From Dysfunction to Deliverance: Manny Lopez on Unity and the Power of Jesus

The church is filled with people just like us men coming together filled with people who know that without the help of Jesus We’re lost and and we’re helpless. We need the Lord to help us. And so that’s why as we come together for a breakfast like this We don’t approach it from the attitude of hey, I’ve got it all together, but I’m here to learn I’m here to grow and we really believe as you follow Jesus that you’re going to become a better man You’re gonna become a better husband You’re gonna be a better father as you follow follow the Lord Jesus Christ and become more like him and it’s a lifelong journey, isn’t it? You know some weeks you might feel like hey, I’m doing pretty good and then something will happen and you’d be like Oh Lord, I need your help. I Need your help. I need to keep growing so so thanks for being here and I’m gonna go ahead and pray over Manny again as he gets ready to share and Just blessed by Manny’s life and so thankful he’d be willing to share with us his testimony his story and also a word from the Lord Lord God, we just come to you part. We pause our hearts to acknowledge you as God. You are king of kings you’re Lord of Lords and Lord Jesus, thank you for being our Savior. Thank you for dying on the cross Thank you for your resurrection power that is at work in our lives today Lord you are the one that forgives our sins. Our sins are covered when we’re in Christ Lord. You see the righteousness of Jesus You don’t see my sin. My past is forgotten. Thank you Lord Lord, we just pray that you would let that spirit That same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead Let the Holy Spirit be at work in our lives so that we can be the men of God that you’ve called us to be Lord, I pray that you’d bless Manny today. Not just as he speaks but bless his life Favor him give him the mercies of God in his life to lead his family Lord to be the man of God that you’re calling him to be. Thank you for what you’re doing in Manny’s life in Jesus name Amen All right, good morning gentlemen Hope everybody’s got plenty to eat. Make sure you get your seconds and your thirds Tom and Ellis make sure you guys get plenty of those pancakes get it pack it on So My name is Manny Lopez. I’ve been a member here since 2024 we visited in 2023, but we officially joined in 2024 me and my wife Brittany Lopez Can you can they hear me? Can you hear me good? Okay But man, we just Man, we love this church. We love being part of this church and being members and just serving this community In the mission statement that this church has that Columbia First Assembly has it’s just been a true blessing to our lives And really man, we just you know, feel that this is definitely where God had called me and God had called our family. So My walk with the Lord has been very dysfunctional Very dysfunctional, I Am matter of fact when I was a kid I remember I was 10 years old and I went to a family reunion down in South, Texas and We had our family reunion shirts and it literally said on the back. We put the fun and dysfunctional and And I’m pretty sure there was plenty of fights there plenty of arguments, but it was but it was wouldn’t trade it for the world You know Growing up though, man, I I always struggled As as a young kid, I never knew like, you know What that image of a perfect family was I always thought it was a perfect family And that I was never able to obtain anything like that. You know, our our family was very Mom raised us mom was a single mom for three years of three boys for years Tried her best to raise us by herself But then eventually the world got caught up to her, you know I didn’t we didn’t ever have dads around or anything like that. We was raised by cousins and uncles and grandparents and That’s that’s all I knew and the only perfect family I thought I could see I would see was on TV or you know, visiting friends houses and stuff I go to a friend’s house and like what you have your dad lives here Like you didn’t yet, you know his number and stuff And So around age 10, though we we we moved to the country and that’s when things just, you know rolled even further downhill and That’s when there was no longer No, there wasn’t a dad around but there wasn’t even a mom around and so I had to kind of teach myself a lot of my how to grow up and You know, my brothers helped me the best they could But man, it’s it at a young age, man That’s when you know depression creeps in. I mean, I’m 10 years old by myself in the middle of nowhere and so, you know things will try to creep into your life and You know different spirits man. You open the door up to because that’s all you know started smoking cigarettes You know started experimenting with other drugs and stuff as it because it because it was around the house so, I mean, I didn’t know what else to do how to cope with anything and But man, God never left me God was still there the whole time because I remember the one day I got the knock on the door I had skipped school for weeks at a time and Sometimes that the power would go out of the house and it just be me here this kid in this house in the middle of nowhere but one time my grandmother knocked on the door and was like pack your stuff and get in my car and And my grandma man, she was one of the strongest he still is she’s the strongest person I’ve probably ever met other than my wife. My wife is very strong, too. But my grandmother Yeah, she she took me in put me through high school you know helped me graduate high school and Raised me, you know, I