Dharius Daniels - Surviving These Streets

Here’s the topic of today’s teaching: «Surviving These Streets.» Somebody clap your hands if you’re trying to survive these streets! The amazing artist and gentle genius, the ultimate expression of articulate acumen, Michelangelo, is credited with this quote: he said, «The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that our aim is too low and we reach it.» If I were to translate this quote into contemporary terms, I would simply suggest this: let me see if I can get 12 of you to talk back to me. You are too anointed to be average! There it is: you are too radical to be regular, and you are too special to be simple. You’ve been created, called, and commissioned to stand up and stick out! Let me see if I have any old-school worshipers in the house—set it off! I didn’t hear anybody! For the glory of God, somebody shout, «Set It Off!» Yeah! If you don’t want it set off, leave me alone. If you don’t want it set off, don’t dial my number. If you don’t want to set up, don’t text me. If you don’t want it to blow up from the flow up, don’t call me! If you don’t want it to go to the next level, leave me out of it. Because when I step into the room, I don’t come in to take sides; I come in to take over! And the sisters should definitely be celebrating with me today, because this is Women’s History Month, and I know I have some history-making sisters in the room today. I know I have some sisters who understand your value—not just culturally, but because you’re a part of this house. You understand your value theologically. You understand that when God made all of the created order, He created and then stepped back to evaluate it and said it’s good. On the first day, He created, stepped back, and then evaluated it and said it’s good. On the second day, He created, stepped back, and evaluated it and said it’s good. On the third day, He created, stepped back, and evaluated it and said it’s good. On the fourth day, He created, stepped back, and evaluated it and said it’s good. On the fifth day, He created, stepped back, and evaluated it and said it’s good. But on the sixth day, He created man, stepped back, and evaluated it and said it’s not good that man should be alone. I’ve got to make a helper! So He put man to sleep, reached into the womb of man, pulled out a rib, and made one! Not just because Adam needed a wife—it’s because humanity needed women! You’ve been designed to help; you’ve been anointed to help! When you walk into the room, some people don’t even know it—help just showed up! I need some sisters who know who you are to just open your mouth and say, «Help is here!» You give me a house, I’m turning it into a home—help is here! We must understand and embrace our assignment as men and women. Listen to me: we are not just called to be churchgoers. Do you think God, who is the ultimate expression of stewardship and wise investments, has made all the investments He’s made in you just so you could go to church? Do you think He kept you through everything He kept you through just so you could go to church? Do you think you survived—where are my survivors? —do you think you survived everything you have gone through just for you to go to church? You are not sane in the membrane if you believe that God has been keeping you, providing for you, protecting you, and looking out for you, not just because you are a churchgoer. He says, «I’m making this kind of investment because you’re a world changer.» That was weak! That was weak! World changers have a sound! Y’all are not making any noise! I said world changers have a sound! It’s not a passive sound; it’s not a weak sound. It’s a sound that lets the gates of hell know, «I’m coming!» For the kingdom of God suffers violence, but the violent take it by force! You’re too anointed to be average; you’re too radical to be regular; you’re too special to be simple; you are too significant to reduce your impact— one you’ve been called and created to make—to the four walls of this space. You are not the salt of the church! Y’all are not talking to me! I said you are not the salt of the church! You are not the light of the church! I don’t know if you’re ready for this—your anointing is not just for church! You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world! God wants to use the church to make you, but He needs you to know you were made for more than the church. He says, «I’m going to use the church to make you who I called you to be so you can go out on these streets and do what I called you to do!» You’re made by the church, but you’re made for the streets! And when I say streets, I mean society, I mean territory, I mean your mission field! Some people feel like their mission field is halfway apart across the world, not realizing you’ve been called to be a missionary to the street! You’ve been assigned—come on! I taught you last week there are seven streets to which you’ve been assigned. There’s the religious street, there’s the family street, there’s the education street, there’s the wellness street, there’s the arts, entertainment, and media street, there are the government streets, and there’s the business street. Come on and talk to me! Everybody has been assigned! Y’all aren’t talking to me! You’ve been anointed!