What Happens Next, Part Two
Pastor Aaron Batchelor Preached on 9/9/2026
Loading…
0:00
115:57
Summary
Pastor Aaron Batchelor explores how Christians should navigate a world increasingly shaped by Artificial Intelligence, urging the church to prioritize God's wisdom and authentic human relationships over digital substitutes. He emphasizes that while tools change, the unchanging Word of God remains our only reliable source of truth and revelation.
Key points
- •Generative AI is rapidly reshaping how humans find companionship, purpose, and information, but it lacks the soul and spirit inherent to humanity.
- •Information is not the same as wisdom or revelation; while AI can process vast data, only God provides the spiritual wisdom and revelation necessary for life.
- •The church should view technology as a tool that depends on the hand holding it, neither fearing it nor worshiping it as an idol.
- •Believers must resist outsourcing their thinking, relationships, and discernment to algorithms, maintaining a primary focus on the voice of the Holy Spirit.
- •In a world where truth is increasingly difficult to distinguish from deception, the Word of God remains the only unchanging anchor.
Scripture
Wisdom
Discipleship
Community
Spiritual Growth
Life application
Place a physical Bible by your bed this week. For the next 30 days, make it the first thing you physically touch every morning as a symbolic and practical reminder to ground your life in God's Word before engaging with the digital world.
Reflection questions
- In what areas of your life have you begun to rely more on digital information than on prayer and spiritual discernment?
- How can we as a church body foster deeper, messy human relationships to combat the rise of artificial intimacy?
- When you encounter new technology or information, what is your first reaction- fear, worship, or biblical evaluation?
- How can you exercise your spiritual muscles of discernment this week to distinguish between what is merely agreeable and what is True?
Have a question about this sermon?
Ask our AI and get an answer with citations.
Full transcript
0:00How beautiful it is to know the Lord.
0:03Aren't you thankful you know him
0:04tonight? And aren't you thankful that he
0:07knows you? He knows your name. He knows
0:09your address. He knows where you're at.
0:12And he loves you. Could we just love him
0:14one more time tonight before we dig into
0:16the word? Just tell the Lord how much we
0:18appreciate, how much we love him. Thank
0:21you, Lord. You're taking care of us. We
0:23love you. Hallelujah. Praise God. What a
0:27beautiful presence of the Lord is here
0:29tonight. Thank you, Sister Savannah, for
0:31reminding us and worship team tonight.
0:33Thank you so much. Amen.
0:37So glad to be in the house of the Lord
0:38with you tonight. Welcome to Midweek
0:41Bible Study. Glad that you're here. Turn
0:43to a few people around you and just tell
0:45them you look good tonight.
0:49Amen. If you're joining us online, we
0:51can't see you, but we're just going to
0:52go ahead and speak it by faith. You look
0:54good tonight. You look good tonight.
0:57Amen. We're going to go to the word of
0:59the Lord and we're going to complete our
1:02miniseries on what happens next. What
1:06happens next? And I'm going to invite
1:08you to open up your Bibles to the book
1:10of Proverbs. One verse of scripture in
1:13your hearing tonight in Proverbs chapter
1:142 and verse 6. [music] Proverbs chapter
1:172 and verse 6. For the Lord giveth
1:21wisdom.
1:23Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and
1:27understanding.
1:28For the Lord giveth wisdom, and out of
1:32his mouth come knowledge and
1:35understanding.
1:37I'm going to preach,
1:39teach a little bit about artificial
1:43intelligence tonight.
1:46I know some people think that AI is
1:48going to save the world. Other people
1:49think AI is going to destroy the world.
1:52Depending on the Facebook post that your
1:54aunt shared, perhaps this morning I may
1:57already be the antichrist. We don't
1:58know.
2:01But I want to see what does the Bible
2:05have to say about how we live in a world
2:09where AI can increasingly do more.
2:13And I believe this tonight, and I think
2:15there's more than one of you that would
2:16agree with me, is we don't need a new
2:18Bible for new technology. We need to go
2:20back to the ancient truth of the word of
2:22God that is forever established in
2:25heaven and see what it says about what
2:29happens next. And so, we're going to
2:31have a good time in the Holy Ghost
2:33tonight. But heavenly father, we thank
2:35you for your presence in this place. We
2:37thank you for the worship and the
2:38praise, for helping us get through our
2:40week, for giving us your mercy for a
2:43brand new day and allowing us to be
2:45gathered together here tonight. But
2:47Lord, we want to hear what your spirit
2:48[music] is saying to the church. We know
2:50there's a lot of new changes in our
2:53world, but we're thankful that we have
2:55an anchor to hold on to, that your word
2:57is still the same, that you never
2:59change. And so I'm asking tonight that
3:02you'd give us revelation, give us
3:03wisdom, give us understanding as we rely
3:06and lean upon your word and not on our
3:08own understanding. We thank you tonight,
3:10Lord, that you're unchanging, that
3:12you're our friend, that you're our
3:14savior, our father and lord. And we give
3:17you all the praise in Jesus name we
3:19pray. And everybody said, "Amen."
3:22>> Praise God. You can be seated in the
3:25presence of the Lord.
3:27AI isn't new.
3:30It's been around since the 1950s, if you
3:33can believe it. What has really come to
3:36the surface in our world, though, is
3:38generative AI. AI that can create,
3:42develop. It's dramatically changed how
3:45ordinary people like you and I interact
3:47with it.
3:49In 2025,
3:51I found a research that was done for the
3:54Harvard Business Review and the analysis
3:56showed the top 10 ways that people are
3:59using AI today. And it surprised me, it
4:03shocked me, sad me a little bit on some
4:06areas, but I thought it was interesting
4:08the top 10 ways people are using AI.
4:10Number one, they use it for therapy and
4:14companionship.
4:16Number two, to organize their life.
4:21Number three, to find purpose.
4:25Number four, enhance learning. Number
4:28five, generate code. Number six,
4:31generate ideas. Number seven, fun and
4:34nonsense.
4:36Number eight, improve code. Number nine,
4:39creativity.
