The Greatest in the Kingdom
JULIAN ADAMS • October 24, 2017
What kind of King do we follow? One who laid down his life for his people. In this teaching, Julian helps us understand how to reflect the Kingdom by serving those around us.
– TRANSCRIPT
Julian: Can’t you just love the sense of God’s presence here this morning?
Congregation: Yeah.
Julian: It’s so wonderful when God breaks in and takes an ordinary building like this and makes it a place of His dwelling. I absolutely love that. God is so, so good, isn’t He?
Congregant: Yeah.
Julian: Well, one of you agree. Won’t you turn in your Bibles please to the gospel of Mark? If you’re a guest here, we have been tracking through the Gospel of Mark, “The King Here and Now,” and we’ve been unpacking some aspects of the Gospel of Mark to help us understand what it looks like to live a Kingdom lifestyle. And we’ve been having so much fun, just incredible stories of breakthroughs, and healings, and encounters of God’s mercy as people have got fresh revelation out of the book and the Gospel of Mark, and I want to unpack a few things. Before I do, I just really wanted to prophesy over one or two people, and I just want God to just drop them on my heart. So this gentleman with the curly hair up front with the hat on, what’s your name?
Greg: Greg.
Julian: Greg, hi. I see God really wanting to encourage you that you’re at a particular juncture right now. You’re at a particular crossroads in terms of some big decision-making, in terms of what God’s calling you in terms of the next season. And you’re kind of looking between a number of options and you’re saying, “God, what does this need to look like?” And I felt like God wanted to remind you of your core call, that you’re called to live on the sharp sides. You’re called to live on the edge. You’re called to be one who is an adventurer because I can see you’re like doing those kind of free rope climbing up rock faces where there’s just no safety net. And it’s like there’s this thing of adventure that’s on you. And I just feel like God wants to remind you you’re an adventurer.
And I feel like this next season you’re to choose and make decisions inconsistent with faith steps in adventure, that you’re not gonna have all your ducks in a row always, that you’re not always gonna have all the answers. And that part of that actually is about a prophetic call that’s on your life. That God put some prophetic stuff in you, and often, leaders and people around you don’t quite get that about you. They don’t often get who you are because your language, the way you are, the way you see things, the way you dream is sometimes so different. And it’s gonna be because you may be a provocation to boththe church and the world about how to live on the sharp side of the cutting edge, about how to live in the purposes of God.
And so, God really wants to encourage you. It’s a new season for you, and it’s a season of adventure. And nations, see, numbers of nations begin to open up in front of you, nations that are slightly unusual, nations that don’t… It’s not like just going to the UK like everyone else does. Some other stuff that God’s got for you. There’s some Eastern nations that God wants to open up to you, places of adventure that’s gonna cause you to go because you’re gonna have a voice into those places and bring the Kingdom of God. It’s not just gonna be about holidays and fun, but it’s gonna to be about divine connections that release God’s Kingdom. And God just wants to say you are called to leadership. You’re called to be someone who runs ahead of the pack to help people walk into His purposes. So God’s hand is really on you. Amen.
And then, just before I carry on, I felt like God’s showing me that there’s somebody possibly in the middle section, towards the second half of the building, you’re in the process right now where you need to make some big decisions to do with business and to do with…the phrase I got was recapitalizing or reinvesting into a particular aspect of a business. And you’re asking God for some wisdom to do with that. I think you’re a gentleman. Can you just quickly put up your hand because I feel God wants to speak to you? I think you’re in the second half of the building or possibly in the middle.
Thank you, sir. Won’t you stand up, if that’s all right, just so I can see you? I’m not wanting to embarrass you. Sir, I feel like God wants to say to you that the past season is not gonna determine the next season. And that you’re in a place where you’re trying to figure out, “God, do I invest this money? What do I need to do?” And I feel like God is going to give you some strategic pointers of the next two or three weeks about how to reinvest and recapitalize, because God is going to begin to bless, and God is going to begin to cause a network of opportunities to unfold before you so that you can make the favor-filled decision that is going to begin to take your business and the opportunities that you’re in to the next level.
