Proof of I.D. | Pastor Brian Bullock

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Have you ever been excited by a movie trailer, only to find the movie didn't live up to the hype? Sometimes our lives can send mixed messages too. 

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 Union Church is a church that exists to help people know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference. At Union Church, we believe in doing everything possible to connect people to Christ and unite them to their purpose. We are one church in multiple locations in the DMV and Charlotte, NC. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:03

Galatians chapter 5, and I'm gonna look at verse 22 through 25. Say it again, Galatians chapter 5. I'm gonna look at verse 22 to 25. Let's go old school. Let's do some responsive reading. Let's do some reading. I remember responsive reading. Uh they used to say, Turn to your books to page 31, and we'd all read uh together. So let's read together. Y'all ready? Y'all ready? All right, let's read together. Ready? Go. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things. Verse 24. Those who belong to Christ have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. The title of my message today is Proof of ID. Proof of ID. Father, open up our eyes and our ears that we may receive a word from you that would change and transform our lives forevermore. Hind me behind your cross. Let your voice be louder than mine. In Jesus' name we pray. Everybody say, Everybody say. Amen. Amen. Proof of ID. Have you ever been to a movie theater, Mint Hill, and you saw a coming attraction? And when you saw the coming attraction, it was so good that you got excited about the movie and you couldn't wait to see this movie. Only for you to get to the movie, buy a whole thing of popcorn, get an IC, some crunch a bunch, praise God. And then you go inside of the theater and you realize that the movie is horrible? And it was nothing like the coming attraction that you saw. Anybody have that happened to you where the preview got you, but when you got to the movie, it was terrible? That ever happened to anybody, Mint Hill? Ever happened to anybody? Yes. Yes, gotcha, bro. Anybody ever uh been told about a restaurant? You gotta check out this restaurant the way they do state, the way they do the thing, and you ain't never had a salad like this, and the way they wait till they come up with the dessert, and you tell tell Jeff I sent you and he'll hook you up. And so you got all excited about this meal only to get to the restaurant and it was trash. And you realize this person's taste buds is horrible. You have to eat by faith, not by sight. That ever happened to anybody? Okay, I hear you, I hear it. Um anybody ever had somebody recommend a hairstylist? And they say, You gotta try. My girl, she knows how to hook up the, she's gonna hook you up. You're gonna look better than you ever look. Trust me, she does this. Or fellas, he's like, Oh man, check out my barber. He knows how to line them up, he lines them up right, he gets you tight, get you right, and your hair has never recovered from what that person did to you. And I'm pushing line up back, fellas. You ever go to a barber recommended by somebody else? And they push the line back, your forehead become a five head, six head, seven head. That ever happened to anybody? Anybody ever recommended a mechanic to you? And say, Oh, you gotta check out my mechanic, my mechanic, and he he do it, he do it for the cheaper price. Don't don't go to the dealership, go to my guy, he's right there on third street. All you gotta do is knock on the door, bang on the floor, and he comes out of nowhere. And just say, and just say la la la la la, and then they know it's a password, they know what to do to they get you in, and then you go to this mechanic because they said they can get you right, and then may he go when you go to the mechanic, your car's still making noises, it was terrible, and they charge you more than what the person said, and you realize I should have never listened to that person. That never happened to anybody. Okay, you ever meet a Christian who said they was a Christian? And so in your head, you were singing they was a Christian, but then when you got around them, they didn't talk like a Christian, smell like a Christian, look like a Christian, act like a Christian, and you sitting there saying, Wait a minute, I thought you were a Christian. It will blow your mind when you find out with that somebody who said they were one thing actually became another. Nothing is more disappointing than when reality doesn't match the advertisement. Unfortunately, that's how people feel about Christians. The idea and the concept is that when I meet a Christian or a Jesus follower, there should be some things about you that say to me you're a believer, that says to me you're a Christian. And it's crazy to hear you say you're a Christian, but nothing about your life says it. Nothing about your life speaks it. And and when we see Galatians 5, Galatians 5 is clear. Paul gives a clear distinction that when you meet a believer versus an unbeliever, there's some differences. In fact, Paul says, I'm gonna give you how to identify a Christian, how to identify a disciple, how to identify a follower of Jesus. Paul is saying, I'm gonna show you clearly what the identity of a believer is. Everybody here gotta have some identification. Everybody here, he's you you gotta have a uh a driver's license, passport, military ID, student ID, come on, employee badge. There gotta be something to tell us who you are. What what what Paul says to us that the fruit of the spirit is heaven's ID card for your life? Look at your neighbor, say, You got any ID on you? You got any ID? No, took your neighbor, say, You got any ID, you got any ID, any ID on you. Paul says the ID for the Christian is the fruit of the spirit, or what I would call the proof of the spirit. And the question is, what is the fruit of the spirit, and how does it identify who I am as a believer? Now, if you look at Galatians 5, Paul is petty, so he doesn't start with the fruit of the believer. What he starts with is here's what it looks like to see when you ain't one. Paul said, before I get to what you should look like, let me just clarify what you should not look like. This is what somebody who who is not following the spirit, who does not have Holy Spirit, who's not anchoring the spirit, here here's what their life may look like. Or here are some of the things that you'll see. It's Galatians 5, chapter 19, uh verse 20 to 21. It says, When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are what? The results are what? Very clear. He he says, he says, he says, here's what a