 So this morning, we just want to take the short time to give you a brief Brief talked about the The what is Christianity about that Christianity is a relationship and it's not a religion if you have your Bibles Let's open with me to John 21 Verses 15 through 17 and if you don't bring your Bible, it is here on our screen. Let's read When they had finished eating Jesus said to Simon Peter Simon son of John. Do you love me more than these? Yes, Lord. He said, you know that I love you. Jesus said feed my lambs Again, Jesus said Simon son of John. Do you love me? He answered? Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus said take care of my sheep The third time he said to him Simon son of John. Do you love me? Peter was hurt because Jesus is asking the third time. Do you love me? He said Lord, you know all things You know that I love you Jesus said feed my sheep Before Jesus leaves The earth before Jesus begins to just give a final instructions to Peter He begins to come to Peter and begins to say, you know, well, you know, you're gonna build my church You're gonna do all these all these amazing things. God will God is just gonna use you. There's gonna be healing There's gonna be deliverance. There's I mean God who's just will take you to a level you never dreamed before but Jesus does not kind of Emphasizes to Peter make sure you're prepared make sure you're ready make sure you're strong But Jesus comes to Peter and he says do you love me? It's like this final statement that Jesus before anyone leaves, you know Before they're about to depart to a far country or before they're about to leave you they give you these make sure you don't forget this Make sure you do this make sure you do that. Jesus comes to Peter and he says Do you love me? Peter's like come on dude, you know, we're bros three years. We roll together. We're good But Jesus still stresses the point that Peter. I know you're thinking what what I'll do through you I know that you there's a great mission. There's a great task ahead of you You have to do great things for me, but do you love me? Begins to make Peter to realize that the main thing about Christianity is not what we can do for God, but the relationship we can maintain with him The main thing about Christianity is not what we do, but the relationship we maintain Peter is like, you know what? I've seen Jesus do crazy things. I see Jesus heal I see people being you know the thousands being fed just through few few bread and a few fish I've seen people being raised from the dead and I'm gonna do these Amazing things because Jesus is leaving me. He's giving me this commission But Jesus begins to tell to Peter do you love me? I know you want to do great things I know you want to accomplish just amazing things for me But you have to understand that the main thing about Christianity is not what you can do for God But the relationship you can maintain with him and the atmosphere that's produced by it Many people when they come to church and we see it happening They get they come to church and right away that have this thing that well, how can I change? How can I do better? How can I save my family? How can I have these ideas? How can I reach my school? They begin to concentrate on the things that they can do for God But yet they forget the fundamentals of Christianity is the relationship with Jesus Christ They forget that the main thing that everything when you put the Christianity on scale and you would you just say What is the main thing about the Christianity is our love for Jesus Christ? Many people just they come right away, and did you try to change by themselves and at the end of the day they fail Because you cannot change by yourself It's God who helps you change you cannot accomplish certain things by yourself because You you have now strength to change by yourself if you could change by yourself. You would never need to come to Jesus Jesus flips a whole picture with Peter and he says I know you want to do great things And I know you think you can succeed But the question remains. Do you love me? I love for Jesus Christ needs to succeed and needs to go beyond of what we can do for him I love for Jesus has to be the strongest point and the strongest vision of our lives that you know I need to come to church. I need to read my Bible. I need to do this. I need to witness I need to be a good husband. I need to be a great business man I need to be you know, I need to do all these things, but the main thing has to remain How can I love God the more? How can I develop the relationship with Jesus Christ? Ministry in our life does not begin with what we can do for God But it begins with a love for him Ministry does not begin with a love for people It begins with a love for God and that love from God it overflows To everything else that we have in life a man and that is the basic a shine Jesus Christ came on this earth And he wanted to stress a point that Christianity is not a religion. It's not dues and don'ts It's not how can I you know stop doing this? How can I stop doing this? It's a relationship with God that you maintain Jesus came to prove that religion is just dues and don'ts you do this or you don't do this and which Are those things there are important don't get me wrong It is important for you to to stop doing bad things that is important for you to witness It is important for you to be you know the greatest in your community It's important for you to have influence, but they are not the main important thing. They're not the issue The issue is quite simple and it is found in Jesus's question towards Peter Do you love me and In other words saying Peter do you have a relationship with me? Many people when we come to church we Concentrate on dues and don'ts and we forget the fundamental of our relationship with Jesus Christ Nothing and nothing will give us strength and will give us courage to continue and to walk in this life like a deep and Severe devotion to Christ Nothing will keep us on course Nothing will give us strength to finish a race like in sincere