Latest / Koinonia Christian Center / From Found to Sent | Pastor Trev Evans
Transcript
- 0:00Come on, lift up this Bible. Whatever
- 0:02you have, paper Bible, phone, tablet.
- 0:03Come on, say, "This is my Bible."
- 0:05>> This is my word.
- 0:06>> It is God's word. It is God's word.
- 0:08>> It reveals to me
- 0:10>> God's will.
- 0:11>> Therefore,
- 0:12>> it's the final authority final
- 0:15>> to which I submit
- 0:17>> to settle all the issues
- 0:19>> of my life.
- 0:20>> It's the standard
- 0:22>> of my conduct
- 0:24>> and the basis of all my expectations.
- 0:27>> Come on, shout it out. I am what it says
- 0:30I am. It says I am.
- 0:31>> I possess what it says I possess. I can
- 0:35do
- 0:36>> absolutely everything.
- 0:38>> It says I can do.
- 0:40>> I'm a believer.
- 0:42>> Not a doubter.
- 0:43>> I'm a doer.
- 0:44>> Not just a hearer.
- 0:46>> And my life,
- 0:48>> my everyday life everyday
- 0:50>> is the better.
- 0:51>> After having heard
- 0:53>> the word of faith.
- 0:54>> Word of faith.
- 0:54>> Faith comes by hearing.
- 0:56>> Faith comes by hearing. and hearing and
- 0:58hearing by the word of God. Let's ride.
- 1:02You may be seated in the presence of the
- 1:04Lord. James Wson, I'll see you after
- 1:06service. Stop by my office. I just had
- 1:07to say it while I saw you. Amen.
- 1:10>> Amen. I used to wonder why pastor did
- 1:11stuff like that. All I had to do was
- 1:13keep living. Amen.
- 1:15>> Come on. We are headed to Mark chapter
- 1:183. Mark chapter 3. And we'll be at verse
- 1:2214. Mark 3 verse 14
- 1:29and it says
- 1:31talking about Jesus, then he appointed
- 1:3312
- 1:34>> that they might be with him
- 1:38>> and that he might send them
- 1:43out to preach. Let me just finish it for
- 1:45those who came. Well, he just stopped in
- 1:47the middle of it. Let me finish it for
- 1:48you.
- 1:50Then he appointed 12 that they might be
- 1:52with him that he might send them out to
- 1:56preach. I want to talk to us from this
- 1:59subject today from found to scent.
- 2:05>> From found
- 2:07to sent. Lord bless your word we pray.
- 2:10Give us ears to hear, hearts to receive
- 2:12in Jesus name. Amen.
- 2:15>> From found to sent.
- 2:18You know, according to research, Dr. Tom
- 2:21Rener says that 80% of unchurched
- 2:24Americans say that they would attend
- 2:27church if they were personally invited.
- 2:33>> 80%, catch this, of unchurched Americans
- 2:36say that they would attend church if
- 2:41they were personally invited. Now, think
- 2:44about that. Eight out of 10 people are
- 2:48willing and open to coming to church.
- 2:50But the challenge is that many
- 2:52Christians aren't extending the
- 2:54invitation.
- 2:56When I read this, it highlighted the
- 2:57potential of s of the simple power of
- 3:01the personal invitation to bring people
- 3:04into the church community. You know,
- 3:07last week we looked at the first call of
- 3:10Jesus in this very same text in Mark
- 3:123:14. And we see Jesus's strategy for
- 3:16his disciples. He appointed 12 that they
- 3:19might be with him and that he might send
- 3:23them out.
- 3:24>> But now notice the order. First, they
- 3:27were called to be with him.
- 3:30>> Yes.
- 3:31>> You and I, our first calling is to be
- 3:34with God. That Jesus want us to spend
- 3:38time with him.
- 3:39>> Amen.
- 3:40>> This is important. This is necessary.
- 3:42The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 10 25,
- 3:44do not forsake the assembly, the coming
- 3:46together, the gathering, the ecclesia of
- 3:49yourselves as the manner of some is. We
- 3:52need this gathering.
- 3:54>> But can I tell you, you and I need more
- 3:56than just this gathering.
- 3:58>> We need to be praising and worshiping
- 4:00God at home.
- 4:03>> Somebody shout, "At home."
- 4:04>> At home.
- 4:05>> Yeah. If the only place you give God
- 4:06praise is in this house, you are missing
- 4:09out on a large percentage of what God
- 4:11wants to do in your life.
- 4:14>> Yeah. There there are things that God
- 4:15Let me tell you something. I grew up
- 4:16with a old school mama who didn't didn't
- 4:19who didn't just get happy or got or got
- 4:22caught up in church. My mama would be
- 4:25back there ironing clothes and HOLLER
- 4:27OUT SAID, "OH, GOD did it." AND SEE,
- 4:30GROWING UP, YOU KNOW, WE TRYING TO
- 4:32FIGURE OUT WHAT DID WHAT.
- 4:34Me and my sister used to get scared.
- 4:36SHE'D BE IN THERE WASHING THE DISHES.
- 4:37THANK YOU, LORD.
- 4:40>> YES, SIR.
- 4:41>> But what I learned was that wasn't just
- 4:44for church.
- 4:46>> It it it wasn't just for church. That
- 4:48there was an element and a relationship
- 4:50with God that was supposed to be at
- 4:52home.
- 4:56You know, you all, WE WE CANNOT do what
- 4:58what I did a few months ago. You know, a
- 5:02few months ago, I had I had lock jaw.
- 5:05And uh I know you couldn't tell because
- 5:07uh you would have thought I would have
- 5:08lost a few pounds, but Jeremy, I found a
- 5:10way to cram that food past that lock
- 5:12jaw. But, uh I had lock jaw, so I had to
- 5:15go to physical therapy. And uh when I
- 5:17was going to physical therapy, had Dr.
- 5:19Hill at Kinetic Physical Therapy. Shout
- 5:20out to uh Dr. Hill. Great job. and uh
- 5:23she began to do what was called dry
- 5:25needling and uh boy that that was an
- 5:28experience and uh she gave me other
- 5:31exercises while I was there and so the
- 5:33first session went well and uh it came
- 5:35to an end she said now listen Mr. Evans
- 5:37uh I'm going to give you some things
- 5:39that you need to do at home.
- 5:42I said okay and she said now you need to
- 5:45do these things before your next
- 5:46appointment so when you come back we can
- 5:47be a little further along. I said okay
- 5:49got it. And so she gave me these
- 5:51popsicle sticks around a rubber band. I
- 5:53was supposed to put them in my mouth for
- 5:55a period of time to begin to stretch my
- 5:57jaw. And so y'all know what I did.
- 6:00Come on. I ain't got to tell the rest of
- 6:01the story. I I didn't do it. I DIDN'T DO
- 6:04IT TILL MY NEXT APPOINTMENT. AND THEN
- 6:06I'M RIDING DOWN ARLINGTON BOULEVARD
- 6:07TRYING TO PUT THE POPSICLES. Y'ALL,
- 6:09there's too many of us in here.
- 6:12Tori, I'M TRYING TO STRETCH IT OUT ON MY
- 6:14WAY TO THE APPOINTMENT.
- 6:20And and God said God said you can't do
- 6:22that in with my relationship with you.
- 6:25>> You can't just exercise when you're with
- 6:28me.
- 6:29>> But then there's things at home that you
- 6:31need to do because if you don't do the
- 6:33things at home, you are leaving some
- 6:35progress on the table.
