Build: A Year of Partnership with God

The Power of God's Faithfulness

I want to start by sharing something remarkable that happened this year. Last Sunday we had 14 confirmed cases of healed cancer. As of today, we now have 16 confirmed cases of cancer healing in one year. Just this week, after the 9 a.m. service, a woman shared her testimony. Doctors told her she had cancer and would need surgery. We prayed and spoke God's word over her—that He would heal her and she wouldn't need that surgery.

She went in for surgery anyway. When they cut her open, they couldn't find the cancer. She was so confused she got a second opinion. The second doctor said, "I don't know what they saw, but we can't find cancer in your body."

"Whose report will you believe? I choose to believe the report of the Lord."

Jesus has broken the curse. He has never lost a battle, and He never will. Too many times we've seen what others called impossible—16 times in one year alone. Jesus said, "If you don't believe me for my words, believe me for my works." We don't have to tell people where God is; let the miracles show where God is. Let the cancer disappearing show where the Spirit of the Lord is. Let the bones that were healed show. Let the dead babies that came back alive in the womb show the Spirit of the Lord.

God is faithful.

The Word for 2024: Build

I was in prayer asking God what this next year would represent for Evolve Church and for the body of Christ. The Lord spoke to me on a plane: the word for the year is build.

For so many reasons, since God has allowed us to spread our tentacles, we've grown wide. But my assignment as your pastor—as the prophet and apostle of this house—is not just to spread wide but to help you dig deeper. Some of us have settled for what is called in old Hebrew culture the "outer courts." The outer courts are close enough to know that God is near, but you still haven't experienced His presence personally.

God is taking us from the outer court experience into something deeper. He's calling us into a season where we have to partner with God to dig deeper in our relationship with Him. You cannot be a lazy Christian in 2024. Laziness will get you in trouble.

Two Definitions of Build

The word "build" has two definitions. First, it means to construct something by putting parts and materials together. God gives you the parts and the materials, but if we're going to build, God is expecting us to put the pieces together. This is the year where faith without works is dead. This is where we stand.

God has done so much for you. He's removed people from your life without your choice. He's changed scenery without your choice. He's started moving in your life without your choice. He's grabbed you and pulled you here without your choice. But as we step into 2024, I feel the Lord saying: "This time I'm requiring you to work with me."

There are folks who needed people removed from their lives without their choice. But now God is expecting you to walk away from some things. He's putting some of the responsibility on you. You have to look at something and say, "This does not honor God," and then make sure you put down what dishonors Him and walk toward what pours honor onto the Father.

The second definition of build is to make stronger or be more intense. When you're building in your calling, your assignment, and your relationship with God, it is to make it stronger. To have a relationship is one thing, but to have a deep, growing, intimate relationship is another.

The Difference Between Church-Goers and Christ-Followers

I can always tell the difference between somebody who knows Jesus and somebody who just goes to church. Church-goers enjoy the building, the noise, the message, and the dance. But people who walk with Christ understand that their life is so submitted that they want to make sure they're not misrepresenting Him when they go out to the world.

It's not just about acting the part in the building; it's about living the part in your lifestyle. People need to be able to see Jesus in you—not just when you're in church, but when you're hanging out with your friends at night. Do you still look like the Jesus you represented on Sunday morning? Do I still look like the Jesus I represented on Sunday morning in my relationships? On my job? In the grocery store? At the game?

The difference between a church-goer and a Christ-follower is that a church-goer's behavior is geographical—it only happens in the location called "church." But a Christ-follower says, "I'm the same person on the stage that I am in my home. The same God in my home is in the gym, in the gym is in the grocery store, in the grocery store is at the buck game. I'm the same person every time because every time I'm representing Jesus."

The BUILD Acronym: Be Uncomfortable in Lazy Discipleship

The acronym we are going to build off for the term BUILD means: Be Uncomfortable in Lazy Discipleship.

