Gregory Dickow - Breaking Free from Passivity
Actually, I actually think I’ve done all that I can here for this church. So today, I’m announcing that I’m going to rely on the Holy Spirit from this point forward, not on myself. Some of you are going to get that later. All right. Um, no surprises here. All right. Open your Bibles to Matthew chapter 28. And by the way, while Rob was giving that announcement, I signed up for the early registration. I hope you guys will take advantage of it. And I signed up for the leaders' lunch; I want to be a better leader. So, I’m all in. I just encourage everybody to take action now.
Well, it’s not a coincidence that I’ll be talking about the topic that God gave me for us today, but we’re going to start in Matthew chapter 28, verse 2. And it says here, «Behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled the stone away, and sat on it.» Now, it was thousands of pounds, this stone that was rolled away by an angel. The soldiers couldn’t have done it; the Roman guards couldn’t have done it. The way it came into place was that it was held up by a piece of wood, a wedge of wood that held the stone on a hill. They could knock the wedge out, and the stone would roll down onto the tomb, covering the tomb so that it could never be moved. It was impossible to move it. Nobody wanted Jesus to escape. No, none of the Romans wanted some trick to be able to be pulled off by the disciples. «Oh, they’ll steal his body and say that he rose from the dead.» It was impossible for them to do that because they couldn’t roll the stone away.
Now, there are a thousand other facts about Jesus' resurrection that we need to realize exist out there, but the fact that they couldn’t roll this stone away, but an angel came, and it was an earthquake that occurred, this was more than just a geological tremor. This was more than just a typical earthquake on the San Andreas Fault in California or on the faults in Turkey and the various places where these tectonic plates shift. But this earthquake was the dismantling of the systems of Satan, the systems of man, the systems of religion, the systems of government, all the systems that kept man distant from God. This earthquake came to shake those systems and dismantle them.
Not only did Jesus come to deliver us from our sins, forgive us our sins, and make us the righteousness of God, but he also dismantled the systems that were keeping us distant from God, the systems of separation. This was a divine disruption that took place during Jesus' resurrection. It was a divine disruption when this earthquake occurred, a shaking of every system that stood in the way of closeness with God: sin shaken, condemnation shaken, fear shaken, Satan’s dominion shaken, this world system shaken. Everything man put their trust in was shaken.
It’s the aftershock that mattered to the disciples after Jesus' resurrection. After these spoken words, without breaking the atmosphere, Jesus gave a revelation to his disciples of his resurrection. He didn’t just shake the ground that day; he shook the systems, the powers, the dominions, the distance, the fear, the shame, and he shifted and destroyed and shook time itself. The grave could not hold him; religion could not contain him; guilt could not accuse him; hell could not keep him; and distance could not separate him. Therefore, the grave can’t hold you; religion can’t contain you; guilt can’t accuse you; hell can’t keep you; and distance can’t separate you because as he is, so are we in this world.
The system of distance from God is where we’ve focused the most since Resurrection Sunday a few weeks ago. A couple of weeks ago, Jesus did not rise so that we could behave better; he rose so we could be closer forever. He rose so we could be closer to God so that we could do what he asks us to do: «Draw near to me, and I’ll draw near to you. Come closer to me, and I’ll come closer to you.» Jesus rose so we could be closer to God forever.
Hebrews chapter 7, verse 25 says, «Wherefore, he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing that he ever liveth to make intercession for them.» Now, I want you to understand what he’s saying here. The Bible says that God is able to save us to the uttermost. The uttermost means entirely, completely, and forever. He is able to save us entirely, completely, and forever, anyone who comes to God through Jesus, seeing that he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Now that word «intercession» is tossed around in Christian circles, and it’s used as a form of prayer. When you’re praying for somebody else, you’re making intercession. When you’re praying for some person or praying for our nation or praying for the nations of the world, praying for revival, you’re interceding. You’re getting in between where God is right now, God’s presence, and that situation that needs God’s presence. Your prayers are a form of intercession to bring God’s presence into our nation, God’s presence into our cities, God’s presence into our communities. It’s prayer that is changing the world. It’s prayer that is changing nations. It’s prayer that’s changing America. It’s prayer that’s changing you. Amen.
