A Relationship, Not A Religion

Every meaningful relationship begins with an invitation.

Not with perfection.
Not with achievement.
Not with proving your worth.
Just an invitation.

And throughout the Bible, we see a God who has always desired a relationship with His people.

From Adam and Eve in the Garden, to Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, and the prophets, God consistently chose to draw near, speak, guide, and walk alongside ordinary people. 

Why?

Because relationship has always been at the heart of God's plan.
These same ordinary people became extraordinary because of their relationship with God.

In this episode, we explore a powerful truth that often gets overlooked: God doesn't want to be a distant figure in our lives. He wants a relationship with us.

So what does that relationship actually look like?

• Why did God call Abraham His friend?
• What does it mean that Moses spoke with God as one speaks to a friend?
• Why does God continue to pursue people despite their flaws, failures, and weaknesses?
• And what changed when Jesus came to earth and gave His life for us?

Through Jesus, the invitation that was once extended to a few is now extended to all.

No matter your past.
No matter how far away from God you may feel.
No matter how unworthy, distracted, or imperfect you think you are.

Revelation 3:20
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock."

The question is not whether God is willing to come near.
The question is: Are you willing to open the door?

God promises that when we call upon Him, He will answer. He isn't waiting for you to become more religious, more spiritual, or more qualified. He is inviting you to come to Him exactly as you are.

Because He is the Father who welcomes.
The Shepherd who leads.
The Friend who stays.

If you've been longing for hope, wanting to rebuild your prayer life, deepen your faith, or simply understand what a relationship with God can look like, this episode is for you.

Sometimes the greatest step toward God isn't striving harder—it's simply responding to His invitation.

If this message encourages you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs hope today, and leave a review so more people can discover the joy of a personal relationship with God.

