Chosen Sunday | Richard "RichRel" Reliford

No, please, please. One more day. One more day. You mean everything, everything, everything to me. Cause you gave me one more day. Say I love you. I don't know. I don't know. Maybe you've never been confronted with life or death. What we're talking about today, even that we're here with Chosen, it lives at home as well, too. When we realize that that's a gift. See, we're playing. God is so gracious that at times he's laid me out and let me in the midst of serving and doing stuff to where I can't even, I can't breathe. I say, Lord Jesus have mercy on me. Let me breathe. See, y'all see, we're getting to know each other, family. That one more day, that changes our posture of thankfulness. That changes our attitude. I don't really have time to judge anybody. I'm just trying to, just today, you let me live and it's yours. It's yours, my life, my being, my words. So if y'all get one more time and I mean one more day, I can't even count the near-death experiences that just start showing up at my front door, on planes, at home and sleeping, waking up. So therefore, when I hear this, in fact, as you guys picked this, I truly want us to sit in that moment and then move, I believe, see y'all, of one more day in such a posture of thankfulness. And from that posture, realize that we're talking about our brothers and sisters that don't know if they have one more day. You know what I mean? They don't know. Please.

One more day. One more day. One more day. Father God, thank you so much, Holy Spirit. We know you're present here. As we begin and continue the worship here today, Father, I just want to say clearly, yes, we're here for Chosen Sunday. But immediately, even now, Father God, please begin to prick the hearts to move those that have found themselves here, that there's more of you for them and or for the first time of coming to alive to the fact that there is no life outside of you. There is no purpose outside of you. There is no meaning to life outside of you. You are life. You are love. You are the day. You are the night. You are our future, our hope. I just want to say thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thank you so much, worship. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much, worship. Thank you. Well, I'm glad that you introduced Pastor and let everyone know that we're a family because I was going to tell y'all anyway. You don't know me, but we're family.

We're people now. I was watching this. I'm going to get to the message. I was watching this play with one of my daughters in New York, August Wilson's play. I forgot the name of it. It's a great play. Taraji P. Henson and Cedric Entertainer's in it. And the little kids are having a moment where they're talking to each other. I told you about this. And they're talking. And like, I like this. I like to skip. And then he looks at her and he goes, you're my girlfriend now. We together. We're getting married. That's how I feel. Like, I got the mic. I'm here at Union. I'm visiting from L.A. We family now. You understand? You got a brother. They're like, we'll see. They're like, we'll see. We'll see. Pastor Rod, thank you so much. Thank you so much. Pastor Sarah, I've already mentioned the present is a present. And I will get to, like, who is this guy holding the microphone?

What's going on? And you're like, some of y'all are like, I did not know this was going on. I'm going to sneak out when I can. Stay. Stay. She laughed too much. She was like, I know this about you. Lots of community and family. That Pastor Rod has a heart for those that are in the margins, that you do as well too. For those that sometimes are looked beyond. I know he has a heart for Matthew 25, when Matthew 25 talks about, right, I'm not shelter, I'm imprisoned. I need food, I need help, I need shelter. Not everyone responds to that. And extreme poverty is similar to that. It's suffocating at times, I've been. And they're captive, often to no fault of their own, to the situation they're in. I'm gonna greet the great, the Union Prison Camp. What's up, how's it going, family? I'm humbled and honored to share with you today. And I grew up in Chicago. So even by this film, Chicago's like, why is he saying it like that? There's an O on the end. Don't play with me. The Bears, the Bulls, the Cubs, Chicago. If you know, you know, but I live in Los Angeles.

So everyone gets that confused because I've repped so hard for Chicago. I've been in LA 20 years, the City of Angels, who else? Anybody, like, listen, I know how y'all feel about LA. Whatever, we love y'all still. Like, LA? For almost 30 years, I've been in some form of ministry, prison ministry, youth ministry, the actor, that's ministry for me, gospel artist. And it's all converging. It's all converging. I went to the University of Akron, played football. You know what I mean? I was nice and angry, which is a good combination to hit people and have people applaud you. I'm like, this is great. Y'all like football. I'm trying to hurt everybody on this field. It was before Jesus. I didn't have youth camps like that, y'all. That was a great youth camp. I wanted to go back into my old body and join that camp. We didn't have camps. I'm going to camp. I'm like, what? Our camp videos were not like that. I'm going to camp. I'm like, what's the age limit? I'm like, what's the age limit? So ultimately, football was a set up by God.

