Show Me Your Receipts | Juan Lozada | Building The House | Full Service

Good morning, Church for the City. Service is about to begin. If you could stand to your feet. Thank you so much. It's great to see you all. Welcome to Church for the City. If you're new here, we would love to get to know you, spend time with you, serve you in any way that we can. So if that's you, you can click the digital Connect card if you're watching online, or if you're here in the house, you can go to that table out there in the lobby, Hard to Miss, and we'll walk you through things like baptism, child dedication, open house, where you can learn more about the church, whatever it is that you need. But here at Church for the City, we like to open the Word together before we worship, so we're going to do that right now. Our verse for today is Psalm 34, 8, which says, Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in Him. You know what God's saying right here? Give me a chance. Give me a chance to show you how good that I am, and I promise you won't be disappointed. Come for a taste, leave with transformation. And how many know that God can do a lot with a little yes? Amen. Well, let's pray together.

Father, thank You so much for being such a good God. Thank You for the joys that we can have today as we take refuge in You. God, thank You for loving us first. Father, we pray that our worship is holy. We pray that it's honoring to You. We pray that it's honest, God. Work in our hearts as we get ready to hear the Word that's going to penetrate and convict us and guide us to a closer relationship with You. Jesus, we love You. Hallelujah. And the church said, Amen. All right, let's worship. All right, church. We have another original for you this morning. Put your hands together with us. Let's sing it. ♪♪♪ If you've been set free, get on your feet Somebody praise the Lord with me And if you believe, go on and clap your hands Because we've got the victory This little light gonna testify Won't bury it inside me This little light gonna testify To revival's indices Somebody better tell somebody What the Lord has done for you Somebody better spread the news

You preach that gospel truth There's no secret what our God can do What He's done for me, He'll do for you If you've been redeemed, get out your seat Come on and tell the world with me Somebody better tell somebody ♪♪♪ These four walls don't stand a chance When the church gets on the move Fire in your bones like a holy flame It's time to let it loose This little light gonna testify Won't bury it inside me This little light gonna testify To revival's indices Somebody better tell somebody What the Lord has done for you Somebody better spread the news You preach that gospel truth There's no secret what our God can do What He's done for me, He'll do for you If you've been redeemed, get out your seat Come on and tell the world with me Somebody better tell somebody By the blood of the Lamb This is how we overcome And by the word of our testimony This is how we overcome By the blood of the Lamb This is how we overcome

And by the word of our testimony This is how we overcome By the blood of the Lamb This is how we overcome And by the word of our testimony This is how we overcome By the blood of the Lamb This is how we overcome And by the word of our testimony This is how we overcome Yeah Somebody better tell somebody What the Lord has done for you Somebody better spread the news He'll preach that gospel truth There's no secret what our God can do What He's done for me, He'll do for you If you've been redeemed, get out your seat Come on and tell the world with me Somebody better tell somebody What the Lord has done for you Somebody better spread the news You preach the gospel truth There's no secret what God can do What He's done for me, He'll do for you If you've been redeemed, get out your seat Come on and tell the world with me Somebody better tell somebody Somebody better tell somebody Tell somebody

No longer I who live But Christ in me For I've been born again My heart is free The hope of heaven before me The grave behind Hallelujah You brought me back to life Oh, I won't forget the moment I heard you call my name Out of the grip of darkness Into the light of grace Just like Lazarus Oh, you brought me back to life Where there is demolition Now there is living faith And all of my hope and freedom Was found in Jesus' hand Just like Lazarus Oh, you brought me back to life No longer I who live But Christ in me For I've been born again My heart is free The hope of heaven before me The grave behind Hallelujah You brought me back to life Come on church, sing this out with me In sentences I am guilty

I point to the price you paid In sentences I'm not worthy I point to that empty grave Just like Lazarus Oh, you brought me back to life No longer I who live But Christ in me For I've been born again My heart is free The hope of heaven before me The grave behind Hallelujah You brought me back to life How can I begin to thank you For all that you've done for me Oh, Jesus, to fully praise you Oh, it would take all eternity Just like Lazarus Oh, you brought me back to life Oh, you brought me back to life Oh, you brought me back to life Oh, you brought me back to life And no longer I'm moving across the sea For I've been born again, my heart is free The hope of heaven before me, the grave behind Oh, you, you brought me back to life And no longer I'm moving across the sea For I've been born again, my heart is free The hope of heaven before me, the grave behind Hallelujah!

