Elevation with Steven Furtick - You Were Not Meant To Do This Alone (Holly Furtick)

Episode Date: August 30, 2021

God never intended for you to live out your faith in isolation. In “You Were Not Meant To Do This Alone,” Holly Furtick of Elevation Church challenges us to check our connection with Christ and the community He’s surrounded us with.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church, and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your fate. Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life.

Enjoy the message. Well, we're going to get to the message in just a moment, but I wanted to make sure you knew about Elevation Nights. It's going to be amazing. Eight cities. October 26th through November. November 4th. You've got to go to Elevationnights.com to see if we're coming to a city near you. It's going to be me, Elevation Worship, a few friends, and you. I want to see you there.

I want to see you and everybody that you know there. Go to Elevationnights.com. I can't wait to see you soon. Here's the message. Happy. Do I look happy? I had a great week. You know why? My kids are back in school. Feels good. I kind of feel like a hypocrite when I dropped my kids. off at school because I'm like, I love you. Have a great day. Learning is fun. And I never really like school. And, you know, there are some things about being an adult that, you know, aren't so great. But I really think, by far, the greatest thing about being an adult is that I don't ever have to go to school again unless I want to. Amen? Okay. Have you ever thought about all the hypocritical things, though, that we do as parents? I am.

I really think I'm the most hypocritical parent ever. All three of my kids are sitting on the front row and they're going to use everything that I'm about to tell you. But I was just thinking about all the things that I do and like how I tell them not to eat before dinner, but I'm like taste testing while I'm cooking. I tell Graham in particular, he's the worst in our house about having clothes all over the floor in his room. I don't think that Graham has ever noticed that I have this chair that's for my not quite dirty, not quite clean clothes. And it's usually so full you can't even sit in that chair, but they're not on the floor. My clothes are not on the floor. Recently, the kids and I were getting in the car. And some of us were a little bit angry because

some of us were not in the car yet, and they were making us late. And then others of us were angry because their phone had less percentage than someone else, and they needed the charger. And voices started rising, and people were yelling, and then somebody stepped on my purse. And I started yelling, and then all of a sudden I just yelled, everyone stop yelling. They're looking at me like they've never done that before. We've all done that before. But I think the craziest, most hypocritical thing that we expect our kids to do is when we drop them off at a new place. where they don't know anyone, and we tell them, we're like, go on, make some friends. This is a natural part of life, but have you ever really thought about how we do this to our kids?

Last summer, I signed Abby up for a softball camp, and we did not know anyway. We didn't know a coach. We didn't. We just signed up for the camp. No friends that she knew were going. And when the camp came around, she didn't really want to go. And I'm like, well, we paid for you to go to this camp. And I was like, you're going to have a great time. You're going to make a great time. you're going to make friends. And as we pulled up that first morning and she got out of the car and she walked away, I thought to myself as like, make some friends? Like, when was the last time I walked into a place full of strangers and decided that I would make some friends? It's making friends so hard for most of us. I mean, all the super extroverted people are in there and we're like,

I like making friends. No, you don't. You like talking to people. I'm talking to people. I'm talking about connecting with people and letting people into your life. And I have some bad news for all the kids out there who are watching and struggling to fit in as you started a new school year. Unfortunately, I have to tell you, it doesn't really get easier. It just gets different. And really, the only difference between being a kid and being lonely and being an adult and being lonely is that adults have learned how to hide it better. Loneliness is an absolute epidemic in our world today. And technology, I think, has given us a false sense of connection. And it's so easy and so addicting to just scroll through feeds.

And then we look up and we feel even lonelier than ever. You could be lonely because you actually live alone or you could be lonely inside of a marriage. You could be lonely because you're old or lonely because you're divorced, lonely because you moved to a new town or started a new job or went away to college. And I think that over time, we just get tired of trying to get to know people. It's easier to just go through life alone than taking the risk of letting people in. It's hard to let people in. Some of us have tried fitting in our entire lives, and we just gave up. Some of us have been hurt one too many times, and so we've put up walls to protect ourselves

because, you know, people are complicated, but guess what? You're complicated. And today I want to call you back to meaningful connection, real connection, face-to-face connection, This phone, this is not connection. This is clicking. And what I want to show you today is that your connection to others is directly related to your connection to Christ. Turn your Bibles to John chapter 20. If you've got a Bible, if not it's okay.

