Ordinary | Student Pastor Zach Hammond

Proverbs 29 and 18 says where there is no vision could you finish it huh the people perish Pastor ericon read it this morning as he said this is kind of a vision series we're working on I would I would not be uh be in the right vein I don't think to go there but I want to point out the second part of that but he that keepeth the law happy is he everybody smile he that keepeth the law is happy you're talking about something that is counterculture we just hit the nail on the head when you say law command Commandments statutes guidelines rules standards everybody no no he says he that keeps the law happy is he huh happy is he that keeps the law so where there's no vision the people perish but he that keepeth the law happy is he there's a little bit of some correlation there and probably even a little bit more than even I comprehend of why that's all one verse Joshua 3 and 5 you don't even have to turn there I'll read it real quick and Joshua said unto the people sanctify yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you sanctify yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you I want to preach to you simple simple simple thought it's the most uh just the most average ordinary simple thing you've ever heard in fact my title is just this ordinary ordinary if you wouldn't mind would you lay your Bibles down would you lift your hands to the Lord and can we pray for just a few moments that God would speak to us on this Sunday evening Lord we thank you for your presence that we felt I thank you for your power Lord I believe that somebody's life's already been changed I believe that somebody's life has been touched and there's been a demonstration of your glory in this house that somebody was well their faith was built because of what they just experienced and what you did as you inhabited the Praises of your people but oh God we come to you tonight looking at your word that it would be a lamp into our feet and a light into our path that it would show us where we're at and where we need to go in this new year Lord I pray that you would help you would encourage you would Challenge and you would change us this evening God anoint my mind and my heart and my lips of clay Lord to speak your words for I'm nothing without you God we give you praise and glory in Jesus name we pray everybody say Amen am amen you may be seated no what are you saying thank you what are you saying do you see do you see what do you think they need tojust it a little bit a little bit hi Marlo can you see things cry we got the baby's first pair of glasses he already hates it christian christian open your eyes buddy hi hi hi he mun K I think I don't know if know they upside down it look upside down let's try it again hi you like them huh I had someone send me this just a few weeks ago and I couldn't help after this morning especially listening to Pastor Ericson's message uh but to to play this for tonight I appreciate brother ASA editing it down so it's a little bit little bit shorter but I I couldn't help uh over this past week in fact I've even prayed the prayer if you don't understand what you just watched these were children that could not see or either they were considered legally blind that they've uh there's a company that is doing amazing things and they're putting obviously these glasses on children for the first time and they're seeing their parents for the first time and if you want to watch something that just will bring a smile to your face for 30 or 45 minutes this is an entire documentary that someone did and it's it's just an amazing thing but I I can't help as I began to just think about the the the term vision and how um sometimes uh just over the past week in fact I I've I've asked God to not let me Overlook what we call ordinary I've asked God not to let me Overlook what he's blessed me with and there's people that if they were here tonight they would have been standing in all of what just took place but we call it ordinary there's people that would have made their way into this house tonight and they would have stood in tears they they would have reacted a lot like those children reacted that for the first time they just experience the presence of the almighty God but we call it ordinary it's am amazing to see that miracles happen every single day but do do I see it do you see it more than that do we acknowledge it do we give thanks for it for something as simple as a as the sun rising amen is there anything more miraculous you say that's just the part of the system that's just a part of the solar system no that's the creation of the almighty God that we call King of Kings and Lord of lords and the savior of our life no that's his work and we ought to thank him that it's a new day it's a new morning and so you experienced that today and so I ask you at any point that you stop and pause and say God I thank you for another day because it just becomes ordinary right it just becomes something that you you just for for however many years you've been breathing God's air it's just come up every single time it's just there and it's just something you become accustomed to but it's really a miracle you live in the miraculous especially those of you that call this church your home some of you grew up in this thing some some of you I'm looking at in your second and third and fourth and fifth generation in the truth and you ought to be thankful for that you ought to realize that you're living in a miracle you're living in what God has for you yeah you you we ought to respond and acknowledge the miraculous we ought to well it's just the ordinary for me it's just what I've grown up doing it's just what I've become accustomed to I come I park in this spot I sit on this Pew I do this I go through the process we pray at 9:25 to 9:35 and then I go out and get me a cup of coffee at Global grounds and I come in and I do this and I do that and I know that Pastor's going to make his punchline about here and he's going to move to the edge of the edge of the step and make his call to the altar here about this time and before you know it God is move moving and doing spectacular things people are being filled with the Holy Ghost this afternoon people are being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins and we if we're not careful or just having another conversation about where we're going to lunch because it just becomes ordinary God help us God help us in the year of 2024 that we acknowledge that I don't ever take for granted what God does for me every single day amen amen I don't ever want to to take for granted that he died for me and that just become ordinary God forbid that the cross and Jesus Christ crucified and the resurrected Savior and the the the amazing Plan of Salvation And The Gospel and the good news of who he is in uni in the United States and churches where we have all the wonderful things and cushion seats and nice things going on and everything's so so uh just a just perfect setting for you to be able to come in and Nestle in and feel and get what you think you need to get but it just becomes just becomes ordinary yeah I I don't ever want I don't ever want the things that what God has set in order and what God has called miraculous to become ordinary I realized growing up that it mattered greatly it mattered greatly who I spent time with because who I spent time with could very easily determine how I looked at myself who I was around determined how I I viewed