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Is there more to following Jesus than what you've experienced so far?
In Acts 1:8, Jesus promised His followers, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you." The Greek word for power is dunamis, the same root behind the word dynamite. In this message from our Supernatural series, Pastor Josh walks through seven honest questions about the Holy Spirit and what it means to be baptized in Him.

We cover:
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Do we receive the Holy Spirit when we are saved?
Is the deposit of the Holy Spirit the same as the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
Why should we be baptized in the Holy Spirit?
Who should receive the Holy Spirit?
Can you be filled with the Holy Spirit again?
How do I receive the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the active presence of God in this world. He guides us, convicts us, encourages us, and empowers us. Every believer receives a deposit of the Holy Spirit at salvation, but Scripture also shows a distinct moment where we are immersed in Him. It's the difference between a deposit and being drenched: His presence AND His power.

Jesus first: saved. Changed by love: sanctified. Sent with purpose: Spirit filled.
The promise is for you, your children, and all who are far off (Acts 2:39). And you can be filled again and again.

📖 Scriptures: Acts 1:8, John 14:16 and 17, Ephesians 1:13 and 14, Acts 8:12 to 17, John 16:13, Luke 24:49, Acts 2:32 and 33, Acts 2:38 and 39, Acts 4:31, 1 Corinthians 14:1

#HolySpirit #BaptismOfTheHolySpirit #Supernatural #Acts18 #Sermon #Jesus #Faith 

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From the very beginning, the Garden of Eden was a place where people could simply be with God. But rebellion, first the devil's, then mankind's, broke that. That break is where every kind of destruction, division, and separation we see in the world traces back to.
In this message we look at how that rebellion still plays out today, and how Jesus' whole mission was to reverse it, not just to get us to heaven someday, but to bring heaven to earth right now. We look at what that actually looks like in practice, the real, everyday contrasts between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of heaven, and the authority Jesus has already given us in the middle of it.
In this teaching we cover: How rebellion entered through the devil first, then through mankind (Genesis 3:1,7) Why sin is described as something "crouching at the door," desiring to have us (Genesis 4:6,7) Why Jesus preached about the kingdom of heaven more than any other subject (Matthew 4:17, Matthew 13:18,19) The everyday contrasts between the two kingdoms: hate and love, revenge and forgiveness, power and serving, and more Why the fight we're in isn't against people, but against unseen powers (Ephesians 6:12) The authority Jesus gives His followers over the enemy (Luke 10:17,21) Where all of this is headed: a new heaven and a new earth with no more death, mourning, or pain (Revelation 21:1,4)
We are not left to fight this alone.

#SpiritualWarfare #KingdomOfHeaven #Supernatural 

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What comes to mind when you hear the word "supernatural"? For a lot of people it's Halloween, ghosts, or things that can't be explained. But there's a supernatural reality that changes everything: the gift of new life through the Holy Spirit.

In this message Rose walks through what it actually means to go from spiritually dead to spiritually alive, not "I was bad and now I'm good," but "I was dead and now I'm alive." That exchange, our acts of death for His gift of life, is at the center of what Jesus did on the cross and what the Holy Spirit does in us today.

In this teaching we cover: What the Holy Spirit actually does in the life of a believer (John 14:26, John 16:13,14, 1 Corinthians 2:10,12, and more) Why the deepest pain of the cross wasn't physical but the separation from God (Matthew 27:45,46) How sin leads to separation, and how separation is the root of so much loneliness and brokenness The supernatural exchange at the heart of salvation (Romans 6:23) How that gift multiplied the moment the Holy Spirit arrived (Acts 2) Three resurrection stories, Faith for Five, and what Jesus' words to the dead reveal about the power available to us today (Luke 7:14,15, Mark 5:41,42, John 11:43,44)

Salvation doesn't just come to you. It flows through you.

#Supernatural #HolySpirit #Salvation #ChristianSermon #BibleTeaching #NewLife #SupernaturalSeries #ChristianYouTube #SundayMessage #Discipleship #FaithJourney

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If the supernatural is taking flight, honor is what builds the runway. God ignites the fires of the supernatural, but we're the ones who lay the kindling.

In this message we look at why Jesus, in His own hometown, "could not do any miracles there" except heal a few sick people, and how familiarity bred contempt in the very people who should have known Him best. Honor is given, offense is taken. And what we believe about honor will always show up in how we behave.

In this teaching we cover:
✅ Why the disciples' honor for Jesus' words built the runway for Pentecost (Acts 1:3-8, 14)
✅ Why Jesus was "amazed at their lack of faith" in His own hometown (Mark 6:1-6)
✅ How a lack of honor can blind us to what God wants to do
✅ Why the greatest moment of honor preceded the greatest miracle of all (Mark 5:35-43)
✅ How honor expresses itself through preparation and expectation
✅ What a culture of honor looks like, and why heaven itself models it (Revelation 4:9-11)

We all give honor to something. The question is: where are you giving yours?

