I Got My Father's Eyes | Pastor Isaac Fernandez

What's up, men of God? Pastor Eric here, and I am so excited to bring this message to you. I want you to feel encouraged. I want you to feel hopeful. I want you to know that God is still working in your story. Our mission here at Victory City is to help every person take a step closer to Jesus. And can I tell you, man, as you're growing in the Lord, you're taking a step. So let's lean in. Let's see what God has for us this week. And I know you'll be blessed for it, and I love you. Would you guys stand with me as we go into God's word today? Oh, and church, before we go into God's word, could we greet our brothers at our Bartlett Innovation Unit? Come on! We got brothers gathering in Bartlett. We love y'all. Right, let's get into God's word. This is one of the coolest stories. We're picking back up in the Book of Acts. The giving series was incredible, but I get the privilege. We're gonna jump back into the Book of Acts. If you don't remember, we covered chapters one and two. Chapter two is the day of Pentecost, and the church begins. The day of Pentecost, it's crazy.

Like, God's spirit shows up, the tongues of fire. Go back and watch it if you missed it on YouTube. But literally, the church explodes overnight. Like, thousands grew by thousands. And I love it. Pastor Eric, in chapter two, taught about the koinonia, the God-given fellowship, the communal sacrifice. It's like the perfect picture of utopia. It's found in the church, in God, the community. And shortly after this, I love it, we see two disciples. Everybody say Peter and John. We got these two guys who go back to normal life, and there's this man that they've walked by for years, but this day, on a normal day, they have a different interaction with him. Acts chapter three, verses one to 10. Now, Peter and John were going up to the temple, the church, at the hour of prayer, which is roughly 3 p.m., the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the beautiful gate, to ask for alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms, and this is money. He's depending on people coming into the church for money every single day. And Peter directed his gaze at him,

and as did John, and said, this is gnarly, he said, look at us. And he, the man, fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, I have no silver and gold, but what I do have, I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. How cool would this be to see? And he says, and he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong, and leaping up, he stood up and began to walk. He entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the man who sat at the beautiful gate of the temple, asking for alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Would you pray with me? God, I thank you that just like this man, it's not just another Sunday, but God, I'm having faith that it's somebody's Sunday, Lord. I pray that all of us would walk out with a stronger faith, a bolder faith, to be the church this week. God, I thank you for everything you're doing in our daily lives. You are so good, you are so faithful.

And would we walk out more bold, more confident, and more filled up than the way that we walked in. In your mighty name, Jesus, amen. And then y'all could grab your seats, shake your neighbor's hand, say what's up, say good morning, shoot your shot, you're in church. Just kidding, I don't know, maybe not. Maybe this is your sign, God bless you. Okay, so I'm really excited. This is one of the most incredible parts of all the Bible. And what I wanna do is I wanna walk through this story. We're gonna go verse by verse, I'm gonna be jumping around a little bit. But lean in, because I really believe that God wants to speak today, amen, church? Okay, let's jump in. So the first thing that I wanna do is I wanna look at this man that Peter and John interact with. Let's go back to Acts chapter three, we're gonna pick up in verse two. And a man lame from birth. You would see this man is 40 years old. You'd see that in chapter four of Acts. So this man, from the moment that he was born, is physically lame. And what does this mean? He was lame for birth and was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple, that is called the beautiful gate,

to ask for alms of those entering the temple. So this man, 40 years old, has to be physically carried by other people, not inside the church, but outside of the church. And it literally says he was carried there every single day to ask people for money as they were entering in the temple. He's relying on their generosity, but maybe more than likely, their pity. In verse three, amen. Verse three says, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. I really want you to imagine this for a moment. Imagine as you walked into Victory City Church this morning, you saw a man like this. And when they were going to the temple, it was regular Jewish practice that they would sometimes go daily or frequently, and this man, every time they would walk into church, they would walk into the temple, was outside. And think about this for a moment. If you didn't just see this man once a month, if you didn't just see him a few times a year, if you saw him every single day, would it not be easy to maybe pass by him because you just assumed that he's gonna be there? This might sound a little callous, but I really want you to hear, hear as I'm leaning into who this man was.

