It's good to be back friends. It's so good to be back. And I want to talk about
something during prayer today, but I want to spend more time praying than me talking. That's the goal.
If you were here on Friday for intercessory prayer, it was a beautiful time, a very beautiful time of
pursuing the Lord and encountering the Lord in intercession. And we went after something
on Friday that I felt the Lord imprint on my heart. And it comes straight out of our vision book.
If you don't have a vision book, we have copies of it in the foyer. There's like a little billboard
thing hanging. And we have the vision book of this church there that honestly, I love, I love
what both Pastor Vernon and Mary have done of literally recording and writing prophecies down
directions that God has given on and so forth. It's so detailed. And it's, to me, it's awesome. So
on Friday, we went after something that is in our vision book according to what God has called
and deemed this house to be. And this prophecy was given back in 2005. Believe it or not,
that's 20 years ago. That's wild. That's 20 years ago. Man, 2005. Yeah, I was a young lad.
That's 20 years ago, man. You look really good for your age, man.
You look really good. We all look really good for our age.
In 2005, the Lord spoke to this house and he said that I have called you to be a bride church.
Now, when you say a phrase or I should say when you use a language like that,
to some people that have maybe been in the church world, have been with the Lord,
have walked with the Lord, they can understand that language really easy. And they're like,
well, yeah, we get that. But to those that don't understand what that actually means,
I'll read a little bit of what the rest of the prophecy talks about when the Lord was
referring that. And then I'll give some of my input of it as well.
But I find it very important for us to... Let me just take a few steps back.
I find it very important for us to know, especially if you're a covenant partner of this house,
especially if you're somebody that values the vision of this house.
It's very important for us to get familiar with what the Lord has spoken in years past regarding
this house. Because if we're not familiar with it, we can really veer off into a whole
another track and start building our own train track. And then we begin to ask, well,
God, why aren't you answering this, that and the third, where God's like, well,
that's not what I called you to. So I think it's very important for us to get familiar with
the vision book. It's very important for us to understand the standard that God has set
for this house, the things that God has called this house to, because he's called us to it and
he's awaiting us to respond to the things that he's called us to. So what we're really going
after today, when we're talking about being a bride church, is we're simply going to be responding
to that which God has already spoken to us. Let me read just a few things here.
I got tabs here. Again, this is back in 2005, friends. 2005, God spoke to this house and he said,
you are to be a bride church. Here are some of the things that go along with that.
Jesus is returning for a bride church. That's a statement in itself.
Jesus is returning for a bride church. He is not returning for a harlot. He is not returning for a
church. Now, this is considering us as a local body and across the nation and even across the
world, God is returning for a bride church. What that means is that God is not coming back, or I
should say the father is not sending his son back for a church that is a... that is a
half lover of the bridegroom, of the son Jesus. The father is sending back his son when he sees
that a church, a local body, and also a world, a bride church, is so mad in love with Jesus
that there is nothing that satisfies them but Jesus. That's the type of church that the Lord
is returning to. He's not returning to a to a church that is in harlotry. You know,
when we think of harlotry, we think of somebody that's like, well, they're way over there. Harlotry
is to have many lovers. It's the most simplest way that I can explain harlotry to you is to have
many lovers. The father is not to shortchange his son of a harlot like bride. How many of you
are fathers here and you have a daughter? Or let me put it this way. How many of you are
fathers here and you have a son? Raise your hand if you have a son. Would you allow your son to marry
a woman that's with your son yet at the same time she's texting other guys, she's going on
coffee dates with other guys? Would you as an earthly father, would you let your son marry
somebody like that? I wouldn't. I got three boys growing up. I wouldn't. So if we, like
the scripture says, if we as earthly fathers can give good gifts to our children, how much more
the heavenly father, if we have a standard for our sons, what kind of standard does the father
have for his son? So the Lord is coming back for a bride church that is love sick according to
what song of Solomon writes, love sick for the bridegroom Jesus. Here's a few other things
in our vision book. As a bride church, we are not striving for mediocr, mediocracy. Am I saying that
right? Am I saying that right pastor? You wrote it, so all right. As a bride church, we are not
striving for mediocracy or comfortable life or being lukewarm as believers. Our approach to
life and ministry will cause people to become hot after God or they will back away from us.