And I just feel like God is in the season of restructuring, in the season of reforming, that God is gonna give you real wisdom and grace to be able to do that well. And you’re going to see the fruit of your labors, and you’re going to see the fruit of sowing over numbers of years even from places that you’ve not sown in. And so, I hope it’s making sense. And I really feel like God’s saying, “I’m going to show you very clearly about this next season and that you’re to trust Me because you are hearing from Me.” That you haven’t missed it. You are hearing from God, and He’s gonna begin to open up the right doors for you. Amen. Bless you.
Yay, God. So Mark chapter 15. We’re gonna read from verse 1, “And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and with the scribes and with the whole council. And they bound Jesus and led Him away and delivered Him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked Him, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ And He answered, ‘You have said so.’ The chief priests accused Him of many things. And Pilate again asked Him, ‘Have You no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against You?’ But Jesus made no further answer so that Pilate was amazed.”
“Now, at the feast, he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he usually did for them. And he answered them saying, ‘Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?’ For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered Him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, ‘Then, what shall I do with the Man you call the King of the Jews?’ And they cried out again, ‘Crucify Him.’ And Pilate said to them, ‘Why? What evil has He done?’ But they shouted all the more, ‘Crucify Him.’ And so, Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas. And having scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.”
We’re gonna unpack this this morning, and I hope you’ll track with me. And I just wanna give you some quick understanding around the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel of Mark is written predominantly to a Gentile audience, to a Greek audience who are in bondage to the Roman Empire. And so, we know this because when Mark is writing, he leaves bits of information out, like the genealogy of Jesus which would only make sense in a Jewish context because they place an emphasis on that. There are a few other things that begin to show us that Mark is wanting to help the reader understand the context that Jesus is in, in particular, even around explaining some of the festivals and what happens in Jewish culture. And so, they would not have been aware of that, and Mark is helping them understand that.
And there are two parallel themes that run throughout the Gospel of Mark, which is really important for us to understand. The first one is that the Kingdom of God is here and now, that Jesus rocked up, and when He rocked up, all of heaven broke loose.
Congregant: Yeah.
Julian: It’s such good news. Heaven began to invade the earth. Heaven began to be demonstrated wherever Jesus went. And so, the first few chapters of the Gospel of Mark, you’ll see this wonderful word, “and immediately,” immediately. Immediately, the Kingdom broke out. Immediately, the man was healed. Immediately, they were on the other side talking about how Jesus moved from one side to the other supernaturally. “Immediately” is the phrase that you’ll see. Mark is wanting us to understand the immediacy of the Kingdom, that the Kingdom of God is here and now. It’s good news. The Kingdom of God is here and now. We’re not waiting for a coming Kingdom, the Kingdom has already broken in. We’re not waiting to die to go to heaven to experience the Kingdom. The kingdom of God is here and it is now. And Jesus demonstrated it with signs and wonders. Jesus demonstrated it with acts of mercy and justice to describe and to reveal what kind of Kingdom this is. It’s a Kingdom that comes with power. It’s a Kingdom that is meant to be experienced. I’m so glad that we don’t have to wait till the day that we die to experience God’s goodness. We get to experience it right here and right now.
Congregation: Amen.
Julian: Amen, Julian, very good point. The kingdom of God is here and now. There’s a demonstration that we can enter into right here, right now. It’s how His Kingdom works. So, if Jesus says, “The Kingdom of heaven is here,” things begin to happen. And so, I wanna say to you, the Kingdom of heaven, the Kingdom of God is here. It’s here.
Congregation: Yeah.
Julian: It’s here. And to show you that the Kingdom of God is here, somebody has just gotten healed of a condition in your shoulder that’s caused incredible pain. And I think it’s your left shoulder. If you begin to move it right now, you’ll see that the pain is lifting or it’s probably all gone already. And if that’s you, the pain is lifting or it’s going away, I want you to lift up your hands quickly. There we go. The Kingdom of God is here and now. You’ve had pain in your shoulder?
Congregant: [Inaudible 00:10:50].
Julian: And now? How long have you had that problem for?
