This year, God has done exceedingly more than we ever expected. As 2018 comes to an end, we want to take a look back at everything God has done as we hit our Stride and saw God do more when we did less.
hey everybody my name is de Mario Tucker
and I just want to say welcome to church
if you’re visiting with us for the first
time at transformation Church online we
just want to say thank you so so much
you know here at transformation church
our vision is representing God to the
Lost and Found for transformation in
Christ so we pray that this service
would impact you and allow you to see
God differently so guys hey let’s
prepare let’s get our hearts ready for
an amazing service
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what’s going on everybody
me and my wife Natalie want to be the
first to tell you Happy New Year man we
are so glad that you decided to join us
today as we take a look back in all that
God’s done in 2018
it was a like crazy Wow wild year
unbelievable unexplainable um what’s
another unworried unfathomable I don’t
know how to spell that but it was a lot
of a lot of UNH’s and I think that God
really undid everything we thought that
he was gonna do and he he did things
that were unexplainable and we want to
kind of go back and and share some of
those moments with you around this time
last year God gave us a word he told us
to do what stride stride like and that
means to walk in long decisive steps and
are you a runner does it look like it
yeah girl look like you a runner you
fine okay but the truth is neither one
of us are runners but in our real life
but in our ministry our purpose we try
to run and make things happen and God
told us he said do less if you do less
I’ll do more and he told us to stride
and so we we picked that word as the
word that God gave us for the whole year
to find the pace of grace and we did a
whole vision series around it and it
started to really shape for our personal
life our church what it really meant to
find the pace of grace and I want you to
check out this clip real quick
what I came to tell you is that if you
let God set the pace that he’s going to
be the one to fulfill the promise and so
that’s why when we get on the treadmill
of life that God says okay I want you to
walk he’s God walking is weak god
there’s so many people doing better than
me there’s so many people father God
that are doing the right thing and God I
just I feel like I’m behind I feel like
you’re telling me to walk
and not try hard in my own strength but
obey you and do what you’ve told me to
do and I’m walking these stupid laps and
it just looks no god I don’t think you
said for me to walk I think your words
said I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me so god I’m gonna go
against everything that you’ve been
providing for me and I may look stupid
and I may almost fall and then I get off
because I was never meant to run at that
pace and I walk away from God and I
start making dumb decisions and I start
taking on relationships that were never
meant for me that give me a moment of
relief because I was never meant to walk
and many of us walk away so that that
Christ life wasn’t for me and God said
yes it was I just didn’t want you to run
into the blessings I wanted you to walk
into him I wanted you to know that I’m
gonna use the foolish things what other
people are running and expending all
their energy and stunting on Instagram
and doing all that other stuff I’m gonna
build you in the pasture I’m gonna do
you like David nobody even gonna see you
coming and and then what and then you’re
not gonna have to position yourself
they’ll call for you and you’ll be ready
when it’s time see most of us we get
away from God and we start running we
start striving but the thing is when God
sets the pace he doesn’t change the pace
he wants to pace that sustainable so
even if I like i’ma run back to God
i’ma run back to him even when I get on
the pace is still this thing
I can’t speed up what God is doing so
what happens is we get up here and even
I’m trying to start running and imma
hurt myself trying to run when God told
me to walk and I’m trying to ask you
what area of your life are you running
in and God saying well that was crazy
like God in January would give us a play
that we would run for 12 months
and would create all of this now stride
wasn’t just something we said to the
church it was something that affected
our personal life tell everybody like
the funny thing yeah that’s the funny
thing you think that you do stuff for
church and then it comes right around it
ends up affecting your home yeah
and affected us in a great way a huge
way we didn’t know we needed it yeah so
even in our family and home dynamic we
learned how to dial things back yeah and
trust that God’s got the rest so we said
no to a lot of stuff yeah we we gave
away a lot of stuff we instead of moving
into a new house we remodeled the one we
lived with my mother-in-law for eight
months
all I’m saying is like we’ve made it a
decision that we can’t teach something
that we’re not going through and stride
became our anthem and and it was so
powerful and we just encourage everybody
listening like maybe that this is the
time that God is telling you as we’re
going in 2019 maybe you need to find the
pace of grace maybe you need to go back
to God and pray and ask him hey what
things do I need to edit in my life and
what things do I need to stay focused on
because when you find the pick what I
remember that you were thinking you
wanted to make sure people didn’t think
it was to be lazy no that was the key to
it like I think that stuck out to me
about stride the most is your concern
behind it all like I don’t want people
to think this is just chill mode no it’s
not chill mode it’s being intentional on
what God has called you to do and not
bringing a whole bunch of other stuff
and so we found the pace of grace and
we’re still finding the pace of grace
and so January was a good month
for us at transformation church and then
we went to February we did a series
