Fostering Unity: Our Role as Believers

### Summary

Today, we explored the profound theme of unity within the church and our role as believers in fostering this unity. We began by acknowledging our interconnectedness, not just as individuals but as members of the body of Christ. This unity is essential for the church to function effectively and fulfill its mission. We delved into the importance of maturity in Christ, emphasizing that true unity requires a spirit of forgiveness and emotional resilience. It's not enough to have a high IQ; our emotional and adversity quotients must also be strong to maintain unity.

We discussed how unity in Christ naturally extends to unity within the church. When we are aligned with God, our relationships with others should reflect that alignment, leading to healthier and more unified interactions. This unity is not just about avoiding conflict but actively promoting peace and understanding. We are called to be ambassadors of peace, representing God's kingdom on earth and fostering diplomatic relations between heaven and earth.

The sermon also highlighted the importance of focusing on the mission of God. Unity is sustained not just by love but by a shared mission to build the kingdom of heaven. This mission keeps us focused and prevents us from getting entangled in unnecessary conflicts. We are reminded that unity is an ongoing process that requires constant effort and vigilance.

Finally, we explored the concept of the church as God's dwelling place. Just as the Old Testament tabernacle had three compartments, our bodies, souls, and spirits are designed to house God's presence. This understanding should transform how we live, knowing that God is with us in every moment and every action. It calls us to a higher standard of living, where our words and actions reflect the holiness of God who dwells within us.

### Key Takeaways

1. **Unity in Christ and the Church**: Unity in Christ should naturally extend to unity within the church. When we are aligned with God, our relationships with others should reflect that alignment, leading to healthier and more unified interactions. This unity is not just about avoiding conflict but actively promoting peace and understanding. [40:10]

2. **Maturity and Forgiveness**: True unity requires a spirit of forgiveness and emotional resilience. It's not enough to have a high IQ; our emotional and adversity quotients must also be strong to maintain unity. Forgiveness should be proactive, not just reactive, allowing us to live in a constant state of grace. [38:40]

3. **Ambassadors of Peace**: We are called to be ambassadors of peace, representing God's kingdom on earth. This role involves promoting diplomatic relations between heaven and earth, fostering understanding, and encouraging unity. Our mission is to reconcile others to God through our words and actions. [54:53]

4. **Focus on God's Mission**: Unity is sustained not just by love but by a shared mission to build the kingdom of heaven. This mission keeps us focused and prevents us from getting entangled in unnecessary conflicts. When we are busy with God's work, we have less time to engage in divisive behavior. [44:08]

5. **God's Dwelling Place**: Understanding that we are God's dwelling place should transform how we live. Just as the Old Testament tabernacle had three compartments, our bodies, souls, and spirits are designed to house God's presence. This calls us to a higher standard of living, where our words and actions reflect the holiness of God who dwells within us. [01:13:44]

### YouTube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[34:19] - Opening Prayer
[34:52] - Introduction and Humor
[35:13] - Acknowledging Pastors and Congregation
[35:44] - Wife's Absence and Upcoming Visit
[36:09] - Theme Introduction: Connected to Make a Difference
[36:38] - The Law of Six Degrees of Separation
[37:11] - Unity in the Church
[37:45] - Maturity in Christ
[38:15] - The Spirit of Forgiveness
[39:10] - Emotional and Adversity Quotients
[39:39] - Love of God and Unity
[40:10] - Unity in Christ and the Church
[41:46] - Ephesians 2:14-16
[43:05] - Eliminating Divisions
[44:08] - Focus on God's Mission
[45:29] - Unity and Peace
[47:10] - The Role of the Conductor
[48:57] - Tearing Down Walls
[50:27] - Building Bridges
[51:07] - Ongoing Process of Unity
[52:19] - John 17:20-21
[53:31] - Ambassadors of Peace
[54:53] - Role of Ambassadors
[56:31] - 2 Corinthians 5:20
[57:58] - Sharing the Good News
[59:32] - Choosing Not to Be Offended
[01:00:55] - Ministry of Reconciliation
[01:02:31] - Complaining vs. Changing the World
[01:03:59] - Promoting Peace in Community
[01:05:09] - Choosing Peace
[01:06:24] - God's Dwelling Place
[01:07:57] - Focus on God's Love
[01:09:36] - Personal Transformation
[01:11:11] - Old Testament Tabernacle
[01:12:21] - Body, Soul, and Spirit
[01:13:44] - Living as God's Dwelling Place
[01:15:42] - Prayer for Believers
[01:17:03] - Invitation to Salvation
[01:18:06] - Prayer for New Believers
[01:19:06] - Celebration and Closing

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. Ephesians 2:14-16
2. John 17:20-21
3. 2 Corinthians 5:20

#### Observation Questions
1. According to Ephesians 2:14-16, what did Christ do to bring peace between Jews and Gentiles? How did He achieve this unity? [41:46]
2. In John 17:20-21, what is Jesus' prayer for all believers? How does this prayer relate to the concept of unity? [52:19]
3. What does it mean to be an ambassador for Christ according to 2 Corinthians 5:20? How does this role relate to our mission as believers? [56:31]
4. The sermon mentioned that unity in Christ should naturally extend to unity within the church. What are some practical ways this unity can be demonstrated in our daily interactions? [40:10]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does understanding that Christ has broken down the wall of hostility (Ephesians 2:14-16) change the way we view and interact with people who are different from us? [41:46]
2. Jesus prayed for unity among believers in John 17:20-21. Why is this unity important for the world to believe that God sent Jesus? How does our unity serve as a testimony to others? [52:19]
3. As ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), what responsibilities do we have in promoting peace and reconciliation? How can we effectively fulfill this role in our communities? [56:31]
4. The sermon emphasized the importance of emotional and adversity quotients in maintaining unity. How do these qualities contribute to a unified church body? [39:10]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your current relationships within the church. Are there any areas where you need to promote peace and understanding? How can you take steps to foster unity this week? [40:10]
2. The sermon highlighted the need for a spirit of forgiveness. Is there someone you need to forgive proactively? How can you practice living in a constant state of grace? [38:40]
3. As ambassadors of peace, how can you represent God's kingdom in your daily interactions? Identify one specific action you can take this week to promote peace and understanding in your community. [54:53]
4. The sermon mentioned the importance of focusing on God's mission to sustain unity. How can you stay focused on building the kingdom of heaven in your personal life? What distractions do you need to eliminate? [44:08]
5. Understanding that we are God's dwelling place should transform how we live. What changes can you make in your daily habits to reflect the holiness of God who dwells within you? [01:13:44]
6. Think about a time when you allowed divisions to affect your relationships within the church. How can you work towards reconciliation and unity in those relationships now? [50:06]
7. The sermon emphasized the importance of emotional resilience. How can you strengthen your emotional and adversity quotients to better handle conflicts and maintain unity? [39:10]

