Your Part Is Too Important Not To Play
Bishop Henry Fernandez Preached on 6/15/20261 Corinthians 1:10-17
Loading…
0:00
54:10
Summary
Bishop Henry Fernandez explores the vital role of unity and teamwork in the Kingdom of God, challenging believers to move from being spectators to active participants who lift up Christ through love and shared purpose.
Key points
- •Unity is not just a theological concept but a practical necessity for the survival and effectiveness of marriages, families, and businesses.
- •The primary mission of the believer is not to change or judge people, but simply to lift up Jesus as a messenger.
- •True unity requires a shared common purpose, clarity of vision, mutual trust, and the practice of self-denial.
- •The early church grew because ordinary believers shared the gospel with genuine enthusiasm and lived together in unity.
Scripture
Community
Purpose
Love
Evangelism
Discipleship
Life application
Commit to planting one 'seed' of God's word this week by sharing a scripture or a word of encouragement on social media or in a personal conversation.
Reflection questions
- In what areas of my life (marriage, work, church) am I currently prioritizing my own agenda over a shared common purpose?
- How can I shift my focus from trying to 'change' the people around me to simply 'lifting up Jesus' through my behavior?
- Is my daily attitude reflecting the joy of the gospel, or am I acting like a 'dead Christian' as described in the sermon?
- What toxic habits or suspicions are currently preventing me from trusting others in my spiritual community?
Have a question about this sermon?
Ask our AI and get an answer with citations.
Full transcript
0:00Let's go to the book of 1 Corinthians.
0:031 Corinthians chapter 1.
0:081 Corinthians chapter 1 beginning at
0:11verse 10.
0:14Verse 10, verse 10 to verse
0:1917.
0:24And
0:27it reads,
0:29"I appeal to you, dear brothers and
0:32sisters, by the authority
0:34of the Lord Jesus Christ
0:37to live in harmony with each other.
0:40Let there be no division in the church.
0:47Let there be no division in the church.
0:51Rather be of one mind,
0:54united in thought and purpose.
0:59For some members of Chloe's household
1:02have told me about your quarrels.
1:05My dear brothers and sisters,
1:08now some of you are saying I am
1:10following Paul, others are saying I'm
1:13following Apollos,
1:15or I'm following Peter, or I'm following
1:17only Christ.
1:19Has Christ been divided into factions?
1:23Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any
1:27of you baptized
1:29in the name of Paul? Of course not. I
1:32thank God that I did not baptize any of
1:35you except Crispus and Gaius.
1:40For none For now, no one can say they
1:44were baptized in my name. Oh, yes, I
1:48also baptized the household of
1:51Stephanas.
1:53But I don't remember baptizing anyone
1:57else.
1:59For Christ did not send me to baptize,
2:03but to preach the good news.
2:07And not with clever speech
2:11for fear that the cross of Christ
2:16would lose
2:17its power.
2:19Father, we pray that you would continue
2:22to speak to us in this series.
2:25How to be a united church
2:27fulfilling your purpose here on the
2:29earth.
2:31Bless every person who will hear this
2:33word today
2:34in Jesus' name. Amen. Shout amen,
2:37everybody.
2:39God bless you. May be seated in the
2:41presence of the Lord.
2:44So, as we continue the series we're on,
2:50I want to focus on a topic today, your
2:53part is too important
2:56not
2:58Your part is too important not to play.
3:04It's very important here.
3:07If you were with us on Wednesday
3:10evening,
3:12whether you were on campus or you were
3:14streaming live,
3:16you may recall that the message focused
3:19on the topic we play to win. We play to
3:24win. And by the way, give it up for the
3:26New York Knicks, by the way.
3:28>> [cheering]
3:28>> Give it up.
3:30Give it up.
3:32Yes, they they are champions. And And
3:35we'll pray for the Spurs, those of you
3:38from Texas. We'll pray for you.
3:41So, as we continue our series,
3:45Kingdom Team, I want to remind everyone
3:48of us
3:49that the kingdom of God advances when
3:52God's people work together to fulfill
3:55his purpose. Notice when God's people
3:59work together to fulfill his purpose.
4:03So, for the next several months, we're
4:05going to unite our efforts as
4:09evangelists disciples encouragers
4:13and ambassadors of Christ. That's who
4:17we're going to be.
4:19We're going to intentionally go into the
4:22highways and the edges,
4:24the neighborhoods and communities, the
4:27workplaces, the schools, declaring who
4:30God is and giving people a reason to
4:34know him for themselves.
4:38Make no mistake about it, that Jesus
4:40made our assignment very clear in
4:44Matthew 29,
4:46uh excuse me, Matthew 28 verse 19 to 20.
4:50I want them to put it on the screen, and
4:52I want everybody to read it. I want
4:54every Hey, hey, I'm over here. I want
4:56everybody to read it. I want everybody
4:59to read it. We've got the professionals,
5:01they're really taking care of that, and
5:03so forth. Father, we just pray whatever
5:04the situation is, that you'll have your
5:07way, that God you will heal, deliver,
5:10Father, in the mighty name of Jesus. We
5:12pray for healing now in Jesus' name.
5:16Amen. Come on, give the Lord a hand of
5:18praise.
5:20Amen.
5:22Amen.
5:24And so, Jesus made it very clear. So, I
5:26want you to read this passage of
5:27scripture for me. I want everybody to
5:29read it, cuz this is very important
5:31here. This is the Great Commission. Come
5:32on, let's read.
