Good morning, everyone! What an amazing time it is. It is Sunday morning, thank God! I hope you guys are all praising the Lord and giving Him the glory that He is due on this Sunday morning, because today is God's day. Today is the day that we honor the Lord Jesus Christ: the One who died for us, the One who is concerned on our behalf, the One who is constantly interceding on our behalf. Praise God! Today is Sunday morning, and I hope you are waking up with that joy inside of your heart. We may not be able to be together, but I still pray that God would be arising you with the glory, and the excitement, and the energy of God upon your heart, because we might not be in worship— there might not be any drums, or might not be a guitar— but yet, God should still be singing His praises in your heart. You should still be uplifting God in your heart because today is Sunday morning. Amen, amen!

I just want to share a Word that I've been getting, from God, with each of you, and it kind of stemmed from this new program that the state has been running that I’ve been praying about. It’s a really good program, nothing against it. It’s called “The Resiliency Program.” I know that some of you guys who have been in the military might recognize it as something that they are taking from the military and integrating into local law enforcement because there’s been so much despair in the law enforcement community. If you look at law enforcement statistics for suicide and depression, it is extremely, extremely high. So, they brought this program in to kind of help people, help cops, cope with high stress and high-stress environments, and still be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle and a healthy mental attitude.

It is a really great idea, and I was chosen as one of the officers and I went to a conference, and honestly, it's a really positive program for the law enforcement community. But I noticed that, as I was listening to some of the things that they were teaching and some of the “tools in the toolbox,” as they described it, to give the people to help cope with stress, I started to see a common theme: they were using Christian principles but kind of taking Christ out of it. They were teaching these things to help us deal with stress, and to help us have a positive outlook. Yet, in each of these things, they were Christian principles, yet they weren’t talking about Christ in them. I think this isn’t happening just in the law enforcement community; I think this is happening everywhere. In schools, jobs, and politics even, I see this happening. This is why, even in schools, you have this mindfulness training and meditation classes. Why? It’s all in an effort to help the world cope with where we are at as a culture, and where we are at as a community. It just doesn't have to do with coronavirus; it really has to do with the overall mindset, and the overall health, and the overall mental, emotional, and spiritual state of where we are as a culture.

I think people have started to realize that things are going poorly and they need to intercede, and they're doing it with these different programs. We are starting to see the result of generations of sin and of turning our back on Christ, as a nation. Now, instead of directing us back to God— we’re not at that point yet— so that He can heal our land, people are trying now to help people out by applying these Christian principles. But let me tell you that these principles, these things that we learned in the church, they sound so familiar— they don't work unless Christ is involved in them. They don't work unless Christ is the core, the focus of each one of them.

Some of the tools that they were talking about? One was to count your blessings and be thankful. That’s a Christian principle, and when I asked the question of, “Who are you being thankful to?” “...Well, you don’t have to be thankful to anybody, it’s just about an overall mindset of thankfulness.” Again, that is a Christian principle that you can't apply without Christ.

The second one was: “Set and accomplish your values.” Well, who sets your values? Where's the line? What is okay with most people today changes for tomorrow. Where do my values and my sense of right and wrong come from? The third one was: “Thinking things through”, recognizing that there are consequences for your actions. But that comes from Christianity! There is a sense of God's justice, and what sin does, and where sin brings us, and what the consequences of sin are. In this, it was more like, “Well, you know, just make sure you think things through before you do it.”

The final one? There are a multitude of them, but of the four I picked, the last one was: “Accept what you cannot change, and focus on what you can control.” Okay, I can understand how that helps with stress. But, for the Christian, that usually results in you going and praying, and although you might not have control over a situation, you go to the God who created all things and begin to lift up these things in prayer, and ask God to intercede on your behalf because God has power over everything.