Day 1: Unity in Christ and the Church
Description: Unity in Christ should naturally extend to unity within the church. When we are aligned with God, our relationships with others should reflect that alignment, leading to healthier and more unified interactions. This unity is not just about avoiding conflict but actively promoting peace and understanding. As members of the body of Christ, we are interconnected and our unity is essential for the church to function effectively and fulfill its mission. We are called to be ambassadors of peace, representing God's kingdom on earth and fostering diplomatic relations between heaven and earth. [40:10]

Ephesians 4:3-6 (ESV): "Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

Reflection: Think of a relationship within the church that needs healing. How can you take a step today to promote peace and understanding in that relationship?


Day 2: Maturity and Forgiveness
Description: True unity requires a spirit of forgiveness and emotional resilience. It's not enough to have a high IQ; our emotional and adversity quotients must also be strong to maintain unity. Forgiveness should be proactive, not just reactive, allowing us to live in a constant state of grace. This maturity in Christ helps us to handle conflicts and challenges with a spirit of grace and understanding, fostering a more unified and loving community. [38:40]

Colossians 3:12-13 (ESV): "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."

Reflection: Think of someone in your life you need to forgive. Can you ask God to help you begin to extend His love and forgiveness to them today?


Day 3: Ambassadors of Peace
Description: We are called to be ambassadors of peace, representing God's kingdom on earth. This role involves promoting diplomatic relations between heaven and earth, fostering understanding, and encouraging unity. Our mission is to reconcile others to God through our words and actions. As ambassadors, we carry the message of peace and reconciliation, striving to build bridges and tear down walls that divide us. [54:53]

2 Corinthians 5:20 (ESV): "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."

Reflection: How can you act as an ambassador of peace in your community today? What specific actions can you take to foster understanding and unity?


Day 4: Focus on God's Mission
Description: Unity is sustained not just by love but by a shared mission to build the kingdom of heaven. This mission keeps us focused and prevents us from getting entangled in unnecessary conflicts. When we are busy with God's work, we have less time to engage in divisive behavior. By focusing on God's mission, we align our efforts and energies towards a common goal, fostering a sense of purpose and unity within the church. [44:08]

Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV): "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."

Reflection: What is one area of God's mission that you can focus on this week? How can you contribute to building the kingdom of heaven in your daily life?


Day 5: God's Dwelling Place
Description: Understanding that we are God's dwelling place should transform how we live. Just as the Old Testament tabernacle had three compartments, our bodies, souls, and spirits are designed to house God's presence. This calls us to a higher standard of living, where our words and actions reflect the holiness of God who dwells within us. Knowing that God is with us in every moment and every action should inspire us to live in a way that honors His presence. [01:13:44]

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (ESV): "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple."

Reflection: How does knowing that you are God's dwelling place change the way you live? What specific changes can you make to ensure your words and actions reflect the holiness of God?

Hey, how y'all doing?

Keep standing, keep standing, keep standing. Man, it's great to be here. I call it home away from home. Can we pray together?

Father, we love you. Thank you for your word. We know your word is anointed, but Lord, I pray that you anoint every person here to hear what you have for them. God, that they won't hear it for their spouse, they won't hear it for their kids, they won't hear it for their parents, but God, they will take in what you have from your anointed word.

And God, we pray that you anoint me to speak only that which you would have me to speak. Lord, we give you the praise, the glory, and the honor in Jesus' name. Everybody say amen.

Amen. All right, give someone a high five, give someone a hug, and you can be seated right there where you're at. Woo! It is great to be in Leesburg, Florida.

I always forget when I get here, I forget my, you know, I have these little wipes that make your glasses not fog up. Anyone use that? It's amazing, but I forget, so I jump out of the truck and I'm like, whoa, I can't see anything, and I forget. I forget about your humidity, but it is great to be here.

Those of you that are online, I know they've already mentioned it, but thank you for joining us. Those of you that are at home because you have no other way to get here, you're shut in, that's understandable. If you're at home in your pajamas having coffee, that's not why we do online. Get to the house, amen?

I just want to say up front, we love your pastors, you know that. We're friends now for several, several years. He said in the first service that I've been a board member since Jesus left Galilee, which I thought was really funny, but we have been friends for so long. Just love them. Let your pastors know how much you love them. Will you do that?

Yeah, yeah. A great church stems from the head down, and we know that Christ is the head, but then your pastors being used in that order is building a great church right here in Leesburg.

My wife is not with me. I've had several of you ask me where she's at. She stayed home because yesterday she had a big event between both of our campuses there and locations in Arizona, so she had a really large women's event, and she was there with all the ladies, but she sends her love. We will be back in November again. Come on, already, and she will be with me, so I'm looking forward to that as well, but we're here with our father's house family, and you are our people. We love you so much.

Let's go to the Word. Can we do that? Today we're gonna talk about, just for a little while, connected to make a difference. We are connected to make a difference.

Did y'all hear about the man that wrote the Hokey Pokey died recently? Longest funeral ever recorded in history because they put his left leg in. Okay. Has nothing to do with the surgery. It's a sermon, but I thought I'd let you laugh before we do anything else.

But when we are talking about being connected, I remember an old song from years ago. Some of you remember it. It said the ankle bone is connected to the shin bone. The shin bone's connected to the thigh bone. The thigh bone's connected to the hip bone, and we know it goes on and on.

But as I was putting this together, I thought to myself, how connected we are as individuals. There is a law that they talk about, the law of six degrees of separation, where if you talk to people long enough, every sixth person you will meet, if you ask questions long enough, you'll find out that you meet someone who knows somebody that you know because we are intricately connected.

Everyone say, we're connected.

Well, how much more than just the world being connected is the church supposed to be connected? That God said he put us together and unified us as one body. Everyone say, one body.

It talks about us being jointly fit together, that he put us in a way that he called us a family, a body, but it all stems around unity, and I'm going to talk just for a little while today about the unity of the church, and it's one of my favorite subjects because for a church to be unified, it means we have mature Christians.

