WEBVTT 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:08.080 Hey, I'm Pastor Steve Hole. 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:12.400 I want to empower you today to walk in your true identity as a worshiper and warrior. 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:16.480 Today, embrace the power of God's Word and the Holy Spirit. 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:19.760 Welcome to the Born for War podcast. 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:27.280 All right, we're in the book of Romans, Church. 00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:36.560 And if you're a guest with us today, we we welcome you here and we go through the Bible chapter by chapter and verse by verse, and we're in Romans. 00:00:36.640 --> 00:00:44.399 You can, if you don't have your Bible with you, the next time you come, bring your Bible, or you can just look on your phone and you can find a Bible. 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:49.039 I use the New King James Version, and that is my favorite version. 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:53.200 I'm kind of a King James guy, and I like the New King James Version. 00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:59.920 I use that, but I know many of you use, probably the most popular Bible translation is the NIV, and that's fine. 00:01:00.479 --> 00:01:03.920 But we're in verse 9 of Romans chapter 1. 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:08.560 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit. 00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:09.680 Underline that. 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:21.359 It was Martin Luther who said, Christianity is the unique and only religion of the possessive pronoun. 00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:27.760 Christianity is the unique and only religion of the possessive pronoun. 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:33.359 In other words, you could be a Buddhist, but you don't have a relationship with Buddha. 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:38.079 You can be into Islam, but you don't have a relationship with Muhammad. 00:01:38.239 --> 00:01:48.239 Only in Christianity is our faith built on knowing intimately the founder, knowing intimately Jesus Christ. 00:01:48.480 --> 00:02:00.560 It is a spirit-to-spirit encounter when we're born again, when we come to know Christ for the first time, but it's a spirit-to-spirit encounter throughout your whole life. 00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:14.400 And some of you in this room may have grown up in a churchy background where you went to church every Sunday, or you grew up in a very moralistic background, very ethical parents. 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:20.400 But have you had a spirit-to-spirit encounter with Jesus Christ? 00:02:21.680 --> 00:02:26.879 Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to McDonald's makes you a hamburger. 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:30.080 So church is great. 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:31.120 I love church. 00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:32.639 I love being here. 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:35.680 You're my favorite people in the whole world. 00:02:36.319 --> 00:02:42.400 And the more I travel and speak in places, the more I love you guys even more. 00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:49.919 Because I go into situations where sometimes it's stale and it's dry and it's super religious. 00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:54.080 We're talking about spirit-to-spirit communion with God. 00:02:55.039 --> 00:03:00.879 A heart-to-heart connection with the creator of the universe. 00:03:01.120 --> 00:03:03.039 That's what Paul starts off with. 00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:08.000 That I serve God in the Spirit. 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:11.360 It is a spirit-to-spirit connection with Jesus Christ. 00:03:11.439 --> 00:03:12.719 Paul didn't have that before. 00:03:13.039 --> 00:03:16.400 Paul had a relationship with the law. 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:27.439 Paul had a relationship with God through the law, and God came to him through the Messiah Jesus in a vision, and he had a spirit-to-spirit encounter. 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:29.599 Have you had that? 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:37.520 Has your spirit encountered the Holy Spirit so that you're born again? 00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:46.719 Jeremiah and Ezekiel say that there is a time coming when God will give us a new spirit and a new heart. 00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:52.639 You have a new spirit and you have a new heart given by God when you're born again. 00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:59.680 Do you have a spirit to spirit connection with Jesus? 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:02.240 It's the key to everything. 00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:04.639 That's why we talk about being wholehearted. 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:06.879 That's why we had the whole heart advance. 00:04:07.039 --> 00:04:09.759 We don't call it a retreat, we call it an advance. 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:28.079 We want you men to have a whole heart, spirit to spirit, encounter with Jesus Christ that advances you into a personal, vital, dynamic, growing, supernatural relationship with Jesus Christ. 