Are You Spiritually Healthy? Take the Test — Shane Idleman

Spiritual Health and the Church’s Founding

The title is, Are You Spiritually Healthy? Are You Spiritually Healthy? We're going to take the test. And what I mean by that is exactly 12 years ago to the day we started the church. We started the church in Lancaster.

200 people showed up. A lot of friends and family people. It was in the newspaper. They did a quick story. Because I switched careers and now I'm a pastor and a lot of people can't believe that and neither could I.

And within six months, we were down to 52 people. And I was questioning my calling. Lord, what happened here? But you begin to realize that not everyone is a fan of that deeper life. When you talk about holiness and repentance and serving Christ with all your heart, with all your strength, morning worship, evening prayer, you start to separate those who have casual Christianity and those who are sold out.

And I also grew in that. I'm still growing. We never preach a perfect message. We preach a perfect Gospel. But in that, our opinions can come in and I had to grow through a lot of things. Because it's hard to be an angry, prophetic voice and still be humble.

It's hard. When God gives you that zeal, that passion, you just read the news and I want to hit my computer. Because it's child abuse, what they're doing to our children. And what they're doing to God's Word.

That's why I have to limit myself. And God's given some of us that for a reason to let that come out in our preaching and our teaching. It's who we are. But then also having the brokenness and the humility and the gentleness.

Boy, you try to find that balance. It's difficult. It really is. That's why drawing closer to God and as the fruit of the Spirit comes out. That's the only way you can find that balance. And what you'll see at each church, that's why we have to be careful.

And I try not to judge different churches. Because God will raise up different leaders. And that church will be bent according to that pastor. The person leading, they're going to kind of, for example, me with prayer and worship and preaching the way I do it, it's a different style.

It's not how they were designed. They went to maybe seminary and they have more of a... in their sermon preparation, their delivery, just a monotone. It's just more conservative possibly. And then you have someone like me, and for you who don't know, my seminary was in a John Deere backhoe for three years.

I listened to 3 ,000 hours. 3 ,000 hours. All of Chuck Smith's cassettes. Back then, James MacDonald. Remember him? Walking the Word. Alistair Begg. Of course, John MacArthur. Chuck Stanley. Charles Swindoll.

Adrian Rogers, probably one of my favorites. And they were just pouring, pouring, and pouring, and pouring into me. And then also during that time, I would get home and I would read books on systematic theology.

Wayne Grudem. Charles Hodge. Calvin's Institute. Spurgeon's works. The Pauline Epistles. Breaking those down from a theological view. And books on hermeneutics and homiletics and how to prepare sermons, how to study the Bible.

And I was just devouring all of this information on both sides. And that's why I often said I'd read the Jack Hayford and the John MacArthur. And there's some differences there if you're not aware. And so, to me, I had a passion for what does God's Word say versus getting caught up in one particular camp.

And that's why we're non-denominational as well. And that's just how God has me in this church. Doesn't mean it's the right way, the only way, it just means that's how God decided to use West Side Christian Fellowship.

And there's pros and cons to that, obviously. And so, what I wanted to talk about was the exact seven things we built the church on 12 years ago. We said this is what the Lord is doing. We met with our core group.

We went over these seven points. These seven points actually became seven core points of the church. Anytime, a lot of times, we'd have meetings, we'd make sure are we lined up with these seven? Kind of like a mission statement.

And this is the spiritual health. This was the spiritual health of the church. So, I thought it'd be good to gauge again what, are we on track? Or have we drifted a little bit? Now, the good thing is the practical application will be very, very helpful for you.

Because all of these points we can look at from an individual perspective. But I wanted to share a quote with you. I couldn't find the exact author. I remember talking about this years ago. What would the church look like if it was not focused on attracting people, but on attracting God?

And that's really stood out and stuck with us for many years. Because see, you can attract people. There's big churches in Orange County. And L .A. and metro areas. And you can attract people. Because people want to hear from God.

Can you imagine the youth group area looking like a fun zone? You've got 12 ,000 square feet over there and a climbing wall and this and that. And maybe there's nothing wrong with that. That might be kind of cool.

But, what are you doing? Is it attracting the people? Because as you begin to focus on attracting the people, you're going, okay, what do they want? What do the felt needs? And what are they looking for?

