Good morning is good to be home. Oh my gosh, it's great to be home, but it was great to be in Georgia. I mean, it was just phenomenal to be a part of something that's a first. It's always one of those things you're going, how did God pick somebody from Portland, Texas?
How did God pick somebody from Bowling, Texas? Come on, come on, come on. It's only God who could do stuff like that. We did the first marriage conference in Tbilisi, and again, Tootisi, we split the pastors and elders and their wives, and did two marriage conferences, the first one in the nation.
And let me tell you something, your founding pastor's wife Sally Sweeney lit the world up. I mean, absolutely lit the world up. One of the Bible teachers who gets up and does the clothes, and he says, all the men are very happy. Because it's one of the first times they had a woman speak to women in a marriage conference.
And she talked about loving her husband, and he just rocked their world. And it's like, wow, the other guys did a great job as well, phenomenal job. The next morning he walks to me and says, the men are still happy. So that's wonderful.
Speaking of bed, you get up and speak and talk about encouraging your spouse. And right, I'm sitting there talking to this individual. I heard his lady walk up to her. She goes, I really needed that.
I need to look at my husband that way. I need to treat my husband that way. The ladies that marriage conference just has the potential to really change the trajectory of that nation. Not just the church, you got something about the nation.
They bring pastors in 200 plus couples or pastors and their wives and elders of different churches. And when you speak that way, that's not normal in their culture to have a woman speak. Well, then we get to Sunday, and I'm going to the church and I'm speaking at, and we're sitting there before the church service. We think we're hospitable.
We have no idea what hospitality is. I mean, it's just like we are just like, I mean, it's like, wow, we're amateurs in hospitality. We get there before the service, and they have to spread out for Becky. Now, just the two of us, man, it's like 25 people can eat off the spread.
They're like, oh, we got cakes and coz I said, I'm sorry, I can't eat before I preach. I just can't do that. So Becky took it for the team and Becky said. Had to eat sweets.
And so we're there and we're closing down. And right before we get to the start of the service, he goes, he tells the translator, oh, by the way, we want both of you all to speak. And Becky said, what? I didn't come prepared.
That's my first job on Sunday morning. And so she's scrambling during worship. She's nervous. I'm like, anybody else would be.
And then all of a sudden, like you see, God just took over. You know, they introduced her. She gets up and speaks. It's like, well, she can preach that message.
I'll just sit down and watch. Again, phenomenal timing. And all of a sudden, it's like, Lord, we stood up. And this is not not about not normal in a church service.
The Lord gave me two prophetic words for two different individuals in the church, for two young people. And the church was like, wow. And I spoke to them afterwards. They were like, that's God confirming things in my life.
And it's like, wow. And again, hospitality, church service, they feed me. And I'm like, full to hear. I get in a car and drive an hour and then I have to preach again.
And we walk in. Literally, worship is going. We literally walk into the building. Worship is going.
God is stirring things. And our transcendent comes over to Becky and says, until the pastors run Beverly, our pastor from Hayes. Joey Pineda, our pastor from Wes. And Stephen Pitts, our pastor, and he goes, I want all three pastors to share.
He's like, okay, Becky's like, oh, I got the night off. And they said, oh, by the way, we want Becky to share as well. That speaks something to you guys. Sally and Becky in the Tbilisi area lit their world up.
They want to hear from women as well of what God is doing. And the Koutaisi team had some very similar things as well. I mean, just a powerful time of ministry in both East and West part of Georgia. God is changing that nation.
And then afternoon, we say afternoon of that into the marriage conference, 2.30 afternoon we're finished. And Miles was able to preach at four o'clock to the youth. Now, youth means 15 to 25 years of age. And they're like, oh, we can get back to the hotel.
We're like, oh, we want to stay. We want to watch this whole thing. We want to watch everything that we can draw from you guys as well as, and Miles teaches on unbelief. And it's like, holy cow.
But before that, they do a worship. They do a worship. And they do a song. I kind of figure out what the name of the song was.
Because what you're sitting here with 15 to 25 year olds, and there's probably 250, 300, 15 to 25 year olds. Stop and get that for a second. I don't know what church in this nation that's got stuff like that going on. And the worship leader, young guy named David, begins to sing.