5:43So, the Great Commission says, "Go and
5:47make disciples of all nations."
5:50All.
5:52You don't get to discriminate.
5:56You don't get to choose
5:58who you will share the gospel with.
6:01It says, "Go and make disciples of all
6:04nation, baptizing them in the name of
6:06the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost."
6:08Right? And notice that Jesus did not
6:10tell us, watch this, to stay inside of
6:14the four walls of the church waiting for
6:16people to come.
6:19He didn't tell us to do that. He told us
6:21to what? Go.
6:23Cuz our mission is not merely to occupy
6:26seats in the sanctuary.
6:29That's not our mission. Our mission is
6:32to transform lives through the power of
6:36the gospel. That's the mission of the
6:38church.
6:39To transform lives through the power of
6:42the gospel. And unfortunately,
6:44unfortunately, in the American church,
6:47if you're not careful, you'll go to
6:49church today and you will hear
6:50everything except the gospel.
6:55So, as a church, we must continue or
6:58continually examine ourselves and ask
7:02the question,
7:03you know, as a church,
7:06you know,
7:07uh are we truly about our Father's
7:10business or are we about our own
7:12business?
7:15Think about that.
7:17Is this about our Father's business
7:21or is it
7:22about us?
7:24Jesus said in Luke chapter 2 verse 49,
7:28"Are you listening to me?
7:30I must be about my Father's business."
7:34That's what Jesus said.
7:36Even though he was a [clears throat] son
7:37of God, God in the form of his son came
7:41in human form on the earth. He could
7:44have allowed his fame and his status to
7:47get to him, but he said, "I am about my
7:50father's business, not my own agenda."
7:54And that same mindset should govern
7:56every believer.
7:58Now, last week, I reminded you that the
8:01words of Jesus
8:03that was stated in John chapter 12:32.
8:06Here it is. It says, "And I, if I am
8:10lifted up from the earth, will draw all
8:13people to myself." Are you seeing that?
8:16You see, this verse reveals something
8:18very powerful here. Jesus never assigned
8:21us the responsibility, watch this, of
8:24changing people.
8:27He never said our job as Christians is
8:30to go out there and to change people.
8:33You don't have the power to change
8:34yourself, much less to change people.
8:38You are crazy.
8:41Right? He didn't send us out there to
8:44try to change people and impress people,
8:48right? Jesus never assigned us the
8:50responsibility
8:52of forcing people to surrender to him.
8:56And he never assigned us the
8:58responsibility of convincing people
9:01about him through arguments.
9:05So, for those of you are believers or
9:07Christians, argue with people about your
9:08faith and getting into this back and
9:11forth and hostile kind of attitude,
9:14that's not of God. Our mission is very
9:17simple. It's just to lift him up. That's
9:19all.
9:21What do I mean by when I say to lift up
9:23Jesus? It's to talk about him. It's to
9:26promote him. It's to present him. It's
9:29to testify about him. It's to make him
9:32known. THAT'S ALL. YOU'RE A MESSENGER.
9:35Just say it, and that's it.
9:39You don't have to force people
9:41to become a Christian.
9:43You don't have to force people to go to
9:45church. Invite them, but you don't have
9:47to force them. You don't have to force
9:48people to read their their Bible. You
9:50don't have to force people to believe
9:52what you believe. Just be a messenger.
9:56Cuz life has a funny way of forcing
9:58people on their knees.
10:02Come on now.
10:04You see, if we lift up Jesus, he will
10:08draw people into the kingdom. The Holy
10:11Spirit, watch this, does the convicting,
10:14the Father does the saving. We simply
10:17become willing instruments to be used of
10:20God. Now, many churches have mistakenly
10:24believed that if they improve their
10:26image, create impressive programs, and
10:31and present their systems and perfect
10:35those systems that people will
10:37automatically come to God. But that's
10:40not true. While excellence matters, it's
10:44important. I believe in a well-organized
10:47church. I believe everything must be
10:49done decently and in order. I believe
10:52that you you know, I I love what we're
10:54doing. I love you know, back in my day,
10:56you know, back in the '80s and so forth,
10:59when I was a young man just in ministry
11:02and so forth, we didn't have all of this
11:03stuff here. You know, we didn't have we
11:05didn't need this to have church.
11:10Some of you just you need the lights,
11:11you need the smoke. Man, back in my
11:13days, if you put smoke in the church,
11:15they said, "What? Where's the fire?"
11:19Who's smoking weed up in here?
11:22Back in my days, you couldn't do that.
11:24But now we got a little bit of fancy.
11:26That's okay to do all of those things.
11:28But ladies and gentlemen, none of these
11:31things can save people.
11:35None of these impressive things
11:38can transform people.
11:41So the early church grew because
11:43ordinary believers shared the message of
11:46Jesus Christ. Watch this, with
11:48enthusiasm.
11:50They were [clears throat] happy about
11:51it.
11:53They were happy. And I just want to talk
11:54to some of you dead Christians who've
11:56been dead for a while. It's time to
11:59resurrect the spirit and the life of God
12:01in you, man.
12:04If you want people to come taste and see
12:06that your God is good, YOU GOT TO ACT
12:09BETTER, MAN. You got to smile. Your
12:11attitude got to change. Come on now. You
12:13got to act happy. You got to
12:15act like God is good all the time and
12:18all the time God is good.
12:23Acts chapter 5:42, it says, watch this.
