Built for Pressure | Built Before the Battle

Welcome to Reach Creek. Hey, it's so great to have you guys with us. I just want to invite you all to stand up and join in. Words are hard, guys. (laughing) (upbeat music) ♪ Open day ♪ ♪ Make it sound strong ♪ ♪ Open day ♪ ♪ Make it empty out of bed ♪ ♪ Open day ♪ ♪ It's the only name that's used ♪ ♪ And it's worth any other hope ♪ ♪ I call you Jesus ♪ ♪ I call you, I call you Peter ♪ ♪ Prison and rain and power ♪ ♪ Something comes out of the rain ♪ ♪ Every time I call you Jesus ♪ ♪ I call you, I call you Savior ♪ ♪ Worthy of glory forever ♪ ♪ Something comes out of the rain ♪ ♪ Every time I call you on day ♪ ♪ Don't wait, I can go again ♪ ♪ It's the peace ♪ ♪ In this morning, there's darkness ♪ ♪ It's the peace ♪ ♪ That has crushed the serpent's head ♪ ♪ Or is the reckon ready I am ♪ ♪ I call you Jesus ♪ ♪ I call you, I call you Peter ♪

♪ Prison and rain and power ♪ ♪ Something comes out of the rain ♪ ♪ Every time I call you Jesus ♪ ♪ I call you, I call you Savior ♪ ♪ Worthy of glory forever ♪ ♪ Something comes out of the rain ♪ ♪ Every time I call you on day ♪ ♪ Chains free, dry, lost, wait ♪ ♪ Every time I call you on day ♪ ♪ Go up, gates of hell ♪ ♪ Chains every time I call you on day ♪ ♪ Chains free, dry, lost, wait ♪ ♪ Every time I call you on day ♪ ♪ Go up, gates of hell ♪ ♪ Chains every time I call you on day ♪ (audience cheering) (upbeat music) ♪ In the now you're all safe ♪ ♪ You're all safe, you're all safe ♪ ♪ You're all safe, you're all safe ♪ ♪ You're all safe, you're all safe ♪ ♪ You're all safe, you're all safe ♪ ♪ Where I'm all safe, you're all safe ♪ ♪ Where I'm all safe, you're all safe ♪ ♪ You're all safe, you're all safe ♪ ♪ There makes no harm, there makes no harm ♪ ♪ There makes no harm, there makes no harm ♪ ♪ There makes no harm, there makes no harm ♪ ♪ There makes no harm, there makes no harm ♪ ♪ I hope you Jesus, I hope you, I hope you ♪

♪ We're breathing and waiting for ♪ ♪ Something falls out of the place ♪ # I call you # # I call you, say # # You're running a boy # # For heaven # # Something comes out of the grave # # Every time I call you Jesus # # I call you # # I call you Jesus # # Breathe in and ring it down # # Something comes out of the grave # # Every time I call you Jesus # # I call you # # I call you, say # # You're running a boy # # For heaven # # Something comes out of the grave # # Every time I call you Jesus # CHEERING AND APPLAUSE MUSIC PLAYS MUSIC PLAYS MUSIC PLAYS MUSIC PLAYS # Just hope, say, the name of Jesus # # You're very high and very high # MUSIC PLAYS # I know there is peace within your presence # # I see Jesus # MUSIC PLAYS

# Just want to speak the name of Jesus # MUSIC PLAYS # Some addiction starts to pray # CHEERING AND APPLAUSE # Declaring there is hope and there is freedom # # I see Jesus # CHEERING AND APPLAUSE # Your name is power # # Your name is healing # # Your name is life # MUSIC PLAYS # We can restore hope # # Just through the shadows # # Burned out by # MUSIC PLAYS # I just want to speak the name of Jesus # MUSIC PLAYS # Over fear is always on me # MUSIC PLAYS # To every soul # # Who will have to find oppression # # Have sweet Jesus # MUSIC PLAYS # Your name is power # # Your name is healing # # Your name is life # MUSIC PLAYS # Break every strong hope # # Shine through the shadows # # Burned out by #

MUSIC PLAYS # Your name is power # # Your name is healing # # Your name is life # # Break every strong hope # # Shine through the shadows # # Burned out by # MUSIC PLAYS # Shall Jesus walk the mountains # # Jesus in the streets # # Jesus in the darkness # # Over every enemy # # Jesus for my faith # # I speak the whole name # # Jesus # # Shall Jesus talk the mountains # # Jesus in the streets # # Jesus in the darkness # # Over every enemy # # Jesus for my faith # ♪ Shall Jesus ♪ ♪ Shall Jesus come by this ♪ ♪ Jesus is the lead ♪ ♪ Jesus is the card for every enemy ♪ ♪ Jesus, all my family ♪ ♪ I speak of name Jesus ♪ ♪ Your name is God ♪ ♪ Your name is He ♪ ♪ Your name is light ♪ ♪ Break every strong hope ♪

♪ John through the shadows ♪ ♪ For God will fire ♪ ♪ Your name, Your name is power ♪ ♪ Your name is He ♪ ♪ Your name is light ♪ ♪ Break every strong hope ♪ ♪ John through the shadows ♪ ♪ Your name is light ♪ ♪ Let us once be the way of Jesus ♪ ♪ So we're every heart and every light ♪ ♪ 'Cause I know there is peace within the presence ♪ ♪ I speak Jesus ♪ ♪ Every heart and every heart ♪ (audience applauding) (upbeat music) (audience applauding) ♪ Give us peace ♪ ♪ Give us peace ♪ ♪ Your thoughts ♪ ♪ Young what I want ♪ ♪ I want to see ♪ ♪ Change on my own ♪ ♪ I'm holding you ♪ ♪ You will it be ♪ ♪ Just make it your way of soul ♪ ♪ And life is it all gonna be ♪ ♪ You can have it all, God ♪ ♪ You can have it all ♪ ♪ You can have it all, God ♪ ♪ You can have it all ♪