- 6:37>> There's some things there's a there
- 6:38there's a there's a progression that you
- 6:40and I would have IF WE WOULD TAKE ALL of
- 6:42this at home.
- 6:44>> And and you can't have this at home. I'm
- 6:46talking about turning the song on and
- 6:47going for BROKE
- 6:49>> THERE. CAN I TELL YOU THERE'S A MOVE OF
- 6:51GOD THAT'S WAITING ON YOU IN YOUR LIVING
- 6:53ROOM? CAN I TELL YOU THERE'S A MOVE OF
- 6:55GOD THAT'S WAITING ON YOU IN YOUR
- 6:57BATHROOM IF YOU WOULD JUST TURN THE SONG
- 6:59ON AND GIVE GOD PRAISE.
- 7:01>> There's some progress.
- 7:03>> Teach, Holy Ghost. There's some progress
- 7:05that God wants to make in you at home.
- 7:08Somebody shout at home.
- 7:09>> Yeah. So Jesus was telling them, I want
- 7:11you to spend time with me. I need to
- 7:13fill you at home. I need to pour into
- 7:16you because he was not going to send
- 7:18them out empty.
- 7:21>> That was God's whole focus. And at the
- 7:24same time, as it was true for them, it
- 7:26is true for us. Our ability to invite
- 7:30others and share our testimony. It flows
- 7:33out of our time with God.
- 7:37>> It flows out of our relationship. that
- 7:40time that we spend not just in church
- 7:43but that time we spend at home with God,
- 7:45our ability to open up and to share and
- 7:48to speak with other people will flow out
- 7:50of that.
- 7:52>> Today we want to talk about what it
- 7:54means to go to go from being found to
- 7:59being sent.
- 8:00>> We're not just going but we are moving
- 8:04with a purpose. We'll look at two
- 8:07powerful tools that God has given us to
- 8:09make an eternal impact. The first tool
- 8:11is the power of a personal invitation.
- 8:15>> Somebody shout it out personal.
- 8:16>> Personal
- 8:17>> invitation.
- 8:18>> And the second tool that God has given
- 8:20us is the power of our testimony.
- 8:23Somebody shout testimony.
- 8:24>> Testimony.
- 8:25>> I need us to understand from the onset
- 8:27that you do not need to be a preacher or
- 8:29a theologian to share your faith.
- 8:32>> Amen.
- 8:34>> Yeah. You do not need to be a theologian
- 8:37or a preacher to share your faith. All
- 8:40you need is your story.
- 8:42>> Amen.
- 8:44>> And the courage to say to another
- 8:46person, "Come be my guest."
- 8:50>> That's it. NOW, YOU CAN TAKE ALL THE
- 8:53CLASSES you want to take, and I
- 8:54encourage you to take classes. BUT WHAT
- 8:56I'M TELLING YOU TODAY, YOU have what you
- 8:58need right now to invite somebody to
- 9:02Jesus and to share your testimony.
- 9:06>> The way we move, understand something,
- 9:08the way we will move from being found to
- 9:10being sent is to embrace one of our core
- 9:13values, which is point number one. One
- 9:15of our core values here at Cornia is
- 9:17that found people find people
- 9:21>> found people
- 9:23>> find people. Found people.
- 9:26>> Found people.
- 9:26>> Everybody found people.
- 9:28>> Found people.
- 9:33>> The Bible says in John chapter 41 that
- 9:36after after Jesus had found Andrew, the
- 9:39first thing that Andrew went to do was
- 9:41he went to find his brother.
- 9:44That's because found people find people.
- 9:48Understand when you've been found, you
- 9:51understand the urgency of helping others
- 9:54to find the same way.
- 9:57>> It's not just understand it's not just a
- 9:59duty. It is a responsibility to the
- 10:03grace that you and I have received.
- 10:06>> Found people don't just sit in the
- 10:08safety of salvation.
- 10:10>> We become a person who helps someone
- 10:13else find their way to the one who can
- 10:16save.
- 10:17Yes.
- 10:18>> Found people.
- 10:19>> Find people.
- 10:21>> You and I have a responsibility.
- 10:24>> You know, I I saw this the other day. Um
- 10:28I I went to a restaurant um that I I
- 10:32frequent quite often uh last Saturday
- 10:34after our uh ministry training day. I
- 10:38went to one of my favorite restaurants.
- 10:39And I'm not going to tell the restaurant
- 10:40because I don't want to give them no
- 10:42free publicity.
- 10:44>> Amen.
- 10:45>> Amen. So, I went to a restaurant
- 10:47>> that's within the the boundaries of the
- 10:49fast before y'all start judging me.
- 10:52>> Where he go? He went to cookout. No, I
- 10:54didn't go to Cookout. I went to
- 10:56something that was in the boundaries of
- 10:57the fast.
- 10:58>> And so, I went there and got my food and
- 11:01uh brother Ty came in behind me and uh
- 11:04so, you know, listen, corner man, what
- 11:06I'm going to do, I'mma pay for his food.
- 11:08So, I paid for for for Tarmac's food and
- 11:11then I left out. And uh I told you I
- 11:14frequent the place. So uh I was back
- 11:16there in like 2 days. So I went back
- 11:18there in two days and the lady behind
- 11:20the counter who was there on Saturday
- 11:22was was there that day. And she said,
- 11:24"You know what?
- 11:27You started something the other day." I
- 11:30said, "What? What' I do?" She said, "No,
- 11:32honey. You started something the other
- 11:33day cuz you paid for one guy's food and
- 11:35after you paid for his food, then it was
- 11:37like six or seven other people that you
- 11:40paid for their food, too."
- 11:42And you know, I just love country stuff.
- 11:43So, I just kept asking her more
- 11:45questions so she could keep on talking.
- 11:46I said, "Shut your mouth."
- 11:49Yes, you did. You did. It was like six
- 11:51or seven more people. They they just
- 11:52kept they kept coming in and paying for
- 11:54it. And then there was this other there
- 11:56was a guy, you know, and and he somebody
- 11:59paid for his food, but when he got to
- 12:00the register, he didn't pay for the next
- 12:02man's food.
- 12:04And and it was an older man, too. So, I
- 12:06said, "You know what? He can't miss this
- 12:08blessing." So, I paid for his food.
- 12:16That was good to me.
- 12:19>> But coach, you know what? God stopped me
- 12:21right in my tracks and he said, "You
- 12:22know, Trev, the real hero of that story
- 12:26wasn't even you."
- 12:27>> He said, "The real hero of the story was
- 12:29the six to seven other people who didn't
- 12:32let the blessing stop with them."
- 12:36>> Yeah. They they DIDN'T GET SO CAUGHT UP
- 12:38IN the blessing that oh somebody gave ME
- 12:40GAVE ME MY FOOD AND JUST left but they
- 12:43realized that this blessing found me and
- 12:46now I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO FOR THE
- 12:49BLESSING TO FIND SOMEBODY ELSE.
- 12:53SOMEBODY SHOUT
- 12:53>> FOUND PEOPLE.
- 12:55>> Find people.
- 12:57>> Bless people.
- 13:04>> We have a responsibility.
- 13:06>> This is not that it would be nice.
- 13:09>> I have a responsibility
- 13:12that because I have been found by the
- 13:14grace of God
- 13:16>> that that God after. See, this is what I
- 13:18loved about that song is that I tried
- 13:21him over
- 13:22>> and oh, see, this is why you and I must
- 13:25make sure that we don't sanitize our
- 13:27testimony.
