Revolt

I'd like to turn your attention to John, the 8th chapter, and the 32nd verse. King Jesus is speaking, and he says, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. And my topic today is one word: Revolt. Revolt. Can we ask God to give us personal revelation of his word?

Father, we come thanking you for your blessings. We thank you for your spirit. We thank you for every individual that is hearing this word, and I pray that you will direct, you will anoint, and give us personal revelation for our lives and our families. Let it be done in Jesus' name. Can the church say amen? Amen. You may be seated.

I would like, before I get into this word, I'd like to give this church a word that I felt very strong since I've been here. This church, whether you realize it or not — and I've done my homework, I've been texting North American Missions to make sure that I was kind of in the ballpark. And Brother Scott Cy drunk is our North American Missions for our particular organization. We have Global Missions that deals with outside of North America, and then we have North American Missions that deals with inside America. It has a lot to do with planning churches, starting churches. And the other day when we were interacting with the staff, I asked, "How many churches has this church launched?" And I thought it was nine, and I was correct that it was nine, under the amazing leadership of the depriest, and then now under the amazing leadership of the Allens. This church has launched nine churches. Now, I don't imagine that Brother Allen is up in the pull pit bragging about that, but let me bring just a little bit of clarity to that. The best that we can understand, and from the information I I receive back from Brother CIS drunk and Brother Hobson, that puts this church, we think, in the top 10 church-launching churches in our entire organization, in our entire organization. Now, that's nice, and that's good, but let me give you a word, please, and take this in the spirit that I'm saying it. When you are a church-launching church, you cannot look around, and on Instagram, and talking to your friends about, well, their pastor does this, and their you know and their Pastor spouse does this, and their youth pastor does this, and their associate pastor does this, and all of that — that's out. That does not count here. It doesn't count here. There's no place for — how serious I am about the fact that we are so unbiblical in our expectation of pastors, spouses, and leaders anyway, that we're not even hardly in the Bible, because we've bought into this buddy system, and we bought into this enablement instead of equipping. We long for apostolic leadership that comes straight out of the word of God. We long for that. We long to see churches that are far more interested in seeing the lost saved than the saved happy. We long for that.

And so I just wanted to say that, please think about that, and please take that to prayer. And when you look at what has happened here, don't think that we just kind of need to settle down here, because this is pretty big. There's not too many churches in our entire fellowship that can say, "We've launched nine churches," and there's more to be launched. Will you just please be a church that looks in the word of God? Would you just please be a church that looks in the word of God, and just expects to be equipped and sent — equipped and sent into your homes, and equipped and sent onto your jobs, and equipped and sent into this community? And can we see God do something that is just even more amazing than even what we're seeing right now? If you agree with that, if you will do that, a hand clap would be nice — not to me, but for that word.

The subject is Revolt. Freedom is often preceded by revolt. The country that we live in today, it revolted against Great Britain. The truth and experience of disgust and shock was finally enough for them to turn away and renounce allegiance or subjection to Great Britain, and they dissented, and they revolted. That's what happened. There came a time when two truths collided: the truth of the reality of what was really happening, and the truth of the fact that they could make a decision and actually do something about it. We refer to it as Independence Day. And this would be a great message if it was July the 4th weekend. But it was a time of revolt. They were tired of taxation. They were tired of control. And I stand here today, knowing a few of you in this audience, but not nearly all of you, but I believe that today is a day that many people need to launch a revolt in your own life.

We look in the word of God, and we see there's a lot of kingdom talk in the word of God. When you speak of kingdoms and you think about the word of God, literally, there are many kingdoms mentioned: the kingdoms of earth, the kingdoms of countries and lands, and it even speaks of the kingdoms of heathen and nations and Canaan, and kingdom of idols, and the world, and the north, and there's many more. And we look at that, and we realize that we must revolt against all of those kingdoms. When we look at the word of God and realize how loaded it is with kingdom talk, and we understand that the King that we follow — we realize that he did not just casually exist, and he did not just casually minister. King Jesus was a walking revolution. That's what he was. And King Jesus revolted against many things, but he definitely revolted against the power of death, and the power of hell, and the power of the grave. He did that. But King Jesus also makes his revolt very personal, because he revolts against having any other position in our life other than first. He revolts against it. He will not stand in line. He will not negotiate.

