People Radically Committed to the Kingdom of God

Let us turn to the word of the Lord in Matthew chapter 12. Remember what we have been saying, which is that we do not want merely to talk about the sanctuary. We will soon be finishing this series of sermons. Above all, I want you to take away principles that will bless you in your daily life, in your everyday life, in your walk with the Lord, in your membership and citizenship in the Kingdom of God. And that is what I want to do this afternoon: leave you with a word that will enrich you, not only with respect to the sanctuary, because one day the sanctuary will be finished, and then, as I say, we will have to continue moving forward with the life of the congregation and the life of the people of God. So I want to leave you with just one verse in Matthew chapter 12, on which I will base my meditation. Matthew 12:30. Listen to what the Lord Jesus Christ says about himself, about his person. He says:

“…He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters…”

Wow! That is very profound, brothers and sisters. Let me repeat it again. The Lord Jesus Christ says:

“…He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters…”

And that is the essence of what we want to leave in your heart this afternoon. If you could please put up the PowerPoint presentation. I want to speak to you about being people radically committed to the Kingdom of God. One of the principles that we always emphasize as a church, and which is in our vision statement, is that we want to develop men and women, radically committed disciples. That means being militantly, deeply, passionately, and totally committed to the Kingdom of God.

We want to raise up a people who love the Lord desperately, a spiritual nation of people who are militant in the spirit, people who have plunged headfirst into the waters of the Spirit, people who do not merely put on a religious hat on Sundays to come to church, but who, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, live the Christian life as fully as possible, love the Kingdom of God above all things, and are citizens radically committed to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Now, there are a couple of things that are important for us to declare before the Lord. A few months ago, I was reading a book by Jonathan Edwards, a great theologian of the twenty-eighth century here in New England. God did great things through Jonathan Edwards’s ministry, and there was a great revival here sometime in the 1770s or ’60s, when a great transformation took place throughout this whole New England area, a revival unlike anything this nation, or even the world, has seen in a very, very long time.

And yet there was pain in Jonathan Edwards’s heart because not everyone discerned that move of God, and there were many conservative churches and many conservative pastors who opposed the revival because supposedly it was disorderly, there were strange manifestations, people fell down, and there were cries and groans from people who were being touched very powerfully by the Lord. That was long before the Pentecostal revival in the twentieth century here in the United States, which later spread throughout the world. And Jonathan Edwards wrote a treatise in which he defended that revival, and when I was reading that famous treatise, I read something that struck me and reminded me of the work we are doing on our sanctuary and the work God is doing in this church and in this community.

And Jonathan Edwards says, “There are many examples in the word of God which show that when God manifests himself in an extraordinary way in some work on behalf of his church and against his enemies, it is extremely dangerous and highly offensive to God to be slow and reluctant to recognize and honor God in that work.”

In other words, when God is moving in your community, or in the world, or in some part of the world, it is important that we not criticize and that we not lag behind what God is doing, because he says that it is extremely dangerous when people speak badly of it, when they criticize it, and when they do not understand what God is doing in the midst of their reality.

The only stance we can truly take regarding the movements of God in the world is one of total commitment, total surrender, and passionate devotion to everything the Lord wants to do. That is why I quoted this verse in which the Lord says, “He who is not with me is against me.” In other words, when God is moving, there are only two options. When the Messiah was among Israel, whoever did not join Jesus was against him. There were Pharisees… If you read that entire passage in Matthew chapter 12, you will see that Jesus was being criticized and attacked. There were people looking at him with uncertainty, wondering, “Is he or isn’t he?” There were people seeking him because of the food—because he multiplied the loaves and the fish—and because of the healings he performed, but they did not see him as that Messiah sent by God. They were not radically committed to him.

And that is why the Lord said this. Look, if you are not with me one hundred percent, you are against me. If you do not participate in my work of blessing the world, if you are not among those who distribute gifts, blessings, ministries, messages, and good works on earth in my name, do you know what? You are wasting what has been given.

In other words, people of God, what God is telling us—look, this is important, because once again, it does not refer only to the sanctuary; it refers to your life—is that if you are not actively involved in Christ’s work on earth, you are wasting what has been given. It is not simply a matter of saying, “Well, I’m not doing anything.” No. Doing nothing when God is moving is wastefulness. And you know what happens to those who waste the resources of the Kingdom of God: they come under attack; they receive the Lord’s condemnation.

