What If?

Intro

Good morning church family! This past week Carly and I had the opportunity to go to our District Council gathering in Sacramento. District Council is a time for pastors to connect and to hear a message from our District Superintendent, Brett Allen, along with other encouraging messages.

Carly and I really enjoy these times away to receive refreshing and to refocus on God. I appreciate the church making it possible for us. These times of refreshing are vital to our ministry here at New Life and are much needed.

The Word our District Superintendent Brett Allen had for our district is INCREASE.

Psalm 115:14–15 NASB95

14 May the Lord give you increase, You and your children. 15 May you be blessed of the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth.

This Word was confirmed in my spirit and the Lord told me “this is the calm before the storm.”

Usually when we hear this phrase we think of something terrible. But that is not what God is saying. It is a calm before the storm likened to when Elijah told Ahab:

1 Kings 18:41 NASB95

41 Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.”

I believe heaven is about to ROAR! I believe we are going to see an INCREASE in our:

Church

Finances

Spiritual growth - pouring out of the Holy Spirit

This INCREASE is not just for you and me, but this INCREASE will be for our children. Nothing God gives us is just for us to hang onto. He causes our cups to overflow in blessings so we can be a blessing to those around us.

He doesn’t just bless your finances for you to hang onto them for a rainy day. He doesn’t just bless you with good health so you can be a spectator in the Kingdom of God. He doesn’t bless you with gifts and talents to just waste them away on temporary things, but to use them to impact lives for the eternal.

But there is a problem many Christians face.

We simply don’t believe.

We don’t fully believe the words of Jesus.

But what if we did? What if we actually took to heart and fully accepted the words of our Savior?

John 14:12 NASB95

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

Just before this Jesus said:

John 14:11 NASB95

11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.

How many of you believe that Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Him?

This word believe is the same word. In the Greek it means:

Believe: to be persuaded of

When I am persuaded of something, that means I have complete trust in the thing. It means I put to action what I am persuaded of.

I am persuaded that when I put my key in the ignition of my van it will start. The action is putting the key in.

If Christians actually were persuaded of the Words of Christ, we would put to action what we believe.

If Christians were so persuaded by the Words of Christ:

Churches would be EMPOWERED, not just GATHERED

Our services would shift from just being a weekly event to launchpads for action.

Those who follow Christ would operate BOLDLY in spiritual gifts - healing, discernment, evangelism, wisdom - not just as exceptions, but as EXPECTED REALITIES!

FEAR and COMPLACENCY would be replaced with FAITH, POWER, and URGENCY

2. Communities would ENCOUNTER God’s Power first hand

The church wouldn’t be known for events or programs, but known for compassion, miracles, and the genuine love of Jesus

Our neighborhood would witness addictions being broken, marriages being restored, the sick healed - not a rare events but as daily testimonies!

3. Believers would live with RADICAL Expectancy!

People wouldn’t pray “safe prayers”. The would pray BOLD prayers EXPECTING the IMPOSSIBLE to happen! Why? Because they know who lives in them.

Faith wouldn’t just be a belief system, but actually lived out day by day.

I believe the young and old would step into their callings, convinced without a doubt that God will equip them and use them in a POWERFUL way!

4. Evangelism would EXPLODE!

When people believe what Jesus said and go and share the Gospel with all that they know.

People would see the Gospel activated in their lives and cannot deny that there is a God.

Testimonies spread faster than rumors! Jesus wouldn’t just be an idea, He would be a living and active presence in our community.

5. Leaders will lead with BOLDNESS.

When the people of God believe the Words of Jesus pastors and ministry leader will dream BIGGER dreams! Preach with greater fire and passion and lead without fear, knowing that the Holy Spirit backs them.

Churches will plant more churches, start new ministries, and take HUGE steps of fatih. Not because they have the resources, but because they KNOW who their resource is and trust God’s POWER!

Imagine:

What if every hospital visit becomes a healing mission?

What if every time we open the food pantry it became a miracle site?

What if every Sunday instead of coming in expecting the pastor to move you, you expect GOD to move EVERYONE?

What if every Sunday we gather it becomes a sending moment where we can’t wait to get back out after being filled up ready to empty ourselves into the mission field.

Faith

Jesus said what He meant and he meant what He said.

John 14:12 NASB95

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

What if we truly BELIEVE what Jesus said?

Believing Unlocks Greater Things

When we believe what Jesus said, our belief will unlock great things.

Jesus said, “he who believes in me…”

Faith is the access point to the miraculous

Faith is defined by the writer of Hebrews. They write:

Hebrews 11:1 NASB95

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Faith isn’t just belief in Jesus the person. It is the belief that Jesus through us can still move in our culture today.

