Lee Morris Leadership

Father God, I thank you, Lord God, for your presence. God, I just ask you to just to come into this room, Lord God. Let it be more than a teaching. Lord God, let it be where we encounter you. Where you begin to minister to us, Lord God, that your words that your words become your words. Not mine. Teach us your ways, God. Lead us in a level path. Father God, let the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be acceptable and pleasing to you, my rock and my redeemer. Make in all of this a pure heart and a right spirit. In Jesus' name.

There's sometimes, listen, I I don't I was thinking about this this morning. I was thinking about this this morning. Of like, why don't you feel the power of God? Like, why is it that most times you show up at something and and it's just like, and I I I get that like, oh, it's a perspective of your heart and all. It's not about the feeling, but I'm like, don't we serve a powerful God? And I I just asked myself that. I'm like, why aren't we encountering him? Like, why isn't he showing up? Has he withdrawn from us? Has he? He might. Maybe I mean, I'm thinking maybe in the You know, I do believe like as far as end time goes, I think we are definitely like, man, everything is pointing to that that that we're towards the latter part, not the beginning. And so and I don't know I don't go too deep in that, but I but I do recognize it. And so like, is there a a part whenever he pulls away a little bit? Cuz I know that Jesus says that there's a been going to be a a great move of people abandoning the faith. And I would think that if his presence was there, they wouldn't really abandon the faith. And so it's like, Lord, what do we do? Cuz I also believe that you say you're going to pour out your spirit again. I'm like, what do we do? What I believe that he wants to use us right now. I believe that he wants to use me, you move in power, not for those in the church, but those outside of the church. Those that have have have never had a real opportunity to encounter the son. That that those that haven't been taught that like, listen, like Christ will return and he's going to separate the ones that have believed from the ones that haven't, and there's going to be this whole thing that says, "You're not in." You you you you were presented with the truth and you denied the truth, and and now the reality of that is like, you don't have access to the Father. Now you're separated for eternity. There's a reality to that teaching. There's something very very real in that teaching, and I don't know how to teach that. I I I don't. I I I I think I should. I I not to not to scare people, but to present the truth. I I don't ever want it to be like, hellfire and brimstone, but I but I don't want to avoid like, this is the truth. This is the truth of what will happen. Uh and in that like, we're I I tell everybody we're called, right? I tell everybody we are called to this move. We are called to be this revival. And so then there's some part of that motivating factor says, "There's going to be some souls that don't make it." That should be a motivator. Because if we're called, then we're motivated to present the truth so that there's an opportunity.

I read uh so there's a church 17 years I think it's been in existence now 17 years now uh out of Brazil. One guy I have his book. I've met him one time in Pennsylvania. He has a congregation. He started his church 17 years ago. Guess how big his congregation is. Anybody else? He said 10,000. 300,000. 300,000 17 years ago. Do you know what they teach? Their primary teaching? The second coming. I say that because it's an uncomfortable topic for me. Eschatology, which is like the teaching of the end times, is something like It's just it's just Yeah, it's just a tough one, right? For me. Like, I know this whenever I got saved, I was 38 years old. God told me you have 38 years. The first half was yours, the second half is mine. So I've known from that moment that at 76 years old, I would be reconciled to the Father. So it's easy for me to live knowing when Christ is going to return. Now, I don't know if he come I don't know what that looks like, right? I don't know how how all that navigates out, but but I know this it may may me very intentional, and it made it where I can live with a heavenly perspective right now.

