Connected But Not Known

Come on, let's lift Him up in His praise. Put those hands together. Come on, we sing it to Him. Come on, lift some praise this morning. Come on, yeah. We worship You, Lord. ♪ Oh, You've made me live with grace ♪ ♪ Every part is so Your blood ♪ Come on, through it all, through it all. ♪ You've been so, so good ♪ ♪ Kept Your word like You said You would ♪ Come on, so we say. ♪ This hope won't fade in the evening ♪ ♪ Lord of faith is Your faithfulness ♪ ♪ Lord of faith is Your faithfulness ♪ Yes, You are. ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ I feel it now looking back on where I've been ♪ ♪ Still as good as You were then ♪ ♪ There's no limit to Your love ♪ Come on, declare through it all, He's been good. ♪ Through it all, You've been so, so good ♪ ♪ Kept Your word like You said You would ♪ ♪ Oh, yes, You were ♪ Because Your mercy's all new every morning ♪ ♪ As steadfast love will never end ♪ ♪ This hope won't fade in the eveningatters ♪ Lord, our faith is Your faithfulness ♪ Lord, our faith is Your faithfulness Come on, lift it up.

♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ All the grace, all the grace ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ All the grace is Your faithfulness ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ All the grace, all the grace ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ All the grace is Your faithfulness Come on, through it all, He's making a church. Through it all, You've been so, so good Kept Your word like You said You would Come on, that's who He is. Through it all, You've been so, so good Kept Your word, kept Your word Like You said You would Yes, You are Come on, lift it up Come on, we sing that Here we go, church, come on Praise You, Lord God, You are faithful and You're the one that called us out of darkness and into Your marvelous light so we continue praising You and testifying of Your goodness as we sing I was buried beneath my shame Who could carry that kind of weight? It was my tomb Till when? Till I met you

Think I was breathing? I was breathing but not alive Yeah And all my failures I tried To hide It was my tomb It was my tomb Oh Lord Till I met you Oh you called my name And I ran out of that grave Out of the darkness Into your glorious day Oh you called my name You called my name Oh and I ran out of that grave Out of the darkness Out of the darkness Into your glorious day Oh we praise you Lord Now your mercy Now your mercy has saved my soul Yes it has And now your freedom is all That I know The old made new The old made new Jesus When I met you When you called my name

Yes you did And I ran out of that grave Oh Out of the darkness Into your glorious day Lord you called my name You called my name Yes you did And I ran out of that grave Oh Out of the darkness Into your glorious day Thank you Lord I don't know about you But I'm so glad that when I was lost in my sin Jesus called me right out If you're thankful for it Can you give him a great hallelujah praise right here Oh we were lost in need of a savior But we can testify that this happened We sing I needed rescue My sin was heavy The chains break at the weight of your glory I needed shelter I was an orphan Now you call me a citizen of heaven When I was broken You were my healing Now your love is the air that I'm breathing

I have a future My eyes are open Cause when you called my name Oh I ran out of that grave Oh Out of the darkness Into your glorious day Jesus you called my name Yes you did And I ran out of that grave Oh Out of the darkness Into your glorious day Somebody that's walking in the light and love of Jesus Christ Can you lift up a mighty shout of praise Oh we praise you Lord For whom the Son sets free Is truly free indeed We walk in your freedom And we give you praise And the church of God said amen Come on church how many are thankful for that A God who will call you out of darkness and into light Come on are you thankful for that God today The one who is only deserving of worship and praise Come on if that's you would you lift your hands in this place As we worship him with everything that we have Come on we sing to him Cause I am an instrument of exaltation

I was born to lift the name above all names You hear the melody of all creation There's a song of praise that only I can bring Who else is worthy Come on just sing now Who else is worthy There's no one but Jesus Only you, Jesus. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one. Only you, Jesus. You are the infinite God of the ages. Yet you chose to make my heart your dwelling place. You heal my brokenness, show me your glory. I have songs of thanks, naive and vain. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one. Only you, Jesus. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one. Only you, Jesus. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one. Only you, Jesus. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one. Only you, Jesus. Only you, Jesus. You deserve it, O Lord. It's all yours. Come on, would you just worship just for a moment? Just begin to lift your voice and declare who our God is. Come on, He is powerful, He is worthy, He is righteous. Come on, He is the Lamb of God today. He's the Lamb of God anointed one Who was and is and is to come Seated on the throne above

Holy, holy Righteous one who shed His blood To prove to us the Father's love Jesus Christ be lifted up Holy, holy He's the Lamb of God anointed one Who was and is and is to come Seated on the throne above Holy, holy Righteous one who shed His blood To prove to us the Father's love Jesus Christ be lifted up Who else is worthy? Only Jesus Only you There is no one Only you, Jesus Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one Only you, Jesus There is no one Only you, Jesus There is no one Only you, Jesus Come on, can you praise the name of Jesus in this place today? Come on, He is so, so good, church. We're so, so glad you're here. We wanna just take a minute and greet the people around us. So if you would, just move out from your seats just for a moment. Welcome someone. We're gonna put a minute on the screen for you.

God bless you, church. Thank you. Amen. I love you. All right, good morning, Faith Orlando. Are you feeling good? Very exciting. Hey, we're gonna have such an incredible day today in the life of our church. We're a bit of a special treat. We're gonna be hearing from Pastor Peter Reeves today. So get excited for that. You still have time to text that person. Make sure they get here for the 12 p.m. service because it's gonna be a good day. Hey, we wanna acknowledge anyone who might be visiting us for the first time. So if it's your first time at church today, can you actually give me a little wave? First time at Faith today. Put your hands up. I see you, friends. I see you. Keep your hands up. Keep your hands up. Our ushers are coming to put something in your hand. Tell us a little bit about us as a church. And we also wanna get to know you. So if you are new, make sure you come visit us, okay? Just outside these doors, behind the grand staircase,

we have some volunteers there, part of our guest welcome team that wanna get to know you, hear a little bit about your story, but then also help you figure out what is your next step here at church, okay? So make sure you stop by, make sure you come say hi. Very good. All right, everyone, it's time for the best news of the week. Do you know what the best news of the week is? Church news. Let's turn our eyes to the screen. Welcome to Faith Church Orlando. Here's a look at upcoming events. Faith Español has officially launched and it's already been powerful. Now it's time to keep building. Every Sunday at 2 p.m. right here at Curry Ford, you can experience the same DNA of Faith Church, that same passion in worship, that same commitment to the word, but in Spanish. So don't come alone. Invite a friend, a family member, a neighbor, a coworker, anyone who needs an encounter with Jesus. Make a plan, show up, and bring somebody with you. Join us for Faith Español Sundays at 2 p.m. right here at our Curry Ford campus. We'll see you there. Exciting things are happening at Faith. Here's a look ahead.

