Awesome, awesome. If uh you can head back to your seats. Awesome. Yeah. A lot of people moving around this morning. Uh thank you guys for being here. Uh as Caitlin just said, this obviously is a different weekend than a normal Sunday.

And so if you're a guest or visitor joining with us and you aren't connected to United Weekend, um, this is our big student weekend that we do every year. And so uh 250 or so students uh packed the Social Circle Theater this past weekend, and the Lord just did some really incredible things. And this is the kind of the capstone, the ending kind of session for uh the weekend, and so you kind of get to be a part of something special this morning, and so it's gonna be a good morning. So uh if you weren't with us, um our theme for the weekend um was made for more. Um you can see that on all of our shirts that are being worn today, and so made for more, and it was this challenge to call students and really call leaders as well to not just settle for the status quo in their life. Um so often in our world and our culture today, I believe that the enemy is actively working to try to lull us to sleep, to get us to settle for something that's less than God's best. God promises us that if we follow Jesus and we walk in the way he's called us to, that he will give us abundant life. But so often we settle for something that is far less than that. We we fall asleep, and it's not just the physical sleep that some of us might be craving this morning, but it's a spiritual sleep where we're not we're not seeing the way that God wants to use us, and God wants to use you more than you could ever ask, think, or imagine. And I think this is the question that we're all wrestling with. I think for the students in the room, they're kind of beginning their lives and they're thinking about the future and they're thinking, hey, what does it look like to be made for more? What is God calling me into? What am I supposed to do with my life? How can I steward the life that Jesus has given me for his glory and for his honor? But I think that this is a question that not just students are asking in the room. I I think if you're seven or seventy in the room or anywhere in between, this is a question that we're all wrestling with. I think we all want our lives to count. Is my life supposed to be about something more than what it is right now? I want my life to matter. Is my life mattering? Is it mattering about the right things? Did I spend my life on things that really count, that make an eternal difference and uh impact in the world that we live in? And that's what I want to talk about this morning. Megan um led our sessions this uh weekend and did an incredible job leading uh the messages this morning. And uh and she ended last night um by talking about this idea of surrender. And I want to continue on that same theme this morning. And uh, you know, uh not this past Thursday, but the Thursday before we have a monthly prayer night. So we're in here, and I really felt like the Lord kind of gave me this message then, and uh, and then Megan kind of shifted her message around a little bit, and I was like, man, these are pretty similar, but they kind of work in conjunction with one another. And I said, obviously, like this is a message that the Lord wants to speak. And so that's what we're believing this morning is that the Lord wants us to hear this message this morning, and so we come with great expectations. Because here's what I know I know that the Lord wants to use you in a powerful way. Whether you're a student or adult in the room, the Lord wants to use you in a powerful way. And oftentimes what we think of, when we think of a powerful way, we think of something big. We think of having great influence, we think of big leadership opportunities, we think of recognition or maybe sharing a stage or we think of impact or a lot of people maybe knowing our name or looking to us for answers. But I don't think that that's what God is talking about here. I don't think it's just a focus on the mountaintop experiences. I love United Weekend, I love summer camps, I love how there's a spiritual high and an increased spiritual temperature in the room, but your life is not supposed to just be about this weekend, it's supposed to be about something so much more than that. And so I want to share the secret to how God can use your life in a powerful way after this weekend. Because I think art, this generation in particular, you guys have a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that technology is the way that it is, but there's also a curse that comes with that. Where you can start a YouTube channel and you can make videos and you can become vi go viral and you can become uh you know insta famous overnight. And in doing that, you miss how God is wanting to shape you. Because it's not just about becoming well known or to have followers, but it's ultimately about what God wants to do to impact us, to get us to be where we need to be. Before God sends someone out, he first has to bring them low. They have to first place, have a have a surrendered mindset and heart to him. And so here's the big idea this morning is that the road to impact runs through surrender. The road to impact leads runs through surrender. So if you want your life to count, it's only going to count if you can truly surrender. And so, with that, before we jump into the word, I'd love for us to pray again. And so, Holy Spirit, we thank you, Lord, that we can be in a room like this. We thank you so much for these students, and we thank you so much for just this weekend and all that you've done already. And Lord, I just know that you're not quite done yet. And Lord, that your desire is to speak to each and every one of us, whether we're a student in the room or an adult, Lord, that you want to speak to us. You're a God that wants to be intimately involved and connected with your