Have We Lost Our Minds?

Good morning.

Praise God for your mission's involvement.

You know, we live far away from here,

but as you pray, you're right there with us.

So, stories I'll be telling today

about the wonderful things God is doing,

even though you live this far away,

as you pray, you give,

and sometimes go directly to the field,

you're right there with those of us who are on the field.

We have now served in Southeast Asia,

myself, and my family.

We're in our 20th year.

You know, and sometimes it's good to come back

and get a checkup.

Notice the title of today's sermon,

Have We Lost Our Minds?

Have We Lost Our Minds?

Maybe you've asked yourself that same question.

20 years ago, when we started going to the process

of going overseas,

we were asked, in fact, my wife was asked,

you know, where are you feel led to go,

and she said, anywhere but a Muslim country.

And, of course, that's where God sent us.

And we had no idea how to reach those folks.

In fact, for the early years,

I was in seminary education,

and also helping Baptist churches like yours

open cell groups to reach their neighbors,

and praise God, some came to faith.

But then, in late 2004,

we were asked to engage a large,

unreached Muslim people group.

And so we went from knowing kind of what to do

in the seminary and in a traditional church setting

to not having any idea what to do.

And so we found people to pray,

people like yourselves.

And I personally began praying desperate prayers

to the Lord for our people group.

What seemed to be an impossible task.

God is doing amazing things.

Tens of thousands of Muslims have come to faith

in our people group,

and are reaching others throughout our country of service

and throughout Southeast Asia.

We didn't get any smarter.

In fact, we went back to plan A, Acts.

How was the gospel shared in Acts?

And we began sharing the gospel a lot that way.

When people came to faith and were baptized,

just like in Acts,

they would go home and gather their friends

and their families,

believe the gospel,

and become churches in those areas.

We began calling this approach

anyone, anywhere, anytime, any three.

So we're no smarter than we were.

We're simply trying to abide in Christ

as the Lord taught us,

and simply obey the Great Commission

the way it was obeyed in Acts.

And it's interesting that God's plan

works a lot better than ours.

God truly is doing amazing things.

Next slide, please.

Has anyone ever been to Southeast Asia?

Did you try this fruit while you were there?

We call it the durian.

You tried it.

So you can verify what I'm getting ready to say.

If you watch programs

about the world's worst food,

this one's always on it.

Usually top five.

Called the spiked fruit.

Literal translation,

durian,

means spiked fruit

because of these spikes,

these goads that it has on it.

It's a heavy fruit,

and sometimes it falls off a tree.

And when it hits people,

sometimes they die.

This fruit has been known to kill people

when it falls off and hits them in the head.

It smells terrible.

It smells that bad,

good sign that it's not meant to be eaten.

But somebody tried it and liked it,

and the people that we serve

really enjoy this fruit.

In fact, they'll give a day's wage for it.

Had some volunteers who came over,

and they'd seen on one of these stations

about how bad it was,

and they said it couldn't be that bad.

So I found them one,

and I opened it up and gave it to them,

and their countenance immediately turned.

Said it tastes like dirty socks.

By the way, it smells like dirty socks.

Once again, my kids like this fruit,

and the people we serve like it,

which might be a good sign.

You know, they might need some help, right?

Might need some help.

Of course I'm teasing.

If you enjoy this fruit,

good for you.

My kids do too.

Today's sermon is about

a time when Paul,

the apostle,

was standing before the king

giving an account of why,

even though he was persecuted tremendously,

why did he keep on

proclaiming the gospel?

Thirteen years after Paul came to faith,

he went on three missionary journeys

totaling nine years,

including the time that he was back in Antioch.

God did amazing things.

His presence was there

in real and very sweet ways,

but it wasn't easy.

Most of us had never gotten beaten up

because we shared the gospel.

I've been threatened.

I would have gotten beaten up.

A guy had a baseball bat,

or a version of one,

but praise God,

God delivered me from that situation.

Paul said,

I've been beaten times without number.

You've been beaten a lot

if you can't count many times,

how many times you've been beaten up.

So I was in danger from my countrymen,

friend from the Jews.

He said,

I was in danger

from natural situations,

rivers,

he said,

oceans.

I spent nights out at the sea.

times without number,

he could tell about

the times where people tried to kill it.

So God did great things through Paul

as he proclaimed a simple message.