devotion to Christ like a love for God And we've seen it many times You know we have with our church who have a great vision our vision to see thousands of people being saved our vision Is to see incurable diseases being healed in this place our vision is to see people who come in Financial curses in relationship curses and those that have problems their lives being restored Marriages restored families come together, but we have to understand we cannot accomplish We cannot accomplish those things without relationship with the Holy Spirit Our relationship with the Holy Spirit has to be the main priority as we get up in the morning Our main thing is not all I need to make sure I read my Bible I need to make sure that I don't say these things make sure I please my parents Those things are important, but the main thing is our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Amen Nothing will help us to overcome our troubles are When there's no money in our pockets when we are sick when we are in the spirit Nothing will carry us through like a deep and sincere devotion to Christ Amen, and we see in the life of Job when we see the job He had everything that you can possibly ask for and then when he lost at that point he lost all he left His children died he lost his wealth. He lost everything that he had even even his wife turned against him There's one thing that always remained with Joe his love for Jesus His love for Christ and that you see during that lowest point of his life his love for God Was able to get him through his difficulties. I want to tell you many times We try to battle with certain addictions. We try to battle with certain problems There's certain challenges that we're facing But I want to tell you this morning you cannot overcome them unless you have that relationship with the Holy Spirit We were never meant to solve our problems the Holy Spirit that comes with us It begins to partner with us and be gives gives a strength to overcome the things that we're facing We were never meant to do life by ourselves Holy Spirit is our helper. Holy Spirit is our companion. He is our friend and he wants to help But the moment we do it by ourselves We will fail and at the end of it that at the end of the day will be more disappointed than we started So I want to stress that the importance that the main thing about Christianity is not the work we do But the relationship will maintain and the atmosphere produced by that relationship If you do not have a relationship with the Holy Spirit the things that you're doing, you know Go and talk into people try to be good husband try to keep your marriage together Try to keep a strong family if you don't have that relationship with the Holy Spirit you will end up disappointed You will end up being worn out. You will end up being hurt and at the end of the day you will quit Relationship with the Holy Spirit is something that fuels the purpose that God giving you Relationship with the Holy Spirit is that engine that helps you drive that car It's like you're trying to push a car up a hill by yourself And you cannot do that at the end of the day you will get tired and that car will roll over you and you die You know, so Holy Spirit is the one is the engine that helps you to Accomplish your purposes in life if you are called to be a great businessman you cannot do it by yourself Anything that you will accomplish without the Holy Spirit will be without peace and with be without comfort And anything that you accomplish without peace and comfort at the end of the day will destroy your life You see many people that accomplish so many great things without God But the end of the day they either take their life They they go into depression They want to commit suicide because life was not meant to be done without the Holy Spirit He is your companion. He is your friend. He is your helper that wants you to be partner up with him to spend time with him Every day to say Holy Spirit. I want to get to know you I want to think what you think towards me I want to accomplish what you designed me to accomplish and he will make those things come to pass in your life in Jesus name Amen we've seen I remember when we were beginning our church and We had many things that that we wanted to accomplish we had a great vision We had like in the beginning when we started we just had a few families and we said we want to Save the city you want to see people being healed you want to reach out to Americans people to his Spanish to Black just everyone and people are like it cannot happen. You know it cannot happen It will not happen. But our pastor one thing he had he said we can do it with God We can do with the Holy Spirit the task ahead of us was so huge And we knew one thing that we are a few numbers that we cannot accomplish it by ourselves And our pastor was just always and always just had that the love for God every day spending time with God And just asking Holy Spirit. I know the task that you have on me ahead of me is great But I know I cannot do it by ourselves and today we have what we have as a result in partnering with Holy Spirit You are able to accomplish your dreams your purposes in life Only with Holy Spirit He will help you to reach the unreachable place and he will help you to raise your wonderful kids He will help you to keep a strong marriage He will help you to have a great marriage to maintain health to be able to have a great business You'll be able to see people saved and delivered it can only be done with your relationship with the Holy Spirit And nothing and nothing can keep us on course like a deep and sincere love for the Lord. Amen So, uh, we had many people who started with us in the beginning of a church And who said, you know, it's you need great people. You need people who speak well You need people who are trained leaders and we had just a bunch of teenagers We literally we had bunch of teenagers who cannot you cannot speak English or horrible speaking English and we stole bikes Somebody sent me a picture that they said, uh