never really went without as long as I was living with her And man God was just a true blessing in my life. I knew who Jesus was at a young age I knew who God was I was scared of God and I knew what right and wrong was and I was always scared of There’s a heaven and there’s a hell That wasn’t that’s that’s how I lived. I under but I rebelled against it, but I knew that it was wrong my uncle actually Joey Candela, he went to prison at a young age. Remember my family’s very dysfunctional I said he went to prison in the 90s for selling drugs and he got saved in prison And then when he got released from prison went through Baptist Bible College went through Bible College and became a pastor from that So when he graduated college, he went to Kansas City started a church So as it my grand and I always had to attend that church. My grandma kept me going in that church I was just telling pastor Tom about Saturday night youth events and stuff. So I knew you know the love of God and I Encountered it and you know, I I did you know, the the sinner’s prayer. I accepted him in my heart And so as you know, I went to church Saturday Sunday Wednesday, my grandma was a very God-fearing woman and it was yeah But you know when you’re a teenager and stuff, it’s more like you’re kind of getting dragged for a while. And so Then high school comes and you know, I graduate high school and There’s a one thing in my life that that really drastically changed was I had a best friend that I went to that church with with my uncle and we lived I lived in Independence and he lived in Kansas City and he had a very broken home kind of what I grew up in and he had a bunch of brothers and stuff and they were you know, and a lot of gangs and everything and 18 he ended up getting murdered and That really kind of it really tore me up inside because that I went to church we sat together every day at church We got in trouble and got kicked out of youth group together every every Sunday in church I’m talking we were a mess but I mean He might have like my we would always pick him up take bring him to the house and stuff and we constantly hung out all the time and so from then on I never went to church after that and And then my life just spiraled man when I was 18 Started with you know, you know pills and drugs and everything. I know there’s kids in here, but it just spiraled out of control and I just ran as far away from God as I could and You know with that I I just ended up losing everything Not being invited to any of the family Christmas events and you know anything like that and not, you know, really wanting any hope at all. No one of my favorite verses is a in 2nd Timothy chapter 2 Paul’s talking and showing Timothy how to become a good soldier for Christ and He says him he gives him a trustworthy saying he says if we die with him. We will live with him if we Suffer with him. We will reign with him and when we are faithless he remains faithful for he cannot deny who he is and How that’s really when I look back at my life and you know, I’ve asked people, you know what does it mean to be faithless and For me that was when I was at my all-time low being completely faithless from the age 18 to 25 Is I was fully content of where I was at and dying in that place And I knew I in my mind it was so conditioned by the world that in my mind I was going to die right there and that’s how it was going to be and I was okay with that I had no hope or no faith to change And I and I was really close to it out over those 13 times and so my life Spiraled to where I wasn’t just in and out of a jail cell, but I was in and out of hospital rooms constantly so where they started to like know me and it was it was embarrassing and in Like it’s pretty bad when you go so much for things that you shouldn’t be doing Where in the doctor is like literally frustrated with you, you know, and and so I was starting to see that And like man, I’m just killing myself pretty much and I remember the last time that it happened I was by myself and You know, I thought I had a great day is a good day out in the streets, you know Good day on the streets got a little money and got you know got my stuff I need and everything I’m doing great and I went to a quick trip and I remember Any time I woke up like in the hospital or anything is because I was around other people partying and stuff but this time I was by myself and I locked myself in this deadbolted bathroom and I woke up and And to the ambulance was there and everything and I you know, I end up actually end up going to jail after that. But Because I had some warrants But that wasn’t fun, but I remember I look back, you know, and they revived me to save my life But I always I I don’t know how that happened because in my mind, you know I how many times you go to a bathroom and it’s locked and you just walk away, right? You know, you just go to the next gas station or the next car dealership right Ellis Inside joke sorry but How many times doesn’t you know you go to use a bathroom a plug bathroom you just go to the next door if it’s locked So, I don’t know how I don’t know who told him how long I was in there, you know out and all that so either way man, Jesus was there man, and God was there in So I after that man one night, you know, I cried out to him and I said God I’m I’m dying I mean, this is where I’m gonna die And I remember meeting with my uncle one day and he’s like, you know, he asked me he’s a pastor So I didn’t want to change and he said well what do you what songs you want at your funeral because that’s the only way we know how to plan for you