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:30.399 That's what whole-hearted is. 00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:34.639 Most believers are half-hearted. 00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:37.439 That's the reason I love coming here. 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:42.560 Because most of you here are whole-hearted, and most of the Christians I meet out there are half-hearted. 00:04:43.439 --> 00:04:45.279 And that's what we talk about at the advance. 00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:47.600 We talk about what is the, why are we half-hearted? 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:49.199 What are the hindrances? 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:58.720 And I don't want to give it away because I want you to go to hear it because I can't do justice in a sermon like this, but I will say a lot of times it's related to shame. 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:03.839 It's related to stuff in our background that hinders us. 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:09.519 They can even be demonic strongholds that hinder you from being wholehearted. 00:05:09.759 --> 00:05:17.279 You may remember a time in your life where you were wholehearted about something and you got shut down by a person in authority. 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:22.319 And that still lingers with you that you're never going to put yourself out there again. 00:05:22.560 --> 00:05:25.839 I'm telling you, Jesus wants you to put yourself out there. 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:34.079 And he will strengthen you with his spirit, he will empower you with his Holy Spirit, and he'll do miracles in your life. 00:05:34.319 --> 00:05:43.839 So Paul says right out of the chute, he says right here, he says, with my spirit I'm God's witness of the gospel of his son. 00:05:44.160 --> 00:05:50.800 That without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers. 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:52.800 So what's he saying? 00:05:52.959 --> 00:06:02.399 He's saying that he has a spirit-to-spirit connection with Jesus, but he also has a spirit-to-spirit prayer life. 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:05.600 He has a spirit-to-spirit prayer life. 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:15.279 Jude 20 says, but you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in, praying in the Holy Spirit. 00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:23.920 So, folks, it's a it's a spirit-to-spirit connection that builds up our faith when we pray. 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:25.199 And what is prayer? 00:06:25.439 --> 00:06:29.600 Prayer is connecting heart to heart with God about what's on your heart. 00:06:29.839 --> 00:06:35.439 I mean, it's simply sharing with God your heart and letting him share his heart with you. 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:36.399 That's what prayer is. 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:40.079 Prayer is spirit to spirit. 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:43.600 So there must be a prayer that's not spirit to spirit. 00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:53.600 Jesus says, don't pray like the Pharisees who stand on the corner and shout up their prayers that everybody else can hear. 00:06:53.680 --> 00:06:54.959 They're hypocrites. 00:06:55.759 --> 00:07:00.319 They're not praying to me, they're praying to be noticed. 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:07.519 God wants a spirit-to-spirit connection with him in prayer. 00:07:08.639 --> 00:07:10.959 We have this interesting story of Peter. 00:07:11.360 --> 00:07:20.720 So Peter, who's a devout Jew who's never eaten anything unclean, he's never had pork, he's never had bacon. 00:07:20.959 --> 00:07:22.160 Poor guy. 00:07:25.519 --> 00:07:28.079 Bacon is the answer to everything. 00:07:28.319 --> 00:07:28.639 Okay. 00:07:29.439 --> 00:07:36.879 But he, well, not you guys know being facetious. 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:38.879 Not really, no. 00:07:39.279 --> 00:07:42.000 But but he had never had that. 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:46.879 He was a devout, law-committed Jew. 00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:49.199 And then he has a vision in Acts chapter 10. 00:07:49.279 --> 00:07:50.160 Remember the vision? 00:07:50.399 --> 00:08:01.040 He has a vision and these unclean animals, you know, like porky pig and stuff, they came down in the vision, and then the Lord said, Eat. 00:08:02.160 --> 00:08:02.800 Eat. 00:08:03.360 --> 00:08:08.399 And then Peter says, I can't eat, I've never eaten anything unclean. 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:14.560 And then the Lord says in the vision, what God has cleansed, you must not call common. 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:24.959 So what he was doing is God was bringing a new dispensation of openness to the grace of God to even a Jew like Peter. 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:32.960 So then Peter is led by the Lord to a man's house named Cornelius. 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:42.879 So he starts his interaction with Cornelius, who's a Gentile, which Peter before the vision would have nothing to do with, because he was unclean. 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:50.639 Cornelius said, this is Acts 10, 30, four days ago I was fasting until this hour. 00:08:50.879 --> 00:08:56.960 And at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing. 00:08:57.120 --> 00:08:59.279 So he's praying in private. 