called inner circle and this was talking
about the power of godly community how
do you feel like godly community has
affected our lives in that I mean
greatly I don’t know sometimes if we
would have made it yeah in our marriage
being a mom being a dad if we didn’t
have people in our lives crazy – okay
support us and you know be able to tell
the raw like unfiltered truth – yeah
and I mean it was godly wisdom
absolutely this back to God and each
other yeah we have this thing we call
them family or family you know the small
group of people that we can just be
accountable to we can tell them anything
I mean we had to us yeah we had a nice
literally true true story in our room me
I’m in the bed my family’s around me and
I’m balling like and I’m going through a
really hard time and right there they
stopped and they all prayed for me like
tears form they were all crying I was
crying and it was a real serious deep
moment for me but you need people that
can not just say oh it’ll be okay you
know say how are you doing and you say
oh I’m okay and they just take it at
face value so and the thing that people
don’t understand is really for us to
reach our purpose godly community is
what I call the missing link a lot of
people are doing life on their own and
they have this renegade kind of I’m
gonna it’s me against the world thing
but God tells us in his word the two are
better than one because when one Falls
the other one can lift each other up and
and we just believed that godly
community is so important that we took
an entire month and did a series on it
call in a circle check this cliff out I
heard somebody say there’s no I in team
but there is a I in isolation and that’s
where the enemy would like to keep every
one of you yeah you pray yeah you
worship yeah you but you’re alone and if
you’re alone according to the Bible
you’re in real trouble nobody even knows
what you’re struggling with they don’t
know how to pray for you they don’t know
and and they can’t they can’t force
their way in you have to let them in
that’s why this whole Christian walk is
about about being courteous
that’s what Jesus doesn’t try his way in
to our life you have to invite him into
your life and we need godly community
verse 11 likewise to people lying close
together can keep each other warm but
how can you be warm alone a person
standing alone look at this can be
attacked and defeated
that’s why pornography has been able to
wear some of y’all out because nobody
even knows you’re fighting it and so you
go and you you fight alone that’s why
your marriages are following aparts in
some ways because you don’t have any
other couples that can speak life into
your marriage that’s why many of us are
dealing with comparison because we’re
all
so perfect and nobody even knows we’re
struggling it says a person standing
alone can be attacked and defeated but
two can stand back-to-back get that
picture in your head they can stand
back-to-back and they can think and
fight brother Scott come here real fast
I want you to realize this image and
this picture right now if I’m alone the
enemy can get me cuz I can’t see
something but if I have somebody that’s
back to back with me and stronger than
me and ball head and fight and how the
police training when the enemy comes
he’s got this side and I’ve got this
side and if he comes and we got to start
turning I’m not blind to what is
happening because I got somebody that’s
got my back I need you to hear me say
this there are people that God is trying
to assign to your life that you can
stand back-to-back with but see what we
want to do is stand face-to-face with
people I wanted to tell you about all my
problems I don’t tell you this and tell
you all of that and gods saying that’s
not what you need to do you need to stop
talking so much and get back to back and
say do you got me okay and I got you so
it’s not about us seeing eye-to-eye on
everything
oh you missed it it’s not about us
seeing eye-to-eye well this is what I
feel about this this is what I feel
about it’s a seeing what each other
doesn’t see it’s about realizing that my
blind spots are things that you can see
clearly so what’s coming on that side am
i dealing in pride and my Dillion anger
has my attitude change am i becoming
money-hungry I need somebody that can
see what I don’t see does everybody
understand that somebody say I need an
inner circle that is so powerful like
just think about it like godly community
could be the thing that is keeping you
from everything God has for you and I
know it’s hard sometimes to find out the
community so we have these things that
TC called along groups belong groups be
groups for short and if you’re in
trouble finding where you belong we
believe that there is a tribe a group of
people that maybe share some of the same
in
and maybe your completely different than
you but have exactly what you need and
those are gonna be starting up here very
soon so be on the lookout for B groups
well we went from February to March and
in March we did a series called wait
till I get my money right yes that was
my daughter and we’re training up the
child in the way they should go don’t
judge us but um that honestly is how
most of us have looked when we talk
about money we think it’s about making
it rain or being irresponsible with it
or just working for it or maybe it’s
something that controls us and we
thought what could be better than our
church getting a biblical perspective on
financial stewardship and generosity and
this is one of our favorite series we’ve
been doing it for the past what three
years three years every year because
money is an issue for a lot of us and
we’re talking about us like and we said
we are going to learn how to Stuart
money right and so we looked at pastor
Robert Morris from Gateway and he does a
series called the blessed life and you
know we flipped it a little bit and put
it in the title on it but this is a cool
series because he taught two of the
messages by video and I talked to of the
messages and I want you to check out if