♪ You can have it all, God ♪ ♪ You can have it all, you can have it all ♪ ♪ Come to me, come to me soon ♪ ♪ More than we ask, we have it all ♪ ♪ Spirit of God, go on my praise ♪ ♪ Heaven and earth, light in your name ♪ ♪ I'm only surrender ♪ ♪ What you and me ♪ ♪ Just make me your way of soul ♪ ♪ And life is it all gonna be ♪ ♪ I'm only surrender ♪ ♪ What you and me ♪ ♪ Just make me your way of soul ♪ ♪ And life is it all gonna be ♪ ♪ We can have it all far ♪ ♪ We can have it all ♪ (singing in foreign language) ♪ You can have it all, you can have it all ♪ ♪ You can have it all ♪ ♪ You can have it all, you can have it all ♪ ♪ You can have it all, you can have it all ♪ ♪ You can have it all, you can have it all ♪ ♪ You can have it all, you can have it all ♪ (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language)

(singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) (singing in foreign language) ♪ O we ask, we sing, we pray ♪ ♪ Watch us hear it, our praise ♪ ♪ Come and hear our love till this place ♪ ♪ Come on, faithful, pray ♪ ♪ That thanks be to ♪ ♪ O we ask, we sing, we pray ♪ ♪ Oh, it's your name, that's our name ♪ ♪ Oh, thanks be to Jesus Christ ♪ ♪ And the light stands, there's your power ♪ ♪ The day before we ask, we sing, we pray ♪ ♪ Oh, we ask, we sing, we pray ♪ ♪ Oh, we ask, we sing, we pray ♪ ♪ Oh, we ask, we sing, we pray ♪ - Lord, we ask, and we seek and we pray. For your presence, God, because it is your presence that changes our lives, it is your presence that changes our circumstances, it is your presence that encounters our families, so God,

we just seek you today, in Jesus' name. Amen, come on, can we give a shout of praise? To the Lord this morning. Hey, before you find a seed, I want you to just give somebody a high five, a fist bump, a knuckles, a something, and just say, man, it is so good to see you. Amen. Now, turn to your second choice, the other person that's right beside you and say, you know what? I'm glad to see you too. Say, I don't care what the other neighbor said. [LAUGHTER] If you knew what they said about you earlier, man, man, look, they can say whatever they want. Because the way I see it, it's free publicity for me. Amen, let them hate. Then it just draws people to come see if it's really true. And then they find out it's not. And then they're one to the Lord. And then you never know. So let people hate. It's OK. Let them hate. One of the passages I felt like the Lord put this on my heart earlier this week. And I don't even remember why or what it was. But there's a passage in 2 Samuel that I just love. And it's David, and he's on this mission. And he gets to a place where somebody

had all of the provision that he needed. And they was willing to just give it to him. And then David comes to this place in verse 24 of 2 Samuel 24. And he says, I will not sacrifice to the Lord, my God, burnt offerings that cost me nothing. See, there's a difference between giving something and sacrificing something, a huge difference. See, David had an opportunity to offer something to God that wouldn't have cost him anything. Someone was literally willing to provide everything that he needed. But David said, hey, I will not offer to God something that cost me nothing. There's something in that sacrifice, because David understood that sacrifice reveals value. Because if I'm not willing to make a sacrifice to the Lord that cost me nothing, then that shows that there is value there. Think about it. We sacrifice for things that matter to us. Parents sacrifice for their children, even when they don't appreciate that jump. Come on, somebody. You say you ain't going to do it again, and you still do it tomorrow. I know I'm not telling you one. Not buying you nothing again. What you want, baby? See, people sacrifice for their dreams. Literally was reading a book by David Goggins. Crazy sacrificial dude, man.

Navy Sill went through army, ranger, training. I mean, just every punishment you could possibly do to yourself physically. He did. But the one thing that I noticed in all of his books that I read was he would never sacrifice for his marriage. See, he sacrificed his marriages to even get his dreams. Why? Because we will sacrifice things. We sacrifice time. We sacrifice comfort, resources, things that we believe are actually worth it. We make sacrifices. And for me, when we've talked about Bill 900 at our church before with the building, it's literally an opportunity up for us to say, God, what you're doing here matters to me, even more than just giving financially. This matters to me. What you're doing in this house matters to me. What can I do that that can make a difference? Because we're not just building for even who is just here right now. We're building for those that have never met the Lord yet. Amen? We're building for those that the families that still are seeking justice for their families, seeking help and hope for their families. I mean, families that haven't-- that we haven't even met yet. People who are still strung out on drugs and addicted to different things in this life,