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:08.320 The Lord or an angel comes, a shining, a shining person of some sort, a spiritual being. 00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:12.480 And then Peter responds by saying, this is my point here. 00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:16.240 Cornelius, your prayer has been heard. 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:20.240 Cornelius, your prayer has been heard. 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:25.039 And your alms are remembered in the sight of God. 00:09:26.080 --> 00:09:36.559 That's really important because the prayer that spirit to spirit is private prayer, a secret history with God that nobody sees but God does. 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:46.960 And some of you in this room have been crying out to God about stuff in your life, about situations in your life where you feel helpless. 00:09:47.279 --> 00:09:51.279 You're crying out to God, you need God to move in a supernatural way. 00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:51.919 Guess what? 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:53.519 He hears that prayer. 00:09:53.919 --> 00:09:55.039 He hears that prayer. 00:09:55.120 --> 00:10:01.679 When you give financially, when you give, when you tithe, when you give, God notices. 00:10:02.320 --> 00:10:07.440 It's called developing a private history with God. 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:12.320 That spirit to spirit prayer. 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:27.919 So I was talking to a young lady in another part of the country when I was out speaking, and she shared some stuff that she was struggling with, and I said, You need to develop a secret history with God. 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:29.039 She goes, What are you talking about? 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:34.639 I said, You need to start learning to give to others and love others where nobody else can notice. 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:37.759 Because you're kind of full of yourself. 00:10:41.279 --> 00:10:42.399 Well, all of you are. 00:10:42.480 --> 00:10:43.600 I mean, admit it. 00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:49.120 Did you look in the mirror this morning and come, you're, you know, we all are kind of into ourselves. 00:10:49.360 --> 00:11:03.440 But in this case, what I wanted to do is I wanted to break a spirit in her of doing faith things to be noticed by men when she needed to learn how to do it for God only. 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:06.559 And that's a secret history with God. 00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:14.960 If you can't do that without telling people that you did that, then you got some issues you need to work through. 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:25.200 I'm talking about a secret history with God, spirit to spirit, where you're doing it all for the glory of God, you give for the glory of God, you pray for the glory of God, you're crying out to him. 00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:29.039 And here's what it says about Cornelius: God notice that. 00:11:30.639 --> 00:11:33.679 When man doesn't know, God does. 00:11:35.120 --> 00:11:40.720 And sometimes prayers cannot be answered because we still need to be noticed by men. 00:11:42.480 --> 00:12:06.960 I find it interesting that Cornelius is up as a Gentile in his house praying, nobody knows about it, and then here's Peter, who has a conviction that he would never, ever step into the house of a Gentile, and God gives him a vision, speaks to him, sends him to Cornelius, who is praying, because Cornelius is praying. 00:12:07.840 --> 00:12:19.840 And sometimes, church, when we go to God and we feel like nobody knows and he doesn't even know, and our prayers aren't getting any higher than the ceilings in our room, that God is noticing that. 00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:26.080 And as you continue to cry out to Him, He's gonna send people into your life. 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:31.919 He's gonna send situations into your life to move in a mighty way if you don't give up. 00:12:33.440 --> 00:12:36.799 But it starts with a spirit-to-spirit relationship with Christ. 00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:38.559 Do you have that? 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:40.320 You can. 00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:42.639 You can today if you don't. 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:46.639 Give your whole heart to Christ. 00:12:47.039 --> 00:12:53.519 Drop the religion and come into a personal, vital, dynamic, growing relationship with Jesus Christ. 00:12:55.519 --> 00:12:57.279 God hears our prayers. 00:12:57.759 --> 00:13:02.320 So we had a 24-hour burn about a was that like three weeks ago. 00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:04.159 So many of you came to that. 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:08.480 We have noonday prayer Monday through Friday, noon to one. 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:10.480 So many of you come to that. 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:17.360 So you say, Well, you know, I did that, I don't see anything happening. 00:13:17.600 --> 00:13:19.039 I do this, I don't see anything. 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:22.480 God is noting that. 