Faith says Jesus can do something

Faith says Jesus will do something

Faith moves mountains

Like a key that unlocks a door, faith unlocks the miraculous. Faith is believing what God said and then acting on it.

I think of Mary, Jesus mother. An angel of the Lord came down to speak to her and tell her truth that she will conceive the Savior of mankind through a virgin birth.

Luke 1:38 NASB95

38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

May it be done according to your word God. That is faith. Faith is the access point to the miraculous!

By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death (Hebrews 11:5).

By faith Noah built an ark to save his household (Hebrews 11:7).

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go to a place he would later receive as an inheritance (Hebrews 11:8).

By faith Sarah received strength to conceive seed and bore a child in her old age (Hebrews 11:11).

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come (Hebrews 11:20).

By faith Jacob blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff (Hebrews 11:21).

By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months, not fearing the king’s command (Hebrews 11:23).

By faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer with God’s people (Hebrews 11:24–25).

By faith the Israelites passed through the Red Sea as on dry land (Hebrews 11:29).

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days (Hebrews 11:30).

By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with those who did not believe, because she welcomed the spies in peace (Hebrews 11:31).

By faith Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, and stopped the mouths of lions (Hebrews 11:32–33).

It’s by FAITH! If God said it…that settles it…it SHALL BE DONE!!!

The subject of faith never gets old. It’s not archaic nor irrelevant in our culture today! I am believing for an INCREASE from the Lord! The storm is coming…I hear and abundance of RAIN!!!

You just have to believe!

Hebrews 11:6 NASB95

6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

God is not looking for people with status or fame, He is looking for people of faith.

Jesus Expects us to Carry on His Work

There is a responsibility that comes along with your faith. Faith is work order.

Jesus expects us to carry on His work

John 14:12 NASB95

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

Jesus didn’t say that if we believe in Him we might do the same works…He said you WILL DO!

There is an expectation that we will partner with Jesus in the work that He started and is continuing to do to this day.

James 2:26 NASB95

26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Your faith is dead if there is no works. The church is not called to be spectators, we are called to be participators.

1 John 2:6 NASB95

6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

For too long the church culture in America has looked upon the pastor as a life coach or a motivational speaker. I am neither of those. I am a pastor. My call is without repentance and my call is to equip you with the knowledge of truth that you may walk those truths out and so that you can live the life that Jesus died for you to live and part of that walk is:

PARTICIPATING in the mission of God!

Jesus healed the sick, taught, fed people, loved people, and confronted darkness. We as the church are to continue the ministry that Jesus started.

The early church understood their role. They believed the words of Jesus and they did what He said they would do.

Acts 5:12–16 NASB95

12 At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s portico. 13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem. 14 And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number, 15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. 16 Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.

Church, these things still take place today! The church is meant to be a continuation of Jesus’ ministry. Every Christians is called to partner with Jesus in His mission. To save the world.

The harvest is ready, but the workers are few. We need to pray for workers and those workers need to answer the call!

Every single person who did great things for God and God through them did great things stepped out the boat.

You will never walk on water unless you step out the boat.

People thought we were crazy for moving to California. But we stepped out the boat. People thought we were crazy…even upset…for bringing two churches together. But we stepped out the boat.

But here is something that I have learned. Stepping out the boat can be a scary thing. Fear will cause you to NEVER step out the boat.

Write this down.

Fear is the enemy of GREATER things.

As followers of Christ we are not called to a ministry of fear…we are called to a ministry of GREATER things!

Joshua 1:9 NASB95

9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Fear will paralyze your purpose. For a lot of us, God calling us into new territory.

Sharing your faith and testimony

Preaching or teaching a message

Praying for someone…out loud

Giving a word of encouragement

Speaking what God spoke to you about someone

When God calls us to these new territories, fear is not part of that call. He calls us to be strong and courageous. We can be strong and we can be courageous because He is with us wherever we go.

Do you think there was some fear of moving over 3,000 miles from everything I knew? Absolutely.

Even now, we are getting closer in trying to open a pre-school, there is some fear. Why? Because it is new territory.

Fear always tries to tag along with you to new territories and it is up to you to make sure it stays behind by trusting in God more than the fear.

God is with you!

The Greater is Possible

The Greater is possible because of His Spirit.

Go back to our main Scripture.

John 14:12 NASB95

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.

We can do the greater because of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is what POWERS the greatness. When God came down as man, as Jesus, He walked among us. Just like when God walked with Adam in the Garden, Jesus walked with man.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and is not a thought, idea, or even a force. ;)

He is none of these. He is God and He lives inside the believer.

