EC Online // Vision Sunday

[Music] me buttons [Music] so [Music] hey [Music] what [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] free [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] do [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] hello experienced church we're so glad you are here in the room and online it's going to be a great sunday celebrating why don't you stand to your feet [Music] [Music] that could ever stand against your mind you've always been with us [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] and there is no warning [Music] we've already [Music] [Music] he's the god of the brains doing anything is possible show me one thing that's too hard show me is [Music] is [Applause] he is [Music] is [Music] [Music] doing anything is possible [Music] come on let's declare this together [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] i will [Music] a victory [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] show me one thing that's too hard to show [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you [Music] oh welcome to church it is vision sunday and it's our ninth birthday [Applause] man nine years oh nine years i'm so glad that you are celebrating with us today in person or online pastor quincy we met nine years ago that's right nine years ago almost to the minute and i i found an old photo from our launch sunday let's throw it up it's kind of hard to see on the right side row like six okay you can see the back of my head see the back of it pastor quincy's head and mandy the blonde do you see that say yes it's yes we see that yes okay that was them on launch sunday that was lunch sundays nine years ago it has done in nine years man i'm so glad that you guys came then it's true my wife was full on pregnant nine years ago if you ever wonder how old the church is my son was born only a few days later right it's a pretty incredible day but you know what we need your help to give big shout out to everybody else who's new for the first time today hey hey hey hey hey if you were like me who was new nine years ago and you're new today you're in good company and we want to get to know you the best way to do that is just text hello to the number on the screen or fill out the connection card in the seat back in front of you and hand it to a team member after service absolutely if you're here in the room i just want to remind you to continue giving space between your cohort and the cohort besides you to respect everyone around us and to continue to be safe and social distant in this season so thank you for helping us abide by all those guidelines that's right all right here we go guys we're going to get into worship we have so much to be celebrate god for but before we do that we're going to watch a quick video so would you guys just take like two minutes take a seat down i know this is a little bit different than normal and we got a video to celebrate what god's done over this last year let's see it let's watch [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] so [Music] wow 2911 salvation i was going to say what are all the numbers like what's your favorite number there and that's definitely it that's definitely why do you stand your feet that video is not just to pump our tires and see what we did it's to remember what the lord has done 2 911 salvations in the life of experienced church is something to be pretty excited about and so as we head back into worship today let's worship from a place of gratitude and expectation we serve a big god who cares about all 2 900 of those people and he cares about you so as the band continues to lead us let's just give him our best today and worship together [Music] it's time for the sleeper [Music] [Music] it's time [Music] it's time [Music] it's together [Music] [Applause] [Music] me [Music] to change [Music] [Music] it's [Applause] [Music] say [Music] is [Music] [Applause] let the kingdoms [Music] [Music] me [Music] let that light in jesus christ the almighty when we confide there's no denying his glory shining i can feel it in the air i know revivals rising open up the windows let your guard down cause we're all standing in the presence of our god now knock the walls down the ones around our hearts now let's let his love and let illuminate the dark parts open up the windows there's no room for beer when our identities and him the mission's crystal clear we've been empowered by the trinity to switch the gears or give us vision for the city and some ears are here open up the windows it's called a chain reaction we're trying to transfer his transformation treasures are bound and now our passions are lining up with creations bastards are massive forgiveness [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] come on [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] is come on church we're not done [Music] [Music] [Music] up [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] eyes and we won't fear the fire and there is one who's stronger and hard pressed on each side and we will not lose sight of the one who's greater come on you say this every [Music] his [Music] [Music] come on church this is in the mighty name of jesus one voice that silence is jesus jesus jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] that silence is the enemy one [Music] jesus [Music] one [Music] is [Music] he [Music] the battle be lost [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] silence [Music] [Applause] [Music] so lord we just thank you right now that by your name there is victory in this place we thank you today that as we celebrate nine years of victory you are not done working so lord we come to you today and we just with eyes of faith believe for more victory in the lives of your people in jesus name amen amen amen amen well the party has just begun that's right it just keeps going and going all day long and at four o'clock today four o'clock we have a welcome to church party and so if you are new or still feel new and you have never been to a welcome to church party you gotta give me there because we have a food truck yeah uh gourmet hot dog food truck and poutine and poutine because you just gotta have some poutine slide on top of the hot dog you know because why not that's just the way it works there actually is a rule so it's not that you can't come if you've never been before no what did i say it's not like oh gosh two negatives it's not that you can't come if you've been before you can still come if you bring somebody that's right it's never been before okay so the invitation is wide open and it's on us so it's our invitation to you we want you there yeah we'd love for you to be there you're gonna hear some some vision in some heart of the church but also you're just gonna meet some people and that's what it's about 4 p.m right here in the patio also too wednesday night we have our revival night we did one last week our midweek service and we're doing it again this week and there is no registration so just show up that's all you got to do come to that on sunday of next week we have a little bit of the business side of ec and we have our annual general meeting the financials the reports all that good stuff of how we've been stewarding the finances that you've been so generously giving into the building it's at 3 pm it's going to be here and so if you want to come you want to know about that