12:26This is about the early church now. You
12:27ready for this? It says here, "And every
12:30day in the temple and from house to
12:34house, they continued to preach and
12:37preach this message, Jesus is the
12:39Messiah."
12:41So the growth of the church has always
12:43been, watch this,
12:45connected
12:47uh
12:47always connected people when it comes to
12:50sharing the gospel. The growth of the
12:52church in the early church had to do
12:54with people who are united, who are
12:57connected, and they shared their faith
13:00with excitement.
13:02And this is why unity
13:04matters.
13:07It's important.
13:09As a church, we need to hear this.
13:12Unity is the key. What's going to make
13:14us strong is not wonderful choirs, not
13:18wonderful musicians, not all the
13:21aesthetics and all the stuff that we do
13:23here. It's unity.
13:27Likewise, in your own personal life.
13:30You see, unity opens up the floodgates
13:33of heaven and the blessings that God
13:35will put upon the church. That's why
13:37Paul pleaded with the church in the text
13:40that I just read earlier. He said, "Be
13:43of one mind."
13:46One mind.
13:48Why? United in thought and purpose.
13:53Because unity Unity is one of God's
13:56greatest gift to his people.
14:00Unity strengthens marriages,
14:03strengthens families, strengthens
14:05businesses, communities, and churches.
14:09Unity strengthens marriages.
14:13And I don't know where you get this idea
14:14from that you can be in a marriage and
14:18you both have two different opinions and
14:20purposes and vision.
14:24Your marriage will not survive if you're
14:27not united.
14:31When both of you have two different
14:33visions,
14:35when both of you are working against
14:37each other, competing
14:39against each other, your marriage is not
14:41going to work.
14:45And that's why Paul was saying in the
14:47church If If If the church is going to
14:50survive and by the way, it's not the
14:51building. The church is not the
14:53building.
14:54It's the people.
14:57It's God's people.
14:59So, for those of you who are married, I
15:01want you to understand this. Work on
15:04unity in your marriage.
15:07Not another big house,
15:09not another car,
15:12not remodeling your house,
15:15not doing all OF THESE THINGS WHILE your
15:17marriage is dying. Come on, man.
15:21Because you can have a house, you can
15:22have cars, you can have a career, but if
15:24the person you're living with is not
15:27united with you, it's a divided house.
15:31PREACH BOY.
15:36>> [applause]
15:41>> YOU CAN SUGARCOAT THIS ALL YOU WANT.
15:45Unity strengthens families.
15:48When your family's divided,
15:51at each other's throat,
15:54when when your family's not
15:56praying for each other and complimenting
15:59each other and working towards each
16:01other,
16:02then then your family's not going to be
16:04strong. It's It's not going to max out
16:08their full potential.
16:10Your business.
16:12When there's no unity in the business,
16:13if you're a business owner, when you're
16:15toxic,
16:18when you're not stable mentally,
16:21when your attitude
16:23is not godly,
16:25and you cause division among your
16:27coworkers,
16:29how do you expect your business to
16:30thrive?
16:32Don't you understand the common purpose
16:34of your business is to make a profit?
16:37Why are you taking a gun and shoot
16:39yourself at the same time?
16:41It's crazy.
16:43So, if you run a business, you want your
16:45employees to be united. Don't allow
16:48other employees to come to you and put
16:51stuff in your ears about other
16:53coworkers, and you just run with it and
16:56think that it's true.
16:59Some people are assigned by the devil to
17:01carry news and to spread lies.
17:07>> [applause]
17:07>> So, you have to be a person of wisdom
17:11to be able seek to seek for the truth
17:14and not be biased. Why you want to keep
17:16everybody united? The same thing in the
17:18community, the same thing with the
17:20church.
17:22To keep a church healthy, it needs
17:24unity. That's why Psalm 133 verse 1
17:27declares, "How good and pleasant it is
17:32when God's people" watch this live.
17:36Didn't say sing, it didn't say worship,
17:39it didn't say dance, it didn't say speak
17:42in tongues or preach or have programs
17:45together. It says it is when they live
17:49together in unity.
17:53It's when a church lives together in
17:56unity. HERE'S THE REASON WHY THIS IS
17:58IMPORTANT. A CHURCH CAN strengthen its
18:02potential and BE TRULY EFFECTIVE WHEN
18:06unity is there.
18:10When unity is there.
18:12But unity only reaches its full
18:14potential when it is centered around one
18:18common purpose.
18:20One vision.
18:23Not two, three, four, five visions.
18:26Because without purpose
18:28there is no reason for agreement. If you
18:30don't have a purpose, what are we
18:32agreeing on?
18:34Without vision, there is no reason for
18:37unity.
18:38If we don't have a vision, a clear path
18:40of where we're going
18:42then how are we going to be united?
18:44Without a mission
18:46there is no reason for teamwork. For
18:48teamwork, what's the mission of this
18:50church? Think about that.
18:52What's the mission of the church of the
18:54Lord Jesus Christ? What's the mission of
18:56your marriage? Why did you get married?
19:01Why did you get married yet living
19:03single?
19:11What's the vision for your marriage?
19:15WHY HAVE KIDS
19:17AND CAN'T raise them together?
19:23Perhaps one reason many people struggle
19:25to become effective team players is
19:28because they do not understand the game
19:32they're playing.
19:35One of the things if you just let me
19:36just divert for a little bit to go into
19:39basketball. I don't know if you watched
19:40the game last night.
