Cornerstone Christian Center
Cornerstone Christian Center
Pentecost | On Fire
What happens when a young churchgoer's spiritual mountaintop experiences collide with the reality of everyday teenage life? Our pastor takes us on a deeply personal journey of his first encounter with the Holy Spirit—an uncoerced, transformative moment that sparked a lifelong understanding of what it truly means to be on fire for God.
The tension is familiar to many believers: experiencing powerful moments in church while fighting God for control the moment we walk out the doors. "I wanted to feel good, I wanted to believe," he confesses, "but I also wanted to do my own thing." This raw honesty unlocks a profound truth about Holy Spirit baptism—it's not primarily about the spiritual feelings we crave but about empowerment for obedience to God's calling.
Through a powerful examination of Pentecost and the early church's experience in Acts, we discover how God's presence moved from dwelling in temples to residing within believers. The transformation of Peter—from a fearful denier to a bold proclaimer—illustrates what happens when we surrender control and allow God's Spirit to work through us. "Your small yes turns into the big change that happens in the world because you consistently say yes to God."
The message culminates in a life-changing truth: God's eternal plans far exceed our limited vision. When we trade our personal ambitions for divine purpose, we become vessels through which God can reach our families, communities, and beyond. "He wants to do something in you and through you that's greater than your plan for your life." Are you ready to be empowered by surrendering control and embracing what He wants to do through your life?
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empowered. Today we're talking about what it means to be on fire for God. Now I was thinking back some years back, whenever I was a kid growing up in church and I remember my first real moment with Holy Spirit, where I was at a kid's camp and they had called everybody who just wanted more of God to come forward and there was nobody that was pushing me over. There's nobody actually laid a hand on me. There was none of that. I was just in an aisle and I just wanted more of God and I was just calling out to God for more of Him and I had that moment of being baptized in the Holy Spirit and I didn't really know what was going on. I didn't know that Holy Spirit was using this to be able to pray His will through my life. I didn't know anything and I was just experiencing his love and his presence and it was powerful. It was something transformative for me in my young faith and I can tell you what's amazing about that was that it was because I didn't. There was no coercion. There was no any kind of like magic words you had to say. It really came directly from him, but I didn't know. I thought you had to be like at a special place, like it only happened at camp and only on night, three or whatever. And so it was. That was what I thought, and so you know, I was waiting for the next camp.
Speaker 1:It was like a year later and even though we had those highlight moments as I was growing up, as I got a bit older, well then you know, my relationship with being filled with the Spirit and listening to Holy Spirit was very much roller coaster. I don't know if anybody else has been through that, but that was my experience, where you know I would have this amazing breakthrough moment. Maybe we'd be at a youth service and just a powerful time of worship and really feel this impartation of the Spirit, something renewed in my spirit, something powerful. But by then, you know, there's a lot of things going on in my life. Right, as a teenager, you're like 200% hormones and, like you know, 75% bad choices from your friend group. You guys know what I'm talking about. Your friends are like, hey, let's do something terrible, like okay, let's do it together, you know. And we walk over here and do it together.
Speaker 1:And so it was hard because you know the whole purpose of it is not for that moment to feel spiritual. Though that is a great thing, to feel the fullness of God, it's not really for that. It's really about the fulfillment of empowering you to go and do what he's asked you to do, and so in doing so, I didn't quite get that, and so I would have this struggle, this real tension inside of my heart, whenever you know. I had these things that were drawing me this way and he's trying to say, hey, listen, I want you to do this. And I'm like, well, god, I want you in my life, I wanna experience the good feelings from the service. But I mean, I wanna do what I wanna do the rest of the time. And he's like that's not what this is about. I wanna empower you to be obedient to me. And so there's this big tension within me, within my heart, within my life, of me going on a Sunday and having a great moment and then immediately making poor decisions. Anybody else, just three people and me. And the people online being honest Praise God, lightning's not coming for you, it'll be okay. And the people online being honest Praise God, lightning's not coming for you, it'll be okay.
