5.19.2024 Pastor Kendon

The Church Has a Lead!

◦ Day Of Pentecost Sunday! Acts 2

◦ the average church is bogged down between Calvary and Pentecost.

◦ A church’s two popular services that are well attended are Christmas and Easter

◦ Christmas- Bethlehem- God with Us

◦ Easter- Calvary- God For Us

◦ Pentecost- God In Me!

◦ It’s like we want God With us and For us but we stop at having God In Us!

◦ Horse Lead example…The lead will keep a horse confined to the yard.

◦ A Church Lead example…it’s something holding us back from the freedom Christ offers.

◦ Church Lead is Tradition, sin, familiarity, lethargic spirit, pride.

◦ We want God With us and For us but we stop at having God In Us!

◦ He called you to be FREE.

◦ The church is not called to be weak, lazy, and robotic!

◦ The pastor can’t take the Horse Lead off of you! God wants to expand your boundaries!

◦ Now is the time to STEP OUT!

◦ ACTS 1:8

◦ There is Power—-it’s the Dynamite down inside of you!

◦ Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

◦ The Holy Spirit helps you to be effective…to help you to step out and do something…not sit.

✓ We are not called to be Pew Warmers! We are called to more!

✓ That warm spot on the pew is not your contribution to God!

◦ Get rid of the Horse Lead!

◦ The actual Pew back in the day was a special box seat where the special dignitaries and important families would get to sit in church. The pew was a status symbol in churches.

◦ They are STILL a status symbol. You can show up and still not show up!

◦ God is looking for those that don’t need rewarded. God is looking for those that want to be prayed up and praised up for Christ! Walk in Victory!

◦ Jerusalem Judea Samaria and to the end of the earth!

◦ God called to end of earth but we continue to stay in the pew.

◦ Our problem is that we are the same today..we stay in Jerusalem and to ourselves where it’s culturally acceptable but not Biblically acceptable. Where we show a love of traditions of men and not of our Father!

◦ They want a form of Godliness but deny the power of!

◦ You wonder why we can’t break generational curses?? Because we stay in the church our parents and grandparents are in- traditions.

◦ Acts 8:1 And Saul approved of their killing him. The Church Persecuted and Scattered. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

◦ He made them uncomfortable in order to get them to move!

✓ Why is God doing this to me??? He is making you uncomfortable to get you to move!

◦ 2 Kings 5:9-11v So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.

◦ The church has to preach a good message but don’t get too crazy..it can be just enough where I can feel better about myself. BUT If you want what God has for you then you need to take the LEAD off!

◦ Break tradition. God’s way is better!