Wow. Good morning, church.[music]Come on. Anybody glad to be in the house of God today? Hello to all of you [music] in Yakamal.Hello to all of you in Dupont. Hello to all of you in Belleview. Hello to all of you online. Hello to all of you right here in Tacoma.Welcome to Champion Center. [music] Welcome, welcome, welcome. We’re singing, we’re celebrating God’s goodness today. Has he been good to you?Come on. Has he been good to you?Are you thankful for God’s favor, God’s goodness, God’s blessing in your life?[music]I want to congratulate I think it’s been two weeks ago but I I just want to say to everybody who was baptized lastbaptism [music] over a hundred people for sure I don’t know at all locations we congratulate youand can I just tell you that your life is all about moving forward in God is all about making decisions in the right direction. [music]If you want to know how do I grow, make decisions in the right direction.If you want to know how do I have and move forward, make decisions in the right direction. And you’ve got adecision that you’re looking at right now. I’m going to talk about some stuff today that might be your next decision.But but there are decisions in front of you on a constant basis. And you willnot fail to grow if you’re willing, have the courage to make the right decisionin the right direction. So congratulations to everybody who has who has been baptized.Congratulation to everybody who has come to one of our locations. Our our on uhsite locations are are growing. People are coming. uh bring in your family. Uh those of you who have made a decision togo to church, [music] essentials, some of you are in that right now. We applaud you at every location. Whatever thedecisions are that you’re making, if you’re making them in the right direction, that means you’re moving life forward. You’re growing in the things ofGod. And that’s really what it’s all about at the end of the [music] day. Can you say amen? Amen.Okay. Uh let me see. You may be seated. As you sit down, say, “My heart’s open.My heart’s open. My mind’s ready. My mind’s ready. Make me better, God. Make me better.By your word, by your word, I receive it. I receive it. I believe it. I believe it. I won’t be the same again.In Jesus name.We’re in a series called Live Like a Leader.” Live like a leader.And in fact, we are calling this the year of the leader at Champion Center.Our vision this year is to lean into leadership and to learn leadershipand to live like leaders, to discover and develop the leaderwithin us. And I want to I want to just say I look forward to seeing all of you.I may not see you with my natural eyes, but come on out. Thursday night, we have rally night for the whole church. And Iinvite you to come on out. [applause] And I know, you know, you may wonder that it has it has elements of things we’ve done in the past, but it’s also new. Everybody say new.New.It’s for for this time. It’s for right now. And we want a chance for the church to gather. We want a chance to uhcelebrate God’s goodness together, pray with one another, and just invite the Holy Spirit to work in our in our lives,in our churches. Uh hug one another’s neck, shake hands, lift each other up, and I’m going to be speaking this year.I’ll be I’ll be going to the different locations on site on these nights. And the rest, of course, will be watching uslive at your location. And I’m not going to tell you where I’m going to be this Thursday night because it could changeeven. You never know. Uh but I’ll be everywhere. And I just encourage you, go be a part at your location. We’re goingto have a fun time. God’s working in our church right now. We’re excited about it. And if anyone is treating life likelike you did before the pandemic, can I just say why? Like everything’s changed.Things are different. And that’s the way I feel about the church. I just feel like that we may we may have a lot offamiliarity and we may sing same songs and you know we we we have the fellowship that continues but it’s notthe same. And so I have pastor friends I’m asking why why are you just keep doing what you’re doing like you didthat before you no no change like it’s a different day new day new way and we have new challenges and we have a needfor fresh encouragement and I’m already preaching and I haven’t even got started yet but um let me introduce to you letme introduce to you a little bit more about where we’re going in the next few minutes. Last week, we talked about the reluctant leaders of the Bible. If youhaven’t if you haven’t yet heard that message, um I I I I hope you’ll go back and you’ll watch it um and and hear it.And um I had people who have been in church a long time who just were saying, “It’s got to be at the top of allleadership messages I’ve ever heard.” And I’m not saying that because it’s me.I’m just saying God God really is talking to our church right now. And I think there’s a witness of it all. So, please watch it. If you’re part ofChampion Center, watch it and uh and and lean into it. And so, we talked about reluctant leaders of the Bible and howsome of the best leaders started off as reluctant leaders. We talked about the, you know, the