Convocation

I wanna before I get into some of the things I want to share tonight I just want to follow up from this morning a little bit the Lord was even convicting me during worship tonight reminding me of how convocation ended this morning and I saw the countdown clock and I saw I was already in the red and I was thirty seconds over and I just did this quick wrap-up prayer and I I really wasn't praying I was saying these words that I wanted you to hear but I really wasn't talking to him and God really convicted me of that you know sometimes you get on a stage and you're just so consumed with communicating something that then it's time for prayer and you just start speaking these words and you don't even think about who you're talking to that's a big deal when there's a God who dwells in unapproachable light and all these angels are just worshiping him bow bowing down to him right now and and so I take prayer very seriously like I still think it's a huge honor to come into his presence and sometimes I just forget and I just do the speaker thing and just say words that I don't really mean I'm just trying to wrap up quickly and just confessing that to God confessing that to you and tonight would like to start off with prayer just so that I'm not rushed and really coming into his presence and asking him to truly fill me and speak through me even that I you know during worship on Oh God this is such a sacred thing to talk about your spirit literally being inside of a human being that is such an insane mystery it gave me like that Holy of Holies we're God's well-tanned no one could even go in there or they would die and now I'm talking about his very presence entering into this body and speaking through me and for us to become one it's an incredible scene of intimacy but also it's just this terrifying thought of God Almighty coming into my flesh and empowering me and so I want to pray for that that we'd understand the weight of it I would like you to pray for me that I wouldn't speak in the flesh and just say what's comfortable but it really would be God speaking through I hope you my prayer this morning was it to show you like you can't allow yourself to be so easily amused you can't allow yourself to be pleased with a person coming up here and just explaining a couple verses to you and getting off the state like like you've got a hunger and longed for and demand the power of God so you know for you to come before God Almighty said God please don't just have Francis give a canned speech don't have him speak from his flesh I want to hear from you I want to experience something powerful supernatural we've all heard hundreds of sermons and there are those times when it's really the Holy Spirit just moving speaking and you know he's dealing with you deep deep deep inside and the fruit is evident because it changes from there on out it's not something that's quickly forgotten so with that don't just close your eyes right now okay and don't just wait til I'm done like this is an incredible honor to come into the presence of God right now holy holy holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come father we worship you father we want everything inside of us to be worshipping you right now acknowledging a God who dwells in unapproachable light a God who spoke us into existence this whole earth into existence God everything is dependent on you everything is held together by you God we're so sorry for the times we casually coming to your presence like it's no big deal we are here only because of the blood of Jesus only because of what Jesus did on the cross do we dare come into your presence Lord and Lord your words is that we can come with boldness with confidence Lord and yet Lord we want to come with reverence at the same time Oh God it is amazing that we're talking to you right now or that you are listening you're listening God I believe this because of Jesus father we're so grateful Lord we were by nature by very nature objects of Wrath God where would we be without your love without your forgiveness without you seeking us and God please just keep pursuing us please keep just because we're so weak what do we need you to give us your grace have mercy on us tonight that we can really see you God that the flesh wouldn't get in the way that everything it's evil all the lies we've been told and fed would just be gone everything it's of the evil and all the lies of the world would be out of our heads Lord and it would just be your pure true word your thoughts are so far beyond our thoughts god I pray for every person in this room Lord I pray for those who don't truly know you who don't have your spirit in them God made that change tonight please God may it change may it be from the inside out may they just be this unstoppable force in them of your spirit that just drives them toward holiness that drives them towards you and intimacy with you drives them toward a life that's worth living that's effective for your kingdom father please manifest through me so that I could build up my brothers and sisters in Christ tonight please Lord may this be of your spirit and Jesus Holy Name we pray amen man I if any of you this morning we're just like starting to questioned like how much is really coming from inside of you and whether or not you could take the life jacket off and you could swim and you really had this this the Spirit of God in you I mean that's a serious serious thing please I know you guys are getting into community groups please talk to someone tonight and say look I I don't know if he's really in me like I don't really long for him I don't really desire him I don't have this intimacy that you're talking about I don't know about my spirit crying of a father I seem to be able to stay and sin for a while it doesn't really bother me I I'm not thinking about eternal things I'm pretty happy with my stuff my life man bring that up I mean the whole point was not again not to judge anyone but out of a deep concern that if you cannot swim now's the time to figure it out you know it's like okay yeah I took the lifejacket I realized I have no clue how does it like nothing inside me knows what I'm doing and to have someone pray for you it's really coming in the presence of God and say God I need you to kill me the crucify me I want to die to myself and I really want you to live through me I need your spirit to enter into me there's no way I can do this on my own I want your righteousness another thing is I just a quick preface as I speak about the church tonight I want you to understand I'm not like sometimes people say oh he he hates the giant Church the only likes the little churches or you know the medium-sized ones or this or this or this so you guys it's not about that okay i if you're in a giant church great if you're in a tiny church great it the issue is what kind of church like what what is that church producing okay that's what I'm