Sermon Summary

This week, we were blessed to hear from prophetic teacher Charlie Sweet. Charlie preached a powerful message for our church body, stirring us to pursue the presence of God in our lives and to invest in the next generation. Charlie exhorted us to learn how to drill wells in our hearts for the Lord’s presence to dwell and linger, and to teach the next generation to do the same. He encouraged us to press in for more of Christ’s presence, because to move forward we will need it like we never have before.

1 John 2:15 (NLT)
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.

We need the presence of the Lord like we have never needed it before
Many are pushing the presence of God out of their lives. The world is pushing God’s presence out of our schools, our government, even our worship. The presence of God needs to be as precious as the ark of the covenant was to the Israelites. When they went without the ark into battle, they would lose. We need the presence with us every day—we cannot live without it!

Moses & Joshua
We need to invest in our young people like Moses did. We must invest in them and propel them forward with everything we’ve got. They are going to be the torchbearers in their generation.

The church is a nest for young people
We are meant to be the spiritual moms and dads of this next generation. We need to feed, train, and love them. We need to pass on a legacy of faith—Christ is the only legacy they can take with them. The groundswell is coming from the young people. We must train them how to experience and carry the presence of God wherever they go.

“It’s not what you do in life; it’s what you set in motion that matters.”

4 levels of His presence to teach our kids

  1. Omnipresence – there is nowhere God isn’t
  2. Indwelling presence – when we’re born again, our spirit is regenerated
  3. Refilling presence – the reviving replenishing presence
  4. Manifest presence – when God chooses to expose himself in miraculous and unusual ways

The shekinah glory is about to fall and we’re already starting to feel it
This is an abiding type of glory and presence that comes upon your life and lingers. If you want the shekinah glory to come, you have to ask!

Two options for your water source

1. Dig a well: Dug wells can only go so deep. They’re surface-level. Once you hit water, you have to protect it with a brick or a block. Dug wells have a 98% chance of drying up.

  • Spiritually dug wells: the level of God’s presence in your life will be contingent on your environment and your circumstances. There will be greater potential for the contamination of the world (lies, disunity).

2. Drill a well: Drilled wells can go down thousands of feet to tap into deep water. They have an 8% chance of drying up. You must have special tools to cut through the bedrock to where the water is fresh, plentiful, and uncontaminated. The water may be muddy- that’s why you need a filter.

  • Spiritually drilled wells: When you drill a well in your heart, you will have to get through the bedrock. Below the bedrock is Christ’s life-giving water. Drill into the Lord by calling on His name. When you drill your well, cap it with the Father and the Son. Let the Holy Spirit be your filter—the Spirit will filter the mud away so that you can hear His voice clearly.

Discussion Questions

  1. If you were in the second service this Sunday, share your experience with the group.
  2. Where do you see the presence of God being pushed out in Tacoma?
  3. Why did Charlie press us to mentor and invest in the next generation? How are you pursuing this right now?
  4. What is the shekinah glory of God? How can you experience this specific presence of God?
  5. What is the difference between digging and drilling a spiritual dwell? Are you currently digging a well? How can you start to drill one instead?

Application Questions

  1. Think about your sphere of influence (your workplace, your home, etc.). Go into your prayer closet this week and intercede for more of the presence of God in that sphere of your life.
  2. Are you investing in the next generation? If you aren’t, pray about serving on the Kingdom Kids team!