The Danger of the ‘Prayer of Salvation’: Why Ritual Cannot Replace Regeneration

• Authority of Christ 00:06:10 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor asserts that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth, excluding other religious figures or idols from having equal authority.
• The Great Commission 00:08:42 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor defines the calling of a disciple as going to make disciples of all nations, emphasizing the global and ethnic scope of the gospel.
• Walking in Authority 00:11:49 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that believers receive authority over demons and darkness at salvation, not through progressive spiritual levels, and are called to resist the devil.
• Diversity in the Church 00:09:11 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a 'bag of Skittles' to describe the diverse ethnic makeup of the church as reflecting God's heart for all nations.
• Authority of Believers 00:12:03 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that believers have authority over demons and darkness through the Holy Spirit, correcting the misconception that authority is earned through levels of spiritual advancement.
• Jurisdiction of Christ 00:15:05 ▶️ 📄
  > Using an analogy of police jurisdiction, the pastor illustrates that Jesus has authority over all realms (heaven, earth, invisible) and has delegated this authority to believers.
• Church Growth and Discipleship 00:17:21 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor addresses the tension between the church's numerical growth (12,000 to 22,000 members) and the need for deep discipleship, arguing that the goal is not just a crowd but making disciples.
• Overcoming Paralysis by Analysis 00:19:28 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor identifies 'paralysis by analysis' as the barrier to discipleship, urging the congregation to stop waiting for others to act and to take personal responsibility for mentoring new believers.
• Spiritual Maturity and Community 00:20:05 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of tree roots linking together to explain that spiritual depth comes from community and mutual support, moving from the 'playground' of initial faith to the 'deep end' of mature discipleship.
• Discipleship and Authority 00:27:30 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor defines discipleship as coming under the authority of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, rejecting self-reliance and the devil's lies about one's inability to serve.
• The Meaning of Baptism 00:28:05 ▶️ 📄
  > He explains that baptism signifies immersion into the authority and power of the Trinity, enabling believers to speak against spiritual strongholds.
• Practical Discipleship Actions 00:30:05 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor outlines specific actions of a disciple: loving God fully, serving sacrificially, forgiving radically, living holy, and giving generously.
• Generosity and Tithing 00:35:02 ▶️ 📄
  > He challenges the congregation to be generous with money, time, and effort, noting that less than 2% of the church tithes and offering a 90-day challenge.
• The 'Exit Row' Metaphor 00:36:08 ▶️ 📄
  > He uses the metaphor of an airplane exit row to describe the responsibility of church members to serve others rather than just receiving benefits.
• Discipleship and Service 00:39:15 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor defines discipleship as a daily practice of loving God, serving people, forgiving radically, living wholly, giving generously, and dying daily, which leads others to follow suit.
• Identity as an Instrument 00:41:39 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor contrasts the identity of a 'decoration' (passive, unused) with an 'instrument' (active, used by God), urging the congregation to accept their role in making disciples.

• Sermon Illustration 00:03:10 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal story about his mother's final words before she passed away, where she signed 'I am so proud of you' and then asked for biscuits, illustrating the desire to make Jesus proud.
• Sermon Illustration 00:09:16 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a 'bag of Skittles' to describe the diverse ethnic composition of the church, encouraging the congregation to embrace this diversity as God's heart.
• Sermon Illustration 00:15:23 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal story about teaching his 18-year-old son Lawson to drive, highlighting the tension of handing over control and the concept of delegated authority within a family vehicle.
• Sermon Illustration 00:13:57 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses an analogy of a police officer pulling someone over for speeding to explain the concept of jurisdiction, contrasting local police limits with Christ's universal authority over heaven and earth.
• Sermon Illustration 00:24:14 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a 'playground' or 'kiddie pool' to describe the initial stage of faith, contrasting it with the 'deep end' where true spiritual growth and discipleship occur.
• Sermon Illustration 00:36:41 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a story about a flight attendant on a Southwest Airlines flight who explained that passengers in the exit row have a responsibility to help others escape in an emergency, using this as an analogy for the church's role in the community.
• Sermon Illustration 00:34:28 ▶️ 📄
  > He references Daryl Strawberry, a four-time world champion, who stated that nothing compares to knowing Jesus Christ, to illustrate the insufficiency of worldly success and sin.
• Sermon Illustration 00:37:15 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts a story about a flight attendant in the exit row who explained that passengers are not there to be served but to partner with her to help others get to safety, using this as an analogy for the church's mission.
• Sermon Illustration 00:40:05 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about buying a guitar in 1998, attempting to learn it, failing, and leaving it as a decoration, only to later realize that an instrument without strings becomes warped and useless, symbolizing how the devil tries to make believers feel like useless decorations.