Speaker 1:The idea is this that we all know that there's this tension inside of us. We know that there's this pull on us where we are fighting him for the control, we say, lord, have all of me. We pray these prayers to these songs, we say, lord, that you would have your way in me. And then we go and we fight him for control on the way out the building and I can tell you from my own perspective that was the hardest thing for me to fight for was to say, lord, I want to give you control, I want to have more of you, less of me. See, his fullness is there, available to us. It's us, and what we're letting go of it's us. On what we're willing to have him do in our lives and through our lives, we often so ask, lord, that you would open up the right door for me, give me insight and wisdom. And he says, okay, great, here you go. And he gives it to us. And then we're like I really wasn't looking for that. I wanted something else. I wanted you to bless me, make me a multi-gajillionaire. That's what I wanted. He's like cool story. I need you to start with the small obedience, because from the small obedience I can trust you with the next obedience. And so that's what it started to do is.
Speaker 1:I started to really walk this thing out, and it wasn't until I really started to understand that the power of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, was all about doing what he wants us to do by his spirit. Very little of it is about the actual manifestation of it, though those things are a marker that shows us what it means. He's praying through us, his kingdom come, his will be done, and so that's what it means. When we're talking about today is Pentecost Sunday. It's a day that's a marker for the church, because the impartation, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit to embolden us to be obedient to what Jesus charges to do with the great commission, the great commandments, is to be obedient to him, empowered by his spirit.
Speaker 1:So, for us, we're called to be those that are on fire for God, holding nothing back, and I can tell you you know we talk about often how none of us is perfect. I'm the first to tell you I'm not perfect, but what we are is people that are very much intentional in living our life after God, and so that means, when we look at this idea of Jesus walking with his disciples, that's who we are, is that we are people following after Jesus. Our ambition is to be more like Jesus. We want to be more like him. That's why, collectively, we love God, we make disciples, we reach the world. It's because that's what our heart is, is that we have love and we're motivated by love to do something about it. And that's why we talk about hey, let's live with intentionality in things like life groups, because through life groups we can go and have that interaction. We could be a friend, we could be a brother or sister who helps another in a time of trial, and we could be there as support structure, see, in a time of trial, and we could be there as support structure. See, we're never called to do this life alone. We're called to be in community and that's why I challenge each one of us to connect and grow and serve the Lord, amen.
Speaker 1:Today we're looking back to this idea of on fire and we have some scriptures that we've been going through here and it's been a powerful time as we look at this idea of fire burning in us and using that symbol of the Holy Spirit. It talks about it in scripture that the Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father. He is the fulfillment of what's sent to us in the presence of God, very much God in the triune being. And now we're called to be those who have a fire for God, that we have this passion burning inside of us. We talked about it out of 2 Timothy 1. It says for this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control, or a sound mind. We talked about what that means and how we're called to be those that are set apart in this way, experiencing the benefits, the blessing of God by being empowered by the Lord. We talked about what it means to be walking and clothed in power, to be those that are wrapped in his power for the service he's called us to do. In Luke 24, it says it like this you are witnesses of these things, all that he told them. He says and behold, I'm sending the promise of my father upon you, but stay in this city until you are clothed with power from on high.
Speaker 1:Today we pick up a little further in this story in Acts 2. If you have your Bible, your tablet, your phone. I encourage you to highlight this piece. It says it here in Acts 2, verse 17 and 18. And in the last days it shall be God declares that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams, and even on my male servants and female servants. In those days, I will pour out my spirit and they shall prophesy. Lord, we pray over your word today, lord, that you illuminate it in our hearts and in our minds. Lord, that we would be those challenged. Lord that would embrace all the fullness of who you are, to be baptized in your spirit. We pray this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Speaker 1:Today we're talking about this idea of being empowered and I'll tell you that, the power to live for Christ. It's such a game changer when we really start listening to him, man, because I was back and forth that way whenever I was a student, then later, whenever I became an adult, I was making my own choices and I wasn't listening to his guidance. And see, that's what it talks about in the scripture. Is that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, the pushing away of the Holy Spirit is the thing that's unforgivable, because he's the one that prompts us to confession, he's the one that prompts us to turn around, he's the one that says come to me and be forgiven. Without him we can't do it. So when we push against Holy Spirit, what we're doing is literally pushing away the guidance of God, literally pushing his spirit away from us. And I could tell you, man, I was living in a certain way where I wanted to feel good, I wanted to believe, I wanted to do that stuff, but I also wanted to do my own thing. And the problem with that is that he's like the reason that I have saved you is not just to save you to come be with me, but to save you with a purpose, with a plan, with a future where I can use you to be a mouthpiece to others. And meanwhile I'm fighting him over here and not wanting to do what he wants me to do, because I had my own agenda, I had my own thing, I had set myself up as my own little God G in my life.