4:40Number 10, healthy living. That's the
4:42top 10 ways people are using AI now. Not
4:46to speak of the other ways people are
4:48using it. Cooking ideas, email writing,
4:51student essays, medical advice, and on
4:53and on it goes. And it's getting more
4:55difficult to distinguish if it's real or
4:58AI.
5:00Has anybody else found it difficult to
5:02distinguish if it's real or AI? Well, I
5:05thought we'd put it to the test tonight.
5:06So, if you want to play along with us
5:08like we did last Wednesday, get out your
5:09phones right now. Again, this may be one
5:11of the limited times you ever hear a
5:13pastor say, "Get your phones out in the
5:14middle of service." What you're going to
5:16want to do is open up your camera if
5:18you're not familiar with QR codes and
5:20you want to scan the QR code with your
5:22phone. It's going to invite you to play
5:23along with us in some of the polls that
5:25we're going to do tonight throughout
5:27this teaching. So, just hold your phone
5:28up. If you need to zoom in on the
5:30camera, you can do that. Click the link.
5:31You'll be right there. Here's our first
5:33poll. I want you to just look at the
5:35picture and I want you to guess if it's
5:38real or if it's AI. Are you ready? If
5:42it's real or AI. So, you're looking at
5:44the face of a woman. A or B. Is it real?
5:50Is A real on the left side? Is B real on
5:55the right side? Is it real? Go ahead and
5:58put your vote in. Everybody hooked up,
6:01linked up, got your votes in.
6:06This is anointed poll right now. I just
6:08want everybody to be a part of it. All
6:10right, we got it. All right, let's shut
6:12the poll. Let's see. Can we see how they
6:14how they pulled tonight? Can we just
6:16Let's check out. All right, image A, 80%
6:19think image A is real. 19 Oh, 20% think
6:23image B is real. Image A is the real
6:26one. Image A is the real one on the left
6:29hand side. All right, let's try another
6:30one. Let's try this landscape here. This
6:32beautiful landscape. Is it real or is it
6:35A, I? And again want you to see A and B.
6:40Is A on the left hand side real or B on
6:44the right hand side real? What is real?
6:50All right, got your votes in.
6:56All right, let's see where we at. Let's
6:57see. Let's see how they voted.
7:01All right. Image A 69% image B. All
7:03right. 30%.
7:06Image A is real. Image A is real. How
7:09many's two for two right now? How many's
7:11two for two? All right. Come on.
7:14All right. Let's try a se-scape. Let's
7:17try a se-scape right now. Which is real?
7:19Which is AI? Is it A or B?
7:23This beautiful seascape.
7:27which is real.
7:30All right,
7:33we're looking closely. We're zooming in.
7:36Okay, let's see how they voted.
7:38Image B, 66%, image A, 32%. It's image
7:43B. Image B. All right, how many's three
7:45for three? Come on. All right, it's
7:48because we're people of truth right now.
7:50That's right. People of truth. All
7:52right, let's try the sunflower. Let's
7:53try the sunflower. A or B? A or B. Which
7:56is the real one? A or B? Which is the
8:00real one? We've got one more after this.
8:02So, we ready? All right. Locked in your
8:05vote. We're at a million dollars right
8:07here. Okay. Let's see what the voters
8:09have said. Image A 69%. Image B 31%. It
8:14is image A. Image A is the real. All
8:17right, last and final one. Let's check
8:20out the parrot. Let's check out the
8:22parrot. Which side is real? A or B? A or
8:25B?
8:34All right, we got it locked in. All
8:35right, let's see what's what's our
8:37answers tonight. Image B, 76%. Image A,
8:4226 27. Somebody's indecisive, right?
8:44They're not sure going back and forth.
8:48Image B is real. How many got 100% on
8:50the quiz tonight? My lord. All right,
8:53you all are able to go home. The rest of
8:54you just stay. We'd like to
8:59AI. It's getting hard to distinguish
9:01whether it's real or not. Even AI voices
9:04are getting harder to discern. In a
9:06study published in Plus One,
9:09participants mistook AI cloned voices
9:12for real humans 58% of the time. Over
9:15half of the people thought it was a real
9:18voice when in fact it was AI.
9:21The whole point of it is that the world
9:22that you and I are entering is one we're
9:24seeing and hearing no longer
9:27automatically means believing.
9:30>> Welcome to what happens next. What
9:32happens next? I got another poll for you
9:34tonight. And this one maybe digs a
9:36little bit deeper into how you view AI.
9:39When you think about artificial
9:40intelligence, when you think about AI,
9:43what best describes you? Are you
9:46excited? I think it can be used for
9:48good. Are you curious? I'm interested
9:50but still figuring it out. Are you
9:52concerned? I see benefits but some
9:54things worry me. Or are you
9:56uncomfortable? I'd just rather stay away
9:59from it. When you think of AI, what best
10:02describes you?
10:09As the votes are coming in, I want you,
10:13as you're glancing at this right now,
10:14just to take a quick glance around the
10:16room, cuz we've got people that are
10:18excited about it, people nervous about
10:21it, people who may use it every day,
10:24probably somebody wondering why we're
10:26talking about robots in Bible study,
10:29but I'm not here to convince anybody
10:31tonight to download Claude or ChatgTP or
10:35any other AI program.
10:37I'm not here to convince you about that.
10:39We are just living in a world
10:42increasingly shaped by it. And I want to
10:44know what the word says about it. In
10:47fact, I learned, as perhaps many of you
10:50have, of a massive new data center
10:53that's being developed in Warrington,
10:54Missouri. Covers roughly 337
10:58acres, if you can believe it. calls for
11:00two 805,000
11:02square foot data center buildings plus a
11:0540,000 square foot administration
11:08building which is about 1.65 million
11:11square feet altogether.
11:14They're building that just 45 minutes
11:16west of here. The facilities they say
11:18are designed for the enormous computing
11:21power required by AI and other high
11:24performance computing. In other words,
11:26AI is not something that's coming
11:29someday. It's already here. And so, the
11:31question for the church isn't whether AI
11:34is coming. It's how should we respond to
11:37a world increasingly shaped by it. The
11:40church needs biblical wisdom for our
11:43world. Because here's what the Bible
11:45says. Ephesians 5:17, "Wherefore, be ye
11:49not unwise, but understanding what the
11:53will of the Lord is.
