Love Hard Even When It Is Hard | Elevation Church | Lisa Harper

If you don’t know me, I’m Holly Furtick, and I’m so grateful to worship with you today. Welcome, welcome to all our locations. We are thrilled to have Lisa Harper with us. How many of you would agree that we’ve been blessed with incredible preachers every weekend, sharing God’s Word and speaking directly to us? I’m so thankful that at our church, every week, we can show up knowing that if we’re here, God will speak to us. And today is no exception!

We’re excited to welcome Lisa Harper back to the Elevation stage. This is her second time here—first as a guest and now as family. Her daughter, Missy, is here too, all the way from Tennessee. Lisa is going to bring an amazing message today. I’ve already heard it once, and I can’t wait for you to hear it too. Lisa is a gifted Bible teacher, preacher, author, and one of the funniest people I know, so you’re in for a real treat. She travels the world, and I’m honored to have her with us today. Please join me in welcoming Lisa Harper!

Thank you, Holly. Oh, please, sit down, sit down. Thank you. I cannot express enough how much of an honor it is to be here with you today. This is my second time, and Holly graciously invited me to be with some of the women in the church two years ago. Every time I visit Elevation, I’m moved to tears during worship. It’s not just because I’m experiencing menopause and my emotions are running high; it’s because the presence of God is so powerful here, and I’m overwhelmed to be in this space. I feel so unworthy of this platform but am deeply grateful to be here.

Being here today, on baptism Sunday, is especially meaningful to me. It just touches me deeply. I love that you do baptisms in the house, making it a family moment rather than something formal and distant. A couple of months ago, I had the privilege of baptizing my little girl, Missy, in the Jordan River. We were in Israel, and Missy expressed her desire to be baptized. She’s nine years old, and I thought it would be wonderful. What I hadn’t realized is that we arrived a day and a half after the group we were with, missing the usual baptism site by the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It’s beautiful, with clear waters and picturesque surroundings—a perfect setting for such a significant moment.

However, when we arrived, we were at the southern part of the Jordan River. The water there is muddy and not quite as pristine due to agricultural runoff and a bit of sewage. While it’s historically significant—being the site where John baptized Jesus and where the Israelites crossed into Cana—it wasn’t the picturesque setting I had imagined. But Missy was determined, and I reassured her, saying, “This is the Jordan River; this is where the story happens.”

I have a picture of that moment, and though it’s a little comical, it’s a memory that will be with us forever. I told Missy that this moment in her life is so powerful because baptism represents going down as the old person and rising up to a new truth. It’s an outward sign of an inward miracle.

So, being here today, seeing baptisms take place in such a personal and intimate way, is deeply moving. If I had half a brain, I’d just pray and let us all go grab lunch, but I’ve never been accused of having half a brain! So, we’re going to dive into a story from the book of Acts today. I’ve been moved by the messages this summer, especially Pastor Steven’s powerful message on “When the Battle Chooses You,” and the ones from Pastor Robert and Pastor Daniel. I believe God is weaving a theme through our Elevation community this season—spiritual maturity, being all-in for the sake of the Gospel.

To stay in this theme, I need your help. Reach out and touch someone next to you. Gentlemen, if you feel awkward holding hands with someone you don’t know, just a pinkie grip is fine! You don’t need to get too Pentecostal and reach across the aisles at this early hour, but let’s pray together. Let’s ask God to move in this place and illuminate our hearts and minds so that we can become more alive to the Gospel and His calling in our lives.

Jesus, King Jesus, the Lamb who was slain…