you need to get your money right I want
you to check out this clip from wait
till I get my money right you this real
quick if you could put that on the
screen it’s an equation cuz I like math
and so if I can find out how things work
it helps me a lot better if you give God
your treasure then he gets access to
your heart if he gets access to your
heart then he can transform your habits
see a lot of people want God to change
things about them and he does not have
access to the thing that can change you
and so when you give him access to your
heart he can change or transform your
habits and then you live a whole life
and I don’t want you to forget this
because your treasure leads to your
heart your heart leads to your habits
and your habits lead to the type of life
that you’re gonna live that’s why when
you put your treasure into vanity then
you
heart is now infected with insecurities
and now those insecurities lead to
habits of comparison and those habits of
comparisons leave me living a life
that’s unfulfilled because what I have
is never enough because I gotta have
what they have this works any way and
anywhere you put your treasure and what
God is saying is I have such a better
way for you to live than what you’ve
been living right now if you put your
treasure in the kingdom and you honor me
that I am the one who can get access to
the thing that your dad couldn’t fix
that money couldn’t fix that drugs
couldn’t fit your heart and then I’ll
transform your life and then you can
live the life that I created for you to
live so the most amazing thing to me
about that whole series was we got to
give over a hundred and twenty thousand
dollars away there are two different
organizations and people and to meet
people’s needs and it was awesome you
know usually when you think about money
and the church the the thing that most
people think about the stigma is that
they just want my money and you don’t
know where it’s going or how is it
really even impacting you know my
community or the world and so just to
see that because of your generosity we
were actually able to do something so
unexpected for people and so that was my
most favorite part about Natalie the big
thing was we got to see the vision come
to life we got a little reap resent yeah
people were touched in our community
because of your generosity and I cannot
wait to see what God’s gonna do in 2019
as we continue to move in that same
level of generosity so March wait till I
get my money right and a lot of y’all
got y’all money right and then we went
to Easter and I mean for our church
Easter is like Super Bowl bella loves
Easter our daughter Bella literally
laughing right now it’s New Year’s 2013
is Easter and of the past three years
we’ve done this really allegory look
called ransom and ransom is amazing and
we saw thousands thousands of
people come and experience this
experience about how much Christ loves
us and I mean talking about dance and
music and all kinds of just unexpected
things that happen it’s great to see the
church’s talents and gifts come to life
if we mean you guys are so creative but
it all ends in transformation in Christ
yeah and we saw hundreds of people get
saved families give their life back to
nice hours of serving oh my god the
squad went crazy and it serve I mean we
like went to another level this Easter
and I’m just so grateful for that all
that God did and all that he’s
continuing to do because right out of
Easter I mean it was like a
game-changing Sunday when we got invited
to come speak at Elevation Church and we
simulcasted what is it your favorite
message I gotta give credit the only
reason I preach smart at Elevation
Church is because of this woman right
here
give it up I’m gonna prove something
else and what did you say I said you
can’t do that and what do you say I’m
the day after preach Martin and because
I was submitted husband he did exactly
what she said anyway
um all I’m telling you is that I panic
every time you’re on I don’t know what
you’re gonna be like you hear me Mikey
anyway we preach this message Mart and
while we work on our marriage issues why
don’t you just take a look at this clip
so when you’re marked and you’re going
through this process let me give you my
next points you’re elevated through
obstacles and this is the one that takes
most people out because we’re taught
specially in Western culture and in the
church when we see an obstacle retreat
and that’s what the entire nation of
Israel was doing that whole army saw
Goliath he goes to deliver these
sandwiches and he sees the whole army
out there and Goliath for 40-day is
talking about God and the whole
Israelite army is frozen like me
this dude is talking about our God and
David walks up with these sandwiches
like here bro who’s that what what you
are here answer yeah he’d been doing it
for 40 days and y’all I ain’t done
nothin who is this uncircumcised
philistine that was cuss words back then
y’all know this like it would be like
you and saying the parental sensory like
and and David says I’m not about to sit
here and listen to this dude defy my god
so where thousands took a step back
because they saw an obstacle David took
a step forward because he saw an
opportunity obstacles and opportunity
are almost the same depending on who’s
on your side
so when God’s on your side and they give
you a diagnosis of cancer that’s the
opportunity that God says step forward
I’m about to be your healer I am going
to be the one who gets the glory out of
this when death is in front of you God
says don’t retreat step towards it I’m
Jehovah Jireh
your provider I will meet every one of
y’all here somebody’s getting excited
because your
I’m Sifl is no longer an obstacle
because if God is for us who can be
against you I dare somebody to give God
a shout of praise in this gun somebody
give God a shout of play step toward no
longer because we’re marked will we step
away from the obstacle we step towards
it because we know who’s on our side
that message really was a catalyst for
