Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome to the World Changers Church Gold Coast Podcast. Join us as we listen to today's message.
[00:00:09] All right. Good morning, good morning, good morning, good morning.
[00:00:13] Bless the Lord.
[00:00:15] Make your way back to your seats. You got another minute.
[00:00:18] You got another minute.
[00:00:20] So happy to see this happening. Welcome to World Changers.
[00:00:24] Amen. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Tina.
[00:00:31] Welcome, welcome, welcome.
[00:00:34] I'm not going to try and rush them talking. It's a great thing.
[00:00:38] Yeah, everyone talk.
[00:00:43] It's a pastor's test. I hope I'm passing today.
[00:00:49] Man, when your glasses aren't clean and you get up here, it's a mess.
[00:00:57] I need new glasses anyway.
[00:01:00] You got a guy, is it?
[00:01:03] Yeah. You got a glass cleaner?
[00:01:05] Do you have one with you right now?
[00:01:08] Let me have it. Let me borrow it.
[00:01:13] Thanks, Michelle.
[00:01:15] Do you mind if I share?
[00:01:17] Do you mind if I share?
[00:01:23] It is.
[00:01:25] Amen.
[00:01:26] Good morning, everybody. How are you doing? Praise the Lord.
[00:01:32] Let's get a wave going starting from this side.
[00:01:37] Father, we thank you for your grace. We thank you for this opportunity to minister to your precious sheep.
[00:01:44] We thank you, God, that you are good.
[00:01:49] You are good. I am so amazed this morning at your presence, your gift, your light, your grace. In Jesus name, amen. You know, I got to share something with you before I start this morning.
[00:01:59] Get out of this line a little bit.
[00:02:03] Worship was amazing this morning, and, you know, I've seen Michelle and Jeremy journey through a lot of things, but I am so impressed with Michelle this morning.
[00:02:17] Not because of her gift, not because of her worship that's the Lord's, but her faith.
[00:02:24] This morning, I tried to get her to stay home.
[00:02:27] She called me and said, my mom's coming to pick me up and we're bringing the kids. And she said, why did she need to be picked up? Well, last night, their house got broken into and both their cars got stolen.
[00:02:38] And you're like, wow, you're just as surprised as I am. Did you see her up here?
[00:02:45] Did she look like she was crying?
[00:02:48] Did she look like she was cracking? No, she was worshiping. She even leaned over to Alex at one point during worship, said, we're thankful, aren't we, Alex?
[00:02:57] I'm like, wow, never have I seen such faith.
[00:03:04] And we're blessed this morning to see that. And it was an example to me this morning of what it takes sometimes in life to be happy and to be. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength when life has presented you another opportunity. Amen.
[00:03:19] So praise the Lord. If you have a car and you'd like to give Michelle One, she was looking for a car.
[00:03:25] Tuesday.
[00:03:26] Tuesday, okay.
[00:03:31] I mean, Father, we bless you with houses that you did not build and cars you did not buy, and every which way that the enemy tried to touch your life. He has to return sevenfold by spiritual law because God has commanded it and the thief has been identified. And therefore, as the thief is identified under spiritual law in Leviticus, he has to return sevenfold to this house.
[00:03:55] We command it and send angels to work for it right now in Jesus name, and everyone says amen.
[00:04:07] Hallelujah.
[00:04:09] So this morning I had another moment.
[00:04:11] Last week I got up feeling, like, jittery. This morning I got up going, what in the world is going on? I said, God, what are we gonna preach today? And I won't let you in on all the other thoughts. Cause that's me and God's walk. And.
[00:04:25] And because I'm thinking we're going to start the series right. You know, I said that last week. And the Lord said, no, I think you'll talk about following God, trusting God's ways over human logic.
[00:04:40] I said, yep, so Tina is going to preach today.
[00:04:49] I don't know about you, but I don't always do well at that.
[00:04:53] Do you ever get to the point where what God's telling you to do, you're like, huh?
[00:04:57] I mean, that time when you're in the grocery line and that person's like, trying to find their money and then they, you know, they're having to put things back and God's like, buy their groceries, you're like, hmm, they have Centerlink.
[00:05:11] But those are the times we need to obey because God is doing something more than for that person or for that situation. God's actually doing something in you.
[00:05:21] Your obedience is not about just obeying. Because God said, your obedience is doing something in you. And for the past few years, I've gotten comfortable preaching sermonettes and having everything planned out. And I've got quite comfortable in that space. And God said, I would love to just make you uncomfortable because the spirit of God doesn't always make sense. So today I'd like to talk to you about the beautiful journey of following God.
[00:05:47] How many are on that path?
[00:05:49] Now you say that, but how many have actually given up things that you didn't want to give up, done things you didn't want to do, said things you didn't want to say, prayed things you didn't want to pray, Love people you didn't want to love.
[00:06:06] Everybody put up your hands and your feet.
