Hallelujah! We're celebrating the 18th anniversary of United Faith Church today! Hallelujah! Give the Lord a hand. You know, as we look at each and every person—look to the right, look to the left—and see what God has done. The Lord has kept you. The Lord has brought you here. And whether you've been with us since the beginning or whether you've just joined us, even if you're new today, God has you in the house for a purpose this day.

He is doing a work in us, and He is about to reveal the sons of God to all of creation. We will do the things that God has called us to do since the beginning of time. You know, our story always coincides with that of the Israelites. When they were in the desert and God allowed them to walk through on dry ground through the Red Sea, He gave them victory over their enemies. He opened the Red Sea, and they crossed on dry ground.

God is with us. He is delivering us. He is for us. He is with us. He is showing us each and every day. We have crossed over. And, you know, during those times in the wilderness, they were fed manna from heaven—the perfect food of God that would give them all the nourishment that they needed, everything they needed. God has also provided us manna from heaven during these years. He has given us the very Word of God to show us His ways, to bring us into His family, to allow us to feed on His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, that you would partake in the holiness of God the Father.

We have eaten of the sustenance from God's table. Hallelujah. We are a blessed people. And just like those foreigners, when they wandered through the wilderness, they picked up wanderers throughout the way. And you know what? Some of you have been picked up along the way. And here you are.

We are the family of God—the people of the Lord, a chosen generation, chosen to bring forth the praises of Him who has called us. Amen. We are the nation. Imagine us all separated, going our own way, with our own mindsets, with our own philosophies, with our own religion, with our own thoughts of how you reach God. And yet God does a miracle before us even this day, as we gather together and worship Him in perfect unison and in harmony, exalting the Lord Almighty.

This is the work of God. He is making a nation of believers. He is making a nation of powerful warriors in the Kingdom of God. We know that as we're passing through, we're no longer going to be subject to the chains that we were in the old country. God is going to bring the change. Look for it. Look for the ways that God wants to infiltrate our lives so that we would no longer be chained down by the things of the old country.

We're not in the old country anymore. God is making sickness and disease bow down. Chaos in the home no longer has the power that it used to. Depression over the mind, anxiety—all of the things that we used to be addicted to—they no longer have power over the saints of God. For when we belong to Jesus, He is going to do the work to set us free. And that is the path that we're on today. That's what we're celebrating as a church today.

Because it's not about one person. It's not about one family. It's the unity. We are United Faith Church, and God is growing us together. Let us spend the next 18 years pulling others out of the grips of hell. This is the call of the church: more power, more faith than ever before. Amen?

So we're going to put on a chapter that you're all familiar with today. It's going to be from Hebrews chapter 12, verse 2. And we're just going to focus on verse 2 today. I know you guys know this is the faith chapter, and that's what God is calling for. He's going to give us orders today that are really going to be a way we're going to follow for the rest of our lives. This is the way I'm going to live my life. I am going to live by faith this time.

So we read from verse 2: “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and the perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” I think this verse was used as one of the supporting verses two weeks ago. And when he began to speak of this, he used a version that said that He was able to ignore the shame of the cross. And when he said that, it spoke to my heart. And I'm thinking, “Wow—what can the Christian endure? What are we able to overtake?”

And the Lord has us today. We're going to get into the kind of faith that God gives us so that we can overcome all things. Nothing—no mountain—can stop the work of God this day. Now, if any of you are like me, I need something simple when it comes to instructions. I can't tell you how many times Kris has come home from his break from work, and he's found me nearly in tears trying to put together Mousetrap for Joshua—because I just can't follow the directions—or Hot Wheels, whatever it may be.

So if you're anything like me—maybe you have trouble understanding complicated instructions—you're going to love the simplicity of today's message because some of us, that's what we need. And here we are with this first part of the verse: “fixing our eyes on Jesus.” You know what that means? Don't turn to the right or to the left. Don't look—don't veer off course. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

That is the message today. And that is the instruction for the church of God: stop looking to other people who don't even know where they're going. Stop going in your own direction, but keep your eyes on Jesus. Amen?

In a race or a marathon you may have seen on TV, they mark it off with a course, don't they? They have cones set up. They have tape there. What's all that in place for? But to show the runners the course that they have to take. It's showing them this is the way to go so that you can get to the finish line.