It talks about maturity in Christ. Everyone say, maturity.

And those people that can find unity in the body of Christ, they're mature enough to understand a few things that are vital. One of those things being walking out the spirit of forgiveness. Forgiveness is one of those things that's great to preach to someone else and sometimes harder for ourselves to learn and to grow in.

I decided a long time ago, I don't want to just be a person who forgives you. I don't want to be a person always saying, well, I forgive them because I see you, and as long as we're in the flesh, we have the potential to just let each other down. We have the potential to hurt one another.

There's nothing good in the flesh. Everyone say nothing.

Nothing. That's Bible. There's nothing good in the flesh. So as long as I can see you, I know you can hurt me. So I want to know, I want to know that I can forgive you in the way that I don't forgive you for what you've done, but I can forgive you for what you're going to do.

So long before you ever offend me, I can always say I don't have to forgive you because I want to walk in the spirit of forgiveness and not just walk around forgiving people. Amen?

I believe there's always a more mature way to view things if we just take time to look at that.

So, we know that maturity isn't about our IQ. Your intelligent quotient probably is high enough, but is your EQ, which we call emotional quotient, your AQ, which we call adversity quotient. It doesn't matter if you have a high IQ, if you can't handle your emotions, your IQ won't take you where your emotions won't keep you.

Come on, your adversity, when you face adversity, if you fold like a cheap umbrella, I don't care how big your IQ is, you got to handle your emotions, you got to handle your adversity, and that takes maturing in the spirit of God to be able to live there. Amen?

Come on, look at someone and say, now he's talking to you.

So, unity will not be present until the love of God is present. It doesn't matter how mature you are, how many scriptures you can quote, what you know in the Bible, if you do not carry the express love of God for other people, unity will not show up, peace will not show up, until the love of God is present. Amen?

So, I want to talk about those things just for a few moments, give you a few things to write down so we can grow, we can learn, we can get better. Come on, look at someone and say, get better. Look at someone else and say, don't get bitter.

We're getting better, not bitter. Amen?

So, here are those things. Number one, write this down, unity in Christ and the church are connected. Unity in Christ and the church are connected. Meaning, that if I am unified in my relationship with God, if I'm united in my relationship with Jesus, then the very next thing that should happen is I'm united in my relationship with others.

So, it doesn't matter to me if it's your spouse, your friends, church members, if you are aligned with God and unified with Jesus, then automatically all of our relationships should get healthier and should be unified as well.

If you're here and you're like, no, you don't understand, I'm just having trouble in my marriage, I'm having trouble with my spouse, it doesn't matter how much trouble you're having, do you let the peacekeeper come into your home? Are you with me?

If you allow him to come in, then things will get better. If you allow him to come into your friendships, you allow him to come into your family life, you allow him to come into your church, and you're unified with him, and you're truly serving him, then things around you should get better and the very next thing that should happen is better and more unified relationships because we love God.

Come on, y'all with me?

And so I think that's important that we understand those things. Here's a scripture in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 14 through 16. It says, For Christ himself has brought peace to us. Everyone say peace.

He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when in his own body on the cross he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law, with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.

Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

So when Christ is center, Christ we're unified with, Christ we have relationship with, Christ is in our prayers in the morning, Christ is in our Bible study time, Christ is where we put first and he's our priority, then everything around us begins to get better and starting with our relationships should be the first things.

Unified as the church, unified in our homes, unified in every way because Christ came to eliminate divisions.

Now I thought to myself, how do I bring this about to where we can understand it in today's vernacular? That when he put Jews and Gentiles together, it was the worst separation of any racial divide. They were the worst of the worst to see one another, the Samaritans, the Jews, come on, what we call the sinners and the people of God.

And I thought to myself, maybe you'd understand it like this, it'd be like having a radical Democrat and a radical Republican in the room and you wouldn't have an argument. Y'all get that?

It would be like those two actually being able to get along because Jesus was in the presence. Come on, y'all with me?

So these two groups found common place when God allowed the word to go beyond just Jerusalem into Samaria and to the other most parts of the earth and the reason they found common place was by one common love and that was the love of God.

But now, listen, peace and unity don't just remain because we found it one time. We've got to work at it. We've got to make sure we're nurturing it. We've got to grow it in our life.

And so they found one common love but what kept them on path was they kept their eyes on one common mission which was building the kingdom of heaven. Come on, everyone say, build the kingdom.

Now think about this. I said this before, anyone can get in a boat floating down a calm body of water, enjoy themselves, have a sandwich, take it easy, think about their life, but if you're in a boat that's going down class five rapids, you don't have time for any of that. You're just trying to make sure you don't fall out of the boat, trying to make sure you don't hit a big rock.

So if you just get busy with the kingdom, maybe you could keep your nose out of other people's business. Just a thought. Just a thought that if you quit living your Christian life like you're floating down a dead body of water and you can get involved in everybody else's stuff, how about you just get busy and so busy with the kingdom, you're so busy saving people in your boat, you don't worry about what other Christians in your church are doing, you just serve God with unity. Amen?

Amen? Now look at someone saying, that was really talking to you. Some of you I could tell you didn't do so well this morning. You're not looking at each other at all.

Listen, Luke 19:10 tells us he came to seek and save that which is lost. He didn't come for any other purpose to express except his love for those who were lost, to seek and to save them.

And I think sometimes we get so sidetracked by busyness in life that we don't understand once we became born again, we were born no longer in the natural but the supernatural.

He only had one intention in saving you and getting your life right and that was so you can help reconcile other people to him and you can get busy doing the kingdom work. When you do that, unity is so much easier.

And by the way, unity is not uniformity. You look around this church and I've watched it grow for several years now, you see the diversity of ages, you see the diversity of races, you can see the diversity of backgrounds that are here and I say that's what heaven's going to look like, that's the way it should be, right?

But being unified and living in unity, it's a lot easier if you would just think like me, if you would just believe like me. If we could all just be clones of one another, unity would be so much easier but it'd be so boring.

You think about that. It'd be so boring. My wife and I, we celebrated our differences for years. I loved the fact she was a strong, independent woman. She loved the fact that I just always made people laugh and I was always joking.

When we went through our hard times, and a lot of you know our testimony, when we divorced, what we found as a strength one time became our weakness. I remember standing in the driveway thinking, oh, you're just an independent woman, you don't need anyone.

