now, everybody in the church is an evangelist. I mean, every last person is an evangelist in the church. And I believe some of those people would never fully discover who they're supposed to be because they're going to be running after trying to fulfill something that some zealous preacher or some zealous prophet tried to bring out of their life.

Are you with me? The promise to make a difference. We're going to be called the ministers of our God. Imagine Hope City Church. We got all kinds of people in here. Business people, lawyers and doctors and school teachers, realtors in here. We're all ministers.

The word minister at its lowest form is serving. You know what I mean? If you're the title minister, you'll be ordained minister. By the power invested in me, I now ordain all of y'all ministers. Now go serve. Now go serve.

I'm going to close with this here. 1 Peter 2:9. I'm going to give you three points. 1 Peter 2:9, "But you are a chosen generation." Back to a people again. "You're a chosen generation. A royal priesthood. A holy nation." This is New Testament. This is after Christ. "A peculiar people that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

He has called you out of Egypt into his kingdom. I love this here. "But you are chosen. You are royal. A holy nation." My focus point here real fast. "A peculiar people."

Listen, Hope City. We're supposed to be peculiar. Listen here, Christian. You're supposed to be peculiar. Listen. People are supposed to see you and see something distinguishable about you than how other people respond and act.

You may work at the same company, same job, and everybody else may be going off on the boss. How are you going to respond? Everybody else may be late every single day. How are you going to respond? What is peculiar about you?

"It won't take all that, Pastor Corey." And that's why you ain't got some of your blessings right there. That's why you ain't got some of your blessings because what God will allow them to get away with, you can't get away with.

You ever had a parent who always got you and never got the other kid? And they went, "You let so and so do that and you ain't tell me nothing." That's them. I'm talking to you right now.

Because there's an expectation. There's something in you. Your ministry is different than their ministry. And what I would just overlook with them, I can't overlook with you. Are you with me here?

We're supposed to be peculiar. And we clap back. We act. We get mad the same way. We late with our bills like everybody else. We robbing Peter to pay Paul like everybody else. We don't hold our words like peculiar.

Peculiar. And all this little leaven messes up a whole lump. And we think this stuff don't matter. We think character don't matter no more. We think standards don't matter no more.

You're filing for your taxes last week. You claim five kids. You only got two. Character matters. Come on. And you may get that extra two or three thousand dollars. But I'm telling you, God has a way of putting holes in your pockets over time.

And you want to know, "Why has all this happened in my life?" And we always sing that song in the parlor. "When I think back over my life." No, you need to think back over your life and see all the craziness you've done.

And that's why you got that flat tire. And that's why that's happening. And that's why that. Because everything ain't the devil. We blame the devil for it. Sometimes the devil sits by like, "Now they blaming me for that one too. I ain't even do that one now. I was nowhere around. I was sleeping at that time."

And the danger, you guys listen. The danger about blaming the devil for everything is because what you're saying is I have no power. Some of the stuff that you're giving the devil too much power is stuff you can fix just like that.

You got more power and authority than you realize. I need you to get this on today. God has greatness available locked up on the inside of us. But we can't use the same excuses that everybody else uses. Why? Because you're peculiar. You're different.

You're different. You're going somewhere where other people can't go. You're going to do things that other people can't do. You're going to sit at tables that other people cannot sit at.

Here's three things I want to share and I'm done. Number one, how do I make a difference? Number one, it begins with a calling. It begins with a calling. 2 Timothy 1:9, "He has saved us and called us to a holy life, not because of anything we have done, but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time."

So before you allow Egypt to mess you all up over the years and you did life on your own terms, God had already had designs for you. Now that I hope you discovered some of that over the past couple of weeks of who you are and what you're designed to be, now it's time for you to get on a team and to a place where you can make a difference.

It begins with a call. And then he called you, Jeremiah, before the faith of Jeremiah. "Before I formed you in your mother's womb, I knew you and I ordained you to be a prophet unto the nation." Your ministry is specific.

The ministry over your life, the assignment over your life, it is specific. When they tried to put the armor on Saul or on David, and I can't break this down now, but when they tried to put the same armor on David that everybody else normally used, David put it on him. But David threw it off and said, "This don't fit me. This don't work for me."

And he used his simple sling. He used his slingshot and a rod to make a difference in his generation. I don't know what you got in your hand. I don't know what you got in your house. It may not look like what everybody else has, but if the anointing of God is on your life, he could use a slingshot and a rod.