[00:06:09] Amen. Now that got up there. Look at that.
[00:06:13] I'm getting younger.
[00:06:15] I'm just kidding. That's gonna hurt later.
[00:06:19] Oh, and yes, I rebuke that in Jesus name. Thank you sister, for having my back. Who said that? Come on, sister. That's what I need more of.
[00:06:30] So in the last 25 years, I've learned that walking in the spirit defies logic, it defies human reasoning, and sometimes it goes against everything we want to do. Amen.
[00:06:45] Because it doesn't line up with the world's standards, it doesn't line up with what everyone says. And people actually question us and go, what are you doing?
[00:06:56] And to be honest, man, that's what brought me to faith is seeing radical people living radical lives and just following God. Now they didn't sell everything. They didn't do crazy stuff. They were just happy.
[00:07:08] You know, in a world that's so broken, happiness is a strange thing.
[00:07:12] But being happy and being joy filled against all odds is actually following God.
[00:07:17] Having a positive attitude about something that isn't positive is actually following God. Having a voice of victory while feeling defeated is actually a voice of God and following God. Amen.
[00:07:30] I don't know about you, but I'm looking for more of that in my life.
[00:07:35] But see, following God isn't about trusting only his ways. It's about trusting his ways above your own in the world that often pushes us to rely on what we see and understand.
[00:07:49] We need to remember that God's wisdom is different. So let's look at some scriptures today. So I don't have a manuscript.
[00:07:56] That's the only part I had written out. And the rest are just scriptures. And we're going to see what God says because that's what he told me to do. Hallelujah.
[00:08:04] So let's look at Proverbs 3, 5, 6, a very common scripture.
[00:08:08] It says, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths.
[00:08:19] So let's talk about that for a second. When it comes to following God, we have grace, we have favor, we have a measure of faith. We have all these things operating in our lives. But let's really look at what that's saying. That is saying that true wisdom begins with surrender and not self reliance.
[00:08:36] This is not just about trust.
[00:08:39] This is not just about putting God here. This is not just about being spirit led. It's literally about surrender instead of self reliance.
[00:08:50] How many of you know how to make money? Do a business? Don't raise your hand because I don't Want to expose you, but you know how to make money. You know how to do a business. You know how to cook. You know how to bake a cake. You know how to do stuff right, and you know how to do it your way, right?
[00:09:04] What if God tells you to do it differently?
[00:09:08] What if God sends somebody to unction you to do it differently?
[00:09:14] Your first response would be like, I know how to cook?
[00:09:17] What you mean, get out my kitchen?
[00:09:19] I know how to run my business? What you mean, get out my books?
[00:09:25] Our first response is to say, I know what I'm doing.
[00:09:29] What if God's calling us to not only know what we're doing, but believe in him while we're doing it?
[00:09:36] Amen.
[00:09:38] And maybe it's not always about knowing what to do. Maybe it's about knowing that God said, do it.
[00:09:45] Maybe it's not about our wisdom. Maybe it's not about our knowledge. Maybe it's not about our education.
[00:09:49] Maybe it's about being the right person in the right place at the right time and being the blessing that God's called you to be.
[00:09:56] Because sometimes you're the right fit, but under qualified. Sometimes you're the right person, but not the right race.
[00:10:05] Sometimes you're the right person and maybe the wrong gender.
[00:10:10] Ooh, it doesn't matter.
[00:10:14] When God has called you, be faithful to the fact to let him direct your paths and be led by the spirit if you're a spiritual being instead of be led by intellect. If you set it up in the flesh, it will fall by the flesh. If you set it up in the spirit, it will grow in the spirit.
[00:10:32] Amen.
[00:10:34] Trust the wisdom of God that begins with your surrender.
[00:10:40] This morning, when I was thinking about my surrender, you know, I was squirming, coffee, talking to Paddy. Team huddle.
[00:10:49] You know, I'm thinking when Paddy did the remembrance, I was like, cool, let's just get up and end this thing. I don't want to talk about this.
[00:10:55] I struggle, too. I go through things too. I sometimes find it hard to do what God says do. I'm not perfect.
[00:11:03] If I was perfect, Jesus wouldn't have to die on the cross. And he just called men to keep doing and.
[00:11:08] But somewhere along the way, men couldn't do what the law called us to do. So he sent Jesus to fulfill it so that we could have the spirit to be able to follow him and to do it pleasing unto him and have spiritual maturity. It's not about it being perfect. It's not about it being all together. It's not about the blueprint being all, like, laid out in abc. It's literally about, we need a savior and we need to follow the Spirit. Amen.
[00:11:32] First Corinthians 1:25.
[00:11:36] Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
[00:11:45] God's foolishness, think about this, is more effective than the best human effort, the best human wisdom.
[00:11:56] So when God. You know what? When God tells you to do something, realize that it's going to be foolishness to men and people of the flesh, but it's going to be intense, impactful in the spirit.