We see in Matthew 6:33 — it's what I consider my life verse; I do a lot of preaching and teaching from this particular verse — King Jesus said, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." He says, "First." Matthew 22:35 through 38: "Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus answered and said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." Then King Jesus later said in John 14 and6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." He was saying that I am the way, the truth, the life — not a way, a truth, a life, multiple choice. He was not — he was saying, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." We absolutely realize that the truth is a person, the way is a person, the life is a person. Jesus was a walking revolutionist, and he revolted against any internal enemies, and we must do the same.

am laying a foundation here. Then we'll get very practical in our lives in some areas. It's time for us to revolt. You already know what they are. I'm just hoping today will be maybe the sound of the gun, or the ready, aim, fire, or the get ready, set, go that will happen. Because we already know areas in our lives that we need to revolt. But I have to be very clear and very serious about this, because I'm not speaking about the areas in our life that we need to kindly disagree. I'm not talking about the areas in our life that we decide, okay, well, we're not on the same page, so we're just going to agree to disagree. I'm not speaking of that. I'm speaking of areas in our life that we need to blatantly revolt. I'm talking about areas in our life that we need to say, "Enough is enough. Enough is enough. I'm not going to live like this any longer. I'm going to revolt."

The truth is, many of us are entirely too passive regarding kingdom wars. We're too passive. There's too many of us that are taking too much laying down. There's too many people that are surrendering w too easily today. There's people that need to fight. You say, "Well, Terry, you have no idea what I've gone through. You have no idea how many times I fought that, and finally the only way I can just get a break is, I've just kind of cut a deal that, look, don't fool with me, I won't fool with you, and let's try to just move on in life and just, you know, kind of make it." I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about a revolt today. I'm talking about a calculated, well-planned, strategized, thought-out: "I have been living this way, but by the help and power of God, it will change. It will change, the chains that I'm dealing with in my life. It will change, because I'm going to launch a revolt in my life."

We look in the book of Hebrews, Hebrews 11. It's called the Hall of Fame faith chapter, but I also believe that it could be called the revolutionist chapter, because you look in it, and it's literally filled with names of people who revolted. Then we see in Hebrews 12:1 and two, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside" — let us get rid of, let us revolt against — "every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." I stand before you today, and I'm saying, today is the day to go after the weights, and today is the day to go after the sins. Today is the day that you decide, "I will not allow this sin to keep taxing me and controlling me. I will not allow it, and I'm going to deal with the sin that does so easily beset me. But I'm not going to just stop there. I'm going to move back to the weights that even allows me to go that direction." I'm talking about a revolt.

When we talk about getting practical, and we talk about revolting against the weight and the sin that doth so easily — I'm talking about whatever it is in your life, that you can feel the presence of God, and then you want to allow yourself to go further in your relationship with God, but it's just that thing. It's that thing. It's that thought. It's that whatever it is. It's that addiction. It's this. It's — I'm saying today, today is the day. Name it. You don't have to name it out loud. Name it. Think about it right now, and come to a conclusion in your mind that, not under just your power — because if you could have already fixed on your own what does so easily beset you, you would have fixed it, because you've been dealing with the aftermath of, when this happens, then this is the way I feel; when I react like this, then this is what I do to my family; whenever I allow this to happen, then these negative things happen. And so it's not like we have to sit here and give anybody time to decide what is that weight and that sin that does so easily beset me. We don't have to think about it. It's just time to revolt against it.

I can stand here today, and I could go through a long list, a long list of things we need to revolt against. But there are three things that keep coming to my spirit. And this baby dedication — realizing that all of these parents and grandparents, and I love the way, Pastor Allen, that you do that. I love the way that the parents make a statement, the grandparents make a statement, the church makes a statement, and it's so very true, because it takes all of us. But I want to talk about a couple of things that it's time to launch a revolt against. And the first thing I want to bring to you is, it's time to revolt against our self-determined purpose. Our self-determined purpose. Our purpose, our reason, what we have decided. Luke 19 and 10 says, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." See, Romans speaks about, in Romans 8, that we are a call — we are called according to his purpose, to his purpose. And when we look at, okay, if we're called according to his purpose, if I need to align my life with his purpose, if I need to get my life aligned with his purpose, then what was his purpose? Well, Luke 19:10 says, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." That's his purpose. I repeat what I said earlier: can we have churches that will be more interested in seeing the lost saved than the saved happy? Can we have churches that will be serious enough about people's salvation, that we will elevate above these low-level, ridiculous religion fights? And will we elevate to, what does the word of God say about salvation? Will we take every reference in the Bible that has anything to do with salvation? Will we come away from, "Well, I was raised like this; well, I was raised like this; well, my grandmother this; my grandfather that; this man of God that was our pastor for 50 years"? Can we elevate above humans? Are we going to get to where finally we quit fighting about religions, and are we going to move into the word of God and say — I'll tell you how serious: he came to seek and to save that which was lost. Then we need to get to seeking, and we need to understand salvation. And we had better blow past the Pentecostal thing, and the this thing, and the that thing, and elevate above religion and get into the kingdom. The kingdom. The King said — the King said, not my grandfather, not my father, who was a great man of God, not my mother, who is a great woman of God, not Brother Lumin, who was the pastor in my founding years — not not not, they're human, not them — but "seek ye first the kingdom of God," and what the King is saying. And he said, align to my purpose. You're called according to my purpose. What was his purpose? His purpose was to seek and to save that which was lost.