But when Jesus is spoken of in such a way that he is ever living to make intercession for us, that word is used because it means to stand in the gap. There is a gap between God and man, and that gap took place when Adam and Eve sinned and distanced themselves from God. God did not push them away from him; God did not distance himself from them. They separated themselves from God when they accepted another God’s command, which was Satan who spoke through the serpent: «Did God really say that if you eat from that tree, you’ll die? Come on, you’re not going to die. God just doesn’t want you to eat it because he doesn’t want you to be like him. He’s trying to keep something from you.» What kind of God would do that? That would kind of keep something from you like that.
And that’s what tempted Adam and Eve. Their temptation came from the lie that they weren’t already like God. Temptation only comes when you forget who you are. When you don’t believe who you are in Christ, that’s what’s really tempting you, to doubt who you are. The real temptation is the temptation to believe the lie that you aren’t who God said you are. Boy, if we fought that lie more than we fight our family members, more than we fight others, more than we fight politics, more than we fight Republicans, Democrats, Independents, all that shaken- all that stuff is sinking sand. Put your trust in Jesus. Put your trust in his word. Live by his word. Live by his promises. This is for everybody. Live by his promises. Live by what he said.
We don’t even live by the promises that we make to God. We live by the promises he makes to us. Amen. Think about it. If God came into your life because of the promises you made to him, then he’d have to leave your life continually because of all the promises that you’ve made and broken. «Oh God, I’m getting up tomorrow at 6 a.m. for an hour of prayer with the disciples, Peter, James, and John, and me. I’m going for it.» Sure enough, your alarm goes off at six, and you’re not going for it. You’re about to seek the Lord with one more dream. We promise. «Oh God, I’m going to-this is my year, Lord! I promise I’m going to be my best. I’m going to stop cussing. I’m going to stop lying. In fact, Lord, I haven’t even done that all day. But I’m about to get out of bed, and I’m going to need your help the rest of the day.»
If you would realize the promises that you make to God have nothing to do with what God is going to do in your life, it’s the promises that God makes to us that have to do with what he’s going to do in our lives because he’s watching over his word to perform it, to bring it to pass. Amen. So, I want you to understand that Jesus, in that verse in Hebrews 7:25, and I know I’ve spent a lot of time on this, and I want to move past this and get into this next system I want to talk to you about. But I need you to understand that this isn’t just for Easter. This isn’t just for Good Friday. This isn’t just for a topic to cover once in a while. Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for us, meaning that he forever, from now into eternity, will always be the way for us to the Father. He always has been the way to the Father. He is the way to the Father, and he always will be the way to the Father.
And he’s simply saying even when you fail, Jesus is the interceder. Jesus is the intercessor. Jesus is standing in the gap to create a connection between you and God forever, that you have access to even when you fail, even when you blow it, even when you cuss, even when you curse God, even when you lie, even when you cheat, even when you’ve done any of those things. And I’m not encouraging you to do those things, but humanity is flawed, and we fail. And we cannot buy the lie that somehow we can take care of this gap ourselves. Now, Jesus ever liveth to be the intercessor, to be in the gap. Jesus ever liveth to be the bridge. He forever and all time is the bridge to the Father.
Now that’s not something that we can open and close; the bridge is done. It’s settled. All you have to do is go and talk to the Father because the intercessor has stood in the gap and will forever stand in the gap. Therefore, you have free access to God 24 hours a day, in your highest times, in your lowest times, in your greatest days, in your worst days, in the morning, and in the evening, when you’re awake, when you’re asleep, when you can’t sleep, when you can’t wake- he is there, and you have access to him 24/7, 365 days a year.
Hebrews 9:12 says- well, let me back up for one second: Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for us, not in a form of praying for us continually, although we’ll take his prayers. And we believe whatever prayers he prayed for the disciples while he was on this earth, those prayers apply to us too. He prayed that Peter’s faith wouldn’t fail. So, guess what? That prayer 2,000 years ago when it was prayed applies to you too. He doesn’t need to repay it. It’s been prayed once and for all. The blood’s been shed once and for all. It’s once for all time. That’s the whole thing that replaced the old covenant, which was bringing blood to God once a year to cover the sins of the people as an atonement to cover the sins of the people.