[00:12:06] This morning I got up, I was wearing a different shirt. Let me tell you about foolishness. I thought I could take that water cooler and tilt it and fit it up in the trailer. And I got baptized, and so did the food trailer.
[00:12:21] And I just walked away and laughed.
[00:12:24] I think people were expecting a different reaction. I froze until Tina got here with a different shirt. That's about the only reaction I had.
[00:12:32] But it was foolishness.
[00:12:34] That's not the foolishness I'm talking about.
[00:12:37] I'm talking about going against logic sometimes. I'm talking about changing jobs when you don't need to. I'm talking about saying things that are the truth that you really don't want to say because it's not political and it's not right. I'm talking about following him because the outcome will be so much greater. Trusting God weighs much more, much, much more than trusting man.
[00:13:05] Abraham did the same thing in Hebrews 11 and 8.
[00:13:08] Think about this.
[00:13:10] We talk about Abraham by faith. Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive an inheritance. And he went out not knowing where he was going.
[00:13:23] Faith sometimes means stepping into the unknown and trusting the one who leads. Now, the beautiful thing is I was in Petra.
[00:13:30] I got to see the Nebuchene, hieroglyphs and petroglyphs, and I got to see all the cutouts and stones and tombs and idols. And I got to see the history of the Silk Road. And I realized that I'm standing in the place where Abraham walked.
[00:13:47] You know what I mean?
[00:13:49] And this is the very place where he smashed idols and stepped out. And can I tell you, it's not like going down to the park or I'll just go down to Helensville. It was a journey.
[00:14:02] The journey I was on took buses, planes, trains, and 22,000 steps a day to follow the footsteps of Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus.
[00:14:15] And so when I imagine this scripture, I, you know, it's like, he just stepped outside, walked around the block, turned a couple lefts and rights, and he was there.
[00:14:24] Oh, man. It was a three year, if not longer journey. If it was a year, it was months. It was telling people, let's just take all of our goats and our sheep and our donkeys, and let's just start walking.
[00:14:39] What if God told you that today? Hey, Tina.
[00:14:44] So the Lord spoke to me today.
[00:14:48] Yeah, we're just gonna, you know, if the kids want to come, we're just gonna step out the front door with a few bags, maybe some tents and swags, and just start walking.
[00:15:00] No, it wouldn't work in today's standards because that doesn't meet our theory.
[00:15:06] But maybe that's what's wrong. We're so comfortable in these lives that if God called us to do something radical. Now, I'm not saying he's calling you to do that, because we're not trying to create a wildlife commune here.
[00:15:26] It'll hit all of you at different stages.
[00:15:29] You'll get it in a second.
[00:15:32] We're not trying to create that. But what we are trying to create is to remove the hesitancy in saying yes to God.
[00:15:44] And the reason that there's so many opportunities to say yes is that everyone believes they're following God. But what if there is just one narrow way?
[00:15:54] What if it's not about all of our ministries and all of our institutions and organizations and businesses and we. What if there is just one path that we're all supposed to be on and being a light to the world? I think the Bible talks about that.
[00:16:11] What if it's not as complicated as it sounds? What if it's just as simple as stepping out your front door and realizing that we're supposed to be light and salt, that we're supposed to, as you go, make disciples? What if it's so simple and not that complicated that it's just simply shining, being happy?
[00:16:32] I'll let you think about that for a second.
[00:16:35] Faith sometimes means stepping into the unknown and trusting the one who leads. Amen.
[00:16:44] My wife would have to trust me if I said, hey, hon, leave everything behind.
[00:16:51] Just a couple swags, water bottles, a couple of umbrellas, maybe.
[00:16:57] Let's just start walking. They would have to be a trust. And I can tell you right now, if I said that today, she'd be like, you've lost it.
[00:17:04] You did that twice. I actually said to her, I'm called to preach. And she goes, you've married the wrong woman.
[00:17:10] What was the other one?
[00:17:14] Moved to South Carolina oh, that one. That one was harder. Oh, my gosh.
[00:17:22] Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's three then.
[00:17:24] So the first time we decided to follow God. I'm praying because Alex is screaming in the background. And then the Lord knows, when you got children that are crying, you pray every prayer known to man. I mean, yeah, I'm not going to do that right now.
[00:17:37] And he's crying. He's crying in the background like, lord, help me be a father. And God says, one day, I'll move you to Australia.
[00:17:44] That was year one of his life. I'd forgotten about that. And I looked at her, and then he goes, you're gonna be a pastor. So I looked at Tina and said the only part that would make sense to me and said, I'm gonna be a pastor one day. And she goes, you've married the wrong woman.
