Hey Limitless! I am so excited to have this opportunity to bring to you the Limitless missionaries. These are the missionaries that we support here at Limitless Church. I think it is important for you to have an opportunity to know them, to hear their story, and what God has called them to do all over the city of Woodland and the surrounding cities, and even around the world.
As always, if you would like to support a missionary, you can do so by simply speaking to them or during your giving time. You'll see on the drop-down in our Tithely that there's tithes, offering, and missions at the bottom, and you can give from there. Here are your Limitless missionaries.
You there? Good morning! Good morning! Good morning! Hey y'all!
Well, I'm glad to be back this morning. Some of y'all haven't been to church, so you didn't know I was gone, but I'm back! I'm excited to be back. I took a little two-week vacay. Our core value, one of our core values here at Limitless, is rest. In order for it to be a core value, it has to be something that has to be exercised in the entire church, especially from the leader.
I love my family. I love my wife. I love my kids. I'm not going to be in an early grave, if you will, working myself down to the wire. The good thing is that I have family and people and friends that will make sure that that doesn't happen.
I had an amazing time. I missed you guys. I'm glad that you are back. I see y'all still coming. I see y'all still here. I am encouraged, I am revived, and I am ready to continue to move forward and do all that God has for us in our church. Amen!
Alright, I have... could you grab that for me, Joss? Thank you.
Missionaries, this month we're going to be going over missionaries every week this month. Josh is our missionary for this week for DCF. You saw the video. If you would like to support DCF, please, you can go see him as we said. He'll be here at the table. You can also find him in the drop-down in our tithes and offering. There's a thing there that says missionaries; you can support them there as well.
Well, I came back, so I figured I’d cross some things off since it’s been a little bit. For those of you... do we have any first-time visitors? Raise your hand, just stick your hand up. Oh wow! Alright, it’s... it’s... it’s a... so, my name is Pastor Keenan. I'm the pastor. Forgot that part. I'm a pastor here at Limitless Church along with my beautiful wife, Miss Sonia. We are excited that you are here. We don't think it's an accident that you're here. We believe that God has you here today for a specific plan and a purpose, and we are excited about what God is doing in your life.
Thank you for joining us. You could have been anywhere else, but you are here, and we appreciate that. Limitless, let's make some noise for our visitors!
Alright, so we are building a new home next door, and we are excited about all that God is doing and the finances that have come in for us to make this happen. Every time I come up here, it is my goal to update you on the things that we have taken care of, the things that you are in need of, and where we are, because we are believing God that this Christmas, we will move next door to our new home.
Y'all are not as excited about that as I am.
So we have a couple of things that we want to cross off that we've taken care of. The first thing I want to cross off is our balcony wood railings: $3,886. That was taken care of. There we go. Cross that off.
What else do we have next? Next, we have an interior sign package. Those are all like the Braille and all the signs that we need to make sure that we're in compliance when people come next door: entry signs, exit signs, all of those things. And that was $2,000, and that was taken care of as well.
A couple of weeks ago, we got a donation, I think it was two or three weeks ago, a donation for our fire extinguisher cabinets: $2,000. That was needed. Got that taken care of.
Right. So we're not done yet. The next thing that we have is... so you know how the floors are in there? They needed some... some Jesus. So we... in more ways than one, but that's another story. So we're getting our floors redone. And so we were able to take care of the labor for the floor covering, and that's $22,405.
Alright. And then the last thing that we were able to take care of, very excited about this, our electrical material and labor: $50,000 taken care of. We crossed this list off.
Alright. So, as you'll see on this back wall and the wall there, those are the things that we have left. I will update those with the marker today. But what I do want to do is talk about where we are right now.
So we have finished our rough electrical. We are putting up insulation, and we're putting up sheetrock. And so the next thing that we must take care of is our painting material and labor. Now this one is $53,000, and that is going to get our entire building painted and take care of the paint, the materials, and the labor to get that done.
We need to get that done because once we finish painting, then we can move on to getting the rest of the things taken care of and installed. And so that is where we are next.
Anything that is donated to our new home fund from this moment forward will be going towards that. Now, some people may look at $53,000 and be like, "Pastor, that is a lot." But I believe... let me tell you what I... yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Trying not to get into the message. I only got four minutes. Okay. But I just don't think that God will bring us this far and then get to the paint and be like, "No, that's it. That's all. Sorry, guys." No, I believe that the same God who provided for the signs is the same God who provided for the floor covering is the same God who will provide for the paint. Amen!
So two things I need for you to do. The first thing is always is I need your prayers.
God has sent people from near and far, and they have said, "Hey Pastor, we want to sow into what's happening. We believe God for what's happening." Whether it's 25 cents, $25, or $25,000, whatever it is, we are believing God for those funds to come in.
And so I ask you to pray for us, pray for this project. Whenever you hear those bells in the week, whenever you drive past the building, say, "God, I thank you that it's taken care of," and see what the Lord would have you to do. What is it that you would have me to do? Is there an area? Have you provided a seed that needs sowing?
And I am excited for the next time that I come up here, and we're going to cross off that painting material and labor. Amen!
Alright. Praise God. Alright, Josh, come grab this so I can get to this word. Thank you. Thank you.
Huh? There we go. Oh, there we go. Alright.