concerned about is what what comes out if you want to call the church building your church it's really not but anyways it's it's it's not about that it's about what does this body of believers produce that's what matters to me it's kind of like if if I every time I go to a Waffle House or something I find someone from Liberty University working there you know yeah I graduated from Liberty and I graduated and let's say all of you just ended up working at the Waffle House all of you that would be a problem because you paid some good money to come here and probably everyone's like gosh I don't know about Liberty everyone that leaves there ends up at the Waffle House I don't know if it's really producing what they were hoping for it wouldn't be a real attractive school to go to right and in the same way I look at what comes out of these gatherings we've been having in America and I'm just going I don't know about this result that's not what I was what I was reading about here in Scripture and my biggest concern and I hope it's a concern of yours is I don't hear people talking about their love for Jesus the person of Jesus Christ I hear a lot of talk about churches that you're allowed to talk about speakers I talked about different bands and songs and sermons but where are those voices that are just seeing oh I was with Jesus this morning I love him so much this is the one thing I pray for all the times I just want to be in his presence man you guys know when one of your friends falls in love with someone right you know when they get obsessive about it right some of you guys know exactly what I'm talking about it's some of you guys are in that world where you're just obsessed with this person and you know you've seen meet other people who once they have a child it's like all they can talk about is that child and it's this obsession this fascination you know what it's like when someone is in love my concern is I don't hear that kind of language when people talk about Jesus he was a love him with all of her heart soul mind and strength would just be like oh man I love being alone it's so good it's so good it's him man this is the great command is that what we see coming out I mean that's kind of a big deal the church was supposed to produce these devoted worshippers of God where they can't get enough of him and there's something so wrong when if we announce Cahill songs coming and the place is packed versus hey we're gonna have prayer tonight and a handful of people show up there's something really wrong with that we can't be okay with that I mean we're talking about this being up there all those angels up there just gonna wow it's so amazing is she just be I'm coming into it who cares who's leading me into his presence it's his presence that we're just obsessed with it's right so we know there's something desperately wrong when people walk out of these gatherings and go oh it was really good today or I didn't really like it today I didn't really like the worship and then really worked for me I didn't like those songs I didn't like that band like somehow we've lost sight of the opti you think those angels that are screaming out holy holy holy day and night ever go look at each other I really like it today do you think ever in human history man seriously man you we've got to understand how weird of a time we are living in how consumer-driven everything's gotten like it doesn't make sense biblically you think ever in the Old Testament and I don't know if I'm gonna go to the sacrifices a who's who's sacrificing who's gotten the ball I love it you know it's just it wasn't about that how did we turn everything where it's perfectly normal to walk away from our gatherings and go man I don't know I didn't really like it it ever occurred to you that it wasn't for you I mean does it ever enter your mind I get concerned because when I read the scriptures I am look the structure of the church everything else okay I don't know it's up for grabs what I do know is God wants these devoted worshippers that means they don't just show up depending on who's on the stage that doesn't make any sense and that God wants a generation of people that love and are in awe when they're alone in their bedroom praying to God don't this is insane I'm in the presence of God you've got to be kidding me and it needs to be a group of people that when four or five are gathered in their living room and they're seeking Him they're going this is amazing what a privilege and yeah and when there's 20,000 people and they're singing to a band again it's a same thing because it's that object it's him I know that I know that's what God wants I know that what he wants of his church you see it in John John 13 he wants a deep love for one another in John 13 verse 34 he says a new commandment I give you that you love one another just as I've loved you you also are to love one another by this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another when God was saying here's what I see the church being it was supposed to be these human beings that gather together and he goes I want you to love one another just as I have loved you he was this is my new command just as I've loved you I want you to love one another remember he said this in the context of taking communion for the very first time so he's showing them as they break the bread he's going this is my body broken for you this is my blood that was shed for you and so he's just to hold that piece of bread you're supposed to look at the blood and go whoa he died for me he was tortured for me and he says you see what I did for you I want you to do that for one another now that's what he if we care about what he wants I know there's certain things you want in a church but if you care about what he wants he's saying I want to see my followers so in love with each other I want them loving each other to the extent in which I love them that's intense man I ever since I figure that I'm like man it's hard to take communion because I look around the room and I go come do I love them that much so what's your name in the green shirt Evan so if Evan and I are taking communion and he's a part of the body in God's eyes this is what he would want you know we may want something different we may want someone singing a solo a video go went on and you know but what God would want is he would want evident I to be looking at this piece of bread and for me to look at you and go do not go to the cross free so if if someone was going to take you away right now and nail you to a cross God would want me to go no let me go for him I'll do it for him that's the extent he wanted his prey are there at the end there and jump John 17 before he goes to the cross is your God now I'm praying for these guys I want them to be perfectly one perfectly one just as I'm in you and you're me so so he wants the father-and-son type of intimacy that oneness he wants that between Evan