I mean, I remember getting something in the mail when we first started on how to plan a church, how to grow your church. And it was just bizarre to me because it talked about sending out mailers and doing a demographic study on your audience and finding out what they wanted you to talk about.

Like, okay, technically that's pretty cool. Like, people are interested in end times. But if you get too far to that extreme, you're going to worry about what people think. What they want versus what God wants you to say.

And often, those contradict each other. Correct? Correct? Here's what I would like to hear. Well, God says here's what you need to hear. And so that became our kind of focus. Attracting the presence of God.

And people over the years, even large businesses or corporations, people said you could work for a large corporation. You could draw a lot of people. You know, if you just kind of tone it down a little bit.

And one of the books you can grab out there, Desperate for More of God. Grab that one. Funniest story ever. I'm praying, Lord's got this on my heart. I'm like, Lord, I'm not going to write another book.

You've got to motivate me. Because I just haven't. I have no motivation. So out of the blue, and I don't remember, it was one of the big Multnomah, or one of the big publishers emailed me, like their head guy, and said, hey, we've been watching some of your sermon clips.

Would you like us to publish your next book? And I said, okay, sure. What does that look like? And they said, okay, take a month or two and then send us the rough draft, the manuscript. I'm like, okay, so I worked my tail off.

I mean, I worked on it probably every day. And sent them. It was the desperate need for truth. The desperate need for all the things I'm going to talk with you about. He didn't get through the first chapter.

He said, wait, the desperate need for truth. And I still have the email. I think, Shane, you need to re-write a lot of this because you're not really addressing a felt need. Go to Barnes Noble. Look at what T .D. Jakes is writing.

Look at what Joel Osteen is writing. Look at what Joyce Meyer is writing. That's what he told me. And look, you address the felt need. I said, well, we need truth. The absolute desperate need for truth.

So I said, thank you, but no thank you. I'm finished with it. I know a cover designer, an interior designer. I'll just take it from here. And looking back, we thank God that he did that because now we're able to give the books out free.

Now we can download thousands of downloads from our church website for free. And God wants to get that message out there. And he started this with me on my very first book, What Works When Diets Don't.

It was just health related. I met with a big publisher in Orange County. I just turned it down. Said, I don't know why. It just doesn't feel that. I just want to do this myself. And then what they chose instead was a book called The Maker's Diet.

Came on to be a bestseller, multimillionaire, Jordan Rubin. I joked with him last time I saw him. I said, you know what? The reason you're here is because I turned that publisher down. But that's okay.

The Maker's Diet, great book. God didn't call me to do that. He called me to do this. And so my point was God uses the character of the leadership to really thrust the church in a certain direction. That's why the leadership that you saw up here, leadership has to be in tune with God because it's steering the ship.

And we asked that question, what would we look like if we focused on attracting God and not people? And so it's good to do a spiritual health survey or take the test because Jesus did that in Revelation.

Did you know? Have you noticed that Revelation 1, 2, and 3? Jesus gives them a health test. Oh, you have this, but you're lacking this. You have this, but you're lacking this. So let's take a look at what we started with and see how we're doing, see how you're doing.

The Desperate Need for Discipleship

Number one, the desperate need. The desperate need for discipleship that has to be on the list somewhere. Because Jesus said, go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

So we always look at that. What is the men's ministry doing? Men mentoring men. What is the Titus and Thursday study doing? And the Thursday morning study doing for women? And what are we doing for Ignite?

And what are me and Pastor Abram going to do with the young adults here coming up? And there's always got to be a discipleship form, a flow in the church. Something going on helping people, discipling them.

Here's what the Lord requires. Here's what you should do. And here's what this looks like. Matthew 10 .33 says that if you deny Jesus here on earth, He will also deny us before the Father. And that's why baptism, to me it's not a coincidence, it's here because make disciples and then baptize them.

So you're making disciples and then the baptism is a public declaration. I'm publicly declaring that Jesus is Lord and Savior of my life. So, believe it or not, we filled this up yesterday. And I will change and put on clothes after this service if you'd like to get baptized.

Even if you're baptized as a young child or you did it and it didn't really mean anything. Or, if you're like me in the Roman Catholic Church which believes in infant baptism, which we don't believe the Bible teaches that.

We believe it teaches a believer's baptism, a person decides, then they on their own choice make that decision. And that's why many people get re-baptized because it really didn't mean anything when you're baptized as an infant.