So he got me to college on scholarship and he had coaches and players around me that loved him deeply. And I ended up in Wadsworth, I think. No, it's Mansfield, Ohio. Who knows Ohio? Mansfield, Ohio, nothing there but a prison. And he took me, and I didn't even want to go. I went because I was hungry, right? And alone on campus in between. So I was a freshman of the year, a 3.7 engineering student. Boy, just arrogant. Listen, a lot of arrogance present on my just skull should be illegal. So I didn't go because I was humble. God is so gracious. Watch this. I was going to be hungry and fed and I was trying not to get annoyed by all the Christians. I was like, you know, annoying. I was like, y'all are annoying. Where's anybody real? That's what I thought in my mind at that time. I was not raised in the church. And he changed my heart 180. The one second. I left out, I was a three second guy. You know what a three second guy is? One, two, three.

If you don't have a purpose and you're looking at me, it's on. He said, yep, he knows. Now I'm a hugger and I like it more awkward. I like the awkward hugs. I like the older gentleman, older white guy, like, hey, okay, okay. I'm like, bring it in, daddy. I'm a hugger. That's what God can do. Do like smiles and stuff. People that meet me, they're like, that's impossible. God can do that. Last but not least. And hopefully the slides are going with me. I'm not queuing up the slides. I am a father. Faja. I'm a father. I don't know why I said that. That was like Austin Powers voice. Those are my children. Our boy girl twins that are 25. Look at right. Wow. They're doing great. And my youngest is Tamiya. I'll brag for a second. So the oldest twin is Taylor. Taylor, she's in her second year at Stanford Law School. Right? Loves it.

Right? My son is a data engineer in the Bay Area as well. RJ give it up. So his name is Richard John Relaford II. Cause I hated my name. I gave it to him, put a two on it. I never liked my name. I've grown into it. He goes by RJ. And then Tamiya Sheree Relaford. She graduated in film and TV, lives in LA. She's working in the music and the film industry. All of them went to school in Arizona, by the way. Who else? So like ASU, she went and two from U of A. So those are my kids. You can give a hand. Yeah. It's important. It's important because believe it or not, the only reason I'm standing here is because on the day they all decided as teenagers to be baptized, this happened. They showed up in my church. World Vision. I didn't know what World Vision was. Actually, I was a little bit mad. I was sitting there, not raised, angry, not in the church. And my children have decided to be baptized. So I'm thinking to God, I'm like,

where's my spiritual high five? Hook it up. I did something right. He's like, put your hand down. and pay attention to these people and my heart was broken for extreme poverty he said I'm glad your children are right because my twins were boy-girl twins premature two months they spent 30 days almost in the incubator and I couldn't touch them and I remember weeping saying Lord just give him a chance and we're in a similar posture I'm sorry well this will be a roller coaster I can't I can't go soft because I've seen too much and I promised them that I've seen the work and they said don't forget about me so I go hard for undo this right for Ghana for Uganda for Ethiopia the countries I've been with my own eyes and seen because they are our brother their family too you feel me so world vision whether you know it or not the quick snippet over 75 years founded it's been around doing this ministry founded by an evangelist actually Bob Pierce doing this work it's not soft work it's long-term work it's dedicated to working with indigenous people and doing these sectors of development right food security economic development clean water education all the things hygiene and always you can't see it but it's okay always Christian witness because the question will be prompted why are you here and then we get this tell them why we're here see what happens because it's kind of hard to preach to somebody starving it's kind of hard when a clean route at water crisis is taking a life of 1,600 children per day still present-day in 2020 the actual numbers have went up so with that in mind with this world visions but God type of movement my sister Wanda's here how you doing why do you matter she set up the volunteering but put the hurricane up yeah you give her hand and I messed up por eso me gustaría comenzar con la biblia en el versículos exacto oh this is what happened I mess with y'all you get the Spanish service give us a shout give a shout out for your Spanish service coming see necesario yo puedo presentar en espanol tambien what's the problem