and I that's what he wanted now most of us when we go to not thinking of that that's not what we want even when I started that the first church I pastor died I didn't want that I got had enough friends I I'm not really even going for a fellowship I just want to have some you know time with the Lord learn a few verses you know get to know him better but this stuff I wasn't thinking what God wanted he says I am them you and me may they be brought to complete unity so that the world may know that you have sent me gosh when I read that and John said it tested my face he says he says if if we become perfectly one as a church he goes then the world will believe that Jesus is the Messiah see I read that passage and I'm going wait really I am them you and me that they may become perfectly one so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me somehow by the way we love each other that is the apologetic to the world according to Jesus now I read that like what that doesn't seem to make sense okay so you're telling me there's some guy out there who totally rejects Jesus like most of the world doesn't go really okay he's the one way to heaven okay who's the son of God you died on the cross roll much and then by the way that Evan and I if we become perfectly one with our church he would look at that and go who Jesus really is the son of God see that doesn't make sense in my mind but you know what neither does marching around a city seven times seriously and blowing a trouble it's like oh yeah that'll work put your staff in the red co that works every time you know it's just all of these things you you guys at some point I believe God's waiting for the people who actually believe his word and go you know what let's just do this I don't care if it's ten people if we have to shrink down this church from a thousand people to 50 people to 20 people but it's people that will become one I believe that's when we're gonna see the power when we actually believe this and say no I'm gonna become perfectly one so we're gonna have to bear with one another put up with all the one anothers in scripture we're gonna have to do it and every time we take communion we'll remember what he died for and us pursuing that type of oneness to become perfectly one and the Bible says again in Philippians 1 verse 27 he says if you guys would just strive side-by-side let me just read it only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or I'm absent I may hear of you that you're standing firm in one spirit with one mind striving side-by-side for the faith of the gospel not frightened in anything by your opponents this is a clear sign to them of their destruction but of your salvation and that from God so our unity and fearlessness he says is a sure sign to them of their destruction and of your salvation and for a lot of us we go really that would work that's us yeah you just you just have to do it yeah this is what God wants I've heard so many excuses over the years people say well that can't happen in America that can happen in other countries and I'm just like that doesn't make any sense that doesn't so if Evan and I move to India then we can become perfectly one but Virginia it's not gonna happen it's impossible here so I could give everything I possess to the poor if I'm in India but I can't do that in America like how does that make sense there's all these lies God wants loving families so he wants us to be these devoted worshippers but he wants us to become these loving families that are perfectly one to show the world and in Ephesians 4 tells us that he wants us all equipped I mean that's what the leaders of the church are supposed to do is equip you for works of service he wants us all to become mature I mean I was talking about that just this week I was like man we've gotta get our people out we've got to mobilize them send them and and and there was a pastor this week who said to me because gosh you know but I can't just blow everything up because there's like this couple of these 70 year old ladies and and if we didn't do service the way we normally do it like they wouldn't know what to do with themselves well that's that's a problem that they don't know how to make disciples they just spend their whole life that's that's like me saying you know or someone saying well I can't sell my house because my 40 year old son lives in the basement and if I sell it where's he gonna live you should have been living there in the first place he should have been working and probably the most loving thing you could do is sell the house you know and then have him doing what he was meant to do in a lot of ways we were treating this you know when one pastor was telling me in Brazil it was gosh my church's feels like a zoo it feels like it might just zoo animals you know that we're you know and he told me cuz you're a mess that moved Madagascar and and he goes everyone that lion was out there in the wild at first he's just like freaking out because I don't want to go in the wild I love being in the cage they throw me to me the children cheer this is the life then he gets out in the wild and rember the zebra guy was like hey come on you're an animal your net and he just had to train him and he says I just feel like my church is like a zoo where I tell them hey just come to this cage let me feed you when in reality they were meant for the wild and we need equip people to go out and that's where life is found that's what you were made for you were supposed to be a disciple maker is the church producing these equipped disciple makers and the Bible says like we talked about this morning when the spirit enters you he says you'll receive power ax wanted to be his witnesses that's what we were made for that Holy Spirit like I said he makes you this look all these things that I was saying this morning it's it's and even the stuff I'm talking about I know some of you when I say this your heart longs for you're like yeah that's what I want that's what I want I want to be a person there's lungs for God like that I want to be in this community where we love each other that much I want to be equipped and make disciples like it drives me nuts that I'm not I want to be his witness I mean there are times when we chicken out we're supposed to be sharing with someone and we don't like that about it why because it's in our DNA to go and be his witnesses and that be the spirit field where we're just filled with so much love joy peace patience I mean according to Scripture we went from death to life and you go to your average gathering today how many of those people shared the gospel with an unbeliever that week this is what we were made for though not to be put in cages but to go to the ends of the earth and be his witnesses and if I believe there are many of you that hunger for that and I believe the times short I really do I've never spoken like this it's only been the last few months where