I would imagine that this man, because you would assume for him to be there, he wasn't a person anymore. He was just a part of your temple attending experience. He wasn't a human, maybe a part of the building, a piece of furniture. There, you would see him every single time you'd go to church, he then begins to blend in. And catch this, he literally has to physically, physically be carried outside to what? To ask for money. Every single day, what is he doing? He is just hoping to make it to the next day. Never getting ahead, but literally, man, if I could get carried, maybe I'll have enough just to make it to tomorrow. I want you to imagine for a moment, could you imagine being this man? You can't move, and you literally have to depend on people to physically carry you to where you need to make money. You're depending on people's generosity, but if you're being honest, it's pity, because in the Roman culture, people who had physical ailments were looked at as lesser than. They did not have value, they did not have, and that's a whole other message, it's a whole other thing, literally, you're just depending on people's pity as they're going to practice religion.

And catch this, never entering the church, but being situated right outside of it. Your whole identity and existence is the thing that you're most embarrassed about. His whole identity was his pain and his brokenness. And think about this, because the scripture's very clear to say, he was born this way. If you were born this way, and this was your daily existence, why would you ever think that things would change? You're literally right by the church, why would you think it would change? If your daily existence is just to make it to tomorrow, how hard would it be to have hope that the future could get better? That the future could be more than something that you have experienced every single day of your life? And here's the thing I realized as I was studying this, all of us pass by people like this, man, every single day of our lives. And I'm not just talking about physically, I'm speaking in spiritual terms. We have people that we are walking by, that we are rubbing shoulders with, that we are going to work with every single day that might not be physically lame, but spiritually on the inside, they have brokenness. They have experienced pain, and all they're trying to do in their life

is just make it to the next day. Do I have any honest people? Has anyone ever been there in life? You're just trying to make it to the next day. It's hard to have hope, it's hard to imagine that life could ever be different. And I wanna challenge us as the church, because I get a sense that there's a lot of Christians in here, you're here on the 4th of July weekend. So for all of us in the room today, are we like Peter and John, where we stop in life for the people around us, or do we pass by them like nothing is wrong? Do we know that there are people in brokenness, and we just simply pass by because we don't wanna stop to engage, or we've seen it so much that it's just normal for us? And I don't know if I have any honest people. I had a few honest people that said, thank you for preaching with me, by the way. Man, have you ever been in Austin and driven by someone or walked by someone and they're asking for money and you act like you don't see them? Yeah. Thank you. Some of you are like, I would never do that, Isaac. I'm very spiritual. But can I get some honest people? It seemed like a decent amount. Have you ever driven by someone, walked by someone,

and they're asking for something and you act like you don't see them? Is everyone in the room, right? And maybe some of us are like, well, Isaac, I've seen a lot of stories online where they're scamming people or people making it their full thing. But man, I think if we're honest, you and I do this so much. But Peter and John, they go to the temple frequently. They go to it all the time. They would have seen this man countless times. Why was this moment different? They would have walked by. They would have passed him by. Maybe never looking at him, maybe glancing at him, seeing him out the corner of their eye, but why was today different? My first thought for us today is when you are filled with God's spirit, you will see people differently. When you are filled with his spirit, you will see people differently. We would see in the book of Acts chapter two, the moment before this is the day of Pentecost. What is one of the main things that happens that Jesus was constantly prophesying about all the way up to the day of Pentecost? Is that the church, his people, would be filled with his spirit.

So in the day of Pentecost, what happens? The disciples in the upper room, they receive the spirit of God. And can I tell you something, believer? When you are filled with God's spirit, you will see people with dignity. You will begin to see people with value. Why? Because every single person, Christian or not, is made in the image of God. And I think about Jesus when he was walking around city to city and he saw people, he didn't look at people with anger and hatred, he looked at people with what? It starts with a C, compassion. He would say it's sheep without a shepherd. Man, and it causes us to see people differently. There's this trend on social media, I don't know if you've seen it, but it's these women and it's all about their wedding day. And the video, it's a video of a woman and her father on her wedding day. And in the video, it's like the woman dancing with her dad. And if you're a dad and you have a daughter, I cried watching these. Have you guys ever been on social media, by the way, and you're just like watching these sappy videos and you're like, oh my gosh. Just me, okay, I'm emotional, I have kids, it ruined me. Amen.