♪ Come back to the Lord, yeah ♪ ♪ The enemy thought he had me, but Jesus said you are mine ♪ ♪ The enemy thought he had me, but Jesus said you are mine ♪ ♪ And the enemy thought he had me, but Jesus said you are mine ♪ ♪ And the enemy thought he had me, but Jesus said you are mine ♪ ♪ And the enemy thought he had me, but Jesus said you are mine ♪ ♪ The enemy thought he had me, but Jesus said you are mine ♪ ♪ But Christ in me, for I've been born again, my heart is free ♪ ♪ And hope in heaven before me can leave me high ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, you brought me back to life ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, you brought me back to life, Jesus ♪ ♪ I'm caught up in your presence ♪ ♪ And I just wanna sit here at your feet ♪ ♪ I'm caught up in this holy movement ♪ ♪ And I never wanna leave, watch what you say ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm not here for a blessing, Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus, you don't know me ♪ ♪ More than anything that you can do, I just wanna be with you ♪ ♪ I just want you, I just want you, nothing else, nothing else ♪ ♪ Nothing else will do, I just want you, nothing else, oh Jesus, nothing else ♪ ♪ Nothing else will do, I just want you, nothing else, nothing else, oh, nothing else, nothing else will do ♪ ♪ How I live for the moment, where I'm still in your presence ♪ ♪ Where all the noise dies down, Lord, speak to me now ♪ ♪ You have all my attention, and I will linger and listen ♪ ♪ I can't miss a thing, oh, I know my heart wants more of you ♪ ♪ Oh, I know my heart wants more of you, my heart wants something new, so I surrender all ♪ ♪ And all I want is to live within your love, be undone by who you are ♪ ♪ My desire is to know you deeper, Lord, I will open up again, and throw my fears into the wind, I'm desperate for a touch of heaven ♪ ♪ My desire is to know you deeper, Lord, I will open up again, and throw my fears into the wind, I'm desperate for a touch of heaven ♪ ♪ There is no hesitation in your love and affection, it's the sweetest of all ♪

Lord, I know my heart wants more Wants something new So I surrender all And all I want is to live within your love Be undone by who you are My desire is to know you deeper Lord, I will open up again And throw my fears into the wind I am desperate for more Give me more I need more But war changes you In 2003, 2004, I lost friends overseas And later I lost more to suicide That pain pulled me into the dark place As I was about to take my life I felt this need to call Albert Ortiz By the grace of God, he answered the phone I came to CTC with Albert the next morning It opened my heart in a way I didn't expect Every struggle I'd been carrying was spoken about directly Almost like God was answering me in real time I started attending ThinLine Led by Nick Horney and William Hughes As there, I surrendered my life to Jesus I realized God had been at my side the whole time I just wasn't letting him in Since giving my life to Jesus I'm more open and talk through my problems Instead of keeping it bottled inside

I can see now that God really does have a plan Just like Pastor David Frech said I'm moving through this season Knowing I have to be the buffalo Facing the storm head-on And I trust that God will show up At the right time for me and my kids God is guiding us towards the life he wants for us Today, I am going public with my faith Hector, Jesus said that every disciple Should be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit And because of your confession of faith Today I baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ For the remission of your sins And according to Scripture You shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit I open up my heart to you I open up my heart to you now So do what only you can Jesus have your way in me now I open up my heart I open up my heart to you now So do what only you can Jesus have your way in me now I open up my heart I open up my heart to you now So do what only you can Jesus have your way in me now So do what only you can

All I want is to live within your love Be undone by new love My desire is to know you deeper Love, I will love you, love you again Throw my fears into the wind I am blessed with fortune And all I want is to live within your love Be undone by new love My desire is to know you deeper Love, I will love you, love you again Throw my fears into the wind I am desperate for a touch Come on church I am desperate If you're desperate in this moment If you need a touch of heaven If you need a touch of his presence Come on, let's sing a little bit longer I am desperate for I am desperate for a touch I am desperate for I am desperate for a touch And all I want is to live within your love Be undone by who you are My desire is to know you deeper Lord, I will open up again And throw my fears into the wind I am desperate for a touch of heaven I am desperate for a touch of heaven Well, good morning, good morning.

