IT’S OK TO BE WHO YOU ARE? | Bishop Kyle Searcy | 11.23.25

 IT’S OK TO BE WHO YOU ARE?

I. REVIEW

We often struggle with an identity problem

Paul and Others Had to deal with this…

1 Corinthians 3:16

 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you

 

Issue: They were dividing into factions and boasting in human leaders instead of honoring God’s presence.

 

1 Corinthians 6:2

“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?”

Issue: Believers were suing each other in secular courts instead of resolving disputes internally.

 

1 Corinthians 6:3

“Do you not know that we shall judge angels?”

Issue: Same issue — they were acting spiritually immature by taking small matters to unbelieving judges.

 

1 Corinthians 6:9

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom…?”

Issue: Some were excusing sinful lifestyles, acting as if salvation permitted moral compromise.

 

1 Corinthians 6:15

“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?”

Issue: Some believers were engaging with prostitutes, misunderstanding holiness and union with Christ.

 

1 Corinthians 6:16

“Do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body…?”

Issue: Same issue — sexual immorality and a failure to grasp the spiritual consequences of joining oneself to sin.

 

Romans 6:3

“3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life

Issue: Some believers were using grace as an excuse to continue sinning, 

 

James 4:4

“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?”

Issue: Believers were adopting worldly attitudes — pride, quarrels, coveting — becoming spiritually “double-minded.”

 

II. IN CHRIST WE MUST FUNCTION FROM WHO WE ARE!

 

It’s OK to be who we are in:

Value –

Supply and Demand – Only one you

Price – The blood of God

Substance – Fearfully and Wonderfully made Temple of Holy Spirit

In Christ we become then we Walk it Out!

1. We are a new creation in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17

Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new

​

 

2. We are accepted in the Beloved

Ephesians 1:5-6

having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. 

 

3. We are delivered from the Powers of Darkness

Col 1:13

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.  

 

4. We Are Victorious: Greater one lives in us

1 John 4:4

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

 

The early church was being infiltrated by:

• False teachers

• False prophets

• Spirits denying Christ

• Early forms of Gnosticism

• Teachings that Jesus did not truly come in the flesh

 

5. We have everything we need

Eph 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ

We are The blood-bought,
Spirit-filled,
Grace-covered,
Mercy-washed,
Heaven-called,
Truth-rooted,
Destiny-marked Saints of the Most High God

We are redeemed from ruin,
Rescued from darkness,
Ransomed from chains,
Restored from brokenness,
Revived by His breath,
Renewed by His Word.

We are saints He sanctifies,
Temples He inhabits,
Branches He prunes and prospers,
Sheep He guards and guides,
Soldiers He trains for triumph,
Ambassadors He sends with authority.

We are chosen people,
Royal priesthood,
Holy nation,
Set-apart ones,
Carriers of light that cannot be hidden,
Hope that cannot be stolen,
Truth that cannot be silenced.

We are forgiven - Not forsaken.
Cleansed - Not condemned.
Strengthened - Not shaken.
Appointed - Not abandoned.
Anointed - Not rejected.

We are joy of the Father,
Reward of the Son,
Dwelling place of the Spirit,
Loved without limits,
Kept without question,
Held without hesitation.

We are image-bearers,
Reflecting His character.
Glory-carriers,
Hosting His presence.
Promise-walkers,
Standing on what He said.
Miracle-testifiers,
Living proof of His power.
Overcomers,
Born of God and built for victory.

We are salt of the earth,
Planted with purpose.
Light of the world,
Shining with conviction.
City on a hill,
Seen by generations.
Letters of Christ,
Read by a watching world.

We are beloved,
Kept,
Called,
Commissioned,
Sealed,
Strengthened,
Steadfast,
Sent.

We walk in identity,
Stand in authority,
Live in purity,
Grow in maturity,
Speak with clarity,
Shine with eternity

We are His —
Forever chosen,
Forever cherished,
Forever changed,
Forever held,
Forever loved,
Forever Spirit-filled.

With every breath,
Every step,
Every moment,
We boldly declare:

We are who God says we are —
Nothing less.
Nothing else.
Nothing broken.
Nothing stolen.
Nothing missing.