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Do you know God's voice — or is your faith running on routine? Showing up to church, serving on a team, giving your tithe... all the right boxes checked, but no real relationship where God actually speaks to you.

In this message we go back to 1 Samuel 3, to a moment when "the word of the Lord was rare" in Israel. But even then, God didn't just hear Samuel — He called him by name. That's still true for you today. God isn't a cosmic radio broadcasting signals into the void; He's a personal God with a personal voice, and He has things to say to you that He won't say to anyone else.

In this teaching we cover:
✅ Why God hears you before we even talk about hearing Him (Hannah's prayer)
✅ Why "the word of the Lord was rare" wasn't God's best then — and isn't now (1 Samuel 3:1)
✅ How God speaks into the darkest moments and shifts your mindset, even before your situation changes (1 Samuel 3:2-3)
✅ Why God is always the initiator — you don't have to earn His voice (1 Samuel 3:4-10, Jeremiah 1:5)
✅ The 3 R's: Receive, Record, Respond — a simple, practical way to actually hear from God
✅ Why obedience — not more information — is what unlocks a greater sensitivity to His voice

If you've been living a checkbox faith and you're ready for more, this message is your invitation. Say it with us: "Speak, Lord, I'm listening."

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What is your response?

Baptism isn't a formality — it's a public declaration that something has died and something new has begun. In this message, we go back to the Greek word itself, baptizō, meaning to be fully immersed, submerged, soaked, and ask why that distinction actually matters.

We walk through three reasons Scripture calls us to be baptized: repentance (turning with force, not just symbolically, away from sin), forgiveness (being washed clean of the burden and shame we carry), and public declaration (obedience to Christ's command in the Great Commission, and acknowledging Him before others).

In this teaching, we cover:
✅ Where baptism comes from and what it has to do with repentance (Matthew 3:1-6)
✅ Why sprinkling and infant christening don't carry the biblical meaning of baptizō
✅ Colossians 2:12 — how going under the water is a burial, and coming up is a resurrection
✅ Why the old self must die before the new self can be born (Matthew 16:24-25)
✅ How the Father responds when we're baptized (Luke 3:21-22)
✅ Why Acts 2 shows us that no lengthy process is required — just repentance and declaration

If you've been christened but never immersed, or you've never taken this step at all — this message is your invitation. What is your response?

#Baptism #WhatIsBaptism #Baptizo #ChristianSermon #BibleTeaching #Repentance #Immersion #GreatCommission #ChristianYouTube #SundayMessage #Colossians2 #Discipleship #AscendSeries #FaithJourney #NewLife

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Have you ever gone through communion so many times that it starts to feel routine? This week we go back to where communion actually began — the Passover — to rediscover what we might be missing.

In Exodus 12, God gives Israel a 5-step pattern for the Passover: choose an unblemished lamb, sacrifice the lamb, apply the blood, eat the flesh, and remember. Every single step points forward to Jesus. He is the unblemished Lamb (1 Peter 2:22), sacrificed for us (John 1:29), whose blood was applied for us (John 19:29), whose body was given for us to remember (Luke 22:19).

We also walk through the 4 Cups of the Passover meal — Sanctification, Deliverance, Redemption, and Praise/Completion — and see how Jesus fulfilled every one of them, right up to His final words on the cross: "It is finished."

We've become so good at doing communion efficiently that we can forget to do it relationally. This message is an invitation to slow down and remember — not just what Jesus did, but who we are because of what He did.

In this teaching we cover:
✅ The 5 steps of the original Passover in Exodus 12
✅ How each step points directly to Jesus as our Passover Lamb
✅ The meaning of the 4 Cups of Passover — and how Jesus fulfilled each one
✅ Why anyone can lead communion and everyone can partake — even Judas did
✅ Why communion is about remembering both what Jesus did AND who we are because of it
✅ Communion as our past, present, and future — remembering the cross, receiving His presence today, and looking to eternity

📖 SCRIPTURES REFERENCED:
Exodus 12:1-11, 21-22
1 Peter 2:9, 2:22
John 1:29
John 6:51, 6:53-57
John 19:28-30
Luke 22:7-20
Matthew 5:23-24
Jeremiah 31:31-33
Deuteronomy 18:15

This message is part of our ASCEND series — exploring what it means to draw near to God's presence.

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📍Sunday Service
2201 Spring Forest Rd,
Raleigh, NC 27615
🌐freedomchurchraleigh.com
📱 @freedomraleigh
✉️ [email protected]

#Communion #Passover #AscendSeries #Sermon #Christianity #Faith

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Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? Only the one with clean hands and a pure heart (Psalm 24:3-4).