Being lazy in our discipleship happens to a lot of people. If you've only been saved for six months or a year, you may not know what this means yet. In my first six months to a year, my zeal was so on fire. I felt like nobody loved Jesus more than I did. I was a bit eccentric in every sense of the word. I was the guy who would lock myself in the basement and remove the clocks so I wouldn't know how long I spent in His presence. I read the whole Bible three times that first year because I would just sit there and engulf myself in the Word. I loved Jesus more than anybody.

But as you continue to grow, what happens is that you start to learn, and you think that because you learn, you can calm down. Then you get into this lazy state. And some of you won't be honest about this, but if you've been saved for five, ten, or fifteen years, you know what I'm talking about. You get to a place where you haven't been praying like you know you should. You haven't been in the Word like you know you should. And you say, "Well, because I know the Bible, I don't need to keep reading." But how false could that be? The Bible says all scripture is written for instruction and reproof and is good for building up the church. Every verse is good.

You make an excuse for being a lazy disciple. "I know I'm supposed to witness about Jesus, but my life has so much going on. I don't have time to tell somebody else about the message." Or you say, "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm doing just enough." And if you could be real, some of us have been there. We get to a place where we're doing just enough to still say we're on the assignment or walking with Jesus, but we know we're not doing all He's calling us to do. I'm doing enough to say that I'm right, but I'm missing God enough to say that I'm wrong.

There's more that God is requiring of us. This year cannot be the year where you get back in your lazy chair, recline, and relax in your relationship. This has to be the year where you be uncomfortable in lazy discipleship—where it bothers you that you keep hitting snooze and not waking up to pray. Where it bothers you that you're not in your Word. Where it bothers you that you're missing small groups and Bible studies. Where it bothers you that you can make it to brunch but not church.

Partnership with God

In Psalms 127:1, it says:

"Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted."

God is saying: You cannot do this year without me. This is where I need church people to stop playing with me. I know how church works. I know how Christians do ministry. I know how leaders talk about Jesus but sometimes miss it in their lifestyle.

We give to God the things we want to give to Him, and then we reserve some things for our own strength. "God, You can have all of that, but I think I'm pretty okay with making these decisions on my own." And He's saying, "This is the year where you cannot pick and choose what you're going to delegate to me and what you're going to keep in your hands."

This year, you have to say what Moses said:

"We cannot go up from here unless Your presence goes with us."

You can stay the same without God. But you can't go up if you enjoy brokenness, pain, and a life that's stuck, still, and stale. But if you want to grow and build up, you can't go up from here without God's presence going with you.

"It's not by might, it's not by power, but by my spirit," says the Living God.

We have to acknowledge this Word. Unless God is building with you, your building is a waste of your time. Unless God puts His super on your natural, you'll never see the hand of God. You'll never see the supernatural without God saying, "I'm going to put something extra on top of your regular ability." And when people see the outcome, they'll glorify God in heaven and say, "There's no way you could have done this on your own."

I'm happy when people look at my life, my assignment, and my ministry and say, "There must be a God somewhere." I say it is—because I ain't that good—but He's so God He makes me look good. I just like partnering my life with Jesus.

Working Smarter, Not Harder

In Psalms 127:2, it says:

"It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late night, anxiously working for food to eat, for God gives rest to His loved ones."

You're going to be working hard this year in your relationship, but I need you to know you're going to experience a greater rest than you've ever experienced. This is the epitome of working smarter, not harder.

Many of us are working harder because we're trying to do a God thing in human strength. And it's just impossible. God looked down at the world and said, "They cannot do it. They cannot do it in their own strength." So He sent His Son, who sent His Spirit. Now we have the Spirit of God helping us.

Whenever you're trying to do this super assignment, this great calling that God has put on you—even if it's just being obedient—obedience in your nature is a struggle. When you try to come out of your lust, out of your perversity, out of your addiction, out of your struggles in your own strength, that thing is hard. It's almost like trying to break your own hand before you use it. It's impossible. You can only come out of some stuff with the help of God—with the Spirit of God leading you.

Start to work smarter, not harder. Learn that you can do this with God. And when you do something with God, you're able to get rest. You're able to feel like, even though I'm getting more done, I don't feel like I had to do more.

