God Sent A Worm by Pastor Kayla 6/28

Welcome to Family Worship Center!
Please feel free to contact us!

Lead Pastors, Philip & Kayla Keller
Give: www.versaillesfwc.com/give

Copyright License #1166662
Streaming License #21197931

www.versaillesfwc.com
701 S 2nd Street Versailles, MO 65084
(573) 378-4484

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's up, everybody? I'm glad to see you all. I think that you are wonderful, and we are just always excited to be here. Um, if you don't know me, my name is Kayla. I'm married to the cute guy who just gave me the microphone. He's usually up here speaking. So if you don't like today, come back next week because he'll be back at it again, okay? Um, but uh, you know, we love our FWC family. We love all of you. This week, someone gave us fresh eggs and somebody else put homemade blackberry pie in our mailbox. So I think either we have really good friends or everybody's just now understanding that I don't cook and they're trying to make sure that Philip eats. So it's probably a little bit of both. You know, it's probably both, but that's okay. Anyway, we love y'all, and I am so excited to speak to you today. We're gonna be talking about one of my very favorite books of the Bible and one of the people that I find the most interesting. But before we get to that, let's pray. Uh, God, we're just honored to encounter your Holy Spirit. Thank you for being here today. We ask that you just would encourage us, that you would uh allow my words not to be mine, but something that you want to communicate. I ask for open hearts and open minds. I ask that you just help every person in this room expect something from you today, because we know that you move where we have an expectant spirit. And we ask that you just help us to hear your voice, that you help us not to get in the way, that you help me not to get in the way, and that you just would communicate what you want us to hear in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, so in a few weeks, our kids are gonna be going to church camp. I love church camp. Does anybody else love church camp? I know you're tired of hearing us talk about this, but I promise you, church camp is life-changing. I am a self-proclaimed church camp addict. Um, my love for church camp started when uh my first youth pastors, Mike and Tara Colling, who were the youth pastors of this church for a short time, took me for the first year to River Point. And then several years after that, I went with my youth pastors Jeremy and Melissa to summer camp every summer when I visited um here in Versailles. And I was hooked forever. Um, side note, Melissa is the most prepared camp counselor in the history of camp counselors. Like, if you need a snack, she got you. If you need entertainment, she's on it. If you need a band-aid, she's your girl. Like she came prepared. And every year after, I think to myself, I do not have what it takes to be this prepared. She is awesome. Um, and so when I became too old to be a camper, then I interned. I became an intern for three years. And when I became too old or it became too weird for me to intern again, I became a camp counselor for the rest of forever. Um I love camp. It's one of the best parts of my whole year, and I look forward to it forever. I am one of the weirdos who uses PTO for church camp. Like I am that girl, and I'm okay with it. Um, several years ago, Pastor Philip and I went to camp as counselors for kids' camp. And we we were youth pastors at the time, but our church needed somebody to go to kids' camp. And we said, you know, we love camp. We'll go to kids' camp. That can't be hard, right? Um, so we were there as camp counselors. Um, and I I love going on the river when I'm at camp. Our campground is in Steeleville, and it's right on the Merrimack River, and there are so many river activities that are just one of the highlights of camp. The services are the best part, but the river is a hot second. So we love to go on the river, and they said, Hey, we need somebody to lead this kayak trip. And you know how the river works, because again, remember, I'd been at camp every year since birth, basically. Um, and I said, sure, I can I love to kayak. Like, let's go. I will lead this kayak trip and it will be the best kayak trip of all time because that's who I am, right? So I I forgot though that this was kids' camp, right? So I didn't I don't know who thought it was a great idea to have kids kayak at kids' camp, but that's all right, that's all right. So I get on the river and we're doing okay. Like we're doing okay. We have our first little training about you have to paddle the boat, like don't tip it over, it's hard to get back in, or maybe that's just for me. Anyway, uh, so we're we're paddling, we're doing the kayaking and we're rocking. There's this one kid though, and he will not paddle that boat. He will not, and he is just adamant he's not doing it, but like we're far enough now, like, dude, the only way forward is forward. Like, we gotta go, like we gotta keep going. Uh, and so the rest of the kids are getting it, and then all of a sudden, wouldn't you know it? This really fantastic storm kicks up, and it's really obvious that there is lightning and we need to get these little kids off this river. Um, and so we're trying to figure this out. We're about halfway at that point down the river. Like, there's no turning back, there's not anywhere we can just sit on the land because like kids' camp kids are kind of like wet squirrels. Like, you