Therefore, it is important that we join in whenever God is moving in some way. Right now, God is moving powerfully in our church. That sanctuary is a move of God. Notice something: I was talking with an Orthodox Jew, a man who is very well known in the Jewish community throughout North America. I sat with him in my office three or four days ago, and this man is an eminent figure in the Jewish world in the United States. And God gave me the opportunity to have a beautiful conversation with him about the Gospel. Some things in our conversation were truly astonishing in terms of the opportunity to speak about Christ to someone who is deeply Jewish and deeply involved with the Jewish people on a national level. And he himself is very aware that what God is doing among the Christian people throughout the world is the only hope Israel has right now, as it is being attacked so fiercely throughout Europe and the whole world and is completely isolated.

But when I had the opportunity to speak with him and show him this building and the other building next door, he said something that struck me. He said, “You know what? Wow, Christianity truly is not in danger in this church,” because he was saying, “Wow, considering what is happening in the world, Christianity is shrinking more every day. Even in this nation, the values of the Gospel are diminishing.” But when he saw what God is doing in this congregation, and when we told him about many of the things God is doing among us, he said, “Christianity is in no danger of disappearing here.” And he said it with admiration and respect. Why? Because God is moving, and God is making an impact in many ways.

So when someone discerns the move of God in a particular setting, and when God is advancing his work, what Christ is saying is that the only thing we can do is join in—not attack, not criticize, not remain indifferent, and not lag behind. No, we have to become actively involved so that God can do what he wants to do in our midst.

So that is the first thing I want to leave with you for your life. When God moves, join in radically. The legitimate stance before God is one of passionate and radical adherence, a total surrender of everything we have and are, and a complete willingness to accept whatever God wants to do in our lives and however God wants to use us.

I have told you before, brothers and sisters, that if I am here serving the Lord as pastor of this congregation, and if many of us are serving Jesus right now as pastors and leaders of this church, it is because we have believed that, because God has the right to take our professional dreams and our personal ambitions, and when God says, “I need you,” the only thing a person can say is, “Amen, Lord. What do you want me to do? Here I am; send me.” That is the only reason. God has the right to take whatever he wants from you. And when God is moving, everything belongs to him: everything you have, your bank account, your talents, your academic training, your profession, your life in general—everything belongs to the Lord, and you have to lay it at the Lord’s feet and say, “Lord, use it however you please.” That is the stance of a son or daughter of God.

So here we see this passage in 2 Chronicles 16:9, where God says, “…for the eyes of the LORD range throughout the whole earth…”

Why do the Lord’s eyes figuratively range throughout the whole earth? To show his power on behalf of those whose hearts are perfect toward him.

Say with me, “A perfect heart.” What do you think a perfect heart means? It means a heart radically committed to the Kingdom of God, a heart in which there is no division, no ambiguity, no ambivalence—a heart completely fused with the heart of God. And do you know what? What the Bible tells me is that God is continually searching among humanity for people whose souls, emotions, wills, feelings, and lives are totally committed to him. Why? To show his power on their behalf.

Do you want to be blessed in your life? Do you want your family to grow and prosper? Do you want your finances to be sound? Do you want your dream to be happy? Do you want your children to adopt and embrace the values of the Kingdom of God? Purify your heart; define your position toward God. Surrender the totality of your being to the Lord, and I guarantee you that God will show you his favor.

So that is what we want. That is why, when we are working on this, you should not view it as a burden. You should not view it as a nuisance and say, “Just leave us alone already.” No. This is part of the benefit. And many times throughout your life, God will ask you, “Join my work and let me use you.”

Therefore, we must discern the times, and if a work is from God, we must support it unconditionally. When you see God moving, look, get up and immediately get involved. Do you remember when David was installed after fleeing from Absalom? David had to spend some time outside Jerusalem, fleeing from his own son, who had wanted to supplant him.

And when David returned from exile, the Bible says that a group of people from Israel went out to receive him and accompany him on his triumphal entry back into Jerusalem. And those people who discerned that this king was a man chosen by God and that he had to be brought back to Israel with honor were greatly blessed by God. In fact, their names are recorded in the book of the Bible, and their families are recorded there. Why? Because they discerned the move of God in David’s life and joined him to bring him back to Israel with honor.