So I'm excited to get to the message today. I'm going to pray. We're starting a brand new series. We have had powerful dynamic messages these past two weeks by Pastor Johnson and Brother Laron. Thank you, guys. Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Brother Ron. I know he's at home with the kids. Thank you so much.
It is a privilege to have people alongside me that can come up here and bring that thing. Amen! I was at home on the TV like, "Oh, you bring, okay. Alright. Alright. I'm gonna have to come back ready." So I'm excited about that.
Heavenly Father, thank you for this opportunity to hear from you. First of all, Lord, this is the day that you have made, and so we make a conscious decision to rejoice and to be glad. God, I thank you for the word that is about to come forth. I ask that you would speak to us in these moments, God.
It is only you that knows what each one of us needs individually. God, you know what's happening. You know what will happen, and you know what is to come.
Yes. Yes.
And so, God, allow our ears to hear today, God, not only what's coming across the pulpit, but what are you saying individually to us? Open our hearts so that we will be able to receive the word, that we would not just be hearers of the word, but we will be doers of the word as well. Thank you, God. Speak in this place and continue to have your way. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Amen!
We are starting a new series this month called Mission Possible.
Okay? Mission Possible. It is a series on activation. Somebody say activation.
Activation.
This series is on mission, gifting, and activation. And my goal at the end of this series is to get you activated in the gift that God has given you. So, I would ask you, over these next couple of weeks, I'm going to charge you. The Bible would say, "I beseech you, therefore, brethren and sisteren, be here, okay? Be here every Sunday because I believe that this message, this series, is going to impact your life in a way that it never has before.
And at the end of this, you will have something that will change the course of your life. So, I need you to be here. You do not want to miss a Sunday. Get in here. Get locked in and see what God has for you. Are we ready?
Alright. So, I am a fan of spy movies. I have always been a fan since I was little. I would watch spy movies. I loved, loved, loved them. I loved the 007 series. That was my favorite. I loved the... just, I was locked in. When I got older, there was a series called The Bourne Identity Series. The Bourne Series, I loved that one. And even the Mission Impossible Series. I believe that in my past life, I was Tom Cruise, okay? So, I believe I'm the guy, you know? I'm just waiting to wake up with the gadgets and all the things, and I'm ready to go.
But I love these movies, and the reason that I love them is because they were everyday people who were gifted, and they were using their gifts to save the world, okay? My favorite part of these movies was when the assets or the agents got activated, okay? We all know that iconic... they walk into the telephone booth or to the place, "This is your mission should you choose to accept it," right? We all know that phrase.
The other thing I love about the Mission Impossible is when we meet the specialist. Oh, let me tell you something. I'm always ready when the specialists get activated. I love being the specialist. Each agent they show you is gifted in their own way. We got the driver. There's always a driver. There's a munitions expert, and they got all of the different things. They got the arms guy, and then you got the computer hacker.
They have all of these things, and if you ever watch these movies, what you soon realize is what makes this team so great is that each agent is able to successfully complete the mission because they come together and use their gifting as a whole to complete the mission, okay? As a whole, they come together, and so this person has this gift, this person has this gift, this person has this gift, and they come together to complete the mission.
And you see that that is what makes the team so great. And then no matter what, inevitably, there is a moment where all hope seems lost. Somebody probably has died unexpectedly. Somebody's missing. Somehow things have gone awry, and then it gets to this place, and they say, "What do we do now?"
So what do we do now? Now, and the response is always, "The mission must go on."
See, the reason that the movie series was called Mission Impossible is because to the average person, the mission seems impossible. But to the agent or the person that has been activated, to those who have been gifted, to those who have chosen to accept and execute the mission, and once they come together using their gift, the mission actually is very possible, okay?
So today, it is my mission that I have accepted to do a couple of things, right? The first thing is I want to help you see that you are the asset. You are the agent. You are Tom Cruise, okay? As a Christian, you are an agent for the kingdom of God. And as an agent, there is a mission that you have been activated for.
The second thing I want to do is I want to show you through the scriptures that you have been equipped and that you have been given a special ability or empowerment to complete the mission that God has for you. You have a special empowerment that you have been given to complete the mission that God has for you.
Let's start in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 10. Verse 10 says, "For we are his workmanship, his own masterwork, a work of art created in Christ Jesus." He says, "You are reborn from above, spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used for good works, which God prepared for us beforehand, taking paths which he set so that we would walk in them, living the good life, which he prearranged and made ready for us."
Okay? It's in Ephesians. Let's go to 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, and let's go to chapter 5 and start at verse 20.
"So, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making his appeal through us. We, as Christ's representatives, plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God."
We are the assets. We are the agents. We are the ambassadors. We are the representatives for Christ. We have been placed here, according to these scriptures, reborn, transformed, and renewed to be used for the good works, or what I like to call missions, that God has already prepared for us.
We are not... you are not purposeless beings with no meaning and no direction. You are not purposeless beings with no meaning and no direction. No. We have been given a purpose. We have been given a direction. And it is nothing more than a lie of the enemy. It is the enemy's attempt to try to lull us to sleep, to get us to believe that we are just a sum of our circumstances, our mistakes, and our conditions.