• Pastoral Charge 00:02:15 ▶️ 📄
  > Attend Revival Night and read Matthew 28:18-20
• Pastoral Charge 00:02:12 ▶️ 📄
  > Attend Revival Night to experience deeper spiritual engagement
• Pastoral Charge 00:04:13 ▶️ 📄
  > Live a life that honors Jesus
• Pastoral Charge 00:04:42 ▶️ 📄
  > Receive God's love without striving for performance
• Pastoral Charge 00:05:03 ▶️ 📄
  > Accept being fully known and loved by God
• Pastoral Charge 00:08:00 ▶️ 📄
  > Identify oneself as a disciple of Jesus and accept the associated authority
• Pastoral Charge 00:08:42 ▶️ 📄
  > Go and make disciples of all nations
• Pastoral Charge 00:13:21 ▶️ 📄
  > Resist the devil and draw spiritual boundaries over one's home and family
• Pastoral Charge 00:13:21 ▶️ 📄
  > Actively resist the devil verbally and spiritually.
• Pastoral Charge 00:25:43 ▶️ 📄
  > Recognize and act on the calling to be a missionary to one's immediate family and community.
• Pastoral Charge 00:35:33 ▶️ 📄
  > Participate in the 90-day tithing challenge with the promise of a refund if not blessed.
• Pastoral Charge 00:35:24 ▶️ 📄
  > Find another church to tithe to if unable to tithe to the current one.
• Pastoral Charge 00:41:56 ▶️ 📄
  > Clap louder in agreement or celebration.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:00:00] Can we put our hands together? That's incredible to have over 2,400 men lift up the name of Jesus.
[00:00:11] There's an aroma that's still here at the Central Campus as we're broadcasting to our Northside Campus, Southside, Eastside, Westside, and over 4,000 incarceration facilities across our country. There's an aroma here at the Central Campus that's not brute. Come on,
[00:00:28] It ain't Old Spice. It's not Aqua Velva. Come on, I'm naming some old school colognes, Dracar.
[00:00:37] It's the anointing of God, releasing the power of the Holy Spirit on some men that'll make the world a better place. And I'm grateful to be a part of a church with some men that love Jesus, that are seeking to be better men, better today than yesterday. Next weekend,
[00:00:56] It's Mother's Day to all you moms. We want to take an opportunity to honor you next weekend.
[00:01:00] Yeah, we can clap for that. It's a real difficult day for some. And I want to say out loud in Mother's Day, there's moments of where moms have lost children and women of God who long to be
[00:01:14] moms and those much like me that have lost my mom. And I didn't lose my mom. I know where my mom is at. But when I begin to think about Mother's Day, there's a complexity of a lot of emotion,
[00:01:24] but it is the second most highly attended weekend service of the year. I mean, it's like Jesus walks out the grave Easter and then Mother's Day, which means I need all you mamas to shame every one of
[00:01:37] your kids to get to the house of God next weekend, because my wife is going to preach a message next weekend. She's getting ready. She's getting ready. And I believe God's got a word for us.
[00:01:52] This coming Wednesday, we have what's called Revival Night across our campuses.
[00:01:56] Our campus pastors will tell you more about your particular location, but we're broadcasting from our central campus, Pastor Jeff Wallace, who has been a friend to CBC.
[00:02:08] And for those of you that want to sing a little longer, anybody else just like, man, we only sang three songs.
[00:02:12] Can I get a little bit more than just three songs?
[00:02:15] If you go, I want that, that's what we call Revival Nights.
[00:02:19] and for anybody that goes, man, I just want to go a little bit deeper, press into the Holy Spirit a little bit further. This is what we call revival nights. Now, if you have a Bible, Matthew chapter
[00:02:28] 28, if you've got a Bible, whether that's on a tablet, a phone, hard copy, the scripture today, our reading today is found in Matthew chapter 28, verses 18 through 20. Now, for those of you
[00:02:42] that have been around church for a while, this is called the great commission. These are the final words of Jesus. How many of you know the final words of anybody are significant? The final words
[00:02:53] of my mother who passed away in 2020. My mother was on a extremely high dose of morphine. It was coming in and out as she was experiencing a lot of pain in those final days. My mother who was deaf
[00:03:10] sign this to me. She says, I am so proud of you. And man, I melted in this moment because my mom was non-responsive, comes out of like non-responsiveness, signs this to me. And I'm boo-hoo snot slobber moment. And then her next words were, I want biscuits. And I was like, wow,
[00:03:37] proud of you. And I want a little cracker barrel. That was my mom. But those words I've hung on to everything in me wants to make my mom proud. She deposited in me so much of who I am.
[00:03:54] And when I think about making my mom proud, I live with those final words, not just words that I remember, but those words that I reflect upon begin to like actually saturate my soul. I want to make my mom proud, but more than that, I want to say
[00:04:13] this out loud. And I wonder if there's anybody with me today. I want to make my Jesus proud for what he's done for me. Now, listen, my mom loves Jesus and her hero was Jesus. But when I think
[00:04:25] about making Jesus proud, we have to understand there's nothing we could do to make Jesus more proud of us. I know that sounds very complex. It's simple, but it's complex. I can't perform enough to make Jesus more proud of me tomorrow than he is today.
[00:04:42] Can you just receive that today?
[00:04:44] I don't perform for him to love me more.
[00:04:49] He loves you at the highest level of love.
[00:04:52] Like if there was a barometer of love, it's at the top of the barometer of love.
[00:04:57] Like if there was a container, it's to the brim and overflowing with love.
[00:05:01] And you're like, I'm unlovely.
