Hey family, welcome to the house. We're so glad you're here and we are excited about this word that you are getting ready to receive. It's going to bless you and change your life. And when God speaks to you and it resonates very deeply and there's a promise, maybe something that you've been praying for and believing God for. I want you to sew a seed. Absolutely. Whenever God meets me, I make it my personal commitment to sew a seed to build an altar. When there's something in that message that you know the light turns on or it deals with something that you have been struggling with, there is something about having this practical manifestation of that response of what God just said to you. And for me, that comes when I sew a seed. We love you. God bless you. Watch it to the end and then share this message with somebody. It's going to change your life and hopefully many others. Yeah. If you have your Bibles, just turn to Exodus 20. Exodus chapter 20. It's something about Exodus. I just can't get out of Exodus. I can't I can't get I've been trying to said there's other parts of the Bible, but something about Exodus has been just in my spirit. Exodus 20 and just a few verses, verses 22- 25. Hallelujah. Somebody worship him. Worship him. Lord, Exodus 20:es 22-2. And it reads like this. Then the Lord said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, you have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make anything to be with me. Gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. An altar of earth you shall make for me. And you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record my name, I will come to you and I will bless you. And if you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hume stone. For if you use your tool on it, you have profained it. Let me read. I'm just going to read 25 again. And if you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hume stone. For if you use your tool on it, you have profained it. I I want to tag this text with the topic, don't alter the altar. Don't alter the altar. Father, speak through your servant in Jesus name. Amen. You can have your seat. Uh so so in our English language it has been said that learning English is probably one of the hardest things to do. Why is that? Because there are so many mechanics to the English language. There are so many rules and regulations that many times people of foreign status say that trying to understand and comprehend the English language can be very difficult because unless you live in the culture and live in the dialect sometimes we say things that in one context mean one thing and in another context mean another. Now, you don't even have to be from a foreign place cuz some of us have been born and raised in the United States of America and we still struggle with the English language. Oh, y'all don't want to act like you do, but it's true cuz I read your post. I read your post and I can tell the saints are struggling daily with this thing called English. But but but but but I I give a little grace because because we have a lot of different rules that logically sometimes don't make sense. Like we have words that that are spelled the same different things. We have words that that can sound the same but still mean different things. We have words like like wind. Like put put it up for me. Wind. Now this is spelled the same way W I N D but depending on the context of how you are saying it it could mean two different things. There is one wind that's noun that's mean moving air and now we say this other one a different way. We say wind. That's confusing because if you don't understand it if you're looking at it you think you're looking at the same thing but in its context it says two different things. Now there's there's also and that's now called we call that homophones. It's in the family of homonyms. Now there is another context that we have where the words sound the same but they are spelled differently. And this is the one that really trips us up. Okay. Words like two two and two. Oh y'all know we struggle with this one. Oo, the these O's and this W be wearing us out. Okay, I am going. So, so, so it is I am going to the store. Do you want to come? Come on now. Because two is better than one. See, there you go. There. There. But but they sound the same but are spelled differently. Here's here's another one that trips us up all of the time. Your and your. Woo. [Music] Oo, father in heaven. Y'all do not want to put that apostrophe there, y'all. You because because because what happens is when we're listening, we're listening to to the sound, but we're not putting in context and we're not establishing the rules of the language. So, if you were to hear me say the title of this sermon, don't alter your altar, you heard the same word. But but there are two different words that I use. Put it up for me, please. Don't alt a L t your altar. A l t a r. What is an altar? An altar is a table or platform that is used for sacrifices. What is altar? Altar is to make different, to modify, to adjust. Isn't it amazing that at the change of one little letter in a word, everything shifts about the context? Isn't it amazing that you could change one thing and everything else around it shifts and it's something different? It's sort of like life. You could change one thing about something that looks the same and then everything in con context shifts and changes with it. And if you don't understand the context in which you're saying or the rules that apply to what you're using, you may use a word out of context. You may use something out of its meaning. You may not get all that you can get out of it because you didn't understand the rules and the regulations and the mechanics of what you're trying to do. And sometimes that is how it is in life. That we're walking through life using words and we don't understand the power of what they are and we're using them out of context and we wonder why we're not getting the manifestation of what we said. And God is saying because you have not understood the rules that it may sound the same and it may look the same but it may be different. And why is that important to this text? Because what is so interesting is that God is saying that to us every day. Don't alter my altar. Don't don't don't change the rules of what I have established. Don't don't manipulate what I have put into order. Don't don't don't use your intuition and your intelligence and your intellectualism to try to help me out. Don't alter my altar. Don't a l t my a t a r because altars are important. Altars are important. The purpose of an altar appears when we when we first see we see Noah after he's come out of the ark. Can you put that scripture up in Genesis chapter 8? This is the first time we see an altar. Now, now it is said, we understand that Cain and Abel did make a sacrifice. The Bible doesn't explicitly tell us that they did on an altar, but we can conjecture and say that Cain and Abel probably sacrificed on an altar. The first time we see altar in scripture is in Genesis with Noah. We know the story of Noah. Noah built the ark that came through the flood. And then when they're descending from the ark, the Bible says this in Genesis 8 20. Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth, nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done." So what do we gather from this? There there's a thing in in biblical theology called first mention. And so when something is mentioned for the first time in scripture, what it simply tells us is this. This is the model of how we see it cast throughout scripture. So when we see altar for the first time in Genesis with Noah, we get the depiction and the indication that altars are used for sacrifice. That the purpose of establishing an altar in the earth, it is the meeting place of God and man. That altars are meant as a place for sacrifice. Not performance, sacrifice. Not shrines, sacrifice. Not your will, but sacrifice. Not what you want, but sacrifice. If you're going to build God an altar, God is saying the purpose of building me an altar is this is where I meet you in earth. That the altar that is built that Noah builds this altar. And then the interesting thing in this is that God smells the sacrifice. I'm gonna take my time with this if y'all don't mind. God smells the sacrifice because what you put on the altar speaks into the atmosphere on your behalf. Catch this. The offering that you put on the altar goes up before you to God. The offering that you put on the altar represents yourself to God. And so in meeting God, God looks at your sacrifice on the altar. And God can smell the sincerity of your sacrifice. God can smell the puress of your sacrifice. God can see how much you love him based off what you put on the altar. And so we see this pattern of altars in scripture not just with Noah but we see with Abraham. We see Abraham has gone to sacrifice his only son at the time at the altar and before he sacrifices him and we know this story God stays the hand of Abraham and there is a lamb caught in the thicket that instead of sacrificing Abraham's son Abraham finds the lamb and the lamb becomes the sacrifice on the altar. We see other instances of altars throughout scripture. Matthew Henry in his commentary of the whole Bible states, "The altar was the place of reconciliation between God and man, where justice and mercy met together. There the guilty found pardon through the shedding of blood." Derek Prince says, "There is no true worship without an altar, and there is no altar without a sacrifice." Let me say that again. There is no true worship without an altar. And there is no altar without a sacrifice. Throughout scripture, we see different types of altar. There is the burnt offering that is put on the altar. The burnt offering was for atonement. It was for sin. We find it in Moses bringing that altar up. You can put that slide up. Moses is bringing and sacrificing animals. And God is saying this burnt offering is for the atonement of your sins. It is for worship. Is when you bring and kill something at the altar. I will look at your sins and pass over them. And then there is the the the altar of incense. It is the prayer the intercession. Aaron the priest would light the incense candle on the altar in the mornings and then the Bible says even in the evenings he would use incense on the altar and it would be a sweet smelling aroma that went up in the nostrils of God. This went on continuously on the altar. It was another sacrifice. It is representative of prayers and intercessions that are going up before God on our behalf on the altar. And then there is the altar of repentance. The altar of rededication. The sacrifice that they had to do when they wanted to rededicate and repent. They had to bring a bull and slay the bull and put the bull's blood on the horns of the altar. In order to rededicate, in order to repent, in order to stay the hand of God on their life, this is the importance of the altar. God is showing them that these are the things that you have to do to get in right standing. Then there's the altar of covenant and renewal. This is affirming God's covenant. And why is this important? Because remember, Israel has spent all of these years enslaved in Egypt and they have been influenced by this culture. And God is introducing himself to Israel. God is introducing himself as the God of Israel. They don't know this God. And God is taking the time through their trials and the tribulations and through the victory moments to introduce himself to them. And isn't it amazing that Israel has seen God, the mighty hand of God, uh they've walked through dry ground through the Red Sea. They've seen mana come down from heaven. They had quail come as food. They've seen water come out of a rock. They've seen God give them the victory. They've seen God manifest on a mountain. Uh and all of a sudden, Israel keeps reverting back to this old mindset. And after seeing all of this, Israel will still say, "God, where are you? God, can you deliver us? God, can you bring us through?" Uh, and sometimes we judge Israel. But don't we do the same thing? Yes, sir. How many of us have seen the hand of God show up in our lives? How many of us have seen the miraculous God uh how many of us have seen God heal and deliver and set free uh and make a way out of nowhere? Uh, and God shows his head all of the time. But there are times in our life that we revert back to that Egyptian mindset uh and we find ourselves saying, "God, where are you after all God has done? We still doubt if he can still do my after all God has shown you, you still don't feel like he can pay that bill." After after God healed you the last time, you think he lost his healing powers this time? Are we just like the children of Israel that no matter what God does for us, no matter how he holds back the water and lets us walk through dry ground, no matter how he brings food out of nowhere, no matter how he brings winds and dry up things in front of us, is it never enough for us to trust God? And so in this, God is toiling with the children of Israel. And so he has to establish his name to a people who don't know him. And so he does this through the victories and through the the t the the battles and through the test that he sends them to. And he gets to Moses and he brings Moses up to Mount Si. He brings Moses up to the mountain and he in verse in chapter 20 he gives Moses these ten commandments. Thou shalt not do this. Thou shalt not covet. Thou shalt not murder. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. And Moses is talking to God. And the children of Israel see Moses on this mountain. And God gets to the end of this chapter. And he says, "If if you going to build me an altar, don't don't don't build it with hume stones." What are huned stones? Hume stones are just cut stones. God is saying, "Don't don't build me an altar that you manipulate. But if you're going to build me something, build it with purity and sincerity. Build it. Build it organically. I don't need your help in what I asking you to build. I just want you to build it. Build the altar because when you use your stuff, you profane it. the construction of the altar. God has given Moses these instructions because sometimes we will be influenced by our surroundings and we will make the mistake of building what we see instead of building what be we've been instructed to build. Israel had been in Egypt for 400 years of captivity and they had been around other altars, other ornate altars and and opulence and altars of grandeur. They had seen these altars that were built for these other gods. And Israel was influenced to think that that is the worship that should be altered up to this God that they're coming into contact with. And God did not want Israel to emulate what they had seen in the world. God did not want Israel to look at the world and bring the world into worship. Uh God did not want Israel to look at the TV uh and bring what he what they saw there into the temple. God did not want Israel to be influenced by paganism uh and think that paganism was okay to bring in the church. God didn't want Israel to look around at the culture and bring the culture into the church. God is saying, "I don't want you to be influenced by what you around." And and what I'm afraid of, what I'm afraid of is that we're living in a day that we have been altering the altar that we have become so influenced by our culture that we have looked around and we've seen what other people have built. We've seen shrines and big buildings. uh we've looked around and seen the opulence and the grandeur of other places uh and we think that that will work in the temple because we don't think the altar that God said build uh is good enough to bring the people and so we bring out our tools uh and we start to manipulate uh and work on the altar in hopes that people will be attracted uh to something uh that was supposed to be for God in the first place because because Because because just like the children of Israel, some of us just got out got out of captivity ourselves. Ju I I I know your chains might have been different, but some of us just came out of captivity. Matter of fact, you your hands might be free, but your mind may still be in bondage. And if left to your own devices, uh your creativity looks like the thing that you were supposed to have left in the world. And you breathe that into the altar thinking that will appease God uh and please God. And God has said, "Leave my altar alone. Leave my altar alone because because I don't need the influence of Egypt into this place of holy." The altar was holy. The the altar was the meeting