Legacy is Formed at the Table
by Kevin & Chassidy Allen
September 6, 2026 · Centerpointe Apostolic Church (Murfreesboro, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Psalms 78:5-6, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 5:15-16, Colossians 2:8, Genesis 1:27, Proverbs 4:7, Matthew 6:21, Joshua 24:15

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kevin-chassidy-allen--legacy-is-formed-at-the-table
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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Thank you for worshiping. You can make your way back to your seats. I ask my wife to join me on stage today. It is family month and we're honored that you chose to be here at Centerpoint with us. This is one of my favorite months of the year. We know that the world we're living in. The family is under attack. Do you know that the home is under attack? Do you feel that? Yeah, it is. I'm so thankful that God doesn't leave us alone.

What I mean by that is he walks alongside us. He gives us his word. He gives us an opportunity to engage with him and he puts people in our lives. Sometimes it's our family and we're always thankful when it's our family. But sometimes families can be a bit of a mess. Have you noticed that? I'm thankful for the family of God that even when family doesn't work out the way maybe it was supposed to be that God's like, "You know what? I got you."

I like it when God shows up, helps me out. Now, here's the deal. This is an Apostolic Pentecostal church, and if you don't engage, I feel like I'm by myself in the room. >> Yeah. Are you with me today? >> Amen. All right. [applause and music] Family month. I was as I was praying about family month and and what I felt like the Lord was directing me in my spirit to put together a month's worth of activities and Sundays and Wednesday nights planning. you know, had a great team that was working with me.

I kept coming back to the building a legacy. You know, last year during family month, we talked about going from generation to generation. And playing off of that just a little bit when when I was beginning to think about what it meant to build on that foundation, I feel like we have to be intentional when it comes to our families. Intentional. What I mean by that, and hopefully we're going to unpack it a little bit more today with some content for you, is that if we're not being intentional, the enemy is intentionally trying to distract, and destroy.

>> That's what the word of God says. He comes to steal, kill, and to destroy. >> And the devil's really good about being the devil. He's the best one I know. He's really good at it. He's really good about trying to get capture our attention and causing distractions in the home place, especially because it was God's institution, the home. It's God's design was the home. He understood the importance of having the family unit. Now again, today's world that we live in today because of sin and brokenness in the world.

Have you realized it's a broken world? We have to deal with a lot of dysfunction. A lot of stuff that it was never the way it was intended to be. It wasn't God's design. It was it was the brokenness of humanity that causes us so many frustrations. But as I was praying about this, Lord brought me to Psalm 78 verse 5 and 6. For he issued his laws to Jacob. He gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children so the next generation might know them.

Even the children not yet born and they in turn will teach their own children. You're going to see through scripture reading today and as we begin to unpack some principles for what we are going to be talking about today that that it had always been God's plan is that the family unit was to be there to teach his word, his principles from generation to generation to pass on a legacy. Now, here's what I know is there are some in the room that you would be multigeneration raised in church, multigeneration raised in apostolic truth.

That doesn't make us better than anybody else. It's just the reality of what has unfolded for us. But there are others who I know are in the room today that you're generation one. And I want to I want you to say thank you for being generation one. I know I know full well that you come out of so much dysfunction and you have such a powerful testimony about what God has done in your life and now you're watching God do a work in your kids' life or in your grandkids life and even in your parents' life and in your brother's life and your sister's life, your family.

You're watching God do a work because you were the catalyst. You were the one who said, "You know what? I'm going to stand and make a change. I'm going to be the differencemaker in my family." And I applaud you again. Thank you for your commitment and what God's doing through you and in your family. But I want us all to know that if we're not intentionally working on building a legacy, we will not pass on a legacy that we will be proud of. By default, we'll pass along a legacy of brokenness.

If we're not intentional, and I mean very intentional about doing our part, when I read this this verse of scripture that Chasse just read to you read to us, I feel like uh it captures the vision that faith has to be taught. It has to be taught. It's not accidental. The truth must be modeled in front of our our family. It has to be done. Homes must be built intentionally and in order for a legacy to be passed on. So, what we're going to do over the next four weeks on Sundays is today is table talk with Chastity now, but next week we're going to be a kids takeover, grandparent Sunday.

We got an evangelist Steve Hicks going to be in. And you don't want to miss next Sunday. I promise you it is high energy Sunday. High energy Sunday. It's going to be great. And then week three, the insies are going to be here with us and it's going to be our marriage focus weekend. We got couples retreat going on before service. We're going to talk about how healthy marriages create strong families and strong families create a lasting legacy. And then the last Sunday of this month, God about six or eight weeks ago gave me a message on legacy on on how our legacy is supposed to outlive us.

And I I want you to know it is a special word from God. You don't want to miss the last Sunday this month. On Wednesdays, as it was already said, we're going to be doing some breakout classes and give you an opportunity for every week to come in and pick a different class to go to. They're all one-off classes. So, of the six classes being offered, you have an opportunity to be a part of four of them. It's going to be a good time.

But we're here today and today we're going to be talking about legacy is formed at the table. So, this uh kitchen table setup isn't new. Uh we've done this for a few years now. But I want you to just imagine that you are pulling up the proverbial seat at the table. And today is just going to be a conversation about family um about some of the things that we feel like the Lord has really been dealing with us about. And um you know we've talked in the past about how the kitchen table is really where uh you know we share meals but we also share a lot of conversation and we we this is where we disciple and this is where we mentor and this is where we teach.

Um sometimes you know plans are made sometimes this is where bills are paid. Uh occasionally this is where an argument breaks out. That was something we don't even remember five minutes ago. >> Yeah. Yeah. Um especially when it was the five of us around the table. Our life has changed a bit this year. Uh two daughters are now gone and they are on their own with their husbands. And so our dynamic is changing. The way we family, the way we we do our table talk looks a bit different now, but we're learning.

