Freed to Carry the Cross Together

We can open the Bible to First Colossians 1:13. The word is read in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It says like this, "... who has freed us from the power of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of his beloved son..."

Thank you, Father, for this beautiful word, Lord. Blessed be your holy name. I want you to direct me tonight, Lord, and that everything I can say, Lord, is to lift up your holy name, Father, it's not us, it's you, Lord, that's why we are gathered here to adore you, to acclaim you, Lord, to ask you to guide us on the right path. Thank you for this day, Lord. Thank you, Father, for the word.

I wanted to explain to you before going into the verse how God gave me this word. A few Wednesdays ago, Vanesa, my leader, Vanesa Santos, told me, "Jorge, remember that you are going to speak on Wednesday," and I responded in a certain way, "Vanesa, don't worry, I already have the message prepared for Wednesday. Don't worry," with a little assurance I told him. That was on Wednesday, on Thursday, my wife, we have a routine, I am explaining to her how the Lord gave me the verse, my wife and I have a routine on Thursdays. She goes to a station that works in the morning and usually she leaves me at work and she comes later, we have breakfast and we are together. That day I told him, "Don't leave me at work, I'm going to ride a bike." Well, I got ready to ride my bike, she went to the station.

When I am praying, before going out to ride my bike, the Lord shows me when I am praying, a car accident that is running over me and tells me, "I don't want you to go riding a bike today." okay, sir, what do I do? And the Lord tells me, "Give me more time."

This time that I was going to ride a bike, I dedicated it to the Lord, and remembering the words that Vanessa told me, I said, “okay, let me pray for the message to deliver the message to the Lord, that he continue to guide me and that it be the right, what I have to talk about.”

And the Lord told me, “That's not what I want you to talk about. I want you to speak this,” and that's what I'm going to say today, what the Lord told me to say.

I believe that Vanessa agreed with the Lord to change my message. I admit that I was a little scared, because I am not used to preparing a message, but I already had it ready. But when the Lord gives me this verse, I realize, in the first part of the verse, that I identify a lot with him or we all identify with him, because the Lord speaks of where he took us from and where he has us.

What life we had before and what life we have now. I can say, on my part, that my previous life was a miserable life. And I can say it with great pride because look where the Lord has me at this moment, I didn't stay there, but he took me out and put me in an admirable light, in this beautiful church. He put me in this beautiful church, that's why I always thank God for my church. Church, means in the biblical dictionary, says that we are a group of believers in Christ regenerated by his blood and called out of the world. That is what the church says, we are called out of the world, and at the same time, taken into the world to carry its message, sent into the world to carry its message.

There is a gesture, I don't know where, sir, did you get it? But I know where he took me, where I was. There is a gesture that our pastor makes when he says that he brought us out of the world, the pastor does this, he leans forward a little bit, he took us out of the world. The pastor is a good person, he is a decent person, because I am sure that where God took me, he did so where I was, he put his hand to the last to get me out of where I was.

Our pastor is a decent person. I wish I was there. God even put on gloves so as not to contaminate himself from where I was. The pastor is a decent person. Look, my life is so miserable that I'm not ashamed to tell it, because look where I am. My life was so miserable that I dreamed of demons every night, I dreamed of demons, in fact, I know it's called a demon now, before it was unidentified objects, I didn't know what it was, because I wasn't a Christian.

And those demons attacked me at night, they attacked me, with this size that I am and it scared me, imagine. Those demons would come out with their heads up from me, and I would run out, and the demons behind me, and I would run. And I stayed in that same place and I ran. And when they were going to catch me, I would wake up screaming, all sweaty, the sheets soaked in sweat, as if I had made real physical effort. Sometimes I even had to change the sheet and when I came back and went to bed, the demons were waiting for me again. They came back and attacked me.

And that was 2 and 3 times in the night. I didn't have peace even sleeping, that's why I'm happy where the Lord has me, where he got me from. I am happy, I am grateful to God where he has me. Hallelujah!

A year after converting I got angry with the Lord, I said, I don't go to church anymore, this is not for me. Forget that. I'm not going to serve you anymore, Lord, I'm sorry. That same night, a year after converting, I went to sleep and there were the demons. Glory to God. They were there waiting for me. I fell on the floor, kneeling asking God for forgiveness and the Lord told me, "I took you out of there, if you want to return..."

And I decided to serve God until I die. Nothing and no one is going to remove me from glorifying God. No matter what happens around me, I will always give thanks to God and I will always look at him, because he is the way, the truth and the life. Glory to God.