Jesus Christ died for our sins

and was raised from the dead.

And whoever you are,

if we will repent of our sin

and surrender ourselves to Jesus,

believing this great news,

our sins are forgiven.

The message changed Paul's life

and he was commissioned

to share it with others

and he did that.

So that now,

he is before the king.

Nine years of missionary journeys

and after nine years

of missionary journeys,

he was standing in the temple

in Jerusalem.

He proclaimed

the great news of the gospel

and he said,

he spoke of a time

when Jesus Christ

revealed himself to Paul

and he said,

I'm sending you away,

far away,

to the Gentiles.

The Jews were God's chosen people

and they said,

salvation is for us.

But when they considered

that God might care enough

about people who weren't Jews,

the Gentiles,

everybody else,

to save them too,

a riot broke out.

It led to a two-year imprisonment

for Paul

and now here's Paul once again.

Before the king,

defending the fact that he would

at whatever cost

proclaim the gospel.

And as he's before the king,

he gives a testimony

that we'll read in a moment,

but just like when he was before

in the temple,

he made a similar statement.

If you read verse 23,

Acts 26, verse 23,

Acts 26:23

he talked about Jesus

saying that the Christ

was to suffer

and by reason of his resurrection

from the dead,

he would be the first

that proclaimed light

both to the Jewish people

and to the Gentiles.

There's that phrase again.

God wants to save everybody

who will receive his gospel.

While Paul was saying this

in his defense,

Festus said in a loud voice,

Paul, you're out of your mind.

You're out of your mind.

Your much learning

is driving you mad.

And Paul said,

I'm not out of my mind,

most excellent Festus,

but I utter words

of sober truth

for the king knows these matters

and I speak to him

with all confidence

since I am persuaded

that none of these things

escape his notice

for this has not been done

in a corner.

King Agrippa,

do you believe the prophets?

I know that you do.

Agrippa replied to Paul

in a short time

will you persuade me

to be a Christian?

And Paul said,

I would wish to God

that whether in a short

or long time

that not only you

but all who hear me this day

might become such as I am

except for these chains.

So essentially,

the accusation against Paul is

you've lost your mind

that having been beaten

times without number,

having been shipwrecked,

having faced all these things

and riots breaking out

wherever you go

because you proclaim

this message,

you've lost your mind

and Paul said,

I've not lost my mind.

Does it make sense?

It does.

And what Paul said is,

why?

What he was answering was,

why does it make sense

to obey the Great Commission

at any cost?

Let's pray.

So Lord Jesus,

we love you.

We praise you

because you've died

for our sins

and you're alive.

You've changed our lives.

We praise you

for your presence,

that you're always with us

and you always will be.

And so Lord,

now in these brief moments

together,

I pray that you'll open

our hearts

and our minds.

Show us

what you're calling us

to sacrifice

to be involved with you

in your Great Commission.

And Lord,

I pray that you'll use

our witness

so that many

will come to know you,

worship you,

and be saved

for all eternity.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

So Paul made his defense

before the king.

And here's how it starts

if you read in Acts chapter 26.

Acts 26 · chapter mention

After saying

that he was going

to Damascus

to persecute believers

in verse 11

and verse 12,

he says,

Well,

I was so engaged

as I was journeying

to Damascus

with the authority

and commission

of the chief priests.

At midday,

O King,

I saw on the way

a light from heaven

brighter than the sun

shining all around me

and those who were

journeying with me.

And when we'd all

fall into the ground,

I heard a voice

saying to me

in the Hebrew dialect,

Saul,

Saul,

why are you persecuting me?

Is it hard for you

to kick against the goads?

And I said,

Who are you, Lord?

And the Lord said,

I'm Jesus whom you are persecuting.

But get up

and stand on your feet

for this purpose

I have appeared to you

to appoint you

as a minister

and a witness

not only to the things

which you've seen

but also to the things

which I will appear to you,

rescuing you

from the Jewish people

and from the Gentiles

to whom I'm sending you

to open their eyes

so they may turn

from darkness to light

and from the dominion

of Satan to God

that they may receive

forgiveness of sins

and an inheritance

among those

who have been sanctified

by faith in me.

