Well, there's two stools up here, which means that Katie and I are bringing the word tonight. So, you know, whenever we're up here together, usually what that means is it's family meeting time. And that is necessary right now. And so we want to just share what we feel like God has been speaking, what we feel like the Lord is speaking over us as a community in this moment in our storyline of being a church community for about seven plus years.
And where we feel like the Lord is really uniquely leading us right now in this moment. And so we want to bring our whole community together in that journey that it's not just a couple people, it's not just staff, it's not just the board, it's not just a group of leaders, but we want to go together. And we feel like the Lord is highlighting unity that we get to unify together. And so we're excited to share a couple updates and then really give a conviction from our heart of what the Lord is saying.
So I'm going to just bring us along a little bit on what the storyline has been so far. I'm going to breeze kind of quickly over it. Like Josh said, it's kind of like a family meeting. So we're just going to kind of pull you behind the curtain a little bit.
We've been looking for a building for four or five years. It's been a really challenging journey of finding something. And then just in the last few months, I don't know, six months or something, the heat's been turned up because we have a deadline where we need to be out of this space by the end of August. So that's five months away from now.
And so we have been looking, well, we were always looking, but we were looking more and really in more concentrated season of prayer. And we found a property, we call it the Minneapolis Riverfront property. And when we pulled up on it, we felt like the Lord said, I want this land. This is where I want to be.
And so we've been pursuing that land. How many of you are tracking with remembering that storyline? I want to kind of get a grid. Okay.
So we've been pursuing that property. It is locked up. Literally there are gates around the entire thing. If you've driven it and barbed wire fences.
Yeah, whole deal. And we've been contending for this property and we believe with all of our heart that there will be a day that we're able to offer that land to the Lord is offering. And as we've been pursuing it, it came into focus in the last few weeks that man, it's going to take a while. All of these doors have actually been opening.
The Lord has connected us. He's just made some of the wildest connections as we've been praying over this land. It blows our mind. We're going, man, I can't, we wouldn't have ever imagined that we would be connected to some of the people that the Lord has connected us to as we've been pursuing this property, which only emboldens us.
Right. And confirms what he wants to do. But we've seen it's going to take longer than we even thought. We knew we wouldn't be able to get in by September 1st, but it's going to be way, way longer than that.
So we're looking at a minute. We like to say three years could be a lot longer than that, but we like to say three years and there's just so many different things. We will scale every one of the hurdles, but there's a lot of them. And so we just have to kind of take one at a time to get over these different hurdles and it's going to take significant time.
So we've shifted our focus. We've not gotten rid of this riverfront property. It's very much so right here. We've shifted our focus to Lord.
So where are we going in August, September? And what's the game plan here? So we knew we were looking for kind of a plan B option. I don't know if I should call plan B option, but more like a stepping stone temporary solution while we would wait for this riverfront property to be developed.
But now we're going, we don't just need a quick solution. We need three to five, hopefully not more than that type of years set up for us to be. And we have this conviction that we're not supposed to pull back in this season. The Lord's been clear that we should be advancing in this season.
And so we're going, well, what does this look like then? What do you want us to do? And so it's such an intentional season of prayer. We're just praying constantly in groups and corporately and the Lord's been doing so much.
And in the last couple of weeks, we feel a clarity on us that we have not felt. I will be honest with you. There has been just clouds of confusion that we have battled through. Oh man, is that a radio?
Let us know if we need a new mic. Just shout us down. You're okay. All right.
What was I talking about? Thank you. Confusion, a cloud of confusion. Okay.
Okay. Yeah, never forget. Okay. So we've just been hitting that.
And I think in the last week and a half, honestly, we feel like we've come above water. Josh and I, and we're just going, I can see this more clearly now. And we're going to talk about that and just bring you more into what we see the Lord saying. And how we can rally tonight is like a rally moment for our body and we want to call you to rally with us.
And so we have three options generally. Do you want to talk about the three options? Okay. So there's three options that we're seeing here.
The first option is a purchase purchasing a building that just came available three weeks ago. Just hit the market. It's, it's so incredible as an option that we are aggressively pursuing this property. And so I'll talk about that a little bit.
So that's the first option. It's a, it's a building in Roseville. And it's a building that where we can just meet on Sundays there during the week and take steps like giant leaps forward in the base vision that the Lord has given us. The second option is that we would lease another church building in the twin cities like a full time lease.