What does that look like, though? What is living with a heavenly perspective if you're called look like? About my Father's business. Okay, how am I about my Father's business? Okay. That he said, "Every time I can bite the bullet and give to God, I do." That is a great beginning. What I would say is it has to turn a little bit. It has to turn a little bit for the fellow around me. It's not every time I can bite the bullet and give to him. It's every time I can lay my life down for them. Does that make sense? So just just And the reason why I say that is because we the Christ in us is the Christ that most people will encounter until they get to encounter him. Does that make sense? And the only way I'm going to do that is if I decrease so that Christ in me can increase. He It says that once we don't know what we will be, but when we see him, we will know him. Because as we've grown in him, we recognize him in us. It's that part when I go use the bathroom, I wash my hands, and I wink at myself and say, "Hey, Jesus." Cuz he's in me. Cuz I bear his image. I bring this up because today it's leadership and servitude. If everyone here is called and Christ is coming, that that's a it says that that's part of the elementary beliefs. Right? That there's a judgment that there's a We taught on that yesterday. That there's this thing coming, and the beautiful part is listen, the beautiful thing that we can rest in is that we in that judgment will receive our praise. However, what about the ones that don't know him? What about the ones that he's called for you to be the encounter they have that will lead them to the throne room? What? You said, "The ones that don't know him, do they just deny him or they don't know how to" Into So I So that's a good question. So this is what I would say is removing everyone below the age of accountability. I want to establish that. I believe there is an age of accountability. I don't think a 6-year-old dies and goes to hell. I just don't believe it. I don't believe that that they're outside I don't think they've come to that cuz you have to have a believer's baptism. There has to be an opt to I don't see anywhere in scripture where there were I don't see it. It doesn't mean it didn't happen, but I don't see the 6-year-olds getting baptized. Where are y'all heading? Why so early? Okay. Okay. All right. Just So this is the thing is Craig's class is important. Let Make sure Elijah knows that. Craig's class is important. And so you just took They y'all just took half his class. What? So I So I see what you're saying. So Everything you're So So check it out. So So what I just meant to rephrase what you said. I wasn't undoing what you said. So but there's no reason to because we try to keep it simple. I'm not disagreeing. No, no, no. You said You started diving into the ego and then all the other things. What I'm saying is the simplicity of leadership is that I lay down my life for those around me. Which is Yeah, you said bite the bullet and give it to God, right? I just changed and shifted a little bit internally, lay down my life, pick up a cross, follow him. Just trying to bring him back to the simplicity. Them. No, no, that's that's what it means. I lay down my life and pick up my cross. I've died to myself for them. So So I'm just trying to simplify what you're saying. So the the basic in the in being called Hold on, I see you. The basic of what we're being called is as I progress in this, I begin to look like him. He said, "Lay down, deny yourself, pick up your cross, follow me. Lay down your life, pick up your cross, follow me, right?" >> And the other part of it is there is going to be points in which the Holy Spirit is in one of us one of us has a something more important or or somebody's going to learn something, right? We're not just all Christ part of the bride and we're we're all growing. You're going to get knocked down even when you are wholeheartedly loving Christ. I do it all the time and I go, "Man, I said the wrong thing." You're constantly dying. It's not it's not I know everything for them. And then okay, we're No, no, that's what I'm saying. I'm not trying to go you're trying to take it to an extreme that I'm not trying to take it to. So, the simplicity of laying down my life in the everyday aspects of life. It doesn't mean I have to know everything you need. In this place, the reality is we provide everything you need. But in most of the time going through and I I'm sorry that y'all couldn't hear everything you said and it's way too much to repeat. The reality of leadership is you're good. The reality of leadership is so simple in the everyday it comes down to my motive and always choosing someone else. So, I'm not trying to discount what you said. I think that I think that uh there's a big way to make that real simple. You said leadership, motive, and what was the other one? I have no idea most of the time what I say to be honest. You just got to write it fast. Uh yeah, now I completely forgot my train of thought. Well, no, no, no, so I understand that. So, so it's so my motive is if my motive isn't to be a leader, my motive is to walk in my calling and let God magnify it. As a believer, you're a leader. Membership is leadership. Right? We're a member of the body and the body looks different. This is what I'd say is the body looks so vast and so different. One of the things I pray for the most is to recognize