05 Thanksgiving

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DECLARATION:

Ephesians 2:20–22 (ESV)

20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Our church family is built by God, upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone.

We are joined together by union with Christ, we are growing, we are a dwelling place of God by his Spirit, and we are missionaries.

Prayer for...

INTRODUCTION:

Review:

Week 1: God meets us in the ordinary and calls us by name.

Week 2: We are freed for relationship, not performance — calling before commands.

Week 3: We break spiritual substitutions so we can wait on God’s presence.

Week 4: God’s presence is our distinction; we move only when He moves.

BIG IDEA FOR TODAY: Gratitude grows from God’s presence in us, not from the successes around us.

WHAT IS THE REASON WHY THIS MESSAGE IS BEING SHARED / WHAT IS THE PROBLEM THIS MESSAGE IS ANSWERING?…

If our gratitude rises and falls with our accomplishments, our productivity, our ministry results, or our circumstances, then our thankfulness will always be unstable.

But if our gratitude is anchored in the God who dwells with us and the Christ who has named us (Ac. 15:17), then our gratitude will overflow in every season.

That’s why Acts 19 gives us the story of the Seven Sons of Sceva — a story that confronts imitation without intimacy and methods without presence.

Because you cannot be grateful for a God you don’t actually know. You cannot live on mission with a presence you are not walking in.

This morning, we remember that our Sunday gathering is for the family of God, where we are formed in His presence — and our mission is lived throughout the week, not through borrowed methods, but through a real relationship with Jesus Christ.

Opening Scripture:

The 7 Sons of Sceva: Acts 19:11–20 “11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.”

THE PROBLEM: IMITATION WITHOUT RELATIONSHIP

Acts 19:13 “13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.””

A. They tried to “use” the name of Jesus the way others used it

Not out of intimacy

Not out of identity

Not out of mission

Simply out of method

B. They represent “plug-and-play spirituality”

They thought: “If it worked for Paul, it’ll work for us.”

This is method-driven, not presence-driven.

Many Christians today treat church the same way:

“If that church does it, we should.”

“If this strategy works there, it’ll work here.”

“If that pastor sees a crowd, let’s copy what they do.”

C. But the kingdom of God doesn’t work like that.

Style is contextual.

Language is local.

Direction is specific.

Church is not plug-and-play. We follow presence, not patterns.

THE DISTINCTION: PAUL LIVES WHAT OTHERS TRY TO COPY

A. God was doing extraordinary miracles through Paul

Acts 19:11 “11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,”

Not because of Paul’s technique

Not because of formula

But because Paul’s life was saturated with God’s presence

B. The seven sons used Paul’s language without Paul’s life

Acts 19:15 “15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?””

This is the core problem:

Demons know who walks in presence

They also know who only walks in imitation

C. Authority flows from identity, not imitation.

You cannot borrow someone else’s relationship with God.

You cannot import another congregation’s directions from God.

You cannot copy another leader’s anointing (Cf. passing the mantle).

Developing Missionaries Lens: You carry the presence of Jesus into the world — not someone else’s ministry style, not someone else’s gifts, not someone else’s experience with God.

The Call in 2007 - Rocking back and forth - people started to copy it…it looked funny!

THE LESSON: PRESENCE OVER PERFORMANCE

A. This story is not about exorcism — it’s about authenticity.

The sons performed spiritual actions, but lacked spiritual life.

No intimacy

No identity (cf. Sons of Scevea vs. Sons of God)

No presence

No authority

B. Many today perform the activity of faith but miss the presence of Jesus.

We attend church but don’t walk with Him

We serve in ministry but don’t listen to Him

We lead with strategy but not surrender

C. Thanksgiving week reminder:

We don’t thank God for performance — we thank Him for presence.

His nearness is the gift.

His presence is the power.

His Spirit is the difference.

SUNDAY IS FOR THE FAMILY AND MISSION IS FOR EVERYDAY LIFE

A. Sunday gatherings are for the church family

Worship

Serving

Equipping

Encouragement

Identity formation

This is the “upper room” where we learn to live in His presence.

B. Monday–Saturday is for mission

You carry His name into classrooms, workplaces, gyms, homes, and neighborhoods.

Unlike the Seven Sons, we don’t borrow someone else’s name — we bear it.

C. Presence + mission = Spirit-empowered living.

Your mission field is not the church building — it’s everywhere you place your feet this week.

THE RESULT: WHEN PRESENCE IS REAL, JESUS IS MAGNIFIED

Acts 19:17 “17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.”

A. Presence leads to reverence

People don’t need us to be impressive — they need us to be authentic carriers of His presence.

B. Presence leads to repentance (v. 18)

People confessed hidden practices because presence reveals truth.

C. Presence leads to transformation (v. 19)

Books burned — old habits and identities were surrendered.

D. Presence leads to multiplication (v. 20)

The word of the Lord increased in power.

This is the mission we carry — not imitation but incarnation.

Conclusion/Reflection:

The Seven Sons of Sceva tried to use the name of Jesus without knowing Him.

But Paul lived differently — not from imitation, not from performance, not from comparison — but from presence.

And that is where true gratitude is born:

Gratitude is rooted not in our success, but in God’s nearness and in the identity we have in Him.

This Thanksgiving week, we declare: We are thankful because He is with us. We are thankful because we belong to Him. We are thankful because His presence goes with us into our homes, our workplaces, our neighborhoods, and our mission field.

We gather on Sundays as family — to know Him, to service/worship Him, to be shaped by Him — and we scatter during the week to carry His presence with confidence.

Not borrowed power.

Not borrowed methods.

Not borrowed faith.

But His presence alive in us.

A powerful tool (like a vacuum, drill, or blender) sitting on stage. It looks ready, functional, and impressive — but it's not plugged in.

From the outside, it looks like it should work. It has the right shape, the right buttons, the right design but without connection to power, it accomplishes nothing.

“The Seven Sons of Sceva had the right religious ‘equipment,’ but they were unplugged from the Source. Presence isn’t about appearance — it’s about connection.”

Tie-in:

You can’t run on someone else’s power source.

You can’t “borrow connection.”

You can look spiritual on Sunday but be unplugged Monday–Saturday.

Application: Gratitude flows not from what we look like spiritually, but from staying connected to the One who gives life.

Is my gratitude built on God’s presence or on my performance?

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