And so we're in conversation with another church community that is actually open to having us lease their property full time where it's fully ours for three years. And then the third option is that we would lease an operation center or like a, an office building that will act as kind of where all of our midweek programming is happening during the middle of the week, like prayer room and youth kids, all those things that we have in the middle of the week counseling. And then on Sundays, we'd meet at a different church community's building. And so Sunday afternoon, similar to this, but hopefully there's more room and more parking.
Somebody say amen. All right. So what I want to do is I want to specifically talk about this property in Roseville that just came up on the grid. It is the first building in our five year journey of searching for properties that checks every box on the list that we've been searching for for five years, first building in five years that checks them all.
And so it's very unique and completely opposite of what the riverfront property is. Okay. So riverfront property is got graffiti everywhere. It's in rough shape.
It's got environmental needs. It's got zoning problems where we actually have to like rezone the property. It is it's 18.75 million. You know, it's like, oh my goodness, right?
It's a journey over here, right? It's yeah, that's the easiest way to say it's a journey of faith. And then this property is still a journey of faith, but this property has all the parking. Listen, this property right here that we're at has 130 parking spots.
This Roseville property has over 330 parking spots. All of you that have fallen down Mount Elmwood over here. We're just, but you're going to really believe with us for that property. Something that's a needle in a haystack is finding a property that has high enough ceilings and it has ceilings that are perfect.
Hi, it's it's zoned to approve for church use, which is just crazy. Haven't seen that. You know, it's like everything that it just is checking all the boxes. Wow.
And so we as a board and as a leadership team and as a staff, we are aggressively pursuing this property. And so you can be praying with us on Tuesday at 4 p.m. There's a meeting that the owner is having and they're going to be making some decisions. And so would you pray with us for this property?
But that's what we're looking at in terms of the options, which is great that there's some options on the table. Praise the Lord. And oh, that is a unique thing about this property. It isn't for sale.
How do you just keep on finding properties that aren't for sale? Listen, listen. But there is an openness that they have to it's it's released, but there's an there's a strong openness that they have to selling. It's and so just one step at a time.
I feel like you know, it's not for sale. Like I don't want to tell him it's not for sale. Just no, no, it's for sale. That is literally what he says everywhere we drive and like what about that?
He goes, what about that? I'm like, it's not for sales. Like everything's for sale. Oh my goodness.
It is for the right price, right? Yeah. Okay. I want to just talk a little bit about.
So this is these are some of the practicals. We want to talk spiritually what we've been seeing what we've been experiencing and bring you guys into that with us tonight. Spoiler alert, we're calling a fast for the next three days and we want to invite you guys into that in a concentrated time of persistent prayer. And so I want to just paint the picture a little bit about what we've been experiencing and seeing.
I think with this with this building journey, when we were pursuing this riverfront property as the main thing we were pursuing, we understood that the land was contested. Land because in the natural in the physical, the land itself is contested, fought over land and then spiritually speaking, it was contested land. It didn't take long in prayer to realize how contested that property is. And so the way that we were pursuing this riverfront property was with so much confidence of knowing what God wanted because we could see the enemy's hand.
Does that make sense? But then when we said, okay, we need to figure out where we're going to be in a couple months and we put it right here and we're like, we're still going to pursue this, but this is a long game. It's a journey, has Josh said. What are we going to do now?
Our posture shifted to what I would call like open hands or surrender, which is really, really beautiful until the Lord corrects you, which he's done. And so we've been pursuing it going, okay, Lord, what do you want? Like, I don't know what this next season is supposed to look like. Yeah, you've told us to not shrink back.
You've told us that it would be a fruitful season. You've told us that it will be a season of advancement, but we need a placeholder right now. And so we're going to need just something simple. So like, what are you wanting to do?
Do you want us to be in a tent? Do you want us to go back into houses? We know how to do houses. Should we go into houses again?
And should we rent a space? Should we do an operation center? And then rent from a high school? And different ones of these have different feelings.
We don't want to be in high school. We're like, Lord, we'll do it. But please don't make us be in high school. But because of the load and load out stuff, just the workload on the team is so intense.
And so with the houses, it's like, he's told us. He's been clear. He says it's the season together, not to scatter. And so with houses, he's like, do not go into houses.
This is the season together. We're like, okay, we're not going into houses. But and we're just blind. We're going, I don't, we are moving.
We have to move. So for any of you going, oh, I bet we could nudge the date out. We can't. It is a firm August 31st.
Goodbye. We cannot be here anymore. So five months is we are so far past miracle territory. It's like we are in 911, everyone.
And so we're going, there are no options. We're relooking at the market again after we've been more focused over here. There is nothing. What are we going to do?
