What a God!

Revere Church is here. We're so excited family for what God is doing in and through this community. We are in phase two of building the house campaign and we want to invite you to join us. Our goal is to raise five hundred thousand dollars and this isn't necessarily to buying a building but we believe God is preparing a building for us and this would be for the renovations of that building. There's a few ways that you can give. You can text any dollar amount to 84321. You can give online at reverechurch.com. You can click the link in the chat box or come in person, fill out an envelope, and drop it off in the boxes outside each theater. Enjoy the service. Welcome to Church, Revere. Man, y'all came with your praise voices today. If it is your first time or you're visiting or you're new, let me introduce myself. My name is Bianca Wattis and I'm one of the pastors here. What a privilege. Thank you. Love the love, Heather. Thank you. Here at Revere, we are passionate about life transformation. We are passionate about people coming into a community one way, being touched by the hand of God and being transformed into something else. And so today, that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna do just that. We're gonna be sharing stories of people's lives that have been transformed and illuminating a passage of antiquity out of Mark so that we can bind ourselves with the possibility of transformation as well. So instead of me telling these stories, I want you to grab a seat, make yourself comfortable because it's story time as we listen to what God is doing here at Revere. Hi, my name is Michelle. I've been a part of this community for the last six years and I've seen God do some pretty incredible things. Not only have I seen people walk in healing, I've seen people take steps of faith, I've also seen people step into their true callings by serving in this house. But not only did God do that for them, but I've also seen God doing an incredible work in my own life. Six years ago, I stepped into this house. Honestly, coming off a season that broke me. I was hurting and in a lot of pain and I actually had no idea what I was walking into. I came in thinking, I'm just gonna hide, I'm gonna come in, I'm gonna go out, I'm not going to invest. But God had a different plan for my life and he brought people around me in that season

that just surrounded me with love and were helping me see that I was carrying a lot of bitterness in my heart from previous seasons. And they were the ones that actually challenged me to go find healing, to go after what God really had for me, which was living a whole life. It was after that that I really spent a lot of time over the last couple years just really going after the things that God had for me so that I could actually walk in true freedom. I had my community around me. They just started praying for me. They started coming around me in the best way possible and they pushed me into finding that freedom that I never thought was possible. And honestly I can't thank this church enough because it's because of the people here that I've been able to live a life far surpassing what I ever dreamed I could live. I'm sitting here today healed, maybe not completely, but I'm a lot further along than I ever thought possible six years ago. And I just want to say thank you Revere. Thank you to the people who actually invested in me, who prayed with me, who fought with me, who cared for me. It's because of you that I get to sit and walk out a destiny that I never thought was possible. And if you're sitting in a chair today going, I don't know if this community is worth stepping into, I'm gonna tell you right now it's worth it. It's worth taking that step because these people are the reason why I get to sit in freedom that I never thought was possible. So I'm gonna challenge you. Take that step because the people in this house are gonna radically change your life. Hi my name is Cody Rogers and this is my story. After over five years of serving and being members of our last church, my wife Hannah and I felt like God was pulling us to a new community. And quickly we found ourselves uprooted from where we were and planted here at Revere. I myself have been challenged as a brother, as a son, as a friend, a leader, and a servant. And been able to experience so much more than I could have ever imagined. Coming from our previous church, being hesitant in stepping into and getting comfortable with the new community, and God just pushing us like, hey this is home, be challenged. And so I've been able to join and lead regroups and recourses, to going to Mexico and traveling the world, being an intern, and just being able to

receive a community and a home and family. What I want to ask you and really challenge you with is, what do you get when you commit to to community here at Revere. You get to lean on those beside you when you're really struggling, whether that is financially or emotionally, relationally, whatever it may be. You get to celebrate with friends and family through the winds, whether that is graduating or you're expecting your first child, or just getting to see those that get baptized and those that are choosing to really step into a relationship with Jesus here at Revere. No matter the seasons, no matter wins or losses, laughs and cries, through it all, God will prevail. Hi, my name is Mariah, and I've seen God use this community to increase my faith and obedience to Him. In 2023, God actually asked me to leave my career job solely to serve His people, and I wasn't sure what I was going to do or where I was going to go. It was actually then that I went on vacation to Southern California, and I visited this church. I met a girl named Diana Romero in the living room, and she was this crazy girl filled with faith that that day convinced me God could do the impossible and actually use me in the process. Six months later, it was that same faith extended from this house that caused me to get in my car scared and start driving 3,000 miles across the nation.

