Sunday April 19, 2026

Sunday April 19, 2026

How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? Bishop Lance Johnson answers that with a straight-talking message about what real change looks like when someone gives their life to Christ. Drawing on his own background of addiction and brokenness, Lance preaches from Matthew 22’s wedding feast, using the image of the missing wedding garment to challenge what he calls “dead institutionalised religion”. He explains that saying a prayer or filling a pew isn’t the goal; being transformed is.

As he puts it bluntly, “Salvation without transformation is not salvation.” The heart of this episode is the role of the Holy Spirit in breaking addictions and old patterns. Lance contrasts the blood of Jesus, which “provides forgiveness”, with the Holy Spirit, who “provides transformation… the power and ability for your nature to be changed.” That means addictions, destructive habits and secret sins aren’t things you just manage; they’re things God intends to change.

He speaks directly to people still “strung out… broken… wounded… caught in cycles of self-destruction”, and to church folks who may look fine on Sunday but are battling privately. He insists that the same Holy Spirit who gives gifts and boldness is also “the power to live holy… to put on Christ Jesus”, affecting everything from relationships and work ethic to what you watch and how you speak. The tone is urgent, raw and sometimes uncomfortable on purpose.

Lance challenges church culture that chases numbers and feel-good services while ignoring genuine conversion, and calls for fervent prayer for families trapped in addiction, insisting “It is God’s will to save your family.” If you’re tired of religion that doesn’t seem to touch real-life bondage, this message might push you, provoke you, and help you ask a crucial question: have you just accepted the invitation, or have you put on the garment?