We encourage you to connect, grow, serve, and reach here at Faith. So stay connected through the Faith app or our website. Have a blessed week. Hey, Faith Church. We love being a place where families come and worship together, which is why we've created spaces for every age group, including our littlest Faith Kids. We know dropping off your little one for the first time isn't always easy, but our Faith Kids nursery is a safe and loving environment where your kids aren't just watched, they're cared for. They can play and enjoy age-appropriate activities while learning Bible stories, making crafts, and worshiping. From newborns to toddlers, every detail is designed with them and you in mind. Our team is trained, attentive, and deeply committed to creating a space where our babies and toddlers can encounter Jesus. We even provide snacks and take care of those messy diapers. So drop off your little ones before service, knowing they're in good hands, and step into service fully present, ready to worship, and experience everything God has for you. Ah, isn't that good? I love it. They'll provide snacks and clean up those dirty diapers. And all the parents said, Amen.

I love it. Hey, we're gonna come around a time of giving, and we love to celebrate giving in our church, don't we? We love when we get to honour God with this moment. And you know, we were just singing a song about who else is worthy. And when it comes to giving, sometimes we almost have to ask this question and be like, well, who else is worthy where I'm gonna give my finances? And we all have bills. We all have things we've gotta pay. We all got things we wanna spend our money on, but I can tell you, can I tell you something? No one is more worthy of your giving than the Lord Jesus. Because when we give into God's kingdom, can I tell you, the community is blessed. Just yesterday, Pastor Alex was telling me that Reach Local gave, just yesterday, 100 families bags of groceries, 100 families. Because when we give in the kingdom, the community is blessed. And so we have two steps of giving here at Faith Orlando. The first step is the tithe. And if you haven't started giving yet, this is actually the beginning of your journey. It's the first 10% of your income. And the second step is kingdom builders, and that's anything above the tithe. And you can go into that step whenever you feel ready

and whenever you feel God has called you to it. So as our ushers start to prepare for that, Heavenly Father, we wanna thank You, God, for every dollar that is given. God, we pray an anointing over it. God, we pray that You would bless it. And God, we pray that You would. Use it to build for your kingdom. In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen. All right, church, be blessed as you give. We're so excited about all God is doing here. As our church continues to grow, we're making a few updates at our Curry Ford campus to help make parking easier and smoother for everyone. We are asking that all staff and volunteers park in the lot at the football field during Sunday services. But don't worry, shuttle buses will be running to bring you to and from the building. Lot three will now be reserved exclusively for accessible parking, and a valid car tag will be required to park there. Accessible parking will still be available in designated spaces throughout the other lots. For those visiting Faith for the first time, lot two is reserved just for first-time guests. However, the overhang drop-off area will still be available for everyone. Don't worry if you're not sure where to go.

Our parking team will be out there ready to help you find the best place to park. If you would love to help us and serve on the parking team, join our guest experience team. Just fill out a volunteer application and you can be part of helping people feel welcomed from the moment they arrive. Church, thanks for being flexible as we are going to try this over the next three months and see how it goes. So thank you for being flexible as we continue making room for more people to encounter Jesus at Faith Church Orlando. Praise the Lord, Church. I'm gonna invite you to stand to your feet. Is anybody in the house still trusting God with everything that you got and with all your heart? The Bible tells us in Psalm 34 that we're blessed when we take refuge in our God. And I wanna remind everybody in this house today that God is our hiding place. He is our safe refuge. And if you believe that about Him today, I invite you as we sing this song to lift your hands in remembrance of what God has done, of who God is, and how we can trust in Him totally and completely. If that's your heart, why don't you say this? We sing. ♪ Blessed assurance ♪

♪ Jesus is mine ♪ ♪ And He's been my fourth man in the fire ♪ ♪ Time after time ♪ ♪ I'm born of His Spirit ♪ And I'm thankful that I'm washed in His blood. And I believe. ♪ And what He did for me on Calvary was more than enough ♪ ♪ So I trust in God, my Savior, the Lord of hosts ♪ ♪ The one who will never fail ♪ ♪ He will never fail ♪ ♪ Oh, I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail ♪ ♪ You're the one who will never fail ♪ ♪ He will never fail ♪ ♪ Perfect submission, all is at rest ♪ ♪ All is at rest, resting because I know the author of tomorrow has ordered my steps ♪ ♪ So this is my story, oh, this is my song ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm praising my risen King and Savior all the day long ♪ ♪ Oh, I trust in God, he's my Savior, the one who will never fail ♪ ♪ He will never fail, I trust, I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail ♪ ♪ Who will never fail, he will never fail ♪ ♪ Oh, my God never fails ♪ I grew up and they would say like this, you can't make me doubt him because I know too much about him. Does anybody know a God that's been there when you had nobody else to turn to? does another thing he doesn't have to because he's been good enough but I can still say this today that I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered that's why I trust him that's why I trust him I sought the Lord and he heard

we heard and he heard and he answered that's why I trust him I saw the Lord and he heard in my darkest hour I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered that's why I trust him that's why I trust him I sought the Lord and he heard I was lost without a plan I sought the Lord and he heard oh it is love he lived in me I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered that's why I trust him that's why I trust him God he's my Savior the one who will never fail he will never fail I trust in God oh my Savior the one who will never fail oh he's a saving God yes he is come on if you're thankful to be saved today say I sought the Lord I sought the Lord and he heard and he saved my soul I sought the Lord and he heard oh he made me whole I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered that's why I trust him that's why I trust him I sought the Lord and he heard he restored me I sought the Lord and he heard he delivered me I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered that's why I trust him that's why I trust in God Hallelujah!