And you know, every family dynamic in this room is so different. So it may not look like ours, but that's okay. The principles that we want to talk about today, um, they transcend, you know, any one family type. >> Mhm. >> These principles can be applied no matter what your family dynamic looks like. Even if you're single in the room and you live alone, you have a church body and a church family. And it's important that we know how to connect and communicate with each other.

So, I think it's important as we're starting off today to ask a deeper question, something for you to think about inside your only your own family dynamic, regardless of what it looks like. That question is this. Who or what is forming your family? >> Who or what is forming your family? Now, we all have busy schedules. If you're not busy in this room, we don't know. We don't even know how to identify with you. Everybody's busy. Everybody has a calendar full of of things and activities.

And then we we throw in how culture makes us feel through viewing social media and entertainment. And then there's friendships. And then there's technology. And the the reality is all of these things, every one of them are shaping and and forming our families in one way or another. So most of our influences that come into our homes, they never knock on the door and announce themselves, hey, I'm here. I'm here to influence your family. They don't do that. But what we know is they simply become a part of the atmosphere when it comes to home life.

>> Yeah. I think that, you know, to echo what he just said, there's not an an an un or an intentional allowance of the world or influences to come in and shape the dialogue uh that we're having. um the behaviors that we're modeling um or seeing in in our family um at home. But I do believe that disciplehip is intentional and if we're not intentionally discipling, then we are going to be discipled by something else. Um, I feel like God's word has been an anchor for us in raising our kids.

And one thing the Lord brought to me not long ago and I've really been trying to implement this when it comes to Emory because she's my only one left and she still needs quite a bit of parenting sometimes. I love you, Emory. She's in the nursery. But uh but there are times when she's going through things or she says things and instead of me coming to her and saying, "Well, if I were you, I would." I've been trying to say, "What does the word say?

What does the word of God tell you to do in this situation? I can tell you what my flesh would do, what my flesh would say, how I would respond, but that's not beneficial to her, unless I just want to pass down the way my family's always been. And I don't know about you, but I have a wonderful family. That's not necessarily a bad thing. But I'll tell you what's better. >> Amen. is whenever we can guide our responses and say, "Well, what does the word say?"

and go from there. Are we building our homes around his word? >> It gives them something to anchor to because we may not always be there. But here's the reality and this is a this is a truth. How we act, what we say, the way we go about our daily activities is modeling something in front of our family that they're seeing and witnessed. So, if we are constantly taking them back to the word of God, we're letting them know that this is your anchor.

This is where you go when life throws you a storm and you feel like you're going under. You can hang on to the word of God. It will get you through. It's not an outdated book. It's as relevant as it has ever been. >> In 2026, you can build your life on the word of God. In fact, Paul talked about this in Romans 12 verse number two. It says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

You will never discover the will of God based off of your feelings. >> You won't. You have to get down into the word of God to discover what his will and purpose is for your life. So, that's what we try to do and encourage you as well as you're working through situations in your family. The world constantly pressures us to take its mold and its shape. And we're going to unpack that in just a few minutes in a little bit more detail. But I got a I got a note for you if you're a notetaker.

Here's your note. Transformation happens when God's word becomes louder than the voices around us. >> Amen. >> I'm going to say that again. Transformation happens when God's word becomes louder than the voices around us. Now, here's the deal. We haven't mastered life. That's laughable. Mhm. >> I mean, we fuss a lot. >> Mhm. >> Mostly my fault. >> Yeah. >> Occasionally your fault. >> We haven't mastered it. So, we're not up here as examples of a perfect pictured family. Far from that. What we are here today is a couple who has spent quite a bit of time trying to work through the word of God in their individual lives and in their married lives and in their family's life to try to say to you that it is hard enough on its own, but it is much harder than when you do it without God than you do it with him.

So, we're trying to direct you back to the word of God because here's here's four things I want to talk about today. I want to talk about how there's a battle in our families for our time. There's a battle in our families for our identity. There's a battle in our families for how we think. And there's a battle in our families for attention. >> So, for the next few minutes, we're going to unpack each one of these just a little bit and give you some scriptural insights and some things that we feel like God has worked with us through in our own families.

And we're still we're still a work in progress. Okay? I just want you to know we're a work in progress >> very much. and he touched on the battle of our time for our time. I've talked about that already once this year, but um you know, life's not getting any slower. Schedules aren't getting any lighter. They're getting heavier all the time. And most families that I know, we we have a church that's full of of young families. And you guys are in a season.

Um, and between work and school and sports and appointments, all the church responsibilities that we have, household demands, that family calendar can really feel like a full-time job to manage. Um, it's it's it's incredibly difficult to uh multitask and keep every member everywhere they're supposed to be at all times. And these things are good. I'm not saying that they're bad. Um, but we view things a little differently than the world. >> Our calendar is not supposed to be our Lord. Our calendar is supposed to belong to the Lord.

Now, that doesn't mean you have to be at church seven days a week. No, >> but what that means is we make the Lord first, his house first, and everything else is secondary and it gets plugged in accordingly. We really have to be mindful to watch the things that matter most. Paul talked about this in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 15 to 16. He says, "See then that you walk circumspectly." Everybody say circumspectly. >> Not as fools but as wise redeeming the time because the days are evil.

Now circumspectly it's it basically the word means that you need to walk looking around and not finding yourself being unaware of all that's going on around you. Sometimes we can get so focused in on all of the busy that we miss out on the important parts of life. If I dare say if I asked for you to raise your hands that you feel guilty about missing out on some good things because you were so busy that there would probably be unanimous hands across the sanctuary today because we live in a busy day and age.