people that are still broken, people that are still far from God. And one day, somebody's going to walk through this door into something that we sacrifice to make it possible. for the very first time and say hey you know what I give my life to the Lord today and it won't just be another number maybe they'll get connected to growth track maybe they'll get plugged into a growth group maybe they'll actually find some accountability to actually walk through life with them so today as we give I'm not I'm not even asking us to match somebody's gift we did that race 200 grand in five weeks come on somebody and because of that we have trainings that are coming up on October 3rd and 10th and if you volunteer here we want you to sign up if you've never volunteered we want you to sign up and come anyways to get listen you'll get the first sneak peek at what's going on come on somebody and don't that make you excited and then here shortly and a month of Sundays we're going to launch in the brand new building and you're going to have room to be able to invite all of your friends and their friends and and their mom's friends and day days babies cousins uncles daddy's baby mama her sister no I'm saying so let me ask you what does sacrifice look like for you what does it look like because here's the truth the amount could be different in everybody's hands it's not the amount it's the heart it's the motive behind what you are willing to do for the Lord I can get some ushers to come think about that God I don't want to offer you anything that cost me nothing I want to feel it because when I feel it I have to depend on him I have to rely on him because only he can make up that difference so father we thank you God we ask that you would meet with us in these moments that you would show our hearts what it is that you want us to sacrifice maybe we tied maybe we already tied and we give 10% of what it is God show me what you want me to give above that show me what you want me to do as an offering do you want me to adopt a missionary do you want me to send somebody out do you want me to help another church plant do you want me what do you want me to do God reveal that to my heart God and make it known and if it's something that I don't know how to do take me to the pastor or somebody else that might know how I can give to that cause help us be sacrificial people God generous people for your kingdom and Jesus name amen good morning reach Casey

my name is Diane boots I'm the communications director here and I'm so grateful to be here at our new facility I'm actually here because I'm wanting to tell you all about our green team training days we're going to be doing those on October 3rd from 1 to 3 p.m. and October 10th from 10 to 12 p.m. the goal is for us to train you and all of our surf teams who want to be well prepared we want to work as a tribe and we want to make this the best Sunday ever so if you're on a surf team or if you'd like to join a surf team scan this cue our code and get ready to be a part of a dream team we have something very exciting coming up we are getting ready for this year's fall fest it's going to be October 31st and it's going to be from 4 to 6 p.m. with that being said we need you to be a part of it we need you to sign up for either a trunk or treat we'll be doing hay rise we'll have a bounce house we'll be doing face painting we'll be making balloon animals we will be making this a night to remember in our community we are so excited to host ball fest as we also get prepared to open up our doors so speaking of opening let's open up our bibles and our hearts as we get ready for this Sunday's message as we continue in the book of acts hey man come on somebody [applause and cheering] Shabaki, handa, bakototo, tototo. Anyways, Pentecostals will get it, Baptist won't. It's all right. Good thing we're more non-denom, right? Anyways, here we are. Thank you for being here. You know, one of the things that I am excited about is fall fest. Last year we did it at the new building. And, dude, we have like 500 people show up. It was like, dang, that was crazy. And so we would love for you to sign up. It's actually going to be, I shouldn't say this out loud, but I'm going to say this out loud

because then you guys are going to have to hold me accountable. It's actually going to be the day before we launch at the brand new building. And so I can't believe I just said that out loud. I'm committed now. And so, but we would love for you to come and volunteer and be a part of that sign up so that we can love on people from the community because last year, when everybody showed up, it was primarily people. We are on a very prime intersection right there. And so people just was pulling in. I mean, it was great. It was a lot of fun. And so we invite you out to do that. Anyways, I just want to welcome you home. And maybe this is your first time or first time. In a long time, we are just so glad that you are here. I believe that God's best is yet to come in your life for you yet. And maybe you find that hard to believe. But listen, I'm telling you that God is not done with you yet. If you have breath in your lungs, he is still working in you and through you. And so I'm believing that the best is still yet to come in your life. And so I'm excited for the word. We are in a series that is titled Built for Pressure. Amen. And that sounds great, but it don't feel great, right? Like, you're like, yeah, I'm built for pressure.

Then you're in pressure and you're like, no, I don't like pressure, you know. And so today, I have titled my message, Built Before the Battle. Built Before the Battle, imagine a moment with me that you're a building a house. And you don't have to be the one with the tools building it. But you are building it, right? And this is all the big dream for us that most of us can't afford. It's OK, we can dream. That's what me and my wife like, dude, go drive around and pick out acreage we could never afford and build houses we could never build. And so-- but imagine with me for a moment that you're building that house. And you have picked a layout, right? You've picked out the flooring. I mean, you want natural walnut floors. And you know, you've got all of this picked out. You've got the cabinets picked out and the color and all that. You can even picture your family sitting around the table, eating dinner already. Come on, somebody. And I mean, you've got the table picked out. I mean, it's like a $10,000 table. And you ain't got $1,000 to your name. But it's OK. Come on now. But every time you visit this property, the construction crew is still working on the foundation.

They've been clearing the ground and doing all this stuff. And eventually, you walk up to one of them and you ask, hey, when are we going to see some progress? When are we going to see something? Because you're ready for the walls to go up, right? I mean, you're ready to start seeing something shake. You're ready for something that looks like the house that you have imagined, even the renderings that you have paid for. But the builder is paying attention to something you're barely going to notice once this house is finished. See, you're thinking about how it will look. But the builder is thinking about what it will hold. See, now imagine telling that builder, can't we just skip some of this? Like, it's taken way too long. Like, just cut out that closet. Don't worry about that. Why do you have to put headers there? Can't we just build that wall? Can we just leave that part out? 'Cause it's honestly costing way more than I expected that it would, and we need to cut some stuff. Or even some of us, I believe, would say this. I know what your plans are, but I've talked to somebody. And they've told me something better. And they said that we should do it differently. Now, see, a responsible builder knows that those decisions have consequences.

