in me. All I want is you. All I need is you. All I want is you. All I need is you. In the day of trouble, I know you will. Good morning, Pursuit family. We are so excited that you are here with us today on our live stream online campus. We have such an exciting Sunday for you. We do. We are so expectant. We are so excited. Thank you for joining us live. We have Pastor Brian Houston in the house today. And everybody went, "Woo! It's going to be such an amazing day." And here's what I know for sure. Wherever you find yourself in this moment, maybe you've been weary. Maybe you've been exhausted. Maybe you're you're barely making it on the live stream today. Or maybe you're filled with massive gratitude and joy. Wherever you find yourself, I know that God is going to breathe refreshment into your soul this morning. We hope that you are so blessed by worship and by the word. And we are expectant that God's presence is going to meet you right now. So, let's get into worship. Amen. Amen. Heat. Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. Hello. Hey. Hey. Heat. Hey. Hey. Hey. Heat. Heat. N. Hello. Hey. Hey. Hey, good morning pursuit. Come on. Won't you stand to your feet today? Side of you joining us in the house of God. Come on, let's put our hands together. Let's praise him. Here we go. Hey, goodbye. I'm living the light of a new I won't waste another minute in my old praise the Lord. I've been born again. Goodbye yesterday. I'm living in the light of a new year. I won't waste another minute in my old days. Praise the Lord. I've been born again and again and again and again. You rescued me out of the mess I was in. Betrayed in my sorrow with something. Now I'm dancing on the grave that I once live in. Goodbye yesterday. I'm living in the light of a new day. I won't waste another minute in my way. Praise the Lord. I've been born again. Goodbye yesterday. The spirit of the Lord is upon me. I got resurrection in my praise the Lord. I've been born again and again and again and again. You rescue me out of the mess. I was in betraying my sorrow. Now I'm dancing on the grave that I again and again and again and again. You res me out of the summer. Now I'm dancing on the grave that I have decided to follow Jesus world behind the cross we go and I want it. I have decided to follow Jesus. The world behind the cross before I decide to follow Jesus to the world behind the cross before I turn this to Jesus. Oh Jesus. I won't I won't turn it. I won't turn away. I won't turn behind the cross before. I won't turn it. I won't. I won't. I won't. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. You meat. Dancing on the grave that I once live in. Dancing on the grave that I once live in. Dancing on the grave that I once live in. Dancing on the grave that I once live in. Dancing on the grave that I once landed. Dancing on the grave that I once landed. Dancing on the grave that I was living in. Praise the Lord. I've been born to dancing on the grave that I won't dancing on the grave that I want. Dancing on the grave. I'll be dancing on the dancing on the dancing. Lord, come on. Oh yeah. Come on, let's declare. I reign the hallelujah. In the presence of my enemies, I raise a hallelujah. Louder than the unbelief. I raise a hallelujah. My weapon is a melody. Yeah, I raise a hallelujah. Heaven comes to fight for me. Oh, I'm going to sing in the middle of the storm. Hey, louder and louder, you're going to hear my praises roar out from the ashes. Hope will arise. Death is defeated. The king is alive. I raise a hallelujah with everything inside of me. I raise a hallelujah. I will watch the darkness flee. I raise a hallelujah in the field of the mystery. I raise a hallelujah. Come on, declare it today. Feel you lock your hold on me. Oh, I'm going to sing in the middle of the stor and louder. You're going to hear my praises roar from the hope will arise. Death is the king is alive. Sing a little louder. Sing a little louder. Come on in. Sing a little louder. Sing a little louder. Oh, sing a little louder. Sing a little louder. Let the whole church sing a little louder. Come on. Sing a little louder. Come on. here in the northwest. Sing a little louder in the presence of my enemies. Sing a little louder than the army. However, the melody louder is Every single star louder and louder. You're going to hear my praises from the open. The king is alive. I'm going to sing in the middle of the stor is Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Lord, let my life be in altern until you breathe. So breathe on me. Let my life be in altern oh Lord let my life be in alter I of my lungs with your praise cuz I can't breathe until you breathe. So breathe on me. Live my life be an alter. This is the moment where wind fire come again. Our hearts are burning for fresh fire blow again. This is a moment when we fire. Come on in. Our hearts are burning forever free. Bible again. Our God is consuming fire. Our God is a holy way. Whatever you speak, whatever you touch will go to. Our God is a holy way. Whatever you speak is done. Whatever you touch will live. Whatever you speak, whatever you touch will live. Come on, church. So come on in. Come on in. Whatever you touch will live. So come on in. Come on in. And whatever you touch will come on in. Come on in. Yes. And whatever you touch will live. Come on in. Come on in. Whatever you touch, we live. Come on in. Come on in. Heat. Heat. This is the moment we go again. Our hearts are burning for again. Our God is consuming. Our God is a holy way. Whatever you speak, whatever you touch will go to. My God is whatever. Whatever you touch. Whatever you touch will live. Whatever you touch will ever speak is done. Lord, Lord, let my life be an altar. Light up my lungs with your praise. Cuz I can't breathe until you breathe. So breathe on me. Let my life be ignored. This morning being the first of the month, we're going to prepare to receive communion together. You should have received some elements on the way in. If you're here at the altar, the ushers are coming around. Let's prepare our hearts today. The scripture says something very interesting. It says that we do this in remembrance of the Lord's death until he returns. So, this is not just a a simple act. It's a prophetic act because there's going to come a day and a time where we're going to do this together with him in person, face to face, eye to eye. The scripture calls it the marriage supper of the lamb. We're going to join elders and angels and those that have gone before us around the throne. We're going to honor the King of glory in person because he gave his life for us that we might have freedom. For the scripture says he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes we are healed. this morning as you receive this these elements, you can be healed today. This is an act of faith that we're doing today. We're putting our faith in the finished work, the body and the blood of Jesus. There's nothing higher in the entire universe than the body and the blood of the lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world. Come on, let's take a minute. Just close your eyes and let the Holy Spirit search your heart. The Bible says to do this uh not irreverently, but to do it with reverence. So this morning, Father, we honor we put honor and reverence toward the body and the blood. And as we continue to worship this morning, I want to just encourage you, receive the elements at your own pace. Come on, let's continue to worship. Wow. There is one on the