Christianity Shouldn't Be Normal

0:09 Man, it has already been such a good morning for me. Like, I mean that. I don't know what your day has been so far, but the last hour, like, the Lord's been, like, speaking to me, directing me, just coordinating conversations, even with Terry. And it's like, Lord, what are you doing right now? This is insane. Like, this is the way I want every day to be. There shouldn't be like an ordinary another day when we're talking about the Holy Spirit of God dwelling inside of you and leading you and directing you. Man, I hope this chapel isn't just another—I know, I know how it gets at the end of the year. It's like, okay, another chapel, let me just get through it, I got to think about finals, everything else, but I hope it's not old to you. Like Terry says, I've been coming here for 18 years, and I'm there in worship going, God, I don't think I've ever worshipped like this at APU.

1:07 I don't think I've ever sensed your presence like this before. This is the way I want to be till the end of my life. I don't want it to get old. Man, and so even as we're getting into the Word right now, man, I'm hoping that it's still a thrill for you. Not just still a thrill, but it's more exciting now than your very first chapel here. That's the way life has to be. In fact, I learned that from one of the worship leaders here like 15 years ago, where I saw her like worshiping like crazy, and then I came back at the, you know, a few months later, and she's even more like insanely into the presence of God. And I'm like, how do you do it? And I remember her saying to me, she goes, my God is not a duplicator. He is a creator. And so every time I get up on that stage and say, God, create something new. Don't do what you did last time, create in me something new.

2:01 I thought, wow, that is such a great way to think about it. It's not like you have a great chapel experience or worship experience, and you say, God, can you do that again? He's a creator. And say, God, create something new. I experienced that. Okay? Do something new now. Man, and I'm praying that's what this is. And okay, some of you guys, I'm already losing you, because you're like, what are you talking about? Okay, Saturday I had the kids. My wife is out of town, and so I'm like supposed to be Mr. Fun. So what do we do? They're all bored. And my son has this like, long like samurai sword that someone gave him a couple weeks ago. I'm like, what do you do with that? I think it's sharp, whatever. So I go, okay, I got it. We went to the market, and I just asked if they had a bunch of like rotting fruit and vegetables, and we'll play fruit ninja, like the real thing, you know?

3:01 So we got this box of like apples and tomatoes and bell peppers and everything else, brought the kids in the backyard. My 12-year-old son's holding this sword. I go, we're just going to start throwing fruit at him. You know, my six-year-old's got the, you know, video camera, and my 12-year-old's got this knife, and we're just getting ready to throw vegetables and fruit at him. And I go, wait a second, because my son is a little spacey, okay? Of all my kids, he's just—sometimes he doesn't pay attention. I'm like, dude, listen, that's a real sword. Whatever you do, hold on to it, okay? You got your six-year-old right in front of you filming. You've got all of us throwing fruit. You let go. This isn't like the Wii controller where, you know, sometimes it flies out like, this is a real knife." And he goes, okay, okay, Dad.

3:54 And we're about to throw. I'm like, no, no, no, wait a second. Look me in the eyes right now. And I started warning him, serious. I go, remember the gas station? You know what happened? You know, there's one time I was at the gas station with him. I'm like, hey, run in, grab a bag of Cheetos, and I give him a five-dollar bill. He runs in, a few minutes later I'm pumping gas, he runs out, doesn't even look, and a truck is coming. And that truck hits the brakes as my son's just in fear, and I'm looking at this thing like, I'm like, dude, do you realize how close you came to getting hit by a truck? Pay attention. Anyways, he gets in the car, I'm like, hey, where's my change? And he goes, and he gives me the five dollars back. And I'm like, you forgot to pay. Dude, once you go in, this is easy. Get Cheetos, look for cars, come back, you know.