19:44One of the reason why the Knicks won
19:45last night, them boys were tight. They
19:48were united. They understood the
19:50assignment. They understood the vision.
19:53They knew game five they had to take it.
19:56We're not going back to New York. I
20:00understand going to do New New York
20:02would be great to do it on our term, but
20:05they realized listen, the the Spurs are
20:08good. So, we're not going to waste time.
20:11The mission is let's play together. And
20:14those boys played together and won the
20:18championship. If you are going to win in
20:21your marriage, if you're going to win in
20:22your family, if you're going to win in
20:24your business, if this church is going
20:26to win, we've got to be one.
20:30>> [cheering]
20:32>> Got to be one.
20:35Got to be one.
20:37We got to know what is at stake. We got
20:40to know what the objective is. We got to
20:43know what role we're supposed to play in
20:45the game. Now, some believers think
20:49Christianity is simply about making it
20:51to heaven.
20:53Oh, I just want to make it to heaven.
20:56Right? But God's kingdom is bigger than
20:58just going to heaven. Why did he send
21:00you here?
21:01You came from him.
21:04You mean to tell me that God lacks
21:06planning
21:08when he sent you to the earth just for
21:10you to come here and hurry up and die
21:12and go to heaven?
21:14No, he sent you here for a reason.
21:16He sent you here to partner with people.
21:19He sent you here to network and become a
21:22part of the team to accomplish one
21:25common goal. Proverbs 11:30 says, "The
21:28fruit of the righteous is the tree of
21:31life." Watch this now, "and he who wins
21:35souls
21:37is wise."
21:39God sent us here, brought us into the
21:42kingdom to be disciples.
21:45And when you win souls, in other words,
21:47when you go out and you spread your
21:50faith, the Bible says you are wise. So,
21:52you were never saved to become a
21:55spectator.
21:57You were never saved to become
22:00uh uh uh
22:01you were saved, I should say, to become
22:02a participant, not a spectator.
22:05And from the beginning, God emphasized
22:07partnership. According to Genesis
22:10chapter 2:18, remember, God says it was
22:12not good for the men to be alone. Wasn't
22:16good for him. So, the principle is very
22:18clear here. God never intended for
22:21people to accomplish his purposes alone.
22:27We're stronger when we're together.
22:31We're stronger. As a church, we're
22:33stronger when we unite.
22:36When we don't fight against each other,
22:37we understand our own
22:39um
22:40role in ministry, whether you are
22:42servant leader, whether you are a
22:44minister, an elder, whether you're the
22:46pastor or not, we all understand it's
22:49it's the one kingdom, it's the one God.
22:52We all just play different roles, right?
22:55But but but but but we must work
22:57together because, you know, we're we're
22:59not just here to sit down for those of
23:02you come week after week. It's more than
23:04just coming oh preach me happy, sing me
23:07happy. It's like okay, you're in the
23:09kingdom not to spectate but to
23:12participate.
23:13And and we we can't we can't the pastor
23:16can't do this by himself. The ministers
23:19can't do this. The person sitting next
23:21to you, we can't do it by ourselves
23:23because it's not good for man to do
23:26anything alone.
23:31Your business will succeed more
23:36when you get help.
23:40Your family will succeed more
23:42when everybody do their part.
23:46It's not good for the woman to be
23:48working on the marriage a lot
23:51trying to save it.
23:54And she's doing it by herself.
23:57It's not good when the man alone is
23:59working
24:00let's save this marriage
24:03and the woman is not helping.
24:06It's not GOOD WHEN YOUR PARENTS
24:09ARE SAYING COME ON. WHAT YOU'RE DOING is
24:11wrong.
24:12You're hurting your mother. You're
24:14hurting your father. YOU'RE HURTING THE
24:16FAMILY'S NAME.
24:18They need you.
24:20They need YOU TO PLAY YOUR PART
24:24IN MAKING
24:26God's purpose for your family to
24:28survive.
24:30Think about that for a moment.
24:32God never intended for people to
24:34accomplish his purposes alone.
24:36Everything significant in the kingdom of
24:39God always happens with teamwork.
24:43I want to show you a picture here for a
24:45moment cuz I really want to show you
24:47when it comes to everything about you
24:52has to be centered around please put it
24:54up has to be centered around this common
24:58purpose.
25:00THE DAY YOU UNDERSTAND THE COMMON
25:02PURPOSE. WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?
25:04WHY DID GOD PUT you in the womb of your
25:07mother and placed you on this planet,
25:11connected you with the man you're
25:12dating, connected you with the woman
25:15you're dating, connected you to the
25:17person YOU'RE MARRIED TO? WHY DID HE PUT
25:20you into that family bloodline? WHY DID
25:23HE PUT you in the job that you are at
25:25right now? Why did you did he give you
25:28that that business idea for you to start
25:31that business and now you're running
25:33your own company? Why did you plant YOU
25:37DID HE PLANT YOU AT THE FAITH OF THE
25:39THERE HAS TO BE A REASON.
25:42IT'S BIGGER THAN YOU.
25:46AND WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND THE CORE
25:47PURPOSE, THE COMMON PURPOSE OF YOUR
25:50LIFE, THAT COMMON PURPOSE AND THAT IS TO
25:53FULFILL THE PLAN AND PURPOSE
25:55[clears throat] OF GOD FOR MY LIFE.