Though I didn't yet have a house or a job or community, God has shown up for me, and He's given me opportunities to lead and love His people here. Now it's been one year later, and there's still days that's really hard, and I get overwhelmed from missing my family. The finances just don't line up, and I get worried about where I'm going to live next, but it's the faith that's brewed out of this community that's built in this house that actually gives me courage to stay and to be obedient to God. Because of that, I've gotten to see fruit in the lives of my friends and family. Just recently, my best friend came to visit me, and she attended one of our services here. It was actually then that she encountered God in a powerful way, and she returned back to her faith, put her trust in God, and now I get to see her filled with His spirit, full of joy, and being used by God daily. It's moments like these that make me realize that the faith established here at Revere isn't just transforming my life, but the lives of people that I love around me. These are the people that I've went to God, and I've prayed, and I've asked for them to be saved. I've asked for Him to use them and move through them, and I'm starting to see the fruit of it now. What a mighty God we serve. Isn't God doing a great work here at Revere?

Would you stand to your feet? Let's continue to sing to our God. We're going to teach you a new song. What a God, what a God. Who thought I'd find you at the lowest place? Who thought you'd fill me in the crowd? Who knew you'd make good of my mistakes? You're nothing like I thought you were. You're better. What a God, what a God. Yeah. What a God, what a God. Whoa. What a God, what a God. Know it's who you are. What a God, what a God. I thought you'd show up for prevention. Because what kind of God looks for the lost? They say you show up for a sinner. Oh, but you say, no, it's not, no, it's not. You say, no, it's not, no, it's not. What a God, what a God. Yeah. What a God, what a God. Whoa. What a God, what a God. What a God, what a God. Whoa. What a God, what a God. What a God, what a God.

Marvelous and splendid. Oh, well, that's a great words of you. What a God, what a God. And if the highest place I've reached is at your feet, then I've done it all. If the best thing that I've seen is your glory, then I've seen it all. Your love has changed my life. You are a satisfying God. You are my everything. If the highest place I've reached is at your feet, then I've done it all. If the best thing that I've seen is your glory, then I've seen it all. Your love has changed my life. You are a satisfying God. You are my everything. If the highest place I've reached is at your feet, then I've done it all. If the best thing that I've seen is your glory, then I've seen it all. Your love has changed my life. You are a satisfying God. You are my everything. You are my everything. You are my everything. What a God, what a God. What a God, what a God. What a God, what a God. What a God, what a God.

If the highest place I've reached is at your feet, then I've done it all. If the best thing that I've seen is your glory, then I've seen it all. Your love has changed my life. Forever satisfying God. You are my everything. If the one word is the only word you're speaking, then I've heard it all. If I feel your heart and never see your hand, then I've done it all. No treasure of this life could ever satisfy God. You are my everything. You are my everything. If the highest place I've reached is at your feet, then I've done it all. If the best thing that I've seen is your glory, then I've seen it all. Your love has changed my life. Forever satisfying God. You are my everything. If it's your everything, why don't you lift your hands in this room. Yeah, come on, keep singing it. Sing it out, sing it, got you. You are my everything. If it's your everything, lift it up, sing. You are my everything. You are my everything. Often times we come into the worship place and we come to get something from God.