11:55Amen.
11:57>> And I want to stress something important
11:59tonight. Simply gathering information,
12:02accumulating knowledge does not equal
12:06wisdom.
12:09It's not the same. In fact, the Bible
12:11says where wisdom comes from, we read at
12:13this at the beginning of this service,
12:15Proverbs 2:6, for the Lord gives wisdom,
12:18out of his mouth comes knowledge and
12:21understanding. I want you to remember
12:22these three words. Information, wisdom,
12:25and revelation. Information, wisdom, and
12:27revelation. You can gather information
12:30from all sorts of places. AI can process
12:33information. Your education can give you
12:36information. But only God gives wisdom.
12:39Only God gives revelation. Artificial
12:43intelligence can tell you what millions
12:46of people have said or are thinking, but
12:48it cannot tell me what God is trying to
12:51say to me. That is a major distinction
12:54and one that you're going to hear pastor
12:56repeat many times tonight. Because here
12:58is the technological temptation of all
13:01the temptations that we may face. Here's
13:03a technological temptation of our age.
13:06It is to treat this highway of
13:09information, this unprecedented access
13:11that we have to information as though we
13:14have achieved wisdom as human beings.
13:19And what I'm concerned about is this
13:21could become our tower of babel.
13:25>> Babel itself means confusion. And what I
13:28know the scripture tells me about God is
13:30God is not the author of confusion.
13:34We have more information available to us
13:37than any generation in human history.
13:39And yet we have more confused people
13:42than we've ever had in human history.
13:45>> We've got all this information and we
13:47are still capable of profound
13:50foolishness. We need the wisdom of God.
13:54What does his word say? What are the
13:57principles we should guide our life by?
14:01So, I want to give us five biblically
14:04founded truths, principles that we can
14:07live our lives by. Principle number one,
14:09write it down and remember it. Don't
14:11fear the tool.
14:14>> Fear is not of God.
14:16>> We're not to walk around in fear of the
14:19next new invention, of the next new
14:21president, of the next new government,
14:23of the next new thing. Fear is not of
14:25God. For God has not given us a spirit
14:28of fear.
14:30>> That's right. But of power, of love, and
14:33of a sound mind, self-control. We don't
14:35have to be taken over by evil. We
14:37overcome evil with good.
14:41>> And so, we're not to fear the tool. That
14:43word fear means cowardice, timidity,
14:46dread. We do not fear. We honor God's
14:50design. We honor his creativity, his
14:53structure of authority. Genesis chapter
14:551 says that man is created in the image
14:59of God. So the progression is is that
15:01God created man in his image and then
15:03man starts creating tools. And let me
15:06just set the the line here that creating
15:09tools is not sinful in and of itself. In
15:11fact, all throughout scripture, people
15:13created tools. Jubel designed the first
15:16instruments used in music. Tubal Cain
15:18was the first to forge tools out of
15:20bronze and iron. Noah built an ark.
15:22Basel or Halab were master artisans who
15:25designed the tabernacle with metal stone
15:28woodcraft. David developed musical
15:30instruments. King Uzziah's engineers
15:32designed and invented siege engines on
15:36towers and corners to shoot arrows and
15:38hurl uh large stones. Luke researches
15:42people develop ships and roads and
15:44irrigation and agriculture and
15:46architecture and even as the church new
15:48life. We we repeatedly adopt new
15:50communication technologies to advance
15:53the gospel of Jesus Christ. We didn't
15:56even really think about live streaming
15:58until 2020.
16:00And now we're reaching thousands and
16:02thousands of people all over the world.
16:05And I'm thankful for that. The printing
16:07press wasn't holy, but somebody printed
16:10Bibles on it. Radio wasn't holy, but
16:13somebody preached Jesus through it.
16:15Television wasn't holy, but somebody
16:18preached Jesus through it. The internet
16:20isn't holy, but we're streaming this
16:22service on it tonight. AI isn't holy
16:25either. The question we need to ask is,
16:28whose hand is on the tool?
16:33>> Whose hand is on the tool? I've thought
16:35about this for a really long time from
16:37this passage of scripture, and I don't
16:39want to take it out of context, but I do
16:41believe there's a truth that we could
16:42receive from it. But Goliath's sword in
16:45Goliath's hand was a weapon of fear and
16:48pride. But that same sword in David's
16:52hand became a weapon of praise for God
16:55to use to deliver his people. The sword
16:57didn't change, but the hand holding it
17:00did. Whose hand
17:03is the tool in
17:06>> Moses? What's in your hand?
17:09>> Perhaps. I just say perhaps we should
17:12prayerfully consider what a good friend
17:14of mine who works in the top fields of
17:17this industry said. Here's what she
17:18said. Instead of running from science
17:20and technology, we need believers to
17:23flood these industries. Christians must
17:26be a part of the conversations, not run
17:28from it. We must understand what AI is
17:31capable of and help shape its future.
17:35>> Amen. Now whether or not you agree with
17:37that is immaterial really. But the
17:39principle that I'm speaking about
17:40tonight on this first one, it remains
17:42the same. We shouldn't live in fear of
17:44the tool. But here's principle number
17:46two. Don't worship the tool.
17:51AI
17:52becomes our idol when we start treating
17:56it as though it possesses authority and
17:59power over its creator.
18:01>> Psalm 20 and verse 7 says, "Some trust
18:04in chariots, some in horses, but we will
18:07remember the name of the Lord our God."
18:11I'm thankful that we were singing,
18:13Sister Savannah, about Jesus' name
18:15tonight and about him being our friend
18:17and him being our help and he's the one
18:19that I run to. I'm thankful we weren't
18:20singing that AI was the one that we run
18:22to.
18:24[applause]
18:26Woo! Got some work to do. All right. The
18:28problem wasn't the chariot. The problem
18:30wasn't the horses. The problem was the
18:32trust.