We're going to put it up on the screen. John chapter 20, verse 19. and in this passage, we find the disciples just after Jesus' death, says this. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you. After this, he showed them his hands and side.

The disciples were overjoyed. when they saw the Lord. Today, I want to tell you that you were not meant to do this alone. Let's pray. Lord, would you use me today? Would you speak through me? There are so many people who are lonely today right now, even in this room full of people, and even people who are watching online. God, we want to hear from you today. Would you challenge us? Would you encourage us? Would you speak to us? We are listening. It's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen. So you were created for relationship. You were created to experience closeness with God and with others. They go together. And in this passage of scripture, so much has happened leading up to this moment.

The disciples have been following Jesus for three years. And they've been under the impression that Jesus is going to lead the Jewish people in a rebellion against the oppressive Roman government. Even though Jesus told them on multiple occasions that that was not what he was here to do, and he warned them, and he told them that he would be crucified. Somehow, in all of the fun and the miracles and all of the amazing things that they saw Jesus do, they miss that point. And Jesus, their leader, their friend, their Lord is dead. He was crucified on Friday night, and now it's Sunday night. And not only has Jesus been crucified, but his body is missing.

And they're afraid that the Jewish leaders are coming for them next. So they're together with the doors locked, and Jesus comes, and he appears to them. And when I read this passage and I saw that they were together, I wondered how did they all end up back in this place? Because just three days before, they were all in that same room, taking Passover together. Remember in the Bible when Jesus washed their feet and he served them bread and wanted? We call it the Last Supper, and they sat at the table, and Jesus predicted Judas's betrayal, and he predicted Peter's denial. And then that night they went to the Garden of Gassimony to pray, and then Jesus is arrested.

And then later that night, Peter denies ever-knowing Christ three times. And just like Jesus said, and then the next day, Jesus goes to the cross, and there, at the foot of the cross, the only disciple out of 12 is Jean. And then by Friday night, Jesus has died and he's laid in a tomb, not by anyone of the 12 people that he had spent the last three years with. He's buried by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. The disciples are scattered because they're confused and they're afraid. They're like, if I get associated with him, they're going to come for me.

This isn't the way that they expected it to turn out. And everything that they had been working toward for the past three years, building what they thought was the kingdom of God. It just pretty much exploded and it was gone. And so their instinct in that moment was to flee. It was every man for himself. And for about 24 hours, we have no idea where Jesus' disciples are. Now, one of the Gospels mentions them until Sunday. And now we have them back together in that same room.

Rumor is that Jesus is risen from the dead, but all they've seen is an empty tomb. What drew them back together? The sense of belonging is a core need for everyone. And I think that friendship is one of the greatest gifts that God has given us, but most of the time we don't know how to use it. And so we invite the wrong people into our lives who lead us down the wrong path. Can I get an amen from all the parents of teenagers out there? Because I speak from experience, and I know there's a lot of people here who raise their hand and say,

amen, that's true. The wrong people can absolutely ruin your life. But the right people, the right people, the people who believe in. you and who cheer for you and support you and who are there for you, the right people can talk you down from fear. The right people can tell you you're not a bad mom. The right people can tell you. You're doing a good job. No, no, no, no, no. It's okay. Connection with the right people can help you accomplish everything that God has called you to do even when you feel like giving up, even when you feel like everything has fallen apart.

And if you've ever experienced that, you know. I think even the word connection, though, has lost its value because most of the time, when we think of connection, we think about Wi-Fi. Right? Like, the minute your feed won't load, what do you do? Check your connection. And some of us, I'm afraid, are so much more concerned about our phone's connection. then we are about our soul's connection.