you gotta get them all in one place. Like, there, you gotta go. So there was one other adult on this trip, and we make a decision. Like, we're gonna tie this little dude's uh kayak to her kayak, and she's gonna get the rest of kids down the river. And this guy's gonna get on my kayak, and then I'm gonna, you know, because I'm so buff, paddle him the rest of the way down the river. Um, now we're friends, we're friends. You know, I do not work out. Like, that's not my thing. Um, so kayaks are made for one person, and that's already a bit of a workout to haul myself on a kayak down the river. But this little guy on my kayak, that was a struggle. That was a struggle. Um, and I was fighting for my life, but I'm trying to be positive, right? We're not gonna let this little guy die. And so he starts crying. And I said, My dude, why are you crying? Like, you're not doing anything. You're just you're just chilling. Like I'm the one whose arms are gonna fall off my body. Like, why are you crying? And he said, What if I fall off? And I said, Man, it's not that, it's not that deep. You walk. And he said, Okay, okay, but what if it is deep? And I said, Then you swim. It's the river. And he goes, Well, I can't swim. And I said, Dear Lord, who put you on this river? So I I'm trying to do some research here to figure out who I'm gonna yell at, you know. So I said, What church do you go to, my guy? And he said, I don't know. I said, Okay, all right, that's okay. Uh, who's your counselor? I don't know. Yeah, okay, that's cool, that's cool. What dorm are you in? I don't know. Okay, how many dollars do you have on your Snack Shack tab? $4.50. So priorities, man. Like priorities. This guy had a difficult time knowing what was important. Now, I was pretty sure my body was just gonna give up on the river, my arms are gonna fall straight off. Um, I I would be proud to tell you I made it down the river, and so did that guy. Um, and we lived. We did live. Philip had to listen to me whine for the duration of camp, um and and still for years to come. He's heard this story 65 times approximately, uh, because it still left trauma scars. But we made it down the river. So um, I'm pretty sure that kid's probably like an accountant now. He's like a full-send adult, but um he lived, thanks to me. You're okay. I think you should clap. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, it was me. I I made the kid live. Uh also Jesus, but um, we made it. So today we are having a conversation about storms and priorities, and we're talking about the man, the myth, the legend, Jonah. Okay, so I'm sure you've heard the story of Jonah. Um, maybe some of you even like felt boarded Jonah right into a whale in a Sunday school class as a small person, but Jonah's story is so well known that most non-believers um are familiar with Jonah's story. They understand the story of Jonah. He's so legendary. Uh, he also got his own book in the Bible, the book of, you guessed it, Jonah. Um, and it's only four chapters long, but we're gonna be diving into it today. Uh, the trouble for poor Jonah is that he is always going to be remembered for his lack of obedience and his gross miscalculation of priorities. Um, quick Jonah recap in case you don't know all about him. In the very beginning of the book, God tells Jonah, Jonah, go to a place called Nineveh. It's a very wicked city. The people are making very bad choices and announce my judgment to them. Jonah says, a very swift, no thank you, sir. Um, and he hops on this ship that's headed the opposite direction. He says, I'm out, don't wanna. Then God sends this violent storm that threatens to break the ship apart, and the crew starts panicking while Jonah takes a nap. I do appreciate that he knows a good nap is valuable, but they wake him up and they say, Dude, will you pray to your God in hopes that this storm is gonna end? Then they cast lots to figure out whose fault it is that this storm is happening, and it's decided that it's Jonah's fault. It's then decided that Jonah's gonna be thrown overboard, and as soon as he's off the ship, the storm completely ends. Then God sends this giant fish to swallow Jonah up, and he stays inside for three days. Then Jonah gets it a little bit together for a minute, and he remembers God, and the Lord orders this fish to spit Jonah out on dry land, right? We know this story. Okay, so then God reminds him again of his purpose and tells him to go to Nineveh. Now, Nineveh is not a small place, like it's not this small town. The Bible says it was a city so large it took three days to see it all. It's a big place, more than one stoplight. So then Jonah then preaches the shortest message of all time. He says, 40 days from now, Nineveh will be destroyed. That's it. Period. Um, and wouldn't you know it? There is this huge revival. The people decide they are gonna turn from their sins and from their wickedness, and the king gets off his throne and he dresses in burlap and he declares that the entire land is gonna fast and pray and turn from their wickedness. It is incredible. It is like dream revival moment happening in Nineveh. God sees their changed hearts and he sees how much they have decided to make new decisions and follow him, and he changes his mind. And he decides he is not gonna carry out the destruction that he had planned and threatened. Amazing, right? That's incredible. Way to go, God. Way to go, Nineveh. We love it. Everybody's happy except Jonah. Um, and that brings us to the chapter that we're