And I'm thinking, man, I don't know what in the world this song is. It's in Georgian. And I'm trying to figure out what this song is. Afterward, he speaks great English.
So I woke up to him. I said, what was that song? And the name of the song is the anthem by a guy named Jake Hamilton. And it just one of those things you go, God, show me the future of this church, the future of this nation.
And they're singing a song that says this. This is the anthem of our generation. Here we are, God, shake our nation. All we need is your love.
You captivate me. This is the anthem of our generation. You are God, shake our nation. All we need is your love.
You captivate me. And they're singing that over and over and over. And they come out of that and say this, I am royalty. I have a destiny.
I have been set free. I'm going to shake history. I am royalty. I have destiny.
I have been set free. I'm going to shake history. What does God have for the future of Georgia? Oh, my gosh.
These are young people who got this. And so I've been to Georgia many times and they say a greeting. I've said over and over and over and I'm thinking it's like hello. And it is like hello.
It's Gamajoba. And basically what I mean is this, victory to you. Their country has been a country that's continued to fight and always been at war, always been at odds with somebody. So they greet each other, victory to you.
Victory to your family. Can you imagine you say that to each other not, hey hello, how are you doing, but victory to you. Victory over you. Victory to your family.
Their culture is like, hey, we're going to be victorious. Even though the Russians are on the border coming towards them, they're saying, hey, victory's coming. God's got us. So church, let me tell you something.
Somebody say, we all get to go. They're not listening. There's no you. It's a we.
We go. Back to the Irish, the physical bodies, some of the elders are gone, some of the different members are gone. One of you will go through about the years. It's not a we.
Every time we grace to be fellowshiped, court and go. We need to see that. Because you gave money to help impact that nation. Helping bring pastors to get trained.
Youth people to get lit up. You had Stephen and Lindsey and Levena and Leanne Pelly who went last year to teach in children's ministry. Church, we're impacting a nation. But I just live in a little Horton, Texas or bowling, Texas.
I live in Eastwood. No, you live in a kingdom environment. Amen? Let me share some other things with you.
It's not Georgia related. But you saw that GCF Waco bought some land. Let me tell you what your elders and pastors did. There was a funder outside of GMI who said, we'll match up to $100,000 to help that thing get off the ground.
We've always been at church that believes in missions. We've always been at church that believes in giving. So we as your pastor said, up to $100,000? Yeah.
Well, we as GCF Horton gave $25,000. Which in reality is $50,000 to help buy that. Because we have members of this church, members of this location who are going to be a part of what God's doing there. And what God's doing in this nation.
Amen? That's exciting. But all he is exciting. You know how God does things sometimes you go in a lie now and why in this situation?
Well, are you the soundboard broke here about three months ago, two months ago? Andrew and Andrew said, hey, it broke and we're like, we got to replace that. I love you, Andrew and I love the youth ministry. But if we're going to upgrade something, we're going to upgrade the sound booth in the sanctuary.
And we're going to do things that way. Well, Brian Bates, more who attends the GCF and Needville church said, hey guys, I can get you two soundboards that are upgraded for both of those for the price of what you would have paid just for one for the youth building. So we've upgraded our sound system in here. We put different speakers in here.
So we go, man, things have changed. But here's what happened. And then I talked about, hey, let's sell that stuff, make some money back. And we've sat on it a little bit, we've sat on it a little bit and all of a sudden, we need a sound system.
So not only have we done any of the money to work, they were down on a soundboard, a snake, the speakers that came out of here. Hear me again. It's we. Not the passion of it.
We a church. That's who you are. That's who we are. Amen?
Well, good morning. Welcome to Grace Media Fellowship. If you're a guest who's been here for the past two weeks, I'm Michael Lemas on the lead pastor of this church. I feel like I'm a visitor.
It's like, man, I've been in church all week in the office, but I haven't been in church. This is church. And we've been talking about who is Jesus. Oh my gosh, who is Jesus?
He's the bread of life. He's the door. He's the good shepherd. He's the resurrection and the life.
And I'm going to tell you something, church. I'm so excited. Listen, I'm about a message and a half in. I heard Sam's from last week.
I watched 19 water baptisms. Oh my gosh. I cried through several of them. I mean, just amazing.