Nothing is going to move me to worship God, nothing. That's why I'm grateful to God, where he got me from. I can proudly say who I was. Here we can be until tomorrow, me explaining who I was. The important thing is that look where we are, look at what we are enjoying, look at what awaits us. A beautiful temple awaits us. We are the people of God, we have to be all united, worshiping him, crying out to him, but all united because we are the body of Christ and Christ is the head.

We all have to unite, cry out all together. I will continue so as not to take too long. The Lord gives me another verse that is in Galatians 2:20. Say the word;

"...I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live Christ lives in me and what I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me..."

My eyes are already failing me. I need to put more magnification on these. The Lord gave his life for us. The Lord loves us. On one occasion... the issue is everyone's responsibility, this is everyone's responsibility. We are the people of God, we are the church and it is the responsibility of all that we do here.

On one occasion, my wife and I, on Mondays we take it to clean the house, wash clothes, clean the house, we watch television, we share, it is the day we have rest, which is not rest, but it is the day that we take to be at home, to take care of our home. One day I was, one Monday morning, I was watching television when my wife got up praying, crying out, pouring oil in the boys' room, pouring oil. I heard that she was praying and I turned the television down so as not to interrupt because I said, "That's her with God, she's dealing with God, so I'm sitting here waiting for her to finish."

She keeps pouring oil all over the house. She wanted to know what I was going to preach but I didn't tell her, I said, “You have to go so you can hear the message.” That day he started pouring oil all over the house. I was sitting watching television, I turned down the volume, as I told you before, and when she passes by me, we both fall to the floor crying, crying, crying. There was a tremendous anointing that day. In fact, the Lord performed a miracle, our son Juan had an accident in those days, the car was a total loss and nothing happened to him. And the Lord gave my wife a gift, because of that prayer that she made, she covered him with her blood.

But it was not all that the Lord wanted on that day. The Lord, I am going to say how the Lord told me I am going to say it, the Lord told me, that was recently when he told me, "When my daughter cries out to me, stand up and cry out with her, because the problem in this home is of the two, it's not hers alone, cry out with her, don't stay seated," rather, he told me that, "watching television and lower the volume watching television without volume. Stand up and cry with her. The problem in your home is a problem for both of you.” The next time it happens, I let go of what I'm doing and I'm going to cry out with her. I'm not going to sit down.

And the Lord told me later, and I am going to say it as the Lord told me, “The problem of the church, León de Judá Congregation, belongs to everyone, it is not only our pastor Roberto's. The church's problem belongs to everyone," God told me so, I say so.

Let's not leave all the burden to our pastor, that's what the Lord says, I don't know, that's what he told me and I'm saying it. Says the Apostle Paul, "together with Christ I am crucified." You see the back of the cross, which is flat, that is for us to crucify ourselves with him, to place ourselves together with Christ and they will see that on the third day you will rise again. You are not going to stay there. The Lord does not want you to stay there, together with him you will rise again. The first day you are going to let go of envy, the second day hate, resentment, you are going to leave all of this on the cross, and when the third day passes, when you are resurrected, you are going to look with the eyes of Christ, you are going to see through the glasses of Christ, you are going to see everything differently, you are going to realize many things because you are looking through Christ's glasses, that he is the way, the truth and the life. Let us not leave, says the Lord, all the burden to our pastor. Let's not leave our pastor crucified on the cross.

It is everyone's responsibility, we are the people of God. So says the Lord, I say so. I don't know what is happening, I don't know how to explain it, but the Lord told me so, I am saying so. Let's not let our pastor carry the cross alone. Let's help him, the load will be lighter. Glory to God.

A long road awaits us. This is the beginning, this is the beginning, we have a lot to do when that new temple comes, but we have to do it together, crying out to God. When the pastor cries out for a need, let's cry with him, let's cry, let's unite.

Thank my Lord. The Lord is good, he has great things for us but we have to unite. We are the people of God, called to announce the virtues of the one who called us to light. Something to finish now, why am I here? Because I spoke to my leader and I asked him what was needed. Ask your leader what is needed, in the church we have many needs. We need workers, the honey is abundant and the workers are few. We need workers. If you don't have a leader, find a leader. Pass the discipleship course, join us if you're new, join us and let's all walk together, with one accord, cry out to God.

Glory to God. I have nothing more to say, that was what the Lord told me.