And after that worship set, I am ready to tell somebody. I am ready to dive into the Word. How about you guys? Well, if somebody hasn't told you yet, officially, welcome to Church for the City. This is a place where people far from God can find life in Christ. We have so many exciting things going on here at CTC. If you've been with us for the last several weeks, you know that we're in this series called Building the House, and it is a series on values here at Church for the City. And one of our values is worship, that we pursue His presence both in worship in our daily lives, but also in prayer. You've heard Pastor mention that we have an upcoming prayer seminar, and I just want to encourage you, if you haven't signed up for that, sign up. Somebody was, I was talking to somebody yesterday and they were asking, well, what is it? Why should I sign up? And I said, do you want to know how to grow closer to God? Do you want to be encouraged? And I said, if you haven't yet, sign up for that prayer seminar. And we're going to be talking about how you can learn the practical tools on not just how to pray in your own personal life,

but even how to pray for others. If that's you, this weekend is for you. It's going to be a really exciting time. It's going to be a fun time. I think sometimes when we think of prayer, we kind of get in this zone of being solemn, or maybe it has to be this deep moment, which it can be. That is what prayer is. It's all available. So don't let that be a hindrance to you. You can sign up by using the tab disk, or you can scan that QR code behind me. We never want to let a Sunday go by without thanking you guys for your generosity. We're able to put on things like the prayer seminar, celebrate everything that the youth ministry is doing, have Serve Day, make an impact in our community because of your giving. So I just want to take a moment to thank you for your giving. There's a photo on the screen behind me. This is one of the bibs that were created for the elderly population. those who are just vulnerable, sometimes living either, whether it be in a retirement home, or they may be wards of the state, the church was able to purchase material. And then we have people that are creating

these bibs for them. So thank you guys for allowing us to do that. Yeah, thank you. And I say people, not just women who are in the congregation who are sewing, Justin and Owen are up there. They were rock stars. They're out there, they're sewing, they're making an impact. So thank you guys for doing that. You can always give using the offering boxes that are located at the exits. You can give online, you can tap the disc, or for some reason, if you just absolutely don't wanna do anything online, you can always stop by the Connect table on your way out of service. We are gonna get into the message now, but before we do that, let's pray together. Lord, I thank you that we are a church that pursues your presence, Lord, that we are a church that wants to grow closer to you, that we are a church, Lord, who prioritizes wanting to grow deeper with you. Lord, as we move throughout the service, help us to just press into your presence. Lord, you say that your word is alive. Help it to pierce hearts, to comfort hearts, God. Allow our minds to be open to hear what it is you have for us. Lord, I thank you for the giving for everyone who has made

and continues to make a gift to this house, for a church, Lord, that wants to build up the kingdom and make an impact in this community. Lord, I pray for as we just get ready for the message, Lord, that you allow us to hear everything that you have for us. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, well, I'm super excited to introduce today's speaker. If you have been through the lobby, which everyone has been through the lobby, but you have seen him, he has a smile on his face. He has a genuine heart for people. He loves this house. If you've ever interacted with him, whether you've gotten baptized or just around the building, you've probably gotten a tap on your back from him because he genuinely wants to know how you are doing. So why don't you help me give a warm CTC welcome. Stand on your feet, Pastor Juan. Good morning, good morning. Y'all hear me? Is that all? You guys good? Good morning, good morning, CTC family. How you guys doing today? You guys doing well? All right, all right, guys. Before I get started, I do want to give honor what honors do. I'm sure Pastor Tyrone, not if,

