Valley Gospel
A Pentecostal church experience.
Valley Gospel
All That Religion
Have you ever wondered why so many people are turned off by religion but yearn for something deeper? Join us as we unravel the profound difference between rejecting religion and discovering true faith through the compelling story of a young man who battles with life's challenges. By drawing wisdom from the biblical figures Samuel and Saul, we highlight the stark contrast between mere religious observance and truly knowing the Lord. You'll be stunned by the alarming statistics on church attendance and the confusion caused by myriad denominations, revealing how man-made systems of religion can often overshadow genuine, God-given salvation.
Our journey continues with a powerful critique of the hypocrisy within religious institutions. We explore how religion, rather than fostering a true connection with God, often traps individuals in worldly bondage, providing false assurances of salvation through mere rituals or intellectual affirmations. From historical conflicts like the Catholic-Protestant tensions to modern-day commercialized faith practices, we emphasize how religion has been misused to justify violence and division. By comparing these to the money changers Jesus drove out of the temple, we reflect on how religious leaders have misled believers, prioritizing works and traditions over genuine worship and connection with God.
Finally, we celebrate the transformative power of true faith through the story of Saul, later known as Paul. We delve into Acts 9 to understand why God chose to reveal Himself to Saul despite his initial opposition to Christian teachings. By sharing personal anecdotes and biblical references, we discuss how moments of conviction often precede deeper understanding and how Saul's sincere pursuit of righteousness set the stage for his eventual acceptance of Christ. Concluding with heartfelt worship, we invite you to recognize the greatness and majesty of our God, singing together in awe of His timeless nature and immense power. Join us for an episode that promises to inspire and transform your faith journey.
God will open. He'll open up the windows of heaven and he'll, pour you, out of blessing, my God will open. He'll open up the windows of heaven and pour you, out of blessing, my God will open. He'll open up the windows of heaven and pour you, out of blessing, and you will not have the room to know not because of you, but because he is good and you will not have the room to receive Him.
Speaker 2:Hello, welcome to Valley Gospel Church Podcast. We are an independent full gospel church worshiping in spirit and in truth, located in Springdale, pennsylvania. Our single mission is to present a message of truth and hope centered on Jesus Christ and him crucified. So let's go into a service recorded live at Valley Gospel Church.
Speaker 3:And he was an educated young man, a thoughtful young man, and he was facing a lot of life challenges, a lot of stress, and he had been listening to our podcast. I relayed to him that the solution to his problem was found in Jesus Christ. And look, I believe he was truly searching for truth. He was truly searching for help. He was truly searching for help. This wasn't someone who wanted to debate me or fight about what I believed. I believed. He was truly searching and he told me that, while he had grown up in church and he believed in a higher power, a creator, he didn't know if the God of the Bible, the one that he was taught about in Sunday school as a child, the one his church preached about, the one he heard about all of his youth, about the one he heard about all of his youth, or the God of the podcast, was real. And while my brief ministry to this young man ended without resolution, maybe a future meeting I pray God may send someone else to water what was planted and maybe they'll be given the privilege of seeing him come to Jesus. How many of you know that all we can do is present Christ? It's not up to us. We can't convince them.
Speaker 3:What I always said about the little cow milker you can lead a cow to coffee, but you can't make them drink. But I really thought about his position, facing some real trials in his life, seemingly no way out. And the God of his youth or at least his perception of the God of his youth, that is a God that he perceived who hated homosexuals, the God who would punish if we did something wrong. The God that he perceived hated long hair, hated short hair, doesn't like tattoos, piercings, frowns at women in pants or men in shorts. That's the God that this young man remembered. That's the God he perceived to be God. And you know, I thought about it and I thought maybe this young man wasn't rejecting God at all. Maybe he was rejecting religion. Maybe his issue wasn't with the message, maybe his issue was with the messenger, rules, piety, ego, self-acclaim, confusion about what we believe or what we think is right, all the doctrines, and maybe this young man only strayed from some religious God, not the God of the.