[00:17:58] Then we got there was a call to a church in Greenville, South Carolina, for me to pastor at 28, which was a little bit of proving ground in God doing some amazing things in me. And she had a corporate job. She was traveling the country. She was training people. She was high up in the bank system. And I'm like, we're going to move down into a trailer, and our kids, all of them are going to sleep in one bed.
[00:18:25] And I don't know what I'm going to do for a job, but maybe I'll just go work at, like, a Bunnings or something.
[00:18:32] I'm just going to stop being a developer. We're going to sell our businesses. You're going to leave your cushiony job, and we're going to make hardly anything, and it's going to be great.
[00:18:44] It wasn't.
[00:18:46] And then when God said, go to Australia, pack up everything at almost 40, and for the third time in your life, reboot your life, sell everything and go to a place you do not know that has some of the most deadliest insects in the world.
[00:19:05] And God just created all of the deadliest snakes here as well.
[00:19:12] And if you want to cool off, the things that will kill you are in the water.
[00:19:18] Even the little jellyfish. They're cute and cuddly. No, they're not.
[00:19:22] Okay, moving on.
[00:19:25] So that in 2nd Corinthians 5, 7 is the call to follow God, that is to live by faith, not by sight.
[00:19:31] Sometimes your greatest decisions don't make sense. Naturally, moving to Australia with three kids and having to leave our beautiful dogs behind is not easy.
[00:19:43] Being here for nine years, doing it the right way, not coming in through the side path, doing it as a religious organization and having to face every hurdle that the Australian government could throw at us. If I'd have just had a lot of money or did a business or said I was opening up a school, I'd have been here in 50 seconds.
[00:20:02] But doing it the right way and building it God's way is taking nine years.
[00:20:09] Sometimes you gotta walk by faith and not by sight. Some of your greatest choices are gonna be when you don't do it the easy way, when you truly follow Jesus.
[00:20:21] Amen.
[00:20:23] And some of the greatest choices are when you're doing it hard and God says, you know, this can be easier.
[00:20:30] Kingdom living means trusting the invisible more than the visible.
[00:20:36] I know how you feel.
[00:20:39] Y' all can come in here with all your cliches, act like you don't ever get mad, but y' all got something I got. You know what it is?
[00:20:47] It's called flesh.
[00:20:49] You might be better at holding it back.
[00:20:53] You might be better at keeping it quiet. But let me tell you something. If you still living, you got things that you still surrendering.
[00:21:02] Amen. And you need Jesus just as much as I do.
[00:21:06] And that means you're denying what you see. You're taking every thought captive. You're confessing, you're declaring and you're keeping. And when you've done all else, you're standing and standing even. The more you're putting on the whole armor of God. I'm not talking about you're sitting there being pitiful. I'm saying you're doing everything you can. And when you reach the last moment that passes your understanding, you're letting the prince of peace give you peace so you can keep going. That is what I'm talking about.
[00:21:31] I'm not talking about the. Oh, my life. No, get past that, honey. Grow up.
[00:21:36] Stop feeling bad for yourself and be honest with yourself and let God just take you to a whole new place.
[00:21:43] Amen. Because this world will conform you. God wants to transform you.
[00:21:49] Amen.
[00:21:50] Romans 12:2 says, do not conform.
[00:21:54] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is good and acceptable in the perfect will of God. God cares so much about you that he wants to change how you think. Because as a man thinks so, is he out of abundance of the heart? The mouth speaks.
[00:22:14] Listen, when I said that earlier, who was that? That was Jules. When I said, oh, that's gonna hurt later. You know, that's a friend.
[00:22:20] That's a sister. I rebuke that a bystander would Just be like, yeah, you go ahead, joker. That's funny. Hallelujah. She cares about me. So she's like, no, I rebuke that in Jesus name. She was holding me accountable in that moment. Holding me accountable. Words. That's the type of people you need walking on your journey.
[00:22:38] Don't be a Moses. Don't bring a bunch of people that just want to whine all the time.
[00:22:42] God didn't call you to that.
[00:22:45] Amen. You get you some strong brothers and sisters, some fellow lions, and let's roar together. Amen.
[00:22:53] God didn't call you to be weak or struggle. God called you to fill the land with his glory and to show the earth that he is real.
[00:23:00] Hey man, I'm tired of bulldog Christians.
[00:23:04] You know what a bulldog Christian is? I don't know if I have much jaws anymore. I've lost some weight. But they got that face, right? Like a bulldog face. And every time they talk, every time they look at you, they just look like they want to bite you, right? That's a bulldog Christian. That doesn't make me want to get saved.
[00:23:25] You. Can I tell you something? Following God doesn't look like you complaining about how the devil's been on you all week and how the government ain't doing what it's supposed to do and how it needs to follow Jesus. Jesus ain't in your social media, honey, but everybody else is using his name.
[00:23:42] Amen.
[00:23:43] Stop letting the things of this world lead you and follow God.
[00:23:49] God's ways requires a new mind and a non conforming spirit.
