My Relationship With God | Bro. Zach McGee

·35 min·3 clips

McGee compares prayer to tying a sacrifice to an altar, where the flesh struggles until it wears down for spiritual growth.

The episode is a sermon by Brother Zach McGee at the First Apostolic Church in Mount Carmel, IL, focusing on the theme 'My Relationship With God'. McGee begins by expressing nervousness and giving honor to God, his wife, two daughters, and various ministry teams. He opens with three scriptures: Deuteronomy 6:5, 1 John 4:19, and Matthew 5:16, setting a foundation for the discussion. McGee emphasizes that God's love is unconditional, accepting even our imperfect efforts, such as giving 60% on a bad day. He delves into prayer, describing it as communication with God that can take many forms, including long prayers that deny the flesh, short prayers like texting a friend, and wordless prayers like Hannah's in the Old Testament. McGee uses the analogy of tying a sacrifice to an altar to illustrate how prayer can wear down the flesh for spiritual growth. He discusses worship, noting that it should be for God alone, not influenced by external factors like arguments with his wife. McGee addresses the issue of embarrassment in faith, sharing how he sometimes tones down worship when guests are present and warning against being ashamed of God. He references Mark 8:38 and uses a personal story about introducing a friend to highlight how God might feel if we are embarrassed of Him. McGee concludes with a parable from Matthew 13:44 about the kingdom of heaven being a treasure worth selling everything for, comparing it to his marriage and urging listeners to pursue God passionately. The sermon ends with an altar call, encouraging prayer for closeness to God and soul-winning.

As heard by us

A nervous opening settles into an earnest sermon on prayer, worship, and the trust that grows through closeness with God.

The host treats a relationship with God as something learned through repeated contact, grounding the idea in the trust between a father and his daughters.

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Why you'd press play

If you want prayer to feel like a practiced trust fall, this sermon brings the couch to church.

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