Greater Growth
by Sam Hodum
March 26, 2026 · Cornerstone Apostolic Church
Kind: teaching
Scripture: Acts 2:1-11, Acts 6, Acts 15:1-29, Acts 17:6

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/sam-hodum--greater-growth-4
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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Uh tonight tonight we're wrapping up the the lesson series on greater growth. Uh we we've been we've been doing greater growth for the whole month of March. Um some of us have gained weight. Billy Tim on the other hand has he decided he wasn't participating this month in this and he said no I'm losing all the weight this month. So >> yeah. Uh but I you know when we when we when the church starts talking about greater growth, we start looking at those things. Uh sometimes we get a little nervous, don't we? Because here's here's something I've learned that growth means change one way or the other. And change is scary. Uh I've handed out a chart to you guys uh to to kind of and and I'm going to teach to some of that tonight. and and we'll go through some uh some of the early church's experience with that and then we'll also we'll look at how how we view change and then maybe the antidote to the the roller coaster of emotions that come with change because here's the thing growth whether personal or corporate it brings about change. I personally I am in a growing season right now. Hallelujah. So that chocolate ice cream late at night will get you guys. Also, I just want you to know a small spoon of peanut butter has like a 100 calories in it. And I eat big spoons of peanut butter. So I was like, "Oh, how many calories am I consuming with that peanut butter? Just be aware. All right. It it'll get you." Uh I I mean, the reality is I'm in a growing season. My wife, Ethan, we're in a growing season, right? We're married. kind of. No, we are now. Our wives are to much of their regret. Uh we've got a young family. We're we're working on a career. Um we're in the middle of a church remodel. I'm trying to be involved in that. Uh I just remodeled a house. I'm in the middle of a real estate venture to do with that house. I'm tired. I ain't going to lie. It stretches me a little thin. You ask me to grow and I'll be like, how much ain't I ain't much growing I can do right now. There's a reason I'm eating chocolate ice cream late at night. Right. Coping mechanisms. Yeah. All right. We're not going to talk about coping mechanisms tonight. But the reality is a growing season, it affects us all. We've all we all go through those. We all experiences experience those different times. We all look at them in different ways. Uh but the but the truth is is when when we talk about growth, do we really want growth? But but the the pain of growth is there. It's real. The risk of growth is there. There's risk, right? If you don't what the turtle that doesn't go if a turtle's going to go anywhere, he's got to stick his neck out. You know, it's g there's going to be some risk involved in growth. There's there's personal risk. There's there's emotional risk. There is uh there's all kinds of pieces of it. There's there's psychological, there's social, there's physical, there's neurological. Our brains are not hardwired for change. We like the same old thing. I I think I told you guys last time about how I like to wear the same clothes every day. Not the same exact, the same type of clothes every day. Should rephrase that, shouldn't I? I like to do that because it's just easier for me. I don't have to worry about that change. I I know what I I don't have to make a decision. I my change meter is good. But the reality is we are all have a change meter. And sometimes we get to it and and we start talking about in a church setting because we come to church and we get in our rhythm and we do our things and we we're we're we're with our friends, we're with our family and when we start talking about growth, that alert goes off. change. I'm going to have to change something personally inside or even just physically. Now, we're no we're no stranger to that physically. We're no stranger to that at CAC. We've we have we have went through the most season of change you could go through almost. I mean, we're still not done with it. I mean, there's we don't even have baseboards in here yet. Just got them in the main hallway. And didn't that look good? like man. Yeah. It's like, oh, that change is good. It's like, yes. Uh, all those different pieces of it, we we look at it and and we'll go through if it with that little chart you got there, we'll go through shock. We'll go through denial, frustration, depression, and then we'll we'll we'll start to look, well, we're here. Might as well see what we can do. And we'll, okay, all right, I get it. Oh, I see the I see the why. I start understanding. We're not the only ones to do that. The early church, they they went through this in Acts two, uh, as I am sure most of you guys are very aware of this. Acts two on the day of Pentecost is Acts 2 and 1-10. I'm going I'm going to read through that real quick with us. I have I have a lot of scripture tonight. So, I'm going to try my best to I'll I'll read it as quickly as possible, but I do want us to to be aware of this dialogue here or this narrative here. Acts 2 and one. When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. Well, that sounds weird reading the ESV, doesn't it? And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind and it filled the entire house where they were sitting and divided tongues as a fire appeared to them and rested on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as a spirit gave them utterance. Now they were dwelling in Jerusalem, Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together and they were bewildered