The Church is Plan A
August 2, 2026
What if the Church isn't God's backup plan—but His only plan? In this powerful pre-conference message, Pastor Julian Lowe reminds Champion Centre that the Church is God's Plan A—and there is no Plan B. Through heartfelt personal testimony and rich biblical teaching, Pastor Julian shares how Pastors Kevin and Sheila Gerald helped restore his calling by teaching him to boldly preach the truth and faithfully build Christ's Church. Drawing from John 14, John 16, Revelation 19, Jeremiah 7, and John 3, this message reveals that Jesus intentionally entrusted His mission to the Church through the power of the Holy Spirit. Using the biblical imagery of the bride and bridegroom, Pastor Julian explains that every act of serving, giving, leading, and sharing the Gospel prepares the Bride of Christ for His return. Whether you've been following Jesus for decades or are just beginning your faith journey, this message will inspire you to embrace your role in God's Kingdom, reject cultural deception, and courageously proclaim the truth of God's Word. The Church isn't simply an organization to attend—it's the Bride Christ is preparing for eternity. The Church is Plan A. There is no Plan B. Let's live ready for the return of our Bridegroom.
Talk-It-Out
Icebreaker
Who has had the greatest impact on your spiritual growth, and what did they model that changed your life?
Discussion Questions
- Pastor Julian repeatedly declared, “The Church is Plan A. There is no Plan B.” What does that statement mean to you personally?
- How does understanding the Church as the Bride of Christ change the way you think about serving and being committed to your local church?
- Pastor Julian described the difference between treating believers as “new believers” versus “newlyweds.” What challenged you most about that illustration?
- Why is boldly proclaiming biblical truth an important part of preparing the Bride of Christ?
- WHow has being planted in a healthy local church shaped your walk with Jesus?
- What practical step can you take this week to help strengthen Christ’s Church and prepare others for His return?
This Week’s Action Step
This week:
Read John 14, John 16, and Revelation 19.
Pray each day for your local church and its leaders.
Find one opportunity to serve or encourage someone in your church family.
Invite one person to church and share why being part of Christ’s Bride matters.
Key Scriptures
John 16:7 – Jesus tells His disciples it is to their advantage that He goes away so the Holy Spirit can come, empowering the Church. (Core Passage)
John 14:1–3 — Jesus prepares a place for His people and promises to return for them.
Revelation 19:6–8 — The marriage supper of the Lamb and the Bride made ready.
John 3:27–29 — John the Baptist identifies himself as the friend of the Bridegroom.
View Transcript
Come on, Champion Center. Make some noise. Give God praise. Yakima, you got a building. Every location, God is moving in this house.
Before you sit down, The production team to show that video before I preach is cruel because I’m over there about to start weeping. And now I have to come up here and preach because Jesus saved my life. But Pastor Kevin and Sheila saved my calling. While the enemy was making me want to quit, I actually applied for another job in 2021 and got that job.
And had a whole transition plan to get out of the very thing God had called me to. And I met this pastor. And I said, faith was imparted to me. There are times when every pastor wants to quit. And if you would have quit at 35 years, because if you would have quit at 35 years, I would have never met you. And I probably wouldn’t even be pastoring.
And so to be able to speak into something that changed me. Over. Somebody right now say, come on, brother, you got to stop crying. Come on, brother, you got to stop crying. So can we celebrate and honor God for our pastors, Pastor Kevin and Sheila Gerald? Come on, every location, give God a shout of praise.
Stand up. We’re so grateful. Now, before you have a seat, turn your neighbor and say, our black brother’s in the house from L.A. Our black brother is in the house from L.A. Somebody’s like, can we say that? I’ve always wanted to say that. Go ahead and have a seat.
Now, I know we’re in the Pacific Northwest, so I don’t want to start off this sermon with some correction, but I did hear an R. Some of you turned to your neighbor and said, our black brother is in the house. That is not what I said. T-H-A. B-R-U-T-H-A. I would love for that to be the first note in your journal today. I want to preach a message that I had another title, but I changed it during the welcome time, and the message is called The Church is Plan A. The Church is Plan A. What a powerful statement for those of you watching across every location.
The Church is Plan A. There is no Plan B. The Church is Plan A. There is no Plan B. If I got to be honest, you know, Pastor Kevin and Sheila are two of the most significant voices in my life. So when they asked me to do pre-conference weekend, it’s like a lot of pressure. Like, I’m not the cool guest speaker.