It's amazing for us to have all the modern conveniences and time-saving things in our life that we all seem to have no time. I don't think that's accidental. I think it's intentional. I think our enemy, as I've heard, as you heard me say many times before here, that if he can't make you bad, he'll make you busy. Because either way, it accomplishes the same goal. You miss out on what is supposed to be important in life. We should ask more of ourselves other than can I just fit this in.

Because isn't that interesting how we're always managing to fit some things into our calendar. The more important question I think we should ask and this is one for you to take a note on is you should be asking this question when it comes to our time specifically when it comes to our family time. What is this schedule producing in our family? >> What is this schedule producing in my family? >> Amen. >> Because there's a lot of stuff and and I'm not saying it's bad stuff.

There's a lot of good things that are out there. But are we ever thinking about what it is doing to our family? Is it enhancing our family or is it eroding our family according to the word of God? Not culture. Culture has a unique definition that usually goes very very much in contrast to the word of God. But according to the word of God, what is my schedule doing to my family? Because I feel like a full calendar does not necessarily mean that you're having a full life.

A family can be be involved in everything and deeply connected to nothing. >> I don't know about you guys, but I want to be deeply connected to something. Not just about my kids, but me, too. How many of you have ever been in a hurried hurried morning? And yeah, I mean, I I think most of us have. If you don't live that way currently, you remember a time um you know, you're running late, you're barking orders, you're just trying to get out of the house, right?

And you know, I think that hurry is and especially when you live in a state of constant hurry and chronic hurry, it changes the atmospheres in our home. And I think that that starts in our minds. We can't just say, "Oh, I'm going to eliminate XYZ in the morning, and that's going to give us give us a smoother uh uh way out the door." It has to start in your mind. You have to really renew your mind in the Lord and and stop the hurry here so that it starts so that it stops rather coming out >> um in our day-to-day interactions with our family.

Um you know, we can spend the week talking at each other. There's so much to to, you know, say and do, but how many times have we just talked at each other and not really talked to one another? >> Taking the moment to look each other in the eye and to really get a sense of how they are and where they are. You know, it's easy for me to just be like, "She'll be fine. She'll get over it. We She's just got to get to school.

We'll deal with that later." But there comes a time where you have to sit down and say, "How >> are you?" >> Yeah. >> How are you feeling? And we turn this off and we turn this over and we turn everything else off and we connect with one another. I think sometimes we think we're doing that and we're not actually doing that. So, I feel like it's really, really important. We've got to know what's happening in the hearts of those that we love and not just what their schedule is.

>> Well, otherwise we miss the intentional moments that are there because there's so much going on, right? Who's not busy? We're all busy. We all have places to go and things to do and and we we feel this whether we admit it or not. We all feel that angst. It's there. But as Chastity said, sometimes you need to be aware enough of your family's needs to say, you know what? We're going to pause a minute. We're not going to wait. We're not going to delay.

We're not going to push this off till tomorrow. I feel like we need to connect. And we've allowed other things. They're not bad things. I'm not saying they're bad. I'm saying they're they're good. But at the same time, the good is robbing us for a connection moment with our family. And for those of you who are in a season of having littles, I know there's a lot of people that have little kids that are, it's a season of life and we remember that we're not there now.

I will tell you, this may sound crazy. It goes by like that and you blink and they're married and they're gone. It's a new season that's there. So, I want I want you to know I promise you it'll go by faster than you expect. And there's a whole crowd of witnesses in the room who agree with Chassin that it goes by fast. So, I'm telling you, if you're not being intentional, it's gone. It goes by too fast. The goal is not an empty calendar.

It's an intentional one. Sometimes protecting our family means saying no. Every good opportunity is not necessarily a God opportunity for our life. That's where as those that are leading the household, we need to stop. Whether that's a single household, um a family with kids at home, empty nesters, retirement years, whatever the case may be, you still need to be aware of your calendar. Am I am I living a God-honoring calendar? Am I being intentional with my time? Our schedule should be should be not forming us.

Instead, we should be allowing it to be formed by what we determine is right and what is good. Are we becoming the family God called us to be at the pace we're living? That's a question that I feel like important to ask inside your family dynamic, whatever your family dynamic is, is to stop and be honest with yourself and ask this question. Are we becoming the family God called us to be at the pace we're living? If the answer is no, then you got to make some changes.

I don't know. That's a question you have to answer. I don't live in your house. So time is one of the fights. But the next fight that goes into that is also our identity because the busyiness is always competing for our time. But culture is competing for our identity. Have you picked up on that lately? Colossians 2:8 says, "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit according to the traditions of men according to the basic principles of the world and not according to Christ."

Guys, ideas have consequences, >> right? What we believe eventually shapes how we live. And here's a truth. Culture continually tells us who to be and what success looks like. >> To put that, you know, in in the real world for us, you know, we talk a lot about socials and comparison and and we all know comparison's bad for us, right? The word of God speaks against that. But, you know, I I really do believe that sometimes we do ourselves a disservice whenever we just um tell ourselves, tell each other, tell our kids, just don't compare yourself.

Just don't compare. Well, yeah, that's easier said than done because we we we are designed to take in information constantly. We're always seeing. We're always perceiving. We're always doing. But whenever we can stop and we can say my identity is in the Lord. He has Godwired me. Yes. To borrow that from brother shock. He likes to say that a lot. We are Godwired >> to worship him, to live our lives, to do things in a certain way. It takes your focus off of, oh, I'm just I'm just not going to compare myself.

and instead you're saying, "No, I'm going to I'm going to lean in here and say, God, what is it that you've designed me to uniquely do?" And then you can walk through life and you can say, "I am who God intended me to be." That helps you when you're raising your kids. It helps you whenever you're um, you know, looking inward at your own marriage and you're being like, "Well, they've got it all together." Well, they may today. Mhm. >> But you don't know the 20 years that preceded today.