The trend is women getting married and it's a clip of them as a grown woman doing like the dance with their dad. And the caption says, how I thought my father saw me on my wedding day. The second video, the caption says, how my father actually saw me on my wedding day. And what it does is it clips from her being a grown woman with her dad to her dad being with a toddler version of his daughter. And what is the video trying to say is that no matter how grown our children may get, no matter how mature, no matter how much they may advance in their life, when you look at them, you will always see your precious little boy, your precious little girl. And I wonder if you and I, when we look at the people around us in our day-to-day life, do we have our father's eyes for his children? Thank you. Do we have our father's eyes? And I'm not just saying this to look around and constantly be like, oh my little boy, my little girl. That's weird, don't do that. What I am trying to say is when God sees humanity saved, unsaved, good, not, like perfect evil, you know what he looks at every single human on earth with?

Dignity. Why? Because every single person carries and bears the image of God. You would see in Acts 4 when Peter looks at this man, if we could go back to the passage, Acts 4, verse 6, it says Peter directed his gaze at him. And what does Peter say to him? He says, look at us. And some of, I don't know if you think this, but like if you were walking by into Victory City Church and you saw me be like, look at me, you'd probably be like, bro, that's a little gnarly. Like you might need to slow down your roll, right? Or maybe some of you are like, he was wearing Birkenstocks and he said, please look at me. Tough crowd, okay, that's an 11 o'clock joke, okay. But please catch this. Peter wasn't trying to diminish the man. Peter wasn't trying to yell at the man. What scholars actually believe is Peter dignified this man in the moment. Because people who had physical ailments, people who were physically disabled were looked at as lesser than in Roman culture. What Peter did in that moment is he showed the man that he had dignity. And that is what it caught, what happens when the Spirit of God fills us, we don't just look at people as annoyances.

We don't just look at people as burdens. We don't just look at people to just walk by them and man, get out of my way. What happens is the Spirit of God will transform your heart and change your perspective where you begin to look at people with dignity and value. Believer, and I'm gonna challenge us a little bit, have we lost that? Have we gotten so jaded by the world around us that we have stopped looking at people with value, with dignity? Have we stopped carrying our Father's eyes with the world around us if we have? Man, return, open your life up and ask the Spirit of God to transform the way that you see people around you. Amen, church. Okay, let's continue on. So we continue. They see this man and I'm gonna actually zoom out. on the passage a little bit. In Acts chapter two, you would see the people of God in the upper room have an incredible encounter with the Lord. And I love this about God. The people in the upper room go from this incredible encounter back to normal life. Y'all remember that song? ♪ Back to life ♪

I said that at the eight, and I was like, none of the later services are gonna know. Maybe James and Trish Rendon, you guys, okay, you don't know that song either, all right. So these guys, they experience something like crazy. Tongues of fire, speaking in all these languages, incredible encounter with God. And what does God do? He sends them back to normal life. Acts chapter three, verse one. Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. They literally go to church at three o'clock. This isn't like some revival night. This isn't some conference. It was like, hey, you wanna go to church together? Yeah, bro? Okay, cool, let's go to church. They go back to normal life. We would see what we just read, this crazy miracle on a normal day. And then afterwards, I love this. They heal this man, the man that everyone walks by, everyone recognizes, like, oh, that was the guy. And look what happens, okay, verse 11. While he clung to Peter and John, this is after he healed, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon. Okay, I'm gonna pause here.

If there was someone who you saw every single week outside of our church that you knew could not walk from birth, that you knew that he had to physically get carried, they're like, you knew him. How blown away would y'all be if he just randomly was like on stage? Ask me why? I feel like he would have a reason to praise. Clap my hands, move. You know what I'm saying? No? Yeah, you'd be like, I worship. Y'all would be, would anyone, like, be worshiping a little bit harder that day? I would be like, yeah! Sorry, sound team. Yeah. That would be crazy. That would be nuts. You know why? Because everyone knew him, not as a person, but as an accessory to the church building, and they freak out. They're astounded. They're, oh my gosh, him? Because he's clinging to them. He's jumping, and he's praising God. And look it, and when Peter saw it,

I love Peter. He's a savage. Peter saw their reaction. He addressed the people. Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this? Because he was not like this, bro. What do you mean? But look, he says, why do you wonder at this? Or why do you stare at us as though by our own power or piety, we have made him walk? When you zoom out at this passage, I'm gonna talk about the power thing in a moment, but what I'm trying to lean on right here, Peter and John did not go to the temple to make a spectacle and then preach. Because right after this, Peter addresses them, and he preaches an incredible message about Jesus, how they rejected the cornerstone, and literally, it's all about, he goes, he uses this as a moment to preach. But notice this. They go to the temple at three o'clock. It's a normal day. And the only reason that Peter goes on to preach, what does it say? And when Peter saw it, he saw the reaction. Then he preached. After Pentecost, it was normal life. And I wanna ask this for you and I,