All of us have needs and we need something from the Lord. But many times we don't sing songs just to ascribe honor and glory and to reverence, revere our God, our Savior, His presence. What in this moment if we just lifted our hands and began to say, Lord, I love you. I thank you because of who you are and not only because of what you do for me, but because you exist. You're the great I am, hallelujah. You're the master of the universe. I trust you with my life every day and every night. Thank you, Lord, for being invisible, the king, the one who holds all things together. You're holding me together. You're holding my neighbor together. You're holding my family together. God, you are the God that rules over all. Nothing can get past you. Thank you, Lord, for your goodness and your faithfulness. Thank you for waking me up every morning. Thank you for looking over me when I go to sleep at night. Thank you, Lord, for every blessing that comes to my table. Thank you for the clothes on my back. If it was up to me, I don't know where I would be. But God, I know that with your hand, I have seen the goodness of the Lord. If I faint not. I'm not going to witness even more. Why? Because you're just so good.

Because you're just so great. Because you're everything. Because you're everything, God. You are my everything. Say, God, you are my everything. You are my everything. We ascribe glory. We ascribe honor to the Savior. You are my everything. God, you are my everything. You are my everything. Every crown is yours. You are my everything. One more time. Say, you are, you are. You are my everything. You are, you are. You are my everything. It's the highest, highest, highest. It is the highest. If the highest place are riches and your kingdom. Then I've done it all. Then I've done it all. And if the best thing that I've seen in the old world. Then I've seen it all. Then I've seen it all. If your love just saves my life. Yes, Lord. Oh, yes, it saves my life. One more time.

Church, from the front to the back. Can we say it again? If the highest place are. If the highest place are riches and your kingdom. Then I've done it all. Then I've done it all. If the best thing that I've seen is your glory. Yeah. Then I've done it all. Your love. Your love has changed my life. Forever, Lord. Forever, God. Yes, Lord. God, you are my everything. Oh, say, God. God, you are my everything. God, you are my everything. God. You are my everything. What a God. What a God. What a God. What a God. As a leader in this community, I wrestle with, as we are preparing for whatever home the Lord's going to take us to. I pray that it has two stories and ample kid space. I'm praying for EV chargers, for electrical cars. I'm praying for an AC that works in the summer

and a heater that works in the winter to the glory of God. But I would never want anyone to walk out of a building and say, what a building, or walk out of a worship service and say, oh, what worship, or what a pastor, or what a sermon. Oh, that we would be a people and say, what a God. What a God. What a God that we indeed serve. So do me a favor. Welcome to Revere, where we just, our breath is taken away by the goodness of God. And turn to your neighbor and tell them, testify and say, what a God. Ooh, there's kissing in the front row. OK. Ooh, Kira and PJ, they kissed to the glory of God. I'm about that. Turn to your neighbor. Go ahead and grab a seat and welcome. Welcome to church. I love seeing all of us gather here because something changes when the people of God gather. Something changes. When your faith and my faith come together, God's presence is there. There is power in presence. And that's what we're talking about today. Because God's presence comes together with our presence. And miracles break place. Now, if you have been with us the last couple of weeks,

you know that we launched Revere six weeks ago. And with that came a series. Thank you, Paul. I appreciate that one person that's excited about that. We launched a series entitled, We Are Revere. And on week one, I cast a vision. Why the name? And who are we? We are going to be people that revere God's presence. We revere his word and we revere his people. But in addition to that, I wanted people to know who we are, what we're about, our sauce, our DNA, our ethos. Because then you get to decide, is this vibe my tribe? And am I going to be with this church? And I said, give me eight weeks as we go through this. And then you get to decide if this house is your home. But on week one, I spoke about Revere. Then on week two, Pastor Cesar hit us with honor. We honor up. We honor down. We honor around. And then I came and I spoke about our not-so-secret sauce. Because we don't gatekeep in here. We believe that faith is our not-so-secret sauce. Now to him who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly. And then we got hit with this idea and concept that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, grit don't quit. We don't back down. We only step up. And then last week, we spoke about extreme generosity.