I always have to do more when I'm doing it without God. But when I submit to the wisdom of God, the presence of God, and the Word of God, it always seems easier. When people look at my life and ask questions, when they explain it back to me, it really does sound hard. I say, "Now that you say it back to me, this seems like an incredibly hard thing." But let me be honest—when I lived it, it didn't feel that hard. And I learned the reason: God was in the shadows helping me, carrying me when I was asleep, moving me along when I didn't have the strength, picking me up when I was weak. That's when I was most strong—because God was with me. And when God was with me, I got more done with less effort.

Counting the Cost

But even in doing it God's way, you have to know this: It costs to build. You cannot build without expecting it to cost something.

Anybody who's ever built a house, erected a building, or built a car knows that every little detail costs something. I didn't even know some things had a cost until we were building this church. I thought they were trying to play me. I said, "Y'all think because I ain't never done this that I don't know what's going on?" They said, "No sir, there's just a cost." I was frustrated. I was angry. They talked about the little plastic trim that goes around the floor—I didn't think that cost much. I said, "I know. I bought some for my house." They said, "Sir, your house is 1,000 square feet. You're building 100,000 square feet. Whatever you paid times 100, put that as the price." I learned that whenever you're getting ready to build something, building costs.

In Luke 14:28, Jesus says:

"But don't begin until you count the cost, for who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you."

Jesus is saying: There's going to be a cost as we go into this year. God is saying, "Okay, this is the year of build. But what is it going to cost you this year to be obedient? We're getting ready to build something, and I want you to calculate."

We often rashly and arrogantly say, "Time to build! Let's run! That's the word of the Lord!" But God says, "But what is it going to cost you to put me first this year? What relationship is it going to cost you?"

Sometimes the cost is a relationship. Sometimes the cost is a friendship. Sometimes the cost is a person. Sometimes you have to let go of someone who has kept you away from being obedient to what God is telling you to do. Sometimes you got to let go of some folks who are good, but they don't represent God. And when you stay connected to them, you seem to be the worst version of yourself. You say, "God, I'm ready to build with you." God says, "Count up the cost. Make sure you have enough to finish."

What addiction or habit is it going to cost you? I'm careful with the term addiction because most addicts don't know they're one. Most addicts say, "I can stop whenever I want to," but still haven't stopped in years.

What is it going to cost you to build a deeper, stronger relationship with God this year? What habit? What are you going to have to put down and make sure you don't pick back up? What are you going to have to let go of, even though it gives you peace and comfort at night?

What are you going to have to relinquish in order to say, "God, I'm serious about this building"? What temptation is it going to cost you? What is that one thing you dabble with while serving God? You say, "I ain't no bad person, Pastor. I just got this little thing on the side. Something I'm trying to work through. A struggle I'm trying to get over." And God is saying, "All right, are we going to build, or are we going to keep playing in the rubbish this year?"

Are you ready to build? What is it going to cost you? Don't ever step up with your tools without counting the cost.

Jesus: The Master Builder

Jesus understood what it meant to build. Jesus is the Master Builder. He builds everything. Throughout scripture, He talks about building, the foundation, and the Chief Cornerstone. God is referencing Jesus as being the foundation of what we build upon.

In Matthew 16:17-18, Jesus is dealing with His disciples. He's been trying to build them to be apostles. A disciple is a learner; an apostle is a soldier. He's trying to take them from being students to warriors. This is the assignment for me in this church right now—to make sure that we transition. We had a year of shift. We started to see God move us into His will. We saw miracles, signs, and wonders. We stayed in a position of learning, which is good. But God is saying, "I need laborers. I need warriors. I need soldiers. I need people who are ready and capable of warring in the spirit, winning when the enemy brings attacks."

Jesus asks His disciples a question:

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?'"

Well, they replied with various answers. Some say you're John the Baptist. Some say you're Elijah. Others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. They knew He was a prophet, but they didn't know His identity. They knew He was a teacher, a Rabbi, and more—but they didn't know who He really was.

