Pastor Hector Boucet

What good is a truth we agree with if it never changes how we act? Pastor Hector Boucet returned to Gaius, Diotrephes, and Demetrius from 3 John to ask the church a harder question than last week’s: not do you believe it, but are you living it.

Last week the church learned that GOD commends a body of believers not by its size, its talent, or its activities, but by its faithfulness — and this week Pastor Boucet moved the congregation from revelation to application. It is easy, he said, to leave a message in the sanctuary on Sunday and let Monday look exactly the same. A Word that is only heard and never applied does not transform anyone; it simply becomes spiritual information.

Pastor Boucet returned to the three figures from 3 John introduced the week before — Gaius the faithful servant, Diotrephes the selfish leader, and Demetrius the faithful witness — and asked The Gathering family which one they most resemble in the ordinary moments of daily life, not just on Sunday morning. James 1:22 was the anchor for the whole message: be doers of the Word, and not hearers only.

“Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only.”

James 1:22

Walking in truth, Pastor Boucet reminded the church, is not a Sunday event — it is a daily decision. He challenged the congregation to ask themselves before they speak, “Is this truth in love?” because people notice the tone behind our words before we do. He shared a personal story from a recent court appearance, where he watched a judge in a bad mood speak harshly to those in the room, and reflected that believers answer to a far higher authority than any judge or officer: the LORD of Glory.

Walking in truth means choosing honesty when lying is easier, choosing purity when temptation is stronger, and choosing forgiveness when the offense feels justified. Truth has to travel a real path — from the Bible into the heart and into behavior — before it changes anything at all.

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

3 John 1:4

“Because truth that is not applied becomes spiritual information, not transformation.”

— Pastor Hector Boucet

Real service, Pastor Boucet said, looks like showing up when no one is watching — helping when you are tired, calling someone who is hurting before they have to ask, cooking a meal for a neighbor recovering from surgery who cannot drive or cook for themselves. He pointed to families in the congregation walking through illness and recovery right now as a living example of the kind of quiet, practical service the church family is called to offer one another.

“Your FATHER who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

Matthew 6:4

The real test of service, he explained, is whether we would still do it if nobody ever said thank you. Giving that costs us something, praying for someone faithfully, and encouraging someone privately without needing anyone else to know — that is service done for an audience of One. Let heaven be the audience, Pastor Boucet said, because GOD is always watching, and HE is the only one whose recognition truly matters.

Pride, Pastor Boucet warned, rarely arrives overnight — it grows in small, unnoticed ways: “I deserve recognition,” “why didn’t they choose me,” “I know better than anyone else here.” Left unchecked, pride divides relationships, blocks spiritual growth, resists correction, and pushes away GOD’s presence. The remedy is staying teachable, staying humble, and apologizing quickly the moment we know we owe one, rather than letting the enemy whisper reasons to wait.

Beyond guarding the heart, Pastor Boucet challenged the congregation to build a godly testimony intentionally — through prayer over strangers, through what is posted on Facebook, through the honesty and peace people notice in daily conversation. Many people will never open a Bible, he said, but they will read the life of the believer standing in front of them. That is why living it out matters more than any single Sunday service ever could.

“GOD is not calling us to be impressive. HE is calling us to be faithful.”

Pastor Hector Boucet

This week, walk in truth daily. Serve consistently. Reject pride the moment you feel it rising. Build your testimony intentionally, because at the end of your life, title will not matter, position will not matter, and recognition will not matter — only whether you lived in a way GOD could commend.

Watch the Full Sermon

Hear Pastor Hector Boucet preach Living It Out — Part 2 live at The Gathering Church — July 26, 2026.

Reflect & Respond

Where in your daily life is GOD asking you to move from hearing HIS Word to living it out?