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:44.799 God is noting that you took your lunch break off on Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday or Friday or something like that, and you drove over here and you went into a room, and as Josh led us in worship and prayer, you cried out to God, you prayed to God, you left, you didn't feel anything, but you did it in obedience to the Lord because you love him. 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:47.120 He notices that you do that. 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:57.440 And I share with you guys the story of the unforgiveness that I felt towards some men who betrayed me a number of years ago. 00:13:58.399 --> 00:14:01.039 Five years of prayer walking. 00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:08.960 Five years of walking five, ten miles a day, almost every day of the week, pronouncing forgiveness. 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:19.200 And then one day in Uray, on a bear hunt, the Spirit of God came into that room and I and I forgave. 00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:23.120 The feeling of unforgiveness left me and it's never come back. 00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:24.720 And it was years ago. 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:35.600 So all I can say is that sometimes when we pray, it's almost like the tears, scripture talks about the tears being remembered by God, our prayers being, it's like there's a tipping point. 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:52.399 I think there's almost like a tipping point that as you continue to do the right thing, you continue to pray, you continue to seek God, there seems to be at some point in God's sovereign plan a tipping point, and he pours grace upon your life that you could never pronounce yourself. 00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:54.639 It's a work of his spirit. 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:58.799 Jesus says, until now you've asked nothing in my name. 00:14:58.960 --> 00:15:02.320 Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be made full. 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:06.159 I can tell you when that happened to me, joy was made full. 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:18.000 And I went back and called almost all of those men, set up coffee appointments, and just said, um, I didn't say I forgive you for what a jerk you are or anything like that. 00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:21.440 That is what sometimes happens in these things. 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:23.519 It's like bad call, man. 00:15:24.000 --> 00:15:32.159 No, I just said I want you to know that that um I appreciate you, I love you, and I know that God is with you, or something like that. 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:35.360 I didn't even go back to that, but I needed to do that. 00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:39.440 They didn't need that probably, but I needed to do that. 00:15:40.240 --> 00:15:42.559 Jesus said, Ask and it will be given to you. 00:15:42.639 --> 00:15:43.679 Seek and you shall find. 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:45.600 Knock, and the door shall be open to you. 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:50.879 For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be open. 00:15:51.679 --> 00:15:53.200 That's what Jesus said. 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:55.440 I think Jesus knows a little bit about prayer. 00:15:55.919 --> 00:16:00.639 And he's saying, look, ask, seek, knock. 00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:05.679 It's in the air's tense in the Greek. 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:11.360 It means keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking until you receive. 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:15.840 That's a spirit to spirit resiliency. 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:22.480 I don't think you can have this kind of resiliency without spirit-to-spirit connection with God. 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:27.840 What about seemingly unanswered prayer? 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:30.159 Verse 10. 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:41.600 Making request, if by some means now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 00:16:41.919 --> 00:16:48.080 So for years, Paul has been asking to go to Rome. 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:51.679 He's been desiring to go to Rome. 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:54.080 And God has not allowed him to go to Rome. 00:16:54.159 --> 00:16:59.840 Nobody was more faithful, more holy, more committed, more devout than Paul. 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:04.960 And Paul hasn't been allowed to go to Rome yet. 00:17:06.160 --> 00:17:09.119 It will be three years later before he gets to Rome. 00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:11.119 And he's he's crying out to God. 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:16.000 So let me just say this: unanswered prayer is an oxymoron. 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:19.920 God always answers our prayers. 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:22.720 We just don't like the way he answers. 