Enseñanza en Equipo

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. Man, can we just give it up for the creative and worship team here at Church by the Glades? Unbelievable. God has blessed us with some of the best on the planet. You know, it's interesting because the global church exists for many reasons. Obviously, one is that it's a beacon of hope that points people to Jesus Christ to teach, study, and learn the word of God. And also for those who are broken. But one of the big reasons is to offer a place where you can find a good brotherhood and community because it wasn't made to be alone here. Welcome to Church by the Glades where you don't have to live your life alone. It's a bit cringy, yes, but we're going to applaud you anyway. I'm so happy that you're here. For those who don't know me, my name is Nick, one of the pastors, and we're honored that you've joined us. Whether you're a guest or a friend, what's going on on this stage right now? Well, as many of you may have noticed, on Monday morning, we started our experience called United Knights, United Nights, our camp experience. As a church, we let the student team take the reins.

And it's important for the teenagers. Father, because you're not going to hear from me as a student pastor, but from some of our team members who have a word for you and are supported by some of the best writers, the best students, the most brilliant in The Wave. Here we have our corner of Amen. We believe that they are not the leaders of tomorrow. They are the leaders of today. God has given you a call and a gift to use. I know that I'm biased, I'm biased, as Pastor David says, but that doesn't mean that I'm wrong. These are the best. And I believe with all my heart that there's nothing better than having your student do anything that's more helpful or impactful or that's more powerful than going to United Knights next week. And the reason for this is because we have a limited amount of time. We have to see that here we have the ability to provide your student with the right community. Here we have the ability to provide your student with the right community. Here is a place where friendships are made for life, where brotherhood is built.

And I can't emphasize enough the importance of this because in the culture and the generation we live in, even for us adults, there is this emphasis on individualism, on the type of individualist mentality, everything towards personal autonomy and self-sufficiency, that we need to live life just for ourselves. But what I've learned is that this leads to a reduction in human connection and an increase in isolation and that stagnation is often the product of isolation. So maybe that's why you're stalled today or you've been praying for your son because you're stalled in a type of thought or habit that seems to be unable to break a cycle of dysfunctionality or pain that you don't seem to want to get out of because you're stalled in a situation, you've also lost hope. But it would be possible that what you haven't seen or you haven't recognized is that the purpose that God has for your life, that God has for you and that you're hoping to find has to do with collaboration with people, it requires collaboration. Let me make it clear to you, students and adults are similar in this, they are people of God. And as your student pastor here at Church by the Glades and someone who has been leading this student ministry for more than 11 years now,

I can tell you that what kills the fate of students is not their lack of faith and it's not the things that are in their past, not even the things they do today or what they do tomorrow that are sinful. What kills the fate of students faster and I can tell you to see it and to witness it, because I've seen it. It's with whom they choose to make their life, because there is power in it. And sadly, I've seen many students fall victim to a bad group of friends. And the Bible warns us of this. It says in 1 Corinthians 15, 33, don't make a mistake, because bad company corrupts good character. The reason is that bad company leads you to the wrong environments. The wrong company forces you to make decisions that you shouldn't be making, and you know it. But it tends to persuade you to look for sources outside of the person of God to fill you. And these are things that only God can fill you with, like in joy, in freedom, in victory. And as parents, this worries us, because we stay awake thinking about our children, with whom they are making friends, because it matters. Once a pastor said, if bad company corrupts good character, imagine then what good company can do. Good company will not drag you to the wrong environments,

but to environments that lead you to your growth, to your freedom, to momentum in your faith, and they will not pressure you to make wrong decisions, but they will encourage you to love God and your fellow men, and they won't persuade you to look for sources outside of the person of God, but they will point you to the only one, the only thing that can actually do something about what you're doing, and what you're going through, which is our Lord Jesus Christ. The truth of the matter is that for us and for our students, no matter how much we try to protect them, they're always going to go through things that are going to test their faith, that are going to discourage them, that are going to tend to steer the path of God, and the same is true for you. And in these moments of life, we need people to draw strength from, people to draw faith from, people to encourage us to keep fighting the good fight of faith, running the race that God has called us to run. Because the truth is that it's not if, it's when the test is going to come, and when it comes, sometimes there's nothing else, but the courage, the prayers, and the faith of those who are around us,

what keeps us wanting to move forward. We need people in our lives who have faith, people who will challenge us to keep fighting, who will challenge us to keep praying, who will challenge us to keep catching our money, who will challenge us to keep reading our Bible, who will challenge us to keep coming, that will challenge us to keep coming, to not fall victim to the things that others do, that will challenge us to remember who we are in Jesus Christ, that we are not what people say, but we are more than winners, that we are chosen, that we are royal priests, that we are leaders, that we are strong, that we are brave, that we are free, and we are victorious in Christ Jesus. I understand that these people don't grow up in the trees. So if you're a teenager and you ask yourself, where can I find this type of community? And if you're a father, and you ask yourself, where can I find this kind of environment? Well, the best opportunity I love that you've asked, because I think it's in United Knights. Surely, and it's not just fun, it's not just fun to be a part of it. Surely, and it's not just fun to be a part of it.