gonna be diving into today, which is in Jonah 4. Jonah 4, 1 says, This change of plans greatly upset Jonah. And he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it. Didn't I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? This is why I ran away to Tarshish. I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, that you are slow to get angry, and that you are filled with unfailing love. This sounds like a rant that my six-year-old goes at, but or maybe me at her. Either way, you are eager to turn back from destroying people. I mean, right. Uh, just kill me now, Lord. I would rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen. Big fat fit, like floor-kicking kind of fit happening. The Lord replied, Is it right for you to be angry about this? And then Jonah went to the east side of the city and he made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city. And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah's head, shading him from the sun. And this eased his discomfort. And Jonah was very grateful for the plant. This brings us to our first point. God provides what we need, not always what we want. I think it is so beautiful that God prepared a plant and caused it to grow over Jonah's head in the middle of his temper tantrum. Jonah was hot and he was tired, and he was so, so angry, and he was angry at God, with God, and yet God showed him kindness in the middle of his terrible attitude. God still cared for him. How often does that perfectly describe us? How many times has God blessed us even when our attitudes are not right? How many times has God provided for us when we absolutely did not deserve it? How many times has he been faithful when we were complaining? God sends this plant over Jonah as this perfect reminder that he is a gracious, good father. In our everyday life, maybe that plant looks like encouragement when we're feeling discouraged. Maybe it looks like strength that we find when we're feeling really weak. Maybe it looks like friends who reach out to us when we're lonely, or opportunities that just appear when we're feeling uncertain. Maybe it looks like our church family when we're searching. Some of you are sitting in this room today because of a plant in your life. Maybe it was a parent who'd never stopped praying for you, or a pastor who cared for you. Maybe it was a friend who invited you to go to church with them, or a spouse who kept believing in you. God often uses people to provide shade for us in our weary moments. Maybe for you it was a new position that took care of the bills, or a business opportunity that changed the trajectory of things for your family. God sent a plant. But here's the problem sometimes we become more attached to the gift than we are to the giver. Jonah became more concerned about the plant than he was ever concerned about the people in Nineveh. The very thing that God used to bless him became the thing that distracted him from God's mission. My friends, we must never become so comfortable that we forget why we're here. We can't let our preferences distract us from God's bigger picture. God did not save us to sit in the shade. He saved us to reach the city. Jonah loved comfort more than he loved compassion. And you know what really alarms me about this book? The only thing that made Jonah happy in this entire book was sitting under the shade of the plant. It says in Jonah 4, 6, Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. Jonah wasn't happy when the sailors were saved. He wasn't happy when he was freed from the belly of a fish. He wasn't happy when Nineveh repented, and when a hundred and twenty thousand people were spared from death. He was only happy when he was comfortable. We're gonna keep reading. Jonah 4, 7 through 9. But God also arranged for a worm. The next morning at dawn, the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah, and the sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. Death is certainly better than living like this, he exclaimed. Yes, Jonah retorted, even angry enough to die. Another fit. This brings us to our second point. God often uses discomfort to move us forward. Oh man, God sent a worm. The same God who sent a plant also sent the worm. And the worm eats the plant and it withers away. And Jonah's shade, his comfort, his convenience disappear, and he is right back to miserable and complaining. Why would God send a worm? I think he was exposing Jonah's heart. The plant revealed what Jonah enjoyed, what he valued. The worm revealed what Jonah worshiped, what was really important to him, his misaligned priorities. Many times God uses a worm in our lives. It's not because he hates us, it's not because he wants us to be unhappy. It's because he loves us. Sometimes that worm looks like a change that we didn't want. Sometimes it looks like added responsibilities that we did not ask for. Sometimes it looks like an opportunity that stretches us, or a season of uncertainty. Sometimes it looks like a prolonged period of waiting or a loss or a new burden for someone that we overlooked. Comfort rarely produces growth. Real growth usually happens when God moves us beyond what feels safe for us. If you think about what that looks like in scripture, that tends to always be true. God calls Abraham out of his homeland. He calls Moses into the wilderness. God called Peter out of the boat and Paul to go across the world. God never left his people where they were comfortable because comfort zones rarely lead to growth. For some of