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:25.359 It's yes, no, or wait. 00:17:25.599 --> 00:17:28.079 It's yes, no, or wait. 00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:37.440 It's me coming to my dad at 14 years old and saying, Dad, I want a motorcycle, and dad's saying no. 00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:40.720 I don't know why. 00:17:41.759 --> 00:17:46.480 I do know that my mom had some impact on a lot of the decisions that my dad made. 00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:56.319 And when I did finally get it at 16, she said, I hope you won't, I hope you'll be the first person I know that hasn't had an accident on a motorcycle. 00:17:56.640 --> 00:17:58.160 Very encouraging. 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:06.880 It's being at my granddaddy's ranch, and he had this one horse that nobody could ride, and I wanted to ride it at 14. 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:11.519 And granddaddy say, No, you're not ready. 00:18:11.759 --> 00:18:13.440 And by the way, I was never ready. 00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:16.000 So, but no, you're not ready. 00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:22.319 So God oftentimes says no, because we're not ready. 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:34.559 We're not ready for what God has for us, and he's actually working in us through our prayers a work of his spirit so that we're ready for his answers to our prayers. 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:44.960 So sometimes our prayers need to be more about Lord, Lord, change her to Lord, change me. 00:18:46.720 --> 00:19:02.640 So God's working out his plan in our lives with yes, no, or maybe, or yes, no, or wait, or yes, no, you're not ready, whatever you want to call it, because he's working out character in our lives. 00:19:02.960 --> 00:19:13.759 He's making us the answer to our prayers by the transformation in our lives as we seek him in prayer, because it's a spirit-to-spirit relationship. 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:24.240 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift so that you may be established. 00:19:25.200 --> 00:19:32.640 That is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith, both of you and me. 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:42.079 So Liz, my wife, on Sunday mornings often wants me to read my sermon to her. 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:44.160 And I don't like that. 00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:49.680 Because I like to be in the mood, man. 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:53.599 And I'm just reading it so I know it, but I don't want to read it to somebody. 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:55.440 But then they say, read it to me. 00:19:55.920 --> 00:20:05.519 So we did that this morning, and she said that word established is so key here. 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:06.720 So I circled it. 00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:09.759 She didn't say circle it in obedience to her. 00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:12.480 I just did, I circled it. 00:20:12.799 --> 00:20:26.079 But she said, and I think it's right, and she ministers to women a lot, and I minister to men a lot, we need men and women who are established in the faith. 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:29.200 We need good foundations. 00:20:30.480 --> 00:20:33.759 That's why next Sunday I'm not gonna do Romans. 00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:35.920 I'm gonna, it's Thanksgiving weekend. 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:41.759 I'm gonna speak on the establishment of America and what was the original vision of America? 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:44.079 Thanksgiving and the original vision of America. 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:45.920 I want to talk about the pilgrims. 00:20:46.079 --> 00:20:48.000 A couple years ago, I talked about the Puritans. 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:49.839 I'm gonna talk about the pilgrims. 00:20:50.160 --> 00:20:52.799 What was the original vision? 00:20:54.160 --> 00:21:01.519 Because I think it's important in our day and age right now that we understand why our nation was founded. 00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:06.000 What are the facts about the founding of our nation? 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:21.359 Not revision revisionist historians' perspective based on problems that we might have in the 21st century to then read into something that wasn't necessarily there in the 16th century, in the 17th century. 00:21:21.440 --> 00:21:22.559 So we're gonna talk about that. 00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:23.920 Because this is why. 00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:26.240 We need to be established. 00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:30.079 You need to be established in your faith. 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:34.880 You need to have, you need to be established and mature in your walk with God. 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:37.200 That that takes a lot of work, man. 00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:40.400 That takes a lot of work to be established. 00:21:40.480 --> 00:21:41.920 That means maturity. 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:46.000 So I like to use the word convergence. 00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:47.279 And it's been the prayer. 00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:56.400 When I first heard this term 20 years ago, when I was, no, it was 25 years ago, when I heard this term in a graduate school class, it resonated. 