right now and So I went back to jail and I went to jail for a little bit and I got out and I had a my one of my older brothers man. Let me Well, I didn’t really let me I kind of just showed up at his house and I showed up at his house. And this was June and I was made of 2019 and I’m like, I’m like look man. I just can’t stay here. I’m gonna try to clean up and everything He’s like, yeah He’s like, but I want you to find somewhere to go like away from here because you’re not gonna be able to do this here And so, you know, I had another brother that was working with lame laying carpet and stuff And I’m you know, I’m so I’m I called a couple places I call around he actually went to a Walmart and found this group called Life changers and gave me their information and he went by himself and found them and gave me their information I called them and I called teen challenge and he’s like man, just Try it out. I want you to call him and I’m like, yeah, I’ll do it and so while he went to work, I went and called him and He came back home and I was like man, they’re a cult or something like that. It’s it’s not gonna work they they said they speak in tongues and I don’t know what that is and And then I was like, yeah, and they want money and stuff. It’s I can I can work here Let me just go back to work Billy and I’ll be good man. I just I don’t have to go back to these drugs and in God the Lord said that’s not gonna fly and And so I remember having an interview with this guy Clyde Mike hood he had three names Clyde Mike hood from life changers outreach and I Didn’t hit the interview with him and then I didn’t call him back I was like man, hopefully they’ll forget and hopefully my brother will just forget and quit bothering me about it and I could isolate here You know, you know wing off this these substances and be good go back to work and be a normal person and no my so My brother kept bugging me. I’m like, man. I’m telling you they want a bunch of money and stuff. It’s not gonna work I’ll find something local here. I’ll find like an in outpatient treatment center or something like that, right and I Remember we woke up one Saturday morning. His wife went out of town For something for work and there’s me him and my nephew and just the boys right and he’s like, man Let’s go get some Chick-fil-a. I’m like, all right, and we go to the Chick-fil-a and what’s across the street from Chick-fil-a is a Walmart and We run by Walmart to grab something and lo and behold the guys are standing out there selling t-shirts With crosses on him and cross necklaces and the group’s called life changers outreach and I’m like, oh crap Because because I knew they didn’t want a bunch of money from me and they said I could come anytime and stuff but I lied to my brother and said nah, it’s not gonna work and I’m like, oh no and We we get out of the truck and he’s like man just go talk to him and see you let’s go just go talk to Him. I’m like Billy. You don’t want to waste your time, man Already knows it’s gonna go and We walk up and there’s this big Oh Tennessee boy, it’s actually the guy Tom I was telling you about it was him He’s the guy that does his name was Dylan Riddle and he’s he’s standing there selling t-shirts and My brother approached him. He’s like, hey, my brother here Manny you know, he’s struggling with substances and been doing it for years and he called to do an interview and And Stuff and talked to Mike Hood and he’s like, yeah He can come get in the van come down to Rolla with us right now if he wants I’m like, oh my gosh I’m like, oh man, and that was June of 2019 and I’m like, okay I mean, I’ll give it a shot man and I entered this ministry not knowing what was gonna happen These guys are waking up at 6 in the morning reading the Bible and stuff and I’m like Look, man. I just need a cigarette And To call someone I don’t even know who I don’t have anybody but I just need a phone and they’re like no man Yeah And yeah, so when I entered this place, so I had no phone no cigarettes nothing and Everything was completely taken away from me all my personal rights. All that was taken away from me and I wake up at 5 in the morning actually worked and these guys are getting ready to go We had to get in a van and go to a revival in Tennessee the second day. I was there. I’m like, what the heck man? Mean and I get there everybody’s praising Jesus and stuff and I didn’t really have my Jesus encounter at that first revival yet It was a car. I mean, I’ll try it out for a couple weeks, you know I’ll give it a couple weeks and I had nothing holding me back. I know family. No wife. No kids or anything like that I showed up to this place was nothing but a bag of stolen clothes and and that was it and And so I ended up graduating that ministry did the it was a year-long program. I graduated and Worked there for three years after that as the marketing director about a year into my employment there I met Brittany Lopez my wife who’s just been an amazing, you know part of this testimony And really has put up with me for four years. We celebrated four years yesterday together in marriage. Yeah. Yeah and so And it’s been it’s been great No, it’s been good man And you know part of that testimony is I remember nights when we first met That we were dealing with a custody battle with kids and everything and I remember dealing with that that you know Crying my wife is crying herself to sleep man, because we were fighting to spend a day a month with our children And then in August of 2023, we we got an opportunity to move out here and we’ve had him at our house 50-50 custody now