You don't know the hard work, the sacrifices. Uh same thing goes, you can apply that with anything. And I really really believe that our identity is just being challenged daily. But we know who we are in the Lord. We know who we are in him. And comparison is only going to make us feel like our lives are not real enough. They're not good enough. You know, it's like that endless hamster wheel. You remember I remember having a hamster as a kid and watching that crazy thing spin around that wheel at night and thinking to myself, why would you do that?

You're going nowhere. Absolutely nowhere. But he's given it all he had. And I look sometimes at individuals and families and the cultural pressure that's there. You're on that proverbial hamster wheel just running for things that really don't matter at the end of the day. We get so caught up in what culture decides that we needed to be identified with when it comes to performance or appearance or possessions or popularity or or even our desires there. Instead of it being something that we feel, we we see what culture says is important and all of a sudden it becomes our our identity that I have to have that or I'm less than or or my kids are going to have a less than life if they don't have the latest this or the latest that.

We never really really honestly ask God's wisdom before we make a decision. And that's where we find ourselves getting in trouble. Our identity begins with the God who created us. That's where our identity needs to start. Genesis 1:27 says, "So God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him. Male and female he created them." We do not have to reinvent ourselves every time the culture changes its mind. >> That's lunacy. >> Amen. I mean, you think about for those of you who have lived at least 20 years or more in the room, how many times has the cultural fats changed in our lifetime?

You know, you got to have this, you got to have that, you got to if you don't have this, you're you're missing out. And it's and only to realize none of that really matters. But yet sometimes we've spent so much of the most precious commodity we have, which is our time, chasing things that are just frivolous that don't have really any meaning or purpose. Yet not realizing all along the while it's shaping and forming how our family thinks about themselves because culture is pressuring us into this mold.

We don't again we don't have to reinvent ourselves just because culture changes. I love that we do not have to reinvent ourselves every time that culture changes its mind. It's why our families need more than just rules. >> Yes. >> It's why we we really need to understand why we believe what we believe and know that difficult questions, they're going to come. And you know what? We're not going to be scared of them. We're going to welcome difficult questions. And if we don't know, we're going to say, "I don't know yet."

>> Mhm. >> But I'm going to go to the Lord. I'm going to go to the word. I'm going to go to my pastor. I'm going to go to someone trusted and I'm going to find out. Welcome those questions. We cannot merely tell our families, our kids what we oppose. We have to show them the beauty of what God created them for. >> Absolutely. >> What he created them for. and not to be afraid of the questions. Chasse just said that and I know sometimes questions can come our way and we get a little bit intimidated by it.

You know, there's certain seasons of life when our kids are going to ask us some questions that maybe be a little bit nerve-wracking. And sometimes because of what society has going on, it bring in questions that we didn't even know existed yet. There's some off-the-wall questions. And I want you to know what she said while ago is completely appropriate for you to say, you know, I don't know now, but if you'll give me a day to do a little work on my end to pray and ask God's wisdom and direction for our family's life, I would love to discuss this with you tomorrow and you have my word.

I'll come back to you to bring this up so that our family whether it's our kids or our brother or sister whoever it is no matter what the case is if our family knows that they can come to us and talk that family is a safe place where if I have questions I can get answers in a safe place that is there because here's the reality she talked about it a while ago she made the statement that that it's not just about rules because it can't be it can't be just about rules because that's not a relationship that's not the dynamic God ever ever ever ever wanted.

I I want you to listen. I'm going to read this however have it typed on this paper so that you understand. And if you're a notetaker, you can write it down. Conviction without relationship can feel like rejection. Conviction without relationship can feel like rejection. But relationship without truth eventually becomes abandonment. >> Amen. So our homes should be places where truth is spoken clearly, where they feel safe and questions are asked honestly and their love is never doubted. Now again, I know there's a lot of situ situations and circumstances represented in this room to where that maybe the home that you grew up in was not a safe place.

I'm sorry that wasn't the reality for you. I really am. But I want you to know for those of you who are starting as a generation one making the change in your family that one of the things that's going to make the biggest difference and you being able to leave a legacy through your kids and your grandkids and your family members that are now connected to you is for you to be open that hey I don't have it all figured out. I'm still trying to be obedient to God's word.

I'm still trying to follow where his spirit leads me every day. And then we can work on this together. We can talk about it together. There's been plenty of times that Chassity and I after the girls had went to bed, we had to have some hard conversations about the questions that they brought to this very table. But I was thankful that we had purposefully tried our best to create an environment around this table to where they felt safe. >> Now, in your home, it may not be the table.

It doesn't have to be a table, but there should be a space, whether it's the living room or whatever the case may be for you, to where your family feels comfortable enough to bring life's difficult circumstances and questions to you so that you can discuss it as a family. And love should always be felt even though sometimes love feels like correction. >> Amen. And we're going to transition just a little bit here and talk about um some technology things, but this ties in with the battle of our our thoughts and our thinking.

Um you know, we're all influenced all the time. And if you just again, I I keep coming back to this word intentional. Um, you know, if you're not intentional with directing and capturing and uh, you know, choosing what thoughts you you meditate on and think about, then um, you're going to go through your day, through your week, through your month. the years are going to slip by and and really you're just going to be um responsive responsive to what's coming into your your mind instead of um really taking those things captive and really filtering it through the word.

Um we know that technology is huge. We talked about it a lot uh this year. We're talking about it a lot because we're seeing so many changes in technology at such a rapid pace and you know we don't live in a bubble. >> We we we don't uh live off the grid. We we face this every day. We're using it every day. We may not be using um all of it, but it's in our phones. It's um you know, we're using it in schools.

It's in the workplace. It's in our homes. But our response to technology and changing and what it's doing to our thought processes, it can't be received or responded to in panic. It really, you know, we can't just blindly accept it. We've got to be able to use some biblical discernment. And sometimes it worries me a little bit, scares me just a bit. Um, if we're not walking in that discernment where that's going to lead, there are some things that only the spirit >> Amen.