the fact that people likeJeremiah told God, “I can’t do this. I’m I’m too young.” Uh Jonah ran from God.And Gideon, who we really talked a lot about last week, he told God he wasn’t qualified to to be a leader. And and Moses was also one of those leaders.Moses told God, “Lord, please send someone else.” And so today, we’re going to talk about the the servant leaders of the Bible.And I want to begin with something that Jesus said to his disciples in Matthewchap 20 about servant leadership. Uh Matthew 20 it’s on your screens verse 25reads like this. It says Jesus called them together and said you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them and their high officials exerciseauthority over them. So basically he’s talking about the the the style of leadership that they were all aware ofand he was saying hey you you guys know that this is kind of what we all experience is this this heavyhandedtop-down leadership that comes from officials who exercise unnecessary levels of authority over people. Andthen he says but not so with you. This is not how I want you to lead. Instead,whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.And whoever wants to be first must be your slave.Just as the son of man did not come, so he’s referring to himself. He’s saying just like I didn’t come here to beserved, but I came here on purpose. I I came here to serve the need of humanity.and the son of man came to give his life as a ransom for many.There’s these are the the people that that he’s talking to that day or the people that he’s entrusted that he entrustedhis mission to after he was gone. So he’s he’s he’s doing leadership trainingand and he’s telling them like this is how I want you to look at your future in terms of leadership. We don’t do it likethey do it but we serve. Everybody say we serve. Serve.These are the ones who would preach the kingdom. These are the ones who would start churches. and he’s telling themthat the kingdom approach to leadership begins in an attitude of serving.Now, I I’m not sure what you think when you hear me say live like a leader. So, I just want to clarify what I believeGod’s looking for from all of us and the leadership that the world desperatelyneeds right now.more than any time in recent history.And I want to I want to just talk about that. I want to talk about the the leadership style. I want to talk about what real servant leadership looks like.And first of all, let’s just say this.Servant leadership is leading with an attitude of serving.The only time that leading is beyond you is when serving is beneath you. Wow.[snorts]Servant leadership is not about a high position or a low position.It’s not about a role or a title or a platform.In fact, Jesus is saying to uh the disciples on that day, they were arguing about who was the greatest.Yeah, they were real people and they they were having a little dispute about which among them were the greatest. And so he just basically steps into thatspace and he says, “Now, if you really want to be great, start with the right attitude right where you are.” Good.And when I say that, I think about people like Nehemiah who started with no title.He was a cup bearer to the king in a distant land and he felt called to the city of Jerusalem.And he goes to Jerusalem without a title and he startsleading. He just starts gathering people to a vision to a cause and eventually hebecame the governor. But I want you to understand that he didn’t start there.Like he just started as a servant. But the beautiful thing was is that he was still a servant when he was the governor.Like when you have the right attitude, titles don’t change. That’s right.You know, when we talk about servant leadership, we’re not saying people wouldn’t have titles. They don’t have positions. They don’t have roles. They don’t serve differently. We’re talking about an attitude with which you lead.And the attitude of serving is the Jesus model, biblical modelof leadership. No matter if you have a role, don’t have a role, have a title, don’t have a title, no title, leader,unnamed leader, young leader, mature leader, man leader, woman leader, doesn’t matter. Like God’s calling allof us into leadership and servantminded leaders are the Jesus kind of leaders.King David was a great example of that.He’s one of the greatest servant leaders of all time. He had the same attitude was when he was in the Judeian hillsleading sheep as he did when he was the king of Israel leading a nation.So he served with excellence in obscurityand he was a servant leader in obscurity protecting the sheep. He he was a leaderof sheep[snorts]and he made sure they were safe.He made sure they were well fed. He took it he took it with a responsible attitude. righttoward his father, toward the role, and you know that that that he had to just lead sheep. There’s not fame in that.Nobody knew him. There was no coverage on in the media. Like there was nobodyto applaud him and say, “Good job when he, you know, when he took a lion down who was trying to get to the sheep.” Nobody was out there with camerasrolling. You a bad bad boy, David. No, none of that.It was it was him on the back side of of deserts and in