Because we want to be people who are generous. And today, I want to be talking this truth about who we are and our values. That we are passionate about people. Why are we passionate about people? Because God is passionate about people. Do me a favor. Turn with me to your Bibles to Mark chapter 2. And as you go there, I need us to be mindful. Okay, if the value is we're passionate about people. What does that mean that we are passionate about bringing people to where the presence of God is? Let's pick this up Mark chapter 2 verse 1. The verses are on the screen and if you need a Bible we have a free one for you at the Welcome Center because we love the Word of God. A few days later when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard, somebody say heard, oh they heard something going on, there's something going on. Who have you told about what God's doing in your life, your home community? People heard Jesus was there and that he had come home. There's something about home that I love. I want our house to feel like a home, a place where you feel safe to come just as you are and that you know every Sunday you're going to experience the very presence of God. They gathered in such large numbers, verse 2 says, that there was no room left, not even outside the door and he, what did Jesus do? He preached the Word of God. So go there in your mind's eye, the room is packed to the hilt, I mean from the windows to the wall. People are backed up and it is tight. Nobody, why do you sinners know that lyric? We are a saved and sanctified people. It's tight, it's tight, it's tight up in there and the people are coming outside of the door. They're eagerly anticipating unbated breath, the Word of God and the Son of God is preaching the Word of God. So the Word of God is preaching the Word of God because then John says in the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and the Word was with God. There was a holy hush as people are listening on bated breath as he preached and look at verse 3. Some men came bringing to him a paralyzed man carried by four of them. We don't know the paralyzed man's name but we do know that the friends did something for this man and here's the thing, you might not be friends with an actual person who's paralyzed but I would wager to believe that there is somebody in your life who feels stuck like they can't move. I would wager to believe that there are somebody who feels like because of some trauma they're laying down on a

mat unable to get up from the mat of life and move forward. I believe that there are people that are stuck in a mindset and they need someone to just pull them into the presence of Jesus. Oh that we will be people here at Revere that will drag people even against their will. If you had someone drag you to church today you owe them coffee and brunch because we're bad and bougie up in here. They loved you, they called you, they nagged you, they dragged you and now you're here. Look at verse 4 since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd they walked away disappointed. Is that what scripture says? They made an opening in the roof because they're a gangster right above Jesus by digging through it and then lowering the mat the man was on. Can you imagine being the sick friend whose friends grab each corner of this dirty dusty mat and they drag them to Jesus and they get there and everything is locked up. They can't get in. It's literally so packed. So what do you do? The friends don't walk away defeated. The friends are like let's make an opening in the roof. That's the friend you need. I'll be honest with you I'm a rule follower until I'm not okay. Like we will get on that plane, we will get that building, I will hop over a fence. I'm a rule follower until I'm not. Every one of you needs a tear the roof off friends. I'll break the rules to get you into the presence of Jesus and though we won't say this out loud here as the leader of the chief shepherd I will do everything short of sin to get you into the presence of God. Straight up and I am unapologetic about that. Guess what? We're packed out and our church is growing. I had to go to the staff and be like y'all are you down? Are we gonna rip the roof off? Are we gonna add a fourth service? Then I go to the Revere serve team. Are you down? We're gonna add a fourth service. I told the church will you give up your time slot in the second or third service to make space for people who are paralyzed. All this is happening and above Jesus's head he starts getting like debris that's falling on him and he's like wait what? And all of a sudden there's all of a sunroof coming in through Peter's house and there's four faces that peer over and three of them in my mind's eye they're afraid like did we just get in trouble? And there's one friend that's like what's up Jesus? We out here dropping people down to you. Verse five. When Jesus saw their faith. Whose faith? And who was there? The friends. It wasn't the mat that was the man that was lying on the mat. He saw their friend's faith and he said to the paralyzed man son your sins are forgiven. These men lowered their paralyzed friend down to the feet of Jesus so he made it into God's presence, but there was still a problem. How many know that you could fight

