Guest Pastor Keenen Worrell
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(00:02) foreign [Music] I appreciate the opportunity thank you to uh pastor and Miss Amy for allowing me to be here uh First Service uh those announcements didn't play so I did not hear uh Pastor Dean uh disrespect my Atlanta Falcons ah Hallelujah but we in his house so I'ma keep it copacetic uh uh thank you so much for allowing me to be here um as Pastor Dean said our pastor in Woodland California at Limitless church I did want to take a second uh and just
(01:05) to say thank you thank you Real Life Church um about two years ago I had the privilege to come up here um and let you guys know the division that God had placed on myself and my wife's heart about planting Limitless church and I talked to you about what we wanted got to see God do and all of the things and you guys gave generously as part of your Kingdom Builders initiative and I just wanted to take a second just to say thank you thank you so much for giving and because of your giving we have gone from being in a Performing
(01:37) Arts Center on a Sunday uh and then on a Saturday to purchasing our own building and now we have two services on Sunday morning thank you well I am ready to get started I know that you've been in a series called God at work and so I'm excited to get in and let's dive in um and let's get this party started heavenly father thank you for your word God thank you for the opportunity to be in a house Scott where we can hear from you we know that your word is already anointed so we ask that you would anoint
(02:17) our ears so that we might be able to hear clearly what you're saying we ask that you would anoint our hearts so that we might be able to receive what you're saying to each and every one of us today God speak to us and hide this word in our hearts God not only what's being said across the pulpit God but what are you saying individually to each and every one of us today this is your house have your way in Jesus name amen amen uh my beautiful wife is not here she is um headed over to our church uh she got kids ministry duty this morning
(02:58) um but I have been married to that beautiful woman for 10 years next week uh celebrating 10 years and uh we have two beautiful boys uh two and five Cadence and Caius um Cadence is uh uh y'all pray for me uh but the baby uh the baby as well amen all right let's get this started so uh as I said born and raised in Atlanta Georgia um one of my uh Favorite Things uh was when I got hired uh at a hotel um called The W Hotel um I loved working at this job and so uh uh there's a great story I like to tell
(03:39) about uh how I actually came to uh start this job so I went to an interview um I went to an interview and put in this application I had just gotten promoted uh from my last job and uh was in search of another job and I heard about this job opening up and I went in and I did you know my best in the interview and they said we really like you you're hired and they said okay well what you're going to have to do is um in about a week's time we're gonna have our our opening uh opening of the hotel because the hotel had not opened yet
(04:14) they said we're gonna have the opening of the hotel you're gonna be on the first day we want you to meet us in the parking lot uh next door where there was a mall next door we want you to meet us in the parking lot of the mall initially I thought this was like some kind of practical joke uh but I was like okay well I'll meet you there they told us what time to be there they told us to dress nicely so I did um I got there when I got there that morning uh all of the other employees were there and we're dressed in our best
(04:42) and we're side we don't know what's happening we don't know why you know we're not you know at our job clocking in doing what we're doing but everyone is there we're all dressed nicely and our general manager comes out her name is Mary Louise fitzgib and we call her ml so ml walks out and when she walks out into the parking lot she has this long uh wedding-esque dress on she has these pumps on and she has this uh Sparkle megaphone microphone if you will and she walks out and we're there it's a
(05:12) little chilly so we're all huddled together and that's probably I don't know maybe two to three hundred of us and so she gets on the megaphone she says is anybody excited about their first day of work and we're like yeah we're excited to go inside we're excited um and she's like well we can't do we're opening up the W Hotel in Buckhead and we're not just going to open it up any regular way and our employees are just regular employees so we have something for you and we're like great we hope