At least purchase temporary, even knocking on doors with churches. It's like, can we? It's like, there are not open doors. And so we're just going, Lord, we don't know.
But whatever you want, we'll be wherever. And so we're kind of turning over every rock. But in this, the last, honestly, like week and a half, two weeks, the Lord has been bringing that correction of, you know, like, he's given us a vision and then we keep going, but I don't know, but I don't know. And we keep almost like giving it back.
And he's like, you do know. And I've given you the vision. Lay hold. And there's this word of correction coming.
And he's going, stop shrinking back and lay hold. And he's been reminding us about this property over here where it was so clear that it was contested and fought over, that it was going to be a spiritual battle, that we lost sight of the spiritual battle, that it actually is for us to just get in a space. So we're going, okay, we know that land is a contested land, but the Lord's going, your vision is a contested vision. And the enemy does not want you to put your hand to the plow on your vision.
He will do everything he can to thwart the plans that I have given you, the assignments that I've given you to do in this city. And so we've been kind of stepping back and going, man, why was that so unclear for us? And I think it's that confusion that I think we could all kind of relate to of, am I supposed to step into authority and command what's the Lord's or am I supposed to surrender and in humility? You know, I only hear in part, maybe I heard the Lord wrong and maybe that's not what he had and I'll be grateful for whatever is provided for us.
You know, and it's all in a good heart. And I think sometimes we're going, man, that closed door might be the Lord because he does. He closes and he opens doors. And so we've been grateful throughout the journey for the doors that he's closed because I do believe that he has led us through this.
But he's going, it is not in this season. He's like booming our ears. He's going, I am not the one that is closing these doors now. Don't get it confused.
And so we're going almost just kind of trying to reorient because we've been in this posture of, well, whatever door opens up, that must be what God wants. Can anyone relate to this? Where you kind of are just like, I don't really know. And so whatever happens, that must be God.
It's actually a pretty lazy and inaccurate picture of how God interacts with us as his kids. And so he's just bringing that alignment, that alignment, that correction to our hearts to go, that's not me making this difficult. And sometimes on the other side, we can see a lot more clearly. But it's like, if it's difficult, sometimes we just shrink back and go, okay, then maybe I heard wrong.
But in this moment, it's difficult because it's so is on the Lord's heart. And so he's just wanting us to step forward in boldness. We've been approaching this door. I always picture kind of in my mind when I'm praying about this.
I always kind of picture this ancient door. And we've had no trouble standing before this river from property and being like, oh, I'm up the gates, you know, fling wide the doors. But I'm always seeing this door. And every time that we go to try to break in and open that door, it feels more like a brick wall than a door.
Can you relate to this? Where it's like, man, this thing is not budging. And the whole time, I think that there's been confusion for us on who's keeping that door shut. And who's on the other side of that door holding it to stay shut?
And the Lord is being so clear that it's not him. And so what does that do to us when we know that's not his heart that these doors are closed at this point in the game? So we're going, okay, this makes sense. Lord, we're trying to establish a house of prayer, right?
We're trying to establish a lot of things. But at the center, there is a house of prayer. Why? Because it is a physical symbol of Jesus being in first place.
It is a physical space that represents our internal value system, right? So right here at the center of everything that we do, intimacy with God takes first place. He is worthy of worship in this room coming out of the twin cities day, night, any time of the day that people can come in and look at him, distraction free connection with God, right? So this is the center.
And then out of the center, this is first for God, but then second, it's for us. This is the well that we drink from. This is the fuel for everything that we're doing, whether for you as an individual that's coming in to drink from this well and then going out on mission in your everyday life, or for the different ministries here, our kids ministry revolving around the place of prayer, our youth ministry revolving around the place of prayer. This is the center of what we do organizationally and the center of what we do individually.
This prayer room is at the center. The vision for the house of prayer has been a contested vision for century after century after century after century. The enemy doesn't want a house of prayer for obvious reasons. We don't have to even spell it out further than that.
So this vision for the house of prayer is a contested one from over generations and generations, but then even in our city. If you don't know this in Minnesota, there have been groups of people trying to establish a house of prayer for decades and decades and decades. Some of them are part of our community right now in their 60s and they've been contending for 30 and 40 years for a house of prayer and it just won't budge. That's not God.
That's not God. And so we see the house of prayer itself is a contested vision and we go, oh, that brings so much clarity to what we're experiencing right there. That lifts the cloud of confusion. But what about everything else we're wanting to put our hands to as a community?