And for the Christian, the way is also marked out for you in the perfect Word of God. He gives us the instructions to follow throughout our life. We must hold fast to the Word of God, people. It is the way that we will live, and it will lead us to eternal life. It will lead us to the goal. The goal is to be in the presence of Almighty God.

And so He gives us His commands. He gives us the instructions to victory. He gives us instructions for life in the Word. But we know there is a condition upon every single man: it is that sinful nature where we just don't like to follow. We don't want to be told what to do. We like going our own way. And some of you today find yourself far away from the path that God has intended for you to be on.

And today I tell you: get back on the path. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Find out where you left off and get back on the course that has been marked ahead for you. The Lord has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to lead the way for us. He went ahead of us so that we can follow Him. In His mercy, He sent Jesus to run that course. Jesus is the perfect example of what faith looks like. And I'm going to say that again: Jesus is the perfect example of what real faith looks like.

Some of us have been looking in the wrong direction. Some of us haven't known what true faith is. But Jesus did it, and He ran the course of life flawlessly—without mistakes, without going His own way. He was a man. He was a human being. That temptation might have been there to say, “Well, I want to go this way. I want to do that.” But the Lord was perfect in following the will of the Father. He is the model of what saving faith looks like.

And this day, we must all come to the acknowledgement: I am in need of saving faith. Not my own faith, not the faith of the world, not the faith that I saw displayed to me in this place or that place. But I need the faith that comes from the Lord Jesus Christ—the faith that is depicted in His life, where He puts His trust in God the Father.

You see, when we see that He had this kind of faith, nothing in the world is going to take Him off course. And that's how you know it's the faith from heaven. That's how you know it is the sanctifying faith. The pressures and family obligations did not deter Him. The family calling—saying you got to make it for this dinner and that dinner—it didn't change Jesus' course. If He was going to do a miracle, nothing was going to stop Him.

The threats of the religious authorities—“Well, you can't do that. Well, that's not right. That's not how we do it here. We don't pray at work. We don't pray in school.”—the religious authorities couldn't stop Him. Even the suffering that He endured did not make Him waver or question to say, “Is this really what I'm supposed to be doing?”

You see, when we get obstacles and we have challenges in our lives, sometimes we make the mistake of thinking, “Oh, this can't be right. My life is supposed to be good. I'm supposed to feel good all the time. And so definitely this is not right for me.” But the reality is God uses every obstacle and challenge that you've had throughout your life for the purpose of God—for the purpose of bringing you in to know Him like never before. We can't resist the plans of God, and neither did Jesus. He submitted Himself completely to God.

And we often read in the Bible that He said, “I say only as the Father tells Me to,” and “I do only as the Father tells Me to.” It didn't matter what people said. It didn't matter the things that society tried to put on top of Him. He only submitted Himself to the Lord. It didn't need to make sense to Him.

You see, church, this is the key to receiving the salvation of your souls: it is a complete surrendering to the will of God. And I'm telling you, there is freedom in that. You think that you're free when you get to do what you want, but the reality is it makes us in chains to the things of this world. It puts you in chains to the sins of this world. You can't stop being a sinner when you were a child of this world.

"You see, church, this is the key to receiving the salvation of your souls: it is a complete surrendering to the will of God. "

But when you are a child of God, you are free to love Him, free to worship Him, free to serve Him. And that is what we are called to do. It means that we're keeping our eyes on Jesus, who was the perfect example of faith in our life. You know, we have a lot of great examples in this church because our leaders truly have kept their eyes on Jesus. They have not done what their own minds wanted to do. They have not gone their own way, but they have led this church, really seeking God in every single decision—the when, the where, the how.

We know that they have gotten on their knees to ask God, “What will it be, Lord? What is Your will?” Some of you will remember that have been with us for a very long time—for 11 years. For 11 years—what? What am I going to say? Somebody's smiling at me. We didn't even have a building. Where did we meet? We were under tents, in houses, school auditoriums, rec centers—rain, shine, snow, sleet, hot, cold. We put up everything for the services, right? All that you see up here, every single week, and took it back down again.