I’m so happy to be here. I’m not the cool guest speaker. I just want to let you know. that this is not just a guest speaker. This is actually a working interview. So if you’re on staff at Champion Center, you better do your job because I will apply for it. Come on, somebody. Do your job. I will apply for that job in a heartbeat.
We’re looking for a campus pastor. But I know what to preach. I’m like, this is so huge. It’s so significant. And I felt like God was like, preach about what Pastor Kevin and Sheila taught you about. Preach about the church. The church, there is no plan B. The church is plan A. I want to say something to you because oftentimes, you know, I’m from a city where obviously people, there’s a lot of people believing lies, believing lies and believing lies about themselves, believing lies about God, going against the truth of God’s word,
getting into all other spiritual things that they don’t need to get into. Some of them will be in their apartments instead of calling out to the name of Jesus, the name that’s above every name. burning sage and trying to get rid of the negative energy in their home. And sometimes I tell them, you’re the only one there.
So there’s so much negative energy in your house. Try Jesus. Try the church. There is no plan B. Here’s what’s crazy about this. I’ve learned that I was in so much pain and trauma from things I hadn’t dealt with in my life and feeling like the city was rejecting everything I was trying to do.
I’ve learned that ears trained by trauma and pain have been primed to hear lies and deceit. Ears trained by trauma and pain have been primed to hear lies and deceit. Lies and deceit. But there is no. And what do we do when this happens? We go, Christ, would you come with you? Well, Christ is sitting down at the right hand of the Father, and he’s not getting up. So guess who needs to get up? The church. The church.
I want you to just fathom the craziness in this verse if you don’t have the Holy Spirit. John 16, verse 7. Jesus says this to his disciples. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away. Because if I don’t, the advocate, the Holy Spirit, will not come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. Think about this for a second, church.
He is saying it’s a better idea. For pastors Kevin and Sheila to do 40 years of ministry filled with the Holy Spirit, it’s a better idea for you to jump on a team. It’s a better idea for you to invite people. It’s a better idea for you to be a bringer. It’s a better idea for you to be filled with the Holy Spirit than for me to stay.
I want you to think about that for a second. Jesus could have done ministry for 40 years and chose not to. Pastors Kevin and Sheila, you want to have a bragging point? They can wake up this morning and say, I did ministry for 37 years longer than Jesus. Why? How? Because Jesus thought they were a better idea.
Mobilizing the church to preach the truth and share the gospel is a better idea than Jesus hanging around. So much so, the Bible says he sat down at the right hand of the Father. How will we do our job as a church if we don’t believe we are a better idea? Sometimes you’re waiting for God to show up and God’s waiting for you to show up.
Sometimes we’re like, my job is so dark. He said, turn the light on. The church is the light of the world. So he’s like, I got to get out of here. He says it’s to your advantage that he goes away. He goes on in John 14, 1, 3, and says this. Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms.
If it were not so, would I have told you I’m going there to prepare a place for you? And listen to this. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be with me where I am. the father’s house has many rooms that’s why we have more than one location the father’s house has many rooms if we want to do another location we don’t say isn’t the locations we have enough no the father’s house has many rooms if god wants to take us to another state and move
champion center to another state we don’t go but i don’t know about that why the father’s house has many rooms the father’s house has many rooms like I don’t know where you’re watching from. You could be at Bellevue. You could be at DuPont. You could be at Yakima in the new building, absolutely chilling in your brand new building. Let’s go.
But the Father’s house has many rooms. And I believe one of the mistakes I’ve made in my life is I want to be prepared for the earthly room, not my heavenly room. And it is the church that prepares us for our heavenly room. Here is what’s clear about John 3, that God so loved the world, he sent his son into the world.
But when Christ returns, he’s not coming back for the world. He’s coming back for his church. And we need to be ready. Now, how cool is this verse, Sam? My father’s house has many rooms. You know, when we bought a house recently. In L.A. Y’all ain’t clapping. That’s a lot.
They get a mansion in Tacoma for what we paid for our little three bedroom. Yeah, I thought y’all was going to praise the Lord. Come on, man. Listen, it’s like, you know, we went to the house and all the kids are like, this is my room. This is my room. And when you hear that, you start thinking about heaven, which is true. He’s talking about heaven.
But do you know that Jesus is using wedding language? When he says that in the old biblical times, there was a betrothal period that was around maybe a year. So the groom would prearrange with the father to to marry his daughter and he would pay a price for the bride. He would show up.