Come on, can somebody just begin to thank the Lord? Yeah, yeah, yeah I wonder, I wonder if today and just entertain me for a moment if we're singing a song like that and some of y'all are singing it too cute you know, I trust the Lord and he heard me and he answered me yeah, it's so powerful but I know that there's a lot of people going through some real stuff in this room and we don't need the cute version of you we need the real version of you so maybe for just a moment we can just stretch our hands to heaven come on, and we can just go back into that part one more time and you can sing it from the real part of who you are come on, you can sing it from the person that says I'm not leaving here until God moves in my life come on, I'm not leaving here until a miracle shows up in my midst sing it again, Pastor John I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered I sought the Lord and he heard Hallelujah! I sought the Lord and he heard Yeah! That's why!

Yeah, we worship you! We worship you! I trust in God Hallelujah! Thank you, Jesus Lord, we trust you this morning God, we're here because you are the one we trust we put all of our faith in you, all of our hope in you and not one time, God, have you not shown up you've been so faithful, so good We set ourselves before you do anything in our midst to say you are worthy and we trust you Jesus Speak to us today God as we go into your word May your word go into us in Jesus name we pray and if you have a little faith in this room today Can you say amen? Come on. Can you clap because God is good He is good and you can be seated in this place today what an honor it is to be in the presence of the Lord and Man, again, if you're a first-time guest with us today We are so honored that you'd be here at Faith Church Orlando worshiping with us Can we clap it up one more time for our first-time guest? So honored to have you here today We also want to welcome all of our campuses if you don't know about us We are one church in many locations. And so we want to welcome our Narcoossee Road campus today We want to go ahead and welcome our Red Bug Lake campus today Our Michigan Street campus as well, and then the Central Florida Reception Center And then of course here at Curry Ford campus. Can we clap and give God praise across our locations? And if you didn't know God is on the move in our church every location Experiencing the power of God we have some of the best campus pastors in the world And we're just so grateful for our teams over there at the campuses love them so much and today We're starting a brand new series. So you showed up and man, we believe in God's gonna speak to you We're in a new series called add me in real life. Come on

It's a if you're if you're getting a little bit of fire from this series No, we're saying add me in real life This series is about connection and about community and about us being on the family of God walking together And so add me in real life. What we're saying is don't don't just DM me Come on, some of you do the most dangerous work in the DMS. Don't don't D Don't DM me. Okay, don't just follow me online is what we're saying And honestly, don't don't poke me if you're on Facebook poking people in 2026, you should do jail time Okay, we're not you know what I mean? Like that's unacceptable So don't don't just follow me online add me in real life We want to connect with each other know each other when I think about add me in real life I had this scenario I thought of in my head Like have you ever met someone who knows a lot about your life, but you never actually talked to them You know what? I mean? Well, I like people do this to me all the time and God bless them. It's awesome You're pastor Peter, right? I'm like, yeah, they're like your wife's name is Joanna. I'm like, mm-hmm They're like your kids Charlie and Mac. You got a buddy named Winnie. I'm like, okay, and they're like Social Security number five six I'm like, whoa, it's creepy man. Come on, you know but this is the reality of the world that we live in you could find out all this information about people without ever having a Conversation with them and if I gotta be honest today I'm on the opposite and I've been on the opposite end of that conversation before there was this pastor this preacher I really looked up to and he was a great man and is a great man and I Got to speak at the same conference with him. And so we were both in the green room now I had been following this man for five years online And so I didn't when we were starting to connect I didn't separate the online things I knew about him from the connection. We were about to have in person and so We're talking and we're in the green room kind of having a conversation and then he gives me his number. He's like young man He's like God's hands on your life. If you need anything, here's my phone number and I was like, thank you You know, like when you meet your heroes, you can't act like it's a big deal. You gotta be smooth And so I was being smooth. I was like, yeah, just put in my phone No big deal, you know and so I put it in my phone and then me and him were talking and he's like

You know, like tell me about your life I start telling about the ministry and what God's doing our life our family and then I said what about you and he said man You know, we just got a new family dog and without even thinking I said, yeah Cuz cuz your dog Sabrina had complications and he was like, yeah, and I was like, no, no, it's not a big deal He's like, yeah, my kids are really excited and I said his kids names and I was like, yeah You're two kids so-and-so and so-and-so and he was like, that's really creepy man And I was like, yeah, I see what I did there and he's like, okay, I'm gonna go now And then he walked away and he's like delete my phone number and I was like no, okay So, you know like there's things that that that that happen and that you you can find out all this information about people without Actually knowing them. This is why we're doing this series though It's because all of us understand or have been in one of those moments. We believe that connection is vital amongst us It's not optional. It's essential as a matter of fact Jesus said to us The world will know you're my disciples by how by how you love one another For whatever reason Christians in 2026. We don't like that We're like they will know we're disciples of Jesus by the scriptures. We post in the morning. No, that's not it Don't know that we're disciples of Jesus because look at my Christian sweatshirt. It says faith worship, you know Like no, they're not gonna know that the way they're going to know is by how you love other Christians that we are all called to someone say amen Well like you and I need to understand that this is not a I think we're all a me thing This is a we think we're doing this is It's an us thing, all of us together serving God in this capacity. In 2026, it feels like this message or this series, Add Me In Real Life, is counter-cultural to the world that you and I are living in. People, in general, would rather curate than connect. They would rather edit selfies than show empathy. They would rather post than be present with the people that are amongst them,

but it must not be this way amongst us. And if I'm being honest with you, here's my point, is the church is not a crowd you attend, it's a body you belong to, it's a family you love and a people you're called to show up for. That's what the church is. It's not, some people are like, I'm just going to church. I'm just going to church. It's like, no, no, no, you're not just attending. This is a body you belong to, a family you're supposed to love, and a people you're called to show up for. That's why I wanna preach from this thought today, connected but not known, connected but not known. Here's what I've realized today, is that you can be connected everywhere and still know nowhere. You can be connected everywhere and people, man, that person's always on the go. They're hustling and bustling, they're moving. They got all these things going on. You can be connected everywhere and still not known anywhere. A few weeks ago, I was at the airport and I'd taken off a few weeks and I spent a lot of time in the airport. And I was there and kind of waiting at my terminal at my gate and I was on my phone and I came up for air. Do you know what I mean? I was like, let me look up for a second. And I could see everyone at the gate that I was there with. And I noticed that nobody was having conversation

