Set Up Stones That Speak

Your Next is Now

SET UP STONES THAT SPEAK

Jos 4:6  so that this may be a sign among you; when your children ask later, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’

Jos 4:7  then you shall say to them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall become a memorial for Israel forever.”

Today we celebrate 121 years of God’s faithfulness to Greater Shiloh. That’s not just a number that’s generations who have crossed rivers, endured wilderness seasons, and seen the mighty hand of the Lord.

In Joshua’s day, God told His people to sanctify themselves, to step into the water by faith, and then to set up stones that speak — memorials of what He had done. In the New Testament, Peter tells us that we are those stones. Living stones. A spiritual house. A holy priesthood.

So today, I want to remind you: Your Next is Now.

  1. The priests led by faith.

Stepped in the water.  Obedience is the best form of faith.

Carried the presence of God.

 Told people to pick up stones. Build a memorial to God’s faithfulness.

If the priests don’t walk by faith the people are stuck.

1Pe 2:5  You [believers], like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house for a holy and dedicated priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.

You are a priest who represent God.  V. 5 and 9 

Royal priesthood, spiritual house.  1’Pet 2:5-9

1Pe 2:9  But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A CONSECRATED NATION, A [special] PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light

Ambassador,  2. Cor 5;21

Child of God. Jn.1:12

Spiritual Sacrifices of the Priesthood

Peter says in 1 Peter 2:5: “You are being built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

We don’t bring lambs or goats anymore. Our sacrifices are spiritual — and they’re powerful.

  1. Praise and Worship – Hebrews 13:15: “Let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise.”
    • Every song, every prayer, every hallelujah is a sacrifice.
  2. Our Bodies / Whole Selves – Romans 12:1: “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.”
    • Holiness, obedience, daily surrender.
  3. Good Works and Service – Hebrews 13:16: “Do good and share with others; with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
    • Serving the poor, caring for the hurting.
  4. Generosity / Finances – Philippians 4:18: Giving is a fragrant offering, pleasing to God.
    • Every dollar given in faith is worship.
  5. Prayer and Intercession – Revelation 5:8: The prayers of the saints are incense before God.
    • Your prayers rise up and shift the atmosphere.

In Joshua, the priests carried the Ark — the presence of God — on their shoulders into the river. In Christ, we carry His presence within us (1 Corinthians 6:19). And when we step in by faith, others are able to cross.

 

  1. Stones That Speak

Jos 4:6  so that this may be a sign among you; when your children ask later, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’

Jos 4:7  then you shall say to them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall become a memorial for Israel forever.”

The stones taken from the Jordan were not decoration. They were testimony. They declared: God brought us through on dry ground. The Lord made a way when there was no way.

1 Peter 2:5: “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood.”

Israel’s stones pointed back to God’s deliverance, but we are the stones pointing forward to Christ.

  • Every believer is a living testimony.  Rev.12:11

Rev 12:11  And they overcame and conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, for they did not love their life and renounce their faith even when faced with death

  • Every story of grace is another stone in the house. Eph.2:21-22

Eph 2:21  in whom the whole structure is joined together, and it continues [to increase] growing into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, set apart, and sacred to the presence of the Lord].

Eph 2:22  In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

 

Greater Shiloh is not brick and mortar — it is a house built of people, faith, and sacrifice.

If walls could talk, they would tell stories. But God didn’t build His house with walls. He built it with people. You are the stones that speak!

Our Stones of Testimony

Like Israel’s twelve stones, Greater Shiloh’s 121 years are filled with memorials that declare, This is what the Lord has done.

  • Stone of Salvation – Souls saved, lives transformed, generations brought to Christ.
  • Stone of Worship – Songs and prayers lifted, declaring His glory for 121 years.
  • Stone of the Word – Preaching and teaching that shaped lives and families.
  • Stone of Leadership – Pastors, elders, deacons, and faithful saints who stood in the gap.
  • Stone of Expansion – From one sanctuary to multiple campuses and an international reach.
  • Stone of Community Impact – Housing built, families fed, children educated, lives empowered. Homeless sheltered, widows cared for, youth educated.
  • Stone of Endurance – God’s keeping power through wars, depressions, civil rights struggles, and pandemics.
  • Stone of Legacy – Faith passed from one generation to the next, ensuring the story continues.
  • Stone of Healing – Spiritual, mental, and physical healing.
  • Stone of deliverance – addictions, mental illness, demonic oppression, generational curses.

Family, the stones don’t just sit still — they speak! They remind us that the same God who brought us through 121 years is the God who is taking us into our Next!

  1. OUR PURPOSE IS TO PROCLAIM HIS MARVELOUS ACTS

1Pe 2:9  But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A CONSECRATED NATION, A [special] PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

To proclaim means:

  1. To testify– Tell what God has done in your life
  2. To herald– Announce God’s greatness to the world, like a town crier announcing a royal decree
  3. To embody–Proclamation isn’t only words; it’s a lifestyle that displays God’s light

When the priests stepped in, the people crossed over. When you step in by faith, others will follow. Our faith isn’t just personal — it’s generational and global.

  • Greater Shiloh is not just a church — it is a spiritual house of living stones, declaring the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
  • Build stones that speak.
  • Live as living stones.
  • Offer spiritual sacrifices that honor God.

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