And, you know, there were times—I was there, Bob was there—that we would go and look at church properties. We would look at buildings, and they would look like a great idea. And yet God would say, “Wait, wait.” “Oh, Lord, but we can't wait anymore.” “Oh, no, but wait.” But what has God stored up for His people? The house of the Lord—look around you, people. God had a place for us the whole time.

A place where we would leave our legacy; a place where our children would worship God; where many generations would come after you and know how you worship the Lord in this place. This is what God has kept for us the whole time that we struggled through those 11 years. And yet God, as we look around, we see what He has done.

And this is just one small example of how God does it every day, showing in our lives that His ways are higher than our ways, aren't they? We can't think up of the good things that God has in store for those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose. He had His mind on us when we even were going through our struggle. For some reason, in a worldly perspective with a worldly mindset, we think as soon as things get tough, we think God's not with us. We think that God's not hearing our prayers, but it's just the opposite.

The struggles and the obstacles that you face are there forming a faith in you that is pure and genuine so that you can be brought unto salvation. And Jesus showed the way before you that God would rescue Him, that God would resurrect Him and bring Him up, that He would be seated at the right hand of the throne of God. That promise is for Jesus, but that promise is for you this day.

So keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep your eyes on Jesus, church, for the miraculous life that He's calling you into this day. We're talking—we read the Bible—we want to be the Acts church. We want to have our church defined by the powerful miracles that were going on in that book: multitudes coming to know the Lord; deliverances, salvation, healings. We want all of that.

But in order to experience that, we've got to step out in that place where maybe we're not comfortable. It is about receiving the faith of the Lord who is able to do the miraculous. What is the miraculous? It's becoming the person you could never be on your own. It is not, as we like to say often here, behavior modification. It is not just a habit change. But God truly transforming you into that new creation—a creation of heaven, a creation that is like God, a creation that makes you a son of God, where the Spirit of the Lord indwells within you, and you start to act like Jesus.

What does Jesus act like? Who is Jesus? He is the Son of God that fulfills the will of His Father, and that supersedes His own will. And that is what He's doing inside of us this day.

We remember when Jesus called Peter out of the boat, right? That was the miraculous miracle that we read about in the Bible. He called him out of the boat and he walked on water, and he was doing it. He was doing the miraculous. But it wasn't until what? He took his eyes off Jesus. He started looking at the water beneath him. He started looking about how far he was from the boat maybe. And that's when his faith brought him down. And then he was faltering, and he started sinking in the water.

So we're understanding: there is a key. There is a key to victory this day for the church. It is to fix your eyes on Jesus. Hallelujah. Walking above the trials and not being consumed by them. This day we are walking above those things. Get out of the mindset: you are not being overcome. You will not be swallowed up in the waves. He will open up the waters and allow you to pass through on dry ground.

This day no more will we despise the process. No more will we despise the past. Even if the things of the past were bad, we will no longer despise it—for God can turn it for your good. Amen. All of the years that the locust has stolen, He can bring back and make you more productive in one year—in one month—than what you could have accomplished in ten years. Amen. We see it all around us, what God has done.

"All of the years that the locust has stolen, He can bring back and make you more productive in one year—in one month—than what you could have accomplished in ten years. "

So let us just continue on with the verse at this moment, and it says: fixing your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and the perfecter of our faith. I personally like the King James version, and it says, the author and the finisher of our faith. And so these are just synonyms to really describe to you that faith originates with Jesus Christ. We may have mistakenly thought that it comes from the world, but the faith that brings you to Heaven—the type of faith that saves you—only comes from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith comes from God. No man—no man—can be saved unless it is God that calls him. Faith must be given to you as a gift from God the Father. No man can come to the Lord unless he is called by Him. You see, human beings, because of their sinful nature, they're not really thinking about where they fall with God or where they stand in God's righteousness. They're going about their own way. The dead don't know that they're dead. But when the light of the Lord Jesus Christ comes upon you, you can't rest until you are in the presence of the Lord Almighty. Hallelujah.