person's life look like that don't have no Holy Spirit, and not a believer, sexual morality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outburst of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wow, for the delight parties, I mean, wow, cookouts, I mean, wow, parties, and other sins like these. Paul is saying, hey, when you look at your life, keep that up there. When you look at your life, he says, Listen now, if all your behaviors and actions look like this, you ain't operating the Holy Spirit. Now hear me, now hear me, hear me, hear me. All of us got some sinful desires. All of us desire a little. Somebody said, I ain't living it, but I I thought about a couple of dollars. I ain't did it, but I've been thinking about it. Paul says, Hey, all of us got this sinful nature, and there's some desires that are attached to it. Amen. Amen. Don't say amen too loud, okay, amen. Okay, okay, Mayhew. But what he's saying is, when your life, this is your practice, this is how you live, which means every movie you watch is this, every podcast you listen to is this, every party you go to is this, every trip you take is this, every conversation is this. You this this is your life, this is the environment. Paul says, when you see all these things, you should know this is not a person that's a believer. This is not a person that is filled or is following the Holy Spirit. What is the life of a person uh in the spirit? He said, Here's what the life of a person in the spirit looks like. That's in Galatians chapter 5, verse 22 to 23. Men here, write this down. He says, But the Holy Spirit produces. I love that. Holy Spirit produces. He says, The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives. Love, joy, peace, patience. Don't it feel better than other lists already? It just feels you just feel lighter. Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Okay, this is union. So, so I'm not trying to, we're not gonna just come up here and use spiritual language, and I'm not assuming you all know what these mean. Oh, love, joy, peace. No, let's break it down. Let's let's dig a little deeper so you can actually understand what he's saying. Uh uh What is love? Love is choosing what is best for others, even when it costs you. Come on, man, what is joy? Joy is an inner happiness that isn't controlled by your circumstances. What is peace? Peace is remaining calm because you trust God is in control. What is patience? Patience is staying calm when people or situations don't move as fast as you like. Can I get an amen? Kindness, what is that treat? That is treating people better than they deserve. What is goodness? Goodness is choosing to do what is right even when no one is watching. What is faithfulness? Faithfulness is being dependable, loyal, and keeping your word. What is gentleness? Gentleness is using your strength to help people instead of hurting them. What is self-control? Self-control is having the power to tell yourself no. Paul says when you see these attributes active in a person's life, you have identified someone who's carrying the Holy Spirit. Now, I want you to notice, many hill, he did not say the nine fruits of the spirit, he said the nine fruit of the spirit. Why is it the fruit of the spirit and not fruits of the spirit? For the same reason that I told you last week that that all nine gifts of the spirit reside in one Holy Spirit, and that you can keep going after the gifts or you can go after the spirit, and the spirit can give you access to the gifts. It's the same with the fruit. You don't have to try to figure out each individual fruit. If you get Holy Spirit, He is the one who bears all the fruit. And so one nine different fruits, but one spirit. So if you get the one spirit, you got the one fruit that you need from God because Holy Spirit will give you the fruit you need, and he will produce it in your life. Okay, okay, all right, all right. So here's some walkaway stuff. I'm giving you these points. Pastor, why do you always give us three points? I want you to remember this. I want when somebody asks you what did they talk about in church. I don't want you to say, Man, that was good. It was good. You should have seen it. You should have, what did they say? No, it was good, but you should have woo we woo. No, what did they say? I want you to be able to just say it. I want to make it clear. So here's number one fruit is proof you have the Holy Spirit. Fruit is proof you have the Holy Spirit. If you have the Holy Spirit, and if the Holy Spirit is an active person in your life, I'm sorry, but you should see some fruit. Fruit is the evidence that the Holy Spirit is actively transforming your life. Fruit is visible, fruit is noticeable. We should be able to see it, we should be able to feel it, we we should be able to notice it. Holy Spirit does not just make you emotional, Holy Spirit make you different, and that's what I want you to go out there, being different. You should see yourself this year and say, This year I'm different than I was two years ago. This year I'm different than I was five years ago. When I hear people say, Man, you know I've been like this since college, that is not a flex. What you mean you've been like this since college? Because you know I was like this in the 90s, I was like this in 2000. No, no, no. Why are you still like this? That is not a flex, that is not a brag. Something about you should be changing, growing, evolving. You should be a little different. If I go to my high school reunion and my friends who are grown still want to pull fire alarms, I'm scared. You have not changed, nothing about you is different. I don't want you just to go to church and don't change. I don't want you just to go to church and don't get some type of evolution about who you are. You you should be growing some fruit, you should be making something called progress. Call each other say progress, progress. Yeah, yeah. I want you to, I want you to, I want, I want your life to be different. Because hear me, every at this point, everybody's a Christian. Everybody say they're Christian today. Everybody say they're Christian. And the things that they point to to prove that Christianity is good. Come on now. You see the you see the the Jesus bumper sink around my car. What do you mean? Of course I'm a Christian. What do you mean? I listen to Kirk Freakan every morning. Do you want a revolutionary? I know heathens. Many hill, I know buck heathens who play gospel music when they clean the house. I mean, they will sell you drugs on Thursday. And then listen to Mahilia Jackson, her precious Lord, take my hand. What is that? That that that that does is that the proof? Some people show you, come on, they know I'm a Christian. I got Proverbs tatted right here.