[00:05:03] I gotta just tell you this, you're fully known and you're fully loved.
[00:05:07] fully loved. And when Jesus gives us an assignment to live a life on mission for him, it's found in his final words. Now, once more, the last words of somebody that means something to us.
[00:05:20] And I believe what you're agreeing to is that it's Jesus. His last words on this earth to his disciples and to us is found in Matthew 28. And I just want to read this and I pray to God we
[00:05:32] to receive it today. Verse 18, it says, and Jesus came and said to them. Now he's been showing himself resurrected. There's been our sermon series, the cross to the crown, 40 days. He's been showing up in various places, looking at people going, man, I'm alive. Like he's actually
[00:05:51] eating with people. He's walking through doors. He's hanging out at campfires going, Hey, do you love me. He's revealing himself over and over. And now the disciples and a small gathering of people have ascended on this Mount, the Mount of Olives. And now they're looking at Jesus and Jesus is
[00:06:10] about to leave and go back to heaven. And this is what he says, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. And I want to say this out loud. If Jesus has all authority, let me tell you
[00:06:24] who doesn't have all authority, the devil. You with me? Nobody else has all authority.
[00:06:30] And I want to say this, and this is going to make me sound politically correct, but listen, I didn't come to be politically correct today, that you and I have to understand if Jesus has
[00:06:37] all authority, then no other religious figure has all authority. He don't share his authority with other religious figures. Now, listen, that's going to offend some people here at CBC because you've got a mentality that Jesus is just like all these other gods. Dear God,
[00:06:51] He is not just like all the other gods.
[00:06:54] He's the only God.
[00:06:57] And I'm going to say this out loud.
[00:06:57] I'm 10 toes down on this thing.
[00:06:59] And all of these other gods are idols.
[00:07:02] That's all they are.
[00:07:04] Without breath, still in the grave.
[00:07:07] Now, listen, if you're new here, you're like, man, I don't like this kind of preaching.
[00:07:11] The CBC is who we are.
[00:07:14] We're Jesus people.
[00:07:15] We are Jesus people.
[00:07:17] He is not one of many ways to heaven.
[00:07:19] He's the only way to heaven.
[00:07:21] I've been called a lot of things, arrogant, bigoted, narrow-minded, all this stuff.
[00:07:26] And I'm like, listen, man, anybody walk out the grave? Come on. I'm not a real bright dude, man.
[00:07:30] For real. Anybody walk out the grave? Got my vote as God. And when you and I think about who Christ is, he goes, I got all authority. And he's saying this to his disciples. Now hear me today. You got
[00:07:46] hear me. If they had the authority given to them by Jesus, so do we. This is our problem. We read the Bible and I say, our problem, not just your problem. Our problem is that sometimes we divorce
[00:08:00] ourself from what the scripture says as if it was just for them. Dear God, you've got to read yourself into this story. This isn't just for them. This is for us. I wonder if I'm talking
[00:08:10] to any disciples of Jesus today. Are we disciples of Jesus? You're like, Hey man, I'm not, I'm not the 11. I'm not the 12 disciples. No, no. We're disciples of the disciples and all the authority
[00:08:22] given unto Jesus. Here's what he says. Go. Therefore, what's the therefore, therefore in the authority and make disciples. So if I'm a disciple of Jesus, here's the calling of God on my life. If you're a disciple of Jesus, here's the calling of your, on your life is to go and
[00:08:42] make disciples of all nations. Can I tell you what the word all nations means? Nations means ethnicity. That means this gospel just ain't for black people, white people, brown people, Asian people. This gospel is for the whole world. It is for the whole world, for every classification,
[00:08:59] every tribe, every tongue, every nation, every people group. If you're new to CBC and you're like, man, this place is diverse. I need you to understand this is the heart of God for our church.
[00:09:11] It should be the heart of God for every church to look like the city that it lives in.
[00:09:16] And I love the fact, we're like a bag of Skittles up in here, man.
[00:09:19] A lot of flavor in this house.
[00:09:21] Taste the rainbow.
[00:09:22] Taste the rainbow of God's goodness.
[00:09:25] God's goodness.
[00:09:27] But when you, listen, I'll talk crazy, y'all.
[00:09:29] Sometimes you just gotta pay attention, right?
[00:09:31] Just pay attention.
[00:09:32] But when Jesus says, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth, go therefore in that authority. What does that mean to walk in his authority to, as we go now, right now we've got a team in Africa. We have a team from CBC in Africa, serving, serving in a
[00:09:57] community, loving on children in Jesus name right now. And that is a go mentality. We're going to go from CBC. We're going to go from San Antonio and tell the ends of the earth about Jesus. But
[00:10:11] at the same time, this word go means that as I'm going, as I go to work, as I go to school, as I go to the gym, as I go hang out with my friends, there's a mentality that the Jesus in me
[00:10:23] has to be shared with those around me. And it's not just preaching Jesus, it's living Jesus. Watch this, that other people will emulate how you live your life. But I really believe that for many of
[00:10:37] us, we don't walk in the authority that Jesus gave us. We walk in rooms. We feel as if that we're not qualified. Can I tell you something? God calls the unqualified and makes them qualified. This is who
[00:10:52] God is. And when you and I think about how God uses us, we have to recognize he doesn't need us because he could take the stars and make it like alphabet soup and say, I'm the way, the truth,
[00:11:04] and the life. But he uses broken, weak, frail people like me and like you to put on display the goodness of God by the way we live, act, work, and do what we do. Because worship of who God is
[00:11:21] is not just songs on a weekend. It's how we live our life. And as we seek to follow Jesus, now watch this, as we follow Jesus, we should have people that we have impact and influence over
[00:11:34] as we follow Jesus, that they would want to follow Jesus because we follow Jesus.