myself and so I ask you the question as I have asked myself now what is your ordinary think about it for a minute maybe even close your eyes what is your ordinary what's your ordinary day what's your ordinary Sunday what's your ordinary Monday what is the process that you go through I I can think through of growing up it's it's like sometimes it just it just it's like it's planted in my mind that growing up I knew especially through the Summers as I got older I I I was with my grandfather all the time I I I literally Rode In The Middle on that little and definitely wasn't wasn't um there was no safety there was no like uh we we got pulled over we would probably went to jail but he had that little thing in his link Town Car brother brother Perry that he just sat down it was that's where I sat I rode everywhere funerals hospitals you name it weddings that's where I was at my dad was bivocational and ran multiple businesses and did many things and a lot of times whether I was going to a ball game or doing whatever I was riding with my grandfather and I got to see what was ordinary for him I got to see what his life was like I know where he sat on the platform every day I know how many laps he walked around the sanctuary as he prayed I know how much time he spent there I know where he wanted to go for lunch I know what he ordered at the varsity I know how he liked his chicken I know how he would take ketchup and mayonnaise and mix it up and make this special whatever he called it huh he like that tea extra sweet I knew what his ordinary day was because I spent time with him I think over my life I think of the ordinary day of my father as I got older my father's still to this day it doesn't matter where we're at if we're in a hotel room if we're staying over at a cabin over Christmas it doesn't matter where my dad's at you won't see my dad leave his room in the morning without falling on his knee and I can recite the prayer that's ordinary for him that's what he does he prays over the food the same way every time it's ordinary for him he's a very consistent structured person that's that's his ordinary I think about the time as I graduated I went to an internship and I spent some time at the Pentecostal of Alexandri and I was privileged to be there in the latter years of the ministry of Bishop GA Mangan and I got to spend a few days with him and I got to see what his ordinary day was and I realized the more of who I was around found that they made my ordinary look very carnal because of who I Associated myself with would determine how I viewed my Ordinary Day the structure of my day I've told this story many times but my dad told me I I was a teenager and he advised me he asked me hey what are you doing today hey what are you doing the rest of the week he begin to ask me some questions and he advised me to write it down he said you really ought to write down what you do throughout a day you all to take note of it he was opening my eyes to the fact that I was wasting a lot of time I was doing a lot of things that didn't matter I I I was raised to look at what what are you doing with what God has given you because it's not just another day it's not just another Sunrise it's not just another church service it's not just another prayer meeting it's not just another opportunity it's it's it's what I am making of it it's what I'm creating of it can you see that with me tonight huh I know it's a little bit different than a Sunday for a Sunday night sermon but I feel very I very very moved to to communicate to you tonight that who you spend time with will determine what your ordinary is cuz some of you spend time with some low down good for nothing rotten Sinners and you look like a saint huh you're able to walk in with your head held high 15 late 15 minutes late to service because by by all means I'm here and I go to church and everybody I work with they're sitting on a bar stool they're casting a rod across the lake they ain't even going to church but you will justify your lifestyle based upon who you run with are you with me so ultimately my ordinary is based upon is defined by who I associate with the wise man Solomon said it's not wise to compare yourself among among yourself but ultimately you are who you hang out with I I I can't forget that just just talking through this we we we we call this somewhat maybe you call it looking up to somebody you need to find somebody that that you can reach up to there's levels of consecration there's levels that we we need to reach as an individual there's levels we need to reach as a church and we've got to keep moving forward we've got to keep stepping forward we had a man in in our church growing up his name was Franklin hardigree and he had a key to the church I knew what his car looked like because it was there every morning and every evening in fact when he passed away just a few years before before I moved here he there was a there was a in in the seat that he prayed in brother nol and there was there was an impression some people say it it was it was it was you would say it's nasty but the oil of his hair was in that seat every morning every night every morning every night every morning every night for him it was ordinary every morning every night that car was sitting there if that car was not sitting there somebody needs to call and see if he's alive that was so ordinary for him it was it didn't matter what the weather was like it didn't matter what what was going on and and and and and if it was a holiday it didn't matter what that was his life that's what he did it was his ordinary routine and so I begin to think over my life the commitment and the consistency that you can compare yourself to and so again I ask you if you're really honest with yourself what is your ordinary life what's your dayto day look like what's your Monday through Saturday look like is your ordinary two or three services a week you can be seated yes is your ordinary serving at any capacity in the kingdom of God is your ordinary I would say I've been in a church 30 years but have you ever won a soul is that your ordinary is is that what is that what you base it off of because I'm challenging you that in 2024 I want to do something more in order for me to see something beyond what I saw in 2023 I've got to change what my ordinary daily life looks like I've got to change on how I react and what I do even in this room and what I do on Sunday mornings and Sunday nights and Wednesday nights it has to be a question that we all ask oursel my ordinary has to change my just ordinary obedience ultimately this Bible tells me that that simple ordinary life is what brings extraordinary outcomes it brings extraordinary outpourings it brings all of these things that we see in the Bible just comes from what just some ordinary people just fishermen just just normal Ordinary People But ultimately their ordinary life was something that God could build upon and so you've got to start somewhere I've got we've got a whole host of people here from all ages and speaking to the Strong Tower students tonight you got to start somewhere and so you got to start in the place of right now no matter what age what season where you find yourself you got to start right now and say I'm going to change the structure of my ordinary life to see extraordinary things come out of my life I that's that's the bottom line I I know I know it's very very very simple but my ordinary faithfulness will will be my fruitfulness tomorrow your life