Everything that's going to spawn off of the place of prayer, all of the visions that we have for our individual lives, our communities. We believe that we're going to see how church networks come off of this house of prayer. The enemy is not going to like that very much. We believe that we're going to see that prophesied about children's revival, where it's led by eight-year-olds on their knees.
I don't think the enemy wants to see it. We believe that we're going to see songs come from Minnesota. You've heard it. Where is that sound coming from?
It's Minnesota. It's a new sound. I don't think the enemy wants to see it come from Minnesota. What about the business person's revival?
What about kingdom businesses in our city? I don't think he wants to see it. What about, okay, soul care and the mental health crisis in our city. The enemy's like, I don't want solutions brought to that.
I like how messed up it is. I like how it's just this cycle that people can't break out of. He wants to keep it that way. These are strongholds in our own city.
What about the creative sphere? What about the artists that need to be reached with hope? A new picture of creativity actually piercing into the darkness of Northeast Minneapolis. These are things that the enemy doesn't want to see happen in our city and he will wage war.
He will wage war to make sure it doesn't happen. Don't get it confused, Katie, Josh, all of us. Don't get it confused who's on the other side of the door holding it back. We're in this place and we're going, this is like battering ram season.
This is when we're all as a community, not just Josh and I, not just Josh, Katie and the board, not Josh, Katie, the board and the staff or the deacons. I'm saying everyone, God will give you a heart that burns for this vision to advance in our city. We believe that these things that people have been believing for that have gone way before us, we believe we're going to see it. We're going to see the answer to their prayers.
We're standing on their shoulders. It is time to birth this thing. We have this picture. It's been confirmed over a dozen times in last week of us being where it's, this is the season that you are in.
And it's that the vision is a baby and the baby is in the birth canal. You are done looming this thing. You are done incubating in this season. That baby is coming.
And so you know in that season it is time to push. And so we are inviting you as a body. It is time for us to push this thing through and we don't have to have confusion anymore. I think that thing is this God, is this God, is this not?
It actually just creates like laying down an apathy. If we're confused, it's like then I just do nothing. And that is not the posture for the beloved. And so we're going to see this thing move with confidence that this is what the Lord desires.
And it's time. He's confirmed it. So now we stand on his word and we believe him at his word. That's right.
When we look at the call on this community, it's a John the Baptist call. It resembles the call of John the Baptist. What John the Baptist did, there was his disciples came to him and they were upset because they were losing follows. And the followers were starting to get baptized by Jesus and Jesus disciples.
Right? And so they're going, John, John, should we invest in some Facebook ads and stuff like that? Because all the followers are going to Jesus ministry. And John the Baptist responds to his disciples and he says, it's my joy as the best man to watch the bridegroom and the bride be connecting.
John the Baptist goes, my whole call, my whole purpose is to actually figure out how can I host Jesus the groom and his people, the bride connecting. And he's going, this is my greatest joy to have them go and encounter him. And so as a community, our call is actually a John the Baptist call to go, whatever it takes, all I want to do is host encounter for people to encounter him. All I want to do is remove every obstacle.
That's what John the Baptist is a forerunner. In other words, if this is a pathway into the city, what a forerunner does is let's say there's bags, there's rocks in the way. I don't know who's back that is. What the forerunner does is before the king comes into the city, they start removing all the obstacles.
And they start clearing things out so that the king can come right into the city. And we have this call as a John the Baptist community to go, whatever obstacles that the enemy has put in the way of encountering the Lord, every high and lofty thing that's lifted itself up, every idea about God that is actually anti-God and not who he is, how can we as a people tear those things down and make a way to go Lord, you're going to have a highway, I-35. You're going to have an Isaiah 35 highway of glory where people start encountering the Lord. And so that's what we're about as a people.
But turning your Bibles to Haggai one, I just want to paint a picture of what I believe God is doing right now in us and calling us into. This is really about the fast that we're calling tonight. What happens in this chapter in the book of Haggai is that the people of Israel, they have just come back from Babylon. They were in exile for 70 years and they just came back home to Jerusalem.
Can you imagine being gone away from your homeland for 70 years? And now you've taken a trek to come back home. And there's houses that are broken down, the temple. So the building where they encountered the Lord completely destroyed.
So we're talking about Solomon's temple that is completely torn down. And it doesn't exist anymore. And the reason why is because it was covered in gold. There's like precious jewels and gold that were embedded into the walls of Solomon's temple.
And so when they ransacked the city of Jerusalem, they tore down the temple and took all of the gold and precious metals from the temple. Right? So there they are. They're on the temple mount and they know that the thing that defines them as a people, the thing that provides for them as a people, the thing that defends them is actually the presence of God.