[00:11:39] And that's what it looks like to make disciples. But we got to walk in authority. You go, Pastor Ed, what does it mean to walk in authority? When Jesus teaches us in the scripture, I want you to
[00:11:49] listen to point number one, that we have to receive his authority. He's got authority in heaven and on earth. And the scripture says in Luke chapter nine, verse one, this is in your notes that if you download the app, you can get all my sermon notes for free, by the way. I mean,
[00:12:03] there's more than you could write down. He called the 12 together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, oppression and brokenness. Jesus looked at his disciples and gave them power and gave them authority over all the demons of hell
[00:12:27] and when you and I recognize power he gave them now watch this in Luke 9 verse 1 dear God let me preach this thing when he gave them it doesn't mean hey listen you'll get to different levels
[00:12:38] the more you walk with me there's a mindset with people like hey listen the more I follow Jesus I'll advance from like freshman team, JV team, varsity team, college, and I'll be a professional Christian. No, no, no. The moment you gave your life to Jesus, you got the power of the Holy
[00:13:01] Spirit living inside of you. And he gave you authority as a son and daughter to actually walk in the authority that puts the demons of hell beneath your feet, that you actually can push back darkness. You could draw boundary lines over your home and your children.
[00:13:21] You can actually say to the devil in James 4, 7, I resist you and the devil has to flee. You're like, man, I didn't know I had that authority. Well, let me just break this down to you.
[00:13:31] The demons of hell and Satan, Satan ain't scared of you. Ain't scared of me, but Christ in me, Christ in me that causes every demon of hell to fear and tremble. Let the lion roar from my
[00:13:46] life that I'll walk in kingdom authority. Let me just explain this to you. Jesus goes, I have all authority in heaven and on earth. Have you ever been speeding? Come on, just be, don't you lie
[00:13:57] up in church. You ever been speeding and a police officer, you saw a police officer. And so all of a sudden you just kind of slowed down a little bit. And then you said stuff like this, as you,
[00:14:07] as you saw the decals on their vehicle, you're like, oh, you're out of your jurisdiction.
[00:14:13] You're like, this ain't converse.
[00:14:15] What you doing up here in Floresville?
[00:14:25] You ever talk crazy?
[00:14:26] Is it just me that says stuff like that?
[00:14:29] I'm like, you out of your jurisdiction.
[00:14:31] And then you get a ticket.
[00:14:35] Dear God.
[00:14:36] But y'all know there's a big difference.
[00:14:37] I mean, obviously there's different jurisdictions in our city.
[00:14:41] But that DPS, a little different up in the state of Texas, y'all.
[00:14:44] I'm talking about that brown suit, a little different.
[00:14:46] That cowboy hat, a little different.
[00:14:48] They get you in San Marcos.
[00:14:50] They get you in Austin.
[00:14:52] Man, don't get you on Waco.
[00:14:55] Get you in El Paso.
[00:14:57] Nobody wants to go to Dallas anyway, so it don't even really matter.
[00:15:00] Come on, I'm just making sure y'all listen.
[00:15:03] Just making sure y'all listening, all right?
[00:15:05] My point is, when Jesus goes, I got all authority, he goes, I got no jurisdictions.
[00:15:11] Heaven and the invisible.
[00:15:14] On earth, people are in positions of authority, but Christ is king.
[00:15:19] And he goes, and I've given my authority to you.
[00:15:23] My son, his name's Lawson. He's 18, man. I taught him how to drive. My wife taught my daughters how to drive. I taught Lawson how to drive. My wife looked at me and said, you got to teach the boy
[00:15:32] how to drive. I said, I got, I got you. There was a moment I, my prayer life has never been as good as it's been. And you ever gotten a car, anybody else trying to teach their kids how to
[00:15:40] drive? Right. And so, I mean, so he, he kind of went through this a little bit and man, he did great. I was proud of him, but I was, I was like in moments like, Hey man, listen, you got to listen
[00:15:49] to what I'm telling you to do. Anybody else ever wanted like a gas pedal and a brake on the side of the path? I mean, you're like, I need one of those deals. Like they give you a driver's ed,
[00:15:59] you know, like, let me, let me, Jesus take the wheel. Right. But there's a moment where, man, he passed all the tests and I handed him the keys, handed him the keys. I said, first of all,
[00:16:10] this car don't belong to you. It's in my name. You, you get to use my car. I said, but there's a different level of authority that you operate in as a single driver in this car. There's things
[00:16:24] you can do and things you can't do, but recognize that there is a tremendous convenience with a vehicle like this, but you acting reckless, this could become a weapon. If you don't understand the authority that you got. Now, listen to me. When Jesus came back from the dead, he handed the
[00:16:41] keys of authority to some teenage drivers like you and me. And we're like, I don't know if you want to give me those keys. I don't know if I can really handle all this authority. He goes, no, no,
[00:16:53] no. It's not you're an authority. It's that when I submit myself under who Christ is, he's leading and guiding my life. And you're like, whoa, this is way bigger than me.