I want to be in two places at once. And I'm halfway through Andrew's message. Let me tell you this. If you've missed church and you have not heard any of these four or one of these four, go back and listen to them.
Well, Pastor Michael, listen, I know I've heard about the good shepherd, the resurrection, and the life. Listen, there's something that always gets inside of me when I hear people say that. I've heard that. Okay.
So let's take that for a fact. You've read your Bible one time through, so you never need your Bible again. That's goofy thinking. Well, I've heard that before.
I've heard that before. I've heard that before. I've heard things like that before. I love what Peter says in 2 Peter 1 12.
What Peter says this towards a dying and his life, he says, for this reason, I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. We need to be established in present truth. Well, I've heard that. We'll hear it again.
I heard Sam's message and God spoke to me about different things halfway through Andrew's and God's been through different things. It's like this. I cut onions. And every time I cut onions, what's going to happen to me?
I'm going to cry. Every time I listen to a message, something is going to touch me. If it doesn't touch me, I'm dead. Well, Pastor, I've already heard that message.
I've already heard messages like that. Well, it sounds to me like you're spiritually dead. Or, as Stephen said, you've already arrived. Oh, just quiet all of a sudden.
Well, why do you get quiet? Because it's truth. And because I'm a good pastor with a shepherd, I love you. I want to take the truth.
And it's not just an American thing. That's worldwide. Oh, I'm a marriage conference. I've heard teachers.
Really? And when Sally was done that first night, they're like, oh my Lord. Yeah. No, it's got shifted.
Things got changed. So this morning, I'm going to talk about something that's so vitally important to us, connecting to the vine. Who is Jesus? I am the true vine.
The true vine. In this important, if we're not plugged into the vine, we're not plugged into the vine. If we're not plugged into God, we're in trouble. Thank you for the 50 years that amen.
The other 250 of you, let's keep going together. Because we got to get this. I promise we got to get this. Because this is one of those messages you stop and go, hold on a second.
I've heard that. But am I living that? Big differences. Hearing and living are two different things.
It's like coming to church without a Bible. It's the weirdest thing I think is a Christian. Well, pastor, I got a digital device right here. Yes, you do have a digital device right here.
And it's so easy to text while I'm teaching. Anyway, I am the true vine. John 15, one through away. So I am the true vine and my father is the gardener.
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit. While every branch that does not bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because the word I've spoken to you remain in me as I will also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself.
It must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine. You are the branches.
If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do some things. You can do partial things. Apart from me, you can do nothing.
If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. This is to my father's glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Now as you were saying, there's other vines out there, yes. But that's really not the big focus here at theologically on what he says. I am the true vine. I am the ultimate vine.
The only place you find life is in me. The only place you find sustenance is in me. The only way you change your life is in me is what he is saying here. Now Jesus is speaking to an agricultural community understanding.
We're a farming community. No, no, no. We're a farming community, but we understand cotton. We understand corn.
He's talking to a community that understands cultivating vineyards. A wine culture. Making wine, understanding wine, understanding how it's made, how it's pressed. And they everyday walked by vineyards and saw branches connected to the vines.
And we go, oh, I somewhat understand that. It's great. But for our culture, let me change it just a little bit. Let me give you a different metaphor because what happens sometimes we get hung up and go like bear fruit, produce fruit.
I'm going to produce fruit, self-control. I'm going to control myself. I'm going to produce anything. We can't produce anything.
We can bear it. What do we bear? It's the life coming into us, the life living in us. Amen?
Tell me all about the lab because you all experience some of that stuff. Now there's you left at me, I understand. Listen, if we live in the half of a valley, we live in California. We would understand that.
Can you give me a picture? Can you give me a picture for me, Skyler? This is a better picture for us. We're that deep sea stiver down there and see that hose?
That's life. If that hose gets cut, he's dying. She's dying. That hose is what gives us life if we're down at the bottom of the sea.
That's the hose that we have connected to us to Jesus every single day of our life. But it's amazing how many of us crimps that hose? How many of us tie that hose off? How many of us unhook that hose going?
I can live this life by myself, without air. Any connection to God, without a Bible, without a Holy Spirit, without Jesus. Oh, come on church. Nothing survives underwater like that.