but when he watches this message. And mind you, if you guys don't see me around anymore, I might've said something and I might be fired tomorrow, but we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens. But no, Pastor Tyrone, can we just give it up to Pastor Tyrone and Lady V, man. Just thank you guys so much for leading well. Thank you for being one of the most awesome pastors that there is here in Yuma, Arizona. But guys, my name is Juan Lozada. If we haven't met yet, I am the next steps director here at CTC. As Karina was mentioning, if you're joining us here for the first time, number one, I want to welcome you and just let you know that here at CTC, we are committed to helping people far from God find life in Christ. And so we're going to get started with the message. As you can hear it in my voice, I hope you can feel it in the atmosphere. I am a hollaback preacher, amen? So we're going to do this together today, okay? No, no, no, no, no. We're going to do this together today, amen? Amen, amen, guys. So we're going to be in Exodus chapter six. Exodus chapter six. We're going to go to verse six to eight.

Exodus six, verse six to eight. And it reads a little bit like this. Therefore, I say to the people of Israel, I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. I will claim you as my own people and I will be your God. Your what? Then you will know that I am the Lord. Your what? Who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. I will bring you into the land I swore to you, swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord. Let's go before him. Lord, we thank you, we love you, Jesus. Thank you, Father, for allowing us to come to a space where we can freely worship you, we can freely express, Father, our gratitude towards you in worship, in fellowship, and in all the things that we do here, Father, at CTC. Father, I pray for not only our church, but I pray for every church in this county, in Yuma, in America, Father, who is preaching the gospel. I ask that your Holy Spirit, Father, be in that space, that it transforms lives, that it brings sanctification, that it brings redemption,

that it brings healing, Father, for all of us who listen to the word today, Father. I ask for soft hearts in this place. I ask that you saturate this room with your Holy. Spirit and I ask that our ears our hearts be opened in the name of Jesus and we all said Amen, you guys may take a seat All right guys, well, let's get the party started amen so as I Prepare for this message. I began to recognize that there is this crisis of direction is living in America a crisis of Direction this living in America. What do I mean by that? What I mean by that? Well if passion's Tyrone Would follow you around for one whole week Right. He's walking around and you know He gets his notes out and kind of checking the boxes all the things and he watched what you spend your money on what you gave your time to and What you thought about when no one was watching What would he say that you actually value? I entitled this message. Show me Your receipts show me or is he such a neighbor and say today? We're gonna see your bank statement. I'm just kidding I'm saying we're not we're not gonna see bank statements only for this side So if you guys could start getting a gathering pop it up all the goods I'm just gonna know we're not gonna do that But guys as we come to a close of our series here building the house at CTC We have core values that are displayed and felt as you walk into church for the city Now I'm not originally from Yuma. Yeah me and my beautiful wife. We're not originally from her We've been here for about a year and a half. I'm not a human yet I'm still human, but we're still working on it. We're working on on the transition But but but I've heard this so much and I absolutely love when I hear this from people They say from the moment that I enter the parking lot. I felt at home

Or or sometimes I they say this this church was my last resort I don't know why but God told me to come in here and sometimes it's not even on a Sunday but ever since that moment I Called this place home And I love that and so today we're gonna talk about our values somebody shout values We're gonna talk about how values shape our life shape our families and shape this church And I want to begin with a value that is truly a pillar that makes CTC special that word is community and And if you've been here for a couple of times if you've been here for a month We've been here for six months. Can I just encourage you if you are not plugged into a life group? Can I tell you this don't do life alone? Don't Do life alone because it might just save your life as you guys have heard here and in the testimony of the young man It's gonna take my life, but but because I was in community Because I was sitting there I picked up my phone and Community answered You see we have 35 small groups happening from Monday to Saturday and they range from men's to women's Next generation groups kids youth young adults to families to marriages. And why am I saying this? Why is why is this important? to me and you What does it matter? Well a a 2025 survey says this they have found then found more than six to ten u.s. Adults feel lonely More than half report feeling isolated the left out and lacking companionship often Harvard research found that 67% of lonely adults Feel lonely because they are not part of a community And Some of them say that they don't have close families or friends Well, why is this important? Because it's important for me and you to know because this is a church problem disguised as a cultural problem