When Jesus comes, he doesn’t come to cover the sins of the people; he comes to become the sins of the people. And by becoming sin for us, he forever delivers us from it and forever not only dismantles the system of sin but he completely erases it by his blood as if it never existed. Before God, he doesn’t remember your sins anymore. Amen.
Now think about this for a second. Why doesn’t God remember our sins? Well, Hebrews 8:12 says, «For your sins and your iniquities, I will remember no more.» It’s all talking about the blood of Jesus and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Why is it- how is it that God won’t remember our sins anymore? How is it that he can forget? He’s not forgetting anything, but he’s just not remembering something that doesn’t exist anymore. If you could get your brain wrapped around that reality, the reason he doesn’t remember your sins anymore is that they don’t exist. I’m not talking about some metaphysical, Christian Science kind of thing.
But I’m still watching Mission Impossible when it comes out, right? Or that maybe that’s some other — I don’t know. There are so many different religions, but thank God our relationship with God is not a religion. You don’t have a religion with your family. You wouldn’t say, «I just found religion,» and «I just have this great religion with my family.» You got married, and now you have a relationship. We get born again; we don’t have a religion; we have a relationship with God. It’s a relationship, so talk to him and listen to him and go to him and never be afraid because your sins have been removed. It’s wiped clean; they don’t exist anymore.
I studied really hard for that point right there. In Hebrews 9:12, it says about Jesus, «With his own blood, not the blood of goats and calves, he entered the most holy place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.» I love what the Message Bible tells us here. Why am I talking about this? Because we have to understand closeness with God is the privilege we get to experience all the days of our lives. We don’t have to pretend we’re holy; we can recognize we’re holy in Christ. We’re holy because of the blood of Jesus. We don’t have to pretend that we’re flawless; we are happy imperfect people. And we don’t have to pretend we’re flawless.
Now we can address the things in our lives that we have understanding about and how to process. And there are some things we have to trust God about, and we don’t have an answer yet. And that’s okay. But all the fake is over. All the pretending is over. Religion is pretending. Religion is trying to be something, trying to put on something. We’re not putting on something; Jesus became something. He became sin so that we could become something. We are the righteousness of God. We are the sons and daughters of God. We are called, as we heard today during the offering, to inherit the blessing so that we can be a blessing.
Jesus has closed the gap. He is not praying for us through his intercession; he is preserving our connection forever. He is preserving our connection forever. Just as it says in Romans 8:34, «Who is the one who will condemn us? Christ Jesus is the one who died, and more than that, was raised to life and is at the right hand of God interceding for us,» meaning he is at the right hand of God preserving the connection right now. The connection is preserved. The connection between you and God is preserved by Jesus ever living to make intercession. Amen.
Go to God; you have the connection. Go to God; the connection’s clear. Today, we’re going to dismantle a surprising system that we don’t give much attention to. It’s called the system of passivity.
I want you to think about this system. This is one of the systems that Jesus dismantled, shook, and destroyed. Passivity is an invisible prison. Passivity is an invisible prison. It’s not rebellion; it’s resignation. It’s not shaking your fist at God; it’s sitting on your hands when he calls. I felt that one. It’s not shaking your fist at God; it’s sitting on your hands when he calls, not taking action. That’s passivity; Jesus shattered that.
Before the resurrection, humanity was stuck waiting on priests, waiting on prophets, waiting on perfection. The system told people, «You’re not enough. You don’t have what it takes. Stay in your place. Stay right where you are.» Before the resurrection, religion said, «Let only the elite go to the Holy of Holies; you have to wait outside.» Before the resurrection, sin whispered, «You’re powerless to change, so just survive.» That whisper is still heard today, right? Because the devil is still a liar. That’s right! And the devil is the father of lies.
And Jesus shook this system. At the cross was an empty tomb. After the cross and the empty tomb, Jesus shook the system of passivity by rising from the dead. Hey, if the dead can rise, what’s stopping you? If a dead man can rise, don’t you see? He shook the system of passivity; he shook the system of just sitting and waiting. He shook the system of not being able to get up or get unstuck. He shook the system of you remaining broke and broken. He shook the system of you remaining sick and diseased. He shook the system of you remaining distant from God. He shook the system. He shook all of that.