anointings on the other people because this is the truth. I know I'm not called necessarily to be a preacher or even a pastor. In some situations, I'm not called to be the teacher. And so, I want to be able to recognize those who have a greater anointing and call in their life so that it's most effective for those that need it. So, so I I I pray for that. The the example that Jesus said, he said, "Don't position yourself at the highest seat at the table because someone when someone more important than you comes in, you're going to be embarrassed when you have to move." So, how ridiculous it would it be if I'm like, "Hey, I'm going to teach this." And I've got like a Matt Chandler and a John Bevere sitting here and I start breaking it down with minimal understanding of scripture whenever there's two guys that for 40 years Matt Chandler, 20 plus years, probably one of the greater orders of our time. John Bevere, 40 years, 35 books, right? If one of those two men are in here, I'm not going to try to teach this to you. I'm not going to dare try. In fact, I'm going to say, "Please please flip a coin cuz cuz y'all are both amazing and I you would do much better job and we would receive so much better. But my ego right? You just brought up ego. My ego can get in the way and be like, "I get to teach John Bevere and Matt Chandler." I have so many embarrassing drunk stories. I'm just telling you look that I don't want to be embarrassed anymore. And if that happened, I would embarrass myself. What if Romero or Sterling were If they had a greater anointing, the prayers that I recognize it, right? I know for a fact because I've seen all their teachings Bevere and and Chandler. But in this place, this is the truth. In this place there's certain staff that do things very much better than I do. So, we promote the gifting. In this room you're under the authority of this place. And you are magnified in each one of us our ministries Absolutely, that's called the prophetic. So, anyway that's that's where I want to begin, right? If we're a members of the body, if we're leaders if we believe that he is going to return, not that hellfire brimstone, although listen, you better know that there is for the ones that don't believe, I do believe there is a judgment coming for them. I I do believe that. I'm so grateful that in his grace and love and mercy that he made a place available to me cuz I had people try to share the gospel and I was not ready to receive it and we'll talk about that little g God and being blinded to things here in a second. I was not able to receive it until I got to the very end, much like you until I'd done everything I could do and then finally I was softened by life by getting my butt kicked enough to be able to receive the simplicity of the gospel. Do you want to know what was my greatest enemy? My intellect. My intellect was my greatest enemy in receiving the gospel. And I was so mad when I got to simplicity of it at the I felt like everybody around me had a decoder and they didn't share it with me because it was so simple, so unbelievably simple. It wasn't and cuz I'm trying to rationalize and this and this and put these pieces to get this and the beautiful part is the thing about a gifted mind is he's going to give you the layers every once in a while and wow you. Wow you with the things that he's put in place to show you how it all came together. But the reality is he's so brilliant, he doesn't need my intellect. In fact, he wants me to let go of it so that I can surrender and then he'll put it to work for the kingdom eventually. So, anyway, let's read some. 1 Corinthians 4:1-13. It says, "This then is how you ought to regard us." Who's us? As servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries of God mysteries God has revealed. As servants to Christ, which means that's where we lay down our life, pick up our cross, and those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. These little details of of of of the gospel, right? The little bitty things. It says, "Listen, I realized whenever I was standing in the shower and I didn't have an erection and then I started trying to run the movies in my head to motivate myself to masturbate, I realized at that point that's when I've done it in my heart because I've committed myself to pursue sin for my own selfish gain. You get it?" So, that's a mystery that God revealed to me in that moment. He's like, "You don't have to do this. This is when you're doing it in your heart. This is when you're guilty of it cuz you're pursuing without temptation your own agenda of sin." Cuz I wasn't tempted in that moment. I pursued sin. Make sense? Yeah, it's one thing for the air drop the enemy's always throwing out the air drops. It's another thing when I pursue it, I've done it in my heart. I'm committed to it already. Like when I start when I start Well, no, listen. Let me be honest. In that moment in the shower, I didn't have any kind of thoughts. I wanted them. So, I pursued it. You see what I'm saying? And so, there's a big difference. That's a mystery that God revealed to me so that I can like just now you got you received that mystery. You received that mystery. We don't teach enough about the difference between temptation and uh uh intrusive thoughts and what lust actually is cuz there's a big difference in the three. I just always feel bad for like those dudes just dropping out Yeah, but that