y'all better get oh I say twist angles I'm like no SPO the spiritual sense of the spirit I gotta switch to English now the Holy Spirit you saw that I was like wait I'm still in Spanish hold on hold up only three years I went to Spanish seminary through the prompting of the Holy Spirit and without having Spanish classes cried my way through and they embraced me as a community died and like learn Spanish to be able to serve but that's God's glory that's God's glory and that's why when the pastor told me and a pastor and Sarah and P rod told me that God's all over that it's beautiful language is my preferred language of devotional actually Spanish so our primary text ten minutes later like is this guy gonna preach yes but it's important because here's the thing long introduction short message if you don't know me you're not vibing with me this is a problem with a lot of people you speak in truth into my life who are you let's be real what who am I this is who I am and like I love the ultimately God say your identity after all that is you are loved I do not deserve his grace I didn't deserve it I wasn't even seeking there's a lot of seekers in LA I have more respect for them I God just had mercy on me his my life is his I'll do whatever he says the scripture and the verse and the message today is choose to live upside down kingdom right side up Matthew 21 12 through 17 if you if your traditions to stand stand if not that's fine it'll be in the screens or sit down and take a look bring out your Bible app whatever it is Jesus is in the temple and we're going to read it because I don't have a commercial for you have a message for us all Jesus entered this is 12 will start at 12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there he overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves it is written he said to them my house will be called a house of prayer but you're making it a den of robbers the blind and the lame came to him at the temple and healed them but when the chief priest sicknesses and the teacher saw a teacher the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts Hosanna to the Son of David they were indignant they weren't just bothered indignant is deep indignant who does he but something

people getting blessed what's this we got do we have any religious folks like that not in here amen Yes, reply Jesus. Have you ever read from the lips of children and infants? You Lord have called forth your praise. And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany where he spent the night. I'll pray again. Lord, I'll pray for your presence, Lord. The proclamation of the truth and the good news that you hear, Lord. I pray for your Holy Spirit and your power present here to be with us and to form us. Let us not be the same. In Jesus name, So now, yeah, back to the roller coaster, have a seat. He's like, man, this guy's all over the place. Imagine, at least you're not my children. Think about how intense it was for them. I wake up like this. This is calm. I'm calm. Let me back up and illustrate this upside downness, right? Now, it's controversial. I might lose my card on this, but I have a deep theological question for you. Are you ready? Y'all listening? Does, does pineapple belong on pizza? Man, look at, look at this. I'm splitting the church, pastor. I knew I was going to split this church, but people almost left. They're like, we're not doing this. I am not. Heresy is fine. Pineapple on pizza. Stay focused, Richard. Y'all are too cool. Stay focused. Me, the answer is simple. Yes, I said it. I said it. I live in Los Angeles now. We can, we can, we can hug later. We can hug later. But the key is this, whether it's on pizza or not, do you like, I'm going to bring us back together. Do you like it sour or sweet? That's right. The sweet pineapple. You ever had some real good pineapple? You almost tear up a little bit. You're like, ooh, this is how it's supposed to taste. It's usually not in the U.S., by the way. Our fruit, we've lost all our nutrients. We really have. Pray for us, Lord. Like, these pineapples have like one nutrient in them now because of the, anyway, it's a long story. Watch a documentary. I'll stay focused. So God, but what you got to know about pineapples are, the way they grow, actually, it seems upside down. Watch this, right? You know this. The process that produces the sweetness. So actually, they grow out of the center of the plant. You ever see a pineapple patch? It's not even, it's not even cute, right? It's low to the ground. It's almost like they're doing it wrong. It's almost like the process is upside down, right? Sometimes God, sometimes God turns things upside down to shake things up. Now, listen to me. I'm going to check and see. They were kind of listening over here. Sometimes compassion in offense is upside