It's what God has called us to be. That's what it means to be a bride church.
Our approach, our approach, meaning as, as the head pastors, as I'll speak for my wife
and myself, as the elders, as the leaders, as the workers, it trickles down. Our approach, or
let me even say this, our approach should be, listen to what I'm saying. If you're a leader,
if you're a worker, if you're a pastor, listen to what I'm saying. Our approach should be
that the way that we live life would cause, or I should say the way that we live life and
the way that we do ministry should cause people to either be hot after God that are following
us, or they're just going to leave because it's too much for them. This is a bride church.
It is not, this is the next part here in the vision book. Friends, this is all in the vision book,
all in the vision book. Get familiar with it. It is not a comfortable place to live as a church.
This means to be a bride church. Why is it not comfortable? Because it affects our flesh.
It's not that the Lord doesn't want us to be comfortable. It's because this
sinful nature, this wretched flesh of mine gets uncomfortable because I don't get to fulfill the
desires of my flesh. You following me still? Okay. We'll get to praying, I promise.
We find ourselves continually being challenged to strive for more of God
and higher realms of his spirit. Again, that's a bride church. We're not satisfied. I said
this on Friday. I said we're thankful. May we always listen to this. May we always be
thankful for what God is doing and has done, but may we never be satisfied and say that's enough.
Listen to me carefully. Please, please listen to me carefully. May we always be thankful
for what God has done and is doing, but may we never be satisfied with it. May we always
go after the more. Lord, we're thankful for the way you moved last Sunday, but God, we're not
satisfied with that. We want more. Lord, we're thankful for what you've done. You've raised
somebody from the dead. You've healed somebody, but Lord, we're not satisfied. We want more.
Jesus, you've shown me your beauty. I'm thankful, but I'm not satisfied. I want more
because there was more for us to receive. You following me? This is again, friends,
this is thinking like a bride church. We are constantly challenged to strive for more of God
and higher realms of the spirit. Simply getting by and existing as a Christian is not part of
our vocabulary. I love that you wrote that, man. I love that you wrote that. Seriously.
Seriously. Simply getting by and existing as a Christian is not even part of our vocabulary. Wow.
And that, and that approach to Christianity is continually challenged as the spirit works
among us. It is often referred to as being too radical. I'm going to stop there so we can
have time to pray. But friends, what we're after, I should say, what we were after on Friday, and I just,
I feel it trickling even into today of being a bride church. What I want us to do, again,
this is voluntary. Nobody's obligated to do it, but if you came for prayer,
I'm going to assume that you're going to partake in this because you're here for prayer.
I want us to get into, not just yet, I'll tell you when, but I want us to get into
a groups of like four or five because we don't have the opportunity. On Friday,
we usually pray into the mic, and we have plenty of time on Friday for people to come and pray into
the mic. But I want us to get into groups of like four or five, and you can walk across the room,
it doesn't matter wherever. And I want us to go after that. I want us to come into groups of four
or five. If it's just two of you, that's fine, as long as it's at least two of you. Because
the Scripture says, according to two or three witnesses, let it be. So I want us to get
into groups this morning. And as Brian's going to be playing, I'm going to pray from the stage. But
I want you guys to go after this thing in intercession and say, Lord, make us conform us even more,
Lord. We're thankful for what you've done, but we're not satisfied. We're thankful, God,
that you have done so much in this body. You have conformed us, you know, comparing us to
last year and this year. You've conformed us into the image of Christ. You've made us look more like
the bride of Christ, but Lord, we're not satisfied. There is areas in our church that still need to
be cleansed and need to be washed by the Word. Because according to the Scriptures in Ephesians
five, when the Apostle Paul is talking about marriage, he says, husbands, love your wives
as Christ has loved the church. What did he do? He gave himself.
The Lord gave himself so that the bride would be washed, that she would be cleansed,
because the standard that the father has set for the bride to be the bride of his son is
without blemish, without wrinkle, without spot. Can I be honest with you? Can I be honest with
you? I love this house, but I know that there are spots, wrinkles, and blemishes that God has to
iron out, that God has to work out, that God has to remove in this house.
I would consider us to be a pretty mature church. I would. But even as a mature church,
we have spots, wrinkles, and blemishes that we have to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us.