That's human. Amen? So as we read John 15, we saw 11 times the word remain. In the Greek it's the word meno.
M-E-N-O, meno. And this is important because we understand to remain is to have that tube tied to us. No, it's not a biblical cord. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no to God is inside of us.
And if you think about it, it's really simply this, your relationship with Jesus is a union. When you're born again, you come into a union with God, but communion is something totally different. Communion is having to build that relationship with Him. I love Becky 27 years later.
We're on year 27, but I've known for about 29 years. And the first two years, it's like, oh yeah, some girl who comes to church named Becky Yellen. I have no idea, I just feel like this is a young girl who comes in who was a little strange. We're real with each other.
We tell it, 27 years in, we tell it's Ruth. If you want the provision of Michael, come see her and she'll tell you the same thing. Neredy geeky spiritual Michael, that's what she'll tell you. But here's the deal, for us to have a relationship, we had to have communion, we had to relate to each other, we had to connect with each other.
It wasn't just instantaneous, like, oh, great, let's get married, no, no, no, no. Heck, it was only God who did that. But it required communion, it required relationship. And listen to me marriages in here, so many marriages who don't understand what a body needs.
Well, we had a marriage ceremony, we're connected, no, you have a union, you don't have a communion. You have a union that means you're connected to each other, but communion is totally different. Communion is developing and maintaining a relationship with each other, talking to each other, sharing your hopes and dreams with each other, sharing your disappointments with each other, loving each other, serving each other. But there's so many marriages that are just on routine, loss of love.
It's like, man, what's going on here? And they come in for counseling, they sit down across from back and on, and they talk to me for a few minutes, and I'm going, okay, let's talk about that for a second. When's the last time you had a real talk? When's the last time you said, I'm disappointed in you when you did this?
I mean, I love you because you do this. I mean, I love you just because I love you. I mean, these are my dreams for us. I mean, these are my disappointments for us.
These are things I wish we would have done different. So why don't we think we wish we would have done different and help give them to other young couples, to give them to our kids' children, to give them to our grandchildren, not force them but give them. Oh, we'll pass through, you know, yeah, wait, we love each other, do you really? Are you just living the same bed together?
Eating the same food together? Or is there real love? I can say this with all sincerity, Becky down on that stage in Georgia. And it's like, whole world.
I can't help smiling, my face is hurting, but she's doing it. And you feel your cheeks like, man, stop smiling so much. It's like, wow, and it's just like, wow, and she gets off the stage. It's always the same thing as it had to do.
Oh, you did wonderful. Because we have so much communion. We talk about those things, we talk about messages, we spend time together, love my girls, but they have two different lives, and they're gonna lead somewhere else. But the communion here is so wonderful.
It's like we have meals together and we talk. We sit across each other, and we have a great time together, we laugh, we hold hands. It's just amazing. Come on, man.
But here's the reality of that. That's just an outflow of what's going on between me and Father God. It's an outflow of what's going on with her and Father God. Because if it wasn't happening in both of our lives, it wouldn't be happening together.
This is not a marriage message, but let me ask you a marriage question. Is your marriage having communion, or is it just a union? Do you have communion with each other, or is it just a union? We're committed to not get divorced.
Congratulations, everybody's doing that. But what I want us to talk about is that communion with each other and communion with Father God. So let me ask you some simple questions. Do you have a daily devotional life?
Do you meet with the Lord daily? You don't even have a Lord daily, then how do you have that air hose giving you any kind of life? Do you think God daily? Thank you for your blessing, thank you for your home, thank you for your car, thank you for breathing.
God, thank you for getting me here on time. Thank you God for whatever that is, a heart of gratitude is just thankful and thankful all throughout the day. Do you confess your sins to Him immediately? So that you can have a great and healthy relationship with Him?
Well, I've been holding on to the sin. Why? You've tied off the air hose. Confession immediately, get things right with Him.
Do you involve Jesus in the decisions you make? Now, I know what some y'all just said. Yeah, I've involved Jesus in big decisions. I didn't say big decisions.
You inserted big decisions. In every decision you make. Do you involve Jesus in your decisions? Ooh boy, it's getting quiet all of a sudden.