Transcript

A Personal Invitation To Know God

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Hallelujah. I'm excited about today, and I want to get straight into the word of God. And I want to tell you that today some of you will experience God at a whole new level from the very beginning. Hallelujah. And today I want to acquaint you with your father. And that's uh how I wanted to start, the creator of heaven and earth. But he's your father, and I want to uh acquaint you with him. Hallelujah. And I want to start with telling you that God had a relationship with people, he had relationships with uh, you know, people of his choosing. And I'll start with the Old Testament. I'll start with a few examples that I can share with you. And you know, over the last few weeks you've already heard about Adam and Noah, Adam and Eve and Noah. But uh anyway, I have those, uh I have some more examples to share with you. But as I said, I'll start with the Old Testament and I I want to give you a different perspective about your father. And for those of you who know, some of you don't, God made Adam and Eve, and you know, he made a garden for them called the Garden of Eden, and he put them there, and he would talk to them. And the Bible says that you know, he was um he would walk in the place in the cool of the day. That's a place where Adam and Eve were. So you understand that's a very different kind of relationship if God is walking in the place where his creation is. So he had a relationship with them, and then there's Noah. Um, I spoke about him a few weeks ago, and then Noah was just um you know chosen by God. And God decided that he wanted to destroy the earth with a flood, and by the way, at that time on the planet, the earth had never seen rain. The Bible says that the plants used to get watered from a dew that used to come from the ground. But God tells Noah that he's going to destroy the earth with a flood, and rain will come from the sky, and he asked him to build an ark. And the Bible only mentions one thing that Noah was a just man, and so was his family, and he found favor with God when he was about to destroy the earth, and then there's Abraham. Now, Abraham had a next level relationship with God, he he would have conversations with God. In fact, uh, you know, there's a time in the Bible which I know I've shared before that there's a time when God comes down and has a meal with Abraham, like Abraham cooks a meal for God and God eats it. Hallelujah. There are times in the Bible I want to tell you, for some of you who don't know, where Abraham, where God refers to Abraham as his friend. Hallelujah. And this is one thing that the Bible actually mentions about Abraham is that he believed God and it was accounted to him unto righteousness. That's it. That's all it says about Abraham. Others, if you ask me, I think Abraham was just a regular man, but he just believed everything that God told him. But again, I'm digressing from the topic, and um as I said that you know, even God refers to Abraham as his friend. Hallelujah. Imagine being the friend of God, hallelujah, and then there's a relationship with Moses. Now, God has decided that he wants to, you know, put Moses in the forefront for his people who have been calling out to him for years, and again the Bible says that he spoke with Moses face to face as one speaks with a friend, as one speaks with a friend, not Abraham. God called Abraham his friend, hallelujah. They're two different things, but nevertheless, as I said, God worked through Moses also in amazing ways, and you know, he brought down ten plagues onto Egypt and he freed his people. God was with Moses and the Israelites after freeing them day and night. For those of you who don't know, you can read the book, and you will be amazed at the way God worked uh for his people right in front of their eyes, to even feeding them fresh food while they were in the wilderness every day, to even parting the Red Sea and eventually finally taking them to the Promised Land. Hallelujah. And then there's David. David was another one who had a different kind of relationship with God. I want to tell you, I started with saying that God had relationships with people of his choosing. And when I when I think of the word choose, I can't think of a better individual than David because God chose him, a shepherd boy from the line of Jesse to be the king of Israel. Hallelujah. And the relationship that David had with God was a whole different kind. I don't know if you even know this, but for some of you, I'll tell you that the Bible, and you should read the Bible sometimes just to understand how some of these people worked. And you know, David would actually ask God for war strategies and certain things whether he should do or not, all related to war. It's unbelievable. And God would even tell him, Yes, go and do this, or no, don't do that, but instead go there, and stuff like that, which is unbelievable. In fact, he asks him, Shall I go there? And this is multiple times in the Bible, this conversation between David and God, shall I go there and will you give them into my hands? And God turns around and says, Of course, I have already given them into your hands. Hallelujah. Which means if God would have said no, David would not go there. Hallelujah. Relationship with David and God was that of a deep relationship of love, of how somebody understands the father. David wrote the Psalms, and if you read the Psalms, you'll know what I mean. But David had a deep relationship with God, so much so that I've said this before that when the Ark of the Covenant entered Jerusalem, he started dancing, undignified dancing, that his wife, the queen, goes up to him and says, You're dancing in such an undignified manner, you're a king. And he turns on Telal danced even more undignified. Hallelujah. That was David. Then there's Elijah. And God had a relationship with Elijah of another kind. I want to tell you that at that time, at the time of Elijah, God's prophets were coming under tremendous amounts of uh pressure. And in fact, they all lost their lives. The Bible says that Elijah was the only living prophet of God. Hallelujah. By the hands of Jezebel, they were all killed. And there's this one prophet left, Elijah, and God decides that he will go and speak to him. In fact, when you read that book, it says that he fed him through a raven and through a brook. And then there's a second time when he feeds him through an angel of God. So are the things done for the men of the Old Testament. And he takes him to a hill, a mountain, and he puts him inside one small little cave there, and he calls out to him and he speaks to him. And he sends him out at a time when he needs him to and stand in front of the whole of Israel as witness in front of 400 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Ashurat and to kill them all. Hallelujah. To call down fire from heaven to prove that there is only one God. Hallelujah. Then there's Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and now these guys had really an intimate relationship with God. They used to have these beautiful conversations. In fact, um, I've just been enjoying this book of Jeremiah so much recently, and it's it's just it's beautiful, it's unbelievable how God had this relationship with this man Jeremiah, who comes out of nowhere. It's just in the Bible, the book of Jeremiah. That's it. There's no prelude to him, and there's nothing after him. But the relationship that he had with God was just its next level. And he spoke to these people. I mean, uh, you know, Ezekiel and Jeremiah, and sent messages to his people of faith, hope, future. And then there's Isaac and Jacob and Jonah and Samuel and Saul and Joob and I can go