to get into the presence of God and still experience a problem? You could be in the presence of God and still have a paralysis. See, because many of us came in here today and we're praising God, what a God, what a God. And all of a sudden, you remember, you're actually fighting with your spouse. You come in here with your frozen face, like everything's okay, you say amen. You've heard this story before. So many times in Sunday school, you could actually preach it better than me, but you still have a paralysis. You're stuck. Why can't I move forward? Maybe you are the friend on the mat that you feel like I just can't move forward. You want to quit, you want to throw in the towel, because you think this is a permanent situation. You can't move, but God has such the perfect time to pull you into the right place at the right time to be around the right people, to step into with authority what God is calling you to step into. Thank God for these four friends who fought to put their friend at the feet of Jesus. I want people like this that are not gonna be concerned about my pain or my paralysis or any problems,

that they're gonna be solution-oriented. No, no, no, we're gonna grab a corner of our friend's mat and we're gonna drag him to Jesus. So the question I have to ask you today, Revere, who did you bring? Who did you bring to church today? Starts getting real uncomfortable. Ooh, you pointed to a friend. Shots of, that's right, you were invited. Extra crown for you, get her a coffee afterwards. She loves you, yes, yes. See, sometimes we get real comfortable. We love the presence of God. We love what we get. We love to come on our time. We like to sit in our chairs and we like to do what we like. And you've experienced freedom and life in the presence of Jesus. Why would you keep that from someone else? Who are you bringing to the feet of Jesus? This man's friends dragged him to Jesus. Why? Because there is power in presence. And when your presence comes together with God's presence in my presence, guess what? It's a breeding ground, a fertile breeding ground for miracles to take place. What a God, what a God. And I don't wanna talk about it. I don't want you to think like I'm trying to gas you up

or say, oh, great things are happening here. I want you to actually listen to the lives of those who have been transformed because of what God is doing in this community. His presence are here. His presence is here. And I want you to see what God's doing here within our community. What's up, everybody? My name is Jacob. And I just wanted to share with you how this community here at Revere has truly impacted my life. Before walking through these doors, I was a lost young man. I was chasing after the world and what it had to offer. And I just didn't have a true sense of community. I didn't have people to walk with me in my faith. I didn't have a sense of belonging at all. But now, a year and a half later, I could say that has truly changed. I did not just find a home. I found lifelong friends. I found people that walk with me in my faith and push me to the Lord on a daily basis. I found a second family that has stood by my side through every season. Through serving this house, to stepping into leadership, to going on mission trips, I have grown in ways that I couldn't even imagine.

My faith has deepened. My purpose has become more clear. And I truly have been forever changed. Here at Revere, this isn't just a home to me. It's a place where I have been encouraged. I've been challenged and truly accepted for who I am. And that is why I'm so grateful for this community and what it's done for me in my life. Well, you see this gray beard that gives you an idea of the stage of life that I am in. And when my family and I started coming to church at Revere, I had served in about 30 years at previous churches in various areas. And my intention was to just kind of come back and kick back. And one Sunday, Pastor B, she spoke and she said, we need you to join the prayer team. And it was like this quiver, this arrow, stuck me in my heart. And the Lord said, you need to join the prayer team. So I joined the Zoom prayer team. And I said, okay, I'm doing that, Lord. And then the other prayer team members, they said, you need to, you know, we need you to serve on Sundays as well. And I was like, I'm, you know, I'm not ready for that. I, you know, I'm at the stage of my life where I'm trying not to do too much. But the Lord wouldn't let me settle. He said, you need to serve on Sundays as well.