stuff you're into spreadsheets yeah show up i know it sounds better than it is but there it is it's it's it's amazing spreadsheet it's a meeting okay but it's important yes all of this and everything that we're celebrating today could only be done because the generosity of this house and you know what it's never been on just a few it's always been on many and those are the ones who serve hard and give hard and so if you call e.c home we just ask you ask the lord what he would have you to give and invest in continuing to see his kingdom come in calgary and beyond and to still be be obedient so you can go to experiencechurch.ca give we know the lord will bless you in that way if it is your first time with us come to the welcome to church party this whole thing is a gift for you and so we're just glad that you're here come on all right we are in we are on our vision sunday but we start the beginning of our legacy season today and it's incredible because we're doing something a little bit different today for this service we have an extended video that we're going to share with you to kick-start our legacy season so why don't you do one thing turn around and give a high-five to like three people and say happy birthday to them happy birthday and then draw your attention in the chats happy birthday to the screen legacy is such a powerful thing it's this moment um every year that kind of brings me back and reminds me and hopefully reminds all of us that where we are today we didn't get to by ourselves you know what we have as individuals what we have as a church somebody not just before us in the context of ec but even in generations before us has sacrificed so that we could be where we are today and that's what's really cool about these moments is then we gather as a church family we have the opportunity to position ourselves to do the same thing not just to have an impact in the immediate world around us but to build something that's going to outlive us to really have an impact for generations i love the story of david and solomon and the scripture from first chronicles chapter 22 where david says my son solomon is young and inexperienced and the house to be built for the lord should be of great magnifice magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations that's our desire for this church that it would be a house of great magnificence and fame and splendor for god's glory or in the nations then david says therefore i will make preparations for it so that david so david then made extensive preparations and i think that's that's really legacy season we david's legacy even though solomon built the temple david's legacy was the temple and our legacy is not just the church we we inhabit today but it is the church of the future and every legacy season we are building um we are building to the foundation and building up the church that god is is really developing for future generations right this is about living a life outside of ourselves longer longevity and investing into the next generation we serve a generational god and so we believe that we're building a generational church we've always seen ec as a generational church where the old and the young can come together and worship under one roof but that also we can we see your family and and speak to it and believe for great things in your lives and we we live celebrating births together and birthdays together anniversaries and graduations we can't wait to celebrate engagements and weddings and all that could come in your life we also are excited to be celebrating the miracles and the healings and the salvation in your home um legacy is about what god can do in this house but it's also what he can do in your house yeah well and you know the verse we've chosen for legacy this year is psalm chapter 27 verse 13 says i remain confident in this that i will see the goodness of the lord in the land of the living and i feel like it's an important verse for us it's been an important verse for our family but it's an important verse for our church with so much going on in the world around us right now that would that looks like it's not good right um i believe god's calling us to be a faith-filled group of people and say no no for all that we see we are confident that god is good yeah and does good yeah in the lives of his people and the beautiful thing about the goodness of god is that the goodness of god is displayed through the generosity of his people it's this partnership um how how humbling is it that god chooses to display his glory throughout the earth through people like us through something simple like bringing a generous sacrificial offering and so as we get ready for legacy chapter legacy 2021 we do so with a spirit of great expectation that this year we're going to see the goodness of god locally nationally internationally through ec's expansion in ways that we've never even dreamed possible and that we're gonna lay up something for future generations and so let's take a look at some of what god has been stirring in the hearts of our church in the hearts of our team for legacy 2021 [Music] really the heart of ec local is to love our neighbors and to bring the kingdom of god to every single corner of our city and we really can't do that alone and one of our biggest and most strategic partners is the calgary housing company and calgary housing provides affordable housing to families and individuals right here in our city and we've been able to over the course of several years support about 460 households in partnership with calgary housing and we've seen that number grow each and every year and we hope that the trend will continue into next year and one of our biggest ways that we like to partner with calgary housing is through our annual christmas wish list event and each and every christmas wish list is so special the families get to come and choose a few christmas gifts for their kids for free and they also get to walk away with a grocery store gift card for their families and this year we are so excited to be able to expand christmas wish list a little more by going multi-site for the first time ever and christmas wish list in more than one place and we just really hope that this will expand the ministry to every corner of our city make it more accessible accessible for families to be a part of it and this past july we hosted one of the biggest serve weeks that we've ever had and it was so incredible to come alongside these partners and in serve week 2022 we plan to expand those partnerships and create new ones with other organizations in our cities that we have yet to connect with and we really believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg and this is the beginnings of a movement of love in calgary [Music] another one of our strategic partnerships is with brown bagging for calgary kids that provides healthy lunches for kids who are in schools and we have been completely blown away by the impact of this partnership [Music] the impact brown bagging makes is so much more than we can actually see it goes beyond making lunches packing up the sandwiches and sending them off to schools we have a team at ec who actually partnered with a ministry in force lawn and through that was able to meet a woman and we're just going to call her jan just to protect her jan was able to share her story with one of her team members she is unfortunately