Do not let the enemy lie to you any longer and deceive you and tell you, "Hey, you are just a product of your mistakes. You are just a product of your conditions. You can do nothing more than the circumstances around you and the situation around you." That is a lie from the pit of hell.
We are ambassadors for the kingdom of God. We have been given a mission, and we have been given abilities. But it is up to us whether we will accept the mission and get activated.
It is up to us whether... that's why I said, "Here is your mission should you choose to accept it." But it's like, I'm not going to force you to do anything. You are free moral agents, meaning God did not make you as a robot. You have the ability to choose.
So it is up to you whether you will decide to accept the mission that you have been given and get activated.
Listen, we were never meant to sit by and let the world dictate who we are. We were never created to just let the enemy run rampant in our homes, run rampant in our family, run rampant in our schools, run rampant in our neighborhoods, and we just sit there and take it.
We collectively have the gifts, the talents, and the abilities on the inside of us to defeat the enemy at every turn. But until we accept the activation that has been given to us and begin walking in those gifts, talents, and abilities, we're like sleeper agents.
If you've ever watched these movies, you'll notice that in every movie, there's sleeper agents. Somehow, the Tom Cruise is in the middle of a park, and he's supposed to meet with somebody, and all of a sudden, everybody else in the park is, at one moment's notice, they're to kill him.
You thought it was somebody drinking a cup of coffee or watching a newspaper. The lady comes by with a baby in the stroller, and you realize that it's not a baby; it's a gun. She pulls out the gun out of the stroller. And I'm like, "Where's the baby? Who has the baby?" Sleeper agents.
And when we choose to sleep on the gift that God has given us, we are nothing more than sleeper agents. We're living a life that is not real and was never meant for us. We have to wake up. We have been activated. The time is short, and the kingdom of God needs us now more than ever.
The time is out for playing. The time is out for being one foot in and one foot out. It is done. It's not going to benefit you. How long will you live one foot in and one foot out and then complain why you never go anywhere? That's why. That's why.
The time is past for that. Ephesians 4 says this. He says, "I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called."
He says, "I'm urging you, walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called." You are a Christian. That means you should walk like one.
Hello. You are a... you are a... follower of Jesus. That means you should look like one. You should sound like one. He says, "Walk in a manner worthy of it." That's what we're called to do.
How long are you going to sit there and just like a knot on a log and not walk in? He says, "Do you know who you are? Do you know who you are?"
And he says, "You have to walk like that." We are an asset. We are a specialist for Christ, and we have already been activated. We have already been given our mission.
We have a mission as believers that has been given to us. And we have a mission as a body of believers that has been given to us. Jesus tells us, because some of y'all are like, "Pastor, what's the mission? I wasn't here last week. What's the mission?" Everybody's clapping like they know what it is. What is it? Don't worry. I got you.
Some of y'all first-time visitors, let's go. Matthew chapter 28. Jesus gives us the mission.
We're looking for this other stuff. "Well, what is it, God? What is it you want me to do?" He said, "You keep asking me. I'm not going to tell you; I put it in the book. Just read the book."
Matthew 28, let's see it. Jesus says, "All authority, all power of absolute rule in heaven and earth has been given to me."
Pastor, what's the mission? "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations."
Wait, before I go further, let's look at that. Notice before "go," it doesn't say "pastor go therefore."
Yeah.
'Cause y'all think it's just me. 'Cause we like, "Oh no. Yeah. That's the pastor's job to do that."
Right? No, no. "Go therefore." He wasn't speaking to pastors; he was speaking to everybody that was there.
He says, "Go therefore and do what? And make disciples of all nations. Help the people learn of me. Help them believe in me. Help them obey my words, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you."
Wait a minute. Let me... let me... y'all mind if I do a side mission real quick?
Y'all know sometimes we play the game for those of us... and we... you know, you got the side quest that we got. Let me... let me help you with a little side quest real quick.
Some of you, the enemy has lied to you and told you that in your moments of falling, in your moments of running, in the moments when you just like, "Lord, I don't know how I got here," you have believed the lie of the enemy that said, "God is not with you."
Yeah.
I know you ain't got to clap for me. I already know.
You be in those moments, and the enemy's like, "Look at you. Look at what you did. Look at where you are. How you call yourself a Christian?"
Yeah.
The Lord is not with you. God isn't there. How could you? Because if the Lord was there, then you wouldn't be going through this.
Y'all can play with me if you want to.
Matthew 28, here is what he said. Let's go back. Let's put that back up. He says, "Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always."
Always.
But, but what about when I mess up and when I fall? You think Jesus just runs away? Like, "Why?"
Because we look at him like us.
I got to go. I got to go. We got the lunch today. I got to eat. So it's the first week back. I want to make sure the visitors make it back.
Alright, listen, regardless, I am with you when? Always, remaining with you perpetually, regardless of circumstance and on every occasion, even to the end of the age.
So when you fall, he's there.
Listen to me, when it hurts, he's there. When you don't understand why it happened and how it could happen and you can't figure it out, he's still there.
He says, "No, no, no. I haven't gone anywhere. I am there. Guess what? Regardless of circumstance, I'm not going nowhere. I'm not going, even to the end of the age, I am with you always."
So when the enemy lies to you and tries to tell you that God is not with you, you remind him of this scripture.