Speaker 3:Bible. In our recent past messages, some of our studies, we talked about Samuel and Saul and it seemed that King Saul had the same issue as this young man, but, in reverse, he embraced religion. Saul did, he said all the right things, he embraced religion but he really didn't know the Lord, didn't know the Lord, and this young man made decisions to reject the religion and still didn't know the Lord. So it was kind of a double whammy here and I got to thinking that maybe church attendance, bible study, being in the presence of God, even among Christians this young man claimed to be a Christian and maybe all those things weren't a priority. And maybe in the church world today, or I should say in the Christian world today and in so many lives, maybe that isn't a priority. I read just this morning. I read, that only 21% of professing Christians attend church on a regular basis 21% and 56% seldom attend and 31% never attend. Now, this is among Christians, this is the professing church, because we're told and we're taught that as long as we try to be good, as long as we try to be righteous, as long as we try to do the things that makes us acceptable to God, so that we can identify as Christians. We're okay, chrissy, let's go to work. Most people are smart and I say that I'm biting my lip Most young people are smart. And when you think of all the possibilities and choices Hinduism, buddhism, islam, judaism, confucianism, christianity and then the choice within Christianity, how many of you know there are 20 different Baptist denominations, 20. You think that's something? There are 25 Pentecostal denominations, talking about big ones, not to mention Methodist, united Methodist, wesleyan Methodist, free Methodist, and we could go on and on and on. Then Presbyterian, lutheran Catholicism, episcopalian, and all the independent, smaller denominations Wow. And then the fringe groups, right, mormonism, jehovah Witnesses. Incidentally, let me just say this in looking up those statistics this morning, 57% of Mormons go to church every week. Hmm, just saying Seventh-day Advent.
Speaker 3:All those religions, all those religions, most of them will tell you, will preach to you this morning, that they all present just a different way to the same God. And let me, this would have been the title of today's message, but I didn't want to put a strain on Judy, so we'll change the title, because here's the statement the Lord gave me Religion is man's system used in place of a God-given salvation. Religion is a man-made system used in place of a God given salvation. Religion is a man made system Used in place Of a God given Salvation. That would have been the title. We won't use that title that year. Hang on, if you have your Bibles, turn with me please, to Galatians 1. Galatians 1. And whenever you get there, would you please stand in reverence and respect to God's word. Galatians 1, beginning with verse 11.
Speaker 2:But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man, for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God and wasted it and profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace to reveal his Son in me that I might preach him among the heathen, immediately, I conferred, not with flesh and blood, Nothing provokes the Lord's anger, his righteous anger, more than religion.
Speaker 3:Nothing, Because religion, from the very beginning of time, has prevented people from connecting to God, from connecting to his kingdom. And I'll use for a subject this morning all that religion. All that religion. Let's pray, Heavenly Father. Thank you, Lord, for this revelation of truth. Lord, Thank you for being patient with me, Lord, as I didn't quite get what you were giving me. Lord, I ask you to open the ears, the hearts, the minds of your people, Lord, and anoint me to rightly divide this word. Let it be a lamp unto our feet, a light to our path, in the name of your precious beloved Son. Amen and amen.
Speaker 2:Amen.
Speaker 3:Amen. Please be seated. I'm going to start with a heavy-duty statement. God is a jealous God. He is a jealous God. He is flamed to wrath over anyone or anything that keeps his children from him. God is inflamed to wrath over anything that keeps his children from connecting with him.
Speaker 3:Religion has our Lord inflamed Hallelujah. Hallelujah, because religion keeps an individual locked in worldly bondage, because we tell them it's all about love, it's not a baby in the womb. Come on, we follow science. Religion keeps the cheater, the molester, the abuser, the murderer secured in a religious cubbyhole that it's all covered by grace, we're all good, all covered by grace. Religion allows an unbeliever to think they are saved because they said a sinner's prayer or they gave an intellectual affirmation or heard a song that made them cry. Look, islam declares a holy war. Jihad against the West, against Christianity, against Judaism, even against one another, based on religion, religion, islamic honor, killings, killing your own child because they did something against your God, all in the name of religion. Catholics versus Protestants, all in the name of religion. Arab and Israeli war.