people. And so, Lord, right now, through the supernatural power of your spirit, Lord, would you open up our ears to be able to hear your voice? Would you be able to let us be able to understand what you're telling us this morning? And then, Lord, would you give us hearts to obey whatever it is that you're calling us to do? Lord, your servants are listening this morning. Speak. Come, Holy Spirit. It's in your name we pray. Amen. So if you have a Bible, you can turn to the book of Acts. We'll be there uh pretty much all morning. We're gonna be in Acts chapter 9, and we're gonna be talking about a guy that some of you might be familiar with. It's it's a guy named Paul, but he was formerly known as Saul. Um, so he's Saul, and then he has this conversion experience that we'll look at in a second, and his name is changed to Paul. And Paul becomes one of the most well-known per people of the New Testament. He writes most of the New Testament, plants all these churches. God uses him in a powerful, powerful way. But before God uses him mightily, he has to come to a place of surrender. The message that we've been looking at in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 all weekend, Paul wrote those words, and Paul, we're going to kind of get the backstory of his life and how it all started. So in Acts chapter 9, starting in verse 1, it says this. It says, Now Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. So if you don't know this, his story begins by persecuting the church. He made it his mission and his ambition to try to stomp out the message of Jesus and to murder and imprison followers of Jesus. And it says while he's still breathing out these threats, he's gone to the high priest, he's gotten these uh letters that he can go and arrest any believer he comes in contact with. And he is so passionate about this mission that he's willing to travel 150 miles to the city of Damascus. Now think about that. That's before cars. You couldn't just jump in the car and be there in a couple of hours. This was on foot. He took five, six days of his life to go to this city so that he could arrest these believers. He thought that his life was mattered. He thought that his life was counting for something more. He thought that it was something that was impacting all of eternity. He thought he had this noble pursuit of God, but what he's going to find out is that he was completely misled and misguided in his pursuits. He was building his life on all the wrong things. He had direction, but it was the wrong direction. He had purpose, but it was the wrong purpose. And then this is what happens. Verse 3. It says, As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him, falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Who are you, Lord? Saul said. So here he is, almost to his destination, about to carry out his mission that he came with, and there's this divine interruption. Jesus steps into his path, and all of a sudden things change. Saul was someone that had created a name for himself. He had been made much of. In Philippians chapter 3, we actually read his pedigree where he had jumped through all the different religious hoops. He had done everything you could possibly do. He had carried out the letter of the law. He was a faithful Jewish religious leader with a strong reputation. And he was a proud man. He was a man that thought that he was self-made, a man that thought that he was so righteous and so noble that people should look to him. But when he comes into contact with Jesus, he's face down on the ground. Because here's the reality is that no one stands proud before a holy, righteous God. And so he falls into the dust. Jesus appears in this great light, and Saul has nowhere to go but his knees. And this is the statement that hit me last Thursday night. Being made for more always starts from the floor. If you want your life to count, if you want your life to matter, if you want to be truly living for something that's more, then you have to understand that that has to start from the floor. This cannot be overstated. I think one of the most verses that's all scattered throughout scripture is this is that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. The one thing that God hates is pride. The one that thinks that they can do it on their own, the one that thinks they have it all together, the one that wants to seek and have control. That's not what God is after. God is a God that is looking for humble hearts that are submitted to Him. And the world will teach us something drastically different. It will teach us it's about bravado and confidence and self-promotion, that those are the pathways to influence. And that's such a dangerous place for us to move into. It's that the louder that you are, the stronger that you are, the more impressive that your resume may be, or how much wealth you have, or how much education you have. Those are the things that matter. Those are the things that give you influence. Those are the things that count. But God operates on an entirely set different set of values. Greatness isn't defined by what we do, but it always begins with humility. Here's what I want you to understand: that your influence, you being made for more, your influence will always be in direct correlation to your level of surrender. If you want God to use you, surrender is the place you start, the place you stay, and the place you end. Surrender is where you have to live. It's where he's or where I'm no longer in control, but Jesus is. And that's exactly where Saul finds himself. He's on the ground. He's blind. He doesn't know what just hit him. And he's gone from a proud individual to now someone that is deeply, deeply humbled. And some of you guys experienced the Damascus Road experience this weekend. Maybe it wasn't quite as dramatic. Maybe there wasn't a light. Maybe you didn't get blinded. Maybe you didn't, you know, not eat