So King Agrippa,

I did not prove disobedient

to the heavenly vision

but kept declaring

both to those

of Damascus first

and also to Jerusalem

and then throughout

all the region of Judea

and even to the Gentiles

that they should repent

and turn to God

performing deeds

appropriate to repentance.

For this reason

some Jews seized me

in the temple

and tried to put me to death.

So having obtained

help from God

I stand to this day

testifying both

to small and to great

stating nothing

but what the prophets

and Moses said

was going to take place

that the Christ

was to suffer

and by reason

of his resurrection

that he would be

the first

to proclaim light

both to the Jewish people

and to the Gentiles.

That's when

the governor

Festus

in the presence

of the king

made the accusation

Paul you've lost your mind.

But actually

it made perfect sense

Paul said

first of all

because of God's holiness

when a person

sees the holiness

of God

it makes perfect sense

first of all

to receive the gospel

as a way

to have our sins forgiven

and then

to proclaim the gospel

to others.

For Paul

that's what happened.

Having received this vision

he believed

was baptized

and immediately

the scripture says

began proclaiming

the gospel to others.

It wasn't long ago

we had an eclipse

and everybody

had the warning

don't look at the sun.

Besides me

who else took a look?

Alright

you still see spots.

Praise God

my spots only lasted

a few hours.

But that's what happens

when you look at the sun

and that was only impartial

that was only impartial

glory because it was

covered up right?

Imagine looking

intently to the sun

for a long period

of time.

Paul got a

in some ways

not total

you can't get a total

glimpse

but he got a full glimpse

of the glory of God

and it changed his life

forever.

As I was looking

I was watching

the eclipse on CNN

after I took a look

there was a CNN

reporter

when he saw

the glory

of what was taking place

he said

oh my God

look at that.

Probably didn't

believe in God

but he couldn't

escape the fact

of God's glory

the glory of God

being revealed

and whether or not

God reveals himself

to you

like he did to Paul

the heavens declare

the glory of God.

God is holy

and one day

we will stand

before a holy God.

Not too long ago

I was sitting

with an imam

what's an imam?