That's what I want to talk about today. When you feel anxious, when you feel afraid, when you feel like you're lacking joy in your life, you've got to check your connection. So today, the message is simple. Very simple. Just a heads up. There's no twists and turns coming in this message. We're going to leave all of the aha moments for Pastor Stephen.

because today, I simply want to ask you to check your connection. If you feel anxious, if you feel lonely, if you feel afraid, check your connection. The first connection that you have to check is your connection to Christ. I told you this was simple. In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus calls four fishermen to be his disciples. They also have them to be two pairs of brothers, Andrew and Peter and James and John. And then next Jesus picks up Philip and Nathaniel, who also live in Galilee. And then later, Jesus calls Matthew the tax collector. And by the time we get halfway through the book of Matthew, we have all 12 of the disciples listed. These men came from different jobs.

They came from different backgrounds, different towns. Jesus didn't choose them based on age or qualifications or abilities. the one thing that they all had in common was Jesus. And for three years, they sat under his teaching, and they watched him perform miracle after miracle, but they each had a deep personal connection to Jesus. And when he was crucified, they thought that their world was crashing down,

but really, their ministry was just getting started. These are the main. men that would essentially take the gospel to the world. But right now, in John chapter 20, they are huddled in this room with the doors locked for fear. And in this moment, they needed each other. And I got to tell you, God did not intend for you to go through this life alone. And I'm not talking about marriage. I'm talking about friendship, just to be clear, You were not created to muscle through life alone. You were meant to have meaningful connection with others.

However, your connection to others can only be as stable as your connection to Christ. And I think that the reason why relationships turn out to be so disappointing to us is because we're trying to connect to others before we've connected to Christ. And some of us are placing expectations and burdens on people that we were supposed to be giving to God first. Rarely do you find someone asked to serve God alone in the Bible. Think about it. Moses had Aaron, David had Jonathan, Paul had Silas, even Jesus. He had 12 disciples.

but there was always a period of time where God would draw them out alone. Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai while he received the Ten Commandments from God. David was a shepherd away from his family, away from town before he became king. Jesus, even Jesus, spent 40 days in the desert just after he was baptized. God does not intend for you to go through this life alone, but sometimes he has to pull you into a period of solitude to help you realize that he is your true source. He is the one who gives peace and joy and direction and fulfillment. And if you're trying to find that in others, you might be frustrated because no one can take the place of your own personal, living, breathing,

relationship, walking with God, talking to Jesus. When you go through a season where you feel isolated from others, you need to ask yourself a few questions like, why am I here? Because God will pull you aside when he needs you to know that he is your source. And he has something he's trying to get to you.

And if your life is so full of other people and other people's drama, how in the world are you going to be able to hear from God for yourself? Like, imagine if Moses had tried to receive the Ten Commandments while in his tent. The Israelites would have been knocking on his flap 24-7 with their drama. And so sometimes what seems like isolation is really just a needed season of solitude. But you don't have to stay there. God doesn't intend for us to stay in isolation. And I think, though, sometimes because of our own choices, though, we all make mistakes. We all say things and make choices that re-regret.

And so sometimes there's a period of solitude, but other times there's a period of isolation that we bring on ourselves. And you know what can make you feel isolated faster? than anything, shame. Why was Peter alone by the fire when he denied Christ? Three times he said, I don't know Jesus. People kept asking him, aren't you the one? He's like, no, no, no, no, no, that's not me. And a few hours later, Peter is nowhere to be seen at the foot of the cross of his Lord. I think it's because he was ashamed. He couldn't face anyone. And nothing. will draw you into isolation faster than shame. Well, will people think about me?

I'm the only one who struggles with this. If anyone finds out that my marriage is falling apart, people won't respect me. Something in Peter knew that he had to get back to the disciples, no matter what he had done. And he risked their rejection because he knew that he needed to draw from their strength. then what did they do? They accepted him. Don't let your shame keep you away from the people that God has placed in your life. If you have the right people in your life, you should feel less shame, not more. There was a period in my dad's life several years ago where because of shame, he had a really difficult time figuring out where he belonged in church.