And she would say, yeah, and you think everything is a joke, you're always laughing. So what we found as a detraction became a detraction because we got our eyes on the wrong things.

And that's why some of you have been to five churches or six churches because you got your eyes off the right thing, got it on the wrong thing. Then all of a sudden it became me church and there's no such thing as me church, it's us church and God is the head, Christ is the head.

We find him, then we find unity with one another because we're busy doing the kingdom. I don't have time to worry about your life. Amen?

You all with me? Okay, just making sure you're with me. I realize this was for the last service, not for anyone here. But maybe you can help the first service get better if you just learn.

Because I'm sure none of you here need this. When Christ is the conductor and the church is the orchestra, unity is the music.

So you have an orchestra with several different instruments from cello to violins to harps to drums to you name it. They're just an eclectic group of instruments.

And if you walk into a symphony before they start when they're tuning up, it sounds like a chaotic mess. They're all playing one little part. We've talked about this before.

But when the conductor strikes, come on, when he brings the wands in his hand, he strikes, they're ready. They all play those instruments in one unified piece called a symphony.

There's such harmony and beauty. And it's the same as the church that when you come in, if you just understand the orchestra has a conductor, his name is Jesus.

He's leading the way. And when we come in with our different gifts and different talents and different instruments, if we'll just follow the conductor, we'll realize that we are the orchestra and the piece of music we're getting ready to play is unity.

And it's gonna prove to the world that Jesus sent us. They will fall in love with him because of our unity in the church.

Come on, y'all with me? Some of you remember, you're old enough. In the 1980s, there was a wall between East and West Berlin. That wall stood there and one side of that wall represented freedom and democracy and those types of things.

The other side of that wall represented communism and control and all those things that were there. And then one day a man stood up and said, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall.

I like that. Y'all know that. Tear down that wall. And when they did, what happened is there was a new unified people.

People could come from one side of the wall and the people on the other side of the wall thought a certain thing about them. Didn't understand them because they were separated by the wall.

But when the wall was torn down, now the people from the side that was communist would come to the free side and the people on the free side could talk to the other side.

And all of a sudden, there was new relationships, a new unified body. Come on, a new thing going on. And it was a thing of beauty. They enjoyed it.

They realized what they thought was wrong, but the wall of division kept them from understanding they were all the same, wanting the same things.

Sometimes in church, I think sometimes in church, if we're not careful, we let walls of division come to the point to where we think a certain thing about a certain person or a group of people and we don't understand it's not who they are and it's not, and what they're thinking about you is not who you are.

It's just that wall of division don't let us see. And if we would just let God tear down the walls that divide us, we'll find new relationships, we'll find new joy, we'll find new friendships, and it'll be better than ever. Amen?

Let me just say, God is not into, God is not into building walls. He's into building bridges. Amen?

And that is not a political statement. That is a true statement. I'm not talking about a border wall, so get your mind back on the message here.

Also in understanding this, you have to understand this, producing unity is an ongoing process. It's an ongoing process.

My wife and I, we're prime examples of that. We can get busy in life just like the rest of you. We have date night. We have those things we do to keep our marriage strong and fresh.

But just like all of you, every now and then, we get busy doing things and then all of a sudden, we feel tension, tension between ourselves, and we'll stop and say, wait a minute, you know what? We've not been communicating like we should.

We've not been doing our date night like we should. And then we have to come, everyone say, come back.

It's the same thing in church. We come to church and we've come to church so long we take it for granted, and we don't realize there's walls being built up.

We're not doing what we once did when we first knew Jesus. We're not studying the Bible like we once did. We're not praying like we once did.

Now it's the church's fault when the truth is, it's an intimacy problem. You've not been intimate with your God. Come on, y'all with me?

What exactly kept these Jews and Gentiles unified? It wasn't just the love of God. I already said it. It was the mission of God. His mission is our great commission.

He commissioned us to do His mission. And when these groups that were so separate from one another saw the mission and focused on the mission, it brought unity.

Look at this in John chapter 17, verses 20 and 21. I'm praying not only for these disciples, the ones that were there, but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.

I pray that they will all be, everyone say one. One. Just as you and I are one. One. That means unified.

As you are in me, Father, and I am in you, and may they be in us so that the world will believe that you sent me.

So the purpose of unity isn't so passive, so we don't say, oh, Pastor Terry and Pastor Kevin can say, oh, we haven't had a headache to deal with in a long time. We have no problems in our church.

No, if we got people, we got problems. Every family represents a problem sometime or another, and we love to help you walk through it.

But let's not create problems. Let's not stir problems between one another. Let's tear down walls. Let's prove to the world that Jesus Christ was sent by God because the unity they experienced in the Father's house right here in Leesburg, amen?

Number two, write this down. We are God's ambassadors of peace. We are God's ambassadors of peace. Unity should bring peace.

When I'm unified with my wife in our home, man, there's such peace. And I've said it all along. When my wife and I are walking together, flowing together, unified together, I can charge hell with a squirt gun.

But if my wife and I are off, if there's no unity or we're struggling in our home, I don't feel like I could wheel my way around a Cheerio if that was power in my muscle because I am so separated from my wife.

Y'all with me? So unity promotes something that's better than we can imagine. What it promotes is peace.

God came and Jesus said, I give you my peace. Not as the world gives, but I give you my peace. What does that mean? It's the peace that passes understanding.

That when you live in a certain place and you're going through a certain time when most people would be out of their minds, you're at peace because it's the peace that God brings. Amen?

Well, that peace should be brought through the church. Our unity together should cause us to be ambassadors of peace.

Ambassadors are people who are sent to foreign lands. They're there for the democracy of their country, right? They're there for their nation's interests.

They're there to promote diplomatic relations. They're there to communicate policies and foster understanding between nations.

They don't come to a nation and become a part of that nation. In fact, they're set in the embassy, which is kind of their own piece of property, America's own piece of property.

If I'm an American ambassador sent into a foreign country, they put me there. And as long as I'm there, I'm safe because I'm not on their turf.

What I'm doing, though, is speaking to the country things that should bring us to a place of unity. He called you and I ambassadors of heaven.

This world is no longer our home. The Bible says we are citizens of heaven. Come on, everyone say citizens. Everyone say of heaven.