This is He shook the system of you not being able to get up from where you’re at and move forward. Even Jesus, it says in Mark 14:35, with the weight of sin upon him, as he was getting ready to go to the cross, the weight of all of man’s sin upon him in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Bible said, with all of that, he just moved forward a little because Jesus was delivering us from the system of passivity.
«Someone else will do it. I’ll get to it later. I don’t think I can do it. I don’t have what it takes.» Jesus shook that system. He didn’t shake that system through motivational speakers. He didn’t shake the system through Tony Robbins or Gary Vee or anybody like that. Those guys have some of the truth, and all the truth they have came from God. But Jesus didn’t shake the system with a motivational speech or a speaker.
Jesus shook the system by tearing the veil that kept you sitting far from God, and he tore the veil from top to bottom, from heaven to earth, and took away the thing that separated us. The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. He didn’t just tear a little bit so that maybe now it’s not as hard; now you can climb up to part of it. He didn’t tear it halfway so that he does halfway and then you do halfway. It says here he tore it from top to bottom all the way. It doesn’t exist anymore; it’s completely out of the way.
Now we can come boldly, boldly to the throne of God. You say, «Why do you always talk about this?» I don’t have anything else to talk about. I don’t got it. Go find another pastor if you need something else. This is where I’m living. I’m going to God; I’m dismantling the thoughts and the systems and the mentalities that are keeping us deceived and keeping us from saying, «Stay back.» No! Go boldly! Go boldly! Go boldly! Go boldly! Go boldly! Go boldly!
He doesn’t say go shy. He doesn’t say even for somebody like me. I am shy. The only thing that changed me is the blood of Jesus. Now I can go boldly. Now I can go boldly. You can’t go boldly because you’re cantankerous. You can’t go boldly because you are just an extrovert. You can go boldly because of the blood! The blood! Let us therefore come boldly, the scripture says right here in Hebrews 4:16. Let us come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Oh, this gospel is a gospel of deliverance from passivity. We don’t have to make excuses anymore for why we can’t move forward, why we can’t break free, why we can’t have a breakthrough, why we can’t become better, why we can’t pray. There’s no excuses anymore. You can pray without ceasing now. You can pray in tongues. You can pray in your natural language. You can pray with praise. You can pray with tears. You can pray with song. You can pray at all times. We can’t limit prayer to, you know, «It has to be the Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.» That’s not the prayer that we can pray. We can pray without ceasing with thanksgiving. We can pray without ceasing by praying the promises of God. We can pray without ceasing by praising our Father and thanking him for letting us in through the blood of the Lamb.
And now we have bold access. We’re delivered from passivity. Listen; this is a demonic system that paralyzes men- paralyzed men and women -but it paralyzes mankind. And we see it show up in men who are passive, who are not taking the reins of their lives and making something great with their lives. By the grace of God and by the blood of Jesus, we have access to get all the things we’re missing so that we do not have to remain limited as passive men, who don’t become people that are admired and wanted to be emulated.
We can be men-if we are men-men. I’m not talking just to the men here, but men, please hear this. If you are not a man being admired by others, not a fan, not people liking your posts on social media, that’s meaningless. That’s meaningless! It’s jibber-jabber! It’s people making themselves look like something that is not reality. God doesn’t work through moments; He doesn’t do it in our lives through posts of moments. He’s taking a whole life to make our life what He’s created it to be.
It can’t be captured in a snapshot. And the one you posted wasn’t really the first one anyway! It’s not the authentic one. You did 15 poses until you liked what you saw and then put it on there. What if everybody just took a moment and put on there what they are right now? We are living in this lie, this system that worships and praises the ultra-successful, but the ultra-successful are not admired; they’re just worshipped.
Every man in the sound of my voice can be a man that this world admires and wants to know, «What do I do to be a man like that? What do I do to be a man of God? What do I do to be a man of his word? What do I do to be a man who stands for something?» Something that helps the innocent, the victim, the hurting, the suffering. Let us be those men. Let us attack the system of passivity, and let us be Daniel 11:32 men and Daniel 11:32 women too. But we’re not waiting. Men do not wait for the women to free you from passivity. Jesus freed you from it.
He freed you from it. Each of us individually should be people that recognize that Jesus' resurrection has dismantled the system of passivity. How did he do that? He tore the veil! So you — there’s no excuse for staying away from God. «Oh, I’m not ready to come to God; I have too many things in my life; I feel like a hypocrite.» I feel like you’re joining the club.
