As the second day of North American Youth Congress commenced, thousands of apostolic young people poured into the Chesapeake Arena for the early Jump Start session which included worship and icebreaker activities. From here, the attendees were dismissed to their various split sessions, which catered to the different demographics of NAYC. The teen sessions was led by Bro. LJ Harry, Bro. Fain spoke to the Youth Workers’ session, while Bro. Darrell Johns preached to the Young Ministers, and Sis. Kristen Keller ministered to the Hyphen session.

Following the split sessions, the young people reunited in the arena where you found a plethora of glowing tambourines and neon cups in the hands of roughly 20,000 attendees. The congregation used these to pound out music to the beat of the service count down. After the final shakes of tambourines and clashing of cups, the worship team led us into the presence of God as we prepared our hearts for the word of God.

Bro. Jason Huckaby took the platform with a prayerful spirit sending us to our text in 1 Samuel where Hannah, in her despair, makes this vow, “Lord, give me a son and I will give him to you.” Hannah placed what she valued most in the hands of a prophet of God.

Hannah offered her sacrifice, but she could not force ownership. It was Samuel alone that could decide what he would do with his heritage. It was Samuel that decided that he would take responsibility for what was given to him. Bro. Huckaby reminded us that we must always know that this is God’s church. Jesus said, “Upon this rock, I will build my church…” It is first and foremost God’s church, but it’s time for us to take responsibility for what God has given us. It is time for the young people of this say to stand and say, “This is my church!”

The question for you today is this, who will carry on the values and anointing that carried us this far? For we know this to be true, that the glory of the ladder half will be greater than the glory of the former half, but we must be willing to hold on to the things that were given to us by those who have gone before.

Samuel took responsibility; he carried out the operations of the role of the prophet regardless of his lack of pedigree. He was not a Levite; he was an Ephraimite. God sidestepped His planned order and gave the role of the prophet to Samuel, and Samuel received it and owned what God had done in him. Samuel reasoned I himself and said, “This is my church. If there is to remain water in the lavar, this is my church. If the ashes need to be taken out of the altar, this is my church. If there is to be fresh shew bread in the tabernacle, then this is my church.”

With strong passion, Bro. Huckaby cautioned our generation to watch for and fight against the giant of missed opportunities. We are often found focusing on what we can’t do, and missing what we can. The enemy has always tried to make us think we are missing opportunities; it’s been his tactic since the beginning. Eve in the garden would have found that there are far more benefits when listening to the voice of the Lord, rather than a snake in the garden telling her what it was that she was missing. Eve failed to submit to the instilled authority in her life, distracted by what she thought she needed, she walked out of her place of safety.

We must understand that power and authority will only flow onto us when we are aligned with the spiritual leaders placed over us. When the kings were anointed by the prophet, the oil was poured onto their heads, then it flowed down their faces, into their beards and dripped on their clothes and their sons. Without submission to an authority in your life, you will find a lack of authority in your own. Power and authority are the result of submission, so defend your church, encourage your church, and work in your church. Take responsibility for keeping the fire burning, stay submitted to your pastor and receive the power and authority that flows down to you.

Bro. Huckaby then drew our attention to the Ark of the Covenant and the value of the items God specified to be stored within. Aaron’s budding rod, a pot of manna, and the Ten Commandments, representing the moral, ceremonial, and judicial workings of God
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Phineas and Hophni were officiating priests during the time of Hannah, but we see them having a severe lack of respect for the ways of God and his customs. The spirit of Phineas and Hophni was to whittle away at the moral standards we carry, causing us to question what is necessary or even acceptable.
The spirit of Phineas and Hopni walks in and argues away the “ceremonial”, the worship, the demonstration. It tells us that we are better than our brother, is the spirit that causes us to attack our brothers in an effort to elevate our own sacrifice above theirs as Cain did to Abel. The spirit of Phineas and Hophni wants to silence the authority passed down from our fore fathers. We have been handed a heritage that must be defended. We must say, “This is My Church.”

Samuel may not have understood why he was chosen to carry the anointing, he might have felt completely out of place, but he took ownership of what the generation before him was willing to give him and he changed the outcome. He was chosen, and in return he chose to commit to something beyond himself. Building a church is not about smoke and lights, it’s about anointing and authority that breaks every yoke. The law of the harvest is this, whatsoever you sow, that shall you reap.
This is MY church.
This is YOUR church.
What will you do with it?

View photos of this service here.