Speaker 3:What's happening in Israel today? Make no mistake, this isn't a political or a war of oppression. This is about religion, religion. How many families do you know that have been broken because of religion? As a baby, my parents didn't have me baptized in the Russian Orthodox Church, so my grandparents wouldn't look at me Whenever I was in their company. They would turn their heads at me. Whenever they were in I was in their company, they would turn their heads from me because I wasn't baptized Russian Orthodox.
Speaker 3:Throughout Israel's history, religion has kept them in darkness, in bondage to nation after nation. You read the Old Testament, teddy. How many Israels always getting taken off somewhere, always getting hauled off somewhere, making bricks, slavery here, slavery there. Yesterday's scribes and Pharisees are today's rabbis that still keep the Messiah from Jews. We watch that the chosen, it's always the scribes and the Pharisees that are today's scribes. Those scribes and Pharisees are the same ones that are keeping Jesus from the Jews today.
Speaker 3:You see, satan invented religion. It's his invention, in fact, satan. Is he himself a religious being, I mean, even though religion is defined as submission to and honoring a higher power. That's what religion is. James 2, I believe. I believe it's second chapter. It says you believe in one God. Jesus said, or the apostle said you believe in one God. That's good. But even demons believe in one God and tremble. You see, we've made that connection that as long as you believe I remember my mother telling me that as long as you believe in something Sorry, mom, that's really dumb the devil not only believes in God, he trembles at the thought of Christ they sang it this morning and trembles at that thought. Glory.
Speaker 3:Remember when Jesus called the religious leaders in church, the leadership in God's house, and he called them a den of thieves as opposed you've made my father's house a den of thieves as opposed to a house of worship and prayer. Jesus went in one morning. He saw the merchandising going on and that's what it was and understand this people that had to travel and go a long way to go to church and present their offering and their sacrifice. They had to go a long way. So the church said hey, we'll make this really easy on you. You don't have to bring your pig or not pig. You don't have to bring your lamb. You don't have to bring your doves, we'll sell them to you. Of course, we have to make our percentage and mark up, but you can buy your sacrifice right here. Hallelujah, merchandising and a tidy profit. The selling, the swipe cards of today.
Speaker 3:The Bible said Jesus fashioned a whip. Not sure exactly what that was how he fashioned a whip. Maybe grabbed a handful of canes, maybe some ropes nearby, and with righteous anger, with holy indignity, with God-like jealousy, he drove them out of his father's house. Told them you are of your father the devil. These were religious leaders. You have made my father's house a den of thieves. The same men my point being the same men driven out of the temple so long ago, are the same religious men today that stand in pulpits this morning and give commercials about what to buy in the bookstore, how you can own this tape and that book. That stand in pulpits and try to raise money some other way for some pet project. The same religious men of today that send out a note if you fall behind in your pledge, or your tithe is low, or your special offering didn't come through, your check didn't clear, your kids ran into some trouble, you're going to have to give up your place in the choir. Huh, huh. You're struggling, maybe with a habit Can't sit on the platform. Really, doesn't it remind you of that Tom Hanks movie? Can't Sit here.
Speaker 3:These are the leaders that Jesus called cheaters, vipers, snakes and hypocrites. That's what Jesus called them. He actually called them, religious terrorists, all wrapped up in works, all wrapped up in giveaways and gift cards, cards, all right, in skydiving Easter bunnies, godless activities, religious bondage, mindless tradition. How many of you know that an entire Pentecostal denomination observed Ash Wednesday this spring? Hmm, the same ones who delivered Christ to be crucified. Same ones, see, it wasn't an atheist that delivered Christ, it was the religious. It wasn't an agnostic that did it. Alright, I'm going to shock you now. It wasn't even a liberal that delivered Christ to be crucified. It was the religious. It was the religious who lined the Via Dolorosa and mocked him and spit on him and threw stones at him and laughed when he stumbled and fell carrying a cross. It was the priests, it was the clergy. It was the men wearing sweater, vests and cloaks and collars and robes. Those were the men who terrorized our God. Make no mistake. Jesus was nailed to a tree. He was tormented and tortured. He was labeled a fraud by pious scripture. Spouting Bible in a bag, pointing to the sky, self-proclaimed apostles and prophets that's who did it. That's who did it.