He could use a stutterer. Come on, somebody. He could use a former thief. He could use a former prostitute to do something great. And he will see. See, the anointing was not even about on what he had. The anointing was on the person who had it.

And when you allow the anointing of God, the calling of God to become known in your life, what doesn't work for somebody else, it will work for you. Just because it doesn't work for you, doesn't mean it won't work for me. Why? Because there's a grace.

I know my grace. I know my position. I know my purpose. And it's going to work if I choose to work it. Can we give God a praise right there?

It begins with a calling. And watch this here, number two. It stands on a cause. It's your calling, your purpose, your position. It stands on a cause. Acts chapter 20, verse 24 says, "But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus." That's a cause.

He has a cause. Listen, you need to figure out what's your why. Some of you figured your why out in growth track already. Now you've discovered your why. Because if you don't figure out your why, or if you ever lose your why, you'll lose your way.

And too many people have lost their why. And because you thought your why was a dream house. And somehow life caused you to lose that dream house. And now you think that because you lost the dream house, your why is over with.

No, baby girl, baby man, your why is bigger than a house. Maybe you experienced divorce right now and you thought that marriage was your why. Your life is bigger than a marriage. Come on. If you ever lose your why, you'll lose your way.

Is there not a cause? Have you discovered your cause? Have you discovered why you're here? Have you discovered why you showed up? Have you discovered why you said yes to life? Jeremiah, before I formed you and shaped you in your mother's womb, I knew you.

I had a conversation with you. We talked about this. You knew who you were designed to be. Before I formed you and shaped you, we were intimately acquainted. And I like to use the black and men factor of how when we were seeds or just spirits.

I just believe in my mind here that at the beginning God, that God knew us and God told us that what we was going to be. And we say, "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. I'll do that. I'll be a doctor. I'll be a lawyer. I'll be a preacher." Okay, you agree. Boom.

And then you forget. Place you in your mother's womb. And it's your parents' job to raise you up in a way in which you should go. It's not your parents' job to tell you what to do. It's their job to help you figure out why you said yes to life.

Why were you born? Why were you here? Because just like Jeremiah, God already had designs and plans for you even before you were shaped and formed in your mother's womb. And that's why some of you are struggling right now because you're something you were not meant to be.

And there's something on the inside of you telling you, "There's more to my life than I'm living." I'm living like this, but there's another. He said, "But my life is worth nothing to me unless it is for finishing the work assigned to me by the Lord Jesus, the work assigned to me, the work of telling others the good news about the wonderful work or the wonderful grace of God."

His was preaching. I want to make a difference. Doing something that makes a difference. Here's the last thing. This spreads from me to we. I will free you. I will deliver you. I will redeem you. And I'll make you my people.

It moves from me to we. It moves from individual to a team. The body of Christ. The Ecclesia. The church. We're the body. Some of us the hands, the feet, the eyes, the nose. We're all on the same team. We call it the dream team here at Hope City.

People who are not volunteering, but people who discover their purpose. See, God's not looking for volunteers. He's looking for people who knew, who discovered why they showed up and why they... We don't need no volunteer preachers. We don't need no volunteer singers.

Can you sing or not? And if you can't, we're going to discover. We're going to discover when they bring you in that room and say, "Sing for me." And then if you can't sing, and if over the past 10 years no one was bold enough to tell you, "You can't sing."

I've equipped a couple people who will tell you, "You can't sing." And we'll place you in the body that fits you. Because I love to sing solo. I can't sing, but I love to sing solo. Solo that nobody can hear me. Because that ain't my gift.

Ecclesiastes 4:9 says, "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor." Begins with a calling. Stands on a cause. It spreads from me to we. I want to make a difference. Doing something that makes a difference with people who want to make a difference.

Can we give God a praise for his word? Let's pray.

Father, we thank you for your word. Thank you for speaking to our hearts. Thank you for speaking to our minds. Maybe someone is here today, you're saying, "Hey, Pastor Corey, I needed this word today. I know church. Don't know him. Shaking your hand. You have to shake God's hand. I got good religion, but I don't have a personal relationship with this God you're teaching us about, and you're talking about.

I want to know this God that, just like Jeremiah, he knows me. I want to know what it means to be known. I want to know what my cause is. What's my why? I got a lot of little whys, but I want to know what my, what's the core of who I am. Why did I say yes to this life?