Thank You, Jesus, that He is giving us His faith. He is the author of faith, and He gives us this gift to believe and trust in Him. The faith belongs to Jesus. It is His to give out, and you must ask Him for it this day. “Jesus, give me the faith that only You have—not the faith of this world.” Maybe the faith that you've been relying on—and this day I know I'm talking to somebody in here—but if somebody has struggled really to find their way, and you have found yourself faltering, this day I say to you: ask the Lord. Ask the Lord and receive the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ask and it will be given to you, for God will give unsparingly. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, would give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, would give him a snake? Even though you who are evil, if you know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him?” Is faith rising up in the house of God today? Is somebody going to be asking the Lord for His faith?

You see, on our anniversary, we really are reflecting on where we have been and where God is about to take us. And some of us can say, maybe I haven't had the faith that God has called me to have. Maybe I have faltered. Maybe I've gone my own way. Maybe my faith comes and goes. But this day, I'm not going to leave the house of God unless He imparts that faith into me. The children of God ask the Lord this day, “Give me the faith. Give me Your faith that saves, that promises to rescue me, that promises to get me through to the end.”

And so faith is not only for ourselves, but it's also for those coming up, isn't it? Because the reality is when we come into the house of God and we're gathered together, people need others to look up to. They need to see that God answers prayers. They need to see that it works. And so we're really rising up as the children—as the brothers and sisters here—so that others can look at you and say, “If they can do it, I can do it too.” Amen?

Hebrews 12 really depicts the whole race of the Christian. And the one thing we need to know today: it is not like something we walk through. Some of us, like in our Christian faith, are just sauntering through life, thinking we have all the time in the world. But people are falling into hell even every day. Right now as we speak, there is a degradation of society and morality. But the Lord needs you to rise up so that you may save others and bring them into the batch of the Lord.

Now, last year, you guys might remember there was an obstacle course that was up. And I was placed against Jerry. And I tell you, I didn't look to the right or to the left, but I kept my eyes forward. And what was most important is that I won that race. It didn't matter that I had to get physical therapy on my big toe for six months afterward. What matters is that I won. Don't you know that in a race all runners run, running to win the prize? The prize is that relationship with the Creator. It's being restored back to Him. And that is what God offers us.

You see, we're looking for that change. We're ready to live a life of faith in action. So what does that look like? You know, for me in my household, I think Kris and I have both embraced this more than ever. But it's really about going to bed and not just closing our eyes when we go to sleep, but really wanting to reach the Lord and going to new levels with Him. Like opening up your eyes and your mind and saying, “Lord, how was our day today? You know, am I in Your good graces? Are You okay with the way that I lived my life today?”

We open up ourselves so that God can begin to speak about the things that are not in alignment with His will. If you have God's faith inside of you, you're going to care. And it's not about condemnation. It's not about guilt. It's about relationship. It's about the fact that when I pray, I want to be heard, and I want my prayers answered. And so I care about the sin that comes up. I want to keep short accounts with God, and I want to have an open dialogue with the Lord.

When it comes to your workplaces, you're really using this as the practice ground—being able to show the work, the new character that has come from Christ. You're showing them the honesty, the faith, the things that are new in the Lord that He's working in you.

You see, Christianity is not a coat that we can take on and put on, take off and put on throughout the week. We come here, we put on the coat of faith and the coat of Christianity, but how are you at work? Who knows that you love God? Who knows that you live for the Lord? And the work is the perfect playing ground for you to be able to show the world what God is doing inside of you.

And of course, my favorite—what God has really done in our household—is to seek the peace and restoration that God can bring through the power of His Holy Spirit. We have been working to create an atmosphere in our home: one of worship, one of prayer, one of obedience, one of adoration of God. Why would I do that? Because I want the presence of God to live with us. I want Him to be in our house so that we can continue in faith—so that I don't go and waver to the right or to the left.

So I'm not pushed around by the waves or the winds or the things that are of the world.Being in faith is being anchored in Jesus Christ and not being moved—no matter what comes—hell or high water, whatever challenges, whatever obstacles come in our way. We are able to be steadfast in Him. He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that is at work within us.

"Being in faith is being anchored in Jesus Christ and not being moved—no matter what comes—hell or high water, whatever challenges, whatever obstacles come in our way."

Now we did read here that He is the pioneer and perfecter. I told you I like the author synonym better. You see, Jesus is the best author that you've ever read, and He is writing the plot line of your life. I want to tell you, if there are no challenges in your life, it's not a good story. If I'm going to the library, I'm not reading about the person who has the perfect life, who has no challenges. I'm reading about the one who had cancer, and yet through the faith of God was healed. Amen?