is going to be based upon judged upon it's going to be uh you're you're going to get opportunities and things all based upon your fruitfulness you will know them by their fruit so many people walk around with their nose in the ground wondering why they don't get chances to do anything but there's no fruit in your life why because there's no faithfulness to produce fruitfulness that's the bottom line if you're not faithful you're not going to be fruitful there can't be fruit from a tree that gets watered once a month there can't be fruit from a tree that gets prayer once a month that gets the opening of The Bible just once a month it's not going to happen so you say I'm not going to be consistent or I'm not going to be ordinary the only time I'm going to pray is on Sunday but I expect to be used in the kingdom of God you are deceived so I ask you as a a father as a mother as a young person as a trendsetter tonight what can you change in your ordinary that is going to cause the kingdom of God to look extraordinary in your life this year cuz Joshua said unto the people and if I could say to you tonight sanctify yourselves consecrate yourselves dedicate yourselves to the kingdom of God for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you we want the Wonders today right I want to see God move right now I want him to see I want to see the answer to the question right now but what does your consecration look like yesterday there's always preparation before there's a promise the Bible if it says anything it says that you don't get the promise you don't get the end of the without preparation you don't get the Holy Ghost without two steps before that you say well I got the Holy Ghost before yeah I understand that but there is a Plan of Salvation many people let me explain to you many people and it it would fix a lot of a lot if you just look at the Bible it would fix a lot of issues that we have in America today huh and I'm not stepping on anybody's toes I love every young person that's ever given out a promise ring but there's a lot of people in the world today that are giving out promise rings and they're not prepared to keep that promise that's why divorce rate is at all-time high because you can give a promise all day but your preparation is what matters on whether or not you can keep that promise right preparation always precedes the promise and you have to create a past you have to create a past worth yoking up to when you stand before God it's not going to be your intentions it's not going to be a path of righteousness it's going to be a past of righteousness what have I been doing when and and this is the thing that gets me everybody wants to be used of God based upon good intentions and what I can talk about and how many things I can quote and how many things I can do and I've done this but ultimately where is the fruit of your ordinary good what what is it that that that that seems to be such the struggle for that that prayer it has to be a part of your routine that that word of God has to be a part of our ordinary we've got to get ordinary in line if we want to see God do great things in our life Jeremiah 29:11 I love this passage of scripture it gets quoted it's that one that pops up on on on Pinterest that you can print and put on the refrigerator for I know the thoughts that I think toward you huh sayeth the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end that's what we all want right we want an expected end give me the expected end I want to know then if you're you're going to get the expected he said then you'll call upon me and you shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken unto you and you shall seek me and find me and when you search for me with all your heart all that scriptures together for a reason he has a plan and an expected end he has your future all laid out he's got what's best for you but you have to seek him we have to search for him with all of our heart it has to be purpose driven it has to be in the front of our minds it has to be purposeful it has to be something that we're set on doing and it's intriguing to me when you begin to read the scripture and open up the word of God and uh you try to work with people and you try to lead people and you see people make decisions it's intriguing to me how we will stand firm on our Doctrine but we won't practice it in our ordinary we will stand firm that we are Apostolic Pentecostal holy Ghost Field people we believe in the plan of salvations we don't believe once saved always saved but we sure do act like it sometimes huh we believe these certain things but we we ultimately let's let's look at it this way don't we don't believe God is divided up and put into three persons but we divide him up into our lives and we let him have access to this part but not that part he can have access to our problems but not our finances he can have access to our life here at church but not at work he can have access to this but not that and so yeah he's one God but he's not the Lord over all of my life so I ask you tonight what does your ordinary look like because you can't serve him here and not serve him there you may know the truth but doing it is what makes you free him that knowth to do good and do it that not it is sin some of us are too busy and I see it all the time especially on social media everybody else in the world that don't know the truth I'd rather stop talking about them and how wrong they are and how messed up they are but rather focus on the people that do know the truth acting in it doing what God's called us to do if we really all could just find that one person this church would double in a year I met with a nomal pastor in our in in our city just a a few months ago and he he he issued me with a challenge and it's kind of stirred my my spirit and I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm working on what he challenged me with because I think it's very simple and it's easy and it should be in my ordinary life he he he challenged me with a million man challenge he said you're about to be 35 and I'm not real good at math but he said three people every week disciple them for a year challenge those three people to go do what you just did with them next year I think he said in 30 years you've discipled a million people spend time you don't have to go win your whole job you don't have to go win your whole family but just one but that will cause you to have to change your ordinary it'll cause you to have to think outside of yourself it'll cause you to have to really deal with maybe some of us we've been looking around saying I can't believe all these people dealing with with anxiety and depression and all these mental health things and we realize the mental health thing is narcissism and realize I am I I'm fullon need help huh because we never think about anybody other than ourselves and our family we've not even thought about the the the fact that somebody that works with us or somebody that's in our family is dying and going to a devil's hell so I challenge you do you truly believe what you claim to believe because all ultimately we we ought to just like I tell the kids sometimes you ought to know better huh if we know it then we ought to act in it we have to live on purpose and we're not going to accidentally make it and so again we can't just we can't fall prey to the the mundane and we woke up this morning we ought to praise God for that he saved us from a devil's hell we ought to praise God