Well it's a Muslim

pastor

so imagine

Pastor Fred

with a hat on

you know

little round hat

that's the kind

of person

we're talking about

here's what he said

he said

for more than

40 years

five times a day

I prayed to God

show me the straight

way in the Arabic

language

and I meant it

I really wanted to know

so every day

I would just keep

praying

show me the straight

way

show me the straight

way

after more than

40 years

he said

I was standing

on my back porch

one day

and it was cloudy

outside

a light from heaven

came into me

and I knew

that was Jesus

so I went

and tried to find

a Christian pastor

and I found one

and he was afraid

of me

he didn't want

to talk to me

he said

here's a Bible

that tells you

about Jesus

now go home

so I began

reading in the Bible

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

because of course

those books

were written

a long time

before Jesus

came

they tell clearly

about Jesus

but don't use

his name

but the man

said

we'll call him

Ahmad

Ahmad said

I didn't see

Jesus name there

so I was offended

I thought I'd

been lied to

so I went and

got firewood

and kerosene

I was going

to burn the Bible

but before I did

he said

a voice said

to me

put your finger

in

he said

I did

and opened

to John

John 14:6

chapter 14

verse 6

where Jesus

cried

he said

I am the way

the truth

and the life

no one comes

to the Father

but through me

when this man

saw a glimpse

of God's glory

he knew the gospel

was true

he's one of hundreds

of these imams

who have now

come to faith

they've given

their life to Jesus

and they're reaching

many others

with the gospel

tens of thousands

of ordinary people

who were simply

following the way

of their former religion

in ignorance

like many of us

before we came

to know Jesus

have now turned

to Jesus

and are worshipping

Jesus Christ

as Lord

but we understand

God's holiness

it makes perfect sense

no matter what the cost

that we'll proclaim

the gospel to others

so as Paul

was talking about

this vision

of the Lord Jesus

he had had

at midday

he saw a lot

bright lighter

than the sun

perhaps the governor

said Paul

it was midday

how do you know

you saw a light

no

this is no

ordinary light

we all fell down

and he probably

could still show

show the scars

on his eyes

from that encounter

it makes sense

when we understand

the holiness of God

to proclaim the gospel

now people sometimes

look at me

and say

that's easy for you Mike

because you're an evangelist

if you just knew

how funny that was

you just knew

how funny that was

I laughed out loud

the first time

somebody said that

as a young man

being backward

and shy

introverted

Christ changed my life

and then he called me

to proclaim the gospel

to others

and I would not do it

for about a year

until he spoke

clearly to my heart

saying Mike

are you willing

to be responsible

when you haven't

shared the gospel

with people

if they perish

now I can't save them

I know that

I know that God

draws people to salvation

that's not our job

but

we have a glorious gift

the great salvation

of Jesus

and if we're ashamed

to share it

there will be

a responsibility

involved

my heart melted

and I began

proclaiming the gospel

it was awkward

it was tense

but then the Lord

taught me

and now it's funny

that he uses us

to train people

around the world

to reach Muslims

with the gospel

but God's holiness

made it make sense

and Paul was

as he continued

to talk about

this vision he had

of the Lord Jesus

he referred to

the Gentiles

helplessness

the Lord said

Paul I'm sending you

to the Gentiles

by the way

Gentiles are everyone

who aren't Jews

so that covers

about all of us

the Jews

and the Gentiles

so I'm sending you

to open their eyes

you see they're blind

they're not dumb

they're blind

and when their eyes

are open

they're going to turn

from darkness

to light

they're going to turn

from the enemy

of Satan

to God

they're going to have

forgiveness of sins

and now they're going

to have an inheritance

but for now

they're helpless

missing all of the above

as we serve

in the world's largest

Muslim country

85% of all the population

and far more than

99% of the people

that we serve

they're Muslims

they worship in

mosques

like these

now as we've learned

how to share the gospel

anyone anywhere

anytime

we simply get to know

people

and transition

almost all religions

are alike

now by the way

all religions are not alike

but almost all of them are

we're trying to please God

and get our sins forgiven

and we're all

but we're all

and we're all sinners

and at that point

we'll ask Muslims

so what are you doing

to get your sins forgiven

what are you doing

to get your sins forgiven

and they'll say

well we pray

five times a day

and sometimes

if they're really good

they'll add extra prayers

in there

we pray five times a day

we give alms

and we pay a tithe of sorts

at the mosque

we fast

30 days a year

during Ramadan

from the time the sun comes up

to the time the sun goes down

and the hope is

that they will go

on the pilgrimage

to Mecca

at some time in their life

so we ask them

what are you doing

and many times

they'll proudly tell us

these things

these are our acts of worship

and then we simply ask them

are your sins forgiven yet

no not yet

only God knows

well when

when will your sins

be forgiven

they say

I don't know

well how about

on judgment day

will your sins

be forgiven then

and they say

only God knows

but if God wills it

I hope so

they're blind

they're blind

and many times though

as we hear them

say this out loud

they hear themselves

say

that I'm

here's all this stuff

that I'm doing