Among those groups, families, and leaders who went to bring David back was a very interesting group called the sons of Issachar. It says that among the sons of Issachar were 200 chiefs, truly important men, who understood the times. What does that mean? They were people who could discern the move of God at a specific time. They were people who could see the signs in Israel’s history and culture, and they knew how God was moving. And because these people could discern that, they joined David, because they knew that something great was happening.

Brothers and sisters, I believe that God is doing something great at this time, in this church, and in this nation. This nation’s best days lie ahead—a great harvest of souls. We have to discern the times and prepare the vessels for the anointing of God that is going to fall. Our buildings, our programs, the training of our leaders, our discipleship and evangelism programs—all these things, including our internet program, are vessels we are providing for the Lord when his visitation comes. We are discerning the times.

It says that these men knew what Israel ought to do, and their counsel—that is, their advice, their words, and their observations—was followed by all their brothers.

We want to be a congregation that discerns what God is doing. We do not want simply to live here, coming on Sundays, preaching, conducting church business, and then going home as though nothing were happening. We are a prophetic people. God is moving through us. God wants to do great things, and that is why we are discerning and joining in the work of the Lord.

Do you remember the midwives of Egypt? It says that when Moses was born, Pharaoh wanted to kill all the male children born to Israel who were in Egypt. Why? Because he did not want God’s people to prosper. And there was a group of women who were midwives; they were the ones who helped the Hebrew women give birth. These women, the midwives, were Egyptians, but when Pharaoh ordered those Hebrew children to be killed and aborted, they said, no, we cannot. These are the people whom God has chosen. We are not going to take part in that massacre.

They helped the Hebrew women, and they would tell Pharaoh, hey, these women are so healthy that by the time we come to assist, they have already given birth. The sisters say, oh, glory to God. I wish that were so in my case. These women defended the people of God; they discerned the presence of God among the Hebrew people, and you know what? The Bible says that those women were greatly blessed by God. God blessed them because they discerned the will of God and joined themselves to it, even at the risk of their lives.

Another case in which a person discerns the move of God and then joins it is Rahab the prostitute. How many of you know who Rahab is? Remember? She was even a woman of ill repute. I do not know whether she was the madam of a brothel or whether she herself participated in the prostitution business. The fact is that she was not a woman of good reputation.

Nevertheless, this woman had discernment, and when the Hebrew spies came to enter Canaan as the spearhead of the invasion that would later come from the people of Israel, it seems that they were discovered and were being pursued. And Rahab, understanding that these men represented a nation blessed by God and that God had already turned away from the ungodly nations of Canaan and had given the land to the Jews, was neither slow nor lazy; she hid these spies and protected them. And as a consequence of her act of protecting the people of God, God blessed her, saved her family, and protected the lives of all her relatives. And when the Jews came to destroy the land, her family was preserved. Not only that, but Rahab became an ancestor of Jesus himself.

Do you know that Rahab was a distant ancestor of Christ? God used this sinful woman to be a forebear, an ancestor of the Messiah himself. Why? Because she had discernment. By the way, notice something very interesting. This has always captivated me, and it is that in many cases in the Bible—forgive me, brothers—the women have sometimes shown greater discernment than the men themselves when God moves mysteriously.

That is a little bonus for you, sisters, because we did not have time to tell those at the nine o’clock service this. Look, for example, at Rahab herself, the midwives—the women were always very close to Jesus’ ministry. When the Pharisees were persecuting him, when the disciples left him at the cross, who were there? The women. Who financed Jesus’ ministry? Godly and wealthy women. There are many cases like that; it is interesting. Look at the case of Pilate’s wife. When Pilate was undecided about Jesus, his wife had a dream and told him, look, do not mingle your blood with this man’s blood; he is innocent. Do not be found fighting against him. If Pilate had been wise—listen to me—if we had listened to our wives, how many headaches humanity would have avoided!

The only case in which you did not do a good job was with Sarah, because Sarah gave Abraham bad advice, and look at the problem we have in the Middle East as a result. So, men, do not be too offended by what I am saying. They say things did not go very well for us with Eve either; that is true. She certainly made a tremendous blunder. Everyone gets a little bit of it, forget it; that is always the way it is.