We are His —
Now and forever.

 

III. HOW DO WE WALK IN THIS

1. Homologeo

Romans 10:9-10

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

 

Mark 11:23-24

For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them

 

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

 

James 3:4

Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires

Ex. Tongue sets the course of our whole lives. 

 

 

What we repeatedly say becomes what we repeatedly think.
What we repeatedly think becomes what we repeatedly believe.
What we repeatedly believe becomes what we repeatedly do.
And what we repeatedly do becomes who we become.

 

Neurologically: Your brain believes what your mouth repeats.

The brain has a mechanism called neuroplasticity.
It rewires itself around repeated thoughts and repeated language.

When you speak something often:

• The brain fires the same neural pathways

• Those pathways get stronger

• They become automatic

• They become identity

• They become behavior

Ex. Neurosurgeon – Speech center of brain controls whole nr=nervous system

Ex. We are speaking spirits

2. Heart Belief (Connection)

Romans 10:9-10

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

 

James 1:14-15

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death

 

Meditation – Leads to conception.

Ex. Cows chew the cud. 

 

Psalm 1:1-6

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6​For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish

3. Activation

We do the deeds until it becomes automated

Eph 4:1-2

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love

 

Gal 5:25

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit

 

Col 3:12-13

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do

 

 

 

The Place and Power of the Church in the Earth Realm | Bishop Kyle Searcy | 11.16.25

 THE PLACE AND POWER OF THE CHURCH IN THE EARTH REALM

I. THE POWER OF IDENTITY

1. Do You Not Know… 1 Cor 3:16; 1 Cor 6:19; 1 Cor 6:2-3

1 Cor 6:15

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the

members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not

Romans 6:3-4

  Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were

baptized into His death? 4  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism

into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the

Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life

II. THE PLACE AND POWER OF THE CHURCH

1. The Body of Christ

1 Corinthians 12:27

“Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”

Ephesians 1:22–23

“And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to

the church,

which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

2. Citizens of Heaven

Philippians 3:20

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior,

the Lord Jesus Christ.”

3. The Called-Out Ones (Ekklesia)

Matthew 16:18

“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church,

and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Matt 18:19

“Again, I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that

they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.

Matt 16:19

And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on

earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in

heaven”

4. Ambassadors of Christ

2 Corinthians 5:20

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading

through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

5. Those Seated in Heavenly Places with Christ

Ephesians 2:4–6

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ

(by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit

together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

6. A Royal Priesthood

1 Peter 2:9

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own

special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of

darkness into His marvelous light.”

Revelation 1:6

“and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and

dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

7. Joint-Heirs With Christ

Romans 8:17 (NKJV)

“and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,

if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

8. The Light of the World

Matthew 5:14

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”

9. The Salt of the Earth

Matthew 5:13

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be

seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled

underfoot by men.”

10. The Temple of the Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 6:19

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in

you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”

Ephesians 2:21–22

“in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in

the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in

the Spirit.”

11. Those Who Will Judge the World and Angels

1 Corinthians 6:2–3

“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be

judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not

know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this

life?”

III. WHEN WE DON’T KNOW WHO WE ARE WE LIVE LOWER THAN WE SHOULD

Any time identity becomes unclear, behavior becomes unstable.

When identity is low, the Church lives low. When identity is restored, the Church

rises to its calling.

1. Favoritism

1 Cor 3:1-8

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to

babes in Christ. 2  I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were

not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3  for you are still carnal.

For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and

behaving like mere men? 4  For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of

Apollos,” are you not carnal? 5  Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers

through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6  I planted, Apollos

watered, but God gave the increase. 7  So then neither he who plants is anything, nor

he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8  Now he who plants and he who

waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor

2. Lawsuits

1 Cor 6:1-10

Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous,

and not before the saints? 2  Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?

And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest

matters? 3  Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that

pertain to this life? 4  If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this

life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? 5  I say this

to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who

will be able to judge between his brethren? 6  But brother goes to law against

brother, and that before unbelievers! 7  Now therefore, it is already an utter failure

for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept

wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? 8  No, you yourselves do

wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9  Do you not know that

the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither

fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10  nor

thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the

kingdom of God.