Congregant: About three or four days.
Julian: Come on. Now, the Kingdom of God is here and now. So, if you came in with pain this morning, if you came into this meeting and you’re going, “Oh, I’ve got some ache or pain or any other ailment, the Kingdom of God is here and now for you to get healed. So I want you to check it out. Do something you couldn’t do before. Notice, we’re not even having soft-playing music for this one because God’s Kingdom is here. We don’t need to create an atmosphere. The Kingdom brings the atmosphere. So check it out, do something, move. Sometimes you got to do something by faith in order to…the Bible says, “The man stretched out his hand and got healed.” And if you know that the pain has either lifted or it’s now completely gone, I want you to quickly put up your hand and say, “Julian, God has done something with my body,” quickly, because His Kingdom is here and now.
There’s one. There’s some more. Like two over there. Anyone else? Quickly, put up your hands. We’ve had two people. I’m gonna go for three. Going for three. Three over there. Let’s go for four just because it’s fun. Check it out, do something. If you know the pain is lifting or it’s completely gone, quickly wave your hand at me again. Who else? We’ve had three people. I wanna see a fourth person get healed because the Kingdom of God is here and now. Somebody is actually getting healed of, like, a block in their ear. You’re gonna feel like a pop just right now. God, is that you? Come on, look at that. There’s another person over there. You have pain in your ear and the pain is now gone? It’s lifting? Come on. Father, we declare complete healing.
The point of the Kingdom being demonstrated is not just so that we get to celebrate the signs and the wonders, and so we should. How many of you know if you’re grateful for what God is doing, He increases it? All right. Jesus was thankful for some fish and some loaves and it multiplied. Too many of us are holding out for what God’s not doing, we miss what He is doing. The kingdom of God is not just a demonstration so we go, “Yay, it’s wonderful,” although that’s fun. How many of you… Oh, can I just…going off [inaudible 00:13:16] I’m just gonna say, do you know God is super extravagant?
Congregation: Yeah.
Julian: And He is super outrageous. He does [inaudible 00:13:24] any restraint. The first miracle Jesus does is He turns a whole lot of water into wine. The church has been trying to turn it back ever since, but I’ll move on quickly from that point. He turned water into wine for a party where people were already drunk.
Congregant: Yeah.
Julian: I mean, put that in your religious pipe and smoke it. God is completely outrageous in His goodness and in His kindness. And when you think you’ve already had enough, He goes, “I’m good.Do a whole lot more.” It’s a sign of the Kingdom.
But the reason why Mark is wanting to emphasize these signs of the Kingdom is so that we begin to understand that those signs point to the King. They point to the reality of a good King. It’s not just that He’s a King, it’s the kind of King that He is. That He is a good King, that He is a loving King, that He’s an overwhelmingly beautiful, overwhelmingly kind King who is concerned about every aspect of our lives. And so, Mark is wanting us to understand this. And we come straight up through the whole way that Jesus lived His life, because you need to understand that the aim of Jesus was not just to die on the cross. It was to live a life as an example of what the new community of God would look like, if we understood that because of the cross, our sins have been forgiven, and all judgment has now been removed so we get what we don’t deserve. Oh, it’s beautiful. It’s the gospel. That’s what it’s like.
So everything that Jesus did, His whole life is speaking to a reality of that Kingdom. When He breaks bread, when He fellowships with His disciples, when He restores the woman found in adultery, it’s all pointing to the kind of King that He is. Nothing is insignificant about the life of Jesus. And Mark wants us to understand this.
So, we have seen His whole life, and we’re standing now before Pilate. And you need to understand that there’s a powerful play that’s happening here. There are two authorities. There is human authority in the form of the Roman government. Caesar was known as the son of God. Did you know that? It was his title, the son of God. And we’ve got Caesar’s representative, Pilate, who thinks he’s super powerful, who think he’s authoritative, who thinks he has the final word on death. All right?
Congregant: Yeah.