And so that means while we're on earth, we're ambassadors on earth of heaven. That's why the Bible says we are in the world, but we are not of the world because we have been isolated in a way that we now are no longer to speak their language, do the things they do.

In fact, we're to be transformed by the renewing of the mind so we don't take on the world's habits, the world's patterns. But we come with the word of God as ambassadors saying, God so loved the world. He gave his only begotten son and you too need Jesus in your life. Amen.

Come on, look at someone and say, you need Jesus. Now look at your second favorite and say, you need Jesus too.

Second Corinthians chapter five, verse 20 says this. So we are ambassadors for Christ. So we, everyone say that means me, are ambassadors of Christ.

You can't say it any more plain than that. So we are ambassadors for Christ, right? As though God were pleading through us.

We implore you in Christ's stead, be reconciled to God. In other words, we implore you that Paul uses there because it means I'm begging you.

There's a part of me so compassionate about what you don't understand. I want you to know this. I'm imploring to you as if God is standing here. Christ is standing there himself. Come to the Father, be reconciled to God. There is a better way.

It's our responsibility. If I'm an ambassador and that's his message, that should be what comes out of my mouth. Not just on Sunday morning, but Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, all day Saturday, we are ambassadors of Christ.

Sharing the good news of Jesus and how he's changed our life. Hopefully he's changed your life. How many can say he has changed your life?

Keep it up. Keep it up. Keep it up. Keep them up. You're happy. Are you glad? Keep them up. If you're happy, glad God changed your life. Keep them up. If you're grateful, God changed your life. Keep them up. If you're thankful, God changed your life.

All right. That's the enthusiasm we did on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Ambassadors don't just work one day a week. They realize it's a constant.

If we're ambassadors of peace to this earth to reconcile men to God, it cannot leave our heart that that is the one purpose I'm here for.

I know. And I'm trusting right there because that's sinking in some of your hearts. And you're coming to the place where you're like, oh, I don't want to, I don't want to fail God.

I'm not trying to get you to, I'm not trying to get you to feel condemned. I'm not trying to get you to feel. I'm trying to get you to see the message of hope that you carry, that there are some people that will only be reached because you reach them.

I can't reach them. Pastor Terry can't reach them as much as we're best and best of friends. We are as different as night and day. He's short, I'm tall. He's wise. Do you want gray hair shows? He's wise beyond knowledge.

So we implore you. He says, we beg you. I know this would shock some of you, but here's the truth. When we get to heaven, God's not going to ask you if you registered as a Democrat or Republican.

God's not going to ask you what you had in your bank account. God's not going to ask you how many followers. And if you were an influencer on Instagram or TikTok or any of those other platforms, there's so many now.

God's going to ask you one certain thing. And that's, he's got to know one thing. He's got, are you washed in the blood?

You know, they're saying now churches quit talking about the blood of Jesus because it's offensive. No louder than ever. Cause I just want to offend somebody. If I'm not offending somebody, I'm just not doing my job because the, what we do here is a spiritual work.

And many times we let our flesh get in the way. And we understand this is a spiritual work. And when our flesh gets in the way, offense is going to happen. It's going to happen.

But here's what I will tell you. I've learned a long time ago. One of my favorite statements in my life is this. I have the right to choose not to be offended.

God, we live in a world right now that's just terrible. They're so easily hurt. I miss being a kid. When I was a kid, we could say a lot of stuff they can't say now. We played games that just the name of the game would put you out.

I don't have to talk about any of that. You don't know what I'm talking about.

And so we have to understand that as ambassadors, we have one responsibility and that is to share the message from the country that established us as ambassadors.

Great. You can talk sports, politics, whatever you like, whatever floats your boat. But if somehow it doesn't come back to what Jesus has done for your life, you're missing the point of why, not first of all, why you were born, but why he found you and caused you to be born again into this new person that's supposed to share the newness of God in their life.

Come on, y'all with me?

Second Corinthians 5, 17 through 19. Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things have passed away. Look, all things have become new.

All this is from God who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation.

So you're an ambassador of Christ. If there's a ministry cabinet that sent you, it's the ministry of reconciliation. And you have to understand that is your sole purpose and the main purpose of not being born, but being born again. Amen?

Then it says that is that God was in Christ, reconciling, reconciling, reconciling the world to himself, not counting their sins against them and has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation.

You know what drives me crazy? I know you don't want to hear it, but I got the mic as much as I hate hearing the world as woke as they can be complain about how they're triggered by certain topics.

What really bugs me worse than that is Christians who found Christ and they walk around talking about how bad the world is, how bad the economy is, how broken our world is, how perverted our world is, but they've not shared the gospel with anyone in two years.

That's for somebody. Cause I didn't say it in the first service. So welcome to the father's house. If you're doing nothing but complaining about the world and you're doing nothing to change the world with the good news you have.

The problem isn't the world. The problem is the church because the Bible says they're lost and blinded into darkness that they cannot see. And we were given the light of the world. And if we don't shine it, we can't complain about it. Amen.

Praise the Lord. Love y'all.

We are not human doings. We are spiritual beings. We're not human doings. We are spiritual beings being who we choose to be.

Christ has called us to be ministers of reconciliation as ambassadors in this earth. And we're not doing it. We don't have the right to complain about the world if we're not doing something to heal it.

That's like saying God don't work and his miracles don't work, but you've not opened the Bible in six years. You can't say God doesn't work if you've not opened his word and you can't say the world is lost. They stink. If you've not shared as an ambassador, the ministry of reconciliation that the father put in your heart.

Amen. Y'all with me?

Perspective is everything. It's not what you see. It's how you see it. It's how you see it. Amen.

When we change our outlook, it's amazing how much everything around us changes. So here's what we do as ambassadors of heaven. We offer reconciliation to Christ.

Jesus bridges the gap between God and man. He's using the church now as the one building the bridge. We promote peace in community.

We don't stir it up worse. We make it better. I want to say better. You ever had people in a conversation, they come into the room and when they leave the room, you just think, I feel so much better.

Then you have those people come in and leave the room. You're like, oh God, I thought they'd never leave. Well, what do they say about you when you leave the room?

It's not that they want to speak poorly of you. It's that maybe you spoke poorly when you were there. We're supposed to promote peace in our communities. Can you say amen?

God's peace must extend into our relationship with us. Encouraging love, encouraging understanding, encouraging unity. That comes from us.

Another thing we do is we remind ourselves that peace is a fruit of the spirit, meaning it's not natural. We don't just live in peace because we're born.