so many things that God did like even
out of that like somebody made a spoof
of me he defeats Goliath he cuts off his
head he got groupies now it’s like oh my
God look at like that now he didn’t had
that before and one day the groupies
made a song and it was like Jamie
[Music]
this message marked really started
something to me to inspire people’s
faith and for that next three weeks we
literally just like we’re building
people’s faith and we spoke messages
that would allow people to look fear in
the eye and let them know that God was
for them and it really started something
crazy in our church and I think it was
the perfect segue to probably the most
heart surgery message that we could ever
have in our church which is Natalie’s
favorite what was it grace like a fluid
grace like you guys look you didn’t see
grace like a flood you have to what
we’re about to recap it but it’s my
absolute favorite why why was it your
famous series man it just talks about
God’s just grace for us and how it is
just unmeasurable like he you just when
you think that you got it all like
figured out you got it all together and
you’re able to recall back like you have
a series that makes you realize like how
small you actually are compared to how
much God actually loves us it’s
unimaginable
and so that series provides that picture
of grace in such a balanced way yeah we
saw because it’s a touchy subject where
a lot of people don’t talk about it that
much and we saw more people who have
been living in condemnation and guilt
three days free they got freed because
of the unmerited undeserved unearned
favor and kindness of God check out
grace like a foot look what the Baker
encyclopedia of the Bible says about it
it says grace is the dimension of the
an activity that enables God to confront
human indifference and rebellion with an
inexhaustible capacity to forgive and to
bless like you you can’t run out of
forgiveness for us cute
you won’t stop blessing us it’s free
like like you can never be given a gift
that you have to pay for it’s not a gift
just imagine you being at your birthday
party like oh my god Sally all we
thought about you here you go and you
open them you’re like oh thank you like
do you like it yes that’ll be eighty six
thousand fifty two cents you wouldn’t
even know I didn’t even like it this is
ugly actually because it’s it’s not free
if I have to pay for it get this grace
is not free it’s not a gift which the
scripture says over and over it’s the
free gift of God it’s the free gift of
God what can you do with the gift what’s
the only thing you can do receive it and
that’s why God is coming to you every
Sunday here a transformation church and
he’s trying to give you the gift of
grace and grace has a name Jesus grace
is bonus point grace is Jesus that’s all
I did and every day and every day the
Bible says in Revelation he stands at
the door and knocks I have a package for
you
I have transformation for you i healing
for you you know you don’t want me today
okay I’ll be back tomorrow hey it’s me
again Jesus I can’t grace ya know I’ve
been here since you were 10 when you
went to that that camp and you almost
received me then but you thought that
your failures in which you did the night
before
made you unworthy but like I I’ve been
watching you every day since you’ve been
born I know this is a little weird but
like I know the number of hairs on your
head no that’s crazy
you don’t even know that I don’t know
it’s crazy why do you want me what I
should have to pay for all of the things
that yeah about that like no no no no
the wages of your sin was death there
was a payment but yo like if you let me
in I could tell you about our Father
like and so our Father like yo you
haven’t met him yet but when you do
you’ll never meet a more graceful person
in your life like he saw you here in
this decade and so he sent me and so
everything that you would do that would
create this long bill man we got a good
dad he paid for it like like no no no
but you got to understand like I heard
that it was all these rules rituals and
regulations now broke like this is what
you got to understand like once you meet
that you’ll just want to do things
different like like once you meet dad
you won’t be looking for your security
on a posting Instagram where you have to
be naked cuz you’ll know who’s you are
now like you just been out of here by
yourself
can I can I please come in I’m not ready
yet okay cool I’ll be here tomorrow and
the day after that and I’ll show a
picture job and I’m working little
things like like that promotion you got
that was me no that was me
okay but you you know you’re not that
good
like you know you copied and pasted
everything for that presentation I was
there remember I was there I mean I was
outside I was outside the window I saw
it what well maybe another day
tomorrow’s not promised but just in case
just in case I’ll be here see the grace
of God
it’s unearned so if you have not watched
grace like a flood I’m just begging you
please like go back and watch that
series of grace like a flood one of the
coolest things that we did at the end of
the series we did this thing called
flood Sunday that was so dope yeah like
it was like the baptism Super Bowl I
don’t know what are you talking about
drones drones all around no there were a
few of those though the gun man people
in wheelchairs who got baptized people
were jumping in those clean full suits
and clothes like what ended up happening
was I explained what baptism was and how
it is an outward sign of what God is
doing on the inside and we had over 300
people get baptized that day and I’m
talking about whole families getting
baptized where people fly like Herman my
entire family got that no one told me
that they were all gonna get baptized
but my entire family got baptized and it
was one of the most phenomenal things to
watch her stepdad and her mother and her
niece and her sister get baptized see
it’s beautiful when what we do affects
those who are closest to us I think one