Speaker 1:See, it was right here, actually, in that spot, right off the end of this very altar, where it was on a sunday night, at a special service and we were just having a time of worship at the end of the service and I I really was unhappy with what I was going through. Man, a lot of great stuff going on at a corporate job, at a company car, gas card, a gas card I had a gas card, had all these things. I was young, I was blowing my money on like tattoos and travel and guns. It was great. You know what I mean. I had no worries, I had no responsibilities and God is like cool story, how's that working for you? And I'm like well, I'm hollow, I'm not happy. Maybe I need more of the things. He's like probably not. You've been trying a lot of that stuff, how's that going?
Speaker 1:And right here, at this altar in this place, he was calling me to say yes to him and to his plan for my life and not my plan. And I had to come to that place where I said it's your plan, it's not my plan. I know what I have a plan for, I know what I want to do. And it was all these things that I'd swore as a young kid. Right, my parents were in ministry. I was like I don't. They had all sorts of people who blamed them for stuff that wasn't theirs and do all these things and headaches, and I'm like man, I want to be rich and tell people to kick rocks when I don't like what they say. He's like great, great, great, great, I want you to be in ministry. Instead. I'm like oh, this is a problem and so I had to deal with it. Am I going to be obedient to God or do what I want to do? It's not, you can do both. Are you going to be obedient to God or are you going to do what you want to do?
Speaker 1:Friends, I would challenge you with this that you would be empowered by the Spirit of God, that you would kick all of your plans to the side, because your plans will end in the end of your plans. His plans are greater than your plans. His plans are eternal for your life, for the life of your children, the life of your grandchildren. He wants to do things in your life and through your life that are greater than your plan for your life. He wants to do something in you. He wants to do something through you. It's greater than your plan for your life. We mess up because we get caught up playing games and doing stupid things that are against him. The Lord, help us that we would embrace what he wants us to do for him and be obedient, because obedience, as Pastor Slith said, is greater than sacrifice.
Speaker 1:So we found ourselves with the followers of Jesus in the upper room. He's ascended back to the father, as we talked about last week, at the end of Luke, in the beginning of Acts, and he goes and he charges with them, saying go and be clothed with power, and that you would do these things because I have something for you to do. So they go to this upper room and they're praying. Now the story picks up early in the morning, so they've been praying overnight. And guess what? That also means that they've been together in this upper room, together for quite a while.
Speaker 1:They've been praying for quite a season and in doing so, that means that they've had to deal with some stuff, because you can't be mad at someone in the same room as you for many days in a row and think it's going to go well. So that means they probably had to have some. What does it say? That they were in one accord. They're in unity together. That means that they probably had to forgive each other of some stuff. You know, like I didn't like how you gave a dirty look to such and such and blah, blah, blah. Okay, well, jesus forgave us a lot. He gave us grace. Maybe we should turn and do the same.
Speaker 1:And you notice that this big, massive crowd comes down to people that can fit in an upper room. I wonder why that is. See, I think some people wouldn't deal with their stuff and so they left. But those who pressed in, those who were willing to forgive, those who were willing to deal with it, then they were willing to have the impartation of the next thing that God wanted them to do.
Speaker 1:It's that upper room moment we pick up here in Acts 2, and it says it like this and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting in divided tongues as of fire Sitting, appeared on each one of them, rested on each one of them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Somebody say amen to that. It's that pouring out moment of the Holy Spirit of God. We see this picture, this painting depicting it it's beautiful of what that could have been like that moment of holy divination, of giving the power from the Lord directly to his church. And you got to remember that this was only possible because of what Christ did for us on his behalf.