4:48 You just stole Cheetos. Go back in there, look both ways, pay for the Cheetos and come back. I go, do you remember that? Okay, you can't do that right now. This is, you can kill one of us. You seriously can kill. Do you want to kill your sister? Do you? And then, you know what happens? I go to jail. It's not even you, you know, so I'm like warning because you've got this sharp knife in your hand. Don't mess around. I mean, I had just given one of those severe, severe warnings. So then we just started throwing fruit and it was the best. But my point was, you know, I was reading the scriptures today and this week I was reading the book of Revelation and I really, I never noticed like this is not something where, oh, let's just do some light reading, it's like a severe, severe warning. Like, I was thinking about this chapel, and I thought, man, I want to grab each of you like I did with my son, and go, no, look me in the eyes right now and tell me you're listening to me 100%, because this is not messing around.

5:58 Man, I never noticed this in the book of Revelation. See, I've taught like chapter 1, where John sees Jesus, the risen Jesus. You know, and we all think, oh, if I could see Jesus right now, just hug Him. No. Have you read Revelation chapter 1? When John sees Jesus—this is John, the beloved disciple. He sees Jesus in His glorified state, and he says His eyes are like fire, His hair, His everything, He's like beaming like the sun, and he goes, when I saw Him, He goes, I fell over like a dead man. This is John, the beloved disciple. He sees Jesus, just like if you were to walk in the door right now, you think, oh, that'd be great. No. John, the beloved disciple, passes out when he sees him in his glorifieds. He's never seen anything like this.

6:57 He says, I fell at his feet as though dead, and Jesus had to grab me and say, hey, don't be afraid it's me it's you i i've i've taught through revelation two and three that was the letters to all the churches at the time you know saying look this is what i don't like about you this is jesus writing letters go man i'm gonna destroy you i don't i don't like your church i don't like this about your church i don't like about this and it's like whoa whoa pretty intense things he goes man if you don't repent i'm gonna spit you out of my mouth and i've read revelation 4 and 5, I think I've probably even taught it here in chapel, about when John gets to see God in all of His glory. I've taught through the book of Revelation, which after that comes all of the destruction of the end of the world. I've taught Revelation 20 to 22, and I think I've taught that in here, about just that eternal state of one day, no more pain, no more sickness, no more death, we don't have to worry.

8:00 to tell my son, hey, hold on to that sword. It's just not going to matter. Everything's going to be great. It's the end. And then there's the end of suffering. And then there's a lake of fire and the eternality of it all. But I never really thought about the flow of Revelation, and I never saw how serious, like, the letters were to the churches. Like… He tells the church in Ephesus, you've lost your first love. You lost your first love. You're doing a lot of great things, but you don't love me like you used to. And he says, if you don't repent, I'll remove you. Like, I don't even want a church like that. And the warning that He gives to Thyatira and Pergamum and Laodicea and Sardis.

9:01 I mean, these words, I never saw it as such a severe warning, but do you get it? Here's this Almighty God in chapter 1, and He gives these letters to John, and He says, tell the churches this. To one of the churches, He says, if you don't repent, I'm just going to remove you. I don't even want you around. He says to another one of the churches, if you don't repent, he goes, I'm going to throw you into tribulation. He says to the church in Sardis, if you don't repent, I'm going to come like a thief in the night. For five out of the seven churches, he goes, man, you better repent, or I am seriously gonna — on one of them, I think it's Thyatira, he goes, look, I'm going to come and I'll wage war with you with the sword of my mouth." Like I never noticed that five out of the seven churches, he goes, you better repent or else.

9:58 And then right after that is when he describes God on His throne. He goes, do you understand who you're messing with right now? This is God—this is why I'm saying, like, listen to me. This isn't—this isn't just another message. This is revelation. This is the end. This is not about your feelings, or this guy hurt me, or I have this scar, that scar. I'm talking about the end, like there's a real God up there. Revelation 4 and 5 says he has lightning and thunder literally coming from his throne, that there's a hundred million angels up there right now all bowing before his throne, that there's these pillars of fire around his throne, and I'm going to see him one minute, any minute. This could be the day that I stand before that throne. That's insane to me.