Julian: Caesar and the Roman Empire thought that they were gods. They thought that they had the final say on death. And then we’ve got Jesus, who seems weak and timid, who says absolutely nothing throughout this whole ordeal. He looks like He’s just such a pathetic excuse for a King. And Mark is wanting to intentionally heighten the tension of what’s happening in this moment. He wants us to understand that there are two powers that are working at this moment. And so, he deploys this phrase, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He does so 32 times in this whole discourse. He wants us to understand that what Pilate is getting at is that, “I am more powerful than you. The representation of my Roman Empire Kingdom has more authority over You and I decide when You die.” Little did they know. Little did he know, that he was standing before the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. Little did he know that he was standing before the One who holds his very next breath.
And so they’re standing there and there’s power play. You see, the way that Caesar would enforce that power was through violence, was through judgment, was through control. You see, the peaceful regime of the Roman Empire wasn’t peaceful. It was only peaceful because of the crucifixion. It was only peaceful because they would kill people on a cross. It was the most torturous, most evil, most disgusting form of death. Excuse me, people wouldn’t even talk about it because it was such a bad thing. Saying the word “crucifixion” was not a fun thing. It was something that was shameful. And Jesus would have grown up seeing people being crucified. You can imagine the tension in the garden then when He said, “God, if it be Your will, pass this cup because…” You know, for His whole life, He was seeing people being crucified on a hill. He’d seen incredible pain. He’d seen incredible suffering. And Jesus is standing before them. And Pilate, as a self-proclaimed authority over death, saying, “You know, I got authority over You. I can take Your life.”
In one [inaudible 00:18:42] the Gospel, Jesus says, “No one takes my life. I lay it down.” Yet there’s Jesus. And Pilate is trying to do the math, right? He’s trying to figure out if one plus one really equals two, because Jesus is standing here. He’s got no headquarters. He’s got no manifesto that’s written down anywhere. He’s got nothing that sets Him apart as a King. He’s trying to figure out, he’s not even got followers at this point because they’ve all deserted Him. And Pilate is trying to figure out, “What on earth is going on because who is this so-called King of the Jews?”
He doesn’t quite get it because he sees power, he sees authority connected to his position, connected to his status, or how the world gets to run. We think that power and authority comes because of position or finance, comes because of my status, or my identity, and my title. No, no no. Jesus is modeling something very different, altogether surprising.
And I love this beautiful discourse because Pilate says, “Do you want Barabbas or do you want Jesus?” And the crowd says, “Give us Barabbas.” Barabbas means Bar-abbas, son of the father. And there is a guilty son and there’s an innocent son. And the guilty one goes free because the innocent son says, “I’ll take his judgment.” And that’s the beauty of the Gospel. We get to go free as sons of the Father when the innocent Son who should be free says, “I’ll take your guilt, I’ll take your shame, I’ll take your judgment.”
Congregant: Wow.
Julian: If that doesn’t make you happy, I’m not quite sure what will. The simplicity of the Gospel is powerful. You don’t need another revelation. You don’t need another Greek word study. All you need to know is that your sins have been forgiven and that you’re now a son and daughter of the most high God.
And we see the power of imperialistic Rome exercising, “That we’re gods. We can kill when we want. We can destroy everyone.” And we see Jesus. And something actually powerful happens, something actually amazing. Jesus who’s lived His life demonstrating the Kingdom, Jesus who’s lived His life by taking 12 men and forming a new community that looks like heaven on earth, this Jesus, at the height of His ministry, at the most successful time in His ministry, chooses to lay down His life, a King who lays down His life out of love in order that forgiveness might flow.
When everyone else could have said, “But you’re so successful, you could start your political party now, and you could overtake Rome, and you can overthrow Rome.” He goes “No, no, I’m gonna go quietly.” And Mark does a whole lot of fancy footwork and he alludes to this so beautifully here. He says, “And Jesus no longer answered them.” And He was led like a lamb to the slaughter silently, silently. Jesus says nothing, and it’s an illusion right back, it’s alluding to right back in Isaiah 53, where it talks about the Messiah coming as the suffering servant. Rather than a conquering King with army and might like the world does, rather than a conquering king who will use judgment and force to establish his throne, He comes in differently. And He lays down His life in love.