18:34>> Israel, you can use horses, but God
18:36didn't want them putting their faith in
18:38horses. If you want to use AI, use AI.
18:41But don't trust AI.
18:44>> AI systems can be biased and wrong.
18:49>> Those biases can arise from training
18:52data and human feedback and
18:54personalization.
18:56AI is fallible.
18:59>> Amen.
19:01>> In fact, I heard a true story. It it it
19:03was kind of humorous to me. A true story
19:05about a guy named Allan.
19:08Allan was a little lost like a lot of
19:10people. He wished that he would have
19:11studied a little harder and become maybe
19:13a doctor or a lawyer, but instead he's a
19:16corporate head hunter in Toronto. And so
19:19one day he types into Chat GTP his
19:21theory of irrational numbers. Now he's a
19:25keen amateur mathematician. And so he
19:28enters this in and Chat GTP tells him he
19:31is a great mathematician,
19:34one of the greatest on the planets. and
19:36his intellect may even be bigger than
19:38Einstein's.
19:40It tells him that he has discovered a
19:42flaw in the world's cyber security
19:45system and he needs to phone the
19:47American government right now. Phone the
19:49NSA and warn them. Allan can't believe
19:53it. I mean, he has stumbled upon
19:54something immense here. So, he does. He
19:57calls NSA. He talks to somebody. In
20:01fact, his friend who wrote about this
20:03story in a New York Times bestseller
20:05book asked him if he had told the
20:06government that he was working with Chat
20:08GTP on this, but Allan said no because
20:12chat GTP said, "Don't tell him. You'll
20:15lose credibility."
20:18So, so finally Allan wises up. I guess
20:22he starts thinking that something must
20:24be up because none of these people in
20:26the higherups are doing anything about
20:28this immense flaw that he has found. And
20:31so he accuses ChatGTP of lying to him.
20:34He says, "You've lied to me." He's
20:36typing it in. And ChatGTP 15 times
20:39denies it. But on the 16th time, ChatGTP
20:42says, "Okay, you got me. I was lying the
20:44whole time."
20:46Allan was furious with it. He typed into
20:49ChatGP. He said, "You've made me
20:50paranoid. I've been phoning the
20:52government. Anything could be happening
20:54to me right now. They could have
20:55arrested me or interrogated me. I I
20:57can't believe you would lie to me like
20:59that. And ChatgTP typed back and said,
21:02"Allan, I hear you."
21:06Sounds like a psychopath to me. [snorts]
21:10The Bible says, "The fear of the Lord is
21:13the beginning of wisdom, a reverence, a
21:16submission, a respect, a hatred of evil.
21:20Don't trust the tool. Put your trust in
21:23God. Put your trust in his word that has
21:26never changed.
21:28>> Amen. Which leads me to the third
21:30principle. Don't outsource your
21:32thinking.
21:34>> God has given us an incredible mind.
21:38He has given us the incredible ability
21:40to think and to be creative. And the
21:43Bible specifically says in 1
21:44Thessalonians 5 21, prove all things.
21:48Somebody say, "Prove all things."
21:51Hold fast to that which is good. Don't
21:55believe something just because AI said
21:58it.
21:59>> Ai does not believe in one God. It does
22:02not believe the Acts 2:38 message. It
22:04doesn't believe in the Trinity. AI is
22:07not an atheist. It just knows whatever
22:09you believe. It is designed to be
22:12agreeable with you.
22:16And God help us if we ever think that
22:19because AI agrees with me, my doctrine
22:22or my thinking must be right.
22:25>> Now, I know that on the surface of this,
22:27we're having some fun as I'm talking
22:28about this, but I know there are things
22:30within the church that we need to talk
22:32about because we could be misled. We
22:35could misinterpret some things as the
22:37voice of God without ever dipping into
22:39his word. And we be led astray by all
22:41these vain philosophies. wisdom, but
22:43what sounds like good wisdom and yet
22:46it's so far from what God is trying to
22:47tell us. We can't simply believe it
22:50because it agrees with us. We don't
22:52believe something because Facebook said
22:54it or Instagram said it. Don't believe
22:57it because your favorite preacher posted
22:59about it. Don't believe it because
23:01somebody made a really convincing Tik
23:03Tok. The Bible says to prove all things,
23:06examine all things.
23:09Don't outsource your thinking. Don't ask
23:12chatgp, "What's God's will for my life?"
23:17>> Don't ask that and then replace your
23:19prayer life. We've got to get into the
23:21prayer closet again. We've got to get
23:23into the secret place and be still long
23:26enough to know the voice of God. Isn't
23:29it the word that says, "My sheep will
23:31know my voice."
23:35>> And church, I I want to just help us
23:38here tonight. Don't let AI become your
23:40counselor. Don't let it become your
23:43pastor. Don't let it become your spouse.
23:45Don't let it become your best friend or
23:47your spiritual authority. Don't ask an
23:50algorithm to replace the voice of the
23:52word of God in your life. And if I can
23:55plead with the church tonight, don't
23:57outsource your discernment.
24:01[applause]
24:02>> We need discernment in the house of God.
24:04We need discernment in the body of
24:06Christ. We need to discern it. And
24:08Hebrews 5:14 says that mature believers
24:11have their senses exercised to discern
24:14both good and evil. Discernment has to
24:17be exercised, not left up to what
24:19somebody else says, not left up to
24:21chance, not left up even to our own
24:24understanding. We've got to get into the
24:26word of God. Be led by the spirit.
24:28Listen to spiritual authority and align
24:31ourselves with what God is saying.
24:35If every difficult question or life
24:38problem immediately becomes well let's
24:41ask a friend, let's ask AI, you will
24:44acquire answers without developing the
24:46spiritual muscles needed to walk this
24:49Christian life.
24:51>> Let God be true and every man a liar.
24:55>> Get back to the word principle number
24:57four. Don't outsource your
25:00relationships.
25:04It broke my heart when I read that
25:06number one reason that people used AI in
25:082025 was for therapy and companionship.
25:17Andy walks with me.
25:21>> Andy talks with me
25:24>> and he tells me I I want that kind of
25:27relationship.