And I've been serving on the prayer team since then. And I can tell you this, that God has revived the dream on the inside of me at age 70 and I am just on fire being fulfilled. And there's a scripture that says in Proverbs 13 and 12, when hope is deferred, it makes the heart sick, but when desire comes, it is the tree of life. And that tree of life has been rebirthed in me. And now he has allowed me to minister to men and fathers. And the true calling on my life I've found out through the prayer team and serving here at Revere Church is that I'm called to serve in prayer and serve men and fathers and husbands. And so with that, I just want to say thank you, Pastor B. I want to say thank you to our prayer team here that they have prayed for me on many occasions, and that's the benefit that I've received from it. And one thing that God really is admonishing me to say is through prayer, sometimes like myself, I've thought I was prevailing in prayer, things were delayed. But through the prayer team, through the prayer ministry, he revealed to me that I've been prevailing in prayer all of this time. And I have a new understanding and meaning of what prayer means. So thank you. God bless you. What's up, guys? My name is Matt. I just want to share with you guys how the community here at Revere has completely transformed my life. I remember when I first got here, I just got out of a relationship, just left an old friend group. And I remember looking around, just seeing how everybody was engaging with one another, connecting with one another. And I remember in that moment, I felt so alone. I didn't know anybody. But I also remember in that moment, the Lord told me, these are your friends now.

And I knew if I wanted to join this community, that I needed to get plugged in as soon as possible. So from there, I joined the Revere home team, got plugged into regroups, Revere nights, young adults. And through all of that, not only did I find friends, but I built meaningful relationships. And through those relationships, strengthened my walk with the Lord, full of prayer, support, and encouragement. Through God-filled communities, I was able to learn humility, grace, love, forgiveness, and so much more. After two and a half years of putting God first and allowing Him to work in and through my heart, He put a godly woman in front of me. Shout out, Alyssa. I'm so grateful for you, honored and blessed to have you in my life. I'm excited to see what the Lord has planned for the both of us. Thank you to every single one of you. You guys have all impacted my life in one way or another. Thank you, Revere, for having such an incredible community that has allowed me to grow and mature into the man God created me to be. I love you all, and I'm so grateful that I get to call this place home. Why does gathering matter? Why do we come together? The Greek word is ekklesia, and ekklesia isn't a building. Ekklesia is us. Ekklesia, in our language, is church. It's not a building. It's a gathering of you and me coming together so that we can be in the presence of God. But there's a problem. If you remember, we read it in verse two. What was the problem of getting to Jesus? The room was full.

The room was full. You know what's beautiful is that God is blessing this community. We are growing, and we're expanding, and for second service, there's a line that goes outside of our doors, and hook a left, go all the way down to Bruxy, and I'm like, where are all these people coming from? This is insane. It's beautiful. I have to ask you, are you excited about that, or are you annoyed? Listen, you don't need to answer that one out loud because I think we should know we're excited, but will we want to give up our seat if somebody comes in emotionally paralyzed? If we're asked to serve, are we going to feel a way to make space for somebody who is financially paralyzed? I want to remind us that in this room, God's presence wants to hover and dwell and be at home. I want us to make room always. I always want to fight for every single empty space and chair in this room. Why? I will always look around, and I will talk to the ushers, and I'll tell them, hey, there's two seats right there, one seat right there. I'm like the airport director because I want people to come in and be here in the presence of God. I'm not waiting to be in the presence of God and I want to make room. The question I'm asking is, who are you bringing? Who are you bringing? Who do you have faith for? Who in your life so desperately needs to experience what you have experienced here in the presence of God? Are you making room for them? Will you open up your house for them? Will you open up your heart?

Open up your house for a recourse or a regroup. Will you open up your heart? Who are you bringing? Do we like the idea of God's presence Who are you bringing? without the participation in it? Look at verse six. Now, some of the teachers of the law were what? Sitting there. There are some of the teachers of the law were sitting there. This is crazy because there's so many people jam-packed and the religious people didn't even bother to move. They were sitting there thinking to themselves, why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God? Offense disrupts community. Jesus is such a G. He's like reading their thoughts, okay? Offense, they wanna be offended. They wanna feel a way. Are you offended? See, offense disrupts community, but unity creates impossibility. Unity creates a space where the devil is thwarted. And the dead enemy wants to come in and divide what God is doing here. He wants us to choose offense. He wants us to be annoyed.

