Pastor Audrey Cloherty - "Ekklesia: How the awe of God transforms His Church" - 21 June 2026

and so today I'm actually going to be speaking on the awe that transforms a community and I already had this on my heart before we went into this series and as I delved in further like it was like oh wow like the awe is actually what is the catalyst for the new believers in the new believers church and so I think it's really vital that that we touch on this lay hold of this subject because it's what transforms the early church it's what empowered them to move it's what empowered the church to grow and I really feel that the Lord is calling us to this topic right now so I'm actually really excited to speak on it and it is the awe of the Lord it's the fear of the Lord which we will get into but I just want to say right now I just feel the joy of the Lord And for so long, I think, you know, we've moved away from the fear of the Lord because we feel like it's all like doom and gloom.

But it's actually the true joy of the Lord when we can really lay hold of the awe and the wonder and the majesty of who he is and surrender our lives to him.

And yes, there is a dying to ourselves, but it is true joy on the other side.

So we just thank you for that, Lord.

We just thank you, Lord.

So it's my heart today that you would be inspired by overwhelming greatness, that you would have your eyes opened up even further to see his majesty.

I want us to be swept up again together in the awe of God, the awe that binds us in unity, that marks us with a fresh anointing that allows us to love the way that Jesus loves us.

And we really need it.

I do feel that the tide is rising, especially here for Seacoast, that there is a fresh watermark for this church.

And it requires a fresh anointing of all.

I want us to come up higher.

I want hunger to increase for the more of him.

For those who are hungry to receive the anointing of all that propels them forward into all that the Lord has.

And to receive, yeah, the all that inspires love.

Mostly, it's my heart that the awe that would transform us into a beautiful gathering of believers that God so desires.

A place marked by heavenly beauty that the world is so drawn to, inspired by and set free by.

A gathering of people that carries the heartbeat of Jesus.

Honestly, what could be more attractive to the world? And I do want to ask this question this morning before we get started.

You know, is there anyone here who believes that the Lord's heart has changed for the church since the book of Acts? I didn't think so.

Do we think that his power has diminished? No, it hasn't.

So I want to put before you this morning that the aura of God is what took believers, it transformed them and it empowered them.

I want to show you through scripture today that this is still the Lord's heart and that we have so much available to us in him.

Through living a presence-focused lifestyle.

I want us to go away today with a fresh inspiration, a fresh impartation of awe, to be moved by it, to be inspired by it, and to be transformed by it.

So, if you'd like to turn your Bibles to Acts 2.42-47, I'm going to read