obscureplaces, but he was taking care and leading. He led the sheep to water. He he led themto the the best places where they could feed. He protected them from danger.And then it stayed that way as he became a military leader.He had what was called mighty men that started gathering around him.And they loved his style of leadership because they knew this guy’s he’s bad.He doesn’t back away from nothing. He’s a worshshiping warrior. Yeah.Like he’s a man’s man. But they also knew that he cared about them and they loved him so much that they would lay theirlife on the line. One time he literally said this. He said he said, “Man, I just wish I they’re out, you know, they’reout in the wilderness and right then Saul was chasing him, jealous of him and all that.” And these mighty men were all around him that were basically criminalsand and thugs that, you know, some of them were not they they weren’t the best guys in the world. They were running from the law, but they heard David wasin the hills. They found David and they came to David and David started really helping them become men.And and Saul was angry with David, jealous of him. He’s chasing him. And David, David just simply said one day,he’s like, “Man, I just wish I had a drink from my hometown.” Well, I just love have a drink from my hometown. Well,and three of them whispered at one another, said, “Let’s go get it.” They put their life in danger to go get him a drink.David didn’t take pride in it. In fact, he poured out the water.He’s like, “Don’t you boys do that again.” Like, but what I want you to understand is that that’s the kind of loyalty therewas good because of who he was.And the attitude with which he led he loved the house of God.He loved the house of God in his youth. He loved the house of God as a fugitive.He loved the house of God as a military leader. He loved the house of God as a king. Whatever role he was in, he wasnever too busy, never too small, never too big to serve God’s house and God’s people.When you think of servant leadership, you might wonder what what what does that mean? Well, well, here’s a couple things. It’s the willingness to be uncomfortable.It’s the willingness to do the things you would prefer not to do.I just wonder, are there people at church today who when you first woke up you didn’t feel like coming to church.Yeah. No shame.I wake up like that some Sunday mornings and God says, “No, no, you you you’re the preacher. You got to go.” Like like there’s no shame.But that’s the whole point is that servant leadership isn’t about doing what I want to do. That’s right.It’s not always doing what I’m comfortable doing or what I get claps for or cheers for.And by the way, notice that the scripture I read to you when they were talking about being great and I’m greater and he’s greater and you youknow uh I’m greater than you are and Jesus steps into that space. He does not rebuke them for wanting to be great.That was his chance to say, “You egotistic.Stop that silly talk about.” No, God put actually within each and every one of us a desire to be great.And that’s that that is not that is not wrong.As long as you understand that greatness comes with a serving attitude.He makes it clear that true greatness come from an attitude of serving. In other words, complaining isn’t servant.Being sarcastic isn’t servant.You you can be in a place where people are indifferent and have pride and jealousy all around you, but God’scalled us to lead a different mindset to have a different attitude.When the people around you are complaining at work, speak up, right?And say, you know what? I’m just thankful we have a job. I’m thankful that we can be here today.[applause]When people are complaining about the boss, hey, step in. He may not be perfect. She may not be perfect. This iswhat I’m talking about when I tell you live like a leader.And you may in your mind go, “Well, they’re not perfect.” I know, but the world doesn’t need more critics.Do you understand what I’m saying?[applause]And I’m just really thankful for all the leaders we have at Champion Center. The Bible says this. Ephesians 4 verse 23.It says, “Be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind.Having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude,be constantly renewed.” That means your your brain needs a bath.at least once a day and probably more.But he’s go he’s saying hit the refresh button.Don’t Don’t get arrogant. Don’t be prideful.Don’t be ungrateful. No matter how ungrateful the people around you are, like don’t go there. Lead up.Come on. lead toward thanksgiving.[applause]Lead toward honor.I have I I won’t say it that way. It sounds I don’t mean it arrogant, but it sounds arrogant. I I I coined a phrase a few years ago. It’s it it goes like this.It’s it’s it’s lead lead up, lead honor up, honor down, and honor all around.And I’ll never forget when I first like that came to me, I was I was saying, God, how can I get people to understandthat honor is not something you just do up that when I preach about having honor, it’s not a self-serving message. Honorme, honor me. How can I say that? And I remember when I started like that’s it.If I can just get people to understand that you never go wrong when you honor.And we don’t just honor one way or one direction. We honor up. We honor down. And we honor all around.