Francis Chan challenges the celebrity culture in churches, arguing that focusing on the pastor and programs distracts from the true purpose: encountering God's love. He emphasizes the importance of scripture reading, communion, and experiencing God's presence together as a church body.

Key Points
- Pastors should prioritize facilitating encounters with God over personal fame.
- The church service should be centered around scripture reading, communion, and experiencing God's presence.
- The focus should be on God's love, not on performance or fear.
- A younger generation desires authenticity and experiencing God's glory, not celebrity pastors and gimmicks.

In this powerful message from the Fire in Our Bones conference in San Diego, Pastor Tim Dilena dives into Acts 16:6-26, exploring the story of Paul and Silas imprisoned in Macedonia. He draws compelling parallels between their situation and the challenges we face in our own lives, reminding us to avoid "bad math" – miscalculating God's plan and presence in difficult times.
 

Pastor Gary Wilkerson delivers a passionate message about rekindling your first love for Jesus. He challenges listeners to move beyond the routine and distractions to experience a deeper, more intimate relationship with Christ. 

Here are some key points from this sermon: 

• The message focuses on the importance of prioritizing Jesus and letting him be the center of our lives. 

• Gary Wilkerson shares a personal story about his own struggle with distraction and his desire for a deeper relationship with Jesus.

• The message emphasizes the importance of spending time in prayer, studying the Bible, and worshipping God. 

• It challenges listeners to remove distractions and obstacles that hinder their relationship with Jesus.

The Lord is a God of justice and wrath, but he also is full of mercy and grace that has spared his followers from destruction. King David was keenly aware of this throughout the psalms as he reflected on his failures and God's goodness. In this sermon, Gary Wilkerson examines the history behind this particular psalm but also this man of God's heart as it is expressed through the ancient lines. As believers, we can all find a guide for falling on the Lord's mercy when we have stumbled then repented.

The voices in our lives can change the trajectory of our lives. The voice of the Lord can utterly transform our hearts and minds. In this teaching, Gary Wilkerson looks at how the psalms show the real impact and importance of hearing God's voice. There are so many misconceptions about what it means to hear from God, but the scriptures give us instructions on how to open ourselves to the Lord's instructions and blessings.

The Bible talks about God's great love at great length, but how does this truth weave together with God's judgment and his commands for us to not love the world? In this sermon, Joshua West explores why God's holiness means he does not accept any way of living that is apart from his law. As followers of Christ, this means that we will love righteousness and not excuse sin, no matter how tempting it may be to adopt worldly ways.

When we are in times of serious trouble, we often pray and look for God's hand to move. In this sermon, Gary Wilkerson examines how this psalm invites us to search for God's face and presence in our troubles rather than for his saving hand. As counterintuitive as this may seem, we will find far greater strength and peace than if we only desire a rescue from our suffering.

In this sermon, Ron Brown emphasizes the importance of seeking personal revelation from God in our daily lives. He defines revelation as the "unveiling and the unfolding of Jesus more and more in our lives."

The Importance of Revelation:
We need to continually seek revelation from God to understand His will and purpose for our lives.
The Bible is a source of revelation, but personal encounters with God are also crucial.

Dwelling in the Holy of Holies:
Brown emphasizes the concept of dwelling in the "Holy of Holies," a metaphor for experiencing God's presence intimately. This requires constant communication with God and living a life aligned with His will.

Benefits of a Culture of Revelation:
• Receiving guidance and direction from God.
• Experiencing joy, peace, and strength in the midst of challenges.
• Living a life that accurately reflects God's character and love to the world.

Brown encourages the audience to develop a "culture of revelation" by:
• Meeting with Jesus: Engaging in daily prayer, reflection, and worship.
• Hearing God's voice: Paying attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
• Living in the Holy of Holies: Continuously seeking God's presence and guidance.