He’d make an introductory moment with the bride and then he would return and prepare a room for the bride. One room. And when that room was ready, he would come back and get the bride. So Jesus is using Langewood saying, I am the bridegroom. The church is the bride, just like they do in biblical times. I’m going to go and prepare not one room, but many rooms. And then I will return for my bride.
But in order to know that he will return for his bride, he had to pay a price. Does that sound familiar? Christ, our bridegroom, paid a price on the cross for us, signifying that if he would die for us, won’t he return for us? This is why we are the church, because he died. This would typically take a year, and the bride’s only responsibility is to be in her father’s house, preparing for the bridegroom to take her to his father’s house.
One responsibility. I know you got to go to work. I know you got to go to school. I don’t know what you got to do tomorrow, but there’s one responsibility for the bride that is the primary responsibility above all other responsibilities is that when the groomsman shows up, we need to be found in the father’s house preparing for the groomsman return, which one could surmise from that you could never spend too much time in the father’s house.
Well, I’ve been serving a lot this week. Yeah, you’re getting ready. I’ve been doing a lot. Yes, you’re getting ready. Oh, you don’t understand, huh? It was a lot to open up that new location and get that building ready. I know. And when Christ returns, you will look a lot like what he is wanting to see because you’ve been serving. You’ve been building to all of our legacy givers. You’ve been giving.
You are preparing the bride for Christ’s return. This is deeply cultural language, where the groom leaves his father’s house, pays a bride price, prepares a place, returns unexpectedly for the bride. What does he say? Jesus will return like a thief in the… He comes unexpectedly.
Here’s what’s interesting, though. When the bridegroom would return, he would typically bring his best friend with him. His best friend. And sometimes the best friend would go ahead. of the bridegroom to tell everybody the bridegroom’s coming. And at the voice of the groom, the bride and all the villagers would come running. Now, isn’t it interesting that John the Baptist came to prepare the way for Jesus, and when Jesus showed up, scholars say he showed up, they think he showed up somewhere, Jesus and John the Baptist’s ministry, somewhere between six months and one year,
right in that biblical betrothal period. And John the Baptist, when he saw Jesus, he didn’t say, here’s our Savior. He didn’t say, here’s our Lord. He said, behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Behold the Lamb. Everyone look. Behold the Lamb. John the Baptist in the middle of a thriving ministry and he stopped what he was doing.
Stopped the baptisms and said behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. The Lamb came the first time to take away the sin but listen to what the Lamb does the second time he returns. Revelation 19 7. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory for the wedding of the Lamb has come.
and his bride has made herself ready. Oh, my God. Can I tell you what our pastors, if you’re serving somewhere, get to work, I’m telling you, I can feel it in my spirit. I’m going to apply for your job. Can I tell you something that our pastors taught me? They taught me to get the bride ready by preaching the truth.
Honestly, I was scared to preach the truth. Honestly, I was in pain. And so I kind of believed everything that was going on in 2020. Can I speak to you for a second? I’m going to be real. I was making everything about race. And I remember one time, man, like, I woke up feeling oppressed, like I was oppressed.
And I remember I had coffee with this brother in our church, and he was feeling oppressed. And he said, hey, man, like, how does it feel to be oppressed? And like this nation. This is a true story. I looked down at what he was eating. And I said, brother, you eating avocado toast. That’s some expensive toast to be oppressed, my brother. You got a BMW, man. Maybe Christ has freed us.
Maybe we’re the sons of God. Maybe we’re believing a lie to try to make us fight a fight that isn’t ours to fight. We’re supposed to be building a church. So eat your avocado toast and preach the gospel. Eat your avocado toast and tell people there’s a savior in heaven.
That doesn’t mean you don’t go through anything, but he who is in us is greater than he who’s in the world. And it was shortly after that that I came to Team Church for the first time. Shortly after that, I came to Team Church for the first time. And I left there with this strong revelation. Jesus is using wedding language. Are you listening to me? Every location, you got to get this. Jesus is using wedding language.
And I discovered, hear my heart. I’m so grateful that the church has new believers classes. We need new believers classes. But I was treating my church like new believers, not newlyweds. Here’s the difference. New believer. I’m smoking a little bit, sleeping around. But don’t judge me. I’m a new believer.