place that God met man. The altar was the place that God said, "This is where I establish my name. that every place I show up uh that's where you stop and build an altar. That that the altar was mobile. They didn't have temples. Uh they had tabernacles. Uh and tabernacles moved. Uh and God said, "Everywhere I show up, uh every place that I show my name, uh every place that I show who I am, uh everywhere that I show and declare my words, uh every place I give you victory, uh every place I give you mana, every place that I give you food, uh every place that I give you water, build me an altar right there. And I wonder, have you forgotten to build your altar? Have you gotten so caught up in the victory uh that you forgot to build an altar where God delivered you? Uh have you forgot to stop and say, "Thank you. Uh God, before I move on to the next thing, uh I want to remember what you did right here. Uh I don't want to get so caught up uh in life uh that I don't stop and build an altar and acknowledge that if it had not been uh for the Lord who was on my side, uh I would have lost my mind. Uh, so, Father, in all of the craziness of the world, uh, let me stop and build an altar. I don't want to get so caught up, I don't want to get so carried away that I forget that you establish your name. Isn't it amazing how we can spend so much time praying uh, and interceding and asking God to do the miraculous in our life? Uh, and once he does it, uh, we give him a 30 secondond praise uh, and we're on to the next thing. Uh, and God is reminding Moses, uh, I brought y'all from a mighty long way. Uh, you will not get into the promised land, uh, and forget who brought you, uh, you will not get this victory, uh, and forget to who brought you. Uh, if you going to build me an altar, if you going to build me an altar, you you got to take your time. Cuz building altars weren't easy. The construction of the altar was not easy. Can you put that altar up for me? It it wasn't fancy. It's it's it's stone. Heavy stone. Stone that they had to go find. Stone that was laying around. They had to search because doing something for God causes you to be diligent. Building an altar is not about your comfort. It's not about your convenience. It's not about what's easy for you. Uh God is saying, "I don't want you just find anything, but go find the stones. Uh every place I show up, uh every place I establish my name, uh I want you to look for something that you can build and erect in my honor. I want you to go and and pick up the stones yourself. Don't bring the old altar into a new place. I'm going to say that on this side. Don't bring the old altar into a new place. Uh because every time I do something new in your life, uh you need to build a new altar. Stop trying to praise me off of what I did. Uh, I've done enough for you to praise me uh or something new every day. Uh, do the diligence and build me a new altar. We try to condense God to our convenience. We try to bring God down to the level that's convenient for us. It would have been easier for them just to travel with the same altar, but God is saying that altar was for that victory there. I need you to build me a new altar when you get to this victory here. I need you to find new stones in this new place. Uh new stones, new testimonies. Uh I need you to find new stones uh in the place that I'm taking you because I haven't stopped moving you. Uh why have you stopped looking for stones? Uh I need you to find new stones. Uh tell your neighbor, have you found new stones? Uh have you found new stones? Uh or you still living off of the old stones? Uh that's why the mana expired day by day. Uh because he said, I don't want you to eat old mana. Uh, I'm giving you each day your daily bread. Uh, I'm God enough, uh, that you don't have to go by what expired. Uh, you can get what's new in me. Uh, you keep going by what I did, uh, not what I'm doing right now. That's why I want you to build a new altar. That's why That's why some of us Oh, I'm going to mess with you. Don't don't get mad at me. That's why some of us are living in expired dreams. You're frustrated over dreams that expired because you won't trust God for the new altar. That thing that you've been praying for expired a long time ago because what God has for you is something in a new place. and it's a new victory. But you're so complacent and so comfortable in this old thing uh that you're scared to step out and trust God for the new uh because you happen to find a new stone. Uh you say, "God, I've already took all my energy to build this altar. Why can't you stay with me here and God said, "I'm not a god of stagnation. Uh I'm a God of movement. Uh you keep trying to make me stay still, and I keep trying to get you to go forward. Uh, you want to stay at this old altar and I'm trying to move you uh to a new place of victory. Uh, I'm not a god of stagnation. I'm a god of movement. And some of us have gotten so comfortable at the old altar that the victory that you should be experiencing right now, you've almost forfeited it. You've allowed your age to dictate not moving toward a new altar. You've allowed your circumstance, your color, your your culture, where you're from, the city that you're in to dictate uh and you think that the altar that you created is good enough. Uh and you're saying, "God, you're like Abraham. God, why can't you just deal with Ishmael?" And God is saying, Ishmael is not the promise. Uh Isaac is the promise. Uh and Abraham is saying, "But God, Ishmael is already here. Ishmael is already growing up. I've already birthed Ishmael. I know it wasn't the way that you said. Uh I know it was a plan that you said. Uh but can you just accept my compromise? C can you just accept my compromise, God? And God is saying, uh I don't have to condense myself to your compromise. Either you come up or you stay where you are. Y'all help me preach that to somebody. Preach that to somebody. Tell them either you come up or you stay where you are. Either you deal with the new altar or you stay in the old. And if you stay in the old, uh, God has already moved. Uh, so you're at an altar that's not even burning no more. Because the altar was the indication of God's presence. So if you're at an altar that's not burning, you're at an altar that God is no longer there. How many of us are standing in front of an empty altar, worshiping in front of an empty altar, praising in front of empty altar, and God is saying, "I've already moved on." Uh but you're worshiping tradition uh because you're more comfortable in tradition uh than in the move of God. You're more comfortable in your tradition, in what you learned, and what you saw in what mama taught you. Woo. Can I mess with you a little bit? Sometimes y'all worship in mama's altar and mama's altar does not work for your life. Oh, I know y'all not going to like that, but that's okay. Sometimes you're worshiping the revelation that somebody gave to you because you're so stagnant that you won't move and see God for yourself. Because the thing about building an altar, it's your relationship with God. Uh it's your revelation with God. Uh it's where God meets you. Uh it's where God communes with you. Uh and you're so busy at somebody else's altar, God is trying to get your attention and say, "I want you to build your own altar. find your own stones. Uh don't worship at somebody else's altar. That was cute for then. Uh but I got something better for you. Uh come up. Come up. Come up. Israel was struggling with being free from their chains because they were still captive in their minds. And we struggle sometimes with the same mindset because it is sometimes easier to stay stuck. Sometimes it is easier to stay stuck. Let's be honest. Let's be real. Some of us are in jobs that we should have left long time ago. But it's easier just to stay stuck cuz I know them. They know me. And y'all know how we do. They let me come in late. I mean, I get I get them extra long lunch breaks and I'm afraid that if I leave this altar, the next one won't be as conducive for me. That you have that mentality until you learn that the altar was never about you. We don't build an altar for us. We build it to see God. And the other indication of an altar is the altar only showed up where God's presence gave you victory. You can't see victory in your life until you