throne. Jesus holy. He is worthy of praise, honor, and glory. There is one on the throne, Jesus holy. And he is worthy of praise. all the honor and glory. So we sing, "Worthy is the lamb who was slain and seated on the throne. There's no one like the Lord." The elers creatures bound giving praise to him and him alone. There's no one like the Lord. There is one on the throne. Jesus. Oh, he is worthy of praise for the honor. Glory to where is a lamb who was slain and seated on the throne. There's no one like the Lord. Elers, reachers in the pra. There's no one like the Lord. Oh, worthy is the lamb who was slain on the throne. There's no one like the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. There's no one like the Lord. We crown you, King of glory. We crown you, King of glory. We crown you, King of glory. We crown you, Lord of all. We crown you. You are worthy. We crown you. You are worthy. We crown you. You are worthy. We crown you, Lord of all. We crown you, king of glory. We crown you, king of glory. We around you, king of glory. We around you. We around you. You are worthy. Oh, there's no Heat. Heat. Heat. There is no one. There's no we around you. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Jesus give you praise to him alone in the Lord. Sing worthy is the lamb who was slain and seated on the throne. There's just no one like our Lord. And the elers creatures bow giving praise to him and him alone. There's no one like the Lord. There is no one like the Lord. There's just no one like the Lord. There's no one like you. The rain of darkness now is ending in the kingdom of light. in the kingdom of life forever under your name. You're the king of my life. You're the king of my life. Come on, sing this out. You reign above it all. You reign above it all. Over the universe and over every heart, there is no higher name. Jesus, you reign above it all. And on the cross, the work was finished. God, you poured out your life just to give us new life. Yeah. Now from the lips of love again she is your life you reign above it all you rain above it all Jes over the universe every heart there is no higher name Jesus as you reign above it all. Let all the heaven the earth sing hallelujah to the everlasting one. There is no higher name. Jesus you reign above it all. Yes God you do. Yes you reign above it all. above it all fear. Now you sent the darkness running out of an empty grave. Now seated above glory and thrown on the highest grave. And you said the darkness running out of an empty grave. Now seated aboning glory and gone on the highest praise. You said the dark is running out of Great. The dark is running out of rain. Glorious empty on the highest. You reign above it all. You reign above it all. Jesus over the universe. There is no Jesus you sing hallelujah to the everlasting one. There is no heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. the highest in the dark on the highest about it all. Heat. Heat. Heat. Jesus the earth. Heat. Heat. Come on. Thank you, Jesus. Awesome. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining us this morning here at Pursuit. Why don't you say hi to somebody on the way back to your seat? Hey, welcome to the pursuit. The pursuit exists to glorify Jesus and in doing so bringing people into the counter with the presence of God. Rattle in Seattle was one thing, but you're not going to want to miss out on what's coming up at our pursuit marketplace. Bye-bye Bruce was one thing, but I will tell you this coming up announcement will be even bigger. Make sure to join us here at the Kirkland campus 6 p.m. on June 2nd. All right, we're about to pray and believe for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. You're going to feel fire come upon you. Come on, let it float. Let it flow. There it is. There it is. Well, on Sunday, June 8th at 6 p.m. at our Seattle campus, we're going to be having Holy Spirit night with Pastor Russell Johnson. And he's also going to be giving out his book, Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Guaranteed spirit language in 30 days or less or you get your money back. We'll see you then. Here you go. What's this? Women's conference. Okay. And you should go. I can't. I'm a guy. So, it's for 2 days. But it's women's conference. Okay. And I don't identify. I thought about it, but I just didn't work out. But you should come July 11th through the 12th. Text conference to 33200. Invite all your lady friends. If you're new here at Pursuit, we'd like to honor you with a gift. So head to the info center after service and text new to 33200 so we can have a gift ready for you in the info center after service. And if you're not following us yet on social media, make sure to give us a follow by searching @ the pursuit. Awesome. Hey, well welcome to church. Uh glad to have you in the house of God with us this morning. Been a little bit of a wild week, but uh glad to see you and um got some uh exciting things uh coming up here uh in just a few days here at Pursuit. Uh number one, tonight uh we're going to be joined uh as well at our Seattle campus uh by uh Pastor Brian Houston. It's going to be an incredible time in the house of God and we're going to encourage you to come out. Currently, the Seattle campus is holding service uh while getting uh protested across the street. But I said uh uh let's just uh continue to hold church and um see God do a work in people's lives. And so uh but we're going to be back there tonight. Pastor Brian will be preaching a different message uh at that campus. And uh we're just so honored to have him this weekend. And then tomorrow night, tomorrow night, uh we're doing a special uh marketplace event here at the Kirkland campus. will be joined by one of my good friends, Pastor Jay Coupeman, uh as well as uh we talk about some of the ways that God is working in the marketplace in this moment and how that intersects with the socopolitical moment we find ourselves in. And God is doing uh some good work in the city of Seattle and beyond. And uh we'd be glad to have you in the house of God for that uh as well. We think it's going to be a packed event, so make sure to get here uh early. I just flew in 45 minutes ago. Uh from where was I? Where am I? What day is it? What year is it? Uh it's Sunday 2025. I just flew in from uh Hollywood. I was uh down there uh preaching uh on Hollywood Boulevard uh for a worship event and then left straight from there to go preach at the historic Angelus Temple uh which is of course the building that Pastor Amy Simple McFersonson had built during the revival days in California many decades ago. It was an honor to be in that incredible place. Uh the day before I was preaching uh in Fort Worth, Texas and uh every minute in between uh talking to media and um telling the story about what God is doing in Seattle and beyond. I want to give a special thank you to all of our church friends, not just from this campus, but Snomish and Seattle, who uh showed up in force on Tuesday night at Seattle City Hall for a worship protest that I think shook the nation. Uh it has been uh on the top end of every news program from the West Coast to the East Coast. It was one of the top trending news stories in the United Kingdom. I've been getting texts and phone calls from friends in Ireland, from friends in Australia, from friends in New Zealand, just about everywhere. You could find an internet connection and see what's happening in Seattle. I've been calls of support. I've heard from Pastor Benny Hinn, Pastor Jensen