Speaker 3:Sitting in the premium pews, but going to hell. Having their name on a piece of church furniture, but going to hell. Jesus, fish on the car. Going to hell Name read aloud on cornerstone television. But going to hell, matthew 7. Matthew 7 and 21. Not every one that saith unto me, lord, lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, wow. But he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven, many will say to me in that day Lord Lord, have we not prophesied? In thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works. I'll stop there.
Speaker 3:Jesus said in this quote that the religious are not necessarily godly people. The religious are not necessarily godly people. They call me their Lord, but I am not. They don't follow me. They don't follow what I've told them. They say didn't we preach for you? Didn't we come to church for you? Didn't we sell things for you? Weren't we ushers and greeters for you? And Jesus said it's going to take more than that to get into my kingdom. Going to take more than that. Religion won't do it.
Speaker 3:And he goes on. We can read on. But he says you see, all these great buildings. Religion thinks that great buildings are edifices to my father. They're monuments to my dad, built for him, built for his glory. Listen, brick, stone, mortar cannot contain the glory of God, hallelujah, hallelujah. There is not a building, temple, mission, church on the face of this earth, including this one, that has any sacred value to it whatsoever. You are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. The Spirit of God is present in a building only because he resides in you, only because of the spiritual people that attend. I always kind of make a joke. I know the Holy Ghost is here. He rode with me. He came in with me. He came in with Krista. He came in with Denny. He came in with Donna. I know he's here, but the building. He came in with Denny. He came in with Donna. I know he's here, but the building has nothing to do with it.
Speaker 3:Hallelujah, we gather, led by the Spirit, to worship, to sing, to play, to worship in spirit and in truth. And Christ is in the midst and in truth. And Christ is in the midst. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is life. Hallelujah.
Speaker 3:Where the Holy Ghost is, sick bodies are healed, bondages are broken, wrongs are righted. When the Holy Ghost is in the house, when he's in the house. Mourning is turned to dancing Hope into reality. Good wins out over evil. When he's not, it's nothing more than a religious gathering, nothing more than getting together and talking about how pious we are. Jesus dwells by his spirit in his followers, even though we know the church won't save you. The church can't change you. We assemble together in his name. Hallelujah. If there is life, if the Holy Ghost is welcome, if we worship in spirit and in truth, if we're receiving the true word of God, if truth is being revealed, if the Holy Ghost is being loosed, then we're having church, then we're having church.
Speaker 3:I don't want this service to end. I can't wait for the next one to start. Hallelujah, if the Holy Spirit is present and active in just a number, in 10 people in the church, in the service, those 10 encourage 40 others. I'm just using biblical math. They encourage 40 others. They petition the throne for 40. They call down fire as 40. Glory. One puts 1,000 to flight. Two puts 10,000 to flight. Look, the Lord won't judge us on church attendance, but he will judge us if Christ isn't at the center and I guess I'm pointing the finger more at me than you. He will judge me if he isn't at the center, because that's what changes us, that's what brings about the change.
Speaker 3:A face-to-face, that's what it takes with the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. It takes a one-on-one. Each of us, my, my, each of us is not only responsible for ourselves and we've kind of adopted that Responsible for your own salvation, responsible for your own walk, and you are. That's not wrong. But not only are you responsible for yourselves. We're responsible for each other. If I'm not telling you the truth, if your brother, if your pew mate isn't telling you the truth or says, yeah, we're responsible for the spiritual condition of one another. And it takes a one-on-one with the altogether lovely one, the altogether worthy one, the all-powerful one. It's he that will change our heart, it's he that will change our mind, change our situation, that will make us into that new creation. See, we've kind of tagged that on with when we say yes to the Lord, when we repeat the sinner's prayer, we're a new creation? Yeah, not so much. It isn't automatic. That doesn't happen the moment you say yes.
Speaker 3:I remember I told you the story about my brother and I selling trees Christmas trees at the time, and it was really cold, it was below zero. I put a tree on somebody's car, tied it down. My hands were cold. I really didn't tie a very good knot, daniel, and I just told my brother that I was born again, I was saved, I came to Christ and he loved me and changed me into a new creation. And I didn't tie that on very good and the car went off down the road and I told my brother. I said that ain't going to make it a block before that tree's on the highway.