SPEAKER_01 16:04

I got come on now, look at my come on now. As a man thinking, so easy.

SPEAKER_03 16:13

I I I get it, I hear what you're saying, but where's the fruit? I can't go by the bumper sticker, I can't go by your gospel playlist that you play in the morning. There's got to be real evidence, some real proof. And what I've learned is that the devil don't care if you're spiritual, he just don't want you becoming like Jesus. So you can spiritual all day. He will let you spiritual this and spiritual that, but being spiritual ain't the goal. Becoming like Jesus is the goal, and at some point, we gotta see some fruit on your life because the fruit will be the evidence that God is in you. The greatest miracle is not you speaking in tongues, the greatest miracle is God changing your attitude. I I know you got you got the scripture tatted on your arm. I'm trying to get it tatted in your heart. I'm trying to get it tatted in your soul. I know you got it on the back of your neck, but I need it right here in your heart. I I need you to get that scripture here because it don't make no sense. You're speaking in tongues and cussing people out in English. I mean, in church. And as soon as you go out in the parking lot, I got a parking team right here. Y'all be out there, they be like, yeah, but uh, yeah, mother. Yeah, mother, but he's saying amen. Amen. Come here, man. Come here. I'm sorry, man. I'm sorry we didn't. I'm sorry, bro. I'm sorry. We gotta do better. We're gonna do better, people of God. Yo, do better for the parking team, man. He said he said amen. Where's the proof? So what? You can dwell among angels. People don't like hanging around G. Because even though you dwell among angels, you're mean, you're nasty, you're cruel, you're rude, you're uh it's called being so heavily bound, you're no more earthly good. And there are too many believers who are so heavily bound that they're not actually producing any fruit in this life. All right, men here, I'm gonna be petty. Can I be petty for a second? Let me just be petty. Let me be petty. Let me be petty. Uh, y'all love a petty pastor. Y'all be like, go ahead, Pastor, go ahead, Pastor. Go viral, Pastor. Stop it. Y'all leave me alone. Oh, let me be petty for a second. Have you ever uh seen somebody's profile pic?

SPEAKER_01 18:53

But then when you met them in person, you was like, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. Come on, man. Hill, nah. You ever had to pick up your phone and say, wait a minute, hold on a second. I don't I don't see it.