I'm just going man this is a crazy time you know there's this group of all these missions agencies they've been getting together for the last 10 15 years just figuring out where the last people groups you know there were thousands of them just like 10 years ago and now it's down to like 300 in something that haven't heard yet and now all of those who are have people pursuing them are in process of getting the gospel like in our lifetime like in the next couple of years every people group will have heard the gospel that doesn't mean everyone but there will be a group man yeah we can shooter but do you get do you understand what that means this has not happened since the Tower of Babel and it's happening in our lifetime like soot and if we take Matthew 24 literally the Gospels can be preached to the whole world and then the end will come we've got to consider this is kind of crazy right go on and on and talk about things that are going in the world but you know it but when I was your age but the world was nothing like this man we just assumed everything's gonna be the same five years from now ten years from now 20 years from now you guys aren't thinking that there's gonna I don't know what the world's gonna be like next week right everything changes so quick you're not thinking oh 20 years from now America is the same so I'm just gonna have a nice little family and just have a you know stable job like give it give up it's not happening we are in a crazy crazy time I've been also working with this other group called illumination through all the Bible translating agencies like Wickliffe American Bibles they've been working together for a few years now and figuring out who does not have the Bible and next few years again the New Testament will be in every language you guys this is this is stuff that they've been talking about since I was a kid and now I'm going it's gonna happen right now and what the Bible says in Matthew 24 though he says the end II and it's going to be the last days will be like the days of Noah and he doesn't name a bunch of sin he just says people be eating drinking getting married giving their kids in marriage and then the ends just gonna come that's what I'm like God I don't want to be sitting around I want to do something that was part again part of me coming here was like man could it be that God's gonna raise up a group from here and I thought what if I thought that came to me this afternoon what if it was all up to us like we were the only ones what would our lives look like okay just a few thousand of us in this room and I'm gonna hey you guys we've got two years and we've got to get to those remaining people groups and we've got you to everyone we can and it's it's only us men can you imagine the urgency of God but somehow we lose it like ants someone else will do it I I'm busy and it's like man the end is gonna come I want to be busy about this so I brought the guys here too you know over the next couple days even like like let's start planting churches just figure this out let's start these gatherings that God is commanding of us for new generation says no I'm not okay with just getting along with the person next to me and having a 30 second greeting time with them like I want this type of oneness that Jesus commands I want to please him and I'm not okay with people not showing up because all we're gonna do is pray all we're gonna do is take communion like these are sacred sacred sacred things all well all you're gonna do is read the scripture this is the word of God okay who preaches that just someone read that thing because I need those words those words to wash away all the lies and it's tough it involves suffering you know I can paint this picture of this beautiful church that Christ wants but at the end of the day there's sacrifice to get there because honestly I don't know you Evan but in the flesh I don't really care to sorry I mean I don't know a lot of people I care about and I just don't need one more but it's that idea where you go okay you're a part of my gathering you're a part of our church then let's go why because God asked for it that's what he wants and I want to please him and that's what he wants of his church who cares what I want who cares what I feel I want Francis dead I want his feelings dead I want his ideas dead I want his logic dead I want him to just be put to death and have the spirit in me living through me and that involves sacrifice but it's a sacrifice that you want because like I that verse I read this morning first John 3 he says no one born of God makes a practice of sinning for God's seed abides in him and he can't keep sinning why because that DNA is inside of you I mean no matter how much the world tries to drive out sin you okay like what my second daughter was born there was a terrifying moment when she was born because I saw her face and I thought she looks exactly like me I seriously was bummed because I thought put this face on a girl like that is in that's just rude I seriously I it was like my heart sank and and it never changed she was growing up and you know four or five years old and people would say wow you look just like your dad and she would bawl her eyes out I'm I'm not kidding it was sad for both of us and I'd put my arm around her I'm sorry like my DNA is in you you're always gonna kind of look like me and you know she's 19 they ended up looking pretty good so it worked out but it was it was just there's nothing you can do about it honey my face is gonna come out of yours it's just going to happen and that's what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit like it's not something where where it's like this I'm gonna make myself know it's like I'm I've tried to hate people like that have done some things to me that I'm just going and I can't even do it anymore that's what good the Bible says if you hate your brother like your new Yemen born of God like no one can have God's seed in them and so hate their brother it's like wow this is crazy it's like this gravitational pull where the Spiritist leads me it's like whoa I actually love people what I'm actually joyful now whoa I'm at peace and all these different situations well I I can't hate you like it's this thing that happens that's why he says you know if someone has the world's good and he sees his brother in need and he just walks by he goes how could the love of Christ be in him how could the DNA of Christ be in him you guys think I tried to care for the poor I don't it's like I see the poor I see the starving and I can't walk by it's like I want to help I want to do anything help me find the poorest of the poor I want to give them whatever I have I want to have why is that it's the Spirit coming through us okay so when we talk about this church that Christ wants yeah they're suffering involved but isn't it what you want don't you want to join yourself with people that are devoted to him