10:52 All the other things that have gone through this brain need to just get out. That's what was going on in worship. I got to get all the other thoughts out of my head. Right now, I'm thinking, there's no way I could see you today. I've had friends that have died this year. I mean, so many of my friends, I'm 50 now. And I talked to him, you know, my friend's like, hey, I have a stomach ache, goes into the hospital just a few months ago. It's cancer. Game over. Another friend, I got a headache right now. I'm just going to check this. It's cancer. Game over. He's found another one. Oh, the cancer, the breast cancer. It's back. It's just boom, boom, boom, boom. And they don't recognize, do you recognize who you're going to stand before? Like, we're going to be before this God! Man, it's that severe warning.

11:49 I want to grab you right now, and I want to sit down and just read through the book of Revelation, the whole book with you. Man, that's what I want to do. I timed it this morning. I go, man, how long does it take to read Revelation? It's about 26 minutes. Please do it. Is there anything this week you have to do that is more important than the 26 minutes of reading through the book of Revelation and just getting serious about the end? This is real. We're going to see Him. And then you know the rest of Revelation where after He explains His glory, and you get it? So He's warning all these churches, repent or else, repent or else. Then he describes, I'll show you what or else, and then the rest of the book of Revelation is just torture after torture, calamity after calamity. This is serious.

12:45 That's what I was doing with my son. I go, listen, everything will ha—all that will happen to you if you don't listen to me right now. All the horrible things that could happen, that's exactly what the book of Revelation is. Just a loving father grabbing us as children, going, listen, this is real. This is reality. This is going to happen. I am going to destroy the world. And all the little things that you think are so important and so huge right now, you're gonna see nothing compares to the end. Get serious about me. Get serious about me, because he says, man, if you can make it through, if you can get through this life, not just thinking about yourself, but thinking about me. You can overcome all the temptations and all the pain you're going to get through, because I promise you this crown of life. I promise you at the end it's going to be insane, it's going to be amazing.

13:42 I know you feel like your pain is so huge, but He says, be faithful even until death. I'm going to give you this crown, this crown of life, this reward. The other thing I noticed in Scripture this week was almost all the churches in the Bible drift and get screwed up. They just all do. Paul tells the Galatians, he goes, who bewitched you? What happened to you guys? He goes, I feel like I wasted all that time with you. Then you read the book of 1 Corinthians, and he's like telling the Corinthians, what is wrong with you guys? There's division—I heard there's divisions among you. He goes, like, some are saying, I follow this guy and this guy, this guy.

14:35 He goes, was I crucified for you? Why are you following me? Didn't I tell you it was about Jesus? He goes, I hear that you guys sue each other seriously? I hear that there's immorality in the church and you're proud of it? I hear that people are getting drunk during communion. Drunk, communion, really? I hear that some of you don't even believe in the resurrection anymore? What in the world are you kidding me right now? And so I'm reading about all these churches that drift, and we can look and go, yeah, the church in Ephesus, yeah, the church in Laodicea, yeah, the church in Galatia, yeah, the church in Corinth. Hey, what about us? What about the church in America? Do we really think we're one of the good ones? See, I was thinking, God, do any of these people see that they became weird?

15:37 Like do we see it in ourselves? Man, when I went to China like seven, eight years ago, I was in the underground church, and they're telling me all these stories of the persecution, these young, all like college age people, so fired up telling me stories of persecution, and I'm just like on the edge of my seat going, you've got to be kidding me. And they're like, why? I go, because that's not the way it is in America. And I start telling them what it's like in America. I go, in America we have buildings that we call churches, and you go to them, and you sit for an hour, hour and a half, and someone teaches you a message. And then if you don't like it, you can go to the church down the street. And if you get in a fight with someone, then you go to another church.