ever since then now I can’t get him out of the house and Three now there are three wonderful angels when I moved here in 2023. I left that ministry at God released us from there Like I said, he gave us an opportunity to come here and be with with our kids and get custody back And when we did that I joined a company called Lake movers doing some moving services I didn’t think that’s where I was supposed to be at either But you know God just opened up an opportunity and I ran with it and I helped them Branch their company out here to Columbia, Missouri. And so now I’ve been the area director for Columbia Jeff City Fulton You know doing moving we do local long-distance. That’s promo Lake movers. Yeah No, yeah, we move lakes one bucket at a time But but no when I joined and so with that though with branching this business out They put me in a networking group and in this networking group I remember being in this group and this guy would not shut up in there This guy would not be quiet as I kept laughing and all this stuff and they were about to throw him out of the group I’m pretty sure No, I remember he had a business card He gave me his business card and it said floating axe technologies and I was like, dude I know it’s second Kings chapter 2nd Kings chapter 6 is man about the floating axe and Ellis is like nobody has ever said that in this group because you know, you know why we’re in Columbia He’s like nobody’s in there like let’s go have coffee and man, I really I tried to dodge that meeting too because I had to go and But I was only there for like five minutes and got called to a job and branching but he still found a way to sucker Me in the coming to church No, he invited me into this church and the guy who was preaching that Sunday actually was a guy that I had just got a Teaching from in life changers before we left that ministry Jack smart. He was here that he’s like, yeah, we’re having a guest speaker Jack tomorrow like I just met him a couple like a month or two ago at a revival. And so I was like God must want us here and We we came here man, and we never left man. God is just open the door, man We felt the heart of God when we came visited this church You know from from the pastor to the staff to the ministry leaders man, it’s just been a true blessing and That’ll kind of wrap up kind of in my ministry or in a message that the Lord gave me This is actually a message. He gave me a Couple years ago to the guys remember I was teaching in life changers ministry. It’s and so it’s all guys in this ministry You got a lot of things going on a lot of testosterone and stuff a lot of fires to put out So, you know when you hear words from the Lord, you got it. You got to let it out. And so today I want to talk about Unity unity as a whole unity in the body unity between you and God a couple scriptures started off with is Ephesians chapter 4 verse 2 through 6 Always be humble and gentle be patient with each other making allowances for each other’s faults because of your love Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the spirit Binding yourselves together with peace for there is one body in one spirit Just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future There was one Lord one faith one baptism one God and father of all who is over all in all and living through all Colossians 3 chapter 3 verse 14 and 15 says above all clothe yourselves with love Which binds us all together in perfect harmony and let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts For as members of one body you are called to live in peace and always be thankful This is one of my favorites right here. John chapter 17 verse 11 This is Jesus’s prayer before he’s going to the cross now. I am departing from the world They are staying in this world, but I am coming to you This is my favorite part. Holy Father You have given me your name now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be United just as we are that’s unity that Christ is Literally praise going to the cross right? And so he’s praying to the father This is a very important prayer and he’s saying that unity right that he has with this father. That’s what he wants with his brothers That’s what he wants for his people that same unity and that’s bound by love How important is that? That’s very important And really how that starts is with our own personal lives I believe you know our unity between us and the father you can write this down One thing is your individual integrity produces corporate unity Your individual integrity what you are doing in your personal life can affect the body, right? If we look at Joshua chapter 7 if we know this story This is when the Israelites have you know been defeating all these camps, right? God’s been leading them to victory after victory. They just the Jericho walls just fell down You know things are going great. But in Joshua chapter 7 There was a hope to that right? There’s a kind of a stumbling block they were on a mission and some someone in the camp stole some items they shouldn’t have took and What happened they went to a battle and God allowed him to be defeated Because there was sin in the camp That’s right, thanks Tom What’s in your heart? You know, this is where God has really broken me in 90 I’d say 98% of this message is when I when I Learned something forgot. It’s moon for me myself. So not and you guys can have the other 2% It’s for everybody But you know what is in your heart and what’s your real motors, you know? Are you into something because you can just benefit for yourself or is this benefiting the body of Christ, right? Because