- 13:29>> Uh-huh. You can't sanitize your
- 13:31testimony. What do I What do I mean? You
- 13:33can't take out all the dirty stuff out
- 13:35of your testimony trying to make it
- 13:37suitable so that we won't think
- 13:38differently of you.
- 13:42When in fact, there's too many of us in
- 13:44here.
- 13:46I wish somebody said it like you heard
- 13:47it before. IT'S TOO MANY OF US IN here
- 13:49>> for you to be the only one.
- 13:52>> Lord, I said Oh, God. I almost said
- 13:54something. Judge.
- 13:57Oh, God.
- 13:59I'mma say it. Just give me a second.
- 14:04Do you think you're the only one
- 14:07that has sex for money?
- 14:10I know you can't. Don't Don't look.
- 14:15NO, NO, NO. I I WANT TO COME RIGHT DOWN
- 14:17YOUR ROW BECAUSE sometimes we think that
- 14:19God only forgives certain sins.
- 14:22>> Uh-huh. Uhhuh. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yeah.
- 14:24Yeah. We think that Yeah. You think God
- 14:26is like man, but the Bible said God is
- 14:28not like man. His thoughts are not like
- 14:30our thoughts. His ways are not our ways.
- 14:34>> No. You do you REALLY THINK WITH ALL
- 14:36THESE PEOPLE IN HERE?
- 14:38>> I'm not just talking to women either.
- 14:41>> Uhhuh. Yeah. Oh Lord, I done got in
- 14:44trouble.
- 14:46>> Do you really think with all these
- 14:48people in here, you the only one?
- 14:50>> That's right.
- 14:52>> No. What the enemy wants to get you to
- 14:54do is to sanitize your testimony.
- 14:57>> That's right.
- 14:58>> Oh, God. Oh, I can't get ahead of
- 15:00myself. Found people. Find people.
- 15:03>> Somebody shout, "Found people."
- 15:05>> Find people.
- 15:10>> We have a responsibility. Let me let me
- 15:12lift up this scripture. 2 Corinthians
- 15:14chapter 5 20 and 21. I know. I know. Uh
- 15:17LED, I didn't give this to you. Just let
- 15:18me read it. I love y'all. I messed up.
- 15:20That was my fault. 2 Corinthians chapter
- 15:225 verse 20 and 21. We have a
- 15:24responsibility. Yo, the Bible says we
- 15:27are therefore Christ ambassadors.
- 15:32>> As though God were making his appeal
- 15:34through us,
- 15:36>> we implore you on Christ's behalf. Be
- 15:39reconciled to God. Understand something
- 15:41this this when we when you're sharing
- 15:44when you're talking to somebody we have
- 15:46this responsibility because it is as God
- 15:49speaking through us
- 15:50>> to have you ever had somebody talking to
- 15:52you
- 15:55>> witnessing to you
- 15:57and they spot on
- 16:00>> and they don't you trying to save face.
- 16:02You know what I'm saying? You trying to
- 16:02keep it together but you trying to
- 16:04figure out how in the world
- 16:06do they know my business?
- 16:10The the Bible says it's like God
- 16:12>> Yes, sir.
- 16:13>> talking through, making his appeal
- 16:15through you.
- 16:16>> When you This is This is why This IS WHY
- 16:17YOU CAN'T GET SO CAUGHT UP. LORD, I'm
- 16:19getting ahead of myself. This is why you
- 16:22can't get so caught up in I don't know
- 16:23what I'mma say.
- 16:26>> No, no, no, no. The Bible, we used to
- 16:28say it all the time in the church. If
- 16:29you open up your mouth,
- 16:31>> he said, "I'll speak for you."
- 16:33>> Oh, YOU YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT
- 16:34ALL GOD WILL USE YOU.
- 16:37>> GOD, help me. I feel like I got a
- 16:39thousand things going through my brain.
- 16:40I want to preach a sermon one day about
- 16:43the rooster that crowed
- 16:47when Peter denied Jesus.
- 16:48>> All right.
- 16:49>> I do one day. I don't I don't know when
- 16:51I'm I'mma do it because because that
- 16:53that rooster
- 16:54>> Yes.
- 16:55>> crowed every morning.
- 16:57>> And to everybody else, it was just a
- 17:00rooster crowing.
- 17:03>> But to Peter,
- 17:04>> h it was a call to repentance. And what
- 17:07I'm saying IS YOU MAY SOUND YOU MAY
- 17:09THINK YOU JUST CROWING LIKE ANYTHING
- 17:11ELSE, BUT GOD HAS GOT A WAY TO USE YOUR
- 17:13CROW
- 17:15>> TO CALL PEOPLE BACK TO REPENTANCE.
- 17:21>> Sounded like a crow to everybody else.
- 17:24>> BUT THE BIBLE SAID THAT WHEN PETER HEARD
- 17:25IT, HE STARTED WEEPING.
- 17:29>> That rooster didn't know what was going
- 17:31on.
- 17:33That's good.
- 17:34>> God
- 17:37will use us.
- 17:39>> Oh, he will use us. Let let me let me
- 17:41get right to it. Let me get right to it.
- 17:42Then then you're asking how do we do
- 17:44this? If found people find people h how
- 17:47do we do this? What is the strategy?
- 17:50Point number two. Your story is the
- 17:53strategy.
- 17:55>> Your story,
- 17:58not my story.
- 18:00>> Your story.
- 18:03What God has brought you through
- 18:07is the strategy,
- 18:10not what he brought somebody else
- 18:11through. See, because there's some of
- 18:14you in here who think you haven't done
- 18:15enough dirt for your story to be
- 18:17attractive.
- 18:22>> Yeah. You think you hadn't done there's
- 18:23a there's a few of y'all in here like,
- 18:24"Do you need some dirt?" I can loan you
- 18:25some dirt cuz I done a whole lot of
- 18:28I know
- 18:30I can loan you some. I give you like a
- 18:32scoop.
- 18:36But there some of us thinking that that
- 18:38we haven't done enough and thinking that
- 18:39our story that God can't use our story.
- 18:41Can I tell you something? God finds
- 18:43people in different places.
- 18:46>> Everybody is not found in the gutter.
- 18:48Some people are found in the boardroom.
- 18:51>> Oh. Oh. Oh. Everybody's not found in the
- 18:54classroom. Some of us were found in the
- 18:56club.
- 18:59And God can use your story
- 19:02>> to reach people.
- 19:06>> That's right.
- 19:06>> God, I feel the Holy Ghost right here.
- 19:08>> Don't don't don't because I I know some
- 19:11of my teens that grow up in church and
- 19:12you think, "Well, I don't know if I can
- 19:13use my testimony. I've been praising
- 19:15God. I got filled when I was 14. Like,
- 19:17what God gonna do to me?" Nuh-uh. Tell
- 19:19your story.
- 19:21>> No. Tell tell your story. I got filled
- 19:23when I was 14 years old. God filled me
- 19:25with the baptism of the Holy Ghost and
- 19:27I've been walking with God ever since.
- 19:28God can use that.
- 19:30>> That's your rooster crowing.
- 19:35>> Don't let the devil make you think you
- 19:37got to go out here and do some dirt
- 19:38before God can use you.
- 19:41>> Oh my gosh. I wish some older people
- 19:44would clap behind that.
- 19:49You and I have a story.
- 19:52You don't need to be a theologian to
- 19:54invite someone to church. You just need
- 19:56to be a witness.
- 19:58>> He just called us to be A W TELL WHAT
- 20:01YOU SAW.