with anyone. Everyone was heads down, phones out, heads down, scrolling. There was even that some person just laughing at something on their screen. It wasn't a cute laugh either. It was like, ha, ha, ha. And I'm like, and we just all look up like, chill out. So everyone's kind of engaged and ingrained in their phone, laughing while ignoring somebody else next to them. And I actually found out that there is a scientific or cultural cognitive term for this behavior. It's called phubbing, phone snubbing. They put it together. I'm like, wow, that's a terrible name, okay? But phubbing, here's what it means. It means ignoring people in front of you to check your phone, a behavior now formally studied research in computers and human behavior found a lower satisfaction in relationships and increases feelings of exclusion. So because of the way we live our lives and the world we live in, there is a new term to talk about people who pull out their phones in front of talking to someone. Now I'm old school. I don't know if I'm old school or if my mom's old school. She's in the front row. I've had a couple moments where I've tried to pull out my phone in the middle of a conversation and she got little legs, but then she just hiya,

kicks it, right, like it's gone. She's like, you will not allow, you go talk to me. I wanna talk to people. The other day, this is a true conversation, I'm not lying. We started talking about, she wants to go, I'm sorry, mom, she wants to go into the bank to deposit a check. I'm like, go to the ATM like everybody else in Orlando. Go to the ATM. She's like, I'm old school. I wanna talk to people. I wanna shake hands and look people in the eyes as they're dealing with my money. I'm like, whoa, I'm cool just talking to the machine, okay. And so I understand though, like this is the way we live our lives. We're constantly on our phone, constantly being ingrained in this. And here's the deal. I was there judging everyone. Come on, you know that. We do this, right, where we judge everyone. And I realized real quickly, I was doing the same thing. You know what I mean? So I have my phone in my hand and I'm looking at content and things. And I just thought to myself, like this is the world we live in where you know what everyone is doing. You know what they're posting,

but no one knows what someone's actually going through. Nobody really knows them. And here's what I realized is that we have a lot of conversations amongst ourselves, but no confession. We have a lot of updates, but not understanding. We have a lot of connection, but not closeness. And here's what scares me. And I've seen people who are in this boat before where you're surrounded by people, you're engaged online, you're active in church, but no one actually knows the real you. No one actually knows what's going on in your life. And the danger of that isn't just loneliness. It's that you can build a version of yourself that everyone sees, but no one actually knows. And scripture is not quiet about this. And I'm gonna share it with you in just a moment. But the data isn't quiet about it either. This isn't just like a feeling. I'm not just trying to be a cultural critic. Like there's research to support what I'm sharing with you right now. Like facts like this, like the average person spends about two and a half to three hours a day on social media, which is roughly 17 hours a week of watching other people live their lives. You know what I mean? And at the same time though, while that is true,

nearly one out of every two adults on a large sample size of about 300,000 people, one out of two adults say they feel lonely regularly. So here's the breakdown, is we're more connected than ever before, but also more lonely than ever before. The breakdown is simple, that people spend more time on social media. And what does that produce? Higher levels of anxiety and depression. And I am not against social media and our church redeems us for the glory of the God all the time. All I am saying though, is that we need to add each other, not just online, but in real life. When it's only on social media, when it's only online, when it's only through the internet. It's always going to lead us to those levels of depression, anxiety, why? Because we're constantly comparing and observing and consuming, but we're not actually being known. So in other words, to make it as simple as I possibly can, we have more access, more platforms, more perceived connection than ever before, but less depth than we ever have had in the history of humanity. And if we're not grateful, we will build lives where people see our posts, but they don't really know our pain

and where people follow us, but we actually have no one to walk with us. So the scripture speaks to this. God is serious about community and connection. And let's go to Romans chapter 12, verse four, starting at verse four, it says this, and I got to let you know today, I'm going to be a little spicy if I can be this weekend after Easter, because Joanna made some Korean noodles and they were spicy and the residues left over, and y'all about to experience it in Jesus' name. Okay, here we go. Romans chapter 12, verse four, Paul writes this. He says, just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function. See, no one can tell you you don't belong to the body of Christ or that you can't serve the body of Christ because each of us are a special part and we produce a special function. So it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body and we all belong to each other. Did you get that? We all belong to each other. Ooh, the person you don't like. We all belong to each other. They cut me off in the parking lot. We all belong to each other.

And they say I look good and I put on my Sunday's best. We all belong to each other. That's what Paul says. What is Paul doing here? I just want to get down to brass tacks. Paul is saying, he's challenging hyper-individual Christianity. Paul's realizing that he's in the Roman world and that people are saying yes to Christ, but they're saying yes to Christ by themselves and on their own. But part of the beauty and the essence of the gospel is that it was not just for individuals. It is for a community of people to be called together. So Paul's challenging hyper-individual Christianity. Now I realize that some of you are going, well, what does that mean? What does that sound like? And I'll just tell you what hyper-Christianity or individual Christianity sounds like. It goes like this. It's just me and God. Ooh, you ever hear somebody say that? It's just me and God. I'm like, well, Genesis 126 says that God said, let us create man in our image. So God within himself is a community, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He's one in three, three in one.

