June 2026 Sermons

The “Jesus Before Christianity” series addresses the crucial need for clarity about what it truly means to follow Jesus Christ, beyond the label “Christian.”

Luke 1:46 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Luke 2:40 “And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.”

Luke 2:52 “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man”

“Our commitment is this: We will pursue growth, but we will not worship it. We will count people, but we will not reduce them to numbers. We will expand our reach, but we will not lose our mission.”

“When God is centered, growth becomes fruit—not a false god. And when people are valued, not used, the church becomes a place where real transformation can take root.”

“Tabernacle of Glory is measured in sending capacity, serving capacity, and healing capacity. Because God measures faithfulness by how we treat people.”

Luke 1:46 “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Luke 2:40 “And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.”

Luke 2:52 “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man”

 The Neighborhood God Uses: Humans Becoming by Teneice Kirby

·       It is a consulting and educational development organization rooted in dignity, equity, and belief that every person is always becoming.

·       We build the structures and systems that produce real and lasting success for neurodivergent individuals designing environments that recognize, support, and celebrate the way they think, learn, and grow.

The Neighborhood God Uses: Village 360 by Kourtney Boulton

·       Help churches identify the people, gifts, and resources already present withing their communities and knot them together into sustainable networks of care ensuring no family walks through crises alone.

·       Knitting the village that grows families. Every family needs a village.

 A Healthy Congregation’s Ecosystem Includes Every Brain and Every Generation:

• children learning in different ways

• youth navigating identity and development

• adults managing stress, attention, and emotional load

• elders adapting to cognitive changes

• families seeking support

• leaders modeling compassion and flexibility

• The Neighborhood God Used: 12005 Soika Ave, Cleveland, OH 
• The Neighborhood God Used: 8932 Quincy Avenue, Cleveland, OH Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church
• The Neighborhood God Used and is Using: Tabernacle of Glory formerly known as Pilgrim Emmanuel

• Good things don’t just come from here. Good things grow here. Good things thrive here. Good things begin here.
• People don’t grow from a moment; they grow from a movement.
• People don’t grow from a program; they grow from a pattern.
• People don’t grow from a Sunday; they grow from a system.
• We are the system; the adults, elders, parents, mentors, leaders, and church.
• We are the ecosystem; the soil where people either flourish or wither.

The “Jesus Before Christianity” series addresses the crucial need for clarity about what it truly means to follow Jesus Christ, beyond the label “Christian.”

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Getting out of the way is not about letting others walk over you. To get out of the way is to recognize that not every moment requires my force, my opinion, or my control. It is humility to admit that my presence is not always the solution, and my intervention is not always the answer. So often we feel compelled to step into fixing, to correct, to assert, to shape outcomes.

•  When stepping back creates space for God’s presence, that is wisdom.
• When stepping in protects the vulnerable, that is obedience.

• When stepping back prevents me from controlling others, that is humility.

• When stepping in confronts injustice or speaks truth, that is courage.

• When stepping back honors someone else’s growth, that is love.

• When stepping in honors God’s call on my life, that is faithfulness.

• Releasing The Illusion of Control
• Letting Go of Micromanagement So God Can Multiply
• Trust God’s Timing Instead of Trying to Rush the Process
• Letting God Grow People We Want to Fix
• When We Need To Be Right More Than, To Be In Relationship
• Remembering We Are Vessels, Not the Source