God doesn’t welcome you because you have it all together; he welcomes you because the way has been made. He welcomes you because the veil has been torn from top to bottom. There is no reason. There is no excuse. There is nothing stopping you from going to God, getting a vision for your life, and going to God and saying, «Today is day one!» Today is not «one day.» Today is day one! Today is the day I believe you! Today is the day I come to you! Today is the day I present myself to you! Today is the day that I come boldly!
Today is the day I invite you. And today is the day that I accept my invitation to the table. I accept my invitation! I accept my seat at the table! I accept what you have for me! I accept the portion reserved for me! I accept the calling, the purpose, the grace, the anointing, the power, the ability, the strength! I accept it! I’ve come! Today is day one!
I accept it all! I’m ready, Father. I’m ready to not sit idly by, but I’m coming to the throne, and I’m coming from the throne, and I am attacking this world. I’m attacking this life with love. I’m attacking this life with grace. I’m attacking this life with God’s goodness. I’m attacking this life with the promises of God. I’m attacking this life with the joy of the Lord. Why? Because I’m going to the throne, and then I’m coming from the throne!
This is how we live! This is how we live! We go to the throne, and then we come from that throne with the power. We come from that throne to this earth! Amen! We go and take it! Don’t you see? Jesus removed the distance between heaven and earth! There’s no distance anymore. We are right now seated in heavenly places! We’re in both worlds at the same time! Hallelujah! Death is just the exit from this one. The entrance to the other one has already been made. It’s already been done.
We’re already seated. Right now we’re seated. I’d love to draw a diagram if I could. If I was an artist, I would. Sorry, I just got words. You’re here, and you’re here. The two worlds are connected, and you’re in both. You’re seated with Christ in heavenly places, but you’re in this earth, and you’re to go! We can go! The way has been made! We go boldly to him-to the throne of his grace-and then to find mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
So whenever you need help, go to the throne of grace. Whenever you have a time of need, go to the throne of grace. Whenever you’re suffering, go to the throne of grace. Whenever you’re hurting, go to the throne of grace. Whenever you’re out of ideas, go to the throne of grace. Whenever you feel alone, go to the throne of grace. Whenever you feel far, go to the throne of grace. There is no distance anymore!
Therefore, there’s no reason or excuse to become or to be-to still remain passive. It’s not coming out fancy, but it’s meant to leave an impact! Amen! No more waiting to go to God; access is immediate! No more spectators that are watching others do! That’s right! We’re the doers! We’re the doers! We’re the doers! We’ve been given the power to do!
«I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.» You can’t do all things in your own power! That’s right! You can do some things, but you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you! Philippians 4:13 says. Jesus invites everyone in! Access is immediate! Passivity is replaced with proximity.
I don’t know if you’re hearing this, but listen to me: Passivity has been replaced with proximity. You have proximity with God! Yes! You’re hanging around him now! You are in proximity to the great I AM! Amen! There’s no human being that impresses me! Yeah, I could get in front of just about anybody in this world! You’re always one person away from somebody else! I’m not trying-I’m in the proximity of God! I’m in the proximity of Jesus! I’m in proximity to the Song of Solomon, man! What a man! I’m in the proximity of a doer!
We are made like Jesus! We are the twin brothers and the twin sisters of Jesus! Jesus was not passive. The Bible says, if we could write down-John wrote this in John 21-he said, «If we could write down all the things that Jesus did, not even the things he said, he said if we wrote down all the things that Jesus did in the three years he was on this earth and had his earthly ministry-he was 33, but his ministry was three years — he did the work of the gospel and the work of ministry. He says even the world itself could not contain all the books that would be written.»
What would be written about what you’ve done? This is not to shame anybody; it’s to say Jesus has shaken the system of passivity, and you don’t have to remain that way anymore. There are no excuses now. No more waiting! Jesus destroyed the system of passivity by tearing the veil! Jesus shook and dismantled the system of passivity by appearing to ordinary people first. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, a woman, not a priest, not a scholar.
He calls her by name-Mary! Action replaces apathy! Mary runs and tells the disciples. Jesus activates the sidelined, the marginalized, the sinner, the tax collector, the filthy fisherman, me, and you! He activates the sidelined! What are you waiting for? Today is an invitation! Yes, an invitation for those who have never met Jesus to meet Jesus, but an invitation for those who have met him, those who know Jesus.