down. Forgiveness in the midst of disappointment, mercy versus judgment, right, produces sweetness in those down moments. Sometimes the sweet hope is found in turning the situation upside down. So Jesus comes into the temple not to play around, to revolutionize lives. That's what the tables were. He's turning the perspectives upside down, right side up, offering us a sweet bottom that we think we're supposed to eat or do it a certain way. We always talk about what something's supposed to be. You're supposed to, supposed to. You ever see that? You should, should. We shouldn't all over people, by the way. Look, he said, what did he say? I said, should. Should this, should that, right? And Jesus is saying, I can love who I want. I can change who I want. However, are you listening to me? I'm all powerful. I'm all loving. I don't play by whatever rules you're talking about because I'm upside down, right side up. Jesus comes to the temple to worship. The temple was a place of God's power and his presence, right? The services for the people were there. Now, here's what's key in the temple. They came to offer sacrifices on the behalf of the remission of sins. See, Jesus wasn't, he wasn't risen yet. He was in the temple, but they still had to, right, have a sacrifice for the remission of sins. Here's where it gets tricky. It's supposed to be a special feast day and many people travel from all over for worship and fellowship. They brought their sacrifices with them, right? But the weary poor travelers, follow me, who came from out of town far away, they couldn't bring the sacrifices with them. They couldn't afford it actually. They were too poor to afford a lamb. So, they actually said you can have a what? A dove. Remember that? So, now this is a system, we know this, set up to make sure there's availability for them to purchase it after they traveled a long way and come to the actual temple. It sounds great. It's supposed to be a convenience for the weary, right? A program that's helping folks out. But watch this, the wealthy set it up where they could take advantage. advantage of the needy. So they tacked on heavy fees on the doves. So ultimately, it became prohibitive. See, this is what Jesus is saying. This is the part that's not just in the text. He's not just when we reduce it to he's angry. No, no, no. He knows all the details of what's going on. Listen, family oppression comes in many different forms and none of

them fool God. You can put a rule on it if you want to. You can put a law on it or an ordinance, right? Are you following me? Leadership, if it's oppression, he's not with it. He's not with it. They're supposed to be bringing a lamb from their flock for a sin offering, right? So, this bird offering was available but now, the people were forced into paying ridiculous prices for doves which were permitting or permitted offerings of those who were poor. Now, you see this. Some of the leaders exploited the poorest because they were the most vulnerable. So, it actually is happening. So, Jesus wasn't merely reacting in uncontrolled anger. Let's not reduce it like that. He's intentional, focused. He's moving with holy as I call it compaction. Compassion. Move from a place that actually is overflowing. This is my father's house and all these people don't have access to him or what they actually need because of these games you're playing. It was there was a divine purpose. He couldn't leave it. This is us. He couldn't leave it the way he found it. Mama remind me her quote was like, when you know better, you do better. Who's ever had a mama say that to him? It's almost this. I'm sorry but this is almost a tag. You're it moment. I'm being real. You can do what you want with anything I'm saying. Same thing happened to me. I was sitting there minding my business. My kids were getting baptized. I don't want to hear this. Tag, you're it. There are children dying. Real time right now of things that are fixable. That's not their fault, right? And no one's coming. No one's coming. What do we do with it? What happens next is more than a physical demonstration. He wasn't simply

concerned for the poor, right? Concerns only only leads to committee meetings. He didn't pity the people. Pity comes from a lack of dignity almost. It wasn't pity. He had he had neither concern nor pity. He cared so deeply that it hit his heart and his soul and he was moved to do something. He begins to turn the tables of the money changers, right? Because of that. Now, now, now, now they're getting upset. Why is he doing this? Why is Jesus doing this? We we said it a few ways. I I can break it down to two points at least. Are you ready? The first one, he flips the tables upside down because he knows the people are more valuable or have more worth than their net worth. Don't act like that's not our implied society and world, right? We're tied to what you have, what you don't have, what education you have, what you don't have, what record sheet you have, what you don't have, what lifestyle are we talking real or not? We've got all the judgments and reasons. All of those are fine but not that but not that. He wants to flip the tables upside down because he knows the people are worth more than that. He would not let their lack of means stop them from coming to the temple. He turns the tables upside down because the money on the table is what the leaders cared about. They value money more than they did people. Have we seen or heard this before? Right? He turns the tables upside down because he loves and serves and we love and serve a god who has an upside down right side up kingdom mentality. Y'all follow me? It's a heavenly perspective, heavenly agenda. Flipping tables represents how Jesus's kingdom works. He flips them upside down so the people matter more than policies. He flips things upside down so that the poor matter more than protocol. He flips things upside down so the