[00:17:05] And then he promises something to us in this great commission. He goes, I'll never leave you nor forsake you. This ain't you trying to do this on your own. This is you doing this through the
[00:17:15] power of what Christ has called us to be about. And I want to address something very specifically.
[00:17:21] There's a fire in my bones about a couple of things, and I need you to understand I don't have a personal vendetta towards anything. I just, my heart in my prayer closet, my heart has been
[00:17:31] grieved and broken by something that honestly, it is a great problem to have. Our church has grown by 10 to 15% in the past several years. I mean, it literally went from 12,000. Now we're 22,000
[00:17:47] and it's, and it's wild to watch what's happening. We're expanding and we're going to continue to expand this past year. We saw 4,600 people get baptized in Jesus name. And that's amazing.
[00:17:59] That is absolutely amazing. And when you and I think about being a part of a non-denominational church. That means we got Methodist, Episcopalian, we got Presbyterian, we got Pentecostal. I mean, we got Baptist. I mean, we are a crock pot of all of that. But let me just boil this down to you.
[00:18:21] When you and I think about what God is doing here, regardless of your denominational background, there has been a central message from Jesus that we are called to make disciples.
[00:18:30] and I got to say this out loud. Jesus did not commission me to build a crowd.
[00:18:36] And I know you don't know me. Some of you don't know me, but you got to understand I wrestle with this tension of the size of our church. You're like, Pastor Ed, isn't it a good thing that all these people come here? Absolutely. But I'm held accountable
[00:18:51] to the Lord for the people that come to CBC. Like I'm held accountable for that. And I'm gripped by that in my prayer closet, weeping. God, 4,600 people baptized, saved, baptized, new believers, babes in Christ. God, we don't have enough people that will walk alongside of them
[00:19:16] and raise them up to be men and women that walk with Jesus in discipleship. And here's what I've come to the conclusion of. We don't have a people problem. We got people. I just think there's a
[00:19:28] paralysis by analysis that somebody else is going to do it. And it's easy to walk into a space like this and our campuses, because what's crazy is when I talk to other pastoral leaders, all of our
[00:19:40] campuses are near a thousand or over a thousand people, which by definition is a mega church all by itself. Like you're talking about our campuses are running over a thousand people and they're mostly brand new. Listen to me. There is something about CBC. God's hand is on this thing.
[00:19:57] it is his hand is on this thing but but i'm gripped by this fact that we can't just grow wide we got to grow deep because when the storm comes you got to have roots that grow deep in
[00:20:11] your life and what oh god i haven't preached it like this in any other service if you've been listening to cbc i've preached this sermon so many different times this weekend but when my roots
[00:20:22] grow deep watch this i'm not a tree all by myself but you're planted next to me and someone else is planted next to me and my roots watch this my roots start linking up with your roots and we
[00:20:35] lock up and not up because we in this thing together and what grieves me about what god is i believe revealing to our church is i really believe that we have to embrace this great
[00:20:51] commission as a message not just for pastors but for us all of us yes come on talk to me yeah yeah yeah tell me what you're thinking tell me what you're feeling yeah we're there
[00:21:10] absolutely and let me just say tell me your name it's all right tell me your name yep we it's exactly right yeah come on come on come on yep yeah on bless radio 98.5 yeah
[00:22:03] yeah for those of you who don't know this i'm i'm on a hip-hop channel that plays a lot of Cardi B and a lot of other stuff that's like not godly, but between 10 AM and noon, your boy's got
[00:22:16] a radio show, right? I'm just saying. So yeah. Yeah. You know, what's been amazing about this and listen, if for some of you that are new, you're like, is it normal for people to like,
[00:22:30] do what this is? This is normal. Y'all, this is absolutely normal. And, and, and women of God, I want to say this to you out loud and they looking at each other and I don't know what
[00:22:39] they're talking about right now. I think I can read lips. Oh, you don't know that lady. So y'all are just meeting right now. And y'all just stood up together and started to testify. Dear God,
[00:22:50] y'all don't even know. And you're wearing the same color outfit. I need it. Can a camera get on this?
[00:23:01] Can an actual camera that's back here? Can there, they are right there. They got the same outfit on.