the what I’ve always you know, learn is the currency of heaven is a salvation of souls, right and You know in order to get that man, we got to edify the body work together and be unified but how can you be unified with a church or unified with you know members of the church or a body of Christ if Your own relationship with God is broken, right? And and One, you know, there’s multiple ways that that you know, God’s opened me up to that And like I said, I’m talking to myself, you know when my prayer life gets lax there, you know My you know, you know prayer life or my you know, I don’t fast or anything like that when this starts getting lax No things start to crumble in my household. I start to get upset wife’s not happy, you know How can I come to church and you know do stuff at the church and act like everything is all great when things aren’t good You know in your own life and but also man, I mean, you know personal life man What’s going on in those in those thoughts and all that you got to understand you have the power to take those thoughts captive You know, this is men. This is a men’s group, right? And you know thoughts will come up, right? Especially, you know and you understand, you know, those aren’t your thoughts Those are the devil’s thoughts and the devil has already been defeated, right? So anytime those thoughts come up you got to take him in the cat under captivity, right and bring him into the obedience of Christ That’s what the Bible teaches us And so that’s one of the first steps of you know Unity between you and the Father it starts right there The vision is a self-seeking motive. No, there’s something in your heart and you know discord or anything like that Something you know, that’s you know splitting something up if there’s any division in your heart, you know Like I said, that’s what does that to do? Is that you the the enemy might confuse you it might make you think that’s to help the body or something Bring in the vision that is a self-seeking motive and that’s something to build yourself up Let’s go to some more scripture here Galatians 5 verse 13. I didn’t have this printed out. So bear with me gentlemen Everybody good here good. I don’t want no trouble Galatians 513 says for you have been called to live in freedom my brothers and sisters But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature Instead use your freedom to serve one another in love for what the hope for the whole law Can be summoned up in this one command love your neighbors as yourself, but if you are always biting and devouring one another watch out beware of destroying one another and And remember like I said this message when I was going to this When I first taught this it was to a group of recovering headaches in a ministry of all guys So and man, it was I remember though is perfect for that season because there’s a lot going on You know, you have leadership and stuff and you got guys coming out of prison or right up the streets, you know And they they don’t have you know, they’re cigarettes and everything And one of the ways is, you know start spreading discord and stuff we would we would have to we would have to deal with that man when that happens when you got to hit that nail on The head and but you know when arguing and all that all that stuff stuff starts to happen you know, you got to really Express, you know how important having that unity in the body is And I mean that was all men in I’m in a room with all men And then another scripture I got here for you is Romans chapter 16, I got a lot of scripture, I hope that’s okay I hope reading from the Bible is okay with you all Romans chapter 16 verse 17 and 18 And now I make one more appeal my dear brothers and sisters watch out for people who cause divisions and upset the people’s faith by teaching and teaching and I make one more appeal my dear brothers and sisters watch out for people who cause divisions and upset the people’s faith by teaching Things contrary to what you have been taught stay away from them Such people are not serving christ our lord, but they’re serving their own personal interests by smooth talk and glowing words They deceive innocent people And and I have another note here you can write this down transforming division into the vision Transforming division into the vision When you and that’s like when we first joined this church, man, the vision of this church, right? What is it? It’s Knowing jesus knowing god building people sharing hope right? And man that just hits hard and you know, uh We me and my wife man. We love this church, man Uh, we we see the unity that you know, our leader has the the man that’s leading this church pastor tom We see, you know, I you know, i’ve seen his per life and everything, you know his connection with god I’ll tell you a couple things about pastor tom. I’ll pick on him real quick, man uh some key points that really Kept me and my wife here This is your pastor here is when we first visited we noticed a couple things. Um One thing is very important it might be minor but it’s in my heart it’s important is Uh, we know where his truck is right? It’s at the back of the parking lot You know i’ve been to churches where the pastors Has a designated parking spot right in the front this may seem minor like church politics But you know from my background i’ve seen some things and like that was a huge deal for us I don’t know what it what it is about. It was just huge for me and my wife We’re like this is the church we want to be a part of this is the pastor we want leading our church and then another thing is uh you know, this