And so every single revival in the Old Testament has one thing in common. There's seven revivals. They're by say seven. There's seven revivals in the Old Testament for the nation of Israel.
And every single revival has one thing in common that they rebuild the temple and they restore the vedic worship and prayer. David set up worship and prayer day and night in the place where God dwelled before the altar of the Lord. And that's what revival looked like in the Old Testament. And so what the nation of Israel does is they, it's a rubble and haggai and Joshua and Ezra and all these people that are leaders for the nation of Israel as they're back home.
And they start building the temple. They start rebuilding the temple. And just at the start, they set the foundation and they're celebrating the foundation, but they're also pretty discouraged because they remember some of their parents remember how glorious Solomon's temple was and they're putting their hand to the small beginnings of this temple and they're just discouraged. They have internal discouragement.
How many of you have ever had a vision and then you start it and you thought it was going to be this epic dream playing out and then you like launch the website, you know, like, oh no, this is not good, right? And it's just you're almost embarrassed. It feels so insignificant. It's just the small beginnings that seems like nothing.
And that's what the people of God were experiencing in that moment. There's internal discouragement. And then there's external attack. There's external accusation.
This is happening all throughout the scriptures. Like David, right? He gets this call of I'm going to be the king and then he stands in front of Glath. Then he's, he's under saw the king who's trying to throw spears and demonically possess and trying to throw spears at him, right?
So it's like, you got the call as the king and now you're going through the valley and there's internal discouragement and external attack. It's like Nehemiah, you're called to build the wall. You start to build the wall and all of a sudden the Samaritans and the Amorites are starting to accuse and attack. So you have to hold the weapon while you're trying to build the wall.
My goodness. It's like Moses, God says, Hey, free my people. And now you're having to build bricks with way less resources than you're supposed to be. You'd be given, right?
And there's all of these problems that happen when a vision is delivered or a dream, a God dream is delivered, then there's internal discouragement and external discouragement. And what you do in those moments, most of the time is the people of God, you know what happens? You start going internal. You start focusing on yourself and you start figuring out how am I going to get comfortable because I'm uncomfortable.
And so you start going to the target, the area and target where Chip and Joanna, you know, and you start like looking at knickknacks and lamps and fake planets. And that's what you start going, how can I get this house to be more comfortable from here? Let's read the Bible. This is right in the Bible.
I just literally, it's in the Bible. Watch. All right. Chip and Joanna right here in Haggai one.
Haggai one verse two says, Thus says the Lord of hosts. So what happens is they're building the temple and they just stop because they're internally discouraged and there's attacks and accusations from the outside. And so the people of God just stop building the house of the Lord. Verse two, Thus says the Lord of hosts, these people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.
Then the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet. Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses? That word paneled means fancy. It's like Chip and Joanna.
It's not very fancy, but it's like entrend. It's time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while my house lies and ruins. Now therefore, Thus says the Lord of hosts, Consider your ways. You have so much and harvested little.
You eat, but you never have enough. You drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves. But no one's warm.
And he who earns wages does so to put them in a bag with holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts, Consider your ways. Go up to the hills, bring wood, and build the house. Look at the space that I may take pleasure in it and that I would be glorified.
He says the Lord. You look for much and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I glued away. Why?
Declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house, the lies and ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. Eyes up here. I, for seven years as leadership, we have put this vision and this mission in front of us that we feel called to empower you as everyday believers to be the ministers of the gospel.
And we have many times to our detriment, decided we are not going to push you to volunteer in the way that you're going to encounter God in life and the way that you're actually going to experience everything that God wants to do in your life is by serving on a team at the church. And we have intentionally many times gone gone. We're going to refrain from having that be the primary way that you're going to experience the kingdom. And we've said we are going to actually try to push you in your everyday life because we need you in the fields.
And that's how the kingdom is going to advance. And it's actually been to our detriment as a ministry, but it's part of our values and it's our mission. And so we've held the line on it. Okay.
And after seven years, we feel for the very first time to go as we've been advancing the kingdom in your everyday life and as you've been building what God is calling you to build in your everyday life, whether it's chipping, or not. And we feel for the first time to go, it's actually time for us all to come together and build this thing together. It's time for us all to go. I've been putting my hand to the plow in this thing.
But now, and we're not asking you to quit whatever you're doing, but there's actually a turning that we all get to go. We are going to collectively unify right now as a community and go, we're putting all of our attention on this journey right here, right now. And this is an ask that we've never made before and it actually makes us uncomfortable as leaders because we're going, we're going, we're going to just come up under you and we're calling to empower people. And you don't exist to be part of a ministry engine and a ministry machine and a local church.