Speaker 3:He said being a Christian ain't going to be easy, is it Now? You'd have to know, my brother, hallelujah, we need to have a spirit, toto-spirit, meeting with the one who walked the water, with the one who calmed the storm, the one who never misspoke, never had to regret anything he said, never needed to take it back, never called anybody to apologize for what he said or clarify his words, the one who changes everything. All right back to the Apostle Paul Saul. Before he was Paul, saul, before he was Paul, was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He was a religious of the religion, a moral and outwardly ethical religious man. He did everything to satisfy the rules. Whatever the rule was, you told Saul, he did it. His religion let's call it his denomination did. Whatever they said, whatever the edict was, he did it.
Speaker 3:But one glorious day, something happened. You can Luke explains it in Acts 9. Something that caused Saul to scrap his religion, and this is what I want to get a little bit deeper into. He met Jesus face to face. He met him spirit to spirit. His God, adonai glory, revealed the truth in his son Yeshua to Saul Right to Saul right. A man who knew all about God now met Jesus the Christ.
Speaker 3:So why did God choose Saul? Why did he reveal himself to him? So many, including that young man last week, are searching, desiring, looking for truth. Saul wasn't looking for truth. As we read his account, he thought he had the truth. So what was the effort to reveal himself to Saul? Why the effort?
Speaker 3:Now, the common answer, and the one that I heard all through Bible school, is because of Saul's religion. Because of Saul's religion that that commitment that could now be redirected for a proper cause. But what do we know? What do we know and I'm not completely poo-pooing that thought, because maybe there's something to that we have a majority, or at least a substantial amount, of former Roman Catholics in our service today, and maybe we make such strong Christians because of our discipline, that we learn from catechism and to our, and so maybe, at least in part, our faith is translated to our born again experience. But what do we know? We know that God isn't a respecter of persons, right? Right, he's not. He doesn't respect what you've learned here on this earth. What's that mean? He doesn't choose us for our abilities. He doesn't choose us for our talents or what we think or someone else might think we bring to the table. Think, or someone else might think we bring to the table. Doesn't choose us for our discipline, for our commitment that we're committed to uh process and we won't quit.
Speaker 3:The men think about this. The men who were with paul on the damascus road were probably equally zealous, probably equally religious. And look, they saw the flash, they heard the voice, saw Paul hit the deck, but they didn't follow him. As far as we know, we never hear about him. So why Paul? Why Saul? Well, it's partially explained in Acts 9.
Speaker 3:Saul is in turmoil, his conscience is giving him fits. Maybe and this is just conjecture maybe seeing Stephen stunned and seeing Stephen raise his hands and I'm coming home, lord, I'm coming home, I'm coming home. Maybe he's been convicted by the Holy Spirit. He's been convicted by the Holy Spirit. Maybe he felt that thump in his chest that told him there's something big going on here. And it sure gives meaning to Jesus' words difficult to kick against the pricks, isn't? It Gives a little deeper meaning to those words, jesus' words, difficult to kick against the pricks, isn't? It Gives a little deeper meaning to those words, his words to Saul.
Speaker 3:Look, it seems to me and I'll share this with you it seems to me that some of the greatest revelation that the Lord has given me has been preceded by some of the greatest conviction. In other words, when I realize I've done something stupid or something wrong or I interpreted something the wrong way or been teaching a doctrine incorrectly, it's when I finally get it, when I finally listen. Then he dumps more on, he pours on new truth, fresh wine. As soon as we get this, he can give you more, he can help you to understand more, which results always in more of his power, more of his glory, more of his spirit. In me and that's just a personal standpoint In Paul's case, the Holy Spirit is responding, I believe, to Saul's cry for help.