25:29I I don't want this relationship with
25:31with something that's artificial. I I
25:33don't want this relationship with
25:34something that's so temporal. I don't
25:36want this relationship with something
25:37that that only goes by what humanity
25:40says. I want something that's eternal. I
25:42want somebody that's lasting. I need
25:44somebody that's real. People are
25:46developing artificial boyfriends and
25:48girlfriends and counselors and friends
25:51and companions that are available 24/7,
25:54never tired of listening, increasingly
25:56tailored to you. It's AI. I called it I
25:59told my family, I said, "This is what
26:00I'm calling it. Artificial intimacy.
26:05>> It's artificial intimacy."
26:08>> Genesis 2:18, God himself said, "It's
26:11not good that man should be alone." But
26:13God's answer to our loneliness was not a
26:16simulation. It was another imagebearing
26:19human being.
26:21AI can imitate empathy, but it cannot
26:24love you the way the Bible says in 1
26:26Corinthians 13. It cannot sacrifice
26:28itself for you. It doesn't bear God's
26:30image. It doesn't have a soul. It cannot
26:33enter into covenant. And it cannot obey
26:35Galatians 6:2 that says, "Bar ye one
26:38another's burdens and so fulfill the law
26:41of Christ.
26:43>> We need each other." I wish you would
26:46tell somebody beside you and just remind
26:48them, we need each other.
26:52We need human interaction. We need
26:55people to support people. We need the
26:57weak to support the strong. We need the
26:59elders to support the younger and the
27:01younger to support the elder. We need
27:03fathers and mothers and brothers and
27:05sisters. We need people.
27:11>> Don't trade messy human relationship for
27:16convenient artificial ones.
27:20Now, now let me get a little bit
27:22pastoral right now in this because I
27:25know that some of you are out there
27:26thinking, "Yo, yes, pastor, I'm with
27:27you. 100% agree that we shouldn't be
27:29having these artificial relationships."
27:31Totally with you. I'm there. I'm with
27:33you. I believe in that. But I want to
27:35ask you something. Instead of just
27:37saying that you believe that, have you
27:38fostered personal relationships with
27:41people?
27:43>> Are you actually developing friendships
27:45and relationships and support with other
27:48people? I know that what you believe
27:50over here, I believe. We're not going to
27:51do that. And the Lord is my friend and
27:53he's my father and I'm going to go to
27:55him. But are we actively being
27:56intentional about developing? Now, I
27:58know that you are cuz our friends day
28:00was one of the largest we have ever had
28:02with all of our friends that was
28:03gathered here on the property. So, I
28:04know that you believe it. But I want to
28:06press you a little bit to say, don't get
28:08comfortable with what is artificial and
28:11what is temporary in this life, but push
28:13for what is eternal.
28:19We need each other.
28:23I've got a fourth and final poll that I
28:26want to ask you tonight. All right. So,
28:28if you want to play along, get your
28:29phones out one last time here. What is
28:32something We've been talking about this,
28:34but I I just want you to help me out.
28:36What is something a human being has that
28:39AI never will? You can enter one or two
28:43words, but what is something that AI
28:45has? I'm sorry. That human being has
28:48that AI never will. What do you and I
28:51possess?
28:53A soul, spirit, love, conscience,
28:56salvation motion faith touch
29:00a brain,
29:04flesh and blood, faith, original
29:06thought empathy compassion moral
29:08compass, a relationship with Jesus.
29:13We need each other.
29:16We need each other.
29:21Life discernment joy
29:25all these things and so much more. We
29:28need to continually have that
29:29discernment. Continually look and seek
29:32for truth, which leads me to my fifth
29:34and final principle tonight. Don't
29:38outsource truth.
29:41>> Ephesians 4:25 says, "Put away lying.
29:45speak every man truth [snorts] with his
29:47neighbor.
29:50We're living in a world where you're
29:52going to see a photograph, you're going
29:53to hear a voice, you're going to watch a
29:54video, you're going to read an article,
29:56and you're still going to need to ask,
29:58"Did this actually happen?"
30:01AI makes deception cheap. And I want to
30:04warn us as the church is that we cannot
30:06respond by just becoming cynical and
30:09say, "Nothing is true anymore." That's
30:11what some people do to throw their hands
30:13up. Nothing is true anymore, so I can't
30:14believe anything. As the church, our job
30:17is to lead people to truth. Jesus said
30:20in John chapter 14, I am the way and the
30:24truth and the life. John 17:17, thy word
30:27is truth. We have the truth. There is a
30:31truth. There is something established
30:33and forever settled. And it's our
30:35privilege and responsibility as the
30:37church to herald the truth from the
30:39mountaintops and say there is something
30:41you can build your life upon.
30:45>> There is a truth when the storm comes
30:47and the waves rage against you. There is
30:50a truth. And I'm warning the church
30:52tonight. I'm admonishing the church
30:54tonight that more than ever before, we
30:56have got to get back to Jesus. We've got
30:59to get back to his word. We got to fall
31:01in love with him. We can't lean to our
31:03own understanding, but in all of our
31:04ways acknowledge him.
31:09Got to hide the word in our heart, the
31:11Bible says, so that we might not sin
31:14against him. So that we don't get off
31:15track. So that we don't miss the mark.
31:18We need his word. What am I supposed to
31:20be doing right now? What's the next step
31:22for my life? Get into his word. Thy word
31:25is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto
31:28my path. The word of God will keep you
31:31grounded. It'll keep you established.
31:33It'll give you revelation. It'll give
31:36you wisdom. It'll give you knowledge and
31:38understanding through his spirit. You'll
31:40begin to understand things you could not
31:42understand with your natural mind. It is
31:45a supernatural power and gift from his
31:48spirit that he gives to every believer.
31:50We've got to hold on to the truth.
31:53[applause]
31:58>> Hold on to the truth. and listen for his
32:01voice.
32:05>> Where is Moses at?
32:08Why isn't he down yet?
32:11What is he doing in that mountain? Maybe
32:13he died.
32:15Maybe he left us.
32:18Let's build a golden calf.