Listen. Bro, I'll be dead in the middle worship encountering Jesus and then it'll be like doom doom today's. And I'm like, "What is going on?" And I'm like and then you that's what the enemy wants Christians to feel guilty like, "Why am I Why Lord, why am I so I can't even worship you?" And it's just He listen, he's constantly trying to get It's It says it spells out so good in James. And and he spells it out that that there's going to be it's whenever my own desire marries with that thought that it becomes temptation and produces sin. That's what it says it clearly that whenever this marries with this cuz he's just throwing out lust of eye, lust of flesh, pride of life all the time trying to get anybody to come in agreement. He can't read your mind. He doesn't know if you're already thinking about it. So, he's just dropping it out everywhere. And then if something inside of me my own lustful desire will marry with it and then anyway, that's a whole different teaching. Verse two says, "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." Listen, we've been given a trust. Everyone in this room of leadership if leadership is if membership is leadership and if everyone here is called and I assure you everyone in this room is called, then you've been given a trust. He's going to trust you with the mysteries. Get it? He's going to trust [clears throat] you to serve. He's going to trust you to follow him in his death and resurrection, okay? He says, "I care very little if I'm judged by you or by any human court. Indeed, I do not even judge myself." For me, that ties in with my testimony. I share my testimony open and boldly. I share the things that happened to me, the things I used to be ashamed of, the things that used to keep me in bondage, in rage, that made me put on promiscuous identities to prove that I wasn't something that I was not. And all of it was because the enemy attacked me at such an early age and took part innocent parts of me to create this monster that could never serve the kingdom. But at the depth of me being a monster, Christ loved me in that moment and redeemed me. At the worst place, I'd already stepped through the threshold of hell and given myself over to it and he said, "No, no, no, this one's mine." And it was in that place, not any other place. It was when I'd given myself over to all of the things that he said this one's mine. While we were yet sinners, he died for us. He said, "And so I share those things that he rescued me from, and I don't care how somebody judges me, and I don't care if they think I'm crazy because the tongues thing, right? Ashaba. I Listen, I was trying to get it going this morning. I'm like And only because listen, THIS IS MY CRY TO GOD. I'm like, "God, I just want you." And I'm okay looking crazy. I'm not going to try to mis-teach somebody, but I just want what you have to offer. I want the more of the kingdom. I want people to experience the power of God. I want them to experience the power of God so that our numbers increase. I believe that God we have the most loving God there is, and even though I recognize I believe that we are in some end-time significance, biblical prophecy is being fulfilled around us. I believe in that moment he is so so so good. And if he wasn't, I couldn't have got through the miscarriage with my wife. We couldn't have got through her being paralyzed. We couldn't have got through Olivia going to back to live with her mom and dad after 5 years. We wouldn't have got through it if we wouldn't have known how good he was. I wouldn't have got through guys leaving here and killing themselves, guys going to prison, and bad things happening to them, guys OD'ing and getting shot. We went through so much death the first three or four years, and it's a different streets right now, right, Nick? Your eyes are closed. I need you to see They were closed. I'm telling you they were, okay? Okay, so listen, there was a lot Y'all realize like 3 years ago there was a lot more death in the streets. Isn't it wild how there isn't as much right now? Have you noticed that? There was a lot more death in the streets. I think fentanyl scared everybody off or something. I don't know cuz there was a You know, we used to you find out somebody died of heroin, and everybody go buy heroin from that dude. That was where it was where the good dope was. You know what I mean? He didn't know how to do it right. That's I'm just telling you that's the thought process. You've ever been out of it, you know what I'm talking about? And so so so I say that because getting through all that is cuz I knew he was good. I knew that he was good. Hold on hold on 1 second, I'm calling you. I knew that he was good. And so even in this time I believe that he's going to pour out in such a way. I believe that he's going to open open up the spirit in the new dispensation that's never been done before because there's people that just desire his presence. I want us to desire his presence. As leaders, we have to just purely not Listen, I don't have anything that great to say, but I know a God that does. I don't know how to heal cancer, but I know a God that does. And the only He has to come into the room. We've got to get to the hem of his garment. We've got to meet him at the well. We've got to crawl through the mud to get there, but I believe that he's there. I believe that he wants to heal us, and I have faith for him to do that in emotionally