the believers in the room. Does God have access to move through you in your daily life? This was another day for them. It was three o'clock on a Tuesday. I don't know if it was Tuesday. It's a normal day. Does God have access to move through you in your daily life? Not just at church, not just at your connect group, not just at your Bible study. When you are not at a church function, does God have access to move through you? At work, at the grocery store, at your kids' soccer games, your dinners with friends and family, the gym? Or have we only created margin for God, catch this, to use us only at church functions? And let's be honest for a moment. I think it is so easy for us to just be consumed with our day-to-day life. We will come to church, and I'm not, I'm happy you are in church. God is happy you're in church, and I'm not saying anything bad about that. But we will come to church, and we leave the churching at the church building. And we leave here, and we're literally like, okay, I gotta go to Costco now. Costco on Sundays is crazy.

Can I get an amen from anybody? I got hit with a cart the other day with my two-year-old son. Pray for me, okay. But literally, we'll do church. God, you have an hour and 20? And I gotta get to Costco. And then when I get home, I gotta put my kids down. And then I gotta meal prep from nine to 11 p.m. And I also have to fit my investments video in there. And then the next day, I gotta wake up 20 minutes before my kids get up so I have some moment of peace because they drive me crazy. I get ready. I literally have five minutes of sanity. Just kidding, they took it all away because they're screaming in the car. I go to work. I'm praying to God that I make it through the day. my meal prep lunch which stinks because I'm not good at cooking then I go pick up my kids then I'm back at home then I'm changing seven poopy diapers then by the grace of God they go to sleep I have ten minutes to binge Netflix shows just kidding y'all need to stop watching Love Island and then you have five minutes before you go to bed you have five minutes before you go to bed and it happens over and over and over and over and I want to ask you Christian do I have any Christians in the room could you raise your hand with me real quick loud and proud if you're not a Christian thank you so much for being here this morning for my Christians when was the last time you allowed God to use you in public like for real I'm not trying to preach I'm not trying to get you have you ever allowed God to use you in public at HEB and something is screaming

in you to invite them to church this is a crazy one because I still get uncomfortable to do this sometimes have you ever allowed God to use you to pray for someone in public no bro cuz I gotta get in line I can't do self-checkout anymore I gotta get there I have 50 items at HEB they won't let me I gotta get home when was the last time you allowed God to interrupt you and your busy schedule your normal day you at 5 or 6 p.m. on a Thursday when's the last time you allowed him to interrupt you or is there no margin in our life is there none what if this is a big what if but I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna lean into it what if some of you who are struggling with feeling purposed and fulfilled in this season of life what if this is the way that God begins to provide purpose and fulfillment in your daily life not just making it day to day not just Oh God I can't wait for Sunday what if it was a Monday at 7 p.m. God gave you purpose why cuz you took the focus off of you and you opened your eyes to the mission field around you what if God could give you joy what if God could make going to the grocery store fun going to work fun because you allowed him to interrupt your regularly scheduled program and I like this this is actually really cool Acts chapter 3 verses 7 to 10 and he took him by the right hand raised him up and immediately his ankles were made strong and leaping up he stood and began to walk and entered the temple with him walking and leaping and praising God dude that would be so cool ask me what homie would had a reason to praise that day and all the people saw him walking and praising God and lean focus this focus on this one and recognized him as the one who sat at the gate of the temple scholars all disagree on like the measurements of the gate in like how far it was but what you need to know how did they remember this man as the one who sat outside of the temple as the one who never came in but the one who was always outside and what did God do he healed him and then he brought him in to celebrate what God had done in his life and I wonder for us this morning how many people are in a two to three miles square a square mile radius of our church that need the hope of Jesus like close they're in the proximity of healing but they've never come in and received it themselves they

drive by every day to go to Stonehill every day to go to Costco every day to go to In-N-Out because it's the greatest burger chain ever but man they drive by every day but they've never come inside what if and this is what I want to lean into Peter and John had an incredible encounter with God God sends them out and they healed this man outside of the building what if God wants to interrupt your daily schedule to reach people before they ever step foot in this place well Isaac I need to invite them to church because pastor Eric knows how to preach and that's fine he's like he's way beats really good okay I get it but what if God literally used you to you do a simple prayer over them in a HEB line in the power and the presence of God met them right where they were literally before they ever came to church you don't have to preach a message just call on the name of Jesus like Peter and John did and watch what happens maybe God could use you and you don't have silver and gold like Peter and John and you don't have the words and you're like bro I can't I don't know all the Bible verses and I can't preach a message but believer what if he could use you right where you're at in the season that you're in with what you do have and it would be a story like this man actually four through six this is the coolest moment this is the this is like the big part of the story the climax So they're going to temple, normal day. They stop and see this man, they notice him. God interrupts their normal schedule. This is the gangster part, okay, ready? Let's lean in. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, look at us. And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. And notice, even though Peter, and this is actually some real power to this.