You see, the beautiful twist and the drama of the Gospel here is not that Jesus forces you to become a Christian, it’s not that Jesus exerts His creative power in which He created the galaxies in the universe, it’s not in that. It’s not in the ability for Him to have been able to call down fire from heaven or hundreds and hundreds of angels to deliver Him. It’s not in the fact that He has power to withhold the very next breath of Pilate. It’s in the fact that He says, “I will lay down My life in love.” Man, the powers of darkness and certainly imperialistic Rome did not recognize that the greatest force in human history is not exerted through military power, it’s not exerted through pedantry, it’s not exerted through some special place in society. It’s exerted through the power of a laid down life.
Jesus lays down His life in love and He gives up His life. And the powers of darkness thought that was it. But how wrong they were because, you see, the greatest force in history is not an ability to act, it’s not might to act. The greatest force in history is love. And because God is love, His power is not displayed because He has ability. His power is displayed because He has love. And love does not look like force, it does not look like coercion. It looks like a choice to clothe Himself in human flesh and to lay His life down for those who are lost and dying. And in that giving up His life, in that submitting to the so-called powers of the day, Jesus proved that He is the King of the universe. He proves that He actually is the true Son of God. He proves that He is the Lord of lords because the very last enemy, death itself was given a death blow because of His laid down life in love. And on the third day, He rose up and overcame death and sin, and all of the darkness, and all of the powers that surrounded Him.
Congregation: Wow, come on.
Julian: Can you imagine what Pilate was thinking right then? Listen, one thing I’m not supposed to squash is one thing I have authority over. People are starting to talk about it. “He’s alive. He’s alive. He’s alive.” He’s been seen by 500 people. They are reliable witnesses, both externally and internally of Scripture that talk about the resurrected Lord.
Oh, friends. This is the beauty of the Gospel, friends. That God did not come to establish His kingdom through calling down wrath or judgment, but God chose to fully identify with humanity and its sin, and its darkness, and its depravity, and said, “I will fully be immersed into it. I will be fully clothed in it because I love them and I will lay down My life for them. And just when humanity thinks it’s in the darkest hour it has ever been, I will burst forth from that grave with glory and majesty and declare my ultimate victory over death once and for all.”
You see, it’s all about love. It’s about love that lays down your life. You see, the surprise in the Gospel is that Jesus did what every other king would never do. And that He gave up His life so that His kingdom will be restored in all of its glory and all of its beauty.
I don’t know about you but that’s such good news. What does this mean for us? What does it mean for us in this context? I want you to turn very quickly to the epistle of Philippians. I love it. Jesus’ life is vindicated by the Father as the Father raises Him up in glory. There’s nothing like a laid-down lover. There’s nothing as magnificent as someone who says, “I’ll lay my life down in love.” And that’s what Jesus did for us.
Philippians 2:5Open in Logos Bible Software (if available), “Having this mind among yourself, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant. Being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”
Congregation: Amen.
Julian: Wow, man, we can go home. He laid down His life so that we’ll be lifted up. And here’s the requirement, this Kingdom looks exactly like a King and how He lived. Friends, Jesus is coming back as conquering King, I have no doubt in my mind. He’s not coming back as the suffering servant. He is the conquering King. He is the conquering King. And when He rocks up, He’s gonna show up and show off, and everything will be put back into order the way that He’d always intended it to be. But up until then, we need to have the same mind as Christ because the single most powerful force in the world is not what you have to offer him by way of your strength. It’s not what you have to offer Him by way of your pedigree. It’s not what you have to offer Him by way of your position in society, or by any other ways that we understand the world to work because Jesus said, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” It looks entirely different. It looks like servant-hearted-laid-down lovers. That’s what it looks like. It doesn’t look like my ministry, my title, my anointing. It doesn’t look like, “Give me the place of most influence because that’s where I want to influence from.” It looks like laid-down lovers.