Franklin, friends just from around the nation who are like, "Thank you for taking a stand. We're standing with you and we're believing for an outpouring of God's spirit uh in Seattle and uh beyond." And uh you know this week uh I've uh found myself being called just about every name in the book which is uh parford of course uh if you want to serve God and do something great for God uh in an era uh like the one that we find ourselves in today. But the most important thing that you or I will ever be called as a son or a daughter of the most high king. And so uh we're just believing and standing in that place of faith that God is not yet done. And I just want to continue to be emblematic in the way that I communicate that uh the church of Jesus Christ has endured over the last 2,000 years. Every war, every famine, every plague, every pestilence, every time that there has been a movement to try to stifle the church, the church has only grown in size and influence and power and in authority. And the era and the age that we live in will be no different. The church of Jesus Christ will advance. and the gates of hell will not, cannot, and shall not prevail against it. And I still think a little courage goes a long way. And when our church folk turned out on Tuesday night and they stood in line and they got beat up and hit and harassed and spit on and you name it and still stood in line to pack the steps of city hall to worship God, I think it sent a shock wave to our political leaders that the church will not back down. We don't have the spirit of fear and it don't matter what you do to us because what God has done in us and for us is greater than what man could ever do against us. And so, you know, I think we are in a move of God's spirit. I think people are being filled with courage and uh I think we're just putting the region uh on notice uh that you ought not to play with the church of God because the church of God is not just another nonprofit religious organization. It it's not just, you know, another uh community type organizing uh event that, you know, seems to gather people on a semi-weekly basis. No, the church of Jesus Christ isn't our idea. It's God's idea. And because it's God's idea, God's sustaining power. We'll continue to support it, not just on this day, but on every day until Christ calls us home. And so, uh, I just want to thank you for showing courage and for sticking up and and and sticking around. I I told you I told you last week as I preached I said our church is not a a cruise ship. It's a battleship. And if you want to survive, it's going to take some ownership and keeping your eyes on the prize. The author and the finisher of our faith, King Jesus. And um you know, when we asked for an outpouring of God's spirit, it's kind of like what did we expect? And as I was walking into that rally on on Tuesday night, you know, people's yelling at me and just all sorts of violent. The police told us there was a thousand people who couldn't even get into the rally that had shown up because the thing had just kind of devolved into a little bit of chaos. Of course, not on our side, but but on the other side. But I just thought to myself, there are more who stand with us than stand against us. Greater is he who is in us than he that is in the world. No, we've already won the victory, and we're fighting from a place of victory. And God is not yet done rearranging spiritual principalities and powers. The Bible says that the heart of the king is like water in the hand of God. He moves it in whatever direction he wishes. He raises some leaders up. He puts other leaders down. He makes ways where there seems to be no way. Highways low, low ways high, and crooked ways straight. And this is the God that we serve. But as I was walking into that rally on on on Tuesday night and somebody's yelling at me and it got in my face and they said, "Why are you here?" And I I don't know like where it came from, but just out of my spirit it just came cuz it's Tuesday. cuz it's Tuesday. Meaning this, the people of God don't need a special date, a special time, a special holiday, a special event, or you know, it's not like, well, I'm a Capricorn and the moon phases have to align and it's got to be 13 days after Pentecost and 24 days before Easter and you know, when it's just right, then you know, we can finally dare ourselves to do something brave for God. No, it's Tuesday and and this is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it and his mercy is new every morning. I don't need a special reason to worship God outside. I don't need a special reason to speak truth to power. I don't need a special reason to be a prophetic voice in the midst of a culture that needs to be pointed in the direction of his kingdom and his righteousness. No, it's it's Tuesday and that's a good enough reason to be just as much of a Christian on Tuesday as you are on Sunday. And so, you know, I just think uh God is up to doing something good in this region, and there's going to be more to come. But I I just I I want I want I want I want people in the Pacific Northwest to know that that the that that that the church is not just a convenient punching bag or whipping boy. It's not a convenient thing that you get to blame because all the decisions that you have made have made the city worse and not better. Now you get to turn around and blame the church and call us every name in the book. No. When you lay violent hands upon the church, the God of angel army stands to our defense because it's not our church, it's his church. So don't play with the church of Jesus Christ. I'm just here to tell you at the 9:30 service in Kirkland, Washington, they play with the wrong church and they play with the wrong pastor cuz I ain't done. I'm just warming up. This is the beginning. I'm believing for a city shaking revival. Who are these men who turn cities upside down? Well, I'm here to tell you the city of Seattle is already upside down. And when you turn something that is upside down, upside down. It becomes right side up. The church is not the cause of the problems of the city of Seattle. It's the answer to the problems in the city of Seattle. And here I stand, for I can do no other. Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered. And let the church of Jesus Christ advance. Who is this king of glory? He is mighty and he is strong in battle. So swing wide you ancient gates and open up you ancient doors and let the king of glory in. This is the God that we serve. Turn me way down in the monitors. Turn me way down in the mix. Sit down. I'm pissed. Play the recap. Battle and re uh rattle in in Seattle. Play play the recap video. Oh, we're going to rattle in Seattle tonight. We're going to rattle in Seattle tonight. Make no mistake. You hear that, devil? We're going to rattle in Seattle tonight. Set him free, God. Set him free, God. Jesus the highest this revival will be God. shares some really good breaking news that I just got from the White House. And you're the first to hear it from my lips to your ears. The FBI has officially opened an investigation into the city of Seattle. biggest without fail. He praised your face without fail. He prayed your faith without fail. It's that we wouldn't lose one for every person in the room who's struggling with your faith this morning whose heart it's hard to believe this morning. High praises in the room for you. Say, "Fortify my way." Say, "Gorny my morning by my morning. Morning my way. My morning. Awesome. Awesome. Hey, just a