He wants us to be bothered. Immediately, immediately, Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts. And he said to them, why are you thinking these things? Which is easier? To say this paralyzed man, your sins are forgiven or to say, get up, take your mat and walk. But I wanna tell you in my mind's eye, a rabbi would sit down when they taught. A teacher like Jesus would be seated. But in my mind's eye, he's got like the swagger of a college kid and the spirit of a hustler. And he stands up 10 toes down and says, but I tell you, but I want you to know that the son of man, what is he saying about himself? I am Messiah. I want you to know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins. If you came in here today and you got issues, you got tissues for your issues, you've got concerns, you have illnesses, you have financial debt, you have relational issues. If you got issues, guess what? Stop stressing because the son of man has the authority to not just touch your body, but touch your soul as well. That alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last is doing it then and he could do it today, okay? How do you know that, Bianca?

Why are you jogging like this? You wanna know something? Let me tell you the power of the gram. I know people are like, social media is the devil. I like it. I think it's fun, okay? It's bad if you let it run you, but it's fun if you know how to use it, okay? Let me tell you how we wanna testify using social media. I got a DM from a brother who's been in this community for the last five years. I know this man. I met him in the middle of, literally, right before we launched into COVID. It's the first week that he came to the church and his life was radically changed upon coming into this community. His life was touched by God, started getting plugged in, started getting healthy emotionally and spiritually and financially. Well, a year ago, he had told me that his father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I'm not too familiar with prostate cancer, so bear with me. I'm just giving you the info. I don't really know the details, but PSA in prostate cancer, you should be at zero. His PSA was at 48 to 52, which is stage four, terminal. They were preparing for him to die. And just yesterday, I got a DM and then I asked, I said, bro, you're not just gonna send me this DM.

You gotta send me a voice memo. I need details. Tell me, let me testify. Do I have your permission to tell this story? Let me tell you about how good my God is. His daddy's PSA is at a one, okay? He is almost in remission. Why do we care about this stuff? Because God is doing something in here that I don't want us to remain quiet about. So the question I'm asking is, what are you expecting God to do? And who are you bringing into the presence of God? God wants to do the miraculous in this house, and I don't wanna talk about it. I want you to listen to people whose lives have been radically transformed in this community. Pastor B always says to give God a year of your life, a full year where you devote everything to pursuing your relationship with him. Five years ago, that's exactly what I did. In that year, and in this house, I met my husband, I met my best friend through our online team, I made friends who would become Godparents to my daughter, and a full tribe of fellow parents with whom to do life. In this house, I received a physical healing by the laying of hands in prayer, and that healing led to my miraculous baby girl. I am forever grateful to this house and the ways that God has moved to change my life forever.

Hello, I'm Marian Favors, also known as Mama Marian, and I am incredibly blessed to be a part of this ministry. This community has profoundly changed my life. Through the Revere Church, God has brought me a close-knit group of 13 beautiful women who surrounds me. We pray together, we celebrate our birthdays together, and we support one another, and I have never felt this type of love or support before. Their prayers brought my grandchildren to Revere, and one of my grandsons was baptized last year. Since 2020, I have experienced tremendous loss, including the death of my son and my father on Christmas Day. The support that I received from my community and the leaders here at Revere brought me an unimaginable peace. I'm talking about the peace of God that surpassed all of my understanding. Today marks the three-year anniversary of my miracle, and God showed up for me through this community and my church family. The members of this house really prayed for me when I literally couldn't and stood in the gap for me, and the prayers of this house were instrumental in saving my life. I've been reading Revere's values, and one of them is that faith is a not-so-secret sauce. And one of my favorite verses in James 5.16 says that the fervent prayers of the saints availeth much. So this church believed for me, stood alongside my family, and showed up for me. And I want to thank Pastor Bianca because she supported my family, and this staff, and the prayer team, countless others in this church. Their prayers meant the world to me. And so today, on that anniversary, I get the privilege of speaking to the young people, and I get to tell them how important it is to serve God, and that faith does matter, and that your community and what they do for you can be life-changing, and the impact that