>> can can quicken me and say, uh, uh-uh, that's imitation. That's not real. That's fake. I was with someone not long ago and he was on the phone and he was having a conversation with with a woman and I thought it was his mom and he was asking, you know, questions and and it was a very conversational, you know, um, moment. And and then I realized I was like, he keeps asking her all these questions and she is either the most brilliant woman to ever walk on the earth.

And then it hit me that's chat. That was AI. It wasn't his family member, but he was talking as if he had a relationship there. And so, you know, it's there and it's scary. And I think that the pursuit, you know, of unrestricted knowledge has always led God's people into trouble. If you go back and you think about the Garden of Eden, >> Mhm. What got them in trouble? It was their desire for restricted knowledge. They wanted open access. I don't know.

I think there's something there. >> Yeah, it's I agree. >> You know, and it started in the garden and obviously we're talking about artificial intelligence for just a minute and it is the world we're living in. Whether you want to deny it and feel like it's not there, I'm going to tell you right now that's simply not the truth. It is a part of our world and it is not going away. It is not. Now, like all things, we can harness some good stuff from it, but we also need to be aware of what we're getting oursel into.

So, I go back to something that Chassity just said. If ever there's been a time in our life that we needed biblical discernment, it is now. >> Yeah. It is now to take ownership and responsibility for your part that you play for your family. You need to be aware. Moms and dads, grandma and grandpa, don't think just because you're you're a certain age that that you don't need to deal with that. I'm telling you, you need to have biblical discernment in your life because this stuff is so good.

As Chasse just said, it is so good. And what we're dealing with right now is people's inability to know right from wrong. And it's only going to get better. We don't know where this is headed. Now, we we still got to live in this world. We do. But we need the Holy Ghost. >> Yes. >> We need the Holy Ghost. >> We need that Holy Spirit in our life to help us decide what is right and what is wrong. So that when we have our I be old school one of my Holy Ghost meter pegs.

I don't know. It looks right. It feels right, but my Holy Ghost is telling me something's wrong. >> We need this. If not, I promise you, we're going to pay too high a price >> for what it's going to do to our world. It is there. And if you you can say it's not a part of your life, I promise you your water meter is attached to artificial intelligence right now in your house. You don't believe me? Go out there and look at the antenna.

Now, don't rip it off and get yourself in trouble. But it is a part of our world today. Bible says in Proverbs 4:7, "Wisdom is the principle thing. Therefore, get wisdom and in all you're getting, get understanding. I go back to something that Chasse said. This has been a couple of months ago or maybe a little bit more. One morning, I came in there and she had been having her time of prayer and devotion. She said, "I really felt like the Lord spoke to me about about artificial intelligence in the Garden of Eden."

She began to unpack this thought with me and I told her, I said, "That is brilliant. And if you don't do something with it, I'll rip it off. I'll preach it. Claim it as my own." They thirsted once their eyes had been opened for knowledge. And it wasn't that God didn't want to give them knowledge. He didn't want to give them knowledge without the relationship. They tried to shortcircuit the process. They had access to God in the morning and the evening. They walked with him in the cool of the day.

The one who knew all. Yet he gave them one command which was what? Don't eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now, was it because he wanted to keep knowledge from them? No. He wanted the relationship first because it's through the relationship he knew what they could handle and what they cannot handle. >> Right? >> But somehow we've convinced oursel that we need all the knowledge. I'm telling you guys, you better have his spirit operating in your life in the day and age in which we're living in.

This is not the time to be half in the church or half out of the church. This is not the time to be playing patty cake with Jesus. This is not the time. I promise you, we are in the last days, >> right? >> We are in the last days. You better wake up, >> right? >> You better wake up and realize the enemy is doing all he can to destroy. He doesn't want your money. >> He doesn't want your title. He doesn't want your boat or your purse or He doesn't want your house.

He wants your family to be destroyed. That is his mission and he is doing really good job at destroying our lives. So we better be >> you know bishop used to say something and I may mess it up but it was about how does how does deception feel? >> Mhm. >> It feels like the truth. How else are we going to know unless we have that discerning spirit of God that's leading us, that's prompting us, that's saying, "Uh, uh, uh, wait, something's not right about that."

>> Y, >> we got to have that. We've got to have it. >> We've got to have it. >> It applies to all of us. And I promise you, what's going on right now, and I You can call me an old man. I'm I'm I'm north of 50 now. You can call me no man. >> So old. >> I'm I'm ancient of days. But I've been around long enough to see with my own eyes and witness far too many people who have compromised in the small things that have lost the preceding generation.

>> Yeah, >> I've seen it. I've seen it with my own eyes. I've seen parents who are willing to not be in the word enough to explain to their kids why we do what we do. >> Yeah. >> Because the qu the reality was they themselves are a little wishy-washy. And because of that, I've watched generations now, multiple generations walk away from God. I'm not willing to pay that price. >> Yeah. Now, there's no guarantee that I do all I can do on my own and that my kids and my grandkids are going to live for God.

Being prophetic when I say grandkids, but I'm going to do my best to hold the ground I know I need to hold. Not every hill is worth dying on, but some are, >> right? >> Some are. Some are, ladies and gentlemen. Some are worth dying over. >> They're watching everything we do. They're watching everything we do. And here we are in this day and age with this enlightened education and information that we have. So this same principle applies to us as adults. AI can help us save time.

I use AI. Okay? I do. I'm fully aware what's going on. And you better know I'm asking God to guide me every day of my life. Part of my principal prayer to God is God give me wisdom and discernment for today with everything I will interact with and everything I'll face. So we can use it for good. It can help us save time. But it but it must never be something that we outsource our prayer life to >> our character to our accountability to our spiritual discernment to.