You see, friends, we want to be a phenomenal church, don’t we? At Harvest, we wanna be a church that is the most welcoming. Not because we wanna have happy smiley faces at the door, although we really, really do want that. I often wonder what would have happened if the younger brother in the story of “The Prodigal Son” met the older brother first. For too long, we’ve had people at the doors of the church as it were who are older brothers. We need fathers and mothers who are happy.
Congregation: [Inaudible 00:30:54]
Julian: Wow, that went over like a [inaudible 00:30:59] balloon. I’ll say amen to that myself. The reason we want to be a good family is because our family exists for the benefit of others, not for ourselves. We do not serve because we want a big church. We do not serve because we need to do more things. We serve because there’s a lost and dying world that need to encounter the reckless, overwhelming, unrestrained love of Jesus.
Congregation: Amen.
Julian: And love looks like something. It looks like…servanthood is not slavery, friends. Slavery has a master that says, “You must do, and if you don’t, you’ll be punished.” Servanthood says, “I’ve got a Father, and I’m part of a family.” And we serve together because that’s what family does. It’s how family lives. If you are involved in serving particularly on Sundays or in any aspect of church life, can I ask you to stand very quickly? Where is Tracy Dawson [SP]? You need to stand. I wanna take a moment very quickly to honor Tracy Dawson. She has served…hold, hold, hold on because you need to embarrass her. She has served serving our kids’ work for years and years. This is the first break she has been on, I don’t even know how many years. We’ve got one of the best kids’ work in Durban. And I want you to honor her right now. Go for it.
Now, here’s the thing. Church, can you honor these people who serve among us, please? But here’s what I wanna say to you. I’m [inaudible 00:33:12] talk straight, forgive me. We need people who will be laid-down lovers. We’re not serving in church to our own end. We’re serving because a new community of the Kingdom has been formed. And how we’re serving our family determines how we serve the world. And you do not need a call from God to serve. We need some more kids who would help us. “I need to figure out if I’ve got a call.” No, you don’t. No, you don’t. You’re part of the family.
And I’m not talking about work. If you’re gonna feel guilty about not serving, please don’t serve because we don’t want guilt-driven servanthood. We want love-driven servanthood. We need some help with rosters in terms of welcome or car park attendants. “You know, well, I just need to see if it can fit into my schedule this week.” Yeah, I find it fascinating that South Africa… Can I be honest for a moment?
Congregant: [Inaudible 00:34:29].
Julian: I wonder if we can become a little bit selfish in the way that we serve because right at the base of our homes, we have people who serve us hand and foot. Servanthood…oh, that went very quiet suddenly there. And by the way, one of the ways that you can serve the people who serve you is by paying them a proper living wage, not paying them 100 bucks a day because that’s not a living wage. You’re looking at anything between 220 to 250 rate to really help your domestic helper live a proper life per day.
As a family, we have cut down the numbers of days we have with our domestic helper in order to pay her a bigger salary so that she can serve us well and that we can serve her well. That one was just for free. And you can’t talk about [inaudible 00:35:34] starting your own home. You don’t need a call for servanthood. Servanthood is gonna cost you, friends. It cost Jesus His life. And the biblical requirement…this is not a local church pastor asking you this. This is Jesus, this is the Bible. Have the same mind, that we serve without restraint. You know, one of the things I love about this church is we’re not wanting to abuse people in this servanthood. That’s just as [inaudible 00:36:10] stupid. But we do wanna provoke you. Friends, if we don’t do family well in service to each other, even when it’s inconvenient, I guarantee you you’ll not do service well to a lost and a dying world out there.
I often find it fascinating, we have to learn how to serve people who serve us because we got a different Kingdom through which we serve, because it’s compelled by love. And I need to remember this because tomorrow morning, I’m going to the Home Affairs Department, sweet Jesus. Help me. I would love it if there’s some people who will fast and pray for me tomorrow. I know this is not the highlight of the message, but it should be. Jesus, when talking to James and John, makes a phenomenal statement. He’s on the way to the cross, and James and John are having an argument about who’s gonna sit next to Him on His throne because they were still thinking in terms of human power. They were still thinking in terms of human authority. And Jesus says, “The greatest in the Kingdom are those who serve.”