[00:23:58] Honey, if it ain't Jesus, I don't want nothing to do with it.
[00:24:02] Amen.
[00:24:04] If it don't smell like Jesus, tastes like Jesus, feel like Jesus.
[00:24:09] Mm hmm. We need an organ. Mm mm.
[00:24:12] I don't want nothing to do with it.
[00:24:15] You know what I'm saying?
[00:24:17] Now you don't know how I was feeling this morning. You have no idea.
[00:24:20] You don't know where I was at before you came in this morning. This takes a lot of faith.
[00:24:25] Amen.
[00:24:27] Y' all have no idea.
[00:24:29] God's ways requires a renewed mind and a non conforming spirit.
[00:24:37] While you compromising and conforming, God's just looking at you saying, I'm just waiting on you to follow me.
[00:24:46] Somebody said you gonna dye your beard.
[00:24:50] It's like a random thing to say right in the middle of a message, right? Yeah, I know, I know. It's just how I am. It's adhd. I don't have it. But it's like that just didn't want to get rebuked.
[00:25:05] You were ready.
[00:25:07] I saw you like, amen.
[00:25:10] And I said, uh, why?
[00:25:14] Well, don't you want to stay looking young? No.
[00:25:17] I will gracefully grow old, but wax younger in age.
[00:25:23] Amen.
[00:25:24] I will be my age. I don't need to look like I'm 20. Y' all seen people that trying to stay looking like they're 20. Their foreheads don't move.
[00:25:33] That was wrong.
[00:25:36] That was wrong. When they smile, their cheeks to stay in place. I'm sorry.
[00:25:43] Their lips look like ducks. I need to stop. I need to stop.
[00:25:47] But I don't want to look like that. I would rather look my age and be happy with me.
[00:25:55] My wife looked at me one day and she says, am I still beautiful? I'm going to say something y' all need to be grown about. And I said, no, you look beautiful. You don't look beautiful on it, but you still sexy.
[00:26:06] That's my wife. I can talk to her about her like that.
[00:26:11] She will never change. In my mind, in my heart, because I didn't develop this relationship out of lust. I developed it out of love.
[00:26:18] I'm gonna have me a notebook story. Hallelujah.
[00:26:21] We're gonna be in love for the rest of our lives. We're gonna trans. We are coming up on 25 years. Can you believe that?
[00:26:27] Amen.
[00:26:30] And we had this reflection the other day talking about God's faithfulness.
[00:26:35] And we were talking about how God's faithful, and I was talking about how God was faithful. And you know, Tina, she always does good to faithful in our marriage. And Tina always has a way of popping my bubble. I'm thinking it's going to be because you've been strong, you've been a prayer warrior, you've overcome. She goes, well, the Lord gave me strength to put up with your ish.
[00:26:58] If y' all get offended in that moment, this ain't the right church for you. Amen.
[00:27:03] And I was like. And she said, ish, you know, just so you know.
[00:27:07] And I was like, oh, hallelujah.
[00:27:11] And it said, the Lord surely is faithful. God supplies to you everything you need for life and godliness. Even the person you're with.
[00:27:21] You're not perfect, they're not perfect, but surrender to him. You are champions. You are overcomers. Amen.
[00:27:29] Oh, man. God is so good. Matthew 16:24 said that. 24, 25, that Jesus said to his disciples, who for a false. I'm going to read this now. 16. I must have wrote that wrong. Matthew 16:24 and 25, it's okay. I'll read it from here. Then Jesus said to his disciples, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
[00:27:56] Yeah, there we go.
[00:27:58] For whosoever desires to save his life will lose it. But whosoever loses his life for my sake shall find it.
[00:28:06] Following Jesus requires surrender.
[00:28:09] Our own agenda must die to embrace his.
[00:28:14] I used to think that loving your life meant loving, not living.
[00:28:19] I used to think that loving your life meant something totally different. But I. I still have fun as a Christian, and I just have it in godly ways.
[00:28:27] I enjoy things that are not full of cussing and nudity. I enjoy going on hikes. I enjoy yesterday I got to go on a walk and see this beautiful live in holiday that we have here in the Gold Coast.
[00:28:40] We're so blessed.
[00:28:44] I haven't stopped living because I follow Christ. I've just stopped living for the wrong things. Amen. I've stopped living for money. I've stopped living for notoriety. I've stopped living for recognition. I've stopped living for validity. I've stopped living for the wrong things. And I'm happy to be alive in Christ and him alive in me.
[00:29:04] Amen.
[00:29:07] So following Christ, following God takes true surrender and letting go of how you think it should be.
[00:29:15] Amen.
[00:29:19] I don't know how to say that because I don't want to get in everybody's cookie jar. I don't want to assume that I know what that looks like for you. But for me, it's about letting go of pride.
[00:29:27] It's about not being the biggest man in the room.