because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished saying not are not all of these who are speaking Galileans. No, they're not. Or they were. But they were. And how is it that we hear each of us in his own language? Verse nine says, "Pinthians and me and Ilummites and and residents of Mesopotamia and Judea and Capidoshia and Pontis and Asia and Friia. Thank you. Panilia and Egypt and parts of Libya belonging to Sirene." I mean, they were very specific. And visitors from Rome, both Jews and Proelites, Creians and Arabians. We hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God. The early church was birthed in a in a moment of exuberation the mightiness of God. And we all want that revival, do we not? I mean, we preach about it. I mean, I believe you're here tonight. You want you want to experience the day of Pentecost. I do. I I I believe in it. I have seen I've seen people get filled with the Holy Ghost from one side of the room to the other. I mean, just it was it's just like that wind come in. It was like, what in the world just happened? God does it. It's amazing. But then we start to see that's just the start of the church. That was the birthing of the church. That moment of exuberance of of wow, that was amazing. This is happening. This is real. This is truly this is this is the prophecies. This is what Joel spoke about. This was these were all the the culmination of of all the planning that God had put in and all the years that he had allowed mankind to try and navigate his word and all the prophecies culminated here. But the church was just getting started. They couldn't just stop right there. They were just getting started. We find that in Acts chapter 6 that we find a there's a controversy. They said they came to the to the uh to the apostles and they said, "Hey, our our widows are being neglected. There's things that are not getting done." So that's the first kind of controversy controversy in in the in the church, so to speak. After after Ananas and Safar, there was some trouble. There was some controversy in the in the church. And so they solve that and they keep going that revival's happening. Paul uh and Paul is uh he gets recruited in and and he's he's on the road. He's he's there. He's going all over the place with uh Barthol no Barnabas Bartholomew Barnabas. He's there with Barnabas. They're going and then we find in Acts chapter 15 that they have a council because there's a problem. You see, there was all of the revival in the world was happening. all of the change in the world was happening but they could not there was it was too much and and and if if I can speak plainly uh the Jews here thought that the gospel was for them and them alone even even after receiving the Holy Ghost they were like well you've got to you in their minds you've got to become a Jew a proelite essentially in their minds you've you've got to follow the law of Moses you've got to follow and and and cultural differences versus religious differences, cultural differences versus salvic issues, they became a divide. They're like, "No, you can't do this." And so the there was a Jerusalem council, Acts chapter 15. I know many of you have read this, but I want to go through this because I do believe it was very uh it's very this right here was probably one of the most revealing chapters of how the the early church operated. This was this was how the this was how the sausage was made, right? This this is the the minutes from the business meeting, so to speak. These guys were there. uh Acts chapter 15 verse one. But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." Yes, ma'am. Thank you. She said, "Amen." Y'all didn't hear that. And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul was really good at that. Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. So being sent their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the com the conversion of the Gentiles and brought great joy to all the brothers. Verse four says, "When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders and they declared that God had all that God had done with them. Some believers who belong to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them in order to them to keep the law of Moses." The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. This is verse seven. Now, and after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to him, "Brothers, you know that in the early days, God made a choice among you that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us." And he, verse nine, says, "He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. If you if you if you want to study that verse out a little more, the writer of Hebrews really goes into that really well of of the lineage of Abraham. Okay, I just I want to put that in there of that by faith part there. Now therefore, verse 10, why are you putting God to test by placing a yoke on the neck of the of the discipline of the disciples that neither of our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ just as they will. And they and all the assembly fell silent. They listened to Barnabas and Paul as he related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. They finished speaking. James replied, "Brothers, listen to me." Simeon has has related how God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for his name. And the and with this the words of the prophets agree just as it is is written after this I will return and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen. I will re rebuild its ruins and I will restore it and the remnant of the of mankind may seek the Lord and all the Gentiles who are called by my name. That might be a good reason to be baptized in Jesus name right there. And all the Gentiles are called by my name. That's