addicted to meth and is using prostitution as her job right now but she was able to share with us about her kids and how good her kids are doing in school right now and that they're excited and happy to be there one of the reasons being is they get to eat there jan does not have any money left over for food to feed her children so through the groundbreaking program they're able to eat so through more conversation john was able to connect us with her kids school and we are actually the ones who provide the lunches there so jan is really wanting to do better in her life and do better for her kids but unfortunately we can't get into their homes but doing this little part and feeding these children and being able to just fill these lunches and pray over them and just send god's love off in this kind of way is something we're really excited to be able to do [Music] every act of kindness every dollar spent every hour given god can and will use to expand his kingdom here in our city and as we invest locally we will see dignity restored we will see the lonely put in families we will see the cycle of poverty break and we will see the gospel move across our city and what we do here locally doesn't just stay here but god will use to impact our entire nation [Music] my name is chris and this is my beautiful wife katrina and uh we just moved from winnipeg and we're planting a church in the lower mainland uh in bc jesus saved our lives um when i was 16 i was broken i was depressed i was angry i was bitter and i did not know jesus and i was living a life of addiction and one night god spoke to me while i was partying and he just said to me said my son this is not who i've called you to be and then that night i heard his audible voice and everything changed and he reminded me that he has a plan and a purpose for our life and uh i destiny is so much more beautiful than we could ever imagine and he actually spoke to my heart in that moment just said i want you to plant a church one day and you planted a sea that is now coming to fruition and we're so excited the church we're planting is called citadel church and a citadel is known as a strong fortress a place on high ground that has command over a city and that's really our dream for our church is that it would be a place of protection and refuge that people can go to and find hope and strength and that it would also be this beacon of light over a city and like just command the kingdom wherever we go thank you for believing with us that god's kingdom will expand on the west coast [Music] i think what gets me with planting churches and this is i love that this is always a big part of our legacy offering is that when we plant the church we're not just starting another weekend service somewhere right like every church every life-giving church in a community becomes um a safe haven for kids and families it's an opportunity for for student ministries to grow and develop it's it's it's a place for people who are hurting and broken to come in and find hope and healing and refuge and but even beyond that it's it's another life-giving church like ec that's gonna have local mission initiatives and and national uh mission initiatives and and think internationally about how they can change the world so it's this multiplied impact so for for everything that we do to help plant the church once that church is going man that what god does through that that new church is just so beyond what we could ever really imagine and and so i love i love the multiplied impact and really we're not done yet yeah i'm excited for what we're going to accomplish in the churches that are going to be launched in 2022 as a result of our legacy offering uh but we're believing for a life-giving church in every city town hamlet you know everywhere that there's people we want everyone to have access to a church across the whole across the whole country from coast to coast and so it's so exciting because really what um what happens nationally then we hope spills over even beyond that into the nations and we've had some cool opportunities there too [Music] i remember we were on the ground with one of our partners in the middle east just last year and so this is a country where for multiple decades now they've been very restricted on sharing the gospel but even in the past few years they've been boldly choosing to plant churches and through it they're seeing god move miraculously and people are getting saved across their nation and so we were there with them and one of their leaders started sharing his story with me of how he recently met jesus and it actually all happened in a dream god one night gave him a dream and in it he showed him how the enemy had been lying to him how he was following the wrong god and he met jesus in a dream and chose to follow him right then and there but not just follow him god actually in that same dream called him to boldly preach and evangelize to his own people and you know what i love that i love that god does whatever it takes to reveal himself to people around the world but not only that i love that after that dream there was a church nearby through our partners where this man could go and be discipled and be released into the gifting that god had called him into in that dream and there is a key part that i actually didn't tell you at the beginning this guy is 15 years old he's 15 and now he is boldly risking his life preaching to his people and people are responding and getting saved and giving their lives to jesus because of it god is continuing to use our unity and our generosity to advance his kingdom and we're already seeing that with one of our partners in zimbabwe we've already partnered with them to help them begin church planting in their their area of zimbabwe but now god is starting to give them really incredible visions for how to reach their community in unique ways and meet the needs of their own people and so in the past year we've actually seen it throughout zimbabwe there's become an epidemic of crystal meth addiction through the youth and young adult demographic there and during kovid so many even as young as 14 have turned to crystal meth and so that's devastating and destructive to their bodies and their minds and their lives of course but god has put a vision in our partners to actually launch an addictions rehabilitation center right by their church there and in their church they've already seen youth and young adults come and meet jesus and be completely set free and so now the vision is to buy land build this center and come start to multiply this outreach opportunity so that more of their people can experience the freedom of jesus and so we are very excited to come alongside them in new ways this year and allow for their vision to become a reality goddess put it on our hearts to focus really intentionally on the 1040 window so that's an area of the world that's considered the most resistant to the gospel it includes northern africa the middle east and india and in that region there's over 5 billion people and it's considered to be the least reached of anywhere in the world and we believe that god has invited us to participate in what he's wanting to do there through strategic partners and that even in the midst of volatility as we continue to invest in ways that we can into what he's doing in that region that in volatility our partners will still be