(PFYC 2025) Rev. Joe Loza- “The Hokey Pokey Christian”

What happens when you find yourself navigating life's storms with no anchor? Rev. Joe Loza offers a powerful solution through this sermon "The Hokey Pokey Christian" drawing from Proverbs 18:10. This message cuts straight to the heart of spiritual inconsistency plaguing many believers today.

We're quick to experience spiritual highs during church services but equally quick to step back into carnal mindsets minutes later. Rev. Snow cleverly frames this as "hokey pokey Christianity" – putting one foot in and one foot out of God's presence, never fully committing to dwelling there. Through passionate delivery and personal vulnerability, he reveals how this half-hearted approach leaves us spiritually vulnerable and ineffective.

The sermon builds upon a profound truth: your spiritual condition determines everything else about you – mental wellbeing, emotional stability, even physical health. As Rev. Snow  explains, "Though our outward man perish, our inward man is renewed day by day." This isn't just motivational speaking; it's practical spiritual wisdom. When we fully enter God's presence (the "high tower"), we find immediate access to everything He offers – peace, joy, strength – not something promised "in 2-3 business days" like a backordered item.

Rev. Loza transparently shares a personal wake-up call when someone observed that he "spoke like a foolish man" when not under the anointing, highlighting how drastically our behavior can shift when moving in and out of God's presence. Through powerful testimonies and passionate exhortation, he reminds us that God's high tower "isn't a dungeon holding you hostage; it's a fortress keeping your adversary out."

Ready to stop playing spiritual peek-a-boo with God? This message challenges you to not just visit God's presence occasionally but to live there consistently. Your spiritual battles await a powerful solution – will you fully enter the high tower?

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Holiness Preaching Online
• 2:26 Finding Comfort in Uncomfortable Situations
• 5:12 The Strong Tower of the Lord
• 9:52 The Hokey Pokey Christian Challenge
• 14:40 Staying in the Spirit Consistently
• 18:07 Personal Story and Final Exhortation
• 20:46 Closing Prayer and Farewell

Transcript

Speaker 1: 1:20

Hello, this is Austin Griffiths, the pastor of Open Praise Fellowship Holiness Church in Easley, south Carolina. Thank you for listening to Holiness Preaching Online. Let's take these truths of God's Word with us and apply these biblical doctrines to our lives. I know you'll enjoy this sermon from a holiness preacher. Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Speaker 2: 1:55

All ready to come. Hallelujah, glory, be to God. Hallelujah. Certainly, appreciate the Lord, everything he's been doing here. Hallelujah. Proverbs, chapter number 18. Quickly, if you don't mind, proverbs, chapter number 18.

Speaker 2: 2:09

I got to thinking about how do you find comfort in an uncomfortable position? Amen. Well, I've learned how to be comfortable in an uncomfortable situation is just be yourself, hallelujah, and run and try to get anointed as soon as possible. Is that all right, hallelujah? So that's what I'm going to do. All right, I'm not being any different than I am any other place that I preach. All right, I found you don't have to worry about being a hypocrite if you're just the same everywhere you go. Hallelujah, glory to God.

Speaker 2: 2:42

Proverbs 18, verse number 10. Quickly, but uh, respectively. Thank you so much for the opportunity, the privilege to be here. Certainly, give honor to my pastor. I see him sitting over there. Praise, hallelujah, praise the Lord, love my wife, my children so very much and I just want God to have his way. How about you? Proverbs 18, verse number 10. This is what of the Lord. Is a strong tower. The righteous runneth around it, hallelujah. The righteous runneth real close to it. No, the righteous runneth into it, hallelujah. And is safe. Now, this is just the way. I think a little different, but I'd like to preach quickly, if the Lord would help me on a hokey pokey Christian. Hallelujah, a hokey pokey Christian, amen. Y'all going to help me tonight? Hallelujah. You may be seated if you want to, if you want to.

Speaker 2: 3:51

The older that I get, the more I seem to understand and realize just how vital it is not to just get in the spirit, but to walk in the spirit, hallelujah, and live in the spirit, amen. I've learned in my little Christian walk, hallelujah, that my spiritual life really determines everything else about me. Amen. My mental health, my emotional health, and I would even go as far as to say that your physical health can be determined by the condition of your spiritual man. Amen. The Bible would say though our outward man perish, our inward man is renewed day by day. The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear? Hallelujah. You know what that's saying. I believe in those two put together. It don't matter what's going on in the world around me, it don't matter what's going to happening to me physically. As long as I keep my spiritual man strong, I can make it, hallelujah. I said I can make it, and so can you.