for that right he died for us and we ought to praise God for that and we know the truth and we ought to share it there's action that has to take place and we have to put our hearts and our minds to it it's the fight of Faith it's going to be worth it all but it's going to cost us something for our feet to hit gold amen not just going to accidentally end up in heaven has to be intentional has to be something you think about has to be something you plan for has to be something you're prepared for you have to desire and I I pray to God this has been my prayer for the past couple of weeks in the beginning of the new year I just want more but in order to do that I have to surround myself with people who want to do more who challenge your consecration who pray more than I pray find just somebody that challenges who you are challenges the the the the the the the state that you're in I I I want to be inviting people to church let's look at it this way what does your ordinary life look like your everyday and let's look at it this way could I ask you this could we take your ordinary life the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep take it and print it out on paper and use it as a discipleship plan huh could I take your life and take it over here and welcome home and tell them hey if you'll follow this plan you're going to make it could brother senser take it up at his class and when everything's done and we've taught them all the things and they know how many gods there are and they know the Plan of Salvation they know why we dress holy and what and you're just going to put into action you're just going to follow this guy's life or this lady's life you're going to pray like they pray you're going to commit to the word of God the way they do what would a church look like ultimately more than that what would heaven look like because ultimately Jesus said in Matthew 4 verse number 19 he said unto the men he said unto them follow me and I will make you Fishers of Men so intriguing you see that all the time follow me as I follow Christ follow C can somebody truly follow you I'm not asking if they can follow Pastor Carpenter I'm not asking you if they can follow follow first lady we know they can follow them and their consecration but can they follow you cuz let me just let it let you in on a very convicting secret that I don't think we really think about all the time because we really say I just got to get myself to Heaven I just got to get me and my family to Heaven you are a walking light a beacon set up a hill a city that can't be hid there's a light inside of you that ultimately anybody that you come in contact with direct contact with especially on a consistent daily BAS basis my fear Pastor SoDo is that I'll Stand before God I'll Stand before God and this has just been stirring inside of me over the past two or three weeks is just I'll Stand before God Tyler on whether or not I shared it with them I can't make anybody serve God but I sure would love to give them an opportunity like God gave me you say well I've said something to them before bring it up again you don't have to wear them out every single day but let him know I'm still doing the same thing I've been doing God's still as good as he's ever been and and I I just really want to challenge you tonight you say I've never taught a Bible study why not why not huh I I know I I we've sit in all the church growth conferences and I hear people talking you've got you got people that can teach that are not very they're very introverted and you got people that are extroverted that can't really teach and so they're gatherers and they're teachers and I get it like some people are never going to teach a Bible study and some but my question is tonight is is is is why not find you another introvert have a conversation with them got all this Common Ground we can talk to any you have to be able to communicate with people you talk about where you're going to eat and how good the celles are and whether or not this is going to happen or that's you have to communicate to be able to operate there's not any single one of us that are they're able to function without just not communicating with anybody so my question is if we can communicate all these other things in order to make a living you had to derive some kind of information into your mind and be able to operate and do something so if you'll do that for money for this Kingdom that moth and rust is going to destroy why would you not think that it would be worth your time and your effort and your thoughts and your mind and your energy to go and get living logos out there or go get a search for truth and to edify to enhance the kingdom of God we ought not be able to keep up with how many Bible studies are going on up there we ought not brother John Stone ought to have to have 30 or 40 more people to be able to keep keep up with how many visitors we have a church this size shouldn't be having 20 visitors they should be having a 100 visitors but ultimately it comes down to there's people that come and they just get in the ordinary mode of just I'm just here it's just me and Jesus Is God not worthy enough to be talked about at the workplace is the word of God that you're going to be judged about judged by not worth studing studing and so what are we doing my question what are we doing with what God has given us it's amazing how easy it is to focus on the things that we need from God and maybe the prayers that haven't been answered but you know God's pretty consistent towards us couldn't we agree there are times in my life you just have to stand still and know that God is good but when you you stop and you stand still you're going to feel you're going to feel a couple things bump into you called goodness and mercy even at the moment where you do have to stand still in the middle of a storm or you have to stand still in the middle of some things going on you have to pause for a moment there's something that's going to push you forward called goodness and mercy he said it's going to follow you not one day not when you feel good not whether or not things are going good not whether or not your your your life's all what you planned it out to be or if it's the American dream that's in Pitch to you in the university class it doesn't matter what it is he says all the days of your life that goodness and mercy is going to show up it doesn't matter divorcees in your family or sicknesses in your family or what you're going through or how uncertain it is I'm telling you even if you have to stop and stand in the goodness of God there's going to be goodness and mercy that pushes you forward and say hey you just got to to keep going don't stop here there's more you've got to keep going you got to keep pressing forward so God's given you all that you all that you need he's consistent he never fails he never lacks he never not listens he's an everpresent help in the time of trouble he he's always Our Redeemer and forgiving and forgetting and doing all the things that he does every single day because that's just who he is but God forbid we ever look at that and call it ordinary he's no ordinary savior the perfect father he's always there and I know I've said it about 500 times I feel like but what is your ordinary day God wants to do a new thing the Bible says he wants to take you to another level he wants to do more in 2024 but as Joshua said to the people wonders are on the other side of consecration the next level depends on your