able to see miraculous progress [Music] lighthouse voyage exists to champion the full potential of exploited individuals and in india we just finished our big project called molly's home and it's a girl's home and we have about 70 girls currently occupying it and we're just so excited about what god is doing in there and at the same time we're thinking about the future and dreaming big and so our next project that we're truly pumped about is creating a new boys home we have 50 boys currently and we just need a bigger space um to bring in more individuals that need to find help and recovery these are individuals that have been exploited and abused and we're just excited to help them find their dignity and bring transformational change in their lives and we're just excited for ec partnering with us again and jumping along in in making dreams become reality [Music] we have multiple projects across the middle east that are moving forward right now with one of our partners we are helping them to buy property and build and develop a training center for leaders and pastors across their whole volatile region and with what god's doing over there right now so many people are being saved and discipled and sent out very quickly so this is going to be a safe space for their leaders to come and be further encouraged and equipped for the ministries god has called them into with another partner we've already smuggled in over 1800 bibles into restricted nations in that area and now as dynamics are shifting we're going to be shifting with them so we are going to begin actively helping christian families in afghanistan in three different ways we're going to be helping especially the really high-risk families to be able to actually escape the country but then also there's people who have felt called to stay despite everything that's going on and so we are going to be working with our partner world compassion to help those people be as safe and resourced as possible so that they can continue to be a light to their own people then also as families do leave we're going to be helping them with wherever they end up as refugees to be able to get back on their feet and move forward with their lives and as we look at all of this it's so obvious that god has positioned us as a church to be able to actively participate in what he's doing around the world and as we continue to invest we will see hundreds of pastors and leaders equipped and churches planted across zimbabwe and the middle east we will see the underground church encouraged and running forward in boldness we will see millions of people from every nation put their faith in jesus [Music] starting in january of 2022 we're launching something brand new it's the same name that we've used before but it's a new program and it's called leader lab leader lab is a 12-week immersive experience to help people equip them and empower them to be incredible ministry leaders this 12-week immersive experience is going to be phenomenal it is going to allow us to have an army of leaders to expand the mission into all places and spaces that we're gonna go as we develop leaders it's vital in allowing us to reach more people for jesus we need to expand not just in leadership but also in location and so that's what i'm excited about because currently we've been actively looking and engaged in conversations for more space whether it's a temporary space or a permanent venue right within calgary we're so close to being able to find some spaces that are going to act and help us to be able to relaunch a campus in 2022 we're also looking on how we can use this miracle space that god's given us to its full potential we want to continue to be able to dream about what this space can do for people around our city and in this community and so we've already started conversations and have actively been working with our architect to draw up some plans on how we could expand this space so there's a couple things that are really exciting about the expansion of this space we've got drawings for a brand new 1800 square foot foyer and coffee shop that's going to be open seven days a week allow for us to be able to service people in a different way to build connections and community for everybody we're so excited for that also not just a foyer on the south side of the building a gymnasium yes that's right we are starting to run out of kids space already but with a gymnasium it would allow for us to have more space on a sunday and also allow for us to do incredible opportunities for our community like pick up games and other rental opportunities this is so exciting that we can be able to not just look for space for campuses as we get ready to launch one even in the next year we also get to be able to maximize the space that god has already given us with the advancement of our church online and our video production we've been able to make sunday content that has been viewed nearly in 300 cities in 31 countries across the world man that is mind-blowing and actually just truly remarkable see the incredible reality is that we've seen such a huge surge of growth from smaller cities in rural settings within canada so much so that we feel called to establish life-giving extensions of ece in these communities we're so excited to be coming along our ec family already living in these areas to launch in-person locations see ec everywhere is our vehicle for building a wider network of churches across our nation as we believe for expansion we will see developed leaders in our church we will see locations across our city and we will see easy everywhere being established throughout our nation [Music] you know legacy real legacy is not about being successful right we're not trying to build something successful we're trying to build something significant and true significance only comes when we humbly lay down what we have to offer and partner with what god is building and the way he's moving and expanding his kingdom in our world that's really what this is about absolutely we want to extend an invitation to you and invite you into participating not just observing in legacy season this year but what does it look like for you to invest and get involved into legacy 2021 this isn't just ec's legacy it's jonathan's legacy it's natasha's legacy and we want it to be yours too [Music] [Music] [Applause] come on vision sunday guys it's a party up in here today and we got we got cupcakes after praise him we're gonna do a praise offering later for the cupcakes um hey i know today's uh very different um and you know pastor quincy and pastor natasha sort of set it up and let you know that vision sunday is the catalyst for our legacy season which goes over the next two months and at the end of november we will take our legacy offering which is over and above our regular operations our regular giving uh where we're we're just believing that god's going to do miracles through each of us and i just felt like as i was watching the video i'm like man i don't want to have to choose between launching like a recovery center in zimbabwe or a pastor's and leaders training facility in southeast asia i want to do both you know i don't i don't want to have to pick and choose between smuggling more bibles into restricted nations and helping the underground church in afghanistan i don't want to have to i don't want to have to think well we could either raise