[00:29:31] It's about being okay that I need Jesus, too. It's about knowing that I need prayer, too. It's about knowing that Jesus died for me and that sometimes the message is for me just as much as it is you.
[00:29:44] It's about letting go of pride. I don't know what following God looks like for you. I don't know what you got to let go. Maybe it's lust. Maybe it's pornography. Maybe it's addiction.
[00:29:53] Maybe it's just care for what other people think about you. Whatever it is, let go of it because it cannot be compared to Christ.
[00:30:02] Amen.
[00:30:04] You've been given favor that is unearned. You've been given grace that is unearned. Unmerited. Favorite. You've been given a measure of faith from God. You've been given holiness, righteousness, purity. You've been given the fruits of the spirit. You are set up for success. Stop thinking you're set up to fail.
[00:30:20] Your old thinking is trying to self sabotage because it is too good to be true.
[00:30:27] This good news is too good to be true. You want to work for it, you want to earn it.
[00:30:34] You don't feel worthy of it.
[00:30:37] Whatever it may be, you're self sabotaging it. Just accept it.
[00:30:42] He died for you, now follow him and be a living, sacrificed, transformed, not conformed.
[00:30:50] Amen.
[00:30:52] Am I closing this early?
[00:30:55] Look at that. Look at Jesus. We're going to hit on time.
[00:30:58] Hallelujah. The Lord is good.
[00:31:02] So guys, I'm on a journey as a pastor on the Gold coast as I've met with many that are struggling to go and keep going. I'm on a journey as a husband and a father and a friend to make the main thing the main thing and that is Jesus.
[00:31:24] I don't want anything that takes my eyes off of that.
[00:31:28] But you know what I can't do?
[00:31:31] I can't dismiss people out of my life just because they're not following Jesus.
[00:31:38] I can't dismiss the Gold coast or this country out of my life just because of the actions it takes or the decision it makes.
[00:31:48] God loved me when I was yet a sinner and I have to share that love.
[00:31:54] So my opinions about church and churches dies.
[00:31:59] My opinion about each other dies.
[00:32:05] My hope is in glory, my treasure is in heaven, my life is in him.
[00:32:12] You can't give me what I need. But we can journey this together.
[00:32:19] And as long as I keep looking to people for my joy and this world for my happiness, I will have neither.
[00:32:28] But when I am settled in him, when following him doesn't make sense to the world, it makes perfect sense to me.
[00:32:41] It's about trusting in a higher wisdom, stepping out in faith and being willing to fulfill follow even when the path doesn't line up with human logic.
[00:32:55] Human logic.
[00:32:57] Tina wouldn't have married me.
[00:32:59] That's just real. I know it's funny to you, but it's real human logic. I didn't have a house or a job or a car and have anything to offer.
[00:33:09] And all she had was God told me to.
[00:33:17] So when you're following God, it doesn't always make sense.
[00:33:21] But what does make sense is understanding and trusting him.
[00:33:26] Following him, having the courage to move forward knowing that you will follow God and we will walk out the steps of wisdom greater than our own.
[00:33:37] Amen.
[00:33:39] So today I want to pray for you and I want you to be honest. This is not a church moment. This is a body of Christ moment.
[00:33:48] What's in your way as a fighter, if you hesitate, you just get punched.
[00:33:55] As a soccer player, if you think twice about. Or a footy, whatever you want to call it, if you think twice about kicking that ball across the field, the moment has passed.
[00:34:04] It has to become instinct.
[00:34:08] Following Jesus has to become instinct for us to succeed in this world.
[00:34:13] It can't be. Let me pray about.
[00:34:16] Can't be. Hold on, let me. Let me just make sure the stars are aligned.
[00:34:21] If you don't know his voice by now, sit still until you do.
[00:34:27] Yeah, sit still until you do. Don't make another decision until you hear from him.
[00:34:33] Because you gotta get to the place in the world that we live in that you are spirit led and that you are responding, not reacting to Jesus and everything he says. Because, see, the world wants to come to a church that feels good and makes you feel good. And we dance and we hop around, and that's okay. We should do that stuff. But it's more than a feeling. It's a knowing.
[00:34:57] Because I want to know about you. But sometimes following God doesn't feel good.
[00:35:01] You want to be honest with me?
[00:35:04] Amen. Tina, did the fan wave.
[00:35:08] And then some of you, some know that was a bug.
[00:35:13] Some of you could probably say following Jesus feels good all the time.
[00:35:18] Hey, man, I want you to come and be the pastor of this church then.
[00:35:23] Because the moment you become a pastor, you're going to be tested with human emotion, behavioral management, and people testing you on everything you say and everything you do. Politics to the community. You're the wrong denomination. You're going to be tested.
[00:35:36] You can sit back in your bedroom and make opinions about what people are doing, or you can join the race.
[00:35:44] Amen.