You see America is the most anxious it's ever been. It's the most depressed. It's the most online It's ever been and yet the most lonely it has ever been What I noticed about directionless living is that it happens outside of community? Because connection hear me because connection without shared values is in community. It's proximity And can I tell you the Israelites they were God's chosen people God didn't just want proximity He wanted relationship with them And And God just doesn't want an encounter with you. God doesn't just want a moment with you. God doesn't just want a Sunday with you. He wants relationship 24-7, 365 days out of the year. But before we talk through other values that we have here at Church for the City, I wanna see what God values Himself. In Exodus 6, God doesn't just give the Israelites instructions, He reveals His values through five I will promises. These were God's receipts. He says this, I will bring you out. And can I tell you this, to everyone listening here today, this wasn't instructions for the Israelites. These weren't promises. These weren't values just for them. These are values for you and me. He says this, I will bring you out. 2 Corinthians 5, 17 says, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has gone and the new is here. You see, God is still bringing people out of addiction.

He's still bringing people out of shame and out of Egypt-shaped thinking right now in this room. He wants to bring something out of you. I will free you, He said. John 8, 36 says, so if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. And God has paid the price for me and you to have, to live out that freedom that He's already deposited in each and every one of us through the Holy Spirit. Are we living in freedom? He also says, I will redeem you. 1 Peter 1, 18 says this, you were redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus. You see, redemption didn't just happen to the Israelites. Redemption is happening to us in this room, to the people in our community, to the families that we have. He is redeeming each and every one of us. He also said, I will take you as my people. I will bring you into the land. God isn't just describing a rescue plan. Hear me, He is revealing what He values. He is revealing that He values covenant, He values freedom, He values relationship, He values promise. His values drove His actions. And even up to the cross, the values that God has for me and you are all displayed on the cross. Because He wants relationship, He wants covenant.

He wants promise. He wants to see freedom in our life. Amen? Here's a good definition of values. A value is a deeply held belief that shapes behavior and priorities. It is an internal conviction, hear me, that determines external action. You see, what you consistently choose reveals what you truly value. What are the things that we are consistently doing that aren't lining up to what we say we value? Because we can say we value family, we can say we value community, we can say we value marriage, but if we aren't doing things, if our actions aren't aligned to what we say, then we aren't truly valuing what we say. I love this analogy of values. Values are like riverbanks, right? A river without banks doesn't flow and it floods. It goes everywhere and accomplishes absolutely nothing. But banks give the river direction. It gives it force and it gives it movement. You see, values are what keep our life moving in purpose. Proverbs 29, 18 says this, where there is no vision, the people perish. You see, vision will tell us where to go, is what Patrick Tyrone was talking about

a couple weeks ago, but values is how we get there. So God had values that shaped his actions toward Israel. But the problem wasn't God's values, it was the Israelites. Every culture has its own set of values. You see, Egypt valued power. Rome values dominance. Mexico, we value good food. I get it, man. Some taco-ton, some birria, you know what I'm saying? I haven't had menudo in a minute, I've been craving some menudo, woo! Lord, forgive me. All right, guys, we're all gonna start it fast, okay? Who's up, who's ready? No, nobody? Okay, all right. But guys, at CTC, here are some values. We value worship, right? To provide a place where Jesus Christ is exalted by dynamic spirit-filled worship, praise, and prayer. We value family to encourage the strength and unity of marriages and families, enhancing the ability of each individual to live a sanctified life in this world. And we value love, we love love, okay? To be a church that is full of God's love, acceptance, and forgiveness, crossing all denominational, social, and cultural barriers. But here's the problem, modern culture values self, right? The world says this, protect yourself, promote yourself,

live your truth, but the kingdom values surrender. The kingdom says, deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow me. Matthew 16, 24 says this, then Jesus said to his disciples, if any of you want to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. For 400 years, how many years? For 400 years, Egypt shaped the Israelites' thinking, their identity, their habits, and their values. For 400 years. And I think that what the Israelites needed to press into was some of our values, right? Because I love these two values that we have here. Number one, truth. We are guided by his truth. We are guided by his word, and this is the second one, growth, why? Because we make room for more. We are growing through discipleship here at CTC. And there's this saying that I just, as I was reading this scripture, it just came to my mind, right? Now, I grew up in, I was a little hood, you know? I'm from Vegas, so I'm a little hood, you know what I'm saying, I know I sound proper most of the time, but I got some of that dog in me, okay? But guys, there's this saying, and I'm gonna get to know where my saints with some past are, okay?