And once the local church just gets big enough, then God's going to be able to walk, right. And everything that the local church pastors say. But in this moment, we believe that it's actually for all of our good to go. We're going to turn our attention together and be unified in this moment to go.
We are going to build something together that we all have in common. And we believe that that togetherness is actually going to create a ripple effect and you're going to get a return on investment in your own life. And I'm not promising like, hey, once you build this, then everything, all the blessing, you know, it's like I'm not the televangelist. But there's such broken trust between church leadership and the people of God that I feel like I have to, like there's ditches everywhere.
And we want to acknowledge that there's ditches everywhere, but we feel this conviction that we have to go. Now is the time you have to do this together and build this house together. And it looks like you're $5 and you're $20 and you're $1 million. Whatever it is, I don't know when that's going to come, but it could be in two weeks.
We're going to go, hey, we need $2 million and we need it in 30 days. And so you guys are going to go, $2 million. I can give you $5 and I'm going, yes, the $5 counts. The $5 is the kingdom.
That's how we're going to do it when it's 100% participation for all of us to own it. And we keep on saying, I think for like a year we've been going, it's an all hands on deck moment. Now the rubber is me in the road. We're going to have all these things that we need to move from where we're at to somewhere else.
And then we're probably going to have to be temporary in that place. And then we're going to move again and we're all going to have to go, like, I maybe I don't have very much money, but I've got muscles. And we all just kind of go like, hey, we're going to do it together. And I'm trying to articulate that if you're part of the house, you're going to be whether you're the uncle or the aunt or the brother or the sister, the younger sibling, whatever it is, the dishes are going to need to get done.
We're going to have to pay the mortgage. We're going to have to actually own it together. Because if we love this place, we're all going to, and I'm not saying you're not. But I'm saying that there's this like call right now where we know what we're signing up for.
And as a community, if you're a guest, we're so glad you're here and you don't have to do anything. You don't have to do anything. Your friend brought you and it's like, man, pastors really coming down. I'm not going down anyway.
And if you're a guest, we're so happy you're here and you don't have to do anything. You can just sit and enjoy on this family meeting. But as a people, we're kind of going, it's our moment. It's not her moment.
It's not my moment. It's not the staff's moment. It's not Mark's moment. It's our moment where we go, hey, this is something that we are going to bring our children and our future spouse through and all these things.
This is like, there's encounter on the other side of this for us, but also for our friends, for the people in the city that don't know Jesus yet. We believe that there's so much ahead. And it's going to be because I gave five bucks. And it was a sacrifice to give the five bucks.
And it's like, man, I stretch and I gave 10,000. And it was like what I was going to, we were going to go on like three different all inclusive resort trips. And it's like the sacrifice. And I know some of you that gave tens of thousands of dollars to clear the debt of your brothers and sisters just a couple months ago.
And the Lord said, before you raise funds for a building, you're going to clear the debt of the people in the room. Well, now we're going to be raising funds for the building. Oh my goodness. And the economies in the world are just like this, but the economy of God is like this.
And the Lord is going to make a way where it seems like there's no way. And we're going to tackle it together. And if you're part of the house, there's going to be so much joy in it. I want us to look at Hag One again.
We're going to skip forward just real quick. I'm going to be done after I say this here. It's a rubble in Joshua the high priest with all the remnant of the people. They obeyed the voice of the Lord.
In the words of Hagai the prophet as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. They honored and respected the Lord. And then Hagai, the messenger of the Lord spoke to the people with the Lord's message.
And he said, I am with you. And the Lord stirred up the spirit of the leadership. And then the spirit of all the remnant of the people. And they came and worked on the house of the Lord.
The Lord is stirring us as leadership. And I believe that he's going to stir us as a whole people. That we are going to build the house of the Lord. We're going to build the base.
And there's going to be so much fruit that's going to come from it. And we're going to look back and go, man, those small insignificant Elmwood days, those were the glory days. But there's going to be a greater glory that's coming. But man, these are the sweet days that we get to enjoy.
And I don't know how long we're going to be here. We might be here. We might transition earlier than we think. We might be here for two months.
We might be here for three months. It might not just be August because we know that we're going to have to transition to a new location while we wait potentially on the next one. And then there's the riverfront probably after that. So we might feel a little vagabondy.
Okay? But listen, we're going to go together. And he says, I'm going to be with you. And we're going to get stirred in the spirit.