They’re kind of taught, “No, just just ignore it. You know? Don't let it stress you out,” and this is what they're teaching in schools. This is what they're teaching to our children, and there's a problem with that because, although these things are great, and these concepts are great, they’re founded in Christianity. They’re only great, they only truly work, when Christ is at the center of them. Yes, there are things in there about spiritual health and the chaplain program, which is integrated into a lot of this; but we, today, need to realize that without Christ there is no hope. People can try to get by, and we can try to teach people tools to help, but without Christ they are truly just coping methods and there's no hope in the end of them. I'm praying today that God would be the center of everything that we do. I'm praying today that God would begin to rise up your heart, to give you a passion, and to give you a call upon your heart to bring Christ into this world because it is so needed. God is calling us to be part of the Kingdom of God— the Kingdom of God, the household of God! He’s calling us to bring this Christianity, to bring this Christ, to bring this hope, to a world that is in desperate need of it.

So, if you have your Bibles today, I’m going to be reading from Ephesians 2, verses 19 to 22. It says: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of His household—” members of His household, so now he’s talking about his household— “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.”

This verse here is talking about two separate things; it’s talking about the overall household of God, and your individual temple. We’ve learned this before. We’ve talked about this, but our bodies are a temple for God's Spirit to dwell in. We’ve discussed that often in the past, but what really struck me in this verse is that we are part of something bigger. We are part of something that has been set in place since the very beginning, since the prophets and the apostles! It’s the overall, whole building of God's household. It was set in place by men like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and it is held together by Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. And we, today, all those years later, are still being added to it. It is a massive organization that spans through history and is still being added to today. Why do I say that? I say that so that you will realize that you're not part of something small or inconsequential; it is the largest organization in the world that has its roots in the foundations of this world. That is the Church of God. That is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"We, people of God, must take our place in the Church."

When you think of the Church, if I said the words, “What is the church?” you should not be thinking of some mega church in Texas or a televangelist that you see on TV. You should be seeing a holy temple of God that has been established over thousands of years by men and women who have decided to honor God with their lives and submit themselves to His authority— the Church who has steered history, and despite all opposition and everything standing against it, has still today stands strong, and still today is shaping history. We, people of God, must take our place in the Church. The Church: the one that has stood, the one has shaped history, the one that has gone out and accomplished and changed the way things are done, the one who our country was founded on, the Church of God!

We must take our place in the Church, this day. Stop thinking that the church just tries to do its best to influence this world, “but the world is just so big, and it’s just so strong and so powerful. We’ve just got to try to do our best.” That is a lie of the enemy! The church is meant to subdue and overcome this world. It is the greatest thing in this world. It is not just “you versus the world.” No, it is you and the entire Church of God that has been built over thousands of years, and God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. What could stand against such a thing? What could stand against such an entity?

That is what it means to be the Church of God, and we need to get it out of our head that the Church just tries to do its best to influence the world that we're going in, and know the Church is meant to be powerful. And you, people of God, are not just small, but you are being grafted in. You’re part of that organization. You are part of that house. Praise God today that the Church of God is meant to rise up and be strong and mighty. And the world needs the Church. Let me tell you today that this world that we live in needs the Church of God.

Something I’m coming to understand on such a deep level is the need that this world has for Jesus Christ and the part that the Church plays in that. The world doesn't need principles for living. It doesn't need coping methods, even trying to do Christian things without Christ— that's not going to work. It's not enough. The world needs the Lord Jesus Christ to turn His face back on this land and for this land to be healed, for people's hearts to be turned back to the Father, for people to recognize their need for a Savior and stop living in the mindset of just trying to get by. My prayer today is that you would start to bring Christ into this world— that you, backed by the organization and the entity and the power of the Church, that you, being part of the Church, would bring that with you wherever you go. There is power in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is power in His Church that has been established over thousands of years, and I pray that you would begin to bring that message to the world. That message has not changed! It’s exactly the same as it always was. It’s exactly the same as when Jesus Christ walked this world. It was needed then and it is needed today, and it is just a need to be saved from this world and the ways of sin.

Our job is to bring Christ to this world, that you would follow the Great Commission to go out into the world teaching God's Word, making disciples, and teaching people to obey. That is the job of the Church. It is not just to go out and tell people, “It’s going to be okay,” or teach these methods to cope with stress. No; our job is to go out into the world, teach God's Word, make disciples, and teach them to obey God because that is what it means to bring someone into the Church of God. And there is hope in that!

"Our job is to bring Christ to this world, that you would follow the Great Commission..."