But it is interesting. How wonderful it is, brothers and sisters, when we discern the secret move of God, get in tune with it, support it, and stand behind it. It is the greatest blessing.

So we see it again and again: Rahab helps God’s purposes and is blessed. The midwives help God’s purpose and are also blessed. In the Bible, brothers and sisters, we continually see that when God is on the move and someone responds…

Well, let me summarize what came before prior to entering into this point. In other words, when we discern that something is happening in the world, determine that it is a move of God, join it, support it, and bless it, then the Bible says that we will be blessed and prospered.

I tell you, brothers and sisters, look, regarding this project—and I tell you before the Lord—I am not manipulating you. If you join this and do your part, I am not talking about your selling your child at the market to give the money, or taking your wedding ring to a jewelry store… No, I am not talking about that. I am simply talking about each of us doing our part and giving sacrificially to the Lord, discerning that what we are doing is a move of God, and saying, you know what, I am not going to be left behind; I am not going to hide in the row where I am sitting. I am not going to say, well, let others take care of it, because this is none of my business. I did not get myself into this; the pastor is the one who got himself into that mess, so let him get out of it however he can. No. You are simply going to do your part, and if we all bear our share evenly, brothers and sisters, no one has to suffer, no one has to have a hard time, because we are discerning the move of God and each of us is joining it.

So when we join it, there is blessing. Now, the opposite is also true. When God is on the move and a person responds with criticism, unbelief, contempt, or indifference, look, almost always, if not always, there is punishment and loss in that person’s life.

Do you remember the unbelieving prince in the account when Elisha was in the city of Samaria, I believe it was—and someone correct me if it was not in Samaria; perhaps it was in Jerusalem—I think it was in Samaria. There was a tremendous famine. Do not think that your pastor does not study the Bible; I do study, but in this case I blew a fuse. I think it was in Samaria.

The people of God were being invaded, there was hunger everywhere, the people had been under siege for months, a woman had eaten her own baby because the hunger was so great, and everything seemed to be closed off. There was a terrible famine in Samaria. And suddenly the power of God moved upon the prophet Elisha, and Elisha declared and said, tomorrow there will be food. At this time tomorrow, a pound of flour will cost twenty-five cents, and two pounds of pork chops will cost—well, if they were Hebrews, they did not eat pork, but let us say beef—seventy-five cents. It says that a prince on whose arm the king leaned, a man whom the king trusted greatly, said sarcastically, hmm, even if God were now to make windows in heaven, could this be possible? Unbelief. Contempt, criticism, resistance to the word of God. And what did the prophet Elisha tell him? Look, you know what? Tomorrow you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.

Do you know what happened to this unbelieving man? When God performed a tremendous miracle by killing that whole great Syrian army that was besieging the people of God, that army ran away, leaving behind all its provisions, all its treasures, and all its food, and what Elisha had prophesied was indeed fulfilled in such a simple way. And when the people learned about it, they rushed outside and trampled that poor man, who saw the miracle but did not partake of it, just as the prophet Elisha had said.

When God is moving, there is no option except to join him, because whoever does not gather with him scatters, and whoever does not work in his favor is against him. And that is how God works in our own lives as well.

So let us remember another example: Michal, David’s wife. Do you remember when God had done a great work and the ark was entering Jerusalem again? The ark was a symbol of the presence of God. When that ark was entering Jerusalem again after a time of exile, David was seized by a spirit of praise and worship. And David stripped down and, in his underwear, began to dance in the midst of all the people of God because David passionately loved the Kingdom of God.

But Michal was a religious and indifferent woman who despised the manifestations of the people of God. And when David came home exceedingly glad and happy because he had been able to worship the Lord in that way, Michal was waiting for him there with a rather unpleasant look on her face, and she said to him, listen, how splendidly the king has behaved, disgracing himself like just another laborer in the nation of Israel. In other words, Michal had not discerned that sacred moment in which David was offering the Lord his royalty, his dignity, everything, and she despised it.

The Bible says that after that moment, Michal never had children. She was barren her whole life. How terrible. She remained barren; do you know why? Because when someone despises the move of God, barrenness comes.