[00:35:45] Because when you're shouting and screaming at how everybody else is failing, you're just on the sidelines. Because when you're running, you ain't got time to. You ain't got time to talk. All you can do is breathe.
[00:35:54] Amen. Anybody? Anybody know what I'm talking about?
[00:35:58] But we're going to get to the point that we're so healthy in Jesus that we're thriving the race, not surviving the race. Amen.
[00:36:09] We're going to get to a point where we're not coming in and talking about all our problems and how much we need Jesus. We're going to start having Sunday celebration celebrations, not services, because of how good God is in our lives.
[00:36:23] Amen.
[00:36:27] Amen.
[00:36:29] Your life's going to get so good, you ain't going to be able to stand yourself. You know why? Because you're not looking at what you have and don't have. You're looking at how good God is.
[00:36:37] Your bank account no longer will dictate your smile.
[00:36:43] Father, we thank you that today of all days, on Fellowship Sunday, that we come to you and surrender.
[00:36:55] God, I'm tired of church services because in that it actually says that we're serving, we're a commodity, we're consumed, and that people come in expecting a service.
[00:37:08] Father, I want to see celebrations where everybody is neatly, jointly fit in their call and doing exactly. And that they can come in and be honest and say, having this thought, I'm struggling with this. And we will just surround them with prayer and encourage them. And it says, when I see my brother down, I encourage them.
[00:37:29] Amen.
[00:37:30] I can't wait for the day, God, that we just come in here and celebrate your goodness.
[00:37:38] Does it mean we'll still need prayer? Yes. Does it still mean we'll have hard days? Yes. But no. God, I know that there is a shift happening right here in this church, and it's starting from the top, all the way down.
[00:37:56] Father, I thank you for the honesty we have before you. I thank you that we're going to follow you unhindered, uncumbered, unburdened, unbridled. That we're going to run this race like David. Lord, we're going to get to a point that every seventh step we can't help but to laugh, giggle or dance because it's just so good to know that God is with us.
[00:38:20] So, Father, I thank you. It's in Jesus name I pray. And for those that agree, say amen.
[00:38:27] Amen.
[00:38:33] But you know what? We're not going to be.
[00:38:37] We're not going to be a church that shames people for needing prayer because Jesus came and died on the cross because we needed a Savior.
[00:38:47] So if you'd all stand to your feet, maybe let's not use words like struggle, let's not use words like hard time. But maybe you just would like a partnership in prayer, that you're starting something, you're on an adventure, you're starting a business, you're starting a relationship, you're taking a step of faith. Let's not make it about the downs, let's make it about the starts.
[00:39:15] If you're here today and you're in that new beginning moment, that you're starting something new in your life, whether it's to walk with Christ, to be dedicated in Christ, to start a business, to start a relationship, whatever it may be, would you just Step forward right now and say, I want to be partnered with in prayer so that faith upon faith could be added. If that's you, can you step forward?
[00:39:39] I'm going to wait.
[00:39:43] Amen.
[00:39:44] Come on. Come on down.
[00:39:47] Come on down. I made room for you. Come on down because there's more. There's more people coming.
[00:39:53] Y' all step forward a little bit. More people will come because of you. More people will come. Take two more steps forward. There you go. More people are coming.
[00:40:03] More people are coming.
[00:40:06] So everyone stretch your hands this way.
[00:40:09] If you want to come and stand behind someone for prayer. Could you make that movement now and go stand behind someone so they can feel that physical touch of someone praying for them?
[00:40:19] You know, if you don't know them personally, maybe ask permission. Can I lay my hands on you?
[00:40:27] So I got three right here that need someone to pray for them. Can you. Can y'. All. Can y' all move? Move chairs. Do what you gotta do.
[00:40:35] I got these three ladies. Amen.
[00:40:38] Hallelujah. Can we all pray together?
[00:40:41] Father, today I choose to take a step to follow you.
[00:40:49] Whether it be in my relationship, my business, my life, or my spiritual walk, I choose to follow you.
[00:41:01] Now, can we pray our own prayer right now? Just you whisper your own prayer as I pray. Father, I thank you for these people that have come forward. I thank you for these friends and family. I thank you for this whole congregation that is becoming a community that doesn't have shame or guilt.
[00:41:18] It has victory upon victory, faith to faith and glory to glory.
[00:41:22] That, Lord, even when we're challenged in our minds, when we're challenged in our spirit, that we know that this is the pruning stage, that this will become our testimony, this will become our triumph. This will become what you, Lord, that in the name of Jesus, that standing here right now, we're overcoming a multitude of things.