Even though Peter and John dignified him, this man was so accustomed to people, their only exchange with him to take pity on him, he couldn't even receive the dignity. All he was used to was receiving money in this moment. They literally dignify him, they literally provide value to him, and all he could do to respond was put his hands out to receive something. This shows the condition of this man's life. And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. I think Homie had no idea what he was about to receive that day. But Peter said, man, I have no silver and gold, but what I do have, I give to you. In the name of Jesus, in the most powerful name, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. How much faith do you think that that had to have in that moment? But for real, like, some of us, that freaks us out, because you're like, bro, I would never do that. I would say thoughts and prayers for you, here's five bucks. I would never go up to someone and say, get up in the name of Jesus, right? Isn't that pretty bold, you guys? But look at this, I wanna unpack this passage. Peter and John say, I have no silver and gold.

He's not saying that giving this man money is a bad thing. Do not take this message and go, see, sweetheart, I'm never giving a homeless person money again. That's not what this passage says, okay? He wasn't denying what he needed. Peter and John just literally did not have money to give them, okay? But Peter and John, catch this, wanted to give this man what they did have. I keep calling back to Acts 2, because you need to read the scriptures in the context. In Acts chapter two, these men were in the upper room and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. So in that moment, they received the Holy Spirit and the power of the Spirit, but catch this, they were exposed to a greater reality. Have any of you ever had an answered prayer from God and experienced something that you knew was only God? Raise your hand, please. Like, you have had a moment in your life, you can put your hands down, where God showed up and you have enough humility to go like, bro, that was only God. Financially, God's showing up, can I get an amen? God opening a door at a job, can I get an amen? God moving in a relationship, can I get an amen? And what does that remind you of when you pray and God shows up? God, you're real! God, you're there!

So yes, these men in the day of Pentecost, they're exposed to, they're filled with the Spirit of God and they are operating in the power of God, but when you have a very supernatural spiritual experience, it exposes you to a greater reality. It reminds you this world is not all that there is. It reminds you that God is on the throne. It reminds you that God is still moving. It reminds you that, man, like we were talking about in our last series, I may be in a season of lack, but God is my ultimate provider. It reminds you to a greater reality. So when Peter and John looked at this lame man, they did not just see a man begging for money, they saw someone who the kingdom of God had an answer for. They looked at this man and they didn't just see his physical situation, they reminded, they recalled the greater reality that there will be a day where sickness does not control our physical bodies. There will be a day where physical pain does not control my physical body. There will be a day that there is no more sorrow. Can I, man, people in the room that are walking through pain, that are walking through grief, don't forget the greater reality that awaits us. We're not bound by our physical bodies. We're not ruled by shame and sin, anxiety and depression. What did Peter and John have?

They knew. And they looked at this man not for what he had on the outside, but what God wanted to do inside of him. But what did they have? Because that sounds kind of like spiritual mumbo-jumbo. They had Jesus, bro. What do you got? Bro, I got five bucks and Jesus. What did they have? Acts 3.16. I don't know if faith's able to come up and play piano. If not, no worries. But Acts 3.16, let's look at this. Peter, I already talked about it earlier. It's so funny. Like, I think if that happened in our church, like, I don't know, Pastor Eric, we're having. in like an eight-hour service that day. And it's like testimony time, like, God healed me, you know, like, this man gets healed, and I would think like, we're singing Ask Me Why like 50 million times. But Peter, these people are reacting, they're surprised, they're astounded, they're shocked. And Peter is like, why are y'all responding this way? Yeah. He goes then to preach, and I love that Peter, Peter doesn't take any of the credit or glory for healing the man.