25:58THAT EVERYTHING AROUND ME
26:00EVERYTHING around me has to connect to
26:03what does God want for my life. So when
26:05it comes to when it comes to your
26:07marriage,
26:09your marriage IS NEVER ABOUT WHAT you
26:12can get.
26:14YOUR MARRIAGE IS NEVER ABOUT TRYING TO
26:17FIND A MAN WHO CAN SUPPORT YOU. I WANT a
26:20high value man who makes $200,000
26:23and you ain't got nothing yourself.
26:31You missed the mark.
26:33YOU'RE MISSING THE MARK.
26:36YOU'RE MISSING IT. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE?
26:38BECAUSE MARRIAGE, THE Bible says, is
26:41honorable.
26:42IT'S A GOD IDEA.
26:45SO YOUR marriage should be centered
26:48around
26:49pleasing God.
26:52So I'm not going to go into it now with
26:54pride,
26:56being selfish.
26:59I'm not going to go into it with
27:00unforgiveness.
27:05I'm not going to go into my marriage
27:07thinking that I'm going to do some
27:10sneaky stuff, my little private account
27:13here, my little this and that. Y'all
27:15know the sneaky stuff we do.
27:19Because that doesn't fulfill God's
27:20purpose.
27:22When it comes to raising children, you
27:25don't raise them based on your feelings
27:27and based on you know, your culture, you
27:31raise them based on the common purpose,
27:33God's word.
27:35Same thing when it comes to your
27:37business, partnership, your career,
27:39personal development, and even building
27:42God's church. Everything has to be
27:44centered AROUND HIM.
27:47WHAT'S HIS WILL?
27:50Think about that.
27:52What's his will?
27:53So, here's what I want to share with you
27:57uh this morning.
27:59In order for us to reach
28:01our full potential as a church to be
28:03united,
28:05we have to see that number one,
28:08we need to have clarity.
28:11Clarity.
28:12We got to have clarity. Why?
28:15Because you must know where you're
28:16going. In order to fulfill that put put
28:18that back on the screen again the the
28:20the the
28:21the the circle with the Yeah, put that
28:23back. In in order for us
28:26to understand our common purpose,
28:29we have to have clarity.
28:31What is clarity?
28:33Habakkuk chapter 2 says, "Write the
28:36vision. Make it plain." What's your
28:37What's What's your vision?
28:40Where are you going?
28:43Where are you going?
28:49What's your life going to be like the
28:50next 2 years from now?
28:54Think about that.
28:56What's your vision? Write it. Oh, well,
28:58I got it in my head. I'm just going
29:00according to how
29:02you know,
29:03whatever. I'm just going with This is
29:04the big one. I'm going with the flow.
29:10What if the flow ain't right?
29:13What if the flow is not godly? You're
29:16just going to go with the flow?
29:19Every little wind of doctrine blow you,
29:21you just
29:22flow.
29:29I'm just going with the flow.
29:32You need clarity.
29:36The clarity is especially for God's
29:39church.
29:41The vision must be clear.
29:43It's people getting saved. People
29:46getting healed. People getting restored.
29:48People
29:50are discipled.
29:52And people are connected back to God.
29:55That's clarity.
29:58The purpose of the church is not just to
30:00come every week, shout, dance.
30:02It's to
30:04point people to Christ. All of you are
30:06in here today, they're more Listen,
30:08there are more unbelievers outside of
30:11these four walls.
30:13So, we're here
30:15to get filled up,
30:19to be strengthened.
30:20So, as disciples, we go back out there,
30:24and we point people to Christ. Number
30:26two, not only do we need clarity, but
30:29here's the big one, trust.
30:32We need trust.
30:34You got to trust in the foundation
30:37of every successful team. You could we
30:40we could Listen, we got to learn to
30:42trust one another.
30:45We're becoming too suspicious of people.
30:48You don't know me.
30:50And because you don't know me, don't
30:52judge me.
30:58Don't [snorts]
30:59judge me by the gossip of what you've
31:02heard on the street.
31:07You don't know the person sitting next
31:09to you.
31:11So, why are you going to take what
31:12somebody told you
31:14about them
31:16to conclude that's the way they are?
31:19You got to trust in the foundation of
31:21every successful team. Look at what Amos
31:24chapter 3:3 says. I'm almost out of your
31:26way. The Bible says, "Can two walk
31:29together
31:31Come on, say it out.
31:33Can we read that scripture, everybody?
31:35Come on, read.
31:39So, we're not in unity because it's only
31:42about 100 people who read it.
31:44So, that you you flunked the unity test
31:46already.
31:47Okay, let's do it one more time. Read.
31:53That's the word of God. Can two people
31:56walk together
31:59unless they agree?
32:02So, when trust when trust is absent
32:06when it is not there, unity becomes
32:08difficult.
32:10When trust is present, progress becomes
32:12possible. Number three, we need
32:15self-denial.
32:17The kingdom of God requires putting
32:19God's agenda above our own. Jesus said
32:21this in Luke 10 in Luke 9, I should say,
32:2323. If anyone desires to come after me,
32:27let him do what? Deny himself first. Let
32:31him deny himself and take up his cross
32:34daily and follow me. Number four, we got
32:36to see the bigger picture. It's seeing
32:39the bigger picture. Many people sabotage
32:42their future because their actions do
32:45not align with their goals.
32:50You want a healthy church?
32:53We got to check our attitude.