00:21:56.480 --> 00:21:59.599 You know, so much of what you hear in school, you forget about. 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:01.279 But there's a few things you remember. 00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:04.400 This is one of those things that I remembered: convergence. 00:22:04.640 --> 00:22:16.880 Here's what convergence is: Convergence is spiritual gifts, natural talents, life experience, and mature character coming together in a person. 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:18.880 That should be your goal. 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:22.880 As you grow older, and you that are young, it should be your goal right now. 00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:30.079 It was definitely my goal when I was younger, is that as I get older, I want to see spiritual maturity through my character. 00:22:30.400 --> 00:22:33.440 I want to be using my spiritual gifts. 00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:42.400 I want to be using my natural talents, and I want to learn, this is important, learn from life experience. 00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:51.359 So many people become bitter because they're always angry about everything that's happened in their life and they don't learn from it. 00:22:51.599 --> 00:22:55.200 Things don't happen to you, things happen for you. 00:22:55.599 --> 00:22:57.599 And so you're gonna go through hardship. 00:22:57.759 --> 00:22:59.279 Everybody does. 00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:01.279 Everybody in this room has shame. 00:23:01.440 --> 00:23:05.200 Everybody in this room has had parents that did them wrong. 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:12.960 Every one of you in this room have had a coach or an authority figure that betrayed you or hurt you, or in some way, shape, or form. 00:23:13.119 --> 00:23:15.519 That's happened to most of us in this room, if not all of us. 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:18.160 And the reality is, what are you gonna do with it? 00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:28.960 Are you gonna give it to God and trust that God is sovereignly working out a plan in your life to make you a person who can reach convergence? 00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:37.359 Matter of fact, the people who've been damaged the most oftentimes are the ones who have the greatest kingdom impact. 00:23:38.079 --> 00:23:54.240 Because he who has been sinned against much often learns to forgive much, and with that forgiveness comes an understanding and an empathy for those that have hurt them that causes them to accelerate in their growth ahead of others. 00:23:54.480 --> 00:24:00.720 But if you're here today and you're carrying bitterness and unforgiveness, get prayer. 00:24:01.519 --> 00:24:03.359 God can heal you, man. 00:24:03.680 --> 00:24:05.839 God can set you free. 00:24:06.799 --> 00:24:16.880 Prayer is asking, seeking, knocking, barraging heaven. 00:24:17.519 --> 00:24:19.599 God, I'm not a mature person. 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:25.119 Lord, I still carry unforgiveness for that thing that happened 25 years ago. 00:24:26.480 --> 00:24:28.720 I need your grace. 00:24:29.519 --> 00:24:31.440 I need your faith. 00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:34.319 I need your hope to invade my life. 00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:36.799 You see, that spirit-to-spirit connection. 00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:41.680 Forget religion, forget the repetitious prayers. 00:24:41.920 --> 00:24:44.319 That's the way I grew up with repetitious prayers. 00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:49.119 And it didn't mean anything for my formalism that we did. 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:53.039 That's what Jesus speaks against. 00:24:54.079 --> 00:25:08.640 The Lord is looking for a church and for a people who will have a relationship with him that we can cry out with honesty and authenticity to him and let his spirit come and bring healing. 00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:09.519 He will. 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:35.839 That's weird, man. 00:26:36.480 --> 00:26:40.880 That's super weird that God, I mean, you should just be able to read good books about it. 00:26:40.960 --> 00:26:43.519 Just read a book on spiritual gifts and take the test. 00:26:43.920 --> 00:26:46.480 How many have done spiritual gifts tests? 00:26:46.960 --> 00:26:48.640 Okay, I think they're fine. 00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:49.759 That's okay. 00:26:50.079 --> 00:26:56.880 No, I think they are, because some people just literally don't know anything, and then it's and it's helpful to them, and it's helpful to you, even if you know some stuff. 00:26:57.039 --> 00:26:57.839 Okay, it's good. 00:26:58.000 --> 00:27:10.079 But there's actually another part to this scripturally that Paul said, Look, I laid hands on you, Timothy, and I want you to stir up the gift of God in you because I imparted to you a spiritual gift. 00:27:10.400 --> 00:27:12.799 He's saying the same thing to the Romans. 00:27:14.000 --> 00:27:28.799 So this morning at the end of the service, what we're gonna do is I'm gonna have a group of people that I've asked ahead of time to come up here, along with anybody on the ministry team, who are gonna pray for those who'd like the gift of intercession. 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:36.240 You'd like to grow in being a person of prayer that sees answers to your prayers. 