daily consistent ordinary obedience to the word of God so what is what are you doing with what God has given you I I heard a pastor once preach and talk about that he he made this statement and I thought it was so intriguing and I couldn't help but but share it he said God doesn't make chairs God doesn't make tables he makes trees he said and what you do with the trees is up to you he's giv you the brain he's giv you the thought he's giv you the imagination and so we see all these things we even look at something like this tonight and we look at this pull pit and this came from a tree but if you would have put that tree in my hands it wouldn't have looked like this but you put that tree in brother Randy cogo's hands and it looks like this and so what we see is we see the giftings of God and we see all the things that happen within the kingdom of God and God gives us what we need to be able to make and and and design and think and create and become and it becomes something that we have to really acknowledge but I I church people and and church culture have allowed themselves to think that God makes tables he don't he makes trees and so what happens I hear people praying and I hear young people talking about it basing their relationship with God on whether not they get a table or a chair whether or not they get this or they get that because they look at brother Ericson's life and they think I want what brother eron's got you want what brothers Ericson's got you got to take a tree and you got to make it into what brother Ericson has because it took time in ordinary days to create the chair that Pastor Carpenter sits in are you with me you can look at that and you can understand you say Lord give me a table Lord give me a chair Lord give me a house Lord Lord give me a spouse huh Young Folks Lord give me a job Lord give me a boat he just gave Noah a tree he's giving you what it happens over and over and over and but I could have preached the whole sermon on just this thing he says Moses I want you to take what's in your he's going to he's already given you're actually sitting here present day right here 2024 got everything you need to fulfill what God has for you but the question is do you have enough discipline and consecration to take the tree and create what God has for you so look look at this with me God will do what God can do but we have to do what we're going to do right so I ask you this you've been given some gifts and you've been given some things and you've been given some talents I asked some parents tonight what are you see in your kids cuz the Bible says they're a gift from God we're not entitled to them we it's a gift from God he put them in your hands so what will you make out of it will you make a chair out of it will you make a table out of it he didn't have to give you that good wife he didn't have to give you that good husband he didn't have to give you good parents no matter what it is if you'll really look at it God's given you something to make your life of the Lord does amazing things and you've got just what you need and and I feel like somebody needs to hear that tonight you've got what you need right here between your ears you've got what you need right here in the in the flesh sitting right here if you'll just let God take it and use it everything in the kingdom of God is about work sacrifice is the model of which God operates and so faith without works is dead because work is faith manifested we seek God do not be a hearer of the word only but be a doer we hear it over and over and over again if you truly believe something it will change your behavior we've heard it before belief determines your behavior and behavior determines your results so Behavior will determine whether you are a tree or a table and that's deep I know I know it's just so simple you've been given a gift from God you must acknowledge it you must you must do something something with it because that is what you're going to be judged by could you say that with me tonight that's what I'm going to be judged by huh say that out loud that's what I'm going to be judged by when I stand before God Matthew 25 and4 let me read a parable to you for the Kingdom of Heaven is a man traveling into a far country who called his own servants and delivered unto the unto them his goods and unto one he gave five talents and another two and another one and and every man according to his several ability and straightway took his journey then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same and made them other five talents so he took five and made 10 and likewise he that received two had also gained another two and he that received one went and died in the earth and hid his Lord's money notice he didn't say his money he said his Lord's money after a long time the Lord of those servants cometh and reckon with him this is a parable Jesus is saying to teach us and so he that had received five talents came and brought the other five talents saying Lord thou deliver unto me five talents behold I have gained beside them five more uh talents more and and and his lord said unto him well done notice the terminology here there's no coincidence in the parable he says well done thou good and faithful servant you heard that anywhere where else huh well done thou good for thou Hast been faithful you've made it a part of of of of of Who You Are Over the few things I will make you ruler over many things it's a lot like what Joshua says consecrate yourself today and tomorrow you'll see wonders if you'll do what you're supposed to do with the five then I'll been Faithful over this and God's going to do something with this but until he sees faithfulness and fruitfulness there can be no promotion do we see that his lord well done now good and faithful so we see does the same thing with the two you get down to verse number 24 then he said he had received the one Talent came and said Lord I knew thee that thou art a hard man reaping there thou Hast not sown and Gathering there where thou Hast not St so that's that's this whole thing within itself this is he he's reaping where he hadn't sown and he's Gathering where he hadn't straw and so and and I was afraid and he went and hid the town on the earth low there was uh there thou Hast that is thine and so the Lord answered and said unto him this is such an interesting response and I hope you could take note of the wicked and the slothful servant so he addresses the fact that he not only Wicked but he's lazy and thou knowest that I reap where I sowed not and gather where I have not strawed thou oughtest therefore to have have my money to be the uh therefore I'm sorry to have put my money to the exchangers and then at my coming I should have received mine own with Usery take their for the talent from him and give it to him that had 10 talents man that would upset the church right that really mess up somebody Saturday huh but that's ultimately can we just be honest for a few minutes that's ultimately what happens everybody out everybody here probably works for somebody or somebody works for you and you work in the world and you try to produce some kind of income you're trying to reach some kind of goals and you're trying to have some kind of productivity right that's the way you receive money you're creating productivity for somebody or something sadly if you don't produce you're more than likely going to lose your job if you don't create that those goals and meet those goals and reach those require re