32:57You can't say you want a healthy healthy
32:59church, you want a church where you can
33:00go and the word of God is being fed
33:02there and you're not doing the right
33:04thing
33:06to foster that kind of a church.
33:09You can't say you want a healthy
33:11marriage, but doing everything opposite
33:16to getting a healthy marriage.
33:19You can't say you want a job
33:22and you want God to give you resources
33:24when you're doing everything to get
33:26fired.
33:33Just can't.
33:35And then you're going to blame it on the
33:36devil. The devil is attacking you. No.
33:43So,
33:45let me leave you with this.
33:47Here are three simple ways every
33:50believer can help reach the unchurched.
33:53And then I'll let you go.
33:55Please stick with me. Don't leave me.
33:59Here's what
34:00I want to conclude this sermon on and I
34:03know it's not a message that's the norm
34:06where, you know, I can preach and you
34:09shout and you throw your handkerchief at
34:11me and preach, boy, and I I get it.
34:15You know, I I I am I'm I'm really never
34:18I'm never really a preacher. I'm a
34:19teacher of the word of God. That's just
34:21my style. I I'm sorry. That's just me.
34:24I'm not saying preaching is bad or
34:26whatever. I'm sticking to being me.
34:31Come on now. All right?
34:33But here's what I really want to
34:36challenge every one of you. Three
34:39things. Number one,
34:41plant the seed of God's word wherever
34:43you go.
34:46That's all.
34:48It's not hard.
34:51It's not hard. Just plant the seed of
34:54the word of God.
34:55You got a mouth.
34:57You were the ONE SCREAMING LAST NIGHT AT
34:59THE TELEVISION.
35:01GO KNICKS!
35:02AH,
35:03>> [screaming]
35:03>> GOD, HE MISSED IT. YOU DID THAT WITH
35:05EXCITEMENT. WHY CAN'T YOU DO THAT for
35:08God?
35:17Think about that.
35:19Life goes on. For those of you who are
35:21rooting for the Spurs and and
35:24you were mad, but you're going to go to
35:26work tomorrow.
35:29You're going to go later. You're going
35:30to do You're going to do life.
35:32Everything's going to be fine.
35:34So why
35:36is it when you pray for something and it
35:39doesn't happen,
35:40you're mad at God? You stop going to
35:43church. You stop praying and so forth.
35:46You didn't do that when the Spurs lost.
35:48Your life continues.
35:51Watch your attitude.
35:56Just plant the seed of the word of God.
35:58Jesus taught in parables of the sower
36:01that the seed is the word. Luke 8:11.
36:05So you may not be able to save
36:09anybody.
36:11But you can plant the seed.
36:14You can share the scripture.
36:17You can share your testimony.
36:20And you can encourage someone who's
36:22struggling.
36:23You can remind someone that God has not
36:26forgotten them.
36:28So, never underestimate the power of
36:30planting the seed. You got a cell phone?
36:34You've got a Facebook page.
36:37You got an Instagram page.
36:40TikTok page.
36:42You're always on it.
36:44Look how many hours you spend on your
36:46phone every day.
36:49And you mean to tell me you can't plant
36:51the seed of the word of God?
36:55You can't tell You mean to tell me out
36:56of 24 hours, you might be on the phone
36:59for 10 hours for that day.
37:02And and you mean to tell me for 10
37:04hours, watch this, you can forward
37:08junk to other people.
37:11You see stuff on social media that
37:14sometimes is not Christian-like, yet
37:17still you forward it.
37:21You repo- That's the term, repost.
37:25That repost. Excuse me.
37:28I said forward, you repost.
37:32You like.
37:34You follow.
37:36When was the last time
37:38you posted on your social media? Watch
37:41this, just a scripture.
37:45It's possibly you didn't do it in a long
37:47time. Why?
37:49Cuz you haven't read
37:51the word.
37:53How can you post what you don't know?
38:03So go.
38:04I challenge you this week.
38:07Every day, post a scripture.
38:11Simple things, God loves you.
38:14When you see a friend post something and
38:16and I don't know why people do it.
38:18They're on social media. It's it's crazy
38:20how people put their business out there.
38:25People sit in their car and they just
38:28tell some of their most private,
38:30intimate
38:32business.
38:33I don't know how.
38:36And
38:37just post, "Hey,
38:39praying for you.
38:41God is with you.
38:43Hey, been there, done that.
38:46God did it for me.
38:47He can do it for you."
38:50Cuz you never know who's scrolling,
38:53who's looking. Watch this.
38:55And they're just looking for something
38:56positive.
38:59Can I be honest with you today?
39:01It is hard to find positivity
39:05on social media today.
39:08It's hard.
39:10It's hard.
39:11So, share that.
39:13Secondly, here's what I want you to do.
39:15Show people love.
39:18Show them the love of Jesus.
39:20Before many people listen to our
39:22message, they will watch, watch this,
39:24they'll watch our behavior.
39:27John 13:35 says, "By this, everyone will
39:30know that you are my disciples."
39:33Not how you sing.
39:36Not how well the pastor preaches.
39:38People will know that you are God's
39:40disciples when you walk in love. People
39:43are surrounded by criticism every day,
39:46division, and negativity.
39:48When they encounter you,
39:51let them witness kindness. Let them
39:54witness the grace of God. Let them
39:56witness forgiveness. Forgiveness. I'm
39:59talking genuine forgiveness. Stop being
40:01so critical.
40:05Especially believers, stop being so
40:07critical. It make every time it's always
40:09negativity.