Preaching followed by individual one-on-one and group interaction is the main source for discipleship here at this church. I think a lot of people forget that one of the primary ways we disciple people is right here.

Do you know where God's Word is preached in its totality? Counseling often drops considerably. Chuck Smith would say that often if you ever followed his ministry. But then a lot of the churches that have just bombarded with counseling, it's a lot of times they're not being clear on certain things in God's Word.

And people are confused. And so we look at this as discipleship in our message. And then we also have one-on-one interaction. If anyone would need some discipleship or some help, we have deacons that can come alongside.

Elders that can come alongside of people as well. How we live is the greatest discipling tool we have. Correct? How we live. You truly want to disciple someone, yes, we have to speak of course, but let them watch how you live.

And that's why it's good with home groups or interaction or sometimes I'll take my kids with me different places and they see how you handle that negative Nelly or that mean driver or maybe the teller giving you back too much money and not enough and watching how you live.

It's one thing to speak it, but we also have to live it. And so I decided to help you remember every point is to do the hashtags. That all the young kids are into hashtag with Twitter. Are you discipling anyone?

Spiritual health test. Are you discipling anyone? Is there anyone you're reaching out to? Because God's Word is clear in this area. Because so many people are saying, if I wish I could know God's will, I wish I could know God's will.

Well, you do know God's will in some areas. This is one. My will is that you disciple others. Now I know we're busy and many can't take on too much, but there should be somebody in your life you're helping them in their walk with the Lord.

Some of you even more. And I'm amazed at the number of people even that come here that are retired that are too busy to help anyone. And to me that doesn't make a lot of sense. And so if you're convicted right now, let us know because we need the help of mentoring a lot of these young men.

And the older women are to teach the younger women as well. And so a sign of a healthy church, and if we're on track spiritually, are we discipling someone? Because here's how this often works. Sometimes we get too busy, too self-focused.

I want to go to every night of rent in heaven, so I don't want to help in CM or nursery. Right, little plug there. And we begin to be so self-focused, it's all about me. And we're not without, you have an inlet, but where's the outlet?

And that's where we also grows in the outlet, in the serving. Now be careful because you can have too much outflow. Hmm, and not enough inflow. And that's, I gave a message a while back on worship, worshipers versus workers.

And if all we're doing is working, working, working, we lose the momentum or lose the excitement or lose the time of being a worshiper, we will become very off balance. And that's why we become critical, angry, frustrated, even as a worker.

Isn't that amazing? Some of the most, the people who are the busiest in the church, not just this church, I just mean in general, the busiest, they are sometimes often the most frustrated, the most upset, the most angry, the most not gracious with their words, because they're working.

You've got to have the inflow of the Spirit. You've got to be a worshiper and a worker. But this can happen too, if all I'm doing is I'm just the worshiper. No, I can't serve. I just want to be fed. Oh, I just want to be fed.

Nope, nope, nope. Children's ministry, not my thing. Little babies, nope, don't like little babies. Mentoring, nope, nope, nope. I'm just here to worship all week. Then that becomes very prideful and self-focused.

And you become just stagnant as well. Many of you know with the High Sierras, that Mono Lake, very salty and there's no life in it. Yet, it has this wonderful river full of life flowing into it, but nothing flowing out.

Something needs to change today, guys. Take that step. And then obviously, this is no secret. None of these are any secret. It's just a good reminder if we're on track. Number two, the desperate need for...

The Desperate Need for Truth

Wake up! The desperate need for truth. 1 Timothy 3 .15 says that the church of the living God, this is an exact quote, I'm paraphrasing here, the church of the living God is to be the pillar and the foundation of the truth.

So that's why I often say the church is the answer to our nation, our national crisis. The Gospel, revival, that's why, because we are to be the foundation and the pillar of truth. Men in construction, you ever built anything?

How important is the foundation? That's everything. Without that, you cannot really move forward because that holds and secures everything together. So the church is supposed to be pillar and foundation of the truth.

And that's why we will fall into other areas, whether it's a political arena or Hollywood or locally or even in our own walks, our own story with the Lord, our own journey. The truth is going to permeate all areas of our life.

And you can't separate this, you know, well, I keep my faith private. You ever hear people say that? I don't know how you do that because your faith is an outflow of who you are in all areas. So we have to remember this church, that's why I said the living God, the true church of the living God, those who are truly following Christ, those who have not succumbed to the woke agenda or political correctness or sexual perversion, those who are truly following God, they are the foundation and the pillar of truth.