of the coolest stories I heard is that
there was a family in Oklahoma City who
saw us baptizing people were on vacation
an hour and a half away from Tulsa saw
it after nine o’clock got everybody
ready dressed drove and got baptized
together at the limit o’clock service
like we’re
but it’s when people are hungry and they
have an understanding that amazing thing
happened
flood Sunday was an amazing success and
honestly right after flood Sunday it
went to one of our favorite times of the
year that we call fun month Oh fun month
is a time where we take five weeks and
we dedicate it to having fun as
believers and so important why what do
you feel like is important because one
everything
I mean Christian’s come off as like
starchy like a holier-than-thou I don’t
know why I’m making this voice because
but you’re funny but anyway no I really
think that comes from the heart of your
vision my husband is an absolute nut so
what you see on stage he’s like that
24/7 you guys like home all day every
day and it was just one of the things
that we see if I don’t do ministry
absolutely important it went on the list
in the culture code like we have 12
things that guard the culture of our
church and one of them is fun and and we
teach our staff in our church we will
enjoy it all and we believe that God
talks about Julie
yeah like the joy of the Lord will be
our strength and too many people are
weak because they don’t have joy and so
we’re just excited to dedicate and
really see religion fall off of people
as we dedicate an entire month to fund
this year we did some crazy stuff like
the first thing we did is on the first
Sunday of the month we canceled all of
our services now how is that fun well
number one we did not go to church early
in the morning but what we did is we
told everybody to go to other churches
in their community in the city and say
thank you we called a capital C Sunday
and because we believed that we loved
transformation church but we’re a one
local church a part of a bigger global
Church that God is trying to do and the
impact of that was so phenomenal and
then we told everybody to meet us at a
park to have an amazing picnic and we
danced and we danced off dance off no
they need to see the dance off like
please cut through there
your dad’s sword to this day yes my dad
tried to do some dance moves that were
illegal
somebody his age was on day and yeah but
anyway fun month was amazing and we’re
just so excited to see people actually
find joy in the house of God and around
other believers coming out of fun month
always gives our church this momentum
and so in August we did the series
planted not buried yes ended up being a
huge impact on our community and really
the whole nation it changed my life
personally you know to see people
realize that life circumstances are not
the end like it is just a word in a
sentence in a chapter in a whole dog
read you know three but yeah so that’s
what happened in August and and really
it was the thought that under doesn’t
mean over like like if you’re under
something right now like um you’re not
under and I think there’s so many
impactful clips from planting are buried
but I want you to check this one out
and I came to encourage somebody and
change your perspective and sweat out of
this suit because I need somebody to
understand that God does not have you in
that place to take you out he has you in
that place to make you and this is the
hard thing about this is because when
you’re planting it’s dark when you’re
planting if you’re a seed that gets
planted in the ground it’s lonely but
matter of fact if you want to be
completely transparent about it it’s a
season that’s hard like like why and
many times you just ask them got why
like why isn’t this working I thought I
obeyed you I thought I did what’s
happening why why why why like why is
this Keith why does this same situation
keep happening why do I go to the altar
and repent and want a better
relationship in the same knucklehead
keeps coming into my life with a
different name and I keep falling for it
and I don’t want to
why is this marriage not working and
we’ve been to every counselor I can
think of why can’t I kick this addiction
like like I don’t know about you but
these are these are the things that
happened in me like I’m not I’m not
talking about oh no no I pray it happens
forget you like like like like like for
me there are things that is like yeah
why is this so dark I’m going to church
every Sunday I’m paying my time steel
bro Oh y’all want to be fake this
morning like I gave on the first faster
my life’s got going on a second where is
God has anybody ever just sit and in any
single oh come on y’all we’re humble
open and transparent in this church has
anybody ever been in the place and you
say where is God come on where’s God
thank you the reason why this is so
beautiful is point number three the
place of death and the place of destiny
look the same for a season let me
explain it to you
if I take a seed and I dig up the dirt
and I put it in the ground and I cover
it it is the exact same process to take
a dead body dig up the dirt put it in
ground and cover it and so what ends up
happening is if depending on our
perspective and what we’re filled with
if we’re if we’re filled with faith and
and we know that God has a plan for our
life and all things are working together
for depending on our perspective the
enemy can convince you that the place
where God is curating your destiny is
the place that you should curl up and
die oh yeah yeah no I know
like like that’s why you’ve been about
to pull the plug on the very thing that
he said for you to do that’s why you
won’t stay plugged into Church that’s
why you keep going from relationship and
relationship and marriage to marry it’s
because the same place right when you
get
the point to start getting some roots
the enemy convinces you that that place
means God is forsaken you that really
means that’s the place where God is
making you and if you don’t understand
it you will uproot yourself from a place