I’m on a journey. You can’t get away with that as a newlywed. You imagine me coming to tell my wife, Christina, we’ve been married three months. I come in the house at 4 a.m. Where you been? I was just out with a little young thing I met at the club. What? We’re supposed to be married. You’re supposed to be committed to me.
You’re judging me. I’m a newlywed. Give me some time. I’m on a journey. No, no. I spent all the rent money on weed. You did? What are we going to do? I’m so upset. Now, hey, hey, that’s hate speech. You get married. You’re a newlywed.
And I realized that I was treating the church like new believers and tiptoeing around the truth, not giving them the very thing that would set them free. So I start coming to team church. I was ready to lose my job. And thankfully, this church has enough locations to give me one because I thought I was going to lose my job. I start telling people. The truth. I start telling people the truth. The truth.
What does our pastor say? North is north and truth is truth. And next thing you know, go figure. People wanted to hear the truth. I mean, it got bad for a minute there. One time I’m teaching the truth and, you know, there was all this stuff going on with immigration. In LA, as you guys would know, watching the media, and I’m preaching, trying to give people biblical perspective, and this guy stands up in the back of the church, and he yells at the top of his lungs, Leviticus says to be kind to the foreigner.
I said, what did you say? I couldn’t hear him. He goes, Leviticus says to be kind to the foreigner. He’s standing, yelling at the top of his lungs. And I said, wow. And then I felt kind of like that team church boldness come on me. I know there’s a Holy Spirit, but I felt that PK spirit come upon me.
And I stood at a platform. I said, Leviticus also says things about sexuality. You want to yell that out too? Since we’re yelling out scripture, let’s go there. He got him walked out. The whole church started clapping. It was great. He did come back the next service, so don’t clap too loud. But I just became emboldened to preach the truth.
Because I realized that Christ has not returned because of the lack of truth in the earth. It is the truth that makes the bride ready. Now think about this. It’s wedding language. The best friend. Watch what John the Baptist says after saying, behold the lamb. Listen to this. John chapter 3 verses 27 through 29.
John replied, no one can receive because they’re saying Jesus is baptizing more people than you. Remember that complaint in scripture? Jesus is baptizing more people. It says no one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven. You yourselves know how plainly I told you. I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him. Listen to this language.
It is the bridegroom who marries the bride. And the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. John the Baptist is not just announcing who Jesus is. He’s announcing who he is, the bridegroom’s friend. This was a Hebrew word called the shoshaven.
was the friend of the bridegroom or the best man in ancient Jewish weddings, and his role was much more significant than that of a modern-day best man. He was a trusted representative of the groom, helping facilitate the marriage from betrothal through the wedding celebration. So pastors Kevin and Sheila, if you will, are prophetic shoshavims.
preparing Christ’s bride for the wedding day that John the Baptist is prophesying about in Revelation 19. So for 40 years, right here in the Pacific Northwest, God is saying, my bride is almost ready. This is so powerful. It is so profound. Later, earlier in Jeremiah chapter 7, listen to this. This is a verse from Jeremiah the prophet.
And I will silence in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness. The voice of the bridegroom will be silenced and the voice of the bride will be silenced, for the land shall become a waste. The voice of the bridegroom will be silenced, the voice of the bride will be silenced, and the land will become a waste. What would make Los Angeles a wasteland? What would make DuPont a wasteland? What would make Bellevue a wasteland? What would make Yakima a wasteland? What would make right here in Tacoma a wasteland? God gives us a clue in Jeremiah 7. What would make the regions we are called to build the church in wastelands is when the voice of the bridegroom and the
voice of the bride has been silenced. I don’t like crime, but it’s not crime that is mentioned here that makes a city a wasteland. It is the silence of not just Jesus, but his church. And then I realized. That there was a specific attack on my life to silence me and silence the church.
And the only solution to silence is to speak up and declare and proclaim that Christ is Lord and truth is truth. Is there anybody in any location that wants to praise the Lord right now? The church will not be silenced in Jesus’ name. We are the voice of Christ in the earth. And so I’m running around talking about the crime. And I know I want to do something about the homeless in the city, but I was doing all those things.
I was serving my city, not realizing that the voice of the bride in Los Angeles had been silenced. Don’t you say a word. Don’t you say anything. Don’t say the name of Jesus. Being asked to pray at places and don’t say Jesus’ name. Don’t bring that stuff. Don’t bring your faith. Don’t declare the truth. Don’t say anything about abortion. Don’t say anything about sexuality.