3. Trying to Earn Salvation by Works

Galatians 3:3

Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by

the flesh?

Gal.4:9–10

“How is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements…You observe days

and months and seasons and years.” 11  I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you

in vain

4. Letting Culture Define Our Morality More than The Word

1 Thess 4:3-5

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual

immorality; 4  that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in

sanctification and honor, 5  not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know

God.

1 Cor 5: 1-2,6-7

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual

immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s

wife! 2  And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done

this deed might be taken away from among you… 6  Your glorying is not good. Do

you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. 7  Therefore purge out

the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened.

5. We tolerate things we can easily shift

Luke 10:17-19

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to

us in Your name.” 18  And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

19  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all

the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

6. We easily buy into the lies of the enemy

2 Cor 11:3

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your

minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

IV. CHURCH IS STRONGEST WHEN IT’S:

1. Heaven and Kingdom Focused

Col 3:1-4

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where

Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2  Set your mind on things above, not on

things on the earth. 3  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

4  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

2. Walking in Unity

Eph 4:1-3

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling

with which you were called, 2  with all lowliness and gentleness, with

longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3  endeavoring to keep the unity

of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Psalm 133:1-3

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!

2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard

of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. 3 It is like the dew of

Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD

commanded the blessing—Life forevermore

3. Being Salt and Light

2 Cor 5:18-19

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ,

and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19  that is, that God was in Christ

reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has

committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Build His Church | Pastor Chris Searcy | 11.9.25

 

Focus on the family!

Build his church

Today I implore you:

Build his church in you

In your home

In your children

at your job

In us first

Predestined for adoption

Ephesians 1:3-10

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with

every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the

foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he

predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of

his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In

him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the

riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us

the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the

fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in him.

Saved by Grace

Ephesians 2:5-6

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by

grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the

heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Body of Christ

Unity in the body of Christ

Ephesians 4:1-7

1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which

you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another

in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body

and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one

Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in

all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Paul knew that the body of Christ is

Made up of families

Held together by spouses

Grown by children

Marriages

Ephesians 5:31-33

31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall

become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the

church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that

she respects her husband.

Parents and Children

Ephesians 6:1-4

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and

mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you

and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to

anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Build his church in you:

1. Pray

2. Fast

3. Read the Bible

4. Fight temptation

5. Stay in christian community

Build his church In your marriage

1. Husbands & wives die to self

2. Husbands lay your life down for her

3. Wives submit and help

Build his church In your children

1. Parents train -time and attention

2. Children obey and honor

Build his church at your job

1. Work as unto the Lord

The promise…

Matthew 16:13-18 (ESV)

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do

people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others

say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you

say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And

Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed

this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I

will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of

hell shall not prevail against it.

This verse is the foundation for the idea of Christ building His Church.

In the Greek text, Jesus says:

"ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν"

"Upon this rock I will build My church."

Here’s what the verse emphasizes biblically:

“This rock” — not Peter as a person alone, but the confession Peter just made in

verse 16: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

“I will build” — Christ Himself is the builder, not man.

“My church” — the Church belongs to Christ alone; it’s His possession and creation.

“The gates of hell shall not prevail against it” — no power, kingdom, or demonic

force will overthrow what Christ builds.

Gates:

Pulai = fortified city gates, defensive structures, symbols of strength and authority.

Hades

Hadou = “of Hades,” the realm of the dead—not “hell” (Gehenna), but the underworld.

“The gates of Hades” meant the authority, power, and defenses of death itself—the entire

structure of Satan’s domain.

Jesus made this declaration at Caesarea Philippi, a region known for pagan worship, especially

of Pan.

There was a cave there known as “the Gate of Hades.”

Jesus was a G!

Ephesians 5:15-20

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use

of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand

what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery,

but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and

spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks

always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus

Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Build your church:

On Christ alone, our Chief Cornerstone

No other foundation can we build upon

Not philosophy nor the wisdom of man

All other ground is sinking sand

Upon this rock, You build Your Church

And the gates of hell will not prevail