See, there are things that need to be established first before anything can be elevated. You've got to establish, see, there are steps worth completing, And there are standards that are worth following even when somebody disagrees. Because eventually that house will have to carry weight. It will face wind, it will face weather and the storm will not care how impressive the kitchen looks, hello. It's gonna put some pressure on what's been holding that house together all along. Church, we spend way too much time asking God about things that people can see. God, when are you gonna open up the next door for me? God, when are you going to let me get that opportunity that you told me I was gonna be able to get? When will you actually use my life? Because I'm tired of sitting in a church that don't even recognize me. But what if the work that he is doing right now is preparing us to carry what we've been asking him for? See, what if he is shaping our character through correction? Or maybe what if he is deepening our devotion through an inconvenient assignment? Well, I don't like this. Well, I don't think God asked you. Or what if he's strengthening our conviction when obedience doesn't seem to win everybody else's approval?

Yeah. See, what we want to know is when we're ready to be seen, but God knows what we need to be ready to stand. Because seeing Acts 6, Stephen, faces an extraordinary amount of pressure. People argue with him, right? They twist his words. They bring false accusations against him. But guess what? He was built for this. He was built before the battle, before Luke tells us what came against Stephen, he tells us what was already within Stephen. See, Stephen was full of faith. Remember we talked about this two weeks ago? Stephen was full of faith, and he was full of the Holy Spirit, and he was full of wisdom. He had a life that had already been committed to serving. See, Stephen's preparation began long before this confrontation, which brings us to the question today, what is being built within you that can withstand the pressure that comes against you? What is being built within you that can withstand the pressure that comes against you? Today, I want us to look at three priorities that prepare us to stand, okay? Three priorities, and the first priority is this,

character before platform. Ooh, that part. Character before platform. See, Acts six and three and four, I want to go back for a second in order to be able to go forward, right? It says this, it says, and so brothers, select seven men who are well respected and full of the spirit and wisdom, and we will give them this responsibility. It doesn't say find seven guys who have the most available time 'cause we just need some leaders. It said, find people who are well respected, full of the spirit and full of wisdom, we will give them this responsibility, and then the apostles, us apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word. And so these seven were presented to the apostles, verse six, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them. And so the word of God's spread and the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly. See, good leadership that is installed in the right places will help a church grow beyond it is even capability. A large number of priests became obedient to the faith in verse eight, this is where I want to hang on for a little bit.

Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. See, when we get to verse eight, we see Stephen doing something remarkable. See, God is working through him and miracles are happening among the people. But before we look at what God did through, See back in verse three the apostles told the church to to select seven men with good reputation Men full of the spirit men full of wisdom and then in verse five Stephen is specifically identified as a man full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit and then in verse eight Stephen is specifically identified as a man full of God's grace and power I want you to catch this Stephen was full of faith and spirit grace and power before he ever stood before this opposition See before the miracles were ever recorded his character was recognized first See before he ever had a public ministry where people could brag about him and Possibly say that he was the one who did this his character was recognized first because before he was ever entrusted with greater responsibility There was already evidence of God at work in his life You could see it and that matters because sometimes we just want the opportunity Before we've allowed God to actually do the preparation Well, we want to preach I've literally had people I've never met a day in my life Come to me at the end of service and say that they felt like the Lord told them that they were supposed to share a word at our church I Said what spirit are you listening to? I don't know you Jack. I don't know you from nobody and so I it just you want we want to preach right? We want to lead we want we want the stage front position Because we think that that's what it is, but the real question is what is our life saying? Before we ever even open our mouth See because from what we see Stevens life supported his witness and I think the qualifications and act six are actually we're slowing down

Just a little bit to consider things like a good reputation Right things like full of the spirit Full of wisdom think about that. These were men whose lives could be examined. I Mean people knew them they had served alongside of people for who knows how long now the church had seen enough to recognize That they could be trusted with greater responsibility in their life See the church wasn't simply looking for somebody that sounded spiritual See they were looking for people whose lives actually demonstrated spiritual maturity It's two totally different things you can sound spiritual and walk out of here and smoke a blunt And then wonder why God's not using you Because we're not allowing Consecration in our heart being set apart for something holy for the work of God to be manifested in our life I'm not knocking you if he's my book keep smoking it. I'm just saying you ain't gonna go nowhere The church was looking for people whose lives demonstrated spiritual maturity, it's not enough to talk the talk You got to be able to walk the walk Like the enemy is not intimidated of half-hearted Christianity church He's not and did you know that the moment that you start repping his name and saying that I'm this and I'm that You now have a target on your back that your disciplines better be ready to help you prepare for that battle because if you're walking out there claiming that you're this and then you start getting smack-to-side the head with some stuff that you ain't prepared to stand for Then we wonder see you will you will get taken over so easily Trying to walk into a position that requires spiritual maturity only so that you can be seen See battle ready Actually requires proper preparation see if we want people to hear about Jesus through our words They should be able to see his fruit in our lives now, just for clarity I By no means am saying that leaders can't make mistakes Stevens qualifications were not a demand for sinless perfection That was not what we were looking at but there's a difference between someone who humbly receives correction hear me and Someone who refuses to acknowledge that anything needs to change in their life. Hello