for three days. Like maybe that's not your story. But it's equally significant. Where the Lord broke into your story and did something in your life this weekend that will change the course and trajectory of your life. And we can't minimize that. That the Lord wants to break into our lives. He wants to meet us where we're at. He wants to stop us in our tracks. And for some of us in the room this morning, you've been building your life like Paul was building his life on the wrong things. And this weekend was a wake-up call for you to start building your life on the right things. It's moving the ladder off of this wall to this wall to focus on what God has called you to do. We're called to a place of surrender. You came in contact maybe with the living God and you were humbled before Him. And that's an important piece. Because if we think we can do it, we will greatly miss it. I've been walking with Jesus now for a little over 20 years. One of the things I recognized this weekend was that I'm I'm getting old. I did a little panel discussion on the stage on Saturday morning, and like all the panelists were like, you know, two decades younger than me, and I felt super, super old this weekend. But walking with Jesus now for over 20 years, and here's what I've learned is that surrender is not where we start, but it's a place that we continue. It's not just a one-time decision, but it's something we constantly have to practice. Acts 9, 7. It says, The men who were traveling with Paul stood or Saul stood speechless, hearing the sound, but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could not see or could see nothing. So they took him by the hand, led him into Damascus. He was unable to see for three days, and did not eat or drink. So not only is Paul humbled before God, but he's also humbled before the men that he was traveling with. He can't see. He's having to be literally led by hand into the city. This once powerful man is now weak and unable to survive on his own. It shows his weakness, it shows his dependency. Because his whole life has been turned upside down in this moment. Everything that he had thought he knew had suddenly changed. Everything he believed about what it was to be righteous and what that looked like had suddenly shifted. Everything he had built his life on was collapsing. His whole world has been turned upside down because he had an encounter with Jesus. It says that he's physically blind, that his eyes were open, but he could not see anything. And it's pointing to a bigger reality. It's not that he was just physically blind, but he was actually spiritually blind as well. He had seen the world the wrong way, and now he needed the Lord to reopen his eyes to see God in his kingdom and not the kingdom that Saul was building. And that's what some of us need as well. It wasn't about punishment here. You could imagine if Saul is persecuting the church and he's attacking Christians and going after them, the Lord shows up and he's blinded. You would think, maybe, man, the Lord's punishing me. I'm persecuting him, and so now he's punishing me. But this wasn't about punishment, it was about preparation. God is not destroying Saul's life in this moment, but he's rebuilding it. He's rebuilding it into something that would be far greater and have more significance than he could have ever dreamed or imagined. You cannot live for God's purposes while clinging to your own power. See, Paul had spent his whole entire life trusting his education and his reputation and his religious pedigree and his own righteousness, but now he is helpless, completely dependent upon God, and completely dependent on others, and we'll see in a moment one particular individual. And that's where you want to be. We want to be a people that is completely dependent upon Jesus. If he doesn't show up, we're hopeless. If he doesn't move, then we have nothing to give. We want to be people that are completely and utterly putting our hope and our trust in him. Listen to how the story continues. Verse 10. It says, There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias, here I am, Lord, he replied, Get up and go to the street called straight, the Lord said to him, To the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so that he may regain his sight. Lord, Ananias answered, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to the saints in Jerusalem, and he has authority here from the chief priest to arrest all who are called in on your name. So this is what's so interesting to me, and I think this is such good news for all of us in the room this morning, is that God could have spoken a word, and Saul's eyes could have been opened. But God doesn't choose to do that. Instead, God calls a man named Ananias, who we really know nothing about. He's this unknown disciple that God calls up and says, Hey, I want to use you. The Lord doesn't show up to the famous apostles. He doesn't text Peter and say, Hey, Peter, I've got a responsibility and a job for you. I need you to go to Damascus and pray over this guy. He doesn't call up John the apostle and get John to go over there. Instead, he calls this man named Ananias, we know nothing about, and he says, Hey, I want you to go and to pray over Saul. Here's what this means to us is that God isn't looking for impressive people, He's looking for available people. It's not about what you have to offer, it's about what you have to say yes. You just open your hands and say, Here I am, Lord. That's what Ananias says. This is a response of someone that has surrendered their life truly to Jesus. There's no question of who is in charge. God finds Saul of Tarsus. And remember, Saul is not just unpopular among Christians, but they're terrified of him. I mean, he's come to imprison them, he's come to kill them. Ananias might have been hiding out in his house because there had been rumors that Saul was coming. And now he's