John 10:10 says, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and destroy." And King Jesus says, "I am come" — this is why I have come — "that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." 1 John 3 and8 puts it as clear as it could be said: "He that committed sin is of the devil; for the devil sinth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." Telling you, brothers and sisters, we will never be fulfilled until we align our life with his purpose. We will never be fulfilled.

These babies you've dedicated — God help us to get this Revel ation and every that we do, the number one thing is to align our lives and lead our homes in a manner that these children understand that aligning to the purpose of Jesus Christ is the most important thing in our lives. It's the most important thing. This will be the difference in whether or not this was truly a baby dedication or a photo op. This — what I'm speaking of right now, bringing your baby to the front, having that kind of a prayer prayed over him — that's not just so we can show them what they wore that day. It's not to just go frame the outfit they were in. It's not just — those are the pictures that we need in the history of their life. No, no, it's not. It's bringing your child to the front, and it's saying, "I will now be in second place. I will now seek for your purpose. And everything I do in this child's life, it's going to be aiming them toward your purpose." That's what it is. And if the purpose for this child's life is to take it to another place where we don't get to see it very often, well then guess what? We're really going to have to get good with FaceTime, because his purpose is above our preference.

I know I'm not talking casually. I know this is not casual talk. But I've pastured long enough to see a lot of parents and a lot of grandparents wreck children and grandchildren. I've seen it, to where there was a call of God on a young couple, but the parents had to control them, but the grandparents had to control them. I'm talking about aligning our lives with the purpose of God. I'm not just talking about the children and the grandchildren right now. I'm talking about some elders right now, that you need to realign with the purpose of God. You're at a stage in your life right now where you have wisdom. You may not be as physically strong as you used to be, but you've got wisdom, you've got experience. You understand the ups and downs, and there could be a purpose that God trying to align you two right now, that in your elder years it's not thinking the non-biblical word "retirement," it's thinking "reposition." And it's saying, God, in this age — name your age, wherever you are — it's about, how can I be aligned to the purpose of Jesus Christ? And it's time that we get strong enough to revolt against anything in our lives it is taking us away from aligning to the purpose of God. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what it is.

I also feel that it's time to launch a personal revolt against discontentment. Discontentment is causing havoc in the kingdom of God. At some point we need to ask ourself — we need to wrestle this all the way down to the core. We need to find the source. We need to answer, why am I so discontented? Why? Discontentment is not right. We will always have issues in life. There will always be obstacles. There will always be struggle. That will never change. It will never change. We live in a fallen world. We're dealing with fallen people — so are we, other than being redeemed by Jesus Christ. We're going to have issues. We're going to have issues. We're never going to have enough money to fix all of our issues. It's not going to happen on this side of eternity. So we have to ask ourself then, why? Why am I so discontented? Where is my joy? Why do I not have joy? Why do I not have peace? It's amazing how Joseph was in prison, and it was because of him keeping his countenance to a level, he was able to see that another prisoner's countenance was fallen. Where is it? Why? What's driving our discontentment? There are people that have been born again for years, and the level of discontentment in their life is just not what God intended.