Speaker 1:Before that God was there, but he was in their midst, in their presence, in the tabernacle and then in the temple, the symbol that he used to guide his people, what it says, that it was a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day Literally the wind and the fire guiding them along through the desert as they left Egypt, as they went into the promised land. It was those very markers which symbolized his spirit. In the tabernacle it was very much that thing, that fire burning before them in the temple, in the holy of holies, inside of what we'd see the ark of the covenant. But God is not kept in a gold box. God is greater than these things. In fact, the reason that the holies of holies existed is so he could be with his people but protect his people from his holiness because of their unholiness. And so jesus comes and he makes the ultimate sacrifice for all people, for all time. He takes the sin of the world upon himself, though he is innocent, he pays for it once and for all. It splits the opening. This splits the veil that protected people from the holies of holies. It was wide open, and so what happens is the impartation, the fire from inside the holy of holies appears upon each one of the church, signifying that the church, the people, are now the temple, the tabernacle of the almighty God.
Speaker 1:That blowing spirit, that blowing wind is a signifier, because you can't contain fire, you can't contain wind, you can't put your arms around it, and this signifies the working power of God, which is greater than all that we can comprehend. It says they were all together in that one place, so they had this heart, this unity, and then, when the tongues of fire appeared, it's this divine moment of God, his impartation, his spirit, this rushing wind that's in there, changing what's happening in the room. It says they began to speak in tongues, and it's a divine language that Holy Spirit is giving them, and what he's doing is he's actually using them as a vessel, praying through them in a way they don't even understand. So they're speaking this heavenly language. It's he's using them as a vessel, saying your kingdom come, your will be done. That's our prayer. He's praying his will through us, and so that's what the power of the spirit is there for. That's what it's about. That's why, in this moment, the first thing that he tamed was the tongue. Why? Because with the tongue. The scripture says that we speak life and we speak death by the tongue, and so what he does the first thing is by his spirit is he tames the tongue, and so they begin to pray out in this language, and some of it is actually other people's languages, and so it makes such a big scene in the upper room in the beginning of the morning.
Speaker 1:People are like what is going on up there? You know what I mean? Block party, somebody didn't invite me, and so they're like what's going on up there? And it's making a big, huge noise, a huge racket. People are like these people are drunk, and Peter's like no, no, no, no, no, no, no, they're not.
Speaker 1:They're full of the spirit of God, and it says that the people around them start to listen to what they're saying. And it's amazing, because Holy Spirit uses the early church, and he uses them as a vessel of proclamation. These are all local Jews. They have not traveled the world, they're not from far off lands, they are Jewish people from there and he's using them to speak all these different languages. And these people who've come in for the celebration come in to make sacrament, come in to have that opportunity to be made right with God. They're already believers in him, but as Jews, they start hearing this word about the glory of God in their own heart language. It's why we do things like translation into Spanish, for this service is so that people who have a heart language can hear the word of God in a way they understand it, and so the Holy Spirit of God starts to translate this right into their ears. And it says that all these people start to hear the wonders of God, the glories of God, in their own language. It says both Jews and proselytes, cretans and Arabs, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.
Speaker 1:See, from the very first moment of the impartation of the Holy Spirit upon the church, he used the church to proclaim his glory, what he wants to do in them and through them, and he's using a way. What did they say? They hear it in their own language. See, he is, for the very first moment, he's fulfilling the prophecy that he gave to Abram all the way back in those days that you will be a blessing to all nations, to all people, because of your faith and by faith, they will be in your line, in your heritage and they, from that very moment, it expands and blows up the message of the gospel because it's in the heart of these people that traveled there and now they're going to take it home with them. It's going to change the world because they have had an impartation of the spirit of God.
