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♪ Open these doors
♪ Show the world
♪ What You have done in us
♪ We won't hide this love
♪ We will shine for You
♪ In all that we do
♪ We desire to see Your kingdom come
♪ Lord, have Your way here
♪ Have Your way
♪ Have Your way here
♪ Have Your way
Jesus, Jesus!
Nick: Welcome to The Father's House
church online. My name is Nick.
I am the church online director here
at The Father's House. We are so
excited that you're here with us!
I want to tell you that today you are
at the right place at the right time!
I'm trusting God has incredible things
that He wants to say to Your heart,
that He wants to speak into your life.
And I hope you're ready to hear it!
So today as we move forward in the
message I hope you'll lean in.
I hope you'll take a different stance
today. I'm praying and hoping that
you will allow this message to be a guide
that will illuminate your path as
you're walking your journey with Christ.
If it is your first time here or you
haven't been to church online before,
I want you to just sit back and enjoy
the experience. Maybe learn a couple
new names this morning in the chat.
Get to know a couple people.
Our hosts are here to provide an
incredible experience for you.
So again, thank you so much for being
here. I know that today's word is
going to change your life!
Robbie: Good morning, Father's House!
We are so glad that you're here with
us today! We want you to stand with us.
We're celebrating baptisms this
morning! Go ahead and stand. We're
going to lift up the name of Jesus.
Give Him praise! Put your hands together!
♪ Trading ashes for beauty
♪ Trading mourning for dancing
♪ You change my world
♪ Trading sickness for healing
♪ Trading blindness for seeing
♪ You change my world
Say this with us, sing!
♪ Old things have passed away
♪ You make me new, You make me new
♪ Old things have passed away
♪ You make me new, You make me new
You make me new!
♪ Trade my past for Your promise
♪ Now I know Your forgiveness
♪ You change my world
♪ Trade my striving for resting
♪ Lord, Your favor's unending
♪ You change my world
♪ Old things have passed away
♪ You make me new
♪ You make me new
♪ Old things have passed away
♪ You make me new
♪ You make me new
♪ Old things have passed away
♪ You make me new
♪ You make me new
♪ Old things have passed away
♪ You make me new
♪ You make me new
♪ Nothing can keep me down
♪ I know, I know
♪ In You my hope is found
♪ Forever and ever
♪ Nothing can keep me down
♪ I know, I know
♪ In You my hope is found
♪ Forever and ever
♪ Nothing can keep me down
♪ I know, I know
♪ In You my hope is found
♪ Forever and ever
♪ Nothing can keep me down
♪ I know, I know
♪ In You my hope is found
♪ Old things have passed away
♪ You make me new
♪ You make me new
♪ Old things have passed away
♪ You make me new
♪ You make me new
♪ Old things have passed away
♪ You make me new
♪ You make me new
♪ Old things have passed away
♪ You make new
♪ You make me new
God, we lift You up!
You make us new!
Julie: So when I was considering the
504 Journey and what I wanted to do
and how I could participate, I had
never done a physical fast before.
So I tried to consider something that
took up too much of my time. The
first thing that popped into my mind
was Facebook. I actually deactivated
my account, removed the app from my
phone, stopped using it like first
thing Monday morning. During that
21-day period when I was at work where I
would normally think Facebook, I would
look down on my desk and my Bible and
my devotionals were right there.
So it was a really good way to be
intentional about spending more time
with God. And now I know that I can
do a physical fast the next time.
Steve: This season of the 504 Journey
was so unique and powerful to me.
When I went to try to write my story
I felt like the Bible verse that said
if all the things the Lord had done were
written in books the earth couldn't
hold them. That is how I felt about
this story. There were so many things
that the Lord did.
He talked to me about so many things
on so many levels. It was a beautiful
time. The place God wanted to go for
me was the most, to me, trivial and
mundane. Things that to me I was
dismissing. You know, how I take care
of my body. I've known my body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit. I've known
that my witness, my testimony is seen.
The Lord spoke to me about it. He's
even encouraged me and led me in that
direction before. It is not like this
was a new idea. Even though I had
sort of turned away from it and not
attended to it the way that God had
invited me to in the past, He didn't
throw His hands up and say forget
about it. He did just the opposite.
He called it in front of me.
And my heart has been changed.
God really just put it on my heart.
In terms of my spirit, God was just
lifting me and encouraging me.
I've found a lot of excuses to dismiss
taking care of my body. You know,
it's just a tent. I'm only living here
for a short time. He's called me to
be faithful in the small things.
Better yet, He's equipped and brought
all the help I need. I am very
encouraged, very blessed!
