A short YouTube video (Pastor Appreciation Month) in which Holly Furtick interviews church staff at their offices about their favorite 2021 sermons from Pastor Steven. Staff name specific messages (examples: "The Other Hand" about Moses' staff, "Built Different", "Beta/January Beta Blessings", "Same Devil's New Levels", and "Timing Your Testimony" referencing the Shunammite woman) and describe how those sermons affected their faith, patience, and perspective. The video closes with Holly encouraging viewers to comment their favorite Pastor Steven messages, like, and subscribe.
Chapters
Well, it is Pastor Appreciation Month, and we all know that I appreciate our pastor, Pastor Steven, more than anyone. I get to see every single week the energy and the effort and the devotion that he puts into the messages that he brings to us every single week. And I'm telling you, if you've never preached a sermon before, it is not an easy thing to do. Although Pastor Stephen makes it look so easy. So in order to appreciate our pastor, I thought, I'm at our offices. Why don't I go around, ask our staff members what was their favorite message that God spoke to them through Pastor Stephen this year in 2021. Let's go see what they have to say. I want to know what is one thing that Pastor Steven spoke this year that really spoke to you?
It would have to be the other hand. The main takeaway for the sermon for me was about how Mose God told Moses that he was going to use the part of him that he was ashamed of and that he thought represented his worst mistakes to actually accomplish God's miracle.
You understand that when God wanted to show Moses who he was and what he could do, he points to something that is in his hand that is a symbol of the mistake he made that landed him in this place. Watch this. Moses holding his staff. Remember, it was a snake a minute ago. Ah, it's a staff. Now it's going to part waters. Wow. Watch what God can do. He could change your greatest mistake into the instrument of your greatest miracle.
There was a sermon this year that pastor preached, and it was. It's always been in you. When I got into the sermon that Sunday and he preached that and talked about how there's things that God has deposited in you all along the way for where you're at now. I mean, I was. I was gone.
There are things that God desires to release through your life that will change the generations that will share your last name. So do not let what's on you kill what is in you.
I think it's so funny how he does that. You walk in, it's just a regular Sunday for you, and then all of a sudden, it's like everything he's saying is confirming everything you experienced that week. And I've heard so many people say things like that, and I'm even his wife. And he'll come in and he'll preach to me and be like, how did you know that was what I needed to hear?
My favorite one was built different. And he talked about how Peter was built different and how God will often use dysfunctional Things to build great things. And in this season of building the gassing campus, Gaston, stand up. Pastor Steven has definitely made deposits where we're building different, but we're embracing the difference.
January Beta blessings.
I want you to shift your mind this week and see things in your life that are in development and be able to say, it's not bad, it's in beta.
I know I can be very impatient sometimes, whether it's something at home or something here at work. And so when he said, hey, it's not bad, it's just in beta version and God is trying to get the bugs out of it, it was just so helpful and it kind of gave me like, okay, just stay in it. Don't give up on it yet.
I wonder, has God left some of the things in our life in a holding pattern or brought us into spaces where we're not getting what we're praying for or it's not happening as fast as we want it to because maybe he wants to get the bugs out. So I'm praying a prayer over my life this week. God, get the bugs out.
Same Devil's new levels. One of my favorite all year because he talked all about strategy and how we need to stop using old strategies to fight new battles. He said, I think you can't fight grown up battles with teenage tactics. And that's the thing. It's stuck with me all year long. It's helping me in every situation I get in. Same devils new levels.
Can we just talk about what is it there for?
The power of There for when you find out not only what has been tormenting you, but what is it there for Some things only God can show you what it's there for. Only God can show you why. Why he gave you that gift.
Coming from him, I was like, that's what I need. I needed you to tell me that. Like, I needed you to say that because I felt like I was crazy that I am asking these questions and I don't know why. It's like it was this spiritual authority from Pastor. I was like, that's why. That's why I'm here in those moments was like I needed. I needed to hear that.
And don't you think it's amazing how he's able to speak to people of all ages and all stages of life. And I mean, that just always blows my mind that it doesn't matter how old you are or what you're going through, God always just seems to speak straight through him. It's amazing. And I know it's God. Yeah, I know it's God.
So thank you, Pastor Steven. That really changed my life and helped change my mentality.
Love you. Appreciate you. Not just your messages, but your song lyrics and your music. It inspires, but it also encourages in a way that I don't think that you completely could understand. But it really does speak to all of us in a very special way.
Thank you, Amy. Thank you.
I love you.
Thank you.
I wouldn't be where I'm at without you.
Thank you for being a good role model going first.
It's an honor to be doing ministry for you. For you, Pastor Steven. My family, we love this ministry so much.
Thank you so much for always boldly preaching the word of God.
Pastor, I love you so much. You know that. Thank you so much for all the obvious and less obvious ways that you've taught me so many things. I really can't express to you how thankful I am, how grateful I am for all the ways you've affected my life in big and small. So thank you. I love you so much.
That was so much fun. I loved hearing how our staff has been impacted by Pastor Stephen and his messages this year. And I know that you have, too. I can't believe that nobody mentioned timing your testimony. That was one of my absolute favorite messages of the year. It was the one that Pastor Steven preached about, the Shunammite woman. But he didn't do the part of the Shunammite woman story that I already knew. He took her a couple chapters later and he talked about how God's timing is always to increase my trust in him. And that message really impacted me because I know if you're like me, you're always thinking, when is God going to show up? Why is this happening? Talked about how the famine wasn't her fault and then how her trust in God was increased. And I loved that message. So listen, if you've got a message that you loved from Pastor Steven, I want to hear from you. Make sure you leave a comment. I've got all of them listed here. I'm going to put it in the description and it'll trigger your memory. You can think back to all of the amazing sermons that you've heard this year. Put it in the comments and I can't wait to hear from you. Make sure you like this video if you liked it, and subscribe if you want to see more. And I hope you have a great day.