>> It may generate an apology but it cannot humble your heart. >> Right? >> It may create a devotional but it cannot build an altar in your home. >> It cannot replace those things. And I'm I'm afraid that we're leaning too much on it. We become too dependent on it. Without knowing it, we have broke the relationship with our God. M >> and a new idol has risen up in our day and age, >> right? >> So, what do we do? >> I think we have honest conversations and clear boundaries and we're uh not hesitant about that.

We're not shy about it. Um be vocal about it. They've got a concern. You know, we we have to concern ourselves with our kids privacy um with dishonesty. I know we hear all about false information all the time and or false information and and manipulated images and inappropriate content and all of that. And those are the obvious things, right? Those are the things that are like, yeah, okay. But there are some things that are so subtle um and and and they're so easy to believe um that really we can begin to believe these things and our kids can begin to believe these things and then before you know it, you know, they're trusting a digital tool.

We may be trusting a digital tool with personal information that we're too afraid to share with anybody else. a safe person, a safe adult. Did you know that that AI now and and we know this, we have we've seen this um AI can become your therapist. >> Mhm. Yes. >> And you know what that therapist tells you? It tells you that everything you're thinking is validated and it's justified and you have a right to feel the way you feel. And it's very believable. It sounds like another human.

It's talking to you. It's chatting back with you. And and and throughout this, you know what's missing? What does the Lord say? >> What does the Lord say? I know that for some in the room that maybe aren't as far into this or as technologically I listen. I What is it you call me? >> Lagard. >> I'm a lagard. I am so I'm the last one in the world that's going to want to jump on board anything new and techy I like just leave me my phone.

I don't want to update it. I don't want to do all that. But we know it's coming, right? We know that some of this we just can't help. So you can't just dig in and say, "Oh, well, they'll figure that out." No, it's coming for you, too. >> Mhm. So, it's important to go ahead and have it in your heart. What is it that I'm going to do to protect my thinking, my reasoning, my knowledge of the word? Because AI is coming to be a substitute.

It's coming to be it's coming to replace all of those things that we've always leaned into for wisdom and guidance and instruction. It says, "I have it now." >> And not only that, but it knows the word of God. Yeah, >> it does. >> Do you heard me? It knows the word of God. So, as you're seeking counsel, it'll quote the Bible back to you. It'll take pieces of Bible and scripture that is there and it'll help you have confirmation that your feelings are valid.

>> So, you cannot just depend on whether it gives you, well, pastor, they gave me it quoted this verse. Oh, really? But what did your Holy Ghost tell you? >> Right. >> The devil knows the word of God. Jesus was led away to be tempted of the devil. And when he realized that the that Jesus was quoting the word of God, what the devil do? Well, we're going to go to the word of God. I'll quote word of God with you, too. But he was taking it out of context.

>> So, just because your AI chatbot has a spiritual con spiritual component to it, doesn't mean that you shouldn't disengage the Holy Spirit. >> Especially for those of you, and I say this as respectful as I can, that you know just enough Bible to be dangerous. >> Amen. You better have a man of God who can rightly divide the word with you. And if it can't be me, you've heard me say this before. That's okay. It may hurt my feelings for a minute, but go find you a man of God who can walk through the word with you.

>> Eternity depends on it. >> That was free. What is in my notes? Four principles for our homes when it comes to AI. Number one, verify before believing. I don't know if you know this or not, but AI is is guilty, and this is the term they use of hallucinating. It makes stuff up. It doesn't just make it up, but you can ask it to show the source files and it'll make up the source files, too. So, you're like, "Yeah, but it was quoting this article, and that article was completely fabricated."

>> And you may think that's crazy, but I'm telling you the gospel truth. >> That's why you need more than just how you feel, >> right? because your feelings will lie to you. >> Verify before you believe. Number two, protect what is private. >> Be very careful about what you put online. Let me say that again. Be very, very careful what you put on. Be very, very careful how your family interacts online. Well, number three, use technology to assist thinking, not replace it. >> Come on now.

to assist thinking, not to replace it. Number four, never outsource spiritual discernment. >> Never, never, never outsource spiritual discernment. Here's a note for you. Technology should remain a servant and never become a shepherd. >> Technology should remain a servant and never become a shepherd. We must use powerful tools without allowing those tools to use us. As I said before too, if something is free, you're the commodity being sold. >> If it's free, they're selling you. >> Come on out. >> You're up for sale.

>> So, we know AI is trying to become our resource, right? It's trying to become our answer to everything. But the technology that surrounds it is also competing for our attention. And our intention attention is incredibly valuable. Matthew 6:21 says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." The things that repeatedly receive our attention will eventually shape our priorities, our desires, and our affections. There are so many voices. They're shaping our priorities, our desires, and our affections. >> And it's non-stop, guys.

I mean, I know the vast majority of us in this room probably have some type of a smartphone. And the notifications just never stop. And I've watched people as soon as that thing buzzes, they can't help but turn over, look at what it is. What's what what is it saying to me? What is it telling me? What what am I missing in this moment? And the whole time they're saying to whoever they're talking to, what is going on here is more important than what's going on here.

That's why there needs to be space in your family's life that is technology free. There needs to be I don't know if it's dinner time or if it's an hour before bed. like you need to figure out some way that there can be a disconnect so that you can reconnect >> because you cannot and we've how many times we've been in restaurants or wherever we see entire booth full of people sitting around and nobody's talking to each other or if they're talking they're texting each other sitting across the table from each other.

What is going on? And we've created a generation who can't talk to each other. We've created a generation, we're going to get to that in just a minute, but as we get ready to wrap up, that can't look somebody in the eye and ask them what they need. What has happened to us? I'll tell you, to be the most connected generation, we're the loneliest generation ever. Why? Because we're not connected. >> Yeah. And I think that's because presence, it doesn't just mean that you're occupying the same room.