and physically and all these ways. And I say that because that's why I share my testimony the way I do because I would rather you find the hem of his garment like I did. I can share it because I've been healed. There's no more guilt, shame, or condemnation with those things. I don't take on a level of brutality when I talk about the the molestation. I don't I don't get mad. I don't look to see if anybody's judging me because then I'm a I'm a show them better than I can tell them. You know, I don't do that anymore. I don't feel that way anymore because he took away the pain. So that I can share my testimony, but but I can't walk in judgment of myself or be afraid that you might judge me. Or I'll take on that same false identity again. It says, "My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore, judge nothing before the appointed time. Wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time, each will receive their praise from God." We went over that yesterday, right? If we're talking about the judgment seat of God, and we're talking about all the things that we've done and him coming, we know that he's good and we'll receive our praise. We know that to pursue him past our stumbling, past our failings, past our mess-ups, his word says a righteous man stumbles seven times but gets back up. Be encouraged this you being in the seat is that you got back up. That's just what it looks like. Nick, you might not be falling asleep, but it appears so. So I'll just stand up in the back so that I don't lose my mind cuz I love you so much. It says, "Now brothers and sisters, I've applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, 'Do not go beyond what is written.' The only you will not be puffed up and being a follower of one of us over against the other. For who makes you different from anyone else?" It's so beautiful. Look, when he talks about don't go about don't go past what was written, you know, he's really just talking about the Old Testament. Can you imagine that he he preached the gospel from the prophecies of the Old Testament? That's None of the New Testament was written. And so he literally preached the reality of the Messiah that came from Old Testament prophecy, from Isaiah and and Ezekiel and and Zechariah, and revealed this is what they said was coming. This is what it said when he would ride in on an unbroken colt. This is whenever it prophesied a Messiah and the government would rest upon his shoulders. And he taught from that place. And now we have all these other books that have been added to it that have been God-breathed. You stand up in the back if you're nodding off. It's the best thing you do, Justin. And so so it says, "Don't go what is written Go beyond what is written." So that you wouldn't say, "Oh, I follow him or I follow him." You know, there's so much division in the church because we prefer different flavors. I There's so there And the church And the division lies on the shoulders of the church in my opinion because there I've seen like people say, "Well, we go to a full gospel church." Well, I mean Christ came, he died on the cross, rose from the grave, left us with the Holy Spirit. That's pretty much the full gospel. Right? Now there's there's some details. But that's the full thing, right? And then And my question is this, is he alive? Is Christ alive? Does God speak? How brilliant is it that you have access? Work every teaching out on your own with him. If there's something that you don't understand, if there's something that doesn't sit right, try to remove your opinion and just go to him and petition for understanding. Get in the scriptures and read and go deeper. This is what I'll tell you. Everything about the word is one book. It's one thing start to finish. And that it's about a God that speaks and loves us and dwells with us. And has the greatest hope for us and belief in us. That he died for us and reconciled us and empowered us to live out the same. And so all of it All of it leads you to a place of intimacy. If it doesn't, then we'll continue to be a powerless church. If you don't develop an intimate relationship, we will be in lack. We need to have intimacy with him. You can't get intimacy with him from me. Now, you can hear him confirm some things. You might hear him come alive in some of the teachers, but the reality is for you to draw into intimate relationship, you will have to pursue him all on your that you begin to do that. The book of John, Thessalonians, I mean there's so many rich rich books that are going to give you so much insight and revelation of not only who he is, but who you are and what you're called to be and do. And the beautiful part is you have access to him. If you don't enter into that covenant relationship, you're going to miss the point. You're going to make it in, but you're going to miss how It's like I heard Rodney Howard teach one time. It's like somebody going into the foyer, but never making it really into the building. You know, you're going to miss out on everything that's out there to be offered without intimacy, without intimate fellowship with him. Let me get back to reading. Oh, what did you want, Pride? Are we supposed to be aware when God is working through us? I think he actually hides it from us most times. I think he hides it from us. Because listen, cuz if Well, he hides it from me, and thank God that he hides it from me. Let me say that. Cuz I