Old Testament Examples Of Relationship

SPEAKER_00 9:41

on. I can go on. And then you'll think to yourself, wait, but there's no one from the New Testament? No, no, no. The New Testament, I've always told you, you have to look at very differently. Now, the New Testament is after Jesus has come on this planet, and then after Jesus has come on the planet, I'm going back to the word choosing, and now the tables are reversed. Now, anyone, God chose in the Old Testament, you choose in the New Testament if you want to be with Jesus, and then God speaks to you. And that's why I want to tell you that God spoke to each and every one of the disciples, he spoke through them onto other people, he saved that which was going to be destroyed. And yes, there are many names too in the New Testament that God spoke to, but he spoke through Jesus now and through the Holy Spirit. As Jesus promised, I go and I leave my Holy Spirit with you. Hallelujah. So that you see that's a very different interaction now, because now God is speaking to us through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. But yes, there are still names that I can give you. But as I said, I want to come to the crux of today's word, and I'll still tell you, you know, there were people like John the Baptist and Paul, who by the way had a very deep conversation with God on the way to Damascus. And you should read it because you know Jesus comes to him and says, Why are you persecuting me? Why are you coming against my work? Hallelujah. But I'm coming to the crux today, and that word that you might have missed while I was using in every example that I could share with you is the word relationship. Hallelujah. God had a relationship with them all. And all these names that I took for you, this beautiful morning. And by the way, uh, don't get me wrong, there are lots of names I can give you even from the New Testament. I just don't have time right now to get into it. Because as I said, the New Testament is a whole different version of how God interacts with his people. But the Old Testament was a little more flamboyant, you know, clouds and thunder and a still small voice, and that's how God is. But you'll say this morning that God does not want to have a relationship with me. You don't know me. I'm not the best. Maybe God doesn't want to have a relationship with me. That's why he didn't talk to me. That's why he's that's why I'm not an Ezekiel. No, no, you're wrong. I want to tell you this morning that you're wrong. God does want to have a relationship with you, and I will not give it to you with my words, I will give it to you through the through his word. And I want to start with each of you this beautiful morning and be with me while I go through these scriptures because this is this is

Revelation 3:20 And The Open Door

SPEAKER_00 12:44

beautiful. I told you I want to acquaint you with your father. This beautiful morning, and it starts straight with Revelation 3:20, which says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. And if anyone, I repeat, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with me. Amen. Hallelujah. Revelations 3:20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. And here's a beautiful revelation. He's talking about knocking, but he's talking about anyone who hears my voice, which means he's even calling out to you. You think I have to call out to him? I'm telling you this beautiful morning, he calls out to you. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice, he's saying, Voice, not my knock. And opens the door, I will come and dine with him, and he will be with me. Hallelujah. I want to tell you, God wants to have a relationship with you this morning. Don't be mistaken. That guy who comes to lie, steal, and destroy, he's done his bit to make you think otherwise. But I'm giving it to you through the word of God from the book of Revelations, one of the most, the most powerful book in the Bible. Where he says, I stand at the door and I knock. And if you hear my voice and you open that door, I will come. I will dine with you. He will chill with you. He will have a meal with you. He will be with you. Can you imagine having God in your home? You'll say it's not possible. I'm telling you it's possible. Who has told you it's not possible? Behold, I stand at the door and knock. What do you think God is meaning when he's saying that to you this morning? I'm standing at the door and I'm knocking, he's standing at the door of your home and he's knocking. For you to let him in, to hear his voice. Hallelujah. I told you I want to start with acquainting you with your father this beautiful morning. He's waiting for you, he's calling onto you. You think that you have to call out to him, he is calling out to you. And I'll tell it to you again from the book of Jeremiah 33:3, which is such a beautiful passage of scripture. Call to me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know. Amen. Hallelujah. Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things. Another version says, another version says, I will tell you great and mighty things which you do not know. Secrets of the deep. He will give to you for free. I want to tell you the Bible always talks about him being on his throne. God, I want to tell you, is on his throne. He's seated on his throne. And he tells you, call unto me, and I will answer you. Hallelujah. I want to tell you something. His throne is not shifted. I've said this before, I'm saying it again. His throne is not shifted. He's the Alpha and the Omega. He is the beginning and the end. He's the everlasting Father. He loves you and He cares for you. And don't put him in a box. Because if you think he's not there with you, you are mistaken. He is there with you. Because his throne has not shifted. Maybe you have shifted. And that's a perspective that I want to leave you with this morning. I told you I just want to acquaint you with your father. Because he is standing at the door and knocking. It's not me. I'm just telling you what his word says.