But during that season, he regularly met with a group of men. And I think those men helped him find his place again. And today, my dad, right now, is serving on the parking team, connected in an e-group at our Greenville campus. And I think about how thankful. I am for those men who helped him through that season. Shame only grows in isolation. And shame does not come from your father. Jesus never shamed Peter for denying him. You know what Jesus did when he saw Peter? He cooked him a meal and he challenged him. The story happens just one chapter over in John,

chapter 21, three times. Jesus said to Peter, Peter, do you love me? Feed my sheep. He challenged him, because Jesus knew what was to come in Peter's life. He didn't need to bring up Peter's mistakes. Peter was well aware of his mistakes. Jesus knew that Peter's greatest ministry was to come. What if Peter had allowed his shame to keep him from coming back to the place where he he belonged. And the first step to releasing the weight of loneliness on your life is to realize that true belonging and security and self-worth only come from your Heavenly Father. The disciples were each personally connected to Jesus. But then the next step is for you to get back around the right people. And something in Peter knew that John and Andrew,

and James and Matthew, that they were his people. And he was willing to risk a few moments of awkward to be back with the people he belonged with. And they accepted him. There's acceptance when you're among the right people. They were connected to each other because of Jesus. So first we check our connection to Christ, but then we check our connection to others. Are you connected to the right people? People who are walking the same path as you? Have you ever thought about all that the disciples experienced together? Like the amazing things that they saw Jesus do. When they saw him heal the woman who had the issue of blood who simply got healed because she touched his garment, but Jesus knew that she had touched his garment. Or when we just sang about it

today, when he raised Lazarus from the death, like they saw Jesus raise Jesus raise a dead man back to life. Or when Jesus told them to feed the 5,000, he told them to give them something to eat. And they were like, well, we have five loaves and a few fish. And the miracle actually passed through. They were passing out. They were the ones that knew how little it was and how much it became in Jesus' hands. And I keep thinking like, what was it like when they were going home? after some of those days. They were like, did that just happen? What?

But you know, there were sometimes where they were also really confused by Jesus. Like, there's this one time in John chapter 4, which is the story of Jesus with the woman at the well. And Jesus sends the disciples to go get food. And he has this conversation with this woman while they're gone. And the disciples come back with the food, but Jesus won't eat it. And he tells them that he had food to eat that they knew not of. And they're so confused. They come together and they're like,

does someone else bring him food? You see, when you're connected to the right people, you have a place to celebrate what God has done. And you have a space, a safe space to process your doubt and your confusion. Like, I think God said this, but I'm not really sure what it means. There's no substitute for that. Otherwise, you're just stuck in your head all the time, and then you wonder why you have no joy and why you feel anxious. I love to teach about friendship.

The women of our church know that I preach it to them all the time about the importance of having the right people in your life. I even wrote a Bible study called BFF. Plug. You can do it. You can just go get it. It's online somewhere. But friendship, it's not just something for women because women like to talk. friendship is something that we all need. Friendships don't just magically happen.

Friendships are formed, not found. You might meet by chance, but if you are going to have a true relationship with someone, it's going to require one main ingredient, and that is spelled T-I-M-E. Time talking, time laughing, time fishing or hunting, time crying, whatever you want to do, it's okay. Time having hard conversations. Some of us are lonely because the minute someone gets annoying, you're just on to the next person. And then you wonder why you feel lonely. Yes, there are toxic people that you don't need to spend time around, but you were meant to experience

life with people, real human beings, not pictures behind a screen where you type comments back and forth, because I don't know about you. I don't want a friend who comments. I want a friend who listens and a friend who understands. I want a friend who is there. And when you get connected to the right people, I don't know how it happens, but your faith grows. 19 years ago, just before Stephen and I got married, a mutual friend of ours introduced us to Chunks and Amy Corbett. Chunks was a physical therapist. You've heard Stephen talk about him many times, and Amy actually was an engineer. And over the next two years, we just developed a friendship with them. We sort of learned how to be adults together. and when Stephen and I felt God calling us to start this church, we knew that we wanted chunks

and Amy to do it with us. And they prayed about it. And they finally, they took a really long time, if you ask me, but they finally agreed that they would go anywhere that we felt God calling us to go. This is a picture of us, the four of us in Charleston, before we had even decided where we were going to plant our church. I know the picture is not the best, but you see, Back then, you couldn't check your picture. You got one click, and you didn't want to waste the film, you know? So that's all we got. Okay, I got another picture.

