King of Glory, Fill This Place There is a deep invitation at the heart of the Christian life: not to try harder, but to surrender more. So many believers live with a performance mindset, assuming spiritual growth comes from doing more, striving more, and proving more. But the sermon’s central message is this: transformation does not come through self-effort. It comes through surrender. The degree to which we surrender to God is the degree to which we become obedient to Him. What if the path to becoming more like Christ is not trying harder to be better, but learning to surrender better? Worship Is Not Performance When the church sings, “King of glory, fill this place,” those words are not meant to be detached lyrics or religious routine. Worship is not karaoke. It is an invitation to turn our attention and affection toward God—to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And when we ask God to fill “this place,” we are not merely asking Him to visit a church building. We are asking Him to fill His people. God does not simply want to influence a moment. He wants to inhabit His people. He wants to be Lord over every area of life: how we live, how we love, how we think, how we relate, how we lead, and how we walk through the world. The prayer is not merely, “God, visit our gathering,” but “God, fill every part of me.” This means inviting God into the places we often hide—our insecurities, our doubts, our fears, our inadequacies, and our shame. Rather than covering ourselves like Adam and Eve behind fig leaves, we are called to stand honestly before the Lord and pray, “Search me, renew me, purify my heart.” If God only fills a sanctuary, people may leave unchanged. But if He fills a people, transformation follows. The Glory of God Is His Goodness The sermon draws us to Moses in the wilderness. Though Israel stood on the edge of promise, Moses refused to move without God’s presence. He was not content to chase outcomes while neglecting communion. He wanted God Himself. When Moses asked to see God’s glory, God answered by declaring that His goodness would pass before him. In that moment, God defined His glory through His goodness. So when we pray, “King of glory, fill this place,” we are asking the King of all goodness to fill us. This matters because it is the goodness of God that leads people to repentance. Repentance is more than behavior modification; it is a change of mind. Real transformation happens as our minds are renewed by a revelation of who God truly is. Many believers remain trapped in cycles because they are trying to produce fruit apart from abiding in God’s presence. They want promise without presence, purpose without intimacy, and advancement without abiding. But fruit grows where there is communion. As Jesus taught, abiding comes first; fruit follows. Let Him Fill Every Room One of the sermon’s most vivid pictures is that of the temple. The temple had many rooms, and in the same way, the human heart has many compartments. It is possible to let God occupy one room while withholding another. Some reserve rooms for comfort. Others keep rooms locked by fear, shame, guilt, or self-protection. Still others hold back areas of ambition, identity, relationships, or pain. But partial surrender cannot produce full kingdom fruit. The call is to let the King of glory fill every room. This is not about emotional hype or religious activity. It is not about attending church in search of goosebumps and then returning home unchanged. It is about becoming a people who are so filled with God’s goodness that every hidden space is brought under His rule. Freedom From Performance The sermon returns repeatedly to this freeing truth: the Christian life is not “do more,” but “surrender more.” Many people are exhausted from trying to become holy through effort. But the gospel reveals that identity is received before it is expressed. In Christ, believers are made new. They are not defined by the flesh, but by the Spirit. They are not merely broken people trying to act righteous; they are new creations learning to live from what God has already done. That is why trying harder often fails. Self-effort cannot produce the life of the Spirit. Only surrender can. This does not mean works are irrelevant. Faith without works is dead. But empty works—works disconnected from trust, surrender, and dependence on God—bear no lasting fruit. The issue is not action itself, but action rooted in self rather than in abiding. Repentance Begins With Seeing Jesus Rightly If repentance feels difficult, the sermon suggests it may be because we have not fully seen the goodness of God. Faith is the response that flows from seeing Jesus rightly. When a person truly sees His goodness, His trustworthiness, and His perfect character, surrender becomes possible. God is not manipulative. He does not act out of lack or insecurity. He is complete in Himself. Everything He does is for our good and for our restoration into the people He created us to be. This is why the revelation of God’s goodness changes everything. It breaks the lie that we must earn His love. It frees us from the treadmill of performance. It teaches us that transformation begins not with striving, but with trusting. From Orphans to Sons and Daughters A major theme of the