Jesus said in this world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer. There it is. We have to choose. Everyone say choose.

You should have had a clue. The world was going to be tough because when you was born, the first thing that happened was a doctor slapped you on the butt and you felt pain.

That should have been a clue for the rest of your life that life experience was painful, but it doesn't mean we have to be at it. We don't have to be at its command. It's at our command.

We choose. We are the ambassadors. We're the ones that speak. We promote peace. We promote unity. We can be better and not bitter. Can you say amen?

Number three, here we go. Last one I'll give you. We are God's dwelling place. We are God's dwelling place.

When I learned this principle in my life, it changed everything about my spiritual life. That God is with me 24/7, 365. He'll never leave me.

He'll never forsake you. Everything you've done, everywhere you went, every conversation you've had, he's been there.

Speaker 1: But Pastor, last night I was at, yeah, God was with you. Yeah, but Pastor, yesterday I lost it in traffic and I said, yeah, God heard you.

Yeah, but Pastor, you don't understand. This was a habit of mine and I felt God knows, but here's the cool part. God still loves you.

God's not judging you. God's not doing that. He's made his dwelling place in us. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever read in the Bible to think with all of my faults, with all of my insecurities, with all my impurities, with even my humanity.

God caused his spirit to live in me. That's only through grace. That's only through goodness. Amen.

Look at this Ephesians 2:19 to 22. So now you non-Jewish people are not visitors or strangers, but you're citizens together with God's holy people. You belong to God's family.

You belong to God. You believers are like a building that God owns. That building was built on the foundation that the apostles and prophets prepared.

Christ Jesus himself is the most important stone in that building. The whole building is joined together in Christ and he makes it grow and become a holy temple in the Lord.

And in Christ, you are being built together with his other people. You are being made into a place where God lives through his spirit. Come on. Everyone say through his spirit.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

It's why the church, we're not into behavior modification. The problem with that practice of behavior modification, it will always re-modify itself. It goes back to old practices. It goes back to old patterns.

You have to have a change on the inside. There's got to be a, not a reconditioning, but a renewing of your mind. Can you say amen?

So how do we do that? Well, the church has to be focused on God's love. So focused on God's love that matters.

Think about that. When is the last time you were so in love with God that no one could upset your apple cart? That you could just live in a place of almost what we would call blissful ignorance.

I always say to people, I say, how are you doing? I say, if I got problems, please don't tell me. I love my ignorance. It's bliss.

And so we can say to ourselves, if we believe the word of God, all things work together for good for those who love him, those called according to his purpose, even what we call a problem, God's already got it all worked out.

Don't worry about a thing. Because every little thing gonna be all right. Don't worry about a ting. You got to say ting.

Because every little ting. I was hoping you'd sing because I've been out to the villages. Y'all sing out there. Y'all sing out there.

So unless God is first in our lives, don't say God first. Unless God is first in our lives, we'll never have true change.

We'll never have complete transformation until God is first in our life. I tried and I messed up miserably.

I would say like Paul, my wife and I could both attest to the fact that we've been chiefest among sinners. We come back in November, our book will be done, the story of our life.

My wife told me it was a tell all. I said, well, tell all yours. Don't tell all mine. But she's informing, she included all my bad stuff too.

So next time I'm here, you might not be here, I don't know, when you hear the rest of the story. And so for me, I just say, when I tried to do it by my own strength, by my own power, by my own knowledge, by my own intelligence, by my own gift, by my own talent, I came in so far below the bar.

And some of you, you have that. You have your own effort. You have your own will. You have your own faith. And you're wondering why you're miserable.

We just sang about it. It's his breath in our lungs. So what do we do? We pour out our praise.

I'm going to say pour out our praise. Let me show you how personal this gets. The church is the dwelling place of God.

If you go back to the Old Testament and you look at the tabernacle, it was built with three compartments. We'll say three compartments.

That outside compartment known as the outer court, everyone could come into. Everyone worshiped there. Everyone praised God in that outer court.

Then there was the next place called the holy place where the high priest would walk into. There he would prepare the showbread, burn the incense. He prepped himself in that room.

And then once a year beyond that room, there was a big thick veil up to six feet wide is what I've read. Pastor Terry can correct me later if it's wider, but it took two oxen to pull that apart.

And after prepping in the holy place, there was a big thick veil up to six feet wide. And after prepping in the holy place, once a year, the high priest would go into the next compartment, which was the holy of holies.

That's where the ark of the covenant was. That's where the presence of God was. And that's where he made atonement for the people's sins and covered their sins every year.

It was in that ark. In fact, when he went in, his robe had a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and pomegranate around the bottom.

And it was one of those things to where they would listen as he was in the room because they tied a rope around his ankle as he walked in.

And when they closed it, they would listen for the ringing of those bells. As long as those bells were ringing, everything was fine.

Because he was ministering before God, he was moving and constantly ministering before God. And if those bells stopped, he did something wrong in the prep room and he was struck dead in the presence of God.

And they would drag him out by that rope. So glad I live in the New Testament. I'm so glad I have the grace of God.

But I think worship would be more pure if you walked in. We said, here, just put this rope around your ankle. You might reconsider how you walked into the house then.

But just think about that. Then he said, we are the dwelling place of God. You are the temple.

Now think about this. God, in all of his infinite wisdom, created man already before this, before the temple, with three parts.

Everyone say body, soul, and spirit. That's how he created this. So the new temple, created in the fashion of the old temple, is to house the presence of God.

And there's that body known as the outer court. Everyone say outer court. That's where we clap. That's where we sing. Everyone rejoices. We shout. We do all those things.

And we can see it. And everyone can do that. But then we have our soul. Everyone say, the soul.

That would be the holy place. That's where we prepare ourselves for worship. That's where we prepare ourselves for serving.

That's where we prepare ourselves to live in unity. That's where we renew our mind. That's where we come to a place where we're getting closer to God.

That's what the Bible says. The soul is being saved. What's it preparing us for? A spiritual work.

That part of our spirit, that holy of holies. The place where God lives. The place where God already caused you to be born again.

You know, you're not going to be more spiritual than you are right now. We're going to grow in our prepared place.

We're going to grow in our souls who have great understanding. And we can apply it better. But God has prepared you to be his dwelling place.

Why does that matter? Because when I remember that everywhere I go, everything I do, everything I say, this holy God is with me.

