Don't reject Jesus because of a bad impression

At sixteen Pastor Max Lyons wanted to hear about Jesus but no Christian invited him to church, so he invited himself. What held him back for two years was that he did not like some Christians he knew. He illustrates how silly that is with a deliberately bad Whitney Houston cover: nobody rejects Whitney Houston because someone misrepresented her voice, yet people reject Jesus because of Christians who misrepresent Him. After giving his life to Jesus, his prayer became to help people know God, which is a desire to be fruitful.

Little decisions, over time

A fruitful life is simple, not easy. Quoting Song of Solomon's "little foxes that spoil the vineyards," Pastor Max explains that what happens below the surface eventually shows above it. Pastors he has served under who fell into affairs did not go from zero to a hundred; small decisions compounded over time. The reverse is also true: young worship team members he knew in London were faithful in the quiet for fifteen years before writing songs the whole room would recognize. Faithfulness in the little things leads to fruitfulness, as Jesus says in Matthew 7.

The fig sandwich of Mark 11

Mark places the fig tree, the cleansing of the temple, and the withered fig tree back to back, so the three stories belong together. In Mark 11:12–14 Jesus finds a fig tree in leaf with no fruit, though it was not the season for figs. Using a photo of an out-of-season fig tree, he explains that Jesus expected early breba fruit and main-crop buds. No early fruit means no later fruit. He recalls two kinds of Bible college students: those waiting for a someday platform who would not greet at the door, and those who would mop floors and run song words. The second group produced fruit early and are doing incredible things now. "One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much."

All leaves and no fruit

During a year in Nashville, Pastor Max dressed and talked like a musician without any musical ability. In the same way it is possible to attend church without walking closely with Jesus and to know the Bible without obeying it. Are we producing genuine fruit or just showing leaves?

Corrupted worship and purity over performance

In Mark 11:15–19 Jesus drives out the sellers and money changers. Priests rejected spotless lambs so pilgrims would buy from approved vendors at ten times the price, then split the profits. Pastor Max connects this to the indulgences that drove Martin Luther to post his 95 Theses. Jesus quotes Jeremiah 7:11, a warning that corrupted worship led to the temple's destruction by Babylon; the second temple was later destroyed by Rome. If we use God's house to get what we want, God Himself will act. This is why authenticity is a core value at Elan Church, which prefers a seven-out-of-ten musician with a heart for God over a hired hand who does not love Jesus.

Healthy roots, healthy fruit

The fig tree withered from the roots, Jesus' only destructive miracle. Pastor Max recalls his 2008 hospitalization with myocarditis at 22: the heart only receives blood and pumps it out, and if one fails you are in trouble. Our worship is the same, receiving God's love and then serving others. The Aral Sea, once the fourth largest lake in the world, became a desert after its inflow was diverted. When we stop receiving from God we cannot bless others. He points to persecuted believers in Nigeria, China, and the Middle East who gather at the risk of death while Western Christians skip church for rain.

Revival is coming; prepare for the harvest

Citing rising commitment to Jesus among US adults, led by Gen Z and millennials, Pastor Max says a broken world needs a fruitful church. Elan celebrates passing 100 baptisms since launch, but this is just the beginning if the church is faithful in the little things first. The goal is not growth but health, because healthy things grow. His closing challenge: if you follow Jesus and have not been baptized, do it today; if you serve on a Team, keep receiving from God at Sunday Gatherings; and if you are not yet serving, jump in, because no one should do everything but everyone should do something.