Oh, I wonder how many domestic helpers are gonna get the biggest rewards in heaven. Jesus doesn’t deny the desire for greatness. He doesn’t say, “Being great is bad.” No, no, no. Greatness in the Kingdom is a good thing. He just redefines it for them and insists it’s servanthood. And I want to call us as a community. Would we serve one another really well, even when it’s inconvenient? Even when it cuts across our schedules? Amen, Julian. Yes, I volunteer. Would we serve in ways that honor one another, love one another, care for one another? Would we serve each other in a way that releases something of the compelling love of God so that our community become so attractive to the world that when they walk into this atmosphere, what they feel is a family and love, and we can genuinely say to them, “Welcome home?”
Wouldn’t it be great if people started getting saved not because we did an altar call on a Sunday, but because they met you on the streets on Monday, and because of the way you served your boss, because of the way you served your friends, because of the way you love because love looks like a laid-down life. And so, I wanna call you. I wanna call you into a place of holy action because it’s really not about your ministry. It’s not about your title. It’s not about what you do. It’s about us being the family of God who have the mind of Christ and live a love-compelled servant life that serves the lost and a dying world. Will you be those people to do that?
I just want to ask Christy [SP] and Togo [SP], if you could just quickly…yeah, I don’t know if Togo is here. We’ll just wait for a moment, but I wonder if you’d stand. Let’s just stand very quickly. We’re gonna pray for Christy and Togo. They’re gonna be moving to a new village. They’re not leaving our community. They’re still part of our community, but they’re gonna be moving in terms of season change, down to a new village and just having some time of real rest and recuperation and being filled. And Christy has been serving. She is one of the happiest people I know.
Congregation: Yeah.
Julian: Absolutely love her heart. And is Togo coming? Oh, he might come. But I wonder if you would…well, he is coming. Why don’t you just stretch out your hand to Christy, if that’s okay, and be thinking of Togo. I think he’s outside, probably serving at the moment. But I wonder if you’d just stretch out your hand to them. We wanna bless them as they make this new transition and this new move. Remember, they’re still part of our community, okay? And we want you to love them, care for them, bless them, do all the stuff that we do as family together. Is that good?
Congregation: Yeah.
Julian: Father, we just thank you for this wonderful couple. We bless them. We bless all that they stand for, all that they enjoy as sons and daughters of God. And, Father, I pray that as they go into this next season, you would outrageously bless them.
Congregation: Yeah.
Julian: God, I pray for an abundance of maple syrup for this Canadian, in Jesus’ name. And I pray, God, that you would bless Togo and Christy, and Sam, and Tandy, that God, they would know your goodness in this season, outrageous provision, outrageous favor, outrageous grace. God, we bless the work that Togo is doing in establishing an organization that will train and equip the youth of this nation. And, God, we bless that, and we ask You for Your favor, in Jesus’ name.
Congregation: Amen.
Julian: Amen. All right. The rest of you, why don’t you lift up your hands as we end this meeting. Thank you so much for being at Harvest this morning. Remember, if you do consider or you are considering making Harvest at your home, the 17th of October is gonna be a good night for you to find out what we do and who we are.