That is what happened here in New England; look at what happened. When those pastors and churches despised the move of God in the twenty-eighth century, do you know what happened here in New England? Many of those congregations went over to Unitarianism, which is a false doctrine, a terrible heresy. And New England is still suffering the consequences of that rejection of the move of God practically three centuries ago. Because when the Lord is despised, the Spirit of God abandons you. God’s blessings abandon you when you do not join what…

Jonathan Edwards meant to say that what Christ is saying is the same thing. When we are not passionate enough when God moves, God considers that contempt for his name, and then there comes a sense of loss and rejection by God.

So Michal showed contempt and therefore was left completely barren. I do not have time to read it, but you can look it up in Second Samuel, chapter 6, verses 20 through 23.

So when God is moving, neutrality is impossible. You cannot be neutral, brothers and sisters. And that is how it is in life: you are either with God or with the devil. It is simply so. Either you receive Christ as Lord and Savior, or you are under Satan’s dominion. There is no alternative. And the same thing happens when you enter the Kingdom of God: either you cooperate, work, and join what God is doing, or you are wasting what you have and receive the reward of the useless and unfaithful servant who despised God’s gift, put it under a bushel, hid it, and did nothing with it, and thus incurred God’s displeasure.

Either you actively join God’s power and his work, or you find yourself in opposition to him; either you gather or you scatter. Now, let me clarify this, brothers and sisters: I am not using this to frighten anyone. Let me tell you, I received that word while I was reading this work, independently of all this; I was on an airplane. I think I was going to Chicago or somewhere like that, and I was reading this work by Jonathan Edwards, whom I admire tremendously. And I was so struck by that apologetic defense he made concerning the move of God here in New England, and all the time he devoted to substantiating that fact, that I said, wow, and the light bulb came on. I have to share this message with the congregation: that when you enter the Kingdom of God, it is for a radical commitment; it is to serve the Lord in all things.

And what is happening here is only an extension of this. As I was saying this morning, one day that sanctuary will be built and will no longer be an issue in our congregation, but this spiritual principle of radical commitment or waste will hold true for the rest of your life. And the people whom God blesses are those who are radically committed to the Kingdom of God.

I want this church to be like the Jews, blessed wherever they go. I want to see this people prosper, brothers and sisters; I want to see people enriched, I want to see people intellectually enlightened, I want to see young people filled with the Holy Spirit advancing in their professions. I want to see a well-administered church; I want a community that, for the glory of God, is the envy of the community out there. And that will happen only when our hearts are completely united with God’s purposes, when every family and every individual is totally committed to what God is doing in the community.

Lastly, sometimes God will be working in the world and will desire to find someone who will join him and collaborate with what he is doing. In other words, there are times when God needs to do something in the world and will look for someone; someone will be needed who not only stands behind it, but who is a protagonist, an instrument, the man or woman whom God uses to carry out his miracle. And it will require a person who says to the Lord, Lord, here I am; I give you my resources.

It occurs to me right now—I do not have it here in my notes—the Virgin Mary. When God wanted to bring about a powerful movement in human history and bring the incarnation of his Son into the world, I imagine that he asked himself for an instant—let us imagine it that way; God does not ask himself anything, because he knows everything—but he asked himself, “Where might there be a woman who will lend me her womb and who is worthy to bear the mysterious and magical body of that God-man whom I am going to create for myself?” And the Lord found a virgin, the Virgin Mary, and sent his angel, and he said to Mary, “Mary, you have been chosen for this.” There was no other woman, I imagine, who met God’s requirements. And Mary had to count the cost.

Imagine that maiden, who was suddenly going to become pregnant without yet having known a man or married her fiancé, and what people were going to say and think about her. Because we have greatly spiritualized Mary’s ordeal. You have to understand that this maiden was going to be the object of much criticism from her community, which would not understand that it was God who had made this possible and that he was raising up his Messiah.

And what did Mary say? “Behold the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me as you desire.” Because when God wants to do something powerful in the world and in history, he needs a man, he needs a woman, he needs a church, he needs a nation, and it is important that God find in us that people who will say to him, “Lord, we want you to multiply what you are doing right here, right now, in blessing families, and I want one day to see the Latino community coming to the feet of the Lord in great numbers, and God using us for his glory to accomplish this.” But where are we going to put them? We need a larger place.