They are to hold the truth up in this culture. Jesus said, I tell you the truth. John 17, sanctify them by your truth. Your Word is truth. So here's the key. I hear this sometimes. People say, some of Paul's writings I'm not real sure about.

What he said back then, that was more the culture. Be careful. The Old Testament, that was an angry God. We live under a new dispensation. We live under the age of grace. A lot of the Old Testament stuff...

Well, if a lot of that is not true, what makes you believe in Jesus' words? What makes you believe in all of the New Testament? If some of that is questionable, what makes you think some of it is absolute truth?

God messed up in some of the spots, but got it right in others? It's all of God's Word. Now some things, when they say cultural, there are a few cultural things. We don't worry about clean and unclean food anymore.

The ceremonial laws, the dietary laws were fulfilled already, many of them. But it's interesting, it's still good to follow the dietary laws. Did you know that? Health-wise, it's good to follow those.

And I believe one of the areas when Paul talks about even women wearing a head covering, that was of the culture of that day. The whole point is not usurping the authority of the man and his submission.

And in that culture, you can see what's going on in Iran right now, in the Middle East, is that covering would represent something. And it would represent the submission aspect. But if you just come and start wearing a head covering, it doesn't mean what it meant then, that would be one example of the culture.

However, there are churches that still practice that very thoroughly. People have actually left this church. Because of that. Making non-essentials inessential. And so we do see some areas where the Bible, the truth never changes, moral truth never changes, and you have to look at some of the things in the culture of that day, but that doesn't change any moral truth.

No moral truth. If God said, thou shalt not, it still means thou shalt not in the same area. And just a side note, on the head coverings, I've met a lot of people over many years where they're so forceful about the head coverings, they miss the whole point.

They're not gracious and loving and humble. So you can't just put a doily on your head and then think that you're covered. You have to have the character. You have to have the character that represents it.

But if you feel called to do that, and by all means, do it. But understand the culture of that day. That's what that would represent. It would reprimand submission to the husband and to the marriage vows, and then a loose woman they would call with no head covering, just out would be more of a prostitute.

And so it sent a certain message. A woman not covering her head is not good, Paul would say in the church, because what did it send? It sent the wrong message to people. And so, that was just one long rabbit trail.

Truth is not flexible when it comes to absolutes. It is unyielding. It is solid. Truth liberates. It releases. Truth rebuilds and it tears down. Truth restores and it breaks. Truth clarifies and it convicts.

Truth heals and it divides. You don't change truth. Truth changes you. And so, the point is, times change, truth does not. I'm sure you've heard that if you listen to the radio network. 91 .9 you can get locally.

Or if you're listening, you can listen 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the app. And that's the motto. Times change, truth does not. Somebody has to contend for truth. And so, if you ever say, how does that happen in the life of a Christian?

When they begin to embrace this stuff that's just not biblical. Or in the life of a church, do you ever ask that question? How is this church? What's happening many times is because the leadership is getting away from that time with the Lord.

They're not praying and humbling themselves in the prayer closet, looking to God's Word being filled with the Spirit. So as a result, they're kind of led astray. Because it's the anchor of the Holy Spirit that leaves you grounded to the truth.

And keeps you grounded to the truth. And then the next point, the desperate need for holiness. The desperate need for holiness. Psalm 96 .9, Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Tremble before Him all the earth.

Holiness, Wisdom, and Freedom from Legalism

There's something about holiness. Even the utensils in the temple, God said, are holy. Even the clothes that the priests would wear going into the holies of holies were holy. There was something set apart for them.

And that's why I think Christians get confused. They say, well, you know what? I mess up now and then. I'm not perfect. And I guess I'm just destined to fail and I'm not really holy for God. Well, it never means perfection.

Now, I'm not giving permission to sin. I think the Bible is clear that we can choose not to sin. We can choose to follow God. But holiness is a life devoted. It says come hell or high water, I'm going to pick myself back up.

I'm going to repent. I'm going to ask God for help. I'm going to remove these things from my life. I'm going to begin to follow God like never before. I'm going to be holy and set apart for Him. And that's the person that God will use.

2 Corinthians, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Be separate, says the Lord. From the temple in the Old Testament to even the book of Revelation. In Revelation, John says, come out from among them.