Ms and fulfill your contract and do this and do that if you don't produce you get fired some reason for some reason in Christianity we don't follow the same principles we expect to sit and not produce anything for years but still be able to stand before God as if we've been productive I hope you're thinking and that you're quiet because it is heart stirring to me I've got to produce something if God gave you five we got to do something with it but if God gave you one don't get upset when he shows up and you didn't do anything and he gives it to somebody else sadly within our movement we've got a lot of people that are gifted and called within the five-fold ministry but they weren't willing to go through the process of the ordinary so they're out doing something that God didn't call them to do and they're upset because they see God elevating other people but ultimately all it's happening is he's taken what you didn't use and put it on somebody else he said if you won't praise me the rocks are going to cry out and I understand that's real harsh truth it's much better for me to get up and preach just how you are uniquely informed and there's nobody like you and you were knit together in your mother's womb there's nobody has the same brain as you you don't even have the same thumb print nobody can do what you can do do but ultimately in the kingdom of God he'll use a donkey to Usher him in He he'll he'll use anything to accomplish the goal so I ask you tonight what are you doing with what God's given you because verse 30 says and cast ye the unprofitable when you receive the Holy Ghost he says cast you the unprofitable servant into the outer Darkness will there be weeping and nashing of teeth if if if if you when you received the Holy Ghost you say I received the Holy Ghost when when I was seven when I was eight when I was 15 when I was 20 whenever it was I've had the Holy Ghost for 10 days or 100 years whatever it may be however long you've had it has it been profitable to the kingdom of God has anything returned back to the kingdom since you received what the kingdom had for you has the gospel went anywhere since it was poured Into Your Vessel has anybody felt the presence of God since you felt it have I disciplined myself to see the kingdom flourish or do I ultimately have my own bucket list over over over here that when I check it all off and they put me in the ground that the kingdom of God will be no different the church will look no different the church has not been affected what your ordinary look like we can have conferences we can have moves of God like tonight and I'm all about it but I'm looking at people that I love you and I thank you for your faithfulness but I've been looking at you for over 13 14 years now and it's time that all of us realize that unless there's somebody beside us I hope you feel what I feel tonight I I hope you feel my heart I'm not here I'm here to let you know what God's dealing with me on it doesn't matter how much we are given it's our job to turn that tree into a chair so not just for one week and not just for 21 days I'm looking I'm looking over you tonight as a church as a body of Believers as a youth group as a family as a as a church most of most of all I'm not asking anybody to prophesy or to teach on the Book of Revelation I'm just asking you to love God and love people in every day of your life pray it read it share it what are you doing with the ordinary day that God gives you God spoke this to me years and years ago and I I consistently go back to it and in closing tonight I ask you this does God have to do much to be extraordinary in your ordinary day your ordinary sometimes is so low on the consecration God asked me this question probably five or six years ago that his extra is just a little bit of what he has for you our our our consecration is so low that God is not even get the half has not been told of what God can do through you as just an individual as just a family as just what God has for you if you would just raise your level of what you call ordinary in 2024 if you just raise your level say I'm going to pray just a little bit more I'm GNA fast a day a week I'm going to do this I'm going do that I'm going to make sure that my family's reading the word of God and we we we don't don't any of us set out to be average But ultimately that same word ordinary is it's conjunction in the same sentence it's going to mean it's just going to mean average and so I don't I don't want to be an average church I don't want to be an average person I don't want to be an average individual maybe it's a curse but I'm awful competitive I don't want to be anything like anybody else next to me I want to be different but I realize in my life you just don't wake up different you just don't wake up being able to play an instrument you just don't wake up and be able to do something you have to create an ordinary you have to create a structure you have to create a system you have to discipline yourself to be able to do it you you know I I don't I don't want to be an average spouse I don't want to be an average student I don't want to be an average Saint I don't want to be an average parent I don't want to be an average Christian I I I don't want anything about my life to be to look at and say well he he's just kind of ordinary but ultimately listen listen to me for just just another moment I know I I I'm just it feels like it's a whole lot longer when you have a voice like mine and you're just kind of talking I'm almost done promise I got to reading our above average country that I I love the United States of America the averages for 2023 was that we spend 105% of our income average 15,000 Plus in credit card debt 23 pound or ideal over ideal weight hates their job and blames it on their boss average dad in the US spends 272 hours a week in leisure activity in seven hours a week with their kids every average American uses one form of deception uses some form of deception in one of every five social interactions the average attention span of the United States citizen is eight seconds one second short of a goldfish I don't want to be average if there's ever been a time that you would read that verse and say I'm in this world but I'm not of this world it would be today but my question is if you're if you're if you're not intentional if you're not purposeful about where you're at and what's happening and we're we're starting a new series this Wednesday night on praying through the Psalms and and and and and part of that is a a book that I put together just for our Strong Tower students and you're going to go through it and it has some Psalms that you'll read and you'll pray but then it has a journal area and there's one for guys and girls yes guys you can Journal out for 30 days what you do with your life I want every moment what you did from the moment you got up to the moment you go to sleep and after 30 days we can look back through it and say man I'm wasting a lot of time or hey on this day I I I talk to so and so about what the book of Acts means I talked to so and so about this or we had a conversation at the lunch table where somebody was going through something I prayed for them and you could see those moments and you ultimately will be able to look back over those moments and see that you felt something different than you normally feel and that's something called purpose that's something called joy and we see that it's our choice on whether or not our ordinary when compared