40:12It's always. You see somebody fall, you
40:14see somebody do You don't have to
40:16quickly
40:17See, you reap what you sow.
40:24But for the grace of God
40:27why you're not down on the ground.
40:30And some of you have fallen, you just
40:33act like you haven't.
40:36Come on now.
40:38Number three, and I'm done with this.
40:41Invite people to the house of God.
40:45Invite people.
40:47Cuz many people, watch this, are one
40:50invitation away
40:53from a changed life.
40:57You know what I'm longing for?
41:00Cuz I've been in the church all my life.
41:02I grew up in church. I don't know
41:04nothing else.
41:07And I remember the days, not that the
41:09church back then didn't have problems
41:11like the scripture we read. Paul
41:14was addressing the Corinthians church
41:16because there was division
41:18in the church.
41:20So, it's been from biblical days.
41:23But one of the things I miss as a young
41:25man, when I was a little boy, in my
41:27teens at church,
41:31the house of God was a safe haven.
41:35It was a place of love.
41:39I remember those mothers,
41:41even though they were kind of tough and
41:43difficult,
41:45but I remember how love was
41:47demonstrated.
41:49Come here, boy.
41:51Come here.
41:52Come here, girl. Come here.
41:55Let me pray with you.
41:57The love that they had.
42:01People didn't judge you.
42:03They don't care what you have on.
42:06You can come in here.
42:08It don't matter.
42:10People not quick to judge you
42:13on the base on what they see on the
42:15outside.
42:16They always look at what's in your
42:18heart.
42:20I miss those days
42:23because the church of the Lord Jesus
42:25Christ, I'm talking about churches
42:27generally now.
42:29I've become so divided.
42:32That we miss
42:34the main purpose
42:36of why we exist.
42:40It has become about the preacher now.
42:44We've made celebrities out of preachers.
42:48We've idolized our status in church, our
42:51positions.
42:55We have made it a place where we we
42:58going to have to have our comfortable
42:59chair, our section.
43:03And we will lose our salvation.
43:07If we don't get to be seated where we're
43:09supposed to be.
43:12We we we we we we become so toxic.
43:18That we've missed the mission.
43:22We sit in church and we spectate.
43:26I'm talking about Christians. You what
43:28everything you're looking for everything
43:31that's wrong.
43:33These young people that are here, yes,
43:35they're different. They are completely
43:37different
43:39from my generation.
43:41But we're quick to criticize.
43:45Cuz we have lost the love.
43:50It's gone.
43:52We don't know how to say, "Hey,
43:55you're going to make it, man."
43:57I I don't care. I don't care
44:00how you feel.
44:01You're going to make it.
44:03Because sometimes, watch this, don't
44:06ever forget this.
44:09People are hurting so much internally
44:14that they dress it externally.
44:22And if you are
44:23so spiritual, you miss it.
44:28The greatest Give me your sir, please.
44:33And I'll And I pray for those of you
44:35need prayer this morning.
44:37See, this is where we've gotten it
44:39wrong. We think the greatest
44:40demonstration of God's love
44:43you know, you need to become a
44:45Christian, man, and you need to get your
44:47life together, man, cuz I'm telling you
44:49don't want to die and go to hell, man.
44:51You know, God loves you. Yes, man, he
44:53loves you, man, and so forth, man, and
44:56so forth, man, but yeah, you know, that
44:57don't really match that, but anyway,
45:00but the Lord bless you and
45:02that's that's that's that's not how you
45:06do it. You want me to show you the
45:07greatest demonstration of love? Watch
45:09this. The greatest demonstration of
45:12love, watch this, is not what you say.
45:16Cuz there are many of you are married to
45:18people who told you they love you.
45:24Show me.
45:28Don't tell me you love me. Show me.
45:33Don't buy me another jewelry. Don't buy
45:35me another ring. Don't buy me another
45:37bracelet. Cuz listen, until you show me,
45:41you don't love me.
45:49The greatest way we're going to win the
45:50unchurched
45:52is not what we say.
45:57How you doing, man? Bless you.
46:03>> [music]
46:04>> That's the message.
46:07That's the message.
46:09That's the message.
46:12For God so loved
46:15Bow your heads with me, Father.
46:18Thank you
46:20that you spoke to us today.
46:24You're trying to build a solid church, a
46:26church
46:28that will truly live out
46:30its potential.
46:33And that is to know you.
46:37Not just in what we say, but in how we
46:40act.
46:43That we be Christ-like at home, we be
46:45Christ-like on the job, we be
46:47Christ-like in the marketplace.
46:50So, when we come to your house,
46:53it's not a fake.
46:55It's real.
47:00Because there's so many people who you
47:02want to bring into the kingdom.
47:05And the message you want us
47:07believers to preach
47:09is the message of love.
47:11Somebody is hearing my voice today, God,
47:15who's streaming somebody in this house.
47:18They're not
47:19a Christian, they don't know you.
47:22And the truth is, it's not that they
47:23don't love you.
47:26It's just that they want to be loved
47:29into loving you.
47:32They want to be loved
47:35into loving you.
47:37So today
47:40I believe that woman is in this house,
47:41that man is in this house,
47:46looking for love in the wrong places.
47:51They haven't found it yet.
47:54Because only you,
47:58the author of love
48:02can love them
48:04and teach them how to love. So, I pray
48:07that today they'll just say yes to you.
48:11They'll simply say yes to you. Now, do
48:13me a favor. Every head bow, every eye
48:15close.