[00:23:06] so gabriella who you've never met and your name is melissa gabrielle got the same color on y'all both stand y'all both stood up that's exactly right come on thank you thank you come on you
[00:23:34] know i salute you i salute you hey and i let me just tell you how an encouragement you are to me because the last service I was preaching like this and a bunch of people got up and walked out
[00:23:47] and I'm gonna say this to you I I said this to one of our pastors I said dear God I said man God's got to help me not to be a people pleaser that's I said it's got to break off in me but so
[00:24:00] listen to me and God bless you God bless you and what and what was shared was I came for a playground which which means we're gonna do everything we can to try to reach people a
[00:24:14] basketball league, a playground. We're going to do everything we can. Our goal, watch this, is not to keep you on the playground in spirituality, but start bringing you into the deeper water. Are you with me? To bring you, watch this. Oh God, that we have been spiritually
[00:24:41] on the playground of things, the kiddie pool, if I could use that terminology, and Jesus wants to start bringing us into the deep end. Now, listen to me. For some of you, you got saved and you got thrown into the deep end, but the proper way to come into this is you
[00:25:01] just slowly start coming into the deep end. The problem is we don't have enough people at this church that are walking with people in that process. And let me say this to you. And I think
[00:25:14] the reason why is not because you don't have a desire to do that. I think the reason why is you don't feel like you're gifted to do that. And you have undersold what you're able to offer to other
[00:25:30] people called of God with the authority of God in your life. You have believed the lie of the devil that you got nothing to offer somebody else and God can't use you. And I need you to wake up
[00:25:43] to the call of God on your life, that he saved you to send you as a missionary to people around you, whether it's your kids, your grandkids, whatever you got going on in your life for the purpose of
[00:25:59] being that agent of change. And I want to share this with you real quickly because I love, I just love. Listen, man, I live for that kind of stuff right there to take place. I'm just that right
[00:26:10] there is a testimony, but I got to say this out loud. God's used two women of God just to testify to what this is all about. This sister just said, Hey, listen, I'm from the East side. I got to get
[00:26:23] plugged into the East side. You know what you just heard? I live over there. I got a burden for my community. Y'all put a campus over there. I got to be connected to this, but here's what happened
[00:26:34] so many times. So many times we're like, but God can't use me there. No. What if God raised you up there, gave you relationships there to make you the most qualified person to go back there to be
[00:26:48] that person that points people to Jesus. But the devil will make you feel like your past has completely stained you for what God has for you. And you're not seeing yourself properly through the authority that Jesus has given you. And when you and I embrace this go mentality, it's more
[00:27:06] than going on a mission trip. Your life is a mission trip. And many of you hate your job and you don't like the school that you go to. But what if God puts you there? Because listen to me,
[00:27:15] because there's a person there that nobody seems to be able to reach for the sake of Jesus until you showed up, until you showed up and then you become that agent of change. Now, let me take just
[00:27:30] this moment to really break this down because when we talk about walking into in his authority we got to ask this question what does jesus want me to do how does he want me to be his disciple
[00:27:41] i was at the gym this brother asked me a question he's like ed i don't know what to do and i just broke this down and this comes from the scripture that we are to live a life as a disciple and the
[00:27:52] question that's being asked is what does it mean to be a disciple i don't even know what it means to be a disciple. I can't make disciples if I don't know what it means to be a disciple.
[00:28:00] But here's what we recognize. The scripture very clearly says this. Y'all still listening, say amen.
[00:28:05] Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And we're a church that actually physically baptizes people. The word baptismo means to immerse, but it's more, listen, it's more than baptism. To be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
[00:28:20] actually means I come under the authority of God the Father who chose you and adopted you. I come under the authority of Jesus who saved you and bought you. I come under the power of the Holy
[00:28:34] Spirit to be dwelled by the Holy Spirit and to be filled by the Holy Spirit each and every day.
[00:28:39] And when I choose to come under the authority of God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, that means I'm not living in my own authority. Let me tell you where sin begins to happen in
[00:28:48] my life and your life when I try to do my own thing. When I feel like I'm in charge. You give the devil six inches, he takes six miles. He sells you a honey dip lie. And do you know that every
[00:29:02] honey dip lie has a hook in it to somehow entice you? But by the authority of Jesus Christ in your life, you could speak over addiction. You could speak over depression. You could speak over
[00:29:14] anxiety. You can speak over suicidal ideation. You can speak over these strongholds and these footholds, over our marriages, our children, our life, walking in the name of Jesus. I'm not a name it and claim it. Watch this. I'm not claiming his authority. I'm carrying his authority already.
[00:29:33] I don't have to claim something like, give me your authority. I already got it, but I'm not walking in it until I begin to recognize that he has given a mandate that we walk with this authority, but what do I do with this? He tells us be baptized in the name of the
[00:29:50] father, the son, the Holy spirit. And then he says, I I'm, I'm commanding you teach these things, observe these things, observe all things I have taught you. And you're like, so what did you teach
[00:30:05] us? And here's where this breaks down. Come on. I just got a few minutes left. He teaches us to Love God fully. Jesus tells us this. Love God fully. Love the Lord God with all your heart,
[00:30:18] soul, mind, and strength. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? You love God with all that you have. And I'm going to say this to you. And if you love God, then you'll love his word.
[00:30:28] And if you love God, you'll talk to God. This is in personal devotion. So what does it mean to be a disciple, love God fully. What does it mean to be a disciple? I serve people sacrificially.