(05:40) it's a paycheck uh but it wasn't a limousine or several it was about 10 or 15 limousines begin to enter the parking lot and they had a limousine for every Department to drive to our uh Hotel not only that but this was one of the busiest streets it's called Peach Street it's one of the busiest streets in Atlanta Georgia during a a prime time we got a police escort from the uh from the mall to the hotel not only that when we got to the hotel there is Paparazzi in front of the hotel and they have
(06:20) cameras and there's newscasters there there are people and we get out and they're asking us questions how do you feel to open up the W Hotel this hotel is going to be big for the city there's going to be all kind of famous people here how do you feel to work at the hotel we're like yeah no pictures thank you thank you thank you like like we know what's going on like thank you and I remember pulling in in the limousine I had this thought like I think they think we're someone else I I think they think we're famous and so
(06:46) we get out and they're asking us these questions and we walk in and everybody's like taking pictures and they have like this backdrop with these models and we're taking pictures with the models and and they have these uh hors d'oeuvres on these passes they're handing out all the employees the hors d'oeuvres and they have apple cider Hallelujah apple cider and they're handing out the apple cider and we're we're just like you know excited about what's happening we have no idea what's
(07:09) going on and so they give us sandwiches after a while and we they introduce us to our manager and we're all in the lobby of this hotel then they ask everybody to go into a room similar to this just like this and there's tables and and where we go inside and then this music starts pumping really loud and and we start you know getting excited and people are dancing or whatever and as the music plays then all of a sudden Music Stops the Music Stops and ml quietly walks on the stage in her long dress and she goes
(07:41) to the middle she pulls out her microphone she says and by this time all of this stuff has happened we are insane we're losing our minds we love this job 's job yeah yeah so everybody's excited they all stop and she just looks she looks and it gets quiet and she's like how do you guys feel right now she's like we're like we feel wonderful she says good because that's exactly how I want you to feel as excuse me she says that's exactly how I want you to make each individual feel when they check into this hotel
(08:23) she says over the next two weeks she says we did all of that so that you could have this moment so that you can make sure that every person that checks in has this moment and she says over the next two weeks you will be equipped and empowered representatives of the W Buckhead we're going to teach you we're going to train you we're going to give you everything you know so that you can be equipped empowered representatives of the W Buckhead and Pastor Keenan outside of you know your ability to tell stories
(08:56) why did you tell us that it's a great question because today I want to give you some reminders and the first reminder is this you are an equip empowered representative of Jesus do not forget this please know this you are a equipped empowered representative of Jesus first uh Peter chapter 4 says this as each of you have received a gift use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied Grace whoever speaks as one who speaks the Oracle of God whoever serves as one who serves by the strength that God supplies in order
(09:39) in everything that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ to him belong to glory and Dominion forever and ever amen first Peter 2 one of my favorite scriptures first Peter 2 uh verse 9. it says but you are a chosen race a royal priesthood a consecrated Nation a special people for God's Own possession so that you may proclaim the excellencies the wonderful deeds and virtues and Perfections of him who called you out of Darkness Into The Marvelous Light Peter here in the scriptures gives us two distinct titles that I don't want to
(10:26) pass up he's called us stewards in First Peter 4. stewards of God's grace first Peter 2 he called us a royal priesthood both of these terms call us as representatives of God as a steward we are called to take care of that which has been entrusted to us as a royal priesthood as a priest as a intermediary or go between we are here to represent the values of the king and those values are most notably represented in our work see we are called to be empowered equipped visible representations of Jesus everywhere you go but especially
(11:18) at your job how are we equipped if we're equipped and empowered then how do we become equipped we have been and continue to be equipped with our time spent in the word here is where you're equipping happens in your personal time and your time spent in community may be in your small group in your time spent in church the word of God continually equips us to be better representatives of Jesus here on this Earth second Timothy chapter three second Timothy chapter 3 verse 16.