Speaker 1:Now it's amazing because we pick up here in Acts 2, 17, and it's Peter who's giving the sermon. He says and in the last days it shall be God declares I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, referencing the days of old and the prophets of old, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see, see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. And on my male and female servants, in those days I will pour out my spirit and they will prophesy. When we hear the word of prophecy, what it does is that it's declaring the wonders of God. It's saying ahead of time that this is what God is gonna do, or a word of knowledge that comes from him. It's declaring his glory. Friends, it's a sign and a wonder. It's a billboard for God because he wants to use us for his purposes, for his glory.
Speaker 1:And think about the guy that's giving this sermon. This is Peter. This is the guy that was with Jesus all those years. The very guy that turned his back on him whenever it came down to Jesus being crucified. The very one that even denied him to a servant girl who was not a person of authority. He's like I don't know him, I'm not connected to him. And then the rooster crowed and he was convicted to the bone about how he had denied Christ. This is the same Peter that had walked on water to Jesus. This same Peter that was there for the feeding of the 5,000, the 4,000. He saw people healed. He saw miracles happen. He denied Jesus, but the Lord, after his resurrection, he goes and restores Peter back. He says come, would you come and feed my sheep? Will you tend my lambs? Will you be the one that is actually doing what I've asked you to do? And he restores him back into the disciples.
Speaker 1:It's this one, this Peter, this one that was still packing, you know, in the garden of Gethsemane, pulled out the sword, cut someone's ear off. You know what I mean the garden of Gethsemane, pulled out the sword, cut someone's ear off. You know what I mean? Still, a salty sailor that God was using. He's the one, not Paul, who's, like you know, a Pharisee of Pharisees, not a Sadducee, not all these people who are trained in the law, no, a fisherman is who God uses to get up full of his spirit and eloquently tie together the prophets of old into what God is doing by his spirit here in the book of Acts.
Speaker 1:And it picks up here and it says in this next verse it says in Acts 2.32, this is Jesus, god raised up. Of that we are all witnesses, being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit. He has poured this out that you yourselves are seeing and hearing, friends. What he was declaring was that they are called to be empowered by the Most High God. And he's talking to all these Jews that are there in the cities. He's telling them to their face you are the ones that kill Jesus, but he is the chosen one and he didn't stay dead. He has risen and he is back with the Father. And guess what? He's empowering us to go and take this message of the Messiah who was foretold for all these years to the world. We're empowered to do so.
Speaker 1:And so that's where it picks up with here. And what does he say? The first thing he calls them to do is to. And so that's where it picks up with here. And what does he say? The first thing he calls them to do is to be those that come into alignment with it, to be obedient to the word of God. And so it says that they accepted. It said thousands on one day accepted and they changed their life. It says in Acts 2 42, and they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship of the breaking of bread and the prayers, and all came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. Friends, life change happened because they stopped trying to put God aside and just have it for sacrifice, but instead they walked empowered by the spirit of God. So the miracle happens, and the miracle happens, and the miracle happens. And the miracle happens because they're doing it not of their own power, but their own alignment with what he wants to do through them. Would you say amen to that? And so that's when we start looking at scripture. We see that life change moment. It changes everything for them and it really makes that marker of a difference, of what's happening.
Speaker 1:You can imagine how you know they're called to action. They're not called to sit around a campfire singing Kumbaya. And I think so often that's exactly where you know, we want to feel, we want the feels of the Sunday morning or the gatherings on the weekend, we want that warm and fuzzy, and there's nothing wrong with that. That's why we come together, the encouragement, the building up of the church. But see, friends, that's not where it ends. That's the empowerment moment to release us into the world, to release you back into your sphere of influence, back into your neighborhood, back into your family, back into your friend group. You back into your sphere of influence, back into your neighborhood, back into your family, back into your friend group, back with your colleagues, that you would be the light in a spiritually dark place. And so that's why we're not called to just sit around the campfire scene, kumbaya. We're called to be the challenge to the world so that they can see the light of God in us. Would you say amen to that? And so that's the life change that we're talking about.
Speaker 1:And so we pick up here in Acts 10, and what starts to happen is that fire that starts in them. Well, it takes off. And so, peter, he goes and has this vision. He has this vision of what God has given him, and it says in Acts 10 that he's someone who starts to go and he starts to be obedient to what God is saying. Now Peter knows that they're called to a different thing.