It's not just a great preaching, it's four, it's four nights that are going to have conversations that give life and build deep relationships for the people who are there for the same reasons that they are, to grow in the love of God and go to a relationship with Him. And that's why this QR code is so important, because we want you to sign up today, go to the lobby after here, and ask all the questions to our team about United Knights and see how you can sign up. Because I know what they're going to say before I finish. I know I have to point out one of the things that makes them resist, but Dad, Mom, I don't have any friends there. I don't know anyone, so I don't want to go. I can put you under your consideration that even if you don't know anyone there, it's going to be the place where you're going to find your community of good company. That they may come alone, but you have my word as a student pastor that they're not going to go alone. So maybe the hope that they've been looking for in the middle of a situation, maybe the freedom they've been praying for in their life is simply going to be found after this step of faith, when they leave their comfort zone. and join United Knights so that they can find a community of good company, because perhaps their fate depends on them.

You are going to help me then to welcome our next communicator, Cassidy Collazo. How are you, church? I am here as the director of Best Next Step and I can talk to you this way. The last time I was here, I was recently engaged, now I am recently married. So you are asking, I am a little shy, but since you are asking me if I am going to show you my wedding photos, here they are, my photos, and this was absolutely surprising, I loved it, and they have asked me a few things after the wedding, and the best question they have asked me, and I am also going to share the worst question you have asked me. Are you ready? The best question they have asked me, I think it is the best because it is the most comical, is this one. Cassidy, have you been together? Have you gotten annoyed? Have you fought? What I am going to answer is, did my model come defective? Yes, it has been quite annoying, yes. But the second question, the worst they have asked me, and I need your help to finish this, because you are actually quite smart, you have that. So I am going to say this prayer, and whatever you think is applicable for the last word, the worst question is, when are you going to have? Did you just curse in the church? Open your mouth, because what my brain perceives is a personal attack against me and my family. And all I have been saying is that we are going to pray for you. I have been praying more for you, and as I reflect about my wedding season, I am going to highlight some really great things. The community that I have, because what I have does not happen without the community that I have. And the community is like you. If you do not have a community, do not look no further than this church, because this is where you are going to find your community if you do not have it. But I also would like to note that the wedding season also highlighted some negative things. For example, the people who were not there in my life.

And there were a lot of people who loved me, but they asked me very difficult questions. As you know, I was raised by a single mother, and I am proud to have been raised by a single mother. But the question they asked me was, are you not sad that you did not have a father to take you to the altar? Three times they asked me this question, and my answer was the same, no. And they always gave me the same skeptical look that you are giving me right now. And why are you skeptical? Because it can be the emotion of not having a father present. Maybe they have had him physically there, but not mentally. Or maybe you can not imagine the pain of not being there. And I said, no, it's really not. Why? Let me take them 10 years back to United Knights. And Pastor David was talking, and I had been coming here since second grade, so I already had time here. And I remember that I thought, the three verses that I had memorized, I was convinced that if Pastor David opened another campus, I would be there. And I wanted to be there to support them, my parents. And he said a single prayer, and he said, God is a father for those who do not have a father. And I have now realized, I had not realized that I was not carrying something outside, but something inside. And for the first time I understood that I was missing something that I already had access to. And I was there. That's why it says in 2 Corinthians 18, and I will be your father and you will be my sons and daughters. And because of that prayer that I heard in United Knights, 10 years in the future, I can say, no, it doesn't hurt. Because 10 years ago, I understood that I have access to the Father, that we have access to a Father who does not abandon us, who does not betray us, an access to a Father who sacrifices himself for you,

an access to a Father who takes care of you, an access to a Father who is your friend and your partner. You are not without a Father, you have access to the Father. And that's not the point I'm trying to make. The point I'm trying to make is this, that this prayer, if I hadn't heard it, I would have something up to today, that the fact of the matter is that your student carries something, whether it's inside, whether it's anxiety, insecurity, shame, they carry something inside. And a single prayer in United can set them free. And so I'm going to give you a bit of parental advice. I know how many people do it and I don't have, I have zero experience, but I'm going to give you this parental advice. If your son says no, bring him anyway. I didn't develop an opinion about what I was doing until I was 18. Bring him anyway. It doesn't matter if he hates one at night. One single prayer can change his life, but he has to be in the living room to hear it. Should I do that weird cringy thing where I say, here's my sexy husband, Austin Collazo, come on church. I'm the annoying one. My name is Austin. For those of you who don't know who I am, like Pastor Nick said, I'm also part of one of the best ministries on the planet. This is what God has been doing in this church, in our ministry of students. But before I get to anything,