John 16:7 NASB95

7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

Jesus ascended to the Father so the Holy Spirit can descend and live inside you and work through you to do the GREATER things.

It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to have greater REACH, greater BOLDNESS, and greater IMPACT in our communities and churches.

More souls saved because our reach is further

More lives transformed because we are bolder in our message

More lives impacted because we didn’t fear and stepped out the boat to speak to someone, pray for someone, teach a class, preach a message.

Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth and said:

1 Corinthians 2:4–5 NASB95

4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

Ministry, which everyone who follows Jesus is called to, is not about eloquence, it is about a SPIRIT filled demonstration of the POWER of God!

We are a Pentecostal church. We believe in the gifts actively working in the church today - speaking in and interpretation of tongues, words of knowledge, healing, prophecy, working of miracles, discerning of spirits, and whatever else God decides to do!

Our goal is not to make a name for us, but so that the people of this community and beyond know their Creator in Heaven desires to have a relationship restored through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the only begotten Son!

Remember heaven is not the goal, a restored relationship with the Father is and God desires to use you to help in that restoration!

2 Corinthians 5:18–19 NASB95

18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

God desires to do GREATER things in you and through you than that of Jesus!

What will Change?

I have read the Word. I shared truth with you this morning. Not my opinion. Not my thoughts. But the Word of God. The question remains now:

What would YOU change if you really believed this?

If we truly believe the words of Jesus that we will do greater things, then a lot of things should change in our church.

Maybe Prayer would become priority and not just a routine.

Worship will become warfare and not entertainment.

Ministry will become a place where miracles happen and we would expect them to take place.

I believe not only will our church look and be different, but it will change our perspective on our community.

Instead of complaining about all the problems and issues in our community we become agents of healing, hope, and holiness.

The church will become a movement of God and not just a building where we gather once a week.

A lot of churches are sitting around and waiting for God to send revival and God is sitting on His throne in heaven saying, “I sent you…I am waiting on you to go and do SOMETHING!”

Matthew 9:37–38 NASB95

37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Who are these workers? Those who follow Jesus. Scripture confirms this over and over again.

1 Corinthians 3:9 NASB95

9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

2 Corinthians 6:1 NASB95

1 And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain—

Mark 16:20 NASB95

20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed. And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.

You see, we are not to be observers on the sidelines. We are co-laborers with God ALMIGHTY! We don’t work alone or a part from God, we work with God, along side God, in the work He is already doing.

Ephesians 2:10 NASB95

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

God designed us on purpose for His purposes—we are partners in carrying them out.

Application

As we close today, I want to bring us back to that one bold promise Jesus made:

“Whoever believes in me… will do even greater things.” - Jesus

That wasn’t just for pastors… prophets… or apostles. That was for “whoever believes.”

That’s you. That’s us.

But the question is: Do you believe it?

Not just with your head—but with your heart, with your faith, and with your actions?

Today, I believe the Holy Spirit is stirring some of you to break out of small thinking…

To stop living a survival-level faith and start living a supernatural one.

Some of you have stopped expecting God to move.

Some have buried dreams, silenced callings, or backed away from bold prayers.

But this is your moment. This is your moment to:

Believe again – Renew your faith in what God can do through you.

Pray boldly – Pray with expectancy for the supernatural.

Serve passionately – Step out in faith, not just comfort.

Lead others – Multiply the mission; mentor others in bold faith.

Invitation:

If you’re ready to step into the “GREATER”—

If you want to be used by God in ways beyond what you’ve imagined—

If you’re saying, “Lord, I believe. Help me to walk in what You’ve promised…”

Then come. Come to this altar—not just as a response, but as a surrender.

Say, “God, I want to believe You for more. I want to be a vessel of Your power in this generation.”

Let’s pray for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s believe for boldness, for healing, for revival—starting in us.

This isn’t emotionalism. This is obedience.

Jesus said it.

Now it’s time to live it.

Altar Prayer: “Activate Our Faith”

Heavenly Father,

Today, we choose to believe what You said.

We repent for shrinking back in fear, for settling for safe, for doubting what You declared.

Lord Jesus, You said we would do greater things—not because we are great, but because You live in us.

So right now, we surrender—

Our limitations, our logic, our laziness, our fear.

Holy Spirit, fill us afresh.

Stir up boldness. Stir up faith.

Stir up a hunger to see Your power move through us—not just in this church, but in our homes, our neighborhoods, our schools, and our city.

We don’t want a normal Christian life.

We want a Spirit-filled, mountain-moving, people-healing, Jesus-glorifying life.

Today, we step into the “greater” You promised.

Use us. Empower us. Change us.

In the mighty name of Jesus,

Amen.