- 20:04>> When you a witness, you just tell him
- 20:06what you saw.
- 20:08>> I don't need you to make up nothing.
- 20:10>> That's right.
- 20:11>> No, JUST TELL WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE FOR
- 20:13YOU.
- 20:15>> NO, you just say WHAT GOD WHATEVER GOD
- 20:17has done. That's what you need to tell.
- 20:19>> That's right.
- 20:21Give me my next slide. Your your story
- 20:24is the strategy. What's my next slide?
- 20:26Catch this. Your eyewitness
- 20:30is more persuasive than any why
- 20:32argument.
- 20:35>> Your eyewitness
- 20:38what God has done for you.
- 20:40>> Yes, sir.
- 20:42>> YOU DON'T NEED TO ADD anything to it.
- 20:43What God has done for you. In fact, you
- 20:47don't need to add anything to it. You
- 20:49just need to tell the whole story.
- 20:52>> See, this is why I love senior saints. I
- 20:54talked to Mother Gardener. She's one of
- 20:55my oldest mothers. She's like 95. She's
- 20:57not the oldest. She's one of the oldest.
- 20:59I love Mother Gardener. Oh, yeah. I love
- 21:02Mother Gardener. Her daughter and
- 21:04granddaughter over there. Is she here
- 21:06today? She was here this morning. Okay.
- 21:08I love Mother Gardener because Mother
- 21:09Gardener when I talk to her, she'll tell
- 21:11me, "Lord, she'll slip start talking
- 21:13real strong." Must say, "You know what,
- 21:14baby? God saved me."
- 21:17No, I need you to know the Lord saved me
- 21:18cuz I used to be a mess.
- 21:22I said, "Mom, were you honey? Don't let
- 21:24don't let this white fool you, baby. I
- 21:26used to be a mess." She said, "I used to
- 21:28be just a fresher dish water."
- 21:33Let me interpret that country term.
- 21:36What she was saying was, "I know what
- 21:39it's like to to be hot.
- 21:44Golly, are we streaming this circuit?
- 21:45Okay. They going to make me go there. I
- 21:46don't want to go. We're not streaming.
- 21:47Okay. Yeah. You know what it's like you
- 21:50Oh, God. I can't say that. All right.
- 21:54>> Can I say it? Okay. Yeah. All right. My
- 21:56mom used My grandma used to call being
- 21:57hot in the tail.
- 21:59Okay. Okay. You y'all got that? Yeah.
- 22:01She said, "I know what IT'S LIKE." SO,
- 22:03SO I'M NOT GOING TO JUDGE A 16-year-old
- 22:06like I don't understand wearing a short
- 22:08skirt.
- 22:14She said, "I know what the Lord has done
- 22:16for me.
- 22:17>> I'm not going to act like I never been
- 22:19there.
- 22:20>> I'm not going to act like I don't
- 22:22understand. And when I get ready to
- 22:24SHARE MY STORY, I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE I
- 22:26include that so that they really know
- 22:28that God had TO USE REAL GRACE ON ME.
- 22:34>> Your story is enough.
- 22:37your story,
- 22:40>> what God has brought you through is
- 22:42enough.
- 22:44>> Let me just hammer that point down. It
- 22:46is enough.
- 22:48>> Whatever it is, let God use it.
- 22:51>> Amen.
- 22:51>> AMEN.
- 22:52>> WHATEVER THAT STORY IS, let God because
- 22:54it is enough. The Bible said in
- 22:57Revelations 12 11 it says and they
- 23:00overcame him
- 23:02>> by the blood of the lamb and by the word
- 23:06of their testimony. Yes, you come you
- 23:09overcome by the blood of the lamb but
- 23:10the Bible says you also overcome by the
- 23:13words of your testimony.
- 23:16>> You and I got something to share.
- 23:18>> Yes.
- 23:19>> When we share our testimony, our
- 23:21testimony is personal. It is relatable
- 23:24and it is undeniable.
- 23:27>> This is why I need you to share your
- 23:28story because it needs to be personal.
- 23:31>> I need you to share your story because
- 23:33it has to be relatable.
- 23:35>> And I need you to share your story
- 23:36because it has to be undeniable. Can't
- 23:39nobody talk you out of what God has done
- 23:40for you. Amen.
- 23:42>> SEE, BECAUSE I KNOW SOMETIMES WE CAN GET
- 23:44intimidated when we see others on the
- 23:46street and they're they're sharing their
- 23:48faith and whatever their faith may be
- 23:50when it's different from ours and we get
- 23:52nervous about, you know, I don't want
- 23:53nobody to stop me and say nothing to me.
- 23:55Or when the Jehovah's Witness come to
- 23:56your door, you just pull the blinds and
- 23:58act like you're not home.
- 24:01Too many of us in here.
- 24:03Yeah, YOU ACT LIKE YOU'RE NOT HOME. BUT
- 24:05LISTEN, YOU DON'T HAVE to be able to
- 24:07quote twothirds of the New Testament.
- 24:09All you got to be willing to do is share
- 24:11what God has done for you.
- 24:14>> I CAN'T LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING. I
- 24:16CAN'T CONVINCE YOU. ALL I KNOW IS I'M
- 24:18CONVINCED.
- 24:20>> WHAT I CAN TELL you is I don't know
- 24:21about ALL THAT STUFF YOU JUST SAID, BUT
- 24:22WHAT I KNOW IS I ONCE WAS BLIND,
- 24:25>> but now I see.
- 24:27>> I can't I DON'T KNOW ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU
- 24:29JUST SAID. WHAT I KNOW IS I ONCE WAS
- 24:31LOST,
- 24:32>> BUT NOW I'VE BEEN FOUND.
- 24:34>> And now YOU TALK ALL THAT STUFF YOU WANT
- 24:36TO, BUT I IT'S ME and Jesus.
- 24:40That's right.
- 24:41>> He's done too much for me.
- 24:43>> That's why YOU CAN'T FORGET YOUR
- 24:44TESTIMONY. HE'S DONE TOO MUCH FOR PULL
- 24:46THEM IN.
- 24:47>> LET ME TELL YOU HOW God's been good to
- 24:49me.
- 24:50>> There was a time, THIS IS WHAT I'M
- 24:51SAYING. JUST LIKE THIS. THERE WAS A TIME
- 24:52WHEN I couldn't stop watching
- 24:53pornography.
- 24:55>> I WANTED TO STOP. WENT THROUGH A COUPLE
- 24:58COMPUTERS AND A COUPLE OF CELL PHONES
- 25:00AND GOD STILL WAS WALKING WITH ME THE
- 25:02WHOLE TIME AND BROUGHT ME TO A PLACE
- 25:04WHERE HE GAVE ME SOME CONTROL OVER THAT
- 25:06THING. And he's working it out of me.
- 25:09Oh, I wish. See how y'all can't TAKE
- 25:11THAT HONESTY? OH, Y'ALL CAN'T TAKE THAT
- 25:13HONESTY. BUT THIS IS WHAT THAT that's
- 25:15what they need to hear.
- 25:17>> This is what they need to hear. When you
- 25:20share your story,
- 25:24>> when you share your story, they like,
- 25:28well, what what the Bible say? I I ain't
- 25:30found that scripture yet, but let me
- 25:32tell you what I do know. Yeah,
- 25:34>> my mind was so confused
- 25:36>> that I didn't know whether I was coming
- 25:38or going.