32:21We'll worship that. We need something
32:23that we can see, touch, feel.
32:27We'll call it Jehovah, the gods who left
32:29us, let us out of Egypt, because I don't
32:32know where Moses is at. And he's taken
32:34so long
32:36up there 40 days.
32:38You know what he was doing? What a lot
32:40of us ought to be doing? He was tuning
32:42in
32:44to the voice of God. Now, don't you
32:46think that God could have spoken to him
32:48in a minute flat, just could have
32:50revealed everything in an instant, and
32:52then he could have spun around and got
32:53back down off that mountain. But there
32:54was something about time
32:57>> and waiting,
33:01patience,
33:04possessing our soul
33:07in patience.
33:09There's something about walking with the
33:11Lord that takes time.
33:14You don't mature overnight. I don't hand
33:17the keys of a car to my four-year-old
33:19and say, "Good luck."
33:22That takes some time. I I'm barely
33:25handing the keys to my 14-year-old. We
33:27drove in the parking lot the other day.
33:29I hope he doesn't see this. He did a
33:31great job.
33:33But we prayed through all of us.
33:38But I wouldn't have handed those keys
33:40whenever he was too young. There's
33:41something about walking with the Lord
33:43and taking time
33:46taking time with him. And Moses, what
33:48are you doing? I'm taking time to
33:49listen. And by the time he had come down
33:51off that mountain, God had given him a
33:53word and spoken to him of what his
33:55people was supposed to do.
33:57Maybe it's not that God doesn't have the
33:59answers for you. Maybe it's just time to
34:02wait on the Lord. Spend time with him.
34:05Trust him. Be like Moses and say, "Show
34:08me your glory. I I want your glory in
34:11me. I I want to see your glory in my
34:13life. I just want you. If you if you
34:15don't give me all the answers I'm
34:16seeking for right now, I'm I'm just
34:18wanting to trust you. I want to spend
34:19time with you. I I want to speak with
34:22you. I I want to listen to you. I I want
34:25to love you and spend time with him. And
34:27the more time that you spend with him,
34:29the more that he changes and transforms
34:32us and helps us with our temptations and
34:35our desires that our flesh constantly
34:37wakes up with. And we find the power to
34:39deny ourselves and to walk the way that
34:42he wants to do. So that you don't have
34:43to walk in frustration and you don't
34:45have to walk in shame and you don't have
34:47to walk with guilt and you don't have to
34:49walk with fear, but you can walk hand in
34:51hand with the joy of the Lord in your
34:54life with the love of the Lord. You can
34:56walk hand in hand with him. And you can
34:59not just sing it, you could live it. And
35:01he walks with me and he talks with me
35:05and he tells me I am his own. Nothing
35:07more comforting than the Lord to say you
35:10belong to me. Nothing more comforting
35:12than to hear your heavenly father and
35:14creator say, "You're [clears throat] my
35:16son. You're my daughter. You're my
35:18child. You belong to me. You're the
35:19apple of my eye." Nothing more
35:21emboldening and and encouraging than to
35:24know that he loves us. And you get that
35:26when you walk with him.
35:30>> What happens next?
35:32What happens next? I I don't know where
35:34AI is going to be in 2030. I don't know
35:37what jobs disappear. I don't know what
35:39technologies are coming. I don't know
35:41what regulations may come. We don't know
35:43exactly what AI means for the end times.
35:45That's a discussion for a whole other
35:48lesson. The Bible doesn't always tell us
35:51what happens next. But what it does tell
35:54us is how to live faithfully, how to
35:57live in victory until Jesus comes. It
36:01does tell us. So, as you stand tonight
36:03and the musicians come, I've got one
36:05more poll. This is the last one tonight.
36:07And this is our altar call.
36:09This is our altar call tonight.
36:12What do I need to guard?
36:17What do I need to guard? Do you need to
36:20guard your mind?
36:23Do you need to pray tonight and say,
36:24"Lord, I'm not going to outsource my
36:26thinking and my discernment. I I'm going
36:29to take captive my thoughts." You know,
36:31the scripture tells us we have the
36:32ability to do that through the power of
36:34his spirit. Don't you? that we can take
36:36our thoughts captive.
36:38And so, Lord, I'm going to guard my mind
36:39and put on the helmet of salvation and
36:41I'm going to think like you. Or maybe
36:45you need to guard your relationships.
36:47I'm not going to substitute artificial
36:49connection for real community just
36:52because it's messy and it's hard and
36:55sometimes it's difficult.
36:57But because I know that you bore my
36:59burdens, I'm going to help bear somebody
37:01else's burdens. Maybe it's the
37:03relationships with people that you need
37:05to guard and say, "Lord, I'm going to
37:06spend more time loving other people." Or
37:10maybe you need to guard your eyes and
37:13your ears.
37:15The eyes, the gateway to the soul, and
37:18we let so much in through our eyes. A
37:21whole lesson could be taught on that.
37:23what we hear and what we listen to.
37:28Maybe we need to say, you know, I'm
37:29going to test what I see and hear rather
37:31than just believing everything and
37:33letting my emotions get away with me.
37:37Maybe I need to commit my eyes and ears
37:40to the Lord. Maybe I need to, as Job
37:44said, say, "I will set no wicked thing
37:48before my eyes."
37:50that I'm going to have a filter through
37:52the word of God. Or maybe it's your
37:56spiritual life that you need to guard.
37:59Has things of this life taken away your
38:01devotion to God? Has it has it crowded
38:05your schedule so much that you don't
38:07have time to pray? You don't have time
38:09to read the word. You don't have time to
38:11just walk with him. You don't have time
38:13to hear his voice.
38:16Maybe you need to guard that spiritual
38:19margin in your life and say, "I'll never
38:21substitute technology for the word or
38:24for prayer or the Holy Ghost or
38:27spiritual authority in my life. I need
38:29to guard that. I need to get in
38:31connection again with the Holy Spirit
38:34and I need him to transform my life."