John 10:10: "The thief cometh not" — I've already read it — "but for to steal, kill, and destroy. But I have come that you might have life" — in spiritual intensive care? "I have come that you might have life, that you barely get by"? "I have come that you might have life, that you dread every day you wake up"? "I have come that you may have life, frustrated about every stage of life"? That is not what I am reading in the word of God. And Romans 14:17 says, "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, it's peace, and joy" — but don't miss this — "in the Holy Ghost." And I would tell somebody, if you have a peace issue, if you have a joy issue — I'm not saying that every day we feel great; we're not talking about happy — you, we need to study. We need to get an understanding of joy and peace. And I would say, if you're having an issue with a lack of joy and peace in your life, you have a Holy Ghost issue. You have a Holy Ghost issue. You say, "Oh, well, everything must have just gone great in your life." I don't even have time to tell you what all has gone wrong, and I don't even have time right now to tell you what is wrong in my world right now, that I'm seeking for wisdom for. But I am saying this: because the Holy Ghost is alive in my life, I do have peace in the midst of all this mess. And the Bible does say that he will give what? A peace that — what, somebody answer it — that passes understanding.

So I ask, why? Philippians 4:11-13 — I hurry — "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be a based, and I know how to abound" — we need to learn this — "everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." And so I come, church, and I say, contentment is learned. It's learned. 1 Timothy 6 and8 gives us a good gauge for it: "And having food and rment, let us be therewith content." And there is a word that we don't want to touch. We don't like it. We avoid it. And that word is moderation. We need a revelation of moderation. That's what we need. We need a revelation of this. And it's not moderation that we want. We don't want that M word. We want the other M word: more. More. And so the lifechanging question to be launched in the middle of this contentment — "What, Terry? It's Sunday morning, talk about the power, get into the gifts, get it flowing." I'm talking about right now, what is holding kingdom power hostage? And so I have to ask a major question in the middle of all this. Are you ready for it? Wrestle this one down this week: how much is enough? How much is enough? How much? Because it only takes one discontented person in a home to mess up the entire vibe. How much is enough? Go ahead, write it down. How much is enough? Take out a blank sheet of paper. Get an empty computer screen and start figuring it out. Young people, how much is enough? Are you going to live your life always "more, more, more"? Young married couples, is it always going to be more, more? How much is enough? At what point? How many clothes do you need? How many shoes do you need? How many fishing poles — I know I'm getting ugly — how many fishing poles do you need? How many guns do you need? How many cars do you need? How many homes do you need? How much stuff do you need? How much is enough?

So what happens is, we don't deal with that, and we're just discontented, because this one's better, and this one has more. Listen, the sooner you can realize: somebody's always going to be smarter. Somebody's always going to look better. Somebody's always going to dress better. Somebody's always going to have better. There is no way in the world that we live in — that it runs on convincing us that we are less, unless we have more. And so I just say, it's time to launch a revolt against discontentment. We don't have to live discontented. We do not have to live on the low level of discontentment. It's a choice, and I choose not to live there.

Quickly, I'll share the last one. It's time to launch a personal revolt against false success. Pursuing false success leads away from the kingdom. The definition of success now has been hijacked by the kingdoms of this world. Success now is determined by money. Success now is determined by the house you live in, the car you drive, the clothes you wear, the position that you've arrived at in the company, or the position you've arrived at at the church. Success now has to do with vacations, options. It has to do with all of these things. And there is no end to the damage that is being done to individuals and families, and the kingdom being held back, because we don't even know what biblical success is.

It's very interesting to me that in the King James Version, the word "success" is only mentioned one time. It seems like God wanted us to get it right. Joshua 1 and8: "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." This book of the law — don't let it depart out of your mouth. It needs to come out. We need to be speaking the word. We need to meditate therein day and night, and we need to observe to do according to all that it says, and then we will be prosperous, and we will be successful. Can you imagine? Can you even imagine what could happen in this church if we would change how we view success? Can you imagine if we would — you know, yes, if you have a nice car, great. If you have — good, good, good, good. I'm not anti anything nice. But I am very much anti us judging people a success or not based on the material things they have. I'm very much against that. Because in the eyes of God, some of the most successful people could be people that are using their faith to believe that God's going to supply the next meal. There could be some people here that you may not have much, but you're very successful in the eyes of God. And can you imagine what could happen in this church if we would change the view of how we look at people? Can you imagine what could happen in the lives of people if we would elevate what we're thinking about them, and they would not feel looked down on because their car needs a paint job, or their car is old, or their car is like mine — it's got 196,000 miles on it? Or that car — well, no, no, no, it's not about that. We're revolting against that surface thinking that judges people by the outward. You let a church revolt there, and you see what happens. You let a church start judging success by what the word says, and how the word is guiding people. You let a church get to where they judge success by what the word is saying, and the obedience to the word of God, because God's word says, "Then you'll be prosperous." Let me tell you, I want the prosperity from God. I want in my life what God considers to be prosperous. I want God to see me as successful.