But, sure, let's be honest, this is abiding. And you abide in Him, He's involved in every aspect of your life. Pastor, that's my money. Okay, good for you.
Cause I didn't realize you made your own way to your own job. God's the one who gave you your job. So Pastor Michael, you're talking about abiding. You're talking about these simple, simple things in our lives.
That's a simple, simple thing. Because these are all very easy things we should do on a daily basis. As a Christian. So what's the evidence that we're abiding in Jesus?
Oh, thank you for asking the question. What's the evidence? We bear or produce fruit. We bear or produce fruit.
If you look at Ezekiel 15 or John 11, here are two things. The branches of the fruit are either fruit, you're producing or the branches become fuel for fire. You're either bearing fruit or it's burning. One or the other.
If you're not bearing fruit, listen to me. You're not fulfilling your purpose here on the earth. Hold on a sec, stay with me. And if you're not fulfilling your purpose on earth, then you're not gonna be fulfilled.
Oh, what do you mean fulfilled? Tonight, go to bed, you're asleep and you wake up in the morning and you go, oh, another day. Oh, I gotta do my job. Or do you get out of bed or spring up and go, woo, another day.
I get to go to work, I get to be around people. I get to spend life because I'm fulfilled in what I do. Oh, I got this dead end job. Man, I gotta go to this day.
Because you're not fulfilled. Because you're not bearing fruit. You're not producing life. Oh, come on, church.
Let me say this way. If you're not spending your life, if you're spending your life instead of investing your life, you're wasting your life. If you're spending your life instead of investing your life, you're wasting your life. Because here's the deal.
I don't even have them yet. Great grandchildren. I mean, that's not even a thought in the world. Heck, I don't even have a son-in-laws.
They're not even on the calendar yet. But I think about what Becky and I are producing today for our great grandchildren. I want to invest my life. That when I die, people don't forget.
Come on. The kingdom. So, church, are you producing fruit or fuel? We're expected to produce fruit in our lives.
But let me first do two things we'll talk about the fruit of our lives here, so two things I need to understand very quickly. Because I'm going to hear some elderly people. You decide elderly what elderly means. There's some elderly 15-year-olds.
Oh, oh, oh, I feel so tough. Oh, man. It's just so, oh, I'm just, wait a sec. The world is about these days.
So you decide what elderly means. There are two important things to understand. One, health does not keep us from embodying in Jesus, or bearing fruit. I didn't hear any of this from the elderly gallery.
Amen. Oh, Pastor, I'm retired. Oh, good for you. Second Corinthians 4, 16.
Therefore, we do not lose hope. Though, hourly, we are wasting away. Yet, inwardly, we are renewed day by day. What does wasting away means?
You're towards the end. You're getting old. And here's the deal, church. Throughout Christian history, you'll find old people over and over and over again, impacting the kingdom.
Pauli Cart was 86 years old, and he spent in the Roman Allynseum, not denying his faith, touching lives. 86. Well, Pastor, I'm only 70. Well, yes, what?
You got a couple more years. You get 86. Well, Pastor, I'm 87. Well, it's OK.
You can go to the Colosseum as well and give your life of Christ. Well, I'm just too old. Nonsense. Nonsense.
There you go, my car ball. Same in with me. It's true. My health.
My health gets me OK. Well, great. But at age, number two is age. Age doesn't keep us from abiding in bear fruit either.
Your health doesn't? Needed as your age. It's on 92 14. They will still bear fruit in old age.
They will still stay fresh and green. Come on. There you go, Dean. I love you.
Come on. God's taking Dean from Wharton, Texas, to Missouri to help minister with his son and help change lives over there. He's not retiring. He's just changing places of ministry.
And his health and his age don't make a difference. Oh, Pastor, this is a fresh and green part. The green part, well, I understand. We're saying fresh and the green branch has got to be a little healthy and a little vigorous.
But let me tell you something. We never know what it is. That's going to change somebody's life. But if we abide in him, our health and our age, you never know.
I got home and on Wednesday, Wednesday, Sam and I went and saw Lydia Sanders. If you don't know, Lydia Sanders is pretty close to going to be with the Lord. She had a stroke here not too long ago. But I walk in the door and it's one thing.