He literally gives it all to God. And as he's preaching to them and saying, I didn't do this, John didn't do this, we didn't do it, it literally was Jesus. You wanna know what Peter and John had in this moment? Acts 3.16. Peter says, and you know what I have? And his name. By faith in his name, he's talking about Jesus. All of you who just raised your hand to say you're a Christian, you have faith in Jesus Christ. When you profess faith in him, you didn't just say, oh, I believe he historically existed. No, no, no, no, no. That is not faith. Faith in Jesus is, I believe he was the son of God. I believe he is the son of God. I believe he rose on the third day, and I believe that through my faith in him, I will have defeated death. That is faith. If you are a Christian in the room, you have the same thing Peter and John had. But look at this. And his name, by faith in his name, that has made this man well, or made this man strong, who you see and know. And the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

As you're here this morning, you may be really honest with yourself, and you're like, I do not have the measure of faith in Peter and John, and that's okay. Maybe you're here, and you're even struggling to believe in the concept of miracles. I'm so happy you're here. But can I be bold for a moment as one of the pastors here? We believe that God's still doing the miraculous today. We believe that God wants to do miracles today, that he wants to physically heal people, but that's not the only type of miracle. We believe that God wants to restore marriages. We believe that God wants to renew minds. We believe God wants to work in maybe like financial situations and legal situations with the court. We believe that God is still doing miracles. But maybe you're here, and man, dude, I don't know if I could ever do that. That's fine. But make no mistake. You might not have the same measure of faith, but you still have the same faith that Peter and John have if you are saved under the name of Jesus. And I pray that this week, the name of Jesus would be powerful in your life. That the name of Jesus wouldn't be some cute thing that you were taught to say at the end of prayers. That the name of Jesus wouldn't just be a tagline in a song, what a powerful name it is,

and you walk out of here never believing in the power of his name. I pray this week you would walk out with boldness that if Jesus, literally, lean in, this man was healed by faith in Jesus in the name of Jesus, what could God do in your life and the lives around you if you walked out with the same faith that these men had? Does anyone know how we close? This is a pop quiz. I'm gonna call on you, Colin, because you just, you went on vacation, now you're back, so maybe you forgot. Your guy's baby's the cutest, by the way. How do we close church every Sunday? Say it really loud. You play D1 football, he's on the, I love this guy, okay. Could you stand up and say it really loud for everyone? How do we say it? Say it with your chest like you're on the football field. You just been to church, now let's go beat it. Okay, okay, okay, okay, wait, wait, stay standing. He is taken, ladies, he is married and a dad. Do not, this is not, okay, okay. Can you say it with your chest one more time? You just been to church, now let's go beat it. Okay, y'all need to say it with your chest. We've just been to church, now let's go beat it. Okay, thank you so much, Colin. Will you give it up for him?

Catch this. I do announcements. I see how y'all do it. Some of y'all clap on the offbeat on purpose, and God sees you. Okay. We've just been to church, now let's go be the church. Okay, I'm being silly, but please lean in because I'm landing the plane. What did Peter and John do in Acts 3? They had church, and they went to be the church. When you leave here today, my prayer is just like Peter and John at three o'clock on a Monday, at five o'clock on a Tuesday, at seven o'clock on a Wednesday, whatever the random time is, that you would allow yourself to be. used by God like Peter and John. And here's the coolest part of this story. As they went into their normal life, as they went back to reality, back to life, they were ordinary men that God used in an extraordinary way. What could God do in our lives as we said yes to him? What miracles are on the other side of our faithfulness and yes to God? Would you pray with me? God, I know that there are people in the room as I was talking about the lame man, that that is their story this morning. They need a move of God.

They need a touch of God. I pray right now, God, would they feel seen by you? There are people in the room that are just making it day to day, never feeling like they could have hope, feeling like this is how life will always be. I pray, God, one of the greatest reminders that they would receive today under the sound of my voice is that there is a greater reality than the world around us. God, if people need a miracle, God, would they experience it this week? I pray, Holy Spirit, would you do signs and wonders in this church? God, would you move? And I pray, Jesus, for Victory City Church. God, I pray that as we leave today, pray, God, we would leave with a sense of conviction, not condemnation like we suck and we're the worst, but a conviction, God. We're not where we are in life by accident. We're not in our jobs, in our schools, on our teams, in our families, in our friend groups. God, you have us right where we're supposed to be, God. And what if there's some crazy miracles on the other side of us saying yes to you in everyday life as we go and be the church? God, I thank you for today and I thank you for Victory City Church. We're moving in our city. God, you're moving through us.

It's just getting started, Lord. In your mighty name, Jesus, amen.