Speaker 1:As Jews, they're called to stay separate, away from Gentiles. And so he has this vision from God that God says what I have now called clean is not unclean. And so he says that you are called to go to be with the Gentiles. And so someone sends a runner to him and he goes to the man's house. And he's hesitant at first because he knows that as a Jew he's never supposed to go into a Gentile home. But he just got told by the Lord to go to the Gentiles. So he, in obedience, goes Obedience better than sacrifice. So, by obedience, he goes. And when he comes there, he starts to proclaim the goodness of God. And there's a group of people that have come together and he starts to tell them this. It says to him all the prophets bear witness, everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins. Through his name, he's declaring who Jesus is as the Messiah.
Speaker 1:It picks up in verse 44. It says, while Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word, and the believers from among the circumcised who had came with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. Someone, give glory to God for his grace on us. We're so very thankful, see, for you and I myself not being 100% Jewish, all of us would be considered Gentiles, and so, even though that first movement of the Holy Spirit upon those different languages, those were all Jews, those are all people who had become Jews, and those are people who were the children of God expecting the Messiah.
Speaker 1:These Gentiles, they're a different group, these are Romans, these are other people, these are people like you and I, by faith. See, we don't have to become a Jew first in order to become a Christ follower with the Messiah. Instead, by faith, we are brought into who he is, in the fullness of God. As co-heirs with Christ, called to be the children of the Almighty, we're grafted into the tree that he's called his family. And so what's amazing is that we don't replace the children of God. We're brought into, we're extended out to, and it says that all who heard by faith received it. They received this power, they received what happens, and in this moment, holy Spirit falls and so they're speaking in other tongues and Holy Spirit is praying through them, and this is a marker to all the other leaders who are also Jewish. They're like well, this is God.
Speaker 1:How can we say anything different? He's the one who is the initiator of these things. It's God's spirit upon them, and so what happens in this moment is that the scripture is further fulfilled, that the obedience that Abraham said when he says go from your house and your parents' house to a land I will show you in Genesis 12. When he says these things by faith, abraham, at that time he was obedient and he left out and said yes to God, small steps. Yes to God, small steps. See, friends, that's the same thing he wants to do in your life and my life. See, god couldn't have taken a guy down here at this altar right here. He couldn't have taken a guy who wanted to do his own plan and taken and used that person as a missionary in Europe and a missionary in the Middle East and to pastor churches. He couldn't have done that because that guy had his own plan.
Speaker 1:But guess what? By saying yes to the small thing there and then saying yes the next day and the next day after that, and even God helping me whenever, even as a youth pastor, I made a boneheaded mistakes like throwing frozen turkeys through the wall of the multipurpose room, he still helped me figure it out. And what happens is your small yes turns into the big change that happens in the world because you consistently say yes to God. And so what's happening here is that all those people, in that moment the world expands and God expands and brings all of us in by faith to be the children of faith, just like Abraham had foretold that all of your descendants would be like the stars of the sky, because all of us belong, like he does, to God by faith. And so, as we look at scripture, we continue to hear, with the Holy Spirit pouring out, 1 Thessalonians 1,.
Speaker 1:This is now Paul writing to the church at Thessaloniki. He says, as we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you because our gospel came to you not only in word, but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we prove to be among you, for your sake. What is he saying to the church of Thessaloniki? We know that you belong to God because he came and showed up in power and you have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to live for him in spiritually dark places. And so what happens is they are on fire for God, they get sparked for God and they're living as a fire for God, and so that's why Paul, writing to the church later, he's encouraging them. In the same way, he would encourage us to live for God for the day and live for God for tomorrow and live for God the day after that. And as you continue to live for God, full of the spirit of God and keeping your hand off the control, then he will guide you where you're supposed to go. He will do the work, he will do the miracle in and through your life.