Pierre: All right!
Good morning everybody! It is so good
to see you! We are excited that you
are with us this morning. The reason
I'm standing in front of the baptismal
right now is that today we are
celebrating the death and the
resurrection of hearts that have been
transformed by Jesus. We realize there
are a whole bunch of you here today,
that potentially are here as guests
of family of those who are being
baptized. And I just want to explain
to you what you're going to see today.
Those who are joining us online,
you may be used to going to church
and seeing children being baptized and
christened. Well, we are celebrating
the baptism of believers. Let me tell
you a story about a man in the Bible
named Philip. He was walking on the
road and there was a chariot going
by him. There was a eunuch in that
chariot going through Old Testament
scripture. And he did not understand
what he was reading. Philip walked up
to the chariot and heard what he was
reading, Old Testament prophecy about
Jesus, the son of God that would come,
the Messiah, and die for the sin of
the people. So he looked at this
eunuch and said, can I explain to you
what scripture says? And as he got onto
his wagon and explained what that
scripture was saying concerning Jesus,
who had already come. The Bible says
as he opened scripture that man
received the gospel, the good news of
Jesus. This is interesting. They were
going past water and Philip said to him,
look, there is water! What hinders
you from being baptized? You see,
the New Testament baptism of believers
is believe and be baptized for the
forgiveness of sin. Now, this is really
awesome! And the Bible says the two
of them got down into the water and
Philip baptized the eunuch and they
came up from the water. Let me explain
to you why you will see us dunk people
in this small baptismal. Because you
see, the Bible says this is an external,
tangible sign of a grave. You say
that's creepy! No, this is what the
Bible says in Colossians. See how the
old life is buried with Christ.
And as we come up under, from out of
this water, we are resurrected to a
brand new life in Christ. So today,
we are going to witness how people come.
And as they go under the water it is a
sign for us of what God is doing in the
Spirit. God is taking the old and He
is keeping it down in the grave.
He raises us up into a brand new life.
The Bible says when we were dead in
our sin God raised us with Christ and
made us sit with Him in heavenly places.
So we are really excited to witness
this beautiful miracle of new life
in celebration! So I want to encourage
you to watch the screen behind me as we
continue to celebrate this beautiful
miracle of new birth.
Tonia: We all go through trials and
tribulations. But it is how you go
through them. That is what people
need to see. I am a single mom of
four children. I have been a single
mom for fourteen years. My youngest
daughter, when she was age 2, she was
diagnosed with cancer. When she was
diagnosed she was diagnosed in
stage IV, the last stage. The doctors
were not sure if she was gonna live.
I just never believed that she was
going to die. Today she's almost
twelve. She is totally healed.
I have a fifteen year old son.
We took him to the hospital and he
was diagnosed with having two blood
clots in his chest from a rare blood
disorder. Since that time the doctor
has told us that he will grow out of it.
He will make a full,total recovery.
Two days after he was released from
intensive care I had a major stroke.
When the 504 Journey started I was
home recovering. I lost a significant
amount of weight when I was in the
hospital because I wasn't able to eat.
So I had to get my weight back and I
was like, well, Lord, I was asking,
Lord, I still want to honor you.
So I started fasting sweets. What I
went through wasn't just for me.
I came back to church, returned back
to church, and allowed people to be
encouraged by the story and let them
know that you know, we walk these
journeys, and it seems we're dying to
ourselves, but there is a greater
reward. Everyone goes through problems,
whether you're saved or not. But how
you endure them is the biggest testimony.
Jesse: The 504 Journey at
The Father's House is so awesome
every year, but this year I really
enjoyed the times of silence that we
had to just sit down and not think
about anything else that was going on
in our life, just to leave everything
at the door, and to just sit in God's
presence. Because in God's presence,
that's when you hear His voice the
loudest. The impact that the 504 Journey
has had on our marriage has been a
good one, I think, communication wise.
The things that we chose to let go of
for a month really taught us that in the
silence and in the absence of those
things that there are some things we
needed to talk about. It sort of,
not forced us to talk about them, but
it made it easier for us to communicate.
It really helped us in that area.
Sarah: Just coming to God and coming
to the chapels and taking the time to
really build my relationship with Him,
and finding a peace in Him and a place
in Him. I realize that His love is
just so amazing. I'm so thankful for
how He's grown me and how He's grown
our relationship and just the faith
that has been renewed and restored
through this journey. It has just
been really awesome.
Andrea: What an incredible testimony!
And I'm excited that throughout the
rest of today we are going to get to
hear from some more folks that had
their lives dramatically impacted this
past month here at The Father's House.