is very important is uh, a lot of you may know that when we When we went we started attending here about a year in and uh, we got pregnant and you know Uh, he went on to be with the lord Our child and you know, it was that was the hardest time me and my wife have ever been in Um drugs nothing prepared for me for that, you know, you know getting free from drugs and all that All the years I did in ministry nothing prepped me for that at all. And um, but I remember when that happened And we had an appointment that we had to get to uh to start that process And our pastor pastor tom was at the hospital at like four in the morning First thing and that’s my pastor, you know And that’s where I want to be that’s the church I want to be a part of Um, I don’t even know how he got in the hospital, you know, I think All right, dude, I think he was there I think he was there before we got there and and while we’re there he was literally like Talking working deals out with the doctors and I don’t know what he was doing. But like he had connections Uh, but but no man that that really hit home, you know, that was like man This is where I this is where I belong, you know, uh, and you know, I just you know We’re i’m proud of you pastor tom and like it’s it’s a pleasure man to work with you No, look after this he’s like manny that’s not even my truck No No So another notice, you know, we aren’t fighting this battle because god has already conquered the battle Uh, the war is not in the flesh neither in the struggle, but the war is inside qualities Uh, there’s a few if you ever have time. There’s a book. I forgot who the author is but uh battlefield of the mind If you’ve ever read that book And so God, I understand that this war that that we’re fighting is inside and god is fighting this battle for us But there is a battle to be fought right? It’s already won, but we still have to fight right? Um, I want to go to another piece of scripture Uh on how we can fight in unity nehemiah chapter 4 verse 16 Does anybody know the story the real rebuilding of the wall, right? Uh, I gotta find it here in my phone here Nehemiah chapter 4 verse i’m going to start right here in verse 11 Actually, meanwhile, our enemies were saying before they know what’s happening We will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work The jews who lived near the enemies came and told us again and again, they will come from all directions and attack us So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall And the exposed areas I stationed the people to stand guard by families armed with swords and spears and bows Then as I looked over the situation I called together The nobles and the rest of the people and said to them don’t be afraid of the enemy Remember the lord who is great and glorious and fight for your brothers and son in your sons And your daughters and your wives in your neck in your homes When your cats or when your enemies I almost said in your cats It was in my mind because we had cats they said everyone in your home, so What Yeah, yeah cats go under Oh, man I love this place Uh when our when our enemies heard that we knew their plans and that god had frustrated them We all returned to our work to our work on the wall But from then from then on only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears Shields bows and coats of mail the leaders stationed themselves behind the people of judah Who were building the wall the laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon That’s how us as a church should be fighting the spiritual battle together, right Supporting each other loving one another fighting each other, you know, um fighting each other fighting for each other We do that we can do that too Uh for fun, right I tell you what me and my brothers are very close. We got a lot of fights growing up together man is pretty brutal Mostly they’re older. Mostly it was them beating up on me, but but it was a lot of fun But no, that’s how we should be, you know uh Fighting for each other understanding, you know each other and what we’re going through another example is joshua chapter 6, right? uh the walls of jericho Fall down, right? Uh, but they so they got to under you got to understand Joshua is leading these men these israelites And these israelites have been you know, they’ve had some victories and stuff. They’re what are they? They’re trained warriors They are ready to fight. They are Conor mcgregor’s and chuck liddell’s, you know what I mean? I don’t know ufc fighters, but they are you know Adrenaline and testosterone is probably they’re just pumped for another victory man God, you know they got god on their side. They’ve been doing some things and uh, but so joshua gets instructions from the lord And they can’t they’re not going to fight this one. They’re going to walk around in silence Sound the trumpet and these walls are going to fall And can you just imagine? Being that group right, you know that you all you know is fighting and killing and stuff and you’re you’re just hungry for that And you’re ready for the next battle and they want you to just walk around you know in silence and I believe that part of that you you Part of that is you being unified in that they had to trust their leader joshua, right? They had the trust that he was unified with god, right? They had a trust that he had heard from the lord and you know, that was clear instructions and you know This was going to work out but I believe that you know being silent was because to keep that unity because because You know, you know, could you imagine going around that building