[00:41:40] And we're standing in victory. We're standing in hope. We're standing in glory. And we know that today this is not a shameful step. This is an altar where we lay things down and that you commission us to do the things we're called to do. There's freedom being established. There's hope being given. There's a fanning of the flame of the Holy Spirit. In some, there's heavenly angels dancing around these people saying, yes, yes, they committed. Yes, they did it. Yes, it's happening. The devil has no more victory. They're stepping over that threshold. They're starting. They're starting that race. They're stepping out of that cave. They're coming through, through that valley. They're going over the mountain and over the hill. They have victory upon victory, and they're no longer angry, sad, mad, or upset. They're laying all those things down with a great exchange of glory.
[00:42:34] Hallelujah.
[00:42:36] Hallelujah.
[00:42:37] Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
[00:42:43] Maybe you didn't come forward.
[00:42:47] That's okay.
[00:42:52] If you haven't heard Tony and Tracy's story, I'm gonna put y' all on highlight. I'm so sorry. I love you. The Lord's saying it. You need to sit down and hear the victories of God in their life and understand why they stand with the great faith they have.
[00:43:06] But can I say something to all you?
[00:43:10] You have great stories to be told.
[00:43:16] You have great victories to be had. You have great journeys.
[00:43:20] Amen.
[00:43:21] And whether you've arrived or just started out, we're not in the same place we were five minutes ago.
[00:43:27] Amen.
[00:43:29] God is moving. God is blessing. The victory is yours. Amen.
[00:43:34] Amen. Now do me a favor as you go back to your seats. High five. Somebody. Let them know this is the glorious moment we can celebrate. I'm going to give you a high five, brother.
[00:43:43] Amen. Amen.
[00:43:45] Give somebody a hug. Encourage them on the way back to your seat.
[00:43:50] Hallelujah.
[00:43:52] I hope you've been blessed today.
[00:43:55] Have you been blessed today?
[00:43:57] Is this a blessing to y' all today? Yeah. So good.
[00:44:01] Amen. I'll talk to y' all afterwards. Have you been blessed today? Yeah.
[00:44:06] Amen.
[00:44:07] All right.
[00:44:09] We having a whole lot of fellowship. This is church, eh?
[00:44:12] Amen. This is church.
[00:44:15] This is church.
[00:44:18] Look at them still ministering. I love it.
[00:44:21] Ah, come on, man.
[00:44:23] Come on. Turn to your neighbor and say you're blessed.
[00:44:27] Turn to your neighbor in front of you and say you're blessed.
[00:44:30] Turn to the person behind you and say you're blessed.
[00:44:34] Turn. Tell them, you know what? You can't help but be blessed. Amen.
[00:44:38] You're blessed. Come on. Come on. You're blessed.
[00:44:41] Say it like Tina. You're blessed.
[00:44:44] You're blessed.
[00:44:50] I love my wife.
[00:44:54] I love my wife, man. She's awesome.
[00:45:00] You never know when God gives you a woman to marry, he gives you a good thing. Amen.
[00:45:06] She was dancing in the living room the other night, saying, look at this, look at me. And I was so upset about something, and she just dancing. She knew I was upset. She just started dancing. I couldn't help but to smile. God gives you good things to turn you around. Just open your eyes.
[00:45:19] Amen.
[00:45:20] Father, we thank you for this blessing. We thank you for the food we're about to receive.
[00:45:26] We thank you for the baptism I think we're doing today. Amen.
[00:45:30] Young lad told his dad, I just gotta get baptized. Amen. So praise the Lord. We're excited about that.
[00:45:40] How old is he?
[00:45:42] Nine. Nine.
[00:45:44] He's in the back seat. Can I tell the story? He's in the back seat of the truck, and he's saying, dad, can I come in the front seat? Yeah. Comes over the front seat.
[00:45:52] He said, dad, I gotta tell you something. God told me I need to get baptized.
[00:45:56] What did dad do? Let me call some people. We gonna make this happen. Amen.
[00:46:01] That's awesome. Nine years old, you don't find that everywhere. They're looking for roadblocks and TikTok.
[00:46:07] Amen. We have a generation that will serve the Lord. Amen.
[00:46:13] Amen. Right? Amen.
[00:46:16] We're so blessed.
[00:46:18] We bless the food. May it be blessing to our body. Do we have anything to announce today, patty?
[00:46:23] Men's Night, November 21st. If you haven't signed up, fellas, please sign up.
[00:46:31] God's doing great things, and we got more announcements to come, but today we're blessed. Father, we thank you for everything that you do in and around our lives. Thank you for our family, our church family, and thank you for the body of Christ on the Gold coast being restored, healed, and revealed to be champions of Jesus Christ. It's in Jesus name I pray, and we all say amen. All right, enjoy some food. Meet us down at Broadwater Cafe at, I would say 12:30, 12:45 for a baptism. If you can come, let's all shout and celebrate this young man that's getting baptized today. All right, God bless you.
[00:47:10] Thank you for tuning in to today's message. To connect or find out more, you can reach us online at worldchangers.life. Remember to subscribe for more uplifting messages from our pastoral team. And may you continue to walk in faith and transformation until we meet again.