- 25:39>> But God, who is rich in mercy,
- 25:42>> regulated my mind and my heart and
- 25:44brought me UP OUT OF DEPRESSION. WHAT I
- 25:46KNOW is he'll do it for you if you let
- 25:47him.
- 25:48>> He'll do it for you if you let him.
- 25:52>> Somebody shout, "My story."
- 25:54>> My story.
- 25:54>> SHOUT IT AGAIN. MY STORY.
- 25:56>> My story.
- 25:58>> See, when you share your story, people
- 26:01will never be the same.
- 26:03because of your story.
- 26:07>> People, when you make it, when you
- 26:09extend them an invitation to come to
- 26:10church, listen to me. I DON'T CARE HOW
- 26:12THEY RESPOND.
- 26:14>> They will never be the same.
- 26:22>> Hey, Maze, come here, man.
- 26:25They They'll never be the same.
- 26:32Just stand up here with me. It's a
- 26:34military man. This is a Marine right
- 26:35here. Y'all thank God for this Marine.
- 26:41You know, they told me in the back of a
- 26:43story before the 9:00 worship encounter.
- 26:45I was talking to to the team and Elder
- 26:47Demarcus shared with us a story of when
- 26:49they were on campus. Light. Shout out to
- 26:51Light Campus Ministry. They were on
- 26:53campus. Yeah, I hear y'all. Light campus
- 26:56ministry. They was on they were on
- 26:57campus for this event called Get a Clue.
- 26:58And this is when you're out there,
- 26:59you're just sharing about your
- 27:01organization. And so we was out there
- 27:02cornering there sharing about who we
- 27:03are, what we believe in, how we roll.
- 27:05And so one lady came up, uh, one young
- 27:07lady, a college student came up to the
- 27:08table with, uh, Jordan and Elder
- 27:10Demarcus. And, uh, she said to them, she
- 27:13said,
- 27:15hilarious. She said, um, I don't want
- 27:17your card.
- 27:19>> No, you just hold your hold your card.
- 27:21And she said, I don't want you to try to
- 27:22convince me. She said, I'm an atheist.
- 27:27She said, "What what I want to know is
- 27:30why do you serve Jesus?"
- 27:36Now, some of you are nervous, but if
- 27:39you're hearing what I just told you that
- 27:40your story is a strategy, you should be
- 27:42rubbing your hands together and saying,
- 27:44"Bone appetite."
- 27:47Oh, you want to know my why?
- 27:49>> Oh, I could put up them three them three
- 27:51points that I LEARNED IN CLASS. LET ME
- 27:53TELL YOU, YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I WALK
- 27:54WITH JESUS? YES, SIR.
- 27:56>> YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I I WALKED AWAY
- 27:58FROM STUFF THAT WAS FUN TO ME.
- 28:01>> YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I FORGAVE MY DAD
- 28:02AND HE WASN'T THERE?
- 28:04>> YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I DON'T CUSS PEOPLE
- 28:06OUT NO MORE? YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY THEY
- 28:08WOULD SHE WOULD ASK HIM FOR THREE STEPS?
- 28:12>> She wanted to know why do you follow
- 28:14him?
- 28:15>> Why have you changed your life?
- 28:18>> Why? Catch this. LET'S BE HONEST. WHY
- 28:20ARE YOU TRYING TO DO WHAT the Bible says
- 28:22do?
- 28:26WHY? WHY? WHY HAVE YOU CUT IT DOWN from
- 28:29sleeping around every other week to now
- 28:31once a quarter?
- 28:34>> See, y'all can't appreciate progress. I
- 28:36wish I wish you knew that that holiness
- 28:38was a progression.
- 28:42>> You see what I'M SAYING? WE TESTIFY
- 28:44LIKE, "OH, TONY LORD SAVED ME. HE BURNED
- 28:46ME OUT." NO, HE DIDN'T. YOU LYING.
- 28:48>> YOU LYING. I WISH IT WAS SO.
- 28:51>> Come on, Jay. I wish it was so.
- 28:55That ain't so.
- 28:57>> He walks with us.
- 29:00>> Boy, I wish y'all would help me. He
- 29:01walks with us.
- 29:03>> STOP SANITIZING YOUR TESTIMONY. I'M
- 29:05TELLING YOU, IF YOU WOULD JUST TELL IT
- 29:07LIKE IT IS, PEOPLE WILL BELIEVE THE
- 29:08JESUS YOU SERVE.
- 29:11>> She wanted to know why.
- 29:13And and and they told her why. And guess
- 29:16what? She didn't say, "Oh, I want to be
- 29:19saved. I want to be saved right now. I
- 29:22want to fall out of my sin. She didn't
- 29:24do that. She thanked him and she walked
- 29:27away.
- 29:29But what I realize is she will never be
- 29:32the same.
- 29:36>> She She will never
- 29:38be the same.
- 29:42Hey, May. Let me see. Let me see you.
- 29:45You got good shoes on there. I know you
- 29:46ain't going to crease them. Let me see
- 29:47you walk from here to that to that
- 29:48speaker. Touch that. Yeah. walk down
- 29:50there and touch that speaker.
- 29:53Yes, sir. That's a responsible walk.
- 29:55That's a soldier walk right there. Yes,
- 29:58sir. Go talk. Go back and touch it
- 29:59again. Yeah.
- 30:02Yes, sir. My marching orders right
- 30:04there. Solid, man.
- 30:06Come on. Do it one more time for the
- 30:08Holy Ghost. The three times. Just right
- 30:09there. Yeah. For the There you go. For
- 30:10the Holy Ghost.
- 30:13>> Yeah. Good. Align man.
- 30:17He walks with no problem.
- 30:20No problem. Was that any problem?
- 30:23>> No problem.
- 30:23>> No problem. He was walking with that
- 30:24problem. But but what I found is
- 30:28when they talked to that young lady, she
- 30:29was walking one way when she came up to
- 30:32the table, but they did what like I like
- 30:34to call when they talked to her, they
- 30:36put a rock in her shoe.
- 30:41She was walking one way. Yeah. Uh yeah.
- 30:43Start to un loosen one of your shoes.
- 30:44Just take one of them off. Uhhuh. They
- 30:47she put they put a rock in her shoe.
- 30:53What size you wear?
- 30:58But what God saying to us is when he
- 31:02wants you to share your testimony
- 31:04and invite them to put a rock in their
- 31:07shoe. This is not what he's talking
- 31:09about.
- 31:11>> He's talking about this.
- 31:13that what you have, your testimony
- 31:17doesn't have to be a big boulder.
- 31:20>> What God has done for you doesn't have
- 31:21to be some great OLD BIG ASTRONOMICAL OH
- 31:24MY.
- 31:25He said, "Put a rock
- 31:29in this shoe.
- 31:33I want you to put that on.
- 31:37Uh-huh. Come on. Let's There you go.
- 31:44Uhhuh.
- 31:46Uhhuh. Come on. Go on back. Go back.
- 31:50Uhhuh. My God.
- 31:54Yeah.
- 31:58Come on. Let's go back. See, because
- 32:00what has happened is I put something in
- 32:03the shoe now. And although he looks the
- 32:05same, look like he's walking the same,
- 32:08LOOK LIKE HE'S acting the same, and
- 32:10still going to some OF THE SAME PLACES
- 32:12THAT HE WAS GOING IN BEFORE THE
- 32:14CONVERSATION, THE REALITY IS HE WILL
- 32:16never be ABLE TO WALK THE SAME AGAIN. He
- 32:20may be going TO DO SOME OF THE SAME
- 32:22STUFF, BUT IN HIS MIND,
- 32:24he remembers the invitation. HE
- 32:27REMEMBERS MY TESTIMONY.