verse 17. says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old. Therefore, my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For for from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him. for he has read every Sabbath in the synagogues. So then they sent a letter to him. They sent a letter. This is James gets up. He says this. It settles the debate. He says, "And then and then it seemed good to the apostles and elders with the whole church to choose men from among them and send to them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas and called Bara They sent Judas called Barcabas and Silas leading men among the others with the following leather the brothers both the apostles and the elders and to the brothers who are in the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Sicilia. Greetings since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us troubled you with words unsettling your minds though we gave them no instructions. It has seemed good to us having come to one accord to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul. men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent sent Judas and Silas who themselves will tell you some of the things by the word of the mouth by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay onto you no greater burden than these requirements that you abstain from what has been sacrificed in idols and from blood and from what has been strangled from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell. He said, you receive the Holy Ghost. act right. You You've allowed the spirit to to be in you. Act right. We're not going to put our customs on you. We're going to put we're going to allow God to put the spirit upon you. We're not going to hold back salvation from you. I I think to an early church, that's a lot of change. That's a whole lot of change to an early I know that was a lot of reading but understand the narrative there of what was happening the impact that that's had that right there has had to this day of knowing there's a lot there's change that happens and what I've seen what I've experienced a lot of times churches and individuals we we have we have things that we we deem very important to ourselves that We say, "I can't change that. That's not good for me to change." Or culturally, man, that's just a different culture. It is. It sure is. And that's okay. We can have a culture. We can have a church culture. We can have a standard. But here's the thing is God allows his spirit to move on all people. and what our our hearts and our minds, we have to be able to say, you know what, God, you moved on them. How do I've let you handle that? There's I'm I'm not trying to get too off into that, but I do want to I do want to make a point here in that many times I've seen uh and and and and this is this is probably uh my dad always said this is this is pre this is changing the old this is just maintenance. It's not addressing any known issue. It's just maintenance issue. You know, it's just like changing the oil in the car. You know, you got to change it. You want to change it before there's a problem. A lot of times, God does something that shocks us. If you got your little chart there, I can't believe God would fill them with the Holy Ghost. I know. Me, too. Are you sure they got the Holy Ghost? You sure? God God will shock us. He doesn't need our permission. He'll shock us with it, won't he? And then, no, they could that couldn't be right. No, that couldn't We'll just We'll just step back. We ah we'll just see. We We'll just We'll just see. And that's fair. Depends on how we look at it. You know, we probably need to have a good attitude about it, but we'll have we we'll be in denial or or frustrated or or or maybe just a little skeptic about it. you know, maybe maybe frustration's a little bit a little a little little far there. And then we'll look at it and we'll start to observe the fruits. Say, you know what? Maybe I was wrong. Maybe God was right. Isn't that a wild concept? Allowing God to be right. Right? It's that's there's so many times that I've seen individuals that we ourselves would never fill with the Holy Ghost if we were God. that God says, "You know what? They've repented." And that's hard because then we have to go to, "All right, God. I'm sorry here. Hang on. This is a demonstration of this. This is us and God. Sorry, God. We got to stand in the corner for a minute. Let me adjust my attitude. Let me adjust my mindset." you know, and and and so here's the thing though is when we start talking about greater growth, I have a feeling that a lot of that starts happening in the back of our mind. We start we start looking at that and we start saying, "Man, I'm going to have to encounter some things that make me a little uncomfortable. I'm gonna have to I'm going to have to change some things about me. I'm going to have to look at some I'm I'm I'm going to have to maybe be a little crowded. I know this this I mean maybe I'm going to have to teach a lesson a little harder. Maybe Dakota's going to have to teach children's church. I text him about that already. So is you know maybe maybe I'm going to have to do some things that I'm not comfortable doing because there's a need and we get a little scared of it. Oh. Oh, the preacher's talking about change. Here's here's what I've noticed is that neurologically, mentally, there is a huge need for certainty in our lives. We want to know that when we flip the the switch on that the light's coming on. And if it doesn't, what in the world just happened? Why didn't that come on? We forget to pay the power bill. We blew out the fuse. Whatever. whatever it was. Not the f their fuses don't exist anymore, do they? The did the breaker trip? Showing my age over here. Uh we need information. We