God in himself is a community. He is so serious about community that he says, I'm creating you in our image. You will never be able to function to the totality that God has called you if you try to do it alone. It's just me and God. It's not. Or how about this one? My relationship with Jesus is personal. Ooh, you ever ask somebody, how you and God doing? It's personal. And then they'll proceed to tell you, I went to the doctor the other day. He said, I got toenail fungus. I don't know what's going on. Is this the truth? I'm like, hey, that's too much information. What's your relationship with Jesus? Oh, personal. How about this one? I don't need people to grow spiritually. To which I would say, then you've probably never read James chapter five, verse 16, because it says, therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so you may be healed. See, see, we haven't talked about this in a while. We're like, I can get all my healing from God and all my forgiveness from God. Yes, God can heal any situation,

any person, anytime, any place, anywhere. But the scriptures make it clear. If you want forgiveness, you're to go to God. But if you want healing, we have to go to one another. So we got a lot of Christians who are forgiven, who aren't healed, because they won't let anybody else into their situation. They won't let anybody else into what they're going through, where they're at. But the scriptures make it clear. Man, if you want to be healed, you've got to pray, go to one another. How about this though? You ever hear somebody say this? They say, as long as I'm good with God, I'm good. And I'm like, no, you're not. Look at this, Matthew chapter five, verse 23. So if you're presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the temple, and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice at the altar, go and be reconciled to that person, then come and offer your sacrifice to God. In other words, God's saying, listen, if you come to give me a sacrifice, whether it's a sacrifice of worship in our modern day, or an offering right above your tithe, if you're coming to do that, but you remember, wait a minute,

there's somebody that I have an issue with. There's someone that I haven't reconciled with. Leave your offering, go make it right with that person, and then come and make your offering back to God. God's saying, I don't want your offerings. I don't want you to think you're spiritual and good with me when you have broken relationships with other people. Oh, it's just me and God. As long as I'm good with God, I'm good. Or even thoughts like this. I love Jesus, but I don't like the church. You never heard those people? I love those people. I love Jesus, I just don't like the church. You know, the church is called the bride of Christ, huh? Like, if you came up to me today, you say, Pastor Peter, ooh, I like you, man. Are you getting taller? Yes, I am getting taller. Are you talking to Peter? I am getting talk, Peter, you look amazing. You're amazing, I love you. You know who I don't like though? And I'd be like, who? And they'd be like, your wife. I cannot stand her. She gets on my nerves. Friends, I'll tell you right now, that is the quickest way for me to practice the laying on of hands in a different way on your life.

You see what I'm saying? Because it is impossible for you to love me without loving my wife. Why? Because we are one in the same. How can you love Jesus when you don't love his church? Oh, the church is what he gave his life for. The church is what he exited his throne for. The church is what Jesus is in love with. And you and I get to be a part of that body, part of that pride. Or even this one, I could watch online. It's the same thing. If you're watching online right now, I love you, okay? Let me say this real quick. If there's physical limitations that keep you from being in the house of God, that's understandable. If there's an issue that prevents you from coming, that's understandable. But if God has touched your body in such a way that you are able to be in the building, why would you not want to get around the saints? Look, look, look. I'm sorry, maybe this Sunday's a little too real for a lot of you, but I have needed the church in my life so desperately. There's been some Sundays where I walked in here, but I really felt like crawling in here because I didn't have enough strength to give God praise. And then I look over at another pastor or another person.

I'm like, look at how they're worshiping God. And it gives me faith to worship God. There's been times where I didn't know how to pray for my family. So I come up to the altar and kneel, and someone lays hands on me. And they say, in the name of Jesus, touch his family, give him wisdom, strengthen his home. You need to be in the house of God. There's just something about it. There's something about you and I being open and vulnerable and real with one another. Or how about this one? Church hurt made me step back from people. And that's real. Church hurt is real. But you've also hurt a lot of people too. Huh? I'm just saying, you will never step into a perfect church. You know why? Because you go here and I go here, and we are imperfect people. So the church is never going to be perfect. We're never going to get 100% of the time. And in any relationship where you are vulnerable and it's real, getting hurt is a possibility. But just because I might get hurt in my marriage or hurt with, just because my kids might hurt me doesn't mean I stopped being their father and I stopped being in their life.

You know what, you hurt me. I wanted the last Snickers, you took it. We're done. You know, it's not going to happen. It's not going to happen. What I'm saying though is that being hurt is a reality of being a part of the church. Dare I say, the church hurt, the one who saved it, Jesus. Their church hurt is real, but we can't stop that or allow that to stop us from connecting. Or how about this one? I don't need to be plugged in to be closer to God. Yeah, but it's a lot easier. It's a lot easier. Let's be real. There's been times in my life where the only time I've prayed is the Sunday I walked in the church. You don't have to be plugged in, but it's a lot easier to stay connected to God. Or how about this one? Ooh, let me keep going. You guys hate this, but it's okay. God's moving. I just go where I'm fed. You ever hear somebody say, I just go where I'm fed. I'm like, how about you show up full? Huh? You've been coming here for 20 years. You get, I need some.

Listen, we got a cafeteria over there. And if I'm pulled up there, I don't know what they're serving today. And you're like, pastor, can you feed me? I'm like, feed yourself. Show up in the house of God, not ready to say, what can I be fed? How about you show up already full so that you can pour out anointing and pour out favor and pour out encouragement and pour out blessing. Don't email pastor. I like working here. Praise God. I'm just saying though, like as the people of God, you know how to feed yourself. You have a scripture which is prepared for you. God wants to speak to you and reveal himself to you and whisper the secrets of the kingdom in your ear. How about you show up full? Imagine what God would do amongst us. If the people who are going, I need to be fed were the ones that started serving. What would God do amongst us? How about this thought? The church doesn't meet my needs. Is the church supposed to meet your needs? Or are you supposed to be a part of meeting the needs of the church? Hear me.

Of course we're focused on reaching people and ministering to people in their context and serving people. It's why we have amazing connect groups, unbelievable serve teams, ministries that you can be a part of all the way from the parking lot to our prayer team, to the youth volunteers, to the kids. I mean everything, connections, greeting, we have it all. But let me just say this. If it's all about the church meeting your needs, you will miss the beauty of the church. Or how about this one? I didn't feel anything today. I went to church. I just didn't feel anything. And I'm like, wait a minute. As somebody who's been in a relationship for a long time, I have learned that I'm not always gonna feel everything I wanna feel all the time. But guess what? It doesn't matter. I'm still called. and committed to it. This isn't about what I feel. This is about me saying, God, I'm going to be obedient to who you've called me to be. I'm showing up in the house of God. Oh, okay, and this last one. I'm just not getting anything out of it right now.