I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work like that. So I stole a bike and I asked him for forgiveness That's how we were We were very young very rustic and you know inexperienced, but We thank God for a pastor that had a deep and sincere love for God He had a relationship with the Holy Spirit. He always talked to us just spend time in prayer You know, love God follow with God if you are with God, you will outlast everybody who has talent You will last all those great leaders You will outlast all of them because talent on the end of the day does not last Leadership but then it does not last. It's your relationship with the Holy Spirit that remains to the end of the day, amen Come on put your hands together for Jesus And and today you see wonderful leaders being raised you see People that are on fire for Jesus Christ today You see, you know our youth pastor that travels kind of all over the world to preach You know, but it was just it started off with that relationship with the Holy Spirit We had nothing But that relationship with the Holy Spirit and we overcame if you want to reach your dreams if you were just wondering You know, I have great dreams. I have these great vision for my life I challenge you partner up with Holy Spirit You reached that place and you look back and you say, you know what I wasn't qualified I wasn't talented. I didn't have the skills that I need to to be here But because of Holy Spirit, I am where I am right now. Amen And that is that we want to let you know that beginners are not the owners those who have great things In the beginning. They're not the owners but the finishers Beginner is never the owner. It is the finisher People we had we had in the beginning of our church who had people who were very talented Musically wise they were just had like heavenly voices. They any instrument they pick up they could sing and they could they could dance They can do all these things we're like, man I want if I have this talent we can build an amazing church If I could have a if I could preach like he can preach we can build an awesome church But today those people who were so great in the beginning never lasted But those who had Holy Spirit those who partner with Holy Spirit are are today still running the race Many marriages start off great. They take Counseling they take all these things they begin to say we can do this But those who put Holy Spirit in the center of their marriage will last till then Those who put Holy Spirit in the midst and their families those families will stay together Don't get me wrong You know all these things are important that we need to do, you know, we need to train us of how to be better We need to be um, we need to be consistent. We need to take classes how to be better But they are not the issue The issue is quite simple and it is found in Jesus's question towards peter. Do you love me? Do you have that relationship with me? and another thing that we want to In this story that we read We see that Jesus before he goes to Before he goes to heaven before he's about to say peter You're gonna take over the world and your religion's gonna a new relationship is gonna start Shani is gonna be we'll come through you. I'll build a church on you He does not ask peter If peter can you speak good? Can you preach? You know because last time The servant girl asked you do you follow this man? You started cussing? So I don't know if you are you good with this? Can you take on can you take on this task of being a good preacher? Jesus never asked that We see that Jesus does not concentrate to peter. Are you an eloquence? Can you can you be you know a good speaker? Can you lead? 3000 people can you lead a generation that will be able to conquer the whole world Can you can you preach sermons that will get people saved and people healed? Jesus does not concentrate on that. He doesn't ask peter peter Do you know the bible? Do you know this? Do you know your your word? Do you do you know how to quote from genesis to revelation? Those things are important, but jesus does not concentrate on that We have to understand what we can do for god is important And we should get better at it. That's it's not that's not you know, that's not the You can't argue that you have to do your best in all areas But they are not the most important The most important thing about your christian life is your love for god How can you spend time with him? How can you develop that relationship with him? How can you think what god thinks? How can you walk with him? He wants to have that relationship with you He wants to get to know you more. He wants to help you He wants to develop that relationship with you. We look at great examples and from today's Today's world like for example when had a chance to spend a few years in nigeria with the pastor prophet tb josh It was it was Sometimes i wouldn't believe how much time he spends with god Sometimes it would be three in the morning. He would just leave for hours and hours and we wouldn't seem sometimes He'll leave for days and he would just spend time with the holy spirit. We'd be talking with the holy spirit and today 25 years On every service. You see people being healed. You see people being delivered. You see people being saved And it's a result of that relationship with the holy spirit Today people who do great things have one thing in common They have a great relationship with the holy spirit You you have dreams you want to do amazing things for god You want to have an amazing goals that you're like man. I know i can accomplish. I know i'll be great at it The secret to that success is partner up with the holy spirit Develop that relationship with the holy spirit and you will be there and you will get to that place amen we see and and john 21 uh In john 21 first from the beginning to end jesus never asked peter Do you have any talents? Can you lead my people? Can you do this and even the bible? We see when israel was looking for a king And everybody's like well. We need to find a king. We need to somebody who's skilled somebody has leadership