- 32:33And it may not be today. Yes, sir.
- 32:36>> And it may not be tomorrow,
- 32:38>> but one day.
- 32:43>> She can't keep ignoring the rock in her
- 32:45shoe.
- 32:46>> One day.
- 32:48>> One man plants.
- 32:50>> One man waters. But God GIVES THE
- 32:53INCREASE.
- 32:55ONE DAY.
- 32:58Thank you, ma. Take the rock out. you
- 33:00ain't going to make it.
- 33:04God said that's your the power of your
- 33:06story.
- 33:08>> That's the power. They may act like
- 33:11they're still the same.
- 33:13>> They will never be the same.
- 33:16>> They may act like all what you said went
- 33:17in one ear and came out the other,
- 33:20>> but something about what you said
- 33:23>> got them walking just a little
- 33:24differently.
- 33:26Something that you said got them moving.
- 33:29Just they MAY BE STILL GOING TO GET GET
- 33:31THAT SMOKE ON, BUT something you said.
- 33:33>> Yes, sir.
- 33:34>> They used to finish the whole blunt, BUT
- 33:35NOW THEY CAN'T FINISH THAT WHOLE BLUNT
- 33:37CUZ THEY GOT A ROCK. WELL, I wish I HAD
- 33:39SOME HONEST PEOPLE IN HERE. THEY GOT A
- 33:40ROCK IN THE SHOE.
- 33:44They used to drink a whole bottle.
- 33:49>> But something is different.
- 33:51And see this is why you cannot discount
- 33:54>> what God is doing.
- 33:55>> This is why you can't put your mouth
- 33:57talk Holy Ghost. This is why you can't
- 33:58put your mouth on what God is doing.
- 34:00Because we can't always detect what the
- 34:03Holy Ghost is doing underneath.
- 34:06>> Keep encouraging them.
- 34:08>> Keep speaking life over them. THEY GOT A
- 34:10ROCK IN THEIR SHOE.
- 34:15>> TALK, Holy Ghost.
- 34:17>> They got a rock in their shoe.
- 34:20Hallelujah.
- 34:23>> You and I have to understand that we we
- 34:25we our story is the strategy. Lord,
- 34:28let's get out of here. Listen, I can't
- 34:29let it be International Women's Day and
- 34:31then not not at least put up talk about
- 34:33two women. who went from from found to
- 34:36sin.
- 34:38>> In John chapter 4, the woman at the
- 34:40well.
- 34:41>> My God, this woman and I love her
- 34:44because most times when we preach about
- 34:46her, all we talk about how many husbands
- 34:47she had
- 34:49>> and she had five husband and the one she
- 34:50had ain't her husband right now. She met
- 34:52Jesus and he would have seven. Lord, we
- 34:53just say that's good preaching. Good
- 34:56preaching. But what I love about her is
- 35:00that when she had that encounter with
- 35:01Jesus, the Bible said in John chapter 4
- 35:0329 that she went back into the city
- 35:06>> and told the guys,
- 35:08>> "Come see a man
- 35:10>> that has told me everything that I have
- 35:12ever done." And the Bible said that the
- 35:14city went out
- 35:18>> sir.
- 35:19>> She went and shared her testimony.
- 35:22She went and invited them to Jesus.
- 35:25And catch this, she didn't sanitize her
- 35:28story.
- 35:30>> She couldn't sanitize it because some of
- 35:33the people she probably invited
- 35:36were paying customers.
- 35:40>> Yes.
- 35:42>> Catch the women at the at the tomb of
- 35:44Jesus. When Jesus gets up from the dead
- 35:47and the Bible say the women came to the
- 35:49tomb
- 35:51and they saw that the Lord is risen. The
- 35:54Bible said they went back in the book of
- 35:55Mark chapter 16. They went back to tell
- 35:57the men
- 35:58>> and the Bible said that the men God
- 36:00bless us Jesus. Lord, sometimes we could
- 36:02just be God help us. They didn't believe
- 36:05the women.
- 36:07>> They didn't believe the women. AND CATCH
- 36:08THIS. I'M SO GLAD THAT THE WOMEN DID NOT
- 36:10allow the the question of the men to
- 36:13cause them to doubt their experience.
- 36:16>> MAYBE I CAN'T answer every QUESTION THAT
- 36:17YOU HAVE, BUT I SAW THAT THE TOMB was
- 36:19empty.
- 36:20>> He is risen as he said. Now, you may
- 36:23HAVE TO FIGURE OUT SOME STUFF ON YOUR
- 36:24OWN, BUT WHAT I KNOW IS he is not dead
- 36:27any longer.
- 36:29>> And can I tell you, you have to have
- 36:31that same conviction
- 36:33>> about what you know about God.
- 36:35>> And I don't care what they say. Yes.
- 36:38>> I don't care what they ask you. You know
- 36:40what you saw.
- 36:42>> Yes, sir.
- 36:44>> Y'all, God is calling us to be a church
- 36:48that invites people to him and to share
- 36:52our testimony when given a chance.
- 36:54>> Amen.
- 36:55>> God is calling. We are a church
- 36:59that invites people to him and we share
- 37:02our testimony when given a chance. Amen.
- 37:05>> We are a church
- 37:07>> that invites people to him and we share
- 37:11our testimony when given a chance.
- 37:14>> We are a church that invites people to
- 37:17him and we share our testimony when
- 37:20given a chance. Every time we do it, we
- 37:22put a rock in somebody's shoe.
- 37:30>> And God is galvanizing us as a body.
- 37:33He's mobilizing us as a body because we
- 37:37have an assignment. We mentioned it on
- 37:39vision Sunday to have at least 700 first
- 37:42or second time guest here this year.
- 37:44>> Amen.
- 37:45>> Let me tell you something. Easter Sunday
- 37:47is coming.
- 37:49>> And we're not going to assume that
- 37:51people are coming to church just because
- 37:54it's Easter.
- 37:54>> Amen.
- 37:56>> We know that he got up, but if we don't
- 37:58invite them, they ain't getting up.
- 38:02We're going to go get them.
- 38:05>> Just like somebody went and got you.
- 38:09>> Just like somebody came and said
- 38:11something to you. You and I as corneria,
- 38:15we have a responsibility.
- 38:17>> Amen.
- 38:18>> To go and get people.
- 38:20>> How are we going to do it? The first way
- 38:22that we're going to do it is that we
- 38:24have a goal of 300 first time guests for
- 38:27Easter. Amen.
- 38:30>> We are going to see 300 first time
- 38:32guests. Not not people who come on the
- 38:35this first time.
- 38:37>> We're going to have 300 first time
- 38:39guests on Easter. So what that means is
- 38:42we will make 30,000 personal
- 38:45invitations.
- 38:50>> Yeah. 30,000. We're going to make 30,000
- 38:54personal invitations.
- 38:57This is not on one person, right?
- 38:59>> This is on all of us.
- 39:00>> Somebody shout, "All of us."
- 39:01>> All of us.
- 39:02>> We're going to go get them. Would you
- 39:04give me my next slide? We're going to go
- 39:06get them.
- 39:10This is how we're going to do it. Let's
- 39:11do the math. 500 people commit to
- 39:15inviting two people per day for 21 days
- 39:20from March the 15th, that's next Sunday,
- 39:23to April the 4th, that's the Saturday
- 39:25before Easter,
- 39:28500 people. Invite how many?