And sometimes when you don't feel stirred, what you do is you starve yourself to feel stirred. And you fast to actually go, I've been feasting on so many things in the world. I've been feasting on food. Now I'm not going to eat anything.
I'm just going to drink water. And I'm going to feed myself on the word. And then all of a sudden you're like, wow, I carry a heart for something. That I didn't feel earlier, but my heart gets stirred now.
And I'm moving forward with his heart for this thing. And so that's what we're asking as leadership. Would you consider for the next three days joining with us and fasting and praying and just going, Hey, maybe you just started going every day in the last month. And you're like, but this is where I'm at.
Like, this is my house. The Lord's going to activate and like accelerate your connection to what God is doing here through fasting and prayer. And we want to invite you to do that. We're going to do for the next three days, we're going to do an intentional time of persistent prayer.
Think of Luke 18, the persistent widow. And so you guys can put that slide up. If it's already there. Hello.
Thomas, you can come on up. We're going to go after three days of intentional prayer together. And so if you want, would you just scan this QR code with us because I'm going to talk you through it. So I want you to have it in front of you.
So you know what I'm talking about. And your phone may need you to download the sheets app. So if so, just click download, you can delete it later. But what we're going to do is we are praying around the clock for the next three days.
And so earlier this afternoon, we pushed this out to our leaders and we filled up prayer, all of the slots around the clock for three days in like an hour. And then we opened up another page to double up because we're going, we just want everyone to be involved in this. Originally, we're just thinking, we'll even be able to cover the three days in prayer and it's easy. It's amazing.
So we're just wanting to open it up and double up how many people are praying on each time slot. So we open up a new page, then where's that one at? 80% full on the second page. And Ben's going to have the third one ready if we fill this one up.
And so we're just going to, this is your way of going, Hey, I'm in. So even as a staff, we're looking at this page and going, who's praying with us? Like, who is rallying with us over these next three days and taking just one 30 minute section or you might take a couple of different sections. It's up to you.
If you want to take one or a few, you just put your name in the slot where you're going to pray for 30 minutes for breakthrough for this thing. Maybe you're going to take one in the middle of the night because those are the best slots, but or you'll take one during the day. Those are amazing as well. So we want you guys to be able to put your name in.
You can do it as an individual. You could do it as a family. You could do it with your roommates. If you already have a community here, we want to invite you to sign up with your community and do it together.
Whatever that looks like, maybe you'll even talk to a friend and say, Hey, I took the 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Let's get on the phone with each other because we can't be together in person. Let's pray together for 30 minutes on the phone.
Whatever it looks like for you to rally and pray over the next three days. We want you to be able to do that. And this is just a fun way even for you to see. Who are the other people that are rallying around this together.
It's just helpful to see. So that is the prayer list. The other thing is we're going to rally together for a few different corporate times of prayer the next three days. And this is all while we're fasting.
We're going to on Monday tomorrow morning, we have men's prayer every Monday at 7 a.m. And so we want to invite all of the men that want to join. It's at the everyday offices right down the road. Come at 7 a.m.
You guys are going to pray together next on Tuesday. We're going to gather for corporate prayer at the offices. Josh and I are going to leave that. And it's going to be a caveman style.
We're not going to do worship or anything like that. No microphones. Just come into the room. Come into our gathering space and pray with us from 12 to 1 on Tuesday.
So that's at the everyday offices. If you want to get a picture of this, you totally can make sure to not. Park where there's signs in the parking lot. So do us a favor and don't park where there's a sign.
Yeah, but there's plenty of parking. You'll be good Wednesday at 6 a.m. Earlier than the gentleman, the ladies will be praying at 6 a.m. This is not at Elmwood or the offices.
This is over at Noelle Hills home. If you look at the second tab, there's an address for you. Come to prayer 6 a.m. on Wednesday.
And then we're going to close the fast and close that time of prayer on Wednesday night in the prayer room at our 8 p.m. and we're going to worship, pray together, take communion together. And I really want to encourage you if you're involved in this over the next three days, if you can be, come on Wednesday night to be with us as we just commission this whole thing through. So what I want to encourage you in with this fast.
We're calling this a resting place fast. Our heart posture is God, would you have a resting place here? We're coming into alignment with the prayer of David. Psalm 132.
I will give no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids until I find a resting place for the Lord. And so we're going, God, I am going to reject some of the things that I desire so I can focus on giving you what you desire. I am going to resist and fast some of my desires so I can shift my heart into alignment with your desire for a resting place in my city. We're praying that we would have breakthrough this week, that we would get clarity and breakthrough in the natural to be able to move forward.