There's this saying, and so if you could help me, I just wanna identify where my people are at, but if you can help me finish it, it says, you can take the man out of the hood, but you can't take the hood out the man. Oh, so we all have some past, all right, I like it. I like it, I love it, I love it, come on, come on, that's right. But guys, this was the Israelites' problem. Because theologians would agree that although they were physically free from Egypt, hear me, they were still enslaved to Egypt mentally. What is your Egypt, and will you allow it from stopping you entering the promised land? What is your Egypt, what is your Egypt? Because it can get dangerous for us, for me and you. It can get dangerous, what do I mean, hear me. Numbers 14, verse one through four says this. Then the whole community began weeping out loud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose to a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness, they complained. Why is the Lord taking us to a country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder, wouldn't it have been better for us to return to Egypt? Then they plotted amongst themselves,

let's choose a new leader and go back to Egypt. You see, the people didn't just complain about the wilderness, they wanted to go back to Egypt. And they said, let's appoint a new leader and return to Egypt. If we aren't careful as a church, as individuals, hear me, slavery will become so familiar that it feels like safety. Some of us got it, some of us didn't. Deuteronomy 8, three, six. says this, yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously known to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that the people did not live by bread alone. Rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Every morning, manna fell from heaven. Why? Because God was teaching them, you don't survive by Egypt anymore, you survive by me. He was rebuilding their values from the ground up. And can I tell you this, can I tell you, the wilderness was not punishment, hear me, it was reprogramming. Some of us are going through a valley, some of us are going through the wilderness, some of us are going through some storms, and God, we're asking God, why me?

Why now? What did I do to deserve this? Can I tell you that it's not a punishment? He is building something inside of you. He is refining some things inside of you. Come on, I'm preaching to the wrong church today. Because God doesn't just want you to go through the storm, hear me, he wants you to grow through the storm. God is building something in his people, in me and you, and he wants to use you to make an impact, not only to the community, not only to the world, but he wants you to make an impact to your family, to your generations. The wilderness wasn't punishment, it was reprogramming. When I was in, when I was about 20, in my early 20s, I remember, this was one of the few times that I remember God speaking to me so clearly, so clearly. And he said this to me, he said, son, there are things that you will have to relearn, others I will have to reboot, and others you will have to unlearn. And I didn't know this at the time, but can I tell you, as the Lord, I entered into this season and I started to ask, God, what does that mean? What do you mean by that? I began to notice that my Egypt was a broken home. My Egypt was living with an absent father. My Egypt was having four different stepfathers

by the age of 17. My Egypt was my upbringing. And although God took me out of there, there were still some things in me. I've never been there. Am I just the only one? Am I the only one? And so God had done all these amazing things. I was saved at 15 and a half. I am the first generation Christian. I am the first generation pastor. God, because of me, I would pray on my knees and say, God, bring my family because I just want them to see how good you are, how faithful you are. I want to see them in heaven with me. And although I've been saved for seven years, God was still working things in me. And I think that the Western culture has made Christianity, has made Jesus a magic pill that you take and everything goes away. But can I tell you a relationship with Jesus isn't a moment, it's a lifestyle. It's not, God, I'll follow you. I'll give you my life today because it's Sunday. And then tomorrow I just go and live out my truth. Jesus says, deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me. He's already given us instructions on how to live, but are you living for him or are you living for you? I don't want to know, don't answer that. Just answer that.