Alright. Alright. Side quest completed. Let's get back to it.
Alright, this is the mission. This is what God tells us our mission is. That's why it's called the Great Commission. He's given us our mission. That is the mission of us as believers, as Christians.
Now, as the body of believers, as Limitless Church, we have a mission. The mission of this body is to be a distribution center of the love of God, of the grace of God, and of the gifts of God.
Okay. So, some of y'all might be new, and you might not know this, but I'm going to tell you, this is the mission of this house, of this body of believers.
Okay. It is...
Okay. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right.
You're right.
Our desire is to be a distribution center of the love of God, of the grace of God, and of the gifts of God. These are our missions. These are the missions that we have. This was the message that was on the computer disk before it exploded, okay? These are our marching orders.
Now, we have to decide how or whether we will choose to complete the mission, to pursue the mission, or we will continue as sleeper agents with untapped power and unused authority.
Untapped power and unused authority. Will we continue to let the enemy steal our purpose and destroy our destiny, or will we unleash the God-given talents and abilities that God has given us and send the enemy packing out of our homes, out of our marriages, out of our communities, out of our kids?
But we must decide. We must decide.
Listen, we have been called, and we have been activated. The question is, will we start walking in it?
Jesus.
Will we start walking in it?
It makes no sense to be a superhero and not use the superpowers.
Okay?
Okay?
The agent don't go in there with all of these guns and knives and watches and cars and all these things, and the guy comes in, he's like, "Yeah, I made this special watch that if you press the button, it'll blow up everything, and the car will shoot out, and then you jump in the car and it'll save your life," and he's like, "Nah, I don't want that. I'm gonna just use these hands I got and just..."
Would make no sense.
It would make no sense for the agent not to use the ability that he has been given to conquer the mission that he has been given. It would make no sense for him not to use the thing that is going to assist him in completing the mission.
It would make no sense.
We have to make the decision what we will do. We, each one of us, have been given abilities. Now, your gift may not be hacking into computers, or maybe you got super strength, or you're like a tech mogul, but if you are under the sound of my voice, whether you are in this room or whether you are watching online, you have been given unique gifts, abilities, and talents that are uniquely yours.
They are uniquely yours, and you've been given them to fulfill the mission that God has given us as believers.
No one can do what you do on this earth the way that you do it.
No one can do what you do the way that you do it.
Okay? Each one of y'all is Tom Cruise. Each one of y'all is Mr. and Mrs. Smith for the ladies. I'll help y'all out. Each one of you.
Here's the thing. You've been given these things. You have to decide whether or not you will walk in it. Each one of you.
And here's the thing. God has given you this gift. God has given you this ability. And every day you choose not to walk in it, you spit on the fact that he's given it to you.
Do you understand that he is giving you the breath of life?
Do you understand that he's giving you the breath of life? And because he gave you the breath of life to wake you up, there is a purpose behind why he did that.
And every day you choose not to walk in that gift, that talent, that ability, you say, "Thank you, Lord, for that breath. Thank you for waking me up. I'll take it from here."
You literally gave me the breath of life, but I will take it from here.
No, we have these things to fulfill the mission. And he's given it to us so that we could use it as believers and as this church.
We are the specialists. We have been equipped, and we have been gifted with the ability to complete the mission. And while it may seem impossible to some, we know that with God, nothing is impossible.
Let's read this. First Peter chapter four, verse seven through 10.
"The end and culmination of all things is near. Therefore, be sound-minded and self-controlled for the purpose of prayer."
I'm going to pause real quick.
Be sound-minded and self-controlled. Why? For the purpose of prayer.
Sound mind, self-controlled. Why? For the purpose of your prayers.
Why? Because what happens is now I am not of sound mind because I have about a five to six-second attention span before I move on to something else.
So even when I'm praying, I can't focus on what I'm praying about. I have to be careful of what I'm watching.
Why? So that I can be of sound mind. Because if I'm terrorized with fear because of what I've been watching all day and all night, I am not a...
I got to finish. I got to finish. I got to finish. I got to finish.
"Therefore, be sound-minded and self-controlled for the purpose of prayer, staying balanced and focused on the things of God."
Why? So that your communication will be clear, reasonable, specific, and pleasing to him.
"Above all, have fervent and unfailing love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins. It overlooks unkindness and it unselfishly seeks the best for others. Be hospitable to one another without complaint."
Here we go. Because some of y'all think that I am lying. Please, let's go to the next verse. Here we go.
"Just as each one of you has received a special gift, a spiritual talent, an ability graciously given by God."
He says, "Each one of you have it. But here's what I need for you to do. I need you to employ it in serving one another as is appropriate for good stewards of God's multifaceted grace."
"Faithfully using the diverse and the varied gifts and abilities granted to Christians by God's unmerited favor."
That means there wasn't nothing you could do to give it. You just got it because you... you.
You got it because God decided to give it to you. There were no prerequisites. There wasn't anything you had to do to get it.
I got to get out of here.
Alright. First Corinthians 12. Let's go there.
Oh, wait. Before I move on, let's go back to that first verse. Why is this important?
Why is this important? Pastor, I know you love movies. You've been gone two weeks. You're excited. I'm glad you're back.
Why?
Why is it important that we be activated? Why is it important that we are equipped for the thing that God has called us to do?