(12:08) says all scripture is God breathed it's given by divine inspiration and it's profitable for instruction for conviction of sin for correction of error and restoration to obedience for training and righteousness or learning to live in Conformity to God's will both publicly and privately behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral Courage the reason that God has given us his word is to equip us when we spend time in the word what we're seeing is what God's desire is for us we're seeing the character of Jesus
(12:55) we're seeing it through Jesus but not just through Jesus Through the apostles through the prophets we're seeing it we're learning why patience why love why Grace and wisdom are important all of these things are revealed to us through his word we do that so that when we encounter these things in life when we encounter them at work we already know what's going on and we already know how to respond because we are equipped however however this only applies when you're actually willing to pick up the word of God and
(13:43) read it and apply it to your life the word of God doesn't work by osmosis you can't just sit it there and it just starts soaking into you right just because it sits on your stand doesn't mean it's in your life just because it sits in your car doesn't mean it's in your life you can only be equipped in public when you've been doing what's necessary to be equipped in private this is how you become equipped how are we empowered we are equipped empowered visible representatives of
(14:17) Jesus how are we empowered well as Believers we have help or a helper to partner with us we have what I like to call a a quality control manager if you will someone who's there to make sure that the the quality is what it needs to be as we are Representatives John chapter uh uh 14 verse 16 shows us that uh uh he continues to empower us through the help of the Holy Spirit he says uh I will ask the father and he will give you another helper he says imma give you a comforter an advocate an intercessor a counselor a
(15:09) strengthener a standby to be with you forever to be with you when you at work to be with you when you're dealing with them kids Hallelujah to be with you wherever you go to be with you forever listen when we encounter difficulty at work when we encounter difficulty with co-workers or a boss rather than fly off the handle and tell them what they really need to hear give him a piece of your mind we have a helper right we have a helper Hallelujah we have a comforter that says you know what you don't need to go off
(15:49) just calm down it's good you remember who you are remember what you're here to represent we have a strengthener in those moments where we weak where you feel like you're about to just know that we gotta we gotta strengthen her right strengthen me Jesus in this moment because I'm about to go off we have a strengthener to assist us why so that we can continue to uphold the values of the king so that we can continue to be the representatives why because that is our real job see this thing this thing that you do
(16:25) that's an assignment that's a place that you've been placed to be a representative but your job is to be a representative of him that is your job that is what he puts you here for he puts you here so that you can show him to the world not just clock in and clock out or do whatever it is that your job is he says your job is to be a representative when you're at work and you always got that person that just keep running their mouth why is my name always it must taste good why is my name in your mouth
(17:01) do me a favor shut it please why are you worried about what I'm doing why do you need to go tell somebody else what I'm doing why are you worried when we encounter that person or those people at the job that's why we have the helper that's why he says he calls it he calls on what an advocate guess what guys you don't have to defend yourself I know you want to oh I ain't gonna let nobody step on me I ain't gonna let nobody talk about me like that you ain't gonna run my name through the mud guess
(17:33) what that ain't your job you have a helper that is an advocate that will advocate for you and guess what baby he gonna do a better job than you will he's an advocate we have that there for us we have a counselor that says hey you know who you are you know what you've been doing you know how you've been handling calm down and let me do what I need to do we have a helper a counselor an advocate that will guide us in wisdom and discernment so that we can continue to be accurate representatives of Jesus
(18:08) Christ and his kingdom when people encounter us at work they should encounter Jesus that's what equipped and empowered representatives of Jesus do listen this world is full of inaccurate representatives of Jesus we should try our best not to be one I can't tell you how many times as a pastor I've had conversations with people and brought up Jesus brought up Faith brought up the church and they say you know what I don't want nothing to do with the church I don't want nothing to do with Christianity I don't want nothing to do
(18:48) with faith and 99.99 of times that you ask them why it has something to do with an encounter that they had with somebody who was not an accurate representative of Jesus we have to change that it is our job to change that and we have been equipped and empowered to do it this is my first point my second point is this piggybacking off of Pastor Dean from last week not only does our work matter to God but God matters to our work God matters to our work Pastor Dean last week talked about this it matters to God our work matters to God because by it
(19:41) you are being a light and you are showing his love to the world and you are letting his gifts come to them well what gives Pastor Keenan remember in the first scripture we went we talked about he says first Peter 4 he says as each of you have received a gift use it to serve one another I know you thought your gift was for you you thought your gift was for you you thought you could you know you was just cute just because God wanted to make you cute right you had great communication skills because God just wanted to make