up leaders in house to plant campuses and watch ministries or or we could make more brown bags let's just do it all right let's do i just feel like we got to commit we're going to do all of it i want to be able to come alongside man the the boys home in india let's just do everything the gym let's do the gym how great is that gonna be um and uh so again we don't normally have the the extended video presentation like we did today but it's powerful to be able to see a little glimpse into the future and pastor quincy and chris did so much work and others to prep it just give them a big shout out our creative team killing it and you know it it's remarkable what god has done in nine years and it is the yes of every dream team member every small group leader everyone who's given in an offering everybody who's sacrificed in a legacy season shout out to the ones that have stuck around that you you planted a seed of faith years ago and you're here today to watch how god has grown and developed and created the church that we're sitting in that we're broadcasting to um so today is less of a sermon and more of a state of the union we'll call it a mandate if you can still handle that word there's a lot of mandates out there i know that it probably sends chills up your spine it makes you want to vomit but a mandate by definition is simply a commissioning to do or to become and today i'm i'm really hoping and praying that whether you've been on the ride for nine years nine months or maybe tonight will be your very first welcome to church party that something is stirring in your heart that something as a result of today the holy spirit will call you to a new level of serving that you'll be ready to go all in building his kingdom not just in the context of this church but outside the walls of the church through your family and your business in your neighborhood that something will awaken in your spirit today for your life and beyond i believe god's calling us to step into something new psalm 27 13 i remain confident of this that i will see the goodness of the lord in the land of the living i will see come on say it with me i will see say it like you mean it i will see this is not just a memory verse it is our mandate a commissioning statement a prophetic word over our church that we will see the goodness of the lord in our lives i joke last week about getting it tattooed on my lower back and to be honest i've been thinking about it more seriously this week so there's a chance it'll happen when it does i'm going to wear one of those shirts that just comes to the top of your belt do a little bend over to get something you can see it pick out at you just as a little treat hey we could all get them together we could do like a small group or something maybe we could get it designed and then we'll just we'll have a bit of a club or like an i will see gang okay anyways hey for just a couple of minutes today i want to take a look at the origin of psalm chapter 23 or 27 13. i think it's important for us to fully understand the context of what the psalmist is saying that we know where it comes from and the spirit and situation from which it was given it was written by king david before he was king david he's just dave and there are various theories and ideas on exactly when the most prevalent one i found was that psalm 27 corresponds with first samuel chapter 21 and 22. david had been called and anointed by god to be the future king but he was dealing with an erratic unpredictable violent and jealous leader in king saul david had actually been hired to be a musician in the palace king saul was slowly losing his mental faculties and there was something about king david playing his harp that calmed him down and settled the atmosphere and so as you can imagine king david or david who's been anointed to be the future king when he gets the call from the palace offering him a job as a mission as a musician he would have been pretty excited i mean to be serving as a musician in the palace after all is a significant step towards the destiny that god's got on his life he's now in the palace i mean you're just a promotion away from being in charge uh well as as good as it would have seemed like things were going one day david was playing his harp and saul freaked out grabbed the spear chucked it at him david dodged it happened again he's playing his heart uh saul chuck's another spirit david before you know it there's a full-on manhunt trying to capture david run him down and kill him and david instead of stepping into his calling is now on the run for his life this is not ideal remember he's he was anointed to be king and now they're attempting to kill him david's running and in the process he's getting further and further from the palace that was his destiny that was his future all the way to the point where we find him at the end of mid chapter 22 of first samuel hiding in a cave the damp dark shadows cold musty it's the cave at adulum and this is the spot where david wrote the words i will see the goodness of the lord in the land of the living can i offer you just a little bit of encouragement today that you might not be where you thought you'd be it might even feel like there are some things in your life that have been drifting in the wrong direction it might feel like you're getting further and further away from what you thought was the goal or from the dream that god put in your heart the destiny that you saw it might be that today in this moment you're not where you feel you should be or where you you could have been and where you wanted to be i i get that i get it i did not anticipate celebrating our ninth birthday as a church with reduced capacity i did not understand that in 2021 a primary function of pastor would actually be like mediating between christians who hate each other because they're majoring on the minors i didn't realize that i didn't think that we'd have multiple campuses closed down due to covid i did i didn't think we'd be here either you know what i'm realizing that god's call is not circumstantial that romans chapter 11 verse 29 says that the gifts and call of god in your life are actually irrevocable that means you can't trade him you can't upgrade he'll he'll never take him back like the calling that he's placed on the inside of you is your calling today tomorrow the day after is your calling and the plans and purposes of god are not influenced by a pandemic if they're not influenced by pain even on our church if god has called us to be a life-giving church that does not change because circumstances changed we have to change and evolve so we can continue to be life-giving in a world that looks different than it did nine years ago we are still going to be a thriving church with multiple locations having influence in our city and beyond bringing hope to hopeless people and that's going to happen regardless of the circumstance god doesn't need you to rethink his goal for your marriage because you've had a rough patch god's plan for your business does not change because your business has gone through a tough season he still has a plan god's plan for your health is still that you would be healed and whole god planned for your family and your relationships is still that you'd have unity in your home and that that that you'd be growing in faith god's plan for your ministry god's plan for your children god's plan