Healing The Word Father Wounds

SPEAKER_00 16:52

Some of you put him in a box. I'll tell you why. Because when you hear the when you hear the word father, you have a different understanding of that relationship. And as I said, we're all humans, so we tend to equate him to our earthly father. Because when you say father, that's the only thing that you get in your mind. Oh, father, this is what a father is. But I want to tell you, he's not your earthly father. And some of you have had wonderful fathers, and praise God for that, because that has also been aligned by God, even if you don't know him, just to let you know. And some of you have not had such good fathers. And some of you have not even had the chance to know your father, probably. Or you don't even know who they are or whether they exist, or maybe you don't have any association. But I have something to tell you this beautiful morning through the word of God. And this is for someone, in fact, I believe it's for many of you. Because when you hear the word father, you equate it to a particular example of a father. But I want to reassure you that's your earthly father. He's not your earthly father. He doesn't come with rules and conditions and laws. From Psalm 68.5, this is for you. A father to the fatherless. A defender of widows is God in his holy habitation. Hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah. Psalm 68.5. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows is God in his holy habitation. Hallelujah. I told you, don't equate him to your earthly father. He is your father. He will defend you. He will protect you from his holy abode. He doesn't even need to step down. Hallelujah. Some of you can feel the presence of God. And I want to tell you, for those of you who understand the word father has a very different definition. I want to tell you this morning that's your father for you. Bible says he will never leave you nor forsake you, and he's not a respecter of people. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. There's another one. Just in case you didn't get the first one, there's another one. Psalm 27.10. This is for some of you. And I know you will feel God's presence the moment the scripture is released. Psalm 27.10 says, When my father and my mother forsake me, the Lord takes care of me. When my father and my mother have forsaken me, the Lord will take me up. That is your father. And you'll think he's not been there. You don't understand. I've gone through a lot in my life and he's not been there. No, you're wrong. He's always been there. Hallelujah. Somebody needs to hear this this beautiful morning, the scripture. Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. Amen. Hallelujah. Before you were even even formed in the womb, I knew you. Your father is telling you this beautiful morning that before you were even formed in the womb, I have known you. Hallelujah. Before you were even born, I have sanctified you. Hallelujah. Go read the meaning of the word sanctified, and it'll give you such a deep feeling of what God looks at you as. And you'll say it's not possible. You're going to tell me the word of God is not possible. That's the word of God for you from Jeremiah 1.5. Before you were born, he has known you. That's his word to you. That's the word of the Father for you this morning. I told you I want to acquaint you with your father. Some of you don't even know him. You don't even know him. Maybe this is a start. Before you were even born, I sanctified you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

You Are Fearfully And Wonderfully Made

SPEAKER_00 22:52

For those of you are outcasts. That's what the next person says because they called you an outcast. People have told you are not good enough. I want to tell you the creator of heaven and earth is telling you that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. A man. But I want to tell you this beautiful morning. That's not how your father looks at you. That's not how your father looks at you. Your only father could look at you as that guy who or that girl who was not good enough in her studies, not good enough to meet my expectations, not good enough when I wanted him to become a baseball player, not good enough when I wanted them to become an architect. Oh, they don't have those genes that I have. But your father doesn't look at you that way because he says you are fearfully and wonderfully made. When I see when I think of the world, fearfully and wonderfully. I literally can see hands trembling while they're making you. And he's the only one who has made you, by the way. Not your parents. Your parents were just a tool. Hallelujah. Some of you understand it this beautiful morning, and I won't tell you that he is always there for you. There's another. As I said, David had a very deep understanding of God. He had a very deep understanding of his father. And that's the same father because the Bible says he's the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. The Bible says he's not a respecter of men. He's not a respecter of men. And all these names that I took to you this morning, all of these names that I mentioned to you from Adam, Eve, Noah, Moses, Abraham, David, Ezekiel, Elijah, Jeremiah, Paul. These are huge names. These are names of people whose shadows used to heal people. These are names of people who called fire down from heaven by their word. These are men and women who made the sun stand still. But yet he's not a respecter of them. He is just a respecter of those who seek him. Hallelujah.