SPEAKER_03 19:18

They call it being catfish. Tens of thousands of Americans report being catfished every year or caught in what they call a romance scam. Experts believe that literally over a billion dollars has been stolen from victims because of romance scam. What happened? I got catfish. The profile didn't match. The pictures looked real. And the voice sounded real. And the bio looked real. But when I met them in person, they weren't, they weren't them. They weren't that. Does that happen on dating apps? I I'm not on dating apps. Anybody everybody you see somebody on dating app? They look tall on a dating app, and then they show up and they're my height, and you're like, uhybody ever been spiritually catfished by you?

SPEAKER_02 20:36

Has anybody ever been spiritually catfished by us? I mean, they thought because you go to union, or because you're in a group, or because you serve on a team, or because you went to uh so-and-so Baptist or so-and-so Kojik or you was under Dr. Reverend So-and-so, or you was under Bishop Apostle So-and-so, or Prophetess Evangelist So-and-so, or because you served with so-and-so, that there was an assumption that you was something that when they really got close, they realized you was not that.

SPEAKER_03 21:10

We've got to get some fruit because fruit makes sure your profile matches your person. You want some fruit because fruit makes sure your profile matches your person. Here's what the Bible says in John chapter 15, verse 5 I am the vine and you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him. What does he do? He's gonna bear much fruit, he gonna bear much fruit, he's gonna bear much fruit, many hill. For without me, you can do nothing. God wants you to abide in him so he can abide in you, so you can be a fruitful Christian, a fruitful believer, and not just a little bit of fruit, bearing much. fruit fruit overflow when I was a youth pastor I taught I taught these when I was a youth pastor and as a youth pastor I I would I would this is 20 years ago I give all the kids juicy fruit gum and I I'd make all the kids eat the juicy fruit gum and say do you taste it that's that's what you're supposed to be that's what you're I wish I could do that now just to just to tell you that that you're supposed to be a fruitful Christian and bear much fruit now hear me do not get it twisted don't you see this through no positive thinking lens this is not motivational talking or concepts this is a supernatural grace that comes through Holy Spirit because if you live this life long enough you will meet some people that will make you hate them do you hear what I'm saying to you you will find an evil in this world a betrayal in this world a a crushing a heartbreak and injustice that will make you hate somebody and when you go to hate the fruit of love will become a supernatural grace on your life and the person you're supposed to hate you can't hate because love rises up on the inside and I don't know why I'm praying for you when I really should hate you but there's a grace in me that I can't get away from and people will call you a sellout because you don't hate who they hate for what they did to you but you're saying to them I'm trying to hate them but I can't I got too much Holy Spirit on the inside of me that this fruit of love that's breaking out I don't even want to like them but I got to how dare you say you're sitting next to them you're with them and then I know I know I know what they did to me I know how they dogged me I know what they said about me I'm trying I promise you I'm not being a punk I'm not being something there's a grace that's a supernatural power on the inside of me and I gotta love them even though you keep on living you will find stress something will stress you out so much that you'll lose your hair that you'll look old you will find yourself staying up in the middle of a night cannot sleep because you are stressed and anxiety keep on living I've lived during the Great Recession when everybody's home foreclosed I remember driving down the street and seeing a whole neighborhood foreclosed on I remember uh uh the COVID and and watching people who was here one day get sick the next day and die and you're sitting there stressed out of your mind but there's something called a peace that surpasses all understanding and you don't know why you got this peace but the fruit of the spirit is too deep on the inside and I should be worried and I should be afraid and I should be scared but I got a peace that surpassed my mind don't even understand this peace. My thoughts don't even understand this peace there's nothing in me that understands this peace because it's a supernatural divine grace from God I hope that your happiness if you got happiness hear me if your joy is coming from what you drive or where you live or who you dating or how good your kids are doing or how great the economy is you don't have no real joy that's happiness and happiness is determined by what's happening in your life but I'm so grateful for the fruit of joy because this joy that I got the world did not give it to me and the world can't take it away so if I'm in a one bedroom I got it if I'm in a car that ain't working I got it if I'm working in a raggedy job I got it is there anybody in the room that's got the joy of the Lord that is your strength it's a supernatural joy it's an unexplainable joy I don't even know why I got this much joy but the joy of the Lord has become my shrimp I got fruit I got fruit I got real fruit I got a fruit that lasts and I got a fruit that is powerful see most people don't want to talk about the fruit you like talking about the gifts and the reason why you like talking about the gifts I'm gonna keep it 100 with you you like