and say let's just try this unity thing let's try loving each other as much as Christ loves the church let's see if we can get there let's I believe by the Holy Spirit we can let's seek that type of purity where we're talking to one another and talking about the actual sin in our lives let's actually show up not as consumers but to realize I can manifest the spirit and bless you so let me all weakly print god I love Evan I love evident I want him to walk with you so God please give me this spirit manifest through me so that I can encourage him see a lot of times even when we talk about spiritual gifts it's like we want spiritual gifts because we think they're cool what would be cool to prophesy if it cool to perform a miracle it's not rooted in love we're going God I love this church please fill me with a gift so I can build up see the motivation is love man what if there were churches where everyone that came in really saw them as manifesting and they've been praying all week for the church and going I got to build them up rather than criticizing what happened the week before like there's a potential but it's people like you that right now say you know what I'm going after that and I'm not gonna put up with anything less than that that's what God wants and if he's returning in the next few years I want to be busy about healing his bride making his bride beautiful because he's going to come for his bride man I my time's up and I'm not gonna pray because I just know it's gonna be rushed and not real are we gonna what's that just just go a couple minutes okay couple minutes couple minutes I even told David earlier today I go it's before I knew about your community groups which I think are very important cuz that's what we're talking about where you can actually talk this through and make commitments with one another and say let's pull this off but I was like I'll stay up all night like if God's Spirit is really moving and this is the place where it's because I hear about these things that happen in these different places at these unique periods of time where the people suddenly it really is the spirit and they can't get enough of him and they're just staying up and praying that they would become this type of church and they would have that type of impact and and you know when these people that are going overseas and seeing these things that in healing and people come to the Lord they're like we couldn't go to bed I mean we're exhausted everything else but it's just it was just too exciting I couldn't miss it I could you know and and so manna I didn't come here to give a couple of sermons and fly home I really didn't and that may have been my mentality a couple times when I came out here because it's just so far away it's hard to get to it in Lynchburg and but this time it was just different like Lord could it really be your Holy Spirit this time stirring up people to where they're willing to sacrifice and suffer and want something so bad and say Lord if this is commanded I can't just shrug my shoulders well I don't really like who cares what we like this book is filled with people who denied themselves picked up their cross and followed him and Jesus says you've got to understand everything else is trivial compared to me I don't care about your father mother your wife your kids unless you hate them you don't get it unless you with great joy see what a treasure I am and with great joy and take everything I just want you because when you get that he goes then you understand the kingdom of God and we're gonna have a couple of gatherings with people three of my guys are here and are sticking through the end of the week and I know in your community groups you guys are gonna be talking about this tonight could we seriously have a posture of surrender like seriously to go you know what anything god you know where Jesus told that man you know who says well can I just go say goodbye to my family now you don't get it he's just asking to say goodbye to his family can I bury my no you can't you don't get you have an opportunity to follow the Son of God and have his spirit in you and move you anywhere on this earth to experience him and to be used by him so that when he returns he takes you into his glory and all of your light and momentary troubles have achieved for you this eternal weight of glory that far outweighs that little time that little you know mist of a lifetime on earth that we had do you get that this is so so huge so I I do want to pray now now that I know I can take my time I want to come into the presence of God and I want to ask him to just burn and some of you to where you just demand like no we need leaders is what we need it's not just people they say okay if you do that I'll follow you know we need people to step up and say man I've got the Spirit of the Living God in me I can make disciples it's actually what I was created to do enough people just coming to be fed week after week many of us should be teachers by now and that's a heavy thing it's a serious thing but it's something God's empowered us to do it's in our DNA it's going to come out of you it's going to come out of you this is what you were made for and I'm just gonna pray that all those lies would be erased and that you would be obsessed with the person of Jesus because I know a lot of you grew up in Christian homes and a lot of you are doing a lot of the good things and you're avoiding the major sins but you know when I talk about that obsession that love of being in love with someone somehow that's not there with Jesus but you want it and I want to pray for that tonight that the Spirit of God does something you bow your heads I'm gonna read from Ephesians three before I pray this was Paul's prayer for the church for this reason I bow my knees before the father from whom every family in heaven on earth is named that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think according to the power at work within us to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever God you are all powerful that we're praying according your riches your power that you would just grant us grant us all here strengthen us from the inner man God not outward like people prodding us and this and that put in the inner man Lord strengthen us by your spirit so it's really the Spirit of God not our flesh not our wisdom not our superior speech God power of the Holy Spirit is that Jesus Christ Himself would dwell in our hearts that would be rooted and grounded in love that we would get just how big this is how holy how fascinating how wide and long and high and deep god I pray that everyone in here would know the love of God that we would know that you love us God that takes a miracle God some of us have been rejected by so many people even our own parents God and we need you to show us that you love us so that we can know in the core of our beings that you love us you adore us God make that