16:30 If you want a divorce and they're against divorce, then you go to this one. If they're music better, if they're children, they're better. I go, that's what we call church. And they start laughing, like hysterically. They go, shut up. Shut up. My daughter and I, we left, she was like, Dad, did you see that? Did you see the way they were laughing? And I go, I know. Because they're looking at the Bible and go, how did you guys get there? How did you become that? When you guys go to church and go, I didn't really like it? How do you get that? I remember when I was in a—I was speaking at an event in Dallas, and this pastor from India took me there, and there's lights, there's every—you know, they had live animals, everything else at this event, the band, everything, and he just looks at me and he goes, you Americans are funny.

17:30 He goes, no one would show up unless there's a great speaker or band, huh? He goes, in India, when they hear that we're going to pray, people flood there. People come for communion. But you guys, if it was just a prayer night at this church, how many people would show up? Maybe 20? Go, yeah.

17:56 And as you're leaving, thinking, wait, how does God view that? When he looks in America and he goes, wow, everyone's going to go there because Hillsong's going to be there. Tim Keller's going to be there. And then he looks at the other side of the world and he goes, oh, we're going to actually come into the presence of God and just pray or just take communion. Everyone, like you're looking at that. What honors you? Who's become weird? Man, do we not see it? It's like the writer of Hebrews says, you know, for you guys too, this is what I was thinking. Man, don't let this be a weird time in your life where you get accustomed to speakers like me coming here and just sharing with you, and you sit back and go, okay, that was pretty good. That doesn't make sense biblically. All through this book, you think throughout the whole Old Testament and all the sacrifices, You think anyone went to the sacrifice and thought, I didn't really like it the way they cut the sheep today.

19:04 I like the last butcher. You know, like, what? You don't think about that. It's not about you. You don't go, I didn't like it, I didn't like it, I didn't like this. You go for Him. And I just wondered, did anyone, anyone in this whole room come in this morning, and the only thought in your head was Him, going, God, I want to do whatever pleases you the most during this hour. And I want to go in there, and God, I want afterwards for you to look at me the way I sang to you, and I want to see a smile on your face. I want to see the way I listened to your word, and I just revered it. And then you walk away thrilled because we're concerned about what pleases Him. That's what the gatherings were supposed to be.

20:01 You think the high angels in Revelation 4 saying, holy, holy, holy, at the end of the day go, I didn't really like it today. they got it we are so self-centered when's the last time you made a decision based upon him where you go what would please you most what would make you happiest because you're my god you're my master see that's not what we do in america in the church what why do you buy the car you buy? Because you want it. It's about you. I'm going to buy this car because I want it, and you just make sure God's okay with it. You don't pray and go, God, what car would you want me to buy? Why do you pursue the job you pursue?

20:53 Because you want it. Why are you going to live in the house you're going to live in? Because you want it. And every time it's like, okay, God, I think God's okay with this. I think God's okay with this. And so it's not about pleasing Him, it's just about Him tolerating your decisions. You guys, I built a church that way. I'm so sick about it now. I'm going, God, what was I thinking back in 94? You know, when I started a church, I just thought, what kind of church would I want to go to? What kind of church would the people like? I was even taught that, asked people, what kind of church would you want to go to? Did it ever cross my mind to think, what would please you the most? I'm reading this book over and over, what would please you the most? Do you want people gathering whenever there's a great speaker and whenever there's — is that what would make you most glorified?

21:53 It's crazy. guys, I spent my life, so much of it, and I fought for trying to please God, but it's just like, you just get distracted. Man, and I'm looking at the warnings in Revelation, and he's just saying, repent or else. Repent or else. And I'm going, you know what? I was telling Terry this morning, you know what fires me up about coming to Azusa? It's like, we could actually make a difference in America. Like, you could be the generation that says, you know what? I refuse to be a consumer. We all know it's stupid, but it's so much easier that we just do it. But what if we got in groups and said, you know what? You know what would please Him the most? Is if we loved each other like family. Like family.