Speaker 1:You want to see life change in your family. You want to see it in your kids, you want to see it in your grandkids. Then you have to say yes first, and he'll do something in your life, and then he'll do something in their life. You worry about you being obedient to God and you say yes to him and see what will happen when he uses you as an example to other people.
Speaker 1:Man, my friends couldn't believe it when I told them I was going to leave corporate America to become a pastor. They were like, I'm sorry, who? Who? You, the one with the big nose? No, no, no, this is a bad idea. We can see Pastor Celeste. She's very anointed. We see Pastor Angus, very anointed Maybe not you.
Speaker 1:Have you thought about something else? See, I'm thankful, because it's not them that qualify me. It's not someone else who qualifies you, see, it's he who qualifies us. And so when we say yes to him, then we obediently be to him, then our obedience is what opens up the blessing of God who qualifies us. And so when we say yes to him, then we obediently be to him, then we, obedient with our obedience, is what opens up the blessing of God to guide us in the direction we're called to go. And so that's what the empowerment of the Holy Spirit is about is that we would be those who are full of the Spirit, empowered by him.
Speaker 1:We go back to what we talked about a few weeks back in Luke 24, verse 46. He said to them. Thus it is written that Christ should suffer and, on the third day, rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sin should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Friends, his plan always, when Jesus came, was redemption for all people. His plan for you is that you don't stay in your brokenness from before, you don't stay in your addiction from before, you don't stay in the shame of your mistakes from before, but as a new creation in Christ, empowered by his spirit, you live a different path that he has for you, and in doing so, it changes everything for your life, because now you're walking by faith, you're walking in a community of faith, not alone, and you're walking this plan out, whereas the plan before was your plan and now the plan is his plan.
Speaker 1:And, friends, what's amazing about that is he wants to use you as an example to those around you that you love. He wants to use you as an example to those around you don't like, so that they can become people that you love, because, just like you were unlovely before God got a hold of you, he wants to do the same for them, and so that's why he says to turn the cheek, that's why he says to pray for those who persecute you. That's why he says to love those who are the unlovely, because we all are the unlovely and he loved us first. That's why, by the power of the spirit, we're called to walk a different path. That's why today, as we come to this altar, we do so with intentionality to ask for more of Holy Spirit, for a fresh anointing, for less of us and more of Him in our lives.
Speaker 1:Luke 24, 48 says you are witnesses of these things and behold, I'm sending the promise of my Father upon you, but stay in this city until you're clothed with power from on high. See, holy Spirit's participation in your life is one where you invite him in. It's one where you are the one saying Lord, I want more of you, come into my life. I want the promise of the father. I want the fire, the passion for God. I want a bird inside of me, like a flame. I want something to happen inside of me where I'm empowered to say yes to you and to follow where you're leading me. Friends, it's all about that first moment where we say yes to him, and my challenge to you today is that every single person would come out of their seats and come up to this altar, and that you would make a place with God, inviting him to have his way, and that you would say, lord, that your will be done. Friends, let's be on fire for God.
Speaker 1:Today, as we come to this altar, we do so understanding that it's our ambition to be more like Jesus. And maybe you're here and you've never made a decision to follow Christ. Today is your opportunity. It's your opportunity to say yes to him. Each one of us has to answer that question have you embraced Jesus?
Speaker 1:See, none of us is perfect. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and so all of us are in need of a savior. And so that's why, today, us as Christ followers. It doesn't make us any holier than anyone else, but what it does mean is that we have embraced the saving love of Jesus Christ and that he loved us and he's changed us and forgiven us, made us into a new creation. And so that's what it means to embrace Jesus. But it's not just a get out of hell free card. It's a living with him as our Lord and savior every day.