Now this morning we are going to
celebrate with our friends and
families that have decided to make a
public declaration of their faith and
their decision to follow Christ.
This morning we are going to celebrate
with David, Jordan, Joy, Nicole H.,
Nicole G., Joshua, Alex, Lisa, Jehirah,
Troy, Donovan, Larissa, Sarah, Rachel,
Christopher, Autumn, Timmy, Jamire, and
Tevon. Now, I'm gonna encourage you,
while we celebrate these baptisms,
if you would remain seated and worship
with us. You can focus right on the
two baptismals and we can celebrate
together. Thank you.
♪ What a moment You have brought me to
♪ Such a freedom I have found in You
♪ You're the healer
♪ Who makes all things new
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah
♪ I'm not going back
♪ I'm moving ahead
♪ Here to declare to You
♪ My past is over
♪ In You all things are made new
♪ Surrender my life to Christ
♪ I'm moving,moving forward
♪ You have risen
♪ With all power in Your hands
♪ You have given me a second chance
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah
♪ I'm not going back
♪ I'm moving ahead
♪ Here to declare to You
♪ My past is over
♪ In You all things are made new
♪ Surrender my life to Christ
♪ I'm moving
♪ I'm not going back
♪ I'm moving ahead
♪ Here to declare to you
♪ My past is over
♪ In You all things are made new
♪ Surrender my life to Christ
♪ I'm moving, moving forward
♪ I'm moving forward
♪ You make all things new
♪ Yes, You make all things new
♪ And I will follow You forward
♪ You make all things new
♪ Yes, You make all things new
♪ And I will follow You forward
♪ You make all things new
♪ Yes, You make all things new
♪ And I will follow You forward
♪ You make all things new
♪ Yes, You make all things new
♪ And I will follow You forward
♪ I'm not going back
♪ I'm moving ahead
♪ Here to declare to You
♪ My past is over
♪ In You, all things are made new
♪ Surrender my life to Christ
♪ I'm moving
♪ Not going back
♪ I'm moving ahead
♪ Here to declare to You
♪ My past is over
♪ In You all things are made new
♪ Surrender my life to Christ
♪ I'm moving
♪ I'm not going back
♪ I'm moving ahead
♪ Here to declare to You
♪ My past is over
♪ In You all things are made new
♪ Surrender my life to Christ
♪ I'm moving
♪ Not going back
♪ I'm moving ahead
♪ Here to declare to You
♪ My past is over
♪ In You all things are made new
♪ Surrender my life to Christ
♪ I'm moving, moving forward
♪ You make all things new
♪ Yes, You make all things new
♪ And I will follow You forward
♪ You make all things new
♪ Yes, You make all things new
♪ And I will follow You forward
♪ You make all things new
♪ Yes, You make all things new
♪ And I will follow You forward
♪ You make all things new
♪ Yes, You make all things new
♪ And I will follow You forward
♪ [music solo] ♪
♪ I'm not going back
♪ I'm moving ahead
♪ Here to declare to You
♪ My past is over
♪ In You all things are made new
♪ Surrender my life to Christ
♪ I'm moving
♪ Not going back
♪ I'm moving ahead
♪ Here to declare to You
♪ My past is over
♪ In You all things are made new
♪ Surrender my life to Christ
♪ I'm moving, moving forward
Pierre: Oh, wow! What do you
even say?! Isn't this beautiful?!
Oh, man!!! My most favorite part of
ministry! This weekend we will see
over 300 people be baptized. Don't
worry, not this service! Don't worry!
Don't worry! We have been celebrating
the goodness of God.
Crishell: When I started my 504 Journey
my focus wasn't really on me and what
God can do in my life. My focus was
praying for healing for my sister
who has MS (multiple sclerosis).
I went into this journey with a bit of
skepticism and hesitation, much like
I do with a lot of aspects of my life.
I learned at a very young age to bury
my feelings because I didn't really
feel that they mattered to anybody
at all. And I developed a lot of anger.
And that's due largely in part to
growing up in a cult-like church.
When I was 29 I was diagnosed with
breast cancer. And a lot of people
were telling me, oh, don't worry about it!
It's just breast cancer! You're fine.
So I kind of just sucked it in and just
buried those feelings even more because
I didn't want people to know how I
really felt. My best friend of 20 years
actually walked out of my life. And
that was devastating. I was really
angry about that. I didn't really want
to go to church any more. I'd experienced
so many churches. And I knew that
The Father's House was here. But it was
so similar in format to the one I had
come from, and God made us incredibly
uncomfortable until I finally
surrendered and said, okay God,
I'm going to go. From the moment we
walked through the door until we sat
down and Becca sang the first note,
I knew exactly that this was the place
we were supposed to be and this is
where we belonged. I came to the first
chapel. Denis was talking about
confessing any sins that might be in
the way, that might get in the way of
your journey. He used the word anger
over and over. I was like, oh my
goodness! He is talking right to me!