Why is there such an urgency right now in this moment for us to do that?
Let's go back. Verse seven. That first sentence.
"The end and culmination of all things is near."
City in that. We getting out of here. You better look outside. You better pack up.
"The end and culmination of all things is near."
The Lord is coming. This world is getting darker and darker day by day. And he says, "This is why you need to be activated now. This is why you need to walk in that gift now. This is why you can't afford to waste one more day halfway in and halfway out because the kingdom of God needs you."
First Corinthians 12. First Corinthians.
Let's go to 12 and then let's start at verse four.
Alright. Verse four says, "Now there are distinctive varieties of spiritual gifts, special abilities given by the grace and extraordinary power of the Holy Spirit operating in believers. But it is the same Spirit who grants them and empowers the believers."
Verse five says, "And there are distinct varieties of ministries and service. But it is the same Lord who is served."
Verse six says, "There are distinctive ways of working to accomplish things. But it is the same God who produces all things in all believers, inspiring, energizing, and empowering them."
Verse seven says, "But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit, the spiritual illumination and the enabling of the Holy Spirit for the common good."
I'm going to try to get you out of here on time, but I ain't making no promises.
Okay. Here we go. Here we go. Here we go.
Yo, I need you to see this because this is... this is where it turns right here.
This is where it turns.
This is where it turns right here.
"But to each one is given a manifestation of the Spirit."
I'll tell you about that. I'll tell him that. They start walking out. He going to be here for the next hour. I'm not.
Listen. To each one is given a manifestation of the Spirit.
Let's break that down.
Okay. The Holy Spirit is living on the inside of you.
Okay. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and personal Savior, when we make him Lord, the scripture says that the Holy Spirit comes and resides on the inside of us.
Okay. The same power that rose Jesus Christ from the dead.
Come on.
Hold on. Wait. Wait, y'all. Hold on. Hold on.
I got to get through this.
The same power that rose Jesus Christ from the dead is now living on the inside of us.
Okay.
Okay. On the inside of us.
Now this scripture says that each one of us has been given a manifestation of the Spirit.
Okay.
So each one of us has been given something that allows the Holy Spirit to come from the inside of us to the outside of us and manifest itself here in the natural.
Does everybody understand what I'm saying?
Alright. I'm going to break it down even more.
I got to.
Okay.
Alright. So, so, so... I'll use Aunt Ruby because I love my Aunt Ruby, and there's a lot of y'all here who... who, come on.
Alright. She, she mine.
Okay. That's enough.
Alright. So here's what happens. There is something that happens. Any of you who have been in that prayer line, you know that they will wait in line to hear... they'd be like, "No, no, no. I want our pastor. Uh, you fine. Let me get our Ruby to pray for me."
Okay. I want that one to pray.
Why?
Okay. So there is a manifestation. There's a gift on the inside of her.
Okay. When she prays, it is like she is calling down heaven when she prays.
Okay. And there is something that happens.
Okay. On the inside of her, that gift is a manifestation of the very Spirit of God. And when she prays, that thing manifests itself in the natural.
Okay. That is the Holy Spirit now coming from the inside to the outside in the gifting that she's walking in, which is prayer.
Okay. It comes from the inside, and it manifests itself on the outside.
So here is what I'm saying. Each and every one of you under the sound of my voice and watching online, you have a manifestation of the Holy Spirit on the inside of you that needs to make its way out.
Do you understand there is something inside of you? The very... it has to... he says, "I've given it to you. I've given you a manifestation of me, of the Holy Spirit. I've given it to you."
And when you walk in that, and he says, "Why? Why did he give us a manifestation of the Holy Spirit? For the common good."
Let's bring it back.
Ruby could pray for herself.
Okay.
I can only imagine what it's like when she in there praying for herself, but something different happens when you have to use that gift for someone else.
When you use the thing that God has given you to bless somebody else, there's a switch. There's a turn that happens when you... so when somebody comes and she can pray for herself, but when somebody comes up, there is now that manifestation that God gave her to bless someone else, to bless someone that's in the line.
You at home, maybe your gift is hospitality, and you getting that chicken and that rice ready. You getting that food ready for the guests that are coming over. You about to bless somebody.
There is an anointing that's on that when you use that gift for the better.
Okay.
Okay.
It's something different. You could wave at anybody anywhere. I'm breaking it all the way down because some of y'all, y'all playing with me this morning.
You can wave at anybody anywhere, but something happens when you hit that door. Something happens when you put that lanyard on, and people begin walking in, and you say, "Good morning! How are you doing? It's good to see you. Oh man, I missed you last week. I'm glad that you're here this week."
And just by you saying that, somebody walks in the door, and they felt unseen. They felt like nobody loved them. They felt like this was the last thing they was going to do before they was going to end it all.
But simply because you said, "Hey, how you doing this morning? Hey, God bless you. Hey, you look good this morning. Hey, I'm glad to see you."
It changes everything. It changes everything.
Why? Because the manifestation of the Spirit of God in you using your gift is now for others, and it manifests for the common good.
When Paul says the common good, he is explaining that it's not just for us, that it moves beyond us.
'Cause he know me, he would have given me the gift of singing. It would have been just for me.
Me and Sonia, that's it.