[applause]I got a few claps in Tacoma on that one. It got a little quieter.I understand some of y’all, God’s working on you.Let’s talk about a few things that that living like a leader means. It means leaders are influencers, so they bring people with them.When Jesus said to his followers, you are the light of the world.And he said, “Let your light shine before men that they might see your good works andthen glorify your father in heaven.” He was wanting them to see themselves as influencers.He a lot of people are like, “I just got to get out of the way. I got to I got to get out of the way so God can be glorified.” Well, he’s saying something different here. Right. Right.He’s saying, “Actually, I want men to see you.” Right.I I don’t want you to get out of the way. I want people to observe what you say, what what you do, how you behave.I want you to let your light shine. I want men to see your good works.Yeah.I want your neighbor to see you. Go every Sunday morning and get in your car.Rain, shine, and head for church.Your neighbors should stop asking you unless they want to be invited where you’re going because they know already.They That’s kind of how a neighbor is of mine right now. run into him on Sunday mornings and he he quit asking.He ain’t going there no more. He’s got enough invites. He kind of knows like that’s the next thing out of my mouth.It’s like come with me next week. Like that’s the way your neighbors are ought to be. Just see your good works.Glorify your father in heaven because of you. Does that make sense?When Jesus said, “You’re the salt of the earth,” he was preparing them to be influencers.They were not being called to fit into culture.They were being called to influence culture.[applause]I believe God’s working in some of your lives right now. I really do. I think God’s wanting you to really get a revelation and differentiate between being kingdom and being culture.And I think there’s some of you that have been so culture that you don’t you don’t realize the drastic difference between culture and kingdom.Any Chief fans in the building today?Any Eagle fan in the building today? Any people in the building don’t care?[cheering][laughter]I don’t know if you’ll hear me when I say this or not, but um you you should not have halftime shows on today.I got a few claps, but some of you just felt I don’t even watch the game. I watch the show.Somewhere along the line, it ought to become something that doesn’t fit for youand is not in your house. [applause] This stuff is is satanic right now.The entertainment industry has lost their mind.[applause][applause]If you turn the channel, turn it off, the ratings go down.Like, you may not have another way to like say, “I don’t like this.” than to just do what’s right.Oh, some of y’all are like, “Don’t mess with my halftime show. I just did. I just did.Kingdom and culture don’t always mix.[applause]Here’s a great quote about leadership. A leader is one who knows the way, shows the way, and goes the way.John Maxwell. Isn’t that great?Leading means being confident in what you know. Do do you know the way? Like, do you know the way?That’s what leadership is. Knows the way. You got to take the next step. Go the way.Go the way you know and show the way. Don’t over complicate this. This is what living like a leaderis. It’s don’t don’t don’t over complicate this. Don’t don’t say, “Well, I don’t have no title. I don’t have no role. I don’t have no position.” No, no, no. Know the way. Go the way.Show the way.I back to that other little thing that bothered some of you. Like I just want if somebody says, you know, to me about the halftime show, I honestly I just want to let them know I didn’t watch it.I just I I don’t fit in. It It’s too wrong. It doesn’t settle in my heart.Leading. Leading means being confident in what you know and being persuasive with your life and your attitude and your words.And God’s putting people in your life for you to influence them, not to fit in with them.And there’ll be a lot of things you can share and fit in with and have fun with.And you can have golfing buddies and you can have fishing buddies and you can have whatever. Like that’s cool. But there’s a line where you either go kingdom or culture.And God’s putting people actually right there in your path for you to influence them.So, so what I’m saying is be certain and be sure in what you know.The next thing is that leaders are not just influencers. They are initiators.They don’t wait to be asked. They volunteer.If something needs to be done, in other words, if something is stalled, if something is stuck, those are prime opportunities for leadership.Right?When I was a young man and I was I was just hungry to know what God wanted me to do, I heard a pastor say, “Find a need and meet it.” Right.Like, man, that’s so like really that’s it? Yeah. Find a need and meet it.Leaders initiate. They don’t wait. They initiate.I look at our church sometime and I’m so glad for everybody that comes into the buildings and