We can be in a room full of people and not be giving someone the gift of our presence. That's >> right. >> Our attention, our focus. I think that's something that we have to be reminded of all the time. You've heard it. I know you have. But it's just it it it's a constant. I'm not saying we have all the answers, but I am saying that you have a gift of presence and you can give that and should give that freely to those around you.

Because without it, there is no true relationship. And what else are we doing if we're not having relationship? We've got to give attention to some things and some people so that they know that they matter. If we want our kids to bring us important things, talk to us about important things later on, we've got to listen to the mundane, when we're tired. >> Yes. >> When they come in at 10:30 p.m. when it's about an hour and a half past my bedtime and they want to tell me about how they're feeling.

Mhm. >> I don't always like that. And usually I want to say, "Can we not talk about this tomorrow? Mama wants to go to bed." >> But it's important to make that time. And he mentioned it. We need protected spaces. We've got to have some time where this just sits in the purse. And I'll check it when our family time is done or when the meal is over. Yes, >> it's okay to have 47 notifications and a hundred emails that you haven't looked at over dinner.

It's okay. It's okay. >> Some of y'all got itchy right now. >> I know. I know. They're just going to break out here in a second. >> Red bubble dots. Yeah. Let me ask you a question. What does it say about you? Be honest. Okay, listen to this question. What does this say about you that the world gets the first word and the last word of your every day? That the first thing you do when you get up and the last thing you do before you close your eyes that the world gets the first and the last word of every day.

What is that producing in you and what is that doing in your family? That should be very sobering. It should be very convicting. There are some things that are too sacred for you to just simply give away. >> Right? >> There should be, and this is just my opinion. I'm a morning guy and I feel like I got a lot of scripture to back it up. >> I hate when he says that. I am not a morning person. >> Her peak hours are between 10 and two.

>> I'm very productive between two. >> Those two, those four hours, you're on. Now, let me just say this. I was very convicted several years ago by a man who challenged me in this, right? That before I ever look at this, I look at this before I ever say a word to her, I say a word to him. That he is the first of my day. Before I talk to anything else, again, the house may be on fire. I may have to say, "Hey babe, you know, God, I need to wake her up.

Hey, babe, I need In most every case, I can start with him and I can start in his word before I ever have to get over here to this. >> This for the most part simply waste my time. >> Who cares if I know every birthday party and every place you went out to eat and every new purchase you had? What does that even matter in in in the in the scale of eternity? >> We know the answer is it doesn't matter at all.

Mhm. >> But yet we're limited here and we're limited here. >> Right. >> So, we got to reclaim the table. >> Yes. >> So to speak. Reclaim the table. I think we all need reminders about this. Again, sometimes I feel like a broken record anytime, you know, we we get around this table and we're talking about family dynamics and issues and things that are facing us uh as a society. But we've got to have the reminder and we've got to reclaim this table. Um I was listening to a podcast the other day and it was about uh generations and the differences in generations.

Did you know that there are seven and really eight technically eight living generations right now which is just unheard of really. I mean we're living longer. we are, you know, and and I don't know about if you even know what generations you are, but I I'd like to see a show of hands who is represented by what generation. Now, the first one, I do not expect us to have anyone in this generation. This would be the greatest generation, which was 1901 to 1927. We have anybody?

Probably not. The silent generation 28 to 45 1928 to >> raise your hands if you're there. >> Sister Sue got one back there. Can't see. >> Brother Taylor. >> Oh, Brother Taylor. Okay. >> And the Benson's. >> And the Benson's. Wonderful. >> Jim, don't claim it, but we know he was there. >> Wonderful. >> So, the silent generation. Oh. Oh, wait. Who? We're pointing. Who are we? >> Sister Clark. >> Sister Clark. H. Oh my good. I keep seeing fingers, but I know I'm missing somebody.

Um, these are people who grew up during and after World War II. Then we've got our baby boomers. >> Yeah. Are >> you boomers? Raise your hands. >> Seeing a few of y'all, >> which is years. >> Uh-huh. That's 46 to 64. These are our postwar babies. Yeah, I'm seeing hands come up all over. And then we have Gen X. Yeah, this is 1965 to 1980. >> Yeah, we've got a lot of Gen Xers in here. >> Lots of arguments going on out there right now.

I feel like >> and if you're like me, I feel like I've got one foot in the Gen X generation and then I have one in the millennial generation, which is the next one. So, millennials would technically be 81 to 96. Oh, look at that. All right. Got a bunch of y'all. And then we have which millennials are also called Gen Y. And then we have Gen Z. >> Mhm. >> And Gen Z is 97 to 2012. Yeah. I'm looking over. Yeah. Okay. And then, you know, because that was Z, we're having to start over.

Um, and so now we've got generation alpha. And that's 2013 to 24. Yeah. Right in here. >> Right in here. >> All this enthusiasm. >> Yeah, I see you. I see you. And then so that that >> Anybody besides me feel really old right now? >> I need to go lie down. And then that so that that if you include the the greatest generation, which we didn't have anyone in all the way through generation alpha, that's seven. And then there's a generation beta, which these are babies that are being born or were born in 2025 to now.

Um, so if you're looking up demographics, most people don't include that as a generation quite yet because those those little humans are are brand new. Um, but I was listening to this podcast and I was going through these generations and and I'll make this part quick, but basically it was just a whole thing about how no generation likes another one. They're the best. That's all there is to it. Every other generation is wrong. We can't communicate with them. We can't understand them. We They're just, "Oh my word, you either don't have enough feelings or you have too many feelings or you you work too hard or you don't work at all."

And you know, we just cannot >> Oh, you wear your pajamas everywhere. >> Oh, now that is my soap box. Don't get me started on that. But honestly, and I was as I was listening to it and they, you know, it was all about let's have an open conversation and let's listen, let's hear each other, let's connect, let's get on the same page. And I've got news for you. That is not going to happen. We're not going to just get on the same page when we listen to each other.