moment we're going to receive uh the tithe uh and the offering. I want to thank you for continuing to support the house of God and the work of God in uh this region. And there's going to be some ways to give on the screens to my left and uh to my right. And there's going to be some giving envelopes that look like this in the seatbacks uh behind you. And uh we're going to continue to support and sew and believe. And in doing so, the work of God will advance by force in the Northwest by virtue of our obedience and partnership with God and the giving of our uh finances. The Bible says the Lord loves a cheerful giver. Uh the church will take any type of giver. You give even if you're mad. Um you could give with a bad attitude. Uh but I think when you give cheerfully, it opens you up to receive blessings from God. Pressed down, shaken together, overflowing. And so you can give in whatever attitude you want. But I want to be a cheerful giver cuz I don't have to give. I get to give. And it's one of the greatest privileges on this side of eternity. And so if you got your seed ready, ushers, get ready to pass those buckets. Let's give together today. Thank you for your generosity as we sew into the work of God. Heat. Heat. Awesome. Hey, well, we're absolutely privileged uh this morning to be joined uh by one of my friends and I believe a hero of the modern church, Pastor Brian Houston. Uh he was the leader and the founder of Hillsong Church for many decades. really a movement that not just only shook the nation of Australia, but I think really shook the world. As I said last week, still a lot of the songs that we sing and a lot of the ways that that we operate have been indelibly impacted uh by what they labored for, by what they stewarded, by what they invested in. I I've said it this way to this church before, but just let me remind you, we stand under the shade of trees that we did not plant. And we are not self-made. know we are partnering with and standing with those who have labored and given and swed into the harvest fields uh across the globe. In fact, there has been only one time I have sat in person to hear Pastor Brian Houston preach although I followed him for many years and it was in this sanctuary in this room many years ago while Pastor Wendell Smith was still alive. And I still remember the message that you preached, Pastor Brian, on uh Christ being the author and the finisher, the king and the commander, keeping our eyes fixed on him all the days of our life. It made an impact for me then, and I never thought as a young church planner 10 years ago when we started this wild experiment called Pursuit that we would ever have the opportunity to host you here in this building once again. But I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, for fighting for my generation, for stewarding a global movement, for shaking a nation, and for being a man that I have come to love and respect. Would you give a warm pursuit welcome to our new friend, Pastor Brian Houston. Wow. Well, well, well. Just stay standing for one moment. I'm going to pray. That's what we do in church. We pray. Well, yes. I've actually preached in this building many, many, many, many times over the years. Ding back to Pastor Wendell, who went to heaven, of course, a long time ago. It's great to be here, but so great. Have we actually ever met? Come on, you need to shake my hand. This is what a great man, huh? Pastor Russell Johnson. Fantastic. Literally first time we met in church, but uh sounds like it's been quite a week. Just another week in serving the Lord. You know you're a church when you get some opposition and you know God's moving when you get some challenge and opposition. The devil's not threatened by just a big church. He's not threatened by uh you know a nice church. But when you start taking ground for the kingdom of God, if the kingdom of God is advancing, then the kingdom of darkness is retreating and the devil hates losing ground. Father, we're glad to be in your house. Thank you for everybody who's here. Thank you for what you are doing through Pastor Russell. Father, through this ministry, through the team, through the church. Lord, it's only the beginning of what's about to happen. God, you got so much more for them. Holy Spirit, have your way. Lord, you shut the mouths of lions. Father, you're the one who will keep us on course no matter what the opposition, no matter what the challenge. God, you're going great things for this church. Father, specifically for this church, I speak growth and increase and blessing and spread. Lord, have your way. Thanks for every person who's here. I pray your word will speak life to people today in Jesus' name. And a faithful people said together. Amen. Amen. Now you can be seated. What a great looking church. Much better looking than the church that used to be here. I'm kidding because they're my friends. Acts chapter 1:8, "You shall receive power. After that, the Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the end of the earth." Does anyone here believe in the power of the Holy Ghost? Do you know many many years ago when her oldest son Joel, some of you would know him from Hillsong United, but he was only a little little boy in a movie came out called Ghostbusters. And I don't know why, but I thought it was a kids movie and thought it would be a great idea to take Joel along. And so my wife Bobby and I were at the movies with little Joel. He's just a toddler. And uh the next thing only a few moments into the movies, Joel's got his head in his hands and he was crying and I realized it wasn't a very good idea to take our little boy to see Ghostbusters. But do I believe in ghosts? Only one. And he is the Holy Ghost. Who is he? He is the Holy Ghost. and you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost shall come upon you. He's not a ghost uh to be afraid of. He's a ghost who will help you. He's not a ghost who will hurt you. He is described as your comforter. It's in the Bible, John 14 26. the the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name. He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. Amen. And so, he's not a ghost to run from. He's called an advocate, a come alongside to think about the Holy Ghost coming alongside whatever's going on in your world right now. Why have I got my arm out? Because my friend, the Holy Spirit, my come alongside. He's my advocate. So, thank God for the power of the Holy Ghost. And thank God for the way that the Holy Ghost leads you. The scripture says he will lead you into all truth. The scripture says those who are led by the spirit of God, they shall be the sons of God. I love the fact that we in our everyday lives can be led by the Holy Spirit. And where does he lead us to? Well, that verse started, you shall receive power. He leads you into Holy Ghost power. You say, "Well, so what?" Well, that dynamic for your life makes the difference to everything. It makes the difference to your relationships, your marriage, your your work life. When you know that you are being led in Holy Ghost power, thank God for the Holy Spirit. Thank God we can live our life knowing not just the existence of the Holy Ghost but the power of the Holy Ghost. Power to live, power to excel, power to fulfill the promise of God, power to be a witness unto him. I'm telling you right now that we're not just little Christians waiting here in the middle of the battle till Jesus takes us home. No, we can live our lives guided by the Holy Spirit and knowing Holy Spirit