Last Sunday’s message at The Gathering was brought by Angel, a faithful member of our congregation who also teaches and occasionally preaches. His message, titled “The Sifting Before the Shifting,” was both powerful and deeply personal — calling the church to stand firm in faith during life’s hardest seasons.
There’s something sacred about the moments when life shakes us. In Luke 22:31–32, Jesus tells Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.” This was the core of Angel’s message: before the shifting comes the sifting.
Angel began by honoring the youth of the church, sharing heartfelt words about his 16-year-old son, Elijah. Though Elijah once struggled, he has grown in wisdom and faith, even preaching at his school and earning a basketball scholarship. Like many teens, he faces challenges — peer pressure, media influence, and the search for identity — but his testimony is a beacon of God’s transforming power. As Angel put it: “He has come a mighty long way.”
But the sermon quickly turned personal and powerful. Using Peter as a biblical example, Angel reminded us that spiritual growth is never smooth. It’s painful. It’s stretching. It’s refining.
“Before there is a shifting, there will always be a sifting.”
Peter followed Jesus closely — saw miracles, walked on water, experienced the Transfiguration. And yet, Peter also denied Christ three times. Still, Jesus told Peter that when he turned back, he was to “strengthen your brothers.” That’s restoration. That’s purpose.
And that’s hope for all of us.
We were reminded that God doesn’t always remove us from the test — sometimes He prays us through it. The enemy may be allowed to sift, but God is the one who shapes. Sifting shakes loose the impurities. It makes us into bread — and Jesus is the Bread of Life.
“Jesus didn’t pray for Peter to avoid the test. He prayed that his faith would not fail.”
Angel shared his own sifting season — the tragic loss of his son after military service. Through tears, he testified that even when the pain was unimaginable, he chose to trust God.
“Even if you’ve failed,” he said, “God still wants you. He still calls your name.”
The altar was open for anyone going through a sifting season — those who feel a storm brewing, who sense change coming, who need the strength to stand. People came forward, not out of shame, but out of surrender. Because faith doesn’t mean avoiding the storm. Faith means standing in it, believing Jesus is with you.
The takeaway? You may feel shaken, but God is not done. You may feel broken, but He is building something stronger in you. When your shifting comes — and it will — you’ll be ready.
Because Jesus has prayed for you.