Speaker 2: 5:10

Can somebody say amen, hallelujah. I don't intend to say anything deep tonight or some anything you have not already heard, but can I tell you, brother and sister, how many knows we're never gonna win life's battle through carnal means? Amen. I read a quote one time I don't remember who it was, it's just coming to me right now. It said oh, how tiresome it is to try to accomplish spiritual things through carnal means. Amen. So that tells me you've got to not just get in the spirit during church time, but the battle you face when you go home. You've got to be walking in it. You've got to be walking in it, you got to be living in it. Hallelujah. Can somebody say amen, glory be to God. But listen to me, brother and sister, quickly, when it's falling apart, when it's falling in, how many knows we have someplace we can go falling in? How many knows we have someplace we can go, hallelujah? The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous runneth into it and is safe.

Speaker 2: 6:27

Have y'all ever thought about this? How do you run into somebody's name, hallelujah. Now, this is just my crazy thinking, but an example you would know. And please, if you think I'm down on anybody, you just don't know me. I'm just saying what I've heard already said. I'm just echoing what these great men of God have already said.

Speaker 2: 6:51

How do you run into somebody's name? Well, it sounds something like this, doesn't it? Do you know who my grandma was? Do you know who my daddy is or who my mama is? And hallelujah, I want to say thank God for the godly heritage of every man, woman, boy and girl in this house. But at the end of the day, the only thing that really matters is what you have. Hallelujah Is what you have.

Speaker 2: 7:22

And, brother and sister, I'm not going to go into it, hallelujah. But I'm the only one in my family that's saved. I couldn't hang on my daddy's prayer life, I couldn't hang on who my grandma was, but I want to tell you I found a name. I said I found a name that I can run into. Hallelujah. How many knows his name? Jesus. I found a name when I didn't have one one. I could run to it and find safety. Hallelujah. Can somebody say amen?

Speaker 2: 8:09

But to try to further emphasize what I'm trying to get across, how many knows, how many has ever heard this phrase? How do you run into a name? Sorry, I'm not trying to preach in your lap, this is just the best place for the camera to see. All right, hallelujah, listen at me. How many? How do you run into someone's name? How many has ever heard something like this? Hey, I'm about to go run in walmart, right, quick. Hey, I'm about to go run in target, can't stand that place.

Speaker 2: 8:41

Glory to god, hallelujah, or some of you sisters, don't fall out with me, but my wife will say hey, I'm about to run to hobby lobby and I'm like, oh, my glory to. But you see, you always give the name of the place you're going. Now listen to me. When you say I'm going to Walmart, that means you can have anything that Walmart offers you. And when you go to Hobby Lobby, you get everything Hobby Lobby has. Amen.

Speaker 2: 9:14

But listen to me, how many has ever been just frustrated? You get on the phone, look it up, the store says they have it. And then you get to AutoZone or Walmart or wherever, and the first thing they say is well, we don't have it, but we can order it for you. We can have it in two to three days. Can I tell you something, brother and sister? I've never ran into the Hallelujah High Tower, only for him to tell me I don't have peace right now, but I can have it in two to three business days. I want to tell you, if you'll run, if you'll run into that high tower, he's got joy, he's got peace and he's got it right now. I said he's got it right now. Can somebody give him praise? Glory to God. Listen, brother and sister, almost done right here. Glory to God.

Speaker 2: 10:21

But how many knows what we like to do? And I need to hurry, say this is the high tower. I'm not trying to be mean to do, and I need to hurry, say this is the high tower. I'm not trying to be mean to anybody, but how many knows we like to be around it, don't we? We like to be one foot in, one foot out, don't we?

Speaker 2: 10:41

How many's ever heard of the hokey pokey? How do you put your right foot in? You put your right foot out. Oh, come on here now. This is what we do in meetings like this. Oh God, I've been watching them things on my phone. I'm going to put my phone in everything. Hallelujah, hallelujah. Oh God, I'm going places I ought not go. I put my foot in, I put my foot out, but how many knows that's not how you get help from God. How many knows I don't want to just right foot in, I don't want to just right hand in, I want all the way, hallelujah. I want to be all the way in the high tower, hallelujah. That's where I find help, that's where I find peace, hallelujah, hallelujah. The high tower, amen.

Speaker 2: 11:53

How many knows brother and sister? Oh God, give me a minute and a half right here, listen, listen. If you're not in the spirit, how many knows Romans 8 and 8? Therefore, they that live in the flesh cannot please God, amen. But how many knows brother and sister? If you're not in, if you're not in living in the spirit, how many knows brother and sister? Your walk ain't right, your worship ain't right, amen, and your prayers ain't going to get nowhere. Hallelujah, glory be to God.