to the world will be extraordinary they ought to look at you in your workplace and say that's the best employee we got jesus carried his cross through the market place as an example that you and I ought to carry the cross right into our workplace you work at the hospital there ought to be a cross in that hospital and they ought to know who to come to for prayer they ought to know who to come to if they have questions they ought to know who to come to when they're going through something why because that's who I am I I've made that ordinary that's not something that they just found out and I've been I've been here for years and years now I want to know that that that this is my life Jesus preached that sermon on the mountain it's all about being considered counterculture above average will you be one of the 12 will you climb will you stay awake through the prayer meeting will you be one of those in the upper room cuz ultimately there was thousands that ate the fish and the bread there was thousands he had to send away to go to the Wilderness there was thousands that participated in his ministry but when it come down to it 120 gathered in an upper room and one mind and one Accord on purpose one mind one Accord one goal so I want you to stand tonight I'm going ask you tonight in this altar call to make a commitment and praise team if y'all want to play that same song about more of me and less uh more of yeah that's about right more of God and less of me but I ask you just a few questions in closing I literally wrote These down and put them on my desk and I'm going to read through these throughout the next few days as we finish out the first month of the year am i counting what God's counting that's the first question the the Bible and I know people and and I like we're we're not we're not worried about numbers the Bible's full of numbers and ultimately a number is a soul so when we're counting what God's counting God's counting Souls he'll leave the 99 and go get one when God hears your prayers these are questions I wrote to myself when God hears your prayers is he puzzled that you're not concerned about what he's concerned about is your prayers counting what he's counting acknowledging what he's acknowledging because ultimately our goal is right here right now in front of us is you say what what what's what what's what's the vision for 2024 the vision that God has 2024 2034 2054 no matter what it is is that there's more in heaven than there is in hell that's it that's what he's counting I'll leave the 99 to go get the one it's the the concept throughout scripture it's the logic of the L it's it's laid out over and over again if you will will will truly see it the way God sees it Luke 5:8 is the story that we've heard preached and we've heard talked about it I've preached it myself where they come and the men put the guy on the bed and they tear the roof off the church and the church is crowded and the church is full and God God's robed himself in flesh and he's right there in the presence of the people and Jesus is teaching and working miracles and doing what he does they tear the roof off let the man down Jesus heals that lame man that day and the Bible says they were all amazed in verse number 26 and they glorified God and they were filled with fear saying we have seen strange things today I don't know about you but I want to see some strange things happen we can't explain only God could have done it it's extraordinary It's Supernatural but in order for us to see the supernatural we've got to get the natural right in order for us to see the extraordinary I got to get my life in order it's just to please God it's I've got to make his goals my goals I got to make my heart his heart I've got to see it the way he sees it I got to make sure that it's not about me it's all about him just with your head bowed your eyes closed I want you to reflect back over your life I want you reflect back over your family if you're a father you're a mother you're a young person if you could just reflect for a moment before we open up these altars I want to once we open these altars here in just a moment we're going to make a commitment that we're going to do more we're going to do more in 2024 my ordinary is going to be something that God has to step down and do the miraculous and they'll be able to say oh man that was something we've never seen before that's something strange that's something that's going to that's going to change the the the the the the whole atmosphere it's going to change the course of our County it's going to change the course of our city because God has done something Supernatural in this place and God's done something extraordinary in this place why there's a consecrated people there's a committed people there's a house of prayer over there on 1331 William Blunt drive that people know how to get a hold of God and they're just doing what they know is right every single day if you'll accept this challenge I wish wish you'd come down to this Altar and kneel down fall upon your face and pray a individual prayer if you would for just a few moments not pray with anybody else but if you'll pray that individual prayer I'm asking every young person especially every college student to come make a commitment to be consecrated like never before could you pray a a prayer of dedication that I'm going to do more than I've ever done is there a father that'll make a commitment that I'm going to be better than I've ever been I'm going to be more more purposeful I'm going to be more intentional about leading my my family that I've ever been come on Mom I'm going to be intentional like never before in this year to see God do something great in our lives I want to be used in your kingdom God I want to be used in your kingdom come on let's have an honest altar tonight come on let's have an honest altar tonight God I feel your presence in this place right now come on young man come on Middle School students find a place to pray find a a need a knee bent to the Lord to commit to him right now oh holy God of come on the sweet presence of God is going to sweep into this place come on he'll draw nigh unto you if you'll draw nigh unto him every step you take he's going to take another step towards you God I commit to you God like never before Lord we need you in a greater way God we want to see Great and Mighty things Lord we we want to see vision and dreams go forth Lord we want to see God you work in a special miraculous way God but we commit every bit of it to you and we know God that it starts right now it starts in our daily prayer life it starts oh God the Harvest starts with us knowing to be able to share the Harvest starts with us caring to share the Harvest starts so oh God God With Us oh God planting Lord and watering Lord to be fruitful in our lives oh God lord I want to be fruitful oh God lord I want to hear you say Well done th good and faithful servant you've been faithful with what I've given you you've been faithful Lord come on that's it I hear some of you pouring your heart out I wish you'd lift your voice up for a few moments before they begin to sing come on Father lift your voice up let everybody know you're on purpose tonight it's intentional come on young person let God hear your cry right now let God feel your cry right now God oh God I want to oh God use us oh God use this church oh God in a mighty way God God I believe there's a Revival in the house Lord Lord Lord that'll create a harvest oh God outside