sermon is that Jesus came not only to save, but to reveal the Father. The disciples noticed something in Jesus that they wanted to learn. They did not first ask Him how to heal, preach, or build influence. They asked Him, “Teach us to pray.” Why? Because they saw that everything in Jesus’ life flowed from His relationship with the Father. And when Jesus taught them to pray, He began with these words: “Our Father.” That opening would have been revolutionary. Jesus was not only speaking of His Father—He was inviting His followers to know God as their Father too. This is essential to the Christian life. We cannot live in the fullness of the kingdom until we know we are sons and daughters. The Father’s affirmation over Jesus—“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”—reveals something foundational. Identity as a beloved child is not a side theme of the gospel. It is central. Children who know the Father’s embrace come back to Him, even when they fail. They are not fueled by fear, but by love. And the more they experience His embrace, the more they desire to honor Him. Grace is never permission to remain in sin. It is the power by which we are set free from it. Surrender Brings Wholeness The call of this sermon is comprehensive: give every room, every thought, every dream, every fear, every ambition to God. Let Him be King over all. This means surrendering not only obvious sins, but also personal agendas, anxieties, plans, and false identities. It means laying down the need to control outcomes. It means giving up the illusion that we are our own rulers. We do not make Jesus King by surrendering. He is already King. Surrender simply aligns us with what is already true. And when that happens, our lives begin to change. We think differently. We love differently. We walk with more humility, courage, compassion, and clarity. We stop compartmentalizing faith from the rest of life. Everything becomes holy because everything is lived with Him. A People Filled With His Glory The sermon ends with a vision for the church: a people who are no longer marked by casual Christianity, routine religion, or outward activity without inward intimacy. Instead, God is calling His people to live as sons and daughters—filled with His presence, transformed by His goodness, and surrendered to His rule. This kind of life is anything but boring. It is bold, radiant, and deeply meaningful. It changes how we see ourselves and how we see others. We begin to recognize every person as someone made for the love of the Father. We become carriers of God’s light in a dark world. The prayer remains simple and profound: King of glory, fill this place. Fill every room of my heart. Fill every part of my life. Be King over it all. And in that surrender, true transformation begins. Scriptures Referenced(ESV) Genesis 3:7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. Genesis 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Exodus 33:18 Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” Exodus 33:19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. Exodus 33:22–23 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” Romans 2:4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? John 15:4–5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. James 2:17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Genesis 25:26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. Genesis 32:28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. Romans 6:4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Genesis 1:26–27 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 1 Corinthians 2:16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Matthew 16:16–17 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Luke 23:34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Luke 11:1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” Matthew 3:17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 17:5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Luke 11:2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.” Matthew 6:9–10 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Numbers 23:19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Revelation 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Genesis 16:1–2 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. Revelation 19:16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Acts 5:15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. Matthew 5:15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Matthew 28:19–20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Implicit References These were not quoted as directly, but appear strongly echoed: 1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 2 Chronicles 7:16 For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that my name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. Psalm 139:23–24 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! John 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? John 5:19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. Matthew 11:28–29 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Discover the meaning of Pentecost Sunday from Acts 2. Learn how God’s people wait on Him, receive the Holy Spirit, and are empowered for His mission.