You go, man, that's a life well spent. I walk in the door and leave his eyes light up. And it's like, oh God, thank you. She can't communicate.
She really can't do anything. And all of a sudden, she starts doing this. Give me your hand. So I walk over, I hold her hand.
We're holding hands and she's bringing my hands. She's kissing my hand. Let me tell you something. That minister to me.
There she is in the bed about to go to heaven. And she's still ministering to me in her health and her age. So imagine what she's doing to all those nurses and all those people coming into her room. In the hospital now in the hospital, it's going, now you're still using her to minister to people.
Sam and I are there and all of a sudden, she and I connected and all of a sudden, she was holding Sam's hand too. I mean, it's like, man, this is you. So she's holding both of our hands at one time. Well, Patrick, I'm getting towards my end of my life.
I'm not worried about you. I know you don't. Don't be worried about me. But she may minister to me.
Do you even know it? So what's the fruit we should be producing? I'm glad you did it. I'm glad you asked that question.
Quickly one, three, quickly. It is quickly. There's five different fruits, very simple. Here's number one, the fruit of the spirit.
We should be producing the fruit of the spirit. We did it a whole series on that Galatians 5, 22, 23. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We know we should be producing these things.
And most of you are just like me. I know most of you in this room. We want to be more loving. Say, Patrick, you want to be more loving?
Oh, I'll try you more loving. Let me go. Man, that works. Ryan gave me a salty.
You're salty. I'm salty because I love you. And if I lost my soul, I should be going, what happened to that guy? Come on, I want to be more loving.
I want to be more joyful. I want to be more at peace. I want to have more kindness. I mean, even to people who are mean to me.
Even to people who say things bad about me. In person behind my back on social media, I still want to be kind to them. I want to be a good person. I want to be faithful, not unfaithful.
To my father, to my god. I want to keep my promises. What? Anyone I make, I want to keep my promises.
I like to be gentle. But those who are not very gentle to me. It's me going, you're gentle? Yeah, I am.
Yeah, I am. Hey, I like to have more self-control. You know, somebody said, man, look like you lost a weight. I walked a lot.
But I still want self-control from this. Oh, that's not a sin. Oh, for some people, it is. It's gluttonous in.
Not having self-control. Come on. And if we're not producing spiritual fruit, it's the fruit of the spirit, then it's evidence there's not a spiritual connection. That tube is not there.
You're not abiding in that tube if you're not producing the fruit of the spirit. You still don't have self-control after 15 years. You still don't have patience? Man alive, I'm learning patience.
I think Europe changed me a little bit. I don't know what it was. But there was people everywhere. And it's like, OK, cool deal.
You know what I'm saying? I'm like, all right. And my don't be having a behavioral behavior. I'm going to grab Becky's hand and let's get on this thing.
I'm going to push my way through. I don't care what happens. It's like, eh, there's another train coming. I don't know what happened here.
Something shifted. Well, because what happened is one of those weird things. It's like, you're not in church, but for a week, I thought I was in church every single day. You're with different people from Georgia.
You're in church all the time. You're in God's presence all the time. And also things like things are changing in me. Because I'm abiding in him in a different way.
And it's like, there's only one air tube up. And that's the only one I have. And it's like, God, I trust you. Because you're in different crowds in different places.
You have no idea what the world's going on. You can't speak the language. And the language is so backwards for you. And it's like, what in the world?
Him, give me an example. Mugha mugha mugha. Thank you, Father. You said the word mama.
Yeah, backwards. The word mama is word, Father, in Georgia. And you message your scrambles, your brain. But unless you're abiding in him, come on, church.
So how you doing for the spirit? Right. Oh, wait, hold on a second. Oh, watch me growin'.
Yeah, are you abiding? That's simple. Here's the second one. People.
If you're abiding in the vine, you're abiding in the true vine, you should be impacting people's lives. Romans 1, 13. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I plan many times to come to you, but have been prevented from doing so until now, in order that I might have a harvest among you. Just as I have had among the Gentiles.
Christians, if we're abiding in Christ, we should be impacting people's lives. Well, that's the pastor's job. No, that's the Christian's job. And if you're abiding in God, you should be impacting somebody's life every single day.