you, God might be using a worm in your life right now. Maybe he's nudging you to serve in a ministry at FWC. Maybe he's asking you to teach or commit to better attendance for your family. Maybe you're being challenged to pray more. Maybe God's been putting it on your heart to be more faithful with your finances. Maybe you've been challenged to invite others or speak to people that make you uncomfortable about your faith. Maybe you're being stretched to use things that you've been given for the greater betterment of the kingdom. None of it is easy. Change is never easy. And stretching outside of what we have always done is not always fun. But if we are not careful, we'll spend all of our time mourning what we've lost instead of following God into what he's doing next. The plant made Jonah comfortable, it made him feel safe, it met his expectations. But the worm made Jonah pay attention. It also exposed his priorities. Let's read the end of the chapter, Jonah 4.10. Then the Lord said, You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city? That brings us to point number three. God's heart has always been for lost people. In the final part of the book, God essentially says, Jonah, are you serious? You are upset about this plant that grew in one day and was gone the next, but you're not concerned with thousands of people who are spiritually lost. And that is the heart of the This entire book. The book of Jonah isn't about Nineveh. It's about Jonah. The most important part of this book has nothing to do with a big fish. And it has everything to do with God's unimaginable love for lost people. Jonah wanted judgment. God wanted redemption. Jonah wanted comfort. God wanted compassion. Jonah was focused on the plant, and God was focused on a lost city. If we aren't very careful, we fall into the exact same thing. We can become so focused on our preferences, on our traditions, on our routines, on our schedules. What is most comfortable for us that we miss our purpose. And meanwhile, all around us, there are people in need of Jesus. In our area, there are so many children who need Jesus. Children who are going home to unsafe, unclean, unloving homes. One of the last Wednesday nights that we had kids church, there was a little girl, and I was trying to get her to go where she needed to go to go home. And she said, Can I just stay here? And I said, You got you gotta go home. Your mom would miss you. She goes, No, can I just can I stay? I'll even just I don't have to play on the playground. I can just play in the rocks. She would prefer to sit outside our church and play in the rocks than go to her home. Those are the kids that we are meeting on Wednesday nights. Maybe it's time you volunteered to help FWC kids one Sunday or one Wednesday night a month. Or commit to financially support meals one Wednesday a month for FWC kids. All around us, there are students who need Jesus. Students who are going every single day into school, struggling with their mental health and their identity in a world that tells them you can define who you are, regardless of who God created you to be. What if you decided that Wednesday night youth wasn't an option for your kids? That getting them there was important? What if you made a commitment to volunteer in youth one Wednesday a month? To sit there and speak life over kids that are in spiritual darkness. Maybe that means missing the occasional ball practice. Maybe that means being a little bit tired on Thursday mornings. But we serve students who need mentors and strong leaders to love them and show them biblical examples of Christ. Our church is in a community filled with families who need Jesus. Maybe God is speaking to you about using your financial blessings to further the ministries of Family Worship Center so that we can continue to reach people in Morgan County and all around our community. There are single parents who need Jesus. Maybe God's challenging you to help in the nursery one Sunday a month so that single parents can connect with God. Maybe we should all make a better effort to include people into our own families, to invite them to come and see us in our own space, to invite them to lunch with the people that you go to every go with every single Sunday, worrying less about people's baggage and more about their souls. What if we showed them what our homes are like? What love can look like in a godly way? What if we showed them godly examples of love and created an even bigger extended family for ourselves? In our community, there are addicts who need Jesus. We want to start a ministry to help meet their needs and show them the love of Jesus. But it takes more people committing more time outside of their normal Sunday morning service, committing to serve and give of their time, talent, and treasure. There are countless skeptical, hurting, unchurched people living all around us every single day. People in Versailles, in Stover, in Lori, in Eldon, and further than that, doing more and giving more isn't always comfortable. But we have to remember that God's heart has always been for the lost. Jesus says in Luke 19, 10, for the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost. Every part of our church, every ministry, every initiative, every change, every dollar should be focused on the lost. We should be serving because people matter. We should be giving because people matter. Everything we do should be pointing the lost and broken to the Savior who sees them as worthy of love. Jonah wanted mercy for