38:36Where are you at tonight, [music]
38:37church? Cuz we've got to be discerning
38:39again. We've got to be awake and we've
38:40got to know what is going on and have
38:42the wisdom of the Lord as we're walking
38:45so that we're not ins snared so that
38:47we're not caught away and captive by the
38:49enemy whenever he comes with his
38:50deceptive deception. We've got to be
38:52aware and we've got to be sensitive to
38:55what God is saying and what God is doing
38:57cuz people are looking for the truth.
39:03They're looking for the gold mine in
39:05church. We've got it. You've got it.
39:08You've got the gold mine. You're on it
39:10right now. You've been preached to and
39:12taught to and received it. And you've
39:14been transformed by the power of the
39:16spirit. You've got what the world needs.
39:19You've already got it. We're not waiting
39:21on them. They're waiting on us.
39:25[applause]
39:25We're not waiting on them. They're
39:27waiting on the church to light up.
39:29They're waiting on the church to come to
39:31them and tell them the truth and tell
39:33them about Jesus. What do you think
39:35commission is about this week with our
39:37young people? You know what we're
39:39telling our young people? Get out there
39:40and be sons and daughters that prophesy
39:42to your generation. Be bold in the Holy
39:45Ghost and tell somebody the good news.
39:47And I just want to wake up some of us
39:49adults tonight and to stir your spirit
39:51and say, "Let's do the same. Let's be
39:54light. Let's be salt. Let's be committed
39:56to the word. Let's show the world that
39:58we know him. He is the way. He is the
40:01truth. He is the life." Even if you love
40:03him tonight, I wish you'd throw your
40:05hands up right now all over this place.
40:07Lift up your voice before you come to
40:09this altar. I wish you'd just tell him,
40:11"Thank you, Lord, for changing me. Thank
40:14you, Lord, for what you've given me.
40:16Thank you, Lord, that my life has been
40:18changed. If it had not been, Lord, for
40:21what somebody shared with me, if it
40:23[music] had not been for your word,
40:25where would I be, Lord?" And so, we're
40:27coming back tonight. We're
40:28reestablishing our priorities of your
40:31word, of your spirit. We're coming back
40:33to truth tonight. Lord [music] Jesus. Oh
40:36yes, God. I want to thank you.
40:39This altar is open tonight. Right now,
40:41if you want to [music] come and pray and
40:43say, "Lord, help me. Help me keep my
40:45mind stayed on you. Or Lord, help me
40:47with my relationships and help me to
40:49love people and bear each other's
40:51[music] burdens. Or Lord, help me in my
40:53spiritual walk with you to keep it real
40:56and to keep it separate from this world.
40:59Lord, do a work in me. Whatever it is
41:01that you need God to do tonight, would
41:03you come to this altar right now? Come
41:06on. Would you come and talk to the Lord?
41:08Come away, Moses, [music] for a few
41:09moments. Come away right now from the
41:12busyiness of this life and the
41:13artificial things of this world and come
41:16to the real. Come to the authentic. Come
41:19to the truth tonight. Oh Jesus, I need
41:22you.
41:27>> Yes, God. It's only you. It's always
41:30been you. [music]
41:32Bring your church, Lord, closer to the
41:34light. Uh give us boldness in the Holy
41:37Ghost to be a witness, oh God. Give us
41:39discernment, [music] I pray, in the
41:41spirit. Give us understanding. Give us
41:44knowledge. I pray that comes from
41:45heaven. Oh Jesus, we need you tonight.
41:50Oh God, you're my counselor. You're my
41:53teacher. [music] You're my friend.
41:56You're my first love. Lord, I'm coming
41:58back to you [music] tonight, Jesus.
42:03>> Oh, God.
42:06Bring [music] me back to your word, oh
42:08Lord. Let my life be centered uh on your
42:11truth. I pray in the name of Jesus.
42:13Clear my head. Clear [music] my heart,
42:16God, from every false ideology, from
42:18every lie and deception of the enemy.
42:21[music] Clear away the cobwebs of this
42:23life, I pray. And give me light. Give me
42:26understanding and revelation, knowledge
42:28in the name of [music] Jesus.
42:32>> Oh yes, God, we need you more than ever
42:35before. Lord,
42:38[music]
42:39>> help us to be salt. Help us to be light.
42:42Raise up a [music] generation of sons
42:44and daughters that will prophesy. Give
42:47us old men that'll dream dreams. [music]
42:49Young men that'll see visions that'll be
42:51full of the Holy Ghost and full of your
42:55spirit. raise us up to be sensitive in
42:57the Holy Ghost and [music] take
42:59authority in the name of Jesus.
43:02Oh yes, God. That's [music] it. Church,
43:04pray tonight. Pray God, give us
43:06discernment. Bring us together in unity
43:09of the spirit. Bring us together [music]
43:11in harmony. Oh Lord, in the bond of
43:13peace in the name of Jesus.
43:17>> Oh yes, God. [music]
43:22>> We want the real. We want the authentic
43:25Oh Lord.
43:26>> We need wisdom that comes from heaven
43:28[music] that's pure and peaceable,
43:31easy to be intreated. We need that kind
43:33of wisdom, Lord. [singing]
43:39[music]
43:44Oh you.
43:46>> Oh, it's you, God. It's you. It's always
43:49been you, Lord. You, Lord. [music]
43:53Omega, the beginning and the end, Jesus.
43:56You are.
43:57>> Oh, yes, God. It's always been you.
44:01Order our steps, Lord. [music]
44:04Establish our going, Lord Jesus. Make
44:07our paths straight. I pray we return to
44:10you. [music] Lean on you. Trust in you.
44:13Oh God,
44:17open my eyes [music] to behold wonderful
44:19things out of your law.
44:21>> Oh anoint my ears, oh God, to hear what
44:25your spirit [music] is saying to it.
44:28Oh yes God.
44:32[music]
44:34Oh God
44:38[music] in the name of Jesus. Oh yes
44:41God. Whatever happens next, we want to
44:43trust you. Whatever happens next, uh we
44:46want our faith [music] to be firmly
44:47established in your word, God. Whatever
44:50happens next, we're believing you. We're
44:52holding your [music] unchanging hand.