told to go and minister to the one that has come to kill him. Gives new meaning to love your enemies, right? And Ananias is like, hey, God, um just want to clarify. Uh I thought I heard you say that you wanted me to go and to visit this man named Saul of Tarsus and to pray for him. Are you sure? Do you know the reputation that he has? Do you know what he has done? Do you know that there are Christians that are in prison and have been killed because of this man's influence? And you want me to go to him? He's not questioning God in a disobedient way, but in a clarification way. He wants to bring his fear to the Lord and simply say, What am I supposed to do? And here's what I want you to understand is that you might think that you don't have a lot to offer the Lord. Ananias, again, unknown. We don't know his story. We don't really know much about him. We just know that he was a believer that was in Damascus. He didn't walk with Jesus. He didn't, he wasn't a disciple like one of the other 12 disciples. I mean, this was just a man that was faithfully following the way. And you might not think that you have a lot to offer. You might not think you have enough education, or you might not know enough about the Bible, or your past, or your failures have precluded you from entering into what God's calling you. Maybe it's your addictions and the things that have hold on to you and cling to your soul. Maybe it's the family that you're a part of. There's a lot of questions that maybe you have and you think, man, these things disqualify me, or I can't be used greatly by God because of these things. But the kingdom of God is often advanced through ordinary people who are simply willing to say yes. It's ordinary people. It's not about the talent. It's not about your skill. It's ordinary people that are willing to say yes. He was just a disciple that was willing to obey. And so the Lord reassures him of his plan. He says in verse 15, but the Lord said to him, Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings and Israelites. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. So Saul was going to be the Lord's chosen instrument. That word chosen instrument actually means that he was a vessel or container or something that was to be used by someone else for a particular purpose. So what this is saying here is that Jesus doesn't call Saul to be a hero. Jesus isn't choosing Saul. Saul because of his background or his religious education. He's not choosing Saul because Saul was some great leader, and he's just hoping and praying that maybe Saul will join the team and maybe he will help benefit the church and the movement of God. No, it says that he's just a vessel. That Saul's life would not be about his own greatness, but it would be about God working through him. And this is what we are. We are vessels. It's not about what we have, it's about who he is and him being in us. It's about him working through us. It's about us opening ourselves up to be the vessels that God wants to use to change the world around us. God doesn't look for how impressive people are, he's looking for surrendered people. He's looking for people that say, Lord, my life belongs to you. Use it however you want. He says that he's going to be his chosen vessel, chosen instrument to carry his name. That the job that he was given is to carry the name of Jesus. He went from persecuting the church to now he's going to carry the name of Jesus everywhere he goes. And this is the mission that we all have. We're all called to carry the name of Jesus. If you're a follower of Jesus in the room, that is your mission in life, to carry the name of Jesus wherever you go. If it's in your household, if it's with your family, if it's with your friend group, your coworkers, the places you shop and eat at, you're carrying the name of Jesus wherever you go. You are his representatives, you are his ambassadors. We're carrying his name. And the reality is that we carry a lot of names in this world, in this life. We carry the name of, you know, if you're a social circle redskin, you're carrying the name Redskin wherever you go. Or maybe it's your favorite sports team. If you're a Georgia Bulldog fan in the room, you're carrying the Georgia Bulldog name wherever you go. You'll gladly wear the t-shirt and you'll bark like a crazy person. Like you'll do those type of things because you're carrying that name. Maybe it's a clothing brand of some kind. And you're carrying, you're representing that brand. Or maybe it's a TV or movie or something that you're just passionate about talking about. Those are all things that we're carrying the name of. But the thing that should be above all the other names is the name of Jesus, where we're carrying his name wherever we go. And that's what Paul's mission is. That's what we're called to do as well, to carry the name of Jesus. And then he says this statement right here. He says, I will show him, talk about Paul or Saul, I will show Saul how much he must suffer for my name. This isn't what you would expect, right? You would expect that if Saul was going to be used greatly by God, that he wouldn't have to suffer, but instead there would be a promise of maybe fame or comfort or that his life would go well. But this is what it's showing us, and this is what I need everyone to back into or buy into this morning, is that following Jesus is not about our own comfort. Carrying the name of Jesus always comes with a cost. It always comes with a cost. And I think so many people are misled into thinking that if you follow Jesus, life will go easy, that things will go your way, that you can live a comfortable, easy, happy life with no issues. And I'm just telling you, that message sounds really good. The only problem with it is it's a bold fat lie. It's not true whatsoever. And so many people buy into that lie, maybe intentionally or unintentionally, and because of that, when