48:17I don't want this to be long cuz this is
48:18last thing we're going to do, but
48:22if you sense [music] that God is
48:24speaking to you and
48:27and you know that you lack this love
48:30that I'm preaching about
48:33and you want to meet the maker of this
48:35love
48:36you want God in your life. It's not
48:38going to take long.
48:40I just need you don't Don't even think
48:42about it. Don't even hesitate. Move from
48:44your seat quickly.
48:46And I want you to come right down here.
48:49I want to pray for you and then I'll let
48:50you go. You say, "Pastor, [music] this
48:52word was for me." Don't don't look at
48:53nobody else.
48:55Don't Please, do not look at anybody
48:57else. Keep your head bowed. Don't look
48:59at anybody else. You know this word was
49:01for you. I want you to get down here.
49:04Come on. Push your way. Push your way.
49:06[music]
49:06Get down here. Come on. Push your way.
49:09Push your way. Come on. Come on. Come
49:12on. You know this was for you.
49:14>> [music]
49:14>> You know this was for you.
49:16We going to pray with you. We going to
49:17let you go. Thank you. Thank you. Thank
49:19you.
49:20Thank you.
49:22God wants you to max out your full
49:24potential.
49:26Trust me.
49:27Do not let the devil
49:29rob you of your best self.
49:34Come on.
49:36Your whole entire life can be radically
49:38transformed
49:41when you embrace this love that I'm
49:43preaching about.
49:45God bless you. God bless [music] you.
49:47They're coming.
49:48They're coming.
49:50Come on. Put your hands together now and
49:51thank God for these people.
49:54>> [music]
49:57>> Now listen,
49:59I want to pray with you. I want to pray
50:01with you and I want everybody would you
50:03stand, [music] would you stand, we're
50:04getting ready to go.
50:06We're going to
50:07we're getting ready to go.
50:10Pray.
50:11Thank you ministers for helping us out
50:13here. Thank you.
50:15They're still coming. They're still
50:17coming.
50:18They're still coming.
50:21Man, this took Can somebody just give
50:23God a praise again?
50:25>> [music]
50:27>> Yes.
50:30Amen.
50:33I'm going to pray with you now, but
50:34listen [music] to me.
50:36The best thing you can do for yourself,
50:38trust this guy when I tell you this, the
50:40best thing you can do for yourself
50:43is to ask God like David, create in me
50:48a clean heart.
50:51Forgive people who have hurt you.
50:54I know it's hard,
50:56but you got to let it go.
50:58You got to forgive people
51:01and start learning to love yourself.
51:05And embrace the love that he has given
51:07you. I'm telling you, when you embrace
51:10the love that he has given you, it would
51:13radically change your life. Stop being
51:16bitter.
51:18Stop it.
51:20Stop allowing the devil to pull you into
51:22being toxic.
51:24Listen, there's a song out there in the
51:26world that says, "They're not like us."
51:32They're not like us, so don't act like
51:36them.
51:38You're from God's kingdom,
51:40so you act differently.
51:43Are you hearing me? Lift your hands if
51:45you're standing here. Lift your hands.
51:47Come on. Lift it up. Lift it up.
51:49Father, I pray for these individuals now
51:54as they come to embrace the love that
51:57you have for them today.
51:59You know each and every one of them.
52:02You know the condition that they're in.
52:05You know what they're struggling with.
52:07I pray
52:09together as if the church stands with
52:11me. We pray for them. Stretch your hands
52:13towards them, congregation.
52:15We pray as a family, church family,
52:20over every man standing here, every
52:22woman standing here today.
52:24They've heard the word. Father, I pray
52:27>> [music]
52:27>> that every word spoken today
52:30will linger in their hearts. It will
52:32transform them. They will become the
52:34best versions of themselves. I pray
52:38that, Father, they will now walk in love
52:40because you are love. You live on the
52:42inside of them. Greater is he who is in
52:45them than he that is in the world.
52:47Transform them. I see them in the future
52:51and they look a whole lot better than
52:53they look right now. Thank you for the
52:56transformation in their lives now. And
53:00Father, thank you for these precious
53:02people. Thank you for the people who are
53:03streaming today. Thank you for this
53:05word. And Father, we will confess with
53:08our mouth that Jesus is Lord. Every one
53:11of you now are standing here, repeat
53:13after me, Lord Jesus.
53:15>> Lord Jesus.
53:15>> I confess my sins before you.
53:18>> I confess [music] my sins before
53:19>> I embrace the free gift of salvation.
53:22>> I embrace
53:23the free gift of salvation.
53:24>> I declare that I'm born again.
53:26>> I declare
53:27that I'm born
53:27>> In Jesus' name.
53:29>> In Jesus' name.
53:30>> Amen. Give God a praise, would you?
53:34Now, stay right here. Stay right here.
53:37We're going to dismiss, but ministers, I
53:38just felt led to do this. I don't want
53:41you all to leave cuz I think, like I
53:44demonstrated today, the greatest act of
53:46love is showing it. So, I want all the
53:49ministers and people who felt led, we
53:51going to give you a big hug. We going to
53:54encourage you. All right, we going to
53:55encourage you. Would you do that? Lift
53:57your hands everybody and let's say
53:59together, "Faith in God will move
54:02mountains out of our lives." Come on.
54:05Hug each other. Ministers, come on hug
54:07them. Come on.
54:08Come Come and hug them.