that God was using to make you who he
created you to be
like you better preach I will know look
it’s dark in both places it’s hard in
both places it’s isolated in both places
and what you have to get the faith to
believe though I’m under it’s not over
like like I know that the common person
will look at my business and say it is
over that is this is a memorial service
for any business plans that this person
would ever have and God says what did I
tell you when you were writing in that
journal what did I say to you he said no
it’s gonna look the same for a season
but I’m the God who started something in
you and I’m the God who’s gonna finish
it in you if you do not get up can
somebody give God some praise in this
place um this is real to life for us
because over this past year and a half
we’ve had some real challenges in our
personal home with our son MJ he’s three
years old and about a year about a year
so when he turned about a year little
after started realizing some
developmental delays and come to find
out the doctors are suspecting that he
has autism and so we have been walking
through this journey of discovering him
how to communicate with him he’s
nonverbal still and so this sermon
series was so true two hearts in real
life for us to realize that we may feel
under like under a lot of pressure under
under the microscope of people and
feeling like you have to be perfect and
us as Christians it’s so easy to feel
like you have to have it all together at
all times or your your witness isn’t
enough it’s not potent enough and to
realize that we can bring that to the
light that not everything has to you
know be scripted and together but that
doesn’t mean God
less it doesn’t mean that he’s not with
you any more than anyone else but just
to know that he’s right there with you
in the midst of it and that we’re not
buried like the real thing is it
encouraged our faith at the end to know
like even if you’re under sometimes God
keeps you under so that he can build
things in us I know in our life we’ve
learned a lot of patience oh so much
Emmy and that’s God’s Way of using what
could seem to be negative yeah and and
and turn it into something that makes us
who God created us to be and we’re
declaring in faith that is bamboo season
yeah I mean even for us personally
testimony our son would only eat a few
things and out of this series like he
brought in his palate and started eating
some other things we take that as a sign
like yeah we’ve been under and we’ve
been believing but God’s starting to do
some things and so we can encourage you
and it’s a progression it’s a it’s still
happening to the state right we’re not
done yeah fill in we want you to know
that that we’re not exempt as pastors as
leaders you’re not exempt no matter how
much money you make like God has all of
us in a process that’s not perfect but
progressing and you make me feeling like
you’re buried right now and I just want
to take a moment I want to pray for you
like like we’re almost done going
through the year but I just feel like
maybe you got to this moment and you’re
going into 2019 and you feel undervalue
you feel under pressure you feel
underpaid you feel under and we want to
just pray that your faith would spark to
know that God is doing a work under that
nobody else can do that only he’s gonna
get the credit for and that’s gonna
bring you into the place of growth that
you really need to be in father I just
thank you right now father thank you
that you are seeing and hearing your
children father for every person that
feels like they’re under right now I’m
thinking you that your Holy Spirit is
coming to comfort them I thank you
Father God that the lives of the enemy
are shut up that they will live and not
die that they have a purpose that what
they are under right now is not greater
than who they serve god I thank you
that their identity is found in you
Father God that there
says their worth is found at you and
I’ve declare father that they will have
the faith to believe you beyond what
they are seeing right now god I thank
you that as we walked into 2019 we’re
walking into victory we’re gonna see
everything that you called for us and we
will stay planted so that you can do the
deep work in us we believe you for it we
trust you in Jesus name Amen
hey man and I’m just excited that you
are going to start living the life that
God has created you to live because you
are not buried but you are planted um
some that what do you do when plans
change say Mike
freaks out that’s what she does my wife
is a backseat driver a side survivor and
and it’s it’s funny because one of the
the things that we really try to figure
out is how to navigate when God begins
to change the plan we have seen God
change the plan in our life several 2018
was a whole year of a change plan like
we were believing God for a hundred
people to join our church in December of
2017 we were believing God to just add a
couple staff members and God blew our
mind we were able to impact so many
people but what do you do when he
changes the plan well we did a series
called recalculating and wind plans
change we need to know how to follow the
cloud and to follow God and allow him to
give us what we need so I want you to
check out this clip of recalculating
verse 17 of chapter 13 it says when
Pharaoh finally let the people go God
did not who did not okay God did not
lead them along the main road that runs
through the Philistine territory even
though that was the shortest route what
are you telling me that God did not take
them the easiest way that God
intentionally rerouted them to go
through a wilderness season i when i
read this y’all i got chill bumps
because so many times we blame our
wilderness
on the devil and maybe God was the one
that took us this alternate route how
did I end up in Tulsa how how come on
how in the world did I get at this job
it didn’t say the devil tricked them it
says that God led them because now watch
this I love it I love it
he said because God said if the people
are faced with the battle they might