everybody who joins in.and I really appreciate it that you are coming and you love God and you serve God and I know you’re individuals and I know all of that. I just wonder sometimes like would it wouldn’t it bereally cool if you like did something uncomfortable? Come on. Come on now.Like is the last thing you did uncomfortable actually walking in the doors?Where’s the next decision? That’s is it is it joining a team? Is it going to rootedclass? Is it But I don’t know. Like is it raising both hands instead of like that one? Like I I don’t know. Butif you can just ease in and keep moving like okay God said let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Here it goes. Praise the Lord.Like like I don’t know. by just initiative, initiative and initiating and notwaiting for everyone else but just like leaders go first.Another thing is that leaders go the extra mile.Jesus was teaching his followers and he said he was speaking into the culture of that day. Let me let me say the that that if you could be walk if you were aJew, you could be walking down the street and a Roman soldier just pull off all the weighty stuff he was carrying and he could pop it down and tell you to carry it for a mile.And that was just that was basically the law. It was really oppressive. And Jesus said, “Well, hey, if a soldier demands you carry his gear for a mile, how aboutyou carry it two miles?” Now I I want you to understand Jesus wasn’t into like people joining intosomething evil. He was basically developing in them an attitude of serving and giving your best.Like your light shines whenever you actually give your best.Give your best at home. Give your best at work.Give your best at church. Do more than your boss or your company or your coach asks you to do.Don’t just do the minimum. Do the extra. I’m talking about servant leadership.It’s go the extra mile.It didn’t even mean Jesus didn’t even mean I agree with this law. He was developing within his followersa spirit of leadership based on servant leadership.So I what I want to just say to everybody here if right now there’s a there’s anti-work like people are doing the bare minimum. It’s called quietquitting or just quitting but some people are doing quiet quitting. They want to keep their jobs. It’s a phenomena right now.And I I’ll probably repeat it and talk about it because it’s it’s not who we are.Like I I if if you have a job and you you choose to be there, show up early.Don’t be afraid to stay a little late and give them your best while you’re there.Your friends may not do that. People may not around you may not do that. But actually, I want to tell you, the Lord will bless you. It’s a huge opportunityright now in the marketplace. It’s a huge opportunity in society to not go along with that attitude that the worldhas right now of doing the bare minimum to get by,keep my job. That that’s not the spirit and the attitude that God’s people are supposed to have.And and trust me, it won’t work against you. It will work in your favor. The people who are going the extra mile, if it just sounds like some corny, cheesyJesus rule, the people that are going the extra mile are going to be the leaders of the company tomorrow. They’re going to be the ones who prosper.They’re going to be the one really[applause]they’re going to be the ones that other people look to. I was listening to Tim Timbo um the other day and he’s a Christian guy. You guys know his background.played sports, was a quarterback at Miami University. Um, I I was just listening to a little interview he wasdoing. He was talking about this that what what his dad always taught him was you don’t do just do what you’re told to do. You do the extra.And and he said, “I just I just took delight in going in on the first day of, you know, summer camp, training camp, whatever.” And and he said the thenewbies would always go, “Oh my god, that’s Timbo.” And then they would watch me run the stairs longer than anybody.Like I’d already proved myself, but I’m doing I’m working harder. I’m giving more. I’m doing more. I’m stepping outthere. And he said, “I’ve just always believed that that’s what God will bless.” Now, you may not see him on the sportsscene right now, but I promise you, his platform has continued to be expanded.His voice is being potentially more influential right now. Like he has a a platform and a voice of influence in theworld that honors God and celebrates Christ. In other words, God will honor you and he’ll honor me whenever we have the right attitude in what we do.Am I helping anybody?Come on, church. [applause] So this year, our vision is that wewould be the church that the world needs right now and that we would as God’s people, God’sambassadors, these are Bible words, citizens of his kingdom, that we would extend the borders of the kingdomby leading at church, by leading at home, by leading at work,by leading at school, by leading in the community that we would all know that following Jesus is a call to live like leaders. That think about that.Following Jesus always has been and still is a call to live like Jesus.You know, in team sports, when a team plays a game at the other team’s home field, they’re