the gifts because you can fake gifts you can fake gifts you can fake gifts come on now you can fake psychic you can fake hearing voices and hear matter of fact let's bring it to church you can just because I lay hands on somebody and they fall don't mean I was Holy Spirit some of it is a learned behavior some people walk up ready to fall some people walk up like all right you barely touch me like ah I'm gonna tell you how I knew somebody was faking one day I'm gonna tell you how I knew they was faking I want to lay hands on this woman I laid hands on this woman and she started falling back but her wig was coming off her she let me like this I grabbed her wig put it back on her head now I said how you fall now and grabbing your wig at the same time now that ain't come on now she had the conscience of mind to say you can lay hands on me but if the wig move I'm I ain't so in the spirit that I don't feel this wig going to the side you can fake gifts but you can't fake fruit for a long time because at some point the real you're gonna show up gifts you can you can fake off gifts matter of fact when the Bible says in the last day there are going to be people who are going to say I'm supposed to get in because I had the gifts and he's gonna say yeah you use those gifts but you didn't know me you are connected to me but anybody who got fruit you ain't got to ask that question and fruit we will see whether you have it or not because you try to fake fruit until you get out in the parking lot and somebody scraped your car took your spot won't let you out we know you was faking in here because all of it what comes out of your mouth tells us what was really in your heart the whole time and sometimes you gotta watch somebody long enough to see the fruit are y'all getting somebody this okay okay okay okay number two many I hope you get somebody number two if there's no fruit check the root if there's no fruit I'm gonna put it in a song check the root I know I know if you're looking at your life and you are not seeing any of the fruit of the spirit then it means you're not rooted in him yet you might like him but you're not rooted you might see him but you're not rooted if there is no fruit of the spirit then you can be religious you can be deep you can be spiritual but you are not anchored in Holy Spirit you are not rooted in him and he is not rooted in you because if you have Holy Spirit we should see some fruit please some fruit I I have never seen a person go to an apple tree and be confused what kind of tree is this I just want to I'm curious what what kind of tree is this again it's apples it's an apple tree it's apples on it going to an orange tree well what is what is this what kind of what kind of tree is this again it's oranges it's an orange tree pretty clear not only that but you can't see an orange tree and make me think it's a coconut tree well I'm not an orange tree I'm really a coconut tree no but I see oranges yeah but I'm a different type of I'm a different kind of an orange tree I I my my coconut don't no no no no no no no no you can't I ain't stupid I see oranges yeah but see we all we are not all coconut trees are not made the same way some coconut trees do some no no no no no a coconut tree has coconuts oh you put the lime in the coconut and shake it off come on you I ain't I ain't blind that's how people live today they want you to be stupid no i i know you'll see oranges but I'm really a coconut tree no no no no no you cannot deceive me and the thinking that you are a Christian when I don't see no Christian fruit anywhere on you I don't see none I don't see none sometimes people send me videos uh did you just see what they're saying about this church and see what they're saying and I'll I'll watch I'll be dumb and watch for a second and I'm sitting there saying yeah but I don't I'm hearing you but where's the fruit where is the fruit of the spirit because even the Bible says some people say well I'm just telling the truth no you're supposed to tell the truth in love so if you're telling truth and it ain't got the fruit of love on it I gotta check where that tree is because the Bible says that division and dissensions that come from another tree that's that's that's rooted in something else come on now just because I used to be out there I I was one of the best of the best i i i was I used to go out every weekend casting people to hell i used to be the dude with the with the little speaker and a microphone telling people you're going to hell hey hey going to hell hey hey you're going to hell saying that I'm telling the truth but I ain't got no love on it I ain't got no kindness in it I'm just out here that it's actually we you know it's it's a joy to curse these people to hell I actually feel bigger about myself cursing them to hell and thinking that I'm telling the truth and I didn't have no fruit of the spirit around me. Ain't nobody scared of the truth but you gotta put the fruit of if it ain't rooted in the fruit of the spirit if it ain't rooted in the Holy Spirit all it is is gossip and tea and nasty and disgusting and you cannot tell me that it's God Matthew 7 17 to 18 it says what likewise what did it say now every good tree bears good fruit a bad tree bears bear fruit it actually says a good tree cannot be a bad tree cannot bear good fruit so if you don't see no fruit you don't have no root I was uh grilling yesterday outside having a time my life and uh just having a ball grilling and uh I don't know if you guys saw what my wife did but she came outside what's that let me see that let me see that thing she gave me that fan thing let me see that she was she was trying to be so nice so sweet this is my daughter right here y'all she was trying to be so nice