I don't know about you. My desire is to be a bride church. Actually, quick two minutes and
then we'll get into prayer. When you, Pastor Mary, myself, and Tanya, when we sat down, you asked us,
what's the vision that the Lord has given you? And one of those parts of the vision is
being a bride church. Do you remember that conversation? My heart has been for years. My
God gives an opportunity, maybe next year we talked about it, and give you guys a little sneak peek
here. Next year, we might be teaching on some of the things of the vision that the Lord has given
my wife and I to walk in, that literally aligned completely with what the vision book says here
in 2005 about what it means to be a bride church. What does it look like to be a bride church?
So, can we get into groups of four or five? If it's two of you, that's fine,
but can we do that right now? I'll wait for you to kind of get into groups,
and then we're going to go after that in prayer and intercession. Can we do that? I'll give you a minute
or two. And I want us just to pray and just take turns. You guys can take turns and come into
agreement of prayer, but what we're after is Lord, we are not satisfied. We want to look more like
the bride that the scripture talks about. That's what we're after. Oh, thank you, Lord.
Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. You can pick up the keys a little, Brian.
Thank you, Jesus. We are grateful, Lord. We are grateful, Lord. Father, we are grateful.
We are grateful, Lord. Your scripture says to enter your courts with thanksgiving and praise,
Lord. We are grateful. We are grateful for the blood. We are thankful for the blood. We
are grateful for Jesus. We have been washed by the blood. We've been cleansed by the blood. Our sins
are forgiven, Lord. We thank you. Father, we thank you that you have called this house.
Father, I thank you that you have called this house to be a bride church.
Lord, you have given a standard. You have given a call, Lord. You have given a command
to this house that we would be unwavering, Lord. That we would come into agreement as a body, Lord,
as a local body with those that are a part of this and those that are yet to come, Lord.
That we would maintain this standard. That we would uphold and we would respond, Lord,
to the measure that you've asked us to respond. Oh, we thank you, God. We thank you, God.
We thank you, Lord. Oh, we thank you, Lord. We thank you.
We thank you, Lord, that you have purchased us. You have purchased us to be a bride church,
not with silver or with gold, but you have purchased us by the precious blood of the Lamb,
Jesus. You have purchased us with the precious blood of our bridegroom, Jesus.
Oh, Rabaseta, Manielo. Father, we thank you.
Father, we thank you. Father, we thank you. Father, we thank you for the prophetic word
that was given in 2005. And here we are, Lord, over 20 years later, and we are recognizing
and we are realizing and we are responding. We are responding in the measure that we
know how, God. And we're asking you, Lord, that you would cleanse us by the washing of the word,
that you would remove the spots in this house, that you would iron out the wrinkles in this house,
oh, God, that we, Lord, would put on the image of Christ even more, that we would be conformed
into the image of Christ even more, that we would look like the bride of Christ that is
written in the scriptures, oh, God, we're asking you. Holy Spirit, brew among us. Brew among us.
Move among us. Stir our hearts. Move upon our hearts, oh, God, we're asking you. Holy Spirit,
move on our hearts. Move on our hearts, Lord.
Lord, cause us to confess and repent in the areas that we need to repent in, oh, God.
Father, may we not tolerate the hidden things that we have tucked away? May we not tolerate them?
But as a wife and as a bride, may we confess them onto you, oh, God.
Holy Spirit, we're asking you. Holy Spirit, we're asking you as the counselor,
as the spirit of truth, we're asking you.
Cause every other lover to be a lesser than.
Supernaturally, Father, I'm asking you. By your spirit, supernaturally,
would you cause us to not be satisfied with the things that once satisfied us, oh, Lord?
That we would find our satisfaction in our bridegroom and in his presence and in his voice and in his word.
Cause our hearts, oh, God, cause our hearts, oh, Lord, to not be satisfied with anything but the Lord.
But you, Holy Spirit, reveal to us the beauty of Jesus.
Holy Spirit, reveal to us the beauty of our bride king even more, the one who is coming back for a bride
without blemish, spot, or wrinkle.
Cause this church even more to be the five wise versions storing up oil,
storing up oil.