move to a place where God fights a battle for you. And then you have a reason to build an altar. Tell somebody, "I want God to give me a reason to build an altar. I want God to give me a reason to build an altar. I want God to fight a battle on my behalf. Uh that gives me a reason to to build an altar." He wasn't just saying build an altar just for building sake. Uh but build an altar wherever I record my name. Uh you got to understand what that means. Uh God is saying I don't just need a structure. But when my name shows up, uh when Jehovah Gyra shows up, uh build me an altar. When Jehovah Rafa shows up, uh build me an altar. Where have his name shows up, that's where you build your altar. So you should be warning God to show his name in your life. What does that mean? In order for God to show his name, he first has to present a problem. Because his name, if he is the I am that I am, I will be what I need to be. Uh then there has to be a situation for him to be. You're trying to run from the situations uh where God is saying, "I'm presenting you with a situation uh not to complicate your life uh but I'm trying to record my name uh in that situation uh so that you can build an altar so that people can see uh I conquered right there." Your life should be full of a road of altars. Uh yep, he did it right there. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. He provided right there. Yep. He healed me right there back in 2001. He delivered me right there. Yep. You You want to see God's track record? Look at my altars. Just tell everybody on your no row, look at my altars. Look at my altars. Uh if you want to know my testimony, look at my altars. Uh if you want to know how big God is, uh just look at my altars. Uh if you want to see what God is doing in my life, uh just look at my altars. Uh look at my track record. Uh I'm not staying there. I'm moving from altar to altar. Your life should be full of altars. where God has recorded his name, where God has shown himself strong in your life and culture will try to influence what our altar should look like. Hallelujah. If we're not careful, we'll find ourselves trying to model our altars after the idols of the day. But God's altar is holy. His altar is set apart. It does not need our innovation. It does not need our intuition. It does not need our intuitiveness. Uh it does not need our intellectualism. Uh leave the altar alone. The only thing God's altar needs is your obedience. Why does God's altar need your obedience? Uh because obedience is better than sacrifice. Uh somebody's trying to sacrifice on an altar and you haven't been obedient. Uh you haven't been obedient. Uh you are out of order. You are altering the art order of the altar. You have to be obedient. uh and then build the altar for the sacrifice to be accepted. Uh you're not seeing the fruit in your life. Uh you're not seeing the hundfold manifestation. Uh because you're out of obedience. Uh you're trying to build an altar of sacrifice uh on top of your disobedience. Uh and that's not the order of God. Uh tell somebody you got to be obedient. Uh you got to build it his way. Uh you got to build it in his mechanics. Uh you can't use your own language. Uh you got to use the language of heaven. uh in order to see the sacrifice uh get the presence of God uh you have to be obedient uh because obedience uh comes before a sacrifice uh but when you get in alignment when you get in alignment obedience is alignment then the sacrifice becomes acceptable and then you see the presence of God. The problem with hunstones is that hunstones presents a struggle. Hume stones versus uncut stones pre present a dichotomy. What is that? That means there were some temples that did use hunstones. Hume stones are just cut stones. Hume stones are the ones that they gathered and they started to smooth and to shape so they fit squarely and perfectly into the structure and they and they were adorned. They were appreciated. Solomon's temple had huned stones. The challenge with uncut stones and cut stones is that one represents the handiwork of God and one represents the majesty of man. And God is saying in the altar that I want for my name, I don't need your workmanship. Worship does not need your workmanship. that when that that that when we take the route of using human stones, we are saying God I got to help you in establishing your altar. Holy Ghost help me. We we are saying God if if I if I use my tools, if I use my talent, if I use my gifts, the altar will look better. God God, if if if I just help you shape the altar, more people will be attracted to you. There's a phrase, and I know this is probably going to give me trouble, but but there's a phrase that that I almost can't stand to hear when we say, "I'm trying to make God famous." I I believe people say it with good intent. I don't think people saying it with bad intent. The problem is me helping God to be famous means I have to pull out my tools. Me stepping in and saying the omnicient God needs my help in anything means that I am gathering my tools, my talent, my intelligence. And now whatever I bring to the table will help people be more attracted to God. As if the Holy Spirit needs help convicting. You didn't call yourself to Christ. He called you. You didn't bring yourself to the altar. He compelled you. You didn't call yourself into holiness. Uh he did. Uh if it were left up to you, you would still be in Egypt. If it were left up to you, you would still be in the club. If it were left up to you, uh you would still be in sin. Uh if you could uh you would do both at the same time. Uh you would have your foot over here and your foot over here. Uh it has to be something stronger than you uh that's compelling you uh and convicting you uh and constraining you uh to come up out your sin. It has to be something that has no earthly ramifications that's pulling you out of the old mindset that you have. Because sometimes we're just like the Israelites when it gets hard saying, "God, you could have left me back there." when it gets hard. God, uh, God, I didn't want I didn't ask for this promotion in the first place. God, I didn't ask for this house in the first place. You know, God had to convict me. Y'all know I like to be transparent with y'all. I just built this house a couple of years ago and all that and you know, all that this this and I walked through the house cuz this is one thing that nobody told me. And I blame y'all. I do. I blame y'all. I have a against the whole body. I thought that if you build a new house, you don't have no troubles. I for real, I know that sounds crazy. I am educated, but for real, I thought I said, "Lord, I don't want no old house cuz them old houses, they breaking down and I don't want none of that, God. I'm going to build me a new house. I ain't going to have no problem." I walked in, I saw a crack. I said, "The devil." I went to another room, I saw a crack. I flushed the toilet. I saw a leak. I said I I didn't say I I kept I kept I kept I kept I I kept my religion. I came close though. Oh, I came close because I thought that building that new would keep me from the problems. And y'all didn't tell me that just because you build something does not mean just because you build something with your tools. I thought that because these were tools that shaped the house and and and these were master craftsmen and these were builders with experience and insurance uh I thought that there would be no cracks in the foundation. But I was surprised to understand uh that anything that man does uh there will be problems with it. Could it be that that's why God does not want us building his altar? Because anything that we put our hand to uh there will be problems with it. Uh but that we that we might segregate people. No, I built this. You can't come here. Uh, I shaped this. You can't come here. Uh, no. I'm going to be in front of you. Uh, you got to stand behind me. Uh, we're going to put roles and rules. Uh, who can see the altar at what time? And God saying, I don't need none of that. I know I'm messing with y'all. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm still mad at y'all. Thank you. Because because I thought I thought building this with people who I thought knew what to do would keep me from the troubles of what happens when you build. Could it be? That's why God is saying, "I don't need your help in establishing how the altar looks with with with heed stones and unhuned stones." I'm almost done. With heed stones and unhuned stones, the uncut stones represent the strength and the stability of God. Yes. When when when you take your time and say, "Father, when in this new place that I'm in, this is for somebody online, in this new place that I'm in, give me the patience and the discernment to find the stones that will help build my testimony. Because when this gets done, I don't want to be a glory thief. My God, I don't want to be someone that steals your glory for the opulence of this altar. That you're not looking for something that's beautiful and grandeur. You're just looking for a pure and contrite heart. That you're not looking for fanfare. You're looking for somebody that will be surrendered. That when you build this altar, God, uh when you stand and meet me in this place, uh nobody's hands have been on this but yours. Uh when I put my sacrifice on this altar, God, the only thing that I want to consume it is your fire. The only hand uh that I want to be on this altar is your hand. Uh the only victory that I want to come by is the victory that you give me out of your hand. Uh because if somebody else does it, uh they'll try to take the glory for what you did. Uh but this new next place that I'm going to, uh God, this will only be you. Uh God, this next elevation, uh I know will only be you. Uh God, this next promotion, uh I know will only be you. And no man can take the glory for what you've done. The the the placement of the altars and the construction were important because the interesting thing about where the altars were placed is that they were placed before the presence of God. Now remember, Israel did not have a stable structure. The tabernacle had to be set up and taken down as they moved. And the altar was placed in a place that that they had to come and cleanse themselves before entering into his presence. My challenge is I think we remove the altar from where it's supposed to be placed. That the altar is supposed to burn up the sin and the contradictions in our life. Yet we've moved the altar. And so we enter into his presence without being washed. We we we we come into his presence without without sacrificing. The good thing about it is we live in a day that we don't have to build physical altars anymore. You asked the question why. I'm so glad you asked. A couple of weeks ago, answered that question. Jesus Christ came as the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. This is why we get excited for resurrection because no longer do we have to go and find a lamb. No longer do we have to search for a bull. No longer do we have to find an unblenmished animal. No longer do we have to go and search and kill something on our own. Uh Jesus Christ came and said uh I understand what you have been doing for thousands of years. Uh but now I am the ultimate sacrifice that you need. Uh and so I'm going to give my life. and I'm going to sacrifice myself so you no longer have to. So now the meeting place is not at a physical altar but it's at Jesus. So to get in his presence even Jesus says to get to the father we have to go through him because Jesus is the sacrifice. So we go to Jesus to be washed by his blood and enter into his presence. So now because Jesus is the sacrifice and our altar, how do we enter his presence in worship? But the problem is our worship now has become innovated. Our worship has changed. Don't get mad at me for saying this, but we have made worship more about us building an altar to us than building an altar to him. It is about what appeases you. It is about what sounds good to you. It is about the songs that you like to hear. It is about the lyrics that speak about your experience uh and your expression. It's about the sound that's more pleasing to your ear. And if you don't hear in worship something that matches your spirit, uh you are turned off. Uh and you cease to build an altar. Do you see what the problem is? Uh we have started to alter the altar. Altar worship is more about us than seeing God. uh we perform on a stage uh that's called an altar. And if we can't see the people that we like uh we get disappointed uh because we're more performative in worship uh than trying to see Jesus. Uh and the people on stage uh are more into their performance uh than trying to point to him. Uh we we have turned and altered all worship. We have altered to the altar that we are more attracted to the personalities that we see than the power that they should be pointing to. We are more we are more attentive to the idea of worship. I know people that worship worship. We worship worship. We Oh, I'm worship. What you doing? I'm worshiping. Oh. Oh, I'm just Oh, I'm just a worshiper. I'm just a worshiper. I'm just worship you because we like the idea of what it sounds like to say, "I'm a worshshiper." We're worshiping worship. Worship was never meant to appease you. Worship is not an altar created for your satisfaction. Worship is a place to meet God at your surrenderance. Uh if you're not coming to God's presence, surrendering, uh you're not worship. Uh if you're not coming to God saying, "God, this is not about me. Uh this is about me seeing you." Uh you're not worshiping. If you got if you're not coming to God saying, "God, I lay down my ideas. Uh I lay down my identity. Uh I lay down my culture. I lay down my age. Uh I lay down everything. Uh because I want to see your presence. Uh God, if they're not singing a song I like, uh that's all right. Uh as long as you show up, uh God, if that's not the preacher I connect with, uh that's all right. Uh as long as you're there, God, if it's not the fast song, uh if it's not the slow song, uh if it's not the person praying that I like, uh I don't care about any of those things. As long as you show up at the altar. As long as you show up at the altar. The altar does not need our alterations. Worship does not require man's workmanship. Often times we are guilty of thinking that in order for the altar to be effective, we must use our tools to shape it. that our gifts are more important than God's guidance. Somehow we have convinced ourselves that instead of surrendering at the altar, we would rather help God shape the altar. But leave God's altar alone. It's not meant to be comfortable. There will be times we had to wrestle with the weight of the altar. But that is the purpose. God's glory demands our obedience. Uh what comes from the altar should never be manipulated by man's handiwork. God's altar does not need our help. Build it, but do it God's way. uh build the church but do it God's way. Uh sometimes uh you're going to have to wrestle with the weight of the altar. Sometimes uh you're going to have to wrestle with the ruggedness of the altar. Sometimes you're going to have to stand uh in front of the altar uncomfortable, uncompromised. Uh but stand there and leave uh the altar alone. Uh don't alter the altar. Stand in God's presence uh and let him change you. Uh sometimes uh it's not going to be convenient uh to build the altar, but build it God's way. Build it God's way. Tell somebody, "I'm building God's altar. I'm going to do it his way." We don't get to decide what the altar looks like. The altar is not made for you, but for God. We don't get to dictate to God how his altar looks. We have fallen into the trap of creating worship with us in mind. The sounds cater to our moods. The lyrics speak to our experiences. The music changes to appease the culture. The worship services are shortened to accommodate our schedules. Uh we started to build something for God. But along the way, uh we threw out his instructions and became so influenced by the culture that God's altar looks more like a shrine to us. Worship is not designed to get your attention, but to get in his presence. Worship is not an aroma for your nostrils, but for God's pleasure. The altar is not a place for your performance, but the place where God's presence can be seen. The altar is not a place for your performance, but where God's presence can be seen. The altar is not a place for your performance, uh, but it's a place where God's presence can be seen. The altar is not a place for your performance. Uh but it's where God's presence uh can be felt. Uh and God's presence uh