I was so overcome with emotion.
I just literally felt God say,
I can't fix anything else until I fix you.
This journey is not about healing your
sister, this journey is about healing
you! And I need to be able to fix you
first, then everything else will fall
into place the way I have designed it
to fall into place. So I felt such a
wave of emotion and I had never felt
anything like that before. I'd never
actually, even though I have been in
church, I didn't really ever distinctly
hear the voice of God just say,
let it go. I literally felt like the
Holy Spirit just kind of like went
through my entire body and came out.
I was just at such peace. I just know
that my journey probably will continue.
My healing will have to continue.
But I know right now that it's God's
plan for me and my journey will just
continue to go on.
Nicole: My family and I have been
attending The Father's House,
downtown campus, since July of last year.
This church has been such a blessing
to us. The 504 Journey was challenging
to me at first and it was my first time.
And also, being the fact that I was on
different types of medications and things,
I wasn't sure exactly how I was gonna
pull this off. So I talked to
Pastor Chris, and explained to him.
I asked him, what could I do?
I asked him what it was I could do
so I could fulfill this journey that
I'm trying to accomplish. I've had
many struggles, health issues,
relationship issues. I just had a
hardened heart for a very long time with
bitterness and all the anxiety and
depression and things that come along
with those types of situations.
I'm very grateful for God's grace and
His mercy upon my life and my family's
life. And we look forward to many
blessings in the year 2013, and for me
in years to come.
Kassidy: So, I was 14 years old when,
that was the first time I threw up
my food. I was in my dance studio
bathroom all by myself. I just
thought maybe if I can just get rid
of a little bit I will feel better.
I won't feel so full. I'll be able
to dance better. I did. It was the
most powerful feeling I've ever felt
in my life. It was like I could kind of
turn back time. And that was addicting.
It took a hold of me like I never
thought possible. So I'm 20 now.
It's been about six years since I've
struggled with this. It's been
constant up and down. There's been
times when I've been okay. And there
were times where I just wanted to die.
You know, I'm losing my hair. I can't
breathe. I can't walk upstairs. But
there is nothing that can release you
from this feeling that you can't eat.
You can't give yourself that satisfaction.
You're not worthy of it. I didn't want
to tell anyone. I was embarrassed.
I was scared. I had this role as a
respected leader for youth at this
multi-campus church. And I mean,
I graduated college and started an
amazing career at 20 years old.
How could I tell people I starve myself?
And you know, I'm weak. Weaker than
anything. During 504 I couldn't believe
what I found. I asked God, just use
me. Because I don't know what my
calling is. I don't want to be just
an average church-goer anymore.
I don't want to be a Sunday morning
leader and then go home and be wanting
to die and just beat myself down.
But through that I just relied on
scripture. And I relied on God's word
instead of my own word and my own
opinions. And I was able to pour
healing into people. And I saw this
happening. I realized what was going
on. I was seeing through my healing,
through my private healing that I was
going through, I was able to pour
out healing. And I just said, you
know, it's time. I have to tell people.
When I let that out on social network
it was the biggest release I've ever
felt. The outpouring of support
and grace from people was overwhelming.
I can just hear so clearly.
God is just saying, use your messy
life as my message for these girls and
these people. I'm going to pour healing
into you and that outpouring is going
to pour into them. So, I found my
calling through 504 and God's healing.
He has control over me and I've never
felt so free.
Nick: Thanks so much for joining us
online today. I really hope that
God's word spoke to your heart.
And if it did, I hope you'll tell
us all about it. We always want to
capture the stories of those who are
experiencing church online here at
The Father's House. So send us an
email: mystory@tfhny.org
We'll take these stories and we will
share them with our staff and volunteers
to encourage them and let them know
that God is moving! He's active here
at church online. In addition to that,
if you've ever thought about giving
financially to this ministry, I want
to give you the opportunity to do so
today. You can click on the Give icon
located in the top right hand corner
of your screen. And you can give a
one-time gift or maybe even a
reoccurring gift of $5 or $10 or
maybe even $100. Maybe even $500.
Whatever you feel that it is that God
would lead you to do so today,
I want to encourage you in this
moment to do so. And thanks again
so much for joining us here at
church online at tfhny.tv.
And we'll see you next week!
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