when God exposes something that needs to change within us. That's spiritual maturity. To say, "Oh, I don't like you showing me that. "I like that part of me." But I guess I'm gonna have to change it now 'cause you don't, God. Because here's the truth. See, a platform can amplify your voice but it cannot produce your character. In fact, it will expose it. So don't ask. Paul says, teachers and preachers are actually held to a higher accountability. So don't, he says, "Don't aspire to be these things." Because there is this. And the second thing I noticed is this, is his calling also had accountability. See, Stephen was selected and then he was commissioned. See, the church recognized him. They brought him before the apostles and then the apostles prayed and laid their hands on him and commissioned him. See, Stephen didn't just simply announce some self-proclaimed mobile ministry. That's not what Stephen did and then take a bunch of people from the church and start his own ministry. "Hello." So he didn't have to answer to anybody 'cause he didn't like what people were saying. No, there was a community that knew his life

and knew his leadership that affirmed his responsibility. And I think that that speaks directly to something that we see so often today is that there are far too many people who want leadership positions without biblical accountability. See, they want influence, but resist examination. See, they want to speak into everybody else's life, but nobody's allowed to speak into theirs. See, church, hear me on this. We all need people who have permission to tell us the truth. People who can sharpen us, people who can recognize when we're getting off course, people who can love us enough to say, hey, that attitude isn't gonna work in the kingdom. Hey, you can't continue to carry yourself like that. You've got to start doing something different. Let me ask you this, who has permission to correct you? Not just encourage you, not just celebrate you. Those things are good, not just agree with you. Come on, we got enough of those people, but somebody who can challenge you and still have a place in your life. That part. Oh, you're gonna buck up against me? Bye, Felicia. (audience laughs) I ain't gonna listen to you. And I ain't gonna see you again no more.

Not coming to your church no more. Not coming to your group no more. Not doing any of that. Because see, if the only people we keep around us are the people who agree with us, guess what? We can become increasingly confident while becoming increasingly wrong. We can be confident in all our own things. Biblical accountability actually helps us recognize what we can't see on our own. We all have blind spots and that accountability, guess what, applies to leaders too. Listen, a position never places someone above scripture or beyond correction. So be thoughtful about the people who you allow to speak into and shape your life. Can you see the fruit in their life? I'm not asking somebody that ain't been there to tell me how I need to get there. I'm sorry. You can offer your advice. And I'm not saying that God couldn't use it, he used a donkey. King James Version says something else. But we're reading from the NLT, so we're gonna stick with that. People's like, I wonder what the King James Version says. Yeah, exactly. Donkey, other ways to say it. They just got it.

So I just made you cuss. So be thoughtful about the people who you allow to shape your life. Can you see their fruit? Do they receive correction from anybody? Does their conduct agree with what they teach? Hear me on this, a convincing voice. A convincing voice is not a substitute for a trustworthy life. You can be loud and yet not faithful. You all going to catch that on Wednesday. See when you look at Stephen, his power came from the Spirit. When we see in verse 8, Stephen is serving among the people, and God is working through him in extraordinary ways. The complete biblical library, which is one of my favorite commentaries of all times, by the way, just in case you didn't know and wanted to, it notes that this is the first explicit accountant acts that miracles are performed through someone other than an apostle. And it says that the emphasis is on the Holy Spirit working through Stephen. Think about that. He had been selected to help meet practical needs in the church. And now we see God using him in ways that reach beyond that assignment. And he knew that he was the first one to actually perform miracles that was not one of the disciples. Man, you would have people today posting pictures on social media. I mean, they would be talking about, I'm the first one, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. I mean, Nate be, I mean, Nate be all about that live. They'd be tagging the church, tagging all the disciples, tagging everybody else, trying to make a show. And this is what it tells me is that he was actually willing to serve lowly before he was ever promoted highly. See, the Holy Spirit's power wasn't reserved for just the apostles.

And guess what? His work today isn't reserved for just the person preaching on Sunday. That means your place of service actually matters. Your place of service, serving a meal matters, caring for a child in city kids matters, welcoming someone through the church doors for the very first time matters. These are real opportunities to love people, to exercise wisdom and respond to the Holy Spirit in real, tangible ways. See, Stephen's life should challenge us to stop postponing faithfulness until we receive the opportunity that we want, instead be faithful with the responsibility that God has already placed in your hands. See, before we ask, will somebody recognize my calling ever, we need to ask him, I allowing God to shape my character now. Because there's something in this season, I promise you, you've been trying to kick a door open, and it's like breaking and entering in the kingdom of God. Because you was not intended to go through that door yet. And you have tried to force your way in it, and now you're trying to figure out why there is so much frustration, because nobody recognizes you. Because God is still trying to develop your character. Because if you feel that way, I'm telling you, there is so much pride in your heart right now that nobody can correct you. So before we ask for a greater platform, we need to be willing to ask him and give him greater access. Access to our attitudes, come on. Access to our motives, access to the places that we keep defending instead of surrendering. Because when pressure comes, we're going to need more than the ability to say the right thing. Case in point, man, this is a good passage to support that. I don't remember where it's at, but I know it's there. You can Google it. There was a guy that was trying to cast a demon out.