can be seen. Uh who dare us uh to get in the way of God's presence. Uh how dare you uh put your performance in the way of somebody get into the aroma of God's glory. Uh get out the way uh so people can see God. Uh get out of the way uh so people can get in God's presence. Uh get out of the way uh so somebody can get healed uh delivered uh and saved. get out of the way. Uh we don't need to see you. Uh we need to feel him. Uh we don't need to see you. Uh we need to sense him. Uh we don't need to see you. Uh but we need to be in his presence. God does not accept unauthorized altars. Some of us are guilty of building with manipulation in mind. It's a passage King Jeroboam first kings. King Jeroboam built an altar in Bethl and Dan because he was afraid that if people went back to where King Rahoboam was that they would turn and leave his kingdom. And so he built unauthorized altars out of jealousy, out of competition, out of pride. He built something because he wanted to keep people where he was. He built something because he was afraid that if I don't build it, you'll leave my church. He built something because he was afraid uh that I don't build it, I'll lose the offering. And so he built an unauthorized altar uh in a place that God did not ordain. Uh he built it in high places. Uh he built it in places that God did not ordain. Uh and God sent a prophet from Judah to say one day I'm going to send somebody uh King Josiah who's going to tear down all the high places. Uh who's going to burn the bones on the altar. And I believe God is sending some Josiah's uh in 2025. Uh who said, "I'm going to pull down the high places." Uh everything that tries to exalt itself above God. Uh, I'm pulling it down. Uh, if it's in my own house, uh, I'm pulling it down. Uh, if it's in my family, uh, my lineage, uh, I'm pulling it down. Uh, I'm not going to allow unauthorized altars, uh, to be in my life. Uh, if God did not say build it, uh, I'm going to tear it down. Uh, if God did not say go, uh, I'm not going to move, uh, whatever God said, uh, however God said, I'm going to build it according to his specifications. Uh, I'm not going to build God something that he didn't ask for. I'm not going to build an altar that's unauthorized. I'm not going to build something that God did not instruct me to do. Some of us, I'll put myself in that category. Some of us are guilty of being so attracted by what we see that we try to build something based off of our attraction to it. Oh Lord, help me. Some of us are only called because the person that we know is called. I'm going turn this way and look at Pastor Robinson. I want to get in trouble. Some of us call ourselves preachers because our daddy was a preacher or our pastor who we really like was a preacher. And because we like how that altar looks, we decided to build an altar that looks like that. Because we want the same fire from that altar to burn at our altar. Some of us are walking in assignments that were never authorized for your life because you were attracted to what you thought the assignment could bring you. You're attracted to the fire of somebody else's altar. And you think if I build that and if it looks like that and if I do that and if I call that that then I'll get the same effect. And God is saying I'm not going to bless something that I did not authorize in your life. It may look like you're prospering but your altar will always lack my presence. It may smell like fire but it won't be burning. It may impress other people who don't know what a real altar looks like. Uh, but when somebody comes around uh that's built an altar and know how an altar is supposed to smell and be built, uh, they'll say, "Uh, that's fake. That ain't that ain't no altar. That ain't no altar. That ain't you ain't been called to do that. Uh, that's not your anointing. Uh, God ain't called you to be no prophet. Shut up. Your prophecies are as good as Chad GPT. All you're doing is typing in something and regurgitating what a computer has told you because you're attracted to what you think that altar is. You saw somebody online prophesying. They got a lot of views and a lot of likes. Uh and now all of a sudden your name is prophet something. Uh and now you online prophesying to people and lying to people and telling people stuff that that's logical. Oh, I see you next week. Something's going to happen. Of course, something's going to happen. Oh, I hear. Oh, I hear in the next five years, in the next five years, we going to get some bad weather. Really? Tell somebody, "Your fake altar is showing. Your fake altar is showing. Your fake altar is showing. You're building something was that was never authorized. God has not authorized that fire." And in another part of scripture when they tried to offer up strange fire. See, y'all don't want to live y'all don't want to live in Bible times. Uh because when they offered up something that God did not ask or request from them, uh God would take them out. Uh because God wasn't playing with the people. Don't give me something I'd ask for. Don't trespass. Uh don't play in my presence. Uh don't just walk up in my presence. Uh if your heart is not right, uh if your hands are not clean, uh if you have not stopped uh by the altar, the labor to wash yourself. you. We live in a day that we've compromised the purity of the altar where people have no fear of church anymore. People have no fear of God's presence anymore. Oh, I'm going to say this anyway. Uh people come up in God's presence anyway. Uh because they have no fear of who God is anymore. But why is that? It's our fault. Uh because they see what we do. Uh, and they see we don't have no fear. Uh, and how we talk to each other and how we come up in church. Uh, and they said, "If you are supposed to be a child of God, uh, and you don't fear the God that you worship, uh, why should I care?" We've compromised the altar of God. We've made it more about us than more about God. We put on a show at the altar. We perform at the altar. We segregate the altar. We put we we we we we we put silos up that only this group can come to the altar and you got to stay. Uh we put rules in the altar that don't even apply to us. How you keeping somebody from the altar and your heart is [Applause] dirty? It's not your altar. Tell somebody it's not your altar. It's not your altar. It wasn't built for you. Uh it wasn't built to appease you. Uh it wasn't built to satisfy you. Uh, it wasn't built so that you could look good. Uh, stop trying to look good in front of God's altar. Move out the way so I can see Jesus. Move out the way so I can see him. We've got to learn to leave the stones alone. I'm getting ready to close. Leave the stones alone. Sometimes we feel like, God, if I if I just shape shape this stone, it'll be smoother. Cuz I don't I don't want nobody to get cut when they come to the altar. I I I I know your word is sharp as a two-edged sword, but but I don't want them I I don't want to offend anybody. So God, help me to smooth out your word cuz cuz cuz I don't Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. No. No. We We don't We don't want anybody to come to the altar and get cut because uncut stones were sharp. Help me, Holy Ghost. Uncut sh uncut stones had sharp edges. And and and when you're carrying something, you get calluses and bruises. That's how you know you're carrying the weight of the altar. And sometimes when you come to God's altar, it's going to cut you. Sometimes sometimes when you when you come into God's altar, it's going to constrain you. It's going to have bruises. It's supposed to be That's the power of the altar. The altar is not supposed to be smooth. The altar is not something that you should not feel a little constrained and and a little constricted and and and a little convicted. Uh because the altar is the place that you come to to be cut, but because we feel like we have to help God. God, I want to smooth out these stones cuz when they come, I don't want them to get mad and not come back when they come. Oh. Oh, you can do that. That's okay. G God knows your heart. Just I'm just going to smooth out that stone. Oh. Oh. Oh. That's okay. You don't worry. God is working on you. I'm Let me just smooth out that stone. Oh, y'all got quiet on me. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Don't read that passage of the Bible. That don't apply to you. Let me just smooth out that stone. Oh. Oh. No. God wasn't talking to you. That's Old Testament. Let me just smooth out that stone because the true altar of God has ruggedness to it. The true altar of God is rigid. The true altar of God sometimes you you stand there and when you come around the altar you get cut. And anytime you're in a service and the presence of God doesn't convict you, the altar is too smooth. Anytime you're in the presence of God and something don't grab your spirit and you don't want to leave out differently, the altar is too smooth. Anytime you really been in the presence of God, you should feel something in your spirit say, "You can't go back to that. You can't go back to them. You can't go back to that old way of life. Uh you can't go back to that thinking when you really been in the presence of God. Uh and you really been at the altar of God. Uh you leave bleeding. Uh because God uh I'm not coming to you uh to leave the same way I came. Uh but when I come to the altar, I want you to shave off uh everything that's not like you. Uh I want you to cut off uh everything that's keeping me uh from being in your image. Uh and being in your presence. Uh I know you don't have to take my compromise. Uh but I'm coming to the altar. And God, I understand uh that I'm going to be convicted. Uh God, I understand uh I'm going to be constrained. Uh God, I understand uh that my ideologies uh will be compromised. Uh because your altar is not made for me. Uh but your altar is made for I can see you. altar is made not so I can be comfortable but the altar is so I can be changed and so God is saying leave the stones alone don't alter the altar and as I close I want I want to know within this place in this sanctuary that No, we don't have the physical altars that they had in the Old Testament that our altars are symbolic. The altar we can create anywhere and we have designated this our space of the altar. And I want to know if we can be honest and say, I've been staying away from the altar because I'm afraid of what the altar will do to me. I'm afraid that if I come to the altar, I actually might get changed. And that doesn't mean that you're doing something totally bad. Sometimes we need to come to the altar and sacrifice our old mindsets, our old habits. Sometimes you need to sacrifice that tongue that won't let you go. You pride yourself on saying what you want to say when you want to say it, how you want to say it. You pride yourself that don't nobody say nothing to you because they know you going to go off on them. You pride yourself of being quick tongue and being able to give it back to everybody like they give it to you. You pride yourself. You need to bring that pride to the altar. You need to allow God to cut that off of you. That old mindset that sometimes keeps you stagnant, keeps you at a place of not moving forward. That mindset that has you still in Egypt. You're free, but you're not. Your hands might be free, but your your mind is still in bondage. You still think where you were is better than where God has taken you. And you need a real experience at God's altar. I wonder if there's anybody that can be transparent and say, "This time, God, when I come to your altar, I'm surrendering myself. I'm coming with the intention of being changed, of being different. I'm putting my all on the altar. I'm not holding anything back. I'm putting my all on the altar. I'm putting my my insecurities, I'm putting my fears, I'm putting my family, I'm putting my career, I'm putting my work, I'm putting it all on the altar because I want a real experience in your presence. And Father, I am I repent for any time I tried to dole the altar to make it comfortable for me. I repent for anytime I've tried to to manipulate the altar so that it so that it would be more convenient for me or or anytime I've tried to dull down your word so that so that people would would be more attracted to a pretty altar instead of altar that convicts. I wonder if there's one, two, three in the house that say, "I I'm willing to come to the altar just as I am. I'm willing to come to the altar. I invite you to [Music] come. Would you stand all over the house? I see you [Music] coming. This decision to come is a personal one. This decision to come is an intimate one. This decision to come to the altar is for everybody that says, "I know there's something in my life that needs to change and it can only happen at the altar of God." I invite you to come. I invite you to come. I invite you to come. I invite you to come. Somebody that said, "God, I've been I've been wrestling with this thing. I've been wrestling with this with this weight. I've been wrestling with this insecurity. I've been wrestling with this anger. I've been wrestling with this addiction. I've been wrestling with this mindset. And I know that I have I have prettied myself. And I know that I have put put stuff to to camouflage and to cover up. But Father, this time I'm coming to altar so it can be cut off [Music] me. Come on. Pray church. Pray church. Pray church. Yes. Yes. Yes. I'm going to wait a few more seconds because I believe there are some others that need to make a decision that I'm I'm coming to the altar cuz my family is at stake. I I I can't have this same mentality and serve my family and serve my community. So, I'm coming to the altar because God, I need a change in my life. I'm coming to the altar to stand in proxy for my family, for my friends, for my for the for those in my community. I'm coming to the altar because I am tired of having an empty worship experience. I am tired of not being convicted and changed. And I am coming to the altar cuz God, I need to see you. I've come before many times, but this time, God, I believe something different is going to happen. Thank you, Father. Thank you, [Music] Father. Thank you. I want you to know something that God sees the altar that you're creating for him right now. that as you come to this physical place that we call our altar and even if you're online that I believe God is meeting you at the altar that you're creating for him right now. So I want us to do something a little different. You hold the music that in your heart in your own prayer. I'm going to pray in a minute but I just want you to pray out of your own spirit. And I want you to pray from a place of surrenderance. Say, "Father, I an altar for you right now in my heart. Father, I create an altar of surrenderance for you right now in my heart. And Father, I will not manipulate this moment. Father, I totally surrender. I give you permission to convict me. I give you permission to constrain me. I give you permission to cut me in the places that are stubborn, in the places that are complacent, in the places that won't change. God, I give you permission to change me. And I will not go back to that old mindset. I will not go back to that same thought. I will not go back to the place you delivered me from. This is my altar. This is my place of sacrifice. This is my place of surrenderance. And I just want you to talk to the father all over the room online. Many times we we do a lot and do a lot of compelling, but I believe somebody is making a personal decision right now to allow God to burn up the things in your life that you are placing on the altar. Come on, 30 more seconds. Talk to him. Talk to him. Father, I give you permission. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it, God. Do it, God. Do it, God. Take away that anger. Do it, God. Do it, God. Take away that resentment. Do it, God. Take away that bitterness. Do it, God. Take away that jealousy. Do it, God. I put it on the altar. I put it on the altar. I put it on the altar. I lay hands on myself. I lay hands on myself. I lay hands on myself. God, I want real change. God, I want real change. God, I want real change. God, I want real change. I want real change. This time I want to be different. This time I want to be different. Take away those triggers, God. I don't want to be triggered anymore, God. Take away take away that tongue. God, I want to be different. God, I want to be different. Take away that pride. God, I want to be different. I want to be different. I want to be different. I know it hurts. I know they hurt you, but God, I don't want to hold that hurt in my heart. I don't want to hold that resentment in my heart. Uh I know that I won't be able to see your presence. Uh I won't be able to build another altar if I don't let go of the altar where I was. God. Uh God, I want to move into the next place of you. Uh I want to move into the next movement of you. Uh and I know there are some things that had to change off of me. There are some things that have to be cut off of me uh in order for me to see your presence uh so I give you permission. I give you permission. Come on. 30 more seconds. 