I got a better one to show you. This is us in 2018, so, you know, 15 years, almost 15 years later, and in the same spot. So now you can see. We got to check our picture and make sure it was good that time. It's a good win. I remember one particular night we were eating at our favorite restaurant. It was called Me Pobloito. And back then, Stephen in Chunks ate chips.

So we were eating chips, and we were talking about where we would plant our church. And Stephen, who always does stuff like this, he said, oh, let's drive to Raleigh tonight. And we can just get a hotel and then spend the day to eat. just exploring the city and see if God is speaking to us. And I was like, no. It's like, we need to make plans. Let's go home. We'll make plans. And then we'll go next weekend. And everybody else was like, oh, no, that'd be fun. Let's go tonight. So we went. I went. And we got in the car and we drove three hours to Raleigh, only to find that there was a massive

basketball conference. And there were no hotel rooms available anywhere. And I'm not even talking about, like, there weren't even bad hotel rooms available. Also, back then, you could not book a hotel on your phone. You had to drive to them. And so finally, at 2 a.m., we found a hotel that would give us a room, and the next morning, we drove around all day, and, I mean, I think you know the end of this story. We didn't feel like it was Raleigh. And we drove around, we were like, ah, I don't know. This isn't, I don't know. Let's go home. So the trip kind of seemed unsuccessful, but on the way home, we drove through Charlotte. And something happened in the car. We were driving 485, and I don't know what it was, but we just knew.

It was like something stirred in each of our spirits, and we knew that this was the place where we would start our church. We stopped for dinner by Carolina Play Small, and we all looked around the table. I remember it so vividly, and we were like, do you think? Yeah, I think. Yeah, this is it. This is the place, and we all agreed, and there's just nothing like having a group of people where you can test out. I think God is saying this.

Do you think God is saying this? Let's do this. And together, we have seen God do so much in the last 19 years. When the church that said they were going to help us, support us financially, backed out right after we moved to Charlotte, we were together in our fear. When the lease for the building that we were so short, I mean, we told everyone, this is the building that we're going to have our first permanent campus. The lease fell through. We were confused together. I have another picture to show you.

This is another vivid memory. This is me and Amy. You might not know this, but we were the first background vocalist, elevation worship. I got replaced as soon as possible, and I've never been asked to sing again. I'm okay with it, but I clearly remember every time that we would do something new, whether it was at a new service or open up a new campus, we were always unsure, like, are people going to come? And Amy and I would peek out from behind the curtain. And I remember one time Amy was peeking out. She was like, oh, come here, come here, come here, come here, look.

They're coming. And we were so excited together. And when Stephen's father was in his last days of life, I remember coming out of the bedroom and finding chunks and Amy and others of our friends just there waiting together in our time of sadness. I'm saying we're like the 12 disciples or anything or that all my friendships last forever. I'm not saying that, but I'm saying that together, we have seen God do some amazing things. We've seen people's lives healed. We've seen people's marriages restored. We have seen God work through us together, together in joy, together in fear, together

in doubt, because God's intentions are never for us to struggle alone. And here's the thing that you have to remember about friendship, because not only are they formed over time, but they must be formed before the crisis. In order for you to feel like people are there for you in your life. dark season, you have to spend time developing your relationship with them before that. Okay, we've got to get back to our story. The disciples, they spent three years following Jesus, and now their leader is dead, and they're scattered, yet something in them knows that they need to get back together. And I can't help but wondering if maybe, I don't know, Andrew,

thought back to the time where they were fishing all night and they caught nothing, but they were together. And then Jesus told them, catch your nets on the other side, and they got so many fish that their nets began to break. Or the time that they thought they were going to die in the boat, in the storm. And Jesus came walking out on the water to them, and he calmed the storm. And it just made me think about how friendships are formed in the boat. You've got to get in the boat with some people. And yes, friendship is messy. And yes, people can hurt you.