Then Jesus asked them directly:

"But who do you say I am?"

Only one person had an answer. That means only one of them was a student of the teacher. The others didn't even know His real identity. Jesus asked because it's dangerous when you're in all the conversations and you ain't speaking up.

"Simon Peter answered: 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.'"

Peter knew who he was following. Jesus replied:

"You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in Heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being."

I need you to receive this: There are things that God is going to deposit in you this year that even I cannot give you. I'm trying to build you. Please hear me: This is why God is calling us into His presence. God is wanting the relationship to be real. Because this year, some stuff you can't get from Pastor. Some stuff you got to get from Him—from the Father. The relationship, the prayer room, your worship time. Some stuff, if you're really ready to build, you cannot build on another person's voice.

Jesus said:

"My sheep will hear my voice, and a stranger's voice they will not follow."

Your relationship this year, and the building thereof, will be predicated on what voice you hear the most.

Jesus continued:

"You are Peter, which means a rock, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the powers of Hell will not conquer it."

Pay attention to what's happening here. Jesus just started a building project. He didn't say the church already existed. He said, "I'm getting ready to build my church."

I want to challenge Evolve Church: Too many people expect church to be what no one has ever built. You have to build love. You have to build community. You have to build integrity. And if you never show up, you can never be built. Culture does not happen on accident.

You don't become a loving church because everybody is loving. You become a loving church because everybody understands we need to be submitted to Jesus. Because Jesus says, "Love even when I don't feel like it." I'm building something in me. I'm building my discipleship. I'm building my relationship with God. I'm building what God is calling me to do. So even though my emotions may not feel like it, I'm submitted to what the church is doing, submitted to what Jesus is saying.

Jesus said:

"I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it."

The gates of Hell will always prevail against a church that has not been properly built. Every single year, 1,500 churches close. When we ask ourselves what is happening, we have to ask: What was it built on?

I'm not talking bad about anybody. I want us to look deep within ourselves and say: Are we building this thing on the principles of Jesus? Are we building this thing on fame and organization? What are we building this thing on?

It has to be built on Jesus. Please don't come here for me. Please don't come here for your friends. Please don't come here because it's cool. And please don't come here for the building. If you come here, come for Jesus.

I'm coming for Jesus. I want to be where God is. I don't want to be where God was. I don't want to be loyal to an old season. I don't want to stay in a church because my mama and daddy went there. I don't want to stay in a place because my family still fellowships there. I want to be where God is. Point me to where God is, and I will show up.

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. There's freedom."

Building Takes Time

Jesus understood that building takes time. If you want to build something great, it's going to be ugly in the process. You got to understand that building takes time. Building connections take time. Building relationships take time. Building the church takes time. Building your family takes time. Building your health takes time. Building your calling takes time.

It takes time to build. We have to understand that if we're going to build, we have to be able to build this thing as partners with God.

In 2 Corinthians 6:1, it says:

"As God's partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God's kindness and then ignore it."

Start off with identity: We are God's partners. We cannot accept this gift—the gift of Jesus—and then ignore it.

My challenge to you: Are you going to be a partner of God this year? A partner, not a peeper. A peeper is a person that's always peeping in, looking to see what's happening, always watching, always commenting, always murmuring, always complaining. You always got something to say about everything, but never got nothing to do about anything.

Are you going to be a peeper or a partner of God?

Final Call to Partnership

Father, this is my prayer: that we would be Your partners this year. That we would build something You're calling us to build. To erect something here in this city. There is no way You placed us here with the force of the Holy Spirit that You've given us—with 16 cases of cancer being healed, with three dead babies coming back to life in the womb—there's no way You placed us here with this force and then expect us to do nothing with it.

You are expecting us to partner with Heaven and to build. So I pray right now, Lord God, that all through 2024, we make a covenant promise with You: that we will partner to build. That we will build with You. That we will become uncomfortable in lazy discipleship. That we will always grow, grow, grow, grow—press, press, press—move, move, move—serve, serve, serve wherever You call us to serve.

We want You to get the glory. In Jesus' name, we pray.