for your dream those things don't change because the circumstances are different irrevocable call so how does david stay so confident when life is crazy in the face of misfortune and adversity and chaos i think not only can we learn personally but i i believe that there are some thoughts in this text as david was writing this psalm that can tell us who this church is going to be as we move into the future three thoughts on what we see as a church number one we see a church that builds we are a church that builds first samuel chapter 21 verse 1 says david went to knob to him elect the priest him elect trembled when he met him and asked why are you alone why is no one with you i want you to catch that david went under intense pressure and a difficult situation when somebody is literally hunting for his life he runs to the presence of god he runs to the tabernacle to see the priest this is an old testament picture of the church and i'm telling you the church has never been more crucial than it is right now david in his distress runs full out into god's house a place of hope a place of healing and a place of refuge we've got to build that kind of church so people have somewhere to run in psalm 27 the earlier verses specifically 4-6 david speaks about the church he says one thing i ask from the lord this only do i seek that i may dwell in the house of the lord all the days of my life to gaze on the beauty of the lord and to seek him in his temple for in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me at his sacred tent i will sacrifice with shouts of joy i will sing and make music to the lord come on david loves the church a couple of words that stick out he says keep me safe hide me talks about being set upon a rock and his head exalted but then he says even though my enemies surround me they're still there the presence of god will will not rescue you from trouble but the presence of god will be a refuge for us in trouble and the world needs refuge like david when the pressure's on everybody runs somewhere and the truth about running is that you what you run to will run you what you run to will run you you got to be careful if you run to culture thinking that's going to make everything better ultimately you will be a slave to the culture that you've submitted yourself to if we run to the approval and affirmation of other people then you will be run by how other people think about you and view you if you run to your your investment portfolio and your bank account then you will be run by the ups and downs in the market if we run to government officials and health authorities and think that that's going to make everything better then your sanity and your inner peace will go up and down with every new announcement and every new wave no no we've got to run to the presence of god in the house of god this is meant to be a refuge for people in trouble you're in trouble run to the house david was so convinced of the significance and the importance of the house of god that in first chronicles chapter 22 verse 5 he says this my son solomon is young and inexperienced and the house to be built for the lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations therefore i will make preparations for it so david made extensive preparations before his death listen he invested in the future of god's house because it wasn't just about him it was about the next generation this listen this search is not just a one and done we got this building and we're just gonna sit back and ride the wave no no no we are building a generational church and long after you and i are gone people still need to be able to run into experienced churches all across the country to find refuge from the pain and torment and hurt and despair that the world throws at them long after we're gone people will still come through these doors and find freedom long after we're gone people will still step into experienced churches and be empowered to make a difference in their world and step into their god-given calling we cannot stop building the house of god and so we are a church we see a church that builds it's expansion time in our tenth year we are going to expand we're going to reclaim the territory in the north and relaunch a north campus this year we have strategic vision like was shared in the video for small towns and communities that don't have the resources of a major city center we were leaving for new doors new spaces new places new people new testimonies new families turned upside down and new cities reached we will build we're going to build or first samuel chapter 21 verse 8 says now david asked to him a leg do you have a spear or a sword here i haven't brought my sword or any other weapon now i thought this was a great ministry idea i threw it out there in the early year service i'm just throwing it out there again today if anybody feels called to start an armory in the church we can stockpile wouldn't that be great if we just had all our own weapons i i mean there's a there's a precedent for it right here so if you're feeling that leading come chat with me the priest replied the sword of goliath the philistine whom you killed in the valley of ela is here it's wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod if you want it take it there is no sword here but that one david said there is none like it give it to me not only do we see a church that builds we see a church that battles you might remember goliath from the time david rolled up with a stone in a sling took him out hit him in the head then chopped his head off with this same sword now david on the run does not have a weapon goes into the presence of god and finds a weapon retakes goliath's sword now i love that story but it's always been a little bit disheartening that even after the triumph over goliath david finds himself in another battle and the truth is none of us have this none of us have the luxury of just killing goliath and going home it doesn't work like that that's not how life happens we are in a war and and and understand of course that we don't just go from battle to battle to battle to battle when we've got jesus we go from victory to victory to victory to victory but we're in a war we're warring for our children and we're warring for our children's children we're warring for our city and our nation we're warring for unity we're warring for peace we're warring for people who are far from god and don't know that there is a place of refuge they can run to we are in a war and for some of you i know even just getting up and showing up today was a war jumping on the feet like i mean there's an internal battle should i shouldn't i it's a war i'll be encouraged though today's battle is evidence of yesterday's victory you live to fight another day you made it through the last battle you're here and the reward for victory is a new battle but that comes with a new opportunity you kill goliath and it's on to the next and at ec we are not going to be surprised when we face battles we are not shocked when there's opposition we are not looking for the quick way out we will not quit we will not give up we are in this all the way and the truth is our future will be more demanding than our past because it's greater than our past there will be new battles we have a decision to make are we going to bow out or will we battle i will see is a prophetic declaration that this