Do not say a word. And for years I didn’t until I came to Champion Center. And can I be really honest? I’m going to be really honest. It wasn’t that other pastors weren’t sharing the truth. They were just in Louisiana. So my brain was like. Easy for you to say. Everybody in your neighborhood is a conservative.
So you’re not bold. You’re just in agreement. That’s what I call it, if I’m being honest. Now, that’s not true. That was my own deception. Until I came to Tacoma, Seattle area, and Pastor Kevin and Pastor Sheila were preaching the truth. And I was like, is there any place worse than L.A.
to preach the truth? If we come up to this region, we count blue hair on the plane. You know what I’m saying? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. Nothing wrong. Not judging. But I’m like, if they’re bold here, we’re going to be bold in L.A.
And something happened to me, and I got an impartation of faith and courage to build not just the church, but the bride that Christ is returning for. One crazy other note about the betrothal period is I missed this detail, but in Luke chapter one, verse 26 to 27, it says in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.
God chose the betrothal period to give Mary the baby. I knew that, but I didn’t really catch it. That he chose that exact same time frame. What was Joseph doing when Mary got pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit? What was Joseph doing? He was in his father’s house preparing a room. And got word from the Maury Povich show, Joseph, you are not the father.
That’s my version of the Bible. Like if, obviously I’m paraphrasing. And this Bible says he was going to divorce his wife quietly. Why was he going to go back and divorce his wife? Because he was building a father’s room. He was going to end the building of the father’s room because of something he perceived Mary had done.
But the angel of the Lord had to reveal the truth to Joseph that Mary didn’t cheat on you. The Holy Spirit did that. And somehow. Joseph believed the truth that Mary had conceived supernaturally. And I’m scared to tell the truth in L.A. that abortion is wrong. And Joseph believed that truth. Maybe telling the truth isn’t bold.
Maybe it’s who we are. Maybe it’s what we were always meant to be. Maybe it’s what we were always meant to do. I think when you look at Hosea. The book of Hosea talks about, and I don’t want to read all of it now, but he talks about he will win his bride back again. He’s talking about the people. And it says he will lead her into the desert, speak tenderly to her.
I will return her vineyards to her and transform the valley of trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from captivity. When that day comes, you will call me my husband instead of. my master and listen to verse 19 we’re going to skip to it I will make you my wife forever showing you righteousness and justice unfailing love and compassion now if you jump back into revelation 19 which all of this everything you’re doing all of your giving all of your serving all of your time
Like anybody who’s been here with Pastors Kevin and Sheila those 40 years, anybody who’s been here 40 days, we are all the bride together. And that’s what makes this beautiful. And if you don’t understand you’re the bride, you will malfunction as the body. You will think you need a break. I get it. I love this message that Pastor Kevin preached. I don’t know if it was a message, but he talked about toxic tiredness.
Where there is, in the same way that you can take a, if you need a break from your wife or your husband and you want to take a break, that’s a problem. So if we’re the bride and we want to take a break from the church, that’s kind of like a, that’s a problem. Like we should, we’re in covenant. We’re in covenant. And I don’t want to get into this because I don’t have much time because they didn’t add seven minutes for black preachers. That’s usually.
Like, that should just be a given. It’s crazy. 35 minutes? You don’t get the white guy and the black guy at the same time. We tell you we’re on our way and we’re just getting in the shower. Like, come on. Next time to the team, like, we got to do better. We got to do better. I forgot what I was saying. Sometimes I say a joke and I forget what I was saying.
I got time. Okay, praise the Lord. Pastor Kevin said I had time, so I have time. But thanks, honey. Need a break. And we’re in covenant, not just with Jesus, but with each other. I want to tell you something that I pray that you can understand if you’re new to Champion Center Church. Because what my wife and I gained is profound.
And it’s so profound because we weren’t in the room. Christine, am I right? We established very earlier that God wanted us to make a covenant with Team Church and pastors Kevin and Sheila. So operating from the space of covenant, I was getting impartation, not information. It wasn’t just notes in a session. Something was happening to me and in me every time I heard something because my posture was covenant.
Does that make sense? And I can stand before the Lord and say there is no scenario. That we will not be a part of team church. We can’t. We’re in covenant. To not be a part of team church would be to disobedient of God. And we miss the power of covenant. We think it’s attendance. It’s covenant. You show up.