And yes, some friendships, they come and go, or they ebb and flow. And just because someone is meaningful in your life in one season, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to be best friends for life because life happens. And jobs change, and people move away, and people get sick, and seasons change. So if a friendship ends, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're a terrible person, no one wants to be friends with you. That just means that life is happening and it's complicated and it's messy and it is painful sometimes. But I don't want you to miss out on the beauty of friendship just because one or two went bad. You're a different person now.

And when you align yourself with the people that God is placing on your path and you reliance. and you release your shame and you decide to truly connect with people. You will find that your faith in God grows. Have you ever noticed how much scary things are when you're alone? The disciples were afraid that what had been done to Jesus, he just died a horrific death on a cross, and they were afraid that that was what was going to be done to them. But somehow they knew that they needed to get back,

together. They were connected to Jesus. They were connected to each other. And you know what else? They were connected to a place. Most scholars agree that this room that they were huddled up in, it was the same room that they had celebrated Passover just days before. And many believe that it's the same place that they would gather again in Acts chapter 1. So for all intents and This room that they're huddled up in is the birthplace of the early church. Look again at our scripture. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them.

And he said, peace be with you. And after this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Jesus said, again, peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you, and he breathed on them. And he said, receive the Holy Spirit. When the disciples were together, Jesus came and stood among them. And he brought peace in the midst of their greatest fear. And he brought joy in the middle of their greatest disappointment. and he breathed on them and he gave them the spirit the comforter when they were together. And today, I want to tell you to get back to the place.

You see, they returned to the place where their faith was connected. And I just can't help but think about all of the people of God's church who are scattered right now. because of their fear. It's a scary time in our world right now, and I get that. But the number one tool I think that the enemy has on us right now is isolation. He wants to keep you away from the place. He wants to keep you from connecting with people who are on the same journey as you. People who are trying to have integrity in their job.

people who are trying to raise godly kids in this incredibly dangerous world, people who are intent on growing their own relationship with Jesus, and you are missing out on what God wants to do in your life by not being a part of a community, of a body of believers. Hebrews 10, 23, says this, let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another all the more. The Bible is so amazing. This was written 2,000 years ago, and it could not be more true today. We cannot give up meeting together. I know you're busy. I know your kids have soccer,

But Jesus said, we're two or three or gathered. There he is with us. And it's time for us to gather. Because when we gather, our faith grows. I can't tell you how many times I have come into this place feeling tired, feeling overwhelmed. I know I'm the pastor's wife, and I'm not supposed to feel that way, but I do. feeling worried about a situation. And I come here and the band starts playing

and people around me start lifting their hands so I do it too. And I close my eyes and I start worshiping God. And then our pastor gets up on the stage and he opens up the word of God. Oh, God, when Stephen starts preaching. And he starts telling us stuff like how owning your own your own doubts does not disqualify your faith. And I'm like furiously writing these things down, so maybe I won't forget. And then he tells me to copy that. By God, I go out of here, and I'm so full of faith that I feel like I just might burst, because there is nothing like gathering together

with other believers in Christ. And this place, what God is building, the global, church that God is building is special. It's just as special as it's ever been, maybe more if you ask me. And it is time for you to get back. Some of you have an elevation campus in your backyard, and you have no idea how much you take that for granted. Some of you live somewhere else, and you can't get to a campus. And so you watch online every week. And what I want to say to you is, maybe you could get to a watch party, or maybe you could start a watch party, or go to your local church. You know, if you have to watch alone, it's better than nothing. And we're always going to be here for you.