they can have in your life, just like the impact that you've all had in mine. And so every single thing that you do adds value, and it matters. And lives are transformed when, in obedience, we show up exactly the way that God called us to. And so I just want to thank you for showing up for me. Thank you. Victoria has been a faithful member of this church from the very beginning, and if you're not familiar with her story, she should not be here today. She was in the hospital, and I thought we were going to say goodbye. But God, what a God. What a God. What a God. I don't want you to think like I just make up stories. These are people's testimonies. It's their mats, if you will. In Greek, I told you ecclesia means gathering, it's a church, and there's these two Greek words that we see in the New Testament for healing. The first one is therapia, and this one is free, because we all know therapy in Orange County is real expensive, but therapia, which means to be made whole or healed, and iomia, which means cured or whole. This is why people are a passion. People are a passion, because people matter to God. If it matters to God, it should matter to us. God loves them, and we love them too. Look at verse 11. Jesus says, but I tell you, get up, take your mat, and go home. I wonder if this man on the mat was kind of pausing and thinking, take my mat. Are you kidding me? I don't want to take that. I've been on there.

Leave it. It's disgusting. I mean, think about it. He was paralyzed. He couldn't bathe himself. If he had to go to the bathroom, and no one was there to help him, did he defecate on himself? Did he urinate on himself? Who is tending to this man? Who is taking care of this man? The last thing he would want is a stinky, dirty, dingy mat. I don't want to carry that anymore. I don't want to carry that around, and we feel the same way about our testimonies. I don't want to talk about the thing that I came from. It smells. It's dirty. It's embarrassing, but your mat could be the very thing that is a reminder to other people of what God did for you. You were down on the mat of life, but God, but God, but God. What a God. Jesus told the man to take his mat with him because his mat was a reminder of what God did for him. Look at verse 12. He got up, took his mat, and walked out in full view of them. Here at this church, I want to make it very clear. It might sound weird to you. I really don't care. We just heard stories and miracles. We don't just talk about healing. We don't just preach about healing.

We drag our friends to the feet of Jesus, and we believe that your faith and my faith and your presence and the presence of God is the exact thing that we need for miracles to take place. This amazed everybody, and they what? Okay. Okay. There's like five people that responded. The answer's literally on the screen. I'm giving you a runway here, fam. Everyone was shocked. They had never seen anything like this. Who is this man? And then they what? They praised God. We have never seen anything like this. And I know that there's people that are gonna come into this community and say the same thing. What a God, what a God. I have never seen anything like this in my life. So church, I'm asking, who are you bringing? Who are you bringing, Justin? I need you to think of the person who in your life is on a mat, and I want you to say their name. Church, who are you bringing? Who are you believing for? This is not a rhetorical question. I'm asking you, say their name out loud. I'm not hearing you, church. Say their name.

Say their names so the enemy doesn't have a hold on them. Who needs to be healed in the presence of Jesus? Say their name, say their name. Say their name because there is one name that is greater. There is one name that has power. There is one name that can do what we cannot do. His name is Jesus. Because of the name Jesus, we get to speak life over our friends that are on the mat of life and say, what a God. I can't do it, but I'm gonna drag you into the presence of the one who can. That's my Jesus, that's my Jesus, and we pray. We hope you enjoyed service today. If you wanna say yes to Jesus, you can click the link in the bio. If you wanna make this house your home by joining a regroup or recourse or joining our Revere Serve team, you can also click the link in the bio. And if you are part of our online family and you've been giving online, we just wanna say thank you. You are part of loving on our local and our global community. Because of your generosity, we are able to take the word of God further than we could ever imagine. So thank you.