(20:12) sure you knew how to talk no those gifts that God has given you aren't for you those gifts are God giving you those gifts to use those so he can show his love to the world that's what those gifts are for it matters uh it matters to God our work matters to God but not only does our work matter to God God matters to your work um have you ever worked somewhere and knew somebody who hated the boss or the company that they work for don't move not you we talk about somebody else right now don't not now but somebody
(20:46) else somebody else who just hated their job hated the boss hated the company that they work for and you'd be like why did you even come to work I don't understand why you even why did you clock in and the person most notably you'll see um outside of their conversation and talking about uh how much they don't like their job and how much they don't like the boss it's most notably seen in the way that they do their work it's most notably seen in the way that they do their work if they believe that
(21:19) their boss was only to there to collect a check if they believed that the boss didn't care about them or or the way uh the boss just felt like he was just there just to micromanage it showed in the way that they performed their job it showed in the way that they interacted with others shows I watched this a thing with my wife uh called Undercover Boss anybody saying Undercover Boss right uh and uh if you don't know what the boss is there's a show where these bosses get uh horrible makeup um I don't know how people don't know
(21:54) it's makeup but uh uh they had this makeup on and they go into the places that they own and they have a chance to work with their employees usually it's a guy who has a big company he's way up here and he comes down here and he works with the people and there's always two people on Undercover Boss one is the person who's like just doing a great job it has a big struggle in their life I don't know how they find these people but they have a you know they they just they just have the biggest struggle like like homeless they
(22:23) they you know they're doing all these kind of things and they're working and then it's the other person then it's the other person who is loud who has an attitude who don't like nobody and they say the wrong things to the poorly uh makeup boss every time but you see this and you see this and you can tell by the way that they talk to people about the way that they work how they feel about their company how they feel about their their their their their their job listen God matters to your work because your view or your
(22:57) perception of God and your relationship with God will shape and affect your motivation it will shape and affect the way that you deal with people it will shape and affect the very way that you do your work if you believe God loves you and God's going to take care of you it will show in your work if you believe that God wants to be an active part of your life not just on Sundays when you hear it's going to show in your work if you believe that he has a plan for every part and every decision in your life it's going to show in the
(23:33) way that you work it's gonna show when I worked at the W I put my uniform on I make sure my suit was pressed and fresh every day I went in and make sure that my tie was right why because I knew that it wasn't just about me going to work I knew it wasn't just about me showing up there was more to it than me getting a paycheck not only does our work matter to God but God matters to your work you know you know I said well you know Hallelujah we go to work and you might do something you might be rushing
(24:10) through it and you hear the Holy Spirit be like you know you got to do that over right you you know you didn't do that right you know you got to finish that right you know you can't you can't put that out like that go take that back and go it's something on the floor you know you got to pick that up right Lord this ain't even my place this day place did all right I'm gonna pick it up why Proverbs 3 says Listen for God's voice in everything you do everywhere you go he is the one who will
(24:50) keep you on track the helper the helper that you have not only does our work matter to God God matters to our work and and everything we do we should be listening for the voice of God to guide us and to direct us because God matters to our work because of my view of God because of our relationship with God we should look at what we do with a Heavenly perspective and not a worldly one here is our mindset this is what our mindset should be someone has an opportunity to encounter the love of God simply by my work
(25:32) this has to be your mentality I don't care how you feel in how you feel about the boss how you feel about the job how you feel about what position you at maybe you should have got the whatever whatever here you are someone has an opportunity to encounter the love of God simply by my work whether it is your presence whether it is excellence in the way that you work or the actual work that you do we work in excellence not because we want a a client or a boss to be pleased but because we are representatives of God
(26:06) and we want God to be pleased our motivation not to do a half job but to do an incomplete job is because we answer to someone higher than our boss and his name is written on everything that we do his name is written and here's the last thing we must understand the possible Eternal implications of our actions and our representation there are Eternal implications on your actions and your representation people are looking for a reason to be like oh see that's why I'll go to church right there oh looking for a reason that's why I don't
(26:58) like church people right there you ain't said nothing about church up to we've worked together 10 years you ain't never said nothing about church but in this moment why because it has Eternal implications because someone will see you in the moment when you was you was gonna pop off and you didn't and it'll say why why didn't you and you got them right there oh why didn't you pop off why do you show up on time why do you stay late when when necessary why do you make sure you go over your work three and four times
(27:32) why do you do that oh I'm so glad you asked I'm so glad you asked and that person now has a touch point of Jesus now they have an opportunity that could change the very course of their life simply because you decided to be an equipped and empowered visible representation of Jesus Theologian once said I work these jobs are the mask God uses to remain concealed but yet do all things second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 20 puts it like this I love it he says so we are ambassadors for Christ as though God was making his appeal