Speaker 3:I believe it's a 911, a plea for help. I believe it's a 9-1-1, a plea for truth Show me if I'm doing something wrong. Finally, finally, not tied up in his zealousness and his fervor for religion. If I'm doing something wrong, show me, because, look, I believe Saul, although he did what was wrong, I believe he felt it was right. He thought he was doing the right thing, just like King Saul. Do you remember when King Saul subverted the temple priest and brought in one of his old retired priests that thought like him, that had the same political thought as him? And yet he tells Samuel, he said I'm doing the Lord's work, but he thought it was right. He thought what he was doing was correct and godly. And I believe so many pastors and church leaders today that are promoting these things, these Ash Wednesday celebrations, these Snoopy and Charlie Brown displays in front of the church, having Easter bunnies skydive into the parking lot, observing Lent, all these things that I believe they think they're doing right, they believe they're doing right. Messianic Judaism, they believe they're doing right.
Speaker 3:Paul thought he was doing a good thing, but a battle raged in his mind, in his spirit, keeping all the religious rules and laws downplaying Jesus as the Christ. That was his political persuasion. Go out there and just keep saying it. Just keep saying it. No, he won the debate.
Speaker 3:Okay, you can say that Paul was rejecting the truth, but the truth would not leave him alone, couldn't get Jesus out of his mind. Daniel, didn't matter what he did, he couldn't get Jesus out of his mind. Here's some truth. Truth, you can jot this down If you can't get Jesus out of your mind, you will not keep him out of your life, because once you let him in, he's not going to just say, okay, do whatever you want. It's the Holy Spirit that gets you thinking about life, about relationships, about future, about eternity.
Speaker 3:Jesus asks this future apostle why do you persecute me? That's what he asked him. I don't know, it sounds like an odd question, since that was Paul's occupation, persecution. But he asked Paul why do you persecute me? And Jesus tells this sincere, moral man, this man who thinks he's doing the right thing don't you know that I'm the one who's causing your turmoil, those sleepless nights? That's me, that oppression, that's me. I'm the one that's causing that confusion in your mind, because I'm the Messiah of your Judaism. I'm him. I'm him. When will you see me? When will you not reject me, jesus? Look, jesus wasn't a stranger to Saul I don't believe he knew all about him and on the Damascus road, the words that Saul said to Jesus who are you Lord? Who are you Lord? Suggest there was a couple of prior conversations that they had talked before.
Speaker 3:The Bible says no man can call him Lord unless what the Holy Spirit helps him. But the Holy Spirit helps him. Yet Saul calls him. Who are you, lord? And the Holy Spirit had been pursuing, I believe, paul for a long time, showing him his life, showing him his future, showing him all the places he screwed up and religion just kept hanging on and he said I can't give up, I can't stop it, I can't quit. This is what I do, this is what I was raised to do.
Speaker 3:Paul was growing disgusted by his life and what he was doing. He was tired, he was disconnected with religion. And he comes to this high noon meeting on the Damascus Road, and maybe this isn't the first meeting, but this time he surrenders. This time he said okay, how many times before you and I surrendered did Jesus try to get your attention? How many times, thinking back of all the things that he threw out in front of you and you pushed by him and said no, no, I got this. I'm good, I'm good. How many times did he try to get you to listen, to hear, how many times did he play a song that maybe you'd pick up a word and you ignored it or flipped the station?
Speaker 3:On this meeting day, the light of Jesus Christ cuts through the fog of religion, of the piety, of the works, and that light revealed Jesus in all of his fullness, ma. And then, on Straight Street, listen to this. And then on Straight Street, all alone, abandoned by his friends, abandoned by church people. No priests, no leaders, bent blind and all alone. That's not always a bad thing, am I right, krista? That's not always a bad thing. No friends to discourage or to lead you in a certain way, no leadership to deceive, no religion to placate.
Speaker 3:For three days, the Apostle Paul would walk alone and when he reappeared, he reappeared as a spiritual man, not a religious one. That's the change. His world changed. Instead of empty religion, he is now empowered by the Holy Ghost. Friends couldn't believe it, old Friends couldn't believe it, old church people couldn't believe it. Where is he? What's he doing? His world changed and the love of God took the place of bitterness and hatred and blindness. His old friends abandoned him, but God gave him brand new ones. It took a little while for them to come in. His old friends abandoned him, but God gave him brand new ones. It took a little while for them to come in, but these fanatical new friends fanatical new friends weren't just friends, they were brothers and sisters.