Can I tell you something? For those people that are walking through adversity, faith that isn't tested is faith that cannot be trusted. Because the reality is each and every one of us has a story in this room. You have a testimony. an individuality that comes with you. And because God made you so beautifully and wonderfully, he wants to use your story to impact those around us. Because hurt people hurt people, but restore people restore people. And God wants to use you. God, you got to clap. That's cool. I don't mind. But God wants to use you to make an impact for the kingdom. Romans 12, two says this, Paul later would say, do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is. His good, his pleasing and perfect will. Dr. Caroline Leaf, I would encourage you guys to go and do your own research, but I love this doctor. I'm going to tell you a little bit about her. Dr. Caroline Leaf has spent nearly 40 years studying the relationship between brain, mind and body. She was one of the first in the field to study

how the brain can change a concept that you might know as neuroplasticity. You see, and Dr. Caroline Leaf, her research says that it takes 21 days to interrupt a toxic thought pattern and 63 days of daily practice to build a new one that sticks. Does this sound familiar to anyone? God didn't just drop a plate of manna to the Israelites and walk away. He fed the Israelites every single morning on purpose until full dependency was on him. Renewing of your mind was never a one-time decision. It was a daily practice. You see, Egypt isn't a place. Egypt is a mindset, and God wants to lead you out of it. My last point is this. Values either align us to the mission or they divide us. Acts 2, one says this, and when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all in one accord, in one place. Somebody shout, one accord. You see, one accord doesn't mean that they agreed on everything. It don't mean that, okay, because we all have opinions here. We all have world views here. We all have, we all have them. It means that they had the same heart. They had the same focus.

They had the same values. They were aligned. You see, the upper room wasn't just proximity. It was alignment. After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to over 500 people. This is in First Corinthians 15, six. But when it came time to wait, the upper room was only 120 people. I don't know if you can do the math, but that's approximately 380 people that saw the risen Christ, and they still didn't stay, right? They were curious about him. They were moved by what they seen and what he said, but they weren't committed. They weren't committed. You see, everybody wants a Pentecost if you want the upper room. Everybody wants a promise if you want the process. Everybody wants power, but nobody wants surrender. Oh my gosh, this thing fell on me. I don't know what's happening. Sorry, guys. The difference between the 500 and the 120 wasn't capacity or ability. It wasn't their gifts or talents. It was the willingness to listen to the voice of God and obey. Amos 3, three says this. Can two people walk together

without agreeing on the direction? You see, you cannot build community with people who do not share the same values. You can have an audience. You can have a crowd, but you cannot have a church. And so, how does this apply to me, Juan? How do all these values, what does that mean for my life? Well, can I tell you that most of these values, yes, you're gonna feel them here because that's our culture. Yes. You're gonna see them and display every time you come in on a Sunday morning because that's who we are. But most times, most times, we represent the values outside of these four walls. What do I mean? I have two stories. Number one, this was really just for me, but one day I was driving, right? I was driving and I'm rolling down the street, right? Whatever. And then from my peripheral, that's how you, I don't even know. First service didn't even tell me if I was right or wrong. I say words wrong all the time, I'm Mexican. And so I'm just kind of like, I just make words up, okay? Like, I don't know.

Like, you know, by this time, we all have the same high school education, okay? But, but, but, but, but in my peripheral, I see a guy. And the Holy Spirit tells me, go back and give him all the cash that you have in your pocket. And I say, God, do you know these aren't my last $30? What are we talking about? I said, no, absolutely not. I kept going. And then on the other street, like, boom, he tells me again, go back and give him all the money that you have. Okay. Do a U-turn, I'm on my way. I walk into the store, right? It's a gas station. And I go, and I go, hey, God told me to give you this. He takes it. Now, mind you, this guy was in line. And he takes the money and he starts crying. And he says, he has some tortillas. He had some milk. I think it was for his family. And he says, I was in line? I don't know how I was gonna pay for this. God shows up in our values when we listen to his voice and we obey him. So at the time, if you've ever talked to me, I'm a pretty weird guy, okay?