happen by your spirit Lord so we would be filled with the fullness of God Oh Lord you see that statement to be filled with the fullness of you in our beings so you could have glory in the church we'd have the supernatural power to love one another forgive one another die for one another sacrifice for one another suffer for one another that we'd be filled with your fullness so we'd manifest you so we could build up our brothers and sisters Lord I pray right now the people in this room which is not put up with this consumer mentality ever again may they never go to another gathering and make it about themselves but you fill them with love so they just look to bless look to serve look to empower look to love that we are so sorry for having our eyes on people and acting like mere men we're so sorry for taking our eyes off of you it is always an honor to speak to you it's always an honor to sing to you there's always our joy if a thousand people are in a room or no one's in the room you are worthy you are holy holy holy please Lord would you begin something here tonight when you bless the conversations and the community groups most of all may we experience your power and love tonight truly not manipulate it we don't want a man-made wave Lord we're not happy with that Holy Spirit Holy Spirit of God Holy Spirit of God if you move in this room we adore you Lord your only hope have mercy on us in Jesus name Amen I don't feel like Francis is done I feel like the Lord's continue to put a word and his spirit and let's just pray all right as we talked about in the church just pray that it's a mirror you're the church you're the bride just pray that the Lord will give just a buzzword a mirror a lamp unto your feet it's the next few minutes that he use a servant to speak it's more truth into your life and then we'll walk into our community time together in just a few minutes but I just don't I think we all agree our brother's not done speaking to us the Lord says just last night when I was praying for you and again I'm very careful about this like when I I'm not saying this is of the Lord I'm just saying this was just something that entered my mind that may have been of him but for some reason I had a picture of many of you just coming clean with just confessing like I don't think the Holy Spirit's in me at a time where I prayed for you and the rest of the body prayed for you and understand this is so new to me this is in the tradition I come from I don't come from a tradition that speaks about the Holy Spirit very much very often and so that's why I kind of just pushed it off and then for David to say now you're not done it's like I just want to have a time where I just believe we can pray to God and for those of you who say man I don't have that inner Abba Father I don't have that pulling toward holiness I don't see the manifestation of the Spirit in my life I don't see this power I've never tasted the fullness of God I think I might have just been going with the flow like I want to believe that tonight that really could change through a specific time and a moment right here and so this is what I'm gonna ask if there's some of you and I don't know how the seats work up there if there's room for you to get on your knees but if there are some of you in this room that you've been listening to me this morning you've listening to me tonight and you're going man I see people and they're just light in their eyes and they're moved this way and that hasn't been me and I don't know that I've ever been obsessed with them I don't know that I've ever it's never been like a love relationship with him and he says that's the greatest command it's a love the Lord your God with all your heart all your soul all your mind man my wife the other week and was telling talking to a lady wasn't one of our gatherings goes man you talk about your husband a lot I could tell you love him you talk about your cat a lot I can tell you love your cat but I don't see I don't hear you talk about Jesus like that and that scares me to death like he's supposed to be our first love and they had an amazing time where she fell on her knees and starts crying out to God and as has not been the same person ever since let's believe God wants to do that tonight I believe that's a picture I had in my head last night so if that's you where you go I'm ready I'm done it hasn't been coming from the inside I've just been following and instructions and not doing real well and tonight I'm done I want the Spirit of God Almighty God to enter into me and take over my life then I want to pray for you so if that's you would you just get on your knees and just lift your hands up to to God and I'm gonna pray for you wherever you are just get on your knees and just take this posture of surrender where you're opening up your life to the power of God you want his seed to abide in you and you want this to come from the inside out maybe you've been living in sin and you've been on this ongoing sin like first John 3 talks about and you've just been following the devil and you're like I'm gonna kill it right now if that's you just get on your knees put your hands in the air and God sees you and everyone else who has the spirit in them who knows God who loves him man this is so serious right now we're talking about eternity for those who are on your knees you need to believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God that he pursued you that he died on the cross and that God made him who knew no sin becomes sin on your behalf so you might become the righteousness of God and the Bible talks about repenting being baptized and being filled with the spirit and if you haven't been baptized encourage you to do that as soon as you can but with that intention if you want the spirit and the core of your being I'm gonna pray for that right now God can we see this tonight please by your mercy by your grace according to your word Lord we ask that your Holy Spirit come down and enter into these lives Lord just like in acts 2 when that spirit filled them and those tongues of fire came upon each of them Lord you are alive your word is alive you are the same yesterday today and forever that was not just for two thousand years ago that was for now it's for now it's not just for over seasons right here in America god this is your word we want your glory in the church and it's not gonna happen unless you fill these people with your Holy Spirit God they will just walk back to their sin they will just walk back to their selfishness they will walk back to being consumers or unless your spirit enters them they will just live life for themselves they will waste their lives they'll just follow the deeds of the desires of their flesh unless your spirit comes into them God that promise from Ezekiel that you would cause dry bones to come to life where you put your spirit in us Lord we're asking you in the name of Jesus Christ by