I'm going to start saying this. I'm going to start saying, thank you, church. And the reason why is because every weekend when I go to the lobby, you have kind words and you come and tell me, that was a great sermon, Pastor Nick. If you didn't tell from my introduction, my name is Austin. I'm not Nick. I tell you when I introduce myself, I'm Austin. Here's Nick. We're two different people. We have Barbara. Barbara, everybody says we're the same person. So I'm going to go real quick, I want you to help me. This is Nick and this is Austin. Can you say that with me? Nick, Austin. Nick, Austin. Similar, but different. We're not even the same Hispanic. He's Cuban and I'm Puerto Rican. We're so similar looking flags. But we're completely different. And I'm so glad to get down to this. Thank you for this free therapy session. I feel so much lighter now. But speaking of feeling lighter, I want to share a word with you today that I hope will make you feel a little lighter when you get out of here today.

So we're going to go to the word of God, but I'm going to talk about the woman at the well. The woman at the well begins with Jesus and his disciples who go to Samaria. When they get to Samaria, Jesus sits in the well that was built by one of his ancestors, Jacob. And he says to the disciples, go get lunch in the village. They go to the village and Jesus sits there. It's like noon and this woman comes and they start talking. And it's kind of weird because the Jews and the Samaritans typically don't talk to each other. They have their fight. They don't like each other. So as Jesus starts talking to her, she says, what's going on? And they have this dialogue. And Jesus invites her to the water of life, a water that will take her to eternal life. And when she gets that invitation, she starts asking questions. They have a dialogue. And this takes us to chapter 4, 15, 18. The woman says, Lord, give me this water so that I don't have to be thirsty again and have to keep coming here to get it. He said, go, call your husband and come back. I don't have a husband, Jesus said to her. It's correct what you said, that you don't have a husband.

The fact is that you've had five husbands, and the man you're with now is not your husband. What you've said is true. I know what you're thinking, Austin, of all the verses in the Bible, those are the ones that you chose for this little amount of time that you have with us. But the word of God never returns empty. And if there's something that's in the scripture, if there's something that's there, it's there for a reason, and for teaching, and for preaching. So, if you'll allow me to elaborate a little bit, and give you some speculation, it's my speculation. I think she was asking, don't read Jesus about the living water, but inside, in her heart, probably she was thinking to herself, if he really is the one who says to be, and he really can give me this living water, am I even worthy of it? Am I qualified to have this living water? And what Jesus is saying to her, he wasn't being rude to her, rude, he was saying to her, I already know. I already know what you've been through, I already know what you've been through, I already know what you've been through, and yet, I have an invitation for you. And maybe there's someone in this room,

maybe you have some excuses in your life that you've been holding on to, and you say, I don't go to church every week because I have things in my life that I have to fix, and I don't want to be there worshiping and all that. Maybe there's someone in this room that says, I haven't started a relationship with Jesus yet, because if he knew who I am and what I've done, how can he love me? And I want to remind someone today, Jesus already knows, he already knows when you were on your worst day, he already knows the mistakes you've made, he already knows what you've been through, he already knows what you've been through, Jesus knows all this information and yet, he has an invitation for you. And so, maybe at the end of this service, you want to come because we're going to have prayer partners here, and you can say, look, I want to accept that invitation that Jesus has for me on the table, and I want to live for him. But there's a second invitation, the second invitation is for someone that is in this room, that is a parent of a high school student that is here, and the second invitation is different, but it leads to the first. The second invitation is an invitation to be in this room in the course of the next four days

when God is working in our ministry of students and our church, transforming lives. There's an invitation to be here while the students learn to worship God for the first time and to hear the word of God and a prayer can transform and change the destiny that they may be walking towards at that time and understand the plan and the purpose that Jesus has for their lives. There's an invitation on the table and the question is, if there's an invitation, the question is, will you accept it? Will you accept it? Will you accept the invitation and be here for what God has for you? So I'm a product of United. I've been part of this ministry and that's where I made the decision to be saved, to follow Jesus, to be baptized, and this transformed my life. And if he could do it for me, then what can he do for a student in the life of our church? So there we have this QR code that will be on the screen for the rest of the service. Don't wait, do it. But speaking of United Knights products, I would like to introduce our next communicator, help me to cheer and welcome Zane Hughes.