The world may try to shape you, rename you, and pressure you—but if you know who you are in God and have resolved to honor Him, you can move through every transition with courage, clarity, and purpose.

A Launch Sunday reflection on Ezekiel 47 — God is still releasing rivers of restoration. Discover what it means to step into His flow and become carriers of His presence.

Palm Sunday: A King, A Process, and a Moment That Matters Palm Sunday is often celebrated as a moment of victory—Jesus entering Jerusalem to the praise of the crowds. But beneath the surface, it is far more than a symbolic parade. It is a prophetic announcement of kingship and a powerful reminder that God’s kingdom unfolds through process, not instant takeover . The people expected a political revolution. Jesus revealed a spiritual one. A King Who Comes Through Process Before this moment, Jesus shares a parable about a nobleman who leaves to receive a kingdom and entrusts responsibilities to his servants (see Gospel of Luke 19). This context matters. The message is clear: Authority is preceded by stewardship. Promotion is preceded by testing. Palm Sunday is not the culmination—it is the beginning of a decisive process that leads to the cross, the resurrection, and ultimately, the full revelation of Christ’s kingdom. The Pressing Produces the Oil In Scripture, oil represents anointing, purpose, and character. But oil doesn’t come without pressure. There is no oil without pressing. We often want the outcome without the process, the calling without the crushing—but spiritual maturity cannot be microwaved. It is formed. Pressure does two things: It produces character It reveals what’s inside us If we avoid the pressing, we forfeit the depth God is trying to develop in us. Surrender Determines the Outcome Process requires surrender. What you refuse to surrender in the process, you will forfeit in the outcome. God is not just trying to get something to you—He is trying to form something in you. Every test is an invitation to trust Him more deeply. Obedience Unlocks the Impossible When Jesus instructed His disciples to go and retrieve a colt, it likely didn’t make logical sense. Yet they obeyed—and everything unfolded exactly as He said. Obedience to God’s Word carries you where strategy cannot. You don’t need full understanding to move forward—you need trust. Don’t renegotiate what God has already spoken Don’t delay what God has already revealed His Word is enough. What’s in Your Hand Is Enough God often begins with what we already have. A colt. A few disciples. A simple act of obedience. When surrendered, the ordinary becomes powerful. Stop waiting for more. Start surrendering what’s already in your hands. Stewardship Leads to Increase The parable reminds us: what we’ve been given is not meant to be buried—it’s meant to be multiplied. Your gifts Your time Your influence Your opportunities Faithfulness with little leads to authority over much. But withholding leads to stagnation—and even loss. Don’t Miss Your Moment As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowds celebrate—but the city itself does not fully recognize Him. And He weeps. This moment is deeply sobering. You can be close to what God is doing and still miss it. Some breakthroughs are tied to recognizing your moment of visitation. Discern the season Respond with urgency Don’t delay obedience Missed moments can mean missed opportunities. Pressure Reveals and Refines Every trial reveals something: Deficits that need healing Growth that has already taken place Pressure is not your enemy—it’s your mirror. And in God’s hands, it becomes your tool for transformation. When You Don’t Know What to Do If you find yourself in uncertainty, here’s the anchor: Go back to the last thing God said. Return to Scripture Recall His promises Stay faithful to what has already been revealed Breakthrough doesn’t come from constant reinvention—it comes from consistent obedience. Final Thought Palm Sunday reminds us that Jesus is King—but not the kind of King the world expected. He doesn’t bypass process. He doesn’t avoid pressure. He doesn’t rush the outcome. Instead, He invites us into a journey of: Surrender Stewardship Obedience Awareness of the moment And through it all, He forms something far greater than temporary victory—He forms eternal transformation. If you’re in a season of pressure, uncertainty, or waiting, don’t lose heart. You’re not being overlooked. You’re being prepared.

At Connection Church, our vision for church life is not built around personalities, programs, or trends. Instead, it is shaped by biblical principles that reflect God’s heart for His people. The church is meant to be a living expression of His presence, His goodness, and His love working through a family of believers.

There's a question that quietly shapes everything about how we live, love, and follow Jesus — Who do you think you are? Not in the sarcastic sense. In the most important sense. In a recent message at The Connection Church, we dove deep into what Scripture says about the identity of every believer — and the answer is