(28:22) through us we as Christ Representatives plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God listen God desires to show himself to all people and make no mistake that one of the ways that he might be doing that is through your work don't think for a second the work that you do no matter what it is is insignificant I'll work the way that we work our attitude our Excellence all of it ministers every single bit of it ministers our peace in the midst of foolishness our courage in the midst of uncertainty
(29:17) our god-given ideas abilities to solve problems and to feel needs through business this is God at work this world is being shown the face of God and the love of God through your server too through your Innovation Through Your Excellence through your care through your provision we operate in excellence in our work when we do that it loves our neighbor it images God and it glorifies God this is bigger than a paycheck this is bigger than an idea of what you wanted to be when you grow up this is bigger than than you just going
(30:06) in and and trying to climb the corporate ladder lives are on the line eternities are on the line to remember who you are to all this is interest is treats but you need to remember who you are greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world remember who you are you are an equipped empowered representative of Jesus anything that you face guess what you've already been equipped anything that you face guess what you've already been empowered and when you need help call on the helper that's what he's there for
(30:58) sometimes we get into stuff because we decide to try to handle it on our own or we want to move in our own flesh we want to move in our own emotions let me tell you something if I got help I'ma take all the help I can get I'm going to call on the helper to assist me because I realize the weight of what I do you think he waking you up for nothing he gave you the Breath of Life just he did that for you and there's a purpose behind it let's not look and significantly at that he didn't wake you up so you can get
(31:44) them kids together send them off to school fight through traffic spend eight hours a day upset stressed worried come home take care of the kids again go to sleep and do it all over again no there is an eternal impact on what you do that's whether you work at a job whether you are retired whether you stay at home all of it is work all of it and all of it is an opportunity for someone to encounter the love of God all of it is an opportunity he's uh the scripture he said he says as if God were making his appeal through us
(32:30) plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled with God that is our life God is pleading with that person who who's been away from him God is pleading with that person who who's struggling with anxiety and depression is pleading through you he's pleading with that person who who can't seem to get it together and has lost all hope he's pleading through you the question is will you show up will you be the representative that he's called you to be your work matters to God but God matters
(33:09) to your work remember who you really working for who you're really working for and what's at stake and I want to close same way past the clothes last week Matthew chapter 5 verse 14. you are the light of Christ to the world a city set on a hill cannot be hidden nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket but they put it on a lamp stand and it gives light to all who are at your job I mean in your house let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds they may see you getting to work on time
(34:05) they may see you holding your peace they may see you working in excellence they may see you going and coming and with a smile on your face that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence and get this and recognize and honor and glorify your father who is in heaven they recognize God through you they honor God through you and God gets the glory amen heavenly father I thank you for your word today I believe that you have spoken to your people today God you have charged us and you have challenged us today thank you for reminding us who we are
(35:01) that we are empowered and equip visible representatives of you thank you Jesus God I pray that this week you would hide this word in our hearts God there will be opportunities for us to be inaccurate Representatives but today we we we choose to hear what you're saying thank you for equipping us and empowering Us in Jesus name amen amen Hallelujah Hallelujah am I closing if you're here today and you said pastor I heard everything you said today and I realized I got a better job to do I realize that I may not have been being
(35:59) the representative that God has called me to do in some ways I may even have been an inaccurate representation of Jesus but today I want to make a commitment I want to make a decision to continue to be everything that God called me to be today I want to make a decision to be an accurate visible representation of Jesus at my work if you heard that message today and you say today I want to make that decision would you raise your hand I just want to pray with you not going to make it big I see those hands I just
(36:34) want to pray with you amen responding to this message Hallelujah let's pray Heavenly Father God I pray for every person that raised their hand today God they heard your word and today they are making a decision to be exactly what you've called them to be equipped and empowered representatives of you on their jobs at their work everywhere that you've called them to and so today God I asked uh that not only would you hear them but would you continue to remind them and and and and equip them with their helper God turn
(37:17) the volume up on the holy spirit this week for them God that when the opportunities are presented they could recognize it and they could know how to respond as they walk this journey of being an equipped and empowered representative of you I thank you for it and we cannot wait to hear the testimonies as a result of it we thank you for it in Jesus name amen thank you again for joining us we pray that message ministered to your heart and lifted your spirit today hey to find out more about joining the RLC online
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