00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:41.119 Well, I'm gonna have a group up here of people who see that happen regularly. 00:27:41.279 --> 00:27:48.319 And they're gonna lay hands on you, and there's gonna be an impartation of intercession. 00:27:48.720 --> 00:27:52.160 And you're gonna notice a difference because of their prayers. 00:27:52.400 --> 00:27:58.799 Then I've asked another group of anointed people in our church in the area of signs and wonders and miracles. 00:27:59.039 --> 00:28:02.079 Anybody might want to be used of God for miracles? 00:28:02.400 --> 00:28:02.720 Okay. 00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:12.240 They're gonna lay, these have these are some people that have had, in some cases, not all of them, in some cases had international ministries, worldwide ministries of signs and wonders. 00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:13.279 It's been amazing. 00:28:13.519 --> 00:28:17.279 You know what, you know what signs and wonders are, and miracles are. 00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:23.200 They are when God speeds up the process. 00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:35.599 It's not unnatural, it's supranatural in that someone comes, they have cancer, or they have diabetes, they have some struggle, and that person prays and they get healed. 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:39.519 Now, there's natural ways that that person could get healed. 00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:44.880 But God speeds up the process, and maybe 24 hours later, boom, they're healed. 00:28:45.119 --> 00:28:46.319 That's what miracles are. 00:28:46.480 --> 00:28:58.160 So we're gonna have some, if you'd like that gift, and if you're sitting here and you want that gift, that to me is a sign enough that you have mustard seed faith for God to give that to you when they pray for you. 00:28:58.319 --> 00:29:00.160 That's what Paul is praying for. 00:29:00.319 --> 00:29:09.039 He's asking God, Lord, I wanna go to Rome, I wanna establish the Roman Christians, and I want to impart to them a spiritual gift. 00:29:09.119 --> 00:29:10.319 But look at verse 13. 00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:17.920 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often plan to come to you, but was hindered until now. 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:23.359 He says, until now, parenthetically, but it's actually gonna be even three years more. 00:29:24.160 --> 00:29:28.160 That I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. 00:29:28.319 --> 00:29:29.519 Now, this is interesting. 00:29:29.839 --> 00:29:37.359 So God came to Paul when he was in prison, and he said, You're gonna go to Rome. 00:29:37.920 --> 00:29:39.920 And it's not working out. 00:29:40.160 --> 00:29:47.200 Some of you in this room have heard things from God about your son or your daughter, about your marriage, about your future, about a job. 00:29:47.440 --> 00:29:58.319 You feel as strongly as ever that God spoke to you of something that God's going to do that you're hoping for, and it seems like ever since you got that vision, you're going in the opposite direction. 00:29:58.480 --> 00:29:59.920 Anyone know what I'm talking about? 00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:01.839 Well, even Paul did. 00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:03.839 Even Paul did. 00:30:04.319 --> 00:30:13.759 I actually think that the reason sometimes God gives us visions and dreams like that is because he's going to take you in the opposite direction. 00:30:14.559 --> 00:30:17.599 In other words, you cling to that vision. 00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:25.599 You need that vision because it's not going to go straight and narrow like you would have hoped. 00:30:25.759 --> 00:30:29.119 I mean, look at Israel coming out of Egypt. 00:30:29.359 --> 00:30:32.160 Have you ever looked at those maps in your Bible? 00:30:32.400 --> 00:30:35.279 That's not exactly a direct route, folks. 00:30:35.680 --> 00:30:39.680 I mean, it's like a straight shot right across the Sinai, and they are there. 00:30:39.759 --> 00:30:45.119 And they go south, and then they go west, and they go north, and then they go south. 00:30:45.359 --> 00:30:54.880 And the scriptures say they weren't ready for the wars that they were gonna have to fight because they were untested. 00:30:55.440 --> 00:31:01.759 So sometimes, church, you're not ready for what God wants to give you because you're untested. 00:31:01.920 --> 00:31:04.079 And then when the tests come, you run. 00:31:05.359 --> 00:31:07.519 Man, press into the test. 00:31:08.559 --> 00:31:09.839 Say, God, I'm here. 00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:18.000 Do anything you need to do in my life to make me the kind of mature disciple where I can see you move in a mighty and powerful way in my life. 00:31:18.880 --> 00:31:22.880 I mean, life is hard, man. 00:31:24.160 --> 00:31:25.119 Difficult. 00:31:26.799 --> 00:31:28.480 And some of you are laboring. 00:31:28.799 --> 00:31:30.799 I know because I've talked to you. 00:31:32.079 --> 00:31:33.920 You're praying for your teens. 00:31:35.279 --> 00:31:36.799 You're praying for your family. 00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:38.880 You're praying for a mate. 00:31:39.039 --> 00:31:41.039 You're praying for a child. 00:31:41.359 --> 00:31:43.279 You're praying for healing. 00:31:43.759 --> 00:31:45.279 Keep praying. 00:31:46.480 --> 00:31:47.359 Keep praying. 00:31:47.519 --> 00:31:49.759 Stay close to the Lord. 00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:51.200 Give him praise. 