Choosing Relationship Over Religion

SPEAKER_00 25:47

And I told you this beautiful day that my crux of the word was relationship, and I'm leaving you with this this beautiful morning. Do you have a relationship with your father? I'll reverse it and say the reason why I believe that God worked so tremendously with these people is because they had a relationship with him. I have a son, and I know that if he asks me for anything, I will do it for him. And he asks in confidence, I will do it ten times over, maybe a hundred times over. But this is not even an earthly father, and I know I'm an earthly father who has limitations. But our father who's in heaven, who's seated on the throne, who has not budged, is just telling you this beautiful morning. He's waiting to have a relationship with you. He's calling out to you. He's standing at your door and he's knocking. And you have always believed your entire life that you're not good enough to go to him. You're not who he's God. Ooh, I can't disturb him. I'm not worthy to go and talk to him. You're not worthy to talk to him. He's standing outside your door, is what his word says. And he's knocking, he's waiting for you to open the door, to let him in. What kind of God does that? Most often religion puts you in fear, saying, Oh, you don't call out to God. You're mistaken. Some of you have a different version of the word father, somebody who's probably beaten you up and kicked you and put you in a corner, but that's not the father that you and I serve. Hallelujah. This beautiful day, as I said, I want to leave you with this. Do you have a relationship with your father? Because he is standing at the door and he's knocking. And let me even tell you, for some of you who are going through afflictions, you think that your Lord has abandoned you, think your father has abandoned you. He has not. I want to tell you, he has not. You've probably stopped calling out to him. But yet, if you have stopped calling out to him, he's yet there. Because that's what a father does. Hallelujah. He will never leave you nor forsake you. This beautiful day, I want you to make a decision and understand that right now, as we speak, if you are someone who has lost your relationship with your father, I'm telling you, aligned with his word, which has been released today, he is standing at the door and he is knocking. And he's telling you this morning that if you hear my voice when I'm calling to you, because I'm calling to you in that still small voice, Elijah knew it. And when you open that door, I will come and I will dine with you, I will sup with you, I will be with you, I will be in you, and you will be in me. And if you think that you can't make the son stand still, you are wrong because you can. It's just that you don't know your father that well. You don't know what he will do for you. Hallelujah. I'd like all of you to stand as I release this passage of scripture and I make you understand his beautiful love for you.

What Happens When You Cry Out

SPEAKER_00 29:30

And this is in specific for some people from the book of Psalm. I'm reading it out to you as his word because his word he is watching over to perform it. In my distress, I called upon the Lord and cried out to my Lord, and he heard my voice from his temple. And for those of you who want to know what happens in the heavenlies, when you call out to your father, you close your eyes and picture this. In your distress, you have called him, and he has heard your voice, and my cry came before him, even to his ears. Then the earth shook and trembled, and the foundations of the hill quaked and shook, because he was angry. My father was angry, and smoke came out of his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth, coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens and came down with darkness under his feet. He rode upon a cherub and he flew upon the wings of the wind. The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice. Hailstones and coals of fire, he sent out his arrows and scattered my foes, lightning in abundance, and he vanquished them all. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. That's what happens in the spirituals when you call out to your Father. Thank you, Jesus, for your beautiful word.

Prayer And Final Blessing

SPEAKER_00 31:29

Thank you, Father, for your beautiful presence. Thank you for your double-edged sword that does not go back until it has achieved what it has been set out for. I thank you, Lord, that you're standing at people's door and knocking. And I thank you. This beautiful day they will hear. Your people will hear and open that door, and you will enter, and you will dine with them and sup with them. And you will be in them and they with you. You are the vine and we are the branches. We will abide in you and all good things will abide in us. Hallelujah. Thank you for this beautiful time. Thank you for this beautiful day that you have made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it. Thank you for the change of hearts that people have understood that you are their father. People have understood that you are nothing like their earthly father. Thank you for the change of heart, Lord. Your word says you will take away the heart of stone and put the heart of flesh. And I thank you for this beautiful change that you have made. I thank you, Lord, for thousands upon thousands of angels that you have assigned to us. Thank you, Jesus, for letting us know that you love us. Thank you, Lord, for being faithful though we remain faithless. Thank you for always being there. Thank you that you hear our voice, you hear our call. It comes onto your ears. And you come down for us from your heavenly abode. Because we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful time. Thank you for your beautiful presence. Thank you for this beautiful day that you have made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.