I would not be here right now. He was like, "Son, I already know how you're going to act. I can't give you... I can't give you everything, son. I can't."
'Cause it would have been for the Kenan good, not the common good.
But he said, "I gave it to you for the common good because it moves from beyond. It moves from us to beyond us. And it becomes a blessing to our household. It becomes a blessing to our family. It becomes a blessing to our job. It becomes a blessing to our neighborhood. It becomes a blessing to our community. It becomes a blessing to this church."
Being in purpose empowers us to be a specialist in every area of our life.
When you know how to operate in your gift, when you... excuse me, when you know your gift, you understand how to operate in your gift in every area.
I got to get out of here.
She said I could do it, so I'm going to do it.
Listen to this. They're going to come for you, so it's fine.
Being in purpose empowers you to be a specialist in every area of your life.
Okay? I'm about to... this is it, and I got to go. You ready?
And this blessed me because as a junior high, as a senior high, as a young adult, as I thought something totally different.
Listen, most people think that your gifting is what you do.
Okay? Come on.
Most people think that your gifting is what you do. High school, college, young adult. "Lord, what is my gift? I'm looking for a thing. What is the thing that you've called me to do? Well, Lord, just show me the thing. If you just tell me what the thing is, then I'll go do the thing, and then I'll be fine."
Your gifting is not what you do. As believers, it is how you do what you do.
Okay?
I knew that. I was expecting that. I was expecting that.
Your gifting is how you do what you do.
Pastor, help me out with that. Help me out with that.
Okay. I got you. I got you. Here we go. You ready?
My wife.
Okay?
She is... her gifting is not a children's ministry director.
Her gifting is not a woman's ministry director.
Okay?
Her gifting is not even a pastor's wife. That's not her gifting. Like, she's so gifted as a pastor. That's not her gifting.
Okay?
Check this out. My wife, her gifting, she is an encourager.
Yes, she is.
Okay?
Catch this. Catch this. My wife is an encourager. What does that mean? That means in every area, in any area that she is, no matter what she's doing, she's exercising the gift that she has been given in a position.
She's exercising the gift in a position.
So, in kids' ministry, she is an encourager. As a pastor's wife, she is an encourager. As a woman's ministry director, she is an encourager.
Okay?
Your gifting is not what you do. It's how you do what you do.
And when you understand how you do what you do, it don't matter where they put you, you are going to be who you've been called to be, walking in your gift.
This is why being activated is important. Because when you know it, it changes everything.
Let's say your gifting is a teacher.
Okay?
You're gifted as a teacher. You at your job, and somebody don't know how to do something, and they worried. They're trying to figure out how to get it done. They come to you, and you just say, "Yeah, the way that this works is you do this, and then the next step is you do this."
And they're looking at you cross out. "How did you even... how do you know this, and how do you know how to explain it?"
Because you're walking in your gifting.
You take that same person. Somebody's having a conversation, and they can't figure out. They say, "Like, I don't even understand how this stuff works. And I'm trying to do this, and I'm trying to do that."
And it's like, here comes the teacher. Here comes the encourager. Here they come right here. "Hey, you know what? Here, let me show you how to do this. Come here, girl. Let me show you how to do this. And you do this, and you do this, and you do that."
It's like, "How do you know? How do you?"
Why? Because I'm walking in the gifting.
I'm not walking in a vocation or a thing. I'm walking in the gift, and it doesn't matter where you are. It doesn't matter what you do.
This is going to freeze some college folks right now. It doesn't matter where you are. It doesn't matter what you do. They can put you anywhere. They can put you on Mars. They can put you in another... it don't matter.
When you know what your gifting is, you can exercise it in any area.
And here's the thing: people will be drawn to you because you're operating in your gift.
It will look totally different.
Now, you can spend the rest of your life trying to find a thing and chase different things and be miserable and worried and depressed and upset if you want to.
But I'm challenging you. I'm challenging you to find what it is that God has gifted you to do. Walk in that thing and exercise it in every area of your life.
When we know our gift, we understand how to operate in that gift in every area of our life. We grab hold to that thing. We grab hold of who we are, and then we see how we can apply it.
Okay, I'm right here.
Oh, this is how my gift can be used in this department.
Okay, I'm over here.
Oh, that's fine. I'll fit in right in here because I know what my gift is.
And then we unlock the specialist that we are.
Yeah.
See, it's something different when you are a specialist.
Okay?
When we see them, we're like, "Man, they just hacked into America just like that."
Why? Because they're specialists.
And when we know what our gifting is, we then become specialists.
Alright, today I had two missions.
To help you see that we are an asset of the kingdom of God, and there is a mission that we have been activated for.
Worship team, would you come?
And to show you that we have been equipped with a special ability or an empowerment to complete the mission that God has for us.
Now, we face a decision.
Are we going to continue to let the enemy diminish our lives and steal our purpose and cloud our destiny?
Thank you. Welcome to man. Thank you.
Or will we wake up, activated by the Holy Spirit, to claim the promises that God has spoken over us?
Too long we have believed the lie that we are just the sum of our failures, our surroundings, and our circumstances.
We are his masterpiece, crafted with intention and endowed with a mission that only we can fulfill.
It is time to silence the lies and the excuses and wake up to the calling of our life.