the house oh God holy God Of Heaven holy God Of Heaven let us see the way you see oh God Lord let us oh God let our heart pound and burn oh god with the things of your kingdom oh God oh I wonder if there's somebody in this place that feels a call on their life that you'd pour your heart out to God come on make that commitment make that commitment to him right now Jesus Jesus Jesus come on I just feel to push you just a little bit further come on I feel to push you just get out could you get out of your comfort zone for just a moment just see what God will do come on you want to see something demonstrated in your life come on let that word be active how long's it been since you spoken tongues how long's it been since the tears flow down your cheeks come on let God demonstrate himself right now come on God wants to touch your goodness and mercies here with you every man every woman every boy every girl God wants to touch you right now come on he wants to confirm what he's called you to do come on let him touch you right now surrender to him surrender to him oh God oh God oh God come on would you find somebody now would you reach across and find the shoulder of somebody come on can we just make it Collective we're going to see the kingdom of God flourish we're going to be fruitful come on make it Collective right now come on make it Collective oh I believe you know you could do a lot by yourself but when you bind up with somebody else and you UniFi with somebody else there's no telling what could happen there's no telling what we can do when we work together there's no telling what we can do when we get in one mind and one Accord there's no telling what we can do when we start uh working towards the same goal come on more more more we want more we need more we need you God to demonstrate your power like never before though we want to see our city saved oh God love you Jesus I love you Jesus I love you Jesus God I want more of you oh God I want more of you oh God God I want more of you oh God God I desire you oh God lord we need you Lord we need you Lord we need you holy holy holy oh God we praise you oh God we praise you oh God we praise you oh God We Praise You church family obviously in summary we want to raise our level of what's ordinary we want to raise our level personally and unified as to what is ordinary I want people to be able to walk in and feel the power of God and just say hey that's ordinary around here but when we raise that level all of a sudden God shows up in a way that's beyond a way we've ever seen it's beyond ordinary and we're able to leave on a Sunday night and say that was strange that was not ordinary but when God does that then all of a sudden you've experienced that right and so you start living at that level I'll tell people all the times I spent about 10 days with by Le St King and he's laying hands on people and they've got cancer and they you're L we see a tumor fall off that's ordinary for him why cuz the man was dead and he got back up so his ordinary level is not the level that I live at I'm letting there sitting there thinking holy smokes this is strange it was strange to me it was ordinary to him so the question is how high can we go we can go as high as our ordinary we've got to raise it every time we come together every week we've got to commit ourselves to here and the Bible says that's why he says he will do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think or even hope for but in order to see the exceedingly and abundantly and above we've got to ask think and hope for it so God can't exceed your expectations if you never think about him you never ask him or you never hope for it I wish that you would for just one more moment if there's a young person next to you I wish you'd grab a hold of their shoulder their hand and youd lift it up and I just want us to pray together that generation to generation old to Young we're going to see greater things in 2024 we're going to see God do some things he's never done before and it's going to cause a harvest in this city like never before come on could you grab the hand of somebody young and old could you if you're not standing could you stand all across this place come on could we lift it up for just a moment before before we're dismiss could you just lift your hand oh God I believe it God I believe it I believe prodal are coming home come on call the name pray some big prayers God will do exceedingly and abundantly above come on if you just ask him right now come on if you ask him right now God I want to do God I want to be come on that's it let Faith rise right now come on let Faith rise right now come on let Faith rise in this room God let our old men stream young men see visions generation to Generations God let us reach for the supernatural God let us reach beyond what we've seen before oh God oh God demonstrate yourself oh God demonstrate yourself oh God Jesus we love you Jesus we love you Jesus we love you if you would please accept the challenge be conscious of it be conscious what God is this is the this is in prayer this week I want to see it how God sees it when I walk by the lost it's like somebody that's there as the light walks by something in the darkness and he sees that opportunity and I had my mind on whether I was going to get a hamburger or chicken tenders right conscious of what he's conscious of our church it shouldn't be difficult it shouldn't be difficult to grow if everybody just cares about what God cares about there's somebody in your life right now just waiting on you to have a conversation with them there's somebody in your workplace right now I feel the Holy Ghost is waiting on you to have a conversation with them but I got to be conscious I've got to be purposeful and if nothing else you open their mind you open their eyes to see something that God may have been doing in their life the whole time it might just be an ordinary thing in their life that God's been doing and all of a sudden you open their eyes to it like those kids that put the glasses on for the first time there's nothing more fulfilling than that and I closed with what I started with my goal is that you you feel spiritually what those parents felt physically emotionally if you ever teach a Bible study if you ever invite somebody to church and yoke up with somebody like brother Sullivan say hey I don't know how to teach one yet but could you help me Teach it and all of a sudden you see that person come down and they begin to pray and they begin to weep they get in the water grave of baptism and they're created a new creature in Christ Jesus and all of a sudden you see them put them glasses on all of a sudden their life changes that's what it's all about that's why we're here and that can never become ordinary and that can never become mundane and that can never not be enough you say why I just want to do more in the church there's nothing more you can do than that right there there's not a position in this church in this place there's not a title you put by there's not anything that you can put somebody in that's more important than that one thing I want to put the glasses on somebody and don't get overwhelmed don't focus on how unprepared you are start preparing tomorrow make it an ordinary thing that I'm trying to put the glasses on some soul that God wants to put in heaven amen amen you're receive that challenge God bless you tonight shake some hands with somebody tell them you love them you're dismissed in Jesus name