There is hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is hope in salvation. There is hope of being rescued from our sins. There is hope of our families being transformed. There is hope of being reconciled to God. There is hope of no longer being held down and being a slave to sin, but having our chains broken and being able to live holy in an unholy world. Don't be ashamed of the gospel today; don't be ashamed of the gospel, because it has the power to save! Don't try to blend into the world, but instead be ready to stand out and give an account for the hope that you profess.

High school kids, it's time to enforce the change in your lives, to enforce the change in your schools, to be countercultural, to bring something to your schools that they have never seen, and that comes from living a holy life. That comes from living a godly life. Remember what I said: you can't apply Christian principles and skip over Christ. It doesn't work like that; it takes a life who has submitted themselves to Christ that is able to join in with the Church of God and go out and bring a message of hope to this world.

Parents, stop teaching your children to navigate this world as it is, and instead teach them to never accept anything short of godliness. Whether it be in a spouse, or it be in their conversations, or it be in their relationships, teach them to never accept anything short of godliness, and anytime they find themselves in that to enforce godliness, to bring godliness, to stand with the Church in their midst, and to pray and see God deliver them in their midst. God's people, I pray you bring wisdom into your workplaces, into your conversations, even into your errands, because this world is constantly trying to find ways to get by. It’s constantly trying to find these new things, these new sayings, these new messages that just get them by for another day, and instead, I pray that you would bring them the wisdom of God that would deliver them into hope, because this world has never seen it. This world I shouldn’t say has never seen it, but this community that we live in is a desert place. But God has called us to bring rivers into the desert, to bring hope into the barrenness, to bring truth into a place that has been filled with lies.

I think this time of isolation has really given us a clear picture of where we are as a nation. I know things are hopefully starting to wind down, and who knows how things are going to go? But I’ve got to be honest with you, it’s pretty scary out there being out and about in the communities. I know three healthy cops with families that were all hospitalized from this virus. Before the whole isolation and the governor's orders got put in place, I ended up seeing one of them at a funeral, and thank God I said hi to him from a distance, but he was unknowingly infected at that time. Shortly after that, he had to get rushed to the hospital, and he ended up in the hospital for a week, and was almost on a ventilator. Another one was expected to die, but has managed to really fight through and is still in critical care today. And a third one is in the ICU today fighting for his life— and these are all young, healthy guys with families! I look at that and I say, “Wow, what a crazy time it is!” When you look at that crazy time, you look and say, “Well, people must be so grateful to get to stay at home and be safe with their families under their own rooves, and to not have to be out in the in the communities dealing with this, and to have jobs, and maybe they can work from home— or even if they’re out of work, just to be safe from all this!” Yet, in all of that, as much as that sounds like it would make sense, that's not the case. People hate being home.

"People of God, this nation needs Christ."

Domestic violence calls in Barnegat right now are up 260%. Liquor stores have been deemed an essential business because people literally cannot survive without booze, and I constantly see people out and about because they just can't stand to stay home with their families. And I look at that; I look at where we are as a nation. Instead of using this time to grow as a family, and to come into deeper familial bonds, and instead of being grateful that we can be at home and be safe, what's happening? Kids are locked in their bedrooms all day, and parents are chomping at the bit to flee the safety of their homes. People of God, this nation needs Christ. This nation needs a savior. This world needs Jesus Christ.

We can give people all the self-help books, tools for their mental toolbox, and methods for coping, but without Christ there is no hope. We are called to bring hope to this world, to bring Jesus Christ to this world. Even if people don't see it right now, there is a desperate need for this nation to be saved. My prayer today is that you would take up the call that God has called the Church to, that you would be a part of the Church— this entity that has been around for thousands of years, that has been established on the prophets and the apostles, that stands today with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone— that you would take up the call of the Church, that you would take up the burden of the Church, that your heart would be for God, and that you would look at this world and say, “Oh no, Lord. This world needs Christ.”