We stop waiting for somebody to approve you.
Stop waiting for somebody to tell you that you are qualified.
Do you understand the people that turned this world upside down that we read about were teenagers?
What are you waiting for?
What are you waiting for?
"Oh, I'm not ready, and I need more time."
Time is up.
When God called you, he is the one who will empower you. He is the one who will show you. He is the one who will train you. He is the one who will walk you through.
We got to get rid of the excuses.
We got to get... "Well, what are people going to say about me?"
I would rather them talk about me while I'm doing what I'm supposed to do than talk about me while I'm sitting just doing nothing and living a life that's leading to hell.
Because the enemy will love nothing more than for you to continue wasting your days.
Because when you waste a day, it's a day that somebody hasn't been impacted, and it's a day that somebody does not come to know Jesus, that somebody does not experience the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
And the enemy wins.
No more. No more.
You have been called. You have been commissioned. You have been activated.
Today's question is this: Will you say yes to pursue the mission and unleash your God-given gift and bring his power into this broken world?
To bring the manifestation of the Holy Spirit into this world.
Today and throughout this entire series, I want to encourage you to accept the mission. Pursue the mission to step into your calling with boldness, with power, and with authority.
Don't just hear the words; live them. You are the agent. You are the asset. You are someone here sent on a mission. What will you do?
Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for this time. Thank you for speaking individually to each and every one of us. God, thank you for reminding us of what you have called us to do. For reminding us that we have a purpose. That we have a mission that you have told us.
God, we make a decision to walk it out. God, we don't want to waste another day. We don't want to waste another moment. God, show us what our gifting is.
Make it clear and visible and plain to us, God. What is it that you would have us to do?
We praise you. We love you. We thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
My goal at the end of this is for you to know that thing. I am praying for each and every one of you over the next course of the next few weeks. I want you to end this series saying, "I know what my gifting is. I am a... I am an encourager. I am a teacher. I am a shepherd. I am knowing, oh, that's how I do what I do."
I am going to show it to you in the scriptures. I am going to give you tools to help you find what it is.
Because imagine if this entire church got activated for the thing that God has called them to do and begin to walk in that thing.
We would turn this city upside down like that.
It's up to us. It's up to us. To get activated.
Hallelujah, Jesus. Hallelujah, Jesus.
I'm praying that even as this week goes, that the Lord will begin speaking to you. That he will remind you of conversations. That he would remind you of things that he has said that pointed you in the direction.
And for some reason, you put that thing down. You forgot about it. You said that's for another time.
I'm praying that he would reignite the fire on the inside of you.
I pray that the Lord will begin dealing with you. That he won't let you go. That you will wake up in the middle of the night writing stuff down, grabbing your phone.
I'm praying that he will begin to just show you that you would have visions and dreams of you walking in the calling and the gifting that God has given you.
Praying that he removes the lies that the enemy has been feeding you, the excuses that you've leaned on.
That you wanted to dance. That goes through the Josh and Paulina. That goes through those different debates in hair and the idea of him way.
I love looking at the central comments with our friends saying that we have to allow him to look back you up your name.
I have never seen in the middle of the 10:30 because he's beginning.
I pray that those things would be removed in the name of Jesus.
Hallelujah, God.
God, I thank you for clarity in the name of Jesus.
I thank you for clear vision in the name of Jesus.
God, I pray that weights would be removed, that distractions would be removed, that excuses would be removed, that we would run the race to what you have called us in the name of Jesus.
That you would begin empowering your people, that you would begin illuminating the path that you have for them.
God, I thank you that you have already begun speaking to people that are here.
God, I thank you that you have already begun speaking to people that are here.
That you have charged their hearts and minds even in these few moments.
God, I pray that you would stir it up on the inside of them.
Stir up the gift on the inside of them, God. Stir it up, Jesus.
Make it clear as day.
Give them the enablement, the power, the ability, the access, the favor, and the resources to begin walking in what you called them to.
I bind the spirit of fear in the name of Jesus.
I bind the spirit of fear.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, joy, and a sound mind.
If God be for you, who can be against you?
No more fear. No more fear.
You walk out and see what God has in store for you. You take the first step and watch God illuminate the path.
Too long you've been operating in fear. You've let fear hold you back long enough.
No more fear.
This fear that God isn't going to do what he said he's going to do. This fear that God is not going to equip you. This fear that if you go do the thing, that you're going to be out there looking crazy.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
That is a lie from the enemy who is trying to stop you from doing what you've called to do.
No more fear.
I pray a spirit of boldness would rise up on the inside of you.
I pray that a spirit of boldness would rise up on the inside of you.
That you would begin walking in that thing.
Not just walking; that you would begin running fully in the path, in the gifting that God has called for you.
Do you know who you are?
Do you know what God is?
Do you know that all of heaven is behind you?
Do you know that there is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit on the inside of you that this world needs to see, that your family needs to see, that your friends need to see, that your job needs to see?
No more fear.
The devil is a liar.
No more fear.
Stop worrying about your past.
You think God don't know your past?
He will use your past to propel you into the future that he has for you.
But you don't understand.
I ain't got to understand.
God is the one.
All things work together for the good of those who seek him and who are called according to... all things.
Hallelujah.
Father, I thank you right now.