Speaker 3:Glory, brothers and sisters. Glory, when you and I trade in religion, when we who were once dead become alive in Christ, just as Jesus intended for us to walk and to live and understand. That may not, probably won't be instantaneous. That teaching sends so many people back to the world because we tell them it's instantaneous and the second you say, yes, everything is. It may not even be a three-day crash course like Saul had.
Speaker 3:I mean, that was a quickie, but it is a promise. It's a promise that if we forsake the world of religion, if we turn our backs on religion to have an actual relationship with the Christ, then then if we do that, then that scripture that says all things are passed away, all things are become new, becomes reality, becomes reality. We expect it to happen on day one, brothers and sisters. It don't happen on day one, Pardon my English. That's once that meets, once that happens when old things are passed away and all things are become new. That's when we walk by faith and not by sight Glory. That's when we call things that are not as though they were. That's when we can ask anything in my name and it shall be done. That's when that happens. That's when we do greater works, greater works, and we can say to the mountain be thou removed and cast into the sea and it must obey. It's when we lay hands on the sick and they recover.
Speaker 3:When we lay down religion, when we receive the fullness of Christ, then we can see the marvelous works of his hand. Then we'll see. Everybody wants to see, I want to see. Then we'll see the marvelous works of his hand. I know we sometimes think that we're past that. We're beyond that. We're beyond that religion.
Speaker 3:But you know what Some of us me too still carries around some religious baggage. Huh, toss it, toss it, toss it. Surrender to Jesus. Surrender to Jesus, karen, would you call that? Please Come back and help. I need Colette's help. But the Lord laid this song on my heart this morning and we're going to do it's 408, I believe, if you wanted to follow it. But, and we're going to do it's 408, I believe, if you wanted to follow up. But we're not going to do the verses in the order that you see, but I just want to close with this song. I surrender all. It is 408, right, 408, right, 408. But again, kind of follow me along, because this is the order that the Lord gave it to me this morning when I was sitting back there without the book, and he gave me this order. I'm going to do three verses and then the chorus to close, amen.
Speaker 5:Just the first three verses, or you want all four no To Jesus.
Speaker 4:I surrender all to him. I freely give, give. I will ever love and trust him in his presence daily live. All to Jesus, I the sacred flame, the joy of full salvation. Glory. Glory to his name. All to Jesus I surrender, lord. I give myself to thee. Fill me with Thy love and power. Let Thy blessings fall on me.
Speaker 6:I surrender all. I surrender all, all to Thee, thee, my blessed savior. I surrender one more time I surrender all, all to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all Hallelujah Thank you, carla, hallelujah.
Speaker 2:We pray. This message is a blessing and encouragement to you, most of all, that it fortifies your faith as the return of our Lord draws near. We encourage you to share the love of Jesus this week and invite you to listen to next week's podcast.
Speaker 5:The splendor of the King, he's clothed in majesty. Let all the earth rejoice, all the earth rejoice. He wraps himself in light and darkness, tries to hide, but trembles at his voice. Trembles at his voice. How great is our God. Sing with me how great is our God. Sing with me how great is our God, and all will see how great, how great is our God. Sing with me how great is our God. All will see how great, how great is our God. And age to age, he stands and time is in His hand, beginning and the end. Beginning and the end. The Godhead, three in one. He's father's spirit, son, the lion and the lamb, the lion and the lamb. How great, how great is our God. Sing with me how great is our God, and all will see how great, how great is our God. Hallelujah, you are great, you are powerful. How great is our God. Hallelujah, you are great, you are powerful. How great is our God. Sing with me how great is our God. All will sing. How great, how great is our God.
Speaker 5:Collette, would you sing that first verse again, please. The splendor of our King, oh, he's clothed in majesty. So let all the earth rejoice, all the earth rejoice. He wraps himself in light, oh, and darkness tries to hide, but trembles at his voice. It trembles at his voice. Oh, let's sing that chorus together. How great is our God. Sing with me how great is our God, and all will see how great, how great is our God. Sing it again. Sing it again. How great is our God, hallelujah, how great is our God. Sing with me how great is our God. Oh, and all will see how great, how great is our God.