church will build on our battles listen the first time around all david needed was a sling and a stone but now he's not just up against one man he's up against an army and you know what happens he's not just up against an army he's up against a nation and god is calling him to build a nation if you want to keep playing with slings and stones then you can keep keep in like the small-minded little fights that don't change nations but man i'm ready to up the antsy i'm ready for the heavy artillery i'm ready to step into the ring i'm ready to believe that god is equipping us now with everything we need to be part of a nation-changing culture shifting movement when david david what he got from the battle with goliath is what he needed for the war for the nation and your past is producing your greatest weapons you just got to be willing to go back and grab them david's building a kingdom he's not running from his calling he's running to the very places he needs to see the plan of god unfold he's getting ready to face armies he's building and establishing a kingdom experience church we're getting ready to take the nation and we can't fight to tomorrow's fight with yesterday's weapon we're gonna build on the battle every battle every lesson we're gonna take every weapon every tool everything we've learned every bit of confidence we've gained the perspective we've got the character that's been developed and we will battle we will build we will battle we will not back down and finally first samuel chapter 22 verse one says david left gath and escaped to the cave of agilem when his brothers and his father's household heard about it they went down there to him all those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him and he became their commander about 400 men were with him we see a church that builds we see a church that battles and we see a church that bonds they came together they came together i don't know it just says they heard i don't know what they heard i don't know if they heard about his resolve i don't know if they heard that he was on the run i don't know if they heard him singing in the cave i don't know what they heard but but david went from being alone in a dark cave to being surrounded by a group of people that's so powerful to me because listen anybody will gather around you when you're reigning anyone will gather around you when life's going good and you're on top and you got everything and all this stuff everything's clicking in your world every anybody will gather around you when you reign it's you gotta look for the people who will gather around you when you run and that's who we're gonna build with we're gonna build with the runners we're going to build with the people who will show up in a cave and say hey it's crazy out there but we're going to run together and believe for god's best now that the the group that gathered around him in scripture i mean sometimes they get a bad rap like they're misfits you read about them they're in distress you know their lives weren't easy there have been some problems they're unhappy they're in debt might think that they're overdrawn stressed from past failure no success discontented that they're hurt they've been wronged they're unsatisfied with where they are how things are they're desperate you know when i when i read those words i think man somebody distressed this is unconventional by the way you wouldn't look for those types of people to build an army but when you can see prophetically you realize that distress is actually just battle tested oh that you've you've been through some things and you've lived to tell the story and i want some battle-tested people running with me i want some people who've been in the trenches and who know what it is to get dirty and know what it is to get on their knees and get into some warfare prayer because you're just not sure if you're even going to make it to tomorrow i want some battle tested life hasn't been easy i got a testimony i got a story it's a little bit ugly but i'm here to run that's what we're looking for battle tested the people who are in debt man they're the people of great faith they risked it all on a chance i want to run with the people who have enough faith to say god i have no idea but i'm going to try god we don't know how we're going to expand but we're going to try god we don't know how to how to see thousands of people get saved but we're going to try god we don't know what it's going to take to fill the saddle dome but we're going to try god we're going to go we're going to be big faith people i want some discontented people who look at the way of the world and say there's got to be a better option we've got to be more creative we've got to come up with some solutions where are the entrepreneurs at that'll step into the ring and say i'm going to take my god-given creative ability and we're going to build his kingdom we see a church that bonds around christ's vision that nobody should perish so i'm calling today all of the battle tested all of the big faith all of the entrepreneurs creative people ready to think outside of the box listen the world is changing and the church cannot afford to change with it we got to change ahead of it we got to set the tone we got to set the culture we got to innovate and create because the way it's been done and the way we got here is not going to be the way we get there we've got to keep going the mission remains but our methods are going to change oh the battle tested the faith-filled and the entrepreneurs we will see the goodness of the lord in our city i want you to stand with me for a moment please nobody leave i was praying a few weeks ago and i believe the holy spirit kind of downloaded into my heart what i've just been calling the i will see declaration and you're here in the room today you're watching online i want to give you an opportunity to receive from this and let it let it speak to your heart maybe stir up some faith for what's going on in your world right now and ask you if you're comfortable just close your eyes you can even lift a hand and get ready to receive and we're going to we're going to share and step into these things together i will see these are prophetic words describing a future not yet realized a vision a picture a story that is yet to be written and a testimony yet to be shared i will seize a conviction held by dreamers the ones who dare to live beyond themselves and believe for age-old promises to be fulfilled i will see is the boast of seekers those knocking on the door of a miracle the ones not content with status quo who know that a supernatural future belongs to those who never give up i will see is the heartbeat of this search unshaken in times of trouble and overflowing with life we are god's plan for humanity the church is generous and passionate it embodies the mission of jesus to seek and save the lost running full force in the direction of all who need him i will see is the mission statement of those committed to lifting the oppressed caring for the poor honoring the widow and championing the cause of christ at home and around the world it is doors open arms open hearts open ready to make space for every story every life every prodigal returning into the arms of the heavenly father i will see is the commitment to keep praying impossible prayers to keep lifting up our voices and raising up our hands come on