Speaker 1:See, for us, the symbol of the cross is one of transformation. It's profound because upon the cross he took all of my sin and all of my mistakes and all of my brokenness, and he took all of yours as well, and he paid for it once and for all, for all people, for all time. And when he did that, he made a way for us to be reconnected to the Father in relationship. And when he returned back to the Father, he gives us Holy Spirit to be the one who's with us. He says, an advocate for us, the one who helps us, guides us, directs us, and so we're not left alone. And so, by placing our faith and trust in jesus, we say lord, I believe you are who you say you are, and, lord, I invite you into my life to be the lord and savior of my life. I want to live a different path. I believe in you, the Apostle Paul. He writes to the church at Rome. He says it a little different. He says it like this Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved, it says, for with the heart one believes and is justified, with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Speaker 1:Friends, today is your day. It's your opportunity to say yes to Jesus. I'm gonna ask everyone in the room to stand to your feet. Right where you're at, you can bow your heads. Christians are praying right now as people are making decisions to follow Jesus. Man, this first service, we already had people make a decision to follow Jesus. We had people that made a decision today that people have been praying for for years made a decision today to follow Jesus.
Speaker 1:Friends, the same could be said for you that today would be your day making a decision to follow Jesus as heads are bowed here in the room. If that's you, maybe you've never made a decision to follow Jesus. Today's your opportunity, or maybe you have in the past. But, like my story from my youth, you've walked away from actively living for God. Today's an opportunity for you to recommit your heart and your life back to Christ.
Speaker 1:As heads are bowed here in the room, if you just raise your hand right where you're at and say pastor, that's me today. I just wanna invite Christ into my life. I wanna make a decision to follow Jesus today. See the hands that are raised. People making decisions, people reinforcing decisions. Hand I see that hand. I see that hand. I see that hand. Thank you, lord. Thank you, lord. Others, thank you Lord. Others, friends online, wherever you are, I see you making a decision for Jesus. I'm gonna ask if you would, if everyone would, pray this prayer out loud after me. Lord, thank you for loving me. Thank you for sending Jesus. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I believe he rose again. Forgive me of my sins. I surrender my life to you In Christ's name. I pray Amen, amen. Friends, we rejoice with you making a decision to follow Jesus today. Several people raising their hand in this service Praise God, praise the Lord. Know this. We rejoice with you making a decision to follow Jesus today. Several people raising their hand in this service. Praise God, praise the Lord. Know this. We want to connect with you before you leave here today. Put some resources into your hands. Please connect with us so that we can do so and if you're online, message us.
Speaker 1:You're not called to do this life alone, friends. For all of us, we're called today to come and make an altar with God, to come and to say I need more of you, holy Spirit. I need a fresh anointing of you in my life, and so my challenge to you, to all of us is that we would come and make an altar with God and ask for more of the impartation of the Spirit and then walk in obedience with what he calls us to do. Lord, we thank you for your word today. Lord, we thank you how you breathe upon it. You make it alive, you challenge us, lord, and in doing so, lord, we need more of your spirit, holy Spirit, that you would have your way in us and you would baptize us afresh and anew, Lord, and as we come to this altar, we do so with intentionality. Lord, we need more of your presence, we need more of your spirit. Lord, we're asking for a breakthrough in our life. Lord for guidance, for wisdom. Lord for provision, lord for relationships. Lord, we need more of you in our life. And so, lord, we come now asking for that movement, asking for those very things in our life. Lord, we come and make an altar with you. Lord, we pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Speaker 1:Hey, let me encourage you, guys. If you haven't signed up, gents, let me encourage you to go and sign up for the Camp and Fish. It's happening this weekend and it's a powerful time. It's fun because a lot of guys. They aren't connected and so it's a great way to build some friendships. I know a lot of guys actually have built some really good friends out of going and, in my case, not catching fish, but you'll do better. So sign up and participate with us.
Speaker 2:And next Sunday is Father's Day, and so we are excited. We're going to honor the men in our lives. So if you have somebody a dad, a grandpa that doesn't come, bring them, invite them. It's going to be a fantastic Sunday. So, ladies, consider this your seven-day warning to get everything ready for next Sunday. It's going to be a great day.
Speaker 1:Before we go, I'm going to pray this blessing over us. The Lord bless you and keep you. Lord, make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. We'll lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Lord, I pray a blessing upon your church, your people. Lord, you empower us by your spirit to live your love out to those around us. Pray all this in the powerful name that is Jesus Christ. Amen, amen, know this. We love you very much here at Cornerstone. God bless you and have a great week.