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "Not only do we allow our past to cripple us, we allow the culture to define us. Current ways and current trends, it defines us. Now, I always say, and I forgot who actually said this quote here, but the quote is, in matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock. It's okay to kind of move things around in seasons where, you know, in this season, just like now, we're going to a season now where we're in the spring and we're wearing spring clothes, but the summertime is coming. And you don't wear coats in the summertime, right? So, the season calls to wear more different kind of clothes, right? I don't even see you at the beach with a sweatsuit on. Are you with me? That's style. Those things come and those things change. But what shouldn't change in your life is standards, is principles." [13:15](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



2. "We let our past cripple us. We let culture define us. And watch this here. We try to do it alone. We live an unlived life. Because we let our past cripple us. We let the culture define us. And we try to do it by ourselves. You got so much locked up on the inside of you. Mr. Brooks, who's the chairman over at the boys club over there. He got some dreams and some visions locked up in his head, locked up in his heart. But he can't bring the vision and the dreams locked up in his heart over at the boys and girls club by himself. He need a team. He need a group of people that got stuff that's locked up on the inside of him. All coming together collectively. Manifesting something, building something that he could not do by himself." [19:49](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



3. "We need people. People say, I don't need nobody. Yes, you do. God designed us to need. A baby needs someone to get them out of the crib. God wired us to need people. But we come to a place in our world where people have either been offended or hurt. And leadership doesn't know how to handle that to help bridge the gap. The gap from the brokenness in bringing people together." [23:42](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



4. "You're supposed to be peculiar. Listen. People are supposed to see you and see something distinguish about you than how other people respond and act. You may work at the same company, same job, and everybody else may be going off on the balls. How are you going to respond? Everybody else may be late every single day. How are you going to respond? What is peculiar about you? It won't take all that Pastor Corey. And that's why you ain't got some of your blessings right there. That's why you ain't got some of your, because what God will allow them to get away with, you can't get away with." [32:37](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



### Quotes for Members

1. "It begins with a calling. 2 Timothy 1.9, he has saved us and called us to a holy life, not because of anything we have done, but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus. Before the beginning of time. So before you allow Egypt to mess you all up over the years and you did life on your own terms, God had already had designs for you. Now that I hope you discovered some of that over the past couple of weeks of who you are and what you're designed to be. Now it's time for you to get on a team and to a place where you can make a difference." [36:14](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



2. "Your ministry is specific. The ministry over your life, the assignment over your life, it is specific. When they tried to put the armor on Saul or on David, and I can't break this down now, but when they tried to put the same armor on David that everybody else normally used, David put it on him. But David threw it off and said, this don't fit me. This don't work for me. And he used his simple sling. He used his slingshot and a rod to make a difference in his generation. I don't know what you got in your hand. I don't know what you got in your house. It may not look like what everybody else has, but if the anointing of God is on your life, he could use a slingshot and a rod. He could use a stutterer. Come on, somebody. He could use a form of thief. He could use a form of prostitute to do something great. And he will see." [37:06](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



3. "Acts chapter 20 verse 24 says, But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus. That's a cause. He has a cause. Listen, you need to figure out what's your why. Some of you figured your why out in growth track already. Now you've discovered your why. Because if you don't figure out your why, or if you ever lose your why, you'll lose your way. And too many people have lost their why. And because you, and you thought your why was a dream house. And somehow life caused you to lose that dream house. And now you think that because you lost the dream house, your why is over with. No baby girl, baby man, your why is bigger than a house." [38:22](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



4. "But we all got the position as ministers. And you know how, and even, even in our government. In particular in other nations, they use the words like the minister of defense. The minister of agriculture. See, we get so caught up in the church. I want to be called minister because they make me look good. No, do you know anything about defense? Do you know anything about agriculture? The thing is, we're all called to be ministers. Have I discovered my purpose and what I'm supposed to be ministering in? Even if it's not the pulpit. Come on somebody. You could be a school teacher and you're ministering. You could be a doctor and you're ministering. You could be a lawyer and you're ministering." [29:15](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)



5. "Then he switches it in the end and says, I will take you as my own people. It went from an individual to a people. And we call it here at Hope City, the dream team. Because we don't believe you should be doing life alone. Yes, you individually got gifts and talents locked up on the inside of you. He brought you out of your Egypt for a total different reason than he brought me out. Yes, we were all struggling with something. But what you were struggling with may be totally different for why I came out of Egypt. But when he ultimately gets done with all of us, he wants to bring us together, group us together as a people to make a difference." [20:42](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)