nowadays? Man, what’s joshua thinking man while you’re walking and what’s man? What’s he thinking man? What’s what’s why are we doing this? You know, why are you know that one that leads to the other guy, you know, why are we doing this? You know, this is dumb. Why are we good? No, shut up Come on, you know just be quiet and and understand, you know, god has a plan Understand Don’t use your heart issue to block a move of god in other brothers lives Don’t use your heart issue to block a move of god in other brothers lives other people’s lives Unity In the marriage and family as well. It’s very key important. Uh, a part of my testimony uh in this is How I met my wife um I’ve been you know walking with the lord. This is my second year I graduated one year then i’ve been working for the ministry for another year and I remember Uh, you know, it’s a men’s center and a women’s center. You’re not supposed to you know Go hit on the girls or stuff like that uh Ask me how I know and Uh, but I remember I had an eye on this this one Young lady named britney over there and I knew who she was man You know, I was jiving with her and uh And so but yeah, I heard she you know was was working there was going to stay working there and everything and so Uh, but at this moment in my life, I was actually going to leave the ministry Um, I had you know a job offer in kansas city. I was going to take them up on that because I was you know, I got uh offended and I was like, you know, I don’t have to do this and stuff and uh And you know, I was like well, I mean, I don’t have anything anyways, you know I could just go be a free man up there in kansas city go back home hang out and so and then uh I god put britney highlighted her in my life And but one thing he said was you know You you’ve got to be content with just us before I can give you a bride And you know and so it took me through a season where you know, I just man, I We were me and god were so close through that season I mean we still are but I remember I had to literally just be in love with god and be you know the bride of christ and just Understand, you know, we we just got so close through that season and I just had to trust him with everything uh, and then one time I I cried out to him man, and I I heard he said you have right. She’s like right now you have not because you ask not and I You know When we have children, right? We we’d love to you know give gifts or read their minds surprise them with something And but but how awesome is it when they ask you for something that you know? That’s good for them and they want you know, they ask you to go somewhere something that’s you know Not they ask you for a new video game But how is it how awesome is it when your children ask you for something that they need? You know that you you kind of been waiting for it than that Um, that’s what it was. I was like the relationship me and the father were having at that moment, man I was crying on my floor And I you know, I said, you know britney said her name and uh the next day she asked me out and um And so and we started dating and we got married But I had like I said, I had to have that unity between me and the father before he could trust me With one of those daughters, right? We need to have it as the bride of christ before we can steward unity in a marriage And once you can wrap all that up man and and Keep that unity and between you and god your family Your your wife and express that to the church in the body of christ and it can grow from there And to steward it and you know to keep the unity in the church It’s man it really started like I said, man, it starts with just putting away heart issues and stuff man understanding that You know, is this from the lord or is this just me being upset one? One big thing when we were teaching these guys was um, we had a lot of rules and stipulations and stuff And you know because you’re dealing with people coming out, you know trying to get their lives back on track But we would have our staff meetings and I would I would call people out man. I’d be like look All right, because they have they would have a sheet and you could give them zeros and they would lose phone calls and stuff They act up they break any other rules, right? And you know, you’re spending a lot of time with these people and you know, someone’s going to get on your nerves, right? But I I called a couple of the leaders that I said Are you disciplining these guys? Uh because they’re breaking the rules or because they’re getting on your nerves and i’m like and because you know Abide by the rules, but don’t do it. If you know if it’s just getting on your nerves understand that you know Not every you’re not the same as them, you know, not everybody’s going to be like you and uh Especially these guys, you know coming out of addiction and so that was very important. I mean, dude, you could crush a guy I mean I had a guy that was in there man, and he was graduating tuesday Uh got in trouble on sunday. He’s just been there for a whole year graduate was graduating on tuesday We found out he was stealing money on sunday and so monday, uh He left And died the next day in a hotel room down the street from the center overdose These are people’s lives and And even in this room right now, these are we this is our lives Um, and one thing my leader told me at a when I was a young pup in that ministry I was all offended man. I was like man. This is crap. I’m about to leave and he said look man I don’t care about your feelings. I care about your soul And and I was like, dude, I can’t stand you right now But you’re right