It’s an invitation for you to shake off the passivity of your life! Every man here needs to lead the way. Every man needs to be a leader and understand that others will follow. This is not a message that excludes women; Mary was the first one that God used to tell the story of his resurrection. He activates the sidelined!
So how did he shake the system of passivity? He tore the veil! He appeared and used ordinary people! He ordained the doubters and the deniers. He ordained the doubters. Thomas became one of the greatest evangelists the world has ever known. He opened the gospel to all of India! Thomas the doubter! Jesus ordained the doubters! Peter the denier! Jesus ordained Peter! He even told them about it: «Hey, you’re going to deny me three times before the rooster crows twice. By 5:00 a.m., you’re going to have already denied me three times! But when you have turned and returned back to me, strengthen your brothers.»
Jesus is counting on you because he did all that was necessary to remove our excuses and reasons why we can’t go to God. We can now go to him about anything, about everything, anytime, all the time! I wish I could get this across to you. They were hiding; they were paralyzed by fear. But Jesus walked through their walls. He walked through their locked doors. And he gave them a mission. Resurrection power turns paralysis into purpose, and Jesus gave power to the powerless! Amen!
He said in Acts 1:8, «You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be my witnesses, and you shall demonstrate to the world my signs and wonders, and I will confirm my word with signs and wonders following. And you’ll be my witnesses, and the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and you will speak with great tongues, and you will speak with great authority, and you will speak with great power, and you will lay hands on the sick, and they’ll recover.»
You’ll cast out demons, and they’ll flee! You’ll pick up serpents, and they won’t harm you! You’ll shake them off! You’ll be able to shake it off because you have shaken off the passivity and you are now a man or a woman of action! You are now a Hebrews 11-excuse me-you are now a Daniel 11:32 man! A Daniel 11:32 woman! Those who know their God shall be strong and take action! Those who know their God shall be strong and do exploits!
There’s not one person in this place that is meant to do little things for God. Every person is meant to do exploits! Every person has exploits! It might be different when measured by man’s way of measuring, but God doesn’t measure by man’s measurements! God doesn’t look by man’s measurements, but God has created you to do exploits!
Daniel 11:32 doesn’t use that word accidentally! He doesn’t use that word interchangeably with «take action» unless he took action to do exploits! We have been made co- heirs, joint heirs with Jesus! We’ve been given access to the Father! There’s no excuse anymore!
Jesus said to the man who was lame for 38 years, «Do you want to be made well?» And the first thing that came out of the man’s mouth was, «I have nobody to put me in the water.» Oh, we’re not done talking about this passivity thing. We’re breaking the system!
But I’m going to lunch. Let’s stand together! Just kidding! I would keep you here another five hours if it were up to me. Why are you disqualifying yourself? Don’t you understand your disqualifications are actually what qualifies you? Yes, sir! Who did God use that didn’t first disqualify themselves?
«No, I can’t go, Lord! No, Moses said, 'Please, Lord, I’ve never been eloquent; neither recently nor in time past nor since you’ve spoken to your servant! I’m slow of speech and slow of tongue! '» That’s Moses’s view of himself! But God made him the deliverer! Gideon? «Oh, Lord, no! How am I going to save Israel? Behold, my family is the least of Manasseh; I am the youngest of my father’s house!» David? Overlooked and left out by his own father and brothers! They were like, «Get away from us, pest!» He became king!
He’s not remembered by his failures; he’s remembered by his action! Jeremiah? «Oh, Lord God! Behold, I don’t know how to speak; I’m just a kid! I’m a youth!» Are you? «He said…» Look at this: Jeremiah 1:6! «Oh, Lord God, behold I do not know how to speak because I am a youth!» But are you a champion youth? Because if you’re a champion youth, you do know how to speak because you’re being trained and raised up to speak!
You’re being raised up to do exploits! You’re being raised up as hype people! You’re being raised up as life group leaders! You’re being raised up! Old men with dreams and young men with visions! You’re being raised up! Women that are daughters of God who can prophesy and who can fulfill God’s purpose in their generation! You have been raised up! And you’re being raised up! And we’re being trained!