would be like, "I'm a mighty prophet." You know what I'm saying? Like, "Y'all need to recognize mighty prophet coming through, you know? What?" You just be intentional about your intimacy. Listen, if you're intentional about getting to know him, you're being used by him. Purpose is going to proceed it you into every room, and it will follow you in your wake at every single time. People will come in contact with him through you because you have an intimate relationship with him. Whether they want to contact him or not, you'll bring him in the room with you. Who cares if we know? Cuz I know him. You get it? If I know him, it doesn't matter if people know that that that I if I it doesn't matter to me if I'm being used. Because I encounter him. That's why I told my wife about the whole thing like I just want our closet I think I said it yesterday. I just want our closet to be this place if if everything else I do creates this environment at home in our closet where me and my wife get to go in there and enter into the presence of God together. I want to do it together. We get to intimately connect with the God of all creation that he would unveil things to us, that he would reveal things to us, that he would just sit with us, that we would feel his weighted presence in that place. If I can just get to where that exists in my home every day, I I will feel like and you can make a judgment for this statement or not, I will feel like I've arrived. If I know that I can enter at any time into my house, go into my bedroom, go into my closet, and his presence is there waiting for me, and this is the truth. It is. It is. I just got to work the layout or he's got to work the layout so that I can easily do that. And that's my pursuit. That's why I'm like you know, shabalabala. You know, abracadabra what did he say? Uh Yabba dabba doo, man. I'm Whatever it takes, I'm willing to do whatever it takes. Like if that helps, like I'm I'm willing to look like I'm not saying everybody else looks like an idiot, but I'm willing to feel like I look like an idiot. If I can if cuz I just want to be closer to him. I I've felt him. I've encountered him, and it's so beautiful and it's so perfect. And I and I can't describe it and I can't even say utter some of those words about how to describe it. It doesn't even sound like me. Cuz he's so drastically changed who I am. And so so it but what I know is the more I'm more I'm trying to get there, the more and it's nothing you can earn. You just got to be it. You got to do it. I can't You're going to have to fight it out. You know, you're going to have to fight your own mind. You're going to have to fight out your own ideas. You're going to have to fight out. You're going to have to seek out his word. You're going to have to read the word. You're going to have to shut your mouth and and sit for a while to try to to try to hear him, and you're going to have to learn how to hear him, and it is absolutely a process. And then but the the more you do it, the easier it is. Uh and you'll always be in a ebb and flow, in my opinion. Because at least I have been because the growth I think has been accelerated. So there's always tension in my life. There's always too much for me to handle and I'm having to re-surrender to the Lord. My wife is you know, she has a doctor's appointment at like 10:45. And it's been something we've waited for 2 months to get in to see this doctor to to see if something's really wrong with something. And and so like I've had to surrender She asked me She said, "You know you don't have to go to the doctor." I'm like, "Look, I've had to surrender this a hundred thousand times to the Lord. I'm going to this doctor's appointment. I'll be a little bit late, but I will be there." So there's that thing that So sometimes my own mind of taking those things back that I know belong to him hinder the process. But even in that, even me having to re-surrender it gets me to engage with him again. It's like And then I'm an addict for real. I'll try to okey-doke him by like kind of fake taking something back so I have to surrender it hoping it's easier for him to come in the room. I'll try to dope fiend Jesus into hanging out with me. It just don't work, you know? It's just this process of like trying to trying to not figure it out. Trying to figure out what a relationship is. I don't know what a relationship is. I'm learning what a relationship is. I didn't know what intimacy was. I barely understood real affection. And I'm trying to pursue to know him so I can understand those things so I can only experience those things with him, but experience those things with my wife, and experience those things with my children. And as I do that, I share it all with you in the hopes that whatever I'm learning you might glean something from it to help step into that place. And then what leadership really looks like is then you turn around and sharing your experiences regardless of judgment, regardless of anything else in the hopes that somebody else may get to glean a little bit of something off of your experiences. And then we become a part of this fellowship where where our real desire is just his presence. >> [snorts] >> We know that we got to lay our life down. We know that other people just might not get it yet. Our hope is set far beyond the 76 years, right? Our hope is set eternally for a millennia or whatever with him. That we surrender to