I'm reading about the young person who was full of hate, and yet God restored them back to their family, and they are healed. Amen? I am reading about broken families being restored. You see, God is writing the story—the plot line—of your life, and we can't resist it. We can't hate it, people of God. We have to say yes, and He is going to redeem it. And I'm going to tell the world what God has done. He is doing a new thing. Can you see it? Do you perceive it this day?

We're in a race, people. This is a race. We're not walking in this. We are going to run the race. Running hurts. I get it. I know it. I felt it before. It is a thing—mind over matter, right? Your knees are hurting, your shoes are pushing on your feet—everything. It hurts sometimes. But we run to pursue the goal, the prize, which is Jesus Christ glorifying God the Father.

When we were young, my mom used to say, “Let's go, come on, let's move it, let's move it.” And she'd say, “I got places to go, people to see, things to do.” And people of God, you've got to have that same idea about your life. He has chosen from the beginning of time every good and perfect work that you would do—great works for you to accomplish—that He has prepared in advance for you to do for Him.

We do not shrink back against the enemy from the obstacles that rise up. Some of us lose our faith in those situations, but I need somebody in the house of God to say, “Not today, not today. I'm rising up in faith of the Lord.” You know, I had a young man—I guess a teenager—come to my house, and he'll often come by to ask me questions about the Lord. So I'm outside, and he comes to me, and he says, “So, you know, how many times do you pray a day?” And I'm like, “Well, you know,” I'm talking to him about the Lord. “It's not about how many times you pray. It's really about having a relationship with God and living with Him. He's with me wherever I go.”

And he looks at me and he says, “Oh, you know, because God's your Father?” And I said, “Yeah, you know.” So I went on my walk, and I told him, “I'm going to pray for you when I'm on my walk.” And so I'm going, and the Lord starts speaking to me about this young man. And I said, “Well, Lord, if You want me to tell him, then You'll have him outside when I get back.”

So I got home and I sat on my steps, and there he was, you know, riding his bike. And I said, “Come on over here.” And I said, “The Lord spoke to me about you when I was walking.” He said, “Okay, you know, what did He say?” And I said, “You said to me that Jesus was my Father, but He wanted me to tell you that He's your Father too.”

And this boy—you know, of course, he's a teenager—the tears automatically welled up in his eyes, and even this joy that showed up on his face. The reality of that situation is that he believed the message that was given. Why did he believe? He doesn't really know God, but you know what? He trusted in my faith. He saw how firm I am in my faith, and he knew that he had heard a message from God Almighty—the God of the heavens, the Creator of all the earth—that He is his Father, and that He loves him, and that He has a special plan for his life.

And I will continue to pray for that young man. But this is just one small example of how our faith matters so much for the people that are around us so that they can believe when they experience your faith. It is a reciprocal kind of event that we receive from Jesus Christ.

And today we understand: He is a rewarder of those who run the race. Listen, this is the verse that we have: we are confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion. Amen.

And so we're just going to finish up with this verse: “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, for the joy set before Him endured the cross. Scorning its shame, He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hallelujah. Jesus was able to endure that cross. He knew that God would be the rewarder of those who have faith. God is the rewarder of those who choose to have faith in a faithless generation.

"God is the rewarder of those who choose to have faith in a faithless generation."

And you know what? You can never outgive God. I know that it's not easy always to have faith and to walk a life not basing things just on what you can see with your eyes, but basing it off the One that we can't see—knowing and reading about His life—that is a life of faith. It's not always easy, but let me tell you: you can never outgive the Lord. And Jesus was assured of that. He endured the cross because He entrusted the fact that the Lord was going to resurrect Him.

Psalm 16:10 says, “My body will also rest secure, because You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will You let Your faithful One see decay.” Jesus was sure. Somebody say, “I'm not going to die.” Hallelujah. The Lord is going to resurrect us. I am going to live, and I am not going to die. Hallelujah. And that is true in every sense of that word.

You see, this is why we overcome the obstacles: because we are sure that God will do the work that He started in each one of us. God was about to bring major vindication in the life of Jesus. The Pharisees were harsh with the Lord. They accused Him of performing His miracles by the devil. They said that He was not the Holy One of God. They accused Him of being a blasphemer.