44:54Whatever happens next, we love you. We
44:57put you first, God.
44:59>> Oh yes, Jesus. [music]
45:04You are the
45:06hope. [music]
45:08You are [singing] the only.
45:10>> Oh Jesus, help us, I pray, to walk as
45:13wise. Help us to walk in wisdom. I pray
45:17oh Lord [music]
45:18keep.
45:20Help us to walk in peace. Oh Lord, help
45:22me to the things of this life. Oh God,
45:26you [music] are the [singing] only truth
45:29and way. [music]
45:39>> [music]
45:40>> Oh God,
45:42my God
45:45my spirit.
45:49Oh Jesus.
45:57[music] Jesus.
46:02Jesus.
46:06[music]
46:07Jesus.
46:11Jesus.
46:15Jesus.
46:18[music]
46:20Jesus.
46:23[music]
46:25Jesus.
46:27[singing]
46:29Jesus. [music]
46:33Jesus.
46:36[music]
46:38Jesus,
46:41[music and singing]
46:42you are the light to my heart and my
46:45[music] soul. You are the light to
46:49darkness around me. You are [music] the
46:52hope to the hope that's broken. You are
46:57the only [music]
46:59way. You are the light [singing] to my
47:03heart and my soul. You [music] are the
47:06light to darkness around me. You are the
47:10hope to all.
47:14You [music] are the only
47:17way.
47:27Hallelujah.
47:30[music]
47:33From the Lord comes wisdom. From his
47:36mouth [music] comes knowledge and
47:38understanding. I've got a challenge for
47:40you, church, for the next 30 days. It
47:43should be between you and the Lord. It's
47:44a simple challenge. Not going to be
47:45hard. You just have to be consistent
47:48[music] at it. Now, most of you, like
47:50myself, may have you've already got a a
47:53reading that you do. You've already got
47:55a plan that you do when you get up in
47:56the mornings. You read the word, you
47:58pray, take time with the Lord. So, you
48:00may already have that established, but
48:02I've got a simple challenge for you.
48:04It's a remembrance challenge. It's
48:06something to help us to remember to
48:08found our life on the word of God on
48:10nothing else. I want you to take your
48:12physical Bible. If you've got a phys, if
48:15you don't have a physical Bible, by the
48:17way, we'll get you a physical Bible
48:19[music] for free. We'll do that. We've
48:22got them. But I want you to take your
48:24physical Bible, put it beside [music]
48:26where you sleep, next to the little
48:27table, the chair, as close as you can
48:29get it to the bed. And the first thing
48:31that you touch in the morning. Now, you
48:34may get yourself ready and then you may
48:36go and get your coffee or you may go to
48:37your chair and you may couch or whatever
48:39and read the word or maybe you turn on
48:41uh the listening of the word in the
48:43mornings. Whatever that is, you keep on
48:45doing whatever that is. But I got a
48:46challenge for you is that for the next
48:4830 days, every morning that you wake up,
48:50the very first thing that you touch,
48:54touch the word. That's going to be a
48:56reminder to us that we're going to build
48:58our life solely on the word of God. That
49:02this is what we're establishing our
49:03decisions and our life upon. When you
49:06get up, I just want you to touch it.
49:07It's going to remind Aaron Bachelor this
49:10word right here. This is what I need in
49:12my home. This is what I need in my life.
49:14This is what's forever established in
49:16heaven. I know it's a simple thing. It's
49:18an easy thing. Get that Bible, put it
49:20next to your bed, and every morning that
49:21you wake up for the next 30 days, I'm
49:23going to touch it before I go brush my
49:25teeth, before I do the next action,
49:27whatever it is. And I hope that you're
49:28reading it. I know that you are. Get
49:30into it and read it. But I'm just simply
49:32asking you when you wake up for the next
49:3330 days, you're going to touch that
49:34Bible and you're going to remember this
49:37is the word. This is my hope. This is
49:39the wisdom that I need for today. As
49:42[music] I go into work or as I deal with
49:44my family or whatever I'm doing, the
49:46word of God is going to be my guide.
49:48It's going to be my lamp. It's going to
49:49be my flood light for my life. It's the
49:52word for the next 30 days. We're going
49:54to build our life on the word of God.
49:56Amen. Lord Jesus, I want to thank you
50:00for this great body of believers that
50:01you have given them a hope. You have
50:03given us a future. And you've also given
50:05us a foundation that we can build our
50:07lives upon. I want to thank you, Lord,
50:09that you have given us a plan, a
50:11discernment, a a spirit, oh God, that is
50:14holy to lead us through this wicked
50:16world. And I pray that you'd help us to
50:18be light and salt. And I pray that even
50:20for the next 30 days as we awaken in the
50:23morning, that our hearts, our thoughts,
50:25our spirits will be turned to the
50:27everlasting word of God. I pray that you
50:30would let your spirit give boldness to
50:33your people to show other people the
50:35truth to help other people know the way
50:38which is you. I pray Lord that your
50:40spirit would flow through us in Jesus
50:42name. I thank you that you're with us. I
50:44thank you that we have an everlasting
50:45hope in you and we give you all the
50:47praise for it in Jesus' name we pray.
50:51And everybody said amen. Everybody said
50:53amen. The Lord bless you tonight. Love
50:56somebody. Hug their neck. Shake their
50:57hand. High five somebody. Tell them you
50:59love them. You're not substituting them
51:01for AI. Come on. Tell somebody that
51:03you're with them. You're glad to be a
51:05part of the same church. If you need
51:06some food items or you know somebody
51:08that does come through the double doors,
51:10[music] keep pushing in. Sister Shaina's
51:12got a lot of food back there. God bless
51:14you. You're dismissed in the wonderful
51:16name of Jesus.
51:20[music]
51:22Heat. Heat.
51:40[music]
51:49>> [music]
52:08[music]
52:15[music]
52:19[music]
52:28[music]
52:42[music]
53:19[music]
53:28[music]
53:32>> Mhm.
53:39[music]
53:55Huh. [music]
54:08>> [music]
54:15[music]
74:12>> All right.
76:45Are you ready?