Freedom Conference (2 of 4)

Mike Connell

Freedom Conference (2 of 4) You've got an issue. Your issue's unforgiveness. It's YOUR issue. You've got to deal with it and people - but that's not fair! So unfair! And so we say we have to forgive - that's unfair, you know, because we're locked in self-pity and locked in the issue of injustice. We're not willing to bring injustice to the cross and move on, so we've got a key to all freedom.
[Pastor Jurgen] Halleluiah, how many people come expecting ... [Whistles and applause] ... I'm telling you, I can feel it. We're going to sing that song again. We're going to pray in just a moment, but the reason that it's so important to engage your heart in worship and it just kind of came to me on the front row, there's a story in Mark, Chapter 5, of the man from Gadarenes and he had a legion of demons you know? Can be anywhere up to like 5,000 in a Roman legion, demons living in this man. The Bible says that night and day he lived amongst the tombs and he was cutting himself. If there's ever been an epidemic, anybody who's been involved in youth industry knows that there's been just an epidemic of people cutting themselves, a self-hatred thing. Kids blame themselves. Mum and dad got divorced, kids blame themselves for the divorce.

If maybe I was different. It's me, I'm the one - cutting themselves. Break up with boyfriends, girlfriends - cutting themselves. He cuts himself and he cries out night and day but it's amazing when you read this story what you see is the demons not only torment him but they isolate him. He's alone. He's disconnected and the Bible says that when Jesus comes near, it says Verse 6 and when he saw Jesus from afar he ran and worshipped him.

It's amazing. I took a photo of the worship just to put the words and post it on Instagram and felt the Holy Spirit say you know, worship always precedes breakthrough. ... [Applause] ... I'm like - well, you know - no, no, when Jesus comes He precedes - God says no, no, worship - listen, when you worship you're opening your spirit, you're opening your heart. You're actually created to worship God. You are created for connection, divine relationship, divine - like a divine two-way street of flow, correlation, entwined in, lost in worship with God and when you do that there's a purity, there's a beautiful spirit that flows between you and heaven and it cleanses. It delivers. It sets you up to have all the things that torment you, all the things that isolate you - just like the guy comes in. The first thing he does is worships. The next thing that happens is he gets delivered, so I want us to sing this song one more time.

I couldn't think of a greater song to sing guys, fantastic choice. You guys have done such an outstanding job ... [Applause] ... Every song has been fantastic. But you know Jesus moves in an atmosphere where he's worshipped. If you want to see Jesus move in great power, bring great worship. The next chapter, Mark, Chapter 6, Jesus delivers this guy - the very next chapter, Mark, Chapter 6, He comes to his hometown and He can't do any mighty miracles in His hometown, can't do any great works in His hometown because of their unbelief. So He walks into an atmosphere where people have got their arms folded and go yeah? Well we'll see what He's got and it shuts down His power.

Here the guy worships, gets completely set free. Can I just tell you, you know today we can look at Pastor Mike and Pastor Joy Connell, say well let's see what they can do today - but I'm telling you, it's Jesus who's the deliverer. ... [Applause] ... Jesus is the deliverer. As you lose your heart, as you engage with Jesus today, I'm telling you you can be delivered so come on, let's sing that again. Let's sing it from the top, I don't mind. Come on, let's sing it one more time, come on guys. ... [Music and song to 00.36.07]

Halleluiah, come on, one more time let's give Him a mighty hand of praise! A faith praise that what He's doing, what He's going to do, what He's about to do Oh Jesus! Deliverance! Freedom belongs to you, our great deliverer! We worship you today! Amen, amen, amen. Give someone a high five and just say get ready, get ready, get ready! ... [Get ready, get ready, get ready.] ... Fantastic. You may be seated.

A couple of really quick announcements. Tonight, 5pm is our normal Saturday evening service time. It is open to the public and it is going to be capacity, but the conference really is going to culminate tonight so you'll find that each of these meetings, the anointing will just kind of keep building and keep building and keep building so people that may not have made it here today, get on the blower. Let's bring them here tonight and the Holy Spirit, He is just wanting to move, He's wanting to break out.

I saw last night, it was just such a beautiful reminder why we need to be a word and Holy Spirit church ... [Applause] ... Like if you ever needed a kind of stark reminder - because what happens if you only preach the word - I'm all about the word of God. I love the word of God. God framed the universe with the word of God, the word of God holds everything together. Jesus healed them with the word. I'm all about the word of God - but you need to understand that the word and the spirit work together.