himself when he was inside the fish, but he wanted justice for the world. Jonah's doctrine and his understanding of God's character was excellent. He knew the scriptures and he knew the heart of the Father, but his compassion was terrible. This is one of the scriptures' biggest warnings against theological pride. We can know everything about Jesus without becoming like him. Throughout the book of Jonah, God uses the word sends or appoints or arranges. It depends on your translation. And it's interpreted several ways. The word is translated in the Hebrew from the Hebrew word mana. I don't speak Hebrew, but that's my best interpretation for you. But that word in the Hebrew means to appoint, to assign, to ordain, to prepare, or to designate for a specific purpose. In the book of Jonah, this verb appears repeatedly. It's like a literary refrain to point us back to God's compassion and sovereignty over his creation. We see throughout this book that the wind obeys God, the sea obeys God, the fish obeys God, the plant obeys God, the worm obeys God. All of them are ready and willing to follow their purpose and the instruction of the Father. Yet Jonah himself resists every single step of the way, denying and fighting the purpose that God has for him. All creation responds to God's command, except Jonah. I wonder where he's sending you. I wonder where he's asking you to stretch, to respond, and to grow. What purpose have you been designated for? Don't be surprised when God begins stretching you. Living for Jesus isn't just about receiving. It's about becoming more like Christ every single day. Sometimes God uses plants. Sometimes God uses worms. We can trust him through both. Some of us have been serving the Lord for decades. We have to be very, very careful that we don't become more passionate about our own comfort than we are about the mission. We have to remember that we were once on the receiving end. Somebody reached us. Somebody cared enough for us to tell us about Jesus. Maybe you were blessed and that was a family you grew up in. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe it's somebody who had to step out of their comfort zone to talk to you about God. Someone who had to risk inviting you to church knowing you might not show up, you might say no, that it might be an uncomfortable conversation about their faith. Thank goodness they took the time to step outside of their comfort zone. Maybe for you, there was just somebody who prayed for you. Somebody who spent hours talking to God on behalf of your heart and your soul. Somebody who cared enough to hit the throne room of heaven on your behalf. Thank goodness somebody cared enough to know that God had a heart for the lost when it came to us. We are not meant to receive that blessing and do nothing with it. We are meant to receive that blessing and then reach someone else with that same beautiful blessing. Is it comfortable in your workplace to always shine the light of Jesus, even when people are coming against you and all other kind of names? No. Is it comfortable to talk to your family who've known you for years about a change that happened in your heart? No. Is it comfortable to get rejected when you invite someone to come to church over and over again? No, it's not. There was a time when I was in youth ministry right back in the back, and there was this girl I went to school with, and I asked her every single week, will you come to church with me? She said, No. I said, Will you come to church with me? No, I don't do church. Will you come to church with me? No. One week she said, if I go, will you stop asking me? Absolutely, yes, I will. And guess what? She came that week and she got saved, gave her heart to Jesus. You never know. Maybe you have to keep asking. Go, God, right? And go me for being annoying, right? Yeah, thanks. But you never know the time that's gonna count. Is it comfortable? No. But here's the thing: the plant wasn't the point. The worm wasn't the point. Nineveh was the point. God was teaching Jonah that people matter more than our comfort. And that lesson is still true today. I pray we never become comfortable under our plant and forget the people that God loves. May we trust God when He sends us shade. And may we trust God when He sends us worms. And most importantly, I pray that we always remember that God's heart is for the lost. The worship team can go ahead and make your way to the stage. Here's the thing that's interesting about the book of Jonah. Most times in Scripture, everything's tied up with a neat bow at the end of the book. Everybody knows what happened, everybody knows how we go from there. That's not true in the book of Jonah. The book of Jonah ends without Jonah's response. In one of the most unusual endings in Scripture, God asks one question. He says, Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city? And guess what? That's it. The book ends. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city? And that's the entire ending of the book of Jonah. We never find out Jonah's answer. We never hear Jonah say, sorry, God, my bad, or throw another fit. It just ends exactly like that. And I think we don't find out the answer because the real question is directed at us. Will we rejoice when God shows mercy to people that we don't think deserve it? Will we become so comfortable with our preferences that we miss our purpose? Will we step outside of what is comfortable to allow a real move of God? Shouldn't we stretch ourselves for such a great city? Shouldn't we look around ourselves every single day and think how blessed we are to know Jesus and do whatever it takes to share that same blessing with a lost and broken world? Today I want to challenge you to consider the comfort that you might have made into an idol. I want to challenge you to consider if there are any plants that have made you so comfortable that you're forgetting your purpose. I want to challenge you to think if there are some worms that God is placing in your life. If there are some areas that he's stretching you in, some things that maybe you've been hearing him speak over you and you've been pushing it aside because it's not fun, it's not comfortable. I want to challenge you to consider if God is speaking something more to you today. Changing your thinking or growing your heart. Let's close our eyes and bow our heads. But before we pray, before we go much further, I want us to have a moment where we're just still. I want us to have a moment where we just allow the Holy Spirit to speak into each one of our hearts. Because we're all completely unique and individually made by God, and He knows what it is that we need to hear. He knows what you need him to speak over you. So we're gonna just be still. Ask him if there's some areas where you've been too comfortable. Ask him if there's some areas that he's stretching you or some new things that he's placing in your heart. Sometimes being still is more uncomfortable. Sometimes allowing God to speak his heart. I'm the kind of person who wants to fill the silence. Sometimes when we do that, we forget to listen for the voice of God. I am believing that he is speaking some things into your heart, some areas of growth, some areas of stretching. With our heads still bowed, I wonder if there's anyone in this room who's never invited Jesus into your heart. You're hearing us talk about sharing the love of God, but you've never experienced it yourself. You've never had the opportunity to know him. I want you to know he's the kind of God who the wind and the sea and the plants and the worms respond to. And in a beautiful world, he saw you. And he loves you. And he created you with purpose and on purpose. You aren't an accident and you're a person with so much worth. If you're in this room and you've never invited Jesus into your heart, but you're feeling the Holy Spirit speak that over you today, will you just lift up your hand? Thank you. Thank you, Jesus. Okay, now I'm gonna pray over us, but I'm gonna ask that we just stand to our feet and we continue in the stillness. But I'm gonna pray over you. But if there's something that God's speaking to you today, I wanna challenge you to talk to Him about it. If you need someone to pray with you or agree with you, or you need prayer for anything, our altars are open. And I'm just gonna pray over us and then we're gonna worship a little bit together. But if you need prayer, we'd love to agree with you in that today. With heads still bowed, eyes still closed. Father, thank you for every single blessing that you have given us. Thank you for every plant that has sheltered us and strengthened us. Help us to trust you when you send worms that stretch us and grow us. Forgive us when we become more concerned with our comfort than with your mission. Please give us your heart for lost people. Please continue to remind us of the things that you spoke over us. Help us to serve you faithfully. Help us to grow with courage. Help us to love people deeply. Please, God, use our church to reach our community with the hope of Jesus. Please help us to go above and beyond for a lost and broken world to show them who you are. In Jesus' name, amen. We're gonna worship together.

SPEAKER_01 41:30

Oh my eyes. Every so I've been saving you my eyes in one shall be held me with your holy in your love to you open up my eyes in shall be hollow me with your holiday in the I will build and I will build my worship seven and I will I trust in you and I will be shaken hallelujah hallelujah your soul holy God your soul holy God holy let's sing this out together if you can lift your hands I encourage you to lift them let this be the cry of our heart as a church family as we sing holy there is no one like you holy there is no one like you there is none beside you open up my eyes in one show me who you are and fill me with your heart and lead us Lord in your love to those hallelujah lead us Lord close around us holy I want us to just bow our heads and to close our eyes for a moment I want us just to take a moment just to be honest with the Lord just begin keep playing that just to be honest with the Lord and and in his presence just like in Psalms when it says search my heart oh God create in me a clean heart I want you just to ask the Lord to search your heart and I just feel like that God is wanting us to understand this morning there's there's times that He speaks a word to us through somebody and it can be the most entertaining message we've ever heard or it could be the most exciting message we've ever heard or it could be the most relevant word that we've heard that just cuts to our heart cuts to our core and speaks to us but somebody needs to hear this this morning none of those things add up to mean anything if we don't respond and as a a father now for for six and a half years I've learned a lot of things about our daughter and one of the things that we're currently working through and learning through and and and growing through together is are you listening?