his blood by his resurrection would you fill these men and women that are on their knees right now your Holy Spirit strengthen them in the inner man so that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith open the eyes of their hearts so they can know they can know the love of Christ that surpasses comprehension father your spirit needs to commune with their spirit help them to know that you are their Abba Father that they can cry out to you god this is beyond comprehension the love of Christ is beyond comprehension it only comes from your spirit please open the eyes of the blind take away and destroy everything that Satan has done in their lives remove the veil the natural man cannot understand give them spiritual eyes like you lie just serve and just have them see the glory of God in the face of Christ thank you for your great great promise please take away any doubt in this room Lord this is your word you've done it take away any doubt Lord take away any doubt take it away Lord if we doubt we won't receive anything we don't wanna be double-minded men we believe right now Lord and believe your word your word is truth everything else is a lie all these other thoughts are from the evil one your word is absolutely true absolutely true absolutely true for today right here in Lynchburg that's absolutely true 2019 Lynchburg that is true just as it was true in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago nothing's changed you're the same yesterday today forever holy holy holy is our God Jesus thank you for being a God of grace and mercy now this is your desire to fill us with your power and bring glory to your church as we march forward waiting for your return come Lord Jesus come Lord Jesus and find us busy awaiting you and serving your bride in Jesus name we pray amen my hutch um listen to me I just want to be very clear with you they're they're students in this room tonight there's some of you in this room tonight everything about this day has been about how religion is outward performance but the work of the Spirit the Holy Spirit is inside out there's some of you in this room you don't know the Lord and I'm not gonna ask our community group leaders or our resident chef Hertz or Ras or our DS to be ready I think there are some are D's in this room I think there's some resident shepherds in this room some community group leaders some people on staff you you've actually let the blessing of a position become a de curse of a mask there's some of you you keep rededicating and rededicating something that's never been fully devoted and surrendered in the first place some of you every time you come to these moments you just put another layer of makeup on the outside of something that's never truly belonged on the inside to him this is what Francis was pleading with you about this morning when he was saying you cannot be possessed by the spirit the Holy Spirit but yet be possessed by the unholy spirit there can be an impression from the outside and you can be affected but you can't be infected you can't be possessed and some of you you are possessed your own you're bought by the enemy and tonight Jesus is paying for you he's wanting you and so anybody here just meant tonight the work of salvation is what God has been saying it's not even today and this morning and tonight for some time now you've known you've closed your eyes and you prayed more to a black void than a Christ that you know intimately it's not that you've been living a lies that you're willing to come to truth if all today does for you is call you to more action it's just gonna make you a Pharisee if you don't know the Lord if they'll say listen to me if today just makes you go I'm meaner if today just makes you go I want more that kind of sermon and I don't want that if today makes you leaner if if the fruit of the Spirit is it yielded love goodness kindness patience self-control it if today just makes you go yet you've missed it there's something on the inside that's broken anybody here just I'm not living a lot I'm just coming the truth to know the truth is a person his name is Jesus it's not theology it's not anybody here just man just rise up anybody here tonight just just stand up I want to pray salvation come hold on hold on don't clap don't clap sometimes we'll clap and celebrate what God is doing and how many of you want to see God move like you've never experienced in your life people always want to see it until God says can I begin in you come on anybody here rise up this is that moment [Music] softest pillow you could lay your head on tonight is knowing its well with your soul aren't you tired of the games come on anybody else I think that's been the plea from our brother all day do you know him inside out do you know him anybody else there's no place better to hide then Liberty University religious campus good works the right songs do you know him worship collective you sing about him what do you know him you know um you ever come to a time when you've come to the end of you anybody else rise up anybody else some you're like a couple more seconds and I'm gonna win what are you gonna win another day in doubt come on come on home anybody else do I have to stand to get said you don't the air up here man is not any godly out of the air down there this is a safe place for you to come and confess and say I don't know him it's always been about behavior modification it's always been about doing on the outside it's never been about inside out it's never been about trusting it's always been about doing come home aren't you exhausted trying and trying and try anybody else come on come on I told Francis earlier today I said man that the biggest the biggest rock we got to climb ask the Lord to deal work in around Liberty University when you talk about sin it's not unrighteousness around here it's self-righteousness around here I'm telling you we don't have a ton of prodigal brothers who are far away we have a ton of righteous brothers that are going I've done all the right things your loss to come home anybody else anybody else somebody around you standing and you're saved God saves you as his works it's his glory is stand beside him right now just stand right now beside it somebody ever saying anybody else stand beside somebody just one person around someone who's standing anybody else you're telling you man some of you the indwelling of the Holy Spirit has never happened because you've never asked Jesus to to truly save you it's always been about Jesus being a behavior police it's never been about him being just a lord of your life it's been a list of do's and dont's it's never been about identity anybody else [Music] anybody else a couple more seconds and I'm gonna win what are you gonna win man come on you're wondering what it'll cost you it costs you everything you don't have to clean up anything you come just as you are but he wants it all he's jealous for