have nots can have everything they need. Are y'all following me? He flips them upside down so that the marginalized can be put to the center. This is not a popularity contest in the kingdom. It's an upside down this. Notice the poor and the most vulnerable actually didn't even show up to verse fourteen. Think about this. The blind, the lame, the children are not described as being in a temple because they weren't even welcome. The religious leaders didn't even see them. They did not see their wealth, the worth. Jesus did. The reason you are here today, why I'm here today. When people didn't see us or count us out. It's the same. Jesus saw us. It's the same. Jesus saw us. We all can see we're failures and mistakes. Jesus saw you. He saw me. Let's go back to fourth grade. Rich rail. I'm in fourth grade with Mrs. Vander Linden. Listen, y'all, I might've been bad. Yeah, I was bad. So they were like, this boy is bad. And I'm acting up in class. And the typical thing to do in a school, especially with students that are black or brown or, or a minority representation or what they act up, put them on a program, put them in special ed. Don't act like this is not happening. And there's a behavioral issue. Not Mrs. Vander Linden. She said, wait a second. I don't think, I think he's bored. I'm going to put him to the front of the class. Give him extra work. Have him volunteer. Did she force me kind of to take an honors test? I'm trying to fail this thing, y'all. I remember. I'm like, this is stupid. Right? All of these things. And guess what? The next, the rest of my life in middle school and high school, I'm in honors classes, later mechanical polymer engineer. That's my degree. And so forth. Mrs. Vander Linden, fourth grade, upside down mentality. Maybe there's something different. Right? So you're going to have a moment to do something similar. The kids in Honduras that are experiencing the same thing. We get a chance to say, I see your greatness. I see your value. You understand? We don't believe the narratives. I see it in you, young person, and your worth is not connected to your lack or your extreme poverty. Your worth is not the fact. The worth is actually the fact that you're made in the

image of God and we are here. We're here with love in the form of tangible needs. Point number two, Jesus flips the tables upside down because he wants to restore access. Right? He flips the tables upside down because he wants to restore access to what people need. Let's be clear. The poor could not experience, believe this or not, redemptive power of the temple because they couldn't afford it. Isn't that sad? But how real is that? In our country, at times, you can't even afford to eat well. What country am I living in? Am I the only one here? Access to things often is connected to even spiritual growth at times, access. This was not merely an inconvenience. Without the sacrifice, they could not receive what God had provided for them. He flips the table because he refuses to leave anything or let anything stand between people and from what they need from God. Here's the key. Jesus is turning tables upside down, revealing the actual nature of the kingdom of God. It gives access to those who were previously shut out. My first internship, my first internship in college, I played football at the University of Akron, the Zips. Go ahead. Anybody? Ohioans? You're always here. You know you're here. Yeah, it's yelling out. Akron Zips. I played football. There we go. Oh, wait. She's here. She's in the building. I played for the Zips and I was an engineering student. So I had, that's a whole other story. Stay focused, Richard. And I had a summer internship, an engineering internship at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. You know where that is, right? So in this internship, I was working in the environmental engineering department. And then there was this young lady that was dating someone that actually worked for the blimp hanger. The Goodyear blimp. You know the Goodyear blimp? The one you see over games and stadiums and Rose Bowl, all that. What folks don't know is there's not a lot of people to fit in the blimp. It's like 12. There's thousands, tens of thousands of people that work for Goodyear. They've worked their whole lives and careers and never been in a blimp. Never. This young lady was dating this guy in the blimp hanger. She came to us and said, hey, you want to ride the blimp? I was like, let's do it. Years later, I realize I got to ride this Goodyear blimp only because of my relationship and friendship. So basically I had access to the blimp through another that had nothing to do with me. You understand me? So watch where we're going. So church, there's a name above every name that gives access to anybody who wants, anybody who's humble enough to the kingdom of God.