But here, as God resurrects His Son from the dead, He's declaring to the whole world, “This is My Son.” And here I am. I will resurrect Him from the dead. I will not abandon Him in the realm of the dead, but I will raise Him up and seat Him at the right hand of the throne in majesty.

And the Lord says the same for us this day: you will not die, but the world will see our resurrection from the dead. And that begins now. In Him you are a new creation. The old has gone, and the new has come. Amen? The world can see now who Jesus is. It was for the joy that He had—the joy that He saw when He thought of us being redeemed—that He was able to endure that cross. Listen, it was not easy for Him. It was not at all. But when He saw the picture of you being redeemed, when He saw the picture of you being sanctified, when He saw you eating at the Father's table alongside of Him, He was able to endure the impossible.

You see, He pictured you. He pictured you without the fear, without the bitterness, without the sexual immorality, without the anger, without the greed, without the laziness. And He knew that when He did this for us, that you would become the son of God—the sons of God—sanctified and being brought unto the Lord like never before. He ignored the shame of the cross. You see, we're talking about capital punishment for the worst of the worst in society. His death was a public spectacle before a mob. He was ridiculed. He was beaten. He was tormented.

And it wasn't just the execution, but it was everything that led up to that moment that was so difficult for Him to endure. But the blameless, holy Son of God truly took the place that we deserve. You know that vileness and the mistreatment of Jesus is something that is inside each and every one of us? The vileness and the mistreatment that He experienced is something that is inside every single man, woman, and child. And it's really not until we come into the Spirit and the nature of the living God that we can do away with that old nature and come into the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, becoming the blameless sons of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is only when one is reborn this day. Be reborn. Be reborn—born again by the Spirit of the living God—being made new in His image; no longer of yourselves, no longer of the anger, no longer of the unbelief, but coming into Him—Him. They didn't know that Jesus was about to multiply. They thought He was done for. They thought they finished Him. He was over. They shut Him up real good. But no—they were mistaken.

Jesus becomes that Spirit, and He enters into the heart of every single man, woman, and child who would receive Him to become the sons of God. Amen. The shame that He had to endure was real. Let's not forget that. This is the shame that we would rightfully have for the wrong things that we have—for the wrong things that we have done—for the wrong things that we do.

And yet the pure, spotless Lamb of God took on that shame for us so that you would no longer have to live in it, so that you could be justified in God's sight. He slayed His Son as a penalty for our sin. Would you come into that truth this day? Would you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who died for you, who took your place so that you no longer had to be subject to the old nature—to the nature of man, to the nature of flesh, to the nature of unbelief—and come into the Spirit nature: the nature of the impossible, the nature of the miracles of God.

People of the Lord this day, we are moving forward. We're not staying the same. God has a plan for you this day, and we do not shrink back at the obstacles that we have faced or the challenges that we have in this life. They are for the purpose of God to establish a thing in you this day. And I can already feel the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ rising up in this moment. The faith of the Lord is in this place. He gives it to those who ask.

Ask the Lord: “Let me believe in You for something that we've never even seen.” Believing in something that hasn't even been demonstrated in this place, in this community—that the Lord would come in, that He would bring salvation, that He would bring His change, that He would bring His sanctification into this place where men could be changed to follow the living God and live within His presence. Amen?

That's what we saw for the Israelites. When they lived in the wilderness, they had no covering. They had no houses. But God—His presence hovered over their homes, and He was on top of their heads. He protected them from all of the elements of the world. And this day, God wants to be your covering. He wants to cover you from everything that Satan tries to hurl in your direction. He wants to bring you to places that you've never seen before. He said, “I'll bring you before kings. I'll bring you before leaders, before governments. I'll bring you before all peoples that you would speak My wonders to them of what I have done in your life.”

People, we have the strength this day to persevere because Christ walked the path that we're walking today. Amen? And so we know, church, that it was for the joy. And Jesus did it for the joy when He looked at your transformation. But this day, I want to challenge you and just say: for the joy of being in the presence of God, we also endure. For the joy of one another in the unity of the brethren, when we gather together to worship—that is why we go on in this Christian walk.