And the guy said, or the demon said, I know Paul, and I know, I can't remember, was it Jesus? I can't remember who else. And they said, but I don't know who you are. Which means talking good enough, you've got to actually have some function in the spirit. See, we will need a life that has been learning to follow Jesus passionately. So before you ask God to give you a platform, give him permission to prepare you for it. See, Stephen's character made him trustworthy, but that character was expressed through a life of devotion when obedience started to become costly, which leads me to my second thing. And the second priority is this, is devotion before convenience. Acts 6, 8 through 10, devotion before convenience. Verse 8, "Steven," I know I'm repeating this verse, I said it again, "Steven, a man full of God's grace and power performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. But one day some men from the synagogue of freed slaves as it was called started to debate with him." Oh, man. It's getting good. I got some drama. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Silesia, and the province of Asia, and none of them could stand against the wisdom and the spirit with which Steven spoke. See, Steven's character made him trustworthy, but that character was expressed through a life of devotion. And when we meet him in this passage, guess what? He's already serving. And the Fire Bible actually connects Steven's experience of God's favor with his deep devotion to Christ and the church. And I think that that connection is worth considering because Steven's devotion had become visible in how he lived. He first had accepted responsibility just for meeting practical needs.

Pastor, I'm here to do whatever you need. I'll clean toilets. I'll take out the trash, I'll mow the grass, I'll do whatever you need me to do. I'll change the light bulb if it's out. Pastor, you just tell me, see, he was willing to do whatever it was. He was willing to meet practical needs. His commitment carried him from serving people into a confrontation he probably never would have chosen, which raises the question for us, what happens to our devotion when obedience becomes inconvenient? That's what we say. Because from what we see here, devotion actually gives Jesus' priority in life. See, it's easy to talk about commitment when nothing is competing for your attention. Amen. Did you know this? They say the average attender of church in the United States attends one out of six services. The average attender in church, it's easy to talk about commitment when nothing else is competing for your attention, but schedules get crowded, right? I mean, come on, jobs become demanding. I mean, we get tired and Sunday is our only day off. I mean, come on, other opportunities come along, maybe we should go try that or go try this and eventually following Jesus requires a decision about what will have priority in our lives. Will I obey him even when it interrupts my plans? Will I serve when it requires something from me? Will I serve when it's inconvenient to my life? Will I remain committed even when my preferences aren't being met? Because listen, we cannot expect our relationship with Jesus to deepen while continually giving Him just whatever is left over. We cannot give Jesus our leftovers and call it pure devotion. It don't work.

Now, I think we need to understand something because God's grace is a gift, hello. We don't purchase it through our church attendance. We don't purchase it through how many services we serve on Sundays. We don't purchase it through the biggest generous gift that we wrote this year. Our devotion is a response purely to His love. That's it. But a relationship that matters to us should begin to shape our decisions. See, because we make room for what we value. And when Jesus becomes the center of our lives, His priorities begin to influence ours. Hear me on this devotion to Christ shapes our love for His church. In Ephesians 5, Paul describes Christ's love for the church through His willingness to give Himself up for her. Think about the weight of that. Jesus loved the church so much that He gave His life for it. That ought to begin to shape how we begin to speak about His people. That ought to begin to shape how we treat His people. That ought to begin to shape how we're willing to serve His people. Christ didn't give Himself for the church so that we could begin treating and belonging to his people as an insignificant part. "Man, not this week. I'm going to watch the noon game." Somebody's watching this on Tuesday that just got convicted right there. They're worshiping my homes right now, greater than they've ever worship the—I love the Chiefs too, just so y'all know. I know I'm wearing blue, we're playing the Colts, I understand it's not that. We ain't talking about the dolphins, I said Colts. I know who we're playing. We got a dolphins fan right over here, guys. We love you, Rob. We love you, Rob. Anyways, Christ didn't give Himself for the church so that we could treat belonging to His people as insignificant. See, the church is a people that we were called to love, people who need encouragement, people who need discipleship, people who need somebody to walk beside them through difficult seasons and loving these people's, guess what? Sometimes it's going to cost us something. It may cost us comfort, it may cost us time, it may even cost us relationships, it may even cost us

to lay down a preference. I understand that schedules are tough and jobs are demanding. There are seasons of illness and caregiving and circumstances that can limit what we do, but each of us should honestly ask this question within the life that God has entrusted me, have I made room to love and serve His people. And for those who can gather, watching a service can support your faith, I get it, I'm not knocking, but we also need relationships in which we are known, encouraged and challenged and able to contribute back to. Hebrews 10 and next gathering to stirring one another on towards love and good works. There's a one another part of Christianity that requires our participation. Somebody needs the encouragement that only you can provide. Somebody needs prayer that you have the ability to pray for them today. Somebody needs the testimony of what Jesus has done in your life. Your presence can become part of how God strengthens someone else. Think about that. See, Stephen made himself available to meet the needs of the church. His devotion literally had hands and feet to it. Devotion keeps obeying when the cost increases though. See, Jesus showed us the depths of surrender and obedience in Gethsemane. In Luke 22, 42, he brings his anguish before the Father and submits himself to the Father's will and he cried out, "God, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will, but yours be done." That tells me that service to the kingdom is not always going to be pleasant. Because if Jesus asked to take this cup from me because the weight of it was so heavy and God let your will be done, not mine, then that means that sometimes we need to press in and just keep doing what God has told us to do even when it's inconvenient. See, he doesn't pretend that the suffering ahead was going to be easy. Yet he willingly followed the Father's purpose. See, our sacrifices don't accomplish what the cross did. But his surrender teaches us something about the obedience of those who are following him. It tells us this, that something can be costly and still be the Word of God or will of God. Something can cost you. It can hurt. That's where devotion becomes more than just a feeling. See, sometimes obedience means serving when you would have perverted to be served. Sometimes it means remaining faithful even through a difficult season. Sometimes it means saying, "Lord, this is uncomfortable. I still trust you. I still trust your Word. I still believe your promises." And in Stephen's case, devotion brought opposition. And from what we see, he was doing all the right things. He was serving. He was a man full of the spirit. He was a man full of wisdom, grace and power. But verse 9 introduces people