Right now, the English-language ministry is growing as well, and I know that one day God is going to raise up an extraordinarily powerful English-speaking church here in this community, where it is so greatly needed—a church filled with the Holy Spirit, a transforming church—and this is the place. They are going to occupy that sanctuary which we now use, and they too will fill it for the glory of God. A powerful English-language church will arise, and they will need space as well. They can barely fit in the other place now, and this will be the space they inherit when we go over there to that other place.

So God is saying, “I want to raise up a very powerful, very influential community, and I want you to prepare for me the vessels upon which my oil will fall.” God always needs vessels. God needs widows who will feed his prophets. God needs widows who have the faith to buy many empty vessels, or borrow them, so that his oil may have room, and so that they too may be blessed and may bless his prophets. Both things are necessary.

And that is what we are doing. But it takes a man, a woman, a church, who will say, “Lord, we place our resources at your disposal.” Mary placed her womb at the disposal of the Holy Spirit. You have a spiritual womb that you can place at the disposal of the Holy Spirit in this time when God is moving as well.

You can be the central figure in what God wants to do. It takes people like David, who, when he saw the problem of Goliath cursing the people of God and bringing shame upon the divine King, said, “You know what? God is calling me to behead that giant.” And he said, “Here I am,” took charge, and confronted Goliath. Why? Because he said, “God needs someone. Here I am, Lord; use me.”

Peter placed his boat at Jesus Christ’s disposal. Do you remember when the Lord, powerfully surrounded by a crowd, had the multitude pressing in against him? He saw Peter’s boat, remember? And Peter was there in a tremendous recession, like today’s recession in 2011. He had spent the whole night trying to fish, and the fish were on strike. The sea was in recession; there was an incredible maritime depression at that time.

And Peter was there washing his nets after a fruitless night. He had caught nothing, and the boat was not being used. The Lord has a need: he wants to preach to that immense crowd, to move a little way out, and he asks Peter, “Let me use your boat.” Peter lets the Lord have the boat. The Lord gets into it, moves a little way out from the shore, preaches the word, and feeds the multitude. And then he says, “Peter, now come, get into your boat, and let us go out into deep water.” And that day Peter brought in a miraculous catch and had to ask others to come and help him. Why? Because he offered what he had to resolve the pressing situation the Lord was facing, and he too was blessed.

Not only did he catch a multitude of fish, but there, through Jesus, God gave him his ministry and said to him, “From this day forward, you will be a fisher of men.” And more than 2,000 years later, we are still remembering Peter as a great Apostle because he yielded that little boat to the Lord.

Imagine what would have happened if Peter had said, “Lord, you know what? I have already closed up shop. That boat is no longer in use today.” How terrible. But because he placed his boat at the disposal of the Lord, who needed that boat at that moment, God blessed him greatly. God is always saying, “I want someone to stand in the gap.” And unfortunately, many times he does not find anyone. That is there in Ezekiel 22. God wanted a preacher, a prophet, someone who would preach to Israel and help Israel turn from its evil ways, and he did not find one, so he had to destroy the people and send them into exile.

How sad when God looks for people, looks for a congregation. God can do whatever he pleases; he does not need our help, but God never does anything except through us. God is going to use you; he is going to “need” you, in quotation marks, to carry out his work, because God likes to work with his people. May it never be said of us that God sought us and did not find us available.

Finally, I ask the musicians to please come over here and get ready. Brothers and sisters, when we enter the Kingdom of God, it is to make a radical commitment. God abhors spiritual lukewarmness, people who are merely adequate. God abhors a comfortable and indifferent mindset. Remember what he said to Laodicea in the letters he wrote to the churches. He said, “Because you are neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.” Why? Because whoever does not gather with the Lord scatters. Whoever is not with him is against him.

It is important to join him, because middle positions do not please the Lord. Mere religiosity deeply displeases God because it represents an underestimation of his greatness and incomparable glory.

You know, God’s greatness is so great, God’s power is so great, God’s glory is so great, that the only legitimate response to his lordship, his great power, and his glory is total surrender, adherence, and submission before him. Anything less than something worthy of his royalty is an insult. And how wonderful it is that we are now within the Kingdom of God, that we have taken God’s side, and that God tells us, “Do not be a mediocre Christian. Do not be a comfortable Christian. Do not be a religious Christian. I want you fervent with spiritual heat, completely surrendered to my purposes.”