things get hard, they walk away from the faith and they walk away from following Jesus. But the call that Jesus gives all of his disciples, Luke 9.23, Jesus' words are, he said to them, If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. Jesus doesn't sound like he's preaching a message of comfort here. The cross isn't about comfort, but it's about dying to ourselves, being totally and completely surrendered to him. It's not about more comfort. It's not about more applause. It's not about more recognition. It's about surrendering our lives to him, becoming a part of a story that's bigger than ourselves. It means that our life gets poured out for the mission of Jesus. And listen to me, that will cost you. It's easy to follow Jesus on a weekend like United Weekend. It's easy to fill the social circle theater and to have great songs and great music and great worship and everybody jumping up and down. We should do those things. Those are fun. Those are great. Those are inspiring. We need that fuel to keep us going. But the real cost is when you go back to school tomorrow. Because following Jesus costs you. It costs you your reputation at times. There's going to be things that everybody else is doing that you're not going to be able to do. And it's going to cost you. It might cost you some friendships. It might cost you your finances. I mean, when Jesus says to be giving, to be generous, that we follow in his footsteps and be generous people, it cost us something. It's not just about myself, it's not just about my comfort, but it's about costing us something for his kingdom. It might cost you your time. I got super emotional in the first service just talking about this idea. We had, you know, 200 and something kids this weekend, but we had an army of volunteers. And what was so cool is uh just Friday night and Saturday morning in particular, looking around the room and seeing all of these adults that had given up their weekends to come and just love on you guys and invest in you. I mean, some of them have young families, they don't even have teenagers, and they're willing to show up and love on you guys, leaving their own families at home. We had people in the church that gave so generously to make this weekend happen. We had people that brought snacks and brought food to host homes. We had people that opened up their homes and had a bunch of stinky teenagers come and stay in their houses. Because they're willing to give, they're willing to sacrifice, they're willing to surrender, and it costs. But it's worth it. Listen how it continues. Verse 17. Ananias went and entered the house. He placed his hands on Saul and said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. At once, something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time, and then immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the syntagogues, he is the Son of God. So God uses Ananias to heal Saul, to empower him, to fill him with the Holy Spirit. Blinders fall from his eyes, he regains his strength and begins to preach the message that Jesus is the Son of God. The persecutor has become the preacher, the enemy has become the missionary. The main person that God uses really in New Testament times is Paul. I mean, this Ananias steps out in faith, prays over him. Saul's life is dramatically changed. Saul goes on to travel thousands of miles, a missionary that is planting churches all around the world at that time. He's preaching the gospel to the entire Roman Empire. He's writing letters that make up a majority of the New Testament. And I don't think it's a far-fetched argument to say that if it was not for the influence and the life of Paul, we probably would not be sitting here today. And it was all because one man encountered Jesus, was humbled, and one man that was insignificant and that we don't know much about was willing to go and to be obediently surrendered to what God was calling him to do. The road to impact, the road to the made for more always runs through surrender. Paul's life was not easy. He actually did suffer a lot. He was beaten, he was shipwrecked, he was imprisoned. He had a hard, hard life. But God used him. Why? Because he was surrendered. He was surrendered. And so much so that Paul not only has this one moment here, but in the letter to the Roman church, in Romans chapter 12, he's writing here to the Roman believers, and he makes this statement, which is so significant when we talk about surrender and sacrifice. He says, Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, so in all that God has done for you, all that God has spoken to you, all the things that the Lord has given you, I urge you to present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is good, pleasing, and the perfect will of God. Paul learned firsthand that the life that honors God is a life that is placed at the altar, a life that is marked by surrender. A life that lives with open hands and says, Jesus, it's not my way, it's your way. Whatever you want, yes, Lord, that's what I'm going to do. It starts and ends with surrender. And this is what Jesus wants for you. Jesus doesn't want you to just live out your days, following the patterns of this world, going through the motions. He wants your life to count for something so much more. But that is only attained by putting our faith in him in a time and moment and continual practice of surrender. As I said earlier, some of you had Damascus Road experiences this weekend. You were humbled before God. But here's the question for you: What are you planning on doing next? It's not about just a one-time decision. It's not just about a weekend. It's not just about a great worship or the fun times that you had in your host homes. It's not just about that. It's about coming to a life of surrender. Where we just say, Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. You want me to go and talk to my friends about