power. The Greek word is what? Dunamis. I like that word. It sounds explosive. We get dynamite from dunamis. And I love the fact that the Holy Spirit leads you in dynamic power. Whether you believe it, whether you don't, whether you feel like it right now or whether you don't, you can know. Many of you are do know and are operating and living in the power of the Holy Ghost. Dynamite, explosive power. I love the fact that the scripture so full of promises for us. Yes. Holy Ghost power. And you want to know how explosive that power is? My wife and I, I mean, I'm 71 now, but I was young once just a little while ago. And my wife and I were in our honeymoon, 1977 in New Zealand, and I borrowed my mother's little Ford car, and we toured, Bobby and I, for our honeymoon around New Zealand, South Island, which is beautiful. And uh we got to a mountain pass and one of those red stop signs was held up. We were just a second car and a man came and spoke to us through the window of the car and said, "Uh, it'll just be a couple of moments. They're just doing some uh some explosives." And the next thing, sure enough, there was a boom and half the mountain came down over the road. We were supposed to be only a couple of minutes. We were there 9 hours. And by the time it was over, there were thousands of cars, tour buses, cars, you name it. Trucks, there were thousands of people waiting to get through. And so when I think about dynamite power, I think about things like that. And to know that my life and your life, we can be led and guided through the power of the Holy Ghost. That's a great start. So when I was a boy, we didn't have battery charged lights on our bicycles. You had a dynamo. Anyone remember a dynamo? It's a little thing that spun around against your wheel and it would generate power. And it comes from that same word, dunamis. And so it's generated power. You shall receive power after the Holy Ghost shall come upon you. He leads us into power. But it goes on and says that you might be witnesses unto me. He will lead you by leading your witness. Your witness is your testimony. It's your story. It's the great adventure of serving God. And I believe that the Holy Spirit when it comes to your story, your testimony, if you like, your witness, it's the will of God for you to know the power of the Holy Ghost. I I love the way that God can take somebody's story, a story that has been in chewed from high, that is empowered by the Holy Spirit, and it becomes such a testimony. It becomes such a story about the goodness of God. It It's exciting to see. Often times over the years at Hillsong Church, we would see a young person come in and get saved, give their life to Christ, and their family were not church people, non-believers, and their family were angry about them becoming Christians and wanted to hinder them and wanted to stop them. But over the years as they just pursued Christ and as their story empowered by the Holy Spirit worked out worked its way out, it became a story of wow victory, blessing. And I can think of young people now. Young people who went on in life and got married and now raised children and the parents and their family have been totally turned around because of the impact of the Holy Spirit of the presence of God on their lives. It becomes a story that's such an adventure and such a testimony and uh such a a challenge that people can only be blessed by it. So you shall be you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon me that you yes you I know it's room to point to church you yes you that you shall be witnesses unto me firstly into Jerusalem well he will lead you at home Jerusalem is where they were and you know what this is our Jerusalem right here, right now. This is our Jerusalem. Your Jerusalem. Maybe not exactly here, but if you're here at this time in this place, well, this is Jerusalem. And the incredible promise from the Lord is that your life will receive power so that your story, your adventure, your witness to him, it points to Jesus firstly in Jerusalem. Here it is. Kirkland, Belleview, Seattle, wherever we are, Washington. Well, you know what? You you often receive your greatest opposition at home. That's no absolutely no surprise to me that when God starts moving the way he is here that some opposition comes. We receive our greatest opposition at home in Australia. I guess Australia is a secular country. It's not a Christian country. And people have mentality about what church should look like. And big picture, church is supposed to be old. It's supposed to be boring. It's supposed to be irrelevant. And it's supposed to be empty. So when a church instead of being old, it's dynamic and young and people from every demographic you can imagine. And instead of being boring, it's relevant. And you know, it's the exact antithesis of what a church is supposed to be. Instead of being empty, there's overflow crowds. Well, the devil hates that. Often our greatest opposition will come at home. I faced 25 years of media opposition, horrendous media opposition in Australia. ultimately became global falsely accused of a crime that thank God after a 25 year battle I was vindicated from and I was accused of 1999 I found out my father had abused a boy which is shattering I was 45 at the time, 45 years of age, the first time I'd ever heard anything like that. And these were things that happened early 1970s. So when I was about 15 years of age and sort of gone all that time to to 45 years of age before I heard anything about it, that was 1999. It shattered me. My father was my hero. I loved him. I wanted to be like him when I grew up. He was an evangelist. He would hold revival. He'd go into a city and start preaching the gospel and moving in the gifts of the Holy Spirit in an even small town. He'd stay one week, two weeks, three weeks, up to six weeks and the crowds would grow and grow and the move of the Holy So I love my dad. I wanted to be like him. I'd watch him fly away to preach somewhere and I was a little boy. I'm like, I want to do that one day. so shattering when I found out he was accused of abusing a boy. As time went on, I found out it was much bigger problem that my father was a serial pedophile. So, it was personally shattering. But what made it even harder was I had gone to the church board and told them about it uh straight away. I'd gone to his church board. He was pastor of another church in Sydney to the Hill Song board to the national executive of the AG, the Assemblies of God. I talked to all these people. Eventually, I talked to the leadership and the staff of our church. One Easter, I talked about it. In fact, I believe that God challenged me to make sure I keep speaking about it. and uh ultimately a whole Hill Song conference in a massive basketball arena where the Sydney Olympics were. I told thousands and thousands of people from the stage my father had sexually abused a boy. Why am I telling you all this? Well, in the end to encourage you, but it's a narrative started to emerge. And the narrative was that I had covered it up. It was a life in the pit of hell. But that false narrative, the media got a hold of it, politicians got a hold of it, and it went on for 25 years until ultimately in 1999, I found out in 2014 in Australia, they had like an inquiry. It's called a royal commission into institution institutional child abuse which of course was looking into pedophilia and child abuse uh all the way from the Catholic Church to the Boy Scouts and it the impact of it was good uh in