I be saying some outlandish stuff all the time. Lord, forgive me. Some of you guys are like, Pastor Tyrone, how is he on staff here? What are we doing? But I was a weird kid, okay? Like, I was a weird kid in high school and I used to hang out with the jocks and then I used to hang out with the punk rock and then I used to go with the skaters sometimes. And I was just one of those guys that I was just kind of like, you know what I'm saying? I'm hanging out with the white people, I'm hanging out with the black people, I'm hanging out with the Asians, you know what I'm saying? Like, that's just what I do, you know? But one day, I was in the classroom. And the Holy Spirit tells me, there's this guy in the corner, and he tells me, go and talk to him. Now, mind you, I already established that I'm weird. But I was like, Holy Spirit, that kid is kind of weird. I don't want to go over there, okay? He's even weird for me, and that's saying something. So I'm like, no, I'm not gonna do that. And so, about 30 minutes, 20 minutes left, the Holy Spirit tells me again, go over there and talk to him. And I'm like, oh boy, all right, let's go. So I get up out of my seat,

I sit down next to the young man, and I start talking to him. And I, you know, I'm only introducing myself and just like making casual conversation. And then I start talking to him about Jesus, and what he's done in my life, and all the things that I know he could do for him. And so I say, hey, do you want to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? So that if you die, when you die, I'll see you in heaven one day? And he looks at me, he's like, yes, let's do it. I'm like, cool, cool, cool, cool, let's do it. And so we wait till the after school, and we were in portables at the time, and so we're sitting outside, and so, you know, I'm like, okay, just repeat after me, we're gonna say this prayer. And so we say the prayer. And then I'm like, amen. He's like, amen. And he just starts bawling. And people are walking around, and I'm like, bro, kick back. Like, people are walking next to us, like, I get it, man, this was emotional, but not that much, you know, like, relax, bro. People are looking at us like, what's happening over there? And he continues to cry, and I'm like, bro, what's happening? And every time I don't want to listen to the voice of God,

I go back to the story. And he says, you don't understand. I was gonna go home, go in my room, And kill myself We don't know when what people are going through We don't know why the Holy Spirit wants you to talk to that person We don't know why God is telling you to do this for that person But what I do know is when we obey God he shows up He shows up So There's gonna be um, yeah, there's a graphic up there What I challenge you to do this week, there's my challenge for the week it's to take a picture of this or Memorize it write it down in your notebook. Whatever. It is one of our values just one and I challenge you To live one out just one Because CTC It's not just a church that says we have values. We are a church that activates it Come on, that's who we are. That's who we are So we're gonna go before the Lord in a minute we're gonna pray But I want If any of us are going through an Egypt If any of us are struggling through something or or maybe you're just living out your best life it's gonna be a prayer team up here and they want to hold your hand as We always take it back to the cross Because The Israelites might have had manner But we have the Holy Spirit because Jesus paid the price

And can I tell you you don't have to do life alone Can I tell you you've already been purchased can I tell you God already looked at your life and Although you say my life is too messy. My life is too chaotic my life. I'm too far gone Jesus said I already paid for it Let's go before the Lord Lord Jesus, we love you. We thank you in this moment Thank you, thank you father allowing us to Be able to express our belief in you In America because people around the world do not have The same opportunity that we do so we just thank you for this place Father if there are people in this room that are going through adversity that are going Through challenging times that are going through their Egypt father. I ask that you begin to bring them out not only father Spiritually, but also physically with people around them. I ask that that you begin to place people in their lives So they can walk this faith out together Father I pray for those in this room I ask that you strengthen each and every one of us as a as a as your bride to to be the hands and feet father As we live out these values We love you. We thank you Jesus and all CTC family said Close that with the worship song if you're needing prayer, we have our prayer team up here ready to pray with you and for you Don't lie Is to live within your love be undone by who you are My desire is to know you Deeper Lord How And throw my fears into the wind I am desperate for a touch and all Is to live within your love Be undone by who you are

My desire is to know you deeper I'll open up And throw my fears into the wind oh, I am dead No ♪ To live within your love ♪ ♪ Be undone by who you are ♪ ♪ My desire is to know you deeper ♪ ♪ Lord, I will open up again ♪ ♪ And throw my fears into the wind ♪ ♪ I am desperate for a touch of heaven ♪ ♪ I am desperate for a touch of heaven ♪ ♪ I am desperate for a touch of heaven ♪ Praise you, Jesus, amen. Our prayer team is still up here, church. If you need prayer, feel welcome to come up here and get some prayer. We love you so much. Be blessed, and we'll see you next week.