Or God is saying to him, come out from among them and be separate. And so see, that's the hard part is we live in the world. That's why I say not of the world. We live in it, but I can't be of it. So I live in it, but my trip to the store is going to look a little different maybe than others.

My trip to Cinemark, my choices might be a little bit different. What we do at home, the home environment, what the home looks like, and there's difference there. I'm in it, but I'm not of it. All the water in the world, no matter how hard it tries, will never sink a ship unless it gets inside.

And then it goes on to say, all the sin in the world, no matter how hard it tries, will never sink a Christian's soul unless it gets inside. That's why holiness is so important. It's not weird. It's not extreme.

It's a life set apart for God. Making choices that are different. That look different. That sound different. And people will mock you because of it. Like, I don't understand. Why do they not watch this?

Or listen to this? Or go there? Or do that? They're just weird. Well, no, often it has to do with holiness. It's a good time to explain this to you as well. We want to make sure at this church we didn't fall into this legalism camp.

Legalism versus wisdom. It's very simple. I have to versus I want to. Legalism, at the core, it's following a lot of rules. And let me get my tape measure out. Let me make sure the women's dresses are down to the floor.

Now, that's good for modesty. But see, let me get there. Let me make this. I mean, measure by what you're doing and putting rules on you. You can't do that. And homes where the parents are legalistic really hurt the children as they get older.

Because they don't like God. They don't understand God. Their parents are telling them this, this, and this, but they see the true colors coming out. But it often looks the same. You know, you could say legalism, you can't go to that movie versus here's why you shouldn't go.

It's going to jack you up spiritually. And your relationship with the Lord is going to suffer. You say, you know what, Lord, I don't want to do that. I love You enough. I love my relationship enough with You.

I don't want to do that. See, that's not legalism. But then people will say you're legalistic sometimes. But that's between you and God as long as your heart is right and tender and good. And it really is adding rules to the relationship with Jesus.

Jesus plus, you know, don't do this, don't do that, don't do this, and don't do that. And the holiness camp can be thrown into that sometimes. And have you ever heard of the holiness movement? And there's a lot of good things in all this, but sometimes, you know, I remember, I think it was the 80s, and reading books about sometimes some of the things, and there are churches, you know, the holiness church is all about holiness, but, you know, if you came in, if you're a woman, you came in wearing makeup, you couldn't come in.

You know, and if you were wearing pants as a woman, no, you're wearing something, you're wearing a long dress, but you can't wear pants to church. Long dress. And of course, they would take from Leviticus and dressing like a man.

So you can see kind of where they're coming from to some degree, but all of it was about this legalism and rules and forcing that on others versus letting God change their heart and change their life.

Now, but when modesty issues come up, we have to address it. We have to talk about these things, of course, but we don't force rules down the throat of people. They should want to do these things because of out of a relationship with God.

I mean, this can, I could stay on legalism for a while. It's like what Jesus said, do what they tell you to do, but don't do what they do. You know, going through all the motions. Jesus said, you swallow a camel and you restrain a gnat from going in your mouth.

It's so, you're making the traditions of men equal with Scripture and just all these, it's almost, it's a self-righteous attitude that says, look at what I do. Why don't you do it as well? I'm so spiritual.

I read the Bible two hours every morning. Why don't you? I have a three hour prayer time at night. I've never went to the movies in 16 years. I don't, I mean, it's legalism. Now there's a lot of movies out where you shouldn't go, but that's not legalism, that's wisdom.

That's a, this is a wise decision. And so I know I've been called legalistic over the years and sometimes you have to check your heart. Okay, you know, I'm, gosh, Lord, I don't want to. I remember when I used to write about like all the vampire movies and stuff that the kids were like watching and I'm like, how can darkness entertain you?

How can we go, oh, I can't wait to watch, you know, a series of Twilight and Harry Potter all backed up together and all this levitation and spiritualism and opening up to the, and you know, I just don't think it was healthy.

And so now I'm legalistic versus no, I just don't think it's a good idea. I'll never forget, one lady told me, she goes, well, just before you judge, watch Harry Potter. So I rented it. And there's this person levitating like this and then they swallow this big snake and it's like, I don't know about you, but that does not build me up.

That was just weird and bizarre. And this, but there, see, there's this desire for the occult and witchcraft and darkness. Even Walmart has a little witchcraft casting spells and you begin to open yourself up.