1 Timothy 6:8-10 again: "And having food and rment, let us be content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lust, which drown men in destruction and predition. For the love of money" — are you saying money's wrong? No. We have to have it to operate. Believe me, it has taken a lot of money to build this church, do this campus, and launch nine churches. And if we're going to go forward, we need another truckload of it. I get that. "But for the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have aired from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

I'm speaking today that it's time to revolt. It's time to revolt. It's time for the truth to set us free. We shall know the truth, and the truth shall make us free. It's time for the truth of God's word to get in our mind and help us with peace. It's time for us to start looking to the word of God and his Spirit to help us with peace, to help us with joy, to help center us. It's time to get our identity. We are complete in him, not them. There are people that their lives absolutely messed up because they're trying to get the approval of other people. They think human is going to complete them. A human is not going to complete that. We are complete in him.

And so I bring this word to you today. It's time for somebody to make a very specific, well-calculated, well-strategized revolt in your life, and see some things changed. You don't have to settle for a miserable, discontented, confused, vague, wondering life. You don't have to.

Now, as we stand together right now — I believe, I believe with all of my heart, that what you do is, you share the word, you make sure it's the word, you have faith in the word, and then you give people an opportunity to respond to the word. And so I'm just simply saying right now, if through the delivery of the word, if the Spirit of God has put any finger somewhere on something in your life that you need to revolt against, would you just step out and walk as close as you can to the front? Because the Spirit of God is going to empower. But you have to step out in faith. You have to step out in faith. Come as close as you can, please.

I have not brought you today a quote-unquote Pentecostal word. I've brought you the word of God. And the word of God says that the truth — which we know the truth is a person, Jesus Christ — the truth can make us free. The most important thing that anybody could do is to obey everything that is mentioned in the word of God that is tied to salvation. When I look at the word of God, I see that it starts with grace. Grace is tied to salvation. Faith is tied to salvation. Confession is tied to salvation. Repentance is tied to salvation. Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ is tied to salvation. The infilling of the Holy Ghost is tied to salvation. And endurance is tied to salvation. No way we're going to pressure anybody, but I would just say that please, if you have not taking those steps, all which are tied to salvation in the word of God, please give it some prayer. Please give it some thought. Please dig in. Appreciate pastors, family, appreciate all humans, but go into the word of God without denomination — including Pentecostals, including Pentecostals.

Now, you've walked forward because you feel that the Spirit is saying there's something that you need to revolt against. So everyone that standing in the seats, would you just close your eyes, and if you're comfortable with this, just stretch your hand toward the front. Stretch your hand toward your brothers and sisters. Or just, you can pray with us. For everyone who has walked forward, I would like for us all right now, from the front to the back — can we ask God to forgive us of anything that could be blocking what his Spirit would say? Can we do that? Simply from the heart. From the heart. I was praying it this morning in my hotel room. I'll pray it again with you right now.

Father, we come. I come, and I do not want anything — anything — to be wrong. Anything that I'm casually allowing in my life, that is a sin of commission, a sin of omission — please forgive me for it. Please forgive me. I pray that from my heart. Please forgive me. But I know that I have to have your power. I know that I have to have your power, or it'll just be a cycle. I need you. I need you.

Now, I would like for you to think about whatever it is — you feel it could be one, it could be two or three things — that you feel is holding you back from being what you need to be, what you could be in the kingdom. And I want you to just start talking to God about the fact that you're letting him know, "I'm revolting against —" and you name it right now. Can you start praying that? Can you just start letting God know, "I am revolting against — I need your Spirit. I need your power. I've got to have your help. But I am revolting against this right now." Talk to him about it. Talk to him about it. What you're feeling right now is not some weird thing that we make up. The Spirit of God is confirming the word. Now open up and let it speak to you. Accept it. You're naming it. You're revolting against it. Now you've repented, and you've named it. If you're comfortable doing this, would you just close your eyes and lift your hands to heaven, and would you allow the Spirit of God to empower you? Let the Spirit of God confirm the word. Let the Spirit of God confirm the word. Let it confirm. Let it confirm.