I thank you so much for what you're doing in this place, even right now in these moments.
God, I thank you for your word.
God, I thank you for how you are moving.
God, I thank you for the activation that's taking place even now, God.
God, I pray that we would leave here on fire, that we would leave here searching, that we would leave here activated, that we would leave here looking for you to show us, God.
That we would no longer chase the things of this world, that we would no longer look for the side quest that the enemy is using to distract us, but we would be sober-minded and focused on what you've called us to do.
I thank you for it. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen!
Did y'all get something out of this this morning?
Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
I'm going to call our ushers forward at this time as we transition to a time of giving.
Don't miss a week. Don't miss a week. You better be here.
Next week I have a very important announcement as well. I'm excited about this. I've been sitting on it for about a month. Make sure you're here for that as well.
Get here on time, guys. Where y'all be at? Get in here, y'all.
See, we scrambling for seats, y'all. Get in here.
Sorry, new people. I apologize.
As we transition to a time of giving, we have three ways that you can give: offering envelopes on a seat pocket in front of you. If you're watching online, you can go to limitlesswoodland.com, or you can text the word "give" to 833-879-0161.
If you're here, the offering bucket will go by. You'll see there's a QR code. One of my favorite things, I didn't even talk about today, there's a QR code on the seat pocket in front of you. If you grab your camera, point it to that QR code, there'll be a notification that'll pop up. You'll press it, and it'll open up to give you the opportunity to give.
The Lord is doing something amazing in this church, and I thank you for the opportunity for you to walk out worship in the area of your giving.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for being faithful in the area of your giving.
God loves a cheerful giver. Why? Because we at this church, we believe God gives seed to who? He gives seed to the sower, and we sow that seed, and we command that thing to go and grow, and we see the harvest manifested in the lives of people and in our lives as well.
That's why we give with gladness. That's why we give with gladness.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the opportunity to worship in the area of our giving. We believe, as your word says, you give seed to the sower, so we sow this seed into good ground. We command it to go, to grow, and to multiply in the name of Jesus.
We thank you, God. We thank you for providing us with this opportunity. We are cheerful givers because we know that we are just stewards. You gave it to us to get it through us. You provided us with the job. You provided us with the unexpected income. You provided us with the resource, and we say thank you.
As we give our tithe, as we give our offering, our over and above, God, we say thank you.
In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
God bless you as you give. The offering buckets will go by.
Would you stand as we worship one more time, and then I will be right back.
Very quickly, I'm going to have our altar team come forward at this time. If you need prayer for anything, we want to pray for you.
Very simple. The most important thing, if you're here today, the first way that you get activated is by making Jesus Lord of your life.
The first activation only matters when you make Jesus Lord of your life. That's the first thing. When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Savior, when you begin walking in that thing, that is the first step of activation.
And so if you're here today and you said, "Pastor, I recognize that I need a Savior. I recognize that I have been living this life on my own, and I need Jesus."
If that's you today, we would love to pray with you. The Bible says that if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth, Jesus, you shall be saved.
We would love nothing more than to pray with you to begin that process of salvation.
Now is the time of salvation. Don't let another day go by. Don't let another moment go by. Now is the time of salvation.
Secondly, if you're here today and you made Jesus Lord of your life, but you say, "I've been living like a sleeper agent. I've been living a life away from him, but I want to make my way back to Jesus. I know that he hasn't left me, but I have left him."
So if you would like to recommit your life to Jesus, to make your way back, we would love to pray with you as well.
And lastly, next week we will be celebrating baptisms. Two weeks, we'll be celebrating baptisms.
If you recently accepted Jesus and you would like to get baptized, we would love nothing more than to celebrate with you as you baptize it, going from death to life.
So if you want to make that decision, the altar team is here to my left, to your right, along the black wall.
Grab your backpack, grab your Bible, grab your purse, grab whatever you came with, and make your way down here.
Don't wait another moment. Don't wait for somebody else to move. This now is the time.
If any of those things apply to you, we are here. We've been waiting for you all morning. I dare you to get down here.
And I promise you, this will change everything. This will change everything.
We love nothing more than to walk with you through this process. It starts here, but it doesn't end here.
So if either one of those things apply to you, we would love to pray with you.
Lastly, today we have our Limitless Lunch. If you have been at this church for three months or less and you have not had the opportunity to have lunch with me, my wife, and the leaders here, I would love to have lunch with you.
Today, after service, immediately following this service in the Limitless Living Room, we have our Limitless Lunch. If you didn't sign up, that's fine. Come. We would love for you to be there, to hear our story, to hear the mission and the vision of our church, and to give us an opportunity to hear your story as well.
You say, "Hey, I want to meet the pastor. I want to find out what this church is about. You know, I just recently started coming, and I'm making some decisions. I want to know."
I want to invite you to have lunch immediately following a service over to the left.
I love you. I'm excited to be back. I'm excited to see each and every one of you.
Let's pray over this offering and let's dismiss.
Father, thank you for our seed. Thank you for the opportunity to worship you in this area.
God, I thank you so much. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for keeping us.
We command the seed to go and grow in Jesus' name.
Amen.
God bless you. I love you. I want to see each and every one of your faces next week.
And don't forget, live wide. I'm not afraid anymore.
on Mar 02, 2025