him now that our character is going to be grown and forged because when we die, we get stuck with it. And we just surrender now. Surrender now. Surrender until we mess up, we get back up. We stay in fellowship. We stay connected. Pursue intimacy. Pursue his presence. Fight for your focus. Man, it's so hard to focus. I don't know that's my biggest challenge is to focus. It just is. And I think it's because God because the enemy knows what we're called to. And so he's throwing everything at us right now cuz I believe we're that generation. And so he's throwing everything there is out. He's throwing everything there is out just for a moment to keep us from grasping the reality of who it is God says we are. And then once we do and we move fully in power, other people are going to know him. They're going to encounter him through you, and they're going to say, "How do I do this? What do I got to do? I want peace that's bigger than my rent. I want peace that's bigger than my cancer. I want peace that's bigger than than my mom dying. I want this peace, this joy that you got that makes no sense." How do I get this peace? And you get to share. It's so simple you could miss it. It's so simple you could miss it. You got to choose to believe. And you enter into relationship and into the presence of the Father, and then you surrender to the idea that you're a son or a daughter. And you get to know him. Just like listen, who Which one of y'all have kids? You're going to have a chance when you leave this place for them to actually get to know who you really are. You have to learn who you really are. And it's a whole process to be open and vulnerable and say, "Look, I just want to get to know who you are and for you to get to know me while I get to know me." It's the same thing entering into this relationship with God. He wants you to get to know who he really is. And he wants to get to know who you He wants you to unveil and expose who you really are to him. Cuz he's God. He can He can grab it all. But man, isn't it more beautiful when you give it to someone? I'm going to skip over to the next one cuz I got about 7 minutes left. I I recommend anybody going through 1 Corinthians 4:1-13 uh just to dive deeper into that. My next scripture I'm going to go into is 2 Corinthians 4:1-12, and I'm not going to get through everything, but I'm going to read and then try to highlight the the best parts. Therefore, since through God's mercy we Who's we? have this ministry. What's the ministry? Well, we are the ministry, but what is our ministry? Reconciliation. We've been reconciled through the blood of Christ to the Father, and now our ministry is to decrease so he increase so other people have a chance to encounter him so that they may be reconciled to the Father. Okay. We do not lose heart cuz it's hard and not everybody's going to get it. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. The reason that is in there is because as soon as somebody comes up and says, "I don't believe," and you start trying to prove that he's real, you've already lost. You're already wrong. You're not even trying. You're trying to win. You're trying to be right. Do you understand? And you will lie, unintentionally so, to try to prove the cross correct. I've watched a hundred people do it so many Any time somebody quotes a statistic in the midst of an argument, they're lying. Maybe not any time, but 90%. I'm glad somebody got the joke. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly, we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. Listen, my experience is that on January 19th, 2019, I encountered Christ. I was going to die. He had me set aside my earthly life to be born again in that moment to receive him and only as my savior, but more importantly as my Lord. So that I could be in this position right now. People can argue that all the time. They can argue and say it was a panic attack, not a heart attack. They can say really it was a trauma-induced vision because I had exposed so much of my childhood traumas that I was having a psychological break. This is what I know. Uh whatever you want to believe is okay. I know what I experienced. And there's fruit in my life from it. What does that fruit look look like? It's not finances. No, no, no. It actually it's not y'all. Y'all aren't my fruit. When you go from this place and somebody comes to know the Lord or is discipled, that's my fruit. I don't know if that makes You are belong You're the fruit of a different ministry. It's a whole thing. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. Remember when I said not everybody's going to get it. And I can't focus on the ones that don't. I try to listen to God. This is what I know. If you're really listening to the Lord and you're living out what you believe, living out what you believe. People are going to It's like How do I know when God's using me? You don't. Sometimes he'll show you and it's a great amazing feeling. You just say, "Thank you, Lord, for using me." Most of the time you won't, but I guarantee you you won't if you're not trying to live it out. I'm not talking about through judgement or legalism or works. I'm talking about the simplicity of loving and caring and compassion and empathy and a willingness to go last and a willingness to apologize and make an amends. All of those things are you showing fruit of who's in you and who dwells in you. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. And as you mature, you'll be able to exhibit more and more of those. What? Is it possible to learn how to love? And Is it possible to lose how to love? So, love isn't a feeling. If you want to know how to love, look in 1 Corinthians 13:4 through 10. And it'll tell you what the definition of a love is and in the definition it tells you what to do. Love never seeks its own and never rejoices in wrong. It always endures. It never gives up. There's a whole list of what it is. So, it gives you the definition and tells you how in the definition tells you how to actually love someone. Love is not in a feeling. Love is not an I need you. If you say I'm not loving you anymore because you betrayed me, it was never love in the first place because literally our definition based off what we say we believe is very clearly defined. The god of this age So, it's a choice. Love is a choice. You'll have to choose to love based off that definition. And you'll have to choose to continue to love. I'm not talking about being an idiot. It says, "Don't cast your pearls before swine, right?" So, sometimes you listen, loving somebody is correction. Loving somebody is distance. Sometimes you have to turn people over to their selves so that they can get a full revelation of who God is so that then they can be loved. They love because he first loved them. What? Yeah. He said He said that his church literally committed him to being turning him over to himself and saying, "You can't be here until you" That's a beautiful thing. That is loving you. That is loving you in the hopes that you'll receive the love of the Father so that you can so that you can love yourself. Says, "The god of this age it's a little g god found 1 Corinthians or 2 Corinthians 4 uh verse 4. The god of this age, it's a little g god has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ who is the image of God." It literally says those little g gods have blinded you from seeing what love is. That we the little g gods that we place before him want to say, "Look what he's making you sacrifice." He doesn't want you to experience anything good. That's the lie of the little g gods and it blinds us from him being a good and loving God. I'll give you an example. My smoking. It was It was It was in a way a little g god. Not Look, God loved me in the midst of all of it, gave me very loving correction. And then at the very end, he's like, "I'm going to use you no matter what. It's going to be easier on you if you quit this cuz I'm going to exhaust you." Cuz I agreed. Here I am. God used me. He said, "Okay. You might want to do that." And what I realized is me quitting smoking was his goodness. He didn't tell me to control me. He told me because he's good. He told me because he wants me to be healthy. He want He told me because he wants me to have an enjoyable long-lasting marriage. He told me because he wants me to be able to play with my kids and with my grandkids. He wants me to be able to go out and enjoy some of those things with them that we didn't get to enjoy because we were in our addiction 15 years ago. It's his goodness that does those things. And but the little g god wants to tell you something different. That and that he's not a loving god that is always good and is always better. And that's what blinds people. I'm just I'm just I'm just watching shorts for 2 and 1/2 hours till my eyes go blurry. I can't even see nothing. I'll sit in the house and be like, "You won't be home on Friday night. She does the women's group." I'm like, "Okay, cool. I'll eat and sit down on the couch and turn on YouTube." And I'll be flipping shorts. Next thing I know, she's coming in. It's 8:30. I can't see anything. I'm like, I don't know if y'all have those problems. If y'all ever done that, but it's it's horrible. Says, "For we preach for what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your servants." Leaders, listen. As your servants. Yours is everyone. As your servants. For Jesus' sake. It doesn't mean we know how to meet everyone's needs. It just means we're available for the ones we can. The ones we can meet we're available for. And this is the truth. If we connect as a body, then whatever need I can't meet, I can connect you with someone who can. For God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness" made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ. His goodness. His mercy and his love. You get it? This morning in Oswald it said, "Do you not even know recognize me yet, Philip?" The wound of Jesus saying cuz Philip's like, "Hey, when are we going to see the Father?" He goes, "Don't you recognize me?" The goodness, the mercy, the gentleness, the humility. If you've seen him, you've seen the Father. It should be that we as leaders, those men that are called to lead our families, our communities and our cities and beyond should be known for our humility and our kindness. In that there's power and authority in how well you love people. It's just how it works. And it makes no sense, but it is absolutely how it works. And it's how you reveal who he is by how you live. Father God, I pray a blessing over everyone that hears this message that they would be empowered to lead as Christ calls us to lead, Lord God. That they would lay down their life, pick up their cross and follow him. Be that living sacrifice so that others may understand the price that was paid for them and