Look, nobody’s leaving here! We don’t lock the doors, but nobody’s leaving here without knowing that the system that has kept you passive has been dismantled! Amen! You can do exploits, and the way in which you go about doing them is by getting to know God intimately, by loving one another generously, and by multiplying yourself exponentially. You have the power to do this!
Jesus dismantled the system by tearing the veil! He dismantled the system of passivity by giving power to the powerless! He dismantled the system of passivity by choosing people that had disqualified themselves with their excuses! That’s right! And he broke us free and gave us direct access!
The resurrection did not just make Jesus the resurrection of Jesus, and the resurrection of Jesus did not only make God approachable. The resurrection of Jesus made God available-approachable and available! No more, no more priests standing in the middle because Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for us! We have direct access, direct closeness, a permanent connection!
Whether you’re Jeremiah saying, «I’m just a youth!» Whether you’re Paul who had a violent, shameful past! Whether you’re Peter who denied the Lord three times! Whether you’re Rahab who was a prostitute! Sarah who laughed at God! Elijah who wanted to die- depressed! Matthew, a tax collector! Mary, possessed by seven demons! Thomas, who doubted the resurrection after Jesus rose from the dead! Noah got drunk after obeying God!
But let me tell you something: God used every one of them because God has dismantled for us the system of this passivity! And now those who know their God shall be strong and take action! What’s the next action for you? What is the next action for you? Every one of us needs a next action; every one of us needs a next step! Is it to join a life group? To be a life group leader? Is it to become a part of our next steps program? Is it to become something that God can use? Is it to become a missionary and go to some foreign nation and start a Life Changers Church?
Is it to help us as we plant other churches and other Bible studies in other cities and other nations? Listen, there’s nothing that’s impossible for us because we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us! There are no more excuses!
There’s just opportunity! There’s room for everybody! It doesn’t matter where you’re at in your journey! Are you humble? Then it doesn’t matter where you’re at in your journey! Are you humble or are you proud? If you’re humble, then God’s going to use you! If you’re in pride-well, I don’t want to. «No, I don’t want to change! No, no, no! I’m okay the way
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We all need to change! We all need to evolve! We all need to grow! We all need just to admit we’re struggling, and it’s okay! But don’t define yourself by your struggle! Don’t confine yourself to your struggle! Stop identifying with your struggle! Stop saying, «Oh, because I have these tendencies, that must mean I am this. I am X. I am Y. I am XYZ.» Whatever you are is not to be defined by your struggle! You are defined by the blood of Jesus, which makes you a son or a daughter of God!
And once you understand this, stop letting your struggle define you! I’ve got struggles, but they’re not defining me. I’ve got things that I would say, «Okay, this is probably something I really need God’s help with,» but I’m not defined by it. I’m not limited by it! I’m not camping there; I’m walking through the valley of the shadow of death! I’m not staying there, but I’ve been there, but I’m not staying there!
If you’re ready to shake off the passivity that Jesus has already dismantled the system of, then I want you to lift your hands to God right now. And I want you to say, «Lord Jesus, I see now! I see you tore the veil. I see now there’s no separation between me and God! I see now I have direct access! You are not only approachable, not only accessible, but you are available to me, and I choose to live my life, my life, knowing you intimately, knowing intimately, and being used by you, being used by you!
I ask you for your grace, for your strength, your vision, your purpose for my life, to do great exploits! Show me the action steps! Show me the next step! I know I’m supposed to be a leader! I know I’m supposed to be used by you! Show me the way!
And Lord, in the meantime, I’m going to get involved in something here! And you can redirect me if it’s not the right place; you can redirect me if it’s not the right area! But I’m going to step into the waters! I’m not waiting; I’m not going to keep distant anymore! I’m coming closer; I’m coming boldly! I’m coming closely, and I’m coming regularly in Jesus' name!
I am ready! I’m ready to step forward into this great calling of knowing you intimately, loving one another generously, and multiplying myself exponentially! I am ready! I am ready to make myself available to turn this world upside down! I am here to be equipped, to be empowered, to be used! I humble myself; I give you my talents, my treasures, my time -they’re all yours, Lord! Show me how to use them! Show me how to give them! Show me how to lay them down at your feet! In Jesus' name, Amen!