- 39:31>> Two a day.
- 39:33People you don't know or people that you
- 39:36know that you don't associate with. Two
- 39:37people a day. When we do that, we will
- 39:40have done 21,000 invitations.
- 39:45>> You say, "Okay, Pastor Trev, you said
- 39:47it's going to be 30." Give me my next
- 39:49slide.
- 39:51Part two of this is that our evangelism
- 39:53team is going to be mobilized and they
- 39:55are going to be going out sharing and
- 39:57inviting people. Now, this is I I did
- 40:00the first one first because we're not
- 40:02laying this all on the evangelism team.
- 40:06We have a personal responsibility.
- 40:10>> We have been saved by grace and we have
- 40:12a responsibility to share what God has
- 40:14done for us and to invite people to his
- 40:16house.
- 40:17>> Amen.
- 40:18>> Write down Luke 14:23. He said, "Go out
- 40:21into the highway and the hedges
- 40:23>> and compel men
- 40:25>> to come." Catch this.
- 40:27>> So that my house
- 40:29>> might be full.
- 40:30>> Yes, sir. So we will have we will have
- 40:33time where we will go out and we're
- 40:35going to have starting next week. We'll
- 40:37have personal invitations that we'll
- 40:38start making starting next week all the
- 40:40way 21 days until April the 4th. The
- 40:43second part we'll do is that our
- 40:44evangelism team will be mobilized. And
- 40:46the third way I'm excited about this one
- 40:49is that we have worship encounter teams.
- 40:52Let me tell you what that means. On for
- 40:54Easter Sunday, we have the 7:30
- 40:57encounter, 9:30 encounter, 12:30
- 41:00encounter. We have captains who are
- 41:03responsible for filling up each worship
- 41:05encounter.
- 41:07We have two people that are captains
- 41:09over the 7:30, two over the 9:30, and
- 41:12two over the 12:30. And they are living
- 41:16and breathing and taking all in. My
- 41:18their whole goal is to fill the
- 41:20sanctuary for our service.
- 41:21>> Amen. Amen.
- 41:23>> Whatever my service is, that's what
- 41:25we're doing. So, they're what they're
- 41:26going to do is they're going to employ
- 41:28people and deploy people.
- 41:31>> They're going to ask people to be a part
- 41:32of their team and then those teams are
- 41:35going to go out inviting people to that
- 41:37worship encounter. Why am I telling
- 41:39everybody this? Because there may be
- 41:41some the captains may ask you to be a
- 41:43part of their team
- 41:45>> and I want you to be a part.
- 41:46>> Amen.
- 41:48>> What that mean? I got to change my
- 41:49schedule. Absolutely. Amen.
- 41:51>> I want you to shift because this is
- 41:53important.
- 41:54>> This is mission. THERE'S SOMEBODY
- 41:56UNDERSTAND THERE'S SOMEBODY that is
- 41:58praying that somebody will go by and say
- 42:00something to their son that's weward
- 42:02>> or to their daughter that is weward
- 42:04>> and God is going to use us to send us
- 42:07across their path
- 42:09>> to let them know that they haven't done
- 42:10too much and they hadn't gone too far
- 42:12that God still wants you.
- 42:17>> Those are the three ways we're going to
- 42:19do it. Now, let me give you a heads up
- 42:20on something else we're going to do on
- 42:22one of these Sundays. We're coming up.
- 42:23It might be the 29th. I believe we're
- 42:25leaning toward the 29th or the 22nd.
- 42:27We'll make that. We'll let you know. But
- 42:28we're going to have what we call break
- 42:30the huddle.
- 42:31>> Yes.
- 42:32>> On that day, what will happen
- 42:36on that day, what we'll have, we'll come
- 42:37in, we'll have praise and worship, give
- 42:39God the glory, have the announcements,
- 42:41we'll have offering. Then I'm going to
- 42:42stand up and then y'all think I'm
- 42:44getting ready to preach. I'm not going
- 42:46to preach. I'm going remind us of this
- 42:48assignment
- 42:49>> and then we're going to break the huddle
- 42:51and we're going to go and invite people.
- 42:53You everybody get 10 cards and we will
- 42:56go out and invite people within the hour
- 42:58>> from the time we leave here.
- 43:00>> See, in football there's this they they
- 43:02huddle up on offense. Yeah, there's some
- 43:05defensive players in here. Y'all don't
- 43:06like this. I'll find a defensive analogy
- 43:07after a while. Just hang with me, Sam.
- 43:09Yeah. So, in football on offense, they
- 43:12have a they have a huddle, but they
- 43:14can't stay in the huddle all day.
- 43:16>> That's right.
- 43:17>> They're in the huddle talking about the
- 43:18play that they're getting ready to run,
- 43:19but there's a play clock that's ticking
- 43:20down that's telling them at some point
- 43:22you're going to have to break the huddle
- 43:24and go run the play.
- 43:26>> And what God is saying on that Sunday,
- 43:28we're not just going to come in here and
- 43:29see all how much we can get, but we're
- 43:31going to break the huddle and go run the
- 43:34play. And we're going to invite,
- 43:36everybody's going to invite 10 people.
- 43:40for that next Sunday.
- 43:43>> And let's let me tell you what we're
- 43:44doing. Oh, this is defense right here.
- 43:47We're doing what is called a blitz.
- 43:49>> In football, what a blitz is is when you
- 43:54when the defense sends more people than
- 43:56the offense can block.
- 43:59>> And and and spiritually, if if it was
- 44:01just one of us going out and we were
- 44:02saying something to somebody, they may
- 44:04be able to put up an excuse to block
- 44:06that one invitation.
- 44:08But by the time they get two or three of
- 44:10those invitations,
- 44:12oh, they going to get sacked by the Holy
- 44:14Ghost. They going down. They won't have
- 44:17enough to BE ABLE TO STAND UP AGAINST.
- 44:20WELL, what is God? Is God really
- 44:22speaking to me?
- 44:23>> I need to go check out what is going.
- 44:25This is not This is the second time, but
- 44:27this is the third time that somebody
- 44:28told me that I need to be. I'm getting
- 44:30ready to go check it out.
- 44:32>> Let me tell y'all something. We have a
- 44:34responsibility. Thank God we are found.
- 44:38But we have a responsibility to be sent.
- 44:41And this is not on a evangelism team.
- 44:45This is on all of us.
- 44:47>> All of us who have been saved by grace
- 44:50have a responsibility
- 44:52to go and tell somebody the grace that
- 44:55we have found. Bishop Jake puts it like
- 44:57this, and I'm done. He says, "Sharing
- 45:00the gospel with other people is like one
- 45:03beggar
- 45:04>> Yes, sir. telling another baker where he
- 45:07found the bread.
- 45:09>> That's what we're going to do.
- 45:12>> All of us were beggars.
- 45:14>> And we're not going to get full and look
- 45:17down our nose at somebody who's hungry.
- 45:21>> That's good.
- 45:23>> But we're going to tell the other person
- 45:26>> where it is we found the bread.
- 45:28>> Yes, sir.
- 45:29>> Can I tell Let me give me one more
- 45:30thing. Come on, Doc. Stand up here with
- 45:31me. I want you to share with us what you
- 45:33shared before.
- 45:35What that means for us is that you say,
- 45:38"Well, God and Lee, it sound like we're
- 45:40gonna have a whole lot of people in
- 45:41here." I hope so.
- 45:44>> NO. I I I hope so. I hope so. Listen, I
- 45:46read something this week that said, "If
- 45:47you come in on Easter and you find that
- 45:50somebody's sitting on your seat, give
- 45:51God praise."