change their mind and return back to
Egypt God is so faithful that he will
not send you the easiest way to the
promotion because he knew your character
couldn’t handle it so he set up a detour
in the wilderness to be able to work out
of you and work into you what will be
able to hold you in the promised land
I’m telling you right now that some of
y’all have been blaming the devil for
what God set up I need you I need you to
hear me say this real quick
many of us are giving the devil too much
credit this detour was designed right
that point down if you’re gonna have the
faith to follow the detour was designed
that means that God won’t intentionally
allow us to go through seasons that feel
like there is no fruit to be able to get
us to the place that we can hold the
promise coming out of this series we had
it made up in our hearts we were gonna
have the faith to follow the faith to
follow God for our ministry for you know
our marriage for our family
and we just made it up in our hearts
that no matter where God led us no
matter what plan we had in our hearts or
in our minds that we were gonna follow
God what he followed the clouds yeah and
I think 2019 is gonna have some amazing
opportunities for our faith to be
stretched and for us to follow
even when it
makes sense and I think one of the keys
to that is spending time of God and when
you spend time with God in his word and
prayer and one of my favorite things in
worship it allows everything to change
and we decided to end the year off a
little different and doing an entire
series on worship called
20 forever how to worship a king and we
did this series how long ago like three
or four years ago it was before I became
a pastor before you became a pastor like
before glory you’re fascinating so about
four years ago and I really felt like
worship is one of those things that if
you’re a Christian you should know how
to worship but we didn’t I didn’t really
have an understanding of what worship
was it’s more than a song it’s more than
then my favorite time to just cry it’s a
time where I get to express my love to
God as a response for His grace towards
us and if you remember whom he used to
be who did you used to be well we’ll say
that for another day
well then you were that is very true she
was better than I was but it’s crazy
that no matter how we try to put levels
on stuff our righteousness the Bible
tells us is like filthy rags like all of
us big s sin or little sins are all the
same she had the little aside the big s
but we feel we’re outside of God’s will
and and so what happens is when we
worship God when we express our love to
him that’s one of those things that
attracts God and attacks our pride yeah
and so I want you to look at this clip
of how we as a church we’re learning how
to worship the king so what I do pastor
you have to evict every Idol on the
throne of your heart how do I do this
very simple one point put God back on
the throne of your heart and if you’ve
never put him on the throne for the
before put him on for the first time
Pastor Mike how do we do that so simple
it was found in verse 6 and was in the
middle of it and and I want you not to
miss this verse
look what it says it says therefore tell
the people of Israel this is what the
sovereign Lord says he told him the
solution I need everybody to see this
Ezekiel 14 verse 6 he says repent
everybody say repent first thing you
have to do is repent to God just ask him
for forgiveness he’s a father that’s
looking for you to just come to him as I
got up and I got all these weights man
I’m hot I hate looking like this I hate
faking I help hate putting on filters
for everybody to feel like it’s okay I
hate living with this Shankman this
anger and this kill I need you look look
what look what Psalms 86 5 said and this
should be encouragement to somebody Oh
Lord you are so good
look at this so ready to forgive like
God right now is so ready like he’s
sitting at the edge of your seat at this
service right now he’s like oh I think
they’re almost there I think they’re
almost there
Mike’s done a good job and he’s lost two
pounds sweating up here trying to
convince him I think their hearts about
to turn to me he’s so ready to forgive
you well pastor you don’t know what I
did he said he don’t matter I’m so ready
to forgive you he says he’s so full of
unfailing love for all who asks for his
help so the first thing it tells us to
do is everybody say repent to God say it
one more time repent to God the second
thing that tells you to do it says turn
away from idols so it’s not enough to
just say God forgive me and then stay in
the same place because if you say God
forgive me and stay in the same place
that Idol is going to be like oh we know
where to find him but turn means to
actually do something so if I’ve been
watching these websites on my computer
maybe I don’t need a computer oh you
can’t live without it huh
may-maybe because I’ve been getting
trapped by all these things on my cell
phone in comparison maybe I need to go
back to a brick phone for us even seize
it and see how desperate are you for
transformation because you’ll spend 30
years catering to the thing that’s
killing you you can’t get from around
those people move to the other side of
town what I’m comfortable here will you
be comfortable with all of this but turn
everybody say turn that means to
actually set a different direction and
all God is asking us to do is turn away
from idols but he wants us to turn to
him so ending out this series we had an
amazing time of worship we have some
amazing people climbing literally
Dominique Jones TC worship Oz be buried
like it was a time it’s not on the
ground floor she has not it’s not that’s
how I watching anything Cyril we touched
really touched us back yeah and we are a
church that believes in worship we use
our lives to express God’s Word powerful
as a church we got to do that together
and I think we got to experience worship
in another way by giving what we call
our tabernacle offering so many families