I’m not attending my home when I go be with my wife. I’m not attending. I’m in covenant. And so we have to understand the power of covenant. And this covenant will be. consummated when Christ returns. Listen to Revelation 19, verses 6 through 8. Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters, like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exalt Him and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come. And his bride has made herself ready. And it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure. What is the wedding gown for the bride? This fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints, those who are living their lives by the truth.
The truth is not just the truth. It becomes the garment you wear when you meet Jesus. I’m so grateful for this 40 years of ministry. I probably would have went to heaven had I died five years ago. I probably would have experienced the wedding of the Lamb. But had I not met Pastors Kevin and Sheila, I would not have been dressed for the occasion.
Pastor Kevin would say it over and over again. North is north and truth is truth. And when Christ returns, this verse says the lives we live according to the truth will be like a fine linen garment helping us to behold Christ in all of his glory and be a holy wedding where our bridegroom king returns for his bride.
And I pray that this message not only imparts something to you, But it gives thanks to our pastors, Kevin and Sheila, who taught me how to build a church that was dressed for the occasion. Can you stand to your feet in every location? In every location. I just feel I want to invite the team to come, the worship team.
There’s no way. I specifically feel this in like Yakima. There’s a lot of warfare getting that building open. Delays and things going on. And now at your most energetic point when the building’s opening, some of you over there, your volunteers, you’re tired. And the Holy Spirit is going to strengthen you right now.
One of the things that’s interesting about 40 years is that biblically, the end of 40 years was the beginning of something. Like Moses had 40 separate, three separate 40 years. He was a prince in Egypt for 40 years. He was in the wilderness for 40 years. And he was behind the mountain of Midian for 40 years. And each time there was 40 years, God brought him into a new level.
So 40 years isn’t landing the plane. 40 years is the plane taking off. And you’re going to need strength. You’re going to need strength. And you’re going to need surrender. And you’re going to need healing. I want to say something specifically to Phil had to say this. Anybody in this region, what I really battled was this idea.
The thing that allowed so much deception and lies to come into my soul is that culture convinced me to wake up every single day feeling like a black. All this deception. Pastor Kevin, Pastor Sheila made me feel like a black son in the church. And that healed my heart. And when my heart got healed, my ears got healed. So I just want to close in prayer.
Single person under the sound of my voice understands that 40 years is just the beginning.
That Christ is coming to a church in Tacoma. He’s returning to a church in Tacoma. He’s returning to a church in Bellevue. He’s returning to a church in DuPont. He’s returning to a church in Yakima that looks like his bride. That will be dressed for the occasion. And Lord, we prophesy right now in Jesus’ name. We declare that the church is plan A. There is no plan B.
We are the church. Strengthen us in the depths of our souls and spirit. Strengthen our bones and our hands to do the work of Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen, amen, and amen. Champion Center, I love you so much. And I’ll see you soon. Would you just stay right where you are? Just stay right where you are.
I want to give an opportunity for anybody in the house this morning who heard that word and maybe you don’t find yourself in right standing with God. And you would say, I want to be counted in. I want to be a part. of that marriage that he spoke about i want to walk in a covenant relationship with jesus christ with every head bowed right now those of you who are believers begin praying for those who are contemplating this decision because i want to give you an opportunity to be bold this morning if that’s you would you just boldly lift your hand up in the air Boldly lift your hand if I see hands going across this room. I’m going to pray a simple prayer.
I’m going to invite you to repeat after me. And what this prayer is, Romans 10, 9 tells us that if you will believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ died and rose again, you will be saved. So can we do this together as an act of solidarity? I’m going to say the prayer out loud. You’re going to repeat after me. And this whole room is going to repeat.
Say, Lord Jesus, welcome to my world. Today I invite you. To be the leader and the Lord of my life. And I boldly declare that I will never be the same again. In Jesus’ name. And everybody shout a great big amen. Let’s celebrate those who prayed that prayer. Welcome to the family of God. Hey, just a few moments ago, we prayed a prayer of new beginnings.
And if you prayed that prayer, we believe that you just made the best decision of your life. And we want to celebrate that decision with you. So go ahead and type the word new in the chat. Our team is ready to come alongside you and help you take your next steps. That includes getting a Bible and getting you connected to church.
There’s been so much excitement today with us getting ready to kick off our conference that we have every single year. But I want you to know this, the same excitement we have right now, there is even more excitement. in heaven right now for those who have made a decision to give their lives over to Jesus. Heaven is celebrating and we are celebrating you.