This week. So that's how we're praying. We have a prayer guide for you. Do you want to put that one?
Oh, that's here. So that QR code is a prayer guide for you because sometimes it's like, we're praying for breakthrough. That feels really broad. I don't exactly know how or what that means.
We have a guide for you of how to pray scriptures to use and everything like that. So you can grab that for this week to help you know how to pray. But we really want to invite you just rally with us. This is that moment, that battering ram moment.
We're coming and we're just going to hit those doors until they open. Okay, let's stand. We're going to commission you. Thank you, Lord.
And I know that last service, if you're having any trouble with the spreadsheet, last service, there's so many people that were trying to access the spreadsheet that Google actually locked it down because there's too much activity. And so if you hit that limit, we were like, man, I tried to write my name in, but then Google said that it was blocked. It was just because there's too much traffic to the spreadsheet. So you can just, you know, try it in 30 minutes or try it in an hour.
Just keep on coming back to it. Okay. Would you close your eyes? I want to commission us out, but I just want us to use our imagination.
There's going to be a building that we're going to walk through. And I just want you to picture as if you're giving someone a tour, maybe you're giving a friend or a family member a tour of the space. And I just, there's going to be those moments where you're walking them through that property. And you're going to say, yeah, this is, this is the corner of the room.
This is the chair. This is the section where I met my spouse for the first time. Somebody say it. There's going to be some of you there.
They're going to go, yeah, this is where counselors have their offices in the building. And this is where the Lord actually healed trauma from my childhood in this room. Some of you are going to go, yeah, this is where there's a preschool. And this is where I have my kids go to preschool when I'm at work.
And I just feel so grateful that I can trust the leaders who actually know them. And just the culture of the kingdom is just so powerful for our kids. I just have so much peace about it. You're going to share that you're going to walk them into the prayer room and go, yeah, I was actually last Tuesday.
I was at the noon set. And in this room, a struggle that I've had for years and years and years. Ice got set free and I've never been the same. It's actually been week after week, month after month, where I've experienced the freedom from the Lord.
I'm a completely different person. This is where I met my business partner in this coffee area where we just, somebody introduced me to him. And now we've been building this business as entrepreneurs. And it's completely changed our trajectory of my life.
And God's doing something special with our kingdom business. Some of you are going to go, yeah, this is where I met my lifelong friends. This is where I, this is the room where I grieved the loss of one of my parents. And I was comforted by the Lord and experienced him as a comforter for the very first time.
This is where I heard God's voice for the first time. This is where, this is where my parent or my sibling or my coworker gave their life to Jesus. And then I remember leaving the service and going back to our house and filling up the bathtub and baptizing them in our bathtub. Lord, we look ahead and we know that there is a day coming where you are going to have a house of prayer established in our city that will act as a well for the nations.
And so we put our stake in the ground and we take our place on the battering ram and we say that it is our moment to partner with your heart. That it is our moment to go, we're not going to be denied. That we will be like the persistent widow as a people. That we will be like the mustard seeds on the hills of Israel.
That keep on pushing and keep on hitting it again. We will be like the people of Israel as we look back at the Egyptians coming and we see the Red Sea ahead of us. And we actually are going to strike the water with the staff that you gave us. And we are going to see the waters divide.
It is our joy to fast so that you would receive a resting place. So that people would encounter you in our city. So that there would be music rising from Minnesota. Where is that sound coming from?
Minnesota. Minnesota. What's going on with the kids? Why is there a children's prayer revival?
It's in Minnesota. Why is there a business person's revival? Why is there a blue collar and a white collar revival in your city? It's because the Lord is there.
And so Lord we ask that you would establish our city as Mill City once again. That you would bring forth a great harvest in our land. And that you would establish Minneapolis and St. Paul as one of your favorite cities in all the earth.
Would you set up shop, make it a dwelling place, make it a recliner, set up your lazy boy here in our midst. In Jesus name we say we are going to do it together. We take our steps together. And Lord we thank you for stirring our hearts.
Just say, Lord, stir my heart. Stir my heart with what is burning in your heart. In Jesus name. Thank you Lord.
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
There are people up front that would love to pray with you after the service if you want to receive prayer. And it's such a joy. I'm just thinking back to worship. It's such a joy to be on this journey with all of you.
And I can't wait for what's coming. But let's just like take our place and fast and pray. It's going to be so fun to just fast and pray. It's going to be so fun not to eat.
I'm just so excited to pray and read my Bible instead of eating. All right. And everybody said amen. All right.
Amen. Amen. We love you guys.