who began debating with him. Notice the order. God is working through Stephen and people rise up against him. that because otherwise we will interpret every difficult moment as evidence that we actually missed God. But see Stephen was experiencing God's grace and power and yet he was still challenged here in the church. Faithfulness does not guarantee an easy assignment. Rather authentic devotion actually depends on the Spirit. See Stephen's devotion kept him faithful but it sure didn't make his opponents receptive did it. They weren't like tell me more. I'm submitting to the will of God. I love the way you argue with me. When they couldn't overcome his message, guess what? They begin attacking his character. So what do you do when obedience actually cost you approval? When you obeying God actually cost people liking you? What do you do? Well that comes to the third priority. Conviction before approval. Conviction before approval. See Act 6, 11 through 15 it says this then so they were debating with him then they secretly persuaded some men to say hmm we have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words so now they're talking behind his back against Moses and against God so they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law and they see Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin and they produced false witnesses come on somebody who testified this fella never stopped speaking against the holy place and against the law for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us and all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. This is so good. I hate that I only have eight minutes to finish this. We going it don't matter I know we're going we here. See Stephen's character made him trustworthy and Stephen's devotion made him faithful but neither of these things kept him from actually being opposed they secretly persuaded people to accuse him when they couldn't overcome his message they begin attacking his character one commentary actually explains that these witnesses misrepresented Stephen's words presenting them in a false and misleading way to put him in the worst possible light. How many have been there?

See Stephen now faced more than disagreement he faced people willing to distort what he said just to justify what they wanted which brings us to a difficult question will we remain faithful to Jesus even when faithfulness cost us approval. See look at the accusations in verses 13 and 14 they centered him on the temple they centered him on the law and the customs that had been handed down through Moses they were deeply significant matters to Stephen's audience. These were matters that were very weighty but Luke specifically identifies the witnesses as false and their accusations cannot simply be accepted as an accurate account of Stephen's teachings. They were using things that people valued to turn them against Stephen and I personally believe that there is an application here that we need to consider carefully because we can become so committed to defending what is familiar that we actually stop examining whether we have understood God correctly. See sometimes we respond to a challenge by saying well that's how I grew up. Well I never did it that way well that ain't how we used to do it at the other church well that's just what somebody always told me or that's just how I've always done it but have we actually opened the scriptures and examined it and are we willing to let the Word of God correct our understanding. See because whether we want to admit it or not every one of us brings assumptions into our walk with God. to challenge those assumptions, even ones that we've held for years. See, conviction must be rooted in scripture deeply enough to survive the correction of our preferences. That's so deep. And that applies to the person resisting change and it applies to the person promoting change. See, something being old doesn't automatically make it wrong. Something being new doesn't automatically make it faithful. We have to ask, does it agree with the word of God? Does it honor Jesus?

Does it help us faithfully carry out what he has commanded us? Which brings us to something that I believe matters for the church today. Methods can change while the message remains unchanged. See, the music may sound different from the culture that you used to grow up back in the good old days. See, the room may look different, especially at reach. The way we communicate may actually develop, but at reach KC, we will always preach Christ and Christ crucified no matter what. (congregation applauding) Because we cannot become so distracted by methods that we actually overlook the lives that God is sending us. Hear me on this, smoke machines and stage lights, do not. Buy themselves, tell you whether the gospel is being faithfully preached. Nor does it tell you it's not either. See, we need to listen to the message. We need to examine the fruit. We need to consider whether people are being led toward repentance and faith and obedience to Christ. See, our preferences cannot become the price that people must pay before we're willing to reach them. Well, you gotta do this, you gotta do that. No, see, at reach KC, we're gonna encounter people whose lives do not look like ours. People with complicated stories, people carrying deep wounds, people learning how to follow Jesus one step at a time.

We need conviction strong enough to tell them the truth and love deep enough to walk with them while they respond to it. See, we can't be so occupied defending our comfort that we neglect our calling. See, Stephen's opponents involved elders and scribes. Literally, I'm coming to a close, I promise. I know you won't ask it about it anyways. But it involved elders and scribes, literally people whose had position, they had standing in knowledge, one commentary notes that describes as people who copied the law and claimed expertise in its interpretation. In other words, their involvement would have made the accusation seem even more credible. But their position didn't make those accusations true. See, educated speech still needs to be examined by the truth of Scripture. So does passionate speech. Check me, check my file, take notes, go back and make sure what I said is actually true. So does popular speech. So does something that sounds exactly like what we believe. First, thessalonians five calls us to test whatever we hear and hold on to what is good. That means that we have a responsibility to slow down before we just repeat an accusation or join somebody else's outreach. See, because misguided conversations can manipulate the body of Christ.