all of you but you gotta trust all of you you can't just give him some of your time you can't give him some you cannot walk out of here go I love Jesus but yet I'm gonna be really really critical about people who don't align with me politically here I'm gonna be really really critical it's like people who don't give me what I want or don't have the sermons that I like do you get what our brother is pleading with you out of God's Word about tonight [Music] anybody else the work of salvation right now and again I'm not asking like leaders to stand tell you we might have a shepherd tonight who's lost my staffer tonight we might hope for some with all the pedigree and all the all the merit badges have just become one more layer to hide behind anybody else come on rise I've come home tonight [Music] no one else [Music] telling you some of you come to this moment and every time you come to this moment you come up with a list of stuff you gotta do it's not about who you are [Music] you're gonna go home and you're gonna do them for a while until the reward system of other things out override it but Jesus has got to become your great treasure he's got to be the treasure in the field for you last time anybody else every wannabe that are standing look at me just real quick rather than just some prayer from here if you're standing I want you to just from this side and from this side all right I want you to find the nearest aisle I want you to go towards the back and I want you to sit with someone who's going to sit with you and I want you to begin the conversation about salvation don't walk into compromise don't walk into some of you tonight it's muddy you're like I don't know just tonight begin the conversation let's make sure that you're not again putting makeup on the dead man tonight okay and so everyone I'm either standing if you're standing up listen look at me fall either this way or this way let's go towards the back all right and let's find some some area where we can sit in circles and just begin to have a have a conversation right now just begin to make your way that way the rest of you listen so that it's not confusing and easier stand up quietly please just stand up quietly so it'll make it easier for those around you to be able to find a way to come out and get out of these rows for just a second come on as you're going right now as you're going just begin to ask the Lord to make you open some of you the MRI is clear you don't need medication make it feel better just don't compromise in this moment some of you keep coming to these moments and you're just not saved [Music] [Music] we're gonna need if you can counsel them put you in a posture of anybody better than anybody else man I can counsel we're need some counselors just you can counsel the nice someone if you saw a friend go up all right how many of you know someone right now you know somebody who just went back there where you just lift your head if you know somebody rich right now close your eyes pray for them right now right now beginning to pray for them pray for the clarity of the Holy Spirit pray that God would would tell the counselor what to say what not to say when to be quiet when to be bold wouldn't it be quiet when it went when to shout pray that the counseling moment readout would be biblical counseling pray that they wouldn't overthink it that they're not going that I got to really fight emotion but at the same time he won't be emotional it'll be devotional just right now just begin to pray that God would give a divine appointment with every student who's connecting with somebody right now [Music] I'm telling you some of you keep dealing with the symptoms but you've never given your life away then I just want your heart once your heart your soul your mind your strength and has all of it come on anybody else I don't want to go I need to go [Music] hey those of you in the back if you can hear me some of our team if we can open up the gym I don't know if they're practicing in there you can you can disrupt practice coach won't care all right go on through if you need to go on through and find the gym Kevin the rest of us let's rise up come on let's rise up together if you're praying for those folks let me just say this to you look at me I'm not kidding you listen to me they're gonna come back into the fold and brother when they come back into the fold they need the one anothers okay when they come back into the fold do not be a stumbling block be a stepping stone listen to me look at me go when your brother comes back into the fold all right when your sister comes back into the fold begin to walk with them in communion with one another let's uh let's let's just sing this song all right just as a as a prayer a musical prayer and then what here's what I want to say to you we're gonna dismiss so that we can prepare for what God wants to do out of this circle and into our you know our community time it would be I think it would be dishonouring and I don't want you to clap it would be this honoring if we didn't God gets the glory but if we didn't show to our brother and don't put your hands together francis man gratitude and esteem but for the time it is it's it's a labor sim to come that they come so and so here's what i would ask you to do will you just put your hands towards our brothers it's for them that have come from those are iron God ministries and just you just put your hands towards them and pray for them pray anointing so I not desiring God crazy love I think that's a good mistake right there come on put your hands towards em pray a blessing newlywed dad just pray pray for the fatherhood pray for the husband's that they are the pastor's that they are pray for the communities they lead these men leave communities in arch in their local bodies that they've opened their home it's beyond this once and once a week and a meal this is life that they're doing with pray right now just for provision [Music] pray from margin I think maybe the most important part of Francis the day-to-day was maybe the hour where everyone just left him alone so he could just hear from the Lord and be sensitive for today to pray for margin just right now pray pray for stamina wouldn't it just crush you if one of the heroes of our faith like a brother like this didn't finish well pray that he'd finished well [Music] hi let's uh let's close in this song okay at the end of the song I said may the Lord bless you may keep you may sign his face upon you listen to me listen to me tonight in our community group times but we need to begin with is a celebration of salvation amen and so we're gonna begin with that when they come into the fold you hug their neck you welcome them home amen all right come on

Channel: Crazy Love

Views: 17,037

Rating: 4.9099436 out of 5

Keywords: Francis Chan, Crazy Love, GOD, JESUS, CHURCH

Id: 5q3yYaHJ1Ns

Length: 75min 48sec (4548 seconds)

Published: Mon May 20 2019