When Feelings Aren’t Facts: Why God’s Goodness, God’s Word, and God’s Spirit Belong Together A lot of spiritual confusion starts in the same place: we build our lives on the wrong foundation. We let feelings, opinions, preferences, or even powerful experiences define what’s true—then wonder why we feel unstable, stuck, or unsure of who we are. In this message, the pastor lays out a clear progression: you don’t really know who you are until you know who God is , because “we’re created in his likeness and his image.” From there, he walks through a core belief that shapes the culture and mission of the church: our precepts are rooted in Scripture —not in performance, not in hype, and not in whatever feels right in the moment. Here are the key insights, along with a few memorable illustrations from the talk. 1) Identity Starts With a Rooted View of God’s Goodness Early on, the pastor makes the point bluntly: if we don’t get rooted in our hearts that God is good—and that his goodness is for us—we’ll live confused. Why? Because without that anchor, we default to performance. We start “trying to operate out of performance to get his approval,” forgetting the core of the gospel: “He loved us when we didn’t know how to love ourselves… while we were yet sinners, Christ died.” This isn’t framed as “warm, fuzzy Christianity.” It’s presented as essential doctrine that affects everything: how we relate to people, how we dream, what we contend for, and what we believe is possible. The pastor references the idea that God is able to do “exceedingly abundantly above” what we ask or imagine—and highlights that it works “according to the power of God that works within… us.” The practical takeaway: your view of God shapes your expectations, your confidence, and your behavior. If you believe God is good, you’ll stop negotiating for approval and start living from belovedness. 2) Repentance Isn’t Just Feeling Bad—It’s Changing How You Think One of the most helpful clarifications in the message is about repentance. The pastor emphasizes that repentance is not merely emotional regret. It’s transformation—“to change the way you think.” He ties it to the renewing of the mind: “God doesn’t want you to check your mind at the door… I just don’t want you to leave it the way that it is.” In other words, spiritual growth includes your intellect, your thinking patterns, and your assumptions. God’s goodness, he says, is what transforms the way we think—and as thinking changes, behavior changes too. Key takeaway: repentance is a mindset shift that leads to a lifestyle shift. It’s not ignoring reality; it’s learning to interpret reality through God’s truth. 3) Scripture Is the Final Authority (Not Feelings, Preferences, or Opinions) The third core belief is stated plainly: “We are a church whose precepts are rooted in Scripture.” And the pastor doesn’t soften what that means: “If the Bible says you must do it… you must do it.” “If the Bible says don’t do it… you don’t do it.” If Scripture gives direction without full clarity, it may be permissible—as long as it’s not against the Word—and you “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” The big idea is that God’s Word is revealed truth , and without it, we drift. Feelings and opinions can lead us “in all sorts of ways” to conclusions that may not even be for us—but “God’s word is for you.” He also drops a line that’s both convicting and freeing: “My feelings are not my facts.” He admits he doesn’t always feel secure or righteous—but what God says is still true. “Truth is truth whether you see it or feel it or not.” If you’ve ever felt spiritually whiplashed—confident one day, crushed the next—this is why. A life led by feelings will always be fragile. A life led by truth becomes steady. 4) Word-Heavy Without Spirit Gets Dry. Spirit-Heavy Without Word Gets Weird. One of the strongest sections of the message is the pastor’s critique of extremes. He describes one camp that’s “very word-heavy” but has “aborted any dependency upon the Spirit,” resulting in people who “know a lot about God, but… don’t know how to encounter God.” Then he describes the opposite: circles that are big on “the move of the Spirit,” where “all this stuff” happens—but when asked what God is doing and how they know, there’s confusion because it’s “not rooted in Scripture.” The result: encounters without sound doctrine that can send people “way off in left field.” His solution isn’t a “balance” (as if Word and Spirit compete). He calls it a marriage : “The move of the Spirit will never contradict the word of Scripture.” That line is a safety rail. If you want to know whether what you’re experiencing is trustworthy, he argues, Scripture sets the “parameters,” “guidance,” and “signpost.” 5) The Word Is Meant to Shape How You Live, Not Just What You Know This is where the message gets intensely practical. The pastor quotes James 1:22: “Be doers of the word… not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” He explains it with the mirror metaphor: the Word shows you who you are, but if you walk away and don’t do it, it’s like forgetting what you look like—“in other words, you don’t know who you are.” He takes it further: “Knowledge without obedience will always lead to a hardened heart.” That’s how people become religious, routine-driven, and resistant to God—like the Pharisees who could speak well but had hearts “far from me.” He frames lordship with another sharp line: “Lordship is not just a confession. It’s actually submission.” 6) A Seed, a Jalapeño Plant, and the Power of the Word One of the most memorable anecdotes is about his mother—who “was not a gardener,” and whose plants came to their house “to die… a sad, gruesome, lonely, crunchy death.” But she could grow two things: jalapeño peppers and banana peppers. The point isn’t gardening advice—it’s spiritual formation. A seed doesn’t need you to manufacture fruit. The fruit is already in the seed—if it’s planted in the right environment. “That’s the Word of God,” he says. “You don’t need to add to the Word… you don’t need to subtract… the Word of God is perfectly powerful to produce the fruit of its kind.” Our role is to create the right environment: a surrendered heart and obedient life. 7) Scripture Shapes Culture—and Culture Shapes Everything To close, the pastor argues that God’s Word isn’t just personal inspiration; it shapes a whole way of life. He references Deuteronomy 6:6–9: keep God’s words on your heart, talk about them at home and on the way, write them on doorposts. That’s not about having a “snark reply to every coworker’s opinion.” It’s about God’s truth being present in “every crevice” of life , shaping attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and ultimately the culture of a home and community. He challenges the tendency to let problems define culture—staring at bank accounts, arguments, disappointment—until we “can’t find God anymore.” But he insists heaven’s culture can invade earth, echoing Jesus’ prayer: “Thy kingdom come… on earth as it is in heaven.” Final Takeaway If you want clarity, stability, and growth: Get rooted in the truth that God is good . Treat Scripture as final authority , not a suggestion. Let the Word and the Spirit work together: truth revealed + truth experienced . Move from hearing to doing—because obedience is where maturity forms . If you’re rebuilding your faith, your home culture, or your inner life, start here: stop letting feelings lead, and let truth lead instead.

A message from Pastor Anthony Hall | Connection Church Core Values Series - At Connection Church, we believe that the foundation of everything we do—how we worship, how we serve, how we relate to one another—is built on a few core values. Last week, we kicked off this series by talking about being a presence...