need to know that we're secure. And here's the thing, because church is such an emotional area for us. We come and we're vulnerable at the feet of God. All right? We are when change starts happening, things that we're we are emotionally attached to, we get real scared real quick. Like, oh, can't do that. Don't mess with Don't mess with my place to pray. I get it. I get it. But also, maybe they just needed their first place to pray, you know? Then we need to take time and we sit back and we think about it and then we try to find some sort of new routine. And sometimes here's the thing is is we start to dis we disassociate because there's been so much change we can't keep up with it in a routine-like manner. We can't a man that's just too much for me. Ah, that's just and and trust me, I've seen it with every move that the church has made, okay, out of necessity. There has been some that and and and no, not throwing casting stones. I'm just saying observationally, okay? There's been some people that that change, that next step of change was too much. Not throwing stones. I'm not I'm not I am just obser obating an observation here, okay? Because guess what? That's human nature. That's it's completely normal. Doesn't mean that it's it's something we should just accept and go on. It's it's something that we should be aware of. There's there's always those things because we do have a need of of change. Then there's the psychological aspects there. The brain needs hardwires to go. And then the psychology, the processing of that, the emotional response is is how do we how does it reflect on us? How do we allow our our self to process? Is it does it reflect on our personal or do we take this personally? Do we do Oh, h I just can't uh maybe maybe not with with this church in particular, but you know, there was there was a time we had to move the the pull pit. My grandpa preached behind for like 27 years. And I'm sure somebody had a an emotional reaction to that. Now, I didn't. I was like, man, that thing was old. We got to get a new one in there. You know, like, but you you see what I'm saying? Sometimes we attach emotions to things that we didn't even realize we had emotions attached to. It's not it's not out of this is not out of being a bad person. It's not out of being terrible. It's and and then it it starts to we start looking at it also change can come as a challenge. Can we actually make it happen? Can we actually change with it? Can we actually if if we're talking about a church, if we're talking about this church, can we actually get this thing remodeled in the next 10 years? Maybe. Yes. In the next 10 years, I I got an astounding yes. All right. And then control. It's out of my control. That's a scary one, isn't it? It's out of my control. Do you imagine? Do you That's honestly I imagine that's where a lot of those that those that said, "Oh, you've got to you've got to be of the circumcision. You've got to follow the law of Moses to be a Christian. I imagine that's where their their fear came from. Oh, we're losing control of this. You know, I've never seen a revival of God be controlled. I've seen it tried, but it don't work. God says, "All right, that's yours." As soon as I don't know if y'all know this or not, but God gives the increase. And so, as soon as he says it's yours, there goes the increase. It's just uh here's something else. Then there's there's the next hierarchy of it is the social needs. We start getting here here's here's a reality, right? As as we grow as a church family, um or as and I'm I'm going to use Lauren and I. It's real easy to have one kid because we can pay all attention to that kid. I say real easy. It's it's all right. It's hard. Let's just be honest. All right. I'm pretty tired. But it's just Yeah. But then when I see Hannah trying to chase down little man over there, I mean, he's fast now, y'all. I don't know if y'all know this, but dude is wide open. I mean, [name redacted] is like and because she was distracted by trying to take care of [name redacted], she I mean, you know, it's it's doubly as hard. And then when there's like eight kids later, Kira, like you forget how many you have. I'm sure. I don't know. Heard a comedian, you know? I heard a comedian. This is not in the lesson at all. Right. You know, >> nine children. Okay. >> >> comedians said, you know, they used to have the fluent four. You know, you have four kids and Oh, you're doing good. All right. I don't know. Where I was from, everybody had a lot of kids, right? They're like, you start having start having more kids and like, oh, is it a religious thing? What's happening? You know, it's like, okay. But the reality is is relationship dynamics change with each kid. They change. I mean, people over 30 rarely make new friends because they ain't got time. It's like why why I'd love to make new friends but like when you know and then you got Tim Bonito with their retirement friends over there like we're lucky they even came back from Florida you but we have social needs and and and so we start people those dynamics start changing we start we start missing out we start oh man I didn't get a chance to talk to you I didn't get a chance to hug your neck you know we used and we'll reminisce we I used to sit We used to sit down and just chat forever. It used to be us four and no more. Thank God it's not. But there is a challenge to that. There's a social challenge to that that then we start feeling unsecure like our our physical needs, our security, our comfort. The hug of a friend now becomes a distance friend. And so we have to figure out ways like ah that growth opens up a real hole in us as people. It really does. Those are all real things. They're not made up. Every one of us experience it. But here's something I've I've figured