Speaker 2: 12:34

Hallelujah, building up yourselves and your most holy faith, praying around the Holy Ghost, praying real close to the Holy Ghost, praying in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost Praying in the Holy Ghost, hallelujah, therefore, hallelujah. If you walk in the Spirit, in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Hey, listen, I'm not foolish enough To get up here and preach. Well, if you get in the tower, you're never going to battle again, you're never going to have another trouble. But listen to me, when you're in the spirit Depression, anxiety, lust it'll come back. But when you're in the tower it won't get back in here. When you're in the tower, it won't be able to get back in your heart and get back in your mind.

Speaker 2: 13:42

Hallelujah, hallelujah I'm not trying to be mean. Ooh, pfyc, ooh, youth camp, ooh, hallelujah, oh, we're having revival. And as soon as revival's over hallelujah, how many knows? You can get all the way in and you can stay in, you can walk in the spirit, you can live in the spirit and have victory. I said have victory. Can you give god praise? I'm done, I'm done. Let me just say two more things, three more things, quickly, I promise. Is this okay? What scares me praying about this? And y'all just give me some grace, alright. What scares me about this is how easy and how unconcerned we are by just how easily we transfer from such a holy place to such a carnal place.

Speaker 2: 15:06

I've been in revivals Hallelujah, no music, no, nothing, brother Dennis and have two and three hour altar calls no music, no, nothing. Because we were in a holy place, hallelujah. But something that smoked my heart and I'm going to take my mask off and let you see inside just a second. Something that broke my heart was this we went to Wingstop after a revival service. Hallelujah, a man of God had just anointed me to preach. We were just in the presence of God.

Speaker 2: 15:41

And then I went to Wingstop and there was a visitor there and he said this hallelujah. He said I was the only thing I was doing was joking about wing sauce, man, that original hot. I said man, this is old time holiness. Right here, this original hot wing sauce has old time holiness. I was just in the high tower and then, no, sooner was I there. I left and I got to joking like that, and one of the visitors said this when you're not under the anointing, you speak like a foolish man.

Speaker 2: 16:28

Oh, and ever since that happened to me, I want to walk. I don't want to just get in during PFYC. I'm telling you I want to get in the high tower and I want to walk in it. Hallelujah, hallelujah. Listen, emmy, I'm telling you, I want to get in the high tower and I want to walk in it. Hallelujah, listen to me, I'm done. I'm done here. I understand you've been in this, you've been saved. But how many knows what the bible says? It's a high tower that tells me how long have you been in and you're still on the first level. There's higher levels, there's higher heights. I say keep climbing, keep climbing, climb a little higher.

Speaker 2: 17:21

It's a high tower. I don't want to play the hokey pokey with the spirit of God, with the Spirit of God. And just two days ago I had preached to this man. Probably three years ago, two days ago I was preaching before I came here and this man. I prayed. I preached to him about three years ago in a meeting and I promise this story I'm done. I seen him lay his cigarettes on the altar. I seen him lay his vape pen on the altar. I seen him lay dip on the altar.

Speaker 2: 18:04

Y'all ain't going to fall out with me, are you? He shaved his beard off, hallelujah, after God started doing the work on him. Hallelujah, he shaved his beard off, hallelujah, after God started doing the work on him. Hallelujah, y'all gonna fall out with me here, glory to God. And I'm telling you, he shows up two days later, two days ago.

Speaker 2: 18:27

And there we are, in that I'm preaching one night before I come here, and there he is at the altar, bawling, squalling, because he's in the tower, he's feeling the presence of God. And I go over there, put my arm around him. He looks up, brother Joe. He said brother Joe. I said brother Joe.

Speaker 2: 18:56

I said what's going on, buddy? He said I finally figured out what my problem's been. Okay, tell me, he said. I realized he said, joe, all I've ever wanted to do was be just like you people. All I've ever wanted to do was be just like you people. All I've ever wanted to do is feel the power of God like you do, brother Joe, he said. But the thing that I realized my problem was I've never really been saved. He got in the tower, hallelujah, and he realized this is where I need to stay. Hallelujah, glory be to God. I'm done. Can you lift your hands? Ask God to help us in the remainder of this service. Hallelujah, glory be to God. The high tower's not a dungeon to hold you hostage. It's a fortress to keep your adversary out, hallelujah.

Speaker 3: 20:24

Glory be to God. Glory be to God. Hello everyone. Amen. We appreciate you listening to this sermon. If you're lost, I pray that you'd get saved today. If you're away from God, you can join the fold again. If you're struggling in your faith, I pray this sermon encourages you to continue steadfastly. The Lord is coming back soon. Let us all be ready. Thank you again for tuning in to Holiness Preaching Online. God bless.