I have no assurance

I do not know

the gospel sounds

really good

so when we say

what I believe is different

I know my sins

are forgiven

not because I'm a good person

although I try

my sins are forgiven

because God himself

made a way for our sins

to be forgiven

now they listen

the gospel sounds

really good

but they're living

in darkness

enslaved to the enemy

even though

they have these strong

religious beliefs

they're still afraid

of the spirits

they live with superstitions

that control their lives

we don't go out at night

because we're afraid

of the spirits

there's a ravine

behind our house

where there's a

tale of a spirit being

a white tiger

that lives back there

they won't cross the bridge

they'll go the long way around

to avoid

to avoid contact

every feature

of their lives

controlled by their superstition

because they're afraid

of the spirit world

by the way

if you and I

could see the spirit world

and we didn't know

Jesus Christ

as our savior

we should be afraid to

I could tell you stories

real stories

of how spiritual manifestations

have taken place

among the people we serve

like a man

he said

I was sleeping

I was sleeping one

no he said

I was in bed one night

and I was raised

out of my bed

several feet

and he said

Michael wasn't dreaming

I wasn't dreaming

I was being choked

but now this guy's a believer

now and he said

I called out to Jesus

like you taught us

you know

submit yourself to God

resist the devil

call out to the savior

and win the victory

he said I went straight

to the mattress

I fell straight down

now when they come

to know Jesus

things change for them

but

they're under the

they're under the fear

of the spirits

and it causes them

to be very superstitious

doing everything possible

to try to appease

the spirits

they have no forgiveness

of sin

and no assurance

of eternal life

the Gentiles are hopeless

apart from Christ

so Paul said

it makes perfect sense

when these folks

are blind

and we have the cure

for their blindness

so that

they will be in the light

instead of darkness

so that they will be

in the savior's

domain

instead of the domain

of the enemy

so they'll have forgiveness

of sin

and so they'll have

eternal life

pardon me king

but it makes perfect sense

for us to share

the gospel with them

it makes perfect sense

and then Paul refers

to the phrase

where Jesus

when he was revealing

himself to him

he said

I'm going to rescue you

I'm going to rescue you

both from the Jews

and the Gentiles

I told you earlier

about the dangers

that Paul faced

beatings without number

dangers from rivers

and oceans

and all those things

angry Jews

and angry Gentiles

but God rescued him

from all of those

so here he is

before the king

so we're talking

24 years from his

profession of faith

saying

God did that

he rescued me

from all these things

sometimes we're

in dangerous places

and especially

these new believers

I'll tell you stories

of the dangerous

situations

that they're in

but let's go

to the next slide

God's help

but God has helped us

and he's helped them

flying on some

Asian airlines

is good for your

prayer life

I can tell you stories

I had a situation

just the other day

I was on a plane

flying from

Kuala Lumpur

and the thing

started shaking

like I was on the

inside of a

washing machine

it was just

but by God's grace

the Lord goes with us

I simply raised my hand

and said

Lord Jesus help us

peace

be still

and it calmed down

you say

I would have calmed

down anyway

well you try that

I'm going with

the Lord Jesus

he's helped us

too many times

along the way

to take it for granted

and it gave me a chance

I've been praying

for the Muslim lady

next to me

you know that's kind

of awkward

talking to a Muslim

lady anyway

but because of that

situation I was able

to share the gospel

with her

I've been praying

for her during the

trip

Lord this is kind

of awkward

help me share the gospel

I was able to do that

because of that

because of that

experience

but the Lord

does rescue us

now Paul said

by the help of God

by the help of God

all these things

have been accomplished

and now I'm standing

before you

he's talking about

all the things

the Lord had done

through the missionary

journeys

to bring the Gentiles

to himself

so they can believe

and be saved

the formation of churches

multiplying

and the great miracles

of God

by the help of God

I'm standing before you

today

is what Paul

was saying

I told you earlier

about how we

transitioned

from seminary

type work

to reaching

a large

unreached

Muslim people

group

as we sought

the Lord

in desperate

prayer

myself

and my ministry

partner

in many churches

like yourselves

we had a plan

but no believers

mentioned that earlier

and so we decided

to share the gospel

like Jesus did

by the well

but with the content

they used in Acts

it was kind of

that's kind of

the mixture

very relational way

meet somebody

say hi

share the gospel

with them

and then simply

ask them

do you believe

what I've told you

or not

if they're angry

or if they just

simply back out

they weren't angry much

they just backed out

they probably aren't

open yet

but we're looking

for those signs

of openness

and then we'd

simply follow up

using sacrifice

stories from the

Old Testament

Sunday school stories

that many of you

have already learned

so we began this work

in let's say

late 2004

by August

there were no

believers

but

in August 2004

we met a man

named Tom Eder

shared the gospel

with him

he said

this is great news

I've got lots

of friends

that need to hear

this

more than 50

10 days later

he led his good

friend Heidi

to faith

they began

sharing the gospel