so sweet stay right there baby she she came behind me like oh I got something for you baby like she was like like ooh you know put it behind my neck I guess there's a fan that blows air on you while you're outside or in hot spaces and I I said with all due respect take that thing off me but I got I think it'd be a great idea you would cool down I'm a I said I'm a man and as a man I'm hot in the sun I I grill all natural in fact some of the some of the juice and the burgers just it's it's just some of the just some of the chicken some of the moisture of the chicken is just it's not a chicken they was in there they didn't know they was in there this is some of the best I know it's some of the best chicken you ever had no that ain't no marinade oh manhill it's crazy I'm grilling outside and the hot dogs I made the hamburgers made the chicken and hours after I was grilling I still smell like it I went there my daughter I said she says daddy you still smell like outside you still smell like barbecue you still smell like and and and why is that because you smell like what you're around the most and when I get around you I don't smell no fruit I don't smell patience I don't I don't I don't smell no kindness on you so so if I don't smell it if you have spent time in heaven's presence you should have some of heaven sent on you but if you ain't got none of heaven sent you ain't been in heaven's presence and you got to get in heaven's presence so you can get some of heaven sent on your life this is why waking up in the morning spending time with God is so important. This is why fasting and praying and reading your word not so you can win a debate you are getting in your word to feed your soul so that so that so that you get some of God's aroma on you so that you get some of God sent on you so that you get some fruit of the spirit activated in your life you don't smell like fruit because you've got to get more connected to God here's my last point write this down and we'll pray the Holy Spirit grows you from the inside out the Holy Spirit grows you from the inside out okay here's what I don't want you to do I don't want you to leave here and go chasing fruit I know you church people you'll walk out of here and you'll be like by tonight I'm gonna be fruitful wait till y'all see me on Monday I'm gonna be the most fruitful best you've ever seen and so you will you will make a plan how you're gonna be more loving more joyful more more patient more kind more you and you you will beat yourself up all week that's so control and they're gonna say that hear me I don't want you go chasing fruit I want you to leave here chasing Jesus and if you chase Jesus fruit will come chasing you if you just chase Jesus fruit gonna start coming you just chase Jesus fruit just going to start showing up and and and here in fact sometimes other people will notice the fruit before you do other people say man you've been more patient lately man what is going on with you you there's something different about you fruit just gonna start coming here's what you need to know about fruit fruit grows over time y'all hear what I'm saying you do not plant a seed on Tuesday and then expect fruit by Friday only in the church do we do this it's like nope you're supposed to come in safe be safe come in speaking in tongues come in that is not church I get it but here's what here's how it should work here's how it normally works it's it's it's I ain't doing nothing with church I don't do nothing with God and somebody invites me to add the movies at this church and I decide hey you know what I'll check out a movie at church and so I come to at the movies and I'm I'm sitting in there and and uh and everybody treated me so well and everybody treated me so nice and I'm watching this movie and all of a sudden I realize this message is speaking to me and I'm thinking man I I I I I haven't been to church in a long time and church really not my thing I never thought I could go to a church that people that look like me or dress like me or man I think I think I think man I feel what's happening here and I think this message is speaking to me and then at the end of them uh at the movie to say you want to give your life to the Lord and you say yeah I want to give my life to Jesus and you grab one of these connection cards and you fill it out and and so and so weeks later you hear about water baptism and you say you know what I think I think now's my time I think I want to be water baptized you go outside and put on one of those black t-shirts and you and you step into the water you get baptized and come out and uh and uh and you say man this is great and and then you start saying you hear about growth track and you say you know what I'm I'm gonna start going to growth track I'm just checking it out let me just see what's going on in there and you're sitting in there and you realize that man I've become a member here and you realize man that I'm trying to figure out who I am and and I have a purpose and so you know what I'm gonna serve on one of them teams. Well I heard about them teams and and then you start finding yourself serving on a team and and maybe you're just there on a team chilling but you meet some people that you're praying with you meet some people that you're doing life with you meet some people say you know you know this feels good. I think we're going one of them groups and then you go to one of them groups and and you're praying with somebody you're doing Bible class uh with someone and you're studying the Bible with a group of people and then before you realize it you're pouring into other people are pouring into you but you find yourself pouring to other people and you say you know what one is I'm gonna host a group then