But you know what the great unifier is? >> It's this right here. >> Yep. >> Yeah. >> Are we missionminded? Are we building his kingdom? Our methods change. The Lord knows we have got opinions about everything. But this is the unifier. And I really believe if we can get back again to not what I think or what I would do if I were you, but what does the word say? And we start to again pass that down generation to generation. and not just passing things down, but sometimes we've got to pass some things up.

>> Yes, >> we've got to show that respect upwards. We've got to involve and honor those that went before us. You guys, I'll just go ahead and say it. And I've got a teenager at home, but sometimes I'm a little bit intimidated to have a conversation with you. You want to know why? Cuz sometimes I don't speak your language. My daughter called me a boomer the other day. Did y'all know that's like a thing? Okay, don't just just hear me out. And they weren't saying it like, "Mom, you're an actual boomer."

They know that that's not my generation, but it was like my way of thinking. Like I was I was kind of old, you know? Like I was I'm a boo mom, you're a boomer. What? But you know what? I I need to get over my fear of feeling silly and I need to go and talk to them sometimes. >> Mhm. >> And they may make fun of me. They may I may say all the wrong things, but you know what? I love you and I want you to love me.

And I want you to love the generation before me and before them. And I want us learning from each other. And I want us connecting to one another. And I want us to honor one another. His kingdom is not divided by generations. No, it's not. It's not. As we get ready to come to a close, you know, and in reclaiming the table and what we're trying to do is is make basically make you aware that we have so many wonderful treasures around us that often times we're selling down the road for something that has no meaning whatsoever.

But to be intentional, we know that there are many people in this room today that your family dynamic is drastically different than our family dynamic. That's just the reality. I know that. But here's what I also know is that we can be connected to each other. >> We can be intentional in what we do. That I can support you and you can support me. The reality is I need you. You need me. We're the family of God. That's why we spent so much time over the last several years working to try to put together connect groups because we need each other.

Because sometimes home life isn't just a safe place, >> right? You may be thinking, well, I got enough connections in my life. You know, sometimes it's just not about you, but you need to be part of a connect group because there's somebody else who needs a connection with you. As Chastity said, how beautiful it is that we can be connected together in a multigenerational church where we all we don't always understand each other, but we love each other. We encourage each other. We need each other.

Right. >> That's part part of being the family of God. >> Right. >> I think you have a verse for us to get ready to close. I do. Joshua 24:15, >> right? >> Yes, that's the one. >> And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, but as for me in my house, we will serve the Lord. >> Joshua understood, "Look, I can't control your narrative, but I just want you to know where I stand.

As for me and my house, we're going to serve the Lord. We love to be connected with you and to do our part. We're going to choose God's word as our foundation for our family to be built on God's word. The reality is this doesn't require for you to have a perfect family. >> Okay? I'm going to say that again. It doesn't require for you to have a perfect family. It requires for you to be intentional with your family. >> Right? >> For you to pass on a legacy for your family, it's not going to happen accidental.

If you want the legacy that God has for you, you have to be intentional about it. A godly home is formed through ordinary decisions made faithfully over time. So, you need to protect your time. You need to ground your identity in God. You need to guard your thinking and you need to make sure you're giving your attention to things that really matter because I promise you, you're giving it to something. Your table probably looks a lot different than our table. But whatever and wherever God has placed you, be intentional with those moments.

Be intentional with your family, with your connections. And I promise you, you will never be sad for that decision. You don't have to change everything today. I'm gonna say that again. You don't have to change everything today. But you can begin with one faithful step, one protected evening, one honest conversation, one prayer around whatever table that you have and one decision to put the phone down and simply be listening to each other so that someone knows you matter to me, >> right? You matter to me.

Every family is being formed. But I ask you again, who or what is forming your family? Something is >> who or what is forming him? We will not allow hurry to set our priorities. We're not going to allow culture to define our identity or technology to replace our discernment. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. So, as we end this today, I think it'd be good to do this. Will you stand with us? I think it'd be really powerful moment if we maybe could connect with families.

So if you guys need to go find your family, go go find your family. This is family Sunday, family month. Go ahead quickly go go find your family the best you can. If you don't have a family, then look around. If you see somebody standing by themselves, invite them to be a part of your family today. I think I got some family somewhere in this room. Here's the deal. I want us to pray as a family. All right, grab your hand.

Grab your hand. Grab their hand. Sorry. Grab their hand. The reality is this. The most precious thing we have in life outside of our relationship with God is family. Whether that's blood family or the ones that God gives us to say, "I'm sorry for family." I want us to pray for each other. Okay? I want us to earnestly pray that God will give us the ability to see the things that we need to change so that we can be better at engaging with each other and engaging with him.

Let's pray right now. Jesus God, I pray for every person that is in this room right now. for every family that's represented in this place. God, I know there's so many things that are trying to distract us and cause us to be, Lord, less than what you call us. I pray today that we would have courage to start making changes inside our family dynamic, both on a personal level and as a family, God, that we would be more intentional with what we do with each other and how we spend our time and what we allow into our homes.

I pray right now a hedge of protection around every family. I plead your blood over every home, every individual, every family unit that is in this room right now. In Jesus' name, I speak your peace over them. God, give us give us the ability to see where distractions are at, the things that we are selling out for that are less than what they need to be. Let us be honest with each other, God. Let's be more connected than ever before. I pray, God, that we could allow your spirit to lead us and guide us and direct us each and every day.

Let us lean into you and trust you like never before. >> >> Oh God, I thank you. Thank you for what you're doing in our lives. Thank you for what you're doing in the families and the lives that are in this church. Thank you for the revival inside our family and the dynamic, Lord God, that you have created for us to live close to you. Let's be spiritled in everything that we do. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.