wherever they went

now some people

were believing

others were

becoming angry

at times

they would get

called to the

police station

Tom Eder

was called

to the police

station

and threatened

for 15 years

in jail

if he kept

proclaiming the gospel

so he proclaimed

the gospel

in the police

station

and from that

meeting

two policemen

were baptized

Heidi had his

electricity cut off

for two months

and for two months

was having a house

church meeting

in his home

but after a year

300 Muslims

had come to faith

and more than

as 27 or so

house churches

began to form

in 2006

a volunteer team

from North Carolina

came and worked

with us

they shared the gospel

like we did

people of like mind

led a man to faith

we'll call him

Ali

Ali came to faith

our team baptized him

and trained him

and finally resulted

in more than

100 churches

now it wasn't easy

for Ali

when he came to faith

his wife divorced him

he lost his home

because they were

living in a home

that their family owned

but he stood firm

in his faith

and God honored him

in 2007

Jibril

Jibril

this guy right here

was reading a bible

a very conservative Muslim

he was reading a bible

and coming to faith

and during that time

he met an Indonesian missionary

who didn't share

the gospel with him

he said

I met this guy

and every time we met

he just gave me

a little bit of truth

and a little more

before long

the relationship cut off

and he never shared

the gospel with me

but praise God

this movement was happening

he heard the gospel

was baptized

and we cast vision for him

the gospel for every person

in a house church

in every village

which was our goal

among the 8.5 million people

of our people group

the gospel for every person

in a house church

in every village

he said

I knew God was calling me

to do this

I had to lead somebody

to faith that night

I had to

and so he led

this guy to faith

Sahil

one of the village leaders

10 days later

they led a jihadi

to faith

a jihad soldier

someone who had gone

to faith

against the Christian religion

somebody kind of like Paul

somebody kind of like Paul

he believed

and was baptized

within a half year

they had led

200 or so

you know

Muslim leaders

community leaders

to faith

and

people who are willing

to die for their faith

Jibril tells of a time

when he and Sahil

were out sharing the gospel

and an angry fanatic

had a knife

to Jibril's throat

and he said

it wasn't just for a short time

it was for a long time

now these people

are bold as a lion

some of the boldest people

I know

finally

Sahil said

you know Jibril

you might want to back off

a little bit

I think he's angry

I think he's angry

but

Jibril said

I wasn't finished yet

so I just went ahead

and shared the gospel with him

and at the end

I told him

you know what I've told you

is true

and if you can kill me

go ahead

but see it's just

one of those instances

where God

protected them

while they're doing the work

we do know of one man

who was martyred

you know for his faith

in a movement

that came off of this one

but many who have been

imprisoned

but

through it all

the Lord has

you know

has shown his grace

and has rescued them

I think early

in this movement

when it started happening

regularly

Satan put out attempts

on their lives

I mentioned the jihadi soldier

one day he said

I was driving my motorcycle

across a bridge

and before I knew

he said

I was standing on

on the edge

and my motorcycle

was down in the ravine

I don't know how

I ended up here

but God protected it

by the way

his motorcycle

still worked too

you know

so he just got on

his motorcycle

went about his business

there are thousands

of stories

of God's miraculous

deliverance

I recently

heard another story

of another movement

that's emerging

in another part

of our country

a new believer

was leading others

to faith

they were starting

house churches

he said

one night

I woke up

in the middle of the night

I had to go to the restroom

and so he went outside

of his house

to the bathroom

and he heard

these two men

or three

talking about

how they were going

to tie him up

in a sack

and throw him

in the ocean

but you see

God protected him

woke him up

he and his family

moved to a neighboring city

where they started

churches there

in that place

see God helps us

it would be insane

to leave home

go overseas

to some place

where you know

considered dangerous

with people

who are generally

considered to be

violently opposed

to the gospel

it would be insane

unless the Lord

went with us

but in the great commission

Jesus said

remember this

I'll be with you

always

to the end of the world

and he proves it

time after time

after time

after time

as we go to

what's considered

some of the world's

most dangerous places

he goes with us

we experience

his presence

we worship

you'll never

experience the presence

of the Lord Jesus

more closely

than you will

when you go out

of your comfort zone

to share the gospel

with somebody else

and the promise

we always make

to teams

is

what I promise

is you'll experience

the Lord's presence

and every time

every time

we've had a team work

they say

we experienced

the Lord's presence

let me tell you

what he did

the Lord helps us

that's why it makes sense

God's help

makes it make sense

and finally Paul said

the gospel's hope

the gospel's hope

makes it make perfect sense

so as he's before

the king

he proclaims the gospel

two times early

in this chapter

in verses 6 and 7

actually three times

Paul refers to the hope

the hope of the gospel

it was a motivating factor

for him

and before the king

here he brings it

to remembrance

this little

this little

lighthouse