out that growth in a church is different than anything else. I've seen companies grow. I've seen companies do this. A church is not a company. It's its own it's its own sphere. It's its own realm. Okay? Because the growth of a church cannot be it cannot be given because you've got a good pastor. Growth of a church does not happen because well we just got a million dollars. It doesn't do there's there's a bunch of churches with a million dollars in a bank that wish they had four kids in the house because they need some youth. It has nothing to do it has everything to do with when we make up our mind that I am going to be the change factor because here's the reality. If you if you want to look at this, my mind I think in contrast, okay? Uh and so when I think of, you know, of of white, I think of black. Or if I think of black, I think of white. And if I think of gray, I just think of gray. So I I don't know what to do. That's why I like the color gray. I think in contrast. So think about an addiction of how hard we will work for an addiction. It doesn't have to remind. We do not have to be reminded. Okay? We do not we do not have to and I'm saying we because everyone's dealt with some form of of right I mean if it's if it's ice cream at 10 o'clock at night okay no one had to remind me hey we needed ice cream right I mean my wife did but I was already thinking about it so maybe we got a problem I don't know but no one no one was like hey don't forget hey don't forget hey you going to go get that ice cream. No, I was going to get that ice cream come hell or high water. Like it's just it was just going to happen. We all deal with that in some some because it drives us. It pulls us. Here's the thing about being made new in Christ is there's a reason to become made a new creature. Old things become pass away and behold everything becomes new because our desire then should shift from whatever that is to him. It should. It doesn't always. It might for a minute. That's what the the the journey of being a Christian is is trying to to to change our pathways, to change our our neurological pathways, to change our minds, to change our lives, to allow the supernatural power of the Holy Ghost to change us from what we were and point it to him. That's that's and When we do that when our desire becomes towards him completely and totally when our heart when when we when we can just it's you know it's not just my habit to do but it's what I want to do when it becomes the driving force of you know I woke up this morning and you know what I I was thinking about this and I got to go do this and I got to and you know in the word of God it said this and and our our ecosystem of our life is built around the word of God and it's built around a relationship with God. Then we go from being just participants and observers in the change that God has for us to being drivers of that change. We go from being the the the people that say, "Man, I don't I don't know if we want to change that, pastor. You sure?" Just saying, "Hey, pastor, I got an idea." Because guess what happens in in Acts chapter 17? Acts chapter 17, after the controversy, after all of that, we find in Acts chapter 17:6, they could not find them. They dragged Jason and some of the believers before the cities of the city's authorities shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also. These men who have turned the up the world upside down, they're here." their entire being was focused on what can I do for God. Paul still worked. He was still a tent builder. He still he still wrote. He still had time for this and this. He he wasn't married and he said, "Well, you know, he probably shouldn't get married, whatever." But I don't know. You know, that's a different lesson for a different day. But he still he still had life to live. He still had things to do. But his focus was on how can I please God? His he was at least sensitive enough to the spirit to know that when someone was praying in Macedonia asking him to come there that's that's some hearing from the Lord. It doesn't happen accidentally. It happens because our our our compass is directed towards him. I I completely believe that God has an an amazing revival in store for Chattanooga. I believe it, guys. This is this is I I I I know you know it. I'm just going to say this is just a piece of whatever chess game that God's playing because he plays 4D chess. Okay? Like I it's just a piece. Here's the thing. It will happen with us or without us. God's will will happen. It's up to us to align ourselves to his will. Does that mean change? Does that mean growth? Does that mean greater growth than we can imagine? Does that mean things that we may not be personally comfortable with? It absolutely does. It absolutely does. The only way we will ever be comfortable with it, the way to keep ourselves off this roller coaster is if we're the change agents. If we're the people that say, "You know what, God? Send me here. I am send me. If our lives, greater growth will happen in our lives, in our families, in our neighborhoods, in our church, in our city, in our country. As soon as we adopt the words, we adopt it as a life lifestyle. Here I am. Send me. It's my mission. It's my job. Because here's the reality. We can look at and say a movement happens because there's a group of people do doing something. No. A movement happens because one person says, "I'm going to." It happens. I'm just going to I'm going to take one step. I'm going to take one more step. I'm going to take one more step. And then someone else says, "You know what? They might need a little bit of help. Maybe I'll come alongside of them and help them out just a little bit." Here's the reality. You're the step. You're the steppers. The change does not happen in a church from a from