It's not cute. We're not working it up, right? We're not convincing God, we're having access. So that reminds me of Julius. Julius Bidoanga is in Uganda. He's my first child that I sponsored and this picture is of him and Miriam. And we're sitting there and I remember Miriam was on her knees actually when I went to meet her. I did not let that stay. I was like, please get up. I'm like, how could this be possible that $39 is doing this? But she had already lost one child to the clean water crisis. And she just wanted to see the person that was behind sponsoring this child. See, while I grew up in poverty, I understand poverty. I remember being broke or hungry. Who remembers being hungry? Cold showers in Chicago. You ain't take cold showers in Chicago. You could die. Beans all week, watch. Sitting in the driveway with a spoonful of peanut butter, wishing I had jelly and bread. Come on. But there is a difference. I remember when God revealed to me between poverty and extreme poverty.

Malnutrition is not great. Lack of access is not great. God cares about all of it, but it's different when they may not be there tomorrow. That's extreme poverty. There's no guarantee they actually will be there. So that means both are not ideal. So their family were living in that reality. So it was far from perfect. I brought a football to meet them and stuff like that. By the way, they don't play football. They play soccer. I learned that football is real. So that changed. And I remember she leaned over and she said one thing to the translator. Is he Christian? Is he Christian? Years later, God told me that that actually was a conversation where she was having with herself. Is there God real? And has he come on their behalf? She wasn't sure. She wasn't sure. My heart was flipped upside down. So in a short moment, I want to share with you this. Living a life upside down looks like this. Julius is standing in this picture. This is his home.

This is not charity. I was driving off because I got to go home. I did all this work and it daunted on me. I took a video of it and it came on my heart that I got to go home. And it got heavier because what if that's home? Y'all following me? It's all fun and games, so that is home. So that $39 is pooled in the community, not just one child. It gives the clean water, it gives the education, gives the food, the economic opportunity. Every time we turn the tables, you and I, children and families, whole communities are actually transformed. Y'all following me? So here's a beautiful invitation for you today. Just like Julius, just like he used me and used Julius to turn tables in each other's lives and come alongside a community, you can do that today. I'm praying God would turn tables in your life, of course, I almost did it again. I almost said, I need to get, we got to go bang. I'll do a bang lingual broken Spanish service later. Sorry, God will turn the tables in your life. So in the next few minutes, we'll have a vision that we're going to partner with Honduras. That's what's happening, y'all. Y'all following me? Let's go, let's go, Honduras.

And the community is limpa, am I saying it right? Limpa, limpa, limpa. Why am I not on a trip, Monty? There's a problem, I got to talk to somebody. I should be on a trip. We can see the beautiful children there, but they lack basic needs, yet they're full of hope, right? So you're going to help partner with the community to do this pioneering work, but there's several hundred children that need to be sponsored. Here's the beautiful part, family, $39, right? It's pooled together, there's more impact. I talked about that, but typically we would have this situation because when I first sponsored children, it was this way. We would have in the lobby, a bunch of pictures up and you would go by and you would choose, and you'd say, I want to sponsor this child. Every time I would do that, actually in my soul, I would feel a little, a little not great. It was still great, but like, that's a lot of power. What about the three kids I just passed? Y'all, are y'all following me? So God came to World Vision and did something, Holy Spirit, and the sponsorship and the community development is the same, but he wanted to change the presentation of it. How many people know that how matters as much as anything? So instead, the power to choose is going to be in their hands.