It begins to change what I say. It begins to change where I go. It begins to change some of my habits.

It begins to make sure when I'm in a conversation with others at church, I'm an ambassador speaking only things of peace.

It reminds me that I'm connected to a great big group of people to make a difference in the world. We forget that. We forget that.

We forget that everything we own, we don't own. That everything we are is only because he did it.

It's your breath in our lungs. So we pour out our praise to you only.

Father, I pray for every person that's in this place. God, I pray that you bring us to a place of peace and unity, ambassadorship.

God, that when we leave this place, we realize we house a Holy Spirit. God, we'll watch what we say. We'll watch the things we do, God, because you're with us.

Now, our heads are bowed. Eyes are closed. Just a quick question. I ask these couple of questions every time I speak.

The first one is this. Maybe you're here. You know Jesus. You're born again. You know you're going to heaven. You're a believer.

But while I was giving this talk today, the Holy Spirit dealt with your heart. Some adjustments you need to make. Some alterations. Some growing. Some growth in your soul.

That holy place where he needs to teach you to renew your mind. He needs to teach you to be brave with your story, the good news.

He needs to bring you to a place where you understand ambassadorship. There's something that the Holy Spirit spoke to you about during this message.

Although you're born again, you know you need to change. You know you need to grow. And you want prayer.

And a way of asking for prayer, come on, just slip your hand up and right back down. Good, good, good, good, good, good.

Good. You can put them right back down. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So many hands.

Father, I pray for these believers that they'll never be the same in Jesus' name. God, I pray that as they leave here, one of your ministries to us, Holy Spirit, is to remind us of the words that have been spoken.

So Holy Spirit, I pray as they leave this place, remind them of this day. Lord, in the coming days, weeks, months, and even years, remind them of this moment that represented a change in their life that you wanted to do.

Thank you. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord.

Your hands are now shaking your hands. Then now, Lord, do us a favor. I ask you to please just hear us pray.

How you telling us the signs that we have and the way we can become real believers in Jesus having just received whom we can which is this amount of know that you guys believe in God.

Most people believe in Jesus Christ. But we have to be this. If there's many words that we may not know, we must even sometimes know about the relationship between God and us and our shaping, what is there closer to us.

Says, listen carefully because this is salvation. If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and you believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

It's as simple as that. You got to confess him, believe he's the son of God. What does it mean to be saved?

Well, first of all, it means saved from this empty life. Maybe you've had an emptiness in your heart. There's been something there you've tried to fill with.

There's a void and you tried to fill it through the years with drugs or alcohol, parties, relationships, business, money, career, hobbies, busyness, but there's still something missing.

It's not something as someone, his name is Jesus. He's the only one that can fill that emptiness.

Secondly, it means saved into a place called heaven. Heaven's a perfect place. No more sickness, no more pain, no more disease, love, joy, peace, and the presence of Jesus with those that you love and those you have plans to go with you.

But Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the father, which is in heaven, but by me.

So our heads are bowed. Once again, eyes are closed. I'm not going to have you stand up. I'm not going to call you forward. I'm not going to put a spotlight on you.

I just want to pray for you right there where you're at, like I prayed for the others. But if you're right now, you know you need Jesus. You need to make your life right with God once and for all, as these others already have.

Come on, just slip your hand up and right back down saying, pastor, pray for me. God bless you. There's one, two, three. Thank you. Four. Thank you so much.

Five. Thank you so much. Six. Seven. Thank you so much. You can put it right back. Thank you so much. Eight. You can put them right back down.

Is there anyone else? You just slip it up. I see eight. Thank you. God bless you. There's nine. There's 10. Thank you so much.

Is there anyone else? You'll say, pastor, thank you so much. There's 11. Is there anyone else? You'll say, pastor, include me in that prayer.

God bless you so much. There's 12. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Amen. I see that. So many hands and so many people I've not met yet.

This is your opportunity. This is this time of you being brought into the family of God. And here's how it's going to happen.

I'm going to pray this prayer. Those of you lifted your hand, I'm going to ask all 12 of you that I saw to repeat this prayer after me out loud, not by yourself, but everyone here, you are born again.

I want you to say it with them to support them. This is the prayer of confessing Jesus. Those online, this is that prayer that you can pray if you need the Lord.

Come on, let's all say it together. Father, everyone together. Father, I believe in Jesus. I believe he's your son.

I believe he died on a cross. He was buried and rose again. Jesus, I confess you now as my Lord, my Savior.

Forgive me for my sin. Make me new in Jesus' name.

Now, let me just say this. Those of you who just lifted your hand, you're now in the family of God. You just became the dwelling place.

Yeah, come on. Come on. Celebrate, church. Celebrate. Stand to your feet. Come on, just stand to your feet and react for a moment.

Stand to your feet. Come on, we celebrate this way. It's your breath in our love.

1. "Well, how much more than just the world being connected is the church supposed to be connected? That God said he put us together and unified us as one body. Everyone say, one body. It talks about us being jointly fit together, that he put us in a way, that he called us a family, a body, but it all stems around unity, and I'm going to talk just for a little while today about the unity of the church, and it's one of my favorite subjects because for a church to be unified, it means we have mature Christians. It talks about maturity in Christ." [37:11] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2. "Unity will not be present until the love of God is present. It doesn't matter how mature you are, how many scriptures you can quote, what you know in the Bible, if you do not carry the express love of God for other people, unity will not show up, peace will not show up, until the love of God is present. Amen? So, I want to talk about those things just for a few moments, give you a few things to write down so we can grow, we can learn, we can get better. Come on, look at someone and say, get better. Look at someone else and say, don't get bitter. We're getting better, not bitter. Amen?" [39:39] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3. "Unity in Christ and the church are connected. Meaning, that if I am unified in my relationship with God, if I'm united in my relationship with Jesus, then the very next thing that should happen is I'm united in my relationship with others. So, it doesn't matter to me if it's your spouse, your friends, church members, if you are aligned with God and unified with Jesus, then automatically all of our relationships should get healthier and should be unified as well." [40:10] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4. "When Christ is the conductor and the church is the orchestra, unity is the music. So you have an orchestra with several different instruments from cello to violins to harps to drums to you name it. They're just an eclectic group of instruments. And if you walk into a symphony before they start when they're tuning up, it sounds like a chaotic mess. They're all playing one little part. We've talked about this before. But when the conductor strikes, come on, when he brings the wands in his hand, he strikes, they're ready. They all play those instruments in one unified piece called a symphony. There's such harmony and beauty." [48:10] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5. "We are God's ambassadors of peace. Unity should bring peace. When I'm unified with my wife in our home, man, there's such peace. And I've said it all along. When my wife and I are walking together, flowing together, unified together, I can charge hell with a squirt gun. But if my wife and I are off, if there's no unity or we're struggling in our home, I don't feel like I could wheel my way around a Cheerio if that was power in my muscle because I am so separated from my wife. Y'all with me? So unity promotes something that's better than we can imagine. What it promotes is peace." [53:31] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