skills Somebody who is tall handsome and they begin to pick saw But god's like no i want david i want a man who loves me I want that man after my own heart because i know that will last till the end And we see in the bible that when they picked saw saw was he was you know handsome He was tall he had skill By the end of the day he took his life. He could never make it to the end Beginners are not the owners those who start the race. They're not eventually those who start off great They're not eventually the ones to finish great It's those who have that relationship with the holy spirit will be able to finish the race and finish it good amen if Our reward for our relationship with the holy spirit is power We have to understand what i mean by power is it get holy spirit will give you strength to overcome the things that you're facing Many of us were facing addictions that we cannot overcome There's everything that we can do we did and we cannot overcome it But as you develop that relationship with the holy spirit He will give you strength to overcome the challenges that you're facing if it's in your marriage If you develop that sincere devotion with jesus christ you will overcome those challenges If it's in your family that you see your kids are just falling apart and you're taking them from one situation to another You're getting these counseling the secret to success is partnership with the holy spirit There's nothing that you can accomplish by yourself that will last Even that thing that you will accomplish by yourself will not give you peace and it will not give you comfort because it is god alone Who gives peace and comfort amen And in john 1426 if you have your bible it says that But the advocate the holy spirit home the father will send in my name Will teach you all things and will remind you of everything i have said to you This simply means that holy spirit wants to have that relationship with you He wants to teach you those things that you do not know The challenges that you're facing he wants to be able to equip you to overcome it He wants to give you that power to overcome the situation and to accomplish the greatness that you have in your life Without the holy spirit life is meaningless without holy spirit There is no purpose to life because god created us for us to have that partnership with the holy spirit We're coming to church right now many of us who are like well, you know, I want to open up a home group I want to be able to bring people to christ I want to you know god one day to use me you have to understand those things are great But you cannot accomplish them without holy spirit Concentrate on your love for god concentrate god I want to get to know you i want every morning that i wake up I want to be able to spend that time with you because i know you give me instructions You give me guidance you'll walk with me you'll be with me that throughout the day I'll have the power to accomplish my dreams I have the power to overcome weaknesses and all my limitations in jesus name amen If we want to do great things we have to have a great relationship with god And after jesus has given the The after jesus has spoken to peter and he said do you love me the second thing he said to him is feed my sheep Feed my lamb and he talks about love for people So number one we talked about is love god above all and a second one is love people You have to understand that the greatest joy in life to be able to see some people being saved To be able to see people's lives being transformed for the glory of god We have a miracle catch coming up and there's no greater joy to be able to invite people to church And seeing them give their life to jesus There's no greater joy Yesterday we were talking with louise and i'm like you know It's so awesome to see people's lives being changed because of what you do It's just just an amazing thing. You know that tomorrow you have purpose You know that tomorrow somebody somewhere is waiting for you to give them a message of hope You know that tomorrow somebody we if you don't get up and if you don't talk to them about god They'll live a miserable life. They won't have peace. They won't have joy So you have that purpose of loving people of given life given hope to people saying that jesus loves them There's a there's a great vision. There's a great mission for you And that's a command that jesus gives the two greatest commandment jesus says that love god and love people You know, it's sometimes it's not easy to step out and to be able to witness to people But i'll tell you one thing when you do that when you begin to share what god has done for you You experience a joy that you never experience I mean when one person comes and gives their life to jesus the whole heaven rejoices It tells you that it means something It tells you that it's it has a huge value to be able to change somebody's eternity To be able to change somebody's life forever. It is it is priceless So Witnessing step out be bold Where wherever you're at if that's at your workplace if it's a college If it's whatever that you're doing be bold step out and begin to witness share the gospel of hope And we'll see and you will see that your life will have mean you have peace and you have comfort that it's just it it's something that worth living for amen and We have to let you know that any dream that god has given and put in your life It cannot be accomplished without the holy spirit Holy spirit is Is the driving force of everything that we do today Even in today's service that we are here right now without the holy spirit. We cannot do it people's lives Are changed with the holy spirit. We cannot accomplish anything without the holy spirit So I challenge you this morning to be able to be in a place where your relationship with god is above all That what you can do for god is secondary But your main thing is that your relationship with god amen Are you guys going to spend time with the holy spirit? Are you guys challenged to spend time with the holy spirit? Come on put your hands together for jesus