The little kids are going to come up like this. I don't know why I'm walking like this. That's how kids walk. And they're going to, and they're going to choose you. and then they're going to almost cry. I almost cried. They're going to choose you and then they're going to tell you why and watch what God does with that as well too and there's going to be reveal Sunday right next weekend. It's almost one of those things where uh do people still say FOMO? I don't think that FOMO you want on reveal Sunday of when these pictures are up here and these children beautiful children in Honduras have picked families and pictures of you and told you why and their lives and potentially their eternities have been impacted forever. So in a few minutes it's going to happen. I want to ask you what if it looked like for the first time you with us flip this process upside down. There's going to be a choosing party that me, Rod and several will be at. They're leaving tomorrow. This choosing party will happen Tuesday I believe. It's a little different. Wednesday. It's happening Wednesday. It's going down. So take a moment. I'll do a quick prayer. We're going to watch this video and then the next voice you hear is from your pastor and I say Father God just thank you for this time. Even my imperfection, the imperfect delivery. I pray that all the things that need to stick and stay do that and that if this is a moment for them to be a part of being chosen, then nothing stops it and we just thank you Lord for your love and care for us and for this community Limpa in Honduras. Amen. Let me be filled with kindness and compassion for the one the one for whom you love and gave yourself for humanity increase my love so help me and see the truth oh they would feel the father's love so you know one of the reasons that I wanted to partner with World Vision in this chosen

Sunday is because many of you know but if you're new if you're watching for the first time I was born in Chile South America. I was one of those children and it was God's grace and only God's grace by which I end up in the land of opportunity and live here today and so when I see these children I see myself. I see myself in a different life. I see myself in a different path that God may have chosen for me and I can tell you one thing as an immigrant kid growing up in this nation I never felt like I had any power. I always felt vulnerable. I didn't know the language I wasn't legal at times. I didn't know the culture. I was different even from other Latinos who were born here. I was still just that, pardon me, beaner kid that didn't speak English very good. I was. It took me a long time to say chicken you know and if you catch me on the wrong day I might say chicken. My wife laughs at me all that. Ah you said it with an accent. Yeah it slips sometimes. I'm not from here and so when they took us to dinner and presented this opportunity the thing that struck me the most is giving power back to those that are most vulnerable. That's the heart of this house. Connecting people to God has always been about reaching those that the western church forgets about. It's easy to plant a church in the suburb. It's easy to raise funds in the suburb. but y'all we are in the inner city of Houston Texas we are in the heart of Houston Texas and look at this way I want you to look around it's full and it's not just full with people it's full with the presence of God the second thing is that we talk about you've heard me talk about and preach about and I go hard for is I love to preach and teach you about the upside-down kingdom I did not tell rich rail this and he said upside down multiple times did he not in fact our merch says preach the gospel upside down someone asked me the today pastor why is it upside down and I said I'm glad you asked because act 17 6 says those that came preaching the gospel have flipped this world upside down and that's what we want we want to flip the world upside down for the foot for King Jesus we want to flip the world upside down and this is our opportunity this is our opportunity to live out what Jesus tells us and teaches us in Luke 14 when he tells the parable of the great banquet where a rich man a king sends out and he invites all the affluent people all the people that make three hundred thousand dollars a year all the ones that have 401ks and they got investments and they got crypto and they got the big cars and they play golf on

Saturday they all were invited but they were too busy to dine with the king and so he sends them out and he says hey you know what my house needs to be full so I want you to go out and I want you to find me everyone who is sick who is lame who is crippled going the highways and the byways bring me the misfits busy outcasts in the discarded what Jesus was showing in a culture context is that he was flipping the script he was flipping their world upside down where the people were called to reach are the most vulnerable and this is why we chose to do chosen Sunday because I see us taking pictures and I can't wait for that day Wednesday when I see those beautiful faces the innocence of a child to go and choose you and that's special because it's not just another face it's not just a distant person you're making a connection in which they said I like him I want him next week we'll call come in here and we'll see who chose us me and my wife we decided I was voluntold hey make sure you tell them we're taking two children so our family is doing two children right we recognize that we've been blessed and I never want to forget where I came from I never want to forget my struggles and I never want to forget how vulnerable I feel and so it's a special honor to tell you I can't wait to see who chooses me I can't wait to see who chooses our family amen amen so before we leave here I see a lot of new faces I want I want to tell you one of the things that we love to do here is present the gospel and maybe this is your first time with us and you know you were brought here and you were told about come to my church but I want to tell you that we sang that song one more day what if today was your one more day what if today was your last day where would you be if you took your last breath today and you got to meet your maker well the gospel flips religion upside down and it says that you don't have to do a course you don't have to jump through hoops all you have to do is to make a decision of your heart what's that decision that you believe Jesus is the Son of God that he came to earth born of a virgin live suffered and died for all your sins and then he was resurrected on the third day after he was buried and if we believe in that Romans says that we shall be saved so if you would do me a favor it's just right