that let's hope that it helped solve the problem and confront the problem. But the leader of the Salvation Army said to me before I ever went in, I had to go. I was subpoenaed to go to this Royal Commission. And the head of the Salvation Army, the commissioner, he said to me, uh, they're church haters. And to be honest, I think they were. Uh, again, let me say it's good that hopefully things were changed for victims. uh people whose lives have been destroyed but it was an environment that was so aggressive. So 1999 remember I was 45 I found out 2014 there's a royal commission 2016 I find out the police are investigating me by the way it wasn't a young boy at the time that was talking who who was accusing my father of child abuse. It was a 37y old man. It was a 37y old man talking about things that had happened in the early 1970s. And so, yes, it it was horrific time. But now the police are involved. And so 2021, 1999, 2014, 2016, the police done investigating me for 5 years that's going on. And every time the media ran another story, every every program you can imagine on television, every news outlet, media outlet, newspaper, everyone. And so this was the truth. But this was like a false narrative that emerged. And ultimately 2021 I get charged under a lot of political pressure, a lot of media pressure because our church is high profile and well it was two years. It was two years until finally August 2023 after three and a half weeks in the courtroom having to walk up the steps to the main courtroom in downtown Sydney with the media chasing me and microphones and you know what it's like lights and provocative questions for three and a half weeks in a trial. My wife and I would have to go up there every day, come back down at night, and get the same harassment every single time for three and a half weeks. Ultimately, the judge gave a 90minute finding, an hour and a half, and he actually said, "I find this the exact opposite to a cover up." And uh I was vindicated. But I'm telling you right now, But I'm telling you that that's why we need the power of Holy Spirit at home in our Jerusalem because that's often where the greatest opposition comes. I thank God that pursuit church, Pastor Russell. Amen. You receive power because the Holy Ghost is upon you and no weapon standing against you can prosper. God will have his way. I find often times it's when the greatest challenge comes that the greatest growth and expansion happens. But of course, it's also where I'm talking about home Jerusalem. It's also where many times you receive your greatest blessing. We pioneer things, business people here, people who maybe have an initiative that you're about to launch here at home. Well, you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has upon you for home, for here, for Jerusalem. Hill Song Church. Some of you obviously know, maybe others don't, but it did have music and worship that touched the globe and many, many other things that God blessed. And uh what I what I love about it is that well what God started in our Jerusalem. You know sometimes we feel like a prophet with that honor in her own hometown in her own country but seeds that you're planting right now. entrepreneurial things, business ideas, perhaps something deep down inside you in terms of serving God in one way or the other. You shall receive power. You shall receive. You shall receive power because the Holy Ghost has come upon you and that seed is going to turn into a mighty fruitful harvest because why? because you have received the Holy Ghost and he is leading you here in your Jerusalem. So great blessings also come and what God can take to the ends of the earth often times start at home. So yes, you receive power that the Holy Ghost come upon you first in Jerusalem then in Judea. Well, Judea wasn't a different place. Jerusalem was in Judea. So in other words, it wasn't about moving somewhere else. No, it was about expansion. It was about the fact that your impact was just Jerusalem, but now it's Judea. All of Judea. And I wanted to come and bring you a message of expansion in your own world, in your own life. I'm not speaking geographically right now. I'm speaking about what God can do to expand your ministry, to expand your church. Acts chapter 6:7, listen to it. It says, "As the word of God spread, the number of disciples multiplied greatly." It's talking about growth and spread. When God is doing something, yes, we see growth in your own life. You see growth in your ministry, growth in your business, growth in your dreams, growth in the things you're believing for. But when God is moving, well, then the word of God spreads. The news gets around. Isaiah 54:3, the Lord said that he would expand his people. We will I will expand you from the left and to the right and your children, your descendants will be mighty on the earth. Let's take a hold of that today. Cuz not only here at Pursuit Church is God bringing multiplication and growth, but he's also bringing expansion. That's why you've had the week you've had. If you were doing nothing, nobody would care. But because the kingdom of God is advancing, the devil is retreating. He hates losing ground. So I speak again into this ministry, but into you individually as well. Expansion from Jerusalem to all Judea. There's business people here. And I don't know what that's going to look like, but expansion is coming your way. There's people here, you know, uh, some expansion. I don't want Look, I've been receiving a lot of expansion around here to the left and to the right. I looked at you, Pastor Russell, and I thought, those are the skinniest legs I've ever seen. But I was, it was envy. It was envy. It was jealousy. Cuz one time I was pretty thin like that. You know, he's spiritual. He never eats. And so expansion for you. Again, if I could just tell you, I one time many years ago when I first started coming to America, the first person I really ever knew in America was Pastor Casey Treat on the other side of the city. And he invited me here when nobody knew who I was. And so it was in that season that I was literally in Los Angeles waiting for the flight out to Australia. Always goes late at night, 10 10:30, 11:30 at night. And so I rent a car and was just doing my thing around Los Angeles. And I was sitting up on Sunset Boulevard. Uh Sunset Boulevard has a little strip of cafes and restaurants called Sunset Plaza. behind there there's a car lot and behind that car lot there is a park bench and I remember sitting down there on a park bench looking out over Los Angeles under the fog and the smog and the marine layer looking out over this great city. I was young. I was much much younger. We're talking over 30 years ago. And the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, "I'm going to give you influence in this country." Well, you know, naturally speaking, I I don't couldn't see how that could ever happen. Nobody knew who Hillong was. Nobody really outside, you know, just a few churches sung Hillong worship cuz no one knew who I was. I hardly knew anyone in America. And I'm talking about Jerusalem to Judea. And I'm talking about it to encourage you to expect God to expand your borders. Amen. When it comes to opportunity, when it comes to influence, when it comes to God's promise on your life, when it comes to your dream and your vision, have an expectation he'll expand your borders. Because sometimes you just can't see it. I couldn't see it. How that could possibly have a country of hundreds of millions of people. the