a top down. It doesn't. It never has and it never will. It happens because every one of us get connected with God. With our trajec are aligned with his that's the only way is it. You know this I know this. What's the struggle? Not my will, but thy will. Not my way, God, but your way. I want to see revival so bad. I can taste it, guys. I want to see a greater revival. I I I really do. And I believe, listen, I I'm telling you guys, I grew up playing the drums every service. And I I I observed revival, okay? It wasn't bad. when I was a kid, you know, this is the best thing for me to be doing. Essentially, I observed people praying for people that first time there, praying for them that then the person praying for them. So her friend came and she was praying for her both of them first time and this girl got the Holy Ghost and didn't know what the Holy Ghost was. I I observed I I I've seen this with my own eyes. 10 people at one time be filled with the Holy Ghost. people just with my own eyes people be delivered from drugs like you can't imagine with my own eyes I believe it I know it will happen here I know we will see it again but I do believe and I do know the only way that it happens is when we get our eyes set on him it's the only way I I I I cannot cannot stress that enough all we we we will go through all the motions and the emotions and we'll we'll be caught on the roller coaster of change all we want until we decide that we're going to be the ones that make it happen. So I want to I want to leave you with this tonight. I encourage you if you find yourself saying, "Man, I don't know about that. It's just too much change for me." I encourage you step back, look at it, say, you know what, maybe I should be driving that. Maybe I should be the one pushing that. Because the reality is when you're pushing change, the biggest emotion is optimism. And maybe some depression in there, some no, it is because you've got your eyes set on a goal. You've got your eyes set on God. God, if I fail, it's not hang on. If I fail, it's not because of me. If my eyes are on him, it's because it's his will. It's not mine. If I succeed, it's not because of me because it's his will. It's not mine. What happens? Paul said, "I am willing to spend and be spent." I am willing to spend and be spent for the sake of the gospel. Yeah, he probably spun around in in circles, too. I am willing to spend and be spent for the sake of the gospel because the his only destination was Christ, right? To die is gain, to live is Christ. Can we would you stand with me? Jesus, we love you. God, I thank you so much for your kindness, your goodness, and your mercy. God, you have you have allowed us to grow, to change, to to be to be changed leaders in Chattanooga. You've allowed us to to experience greater growth than I think our minds could understand, God, than we could have imagined, God. We've we've experienced greater growth in our personal lives, God, of you saving us and keeping us and and and touching our families and blessing us, God, in all those things. But God, I ask you, Lord, today that you would loose the constraints on our minds, God. That you would loose the b the binds on our minds, God. that you would allow us to help us, God, to focus our will, our direction upon you. To lay ourselves down and say, "God, not my will, but thy will. God, focus my eyes on you. Help me, God, when I wake up and when I go to bed to help my my eyes be directed towards what you would have done in Chattanooga, what you would have done for the sake of the gospel, God. God, I pray Lord as a church body that you would set upon us such a burden for souls. God, that when a guest walks through the door, God, it's a celebration in in CAC just as it's a celebration in heaven. God, when a guest walks to the altar, it's a celebration in CAC just as a celebration in heaven. God, I pray, Lord, that you would help us, God. You would help us to catch the burden for souls that you have for souls, God. Lord, that you would help us, God, as we do life, as we walk through life, God, that you would allow us, God, to walk in your spirit, in your direction, Lord, that you would guide us and you would direct us, help us, God, to have the encounters that you would have to be prepare us with the words to say, God, with the thoughts and the love and the compassion to show, God. For Lord, every day, every day we encounter souls that need you, that need to know your saving grace and your powerful mercy and your healing power. God, every day we encounter people, God, that need to know that that this is the place their lives can be changed, that you're the life changer, God. I pray, Lord, that you would help us as a body to grab a hold of the vision of growth, God. Greater growth, mightier growth than we can imagine, God. A reach Hallelujah. A reach high a reach further and deeper than our names will ever and our eyes will ever see, God, than than our minds could ever imagine, God. Help us, God, to grab a hold of your vision for what you would have done here and through us, God. God, I thank you. God, I praise you. God, I worship you. Would you right now, would you just put your hands together? Would you just lift up your voice? Almighty God. Oh, what a good God. What a holy Lord. What a righteous God. Jesus, I love you. Hallelujah. Jesus, I thank you. Jesus, I worship you, Lord. Jesus, I praise you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. God, I thank you, Lord, for your word. God, I thank you, Lord, for your direction. Jesus, I thank you. Jesus, I thank you. Jesus, I thank you. Thank you all so much for for your attention tonight. If you'll We'll be in the we'll be in the sanctuary here in just the next few moments for worship. Thank you so much, Jesus. I thank you. Come on. One more time.