Father, I thank You for Your incredible grace and kindness. God, I pray that we will be an army of laid-down lovers who would not grasp at power or position, but we will grasp at a laid-down life of servanthood and love, in Jesus’ name
By Julian Adams
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January 3, 2025
We are living in a world of dramatic change. The relentless pace of development often leaves us breathless and exhausted. The demand for innovative ways of communicating, inventing, and staying ahead of cultural trends can feel daunting and demoralizing. It can push us into a space where we find ourselves trying to copy rather than be authentic, to imitate rather than create. This pressure can lead us to believe that we need to be more creative, and that our individual stories do not matter. But nothing could be further from the truth. Your story, no matter how small, matters and is powerful. One of the remarkable aspects of ancient manuscripts, like the Bible, is that they tell the stories of individuals whose lives may seem small and insignificant. Yet, God chose to make their lives a memorial of what He could do with a life that the world deems insignificant. The incredible power of the gospel is that it changes lives one at a time. God is as interested in the individual story as He is in redeeming the cosmos. The aim of the gospel is not just dealing with personal sin; it is about restoring individuals to a relationship with a kind Father. In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis beautifully said, "The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God." Justification addresses our standing before God, but our adoption invites us into a relationship with the Father. It allows us to partake of who He is and to live in a place of deep joy from who He is. Romans 3:23 reminds us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Many of us forget that the work of salvation has turned this verse around. Through Jesus, we have been restored to the glory of God. One description of the word "glory" refers to the divine quality, the unspoken manifestation of God, and splendor. It is the revelation of God's intrinsic worth and beauty. Do you see that? We have been restored to His divine quality, splendor, and beauty. In a world where it can be easy to feel like just another face in the crowd, remember that your story is significant. Your experiences, your journey, and your voice matter. Embrace the unique narrative God has given you and let it shine. You are not just a spectator; you are a vital participant in God's grand story. Your authenticity, creativity, and individuality are valuable. As you navigate the rapid changes of our world, hold on to the truth that your story has power and purpose. God sees you, knows you, and has a plan for your life that is uniquely yours. Let us celebrate the beauty and significance of each individual story, knowing that together, we contribute to a tapestry of divine splendor and glory.
By Julian Adams
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July 17, 2024
Rejection is a powerful force that can shape the trajectory of our lives, often in ways we don't fully realize until much later. For me, this journey began in childhood. I was born with a cleft palate, which affected my ability to speak, and coupled with my passionate devotion to Jesus, I faced daily ridicule and rejection throughout my school years. My speech and my fervent faith made me a target, and I found myself isolated and misunderstood. Despite the rejection, something beautiful began to grow within me: a deep and abiding friendship with Jesus. Through profound encounters with the Lord, I began to walk in the prophetic. This newfound gift led me to public ministry, where I started releasing prophetic words. However, beneath the surface, I was carrying an immense amount of pain that I hadn't dealt with. This pain manifested as a lifestyle of performance, driven by the need for acceptance and validation. Though I was a new creation in Christ, I was living as if I were still bound by my old wounds. In Matthew 23:27-28 (MSG), Jesus describes the Pharisees as "manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin, you're total frauds." These words struck a chord with me because I realized I was living like a professional Pharisee. Outwardly, I appeared to have it all together, but inside, I was disconnected from the healing process that God wanted to take me through. This disconnect had a significant impact on my prophetic ministry. My words, especially those concerning sin, were often harsh and unkind, reflecting my damaged perspective of myself and the world. It wasn't until I began to address my heart issues that my approach to the prophetic truly changed. God started speaking to me about the connection between my gift, my performance, and my worth. Through this process, He took me back to moments of pain and difficulty from my childhood and even into my adult life. In one profound moment, God said to me, "Son, I want you to grow up and be a child." This statement might seem paradoxical, but it revealed a crucial truth: the posture of the kingdom is one of childlike fascination and trust. My journey into sonship transformed how I viewed the prophetic and how I ministered to others. No longer driven by judgment and legalism, I began to approach people with love, kindness, and the heart of the Father. Understanding my identity as a beloved child of God allowed me to see others through His eyes. This shift not only brought healing to my heart but also enabled me to minister more effectively and compassionately. Rejection and pain had shaped my early years, but God's love and healing power brought me to a place of wholeness. This journey has taught me that dealing with our heart issues is essential for authentic and impactful ministry. As we pursue wholeness, we open ourselves to deeper intimacy with God and greater effectiveness in serving His people. If you find yourself struggling with similar issues of rejection, pain, or performance, I encourage you to invite God into those wounded places. Allow Him to heal and transform you, just as He did for me. Embrace the posture of childlike wonder and trust, knowing that you are deeply loved and valued by your Heavenly Father. In this place of wholeness, you will find the freedom to live and minister authentically, reflecting the heart of God to a world in need.
By Julian Adams
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July 21, 2023
In my years of teaching people the prophetic and how to hear God's voice, I've learned several practices that help people hear Him. Here are a few of my most helpful!
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