[00:30:41] I don't serve to get, I serve to serve. And we are a church that serves once a month. And listen, this broke my heart. Listen to me. We serve once a month as a church. We have allocated
[00:30:52] nearly a million dollars for the year to serve our city in Jesus name with nothing in return, no desires for accolades you don't have to give us awards we just want to serve our community
[00:31:09] and do you know how many people show up out of a church of 22 000 people can i say this to you real talk a thousand not thousand significant but i believe we could do better it's once a month y'all
[00:31:22] and what does it mean to be a part of a church like this god didn't just save me to just sit me God saved me to send me and it means that I love God what does it mean to be a disciple Ed
[00:31:34] Ed talking to Ed love God with all your heart soul mind and strength serve people sacrificially not because of transactional relationships forgive radically Jesus says they will know you by your love one for another and we are called to forgive others as we've been forgiven
[00:31:55] You're like, Ed, do you know what they've done to me? I don't know, but I cannot imagine the weight that you feel. Your forgiveness to that person has nothing really to do with them. It's
[00:32:05] about you being free. It's about you being set free from the bitterness and the anger in your heart that will consume you if you're not careful. What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus?
[00:32:18] love God fully, serve people sacrificially, forgive people radically, live holy. I got to ask you a question. Y'all still listening? If people followed you and your life is to make disciples, watch this. If they followed you closely, what kind of disciple would they be?
[00:32:37] A disciple of the world or a disciple of the God who made the world? If people walked with you, what would they catch out of the overflow of your life because we're discipling somebody whether we
[00:32:53] realize it or not we're influencing somebody whether we realize it or not and i've come to this conclusion if you negate the authority that christ has given you to disciple those around you the world has no problem stepping forward and volunteering and discipling your kid and your
[00:33:09] loved one and your family member and your co-worker and your classmate and the world will disciple it in an ideology and a philosophy that removes God from it. You and I are called to live holy. What does that mean? There are things I can't do as a follower of Jesus.
[00:33:27] Can I say this, y'all? Being a Christian is fun. I got no amens. Being a Christian is fun.
[00:33:41] Man, I'm being real with y'all. Sin can be fun for a moment, but man, when that shame comes, that guilt comes. Man, I'm telling you, it's the same stuff. Club here, hook up here, drink up here, smoke up here. It's the same stuff, same stuff, same result, same outcome.
[00:34:14] Been doing it for years, y'all. People doing it for years, hoping for a different result, only seeking to satisfy the cravings of their heart, all the while still missing something.
[00:34:28] That's why this weekend, Daryl Strawberry, four-time world champion goes, man, listen, he goes, I've had it all. Nothing compared to knowing Jesus Christ. Nothing compared to knowing Jesus Christ. And when you and I think about living holy, the world will tell you to not live
[00:34:47] holy and just go ahead and hit that slippery slope of compromise and destruction. And for some of you, you feel as if you're too far gone. You're not too far gone, man. Today is a new day. It's a new
[00:34:58] beginning on your life. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? You give generously.
[00:35:02] You give generously. Listen, come on. Can y'all just look at me? Do you see all we're doing in this city? Do y'all see what we're trying to do with these campuses? Do you know this? Less than
[00:35:12] 2% of our church actually tithes. Do you hear that? Less than 2%. I'm not saying that to shame nobody. I pray to dear God. If you feel like you can't tithe to this church, then find a church
[00:35:24] you could tithe to. Be blessed. I want you to be blessed. You're like, man, I don't even know how to do that. We've got a 90-day tithing challenge. If you get to the end of the 90 days and you don't
[00:35:33] feel blessed, man, we'll give you every dollar back during the 90 days. We're so convinced that God will meet his word in provision in your life. But let me say this to you. Being a follower of
[00:35:44] Jesus means that we are generous, not just with our money, but with our time and our effort and our energy, seeking to do for others what we wish somebody would have done for us. Be that agent of
[00:35:56] change. And we die daily. We die daily. We live a life. And I got to say this to you and I. When we come and we're a part of CBC, what does it mean to be a part of CBC? It means that you and I have
[00:36:08] chosen that the seat I sit in is not just a moment for me just to sit and soak, but God, you've called me to live a life of difference. Now, every one of you, under the sound of my voice, there's various
[00:36:19] reasons of why you're connected to cbc some people come to heal some people come to hide some people go man i just want to be a part of what god's doing we want people to walk through
[00:36:32] those stages but eventually get to a place where they go i want to be a part of what god's doing here i was on a flight southwest flight flight attendant sitting in an exit row come on all
[00:36:41] you exit row people look it's what i call poor man's first class you know i'm talking about and man she she came up what's that yeah not spirit airlines is what you said right where
[00:36:53] you got to buy your own oxygen right so i probably should have said that out loud i'm so sorry spirit i i am i dear god can somebody erase that from the tape is that okay and there yeah thank you
[00:37:07] uh there there was a moment where the flight attendant and man i just i liked her spirit she was like hey listen she pointed at this dude she was like pull your earbud out this guy was
[00:37:15] like, okay. And all of a sudden he's like, Hey, I'm assuming that you've read the card in front of it. And she's like, y'all read the card. Not, you know, all of us, we just lie in the exit row.
[00:37:23] We're like, yeah, we read the card. I read the card. No, we ain't read the card. I mean, I read that card in 1993. You know what I'm saying? So I'm like, how hard can it be?