lift your hands all across the room and pushing back every argument that sets itself up against the knowledge of god i will see is the belief that heaven still touches earth that miracles still happen that cancer will disappear and sickness will be healed and mental health restored and addiction broken and lives transform i will see is faith that plunders hell and populates heaven i will see is the battle cry of the warrior full of strength and resilience determination and faith the one who knows that even when evil advances the lord is our stronghold and salvation when enemies rise up and adversity closes in the uncertainty is all around we are steadfast because he who called us is faithful i will see is a promise to future generations that we will live now and sacrifice now and fight now so they can know the fullness of life that jesus came to offer this is a bold declaration that our children and our children's children will serve the lord and build his house i will see the goodness of the lord [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] is [Music] eternity [Music] come on give me [Music] i just i just felt to encourage those in the room that might be feeling overwhelmed with even the word vision it's been a season that we've gotten tunnel vision we've been kind of stuck in just seeing day to day if i can survive moment by moment and i think that that this is a lofty thing to bite off today but i i believe that god is saying to each and every one of us what jonathan already spoke to which is that his call is irrevocable and what he called you to 18 months ago hasn't changed or what he calls you to when you're a little boy or a little girl hasn't changed and the dreams and the visions that he put in your heart years ago hasn't changed and he wants the like the the veil to be lifted and i just want to encourage you don't feel bad because you're in a room of faith today and so we're going to have faith for you and we're going to journey this together but i really believe that there's something to this that we need to pray into as well that our vision our eyes our faith eyes we'll start to see again and we'll start to dream again so we want to we want to give you a really practically spiritual is that all right a practically spiritual step forward and i think sometimes faith is a lot more practical than we make it out to be and so we're going to do two things well first of all we have a gift for you it's really easy to open you guys remember these things view masters okay it's so cool yeah it's awesome okay now here's the thing i think these are compatible with like the old school mickey mouse ones if you want to find some of those on ebay so you can do that but we listen we have it pre-loaded with i will see vision statements and what we want is we want you to be able to take one and we want you to be able to put it in your house as a reminder that you will see the goodness of the lord in your future that you will see the goodness of the lord in every sphere and area of your life and so we wanted to have this prophetic reminder now to get this prophetic reminder we want to partner in faith with you so as you leave today on right to your right as you step outside the doors there's a table and there's a there's a black wall there and what we're doing is we are we're pulling together in faith all of our personal i will see statements so you go chat with somebody at the table and and they're going to give you a little marker and you go over and you find a brick on the wall and you write the miracle that you're believing for and so we want to partner first in faith so we'll make that partnership when you throw your faith what you're believing for on the wall we'll give you one of these view masters to bring home as just a reminder of your faith statement and then the second thing we're doing is is faith and finances are already always connected and so that's the first thing partner with us in faith get something on the wall over the next eight weeks while that wall's up we're gonna be praying over it on our revival nights on wednesdays we're gonna be praying over the things that are written on the wall and believing for miracles but then the second piece is take this little legacy card that's on your seat write down what you're believing for right here and then keep it hold on to it put it in your bible keep praying and asking god to do what only he can do in your world and in your situation and then would you start praying about how you can participate in legacy this year everything you saw in the video those are initiatives we're going to tackle this year obviously the fact that we are we see a church that builds and battles and bonds that's a vision that takes us beyond this year but we want to partner together and change in the world and so as the lord speaks to you over the next couple of weeks simply scan this qr code with your phone it'll take you to a form and just let us know what you're believing god has asked you to sacrifice in the legacy offering and then and we'll just combine our faith together and in a couple of months we'll come together and we'll receive that offering and watch what god can do if you're with us online there's a form right there in the way that you can participate where you can write down what you're believing for we'll put it on the wall for you and then we'll we'll pray together into that miracle so we really want you to partner with us align your faith and then take this home begin to pray about how god wants you to participate all right that's a wrap that's a wrap listen there's there's miracles in everybody's heart let's pray together jesus we thank you right now god even as we're speaking we know that you are drawing to our hearts and our minds areas of our world where we need you to invade where we are believing to see your goodness father i pray that with bold confidence we take this step together today and align our faith bring us together jesus believing with one another for supernatural miracles god we believe for healing and restoration and homes to be restored and businesses to flourish and new ideas and new creativity god we see your goodness spreading out of this building through our lives across our city and nation god thank you for what you're doing here today god thank you for the person who walked in unsure of their value unsure of their standing with you thank you that you died on the cross for each sin god and that today god if there's anybody here that doesn't know you they can start in this moment and trust you with their future we pray with them that they would do that right here god that they would trust you with their future and watch your providence and your plan unfold in their lives in jesus name amen amen well let's celebrate together we have cupcakes outside please sign the wall and be mindful as we're exiting today please to social distance and be kind to your neighbor you can go pick up your kids from ec kids and we'll see you at 4 o'clock for the welcome to church party or wednesday for revival night [Music] [Music] jesus [Music] one day one name holds every victory one voice that silence [Music] is jesus [Music] so [Music] [Music] so [Music] you

Channel: Experience Church

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Id: ETuMUW65qfI

Length: 99min 5sec (5945 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 26 2021