6. "We are not human doings. We are spiritual beings. We're not human doings. We are spiritual beings being who we choose to be. Christ has called us to be ministers of reconciliation as ambassadors in this earth. And we're not doing it. We don't have the right to complain about the world if we're not doing something to heal it. That's like saying God don't work and his, and his, his miracles don't work, but you've not opened the Bible in six years. You can't say God doesn't work if you've not opened his word and you can't say the world is lost. They stink. If you've not shared as an ambassador, the ministry of reconciliation that the father put in your heart. Amen. Y'all with me?" [01:03:59] (52 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




7. "When I learned this principle in my life, it changed everything about my spiritual life. The God is with me 24 seven, 365. He'll never leave me. He'll never forsake you. Everything you've done, everywhere you went, every conversation you've had, he's been there. But Pastor, last night I was at, yeah, God was with you. Yeah, but Pastor, yesterday I lost it in traffic and I said, yeah, God heard you. Yeah, but Pastor, you don't understand. This was a habit of mine and I felt God knows, but here's the cool part. God still loves you. God's not judging you. God's not doing that. He's made his dwelling place in us. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever read in the Bible to think with all of my faults, with all of my insecurities, with all my impurities, with even my humanity. God caused his spirit to live in me. That's only through grace. That's only through goodness. Amen." [01:06:24] (69 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




8. "So now you non-Jewish people are not visitors or strangers, but you're citizens together with God's holy people. You belong to God's family. You belong to God. You believers are like a building that God owns. That building was built on the foundation that the apostles and prophets prepared. Christ Jesus himself is the most important stone in that building. The whole building is joined together in Christ and he makes it grow and become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Christ, you are being built together with his other people. You are being made into a place where God lives through his spirit. Come on. Everyone say through his spirit." [01:07:57] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




9. "So how do we do that? Well, the church has to be focused on God's love. So focused on God's love that matters. Think about that. When is the last time you were so in love with God that no one could upset your apple cart? That you could just live in a place of almost what we would call blissful ignorance. I always say to people, I say, how are you doing? I say, if I got problems, please don't tell me. I love my ignorance. It's bliss. And so we can say to ourselves, if we believe the word of God, all things work together for good for those who love him, those called according to his purpose, even what we call a problem, God's already got it all worked out. Don't worry about a thing. Because every little thing gonna be all right. Don't worry about a ting. You got to say ting. Because every little ting." [01:09:36] (59 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




10. "When I tried to do it by my own strength, by my own power, by my own knowledge, by my own intelligence, by my own gift, by my own talent, I came in so far below the bar. And some of you, you have that. You have your own effort. You have your own will. You faith. And you're wondering why you're miserable. We just sang about it. It's his breath in our lungs. So what do we do? We pour out our praise. I'm going to say pour out our praise. Let me show you how personal this gets. The church is the dwelling place of God. If you go back to the Old Testament and you look at the tabernacle, it was built with three compartments. We'll say three compartments. That outside compartment known as the outer court, everyone could come into. Everyone worshiped there. Everyone praised God in that outer court. Then there was the next place called the holy place where the high priest would walk into. There he would prepare the showbread, burn the incense. He prepped himself in that room. And then once a year beyond that room, there was a big thick veil up to six feet wide is what I've read. Pastor Terry can correct me later if it's wider, but it took two oxen to pull that apart. And after prepping in the holy place, once a year, the high priest would go into the next compartment, which was the holy of holies. That's where the ark of the covenant was. That's where the presence of God was. And that's where he made atonement for the people's sins and covered their sins every year. It was in that ark. In fact, when he went in, his robe had a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and pomegranate around the bottom. And it was one of those things to where they would listen as he was in the room because they tied a rope around his ankle as he walked in. And when they closed it, they would listen for the ringing of those bells. As long as those bells were ringing, everything was fine. Because he was ministering before God, he was moving and constantly ministering before God. And if those bells stopped, he did something wrong in the prep room and he was struck dead in the presence of God. And they would drag him out by that rope. So glad I live in the New Testament. I'm so glad I have the grace of God. But I think worship would be more pure if you walked in. We said, here, just put this rope around your ankle. You might reconsider how you walked into the house then. But just think about that. Then he said, we are the dwelling place of God. You are the temple. Now think about this. God, in all of his infinite wisdom, created man already before this, before the temple, with three parts. Everyone say body, soul, and spirit. That's how he created this. So the new temple, created in the fashion of the old temple, is to house the presence of God. And there's that body known as the outer court. Everyone say outer court. That's where we clap. That's where we sing. Everyone rejoices. We shout. We do all those things. And we can see it. And everyone can do that. But then we have our soul. Everyone say, the soul. That would be the holy place. That's where we prepare ourself for worship. That's where we prepare ourself for serving. That's where we prepare ourself to live in unity. That's where we renew our mind. That's where we come to a place where we're getting closer to God. That's what the Bible says. The soul is being saved. What's it preparing us for? A spiritual work. That part of our spirit, that holy of holies. The place where God lives. The place where God already caused you to be born again. You know, you're not going to be more spiritual than you are right now. We're going to grow in our prepared place. We're going to grow in our souls who have great understanding. And we can apply it better. But God has prepared you to be his dwelling place. Why does that matter? Because when I remember that everywhere I go, everything I do, everything I say, this holy God is with me. It begins to change what I say. It begins to change where I go. It begins to change some of my habits. It begins to make sure when I'm in a conversation with others at church, I'm an ambassador speaking only things of peace. It reminds me that I'm connected to a great big group of people to make a difference in the world. We forget that. We forget that. We forget that everything we own, we don't own. That everything we are is only because he did it. It's your breath. In our lungs. So we pour out our praise to you only." [01:11:11] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)