Sermon Series: MORE! Title: More Means Less!  More! Repeat after me, MORE! 

More-a greater or additional amount or degree of. (Oxford Dictionary) More drives.More pushes.More demands.More hungers.  More means unsatisfied.More speaks to a restless now.  Yet here it is; We serve the God of more! I said we serve the God of more!  Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely “MORE” than we might ask or think. (My emphasis) Ephesians 3:20 This is for all who want more!Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger (who desire more of righteousness).  Let us come in agreement and declare this will be a summer of more!More of God’s presenceMore of God’s power More of God’s purpose More of God’s passion More of God’s promise More of God’s provision More of God’s promotion More of God’s protection  More people saved! More people healed!More people set free!More people baptized in the HG!More people changing the world! Somebody shout “More!”

But here it comes! What if I tell you today that the ridiculous radical revolutionary redemptive restorative redeeming reconciliatory Christian truth that makes our faith unique on this planet is the following undeniable truth; when you follow Jesus, more means less!  What? More of God means less of you. 

Once upon a time there lived a man convinced that he knew God.  But God wanted more for him and more from him so he encountered him on the road to a city called Damascus.  The outcome of that MORE encounter changed the world forevermore!

Acts 9 Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers.So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me

Did you read that?Followers of the WAY! We live in a world with many ways.

  • Many ways to express opinions. Many ways to engage in relationships.
  • Many ways to self identify, ethnically, sexually and otherwise.
  • Many ways to acquire information.

But in this biblical passage, Luke filled and inspired by the Holy Spirit intentionally provides a very unique literal emphasis when he writes “followers of the Way”. Early Christians were known as followers of THE WAY!  First is not “a” way but “the” Way.Second, “Way” is capitalized.This makes it unique and exclusive. In this church, we don’t offer 1000 ways, 100 ways, 10 ways, five ways or even three ways.  In this church we’re here to preach to teach to disciple you to equip you with the undeniable reality of one-Way. We are here to reveal to you the one-Way!In a world full of many ways, the exclusivity and uniqueness of our message is exactly what this time in history calls for.  Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Isaiah 40:3 Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one reaches the father unless they go through me.”

I want you to hear me, we are not followers of “a” way we are followers of “the” Way!  With a capital W. With a capital W. Because our God is not a little g God.Our God is a Big “G” God. I said, our God is not a little g God.Our God is a Big “G” God. LORD, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power. Jeremiah 10:6  No pagan god is like you, O Lord. None can do what you do! Psalm 86:8 I don’t know about you, but I pray to the Big G God. I don’t know about you, but I worship the Big G God. I don’t know about you, but I serve the Big G God. The world may be falling apart but our God is the BIG G GOD!  If you serve the BIG G God….Praise like it! Pray like it! Live like it! Give like it! Serve like it! Love like it!  And because we live for the Big G God in a world full of little g’s; more than ever we must proclaim that we are followers of the Way!  And that’s not being arrogant, that’s being compassionate. The world needs to know the truth. There’s only one way to connect to God!

  • One way to be saved.
  • One way for eternal life. One way for abundant life.
  • One way to do away with your past.
  • One way to do away with your sins.
  • One way to shake off hell.
  • One way to fulfill your destiny.
  • One way to live out your purpose.
  • One way to change your life.
  • One way to change the world around you.

That way has a name; Jesus! He is the Way! He is the way! He is the way! He is not a way, THE way! He is the way inHe is the way throughHe is the way out. He is the way out of your Egypt he is the way through your desert He is the way into your promised land. He is the Way!He is the way out of your past.He is the way through your present He is the way into your future!He is the way out of hell.He is the way through the heartbreak.He is the way into heaven.All “the Way” people give God a shout of praise!