That's a slippery slope. Where do you close the door? Familiar spirits, you begin to open yourself up. And so to me, it's just wisdom. I don't, plus it doesn't resonate well with me. And I still can't understand Christians who can't wait to see the next horror film.

Like I just watched the trailer and get sick. Like what is that? Why am I gonna want to sit there and be, it's like I'm sitting in hell for two hours. Being tormented. How is, but people love it. Well, number one, you have to really check your salvation.

I mean, if you love darkness and you don't like the light, or have you been quenching and grieving the Spirit? Because the things of the darkness should not entertain a true believer filled with God's Spirit.

They should be broken over it. They should be just crushed by it. Again, the key, God uses us not because we are perfect, but because we are surrendered. Hashtag the surrendered life. That's what we focus on here.

Humility, Love, and Unity in the Church

And then the next point, the desperate need. I kind of lump these together. The desperate need for humility. But beyond that, it was a desperate need for love and unity and humility. It's that aspect of the church.

In Bible believing, truth elevating, God honoring churches, this part is sometimes missed. Because we can be so focused on doctrine that we forget about brokenness. We can be so focused on the truth, but it's the truth, and forget the importance of humility.

And from this, this is where that term Bible thumper comes from. You know that pulpit pounder, Bible thumper, which I've of course been called all those many times. But it's okay to thump the Bible, or pound the pulpit, if there's also some humility under there and righteous indignation.

But you have to check yourself, Lord, am I truly, I mean, you look at 1 Corinthians, read it tonight, 1 -7. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become like sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.

So Paul's saying, even though I can speak well, like men, possibly even like angels, I have a great oratory ability, and I've been so gifted. You know those people who are really charismatic and great speakers.

And Paul says, but if you have not love, you have nothing. You have great faith to move a mountain. If you have not love, it profits you nothing. You can give all of your stuff to the poor. If you have not love, it profits you nothing.

And when the Bible says knowledge puffs up, that's why many Christians have to watch it in this area. We can get so puffed up with pride and know what the Bible says. And the more you know about the Bible, I learned this lesson.

Oh, this was a tough one. The more I begin to read the Bible, learn about the Bible, quote the Bible, memorize the Bible, the more I realize how many people fall short. And you like to point it out. Oh, didn't you know the Bible says this?

The Bible says you should read the Bible. And we become this judge and jury. Puffed up with pride, knowledge. Forgot to look in the mirror. And so, we just always want to make sure are we on track here?

John 17 is heartbreaking. Jesus is saying, Father, that they know that they're one as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You. The whole verse was on unity. Unity. It's hard for the enemy to divide a united church.

It's hard for the enemy to get any foothold in a united church, because a united church says that's gossip. I'm putting that on my mind. You go to them directly. You talk to them. I'm not going to down talk.

I'm not going to put down. I'm going to elevate. I'm going to err on the side of grace. And the devil has no foothold in that environment. But it's when we get together. Anybody get together and pull down others?

Don't make me go around and raise your hand. But that kills unity. Unity sends a clear message that Jesus is real. The enemy divides us over non-essential spiritual pride. That is spiritual pride. The enemy comes in.

Think about most division in the church. Most division in the church is not over foundational doctrines, absolute truth. I mean, those are clear, obviously. You know, you wouldn't be probably going to the church if it wasn't true.

But it's the little things that begin to come in. And so the desperate need for love and unity and humility. And those things don't come naturally. They come supernaturally. What comes naturally? The flesh.

The works of the flesh. And I love the Scripture I've shared with you months ago. Isaiah 57, for thus says the High and Lofty One. Thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy.

I dwell in a high and holy place with Him who has a contrite and humble spirit. I will revive the spirit of the humble. I will revive the heart of the contrite one. Hashtag humility leads to revival. Humility leads to a humble church.

Humility leads to a healthy church. So take the spiritual... How are you doing in this area? How are you doing? Did you come in already down talking to someone? Thinking negatively? Gossiping? We have to fight for unity.

Spiritual Power and the Work of the Holy Spirit

And then the desperate need, the next point we want to make sure we're on track here. The desperate need for spiritual power. Spiritual power, not political power. Spiritual power, the power of the Spirit.

It's neglected, but it's needed in the church today. How many of you are familiar with this verse? Acts 1 .8. But you shall receive power. You shall receive power. Not might receive power. You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.