gathered their faith and not just their
faith but their finances and said hey we
believe God spoke to us to give and
expand and accelerate the vision of
transformation Church and I can’t tell
you what it was like for me to see
people who were down to their last and I
told them to do something and God gave
seed to those who wanted to so to be
able to obey Him and finances are not
about amounts
it’s about obedience and to watch our
church yeah the heart okay hearts God
people’s hearts group yeah and and I’m
so excited of how that’s going to give
us momentum and strength as we go into
2019 tabernacle offering was a
phenomenal success and it’s about to
expand what God is doing
in church so coming into Christmas yeah
we did a production so we came we came
and we did this Christmas production it
was also called the gift we have so many
creative people that’s in our turn right
now and when I tell you next level
they are next level guys they donated
this thing from scratch creative juices
were flowing I mean this this visual
that they created it’s just just take a
look at it like just watch
[Music]
you know who I am the rocket a fan don’t
know why you playing you know who I am
been the man with the plan I heard what
they say and they don’t understand I’m a
guy not a man I’m a guy not a man my
whole family knowing I show an improving
and graduate college the first one to do
it
wait a Jeep popping picture-perfect life
is perfect on the surface step up Pig no
rehearsing look at me and how I work it
millions likes a million follows million
hearts wish I could borrow one for him
or for me that’ll boost my self-esteem
picture me buddy buddy living lavish
latte please I got everything I need
got my girls and they got me got the
world right on my sleeve I got
everything except for them one gift I
really need that Christmas production
was phenomenal I love that our church
gets to represent Christ I mean to see
the creativity come out and show Christ
in a different way it’s absolutely
amazing and that’s what we honestly so
many people get saved like absolutely is
the reason that’s why we do everything
and so on that note that was the year
that was it like it like we didn’t do
that all right
we did a whole bunch of stuff god did
even more so if you could explain 2018
in one word what word would that be I
said it what well oh whoa like I’m just
trying to tell you that 2018 was a
next-level year but that’s the thing you
gotta realize is God’s not finished with
something he’s just starting something
and we believe the best is yet to come
for our church for our family but more
that for you yeah and you may be
watching this and you saying you know
what I want to experience some of the
things that you guys talked about and
I’m telling you man one of the greatest
things that you could ever do is give
your life to Jesus Christ and it’s the
thing that took me from being a liar
addicted to pornography not a good
person and she could tell you to really
being a not a perfect man but a
progressing me like it’s changed our
lives yeah and if you want to experience
that all you have to do according to
Romans 10:9 is just believe that God did
this for you
religion will tell you you need to jump
through all these hoops and change all
this stuff and do all these things but
we believe that if God gets your heart
he could change your habits and today
I’m gonna pray with you
I don’t care where are you watching this
from some people are watching it on
their phone other people are watching it
with a group of people other people are
in the most lonely place of your life
and you’re watching it by yourself but I
want you to know you’re not alone God is
with you and if you want to make the
king of the universe
come and sit into your situation let’s
just pray this prayer together just say
God I need you come into my life and
change me I believe you lived and you
died just for me today I’m asking you to
be the Lord of my life mean this part
right here say change me renew me
transforming I’m yours in Jesus name
Amen
listen if you prayed that prayer we are
turning up because what happen is
rejoicing with you and we are rejoicing
with you check this out get in a
life-giving church there’s a church
somewhere around ya that can help you
progress yeah and it does not matter how
fast you progress with that you’re
making steps forward yeah some of you
need community community and if you’re
in Tulsa come join one of our be groups
that are about to start up and it’s
going to be so good for you
and hey listen spend time of God like
like read your Bible start in Proverbs
like like it’ll just be some good stuff
that can just help you or start at
Matthew learn all about Jesus and and
listen to some good worship music we
have some playlists on Spotify train
forum radio like you can find some new
song we just want to help you win and
help you grow watch some of these sermon
series over o watch them every day like
yams watch up instead of netflix fan
yeah watch us and we’re just so excited
for you
well that’s it and then 2018 wrap it up
round 1 and up put a bow on it and give
it to somebody else because we are here
to represent God we present God and
represent him and thank you for giving
us the opportunity to do it for you
so happy New Year and pops up Welch’s
for us we will see you January 6th
that’s where we will be back together
and I cannot wait because I’m gonna tell
you see we’re about to start 21 days of
Prayer is fasting I’m telling you we
give God the first of our year
everything goes to another level we want
you to join us in that so we’ll see you
January 6 happy new year hey hey thanks
again for joining us today
look of transformation church has
impacted you in any way we want to hear
about it send us an email to my story at
transform Church that’s also if you’d
like to partner with us financially to
see more lives transformed you can visit
our website I transform Church taught us
SlashGear once again thanks so much for
joining us go out and live a transformed
life
[Music]