you start hosting a group man and then you realize that I'm now helping other people get strengthened I see people who was where I was in my journey and here I am helping them and maybe you become a coach or maybe you lead one of the teams what am I trying to show you I'm trying to show you that it don't go from Tuesday to Friday it goes over time. Holy Spirit grows in you he starts working in you so if you don't see all the fruits today don't be discouraged because your fruit is on the way if you stay rooted in his presence here's what the Bible says Philippians chapter 1 verse 6 it says and I am certain that God who began not completed he just began it he just began he who began a good work in you what's he gonna do he will continue the work until when until it's finally finished on the day when Jesus Christ returns which means until you die or Jesus comes back he's gonna keep working on you he gonna keep speaking into you he's gonna keep pushing you he's gonna keep building you come here y'all come here come here come here I I want to show you this this is what came to my mind there are many of you in this room you are like a plant you are like this plant and and here's what we do in church when we want a plant to grow here's what we here's how we expect plants to grow we expect you just to sit there and I'll just be like grow grow I said grow grow grow right now grow right now grow oh you better grow in the name of Jesus grow uh grow uh grow and here we are expecting you to sit in that seat and if I just speak deep enough to you you just grow that's not how it grows you gotta water this thing you gotta put this thing in the sun you gotta you gotta you gotta prune this thing you gotta make sure it's in the right environment you do not grow by us just yelling at you you grow by activating the Holy Spirit on the inside by getting the right environment around you and in church today if you come like this and not fully bloom we halfway don't even want you here we might throw you away but I believe that we will be a church that if if if if it hear me I'm I'm willing for it to take time if I gotta wait a year to see the fruit come into your life we'll be here for a year and you might be strong in one season and then we don't see you for a couple weeks and here you come back like hey I'm like hey where you been you know hey sit right there we're gonna prune you again we're gonna put you in the right environment we're gonna water you because after a while you're gonna start seeing fruit on your life and you're not gonna have these roller coaster bursts you're gonna be remaining you're gonna be strong do I got anybody in the room that says I'm ready to grow I'm ready to be a fruitful believer I'm ready to be a fruitful Christian God's about to bear some fruit in your life he has not stopped working on you you still in his hand you still in the palm of his hand And if you ain't growing yet to the degree you think you're supposed to grow, you better not get discouraged. Don't you walk out, don't you leave? Get back in your word. Get back in his presence. Get back to worship and watch this thing grow like you've never seen it grow before. Every head bow, every eye closed. I need everybody to repeat after me and say, Holy Spirit, speak to me. Your servant is listening. What is the Holy Spirit saying to you? What is God speaking to you right now about what's happening in your life and in your circumstance? I have a question for you. If you were never able to tell someone you were a Christian, would they still be able to tell? If they never heard you say you're a Christian, would they still know? Would they know by how you talk? Come on, man, Hill. Would they know by how you forgive? Would they know by how you treat your spouse? Would they know you're a Christian by how you handle stress? Would they know by what comes out of your mouth? Would they know by how patient you are? If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to prove that claim? Would there be enough witnesses to testify the fruit that is seen on your life? Father, in the name of Jesus, today I pray that we will be a fruitful church and that every believer in this room will be a fruitful person. God, I pray that we will see the Holy Spirit start to produce the fruit of heaven in our lives. God, get rid of that sinful nature stuff and put into us the seed of your word and the seed of your Holy Spirit. We want to see supernatural graces on our life. God, I pray for patience and kindness to break out in our church. I pray, God, for people that not just talking it, but we're able to walk it. I pray for those who are on a journey that today they would see they would receive strength from you as their God. And if you're in this room in Hill and you don't know Jesus, you don't have a personal relationship with him. If you've been running away from God today, I'm telling you, come on home. No more running from your calling, no more running from your purpose. You know who you are. I'm yelling on purpose. I'm trying to bypass your thoughts to get into your ears to say, come home and stop running from God. Live out your purpose. God's plan for you is better than yours. God's dream for you is bigger than yours. If you don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, right now, by the confession of your faith, you can do so in this moment. I need everybody to repeat after me and say, Father, thank you for loving me. Thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for me. Today, I ask for your forgiveness, I ask for your mercy, and I ask for your grace. I believe Jesus lived, Jesus died, Jesus rose again, and Jesus is coming back for me. I want to come home. Give me a new life in Jesus' name. Everybody save.