Oh, let intercession arise, let intercession arise, the cry of the heart, the cry of the heart,
the persistence of a people, of a people that are not backing down, but are saying,
Lord, we won't be satisfied until we see this happen.
The cries of the hearts, the weeping of the hearts,
that we would be like that neighbor that would go and ask.
And we would be so persistent, even in the nighttime, we would be so persistent.
Oh, Father, you have hedged us in as you hedged in Gomer, the wife of Hosea, Lord.
You have hedged us in, and I'm asking God that you would hedge us in even more,
that you would allure us into the wilderness. And there in the wilderness, God, would you
speak to us? Would you speak to our hearts? Would you speak comfort?
Would you speak comfort, oh God?
Holy Spirit, we're asking you.
You reward those who diligently seek you.
Father, you reward those who diligently seek you.
Holy Spirit, we're asking you.
Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.
Thank you, Lord. Show us your beauty.
Show us your beauty, Lord.
Show us your beauty, even this morning.
Show us your beauty, show us your beauty, even this morning, God.
Friends, begin to ask, even for this morning, specifically begin to intercede
for this morning, that we would look more like the bride of Christ this morning,
that God would reveal His beauty to us this morning, even now. Begin to intercede for today,
for the Scripture says today is the day of salvation. Now, in other translations, it says
is the day of salvation. So begin to just intercede for today, saying, Lord, today,
we're not waiting for tomorrow. We're not waiting for next week. We're not waiting for next year.
God, today, we are tugging on your hearts. Today, today, today, oh God, we are wanting
to look more like the bride of Christ. Oh, Father, today, God, touch our hearts today.
Show us your beauty today.
Iron out the wrinkles in us today, God. Remove the spots today, Lord.
Cleanse us and wash us by your word today, Lord.
Help us respond today, Lord.
Holy Spirit, wash us in the oil of myrrh as you did for Esther. Wash us in the perfume
as you did for Esther, Lord. Prepare us now, God. Now is the time of preparation.
Now is the time of readying ourselves to enter the courts of the king.
And we cast off all iniquity. We cast off all sin. We cast off all shortcomings.
Even now, Lord, we cast them off so that we as a body this morning would enter, would enter into
the holy of holies. We cast off everything that weighs us down this morning, God.
Oh, thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.
You know, it's interesting on Friday, Sally prayed something out that was so profound and a
bore witness with me. But she said these words, and I believe it was the words that the Lord spoke
through her. But on Friday, as Sally was praying out, she used these words, today is the turning point.
She prayed out and she said, today is the turning point, and this was Friday,
and that bore such witness with me. A turning point. You can make your way back if you want,
because we're going to have the band come up here soon. But she prayed out and she said,
today is the turning point. You want to share something? And when she prayed that out on Friday
during intercessory, I was brought to the book of Esther. And something I heard the Lord ever
so clearly speak to me is he said, pay attention to Esther. In all honesty, I don't know what
that fully means, but I'm going to respond to the measure that I know how to. And I'm
going to pay attention to Esther. I'm going to read the book of Esther. I'm going to lean into
the book of Esther. Ben, I'm going to have you come up here. It's a little bit earlier, Ben,
but I'm going to have you come up here. And Oshers, can I have you take the pulpit for me,
please? But I want us to pay attention to Esther, and I want us to pay attention
to what the Lord spoke on Friday. Miss Sally, you remember that? You said it's a turning
point. Do you want to come up here? We have still a few minutes. Do you want to come up here real
quick and just share a little bit? Because I think it'd be a lot better if it came from your mouth
than mine. I know. The Lord has been visiting. He has been courting us. He's been wooing us
as a body. He has been showing up in might and power and in such a awesome way, Sunday after Sunday
after Sunday. And this is the thing that he was saying to me on Friday night. Don't you know I
have been here? How many times I have been here? And kind of along those same lines. But he
said you have come now to a turning point. You know really, Igor, it started. What was really
big was, do you remember? How many Sundays ago was it when we had like a covenant?
Exchange. Exchange. That was when the pastors left. That's right. And that was, I knew that
that day when people went up and anybody who said yes, they had better believed that it was going to
be a change in them because that was the beginning. But he has been here his presence. He's been showing
up awesome and wooing and courting. And it's a serious time because we have come to a turning
point. Amen.