most significantly powerful country in the world. How could God give me influence here? Well, the rest is history. Not only did our worship touch the continents of the world and literally millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions of albums and downloads, etc. of Hillsong worship. No one knew Hillsong Church was. We even had a hillong channel here in the US and England and Australia and other parts of the world for 5 years. And uh God opened doors for me personally I never imagined. And I'm telling you all of that not just to talk about me but to encourage you because I believe Jerusalem is wonderful. Our greatest challenges often start in Jerusalem but it's also a place of pioneering. We started that little church and do you know at the time 70 people turned up 70 1983. So 42 years ago and so 70 people first week and I thought this is exciting. That was great. Second week there was 65 people. Third week there were 53 people. True story. Fourth week, there were 45 people. And it worked out there were only four and a half more weeks until there was nobody left. We needed a move of God desperately. But at that time, it's amazing what God can use cuz right where I used to preach in a little school hall hung down two of those gymnastic ropes. And one time I was preaching, I got a little bit too excited. I was only 29 years old when we started. So, while I'm preaching, I grabbed one of those ropes and swung out over the congregation, which wasn't hard. They only went back about two or three rows, swung out over the congregation, and swung back again, and kept preaching. And I didn't think much more of it. But it turns out there was a young guy there who went out that week and talked to all his friends and said, "Hey, you guys should come to this new church. The pastor swings on a rope like a monkey." And so that week, that week, he brought nine young guys to church and all nine of them gave their lives to Jesus. Yeah. The following week, the following week, he went out again and brought 11 more and they all gave their lives to Christ. In the last in three weeks of his life, he led 30 people to Jesus, which is pretty amazing. And then the crazy part of the story is after that 3 weeks he was riding his motorcycle home from the naval base where he worked and lost control, hit a tree and went to be with the Lord. And so the last three weeks of his life, he led 30 people to Jesus. But the fruit of his life has never ended from that day to this because it became the forerunner of all that God was about to do. So I've learned never to underestimate what God can do in Jerusalem and then how he can expand your life all Judea. Next the scripture says you'll receive power to be witness unto me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria. Well, again, let me say I'm not speaking geographically really here, but Samaria that was different all together. When Jesus spoke to a woman beside a well, she was a Samaritan woman. He broke so many cultural barriers. Firstly, that a Jewish rabbi would be speaking to a woman. I mean, that just wasn't done. But to double down on that, not just a woman, a Samaritan woman, Samaritan unclean. That was again the beginning of the way God break through barriers, takes us where we never imagined we could ever go. In Acts chapter 10, Peter the Apostle, he has this weird dream. Ultimately, the dream meant eating things that to a Jewish man, a devout Jewish man, were unclean. But again, at the same time, in Cesaria, quite a distance away, is a gentile man called Cornelius, who's described as devout and generous. And in his devotion and generosity, God gave him a vision and a dream that there was someone called Peter in So ultimately his people Cornelius's people find Peter and they take him to Cesaria and Peter did what Peter does. He preached to them. These people were not Jewish people. But all of a sudden, the first non-Jewish people to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, they were That's right. They were not Jewish people. They were in Cesaria. But the gift of the Holy Ghost broke through what were previously barriers and reached people that at the time those who were of the faith would never have believed the Holy Spirit would reach. See, that's what God does. He breaks down doors in your life right now. I believe the Holy Spirit can break down doors that perhaps your greatest blessing is going to come from a source you could never ever have imagined because God Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, do you know when in the Old Testament God's people were in Babylon under captivity? So they're away from Jerusalem. That was their home. That was their that's where they wanted to be. But instead of that, they find themselves against their own will in in Babylon. And Babylon, of course, was a a heathen type place. But in the middle of all of that, the king Cyrus, he is a Persian king. In other words, Iranian Persian. He is a Persian king. And this Persian king, obviously not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, not even then in the Old Testament, a believer in the God that we know. But God used him. God used him. He told these people in Babylon, these Jewish people, number one, that they could go, they could go back to Jerusalem. Number two, he told them that he would receive an offering through all of Babylon to send them on their way. And number three, he promised to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Remember, he was not devout when it comes to the things of God as we know them. And yet, he wants to be a blessing to the Jewish people. He wants to free them and let them go home. and he wants to help them build the temple. An Iranian, a Persian, never underestimate who God can use. It would be like Ayatollah Kamini in in uh Iran wanting to help you build your next church building. That's how outrageous it is. I've learned never to underestimate where blessing can come from and you receive power. What's the power for? So that you may be a witness. Your story, your testimony, it all points to the grace of God. Witness unto him in Jerusalem home, then all Judea expansion, then Samaria. Amen. Samaria. I I had 25 years of sustained media opposition, persecution. uh like I I haven't got time to tell you but it's just been horrific in Australia. Uh and then ultimately globally lies told and all sorts of things written. Ultimately I know of seven documentaries about Hill Song. Not for any other reason than the devil hates what God blesses. And so here we are now in the middle of all of this opposition from the media from it seemed like all the media secular media atheistic media. But one time I went into one of the channels one of the major channels in Australia got interviewed for about five minutes by possibly the most well-known most recognized media faith in Australia. And so he interviewed me on TV for 5 minutes in a morning show. And at the end he said, "Hey, Brian, can can I get your phone number?" And I'm like, you know, I don't normally give my phone number to hostile press. But he said to me that he liked my communication and he wanted to talk to me about communication. Well, over the next years, he and I became friends. I've been to his house. He'd been to my house. She took me out on on boats on Sydney Harour. You name it, we became friends. Why am I telling you all that? Because again, out of a hostile environment, God can pick one person in your world, in your life, even if there's hostility around you, God can take one person, one King Cyrus, and he can break barriers. That's the power of the Holy Ghost. I'm finishing. that you shall receive power that the Holy Ghost come upon you where? Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. That's called Australia. The ends of the earth. I started the other way around. I started at the ends of the earth, making my way all the way back to Jerusalem. The ends of the earth, the great unknown, where feet might fail. There I found you on the water. The great unknown oceans. Yeah, you know the song oceans. Some of you some of you know ta who sung that. Well, people confuse me with ta all the time when I start to sing. And so the great unknown. I love the idea where feet may fail. there. I'll find you in the mystery. Colossians 1:9 talks about the mystery of his will. You see, I love the fact that God, he leads you in Jerusalem all the way out to the great unknown. You just don't know. You just don't know what God's got out there for you. You just don't know who God can use to bless you. You just don't know where God can take you. For some, maybe you can take it geographically, but I'm thinking much more about your impact and your influence and your service of King Jesus and how God can use you and take you from something that perhaps seems so ignant. Bring expansion to your world, bring expansion to your dreams. Some people don't even want that, which is sad because we're here to serve Jesus Christ. We're here to make a difference. this church. You're in a church. You're in the right church because it's making a difference. And then the devil gets mad. You It's a great great sign. It's a great great sign that you're on the right track. Praise God. And you know what? Every weapon that was formed against us has not prevailed. And every single weapon that is formed against you will not cannot shall not prevail cuz God God's hand is on your lives. God's hand is on your church. Do you know Jesus personally? Have you made a decision, a constant conscious conscious decision to surrender ownership of your life to him? He loves you. He is for you. He has great things for you. I'm going to lead people in a prayer right now, inviting Jesus Christ into your life. And there are some people here who will pray that prayer for the very first time. Maybe you've known the Lord at some point, but somewhere along the way you lost your way. God doesn't move. He said, "I'll never leave you nor forsake you." He's the constant. He's the constant. But we can be making decisions that have us living dislocated, alienated from the center of God's will. Listen to me. Look at me. What a perfect morning to decide that you're going to make that decision. The kind of decision where you know that you know that you know that Jesus is alive in your world in your heart. Wonder how many people here would let me pray with you that prayer asking Christ into your life. The Bible says if you ask him to come in he will come in and he'll dwell with you. Could we all stand for a moment? The 9:30 service. Look at me this way. Just stay still for a moment. If you can, if you can look this way. Have you made that choice? I'm simply going to ask everyone in this place to close your eyes. Do that now. Close your eyes. Think about where you're at spiritually. Whether you've made that conscious decision to surrender to Jesus, whether you're serving him, whether Jesus at the center today, and if not, I want to pray for you. We don't need to take a lot of time, but I'm going to count to three and on three, I'm going to ask every single person everywhere who says, "Brian, when you pray for people to make that decision for Christ, to get right with him, would you include me in the prayer?" Then on three, I'm going to ask you to raise your hand. You're not going to be the only one. You're not going to be the only one. I believe there's going to be many hands. And today is a day of turnaround for people. You can start on that great adventure, that story of serving God that can take you to the great unknown. You just don't know what God has in store for you. So, like I say, I'll count to three and on three, if you say, Brian, please include me in that prayer, you raise your hand, and then we'll pray. Here we go. You ready for it? Ready to raise your hands on three. Here we go. One, two, three. Lift them up. Lift them up high. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. A lot of hands around the building. Anyone else? Quickly before I pray. Anyone else raise your hand. Come on. Let's give these people a great big congratulations. Thank God for it. Beautiful. And I wonder if out loud, boldly, the whole congregation will pray this prayer after me. And if you raised your hand, of course, you're praying this to Jesus. Today is your day. Today is a day of salvation. So out loud, bold, let's all pray this prayer. Dear Jesus, Dear Jesus, this is my decision. This is my decision to surrender ownership of my life to surrender ownership of my life to the Lord Jesus Christ. to the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of you, Jesus, because of you, Jesus, my sins are forgiven. My sins are forgiven. From this moment, From this moment, I'm a child of God. I'm a child of God. A new creation. A new creation. A follower of Jesus Christ. Follower of Jesus. Thank you for your love and grace. In Jesus' name. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Come on, give them a big congratulations. Beautiful. Beautiful. My time's gone. My time's gone. But I'm telling you, it's great to be here. And thank you, my friend. We're so excited to have you tonight at the Seattle campus as well. Thank you. And I thought it was just I'm looking for your increase to come my way. And so, if you'd share, if you'd share. But man, what an opportune sermon for today. You know, we we coordinated with Pastor Brian's team like months ago. We didn't know all this stuff was going down this week. and a guy who's been on the front lines fighting the fight, not giving up, standing strong to encourage us today. Come on. Can we thank Pastor Brian Houston one more time? Powerful. Powerful. We're going to be back at it tonight 6 p.m. Seattle campus, brand new sermon, and then of course marketplace tomorrow in the gymnasium 6 p.m. We'd love to have you there as well. God bless you as you go. Thanks for joining us for Pursuit and uh look forward to seeing you here real soon. We're going to get ready to start that second service. Thanks for joining us. Wow, that was so amazing. We are so honored and privileged that we got to hear from Brian Houston from Hillsong Church. It was a powerful service. We have a couple of announcements for you guys. Tonight at Pursuit Seattle at 6:00, we have Brian Houston preaching again. And so if you weren't here at the 9:30 or the 11:00 here in Kirkland, make sure to make it out to Seattle. And then also tomorrow night here at Pursuit Kirkland, we have our market event with not only Brian Houston, but Pastor Russell and Jay Coupeman. It's going to be an amazing time. Make sure to invite a friend, invite a family member, and also just stay connected with us throughout the week on all social media plat platforms at the Pursuit NW or go to our website the pursuitw.com. We're so thankful that you joined us today and we'll see you next week. will carry on into eternity. And your voice keeps calling and my heart is falling in love with you over again. You are my fire. You're my desire. You are the one that I seek. You are my joy, my everything.