Love you, glad you're here. I'm not getting anything out of it right now. I'm like, all right. How about you bring something to it then? I don't know. How about you bring encouragement? How about you make sure somebody else gets what they need out of it? And I wonder what God would do in your life. All I'm saying is the apostle Paul is really raging, and that's a strong word, but against individual Christianity that makes it all about a person instead of the body of Christ. If church is boring for you, it's because you came here for yourself. You did not come to be a part of the body of Christ. Do you know I could not be standing up here today if it were not for the body of Christ. You're looking at a young man who went through a difficult time, not connected to my father whatsoever, broken because of that relationship, still dealing with the trauma of that relationship. Even in my new relationship with my son, Macklin Nathaniel Reeves, I have to constantly think back to, wait a minute, that's not who I am. This is who I am. But do you know when I was a young boy,

nine, 10, 11 years old, trying to figure out what man I was going to be, I didn't have to look very far because I had men in my church like Mr. Charles Antwine. I had men in my church like Mr. Henry Rose. I had men in my church like Mr. Nick Marple, who would find me at the altar every time and say, God, pull your spirit out on young Peter Reeves. Can I just tell you, you need the church desperately. You need it. What has encouraged me more in 2026 than any other year of ministry I've had is how responsive, and he's not here so I can talk about him, our pastor, Pastor Johnny, how responsive he is to the altar. Have you ever seen, we'll have a guest speaker come up here and they'll make an altar call. And the first person to the altar will be Pastor Johnny. And he's not just leading the church, he's experiencing the church and being a part of the church. No one is excluded from participating in what God is doing amongst us. I know you've been serving. You're like, I didn't serve it for 25 years. I got a name badge, buddy. I understand. But I promise you, we're not just leading this thing.

We need this thing. Call the church. It's beautiful and it's special. It's the bride of Christ. Let me read you another scripture to kind of illustrate what I'm talking about here. There's this scripture in Hebrews 10, verse 25. We're not sure who the author of Hebrews is. Many scholars think it's the Apostle Paul, but whoever wrote this had a great understanding of what it meant to be in community. It says this, do not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another and all the more as you see the day approaching. I love this. From whoever the author is, they said that there's a day that's coming where Jesus is coming back for his bride. You know what I mean? He's coming back for a bride, a body of Christ. That's what I love when people are like, Jesus is coming back for me. He's coming back for community. You better be connected. Hello? He's coming back for us. Okay? And so I love this scripture though so much

because it says don't give up the meeting together. Why? Because even in the early church, people were already drifting. They were already choosing distance and making community optional. And God says through this writer, don't stop doing that. Do not stop doing that. I'll never forget when I was 20 years old, I was in Bible college getting ready to be a pastor and I was going to all these different churches around my school looking for a place to attend and be a part of it. And I got this genius idea as a 20 year old trying to study ministry that I don't need to go to these churches because they're not good and I'm going to leave the church one day so I better just get ready for that. Do you know, first of all, aren't you thankful that God didn't allow the smart ideas you had when you were 20 to pass forward, okay? Because I wish I could look at 20 year old Peter Reeves right now and be like, you're dumb, okay? You're stupid. You know, I wish.

But in my head, I was like, you know what, I'm fine. I don't need this. I'll just study. And instead of going to church, I would write sermons and do my thing. And then I realized really quickly that it was so difficult for me to follow Jesus at a time where I was preparing to lead others to follow Jesus. And so I went to the Lord and I said, God, what is going on? My prayer routine is the same. Me reading the Bible is the same. I can't figure this out. And I realized how shriveled up my spiritual life was becoming because I wasn't connected to the body of Christ. Friends, can I just tell you, trying to do this on your own is never sufficient. This is why the disciples, even though it was so difficult for them to move together, they moved together. The letters are written to people who are building the church. This was supposed to be written and read in community. As a matter of fact, let me share this with you. What made Christianity hyper-individual in the first place is that everyone got a copy of. Now we're thankful that everyone has a copy of God's word.

They can read it and it can encourage them and build their life and build their faith. But prior to everyone having an individual copy of God's word, you could only get God's word in the context of community. Someone would get up, read it, and then you would be there amongst other peoples hearing the word of God. We have taken a step back from that. And so now even more, we must thrust ourselves under mutual submission as the body of Christ and say, hey, this is what I'm reading. This is where I'm going. This is where I'm struggling. Pray for me, help me. This is not working. We need this today. I don't just wanna show up to a country club. I wanna be part of a church that is caring and taking care of one another. That's what God's called us to. When I was in that season, trying to figure out how to follow Jesus, but deciding I wasn't gonna go to church, I realized this, that your struggle is amplified by your isolation. Can I just tell you today? I just feel like I can't get out of this thing I've been stuck in. Maybe it's not praying more harder.

Maybe it's about being more vulnerable with the people who God has put in your life. Okay, let me keep going. Acts chapter two, verse 42. This is like a Pentecostal's dream, okay? This is like we're, the Pentecostal people, we read Acts chapter two every day of our life, okay? Acts chapter two, verse 42. It says, they devoted themselves. Who's they? They is the early church, the apostles. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship and to the breaking of bread and to prayer. They devoted themselves. I love that word devoted. It's not casual. They're not trying to do what's most convenient. They've devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. In 2026, we are really good at the last two. We're really great at showing up for teaching. Teach me, teach me, teach me, teach me. That's great. And we should show up for teaching. We should be taught the word of God. It's beautiful. And we're really good at prayer. Prayer is at the end, right, right? They devoted themselves to prayer.

