Guest Speaker: Pastor Kelly Goins (Lead Pastor of Watts Bar Church, Decatur, TN)

Access to the Throne: Reflecting on her recent visit to the White House and navigating Secret Service checkpoints, Pastor Rhonda reminded the congregation that entering God’s presence requires no security clearance or documentation—only a hungry heart coming before the King of Kings.
Altar Ministry Focus: Prayer teams ministered to individuals seeking physical healing, relief from crippling anxiety, and divine direction, declaring the authority of Jesus over every diagnosis and fear.

Queen for a Day (August 29): Registration capped at 300 participants after filling within four days. Sponsorship drive for outreach purses continues in the lobby, coordinated alongside Susan Vernon.
Midweek Wednesday Series: We Are Harvest Beyond the Walls continues at 7:00 PM featuring Pastor Tyrone Johnson presenting on DEAC Ministries and its outreach to Cleveland’s homeless community.
Men’s Topgolf Event: Scheduled for Tuesday, August 18, in Chattanooga. Men interested in attending were directed to connect with Pastor Todd.

Sermon Outline: “It’s Time to Grow Up”

Preacher: Pastor Kelly Goins

Beyond the Altar: Praying a prayer to receive salvation is not the pinnacle of the Christian walk—it is the starting line. A Christianity that promises heaven while permitting believers to live unchanged on Earth is foreign to the New Testament.
Identity and Activity: Quoting evangelist Shane Pruitt, true gospel transformation changes both identity (who you are in Christ) and activity (what you do daily).

Don’t Mistake Stupidity for Immaturity: Behaviors understandable in a toddler (e.g., eating dirt) become reckless or illegal when carried out by an adult. Certain spiritual behaviors permissible for a brand-new convert become unacceptable for long-term believers.
Don’t Mistake Age for Spiritual Maturity: Physical age or years spent attending church services do not equate to spiritual depth. New believers pursuing Christ passionately often demonstrate greater spiritual maturity than lifelong churchgoers.
Posture vs. Promise: Unanswered prayers are frequently not a promise problem from God, but a posture problem from believers who refuse to step into adult responsibility.

The Delayed Inheritance: An immature child legally owns their father’s entire estate, yet functionally lives no differently than a servant until reaching the age set by the father.
God’s Patience vs. God’s Blessing: God will give what He promised because you are His child, but He cannot entrust it to you as long as you insist on remaining a child. Many believers mistake living under God’s long-suffering patience for living under His active blessing.
Principles vs. Presence: Living merely by moral principles differs from learning to live daily in God’s intimate presence and hearing His voice.

Own Your Choices: Mature believers stop blaming government systems, past relationships, or upbringing, taking direct responsibility for their actions.
Own Your Relationships: Adults guard their circle of influence, recognizing that close companions shape their spiritual future.
Own Your Spiritual Growth (Hebrews 5:12-14): Mature Christians stop relying on pastors or podcasts to hand-feed them like infants on milk. They open the Word for themselves, consume solid food, and train their discernment to distinguish good from evil.

Scripture Index

Galatians 4:1-7 > “Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all… God sent forth his Son… to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
1 Corinthians 13:11 > “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
Hebrews 5:12-14 > “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.”
Galatians 3:28 (Referenced) – There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Numbers 6:24-26 (Benediction) > “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”