where you are if you would close your eyes for just a moment and bow your heads and if you want to make that decision you're making that decision right now I feel like you're making that decision right now in your heart would you shoot up your hands so I could pray for you but shoot it up yes yes Jesus father God I thank you for the hands that are raised Lord may you touch them may you put a fire inside of them, to desire you more and to flip the world upside down around them with your gospel, Lord. May this be the first steps in the kingdom of many to come. May you not only save them, but fill them with your Holy Spirit and anoint them to something special. Father God, we thank you for the war that gone forth, for Rich Rel and his life and his ministry, his family, his kids, for World Vision, for everyone going on this team, to Honduras. We love you and we pray these things in Jesus' mighty name. And everybody said amen. Now, if you could do me a favor before we go, before, don't move, don't move, pull out your phones, don't move, pull out your phones. Go ahead and pull out your phones and I'm going to bring Brother Rich out here one more time. He's going to give you your final instructions on how we can make this chosen Sunday a success. All right, family, thank you for being patient in this moment. You got your phones out. I've got two steps, three steps and two reminders, okay? I just want you to know, I sponsored two children, one in Uganda, one in Ethiopia. I'm walking this, I wouldn't, I wouldn't do something, ask you to do something that I'm not involved with. I was chosen in Ethiopia. So here's the first step. Step one, you're going to take your phone and the QR code, you're going to push it up. You're going to scan the QR code.

And if it's not, for some reason, it's a little digital up there, I'll take my time with you guys. There's also cards there. And if for some reason you don't have, there's one right there, have that part, they're also in the lobby, they're available. So we're going to scan that and you start and you go through, right? It's loading. So I'll wait for you for a second, scan the phone or click the link. Then two, you're going to fill out that form on that page, right? The first question is how many kids? It's like pastor said, one, two, three, whatever your heart's desire is. Maybe it opens up your heart to do more or one. So continue filling that out. That's your ticket to the next step. So you're going to bring this also to where we're going to get the picture. Next step three. All right. If you're in the building after service online, you have another step as well too. But if you're in the building, you're going to take that code and you're actually going to go to the lobby and it's a room to the left that doesn't have a name. Room 5 slash you'll see the banners. I asked the team what the name was. They're like the room over there. So go out to the lobby. You'll see the volunteers and you're going to take the most epic picture. I was in the lobby today with you guys. I saw how like such a good-looking church and even the diversity the generational representation you go do that. But for some reason if you don't have the photo or what you want to wear, you can upload a photo so you can upload if you don't like and upload the photo you want and then you can do that there. Now, here's the final reminders. Here's the reminders. Number one, the reveal Sunday is August 9th. So that's next Sunday. Now, don't worry if you can't be here. They'll say you're not going to lose your chosen sponsorship

or something like that, but everyone who signs up 8 p.m. before 8 p.m. tonight. So for some reason you got a delay and the reason we have to have a cut-off time is we need to get the pictures. They need to download them in the country. They need to tell how many children are going to be there because every person gets chosen and every child that shows up gets to choose. It's not random. Okay, so we're going to want to do that and last but not least if you need any assistance, they have a whole team there. Okay, so I'm going to pass it over to the Bishop after that. If there's questions, Bishop Kenneth, come on up. That's what I was told to call him. No, I really appreciate and love you all and I pray that a blessing over you all and I love you. Here you go. Church, can we rise to our feet this morning? Can we thank God for his word? I'm not a Bishop but what an honor it is to be chosen. What an honor it is to have the privilege to provide people's basic needs and to give them access to God. Listen, we know you have your needs as well in the house today. So we're going to have the prayer partners please come up. Prayer partners are going to be up here. If you have anything you want to join in hands and faith in today for whatever you want God to do with you wherever you need help. You need somebody else's faith for you. They're going to be up here waiting for you to pray with you to intercede for you and to have God's will come through in your life. Well, we love you.

Thank you for joining us today. God bless you. God keep you and have a great week in Jesus name. Amen.