00:31:51.440 --> 00:31:53.279 Give him glory in the midst of it. 00:31:53.519 --> 00:31:58.319 He is bringing a harmony into your life that he has and you lack. 00:31:58.400 --> 00:32:04.720 And sometimes he does that for the very essence of the work of fighting and battling. 00:32:05.440 --> 00:32:09.200 Spiritual warfare prayers matter. 00:32:10.160 --> 00:32:13.680 We need spiritual warfare prayers over this city. 00:32:13.839 --> 00:32:16.319 We need spiritual warfare prayers over this church. 00:32:16.400 --> 00:32:18.799 We need spiritual warfare prayers over your life. 00:32:18.960 --> 00:32:20.480 You gotta fight, man. 00:32:20.720 --> 00:32:22.160 You gotta battle sometimes. 00:32:22.240 --> 00:32:33.359 You gotta put on the helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, shield of faith, sword of the spirit, shodding our feet with the gospel of peace every day. 00:32:33.759 --> 00:32:35.359 And walk in that. 00:32:36.160 --> 00:32:49.200 I don't know what the spiritual demonic powers were, but it's obvious here that Paul had a plan to go to Rome, but was being hindered. 00:32:50.799 --> 00:32:58.720 Folks, God has called you to something in this life, and it will be hindered. 00:32:59.200 --> 00:33:00.559 I promise you. 00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:14.960 Anything of good, anything that's wholesome, anything that's right, anything that's righteous, anything that's justice, anything that brings peace to others, it will be hindered. 00:33:15.680 --> 00:33:22.480 The enemy doesn't want us in this culture making a difference and bringing a kingdom of God revolution. 00:33:23.279 --> 00:33:30.000 And you will be maligned and you'll be made fun of, and you may lose your job over it, you will be persecuted. 00:33:30.160 --> 00:33:34.160 If you're not being persecuted a little bit, you're probably not doing enough. 00:33:35.440 --> 00:33:37.839 That's the world we live in. 00:33:38.240 --> 00:33:40.400 That's the way it is. 00:33:41.440 --> 00:33:43.039 Just want to encourage you. 00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:48.000 Verse 14, I'm a debtor. 00:33:50.480 --> 00:33:53.519 That means Paul was bound by duty. 00:33:54.160 --> 00:33:56.000 Duty's not bad. 00:33:57.039 --> 00:34:02.640 Bound by duty, both to Greeks and to barbarians. 00:34:03.839 --> 00:34:16.480 Can you imagine Paul, who's a Jew of Jews, a Pharisee of Pharisees, he's now reaching out to Greeks and barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 00:34:17.519 --> 00:34:24.960 So, as much as is in me, I'm ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. 00:34:26.719 --> 00:34:30.000 So, church, God's called us to reach out to the lost. 00:34:30.159 --> 00:34:33.199 God's called us to help those in need. 00:34:33.840 --> 00:34:37.760 And I don't even know, were there any boxes when you guys came in still in the opening? 00:34:37.920 --> 00:34:40.000 Okay, we're down to a few boxes. 00:34:40.239 --> 00:34:45.599 Our goal is 200 boxes to go out where we put a whole Thanksgiving dinner together. 00:34:45.920 --> 00:34:56.400 I feel obligated to at least do that to those that are the working poor of our city that can't have a Thanksgiving meal. 00:34:57.280 --> 00:34:58.159 We want to support that. 00:34:58.239 --> 00:35:02.800 So as you leave, if you would just grab a box, it tells you exactly what's needed on there. 00:35:02.880 --> 00:35:05.360 Let's get them all out of here and then bring them back. 00:35:05.440 --> 00:35:06.800 I think it's on Monday, Tuesday. 00:35:06.960 --> 00:35:08.400 It tells you what to do on there. 00:35:08.719 --> 00:35:17.119 But um, when you're out there doing your regular shopping, why not buy two turkeys instead of one and fill that baby up and help those people out? 00:35:17.360 --> 00:35:27.840 Paul felt this obligation, this duty within his heart for those who did not know Christ, for those who did not experience the relationship with Christ. 00:35:28.880 --> 00:35:36.480 And he was willing to give the rest of his life to that and die a martyr's death, either in Spain. 00:35:36.559 --> 00:35:37.679 We believe in Rome. 00:35:38.320 --> 00:35:42.800 It could have been he made it as far as Spain and his witness for Christ. 00:35:43.920 --> 00:35:58.000 So there was a man who wanted to play the violin, and he was really, really passionate about the violin. 00:35:58.239 --> 00:36:05.280 So he started practicing to play the violin, and it was really, really bad. 00:36:05.599 --> 00:36:06.960 He was horrible. 00:36:07.199 --> 00:36:11.280 And we've had violinists in our home, and let me tell you, it's torture. 00:36:12.559 --> 00:36:33.679 And um he got the music for the violin, and he got classical music to start practicing with, and he figured out that if he YouTube'd it, he could get, you know, Beethoven's fifth, or Beethoven's seventh, or he could get bronze, or he could get any of these pieces. 00:36:33.760 --> 00:36:40.800 And what he would do is he would listen to the music coming out of his computer, and then he would scratch along. 00:36:41.920 --> 00:36:43.679 And it was terrible. 00:36:45.760 --> 00:36:51.599 But he did it day after day and week after week and month after month and year after year. 00:36:51.840 --> 00:36:53.199 Every day. 00:36:53.599 --> 00:36:55.679 He loved the violin. 00:36:57.119 --> 00:37:05.199 After a while, the scratching started to sound like real music every once in a while, and then it would all be messed up again. 00:37:05.360 --> 00:37:11.039 But he kept on trying and he kept continuing to practice and to practice. 00:37:12.000 --> 00:37:25.199 Until one day, years later, you would hear the piece on YouTube, and you would hear him in his room playing, and you couldn't even tell the difference. 00:37:25.360 --> 00:37:26.559