Maybe you can invite someone to watch at the same time as you. Because we have got to get back to a place where we look people in the eyes. You feel like something's missing in your life? Might I suggest that it is your connection? Your peace and your joy are directly connected to the people that you align yourself with in this season of your life? So we started our time together in John chapter 20, and the disciples are together, afraid for their lives. and then we get to Acts chapter one and Jesus is giving them his last instructions he tells them wait for the Holy Spirit who's going to come and he's going to empower you and you're going to

take the gospel to the ends of the earth and then Jesus ascends to heaven and so the Bible tells us that they returned to Jerusalem to gather together once again many people believe that it's the same room where they were with Jesus just days before. While they're waiting, how many of you know sometimes we have to wait? While they're waiting together, they decide to do the next thing that they think they should do. So led by Peter, they take a vote. It's the first church. They take a vote to replace Judas.

And then look at what happens in Acts chapter 2. when the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound like a blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. And they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit enabled them when they were.

all together. The spirit came. It's time for you to come back together. This fall, our message to those of you who call Elevation Church your home is very simple. We want you to join us for church and then be a part of an e-group, where you can be together with people who are on the same faith journey as you. And all we want you to do is discuss the things that God is teaching you here each week. And so today we have an opportunity for you. Wherever you are, however you're watching, I want you to join an e-group. Okay? At elevation, we have created the most amazing community of people who gather together on a regular basis. Listen to this. We have over 13,000 people who already regularly attend an e-group, whether on person or in person or online. 13,000 people,

okay? In fact, now this is incredible. We have groups that meet across 15 different time zones and in 11 different languages, which goes to show you, you don't have to be. You don't have to be in Charlotte. Well, we started in Charlotte, but our walls of this church have gone far beyond the city of Charlotte. And I promise you, if 13,000 people are already doing it, which, by the way, good job, if you're already doing it, maybe invite someone to join your group. I promise you, we're not going to bite. We're not going to make you do homework. We simply want you to join a group where you can discuss the things that God is teaching you each week. So in just a second. If you're at one of our locations, when you walked in, you were given a card. I think I've got one.

It looks like this. All we want you to do is fill it out and take it to the E-groups area at your campus to join a group. And when I close, somebody's going to come, give you more directions. If you're part of our E-FAM, you're watching online, don't worry. Our team is going to come. They're going to give you instructions. Even if you're watching this later on YouTube, there's going to be a little link in the comments. If you want to join an E-group. It's time to check your connection. Go ahead and do it today. Don't go out of here and say, oh, yeah, maybe we should do that.

Go ahead and do it today. Would you stand with me? I want to close this in prayer. Before I do that, I want to give an opportunity to those of you who need to come to faith in Jesus. Maybe you need to come back to faith in Him. You need to get connected to the source before you get connected to a group. And I want to give you that opportunity right now. Romans 10.9 says, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

And if you would like to come to faith in Christ, we're all going to pray this prayer together for you. We're all going to pray this prayer together. But for you, this is your moment. So would you pray this prayer with me? Heavenly Father. I believe that you are the Savior of the world and that you died on the cross for my sins. Right now, I place my faith in you. This is my new beginning.

In Jesus' name, amen. If you just prayed that prayer on the count of three, I'm going to get you to raise your hand or maybe type it in the chat. Let us know because we want to celebrate with you. One, two, three, would you raise your hand? You've got a Bible that we want to give you. Accepted Jesus. It's amazing. It's amazing what God can do when you get among his people.

I wish I could tell you to join hands to the person next to you. It just feels like it's what we should do. But unless you're your family member, we'll just join our hearts and our faith together. And let's pray, God, we come to you with full hearts. We're just so grateful. that you provide people to go with us on this journey of life. And then always you are with us as well. We thank you, God.

We thank you. That you are still building your church. The gates of hell cannot prevail. That you are doing an amazing thing in your church in this world. And God, we want to be a part of that. We want to grow in our faith. Thank you. that in your presence there is no shame. And among your people, we find peace and joy and belonging.

God, I just ask that you would give us the courage to step out and get back to the place of connection. We love you. It's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of you who give generously to this ministry is because of you that this ministry is possible. You can click the link in the description. to give now or visit Elevationchurch.org slash podcast for more information. And if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe,

you can share it with your friends. You can click the share button. Take a screenshot and share it on your social stories and tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God bless you. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.