People show up for prayer. We have a prayer meeting here. It's amazing. It's one of my favorite things that we do. Prayer is incredible, awesome. But there's these two things that if we had to rank them in order, we'd say teaching, then we show up for prayer, then maybe fellowship, then breaking of bread, and we try to rank them like they're all not number one in God's book. They're all the same exact thing to God. He said they were devoted to teaching. They were devoted to the breaking of bread, to fellowship and to prayer. In other words, God's saying, listen, yes, I want you to hear my word, and yes, I want you to pray together, but I also need you to be committed to one another. Fellowship and the breaking of bread are just as important to God as prayer and teaching. Oh, only some of you believe me. It's just as important. You're like, why though? I don't even like them. That's the point. It's like God is saying to you and I, it is so vital that we are connected. And here's what I love about this, Acts 2.42. When the Holy Spirit filled them,

they didn't just get spiritual, because that's what happens to us, right? The Holy Spirit fills our life, and now we're ready to pray in more tongues than the United Nations. We're like, woo! Right, we just start praying. But it's not just about being spiritual. It's not just about you growing in spirituality. No, no, the Spirit came into their life, and they got more spiritual, but they also got more connected to one another. Because I know people who pray in a lot of tongues, and they're still mean to other people, and that's not God's intention. I lost all my friends. Come on, you've seen them. They just be worshiping. I trust in God. Get out of my way! And he answered. I said, move! But the Spirit fills your life, not just so you can be more spiritual, but so that you can be connected to the body of Christ. Let me amplify this for you. Here we go. Romans chapter 12, verse 15. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Friends, this is not a suggestion. This is a command written by the Apostle Paul for a church who he wants to grow. And let me make this real for you, right? Rejoice with those who are rejoicing, weep with those who are weeping. Let me make it real for you. The crying emoji doesn't count. There you are. Someone will text you, I'm going through it. This is the worst season of my life. I can't believe this is happening. And you'll be like, crying face, sunglasses. I'm just kidding, delete sunglasses. Crying face. Sorry, that sounds horrible. Anyway, we going to the movies or what? Huh? The crying emoji doesn't count. Typing, I'm praying for you is not the same as actually praying for people. I said, typing, I'm praying for you is not the same as praying for someone. It's not the same as getting on your knees and crying out to God on your behalf. If they trusted you enough to let them in, why wouldn't you honor them? actually praying about it, it's not the same.

Rejoice with those who are rejoicing and weep with those who are weeping. Here's what I realized, is you can't carry burdens or love deeply or courage fully from a distance. It doesn't work because formation happens in proximity. So here's the question, when Paul writes, rejoice with those who are rejoicing and weep with those who are weeping, are you obeying it or are you just replacing it? Because some of us are replacing it with, we gather, we prefer gathering with watching instead of really engaging in God's presence. We've replaced community with content, presence with scrolling, and we've convinced ourselves that it's enough and it's not. It's not enough. And let me just say this too, because the excuse of most people, us, I'm not saying you, I'm saying us, because me too. We say, well, we're just too busy, we're just too busy. And here's the deal, we're not too busy, we've just made connection optional. We just made it optional. And so it's all up, the service is all about what can God do for me and what am I gonna get? And how is this gonna benefit me? And we come into the church, we do that, we don't feel anything, and we skate to the parking lot as fast as we can, not realizing that you did not just show up here to be touched by God,

that God sent you here on assignment for someone else. That you have a responsibility to this family called the people of God to love and encourage to build one another up. How did you have an awesome Sunday when you were the only one encouraged? How about you encourage somebody else? Ad me in real life is a call to say we're building God's church. Join a connect group, we're building God's church. Sign up for a serve team, we're building God's church. We don't just wanna be connected online. You know how many people, I know so many people, and thank God that he's blessed me to be able to minister their lives. So many people, when I'm doing these NFL chapels and different things for all these different places and teams all across the country, thank God that the Lord's allowed me there, but I've seen these people with millions of followers, but not one person to call when they're in a bad situation. I've seen them with crazy engagement when they post something, everyone loves it, but they have no one to say can you please pray with me on the phone right now. Ad me in real life, man. Connect with me for real. So here's the move this week. I wanna make it practical.

Stop saying we should hang out and actually schedule it. You know how we do that in church? Hey, you look good, good to see you. Wow, right? Hey, we should hang out. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we should get that on the books. Okay, cool, I'll see you. All right, I'll never see you again. Love you, bye. We do it every week. We should get together. It would be so awesome, okay? Never. Don't just say it, actually schedule it. How about this? Stop just reacting. Start showing up for people. Or this one, stop saying, stop just staying online and step into the room because real connection costs time, effort and vulnerability. It's real. So here's what we're not gonna do anymore. We're not going to reduce community to comments and reactions. That's not community. We're not going to call ourselves connected because we're updated. We're not going to disobey scripture and call it preference.

I am gonna be connected to God's body. It doesn't happen through a screen. As I was kind of thinking about how to wrap up this message, I was praying for our church and studying and I was looking for illustrations and things like that. And I did, I came across a great one. One you probably heard before, but it ministered to me so deeply. And I didn't think this was a message that anyone was gonna clap for. So I already said, amen, and gave myself an offering for my ministry. But I came across this thing with redwood trees. Do you know about these, the redwood trees? They're massive trees in California. They span up to 300 feet tall, massive trees. And so I'm online researching these trees. I'm like, this is incredible. And I start, that's how I know I'm getting older because I start researching stuff like trees. And so, I thought that the roots of these trees go deep into the ground. I mean, it only makes sense. The deeper the roots, right? The taller, that would preach. The deeper the roots, the taller, come on. Somebody say deep roots. You know, you can do that whole thing. But I was researching it and I realized really quickly that these trees, their roots aren't actually deep,

they're shallow. And I was so confused, like, how can they be so tall when their roots are so shallow? And I realized, oh, this is how it happens, their, the trees are inter, their roots are interconnected to one another. They actually connect to another tree next to it, you'll never find some redwood tree so low, no, they're connected together, why? That's how they grow, so their strength doesn't come from their depth, their strength comes from their connectedness. I came to tell somebody today, I'm trying to tell you, it's not about how deep you go, it's about how connected you are, and the more connected you are, God will give you a chance to grow. If you're confused, you're like, I'm reading more of the Bible, I'm listening to more worship, and I'm still not growing deeper, maybe it's because it's not about depth in this season, maybe it will be in another season, but right now, it's about connecting with the person who's next to you and saying, we're going to grow together. Let me say this as clearly as I can, in the kingdom of God, maturity is not independence, it's interdependence. It's not independence, it's interdependence, it's you and I being deeply intertwined that allows us to become the people that God has called us to be. Now, Dr. Bush told me, well, he told somebody else to tell me, and this is too good of a point, too good of a point to not illustrate here, he said that when he was a boy in the fifth grade, that he went to California to see these redwood trees, and he said something like it took 37 fifth graders to be around one redwood tree. And then he said, simultaneously, like right now a school bus, it would take 39 fifth graders to be around a school bus. All I'm saying is this, is that these trees are absolutely massive, and they're strong, and they're one of the most shallow-rooted trees you will ever hear of, yet they are strong because they are connected. I wish somebody would get this today. That yes, you need the church, and the church needs you, that your growth is directly connected