In this message, we ask a deeper question than "Do I worship God?" — we ask, WHAT are we really worshipping? Because if we don't worship God, we will worship something else. An idol isn't a statue — it's anything we cannot put on the altar: money, knowledge, fame, possessions, technology, even ourselves.

We were designed for worship (Isaiah 43:21). Worship literally means "worth-ship" — we proclaim what we believe is worthy of our praise. And true worship isn't just for God's glory — it's for our protection.

In this teaching, we cover:
✅ What Psalm 24 reveals about approaching God with a pure heart
✅ The difference between what the flesh craves, the heart wants, and the spirit trusts
✅ The First and Second Commandments — and why idolatry is still our biggest threat today
✅ The 7 Hebrew praise words the Bible uses to describe worship (Halal, Yadah, Shabach, Towdah, Barak, Zamar, Tehilah)
✅ Why true worship must be BOTH internally felt and externally expressed
✅ Why true worship is BOTH personal and collective
✅ How true worship aligns our heart with God's heart (Romans 12:1-2)

If you've ever wondered whether your worship is real or just routine, this message is for you.

📖 SCRIPTURES REFERENCED:
Psalm 24:1-4
Isaiah 43:21
Exodus 20:3-4 (First & Second Commandments)
Luke 4:5-8
Psalm 150:1, Psalm 63:4, Psalm 145:4, Psalm 56:12, Psalm 95:6, Psalm 98:5, Psalm 22:3
Romans 12:1-2
Timestamp:
0:00 - Introduction & Welcome
2:15 - What is True Worship?
7:40 - Reading Psalm 24:3-4
12:10 - Clean Hands: Expressing Righteous Action
18:35 - Pure Hearts: Examining Our Motives Before God
25:50 - Overcoming Distractions in Daily Worship
31:15 - Closing Prayer & Reflection

🔔 SUBSCRIBE for weekly messages on knowing God, living out your faith, and drawing closer to His presence.

👍 If this message spoke to you, like, comment, and share it with someone who needs to hear it today.

📍Sunday Service
2201 Spring Forest Rd,
Raleigh, NC 27615
🌐freedomchurchraleigh.com
📱 @freedomraleigh
✉️ [email protected]

#Worship #PureHeart #Psalm24 #Sermon #Christianity #Faith

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To ascend to God, you must first desire Him. But what does that desire actually look like in your daily life? Are you living in indifference toward God’s presence, or are you completely dependent on it?

In Part 2 of our "Ascend" series, we dive deep into what it takes to experience the manifested glory—the Kabod—of God. Looking at Elijah in 1 Kings 19, Moses in Exodus 33, and the Transfiguration in Matthew 17, we learn that true desire requires turning away from the love of the world and stepping directly into His presence through prayer.

The weight of God's goodness doesn't just fill us with wonder—it reveals our deep need for Him. And the greatest news of all? We can ascend to the throne room only because Jesus first descended to us.

Scripture Referenced:

1 Kings 19:7-9
1 John 2:15
Exodus 33:17-22
Matthew 17:1-3

Join us for our 24/7 Prayer initiative happening August 16-22, 2026! Check the links below to get involved and step into the throne room. https://signup.24-7prayer.com/signup/608604

#Ascend #FreedomChurchRaleigh #ChristianSermon #GloryOfGod #DesireGod #Prayer #BiblicalTeaching #Exodus33 #JesusFirst

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Are we tolerating sins today that God’s Word explicitly warns us against?

In Part 1 of our "Ascend" series, Pastor Josh addresses 20 modern-day sins and cultural compromises that keep us from standing in God's holy presence. From doomscrolling, consumerism, and astrology to unforgiveness, gossip, and political idolatry.

Drawing from Psalm 24:3–4, 1 Corinthians 6, Galatians 5, and Acts 2, this message is an urgent wake-up call to stop asking "Am I a good person?" and start asking "Am I a holy person?" God is calling His Church to aggressive, daily repentance, turning away from cultural idols and turning back to Him with clean hands and a pure heart.

📖 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
• Psalm 24:3–4
• 1 Corinthians 6:9–10
• Galatians 5:19–21
• Acts 2:36–37, 40–41
• Luke 24:47
• Romans 12:9 | Romans 6:16 | Philippians 4:8

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Who May Ascend the Mountain?
3:30 - Showing Up in the Wrong Clothes
11:15 - The 20 Sins & Idols of 2026
22:40 - Goodness vs. Biblical Holiness
31:10 - Speaking Truth in Love vs. Love as Truth
39:00 - Aggressive Repentance: Turning Back to God

WELCOME HOME TO FREEDOM CHURCH
We exist to help people connect to a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Join us online or in person!

#FreedomChurch #Ascend #ModernSins #BiblicalHoliness #Repentance #Sermon #ChristianLiving #Faith #Jesus #Truth