- 45:52>> Yes, sir.
- 45:54>> Why? Because there's somebody who needs
- 45:56that seat.
- 45:57>> There's somebody who is trying God again
- 45:59who needs that seat.
- 46:00>> Right.
- 46:01>> I'm so proud of our church. I was
- 46:03walking through Walmart the other day
- 46:04and somebody ran up to me and uh they
- 46:07they tapped me on the shoulder say hey
- 46:08man you look familiar.
- 46:12I said what's up man? He said man you
- 46:14look like are you a pastor? I was like I
- 46:16am. He said corner. I said you got it.
- 46:18He said I said listen I want you to come
- 46:20to church with me. He said oh man I was
- 46:23there Sunday. I said were you? He said
- 46:26yeah I was there Sunday. He said, and
- 46:28the cool thing about it, he said, "Me
- 46:30and my girlfriend, we got there late."
- 46:31And he said, "I just knew they were
- 46:33taking me to the overflow." And he said,
- 46:34"I didn't mind going. I was gonna stay."
- 46:36He said, "But but but a guy got up and
- 46:39gave me his seat."
- 46:41>> He said, "I don't know if you know him
- 46:42or not, but he like a guy that a big
- 46:44guy." He had on purple and he had like
- 46:45this this holster on like it had two it
- 46:48looked like a gun, but he didn't have a
- 46:49gun on. It was just a like a bag like he
- 46:51had something in it. I said I said, "Did
- 46:54he HAVE A HAT ON?" HE SAID, "YEAH." I
- 46:55said, "Oh, that's Scotty.
- 46:58I couldn't wait to tell Scotty. And
- 47:01Scotty made a little joke of it. He
- 47:02said, "Man, you know, I'm I'm so big. I
- 47:04was sitting in one seat, but I take up
- 47:05two. So when I got up, it was enough for
- 47:07him and the girlfriend."
- 47:11>> It made me so proud
- 47:13>> because we get it.
- 47:15>> That's somebody who gets it.
- 47:17>> Like we believe here at Cornia, catch
- 47:19this. Blessed are the flexible for they
- 47:22shall not be bent out of shape.
- 47:27Oh yeah. When when IF YOU NEED MY SEAT,
- 47:29NO PROBLEM. If you NEED ME TO SCOOT
- 47:31OVER, NO PROBLEM. WHY? BECAUSE I KNOW
- 47:34THAT THERE'S somebody who needs this
- 47:36seat. And maybe I need it, but I I KNOW
- 47:38THEY MAY NEED IT MORE.
- 47:39>> And I'm willing to slide down. Yay. Even
- 47:42get up.
- 47:43>> Yes, sir.
- 47:44>> Before I let a first time guest,
- 47:47>> have an experience outside of this
- 47:49sanctuary. I believe God is calling us
- 47:52>> to be prepared for Easter Sunday because
- 47:55we're going to see more people on this
- 47:57campus that day
- 47:58>> than we have ever seen in the history of
- 48:01our church.
- 48:05>> Pastor Shandelle has something he shared
- 48:07with me and I want him to share it with
- 48:08you all. I want you to hear what it is
- 48:10he had to say.
- 48:11>> Yeah. So this morning, uh, Pastor Tre
- 48:12was sharing just this with the team and
- 48:15we had this race yesterday where people
- 48:17run like a 5K, one mile, half marathon,
- 48:19etc. And normally during the race,
- 48:21everybody hangs out in this grassy area,
- 48:23so they're spread out. So if people are
- 48:25still running, they feel like they're
- 48:27running by theel because everybody's
- 48:28spread out. Well, this year there was
- 48:30construction going on. And so when
- 48:32people finished the race, they were
- 48:33lining the streets. And what happened is
- 48:36it created an environment so that even
- 48:38though others were finished, the people
- 48:41who had finished, they stood there and
- 48:43cheered on other people as they came
- 48:45across. And when I was telling Pastor
- 48:47Trevor, he shared this moment. It made
- 48:49me see us as a congregation. So that
- 48:52even though on Easter Sunday in
- 48:53particular, as we expect the 300 plus to
- 48:56come, even most of the time we would sit
- 48:58there and say, "Well, I'm just gonna
- 49:00come to one service and I'm gonna go
- 49:02home and get out the way." M
- 49:03>> but what I saw for us is us doing that
- 49:06same thing. Lining the hallways
- 49:08>> and lining the parking lot. Yes, sir.
- 49:10>> And instead of leaving to get out the
- 49:12way, we stay here because we realize
- 49:14that we are hosting the people.
- 49:16>> Yes.
- 49:16>> And that's what we're going to do this
- 49:17Easter.
- 49:18>> Absolutely.
- 49:21>> This is all of us. We are doing this
- 49:25together.
- 49:26>> God is raising an army for us to grow,
- 49:29to build, to serve, and to share. And uh
- 49:32I'm excited about what God is going to
- 49:34do. We are going from found
- 49:37>> to sent
- 49:39>> from found.
- 49:41>> Let's pray. Father, in Jesus name, thank
- 49:43you for this time around your word.
- 49:45Lord, we thank you for how you're
- 49:46leading us.
- 49:48>> How you are causing us, God, not to just
- 49:50be satisfied and resting in our own
- 49:53salvation.
- 49:54Father, may we never forget what you
- 49:57have done for us. May we never forget
- 49:59how far down you had to reach to grab
- 50:02us, to pull us up. Whether whether we
- 50:05were in the classroom or in the club,
- 50:08whether we were in the boardroom or the
- 50:09gutter, Lord, you reached way down
- 50:12>> and you picked us up. May we be ever
- 50:14mindful of what it is that you have done
- 50:16for us. So much so that we don't just
- 50:18bask in the blessing but Lord we will
- 50:22take our responsibility
- 50:24to go find somebody else to pay it
- 50:27forward as it were realizing Lord we
- 50:30don't want others to spend the rest of
- 50:33their life not one other day lost if we
- 50:35can help it. Father help us to get over
- 50:38ourselves
- 50:40whether we are fearful or nervous. Lord
- 50:42help us to to see the the bigger
- 50:45picture. Help us to step over our own
- 50:49idiosyncrasies, our own nervousness.
- 50:52Help us to see that people are lost
- 50:56and they need to know you.
- 50:59Help us, Lord, to share our testimony
- 51:01when given a chance.
- 51:03Help us, Lord, to step past whatever it
- 51:05is we're feeling and extend that
- 51:07invitation.
- 51:09And Lord, we're not confident in our own
- 51:11abil ability. We're confident in you.
- 51:15We're confident that when we say what it
- 51:17is that you've placed on our hearts that
- 51:20Holy Spirit, you'll put that rock in
- 51:21their shoe and that regardless of their
- 51:23response, they will never be the same.
- 51:26And Father, we thank you. We declare
- 51:28right now, God, we thank you for 300
- 51:30first-time guests that will be here on
- 51:32Easter Sunday. We thank you for the
- 51:3430,000 personal invitations that we will
- 51:36make as we do and fulfill the assignment
- 51:39you've given given us, and that is to go
- 51:42get them. Father, we thank you for the
- 51:44wind at our back. We thank you for the
- 51:46strength in our bodies. Thank you for
- 51:49the eyes for the sparrow that you have
- 51:51given all of us. May we move with the
- 51:55ferveny
- 51:56in remembrance of the grace that you
- 51:58have given us in Jesus name.