22:45 I know that's insanely difficult for me to grab Woody and say, okay, when we take communion, I'm supposed to break this piece of bread. happened when Jesus was there after He washed the disciples' feet, and He says, my body is about to be broken for you, and He says, look, here's the new command. I want you to love one another just as I have loved you. And so when you take that bread and cup, you better recognize those around you. Why? Because I'm supposed to look at the bread and the cup and think Jesus was tortured for me. He was tortured for me, and now He says, I want you to go to that extreme for Woody. And I'm going to look at this bread and the blood and go, Woody, you want me to go to the cross for Him.

23:42 That's what would please you the most, that I would make that big of a commitment. Not that we would just go to a service together and not have a church split, but you want me to love Him that much? Okay, God, I'm going to need Your Holy Spirit, because I like You, but seriously, you know? Like in the flesh, that type of commitment, that's what God wanted of His church. I'm going, okay God, that's what would please You most, I'm going to go for it. We're going to take communion, and we're going to take it the real way. You know what would please you is, he says, the ones who actually tremble at his word. You know what? Okay, then, Woody, let's grab a couple friends and let's just read the word and tremble at it. Let's read through the book of Revelation. Let's just get together and read it. We don't need a great speaker. Let's just read it and tremble at it because his words are so much higher than mine. He wants us devoted to prayer.

24:36 Let's get together and let's just seek his presence and see what happens, because that actually is more exciting to me. That's more exciting. See, see what we did in the church was no one's showing up for prayer meeting, well then let's change the prayer meeting. Let's make it shorter, let's bring in a band, let's bring in a speaker, and we'll save a few minutes for prayer so we can still call it prayer meeting. Let's change the prayer meeting. And now I'm at an age where I go, you know what? No, let's change your heart. Why don't you want to go to prayer? It's not the problem with the service, the problem is you. Do you not understand who He is? Do you not understand the price that was paid so that I can come to His presence and I'm talking to the one that's keeping us all alive right now? And He can change everything. How is that not exciting to you? Something's wrong with you.

25:28 Nothing's wrong with the prayer meeting. I just go, God, what are you doing right now? I think we'd be blown away if we simplified and went back to early church. We read, don't you read about Acts 2 and go, oh, I wish I lived there, where they just devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to prayer, to the fellowship, and the breaking of bread, and go, that's all we need. A few weeks ago, I took my kids, my family to Tahoe for vacation. I said, okay, here's the rule. We have four days, no electronics. I don't want a phone, not a single phone, not a single TV, no iPads, nothing. Some of you guys are like, how? You lived through it? Yes. And exactly what I knew was going to happen. We had the best time hanging out with each other, talking to each other, making memories, throwing snowballs, building snowmen, going sledding, going snowboarding, building fires, just laughing hysterically and realize this is actually better.

26:35 And I'm telling you, doesn't it appeal to some of you to just get a group of 10 people in a house with a piece of bread and a Bible and say, let's just go for it. Let's just devote ourselves to the simple things and see if he doesn't show up a new way. Let's devote ourselves to relationship and all these things that we thought would make life better. are actually hurting it. And all the things we try to add to the church to make it more exciting are actually killing it. And now we've become so weird and we don't even realize it. I have till 1120, right? Is that it? Okay, I got 45 seconds. So, oh my gosh, that was a lot of random things. Seriously, would you consider 30 seconds, read through Revelation today and do something.

27:40 Figure it out, repent. Like it was a serious warning, a serious warning. Read the book of Revelation. We have an opportunity right now at this time in history. I am so pumped about it. But it's time to change the church and say, you know what, enough of this consumer garbage. I'm going to devote myself to these things because I think it's going to actually become better as we strip away all these things we think we need. I'm not saying rebel because I know younger generations say, yeah, screw you all. No. I'm saying devote yourself to the real thing and devote yourselves to one another. detach and go, I just do church by myself. That doesn't even make sense. Zero sense at all, I do church by myself. That's just dumb.

28:33 That doesn't, there's no, that's like saying I'm in a gang by myself. It's just, that doesn't make sense. So don't take this the wrong way and be dumb with it. Get connected. I want another five hours with you. Okay, I'll see you next year.