SPEAKER_02 49:01

And not so much did you hear the noise but did you understand what was said do you understand what mom and dad said to you because often this is for somebody this morning often when a parent speaks to a child the next expectation and I just feel the Holy Spirit saying this this morning is movement movement and God was speaking to my heart to challenge us on this thought He used Kayla to bring a powerful word so proud of her this morning very powerful word if you liked it or didn't like it or if you uh thought it was relevant or not God spoke a powerful message to our church but as I seen kind of a no response God quickened my heart and said are you really listening because just like when I ask my daughter hey can you pick up your toys and she says yes but then the toys stay on the ground and she walks into another room I have to ask her did you hear me because the question has an expectation of movement afterwards and the Lord just brought all this to my heart and my spirit and said that's what he's trying to speak to us this morning. He's not worried about a business meeting with a piece of paper and some numbers on it he's asking us to respond to this message that he has spoken over us and the expectation is movement. Now I'm not asking you to run to the altar I'm asking you to ask God what is my movement supposed to be so I want us to pray right now and if you feel like you need to come to the altar maybe it's because you're sick maybe it's because you're responding to the message maybe it's because you need a touch from the Lord I don't really care what it is as long as as long as God is calling you I want you to respond but I'm gonna pray and maybe our service will go on a few more minutes and maybe it'll be done in a couple minutes. I'm gonna let the Holy Spirit dictate that but I want you to respond however the Lord is tugging on your heart to respond. Maybe it's just to sit there and cry maybe it's just to sit there and lift up your hands maybe it's to sit there this morning and say okay God I hear you and today as I go through my day I want to ask you to show me what that movement means. So as we pray I want you to however that is speaking to you I want you to be faithful. I want you to listen to what the Lord is speaking to you speaking to our church and I want you to respond however that is Father I thank you right now for your faithfulness God I thank you right now God that you have us in the palm of your hand and Family Worship Center has always been and will continue to always be a light in this community and God I pray right now for our congregation I pray right now for every person that is here today I pray right now God for those who are listening that God we would be faithful and we would not just hear the sounds we would not just go through the motions Father but that we would respond God there is some sort of a movement some sort of an action that you are asking us God maybe for some of us we've been blessed and it's financial maybe for some of us it's inviting someone and being the hands and feet of Christ and showing them the love and helping them come to church or preaching the gospel to them or doing something kind for them. Whatever that movement whatever that action is Father I pray you would speak to us right now in the name of Jesus God right now and Father that you would just have your way that we would hear you that we would listen to you Father and that God we wouldn't just ignore you we wouldn't just walk away and think well that was another service but God this would be something that would penetrate our hearts and it would ask us the make us ask the question what is it you're trying to say to me God what is it that I need to do how am I supposed to respond what is that movement Father we thank you that wherever we are in our walk with you God you'll speak to us you'll reveal yourself to us God and I thank you and praise you for your Holy Spirit God I thank you and praise you that you know how to reach us God and you know how to speak a message over us God I pray for this church I pray for our congregation I pray today God that we would be so close to your heart God that we would be in unity with you and Father that your Holy Spirit would know that it is allowed to flow freely God that when we walk into these doors God there's an expectation of worship when we walk through these doors God there's an expectation of prayer when we walk through these doors God there's an expectation that we are in God's house and whatever God's will let it be done. Father I pray we take it with us I pray we take it home I pray we take it to lunch God I pray that we would be followers of you who follow you not just into the church building but to our job and to our neighborhood and to our household and to our family and to our friends God do whatever it needs do whatever we need God send a worm whatever you need us to do God position us so we are in your will today Father that is our heart's cry that is what you are speaking to us today God we just thank you and we praise you in Jesus' name and the church said and can we give the Lord a hand clap of praise right now thank you Jesus thank you Jesus so we are going to uh let them just play softly for a few more minutes want you to consider yourselves dismissed from this service um want to remind you that if you have a kid in the back for FWC kids to to make sure you go get them also want to remind you here and the next we're gonna probably move it up a little bit say 1215 okay 1215 if you are a member of the church or you would like to know what's going on with the business meeting today you can stick around for that we do ask everyone to when once we start the business meeting to