What is up Church by the Glades? I'm so excited to be here. As Austin said, my name is Zane Hughes. I'm 17 years old. I'm a high school student and one of the children of Pastor David and Lisa Hughes. So I want to say thank you to my parents for this opportunity. Thank you. these great preachers. And I feel even more honored because United Knights is coming. Every year, I leave there feeling encouraged and ready for what God has for me. And I leave with a sense of community that I did not have before, not to mention that it is a week full of faith. I love United Knights, but before my sermon, there are many people who are wondering, this boy is only worried about preaching because his dad is the pastor of this church. My answer is, maybe, probably. But even if that's the case, I still believe that God can use me here today. So let's get started like this. Most good things take time. You don't go to the gym all day, you don't train all day, even if it's very hard, and then you look in the mirror and you see yourself better. You don't spend a little bit of time doing exercises and you look in the mirror and you say, and you ask yourself, where are my little squares? This didn't work.

No. If the transformation of your body takes time, we shouldn't expect the construction of our Christian character to be a process. Then salvation happens in a moment. The second you trust Jesus, you go from death to life. But acceptance, forgiveness, and everything happens in a moment. But our father is always happy when a prodigal comes. But it takes time after God visits your life until the action happens. So I want to see the moment in our Bible. We are Biblical here. We're going to see something powerful that we have in the future. What we're going to see is Samuel's first day and it's the story of the shepherd boy who was chosen by God to be the next king of Israel, David. And God said to Samuel to go find a man named Jesse because God wanted him to be the next king of Israel. Because he needed a new king. Because the king at that time had been disobedient. So the prophet goes and meets Jesse and they start with Elihab. They know he's tall and he looks like a king. So when they see Elihab, they say, that's an option. That's the next king. And the prophet says, no. So Elihab says, that's an option.

That's the next king. And God says, no. So they go to the second. God says, this is the one you have. And God says, no. And pretty quickly Samuel goes through all of Jesse's sons and God says, none of them have the specific purpose. So he says, Jesse, you're lying to me. You have more sons. So Jesse says, well, I have the youngest, David. He's in the field with the sheep. So he says, bring him here. And so they bring David and in the moment that Samuel puts his hands on David, he says, and it's there in your chapter 12, see the highlighted word. He says, the Lord said, rise up and bow down. Choose him. This is the one. This is powerful. Because the important point in David's life is when his own father said to him, go and shepherd the sheep. His father in heaven calls him to be king. This is a happy story.

But of course, there's a bigger story. This is the beginning and the purpose is proclaimed. God says to David, you're going to be king. And guess what? The next day, in front of the whole country, David becomes king. I wish I could tell you this, but it's not the next day or the next week, no, or the next month, no, or the next year. You know what? From this private function, a decade goes by to his coronation. Disappointment. There was trauma, dysfunction, disappointment. There was a lot of ups and downs in what David was going through during this time from when this happened until he was crowned king. And here, King Saul realizes about the future king

and because of this, and because of his fear and his jealousy, The King Saul, even though he knows he's a boy, wants him dead, so David has to flee for his life. he's going to be king. He was told he was going to be king, but now he's worried about being dead. He's in the lowest point, he's in the mud. And when we thought about this, I realized that David would never have to deal with this if he had never received a call from God. None of this would have happened, no problem with Saul if God had never chosen him to be king. If God had never given him this purpose, he would never have had to deal with this problem. Maybe you're here today and you're stressed, you're facing pressure, temptation. Maybe for one reason or another you're tempted to leave your path with God. Here in David's story, I believe God has given me something to share with you. Maybe the reason you feel like you're going through hell is because you have a purpose from heaven. I think the reason this season is breaking you is because you're on the edge of an event in your life. Because God wants to do something so big with you and has a purpose for you that will benefit everyone around you. And of course, the devil is not going to sit and watch. He's going to fight. But when the devil comes knocking on the door of your life, trying to hurt you, it's because he's afraid. Don't be a coward. Let the fear of the devil light up your faith. So, with all hands raised in this hour, I will pray for you. I want to pray for all the people that are here, but also for United Knights next week. Thank you, God. Thank you for being here. Thank you for all the hands raised. Thank you for what is going to happen this week at United Knights. May it be an experience where our students find freedom. Because things are not going to stay the same. That's what we ask of you. We thank you in advance. Amen.