But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, Acts 24:14 81% of Americans believe in God.49% believe the Bible is inspired by God.  Harvard 2020 study…… The Way works!  There are two types of pastors, two types of Christian leaders, two types of ministry leaders, those that are meeting with their staff in teams and boards to reduce auditorium seating to cut down and then there are those…  There are those crazy enough to say find me a bigger building, We are about to see more people saved than ever before. We are about to see more people healed than ever before. We are about to see more people set free than ever before. We are about to see more prodigal sons and daughters come back home than ever before.  Because Jesus continues to be the WAY! As I travel around the world I see churches that preach THE WAY, make room for THE WAY, build community and disciples for the followers of THE WAY, and don’t quench the Spirit of THE WAY, these churches are thriving!  Pastors afraid to speak truth equals a generation held captive by lies! We don’t need more speakers!We need more preachers of the way! We don’t need more more singers.We need more worshippers of the WAY!  We don’t need more conferences.We need more gatherings where Jesus shows up and devils run out. Where Jesus shows up and addiction runs out! Where Jesus shows up and depression runs out!  Sidebar: For God to be the way in your life, for you to live out the purpose of THE way, you must learn to get out of the way!  For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” Isaiah 55:8 You don’t want to be in the way of God having his way in your life.  Every single day get out of the way as you live in the way permitting God to have his way in your life. *2 More of God Invites The Light That Always Defeats Darkness!  As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” God shined upon him and he fell. Why did he fall?Paul was dark!Paul lived in the darkness of religious legalism.He couldn’t handle the light of Christ. He wasn’t ready for God to shine upon him. He wasn’t expecting it. He wasn’t redeemed for it. He wasn’t saved for it. He was not born again for it. God shined upon him and he fell. Saul was a Pharisee. Saul was one of the top leaders of the Jewish community. Saul was a scholar. Saul had authority. This is not the first time we are introduced to Saul. We are introduced to Saul of Tarsus when one of the earliest deacons in the church was stoned to death.  Saul witnessed it and ….in his own words; And I was in complete agreement when your witness Stephen was killed. I stood by and kept the coats they took off when they stoned him. Acts 22:20 and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. Acts 7:58 Saul represents the pharisaic mindset. Saul represents religious rigidness out of alignment with the finished work of Christ. Saul represents an old wineskin. Saul represents a limited faith bandwidth. Saul embodied religious darkness that persecuted light.  Saul personified the darkness of persecution and Jesus did what?  Jesus shined his light!Jesus shined his light!Jesus shined his light! And what happened to Paul?He fell!  Why?  John 1:5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Light always defeats darkness!Light always defeats darkness! Light always defeats darkness!  Genesis 1:2Genesis 1:3 This is that!The world is dark!(Describe the darkness)Here comes the light!  Over America here comes the light!  *3 More of God Requires Grounded Conversations!  He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” When God shines on the old you, the Old you has no other recourse but to fall. The old you has to fall for the new you to get up.  The old you has to collapse for the new you to conquer. Somebody shout timber! Somebody shout timber! Tell your neighbor timber! Old ways of thinking are coming down!Old religious wineskins are coming down! Legalism is coming down. Narcissism is coming down.Humanism is coming down.  And get this!  God begins a conversation with arguably the person who would emerge as the most important Christian leader of the early church, and where did this conversation begin? On the ground! He fell to the ground and heard a voice. Sometimes it requires falling in order for us to hear his voice.  Sometimes it requires falling in order for us to hear his voice.  Some of the best conversations with God take place not when you are on your feet but rather when you are on your face. God will always find you when you hit rock bottom.  In other words, in Christ, with Christ, for Christ, a fall saves you! When you fall in God’s presence, when you fall in God’s promise, when you fall in God’s canopy of mercy and grace that fall can best be described as #BestDayEver! Only Jesus can lunch your destiny via the conduit of a holy fall.  “For I am ready to set things right, not in the distant future, but right now! Isaiah 46:13 This is a now word for your family. This is a now word for your faith. This is a now word for your community.This is a now word for your Health. This is a now word for your calling. This is a now word for your generation.This is a now word for your community. When God says “now” he means “now”! Get ready! In the mighty name of Jesus, I declare that in your home and health, in your family and faith, in your destiny and development, the Big G God will make a way because he is the way! For the glory of the risen Christ I come in agreement, we come in agreement that today is the day light overcomes all vestiges of darkness in you, your children and your children s children. Expecting greater things we hereby unleash an anointing that will result in conversations that will transform your relationship with God, and those in your life!  Amen!

Samuel Rodriguez New Season-Lead Pastor NHCLC President/CEOAuthor “Persevere With Power; What Heaven Starts, Hell Cannot Stop!”Exec. Producer “Breakthrough” and “Flamin Hot” Movies

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