called the visiting team.And today, that’s why the Super Bowl is in a neutral location because home teams typically have an advantage with the fans and so forth.And as the visiting team, they go intoenemy territory. They go into battle in a place that’s not their house.And not only do they have the the opposing team against them, but they have the crowd against them as well.And there was a time whenever Christian and biblical worldview informed the culture.We had what I would call home field advantage. But that’s no longer the case.We’re now the visiting team.And we’re being booed and we’re being marginalized and we’re being insultedand we’re being rejected, being cancelled. We’re being ignored.But we’re still called to persevere and we’re still called to do battle.And we’re still called to overcome evil with good.[applause]And if this were, maybe it is in some ways the locker room before the game and I’m your coach, I would say to you, hold your head up.Don’t be afraid. Walk in confidence.Don’t dare let them offend you and don’t dare let them intimidate you.I would say [applause] to you today, be strong and have good courageand let’s get out there for the second half.Let’s get out there for the next play. Have courage and fight.Come on, church. Fight for our families and keep building God’s great church.[applause]You see there’s some you see these faces going up on the screen. The these are children born in the image and likeness of God.They are innocent and pureand they pretend to be all kinds of things. monsters, dragons, superheroes, pirates, cowboys, Indians, firemen,pilots. They’re they’re not those things. They’re innocent children who don’t yet know who they are.And there’s an evil spirit that is preying on our innocent children.And they need us to protect them.[applause]and they need us to serve them and to lead them. They If you say, “Well, I don’t have any children yet.” Well, maybe you’re a a teenagerand the the child the younger than you needs an older brother. They they they need us.The teenagers of today, the younger generation feels more alone than ever, more stressed, more afraid than than we can really imagine.And those feelings were only exasperated when they spent months locked up in their homes,fearing a global pandemic. I talked to a dad the other day, 2020 was his son’s senior year. He pulls up in front of theschool, puts his mask on, walks into the front door, and somebody standing there with his high school diplomawith gloves on, mask on, hands it to him. He walks back to his car.And you might go, “Well, no big deal. No problem. Don’t kid yourself.” Our young people today,injustice has backed many of them into the corner. That’s true.We’ve had three young people that are connected to our church that have taken their own lives in just the last two or three months.They have the impression of the world branded on their souls. the vulgar music, the language, the video impressions,[music] the porn, the anger, the violence, the hate, the fights, the injustice.And kids and young people imitate what they see and the images they see. They act out of what they hear.And if there’s ever been a need for God’s people to lead, it’s now.It’s right now. [applause and music] We We’ve had We’ve had more men signingup in our children’s and youth ministries. Please keep it up. [music] Keep it up. Go to a classroom. Becomebecome a young man’s [music] hero. Our our I I’ve this is what I’ve said. I don’t want our children, ourboys to come to our church classrooms and there only be women in there.They need to see men greeting them, encouraging them, lifting them, showing them the way. [applause and music]And this is not an easy time for men, but men, we’re strong.I just want to encourage you, get a vision for your life and your family and your future, and then lead them. If you’re a young man right now and youdon’t have a vision for your life, I I I’m asking you like like leave here right now with that goal in mind. I’m I’m going to press in and I’m going tohave I’m going to I’m going to get a vision for my life, for my future. What I’m telling you is that so uh servant leaders are not soft.ervant leaders are if that word don’t let that word make you think I’m talking about being soft [music] or cowardly.Servant leaders are bold. They’re courageous.[music]Be a bold follower of Christ and a bold leader of men. [applause and music]Pray with your children, men. Speak blessing and life over them.Don’t be afraid to stand up for what’s right. Be a soldier. Be a warrior.Protect your family.Protect your home. Don’t let depression take you out. Don’t let self image issuesexclude you from your place of influence. You may feel inadequate because you didn’t have a dad or you I Ipromise you, God will equip you. God will help you. He will send other men into your life. just step out and say,”I’m going to be the man my children needs me to be. I’m going to be the man my wife needs me to be. I’m going to be the man God needs me to be.” Live like a leader. Live like a leader.[applause]Live like a leader.