See, gossip can be dressed up as concern with a lot of unnecessary lipstick. See, slander can be presented as discernment if you ain't rooted in the Word of God. See, a person can share enough of this story to influence your opinion while leaving out the very details that would actually change it. See, that's what makes false witnesses so destructive because it recruits people through a distorted picture. See, we must be careful that our desires to stand for truth doesn't make us careless about whether something is actually true. You can hear me. Truthful correction protects the church. Exposing wrongdoing and calling leaders to repentance can be absolutely necessary expressions of love. [BLANK_AUDIO] See, God loves his people, and our words should reflect that love. Even when those words must confront sin. See, it says that everyone in the council looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Luke gives us a striking image while the accusations are still hanging in the room. Think about that. The man that they were accusing of speaking against God bore a visible appearance associated with a heavenly messenger. See, their accusations didn't get to determine his standing before God, and honestly, that's something that we need to remember when we are misrepresented by people, because you can't always control the story that somebody else tells about you, but you still remain responsible for how you respond.

You can tell the truth, you can seek help, you can establish appropriate boundaries, you can refuse to repay slander with slander, but don't let their distortion determine your disposition. There was a season that Katherine and I had walked through this personally. A leader in our church who was also a very dear friend of ours. Our families did life together. Our kids grew up together, and I needed to address concerns regarding their leadership several different times. And after one final correction, the relationship broke down, and they began publicly attacking me and the church, and things were said about Katherine and I that were just not true. And sadly, some people actually believed those accusations and a large group of people actually left our church. And just being honest, this was one of the most painful seasons that our family had ever experienced, and these weren't strangers criticizing us either. These were people that we actually loved. There were memories, there were friendships. Our children had relationships caught up in the heart too that went deeper than even ours, and I wish I could tell you that every time another message came through, I responded with perfect peace. But I didn't. I was angry. I wanted to confront it. I wanted people to hear my side, and there were moments when I wanted to respond in ways that definitely would not have honored Jesus. The accusations were false, but the temptation to respond wrongly was real, so real. And in response to this, Katherine and I felt led to fast for almost seven days. And during that time, we sensed God telling us to just remain silent, and if I'm honest, this is the first time I've ever spoke on it publicly. And the picture impressed on us during this fast was just keep walking in obedience and trust God with the wall.

You be quiet and let God with the wall, and that was the direction that we believe God was giving us in that season, but every new message gave me another opportunity to argue with it. Lord, did you see what they just said about me? God, did you see who is believing this garbage? And I'm supposed to just keep quiet when all these people who thought that we thought had our back is just jumping on this manufactured bandwagon, I want to defend my name. I was so convicted that my response still had to honor his, because one thing I would always say was get close enough to examine the fruit of their life, and then get close enough to examine the fruit of mine too, and then compare what you see with Scripture. I wasn't claiming to be perfect, I was willing to just let my life be examined. We kept serving, we kept loving, we kept doing what we believe God called us to do, and over time we have seen this church grow spiritually and numerically, and we're going to levels that God has, that has opened doors that we never thought, and I am grateful because The pain didn't become the direction. still choose Jesus. You can tell the truth without surrendering to revenge. You can bring your anger to God before you put it into somebody else's life or on social media platforms. Listen, I don't know who has misrepresented you, but I have everybody stand with me for just a moment. I don't know what you're still carrying, but when you've been hurt, your next decision still matters. Their actions don't have to decide who you become. See, that is conviction before approval. You have to be willing to say, Jesus, even here, even while this hurts, I still want my life to honor you no matter what. Because I want when I am examined to be the fruitfulness of God, I want to be a man of good reputation, a man that is full of wisdom, a man that is full of the spirit, a man that is full of grace and power. Because he's standing for Jesus includes how we treat people who even stand against us. And so I believe that today that God is calling some of us back to him, and I believe that some God is calling some of us to let go of some things that we've been holding on to. And so if you're in here today, just remain still for two more minutes. I believe that God is working on some of our hearts right now in this moment. Maybe you've never had a personal relationship with God. Maybe you have, but you've walked away from

the Lord and you've walked away from some of the things that has been in your life that you used to be holding true to. And you want to return to the Father. If that's you and you've never had a personal relationship or you've had one and you've walked away and you want to rededicate your life today and say you know what? No matter what the opposition says, I want to stand firm in the Word of God and what he says about my life. If that's you and you want to have that today, can I just get you to raise your hand all across this room so that we can pray with you? Come on, I see a couple hands over here. Anybody else? Hey, if that's you, even if you didn't raise your hand, can I just ask you to step out of your seat real quick? We just want to pray with you. We want to connect with you, get your name, get some information from you. Hey, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. Can we just celebrate for a minute? Hey, come on, right down over here. Hey, can we just celebrate for a minute? Come on. Lord, have your way. Lord, have your way. Anybody else? Come on. If that's you. Have your way, God. Anybody else? If you're here and you just want to surrender something, hey, just take that moment. You can do it in your seat or you can step out. You can just come down here to the altar for just a moment. We're going to hang out here for about 30 more seconds, 45 seconds and just say, God, you can have everything in my life. I just want to give it all to you right now, God. In Jesus' name, come on, let's just worship for just a moment. Can we do that? Amen. Jesus Christ, the highest name. Jesus, the highest name. Jesus Christ, the highest name. God, the highest name. Jesus Christ, the highest name. Jesus Christ, the highest name. Jesus Christ, the highest name. Can we ask Jesus Christ, the highest name. Can we ask Jesus Christ, the highest name. Can we ask Jesus Christ, the highest name. Can we ask Jesus Christ, the highest name of Jesus Christ, the highest name of Jesus Christ.