[00:37:33] Pull handle, throw door out. Yellow slide pops out. All of a sudden she goes, Hey, listen, need a verbal, verbal. Everybody says yes. She goes, if something happens, this is playing.
[00:37:44] She goes, listen, I'm not coming to help y'all. I was like, I started to read that card.
[00:37:53] I was reading that card. Watch this. She said something I'll never forget. She goes, it is your job, your job to help people. I'm going to be helping other people. Your job. You're partnering with me. Oh God. She goes, you're partnering with me to help people get to safety off this plane.
[00:38:14] and by you choosing to sit in this seat and you say, yes, you're not trying to serve yourself.
[00:38:23] You're going to take care of people on this plane. Are you in? I was like, I'm in, I'm in.
[00:38:32] And I want to say this to you. The spirit of God dropped a message in my mailbox and go, the seat at CBC is an exit row seat. And when you say that I'm a part of CBC,
[00:38:43] see, this ain't for us and me. It's for those who are not here yet. It's for us to be people that are here that need to know. I don't know how to do this thing. And you go, Hey, listen, I sit in a
[00:38:53] seat, not to be served, but to be used of God, to help people. And listen to me. Have you noticed there are a few exit row seats on a plane because most people just want to sit there and do their
[00:39:04] own thing. But when you sit in an exit row seat, yes, I'm traveling, I'm moving. But at the same time I have a mission to be a part of something bigger than myself. And that's exactly what Jesus
[00:39:15] is saying. He goes, baptize them in the name of the Father. Teach them. You're like, I don't know how to do this. He goes, just better today than yesterday. Love God. Serve people. Forgive people.
[00:39:28] Live holy. Give generously. Die daily. What do I do tomorrow? You love God fully. Serve people sacrificially, forgive radically, live wholly, give generously, die daily. You're like, what do I do the next day? Do it all over again and watch what happens. And then the people who follow you
[00:39:46] go, I am starting to do what you've been doing. And that's called discipleship. And that's what it looks like. And I know the whole time I've been talking, you're like, why does this dude have a guitar on the stage? My wife in 1998 gave me this as a wedding gift. And I know,
[00:40:05] I know what you're thinking. You're like, you don't know how to play that. And you're right.
[00:40:10] I'm not a singer, but I am a worship leader in my closet. And I, in 1998, had a book and I tried to teach myself to play guitar. And I actually got calluses on my fingers and I was
[00:40:25] learning and man, it was so complicated to play guitar and to have a rhythmic strum and move your fingers along the way and make sure it was all in tune when you felt like you were tone deaf
[00:40:34] anyways. And I found myself after like literally six to eight months, I just quit. I just quit.
[00:40:41] I was like, I wasn't made for this. And now a true story. This guitar since 1998 has been in my house as a decoration, but was this made to be a decoration? It's an instrument.
[00:41:03] You're like, Pastor Ed, can you play something for us? Yeah. Let me, let me play something for you.
[00:41:07] there's no strings no strings no strings now watch this why because it was not being used if you leave strings on it and you don't play it it actually will begin to warp the wood and break
[00:41:26] the wood so we removed the strings off of it because it was going to be exactly what we were telling it to be a decoration i want to say this to you i believe the devil has tried to tell you
[00:41:39] you're not an instrument you're a decoration and because of your past and all that you've done you got no strings but a sermon like this helps you understand something you're not a decoration you're an instrument and God wants to give you your strings back to be the person that God has
[00:41:56] called you to be that makes disciples of Jesus come on can we clap a little bit louder together would that be all right thanks y'all for listening thank you women of God for helping me preach this
[00:42:11] sermon. Heads bowed, eyes closed. If you don't have a relationship with Jesus, it's my prayer that today you would say yes to Jesus and know from the depths of your heart of what it means
[00:42:22] to be a follower of him. It means to repent of sin, trust in Christ and choose to live for him.
[00:42:27] And if you've never done that before, man, I did this when I was 15, but if you've never done this before, say this to Jesus, say this out loud. Let's say this together all across our campuses.
[00:42:36] He says, Lord Jesus, I'm not perfect, but I believe in you.
[00:42:41] Save me.
[00:42:42] Change me.
[00:42:43] I give you my life.
[00:42:45] If you prayed that prayer in faith all across our campuses, would you raise your hand right where you're at?
[00:42:49] How many of you go, man, I did that today.
[00:42:50] I gave my life to Jesus.
[00:42:52] Hold your hand up real tall.
[00:42:54] Welcome to the family of God.
[00:42:59] Hey, my name's Ed Newton, pastor at Community Bible Church here in San Antonio, Texas.
[00:43:03] Thank you so much for even turning on to our YouTube channel.
[00:43:07] And if you're not subscribing right now at Community Bible Church here in San Antonio, Texas, you've got to subscribe.
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[00:43:29] Let us know where you're watching from, how the message impacted you, and how we could pray for you.
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[00:43:45] And if you are planning any trip to the state of Texas, hear me when I say this, you can't come to Texas without coming to see us in San Antonio.
[00:43:52] I'd love to meet you face-to-face.
[00:43:54] And as always, until we meet again, much love.