outside of the island

where we serve

represents

the hope of the gospel

that's starting to take

take root

within our people group

as tens of thousands

have come to faith

and thousands

of multiplying

house churches

have been formed

within the last month

we've heard of a

20th generation

house church

which means

this church

reached somebody else

who started a church

and that would reach

somebody else

who started a church

to 20 times

20 times

so

when you compare

tens of thousands

to eight and a half million

that's not a whole lot

but praise God

it is a good start

it is a good start

and from this movement

God is sending people

to other areas

and different places

even different countries

and they're having

breakthroughs of the gospel

and the gospel

is changing people's lives

see the little

the guy here

the guy here

used to be

an imam

a Muslim pastor

in fact he arranged

the funerals

for the entire area

for Muslims who passed away

but God changed his life

and saved him

now he's reached

more than 100 people

who started churches

in their home

now you don't live

where we live

so you can't see

the faces of the people

we serve

let's go to the next

let's go to the next slide

here are a couple

of older guys

who God is using

to change their communities

a fellow on the left

the first time

I ever met him

he said hi

he told me his name

he said I used to gamble

and steal

but Christ changed my life

since that time

he's reached about 15 people

or so

who have started churches

in their homes

he has the wisdom of God

he's kind of like

he's one of these fellas

that when you talk to him

he always has the right answer

even though he's never been to school

even though he's never been to school

just a joy

and there's one of the friends

that if I remember correctly

that he himself

had led to faith

somebody also in his 80s

there's a band

of 80 something year old people now

whose lives

Christ has changed

who are changing

their world

they have a smile

on their face

I think of another

80 something year old guy

his wife got saved later

she was really hard

but now she got saved

and she goes around

singing all the time

the Lord changed her life

so

young and old

those are some

pictures of some

of the older folks

who have come to faith

let's go to the next slide

pictures of a couple

of children

from our

larger people group

recently

some of our friends

teach at the Baptist Seminary

and they were telling me

one of our friends

called one

let me tell you

an exciting story

let me tell you

what I just heard

I was talking to

one of our students

who's now at the Baptist Seminary

and said

we asked the student

where did you go to church

and the student said

I've never been to a church

like this

but somebody shared

the gospel

with my dad

at a park somewhere

he came to faith

he came hold

and told us

and my mom

and my siblings

we came to faith

and we started a church

at our house

and since that time

we've reached other people

they've started churches

in their homes

now in the Indonesian

schools

pardon me

in the school system

of the country

where we serve

they study religion

and it's almost

always Islam

but if by chance

there is a community

of Christians

usually traditional Christians

they've been there

for a long long time

if by chance

that community is there

they'll offer Christianity

for those children

anyway

my friend said

well this student

here's what the student said

I'm here at the seminary

studying

because I want to teach

Christianity

in our school

you see

there's so many kids

who've come to faith

in my community now

they've got to offer

Christianity here as well

praise God

praise God

just an example

of the transforming power

of the gospel

to change people's lives

whereas

a few years ago

they wouldn't have heard

now

tens of thousands

of people

are hearing the gospel

many are believing

and when they hear

they proclaim

the gospel

to others

see now the task

becomes doable

we didn't do

anything heroic

the Lord gave us

a little more faith

than we had

and we simply decided

that we're going to

obey what Christ

told us to do

and I've shared briefly

what he himself

is doing

based on a simple

proclamation

of the gospel

and so it brings us

down to this question

notice the final slide

what is God

calling you

to sacrifice

to spread the gospel

locally

and around the world

it makes sense

it makes sense

and Paul made his defense

and God's calling us

all to be involved

for some of us

it might simply mean

don't be ashamed

of the gospel

simply start sharing

it with others

God can use you

to lead them to faith

we all should be

praying every day

for God's kingdom

for what he's doing

around the world

through the spread

of the gospel

so if that's not part

of your daily schedule

schedule it in

I'm going to pray

I'm going to pray

for missions

I'm going to pray

for these unreached

people groups

and those who are

proclaiming the gospel

to them

some of you

are going to be called

to go on short term trips

and perhaps others

are being called

to leave home

and go overseas

like some of us

have done

you know

to proclaim the gospel

to others

so what is God

calling you

to sacrifice

to spread the gospel

locally and around

the world

let's pray

Lord as we've asked

you to speak to us

clearly

we pray that you have

and trust that you have

what are you calling

us to sacrifice

what are you calling

us to do

all that we have

is yours

we ourselves

belong to you

and Lord Jesus

we're proud of you

we're not ashamed

of the gospel

of Christ

for it's the power

of salvation

to all who believe

to the Jew first

and also to the Greek

in Jesus name

we pray

amen