Let us stand, brothers and sisters. People of God, Lion of Judah Congregation, brothers and sisters who are committed to the Kingdom of God, we are going to take one more little moment shortly, and this will be brief but also solemn. We have done so many things; this afternoon has been a feast, brothers and sisters, and I beg you not to underestimate the importance of what we are about to do in a moment by partaking of Holy Communion. We also need those symbols in order to be strengthened.

But before that, I want you to look at what is here in front, and I want it to remain there for a moment, even while we celebrate Holy Communion. I ask you, man or woman of God, discern God’s time at this moment in the history of Boston and of your congregation. Next Sunday, when we call the people of God to recommit themselves to their financial commitments, when we call others to commit themselves for the first time to being part of this miracle and to bring their offering, I ask you to pray to the Lord this week so that he may make your heart steadfast. If you have already made a commitment and have not yet completely fulfilled it, commit yourself. If you wish, we would love to see pledges fulfilled ahead of schedule, because they help us maintain a positive fund so that we can pay the expenses of this construction in advance.

If you have already fulfilled your pledge and God moves in your heart, as he did David, to give God an even more generous offering and to say, “You know what? I am going to join my church once again, and I am going to give even if it is another thousand or two thousand dollars”—whatever God places in your spirit, 500 dollars, 1,000 dollars, whatever it may be, ten thousand, a million; why mention only small amounts?—whatever God places in your heart, perhaps you want to renew your vows in that regard.

And if you have forgotten your pledge because of work or lack of resources, look, believe God, put your hand to the plow again, and keep moving forward. Cooperate through your financial commitment and your prayer, and commit yourself to being a resource for the Kingdom of God throughout your whole, whole life.

Let us bow our heads for a moment, brothers and sisters. I would also like to make sure that if anyone—and I am not even going to ask you to come forward—but if anyone wants to give his or her life to Jesus this afternoon and say, “You know what, Lord? I have not committed myself to you yet, and I am scattering because I am neither with you nor opposed to you. But you tell me that if I am not radically with you, then I am against you; that if I am not distributing your blessings in the world with you, then I am wasting, scattering, failing to use positively, and despising what you are doing in the world. And I want to take your side.”

I would like to see you raise your hand and give you an opportunity to surrender your life to Jesus. Wherever you are, I am going to bless you and pray for you. You do not even have to come forward, because the Lord knows your heart and knows what you need. But if there is anyone who has not done so yet, raise your hand this afternoon, and I will pray for you. Is there anyone? We want to make sure before entering into the Lord’s Supper. This sister is raising her hand over there. I bless you, woman of God, in the name of Jesus—your heart, your life. A brother over there is also raising his hand. Glory to the Lord. Keep your hands raised. I see another hand over there as well. God sees you even better than I do. A hand is raised over there, and another person over here as well. Amen.

Brothers and sisters, I bless you in the name of Jesus. Each of you is a treasure of God, and the Lord now says to you, “Join my movement. I receive you into my Kingdom, and I want you to walk with me and me with you, hand in hand. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Honor me, choose me above all, and I will make sure that I always have the best for you, the best blessing.”

A sister back there is also raising her hand. Glory to God. Reach out your hand toward one of those hands that has been raised for a moment, brother or sister. You can see them; you are near them. Bless them. Back there as well, that sister who is there. Brothers and sisters behind her and around her, bless her. Pray for her.

Wherever a hand has been raised, declare God’s blessing over that life. We bless your life, man or woman of God. God welcomes you into his Kingdom. You are no longer scattering; you are gathering with the Lord. You are not against the Lord; you are for the Lord, and the Lord is for you. We bless your life and declare the defeat of every power opposed to your prosperity, your health, your blessing, your spiritual growth, and the blessing of your family.

We break every curse in the lives of our brothers and sisters and declare a prosperous walk before God. Surrender everything you are, everything you have, and all your dreams to the Lord, and you will see that God’s blessings will not be long in coming. We bless your life. Thank you, Lord. Establish your holy purposes in our brothers and sisters. Thank you for what you are doing among this people, Lord. And we declare that we will see greater things for the glory of your name. Honor, Lord, your people who believe in the faithfulness of your promises. Now bless us, Lord, as we partake of this sacred supper, and grant us your blessing in everything. Thank you, Lord, in the name of Jesus.