I pray that you would not be ashamed of the Gospel that has the power to save, but that you would begin to take up this call to bring this Word to the world. The truth is that you are going to be the Bible—and we’ve talked about this before, but— you will be the Bible that most people get to read. Right? Christ isn’t here anymore; Christ is supposed to be alive in each one of us. That makes us the living Word of God… the living Word of God! And that is what God has called us to be: the living Word of God. For when you speak to people, and you go out and bring wisdom into this world, or you go out to bring Christ into this world, the truth is that most people have not read the Bible and maybe never will. But hopefully, by you, by interacting with the Church, by getting to speak to you, they would receive a message of hope in this world.

We’ve talked in the past about what is “good.” “Good” is obedience to God's word; “good” is listening to what God has told us to do and going out and doing it. This is why unauthorized works are not good—because unauthorized work goes and does Christian things, yet takes Christ out of it... goes, and tries to do what they think they should do, but yet, takes Jesus Christ out of the equation. That is what is happening today. I see it so often. Everybody is trying to apply these Christian principles, or go out and do these Christian things, or go out and do nice things for one another, which I’m not saying is bad. That's all nice, but God has called us to something more. He has called us to obedience to God's Word. Christ has to be our focus. Jesus Christ has to be what is on our minds. Jesus Christ and the hope that is found in salvation has to be what God is calling us to, because if we take Christ out of it, we lose the hope, and we lose the power.

Christ must be our focus today, bringing and displaying Him and His goodness, acts of obedience to who He is and what He has called us to, because it’s not nice acts that this world needs; it truly needs Christ. I just read that email that Pastor Janeth sent out, and she talked about the Church in there, and I'm telling you that God is just calling the Church to new things, new heights. In all of this, I think it’s just so crazy where in all this— in all this isolation, and all of this call to stay at home, and the churches being closed— I tell you, even with the church doors closed this day, God is calling the Church to new heights, to new things, to influence the community in ways that we have never expected, that we have never seen before. I know Pastor Janeth—I talked to her this morning— and she was saying that God was telling her that this is a time of prayer, of God answering prayers, of us praying and watching God move in our midst. So, I hope that your heart is burdened to bring God's kingdom, God's household, God's Church, to this broken land. In the mindset of this being a time of prayer, I'm just going to close with the Lord's Prayer, as God was putting it on my heart this morning. It says:

You are blessed.

“Our Father who art in heaven, holy is your name.” God, holy, holy, holy, are you! “Your kingdom come.” Your household come. Your goodness come. Your church come, “and your will be done as it is in heaven,” God. As your will is done in your household, as you will is done in your Church, may that be established here on earth. “...On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” God, yours is the kingdom. “Yours is the kingdom.” God, I pray that your kingdom be established in this place, that your Church be established in this place, that your household be established in this place. “For yours is the kingdom, the power…” the power to overcome sin, the power to break despair, the power to break loneliness and hurt and pain, the power to break the back of sin. “...and yours is the glory.” That you, God— not nice things, not what we're supposed to do, not Christian principles, but you, God— would receive all the glory forever and ever, amen.

People, I just pray that you are blessed this day as you are at home with your family. I’ve said this before: we’ll never get a time where all distractions are removed like this. I just pray that you guys will be growing in faith and growing in Christ together. I pray that your bonds of family that are built up in the love of Christ would be stronger than ever, and that you guys would really be growing together in Christ so that when we are able to come back together, I'm just expecting amazing things in our midst. When we are finally able to open up those church doors, and we’re able to enter in and begin to worship together, I'm just praying that families would be stronger than ever. That you guys would be bringing the Church of Christ in with you. That your heart would be so invested and so part and so grafted into this entity, to this organization, to this church that is being built up for thousands of years. That we would be part of the temple of God. Yes, we’re each temples housing God, but that would be so excited to be part of the overall temple of God that has lasted throughout history and has influenced the way that this world has gone.

I'm so excited to be part of that Church. I'm so excited for what God is doing and I know that next time we get to be together in the Church of God that God is just going to do amazing, amazing things. So, I bless you guys. I bless your families. I bless you guys with health and prosperity. Even as you are inside with each of your families, I just pray that God will bless each one of you, and I'm just thinking of each one of you and praying with each one of you. I just pray that you are blessed, and from my family to yours, we love you guys and we hope to see you soon. God bless. Amen.