to your community, and that every single one of us has a responsibility, just like Pastor Johnny gets up here every single week, and he has a responsibility to teach us the Word of God, church, you have a responsibility to connect to other believers, to show up full of prayer, to show up full of encouragement, because the best thing that happens when the church gathers is not from the stage, it's in the seats. This is an us thing. This is an us thing. I want to invite the worship team to come up. This is an us thing. Don't just add me online, add me in real life. Be my friend. Ask me about my story. Ask me about what's going on in my life. We're doing this for each other. For years, we've just been, as soon as the pastor says amen, we're like, gotta go to Cracker Barrel. We gotta go. You know, it's like, we gotta be a little bit. There's more for us. There's more for us. Thank you, Jesus. Stand with me today. Hallelujah. If you don't mind closing your eyes with me today, if you're a guest, don't worry, no one's gonna touch your stuff. You all right? Close your eyes. Thank you, Jesus, for your presence in our lives. Thank you, Jesus, for your presence in our lives, at every location. Thank you, Jesus, for your presence in our life.

I'm gonna leave this room, and right now the campus pastors are coming to lead at all of our locations. If you're in this room today and you say, Pastor Peter, I do feel disconnected. I feel lonely. I feel far from God. Friend, I want you to know you don't have to be. Because yes, God will connect you to himself, and then he'll immediately connect you with his body, his bride. And so maybe you're in here today, and you're trying to figure out, what does this mean, and how do I grow spiritually, and I came for the first time on Easter. Maybe this is the first time you've been back in a while. I want you to know, we want you to be connected to God, and then connected to us. It is going to transform how you live, and how you think, and who you are. Powerful things will happen in your life, and I'm saying that not as someone who thinks it could happen. I'm saying as someone who it has happened to in my life. So with every eye closed in this place today, if you feel far from God, but you don't want to be, when I count to three today, I just want you to lift your hand. You say, I feel far from God, but I don't want to be. Don't worry. No one else is looking around. You can be 100% real, because God cannot bless the fake you, but he can do something with the real you. So with everyone's eyes closed in this room today, you say, I feel far from God, but I don't want to be. I need a touch from God. I need to surrender my life again. I need to have God move in my life. Whatever it is, I feel far from God, but I don't want to be. When I count to three, lift your hands.

One, two, three. Yeah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Okay, let's say this prayer together. Say Jesus. Come on, everyone in the church, say Jesus. I believe that you are good and I believe that you are God. I believe you died on the cross for our sins and that you have a great plan for our life. Jesus, you gave your life for me, so I give my life to you. Everything that I am and all that I hope to be now belongs to you. Thank you, Jesus. Beautiful. Thank you, Jesus. Yeah, can we just clap for someone who prayed that for the first time today? Here's what I would like to do today. If you prayed that prayer for the first time, please let us know. You'll see several people with name badges and they'll be in the lobby all over. You can go to the guest connections there. I'm telling you, tell somebody that you made that decision or scan the QR code on the screen at the end of the service. It is a big deal that we know that you prayed that prayer of faith today. Here's the last thing I'm going to do today. I want to invite the prayer team down here today. So prayer team, you can come right now. Some of you have heard my message. You go, man, that's pretty good. Or man, I need to be better connected. And you've never gotten prayer before. You've never had somebody else pray. And some of you are going right now, well, I know how to pray for myself. That's not what I said. Sometimes you just need people of God to stand with you and to stand in the gap. Some of you, you're like, man, it's been a really tough season. You need prayer. Maybe you've been down here before, but you haven't prayed. Been down here in a while. We want to invite you today. If you've never been down here, today's your day. You're going to experience the community of God. The power of somebody else standing in the gap for you is going to change everything about your life. So when I count to three today, if that's you, the worship team is going to begin to sing and I want you to come get prayed for. I don't want you to just leave the church. If you're a volunteer, don't just leave the church. Be a part of the church. You need someone to lay hands on you and declare God's peace over you and God's peace over your future and your family. This is an us thing. It's an us thing. So I'm going to count to three today. If you haven't gotten prayer in a while or you've never been down here, I want to invite you. Our prayer team is ready to speak the words of life over your life. So come on one, two, three. Come on, come, come get some prayer today. Say, yeah, I don't need,

I can't do this on my own. I need someone to stay to the gap with me. Come on, have a little bit of faith today. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on. There's so much more in store for you. Yeah. Come get some prayer today. I don't care how long it's been. Come on. Yeah. This is what it looks like to be a part of a church. I don't know what to pray. Can you help me? Hallelujah. Why don't we just pray as we close out this service. Heavenly Father, we want to thank You God for Your Word. We want to thank You God for what You are doing. God, we pray that You would renew something in our lives, that You would breathe new energy into something, Father God. God, we pray for everyone at the altar this morning, that they would get a fresh touch from the Holy Spirit, Father God, that they would find healing, they would find redemption. And God, we pray that from today's message, our church will be strengthened in community. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen. Amen. Hey, church, our altars are going to stay open. Don't leave if you need prayer. But for everyone else, we're going to finish there. We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday night or next Sunday as we continue our series. Be blessed, church. Have a great week. Hey, if you've been watching online, it's been great to have you with us for this service. If you made a decision to follow Jesus today, you can actually scan the QR code and that'll tell you a little bit about what your next steps could look like. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. We'd love to walk with you on this journey. If you're ever in the Orlando area, please make sure that you stop by one of our services. All right, be blessed. We'll see you next time.