[music]Not already. Start serving in God’s house. Be an extra mileer. Help build God’s house to be magnificent.and a bright a bright lifegiving house. [music] Live like a leader.When your feet hit the floor in the [music] morning, you’re not just another person. You’re God’s man.You’re God’s woman.You are the light of the world. You are the salt of Pastor Kevin. You don’t know me. You are the light of the world. Shut up and let me talk.You are the light of the world.[applause and music]You don’t know what I’ve done wrong. God will take your wrongs. He’ll use it as a story and a testimony in your life so that you can encourage and help somebody else who’s also done wrong.[applause and music]Just let your light shine. Come on. Let your light shine.[applause and music]Don’t don’t don’t shrink back.Be a leader. Don’t coddle down. Be a leader. [music] Don’t be wimpy. Be a leader.See if I can find any other words that’ll like just be a leader.Because what God wants to do in our churches and communities and cities is going to require his people to lead with an attitude of serving and to have avision for God’s house, to be influencers.Go the extra mile. Am I talking to somebody today? Come on, see the kingdom come.[music and applause]Somebody say, “Kingdom come.” Kingdom come. Say it again. Kingdom come. Kingdom come. Say it again. Kingdom come. Kingdom come.Say it again. Kingdom come. Kingdom come.I don’t know what to do. Show up early next week at whatever location. Go out to the parking lot. Tell the guys with the orange jackets on that you’d like to have an orange jacket and you want tohelp welcome people. Just do something to help. [music] Let your light shine.Woo!Come on, let’s give the Lord a great big hand right now, can’t we? Let’s celebrate. [music] Let’s celebrate God’s favor, God’s goodness.[applause][music]Every head bowed, every eye closed. Let [music] me talk to you for a minute.There are people here today who have been disconnected from God. You’ve been disconnected from God’s plan for your life. And God’s drawing you right now tohim. And what he’s drawing you to [music] is a decision.A decision to give your life to him[music]by connecting to him, by connecting to his word, by connecting to his people.[music]What I want to do right now in the next two minutes or less is I want to give you two opportunities for decisionmaking today. [music] And the first one is salvation.The Bible says those who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. If you want a new beginning, if you want [music] your sins to be forgiven, if youwant God right now to give the grace of salvation in your life, I’m going to ask you wherever you are, whatever location, boldly lift your hand up in the airright [music] now and say, “This is my day. This is my moment. I want a new beginning in my life. I want a new beginning in my relationship with God.” Yes. Yes. Yes. Hands up. Good. Good.Hands up. Good. Hands up. Good. Want to restart. Refresh. Hands [music] up. Say with me real loud. Say, “Lord Jesus,Lord Jesus, welcome to my world. Forgive me of all my sin. Forgive me of all my s. Come into my life.Make me a new person. I boldly declare boldly. Today is my day.Today is my for a new beginning. For a new beginning.I have salvation. [music] I have I have the hope of eternal life. I am a child of God.And I’ll never be the same again. I welcome each and every one of you that just prayed that prayer. Welcome to the family. Come on, we celebrate. Wecelebrate. [applause] One more decision. One more decision.The second is to be planted in the house of the Lord. The Bible says if you [music] are planted in the house of the Lord, you will flourish. Anybody like that word flourish, you will flourish.You will flourish in the courts of God.You will mature. You [music] will get strong. You will get better. If you’re looking at your weakness today and you are a believer, you just need to get planted. You need to get planted. Takenotes and you’ll start growing [music] in your life. You will flourish. If you’re not right now already planted inthe house of the Lord and God’s brought you here and you say, you know what, from now on, this is not just that church, Kevin’s church. This is mychurch. [music] I am planted here. This is my house. God brought me here. And I’m going to be I’m going to be fruitful here. If that’s you, raise your handright now where come on. Decisions are being made at every location.Decisions are being made. This is what moves your life forward.[applause and music]And I know some of the people who raised your hand and just prayed that prayer of salvation, you’re also raising your hand right now. Two two down [music] rightnow. Two two in one day. Here we go. But others are saying, “I’ve been saved, but I’ve not been planted.” Raise your hand.Raise your hand. Raise your hand. Amen.I welcome each and every one of you. The hand being raised, we don’t have to pray over it. The hand being raised is aresponse to my invitation. [music] And I bless you today as not just a member of God’s family, but I bless you [music]today as one who is planted in the house at Champion Center. We receive you. We love you. We’re glad God brought youhere. Come on, church. Let’s celebrate new beginnings today. God bless you guys.