Change Church Podcast

Episode: I Understand The Assignment
Host: Pastor Dharius Daniels
Date: August 26, 2025

Episode Overview

In this message, Pastor Dharius Daniels unpacks the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers from Luke 17:11-19 to ask: what does it really mean to “understand the assignment” in worship, gratitude, and spiritual development? Drawing from the theme “Alterations”—with a focus on worship as a spiritual discipline—Pastor Dharius challenges listeners to move beyond surface-level religious motion and embrace a life of intentional reflection, deep gratitude, healed identity, and unwavering allegiance to God’s calling. The episode carries a tone that is passionate, relatable, and deeply pastoral, full of personal anecdotes, theological exploration, and pointed challenges to both individuals and the church community.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Quantum Leaps and the Nature of Spiritual Growth

(00:05 - 04:00)

• Pastor Dharius introduces the idea that spiritual growth isn’t always incremental; sometimes God catalyzes exponential change—“quantum leaps”—in our lives.
• He distinguishes between God “ordering our steps” and God causing us to leap, declaring:

  “For the believer, every year can be a leap year.” (02:00)

• Applied to 2025 and the future, he encourages expectations for extraordinary growth and change.

2. Worship and the Theology of Remembrance

(04:00 - 16:00)

• Pastor Dharius argues,

  “It is impossible to become a good worshiper with a bad memory.” (04:35)

• He contrasts physical forgetfulness with “spiritual forgetfulness”—an entitlement that forgets God’s past goodness when present prayers aren't answered.
• Reminds the church that even God exercises “sovereign selectivity” in what He remembers (casting our sins into the sea of forgetfulness).
• Cites Paul on selective memory:

  “Not that I no longer have the memory, but I made a decision not to let the memory have me.” (07:10)

• Key idea:

  “At the essence of worship is intentional reflection.” (09:30)

• Memory is both a shield from condemnation and a wellspring for authentic, "organic" worship.

3. The Healing of the Ten Lepers: A Case Study in Gratitude and Amnesia

(16:00 - 29:00)

• The Luke 17 story is recounted in detail.
• Leprosy’s social, emotional and spiritual stigma led the men to call out to Jesus at a distance.
• Jesus’ instruction (“Go show yourselves to the priests”) required faith in the absence of visible change.
• The main lesson:

  “Sometimes your miracle… is on the other side of your willingness to obey divine instruction that don't make sense.” (20:25)

• As they obeyed “as they went, they were cleansed.”
• Only one, a Samaritan, returns to thank Jesus—showing how quickly “amnesia sets in” after prayers are answered.
• Pastor warns:

  “Some of us get to verse 15 and you forget what verse 13 felt like. You forget what it felt like to be praying for what you now complaining about.” (24:40)

4. The Outsider’s Example

(29:00 - 34:00)

• Luke highlights that the grateful leper was a Samaritan—an outsider religiously and ethnically.
• Lesson:

  “Every person, even if they don't carry the spirit of God, is an image bearer of God. So all the good in anybody is God.” (31:00)

• Critique of some church cultures:

  “Sometimes… we get hype and drunk off orthodoxy… but then we ignore orthopraxis, which is right practice.” (32:00)

• Calls out faith traditions that “love Jesus, but don't love your neighbor” (direct reference to social justice issues).

5. The Difference Between Being Cleansed and Being Made Well

(34:00 - 41:00)

• Jesus says, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?”
• Notably, Jesus differentiates between being “cleansed” and being “made well” (Greek: sozo: salvation, wholeness).

  “All 10 were made clean, but only the one who returned was made well.” (39:30)

• Only the grateful leper experienced deeper healing—physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual wholeness.

6. Three Applications for Experiencing Wholeness (“Sozo”)

(41:00 - 56:00)
Pastor draws three practical points from the passage, for both individuals and church:

a. Arrest Amnesia

(41:30)

• We have a “default orientation toward forgetting.”
• God built rhythms of remembrance into His people’s calendar (Passover etc.) as a spiritual discipline.
• Encourages both personal and corporate periods of intentional reflection.

b. Accept Absolution

(47:00)

• Understanding Jesus' cleansing is key: leprosy as metaphor for sin.

• “Just like Jesus had the power to cleanse leprosy with a Word, he has the power to cleanse sin completely and permanently.” (47:55)

• Warns against both cheap grace (no transformation) and self-hatred (trying to earn forgiveness).
• True worship and consistent Christian living flow from knowing you are fully forgiven—living out your God-given identity.

c. Address Your Allegiance

(51:30)

• The healed Samaritan had to “turn his back on the nine and go back to the one”—requiring a choice of loyalty.

• “God doesn’t even ask to be the only important thing… he says, but I need to be the first important thing.” (52:20)

• Loyalty is both a personal and a corporate (church-wide) calling.
• Church anniversary context: Stay true to the original assignment, not swayed by new trends or outside critique.

7. Pastoral Transparency and Church Vision

(56:00 - end)

• Pastor Dharius shares pivotal personal moments and vision-casting:
  • Seminary experience: realization he was called not just to build a church, but “the King’s way.”
  • Church’s mission: not just being “big,” but biblical, missional, and excellent.

    “We’re not just a big church; God doesn’t count, He weighs.” (1:02:00)

• Three non-negotiables from God:
  1. Do kingdom the King’s way
  2. Be missional (for unbelievers and believers alike)
  3. Practice breathtaking excellence and integrity—

  “Excellence is doing the best you can in the season you’re in with the resources you have available… Integrity matters.” (1:07:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Remembrance and Worship:

  “You don’t have to be prompted to praise if you just remember.” (09:45)

• On Spiritual Amnesia:

  “It is a powerful picture of how quickly amnesia can set in. In two verses they forgot what it felt like to…” (23:55)

• On Social Justice and Orthopraxy:

  “All this crying and people hungry... All this so-called standing for righteousness, but you get loud on everything else and quiet on racism.” (32:40)

• On Corporate and Personal Allegiance:

  “God’s love is a loyal love... At some point, loyalty requires a choice. And you should be choosing based on principle, not person.” (53:00)

• On Excellence and Integrity:

  “Excellence is doing the best you can in the season you’re in with the resources you have... For the gospel to be transmitted, it must be embodied.” (1:07:30)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:05] – Introduction, Luke 17 passage
• [02:00] – Quantum leaps & exponential growth
• [04:35] – Worship & memory (“Impossible to be a good worshiper with a bad memory”)
• [09:45] – Memory as praise catalyst
• [20:25] – The faith step of the lepers
• [24:40] – Forgetting answered prayers
• [31:00] – The Samaritan as model; all are image-bearers
• [32:40] – Justice, orthodoxy vs. orthopraxy
• [39:30] – “Cleansed” vs. “made well/sozo”
• [41:30] – Arrest amnesia
• [47:55] – Accept absolution
• [51:30] – Address allegiance
• [56:00] – Church vision, personal anecdotes (seminary, call to “King’s way”)
• [1:02:00] – Counting vs. weighing (“big” vs. biblical)
• [1:07:00] – Excellence & integrity

Conclusion

Pastor Dharius passionately urges listeners to embrace a life and community where gratitude is intentional, memory is disciplined, forgiveness is accepted, and allegiance to God is unwavering—resulting not just in momentary healing but comprehensive wholeness (“sozo”). The assignment is not just to worship outwardly but to live with remembrances, healed identities, and kingdom loyalty. Understanding the assignment means letting God’s calling, not convenience, shape both personal and corporate destinies.