30 more seconds. Press. Press. Press. God. I give you permission. I give you permission. When I go back to work, I want to be different. When I go back home, I want to be different. When I go back to my community, I want to be different. Uh I don't want to be the same person. Uh I don't want to have the same mindset. Uh I don't want to have the same language. Uh God, I want to be different. Uh I don't want to change your altar. I want to build it how you told me to build it. Uh because I want to see your presence. Uh I want to be new. [Music] And we believe you will do it in Jesus name. In Jesus name. In Jesus name. Somebody offer up a praise right [Music] there. Hallelujah. We're getting ready to go home. We're getting ready to go home. We're going to do a couple of things. We're going to do a couple of things. We're all going to leave together. I promise. Give me three minutes as we're standing here. I want to I want to honor this the sanctity of this moment and the altars that are created that maybe you are in this place and you are saying I I want to build an altar but you have to come through Jesus first and maybe you have not come to know Jesus as your savior. He he died so that you could come to him as a sacrifice. He is your altar of sacrifice. All you have to do is come to him and get washed in his blood. And maybe that you in this place, just because you showed up at a church, it does not mean the church is in you. Don't think just coming to church means that you are saved. It is a personal decision, an intentional decision that you need to make for yourself. And it's the best decision that you ever could make. We have people, we have ministers are here that will bring you right to the feet of Jesus. We'll help you build an altar. We'll help you build the stones. and we won't get in the way cuz we want you to see Jesus, not us. If that is you, I want you to raise your hand and say, "Listen, I need to know Jesus. I don't want to leave out of here uncovered, unprotected, unchanged." If that's you, I invite you to come down and raise your hand and we'll come to you. We'll come to you. We'll come to you. Second appeal is I believe that God has ordained this church, the potter's house, to help bring people into the pure knowledge of who Christ is. I believe that this is a place of integrity, that this is a place of growth, that this is a place of change. I believe that we make real pure altars here, not out of perform performance, but out of trying to see the presence of God. And I invite you that if you need a church home, I invite you to the best church this side of heaven. I think I got a couple of people who will agree with me that this church is a good church. If that is you, I invite you to come down that aisle. We have a QR code that you can scan and get more information about membership. But if you are in this place, we want to celebrate you. We want to meet you. We want to see you. I invite you to come down right now and we'll take you into our church. We're going to celebrate even before they come. Come on, let's just celebrate. Let's just celebrate. Let's just celebrate. Come on. That's hot. That's That's all the celebration y'all got. Even if you're online, there are ways for you to join us online. There's a QR code. You need to get in the house that's going to nurture your growth. You need to get in a place that's going to hold you accountable. You need to be around family cuz this world is too crazy to do it by yourself. Amen, somebody. This world is too crazy to walk alone. So, we going to need each other. Amen. This is the last and third appeal that our church is growing. Our church is in transition. And I want us to pray before we leave here for our pastor elects. I want us to pray. Matter of fact, I just want us to wherever you are, just grab hands with somebody. We're going to pray. This is going to be our closing prayer. And this is why I want us to do this. We're going to pray for our senior bishop, our first lady, and our pastor-elect because the weight and the pressure of the world is on their shoulders. Change and transition is not easy. And we want them to know that we got their [Music] back. And not only their back, but the hand that you hold, squeeze that hand. Nobody untouched. Nobody untouched. Grab my sister's hand. My brother, she don't. Yeah. No, you ain't no Iron, my sister. We got you. We got you. My sister back there. Somebody go get my sister back there. You can't be by yourself. No. We intentional about being family. There you go. We rush to you. Don't let nobody Don't let nobody be by themselves. No. No. No. Mm- cuz that hand that you hold, you don't know their story. You don't know what they're dealing with. You don't know what they're going through. And you may be the lifeline that they need just to keep on going. Squeeze that hand one more time. Squeeze that hand. You're squeezing life back into them. You're squeezing hope back into them. You're squeezing love back into them. For some people, everybody's not looking forward to this weekend. It's Mother's Day. Some people are dreading this weekend because it's a reminder of somebody that they lost. But the hand that you hold, you're letting them know you're not by yourself. I got you. I got you. Just tell them, "I got you. I got you. I got you. Father, I thank you. I thank you for this place called the Potter's House. I thank you for our bishop, our senior leader, Bishop Jates, First Lady Jakes. I thank you for the years on the wall that you've allowed him to build. I thank you, Father, for revitalizing him and giving him strength beyond his years. I thank you for raising him up, God. I thank you for for making him a beacon in this dark world. God, I thank you that you're not through with him yet, God, but you have more work for him to do. And God, we pray for even longer life. God, we thank you for his vision and in his ministry and how you're using him. And we thank you for our pastor elect, Pastor Tore, Pastor Sarah. God, we undergard them with prayer and with love and with support. God, we let hell know to back up right now in the name of Jesus that they've got an army of intercessors behind them uh that will stay on the wall and make sure that they're protected and that they're covered and that they're loved and that they're supported. God, we stand with them. Uh we stand with the mission of this church. Uh we stand with the potter's house and we within the hands that we hold, God, my brother and my sister, Father, who I'm who I am standing and interceding for right now. You know their stories. You know what they're going through. you know what they're dealing with. And I just pray right now, God, for your hand of mercy, your hand of care, and your favor to be on their life. Now, as we leave this place, we know that the enemy is lurking, but greater is he that's in us than he that is in the world. We ain't afraid of no devil. We tell the devil, "Back up. Get out of our way, cuz we got a destiny to go after in Jesus name." Amen. Amen. I love you, church. I'll see you Sunday. Y'all come to church. [Music] Listen, the Potter's House isn't just a place, it's a movement. Family, we are so much better when we come together. And today, we're inviting you to be a part of something bigger. When you sew a seed, you're planting the future of hope, healing, and change. In times of uncertainty, the house stands strong. And because of you, it keeps standing for others. Your giving isn't just generosity, it's ministry. And what you sew today will be the miracle someone is praying [Music] for. If this message spoke to you, and if you're ready to step into faith, if you believe in what God is doing here, don't wait. Sew a seed. move in faith. Every gift, every act of generosity fuels this mission and brings us closer to reaching the lives that need it the most.