Best decision ever. Yes. And if you enjoyed today’s message, we want you to like, subscribe, and share on all your social media platforms and invite someone to join you to church next weekend. And if you’d like to partner with the Mission of Champion Center, you can give by texting CHAMPIONCENTER to the number on your screen.
Online family, we love you. We hope to see you at Team Church Conference this week. Be blessed. Church Kids, we’re ready for you. So make sure you hop on to cc.church slash kids or visit the Church Kids playlist on the Champion Center YouTube page for the latest episode of The Church Kids Show. See you there.
August 9, 2026
Save Me
All around us, people are silently sinking—drifting from faith, overwhelmed by fear, and struggling beneath the weight of life. In this message, “Save Me,” Pastor Micah Pelkey encourages us that God may be calling us to be the “lifeguards” who notice, reach out, and help bring those around us to safety through the hope of Jesus.
July 26, 2026
Courage for the Faith: Christianity Vs. Islam
In this message, Pastor Andrew Sedra encourages Christians to boldly defend and share their faith by contrasting Christianity with Islam through Scripture and personal testimony. He also emphasizes the need for courage, repentance, revival, and steadfast faith in the face of cultural and spiritual challenges.
June 28, 2026
Why We Honor America
In a time filled with negativity and discouragement, we choose to honor America, not because she is perfect, but because she is precious. 🇺🇸 We’re grateful to live in a nation of freedom, opportunity, and faith, and we honor those who have sacrificed so much to protect it. Everything is better with honor—our homes, our communities, and our churches—and when we honor what we have, God can entrust us with more. We don’t worship America—we worship God—but because of that, we choose gratitude, pray for our nation, and bring hope to our generation.
June 21, 2026
The Difference A Man Can Make
A man doesn’t have to be perfect to make a difference—he just has to be pointed toward God. In this Father’s Day message, Pastor Kevin Gerald shares how men can lead with faith, stay steady through disappointment, stand strong in the battle, and build a legacy that impacts generations.
June 14, 2026
Feeding Your Faith
Faith doesn’t grow accidentally—it grows intentionally. In this message, Pastor Kevin Gerald shares the Faith Acronym: Focus on the positive, Affirm yourself, Imagine God doing something good, Trust God in everything, and Hope for the best. Learn how to feed your faith, strengthen your thoughts, and move forward with confidence in God.
June 7, 2026
Your Living Room As An Upper Room
This message challenges us to look at the atmosphere we are building at home. Through the contrast of Nazareth and the Upper Room, we’re reminded that honor, unity, repentance, and expectation can turn our homes into places where the Holy Spirit is welcomed and mighty works can happen.
May 31, 2026
The Best Things Happen Little by Little
God often does His best work little by little. In this message, Pastor Kevin Gerald reminds us that real growth, lasting progress, and God’s best blessings are built one step, one prayer, and one act of obedience at a time.
May 24, 2026
Making Room for the Holy Spirit
Make room for the Holy Spirit in your life, your worship, your decisions, and your daily routine. In this message, we’re reminded that the Holy Spirit is God’s invisible presence—our Helper, Teacher, and Guide—who gives us strength, peace, and direction beyond what we can do on our own.
May 17, 2026
Go Get It Back
God can restore what’s been lost, stolen, or broken. In this message, Pastor Kevin Gerald looks at David’s story in 1 Samuel 30 and reminds us that while we can’t change what happened, we can choose how we respond, strengthen ourselves in the Lord, and go get back what the enemy tried to take.
May 10, 2026
God's Plan: Your Assignment
Motherhood comes without a manual—but God never asks us to walk through the assignment alone. In this heartfelt Mother’s Day conversation, our pastors share Biblical wisdom and practical encouragement on how women can grow relationally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually while trusting God’s plan for every season of life.
April 19, 2026
Kounterfeit Kingdom
This message, Kounterfeit Kingdom, unpacks the three ways the enemy tries to pull us away from God’s best—more, see me, and I got this—and how to overcome each one with truth. Through Matthew 4, we’re reminded that what looks real can still be a counterfeit, and that true fulfillment is found in contentment, identity, and trust in God.
April 12, 2026
Faith & Football: Pivotal Moments with Brady Russell
We sat down with Brady Russell to hear the real story behind the Super Bowl, his football journey, and the faith that carried him through setbacks, injuries, and pivotal life moments. From a “12 as 1” team mentality to discovering what it truly means to trust God, Brady shares how humility, unity, and surrender shaped both his career and his calling.