and Because I started talking about the ministry and stuff like that spreading discord and talking about the church and then it was like But then the lord checked and he’s like you need sons I need you to be quiet and stop talking about things and start edifying and building up my body, right? Because the church is the bride of christ, right? And when we start talking about the church, um, imagine someone talking about your wife What are you gonna do? You know, someone says something about britney, you know, i’m I wake up and choose violence some days, you know Uh my wife, you know, I don’t even let her own kids talk back to her Imagine how god feels when we start talking about the church You know or you know imagine that Being unified man and imagine the the power Not even imagine this can happen man We can manifest this the power man the move of god that can happen if we just stay unified With each other man and can build this church up and to be on mission with jesus man and stop, you know Barking against each other and stuff like that man. I mean, uh and just working together on everything man If there’s a problem take it to god man, take it to the lord, you know There’s and of course, you know, we know what the scripture says take it to our brother if it’s that serious but if it’s like minor things man start taking it to god man and What covering the blood over that thing man and just put it aside man and let’s work together And you know and encounter this move of god I believe that you know god has a a huge purpose man for this church Uh and not even for this just all the churches man. We could all work together and do things You know, we may not just may not agree on a lot of things. I understand that but man if there’s if their souls getting saved I’m about it. You know, that’s we need to be about it and be part of it man uh, you know, and I mean how’s How’s a visitor gonna feel when they visit, you know, and and nobody’s happy or something, you know, everybody’s upset or everybody’s complaining about something, you know, uh I always relate a lot of stuff to the ministry housing because I was in it for four years doing a lot of things Uh, one of our mottos was the most important person in the room was the newest guy That means the highest up person that means that means tim you’re the least important person No, I mean, yeah, you gotta understand. Yeah, the most important people is the newest person, you know They have to encounter that love and that unity. They have to see all of us working together, man And and they you know, that’s gonna draw them in and want to be part of that Nobody wants to be part of something, you know something that’s just crumbling and people are arguing and nobody likes each other Rolls their eyes and stuff like that man Who cares what the music’s like who cares what all that stuff is man is are there is are people getting saved? That’s all that matters man and is god here I believe he is I feel him here every time I walk in here man I don’t know where i’m at the time, but I have a in conclusion. I have a verse here for you Is everybody on board with this? I I mean i’m excited about it I think that you know, I really feel that unity is is very important, man Man Acts chapter or acts chapter 133 Or i’m, sorry psalms 133. We’re gonna we’re gonna read the whole chapter. It’s a very it’s like one verse I’m gonna read the whole chapter. We’re gonna read the whole book of acts or psalms psalms 133 in conclusion, man, this is this is I feel you know god’s heartbeat about When the church when we all own us as men everybody works in unity in unison and you know Builds each other and gets this thing together Verse one how wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that is poured that was poured over Aaron’s head That ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe Harmony is a is as refreshing as the dew from mount herman that falls On the mountains of zion at the mountains of zion and they’re there the lord has pronounced his blessing even life everlasting Amen, and that’s all I got. I hope we’re good on time Amen Amen praise the lord that is so real. Amen Unity and starts it starts in your own individual integrity. I like that So unity starts with your relationship with the lord Your spouse if you’ve got one And and then the unity comes in your church So we need unity unity’s powerful and we do need unity in our church And one thing the lord spoke to me about in the last couple years is a lot of times when I think i’m just sharing my opinions It’s like you said I just really need to be quiet Because a lot of times our opinions That we think are harmless It the enemy ends up using And it comes across to other people as disgruntlement As you’re just upset And then and then worse we can even turn our opinions into well This is what I think god is doing when it’s not what god is doing. It’s just your disgruntlement Lord, help me lord. Help me Lord, thank you for this day. Thank you for each man. That’s been here today. We just pray Uh for a great day ahead. Thank you for the beautiful weather Lord, we just pray that whether men are now going to work or rest or spend time with family That you would go with us Let let this word from from you that has come through manny lord. Just percolate in our hearts Let it grow in our hearts lord god do the work in each man’s heart that needs to be done in jesus name. Amen Amen, god bless you. Let’s give manny a hand again. Thanks manny And thanks to everybody that did the cooking Really really appreciated the good food and have a great day today guys