Jesus? Yes. Yes, Lord. You want me to be connected in the life of a local church? Yes, Lord. You want me to be discipled or you want me to disciple somebody else and what it looks like to follow Jesus? Yes, Lord. You want me to go on a mission trip? You want to give my life to ministry and to go overseas and to serve some of the poorest poor people in the world? Yes, Lord. You want me to share my faith and live out my faith among my family and my friends? Yes, Lord. Yes, yes, Lord. It's about saying yes, Lord. And being available and surrendered to Him. And this isn't just for our students in the room this morning, it's for all of us. Because here's the reality, and I told this to the first service as well, that these students, they need spiritual moms and dads and grandparents that are willing to set the example of what it looks like to surrender and to say yes, Lord, with our lives. This isn't just about some teenage thing, but this is a call for all of us to open our hands and to surrender our lives to Jesus because we know that the road to impact is led through surrender. We surrender everything to Him. We don't need spotlights, we don't need stages, we don't need platforms. We just simply need surrender. And God will take your surrender and he will do abundantly more than you could ask, think, or imagine. But it starts with us surrendering. So will you give him your yes? Will you give him your yes? Are you willing to be the chosen vessels or instruments that are filled by the presence of the Lord that he wants to use? Are you willing to live as living sacrifices that are in places of surrender to him? And so in a moment, our band's going to come and lead us in response, but I don't want us to miss this moment. And maybe with the Lord speaking to us, are you willing to truly surrender? I'm not talking about just a one-time thing, I'm talking about a continual life of surrender. And if you are, I know that our students are already on the floor, which is great. I love that. It's very appropriate for this message, but this is for everybody in the room. Truly living surrendered, I think it starts from the floor. And so if you are able, physically able, maybe it's just a kneeling or some type of just posture of surrender this morning. And so, Holy Spirit, we thank you, Lord, that you're a God that wants to use us. Lord, it's overwhelming to think that out of everybody in the world, Lord, that you have chosen me, that you have chosen us in this room to use for your glory. Lord, that you invite us in all of our mistakes, in all of our sins, and all of our addictions, and all of our struggles, Lord, that you invite us to be on mission with you. And Lord, so often, I know in my life, Lord, you call me to be a living sacrifice. And Lord, so often I get up off the altar and I take matters into my own hands. But Lord, today we're back on the altar. We're in postures of surrender, saying, yes, Lord. Yes, Lord, to whatever it is that you're calling us to. And so maybe just in this moment of silence, what is it that the Lord's calling you to? And will you say yes? Is it about sharing your faith with somebody? Is it about living generously? Is it about confessing a sin? Is it about not being worried about your reputation? I don't know. But I hope the response is yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. And so, Lord Jesus, I pray for everyone in this room, but I pray specifically over these students. Lord, we thank you for the weekend. We thank you for what you have done in their hearts and their lives. Lord, we thank you for the change that has happened. But Lord, we don't want that to stop here. Lord, we don't want this to be just a spiritual high and then we kind of go back to our daily lives tomorrow and as if nothing changed, but we got a cool t-shirt. Lord, we want to be people that are surrendered to you. And so, Lord, right now, Lord, would you just mightily work in these kids' lives? Lord, we desperately need the next generation to lead us. Lord, we need the next generation to take your message of the truth and the gospel to the world that doesn't know you. Lord, when so many others are walking away from the faith, Lord, let this generation be a generation that turns their face to you, that surrenders everything to you. Lord, we pray that your spirit would just dwell richly on these students, Lord, and that you would use them in powerful and significant ways. Lord, we pray that as they go back to school tomorrow and this week and they go back to their homes and their families, Lord, I pray that there would be a marked difference. They would be set apart for your purposes. They would be your chosen instruments. Lord, we want to see you do something great in their lives and as a result, see you do great things in the lives of the ones that they come in contact with. And so, Lord, give them hearts for you. Get them hearts that burn for you and you alone. Lord, let them carry your name above every other name. Lord, let them walk in purity. Lord, let them walk in faithfulness. Lord, surround them with men and women and friends that can hold them accountable and challenge them to continue to grow. We pray for more adults and more parents and more grandparents that are willing to invest and to train them up for righteousness. Lord, we pray that you would give them words, supernatural words that are empowered only by your spirit to be able to speak your truth. To speak it not just boldly, but also to speak it with love. Lord, make our hearts soften to you. Lord, help us to be available to whatever it is that you're calling us to do. Not for our name, but for your name. Let us live surrendered lives to you. Thank you, Lord. Van's gonna lead us. You can respond as ever you feel fit. If you want to just continue to kneel or bow or pray with somebody, maybe, or need somebody to pray with you. Let's just respond to the Lord this morning.