My patience has grown. My peace has grown, sharing Christ with people, living out with my neighbors, seeing things happen. Every one of us should be touching somebody else's life for God's kingdom. If we're abiding in God, people should be impacted by our life in a positive way.
Let me make sure I'm clear, in a positive way. Well, I had an attitude. Okay, that's not positive. Have a different attitude.
Come on. I love it, because you look at the scripture, you're different ones, you're different things. And you see different translations. Might attain some fruit.
You're talking about people here, leading people to Christ, helping disciple people. Well, pastor, I have never discipled somebody. What? Never discipled somebody?
Then what fruit are you producing? Matthew 28, 18-20, the great commission. Remember, we're to do what? Make disciples of all the nations.
We're supposed to disciple people. Well, my kids are gone. Oh, thank you, Jesus. Now you can disciple other adults.
You can disciple other people. Well, we've got quiet in here's the morning. That's fruit that's coming from our lives. And it's a simple spiritual connection.
Amen? Here's number three. I told you both are as quickly. It's not rocket science, but it's important.
Number three is giving. Oh, giving. Here it comes. Here comes the message of where we're going to beat people over to head for money.
You must not have never attended this church in the life of this church. Our founding pastor, Miles Sweeney, your current lead pastor, Michael Lewis, are never going to beat you over to head for money. And if you ever feel like somebody beats your head over for money from this pulpit, come see me. Because I will not be happy if I'm gone.
And I will correct whatever that looks like. But a person who's connected a body with Father God with that tube and every simply gives money, badge money, gives their life, their time, their talent, treasures the part of it. But it's not just giving it begrudgingly. Oh, I have to give.
I go to church. I have to give. You don't understand the spiritual principles of God in Malachi 3. You don't understand what tithe and offerings are very simply.
And you also, here's the old pastor. I gave money to that Waco thing. Oh, pastor, I gave money to this. Oh, pastor, I gave money to that.
Please don't do that to me. Because all you did is telling me is you gave money to look good in front of your pastor. If 5%, 10% of your conversations are about money you gave, you got a heart problem. Well, I went and I served the church.
And you got a heart problem. Well, that's all I'm talking about. Money, money, I gave this. I gave that.
I gave money. And you don't give money when you're manipulated. Beck and I were youth pastors many, many moons ago. And I'll be honest with you, there are some people that I won't even read their books.
Because these men were disgusting. We went to a thing with prayer and fasting. And they asked for the kids, it was a youth event, asked the kids to give money. OK, great.
You give money, wonderful. No big deal. And then it happened again about an hour and a half later. And then it happened again an hour and a half later.
And I'm going. It's a 12 hour event. They're going to give this thing about two or three more times. Sure enough.
Next time, they did it again. And I look at all our kids, I said, put your hands in your pocket and shove them down. They're like, what? I said, don't you give up penny.
They're like, yes, sir. OK. Somebody gets to where's the end of the event. And this is where I lost all respect for everyone, those men.
They sent a lady out to do the final one and manipulate the teenagers. So bad so. You remember, again, this is about to age myself. And some of you know what people are going.
What is he talking about? They said, listen, we're going to send through the crowds the credit card machines, the old credit card machines. And you just put your credit card and we'll swipe it. And then we'll deal with you later.
I've had a heart attack. I've about came undone. Number one, these guys used a woman to try to manipulate these kids. And number two, they put that credit card machine out to try to take these kids' money.
And that's not bearing fruit. That's not abiding in God. What I'm talking about, what God's talking about, what Jesus is talking about here is Romans 15, 25, or 28. And we read this, and we're going to go, oh my gosh.
But now, I'm going to Jerusalem serving the saints. From Macedonia, and Echaisha have pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased to do so. And they were indebted to them.
For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to the minister to them. Also, material things. Verse 28, here it is. Therefore, when I finished this, I put my seal on this fruit of theirs.
I will go by way of you to Spain. The churches there are saying, hey, can we give? Now, listen, as a pastor, that's one of those crazy things in life. If Landis said, hey, Michael, this morning, I was standing in the foyer.
And I had three people come and say, hey, I know we're not taking an offering up this morning, but can we give money? Can we give money? Sure you can. You always give the king of the God.